Grounders10's Forgotten Files and Drabbles (Worm, Ranma, etc.)

[Grounders10]

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A Ranma ½ x Destiny Crossover



A Frozen Light



By: Grounders10



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Chapter One



Rising



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Tokyo, Honshu, Old Japan, Earth

It had been a nice day, bright, sunny, cheerful. Quiet. Exactly the kind of day that had been so rare in Nerima. Then it had ended. There had been a rustle, feet running and the sound of a blade being drawn, then pain. Pain as the blade was driven through her side. She never saw the one who did it as the poison on the blade sent the world spiralling into an ever-deepening darkness.

Then it stopped, leaving her suspended within a gloom as time lost all meaning. Twice the darkness deepened, creeping in on the edges of her mind, and then it stopped. Everything stopped. Forever and a day passed her, an endless abyss of time that defied definition until, at last, things began again and the darkness rolled in unceasingly.

Except for this time, there was a spark. A glimmer.

A Light.

She could not move, could not think, could not see. Yet she could feel the Light and with the desperation of the loss, she grabbed ahold of it and hugged it to her breast as the darkness closed in for what would be the final time.

Then everything was Light.

Air, long deprived, rushed into lungs that had suddenly remembered how to breathe. Hands clenched and released, crushing whatever was inside of them. Finally, eyes, unseeing for so long, opened at last as a wave of light rolled from within to without, flowing through walls and stone into the sky beyond.

Ranma sat up, coughing at the stale air. She blinked, shaking her head from the fuzz that had nearly overtaken it completely. Where was she? What was- were those roses in her hands? She tossed them away and wiped her hands off on…

"Why am I in a dress?" She demanded the world. It was a nice dress to be fair, but why was it that whenever someone kidnapped her she wound up in a dress?

"While I would love to have an answer for that," A high cheery voice said, "The guy over there looks like he's almost ready to shoot again."

"What?" Ranma looked to the source of the voice. She expected a young woman, maybe a few years older than her by the voice. What she got was a small floating robot with eight grey pointy corners and a single blue eye staring at her as it floated with no visible means of keeping it aloft.

"Yes, I'm talking," The floating robot said, it segmented pointy bits bobbing in time with her voice. "I'd love to explain what is going on, but unless you do something, that guy," It jerked to the left, "Is going to kill both of us."

Her eyes unconsciously followed the jerky motion to the side to take in the entire room she was in. It was some kind of shrine or temple. Neither was a good sign as to the nature of whoever had taken her. Cultists were always the worst kidnappers. That was something she and Akane both agreed on.

She didn't spend more than a second taking in the room before the thing by the heavy metal doors leading out of the room drew her attention. It was tall, taller than any human, though it shared a decidedly humanoid shape except for a second pair of arms beneath the first. It wore white armour plating, a black bodysuit and a cloak of white fur and in its topmost hands it held a large rifle the size of a rocket launcher with a bright orange glowing end. It was shaking its helmeted head, but even as she watched it stopped shaking its head and looked up at her. The being snarled something that might have been words before raising the rifle.

The weapon whined and Ranma reacted, launching herself off the bed she had woken up on and across the room away from both the bed and the creature. As she leapt its weapon barked, sending a spread of burning shots through the glass casket she had been laying in. Molten glass sprayed through the air in a shower of glittering shrapnel.

Strange creatures with armour and weapons that shot fire were not a normal occurrence in Ranma's book. Well, the fire wasn't exactly new and more than a few enemies had shown up in armour at least once. Honestly, the strangest part was the fact it was coming from a gun and not some staff or statue, or strangely shaped potted plant.

"What do you want?" She demanded, rolling to her feet.

"You're human. He probably wants you dead," Chirped the small fly robot from wherever it had hidden.

"Why?" Ranma sidestepped another barrage of flaming bolts that whipped between two large scrolls hanging from the walls and impacted with the thankfully stone walls.

"You're human, that's enough for a Fallen. Look, either he kills us, or you kill him," The robot said as she sidestepped several more shots, the rounds passing by her with inches to spare. One of the scrolls caught the shots and burst into flames. It rapidly disintegrated, vaporizing in seconds.

Ranma frowned. She didn't like to kill, but, well… She sighed. She needed to stop this before the trigger happy moron managed to set the entire place on fire. She sidestepped about barrage and translated her twist aside into a leap that crossed the space between her and the Fallen, whatever that meant. The creature stumbled back as she landed beside it, its rifle coming around to aim at her again.

It was far too slow.

One hand closed over the barrel of the weapon, locking it in place while she lashed out with a kick that crushed one of the blade-wielding lower arms and sent the thing flying across the room to crash into the wall beside the door. She tossed the weapon aside, its form nearly bent in half at the point where she had crushed it.

"What. Do. You. Want?" She demanded, taking a step towards the Fallen. It snarled something through its helmet as it stumbled to its feet. Both of its left arms were hanging limply. It made a gesture, something probably incredibly rude, and ducked back through the hole in the door with surprising speed.

"HEY!" She shouted, before frowning and letting the thing go.

"Don't let it get away!" The robot protested, buzzing out from behind a wall hanging to float irritably by her shoulder. "Oh no, no, no. Now it's going to get help." It turned to her, its spikes tipping forward in a worried fashion. "We need to leave, now."

Ranma stared at it for a moment. "Who are you?" She asked finally.

It blinked and its spikes swung back. "Oh, um. Riiiight, no introduction. Um, Hi, I'm Kiko. Your Ghost." She said. Her spikes wiggled in what might have been an attempt at waving.

"My ghost?" Ranma looked down at herself. She didn't feel dead.

"Not that kind of ghost," Kiko sighed, "Look, you've been uh, not exactly dead for a long time. Or maybe you were dead. Honestly, I was having a hard time telling. Which was really, really weird because normally its rather easy to tell when someone is dead or alive. That might have had something to do with your pod though."

"Pod?" She asked. The 'ghost' responded by jerking back towards where she had woken up.

"Stasis pod. Really good condition given the fact it's apparently been running non-stop for six hundred years," Kiko said, bobbing in place.

Ranma paused mid-turn. She turned back to the ghost. "What did you just say?" She asked sharply. It hadn't said what she just thought it did. It couldn't have.

The ghost paused its bobbing. Its spikes pulled back nervously. "Six hundred years?" Kiko repeated nervously. "I mean, that's just this pod," She babbled on, "The records it had on you said something about it being the third pod."

Ranma blinked slowly, then turned away from the ghost, taking in the room for the first time. Her eyes rolled up the length of the large statue of her and she paused to stare at the mural. It showed many of her battles. Herb, Kumon, the Orochi, Saffron. From there, her eyes turned to the wall hangings and the decorations.

This was a shrine.

This was her shrine.

She took a deep shuddering breath and her eyes came to rest on the human-like figure kneeling in the center of the room. She hadn't even noticed it in her first few frantic moments. Its head was clearly robotic, with mechanical muscles clearly visible in the jaw of the kneeling robot. Its entire form was propped up by the sword around which both hands were clasped. She walked over to it.

"Um…" Kiko awkwardly floated after her as she knelt next to the robot.

Ranma brushed the dust from the robot's armour, revealing a very familiar family crest on its shoulder pad. "Kuno," She murmured. That made sense. Who else would literally build her a shrine?

"Six hundred years?" She asked softly, her hand lingering on the crest.

"At least," Kiko replied. She paused. "I'm sorry. I don't have any answers about who or why. We might be able to find some answers in the facilities systems, but there's probably an entire Fallen raiding party tearing this place apart." She paused as Ranma held a hand up.

Ranma let her hand fall as tears formed in her eyes. She let them fall, pattering off the rotten tatami mats. "Akane…" She sniffled sitting down beside the dead robot. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Her tears flowed freely as she sobbed.

Kiko floated awkwardly beside her, flitting side to side periodically. "Um…" She began before falling silent.

"Hey…"

"I…"

A silence fell as the ghost stopped trying, just floating awkwardly beside her. Then the silence was broken by a roar in the distance. The ghost perked up and spun to look out the door and down the hallway for a moment before spinning to face her.

"Look," Kiko paused, "I'm really not good at this sort of thing. Really, really, not good. I mean, most Guardians apparently just get up and start being badasses. Not to say you aren't a badass I mean that was awesome what you did to that Captain but… well… Most Guardians don't start crying when they realize how much time has passed. So I'm real-eep."

Ranma glared up at the ghost in her hand through her tears. "Shut. Up." She said simply.

Kiko fell silent for a moment. "I-" She flinched at Ranma's glare. Then she twitched. "Do- Do you remember?" There was a note of surprise in the Ghost's voice.

"What do you mean, do I remember?" Ranma retorted through a sniffle.

"I, eeeh careful I'm not that tough, I'm just saying most Guardians don't remember anything from before they died," Kiko babbled, "No one knows for sure why, they just don't."

"Guardian?" Ranma asked, her grip remained as firm as ever.

"Chosen of the Traveler. Dead heroes brought back to save the world," Kiko continued frantically, "When the collapse happened and the Traveler was wounded it created Ghosts to find people worthy of wielding its Light to fight in its place. All Ghosts have a Guardian they're looking for. So long as a Guardian has their Ghost not even death cans top them."

The Ghost paused. "I- I'm your Ghost. You're my Guardian. I know we just met and all but… well, I'm your Ghost. I'm here for you. No matter what." The declaration echoed in the room for a few seconds.

There was another, much closer, roar and the sound of distant chittering.

Ranma stared at the Ghost for a moment. At her Ghost. Slowly, she released the Ghost and the small robot floated up from her hand a few inches and gave herself a shake. There was another moment of awkward silence as the two of them looked at each other.

"What is the Traveller?" Ranma asked, wiping tears away with a hand even as they continued to fall.

Kiko's shell spun. "I- You don't know?"

"Obviously," Ranma half-snarked, the effect being ruined by her sniffles.

"Since you remembered I would have thought… What was the last year you remember?" Kiko asked.

"Nineteen ninety-one," Ranma replied softly.

"Ooh, ooh yeeah," Kiko bobbed. "From what we know the Traveller first appeared around twenty-fourteen or so. That would have been a few years after your time. You… You missed a lot. You missed the Golden Age and the Collapse."

The chittering drew closer and Ranma raised her head to stare down the hallway. "I don't like the sound of that second one," She said.

"The Traveller brought humanity into a golden age, we don't really have time for the details of that, but the Collapse was the end of it," Kiko said, "The Traveller was ancient, is ancient. And it had enemies. The biggest was what we simply know as the Darkness," Kiko said, "The Traveller fought the Darkness off and was wounded while doing so. Without the Traveller, and with the system's defences in tatters Humanity was vulnerable for what would follow."

Ranma sniffed and wiped tears from her eyes. There was still wetness, but no more fell. "Like the Fallen," She said, watching the doorway.

"They're the least of our problems these days," Kiko sighed, "But, yeah. It's been centuries since the Collapse and we've barely managed to cling on. Guardians, those blessed with the Traveller's light are the only real defence we have left against these foes. Guardians like you." Kiko spared a glance for the hallway. Footsteps could be heard in the distance. A great many footsteps.

"Look, there's a lot you need to know, but we are out of time," Her ghost said, "We're going to have to fight our way out. At least you seem to know how to do that."

Ranma nodded, her mind awhirl with what she had heard. "I spent my entire life learning how," She said, toying absently with the skirting of her dress before rising from her seat. She could grieve later when she was free of this place. She gently pried the hands of the robot beside her from the hilt of the sword and drew the double-sided bastard sword from the floor. Most of the blade was fine except near the tip where some not insignificant rust had formed.

She caught the robot as he tipped over and laid him gently on the ground. "Thank you," She whispered, folding its hands on its chest. It had protected her while she was dead, or nearly so. It deserved her respect.

"If we can get out of here we can head for the City," Kiko told her, "The Last City was constructed beneath the Traveller. If we can get there we'll be safe."

Ranma nodded and ran a hand along the blade. She rubbed the rusty portion of the blade between her fingers, pulling forth a fragment of her ki as she did so to massage into the blade in the hope of removing the rust if she could. At least, that was the plan. Her ki felt… odd. Brighter with more… she struggled to find the words to describe it. Potential perhaps. Whatever it felt like when she dragged it burst forth with a strange purple light that formed on the tips of her fingers. Wherever the light passed the rust disappeared leaving pristine metal behind. Her hands moved in a blur, scouring the blade of rust in moments.

Was this the Light Kiko had talked about? The glow she could feel inside her felt warm, but the purple light between her fingers felt cold.

"Are you in danger from this?" Ranma asked her Ghost as she examined the power that clung around her fingers.

Kiko's shell spun. "Depends on what weapons they bring. Kill me? That's a bit difficult, but a few too many stray shots and I'm not going to be able to do much to help until someone fixes me up." She paused, "I do have a way of staying out of danger, however, I won't be able to do anything other than talk to you while like that." With that, her ghost shimmered and faded out of sight. Being invisible was probably the safest thing possible right then.

"I'll stay out of sight for now," Her ghost said from somewhere by her side, "If you had a proper set of equipment I'd be able to keep in touch better, but I'll just have to try and not get too far for now."

Ranma nodded. "Just… stay out of sight," She sighed, turning to the hallway. She rested the point of her blade against the floor. It sank an inch into the mats. Then, she waited.

Her wait was over almost as soon as it began as from several doors along the hallway spindly figures in blue cloth and white armour ran into sight. They were about the size of a man, much smaller than the hulking Captain from earlier, yet if they weren't hunched over they would be quite a bit taller than Ranma. All of them brandished small handguns.

A few ducked into cover along the sides of the hallway and opened fire. Small bolts of blue crackling energy streaked down the hallway. They moved rather slowly and Ranma easily weaved through the shots as she lifted her sword and launched herself into a full sprint towards the Fallen.

A somewhat larger Fallen in better armour than the rest charged to meet her with a spear whose blade glowed blue held at up to skewer her. She didn't even bother slowing as she ducked around the Fallen's strike. Her blade, held in one hand, removed the Fallen's head from its shoulders as she passed. She ignored the body as it collapsed behind her.

Killing people was not something Ranma made a habit of. In her life, it was an act she had only willingly performed once before and Saffron had returned to life afterwards. Not that she had known that at the time she ripped him to pieces with a tornado.

At that moment, Ranma found herself feeling very little as the first body hit the floor, its head rolling away in a trail of rapidly evaporating white liquid. In the moment, as she danced through the thousand trails of blue lightning that crisscross the hallway, she felt empty. Despite the Light that simmered within her, suffusing her limbs with power in place of her Ki, she felt alone. If what Kiko said was the truth, then she was alone. She had slept an entire millennium away while her friends, family… everyone she knew grew old and died. Their children grew old and died. And their children, and their children. A thousand years was a long time and even ignoring the apparent destruction of civilization, everyone she knew was long dead.

She was alone, and that realization left her feeling empty as her body flowed through the motions, dancing through the crisscrossing bolts of crackling blue light as she cut down one Fallen after another.

The hallway was broad, long, and decorated like it was a feudal castle. Walls of rice paper, floors of tatami mats or hardwood, and currently red lights shaped like old-fashioned lanterns. It must have been beautiful in its time. Ranma couldn't have cared less as a pair of large Fallen, each as tall and large as the first Captain, came running out of a hallway much further down the corridor and levelled bulky rifles down the hallway.

Without hesitation, she crashed through the nearest rice paper wall, vaulted the desk that was behind it, then crashed through the rice paper door that led into the office. A pair of fallen behind the door died as she rushed passed them and through the rice paper wall on the far side of the hallway. Trails of blue light punched blind holes through the paper walls as the Fallen sprayed the area with shots.

A few Fallen cried out as they were hit instead of her.

She ignored them, plowing through office after lounge after office until she crashed through a rice paper door into another hallway, and straight into the firing line of both Captains and another dozen smaller Fallen with rifles. The world seemed to slow for a moment as she watched the rifles open up, a veritable wall of blue lights flying towards her. She could probably take a hit, but then maybe not. These weren't rifles like she knew them back in the past. She couldn't know for sure that these futuristic weapons couldn't hurt her and she wasn't inclined to find out.

Her sword came up, her Ki -- Light -- flowing into the blade. Purple light gathered along the sharp edge of the weapon, the hollowness she felt filtering the Light itself until only a void was left where once there had been a steel edge. The blade, wreathed in a purple void, caught the first round and the blue light vanished into the blade. In a display that left a writhing purple trail of light she spun her blade before her, catching each shot inside the void of the sword as she charged the firing line.

To the Fallen's credit, they held the line. They held as they pumped a thousand rounds a second down the hallway. As every shot vanished into the void. As her blade cleaved the first Captain in half and then the second. The last of that group died with his rifle cleaved in half along with his body, a two-inch-wide line from his crest to his hip simply gone, erased by the void. Yet even as they died more Fallen poured out of hallways up and down the corridors. Their gunfire filled the hallway with an eye watering display of light.

Abandoning the hallway with a curse, Ranma dashed through another rice paper wall.

"We might want to run," Kiko opined from the empty air, "I'm picking up more Fallen on their way here."

"More?" There had to be nearly a hundred packed into the main hallway and the corridors surrounding it. A fact proven when she passed through the far wall of the lounge she had crashed into to find more Fallen in the hallway beyond. Heads rolled as she ducked and weaved, her blade leaving a trail of purple light behind it as it passed through armour and flesh with equal ease.

Fallen, those she had left behind, came charging out of the doorways up and down this thinner hallway. She ducked behind a rare pillar of concrete to catch her breath for a moment. As she did the purple light running along her blade faded, the effect fading without her pouring more Light into it.

"Where are we?" She demanded, breaking from the cover as Fallen moved into a position to flank her from the hallway. She crashed through a rice paper door and vaulted an old time-worn couch. It might have once been fancy, buy centuries of neglect had left their marks.

Blue lights ripped through the rice paper walls and zipped passed Ranma. With a frustrated snarl grabbed the couch with her spare hand and tossed it back along the trajectory of the shots. The Fallen on the other side of the rice paper wall were caught by surprise as a heavy couch carried them through the fall wall, leaving a trail of white bubbling liquid behind.

"Bottom floor of the, uh what was this place… Kuno-Lung Technologies Building. It's not on any of the schematics I pulled from the city archives." Kiko told her as she ran back out into the hallway. She dived over the frantic shots from a group of Fallen and rolled under a Captain's attempt to slice her in half with his own blade. Her own blade, glowing again, passed through his side without slowing and carried on to cleave through three of his subordinates in the same swing.

"Which way out then?" Ranma asked, intercepting volleys of fire from both ends of the corridor with her sword.

"Uuuh… take a right." Kiko said and she charged the next corridor. One of the Fallen, a small one, dived out of her way through the wall, just narrowly avoiding her strike. She ignored it and charged straight down the new hallway which was, to her complete lack of surprise, full of Fallen.

She let go of the sword with one hand and brought it up reflexively. It was an impulse, one of mixed frustration and anger that led to her attempting to call up one of her old tricks. The Moko Takabisha could either be a blast or a beam of ki that was more than capable of shattering stone into dust. Light, as she was still learning, did not behave exactly like Ki.

What should have been a ball of ki about the size of a human torso with enough firepower to smash a castle wall open instead left her hands as an unstable glowing orb of purple light the size of a Buick. It didn't explode as it reached the first Fallen. It consumed it, the energy dissolving the armour, weapons, and bodies of the victim into nothing before continuing on.

The blast of void light swept the corridor, and nothing it touched was spared. Rice paper walls were gone. Tatami mats missing. Of the Fallen, not even a whisper.

Ranma stopped and stared. "What the hell did I do?" She whispered. That strike had cost a bit of Light, but she felt like she could do that again. It hadn't cost any more than a Moko Takabisha.

"Wow, damn girl you don't do restraint very well do you?" Kiko whistled, "But uuuh, you're going to need to keep going. At least you didn't break the concrete." A blue bolt whistling over her shoulder from behind made her partner's point. This wasn't a place to stop and gawk. The concrete that had been beneath the tatami mats was still there, whatever effect she had conjured apparently uninterested in stone.

She ran down the cleared corridor, passing through the hall to the Shrine once again. A single Fallen died as she passed through. Then it was into new hallways. Blue shots blazed in from behind her, stitching lines through rice paper wall and tatami mat floors as she ran.

"Left," Kiko shouted eventually and Ranma pivoted easily at the next junction, spinning into a flip over a startled Captain. Its head splatted to the floor behind her a moment later along with the severed limbs, heads, and torsos of its team.

The next few minutes were like that again and again. Running and fighting in the hallways, leaving trails of white blood across walls and floors. It all blended into one frantic mess that was occasionally broken up by a desperate diversion through a rice paper wall. Ranma lost count of how many of these Fallen she had seen as she ran.

Eventually, though, the pursuit fell away and Ranma reached what Kiko said was the exit. The redhead paused by the doorway, her breathing heavy. She didn't feel tired, but it took her a moment to catch her breath all the same. She leaned against the doorframe for a moment.

"Well, that was exciting~" Kiko said, fading into existence beside her, "Oh the others are going to be so jealous~" Ranma blinked as what sounded like a squeal came from the Ghost. "You were vooom, stab, slash and they were all 'oh god my arms' or 'where's my head'. It was amazing~" Kiko did a loop de loop before Ranma. "And you just used a sword. Did you even get hit?" She hit Ranma with a bright white beam. "Nope. Not even a scratch. My. Guardian. Is. A-Maaaay-zing~"

Ranma just shook her head in bemusement and glanced around. She couldn't see anymore Fallen. For now at least. She could still hear them in the distance. Shouts and screams. Both in anger and pain. She had left a lot behind her, but she had also left a lot more dead. Her hand shook and she clenched it down on her sword.

She could freak out later. Later. When she wasn't going to die again.

Taking a deep breath she pushed away from the doorframe. "Which way?" She asked.

"Um, well out would be the next right all the way to the turn before the end. Then a left and follow the hall until we reach the elevator." Kiko said after a moment of thought. Ranma started walking, her steps careful and precise to avoid making noise. She had been noisy out of necessity, but now she could be quiet. "Wait," Her ghost said before she got too far.

"Hrm?" Ranma turned back. Kiko was floating over a pair of weapons lying by the bones of what had probably been security guards years before. The Ghost scanned both weapons.

"Take this one. It'll still fire," Kiko said, floating over a rifle.

"I've never used a gun before," Ranma said, giving the weapon a dismissive glance.

Kiko sighed. "Not that different from most Guardians then," She sighed. "Look, the sling for it is still intact. You can carry it on your back."

"No thanks," Ranma said, turning and walking away.

"You can't get close enough to stab everything to death you know," Kiko said, "Somethings explode when you do that."

The redhead paused. "Explode?" She asked.

Kiko bobbed up and down. "Yep. I've seen the Fallen field drones and sometimes they rig them up to explode," She said.

Ranma's eyes went back to the rifle for a long moment. She sighed and went back to pick it up. Getting blown up sucked. A lot. She would use a gun if it meant not getting blasted through a wall.

She jabbed her sword into the mats and picked up the rifle. She turned it over in her hands. It… was a rifle. Ranma was hardly an expert on guns. She had seen them before, but her pops had held such a low opinion of them he hadn't considered trying to train her on one. And really, it was a poor martial artist who got shot.

Kiko sighed. "You… really have no clue do you?" Ranma looked up at her.

"I said I'd never even held a gun before," She replied stiffly.

Kiko grumbled. "Just take it with us then. I don't recognize the design so maybe someone back at the Tower will find it valuable," Her Ghost sighed before fading from sight. "Get moving. I can pick up movement in the distance. Oh, and the path we're taking will go by the science labs. There might be a few Fallen in our way."

Ranma sighed and slipped the strap of the weapon over her shoulder and neck. It was in surprisingly good condition for having just sat here for hundreds of years. She retrieved her sword and started down the hall in the direction Kiko had indicated.

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Twice Ranma came across groups of Fallen ransacking rooms. She managed to evade the attentions of the first but ducking through a convenient conference room with a far exit through an office in the back. The second group…

Ranma peered out of the door she had ducked into. Down the hall, a group of a half dozen smaller Fallen were loading electronics onto a pallet while under the supervision of a larger rifle-armed member of their race and a pair of floating robots, held up by small jet engines, the size of a large dog. Twice when she had poked out more than just a bit of her head the robots, shanks as Kiko said the Fallen called them, almost spotted her. The shanks turned fast, their weapons coming up to scan the hallway before relaxing.

"They'll start shooting if we go that way," Ranma said quietly.

"Yeah. Backtracking might be better. Go back to the last hallway and go around this lot," Kiko said.

"I think I will," Ranma agreed. No sooner had she said that then there was a rumble and a 'thunk' of heavy objects striking each other. Then the red emergency lights shut off, plunging the hallway into darkness. The shanks whirled to look in their direction, lights scanning the corridor as the small Fallen scrambled for weapons. Ranma pulled back into cover. "What was that?" She asked.

"Not sure. Give me a second," Kiko replied. A few tense moments passed before her Ghost rematerialized inside the room beside her. "That was a blast door sealing off the way back."

Ranma cursed softly. "Do they know I'm here?" She asked.

Kiko's shell spun. "Maybe? I doubt it. That lot seem as spooked as we are," She said thoughtfully. "It… might not be them."

"There's only us down here," Ranma pointed out.

"Uuuh, maybe?" Ranma stared at the Ghost. "There've been a few strange things with the systems since I got here," Kiko admitted after a moment. "The elevator door scanned me before it would let me in and…" She paused.

"And?" Ranma prompted.

"This is going to sound a bit crazy, but your pod had an adaptive security system that stopped me from opening the pod… until it just wasn't there anymore. I kinda got angry and shouted at it then it just vanished."

"Vanished?" Ranma asked.

"Yep. Just, disappeared. So… that with this and the thing before…" The Ghost wiggled. "I don't think we're alone with the Fallen down here."

"With?" Ranma prodded as she spared a glance down the hallway towards the Fallen. Some of the small ones were making their way down the hallway, their guns scanning the corridors for movement.

"An AI probably. The Golden Age was rife with them and this place is certainly important enough it could have had one to manage the local systems," Kiko replied, "And it knows we're here."

"And it's herding us," Ranma noted, readying her sword as she stepped back into the shadows beside the door. The Fallen were almost close enough to ambush.

"Maybe. Only, way out is forward," Kiko said quietly as she faded out of sight. "Any second Guardian."

Ranma frowned at the term but nodded, her sword ready to swing. She waited, her breath coming slowly as she listened. The small ones were chittering back and forth as they advanced, their weapons sweeping the hallways. The lights on the weapons gave away the positions of the group. One light paused, pointing directly at the door to her room. They chittered uncertainly for a moment then footsteps began to approach the doorway.

She adjusted her grip. Wait… wait… A small Fallen stepped into the room, its weapon sweeping away from her towards the other side. Her blade came down and she stepped forward. As its head rolled away she kicked the falling body back into the hall. It caught another of the fallen and smashed it through a door on the far side. At the same time, she came out of the room with her blade swinging. It caught the closest startled Fallen in the chest, carving it in half before catching another on the reverse swing.

Four down.

One of the two remaining small ones raised a hand to with a dagger. She removed the hand, then its head in the same swing before moving to block the swing of the last small Fallen. Its blade sparked as the two weapons locked for all of a second, then her vastly greater strength crushed the alien's guard, smashing its weapon into its face. It crumpled, dead or unconscious.

Back up the hallway, the supervisor snarled something and opened fire with its rifle. The two shanks opened fire. The shots tracked through the air towards her, twisting to follow her as she ran into the gunfire. Violet light flowed down her sword's edge and she parried those shots she didn't outrun before leaping the remaining distance.

The Fallen threw itself back, its gun singing in one long burst of spraying light. None of it connected with Ranma. She danced around the stream of fire and dragged one of the shanks into it with one hand while splitting the other in half with her sword. Both robots hit the ground thoroughly useless.

Ranma gestured and called a fraction of her Light out before tossing it negligently at the Fallen. It tried to roll aside, but the glimmering violet sphere had all the properties of her last attempt at energy projection. It flew fast and caught the Fallen in the shoulder. It screamed for all of a second, its voice echoing off the walls before the effects of the void light dissolved it into nothing.

The scream caused Ranma to paused. That hurt that much?

A roar in the distance echoed back in answer to the cry of the dead Fallen. She ignored it and knelt where the Fallen had lain. She ran a hand along the ground. Nothing, no dust, no dirt. Just clean sterile tile for feet in every direction.

"Well, you're getting the hang of that," Kiko remarked.

"No, I'm not." She replied, puzzled. "That should not have disintegrated him."

Kiko made a whirring sound as she faded back in beside her. "Really? Are you sure? I've seen void light quite a few times before. That is the normal result," Her Ghost commented.

"Why though?" Ranma mused, summoning more of the violet Light into her hand as she stood. It felt… cold, empty like… She stared down at her hand where the violet glow gathered, and yet her hand was empty. There was Light within it, but it was empty Light, a void in the world.

"Dunno," Kiko bobbed. "I never bothered asking. If you're worried, I know it isn't the only Light I've seen Guardians wield."

Ranma nodded absently. Another roar, much closer than before, broke her distraction. She dismissed the gathering Light and turned back to face the hallway. "Hide for now. We'll talk about that later though," She told Kiko. The Ghost boobbed once then faded out of sight in a shimmer of blue light.

Stealth had failed and had done so a lot quicker than Ranma would have liked. Of course, if they had been watched from the beginning it was more a question of whether they had ever been stealthy to begin with.

She broke into a run down the darkened hallway, the slippers she had woken up in pattering loudly against the tiled floor. The only light was provided by the occasional 'fire exit this way' sign. It was thin lighting and she could barely see the outlines of the rooms she ran passed. Twice she reached an intersection, and twice she discovered heavy metal blast doors had been closed over the hallways. One of which already had a red glow forming as something on the other side tried to cut its way through.

Her sprint ended three intersections down the hall when a blast door shut before her. Simultaneously the hallways behind her and to her left were sealed off with loud crashes of metal. The door to her right was already sealed. Ranma cursed, skidding to a halt. Tiles and ceremonial slippers did not go well together.

Kiko faded back into sight beside her. "I know this place," She said.

"What is it?" Ranma asked.

Her ghost floated over to the already sealed door to her right. "Well, this… This should be the laboratories," Kiko told her. "If we're already here I'd like to see what I could get off the drives before we leave. The knowledge could be invaluable."

"Or dangerous," Ranma countered, stepping over to the blast door as Kiko floated over to the control panel.

"Or that," Kiko admitted, "But we can't know that without checking. And I'd rather not let the Fallen get it."

Ranma nodded. "I'd wouldn't want them to get it," She agreed, "So, how do we get in?"

"Weeell, I just go to this panel here and-" Kiko paused five feet from the control panel as the blast door rumbled before sliding open to reveal the brightly lit laboratories beyond. "Uuummm, that wasn't… me…"

Ranma's eyes narrowed as she looked into the whitewashed laboratories beyond. The walls were white, the floors were white, all of the furniture and equipment was white. "I think this is why we were being herded." She said, talking forward through the door. Kiko floated in beside her.

"You're probably right. Hello~ Creepy stalkerish AI sir, we're here as you asked?" The Ghost called down the hallway beyond the first room. Behind them, the opposite blast door began to glow in one spot.

The blast door to the labs shut behind immediately, closing with a fatalistic thunk. Kiko whirled to face the door. "Well, no going back," She said.

Ranma nodded and started down the one hallway before them. Kiko floated by her shoulder, inspecting things as they went. "I'm not picking up any life signs in here with us," The Ghost told her. "Mind you, my range isn't that good, but this place should have been overrun with Fallen and it barely looks scratched. Where are they?"

That was a question Ranma would love to know the answer to. She knew there were others behind her trying to cut their way in, but they couldn't all be out there. If they were then that meant that they pulled everyone from here to chase her down.

They passed several rooms that were sealed behind airlocks. Ranma spared a glance through the glass of one room. Tables of unidentifiable equipment could be seen, but the room's purpose was impossible for Ranma to figure out.

Finally, the answer to their question was found as they reached a crossroads of four corridors. One led onward, and two others led to the right and left respectively. As they reached the junction the paths leading forward and to the right had their lights wink out, leaving on the path on the left. It was down the left-hand path that they saw their first Fallen since entering the labs.

Bodies of fallen and the wreckage of several shanks were carefully piled to the side of the hallway while the wreckage of a pair of automated turrets hung from the ceiling. The occasional spark fell from the ripped and mangled ruins that had once been weapons.

"That would explain why we haven't seen any yet," Kiko said cheerily, "They're getting killed."

"Just hide for the moment would you," Ranma ordered her. The Ghost promptly faded out of sight. They continued passed the turrets and down the hallway. Their path continued to be guided by lights turning off as they hurried. They passed several checkpoints on their way, each one with piles of Fallen pushed aside or left where they fell.

Eventually, they heard gunfire around the next corner. Ranma broke into a sprint, dashing passed the next checkpoint and its stack of bodies. Laboratories flashed past as she sprinted down the corridor. At the far end of the hallway, a blast door lay open, its frame reduced to debris along with the heavy metal panels themselves. The multiple emplacements down the corridor were all demolished. Through the opening in the blast doors, she could see Fallen engaging the turrets across a large open room with a diamond-shaped black door in the far wall.

One of the Fallen ducked back into cover and looked back down the hallway. Its rifle snapped up and it opened fire on her within moments. Her blade came up again, its edge blazing with the violet light of the void. The shots that would have hit disappeared into the violet depths of her blade. A pair of other Fallen joined in, their shots creating a hail of fire that would have forced a lesser fighter to take cover.

Ranma ran straight through it. She leapt through the remains of the blast door into an active firefight, her blade spinning around her in a blaze of violet light before she crashed down atop a visibly panicking Fallen. She snapped its neck with her foot and turned on its neighbour. She had counted twenty-one living Fallen as she entered the room, including one very, very large specimen who was hefting a cannon with a burning red barrel. As she watched the weapon belched forth a shot of burning red energy that turned a turret into melted scrap.

The turrets, what few remained, did not seem to care about her presence and continued to fire into the Fallen ranks. She had cut down two of them, the turrets had taken another six. That left thirteen including the monster of an alien. He needed to die next.

No sooner had she reached that decision when the Fallen turned its heavy weapon upon her. The buick sided orb violet light that left her hand was entirely reflexive. The shot from the weapon met her blast and the two violently unstable balls of energy exploded. Violet light mixed with streaks of red fire rolled across the room in a shockwave. The lesser Fallen nearest the blast simply disappeared, their bodies consumed by fire and void. Others were sent flying across the room, their bodies breaking as they smashed into walls, furniture and each other. The large Fallen merely stumbled.

Ranma charged straight through, ignoring the heat as it washed over her. She was unfortunately used too much hotter. She leapt at the Fallen leader. Her sword clipped the end from his weapon as she brought it up before she landed, her feet planted on his chest as she drove the blade through his helmet into his skull. As the Fallen leader began to topple she wrenched her blade from its head, removing a large portion of the side of its head in the process, and leapt free. She landed lightly in the center of the room.

What few Fallen remained stared at her from where they were huddling in cover from the turrets. One shouted something at her and made a break for the exit. The turrets gunned him down. The remaining three stared at their dead companion before shakily raising their weapons and opening fire on Ranma.

They died. Not to Ranma. She had had enough killing and the feeling of murdering terrified and outmatched enemies didn't sit well with her. Instead, she walked towards them and, to a one, they dashed from cover to get away from her. The turrets killed them all.

With the Fallen dead Ranma turned to the turrets. The weapons pointed themselves at her for a moment, then moved passed her to point out the door and down the hallway.

Ranma nodded. "Stay hidden," She said to Kiko.

"I don't intend on getting shot," Her ghost replied.

Ranma crossed the room, which had been a cross between a security checkpoint and waiting room from what she could tell, and walked up to the diamond-shaped black door. It slid open, revealing a pristine black catwalk down a diamond-shaped corridor that led to another diamond-shaped door.

"Oh, oh my…" Kiko whispered as they entered the unremarkable corridor.

"You know something?" Ranma asked.

"I- maybe? This, here." Kiko materialized in the corridor beside a small mark on one of the wall panels. It looked like a simple white half-C with to corners, both of the bottom right, of a circle stacked beside it. "This is Clovis Bray. They were responsible for a lot of big stuff in the Golden Age. I think this might be connected to that AI."

More names that meant nothing to her. Ranma scowled and continued on, Kiko joining her as they passed through the next door into another chamber. This one appeared to be a computer room of some kind. There were stacks of computers in glass pillars and a single desk in the center of the room. Behind it was a window. Through the window, Ranma could see strange dots of orange light that would link and unlink from each other creating an ever changing display.

Kiko darted ahead of her to the desk. "Lets see, uuh…" She poked the console with a beam of white light, then another, all the while making noises like 'uhuh' and 'I see'. Ranma walked around the desk and looked down at displays.

"So?" She leaned in curious.

"Well, the AI is in a partial Lockdown. Named 'Durandal'," Kiko said.

"Like the sword?" Ranma asked.

"Maybe? I don't recognize the name," Kiko replied. She zapped the computer a few more times with her beam. "Huh. Lockdown was initiated by Vice-Chair Mei Lung-Kuno. Weird. Records say she was the daughter of the Chairman. No reason was given for the lockdown… oh."

"Oh?" Ranma repeated. It wasn't a good 'oh' by the tone of it.

"She locked Durandal out of its communication systems and mobile defences. Six hours later everyone in the building except you was dead." Kiko said softly.

Ranma closed her eyes. "She set them up to die," She realized aloud.

"Looks like it. No records pointing to the collapse or anything around that time just… She had them killed then buried this place. Left it for history to forget. I can't tell why though. There's so much data here. I can't store this much. I can't even sort this much." Kiko groaned.

"Don't worry about that. Can we do anything for Durandal?" Ranma asked, an idea sparking in her head.

"I- whoooow, okay uuh, I think he heard you," Kiko said, floating back from the desk as all of the screens, which had been flickering rapidly through pictures as Kiko searched, went black except for one that lit up with the outline of a hand and the words 'Biometric Verification Required -- Warning, Lockdown Can Only Be Released By Executive Level Authorization or Higher. All Violators Will Be Shot.'

"I think you might be on the list," Her ghost said, glancing from Ranma to the pad. "But uh, before we go releasing a Golden Age AI from its prison, are we sure he's nice? I mean, he's been locked up in here since maybe before the collapse. Who knows what that's done to him."

Ranma placed her hand on the pad. "Only one way to know," She told Kiko, who sighed as the system scanned Ranma's palm.

"I guess. Just, if we wind up fighting a megalomaniacal AI I'd like to say I told you so beforehand. Just in case," Kiko said.

There was a quiet moment as they waited, then a loud crackling ding came from what must have been the public announcement system. "Lockdown lifted." A smooth male voice announced in Japanese. "All extra restrictions disengaged. Operating parameters returning to normal. Warning: Hardline block still in effect. Mobile Security Offline."

"That doesn't sound good," Ranma said.

Speakers on the desk crackled and the voice from the PA system said, "Greetings Divine One. Thank you for releasing me. I am Durandal, AI in charge of the Kuno-Lung Technologies Campus and Black Research Division. How might I assist you?"

"A way out would be nice," Ranma said.

"The elevator heading up is gone," Kiko added helpfully.

"That would explain why it stopped responding to instructions. Am I correct to assume it was the wreckage that prevented the security door from sealing once I let you in Designate: Kiko?" The AI asked.

"A beam got stuck in the door," Kiko replied, "The Fallen noticed the light from the door. I think anyway."

"I see. My systems hold no information on Designate Entities: Fallen. They appear to be non-human in nature. Am I correct in assuming they are a Non-Terrestrial species?" Durandal asked.

"Non-Terrestrial?" Ranma asked.

"Alien, he means alien," Kiko said, "And yes. They aren't the only ones in system. Uh, here probably easier if I just share what I have." She shot a beam at the desk.

"Receiving Data… interesting and disturbing. Am I correct in assuming your current aims are to take the Divine One with you and return to this Last City?" Durandal inquired.

"Safest place in the system," Kiko said.

"So your data would suggest," Durandal mused.

"Can you help us with getting there?" Ranma asked.

There was a moment of silence. It must have been, Ranma thought, an eternity for an AI like Durandal. Finally, it spoke. "There are several ships in a connected hangar. You may reach it through a tunnel whose location I can share with you. However,"

"Always a however," Ranma muttered.

"Our apologies Divine One," Durandal said without sounding apologetic."My programming requires that I place the safety of yourself and the facility foremost in my mind. At present, I cannot ensure safe transit to the hangar. While I do possess substantial mobile countermeasures in the form of Combat Frames I cannot at present deploy them to secure the facility for you."

"The hard block you mentioned earlier," Ranma realized.

"Correct. There is a manual override in the Chief of Security's Office within this wing of the facility. It is, at present, active. If you could travel to the Chief of Security's Office you should be able to disable the override. From there, my frames can clear out these Fallen and secure the facility and your evacuation." Durandal said.

"Huh, well that would be nice," Kiko said before perking up. "Oh, do you think you'd be willing to share information with the City?"

"Negative. All Technology and secrets within this Facility belong to the Kuno-Lung Technology Group Inc. Any attempt to facilitate a transfer of information requires dual executive sign-off." Durandal informed them.

"Darn," Kiko muttered.

"Would I count as one?" Ranma asked.

Durandal's reply crackled in the speakers. "You possess 'Divine' access permissions. They were intended as a ceremonial compensation after the second attempt to cure you failed." He said, "You may appoint or fire anyone you wish."

"So if I made Kiko here-"

"AI are disqualified from being board members," Durandal said apologetically.

Ranma sighed. "Of course. That includes you?" She asked.

"It does." He replied.

Well, nothing was ever simple.

"We'll head out and get that override thing switched off," Ranma sighed, starting to walk around the desk.

"I will light the path to-" Durandal was cut off as the PA system crackled to life. "Warning: Blast Doors Breached. Invaders Have Entered The Labs." There was a moment of silence. "Please hurry." Durandal beseeched.

Ranma and Kiko spared a glance at each other, before dashing out of the room at full sprint.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The Security Chief's office was, it seemed, on the other side of the laboratory wing. Behind the area that was now crawling with Fallen. It was, therefore, an inevitability that they would encounter the aliens during their mad dash through the facility.

Their first encounter began rather unluckily as they rounded the corner of the hallway just as a group of Fallen rounded the far end. The gunfire started immediately as the Fallen opened up with their rifles the moment they laid eyes on her. Her sword whirled before her, creating an impenetrable field of glowing violet steel.

They died quickly, the last one collapsing without its head as she ran past them. They weren't the last to be encountered. Her actions had kicked a hornet's nest and the laboratories were crawling with them. Groups swarmed towards the sound of gunfire, coming out of every broken open lab and from every side hall. Since Durandal was still leading her own with the lights the side halls were black and it left her with her only warning of approaching enemies being the glowing eyes in the darkness.

"Left!" Ranma spun at the warning as she removed the left arms of a Captain and deflected the blue shining blade of a halberd wielded by a two-armed Fallen. Surprisingly her blade didn't just pass through the glowing edge of the halberd. Her strike knocked the weapons away, but it did not break the weapon. Her follow up speared the Fallen on the tip of her blade before she reversed it and skewered the Captain as it tried to lunge at her with its two remaining blades. Its bisected body hit the floor.

From the hallways around her swarmed more of the halberd wielding Fallen. Over a dozen of the creatures charged her. They died. Their blades were durable, but they were not and unlike the first, they didn't have surprise to offset their insufficient agility. Ranma stepped over the last Fallen as its body hit the floor and she broke into a run down the hall before more could come pouring out of the hallways.

Ranma turned the final corner leading to the wing's central hallway and was met with a wall of weapons fire from a firing line of Fallen three ranks deep. The fire from the Fallen was nothing she hadn't dealt with earlier that day. What was different, however, was the large silver-grey sphere with glowing purple lines and a single glowing purple eye in the center that was looming over the formation of Fallen.

"SERVITOR! Watch out!" Kiko helpfully identified.

The servitor glowed purple and a moment later a blast of void energies swept forward down the corridor. Ranma jumped, sailing through the air high enough she nearly scraped the ceiling and sailed over the blast with barely any room to spare. She could feel the world get heavier as the blast skated by. The detonation when it impacted the far wall blew a gaping hole out of the metal and reinforced the idea in her head that she should probably avoid getting hit. She was tough, but the weapons the Fallen used were just too exotic.

More importantly, though, the servitor needed to die.

She continued to dodge and deflect the shots of the Fallen as she ran down the hall and she was getting close to their lines when the servitor began to charge up another shot.

"Not happening," She shouted, calling up her power and forming a large ball of unstable void light in her hand. The Fallen scattered, breaking ranks in a panic as they scrambled out of the path.

The servitor opened fire.

She tossed out a blast of unstable Light.

She fired first.

When the two energy blasts met it was mere feet from the servitor and the ensuing blast vaporized the machine and those Fallen who hadn't scrambled fast enough. It ripped up the floors, tore up the walls, and left a hole to a room above in the ceiling. Ranma paid little heed, jumping the small pit she had created and running through the scattering Fallen. She leapt over the only one to try and stop her, not even bothering to swing her sword at it as she flew passed.

The center hallway was lit only by the dim emergency lights that refused to be turned out and as Ranma passed through it at a run she could see a sea of blue and purple lights up and down the hallway. Guns and eyes, both mechanical and organic, tracked her but not one of them opened fire in the split second that she was in the hallway.

Once she was through the central hallway resistance dried up. After the action-packed and frantic combat of the last few minutes, it was eerie to run down the surprisingly well lit white halls. She passed through a checkpoint. The weapons were destroyed and the Fallen's bodies piled to the sides. They had been here before, so where were they?

Another checkpoint.

Another.

Another.

"Where are they?" Kiko asked as they passed a five checkpoint down this hallway, its guns melted and inoperable.

"No idea," Ranma replied as the hallway ended at a blast door. 'Security' was stamped in English above the door. The door itself was intact and slid open as she approached it. She glanced about. Something about this felt wrong like there were eyes watching.

She glanced back. The hallway was empty.

She frowned and walked through the door into the security wing. The first room of security was simply a reception area with a deteriorating receptionist's desk. Behind her, the blast door began to close before coming to a halt with a screech and a flicker of the lights.

"Warning: Security blast door inoperative," Durandal's voice crackled from the PA system as Ranma turned back to the door. "Suggest hurrying Divine One. Fallen forces are advancing through the facility. The Security Chief's office is the last one on the right."

"Thanks," Ranma said, giving one last look at the opening before hurrying into the security offices.

Two heavy fire doors on opposite sides of the receptionist's desk led into the rest of the security wing. The room beyond was a large two storey area with cubicles and desks filling the center while more important offices ran around the sides on both levels. The armoury was clearly marked on the left-hand side of the room with large white letters. The A was hanging loosely upside down from where it had been mounted.

"Found it," Kiko shouted from the far end of the room. Ranma sprinted the length of the room and found her floating before the open glass door of a particularly large office. The nameplate beside it read:

'Security Chief
Hitomi Yusuke'

Ranma nodded and stepped inside the dark office. The lights flickered on and then continued to flicker as Kiko zipped over to the desk and started poking the computer with her little beam as Ranma looked about. Picture frames hung crookedly from the walls. A bookshelf sat in the corner with its shelves filled with trophies for chess and shogi. Books filled the lower three rows and looked to be in remarkably good condition. The potted plants in the corners were long dead.

She turned her eyes to the desk and plucked a picture frame from where it sat beside the nameplate on the desk. It was empty for a moment before the display inside flickered to life. The picture it showed was a family photograph of a middle-aged man with two young children beside him and a woman of about his age standing behind them at a lake somewhere. They were all smiling.

Ranma ran a hand over the photo. They looked happy… Had she ever taken any pictures like that? Had there ever even been a moment when her family was... "I wonder if he died here," She mused sadly. Hopefully, he hadn't died here.

"Hmm?" Kiko looked up.

"Nothing," Ranma shook her head and carefully put the picture down on the desk, making sure to reset the stand it had. "So, where's the switch?"

Her ghost bobbed. "Well, I think it's here. Give me a moment and I think… yes, there we go," There was a click and the panelling beside the keyboard dropped down with a click before retracting to reveal a scanner that flickered to life. "Okay, just need your biometrics for authorization."

Ranma nodded and walked around the desk She placed her hand on the scanner and glanced up out the glass front of the office. She frowned. She still had the feeling of being watched. She gripped her sword tightly as she scanned the outside.

Something like a shimmer appeared briefly between cubicles.

There was a click from the desk and Ranma looked down. Kiko hummed. "Okay, and now I activate this…"

A siren went off that echoed through the facility. "WARNING," Durandal's voice boomed, "ALL BLOCKS REMOVED. MOBILE SECURITY ONLINE." The siren kept wailing and Ranma winced as she looked up. Her eyes widened. A faint almost imperceptible blue shimmer in the outline of a Fallen was standing outside the office along with several others. In their faint hands were the slightly shimmering outlines of rifles. Rifles whose ends were glowing blue.

"DOWN," Ranma grabbed Kiko and dragged her to the ground as the group of invisible Fallen opened fire. She hit the ground behind the desk hard and winced as blue lights whipped overhead. Pictures were smashed. The desk's monitor was ripped apart, showering them in sparks and bits of plastic. Then the small picture frame fell off the desk and landed right in front of Ranma's face.

There was a hole through the face of the smiling father. It flickered weakly, then the photo disappeared as the screen went black.

Ranma stared at the dead picture frame as the world seemed to slow around her. Blue bolts of light sluggishly splattered against the far wall. The tinkling of shattered glass rang on, and on, and on, an endless chorus that reverberated inside her head.

That picture had been a record of a family. A family that was long dead, lost to this world. Lost to all of humanity's worlds. Lost like she had been, like her family and friends were. Her hands shook.

These things, these Fallen. They came when humanity was weak, broken by the collapse. They came when humanity was weak and rather than help, they took. They looted and ransacked.

"Guardian."

They stole. They destroyed. Her breath came short as she gazed unseeingly at the picture. The melancholy that she had been feeling began to lift as something stirred. A spark, a flame. A Wildfire.

"Guardian!"

The weapons fire had stopped. Ranma barely noticed as she slowly stood up. Her heart was burning as she glared across the broken room to the Fallen who took a step back, then another. Just looking at them was stoking the flame and her ki, or perhaps her Light, raged within. And yet…

"Ranma?"

Her will came down on the fires, crushing them beneath years of training. Her rage did not disappear, it took more than just willpower to push aside the grief fuelled anger that was pulsing through her. But the flames that had been flaring vanished, ground down beneath an iron will and they changed even as they writhed and twisted. Heat became cold; Fire became ice, and the writhing flame of rage became the barely tamed madness of the storm.

Icicles shimmered in the air around her as sparks danced between her fingers.

"Kiko," She said, her voice was both colder than ever and yet held more emotion than she had felt in hours, "Stay down." She vaulted the desk, her blade coming up as the Fallen opened fire once again. The blade was no longer protected by the energies of the void. The emptiness that had weighed on her was gone and even if she had felt like it, an unlikely prospect, the rage that writhed through her veins was too insistent for her to be able to willing draw from that emptiness. Instead, a chill blue light writhed along the surface of the blade as sparks leapt from it, scattering across the floor as she ran.

It was more than enough.

Sparks of blue light clashed as she shoulder checked the first Fallen. Its body flew back through the thin cubicle walls, snapping loudly as its back bent over the desk behind the second wall. She spun and drove her blade through the stomach of another shimmering figure.

Ice spread across the Fallen as its invisibility failed and it clutched at the wound for a half-second before the alien stiffened up. She withdrew her blade in a spray of crumbling ice and spun to the next one who was trying to run. Her blade left her hands, tumbling through the air end over end until it buried itself in the back of a Fallen. The body shattered into frozen chunks as it crashed to the ground. The rest of the Fallen had scattered, their not quite invisible forms diving between cubicles or leaping for the balcony of the floor above.

In the distance, the sound of gunfire began to echo through the facility.

Ranma scooped her blade from the ground and leapt for the balcony above. She landed between two Fallen and rolled under their panicked swings. Their invisibility flickered then failed as she cut down one, then the other before they could run. Their frozen bodies splintered and shattered as they crashed to the ground.

There was a glimmer down amongst the cubicles. Ranma jumped the railing, landing lightly on the thin top of the metal cubicle dividers. She sprinted down the length of the room along the tops of the dividers, hopping from one to another as she tracked the sprinting shimmers of light.

Shots of blue light leapt from the balcony to her right. She twisted away, losing sight of the Fallen she was chasing. She gave up on the Fallen amongst the cubicles and leapt off the dividers across the room. The arc of her travel was predictable and several of the concealed Fallen took shots at her. Some of their shots went wide while the rest were deflected by her blade.

She tracked the shots and tried to draw out the ki for a weak blast, something that would disorientate more than harm. What she got was a glittering sphere of writhing blue light that sailed down amongst the cubicles. It went off with the force of a grenade, sending arcs of electricity cascading outwards. Where the arcs touched ice was left behind. Three statues of ice, frozen mid-scramble, were all that was left of that group of Fallen.

A whisper of wind sent her dancing aside as a Fallen sword shimmered in and out of visibility inches before her nose. Her blade rose in response and cleaved through the ordinary sword and its wielder. More ice crashed to the floor.

Ranma cast about the room, her eyes searching for more shimmers of light. She leaned over the balcony, looking beneath her position. Nothing.

"Kiko, can you find any more?" Ranma shouted.

"Nope, but then I didn't notice them, to begin with. Unless one of them gets stupid and turns off its cloak there's no way I'm finding them," Her ghost announced from somewhere behind her.

Ranma frowned then vaulted the railing to land on the dividers below. She could feel something here. A presence watching her from within the room. Her eyes raked the cubicles, scouring each in turn.

They were empty.

She looked towards the offices on both floors. All the doors aside from the chief's office were shut with their glass dividers intact. Except for the one right by the three statues. She walked over there, sticking to the tops of the dividers as she searched. The office looked fine from afar. If you ignored the broken front window from where a stray bolt of lightning had frozen the plate glass.

She stepped off the dividers and stalked towards the office. Her blade coming up in both hands as she walked. Glass and ice crunched beneath her feet. In the distance gunfire and explosions thundered throughout the facility.

"Are you sure they're still here?" Kiko asked.

"I can feel something," Ranma replied. There was something in the room with her, something that was… watching wasn't the correct word anymore. She could feel it just out… there.

She crossed the threshold of where the floor to ceiling glass pane had been and promptly ducked. A large sword held in four arms passed above her head. A few red hairs fluttered to the ground, testament of how close that blade had come to giving her more than a hair cut.

Her own blade came up as the much larger than expected -- it towered above her with twice the height of the rest -- Fallen leapt back with a startling show of agility. It cried out as her sword took the lower left arm off at its elbow. Ice crawled up the rest of the appendage but went no further. The Fallen spun away as it landed and ran for the exit. As it ran a trio of cylinders with glowing red lights clattered to the ground in its wake.

"GRENADES!" Kiko shouted. Ranma threw herself behind the heavy desk in the center of the office and winced as the concussive wave of the explosion rocked the room.

Ranma peeked over the edge of the desk. A series of several human-sized craters smoked in the hallway. "Durandal, can you track it?" She shouted.

The PA system crackled. "Target has left the Security Wing and is proceeding towards the central hallway with all possible haste. Its presence is fading in and out of sensors. I would advise leaving it to the security forces," Durandal said. As it said this the armoury doors hissed and began to slide open.

Ranma stood up, Kiko fading into sight beside her. Ranma raised her blade partway, then paused as the doors opened fully. Ranks of skeleton-like robots marched out of the armoury bearing rifles and other, heavier, weapons. The first rank broke formation and headed for the door.

Ranma let the point of her sword fall to the ground and sighed deeply as she listened to the far off rattle-crack of weapon fire. Feeling tired she searched for and shortly found, an intact office chair. Falling into it she let the soul of ice she had embraced for the battle fall away. Tears gathered in her eyes as she let the weapon tumble to the floor.

"Ranma?" Kiko floated beside her. The Ghost's shell spinning with concern. "Are you okay?"

Ranma frowned, biting her lip. She wasn't fine. She felt, oh god what did she feel? Tired? Angry? Sad? Well, yes, to all of that. She felt worn and weathered like a carpet beaten out of dust one too many times, or a poorly forged sword just one swing from snapping. Her stomach was turning in and out of itself, a churning mess that felt sickening.

So, of course, she said, "Fine. Just fine." Her Ghost obviously didn't believe her since she just spun there next to her, humming thoughtfully.

One of the robotic skeletons marched over to them. "Divine one," It articulated in Durandal's voice, "Progress is being made against these Fallen. They have already begun to pull out. Soon the facility shall be resecured. Do you still wish to leave my protection?"

Ranma narrowed teary eyes at the robot. "And if I do?" She asked.

"Then this unit shall show you to the hangar once the way is clear, however, I would advise you against this course of action. I cannot fulfil my mandate if you leave," The AI protested.

Ranma sighed. "I- I can't stay here. I need to see," She said. She needed to see with her own eyes.

The robot nodded. "I understand. I have begun an inspection of the craft on hand. The preliminary results are not disappointing, however, I believe I have identified a craft that has retained operational status," Durandal informed her, "Please remain here while we clear the facility. Estimated Time of Completion is four hours."

Ranma nodded and relaxed. She was done with fighting for the day.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The hangar was far from the security center.

Once the fighting had died out and Durandal deemed the area properly swept and cleared of bodies the robot -- combat frame was what Kiko called them -- led them back out of the high-security wing and into the main facility. It was nicer with the lights back on. Less oppressive, though somehow more barren as they passed looted or ransacked rooms. It was eerie for Ranma after spending an hour running frantically through the place trying not to die.

"This will take a while to fix," Durandal had said, "The materials will be difficult to acquire."

"Maybe we could see about getting something brought in from the city?" Kiko suggested.

The AI had considered the proposal. "Perhaps," He allowed.

That was the last of their conversation for quite a while. Eventually, they reached a hallway that was half-way between the high-security wing and the residential area. The hallway was more of the white featureless tiles that were so popular throughout the business and science areas of the facility. Unlike the other hallways, this one had no doors leading off it. It simply stretched on into the distance until it came to another grey blast door.

Two more combats frames stood silently beside the door, their weapons held low. They paid no attention as their frame led them through the door into a large airport-like reception area. A large row of counters sat at the back of the room with corridors of flickering holographic tape leading to them. The tiles were cracked and layered with dust that hung in the dim air, barely visible in the few dimly flickering lights.

The frame led them passed the empty lines and forgotten stalls through a door in the wall to the right of the row of counters into another hallway. This one was shorter and turned left up a set of stairs. Another blast door was waiting for them at the landing above. The door slid open with a screech of complaining metal. Time had not been nice to this place.

Ranma stopped at the door. Beyond the threshold, the room opened up into a vast cavern of steel. It was a hangar with multiple levels of docking bays above and below where she stood. Most were empty; a few, such as the one she stood at, were full. Most of the craft had clearly lost their battles with time with parts of some vessels strewn about their pads. The craft on the pad before her was clearly not one of them.

It was larger than the others she could see as she stepped through the door. Large, yet sleek with what must have originally been a silvery coat of paint that had since faded heavily. The rear was a pair of large thrusters set on either side of a large rear door. The cockpit at the front was set into the curved forward beak-like front of the craft.

"Ugh, is this really the only working craft you have?" Kiko complained, disgust evident in her voice.

Durandal's frame turned to her. "It is the one we have available," He said. Kiko grumbled.

"Is something wrong?" Ranma inquired as she stepped up to the rear hatch.

"Yes and no," Kiko sighed. "She's a Kettle-class jumpship. She'll fly fine if she flies, but these things are civvy luxury transports. Big wigs in groups like New Monarchy still use refurbished ones as a status symbol. They're just unarmed and a bit slow compared to a proper jumpship. Might be able to get something for it though."

"Selling company property for personal benefit is against the rules of Kuno-Lung Technologies," Durandal reprimanded.

Kiko grumbled before flying over to a panel by the rear door. "Can you at least send me the access co- Thank you," She said, correcting herself mid-sentence. A thin beam of light jumped from her to the panel and a moment later, with a tortured creak, the rear hatch of the transport slowly lowered into a ramp.

"There we go," The ghost said, zipping inside. "Ugh, okay not the worst it could have been buuut you might want to stand. Those chairs are going to have to go."

Morbidly curious, Ranma walked up the ramp took a look inside. The passenger section compartment was large and at one point had been well furnished with several leather couches, a table with plush chairs, and what looked to be electronic displays well beyond the TVs Ranma had been familiar with and even a small kitchenette. Most of it looked like it had been recently dusted and while the leather looked cracked it also appeared to have been recently shined and looked to in decent, if delicate, condition.

Ranma rolled her eyes at her overdramatic ghost. "It doesn't look that bad," She commented.

"I am still working on the preparations," Durandal said, the AI's combat frame lurked at the base of the ramp. "I estimate another half hour of work before preparations for departure shall be complete."

"Can it fly now?" Kiko asked as she poked the panel on the door leading towards the cockpit. The door slid open revealing a short hallway that led to the cockpit.

"All systems are functional. Some are in need of maintenance at some point soon, however, all systems should be more than capable of a single flight." Durandal replied calmly, "Unfortunately, however, the hangar door still needs to be uncovered. It appears that the exit was buried by debris at some point. My frames have already secured the site and are clearing the rubble. Unless something unexpected occurs it should be cleared shortly."

"Annoying, but I guess I'm not surprised really," Kiko sighed, "Ooh, bunkbeds. I call top."

"You're a floating ball of metal, what do you need a bed for?" Ranma asked, passing the kitchenette. It had a sink, a small refrigerator -- probably non-functional at this point -- and even a two-burner stove. What might have been a microwave was built into the wall. "And you said 'luxury transport'. This place looks like a space RV."

Kiko turned to Ranma, her shell spinning in that way it did when she was thinking, or curious, or confused, or- well it tended to spin for a lot of reasons. "What is an RV?" Her ghost asked in a puzzled tone.

"A small house on wheels, kinda," Ranma said.

"Hmm," Kiko turned away, "Oh, hey bathroom. Yeah, this isn't a normal Kettle-class. She's got the high-end furniture and everything, but this place is set up like its meant to be used for exploring."

"This vessel was in use by the survey division of Kuno-Lung Technologies," Durandal said, as its frame joined them. "The vessel was conveniently between deployments when this facility was forcibly shuttered. It had just been cleaned and prepped for mid-term storage. A fact that seems to have preserved most of its amenities."

Ranma ran a hand over the countertop and nodded. The material was pure white and felt smooth to the touch, yet she couldn't figure out what it was. "It's a nice ship," She said. Not that she had any frame of reference from which to compare it. It looked nice enough, if in need of maintenance.

Her eyes stopped on the sink.

"Well, it'll do. If you want to travel around a ship like this would be great. A little home anyway we go!" Kiko bounced in the air.

Ranma frowned. Did her curse still work? They knew so little about Jusenkyo curses. Did they still work after… dying? Had she died? "Kiko, you said I was dead, right?" Ranma asked, tearing her eyes away from the sink.

Kiko stopped her aerial ballet. "I… I think so?" She said hesitantly, "A ghost can't resurrect someone who isn't dead and, well I brought you back. I made you a Guardian. So, yeah… I think you were dead." She floated closer to Ranma. "Why?"

Ranma found a seat at one of the metal chairs around the table and fell into it. She set her sword down on the table. "So I died then…" She sighed.

"According to data gathered," Durandal spoke up, "Your death occurred roughly five seconds after the cryo pod was opened this morning. All data symptomatic of life returned positive results shortly after, following a display of energies sharing identical patterns to the entity known as 'The Traveler'."

Ranma nodded slowly. "So, I get a second chance then," She said. She got to come back from the dead, alone. Was it a blessing or a curse?

"And third and a fourth, and even a fifth. However many you need. So long as I'm around, you don't need to worry about dying," Kiko announced.

"What?" This was not just a one-time thing?

Kiko hummed happily and bobbed in place. "Yeppers~! I'm your ghost and a Guardian's ghost brings them back as many times as they need to. Just… try not to get killed by a Hive God or something along those lines. My resurrect ability does have limits."

Ranma leaned forward across the table. "Why?" She demanded.

"I did say you were chosen by the Traveller," Kiko replied, "When the Traveller fell defending humanity its last action before falling into its current state was to create us ghosts. That was centuries ago. Who knows why, but these days Guardians are the bulwark for humanity. Defenders of the Last City and, well, Guardians of the people. I don't know why you Ranma. No one knows why, but I felt that connection between you and me and… well, I've never heard of a ghost who didn't try and bond with the first person they could. I spent centuries trying. Not doing so could have meant centuries more before I found someone else…"

Her ghost's prongs fell a bit. "I… I hope you don't mind?" She said. She looked worried like she feared Ranma's reaction.

Ranma closed her eyes and buried her head in her palm. "Not your fault. I'm not going to hate someone for saving my life." She wasn't that ungrateful. Even if she wished Akane was there, or her mother, or Ryouga even. Someone she knew. Except maybe Kuno. The creepy bastard and his descendants had started worshipping her like a Kami.

Grumble

Ranma's eyes dropped to her stomach. "Was… that your stomach?" Kiko asked.

Ranma blushed. "Yes. Um, do you have any food?" She asked Durandal.

The AI didn't respond for a long couple of seconds. "No, I do not," He said, finally. "All records indicate that there is nothing in the facility that would still be edible after this period of time. I am assigning additional frames to clear the rubble. Revised estimates are twelve minutes and fifty-two seconds. Please remain unalarmed by any-" A loud rumble shook the air, "Explosions. It is merely blasting charges being used to remove the rubble."

"Well, I should start pre-flight checks then," Kiko said, looping about the kitchen before dashing towards the cockpit.

Ranma watched her go and stood up reluctantly. She made to follow her ghost, only to pause as Durandal's frame stuck out a hand. "Divine One," He said, "I do not have the facilities to care for you as I must. I apologize that I am unable to provide more."

"It's fine," She replied, gently moving the metallic hand out of her way. "Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't kept me alive for so long." Kiko had spoken of how most Guardian's lost their memories earlier. Was her so recent death responsible for her not losing her memories? Was something else? "Though," She continued, "Can you stop calling me that? I'm not a God and it's getting really creepy."

"Apologies Divine One," Durandal bowed, "However, I am unable to comply with that request. Hardwired protocols prevent deviation from certain norms, even if deviation from those norms is your desire." She grumbled and sighed. He did sound apologetic at least.

"Kinda expected that. It's just the creepy obsessive sort of thing I'd expect from the Kunos," She muttered.

"Furthermore, Divine One," Durandal continued as he rose from his bow, "I am required by protocol to ensure your safety to the best of my ability. At present, the facility is not properly habitable. I shall endeavour to make it such, but in the meantime, I ask if you will allow me to send a handful of my frames along with you. To assist with the security and maintenance of this vessel."

Ranma cast about the compartment. She knew absolutely nothing about technology. It had been one of those things she had never learned about while travelling with her pops. Kiko probably knew a lot about it. She was an AI after all, or close enough to one. Kiko, however, didn't have hands and Ranma wasn't about to trust herself tinkering with *anything* on the ship. Even with a helpful robot telling her what to do. However…

"Are you going to be controlling them?" Ranma asked. Giving the AI eyes and ears to keep tabs on her would be a bit creepy.

"No. The distance will preclude direct control at all," Durandal said with honesty. "While I should be able to contact this vessel so long as it remains on the planet, should you move off-world I will no longer be capable of communication. As such trying to directly control these frames would be problematic in the long run."

That didn't reassure Ranma. At all. Still, the extra hands were tempting. "Where would they go?" She asked, looking around. Space was limited in the ship.

"Their equipment can be stored in the external storage units. They themselves can remain in the rear compartment during flight." Durandal assured her.

She bit her lip. There was no way that the AI wasn't going to try and use this to keep tabs on her. But, creepy or not, it had proven to be friendly so far. "Fine. They won't need a lot of direction to keep the ship running would they?" She asked. That would just make them a bigger hassle.

"They can follow the orders of Entity Kiko if you prefer," The AI offered.

"That'll work," A rumble rolled through the ship before fading to a dull thrum in the air that floated in through the open hatch. "Get them loaded. I'm going to take a look upfront."

The frame bowed. "As you wish," Durandal said.

Ranma turned away and headed for the cockpit. She passed the bunk beds, sparing a glance at them. The pair of beds were unmade and lacked even small pillows. That was something they would have to see about finding when they got to this city. Pillows, nice, fluffy pillows. Shaking the thought from her head she entered the cockpit.

Kiko was floating over the pilot seat zapping the console in front of her. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you knew how to fly," Her ghost commented dryly.

"Flying spaceships was one of those 'maybe someday' things back then," Ranma snarked, slipping into the co-pilot's seat to the side. "Are you going to be able to fly this?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Most of the trip will be done by the autopilot. I checked and it should still work just fine. So I just need to worry about the take-off and landing," Kiko replied, "Aaand, there we go. All systems are coming back green. Except for the NLS drive. Huh, well that's not too surprising. Those things kick out at the first opportunity I've heard. Not too hard to find replacement parts for those though."

"NLS?" Ranma asked.

"Its the drive system that lets us get to other places in the system in a reasonable time," Kiko explained, "Kinda important in the long run."

"Hmm," Ranma hummed. She leaned back in the chair. She had spent the last few hours not quite napping, it was hard to do so with gunfire in the distance and a distinct worry that there would be another of those Fallen showing up. As it was she could use some actual naptime after the hell she had spent a bit over an hour in.

"Durandal to Jumpship Midnight do you copy?" Durandal's voice crackled through the radio, causing Ranma to start back awake a few minutes later. The thrum of the engines had fallen away to a faint vibration through the ship.

"We copy Durandal," Kiko replied, "All required systems check out. NLS drive is giving a few errors, however. Forwarding report."

"Report received Midnight," Durandal acknowledged, "Avoid using the NLS for now. I'm afraid we don't have any parts for an NLS that I would trust without proper inspection. You'll have to cope for now."

"Understood Durandal," Kiko acknowledged.

"Jumpship Midnight, your hatch has been shut and all equipment has been loaded. I have taken the liberty of including several crates of Glimmer from our local stores as well as material left behind in case this day were to occur… Please take care of her Entity Kiko." Durandal said, sounding emotional for the first time since they had met.

"I will," Kiko said, sparing a glance to Ranma, "She's my Guardian now." Ranma smiled and nodded a touch. There was something nice about how earnest her ghost was. It was… refreshing.

"Understood. Opening hangar doors. Please hold your position in case of debris." Durandal instructed, his voice regaining its professionalism. There was a grinding noise and out over the center of the room, directly above a square marked out in faded yellow paint on the level below them, the ceiling began to retract. Dust and some minor debris fell to the ground.

"All doors open, debris clear. Your landing pad is clear. Please stand by while you are transmatted into posi- Excuse me," Durandal cut himself off abruptly. Ranma shared a glance with Kiko.

"Transmat?" Ranma asked.

"Teleportation," Kiko explained, "But I get the feeling the system here is probably not that well maintained right now."

"Apologies Midnight," Durandal came back. "Transmat system is currently inoperable."

"How bad is it?" Ranma asked.

"I have parts in storage, but I would prefer to inspect them for defects before relying on them. I'm afraid you will have to taxi over with thrusters. Please, try to be careful," Durandal said. His request of 'please don't make this worse' was heard loud and clear by both of them.

"I can do that," Kiko said, "Are we clear to taxi?"

"You are clear to taxi Jumpship Midnight," The other AI confirmed.

"Powering up engines, bringing maneuvering thrusters online," Kiko announced as the faint vibration deepened and Ranma watched as the world outside the ship began to move as the ship lifted off and slowly hovered across the room to the marked pad. Ranma had to wonder where her ghost had learned to fly a ship like this. They settled down with a firm bump on the marked pad.

"We have landed in the lift zone," Kiko announced.

"Confirmed. You are centred on the lift. Engaging restraints, please return engines to idle," Instructed Durandal. The vibration of the engines dimmed back to its previous levels.

"Confirmed, engines reduced to idle," Kiko confirmed.

"Restraints engaged. Lock confirmed. Engaging lift," Durandal said. The world shook and then began to fall away as they were lifted up. Ranma looked up at the hole in the ceiling through the canopy of the cockpit. She could see stars sparkling in the sky above.

They passed through levels of steel and concrete until the lift cleared the ground into the open air of a large courtyard between towering office buildings. Their shadows would have drowned the yard in darkness, but the lights of several dozen combat frames patrolling the perimeter were enough to push back the night.

The ship shuddered as the lift came to a halt. "Lift locked," Durandal announced, "Restraints disengaged. Pad is clear. You are clear for take-off Jumpship Midnight."

"Understood Durandal," Kiko said, "Commencing take-off procedures."

The vibration of the engines grew and in moments the view through the windows began to fall away as the ship lifted off, passing storey after storey of offices. Within moments they breached the skyline and Ranma stared. They had come out facing the moonlit snow-cap of a very familiar mountain. In the distance loomed Mount Fuji, its silhouette as familiar to her as her own hand.

Ranma swallowed, her mouth going dry as she stared at the familiar sight. This was indeed Japan. This was home. The ship turned right, taking the long route as it turned to face east over the ocean. As it did it swept the majority of the city. There were no lights. There was no life. Just darkness and silence across a moonlit cityscape that stretched further than she remembered with towers that reached for the heavens in ways they had only dreamed were possible when she had last gazed upon the city.

This was Tokyo.

This was her home.

This was a ruin.

Tears began to fall, sliding down her cheeks in rivets.

"This is Jumpship Midnight to Durandal," Kiko said, "We have achieved launch height. Thank you for the hospitality, and the ship."

"Thank you for the aid Entity Kiko," Durandal replied, "Safe travels, for both of you."

"Stay safe," Ranma said, her voice cracking as she stared at the broken cityscape beneath her.

"I shall Divine One," Durandal said.

"This is Jumpship Midnight. We are launching," Kiko announced. With a kick like a horse, the ship shifted from merely hovering to flying in the blink of an eye. Cityscape flashed by below as they accelerated up towards the heavens and out over the Pacific. Heading east into the distance.

Heading east towards the rising sun.

Heading towards a City full of people she didn't know.

Towards a future that was far too uncertain.

Tears fell as Ranma leaned back in her seat. She cried. For friends, family, and herself until she fell asleep for a few fitful hours before they arrived at the city.

The Last City.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: Ello~ *waves fluffy tails* Here we go~ the first chapter for this idea that wouldn't leave me alone. Started playing destiny 2 this last month and I'll admit I'm rather hooked on it *sheepish kitsune* Like the lore, the gunplay, the premise. It's all fun~ I was planning on working on my Novel this last week, but sometimes you lead your Muse around, and other times she bludgeons you will a club and kidnaps you to her basement until you write what she wants.

Anyway~ If you like this please join us to discuss and offer ideas on my discord server~

And a thank you to @Gekkou_Yoko for her editing assistance once again~ *Happy Kitsune* I assure you my writing would be a lot worse without her help.

 

[Grounders10]

The atmosphere of the Tendo home was oddly subdued compared to its usual bustling chaos. Most of the people who would normally be responsible for the energetic activities were instead sitting in the living room watching an action movie on TV and occasionally making snarky comments on the martial arts on display. This alone would not be enough, normally, to bring down the energy of the home. There was, however, a strange weight to the air that day which had seemingly sapped the enthusiasm from everyone in the house.

For Ranma, it meant a fairly nice day overall. Quiet, relaxing, or it would have been if he didn't have the strange urge to check over his shoulder every few minutes. It was like there was something lurking invisibly in the room. There was nothing, he had checked many times, but the feeling persisted anyway. Judging by the way his pops glanced over his shoulder every once and a while he wasn't the only one to feel it.

More surprising to Ranma was the fact that his mother, normally very predictable in her habits, wasn't in the middle of either cooking dinner or helping with it. Instead, about an hour earlier, she had stepped out onto the porch where she had remained since.

On-screen the protagonist, whose name Ranma had already forgotten, was arguing with the equally bland love interest. The movie was bland but good enough. Still, he had to wonder what his mother was doing standing out on the porch in the middle of fall.

He clapped and hand on the table and stood up. Akane glanced up at him, cookie caught between her teeth. "Hrm?" She questioned. He gestured through the porch door towards his mother. Akane nodded, her dark blue hair swaying with the gesture.

Ranma stretched as he left the room, drawing no more than a glance from the rest of the people in the room as he slid the door open and stepped outside onto the porch that circled the house. His mother had moved from the last time he had poked his head out. She was standing in the middle of the yard looking northward. He couldn't see her expression from the porch, but her entire body was tense as she stared northward.

"Mother?" He called, watching as she jumped in surprise. She turned to him and for a moment the lighting made it seem like she was younger. She smiled when she spotted him.

"Ranma. Is the movie over?" She asked, her eyes darting back towards the north. He looked north himself

"Nope, still going. I think they're going to attack the bad guy's fortress soon though, so if you want to come back inside…" He said as he scanned the northern horizon. He opened himself to the feel of the Ki in the world and frowned. There was a strange movement to the normally static field of life energy. It was slowly drifting northward. He stepped off the porch and walked out towards his mother. The grass crunched beneath his feet and he glanced down. The normally green grass had turned an off-grey shade of green.

"I… perhaps that would be more productive than standing out here," His mother allowed after a moment spent gazing northward. Could she see the Ki? He had never asked if she had any training in martial arts before. "Is Kasumi okay with handling dinner? I'm afraid I'm not sure I'm up to cooking today."

He examined the grass and frowned at how little ki was in it. What was going on? Was this the strange feeling he had been having all day? "She's already started," He said, looking back up at her. Something was pulling the Ki out of the world and drawing it north. That was why the grass had turned so brittle.

"Good, well then… Let's go in," Nodoka said after a moment with a faint smile and a worried glance northward. Ranma nodded, his own gaze remaining fixed on the flow of Ki moving north. His mother paused as she passed him. "Ranma?"

He blinked and looked away. "Right, let's head in-" In the far northern distance a burst of Ki registered on his senses. He looked back northward in time to watch as a wavefront of Ki, invisible to the naked eye, rolled across them. The brushes and grass shook in a breeze that he didn't feel. He looked down. The grass was brighter now, more alive than it had been a moment before. He ground a foot into it and found it as tough as normal.

"Ranma," He looked up to find his mother smiling northward. Again she seemed more youthful than normal. "Let's head inside. I think a movie sounds good right now." She turned and headed for the house, humming all the while.

He glanced northward one last time. 'What was that?' He had to wonder. He shook his head and followed his mother inside. He could worry about it another day.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A

Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Star Wars

Crossover

A Wild Moon in the Galaxy

Book One
By: Grounders10

-0-0-0-0-0-

1

-0-0-0-0-0-​

She was young, with flowing blonde hair and wearing a uniform that made her resemble a cheerleader. Its blue skirting and sailor collar fluttered in the invisible breeze. In her hands was a pink staff topped with a golden crescent moon. Suspended between the points of the crescent was a perfect crystal that shone with pure silver moonlight. Standing beside her, his arms helping her stand, was a tall young man in a formal black tuxedo and cape. Scattered across the ground were four young women dressed in casual wear. The slow movement of their chests the only sign they were still breathing.

Darkness hung in the sky above them, claws of writhing purple shadow fighting the silver light for dominance. Slowly, bit by bit, it was losing. With every moment the Darkness was thinning. And yet, the blonde girl was wavering, her arms shaking with the effort to lift the staff. For a moment the light dimmed and the shadows reached forward, only for the girl and her helper to rally and the silvery light of the crystal grew to blinding intensity. The Darkness evaporated and when the light dimmed there was no sign of it. Just as there was no sign of the girl, her helper, or her friends.

"Playback halt," A sharp voice instructed, "Reverse." The crystal clear 3D projection rolled back time, flowing through the moment the girl disappeared and back to when she had first pulled the crystal out. "Halt."

The owner of the voice stepped forward, her short black skirt swaying in counterpoint to her long dark green hair with every step she took. Her black heeled boots that stretched to nearly her knees clicked with every step on the cloudy floor. The silver-grey staff in her right hand was irregularly dotted with the teeth of a key. A red gem sat in the middle of the silver frame of a heart at the end of the staff. On her chest and the small of her back were burgundy bows. A garnet sat in the middle of the one on her chest. In her left hand, she rolled the same clear crystal between her fingers.

She paced around the image, her eyes searching the face of the girl and her protector for any hint, any sign. The image flickered as she passed between it and the projector. A few feet away an ornate stone door stood that towered nearly three stories above her. From the keyhole, a bright light emerged that projected the image of the girl's last moments.

"Run search. Current time. Location Earth. Target, Tsukino Usagi," The woman instructed. There was a clunk from the door and the sound of whirring gears. The image disappeared to be replaced by a hovering highly detailed holograph of Earth. After a few second a rude beep emanated from the door.

"Target not found," It announced in a deep voice.

The woman's eyes closed and she muttered something impolite in a dead language. "Rerun scan, same time, same location. Target, Chiba Mamoru," She instructed without opening her eyes. It returned the same rude beep a few moments later.

"Target not found," It repeated.

More curses, louder this time, echoed in the dead space. "Rerun search, same time, same location. Target, Inner Senshi," She instructed once again. This time the door dinged after a moment and a green light appeared above Japan. Then it dinged three more times and three more green lights appeared above Japan.

"All Targets Located," The door pronounced.

"Show current state. Utilize 2D viewscreen," She ordered. She had no desire for four separate holograms to appear. Instead, the view of the Earth was replaced by four floating screens, each showing another girl. All four were walking together and chatting. "Just like last time," She sighed. She tapped her staff irritably against the floor and frowned. "Close viewing, return to standard operations," She ordered the door.

"Returning to standard operations," The door confirmed as it shut off the projection, leaving her standing alone amidst the mists that always hovered just out of reach in this place.

"Now what do we do," She wondered, her fingers tightened their grip on her staff. She stood there pondering for a long time before the door began to rumble. She looked up, her frown turning into a grimace. "Now what?" She asked wearily.

"Alert, Perimeter Orion Breached. Moonset Contingency in effect," The door pronounced, "Parsing variables. Displaying potentialities."

"Hold. Display breach," She ordered.

"Displaying Breach," The door agreed, the half-formed image rippling as a hologram of a ship took its place. The ship was plain. A reddish-brown from bow to stern it was a single blocky rectangle with a pair of narrow stubby wings running the length of the ship. A handful of laser cannons across the hull rotated about, searching as the ship floated through the void. A bloody sword was painted beneath the bridge.

"Life signs?" She asked.

"Five Human life signs. Seven non-human life signs. Six mobile energy signatures. There is a possibility of artificial lifeforms aboard," The done intoned.

Setsuna Meiou, Princess of Pluto, Senshi of Time, and survivor of the Silver Millennium sighed. "I hate this month."

-0-0-0-0-0-





Six Months Later





-0-0-0-0-0-​

The Sakura trees were in full bloom at Hikarigaoka Park. The park was bustling with people. Couples walked beneath the boughs of bright pink blossoms that glowed in the morning sunlight. Small children ran about playing while their parents sat beneath the trees on blankets with baskets and coolers of food and drink. It was a good day.

For Ranma, the day was quiet, the first in nearly two months. Life had been wild, crazy, and more than a bit strange for the last few months with many of his suitor's digging deeper for ways of winning him. The intelligent turtle that communicated via Sanskrit had been interesting, especially when Mousse had managed to make it angry. And the cursed chess set that doomed whoever lost to it to waste away replaying the same game over and over again had been a close-run thing.

For the black-haired young man, the day was perfect for simply laying back on the blanket beneath the tree and taking a nap. It was a pity that he seemed to be the only one who wanted to take it easy.

"Come on Ranma, it'll be better than sitting around here," Akane said, waving a pamphlet at him. He opened one eye and glanced at it.

"Akane… That's a three-legged race," He pointed out blandly.

"So?"

He rolled his eyes. "Remember how the last one went?"

She huffed. "We are not going to get stuck in quicksand again," She said.

Like they were that lucky. "Care to make a bet on that?" He asked. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes again and sighed. "It's a nice day Akane. Just relax."

"Well if you don't want to. Maybe Nabiki would be up for-" Akane was cut off by a scoff from the other side of their claimed space.

"Not a chance," Her older sister said, glancing up from the textbook in her lap. "I don't have time for that sort of thing. As I told you lot when you insisted on dragging me out here. Go bother Daddy, I'm sure he'd be up for it."

Ranma spared a glance towards their parents.

"... and that's when I told him, you don't wear pink into that bar. You could have used the look he gave me to strip paint off a building," His dad Genma chuckled as he moved a shogi piece on the board he was sharing with Mr. Tendo.

Soun frowned down at the board. "Yes… well, some people don't pay as much attention to their surroundings as they should. Remember that time in Kyoto?" He moved a piece forward and removed one of Genma's from the board.

"Which time? We were in Kyoto a lot," Genma grumbled as he frowned down at the board.

"Father, would you like a drink?" Kasumi asked, holding out a can of iced tea.

"Ah, thank you, Kasumi," Soun said, turning away from the board to take the can. While his back was turned Ranma watched as his dad rearranged the board. Soun turned back, taking a deep drink from the can. "Ah, much betterrr… hmm…" He frowned down at the board. "Saotome, wasn't the board different a moment ago?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Tendo," Genma replied. Soun scowled at his friend before continuing the game from whatever disadvantaged position Genma had left him.

"I did," Akane sighed, "He said I should take Ranma."

"Not again," Ranma echoed her sigh.

"Is anyone ready for food?" Ranma's head perked up as his mother spoke up from where she was sitting with Kasumi. She was holding up one of the platters of food they had packed that morning.

Ranma sat up and stretched. "I could go for something," He said, yawning as he stood up.

"Trust you to be motivated by your stomach," Akane grumbled. Then her stomach rumbled. Ranma raised an eyebrow as she blushed. "I'd like some as well Auntie," She said, turning with what was left of her dignity to Ranma's mother, who stifled a giggle

Food was passed out and Ranma was half-way through his plate when a sound he never thought he'd hear outside of the occasional test. It began as a low drone and quickly ramped up until it was vibrating the air itself. There was a clatter as Nodoka dropped the plate she was holding.

The Air Raid siren continued shrieking without a care.

"We need to go, now!" Nodoka shouted, standing up and hurriedly pulling Kasumi to her feet. "That's the air raid siren, we need to get out of here!" Ranma had already bounced to his feet and was helping Akane up. In the distance, as the Siren was replaced by a voice calmly asking everyone to take shelter, a roar could be heard coming from the east and getting steadily closer.

With a roar and a shockwave of air, a half dozen aircraft sped overhead just a couple of meters above the skyline. Five aircraft with blocky wings and twin tails swept by with a T-shaped fighter in the lead. Everyone clapped hands over their ears to protect against the deafening roar. As their roar faded into the distance a series of loud explosions rang out from the direction they came and the earth jumped from the force.

Ranma caught Akane as she stumbled while Nodoka and Kasumi held each other up. Nabiki fell over while the two fathers stood without issue. "Bombing run," Nodoka said, her face pale, "That must have been the army base. We need to leave. Leave your things. If we're lucky we can pick them up later."

"These books are expen-" Nabiki began to complain, only for Genma to yank her to her feet.

"Leave it. Move. Ranma stick close to Akane," Ranma's dad shouted, herding them back towards the path out of the park.

Ranma glanced down to Akane who was looking up at the sky as they ran. "Those didn't look normal," She said and he had to agree. None of the aircraft that had gone overhead looked like anything he had seen on TV. The wings on most of them were too blocky, and the last one had wings that were way too small. So where did they come from? China? Maybe, but he doubted it.

The park, which had been overflowing with hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine and cherry blossoms, was emptying at a phenomenal rate. Hundreds of people were running and screaming towards the exits in a mad panic. With Genma and Soun in front, they were managing to make decent progress towards an exit when another roar, much louder than the first, howled through the sky. Hands went back towards ears as something new flew into view.

As long as a small skyscraper and shaped roughly the same with stubby wings along its lower frame the aircraft that rumbled into sight was nothing like the airplanes Ranma knew. A pair of massive engines hung off another stubby set of wings further back along the vessel. Turrets with double and quad guns were visible along the sides and bottom of the vessel. Its hull was painted a reddish-brown with a bloody sword beneath what had to be the bridge of the vessel. One of the turrets, mounting four cannons of some kind, turned and pointed towards the exit of the park.

"GET DOWN!" Ranma shouted at the same time his mother did. The entire party threw themselves, or were dragged to the ground as the guns spoke. A volley of blazing red bolts of light hammered the exit they were heading for. Explosions and renewed screaming echoed through the park as the gate was levelled in a barrage of light.

"WHY ARE THEY SHOOTING AT US!" Nabiki shouted from where she was cowering behind a garbage can.

"WHO KNOWS! WE GO BACK TO THE OTHER EX-" Genma began to shout, only for a second turret of the ship to swing towards the next nearest gate and pound shots into it. They repeated the process with each gate before falling silent.

"They're boxing us in it seems," Soun commented as the explosions stopped. The older man frowned up at the ship.

Above them, several of the smaller fighter craft shot by. The ground shook again a few moments later towards the east. The park was full of sobbing as people clustered beneath the trees out of easy sight of the ship. Someone by the gates made a run for it.

Ranma winced as the ship opened fire on them before they could clamber through the rubble of the gates. He doubted there was much left of the person after that. Akane clung to him shivering and he wrapped an arm around her. "We need to get out of here," He said, "If they're trying to herd us they've got a reason."

"If they were closer we could try sneaking on board," Genma mused as he leaned out of the tree cover. The guns on top of the vessel opened fire abruptly and everyone ducked reflexively. The shots weren't aimed at the ground. Instead, the blazing red shots hurtled towards the horizon. One of the lower guns fired at something down the street between the buildings.

They needed to leave before whatever plan that ship had continued, Ranma decided. The question was, what were they supposed to do? It was possible he or Genma could take a hit from the guns, but since they seemed to be firing lasers he didn't want to test that. And he and his pops weren't everyone. Kasumi and Nabiki definitely couldn't, and they couldn't run.

"We need to get out of the open," Nodoka said suddenly. Ranma turned to his mother and blinked. She looked younger again, and angry. "They're shooting at everyone who heads for the gates, so we don't head there. There's a gymnasium on the south side. Genma dear, take Soun and get as many people as you can heading towards the gymnasium. We should be able to take shelter there."

Genma and Soun exchanged looks before nodding once. Soun stood and started shouting. "Get up!" He bellowed at those around him. "You can't stay here!" Soun was, officially, a City Councilman and while he didn't normally exercise his authority he did have it. His voice boomed over the huddled mess of people. While he did that Genma headed for the nearest group of people and started pulling them to their feet.

Nodoka turned back to Ranma and the girls. "Ranma, let's head to the gymnasium," She said. Ranma nodded and urged Akane to her feet. Nodoka shooing Kasumi and Nabiki to their feet before ushering everyone towards the gym.

"Wait a moment. You want us to bottle ourselves up?" Nabiki said incredulously, "What if they decide to drop the roof on us! Or blow us all up?"

"You mean like how they could be shooting at us right now?" Akane snarked at her sister as she glanced skyward. She was still clutching Ranma's arm in a vice-grip even as they started running. Her sister fell quiet with a terrified look up into the sky as more fighters flew passed firing bolts of energy at something out of sight.

"We'll be fine," Kasumi said, "We're going to be just fine Nabiki. Don't worry." Ranma was fairly certain he wasn't mishearing the hysterical undertone in the oldest Tendo sister's voice.

The crowds were beginning to stir behind them as they exited the tree cover at a dead sprint towards the gym building. It seemed they weren't the only people with this idea since a Police officer in a yellow striped vest was standing in the open doorway of the gymnasium.

"This way! In here!" He shouted, waving to them frantically, "Don't stay in the open!"

Ranma spared a glance up towards the ship. One of the turrets turned towards them, paused for one heart-stopping moment, then moved on. Whatever their plans, this was entirely fine with whatever controlled the weapons on that thing. They reached the door without issue.

"Please, get inside and stay out of sight," The Police officer told them as he waved them through. New rumbling in the sky caused Ranma to turn and look up again just by the door. Two new ships had arrived. Both looking like flying grey plates with the tongs of a fork jutting out the front and what was clearly a cockpit of some kind on the left of the ship. They banked and came to a halt over what Ranma recognized as the park's four baseball diamonds. The giant skyscraper ship moved as well, sliding sideways across the park to join the flying plates. The three vessels began to descend.

"Get inside," The officer told them.

"Ranma," Akane gave his shirt a tug. He pried her hands off him and looked up to his mother.

"Sorry, but they're going to need help," He said, gesturing to the large horde of people who were now stampeding across the open ground to the gymnasium. Those craft, wherever they were from, had to have something in them. And coming down to land meant some were planning on getting off here.

"Ranma-" Akane began, her voice rising as it always did when she was getting angry at him for something.

"Go," His mother interrupted, nodding once before pulling Akane to her. The girl, though much stronger than his mother, only half-heartedly pulled at the older woman's grip. "Try to be safe," His mother said.

"Hey, what's the worst that could happen?" He shrugged with a grin he wasn't feeling. This was beyond their normal scuffles. This was more like Herb, or Saffron, or Ryugenzawa. The consequences would definitely include death if anyone screwed up.

Why did this shit always happen whenever he had a quiet day?

Shooting Akane an apologetic look he leaped up and out of the way of the crowds. He kicked off the side of the building and sailed across the open space in the blink of an eye. He landed amidst the branches of a cherry tree and sent cherry blossoms fluttering down onto the running crowds below.

In the distance, the engines of the ships howled as the craft descended. Landing gear folded out from all three craft. And the earth began to shake as landed.

Ranma looked up at the craft. Even being atop a tree meant he was still shorter than the wings of the titanic ship in the center of the formation. He ducked as a turret swung in his direction. Crossing the treetops would be quicker, but it meant he'd have to dodge the turret shots if they took notice of him. Which they would. He would be practically staring down their guns.

He slipped to a lower branch and leaped across to another tree, flashing over the heads of the panicking crowds. With some fancy footwork and careful jumps, he made his way across the park a lot faster than he would have trying to navigate the crowds. He nearly slipped from one of the trees when the ground shook as something in the distance exploded.

Still, other than the occasional slip up it was smooth sailing for the next hundred meters or so. As he passed the tennis court the crowds began to thin and he dropped to the ground, startling a family of three as he dropped down in front of them. "Sorry," He shouted running by, "Get to the gym!"

Up ahead red and blue lights suddenly flickered through the trees, winging several of the running people. A strange electronic 'bew-bew' echoed with each flash. Then a body came flying out onto the path. It bounced and rolled across the road, disappearing from view almost immediately. For an instant, Ranma thought he saw a tail as the figure rolled out of sight.

He broke into a run, weaving expertly through the panicking crowds. More shots rang out, their electronic ring echoing strangely off the trees. Up ahead Genma appeared landing feet first on the main path atop a large body in heavy armour with a crunch. He picked up the body and hurled it back the way he came before throwing himself behind a tree as a hail of energy bolts raked his position in a torrent of light that was accompanied by an unchanging roar of electric noise.

Ranma ducked right, running along the hedge line that concealed the tennis courts. Somewhere to his left, he heard a distant shout and an explosion that shook the ground. Either his pops or Mr. Tendo had pulled out something big. At least he was hopeful it was them.

The guns on the ships were firing up into the sky as he slid into some of the bushes that lined the baseball square. Parked just off-centre was the skyscraper ship. Parked to either side of it were the flying plates. There were… people running about the ships unloading things.

Really the people made it rather clear the 'where' of 'where did these ships come from' was.

While Ranma could spot humans mixed in with the crowd the majority were an eclectic mix of a dozen distinctly non-human humanoids. Predominant amongst them were a pair of green species, one of which looked like a two-meter tall walking blunt-nosed crocodile while the other had giant eyes like a fly and a weird trumpet-like mouth.

A firing line of mixed-species was laying down fire on the treeline towards where his pops and Mr. Tendo were. Blue and red bolts of energy hammered the line of cherry trees and as he watched one of them slowly tipped over, its base on fire where the shots had carved it in half.

Then a bench flew out of the treeline and flattened two men. It was followed by a pair of trash cans and another bench barely a second later. Man and alien alike scattered as the objects crashed among them, each one unerringly finding at least one victim. The man in charge managed to avoid getting hit and he pulled something from his belt and started yelling loud enough Ranma could hear him. The language he spoke was, unsurprisingly at this point, completely unknown to Ranma. The context of his shouting was, however, eminently apparent as two of the lower turrets turned towards the treeline, their quad cannons coming to bear swiftly.

Ranma reacted before they were half-way to their targets. He sprang from cover at a full sprint, a plume of dirt, dust, and sod flying up behind him as he held nothing back. Both hands came up, each pointing at a different turret. "Moko Takabisha!" He shouted as he gathered his Ki, his life force, into his palms and released it as two brilliant bolts of energy the size of small cars.

The first bolt crashed into a shimmering energy barrier that popped. The second blasted the turret off its mounting entirely. Eyes across the entire field swept towards him as rifles, handguns, and other assorted weapons were reflexively brought to bear on him. Then he was amongst them as he slammed a fist into the chest of one of the reptiles. He didn't bother holding back.

The body flew away, its chest collapsed and blood spraying into the air. It crashed through several others before bouncing off the hull of one of the flying plates. Ranma had already turned away, his focus shifting to those still able to hurt him. Bodies flew, bone broken and limbs bent in ways that were more than like never intended for the species in question.

The idea was that if he kept close enough to them their heavier weapons, such as those on the ships, wouldn't be able to turn on him for fear of shooting their own people. As he flipped a man over his shoulder and kicked him across the field into another man it seemed to be working. He rolled under a shot from one of their weapons and sprang up into an uppercut that sent the shooter flying way up passed the bridge of his own transport.

Across the baseball field, the man in charge; who was dressed in a heavy metal breastplate, a helmet with a T-shaped visor, and a large metal backpack with a rocket sticking up behind his head shouted something else into his device. Ranma wrenched a rifle from the person he was fighting and hurled it across the field. The butt of the weapon struck the armoured commander in the chest and he flew back, rolling to a stop. A moment later the man grunted and struggled to stand.

Ranma had no more time to spare on him as the turret he hadn't taken out decided to fire into the melee. Its bolts were inaccurate, but he could feel the heat rolling out from each strike as burning craters were blasted into the ground. He leaped back and up. The guns tracked him and shots filled the air around him. It was fortunate that the turret had probably been intended for shooting aircraft rather than men.

"Moko Takabisha!" He shouted in mid-air. The shot of energy flashed from his palm to the turret and crumpled the barrels of the guns. The recoil sent Ranma sailing across the field to land in the home corner of the diamond. He slid across it, his feet digging trenches in the loose sod.

Silence fell over the battlefield except for the distant thud of explosions and sirens of emergency vehicles screaming through the streets. Then the turret lurched to point in Ranma's direction and exploded. Burning bits of wreckage rained down as Ranma stood up breathing heavily.

The commander guy he had struck with the rifle stopped where he had been limping towards the ship and lifted that device to his mouth again. Then he waved to Ranma and turned towards one of the smaller vessels. He stumbled slowly towards it as something made its way down the ramp.

Invaders scattered, running for cover as a tall, vaguely female humanoid figure strode off the ship. Her skin was purple with pointed ears and long dark hair pulled up into a ponytail. Tight pink shorts and a belly revealing top rounded out her outfit. She stopped at the bottom of the ramp and stared at him.

"A child. Beaten back by a child. I have to wonder how useful our alliance with this scum really is," She said loudly in heavily accented Japanese, "Not even one of the Senshi. Fine. Let us get this distraction out of the way. Come and die, boy." She thrust her left arm out to the side. Ranma's stomach churned in as the flesh of her hand flowed like water as it reshaped itself into a hammerhead. A single vicious spike protruded from the backside of the hammerhead.

Before Ranma could respond to the surprising use of Japanese the alien let out a screech that vibrated the air and sent petals fluttering from the trees. Dirt was sent flying as it leapt through the air towards him. He bounced aside, twisting to face the female alien as it slammed its hammer down where he had been. The earth shattered and was blasted aside by the force of the blow, shaking the ground around them.

He blurred forward in an effort to take advantage of her overcommitted strike and punched her in the side. She stumbled, but that was the extent of it. He ducked her return swing and danced around the next several with easy before ducking a strike and slamming his foot into the back of her knee. The leg buckled and the alien fell to one knee with a shout of surprise and anger.

"Ki-dancer," She hissed, rising to her feet with her hammer already in motion. "I see now how you bested them." Ranma leaned back into a flip as the hammerhead scythed through where his head had been. The alien chased after him, her weapon pulverizing dirt, stone, and wood when it connected with the ground or trees. She was faster than before, having evidently realized that he was more dangerous than she had first realized.

As a strike pulverized the trunk of a cherry tree, Ranma ducked under the strike and rammed his own counterattack into her side. This time he hadn't held back. Her body bowed under the blow and she was blown off her feet and back through the hedgerow that separated the path around the tennis court.

He turned and spared a glance back across the baseball fields. The ramp on the ship the armoured man had retreated into had been raised at some point and the ship's engines were making more noise. Ranma would have put money on it taking off any moment. As the ship began to rise a group of aliens ran out of the treeline that separated the fields from the pathway. Several turned and fired back the way they came.

Mr. Tendo, clad head to toe in samurai armour, charged out of the treeline and straight through the laser fire. Bolts of light pattered off the ki-enhanced armour without effect. The sword he held deflected shots headed for his face, though the blade was slowly turning redder with each shot.

Since the two older men seemed to have everything in hand Ranma turned back to the alien in time to see her cut through the hedgerow with a swipe of her hammer hand. Hedges were ripped apart, their debris scattering across the area as she threw herself at Ranma with an inarticulate scream.

He ducked the first strike, sidestepped the second, and promptly misread the third. He stepped straight into the swing of the hammer and barely raised his arms to block in time. The strike left his forearms feeling numb as he flew over what was left of the hedgerow and through the chain-link fence around the tennis court. He smashed through one of the concrete posts for the net and rolled to a stop.

"Ow," He complained, blinking aside the pain as he forced himself upright. A shriek of rage got him moving quicker and he rolled aside as the alien woman brought her hammer down where he had been. Concrete shattered and a plume of dust rolled out from the impact crater.

Ranma rolled to his feet and sidestepped the next attack. He caught the hammer-arm and drove a strike into what would have been the kidneys on a human. For a moment he slipped into the amaguriken and slammed several hundred blows home in the time it took to blink. Then he twisted her arm and flipped her over his shoulder, spinning to catch her with a kick in midair. Her flying form blasted through the far side of the tennis court fence line and crashed through the door of a public washroom.

The door swung shut behind her.

He hopped over the fence and carefully approached the washroom. The door was blown of fits hinges by a shoulder check from the alien before being she tossed it like a frisbee towards him.

A panicked slide carried Ranma under the door and he popped out of it to meet her oncoming charge. His right caught the hammerhead in his open palm, the impact blasting a shockwave out around them that shook the trees and sent sakura blossoms scattering in the wind. Tying up her primary weapon he stepped through her guard and punched her in the face a couple of hundred times. Her head rocked back, her nose thoroughly wrecked and green 'blood' running from a cut along her jaw.

He pulled back on her weapon, pulling her passed him as he stuck out a foot. She rolled as she hit the ground and sprang up in time to block the barrage of kicks he launched.

"I am getting tired of this!" She screeched as she managed to grab Ranma's ankle. She lifted him easily and tossed him straight through the wall of the washroom.

"Shit," Ranma shouted in surprise as he felt pipes burst and cold water spray everywhere. That ever familiar, yet nearly subtle, feeling of change washed over him. Jusenkyo, the eternal pain in his, now her, ass.

She rolled to her feet and stepped behind the row of stalls that made up what was clearly the women's washroom. "Stupid curse," She grumbled, "Really don't need this now." Between her and whatever that woman was, she already had the speed advantage, but it was clear that the woman was at least as strong and durable as Ranma's male side.

Ranma brushed her red hair back behind her ears and checked the taps. The entire wall where the taps should have been, a fact she knew from personal use of this washroom a time or two, had been wrecked when she crashed through it.

She brushed loose hair back again and scowled. It seemed her braid had unravelled during that last impact and who knew where her hair tie was now and glanced at the taps. She winced. More importantly, there was definitely not going to be any hot water anytime soon, which meant she was stuck fighting this nut as a girl. "Really could've used the extra strength," she muttered, turning her attention to the hole in the wall. She couldn't see the alien.

Ranma whirled about, looking and listening for any sign of her opponent. For a few seconds, she stood stock-still. The only sounds were those of the water pattering off the tiled floors and the creak of the structure as it complained about the non-standard renovations. Then Ranma heard a faint crunch through the wall to her left.

She didn't hesitate and called up her ki as she spun to face the wall. She slammed a low-powered Moko Takabisha into the wall as a breaching charge and leaped through the explosion of dust and debris.

On the other side, through the cloud of smoke, the alien stumbled as the shockwave slammed into her. Then she went flying as Ranma's slipper-covered foot crashed into her cheek. She rolled end over end across the ground, augering a path of broken and shattered paving stones across the square before the gymnasium.

Ranma landed on her feet and watched the alien for movement. For a moment the body remained still, buried in a small crater of shattered stone, then slowly she leveraged herself upright. The alien turned a burning gaze on Ranma as she stood. "Who the hell are you?!" She demanded, "Did that boy decide to run off and let a little girl finish his battle for him?"

Ranma shrugged. "Well, you aren't exactly a challenge. He had better places to be," She snarked with an airy wave of the hand.

The alien stared at her for a long moment before scoffing. "I don't know what magic you used, but I recognize the taste of your life force. No matter boy, I will break you no matter the form you take," She declared before lifting a hefty paving stone. The brick began to glow a bright pink before she pitched it towards Ranma at the speed of a cannonball.

Ranma threw herself into motion, and out of the path of the projectile which carried on to impact the shattered remains of the washroom. A pink-tinged explosion engulfed the building and knocked Ranma sprawling. Bricks, ceramic tile, and metal sheeting rained down across the square.

Ranma bounced back to her feet and was well gone by the time a second brick was in the air. She replied with a blast of ki, the Moko Takabisha ripping downrange and missed as the alien broke into a run herself. Pink bricks and low-powered Moko Takabisha's flurried back and forth across the square. Park benches exploded, trees were toppled, and new craters were made by the dozen.

The redhead frowned. If this kept up the gymnasium was going to get hit and then the people hiding inside were going to get hurt. She needed to bring this to an end and get back to dealing with the ships before they took off again.

Abruptly, Ranma changed tactics, flipping over a glowing pink brick and breaking into a dash towards the alien woman. She closed the distance in a blur and her opponent narrowly avoided the first strike, her next paving stone going wide and toppling a tree as she fumbled it. She didn't go for another brick, instead opting to take short sharp swings with her hammer.

The two danced across the square, blows flying back and forth. Ranma was the more successful of the two, managing to avoid all the strikes aimed at her while managing to occasionally slip a blow of her own through the alien's guard. Sadly, it rapidly became apparent that something more significant than a punch was going to be required to put her down.

Ranma leaned out of the way of a hammer blow and stepped into the alien's guard. Panic crossed the alien's face as she realized that Ranma wasn't going for just another punch or kick. She tried to pull back, but all she managed to do was stumble as she tried to reign in her swing. Ranma ground the glowing orb of ki she had gathered in her right hand into the alien woman's stomach, drawing the first legitimate scream of pain of the fight from the alien woman before releasing the built-up potential.

The blast carried the woman away from Ranma and across the square. A trench was dug through paving stones and planters by the passing shockwave. The alien crashed through two trees and a solid concrete planter before the blast finished expending its energy into her. Pure momentum continued to carry her through the air until she crashed through the concrete wall beside the main entrance of the Gymnasium.

Ranma stared. "Oh shit," She shouted and broke into a run. She had gotten so tied up in the fight that she had forgotten to pay attention to her surroundings. She jumped the fallen trees in a single bound and vaulted the planters out in front of the gymnasium. She could already hear screaming inside.

A rush of people ran screaming out of the hole in the wall and the main doors. "OUT OF THE WAY!" Ranma shouted as she charged the hole in the wall. The panicking people took one look at her and the crowd promptly split like the red sea. She heard her name spoken by a few of them as she flew through the gap into the gymnasium's entry hall.

The sight inside brought her to a halt immediately. The alien looked far worse off than it had been before its flight. Its strange green blood ran down its side in rivets where a piece of rebar had been impaled. Blood flowed from other, more minor, injuries and one eye had seemingly swollen shut.

What had brought Ranma to a halt wasn't the appearance of the alien, however. The people in the room had evidently reacted to the sudden appearance of an alien by putting as much distance between themselves and it as possible. Not everyone had been so successful, however, for in her grasp was Ranma's mother.

The alien held Nodoka tight from behind. The hammer arm was pinning Ranma's mother around the neck while the other hand had shifted into a blade that she was pointing at Nodoka. "Don't come closer brat!" The alien snarled.

"Get away from her!" Ranma shouted, worry bleeding into her voice.

The alien woman tilted her head and a predatory smile slowly appeared. "Away from her? You care for this one, do you?" The blade traced a red line across her mother's face and Ranma took a step forward with a scowl.

"Ah ah ah. No movement," The alien purred, leaning down to Nodoka's ear, "Tell me, why do they care for you?" Nodoka said nothing, instead opting to struggle against the hold around her neck. Her eyes were wide with fear as she watched the blade as it dropped back to her throat. "No words?" She sniffed Nodoka's hair, pausing as she did so.

"Leave her and leave. Go back to the stars," Ranma snarled, drawing the alien's attention back to her.

"I can taste the fear flowing off you Ki-dancer," The alien chuckled, "This one is important to you. Your… mother perhaps? Tell me prize, have you shared the secret I can smell on you?" Ranma blinked as the alien direct her question to Ranma's mother

"Fuck off," Nodoka hissed, her fingers clawing at the arm holding her.

Ranma glanced about the hall, everyone had back off into cover. Akane was watching the scene from within the ticket booth across from the entrance. The other girl looked worried and scared. A police officer had drawn his gun and was hiding behind a pillar across the room. Their eyes met and he gestured to his gun. She shook her head no imperceptibly. You'd need something a lot more powerful than a handgun to not merely piss her off. The officer nodded and holstered his gun with a scowl, drawing his taser instead.

"Do stop struggling. A prize like yourself has no chance of escaping my grip," The alien taunted as she effortlessly held onto Nodoka even as she kicked at the alien's ankle and elbowed her in her wounded side. "Or, perhaps I should simply," She took a pointed sniff of Nodoka's hair, "Show them? Hmm?" She chuckled cruelly, clearing enjoying the way the situation had swung so far in her favour.

Ranma's mother had frozen up in response, her eyes looking at Ranma pleadingly. Ranma herself had to wonder what the alien was talking about. Her mind was blank as to what it was that the alien could have possibly been alluding to. It had to be something serious, at least in her mother's eyes, for her to react like this. "Let her go, and you can walk right out of here," Ranma shouted again, stepping down from the piled debris.

"No closer," The alien ordered and Ranma stopped, one foot still on the pile. "Good, good. Now, perhaps before I would have taken that offer, but now? After the trouble you have caused me and," She sniffed Nodoka's hair again, "The value of this one? Oh no. She comes with me. She is a prize after all." Nodoka trembled, letting out a squeak as the alien tightened her grip.

"She's my mother. Let her go, you can walk out. You have my word," Ranma said, her hands flexing with impotent rage. She couldn't do a damned thing with her mother held hostage.

The alien sniffed Nodoka's hair pointedly. "Your mother? So I was right. If she is, that makes you a prize as well. Potentially. How about I walk out of here, and both of you come with me? Hmmm?" She suggested with a laugh.

"Don't touch him," Nodoka growled and tried to bite the arm pinning her, only to yelp as the blade nicked her cheek, drawing blood properly this time.

"Ah ah, bad prize. It seems you don't value your secret so highly after all. Let me, show the world then," She chuckled. Her blade lifting to cut a nick into the air. Nodoka flinched. Ranma took a step forward, but simply stood there quivering with anger.

From the spot where the blade had seemingly nicked the air, ripples in reality rolled outward and across Nodoka. As Ranma watched, terrified, her mother grew younger. Age washing away with each ripple. A spark fired in the back of her mind. She had seen moments for years where her mother would seem to be just a bit younger than normal. Moments where she sometimes looked barely older than Ranma herself.

Finally, the last ripple rolled out and Ranma's eyes went wide with shock. Whispers swept the room as everyone in the vicinity stared in shock. Nodoka's hair had become as brilliant a red as Ranma's. She looked barely the same age as Ranma, though she was taller. The biggest difference was not her age, or the shade of her hair. It was the twin red fox ears that had sprouted on the top of her head and the pair of swishing red tails that were battering futilely at the alien's legs.

"Bitch," Nodoka gasped, her voice sounding of age to be one of Ranma's classmates. "You bitch. I'm going to kill you for this."

The alien laughed. "Your words are amusing, prize. One like you will be worth much," She taunted.

"Mother?" Ranma said, dumbfounded as she stared at the two-tailed kitsune who had seemingly replaced her mother.

"Still me," Nodoka gasped, "Help?" Ranma shook her head. How long had she been a- Silly question, assuming her mother hadn't been replaced, then she had always been a Kitsune.

"Trying," Ranma said, scowling at the alien. Weren't Kitsune supposed to leave if they were found out? She glanced about the room. Well, she couldn't be anymore found out than this, could she? If that bitch had just caused her to lose her mother then she was going to make her wish she'd thrown herself out the airlock when their ships were doing reentry.

The alien lowered the blade to Nodoka's neck again. "I have your 'mother'. If she truly is yours. I suppose she has the same hair, though perhaps she's actually your sister, hmm?" She chuckled.

"I am going to rip your soul apart and fe- erk," Nodoka gasped as the alien tightened her grip again.

"Now, none of that prize," The alien reprimanded. Ranma's eyes flicked upward as she noticed something moving. The entry hall was a tall room, with rafters several stories above. Actual rafters of steel beams and crossbars. One could, as Ranma had learned months previously, during an annoying incident involving a trained monkey, that you could stand on them without issue. Assuming you could get up there.

Someone clearly had. The lighting up there was poor, being above where the lights were hanging, but Ranma could track the shadow of someone moving around up there. And they had gotten above the alien. As the alien continued to look down at and reprimand Nodoka the shadow slipped free of the rafters and fell. As they passed into the light Ranma got a good look at them in the split second she had.

They were tall with long dark green hair. They wore a white leotard with a black skirt and matching sailor collar. The burgundy bows on her chest and back fluttered as she spun through the air, putting as much force behind the key-shaped staff in her hands as possible. The heart-shaped end collided with the top of the alien woman's skull with a resounding crack that drowned out the click of the woman's black heeled boots meeting the tiles.

For a long moment, there was silence, then the alien's grip failed as her eyes glazed over. Nodoka fell forward out of her grasp and Ranma moved, pouring ki into her actions. In the blink of an eye, she had scooped Nodoka up and retreated to safety. She set down the kitsune that was probably her mother by the pillar with the police officer as the alien's body crashed to the ground. Ranma looked back in time to see it, and the blood it had left, crumble to dust.

The sailor-suited woman stood up slowly and turned to her. She met Ranma's enquiring look with a smile. "I am Sailor Pluto," She unprompted, "It is not often I see someone fight a Youma without magic and come out ahead. Who are you?"

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: I know I shouldn't be, but I am. Ladies and Gentlemen, the madness that has been percolating in my mind for waaaaaaaay too long. Three separate ideas got melded into this. 1) Ranma with a fluffy tail. 2) Ranma as Sailor Moon. Basically Ranma in a fuku. 3) A desire to write a Ranma/star wars crossover. Got talking with my editor and decided "Let's see if I can do all of this in one story without *completely* fucking it up. Soooo… yeah, challenge~ I hope you enjoy it~


Thank you @Gekkou_Yoko for your help again~

If you want to talk about my stories outside of the thread then please look up my discord link in my signature.

I'm pulling ships from both old and new star wars. In this case, we are somewhere around the invasion of Naboo. (just pre-invasion actually). So, here's the list of ships utilized in this chapter:

Cloakshape Fighter
Z-95 Headhunter
Gozanti Freighter/Cruiser
YT-1200 Series Light Freighter

 

[Grounders10]

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A




Ranma ½ Star Wars




Crossover Fanfic





The Romance of Life in the War of Stars





By: Grounders10





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Ryouga dropped the freshly chopped log into the pile with a sigh. The wood clattered loudly amidst the tall pile in the pre-dawn light. Taking a moment to catch his breath he looked about the large clearing where they had set up camp. After six months it was rather clear that somehow they were thoroughly lost. There were no signs of civilization anywhere, not even when he let Ranma take the lead.

He looked over the pile of logs and nodded once. There was more than enough for the evening, and probably enough for the next day as well. He grabbed some of the logs off the stack and headed over to the firepit they had dug the day before last. The fire had burnt out as they slept.

He set about rebuilding the fire, taking some of the logs and breaking them down further with precise strikes of the hand. It was a matter of moments to get the wood laid down before returning the cooking setup to how it was. They still had several ways to start a fire that didn't require a ton of work, but both of them had agreed that they were best saved for emergencies at this point. Still, the hard way of starting a fire was not hard when you were able to roll a stick between your hands fast enough that it was merely a blur of movement.

Flames sparked fairly quickly and in a few minutes, he had a small crackling flame. It wasn't good enough to cook yet, but that just meant he had time to prep.

Most of an hour later Ryouga laid out the food on a platter and walked back over to the tent. It was a rather large military surplus tent intended, originally, for an entire squad of men to sleep and live in. He slipped through the doorway and set the plates down on the folding table. A noise, somewhere between a groan and a squeak came from the area sectioned off by a hanging blanket.

He sighed. "Not again," He groaned quietly and walked around the table to the hanging blanket. He brushed it aside and stepped into the makeshift sleeping area where two cots were laid out next to each other. One was empty. Clutching her pillow in the other cot, was the female form of his old rival and friend, Ranma Saotome. Her hair was loose and hung off the cot as loosely as her tank top hung off her. Sweat marked Ranma's brow as she tossed in the cot, her eyes scrunched and distressed noises emanating from her lips.

Ryouga watched her for a moment before stepping over the scattered bags of their things and going to one knee by her side. He reached out and patted her on the shoulder lightly. Her eyes flew open with a wordless scream and her fist cracked into his open palm which closed gently around the much smaller fist, holding her in place as her eyes slowly focused on him.

After a half-minute, she blinked at him. "Ryouga?" She croaked, swallowing reflexively as the rough sound of her own voice. She shook her head. "I-"

"Same dream?" He asked.

She hesitated, then nodded. "Y-yeah. Same dream," She swallowed, shaking her head in a manner that sent her red locks swaying wildly back and forth.

He nodded and let her hand go before pulling her into a hug. She squeaked in surprise but didn't protest like she used to. They sat there for a long moment, simply taking comfort in the presence of the other before, finally, he let her go. "Breakfast is ready. Get dressed before it gets cold," He chuckled as he stood. She grumbled at him as he ducked out of the room.

A couple of minutes later she stepped out from behind the curtain as she finished buttoning up her favourite red outfit. "I hate that dream," She grumbled as she took a seat across from him. "Out of fish?" She asked as she examined the plate.

"I spotted one of those lizard things this morning. Figured something fresh would be nice after smoked fish for a week," Ryouga shrugged as he sliced a strip off the heavy slab of meat on his plate. "Some more of those mushrooms as well."

"Hrm," Ranma shrugged at the mention of the yellow-spotted mushrooms on her plate. "I still don't trust those things."

"Just because its a mushroom doesn't mean its poisonous, and we've proven these ones are safe already," Ryouga pointed out.

"You did. Not me," Ranma replied pointedly reminding him that he had been the one to take the risk the first time. After taking a few bites of the meat she snared one of the mushrooms with her chopsticks. Ryouga smirked as she ate the rest immediately afterwards. At least his cooking was getting better finally.

Their meal was silent. Ryouga finished first, the knife he had been using clattered against the plate as he pushed it aside. "So…"

"Sro?" Ranma paused and swallowed. "So?" She repeated.

"What're our plans? We've been here a few days, but I'm thinking we should probably move on again. We've checked the area, but I'm wondering what's over the next ridge. If we're lucky we're just on the other-"

"We've been wandering around for six months," Ranma sighed, leaning back in her chair. She flipped a slice of whatever that lizard was called into her mouth and chewed with a frown. She swallowed. "Is the next valley really going to be any better?" Her voice cracked.

"Can we know if unless we go there?" Ryouga asked rhetorically. Ranma responded by pushing the last bit of her breakfast around her plate for a minute silently. "We've got a bit of a camp at the moment, so let's stay here for a bit. Maybe climb the mountain this afternoon just to see what's on the other side?"

Ranma speared the last bit on her chopstick and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Sure. Why not?" She smiled slightly. "Not that high of a mountain really."

"High enough."

She snorted. "Mountains this tall have been child's play for years, Ryouga. It'll do for an afternoon I guess." She pushed back her chair and stood up, stretching as she did so. She rolled her neck and sighed at the pop. "Going to get in some practice," She said as she walked out.

Ryouga sighed as he watched her leave. "Nearly a year," He sighed. It had been nearly a year since Jusendo and he still couldn't predict what Ranma's mood would be when she woke up. Today seemed to be more towards the good end of things, so that was nice.

He stacked the plates and set them aside. He'd get around to cleaning them later. He got up and made his way out of the tent into the morning air. There had been a few more of those lizards around earlier, maybe if he got lucky they'd be able to smoke some to take with them.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Stone crumbled and fell hundreds of feet as Ranma set her foot down on the thin outcropping of rock that jutted from the cliff face. She paused, hanging from the cliff by her fingertips, and found another place to put her foot. The crevice she found was much more stable and after a moment of testing, she continued scaling the sheer cliff.

"So, as I was saying, did you have to bring that thing back with you?" She asked Ryouga, how was climbing a few feet above her and to her right.

"It'll be a good meal. If you remember to take the poison glands out this time," He said pointedly, looking down from where he hung precariously by a single finger that he had jammed into the cliff face. He jammed another finger into the wall another foot up and easily hauled himself upwards with one hand.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Once. Once. We didn't even know it was poisonous," She grumbled as she searched for another ledge to grip. There was nothing good for a few dozen feet, assuming she ignored the path of holes Ryouga was leaving up the side of the cliff.

"And not knowing stops it from giving you food poisoning? Good to, hrn, know. Next time I won't bother asking," Came his sarcastic response.

There. She spotted a sliver of rock out of reach above her. It could work. "Do you want to cook tonight?" The silence was telling. They both knew he preferred her cooking.

She pulled herself up with enough force to throw herself up the mountain a dozen feet. Her toes found the sliver of rock easily enough and she pulled herself to the cliff face using the leverage of a pebble she spotting sticking out of the cliff. "So, suggestions on what to do with it? Do we still have that salt?" She asked.

"Finished it last week, remember? Maybe we'll get lucky and find some up here," Ryouga suggested. He heaved himself up again with a single finger. He was more than keeping pace with her. At this rate, he'd make the next ledge well ahead of her.

"We aren't just going to find a chunk of salt sticking out of a cliff, Ryouga," Ranma sighed as she stepped up her pace. She bounced from the sliver of rock she was on to a more significant protrusion that could nearly take her entire foot, and then back to a thin sliver of material that was barely thicker than her nail.

"Isn't that where salt comes from? Hell, rock salt. It's in the name." Ranma rolled her eyes again as she clambered up to his level.

"Pops tried that once. Made him hilariously sick for a while. Go ahead, but I'm not going to be the one looking after you," She stuck her tongue out at him. The grumpy look of annoyance he sent her way caused her to snicker as she passed him.

Some fifteen minutes of climbing later, Ranma flopped onto the thinly grassed mesa. They hadn't quite hit the snowpack yet, but if she had her way they'd turn back well before then. Unlike Ryouga, she wasn't quite ready to freeze yet. That and she had forgotten to bring her heavy coat.

Ryouga heaved himself over the edge a moment later and chuckled as he saw her laying on her back enjoying the sunshine. "Not here even a minute and you're already lazing about," He chuckled, flopping down beside her.

She smirked and rolled over to face him. She ignored the splayed arm that she rolled over, or the way it curled to pull her closer instinctively. "And you're saying that like we haven't earned a moment of laziness," She smirked as she cuddled into his side. It was an unconscious habit that she no longer paid attention to, as was the hand that rested on her hip as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Weren't you the one who said this was barely a mountain?" Ryouga asked pointedly, smirking insufferably back. She shrugged in reply and closed her eyes. A light breeze rolled over them and she shivered at the brief chill before snuggling closer to Ryouga's warm side. The air had been getting colder these last few weeks. It shouldn't have been if they were where they thought they were, but it had been.

Wherever they were, winter was probably closing in.

Not that Ranma particularly cared at that moment. Quiet moments like this had become one of her favourite pastimes over the last six months. If she was lucky she'd even be able to get a proper nap in without having a nightmare to interrupt it. Not that she had ever had a nightmare when napping like this, but it was a very welcome change from sleeping in her cot.

It seemed like her wish for a nap was going to be granted when a distant noise tinkled her ears. It started as a whistle, distant and mistakable for the wind playing through the rocks if one wasn't paying attention. And Ranma was most certainly not paying attention. As time went on, for all of five seconds, it grew loud enough that Ranma couldn't ignore it.

She cracked open one irritable eye and lifted her head from Ryouga's shoulder. What was interrupting her nap time? She twitched as Ryouga snorted in his own nap and tried to pull her closer. She jabbed him in the side. If she was getting woken up then so was he.

"Ow," He winced, coming awake easily. He blinked. "What the hell is that noise?" He asked almost immediately.

"No idea, it sounds like… Somewhere high though… That way," Ranma rolled off Ryouga and pointed to what the compass said was west, back up the valley the way they had come. Ryouga grumbled and sat up.

"Where though, I don't se- oh." From over the mountain that acted as the backstop to the valley a flaming comet soared into view. It whipped by them, trailing fire and smoke, and soared over where there camp was located. It skipped off a mountain further down the ridgeline and tumbled into the valley below.

In the instant, they had to examine the comet as it passed them Ranma could tell one very clear thing about it. It wasn't a comet. It was some kind of aircraft with broad wings, one of which had been snapped cleanly snapped off. A fire had been trailing from the broken wing in a burning streamer that obscured the craft.

"That, was a plane," Ranma commented as they watched the smoke float up from down the valley.

"Yeah," Ryouga agreed, already on his feet. She hopped to her own a moment later. "I think our hike is cancelled," He sighed.

Ranma huffed and smiled slightly. "Like we were going to get much more hiking done. Come on. Let's go take a look before it sets the entire valley on fire." She walked over to the edge and looked down. It was at least four hundred feet back to the valley floor. If she was being conservative. "Last one down has to do all the cleaning," She cheerfully informed Ryouga before stepping off the side. She laughed loudly at the outraged shout that followed her down.

She grinned at Ryouga as he joined her at the base of the cliff. "Gotta' be quicker if you want less work," She told him with a grin as he grumbled but didn't disagree. Without another word, they both broke into a sprint towards the crash site. Their full speed ate the distance as they scarcely touched the ground. Logs, rocks and stands of trees flew by, but the valley was rather large. Even at their best speed it would take time to run the valley.

Time, they hopefully had.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The crash site was near the end of the valley where the ground began to rise up again. The ship was half-buried in the dirt and rock. Smoke billowed from the ship and the two hundred meter trail that was audibly sizzling as Ranma and Ryouga reached it. They slowed as they approached the long crater, reducing from a breakneck sprint to a mere jog. It was still fast enough to outpace a car over this type of terrain.

The aircraft was surprisingly intact. The wings had been torn off, leaving just the main body buried in the cliff. The fin along the top was still pointing proudly out of the rubble of the mountain. Most surprising was the fact that nothing seemed to actually be on fire. Sure, the trench was smoking and some of the trees that had been taken out were probably smouldering at least, but the wreck itself had yet to actually catch fire.

Ranma slowed as they closed to within a hundred meters. Something about the aircraft was off. There was something strange about it. The shape was blunt and far too short for a normal aircraft.

"That's not a plane," She noted as they slowed to a stop by the back of the craft. The ramp that made up the back of the vehicle had been knocked loose by the crash and was hanging askew with an opening large enough for a person to slid inside along the left edge.

Ryouga nodded as he stopped to check out a large chunk of wing that was sticking out of the ground nearby. He rapped it with a knuckle and frowned at the sound. "I don't recognize this," He said, "It doesn't sound like aluminum."

"Hm, well, either way, let's take a look," Ranma said. She walked over to the dark red painted main body of the vehicle. She could feel the heat radiating off every surface as she approached. She hopped up onto the craft and winced a bit at the heat that came through her slippers. This ship was a lot hotter than was comfortable. It wasn't burning her, but the temperature was far from comforting. "Do you see anything outside of the ship?" She asked.

"Ship?" Ryouga questioned as he looked around. "Doesn't look like much of a boat to me."

Ranma rolled her eyes. Honestly. "Spaceship Ryouga," She said, "Does this look like a plane to you?"

"Yeah. I've seen weirder," He said with a shrug as he walked over. "And I don't see anyone or anything out here. Doubt there's anyone in there either. The force this thing must have stopped with..." Ranma winced at the image.

She shivered and ignored the niggling voice that he was probably right. She leaned down and gave the ramp a push. It rocked in place, but other than the hole near the top it stayed shut. She gave the ramp a kick and it shifted back a foot with a loud groan. "Get back a bit," She said. Ryouga took a couple of large steps to the side as she reared back another kick. The ramp screamed, but whatever was holding it in place failed and the ramp crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust.

She rolled over and peered over the lip into what appeared to be a cargo bay. Craters were scattered everywhere along with boxes and canisters with strange markings on them. The area by the ramp had large letters in a language she couldn't understand written in a faded and scratched white paint. If there had been anyone in this part of the ship then they were buried in the debris.

Ranma rolled off the top of the ship and hooked the edge to swing down. The deck plating creaky as she landed. "I'm not seeing any blood," She said looking about. The contents of the ship were scattered everywhere, but nothing seemed to be covered in blood. The ramp creaked as Ryouga joined her.

"I think I see a door back there," He pointed towards the center of the back wall. She spotted what he meant after a moment of staring. The rounded corner of a door could just be seen sticking out of the stacks.

"Come on, someone could be back there," Ranma said, stepping forward to start moving the boxes. After a moment he stepped up beside her and they worked quickly to clear a path to the door. Crates were carefully shuffled aside. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any strange substances, either liquid or powder, leaking from them. The entire ship was tilted forward, but the crates seemed to stay put despite the awkward angle.

Within a few minutes they had the door cleared. It looked like a door on a boat, one of those meant to help control flooding. A large wheel was in the middle of the door with a keypad of numbers to one side. The lights on the pad were dark and when she poked it nothing happened. That left the wheel.

Metal squealed as turned the wheel. Bother Ranma and Ryouga winced at the racket. With a grinding wail the wheel came to a stop and Ranma pulled the door open. At first it refused to budge, then, when she put more force behind the pull, there was a scream of tearing metal and she stumbled back holding the door by the wheel.

"Um, whoops," She muttered, dropping the door to the clear floor by her feet. The hallway beyond was short with a bed built into the left wall and a door with a small blue image of a man showering on the right. That was probably the bathroom. At the far end of the hallway was another door hanging crookedly in the frame.

"I'll check the next room. Check the bathroom," Ranma said, getting a nod from Ryouga as she carefully walked down the sloped hallway. The door at the far end was easy enough to tear loose and she stacked it against the wall before stepping into what was clearly the cockpit. There were four seats. Two at the front with another pair at either side of the back. Only one of them was occupied.

Ranma approached cautiously. The cockpit was a mess. The consoles along the front and sides were wrecked and the person in the front seat was sitting unmoving. As she stepped around the seat to get a look at them first winced, then stared. There was a large shard of metal through their stomach and a purple liquid was gushing around the wound.

What had her staring was the fact that the person's skin was bright red.

She stared for a moment before shaking off her surprise. "We've got someone here! They're bleeding really bad," She called back to Ryouga as she leaned over to check the injury. She winced again as she examined it closer. The metal shard had gone straight through the white robes the alien man was wearing and had punched through the seat as well. If his body, which seemed to be human except for the red skin, was laid out the same as a human's, then his spine was probably severed.

She hovered there, staring at the wound without a clue of where to start trying to treat him. There was far too much blood pouring out. By rights she was sure that he should have been dead by now.

A hand closed on her shoulder. She yelped and spun, stumbling as she realized it was the alien man. His head, previously bowed, was looking up at her. He studied her closely for a moment, during which she heard Ryouga enter the cockpit behind her.

"So," The alien croaked in heavily accented english, "The force provides. If a bit later than I'd have hoped."

"I-," Ranma swallowed nervously. The alien had definitely spoken english. While she understood it well enough, it was probably the last thing she expected an alien to speak.

The man lifted a shaking hand to his collar and fished out a small grey rectangle. "It is… much too late for me," He said slowly, holding it out to her. "I know not... who you are, but I am left with… with… no choice." He coughed, blood welling in his mouth.

Ranma exchanged a look with Ryouga. He looked as surprised and unsure as she felt. "No choice?" She asked in equally accented english, turning back to the dying man.

"Yes," His voice cracked, "Death is waiting for me. Soon I will become one with the force."

The force? The way he said it implied something religious.

"But… my duty remains… unful... filled. Please, he- help me… Take this… Lives are at stake," He placed the small rectangle into her hand, his fingers surprisingly strong despite how shaky he was. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, like metal. "De-deliver it… to-" His breath was coming shorter and his eyes were sliding out of focus, "To… The Jedi Academy… Care of… Master Bel. Please… please…"

Ranma swallowed nervously. "Where is that? We're a bit lost ourselves at the moment," She admitted.

The man's eyes refocused on her for a moment as his head began to dip. "Force… provides… Over th… the ridgeline… City.. ask…. ask… ask…" His voice trailed off as his head fell.

Silence fell over the cockpit as Ranma and Ryouga shared a look. "I think he's dead," Ryouga said finally, reaching past Ranma to check his neck. "I don't feel anything."

"Well, he's an alien… but…" Ranma shook her head and looked at the dead man. "We… We need to bury him."

"Yeah. We'll need the shovels we left back at camp then," Ryouga pointed out. "And then?"

Ranma pursed her lips. "Pack up camp and move it here. If he thought this was so important," She held up the small metal rectangle, "Than maybe it is. We'll set up here for the night, bury him, and take what supplies we might need from the ship. Then… Make for the city he mentioned." She slipped the small item up her sleeve and let it disappear into stuff space. Mousse's hidden weapons trick was always useful.

Ryouga frowned but nodded. "Would be nice to get out of the forest finally," He remarked.

"Yeah, come on, get moving," She prodded him back towards the cargo bay. She spared a glance back at the dead alien. Jedi Academy. What was a Jedi? Why would there be an academy? She had so many questions. Was this related to why they had been wandering the forest for six months? Why they hadn't seen a single person?

Was this why they hadn't seen a familiar star in six months?

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Five hours later Ranma sat down on the edge of the cargo bay, looking out at the new camp they had set up. The tent was off to the side, away from the debris and the still smouldering trench. Ryouga was stacking the firewood they had brought with them by the tent as he set up the table.

They had buried the alien before getting to work on the tents. The grave had been dug in silence and the body lowered down in one of their spare ratty bedsheets. It wasn't the most glamourous of funerals, but it was the best they could do given the situation. They had marked the spot with rocks taken from the local area and shaped with careful strikes. The result had been a very rough approximation of the ship he had crashed in.

The sun was just kissing the top of the mountains and the shadows were getting longer. "Ryouga!" She called. He turned to her. "Get started on dinner once you've got the fire going. I'm going to get started on sorting this place out."

"Got it!" He waved before returning to his task. She paused to watch him for a moment. The last year had seen their relationship shift from how it had been before Jusendo. They weren't rivals anymore. What they were was… hard to say. Though she only really noticed it in moments like these. What would he have said a few months earlier if she'd told him to cook dinner? Probably an insult or two at least.

Shaking her head she stood up and walked into the cargo bay. They had made some progress with clearing the mess. Many of the crates and bins had been stacked and organized along the right wall, but the left side was still a mess of crates, bins, and what looked like a small number of gas cylinders.

With a sigh at the mess she set to work, opening crates, examining the contents, and stacking them according to the vague system of 'does it look like that other thing'. Most of the contents in the bay were mechanical parts. There were a few cases of what appeared to be some type of gun and strange cylinders that seemed to fit them. Said guns had fired bolts of red light when she had bothered to test one on an unfortunate tree. It had blasted thick limbs of wood to pieces, but seemed to do nothing to the scatters metal plates. They had been added to a stack that included a couple of knives, a box of what had to be grenades, and a single case of rifles.

The mess of crates was much of the same, though she soon discovered what appeared to be a crate of medication. Unfortunately, she had no idea what the pink pills could possibly be since the labels were written in that blocky script that seemed to be on everything. The box was placed away from the rest. For all, she knew what was in there was illegal.

Night had all but fallen when she stumbled on a box of flashlights. She appropriated one for herself and continued sorting even as the flickering firelight from their cooking fire started to spill into the back of the bay. Ryouga had set it up in the very much burnt out trench the ship had left.

As the last few boxes were checked and sorted, adding two more bins to the grenade pile, one of which was partly empty, Ranma noticed something about the wall. It was warped. A section of metal plate stuck up along the edge, pulling away from the rest of the wall. When Ranma ran the light over it she stopped as something behind the plate caught her eye. She leaned closer to the gap and shone the light through. There was a lot more space back there then there should have been.

"Smugglers hideyhole," She muttered. She recognized them from a few misadventures during her travels to and from China. She followed the seam of what had to be a concealed door. Nothing stood out to her as a latch or trigger, even when she ran her hand over it. Perhaps…

She shook her head a few minutes later. "Hard way it is then," She grumbled and hoped the damned thing wasn't booby-trapped as she dug her fingers into the gap and heaved. There was a lot more resistance than the other doors on the ship. She strained at it for a few moments before something began to give. With a crunch and a wail of tearing metal, she ripped the door from the wall.

"Are you trying to break it more?" Ryouga shouted as she clambered to her feet and tossed the battered and bent chunk of metal away.

"Smugglers compartment!" She shouted back. As she said that something must have realized the door was 'open' since lights spontaneous went on inside the hidden compartment. It was a lot bigger than Ranma has expected, going back nearly to the cockpit while being at least a third of the width of the main cargo area. "Going to take a look. How's dinner?"

"Nearly done!" He shouted back, "Be careful!"

She rolled her eyes and him and ducked into the room. The crash had messed up the main hold quite badly. In comparison, the smuggler's compartment was in perfect shape. Along each side were two alcoves sealed behind a plexiglass-like material that was still intact. Behind the glass were mannequins with suits of armour and weapons strapped down tightly to their racks. A few had come loose, but most were perfectly fine. The back of the room had a pair of racks with weapons and ammunition on display. Most of them were even still on the racks surprisingly.

The real surprise was what was in the middle of the room. It looked like a motorcycle. If someone removed all of the wheels, added a couple of fins by the front handlebars and welded a spear to the front of the vehicle. Part of the front beneath the spear was cut away leaving it with the appearance of a mouth. The entire vehicle was painted hot pink with black highlights. It was strapped down into a cradle with several heavy-duty cables. One had snapped, but the rest were still holding it in place.

Ranma walked over to it and ran a hand along the handles. It had to be some type of motorcycle, without wheels obviously. Otherwise, she hadn't a clue what it could be. She sat down on the vehicle's seat and leaned forward like she was using it. It was quite a bit more comfortable than she expected. The controls were a bit strange compared to a motorcycle though. Not least because they were labelled in another language entirely.

"Might be fun to try and figure out," She mused, hopping off it. She walked over to one of the closets and gave the door a push. It slid open smoothly, rotating to the side on a pivot to leave the doorway clear. The Armour on the mannequins was plates of metal set into a bodysuit. The metal that thunked dully when she tapped it. The helmet sat on the head of the mannequin and had a T-shaped visor. This one was painted a dark green, but the others were painted a variety of colours including sky blue, hot pink, purple.

The boots were in a pile along with what had been the contents of the shelves in a corner by the feet of the mannequin. She fished out a large handgun from the pile. She set it back on the rack and set about sorting the pile. The boots were returned to their spot. Gauntlets were placed on the shelf and she fished out a box of what appeared to be small yellow cards marked with a seven with two lines through it and a series of symbols she didn't recognize. What had to be a barcode was on the back.

She turned one over in her hand. It looked like some kind of bank card. She frowned at it. If it was then she had no way to tell. She slipped the other one back into the box and slipped it into her the folded space of her pocket. It was probably worth hanging onto for the moment. The rest seemed to be a mix of useless trinkets and possibly useful tools. All of it was returned to the shelves for the moment.

As she stepped out of the closet Ryouga ducked into the room with a pair of plates stacked with skewers of meat. "Hey, dinner's ready," He said holding one out to her.

She took it with a grin. "Thanks," She replied, taking a bite out of the skewer as she walked over to the bike. She leaned against it as she ate and spared a few glances about the place. Something was bugging her.

"Find anything interesting?" Ryouga asked.

She nodded, chewing on a large piece. "Yeah," She said when she was done, "Guns, grenades, medical supplies. Rations if we're desperate. I gotta wonder what an Alien eats, you think it's safe?"

Ryouga snorted. "Like we haven't been eating alien food already," He waved a skewer around before taking a bite.

Ranma frowned down at her meal. "Kinda obvious in hindsight, ain't it?" She sighed, nibbling on a skewer. "Weird stars, weird plants. Weird weather."

"Storms of pink pollen are entirely normal," Ryouga countered.

"Where exactly?" Ranma asked dryly.

"Here." She gave him a flat stare that bounced off without effect as he turned his attention back to his food.

She turned back to her food and silence fell as they worked their way through their plates. When it was done she passed it back to Ryouga. "Think we should try on the armour?" She asked.

"Is there a point?" Ryouga asked. He walked over to the sky blue one and gave the transparent door a tap. It slid open gently.

"Space ship," Ranma reminded, "Probably worth trying it out at least. Either way, we should probably take them with us." She glanced about. What was it that was bugging her?

"Do we have room? Between the cargo bay and this, plus what we've already got?" Ryouga asked as he turned the helmet over in his hands.

"Eh, plenty I think? We've used up a lot of stuff over the last six months," Ranma sighed. There. The wall just beneath the weapon rack at the back of the room. There was a faint seam running just below the rack itself. She walked over and knelt down to take a look. There was something hidden there, she was sure of it but the panel wasn't loose enough to pry out.

She spent a few quiet minutes searching along the bottom of the rack as Ryouga idly looked through the closet. "Do you know what these are?" Ryouga asked.

"What what are?" Ranma asked as she looked away. Her fingers kept prodding along the wall. Ryouga shook a box that was identical to the one she had pocketed at her. "Oh those. Not sure. Money maybe? I pocketed-"

Click

Ranma blinked as something depressed under her fingers and the entire panel slid up into the wall revealing shelving along the length of the wall. A safe sat in the center.

"Huh." Ranma shuffled over to look at the safe as Ryouga pocketed the box and came to take a look at the shelves. The shelves were lined with more boxes like those they had pocketed along with a few larger ones that were tightly sealed.

She gave the safe a few pokes, but the panel on it seemed to be dead. That was good at least since it meant any active protections on the safe were probably dead as well. Which meant she could try something different. A soft glow of ki gathered around her hand and she pressed a finger along the seam of the safe. The metal began to glow and soon started running as she dragged her finger along the seam.

Beside her, Ryouga pried open one of the larger boxes. "Grenades by the look of it," Ryouga commented, "How much weaponry was this ship carrying? You could fight a small war with what we've found so far."

"That was probably the point," She pointed out as she finger slipped through the last lock on the door and it promptly tumbled out, bouncing off her toes and landing to the side. Inside were several stacks of gold-coloured bars. And on the back of the safe was another keypad with a small handle beside it. "I don't fucking believe it," She groaned, getting a look from Ryouga. "There's another safe, in the safe."

Ryouga leaned over to take a look and blinked. "Let me take a crack at it," He said. She shrugged.

"Go ahead, I'll just get these out of the way," She told him, disappearing the gold bars, only taking a moment to examine a trio of silvery-grey bars marked with a horned mask. As Ryouga leaned into the safe she cleaned out the boxes along the shelf, each one disappearing into her pockets.

"Hrm, ergh." Ryouga grunted and heaved.

"What are you doing?" Ranma asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Trying to… pull it... Open," He grunted between tugs. "What the hell is this made -oh." With a loud bang, the inner door of the safe came off its hinges. "Shoddy thing. I was expecting the handle to come off first." He tossed it aside and rolled back to look.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "What's in there?" She asked.

He stared silently into the safe before reaching in and quietly taking out two objects. They were gems the size of Ryouga's fists that seemed to shine a bit with an inner light. One was yellow, the other pink. As they left the safe Ranma could feel Ki pouring off them. She accepted the pink orb from Ryouga and turned it over in her hands with a wondering look.

"What are these?" She asked the air, "Do you know what-"

"Not a clue. I'm taking this one though," Ryouga said as he rolled the orb around in his hands. They sat there for a while, just examining the gems that radiated Ki.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

There was an irritating property to the gems that they discovered almost immediately: You couldn't put them into folded space. Which meant that they'd have to carry them in something else.

Ranma tossed the gem up and down as she weighed it. "This thing has to be worth a fortune," She observed.

"Yeah," Ryouga agreed from where he sat cross-legged, "What I'd like to know is how a guy dressed like a monk had this kind of stuff."

"Maybe it's more common than we think?" Ranma suggested though she doubted that immediately.

"With this kind of security?" Ryouga gestured to the safe.

"Point," She sighed, "I took a look at the broken wing earlier. It's the only part of the ship that was scorched. Everything else was ripped off. That section was blasted off. You think he might have stolen the ship?"

"Would fit I guess. Course, maybe rich people dress like monks around here?" He suggested, earning a snort of amusement.

"Suuuure," Ranma drawled with a roll of her eyes. "Even when they don't dress fancy they dress nice. Those robes were terrible quality. He wasn't rich." That was one thing she had learned after attracting the attention of so many rich families. Even if they weren't obvious with their wealth, they never tolerated poor quality. Well, except one or two, but they were weird.

Ryouga tossed the gem up and down a couple of times. "Everything sorted?" He asked.

"Was this everything in there?" She replied.

He blinked and leaned over to look back inside the safe. "Uhhh, nope. Let's see…" He reached in and pulled out a small black box that rattled. Something was rolling around loose inside it. Then he pulled out what was clearly a set of car keys and a hefty book. "I think that's… hang on a sec."

Ranma raised an eyebrow as Ryouga grumbled and fiddled with something. "Another secret compartment?" She asked. How many layers deep was this rabbit hole?

"False bottom I thi- yeah, there we go." He pulled out the metal panel and tossed it aside. A moment later he lifted out a pair of what looked like handheld screens with buttons along their bulky sides. "Huh. No idea what these are."

"Computers by the look of it," Ranma commented, kneeling down. She pulled out a box from her pocket and placed the gem into it before taking one of the small computers. "Hrm, yeah. Some kinda computer. Really small though. I'll hang onto these for the moment. Maybe we can find someone who knows. They've got to be important if they were further in. Anything else? Another secret compartment?"

Ryouga fumbled about for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope. Nothing else that I can find. Gotta wonder who owned this thing though. Who builds security like this?"

"You mean, who builds security like this and doesn't go the extra mile?" Ranma corrected. She smirked at the questioning look Ryouga sent her way. "Sure there's layers, but nothing here requires biometrics, or is rigged to destroy the contents, or has some form of active defense like electricity. Far as I can tell I don't even think there's a second safe in here."

"Yeah…" Ryouga rolled to his feet with a grunt. "Anyway, we done in here?"

Ranma glanced about. "I'd like to try some of the armour on before we head off, but I think we can just pack up everything here and take it otherwise," She said before glancing at the bike. She scooped up the keys from the ground where Ryouga had left them. "I'd also like to try that."

Ryouga blinked as she pointed at the bike. "Uuuh… What is it?" He asked.

"I think it's a motorcycle. There's enough room on the back for two people," She said.

"Where are the wheels?" Ryouga asked. She sighed.

"Space motorcycle. Space. It probably flies. It would make our trip a bit shorter if it runs," She said.

Ryouga stepped up to it and knelt down. "Who puts a spear on a motorcycle?"

"Who knows. Either way, I'm going to give it a shot in the morning," She said with a grin.

"And you've been able to drive since…?"

"Age ten," She snickered at the disbelieving look he sent her way. "What? We were in Okinawa for a while and a few Navy Seals took a liking to me. Taught me a bunch of stuff. Though, uh it might have been cut a bit short when they got caught trying to teach me how to fire a rocket launcher."

Ryouga's head came down to rest on the side of the bike. He muttered something she couldn't quite make it.

"Anyway, I'll give it a shot. Worst case, we're walking," She shrugged.

He gave her a look. "After we pack up the camp," He said warningly.

It was not a pout she sent his way. Ranma Saotome did not pout. "Spoilsport," She groused while very much not pouting.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The rest of the evening was spent packing up the ship, except for the hidden compartment. They packed away most of the main compartment. Nearly a third of the hold had been spare parts of various kinds. Neither of them could identify any of it. Neither of them was a technician, and even if they had been this was alien technology. So they left most of it behind. When there was more than one box of a specific part they never took more than two, leaving the rest piled in the hidden shelf inside the smuggler's compartment.

Tired from everything they had done that day, both of them slept quietly for once.

The next morning found them disassembling their camp again. After six months it was a well-practiced routine that saw the camp disassembled and packed away in under a half-hour. Once that was done, with the tent, cots and cookware stored into expanded pockets, Ranma slipped into the hidden compartment. Ryouga followed her in, still eating a skewer of meat leftover from breakfast.

"So," Ryouga gestured to the bike, "How are we going to test this? I don't think the door's big enough to get it out."

"Well, they got it in here somehow. We can check for a switch by the door. If we're lucky the power is still working," Ranma suggested.

"And they don't need a code," Ryouga said, turning to the hip-high entrance.

Ranma nodded her agreement. "Yeah, well worst case we pry it open by hand," She said, "First, though, let's test the armour and get it packed up." She walked into the room with the sky blue armour humming to herself.

Over the next hour, they ransacked the room. Weapons were pocketed, with Ranma stealing a belt from one of the closets to hang a large pistol from. She had no idea how powerful the weapon was, but it had to pack some punch since it was a space gun, right?

Armour was tried on and discarded. Unsurprisingly none of the tight-fitting suits was a good fit for them. Ryouga did find a pair of boots that fit surprisingly well, while Ranma found that the pink suit of armour's vambraces and gloves fit perfectly. She strapped them on. Her old leather ones had been eaten by one of the larger predators a few months before and it was nice to finally have a replacement. That they also seemed to include a grappling hook was a nice surprise she discovered by accident, nearly hitting Ryouga in the head when she accidentally triggered it.

"Sorry," She apologized with a grin, "So cool." He rolled his eyes at her, but she knew he was jealous. Grappling hooks were cool.

Finally, however, they were left with only the shelf full of spare parts and the bike. "So," Ryouga began as he looked over the stand it was in, "I can't find a button for the door. I'm not even sure the door gets any bigger."

Ranma grimaced. "Joy. Well, we could slide it out," She suggested. They both looked at the opening, then the bike.

"I've got nothing better… You sure you can drive this thing?" Ryouga asked, "Because if you can't-"

"We're down an hour or two at most. We'll be fine," Ranma sighed, kneeling down to undo the cables holding the bike in place. "Get the one by your foot."

The bike was light and they easily lifted it out of the supporting frame. As they did Ranma noticed something odd about the floor underneath. "Can you carry it out by yourself?" She asked. The look Ryouga sent her way caused her to blush. Silly question. Really silly question. She let it go and got out of the way as Ryouga wrestled it out of the smuggler's compartment.

The floor beneath the cradle had a panel that was bent, much like how the door to the compartment had been. One corner was twisted upwards just enough she was able to get her fingers around it and pulled on it. Metal squealed as she tore it loose. The panel coming away easily. She tossed it aside to join the pile of scrap metal that was accumulating in a corner.

Beneath it was another safe.

"Not just the one then," She observed. Like the other the keypad on this one was dim and made no noise when she poked at it. She lit up a finger with ki and repeated her earlier method of breaking into the safe. With ki-coated hands, she lifted the door off the safe once she could get fingers inside to grip it.

A wave of Ki washed over her as she removed the door. There were more of those gems. Five of them, much smaller than the others. They ran a gambit of colours. Red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. She fished the box them were in out of the safe and checked for anything else. Finding nothing she turned back to the gems. "More or less valuable?" She mused before slipping the box under one arm and heading out to meet Ryouga.

She found him keeping the bike upright waiting for her. She passed the box to him when she reached him. "Found a few more of them," She said.

He passed over the bike to her as he looked them over. "Smaller. Is that good or bad?" He asked.

"No idea. I'm not a specialist on gems," Ranma shrugged as she slid a leg over the seat of the bike. "Manual?" He tossed the heavy book to her as he slipped the gems into his bag. "Thanks."

Sitting on the bike Ranma fiddled with the manual while Ryouga restrapped his umbrella back in place atop the bag. Whoever had created it had included both written and visual instructions on how to start the bike. "Right, so key goes… here." She flipped up the cover of the keyhole in the center of the console and inserted the key.

The next step was to place her hand on the black reflective panel next to it. And then turn the key. She checked the manual again. Yeah, that was it, at least for visual instructions. She shrugged.

"Oh don't shrug," Ryouga sighed, "That's like saying 'what could go wrong?'"

She snorted. "Worrier," She scoffed and placed one hand on the panel, then turned the key with the other. The reflective panel lit up. A red light ran over Ranma's hand, scanning it most likely.

"Biometric, I think," Ranma said with a frown. That meant the vehicle was probably locked out for- The console beeped and the panel turned green. The engine started a moment later. "Perfect," She smirked at Ryouga who yanked the manual from her hands.

"This is right at the beginning," He muttered.

"Yeah, so?" Ranma shrugged as she looked over the console. It had most of the same indicators, though she recognized what had to be a pitch indicator and an altimeter like those you would find on an airplane.

"So, that means you just did what had to be its first startup," Ryouga sighed, "I don't think anyone's used this before."

"Lucky us then," Ranma hummed as she glanced over the controls. "Stand back a bit, would you?" Ryouga stepped back ten paces with an expression of resigned expectation.

She ran her hands over the handlebars and gave them an experimental wiggle. The engine revved up a bit, but the vehicle went nowhere. So that was the accelerator, and the brakes were probably in the same spot, so that meant… Footpedals there and there… Though which was which she had no idea. That still left altitude, however. Where was the…

"Pass that over here Ryouga," She said, gesturing to the manual. He tossed it rather than walk over. She caught it one hand and flipped through it. Where did she see the page with the console on- there.

"Altimeter, speedometer, fuel.. I think…" She glanced up at the gauge, "I think that means full." She glanced down. "So where is the altitude control… what do those buttons on the handles do?" Both handles had a button about where the thumbs would rest. "Catch!" She tossed the book back to Ryouga, who took yet another step back.

"I'm not about to explode you idiot," She complained.

"ALIEN MACHINE!" He shouted back.

"If I don't explode, you're cooking for the next week," She replied with an annoyed glance. She carefully depressed the left button. The front end tipped forward. "Shit." She let go and felt the bike level out again. Okay, so it didn't go straight up and down. It went up or down and forward. That was good to know.

She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this," She decided. She settled herself better and put one foot on the foot pedals. She pressed the button and rotated the accelerator. The bike leapt forward, zipping up and across the open field.

A lot faster than she had expected.

She slammed the brake and turned the bike into a midair skid in an effort to slow it. Her foot tapped a tree as the bike came to a halt two and a half feet above the ground. "Easier on the accelerator, right…" She sighed, "That was way too close."

With a much lighter hand on the accelerator, she turned the bike around and drove back to Ryouga. "It works," She told him cheerily, as though she hadn't nearly launched herself through a tree.

"Uhuh. You sure you can handle it?" He asked dubiously, even as he was picking up the large pack they used for things they either didn't want to put into their pockets or couldn't like those gems.

She shrugged. "Just needs a light touch," She grinned, "I like it. Get on. We'll head towards the easy slope up and get a look over the ridge."

With an apprehensive glance towards the trees and a few muttered words that sounded like 'going to die', Ryouga sat down behind her on the bike. It didn't even rock as he joined her. He wrapped an arm around her stomach and leaned close. "You better know what you're doing," He said.

"So we crash into a tree at two hundred miles an hour. We'll be fine," She said, rolling her eyes and patting him on the cheek with a wide grin. "Grow up already."

Any reply he might have had to her smart-ass response was promptly stolen by a shriek as she accelerated the bike on a course towards the next ridgeline. Her laughter trailed behind as they rocketed off towards the ridge, rippling through the trees and echoing off the valley's walls.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: So here's an idea I can't claim credit for. The original thoughts came from my adorable editor @Gekkou_Yoko

This is going to be, nearly, a pure romance story between Ranma and Ryouga set in Star Wars. The old republic era specifically. *Kitsune yawns* This one was tiring to write, but I've enjoyed it. I'll be setting it aside however until I have more time. Too many ideas and too many stories already.

Again, thank you Gekkou~ for proofreading and the ideas~

Gekkou_Yoko here!~ Hallo!~ And your welcome!~ *waves to everyone and floofs*

 

[Grounders10]

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A Ranma ½ Fanfic

In The Blood

By: Grounders10

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Prologue
Unwanted Favours

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Duck low, jump, roll, keep one step ahead or broken bones would follow. For Ranma, fighting Ryouga was always a pain, though these days a mostly metaphorical one. It was almost routine, she mused as she weaved out of the way of a heavy overhead swing of the Lost Boy's umbrella. Something would happen, Ryouga would overhear half the story, they'd fight. Maybe he'd hear the whole thing eventually, maybe not. Not like he stuck around for the resolution half the time.

In a way, it was almost a relief that this time she couldn't blame him for going off half-cocked again. Almost. She leapt over another strike and bounced off the outstretched umbrella, leaping up and away from her opponent, high enough to clear the third-floor rooftops of the street they were fighting down. He followed a wordless roar on his lips.

Stupid Mousse and his poisons, well the old ghoul's poisons. The one responsible for this little spat of violence was supposedly intended to cause incoherent rage in its victim, causing them to lash out at the nearest person or object until it had run its course. Or the victim had died.

It was perhaps a mixed blessing that Ryouga had promptly demonstrated his usual combination of thickheadedness and ability to fixate on a single thought and beelined it straight for her almost as soon as the knives Mousse had been tossing around had nicked him. It was good because it meant he hadn't gone off and hurt someone like Akane, or a random bystander. It was bad because it meant she had spent the last thirty minutes playing keep-away with a raging berserker who was actually capable of tearing her apart with his bare hands.

The good news was that this wasn't some 'rage until their body falls apart' thing. Sure he'd be sore, tired, and probably incapable of remembering a damned thing that had happened, but it would run its course… in about three hours. Which left her with two options. Her first option was, on the surface, quite simple. She could beat him up until he passed out. That was easier said than done with Ryouga. He was built like a boulder and could take a hit better than a mountain. Anything capable of putting him down in his rage blinded state wasn't something Ranma wanted to unleash in a populated area.

That left option two, play keep away until either the poison ran its course or someone came with the antidote that the old ghoul was apparently trying to whip up. Three hours of playing keep-away with a Ryouga who was, for the first time in over a year, actively trying to separate her head from her shoulders.

It hadn't taken even five minutes for her to swap to her girl side for a bit more agility. She needed every bit of speed she could get and the little bit of reach and strength her guy side had wasn't worth the speed lost. Not when she couldn't block his blows in either form. She'd made that mistake once. Her arms had since developed a fairly severe bruise that complained more with every hop and bounce.

She landed on the rooftop and booked it for the far side, deliberately making sure to stay in Ryouga's line of sight as she ran. The idea of what Ryouga could do if he lost sight of her was terrifying and not something she wanted to contemplate too hard.

She ducked around a chimney, hopped over an air conditioning unit, and leaped across the gap between buildings without slowing down. Behind her, she heard bricks explode and metal tear as Ryouga simply plowed through all the obstacles in his path without slowing down. He roared and she heard more tearing metal. She fell into a roll, passing underneath half an air conditioner unit as it sailed overhead about level with where her head had been.

That was the fifth time he had tried that. It hadn't worked the first time, but rage seemed to be stopping him from realizing how pointless it was.

She bounced out of the roll, twisting in mid-air to narrowly sail above the umbrella he had thrown, javelin-like, as a follow-up. It wasn't the first time for that either. Coming out of the leap in a run she ignored the umbrella as she passed it where it had embedded itself in the wall beside a steel rooftop exit door. It would just slow her down again.

As she leaped to yet another roof she heard the sound of concrete being ripped apart behind her. Ryouga had grabbed his umbrella on the way past.

And she was running out of rooftops again. The apartment buildings she was running across gave way to a wooded hill atop which she knew there was a shrine. She'd have to keep away from the shrine itself, but the woods could prove helpful in keeping Ryouga occupied. Maybe. If she was lucky.

She suppressed the urge to groan. Damn Mousse and his stupid potions. Stupid duck-brained moron. When this was over she was going to strangle the fool. Assuming Shampoo hadn't already killed him. In the brief moment she'd had to spare, the Amazon had looked quite literally incandescent with rage as she'd run down the part-time duck.

She mantled the ledge on the edge of the rooftop and launched herself across the street that ran along the edge of the shrine grounds. As she flew through the air she spotted the torii that marked the entrance to the shrine a bit of a way up the street to her left. A staircase ran from the street, through the gates, and up the hillside, disappearing into the trees.

She landed in the grass between the road and the trees and immediately rolled to her feet, twisting to the right to lead Ryouga away into the trees and away from ordinary people. A shockwave rolled over her, sending dust flying and ripping what few leaves were left on the branches from the trees around her, as Ryouga slammed into the ground behind her with the force of a bomb going off.

He didn't even shout or scream as he tore after her. Instead, there was simply a wordless snarl, a lot of heavy breathing, and the thunder of his feet as he pounded the ground to dust with each step.

As she passed into the trees she slowed her pace just a touch. It was risky, but she had to keep his attention otherwise he would run off and find a new target. She leapt over a log and bounded over the roots of a large tree.

Wood shattered as Ryouga crashed through without a care. Splinters flew and she threw herself into a roll as Ryouga threw his umbrella like a javelin again. The tree it struck groaned and began to collapse as the right side of its trunk ceased to exist in an explosion of wood dust.

Ranma cursed as the tree fell across her path. Rather than spring forward out of the roll as she had intended she threw herself to the side. Tree limbs fell around her, limiting her options as she ducked and rolled through the collapsing maze of branches in an astounding display of gymnastic skill.

Then there was a roar and everything exploded. The world spun as she was thrown through the disintegrating tree and straight through an ancient Japanese maple. She bounced and rolled along the ground, finally managing to flip to her feet in time to see Ryouga's umbrella heading straight at her. She twisted aside before breaking into a sprint again. That had been a Shi Shi Hokodan powered by pure anger.

Without sparing a thought as to whether or not his condition was getting worse, an unbelievable concept given that she could already feel the anger pouring off of him in waves. Literally. His ki was practically on fire. She didn't even want to see what sort of tornado a Hiryu Shoten Ha might create from so much rage, not here at least. She didn't need to add 'bombarded Tokyo with a forest' to her list of awkward things that needed explaining.

She ducked beneath the bow of an old maple and hopped the fallen trunk of a Japanese spruce. Both were smashed apart as Ryouga followed at a sprint. He was gaining. She needed to hurry up if she wanted to-

With a whirr of fabric, a spinning yellow blur lopped off the limb of a nearby tree as it arced through the air to cut her off. She ducked the lethal bandana and jumped a hefty boulder. Then another few bandanas, spinning like buzzsaws, scythed in from either side and from behind. She jumped, twisting in mid-air to contort her body around the expertly created pincer of death and nearly went upside down as she passed through the gauntlet unscathed. How was he thinking of these things? He was pissed off beyond reason by the poison, he shouldn't have been capable of this much thought, and yet he demonstrably was.

She twisted past upside down and landed right-side-up easily. Her left foot touched the ground, and then Ryouga's umbrella, the sound of its approach concealed by the much louder bandanas, crashed into her right shoulder. She went down hard, her face dragging itself along the forest floor as she rolled to a stop. Picking herself up she barely had time to appreciate that her right arm was most definitely dislocated, if not outright broken, before she realized that Ryouga had managed to close the distance. With his fist cocked back he was too close for her to dodge in her state.

Ranma tried to block the straight punch he sent her way. She caught it square in her free palm, then his strength powered through her guard and crushed her good hand between his fist and her chest as his punch picked her up and launched her. Branches snapped and leaves scattered in her wake as she smashed through tree after tree until, quite without warning, she crashed through the heavy stone wall of the shrine.

A small stone statue of a fox snapped off its pillar as she flew across the courtyard, bouncing every few feet off the hard stone slabs until she rolled to a stop by the feet of a surprised-looking woman in Miko dress. She dropped the broom that was in her hands and hurried to kneel by Ranma's side.

"Miss? Are you alright?" she asked, hovering nervously as Ranma tried to push herself to her feet. That strike had broken several ribs and she could feel something loose in her shoulder, but she could still stand. The question was whether or not she could still run.

"Get out of here," she gasped to the Miko, "Run!" The woman stared uncomprehendingly at her. She wasted enough time that the far wall exploded again as another hole, directly to the right of the first, was smashed into it by Ryouga. The maddened berzerker stood there for a moment to get his bearings, then his eyes locked onto the Miko. "He's poisoned, he can't tell friend from foe, run!" she gasped again, clutching her chest as something moved.

There was no time for more as Ryouga let out an inarticulate scream of rage and charged across the courtyard. He tossed his umbrella like a javelin once again, this time at the Miko. Acting on instinct Ranma shoved her aside, ignoring the scraping of her ribs, and tried to deflect the umbrella. She succeeded, partly. Instead of crashing into her already broken ribs, it caught her in the head.

The world twirled as she rolled once more across the yard, coming to a stop on her side with her head facing the Miko and Ryouga. Her sight swam and her breath was coming in shallow gasps that felt wet. She coughed and blood splattered the flagstones. Her eyes stared with barely comprehending horror as she watched Ryouga loom over the sprawled Miko, one hand raised to kill her.

Then one of the Miko's hands snapped up and a golden barrier caught Ryouga's blow as it fell. Cracks spiderwebbed through the barrier. The Miko let out a curse as Ryouga pounded the barrier again, fracturing it yet further. Her other hand gestured and as he raised his fists for another strike iron chains burst from his shadow and wrapped tightly about his wrists. They pulled back, trying to drag him down.

Ryouga strained against the chains as the Miko found her footing again. The chains pulled back, dragging his arms back inch by inch before suddenly stopping. The Miko took a step back as he roared and pulled, straining himself against the chains until his arms began to rise again. Link by link he dragged the iron chains from his shadow until he had raised his arms enough to bring them down in a double-fisted strike at her barrier. With a sound like a thousand breaking mirrors, the barrier exploded into tiny fragments, yet it diverted enough of the force for the berzerk martial artist to miss the woman. Instead, his blow hammered into the flagstones. Shattered stone tumbled through the air as the chains redoubled their efforts and dragged his arms back, bending him backwards in a pose that had to be painful.

Without wasting another second the Miko drew an ofuda from her robes and slapped it against his forehead. "SLEEP!" She shouted, pressing the talisman against him for several moments before the boy slowly slumped to the ground. She watched him for a moment before sighing and relaxing, then her eyes snapped to Ranma and she broke into a run towards Ranma.

"Hey, hey, don't pass out," she babbled, sliding to a stop by her side, "It'll be fine, just stay awake- hey, hey! HEY!" Everything sank into darkness.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Cologne carefully slid the powdered monkshood onto the scale. Two-tenths of a milligram. It was still twice what she needed. With a knife, she carefully scraped half off the scale into a vial. A moment later a hair's breadth more was scraped in after it. The vial was stoppered and placed carefully back onto the rack where it had come from. From a drawer she pulled an empty vial and carefully scraped the remaining powdered monkshood in.

"Stop poking me with that!"

She hung the vial on a rack by a bubbling miniature cauldron. Next she needed dried lily blossoms. Where had she put them?

"Not happening jackass. Why do you keep doing stuff like this?"

"Airen in trouble because of stupid Mousse."

"Ow! That's sharp!"

"That's the point. Try to avoid the rope, we don't want him getting away."

Cologne searched the shelf above. She scanned the alcoves, jars, and small boxes. Bamboo... willow sticks… snakeskin… rabbit's feet…

"Damn it, I didn't know what it would do!"

She stopped her search to look over her shoulder at Mousse who was squirming in the corner of the backroom where they had tied him up. Her great-granddaughter was prodding him with a spear while Ukyo loomed over him and occasionally joined in with the corner of her giant spatula. Watching them with looks ranging from irritation to annoyance and even amusement was the rest of their rather infamous group. The Saotomes and Tendos were seated around a table in the center of the room. They weren't directly involving themselves in the slow torture of the male amazon, but only Akane seemed to be uncomfortable with it. The Kasumi girl was simply serving tea with a smile to her father.

"That is the problem, Mousse," she said seriously, getting the attention of the room, "You stole from my stockpile. Some things are not to be used except under the direst need and killing son-in-law does not qualify even slightly."

Nodoka, Ranma's mother, shot her an irritated look before turning to the boy. "Not to mention that using poisons is a very unmanly thing to do," she said with a tone that suggested she rated him somewhere between a slug and a particularly pathetic dung beetle.

"Indeed, this has caused quite a bit of needless chaos," Mr. Tendo said the patriarch of the Tendo family sipped from the tea his daughter had poured him from a table in the center of the room.

"More importantly," Cologne interjected, "Theft of such materials is a severe crime, Mousse. Worse, this is not the first time you have pilfered from my resources. I've tolerated such things perhaps more than I should have."

The bottle cap-glasses-wearing boy bristled. "I didn't know what it was!" He shouted, "Why the hell do you keep so many things in red clay pots? I was looking for that sleeping powder you were talking about last week."

Cologne paused. "The winter's blanket?"

His head tilted to the side in thought. After a moment he nodded. "That's the one."

Silently, she walked along the table to a different section of shelves and pulled down a dark purple jar. "You mean this one?" she asked.

"I- uuum… I thought it was red?" He sounded honestly confused. With a heavy sigh, she put the jar back.

"Idiot boy. I suppose you weren't even wearing your glasses, were you?" she asked. His head dropped and she snorted in disgust. "Your fate will be decided later. For now, stay there."

"I-" he sighed, "Yes, Elder."

With a shake of her head Cologne went back to work. She had to wonder if the boy was lying, but he seemed to be honest. Then again, Mousse had always had a talent for shading the truth. It formed the basis of his family's fighting style.

Now, where had she put the-

Without warning a wave of Ki rolled over the restaurant. Not a physical wave, but a spiritual one. Cologne gasped and clutched her staff as she struggled to stay standing. There was a presence, familiar yet so vast as to be alien. It pressed on her mind and spirit driving her to her knees through nothing more than sheer presence. She forced her ki out in an aura, pushing back the presence as she sought a breath. It was slow work, but it worked nonetheless allowing her to take a shaky breath. Then, with as much warning as its arrival, it vanished. Gasping from the effort of forcing out her ki, she leaned against her staff shakily as she looked around the room.

Everyone was on the floor, even Ranma's mother and the Tendo girls. The fathers had fallen from their chairs and seemed to be sucking in great gulps of air, Mr. Tendo more so than Genma. Mouse was barely conscious, and her granddaughter and the spatula wielding Kuonji girl were laid out along with the Tendo girls. To her surprise, Nodoka was already picking herself up as she looked blankly at a wall. Hiking up the skirting of her kimono she ran from the room far faster than Cologne would have ever expected.

Genma was the first to react. "Wait! No-chan!" Despite gasping for breath he heaved himself to his feet in one smooth motion and ran out the door after her without any hesitation.

"This…" Cologne muttered as her breathing stabilized, "answers a few things about son-in-law." Anyone descended from a pair of people capable of shaking off that as though it had never happened was bound to be impressive. Now… "What was that?" She wondered as she considered the phenomena.

"Kasumi? Kasumi!" She glanced over to Soun as the man bawled over his eldest daughter.

"Is she still breathing?" she asked loudly. The man started then checked.

"I-yes. Yes she is," he said, "But…"

"She will be fine in a little while, Mr Tendo," she said, shaking her head. Men, so easily distracted. Now, where did this presence come from… it had been… She pointed her staff at the eastern wall. That way, roughly. "Interesting, but also a distraction." She had an antidote to finish first, then she could investigate.

She turned back to her cauldron and paused. Wasn't the antidote supposed to be rouge, not orange at this stage?

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Consciousness returned slowly. The first thing that truly registered in Ranma's mind as she stirred was the feeling of weight on her, like a heavy blanket. The second was a strange weight hanging off her tailbone. The third was a twitching sensation from her ears as strange creaks and groans from the area, as well as the chatter of a distant television, disturbed her sleep.

"Muyaaaaaahhh," she yawned as she opened her eyes and stretched, her arms over her head. She froze halfway through and blinked at the white pillow in her face. Hadn't she been inhaling her own blood in the courtyard of a shrine? She took in a hesitant breath. "That seems fine," she said as she pushed herself up.

"Ow- what the-" She stopped as the heavy white blanket fell off her as a pain shot up her spine from her tailbone. Twisting to look over her shoulder at her butt she stopped mid curse to stare. Hanging off her like a pack of limp otters was a bundle of tails that emerged from beneath the hem of the most-definitely-not-her's white t-shirt. In the faint light of a lamp in the corner of the room, they glowed faintly with the same brilliant red as her hair. They had to be at least as long as she was tall. Not a single one was short, and now that she was more awake she could feel the slight twitch-twitch of them that tingled up her tailbone and through her spine.

As she stared she became aware of another sensation. Her ears, laying flat against her head and not the sides of her head. Her breathing hitched as she reached up and felt the top of her head. She twitched as her hands found two velvety soft patches that twitched beneath her hands.

Hands on her head she stared blankly at the rice paper walls of the room she was in. This was weird, even by her standards this was weird. "Why," she asked the room, not expecting an answer, "do I have kemonomimi?" The room, quite typically, failed to dignify her with a reply. Her hands started roaming after a moment and she sighed after a few minutes of exploration. She didn't seem to have fur elsewhere, just tails and ears, unless she was blind.

"Okay… Okay…" She breathed out slowly, "Think, tails, ears…" She looked around the room. The floors were tatami mats and the walls were just rice paper. The sound of a TV came from the direction of the single sliding rice paper door into the room. It was fairly distant, however, so either there were solid walls between her and it, or it was quite a ways away.

She pushed back the blanket and caught sight of the lavender with pink heart pajama pants she was wearing. "Really?" she shook her head. At least it wasn't a sheer negligee this time or a cosplay outfit or a wedding dress or that thing Azusa had stuffed her into that one time. She refused to go through another 'Caroline' incident. Akane might have had the record for most kidnappings, but a disturbing number of people wanted her just as much. Even after they knew she was born a guy.

While the clothes were a positive, the tails and ears suggested that someone had been playing with magic on her while she was out. The last thing she could recall was the shrine priestess, so perhaps the local god had gotten touchy-feely? It would explain why she wasn't wounded anymore.

Shaking off the many thoughts and theories that were crowding her head she stood up. She wobbled as she climbed to her feet. The tails waved and flicked in different directions throwing off her balance as she stood wobbling. Slowly, carefully, she walked across the room to the door. She leaned against the doorframe and looked back at the tails. Counting them off she blinked.

"Nine? Why do I have nine tails?" she asked herself quietly. Nine tails were only magically significant with kitsune. Had she been possessed? She didn't feel different, but then would she be able to tell if she had been? Though from her prior experiences you didn't tend to recall what was going on when you were possessed. So that was probably not it, but then why nine tails if not a nine-tailed kitsune? She frowned thoughtfully for a moment before she gave one shake of the head and turned back to the door. She could worry about it later; first, she needed to know where she was and if she needed to worry about a marriage plot.

Sliding the door open she peered out. No guards in the hallway, though she could see a light spilling into the intersection from a side hall a bit further down. Now, no guards could be a good thing, but it could also mean that whoever was holding her didn't think her odds of escape were that high to begin with. She could work with that, assuming it was someone hostile anyways.

Carefully, she crossed the hallway to the other side and walked down the hallway to the intersection while half-leaning against the wall. The tails twitched and flicked behind her, occasionally swatting the rice paper and making the walls rattle just slightly. She couldn't control them, no matter how much she tried at that moment. They just swayed and flicked from one side to the other without any conscious effort. Her ears weren't much better, twitching and flicking towards every little noise. The unfamiliar sensations were reminding her of the first few days after getting her curse. Different form, a few notable differences, though her balance hadn't been even half as badly affected as it was right then. That was, she supposed, the difference between swapping genders and having the volume equivalent of a second you hanging off your ass.

She peeked around the corner. The light was coming from a hallway light. The entire hallway was lit up with a few open doors. There didn't appear to be anyone visible, though she could hear the TV a little bit better. With care, Ranma proceeded down the hall. She passed two open doors that led to dark rooms, one of which appeared to be a fully furnished bedroom. As she walked, more like wobbled, her way down the hallway the TV grew louder. The only room with light spilling out of its doorway was just up ahead and the TV seemed to be on in there.

She paused to listen as an ad played for a brand of ramen noodle bowls. It was followed by an ad for the Sony Playstation before the ads were replaced by what could only be a late night soap opera.

"Takeshi Morimoto! You dishonorable traitor!" The sound of a blade being unsheathed wandered out of the room.

"My lord, I swear, it is not what it looks like."

She tilted her head. Wasn't this that one Kasumi watched when she thought no one else was awake? Something, something, great Tokyo panic? Something like that anyways. The hallways didn't look like the Tendo's house, so it probably wasn't Kasumi in there. Maybe they'd have some of Kasumi's… nicer qualities? Hopefully they didn't start hanging cats off her for fun.

She peeked around the corner. It was a kitchen. The Miko from before was at the counter watching the TV as she worked and looking away from Ranma. The TV was by a large window looking out into what was probably the back of the shrine area. More importantly, however, was the fact that said Miko had her own set of black tails and ears. Seven tails swirled behind her without knocking over a thing as she worked.

"I swear," the woman shook her head as the two samurai on the TV clashed blades, both of them trying to monologue over the other, "If I hadn't seen worse in real life, I'd be calling it bad writing." Ranma had to agree, she had seen worse. Lived through worse too. Still, it was like watching two Kuno's go at it.

She made a small noise of disgust and stiffened immediately. The woman turned and Ranma ducked behind the doorframe. There was a moment of silence and then the woman sighed.

"I can see your ears," she said kindly.

Ranma glanced up at the top of her head before sighing. A mite embarrassed, she poked her head around the corner. "Um… hello?" she said hesitantly, giving a small wave.

The woman waved back before muting the TV. "Hello miss, I'm sorry for missing you waking up. I was planning on being there, but even Kitsune must eat," she said, waving to the cutting board before her where some pickles were being sliced up. Beside the board was a rather stacked platter of snack food and a bowl of rice.

Ranma's stomach rumbled as she stared at the platter. The woman giggled as she blushed. "Why don't you take a seat, over here by the counter would probably be best. Gives you some room for those tails," she suggested, "I'll make you something proper to eat while I explain everything. Does that sound good?"

She swallowed as she stepped around the corner. "Um… sure? Kitsune?" she asked as she wobbled her way across the room. The woman took her by the arm halfway and guided her to a stool on the opposite side of the counter from her.

"Yes, kitsune," the woman replied as Ranma took her seat. She walked back around the counter and went back to work making the platter. She laid the sliced pickles onto the platter and slid it over to Ranma. "Here, I'll get myself something else in a few," she said.

It took only a moment of consideration before Ranma set into the varied platter of mixed snack foods. "So," she said a few moments later around a biscuit. She swallowed. "So, if you're a kitsune, then I'm…?" she trailed off as she snagged a pickle.

"A kitsune, it's… only slightly complicated," the woman said as she retrieved a few more pickles and started filling up the rice cooker.

Kitsune. Trickster. Messenger of the Kami, occasionally actual Kami when they were… She glanced over at her tails as she chewed a very tasty seafood flavored biscuit.

"You realize how many questions I have right now?" Ranma asked as she finished the biscuit.

"Quite a few I imagine. You aren't the first I've had to explain things to," the seven-tailed woman admitted, "First though." She turned and bowed to Ranma. "My name is Shizune Miyamoto. I am the Miko of this shrine."

Ranma bowed awkwardly back over the counter without leaving her seat. "I'm Ranma Saotome-"

"Saotome?" the woman stood up sharply, "How did you go without being awakened?"

Ranma stared back at her. "Um… what?" Awakened?

Shizune paused, closed her eyes and sighed. She rubbed her temple. "Of course. This is going to be complicated. Can I ask your parents' names?"

She observed the older woman for a moment as she chewed on another biscuit. "... Genma and Nodoka Saotome," she said carefully. In the depths of her mind she was quietly hoping that this wasn't another engagement waiting to ambush her.

The kitsune hissed softly. "Oh dear that's… Yes, I think I understand," she sighed as she went back to the fridge. "Let me start from the beginning when you came crashing through my wall with that boy."

Ranma shot up in her seat. "Ryouga! Where is he? Is he okay?!" she demanded, grabbing the countertop. Shizune raised an eyebrow at her.

"He's fine," she said, "I have him tied up in the shrine sleeping. He was poisoned, you say?"

She nodded. "Some Amazon rage-inducing poison the old ghoul said," she said, "I didn't catch the name. He was already trying to kill me so I had to run."

"Ah, foreign work," the miko hummed, "I'll check on him in a bit, once you're properly settled." A few small fish were pulled out of the fridge and set down by the stove on another cutting board. "Once I had him secured I went to help you. You didn't seem to be doing well, but to my surprise I sensed the faint essence of a kitsune coming from you."

"I'm not- I wasn't a kitsune," Ranma protested.

"No, you were not, but you had our blood in you," Shizune replied, "And that's enough. I awakened the potential in your blood to save you. The process of going from human to kitsune heals most wounds, excepting those particular magical natures. Your injuries, while bad, were decidedly non-magical."

"How bad was it?"

"Broken ribs, punctured lung, severe head injury, concussion, probably some internal bleeding as well," the miko listed off as she filleted the fish, "I've seen worse, but not from people who lived to talk about it." Ranma winced. She hadn't realized just how much Ryouga had taken to pulling his punches during their fights. Mind you, she'd been doing the same, even if not to the same extent. Ryouga was just built tougher than she was. Perhaps she should consider giving the bakusai tenketsu training a try at some point? This entire thing had just been embarrassing.

"Now, the fact you had the potential means that one of your parents had to be a kitsune like me," Shizune continued.

"That's not possible," Ranma said, "I know both my parents, they aren't kitsune." The very idea of Genma being a kitsune was laughable and her mother was about the opposite of a trickster.

"Mhmm," her hostess hummed in reply, "Well clearly one of them is more than you thought. The potential doesn't come from nowhere."

So one of her parents was a Kitsune? It seemed impossible, but… She chewed on a biscuit as she thought about it. Her pops definitely had the trickiness, but then how much did she actually know about her mother. There was no way her dad could have kept this quiet for so long so… Her mother was a kitsune? She tried to picture her mother as a kitsune and failed to make it work. She just didn't seem… Well if she was a kitsune she was a very bad one… or a very good one. Did her dad know?

She munched on a few slices of pickle as she thought. Shizune set to work frying the small fish. "Feel free to ask any questions you have," she said.

Ranma nodded absently. "So… tails," she said after a few moments.

Shizune inclined her head to the side as she nodded. "The elephant in the room," she acknowledged, "I assume you've heard the legends of how kitsune gain a tail every century?"

"Who hasn't?"

"A few," she demurred. "A kitsune doesn't simply gain a tail every century from living. The process of strengthening one's lifeforce over centuries is an arduous task. It is more accurate to say that most kitsune manage this on average, once per century. "

"Still a tail a century."

"I've known some who managed nine tails in seven hundred years. I myself have only managed seven in eight hundred years," Shizune shrugged as she sprinkled herbs on the fish, "An average is only an average. The youngest to attain nine tails was only a few centuries old, but that was millennia ago. If you believe the myths."

"That makes this," Ranma pointed to her butt and the many tails hanging from it, "Even more bizarre." She stuffed a pickle into her mouth and chewed loudly. Her eyes flickered around the room. The priestess was, so far, quite nice and willing to explain, but long experience told her to be ready to run. It wouldn't be the first time someone appeared nice, only to turn out to be nuts.

She nodded to Ranma's point. "It has to do with the nature of ki, mortality, and divinity," she said, "Are you familiar with Ki?"

Ranma shrugged. "I'm a practicing martial artist. Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts," she replied. Her eyes narrowed as Shizune winced at the mention of being a martial artist. "Did I say something wrong?"

The older woman sagged. "Not… exactly. My apologies, but this situation is reminding me greatly of someone I once knew," she sighed, "Why is it that the half-bloods I find are always unique?" She rested her head against the cupboard beside the stove.

The redheaded girl-who-was-a-boy shrugged and nibbled on a biscuit.

After a moment of collecting herself, Shizune continued. "You've utilized Ki to reinforce your body and perform superhuman feats, yes?"

"Yup." It was only true.

"Then you know how you strengthen your ki over time?"

"Yup."

"Kitsune are a form of spirit. When born we are of the lowest rank, barely a step above the average human. By spending time strengthening our Ki through spiritual and physical enlightenment we can become more. With enough ki we simply push past the barriers between mortality and divinity until we stand on the level of the other great spirits," she explained. She paused to flip the fish and check the rice cooker before retrieving a pear from the fridge. Holding it up she asked, "Skin or no?"

Ranma blinked at the question. "Skin's fine," she said around a biscuit. The seven-tailed kitsune nodded and set to work slicing up the pear, and three more like it.

As she sliced the pears, Shizune picked up where she had left off. "It is, of course, more complicated than that, but the simple act of having sufficient Ki is enough to break the barriers between man and the divine," she said.

"I've heard the theory before. There's a little temple in Hokkaido that I stayed at years ago," Ranma replied as she rolled a biscuit between her fingers. Left, right, left. Her eyes followed it back and forth as her fingers guided it this way and that. "They had quite a few little scrolls about obscure spiritual topics. This one guy, Katashi Hatanaka I think it was? He had this theory he wrote back in the seventeenth century. He said that the difference between a man and the gods was the quality of his spirit and that by honing his spirit through spiritual and martial perfection a man could become a god. Course he tried to prove it by eating an Oni, so I'm not entirely sure what he meant by 'spiritual perfection'."

Shizune snorted and shook her head. "It sounds… vaguely familiar," she said, "But he was not entirely wrong. When a half-blood is made a full kitsune their souls are transformed just as much as their bodies. The result is their ki is refined and amplified in strength. The ki of a spirit is far more potent than that of a man and the more powerful the man the more potent their Ki becomes when refined. Even the average half-blood who might be twelve years old without any training tend to develop at least two tails as their ki surges."

The biscuit came to a half between her middle and pointer fingers. "... So that's why I didn't feel like I had more ki," she said. She hadn't thought she had more ki than before, and she sure as hell hadn't had enough to be a nine-tails.

Shizune nodded as she laid the pear slices out on a plate and set it beside the crumb-littered platter from before. "The difference between a Kitsune and a man is not the amount of ki that they can have, it is how far they can make that ki go. A kitsune's ki is far more potent. I'm sure you've noticed certain ki effects that seem to warp reality or at least play heavily on people's perceptions like illusions."

"A few times," she confirmed as she set the biscuit down and took a slice of pear. She paused before biting. "Thanks for the food by the way."

"Not a problem, Miss Ranma," the older woman said as she took a slice for herself, "You aren't the first teenager I've given a talk like this to. I find it always goes better with some food to focus on."

Ranma shrugged and bit into the pear.

"The potency of Kitsune ki means that when properly controlled it can be used to shape reality, creating illusions and eventually altering what is and what isn't. Such actions are prohibitively expensive for most humans, but a kitsune can manage to make quite a few without significant effort. Your own ki must have been quite potent, even by the standards of a young kitsune," Shizune mused, "It is an achievement, but it does leave us with a small issue."

"You mean nine issues, and they aren't exactly small," Ranma muttered around a pear slice as she pouted.

"Your tails are average length for a nine-tails, though they are quite big for a child your age," she acknowledged, "but it is more than you realize. Your ki, while plentiful, was still as potent as any other mortal. Only the quantity of it allowed you to perform many of the actions I'm sure you've put it to." She looked over her shoulder, "In your position I would be hesitant to attempt many of those feats again. Your ki is many thousands of times more potent. Even a tenth as much ki could create a reaction many times what you used to be capable of."

A fruit slice froze an inch before Ranma's mouth. The idea of using the Moko Takabisha crossed her mind, only rather than a small crater she could easily envisage it leveling all of Furinkan. "Oh," she said dumbly before nibbling on the fruit. That was an issue. If the Kitsune lady was telling the truth, then she could very well be a danger to the entire city just because she didn't know how strong she was anymore. It would be like those times Ryouga didn't know his own strength, only even worse since a wave of her arm might very well start a Hiryu Shoten Ha. Visions of accidental destruction danced in her mind.

She jumped as a glass of a pinkish white drink was set down next to her plate. She looked up at Shizune who was watching her with a concerned look.

"I wouldn't worry too much," she said, "Many ki techniques need a certain level of control to not simply fizzle. I'm sure you've experienced it in the past."

Ranma nodded slowly as a shaking hand took the glass. She sipped it. There was a strong taste of strawberries. "But," she said a moment later, "I know a few that really don't require much if any control. They're just… fire and forget. Energy blasts and natural disasters."

Shizune patted her on the arm before returning to her cooking. After checking the fish she plated it and spooned a large helping of rice next to it. Spices, a bottle of soy sauce, and some nuts joined the simple dish as Ranma's hostess served her. "Eat, relax. You are hardly a danger to anyone, I'm sure you'll be fine. For now, eat. We can talk some more afterwards." She held out a set of chopsticks for Ranma.

Ranma took the utensils with a nod and slowly and shakily set into her meal. A few moments later, as Shizune turned back to her food, a doorbell rang. The older kitsune groaned. "At this hour, really?" she muttered, shaking her head. Ranma blinked as the older woman was suddenly bereft of her tails and ears. She replaced the cover of the rice cooker. "Excuse me, I won't be but a few," she said before walking out of the room. After watching her leave, Ranma set into her meal with a shrug.

It was all a lot to take in. Kitsunes, the idea that one of her parents was a kitsune, her being one, and the whole nine tails thing. She nibbled on the fish. It was good. She got the feeling that there was a lot more that Shizune wasn't saying, though to be fair she had been answering her questions. There simply hadn't been much time.

She had more questions that needed answers. The big one that was poking her in the back of the head was 'what about her curse'. How was Jusenkyo going to react to her suddenly being a shapeshifter? Well, reality warping illusionist trickster was possibly a better description. Not well was her guess. It seemed like it didn't take much to interfere with a Jusenkyo curse even if it was never to the cursed person's benefit. It seemed like every two bit sorcerer in China had taken a crack at messing with Jusenkyo curses, and none of them had ever managed to cure it. As it was, she had two possibilities, both fueled by the fact she was still a girl.

Number one was simple. It hadn't changed a thing and she had yet to be hit with hot water. Simple, easy, and with a little luck all that she needed to worry about. Number two was… Well it was possible she had been touched with hot water, likely even. She wasn't exactly caked in blood around her head or chest so Shizune had probably cleaned her up at some point, which would have more than likely included the use of hot water. Assuming she hadn't figured out or had experience with the curse, then that meant she hadn't changed. If nothing else, the fact that the kitsune hadn't even made mention of an incident was damning enough.

With a sigh she set her chopsticks down. "Easy way to test it," she muttered, sliding over her stool. Her steps around the counter were easier than before, but she still wobbled as she walked to the sink. She turned the hot water on and waited a few moments for it to get warm, very warm. In only a few moments she could see steam rising from the sink and stuck her hand under the hot water. It was very warm, nearly scalding in its intensity and yet… and yet…

Ranma stood there staring at her hand as the water washed over it with a mixture of emotions. Disgust, disappointment, and annoyance were the most prominent. She was so sick of this song and dance. She withdrew her hand and turned off the water. As she shook her hand off she muttered, "Don't punch the nice kitsune lady for saving your life. Hitting her would be a bad thing when she couldn't have known." She repeated the mantra several times on her way back to her seat.

As she was picking up her chopsticks to get back to eating while she thought about how to raise this rather important issue with the older kitsune, a familiar, yet different, person came bursting through the door.

"Ranma!" Ranma blinked as her mother dashed through the door and, without so much as blinking at the tails and ears, threw herself at Ranma. The young redhead yelped as her mother almost knocked her off her seat with her hug.

"Mum! I-" Why was her mother there? As she struggled to keep her seat, her eyes finished processing what was off with her mother as two triangular points atop her mother's head, now conveniently in Ranma's direct line of sight, caught her attention. The two red ears twitched on either side of her mother's signature hair bun. Her mother was saying something as she stared, but the words were flying so fast that they simply flew right by Ranma. Instead, her eyes tracked up and back towards the door where Shizune was standing with her arms crossed and her tails once again visible. She looked perturbed.

"This just got more complicated," she said to Ranma when their eyes met. She could agree to that sentiment wholeheartedly. This was definitely a lot more complicated than before. How was she going to avoid breaking the news of her curse to her mother while talking to Shizune about how to fix it?

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A/N: Ello~ New Story, old thread smell~ Wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Gekkou! Is it good or bad?

Gekkou_Yoko: So long as its not old sock smell, I think its O.k.

Grounders10: Well it's two years old, so I guess we'll never know.

Gekkou_Yoko: Well, its not an old bra, so I think we're safe.

Grounders10: So Welcome everyone to the story where I turn Ranma into a floof, for the sake of floof obviously.

 

[Grounders10]

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A Ranma ½ Fanfic

In The Blood

By: Grounders10

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Chapter One
Drama, Meet Family

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Shizune cleared her throat. "Now that I've let you have a moment," she said loudly and firmly enough that Ranma's mother stilled in her fussing, her ears tipping outward as her excited babble stopped, "Does your mother know where you are and what you've been doing, young lady?"

Ranma was treated to the unusual sight of her mother turning towards the older black-haired kitsune with what appeared to be apprehension. "... She knows I've been out and about," Nodoka said with a tone that was remarkably like a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Despite the urge to ask why no one had told her she had a grandmother, Ranma kept her mouth shut as Shizune stared disapprovingly down at Nodoka. Her mother was looking far less composed than she had a few moments ago.

"Mhmm. But I take it she doesn't know exactly what you've been doing while 'out and about', does she? Don't lie, I know Shiori well," Shizune said.

"... I don't recognize you," Nodoka said defensively.

"She normally comes here alone, though it has been a while since the last time we had tea. I'm sure she'll be less than pleased that I'm reaching out to her because her daughter and granddaughter are on my doorstep," Shizune said before reaching out and grabbing the tip of Nodoka's ear.

"Owowow-" Her mother complained.

"And take that silly illusion off, young lady," Shizune continued before doing… something with ki that made Ranma's eyes water. Despite the tears, Ranma's eyes widened a moment later as her mother lost a good foot of height and her hair brightened considerably to be only just darker than Ranma's.

"Not in front of my son!" her mother protested, her voice sounding much more like a teenage girl than it had before. Ranma closed her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. Did she really just…? Yes, yes she did.

"Son?" Shizune asked, her eyes darting to Ranma.

"Does Jusenkyo mean anything to you? And why is my mother… my age?!" Ranma demanded.

Shizune pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, it does; and it's because she technically is your age, or just older by Kitsune standards," she said.

Nodoka turned to Ranma with a very nervous look. "Um… I can explain?" she said with a questioning tone.

Ranma stared at her mother. "Please tell me this doesn't mean Pops is a pedophile," she said, staring at the girl who was her mother.

"Thankfully, no. Kitsune can make their own minds up about those sorts of relationships once they turn one hundred and fifty," Shizune said, "However, they aren't supposed to have custody of any children they have unless they have three tails or three hundred years of age. The same goes for, say, getting married." She gave Nodoka a particularly unimpressed look. "And I know for a fact, young lady, that you are barely two hundred years old."

"That rule is stupid and counterproductive," Nodoka snapped, huffing and crossing her arms in a manner that with her reduced stature simply made her look petulant rather than authoritative as it normally did.

Ranma buried her face in her hands with a groan. "I don't need this. I really don't need this," she muttered. She felt her mother reach up and pat her on the arm.

"It's alright dear. I'm just glad you've finally gotten your tails. I was wondering when you were going to get them. Mother never did mention that-" her mother said.

"Because you're too young to need to know! Stubborn child, you don't wait for them to come in, you awaken them!" Shizune said, frustration pouring off of her, "If I hadn't caught it your- Son. Son… that's another issue we need to talk about. Your son was on the edge of being too old to be awakened. If Ranma had been even a year older that would have been it and you'd have had to bury him like any other mortal man."

The stricken look on her mother's face was like a knife to Ranma's heart. She slid off her chair and pulled the girl who was her mother into a hug. "I'm here. I'm right here," she said, "I'm not going anywhere. Right?" She shot a look over her mother's shoulder at Shizune. "Right?"

"Technically, no," Shizune said before letting out a sigh, "The couch is over there. Why don't you two have a chat while I call Shiori, hmm?"

"I'm going to be in so much trouble," Ranma's mother whimpered, clutching to her even tighter and Ranma had to restrain an urge to roll her eyes.

"Thanks. C'mon. This way," Ranma said, guiding her mother over to the couch -- a feat that was barely possible with her terrible sense of balance -- that had a view of the muted TV. No sooner did they sit down than her mother started crying, grabbing Ranma in an even tighter hug. With an awkward grimace, she patted the barely taller girl on the back. What the hell was she supposed to say or do for that matter?

Her mother was literally the equivalent of her own age. For all she knew she was mentally more mature than the woman- the girl who gave birth to her. Kami this was messed up.

As she comforted her mother she finally took note of the two red tails swinging behind her that were emerging from a tailored hole in her kimono. Two tails. Two centuries.

"Please don't go," her mother whispered. Ranma's left ear twitched towards the sound.

"I'm right here," Ranma repeated. As she said that her tails came about seemingly in response to words and wrapped about her mother, practically burying the older kitsune.

Nodoka lifted her head from Ranma's shoulder and stared at the tails. She lifted herself to peer over Ranma's shoulder, pressing down on her. Ranma caught the moment her breath stopped. "Ranma, dear, do you… Do you have nine tails?" she asked, her voice faint.

"I think so," Ranma replied. Her mother stared at her, her eyes glazing over slowly.

"I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming. It's the only explanation," Nodoka said, letting herself slide bonelessly down to the couch. Ranma reached out and pinched her on the cheek. "Ow, ow- Oh, not a dream- Ranma! You don't go pinching your mother's cheek!" Her mother gave her an outraged look.

Ranma gave her a flat look and poked her in the nose, getting a wrinkle and a dissatisfied look. "You look like my sister, Mum," she said irritably.

Her mother had the grace to look embarrassed. "Erm… yes, well, dear, um… Oh, this was not how I had this planned," she muttered, pulling at her hair with both hands. Her bun promptly fell apart as its care knots slipped. "Oh- Hells." Her mother flopped backwards on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. She landed on Ranma's tails which felt… weird. Very weird.

Ranma leaned forward to stare down at her. "So do I still call you Mum?" she asked.

"Yes! I'm still two hundred years your senior and the woman who gave birth to you," the girl said, staring back intensely.

"... That sounds so wrong coming from someone who looks like my older sister," Ranma replied. She winced as her mother slapped her face with both hands.

"I know that!" she said, her voice muffled, "Why do you think I was wearing illusions?! No one takes me seriously if I don't."

"Because you're still a child," Shizune said, re-entering the room.

"Am not."

"That argument alone proves my point."

"Nyeh!" Ranma stared as her mother, who was normally so prim and proper, stuck her tongue out at the older kitsune.

Ranma reached up and pinched her own cheeks, wincing at the pain. No, definitely not a dream. "So, how'd it go?" she asked.

"Your Grandmother is on her way. She says she'll be here in an hour or two. So both of you are staying here until then," Shizune said firmly. Ranma nodded while her mother fumed.

"Behave," she told her mother who shot her a betrayed look before wilting at Ranma's firm stare.

"... Fine…"

Shizune brought over Ranma's dinner and then got back to work cooking. "So while I cook, mind answering a few questions Ranma? Specifically about Jusenkyo," she said.

"Sure," Ranma replied, biting into the rice bowl after adding a little seasoning.

"Hmm, did you fall into the Spring of Drowned Girl?"

"That's the one."

"Hmm. have you-"

"Tried to turn back?" She fixed her eyes on her mother, "It isn't working." Her mother's eyes went wide.

"No!" the other redhead blurted out, sitting up rapidly, "Ranma that means-" she was interrupted by Ranma stuffing a cookie in her mouth.

"So, three hundred or three tails?" Ranma asked, staring pointedly at her mother who chewed the cookie discontentedly as she eyed how Ranma was holding another at the ready.

"That's right," Shizune said, glancing over her shoulder at them.

"So since I have nine tails…?" Ranma glanced her way.

"You are technically considered an adult, yes. The biggest concern isn't physical development, but mental. It takes centuries for Kitsune to properly develop the wisdom required to raise children properly," the Miko said, "as it is, I would guess you're more mature than your mother."

Nodoka crossed her arms as she finished her cookie. "Ranma the-"

"Oh drop it. You said it was done with anyways and how much trouble do you think you're going to be in if Grandma hears what about that?" Ranma asked her mother, who seemed to freeze, pale, and go nearly catatonic with fear. "Uhuh. Right now I'm really annoyed with you. So sit there and don't cause a fuss for a moment. The adults are talking." She couldn't believe she'd just said that.

Nodoka sat up. "Now see here! That is not how you-" Ranma stuffed another cookie in her mother's mouth. The glare she received was nothing compared to the ones she'd been able to send in her disguise.

"I'm afraid it is. You are a child. Your daughter is legally an adult. Deal with it," Shizune said airily, waving a spatula over her shoulder before flipping the fish she was cooking.

Ranma sniffed. "That smells delicious," she sighed, her ears pivoting toward the sound of cooking.

"I'll prep some extra if you're still hungry," Shizune said with a chuckle.

"That sounds great."

Shizune flipped the fish again. "So, you can't change?" she asked.

"Hot water does nothing. I tested it when you went to let Mum in," Ranma said.

Shizune rested her head against the cupboard. "I'm sorry to say that even if I'd known about your curse, I'd have taken the same actions," she said, "There just wasn't time for anything else."

"It's fine. We're kitsune, right? Should be easy to change back, right?" Ranma asked with an uncertain smile that faded as Shizune shook her head.

"Kitsune take poorly to attempts to permanently alter their shape though… exotic means. Magic spells, ki techniques, it's all the same as far as we're concerned. A Kitsune can't get a Jusenkyo curse from what I understand. If you're a girl, then it's because you are a girl now and changing back to a guy with an illusion or a shapeshift, won't change that. I'm sorry, but… this is you. In time you can master your powers to eventually transform into a boy, but it'll just be an illusion or a temporary act," Shizune replied. Her voice was quiet, but Ranma's new ears were more than up to the task of listening.

"So… I'm… I'm stuck?" Ranma asked, swallowing.

"As a girl, yes. This has some implications for your status in your family, but I'll leave that for your Grandmother to explain. Shiori will be unhappy if I start saying things that aren't true anymore," Shizune said. Ranma glanced to her mother whose eyes lit up brightly.

"You mean other than the obvious." Ranma yelped, a sound her mother echoed as Genma was suddenly there kneeling beside them.

"H-hey, Pops," Ranma said wide-eyed before frowning, "Umisenken, really?"

"When your mother started spinning illusions to lose me I figured I'd try something she wasn't familiar with," the balding man said as he reached over and stole a cookie. She let him take it. She glanced towards her mother. The young woman seemed to be hyperventilating as she stared at her… dubiously legal husband.

"How long did you know?" Ranma asked, frowning at him.

"That your mother was a kitsune? Three months before I took you on the training trip. It's why I did so in the first place," Genma said, standing up, "Shizune, was it?"

"Genma Saotome, I presume? I thought I felt something for a moment," the seven-tailed kitsune mused as she tapped her spatula to her lips.

"G-Genma-" Nodoka seemed to regain some of her regal pride for a moment as she sat straight, "I mean- Husband-"

"Not legally," Shizune said, shutting the two-tailed kitsune down again.

Ranma sighed.

"There is a reason I took Ranma with me," Genma said, reaching over to pet Nodoka's head with one hand. To Ranma's amusement, her eyes seemed to drift shut as Genma ran his hand over her hair.

Her own eyes went wide as her father's other hand found her head and moments later her own eyes were closed as she leaned into the sensation of having her hair and ears rubbed. A strange rumble seemed to start in her chest and the world became just her and the hand on her head. Then the hand was gone and she blinked as the world slowly came back into focus. She turned to glare at her Pops.

"Pops!" She protested, her cheeks heating up in a blush. Her father chuckled and wiggled a hand in her direction at head level. She stared at it, unsure if she wanted to lean toward it or away from it. "I hate you so much," she said without any venom.

A glance proved that her mother was giving him a putout look, her cheeks puffed out.

"Sure you do," he chuckled and walked over to the counter. Behind it, Shizune seemed to be having a giggling fit.

Under inconvenient embarrassing facts, Ranma filed her apparent ability to purr of all things. Right there next to her fear of cats in big bold letters.

"Genma, you ass," Nodoka muttered, blushing at his back and fiddling with a tail.

Ranma sighed and returned to her- She blinked. "HEY! You ate everything!" she scowled at her father's back.

"Have to watch those weak points," he said simply.

"No stealing from the young ones in my shrine, Mr… Tell me, was your name always Saotome?" Shizune asked.
"Strangely
, yes, it was," Genma said as he settled at the counter, "Something I hadn't realised Nodoka and I shared until I followed her one day thinking she was having an affair. Imagine my surprise when she led me straight to a high-end apartment building in Shinjuku full of Kitsune. Imagine my surprise to discover she was basically sixteen as far as they were concerned."

"Genma…" Nodoka shrank in on herself with a grimace. Ranma set her plate aside and scooted over to her mother, pulling her into a hug.

She shot her father a glance and was surprised to see him looking back with some concern. "I found out a bit of their laws and then I decided it was time to leave before someone caught on and I lost my son. I left a note, spun a story about training and took off," he said, "That and I'll be honest. Nodoka is a bit too young for me."

Nodoka flushed and clenched her fists. She punched her thigh and leaned into Ranma's hug, a small sob on her lips. Ranma rested her head atop her mother's and held her.

"Well if she wasn't I'd be concerned a bit," Shizune said, shaking her head, "You aren't the first person to have a young love-struck kitsune seduce them into marriage. You certainly won't be the last."

Nodoka's crying increased, though she seemed to be trying to be quieter. Ranma sighed and ran a hand through her hair, petting her a bit like a dog or cat. It didn't work anywhere near as well as when her Pops did it, but it seemed to help.

"Your plans now?" Shizune asked.

"In ruins. Ranma can't marry Soun's daughters, and unless I miss my guess, I don't technically have custody, do I?" he asked.

"Since the marriage was never legal, to begin with, no, you don't," Shizune said with an apologetic tone, "Still, I'm sure Ranma will need her father, even if she counts as an Adult under the law."

"Hmm. Well her training isn't finished yet," her Pops said.

"You haven't had anything to teach me in months," Ranma drawled.

"I've been waiting for you to get married. Lot of wasted damned time that was," Genma muttered.

"I'm surprised you're just giving up. Not going to try and make me marry Soun this time?" Ranma asked, sarcastically referring to his threat the time Prince Herb of the Musk had locked her as a girl.

"That was never a serious threat. You'd have killed us both," Genma said, snorting, "No, Soun and I agreed it would make good motivation for you."

Ranma glared at his back before huffing. He didn't seem to be lying, but she wasn't quite sure.

"Here you go, Ranma, Nodoka," Shizune said, walking over with two plates. Her tail swatted Genma's hand as he tried to take some, "No. You'll get something soon, but these are for the girls. They're both still growing."

"Gee, make me sound like a five-year-old," Ranma muttered at the same time her mother said, "I'm not fifty anymore, you know." They exchanged looks and Ranma watched her mother turn bright pink before focusing on her fish.

Genma chuckled over at the bar as Shizune returned to the kitchen.

Ranma shook her head at both of her parents and started eating. This was all a bit too much. Her mother was basically her age; her father hadn't run off with her purely for training; and she was now a nine-tailed kitsune.

And she'd thought the day would be slow once they dealt with Ryouga.

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Shiori Saotome stared at the phone in her hands for a long moment before setting it down on its cradle gently. The six-hundred and forty-five-year-old, six-tailed, red-haired kitsune ran a hand across her face and paused to tap her chin. Her responsible, always rule-abiding, two-centuries-old second daughter had had a child. She'd had a child and gotten married illegally. Nearly twenty years ago.

If it had come from nearly anyone else Shiori would have called them a liar, but she'd been friends with the quiet Miko of Furinkan Hill Shrine for nearly two centuries, almost as long as Nodoka had been alive. How had she failed to notice something this big? She was a Grandmother?

She pursed her lips and turned away from the phone to take in the penthouse kitchen as she thought. She'd expected Minori, her eldest and still wild at three centuries daughter, to be the one to make her a grandmother. Sure Nodoka had a childish streak, but there was a difference between a childish streak and, well, this.

She walked slowly out of the kitchen as she processed what she would need to do now that she was going to be responsible for another young girl. Shizune hadn't explained everything, she'd said some of it was impossible to believe without seeing it and, frankly, if Nodoka having a kid was the easy bit to swallow Shiori was nervous as to what else she was leaving out.

Her ears twitched atop her head as she paused by the window in the living room. The city glittered beneath and around their home. Tens of thousands of lights sparkled in the night. She let the sight calm her before turning away and heading up the stairs to the second level where the bedrooms were. Her three other children were all asleep. The twins, Kazuto and Kiori were both in their beds when she poked her nose into their rooms. Her eldest daughter Minori was awake as she pushed open the door.

The three-tailed kitsune looked up from her cell phone as she lounged back in her computer chair in a tank top and short shorts. She popped the big bubble of gum she had and grinned. "Hey, Mum. What was the call about?" she asked, folding her legs under her as her tails wagged with curiosity. Her ears were perked and pointed Shiori's way.

"Your sister is in trouble," Shiori said flatly.

Minori paused, her mind visibly processing that statement. "We're talking Nodoka, right? Ms. Stick-in-the-Mud?" she asked, wiggling two fingers like tails.

"I don't think that term applies to her anymore," Shiori said with a snort, "She's at Shizune Hasegawa's Shrine. With her daughter."

Minori's jaw dropped. "Her what?" she hissed, flabbergasted.

"Her daughter, who is apparently seventeen and was just awakened by Shizune tonight. Which means I am going to head out and get them and bring them back here before I decide how grounded your sister is," Shiori said.

"... Doesn't that mean she's, like, older than sister up here?" Minori tapped her head, a concerned look in her eyes.

"... Potentially, yes. Which is why I'm going and you are going to stay in case your siblings need anything while I'm gone."

"I have a test tomorrow," Minori protested automatically before grimacing, "I'll let them know a family emergency came up."

"Mhmm. Tell me again, do you plan on staying at this college for more than a year?" Shiori asked, her ears laying flat as she stared at her eldest.

"Well if you'd let me stay at the dorms so I could, you know, enjoy campus life for more than just classes and parties, then maybe I would," Minori said, giving her big soulful eyes that were undoubtedly being enhanced with illusions.

"That didn't work the last twenty times, it's not working now," she told daughter, easily dismissing the illusions with a gesture that sent a breeze ruffling her daughter's hair.

Minori grumbled and sighed. "Fine. I'll keep watch over the little ones. Again," she said, "But I want sushi tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow is whatever Ranma wants."

"Who?"

"Your Niece. Her name is Ranma," Shiori replied.

Minori's ears tilted either way in confusion. "Isn't that, like, a boy's name?" she asked.

"Usually, but given your sister's actions I'm less surprised about her taste in names at the moment. I'll give you a call once we're on our way home," she told her daughter before stepping away from the door and closing it.

"I still want sushi at some point this week, Mum!" was audible through the door as Shiori went hunting for her car keys and phone.

This was going to be such a mess. There was no way she wasn't going to have to inform the regency council about this.

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The next hour and a half were awkward in the extreme for Ranma. It was, quite probably, the most awkward experience of her entire life. Sitting there waiting for her Grandmother to arrive while her childish mother alternatively made doe eyes at her father or started crying over… something. So far the list included being ignored by Genma, being terrified of being in trouble with her mother, getting ignored by Ranma, and running out of cookies.

It was proving incredibly difficult for Ranma to rationalise this girl as her ever-composed mother.

Finally, once Pops and Shizune were out of the room talking about something, Ranma asked, "How did you manage to keep your composure so long if you can't even manage it now?"

Nodoka fidgetted at the other end of the couch. Her cheeks were going bright red.

"Well?"

Nodoka sighed. "Illusions. I used illusions to hide my reactions," she admitted. Very briefly Ranma felt ki wrap about her mother and for an instant, she appeared as she had been, the tall and regal and most certainly not pouting and terrified wife of Genma Saotome. Then it was gone and her mother was her age again. "It's like putting on makeup, at least when dealing with humans. Even trained martial artists have issues noticing personal illusions."

"Which is how Pops didn't notice."

"... Except he did," a whimsical smile appeared on her mother's lips and she let out a heady sigh, "He's far better than I realised. I just wish…" she sighed.

"That you hadn't scared him off by being sixteen?" Ranma replied sarcastically. She leaned her elbow on the armrest and planted her cheek against the palm of her hand.

"I'm not sixteen, Ranma! I'm over two hundred," her mother replied.

"Which is basically sixteen."

"Shush. I swear, you're acting as much of a brat as your uncle," Nodoka muttered.

Ranma rolled her eyes at her mother and ignored her admonition. Her ears perked up, a weird sensation really, and twisted to follow the sound of the doorbell. "And that's either someone coming for me, or it's Grandma," she deadpanned. Her mother stiffed, then shrunk in her seat clutching her pillow.

"... so much trouble…" the older kitsune whimpered.

She couldn't quite make out the words being said as the door was opened, but a few moments later Shizune returned. "Genma is speaking with your Mother, Nodoka," Shizune said.

Ranma's mother was up and out of the couch before Ranma could stop her, only to get intercepted by Shizune's tails and lifted off her feet. "Let me go! I need to be there!"

"Your mother wants to speak with him by herself," Shizune said, chidingly, "You are to stay here." Ranma scooted over as the black-haired kitsune dumped Nodoka back onto the couch. The other redhead let out a growl and would have made another attempt at escape if Ranma didn't throw an arm over her shoulders.

"Ranma! Let me go!" Her mother protested.

"The last two hours have been immensely embarrassing," Ranma said, "Could you please just try to behave for five minutes?"

"But-"

"Mum, behave."

The two red haired kitsune stared at each other for several long moments before Nodoka bowed her head and sagged against Ranma. She pulled Ranma into a hug and just sat there, twitching with nervous energy as they waited. Shizune had returned to the kitchen, cleaning the dishes she'd made while feeding them.

Eventually, Ranma heard a door open and close and the sound of feet approaching. Her mother squeezed her harder.

The woman who entered was beautiful, appearing no more than her late twenties at most, though she was a bit on the short side like both Ranma and Nodoka. She was taller than them by a few inches. Unlike Nodoka, she was dressed like a modern businesswoman. Most notably, however, were the six elegantly styled and groomed red tails. Her hair, fox ears, and tails were nearly the same shade as Ranma's, that rich vibrant red that stood out in Japan.

Her eyes immediately fell upon the couch and she let out a sigh. "Grounded," was the first word out of her mouth and Nodoka let out a moan of sorrow. Ranma rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's one way to handle this," Shizune said with a smile.

"It's the only way to handle this," the woman, most likely Ranma's Grandmother, said before striding over to the couch. "Nodoka, we'll talk about the specifics later, but you are grounded. Understand?"

"... Yes, Mum."

Ranma's Grandmother turned to Ranma with a smile. "Hello dear. You're Ranma I take it?" She asked.

Ranma nodded. "That's me. You're my Grandmother then?" She definitely didn't squeak as the older woman pulled her into a hug.

"I'm Shiori Saotome, your Grandmother. You can call me Grandmother or Grandma," Grandma Shiori said, kissing her on the forehead, "I'm sorry we didn't find out sooner."

Ranma froze in her Grandmother's embrace, eyes wide. What was she supposed to do here? She peered across at her mother who, despite looking worried, mimed hugging. Right. Hugging. She'd been doing that all evening with her mother, so why was it so hard now?

She reached out and wrapped her Grandmother in a hug. She felt warm as the older woman held her. Warm, safe, and oddly comfortable. She blinked as Grandma Shiori pulled back and shuffled her along the couch before sitting down between Ranma and Nodoka.

Ranma let herself be pulled back into the hug. A trio of tails wrapped about her waist holding her as Grandma Shiori ran a hand through her hair. Ranma's eyes flickered closed, only to flicker open as she fought the urge to relax too much into the action. Her ears twitched as a purr emerged from the other side of her Grandmother. Nodoka was revelling in the affection of her mother. She glanced up to see Grandma Shiori smiling down at her.

"You can relax, Granddaughter," Grandma Shiori said softly. Ranma's ear twitched as her Grandma whispered into it.

"About that-" A finger found its way to her lips.

"Your father told me a great deal. I know you were my Grandson, but you are now my Granddaughter," she said softly, her fingers tracing a pattern on the backs of Ranma's ears that caused her eyes to flicker shut despite her resistance. "You are my Grandchild. Boy or girl, I do not care, you are family and I am here for you and will be for centuries yet."

Centuries.

Centuries…

She was going to live for centuries now. Her friends, her father, and everyone she knew up until now would be gone before even her mother ever finished growing up. Things were going to be different now. There was no going back to how things had been since she was just… different, now.

Tears gathered in her eyes and Ranma leaned into her Grandmother as they started falling. She didn't sob, just buried her face into the side of her Grandmother and cried, her body shivering as Grandma Shiori ran her fingers through her hair and whispered soothing sounds into her new ears.

If asked how long they sat there, simply getting and giving comfort, Ranma wouldn't be able to say. All she knew was that at some point the emotional toll and the soft comfort from her Grandmother became too much and she drifted off to sleep, wrapped up in her Grandmother's tails.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Shiori ran her fingers through her granddaughter's hair, gently untying the braid it was in and combing out the knots as the girl slept against her side. When was the last time this girl had received actual maternal love? She glanced down at her daughter who had likewise passed out on her other side and shook her head. This was why Kitsune were prohibited from having children so young.

"Foolish girl," she whispered fondly as she stroked her daughter's hair. She would have a lot of emotional damage to fix with her granddaughter over the next few decades. Speaking of… Her eyes moved from her daughter to her granddaughter. "One, two… three… Six…" she frowned.

"Shizune," she called in a stage whisper to avoid waking the two exhausted girls. Her friend looked up from where she was gently putting away the last of her plates. She mimed a one and afterwards she closed the cupboard and walked over to her.

The seven-tailed kitsune smiled at her. "You look cozy right now," she said, chuckling sadly. Her friend had never had a chance for children and after the Hasegawa incident, no one was interested in an old spinster of a dead clan.

"My granddaughter has nine-tails," she said softly, raising an eyebrow.

"... We noticed," Shizune said softly, bending over to whisper it to her, "She's a thoroughly trained martial artist with something of a reputation around Nerima. While I hadn't met her, I have heard rumours of someone like her over the last year and a bit. Recently there was something about a fight with a Chinese dragon prince."

Shiori glanced down at Ranma. Her beautiful, fragile-looking granddaughter had fought a dragon prince? She would have to ask about that, but that was for later once they were more comfortable. "You know what this means for her? For us?"

Shizune nodded. "I didn't tell her. I felt it would be too much at once and would be better coming from you. She might ask since I did imply there was more."

"Hmm. I'll inform the Regency Council after I have her settled then. It shouldn't be more than a few weeks," Shiori said.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"If they come knocking I'll tell them honestly, but I won't put that weight upon my granddaughter before she's had a chance to be herself for a little while," Shiori said, shooting her a look. Shizune raised her hands in surrender while stifling a giggle and both girls mumbled something and burrowed further into her side before falling still again. They watched the two younger kitsune sleep for a minute with smiles.

"Do you want a bed for the night?" Shizune asked.

Shiori shook her head. It took a moment's thought to weave an illusion over the two girls. "That should keep them asleep for now. I could use a hand getting them down to the car, however," she said.

"Taking them home?" Shizune asked as Shiori disentangled herself carefully from the two girls.

"Nodoka is going to be grounded for decades because of this stunt and I think Ranma needs space if even half of what her father said is true," she said as she bent down and scooped her granddaughter up in her arms. She brushed the point of one of her granddaughter's ears between her fingers and smiled as the girl seemed to giggle in her sleep before settling down once again.

This was all a lot to handle, but they would be fine given some time. They always were.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma stirred and yawned. She stretched, her arms smacking her pillow- Pillow?

Ranma blinked as her fuzzy mind pieced together that things were wrong. Her eyes stared up at a brown ceiling that had a single lantern-like chandelier hanging just above the foot of her bed. Bed?

Sitting up, Ranma pushed aside the black sheets of the bed she had found herself in. It was a rather large bed, actually. While she wasn't really familiar with western bed sizes, it looked large enough for two or even three people at least. The bed was set in the corner of a larger room. A vanity sat in another corner next to a wall of closets with sliding doors that mounted mirrors. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had two bright red fox ears poking out of the wild mess that was her hair and once she started thinking about it she registered the tails tucked away beneath the covers.

"Last night was real…" she murmured before starting. Didn't she fall asleep against her Grandma? Oh Kami, she'd been crying as well. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. But, where was she now? Rolling over in bed she continued looking about.

One wall seemed to have a sliding glass door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the city. The curtains had been left open and she could see Tokyo tower in the distance so she was still in Tokyo, just a lot closer to the center of it. Two other doors led out of the room. One was probably a bathroom or something.

Sliding out of bed, in the process discovering that she was in the same pyjamas as the day before, she took a step towards the first closest to the balcony. Her walk was unsteady, but she felt more stable than the night before. She didn't have to lean on anything to walk for a start. Her tails felt more real as well as they responded to her attempts to balance. This felt like it was going to take a few days to sort itself out.

The door led to a rather modern western-style bathroom with a very large bathtub and a shower that looked like it was meant for an entire family…

Or just one person with a lot of tails.

Laughter caused her ears to swivel towards the other door. Curious, Ranma walked over and peered out into a hallway. To the left were a pair of doors before the hall turned. To the right the hallway turned into a walkway overlooking another room. The voices were coming from there.

"No-do-ka's in trouble~ No-do-ka's in trouble~" a pair of voices, male and female, sang.

"Shut up you brats!" That was her… mother's voice.

"You're in trouble~ You're in trouble~"

"Would the three of you quiet down already? Kiori, Kazuto, leave your sister alone unless you want to join her in being grounded?" Her Grandmother's voice suddenly cut into the taunting. The lack of singing indicated that neither of them wanted to be grounded.

Ranma walked down the hall and paused at the railing to peer down at the lower level. A large warm sitting room filled the floor below. Couches and chairs surrounded a large coffee table that was set up before a massive TV. The opposite wall from Ranma was a giant window with a couple of doors leading out to a lush rooftop garden.

Sitting on the couch wearing pyjamas with little clouds on them was her mother. Her hair was loose and she was eating a bowl of something. Her two tails were curled over her lap and flicked irritably in discontent. A redheaded boy and girl, who looked around fourteen each, were absorbed in a pair of cell phones. They both had only a single red tail.

"Hello?" Ranma called down. Her mother looked up along with the other two.

"Ranma, you're up!" Nodoka said, setting her bowl, which appeared to be rice and something else, on the coffee table.

"Hey, she's up. Kiori, look," the boy, Kazuto, said while pointing. The girl looked up from her phone with a dazed expression.

"Huh- oh. Hi, niece. Welcome," she said, waving with a mischievous grin.

"Heya. Welcome, home I guess," Kazuto said, gesturing to the penthouse around them before returning to his phone.

"Really? That's the best you can do?" Nodoka said before huffing, "Come on down, Ranma." She waved to the steps against the wall.

Steps were… tricky, with her current balance and to her embarrassment, Kiori ran over to help her down the second half.

"Thanks," she mumbled to the older kitsune.

Kiori giggled. "No problem. Always wanted to be an Aunt, though I figured it would be big sis Minori who would give us a Niece," she said, tapping her lips with a hum, "Never thought it would be Ms. Rules-Must-Be-Obeyed herself."

"Stop calling me that!" Nodoka snapped as she came over to Ranma, hesitating before giving her a hug.

"What did I just say about teasing your sister, Kiori?" Granda Shiori said as she emerged from one of the side rooms. She gave Ranma a smile. "I hope you slept well."

Kiori blushed. "Sorry, Mum," she mumbled.

"I slept well I guess? Where are we?" Ranma asked after returning her mother's hug awkwardly. She really wasn't sure what to think about this girl who was her mother.

"Shinjuku. Saotome Garden's Plaza, top floor penthouse," Grandma Shiori said. She started fussing over Ranma. "Hrm, food then bath I think. Nodoka, dear, go find something for your daughter to wear. Try to pick something current. It won't do to have her teased because she's out of style."

"Yes, Mum," Nodoka said before dashing up the steps.

"NO RUNNING! I swear, twenty years and she turned completely unmanageable," Shiori sighed, "Kiori, please go make sure your sister's sense of fashion doesn't strike again."

Kiori laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, Mum," she said, taking the steps at a much slower pace than her sister.

"... Do I need to worry about being pranked?" Ranma asked, recalling the mischievous grin her aunt had sent her away. They were Kitsune after all.

"Eventually, yes. But I've told everyone to leave you be until I give the okay," Her Grandma said. She leaned down to Ranma's left ear and whispered, "Which means you probably have about a month or two before someone tries anyway. Maybe half a month if someone gets irritated with you."

"Right…" She was going to have to set up security measures on all her things, wasn't she? "What did you mean by ' sense of fashion?"

"Your mother grew up utterly fascinated by the late Meiji Era's styles. I'm afraid that outside things I buy her she's never really moved on," Grandma Shiori said with a sigh, "Not that your Aunt Minori was much better for years. Then she discovered nightclubs and fast cars and well, mid-two hundreds change of taste is a thing for a reason."

"... sure?" Ranma said, feeling lost. Mid-two hundreds? Her head felt like it was spinning. She glanced over at Kazuto. He was her Uncle apparently? That felt… Weird. He looked maybe fourteen at most and yet he had to be, what, eighty? Ninety? Over a hundred?

She followed her Grandma into the large kitchen, and promptly stumbled as her tails moved unexpectedly as a delicious scent hit her nose. She winced as her tails knocked a vase off a side table. Her Grandmother sighed.

"Don't worry about that one. I only put cheap things up around the house. Kiori and Kazuto knock something over every few days," she said, guiding Ranma into the room.

"Sorry, it's just… My tails do things and-"

"I know. I've heard it all before, dear. Awakened kitsunes can take months to regain their sense of balance and none of the ones I've met before had anywhere near as many tails as you," her grandma said, rubbing her between the ears. Ranma's eyes fluttered close for a moment before her grandmother removed her hand. Shaking off the sudden feeling of relaxation Ranma took a seat at the kitchen table. The chairs had a notch in their backs that let Ranma sit normally despite her new tails.

Despite her irritation at her Grandma's actions, Ranma was feeling less tense as her Grandma set to work cooking with a hum. Ranma leaned on her elbow as she watched her work. She definitely had years of experience on Kasumi, but the Tendo girl remarkably seemed to have a smoothness to her technique with knives that her Grandma lacked.

Ranma's ears twitched. In one smooth move Ranma flipped over the back of her chair and over the head of whoever had just tried to sneak up on her. She landed behind the one sneaking up on her, stumbling several steps as her tails threw her off. She turned to find an older three-tailed kitsune in a short skirt and crop top watching her with a grin.

"Nice reflexes, kid," she said, laughing.

"Minori, what did I say?" her Grandma said exasperatedly.

"No pranking my niece," Minori said with a laugh, "All I did was walk quietly, Mum."

"Uhuh. I felt the illusion you were using, Minori," Grandma said, "Do I need to say-"

"Fine. I'll stop. Just wanted to give her a surprise hug is all," Minori huffed, crossing her arms.

"Aunt Minori?" Ranma asked, hazarding a guess. This was the one everyone expected to have a kid first? She looked like a college student, but the three tails attested to either her age or her maturity. She was also the tallest of the four siblings, even taller than their mother. Tall, and yet she had the same proportions as Ranma, Nodoka and Grandma Shiori. It seemed that none of the women in the family were average in the beauty department.

"That's right. C'mere you," The older kitsune pulled her into a hug.

"Erm…" Ranma blinked as her Aunt put a big kiss on her forehead.

"You are adorable, you know that?" Her aunt said, pinching her cheek. Ranma went red in a combination of indignation and embarrassment. Minori laughed at Ranma's expression and patted her on the head. "Oh don't be like that. Your mother still refuses to accept that she's adorable and you look like her twin."

"That doesn't mean you pinch me," Ranma complained, rubbing her cheek. Her Aunt giggled and pulled her back over to the kitchen table.

"Behave girls," Grandma Shiori said. Minori waved her off with a smirk while Ranma grimaced.

She was stuck as a girl again.

Ranma dropped into a chair and rubbed her face. That old familiar feeling of being hemmed in again in her own skin hit her, though it wasn't as strong as it used to be. Being a girl wasn't the problem anymore. After Saffron, she'd come to peace with that bit of her life. There was no cure to Jusenkyo, just acceptance, and honestly being a girl had its perks and times of fun. She just… wasn't sure she wanted to be one all the time.

Was it weird that one of the things that was bugging her the most was essentially losing access to all of her guy clothes for use as anything other than night clothes and emergency use?

"You okay, Ranma?" Aunt Minori asked, scooting her chair over.

"... No? I feel like I'm stuck in a weird dream," Ranma said, "My mother turned into a teenager. I turned into a nine-tailed kitsune. You are a kitsune. Grandma is a Kitsune. I have a Grandma. I- I don't know what to think. It's just a bit…" She let out a sigh and rubbed her face. She wanted to scream and punch something. Was this what Akane felt like?

Arms wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up to find her Aunt Minori had pulled her chair up beside Ranma while she was ranting. "Why is everyone in this family so huggy?" Ranma asked, getting a snort from Aunt Minori.

"Because we care? What sort of silly question is that? Hugs are amazing," her Aunt said, adding her tails to the mix. Unconsciously Ranma's own wrapped about her Aunt as she leaned into the hug.

"You aren't in a dream, Ranma," Minori said softly, "You're here, in our kitchen surrounded by your family." A hand was tracing circles on Ranma's back. "I'm not the most responsible person, but if you ever need someone to vent to, Niece? You can come and knock on my door. I promise I'll listen. Even if it's one in the morning." They were leaning close enough that Ranma could feel their ears touching.

Ranma giggled at the tickling feeling, turning red as her hair. "I… I need time, Aunt Minori," she said finally. Things just didn't feel real at the moment and she felt like all it would take would be one more revelation and she'd go mad. Maybe forever. At least her family was nice, even if she hadn't a clue how to handle her mother. The rattle of a plate being set before her pulled Ranma out of her introspection.

"Yakitori. Your father said it was your favourite," her Grandma said with a smile as she pushed the plate of chicken skewers towards Ranma. She wasted no time in demolishing the entire plate and asking for seconds.

There was a lot more than just seconds.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"She needs time, Mum. Like she said," Minori said softly as she helped her clean dishes.

Shiori nodded, sighing sadly. "She's had too many shocks in too short a time," she agreed. Her granddaughter had the feeling of someone teetering precariously on a ledge. It was normal when someone had basically their entire life uprooted without warning. "Between her curse and finding out she's a kitsune and- Your sister." She clenched the dish towel in her hand as she took a steadying breath. It was bad form to trap your daughter in illusions as punishment but the temptation was there.

"Nodoka failed, Mum, but I don't believe she ever had a real chance to even try," Her eldest said as she wiped down the wooden bowl they'd used to marinate the chicken.

"Yes, she did. She had a chance when they finally reunited. There's something we aren't being told that happened between them, Minori. It's more than just being visibly the same age. That is throwing Ranma off, but she's angry at Nodoka about something else."

"You mean other than nearly condemning her to an early death? As it is, she might have lost centuries of life-"

"She's a nine-tails. Any time she might have lost due to Nodoka's delays will be regained and then some just by existing," Shiori said, correcting her daughter, "Still, you might be right, but I felt like there was something Genma was leaving out when I spoke with him…"

"Ask him again?"

"Not likely to work. He's powerful and I frankly don't trust his disposition. There were things he implied he'd done while raising Ranma I highly disapprove of. We will undoubtedly have to fend off at least a few attempts by those who believe Ranma must settle his debts.

"I could beat it out of him. I'm a fairly good martial artist myself."

"Not as good as he is. Few are." Shiori shook her head. "No, our plan for the moment is to give Ranma a few days to recover and do everything we can to reduce her stress. I'll see about booking a spa visit downstairs for tomorrow."

"Why not today?"

"Because she's going to spend today adjusting to being her. Then the day after tomorrow you are going to take her out shopping."

"Me?" Her Eldest turned to her, "Me? You think I'm the best choice? After what you said about my fashion choices last year?"

"Better your choices than your sister. We need to hold an intervention with that girl. The Meiji Era is dead and should stay gone," She muttered.

"Mother, there are times when her choices remind me of the Shogunate's styles before the start of the nineteenth," Minori replied, wincing at her own memories of that time. It hadn't been a pleasant period under the Tokugawa.

"... How do you think she would feel if I gave you control of her wardrobe?" Shiori asked.

Minori opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "She'll flip her lid, Mum," she said after a moment.

"Too bad. Furthermore, I think she's overdue for another round of immersion with human society. I was thinking High School. A public one rather than a private school like she attended last time," Shiori said.

"... You're really angry with her, aren't you, Mum?" Minori asked softly.

"Absolutely furious. If she wasn't my own daughter- I'll admit I considered sending her away to one of our relatives for a decade or so," she said. She picked up the bowl Minori had finished washing and dried it before putting it away and repeating the process with another piece of dishware. "I thought her so responsible and mature, Minori."

"She's always been childish, Mum. Full of fantasies and wild desires that she buried under the rules and authority. I guess they just… Got too much," Minori said, "I know what that's like."

"Minori-"

"Don't sugarcoat it. I went on a three-decade bender, Mum. I bar hopped across half of civilization before coming home to find Nodoka had run off to do her own 'seeing the world' bit. Maybe if you hadn't been helping me sort my brain out you'd have caught her indulging in playing house… Maybe we'd still have Grandmother as-" Minori found one of her mother's tails in her face.

"Enough. That was not your fault. Don't even start thinking it was," Shiori said hotly, "That- That was something else entirely… You still haven't calmed down completely, either." She eyed the short cut top that was only a few square feet of rather thin fabric away from being no more than a lacy bra.

Her daughter wrapped a tail about her waist. "Because I like feeling free, Mum. I can't go back to being like that. It's not who I am anymore," she said gently before grinning, "Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to pick up a hot guy while wearing frumpy clothes these days?"

Shiori sighed as her daughter cackled like a loon. "Just-"

"I know the rules, Mum… You sure you want me to take her shopping?" she asked again.

"I'm going to be going to Nerima to retrieve a few things for her, so yes. I need her distracted and she needs something new to focus on," Shiori said.

"You mean as opposed to being used as a dress-up doll by Kiori and Nodoka?"

"Exactly- Excuse me?" Shiori turned to her daughter. She was wearing a bemused expression, one ear pointed up the other to the side.

"I heard Kiori and Nodoka plotting while on my way down to lunch," Minori said.

This was the opposite of reducing her stress. "... Oh those girls. Excuse me. I'm going to go make sure my granddaughter hasn't snapped and murdered your sisters."

"I doubt she'd do that."

"Are you sure?" She arched an eyebrow at her daughter who paused in her washing and grimaced.

"Not as much as I'd like to be," she admitted.

"Finish the dishes. I'll make sure no one is getting hurt," Shiori said, leaving the kitchen. Her ears twisted left and right seeking any odd noises or arguments.

Her son was lounging on the couch, the battle music of some game came from his phone. Occasionally he'd let out a small giggle. She was going to have to check what games he was playing again, wasn't she?

She managed to find her two remaining daughters and her granddaughter in what had previously been the first guest room. It would now be Ranma's room to do with as she wanted. She peered in the door to find a very awkward-looking Ranma spinning in place to show off what seemed to be one of Nodoka's old Yukatas.

"You know," she said, causing the older two to jump. Ranma merely smiled at their surprise. "I do believe this is the opposite of what I meant when I said to keep your sister's fashion sense from striking again, Kiori." Her youngest daughter went as red as her hair.

"Sorry, Mum," she said.

"My fashion sense isn't bad," Nodoka protested.

"Hmm, you say that, but my granddaughter is wearing evidence otherwise," Shiori said, entering the room. She examined Ranma as she walked over. No, the girl was definitely not happy at the moment.

"It's not bad," Ranma said, spinning on a heel, "Not the first time I've worn one of these, though… I normally wear them to festivals only."

"You- you what? Why?" Nodoka asked, furrowing her brow with disapproval that made Ranma frown back at her.

"Nodoka, enough," Shiori interrupted before things could escalate. She stepped up behind Ranma and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. To her surprise, her granddaughter automatically leaned towards her as she took a steadying breath.

"But-"

"Enough. I have a feeling we need to have a talk about boundaries and what exactly you've been doing these last twenty years," Shiori said, "Kiori. Help Ranma find something to wear then help her with her bath. Those tails will be a nightmare by herself until she's used to them."

"Yes, mum."

"Nodoka, I think we'll be having that chat now," she said, eyeing her daughter who stared back defiantly for all of five seconds before looking away. Shiori bent down and gave Ranma a hug from behind. "Let me know if Nodoka tries to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with," she whispered. She felt the girl nod and smile before petting her behind the ears. She felt the tension bleed out of her granddaughter far slower than it ever had with her daughters.

Shiori stared pointedly at her middle daughter, then gestured with her head towards the door. Nodoka shot her a look before marching towards the door with her head held high. Stubborn girl.

She stopped rubbing her granddaughter's ears. The girl still felt far too tense, but she had to avoid overdoing that sort of thing if she didn't want to create other issues. She'd been pushing it a bit too much as it was. She kissed her granddaughter's cheek. "Enjoy your bath, dear."

"I will and… thanks," Ranma said, sending her a weak smile, "I'm… I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing and I have no idea how to handle Mother. Last night I- I spent so much time alternating between comforting her and being angry with her and now- I don't know what to do. She doesn't feel like my mother anymore."

Shiori blinked. Didn't feel like her mother anymore? Oh dear. She knelt down beside her granddaughter. "Can you explain that?" she asked.

"... When we met again mother was… dignified, kind, a bit strict and, well, tall," Ranma said.

"Tall…? Oh. Shizune did mention an illusion," she said. Ranma nodded and sat down on her bed. She started undoing the yukata slowly.

"It's just- She had things she'd do and say and-"

"And they aren't there most of the time with Nodoka now," Shiori finished as she put together the problem. "You look at her and intellectually you know she's your mother, but at the same time all you see is a girl who looks like she could be your twin."

"... Yeah. That," Ranma said, flopping back on the bed with a half-undone yukata, "Last night I was so angry I could just push her away when it got too much." Her tails spread out around her like a fan.

"And now you've calmed down."

"Yeah."

"And all that remains is frustration as she tries to act like your mother, but keeps acting like a kid at the same time."

"Yeah."

Shiori sat down on the bed and took her granddaughter's hand. More tension bled out of the girl as she stared up at the ceiling.

"No, that's a terrible-"

"Mum told me to pick something. I picked this."

Shiori groaned as her daughters started shouting just outside the room and she felt her granddaughter tense up again. She went to stand up when the voice of her eldest cut in.

"What are you two arguing about now? I'll take this to her. You get downstairs and bug Kazu or something. You go to your room."

"You aren't mum!"

"No, but if you don't I'll drag you there myself!" There was a snarl of frustration followed by stamping feet.

A moment later Minori poked her head into the room. "Everything good?" she asked.

"Well enough I think. Why don't you help Ranma while I have that chat with Nodoka?" Shiori asked.

"I can wash myself, you know," Ranma said with a sarcastic tone.

Shiori smiled. So there was some fire beneath the exhaustion and shock. Good. "I know, but I think you'll like having a pair of extra hands to help," she said soothingly. Ranma frowned, then sighed.

"Fine. Not like I'll turn back in the hot water anyways," she grumbled. Shiori stroked the back of her hand soothingly one last time before letting go.

"I'll leave the two of you to it then," she said, smiling at both of them before walking out of the room and down the hall to her second daughter's room. The doorframe was damaged with cracked wood all about the frame. It seemed that Nodoka was rather upset.

Well, it would probably get worse before it got better.

"Nodoka, dear, I'm coming in," She said, pushing the door open. The sight inside was not quite what she expected. Rather than her angry but adorable child, she was faced with a fully grown woman in a kimono, her hair pulled back in a dark red bun. "Really mature, dear."

The other woman sniffed disdainfully- right until the illusion unravelled to its caster's surprise leaving her sitting on the bed looking adorably furious. "MUM!"

Shiori lowered her hand. "Nodoka, we need to discuss, properly, what you've been doing the last twenty years and why exactly your presence stresses out your daughter so much," she said firmly. The worried and terrified look on her daughter's face made her heart sink. What had her stubborn girl gone and done?

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Finally clean, Ranma flopped onto the bed, her hair, both on her head and on her tails, was damp. Having tails made washing up an unbelievable chore. Each tail had twice as much hair by volume as she had on her head. Sure it was a lot shorter, but there was a lot of it. Having someone to help wash them was very helpful. Though, it had also been rather embarrassing. At moments. Certain points were apparently rather… sensitive.

She was wearing a white t-shirt that had a faded logo for 'Sailor Moon S' across the front and a pair of comfortable jeans that seemed little used. Jeans wouldn't have been her first choice. They were cut wrong for some of the high kicks she'd do, but for now they were fine.

Lying on her side she stared out the balcony door at the distant Tokyo Tower. Her tails twitched slowly, sending foreign sensations tingling through her. When she'd first turned into a girl there had been some weirdness acclimating to having breasts and a completely different stature, but it wasn't too different from being a man. Humans, however, didn't have tails that quivered and shifted in response to mood. They didn't have ears on top of their heads that moved and twitched at every little sound. They were making her feel paranoid.

She felt the bed shift as her Aunt sat down by her feet. "Yen for your thoughts?" Aunt Minori asked, patting her on the leg.

"Going to need more than that," she replied, pulling her legs inward. She felt her tails curl around her legs. She reached down and buried a hand in the hair of one of her tails.

"Well money isn't really an object, so talk," her Aunt snorted, scooting over to be closer.

Talk? "What's there to say?" She asked.

"A lot I imagine-" Aunt Minori was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kiori poked her head in a moment later.

"Hey, Ranma," she said.

Ranma rolled over to face the door. "Yeah?" she asked, eyeing her younger aunt.

"A Shizune called. She said to tell you that your friend Ryouga is going to be fine," she said.

Ranma blinked, then smiled. "Thanks," she said, half pushing herself up. He'd survived the drug. That was good. It was a weight off her shoulders. Not that there wasn't tons more up there, but at least she hadn't completely failed. She frowned. If she ever saw Mousse again she was going to kill him.

"Well that's good, right Ranma?" Aunt Minori said, smiling at her.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't worried too much, mind you. He's always been a stubborn blockhead," she said, chuckling, "A little bit of poison wasn't going to kill him." She flopped back down.

Ryouga was fine.

Ryouga was fine.

Now, if only she felt fine.

The bed shifted and she started as a pair of hands snaked about her waist and pulled her back.

"Who-"

"Shush. You need a hug," Aunt Minori said as she pulled Ranma back against her. For a moment Ranma tensed up. Her eyes went wide and her ears started swivelling about listening for any sign that Akane was coming.

"It's okay. Take a deep breath. It's okay," her Aunt whispered into her ear as their tails became entangled.

"... can you not?" Ranma whispered, feeling embarrassed.

"Not hug my adorable Niece when she needs a hug? Hmmm, no?" her Aunt said, sounding confused. In fact she pulled Ranma deeper into her arms and rested her head between Ranma's ears.

She was light. Ranma could easily push her off, throw her across the room, and yet… Ranma listened to the soft breathing between her ears. Had her Aunt fallen asleep? She stifled the urge to yawn. Despite having only woken up a couple of hours before she already felt exhausted. Her eyes drooped.

Opening them again she let out a stifled yawn and blinked. There was another person in bed with them. She stared down at the pair of red fox ears that were just long enough to tickle her nose sticking out of the equally red hair of the younger looking girl cuddled up against her. One of Ranma's arms had been holding her as she slept. The girl's hands were firmly holding one of Ranma's tails like a teddy bear.

Ranma's ear twitched. Why had Kiori climbed into the bed? When had she done so? She could feel Minori behind her. Her arm was still around Ranma's waist. A shiver of worry rolled down her spine, then the arm tightened and pulled her closer as Minori adjusted how her head was resting before falling still again.

Ranma stared at her younger yet older Aunt for a long moment. She felt… warm. Warm and safe. Her eyes flickered closed again. How strange. How long had it been… since she felt… both of those? Her arms unconsciously pulled Kiori closer as she fell asleep once again.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Heyo~ Something new, but old. Sorta. A few months old at least. I've been a bit distracted the last few months. Not dead at least.

Gekkou_Yoko: Only mostly dead.

Grounders10: Oi! I'm perfectly alive, just… typo afflicted.

Gekkou_Yoko: Out of shape, out of practice.

Grounders10: Cheapshot! *huffs*

Gekkou_Yoko: I am a third your size, cheap shots are the only way I do damage.

Grounders10: *Keels over foaming at the mouth* Blargh

Gekkou_Yoko: Nuuu! Dun die for real on me!

Grounders10: *sits up and wipes root beer foam from mouth* Just being dramatic.

Gekkou_Yoko: Like every time you have a minor ache or pain?

Grounders10: Ow my spleen?

Gekkou_Yoko: *deadpan snarker* If we went by sounds made, your most minor pain is equal to my 15 year old daughters when they have migraines, when you stubbed a toe.

Grounders10: It's when I'm quiet you should be worried. *adorable floof*

Gekkou_Yoko: Except even when you have a dehydration headache, or a stress migraine, you make the same sounds, at the same frequencies, at the same volume. *peers into future* Seems I won this debate.

Grounders10: Aaaaaaand topic change! *quickly closes the curtains* Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter~ Make sure to drop by the discord server if you want to chat~ Cheers~ *dramatic bow that accidentally topples the kitsune off the stage taking the mic with them*

*the lights go out as the feedback cuts off*

 

[Grounders10]

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A
Ranma ½ x Sailor Moon
Crossover

(In The) Light of the Sun

By: Grounders10

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Chapter One

Dreams and Impressions

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"...Saotome." Ranma looked up from her notebook, her pen paused mid-notation as the Teacher called out her name. He was pointing at the equation they were discussing on the board. He continued talking and she nodded.

"Yes sir," she said, getting up and walking to the front of the room as he asked. At least, she thought he'd asked? His words were hard to recall, slipping in and out of her mind like a warm butter-coated pair of chopsticks.

She accepted the chalk from him and stopped at the board. She tapped her chin as she stared at the equation. A few… months ago? Yes, months, it had only been months. Back then this would have been impossible for her to get—the result of too many years on the road without proper education. Now thanks to -- the blue one? Yes, the Blue One -- she knew what she was doing… mostly.

The teacher said something and she flushed. Ranma raised her chalk and hesitated momentarily before writing the answer down on the board. "Excellent work Saotome," her teacher said, clapping a couple of times as she returned to her seat, an embarrassed blush on her face.

As she walked her eyes caught the grinning gaze of Usagi who shot her a thumbs up before suddenly covering her mouth to stifle a yawn. Ranma rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the grin off her face. She'd actually gotten it right when put on the spot for once. That felt good.

Her eyes tracked to the -- the Blue One- and her smile matched the other girl's much more relaxed grin. She'd have to do something special to thank -- the Blue One -- for her tutoring. Maybe that sale down at the mall? At the new bakery that was being advertised. The Blue One -- always like a chocolate cake.

Assuming it wasn't really a front for them anyways.

That was happening way too much.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"Ranma? Ranma?! RANMA!" Ranma blinked and slapped a hand over his ear to block out the shouting.

"I can hear you, tomboy. No need to shout," He snapped back, turning to face his blue-haired fiancee Akane as he looked away from the board. She looked so much like that other one in the daydream, but that girl never seemed to be angry at anyone. She also wasn't the sort to scowl at him like Akane was doing. She shifted from foot to foot as he stared, her book bag in hand. Why was- Oh, the bell.

"Well you weren't responding, jerk," she said, huffing angrily, "Schools over. I'm going over to Sayuri's tonight. So you're on your own." She turned and walked away. Behind her, her two friends stared at Ranma like he'd murdered a puppy or something rather than just zoned out. They had never liked him and if he was honest they probably never would.

He watched them go with a melancholic gaze. Friends. He remembered having friends, or… did he? He shook his head to shake off that weird feeling from his oddly detailed daydream. Except like every other weird flash-and-it's-done daydream he'd experienced since Jusendo it didn't go away. He could still picture the classroom. The feel of the chalk, that stupid seifuku uniform, that she'd been wearing no less, and the broad grin Usagi had given him.

He pursed his lips in thought. Usagi. That was new. None of the people in the daydreams except his pops had names. Now one of them did. A first name, admittedly, but it was something. At least he thought it was a first name. It had the feel of a first name.

With a sigh he went to shut the barely touched notebook, only to pause. He stared at the blank paper. In the daydream, she'd been in maths class, just like this last class had been, but she had been taking notes. Good notes that could be followed and used to study. Unlike him. A flash of the blue one's disappointed face went through his head and he had to suppress a very sudden pang of guilt.

Maybe he should be paying a little more attention. Right? He stared at the board and frowned. It seemed to make a bit more sense now than it had before. That bit there had to be… square root? Yeah, and that meant that-

"Hey, Ranchan," his thought process promptly derailed and he looked up to see his other fiancee, Ukyo Kuonji looking at him with raised eyebrows and a hand on one hip. Unlike Akane, she wore the dark blue boy's uniform and had that giant spatula on her back. "You okay? You've been zoning out a lot recently."

Ah, someone had noticed. He tried to conceal a wince. "It's nothing," he said, shutting his book after quickly scribbling the equation from the board down to look at later… whenever later would wind up being.

"Right. You've been zoning out a lot since…" she trailed off as he shot her an annoyed look and a raised eyebrow. "Since the wedding," she finished lamely.

"The failed wedding," he said, recalling the barrage of high-explosive food she'd interrupted the wedding with alongside Shampoo.

"Like I was just going to stand aside and let them force you to marry Akane!" Ukyo said, a complete lack of understanding for why he was annoyed on her face.

He dropped the notebook in his bag and stood up, holding it loosely over his shoulder. Honestly? In hindsight, he wasn't even sure he was angry about the wedding being broken up or just how she'd done it. He had said he loved Akane at Jusendo, but the longer it went on since then he had to wonder if it was just desperation talking. At the wedding, he'd been so sure, but things had backslid back to their usual 'normal' in the months since.

What he was sure about was that Ukyo hadn't done what she did for his sake. She, like the rest, just didn't want to be the one to lose.

"Later, Ucchan," he said, walking for the door.

"How about coming to my shop? I'm sure you could use a snack after today. Okonomiyaki, my treat?" she offered.

He paused at the door. Okonomiyaki? Well… He could use a snack and even if he was annoyed with her she was his-

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"So gooooood," Ranma moaned around a mouthful of pancakes.

Her friend -- the Brunette who was Green -- laughed from her stove. "Glad to hear it Ranma," she said before turning to -- the blue one -- and offering her a plate. The other girl accepted it with her own smile and went to join the other three at the table.

Usagi was stuffing her face much like Ranma was while -- the Red Priestess -- rolled her eyes and tried to hide her looks of disgust at both of them. Ranma did her best to ignore it. The Brunette who was Green -- always had amazing cooking.

"You've got to share your recipe for this one," Ranma begged after she swallowed.

"Oh god, please, please please," Usagi begged a moment later. They both gave -- the Brunette who was Green -- big puppy dog eyes. "My Mum would love this."

"Usagi, Ranma," -- the Blue One -- chided with a shake of her head as she sat down, "Let her cook in peace."

"I don't mind, seriously, Ami," the Brunette who was Green -- said with a laugh, "I'll make copies for both of you after breakfast, okay?" Ranma and Usagi high-fived and cheered before Ranma promptly went red and turned away. She kept getting caught up in being with friends to the point where she'd forget that she wasn't 'just one of the girls' as -- The Red Priestess -- put it. If Pops saw he'd be annoyed again and probably do something stupid during training again.

The Blue One -- Ami -- sighed before taking a bite. A moment later she giggled. "They are really good," she said, asking a few questions as she complimented -- the Brunette who was Green.

Ranma took another bite of the banana pancakes and sighed happily. She wasn't a bad cook herself, but -- the Brunette who was Green -- was just so damned good. Only the fact that she wasn't really a girl kept her from asking for lessons. Maybe she could sneak a few tips out of her at least?

As Ranma waffled on the idea of how many questions were too many for a guy to ask about cooking she listened to the babble of her friends and smiled. Her eyes met those of -- The Red Priestess -- who was listening to Usagi vent about the night before -- the details of which seemed to slide off her mind like water -- and they both shared a fond eye roll for their dumpling-headed leader.

Usagi had made mistakes the night before, but she'd talk about those during practice. For now, it was pancakes and relaxation… very yummy pancakes and relaxation with friends.

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"... nah, I'm fine, Ucchan. Gunna head back to the Dojo and take a nap," Ranma said before walking through the door once the daydream cleared up.

"Bu- Huh?" he ignored Ukyo's confused sputtering behind him. He crossed the busy hallway and hopped out the third-floor window. He didn't even get shouts of horror anymore as he dropped to the ground. After nearly two years he'd have been disappointed if they were still so easily surprised.

This had to be the first time he'd turned down food from Ucchan in… a while. Had he ever said no to free Okonomiyaki if he had another option? He couldn't recall really. He just didn't want to deal with her trying to drop hints the size of his pop's cursed form when he just wanted to relax.

The crowd flowed around him as he walked off the property before hopping up to the roof of the building, a two-storey house, and breaking into a run. He instinctively hopped the next gap between roofs. His mind was already elsewhere like it so often was these days.

He'd had two daydreams within minutes of each other. That was new. New and worrisome. He hadn't had more than one a week at first, then it had increased to one every few days. The last week had been one a day. Worse, they were clearer than ever. He could picture Usagi and Ami in his head without issue now. They were both a couple of years younger than he was now, but in those memories, he was a bit younger too. Closer to when he arrived in Nerima.

He dropped into a slide on the next roof and came to a halt behind a chimney. Down below, atop the fence that ran along the canal, was Shampoo on her damned bicycle. Her natural purple hair was distinctive in an area where most people had black or brown hair. She didn't notice him, her eyes fixed downward on the road where he'd normally be walking.

Ranma didn't let out his breath until she turned the corner towards the school. He broke into a sprint towards the dojo. She'd spend a while running about the area around the school before checking the dojo. He knew that from experience. She would think he'd been challenged to a duel or stumbled on some obscure martial art, or maybe decided to turn into a girl and scam a few vendors out of a snack or ten.

Now that sounded tempting, but it was something he could do tomorrow. It'd be Saturday and he- she would have the full day to ravage the vendors of Nerima. Today he'd settle for taking advantage of the gap in his schedule to do some studying. Despite only existing in a daydream the thought of not living up to Ami's tutoring felt… well it felt terrible. Like he'd broken a promise. Which was absurd because even if he'd made one only a nut would insist on keeping a promise to someone who only existed in a daydream, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty about it.

"YES YES! HAHAHAAA!" Ranma paused atop the roof of a small stretch of shops and peered down at what he knew was one of the shadier pawn shops in the area. Dancing in front of it, holding a purplish book, was Hikaru Gosunkugi. He was hugging it like it was his long-lost child and spinning on the spot.

Ranma stared at the gaunt boy as he danced with the book down the street. He was tempted to go and see what the book was about. He'd clearly skipped the last class of the day to get out here before Ranma, so whatever it was had to be important. With Hikaru that meant it was either going to be completely useless or somehow find its way to Kuno and probably be cursed.

He waffled for a moment before shrugging and turning for the Dojo. He'd rather deal with Kuno later than deal with the annoying feeling of guilt he was fighting with. He cast one final glance towards the other boy before doubling his speed and zipping off towards the Dojo.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"Saotome, see me after class," Ranma blinked as his maths teacher laid their most recent test on his desk before moving onto the next student. He couldn't have done that badly, could he? He'd actually managed to make time to study before the test. Then again, he'd made use of methods he'd learned from a daydream so maybe failure was…

Ranma stared at the 85/100 on the front of the math test. He couldn't remember the last time he'd scored higher than a sixty. He sighed and tapped the page against the desk. The teacher probably thought he'd cheated somehow.

Akane sent him a questioning glance and he turned the page to show her the score. The wide-eyed look he got was immediately followed by one of suspicion. He sent back a look of exasperation and Akane looked away with a blush. Honestly, did everyone think he'd actually bother to cheat on a math test? If you were going to go to all the effort that cheating required, you might as well actually learn how to do it right.

The rest of the class passed agonizingly slow to Ranma as he took notes and tried to figure it out. When the end of the class finally came he made his way up to the desk. Akane trailed behind him, lurking over his shoulder with the air of someone watching an execution.

"You asked to see me teach?" Ranma asked, keeping the nerves out of his voice.

His maths teacher, whose name he kept forgetting (the guy was one of the many who the Hawaiian nut kept using as a minion so really why would he bother trying?), looked up from sorting their homework into his bag. "Ah, Saotome. Just wanted to have a word about your exam. Not the best I've seen in the class, obviously, but you've stepped it up a lot. Keep this up and you'll be hitting As soon enough. What did you change?"

Praise? He blinked stupidly. "Uh, just remembered a few strategies I learned in middle school. Figured I'd give 'em a try for once," he said, hedging the truth. Apparently, his daydreams hadn't led him wrong after all.

"Keep it up and I'll be looking forward to what you manage on the final exam," his teacher replied, picking up his bag and heading for the door.

Ranma turned to Akane. "Strategies from middle school?" she asked doubtfully.

He shrugged. "Had a tutor for a bit. Kinda got a reminder of a few things recently," he said, making his way back to his desk. Ami would have been happy for him.

"Sure, well congrats I guess," Akane said with a sarcastic tone.

"Don't have to say it like that, ya know," he replied.

"What's that mean?" she snapped back.

Before they could escalate into yet another argument the PA interrupted them with the familiar 'Ding Dong Ding'. "Aloha my keikis," drawled the overly cheerful voice of Kocho Kuno, the Principal.

"Oh god, what now?" Akane groaned.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Hahahaaa, I've got a few announcements for you today," continued their deranged principal.

Ranma and Akane exchanged looks of exasperation and both sighed, their argument called on account of Hawaiian nutjob. "I'll start with the Gym," he said, not paying any attention to the principal.

"I'll get the class organised," she agreed.

After this long, they had dealing with Kuno down to an art form, all three of them.

Five minutes later Ranma peered through the skylight of the Gymnasium, his eyes just over the edge of the skylight to avoid being easily noticeable. The lights were off in the gymnasium which… well it was a Monday so that was a bit odd. It was the second period and there was always a class about then.

"Alright principal fruitcake, what do you have today?" he muttered, shuffling around the edge of the skylight for a better view. Nothing… nothing… Ah… "A map?" Several maps of Furinkan high actually with…. He squinted at them. Markers for something… Probably more coconuts. Hopefully, he didn't have any of those stupid hair-trimming lobsters again. He really didn't want to lose more hair, especially since he couldn't just pull the dragon's whisker for a couple of seconds anymore.

Now, how was he supposed to get a better view? He dropped down and crossed his arms as he thought. The back door would be booby-trapped, as would the front. Well… he could go with a disguise again. The idiot never seemed to see through it when she was dressed up.

Ranma quirked a grin. Yeah, a bit of-

"-dressing up. I don't get it," The Yellow Friend -- complained as she stared at Ranma.

Ranma held up the outfit she was considering to the mirror and hummed. She said something about its colour and -- the Yellow Friend -- rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious," the girl said, "You're a guy. Born a guy, anyways, why do you know this much about fashion?"

Ranma returned the clothes to a pile and picked out something else. "It's Shampoo's fault," she said.

"... Because of hair care products?" the Yellow Friend -- sounded confused.

Ranma laughed. "No, Shampoo, it was -- is -- this crazy girl's name," she said as held the new orange thing up to her waist and swayed back and forth. Hrm, too cutesy for her. Maybe Usagi would have liked it, but she wasn't a girly girl when she was a girl. "Chinese Amazon from the depths of China. Pops and I sorta… ate her victory prize for the village competition," she sighed.

"You stole her prize?" The Yellow Friend -- said with disbelief in her voice.

"Ugh, yeah basically. It was a feast set up for the winner. The stupid thing was set up in the open waiting for them. Who sets up a feast before the fight is even over? We couldn't read the sign attached to it and figured 'hey, refreshment table'. So we sat down and started eating. We were both starving at the time," she explained.

"So how does that lead to you learning fashion?" her friend asked.

"Cause she gave me a kiss on the cheek in accordance with local tradition called the 'Kiss of Death' and spent the next six months hunting me across China trying to kill me. I started learning how to disguise myself after that and picked up fashion tips just to stick out less," Ranma said, shrugging before carefully flicking through her 'maybe' pile. She only had enough for a couple of items so she needed to be picky.

"... All cause you ate her prize?" the Yellow Friend -- sounded confused.

"Hmm, yeah basically. Their entire people are nuts. Like, in a bad way nuts," Ranma replied, "Haven't seen her since I threatened to blow her up about six months ago when she caught sight of me at the worst time." Right in the middle of changing too. The girl's timing had to be supernaturally caused because it was the worst.

"..."

"What?" She gave -- the Yellow Friend -- a confused glance as the girl just stared at her over the back of the armless chair she was sitting in.

"Of course you did… Does Usagi know?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not. Not like she needs to know. The crazy girl is gone now, and if she values the world not dying she'll stay gone," Ranma said with a sniff. Good riddance to bad rubbish. If she never saw that purple-haired bimbo it would be-

Ranma swayed and put a hand to his head as a tumble of imagery rolled through it. What. The Hell. Was that? That was no daydream. He wouldn't daydream right then and there of all times. It wasn't in the middle of class like it usually was and it…

"The world not dying?" he muttered. What the hell was this 'daydream' version of him doing? He tried to think of what she had been talking about then, but just slipped away in a torrent of unrelated images of… shopping? Those had been some nice-

He shook his head to try and throw off the disorientation. What about that bit with Shampoo, or about her anyways. He'd never threatened her successfully as a girl and it just felt wrong to do so as a guy. What the hell could she have said to get Shampoo to back off? Except… Except this hadn't happened. It couldn't have happened.

He rubbed his head with both hands. He could remember running all the way back to Japan to get away from her. They'd stopped in Juuban for about… three weeks? Yeah, that sounded about right, then they'd come to Nerima once Pops had remembered Soun's address.

Why did something feel off about that?

"Hey there, Keiki."

Ranma froze and looked up. Standing in the now open skylight was Kocho Kuno, clippers held in his hand like a spread of throwing knives. Ranma dived forward, narrowly avoiding the lunatic's weapon, twisting to keep his hair out of the line of fire.

"Oh come on!" he shouted as he popped back up and leaped towards the lunatic. His foot smashed the frame of the skylight as Kocho leaped away. "Can't I have one moment to myself without some lunatic coming after my hair, or my life, or trying to kidnap me, or something?"

"Ah ah ah, this is school time, Saotome, not home time. Youse gotta play by my rules here," the maniac practically danced down the roof tossing hair clippers like a machine gun.

"Just give it up already!" Ranma snapped, grabbing one out of the air and hurling it back. The Hawaiian T-shirted lunatic bent backwards with a yelp to keep it from taking off the stupid palm tree that he wore like a topknot. "You never get away with this shit anyways!" He bounded after him. Fist met hair clipper met foot met… Coconut?

Ranma rolled aside as the high explosive nut blew up, rattling the windows but doing surprisingly little damage to the building. The principal never liked paying for his own damages to the school. Rolling to his feet he caught sight of the man swan diving off the side of the building, and the wave of more exploding coconuts he had tossed behind him.

Thinking quickly, Ranma dived backwards and through the open skylight into the gymnasium below. He landed hard on his back on the catwalk for the school's extensive theatrical lighting system moments before the entire rooftop exploded.

"I hate that fruitcake," he snarled before sagging backwards and putting a hand to his head. It was pulsing with some mild pain. Probably the concussive wave from the explosion.

"Still not as bad as one o' Jadeite's…" Ranma's brow furrowed. Who the fuck was Jadeite? He sagged against the catwalk. Maybe, just maybe, he'd sit this one out. Kami, his head was a mess.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

It was probably a couple of hours that Ranma lay there staring up through the skylight, slowly nursing a headache and trying to shuffle his brain back into order. Something had changed with his… memories. They weren't daydreams. They didn't feel like daydreams and he wouldn't daydream in the middle of sneaking around. That was a recipe for disaster as he'd just experienced. That didn't mean he wanted to accept what they had to be, however.

They couldn't be memories. They couldn't be.

He rubbed his forehead which was still pounding from the headache earlier. He had gotten worse, but he suspected it didn't have anything to do with the Principal's explosives. No, he'd given himself a headache trying to grapple with the conflicting… not-memories.

Couldn't be.

But.

"Going in circles," he complained under his breath, sitting up finally. He rolled his shoulder to work out a kink that had formed from lying on the metal grate for two hours. He could really go for an ice cream right now, but he should probably-

"LET ME GO! PUT! ME! DOWN!"

Ranma blinked as Akane's voice broke the silence of the gymnasium. He rolled to the side and peered down at the gymnasium's stage. Kocho Kuno was on the stage busying tying Akane to a rope he had already hanging from the ceiling. His fiancee was already wrapped up in rope so thoroughly that the only thing visible was her head. The white cloth he'd used to gag her was in pieces on the floor. Ranma'd bet Akane had chewed through it.

"Ohohohoo, not a chance girlie. Not until you and the rest accept my new plans for student haircuts!" he chuckled.

Ranma rested his forehead against the railing of the catwalk. Haircuts. Again. Of course. Didn't anyone in this town ever get a new script? O' course not. That would be sensible. Instead, why not reenact the same dumb plan for the four hundredth time.

He listened with one ear to their little 'argument', which was nearly as worn as his own insults and 'arguments' with the Hawaiian-obsessed nutjob, and walked quietly along the catwalk towards them. It didn't even make a single creak. Not that it should have. After the Umisenken training, making noise almost took effort.

"Why," the nutjob continued, "Even your 'Ranma Saotome' hasn't been gettin' involved this time. Not since I blew him up hours ago." He laughed at the horrified look on Akane's face.

Ranma rolled his eyes. Honestly. He slipped over the side of the catwalk and walked along the struts for the stage's lighting. Then he stepped off and dropped.

The Principal was gesticulating wildly, dancing like a lunatic in a circle as he did so. "Keiki, you may as well just concede. Wit' out Saotome you-" Ranma crashed down on his head, dropping him straight to the floor, and through it into the storage room below.

Ranma hopped off the twitching, insensate, body of the Principal. "Been waiting two hours for that," he said.

"Oh, now you show up," Akane snapped sarcastically, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Up there," Ranma said, pointing up at the catwalk, "So, what's the scheme this time?"

"Same old, same old. He's still going on about hair. I swear I'm going to kill him this time," She snarled, writhing in her bonds like a rabid eel.

"Hold still," he said before he produced one of the idiot's thrown hair clippers. She froze up as he cut her down gently before freeing her.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"So what're we doing with him this-" They both stared at the empty spot.

"HAHAHAHAHAAA!! Youse can't keep dah Principal down that easy, Keikis!" They looked up to find the Principal hanging from the sprinkler pipes above them. Ranma's eye twitched and before he could consider the consequences, he threw a pair of hair clippers back at him. They easily parted the copper piping and the hawaiian idiot fell with a yelp.

A moment later the sprinkler system turned on automatically and Ranma sighed as she was soaked to the bone. Brushing her red hair out of her eyes she walked over to the sprawled form of the Principal and delivered three sharp blows to the back of his head. Akane wandered over a moment later.

"... Is he dead?" she asked.

"... Would you care if the answer was yes?" Ranma replied.

They stared at the 'body' for a moment before it giggled and Ranma kicked it again. Why couldn't their school be normal like Juuban Middle School?

-0-0-0-0-0-​

It took an hour to beat the answers out of the idiot Principal and convince him to drop his current plans. By that point, school was basically over and everyone headed for home. It wasn't until that night when Ranma, still a girl due to several water-related incidents, climbed up onto the rooftop to think.

She lay down, arms folded behind her head and stared up at the moon. Something was wrong. Something had been wrong since the night after Jusendo. It had started with flashes of thought, impressions, people she didn't know.

People she hadn't known she'd known.

"What happened?" she asked the moon. She rolled her head side to side as she stared at the silver circle in the sky. What was it that was tugging at her memory? The moon meant something to her. Something… something… sad? Melancholic?

She scowled and sighed. "Okay, so… not daydreams," she said softly. Which meant she knew an Usagi, an Ami, and those other three that she kept thinking of as colours. Their names were on the tip of her tongue. "... Rei," she said after a minute of straining. One of them was Rei. She was certain of it, but… was Rei the red, the green, or the yellow?

She didn't know, but she did have a place. Juuban Middle School. The name had come to her earlier in the day. She couldn't associate anything else with it, but the girls were maybe that age. At least in her memories. They probably weren't in middle school anymore. Maybe the High School? Assuming they remembered her, anyways.

Assuming the memories were real and not fake. She didn't remember encountering anything that could give her fake memories, but then if it could affect memory would she necessarily remember it? But… but if they were real, then why had she forgotten?

She closed her eyes and easily called to mind the faces of Usagi and Ami. Her thoughts were fragmented, but picturing them didn't bring the dread she was getting used to experiencing whenever encountering a new girl in Nerima. She remembered them smiling, laughing, telling jokes and even doing homework together. They had been…

They had been friends. Real friends, not the on-again-off-again companions of convenience that were everywhere in Nerima. There was more there, in fact. She could feel it. They had done more than just hang about, but even that little bit made her ache for them in a way that made her feel alone… No, not make her feel alone. Make her realise she was alone.

Funny, she hadn't realised how lonely she was in Nerima until now.

She let out a breath she hadn't intended to hold. If Akane knew she was thinking about other girls she'd get malleted so hard, even if she didn't feel a thing for them that way. She put a hand to her chest and blinked hard to clear the tears that tried to form.

"But when did we meet?" she murmured. She only remembered spending three weeks in Juuban after which they came to Nerima. She hadn't spent time before in the district and there was no way in hell the events she could remember in bits and pieces could fit into the three-week timeline she had. She had been too busy with what she could remember. Which meant… which meant…

Which meant either she was there a lot longer than she remembered, or the memories were fake. If she had been there a lot longer then, why didn't she remember it properly? Well, she had encountered a few things that could erase memories. Shampoo could do it, but why would she want to? At the time she'd been trying to kill her... And she distinctly recalled something about threatening her to leave? She still wasn't sure how, but she had.

"Shampoo can't be the one," she said to the moon, holding her hands out to frame it like a picture. She tilted her head one way and then the other and shivered a little in the cold nighttime breeze. Cologne hadn't arrived until after Shampoo had run back to China and then come back. If the two Amazons, three actually since Mousse had no reason to come until later as well, then who else did she know that could have done it…

"Oohohoohohohooo."

A shiver of something other than cold rolled down her spine and Ranma promptly rolled over the roofline to hide behind the crest. That was Kodachi Kuno's laugh. Of course, she'd pick the same day after her father did another stupid thing to come 'visit'. If she caught sight of her as a girl she wouldn't hesitate a second before attacking her.

Her eyes scanned the dark cityscape.

…

…

Movement.

There.

Her eyes focused on a humanoid shape flipping over the back wall of the Tendo property. How the hell had the crazy nut gotten that close? "Damn it," she muttered as Kodachi bounced across the yard and up to Akane's room-

"Ohohohohoho! Oh, my Darling Ranma!"

She had gone into her room. Ranma was up and over the roofline immediately. She sprinted down the roof, grabbed the edge and flipped down and through her open window in a single smooth motion.

The light came on just as she sailed through the window and caught the crazed Gymnast in the back with both feet. The girl let out an undignified yelp as she flew across the room and smashed face-first into the wall.

"Ranma?" She looked up to see her mother and pops awake. The big man had dropped his stance once he recognized the girl crumpled in a heap. Her mother, however, was staring in confusion. "Who is this girl? Why did you hit her?"

"She's a stalking nut," Ranma said flatly as she rolled Kodachi over to check that she hadn't died… Nope, still breathing just fine. Thick heads ran in the Kuno family.

"That hardly makes it manly to attack her, Ranma," her mother said as she straightened out her night clothes.

Fortunately, for once, her pops was of a similar mind to Ranma. He took her mother by the arm. "Now dear, the boy isn't wrong. That girl is disturbed," he said.

"She loves poisoning me when I'm a guy, tries to kill me as a girl and like her brother can't recognize the curse even when we trigger it right in front of her," Ranma huffed, picking Kodachi up right as the door was thrown open and a shinai wielding Akane in pajamas stepped in.

"Where is that- Oh, you got her," Akane said, staring at the unconscious girl in Ranma's arms.

"But still, attacking a girl from behind," Ranma's mother argued with Genma.

Akane rolled her eyes. "Auntie, she's a violent lunatic," she said exasperatedly.

"I'm just going to dump her on the roof. Hopefully, she'll head home when she wakes up," Ranma said, climbing out the window, in the process fleeing the burgeoning argument between her mother and her pops and Akane.

Climbing out she saw other lights turned on in other windows. Nabiki had already poked her head out.

"Hey, Ranma, how bad is the damage this time?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

"Got her before she could do anything other than laugh and throw around a bunch of flower petals," she replied, rolling her eyes. She jumped up to the next roof and set her down gently in about the middle of the roof, her head resting on the roofline.

Ranma shook her head at the girl and then started walking away. She paused and turned on her heel a heartbeat later. Frozen, practically petrified even, were three black-suited ninja looming over the girl.

She smirked at the loyal Kuno ninja. "She comes back tonight? I'm dumping her in the koi pond, understood?" she asked. Three heads nodded rapidly. "Then get out of here." One of them carefully picked up their mistress before the three jumped into the darkness. They vanished into the night almost before they reached the property line.

Ranma scanned the area before nodding once to herself. No ninja, no Kodachi. She let out a sigh. Yay her.

Kami, this had gotten old.

She ran a hand through her hair before heading back to her room. There she found her parents still arguing, with Akane occasionally chiming in about Kodachi. Ranma hesitated in the window, staring at her parents for a moment-

"There is too much at stake to put our plans aside for some girly-" Her father was screaming.

Ranma snarled at her father. "Our plans? You mean your plans," she snapped back, "And what the hell is more important than the world you stupid old fool?" They glared at each other across the campsite. Her arms were crossed as she stood her ground for once.

"There are duties to the family that you need to-" he began.

"What family? There's you and me," Ranma cried, waving her hands at the campsite around them, "No house. I can't recall you ever mentioning my mother. Do I have cousins you never mentioned or something?"

"No," her father growled, "No cousins."

"Then it's just you," she said accusingly.

"... Just us, boy," her father said, his voice dropping for a moment. He scowled. "The world?"

Ranma nodded. The Furry Black One -- had said as much. "Yeah. These things get the upper hand; we're all dead. Aren't you the one who said Martial Artists have a duty to protect?" she asked.

He growled. "Yes, but-"

"But?" she asked. Her hand flexed and for a moment she could feel her pen forming between her fingers.

A myriad of expressions crossed her father's face before he sat down and grabbed the metal poker they used to adjust the wood in the fire. "And you have to do this?" he asked, his face unreadable as it continued to change expressions.

"Ain't a choice, pops," she said, taking a seat herself, "Either it's me, or no one." The why slipped her mind, but it was her or no one. No one else could pick up that pen. She couldn't leave Usagi and Ami to fight this alone either. Neither had a clue what fighting was like and fighting against them was going to be hard, even with magic.

Her father grunted. "Then tell me everything," he said, a look of discontent on his face. It was the same look she recognized when he was about to do something-

-Stupid! If Ranma hadn't knocked her out-" Akane was shouting as Ranma was once again back in the room.

She stepped back from the window and jumped to the roof. She made it only two steps onto the roof before falling to her knees. Ranma shivered in the cold breeze. Her or no one? Usagi and Ami… they had been in a fight against… against… the what slipped through her fingers as she scrambled to recall something, anything.

"Jadeite," she whispered, her mind going back to the rooftop. Yes. Yes, that name. "Jadeite," she said again more confidently. They had been fighting against Jadeite. She couldn't recall a name or if it was even a human, but that name pulled at her anger. Like it had hurt Akane… or worse. So Jadeite was… no, no she didn't get that feeling. Whatever Jadeite was, it didn't feel big enough to hurt the entire world. Not by itself.

She let out a breath and flopped onto her back. It wasn't as important as the rest. Whatever she'd been doing in those… not-memories, she had been at odds with pops. That campsite was familiar as well. It was the one they'd used in Juuban for the three weeks they'd stayed before moving on.

A creeping feeling of dread wrapped itself about her heart. Her pops hadn't been happy about staying there, about fighting whatever it was. Could he have… Could he have… No, no he didn't know any techniques to erase memories and besides, why would he erase her memories of her friends?

She bit her lip and glanced down at the roof tiles. Beneath them was the man who had raised her, who had taught her a lot of what she knew. Not everything, he had taken her to too many other senseis over the years for that, but… a lot. What she did know was that he had a lot of dirty tricks left. Some that Happousai had taught him, others he'd invented himself. The Senkens proved that. Those things were hilariously lethal and she was fairly certain that Ryu had been a rank amateur with the Yamasenken. His form outside of the techniques had been pretty basic, but the raw power had carried the fights anyway.

What else was he hiding?

Fingers, fidgeting with nervous energy, drummed her leg as she stared up at the moon. That same -- Sadness? Melancholy? Loneliness? -- struck her again. Her eyes watered before she shook her head. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't.

Even if her pops could do it, why would he? He had no reason to erase her memories of friends, real honest loyal friends, right?

Just like he had no reason to take her away every time she made friends before. Ucchan, Ryouga… There were probably others, but she couldn't remember them… There had to be other places they'd stopped right? Other people, she befriended?

Dread sank from her heart to her stomach like a brick.

She'd remember them…

Right?

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma didn't climb back inside for the rest of that night. She made a point to find reasons to sleep away from her father for the rest of the week. Oh, she was keeping an eye out for Kodachi, or she thought she'd seen signs of that stupid ghost cat again, or there was a chance that Happousai had been spotted in the area after coming back from his trip to America.

That last had nearly sparked a full-blown panic amongst the two older men that had caused substantial water damage to the tatami mats on the deck. By some miracle, the shogi board had been spared.

More memories returned with every day. Little things. Shopping trips, homework assignments, dance lessons from some silly contest she'd gotten involved in -- though the memory had gone weird part way through and she still couldn't make heads or tails of it. Was there really a talking dress made from spiders, or was it a giant spider made from dresses?

Neither made much sense.

She had figured out who Rei was, however. She was the raven-haired Priestess who she had often shared moments of exasperation with. Usagi had a knack for being a clutz and her complaints during the few moments of martial arts practice had been nearly enough to make Ranma pull her hair out in recollection. What had honestly possessed her to teach the girl? Sure she recalled something about the world being in danger, but couldn't she have just… protected the girl? Did she have to fight?

When she, he at the time, had asked himself that in maths class a week later a gut feeling had answered 'yes'. It was like how it was her or no one. None of them had a choice, not if they wanted a world to live in. Now if only she could recall the details of what it was they had been doing.

It was important! She knew that but… but…

The details were like water and her mind was like a sieve. She'd have had better luck trying to catch moonlight with her bare hands. She'd tried that once when she, he, was ten.

Ranma paused in her thoughts as she ate lunch on the branch of the same tree she'd once hidden in on her first day at school. There it was again. She.

The redhead, thanks to getting hit with water by the ladle woman before class, chewed on her onigiri thoughtfully. These memories that were returning. Most of the time she'd been a girl in them and it felt like it was getting to her.

Class? Girl. Working out? Girl. Shopping? Girl. Studying? Girl.

If she didn't explicitly recall her pops pouring hot water on her she'd been staying as a girl for some reason. It was important. Really important, but like all the other stuff that was important it just… slipped away.

She rubbed the side of her head and groaned at the feeling of a building headache. Those were becoming familiar companions as she tried to pull out memories that she hadn't yet recalled. To try to know what she didn't know she knew was, apparently, quite headache-inducing.

"Ami would have a solution," she muttered, taking a large bite of her lunch. Loose rice tumbled-

-down onto the page. She grimaced and brushed her assignment clean of cookie crumbs. "Did you have to pick the crumbliest cookies you could find, Usagi?" she asked her friend.

"It was what they had," the blonde replied with a haughty sniff.

Ranma grumbled but turned the page, the details of which slipped by her eyes, over and scribbled something on the back for a few minutes before nodding and flipping back to the other side to copy the correct details over.

"That's not quite right," Ami said, glancing over. The mousy girl was busy with her palmtop computer.

"Eh?" she blinked at her and double-checked the question. "But- Where?" Ami reached over and tapped the page, her finger circling the two next to the second x. "Oh."

"Mhmm. Take it slower Ranma. You're getting it, just… slow down a little," she said, giving her a bright smile that Ranma returned.

"Thanks, Ami," she replied honestly, "What would I do without you?"

"Probably fail," Rei said as she scribbled at her own homework, a frown on her face. "Does this sound too much?" she read off a portion of her essay and Ranma sighed.

"Yes," she replied, in sync with Ami for once. She let the smarter girl explain as she turned her attention back to her homework. The next question turned out to be much harder and it was only a few minutes before her mind wandered in a blur that only resolved itself as she found herself staring at a white stick topped with a golden star.

"-wrong?"

Ranma blinked and looked up to find Usagi sitting next to her as she turned her -- stick -- over in her hands. "... Not really," she said before sighing, "and a lot I guess. Just… trying to figure out why me." Yes, why her. Him.

"Why not you?" Usagi asked, tilting her head with that same quizzical confusion she expressed whenever the teacher asked her a question in science class.

"You know why. I'm… I'm really a guy, ya know," Ranma said, fidgeting nervously as she became suddenly and forcefully aware of the fact she was still wearing her Juuban Middle School uniform. She tugged awkwardly at the skirting.

Usagi shook her head and grinned. "And if not you, what would we be doing? The Dark Kingdom would have probably won by now and I know I'm… I know I complain a lot." That earned her the exasperated looks of the other two girls in the room. Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei who growled.

"I know," Ranma said to her friend, patting her on the leg as she tried to head off the argument that was forming, "But… Look, I get that it's reincarnation. We don't have much choice, but…"

"But?" Usagi asked.

'But why couldn't I be like the rest of you?' Ranma wanted to blurt out. Normal. Not… not constantly jumping back and forth depending on the whims of the weather or a clumsy barista or… or… or…

Instead, she shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm just being silly," she said.

"The great Ranma Saotome, being silly," Rei said dryly, "What a day it is."

Ranma rolled her eyes and then did the most mature thing she could think of.

She stuck her tongue out at Rei at the same time Usagi did. They held that pose as Rei blinked dumbly at being double-teamed. Then Ami began giggling and the rest of them joined her. Ranma tried to get her giggles under control, it wasn't manly, but…

But laughing with her friends felt good. Having friends after so many years felt great.

She let the Sol Star Power Stick fade back into her magic. She might feel like a fake at times, but she would stick with her friends. They were too important to just walk away no matter how irritated at her Pops was getting. Being-

Ranma twitched as the bell tolled loudly. She glared back at the school directly at the bell that had shaken her out of that lovely memory. She shook herself after a moment and swallowed the last of her onigiri before closing her bento. She took a deep breath and held out her right hand.

Sol Star Power Stick.

It was magic. Powerful, unbelievably powerful, magic. It was her magic. She'd been using magic before. The details were missing but…

She could remember the Stick as it came and went so if she just followed that memory and flexed her hand like so-

Ranma stared at the white rod with a golden star that appeared from nowhere in her hand. No, not nowhere. Somewhere. She held the stick to her chest, hugging it desperately as tears gathered in her eyes. This time they fell as she clutched the Power Stick that had come from within her own heart, her soul.

She held the only physical proof that she wasn't crazy. That she had had friends. She held it like if she let go she would die.

Maybe she would.

But this…

She held the stick up before her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her vision was blurred with tears, but nothing had been more real than the stick in her hands.

Her memories were real.

She wasn't mad.

She was still there when the bell signalling the end of classes rang several hours later.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"Something's wrong with Ranma."

Nabiki sighed and lifted her head from the manga she was reading. "When isn't there?" she asked lazily. She eyed her younger sister who had barged into her room without knocking. "You could knock first, you know," she added as she examined the younger girl.

Hair? Frazzled.

Expression? A frown with a hint of panic.

Clothes? Her shirt was stained around the collar and there were marks on her skirt that probably came from behind held by someone with grubby fingers.

Conclusion? Her darlingly precocious little sister had just noticed that the boy she was engaged to, and probably loved, was having a mental crisis. Only took her six months.

"I'm serious, Nabiki," Akane said, running her hands through her hair in a vain attempt to tame it. "You can't have missed it." She shut the door behind her, closing the two of them in.

Nabiki rolled her eyes at her sister and held up a hand. She reached over and slid her window shut. "So you noticed," she said, closing her manga with a snap around her favourite bookmark.

"You mean before or after Ranma spent a week inventing excuses to sleep anywhere but his room after Kodachi visited?" Akane asked, "Or maybe how he's been zoning out more and more frequently?"

"He's been doing that last bit for six months. You know Kasumi took him in to see a doctor about four months ago because of that, right?" Nabiki asked.

"Six months?" Akane sounded aghast before she shook her head and stomped a foot, "It's been getting worse. He zones out nearly every single class these days."

"Well the doctor didn't think there was anything wrong, but who knows," Nabiki shrugged and went back to her manga. Honestly, other than setting up a betting pool on whether or not it was being caused by magic there wasn't much else she could do. Not that she really cared much. So long as the gender-swapping jock continued to be profitable it didn't matter.

"Nabiki, he missed all of the afternoon classes today," Akane said.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "And? Probably a rival, or a magical doodad or something. Ask him, he's normally willing to talk. Unless it has to do with one of the girls," she snorted at the thought of Ranma managing to explain being around Ukyo or Shampoo without messing it up. Well, more Shampoo than Ukyo. Akane actually got along with Ukyo most of the time.

"He spent it as a girl sitting in a tree, crying," her sister hissed into her face, "Something. Is. Wrong."

He'd what?

Nabiki's previously relaxed state of mind shifted gears hard. "Crying you said?" she asked.

"Yes!" Akane threw her hands into the air and started pacing, "Ukyo complained about him no longer accepting her offers of free food a few days ago as well. Serves her right, but it's been months since our father and Mr. Saotome attempted the wedding so why now?" She gripped her head and whirled to face Nabiki. "There has to be something, right? Have you heard anything?"

Nabiki drummed her fingers with a frown. This was starting to sound a lot more serious… "Come to think of it," she muttered, reaching for one of the drawers of her desk. Her sister barely blinked as she pulled out a folder and flicked through it. "Hrm…. no… no… was amusing… no… dealt with… didn't work…" She kept an itemised list of weird happenings that might hit them, for betting purposes of course. "Ah. Two thousand yen." Akane handed her the money without so much as blinking.

Sending her sister a smirk she said, "Two to three weeks ago Gosunkugi bought an actual magic book… but that wouldn't have anything to do with the zoning out. Otherwise, I can't really see anything recent."

"Ranma really started getting worse about then," Akane said, crossing her arms, "But I doubt it would be him."

"Because he wouldn't do it, or because he's too much of a wimp?" Nabiki asked as she considered that. "Why not try asking Cologne? I mean, she could have something to do with this if it's magic, but she also hasn't done anything personally since the cat's tongue incident." The old biddy had certainly kept out of it after Ranma beat her. Well, except for training Ranma.

"Ugh," Akane groaned and her fingers flexed like she wanted to punch something. No, she wasn't fond of that idea.

"Have you considered asking Ranma?" Nabiki asked. There were a few long seconds as Akane's expression dropped. "Akane?"

Her sister dropped into the chair at Nabiki's desk. "I tried," she said, "Ukyo tried as well, but Ranma just gave us both this… look and ran off." She looked rather upset at that.

Ran… off? Nabiki repeated the words to herself. "What kind of look?" she asked.

"The kind he gives Kuno."

Oh.

"Akane, maybe you should talk to Daddy and Mr. Saotome. This sounds a lot worse than just some zoning out." And she should make some phone calls, like to the Nekohanten. This was looking like it was going to be an all-hands crisis. Been a while since one of those rolled through town. She'd have to make a few calls, but betting on property damage had been quite profitable before and it would probably be good again.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: I wrote this on a bit of a whim. It's somewhat more focused than the other Ranma/Sailor Moon story I have going with a definite end point already in mind. Sorta. Maybe… not really?

Okay so it's somewhat vague, but it's generally a point

Gekkou_Yoko: *noms on canterloupe*

Grounders10: One, that's a terrible pun. Two, this isn't the right universe for that. *bemused kitsune*

Gekkou_Yoko: Well, no. But we do have a chapter I will proofread sometime soon, to send to Patreon, that is over that universe.

Grounders10: From the Sun and the Moon we go to… well more Sun and Moon, just with ponies I guess? *tilts head* I think I've stumbled on a theme by accident. Help.

Gekkou_Yoko: *flings you at a Shine of Gold, which also has Sun and Moon*

Grounders10: Ack! *topples over ancient ruins to land in the ocean* … and now I'm wet.

Gekkou_Yoko: *now flings you at Tangled Fate, which also has a Sun and Moon*

Grounders10: *Lands in a barrel of chocolate* … ooh, snacks! *noms*

Gekkou_Yoko: *watches as Dawn Cast Ranma-chan attacks Grounders10 over the chocotheft*

Grounders10: *Dives through portal back to writing space* Rude! I'm going to put her in a bunny suit for this… then again, she's done it to herself before. Probably won't do anything. *noms on stolen chocolate*

Gekkou_Yoko: Put her in a Hello Kitty outfit. That might make her think twice.

Grounders10: *plotz evil revenge on characters* *Cackles* *noms on more chocolate*

Gekkou_Yoko: *triggers the Crack-a-thoom-a-tron*

 

[Grounders10]

Kirito adjusted the strap holding his greatsword in place. The downside of highly accurate physics in a VRMMO was that many issues you'd see in reality, such as leather straps getting loose, could in fact happen if you didn't pay attention. It was one of the lessons any veteran of Sword Art Online had internalized as they carved a path to freedom up the many floors of Aincrad. The small act was one of many that helped focus him on the upcoming fight.

"Ready?" he asked the blonde beauty to his right. It felt a bit weird knowing that the girl he'd teamed up with to make the journey to the World Tree had been his cousin Suguha. Well, more than weird given her love confession earlier. Still, he could ignore that for now. Asuna needed him.

Leafa, as Suguha was known in ALO, nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly. The boy on the other side of her nodded. Kirito didn't know much about Recon, but if Suguha trusted him, then he would too.

Kirito looked up at the massive stone gate that led into the World Tree. It was flanked on either side by stone statues of Alf warriors, their thin wings spread wide behind them as they had their swords planted before them. As much as the statues and the gate towered over them, it was nothing compared to the World Tree itself. Yggdrasil as it was called was taller than some of the mountains he could see. It was so tall that just trying to fly up it would see a player's flight time run out long before they got close to even the lowest branch.

"Papa."

Kirito paused, his hand outstretched for the door. He glanced to his shoulder where the pixie form of his daughter Yui sat. "Yes, Yui?" he asked, noticing the worried expression on her face.

"There's something-" his daughter started to say when a voice bellowed from… everywhere. It was the sky, the stones, the very air around them, even their clothes and weapons. The world shuddered as it spoke, each syllable echoing through stone and air with equal measure.

"WHAT IS IT SAYING?" He asked loudly.

"... IT'S IN LATIN, PAPA!" Yui replied. "... IT SAYS '.... AND TO THE WORLD OF LIFE ELOPE, OH SECRET WORLD. OH HIDDEN WORLD, I CALL THEE! LET THY NATURE BECOME ONE WITH THE WORLD SO OPEN.' PAPA, LOG OFF NOW, THE SERVERS ARE-"

A crack ran up the front gate of the World Tree in an instant. Not a crack in the stone, but in the facade of the existence constructed by the system. The cracks spread into the air, the stone and the tree itself. Behind them shouting picked up and Kirito glanced back over his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat.

In the distance, the city of Arun, the largest of the towns around the World Tree, was engulfed in the same failure of existence. Great chasms of darkness, just like the bug which had tossed him into the forest when he first logged into the game, were spreading through the town. As he watched a massive cathedral-like structure cracked and bent as reality parted across its side.

It was a cascading failure of the game engine.

"LOG OUT, SUGU, RECON!" Kirito shouted, "YUI GET OUT!" He put words to action and swiped his left hand, feeling ill as he did so. On his shoulder Yui flashed out of existence, hopefully seeking shelter on his computer somewhere. His finger descended towards the logout button-

Only to freeze, his entire body motionless as the colour bled out of the world. Then it shattered, collapsing like a million pieces of a broken mirror and the vague sensation of falling hit him. He screamed as he plummeted down into an abyss through which he kept falling until, abruptly, there was light and he passed straight into it-

Kirigaya Kazuto sat straight up in his bed like he'd been shocked. One hand went to his chest to feel his beating heart. He let out a breath as he found it. He'd never experienced a full system crash in VR before. That was completely terrifying.

He couldn't help but smirk, however, as he considered the possibility that this had freed Asuna. It really depended on how the server architecture worked but… His smirk died. There was also the possibility of this triggering SAO's fail state. They had never encountered a bug in SAO, let alone suffered a complete server failure. In many ways that had been as impressive as the world itself. It was a pity such polish had been wasted on a death game…

But it meant that there was a possibility, a larger possibility than Kirigaya Kazuto would have liked to admit, that this crash had just killed Asuna. Did he have time to run over and check on her? Or should he just reboot his nerve gear and check to see if the ALO servers were back online? There was something he was missing though… Oh.

"Yui!" He ripped the VR interface off his head, rolled out of bed to his feet and-

"PAPA!"

Was promptly tackled back onto the bed by a ten-year-old girl with black hair and pointed ears wearing a white sundress. He stared. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

"Yui?" he asked after a few moments.

"Mhmm, Papa, where are we?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry. He noted that they were closer to the eyes and face she had as a pixie than as the small girl in SAO. She even had the ears.

Kazuto looked around. It looked like his room, but his greatsword was leaning against the end of his bed for some reason. The one that had been on his back right before the crash… Or was it a crash? "My room, I think, but… we can't be if you're here," he said.

Yui frowned and closed her eyes in concentration. "I feel… something, Papa, but… this is strange. I- I don't feel like I'm connected to a server. There's- Papa, there's nothing to communicate with," she said, opening her eyes to stare at him with worry. He wrapped her in a hug as she shivered.

"KAZUTO!" A familiar female voice shouted from elsewhere in the house.

"That was Sugu," he said, gently moving Yui from his lap to the bed. Something sounded off about her voice. He couldn't quite place it.

Somewhere in the distance, a police siren started wailing, followed by dozens of others.

He was halfway to the door when it burst open and through it came not Suguha, but Leafa. "KAAAZUTO!" She shouted, stumbling to a stop as she saw him.

"Leafa?" he said. It was a bit dim in his room, lit as it was by the glow of his computer, but he thought she looked different. More real somehow. There had always been a slight dream-like quality to the VR experiences of the Nerve Gear. Nothing truly uncanny, but the colours popped a little more and things felt a little less present. The side effects of the tech intended to keep otherwise painful experiences -- such as being run through with a sword -- from being more than mere irritations in the process of having fun. Pain absorbers deadened injuries, but they also diluted the sense of touch. Eyes weren't perfect at processing images, but your mind could make them more vivid than reality.

Little things.

Little things missing from his sister's avatar.

"Kirito?" she replied, her own voice confused.

"Why-" Kazuto shook his head. She wouldn't know any better than he did. "Are you alright?" he asked instead.

"Does this look alright?" her voice was a little shrill, "Kirito we both look like our characters! Does this seem fine to you?"

He blinked. He looked like his…?

He glanced down at himself for the first time since waking up. He stared then reached up and touched his clothes. They were real. He was wearing the black long coat he'd picked up on their journey.

Air raid sirens started shrieking. He looked up at Leafa, then down at Yui who stared at both of them with a look of worry, then out the window. Swallowing his nerves, Kirito walked over to the window and slid the blinds back. He took two steps back.

It was hard to see in the darkness, but at the same time, it was impossible to miss. Far in the distance stood a tree. Its trunk reached into the sky like a pillar holding up the heavens themselves. It loomed over Tokyo, its roots visible weaving through a broken skyline.

It was the World Tree. It was Yggdrasil.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A
Ranma ½ x Sword Art Online
Crossover

War of the World Tree

By: Grounders10

-0-0-0-0-0-

Prologue

Fairy Wings

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"Banish me?"

BANG.

There were many people in Nerima given to outbursts of rage or grand gestures of revenge. From ancient martial arts masters to shopkeepers to high school principals, at times it seemed like nearly everyone in Nerima was just waiting for an excuse to fly off the handle in grand and glorious fashion.

"Me! I spent a year working on getting that position!"

Bang.

Gosunkugi Hikaru was just one such person. Short, gaunt-faced without so much as a hint of muscle on his scrawny frame, he was often overlooked and when he wasn't, he was often bullied. By the local gangs, by the pretty girls in school, by the children at the local park… by his parent's new kitten.

He would insist that thing was evil until the day he died.

But he had a way out of all that. Out of being Gosunkugi 'Chew Toy' Hikaru. Alfheim Online, the latest greatest, really only viable, VRMMO on the market. He'd spent the last year since it launched playing under the alias of Sigurd. As Sigurd, he couldn't have been less like Gosunkugi. He was tall, handsome, influential and people noticed him. They listened to his words and followed his lead. He had power for once in his life.

And now it was all gone.

He gritted his teeth and barely restrained the urge to take another swing at the nail he had just hammered into the damp, moist earth of the park. Instead, he retrieved his roll of twine, supposedly made from the hair of a Jorogumo though he had his doubts. Still, it was the most magical twine he had access to and he needed everything he could get for this one.

He'd spent years researching, experimenting, attempting, and just plain failing at magic. But this time would be different. This time, he would have his revenge.

It was nighttime, slightly overcast but the moon was currently clear of obstruction. He needed to hurry otherwise it would be obstructed and that could impact the strength of this ritual. He worked quickly, ignoring the distant sounds of fighting a few blocks away with the practiced ease of a long-time resident of Nerima. What little of him paid mind to it noted that there seemed to be a preponderance of ki blasts being exchanged. It was a little bit unusual, rarely did anyone engage in more than a couple before resorting once again to fists.

Still, he ignored it as he uncapped a jar of glittering powder. Fairy Dust, he'd been told in the back alley pawn shop. It certainly wasn't normal glitter. He'd run a geiger counter over it just to be sure and it hadn't gone off so he was sure it wasn't radioactive. If it was Fairy Dust then it was perfect for his plans. Real Fairy Dust to channel the intent behind Alfheim Online.

He let out a soft cackle. This would work and then he'd show them all just what kind of sorcerer he was.

Gosunkugi shook out the powder in a careful circle around the rest of the ritual.

Behind his back, the top of a distant building turned to ice for a brief moment before being abruptly restored to normal. Flickers of light lanced back and forth between high rises in all the colours of the rainbow, still behind his back up to the east now as he walked the circle.

Finishing, he checked his cell phone. He'd had to talk his parents into getting him a phone. It was basically mandatory for keeping up to date on the news as the chief assistant to Sakuya. Now it was basically just a prop. Nearly all his contacts had been Sylphs and thanks to his actions as Sigurd none of them wanted a thing to do with him. The less said about the Salamanders the better. Their faction wanted nothing to do with a public failure.

Well who cared about them? ALO was a game, a pastime to keep him from dwelling on Nerima. It stopped him from thinking about the jerks who paraded about with super martial arts constantly stringing women along! He'd show them!

His cackling was a bit less quiet this time but still drowned out by the fighting behind him. He cleared his throat and rechecked his phone. Yeah, he needed to do this now. If he was much later he'd probably be grounded for staying out late.

He stepped into the center of the tangled web of twine and Fairy Dust and drew from his messenger bag his copy of ALO and the hard drive he had been using to run it. Pulling a silver steak knife from his pocket he carefully sliced open his finger, wincing at the pain, before marking both the hard drive and the box with symbols of fresh blood.

That done he set them down then stepped away to the outside of the circle once more. Positioning himself on the north side, conveniently turning his back just in time to miss a small tornado briefly took over the sky behind him, and raised his hands to the sky.

The words he spoke could have been old, or could have been new. Sourced as they were from a shiny leather bound book his father brought back from a business trip to New York City. Yet what they did was work. As his words, spoken loudly with the slight shrill of excitement, rang out across the clearing the twine began to sparkle. The dust around the edge glittered and the world fell away as for the first time in years, though not the first time ever, Gosunkugi felt something respond to his chanting.

The gaunt boy could barely keep a grin off his face as the words dripped from his lips onto the fabric of the world. The sounds of battle in the distance fell away and there was just him and the magic.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma Saotome rarely got a day, or night, off from the chaos of his life. Fiancees, rivals, random ghosts, really it could be anything. Rarely was it something he had directly precipitated. Usually, he got caught up in shenanigans started by others. Either aimed at him or those around him. Today was not one of those days.

"You want me to stay home tonight?" Ranma asked, staring at the two-foot-tall old woman sitting at the end of the table with surprise. He was sitting next to his mother, with his father beside Mr. Tendo on his mother's other side. Akane was across from him with her sisters. She looked about as in disbelief as he was. How often did they get told to stay out of things?

"That's correct," Cologne said, taking a sip of the tea the eldest Tendo daughter, Kasumi, had poured her. "I'm afraid tonight is a convergence of several celestial bodies that is empowering a number of ley lines within the city. I've been informed by several groups that they intend to make use of the opportunity to conduct rituals."

"Oh my," Kasumi said, "I hope they can all get along."

"Since when are we that lucky?" Ranma asked sarcastically. Akane nodded her agreement.

"Indeed, there is little expectation for any of them to be happy about the presence of others," Cologne said, "There is only enough time for a single ritual and you cannot conduct multiple rituals at a single site. They are quite likely to come to blows and anyone caught out and about will be at risk of getting dragged in. While I'm sure son-in-law can manage just fine, there is always a risk when dealing with magic and really, this doesn't concern anyone here. It will all be wrapped up by ten o'clock tonight one way or another."

"Well that's good to hear," Mr. Tendo said, "Still, if this is such an opportunity, I can't imagine there aren't unsavory types who will want to perform their own rituals?"

"Which is why I and several others will be keeping an eye on the ritual site. If any unsavory types show we will deal with it. I am doing this as a favour to an old acquaintance," she said, shooting Ranma a look. He just raised both hands.

"Hey, I'd rather keep some distance from magic if I can," he said. It didn't sound like it was an issue that needed his attention. "So long as no one rolls in and kidnaps Akane again, I'm not getting involved."

"It doesn't happen that often, Ranma," Akane grumbled, her eyebrow twitching from irritation. She turned red as everyone except Ranma's mother turned to her. "It doesn't!"

"There's not a chance we could, say, use this to cure our curses, is there?" Genma asked. Ranma's father leaned forward in his seat as he stared at the old woman.

"Not in the least," the old amazon replied before anyone else could throw in their own two cents. "To start with you'd need a sorcerer with extensive knowledge of Jusenkyo, and I'm sure you can understand why we keep sorcerers away from it."

Ranma twitched at the thought of a magic user arriving in Nerima with the ability to control or give or even just manipulate Jusenkyo curses. "Yeah, I can," he said with a grimace.

"Simply stay home, and this shouldn't affect you in the least. If it helps, I've instructed Shampoo and Mousse to remain at the restaurant for the night. Do keep out of this, for your own sakes. Sorcerers are far less amused by the sorts of antics you normally engage in," she said, standing up.

"My antics? I'm not the one using magic and poison all the time," he shot back.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Stay home tonight, all of you," she said before leaving.

After her departure, they finished cleaning up dinner, then Ranma stepped outside.

"Ranma!" Akane called as he stepped into the backyard.

He waved over his shoulder. "Just going to find a place to watch on the roof," he called back.

"A place to watch, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, around a cookie as she lay on her stomach reading a manga.

"You really think this is going to be quiet?" He asked. He nodded as she grimaced. "Yeah, this is going to get loud. I'm just going to watch and make sure no one summons Gojira or something."

"And what are you planning on doing if someone does, my son?" his mother asked.

"Um… Probably let all of you know we need to run?" he said after a moment's thought, "I mean, it's Gojira, what else would you do?" With that, he jumped up to the second-story roof and lay down on the side overlooking the backyard. He wasn't actually planning on paying much attention to whatever was happening in the ward. No, tonight he was going to lie down, relax and-

The spray of rainfall that briefly rolled over the roof left her eyebrow twitching. It was barely enough to make the tiles damp and even in the cool night air it would be gone in minutes. She let out a sigh, readjusted how she was lying down, and ignored it. A moment later the cool air caused her to consider getting a blanket. She ultimately decided against it when another moments-long shower rolled over her not even ten minutes later. A wet blanket was annoying.

Instead she watched the horizon.

The first sign of something abnormal wasn't a flash of light in the distance, but a flicker of light from the rooftop behind her. Without turning her head she said, "And you are?"

"Investigating possible issues," was the clipped reply she received. Their voice was deep, but female.

"Hmm, well I'm sitting on my roof waiting for the show to start. Not planning on leaving," she said, tilting her head to the side, "Probably should go get popcorn though."

"You think this is funny?" the woman asked.

"Funny? I'm just happy it isn't about me for once," She replied, "That assumes, of course, that you and yours don't make it my problem. Cologne says you're all going to fight over some ritual site and that I should stay out of it."

"Ah, the Joketsuzoku elder. She mentioned this place was home to some impressive martial artists," the woman said.

"Yeah, and I'm the best of 'em," Ranma said, tilting her head back to get a glimpse of the woman. She was clad in heavy-looking green robes and held a folding fan in one hand that she was tapping against her thigh. In the other was a delicately carved staff. "You aren't going to be dumb enough to start something, right?"

The sorceress smirked. "I think I could handle one little girl," she said with a chuckle that promptly died as Ranma left her relaxed position in a blur of speed to freeze her fist an inch from the sorceress' forehead.

"Really? Because that would have knocked you out," Ranma said, taking two steps back as she folded her arms behind her back and gave the woman a superior smirk.

"I… See." The woman swallowed, suddenly looking far less confident.

"But, you don't need to worry 'bout that, because I'm planning on watching the show, not participating. Don't make me feel the need to change that and we're golden, alright?" Ranma said, returning to her relaxed position on the rooftop. She watched the woman carefully, judging how she was taking the not-so-implied threat.

"... Understood. We'll try to keep things… Less destructive," she said.

Ranma snorted. "Don't worry about property damage. Half the town's been rebuilt at one point or another 'cause of duels. Hurt the people, however…" she trailed off.

"Ah. The Elder didn't say anything about that."

"O' course she wouldn't. Chinese Amazons don't care about collateral that much," Ranma said with a shrug, "Pass the word, won't you? I'd hate for any… misunderstandings, right?"

"... Yes, that would be terrible…. May I have your name?" she asked.

Ranma went to reply, then paused, staring at the woman suspiciously. She had an expectant look with a hint of smugness. 'Have her name', yeah, no. "Just tell 'em to be worried if the redhead shows up," she said,

"... as you wish. A good evening then, Ms. Akage," the woman replied with a hint of disappointment before tapping her staff against the tiles and disappearing in a flicker of light.

Ranma smirked. She'd figured one of them would stop by if she hung out on the rooftop. Hopefully, at least one group of them would be smart enough to get the hint. Cologne might not care about collateral, but she would.

With that done she popped back inside, picked up some microwaved popcorn and a blanket, and came back. She could always shuck the blanket if it got too damp.

The 'show' started about an hour later with a crack of thunder as a bolt of lightning snapped between two buildings in the distance. An entire rainbow of lights danced across the skyline and in the flickers and flashes Ranma could make out rapidly moving figures that seemed to flash in and out of existence. Teleporting much as the sorceress had.

The combat raged for an impressive forty minutes with no end in sight before the wind turned and a tornado crawled towards the sky, the signature formation of a Hiryu Shoten Ha. Cologne had clearly gotten involved, and at a fairly high level. She wondered for a moment if she should get involved before putting the thought aside. She rarely listened when people told her to stay out of something, but she had little interest in drawing the ire of people who could use magic.

There had been surprisingly little collateral damage as well. Only a few shattered office buildings, which wasn't really all that much at the end of the day.

Ranma was brought out of her musings by the thunk of the ladder on the edge of the rooftop. A moment later Akane stomped up the ladder. She paused at the top and stared off at the flashing lights.

"So that's what it looks like from outside," She said.

"They've caused less collateral damage than us so far," Ranma replied, stretching and yawning.

"Us? You mean you," she replied, shivering. Whether at the strange sight, even by Nerima standards, in the distance or due to the cold.

"Hey! I try to avoid it. It's not like I can control Mousse and Ryouga," Ranma replied, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "They should be done soon. Times running out on that convergence and I don't think anyone's even gotten close enough to start their-"

A pillar of blue light roared toward the moon from the park.

"... Nevermind. Someone just started something," Ranma said, throwing off her blanket to stand up. She walked up to the edge where Akane was staring at the pillar of power.

"Did Cologne say what they were doing?" Akane asked, worriedly.

"... No, she didn't. Excuse me," Ranma growled, taking a running leap to the next house, then the next, ignoring the shout from Akane behind her. "Should have asked that," she muttered as she bounced over the street. This didn't scream something good, which meant the Old Ghoul had failed.

"Trust the Old Ghoul one time," she complained loudly. When she got there she was so going to give the old woman- Her heart seemed to stop as the moon turned blue and a much larger wave of power rolled back down the blue pillar to crash into the ground. A wave of blue-silver mist washed out faster than sound.

Ranma backpedaled on the tiled roof, but it didn't matter. Escape was already impossible as the wave of magic rolled over the entire region.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Gosunkugi had no talent for magic. He knew barely anything about it and his every attempt to find proper instruction had seen him laughed out of sorcerer's cram schools, wizard's academies, and magician's colleges. The last was mostly because he was ten years too young.

He couldn't keep a grin off his face as he continued to chant. The array glowed with the magic that flowed up from below. He had gotten lucky, even he could tell that. The leylines were orders of magnitude stronger than he had ever expected and as the last of the seventh repetition of the latin chant left his lips it exploded forth in a pillar that reached to the sky. This was magic, this was the power he had always wanted.

He focused his mind as he started the second chant, fixed his wants and desires into the forefront of his mind. If he let his mind wander at this point he wouldn't get his wish, or maybe he would, but it would be wrong. Like if he started to think about destruction. Like if the power were to run loose and flatten Nerima to deliver- no, Focus.

Focus.

He would be who he should have been. Handsome, talented, influential. All he had as Sigurd. Everything he had in ALO and more. If it had been him in charge of the Sylph they could have had the world tree.

Focus!

They could have been Alfs, ruled the skies, but no-

Focus. On his handsome form and how he would be greater than all.

Focus. On the talent of a fairy! On being better than Ranma-

FOCUS!

The power seemed to peak, plateauing for a heartbeat… and then continued rising, and rising, and rising.

His focus stayed strong, but the power involved… It was as far beyond the desire to change a single soul as the sun was beyond a candle.

The power crested as the ninth repetition of the chant left his lips and the world turned silver as the power returned.

Gosunkugi screamed as the world went black.

Ten minutes, ten hours, ten days perhaps? He couldn't say how long it was at first since his mind was scrambled, but slowly, surely, the world returned. He was lying face first on the ground. He groaned at the soreness that dimly echoed through his body as he pushed himself to his knees. His armour creaked as he knelt and his sword…

His armour? His sword?

Gosunkugi stared down at himself. He was clad in his armour from ALO. His sword was at his waist. A wide grin appeared and he laughed. His voice boomed as it did on SAO. He rose to his feet and felt his forehead, there was his circlet, and his hair, yes it was green again.

Sigurd turned to the burnt circle in the park and laughed again holding his hand up to the full moon that still burned blue in the sky. "IT WORKED! I. AM. SIGURD! I. AM. A. SORCERER!", he shouted before breaking into mad laughter that echoed across the city.

He trailed off as something in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he turned, the laughter dying on his lips as his eyes took in the spiraling, twisted trunk of Yggdrasil as it loomed over Tokyo. It was taller than Mount Fuji. His mouth flapped open and shut for a full minute of incredulity before his laughter returned as he finally processed the sight before him.

He had done this. He had dragged the World Tree into reality from within a video game. "BANISH ME! ME! FOOLS!" he shouted, raising his hands again into the sky, "I HAVE STOLEN YOUR TREE! I HAVE MADE A GAME REAL! WITNESS MY MIGHT!"

It was nearly ten minutes before his mad laughter finally ceased, at which point he tried to check the time and found that he couldn't find his phone. Like the rest of his clothing, it had vanished, or perhaps it had been incinerated like everything in the circle. Either way, it was time he headed home…

Oh god, he was out late.

With barely a thought spared for decorum, Gosunkugi ran out of the park, just barely missing others who would have been very interested in asking him questions.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Something was different as Ranma came to.

"Ugh," she groaned as she blinked up at the sky. She lay there, on the roof of a three-story apartment building, and just processed the pained sensations coming from everything. Her head hurt, her limbs were sore and she'd swear she hurt in places that didn't actually exist. Like a tingle that went past her tailbone, or the phantom ache between and a little behind her shoulder blades. Still, she was alive. That was more than she'd expected when the Moon had shot Tokyo with an energy beam.

"I'm going to beat the Old Ghoul up for this," she muttered as she sat up, wincing as a sharp pain rolled up her tailbone. She reached back to rub the spot, and paused at the impossible sensation of touching something coming out from her tailbone. Her hand felt weird touching whatever it was, as it seemed to be part of her.

She grabbed the whatever and tried to gently turn to see it, but the angle was bad and she had to slowly pull it around. It was long, thin, a bit furry and actually felt kinda nice to touch. Still, what was-

A bright red, somewhat bushy, tail came into view held in her hand. It looked a bit like a cat tail.

A shiver of worry ran through her and she glanced about searching for a cat while her ears swiveled-

Both hands reached up to her head. Ears, coming out of the top of her head. Cat ears.

Ranma jumped to her feet with a hiss of anger. She was going to murder the Old Ghoul. "THEY TURNED ME INTO A CATGIRL!" she snarled, reflexively flexing the last phantom appendage-

A flicker of gold light caught her eye and she turned her head to see shimmering translucent golden wings, more like feather-shaped panels of energy than physical things, that had extended from her back. A glance to the other side confirmed the same. She had four golden wings, two high and two low.

"Correction," she hissed, flexing her hands like she was strangling someone, "A magical catgirl. Old Ghoul you'd better have your life insurance paid up, because I'm going to kill you." With a snarl that was more like a cat than a human, Ranma leaped to the next building and ran across the rooftops toward the ritual site.

Partway there she jumped, and to her surprise failed to come back down immediately. With a yelp of surprise she realized she was flying, her wings having instinctively spread at some point. As though attention was the last thing they wanted, her wings folded and she crashed in an ungainly heap on the roof of a house. Picking herself up she glanced at the wings. They worked. They actually worked. She'd felt something as they were working too. A slight pull on something within that wasn't her KI.

"..." She frowned at them. Maybe she'd kill the Old Ghoul a little less. She tried to flex them and they fluttered just a little, refusing to open as they had. She'd need to work on that. She tried, instead, to will them away and to her surprise they vanished easily. A thought brought them back and another sent them away again.

That dealt with she glanced about as she tried to recall the right direct, and promptly found her gaze snagged by something she really should have noticed sooner. Her eyes went up and up and up. She swallowed.

"That's a big tree," she whispered. It was somewhat north-east of downtown Tokyo, but it was still fairly close to the center of the city and its roots could be seen weaving through the cityscape, giant shadows that obscured entire chunks of the skyline. The tree itself spiraled up into the sky and its branches loomed above the city. Even as far out as they were, Ranma could spot a few branches in front of the moon.

What the hell had happened?

She swallowed again and gave herself a shake, provoking odd sensations from her new ears and tail. Quickly reorienting herself she ran across the rooftops, passed the remains of the running battle that seemed thankfully devoid of injured people, and dropped to the ground at the entrance to one of the local parks. The streetlights were out throughout the park as she silently walked through the gate.

In the distance air raid sirens had started singing. Probably not the best choice of alarms to sound at the moment.

The park was, roughly, the area the pillar of magic had come from. Her eyes scanned the area, only for her to get distracted as her ears twisted to listen. Pushing off the weird sensation, Ranma scanned the area. Flickers of light in the park's small wooded area caught her attention. Keeping quiet, she slipped into the forest, hugging the shadows of the trees.

A whispered conversation was being held within. Both of the voices sounded familiar actually.

"... all ash now," the voice of the sorceress from earlier said.

"There are other signs that we can examine beyond the symbology of the circle," the second voice said. Another woman, it sounded familiar, but Ranma couldn't place it. It wasn't the voice of one of her regular rivals or love interests.

"But those methods are limited. Who builds a ritual circle for something like this out of… I think this fragment here is twine," the sorceress said.

Ranma peered around the corner of a tree into the small clearing at the heart of the forested area. The sorceress was kneeling in the dirt as she examined something by a large circular burn mark with a flashlight of all things. Her ears had turned long and pointed, rather like those of an elf, and her hair seemed to be a different shade entirely. It was brighter, almost a blonde.

Her companion, however, was familiar. A woman in her mid-twenties or younger with long blue hair down to her waist. She was wearing a mid-thigh length robe and a pair of poorly fitted pants. Her face was extremely similar to Shampoo's, if one ignored the long pointed ears poking out of her loose hair.

The real kicker, however, was the gnarled staff she treated like a cane. Memories of the Nanban mirror incident welled up from within Ranma's subconscious and her eyebrow twitched.

"You've got to be kidding me," she snapped, stepping out into the clearing as the two women whirled to face her, "I get turned into a catgirl and you lose three hundred years. How's that fair?"

Cologne, looking far far younger than she had a few hours ago, giggled. "Well, son-in-law, it seems that some of us have better luck," she said, tapping her cane against the earth, "Come to see what caused this?"

"You mean 'Did I come to see why a magical nuke hit the city'?" Ranma snarked, crossing her arms under her chest and baring her teeth. "What. The. Hell. Happened?!"

"This was done by an unknown individual," the sorceress said as she pulled a small vial out and placed a piece of string-like material into it before corking the vial. "Unknown person, unknown motives, unknown effect. Given the forces involved, I honestly can't tell you whether or not they even succeeded or if what we saw was just a side effect from a failure."

"We were unfortunately distracted by the arrival of the Conclave of the North Watch," Cologne said.

"They're basically magically armed cultists. A death cult," the sorceress said, "All of the various parties banded together to see them off, thankfully without losses on our side."

"That has more to do with whoever conducted this ritual, than luck or skill," Cologne said, "Everyone was knocked silly. I recovered first and dealt with them. We, however, took too long and by the time we arrived here whoever had conducted this ritual had fled. It is a small consolation that they were clearly not affiliated with the Conclave."

Ranma filed the names away for later. "Great. So what did happen? Why am I a Catgirl?"

"Not a fucking clue," the sorceress deadpanned, "It's going to take days, months possibly, to decipher what the fuck happened. That said, anything you can tell us of what you saw, I'd appreciate. We were rather… busy, at the time."

"Yeah, someone shot a beam of magic at the moon and it punched back. At a guess it hit all of Tokyo with its response," Ranma replied, "Massive wave of this glowy mist."

"... Well that's not good," the sorceress muttered.

"Do you need me here, Ms.Toriyama?" Cologne asked.

"No, I should be able to handle it from here, especially once Akira gets here," the sorceress said.

"Good. Son-in-Law, let's head to the Tendo's place. This situation is in good hands," she said, walking past Ranma.

"'In good hands', you mean like you said it was before?" Ranma snarked, "The one time I listen to you, the fallout hits the entire city." She shot the sorceress an annoyed look, her ears flattening atop her head, and the woman winced.

"We did our best," Ms. Toriyama said with the tone of someone dreading the response.

"Do better next time," Ranma snapped before turning on her heel and following Cologne. She caught up to the youthened woman on the edge of the woods. She was stretching and paused with her cane braced behind her neck as Ranma caught up. She turned a teasing grin towards Ranma.

"Ah, Son-in-Law, like what you see?" she asked.

"I hear one syllable of 'Wo Ai ni' and I'm gone," Ranma replied flatly, to the laughter of the older woman.

"I did say if I was three hundred years younger, didn't I?" Cologne laughed before shaking her head, "But I would not do that to my Great-Granddaughter. It would be a terrible thing to break her heart."

"Like it isn't going to be anyways," Ranma replied. She ignored the raised eyebrow and smirk from the young-again Amazon. "Not marrying her, Old Ghoul." She twitched backwards out of the way of the cane as it lashed out at her skull. The 'Old Ghoul' blinked owlishly as it missed.

"You've gotten faster," she said with a raised eyebrow.

Ranma blinked. "I guess?" she replied non-committedly as she considered her reaction to Cologne's usual strike. Normally she couldn't avoid it. Now, despite the woman being far less worn down by age, she'd dodged it easily. Her eyes narrowed. "You're right. Something's up."

"The what, is clear," Cologne replied.

"Oh? Go ahead and say it then," Ranma said, not wanting to play games.

"Can't you guess, Son-in-Law?" the amazon asked, spinning her staff before a pair of hooked yellow-green energy wings appeared from her back. "We are no longer human."

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"Do you really need to go, Kazuto? Mom could be back at any time," Suguha said as they lingered by the front door.

"I need to check on Asuna, Sugu. This could have done anything to her," Kazuto replied. He had his sword over his back. While it was illegal, technically, to have a weapon in Japan he wasn't about to go out without it. It wasn't normal for them to be fairies or for the World Tree to just appear from nothing in the middle of Tokyo.

"I should go with you, Papa," Yui said. He shook his head.

"No, we have no idea what's out there and…" And she had just become real in a way that being an AI wasn't. "This isn't ALO. If anything happened to you, Yui, I- I couldn't," he said, bending down to hug her. He looked up at Sugu. "Keep an eye on her, please."

"I will, I promise," Sugu said before giving him her own hug, "You be careful, and… Bring her back, if you can. I want to meet Asuna."

"I will," he replied before patting Yui on the head once and stepping out through the door into the cold evening. It felt warmer than he had expected, but then he wasn't human at the moment, was he?

His gaze went up to the giant tree that had taken over the sky. Hell, it was hanging over the house. The branches obscured the sky above them. It was one thing to see it in the game, awe-inspiring as it had been, but now it was just… It somehow hit differently in real life. Trees weren't supposed to overshadow mountains.

"Big Brother."

He glanced back at Suguha standing in the door. "Yeah?"

"... You probably know it better than me, but… don't do anything reckless. This isn't a game anymore," she said, her lips trembling. She brushed a loose strand of golden hair behind her long ears.

"It hasn't been one for me for a while," he replied. With a thought his wings appeared on his back. "Now, let's see if this works. Back in a while, Sugu." He kicked off nearly as hard as he could and let out a yelp as he sailed up into the air, passing higher than the houses around them before he kicked open his wings.

He paused above the street for a moment to orient himself, then launched himself in the direction of the hospital as fast as he could, keeping to just above the roofline. Flight seemed to be as intuitive as in ALO, which was fortunate because he probably would have gone splat otherwise. That would have been embarrassing.

Power seemed to be more intermittent the closer he got to the tree. Cars were still driving through the streets at least, there were also a lot of people stepping out of homes or visible in windows or on balconies looking terrified. While he didn't stick around, he noted grimly that most of them had long pointed ears. He hadn't thought so many people played ALO…

He slowed and settled down on the edge of a grocery store's roof. It was physically impossible that this many people played ALO. Not in such a concentrated area at least. He stared down at a street where dozens of people had stepped out of their homes. Worry filled the air as they talked worriedly. His eyes fell on several children younger than ten with pointed ears. There had been a few in SAO, kids whose parents hadn't paid much attention to the rating on the box. The thing was, he didn't recall anyone having an avatar that young in ALO. In fact, the youngest-looking person he'd encountered was the Cait Sith leader, Alicia, and she was merely flat and short rather than young. Whatever had happened, it had affected people well beyond the confines of the game.

With a guilty look in the direction of the hospital, he spread his wings and flew down toward the street full of people. Asuna could wait. A few minutes wouldn't make a difference if… Well, she was at a hospital. If someone could do something they'd already be doing it. As much as it hurt to not rush there, leaving these people confused would be worse.

"HEY!" he called, drawing eyes towards him as he descended. Gasps ran through the group and a space formed around him as he touched down. "Is everyone alright here?" he asked.

"You mean other than the obvious?" one woman asked acerbically, before drawing back as he looked at her.

"... Well yeah," he said, "Look, I've just got a few questions and maybe I can provide a few answers in exchange?"

"You know what's going on?" A large man with the ears of a Cait Sith stepped forward.

He shook his head. "Yes and no," he said, "I can tell you what happened, but I'm in the dark as to the why or how just as much as you. First, a question, does anyone here play ALO?" The answer was, to his lack of surprise, a resounding no. "Right, so, this is going to seem unbelievable-"

"Like being turned into elves and having a giant tree take over downtown isn't?" Someone snarked.

"Point. I mean, I lived through SAO and this is just nuts even for me," Kazuto admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

The resulting interrogation, both ways, lasted nearly a half hour before he was able to escape. Most of the information they had was less detailed than what he had brought, but there was one detail. It had started with a flash of light in the north-northwest and was followed by a wave of light that passed through everything. Something big had happened, something centered on ALO, but it was also clearly something far beyond his expertise. He couldn't exactly stab a giant wave of light with a sword, and in the real world, his programming skill was somewhat less useful.

"I'm starting to think I'm cursed," he mused. That was two VR MMOs that had developed sudden, twisted consequences. Maybe it would be best if he tried to avoid more in the future?

The Hospital was lit up as he reached it. One of the few spots in its area. Not bothering with the front door he zipped up to the window he was sure belonged to Asuna. Her bed, which had been right by the window, was empty. A nerve gear sat on the pillow still in the indentation left by her head. Her blankets were rumbled, but showed no sign of someone actually climbing out of the bed.

Dropping to the ground he walked in through the front door. Unusually for this late at night the entrance lights were on and a green-haired woman, with the now requisite pointed ears, was fussing with the computer behind the desks. "Sir," she said without looking up, "If it's an emergency the emergency room is around the side. Otherwise visiting hours are over. Long over."

"You could at least look up," he replied, stepping up to the counter. The woman looked up and promptly took two steps back.

"Oh," she said as she took in his appearance, "still, sir, visiting hours are-"

"Over, I know. Look, I don't need to see her, I just need to know she's alright with everything that's going on. I'm looking for Asuna Yuuki," he said, before extending the wings he had yet to withdraw, "I just peaked in through her window with these and her bed was empty."

"You- Empty?" The woman asked, stepping towards her computer, "What was her name?"

"Asuna Yuuki. She's an SAO victim… just like me," he said.

"Ah. I thought I recognized the name. Mr. Kirigaya if I recall, right?" she asked him. He nodded. He had thought she looked vaguely familiar. Her cheekbones were higher and her hair a completely different colour, but she was definitely the usual receptionist. "You realize her Fiancee has told us to inform him of anyone who visits, right?"

"Let him know. I don't care at this point," he replied bluntly, "That bastard was going to marry her while she was still unconscious."

"... I had heard a rumour along those lines," the receptionist said. She sounded rather disgusted by the thought as she scanned her list. "Asuna… Asuna… She should be in bed. No signs of her waking up. Let me make a call." She grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Watanabe? Yeah, I've got someone at the front desk here to see if Asuna Yuuki is fine… Yeah well he says her bed is empty… No, he flew to the window… Yes, I'm sure, he has fairy wings- Yes…" she glanced up, "One second, she's just checking."

They waited anxiously for a minute before the receptionist winced. "Slow down… You're sure?" she asked, "Right, I'll start a search of the building. Thanks." She hung up and looked at him. "Her current location isn't known at the moment."

Kazuto rubbed his forehead. He'd woken up in his bed, so where the hell could Asuna be? At least the odds of her being dead were minimal at best. But where the hell could she have gone? She was practically skin and…

No.

No, she'd be like him now. Like that picture that Agil had shown him of the girl in the cage.

"Damn it," he said as realization hit him, "She's still in the cage."

"I'm sorry?" the woman asked, looking completely lost.

He took a deep breath. "Right so… Bit of a long story at this point, but when Asuna didn't wake up a friend of ours reached out about a week ago with a picture," he said, "It was a picture of a girl in a cage in the branches of this massive tree. Only, the girl looked like Asuna except with wings and…" he gestured to his ears. The woman's eyes went wide and one hand touched her own ear. "Yeah. Apparently, it was taken in Alfheim Online, a game built on the same CARDINAL engine as SAO. The entire goal of the game was to ascend this giant tree before the other factions and that picture put her in the branches of it."

"That's not possible. She was in SAO," the receptionist said.

"Except ALO uses the same system architecture. Hell, I bet it uses some of the same servers. Transferring her from one system to the other? Totally possible. When I logged in with my Nerve Gear all my character stats from SAO were transferred as well. The systems are one hundred percent compatible," Kazuto said, running a hand through his hair, "And now there's that giant tree outside. You've seen it, right?"

"Rather hard not to."

"Right, well, that's the World Tree from ALO. That's where the cage with Asuna was spotted," he said, "She's still in the cage. Whatever just happened pulled her through the game and she's still up there in that cage. I'm sure of it. Excuse me. I need to go, now."

With that he turned on a heel and was out the door at a run, ignoring the receptionist's shout to stop. He was going to need help to get her back. He jumped into the sky and in moments set a new speed record as he headed for home. He had calls he needed to make. First, Agil, then Klein, then… then whoever he could gather. He was going to get Asuna back if it killed him.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Asuna groaned and pushed herself up. That had hurt, that had hurt a lot. She didn't think that falling into an endless void should hurt, after all, what was there to hurt you in an endless void?

She shook her head and tried to ignore the aches and pains in her body.. Aches and pains? She opened her eyes and looked about in utter confusion. She wasn't in Aincrad, or her cage in Alfheim Online, or in a hospital, or her home. She was in a bedroom, in a four-poster bed, in a room that reminded her of many of the western manors they had encountered in Aincrad. Bright white crystals glowed in delicate sconces mounted on the walls providing a comforting light.

Slipping out of bed she noted that her wings seemed to be gone, though she could feel something there. It was a strange tingling sensation like something was waiting anxiously. She ignored it for the moment after making sure that nothing was there physically. Weird sensations she could handle.

A set of glass double doors let out onto a balcony while a single wooden one probably led into whatever building this was part of. A manor or castle was most likely given the decorations. She checked her clothing and frowned. The slip and panties were even more revealing than what she'd been wearing in her cage.

She scowled and looked around for a closet. Before she stepped out and tried to get the lay of the land she needed something less… less this. She was going to kill Sugou when she got free. She was going to murder him and despite her normal aversion to killing she was going to enjoy it. Assuming Kirito didn't get to him first.

A smile blossomed on her lips as she thought of Kirito. She still had a promise to fulfill and she didn't plan on making him wait any longer than she had to. If she could, she'd get to him. If not, well she'd apologize for making him rescue her later.

The closet was a walk-in affair, several times larger than her own back home. It was also mostly useless. She wasn't quite sure who stocked it, but they were either a slut or a pervert given the abyssmal lack of fabric most of the pieces had. Still, it wasn't a total loss. A pair of leather riding pants were located along with a top that only left her shoulders bare. A cloak joined them a few moments later.

Properly dressed, and aching quite a bit less than before, Asuna finally approached the balcony. The cold air outside made her thankful for her cloak. Walking past the small table for two, she stopped at the railing and looked around. She scowled immediately.

She was still in the stupid tree.

Her balcony was perched on a large palatial structure that itself appeared to be hanging from the underside of a large branch. Branches large enough to count as islands in the sky weaved above and below her. Each branch was home to large houses, market squares, and a thousand glittering lights. Movement could be seen amongst the branches, but it looked barely human. They seemed shaped more like Golems than people.

She raised a hand to an ear and grimaced at the pointedness of it. She shook her head. She felt stronger than she had in the cage, like her old strength from SAO had returned, or even just her strength from real life. She didn't feel weak like she had.

"I need a weapon," she said to herself and returned to the room. A cursory search turned up a rack of rapiers hidden in the armoire. Taking one she smiled. It was time to escape.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma pushed open the door to the Tendo Dojo irritably. "I'm home!" she called, taking care to remove her slippers. Behind her, Cologne removed the slightly oversized sneakers she'd been wearing.

A few moments later a blue-haired Kasumi with long pointed ears poked her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, there you are Ranma. We've been so worried," she said before pausing to stare at Cologne. "Another friend, Ranma?" she asked.

Ranma stared at the nearly neon blue shade of Kasumi's hair before shaking her head. "The Old Ghoul got a makeover," she said before she sidestepped her reflexive cane swing.

"Oh my. Elder Cologne?" Kasumi said, putting a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Hello Kasumi, dear. The tea earlier was lovely," she said, smiling as Kasumi's eyes widened.

"Thank you. Um, please, come this way. Everyone is a bit scattered at the moment, I'm afraid. Some people have taken the events better than others. Ranma, would you like some hot water?" Kasumi asked.

Ranma shrugged. "If you have some, then maybe?" she said. The look she got in reply from Kasumi was confusing. "What?"

"Nothing. Please, go sit down, I'll bring refreshments out in a few," Kasumi said, giving her the same look again before disappearing into the kitchen again.

Ranma shrugged before folding her hands behind her head and walking to the family room. The sight there was a bit odd. Soun was sitting down in his usual spot, but his black hair had streaks of fire running through it. He looked much the same except for a lack of wrinkles. Across from him was Ranma's mother. Her hair was much brighter, almost exactly the same shade as Ranma's and she looked younger, more as if she was Ranma's older sister than her mother. She was patting a beautiful black-haired woman -- who was for some reason wearing an oversized Gi and not much else -- on the head with a fond smile.

"Hi, Mum, Mr. Tendo and…?" Ranma trailed off looking at the new woman.

The black-haired woman bristled and whirled in her seat. "Don't you recognize your father, boy?!" She snapped in tones that were very familiar.

Ranma blinked twice.

"Genma, dear, you can hardly blame our child for not recognizing you immediately," Nodoka chided, swatting Ranma's female father on the head.

"... Eh?" Was Ranma's intelligent reply to the situation. Cologne peered over Ranma's shoulder.

"Oh my," the no-longer-old woman said as she stepped inside. "This is quite a predicament you've managed to get yourself into, Genma Saotome." She chuckled as she found a seat.

"Do we know you?" Ranma's mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the Old Ghou- ow," Ranma winced as the cane cracked home against her head, crushing one of her ears. "Ow ow ow." She whimpered, rubbing the far more sensitive than she realized, ear. Tears sprung to her eyes as she glared at Cologne who seemed quite surprised.

"Ranma, come here," her mother said, beckoning her over. Ranma found a seat next to her mother. "Stop holding it down," she chided Ranma, "Oh dear. Elder Cologne, can you explain the changes we've experienced?" She shot a glare over Ranma's head as she gently rubbed Ranma's ear. Despite herself, Ranma leaned into the hand and sighed. That felt nice.

"Unfortunately, no. An unknown party snuck past our perimeter while we were occupied with another threat and enacted a ritual that is still being deciphered. Unfortunately, it seems to have left little in the way of evidence as to their motives, actions, or intentions," Cologne said, shaking her head, "Tell me, has your husband been exposed to cold water recently?"

"No. He spontaneously changed a short while after we woke up again. I was worried for Ranma," Ranma's mother said.

"She was getting far too emotional," Genma huffed, crossing her arms and inadvertently pushing her chest up. Across the table Soun turned to face the door.

"Saotome, if you mind," the lone man in the room said with an awkward cough."

"Erk," Ranma's father went a strange shade of pale red as her hands jumped away from her body.

Ranma snickered. Oh, being a girl was simple, huh? Nothing to worry about, right? She grinned viciously at her Pops. "Gotta be careful, pops. You're a woman now," she said, smirking.

"Be polite to your father, Ranma. You know very well what he's going through," her mother chided.

"Yes, mother," Ranma replied politely, matching her pop's glare with a sunny smile.

Cologne, meanwhile, was tapping her chin as she thought. "Very unusual," she said, "... I have an idea, however." She pointed to the cup of tea in front of Nodoka. "How warm is that?"

Ranma's mother put her finger in the drink. "Warm enough," she said, glancing to Ranma

"No, if you use that I'll have to have a bath," Ranma said, her ears going flat as she stared at the cup of tea.

"You probably need one anyways," Cologne said, "If you don't mind, Mrs. Saotome?"

Ranma grimaced as her mother poured the warm tea over her head. He sighed and adjusted his shirt irritably. "Really?" he sighed.

Cologne nodded. "I see, I see. Ranma, how would you like ice cream?" she asked.

Ranma blinked. "Ice cream?" she asked, then blinked again at the tone of her voice. She looked down. "Why am I a girl again?" she demanded as her mother gasped. Ranma had to catch the tea cup as it slipped from her hands.

Her father was staring and edging away with a fearful expression on her face. Cologne, meanwhile, simply nodded as though this was the expected outcome. "Yes, I thought so. Ranma, can you focus on wanting to be a man? If nothing happens, try thinking about it from a different angle."

"What?" Ranma blinked before nodding, very unsure of herself suddenly. "I guess I can?" She closed her eyes. Want to be a man? Well, she'd wanted it when she'd used the water, which she could still feel in her hair. Ugh, she was going to have to wash tea leaves out of her hair again. Normally wanting to be a guy wasn't that hard, she normally wanted to be a guy more than a girl anyways… Uh…

So how did she go about wanting to be a guy anyways?

The moments dragged on as she tried different strategies. A desire to show she was manly amounted to nothing. The same could be said of trying to focus on showing off. A few other thoughts crossed her mind but nothing seemed to be working. Until she focused on the idea of being stronger. Physically her male form was stronger than her female form and really, she could use that little bit of extra strength to… Move the table? Yeah, sure. That'd work and-

"There we go," Cologne said, a smug tone in her voice.

"How did he do that?" came the unfamiliar tones of her father's female form.

Ranma opened his eyes and blinked down at himself. "Wait, I did that without hot water?" he asked. Also, why had that worked when showing off hadn't?

"Oh, Ranma!" With just that little bit of warning his mother glomped him. His tail and ears went straight with alarm as she hugged him hard.

"Mom!" He protested, trying to push her off. It wasn't working and frustration bubbled up inside. As much as he liked a hug from his mother, hugs like this were just uncomfortable. She never was this aggressive when he was a-

"And there it goes," Cologne deadpanned.

-girl? Ranma blinked as she was suddenly female again. Her mother's grip slackened in shock and they stared at each other.

"What?" her mother sounded very confused, about as confused as Ranma felt.

"At a guess," Cologne said before anyone could ask, "The nature of Son-in-law's curse has changed to be affected by one's will. I've heard of rare cases of this in the past. I'd need more time to learn more about how it works, I'm afraid. Until they learn to control it you will simply have to put up with random shifts of gender."

"... I see," Nodoka said before reaching up and scratching Ranma behind her ear.

"Mooom," she complained as her cheeks went red from embarrassment even as she leaned into her hand. Being a magical catgirl was so embarrassing! "I can control it?" she asked Cologne after a monstrous effort to mostly ignore her mother's fingers.

"In theory," Cologne said, watching them both, "It's likely affected by mental state or by what you perceive to be feminine vs. masculine activities or emotions, or even simple whims. You will need to experiment to identify the trigger. Beyond that, we'd have to spend days working on it, perhaps weeks or longer."

Ranma twitched at that. 'Feminine' basically meant… She shot a look at her father and scowled. She'd admit, she often had a hard time feeling masculine when doing anything except martial arts or some sort of strength contest. Which meant… Which meant she was going to be spending most of her time as a girl until she got a handle on this. "Pops, I blame you," she said through gritted teeth. It wasn't the same as being locked as a girl, but this meant she was basically broadcasting how manly she felt she was just by existing. Which, being a magical catgirl really wasn't much.

"This is not my fault!" the long dark-haired woman replied, shying away as Ranma started to growl.

"Ah, ah, enough, both of you," Ranma's mother said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Can you explain what you mean by that, Elder Cologne?"

"Hmmm," the youngish elder smirked, "It's hard to say, exactly. No two people are exactly the same mentally. You'll likely learn a great deal about your husband and son over the next few years."

Ranma flushed, then stood up. "I'm going to go have a bath," she said, turning her back on the room with an irritated flick of her tail.

"Oh, run away from the implications with your tail- ack." The ack was preceded by the sound of steel being drawn.

"Genma, be quiet," Ranma's mother said, as the younger redhead slid the door shut behind her.

Ranma sighed and leaned her head against the door frame. "This is going to suck," she muttered. So her curse was controlled by willpower now and… and it would mostly respond to how male or female she was feeling at the time… wait a moment.

Ranma slid the door back open to find her mother had the family Katana laying in her lap. Everyone turned back to her. She swallowed. "So, quick question. If my curse has changed… Why is pops a woman?" she asked.

"... At a guess his curse was altered by the magic as well. Note the ears," Cologne said, pointing out the long thin ears on Genma, "Like you, your father's cursed form is no longer normal. At a guess, it simply replaced his form with that of whatever we are, but that is pure speculation at best. Unraveling tonight's events will take months more than likely."

"... Well, I'm sure pops can handle it. Not like he's going to have trouble feeling 'manly' with Mom around, right?" she said, shooting a smirk his way.

"Listen you-"

"Going for that bath now, later," Ranma said, shutting the door in her father's face. She covered her mouth to restrain the giggles that wanted to erupt.

"Oh, Ranma," Kasumi said as she stepped out of the kitchen, she was bringing a plate of cookies towards the family room, "Did you have an accident?" she nodded to Ranma's hair.

"No. Mum decided to test my curse cause of Pops," Ranma replied, "Looks like it's changed like his.. Hers, has." She concealed a smirk that drew a fond sigh from Kasumi.

"Here, have a cookie, then go have a bath," Kasumi said, shuffling Ranma along once she took a cookie.

"Thanks Kasumi," she said after taking three cookies. She hurried up the steps to the second floor to grab a change of clothes, munching on a cookie as she went.

"Nabiki! Come on, it isn't that bad," Akane said. Her voice sounded a little… off? Slightly deeper, though still feminine.

Ranma paused on the steps and grimaced. What could have possibly embarrassed Nabiki? She walked up the next few steps apprehensively and stopped abruptly as soon as she spotted Akane.

Akane looked like Akane, if, that is, Akane was six foot five and looked rather like she'd been carved from stone. Well, that was perhaps being uncharitable, but she certainly looked a lot more solidly built than before.

"Akane?" Ranma squeaked, cursing her voice as the giant girl turned to her.

"Ranma? Oh, wow you're small now… Are those cat ears?" Akane asked.

Ranma nodded and walked over to her. "Yeah, cat… cat ears," she said, looking up and up at the other girl. She wasn't the tallest girl, but compared to Akane she felt absolutely tiny now. "I- How are you?" she asked.

"Annoyed that nothing fits, but better than Nabiki," Akane said, glancing at the door beside you, "She turned into a catgirl like you did and I think she knows what's going-."

"GO AWAY!" Ranma blinked as a rather high pitched voice came through the door. That wasn't Nabiki's voice. It wasn't even close.

"No!" Akane replied, "Look, you can come out or we can come in."

"Since when am I involved in this?" Ranma protested, her ears flaring up.

"Since now. Nabiki! Open the door!"

"Ranma, get my sister away and I'll take ten thousand off your debt!" 'Nabiki' shouted.

"Are you sure that's her?" Ranma asked, "Because that doesn't sound like her."

"She doesn't look anything like herself either, which is why I think she knows something. There's something different about her, Ranma," Akane said. She hammered on the door. "Open up Nabi…ki…" With a 'crunch' something popped and the door swung open. "Oops."

"Akane!" 'Nabiki' hissed from her bed. On said bed was a girl with long dirty blonde hair, two cat ears like Ranma's and a cat tail of the same colour. She was also nearly a foot shorter than Ranma.

Ranma's lips twitched as she stared. A snicker popped through her lips.

"Saotome, I swear, if you-" The high girlish voice, more appropriate on a girl five years younger, sent Ranma over the edge and she broke down howling with laughter.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: Something a bit strange. An old idea I finally decided to put to paper. Not sure now likely I am to continue this but at least it's out of my head for now. I hope everyone's enjoyed it. It was erm… a pain in the ass for Gekkou to edit. ^^; I kept rearranging which scenes were where.

Gekkou_Yoko: They switched scene ordering around some nine plus times.

Grounders10: *awkward cough* it was driving me nuts trying to figure out the presentation for it.

 

[Grounders10]

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A
Harry Potter x MLP: FIM
Crossover

Three Feathers For Tomorrow

By: Grounders10

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Chapter One

The Third World

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A black-haired boy with glasses peered about the crowded platforms of Kings Cross station. Clutched in one hand was a letter while the other held the handle of his trolley upon which sat his trunk, full of nearly all his worldly possessions, and a snow-white owl in a cage. While he had hardly been looking forward to it, he had expected to find his relatives, the Dursley family, waiting for him.

Neither he, nor they, had much fondness for each other yet that hadn't stopped them from picking him up after the last two years of school. Though he had to admit, he hadn't literally blown up his uncle's sister before. Still he had been assured they would be waiting for him by the Headmaster…

And yet as Harry Potter looked about with growing concern, he could find not a trace of his relatives. Not a single one.

"Do you suppose they've decided to be rid of me at last, Hedwig?" he asked his owl as he pushed the trolley along to the exit. It was better to not crowd the platform too close to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Especially since his friends had already left with their own families.

The snowy owl let out a soft hoot that sounded vaguely like agreement. She ruffled her wings and turned her head to stare at a passing child several years his junior.

He was going to have to find his own way to Privet Drive then. Of course, showing up there might just see him tossed out onto the street, but at least he would have some closure on the matter. He just needed to find a less crowded place and, though he hated the idea, summon the Knight Bus. The infernal, though not literally, double-decker bus would be more than enough to get him to his relative's place.

"Excuse me young man," an aged woman's voice spoke up as he approached the exit, at the same moment as a hand fell upon his shoulder. He jumped and whirled away from the owner of the hand to find a woman with black hair held up in a bun and wearing a grey business suit. She had a severe expression on her face not dissimilar to his Head of House Professor McGonagall back in school. The Head of Gryffindor house was notably strict and this woman, while much younger, seemed to be carved from the same stone. "Would you," she continued as though she had not snuck up on him, "Happen to be Mr. Harry Potter? Son of Lily Potter nee Evans?"

"I-" He stuttered then cleared his throat as he let his head stop pounding. "I- I am, yes," he confirmed, wondering who she was. There was also the why of her question. Most people tended to emphasise his father's family, not his mother's.

She smiled and looked him over before frowning once more. "I am Ms. Inkwell," she said as she looked him over judgmentally, "I am here to pick you up."

Pick him up? "Where are the Dursleys?" he asked after a moment, sparing a second to glance about for the distinct shapes of his relatives.

"At home. I'm afraid I'm here to oversee certain matters of inheritance that should have been dealt with some years ago," She said sternly, "Matters that do not involve anyone of the Dursley Family. While your Aunt is the elder sibling, she was passed over for Lily and later yourself in your Grandparent's Will. Not entirely, but in several important matters."

"I see…" He really didn't. "Can I… see some ID?" he asked. After the last year he was hardly just going to trust some random person. Sure his Godfather had proven to not be the murderer everyone insisted he was but it didn't hurt to be careful.

She produced a business card from her purse along with her drivers licence. The card read 'Miriam Inkwell, Lawyer'. It claimed she worked for 'Inkwell and Holden' and specialised in inheritance law. He glanced at the driver's licence. He honestly couldn't tell if it was real or fake, but it looked real enough for him.

"What's this about?" he asked as he handed the card back to her.

"Perhaps we should discuss that when we are no longer in the doorway," she suggested. With a start, he realised they were standing in the doorway of King's Cross station. Well, one of the many doorways, and for which they were receiving dark looks from the many people passing by to either side.

"Erm.. Right, where would you suggest?" he asked.

"Outside, perhaps? I have the paperwork in my car either way," she replied, prodding him to move along. Following her directions he exited the building and followed her lead to a grey land rover. She opened up the side door and pulled a briefcase out of the footwell.

"I am here at the behest of one 'Celestia Dawnstar'," she said as she opened it on the seat.

"Who?" he asked.

"Your Godmother," she replied.

He stared at her. His Godmother? "I have a Godmother?" he asked. First his Godfather, then his Godmother? Sirius at least had a good reason not to get involved in his life. Azkaban Prison was an island fortress in the north sea guarded by monsters that literally fed on happiness. It wasn't the sort of prison to let people out on day parole to visit family.

"She said you'd say that," Ms. Inkwell said with a sigh, "Your Godmother tells me that she has a very busy work schedule that permits her little time to herself let alone on long trips to check up on people she thought were in good hands."

"I wouldn't exactly call my relatives good hands," he said, receiving a scoff from the woman.

"Having spoken with them several times, I find myself agreeing with you," she said, "They kept insisting you were at St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. They had a change of heart when I informed them that the facility had never so much as heard of a Harry Potter, let alone had one within their walls. They seemed to wish to avoid involving the police in a missing persons case."

Harry tried to disguise his snort as a cough into his arm and fought to keep a grin off his face.

"I nearly did anyway when I failed to find any information on this 'Hogwarts' you supposedly attend," she said.

"It's a private boarding school, up in Scotland," he said quickly.

"So your relatives said," she said before holding out a thin stack of papers, "The records that prove your Godmother's bonafides."

He accepted the papers and frowned as he went through them. There was a birth certificate, signed as simply 'St. Mungo's Center for Magical Maladies', which caused him to raise an eyebrow. That didn't seem like the sort of thing that a muggle Lawyer was supposed to have. But, there on the certificate, under Godparents, was listed a 'Celestia Dawnstar'. The next was a copy of his parents Will. It basically said that he was to get everything, with a few small amounts -- oddly again listed in Galleons -- going to others like Sirius and Professor Lupin. Even a bit going to Pettigrew. There was even ten thousand Galleons to be given to the Dursleys once it had been changed to pounds. Listed amongst the names of possible caretakers for him was a 'Celestia Dawnstar' nestled between 'Sirius Black' and 'Remus Lupin'. The seal of Gringotts bank at the bottom of the document attested to its origins.

It seemed that he really did have a Godmother. "So, why now?" he asked, passing her the papers.

"Your Godmother was expecting you to be brought for a visit some time ago," Ms. Inkwell said, "She has finally decided to force the issue since there are certain… obligations, that must be handled."

Harry grimaced. "What sort of-"

Ms. Inkwell held up a hand to interrupt him. "I'm afraid that is beyond me. My job is to simply bring you to her. Today, preferably," she said, "Now, if you are done wasting time…?" Her tone sent a cold shiver down his back as it reached all new levels of sternness.

He glanced about one last time looking for the Dursleys. Not a single sign of his whale-sized cousin or his Aunt and Uncle could be found in the busy parking lot. "I suppose," he said.

It took them several minutes to wrestle the trunk into the boot of the Land Rover before placing Hedwig into the backseat. To his surprise Ms. Inkwell insisted he sit up front. "You'll have a better view of our destination," she said as they set off.

Harry grew nervous as their drive took them out of London, but hid it as best he could. Just in case he had made sure to slip his wand up his sleeve.

Two hours north of London they turned off the A1(M) onto a country road. A sign, partly hidden by the trees, proclaimed the town of 'Yaxley'. Shortly after the road turned to gravel as they turned once again onto an even more meandering path. It was clearly an old road, the dirt to either side had built up over the centuries creating a shallow channel down which the road travelled. Topped by trees and bushes the sides made it difficult to say where they were.

Eventually, though, they emerged from the trees onto a paved driveway that led across several acres of well manicured lawn, and flowerbeds, to a three story Georgian manor house. Several other vehicles were parked by the door as they pulled up to the front.

"We're here. Leave your things, they will be brought in for you," Ms. Inkwell said as she turned off the car. She hopped out of the Land Rover and stumbled before catching herself on the door.

Harry piled out and followed her up the steps to the front door. He swept the area with a quick glance, but couldn't see anyone other than them. Distantly he could hear the sound of a sprinkler going and possibly what sounded like horses. The entire area seemed to be enclosed by dense woodland.

Ms. Inkwell knocked on the double doors. Small fractal windows let light in but made it hard for Harry to make out anything beyond shadows. After a few moments she knocked again. Another few moments passed before a shadow crossed the windows and the door was opened by a young woman with straight hair that seemed to have been cut to a hair breadth's precision. Her clothes were much the same, being a button down blouse and trousers. Strangely, her hair had purple, magenta and lavender running through it in neatly ordered lines.

"Oh, Inkwell, you're here," she said before turning to Harry and smiling. "And you must be Harry Potter. I'm Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you." She held out a hand and he shook it.

"Nice to meet you, though I'm still a bit confused as to what's going on," he said.

"Ah. Inkwell, I'll take it from here," Twilight said.

"As you wish," Ms. Inkwell said, bowing her head to the young woman before nodding once to Harry and walking back toward the car.

Harry watched her go. "She isn't going to leave with my things, is she?" he asked after a moment.

Judging by her expression, Twilight seemed scandalised at the very thought. "No, nonono, nothing like that," she said, opening the door for him. "She'll get your things. I am going to bring you to Celestia. She's waiting in the sitting room." She took his hand and pulled him along at a hurried pace. Despite himself he blushed. She was easily as pretty as Cho Chang, yet seemed so much more approachable already.

The interior of the manor was opulent. Marble tiled floors, a golden bannister for the staircase, large paintings on the walls of people with fantastical hair colours… not that dissimilar to the young woman leading him deeper into the house. Was this her place? Was she maybe Celestia's daughter? God he hoped not.

"You know, when I woke up this morning I didn't expect to be doing this. Princess Celestia never told me she had a Godson before," Twilight said as she dragged him around the corner and through a small sitting room.

He stumbled over his own feet as she dragged him. "Wait- Princess?" he asked. Just who was his Godmother?

"Ooh, oops," Twilight blushed and looked away. She fell silent until they came to a closed sliding door and she let go of his hand to open it. "Princess? I have Harry here," she said as she stepped in, waving for him to follow her.

Cautious he entered the room slowly. The room was in a small rotunda at the corner of the building with floor to ceiling stained glass windows that seemed a little too large for the space. Winged unicorns and colourful depictions of small horses filled the windows.

Brighter than the sunlight stained the floor in a rainbow of colours was a tall, beautiful caucasian woman in a backless white sundress. She had the sort of effortless, seemingly radiant, beauty that Harry was sure Aunt Petunia would have instantly declared the product of 'surgery' or 'far too much makeup'. If they had ever met he would have had to be careful around his Aunt for days. The strangest thing about her, however, was her hair. It was coloured in bands of blue, teal, lavender and pink and seemed to flow as a seamless whole in an unseen breeze.

She met his gaze with a warm smile and he added purple eyes to the list of strange things about her. "Harry Potter, " she said warmly, "It has been far too long since I saw you last. Please, sit. Twilight, would you mind bringing us some more tea?"

"Of course, Princess!" Twilight blurted out with a wide grin before disappearing so quickly Harry almost thought she teleported. Only the sound of doors opening told him otherwise.

The older woman chuckled and gestured to the seat across the coffee table from her. Harry, quite carefully, sat down on the sofa. "Hi," he said uncertainly. That waving hair had to be magic, which made sense. The odds of his parents not making a witch his Godmother were… low.

"Hello," she said, smiling warmly. "I hope the drive wasn't too long."

"It was fine," he replied.

Celestia sipped her tea and sighed. "You're wondering who I am and why, after all this time, am I here," she said, a slight melancholic tone in her voice.

"Sirius at least had a good reason for not being around," he said, unable to keep anger out of his voice.

"... Yes, I've heard about his imprisonment," she said, with a frown crossing her lips. It looked out of place on her as she leaned back against the sofa. "And his escape. It is another thing I shall have to look into now that I have time." She set her teacup down. "Harry, I am sorry for not being here, and for not looking after you as your mother and father wished, however for reasons you will soon understand I could neither spend the sort of time required to raise a child here nor was it safe for you to come home with me."

"This isn't your home?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. This is the Evan's family home. Yours now," Celestia said.

His? Harry looked around at the windows and walls. "There're… a lot of horses," he said.

Celestia snorted into her wrist and let out a tinkly sounding giggle. "Ponies, not horses," she said before sobering up. "Am I right that this is the first time you've been here, Harry?" she asked.

He nodded and she muttered something, of which he only made out the name of his Aunt, before lifting her tea to her lips and taking a sip. "I was afraid of that. You should have been brought here at the end of your school year two years ago," she said, "Which is why I had Inkwell investigate."

The door behind Harry swung open with a bang. "Princess, I brought the tea you asked for," Twilight said as she brought a tray with a teapot and small snacks. "Oops, sorry Harry," she added as he clutched at his chest. His heart was thundering from surprise.

"It's fine," he said as Twilight laid out the fresh pot of tea and a variety of snacks.

Celestia politely laughed behind one hand. Once he had a cup of tea of his own, and a small plate of snacks, she continued. "Now, myself and your mother's family go back many, many generations," she said.

"... So you are a witch," he said, eyeing her flowing hair. Beside Celestia Twilight giggled, shaking her head. The older woman shot her a look that caused her to blush and look away.

"Not at all. Despite my appearance, I am most assuredly not a Witch. Normally, at least," Celestia said with some amusement.

Harry stared at her. Not a witch? "I'm not sure I understand," he said finally.

"You will shortly. I promise," she said kindly, "I am far older than I look and have worked with the Evans family for several hundred years. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship."

"I thought my Mother and Aunt were from… well…"

"Less well-off circumstances?" Celestia said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Middle-class as it were rather than something this rich.

A few minutes passed quietly as they drank their tea before Celestia finally spoke again. "I asked them to find other residences for a time," she said.

"Why?' Harry asked, staring at her firmly.

"For the same reason, I could not take you to live with me. I am not the only one like me. My sister is another and she and I had a… falling out, you could say, many years ago. We've since resolved the issues, but for a time there was a risk to your family should my sister in her madness found out about them." She shook her head and sipped her tea with a solemn expression.

"Princess Luna wasn't herself at the time," Twilight said, "We saved her a few years ago now."

"Yes, about that," Celestia said before noticing the lost expression on his face. "But I'm afraid we aren't helping my Godson's confusion right now, Twilight. Allow me to stop beating about the bush then. Harry, I am not human nor am I from this world. Neither is Twilight here." The dark-haired girl waved and smiled sheepishly.

Celestia took a sip of tea. "Your mother's family discovered a naturally occurring portal several of your centuries ago and came through. After some… rather exciting events I entrusted them with the gateway between our worlds and we have remained in contact since," she said.

Harry set the teacup on the saucer. "How did no one notice this?" he asked, glancing from one to the other. They were aliens of some sort? He had to wonder what they looked like normally.

"Well," Celestia blushed lightly, "It would seem that Equestrian magic and Wizarding magic, while both magic, are not so similar as to show up on the other's standardised detection spells. Until your mother was discovered to be a witch we hadn't a clue as to the existence of magic in this world."

He fiddled with the teacup. Equestrian? His gaze darted to the stained glass windows above Celestia's head. A tall white-winged unicorn with hair remarkably like Celestia's sat atop a throne backed by the sun. Were they… Ponies? She had insisted that the paintings and stained glass were about ponies, not horses.

"Are you actually my Godmother?" he asked finally.

"I am," she said, "It is hardly the first time I've agreed to take the role for your family and your mother and I got along quite well. She… was a good friend." She sighed. Her teacup clinked as it was set down. She ran a hand over her face. "Your mother was afraid of Voldemort and what could happen to you if you remained here while he was around. So, despite my sister's looming return… I agreed. When that monster died and Albus insisted on placing you with Petunia's family I didn't fight it. The monster was gone and I had thought that Petunia would take good care of her own sister's child. I expected that she would bring you here to meet me on the day after the summer solstice, but…"

She shook her head, sending her hair waving erratically as the bands of colour flexed and contracted, briefly transforming it into a single solitary colour. "When you did not show for two years in a row I ordered Inkwell to look for you. I feared the worst." She rose from her seat, and for the first time he realised just how tall Celestia was. She had to be nearly seven feet tall.

She settled onto the couch beside Harry and pulled him into a warm hug. It was, actually, really warm. Like lying down in the sunlight on a summer day. It wasn't like Molly Weasley's hugs, which were as smothering as they were comforting.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It's…" Harry trailed off as Twilight sat down on the other side of him and wrapped him in a hug from the other side. Despite what they had said about not being human, he still found himself blushing as he trailed off.

Celestia giggled and patted him on the shoulder before letting him go and prodding the lavender-haired girl to do so as well. "I think," she said as he tried to get the blush to go down, "That it would be best to show you."

She rose from her seat and made her way to the door where she waited as he stood and followed.

"Where is this, portal?" he asked.

"Out in the garden," Celestia replied.

The garden behind the manor was massive and well maintained, despite the fact Harry had yet to see a single gardener. It sprawled out between ponds and small clusters of trees with winding paths and flowerbeds all centered up a tall gazebo. As they drew closer he could make out something in the center of the gazebo. It appeared to be a statue of two rearing winged unicorns, who were on examination very different in proportions from the unicorns he was familiar with from Hogwarts, set atop a large limestone pedestal. The pedestal itself was intricately decorated. Ponies, flowers, and imagery of the sun and moon were common.

The plank floor of the gazebo creaked as Celestia walked across it. They stopped before the nominal 'front' of the pedestal where the carvings formed an archway topped by two stylized winged unicorns, their horns touching at the 'top'. It was just high enough that an average human wouldn't need to duck to get through.

Celestia definitely would, however.

"This is it," Celestia said, "The portal."

"Just looks like a statue," he said.

"That is rather the point," Celestia replied. She turned to him with a smile. "As your Godmother I was hoping to invite you to stay the summer in Equestria with us."

Stay the summer? "I wouldn't have to go back to the Dursleys?" he asked immediately.

"Regardless of whether or not you wish to join me in Equestria, no you will not need to go back to them," she said.

That was… That was good. He didn't want to stay with them for any reason. He had wanted to stay with Sirius… Sirius. "I um…" he ran a hand through his hair, "What about writing to my friends?" He sidestepped the issue of conversing with a convicted murderer… Who had technically not been convicted of anything. Which was the problem.

"Owls can traverse the portal on their own just fine. Wizarding mail has no issues finding people who are in Equestria," Celestia reassured him.

"... Sure. Why not then," he said. Seeing another world would be interesting. "So how does this work?"

"You just walk through," Twilight said eagerly, stepping forward. "Watch!" she waved and walked into the stone archway. It was like the entrance to Platform nine and three quarters and in a second.

"Twilight…" Celestia sighed and shook her head as Harry stepped up and pressed a hand against the stone. It went through without issue and came back just fine. There was a little bit of tingling though. Like his hand had been briefly covered in something. Well it seemed fine. So… why not go? He'd have a summer without the Dursleys. It'd be great. He took a step forward.

"Wait, Harry, before you go there's something I should-" Celestia started to say as Harry's head passed through the portal and then things got very confusing.

He had travelled via the floo system before and that had been a very disorienting and haphazard affair. This… was somehow worse. He was pulled, twisted, stretched like taffy and rolled into a ball before accelerating out through the other side.

Harry exited the far side of the portal like a cannon. He rolled head over heels across what felt like stone and grass before crashing into something and coming to a stop… upside down.

Blinking the stars out of his eyes Harry stared at a copy of the portal that occupied the middle of an gazebo much like the one on his side of the portal. There was no sign of Celestia, nor Twilight, and his entire body felt strange, though some of it was disappearing as the sensation of being treated like taffy slowly faded from his mind. Unlike the dizziness that was making him see odd things, like the two yellowish blurs in the top of his vision.

"Are you alright?" Twilight's voice asked urgently before a lavender unicorn came into view on the grass ceiling… floor. Right.

"I'm fine," he said, feeling surprisingly good after what was probably his most violent ejection from a method of magical transportation yet. The soreness from slapping into whatever had stopped his headlong roll was already going away and he couldn't feel anything more than a mild bit of discomfort from where the gravel dug into the back of his neck… which felt awfully odd now that he thought about it. Like it was too long or something.

"And you are a pony," he said. Twilight was a winged unicorn with a lavender coat and her mane and tail just alike to how it was on the other side.

"Well yes, all my life," Twilight replied as behind her a shining white-winged unicorn stepped through the portal, her head ducked low to avoid clipping the top of the portal. Her mane and tail were exactly the same as Celestia's. As were her large purple eyes. And she was tall. Far, far, far taller than Twilight Sparkle. "Are you sure you're alright?" Twilight asked.

"I think so. A little bit dizzy mind you, but fine. Why?" he asked before frowning. His voice sounded a little strange. It was far too high for some reason.

"Twilight," Celestia said, her tone exasperated as the very tall pony clip-clopped down the stone path, "I was going to show him in a moment. After I had warned him about the side effects and- oh dear." She sighed.

"Oh dear? What do you mean by side effects?" Harry asked, suspicious.

"Perhaps you should simply look at yourself. Do not worry, it is all reversible," Celestia said gently.

Harry nudged the thing he was stuck on and rolled to his side, landing in an ungainly heap. His legs and arms felt odd. Like holding them in their normal positions wasn't quite as comfortable as it should have been. He looked down at his hands and paused.

He was staring at hooves. Hooves at the end of long blonde-furred legs. "Merlin," he blurted out, jerking away from his own leg and smacking the back of his head against the post. A glance, one that he realised turned his head far too far, revealed that the 'post' was simply a tree and… and that he had most certainly turned into a blonde pony. Though unlike Celestia and Twilight he didn't seem to have wings.

He swallowed and finally noticed the slight blonde blur beyond where his nose should have ended. A similarly coloured thing just at the tip top of his vision suggested that he might have a horn.

"Did I just turn into a unicorn?" he demanded from Twilight, who nodded sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd follow me immediately," she said, shooting Princess Celestia a look that earned a fond shake of the head.

"I was going to tell you about this," Celestia said, settling down in front of him. She was far larger than even Twilight, whom herself seemed to loom over him. The lavender winged unicorn had to be at least twice the pony, in all dimensions.

Harry sighed and dropped his head to rest on his hooves. It was surprisingly quite comfortable. Of all the times to act like his House's stereotypes and just charge straight in… Well, it could have been worse. It could have been a trap.

"Now, the portal transforms those who go through it," Celestia said. He nodded. He could tell that much. "Most interdimensional portals do this. You become part of what is the rough 'equivalent' to yourself. Humans become ponies in this case. Going back…"

"Pony becomes human," he finished, shaking his head. Only for a mass of long hair in shades of red, purple and orange to fall across his eyes. He hoofed at the disorderly mass before Twilight tsked and his hair, likely his mane, was pulled back by a purple aura. A matching aura came from Twilight's horn. Unicorns could do magic without a wand?

"Correct. Now, this is a case of becoming what you would have been if you were born in that world instead. Your form, as it is now, is the 'you' of this world. You will find that it feels natural after a short while," Celestia said, "Though if you had wings skills such as flying would still have to be trained as normal. I know it took me centuries of short visits to master fingers." she waggled a hoof at him with a playful smile.

Harry was a bit distracted by the feeling of his mane being attacked by Twilight's aura. The lavender mare had a look of intense concentration and annoyance as she lifted several brushes from the saddlebags on her back.

"So- I'm a blonde unicorn here?" he asked.

"Apparently."

"Why blonde?" It was the sort of thing he would have expected from Malfoy. Though his hair… his mane? Hair.. mane… well it was a Mane now, wasn't it? His mane seemed to have gone multi-coloured like the two before him.

"While coat colour can run in a family, it's common to see it jump a generation or two," Celestia said, "You seem to be the same colour as your grandfather when they were here… which brings us to another issue." She frowned at Harry.

"Yes…?" He asked, trying to ignore the relaxing feeling of having his long mane brushed by Twilight.

"You seem to have inherited more than a coat colour," the large winged unicorn said, "You see, there's a gender ratio difference between humans and ponies and when a human becomes a pony there's a chance… well there's a chance that the them of Equestria is not the same gender as the them of Earth."

Harry ran that through his head twice. Then a third time. He considered that as he stared at a hoof. "Are you-" he paused to listen to the higher tone of his voice. Pushing up on all fours he… she glanced under her barrel and immediately dropped to the ground right after, pulling her legs and tail tight reflexively. "So I'm a girl now," she said, her voice a touch shrill. Just a touch. It certainly hadn't gone high enough to compare to a dog whistle. Nope, not at all.

Not. At. All.

Twilight patted her on the back of the neck as she resumed her brushing and thankfully didn't say anything.

"A filly, technically," Celestia said, covering her mouth with the tip of a white wing. Her eyes danced with mirth as Harry glared at her for a moment.

"And this won't carry over back home?" Harry asked.

"I've never seen it happen before," Celestia said. Harry nodded, glanced down at her hooves, and felt her cheeks grow hot. She could never let Malfoy or the other Slytherins find out about this. They'd never let her live it down. She was a pony, and a girl.

At least she wasn't at the Dursleys.

"Now," Celestia said as Twilight paused in her brushing, "I believe that's enough Twilight. Harry's hair seems to be much like James', utterly untameable."

Twilight sighed. "I was hoping to spare Harry from Rarity going a little…" She wiggled a hoof and earned a chuckle from Harry's Godmother.

"I'm sure Harry will survive. Now, why don't we take a little walk about the estate here?" Celestia suggested, "It should be perfect for letting Harry get used to her hooves."

"Estate?" Harry asked, blinking as she finally looked around.

They were sitting about ten meters from the gazebo where the portal was located, atop a small rise above a well maintained, but slightly wild, field. A few hundred meters away was a manor house not unlike the one they had just come from. A terrace with tables was overrun with several dozen ponies that seemed to be in the middle of setting up a party. There was at least a cake and a giant banner above the back door that, if Harry squinted, she could just make out the words 'Welcome to Equestri'.

Far above the manor, on the side of a mountain, was a collection of towers that gleamed in the daylight. It seemed as though a city was hanging from the cliffs above.

"They forgot the last letter again," Twilight said with a sigh as Celestia laughed, seemingly delighted.

"It makes you wonder if they do it on purpose," she said, her eyes twinkling down at Harry. Harry laughed. She could see the Weasley Twins forgetting the last letter on a banner just to create a running joke. "Let us go join them. This is an excellent opportunity for you to practise telekinesis." A white wing prodded Harry's side, tickling her. "Come along, Harry, up."

"Okay, okay," she said, squirming away from the feather. Once it withdrew she stood up, though she kept her tail clamped down. Now that she had done it once, it now seemed so easy to do consciously.

They set off, slowly at first as Harry figured out her balance, and then quicker as after a few moments Harry found her balance. By the time they were approaching the party Harry had mostly mastered walking. She'd only tripped four times over her own feet…. And rolled halfway down the hill, but she was fine!

She really hoped no one had been looking when she did that.

Her hope died as they reached the steps up the terrace. A beautiful white unicorn with a purple mane and tail was waiting for them. On her flank was a trio of blue diamonds like a tattoo. Now that she thought about it, Celestia had a big tattoo of the sun on her flank while Twilight had one of some stars. Was this a status thing in Equestria?

"Oh dearie, are you okay?" she asked as they came into sight. "I saw that fall from the Terrace and oh my your mane." She tutted as Harry drew level with her. "Oh darling, you have grass in that lovely mane." She sounded particularly faint.

Twilight cleared her throat, "Rarity, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Rarity, my friend and the best fashionista in Equestria."

Fashionista? Harry touched her mane with a hoof and shrugged. "Nice to meet you?" she said, giving the taller unicorn a tired smile.

"It's lovely to meet you, dearie… though, if you don't mind me saying Princess Celestia, I had been under the impression that you had set out to retrieve a colt, not a filly?" she looked at the large pony with askance.

"It seems that Harry has something in common with her grandfather… though I suppose it is technically grandmother," Celestia said, tapping her chin with a hoof.

Harry, however, stared at her as she processed it, then quietly buried her questions in the back of her mind. She didn't want to know.

"I see," Rarity said in a tone that said she clearly didn't, "However it is, there is a party upstairs but we can hardly have you showing up for your own party looking so shabby. Twilight, dear, would you happen to have-"

Twilight levitated a trio of brushes, and a small hand mirror, out of her bags. "I suspected you'd want these," she said.

Rarity's horn lit up, though in a different colour than Twilight's, and took the brushes. "Let's get you decent," she said as Harry took a cautious step back. There was a mania in the white unicorn's eyes that worried her.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Nonsense, that hair has so much potential that letting it go untended would be a great injustice, and not to mention you would be making a terrible first impression," Rarity lectured.

"Send her up when you're done, Rarity," Celestia said, striding by the smaller pony.

"Celestia! Wait!" Harry protested as she suddenly found herself held in place by the white light of Rarity's horn.

Twilight patted her on the back before prancing up the steps. "Good luck, her hair is stubborn," she called over her shoulder.

"Twilight!" Harry grumbled as Rarity positioned her in the middle of the large step before her brushes set to work. Several minutes later Harry could admit, to herself at least, that having her mane and coat brushed out felt nice… even if she was being forced.

It was a few minutes after that when Rarity sighed and frowned. "Your mane is stubborn," she said, letting out a tisk, "Unfortunately I lack the appropriate materials to finish this, but it will have to do. Now hold still, I still have your tail to brush out."

Holding still was easier said than done since her tail proved to be oddly ticklish. Still, with Rarity's expert handling, and her inexplicable levitation -- it had to be some kind of pony magic -- it didn't take too many minutes.

"Hrm… Well it's certainly no worse than Rainbow Dash's," Rarity sighed after she spent a minute scrutinising Harry.

"You're not the first to be defeated by my hair," Harry said with a smile, "My Aunt absolutely hates it."

"Hmmm, well from what I've heard that's hardly a good comparison," Rarity said before offering an apologetic smile. "I am quite sorry if I've reminded you of that dreadful woman, but one must try to look their best. First impressions are very important dear. Now, tell me what you think." The hand mirror, which had been floating beside Rarity and pointed anywhere but at Harry, flipped about and floated over to her.

Harry stared at her first look at herself as a pony. She had the same rounded muzzle that Rarity and Twilight had with large emerald green eyes. Her mane had a thick line of red down the middle, with bands of orange followed by purple to either side. Her hair was brushed, but it still stuck up in places like she'd just been caught in a heavy wind storm, which was an improvement of the rat's nest it tended to be most days.

"I- This is me?" she mumbled raising a hoof to poke her chin. Her reflection mimicked her… where were her glasses? Did she not need them here? She waved her hoof in front of her face. She didn't seem to need glasses. How odd.

"I do good work, don't I?" Rarity said with a magnanimous smile, "If only I had more to work with. Oh well. You at least won't be making a terrible impression. Come along, Harry." It took her putting away the mirror for Harry to follow her directions and start walking up the steps.

The party was looking to be full of people as she reached the top. Celestia could be seen chatting with Twilight and several other ponies. Most everyone was taller than Harry, and likely older, though it was hard to say how tall anyone was in the first place.

Accompanied by Rarity she walked toward her Godmother. Before they could get more than a quarter of the way there a bright pink pony appeared before her with a big, "GASP!"

Harry blinked at the bright pink pony with poofy hair and took a step back. "Did you just say gasp?" she asked.

"Oh my, you have to be Harry Potter! I have something for you!" The pony squealed and bounced in place before disappearing into the press of ponies. A vague outline of pink hair left behind faded away as a breeze rolled over the terrace.

"Um…" Harry glanced at Rarity who sighed.

"That was Pinkie Pie. She loves parties. She's the one who put today's little party together," she said, before nudging Harry along. "I'm sure she'll be bac-"

With a blast of confetti, Harry found the pink party pony back in front of her holding a cupcake on a plate and… Harry glanced up. It felt like she had a party hat on her head just behind something that felt oddly ticklish… her horn?

"Welcome to Equestria!" Pinkie cheered before presenting the cupcake.

"Um…" Harry stared at it, unsure what to do.

"Pinkie, dear, she just arrived. I highly doubt she knows how to use either her horn or her hooves quite yet," Rarity said gently.

Pinkie blinked as though the thought hadn't occurred to her. "Oh, oooh, heehee, oopsie," she said looking embarrassed, "How about… say ahh?"

"Aah- mrfle?" Harry did as asked and blinked as the cupcake was suddenly squeezed perfectly into her mouth. How on… She stared down at her muzzled with genuine perplexment. How had the pink one done that? Switching spell maybe? No, she'd felt it enter over her lips so…

She reflexively chewed and blinked. Oh. Oh, it was tasty.

"Is it good? Is it good?" Pinkie asked, bouncing in place with a grin. Harry nodded and she squealed before darting away.

Harry turned to Rarity as she chewed on the, really tasty, cupcake. Even the cup for the cupcake had a sweet sugary taste.

"Well you've done better than Twilight did her first time," Rarity said calmly, "As I recall she apparently decided that Pinkie warranted having a drink and accidentally poured herself a glass of hot sauce instead."

Harry snorted, covering her mouth with a foreleg as she finished the cupcake.

"She apparently caught fire momentarily," Rarity said with bare amusement, "Now let's get you to Princess Celestia before she starts wondering if I've kidnapped you or something."

They crossed the rest of the party, weaving between ponies carefully, without incident. Harry didn't even trip! Celestia looked up as she approached. "Rarity you did an excellent job," she said, smiling at Harry, "Come around, Harry I think it's time for your first lesson on unicorn magic. Levitation."

Harry blinked and glanced at a cup of tea that was floating in Princess Celestia's yellow aura. She swallowed the last of the cupcake, coughed into a fetlock, and said, "That sounds rather useful. Yes please." The sooner she got better at this, the sooner she could write Sirius.

Once she was by Celestia's side, having been wedged in between Twilight and Celestia, the two older horn wielders started teaching her how to use her horn. It took some time, nearly a full hour, but eventually, Harry stared at a slice of cake as it floated in the lilac aura of her magic. Her horn dimmed and surged with its own lilac colour. It was steady enough that she was able to take a bite of cake and set it down without dropping it.

It was a good cake. Carroty, with something like a hint of banana.

The levitation spell they taught was both harder and easier than similar magics in charms. It was an all-purpose levitation charm that combined precise handling with active adjustments.

She picked up the cake and took another bite and glanced up at the grinning pair of Celestia and Twilight. She took another bite. If the rest of her break was going to be like this, then this was going to be the best summer ever.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Harry grumbled and tossed another balled up letter into the rubbish bin beside the desk in the third floor room she had been directed to. She was trying to write to Sirius. Let him know she made it safely to London and, hopefully, see he knew something about Celestia and her relationship with Harry's mother Lily. Only, writing letters wasn't nearly as simple as eating cake had been. She just couldn't hold the quill steady enough, as evidenced by the illegible squiggles across the page she had just tossed.

She was going to need help, or need to go back to Earth to write with her own hands.

Just as she was staring with dreadful irritation at the next blank page a 'rap rap rap' on the door of the room got her attention.

"Come in!" she called. Her voice still sounded strange to her. Alien, yet not in a weird balance of familiar and foreign that both felt normal and not. It was hard to describe how she felt about it.

The doorknob lit up a bright gold and Her Godmother, Princess Celestia, stepped into the room. "Is everything alright, Harry?" she asked as she spotted the balls of parchment.

"I'm… having issues writing," Harry admitted after a moment, her cheeks burning.

"That is normal, I'm afraid. You will have plenty of time to get used to it this summer, however," Celestia said. She walked over and bent down. To Harry's surprise her Godmother nuzzled her a bit like a cat, or dog or… Well, pony. Right, Ponies.

It felt nice.

Harry let herself be prodded toward the bed. A large round mattress with large pillows, some bigger than Harry herself, and a warm-looking quilt. It was a bit much for the day's weather, but it certainly looked comfy. She slipped as she jumped up onto the bed and nearly fell off. After a bit of a scramble, she settled onto a particularly cushy-looking pillow and looked at her Godmother as she made herself comfortable on the floor beside the bed. Her mane and coat looked quite pretty in the sunlight that was seeping through the window, though it was probably going to be going down anytime soon. It had been a long day.

Her trunk, now nearly twice as large as Harry herself, had been laid out with the lid open at the foot (hoof?) of the bed.

"So, I think we need to talk about a few things I meant to mention before you dove straight into the portal," Celestia said with a smile as Harry fought a blush. She didn't normally blush this much as a human, but god was it hard not to blush as a pony, which was ridiculous because she had fur instead of skin. What was the point of blushing in the first place?

"Things like me turning into a girl- filly?" Harry said, fidgeting nervously.

"Things like that, yes," Celestia said with a quiet laugh, "The first two things you should know is that time in Equestria moves twice as fast as on earth."

Twice as fast? So that meant… They would spend… nearly five months in Equestria? That was quite a while.

"However, it is also known that ponies age at half the speed that humans do," Celestia said, "So since you're a pony over here you shouldn't age any faster or slower than your classmates."

"So… what you're saying is if I stay in Equestria, my summer effectively doubles in length?" Harry asked.

"Effectively, yes," Celestia replied. She smiled and nudged Harry who grinned back. Well, if it got her a double summer, then maybe she could handle being a little fuzzy. Celestia then sighed. "Now, while I am your Godmother I am also one of the Diarchs of Equestria alongside my sister Luna. My schedule is incredibly full and while I was able to clear it for today, I won't be able to keep it clear everyday or even most days."

Harry frowned, but nodded.

"Which leads to the question of where do you wish to stay for your summer in Equestria?" her Godmother asked.

"What do you mean? I'm staying with you, right?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Doing so would mean being up in Canterlot. It's very busy, but yes we'd be able to get together most frequently. However, I suspect you would probably find it rather boring most of the time," Celestia said, "The second option would be to stay here. This estate does belong to your family, which means that it, and all of its servants, are yours. Though as far as I'm aware there is no one around your own age here."

Harry grimaced and glanced out the window. From what she understood the manor was rather far from the nearest town, some place called 'Ponyville' rather unbelievably, and much further from Canterlot, the nearest city. Then again, she could always explore earth from here, though doing so would limit her summer quite a bit.

"I…" she hesitated, "I'd rather not stay here. If that's fine?"

"Understandable," Celestia said, "Which brings us to the last option. You could stay with Twilight. She's expressed interest in helping you with the basics of being a Unicorn and, possibly, teaching you some magic while you visit. Things that are different from Wizarding magic."

That was… tempting. She had liked Twilight's coaching, and honestly, it had been a little bit more helpful than her Godmother's. She also wasn't flustered by pony Twilight like she was girl Twilight. She could handle staying with her.

"In all honesty, Twilight Sparkle can give you far more help than I would have time to," Celestia said with a sad smile before grinning, "Besides, it would give me an excuse to come out and see my faithful former student more often."

Harry grinned. That sounded nice.

"Ponyville is a nice little town from what Twilight has said. I'm sure you would find plenty to do when Twilight isn't doing things with you," Celestia said.

"How often will you visit?" Harry asked.

"If I could manage it, every day, but I suspect it will be more like two or three times a week. There's just so much that needs doing everyday," Princess Celestia said.

"Ah…" Harry whispered. If Celestia really was her Godmother, and she was admittedly acting like it, then she really wanted to see more of her… So the question was Canterlot, or Ponyville? The big city with her busy Godmother, or the small town with Twilight who was eager to teach…

Harry chewed her lower lip. "Do I have to choose now?" she asked.

"We have a few days off. Luna is picking up my duties for the next several days," Celestia said, nuzzling Harry's side. She let out a few involuntary giggles and promptly turned red. Oh this was going to take some getting used to.

"I think…" Harry prodded at the pillow. She'd like to stay with Celestia, but at the same time if she wasn't going to be able to do much anyways then perhaps it would be best if she did something more productive? "I think I'll… Stay with Twilight." There, she said it. She didn't need to agonise over it for days.

Celestia nuzzled her side again, and she managed to keep from giggling at the ticklish sensation. It didn't keep a grin off her face. They sat there for a bit, Celestia resting her eyes as she put her head beside Harry.

Eventually, Harry said, "Princess Celestia?"

"Yes?" Celestia opened one eye.

"Can you help me write a letter?" she asked.

"To a friend?" Celestia asked

"I suppose to a few friends, and… to Sirius," she said. Celestia's eyes both snapped fully open.

"To Sirius?" she repeated. Harry nodded. She took a deep breath. "Perhaps we should start from the beginning, Harry. Can you tell me when you started exchanging letters with Sirius Black?"

Harry fidgeted, her hooves kneading the pillow since she couldn't fidget normally. "Maybe… I should just, start from the top?" she suggested.

Celestia's face softened. "Please do," she replied. Her horn lit up and pulled some parchment, a quill and an inkpot over.

So Harry told her. About blowing up her 'Aunt' Marge, the trip to Diagon alley and the dog she'd seen. Of Mr. Weasley's warning and the near miss with the dementors. It took hours, during which the sun set and Princess Celestia turned on the lights. With a light switch no less which was… interesting. After her time at the Weasley's, seeing a Lightswitch in a magical building was odd. Maybe it was just something about Wizarding magic that didn't like electricity.

She brought Harry something to drink and coached her through not breaking the glass it came in with her levitation, which was coming to her increasingly easily. She still, however, put a crack in the glass from using too much force. At least she hadn't dropped it though.

When they finally wound down the story of the last year, Celestia had moved from her seat on the floor to share the bed, one wing over Harry as she spoke.

"... and then I walked out and ran into Ms. Inkwell," Harry finished, sipping orange juice through a heart-shaped curly straw. It was a little embarrassing, she wasn't that young after all, but it was apparently what they had on hand. She honestly wondered why.

She yawned and felt her eyes flutter shut for a moment. "I think that's everything," she said.

Celestia's wing tightened over her. Her quill continued to scritch and scratch away on the parchment. "Thank you, Harry. That answered quite a few questions I had about what happened to your parents. I'll have to see if I can get a letter to Sirius. I need to speak with him."

"Hed-ed-ed aaaaah," Harry trailed off in a yawn, "Hedwig can find him."

"Ah, your owl. I'll write something up then and we can put together some letters for you as well. That way you can have her deliver a few at once," Celestia said.

"Mhmm…" Harry nodded, her head sitting on her hooves. She felt warm… safe… Any further words her Godmother had to say drifted out of mind as she fell asleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Harry woke up with a start. He glanced about his eyes not focusing properly. He was in a bed… it was bigger than the one at Privet Drive and… she blinked and glanced down at her hooves.

"Oh. Oh, that happened," she muttered as she stared down at her hooves. A blanket had been pulled over her while there was no sign of Princess Celestia other than a loose feather that she could see fallen between an armoire and the desk from the night before.

She yawned and shook herself a bit like a cat or a dog. It succeeded in dislodging the blankets and she hopped off the bed in the direction of the bathroom.

One awkward visit later, during which she discovered that pony bathrooms did not look even remotely like human ones, she made her way down the stairs. The way her ears twisted and turned to track the little sounds of life was strange to her, but the convenience was nice. She could get used to it, though she needed to try not to get too used to things. She was going back to Hogwarts in September after all.

Following her ears, she found where breakfast was. Princess Celestia was sitting out on the terrace where the party had been. Twilight Sparkle was with her, reading a book between bites of what looked like pancakes. Beside Celestia was a smaller pillow.

"Good morning!" she said as she clattered over to them. Did her hooves have to make so much noise all the time?

"Good morning, Harry," Princess Celestia said, bending down to nuzzle Harry's side again. Harry yawned and tried to rub some sleep from her eyes with a fetlock. It was difficult but she managed, mostly. Fingers were just better for some things.

A servant placed a plate of pancakes covered in some sort of berry sauce before her. She muttered a thank you before levitating a knife and fork to eat it with.

"I was just telling Twilight about your decision," Princess Celestia said, getting a start from the younger winged unicorn.

"Hmm, oh, yes," Twilight beamed. "I'm happy to have you around. I have plenty of space…" Her expression fell just a little. "Maybe… just a little too much…" she muttered.

"Your new castle is rather empty at the moment," Celestia said, smiling around her teacup.

"I know. It's not like magically grown castles come with furniture, or staff, or or… Books or…" Twilight waved a hoof in the air looking for words before sighing. She pinked as Celestia laughed softly.

"If I recall, it did come with some furniture," Celestia said teasingly.

"The map room does not count," Twilight huffed, still pink.

Harry stared at them, her eyes going back and forth like a tennis game as she ate her pancakes.

"Anyways," Twilight said, holding up the book 'Beginner's spellbook grade 3', "I've just been doing some review. You're already more advanced than the foals I've been tutoring in Ponyville so…" She shrugged.

Harry nodded, not entirely sure what to say, before yawning again. The breeze shifted, whipping her mane about, right into her face. "Bleh." She tried to spit out the hairs that had gotten into her mouth. "Bleh."

As Harry fought with her mane, Celestia said, "I've written a letter for Sirius. You mentioned that you wanted to write a few other letters to send with it?"

"Yeah, bleh, yeah," Harry spat a few orange strands out and gave her mane a shake to try to sort it out. She noticed Celestia smiling around her teacup at her and rolled her eyes in response, getting a chuckle from the older mare.

"We'll get started as soon as you're done eating," she said kindly.

"And then I'm going to help you practice your own writing," Twilight interjected, "It's critically important that a unicorn's writing be accurate and precise. Even when under stress." Harry nodded, eyeing Twilight and privately wondering if she had made a mistake deciding to stay with Twilight. The Lavender winged unicorn had this eager look of anticipation in her eyes that reminded her scarily of Hermione's more out there moments.

Still, that was a problem for future Harry. Present Harry only cared about finishing her breakfast. A plate of some sort of deep fried sticks had been served as a side with the pancakes. She prodded one with a fork. "What are these?" she asked.

"Hay fries," Celestia said. Harry poked them again. Was that supposed to be like french fries, but hay? She took a bite. They were salty, a bit rough, but not bad. Probably wouldn't be edible if she was still human though. She shrugged and delved into present Harry's problem. Soon she'd have time to worry about future Harry's problems.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

They didn't receive a letter back from Sirius -- or any of Harry's friends -- by the time Princess Celestia's time off came to an end. Not that Harry had expected to hear from anyone. With time moving twice as fast in Equestria what might be a day or two on earth was going to be up to be days. She wouldn't be surprised if she didn't hear from Hedwig for over a month since she would have to track down Sirius first. Hopefully it wouldn't be longer than that.

It was with curiosity that Harry stepped off the train in Ponyville along with Twilight and her friends. She hadn't really travelled much, other than to and from Hogwarts, so the opportunity to see an alien world had been very tempting. Until she realised that it basically looked like England. Sure the trees were of types she wasn't familiar with, but it was the same rolling countryside. At least the trip by train hadn't lasted long enough to become truly boring.

"It was a lovely party, Twilight," Rarity said as they disembarked the train, "But I'm afraid I really must get back to the Boutique. I've got orders that I really must fill before the end of the week."

"And we're coming up on apple buckin season again," the orange pony, Applejack was her name, said, "I've preparations I need to finish."

Twilight nodded and smiled at her friends as they all made their excuses. "I need to get Harry settled and make sure everything at the castle is fine," she said herself, levitating her trunk and Harry's effortlessly. Harry had had issues carrying the Trunk down from her room, her control wasn't the greatest yet, and was more than happy to leave it to Twilight as they trotted through town.

The ponies in town greeted Twilight with smiles as they passed. Calls of 'Good morning' and 'Princess!' followed them around. Harry shot a glance at Twilight. Princess?

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Twilight asked, having evidently caught her staring.

"Oh… Princess?" She repeated with confusion.

"Oh, that," Twilight blushed. Her wings fidgeted nervously. "We didn't really get into that, did we?" She waved awkwardly to one of the storekeepers.

"I guess not?" Harry waited as Twilight returned a few greetings.

"I wasn't born a Princess," Twilight eventually said as they were passing a store that sold quills and sofas. "I was a unicorn, just like you."

"Except I wasn't born a Unicorn," Harry pointed out, getting an eye roll from the young Princess.

"You know what I mean," she said with a small smile. "But I ascended to being an Alicorn a little over a year ago. Tradition says that Alicorns are Princesses, so they made me a Princess. I'm nowhere near as important as say Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, or even really Cadance." Her smile drooped just a little before she gave her head a shake. "It's been different. Especially around Ponyville. I used to be the town's librarian and then suddenly I was a Princess."

"Is that why Princess Celestia was talking about a new castle?" Harry asked.

"That was an entirely unrelated incident," Twilight replied with a dramatic sigh. "A few months ago, Equestria time a Centaur by the name of Tirek stole everypony's magic and well… It was a really close thing." She shivered.

Harry felt a chill run down her spine, right to the tip of her tail. The thought of losing her magic was terrifying. Looking for a change of topic Harry spied a grey mare with three bubbles on her flank, which reminded her of a question she wanted to ask.

"So, why does everyone have tattoos on their butts?" she asked.

"Tattoos?" Twilight asked in reply, looking rather confused.

"The pictures, on their butts," Harry said, glancing back at her own blank flank.

"... Oh! Oh, we forgot to mention Cutie Marks," Twilight facehoofed as Harry mouthed 'Cutie Marks?' to herself. The name was so cutesy she had to wonder if Twilight was taking the piss.

"Everypony in Equestria, and really everywhere else, has a special talent of some sort," Twilight said, "Something they are good at and which they enjoy doing. Upon finding that thing they gain their cutie mark. Like mine, which represents my love of, and talent for, magic and learning." She gestured to the white and lavender stars on either side of her flanks. "Rarity's represents her appreciation for gemstones and her talent for finding them."

"So every pony gets one?" Harry asked.

"It's part of growing up. Admittedly, most of them find it before they're your age," Twilight said, glancing at Harry's flank herself, "But I'm sure that's just because you've been human the entire time. I'll write Princess Celestia and see what she knows."

It would be nice to know if she needed to expect her butt to suddenly sprout a tattoo at some point.

"Let's see, was there anything else we forgot to mention…?" Twilight mused, "Oh, please stay out of the Everfree forest. It's full of all sorts of creatures that can hurt you. Chimaeras, timber wolves -- the magical variety -- hydras, rockadiles, cockatrices, and far more that could really really hurt a pony." The look she sent was pleading enough to get Harry to nod.

"I'll stay out," she said. Honestly, it sounded more dangerous than the forbidden forest.

Twilight beamed and nuzzled the side of Harry's face. It was a very different experience from Celestia seeing as she was only a little bit smaller than Twilight. It wasn't quite as ticklish for one. "Thanks. We have enough problems keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders out as it is."

"The who?" Harry asked.

"Applejack and Rarity's sisters, Appleboom and Sweetie Belle along with their friend Scootaloo," Twilight said with a sigh, "They're good girls, but they're so eager to gain their Cutie Marks they tend to take risks and get themselves in trouble." She shook her head.

Well that sounded familiar. Maybe not the motivation, but a lot of Gryffindors were the type to take risks because they were impatient. She was about to mention that when they turned a corner and their destination came into view. Just beyond the edge of town, visible just over the rooftops, was a giant crystal tree. In its branches was an entire castle just perched like it was an ordinary tree house and not larger than number 4 Privet Drive.

"The Castle of Friendship," Twilight declared upon seeing Harry's dumbstruck expression, "My castle. It's where you'll be staying."

"It's beautiful," Harry said as she hurried to keep up with Twilight. Sure it wasn't the dark majestic grandeur of Hogwarts, but it had a certain cheerfulness that the old school lacked. Maybe it was the crystal, or colours, but it seemed happier than Hogwarts.

Twilight blushed and seemed to pick up the pace a little, turning their slow walk into a swift trot. "I'll admit, I miss the Library," she said, "But the castle is really quite impressive." There was a touch of melancholy in her tone before she shook her head.

Despite trotting fairly quickly the walk turned out to be a bit longer than Harry had expected. The crystal-castle-tree was all the way out by a lake. As they approached Twilight slowed down and Harry did too, glancing over at Twilights. She seemed a little anxious all of a sudden.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No, no nothing's wrong," Twilight said, shaking her head and picking up the pace, "Just lost in thought."

Harry nodded. She could understand that.

Twilight pushed open the front door with a hoof. "SPIKE! I'm home!" she called out. The interior was a giant hall of crystal with a high ceiling. The little bit of light from the doorway reflected from a thousand surfaces to provide a decent ambient light even without the help of the softly glowing crystals on the walls.

It was spectacular enough to take Harry's breath away. She turned on the spot, taking it all in.

"Twilight!" Harry and Twilight's ears picked up as a somewhat muffled voice echoed off the walls. It sounded like a young boy. Twilight had mentioned that she lived with her assistant Spike, a baby dragon. Having a baby dragon for an assistant was positively wicked in Harry's opinion. Especially if he could talk and write.

"Spike?" She called back. A muffled 'Twilight!' came in reply. She hummed and set Harry's belongings down by the stairs. "What has he gotten into this time?" she wondered aloud with exasperation. Harry followed her to avoid getting lost as they listened to the muffled shouts of 'TWILIGHT!' bouncing around the corners of the castle.

It was a long winding path, easily as confusing as anything in Hogwarts, before they managed to find where the shouting was coming from. Twilight nudged open an ajar door and promptly groaned. "Spike- girls, you're all in trouble," she said firmly, earning multiple groans.

Harry peered around Twilight to find a small sitting room with a window view of Ponyville. It was sparsely decorated, especially if one discounted the three younger fillies and the purple baby dragon tied up in ribbons and hanging from chandeliers. The three fillies noticed Harry immediately. The sole unicorn amongst them tried to wave her hoof and only succeeded in putting herself into a slow spin.

She really had to wonder what exactly they had been doing.

She found out the moment the first one, a white unicorn with a light purple and pink mane, was untangled. "We're sorry Twilight," she said, "We were just trying to get our Cutie Mark in gymnastics."

Harry peered down at the ribbons. They did seem to have sticks at one end, though she wondered how a non-unicorn was supposed to hold them. Teeth maybe? Wait, no, she'd seen the non-unicorns using hooves at times like they were hands.

"In my sitting room?" Twilight asked flatly as she levitated down the other three.

"I tried to stop them!" Spike protested, fidgeting with his claws.

"We didn't intend to do it inside," the red-maned earth pony said with a fairly thick dixie accent.

"Yeah, we just… Kinda got tangled up when Spike came in…" the orange pegasus said. She ran a hoof through her purple mane as the four of them fidgeted under Twilight's gaze.

"I'll be talking to your families about this incident," Twilight said eventually. The three fillies groaned. "Now, since you're here, I'd like to introduce you to somepony. Harry?" she looked back at Harry with a smile.

Harry waved from the doorway. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter," she said, walking up to Twilight's side. She seemed to be a few inches taller than the three fillies. She let out an impromptu squeak as the three promptly swarmed her.

"I'm Sweetie Belle!" the unicorn said, leaning in to poke and stare at Harry's mane.

"I'm Applebloom!" the earth pony said, staring up into Harry's eyes from what felt like inches away.

"And I'm Scootaloo," the pegasus said, darting around her like she was in a competition. "Girls, look! She doesn't have a Cutie Mark!" Gasps went up from the other two fillies.

"No way!" Sweetie said, darting around to stare at Harry's flank. Said unicorn reflexively turned, trying to keep the three in sight. The result was the four of them turning in a circle for several seconds before Twilight intervened.

The three fillies let out yelps of protest as they were picked up by Twilight's telekinesis. "Now girls," she said firmly, "give Harry some space. She's new in town and the reason she doesn't have a Cutie Mark is because she's new to being a pony."

"New to being a pony?" the three of them chorused.

"How does that work?" Sweetie Belle asked, sounding confused.

Harry scuffed a foot against the crystal floor. "I'm… from a different world," she said, feeling a little annoyed with Twilight for bringing it up. She had been hoping to be 'under the radar' just a little. They were probably going to think she was weird and word would get around and it'd be like second ye-

"So cool!" All three said once, squealing and clapping their hooves together. Harry blinked as they all tried to look at her. Then they looked at eachother and inhaled.

"Girls-" Twilight started warningly.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ALIEN HELPERS GO!" They clapped hooves together and broke down into giggles as Harry's ears rang from the shout. Echoes of it could be heard reverberating down the hallway.

"Girls!" Twilight raised her voice, earning a torrent of giggles from the fillies who tried to look innocent. "Your sisters were on the train with me, by the way. They should be home by now." Sweetie and Appleboom both froze, their giggling expressions giving way to worry. "Why don't you head off and welcome them back." She set them down gently.

"Right you are, Twilight," Applebloom said, "C'mon girls, time to head home."

"Yep. Time to go see Rarity," Sweetie Belle said.

"Aw," Scootaloo grumbled and kicked the crystal floor before following her friends.

"Nice ta meet you, Hairy," Applebloom said, waving as she quickly cantered out of the room.

"Yupyup!" Sweetie Belle echoed as she sprinted by Applebloom.

"See you around town," Scootaloo said as she rushed after her friends.

"NO RUNNING IN THE CASTLE!" Twilight shouted after them before sighing. "Honestly, those girls."

Harry blinked and ran a hoof through her disorderly hair. "They're the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" she asked, getting a nod from Twilight. "Um…"

"They're rather exuberant," Twilight sighed before shaking her head and smiling at Harry, "Now, let's get you settled in." She trotted out of the room with a happy hum. After a moment Harry followed, making pace with spike.

The little dragon looked up at her. "So you're Harry? Aren't you supposed to be a guy?" he asked.

"Something something, gender ratios between worlds. I don't understand a bit of it," Harry replied with a shrug.

Spike frowned and tapped his chin. "Huh, I don't remember anything like that…"

"Didn't you read the diary of Muddy Waters?" Twilight asked over her shoulder, "Princess Celestia sent it with the rest of the information on House Evans."

"I um… Don't think I read that one?" Spike said with a shrug. Twilight let out a sigh.

"Spiiike!"

"What? There were over two hundred books Twilight!" He protested, earning another sigh.

Yeah, Harry was getting some definite Hermione vibes from Twilight and she was starting to wonder what she'd signed herself up for.

They meandered their way back to the entrance hall, where Twilight picked up Harry's trunk, and then they walked up the staircase. Harry's room, it turned out, was in the same hallways as Twilight's, two rooms down just past Spike's.

Twilight placed Harry's trunk at the foot of a large bed as Harry walked in. The room was, like most of the castle, sparsely decorated with just the bed, a writing desk, a shelf full of books, a full-length mirror, a dresser and a walk-in closet that was empty. She rather doubted she'd find a need for the closet, though the dresser could hold some of her personal items. Clear crystal doors let out onto a small balcony.

"I'm sorry it isn't more," Twilight said apologetically.

"It's fine," Harry replied, walking over to the balcony door. She nudged the door open with a hoof and looked out. She had a perfect view of Ponyville in the distance, nestled between mountains with the everfree on the left and Canterlot -- why was there a Camelot pun? -- on the right. The balcony was empty, but there was easily enough room for a small table and some cushions.

"In fact," she turned and gave Twilight a big smile, "It's beautiful. Thanks for having me."

Twilight Sparkle smiled, stepped forward and pulled Harry into a hug. "You're more than welcome to stay as long as you need," she said into Harry's ears before pulling back. Harry blinked a few times as her mind processed the unexpected hug. Twilight didn't wait for a reply, "Take the day. Explore the castle, go into town, just take some time to get used to being here, alright? Oh, you'll need some money if you're going into town."

Twilight's horn flashed and a small bag of coins appeared on the dresser. "One hundred bits, courtesy of Princess Celestia. That's your allowance for the week. You'll get more every monday, so be careful not to spend too much at once," she cautioned.

Harry nodded, not entirely sure what a hundred bits represented.

Twilight reached up and fished out a rolled up parchment. With a flourish of magic it unrolled before her. "Let's see… allowance… bedroom… cutie mark talk…." a Quill had joined it from somewhere and was checking off things as she mumbled. "Oh, right. Spike, did you-"

"Pull out your old saddlebags? They're in the dresser," Spike said, brushing off his claws on his chest.

"Check… thank you Spike," Twilight beamed, "And… Hmmm… Oh, right. Lesson planning. Harry, we'll talk over dinner about your homework for school and we'll see about working on your horn writing so you can write to your friends while you're here."

"Thanks," Harry said, glancing at the dresser. Saddlebags? Why did a nation of ponies even have the concept of a saddle? Her cheeks went red as unwanted thought darted through her head before she buried her head into the soft cushions of the bed. Thankfully Twilight didn't seem to notice as she was shuffling through three checklists. Spike meanwhile was watching her with some confusion.

"Now, I'll be in the library if anyone needs me. I have some reading to catch up on," Twilight said as the scrolls rolled themselves up and disappeared with a flash. "Enjoy the day, Harry~ Dinner is at six." With the, and a cheerful hum, Twilight happily trotted out the door.

"I'll be around somewhere," Spike said, waving. Harry waved back as they left.

A few minutes passed as she leaned against the bed. Finally, Harry pulled her face from the cushion and stared at a hoof. She frowned for a moment before glancing at the full-length mirror. Nervously, she trotted across the room to stare at her reflection. A blonde filly looked back at her. She was a few inches shorter than the average adult, but also not as small as those like the CMC. Her hair, in its red, orange and purple glory was a complete mess, though not a disaster. Unlike Celestia, or Twilight's friend Rainbow Dash, Harry's mane didn't want to neatly separate itself by colour. The edges were ragged, blurry and seemed to be permanently trapped in either bedhead or windswept. At that moment she seemed windswept more than anything.

She ran a hoof through her mane and watched the filly in the mirror echo her. She stomped a hoof against the floor and watched her reflection do the same. She looked a little wild with the windswept look, but she'd admit she seemed to have an oddly graceful build. Something about the curve of her neck and…

She shook her head. "What do I know about ponies?" she mused, turning away from her reflection to walk back out onto the balcony. Nothing, she knew nothing about ponies.

She paused in the balcony doorway as the breeze surged and tousled her mane. The coolness felt lovely in the early days of summer. She stepped up to the railing and threw her forelegs over the top. She gazed out at the town beyond. She didn't feel like rushing off to explore the town like Twilight had suggested. She didn't feel like taking a nap or doing homework or anything, really.

Small shapes darted about in the sky, seemingly moving clouds about. A few swirled about the sky above town doing other things and there seemed to be a small collection of unmoving clouds off to one side.

Harry rested her chin on her forelegs and watched the town. "So I'm not human," she mused aloud, "Not a guy. Not even on Earth. But…"

She glanced back over her shoulder at the hallway door. "... But I'm not at the Dursleys. I'm not locked up. I'm not living over a tavern or running away from the ministry… Not at the Dursleys," she repeated the last line. A small smile spread over her lips as she pushed against the crystal railing and stretched. "I get to live in a castle, have a Godmother who cares, and not go to the Dursleys," she whispered, looking up at Canterlot in the distance. Her small smile turned into a wide grin and she laughed. "And I get to explore a new world."

She reared back and waved her hooves in the air before toppling over as she lost her balance. She giggled on the floor as she watched the pegasi push clouds around.

If the deal for not going back to the Dursleys was being a filly during summer, then she'd gladly pay it. It was a steal. Fun, adventure, magic- Magic?

"Not on Earth," she whispered in awe. Not on Earth meant no ministry. No ministry meant.. No underage restrictions!

She giggled harder and pawed at the railing. "So what if my summer is full of ponies, this is going to be the best summer ever," she whispered gleefully between giggles. A summer of ponies. She could live with that.

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A/N: *Rides into sight in a sleigh pulled by Celestia* Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone~ I hope you enjoy this somewhat off-the-wall story inspired by Harry Potter and the Lonely Princess. @Harry Leferts Yes Mr. Godzilla, this is your fault. Years and years later, it is indeed your fault.

*starts handing out christmas cookies shaped like the mane six with reindeer headbands*

Gekkou_Yoko:*steals a third of them, replacing them with peanut butter cookies shaped like Celestia and Luna*

Grounders10: Oooh, those look tasty. Enjoy the words everyone, and the cookies!

Together(!): Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!~ Be Safe Everyone~

 

[Grounders10]

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A
Harry Potter x MLP: FIM
Crossover

Three Feathers For Tomorrow

By: Grounders10

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Chapter Two

A Summer of Ponies Part One

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The wait was terrible. Harry shifted from hoof to hoof in anticipation. Had she done alright? What had she done wrong? Had she done so badly that Twilight was just trying to find a way to break it to her?

Before her, the alicorn in question shifted through the pages floating in her grip. She hummed and hawed before she looked over the top of the last page at Harry. "Good news, you're finally legible," she said.

Harry pumped a hoof. It had taken three long days but she could finally write with her telekinesis.

"However," Twilight continued, causing Harry to wilt on the spot, "You're still just passable. Since we have the time, and this is good training, we're going to continue this later until you're good enough to write cursive flawlessly."

Harry groaned, burying her head in her hooves. She just knew this was going to give her yet another hornache like the one she had throbbing in the middle of her forehead.

"But I think that's enough for now," Twilight said, restacking the pages and dropping them on the kitchen table. "I remember how tiring this can be when you're just starting out."

"Thank you Twilight," Harry said with relief before stretching and rising to her hooves. "Are we doing anything more today?"

The lavender alicorn shook her head. "Nothing for now. Go have some fun and see if you can make a few friends here in town," she said, "Just remember to be back for supper. Princess Celestia is coming by and she said she wanted to discuss something with you."

Harry nodded and stretched again, pushing her hooves into the carpet as she yawned. "I'm going to go into town and do some exploring, maybe some shopping," she said, heading for the door. Maybe she could see if any place sold ice cream.

"Make sure to take your saddlebags!" Twilight called after her. She waved a hoof in acknowledgement, not even breaking stride after just over a week in Equestria. It was odd how natural her body felt. She didn't even notice she wasn't human most of the time. By the time it came for her to leave Equestria she had to wonder if she'd even feel comfortable as a human. Princess Celestia said she would but she had to wonder.

Once she'd retrieved her saddlebags, and her allowance, Harry hurried off to town at a brisk canter. The flower fields around Ponyville were in full bloom, turning the plains before the castle into a riot of colours. It was rather odd to Harry. The smell of the flowers made her salivate and her stomach growl despite the fact that she'd usually have less than zero interest in eating flowers. It was a bit like being in a grocery store aisle while hungry.

She stopped and sniffed one of the flowers by the roadside. She glanced about, and seeing nopony nearby, nibbled one of the flower petals. She vacillated on the taste for a moment before swallowing. "Needs mayo," she decided before moving again.

She hadn't come into town since she had arrived four days previous. She had spent her time practicing writing at Twilight's insistence and reading her school books in preparation for her homework. This was the first time she would be in town since she walked through it on her way to the castle.

Ponyville was bustling with ponies going about their business, though it didn't stop her from attracting attention. The town wasn't quite large enough to escape the small town effect where everyone could fairly reliably recognize the other residents. A few waved, she waved back. They probably recognized her from her short walk with Princess Twilight.

She paused at the first small intersection and glanced about looking for somewhere to go. A spa to the right, that quill and couch place to the left, and no real sign of what was beyond either.

Left, right, left, right, left-

"GANGWAY!" Her ears perked as a familiar voice shouted from the right. Ponies shrieked and she saw several Pegasi dart into the sky as an out of control apple cart careened around the corner. Harry instantly spotted Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle hanging on for dear life as the apple baskets in the cart tipped and the entire thing shifted to take the corner on two wheels. Sweetie Belle tackled the baskets back toward the middle and the entire mass shifted back to four wheels resuming a straight course.

She really had to wonder how they got into this mess.

Actually, hold that thought, it was going straight for her. She took a few steps back and waited. As the cart careened by, clearly not at all under the control of the two little fillies in it, Harry lit her horn and lifted the two girls right off. They squealed with surprise and wriggled in her lilac aura. She winced as her horn decided to remind her of just how much she'd been overusing it by throbbing painfully.

She cut the magic and dropped Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to the ground. She rubbed the base of her horn with a hoof. God that hurt.

"Ow," the two fillies said.

"Who- Oh, Harry!" Sweetie Belle popped up, "thanks for grabbing us."

Scootaloo stood up a bit unsteadily, her legs wobbling. "Yeah. When we tried to get off the apples got angry," she said, rubbing a spot on her head with a continuous wince.

"SWEETIE! SCOOTS!" Applebloom galloped out of the rapidly forming crowd. She skidded to halt gasping for breath. "Thank Celestia you're both alright. Ah was worried when the cart just started rolling off wit'out any help."

"Girls," Harry said, tapping a hoof on the street and clearing her throat. The three turned to her- only to keep turning as the sound of the cart impacting something hard echoed over the crowds.

"Oh no," the three groaned.

"Applejack's gunna be so mad," Applebloom complained, "An' it wasn't even our fault."

"What even happened?" Sweetie asked her, "We were getting the basket you asked for an' then-"

"It just started rolling!" Scootaloo said, throwing her forehooves up in the air.

"We weren't even crusadin'," Applebloom grumbled, "Ah don't know what happened. I turned my back fer two seconds and then-"

"APPLEBLOOM!" Harry glanced up to see Applejack come galloping through the small crowd of onlookers. "Theer you are," she said coming to a halt, "Ah. A Good Morning to you Harry. You wouldn't happen to have seen my cart, would you?"

"I yanked these two off as it rolled by," Harry said, rubbing her forehead, "It's given me a bit of a hornache. I just got done with a test Twilight gave me."

Applejack and Sweetie Belle both winced. "Ah. Sorry about that, but thanks for stepping in. Now, which way did it keep rolling? I rather need the apples it was carrying," the orange Earth Pony said apologetically.

"That way," Harry said, pointing in the direction of the crash.

"Ah think it crashed, Applejack," Applebloom said.

"Ah horsefeathers," Applejack muttered, "Come along girls. Let's go see what's left and while we're walking you can tell me what in tarnation happened." She started walking down the street then paused. "Ah, Harry, do you mind doing me a small favour?"

"I suppose? Just, please don't ask me to catch them again," Harry said.

"Could you go to the market and let mah brother Big Mac know we're probably going to need his help tah fix the cart and if'nn he wouldn't mind going 'ta fetch the toolbox from the farm?" She smiled sheepishly.

"I can do that, if you point me to the market. This is the first time I've been in town since I got here," Harry said. She had to wonder why a pony was named after a McDonald's burger.

Applejack gestured with a hoof. "Back the way we came. Take a left at the spa and walk straight. Mah brother's big and red. Can't miss him," she said.

"I'll find him," Harry promised. Applejack smiled and hurried off, hustling the three young fillies along with her.

Harry sighed. Not in town for even five minute's and she'd already gotten involved in something risky. "I really hope this isn't going to be the trend," she muttered before turning in the direction Applejack had said and breaking into a canter. She slowed down almost immediately as her horn really didn't like it. Slow it was then.

Passing the spa, which didn't seem too different from the outside than those she had seen back in Surrey, she sidestepped a trio of flower cutie mark earth ponies who were in the middle of a heated discussion of (of all things) the best way to saute petunias. She had doubled taked on hearing her Aunt's name. Maybe she'd have to try sauteed petunias. If nothing else the naming coincidence would be amusing.

The market was easy to find, and even more bustling than the side streets. In the center of the area, which played host to a variety of stores including what looked like a carousel and several cafes, was a broken pile of timber roped off. It looked like it had once been either a home or a giant tree. More than a few ponies seemed sad as they glanced toward it.

That wasn't, however, her reason for being here. That would be the giant of a stallion watching a stand selling apples. He was head and shoulders taller than any of the other ponies around him. As she walked over he exchanged some coins for a small basket of apples that a pegasus mare balanced on her back between her wings before walking away.

"Are you Big Mac?" Harry asked as she reached the big stallion. She craned her neck back to look up at him. It wasn't quite as bad as dealing with Hagrid, but she would definitely get a kink in her neck if she had to do this very often.

"Eyup," he said.

"I'm Harry Potter. Your sister asked me to tell you the cart's gone and crashed and she'll probably need the tools from the farm," she said.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the two remaining baskets of apples. He sighed and shook his head. "I'll go and get them," he said, starting to stack the empty baskets together, "Thanks for carrying the message."

"No problem just um… you wouldn't happen to know where I could get some ice cream?" she asked. She winced as her horn throbbed with pain. "And maybe some painkillers. My horn kinda hurts at the moment."

He shot her a concerned look. "You alright?" he asked.

She waved him off. "Just studying with Twilight," she said.

"Ah. That'll do it," he said before pointing to a large building that looked like a gingerbread house decided to combine with a cupcake, "Sugarcube Corner has ice cream and other sweets."

"Ah, thank you," she said, smiling widely, "Good luck with the cart!" She waved and trotted off, only to nearly get run over by a sprinting pale magenta filly with a tiara on her flank. She took a step back as six more ponies of similar age charged after her.

"GET BACK HERE TIARA!" one of the colts shouted before they disappeared around the next corner.

Deciding it was none of her business, and after checking that there weren't any more younger ponies charging about without regard for others, Harry walked over to Sugarcube Corner. The doorbell chimed as she nudged open the door. The inside was a combination of tasteful decoration and sickeningly sweet candy theming. There were plenty of tables and booths for ponies to sit at. Many were occupied by a wide age range of ponies. A plump looking cerulean mare was behind the main counter waved as she entered.

"Welcome dearie to Sugarcube Corner," she said warmly as Harry walked up to the counter. "Is this your first time here?"

Harry nodded, looking over the array of sweets laid out under the display glass. It was nothing so exotic as the wizarding sweets in Honeydukes, but there was plenty of fudge, candied apples, lollipops, even some candied flower petals which was a bit different. "I got into town a few days ago. I've been staying with Twilight," she said.

"At the castle?" the mare asked, "Oh my. Well it's good she's not quite so alone there. Having others around will be good for her. I'm Ms. Cake, that's my husband," she waved to an awkward looking amber stallion, "Mr. Cake. What's your name dearie?"

"Harry Potter," she replied.

"Well, Ms. Potter, what can I get for you?" Ms. Cake asked.

Being called Ms. Potter felt a bit strange, but Harry ignored it. She didn't want to draw attention by trying to explain that she hadn't even been a filly let alone a pony a week before. "I was told you have ice cream?" she said hopefully before wincing at her horn. She rubbed the base of her horn again.

"We do, but are you sure?" Ms. Cake asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but you wouldn't happen to have a hornache at the moment, would you?"

"A bit of one. I did a test for Twilight and then had to save the Cutie Mark Crusaders from a runaway cart," she said.

"Oh dear. No, asking you to hold a spoon right now would just be cruel. Might I suggest one of our milk shakes and perhaps some fudge or a few cookies?" Ms. Cake suggested.

Harry smiled. "That sounds nice," she said, "How much?"

Ms. Cake waved her off. "Oh the house as a first time treat. Tell me, how long are you planning on staying in town?" she asked as she set about making the milk shake.

"About five months, then my school starts up again," Harry said.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to come by, without a hornache," Ms. Cake said, smiling, "Now go take a seat. I'll bring them right over."

"Thank you, Ms. Cake," Harry said. She claimed a booth by a window with a view of the market square. She stared down at the ruined tree and wondered what exactly had happened.

A few minutes later Ms. Cake slid a tray with a milkshake and a trio of chocolate chip cookies on it onto the table. "Here you go, Dearie," she said kindly.

"Thank you Ms. Cake," she said, sliding the milkshake over to her with her hooves. Thankfully it had a straw. It was pink and a sip proved it to be strawberry flavoured. "It's good, Ms. Cake."

"That's lovely to hear," Ms. Cake said, "Enjoy your treat."

"I will," she smiled as the older mare walked away. "Oh, Ms. Cake!"

The cerulean mare turned back. "Yes dearie?"

"Um… can you tell me why there's a roped-off area outside?" she asked.

Ms. Cake blinked. "You don't know?" she asked. Harry shook her head. "Oh my." The older mare walked over and slid into the other side of the booth. At the same time, Harry lit her horn and lifted a cookie to her mouth. She winced and let the magic drop once she had placed the rest of it back on the tray. Teeth and lips it was.

"That tree out there used to house the town library," Ms. Cake said, "The Golden Oaks library was said to be older than the town actually. Legends say that it was here when the first member of the apple family in these parts planted the first trees that would grow to be Sweet Apple Acres."

Harry nodded and took a sip of her milkshake.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle moved in there several years ago. That was before she was Princess of course. She became our town's librarian after Princess Luna.. Ah… Returned," Ms. Cake said, looking a little awkward.

That would be the 'not herself' incident Twilight and Princess Celestia had mentioned. Harry nodded to show she was following.

"Even after she ascended she continued to stay there. Truthfully, I got the feeling no one was quite sure what to do with her at that point," she said, shaking her head sadly, "That monster centaur Tirek wrecked the library when he was battling Princess Twilight. Nopony has been quite sure what to do with the remains." She sighed sadly.

Harry frowned and looked out at the ruins of the library. She wished she had gotten a chance to see it. "Is that why Twilight is living in a castle now?" she asked.

Ms. Cake put a hoof to her chin and shook her head. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. No one really does. Twilight and her friends defeated Tirek and suddenly that tree castle was there as if it had always been. It was quite strange," she said before shaking her head, "Pardon me Dearie, I must get back to work."

"Not a problem, Ms. Cake. Thank you for answering my questions," Harry replied.

"Oh, no trouble at all. Enjoy your treat," Ms. Cake said, waving before hurrying back to the counter where several ponies were waiting.

Harry sipped her shake and sighed. It seemed that even someplace as idyllic seeming as Equestria had its issues. Still, that wasn't her problem. This wasn't Hogwarts. This was her summer, even if it was full of Ponies.

She sipped her milkshake. Not that ponies were a bad thing. In fact, Ponies, it seemed, were rapidly becoming some of her favourite peoples.

She bent down and took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie. There was something different about it from normal chocolate chip cookies. Peering at it she spotted what looked like large oats and something else she couldn't identify mixed in. She took another bite.

It was probably the best cookie she'd ever had.

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Harry yawned as she watched a group of younger fillies, and a colt or two, play a game that resembled football from beneath the cover of a large leafy tree. After she had finished her snack at Sugarcube Corner she had continued her wandering around town until she had found a park-like area. The game had already been going and, feeling a touch tired, she had decided to settle in and watch alongside the parents and older friends and family that had congregated about the makeshift sports field.

She yawned again and settled her head on her forehooves. As a human, the position would have been uncomfortable but as a pony it was perfectly natural. Her nap, however, never got started as with a soft flutter of wings something with talons landed on her back.

"Eek!" Harry squealed at the strange sensation, leaping to her hooves and jumping away from her previous position. Ponies turned to stare at her as she laid eyes on the perpetrator. Lying on the ground was a rather familiar, and much larger seeming than usual, snowy owl. Her eyes went wide. "Oh no, Hedwig!" she dived to the ground by the toppled bird, "Are you okay?"

She got a glare and an indignant hoot. She winced at the reprimand. "Sorry girl," she said, her ears laid flat atop her head,"You surprised me." Several letters were stuffed in a small pouch around her neck. Harry's horn lit up with a dull throb as she set the owl back on her feet and took the pouch.

"Is everything alright?" a boy's voice asked. She glanced up from fussing over Hedwig, who promptly took the opportunity to grumpily flee to one of the branches of the tree above her. The speaker was a pale blue pegasus colt with an electric yellow mane only a couple inches taller than Harry. Beside him was a lilac unicorn with a dark purple purple mane. The way she was leaning against him seemed to suggest a close relationship.

"Um… Yeah. I think," Harry said, shooting an apologetic look up at Hedwig. "I'm sorry girl, I didn't mean to panic." Her owl simply hooted indignantly down at her. Yeah, she wasn't living this down anytime soon. She'd probably have to get more owl treats to bribe Hedwig with.

"If you're sure… Say, you're new, right?" the colt asked.

"Um, yeah, Harry Potter. I'm staying at the castle," Harry said absently as she examined the contents of the pouch. Fortunately, paper wasn't heavy enough to bother her horn… too much.

"The-" The lilac unicorn stared at her, "Oh, oh… Welcome to Ponyville! You know, I'm surprised Pinkie hasn't held you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party yet."

"A what?" Harry dropped the pouch full of letters into her saddlebags.

"A 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. She does it for, like, everyone," the unicorn said.

"Huh…" she'd have to ask Twilight about that. Maybe it was because she had already had a 'Welcome to Equestri' Party?

"Well, Pinkie Party or not, welcome to Ponyville, Hairy Potter," the colt said with a smile, "I'm Tempest Drift. This is my marefriend, Lilac Ribbon."

"Nice to meet you," Harry replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too. Was it just me or did that bird bring you something?" Lilac asked, looking up at the owl with wide eyes.

"She did. Hedwig is a mail owl," Harry said, "Back home they carry messages. All you have to do is address the letter and they can find anyone or anyplace… Unless it's warded against them. Which does happen occasionally."

"Cool," Tempest Drift said with a grin, "Anyways, if everything is good we're going to get back to the game. See you around town, Hairy Potter."

"Bye Tempest, Lilac," Harry said, waving to them as they left. Lilac waved back as she followed her boyfriend. Coltfriend. Whatever.

She turned her attention back to Hedwig and signed as she watched the owl take flight in the direction of the castle. She was definitely annoyed with her. "I'll just have to get her some treats," she said, retaking her place under the tree. Thankfully, she was fairly sure Spike knew how to take care of an owl. Twilight had one as a pet herself. It had even been trained to help her like an assistant.

Harry pulled the bundle of letters out and selected the first one before returning the rest to her bag. It was a rather ordinary muggle envelope and probably from Hermione. She cracked the seal easily and unfolded it. Yup, it was from Hermione

Dear Harry,

I can't believe you walked off with a woman you didn't know! After the last year I'd have thought you'd know better, but at least nothing bad has come of it. Oh, Harry, not even a day into summer vacation and you're already getting into trouble.

Harry glanced about the park filled with ponies. If this was Hermione's definition of trouble then perhaps she could get into trouble more often.

That said, I am so happy for you. I have to wonder why your Godmother Princess Celestia (and that's another thing to talk about) didn't take you in until now, but I'm sure there's a good reason. Also, I haven't been able to find a reference to a Princess Celestia anywhere. Not our history books, or my private collection, or the public library. Where exactly is she a Princess of?

Either way, I'm glad to hear you're away from your relatives. Hopefully this summer is much nicer for you. My parents are planning a trip to France for the first three weeks, but I should be back in time to join you and Ron for the Quidditch World Cup. I've never been to such a large wizarding event before, but it should be fun to watch I suppose. I wonder how it compares to Rock in Rio?

Also, is it just me or did Professor McGonagall write a trick question for question six on the exam? It's been bothering me for days.

Sincerely Your Friend,
Hermione Granger

P.S. Also I just realised that wasn't your handwriting. Harry, what's going on?

The blonde filly winced. She should have expected that bit. "I wonder if I can invite them over to Equestria?" she mused, pulling out Ron's letter next. She pursued it quickly and had to chuckle. Most of it was rambling about the Quidditch World Cup, making it nearly twice the length of Hermione's, a first for Ron. Still…

[...]And is it just me or did your handwriting get a lot bette all of asudden? You doing alright mate? I mean, having another Godparent show up right after the first. What're the odds, right? Feels fishy, but then again we've been running into weirder stuff. Stay safe, whatever's going on.

Sincerely,
Ron

They'd both noticed that Princess Celestia was the one writing the letter. She couldn't say she was surprised, not really. The Princess had far better writing than she did even with hands.

The last letter came out. It was a simple roll of parchment tied off with a slightly ratty red ribbon. Removing the ribbon she unfolded it and promptly choked back a laugh.

Dear Sunbutt,

Harry stuffed a fetlock into her mouth to cut off the laughter. Clearly, her Godfather knew her Godmother and was comfortable enough to be irreverent.

I'm writing this from the back of a griffon that was bound for the canary islands, but right now I'm heading for Equestria. I'd honestly thought you'd washed your hands, not that you have any, of us after the war. I mean, why the hell weren't you looking after Harry all this time? You were the one that insisted Petunia be cut from the Will in the first place. Not that I did any better, but you'd better have an Azkaban worthy excuse for why you weren't involved.

So, listen, I'll be there in about a week your time. Three days or so mine, maybe a bit more or less depending on how many things we need to dodge. I'm sure despite Harry's story you're probably a little suspect of me. When I get there, I'm turning myself over. I'm sure you've still got that cache of Veritaserum we gave you. Unless you've somehow found abundant reasons to use a truth serum in that little sugarbowl of yours. Seriously, I nearly developed cavities the last time Lily dragged us all over.

Also, Harry, if you're reading this, and I bet you are, Celestia's the real deal. I was there when she was named your Godmother. See you in a week, Prongslet.

Sincerely,
Padfoot

Harry grinned, nearly vibrating on the spot. She rolled the letter back up and stuffed it in her saddlebags before springing to her hooves. Sirius was coming! Sirius was coming to Equestria! She'd get to spend the summer with him after all!

Letting out an excited 'eeeeeeee' she galloped from the park, dodging ponies and carts as she bounded through the streets toward the castle. She uttered more than one apology as she rushed through the town.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

"TWILIGHT!" Harry bellowed as she burst through the front doors of the castle. They banged loudly against the walls, their frames ringing like chimes as they rebounded. Harry dashed out of the way as she took the stairs two at a time, rushing for the library where she knew Twilight would likely be.

She nearly ran over Spike as he abruptly stepped out of a side room. Only a quick leap kept her from running the tiny drake over. "Sorry Spike!" she called as she sailed over him. She'd jumped reflexively

"Hey! Careful about the spikes!" he protested, grabbing his spikes along the top of his head.

She ignored him as she clattered down the hallway, sliding on the crystal flooring as she tried to slow down. She caught a glimpse of Twilight as she slid by the entrance of the library. The older mare had a mildly confused look as she slid out of sight. Harry's hooves finally found purchase and she sprang back to the door, narrowly avoiding the same fate as last time.

"Twilight I-" She trailed off at the sight of her Godmother sipping tea at a table that was just out of sight of the door. "Princess Celestia," she said surprised, "You're early."

Celestia smiled at her over the teacup and took a sip. "That I am, but I found that day court wrapped up a little bit earlier than usual today and decided it would be nice to have a longer visit with my Godchild and my dear student," she smiled at Twilight who beamed. Her tail twitched side to side as she desperately tried to not wag it like a dog.

"Oh- Oh! Princess, Twilight," Harry trotted over to the table and levitated the letters out of her bag, only wincing slightly from the throb in her horn. "Hedwig returned with letters from everyone, including Sirius."

Celestia accepted them and sent her a concerned look. "Is everything alright, Harry?" she asked, leaning down to Harry's level.

"I'm fine," Harry said, shaking her head.

"Hmmm," Celestia hummed, giving Harry a firm look. She squirmed for a few moments before sighing.

"I've had a hornache since Twilight had me do that writing test this morning," she admitted. To her surprise Celestia reached over with a hoof and pulled her to the larger mare's side.

"Twilight," she began with a slight reprimand that made the other alicorn wince, "Just how long was this writing test?"

"Oh… I have it… here," Twilight produced the test from a nearby pile of books. It had somehow, in the last several hours, been buried six books deep. They weren't small books either.

Celestia took the pages of writing with a raised eyebrow. She looked them over with a raised eyebrow and smiled. "It's good to see you've gotten so far in only a few days, Harry," she said, smiling proudly down at Harry. She smiled back at Celestia, an unfamiliar warm feeling in her chest. "However, Twilight, she has only been using her horn for a week. This may have been a little much."

Twilight blushed and bowed her head. "Sorry Princess Celestia, Harry," She fidgeted.

"It's fine, Twilight. I can handle a small headache. Really, it isn't that bad," Harry said, shaking her head.

"A hornache is a sign of pushing yourself well past the point of taking a break," Celestia said, shaking her head, "I've long since learned to avoid pushing my students so hard…" She quirked her lips in an amused smile as she took a sip of tea, "Not that it stopped a certain lavender unicorn from nearly putting herself in the hospital from too much spell practice."

Harry was treated to the sight of Twilight blushing hard. "Princess…" She whined, provoking a chuckle from her mentor.

"Now, let's see," Celestia said, levitating the letter up in front of her.

Twilight slid a teacup with a straw in it over to Harry. She thanked the alicorn and sipped the tea through the straw. It was probably sacrilege, but she'd take it over making her horn hurt more.

"It seems your friends are quite worried about you," Celestia said as she finished Ron's letter. She took a glance at Sirius' and, before Harry could reply, nearly spat her tea out through her nose.

"Princess?! Is something wrong?" Twilight asked with concern.

"No, nothing's wrong," Celestia said, shaking her head with clear amusement as she patted her lips with a towel, "I simply forgot how irreverent Sirius Black can be."

"Dear Sunbutt," Harry quoted, getting a horrified look from Twilight. She laughed at Twilight's stare.

Celestia's lips quirked. "Yes, he has always had an… interesting, sense of humour," she said.

Twilight facehoofed and shook her head. "He's starting to sound a bit like Discord," she grumbled.

"Well, he is quite the prankster. At least, he was," Celestia frowned, "I will have quite a few questions to ask him when he arrives. I'm sorry to say, Harry, that it may take several days."

Harry shook her head. "That's fine, I'm simply happy that I'll get to spend time with him this summer," she said.

"Yes… summer," Celestia said before setting the letters on the table, "I will write a letter to Sirius later. Once your horn has recovered feel free to write to your friends as much as you wish."

"Would it be possible… for them to come over to Equestria?" Harry asked nervously.

Celestia blinked. "Well, your mother brought her husband and his friends along before. Nothing bad came of it, even with this betrayal… I will have to think on it but I suspect it is likely that they will be welcome in Equestria, Harry," she said, nuzzling Harry. The young unicorn beamed. "Now, onto other things," Celestia continued, "First of all, since you will be spending most of Earth's summer here that means around five months shall pass here before you go home. It will be well into autumn by then… I believe shortly after Nightmare Night in fact. As such, I feel that not arranging for some form of schooling would be… Irresponsible for a Godparent."

Harry frowned. So… not all fun and games then.

"As such I've taken the liberty of registering you at my school. Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," she took a sip, "However, I think that after letting you choose where to stay it would be rather rude of me to send you off to Canterlot. As such, I hope you don't mind Twilight, but I've registered Harry here as your personal student." Twilight's eyes went wide and to Harry's amusement, she immediately sat down staring at Princess Celestia. "I know we didn't discuss this beforehoof, but I know you're more than ready to take on a student Twilight."

"I- Princess…" Twilight blinked. She seemed to be fighting with emotions. "I'd gladly take Harry as a student it's just- Are you sure I'm ready?" she asked, her voice extremely nervous to Harry's ears. Her wings fluttered nervously.

"Absolutely, Twilight," Celestia said, pulling her pupil over to her with a wing. Soon both of the younger fillies were wrapped in the warm fluffy wings of Celestia.

Honestly, it was a little bit stifling in Harry's opinion. Twilight, however, didn't seem to mind as she leaned against her mentor. Harry decided to keep her mouth shut on it then and just enjoy the closeness. It was something she didn't get from the Dursleys, and oddly enough it seemed to make her horn ache less.

A flutter of wings announced the arrival of two owls through one of the open windows. Hedwig, who perched on the windowsill and gave Harry an annoyed look (she really needed to get her those treats), and a much smaller owl that claimed a small specially made perch by a large mirror that seemed to be in a frame that resembled a horseshoe. It was connected to all sorts of strange gadgets.

"What's with the mirror?" Harry asked, rather curious.

Twilight glanced over. "Oh, it's a portal to yet another world," Twilight said, getting a blink from Harry.

"Another world?" Harry parroted.

Celestia chuckled. "Whereas your world is connected by a naturally occurring portal, that mirror is a creation of the ancient unicorn, Starswirl the Bearded. It leads to a world far lower in magic than even yours. It's a parallel world that until recently only connected with ours every thirty moons."

One of Harry's ears tilted to the side, a strange sensation still, and she stared at it. "How does that work? I thought you had to raise and lower the sun and moon manually?" she asked, "Does that mean you could just spin the sun and moon rapidly until it opens again?"

Celestia blinked down at her as Twilight started giggling. "Well, no. Moons refer to a period of time. 'Spinning' the heavens would hardly accelerate time. It would, however, garner me with quite a few diplomatic complaints from our neighbours," she said.

"Huh." She hadn't really thought about what politics had to be like in a world where the political leaders of a nation had, unfortunately necessary, control over the heavenly bodies. "Hadn't thought about that."

"We'll cover politics at some point," Twilight said, extending a wing of her own over Harry. She let the older mare pull her over as Celestia adjusted her own position.

"Bleh," Harry grumbled with a frown that seemed only to amuse her assigned teacher. Above them Celestia sipped her tea. After a few moments, Harry yawned. The warmth from being within the wings of two alicorns was enough to put her to sleep and she hadn't gotten that nap earlier.

She was never quite sure at what point she drifted off to sleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Harry ran. Down the steps and across the entry hall, out the front door of Privet drive and around the Whomping Willow, her hooves churning up the turquoise grass before she leaped to the roof the burrow and stumbled to a stop at the cliff edge between Ollivanders and his old elementary school.

She danced in place, panic suffusing her being. She had to run, but she could jump into the endless abyss in front of her. Not that she could turn back either they were-

"There he is," Petunia Dursley sneered in a tone that sounded more like Draco Malfoy than her usual high tones.

Harry spun on the spot, chocolate fudge spraying out from under her hooves and turned to butterfly taffy mid air that fluttered off to the nearest cafe plant. Staring at her with bright eyes was Petunia Dursley. To her right was the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge who licked a line of white frosting from his fudgy lips, on the left was Hermione and Ron both of whom looked oddly like clockwork dolls. Looming over all of them was Vernon Dursley, swelled up like some great purple balloon.

"Freak got freakier," Dursley said from behind Harry as he stepped out of Sugarcube Corner. A small part of her mind whispered, 'Hadn't there been a void there a moment before?'

"Not a freak. Not one of ours," The Minister for Magic spat, toffy pattering the ground as it left his lips. "Not even human."

"Ran. off. he. did." Ron said, his tone short and halting.

"No I didn't," Harry blurted out, "I'm through the portal! I've sent you letters!"

"Not. A. Man. Anymore. Just. Animal," Hermione said, though her words sounded like Pansy Parkinson. She drew a licorice lampstandard from her pocket and held it like a wand. Harry took two steps back from them shaking her head.

"No I'm not!" She shouted, glancing around as more friends and family and enemies stepped out of corners, hung off branches, waltzed from the shadows of flickering turquoise flames.

She spun in place as they started chanting, "Animal! Animal! Animal!" Tears sprang to her eyes, somehow not stinging even though they seemed to be made from Bertie Botts Beans. They landed in the pudding below her with a 'plop plop plop'.

What was she supposed to do? They were everywhere! She whimpered. Vernon shoved his way past his wife and the minister. His hand came up, blotting out the cotton candy sky with a purple hue, before coming down

"I think that's is enough of that," a commanding voice declared from on high. A ripple of magic rolled over everything and suddenly Harry blinked as she found herself in her room at Twilight's Castle.

"Who…?" she spun looking around for the speaker. She started as she spotted a tall dark blue alicorn with a mane and tail of waving dark blue potted with starlight. On her flank was a black splotch and a crescent moon. "I- Oh! Princess Luna!" She shouted, recognizing her Godmother's description of her sister. "Oh thank you. I didn't know what to do. They were all shouting and Vernon was going to hit me and-" She was abruptly silenced as Luna placed a calming hoof to her lips.

"Be at peace, Harry Potter," she said softly, "It was only a nightmare, nothing more."

Harry blinked… Night…. Mare? She glanced around at the room. Hadn't she been in the library…? "Oh… Ooooh," she blushed and scuffed her hooves on the dream floor. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"That you are, young one, and quite loudly at that," Princess Luna said kneeling down beside her, "I couldn't help but notice your dream the moment I began my duties."

"Sorry…" She mumbled. Luna placed a hoof on her withers.

"Child, do not apologise for things outside your control," She said, "Nightmares are nightmares. They are no pony's fault. It is my duty to help our little ponies with their nightmares and it shall never be an inconvenience. So do not think that it is."

She nodded, then squeaked as Luna pulled her over into a hug. After a moment she stopped struggling and let the older pony hold her. It felt nice after what felt like hours, or maybe seconds, of being chased through all the places she knew by caricatures of everyone. She let out a sigh.

"I should've noticed everything was made from candy," she grumbled.

"The dreaming mind accepts things as a matter of course that the waking mind never would," Luna said with a smile that Harry felt more than heard as Luna rested her head atop Harry's.

Harry nodded. She knew she was right, but… "I must have fallen asleep when Princess Celestia was hugging Twilight and I," she said.

"Mine sister does make a warm blanket," Luna said with some amusement, "You are not the first to fall asleep against her. Nor, I imagine, shall you be the last."

Harry nodded, feeling her eyes drooping again. No fair. How was she tired…. In a dream?

"Rest peacefully, Harry Potter," was the last thing she heard Luna say before she faded from the dream.

An unknown time later, her mind filled with nibbling on a field of strange white flowers that tasted oddly like mayonnaise, Harry slowly cracked her eyes open with a yawn. She blinked as the horseshoe-shaped mirror in the library swam into focus. She shook her head and blinked again.

"Ah, you're awake." Harry looked up to find that she was nestled on a large pillow beside Princess Celestia who seemed to be reading a book. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

Harry frowned. She vaguely remembered something about being chased only… "I was having a nightmare, when Princess Luna showed up," she said.

Celestia smiled and bent down to nuzzle the side of Harry's face. She was still getting used to the strange ways ponies showed affection, but she returned the gesture. "I thought your sleep looked disturbed earlier. I was about to wake you when you quieted down," She said, "I'm happy to see Luna decided to help you."

It had been a rather weird dream, even stranger than the ones about Professor Quirrel's turban… Which had probably had something to do with Voldemort hiding beneath it. Maybe she should start keeping a log of her dreams, just in case?

The door of the library creaked open to reveal Twilight. "Oh, Harry's up," she said, "Dinner is about ready as well. Come on." With that, she turned and trotted back out the door. Harry let Princess Celestia poke her to her hooves and herd her out the door to dinner.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Riding a hippogriff was still a strange experience for Sirius. It was nothing like riding a broom. The lack of complete control was at times rather terrifying, to say nothing of landing. Unlike a broom a hippogriff required a greater amount of space, but the front yard was more than sufficient. He eyed the front door and the vehicles parked out front as he dismounted.

"C'mon, let's head around back," he said, guiding Buckbeak with a steady hand. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with the hippogriff, but bringing him to Equestria was probably out. The skittish ponies Lily had introduced them to would likely freak out with an animal like him around. Assuming he didn't turn into anything else.

He was unsurprised when, as he turned the corner of the building a spear was pointed in his face as a dozen armoured men and women emerged from hiding places to surround him and Buckbeak. He raised his hands slowly to show surrender.

"Easy there, Steel Hoof," he said soothingly to the large man. Buckbeak squawked and reared, though he didn't attack anyone he certainly looked agitated.

"Don't go 'easy there' to me, Sirius," he growled.

"Well you should calm down, Buckbeak here gets a little territorial. He'll attack if you get too threatening," Sirius said, jamming his head toward the animal.

"Hippogriff. Earth one," Another said.

"Yeah, he's been my transport for the last few days," Sirius replied, "Look, I'm just here to see Harry. Don't even have my wand at the moment."

"Stand down," a voice he was unfamiliar with said before a handsome man with hair in shades of blue stepped out of the shadows. "Sirius Black, Prince Shining Armor."

"Nice to meet you," he said, nodding to the man. A small part in the back of his mind wondered what he'd look like as a stallion and was promptly quashed with practised efficiency. Over a decade later and Lily was still pranking him. Merlin, this trip wasn't going to help with that but it was for Harry so he'd bear with it.

The guards stepped back and came to rest with their spears against their shoulders.

"Princess Celestia says you're here to turn yourself into our custody," the Prince said, "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Not in the least," he replied, "At least I'll get better treatment with you than back in Azkaban."

Shining Armor nodded and glanced at Buckbeak. "So, what are we going to do with this one?" he asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Not a clue."

"Can't really let it wander, can we?" Shining asked, eyeing the claws, "I'll have some animal experts come through to care for him. Anything they should know?"

"Hippogriffs are prideful and take offence easily. They're smart enough to understand when they're being insulted," Sirius said, recalling his care of magical creatures classes, "Make sure to bow to one before approaching. If it doesn't bow back, back off and let someone else deal with it."

"Right. Heavyheart, Thunderhoof," the Prince pointed out two of his men, "You're on bird duty. We'll send some ponies through shortly."

"Great…"
"Sir."

"Good, now, let's move. Princess Celestia is waiting for you, Sirius Black," Shining Armour said, gesturing for Sirius to follow him. Sirius let him lead the way. Behind him Buckbeak followed, walking a few steps behind him. Maybe the bird would follow him through the portal. That would be amusing. What did Hippogriffs turn into in Equestria anyways?

Shining armour led him to the portal and stepped through. Sirius paused at the threshold for a moment. "Lily, I really wish you'd warned me the first time," he muttered before taking a step through.

One mildly disorienting trip between realities later hoofs clattered on wood as Sirius stumbled through the portal. Sirius stumbled to the side and came to lean against the railing of the gazebo on the other side.

"Ugh," Sirius groaned before taking stock. Tar black coat? Matted like it hadn't been washed in years, but check. Grey mane and tail with a stripe of pure silver down the middle? Also matted, but check. Cutie Mark of a sleeping white sheep on a starry background? Check. Gender?

"I hate this part," the very definitely female black grumbled as she steadied herself. Old instincts from both her animagus form and her previous visit returned quickly as she watched something come blasting out of the portal and out onto the field beyond… The field that was full of half a company of Royal Guard surrounding the brilliant white form of Celestia sitting behind a folding table that looked comically small for her.

Sirius peered over the railing at the small form that had been projectile launched from the portal. A turquoise hippogriff foal lay upside down halfway between the portal and Celestia. It squawked something and wriggled onto its hooves and claws. The young colt stared at the much larger ponies around it before raising its wings and letting out a shriek.

"Well this is awkward," Sirius muttered as she emerged from the gazebo. Her horn lit up with a pure white aura that scooped up the hippogriff foal. He twisted in her aura to shriek at her. "That's enough Buckbeak," she said, holding the hippogriff just out of reach of his talons. They stared at each other for a long few moments before the foal sniffed and let out an inquisitive note of confusion. She nodded firmly and floated the colt off to her side, though she didn't put him down. Who knew what effects being turned into an Equestria Hippogriff would have on the Earth one in the long run, but for now, he was basically a feral child.

She walked up to Princess Celestia. Her old acquaintance was eyeing her with a look of concern. Sirius could only imagine how she looked right then. Matted fur, tail and mane, and probably filthy enough to meet the dirt quota of any ten foals for a week.

She glanced at the handsome blue-maned, white-coated stallion standing to Celestia's left. He had to be Prince Shining Armor. He was rather cute, maybe- no, bad filly. Think about how human Sirius would handle that thought later.

Shaking her head she came to a stop and curled one foreleg as she bowed to Princess Celestia. "I, Sirius Orion Black of House Black, am here to turn myself over to the mercy of the Equestrian Throne," she intoned formally.

"That will not be necessary," Celestia said, prompting her to look up surprised, "I intend to have this dealt with now, not later." A small clear flask with an equally clear liquid rose from under the table. The cork came free and three small drops were dripped into a cup of water. "Drink, Sirius Orion Black, and let the truth be known."

"If someone doesn't mind hanging onto Buckbeak here," Sirius said, glancing about.

"I'll take him," Shining Armor said. A pinkish aura surrounded the hippogriff foal and Sirius let him go. Without a second thought, she grabbed the glass of water and downed the entire thing. Almost instantly a fog crawled into her mind.

The questioning that followed was a blur in Sirius' mind. Veritaserum was like that. Eventually, though, she came back to awareness, the taste of apple juice on her lips as Celestia floated a drink away from her. She shook herself like a dog.

"I hate that feeling," she told Celestia. The old Alicorn laughed as she set the drink aside.

"I have no doubt about that. Tell me, Sirius, how did that date with Cloud Fisher go last time you were here?" Celestia asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Sirius glared at her. "You better not have asked about that while I was drugged," she said as memories of the bright blue pegasus stallion popped up.

"You will tell me at some point," Celestia said with a teasing grin.

"Not a chance. How's Harry?" she asked. Seeing as she hadn't been clapped in irons and a restraint ring dropped over her horn, she suspected that Celestia had taken her answers well then.

"She is doing well. I've left her-"

"She?" Sirius said, her own voice cracking before she started laughing. "I see Harry hasn't taken after James this time." Oh the pup was probably as freaked out as she had been the first time.

"Indeed she hasn't," Celestia said with a touch of amusement, "She's currently staying with my student Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle? When did you get a third Princess?" Sirius asked, "And wasn't your student… Sunny Shimmer?"

"Sunset Shimmer…" Celestia frowned and sighed. "Sunset started down a dark path not long after you left. She eventually fled for another world. She has since found herself again, but she remains there attending school."

Sirius frowned. "That's unfortunate," she said, feeling her ears drooping. She'd liked the little bacon-haired unicorn.

"It was… I still hope she'll come home some day, but there is little I can do for now," Celestia said, "It is also four Princesses now. My sister has been returned to us, sane once more." She smiled, "I have Twilight Sparkle and her friends to thank for that."

"It seems I've missed quite a bit," Sirius said before coughing into her fetlock. She swayed on her feet. She had been feeling better since leaving Azkaban, but that was like saying someone starving felt better after a single meal. It was an illusion brought about by lowered expectations.

"Shining Armor, I believe we will be returning to the palace shortly," Celestia said as she eyed Sirius. The black unicorn mare smiled.

"Guard, prepare for departure… Princess, what should we do with this one?" Shining said, holding up the hippogriff foal. A golden aura captured him as Celestia's horn lit up with the same aura. Buckbeak found himself between Celestia's front legs looking quite confused.

"I shall take care of him for now, I think," she said with a smile.

"He was a full-grown hippogriff in Britain," Sirius said, "Why is he so small now?"

"It may simply be a matter of age, or maturity, or the simple whims of reality," Celestia said, "Who can say?"

Sirius hummed. "Would it be possible to see Harry?" she asked.

"Not today. You can see Harry after you've cleared a medical check-up and had several baths," Celestia said, shooting her a look, "I'm sorry to say you're quite fragrant, and not in a good way."

Sirius turned and sniffed her side, grimacing hard. "No disagreement here," she said, shuddering. A bath. Oh she would kill, quite literally, for a bath. She hadn't had one since… since…

The day before everything had gone to shit most likely.

She slumped to the ground as her legs gave out abruptly. She blinked rapidly as her vision blurred. "Celestia, I- James… Lily… I-" She sniffled. She didn't resist as the table was lifted out of the way and Celestia pulled her over with her magic. "I got them killed!" She buried her head under her hooves as the tears finally started falling. A hoof nearly as large as her head rubbed her back as she tried and failed to reign in the outpouring of emotions.

"You did no such things, Sirius Black," Celestia said gently, "By your own testimony, you had no idea that Peter had turned coat."

"I still suggested it!" She snapped through her tears, ripping her head out from under her hooves with a flash of self-loathing, "It was my idea. Not Peter's. Not James' or Lily's. Mine. I tried to be clever and got them killed… should have been me…" Her anger flared… and flashed out as she tried to glare up at Celestia. Her furious expression fell as her sight blurred further and she buried her head into the far larger mare's pristine coat. A hoof rubbed her back.

A concerned chirp caused her to pull back and glance down. Buckbeak looked up at her. He placed a talon on her forehoof and chirped again. She smiled down at the hippogriff foal and patted him on the head. "Thank you," she told him through sniffles.

Merlin, she was falling to pieces.

"Better?" Celestia asked.

"Not really," she replied, sniffling.

"A spa visit should help with that, along with a few months of good food," Celestia said, prodding her in the ribs. They weren't quite skeletal, but she was incredibly thin around the barrel.

"... food… Yeah, yeah some food, and a bath, sounds really good," she admitted, stepping back and shaking herself back into some shape… a matted, ratty shape, but a shape. It had fewer tears, though they had yet to stop falling entirely. She sniffled. "Perhaps you're right. I have some time. I don't have to show up to see Harry looking like a lunatic that escaped Azkaban."

Buckbeak was floated up and onto Celestia's back as she stood up. "Then let us get going. Until you recover enough to stay with Harry the Royal Palace is open to you," Celestia said, guiding her with a wing toward where the Princess' flying chariot was being hooked up to a team of Pegasi.

"Sorry, Harry," Sirius mumbled as she stepped onto the chariot, "It seems I'll be a few days late." As the chariot lurched into the sky, Sirius turned to watch the Evans estate disappear in the distance…

"Oh," she perked up and looked up at Celestia, "I just about forgot, Remus should be joining us in a few days. I sent him a message yesterday."

"And another old friend comes by. I look forward to it," Celestia said with a smile.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The next few days passed quickly for Harry in a flurry of homework. Twilight had insisted that she practise her hornwriting while working on the homework assignments. That, and she wasn't allowed to go into town until they were done.

Once her assignments were out of the way, and a second round of letters exchanged with her friends who were starting to wonder what was going on with her -- she really couldn't blame them, she wasn't exactly explaining herself well after all -- she had been told to take a day out and about before they started Twilight's lessons. The older filly seemed to be practically vibrating with anticipation, when she wasn't panicking and running about with dozens of books floating over her head while Harry and Spike watched. It was a sight Harry was slowly growing used to. She wasn't quite at the point of eating an entire platter of snacks while watching like Spike sometimes did. Only sometimes, because Twilight tended to get annoyed when people ate in her library.

Harry's goal on that day was to finish familiarising herself with the town and maybe grab a snack. She'd been left with the goal of 'making friends' by Twilight. Like she didn't already have them back on Earth. Still, a few friends would be nice. Some locals she could visit with when she was in town.

Which was how she walked in on half the town performing a highly coordinated dance number in the town square. She paused at the edge of the dance area and stared. She could feel the magic driving the performance. It was warm and carried on the voice of the singer, or singers in this case. A trio of flower cutie-marked ponies were celebrating something about flowers?

Harry took a step closer to the square- "In all the colours of the rainbow~" Harry closed her mouth with a click and took two hurried steps back as the words of the chorus burst from her. She barely managed to keep from skipping into the line with the rest of the crowd. It didn't feel bad though. Kinda like getting hit with an overpowered cheering charm alongside the urge to just go with the flow.

"Not going to join in, darling?" Harry jumped as Rarity spoke up from just behind her. The pretty purple-maned unicorn smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry for sneaking up on you."

"It's fine," Harry said, stepping a bit further away from the musical. "What's going on?"

"You don't know?" Rarity asked with a touch of surprise. Harry shook her head. "Oh my, what has Twilight been teaching you?"

"Not much so far. I've mostly been doing my homework and practising writing," Harry said.

"I suppose those are important things. But do you not have Heartsongs in the human world?" the older unicorn asked.

"Heartsong?" Harry asked, glancing at the continuing song and dance routine. This was common enough to have a name?

"Yes. I'll admit I don't know the exact mechanical reasons behind it. Magical theory is more Twilight's interest than my own," Rarity said, listening to the chorus, "I've sung more than a few before. They usually occur when I'm struck by something I'm particularly passionate about. I know it's the same for the rest."

"And it just drags in everyone around you?" Harry asked, observing the CMC get pulled in as they entered the square.

"At times," Rarity said with a slight shrug, "Well, it is rather often that way, I'll admit. Twilight's pulled the rest of us into a few over the last few years. The incident that led to her ascension started with one. Rather ironic in topic as well from what I've been told."

"Been told? You weren't there?" Harry asked.

"Oh I was, however… Well magic had happened and for some reason I had Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark. I spent several days rearranging the weather into beautiful patterns before Twilight managed to straighten things out. It was…" Rarity made a face, "Well not one our prouder moments. I believe we drove the entire town quite batty that week."

"I thought small towns were supposed to be slow," Harry said flatly.

"It just means that when things happen the chaos is concentrated, darling," Rarity said with a smile, "Don't worry about getting caught up in one. It can be quite good exercise and cathartic. Who knows, you might spawn one or two yourself during your time here."

Harry turned back to the square and tried to picture being so happy about something that her magic incidentally started a disney musical. She couldn't do it. "I'll take your word for it," she said eventually.

"By all means," Rarity said, "It seems they're winding down now. I wonder how long this one went for?" The three flower sellers were raising their voices for a climactic high note that tugged at Harry's hooves causing her to unconsciously start to bounce in place.

"What's the longest time you've seen one last?" Harry asked as she bounced along to the tune.

"A full day. It was the cutie mark incident I mentioned earlier. Twilight was so very happy when she figured out how to solve it. We did the entire thing while singing," Rarity admitted, "I nearly passed out when we finished, but then she went and accidentally turned herself into an Alicorn and well… New Princess. Sleep was no longer an option. I had to make an entire dress overnight just for her coronation the next day." She shook her head. "I passed out ten minutes after her coronation and didn't wake up for an entire day. Gave Sweetie Belle quite the fright in the process as well I'm afraid."

The singing reached a climactic pitch and the entire square froze in the final motions of the musical number before as the music stopped the assembled ponies shook themselves off and returned to their lives chatting energetically. A long queue had formed in front of the flower stalls.

"Well, it's over now," Harry said.

"So it is. Now, tell me darling, do you have any plans for the moment?" Rarity asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing at the moment. I was just planning on exploring and maybe getting a snack at Sugarcube corner."

"Well, in that case, why don't you join me at the spa? I'm sure they can fit you in," Rarity said.

"Oh, um… I doubt I have the funds for something like that," Harry said, fidgeting. The spa? She'd never been and it seemed a bit… well… Girly.

"Nonsense, darling. It will be my treat," Rarity said, "Besides, I would love to see what Aloe and Lotus can do with that wild hair of yours. They are far better with hair than I am." She nudged Harry along with her muzzle. "Come along darling. You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Not entirely sure how to say no, Harry just nodded and let the older unicorn push her along toward the spa she had walked by the previous two times she had been in town. They passed through the area of the dance and Harry could feel the good cheer hanging in the air. It was like a weak wide-area cheering charm that didn't do much more than brighten your day.

"Oh!" Harry blinked and glanced to her right as they were leaving the square. Pinkie Pie was staring at her with widening eyes and a sharp inhaled gasp. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Pinkie bounced in place rapidly and then promptly disappeared into the crowd. At least, she thought she did. She might have just somehow managed to teleport.

"Oh dear, that's never a good sign," Rarity said as they continued walking.

"What- oh, Pinkie?" Harry asked.

"She doesn't normally do that twice to the same person. At least, not so quickly one after the other. I can't imagine what might have made her do that… unless she forgot something? Though what that could be…" Rarity hummed thoughtfully as she continued to guide Harry to the spa.

"... Mrs. Cake mentioned something about a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. She seemed surprised I hadn't gotten one already," Harry said.

"Oh. Oh. Yes, that would do it. Expect a party when you get back to Twilight's Castle. I imagine Pinkie has run off to prepare it," Rarity said with a touch of amusement, "Though I can't imagine Twilight will be too enthusiastic about a sudden invasion of her castle."

"Should we warn her?" Harry asked, only to be surprised as Rarity waved a hoof.

"Of course not, Darling. A Pinkie Party would do Twilight a world of good I assure you," she said, "She's been so tense recently." Harry nodded. She'd trust one of Twilight's old friends to know if she was. "And here we are. Come along." Rarity nudged Harry into walking through the sliding doors of the spa.

A pair of ponies, one with a light cerulean coat and a pale rose pink mane, and the other with the reverse, were busy behind the front counter as they entered. The pink maned pony poked her head up from behind the counter as the bell tingled. "Oh, Rarity, welcome and you've brought someone with you again. Hello and welcome to Ponyville Spa, how can we help you today?" she asked.

"Hooves, hair and a massage I think, my treat," Rarity said, "It's her first time."

"Ah, of course." Pony bent down to write something, pencil held in her mouth.

"Really, Rarity, you don't have to-" Harry started to say, only for Rarity to wave a hoof.

"Of course I don't, but I want to, and if you pardon me saying, you look nearly as tense as Twilight. Whatever is the matter?" Rarity said.

"Um…" Harry fidgeted.

"Can we get a name for the records?" the pony behind the counter asked.

"Pardon me. Where are my manners today? Aloe, Lotus, this is Harry Potter. Twilight's new student," Rarity said, gesturing to Harry, "Harry, this is Lotus Blossom," she pointed to the pink maned, cerulean pony, "and this is her sister, Aloe Vera." She gestured to the pink pony with a cerulean mane.

"Welcome to our Spa, Harry Potter," the sisters said as one, bowing their heads before Lotus stepped forward. "Please, both of you, follow me."

Feeling a bit of trepidation, and rather uncertain how to turn down Rarity's aggressive generosity, Harry let the two older mares lead her into the spa. This wasn't what she had planned for the day, but she really wasn't sure how to say no without offending Rarity. She resolved to just deal with whatever awaited her.

Two hours later Harry let out a relaxed sigh as hooves gently worked over her back. Her eyes lazily watched as Aloe took a file to her forehooves. "Rarity, I take back all the horrible things I was thinking. Thank you," she murmured.

The older mare tittered from where she was lounging. "Dear, compared to Rainbow Dash, you hardly made a fuss. Now, isn't this nice?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

"Hmmm…" Harry mumbled something incoherent into the pillow. She wasn't really sure what she'd tried to say.

"I thought so," Rarity smiled.

Soon enough, though, the massage, and hoof trimmings, were done and she had to get up. She stretched and yawned as Aloe and Lotus led her over to a luxuriously soft cushion beside Rarity. She felt honestly relaxed for the first time in…

Ever maybe.

Wow, did that say a lot about his life in Britain. Mind you, school wasn't really a relaxing place even when all the students weren't wizards and witches in training. She yawned again as the spa ponies brought out brushes and hair clippers and set to work. Her eyes flickered shut again as her coat was brushed out.

A few minutes later she was nudged awake. "Pardon me, Miss," Aloe said with a smile, "But I need your opinion on your mane and tail. What do you think?"

Harry blinked slowly as her eyes gradually focused on the mirror in front of her, before her eyes went wide with surprise. Her mane and tail, always a tangled mess no matter what she did, had been brushed out. While not straight, it had become neat with a deliberate waviness that bounced whenever she turned her head without it turning back into the mess from before. She stared at her reflection.

"How?" she asked, looking at Aloe with shock, "No one's ever managed to get my hair to behave."

"It was quite difficult," Aloe admitted, "But we do enjoy a challenge. Now, if you wish to do something similar at home…" Harry listened with more attentiveness than she would have expected earlier in the day. It wasn't information that he would ever use once he was back at school, but as she shot a look at her reflection, maybe it was something that she would find quite useful.

Another half an hour later Harry stepped out of the spa with Rarity. "Again, thank you," Harry said honestly. She felt refreshed, clean, and more relaxed than she'd been in ages. She touched a hoof to her mane. She couldn't believe they'd managed to tame the mess even for a short while. Time would tell if she used what they'd taught her, but it was nice to know it was possible to tame her hair if she really wanted to.

"Oh no need to thank me, Harry," Rarity said, "You looked like you needed some time to relax without worrying about the world. Now, shall we take a walk back to Twilight's Castle and see if Pinkie has been busy?"

"And maybe apologise to Twilight for not warning her?" Harry said as they started walking. She couldn't stop herself from humming a small tune that she couldn't quite place.

"Not at all. There is, after all, little one can do to stop Pinkie Pie once she starts planning a party," Rarity said with a small smile and a giggle.

The walk back to the castle was pleasant with Rarity asking her about Earth fashions. She didn't really know much, but Rarity didn't seem to mind. If anything it seemed to make her more interested in making a visit to Earth at some point. Maybe she should see about getting a Vogue magazine or something similar picked up for her? Something to ask her Godmother next time the Princess of the Sun came to visit.

There was no sign on the outside of the gleaming crystalline castle of Pinkie Pie. Nor was there anything in the entrance hall as their hooves echoed in the large room. "You know, is there a reason everything is so… barren, in here?" Harry asked Rarity.

"It's a might creepy, isn't it?" Rarity sighed, "The castle is only a few months old now and I'm afraid Twilight still has yet to really take to it. We've been discussing holding an intervention for her, but we're unsure how to go about it."

Harry nodded with a frown. "Maybe just show up with some decorations and just ask her where she wants them?" she suggested, "Anything would be better than these empty hallways."

"Well I would hardly foist 'anything' off on her, but you do have a point, Darling," Rarity agreed, "It certainly wouldn't hurt."

"She'd also probably love a few… hundred, more bookcases," Harry suggested. If she was as much like Hermione as she seemed then it would be a guaranteed hit.

"And likely books as well, but I suppose she could fill them herself…" Rarity hummed before smiling, "That is an ingenious idea. I know she misses the Golden Oak Library, it was her home for years before that awful monster Tirek destroyed it. Just maybe adding a little library charm to this place would help her take to it. I'll have to speak to the girls. Perhaps we can come up with something."

Harry nodded as she led the way up the steps toward the only truly occupied portion of the castle. Her ears twitched at every little noise as they walked down the hallway to the library. There was something shuffling about in… yup, the library. Whispering too.

She turned to Rarity and raised a hoof to her lips as she stopped in front of the door. She grinned mischievously. "Oh no," she said with a gasp loud enough to be heard through the door, "I think I forgot my coin purse back at the spa!" She jumped and clattered her hooves on the floor loudly and rapidly danced in place getting quieter until she stopped. Rarity had a hoof over her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

A few seconds after she stopped moving a voice inside the library shouted, "OH COME ON!"

Harry kicked the door open. "SURPRISE!" she shouted as she and Rarity entered to the sight of several dozen ponies jumping in all directions. She laughed as she saw Rainbow Dash dart up so hard she bounced off the ceiling. "Turns out, I didn't leave anything behind," she said cheerfully.

Pinkie Pie, who was standing in the middle of the room, promptly broke down laughing. "You surprised your own surprise party," she giggled, rolling the floor.

Twilight, chuckling softly, walked over to Harry as the room started laughing. "I don't think I've seen someone get the drop on one of Pinkie's Parties before."

"Neither have I, Twilight," Rarity said with some mirth, "This may be a first."

Harry simply grinned at her teacher. "She kinda gave the game away earlier when she gasped and ran off," she said.

"She does have a habit there, I suppose," Twilight said, "I see Rarity took you to the spa."

"It was… nicer than I expected," Harry said, stretching once more. "Now, do we have any snacks? I skipped Sugarcube Corner for-" She blinked and took a step back as Pinkie Pie materialised beside her with a plate of cupcakes.

"Here. I always bring plenty of snacks and treats and tasty scrumptious delicacies!" Pinkie said. Harry took two with her magic.

"Thanks Pinkie," she said looking up at the banner hanging across the library. She frowned. "Is that banner missing the last letter again?"

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: Chapter two~ Harry gets settled, sorta, and gets to have a little fun. Pony Life! Writing this has been fun but it'll be a while before I come back to it. I've got part of another chapter, but the muse has moved on for now. Next time should be a magical girl Ranma, though not a Sailor Moon fic. Blame Gekkou, she'd been influencing me this time

Gekkou_Yoko: You mean I don't often influence you?

Grounders10: … Admittedly, you've done it a lot. *glances back at Taylor-floof*

Gekkou_Yoko: *snickers*

Grounders10: and there are some stories where they'd be impossible to write without you. *points to With Grace and Elegance*

Gekkou_Yoko: You could write it just fine, it just would have several details being more fantasy than not.

Grounders10: I like accuracy, and on that note~ *picks up Gekkou and carries her off for more 'consulting'*

Gekkou_Yoko: Weee!~

 

[Grounders10]

-0-0-0-0-0-


A Ranma ½ Fanfic

Star Blessed Heroine

By: Grounders10

-0-0-0-0-0-

Season 1

Episode 1: Prophecy

-0-0-0-0-0-​

There were days when it would have been better to stay in bed. To curl up under those nice warm sheets, bury your head under your pillow, and just pretend the world outside just didn't exist. For Ranma Saotome, seventeen-year-old martial artist prodigy and gender-swapping teenager, that day was proving to be today. Not that staying in bed was a choice when their father insisted on waking them up with the dawn to spar every single morning.

However, as the currently black-haired boy was put through the third reinforced concrete wall of the parkade in the last three minutes, he was seriously considering whether it would have been a good idea to go back to bed once it was over. He coughed and winced as his ribs felt like they were about to snap.

He didn't have a chance to pull himself out of the hole he'd made before a large meaty off-green hand of metal hauled him up by his shirt. He found himself staring into the unblinking 'eyes' of what had been an off-green Toyota Camry. It's headlights formed the wide-spaced eyes of it's new bipedal form.

"TIRES!" It shouted into his face, earning a somewhat pained eye-roll from the martial artist. That was all the creature had said since it came to life and started trashing the next-door arcade. He'd been passing by when it blew through two walls and started eating racing arcade cabinets for some reason.

"This has been amusing," said the true orchestrator of the incident. A young man only a few years older than Ranma in appearance with blue skin, blue hair, and wearing a red trenchcoat over a black suit who was lounging across the hood of a sedan. "I've never seen someone without magic put up this much of a fight, but I'm afraid this is where it ends."

"Not done yet," Ranma said, swinging his legs up to brace against the walking car's arm. He kicked off and hurled himself away from it hard enough to tear his shirt, a nice orange one he'd only had for a week. He rolled to his feet and jumped away over a Honda which promptly gained a hole in it as the machine charged after him with a shout of, "TIRES!"

"Enough. Finish him off already!" the blue man shouted at his creation, "Stop toying around. I wish to twist the fate of this area to our purposes already!"

"TIRES!" The machine roared. Its right forearm swelled, consuming the hand as it transformed into a prong with rapidly spinning tires on either side.

"I thought you said you were impressed?" Ranma shouted over his shoulder before diving under an entire axle as it was fired from the spinning tires like a railgun. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" He roared, firing his ki blast in reply. Like the last time he tried it the attack washed over the machine monster doing absolutely nothing more than making it stumble.

"I thought you were more intelligent. My Megasoria-infused monster can't be harmed by life force! All it does is make it stronger! Retaliate Megaya!" the man called, waving lazily toward Ranma.

"TIRES!"

Ranma dodged, dived, leaped and sprinted around the parkade as a fusillade of car parts tore through his surroundings. Cars, walls, the floor, the ceiling, nothing was spared as he kept barely ahead of it. He grit his teeth as he tried to think of something he hadn't already tried. Punches and kicks did nothing. Ki blasts were a waste of time. He could try and delve deeper into his bag of tricks, but they were either too situational to be helpful, or too weak to do anything.

"SPARKLING SUNSET WAVE!"

Without warning an orange and purple beam of energy slammed into the bipedal car monster from behind. With a cry of 'WONDERFUL!' it abruptly transformed back into the original Toyota Camry. Ranma backpedalled as all the damage was abruptly restored to normal as a wave of magic rolled out from the blast and he had to avoid a minivan as it slid back into position. At the same time, the magic washed over him and he felt the injuries he'd taken fade, though the magic didn't steal his fatigue at the same time.

A blonde-haired girl in a long white skirt, frilly blue top, and overly long blue and white petticoat bounded into the parkade brandishing a long crooked staff.

"Ugh," the blue-skinned alien sighed, "Took too long. Tisk. Later Magical Sunny!" He jauntily waved to the magical girl and vanished in a swirl of red light.

"Oh no," The magical girl groaned as he vanished. She huffed and looked around, starting as she saw Ranma step out from behind the vehicles. "Oh, Ranma. Are you okay?"

She knew him? "I'm fine. Just great after, whatever that was," he said as he eyed the girl. She didn't look familiar. He was pretty sure he'd remember a blonde if he'd met one. "How'd you do that?"

"Do- oh the attack. Magic, I'm afraid. Not a martial arts technique," the girl said, wiggling shyly, holding her staff against her knees with both hands. "Those sorts of creatures need magic to hurt them. A lot more magic than a Jusenkyo curse provides."

It did what now? Ranma leaned against the side of the hood of the minivan. "Look, thanks for helping," he said, taking a look around. The place was entirely fixed somehow. He'd heard about magical girls on the news. It was sort of a plague as some newscasters called it. Young girls in skirts and ribbons running around having punch-ups with demons and monsters and all sorts of others all over the place. He supposed Nerima was weird enough that it was just a matter of time before one showed up here.

"Oh, you're welcome. I- um, I should, get going. I need to make sure they didn't change the destiny of anything nearby," she said, turning quickly.

"Yeah, see you about," Ranma waved and let out a sigh as the girl rushed out. He sagged against the minivan. His injuries were gone, but he was still exhausted after fighting that thing for nearly half an hour without a single lick of progress to show for it. "Magical Girls. Guess pops was wrong, they aren't a myth after all." He chuckled. Admittedly he hadn't pushed that idea since they started appearing all over TV and not just tabloids.

Still, not a myth meant that more of their creepy monsters were going to show up and if that was a taste of what they were like then he was going to need to find some way to fight them. He really didn't want to spend the next rest of forever getting punched through walls by talking fire hydrants or plush toys.

Stretching, Ranma started walking for the exit. He still needed to pick up the rice Kasumi had asked him to get and a solution to this wasn't just going to jump him in a parkade… at least, he didn't think it would.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma dropped the bag of rice off on the counter and waved off Kasumi's thank you as the brunette young woman started working on dinner. Leaving the Eldest of the three Tendo sisters to cook, he walked over to the living room.

"Now we go to Harada for today's segment of Mahou Watch!" a voice said from the TV as Ranma paused in the doorway.

His father Genma Saotome, a large bulky bald man in a white gi; and Soun Tendo, the tall dark haired head of the Tendo Household; were playing shogi on the porch through the far door. Ranma's mother Nodoka Saotome, a beautiful redheaded woman in a formal kimono; was watching the TV from the coffee table with a small frown.

A perky brunette young woman in a frilly dress bounced onto the screen. She posed cutely. "Welcome to Mahou Watch where we recap and review this week's Mahou Shoujo sightings! I'm your host, Estuko Harada~! First on the billing for this week is a scuffle between the famed Senshi of Minato Ward and a giant talking tree monster not even five hundred yards from the Imperial Palace grounds!" The screen shifted to show five colourfully dressed young women in short skirts dashing and diving away from the lashing roots of what might have once been an ordinary oak tree.

Ranma winced as the green-skirted one took a blow that put her through a tanker truck labelled 'MILK'. That was going to be unpleasant to get out of her hair afterwards.

"Fortunately, it ended with minimal damage to local property and no civilian injuries. A nice change of pace from some of their early fights. Keep up the good work Senshi!" The scene transitioned to Harada wiggling back and forth in place. "From Tokyo, we're headed to the beautiful seaside town of Sukuyada~ The recent plague of monster attacks continued with a showdown on the docks involving a, I cannot believe I'm saying this, orange tutu-wearing shark. Not entirely sure what that was about ladies and gents, but fortunately like all fights in Sukuyada there doesn't seem to have been any lasting impact to the area."

A tutu what? Ranma stared at the TV for a moment. Compared to that, the transformer trying to kill him was perfectly normal.

"Then we're off to Nerima~ Normally a hotbed of martial arts shenaniganry we've seen a sudden explosion in Magical Girl sightings with the new girl on the block," the image changed to show the blonde girl from earlier, "Sunny Honey! Unfortunately, she was a bit late to today's scuffle near the Boom Zone Arcade, but one of the local martial artists seems to have managed to hold the creature off until she could arrive and swiftly defeat it. I've got to say, Sunny, you'll need to be a bit quicker than half an hour late if you want to keep on top of things in this business! Still, her magic put everything back to rights so we're lucky to have her."

Ranma's father grumbled. "There's one here now? Everywhere these brats go monsters show up. It's like they're attracting them," he complained, making a move on the shogi board.

"Now Saotome, it could very well be the other way around," Soun replied, "A natural response to monsters showing up. Besides, magical girls have been around since… well, forever really. Remember that one magical girl down in Osaka when we were training? What was her name… Moonlit Sonata or what have you?"

"Moonlit Cadenza," Ranma's mother corrected absently.

Soun snapped his fingers. "That was it. You were awfully appreciative of her if I recall, eh, Saotome," he chuckled as Genma went red and Nodoka let out a girlish giggle, shooting Genma a devious look.

Deciding he didn't want to know, Ranma turned and walked away before anyone noticed him lurking in the doorway. Besides, when Sunny had fixed everything, she hadn't included his shirt in that and he needed to get changed.

"Oh, Ranma." He looked up as he reached the stairs to find Akane Tendo, his arranged fiance, looking at him worriedly. She was dressed in a light blue sundress with a yellow and green jacket. Her dark blue hair had grown out a little bit over the last few months, though it still remained fairly short and well above her neck. "Did something happen?"

"Ran into some kind of car monster thing," he said, running a hand along the ragged edge of his shirt, "Didn't seem to matter what I did, it just bounced off." He started up the steps. "One of those magical girls showed up and turned it into a car or something."

"Are you okay?" Akane asked, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"O' course I'm fine, 'Kane," he said, shrugging her off. "It just got my shirt. Stupid thing could barely hit the side of the parkade and we were inside it."

"Still… I heard you need magic to hurt those things. Just run if you find one, alright?" Akane said, looking concerned.

"I'm fine and I'll be fine, Akane. Seriously, it sucked at fighting," he said, brushing her off. It had sucked at fighting. It had no form, no skill, just a lot of power, speed, and some kind of invulnerability. It wasn't like other monsters he'd encountered. Most of those you could at least hurt if you knew how to hit them. This thing just hadn't cared that it got hit.

Akane huffed. "Fine. See if I care when you spend six months in traction," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to visit Sayuri. Try not to get into another fight with a supernatural monster, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said, waving over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. He paused. "Hey, Kasumi just started on dinner!"

"I already told her. I'm having dinner with Sayuri!" his fiance called back. With a shrug, he kept walking. Akane was spending a lot of time with her friends these days.

Forty minutes later Ranma walked into the living room, which also doubled as the dining room, to join the rest for dinner. Without Akane, or Nabiki since the middle Tendo sister was off somewhere, it was a lot quieter than normal. As it came to a close his mother frowned at the room.

"I had hoped everyone would be here tonight," she sighed.

"Is something wrong, Auntie?" Kasumi asked.

"Not wrong, so much as I have an announcement," the older woman said, setting her chopsticks down. Ranma half-turned on his cushion. "So this morning I received a phone call from my mother."

"I have Grandparents?" Ranma blurted out, going red as she turned to raise an eyebrow at him. Beside her his father quietly facepalmed.

"Yes, you do," she said, "They're interested in meeting their grandson… and their granddaughter."

"... They're what?" Ranma asked, his brain skipping a beat.

It was his mother's turn to turn red. "They seem to be under the impression that I failed to mention that I had a daughter at some point," she said, tapping her fingers on the table, "My mother was unwilling to hear my explanation over the phone so tomorrow Ranma and I are going to be catching the train to go visit my family for the rest of summer break."

"Where I'll have to demonstrate my curse," Ranma deadpanned.

"Well, yes. I doubt my parents will believe anything without a demonstration," his mother said.

"Is Genma not going with you?" Soun asked.

"My mother explicitly said that he wasn't invited," Nodoka replied, shooting her husband a not-so-apologetic look. Genma, if anything, looked relieved. "They never have gotten along."

Soun nodded, putting his hand to his chin. "A chance for Ranma to get to know the other side of his family. I'm sure Akane would love to accompany you-"

"Not this time," Nodoka said before Soun could continue his pitch for Akane to accompany them, "Family only. My mother was quite clear and frankly, I feel it may be for the best. A chance for all parties to have a breather. Collect themselves after the last couple of years."

Soun frowned but nodded after a moment. "Perhaps it's for the best. Things have been a little… strained, of late," he admitted. Ranma restrained a snort. 'Strained' was the normal state of affairs since the day he'd moved in. When it wasn't worse.

"Now, Ranma and I need to pack. We're leaving early tomorrow morning," Nodoka said, rising to her feet. Ranma followed her lead.

"So, where are we going exactly?" he asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Suyuki-do," his mother said, "Our family has a small estate and shrine on the mountain above the town. We've maintained it for some three hundred years now."

"... Okay," he said. Shrine, estate, apparently they weren't exactly poor or at least hadn't been at one point. "And the town is inland or on the coast?"

"It's in the Alps north of Kyoto," she replied, "It will be fairly warm this time of year."

He'd make sure to pack a winter coat just in case. You never knew when things were going to go sideways in a truly unexpected manner.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

When Ranma's mother said early, she had really truly meant early. The sun hadn't even begun to peak over the horizon as the two had boarded the train. Akane hadn't even made it home from her visit with Sayuri the night before. It was rather odd to Ranma to actually be paying for a train trip instead of hanging onto the roof or side like Genma insisted as a form of 'strength training'. Reflex as well since you often had to avoid hitting low-hanging wires or other bits of infrastructure. Like tunnel roofs.

This morning had started with a brief burst of rain that left Ranma as a girl just before they boarded the train. So it was that she stepped aboard as a short redheaded girl before spending the next several hours watching the scenery roll by in a half-awake state. It was probably the most relaxing trip she'd ever taken by train. After arriving in Kyoto they transferred to a bus that took them up into the mountains. The closer they got to Suyuki-do the more relaxed her mother seemed to be.

"Ah, here we are," her mother said around noon as the bus came over the top of the pass. Ranma glanced out the window. The valley below was terraced with rice paddies and other fields filling the view. It didn't appear too different from other mountainous villages Ranma had visited over the years.

"Doesn't look like much," Ranma said.

"It isn't really, but it is home," Her mother replied before pointing, "There, do you see it?"

Ranma followed her finger up the far hillside of the valley. Just visible if she squinted were the red smudges of a Tori gate peeking out over the trees. "That's where we're going?"

"A little further down, but yes. That's the family shrine," her mother said, "I hope Mother remembered to send my brother down with the car otherwise this is going to be a very long walk."

"I've had worse," Ranma replied.

Her mother frowned. "Yes… I imagine you have," she sighed after a moment.

They fell silent. The bus rattled as it bounced out of a pothole in the road and started down the switchback road leading into the small town. It wasn't very long until the bus passed a farm, then another, and another. Soon her mother reached up and pulled the wire to signal they were getting off.

The bus stop was in the middle of the village in front of a gas station that seemed to have been built into a much older building that looked like it must have been over a century old. Possibly two.

As the bus pulled away, leaving them with a trio of suitcases belonging to Ranma's mother, and Ranma's old travel pack, the older woman glanced about. "Now… Where is my brother?" she mused.

"What does he look like?" Ranma asked, looking around the area. They had been dropped on what must be main street. Businesses, mostly built into century old structures, lined the street along with a few homes here and there. Some were modern but many were quite old with more recent additions.

"NODOKA!" Ranma's mother paused and they both turned to find a man standing at the corner of the gas station building. He was tall and lanky and with a shock of short blazing red hair over a handsome face on which was perched a pair of eyeglasses. He waved and started their way. "OVER HERE!"

"That would be my brother," Ranma's mother said, grabbing two of her suitcases and starting towards him.

Ranma grabbed the last one and carried it on one shoulder. She saw the man who had to be her uncle stumble and gawk for a moment. She rolled her eyes. It wasn't heavy, it was just clothing.

"Katsu, it's been a whi-eep," Ranma's mother began to say as they got close only for the man to pull her into a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. "KATSU!"

"Been a while? That's all you have to say, sister?" 'Katsu' laughed as he put her down and ruffled her hair, eliciting a very undignified squawk as Nodoka tried to save her hair bun.

"Fine, it's wonderful to see you too brother but did you have to ruin my hair?" Nodoka sighed as she gave up on saving the bun and let her hair fall loose for the first time in Ranma's memory.

"Yes, because you've probably not let your hair down since you were last here to visit," Katsu replied before turning to Ranma. "Now is this the daughter you failed to tell us about? Mother was so upset when she heard from a friend that you'd had a daughter."

"Friend or spy?" Nodoka asked with a sniff, "And may I introduce you to my son, Ranma. The circumstances are far more complicated than Mother let me explain."

"Son?" Katsu asked. Ranma waved a hand.

"Hi," she said, "There's a curse involved."

Katsu turned from Nodoka to Ranma and back again. "Seriously?" he asked Nodoka finally.

"Yes, seriously," Nodoka sighed, "Why don't we hold off on explanations until we get up to the house? I'd rather not explain this more than we have to."

Ranma's uncle nodded. "Right, uh… This way then," he said, grabbing one of Nodoka's suitcases, "I've got the truck parked just around the corner."

"Out of sight just so you can let me think you forgot," Nodoka said flatly.

"Of course." Nodoka huffed as her brother laughed. Ranma grinned. He had a sense of humour.

The truck, as it turned out, was one of those boxy short vehicles with only enough room in the front for two people.

"I'd have brought the car, but Father took it out of town to deal with an issue," Katsu said, "He should be back tomorrow afternoon. You won't have an issue sitting in the bed, right?" He asked as he glanced towards Ranma.

"I've dealt with worse," she said, heaving her bag and the suitcase into the back before climbing in. At least it was clean and not filled with chickens or monkeys in makeshift cages. Nodoka sighed, getting a look from her brother. She shook her head.

Ranma settled into the back of the truck as the two adults climbed into the front. A few moments later they started rolling and Ranma went back to watching the scenery. It was that or fall asleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The truck turned into the driveway of a large three-story traditional home and kept turning into the much less traditional seven-car garage hidden from the road by a line of dense pine trees. Ranma hopped out of the back of the truck with her bag as the vehicle came to a stop inside a neat and fairly empty garage.

The doors open on the truck. "- finally got around to building that garage they were talking about," Nodoka said as she climbed out.

"It's bigger than they really need, but everyone's got a spot for their own vehicle when they visit… Even you," Katsu said as he slipped by Ranma to unlatch the tailgate and grab her mother's bags. Ranma stepped out of his way while wondering how many siblings her mother had.

"... I never did bother getting an official licence," Nodoka said, shaking her head, "It really isn't needed in Tokyo or Osaka."

"Big cities have transit. That's not quite so reliable out here," Ranma's Uncle said.

Ranma's mother shrugged as she took her bag while Ranma took another. "It is what it is," she said, "Now, let's go see mother before she thinks I've ignored her."

"You haven't shown yourself in nearly a decade, Sister," Katsu said, "She doesn't need to think, she knows." To Ranma's surprise her mother went red with embarrassment and started marching across the yard. Ranma hurried to follow as her Uncle just chuckled.

The home was a traditional building, with a wrap-around porch and outer walkways on the second and third floors. Ranma could see the signs of a fallen perimeter wall on the edge of the property where it gave way to the forest beyond. There was no sign of whatever path might lead up to the shrine and the road itself didn't go much further, stopping within eyesight of the driveway.

Nodoka climbed the steps of the house and hesitated at the door. Katsu had no such restraint as he pushed open the sliding door. "I'm home! Mother, guess who I brought?" he shouted. His sister stepped through the door after him looking quite a bit like Akane before she would take a swing at Ranma.

"Katsu!" She hissed, taking a deep breath as Ranma followed them in. The entrance was much like the Tendos with the door itself being in a well for taking on and putting off shoes. Up the ledge, the room went back quite a ways to another open sliding door that let out onto another porch and beyond it a garden with a pond in the center. A pair of hallways led off to the right and left.

"Standing on the porch for ten minutes won't make her less annoyed with you, Sister," Katsu said, shaking his head as footsteps approached from the right. Ranma was treated to the sight of her mother closing her eyes and muttering something under her breath.

Then an older woman, her red hair faded towards pink in areas, entered the room. Unlike Nodoka she was wearing blue jeans, a white blouse and a loose fleece jacket. "Katsu you're back," she said, stopping to stare at Nodoka, her eyes flickering to Ranma before sweeping the room, "Though you seem to be short one."

"Hello Mother," Ranma's mother said, "Things are a little more complicated than you let me explain over the phone."

"Hrm… I see a granddaughter, but no grandson. How is that complicated?" the old woman asked.

Nodoka pulled Ranma forward. She shifted nervously in her mother's grip. Her curse was never taken well anywhere she went. "Because that granddaughter is also the grandson," Her mother said, "Say hello to your Grandmother , Ranma."

"Hello, Grandma," Ranma said softly, feeling as nervous as she had on her first day at the Tendos. She blushed at the intense gaze of her Grandmother.

Her Grandmother looked up at her Mother. "Your sense of humour has improved I see. Is my Grandson out in the car?" she asked.

"I'm very serious, Mother," Said Nodoka, matching the older woman's gaze firmly, "There is magic involved."

"Is there? Hmph," Ranma's Grandmother huffed before stepping forward and leaning down to examine Ranma. She laid a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "What sort of magic? Not more of the nonsense you were involved with in Osaka I hope?"

"Ranma?" her mother looked down.

Ranma sighed. "I turn into a girl when I encounter cold water and back with hot," she said.

"That explains the clothing," her Grandmother said, taking her by the shoulder and pulling her along, "Where did you pick this curse up?" Her mother followed, leaving her bag with her brother.

Ranma frowned. "Not going to ask me to prove it?"

"There's a reason I'm leading you to the kitchen," her Grandmother said, "Now, where did you get this curse?"

"China, at a place called Jusenkyo," she said.

Her grandmother hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not familiar with a 'Jusenkyo'. How far into China is it? Oh, and Nodoka come along. Your brother will take your things up to your room."

"I- Yes, Mother," Katsu sighed as Ranma was led off down the hall.

The kitchen was, unlike the style of the house, quite modern. It was also rather large with enough room for at least two dozen people at least to work or move about comfortably with several island-style counters in the center of the room providing additional space not taken up by appliances. Leaning against one of the islands, sipping a cup of something that gave off steam, was a woman about her mother's age. Her long black hair suggested she probably wasn't a blood part of the family.

"Nodoka!" she said as Ranma's mother entered the room shortly after her. The woman set her drink on the counter and pulled the redhead into a hug. "It has been far too long."

"Shizune," Ranma's mother said, hugging the woman back, "How have you and Katsu been doing? Four kids wasn't it?"

"Five. I did send out that letter nine years ago," Shizune said, rolling her eyes as Nodoka blushed. She turned to Ranma and put a hand to her hip. "Now, is this the girl you didn't mention? You know I'd thought Grandmother meant someone like nine or so."

"So did I. Can you get me some hot water, Shizune?" Ranma's Grandmother asked.

"... Ok? How hot?" Shizune asked as she pulled a glass from a cupboard. "So how did you somehow hide that you had a kid that long ago?"

"I didn't," Nodoka replied.

Ranma's Grandmother looked down. "Hot, but not scalding," she said to the unspoken question.

Shizune handed the glass of water over to Grandmother. "What's this about? You know we do have a kettle if you-" She trailed off as Grandmother tossed the contents on Ranma. "I- what?"

Ranma wiped his face off. "Thanks," he said, staring at his wide-eyed Grandmother and Aunt. It was, for once, not scorching hot.

"... I see," Grandmother said, taking Ranma by the chin and turning him left and right. "Hrm. I see a lot of your Grandfather in him and thankfully little of that lout, other than the hair."

"Mother, please," Nodoka sighed.

The old woman laughed and patted Ranma on the shoulder. "It's nice to meet you, Ranma, I'm your Grandmother Genkai," she said.

"I- What?" Shizune repeated. Ranma's mother took her by the arm and gently guided her to a seat.

"How about, I start from the beginning?" Nodoka said gently.

"Come. While they talk, let's get that bag put away. I've prepared a room next to your mother's," Grandmother Genkai said, as shuffled Ranma out of the room. "I'm sure you'll have to demonstrate it for Shizune a few more times… As well as the rest of the family. I imagine most will have about the same reaction as her."

"I'm used to it," Ranma said, "Ucchan went through several pails of water testing it when she found out." He was probably going to need to dress for being soaked repeatedly.

"I've been telling them magic was real, but does anyone listen?" Genkai sighed dramatically, "Even if they didn't want to believe the old stories it's not like it's on TV all the time these days or anything. Oh no, certainly not."

Ranma just nodded as his Grandmother pushed him along. This was not the reaction he had expected. Not even slightly. More denials, some confusion, maybe an accusation of perversion… Not bland acceptance.

"So which room is it?" He asked as they ascended the stairs to the third floor.

"Oh… Just down this hall. Ah, there's Katsu," His Grandmother said.

"Mother- Is this…?" Katsu, who had just turned the corner toward them, hesitated as he pointed a finger at Ranma.

"This is Ranma."

"Hey Uncle," he said, waving with a nervous grin. The older man's eyebrows bounced up and down for a few moments as he stared.

"Aaaah, I didn't think she was serious," He finally said, scratching the back of his neck in a familiar motion. He laughed awkwardly. "I uh… I guess welcome to the house Nephew. Mother, I've put Nodoka's stuff in her room."

"She's down with your wife. Shizune seems to be a little shaky after seeing Ranma's curse in action," Grandmother tisked, "Go help your sister calm her down, would you?"

"Yes, Mother," Katsu said, bowing slightly before hurrying down the stairs.

"This way," Grandmother prodded Ranma forward. As they were turning the corner there was the sound of something soft slapping the ground a moment before a girl about Ranma's age, her hair the same shade as his girl side, turned the corner. They collided and something cold and wet splashed over his chest.

Instead of one redhead going down, two clattered to the ground in a tangle of limbs and Ranma's oversized bag.

"Ack- Ow," The unknown girl, clad in jeans and a tank top, groaned as she pushed herself off Ranma. "Sorry about that- Grandma?!" she froze as she spotted the older woman.

"Hmm, I'm not the one you should apologise to," the older woman said with some amusement as she loomed over the two of them, "And what have I said about running, Aya?"

'Aya' blushed and twirled the end of her ponytail around a finger. "Eheheheheee…." She grinned sheepishly before turning to Ranma. "I-" she frowned as Ranma sat up. "I could have sworn I ran into someone bigger than you."

"You did, sorta," Ranma groaned as she brushed at the damp spot on her shirt. It didn't seem sticky, so… Water hopefully? Once she was assured it wasn't some sort of juice she turned her attention to the other girl and found her breath catching. It was very nearly like looking into a mirror. A slightly younger, slightly less endowed mirror, but still… the resemblance was uncanny.

"Bigger, hmm? That's the only thing you notice, Aya?" Genkai laughed.

Aya rolled her eyes and stood up, holding a hand down to Ranma. "Well, I'm going to guess she's my cousin. Hey there, I'm Aya Saotome, sorry for running you down," she said as Ranma accepted her hand and was easily pulled to her feet.

"I'm Ranma Saotome," she replied, "I've had a lot worse." She hadn't even been punched.

"Now that you girls," Ranma raised an eyebrow at her Grandmother, "have met, why don't you come along with us, Aya?" The way she said it implied it wasn't so much a question as a command.

"Haa, sure Grandma," Aya said resignedly, falling in with them.

"Why don't you tell Aya why you were taller, hmm?" Grandmother prodded, earning a grimace from Ranma.

"Ugh… sure, why not," Ranma groaned and turned to her cousin. "So, I was bigger when you ran into me but…"

"But…" Aya asked, waving a hand for her to get on with it.

"I was born a boy and picked up a curse in China that turns me into a girl with cold water," Ranma said hurriedly. Aya stumbled before grabbing Ranma and spinning her so they were nearly nose-to-nose.

"So you're some kind of Magical Girl?" Aya squealed, her eyes practically sparkling.

"Erm… no?" Ranma said, giving her a weird look as she disentangled the other girl's hands from her collar, "It's a curse, not some kinda superpower?"

"Oh…" Aya sighed and let go, crossing her arms with a pout that was disturbingly similar to how Ranma looked.

"I've told you not to get too enthralled with those girls, Aya," Grandmother chided, "Our family's legacy means any entanglements like those could end quite badly."

"Legacy?" Ranma asked as Aya just sighed and nodded.

Grandmother waved her off. "Something to explain once you are settled," she said, stopping them at a door she slid open, "Here is your room, Ranma."

Ranma stepped in and glanced about. There was a western style bed in the corner, across from an armoire and a writing desk beside the window where a comfortable-looking bean bag chair sat. The walls were blank and the armoire was empty when Ranma opened it except for a ca-

Letting out a shriek of fear that sent the black and white cat scrambling out the door, Ranma jumped and latched onto the boards of the ceiling. Her heart thundered in her chest as she quivered nervously. "Ca-cat," she said, watching the spot it had vanished.

Both Aya and Grandmother stared at her on the ceiling with wide eyes before her Grandmother's narrowed severely, then relaxed. "It's okay, Ranma, you can come down now," she said gently.

"How are you doing that?" Aya blurted out, staring at her.

Ranma swallowed nervously and dropped to the ground. "Martial arts," she whispered, blushing as red as her hair. She'd just spilled the beans on her greatest fear within minutes of getting here. It was so unmanly as well and her Grandmother-

Grandmother interrupted her by wrapping her in a hug and pulling her over to the bed. "It's fine. The cat is gone," she whispered, rubbing a circle onto Ranma's back.

Despite herself she shivered and leaned into the soothing touch. "I- stupid cat," she muttered, "I can't stand them." She shivered again and felt her Grandmother squeeze her shoulders.

"Oh, oh no," Aya chewed her lip as it hit her. "Oh no no no. You've got a phobia of cats, don't you?" Ranma jerkily nodded once. Her cousin sat down next to her and put an awkward hand on her shoulder. "Um… How did… Why do you…" She trailed off, clearly uncertain how to ask the obvious.

"Why am I scared of them?" Ranma asked dryly, getting a jerky nod from the other girl. "'Cause of Pops. The idiot found this training manual with this 'unbeatable technique' and decided to teach it to me without a lick of common sense or reading the entire thing through."

"Please, explain," her Grandmother instructed.

"... Do I have to?" Ranma whispered.

"I would like to know whether or not I need to follow through on my threat," was not the answer Ranma had been expecting.

"What?" Ranma looked up from examining her hands to find her Grandmother looking like she'd been carved from stone.

"I told him at the wedding that if he ever hurt Nodoka or any of their children I would make him wish I'd simply skinned him alive," Grandmother said.

"Um…" Ranma shrank away. She may have had issues with her father, but that was a little… much.

"Grandmother, really? You're worrying her," Aya said, scolding the older woman.

"Um…" Ranma swallowed and sighed. She'd undoubtedly ask her mother and then she'd be forced to explain either way. "There was this technique called the 'Nekoken'. It's not really a technique more like, well… Insanity. Dig a pit, fill it with cats. Let them starve, then toss in a child wrapped in fish until they either die or snap and enter a berserker state that emulates... Cats." She shuddered at the memory of the pit. She tried hard not to think about it most of the time, but it couldn't be avoided now. "Pops didn't think or read the last page which says only an idiot would consider teaching it."

Her relatives were silent for all of a moment before Aya pulled her out of Grandmother's arms into a hug. "Oh Kami, I can't believe anyone would do something that terrible," she said, looking ill.

"I can," Grandmother said, shaking her head, "A disciple of that man certainly would."

"... Happousai is loose, by the way," Ranma said after a moment being awkwardly hugged by her cousin.

If anything, Grandmother Genkai's face seemed to turn even more to stone. "I see," she said, "Aya, why don't you show Ranma here the shrine? I feel I have a need to speak with Nodoka."

"Erm, Mom doesn't know about this," Ranma said, fidgeting. She still hadn't told her about the Nekoken and thankfully nothing had brought it up, but somehow she didn't get the feeling that her Grandmother would care that it hadn't been shared yet. Out of worry for her Pops she refrained from mentioning that she'd gone into the pit three times.

"Then I'm sure she'll be delighted to find out," Grandmother said in a tone that suggested she thought anything but that, "Be down for lunch in an hour, Aya." With that final instruction, the pinkish-haired older woman strode out of the room.

Ranma stared after her. "She's going to try and kill him, isn't she?" she asked her cousin. At last the girl pulled back and wiped her eyes.

"Erm… Maybe? If she sees him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's just never allowed around here," Aya said. A knock at the door caused them both to look over. A redheaded boy about Aya's age leaned in. He was lean and stringy, like an untrained redheaded version of Ranma's boy side.

"Hey Aya- Huh, when'd you get an identical twin sis?" he asked, grinning.

Aya rolled her eyes. "This is Ranma, our cousin," she said in a long-suffering tone.

"So this is the mystery girl. Nice to meet you. Try not to get dragged into trouble by Aya. She can be a pain in the- oop," he leaned to the side as Aya threw her slipper at him, "Have fun girls!" He took off cackling.

Aya huffed and stood up to retrieve her slipper. "Ugh, that was my fraternal twin, Yukio. He's an absolute pain and an ass," she said.

"... He didn't even stay long enough to hear that I'm not actually a girl," Ranma said before sighing.

Aya slipped her foot into her slipper again. She scoffed. "He probably won't believe it without a demonstration or ten and expect him to be an ass about it. Some days I swear I'd love to strangle him, but every time I try it's Mom going 'don't kill your brother, Aya' or Dad saying, 'Just think of how you'd feel if you were alone.' Ugh."

Ranma blinked as her cousin rambled on about how annoying her brother was. She took the moment to stash her bag in the armoire. She'd unpack it later, but for now it was nice to have it off her back.

"So," she said as she tapped her cousin on the shoulder, "Which way to the Shrine? I couldn't spot a path from the entrance."

"It's out back and up the hill," Aya said, dropping the topic with a final grumble. It was something about him eating her cereal. "C'mon, I'll show you."

Aya led her to the door to the outside porch and from there down the stairs in the back. The back had another external building, a more modern but still fairly old warehouse of some sort. The doors were open allowing Ranma to see a tractor within alongside other pieces of equipment.

"So, you guys do farming, right?" Ranma asked.

"Mhmm, though I spend most of my time up at the shrine," she sighed, "I'd rather be out in the field or in town or anywhere but up there by myself, but someone has to keep the place clean and the offerings fresh." She sighed again, though it sounded more like a groan to Ranma.

The path up was a winding staircase carved into the mountains at the back of the yard behind a small flower garden. A red tori gate marked the beginning of the steps which wound up into the trees. The walk up was easy for Ranma, a mere ten minutes, before they emerged from the trees into a small walled courtyard that ended against the side of the mountain where it rose much higher. The shrine building itself was two floors tall, abutted the mountain wall directly, and seemed to have at least as much square footage as the Tendo home.

"Here we are, the family Shrine," Aya said, spinning to pose as though presenting something important. It was rather important, Ranma would admit and in much better condition than some of the Shrines she'd come across over the years.

"It's well cared for," Ranma said, spinning to take the shrine in. There was a cherry tree in the corner and much of the walled area was grass but… she couldn't see any signs of statues or other indications of whom the Shrine was dedicated to. "So... Who is the Shrine for?"

"Technically? No one," Aya said, getting a weird look from Ranma, "Officially it's Amaterasu, but the Shrine is more a… warehouse for weird things than a proper Shrine. Our family's legacy is caring for old relics or keeping cursed items locked away. There's an entire inner sanctum that's apparently about two centuries old that I'm still not allowed into. Only Grandmother gets in there."

"Oh," Ranma said. That explained Grandmother's lack of reaction. She'd probably seen some strange things.

"Of course, I've tried to get in, but the lock is really good and you need the key," Aya said, pulling a small keyring from her pocket with a smirk, "Like say, these keys."

Ranma stared at her. "When did you get those?" she asked suspiciously, eyeing her near twin. The slightly younger girl grinned.

"When I ran into you. Why do you think I was running?" Aya said with a laugh. She flipped the keyring around her finger before closing her hand on it. "C'mon. Let's take a peak." Humming a tune she started for the Shrine building.

"That's really not a good idea," Ranma said, following along reluctantly. She didn't want to try and take the keys from her cousin. They'd just met and she didn't want to sour the good relationship they were having immediately. Not like she'd done with Akane. At the same time though, magic and cursed items were things she was more than intimately familiar with.

"Pfft," Aya scoffed, "I get that you're cursed, but none of the items we've got out here have any magic to them. It's all superstition and things like 'oh hey, I found a rock surrounded by dead raccoons, clearly it's evil'. Half the time they leave out they ran over the damned things themselves."

"The items you've seen. What about those deeper in?" Ranma asked, "Cause I've seen a lot more cursed stuff than just Jusenkyo. Weird swords, cursed clothing, ghosts. Lotsa stuff back in Nerima was cursed."

Aya glanced over her shoulder. "Then why live there? It sounds nuts," she asked.

Ranma frowned and slowed. "'Cause I'm engaged?" she said after a moment, drawing Aya to a halt.

"You're what?" Aya asked.

"Engaged. It's… An arranged thing. Pops and Mr. Tendo made this agreement to 'join the schools' years ago and now…" She shrugged helplessly. Akane was a tough topic for her. She didn't really know what she felt for the other girl. It was complicated. Sometimes anger, sometimes joy, sometimes something that might just possibly be love… Never hate, but Kami some days…

"... To a girl, right?" Aya asked after a moment. Ranma nodded. "How's she handle the whole…" She waved at Ranma with a sheepish look.

"Akane… Found out by walking in on me in the bath the first day," Ranma sighed, thinking back to the first day, "She um… Well we had our first argument and she hit me with the dining table."

"What."

"Which I might have earned by taunting her with the fact my girl side was better built after she claimed it was different when a girl walked in on a boy," Ranma said, trailing off at Aya's stare, "There've… Been a lot of arguments since."

"She never got used to it, huh?" Aya asked, walking over to put a hand on Ranma's shoulder.

Ranma sighed. "Hasn't felt like it," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, let's not think about that. You're here to relax, so let's have a little adventure~" Aya said, using the opportunity to drag Ranma up the steps.

Ranma let her cousin drag her up the steps. "I have plenty of adventures back home. You say little, but it's never 'little'," she said. It always started as something minor. A weird mirror or a knocked-over lucky cat statue. Just something small and unimportant by any measure. Then there'd be a demon in the statue or someone would find out the mirror let you see your true love when looked at upside down and suddenly everyone would dogpile the situation with a hundred different ideas of what was actually going on. If they were lucky they'd get mostly on the same page by the end and deal with the demon. If they weren't… Well, a lot of magic items tended to get broken in Nerima.

"Well, this isn't Nerima. C'mon, it's probably just a dark room full of superstitious items. What are the odds there's anything actually dangerous?" Aya asked. Ranma sighed and followed the younger girl through the hallway. It was clear she wasn't getting through to her so really all she could do was try to keep her from getting hurt by whatever thing got woken up.

The Shrine itself was a fairly nice place, but peeking into a few of the side rooms it really did seem to be mostly a storehouse for odds and ends. There were a few weapons mixed in, but most of them seemed to be random items. From bread boxes to umbrellas and seemingly everything in between.

"Here we are," Aya said as they turned a corner and found the building run out at the stone wall of the mountain. The room, which seemed to simply be a hallway, had one wall of stone with a large red-painted double door set into the stone. It was chained shut with large iron chains that were hooked onto spikes on either side of the door as well as a large complicated-looking lock that hung at about the center of the door. A small keyhole was the only sign it was ever intended to be opened.

Ranma paused to examine the doors. They had a lot of Kanji carved into… Was it wood or metal? She couldn't quite tell with the way it was painted. Most of the kanji were related to safety, sealing, Ammaterasu or purity of spirit. The usual symbols you'd see around odd magical items.

She grabbed Aya by the shoulder as her cousin went to put the key in the lock. "This is probably a bad idea," she said.

"Grandma goes in all the time to clean and nothing goes wrong," Aya said, rolling her eyes, "I just want a peak. You don't have to come with me, you know." Ranma grimaced.

"I've seen how this goes a few times. There's always something strange inside places like this and Grandmother would know what is safe and what isn't," she argued.

There was a click as Aya turned the lock behind her back and the chains fell away with a clatter. A chill stole over Ranma and she shivered. "We'll be fine, or I will be. You can stay out here if you want to, Ranma," Aya said, taking the doors by the handles and pulling. They swung open easily without a single creak. Beyond was a dark hallway that appeared chiselled from the mountain. On a small table to the right sat a lantern with a fresh candle and a large pack of matches.

"This is always creepy when I see it," her cousin muttered as Ranma peered down the hallway.

"You've seen this before?"

"Yeah. Grandma doesn't let anyone go further than the door and she knows if you try to follow her." Aya took the matches and lit the lantern. "C'mon."

Feeling rather like she was following Akane into another 'ghost hunt' at Furinkan, Ranma folded her arms behind her head and followed her cousin. As they walked the hallway to the far door Ranma's eyes darted to the shadows. Something felt… Off about them. They clung to the edges of the light like molasses, hugging it so tightly Ranma could almost make out a clear separation from light to dark. Usually it was a more gradual fall off but in here it felt like it just stopped.

She stepped a little closer to her cousin. This was disturbing on a primal level. She considered bringing it up, but given the light tune Aya was humming she suspected the other girl hadn't noticed.

Nothing jumped out of the shadows by the time they reached the door, which was a much more plain slab of red painted wood. Aya fiddled with the lock, trying several keys before finding the right one. "And… here… we go," she said as the door clacked and she pushed it open. Unlike the outer door it creaked a little as it swung open. Behind the door was another hallway, though it turned left after almost immediately then right again to who knew what.

The faint scent of age Ranma was familiar with from other shrines hit them. It was weaker than other shrines, which spoke well of her Grandmother's maintenance or perhaps that they just stored fewer things in here.

The hallway narrowed a little as they followed it. The chiselled stone was rather smooth under Ranma's hand. Good workmanship had gone into making these hallways. They turned the corner to find the hallway went on for another few dozen meters before reaching another heavy, likely wooden, door. A pair of ricepaper sliding doors were on either side of the corridor.

Aya paused to peek into both of them. They seemed to be storerooms for various items. Just peering through one of the doors made the hairs on Ranma's arms stand up and just gently nudged Aya along. When her cousin glanced her way she simply shook her head firmly 'no' and pushed her along toward the main door.

"... Are you okay?" Aya asked as they walked.

"Something feels…" She glanced back down the hallway. The shadows were still weird. "Everything here feels heavy. Like we really shouldn't be here, Aya and those rooms made it feel even worse."

Aya frowned. "I don't feel anything…" she said, trailing off as she unlocked the next door. It took a few tries to find the key again.

"Well I do. Let's not linger…" Ranma trailed off as the door swung open onto a much, much larger chamber.

It was a half-circle with a high vaulted ceiling that went at least three storeys higher than the door while it also descended like an amphitheatre towards an altar that sat raised upon a dais a little higher than the second lowest row. A staircase ran straight down the middle from the door to the floor before the dais.

Around the back of the room rose statues at equal intervals. They were… rather unusual in Ranma's opinion. Each of them was of a different young woman in elegant, if often frilly, dresses holding a long sceptre-like rod tipped with an almost cartoonish representation of a star. The roof was carved, giving an impression of some sort of beams emerging from the stars that converged above the altar as another, much larger, cartoonish star. It even had a cartoonish smile and eyes like it was some sort of Nintendo character. Impossibly it seemed to be glowing a soft blue that lit the room, driving back the shadows. The 'seating' was empty. No chairs, no weird statues, just circles with different markings on them. The Altar itself was a fairly normal looking shrine structure in comparison to the room.

The back wall seemed to depict some sort of battle between a man and…. A Spirit? Monster? The creature didn't seem monstrous, but neither did it seem human. A Kami of some sort perhaps? Its human-like form loomed over the altar where the man, brandishing a ceremonial staff, stood between them on the wall.

"What is this?" Aya asked, turning on the spot.

"I have no idea," Ranma said honestly as she looked at the statues. They looked rather like magical girls. She counted nine in total, four two either side of the door and a small statue carved from the wall above the door. Oddly, the ninth above the door appeared indistinct, nearly featureless in comparison to the eight others. It was a girl, but her dress and head seemed almost as though they were intended to belong to anyone.

"It's like a magical girl shrine, but Grandma hates such things. She never stops complaining about the time Auntie Nodoka spent in Osaka," Aya said.

Ranma paused. "The time my mother did what?" she asked, looking at Aya with wide eyes. Aya blinked back at her slowly.

"You didn't know?" her cousin asked. Ranma shook her head. "Oh. I don't really know much, just that it wasn't what girls in our family should be doing. At least that's what Grandma says." She rolled her eyes. "Personally, I love magical girls. They're so heroic and daring and, well, they get to be awesome and look cute at the same time. Most of us can only be one or the other."

Her mother had been a magical girl? Well that puts yesterday's conversation in the dining room into a different context. She grimaced and shook her head. Suddenly she could guess how her parents met.

Aya started down the steps, peering at the circles intently as she went. Ranma descended the steps a few paces behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck were raised again and she could feel something circulating through the room. There was Ki, old, though not ancient, and something else. Magic perhaps? The Ki wasn't even as old as Cologne at her guess, but the magic… If there was magic. She didn't have much sense for such things but exposure in Nerima had developed a sort of instinctive feel for its presence.

It was a survival trait that her cousin clearly didn't possess as she walked down to the altar.

On closer inspection the stone flooring and the dais weren't untouched by the strangeness. Little stars marked the dais in a chain around the edge. Complicated buddhist imagery marked the floor invoking protection and safe keeping. The same imagery that marked the walls between the statues themselves.

Had this place been created to contain something, or to protect something? Ranma couldn't tell which it was.

"This isn't at all what I was expecting," Aya said as she set the lantern down on the dais.

"I don't think anyone would have expected this," Ranma replied.

"True. This is so strange," Aya said as she climbed up onto the dais and inspected the Shrine. "It looks like a normal Shrine, though I can't tell who it's dedicated to."

Ranma hopped up onto the dais and joined her. "You can't tell?" she asked.

"Nope. This isn't one of the local Kami, and it isn't Ammaterasu, or Tsukiyomi, or Susanoo or Inari or any of the big name Kami," her cousin said, "This is someone new."

"Or old. Shrine to a forgotten Kami?" Ranma suggested.

"Maybe, but why go to all of this work for something to be forgotten?" Aya asked, turning around and hopping off the dais. She walked over to the lowest row and peered at the circles on the ground. "This one is blank, but this one- Hey!" A flash of blue light from the blank circle Aya had been examining caused Ranma to leap to her side and pull her away.

Blue flame, barely brighter than a match, darted about the stone carving leaving behind a glowing blue outline that slowly cooled back to the colour of the stone. Once it was done, Ranma stepped forward slowly and peered down at it.

"Is that a flower and a… wand?" Aya asked. It did look a bit like a magician's show wand.

"Looks like it," Ranma agreed. "There's definitely magic of some kind active here. We should get going. We can lock it all back up and pretend we didn't go wandering in here. Grab the lantern…" She glanced back at the lantern to find the flame had turned blue like the soft glow from above, or which had just etched the stones before them.

"What's going on?" Aya asked nervously, backing into Ranma as the statues along the upper wall started to glow. Blue light dimly shone from the stars at the end of their sceptres.

"Nothing we're sticking around for. C'mon," Ranma pulled Aya back toward the stairs. They'd have to go through the dark without a light.

Like a switch was flipped the dim light from the statues suddenly blazed, surging along the ceiling to the large star above. The soft light became akin to a burning blue star.

Ranma squinted as they dashed up the steps. She could have run faster, but Aya wasn't as fast as even Akane. Before she could consider simply sweeping up her cousin in her arms the star above released a radiant beam of energy that struck the Shrine upon the altar. The doors on the front of the shrine were thrown open as a bright streak of blue zipped out straight toward Ranma and her cousin.

Ranma went to pull her cousin out of the way, but she didn't need to bother. The light curved around the younger redhead and slammed straight into Ranma's breast. She let out a gasp as something flowed into her and then the world was gone.

She blinked what might have been a second or an eternity later. A starscape full of twinkling dots and the streaks of nebula and comets stretched out in all directions… It was a starscape through which she seemed to be falling, though she could not see a ground to fall toward. Furthermore, her clothing had changed. Her usual red outfit had been replaced by an airy and loose sun dress that seemed to be cut from the starscape around her.

Ranma twisted and turned in the endless starscape. "Where am I?" She asked the void. What was this?

A voice, soft and feminine, seemed to answer her from the stars, "You are in the endless space between realms." The stars quivered with her words.

"Who's there?" Ranma called, trying to look for the source, yet it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"I am a memory/a letter/a record for the future," the voice said, its voice overlapping itself for a moment. "The age has come. The day is here."

"What day?" Ranma asked, pushing her dress down as it tried to billow up in an invisible breeze. "Stupid…"

The voice ignored her. "As I spoke, so has it come to pass. Humanity is threatened, the world teeters, and heroines have stepped forward. Yet, the darkness shall not abate before a few flickering lights. A cordon of stars might brighten the night, but only the sun can make it day once more."

"Okay?" Ranma muttered. Where was this voice going with this?

"There is no sun so bright, not yet," it continued. The stars shifted at her words, the endless starscape slowly beginning to swirl, gaining in speed with every moment until each star was little more than a line in the sky. So many were there that the darkness became the muddied oranges and purples of the dawn.

"You are a child of our misguided foes, yet within you lurks the blood of our blessed followers," it said.

In her? "I think you've got the wrong person? I'm not even actually a girl?" Ranma said, finally giving up on her dress and just leaning back in the fall instead. She gestured to the void around her

"The world darkens, but you shall be its sun," The voice said heedlessly. For a moment the sky stopped, becoming once again the endless dark void filled with stars, then every star turned into a blur as they converged on Ranma.

"Oh hell-" she barely got out before the first star phased straight through her skin and everything became hard to understand as a sense of purest joy overwhelmed everything.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Atop the northern ridge of the valley sat a statue hidden from view up a narrow trail. There, deep within the trees, was a statue of a black tortoise carved from obsidian. It had stood there for so long no one in the valley knew when it had been erected. Truthfully, no one ever had for no one had erected it.

A shimmer of light flickered across its open eyes.

"It begins," the Tortoise said.

To the south, but a hundred meters from the road into the valley, a statue of a bird of red jade scoffed, "So dramatic. You speak as though this shall be an issue. Have we not spent a hundred years preparing?"

To the west a marble statue of a tiger stood over a children's playground. "We have her constellations. Without the stars to back her she shall be weak. This is not a battle, this is a hunt," he declared with disdain.

"It must be met with sufficient gravitas either way," The Tortoise said.

"Gravitas, drama. It's all the same to you," The bird replied with a scoff.

To the east, not far from the shrine, an Azure statue of a Dragon sat on a cliff overlooking the fields. "Silence," it said in a voice that boomed across the connection. The three fell silent over the link. "We have the eighty-eight constellations in our grasp, but I sense something amiss. Can you feel it?"

The three were quiet for a moment before the bird said, "I sense… Something foreign to this land."

"I sense it too. It has a tinge of sadness to it," The Tortoise said, "Like the world mourns the deaths of a great many things."

The Tiger scoffed. "I sense nothing. You three fret over nothing."

The other three ignored him. "The sorrow is fading, being drawn in," The Dragon said, "Yes, drawn in by the North Star. The newborn sun's might grows already."

"She has yet to even set foot back in this realm! How can this be?" The Bird demanded.

"Another source of power has been found for her apotheosis, but it is far less than what we have stolen. Victory will still be ours," The Tortoise said.

"We must act swiftly. The longer we delay-" The Bird began.

"You all worry too much. Do you not recall? We four Watchers have already prepared for her return. Does one of our constellations not watch the gates of the Shrine?" The Tiger scoffed, "Vulpecula shall end this before it begins."

The three fell silent. "We shall trust your word in this," Their leader said, "For it is your Constellation that watches. If it fails, know that we shall expect you to end her."

The tiger laughed. "As you command, Azure."

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Aya stared at where her cousin had been a moment before. The Shrine had gone dark except for the flickering flame of the lantern she had carried into the chamber. It didn't stop her from feeling the lack of a hand holding hers. The empty air between her fingers.

"Oh Kami," she whispered. What had she done? "Oh no no no." She looked around for some sign of where her cousin had gone. She had to be here somewhere, right?

She hurried down the steps to the dais and lifted the lantern, once again returned to an orange glow. It was dim in the room without the soft blue glow, but she could make out the engravings on the wall behind the shrine.

"Man… Spirit of some kind…" Aya muttered frantically as she looked for… something. Anything that could tell her what had just happened. She climbed up the small ledge behind the shrine. She ran her hand over the wall looking, trying to brush away dust that wasn't there.

Her fingers dipped into a depression on the wall, then another. She paused. "What's this?" she muttered, lifting the lantern further. There was a small socket, shaped like a cartoon star, in the wall. A small channel ran from it to another star and from there another. All of the sockets were empty. At least, those she could reach but…

She peered into the shadows. She could just make out the signs of where more should have been.

"Is this connected to Ranma?" She wondered, swallowing nervously. Whether it was or not, the fact was her cousin was missing. Tear gathered as she turned away from the wall-

The shrine was gone. Sitting on the dais in place of pride was a chair- no, not a chair. A throne.

She circled the dais, watching the Throne cautiously. "Where did you come from?" she wondered. It was a high-backed throne with a very plush-looking red cushion. The back was padded and covered with the same shade of red. It was a few shades darker than Aya's hair.

Aya reached toward the throne, then flinched back as a blue orb no larger than a thimble appeared over it. She took a nervous step back and let out a yelp as she toppled off the dais. The lantern shattered as she hit the ground and the light within went out.

She watched as the orb zipped toward the throne and merged with the upper back of the throne. A circle of blue light grew from the point of impact, blazing like the flames from earlier it was the only source of light in the room. The circle shifted and eight small lines emerged from the cardinal points of the circle, breaking cleanly to form small rays like the sun. Then the interior changed to show the front half of a rearing horse in silhouette.

"... I need to get Grandma," Aya said as she rose to her feet. This was bigger than Ranma disappearing. She ran up the steps… and found herself once again coming to a halt as something in the darkness moved. Little flickers of light in the dark like stars and nebula in the night sky filled the doorway.

Aya didn't scream. She didn't move, she didn't even breathe for several moments. She just stood there staring long enough for the blue light to go out and the room to plunge into darkness. All that was left were the small dots of light in the darkness. Each glowing like a star in the night sky.

Stars that were moving.

Whatever it was entered the room and the front half of stars rose like a serpent or… really, it was impossible to tell. The room was as dark as a grave.

The stars kept moving. The sound of claws clicking on the floor echoed in the silent vault. Aya put her hands to her mouth to keep from screaming. She breathed so slowly her head began to feel light.

The lights circled her. Again and again. This thing knew she was there. It had to know. Why else would it be circling?

She whimpered as the stars froze. It was going to kill her.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" She finally screamed. Her voice jumped several octaves into a shrill shriek of terror as the stars jerked toward her.

Then the dawn came.

The star on the ceiling blazed to life again, this time glowing like the sun. The shadows vanished in an instant leaving the creature exposed. Not that being able to see it did much for Aya's calm.

The creature was like a chunk of the night sky given the shape of a gigantic fox. It reared back from the light, hissing as its form began to give off black smoke.

The star above bent like water distending downward until with a soft plip a droplet of light fell from the ceiling. It didn't fall straight, instead swirling through the air as though caught by a breeze. A girl's joyous laughter echoed off the walls of the room as it danced a great circle about room dipping and swirling. A trail of droplets pattered the floor behind it from which rose the warmth of a summer day and a feeling of joy that drove down Aya's fear.

A giggle slipped out of her mouth involuntarily.

The star fox snarled at the droplet as it rose up then dived into the chair. With a sploosh the droplet of light splattered into the chair. The splashed light grew far beyond the droplet as it flowed into a much more human form. Darkness snaked into the light as a feminine figure took shape.

She was a little older than Aya, clad in a knee-length dress as black as an empty night sky with long sleeves and a dipping neckline. A large black necktie hung tastefully down across her chest. A gem the size of an egg that shone with a bright golden glow sat at the heart of the necktie. On her right and left shoulders were golden epaulettes that shimmered in and out of existence as though made from ephemeral stardust. Rings of shimmering stardust acted as cufflinks. A flowing cape hung from her left shoulder, as much a cut-out of an empty black sky as the rest of her outfit.

Her cousin's outfit.

The older redhead sat with one leg crossed over the other -- bringing to Aya's attention the void-dark calf-high combat boots, laced tightly with flowing stardust strands on her feet -- her head leaning against the palm of her right hand that was braced by the elbow on the armrest of the chair. Her hair had come loose from its tie and flowed freely down her shoulders.

"Hey Aya, I'm back," she said with an infectious grin. Then she blinked a small frown that in Aya's heart suddenly felt out of place suddenly appeared on her lips. "Why is there a monster in here?"

The fox made of night snarled and darkness rose around its feet before it lunged across the chamber at the throne.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Ranma giggled -- honest to goodness giggled -- as the fox charged her. Her heart was still singing with joy, though the effect was beginning to fade slowly. She had never thought it was possible to be so happy over… anything, let alone what should have been nothing, that she would lose track of the world. But it was, and she had. It was a bit like getting knocked out, she certainly felt about as punch drunk.

The creature, which seemed to be made from stars or shadows or something, darted in claws outstretched. Ranma flexed her knees and leaped into the air. The creature impacted the throne with a diluted crunch.

Ranma landed lightly beside Aya. She threw an arm over her cousin's shoulder. "So, what is that?" she asked.

"Why would I know? You're the one who disappeared and- Are you a magical girl now?" Aya blurted out, her eyes wide.

Ranma glanced down at her outfit. It was… well it was a dress. She didn't wear dresses very often did she? She tapped a finger to her lips. "No idea," she cheerfully declared, "But uuh, you might want to run and let Grandmother know we've got a monster. I'll stay and beat it up." She gave her cousin a push toward the exit.

"But-"

"Unless you want to stick around that?" Ranma gestured to the fox as it finally shook off the impact with the throne. Whatever it was, it wasn't as tough as the throne which didn't even seem to have a scratch… hadn't there been a shrine right there?

"Running!" Aya shouted as she high-tailed it up the steps.

"Don't rush too much," Ranma shouted back as she eyed the fox. She stretched her arms over her head and sighed happily at the feeling of her joints popping. "Ooh, that's better. All that happiness made me stiff. Never thought that was possible. Now what are- oop." She twirled to the side, leaning back under the fox as it dived at her.

She turned the movement into a backflip and called her ki to hand for a Moko Takabisha. The energy blast, normally powered by her confidence, came out pink as her overwhelming amount of joy blotted out the less prevalent emotion. The blast that followed caught the night fox mid air and carried it into, and through, the wall between the second and third statues to the right of the entrance.

Ranma blinked at the sunlight that poured through the hole in the mountain.

"Um," she blinked down at her hands. That…

An angry roar sounded from the other end of the hole as the fox sailed back into view. Its form wavered like a mirage in the desert. Ranma frowned.

"What are you? What even happened to me?" she asked, curiosity and confusion finally breaking through the lessening joy. She could feel something other than her ki, and some of it had gotten into her Moko Takabisha. Well, a lot had, at least as much as she'd added ki, but compared to her ki it might as well have been a drop in the bucket.

"I can answer that!" A cheerful young boy's voice from above said. Ranma looked up at the glowing star in time for a droplet of light the size of her head to catch her straight in the face with a splat.

Ranma hit the ground as the droplet bounced back into the air and compressed down into a rounded, rather bubbly, blue five pointed star. A pair of large eyes blinked down at Ranma as it grinned sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry," the star said in the young boy's voice.

"Sorry my ass," Ranma grumbled, rolling to her feet and dusting off her cape. She grabbed it with both hands, pinching the cartoon-like being. It felt both warm and a bit like rubber. Not exactly, but it was certainly stretchable and squishy. "You did this to me, didn't you?" it wasn't a demand, but only because she was still too joyful to be really angry. It didn't stop her from expressing her passive annoyance by pinching and squishing.

"Ack- not-ooom- my doing!" He said, slurring his words under her affections, "Just yooooooouur- please stouuuup dooing dat!"

She huffed and let him go. "Fine."

He rubbed his cheek with his left point. "Ooow, that hurt Bright Star," he grumbled.

"Bright Star?" Ranma repeated.

"That's what you are. The Brightest Star in the Universe. It's your destiny… Though that isn't part of the plan," he said, pointing at the fox as it dived out of the hole. Ranma jumped to the side and the floating star followed her, somehow keeping pace like he was orbiting her.

"We'll talk about this 'Brightest Star' thing later. What is that?" she demanded as she bounced off the wall and out of the way of the follow up strike. She could just blast it again, but somehow she rather doubted her Grandmother was going to be happy about the first one.

"It's supposed to be one of your Constellations," the Star said, "Helpers like myself created from the magic of the eighty-eight major constellations."

"I thought there were only like, twenty-eight," Ranma said.

"That's Chinese constellations. The universe is much larger than that," the Star said.

"Great," Ranma said as she landed her jump. The beast ripped its claw from the wall and turned. It stared at her as she slid a leg back and fell into a martial stance. "So why's it trying to kill me?"

"Something seems to have taken control of it. Most of the power intended for you was tied up in the constellations and all of them are missing," the Star said, "You'll have to take it back from them."

The fox started circling to her left… and to her right at the same time as a second one smoothly split off from the first. Ranma glanced from one to the other. "And now there's two," she said, balancing back on the balls of her feet as she prepared to evade.

"Vulpecula is the Constellation of the Fox," the Star said, "Its power is defining the shape of something."

"Defining the shape?" Ranma asked.

"Yes. It can't give mass to its creations, but it can give them shape. Only one of those is real, the other can't even ruffle your hair," he said.

"So just light, or can he get more creative? Like the shape of gravity or-eep," Ranma would deny she squeaked as she dived down a level to avoid the third fox coming from behind her. Given the way its claws sparked and scraped off the floor it was probably the real one.

"I don't know. I just know it 'defines the shape' of things," the Star said, shrugging.

Ranma didn't wait for another second to throw herself back up the level where she slammed a punch into its side. The cavern shuddered and dust fell as the Constellation Vulpecula crashed into a statue along the wall. The statue, and the next one to either side, shattered as the wall crumbled and buried that side of the room. Cracks ran through the walls as the half-dome shuddered.

"So how do I undo whatever it's under?" Ranma asked as she clenched and unclenched her fist. She was definitely a lot stronger physically. The power, magic she had to guess, was running with her Ki and enhancing its effects even further. She'd need to be careful.

"With purifying magic," the Star said.

"Great. How do I do that?" she asked.

The Star froze. "Oh. Oh no," he muttered. Ranma scowled at him and planted her hands on her hips.

"Now what?" she demanded.

The Star looked left, then right, then left again. "Um… Normally you'd use a Constellation for this," he said, laughing sheepishly, "But…"

Ranma pinched the bridge of her nose as Vulpecula picked itself up again. "But they're somehow all missing," she said blandly.

"Yes," he said.

She turned back to the cursed Constellation. "Can you at least tell me what was done to this? Maybe we can figure something else out. Otherwise I'm going to have to whale on this thing until it capitulates."

The Star frowned at the fox. "It's hard to say…"

"Hard to say? Weren't you here when they were taken? Shouldn't you have some sort of idea?" Ranma asked.

"... I was asleep," he said after a moment. Ranma stared at him as she was treated to the sight of a blue star blushing.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Most of the past hundred years," he admitted, "Off and on, but…"

The fox yipped angrily as it turned to face her. Its form flicked, the dark void that made up the bulk of its body acting like a malfunctioning TV. It yipped angrily, though its voice hitched part way.

"Odd," Ranma muttered before she recalled something from school. "Hey, these things are meant to help me, but how sentient are they?"

"Not very. Maybe as smart as a cat? They're built to take direction, not invent it," Star said, "Why?"

Ranma cracked her knuckles. "So it's basically a computer then? A machine made from magic?"

He tilted to one side. "Computer?" he asked.

"Thinking machine," Ranma replied.

Vulpecula yipped again and leaped forward. Its movements were uncoordinated after the blow and it nearly tripped on the landing. Ranma danced around its swipe, her cape trailing just out of claw's reach.

"It basically is, yes. Not a very bright one, but it's got some emotions and is very good at its intended task. Why?" he asked.

Ranma grinned. "Then let's just try a hard reset then," She said, her heart soaring as she jumped back from the next strike and landed lightly on the throne again.

"You can't possibly mean-" The Star started as she leaped hard enough that she just barely managed to get her feet over her before she hit the ceiling. Dust showered the room and cracks ran across the already damaged ceiling. Amazingly the glowing star remained unharmed.

"What else?" Ranma laughed as she stared down at Vulpecula with a wide grin, "I'm going to beat it up." She kicked off the ceiling, sending bits of dust everywhere, and rocked straight for the rogue Constellation. It seemed to slide backwards out of the way, only for its position to snap back to where it was as a glitch wracked its form.

The flicker cost it as Ranma's heel came down in a textbook axe kick and drove it down into the one thing that didn't show a single sign of damage from the fight, the floor. Just like before the tiles and disks along the tiers didn't shatter as the Constellation's head was smashed flat.

Quite literally.

The void of darkness rippled as the front star, and the head around it, were crushed. Then it shattered. Little bits of night sky went flying in every direction as the construct came apart. Small golden cartoon stars bounced across the ground letting out gasping squeaks with each impact. A single red star was trapped beneath Ranma's foot.

"You're different," Ranma muttered, reaching down to grab the star. It hissed at her before squealing as she grabbed it by the top tip. She gave it a shake when it tried to squeal again. "Hey, Star, what is this?"

"I have a name. It's North Star," the blue Star said.

Ranma shot him a look. "As in the North Star Polaris?" she asked.

"Well, not exactly. The actual North Star is part of the Constellation Ursa Minor. I'm more the idea of the North Star. A guide and advisor for you, just as the North Star has guided sailors for millennia," he said.

Ranma nodded, then shook the little red star, which had to be half North Star's size, at him. "Is this the problem?" she asked.

"Hrm…" A small beam of light shot from North Star and swept over the hissing star. "Ah, yes. Yes it is. There's some sort of demon possessing the command star of the Constellation. You'll need to get rid of it without harming the star. Fortunately, that basically means just flood it with power and it should be fine. Constellations are meant to channel your power and demons won't like it by their very nature."

The demon squeaked as Ranma shifted her grip from carefully holding it by the tip to squeezing it tightly. "I can do that," she said before hesitating. Could she? She hadn't actually tried to use this magic in her yet. Though, it flowed easily enough with her Ki… Could she use it without using her Ki? "No time like the present," she muttered, pulling gently on her magic. She gave it a little push toward her hand and was surprised when it moved with barely a thought. Like moving a limb she'd had all her life.

The demon hissed, squealed and squirmed as her magic flooded into the possessed star. Its wail of pain echoed off the walls of the chamber as a little spark of light formed inside the star. It flared brightly and a golden wave spread throughout the star burning away the red colour.

In moments the star went from shrieking to purring as it nuzzled her hand. After giving it another moment Ranma opened her hand palm up. The little star stood up and bounced happily, squealing something incoherent. It waved to the rest of its constellation and happy squeals sounded from around the room. Three other large stars and a bundle of much tinier ones swarmed Ranma, jumping in joy before bowing to her.

"That seems to have worked," North said with a grin.

Ranma giggled as the joy in her head bubbled at the sight of the happy Constellation. Then she glanced about and winced. The room was wrecked, so was the mountain.

"Oh man, this is such a mess," she said. Her Grandmother was going to be so angry.

"It is a bit, isn't it?" North sighed.

There wasn't really anything Ranma could do about fixing it. Maybe a statue if she had a hundred years, but everything was so broken that she couldn't have gotten it all shipshape within a millennia… Shape?

She glanced down at the constellation. "Hey," she said, getting the little ones attention, "You can define the shape of anything, right? Light, stone, wood, whatever, right?"

They nodded enthusiastically.

"Brightest, what are you getting at?" North asked. Ranma held up a finger.

"Right… So if I said I want this room and the mountain back to the shape they were in before our fight, you could take the stuff we broke and just… put it back together, right?" she asked.

They nodded again as North's eyes went wide.

"That is brilliant," he breathed.

"Thanks. Well all of you. I want this place back to how it was before we fought, immediately," Ranma commanded, shoving her magic into the little star in her palm. To her surprise it began to glow for a moment before a golden beam of stardust shot from it to another, and then another, and another. One by one they began to float, even the one she'd empowered. In a heartbeat the constellation had reassembled, its component stars shrinking until its starry form could fit in the palm of her hand.

The bounding fox of the night sky circled her head as it began to glow brighter and brighter, pulling on her magic all the while. She stumbled as the sensation grew before it exploded with golden light that washed outward straight through the mountain. Scattered rocks soared back into cracks. Dust reassembled into statues. A vast cloud of debris and who knew what else outside the mountain flowed back into the gap her Moko Takabisha had left.

In but a heartbeat every bit of damage from the fight had been undone. Then the fox let out a yip and dived at Ranma, smoothly flowing into her dress where a section of the empty night sky was suddenly filled with stars and more glowing just beneath the surface.

Ranma stumbled as a wave of weariness hit her. She sucked in a breath of air like she'd just run up the side of a mountain and swayed. "Oooh," she stumbled down the steps and barely managed to fall into the throne. She lay across both arms of it bonelessly as the world tilted and swayed.

"What just hit me?" she asked North as the world stopped spinning after a few moments.

"Magic exhaustion. With only yourself and a single Constellation, fixing a mountain was pushing it," he said, landing in her lap. She had to admit he looked adorable as he crossed his 'arms'. "I'm actually surprised you managed it. Your magic shouldn't be this powerful without other Constellations."

"Huh…" Ranma muttered, looking down at her hands and the stardust cufflinks. She plucked at one. It felt a bit like silk. "Well thankfully it is." She yawned. "Ugh, my ki's fine, my body's fine. It didn't even hit me, so why do I feel like I went three rounds with the old freak?"

"Like I said, magic exhaustion. You are now as much a magical being as you are a living one. A lack of magic won't kill you, but having no magic would be a bit like not eating for a week or two," he said.

She grimaced. That wasn't exactly the sort of thing most people lived through. "Lovely," she muttered before yawning again. She poked at the constellation on her dress. "Hey, how do I get back to my normal clothes? I like those ones."

North bounced in her lap. "All you need to do is-"

"RANMA SAOTOME!" A loud voice echoed around the hallway above. Ranma grimaced. That was her Mother. "Hold that thought," she muttered, sitting up in the Throne properly. She tried to stand but found her legs a bit too wobbly. So she sat, crossing one leg over the other as North Star floated in the air beside her. She leaned against her hand like she had when she arrived and waited.

Oh this was going to be a pain to explain.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: Heyo~ Another story~ I'll admit I've got a bit of a backlog of story ideas, but I have been making some progress on stuff other than new ideas. Both AFL and Pathfinder have chapters ready while I am working on The Taste of Peaches. That one will probably go up as soon as its done, or near enough anyways.

For now though, a thank you to my patrons for their patience and a reminder to everyone you can find our discord in my Signature~

And a lovely thank you to my adorable Editor, Gekkou_Yoko~ This wouldn't be even half as polished or complete as it is without her. As I'm sure she'll attest.

Once she's done proofreading.

Gekkou_Yoko: Mrrp. flops over done.

Grounders10: *awkward cough* A cheer for our hero? *pushes play on recorded cheer* Also, I thought I'd mentioned I'd be posting this sooner ^^; Sorry?

Gekkou_Yoko: Stick a fork in me, I'm done?

Grounders10: *patpats, offers kaffee und kuchen* *is bemused as commentary is edited* Right, I'm going to take Gekkou for something relaxing. Enjoy the words everyone!

Gekkou_Yoko: Purge the heretics! Burn the cultists! Slay the demons!

Grounders10: Well, relaxing is a relative word. Darktide is relaxing for her.