“BWA-HA-HA-HA! *Sharp intake of breath* BWA- HA-HA-HA!”
There are several amusing things in this world. One of the most amusing is seeing people laughing so hard that they can’t breathe, open their eyes, or stand up straight. Currently there were two of the most powerful people in Juuban guffawing their head off, rolling on the floor, tears going everywhere.
Pan took another deep breath. “Tell us again!”
“I flashed Vegita.”
“BWA-HA-HA-HA!”
Goten took a break to breath as well. “Annnnd?”
“He got a nose bleed.”
“BWA-HA-HA-HA!” Of course there are very few things funnier than two Saiyan’s laughing uncontrollably over and over at the expense of another one.
Maron came down from the living area. “What are you laughing about?” Pan and Goten started laughing harder.
Ranma-Chan related the story of what happened earlier at the shrine. “So we won’t be seeing Bra for a while.”
“Oh my!” She uttered someone else’s trademark phrase.
Akane watched the two Saiya-Jin continue their laugh riot on the floor. “I can’t believe that he could be that dense. From what Pan told us before, he’s a pretty clever person. I also can’t believe that he wouldn’t believe his ‘little girl’.”
Ranma-Chan shrugged. “I don’t really care. It’s just hilarious!”
Maron thought for a moment. “I think he was looking for something to rein her in.”
Akane looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I think that Vegita had realized he had raised a spoiled child, and he found this as a convenient way to bring her under control again. He always was one to be in charge.”
“That makes sense. I guess.” Akane conceded.
“Tell us again!!!”
“I flashed Vegita.”
“BWA-HA-HA-HA!”
Ranma-Chan turned to the other girls. “This is starting to lose its novelty.”
The next day Ranma received a phone call. “This is Ranma.”
“Ranma? This is Ami.”
“Hey, Ami…uh sorry about the girl thing. I didn’t mean to…”
“That’s all right. I understand you’re need for secrecy, but that’s not what I called about. We’re trying to coordinate a way to take the offensive against the Dark Kingdom. Can you and the Great Saiya-Man come to the arcade tonight?”
“What makes you think I know who the Great Saiya-Man is?”
“Makoto told us you could fly.”
“You think
just because we both can fly, that means we know each other?”
“Yes. Now just bring her to the arcade tonight at seven. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
“Okay.”
“See you then *click*”
Ranma looked at the phone a second. I think she’s still mad. “Yo, Pan!”
Pan poked her head out of her room. “What’s up?”
“The senshi want to meet with me and Saiya-Man.”
“Okay. What for?”
“They want to put together an offensive.”
“I think those fukus are already offensive.”
“Ha. Ha.” Ranma deadpanned. “They want to take the fight to the Dark Kingdom.”
“Duh! What time?”
“Seven.”
“Okay. Let me finish pressing my cape.”
Later that night, they all met at the Hikawa Shrine. Ranma and Saiya-Man flew in and landed as all the Senshi were gathered in front.
Ami stared at Ranma. “I knew it.”
Ranma just shrugged.
Ami turned to Saiya-Man. “And you can lose the costume, Akane.”
Saiya-Man shook her head and smiled. “Nope. Try again.”
Ami got a confused look on her face.
Rei stepped up. “Yeah, she has blonde hair! It has to be Maron!”
Saiya-Man started to snicker. “Nope. Try again.”
Moon stepped up. “Are you Bra?”
They all stepped back as Saiya-Man fell over laughing (reminiscent of the laugter earlier). I haven’t had this much fun in ages!
Ranma covered his face with one hand and shook his head. “You’re not going to figure it out at this rate, and it’s not important. You called us to organize an offensive?”
Ami turned to him. “We need to find the entrance to the Dark Kingdom’s world. It’s somewhere here in Tokyo. We have to search for it in civilian guise so we don’t attract attention. Since she is the only one here in costume, and she already knows our identities, so it’s only fair we know her’s.”
Ranma shrugged and turned to Saiya-Man, who had just managed to bring herself back under control. “Okay, Okay.” She said. “Just as long as this stays between us.” She lifted her helmet.
“Who are you?” Usagi asked.
Pan remembered she was still a Super Saiya-Jin. She went back to normal. “How’s that?”
“PAN!” The senshi all shouted.
“SHHH!” Pan put a finger to her mouth. “Not so loud!”
Minako jumped to her side. “How do you do that? I’d love to change my hair color like that!”
Pan rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you one day.” She pressed the button on her watch and reverted back to street clothes. “Anyway…we got a mission?”
Ami nodded her head. “I’ve given each of you assigned places to check. Look for any disturbances or dark energy. The senshi can pick it up easily. Do you guys need a sensing device?”
Ranma shook his head. “No, I can find it pretty easily. Besides, trouble always finds me!”
Pan looked at him. “No kidding. I can feel the dark Ki, so it’s not a problem.”
“Okay, then here are your assignments.” Ami passed out sheets to each person.
Ranma stared at it in disbelief. “Homework? And you want me to check BOTH sides of the public baths?”
“You’re the one best qualified.”
“You’re still mad, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.”
And so they all set off to search for the portal to the Dark Kingdom.
Minako walked down the street through some of the less desirable sections of the district. She hadn’t walked far before a figure dropped down behind her. “Minako.”
She turned around quickly. “Uub!” She glomped onto him.
Uub patted her on the back still a little confused at her reaction. Will she do this every time I see her? Guess I’m still a little new to this whole dating thing. “What are you doing? I checked your house and you weren’t home.”
Minako got
down and stood close to him. “I’m
searching for a portal to the Dark Kingdom.
Want to help?”
“Sure, I guess.” Uub had a confused look on his face.
Minako took his arm and leaned on it as they walked down the street. They had met often these past few nights. He’d always show up whenever she was alone, or at home, and they’d talk about this and that. Minako hadn’t said anything about it to anyone because she loved the feeling of having a ‘secret boyfriend’. Uub, on the other hand, was just trying to figure out what these feelings were that he was having around this girl. It’s not like he hadn’t been around girls before, it’s just this one was different. Goku mostly raised him, so his knowledge of love and romance were severely limited. He just knew there was something about this girl, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
After they had walked and talked about nothing in particular for a few blocks, a very tired white cat caught up to them. “There you are, Minako!”
Minako opened her eyes as if coming out of a dream. “Artemis! What are you doing here?”
The Moon Cat cocked an eye at her. “I’m your guardian, remember?”
Minako slapped her head. “Oh yeah.”
Artemis glared at her. “Well?”
“‘Well’ what?”
“Did you find anything?”
“Was I supposed to be looking for something?”
Artemis was about to scream. “You were supposed to be looking for a portal! Not flirting with your boyfriend!”
Uub decided to speak up. “Don’t worry. I would have sensed anything wrong.” Her turned to Minako. “Am I your boyfriend?”
Minako hugged up close to him. “I sure hope so! Want the job?”
Uub scratched his head. “Sure, I guess.”
Minako glomped him.
Artemis started stomping his foot in impatience. “Well, we still have to report back to the others. Come on!”
Minako quickly kissed Uub on the lips and hesitantly dropped back to her feet. “Okay.” She opened up here purse. “In the bag so Ranma doesn’t have a cow.”
Artemis rolled his eyes and jumped into the bag. They started to walk off. Minako turned back around to Uub. “Drop by my house later, okay?”
Uub touched his lips for a second. “Yeah, sure.”
Minako flashed him a brilliant smile and waved. “Later then!”
Uub haltingly waved back. There’s those strange feelings again…
Everyone met back at the arcade several hours later. All of them empty handed and exhausted. Ami was puzzling over one of the arcade machines that was displaying a map of the Juuban district. “There has to be a gateway! They have to be coming from somewhere!”
“Maybe they don’t have a permanent one?” Pan suggested.
“They’d need a common access point though, otherwise they’d show up all over the world instead of just in this district.”
“True.”
Usagi walked in. “I’M SO TIRED AND HUNGRY!!!”
Pan sniffed a little. “Smells like you already had dumplings.”
“Three helpings and two sundaes, BUT IT”S NOT ENOUGH!!! WAHH!” Usagi started to do her best Soun Tendo impersonation.
“Be quiet!” Her purse yelled at her.
“But I’m hungry, Luna!”
Ranma raised an eyebrow. “What’s in the purse? A communicator?”
Ami shook her head. “Trust me. You don’t want to know.”
Ranma shrugged. “Whatever.”
Minako walked in with a little spring in her step and a kitty in her handbag. “Hey! I checked my spots and didn’t find anything.”
“What are you so happy about?” Makoto asked.
“Oh nothing.”
All the sudden the monitor on the game machine started to beep. They all turned to see the image that was on the screen. The surface of the sun was becoming covered with several sunspots and the spots were growing. “What’s this?” Ami shouted.
Everyone was staring at the screen, so Ranma didn’t notice Artemis poked his head out of the bag. “It’s the same as before!”
Ranma turned to see who was talking and jumped through the ceiling.
Pan snickered. “Now that the cat’s out of the bag…”
Rei quickly silenced her. “Before what, Artemis?”
Artemis strolled up to the screen. “The same thing happened before the Moon Kingdom Fell. When the sun is completely covered, the Dark Kingdom will make their final assault!”
Usagi scratched her head. “And that’s a bad thing, right?”
Everyone else big sweated.
Still even later that night, Uub showed up at Minako’s windows and knocked. No lights were on, and he couldn’t sense anyone inside of the house. He saw the cat hop out and run down the street, but he didn’t feel Minako in that direction. He stretched out his Ki senses like Goku had taught him. He found her a good distance in the other direction. He flew off to her.
He found her by Tokyo Bay staring out over the ocean. She had something clutched to her bosom and she was crying. He dropped down behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Is something wrong, Minako? Did something happen with the other girls?”
She shook her head, turned around to him, and leaned into his chest. He had a slightly confused look on his face but he decided that he should hold her. He circled his arms around her. She wept quietly into his chest.
“Want to talk about it?”
She shook her head again and looked up at him. “Just hold me please…and one more thing…”
He looked her in the eye. “What?”
“Call me Mina-Chan.”
“Okay.”
Minako looked up again and saw something flying past them. “A butterfly? This time of year?”
Uub’s eyes opened quickly as his instincts shouted at him to move. He quickly jumped to the side as a scythe-like blade buried itself into the ground. “What the?”
They both turned to see a humanoid looking creature with butterfly wings and antennae. “A youma!” Hissed Minako.
“You died once, why couldn’t you die again, Sailor V!” The youma shouted.
Uub put Minako behind him protectively. “Hold it right there. You aren’t coming anywhere near Mina-Chan!”
The youma laughed at him. “Do you think an ordinary human can stop me?”
Uub smirked as his aura leapt to visible levels. “You think I’m an ordinary human?”
The youma took a couple steps back. “But…but…”
Uub held up his hand and a basketball sized Ki ball formed in his hands. “I know of you youma. You prey on the weak and sap their energy. Kami only knows how many people have suffered at your hands. Kami forbade me from interfering before, but now it’s personal.”
He released the Ki ball at the monster. The youma barely got out of the way, and the Ki ball crashed into the pavement, leaving a large crater.
“I’ll be back!” The youma said before she fled for her life.
Minako retrieved her henshin stick. “We’ve got to call the others. We have to save her.”
Uub turned a curious glance to her. “Save who?”
“Katarina. She’s the one that was used to make that youma.” She held her henshin rod over her head. “Venus Power – Make Up!” Stars whirled around her as her street clothes transformed into her orange-skirted sailor fuku.
He looked where the youma had been. “Okay? So how to we change her back?”
“We need Usagi.” Venus answered.
About that time a very out of breath Usagi and two moon cats scampered up.
Uub raised his eyebrows. “Now that’s convenience!”
Venus rushed up to Usagi. “Hurry and change! We need to help Katarina!”
Usagi got a confused look on her face. “Who’s Katarina?” She looked behind Venus. “And who’s the beefcake?”
Venus blushed. “That’s my boyfriend Uub.”
Usagi’s eyes flew open wide. “You got a boyfriend! And didn’t tell us!”
“That’s not important! We have to save sister!”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Uub walked up and put a hand on Venus’ shoulder. “I think you need to tell us what’s going on.”
Minako took a deep breath. “Half a year ago I went to London after getting a tip that a youma from the Dark Kingdom was in England. I met a man named Alan and I fell in love with him. Then one day I was involved with a criminal case. It turned out to be the youma I was after. An Interpol agent named Katarina was pursuing him. He took a child hostage and that’s when I stepped in. I destroyed him and rescued the child. After that Katarina and I became friends. She helped me with a lot of things, like teaching me English and being my councilor. I looked up to her like a real older sister. I introduced her to Alan and we all became friends.
“But one day we tracked a terrorist into a warehouse. I charged in on point. Just as I entered, the terrorist threw a grenade into the building and blew it up. I managed to escape alive with minor injuries. I made my way back around to where Katarina was, and I saw her and Alan holding each other. That’s when I realized that they were in love. I decided that I wouldn’t come between them and I left, leaving them to believe I was dead.”
Usagi looked up at her. “So you came back to Japan to ease your heartache. It’s not fair that she stole him from you.”
Minako smiled. “It’s all right. They were happy together, and I’m happy now.”
Usagi looked up at her. “Why?”
Minako latched onto Uub’s arm. “I have Uub now. He’s already saved me once, and I’ve loved him since I first laid my eyes on him.”
Uub just stood there and said nothing. Maybe that’s what I’ve been feeling for her…
Usagi smiled a big grin. “You’re soo lucky Minako-Chan!”
“Usagi!” Luna yelled at her charge. “We have more important things to think about! We have to find the youma!”
Usagi nodded. “Right! Moon Prism Power – Make Up!” Usagi held her brooch aloft and transformed into Sailor Moon. “Now where did the youma go?”
Uub pointed toward the waterfront. “She went that way. She’s hiding beneath the waves.”
“How do we get her out?” Venus asked.
“I’ll flush her out, and you heal her.” Uub flew into the air and then plunged into the water. After a bit the surface of the water began to glow. Then the surface erupted in an explosion. The youma shot straight into the air with Uub close behind. “Now Sailor Moon!”
“I can’t get her! She’s moving too fast!” Moon yelled back.
“Right!” Uub charged after the now fleeing youma. He grabbed the youma by the wing and threw her back toward the docks.
As she barreled toward the senshi at an uncontrolled rate, Sailor Moon pulled out her Moon rod and said the magic words. “Moon Healing Escalation!”
The showers of healing energy hit the youma in mid-flight. As she was coming nearer the youma transformed back into Katarina. Sailor Venus braced herself and caught her. They both tumbled backwards, but were unhurt.
Uub flew back to the pier. “Are you alright?”
Venus raised her hand with a thumbs-up. “Just peachy!” She rolled the limp body off of herself. “Sister?”
“Minako-Chan!” She grabbed the smaller girl in a bear hug. “I’m sorry. I never knew about your feelings for Alan. I thought you were still a child.”
“It’s okay, really! I have a new love.” She jumped over and grabbed Uub. “Sister, meet Uub!”
Katarina stood and extended her hand to the man. “Pleased to meet you.”
Uub took the proffered hand. “Same.”
She looked him in the eye with a compassionate gaze. “Promise to take care of Minako-Chan.”
He nodded. “I promise to take care of Mina-Chan. Nothing shall harm her as long as I have anything to say about it.”
Katarina hugged Minako. “Goodbye, Minako-Chan.”
Minako hugged her back. “Take care of Alan.”
“I will, as long as I have anything to say about it.” She winked up at Uub.