Devil Hunter Ranma

By Micronime

http:\www.geocities.com\Micronime

Micronime@hotmail.com

All the characters are the property of their respective 

owners.

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---- indicates the beginning and the end of a section

**** indicates the beginning and the end of a flashback

"" indicates a speech in Japanese

<> indicates a speech in Chinese

[] indicates a thought

Author's note :

This story that you're about to read is a crossover 

featuring the Ranma 1/2 cast, the Sailor Moon cast and the 

characters from Devil Hunter Yohko. The action takes place at 

the beginning of Ranma 1/2 and after the arrival of Kanzaki 

Asuza. At first I wanted to write the plot into "The Truth 

Revealed", but I believed the story would have become too 

complicated.

What has happened before :

Ranma, Genma and the Chinese guide arrive at the 

dreaded valley of Jusenkyo, but something unexpected happens. 

After running for their lives, they finally find shelter in 

the Amazon village. In the village things also go differently. 

A scouting party is sent while the Amazons prepare themselves 

for the battles ahead. 

After fighting the demons for a month, Ranma and Genma 

leave the Amazon's village. Back in Japan, Ranma meets the 

Sailor Senshi and his mother.

If you want more details read Devil Hunter Ranma chapter 

1 & 2 at www.geocities.com/Micronime.

So now let the show begin! 

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Chapter 3 : Demons, girls and more demons.

07:12, Outside of the Saotome's residence.

Juuban district, Japan 

It was still early in the morning. Normally only a few 

people would be fully awake at this hour, but today was 

different. Nearly all the residents of the area were already 

awake. They had woken about the same time and none were happy 

about it. The reason of their common early return to 

consciousness was coming from a normally quiet and well-kept 

house. Normally. Right now it sounded as if there was some 

kind of fight outside. Which in fact was the case. The only 

reason why nobody thought of calling the police was the 

various comments traded with the blows from the two opponents.

" You're getting sloppy, boy. I could see that punch from a 

mile away. "

Right after the last comment, the neighbors could hear 

the sound of flesh hitting flesh, followed by the sound of a 

heavy object falling on the ground. 

" You were saying, pop? "

By the mocking remark of the boy, it was now clear to 

the residents who had hit the ground. It only took a few 

seconds before the older voice replied.

" That was a lucky shot, boy. "

The reply had been yelled like all the others, if not 

louder. To everyone it seemed that the fight was over, with the 

victor being the young one. Still in their houses, the 

would-be sleepers gave a collective sigh of relief. They all 

thought that they could relax in their beds for the few 

minutes they had left before getting up.

" You want to confirm that with another round? "

The newly awakened residents of Juuban had to suddenly 

fight for their ignorance against the now apparent signs of 

impending doom.


" Why start another one if the first one isn't finished 

yet? "

A loud wordless battle cry could be heard from afar 

waking another dozen sleepers. They all mentally screamed for 

them to stop and it seemed that someone heard them.

" Stop it, you two! "

After those four words were uttered, all sounds of 

fighting ended. The whole neighborhood thanked the woman that 

had just said that before going back to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:18, Inside the Saotome's residence

Juuban district, Japan

Genma and Ranma had quickly entered the house, with 

Genma being the first to enter the dining room. They were now 

facing an angry Nodoka. Ranma had faced hordes of demons and he 

had never been afraid to the point of being unable to 

move. Right now the angry expression of his mother had that 

effect on him. Whenever he faced a terrifying demon he would 

always fight with more vigor. Ranma had no intention of trying 

that on his mother. Maybe if it was his father, but not his 

mother.

She didn't look that threatening, though, with her 

still wearing her blue nightgown with butterflies on it. No, 

she didn't look threatening at all. Then it must have been the 

angry look that she was giving the both of them. 

" What were you two doing? "

Her voice seemed to have lost the warmness that had 

been there yesterday. Also, her question had no positive 

effect on his current condition. 

[ Does she have some kind of psychic ability? ]

Ranma had fought a few demons with that kind of ability. 

He was thankful that he only encountered a handful of those. 

They often paralyzed their victims or took control over one of 

the Amazon warriors. His father cut his dark thoughts short by 

answering Nodoka.

" We were sparring, dear. That way Ranma won't lose his 

edge. "

Ranma didn't know if it was his father's comment or the 

fact that his mother's attention went totally to his father, 

but he had just regained his ability to move. Ranma adopted a 

more relaxed stance.

" But, husband, it doesn't have to be so early! "

The reprimand was clear in her voice.

" A martial artist must be ready to fight at any time. "

Ranma could see the anger leave his mother's face to 

be replaced by a serious expression.

" Husband, as long as you will be staying in this house, I 

will not tolerate any sparring matches in the morning. And 

they will have to end before eight o'clock in the evening "

" But, dear... "

" No buts, Genma. You must understand that we have neighbors 

and they don't appreciate being woken this early in the 

morning. In the wilderness you could do whatever you wanted 

for the sake of training, but here you can't. "

" Yes, dear... "

Ranma never saw his father this way before. It would 

seem that Saotome Genma could not stand up against his wife. 

Ranma was definitely going to enjoy being back home. 

" Then you won't have any objection if Ranma and I... "

Genma was interrupted by Nodoka before he could finish

his sentence.

" I won't let you take Ranma on a training trip anytime 

soon, dear. "

" I was just planning for the next weekend. "

The change in his mother's face went from slightly 

upset to furious.

" GENMAAAAA!!! " 

The only time Ranma had witnessed his father hide so 

quickly was when Cologne spoke of someone named Happosai, a 

supposed master that trained his father.

" Ranma will stay here until he becomes acquainted with his 

fianc�es."

This was something Ranma wanted to know more about. 

In China, Genma had told Cologne that he could not marry an 

Amazon because he had a fianc�e already. He had, at first, 

thought that it was to discourage the old woman, but he had 

learned that his father was serious. Now it would seem that he 

had more than one fianc�e!

" Uh, Mom. I don't quite get that fianc�es thing. "

His mother faced him. Her features were back to their 

normal calmness. It was hard to imagine that she was capable 

of emotional outbursts like the one he had barely survived 

earlier.

" Well, you see Ranma, when you were born, my family decided 

to engage you to a daughter of the Mano family. As for the 

Tendous, your father promised his old training partner that 

their two schools would be united. Your father and I decided 

that we would let you decide which one you wish to marry. "

" So that means I got to choose between two girls... "

His father cut Ranma's summarization short.

" Three, actually. "

Both Ranma and Nodoka were looking at him in a way that 

promised quite some pain if the explanation wasn't good 

enough.

" As a matter of fact, Tendou has two daughters who can 

marry Ranma. I only learned of it while on the phone with Soun 

and since the promise didn't mention which... "

Genma didn't finish his explanation and looked so 

pitiful that neither Ranma nor his mother decided to hurt 

him... yet.

[ I hope it doesn't continue like this or else I will 

have to use the Crouch of the Wounded Tiger. I sure hope

Ranma doesn't remember the engagement with the Kuonji 

girl... or any of the others for that matter. ]

Nodoka remembered something important and stopped 

glaring at her husband to address herself to Ranma.

" Speaking of your fianc�es, one of them should be arriving 

at the train station in half an hour. "

" What!? "

After a month of fighting demons, Ranma thought to find 

some peace and tranquility once he returned home. Not even 

twenty-four hours and he started to believe that life was 

calmer while facing demons. At least you knew what to expect 

from demons.

" We forgot to tell you about that. Since your father and I 

want you to know more about your fianc�es, they will be 

staying here until you decide. "

While in China, Ranma heard an old saying: 'One woman in 

a house is heaven, two women in a house is hell'. Without 

counting his mother, that would make three. 'Doom' was the first

word that came to Ranma's mind. Maybe the fact that two of the 

girls were sisters might simplify things. After all, what kind 

of girl would take advantage of her own sister? 

" I still think that Ranma should go to the bus station to 

meet the Tendous. "

Ranma had nearly forgot about his father being in the

dining room. It was seldom that Genma remained quiet in a 

conversation. If he had nothing to say, he was commenting on 

what was being said, but never did he keep quiet for long. 

" Ranma doesn't know the way to the bus station. Besides, 

Soun will be accompanying his daughter so it should be no 

problem, dear. "

" It has been a long time since... "

Genma was quickly cut short by his wife. Except when 

she was upset, Nodoka would rarely do such a thing, but it 

seemed that she did not forget about the first part of the 

conversation.

" Genma we have already talked about that matter. Don't

you have anything else you should do... like planning the 

enlargement of the house? After all we can't keep _three_ 

girls in one guest room for long. "

That seemed to have cut short any arguments from her 

husband. Nodoka then quickly left for the kitchen, to come 

back a few seconds later with a small tray filled with food.

" Ranma, I have prepared you a small breakfast. Eat fast and 

go meet Yohko at the train station. It's not right to make a 

lady wait."

Nodoka put the tray on the low table and Ranma sat in 

front of it. If one thing hadn't change during the month of 

fighting demons, it was his eating habits. On the contrary, 

they were reinforced since the faster he ate the less chance 

he had to be surprised in the middle of his meal. So Ranma ate 

his breakfast at high speed and was finished in less than a 

minute. Ranma, with his mouth still full of food, bowed to his 

parents and left through the hall that lead to the front door.

" Such haste! He must be impatient to meet his fianc�e. "

Genma made a different comment on what they had 

observed.

" I didn't see him eat faster than normal. "

>From the look he received from his wife, he thought 

that maybe he should have keep his mouth shut. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:24, Commercial avenue

Juuban district, Japan 

It was still early, but the various stores were 

already open or would be soon. More surprising was the fact

that there were a lot of people already shopping. There was 

one thing that would have surprised a lot of people, 

especially a certain high school teacher.

"Hurry up, Ami or else we'll miss out on some of the great 

stuff! "

Usagi, Naru and Ami were running toward the stores. 

The blonde haired girl was dragging the latter.

" I understand that this kind of sale doesn't occur often, 

but do we have to run so fast? "

After hearing their friend, they slowed down. The 

three teenage girls started to look around, trying to decide 

which store they should visit first. All around them, the 

stores indicated fabulous low prices on their wares. 

" With the money my mother gave me I will probably be able 

to buy myself a few new dresses. "

The young brunette received an envious look from her

blonde friend.

" You're so lucky, Naru. All I have is enough to buy a 

blouse. "

After a few quiet moments spent looking for the best 

price, Naru spoke again to her friends.

" I still can't believe that you were able to wake up this 

early when you usually arrive late for school. "

The two girls were intrigued when their friend laughed 

for a few seconds before turning to speak to them. 

" I have to thank my little brother for that... "

The blue haired girl and the brunette traded a quick

glance before looking back at their friend. They both knew of 

the tension between Usagi and her younger brother and were 

quite surprised to hear her last comment.

" He was still sleepy when he decided to serve himself a 

bowl of cereal, but he took the box of Luna's food instead. 

After a few mouthfuls, he hurried to the bathroom screaming 

all the way. "

Usagi started to laugh loudly followed by a more 

discreet one from Naru. Ami let a small smile play across her 

features. 

" About your cat, Usagi, why isn't Luna following you 

around? "

" Luna must be somewhere in Jubaan looking for m.. mice... 

Yah! Luna's looking for mice! HA HA HA... "

Naru looked strangely at her laughing friend, but

before she could ask another question, she was interrupted by 

people screaming and running everywhere. The reason of those 

panicked actions were various creatures with hideous forms.

It didn't take long for the three girls to run back the 

way they came. Usagi quickly separated herself from her two 

friends and ducked into in a small alley between two stores. 

She opened her purse and took out a small compact mirror and 

pushed one of the buttons concealed on it.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:38, Hikawa shrine

Juuban district, Japan

The Hikawa shrine had no visitors at the moment and it 

could be understood because it was still early. One of the 

few activities within the temple was an old priest supervising 

the chores of a young man. The only other thing going on was 

within the temple. A shrine maiden, the only one in the temple, 

was sitting in front of a large fire. The teenage girl with 

long black hair stayed there, unmoving, and in great 

concentration. It was impossible to say how long she had been 

there. 

Hino Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

After a few seconds, she looked again into the dancing flame 

of the fire. 

[ I have been meditating for about half an hour already and 

yet there is no result. ]

A frown appeared on her face. She had been trying to 

find answers on what had happened the night before. Carefully 

reviewing the events of last night, the only thing she understood 

clearly was that it had been a trap, which she already figured 

out two minutes after the beginning of the fight. They

had been ambushed and their enemies would have succeeded if 

not for the intervention of a passer-by. Saotome Ranma was the 

other thing she tried to find more about.

Was he really just a passer-by? At first it seemed so,

now she doubted it. What were the chances of someone walking 

into one of their fights and saving them? Before last night, 

the only one able to do that was Tuxedo Kamen and he 

definitely didn't appear by chance. Could he control wind like 

she could with fire? Does the Anything Goes style really 

exist? She personally had never heard of it. And the most 

important question was, "is he available?"

Rei couldn't help but blush. Thoughts like those were 

the reason why she wasn't able to fully concentrate and get 

the answers she sought. She had no problem in admitting to 

herself that Saotome Ranma was quite handsome, but there was 

something else that seemed to attract her to him. Maybe it was 

because he seemed to radiate confidence. She felt guilty in 

feeling that way about him. The reason was simple: Ami. Her 

friend was definitely attracted to him also. It was the first 

time since she knew the girl that Rei had seen her show 

interest in a boy.

She was abruptly brought back to reality by a beeping 

sound. She reached within her robe and took from it her 

communicator. Usagi was calling her. Rei looked at it for a 

second. Usagi told her earlier that she would go shopping with 

Ami and Naru. She had been invited, but she had to do her 

chores and said that she would meet them later. Now the 

question she was asking herself was what was Usagi's reason in 

using the communicator?

[ Is there a real emergency, or does she want to show me her

new purchases? It wouldn't be the first time. ]

After careful consideration, she pressed a small button 

and the communication was open. She knew she had done the right 

thing when she saw the expression on her friend's face. The 

blonde girl looked both worried and scared. Usagi quickly let 

out a sigh of relief once she noticed that Rei had answered 

her call.

" Rei, you better come quick! This place is being attacked 

by hundreds of demons. "

That took Rei by surprise. Usually they encountered 

one demon at a time, last night being the exception. The more 

surprising thing was that they were attacking in plain daylight. 

Could it be that they were facing a new enemy? Those thoughts 

were shoved aside to be replaced by the immediate problem. 

" Where are you? "

" I'm on the commercial avenue about two blocks away from

the bus station. "

She thought over the fastest way to get there. 

" Hang in there! I'll be there ASAP. "

Rei closed the communication and transformed into 

Sailor Mars. She ran out of the room and made her way towards 

the temple walls. She was about to jump over it when she 

quickly went into the temple kitchen. She wrote a quick note 

so grandpa wouldn't worry. That done, she went back to the 

wall and leapt over it. 

[ I hope that I'll be there in time. ] 

Sailor Mars was now running as fast as she could in 

the streets of Juuban. All those who saw her remarked upon 

seeing only a white and red blur.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:42, Commercial avenue

Juuban district, Japan

Usagi put her communicator back into her purse. She 

hoped that Rei would arrive shortly, she always had good 

ideas when it came to fighting demons. The blonde haired girl 

took a quick look outside the alley. There were many demons, 

but luckily they didn't seem to notice her. She then saw a

large number of people lying on the ground. From her position 

she couldn't tell if they were simply unconscious or... worse. 

There were a few monsters close to the unmoving people and 

they seemed to be stealing the energy from them, gathering it 

into big, glowing balls. It didn't take her long to come to a 

conclusion. 

[ They're stealing the life force of all those people! I 

have to stop them... But I never faced this many demons in 

one battle! ]

She quickly went back into the alley. Fear and worry 

were clearly visible in the teenage girl's eyes. She stayed 

there, suddenly unable to move. She then forcefully closed her 

eyes for a few seconds, thinking about the unlucky people 

being drained by the monsters out there. When she reopened 

them, all the fear was gone from them, replaced by 

determination. She raised her right arm up passing in front of 

her brooch and shouted. 

" MOON POWER MAKE UP! " 

When the transformation was over she quickly ran 

out of the alley. One thing happened that never occurred 

before: the words for her speech were stuck in her throat.

Strangely enough her hand easily found her tiara and three 

words went out without effort.

" Moon tiara magic! "

The demon at which she threw golden disk fell to the

ground without the chance to look toward her. The creature 

had been hit right in the torso. The magic tiara didn't 

stop after killing the first demon, but it gained height, 

turned a bit to the right and slicing off the head of another 

demon. The disk lost some height, still turning right and 

going through a third unsuspecting demon. Like the first, the 

magic tiara hit the monster in the upper body. The golden 

disk then went back to the hands of it owner. 

Sailor Moon looked at the three fallen demons, then at 

her tiara. The whole thing had happened in less than a second. 

The girl had wished that she would at least hit one, but she 

never hoped to kill three of them. Looking back at the 

demons, the living ones, it was clear that she had lost the 

advantage of surprise. Two of the closest demons that were 

draining the unmoving people ran further down the street, 

toward another group of unlucky people, after quickly 

looking at her. 

>From the corner of her eye she saw something move. 

After seeing one of the hellish creatures trying to get 

closer to her from her right, she quickly threw her tiara 

at it. She saw the magic disk move closer toward the 

demons... and miss it. She clumsily avoided the demon's swipe. 

Another one tried to rushed her from the left, but 

she managed to dodge the charging demon. She regained her 

tiara and threw it. She missed again, but was successful in 

stopping the two demons from coming closer to her. From her 

left she could see a few other demons running toward her and 

stopping just out of reach of her tiara.

It didn't take a military genius to see that she had 

been surrounded and had only one way out: the alley. She 

could flee the demons, but that would mean leaving all those

unfortunate people. Not wanting to know what they would do 

with them, she prepared for her next attack. Her normal tactic 

didn't seem to work and so she was about to try something new. 

Facing the nearest demons she started to run as fast as she 

could with her sole weapon ready for it next use. The two 

demons jumped in opposed directions, but her eyes were 

following only one. She threw her tiara at the demon still in 

the air. Before the magic projectile left her hand, she heard 

somebody shout.

" Mercury Bubble Blast! "

Sailor Moon quickly thanked the Kamis before throwing

her magic tiara at one of the quickly disappearing demon 

shapes. A hellish scream informed her that she had hit her 

mark. She quickly ran toward the now cleared passage and toward 

where she heard her friend. While running alongside one of the 

buildings, she caught her returning tiara. After a few seconds 

of running blindly she was stopped by a gloved hand.

" Sorry I'm a bit late, but I had a hard time finding a 

place to transform. "

She easily recognized her friend's voice. After a few 

seconds, she could distinguish the silhouette of her friend 

and she could see through the mist that she had her visor on.

Sailor Moon remembered that Mercury could see perfectly in the

fog with it. Mercury quickly dragged her into the nearest 

alley.

" I'm very glad to have you here, Mercury! Did you see all 

those demons? There must be at least thirty of them! "

Sailor Mercury raised her left hand that held the

mini-computer and started to use it. After a short while, 

looked towards the blonde magical girl. 

" There are eleven demons, without counting the four you have 

killed. "

Sailor Moon sweat dropped and put one arm behind her 

head and spoke with a small voice.

" Well, close enough! "

Sailor Mercury didn't seem to hear her friend as all 

of her attention was on her mini-computer. The blonde haired

girl looked at the screen and tried see what was so 

interesting. All she could she was two undulating lines and 

some small writing. The lines made her think about something 

from one of those science fiction movies. 

" They're not of the same type! "

Sailor Moon was startled by the blue haired girl's 

outburst. The blonde tried to understand by compiling all she 

knew about the demons and Mercury's mini-computer readings. 

She came up with the best answer she could. 

" Huh! What do you mean? "

Sailor Mercury's eyes momentarily left the readings on 

the screen to look at her confused friend. 

" The ones we have been fighting for about two months, 

except for those of last night, had all the same astral 

pattern. "

She couldn't understand what her friend meant by astral 

pattern except that it was something they could use to 

differentiate demons. 

" And those of yesterday didn't have the same astral 

pattern? "

If the blue haired girl was surprised to hear her 

friend come up with a logical conclusion on her own she didn't

show it.

" Right. Their pattern is totally different. " 

" So those here are of the second type like those 

yesterday. "

Mercury's attention went back to the readings on the

screen and she hit a few keys. 

" Seven of them are. The rest are of the first type. "

Even if she wasn't the brightest of her class, Sailor 

Moon could easily tell that two group of demons being at the 

same place at the same time wasn't a coincidence. In her mind 

it could only one thing, and she didn't like it.

" You mean that they're allied! "

The blue haired girl nodded.

" Probably since they're astral pattern is too different to 

be another breed of the same demons. "

After making sure that her mini-computer recorded any 

data that could be useful for later study, Sailor Mercury put

it back into her dimensional pocket. A quick look at her 

surroundings and she remarked on something very important.

" The fog is dissipating. Get ready to fight them again 

Sailor Moon. "

The blonde had appreciated the small rest from fighting

and she wished that the demons would disappear with the magic 

fog. Looking through the remaining fog, she saw a monstrous 

shape and she took aim.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:44, Train station

Juuban district, Japan

It had been ten minutes since the last train arrived. 

There were still some people around with their baggage in 

their hands, often with family and friends to help them. 

Others were still waiting with their luggage. Some of the 

latter were at one of the few small restaurants, the most 

popular seemed to be a noodle stand. The remaining travelers 

were often found on the many benches around the place, they 

were either reading, talking to other travelers or listening 

to music. All except for one.

[ Where is he? ]

Mano Yohko had arrived with the last train from Nerima. 

That had been more than fifteen minutes ago. It was not that 

she was impatient. On the contrary, if the one that she 

waiting for was to come, she would give him a fierce hug. If

only she knew what he looked like. The only things she knew 

about him that could help to identify him was that he was 

about her age and probably had black hair. That wasn't 

helping her much. Since she left home she tried to imagine 

what he could look like, but all she saw was her greatest 

hope turning into her deepest fear. 

[ I hope he isn't big, fat and ugly. ]

Her eyes were fixed on the main entrance, not like a 

hawk waiting for a rabbit, but like someone who hadn't drank 

for days and looking for an oasis.

[ I hope he shows up. That would be to sink even lower. Being

dumped before he even sees me. ]

She looked at the big clock on the wall and it was just

a few minutes since the last time she looked at it.

[ What could be taking him so long? ]

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:48, a kilometer away from the train station

Juuban district, Japan

Ranma had left his house more than twenty minutes ago 

and should have arrived at the train station in less than half 

that time. For a normal man it would have taken twenty 

minutes to walk to his destination from the Saotome's house... 

knowing the shortest way. But Ranma only knew the route he 

took last night. So he went by the construction yard, 

surprising a few workers who never saw a boy jump ten feet 

high before.


Ranma had been running since he left home, slowing down 

only to read the name of the streets. He would have done it 

yesterday, but he was following the indications given by the 

pendant, then following those of that blue haired girl in the 

weird outfit. At that moment, he remembered something 

important.

[ The pendant! ]

He stopped in mid run and searched his shirt. Not 

finding the gift he received from the Amazon elder, he cursed.

[ Oyaji no baka! Because of his morning fight I didn't have

time to put it on.]

It was surprising that he was even dressed since Genma

had attacked him while he was still in his bed. For the first 

few minutes of the fight he dodged his father's attacks while 

putting his clothes on. Ranma was about to resume his run 

towards the train station when he felt something was wrong. 

Looking around, he only saw about seven people on the 

otherwise empty street. 

[ There's something weird about them, it feels like I'm 

surrounded by demons instead of... ]

Before he could finish his thought the seven people

ran towards him, their shapes blurring as they did. By 

instinct, Ranma jumped backward a few feet. The young 

martial artist took a second to look at the strange 

transformation he was witnessing. Ranma quickly realized that 

if he had been a few meters deeper into the street he would 

have been in the middle of their trap. The creatures were 

still a few meters away from him and still in a small group 

when Ranma let loose one of his techniques.

" KIJIN RAISU DAN! "

To the boy's surprise they all succeeded to jump over 

it. The only good thing out that the attack was that it had

dispersed them even more. One of the things the young martial 

artist learned while fighting demons was to never let any of 

them gather close to each other. Not waiting for them to 

regroup, Ranma, rushed to the closest one and punched it a few 

hundred times with the speed of the Amiguriken. The demon was 

dead before the last punch hit it. The lifeless corpse of the 

creature was sent into a nearby wall, but before it fell to 

the ground Ranma was already dodging a few punches from the 

remaining demons. 

Ranma jumped away from the demons before they could hit 

him. While in midair he gathered his chi between his hands. 

Landing on his feet, he launched a chi blast at the demons.

" MOUKO TAKABISHA! "

Once again, they avoided his attack. They all jumped in 

a tight group a dozen of feet to his left. They charged at him 

again. This time, Ranma surprised them by jumping straight at 

them, right foot in full extension. The demon at the outmost 

left of the group wasn't fast enough to dodge or block the 

incoming kick. There was a sickening sound as the demon's neck 

snapped under the strength of the attack. Ranma propelled 

himself away from the group of demons using the right shoulder 

of the recently dead one as a springboard.

Upon landing on his feet Ranma turned around and took a 

defensive position, expecting another charge from the demons. 

They didn't. They stood a few feet away from where the demon's 

corpse lay, in a defensive stance that could quickly change 

into a offensive one. Ranma restrained himself from throwing 

another kijin raisu dan and did some quick thinking.

[ They seem to know all my specials techniques, so it's not

even worth trying. ]

Ranma looked at the five remaining demons, who still 

hadn't yet moved. He didn't really care about the physical 

aspect of the creatures, but something about them felt 

different from those he fought in China. They didn't look 

wounded or sick, they even looked healthy... and well fed. In 

China only a few demons had looked in such good health, and it 

was often by stealing food from the weakest ones or eating one 

of them. In China the demons were starving, but here it seemed 

that they weren't. Ranma didn't even want to think of what 

they were feeding themselves. 

[ This is hopeless, I should just lay down and die. ] 

It took him a second for his thoughts to register.

[ What!? ]

Ranma returned his attention back to demons to see two

of them slowly moving toward him. He tried to move, but found 

that he couldn't. That was when Ranma realized that the three 

demons remaining behind seemed to concentrate on him.

[ Dammit! Psychics. ]

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

07:49, Train station

Juuban district, Japan

In the last five minutes, many had left, but one still

remained. Yohko could fell the look of pity from the various

shop owners. She looked at the clock again and let her head 

drop. It was ten til eight and yet no fianc� was coming for 

her. With a heavy sigh, she thought back on her day.

She had risen at six o'clock. Actually, her grandmother 

woke her by throwing a pail of water on her. She shuddered at 

that memory. It wasn't the worst way to woke up, but it wasn't 

far from it. She had quickly forgiven her grandmother once in 

the hot bath that was filled for her. After that she quickly 

dressed and went downstairs to eat her breakfast. It had to be 

cut short because she stayed too long in the bath.

She was quickly handed her suitcase and sports bag that

she had prepared the night before. One bag in each hand, a 

piece of toast in her mouth and her grandmother yelling at her 

to go faster, that was how she left home. After a ten minute 

run, they had made it to the train station where she was 

handed her ticket. A half-hour ride later, she was here in 

Juuban and waited for her fianc� to show up. Which he didn't. 

Normally she would be angry, she certainly had the right to be. 

No Yohko wasn't angry, she was depressed.

Depressed because it wasn't the first time it happened 

to her. Well, it was the first time that she was stood up by 

her fianc� at a train station, but it was far from being the 

first time that she was dumped. Yohko rose from her sitting 

position and walked toward the closest public phone. 

Fortunately, her grandmother gave her the phone number of the 

Saotomes. She let her hope rise.

[ Maybe they forgot about it! Yes, that must be it. ]

While putting her coin into the machine, she noticed 

that eyes of the dragon on her ring were flashing. She had no

idea how long it had been that way and looked around expecting

an attack at any moment. 

" Waiting for someone, devil hunter? "

There was a heavy tone of mockery in the voice. Yohko

turned around and dropped into a defensive stance. Twenty 

feet away from her was a group of demons. The majority of the 

group was formed by fiends that were normally easy to kill 

when there were only a few, but they could be deadly in a 

pack. They were small but quick and attacked with their claws 

and teeth, but severely lacked in the brain department. 

Yohko wasn't worried about facing six of those, but 

she didn't know what to think about their leader. He was 

about a head taller than her and his skin was a pale shade of

green. His face looked like the one of a man in his late

twenties with white hair and pointy ears. She couldn't tell 

much about him because he was using a pair of dark wings as a 

cloak. He didn't look as threatening as other demons that she 

had faced before, but she didn't like the way he was grinning 

at her.

>From the corner of her eye, Yohko could see the last of 

the panicked people leave the place. That would make it that 

easier for her since she wouldn't have to protect anybody. 

With a confident expression on her face, she shouted,

" I shall destroy any who dare threaten this world. I am 

the scourge of evil, the 108th generation of Devil 

Hunter... Yohko! "

After her perfect landing from her mid air 

transformation, she was now clad into a red Chinese dress. 

Positioning her hand in front of the Ying-Yang embroiled on 

her dress, she summoned her weapon.

" Soul Sword... appear! "

Yohko dropped in a defensive stance, half expecting to 

be rushed by the demons. To her surprise, they weren't a 

step closer... and their leader was still grinning. She was

about to start running toward them when the winged demon spoke

again.

" You didn't answer me devil hunter. Weren't you waiting 

for someone? Your fianc�, Saotome Ranma? "

The demon's grin looked even nastier to Yohko. When

the full meaning of the demon's words hit her, Yohko let her

head drop and lowered her sword also. 

[ Why? Why does every time things seem to get better my 

hopes are always crushed? ] 

Hearing something from the demons she looked up. The

winged demon was snickering. Yohko's expression hardened.

[ Demons... It's always the fault of those damned DEMONS! ]

The snickering ceased as a red aura started to surround

the devil hunter. With a wordless cry, she rushed forward her 

sword high in the air.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:49, a kilometer away from the train station

Juuban district, Japan

Ranma was using all his will to break the mental 

attack. With his best effort he couldn't move a muscle and 

the demons knew it. The two fiends that weren't using their 

mind to restrain him had stopped a few mere inches in front of 

him. It didn't take long for Ranma to understand why. They 

were enjoying it. Enjoying every second of his useless attempt 

of freeing himself. Enjoying the total control they had over 

him. When they became bored with it, they would kill him. If 

he was to weaken the mental restraint, as improbable as it 

was, they would kill him. In his present condition, he had 

no hope of getting away with his life. The only thing capable

of saving him now was a miracle.

" MARS FIRE IGNITE! "

With the shout the restraint over his body disappeared 

instantly. Not about to question his luck, Ranma punched the

nearest of the two demons. A satisfying crunch was heard from

the demon's neck. By instinct, Ranma dodged the incoming claw

of the second demon. Before the evil fiend could throw another 

attack, the martial artist kicked it in the torso. The demon 

fell on its back a couple of feet away, and it never had the 

time to get up. 

" MARS FIRE IGNITE! "

The evil creature was now in flames and quickly ceased

moving. Ranma looked toward where the three psychic demons 

once stood, nothing was left of them but burning corpses. 

Beyond the flame, he could see standing his saviour.

" Hey! You're one of the girls from last night. "

The black haired girl sweat dropped.

" Happy to hear that you remember me. "

A subtle tone of sarcasm could be found in her words,

but Ranma didn't seem to notice it.

" I am Sailor Mars. "

Scratching the back of his head and quietly laughing, he 

said,

" Yeah! I guess I forgot! "

Sailor Mars sweat dropped again. In the last weeks, she 

had grown accustomed to being recognized on sight. After 

regaining her calm, a question came to her mind.

" What was it with the staring contest? "

It took a second before Ranma understood what she 

meant.

" They were restraining me with their psychic power. "

" Then why didn't they kill you? "

For a second his face darkened. 

" Because they were enjoying it. "

Sailor Mars quickly decided to switch subjects.

" You shouldn't try to take on so many demons alone. "

Ranma expression changed to an annoyed one.

" I wasn't coming for them, they were waiting for me! They 

knew I was coming! They knew my techniques! They..."

Ranma then realized something, he looked toward the 

other end of the street.

" They knew where I was going! "

Without explaining himself the pigtailed boy ran as 

fast as he could. Sailor Mars looked toward where her friends

were waiting for her and then at the boy quickly running away.

" I hope they can take care of it without me. "

After saying that out loud, she ran after the young 

martial artist.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:49, On bus 112 from Nerima

Juuban district, Japan

During the weekdays, this bus was normally full with 

people heading for their respective jobs. Now, it was not even 

filled to half of its capacity. The majority of the passengers 

were going to visit their families in Juuban. They were all 

enjoying their ride. Well, maybe not all of them. 

" I still can't believe you did this to us daddy! "

The one that just spoke was a teenage girl with dark 

blue hair. It was quite apparent that she was displeased with 

her predicament. 

" Akane, are you done complaining? "

The girl in the seat behind her didn't look up of her 

manga while talking. After hearing her, Akane looked back 

at the reading girl.

" Nabiki! Don't tell me you're ready to go through with 

this! "

Before the brown haired girl could answer to the 

question, Soun spoke first.

" Akane you should take the example of your older sister and 

accept the engagement. "

After saying that, he resumed reading his newspaper. 

Because of that he missed the angry look that his younger 

daughter gave him. 

" Just because I don't complain loudly like Akane does, it 

doesn't mean that I am happy about it dad. "

Before anybody else could reply to that, the bus came 

to an abrupt halt. Some of the passenger started to curse and 

made comments on the driver's incompetence. After a few seconds, 

Akane quickly saw the reason of it. Early in the curve, the 

bus driver had stopped his vehicle a few meters in front of a 

horrible creature. A bit farther, the teenage girl could she 

many more and two girls in fuku who seemed to be fighting and 

avoiding the demons at the same time.

[ Could they be the Sailor Senshi? ]

She had heard of them back in Nerima, but she always 

thought that they were the invention of some pervert. What 

kind of girl would fight crime dressed like that? Now she 

couldn't deny their existence. Neither could she deny the

existence of demons. 

Before the bus driver could shift into reverse, the 

nearest demon jumped unto the front of the vehicle and started 

to smash the windshield. The second punch went through the 

front window and hit the driver. There was an eerie silence 

that filled the bus as the passengers stared at the demons, 

but was soon replaced by panicked cries. Then the bus slowly 

moved toward the rest of the demons.

Akane, without thinking, ran toward the front of the 

bus. Soun, seeing his younger daughter running toward the 

demon, tried to stop her, but she was already out of reach.

The demon lost interest in the unmoving body of the bus driver

when he saw the girl run toward him. The demon started to 

grin. He quickly lost that grin and a few teeth when he 

received the girl's right foot in the face. 

Akane carefully retrieved her foot from the newly made

hole in the front window. She then stopped the motor and the 

bus at the same time by removing the key from the ignition 

switch. She then looked at the bus driver. In all her life, 

Akane had never seen so much blood coming from a single person.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone grasped her 

shoulders. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:54, Train station

Juuban district, Japan

A quick movement backward and the sound cloth being 

ripped. Yohko quickly jumped up and gripped one of the support 

beams. Things didn't go as well as she had hoped. At the 

beginning of the fight she was able to kill one of the small

creatures, but after that the five remaining forced her on the 

defensive. None of the fiends had been able to hit her, but 

her dress was the proof that they had come close. 

The small demons were under her as if waiting for her 

to fall from her high position. Hearing the winged demon 

laughing, she looked toward him. He had yet to move from where 

she had first saw him.

" Ha! Ha! I thought you were impatient to meet your fianc�,

devil hunter. What would Ranma say seeing you like this? "

Before he could mock Yohko again, somebody interrupted 

him.

" Go get him! "

Both Yohko and the winged demon turned to where the 

voice was coming. Yohko could only catch a glimpse of a pair 

of black trousers, due to a lower part of the ceiling. 

" KIJIN RAISU DAN! "

The demons under her all explode, spraying their dark 

blood around.

" I thought that the five demons I sent you would be enough

to take care of you, Saotome Ranma! "

Yohko looked at the only remaining demon and was quite

surprised. All the while that she was fighting the small 

demons, he was always calm, even laughing sometimes. Right 

now, he looked so angry that it scared her a bit. The demon's 

black wings were all spread out and he had lowered his stance. 

Since he wasn't paying any attention to her, she loosened her 

grip on the beam. Once touching the ground she nearly slipped 

on the dark liquid under her feet.

" They nearly got me, but I had some help. "

For the first time she could clearly see the person 

that was apparently her fianc�.

[ That's my fianc�!? Thank Grandma! Thank Kami-sama! He's 

better than anything I hoped for! ]

" That's me! "

That last reply brought her back to reality. The voice

belonged to a girl that she quickly recognized as one of the 

Sailor Senshi.

" And who might you be? "

For some reason the demon's reply seem to annoy the 

black haired girl.

" I'm Sailor Mars! And now you die! MARS FIRE IGNITE! "

The winged demon didn't have the time to move as the 

flames engulfed him. After the fire slowly died down, the 

demon could be seen standing and untouched by the fire. Ranma 

ran toward the demon while cupping his hand. Yohko, determined 

to help her fianc� defeat this demon, also started running. 

" MOUKO TAKABISHA! "

The Chi blast flew toward the demon, who made no 

movement to avoid it. The ball of blue energy dissipated 

harmlessly as if it had hit some kind of wall. As that sight 

both Ranma and Yohko came to a halt. 

" A barrier! "

Yohko said those words without knowing it. A few weeks 

ago she had faced a demon able to create a barrier. The 

barrier had been weak: it only took a slash with her soul 

sword to shatter it. The demon, on the other hand, hadn't been 

so easily defeated.

The demon took advantage of their hesitation to quickly 

cast a spell. A strong wind sent both Ranma and Yohko flying a 

few meters away from the demon. Even Sailor Mars, who was 

farther away from the demon, was sent to the floor. They were 

all quickly back on their feet, but the demon was nowhere to 

be found. Without moving too much, they looked around in hope 

of finding a trace of the winged demon. It was Ranma that 

broke the silence first.

"Can you feel him? "

Yohko looked at him then at her ring. The eyes of the 

dragon on it weren't glowing, which meant that there wasn't 

any demon in the vicinity. Looking at Ranma, she shook her 

head. Turning around she saw that Sailor Mars had moved 

towards them while they were looking for the demon. Yohko made 

her soul sword disappear. After that she did something she had 

wanted to do for a long time. She ran and hugged her fianc�.

In the position she was in, many things came to her 

attention. One of those things was that her fianc� was well 

built and also quite tense. She also observed that the Sailor 

Senshi had stopped walking a few meters behind Ranma at the 

same moment that she had hugged him. Sailor Mars' reaction 

could mean that she was respecting their privacy. It could 

also mean that she was surprised by her action. Either way, 

she wasn't about to take any chances. She took a step back and 

looked straight in his eyes. In them she could clearly see his 

confusion. 

" I am so lucky to have a fianc� as brave and courageous as 

you, Ranma! "

She thought about kissing him, but Sailor Mars decided 

to interrupt them.

" I will be going now, the others Senshi need my help. "

That gained the attention of both Ranma and Yohko. 

While Ranma turned to face Sailor Mars, Yohko let go of his 

neck. Yohko was the first to ask the question they both had in 

mind.

" More demons? "

" Yes, but nothing for you two to worry about. "

" Are you sure? We could help! "

Sailor Mars looked at Ranma and then at Yohko before 

answering.

" You and your fianc� should head home now. Both of you had 

more than your own share excitement for today. "

Before the two could reply, Sailor Mars was already out 

of the train station. A few moments later, Yohko gripped 

Ranma's right arm in a vice-like grip. 

" Let's go to your place! "

After saying that, Yohko let her head fall on his 

shoulder. She was enjoying walking like that for a few meters 

when Ranma stopped. She looked at him hoping that nothing was 

wrong.

" Didn't you have any luggage? "

Yohko realized that she had forgotten about them. 

Looking back the way they came, she could see her suitcase and 

sport bag beside the bench she had sat on. She let go of his 

arm and started walking toward her luggage when she felt Ranma 

hand on her shoulder. His touch sent shivers through her body. 

It was the first time that Ranma had touched her and not the 

other way around.

" Just stay here, I'll get them for you. "

Ranma ran toward Yohko's baggage without looking back.

Yohko used that time to turn back into her normal clothes. 

Contrary to when she transformed, there was no spectacular 

jump, no speech and no light swirling around her. First her 

red dress tears up in pieces, leaving her for a second 

completely naked and then her clothes reappeared on her.

When Ranma turned around, her suitcase in his right 

hand and her sport bag in the other, he stopped when he looked 

at her. She could see his surprise on his face. He didn't 

expect her to have changed into a green knee-high skirt and a 

white T-shirt in only a few seconds. After the initial shock, 

Ranma quickly walked back towards her. It only took him a few 

seconds to be in front of her. It was evident on his face that 

he had a question for her and she had a good idea of what it 

would be.

" Eh... How did you... well..."

Seeing his hesitation, Yohko decided to help him out.

" Change? "

" Yeah! "

She raised her left hand so he could see her ring.

" My ring gives me the ability to change and to summon my 

sword. It has been in my family for over a hundred 

generations. "

After he seemed to understand her explanation, she took 

back her previous hold on his right arm. They quietly resumed 

the way toward the exit of the deserted train station.

--------------------------------------------------------------

07:54, commercial avenue

Juuban district, Japan 

Akane quickly turned around and was about to punch 

whatever had grasped her shoulder when she recognized the 

person.

" Akane, we have to get out of here! "

Akane looked at her father, then at the wounded man.

" But what about the driver? "

It only took a second for Soun to think this over.

" I'll take care of him! You get out now! "

Akane listened to her father and exited the bus by the

closest door which was also the closest to the demons. Once 

outside, the same demon that she had kicked a few moments ago

appeared right beside her. Acting more on instinct than 

conscious thought, she executed a roundhouse kick that 

connected with the head of the demon. He was sent flying and 

crashed into another demons, who was holding a glowing ball. 

The two demons fell to the ground and the ball quickly 

dissipated.

The commotion from the fight attracted the attention 

of the rest of the demons on Akane. From the corner of eye, 

Akane saw a bright object go through two of the demons. One of

the demons close to her started making sudden movements with 

his arms while chanting in a language that she never heard in 

her whole life. Listening more attentively to the chant, Akane 

could discern some of the words, but their meaning escaped her. 

A few moments later, the demon ceased moving, then a black and 

blue oval shape formed in from of him.

Akane paid so much attention to the new apparition that 

she only saw a demon that was charging at her when it was 

nearly on her. She braced herself for the impact and closed 

her eyes. When she looked again the demon was face first on 

the sidewalk, obviously unconscious. Looking at the other side 

she could she her father with his right arm in full extension. 

" Akane, Nabiki is waiting for you behind the bus. "

The girl nodded once and ran toward the rear of the 

vehicle. Looking back, she saw her father exit the bus with 

the driver on his back. She was surprised when she didn't find 

any demons around. Once she arrived at her destination, she was

forcefully grabbed by her older sister. She had rarely seen her

older sister so angry.

" What were you thinking? "

" Nabiki! I'm a martial artist; I can take care of myself! "

She let go her hold, lowering her head at the same time 

and gave a heavy sigh. Then Nabiki jerked her head so she could 

look straight in her eyes. She quickly replaced her anger with 

her normal cold expression.

" Yes, you can take care of yourself against twenty hormone

crazed boys, but demons are a different matter. "

" It wasn't so different. "

Anger quickly returned on her sister's face.

" The big difference is if you had lost to that demon; he 

would have done a lot worse than take you out on a date! "

Before Akane could reply, their father joined them. 

Neither of the girls saw him while he had set down the wounded 

bus driver. Three people were bandaging the unlucky man. Soun 

was about to say something, but Nabiki interrupted him. 

" There is no way that I'm staying at your friend's place, 

dad! "

" But Nabiki... "

" No but! The only thing that could change my mind is that 

one of the Sailor Senshi or someone as strong stays with us "

" My friend and his son are both talented martial 

artists... "

Before he could finish his sentence, Nabiki interrupted 

him again.

" There is a big difference between a martial artist and a 

demon slayers! Akane is a martial artist and the Sailor Senshi 

are demon slayers. I don't know about you, dad, but I don't 

see Akane fighting a pack of demons on her own. "

Before Akane or Soun could reply, various emergency 

vehicles started to arrive. Looking at Nabiki's back, Akane 

vowed that she would prove to her older sister that she could 

take care of herself in a fight. Even against a bunch of 

bloodthirsty demons.

--------------------------------------------------------------

08:03, residential area

Juuban district, Japan

Rei had been roof hopping since she had left the train 

station. She also left Ranma and his fianc�e. She should have 

known that he was taken. Rei mentally slapped herself for 

thinking about a boy when she should be worried about her 

friends. Usagi called her less than half an hour ago. She 

didn't use her communicator because it could distract them 

while they were fighting. She was about halfway to the bus 

station when she remarked two familiars shapes moving the same 

way she was. They too seemed to have seen her and were coming 

toward her. The three girls met on the nearest flat roof. 

Sailor Moon was the first to talk.

" What took you so long? "

Annoyed by the girl's question she answered with some 

anger in her voice.

" It wasn't my fault! I encountered a few demons on my 

way! "

" You fought them by yourself? "

The question came from Mercury.

" No, Ranma was there too... "

" Is he ok? "

Annoyed, Rei looked at the blond haired girl who 

interrupted her. Looking at the other girl present, Rei could 

see that she was also waiting for her answer. What she knew 

would sadden her friend... as it did herself.

" He's fine... "

Rei hoped that her friend wouldn't comment on her 

hesitation. Seeing the puzzled expression on her friends' 

faces she knew they would. It was Sailor Moon who asked her.

" Is there something you're not telling us? "

She lowered her gaze after looking at her blue haired 

friend. Resigned, she answered their question.

" He was going to the train station... "

Rei was surprised when Mercury interrupted her. 

" He's leaving? "

Rei shook her head.

" He's going nowhere... "

She stopped hoping to be interrupted again. She really 

didn't want to tell her friend the bad news. After releasing 

a heavy sigh, she finished her answer.

" He was there to pick up his fianc�e. "

It didn't take long for her friends to voice their 

surprise.

" FIANC�E!!! "

After the initial surprise, Mars saw a succession of 

emotions playing on Mercury's face. The senshi of fire didn't 

recognize them all, but none of them were cheerful. She had 

only known Ami for a short while, but she was pretty sure that 

Ranma was the first boy that she had such a crush on. Trying 

to hide her emotional display, the blue haired girl let her 

head drop. Sailor Moon was moving toward their friend to 

console her, but before she could reach her, Mercury raised 

her head back in it original position. Ami was smiling at 

them, but it didn't reach the girl's watering eyes.


" It's not surprising, really. He's such a nice boy after 

all. "

After saying that, her smile started to falter. Mercury 

turned around, seemingly aware of her breaking facade. Before 

either of them could reach her she spoke again.

" Since the stores are probably closed now, I'm going back 

to my apartment and study for the upcoming tests. Bye! "

After saying that, she jumped down from the two-story 

building. Rei looked at the remaining girl and could tell 

that she too had seen beyond the fake cheerfulness. 

" I think we both need to study more, don't you think Sailor 

Moon? "

A nod was the only answer she received. Not wasting 

another moment, they followed their friend.

--------------------------------------------------------------

08:12, residential area

Juuban district, Japan

Ranma and Yohko had been walking in silence since they 

left the train station. Yohko was still holding his right arm. 

Ranma wasn't complaining, not that he was enjoying it, but it 

wasn't that uncomfortable either. Looking around, Ranma was 

relieved to see that there were only a few people outside 

their homes. Those few were smiling while looking at them. It 

was mostly those smiles that made him uncomfortable. The young 

martial artist had no idea about their meaning. It was at that 

moment that he heard Yohko speak.

" Ranma, my grandmother told me that you were on a training

trip since you were six? "

Ranma looked at her, she had still her head on his 

shoulder. Her eyes were closed and there was a small smile on 

her lips. Looking back in front of him, he answered her.

" Yeah, I have gone all over Japan and I also went to 

China. "

" It must have been great, traveling and seeing the world. "

She let a small sigh escape her.

"I spent the majority of my life in Tokyo except for a few 

trips to the beach."

" It wasn't always fun. Heck! Sometimes it was down right 

ugly. "

Ranma felt Yohko's head shift on his shoulder. Ranma 

looked at her and was met by Yohko's greens eyes. 

" What was the worst thing that happened during your 

training? "

Ranma gazed at the cloudless blue sky. He was tempted 

to tell her that it was his training in the neko-ken, but he 

would also have to tell her about his fear of cats, which he 

wasn't ready to do. There was also something far worse that 

happened anyway.

" I spent a month fighting a horde of demons in China. "

" That must be where you encountered that demon. How did 

that happen? "

" There was a valley called Jusenkyo, under it was a seal 

that contained the demons underground. The demons somehow 

broke the seal. It's a good thing that the our guide knew of 

a village of Amazons. It was about a week later that I first 

fought Strath. "

Ranma could never forget the day he met Strath. At 

first Ranma wasn't worried about the winged demon. He was 

standing on the top of a cliff away from the main group of 

demons. Ranma and a group of Amazons warriors, which Shampoo 

and Brush were part of, had attacked the demons pack. The 

demons were outnumbered, but Ranma felt it would be a hard 

battle. And it had been. The demons fought as a team instead 

of just charging as they normally did. Many Amazons died or 

were wounded in the battle. 

Over the sound of the battle Ranma heard a horrible 

laugh. The source of it came from the winged demon that hadn't

joined the fight yet. Ranma tried to kill him by using a 

Chi-blast, but an invisible wall stopped it. The demon laughed 

even harder at his failed attempt. Ranma, furious, had used a 

vacuum blade to cut the portion of the cliff that the demon 

was standing on. The winged demon only remarked to late that 

he was falling and hit the ground before he could use his 

wings. After that, the remaining demons had been easier to 

defeat. When the last demons fled, Ranma could not find the 

corpse of the demon that fell from the cliff. 

Yohko's next question brought Ranma back from his memory.

" Do you know how they broke the seal? "

" The elders of the village weren't sure. Some thought that 

the seal magic wore off, the other said it was the demons with 

some kind of magic ritual that disrupted it. "

There was a moment of silence before Yohko spoke 

again.

" The path of a devil hunter is never easy, right Ranma? "

Puzzled, Ranma looked at her.

" I might fight demons once in a while, but I'm no devil 

hunter. "

She looked at him in surprise.

" You mean that no one has told you yet? "

Now Ranma was even more confused. It must have been 

noticeable because she started to explain herself.

" The Saotomes are a part of the North clan who have been 

fighting demons for many hundreds of years. As for the Manos, 

we're part of the East clan. "

She stopped talking for a moment to let her words sink 

in. Now that he thought about it, Ranma could see that both 

engagements were similar. Both were beyond the simple join of 

family. He would be uniting either two schools of martial art 

or two clans of devil hunter. That is if no more fianc�es 

appeared, but what were the chances of that. Yohko's voice 

brought Ranma back from his thought. 

" I should have expected it. I was told only a few months 

ago. "

There was a moment of silence before Ranma asked 

another question he had on his mind.

" Why me? I mean why not any other guy of the North clan? "

" They aren't any. "

The answer surprised Ranma so much that he stopped 

walking. He then looked at the girl at his side.

" I am the only guy in the whole clan! "

Yohko's gaze met his and for the first time Ranma 

noticed her green eyes. They didn't distract him enough that

he missed her explanation. 

" Not only that, but you also seem to be the only boy born 

from either your clan or mine . It has something to do with a 

three hundred year old curse. "

After the short halt, they began to walk again. They had 

only made a few steps when yet another question came up in 

Ranma mind.

" Why you? "

Yohko reaction was instantaneous. She let go of Ranma 

and looked directly at him. Ranma could see tears falling from 

her eyes.

" Why? Don't you like me? Do you find me so unattractive? "

To say that Ranma was surprised by the girl's outburst 

would be an understatement. He had been at loss for words with 

Shampoo when he left her village, but now, in front of tears, 

words left his mouth from their own free will. There was 

nothing new with this, but Ranma hoped that he wouldn't make 

matter worse like he usually does.

" No... No! I didn't mean it that way! What I meant is why does 

a cute girl like you got be stuck with a jerk like me? "

After hearing that, the tears stopped and she looked at 

him with hopeful eyes.

" You really think I'm cute? "

" Sure! You must have a lot of boys going after you! "

Before Ranma could say anything else, Yohko gave him 

bone-crushing hug. After some time, Yohko let go of him and 

dried her tears.

" Thanks. And Ranma, you're not a jerk. I am sorry for 

overreacting like that. " 

Ranma decided to forget everything about his previous 

question. He would gladly face a group of raging demons over 

seeing her cry again. Ranma can't stand seeing a crying girl 

especially when he is the one that made her cry. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

08:24, residential area

Juuban district, Japan

" Don't you find it a little strange that they let us go so 

quickly? " 

Soun, Akane and Nabiki had walked away from the bus 

station and toward the home of the Saotome's. Akane was the 

first one to start a conversation and since she didn't receive 

any reply she decided to explain herself further.

" They only asked us if we were injured and where they could 

contact us. They didn't even ask us what happened! "

" It must mean that it happens so often that they know how 

it goes. Demons appears then the Sailor Senshi fight them and 

then they leave. It not like the police could do much. "

Nabiki then looked at her father, who was carrying most 

of her baggage. He would have carried Akane's things, but she 

insisted on doing it herself.

" Which is another reason why I'm not staying at your old

friend's place! "

The only sign that Soun heard his daughter was the soft 

sigh he let escape. Things were not going as he hoped they 

would. They all stayed quiet for some time. It was Nabiki that 

broke the silence this time.

" Dad. Not that I mind walking, but why didn't we use a 

cab? " 

" I don't quite remember the exact address. "

At their father answer both girls fell a few steps 

behind. Remarking that his daughters were no more at his side, 

Soun turned around. The disbelieving looks that they were 

giving him were hard to miss.

" But I do know the way to get there! "

--------------------------------------------------------------

08:28, residential area

Juuban district, Japan

Ranma learned something new. It happens to him a lot, 

but normally it is related to martial arts. Not this time. He 

discovered that having a girl holding your arm was 

distracting. After taking two wrong turns, which cost them a 

few minutes to correct, Ranma found out that Yohko's hold on 

his arm was the cause of his lapse of concentration. 

He wasn't going to ask her to let go of his arm. He 

feared that he would hurt her feelings by asking her that. The 

fact that she didn't seem to mind the extra walk was another 

reason for that. Ranma had still some problem believing that 

he nearly got lost on something close to a straight line. For 

some reason a face resurged from his memory also with a name: 

Ryoga. Ranma didn't understand why the memories came up or 

where he got them.

[ If it's important it'll probably come back to me 

eventually. ]

Quickly discarding the matter, Ranma returned his 

attention to his surroundings. Looking up at the next street 

sign he remarked that they were nearly at his home. His home. 

The concept was still new to him. For most of his life he 

never stayed more than a month or two at the same place. Now, 

he had a home. Somewhere he could stay for months, even 

years, without being forced to leave. And if he was to leave, 

it was a place he would always be welcome. Which was not 

always the case, when his father and he were traveling.

Taking a last turn, he could now see his house. It 

looked old compared to the other, more modern, homes on the 

street, but it was well preserved. It also had a large yard, 

which was perfect for sparring. The whole thing was protected 

by a stone wall. Looking at the other houses, his attention 

stayed longer on one right in front of his. It was one of the 

more modern houses. He didn't know in what way this house was 

different from the other one. It was maybe the two stone 

lanterns in front of the house. They seemed out of place in 

front of such a house. 

Before he could finish the inspection of the rest of 

the neighborhood, they stopped in front of the entrance of the 

stone wall. It took a second before Yohko raised her head from 

his shoulder. For a second she looked at him then at the 

house. 

" This is where you live? "

Awe was clearly showing on her face. Her reaction 

surprised him, he didn't know what was so special about his 

home. He answered with a simple nod. 

" Wow! It's so big! "

Ranma looked at his house again. It was a two story 

house, the outer walls were made of lacquered wood. As for 

the roof it was covered with blue tile. Ranma, during his ten 

years long training trip, had seen bigger and better houses, 

but he would not trade any of them for this one. Maybe there 

was something special about his house after all.

Ranma walked toward the entrance and Yohko followed 

suit, her arm still around his. Once they reached the door, 

Yohko let go of his arm. While opening the door, he put 

Yohko's suitcase on the ground. He had taken it back and 

walked in and Yohko quickly followed him.

" We're home! "

As he removed his shoes, Ranma heard his mother's 

footsteps coming from upstairs. Once Yohko and he reached the 

hallway, they could hear Nodoka making her way down the 

stairs. They only had to wait for a few more moments for her 

to come into view. Upon seeing her, Yohko bowed.

" It is a pleasure to meet you Saotome-sama! "

Ranma's mother bowed back.

" I am pleased to see that one of my son's prospective wife is 

a proper and polite lady... and I would rather you simply call 

me aunty or Nodoka if you prefer. "

" I will... aunty. "

For his part, Ranma stayed silent, unsure of what he 

should do or say. More precisely, he was unsure of what he 

shouldn't do or say. Proper etiquette was one of the things 

that Genma rarely spent any time teaching Ranma. After some 

quick politeness, Ranma's mother directed them toward 

the small staircase.


--------------------------------------------------------------

08:53, residential area

Juuban district, Japan

" I told you I knew where it was! "

At hearing this, Nabiki frowned at her father. The three 

of them had been walking for nearly an hour looking for this 

house. She'd told him that he should ask someone for directions. 

He did... five minutes ago. If he had listened to her the 

first time, they would have found it at least twenty minutes 

earlier. 

It seemed that the Saotome's were well known for some 

reason. Now that she was in front of their house, she 

understood why. The property was one in the biggest of the 

neighborhood. Nearly has big has their own, but the house 

seemed a bit smaller. It was the rest of the property that 

impressed Nabiki. From where she was she could see a few trees 

with a well tended garden. The only thing missing to it was 

a small pond.

All those things combined said one thing to Nabiki. The 

Saotome's were well off. She was now having second thoughts 

about her earlier proclamation. She now wanted to stay if only

to find out how much they had and how much she could take from 

them. And maybe, _just_ maybe, if this Ranma wasn't too boring 

or stupid, she might consider marrying him.

" Let's go and meet your future husband! "

After her father said those words, Nabiki heard Akane 

mumbling something about 'boys', 'perverts' and 'fianc�'. At 

least she knew where her sister stood about this engagement. 

It was now time to meet the competition.

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

08:55, Saotomes' residence 

Juuban district, Japan

Nodoka was happily humming while placing another rice 

ball on the serving tray. She had started making them soon 

after Genma left to search for a contractor. If she had started 

earlier he would have never left and she would have had to 

wacth over the rice balls. If one thing didn't change in Genma 

in ten years, it was his appetite. 

She would have finished them by now, but Ranma and Yohko's 

arrival set her back a little. She didn't mind the delay at 

all; she always wondered how Sayoko's daughter turned out. She 

would have visited her old friend, but after Ranma and Yohko's 

engagement was decided, they weren't allowed to see each other. 

The engagement had to remain has secret as possible. Any meeting

between the two families could have compromised that secret.

But now that Yohko was here, she could see that the girl 

would be perfect for her son. The girl was polite and well 

mannered. Nodoka also noticed that Yohko leaned lightly on 

Ranma everytime the girl thought she wasn't looking. Sayoko 

was never this subtle. That mean she wouldn't have to worry 

about Ranma and Yohko making out right in front of guests.

Although, it would solve many problems if they were to be 

caught in the act by the Tendous. 

The Tendous. She didn't have anything against Soun or 

his daughters, but they were causing her family and the North 

clan a serious problem. Instead of strenghtening the bond 

between the two clans it could weaken or even destroy it. 

[ Why did you make such a promise, Genma? After everything my 

family did for you! ]

Nodoka looked at the crushed rice ball in her hand and 

sighed. 

[ I hope Ranma will make the right choice. ]

Ranma, as the next holder family sword, will be one of the 

representatives of the Saotome clan and maybe with time the head 

of the clan. Many of his actions will have more importance than 

what he may believe. Which girl he chooses is just the first of 

them. Such a heavy burden he carries and he is yet unware of it.

[ He probably doesn't know that he is a devil hunter. ]

At that thought, she stopped what she was doing.

[ That's right! I haven't told him yet and unless Genma did, 

which he shouldn't, then Ranma as no knowledge of his ancestry. 

He probably doesn't believe in demons! I have to tell him before 

the Tendous get here]

It was not that she wanted to keep their devil hunter 

ancestry a secret from the Tendous. They would probably find out 

anyway if Soun's daughters were to stay. I would be difficult to 

train Ranma otherwise. The reason why she wanted to tell him was 

that most people these days doesn't believe in demons and even less 

in devil hunters. It was probably Ranma's case and if he was to 

marry Yohko he would have to accept his role and fight by her side. 

Although, with the Sailor Senshi around, she hadn't fought a 

demon in weeks. She hadn't met them personaly, but she had seen 

the results of their battles and she had read the articles in the 

newspapers. Often in those articles, they were refering to the demons 

simply as criminals acting with the aid of hallucinogenic gaz. Even 

with all the reports on them, only a small part of the population 

believed that the Sailor Senshi existed. Just like most people never 

believed in devil hunters.

She dried her hands on her apron after putting the last 

rice ball with the others. She quickly removed her apron and put 

it on its hook. Taking the serving plate, she walked toward the 

adjacent room in a controled manner that betrayed nothing of her 

current state of mind. The room was the largest of the house, it 

was used both as a dining room and as a living room. It was 

furnished to fulfill both fonctions in a traditionnal manner.

Ranma and Yohko were both sitting on the only couch of the 

room. Once they saw her, they stood up and went to the table at 

the center of the room where she was also heading. 

" Those rice balls look delicious, mom! "

Even in the current situation, her son's praise made her 

beam with pride.

" Why, thank you Ranma. "

Nodoka watched as Ranma and Yohko took a bite out of their 

rice balls.

" Aunty, these rice balls are great! I wish I could do 

something as good! "

" It would be a pleasure to help you improve your cooking 

Yohko. "

By that time, Ranma had already eaten his second rice ball 

and had his hand on a third one. Nodoka made a mental note to have 

a little talk with her son about his eating habits. She reminded 

herself of the important thing she had to tell Ranma. 

" Ranma, I have something to tell you. "

Before she could add one more word, they heard someone knock 

at the door. 

" I will go see who it is. "

Nodoka walked in the direction of the door; each step hoping 

it wasn't the Tendous yet. She just needed a few more minutes to 

tell Ranma about the reasons for his engagement with Yohko. Once at 

the door, she opened it to reveal three people. Two youngs ladies 

about Ranma's age and a older man. The two girls were quite cute, 

although one of them seemed upset for some reason. 

She had never seen those two girls before, but she had met 

the man a few times before. Most of those times, both Genma and he 

were drunk after returning from a "training" trip with their 

"master". Even when he came to the wedding, he had been drunk, but 

so was Genma.

" Tendou-san, it as been a while. "

Tendou Soun and his two daughters had just arrived.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Author note :

I wanted to show in this chapter that even if Ranma is 

very powerful, it doesn't mean that he is unbeatable and that 

he doesn't need help from anyone. By now some of you may think 

that Ranma has fallen for Yohko. Well if you think so your 

wrong. Ranma still refer to her as 'Yohko' or as 'a girl'. 

Don't worry though, I have made my choice, but I am not telling! 

Since this chapter was getting way to big I decided to split it in 

two. Part B shouldn't be bigger than 40 Ko. In the next part Ranma 

meet the Tendous. 

Please don't hesitate to send C&C.

Micronime@hotmail.com

Or visit my web site

http:\www.geocities.com\Micronime


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