Greetings, folks!

Here is the final complete draft of Relatively Absent Chapter 7.
Standard warnings applies as usual. Read at your own risk. :)

Many thanks to the various FFML and IRC members who provided detailed C&C 
of previous chapters. *MUCH* appreciated.

This is a Ranma crossover fanfic, so it's time for the
Standard Fanfic Disclaimer.
------------------------------------------------------------
All previously existing characters taken from anime series
and used in fan fiction stories are owned solely by their
respective copyright and trademark holders. I don't own them
and I don't make any claim to them. Original characters are
owned by myself and I reserve all rights to their use.
------------------------------------------------------------

The HTML version of the story along with previous chapter(s) can be found at:

         http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic/relabs

The web site is commercial and banner free.

NOTE: Chapter 5 part 2 (posted to the FFML a while back) morphed itself 
into Chapter 6.  No, you are *not* missing a chapter. :)


Gaijin Productions presents:
=============================================================
RELATIVELY ABSENT
   A Ranma 1/2 - Sailor Moon crossover fan fiction
     by Togashi Gaijin
   This story is set at the end of the manga's Herb/Mt. Horai
     story arc for the Ranma 1/2 side.
   It is set at the end of the amine's S (third) season for
     the Sailor Moon side.
=============================================================

CHAPTER 7: ET TU?

--- Saturday, March 5th ---
--- Elsewhere ---

Eiko stared in dismay at the damage that had been wreaked on the
consciousness of its chosen companion. The intruding malevolence had
disintegrated the instant an effective defense had been erected, but
not before it had forced the youngster's core psyche deep into a
staunchly barricaded region of her subconscious.

Eiko reviewed the completed analysis of the hostile magic and compared
it against other similar magics of which it had detailed knowledge. Its
previous inability to analyze the workings of the nekoken was
explained: Ranma's automatic withdrawal into her own subconscious left
her with no memories of any events during each possession episode.

And the ultimate intention of the magic was clearly inherent in its
design. Ranma had been extremely fortunate her father had bungled the
ritual that created the nekoken. The magic's initial function - the
total destruction of the host's core personality - had failed in its
entirety, which in turn prevented the invading controller construct
from gaining more than a partial hold on her spiritual matrix. One
could only surmise that Genma, by apparently misconstruing the ritual
spell book for a martial arts training manual, had repeatedly ignored
several key steps in the ritual's initial invocation.

It was also a testament to the youngster's strength of will she had
been able to reduce the invading construct to such a low level of
effectiveness. Unfortunately, that same strength had also completely
masked the true nature of the inimical magic. Eiko had employed a
standard diagnostic probe construct rather than one of a more delicate
nature, and the probe's inadvertent destruction of Ranma's defenses had
allowed the defective hostile magic to thrash briefly unchecked
throughout the conscious pathways of its host. Significant localized
neural damage had been the result.

Eiko was reasonably certain Ranma's psyche would remain in her
subconscious bastion as long as it continued to occupy the neural
pathways of her consciousness, as *any* foreign intelligence present
would most likely be considered hostile under the present conditions.
This was quite fortunate, as a majority of the neural damage was
centered in the girl's language processing region - both Broca's and
Wernicke's modules had been virtually destroyed and a significant
portion of the various interconnecting fasciculi were burnt out due to
severe localized overloading. If her psyche were to reintegrate with
her conscious mind now, she would experience the effects of global
aphasia. This would significantly hamper the task of damage repair.

Eiko assembled a delicate cellular regeneration construct only to
discard it immediately on its completion; the numerous extraneous magic
fields afflicting its companion were interfering noticeably with the
construct's operation and the artifact could ill afford to inflict
further harm while it was in the process of repairing the damage which
currently existed. Eiko had only planned on removing those which
negatively affected its companion, but it would have to remove all but
the two if it were to efficiently affect the proper repairs.

Eiko attuned itself to the oldest applied field - the localized general
probability modifier - and began the delicate and lengthy process of
harmlessly dissipating the various external magic fields afflicting its
Guardian.

--------------------
--- Juuban ---

One uniformed senshi, four senshi in civilian clothes, and one
*extremely* mortified royal court advisor stared at the uniformed
senshi's mother. In return, said mother glared balefully at the moon
cat while balancing a platter of warm lemon meringue pie in each hand.
The tableau was held in motionless silence for a full ten seconds
before Ikuko Tsukino shattered it with a big sigh.

"You realize you two just cost me over ten thousand yen, don't you,
Luna?"

The cat's immediate response was to plant her face firmly into the
carpet.

Ikuko turned her attention to her fuku-clad daughter. "And you, young
lady. I hope you have a good explanation for all of this."

"Hee hee hee hee ..."

Ikuko walked over and quietly placed both pies down on the table before
addressing the rest of the group. "No offense, Minako-chan, but I was
certain it would have been you who ended up blowing your cover in such
a definitive manner. Would any of you girls care for a slice of pie?"
The elder Tsukino smiled serenely at the group, who were all sitting in
stunned silence.

Sailor Moon sat down with an audible thump, not noticing that her
artifact had stopped generating its miniature hologram of Queen
Serenity.

"Tsukino-san?"

"Yes, Ami-chan?"

"How long have you been aware of our extracurricular activities?"

"Mmmm ..." Ikuko thought for a moment. "Since about the time Chibi-Usa
came to stay with us. It's rather difficult to ignore the existence of
a talking cat when it sits outside of your bathroom and has a *loud*
conversation with your daughter."

Usagi's eyes bugged out. "... that long ..."

"Yes, dear. You must have noticed I've been much more tolerant of your
poor grades this school year."

"But ... If that's ... You ..." Usagi tried desperately to gather her
thoughts. "If you've known all along that I'm Sailor Moon, why did you
ground me this last week?" she wailed before recoiling from the intense
look of disapproval her mother gave in return.

"Usagi, just because you girls have to go out and save the world on
occasion is no reason for you to ignore your schoolwork. If anything it
should make you work even harder to make up for all of your absences."
Ikuko began dishing out servings of pie.

Rei started snickering.

"Reeeeeeiiiiiiii..." Usagi whined.

"We've been telling you that all along, Usagi," Rei responded with a
noticeably smug expression. "If you fail the exam for Juuban, you'll
end up at Koryo Sumimoto or some other technical school."

"That is *not* going to happen," Ikuko replied, spearing her daughter
with an iron gaze. "IS IT, Usagi?"

Usagi gulped. "No, Mama."

"Good." Ikuko's visage instantly reverted to that of a cheery
homemaker. Usagi's expression perked up almost instantly when her
mother handed her a large slice of lemon pie.

"Thank you, Mama!"

"Thank you, Tsukino-san," caroled the other four girls.

Ikuko sat back and enjoyed the reaction of Usagi's friends to her
culinary expertise. Of course, her daughter would eat practically
*anything* sweet, but still it was nice to see such enthusiasm from all
of the girls. Still, Usagi was a little more subdued than normal, but
that should be expected considering ...

Ikuko furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side a touch.
"Usagi dear, isn't that a different outfit than the one you normally
wear?"

Usagi blinked. She hadn't even noticed that she was still in her senshi
outfit. "Umm, yes it is Mama - this is my Super Senshi outfit."

"That's very nice, but don't you think it would be wise to change back
to your street clothes? Neither Papa nor Shingo know about you being
Sailor Moon and you know how well your brother can keep a secret."

"Yes, Mama."

{{Princess, that really isn't a wise course of action at the moment.}}

"EEEP!" Usagi jumped suddenly to her feet, eyes wide. Her odango
pigtails flailed about wildly as she looked frantically around the
room.

"Usagi?"
"What is it?"
"MARS STAR P[*choke*]... HEY, WATCH IT WITH THE HAIR, USAGI!"

"Is there something the matter, Usagi?" Ikuko calmly inquired. She'd
have to ask the other girls what those cute little wands were for and
why Ami didn't have one.

Usagi held a hand over her heart and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Sorry, Mama, I thought I heard someone say something right behind me
but that doesn't make any sense does it I was sitting down with my back
to the wall so how could there be anyone there behind me ahahahaha I
must have imagined it hahahaha and ..."

{{Princess, ...}}

"EEEEEEEK!" *thump* "OWWW!" Usagi jumped three feet away from the table
while trying to turn around to find the voice again. She landed on her
rear when her feet failed to follow the rest of her body at the same
speed. "There it is again!"

The small image of Queen Serenity reappeared in front of Usagi.

"I'm sorry, Princess, it was not my intent to startle you."

Usagi rubbed her back with one hand while she glared at the small
floating image. "Did you make those last two comments?"

"Yes I did, Princess. I only ..."

"WELL THEN DON'T DO IT AGAIN!" Usagi's face turned beet red from the
combination of embarrassment and anger.

"But Princess, I only use this external projection when it's necessary
to communicate with the other senshi."

"I DON'T CARE! THAT SCARED THE HE..."

"USAGI!"

Usagi looked up to her mother, who was now standing with crossed arms
and a stern expression on her face.

Uh-oh.

"What have I told you about your temper tantrums, young lady? You will
keep a civil tongue in this house, especially with your friends over
who have been nice enough to help you with your schoolwork. Now I want
you to march yourself upstairs and change back into your regular
clothes right this instant."

"But Mama ..."
"Tsukino-sama, I don't think that you quite ..."

Ikuko glared at the miniature image. "I didn't ask for your opinion,
Brooch-Crystal or whatever your name is. Talking cats are one thing,
but talking jewelry is a completely different matter. It's been hard
enough keeping Papa and Shingo from finding out about Sailor Moon this
last year and I will *not* have that jeopardized now just because
you're a little nervous. Now Usagi, I want you to go and change back to
your street clothes right away."

"Yes, Mama." Usagi sighed, pulling the magic back into herself. There
was a brief blurring before her normal clothes reappeared and she was
no longer outfitted in the spectacular and revealing uniform.

"Oh my," Ikuko said with a blink. "That must be very useful at times.
Now, sit down and have another slice of pie - I want to know how you
got involved in all this Sailor Senshi business in the first place and
why your talking brooch kept calling you 'Princess'."

"Tsukino-san?"

The elder Tsukino smiled sweetly and looked back to the other girls
around the table. "Yes, Ami-chan?"

"Before we start, may I ask a question first?"

"Certainly, dear."

"Why did you tell Luna a little earlier that she cost you ten thousand
yen?"

"Well, it was because of the bet we all had."

"We?" Rei asked. She had a *bad* feeling about this.

"Yes," Ikuko replied with a nod and that serene smile of hers. "The
parents all made a bet on how long you girls could keep going before
accidentally revealing your Sailor Senshi identities."

"All ..." Minako uttered.

"... our parents ..." Rei finished.

"Of course," Ikuko replied with a nod. "Well, what we actually bet on
was who would be the one to actually reveal your identities. I picked
Minako-chan, Hiroshi-san picked Artemis, ..."

Minako blanched on hearing her father's name.

"... and Kazuo-san thought ..."

Rei's face turned white.

"...that Rei would eventually be the one. Uma-chan is ..."

Ami's eyes widened noticeably.

"... the only one who thought that both Usagi *and* Luna would be the
culprits, and since she selected both of them together we gave her
double odds." Ikuko's expression darkened suddenly as she looked over
to the black moon cat, who was curled up on the padded ottoman at the
opposite end of the table. "If you had only waited a few minutes before
running in the door like you did, Luna, no one would have won."

"Ahh... ahh..." Luna stuttered.

"Grandfather knows ..." Rei muttered, visibly dazed.

"Of *course* he does, dear," Ikuko replied, her smile reappearing as
suddenly as it had vanished a few seconds ago. "In fact, I'm reasonably
sure Kazuo-san has known all about your Senshi identities from the very
beginning. You certainly don't think it's simply a coincidence you've
always been able to meet at the shrine without anyone finding out, now
do you?"

Rei stared back at the elder Tsukino with eyes wide, her lower jaw
moving up and down on its own without uttering a sound.

"Ikuko-san?" Minako asked in a very small voice.

"Yes, Minako-chan?"

"Do you ... do you know if my mother knows?" The blonde senshi looked as
if she was about to pass out.

"I doubt it, dear," Ikuko said with a gentle tone of voice. "While I
really don't know either of your parents that well, I do know that
Akiko-chan tends to be a little ... umm, how can I put this ... 'excitable'
at times when you are concerned. I'm fairly certain that Hiroshi-san
has been helping you with Akiko-chan in the same manner I've been
helping Usagi with Papa and Shingo."

Minako relaxed visibly on hearing this.

Ikuko sat back down on the other ottoman. "Now, I want to know all
about the 'Princess' bit."

Luna glanced up from her place on the ottoman after a noticeable
silence had descended about the table. Her stomach dropped to the floor
when she realized everyone was looking directly at her in anticipation.

{{Oh, Goddess ...}}

--------------------
--- Suginami ---

Aiko chuckled as she reached the end of the chapter. Yuki's simulation
of pureed Trell and the Avantor's subsequent reaction was simply
priceless, and with all of the hints the author was dropping about
'deflector plating' Aiko was sure that it would come back to haunt the
Gee fairly quickly. The Yamada matriarch was certain she was missing at
least half of the jokes due to a lack of the proper cultural background
- Americans did things for the *strangest* reasons - but it didn't
bother her that much since the comedy was written well enough to
encompass a myriad of layers. And The 17's uncanny similarity to a
certain young arrogant JSDF officer made the book all the more
enjoyable.

Pollotta-san would have made a good Japanese.

Aiko carefully bookmarked her page and set the book down on the table.
Seiko-chan had been waiting patiently for her to finish, which meant
the news she had was not of a pressing nature. She poured a second cup
of tea and set it to the side before refreshing her own cup. Seiko took
the proffered invitation and sat down next to her. The two women took a
moment in silence to enjoy the aromatic brew.

"Yamada-ke has become a little livelier these last couple of days,
hasn't it Seiko-chan?"

"Yes, Okusama, it certainly has."

"It feels good to finally be able to take an active part in my
grandson's life. We have been waiting far too long for this break to
occur and I do not intend to let the opportunity go to waste."

"No, Okusama."

"Please see to it that the girls are re-enrolled in Hikari Hoshi Gakuen
for the upcoming year. Talk to Ozaki-san and tell him I would consider
it a personal favor if he could see to it that Ranma-kun's transfer
from Furinkan was accomplished as ... discretely ... as possible. Match his
class schedule to Midori-chan's where appropriate but hold off filing
the class lists until we find out which gender he'll be using."

"Certainly, Okusama. Do you want to increase our endowment
contributions this year?"

Aiko thought a moment before shaking her head. "I don't see the need
for that right at the moment. Our overall expenses are likely to be up
markedly this year and I am uneasy with the direction the current
economy is headed and its effects on the clan's commercial ventures."

Aiko took a sip before continuing.

"Also, please set up a family dinner for the last weekend of the month.
It has been far too long since the entire clan has gathered together
and I want to give Ranma-kun a chance to meet the rest of his family."

"We may have a few problems with Tomoko-san over that, Okusama."

Aiko's eyes hardened. "Jiro will just have to cope with his wife's
tantrums on his own, Seiko. I refuse to put up with that any more and
this is NOT simply a request this time."

"Yes, Okusama, I will make sure Jiro-san understands that." Seiko
jotted down several notes before placing a section of the morning's
Asahi Shinbun on the table.

Aiko arced an eyebrow when she read the contents of the legal
announcement Seiko had circled. "Seiko, do you know which editions this
was published in?"

Seiko nodded curtly. "Mitzusaka-san from the central office said it had
been published nationwide and was scheduled to run for an entire week."

"Is it, now." Aiko's face assumed a predatory grin. "I see that Nodoka-
chan still doesn't believe in half measures. There may be some hope for
her yet."

"She certainly didn't leave any room for reconciliation, not with that
wording," Seiko concurred.

"No she didn't, did she?" Aiko stared at the notice for a moment
longer. "Ask Naomi-chan to do a personal reconnaissance of Tendo-ke as
soon as possible, Seiko-chan. I doubt No-chan would have allowed Genma
much warning once she had made her mind up, so it's very likely she's
already confronted him in person."

"Certainly, Okusama."

Aiko paused to refill her teacup. "Any word from the girls yet?"

"Yes, Okusama," Seiko said with a smile. "Midori-chan called just a few
minutes ago from Shibuya. Their mission was without complications and
Harukichi-chan saw Ranma-kun off personally. Ranma-kun told them not to
wait so the girls decided to do some shopping before coming home.
Midori-chan also said that Kumiko-chan should probably not expect them
to be back in time for dinner."

Both women chuckled over this. If previous shopping trips were any
indication, the girls would be out until well after dark.

--------------------
--- Shiba ---

Haruka Ten'ou gazed out the window of the penthouse to the skyline of
the central Shiba district beyond. They had decided to return here
rather than the Kaiou residence in Nakano-ku so they could keep an eye
on the younger senshi. Besides, both she and Michiru had felt the shift
in the storm winds ... and they had long ago learned to trust their
premonitions.

Haruka frowned over the thought. While their combined precognition had
always done a splendid job of alerting the two older senshi to
impending danger, it was obvious the two of them still needed to work
on their interpretations. The just-completed resolution to the Silence
was ample proof of that.

She shook her head and glowered even harder. The world had avoided
catastrophe by the narrowest of margins, and none of them could count
on being that lucky the next time disaster struck. Dumplinghead
certainly had the capacity for greatness - she had shown enough flashes
of brilliance to earn some respect - but she did so unwillingly and
only under extreme duress. The world needed the Princess's presence
*all* the time, not just when it would fit conveniently into the social
calendar of an immature schoolgirl who thought this was all a big game
of dress-up and make-believe.

If the universe needed someone to push Usagi into greatness, it was a
job she and Michiru were eminently qualified to handle. Dumplinghead
may not enjoy the process much, but she would end up thanking the two
of them the next time a major crisis hit.

And one of first things the airhead needed to learn was some basic
combat tactics. Usagi was a disgrace to the uniform every time a fight
broke out - the only *real* ability she had shown was an admitted
talent in dodging and randomly bouncing about like her namesake.
Unfortunately, all THAT accomplished was to delay the inevitable, and
it forced her partners to pick up more than their fair share of the
slack. Easily half the battles could have been resolved quickly if only
Usagi had some rudimentary sense of strategy and tactics.

Both she and Michiru would have to be close-by to the younger senshi on
a continual basis for this to work out properly, so Haruka would have
to get the two of them enrolled into Juuban High for the upcoming
school year. The curriculum certainly wouldn't be a problem; the time
they had spent at Mugen had put them way past any normal school
academically, and both she and Michiru could handle the class load
practically in their sleep. Caring for Hotaru added a slight
complication, but nothing that couldn't be handled with the proper
contacts.

  In a way, it was a pity they were now being guided into the role of
sensei for the younger senshi. With Mugen completely destroyed, the two
of them had been looking forward to attending Hikaru Hoshi while living
out at Kaiou-ke. She seriously doubted Hikaru Hoshi would turn out to
be the same type of front Mugen had been revealed to be, and Hoshi's
curriculum was easily the equal of Mugen's.

Well, at least the lessened workload would allow her to get back part-
time on the Motocross circuit. Yamada-san was probably blowing a gasket
knowing that the only reason he was winning races right now was because
*she* wasn't around to take the checked flag away from him. Haruka
chuckled at all the times she crossed the line in front of him, only to
think he would die of apoplexy the instant their eyes met after the
race. Yamada-san may have her equal in the financial backing of his
race team, but Motocross was more about pure driving skill than
anything else, and he wasn't quite good enough to beat her yet in that
department.

Speaking of which, it was getting late. If she wanted to get a good
ride in before sundown, she had better head out now.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

{{Michiru?}} Haruka's head whipped around at the sound of the heart-
rending scream. The next sentence sent a cold chill throughout her
soul.

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER, MAKE UP!"

Sailor Uranus transformed and ran to the sound without stopping to
think. A few seconds was all it took for the blonde senshi to reach the
side of her partner - who was standing in front of Hotaru's open
bedroom door, frozen on the spot.

"Neptune?"

"The Silence," Sailor Neptune whispered shakily, eyes never wandering
from the bedroom's interior. "The Silence has returned."

Sailor Uranus shifted positions to follow her partner's gaze into the
room. A sharp intake of breath and clenching of fists was the immediate
reaction to the sight of the roiling miasma of evil energy which now
surrounded and completely concealed the crib where baby Hotaru had been
sleeping.

--------------------
--- Elsewhere ---

Ranma grabbed her head with both hands, clenched her eyes closed even
harder, and moaned. She felt like someone had taken a Mixmaster to her
brain and left it turned on 'high' for several hours. And in addition
to the pain, it felt all wrong inside somehow.

{{Ranma?}}

"Uhhhhhn."

{{Ah, good. I was unable to ascertain exactly how long you would remain
in an unminded condition. You should be pleased to note your usual
physical resiliency appears to extend to spiritual damage in a similar
manner.}}

"Gaaaaaah, just make it stop."

{{I'm sorry, Ranma. The discomfort you are currently experiencing is
the result of externally induced psychic trauma - the neural damage
caused by the nekoken has already been repaired. You should find the
pain lessening significantly when your psyche completes its process of
reintegration.}}

Ranma whimpered. While not as bad as her recent mountainside burial, it
was easily worse than that time when she was seven and her father spent
hours bouncing framing lumber off her head in order to "toughen him up
a little". She clenched her teeth and fought waves of dizziness and
nausea and shooting pain until the internal torture halted suddenly
with a *snap*. After a long pause Ranma tentatively shook her head
once, breathing a big sigh of relief when no corresponding spike of
agony accompanied the movement. When she opened her eyes she found
herself sitting down next to Eiko with her back supported by one of his
ornate support pillars. The hemisphere of light that had surrounded the
two of them was now a dull non-luminous grey. It took a moment for her
to realize all the illumination inside the grey globe was coming from
Eiko's overhead canopy.

"Eiko?"

{{Yes, Ranma?}}

"If that's what you think of as 'slightly painful', I'm not sure I
really want to know what you consider to be 'really hurts'."

{{My apologies - my previous comment was intended to describe only the
potential discomfort caused by the diagnostic probe itself.
Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen complications which occurred
during the scan when I inadvertently triggered the malignant possession
spell which had been residing within you for some length of time. The
spell has now been eradicated.}}

"Good for you," Ranma groaned. A brief moment passed before a quizzical
expression wound its way onto her face. "Wait a minute, what does this
all have to do with the nekoken?"

{{Ranma, the nekoken was in fact an extra-dimensional possession spell
which your father apparently mistook for a martial arts technique. If
your father had invoked the ritual correctly, you would no longer exist
as a personality at all instead of merely being inflicted with brief
periods of 'going cat'.}}

Ranma paused for a moment to digest the full import of Eiko's
explanation before sighing. "Well, I can't really say I'm going to miss
it much, even though it's been useful a couple of times."

{{I suspected not. In addition to neutralizing the nekoken, I have also
reduced the number of external magic fields surrounding you to two. As
expected I was unable to separate the stasis field from the Jusenkyo
transformation magic, but all of the other magics have been neutralized
without incurring further complications. You will, of course, shortly
gain the additional magics associated with your Guardianship.}}

Ranma nodded. "Speaking of which, are we done with the process yet?"

{{No. There is one more step to complete, now that I have been able to
properly calculate a complete set of interface transform equations. You
may wish to rest a while longer before continuing, as the imprinting
process - while not painful per se - can be an extremely disturbing
experience in the short term.}}

"Disturbing I can handle just fine. The thing bugging me at the moment
is the feeling my skull's too small for my brain inside. It doesn't
really hurt right now - it just feels really odd."

{{That is most likely the result of the neural repairs I was forced to
effect after the nekoken. I added a considerable quantity of linguistic
data to your speech centers while I was rebuilding them and you have
yet to fully assimilate the impressed knowledge. The feelings of
excessive compression should dissipate once the data has been fully
integrated.}}

"Okay, I guess that makes some sort of sense. If it's all the same to
you, I'd just as soon get this all over with now. Sitting down and
twiddling my thumbs for a while really doesn't hold much appeal at the
moment."

{{Very well. Please resume your position at the primary Key.}}

Ranma groaned as she stood up - a brief flash of dizziness washing over
her before her equilibrium reasserted itself properly. A couple of
steps returned her to the Garnet Rod.

{{Turn the key a half turn clockwise, and then place both hands on the
Orb.}}

"Geez, how many times do I have to crank this thing around?"

{{The Key will eject from the lock automatically once the process is
complete, Ranma.}}

"Hey, you're not the one having to do this one-handed."

{{Patience, Ranma. Your first transformation will significantly
accelerate the repairs to your injured arm.}}

"Yeah, yeah, you've already mentioned that." Ranma carefully placed
both hands on the orb. "Now what?"

{{State the command 'Imprint' out loud.}}

Ranma took a deep breath. {{Here goes nothing.}} She closed her eyes.

"Imprint."

Ranma's world turned inside out. A tsunami of power flooded into her
being, and for a brief gloriously *horrible* moment she became one with
all of eternity.

She didn't hear herself scream.

--------------------
--- Nerima ---

"Well, it was certainly fun while it lasted," Nabiki quipped. She hit
the eject button of the VCR and withdrew its precious cargo. With a
little creative editing she could string Kuno along for several weeks
before the entertainment value finally ran its course. Well, at least
all the way up to Graduation Day.

Too bad the main actor in the local drama was no longer available for
an encore. Ranma had been *so* easy to manipulate - she hadn't had this
much fun in years. The pocket change she had earned on the side had
also been a nice little benefit over the last year and a half as well.

She'd just have to start looking for another willing patsy. Goodness
knows there were enough of them around - the sheer volume of risqu�
female Ranma pictures she had sold to various boys, especially the
majority who*knew* about the curse, was certainly ample proof of that.
Ranma's habit of running around the house topless when female had made
the task of constantly obtaining fresh prints a trivial endeavor.
Nabiki had done almost as well selling semi-beefcake shots of male
Ranma practicing to the girls. And she had sold a surprising number of
female-Ranma pictures to a select group of girls as well. The whole
situation had been totally absurd and quite hilarious.

She'd have to see if those "Instant Jusenkyo" products were available
for sale to the general public. The practical joke potential was almost
unlimited.

The middle Tendo girl walked slowly up the stairs to her room, her mind
a whirl with endless possibilities.

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

Kasumi closed her eyes and tried not to weep. The wa of the house was
now shattered, possibly beyond all repair. Nabiki's comment hadn't
helped either, but Kasumi had long ago given up trying to moderate the
girl's behavior. Akane had fled to her room in tears and Father ...
Father's eyes were now almost as empty as when ...

Auntie ... no, Saotome-san had been extremely cruel in her vengeance. She
had been thorough as well - her declaration of blood feud had insured
that there would be no joining of the clans even if Ranma-kun *had*
somehow miraculously survived his entombment.

The eldest Tendo daughter tried to banish the images they had all seen
at the end of that damnable videotape from her mind without success.
Instead, she choked back a sob - seeing Ranma-chan's body being blown
across the sky, only to be immediately buried and crushed underneath an
entire mountainside, would haunt her for years. The same hyper-
sensitivity which allowed her to maintain the family wa over the years
had also forced her to hide behind a fa�ade of cheerful oblivion and a
strict regimen of constant housework. Her family *needed* this from her
- but she was no longer confident she could maintain her masks intact.

"Mother, give me strength," she prayed with a hoarse whisper. Without
knowledge or conscious effort her soul extended past the chi-flows of
Tendo-ke and out to the natural world at large. A feeling of utter
serenity filled her being and with it came the calm renewal of
springtime and the hope of a new beginning. She was the anchor, the
rock amidst the storms of winter - and she would NOT fail her family.

Kasumi gave silent thanks to her ancestors and turned back to the
routines of the day.

--------------------
--- Elsewhere ---

Ranma clutched her right hand over her chest and worked to slow her
racing heartbeat. That had been ... had been ... well, the experience was
literally indescribable, but whatever it was Ranma knew she never
*ever* wanted to go through it again. It took her a few moments to stop
her shuddering and regain her composure.

"Eiko?"

{{Yes, Ranma?}}

"You have a positive gift for understatement, you know that?"

Ranma heard Eiko's mental chuckle. {{So I have been told on occasion.""

"So, is there anything else I need to do to finish this damned
process?"

{{All that is left is for you to exit command core access, Ranma. The
imprinting is now complete.}}

"*Good*. I'm not sure how many more of your little surprises I could
take at the moment."

{{Ranma, I *did* warn you that the imprinting could be an extremely
disturbing experience. Now that you are finally Guardian in full, you
will need to learn how to better pace yourself so that the stress on
your system is held to more tolerable levels.}}

"Yes, *Mother*," Ranma replied with an exasperated sigh.

{{In the meantime, you have a considerable amount of work ahead of you
to train for your position. Take a hold of the Key and state the
following command: 'Release and lock Command Core access'.}}

The Key was ejected from the lock plate with a loud *clack* when Ranma
stated the command. The ring of strobing lights surrounding the lock
ceased and the lock plate merged seamlessly back into the ground.

{{It's now time for your first Guardian transformation, Ranma. The
command 'Khronos Guardian Power' initiates the instructional
transformation sequence. Please pay attention to how the sequence is
constructed - it should play out slowly enough so that you can
eventually perform the transformation without invoking the automated
tutor.}}

"I suppose this is where the naked whirly light show comes into play,
huh?"

{{That is correct. However, once you can invoke the transformation
sequence directly, the 'naked whirly light show' will no longer be
required. Think of it as a bit of ... training incentive.}}

"Good - the damned outfit is going to be bad enough without giving
everyone a free peep show every time. I get too many idiots hitting on
my girl side as it is."

Ranma stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes
nothing. Khronos Guardian Power."

She steeled herself to ignore whatever embarrassing crap would come
next and just concentrate on the sequence magic itself. She waited for
something to happen.

She waited some more.

"Khronos Guardian Power."

Ranma scowled.

"Umm, Eiko? Either something's broken or you didn't give me the right
command phrase."

{{This is quite ... unexpected. While it has been a considerable time
since I've had a proper Guardian, the command phrases used are quite
clear.}}

"Wait a minute - didn't P-chan use the same phrase?"

{{She did not. Sailor Pluto's transformation sequence was based on her
planetary power and her command phrase reflected this difference. She
only time she employed the proper Guardian transformation was at the
very first when she accepted the position.}}

"Great, just great. What am I supposed to do now?"

{{I will verify the information with my offline archival storage.
Please be patient, as it will take several minutes to properly
initialize the access search routines.}}

"Well, I'm certainly not going anywhere at the moment. Speaking of
which, how am I supposed to get back home once we're finished here?"

{{As Guardian, you are capable of instantaneous translocation to any
spatial position you are able to properly visualize. Your current
fiction writers call this ability 'teleportation'. When in an unpowered
state, you retain this ability in a more limited form - either your
starting or ending destination must be here. Your Guardian form does
not have this limitation.}}

"I suppose there's some funky command phrase that goes along with that
too."

{{That is incorrect. The Guardian Teleport is one of the few magics
that do not require any triggering phrase. You simply visualize where
you want to be and then will yourself there. The ability was designed
to be very easy to invoke, as you will often be forced to use it under
duress.}}

"You mean I can teleport even in the middle of a fight?"

{{Correct. The Guardian Teleport was specifically designed around that
contingency. It will allow you to safely exit any conflict.}}

"Hmmmm." Ranma's face turned thoughtful while she cogitated over some
intriguing possibilities.

Several minutes passed in silence.

{{Ranma, it appears that sections of my active data store have become
slightly corrupted due to the length of time they have been quiescent.
The information I retrieved from the archival storage differs slightly
in detail and would explain why the command phrase used did not operate
according to expectations.}}

"In other words, you forgot."

{{That is not technically accurate, Ranma. It is not possible for me to
forget. My active data store can, however, be subject to a small amount
of random fluctuation and corruption due to various causes.}}

"Like I said, you forgot."

Eiko sighed. {{If you must put it in those terms, yes.}}

Ranma waited a moment in silence.

"Well?"

{{Yes, Ranma?}}

"Spit it out already. What the heck am I *supposed* to say?"

{{My apologies - I was setting up a complete active data store
diagnostic routine. The proper command phrase is 'Khronos Guardian
Power, Make Up'.}}

Silence.

"You have *got* to be kidding."

{{No. The final phrase is a safety mechanism designed to reduce the
risk of accidental transformations.}}

"THAT I can believe."

{{It can also be used as a delayed trigger if required. Eventually you
will be able to 'prime' your transformation and invoke it with only
'Make Up'. I will caution it will likely take you some time to reach
that level of ability.}}

"Whatever. Okay, I'll say it - just don't expect me to wear any."

Eiko wisely kept silent.

Ranma took a deep breath. "This had better work. Khronos Guardian
Power, Make Up!" She shook her head. "Man, I can't be...WHAAAAAA..."

An immense surge of power flooded into her being. The Garnet Orb
detached from the Key and centered itself high over her head while
emitting a blinding array of kaleidoscopic rays. She felt her clothes
vanish and lost control of her own body. She was vaulted up off the
ground with three lazy front pike saltos while the Key was held
horizontally out front with both hands. She could feel the whirlpool of
magic surrounding her as she turned and floated in the air and expanded
to contain the forces within her.

Wait a minute. She was expanding for *real*. Ranma felt the same change
in height that occurred when she turned male, and her hair was growing
out like it had a while back from the dragon's whisker porridge. She
breathed a big mental sigh of relief when both growth spurts halted at
the same time.

The Key exploded in an array of bright red ribbons of force and Ranma
assumed a classic fifth position, arms arced gracefully overhead and
feet en pointe. She pirouetted clockwise in place several times while
the force ribbons spiraled around her torso, eventually coalescing into
a figure-hugging bodysuit. Her languid rotations suddenly stopped and
she flowed into a graceful right retir�s with arms in fourth. Red and
black force ribbons appeared and spun around her arced right arm before
merging into a red opera glove with black elbow ribbing. A retir�s
sequence to the left similarly encased her left arm.

Ranma was thankful for her martial arts training when her body was next
forced into a right split arabesque: left foot down en pointe, right
leg extended back and up into a nearly straight line, arms in third
high position, torso and head arced gracefully back. With her head
tilted back so far she was looking directly up, she watched black and
red ribbons swirl around her right leg to form a black calf-hugging
knee-high boot with red trim and a noticeable heel. The complementary
left split arabesque en pointe provided the boot's mate. Her torso
rolled forward out of the arabesque into a single slow front pike salto
with arms demi-seconde to end once more in a right retar�s but with
arms in first position.

More clockwise pirouettes commenced with another explosion of black
force ribbons. Her arms slowly raised from first to fifth while the
ribbons spiraled around her waist before turning into an *extremely*
short pleated skirt. The rotations stopped again while additional black
ribbons created large bows at her chest and behind her back at the
waist. Her pose shifted once more, this time into attitude derri�re
when a black sailor collar formed around her shoulders. She felt her
hair being gathered into a high ponytail.

Ranma's concentration on the sequence was nearly shattered when a tiara
materialized on her forehead and she felt earrings - and *pierced*
earrings at that - clamp onto her earlobes. The choker necklace with
its pendant stone merely added to her discomfort, but her concentration
was completely ruined when she felt the application of lipstick and
eyeshadow. The last of the swirling force ribbons spiraled to her right
and reformed the Key while the Garnet Orb floated down to rejoin it.

She began to fume when her body was forced once more into another
involuntary pose - this one with legs in fourth position, right arm
extended to grasp the Key, and left arm held demurely behind her torso.
She blinked when she finally realized she had control over her body
once more and scrambled out of the ridiculous pose as quickly as
possible. She almost fell over in doing so - the two inch heels on the
boots, while not even close to being the highest heels she had ever
worn, were *definitely* going to take some getting used to.

Ranma clenched her eyes closed and counted slowly to ten. It didn't
help. She felt behind her with her left hand and noted with disgust
that the skirt barely covered her rear while she was standing straight
up. There was no chance of remaining decent if she bent over at all.
And her hair fell down to mid thigh, even though it was gathered into a
high ponytail. There seemed to be an awful lot of it, too - her pigtail
never felt that thick or heavy.

When she opened her eyes again she also noticed something odd about her
bangs: they weren't black. The dim lighting from Eiko made it hard to
see exactly what color it actually was, but it was definitely not
black. Without thinking she grabbed a small hank of it with her left
hand and brought it around so she could see it. What greeted her eyes
was red hair. And it wasn't auburn or chestnut or pink or any other
normal shade of hair, it was a pure bright fire-engine red.

At least NO ONE would be able to recognize her in this stupid get-up;
that was for sure. Thank goodness for small favors. She suppressed her
indignation with some difficulty.

"Eiko, is there any limitation on the number of times I can transform
in a day?"

{{No. However, if you perform repeated transformations back on Earth
you are likely to quickly attract some rather unwelcome attention. The
continual release of that amount of magical energy tends to be
noticeable.}}

Ranma frowned. "Damn. Will I have the same problem if I practice here?"

{{Not at all. I exist outside of normal space-time, and any magical
emanations are simply reabsorbed once they reach the warp bubble's
outer limit.}}

"Okay, so I guess I'm going to be spending quite a bit of time over
here then. If that transformation looks as ecchi as I *think* it does,
it's the first thing I'm going to get rid of. 'Training incentive' my
ass," Ranma grumbled.

{{You will have to admit that it is rather effective.}}

"Yeah yeah. Okay, now I'm in the damned outfit. What's next?"

{{You need to learn how to teleport properly. Fortunately, as I had
previously stated, the procedure is relatively uncomplicated. You
simply visualize in your mind the location you wish to go to and then
use your mind to 'push' yourself over to the desired location.}}

"Is that all?"

{{Yes. Please wait a moment while I release the inter-dimensional
shield I have been maintaining, as it neutralizes all translocation
attempts.}}

Ranma watched the smoky grey dome surrounding Eiko dissolve into
nothingness.

"So, all I have to do is visualize where I want to go, and then *push*
my way over?"

{{Essentially correct.}}

"I can do that."

Ranma closed her eyes and silently disappeared.

--------------------
 >>> CONTINUED IN FOLLOWING POST ...



============================================================
Mark Shurtleff
email: gaijin@sfcmd.com
irc alias: Gaijin -or- togashi_gaijin
fanfiction homepage: http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic
============================================================


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