Ranma frowned as he finished his kata with a ki-enhanced kick.  He sat down in the locus position and stared off into space.  (“A normal life?”)  He laughed at his thought.  (“That ain’t possible.”)  He looked down at his hands.  With barely any concentration he caused them to change into the claws of the Neko-ken.  (“Blood on my hands.  It was part demon.  I could sense and smell it.  I just wish I didn’t have ta kill it.”)  Ranma knows about the ferocity and animalistic tendencies of the Neko-ken.  He knows them, all too well.

 

 

            Hino Rei moved around the temple in search of someone.  It was late in the evening, and the Senshi had left a few minutes ago.  But there was something about Ami’s story that stuck with her.  “Grandpa?”  She called out.  No answer.  “Grandpa!”  She cried out again.

            Finally an answer.  “Hai Rei, what is it?”  Rei’s grandfather asked as he walked up to her.

            “Grandpa,” She stopped and tried to think of a good excuse for what she was going to ask.  “What is the Neko-ken?”

            The elder Hino raised an eyebrow for a split second.  “Why do you wish to know something like that?”  He asked in a serious tone.

            “One of my friends heard someone say that they were using…” She stopped and thought.  “The guy said ‘the third level of the Neko-ken.’  Any idea what it is?”

            “The third level of the Neko-ken you say?”  Rei nodded.  He smirks.  (“I know of only one person to master the Neko-ken to that level.”)  After a second of deep thought he spoke.  “The Neko-ken is a martial arts technique.”

            Rei waited for more.  After a moment it became apparent that that was all she was going to get.  “That’s it?”

            “It is a forbidden technique that must never be taught.  That is all I will say about it.”

            “But…”

            “It is best to leave it at that.  The person was most likely lying.”  Her grandfather turned and walked off.

 

 

            The Doctor turned to the last page and read intently.  After a finishing he tossed the manila envelope onto his desk and looked up.  “And this report is accurate?”  He asked the Nurse.

            “Yes Doctor.  Our first test subject proved to be nothing up against this new comer.  The Senshi would have no doubt beaten it in the end.  But he defeated it without effort.”

            “Did you retrieve a sample of our test subject?”  The Nurse nodded and fished a tub out of her pocket.  She handed it to the Doctor, who eyed it in the pale light of his lamp.  “We will have to experiment and see if we can discover what made it evolved like that.”  He looked up at the Nurse and smiled.  “Perhaps another test run is in order?”  He thought aloud.

            The Nurse bowed.  “Of course Doctor.”

 

 

            Ranma frowned as he looked at the receipt in his hands.  It read- Savings: 3000 yen.  (“Looks like I’m running a little low.”)

            “What ya looking at?”  A voice behind him asked.

            Ranma quickly crumbled up the paper and tossed it into a trashcan.  “Nothin’.”  He turned and greeted the person.  “So what are you up to, Mako?”

            Mako gave Ranma a confused look.  “Going to school.  Remember we have school.”

            Ranma signed.  “I know that.  I meant…oh never mind.”  The two of them walked to school in silence for a while.  During that time Ranma pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his shirt and put them on.  (“I hope she doesn’t sense this.”)  He thought as he dipped into the Neko-ken.  Taking special care not to let the physical changes show (in this case: cat-like eyes), Ranma accessed the first level of the Neko-ken long enough to take in Mako’s scent.  After memorizing it he dropped out of the Neko-ken.  (“She’s one of them.  The girls that thing called the Senshi.”)  He noted.

            He had noted the scents of all four of the girls yesterday just in case.  It was amazing that the magic around them could hide their faces but not their scents.  Ranma was sure that those fukus were some kind of magical armor and while in them not even the increase in senses got from the first level of the Neko-ken could pick up their scents (although he was sure the second and third level would be able to pick them up).  But in their normal forms it was easy to do.

 

 

Mako occasionally looked at the boy out of the corner of her eye.  (“I can’t believe he put himself at risk.  He protected Usagi while everyone else ran away.”)  She spared a quickly glance at his body.  (“He’s got a killer body, personalities a bit off.”)  She smiled when she remembered him acting so heroic yesterday.  (“He puts up a tough front, but he’s really a good person underneath it all.”)

 

 

            “I heard our school got pretty messed up yesterday,” Ranma said.  The long period of silence had made him uneasy so he decided to end it.

            “Huh?”  It took a second for Mako’s brain to register the words.  She smiled.  “You should know.”  She covered her mouth when she realized what she had said.

            “Really?”  Ranma smiled wickedly.

            Mako moved quickly to hide her slip up.  “A…Ami was hanging around the school.  She said you helped the Sailor Senshi.  Very heroic of you.”  She nudged him in the ribs.

            “Yeah well,” Ranma rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

            “You shouldn’t do stuff like that too often.  Just let the Senshi handle things like that,” Mako said with a hint of pride in her voice.

            Ranma picked it up.  “So who are the Sailor Senshi?  They looked pretty powerful.”

            Mako looked at Ranma like he had grown another head.  “They’re defenders of love and justice.  They fight monsters and stuff like that.”  Ranma nodded.  “You’ve never heard of them before?”

            Ranma shook his head.  “No.  Why?”

            “Where have you been?  They’ve saved Juuban a bunch of times.”

            “I’ve been all over Japan and China.  Never stayed in one spot for too long.”

            “Must have been rough.”

            “Oyagi used ta say, ‘A martial artist’s life is fraught with peril.’  Course I usually handled the peril, while he ate.”

            “You’re a martial artist?”  Mako asked.

            Ranma caught himself before he replying like he always did (which was ‘The best’).  “I know a little bit here and there.  Nothing major.”  He lied.

            “Maybe we can spar sometime.”

            Ranma turned to Mako and looked her up and down.  After a second he nodded.  “Basic karate and judo with some brawler and grappler styles thrown in, right?”

            Mako looked at Ranma in amazement and nodded.  (“Nothing major my foot.”)

            (“She must get a power boast from that magic.  No way she can move that fast right now.”)  He concluded.

 

 

            Setsuna sipped on her tea and thought.  “Something happened yesterday that was not expected.”

            “What do you mean unexpected?”  Hakaru asked.  Michiru sat down after she finished pouring the tea.

            “Something has thrown the time stream off.”

            “Can’t you just fix it?”  Michiru asked.

            Setsuna shook her head.  “No.  The Time Gates are closed to me until the time stream has realigned itself.”

            “How long until they’re done?”  Hakaru asked.

            “I have no idea.  It could be seconds from now; it could be thousands of years from now.  All I know is we must find out what happened to cause the time stream to change.”

            “What kind of change are we talking about?”  Hakaru asked.

            “I have no idea.  It could be something terribly simple.  Or it could be something terrible, like the destruction of Crystal Tokyo.”

            Hakaru nearly spit her tea out.  “Do you have any ideas what happened?”  Michiru asked.

            “Only that it happened yesterday at Juuban High.  The Senshi were fighting a half man, half demon.  That’s when the change happened.”

            “So we head up to the shrine and talk to them?”  Hakaru asked.

            Setsuna nodded.  “I know how the fight was supposed to go.  So I can figure out who or what has disrupted the time stream.”

 

 

            Ranma yawns as he walks out of the school building.  (“Who said school had to be boring?”)

            “Ranma!”  A voice calls out.

            Ranma turns and smiles slightly.  “Whatcha need Mako?”

            Mako walks up to Ranma and smiles.  “I was just thinking you said you knew about the martial arts, right?”

            Ranma nods.  “Yeah.”

            “Well I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of something called the Neko-ken?”

            Ranma is silent for a second before speaking. “What do you know about the Neko-ken?”

            “Rei’s grandpa said it was a forbidden martial arts technique.  But he wouldn’t say anything else.”

            Ranma arches an eyebrow.  (“So someone else knows about the Neko-ken.”)  He looks at Mako, trying to figure out what he should say.  “How about this.  I’ll tell ya about the Neko-ken if you can answer this question.”

            “All right.  I’m pretty good at trivia, and Ami’s real smart.”

            Ranma couldn’t help but smirk.  “I don’t think Ami’s goin’ be able ta help ya answer this.”
            “Oh really?”

            “Yes really.”

            “All right, what’s the question?”

            “You’re a martial artist so I’m sure you’ll figure out the answer before too long.  The question is: What is the best school of martial arts?”

            “The best school of martial arts?”

            Ranma nods.  “Not the most powerful, the best.  Answer that and I’ll tell ya what ya need to know.  Take your time though, it ain’t a real easy question ta answer.”  Ranma waves as he leaves.

            (“The best school of martial arts?”)  Mako begins to run though all the schools she knows as she walks towards the shrine.

            Ranma smiles as he follows with the Umisenken.

 

 

            “And then he killed it,” Ami finishes.

            “So none of you defeated the half-demon?”  Setsuna asks.  They shake their heads.  The Senshi have just finished telling the Outers how the fight went at the school.  “This is unexpected.”

            “How so?”  Rei asks.

            “That is not how the fight was supposed to happen.”

            “How was it supposed to happen?”  Usagi asks.

            “I do not know who this Ranma person is, but he was not supposed to save you.  You were supposed to be hit by that demon and injured.  Although it was not a bad injure it would have knocked you out of the fight and left the other to deal with the demon.  Jupiter was supposed to destroy it with a lightning powered punch,” Setsuna explains.

            “So you don’t know who this guy is that talked about the Neko-ken?”  Mako asks.

            “No, I do not.”  Setsuna looks off into space.  (“The Neko-ken?  That technique is forbidden for a reason.  Who would be foolish enough to teach it?  More importantly, who would be strong enough to not only survive the training, but also master an improved version of the technique at a conscious level?”)

            “Setsuna?”  Ami’s voice brings the green-haired Senshi out of her musings.  “What are you thinking about?”

            “This person that is using the Neko-ken…we…we must be very careful around him.  It is inconceivable that someone survived the Neko-ken training.  But to have master it and improve on it…that should not be possible.”

            “What is the Neko-ken?”  Hakaru asks.

            “A forbidden technique that should never, never be taught.”

            “Grandpa said the same thing.  But what is it?”  Rei asks.

            Before Setsuna can speak Ami’s computer begins beeping.  “What is it Ami?”  Setsuna asks.

            The blue-haired Senshi begins typing.  After a few keystrokes she gasps.  “A massive energy spike.”

            “Where?”  Setsuna demands.

            A few more keystrokes and Ami has the location.  Her eyes become as large as saucers.  She turns to the door and points.  “A…a dozen feet…that way…” She chokes out.

            “NANI!”  The girls scream out as they run outside.

            They all stop dead in their tracks.  There maybe ten feet in front of them is the cat-man from yesterday.  He is standing in the middle of the shrine courtyard with his arms crossed in front of his chest.  He smiles.  “I didn’t know there were nine of ya.”  He looks at the girls.  “Five new ones.”  He looks straight at Usagi.  “Hope that half-demon didn’t hurt ya too bad.”

            Usagi pales.  “What do you mean?”

            Ranma points to his nose.  “I know your scents so it wasn’t too hard ta know who ya were.  Didn’t think you’d be here though.”

            “What do you mean?”  Rei asks.

            “I mean a bunch a super powered girls meetin’ at an old run down shrine in the middle a Tokyo,” He jokes.

            “You take that back!  This is my grandfather’s shrine!”  Rei yells.

            A laugh draws the girls’ attention away from the guy.  They turn to see Rei’s grandfather trying to stifle the laughter.  “This is quite funny.”

            “Grandpa?”

            Hino finally stops laughing.  “Sorry Rei, it’s just funny to think that you’d try to fight someone who knows the Neko-ken.”

            “But grandpa, he insulted the shrine!”  Rei yells back.

            “Don’t worry about that.  He was only joking.”  Hino turns back to the young warrior.  He looks him over and smiles.  “You have turned out rather well, S…”

            Ranma holds up his hand.  “Please don’t say my name.”

            Hino arches an eyebrow before nodding.  “I see.  You are in the third level so no one will recognize you?”

            “I’d rather not have Oyagi come and find me.”

            “So what are you doing here my old student?”  Hino asks.

            (“Student?”)  All of the Senshis’ thoughts mirror each other.

            “I heard one of these girls talkin’ about someone who knew about the Neko-ken.  I was hopin’ I’d find out somethin’ I didn’t already know.”

            “Instead you have been re-united with me.  I take it you have not found your answers?”  Ranma shakes his head.  “That is too bad.”

            “It is.”  Ranma looks to the sky and signs.  “I must leave.  I have things to do.”

            Hino smiles.  He extends a hand.  “Drop by anytime.”  The air around his hand seems to come alive and glows a fiery red.  The glow takes the shape of a claw.  “I would enjoy sparring with you.  It has been nearly a decade since I use my Ki Claw.”

            Ranma smiles.  “I don’t use the Ki Claw much.”  He brings his claw hand up and smiles as it glows red.  “The Chi Claw, however…that is another story.”  His smile disappears as he melds into the shadows.

            “I see he’s learned a few new tricks,” Hino turns to head back into the shrine.

            “Grandpa!”  Rei yells.  He stops and turns.  “You know him?”

            “Of course.  Who do you think taught him about the Neko-ken?”  He winks.

            “You were trained in the Neko-ken and survived?”  Setsuna asks.

            Hino nods.  “That I did.  And after many years I over came the fear and taught myself the Ki Claw.  But I have never gained the control that he has.  The true power of the Neko-ken and the Chi Claw are out of my reach.”

            “Tell me who he is!”  Setsuna demands.

            Hino arches an eyebrow.  “That is not the tone of voice one should take when asking for something.”  He turns back to the shrine.

            “Wait!”  Setsuna cries out.

            “I will not tell you his name.  He was my student.  Take my advice and do not get on his bad side.”  He stops walking and turns back.  “I suggest you tell the Sailor Senshi the same thing.”  He winks before entering the shrine.