She looks down upon him from the roof of the home.  He is moving in a kata of average speed.  Average speed meaning that he is moving as fast as an Olympic sprinter, and of course he’s been moving at the same speed for more than five minutes now.  She nods knowing that everything will be all right now.  All she has to do is collect him and everything will be ready, everything will begin.  Finally she calls his name.  “Ranma!”

 

            He stops as his name is called.  He is used to hearing his name being called.  Usually it’s followed by “Die” or some term of affection.  This time it is different.  This time the voice is one he has not heard in over a year.  He turns and locates the woman.  She is standing on the top of the house.  Her conservative dress moves slightly in the wind.  “Setsuna.”

 

            They stare at one another for a moment, neither one moving or saying a word.  Finally they speak at the same time.  One asks a question, while the other answers.  “Has the time come?”

            “The time has come.”

 

            And Saotome Ranma disappeared from Nerima.

 

 

            Ten Years Ago

 

            The Senshi of Time held onto the boy’s hand as they scaled the stairs that lead to their destination.  She turned and smiled down at him.  He returned the smile.  (“Amazing.  He’s only been out of the hospital for three days and already he is out of the bandages.”)  In truth Setsuna counted herself lucky.  Not only had she found a boy that would be the perfect replacement for Chibi Mamoru, but she had also been able to push his life in the right direction.  The boy’s father had tried to steal Ranma out of the hospital during the second night he had been healing.  The fool had gotten two rooftops away before an enraged Senshi had slapped a spell of forgetfulness on him.  Right now he was wondering across China doing Kami knows what.  In a decade or so Ranma would be returned to him.  Of course, that did mean Setsuna would have to create some very interesting memories to put in his head.  (“Maybe something to do with Jusenkyo.”) She smiled at the thought of Saotome Genma with a curse.

            “Setsuna-san?”

            Ranma’s voice drew her out of her thought.  “Hai, Ranma-chan?”

            He pointed ahead.  “I think we’re here.”

            Setsuna turned and looked ahead.  Sure enough the gates of the compound were right ahead of them.  And standing in front of those gates stood the person they had come to see.  “You do a poor job of hiding your magic, Setsuna-dono,” The old woman said.  She turned her eyes to the boy.

            “Genkai-seiha,” Setsuna bowed.  Ranma, deciding that it would best to follow her example, bowed as well.  “This,” Setsuna motioned to Ranma after she rose.  “Is Saotome Ranma.”

            Genkai did not speak.  She eyed the boy as though she were evaluating an opponent.  “Very well.  I will train him.”

            Setsuna bowed again.  “Arigatou.”  Ranma, however, looked confused.

 

 

            Around Eight and a Half Years Later

 

            Ranma stared at the gates of the compound.  Years earlier he had looked upon his place as a child.  He couldn’t see himself staying here.  Now he couldn’t see himself leaving.  Standing upon the steps about halfway down was the woman who had brought him here, Setsuna.  Standing in-between the doorway was Genkai-seiha.  “Youbo?”  He asked her.

            She smiled.  “Go on Ranma.  You’ve stayed here long enough.  Go see the world, reunited with your father and mother.”

            Ranma frowned.  “Youbo.  You will always be my mother.”

            Genkai nodded.  “You shall always be my son.  And this shall always be your home.”

            Ranma nodded.  “I will return one day.”  And with that he turned and departed from the place that had been his home for so long.

 

 

            Present

 

            He moved silently upon the rooftops, his feet barely touching down before instantly sailing once more though the air.  He did not understand why, but for some reason he felt like being out right now.  Finally he stopped and looked to his right.  Off in the distance he could see Nerima.  It was never really home, but it still held memories and family.  Sighing he moved onto more pressing matters, like making sure his new clothing was still in place.  He looked down and nodded to himself once he saw that the gray gi was still in place and his hands confirmed that the cloth mask was still covering his face.  His eyes then focused on the last of his new look, the silver bracers upon his wrists.  The one upon his left hand bore the yin and yang symbol (ironic he thought).  The one upon his right bore the circle with a dot in the center.  He knew not what they stood for or why he was even wearing them, only that Setsuna had force him to wear them.  That and the fact that his cloak and hood seemed to come from them.  He shrugged and continued on his way.

 

 

            Hino Shrine

 

            “And now my family thinks she my cousin!”  Usagi wails.  The other girls try to comfort her, and in a few minutes she is smiling again.  “Domo, mina.  It’s just…,” Her smile disappears once more.  “After what’s happened I don’t know…Maybe I’m just expecting the worst.”

            The girls nod sadly.  She is still grieving.

 

            Mamoru Chiba, also known as Tuxedo Kamen, had died.  During the final battle with Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom he had sacrificed himself to protect Usagi.  His spirit, however, still lingered on the Earth for sometime after that.  It was only after the battle with the Doom Tree that Moonlight Knight revealed all.  Mamoru’s spirit was still strong enough during that time and had stayed on the Earth to protect Usagi.  But the fight with the Doom Tree had taken the last of his strength.  So Mamoru Chiba had died and his spirit had finally left to find its eternal peace.  Now Usagi was without her love and protector.

 

            Usagi and the girls were brought out of their thoughts by Rei’s grandfather.  “And how are you cuties doing today?”  He asked peeking through the doorway.  “Any of you interested in going on a date with me?”

            “Ojiichan, knock it off.”

            The old man laughed.  “Don’t be so mean Rei-chan.  I’m just bringing you some sweets and tea.”

            “Domo Jiichan.  Just leave them there.”

 

            The sound of the cups falling was all the pink haired girl needed to hear.  She peeked into the room once before entering.  She smiled as she eyed the four sleeping teens.  Her plan had worked.  A little bit of her sleeping potion in the tea was all that was needed.  “Now to find the Gin…” She paused.  “Wait a minute…only four?”  She spun once she heard the sound but even then it was too late.  She was already caught by the time she yelled.  Her captor it seemed wasn’t satisfied with foiling her plans.  Her hand was pulled back in preparation for a whipping.

            “Guess what?  I didn’t drink the tea!”  Usagi exclaim in satisfaction.  The blows to Chibi-Usa came even as her captor asked the first of her questions.  “Who are you?  Where are you from?  Why do you want the Ginzuisho?”

            It was too much for her.  Tears broke from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks even as she cried out.  And then it happened.  The crescent moon took shape on her forehead and her power came forth.

 

 

            Elsewhere

 

            “Hmmm…Not this one,” The purple haired woman said.  She lowered her hand went onto another child.  She brought her hand up and lifted the bangs of a young boy.  Although the Rabbit was most definitely a young girl she still had her Lunar Magic, and with that she could change her appearance.  The study of the young boy’s forehead was interrupted by the excited voices of the other children.  The woman turned her head in the direction that they were looking and smiled.  The column of light and power left no doubts as to the location of the Rabbit.  “Got ya!”

 

            The trip across the rooftops of Juuban had been uneventful.  It did allow him the opportunity to familiarize himself with the area, and scare a few people who saw him take twenty-foot jumps with ease, but otherwise it was a bust.  (“Nani?”)  He slammed his feet into the roof of his current building and wheeled in the direction of the energy he felt.  He stared at the column of light for a second before sighing.  “I guess it wasn’t a bust after all.”

 

 

            Hino Shrine

 

            Chibi-Usa finally calmed down and the column of light disappeared.  Usagi, for her part, stared at the little girl before her.  “Who are you?”  She asked, her mind still stuck on the display of power shown seconds before.

            “I found you,” A female voice declared.  Chibi-Usa’s eyes went wide.  She looked up towards the door.  “Rabbit-chan.”  The purple haired woman said with a cruel smile.  Chiba-Usa gasped and paled.  “Now it’s time for you to die.”  She held her hand out before her.

            Usagi had seen and heard enough.  So what if the kid was a major pain in the ass.  She didn’t deserve this.  “Wait a minute!  Who are you?”

            The young woman turned, finally noticing the other girl.  “Me?  I am the youngest of the Four Phantom Sisters, Koan.”

            “The Four Phantom Sisters?”

            Koan frowned.  “You are in the way, so you are the first to die.”  Dark fire shot from her hand towards Usagi. 

Thankfully, Usagi was used to people trying to kill her so she was able to duck in time.  Unfortunately the fire struck something very precious to her.  “Rei-chan’s Manga collection!”  She yelled as she tried to put out the fire.

            Chibi-Usa, using the distraction provided by Usagi, dove between Koan’s legs and ran out into the Shrine courtyard.  “You won’t get away Rabbit-chan!”  Koan yelled as she pursued.

            “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s pretty obvious who the bad guy is!  Moon Crystal Power Makeup!”

 

            “Ah!”  Chibi-Usa cried out in pain as the flames burnt her skin.  She fell to the ground in pain, but forced herself to turn over and face the other woman.  “Help me, momma, poppa…” She muttered.  She collapsed, her crescent moon disappearing a sigh that she had exhausted power.

            “Time to finish it!”  Koan declared.

            “Stop right there!”

            Koan turned her head to face the fool who was getting in her way.  “And who are you?”

            “I’m a Sailor Senshi of love and justice, Sailor Moon!”

            “Sailor Moon?”  Koan was a bit confused.  She had heard of the Sailor Senshi, but Sailor Moon wasn’t one that she was familiar with.

            “Crooked villain, threatening a child’s life, in the name of the Moon…I’ll punish you!”

            “Hmph.”  Koan lead off with a quick stream of fire from her hand.  Sailor Moon dove out of the way and looked to her opponent.  Said opponent smiled and jumped into the air.  “Dark Fire!”  She yelled.  She maneuvered her body so that she was parallel with the ground once she was about 20 feet in the air.  With that height achieved, a ball of dark flames appeared near her midsection.  From that ball came individual ball, quite like comets, that struck all around the panicking Senshi.

            Thankfully for Moon, Koan did not seem bent of killing her.  The flames formed a wall between Chibi-Usa and her would-be savior.  Koan turned from the wall of flames with a victorious smirk and moved towards the Rabbit.  Sailor Moon, knowing her opponent’s true objective, looked for anyway to bypass the flames.  Finally she had her avenue.  (“The wall!”)

            Koan stood before the Rabbit in victory.  It would be a few moments before the flames died down, plenty of time to kill the Rabbit.  “Now then, die!”  She prepared to let loose her flames.  The sound of running, however, distracted her.  Turning her head to her left, Koan was surprised to see Sailor Moon diving at her.

            “Sailor Body Attack!”  Moon cried out as she simply through her body at the villain in a desperate attempt to save Chibi-Usa.  The surprise attack worked to perfection, and Koan was soon lying facedown in the dirt.

            She stood and leveled a hate filled glare at Moon.  “How dare you dirty my face!”  Once more she prepared to attack with her dark flames.  This time, however, someone stopped her.  A thin streak of blue shot across her hand, cutting it and causing her to draw back. 

            Immediately Sailor Moon hoped beyond hope that somehow Tuxedo Kamen had survived.  That somehow he had returned to her.  With that hope she turned and beheld the one who had injured her enemy.  But it was not Tuxedo Kamen, nor was it Moonlight Knight.  This man was dressed in what looked like a gray gi with a cloth mask cover his face.  Aside from his hands the only physical features apparent were his blue eyes and the bridge above his nose.

“Who are you!”  Koan demanded.  The masked man did not answer.  Instead he crossed his arms over his chest and stood definitely between Chibi-Usa and Koan.  Silence reign over the fighters for a moment.  Finally, “Fine!  If you don’t want to answer then…Dark,” The flames appeared in her hand.

            But even as the flames appeared the masked man was acting.  He held aloft his right hand.  From his fist he extended a single finger and attacked without uttering a single word.  From his finger a blue stream of light came forth.  It closed the distance between himself and Koan in the blink of an eye. And even though he had acted only after she had, his attack landed before she could complete her own.  The light struck her right shoulder causing her to cease her own preparations in exchange for grasping her now aching shoulder.  But his attacks did not end there.  Three more attacks came in rapid succession; one to her right should, the next to her stomach, and the last to her forehead.  The last struck with enough force to knock her onto her back.  The masked man turned his head to Moon and nodded.  “She’s all yours.”

She noted that his voice didn’t seem to be hindered at all by the cloth.  Then his words registered.  “Hai!”  The Moon Scepter in hand Moon began her attack.  “Moon Princess Elimination!”

            Koan groaned as she sat up.  The attacks weren’t strong enough to cause any permanent damage, but they still hurt like hell.  She looked up and gasped as she saw a crescent moon and stars bare down on her.  She would have laughed if not for the massive amount of magical power behind the attack.  Instead she prayed that she could teleport before the attack ripped into her.

            “I did it!”  Moon yelled in triumph as the golden dust that signaled the end of her attack appeared.

            “Sailor Moon!”  A voice behind her yelled.  Said Senshi was surprised to see the enemy she thought she had destroyed crotched on the roof behind her.  “You’ll pay for this!”  Koan promised before teleporting away.

 

            Sailor Moon looked at her unnamed and unknown ally anxiously.  During the time it had taken her to use the Moon Scepter and Koan to retreat, he had picked up Chibi-Usa.  Currently the young girl was sleeping peacefully, cradled in his arms.  The masked man slowly walked to Sailor Moon.  When he was little more than an arm-length from her, he held out the sleeping child.  “Here.”

            Sailor Moon took her with out a word.  A quick once over revealed no wounds, the burns from the earlier fighting had disappeared.  Sailor Moon looked up at the man.  “Did you?”  He nodded.  “Arigatou.”

            He nodded again.  “The enemy seems to be after her.  Watch over her.”

            Moon nodded.  Without another word he turned to leave.  “Maitte!”  Sailor Moon called.  The man stopped and turned his head to look back over his shoulder.  “Who are you?”

            “Call me…Mask.”  Sailor Moon began to voice another question, but before the first word could even be vocalized Mask was on the roof.  Seconds later he had disappeared into the distance.