You can guess the crossover. Ranma won't wear a fuku, and also no tuxedo. He won't be some re-incarnation. He is just... Ranma. I want to avoid numerous stuff that became the norm in these crossovers but that actually is pretty stupid. I also will make it clear that while Ranma and the Senshi learn new techniques, I won't sink to the insane levels of the canon, where it became an absurd arms race in the later parts of both series. It's a common weakness in anime series that the power level increases to ridiculous levels. (In my opinion, DBZ is the worst offender in that regard in the anime world) I will try to stay on Earth and try to give everything a bit more realistic feeling (as much as it as it is possible) but don't worry... hilarity will still ensure!

Needless to say that I will slaughter the canon of both series, but I guess you expected this. Also I don't have any rights to both series, but I guess you know that, too.

FINALLY, the story is complete! It was a long journey, but at last my second long story is complete. That's impressive, considering how many stories stay unfinished. Now, I am creating a PDF-version of the story, which is available on request. More on my future writing projects will be found at the end.

I do have a page for the story at TV Tropes, the link is found in my bio. Please help to contribute to it if you feel like it.

As always, I try to answer all reviews and I'm always happy for reviews.

Note that specific notes are at the end of the chapter, to avoid spoilers.

Chapter 47: Life is Good

Ranma tried to get his thoughts back together. If this is what it feels to drink yourself silly, I'll never touch alcohol.

That last energy pulse had overwhelmed all of his senses, causing him to blank out. In these few, confused moments, he'd seen some strange visions of himself, the tamest of which showing him living with the Tendos and being miserable due to never wising up to how others used him for their own goals. He decided to just file it away under stranger side effects of whatever Usagi and Mamoru did to vaporize Berallia.

Ranma slowly opened his eyes., and to his surprise, he found himself floating in a white void. Having an idea that this clearly was some kind of metaphysical place - having experienced something like this before - he quickly checked himself. To his relief, he was not nude this time, instead wearing a pair of stylish swimming trunks.

Thank all goodness. Hm, does that mean what I wear depends on gender? Ranma tested it out of curiosity, and indeed, as a girl she was wearing a modest bikini. Bizarre place... he thought while changing back to male.

"Ranma!"

"Ami?" Indeed, he saw Ami floating towards him, also wearing swimwear - the blue bikini she'd bought in the summer to be precise.

As soon as she was close enough, Ami hugged her boyfriend, relief pouring off her. "We did it! ... We really did it! I know we're in here, wherever this is, but something deep inside tells me we've truly won!"

"Considering how she screamed, we must have. Question is, why are we in this place? Well, at least we are not floating around naked unlike last time we went to such a place, that's something at least," Ranma said, resisting the urge to smooch Ami senseless.

"Thank goodness for small mercies..." Ami would have been OK with it, had it only been her and Ranma, but since there was the potential for the other to appear, she was glad they were dressed this time, however minimal it was.

"You also felt strange for a moment before you woke up?" Ranma asked Ami.

"There were some weird visions of things that never happened. I could understand the one where I was in that Crystal Tokyo place, however the most bizarre one... In it, I actually was a caucasian redhead, sitting in a flying wheelchair going through outer space," Ami explained what she had seen.

Ranma needed a few moments to digest that. "OK, whatever conjured that image must have been really strong stuff."

"Hey!"

That was Usagi's voice.

Indeed they saw Usagi, who was bringing Mamoru along. Usagi was wearing a bikini that was so offensively pink it could hurt the eyes. Mamoru on the other hand... "Nice speedo," Ranma said, barely managing to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah, make fun of me! Someone seems to hate me..." Mamoru lamented, though if looking closer it was clear he did see the humor in this.

"Well, I like the sight..." Usagi then looked a little unsure. "We've won, didn't we? I mean, had we died, that would have been very painful, right?"

"Nah, this is just some sort of magical out-of-body experience going on in our heads. Ami and me went through one, so we know how that feels. Well, at least..." Ranma stopped himself, not wanting to spill that particular detail.

"I can't even start to guess how much energy you two put into that final attack to cause this effect," Ami remarked. "Thank all goodness it didn't cost you two your lives."

If anything Usagi and Mamoru themselves didn't know the answer. "We honestly have no idea. With so many people backing us, we tried to give it all, and obviously it did work," Mamoru finally said.

"Ah, there you are!" That was Naru. "Can anyone tell me why I'm wearing my swimsuit?"

"Trust me... Be GLAD that you are actually wearing it," Ami said, blushing a little at the memory.

"Oh..." Naru realized she'd dodged quite a bullet.

By now, the others started to appear

"Wow, that's what he was hiding under these robes?" Rei gasped when seeing how packed Mu-Tsu was.

"Hands off! He's spoken for," Makoto said, holding her boyfriend close to underline her claim.

"I've lived with him for years and hadn't known that," Xian-Pu remarked, though she had no wish to deprive Makoto of her boyfriend - and she got no death wish, since she was in that case Makoto would shove a lightning bolt up her ass.

It didn't take long before all of them were present. It looked like whatever powers were at work decided to give everyone swimwear. There had to be some sort of intent behind it, otherwise it would have been a mystery why Hotaru was wearing a modest one-piece swimsuit like they were used in schools, which was appropriate for a girl her age.

Haruka on the other hand... As if to to make fun of her tomboyish image, she was wearing a highly feminine bikini that was printed with a beautiful floral pattern. Needless to say that Haruka didn't appreciate the humor of whatever power that had put her into that thing.

"Don't make fun of me..." Haruka pouted when feeling their eyes on her.

"Dear, you have to admit, this look is really flattering," Michiru joked, barely holding back her giggles.

After some seconds the humor had run its course and Minako asked the important question. "So, what happened? Where exactly are we? And why are wearing these?"

"We've won. Cut off from her reserves, Berallia was overwhelmed and destroyed," Setsuna explained. She then looked around. "As for this place. It must be some kind of side effect from the sheer amount of energy that Usagi and Mamoru released. I think it's harmless."

"It certainly isn't real. It has a quality like dreams, so I think it's harmless," Helios observed, speaking from experience. "Still, we better shouldn't tempt fate by doing stuff like stabbing ourselves."

"Ranma and me went through something like this before. It's all in our heads and we should return to reality soon enough," Ami explained, then looked down at herself. "As for this... Let's say both of us learned it could be worse."

Almost everyone understood what was meant, only Hotaru, due to her young age, at first didn't. It took her some seconds, then her eyes widened. "You mean we could have been...?" She stopped, then blushed, clearly being uncomfortable with the idea.

"Thank all goodness for small mercies..." Rei whispered, thankful they'd been spared that.

"Does this mean that we've won? For real this time?" Mu-Tsu asked, being considerably less affected by Makoto's sexy bikini after seeing her in the nude some nights ago.

Setsuna nodded. "This war, yes. But you should know that evil never vanishes. I honestly have no idea what the future holds, and I have no desire to use the gates to find out in advance, but for the time being that's it for world-threatening evils."

"Which of course doesn't mean we should be idle, because there will be enough small evils we have a responsibility to take care of, right?" Makoto asked, feeling a bit strange after all these months of constant tension.

"Right on the spot. Also, all of us have to be at the top of our game when we have to destroy a certain asteroid in several years to prevent disaster." Setsuna knew, allowing this great freeze to happen had been nothing less than playing God. No way she would allow that to happen again.

Helios felt a bit exposed, but tried to hide it, while reminding them of something else. "Don't forget that with the emergence of magic, there will be new duties as well. There will always be those who think their magic powers mean they can ignore the laws."

"So part of our new duties is being magical police?" Minako asked, finding the idea a bit strange. "Compared to saving the world, it'll be a bit boring. Not that I complain; as there is something as too much excitement."

Setsuna knew, it sounded a little strange after all their past adventures. "I know, change is always scary. However, life always is about change. Don't be afraid."

"It's still strange. For a good part of the year, we were occupied with saving the world. It'll take some time to again put our attention to the small everday issues we all have," Rei mused, thinking of how she probably would now spend more time with shrine duties.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we saved the world, but I'll be happy that we again have more time for ourselves," Michiru remarked, giving Haruka a knowing look.

Suddenly they all felt a little light-headed.

"Oh, what is this?" Hotaru asked, afraid something bad could happen.

"Don't be scared. It just means we are returning to the real world," Helios reassured her.

The whiteness then brightened up and swallowed all of them.

All of them blinked when they could see again. One moment they had been in the white void, and now they were back in the real world. They noticed that somehow they had been transported from Tokyo Tower to the small park next to it, right beside the big hole which the huge dark flower had broken open. The twilight caused by the covering of the sun was gone, and indeed it now actually was a sunny day - a sharp contrast to the earlier situation.

Bizarre, this is the exact place where I entered the altered timestream after my escape, Pluto thought, even seeing the park bench on which she'd sat after being violently sick from her escape.

"Seeing this... we really must have won," Jupiter remarked.

Looking around Venus noticed a horrible sight. "Look...!"

They did look... and wished they hadn't.

Next to the hole lied Beryl... or what was left of her. She was back to normal size and color, Metallia clearly having been burnt out of her, and she was a horrible mess. Her limbs were shattered and bent at nasty angles with bone pieces sticking out, she looked like a lawnmower her run her over and parts of her innards were hanging out while a pool of her own blood grew under her. It was pretty obvious that she wouldn't be for the world for much longer.

Pluto shook her head. "Poor deluded fool... When Metallia was destroyed, it left her as a shattered shell. She won't live for much longer and due to the taint this left on her, not even all the magic in the world can heal her."

Beryl looked at them with bloodshot eyes. "Endymion... Why? ... I just wanted ... your heart," she gasped between shallow breaths, blood running over her lips.

Even after all what Beryl had done, Endymion couldn't help but feel sad. "No, that wasn't love. It was obsession. Were it truly love, you wouldn't have made a pact with Metallia."

Beryl's eyes widened in terrified understanding, then her breathing stopped and she became unmoving. She had died only seconds after finally understanding this simple truth. No one celebrated that she finally was dead; they just felt relief that it was finally over.

Venus couldn't help but to shake her head. "While she did deserve this... To think that she did all this because her love got twisted into obsession is just sad."

Slowly looking away from their dead foe, they took in the destruction Tokyo had suffered. Without the storm, the heavy damage to the city now was very apparent and they could see the defenders slowly emerging form shelter, approaching them questioningly.

"You know, this used to be a heck of a city..." Jupiter remarked when looking at the damaged city around them, wondering if Tokyo would recover from so much destruction.

"It will be rebuilt. Buildings can be replaced, lives can't," Pluto reminded them, sounding actually optimistic.

Together, all of them looked at the heavily damaged city, knowing that the rebuilding of Tokyo would also become a visible sign of the new time that had started. They then left to speak with emerging soldiers and fighters.

They did not notice five people walking out from under the trees, until they had clustered around Beryl's body. They had zeroed in on the source of the light, but then decided to wait in the shadows. Old habits were difficult to break after all. They had all been slaves to the Dark Kingdom, and now felt a little lost when seeing the broken corpse of their former leader.

"I can't believe it that she's finally dead and it's all over," Tethys said in relief, pressing herself closer to Jadeite. "It always felt like this nightmare would never end, and we all came out of it alive."

"I'm trying to get myself to spit onto her corpse, but I can't. I even feel sad for her, as strange as it sounds," Nephrite admitted.

Kunzite sighed. "It's because in the end, she was a slave as well. Her chains might have been different and she hadn't even noticed them, but Metallia also saw her as just a tool as well."

"What will happen with us now?" Zoisite wondered, feeling a bit afraid. "I mean, officially we don't even exist and I doubt any government will accept us open arms after what we did while we weren't ourselves."

Jadeite for his part was surprisingly calm. "You three probably have no experience with it, but my modus operandi was to blend in. It will be no problem for me to forge new identities for us."

"And what will we spend our lives with?" Tethys wondered.

"Well..." Jadeite gave her an interesting look. "Magic is becoming more common. Experts are surely well-paid. As long as our liege has nothing against it..."

Zoisite couldn't help but snort. "That will be an awkward conversation..."

...months later...

"Can you stop pacing in a circle? It kind of makes me even more nervous than I already am," Usagi asked, rolling her eyes at Ranma's behavior.

Ranma did stop pacing, but that clearly didn't help his own anxiety. "Sorry, it's nerves. She's my Mom after all and I'm about to become a big brother. That's kind of a big change for me after almost 18 years as an only child, and it makes me quite nervous."

"Well, I'm in the same position, and do you see me doing that?" Ami reminded her boyfriend.

"Well, no. But considering the small stack of paper you've written nonsense on..." He saw her only now realizing what she was doing. "Guess each of us copes in a different way."

"Were you that nervous when I was on the way?" Shingo asked his sister.

"Sorry, but I was too young to really remember any details, and most of it went over my head," Usagi told her younger brother. "At least both of us are old enough that we don't have to compete for attention." She then sighed. "I wish, Mamoru were here to keep me calm. A bit unfair that they said 'only immediate family'."

Ranma chuckled at the reminder. "Yeah, instead they are all waiting in the lobby for us to give them news."

Truth to be told, that this was the biggest excitement they've had in months showed how much their lives had calmed down. Compared to the constant state of alertness they'd had during their battles against the Dark Kingdom and the Death Busters, they now had only little to do on the Senshi front. At best it came up to one alert every two weeks - quite a change from the times of well-planned attacks by a well-organized enemy.

Ranma's life also had come into much more stable waters. Now that he could mostly concentrate on school stuff and his personal training, he even found it to be a bit boring. He would not say so aloud however, knowing he would otherwise tempt fate to give him 'interesting times'. Boring actually was not bad, if the opposite meant constant chaos.

"Ranma, you have changed genders at least three times in the previous ten minutes. Are you really that nervous?" Ami asked her boyfriend.

"What? Oh, I didn't even realize. That still sometimes happens if I let my mind wander and do it on accident," Ranma realized.

Being free from that damn water trigger and able to change at will had removed a massive social headache for him. After all, always watching out for water and avoiding social situations where changing gender would lead to great embarassment had not been positive for attending - or not attending - certain social activities.

"Maybe staying a girl for a bit makes you less jumpy?" Shingo smarted, long gotten used to Ranma's gender changing.

"No, that would make it worse. I discovered while I am the same person inside, all that estrogen causes me to worry more, if I get emotional," Ranma waved off the suggestion.

Well, he certainly has adapted nicely to changing into a girl whenever he feels like it. I can't deny that's mostly from my encouragement, Ami thought, feeling a little proud.

Ami had encouraged him to continue balancing his life between genders, even through the trigger issue had been resolved. Ami barely avoided a little blush when imagining that part of the encouragement clearly came from her insisting to give both of Ranma's genders equal time in the bedroom. Some would say it's always the quiet ones that turn out to be perverted, but should could live with that accusation.

No longer being occupied with saving the world also did wonders to give them the time needed for stuff that boys and girls their age normally did. While some might think it to be a let down, she had found a new appreciation for peace and quiet.

They're again using that bond of theirs? It's sometimes a little unnerving how well they can read each other's moods, Usagi thought.

"Do they do some kind of silent communication?" Shingo wondered, having seen this a few times by now.

"Something like that." Usagi said, then fell silent again. Good thing Daddy is really preoccupied with the whole baby situation, or he would have spotted how Mamoru and me are much closer now.

Yes, both of them had taken the slow route, but in their minds it had paid off. They did not feel guilty in the slightest about what they had done some weeks ago - and had repeated several times by now. It certainly gave them a new understanding for their friends who were in an equally developed relationship. Of course they were careful, since even though they want to return Chibi-Usa to life, they were not yet ready to become parents.

Yes, things had improved a lot for them.

Still, the time directly after the final battle had not been roses for anyone.

All of the fighting had resulted in Tokyo getting heavily damaged and the rebuilding would take time - the city at the moment still was practically one huge construction site - making it especially in the first few weeks difficult to return to something resembling a normal life. Though what was normal in these times? The economy was heavily burdened due to what had happened to Tokyo and the emergence of magic made the times interesting - though thankfully they only were needed to deal with idiots messing around with magic, which only had been a handful of times.

It was the aftermath of the battle that was left behind in their heads that proved to be the real problem.

Back during the battle, they had run on full power and ignored everything else, while in that strange void, it felt almost surreal how their worries mattered little. Yet... after the battle was over and they had calmed down, all the horrible things they had witnessed came back to haunt them. That meant something, considering that stuff they had already witnessed before.

There was just one big difference to before. Thanks to the Black Guard, they this time had access to therapists who were in the know about them. It was a slow process however and even now they still got the occasional nightmare of the past horrors that woke them up in the night. Some of it however had left its mark on them forever, and thus the only thing they could do about that was to come to terms with it somehow.

However, today all of that was not on their minds.

The pregnancies of Nodoka, Saeko and Ikuko had progressed without any drama - doctors even remarked all three women were coping very well with it. Then, as if fate wanted to have a little laugh, all three of them had went into labor only minutes apart from each other. The three women had gossiped over some tea at the Saotome house when Nodoka's water broke, Saeko and Ikuko following only minutes later. That of course had made things a little chaotic.

It became even more chaotic when it turned out that due to the still ongoing rebuilding of the local hospital and a high number of patients, only one room in the maternity ward was available for all three women. That threatened to make the fathers tear out their hair in frustration (though Genma of course was in no danger of doing that) when all three of the expecting mothers put their foot down and decided that they would go through it together.

It had taken some strong hands to get everything needed inside, but now it was a waiting game.

Good thing that the door was made to block sound. While contrary to normal expectations - and past experiences of the birthing mothers - no screaming was involved, it didn't mean three women simultaneously giving birth was silent. Quite in the contrary.

"Mrrggh, this... -urgh- is not nearly as bad -grunt- as when I gave birth to Ranma," Nodoka grunted between contractions. She felt that it now only was a matter of minutes.

"My hand is thankful for it as well," Genma remarked, remembering all too well in how much pain Nodoka had been during Ranma's brith - a result of her then malformed womb. Compared to that, it now was smooth sailing, though Nodoka of course still was uncomfortable.

"Strange, isn't it? -nnngh- We've not grown younger, but -urgh- this is so much easier on us than last time," Saeko added, being surprised as well.

Kaizo remembered. "Ah yes, we should be thankful for that. After all, you had to vomit during Ami's birth. That poor midwife looked mortified when she got hit with most of it."

Saeko made a face, and that was not due to the contractions. "-grunt- Please don't remind me."

"Maybe that's the benefit of -oooh- getting hit point-blank by healing magic? It -gmmk- made birthing easier on us," Ikuko added. As the only of the three who had given birth twice before, she knew better than Nodoka and Saeko how it felt.

It was a sign of the times that they spoke about magic so openly and the medics were not blinking an eye. Considering the number of times accidental magic happened these days, accidentally being hit by a healing spell sounded downright boring. Magic was starting to lose the mystique surrounding it, with scientists declaring that since it could be measured and did have rules, it's a new field of science to discover. After all, magic just was energy in a different form.

"I think we are all glad it's easier on everyone involved," Kenji remarked, remembering Ikuko's previous two births. He then looked to the midwife who was paying close attention to what was going on between his wife's legs. "How is she coming along?"

"Very nicely. This birth is very easy on mother and child; I expect to see the head at any moment," the midwife told them.

"Ooooh!"

Hearing the loud groan from Nodoka, they saw the woman tremble, her face locked in a mixture of discomfort and determination while pushing. Seeing how her midwife was being busy, it looked like she would give birth first - though ironically she most likely would also give birth last. Genma was relieved that Nodoka was not in pain as she had been during Ranma's birth. Though she of course was still in great discomfort, as her groans and grunts conveyed.

Finally, Nodoka gave one more push and let out a loud gasp, then baby cries filled the room.

"Congratulations, it's a boy," the midwife said, then after taking care of the cord quickly handed the newborn to her colleagues for the post-birth procedures and turned her attention back to the area between Nodoka's legs. "You are not done yet, however."

"Don't I know it?" Nodoka groaned, while feeling baby number two enter her birthing canal.

That was also why this day was so special for the Saotomes. Nodoka had always wanted a big family, but her medical problems had made that impossible - at least until magic had healed her womb. Being told during the first ultrasound that she was expecting twins had actually caused her to faint from sheer happiness. It felt like after all the hardships she'd gone through, fate now finally felt she had paid her dues and rewarded her with two children for the price of one.

"Ack!"

That was Ikuko, who panted while giving a few big pushes, then her head sank onto the pillow when she felt a great burden was taken from her. The baby cries were answer enough and the midwife looked relieved that all had went well. "Congratulations, Mrs. Tsukino, it's a girl!"

Ikuko was quite exhausted from giving birth, but couldn't help to smile at her newborn daughter. Kenji looked in pride at the newest child, before the medics went ahead to go through the post-birth procedures. The parents knew they would hold her soon enough.

Kenji could help but chuckle. "Oh, Shingo is going to be a bit disappointed."

Ikuko appreciated his humor, it helped her relax. "Oh, he has to learn to live with it."

"Uhhh-nnngh!"

At last, Saeko was in the final stage of giving birth. She was trying to stay calm, but that proved difficult when feeling as if she was squeezing a massive watermelon through a far too small hole. It was not painful per se - Ami's birth had been quite a bit worse - just immensely uncomfortable. Thankfully, this was over fast enough and she couldn't help but smile when the midwife announced she'd given birth to a son.

"Ami will be really happy about her new brother," Kaizo beamed with pride while gently wiping some sweat from his wife's forehead.

"For my part I'm glad the hard part is over." Saeko, while very happy, also felt quite wiped out.

That left Nodoka's second child.

Thankfully, this birth went much faster, probably due to the fact that her birthing canal was already stretched out, so the baby almost seemed to slide out. Nodoka let out a breath of relief now that the pressure was gone and then heared that the second child was a girl.

"I know you always wanted a daughter," Genma remarked when seeing his wife's beaming smile.

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I love my new son any less." If she weren't so tired, she probably would be hyperactive with joy.

All three women felt a little draft between their legs - most likely badly set up air conditioning - but they knew there was nothing they could do about it for the moment. First the medics had to take care of the placental expulsion and clean them up, before they could be put into a more dignified and less exposed position. However, they didn't mind, being eager for holding their newborn babies while waiting patiently until all the procedures were done.

It was only half an hour later when the door finally opened.

"Mothers and children are all well. You can now come in and have a moment with them, before we move them to recovery rooms."

Entering, they could see the medics were still being busy with cleaning up the equipment, but that didn't matter to them. Their eyes were focused on their mothers. Each of them was holding a bundle - or in Nodoka's case, two bundles - and looked very happy. Their fathers were not too far behind in the happiness department. They then noticed their older children enter.

"Oh, come in and meet your new siblings!" Kenji said with unrestrained enthusiasm. "Ikuko, darling, why don't you start?"

If anything, Ikuko beamed even more when her two older children walked next to her. "Usagi, Shingo, meet your new sister: Ichika!"

Of course, considering the newborn Ichika Tsukino was less than an hour old, she looked a lot like all babies, apart from some noticable black fuzz on her head. That however didn't stop them from looking at their new sister in utter adoration. Despite what his parents had joked, Shingo already adored the little girl, whose name meant as much as 'one thousand flowers'.

Ami meanwhile stood next to her mother and Kaizo couldn't help but to joke. "Oh, don't worry, your new brother won't bite! He doesn't yet have teeth, after all."

Saeko didn't mind the humor, and held the baby so Ami could see him better. "Your brother. Kaizo and me decided to name him Reo."

Considering their family, Ami was not surprised that her parents had given her brother a name that meant 'wise center'. Ami had no experience with babies, so from what she could tell, he looked like all other babies. That didn't stop her from being nervous, since after 17 years as an only child she really wanted to be the best big sister possible for her brother.

"Well, boy, don't hesitate so much. After all, your mother's dearest wish just became reality," Genma called to Ranma, who was a bit hesitant due to feeling awkward around babies.

When he finally was close enough, Nodoka proudly presented her full arms. "Don't be shy, meet your new siblings." She looked to the left. "This is your new sister. We felt the name Ranko would fit perfectly." Then she looked to the right. "And this is your new brother. We named him Kaito."

His parents obviously had put some thought into this. A girl with a name meaning 'wild child' - he did look at the kanji on her name bracelet to make sure - and a boy whose name meant 'supportive person'. Ranko having some very light red fuzz on her head made Ranma wonder if that was a general trait from his mother's line for girls. While still being a bit nervous, he couldn't help but to greet his new siblings with a smile.

While this was all new to him, new didn't have to mean bad.

...several days later, Hikawa Shrine...

It had started several months ago.

With the pressure of possible doom finally being gone, all of them, besides their own burdens from the aftermath of the battle, had felt like they were now hanging in the air with no direction what to do next. After most of a year in a state of emergency, this was little wonder. It had somehow emerged that even though all of them had their own sub-groups, they agreed to all meet two times a week - and that was, strictly on a social basis.

Oh, they still had their training - Khu-Lon made it clear that they had committed to it and she would continue to help them improve until she would deem them fully competent, which would still take a bit. No, these meetings were strictly to relax and interact. They were filled with lots of gossip, joking, games and other things friends normally did to have fun. It was just what they needed to keep everyone on the same page after the danger was over.

This was their first get-together after the excitement that was the births of new siblings for Ranma, Ami and Usagi.

"So, how did you manage to win by having an entire hotel chain? Are you sure it's the first time you played the game?" Minako asked Hotaru in sheer astonishment, as the young girl had won the game of Monopoly with frightening ease.

"No idea. I just felt what I'm doing is the best strategy," Hotaru said innocently, honestly having no idea as well how she'd done this.

Thing was, Hotaru no longer could be called a little girl - and having entered puberty full force, she would not appreciate it, either. Having had her first growth spurt, Hotaru made it clear she now was a teenage girl and only her father could still treat her as if she wasn't - a privilege she allowed him due to how long he had been unable to care for her no thanks to the Death Busters.

It was a bit strange, again living with her father now that he was free of any evil influence. While Hotaru was very happy with having him back in her life, he for her taste was doting a little to much on her - though she did say nothing because she understood why he was overcompensating. Thankfully, her father had been cleared of all charges, but that the government was employing him - obviously to try and recover whatever knowledge he retained - showed that they still wanted to make sure.

"The only one I've ever seen being this good at the game is my sister Nabiki. After a few repeats we no longer played it, since Kasumi and me didn't want to lose all the time," Akane remarked while moving another piece on the Shogi board.

She thanked all goodness her father was not here to see her. Her was a passionate Shogi player and had been disappointed that none of his daughters shared his passion. Seeing her actually playing the game with her boyfriend, who had actually gotten her interested in it, Soun would probably faint from happiness. She for her part was just glad that Ryo did manage to convince his parents to allow him to return to Tokyo, though it had taken him two long months of slowly wearing them down - including telling them about her.

"Bad move," Ryo reminded her, then moved one of his own pieces. "Looks like there's no way for you out of this one. I don't need my precognitive powers to know so - and no, I didn't use them to cheat, not that I can call upon them like that anyway. "

Akane looked at the board in astonishment, before admitting defeat. "Good thing Dad is not here to see this. He would be way too happy I finally show an interest in the game."

"Oh, I think at the moment he's busy with something entirely else. Granted, I wanted my mother to finally move on, but I still have to see how they intend to make it work," Naru remarked from the side, where Umino, Haruka, Michiru and herself were near the conclusion of a game of Menko.

Akane had to agree to that. "Yes, Minato and Nerima are quite a distance apart and both of them have reason to stay, besides family. The Tendo property and the dojo can hardly be moved, and the same goes for your mother's jewelry store. Well, they will figure it out some way considering how well they are doing after testing the waters."

"And don't look at me," Ryo joked. "Despite my gift, I would make a poor relationship advisor."

"The times I met your mother, I could literally feel the love radiating from her," Minako remarked while starting to clean up the table and re-package the game.

"I wish I could have such relationship luck. Learning at an all-girls school does have its disadvantages..." Rei sighed, looking around a bit envious.

The only ones present who were not in some kind of relationship were - ironically - Minako, Hotaru due to her age, herself and - if it counted - Phobos and Deimos. She did not count Diana, since she was a little kid. Hell, Setsuna was not present because she was out on a date with Helios, these two having become a lot more steady. Minako didn't seem to be bothered by not being in a steady relationship yet, for the moment being content with all the male attention she got.

"Don't feel pressured to think this is some kind of competition," Deimos told her from her perch, trying to ignore her brother being busy with reading some trashy gossip rag. "After all, the others were not actively looking. It just happened. Give it time. Advice my dear brother could obviously not give you, considering his lifestyle."

Phobos looked up from what he was reading, and for a crow he did look quite annoyed. "Hey, don't pull me into that. I'm an advisor and a friend, not a love therapist. I gladly leave that to you females. I know whatever I say about the matter would be ignored anyway."

"You are an immortal fire spirit, yet you never act like it. Sometimes I wonder how you can be my brother," Deimos sighed, though it more sounded like a well-known routine.

"Because I do what I want." Phobos returned his attention to his magazine. "I don't let what I am dictate who I am. I see no particular need to act in a certain way just because of my nature."

They both don't, Rei thought to herself. Immortal beings they may be, but the number of sibling squabbles makes them very relatable and not at all what you would expect them to be.

"Thank all goodness that I don't have an advisor. I don't think my nerves could take it," Makoto commented, looking up from from the book she was reading.

"Oh, don't lump us together with them," Luna protested, then returned her attention to Diana.

The kitten had been born some time ago, but while normal kittens got independent really fast, it clearly was different for mooncats. While the gray kitten did have her eyes open and was fairly mobile, it was pretty obvious that her development would be much slower. She couldn't speak yet, but there were hints of her intelligence. After all, it wasn't like she would get all of her memories of her previous life right away. No, she would develop normally and only get those once she was old enough to deal with them properly. That was a huge relief for Usagi and Mamoru, since they thus would be spared a daughter who acted much older than her actual age.

Diana for her part didn't care and purred while Luna cleaned her.

"Ah, and you two are saints?" Makoto asked, remembering some of the things Luna and Artemis pulled.

"We never said we are, but things are different now." Artemis protested. "We are parents now, so we need to be role models for our daughter."

"You two, role models?" Minako asked while pouring herself some lemonade. "Though, I do miss you ever since you moved in with Luna."

"I realized that family comes first, so living in two different houses wouldn't do," Artemis explained.

"Oh yes. Having a child gives you a very different perspective," Luna added, still being astounded how many of her opinions had changed ever since becoming a mother.

"Perhaps you can take a job as mascots for the Neko-Hanten?" Xian-Pu joked, looking up from her own book. She then saw the looks Luna and Artemis were giving her. "Joking! We wouldn't need you anyway, the new staff that we have once the expansion is done will get enough attention."

"Well, it certainly will allow us to have more free time, once we no longer have to do all the work," Mu-Tsu added, enjoying the fact it would mean more time for his girlfriend.

"Oh, I will certainly come to appreciate it," Makoto said with a knowing look.

"I know you do, but we should wait until the right moment." Mu-Tsu would save the displays of affection for later, since he knew Makoto didn't like doing that in front of so many of her friends when not being in a life-or-death situation.

While the Neko-Hanten had survived the battle with moderate damage that was repaired quickly, business was going so well, that Khu-Lon had decided temporarily close it for remodeling and expansion by connecting it to the empty store next door by removing the dividing wall. However, the real attraction would be the new staff having wings.

After the entire battle and people showing magical skills, people with wings created much less waves. The city of Tokyo certainly was willing to house the Phoenix refugees, re-zoning a small incinerated park for residential use. While the housing blocks would be built with the general reconstruction, they would need to start earn money to pay for everything else. Khu-Lon had jumped at the idea and did hire a gender-mixed group, knowing that while winged people wouldn't create a huge stir anymore, it would still add a very exotic touch.

Xian-Pu rolled her eyes. "All is going well... -Sigh- Except for great-grandmother pestering me I should become more active on the romantic sector. But men that fulfill what I see as desirable and interesting are rather rare in such civilization. Well, Ranma would have been a perfect fit, but should I even think about it, Ami would skin me alive."

"Oh yes, and you better believe it! Any girl who dares to entertain the idea, friend or not, will get a painful reminder that I don't tolerate poaching!" Ami called from where she and Ranma were engaged in a battle of Go, which he was surprisingly good at.

Xian-Pu put down her book and held up her hands. "Do I look that insane?"

While Ami was a very nice girl, Xian-Pu knew by now that she could get very nasty - though only very seldomly in a violent way - with any girl that dared to ignore Ranma's warnings that he was in a stable relationship and tried her luck with him anyway. The most memorable incident had happened almost two months ago, when a girl from Ami's class, whose persistence and obnoxiousness made all previous transgressors pale, got the worst of Ami's wrath.

They had no idea what exactly had transpired, since none of them were in Ami's class and the other girls wouldn't tell, but whatever Ami had told the girl after gym class had caused her to flee from the locker room, only noticing halfway through the school that she was naked. Judging by the water trail and how wet she had been, the girl must have fled straight from the showers.

After that incident, no girl at school would try anymore.

Usagi meanwhile couldn't care less about the conversations of others, having her eyes closed while Mamoru brushed her undone hair. "Mhhh, you are really good at this, Mamoru," she sighed.

"Well, I did have enough time to get good at it. I know how much you like someone brushing your hair and you were quite patient," Mamoru said, again being fascinated at how long and voluminous Usagi's hair actually was when being released from how she normally wore it.

None of the other males present commented on it, as they didn't want to risk their girlfriends asking why they didn't get such a treatment as well. Also, no one commented on the fact that Usagi and Mamoru clearly had entered a new stage in their relationship. Though both of them said nothing, the way Usagi had walked a little awkwardly at some days did tell the story to those who knew the signs. They would stay respectfully silent, knowing how awkward things otherwise could become (partially from own experience).

"You know, I just had a thought... Without the bad guys, we would have never met and never become such good friends. Our lives would be quite different from what we have now," Usagi mused.

"Oh, not that I want to give our enemies praise, but there is something to that," Mamoru commented, liking how Usagi had grown up and become more insightful. "All of us would be worse off. Not that I wished the world to be in danger, but despite all the hardships we went through, it in the end improved our own lives."

"Well, I don't complain," Usagi said.

"By the way, when is your mother coming home with little Ichika?" Mamoru asked his girlfriend.

"In three days." Usagi then looked a little concerned. "I'm old enough to remember how Shingo was at that age. That will be quite a change for all of us."

Not having any siblings, Mamoru couldn't relate. "Well, at least your parents will be so preoccupied that they won't even notice how much time we spend together."

"Well, that's true... mmmhhh." Usagi almost purred when Mamoru started to put her hair back into her usual odango style.

"These two... Well, not that we are that much better," Ranma commented to Ami while planning his next move.

"Yes, we are certainly not in any position to throw the first stone," Ami agreed, looking at the board with uttermost concentration. "Though you take you sweet time to place your next stone."

That Ranma liked Go so much came a bit as a surprise. After all, Ranma had been turned off from Shogi due to his father treating it as serious business and Ami trying to introduce him to chess had been a failure, due to the battlefield tactics involved. Go on the other hand was a success, even though it was a battlefield game as well. At the moment Ami regretted it a bit when Ranma did his next move, putting her into the defensive.

"I can't believe you are trouncing me, even though it was me who introduced me to the game," Ami said in disbelief.

"Well, you shouldn't have told me to treat it like a martial art," Ranma said in good humor, although that was exactly how he'd become so good at the game.

"Yes, I know. Martial arts is serious business." It was clear Ami had witnessed that often enough. "Oh, something they said however, is true. Our lives will change as well. I don't know if I'm prepared when Mom comes home with Reo."

Now Ranma grimaced. "Don't get me wrong, I love Ranko and Kaito, but having two babies at home will be really stressful. Mom is happy, but I think these two will give her quite a number of gray hairs."

Meanwhile, the Menko game had concluded, with a surprising winner.

"You are quite the card shark, Umino. Is that one of your hidden talents?" Naru said in awe, not having expected her boyfriend to trounce them by such a margin.

"Eh, thanks, Naru. To be honest, I'm just very observant and thus get an advantage," Umino admitted while pushing has glasses back up his nose. "Once you notice certain patterns, it's easy to create a good strategy."

Naru was impressed. "I wouldn't be able to do that."

Umino looked flattered. "Guess it help that I'm so good at maths."

Haruka and Michiru watched the interaction between these two in amusement, before getting up.

"Well, young lady, we promised your father to get you home in time, so we should go. It shouldn't get too late for us as well. Haruka wants to check her dirtbike and I need to practice for the concert tomorrow," Michiru told Hotaru while picking up her purse.

"Ah, yes. I better make sure everything is in working condition. No way I want to fly over the handlebars like three weeks ago due to not checking if all parts work as intended." Haruka did remember her recent racing accident too well. She'd gotten the bruises to prove it and it only was wearing a helm that had prevented her from suffering a nasty concussion.

It seemed, Michiru remembered the accident as well. "Please don't take this lightly! You almost gave me a heart attack and it was only due to luck that you didn't land in the hospital. Sometimes I think you are in more danger on the racing circuit than when fighting monsters."

"Well, since this is how I make my income, I have to accept the risks," Haruka defended herself.

Hotaru rolled her eyes while following them outside. Even she could see that these two had went through the same argument several times and by now it more was a routine than anything else.

Outside, Grandpa Hino watched them leave. Interesting, how much things have changed. Rei is now happy with lots of friends and the shrine is more visited than ever.

With the new emergence of magic, the number of those seeking spiritual help and services had risen as well. After all, many were still scared by these new times. Others felt, if magic is real, what else could be real? It certainly had given him more steady business and even two additional disciplines, thus freeing Rei from the more mundane duties.

Speaking of which, he saw Yuichiro being a bit too enthusiastic again. While it was good the man was eager to do his part, he had not yet learned how to properly temper his enthusiasm. After all, this was a holy shrine, and not some kind of bazaar.

Well, they are not born perfect... he thought, walking over to the sales booth for some damage control.

...in the streets of Tokyo...

Walking through the streets, Ranma and Ami had long learned to blank out the omnipresent construction zones. Considering how many buildings had to be repaired or built entirely new, it was no wonder Tokyo would be a massive construction zone for the next years. Damage on such a scale was not repaired easily after all. Tokyo would be somewhat different once everything was done - though nothing like that crystal monstrosity in the future that would never be.

The get-together was over and they were on their way back from the shrine to the Saomtome house.

Walking by Ukyo's restaurant, they saw her already being busy with closing up, which was a bit strange, considering it wasn't even evening yet. "Ukyo, isn't it a bit early for closing?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, business is actually running too good. Even after all these months things are not back to normal and my suppliers still at times run out of stock. I can hardly work when I run out of ingredients," Ukyo told them while carefully removing the 'open' banner.

At first relations between Ukyo and them had been a little strained. After finally putting the pieces together, she had felt a bit hurt she'd been left in the dark. Oh, after a while she did understand why it had been kept secret - especially after Setsuna explained it to her in direct words - and promised to keep the secret. In the end it had helped, since now Ukyo could finally see them for who they really are.

"Oh, I can guess your customer base now consists less of salarymen and more of construction workers?" Ami asked. She also had found Ukyo to be quite friendly, now that there were no more secrets between them.

Ukyo couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder I'm out of ingredients, considering how much they eat; and I don't think that demand will change for the near future. Boy, without Konatsu taking over for me while I'm at school, my business would always miss the lunch rush."

"Well, I'm not that good..." said Konatsu said while walking outside, clearly having heard the exchange."

"You are selling yourself short. You're quite good, considering you are doing this for such a short time. The customers certainly appreciate you," Ukyo told him.

Konatsu looked embarrassed by the praise. "Please, that's too much praise for me. I know my cooking is basic and somewhat bland."

Ukyo rolled her eyes and sighed. "I guess you still have some way to go, before you can accept honest praise."

Ranma and Ami shared a knowing look. While things between these two had progressed significantly, they were still unable to admit the one thing everyone could see. However, watching how they interacted, it now was only a matter of time. In a way it was natural it took so long, since Ukyo had grown up detached from how girls normally learned to interpret male signals, and Konatsu living through a nightmare had done little to prepare him for a girl that actually cared and wanted him.

Saying goodbye to both of them, Ranma and Ami continued on their way to Ranma's house.

They walked in comfortable silence, until suddenly Ranma pulled Ami into a side alley.

"Ranma, whammmpf..." Ami's question was silenced with a kiss and Ranma gently pressed her against the wall, literally making full-body contact.

She quickly understood. Both of them had been very preoccupied with their changed family situation and had not reserved much time for each other recently and watching Ukyo and Konatsu dancing around their own relationship issue mnust have been the final straw. Ranma, being someone who spoke better with his actions instead of words, finally had to express his desire to be close to her.

She felt not forced at all, especially when knowing he would back off at the slightest sign of discomfort from her side. Instead, she embraced it. Being bonded was a wonderful thing for a relationship, since you knew what your partner needed, thus avoiding misunderstandings.

Holding Ranma close so their bodies rubbed against each other, she engaged with Ranma into a fierce tongue duel. Over their bond they felt their more animalistic sides asserting themselves. In the past Ami would have been horrified by such base behavior, but by now she had accepted that at times it was OK to just be a female who wanted to be with her chosen mate. She had even embraced it a little, as if to create a counterweight to her overly intellectual and logical nature.

And in moments like these it felt so right.

Ami could feel Ranma's gender changing several times, altering what was pressed against her. No way back then she would have thought she would come to enjoy a pair of feminine breasts being pressed against her own set. She knew Ranma was doing it on purpose, as he had long since perfected his control over the changes.

When their mouths finally parted, their tongues were hanging out and saliva strands connected them for a bit longer. Ranma now was a girl and looked quite happy. "Thanks, I really needed that... And I think, you needed that as well."

"Maybe it's a bit of cheating to have a boyfriend who can read my moods so well." Ami moaned a little when she felt their breasts rubbing against each other - she knew Ranma wouldn't go any further than that while they were outside. "Or should that be girlfriend?"

If anything Ranma looked a bit flattered. "I don't mind you calling me that while I actually am a girl..."

-beep- -beep- -beep-

Ranma rolled her eyes and separated from Ami. "Now of all times!"

They both hastily straightened their clothes before Ami fished the communicator out of her pocket. "Please tell me it's something important, because we were just doing something very important."

"And you think I didn't?" It was Setsuna who was at the other end. "I was enjoying a nice date with Helios when I was notified that one of my pre-set alarms at the gate has gone off."

Setsuna and Helios tried so hard to be role models when it came to relationships, though it was obvious these two often had no idea what they were doing. Granted, for two immortals dating for a few months was no time at all and thus they were taking their time. The girls were already discussing when these two would finally go the big step.

"Don't tell me something unexpected happened." Ranma was not keen on big trouble; not so soon after saving the world from doom. They had worked hard for it and they had no wish to see a new threat so soon.

"No, compared to our previous foes, this is small fry. You remember these two alien teenagers I told you of? I only got the story second hand as well, but it was enough to set up an alarm," Setsuna explained.

"Oh dear... them," Ami said while rolling her eyes.

Setsuna of course had told them the story how in the old timeline, two teenage aliens and their tree of power came to Tokyo - in a time when the Senshi were in utter obliviousness of their own powers. The whole thing with these two - she vaguely remembered them to be called Ail and Ann - had sounded somewhat stupid to them, especially how long these two got away with a cheap disguise act.

"The others are informing each other right now. So get powered up and meet me on the roof of the apartment block next to Azubu Juban station. Remember, these two are are not evil, just incredibly naive and short-sighted," Setsuna said, before ending the call.

"Guess this means back into the fray, even though this shouldn't take too long," Ranma sighed, watching Ami duck behind a big dumpster to transform. Sailor Mercury joined her moments later.

"Better don't jinx it. You know our luck," Mercury reminded her.

Ranma was not concerned about being seen with Mercury. After the whole invasion, magic becoming more common and fighters against the darkness around the world becoming public, her presence could be easily explained away. Together, they wall-jumped to the rooftops.

Ranma then nodded to Mercury. "Let's do this together."

"Together, as equals," Mercury agreed.

Together, Ranma and Mercury left to deal with the newest problem. They knew, their lives would never exactly be what others would see as normal, but they didn't care. They were together, they were happy and they couldn't care less what others were thinking about them.

Yes, life was good.

The End

Cast

The Heroes

Ranma Saotome - Martial Artist

Ami Mizuno - Sailor Mercury

Minako Aino - Sailor Venus

Usagi Tsukino - Sailor Moon

Rei Hino - Sailor Mars

Naru Osaka - Sailor Ceres

Makoto Kino - Sailor Jupiter

Hotaru Tomoe - Sailor Saturn

Haruka Tenoh - Sailor Uranus

Michiru Kaioh - Sailor Neptune

Setsuna Meiou - Sailor Pluto

Mamoru Chiba - Endymion

Akane Tendo - Martial Artist

Xian-Pu - Chinese Amazon

Mu-Tsu - Chinese Amazon

Family Members

Nodoka Saotome - Ranma's Mother

Genma Saotome - Rnma's Father

Isamu Nakamura - Ranma's Great-Grandfather

Ranko Saotome - Ranma's Baby Sister

Keito Saotome - Ranma's Baby Brother

Saeko Mizuno - Ami's Mother

Kaizo Mizuno - Ami's Father

Reo Mizuno - Ami's Baby Brother

Tatsuro Aino - Minako's Father

Hitome Aino - Minako's Mother

Ikuko Tsukino - Usagi's Mother

Kenji Tsukino - Usagi's Father

Shingo Tsukino - Usagi's Brother

Ichika Tsukino - Usagi's Baby Sister

Grandpa Hino - Rei's Grandfather

Takashi Hino - Rei's Father

Ayame Osaka - Naru's Mother

Souichi Tomoe - Hotaru's Father

Mr. Tenoh - Haruka's Father

Mrs. Tenoh - Haruka's Mother

Noboru Kaioh - Michiru's father

Midori Kaioh - Michiru's mother

Soun Tendo - Akane's Father

Kasumi Tendo - Akane's Oldest Sister

Nabiki Tendo - Akane's Older Sister

Khu-Lon - Xian-Pu's Great-Grandmother

Bu-Roash - Mu-Tsu's Sister

Lu-Foah - Mu-Tsu's Sister

Friends and Allies

Luna - Mooncat

Artemis - Mooncat

Diana - Mooncat Child

Phobos - Crow

Deimos - Crow

Umino Gurio - Naru's Boyfriend

Ryo Urawa - Akane's Boyfriend

Tofu Ono - Kasumi's Fiancé

Ukyo Kuonji - Teenage Chef

Ryu Takahashi - Martial Arttist

Chun-Li Takahashi - Martial Artist

Helios - Overseer of Elysion

The Dragon - Spiritual Guide

Motoki Furuhata - Friend of Mamoru

Unazuki Furuhata - Motoki's Sister

Reika - Motoki's Girlfriend

Konatsu - Ninja

Taki Renzaburou - Agent of the Black Guard

Makie - Agent of the Black Guard

Integra van Hellsing - Leader of Hellsing

Walter C. Dornez - Integra's Second in Command

Seras Victoria - Half-Vampire

Blanka - Martial Artist

Cammy - Martial Artist

The Dark Kingdom

Queen Metallia - The Great Master

Queen Beryl - Ruler of the Dark Kingdom

Jadeite - Dark General

Nephrite - Dark General

Zoisite - Dark General

Kunzite - Dark General

Tethys - Jadeite's Subordinate

Devilbot - Great Youma

Rocco - Great Youma

Bunbo - Great Youma

Binah - Great Youma

Techniclone - Great Youma

Catian - Great Youma

The DD-Girls - Youma Hit Squad

Danburite - Leader of the Dark Agency

Morga - Youma

Garoben - Youma

Delera - Youma

Xanth - Youma

Doloras - Youma

Libra - Youma

Black Widow - Youma

The Death Busters

Pharaoh 90 - The Great Pharaoh

Germatoid - The Pharaoh's Top Man

Mistress 9 - The Pharaoh's Enforcer

Kaolinite - Germatoid's Right Hand

Eudial - Witch of Science

Mimete - Witch of Psychology

Tellu - Witch of Plants

Viluy - Witch of Computers

Cyprine - Witch of Battle

Ptilol - Cyprine's Twin

Candelabra - Daimon

Jerks and Other Villains

Tatewaki Kuno - Samurai Wannabe

Neko - Cat Demon

Tsubasa Kurenai - Stalker

Duruganov - Demon

Crane Machine King - Arrogant Jerk

Mikado Sanzenin - Ice Skater

Azusa Shiratori - Ice Skater

Picolet Chardin II. - Arrogant Jerk

Pantyhose Taro - Beast-Man

Happosai - Cruel Old Master

Ryu Kumon - Imposter

Nehellenia - Queen of the Dead Moon

Dark Mercury - Body Invader

Prince Herb - Prince of the Musk

Mint - Musk Warrior

Lime - Musk Warrior

Hitomi Wakabayashi - School Bully

Mr. Shadow - Demon Radical

Kanako - Female Spider-Demon

Jin - Demon Radical

Koruma - Phoenix Warrior

Masala - Phoenix Warrior

Captain Kiima - Phoenix Captain of the Guard

Saffron - King of the Phoenix

Other People

Haruna Sakurada - School Teacher

Ryoga Hibiki - Martial Artist

Akari Unryu - Pig Farmer

Hirgure Akiyama - Teacher

Herbert - Hirgure's Fiancé

The Priest - A Priest

Yumemi Yumeno - Artist

Prince Endymion - Prince of Earth

Princess Serenity - Princess of the Moon

Queen Serenity - Queen of the Moon

Yuichiro Kumada - Shrine Hand

Asmosyus - Cursed Old Earth Kingdom Priest

Giuseppe Mayart - Ambassador of the Shadows

Fyra - Ambassador of Black World

Cheng Dwang - Guide to the Pools of Sorrow

Pu-Leong - Daughter of the Guide

The Chamberlain - Saffron's Chamberlain

Pu-Leong's Mother

The Major - Major of the PLA

Hatake - Leader of the Free Phoenix

Tomiici Murayama - Prime Minister of Japan

Souta Tamba - Black Guard Leader of Japan

Credits

Written by

Joachim Henkel - Tribun

Written with

Microsoft WordPad 5.1

Libre Office 5.2

PDF-Version created with

Libre Office 5.2 - Text, PDF

Corel Photopaint X5 - Picture conversion and manipulation

Creation Dates

May 2008 - January 2020

Writing pause from September 28th 2009 - May 23rd 2011

Ranma 1/2 created by

Rumiko Takahashi

Sailor Moon created by

Naoko Takeuchi

Notes:

Here are the notes.

It was a long, long ride, but that the story is finally complete is a huge accomplishment for me. As said above, I will create a PDF-version, but unlike Going another Way, this one won't have scene pictures (but will feature chapter title pictures). As said, those are on request.

As for future plans. While I do plan to write a small story that will show the events that took place in Nerima over the course of the story, my main new project will be "THE CHOSEN SIX", which is a Harry Potter story. If you are interested, put me into author alert, so that you are notified once I start publishing it.

Now for the final chapter notes.

I really wanted to give all of the characters a farewell and I hope I accomplished that.

Now, it already was shown in earlier chapters, but I really wanted to subvert the "Babies even after" trope. So instead of the girls giving birth - which would be absurd due to them still being teenagers - it's their mothers. The names of the babies are real names, which I researched by looking at popular baby names in Japan. The one exception is Ranko, since I simply couldn't resist...

I have not enough knowledge of the birthing process, so I tried to be as vague as possible. I also felt the reader doesn't need too many details on that.

Fun Fact: I wanted to have Ail and Ann in a chapter, but then dismissed them as uninteresting and instead went with Nehellenia. That they appear now, after the main battles are over, is a little joke on that decision of mine.