Chapter Two: Preparations, or the Birth of the STS

Titanite suppressed a giggle. Rhi had managed to look comic while being perfectly serious, no small feat. The songbirds twittered in the sky as Ti lay down in the crook of a branch. Yawn. Such a good time for a small nap. Suddenly she felt herself being shaken. "Wha . . .?"

"Ti-chan! Snap out of it" Rhi sounded exasperated "Honestly! You're getting as bad as Usagi"

"I am not!" Ti was indignant. "And what is wrong with having some

Usagi-like tendancies?" she added after some thought

"Nothing. I get them too." said Rhi, sheepishly "Usagi tendancies are just annoying when you're outlining grandiose plans."

"Apology accepted" growled Ti "Just repeat your plans."

"They're like this . . . " Rhi explained the plan of action quietly enough that only Ti could hear her.

After Rhi was done talking Titanite nodded. She ran home and Rhiannon went over to the Millennium Coffee Shop to do her part. Exerting a small location spell, she wound her way through the unfamiliar streets.

Finally, she reached the flux.

Rhi Looked at the cloaking spell. Becky had decided to mask her nether world as a bookstore. That was just what I would have done, she thought. Becky was somehow linked to Rhi, more than Ti was to Mark. Which was odd. They both were characters and authors. It was probably Sidhe and his weird sense of humor that caused this closer linking.

Rhi didn't know how she knew that she and Becky were inexplicably linked, she just did. The Senshi of Pluto's Moon was used to knowing things by instinct so she didn't ponder why she did often.

Stepping through the door, she thanked Selene, Jesus, The Star Eyed goddess of the Kaled'a'in people that she had read about, even Sidhe herself for the fact that Becky had constructed a time anomaly in the shop. That would make her part of the preparations much easier. Running up the steps at the back of the storefront, Rhi mentally reviewed her part in the plan. Even with the specialities of time in this place it would be difficult to pull off.

In the upstairs she saw a long hallway full of doors. Flying through it, she skimmed the labels. Work Room, Computer Lab, Meeting Room, Sitting Room, Library, Mark's Room, Sam's Room(?), Becky's Room, Rhi's Room. WHAT!?!?! She opened the door to that last room.

It was painted violet and had that particular flower embroidered on the curtains of its two windows. In a corner was a double bed with a brass head and foot rest. Covering it was a floral quilt and on the top of the bed was a pillow shaped like Garfield. Bookshelves surrounded the room and most of the wall space not blocked by these was covered by posters of the Beatles and various anime. "Arigato, Becky" she murmured. She didn't know how the author had reproduced her old room but that would make the task of finding somewhere to sleep easier.

Leaving the room, she went next door. The door opened to another staircase, this one blue carpeted. Rhi went up, dazed. At the top of the steps she found herself looking at a loft-like room that reminded her of her own room at her mom's farm. Lying on the bed was Becky, reading a book. Rhiannon thought the title said something like "Why Nephrite is a babe, a study by Eudialyte". Rhi couldn't help but laugh at that. The sound raised Becky from her book-trance. She glanced up and winked, gayly.

"Well, I can't be writing all the time," she protested at her character.

"I never said you had to." Rhi didn't mean to sound bitter but she did, to the suprise of both of them.

There was a silence.

"Are you angry at me, Rhiannon?"

"Why would I be angry at you? Sidhe's breath, you supposedly created me. It's just that . . . well, don't you ever take anything seriously? I keep coming across more and more bagatelles and it's making me wonder if you're just toying with me."

"Oh." A long pause. "Just like Major Knagg in 'Sophie's World.'"

"Not as bad as he was, but yeah. I think playing god is going to your head. I don't even know if this feeling of deja vu was created by you or is happening naturally. If there's any difference."

"Naturally, I think. We had this conversation already but it wasn't quite right so we're doing it again."

"I don't remember talking to you about this."

"I guess the best explaination is that we've been edited or revised. I remember what we said before but thinking about things like that gives me a headache. Now I'll have to make sure I get it right the first time so this doesn't happen again."

Another silence. Author and character stared at each other. Becky made the first move. "Look, I sorry if I was pulling fancy tricks and playing you as the fool. I promise to try not to do it again. I know this is an excuse, but I'm a fool, so I play others as the fool. We're Jokers, we authors. You might be a bit of a Joker too."

"Throw more Gaarder back in my face? I suppose it's natural. My mind is going round and round. I feel like a small planet spinning giddily . . ."

" . . . 'round a burning sun. I am that sun, that spirit."

"But to whom does the spirit turn to?"

"Don't you remember your Gaarder? An angel. You may meet him yet."

Becky looked out the window into the void, "An angel with the wings of a moth," she whispered.

"I always did hate Berkeley." Rhiannon sighed, remembering the chapter they had quoted from.

"So did I. You certainly don't exist just in the mind of God, or, in this case, me. Plato was more correct, with his world of ideas."

"At least, you think he is."

"Yes, I think he is." Becky glanced at the clock beside the bed.

"We should go and get ready for when they come. Maybe go get Mark since we'll be entertaining his characters."

"Where is he, anyway?" Rhiannon asked

"He's on the set for one of his stories." replied Becky "I think it was 'My Dinner with Ferrite'."

"Azzie's in that one, right?"

"Yep. I wish he would write Margrave's soon. Even though she locked him in the closet, she's still an important youma. I can't wait till Frank writes up his story about her. Or did he already?" [Note: Brilliant plan, the closet trick was. I take my hat off to the most beloved (and smartest) of youma.]

"Me too! I can't wait to meet her. Ti's gonna try to bring her this afternoon." The two exited the room and came to the long hall towards a door that read "STUDIOS".

On the other side of the door a shoot was on so they kept quiet. Suddenly there was a loud shriek coming from the simulated kitchen on the Renegades Haven set. Transforming and taking out her Worldsgate Staff (a silver and opal key-shaped thing that resembles the Time Staff), Rhiannon yelled a long trilling and hissing phrase and charged onto the set, staff pointed at the direction of the scream. She started swinging it around, knocking down the door to the kitchen and ruining some of the silverware. She stopped short, in the kitchen and looked blank. No one was hurt.

"NOOOOOOOOOO" screamed Mark "You ruined my scene."

"What about that scream?" asked Rhi (or perhaps Sailor Charon, since she had transformed). "It sounded like someone was dying."

"That was the Ktar beetle." Mark replied, exasperated.

"Ooops," whimpered Rhi.

Mark sighed, and asked Vena and Felinus to set the stage up for a reshoot. "Can you come down when you're done with the shoot?" asked Becky.

"It would be helpful if you were there with your characters."

"I'll try" said Mark "It would of been easier if SHE hadn't wrecked my shot."

"Give the kid a break." pleaded Becky "It was only a mistake. You have bigger troubles than one measly shot wrecked. Or has Arkenfael suddenly disappeared?"

"Ha ha" grimaced Mark "Just go away. I need to redo that shot. I'll meet you at the store later."

Having inadvertently wrecked Mark's scene Rhi was turning to leave when she spotted a familiar face among the backstage crew.

"Ti? What are you doing here?"

The youma looked up from her script and answered, "Just going over my lines for my entrance. Uh ... am I supposed to know you?"

"Say what?"

"Could you stop gawking and get off my set! Becky, you said the kid was cool with being fictional?"

"Hmph" Rhi muttered indignantly "Kid, indeed. I have children older than him. I have grandchildren!"

"She is" insisted Becky "I just didn't tell her about this part. Rhi this isn't the Ti you know. This is Titanite the character not Titanite the person."

That was clear as mud. "Huh?"

Mark took a try. "This is backstage for the SME world. It's where we do the dry runs for what's going to happen over there. We work out the bugs and the final version becomes their (and your) reality. Here is where we, the gods of SME, create history. It's an awesome task, to hold the fate of a universe in your hands! But we have a duty ... nay a responsibility to shape destiny itself and ........"

"MARK!"

"What, Becky?"

"You're getting pretentious again!"

"I am?"

She nodded, "You asked me to let you know." She added sotto voce "He's been listening to Helios too much."

"So I did. Anyway Ti, I'm going to have to redo this scene soon as the set's back to normal so we won't get your scenes done today. Better go see Andy in the meantime, I think he's doing some post production work on CR so he might need you. Which reminds me, you need to be adult for both that and this story!"

Ti shrugged, "Yeah, but you originally created me as a teenager so I'm more comfortable like this when I'm not working." With that she morphed becoming taller and a lot better built. "On the other hand this way I get to play love scenes with Topass." She looked back to Rhi. "Nice meeting you but I've gotta go. I imagine we'll be working together sometime."

"Uhh, we already are ... sort of. Bye."

Titanite left and Rhi walked over to Becky. "This is very weird."

"Believe me you haven't seen anything yet!"

Meanwhile, at the residence of Titanite, Margrave, and Calcite, all the Renegades (plus Margrave) had gathered around Ti and a dummy that looked remarkably like Bogart. "I, Titanite, Journeyer of Bogus Journeys, the Senshi of Polaris, have an announcement to make." Ti said in a rather lugubrious manner.

Calcite looked pained. When had the his sister become such a ham?

"Please get on with it" he muttered.

"Hmph" Ti said, indignantly "This is important. Margrave, if you will time me?"

"Sure" grunted the cat-woman. What WAS Ti up to? She caught the stopwatch the Ti threw at her.

"Now watch" Ti formed a Megamallet in her hands. She brought it over her head and smashed it onto the dummy's own. "MAGNESITE NO BAKA!!!"

Ti concentrated and solidified her hammer. She placed it on top of the pseudo-Magnesite and faced her audience. Clearing her throat, she started to talk.

"I had thought long and hard about how I could form a permanent piece of psychoplasm and win back my anime. Then I remembered that the easiest things that I formed on my Bogus Journey were Megamallets. After shaping one I would need to solidify it. I practised a few times and after it lasted for about a little more than an hour I came to show you."

All the other youma clapped. Ti waved them down. "I still have one more problem."

"And that is . . ." asked her brother.

"The only things I CAN form are Megamallets."

Everyone facefaulted. It was especially interesting to watch

Margrave with that expression.

[Note: Possibly the most interesting sight one can see is a cat-woman facefaulting. It is the sheer weirdness of the factors of facial features and expression added together that makes the experience joyous. Just think about it and you'll see the humor. I'm not kidding, I've visualised it. But I digress. (At least I'm not the Immortal S. Morganstern; he adds a little more tangents than me. But I digress gain)]

After everyone's facial expression has reverted to normal, Ti disappeared into the kitchen and brought out the world's most perfect food, to her mind. (Dark Kingdom cuisine excluded) Margrave's eyes started to gleam, which mirrored the gleam in Titanite's.

Cal sighed. Why did his sister and lover have to worship a mere confection? What was the lure of this chocolate? Calcite had long ago grouped chocolate, along with TV and most other human mass media, as a secret plan to subvert all youma. The TV especially make a good agent for brainwashing. Why else would Titanite and Pyrite bow down to fictional personas? Of course when he tried to tell them of this they looked at him oddly. Then Azure would go back to her fashion magazines, Pyr to his Trek, Ti to her anime, and 'Grave to her Weird Al Yankovic albums. Not that Cal had anything against Weird Al, but it got annoying when the stuff was blasting out twenty-four hours a day.

"Half hour and counting" boomed out Margrave. She smiled inwardly. She really liked Ti, un-youmalike as it was, and wanted her to get the anime back. Margrave munched on the king sized Hershey bar Ti had brought out, while she watched the Megamallet. Great stuff, this chocolate. One of the few good things humans had ever done was inventing it. Like Ti, Margrave couldn't get enough of the fudgey flavor. The only other thing humans had done, that she could think of, that compared with the invention of chocolate was Weird Al and his music. Margrave's usual opinion of human music was that it was sappy romantic drivel but there were a few songs she liked. Mainly "I'm Alive" by Jackson Brown, "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel, and the Weird Al songs especially "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Yoda."

Weird Al's stuff was the closest humans got to Shaizaarian poetry, which was why she worshipped him. In fact, if she didn't know better, she would have bet that Weird Al was the reincarnation of the greatest of all poets, J'ankhovyk the Insane, creater of the Hawiian shirt and self proclaimed guy-with-the-weirdest-hair in Kel Karthenax. As a kitten Margrave had idolised the great one and considered the loss of his poetry one of the worst effects of the Kingdom's fall.

Which was why she needed more Al to keep her from depression. Margrave decided to steal something from Azzie's purse and go out to get "Greatest Hits Vol. Two" later tonight. "MWHAHAHAHA." Damn! She hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Margrave sorry." she said in her cat-girl cute fashion. She glanced at the stopwatch. "Forty minutes and counting."

To avoid the tedium, Azurite was reading her favorite fashion magazine. She was startled at Margrave's evil sounding laugh. She bet the catwoman was plotting something. (Azzie had experienced a rough day at her shoot) At least they didn't live under the same roof anymore. There was no chance of having mayo replacing one's coconut suntan lotion. Or straps of one's bikini tops whittled away so adeptly that the damage wasn't noticeable until it fell down. The ecchi otakus had loved that. It was rumored that pictures of her in that particular state were floating around the 'Net. Azurite just knew who was responsible for that fiasco. Soon, very soon, revenge would be hers. She just had to think up something fitting.

"Fifty minutes and counting" heard Pyrite. He glanced up from what he was working on for a second and saw Margrave indulging herself with coco flavored confection. He smiled. Margrave was a good conversant on certain subjects, even if she did root for the Klingons. It was too bad that Azure and her had that little war on. Pyrite focussed back on his project. The prototype greatly resembled those little Star Trek pins. He hoped that he would have new and improved communicators soon. Within a few seconds he was a technology induced haze, in which the only thing he could think of was the project. What finally broke him out of the trance was Titanite's loud shrieking.

"YES!!!!!!!!!" Ti started dancing around, punching her fists in the air. She did a victory dance around the dummy. Than collapsed, tiredly.

"Sixty minutes and all is well" Margrave repeated over and over again while running around the room, pausing once and a while to do some chorus line kicks. One might have noticed that an empty five pound Whitman's Sampler lying on her vacant chair. She finally stopped running amuck when Azurite took the hammer and hit her over the head. "What Azzie do that for?"

"DON'T CALL ME AZZIE!!!!!!" screamed the blue haired Renegade. The air around her started whirling, a sure sign that she was getting mad. In her hyperactive condition, Margrave wasn't so impresses.

"Azzie dumb! Margrave not know why Pyrite stick with her." taunted the cat-woman as she smiled seductively "Maybe Pyrite want to have fun with Margrave? At least Margrave watches Star Trek show, unlike dumb Azzie."

"Why don't you ever watch Star Trek with me?" Pyrite asked his lover "I know that you'd like it."

Azurite sighed and banged her head on the coffee table. That minx had done it again! Why her? Why always her? What demon, besides the late Metallia, held Margrave in such esteem? And now her head hurt from banging it. She racked her brain for a suitable revenge. Maybe she could try dumping cheese fondue on Margrave next time Margrave, Cal, and Ti ate at their place.

While she was deliberating Pyrite was outlining all the reasons why Azurite would love Star Trek. Did he prepare these things? Margrave hung on his every word and occasionally made cutting comments against Azurite, all in that Metallia-damned cute speech she had picked up in the Ranmaverse.

The phone rang and Titanite picked it up, seemingly revived. Calcite payed attention to Ti's conversation, sure that it was better than listening to the chaos caused by Margrave and Azurite.

"Hello?" pause "Rhi-chan!" pause "I just got them back." pause "Not really, we're just having a family gathering." pause "I'll ask Cal." Ti looked his way. "I have a friend that wants to know if I can come over. She says that she wouldn't mind meeting you and the others. We could go as soon as things calmed down."

Calcite nodded "Sure. We all can go."

Ti turned back to the phone and said "I'll bring them over as soon as I can" She hung up and turned to her brother. "Help me sedate these three."

Calcite nodded, sighed, and entered into the fray with his sister.

Having found Mark and finished all remaining preparations, Rhi sat by the window, waiting for Ti. Behind her Becky was ironing her school uniform. "You really don't have to do that." Rhi insisted.

"I want to" replied her author "I know you think that you maybe owe me but you don't. When I write about you I get to experience what you do. I really owe you. Besides, this story is mainly farcial at this point and I should make it up to you."

"Uh . . . thanks" said Rhiannon, blushing, then, after she looked out of the window, she added "Quick! They're coming." Rhi looked back out the window and saw what looked, to the person who didn't have True Sight (i.e. Pyrite) or knew a spell for it (i.e. Rhiannon), like a group of gaijin. One of the two males seemed to have shoulder length blonde hair and the other had black. The first of the two older females had white-blonde hair and the second had red. At the front of the group was Ti, in her human glamour. Rhi put on her glamour so she would look like she would if she hadn't been bleached by magic. It was a close call. A second after everything was put in place the DKR entered. First Titanite entered, then Calcite, Margrave, Pyrite, and lastly Azurite.

Down the stairs flew Mark, head feeling like someone had planted a large megamallet there. He had had a hard time getting off the set in time. He wished that Rhiannon hadn't accidentally ruined his shot. He had forgiven her by now but he vowed never to let her on the set when he was filming again. Of course, not being a Dark Kingdom gourmet, she couldn't have known that the screams of agony were from the Ktar beetle and not the cook, but it still had been a nuisance to do that shot over again. Panting he rushed into place next to Becky.

Pyrite blinked twice. His eyesight was acting up again. He would see his fellow youma with their glamour on, like they would appear to humans, and then he would see their normal appearance. Now even Ti's friend was blinking in and out. Her hair and eyes kept going silver for a second or two.

"Okay, Rhi" Titanite was saying "These are my relations and housemates. My cousin, Piram Troy, is the one with black hair. The blonde is Calvin, my brother. The redhead is Pyr's girlfriend, Azure DeWitt and the bleach blonde is Catherine Margrave, Cal's girlfriend."

"Hey, weren't you in the Sailor Arcturus Movie" the younger girl said to Azurite "You were that villain dudette, weren't you. You look more like the Sailor Arcturus type, though, close up." Azurite was nonplussed at that statement.

"Guys, this is my friend, Rhiannon McIntyre," Ti continued "and her cousin, Rebecca Malsin owns this establishment." The other girl bowed and picked up the thread of conversation.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Becky said "That is my associate, Mark Latus." She gestured to that man. "Basically he, I, and quite a few others run the shop and Rhi helps out once and a while."

"You're a little young." Azurite comented.

"Not really. Ever seen Ranma? Ukuyo's around my age and she runs

U-chan's all by herself."

Great, Azurite thought, another otaku.

"How did my sister meet your cousin?" asked Calcite.

"It happened like this . . . " Becky began.

[Roll dream sequence]

The young girl was sitting by the window in the store front, doodling. She had recently gotten home from school and was still in her uniform. It had a sailor-like brown collar, a white blouse that laced up, and a long skirt the color of the collar. She chewed on her pencil for a second, thinking.

The little bell rang as a customer came into the store. She was a about the same age as the girl by the window and wore the same uniform. Being a friendly sort of girl she asked the other teenager if she could sit by her. The other nodded and smiled.

The girl that had just came in looked at the paper and smiled. On it was the word "Senshi Tracking Society" in fancy calligraphy. There was a scroll-like border around the word and super-deformed Senshi were in poses around the border.

"Is there really a Senshi Tracking Society?" the second girl said.

"You're looking at her" nodded the first. "I haven't found another member yet. Funny how everyone is obsessed about the Senshi but nobody wants to find out who they really are."

"That is beneficiary to them" pointed out the second girl "If somebody found out who they really were they might tell the press and then they wouldn't have a moment's peace."

"I wouldn't tell the press" the first girl sounded horrified "I just think that somebody should be able to contact them in case they're needed and don't find out. By the way, do you know any one who would like to join?"

"I wouldn't mind joining" confessed the second girl, blushing "I've been saving newspaper clips of the Senshi for the last two years."

"Really? What's you're favorite Senshi?" the other girl seemed to be testing her.

"Sailor Polaris" the second girl answered unhesitatingly.

"I like her too" said the first "My name's Rhiannon McIntyre." The second girl stuck out her hand. "Titania Hobbes" It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

[End dream sequence]

Heh. That was fun, Becky thought. Too bad it never quite happened that way.

"Very interesting" said Calcite "Tell me, have you tracked down any Senshi?"

"Only the Inners" replied Becky, as Rhiannon and Titanite were deep in conversation "Your sister has been a great help to us. From what I hear she used to go to school with our candidate for Sailor Venus."

"Titania was at Minahato Junior High then, but she has since transferred to Bunkyo Junior High School." Calcite said, trying to avoid answering.

Suddenly there were loud violent noises coming from the kitchen.

Calcite looked startled. "What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, that was just our cook, Sam Ashley. He's the best." said Becky as she opened the kitchen door to reveal a twenty-something man with a brown moustache and beard. He was dressed in the usual chef-type clothes and seemed to be wacking a cake-like object with a mallet, rather like the one Ti had made that morning. Seeing the alarmed look on the faces of Titanite's relations she added "Don't worry, Sam just believes in socially acceptably abuse of food. He believes in the non-socially acceptably food abuse too."

"MWHAHAHAHAHA!!" laughed the man as he pulled a spatula the size of Ukuyo's, only it was the kind used to frost cakes, out of his pocket with a SHRRIP. He slid the spatula under the cake and lifted it into the air and out into the storefront. He slid it onto a platter where they all could see that, by the pounding, it had been sculpted into the shape of a chicken. Sam saluted and held his spatula at attention while he uttered. "'To truly appreciate one's meal one must first beat the food into submission.' I, W. Sam Ashley have prepared a traditional Thunder Burger, shaped as the great Claudia, hatcher of the egg."

Everyone in the room with the exception of Becky, Mark, Margrave, Rhiannon, Titanite, and Sam himself facefaulted. Becky broke the stunned silence by saying, "Thank you Sam-kun. Why don't we get our guests something to drink."

"I take my coffee black" said Calcite. He was still a little bit suspicious of this place but he was getting more and more sure that these people were just eccentric, not dangerous. He even rather liked that Mark Something guy.

"Cappuccino, please" said Azurite. She still was wondering why Ti's friend said that she would of made a better Sailor Arcturus. It wasn't as if she could know that she really was Arcturus.

"I'll have that too" said Pyrite who didn't know mocha from expresso but figured that what ever Azure liked was okay with him.

"What's this tiramisu?" asked Margrave who was studying the chalkboard on the wall.

"An extremely decadent and disgusting desert that I'm rather good at making" replied Sam "It's made of marscapone, zabaglione, chocolate, whipped cream, and ladyfingers all soaked in expresso and Kahlua."

"Sounds great" said Margrave "Lay it on me."

"And the girls?" asked Sam.

"Apple cider, please" piped up Rhiannon's voice "For both of us."

Sam departed into the kitchen and a second later Becky and Mark followed him. "Nice people." said Pyrite "A little odd, but nice." The pot had just called a trio of kettles black.

"Hey big bro" called Titanite from her seat by the window. She and Rhi had decided to sit apart from the adults. They hadn't even left the spot when Becky brought in the Thunder Burger.

"Yes Ti" replied her sibling.

"We were wondering . . . " Ti seemed to hesitate then let it out all at once "CanIsleepoverhereplease?"

"Um . . . "

"Let her" whispered Azurite. Pyrite and Margrave nodded.

"Okay"

"YESSSS!!!" screamed Ti and Rhi. Then they formed a conga line and wound through the store. When they passed the counter Margrave grabbed Rhi's waist and joined in. This caused the rest of the youma to facefault and sweat drop. And that was the surreal scene that the three SME authors saw when they returned to the store front.

In one of the multitudes of Mooniverses, one very close to where our heroines were, a group of girls were huddled in the dark. The only light at all around them was a hearth in the middle of the room that had an enormous flame. Their host would have screamed at them if she knew where they were. After all, one doesn't use the chamber of the sacred flame for something as silly as a meeting place. It was almost as bad as using it to roast marshmallows.

"So" said a voice "does anyone have any idea where she's been going lately?"

"Nothing" said a second voice. "I've checked through all her stuff in our room. No clues at all."

"I've tried to talk to her" said a third "Nothing as bold as asking, but I've been hinting. She's like a clam."

"And Setsuna won't tell me anything" complained a fourth voice "She just tells me that if I needed to know then I'd be told"

"I tried asking her myself but she just brushed me off. She's been rather wary of me lately." said the first voice.

"I have something" said the fifth and last voice "I've been following her. She's been disappearing into this place downtown for hours. I'm gonna check it out tonight."

"Commendable work" said the first voice "At least someone is getting something done."

"Thank you" said the fifth voice "Well, sayonara. I need to make good time"

The girl sneaked out of the temple and followed the route she remembered from her spying. Tracing her way through the streets of Tokyo, she felt a bit chill. Why hadn't she put on a coat? Oh well, at least she wasn't wearing that fuku.

Ah, there it was. Pushing in the door, the girl entered the storefront. Her friend wasn't here. "Shimatta" she swore.

"Hallo" There was a voice behind her. The small girl turned around. It was only a girl about her own age. "Are you looking for your friend?" the girl said. The other one nodded. "She's here. I suggest you pack enough clothes for a few days and hurry back here quick. She'll be leaving tonight." The other nodded and hurried out.

Becky -No I, damnit! Why should I use third person for myself?-smiled. Wait, I kinda liked how it was before, in third person. Anyway, didn't Frank mention once that third person is more classier? So, though you may think me mercurial now, back to third person. We now return you to your regularly scheduled narration.

Ah, that was better. Becky sighed. If she had thought she was going over her head the first time she had done this, what now? Her head hurt more and more as time went on and her memory was getting spotty. Maybe she should go and check on the girls

They were watching Ranma. It seemed that they'd just finished the first movie. Rhiannon was singing along to the ending song "Don't you know, know, know, it's love."

"Hi Becky-chan" Titanite said "We're just gonna watch Rhi's tape of 'One Grew Over the Kuno's Nest,' you know, the third Ranma movie, and then we'll leave for the Ranmaverse. Okay?"

Yeah. Okay. Whatever. The kids were okay, had always been okay, and there had been nothing for her to worry about. But still, she did. A bit depressed, she left the room and headed down the stairs. The girls started to sing along with the TV. It was DoCo's "Boku-tachi wa Kore Kara."

"Yume de dakishimeta nara
(nee kamari konde)
Kao go mirenaku naru ne
(dou shita no)
Ienai kotoba zawa meku mune
Mujaki ni kimi wa nozoki komo kedo"

She had manipulated her characters like puppets. Oh, Rhiannon hadn't said exactly that but that was what she had done. No better than Major Knagg. Worse, she should know better. Her thoughts raced round in a never ending descending spiral.

"Kawa beri o fuku kaze ga
(mou kaeranakucha)
Sayonara o isokasu kara
(shikarareru)
Kimi no egao ya karuishi gusa
Hitotsu hitotsu ni toi kakete iru"

If her life was so messed up how could she think of messing with other people's lives? Look at her, laughing stock of Harrell's journalism. They treated her like a little kid. Okay, maybe she did act imaturely but that was what they expected of her. No buts, girl, and no excuses. Even if they do you should prove them wrong. It's weakness if you don't.

"Futari wa mada tomodachi da ne
Suki to itta sore dake da ne
Nani o sureba ii no kore kara
Donna koto hanaseba ii
Boku wa . . ."

Someone was behind her. Becky turned. "Sam-kun. I didn't know you were still around."

"I was finishing the dishes from supper and I noticed you were out staring into space." He shrugged.

"I should of helped you."

"No. Really. It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

"Migibata de katta kedo
(nee akai ishi no)
Yubiwa nara engeeji
(niau desho)
Kimi ga ne datta yakusoku da yo
Sonna kimochi ga nasakenai kedo"

"Becky-chan, you looked worried or depressed or both. You can at least tell me what it is."

"Lots of things. I wouldn't know where to begin." She thought for second, "Well, maybe I do. I've been wrestling with the ethnics of authorship. Aren't we really just manipulating them? I mean, we pull all the strings and our interventions can and do make life hell for them, all in the interest of a good story."

"Kimi wa ima mo toma totteru
Mada honki no koi ja nakute
Boku o kirai ja nai dake da ne
Ai sarete ureshii dake
Kimi wa . . ."

"I wish I could give you an answer but I don't really know either."

"That's all right. I don't think ethics have easy answers, anyway. It's just that the subjects been a weight on my mind."

"Maybe together we could lighten it . . ."

"Tsunagu te no hira de nukumori to

Kusuri yubi no yubiwa o sagasu"

"Sam . . ."

"Yes?"

"Hold my hand."

He held it.

"Futari wa mada tomodachi da ne
Suki to itta sore dake da ne
Donna fuu ni soshite kawaru no
Kono mama ja irenai kara
Futari . . ."

The two stood together, hand in hand, neither daring to speak first. Not really wanting to, content to stand together in the stillness while above their heads two otaku cavorted. For the two authors, it was enough to stand together, facing the world. They were like that when the two girls crept downstairs.

"We're ready" Titanite said and then transformed. Rhiannon followed and took out her giant silver key. She opened the door and then started to trace it with the key. She whispered something and the stuck the key into the center of the door frame. There was a sound of rushing wind and the doorway started to glow. They passed through the door, first Titanite, then Rhiannon.

Outside a whole different universe away . . .

Corrina "The Wart" Hoffman was running at top speed. She would have been here earlier if Chad, that guy who's real name she couldn't pronounce, hadn't caught her and made her listen to one of his songs. "Shimatta his mama" she groaned, as had been her custom for the last few months. There it was! The coffee shop! The doorway glowed but she didn't notice. Diving through it, she entered right before the portal shut down . . .

All was still in the night. The only people still awake were Sam and Becky. Then Becky shut the door and the two walked upstairs together. Which is as good of a note to end this chapter with as any. Rhi and Ti, however, had a few adventures waiting for them on the otherside. But that's another chapter.

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Next Chapter: Return to Nerima

Basic chaos as you would expect in a Ranma crossover. Ranma still has his grudge with Ti but he doesn't mind her friend. But why is Rhi so hungry for pizza and pancakes? A certain otaku tries to get Ranma to admit that Akane's cute. Kuno falls in love with the "Green Haired Girl" and his new friend is a bit obsessed with Rhi. Lots of silly fun!