The Legend of Ranma Rumiko Takahashi started the ball rolling and I'm just helping it along. < >: Thoughts [" "]: Telepathic communication Chapter 5 Enter the Devil Hunters The Senshi of Time shook her head as she peered into the Time Gate. Things were no longer in the order that she had envisioned for the utopia of Crystal Tokyo. With the appearance of two parts of the TriForce, the timestream had become erratic and was now diverging into countless alternate outcomes. The so-called paradise of the new Moon Kingdom was no longer the dominant timeline. As she viewed various alternate possibilities, she saw the Hyrule Knight as he rescued many innocents from death, many of which were destined to die, in order for Crystal Tokyo to become a reality. She was became edgy as she saw in some timelines that this stranger had married one of the Senshi and even Queen Serenity herself. She was especially edgy when she saw future versions of herself with this man. Though she was thankful that the Inner and Outer Senshi had survived their encounter with the resurrected Beryl and her minions, the Hyrule Knight and Saffron represented too much chaos. Every time they clashed, the possibility of making Crystal Tokyo a reality became even more unlikely. Though she really did not want to end an innocent's life, the future of Crystal Tokyo was at stake. All of this chaos had started with the arrival of these two, and they would have to be removed… by any means necessary. Since the timestream had become so diverse, she could no longer ask her future selves for aid. Going into the past to change it was a definite no-no, so Setsuna saw only one other option. She had already informed Haruka, Micheru and Hotaru about it. Sailor Saturn had to be filled in on what had happened since she had been away on vacation at the time. Now the Senshi of Time would have to get in touch with the Inner Senshi. The tiny globe of light that was floating in a deserted alley suddenly increased in its brilliance and then flared like a miniature flashbulb. When it faded away, a tired superhero and his equally exhausted fairy partner appeared. The tall figure slumped to his knees and was breathing heavily. "Oh man! I am wiped out!" "I'm tired too Hyrule Knight. That battle took a lot out of both of us." Navi commented as she floated down to his side. Ranma nodded as he looked down at his right hand. The TriForce of Courage was still glowing a bit and he wondered why he hadn't changed back yet. Navi sensed his puzzlement and responded. "You have to will the transformation Ranma. Say the words, 'Transformation Reverse' and you'll return to your normal form." Ranma did so and he was instantly bathed in light. A moment later, he found himself in his human-looking body. After looking around to make certain that no one witnessed the change, he started to plod back to the Tendo dojo. As Ranma made his way back to the place he was staying, the rest of Japan was in an uproar over the appearance of its newest costumed adventurer. Television and radio stations were giving their reports on the sudden arrival of the Hyrule Knight and there was wild speculation as to who or what he is. All over Tokyo and the surrounding areas, certain parties became very interested after viewing the broadcast. A certain laboratory inside a broom closet at the Masaki residence... A crab-haired, mad scientist was replaying the visuals that she had recorded from the news broadcast she had seen on television earlier. She was both intrigued and frustrated. Intrigued because she had seen something truly extraordinary. Frustrated because the cameras of Earth were so primitive! They didn't give her anywhere near the data that she wanted on this unexplained phenomenon. She didn't even have a decent energy reading on whatever the Hyrule Knight had used to defeat the giant youma. Washu cackled with delight as she went to investigate the readings even further. The temple home of Keiichi Morisato... A gentle goddess, First Class, First Category, Unlimited, stopped in her preparations for the evening meal as her divine senses went off. As a matter of fact, Belldandy's sisters had also been alerted to the power of the TriForce of Courage after the giant Headmaster had been destroyed. Urd had been hard at work, creating a new love potion in her room. She smirked as her distilling equipment was dripping out the first few drops into a small beaker. Belldandy's older sister withdrew a small vial from the front of her blouse and began to carefully add it to the beaker. Just as she had added the third drop, her divine senses went off as she felt the shockwave of the TriForce of Courage. As a result, her hand twitched and the beaker received one drop too many. "Oh no!" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! In another room, Skuld was putting the finishing touches on the new sensor array that she had installed on her robotic companion Banpei. As if to prove the techno-goddess correct, the little robot began to give off beeps and whistles as its new sensor array picked up the surge of ancient magic. Its innards began to smoke as the huge power it was detecting began to overload all of its systems. "What the...?!" Banpei gave out a pathetic whine and before the top of its head exploded. The little creation began giving off a small column of smoke and sparks were emitted from where it blew its top. Finally, after letting off a squeak its systems went dark. The Mano residence... "Yohko! Get a load of this!" Azusa shouted as she pointed to the television set. "What is it?" Devil Hunter Yohko Mano went over to where her friend and Devil Hunter trainee was sitting and looked at what the news was broadcasting. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at the figure being displayed. "WHO IS THAT?" "It's some new superhero that just showed up today! Look at him go! He's tearing up those youma as if they were made of paper!" "Cool! I like the way he's handling that sword!" "What do you think Yohko? Do you think he's another Devil Hunter?" "I'm not sure... but, he looks like he could be a Devil Hunter. He's pretty cute too!" Yohko continued to watch the broadcast and was fascinated by the fighter who called himself the Hyrule Knight. By the time Ranma made it back to the Tendo home, it was already close to eleven o'clock. As he stumbled into the house, Kasumi greeted him. "Why hello Link. You're home late. I'm afraid that you missed dinner." "Hi Kasumi. Sorry about that. I had some pressing... business that I had to attend to." "That's all right Link. I saved some dinner for you." "Thanks Kasumi. I really appreciate that." The next morning, Ranma and Navi awoke early and were out in the back yard. Ranma was going through some basic katas while his fairy companion was sitting on one of the ornamental rocks that lined the koi pond. Both had regained their full strength and power over the night and were now mentally discussing the events of the previous day. Soun was sitting in the dining area and was reading the morning paper. On the front page was the headline: JAPAN'S NEWEST SUPERHERO: THE HYRULE KNIGHT! While going through the basic movements, the former hero of Hyrule had a telepathic conversation with his pixie partner. ["So tell me more about those Sailor Senshi, Navi."] ["Well Ranma, those five girls we met last night are known as the Sailor Senshi. According from what I have been able to read about them, they happen to be Earth's guardians against any evil forces. I had a little chat with a few of the fairies and elves of this world after you went to sleep last night."] ["Where on Earth do you find other fairies?"] ["In a place known as the Faerie Realm. It's set on a different plane of existence but is parallel to this world. The magical beings of that place sometimes make short trips to Earth to do some mischief, study the human world, aid a hero in his quest and things like that. They have been observing the human world for millennia and have taken part in its history. I came across it when I met up with a nice fairy named Featherbrite. But getting back to the subject, the Sailor Scouts are lead by Sailor Moon. You know the one with the long ponytails? Anyway, according to what Featherbrite told me, she also happens to be the reincarnated Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom."] ["Moon Kingdom?"] ["That's right. And here's something that's even more interesting. The Moon Kingdom used to be an old ally of the Kingdom of Hyrule!"] ["Tell me more."] At a Shinto temple in Juuban... "Say what?!" Artemis gasped. The white, talking cat turned pale, which was hard to tell with him. His companion Luna was also in a state of shock. "Run that by us again. What did that guy call himself?" He and Luna had missed the news broadcasts, due to a slight mishap. Artemis had accidentally locked them both in a broom closet. As of now, they were being filled in on the previous day's events. "He called himself the Hyrule Knight." Minako said as she and her fellow Sailor Scouts were having one of their secret meetings at Rae's temple. Their newest trainee Rini was also present. "What's wrong Artemis? Do you and Luna know something about this guy?" The other girls noted that their feline guardians and advisors had become extremely agitated and this was a cause for alarm. Luna turned to Artemis and said, "Can it be? The Kingdom of Hyrule still exists?" "It's been over two thousand years since we've heard anything from them!" Artemis remarked. "Would you mind filling us in on what's going on?" Usagi whined. Luna looked up at her protégé and asked. "Tell me girls. Did you see a symbol like this?" She used one of her paws to draw a triangular shape in a patch of dirt. "Hey! That's the thing we saw last night!" Makoto reached over and made a small change to the sketch. "Only this part was filled in and the other two were empty." "I saw it too!" Rae concurred. "He called it the Tri-something." Luna's expression became even more serious. "The legendary TriForce! Then the Kingdom of Hyrule still exists!" "Would you please tell us just what's going on here?" Usagi said in an even more irritating whine. Luna and Artemis gave each other a solemn glance before turning their attention back to the girls. Luna began to explain. "Once upon a time, two thousand years ago..." Back at the Tendo home, Navi was continuing her explanation. ["The two kingdoms met and established friendly relationships with one another. Peace and harmony reigned throughout the two realms. Then one day, a great evil came from another dimension to invade our plane of existence. The Moon Kingdom and the world of Hyrule joined forces to fight this threat. The source of this evil was not known at the time but its dark forces swept across the two kingdoms and threatened to destroy us all. A tremendous war erupted and many members from both realms were destroyed in the conflict. It wasn't until the king of Hyrule, an ancestor of Princess Zelda, was forced to summon the TriForce from the Sacred Realm to banish the evil back to its dark domain. However, there was an unfortunate side effect..."] The temple in Juuban... "The Kingdom of Hyrule was caught in the mystic backlash as the TriForce banished the evil back to where it came from. The entire world of Hyrule disappeared and was never heard from again." Artemis shook his head sadly as he finished his part of the explanation. Luna nodded. "Everyone in the Moon Kingdom assumed that the Hylians had sacrificed themselves to save the universe. A thousand years later, the Negaverse attacked us and… you all know the rest. The Hyrule Knight and the appearance of the TriForce may indicate that Hyrule still exists!" The Tendo dojo... ["The backlash of the TriForce caused Hyrule to be moved an undetermined distance from its place of existence. The distance was so far away that it took us a thousand years before we were able to reestablish contact with our former allies. However, by that time the Negaverse had attacked the Moon Kingdom and destroyed it. We had thought the Moon Kingdom had perished and there wasn't any reason to investigate further."] ["So what was this unknown evil Navi?"] ["I'm not really sure and the records of the event have become blurred with age. However, I have a sneaky suspicion that…"] The temple... "...it was the Negaverse or at least another part of it." Luna replied. "You mean that the Negaverse had attacked once before the time the Moon Kingdom's fall?" Ami asked. "That is what we have come to suspect." Artemis replied. "The records of that time period are pretty sketchy and much of the data was lost after the Moon Kingdom was devastated. It's a miracle that any data about Hyrule survived." "So what's this TriForce anyway?" Makoto asked. "The TriForce is an ancient relic of Hyrule, which is said to contain the essence of the gods." Luna replied. "It is composed of three parts which represents that world's providence." "The three parts are Power, Courage and Wisdom." Artemis continued. "From what you girls have already told us, this Hyrule Knight is in possession of the TriForce of Courage." "Oh yeah, that reminds me. We also saw another guy who had the same symbol. He called himself Saffron and he had the same design on his hand. Only that the top part was filled in." Makoto drew a new image on the ground. "Oh dear!" Luna exclaimed. "That would be the TriForce of Power. This could be very serious." "You're not kidding!" Usagi emphasized. "He was dead set on blasting the Hyrule Knight to ashes! And he didn't care who got in his way. We think that he may be in cahoots with Queen Beryl." "Then this it important that you girls find this Hyrule Knight and this Saffron!" Luna said. "Even one third of the TriForce is more powerful than the Silver Millennium Crystal!" "WHAT?!" All five girls crowded around the cats, their eyes widened in disbelief. "It's true." Artemis admitted. "The TriForce represents the strongest powers of Hyrule and its energy works on all levels of existence. The Hylians didn't want to use it during the war, but it was the only thing that they had that was strong enough to banish all the forces of the Negaverse!" The five females backed off a bit as they recalled the TriForce of Courage that the Hyrule Knight had used to save them. If what their cat guardians were telling them was accurate, then what they saw last night was only a small fraction of the TriForce of Courage's capabilities. "Well, I have to admit, that TriForce thing was impressive. Especially since it reenergized my tiara attack." Usagi remarked. "What are you talking about?" Luna asked. "Your tiara doesn't have enough energy left in it to be effective." "Oh, well during the battle, the Hyrule Knight used my tiara to take out Jedite, Zoycite and Malachite at the same time." "Yeah, it was really cool, but not as cool as that sword attack of his!" Rini added. "That's impossible. Even at full power, it doesn't have the ability to defeat three of Queen Beryl's most powerful generals at the same time. Let me see it. Transform to Sailor Moon and show us your tiara attack." She then turned to Amy. "And I want you to use your computer to analyze the tiara." "Okay." Usagi held up her compact and triggered her transformation. "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!" Amy held out her minicomputer. Serena was transformed into Sailor Moon. She then prepared to throw her tiara. Grasping the headpiece by the center jewel, she went through the motions and threw it, shouting out the same phrase she heard Ranma use. "MOON TIARA BOOMERANG!" The tiara glowed with a pure white light as it reshaped itself into Ranma's Hylian boomerang. It made a graceful arc as it soared through the air. Amy had just activated the scanning devices in her computer when it suddenly gave off warning lights and sounds. The outer casing of the instrument began to emit small wisps of smoke as the poor device experienced an imminent overload. The blue-haired girl was forced to shut down the computer before it exploded in her face. "WHOA! HOLD IT! STOP!!!" The other girls and the cats looked up and saw Sailor Moon frantically racing away from her returning weapon. The boomerang was coming back way too fast for her to catch it. It was also radiating so much power that she wasn't all that sure that catching it was a good idea. Luckily, her reputation as a klutz saved her as she tripped over a crack in the pavement. The boomerang zoomed over her and struck a derelict building at the bottom of the hill the temple stood on. There was a huge detonation and the five-story structure was leveled. Large sweatdrops formed on the backs of the heads of other Sailor Scouts and their cats. "I think Usagi should refrain from using that tiara until she gets the hang of it again." Luna said. The others nodded. At the Tendo dojo... ["By the way Ranma. Don't you think that you should be getting your boomerang back?"] ["Nah. Its not like I can use it anymore and besides, I think that Sailor Moon can use her new attack with no problem. It's no big deal. The big question is what do we do now?"] ["That's easy Ranma. We have to find out just how this Saffron got the TriForce of Power. It just doesn't make any sense. The last time we saw the TriForce of Power was when Ganondorf was sealed off into the Evil Realm. How did a deity from Earth get it from him?"] Ranma shook his head as he completed the warm-up exercises and began using his more advanced techniques. He had thought that Ganondorf had been permanently sealed away with the TriForce of Power during their last battle. He shuddered a bit as he remembered how close the villain had gotten to obtaining the other two parts of that ancient relic. However, that was no longer an issue as he and Navi would have to deal with this new threat. But, with absolutely no clues to Saffron's whereabouts, he could do nothing but wait. The only thing that Ranma could count on was that Saffron would attack him again. As it had happened with Ganondorf, any that wished to possess the full might of the TriForce, needed to obtain the other two pieces. Since Ranma had the TriForce of Courage, he was a logical target. Not a very encouraging thought. At Rae's temple, the girls were still discussing how to go about finding the Hyrule Knight when Sailor Pluto appeared before them. "Setsuna! It's been a long time!" Usagi chirped. She was always happy to see the Senshi of Time. The green–haired beauty shook her head as she replied, "I'm afraid that this not a social call. I'm here to warn you about the Hyrule Knight. I fear that he will become detrimental to the future of Crystal Tokyo." "What are you saying? He saved us from Beryl and that Saffron person." Minako said. "I assume that Artemis and Luna had told you about the TriForce and Hyrule?" "Yeah." Usagi said. "Hyrule used to be an ally of the Moon Kingdom. They told us that that even one-third of the TriForce was stronger than the Silver Imperium Crystal." "Yes, I can verify that." Setsuna admitted. "Saffron used the TriForce of Power to prevent me from helping you during your last battle. Despite all of my power, he easily blocked my attempts to come to your aid." "Well then, that means that we have to find the Hyrule Knight. With his TriForce of Courage and our powers, we should be able to beat Saffron and…" "No Princess. To ensure that Crystal Tokyo will come to pass, I'm afraid that both Saffron and the Hyrule Knight must perish." The Inner Senshi and Rini gasped. "What?!" "The TriForce is far too powerful and represents a source of chaos that cannot be left to chance." Setsuna answer. "The presence of both parts of the TriForce has already caused the main timestream to diverge. As of this moment, the only way we can ensure the existence of Crystal Tokyo is to eliminate both Saffron and the Hyrule Knight." "But why?" Minako asked with alarm. "I can understand getting rid of Saffron, but the Hyrule Knight saved us! You're asking us to turn against him!" Setsuna shook her head sadly. "Although I do not wish to cause anyone's demise, this must be done. The mere presence of the Hyrule Knight has already made the Time Gate to become erratic. I have seen into the future and his actions will cause our own futures to be destroyed. We must get rid of those sources of chaos before they cause the timestream to be irreversibly altered." "But even if you're right, how can we do that? You said it yourself. Even one third of the TriForce can overwhelm the Silver Millennium Crystal." Ami asked with apprehension. "We must be on our guard and search for any opportunity. The power of the TriForce is far too potent and it has already corrupted Saffron with its magic. He will undoubtedly seek out the Hyrule Knight for his part of the TriForce. The ensuing conflict between them will cause so much damage and chaos, that there would be no hope of Crystal Tokyo ever becoming a reality." Rae then tried to suggest something. "Well, why don't we just get rid of Saffron? That way…" "No Rae. I'm afraid that doing just that won't be enough. I have already seen this Hyrule Knight interfere in several key points in the future timestream, which were important for the formation of Crystal Tokyo. That had caused the main timestream to diverge into countless realities." She then gave Usagi and Rini a sad look. "I hate to tell you this, but in several timelines, he prevented Rini from being born." "What?!" Both mother and future daughter gasped. Setsuna gave out a sad sigh. The timelines in which she saw the Hyrule Knight married to Usagi were not bad ones, but since Tuxedo Kamen was supposed to be Rini's father, the changes in those realities had erased the little girl out of existence. Fortunately, the timeline that Rini came from still existed, for the moment, so there was no rewriting of history… yet. "Though the Hyrule Knight is apparently on the side of good for now, we cannot assume what his motives are, nor can we take the chance that he won't turn against us at any time. The TriForce is just too much temptation and there is a chance that it will corrupt him, just as Saffron has been. To ensure Crystal Tokyo's future… both Saffron and the Hyrule Knight must be removed." The Inner Senshi became silent as they considered Sailor Pluto's words. Meanwhile, on Phoenix Mountain, the god in question was pondering on what to do next. His alliance with Queen Beryl had gone sour. Despite the fact that he had augmented their abilities when he resurrected the evil ruler and her minions, they had still failed against the Hyrule Knight and the Sailor Senshi. Pathetic. Now the three Negaverse generals were too weak to be any use to him and Beryl herself wasn't suited for any task other than groveling at his feet. It would take weeks, if not months for those fools to recover from this setback. They had expended much of their stores of stolen life energy and it would quite a while before they could replenish them. Saffron began thinking about the power that the Hyrule Knight had wielded. It was indeed the magical source that he had been searching for. When he had come across the TriForce of Power, he had felt that it was... incomplete for some reason. Despite its enormous energies, Saffron had an overwhelming urge to search for more energies that were similar to it. After encountering the Hyrule Knight, he felt that he had come closer to his goal. The new god chuckled as he thought back to when he obtained the TriForce of Power. He had just been able to travel through the astral plane when he came across a realm of reality that he had never heard about. There he found a wretch of a being who was in possession of a powerful relic that contained the essence of gods within it. The wretch had begged him to free him from the eternity of torment of being in that realm. Saffron recognized this as a golden opportunity and agreed. However, as they were about to use their combined energies to break free of that place, Saffron had turned on the person and stole the strange energy source. Apparently, the TriForce of Power had become attracted to the godling, due to the Kami blood running through him. As a result, the wretch had been flung ever deeper into that plane of reality with no hope of escape, while Saffron alone departed the Evil Realm. When he had returned to the mortal plane, he had discovered that the TriForce of Power had made him achieve full godhood in mere moments. Saffron had become ecstatic and had used his newfound power to establish his dominance over the lands around Phoenix Mountain. The Musk Dynasty was the first to resist and the first to fall. The Joketsuzoku would have been next on his hit list if the Hyrule Knight hadn't shown up. Now, with the second piece of the TriForce within reach, he saw no need to obliterate the Amazons, at least not yet. But how would he go about doing it? He could just simply come in person and destroy Japan to draw out his prey, but that idea didn't have much merit. He didn't know just how powerful that other piece of the TriForce was and if it were the equal of his part, then that would make things more complicated. It could well be that the Hyrule Knight had the power to destroy him, despite his rapid ascension to godhood. Furthermore, there were also other large sources of power in Japan that would react to such an attack. He didn't want those meddling Sailor Scouts to get involved or attract other superbeings. No, Saffron needed to test the Hyrule Knight further before he could take decisive action. The allies he had in the Negaverse would be out of action for the time being. Saffron needed a new puppet. On a whim, he decided to extend himself into the astral plane and spirit realms, hoping to find someone to use in his quest to secure the second piece of the TriForce. After all, it was during this kind of excursion that he came across the TriForce of Power. Projecting his astral self into those mist-enshrouded planes of reality had been difficult for him in the past, but that was before he had obtained the TriForce of Power. With that ancient Hyrule relic in his possession, journeying into the spirit realms was child's play. With but a simple thought, Saffron's consciousness went into the otherworldly planes of existence. For what seemed like an eternity, Saffron covered vast distances in heartbeats as he looked around for anything useful. When he came across a certain area of darkness, he became intrigued as to what was emanating from it. Moving closer to where it was, he then began hearing a faint whisper that sounded like it was in unimaginable pain. ["H-H-Help... me..."] Saffron could barely hear the voice as he answered it. Who are you? ["I... am... was... Tokima."] Saffron pondered this name for a few moments before remembering the name from one of the ancient texts. ["Oh yes, now I remember! The so-called lord of all youma. Hmmm, as I recall, you and your followers caused quite a bit of chaos a few centuries ago. Then again, I also recall that you met some stiff opposition in the Devil Hunters of the Mano clan. As I recall, you had recently lost to the 108th generation. Saffron looked at what remained of the once mighty devil-lord. My, my, my. Those Devil Hunters certainly worked you over. Why you hardly have a billionth of your former power."] It was then that Saffron got an idea. ["Say, Tokima, would you be interested in a little deal?"] ["What kind of deal?"] Tokima may have been a disembodied essence of a demon, but he wasn't stupid. Saffron shrugged and smiled as he said, ["Oh... something along the lines of restoring you and sending you back to the mortal plane."] ["What?"] ["You heard me Tokima. I have the ability to restore you to full power and even bring you back to the mortal plane."] ["Why... would... you do such a thing?"] ["Well..."] Saffron's smirk became even wider. ["According to the ancient texts, you were quite formidable and if it weren't for the Devil Hunters, you would have succeeded in your world takeover. I can make it possible for you to exist again and even undo all the damage that the Devil Hunters had done to your physical body. It would be as if you had never sustained those 108 wounds."] Tokima wasn't fooled. It was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. Besides, there were other things to consider. ["Even if it were possible, why would you do this? You must want something from me, don't you?"] ["But of course. You see, the allies that I had are at the moment, shall we say, indisposed. I happen to be looking for a certain item, and I wish for you to obtain it. At the very least, this can give you a chance to get your revenge on those Devil Hunters, right?"] Tokima had to agree with that. A moment never passed that he did not think about those accursed women of the Mano clan. He had thought he had achieved total victory when he had broken the seal that had restrained him and killed the 108th generation Devil Hunter. However, that victory was short-lived as Yohko and her ancestors suddenly appeared and redelivered the 107 wounds that he had sustained throughout the centuries. Yohko caused the 108th wound and Tokima was unable to maintain his physical form. In an act of desperation, he tried to send his essence back in time to his past self, hoping to inhabit his body at the time of the first generation of Devil Hunter. Unfortunately, the time-stream had proven too erratic and he was instead flung to this plane of existence. After who knows how long, his essence had begun to loose its cohesion like an old piece of fabric that was starting to unravel. This had caused him unimaginable pain and suffering. Now this upstart god was offering him another chance at life. ["But what of the Devil Hunters?"] Tokima was still a bit skeptical at this whole thing. ["Surely they would be alerted to my presence."] ["Indeed."] Saffron agreed. ["However, I have the power to not only resurrect you, but also boost your abilities far beyond a hundred Devil Hunters combined. All you have to do is get the item that I need. After that, you may do as you please."] ["Oh really?"] Tokima smiled as he thought about it. If the item were so important to this god that he had to resurrect a dangerous demon, then it would certainly be of value to Tokima. In fact, if he was right in his suspicions, this item may well be the key to ultimate power. ["Before I give you my answer, may I ask what is your name?"] ["I am Saffron, Lord of Phoenix Mountain."] ["Well now Saffron. You have yourself a deal."] At the Tendo residence, Ranma was in the guestroom, going through the various items that he had gotten from Hyrule. One by one, he would summon up the weapons and equipment, inspecting them and discussing with Navi about any new enchantments and changes done to them. ["Navi, what did you do to my Ocarina?"] Ranma had just called forth his magical instrument and found instead that a harmonica had appeared in his hand. The pixie smiled a bit as she replied. ["Well, I have a feeling that you'll be using the Ocarina in battle sometime soon, so I thought to disguise it when you're not the Hyrule Knight. We don't want anyone to be suspicious that Link Kintaro has the same instrument as the Hyrule Knight."] ["But what about the Tendos and Ukyo? They saw me use the Ocarina against the Gambling King."] ["Don't worry Ranma. Last night, I went to each of them and cast a spell that altered their memories. What they remember was you playing a harmonica, not an Ocarina."] ["Oh, I see. Well anyway, I have to get ready to go to school."] In another district, the 108th Devil Hunter was walking with her best friend Chikako Ogawa. "Hey Chi, did you see last night's news report?" "If you're referring to that new superhero, the Hyrule Knight, then yeah, I saw it." "He is sooooooooooo cute! I'm in love!" Little hearts appeared around Yohko's head as she went off into one of her lovesick fantasies. "Oh boy! Here were go again." Chi sighed. "Hey Yohko, I thought you had the hots for Mr. Sagura, the art teacher." "Who?" Yohko was broken out of her reverie. "Never mind." Chi sighed as she and her friend approached the school. At Furinkan High, the usual chaos was occurring. Tatewaki Kuno was challenging Akane after she had beaten the living daylights out of the morning mob. Ranma was standing on the sidelines and watched. After getting yelled during the previous day for getting involved, the former Hero of Time had decided to let Akane handle her unwanted suitor. "My love! Today is the day that I shall shower you with my passion!" "Arrrgggghhh! How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like you!" Akane screamed as she ducked his swing and threw a roundhouse to his head. Now normally, this tactic would have knocked Kuno silly, but to everyone's surprise, especially Akane's, the kendoist blocked her fist with his bokken, then delivered a sharp strike to her extended forearm. "Ow!" Akane stepped back; holding her bruised arm and looked at Kuno in shock. Kuno had a hint of sadness in his eyes as he took a stance and said, "Forgive me my beauteous flower. But it has come to my attention that you turn down my affections because I have restrained from displaying my full might. For is it not natural that one as great as I show that he is indeed worthy to receive thy love? Fear not my fair Akane! Though I regret the pain that I must give to thee, it shall be kissed away as I nurse you back to health. Have at thee!" Akane became sick at the thought at Kuno kissing her but her attention became focused on winning this fight. Unfortunately, this time Kuno wasn't holding back. On the sidelines, Ranma shook his head. Navi, this doesn't look good. Seems like Kuno finally wised up and isn't holding back as he did before. I heard from Nabiki that Kuno is better than Akane but she keeps beating him because Kuno doesn't go full out. Navi nodded as she floated beside Ranma. Looks like all those blows to the head have finally pounded some sense into that moron. Shouldn't you help Akane? She was pretty ungrateful to me the last time I helped her. Be that it may, it looks like she could really use some help. Navi pointed back to the battle. Akane couldn't understand it. Kuno was never this good against her. All of her previous tactics against him were rendered useless as he forced her back with his relentless barrage of thrusts and slashes. Akane's arms and side were hit with solid hits as she winced each time the bokken made contact. Finally, her pathetic defense was broken through as Kuno tripped her up with a swing at her legs. Akane fell down and Kuno raised to deliver the final blow. The crowds let off a collective gasp as they witnessed the unthinkable. On the third floor, Nabiki was in a state of panic. If Kuno won, then she would have to pay off all those wagers. On the sidelines, Ranma shook his head. Aw, the heck with it. "And now, I claim the prize which has eluded me for so long!" Kuno's bokken came down as Akane winced and held up her arms to block. She closed her eyes and waited for the end. It never came. After a long silence, she opened her eyes and saw that the wooden sword had been stopped in mid-strike... by a finger? "Don't you think that she's had enough?" Ranma said calmly, still holding back Kuno's weapon with his index finger. "Link Kintaro! How dare you interfere with my courtship of the lovely Akane?" Kuno was more than enraged. He was so close in achieving his goal that he could taste Akane's lips. "Courtship? Is that what you call this?" Ranma was very annoyed with this person. He reminded him of Ingo, the arrogant stablehand that had stolen Talon's ranch on Hyrule during Ganondorf's takeover. "Looks more like a bully who can't take no for an answer." "Vile cur!" Kuno whipped back his bokken and tried to slash at Ranma's head. Ranma however, grabbed the end of the wooden blade, then used it as a lever to catapult Kuno toward a tree. The kendoist's head slammed into the tree trunk with a loud thud before he slid painfully slid down. He wasn't done yet as he angrily got up and charged at Ranma. "Fiend! Taste the righteous blade of the Blue Thunder!" Ranma sighed as he pulled back his hands and began focusing his chi. Akane's eyes widened as she saw a small yellow glow in Ranma's cupped hands. What is that? Just as Kuno came within ten feet of them, Ranma threw out his hands and released his chi. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" The chi blast leapt from his palms and blasted into Kuno like a speeding car. The wannabe samurai was sent hurtling back toward the tree and this time, hit it with enough force to be knocked out. ["Hey Ranma, what was that?"] ["It's my chi attack, remember Navi? I learned it during the time we spent in China."] ["Oh yes, now I remember. It's been a while since you used it."] The crowds were more than astounded to see Ranma use something like that. Many of them thought that Ranma was some kind of special effects expert. Akane was especially fascinated by what Ranma had done and wondered if she could learn it. She then noted that Ranma was offering her his hand. "I'll take you to the nurse's office where she can see to those bruises and cuts." "I don't need you help!" Akane tried to swat away his hand. "Sure you don't. Just like you didn't need it with Kuno." The youngest Tendo daughter shuddered at the thought. She had come very close to losing to Kuno. Much as she hated to admit it, to herself at least, but Link was right in saying that she needed to improve. Although she still refused to take his hand, Ranma was undaunted as he got his arm around her shoulder and pulled her up to her feet. Despite her protests, he helped her limp into the school and toward the nurse's office. The day went by as rumors began to spread among the student populace about a relationship between Akane and the new guy. Nabiki was selling what little information she had about Link to make up for the losses she had with the morning fight. Eventually, the day ended as Ranma headed back toward the Tendo home. Akane had more or less recovered from her bout with Kuno, but had not even uttered a single word of thanks to her rescuer. Not that Ranma was expecting any, being the hero that he was. Still, it would have been nice. As he walking along the streets, Navi began alerting him to something. ["What is it Navi?"] Ranma tried to act casual. ["Ranma, there's someone following us."] ["Who? Where?"] ["A couple of girls have been tailing us for the past ten minutes. They're about fifty feet away and are hiding in an alley behind us."] ["Can you take a look over there and find out what they're up to? I'll stay here and try to act normal."] ["No problem Ranma. I'll be right back!"] The little fairy flew off to determine the identity of their secret admirers as Ranma looked at the shop he was standing in front of. It was a sporting goods store. Thinking that this was good a place as any, he walked inside. Since Navi was using her invisibility spell, she was virtually undetected as she flew toward the two girls and hovered between them as they continued to peek around the corner at the shop Ranma had entered. "Do you think he saw us?" The first one said. Her name was Sayeko and she had long, brown hair. "I don't think so." The second one replied. She was Ayami and she had short, black hair. "Well, what do we do? Should we go in after him?" "No, Nabiki told us to just tail him and see if we can find out where he was last night. She also wants us to get the scoop on how much money he has and learn everything we can about him." "Okay, we'll wait till he gets out of there, then we'll follow him." Navi had heard enough as she took off for the store. She should have realized that Ranma's lateness in returning to the dojo and his money would arouse suspicions. She had sensed that Nabiki was especially suspicious of the Tendo's tenant. In the sporting goods store, Ranma became excited at what he saw. Near the back of the shop were arrows for sale. He had depleted his supply of arrows during his battle with the Headmasters and now he didn't have to go through the long process of making his own. Selecting a type that were made of wood and had pointed tips, he took fifty of them and headed for the cashier. After paying for his purchase, he exited the store with a large bag. It was then that Navi came to him and relayed what she heard. Ranma nodded, as he understood the situation. Something had to be done to lose their pursuers. Quickly ducking into a nearby alley, he began focusing his inner energies and whispered his spell. "Farore's wind!" A tiny ball of green energy appeared and floated above Ranma. He then directed the globe to a small niche in the back of the alley. After making sure that the Warp Point was secure, he came out of the alley and headed off in another direction at a fast run. The two girls, thinking that he may have spotted them, waited until he was some distance away before giving chase. He was almost over the horizon when they started to follow him. When Ranma ducked into another alley, the two girls hid near a coffee shop and waited for him to reappear. They knew that particular place was a dead end. It was then that they saw a small flash of light and wondered what happened. After waiting for half an hour for him to emerge, their curiosity got the better of them and they decided to venture a look. They got a bit of a shock when they saw that the area was deserted. They began cursing their luck as they realized that they had lost their prey. Nabiki was not going to be happy. Near the sporting goods store, Ranma and Navi reappeared at the Warp Point and looked around for any sign of their pursuers. When they were satisfied that no one was there, they started to head away from the area. Eventually, they came to a place where there was some relative privacy. It was in an undamaged area of the same park in which Ranma had battled the forces of the Negaverse. Finding a bench that was behind a grove of trees, the off-duty Hyrule knight sat down and began removing the labels and other telltale marks on the arrows he had bought. After fifteen minutes, he had completed the task and after making sure that no one was around, he sent the entire stack into limbo to where his quiver was. ["Well, that's that."] ["We better head for home Ranma. There doesn't seem to be anything for the Hyrule Knight tonight."] ["I guess so and ... wait a minute."] Ranma paused as he got up and sensed something approaching. Something... evil. ["Navi, did you just sense that?"] The fairy bobbed up and down as she too felt a chill in the air. She and Ranma weren't the only ones though. A hundred meters away, Yohko Mano, her trainee Azusa Kanzaki, her friend Chi and her grandmother Madoka were walking along the edges of the area that had been sealed off after the titanic battle last night. They had been investigating the area for any traces of the youma that had destroyed half the park after fighting the Hyrule Knight. "Hmmmm... no doubt about it. There is definitely a lot of residual demonic energies here." Madoka bent down and traced her finger along a patch of scorched earth. "How do you know?" Azusa asked. Madoka held up a soot-stained finger and said, "You don't become an expert Devil Hunter without learning to see the signs. She then gave Yohko a look of irritation as her heir's attention was focused on something else. Specifically on a cute boy standing near a park bench. "Yohko! Pay attention! This is important!" "Huh?" Yohko snapped her attention back to her grandmother. "What did you say?" "Shame on you Yohko! Our ancestors would weep in heaven if they saw you shirking your duties as the 108th devil Hunter!" "Aw come on grandma! It's not like that we have any MAJOR demon to fight! I mean, we finished off Kuma, that what's-his-name a few weeks ago AND Tokima. There's nothing to worry about." "Be that it may, you still must learn all the things that a Devil Hunter must know to protect the world from any future demon invasions! That's why we're here! So you and Azusa can learn all about tracking demons! You agreed to this remember?" "I know why she agreed to come here. It's because she's hoping to meet up with that hunk, the Hyrule Knight!" "Chi!" Madoka was very irritated in hearing this. "Yohko! Devil Hunting is a serious business! It is not to be used as an excuse to go satisfy your carnal lusts!" The 107th Devil Hunter then softened up a bit as she remembered the news footage of last night's battle. "Although I must admit, that Hyrule Knight did one heck of a job of smashing those youma." "Yeah." Yohko sighed as she imagined herself in his arms. Just then, the magical ring on her finger, plus the metal glove on Azusa's left hand began to glow. At the same time, a cold wind suddenly swept up and caused the group to shiver. ""Grandma... what's happening?" "I... don't know Yohko, but I... sense the approach of something... oh no! It can't be!" "What is it Grandma?" "Over there!" She gestured toward an area near the street. A black shape seemed to arise from the shadows and take form. Azusa, Madoka and Yohko felt their blood run cold as they recognized the figure. It gave off a cackling laugh as it came into the light. "No! It can't be!" Madoka shouted as she with drew her nunchakus and took a stance. The demon before them smiled as he said in a low and menacing voice. "Oh but it is oh mighty Devil Hunters! Tokima lives again! And this time, YOU WILL PERISH!" Dark storm clouds began to form as Tokima began summoning up his newfound powers granted to him by Saffron. With in instant, the monster disappeared from sight, only to reappear directly in front of the group. The Mano family and their friends gazed up at the towering beast. He was a lot bigger than they remembered. Before they could react, he swatted at them with a clawed hand and sent them sprawling. Yohko managed to roll off to left while the others were thrown to the right. Unfortunately, Azusa's glove was knocked off her hand and was sent flying. "Oh no! My glove!" The young Devil Hunter trainee watched as her weapon against Tokima sail off and land into some thick hedges. She got up and started running after it, but she wasn't fast enough. Tokima saw her running after her power item and threw out an arm. In response to his command, a part of his own shadow snaked along the ground like a blob and then sprang up to wrap around Azusa. The young girl found herself bound from head to foot in the dark tendrils. She fell on her side and despaired when she saw that she was a mere five feet from where her glove had landed. "Azusa!" Tokima turned and saw Madoka and Chi standing nearby. Madoka was all set to charge in but before she could take a single step, Tokima sent more tendrils of darkness to ensnare her and Chi. When he knew that they were helpless against him, he turned his attention on the one who had caused him the most suffering. Yohko trembled at the sight of the demon she thought she had destroyed. He was at least twenty feet taller and more massive than she had last seen him. She gazed up at the monstrous form and her eyes widened as she saw that he didn't have the wounds that he had sustained in his previous battles with her ancestors. That's not possible! He doesn't have a scratch on him! If that's the case then... Tokima smiled at the young girl's fright. "Yes, Devil Hunter! I have been healed of all the wounds that your cursed line had inflicted on me throughout the centuries. I now possess power that is far greater than you could ever hope to overcome! And now, it is time that I take my long-denied place as master of this world! And as for my first act, I shall put an end to your line once and for all!" Tokima threw another wave of darkness at Yohko. The girl, out of sheer adrenaline alone, just barely managed to avoid the shadows as they tried to trap her like the others. She dived out of the way and rolled over before coming to her feet. "Yohko!" Madoka shouted out. She was still helpless on her back with the shadows holding her down. "Change now!" The sound of her grandmother's voice shocked Yohko back from her panic as she looked down at the ring on he finger. Nodding to Madoka, she began concentrating. "For the honor of the Devil Hunters that came before me! For the good of the entire world! For the chance for a beautiful and lonely girl to finally get a date without having to deal with the likes of you, prepare to feel the wrath of the 108th Devil Hunter..." The ring flared with bright light as her clothes were torn to shreds by an unseen force. Watching from behind a hedge, Ranma almost got a nosebleed when he saw a pretty and naked girl become bathed in a bright array of lights. Her lithe form drifted in air for several seconds, making a few twists and turns as the lights solidified and molded around her body. When the girl landed on her feet, she was dressed in a form-fitting red, silk outfit with a symbol on the front that resembled a Yin/Yang insignia. She took a pose and finished her speech. "... Yohko!" Tokima simply chuckled at his prey as he sneered. "So, you think you can defeat me all by yourself? It took 108 Devil Hunters and several centuries to do the job!" "I'll show you! Soul Sword!" Yohko raised her arm and in a bright flash of light, her Mystic Soul Sword appeared. Ranma whistled as he got a good look at it. The weapon was a short, two-edged broadsword with a curved blade mounted on one of the handgaurds. He watched as the girl began charging at her foe, deftly dodging the tendrils of shadows that the demon sent after her. Ranma! What is it Navi? Look at your right hand! Ranma looked down and saw that the TriForce of Courage was glowing. He then looked toward Tokima and could feel the familiar energies of the TriForce of Power emanating from him. Navi... you don't suppose that he's...? Yes! I'm sure of it! He's somehow using energies from the TriForce of Power! Saffron! Right! We might be able to get some information about him! Besides, that girl needs help! Look! Ranma looked to where Navi was pointing and nodded. Stepping back toward the shadows, he held up his hand and called out his power phrase. "TRIFORCE TRANSFORMATION!" In an area nearby, Minako and Makoto were walking down the streets. Both girls were in a bit of depression after being told by Sailor Pluto that the Hyrule Knight must be eliminated. It was then that their communicators started beeping. Ducking into a nearby alley, they began communicating with Ami. "What's up Amy?" "My computer has just picked up some strange anomalies near the park where we first saw the Hyrule Knight. The energy signatures match those that we detected earlier." Both Makoto and Minako knew that this was it as they held up their transformation wands. Yohko was in trouble. So far, she had managed to keep those tendrils away from her by either dodging or slicing through them. But for each one she cut down, five more would spring up. She looked up and saw Tokima laughing at her plight. She knew that she was in a bad spot but she wouldn't give up. It was at that moment that Tokima sensed an upsurge of power emanating close by. It was similar to the new energies coursing through him when Saffron revived him. He turned his head toward its direction and that was when Yohko made her attack. If I'm going down, then I'm going to take him with me! With that in mind, she jumped to the side, did a backflip and then used a nearby tree to rebound toward Tokima. With her Soul Sword pointed out before her, she dove in to thrust her weapon straight through the heart. The blade made a satisfactory squelching noise as it plunged into Tokima's chest. There was a moment of silence as Yohko just hung there on the demon's chest, still clutching her sword. The she heard an evil laugh. Taking a glance up, she felt all the blood leave her face as she looked into the red eyes of Tokima. He was smiling and showing off a gruesome set of teeth. Before she could react, the monster grabbed her with a huge taloned hand and began to slowly squeeze the life out of her body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" "Yohko!" Madoka and Azusa struggled hard to free themselves but it was no use. The shadows held them tight. Tokima stopped squeezing after a minute and waited for Yohko to recover. The young Devil Hunter gasped as she tried to keep from blacking out. Her horrified gaze met Tokima's malicious leer. "Weren't you listening Devil Hunter? I already told you that I now have power far beyond your abilities to defeat me! Your precious Soul Sword means nothing to me now." As if to demonstrate, he casually used his free hand to pluck the sword from his chest and toss it away. More tendrils came up to wrap around the sword's hilt and prevent it from returning to Yohko. To her amazement, the wound then sealed itself. Tokima then raised his other arms and pointed a finger at Yohko. The deadly, white talon at the end of the finger began to slowly grow toward the helpless girl. "As I recall, you had delivered me into oblivion by stabbing out my eye. I should repay you for that. An eye for an eye, as it was." He snickered as his talon came to within five feet of Yohko's face. He then commanded his talon to thrust all the way. Yohko screamed as she shut her eyes. This was the end. Then she found herself falling toward the ground as Tokima's grip suddenly relaxed. She hit the ground on her rear but fortunately, she had landed in some bushes, which lessened the impact. She then opened her eyes and saw Tokima howling in pain as he clutched the stump of the arm that held her with his remaining limb. She looked down and saw the severed arm lying in front of her and twitching. She then looked off to her right as she caught the glint of metal. When she focused in on the light, she saw a huge blade dripping with the demon's blood. The sword was held by a figure in a ready stance. Looking up a little more, she gazed upon a handsome face that was framed by long blond hair and pointed ears. She gasped as she saw who it was. Ranma looked down at the girl and smiled as he and Navi prepared to do battle. "Hi there. I'm the Hyrule Knight. Mind if I cut in?" To be continued... Author's notes Well, the revision to chapter five is now complete. Sailor Pluto is a guardian of order, so naturally she will be against Link as he represents chaos (in a good way). Just like in canon, Ranma does tend to attract trouble like a magnet. See you all in chapter six!