Stopping on the roof, he reached into a pocket and pulled out his Sword.
It was not, as one might expect, a katana. This sword looked more European, like a cutlass or sabre.
When he drew it from the wooden scabbard, it was to reveal something even less typical in appearance. The sword's blade was at first glance black. When one looked closer, one could see stars and nebula floating in that blackness.
"Ya want me to go this way, huh?" asked Ranma, moving the sword around and feeling a tug in one particular direction. He considered just stowing it away. Not bothering with it. Turning his back on all that adventure sort of thing. Just turning around and going back...
Where Kodachi had just made Soun Tendo an offer to buy out the marriage contract between the Tendo and Saotome families. Soun had said no up until Kodachi had shown him a check. At which point Akane had gotten offended at HIM for reasons that completely escaped him.
No. He couldn't go back just yet. Let everything calm down a bit.
He followed the urging of the blade, putting it back in the scabbard, but touching the hilt every so often to make sure he was going in the right direction.
Something said this was urgent, maybe the way the thrumming sensation seemed to vibrate harder the slower he went.
"NO! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
SLAP!
That sounded like an adventure or something. He'd just stop at this rooftop and see what it was. He probably didn't want to get involved. It was just some little girl being dragged down an alley by four much older kids. One of whom was dropping his pants? Why the heck would...
Ranma would more often than not choose not to understand some things. After all, if he didn't understand it - it wasn't his fault was it?
He understood what the four teenage boys were doing all of a sudden. He saw the girl's ripped shirt, he saw the way the crowd on the street had chosen to ignore things going on as if it were not their business, he saw four boys around his age and he saw what one of them was getting ready to do.
At which point what he forgot all about not getting involved himself.
He didn't even draw Crucible Core as he leapt down into the alley.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" asked the Inners as they entered to find Haruka (looking as if she were going to hunt someone down and tack their skin to her living room wall) Michiru (trying to find something in her mirror) Setsuna (bringing a shirt) and Hotaru (looking oddly happy if somewhat bruised and disheveled.)
"Some boys decided to deal with the 'freak' child, attacked Hotaru, and were stopped," said Setsuna. "Rather than go over the whole story, I'm just giving the highlights."
"You should have seen him!" gushed Hotaru. "All 'wham' and 'bam' and 'kapowie'!"
"Mamo-chan?" asked Usagi.
"No," said Hotaru.
"Why am I getting some redheaded girl with a pigtail and a particularly disgusted expression on her face?" asked Michiru.
Setsuna winced. "Him."
"No, with a rack like that, definitely a 'her,'" said Haruka as she looked in the mirror herself.
Setsuna seemed to debate something internally for a few moments.
"Wait a minute, what just happened? Is he a Starlight?" asked Haruka.
Setsuna let out what sounded like a long-suffering sigh. "Ranma Saotome."
"That's just an urban legend, right?" asked Haruka, glancing up again.
"Like 'sailor suited warriors of love and justice'?" guessed Minako.
"Rather like that, I'd imagine," said Setsuna drily as Hotaru changed into an unripped shirt.
"Did he use that sword on them?" asked Haruka. After all, if this boy had used the sword on those who had attacked Hotaru - there might not be anything left for HER to go after.
Hotaru shook her head.
"Sword?" asked Setsuna.
"Interesting looking sword," said Michiru. "I could swear it was looking back at me."
"What?" asked Setsuna, now even more curious. She crossed to where Michiru was still fiddling with the mirror and looked.
"WAGHHHHH!" exclaimed Usagi, her pigtails shooting up.
There were a few other exclamations, as Setsuna Meiou had gone from tanned to the sort of pale shade normally associated with copy paper.
"Oh my goddess! We're doomed!" said Rei, jumping to a conclusion.
Then Setsuna fainted.
Then panic REALLY set in.
Setsuna came to after about an hour, only to find that she was being confronted with all the other Senshi, two mooncats, and a pair of crows - all looking anxiously at her.
"Crucible Core," said Setsuna.
"Ahhhhh," said several of the Senshi. Followed inevitably by "what?"
"Crucible Core is a sword," said Setsuna. "Galaxy Cauldron? Also known as the Celestial Crucible?"
"So what's that mean?" asked Haruka.
"Ranma Saotome has Crucible Core," said Setsuna. "Which was used to carve off the Ginzuishou. Which can remake starseeds. Which can empower starseeds to Senshi levels. The good news is that it can't be used to kill. It has a power level roughly equal to the ginzuishou, but it can't kill anyone who isn't a supernatural entity. Not precisely. It also has a will of its own. If he's using it, it's because it's letting him do so."
"So it can 'purify' things?" asked Usagi.
"More or less," said Setsuna. "The sword that is the core of the Galaxy Cauldron, which is also known as Cauldron's Key, is an item which has powers involving-"
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