The Galaxy Police stepped up its patrols, especially around the imperial planet. There were too many high ranking officials arriving there to do any less. Luckily, this was merely an infomal ceremony, so police protection could be set up quickly. Formal ceremonies could take weeks, or even months, of preparation.
The Royal Gardens which surrounded the palace was a difficult place to have unobtrusive protection. This was mostly because the 'garden' was more of the size of, oh say, a medium sized national park.
As this was a pre-wedding ceremony, rather than a normal treaty announcement, there was a wide center aisle through the seating area of the invited guests which led to a three meter raised dais. The forward rows were filled with the political guests, seated according to imperial protocols. The front rows were reserved for the families of the three children being betrothed. Since this was taking place on Jurai, the earth humans were seated on one side of the aisle and Jurains on the other. This was basically Ayeka and a few distant relations to the right, as everyone else in her immediate family were participants in the ceremony, and Nodoka seated with Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna on the left.
As much as Ranma hated formalities and dressing for the occasion, his mother would neither hear of nor condone his wearing his normal silk shirt and 'kung-fu' pants combination. So after only several hours of persuasion, which was shorter than expected due to the clearing up of brain damage after the release of the sleeping prince geas, Ranma agreed to wear a formal kimono. In keeping with his preferences, it was cardinal red with a black sash (obi). However, to accentuate that it was a formal kimono, it was decorated with dragons, phoenix, and hawks in gold thread. And, unbeknownst only to the guests, he wore his favorite clothes under the robes.
His brides-to-be were the ones to pick it out and and pass the choice on to Nodoka, knowing that his mother was probably the only person in the universe who could change his mind in less than a week without resorting to tears. Hotaru, as a nod of acknowledgemnt of the Moon Kingdom's origin as an offshoot of the Jurain Empire, decided to wear a silver grey set of Jurain formal robes with red, black, pink, and blue accents along the bottom and sleeves of the gown. Sasami wore her white formal robes, but added red, black, and grey accents to her normal pink and blue to complement her partners.
The ceremony began with the three children walking arm in arm up the aisle, with Yosho and Tenchi on either side as escorts. They walked up the stairs to the dais, where Azusa stood waiting at the top, Misaki and Funaho flanking him.
That was when everything went to hell in a hand basket.
An energy projectile weapon discharged with Azusa as the target, which was blocked by Tenchi's Tenchi-ken. A group of Jurain nobles stood at the other end of the aisle and the faction's leader yelled, "There will be no handfasting! The emperor is a weak ruler! We shall not allow him to weaken Jurai by allowing our Jurain bloodlines to be further weakened by joining to outsiders!"
"I've had it with idiots like you," Ranma snarled while he turned and descended the stairs of the dais, his words easily heard over the PA and then system wide as multiple microphones from various news services picked them up. An aura of rage grew imperceptibly around his body with each step he touched. "I've already had one wedding ruined by a bunch of stupid fools and I refuse to have this one stopped as well." He approached his mother seated in the front row and asked, "Mother? I would make a request of you. The family honor blade."
Seeing his aura continue to grow and the steely glint of determination in her son's eyes, Nodoka began the ritual proceedings to transfer the family blade to another member. Once the transfer was completed, he unsheathed the sword and tucked the sheath in the obi (waistband) of his formal kimono. Holding the sword in a loose one handed grip, he began to stalk down the center aisle towards the upstart Jurain nobles and their allies, the Go-auld and the Greys.
"Henshin, YO!" he barely heard behind him as Hotaru powered up. It was repeated in the front row next to Nodoka as the three members of Hotaru's 'family' also changed to senshi form and the four followed Ranma back down the aisle. They were soon followed a pace or two behind by the five Inner Senshi, once the Outers passed the row where they were seated.
"Father? Yosho-aniki? Tenchi-niichan? Shall we join them?" Sasami asked rhetorically, as she formed ten Wings of the Light Hawk, drew them around her to form Jurain battle robes, and proceeded from the dais to follow her two soul mates.
Azusa looked to Funaho and Misaki and said, "Evacuate the non-combatants and protect them." Knowing his two wives would do just that, he gathered his son and greatgrandson to follow his youngest daughter.
-----
Other Terrans decided they wanted in...
Scully sighed and merely reached into her purse to retrieve both her .38 and an overexcited Mulder's 9mm. Now, if only she could keep him from firing first, she'd consider it a major victory.
"Teal'c, do not give this to Col. O'Neil unless you are being fired upon. Is that clear?" Gen. Hammond told the tall negroid. While Jack sputtered in the background how he could not possibly be blamed for any of this happening, Teal'c stoicly accepted the weapon and answered, "Understood, General."
"Yagami." "Kusunagi." With only those single words the two bitter enemies called a truce, cease fire, formed a non-aggression pact, and temporary alliance, then joined the growing procession behind the wedding party. Their hands were wreathed in purple and black flames.
More and more of the earth guests joined the procession away from the dais. Vampire slayers, demon hunters, digidestined, immortals, demigods, gods and goddesses assigned to earth...over half of those who received invitations on earth were slightly ticked at those who would interrupt a solemn ceremony such as this, even if they weren't so inclined to formalities to begin with.
-----
Ranma stopped just in front of the rebel Jurain nobility. "You have two options. Leave or die."
Sasami, Azusa, Tenchi, and Yosho arranged themselves to his right, their Lighthawk Wings spinning slowly in front of their bodies. The most alarming thing to the nobles was the number of wings arrayed against them. Ten, seven, five, and three, respectively. Only Tsunami had ever displayed ten wings in their memories. As the imperial family stood facing them, it was now obvious Tenchi was the heir-apparent and not Yosho, as they had thought. It was also disconcerting how the emperor was deferring to the preteen aged human male in the center.
Hotaru and the Sailor Senshi were arranged to his left, the Outers with their weapons at the ready and the Inners visibly drawing upon their planetary powers. The Jurains each plucked a Lighthawk Wing to use as a sword.
When there was no noticible reaction, Ranma ordered, "Magic users concentrate on the Go-auld. Chi and Ki users on the Jurains. Martial artists and Devil Hunters work on the Greys."
Ranma stepped forward and...
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(Posted Thu, 19 Feb 2004 18:11)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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