This has had help from Arthur Hansen and others on the LoisandClark_SUW list.

I don't own "Lois & Clark the new adventures", Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon. No copyright infringement is intended by this fanfic.

howard melton

2001-03 DETAILS Submission

Watching a Rising Star
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"Go on Kasumi that's your cue, I mean that's Rising Sun's cue." Waldeker smiled after speaking and gently pushed down on the hovering girl's shoulder.  His smile shifting to a sly grin Waldeker said "This time don't forget you have a photographic memory." He laughed as Kasumi rolled her eyes in slight irritation and then gave him a nervous smile as she dropped into the cloud cover.

A moment later Waldeker's smile vanished as he heard a distant "Oh My" and his x-ray vision revealed that Kasumi had stiffened and frozen for an instant just below the clouds. Waldeker thought "Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea telling her not to look at the crowd until she had to."

Putting aside his concern when Rising Sun continued to descend he returned to scanning the crowd below the worry trying to creep back.  Rising Sun, she was so young, just a girl, and Japan was asking her to fill a Ultrawoman's shoes."

"Perverts!" Agent Dan Bar glanced from the TV and silently decided this time he agreed with the youngest Tendo the camera men were paying entirely to much attention to the large Red Dot on Rising Sun's uniform. Dan glanced at the three Tendo's watching and thought about the first time he had entered this house noting the changes a year had brought.

The TV and VCR were only two of the many changes Kasumi actions had indirectly brought to there life and Dan wondered about their reactions when Kasumi finally decided to tell them she was Rising Sun. Despite twice weekly martial arts classes under Soun for eight months Dan wasn't prepared to guess how Rising Sun's father or sisters would react and that worried him.  The Japanese were an odd mixture of modern and medieval values and he had quickly discovered the Tendo's were among the oddest and most unpredictable.

Dan looked through the kitchen wall his attention pulled from the TV and Rising Sun' possible family problems by the slight sound of the the Tendo's live in Security agent finishing the preparation of several bowls of popcorn, smiling as an idea came to him that might irritate his Martial arts Senshi and possibly lift Ami's spirits.  Her body language seemed to indicate she was a little down and he suspected she was thinking about being transferred here a year ago. Going from the emperors security staff to this family after serving as part of the emperor's security must have felt like a demotion.

Security agent Ami Tokugawa smiled as she tried to hand Dan a bowl of popcorn, but instead found herself seated in his cushioned chair by a flurry of ultra-speed martial arts moves. Blinking in surprise she discovered a bowl of popcorn sitting in her lap and a single glass of iced tea in her left hand she almost laughed as Dan gave her a low european bow before taking the folding chair that she had meant for herself and saying in an exaggerated english accent "The lady may have my seat and I'll sit here after all it's not like I need a seat." to put emphasis to his words Dan was floating about five centimeters above the metal chair.

 ***
Looking around the room for the vanished tray that had held the snacks and drinks Ami was surprised to see that each of the Tendo's was holding a bowl of popcorn and a drink, the faces of both girls were showing signs of surprise, but Soun's face showed a mixture of irritation and approval after taking a drink of his tea he said "Student your use of the still air techniques to move were passable, but you must work harder your speed badly needs to improve I was able to track and strike you three times as you passed out the popcorn and drinks."

Ami watched as Dan gave a slight bow from his seated position and mixed english and Japanese saying "Yes Senshi" before turning his attention back to the TV. Ami knew that Agent Dan was only trying to lighten her mood and he had, for a few moments, but it also served to high light what had been bothering her all day. Ami looked wistfully at the TV, watching the Ultrahuman standing to one side of the Prime Minister and wistfully thought "It should have been me." as she relived the orders that had moved her from among the cooking contestants into the edge of the crowd mere minutes before the assassin's attack.

Nabiki watched her sister out of the corner's of her eyes as Agent Bar's cab turned a corner Akane was standing beside her a deep blush covering her face after asking the Ultra Agent to deliver a video tape of the Rising Sun presentation to Kasumi.

Akane was at it again she had all the signs of a developing crush. Nabiki shook her head and thought "Little sister what makes you think you'll have a chance". Dan's views of Kasumi were so obvious, he thought of her much like their father or rather as an America father would think of his daughter.

Dan had readily admitted to the family that he had been the Ultraman that had flown Kasumi to the experimental medical center and after starting martial arts training under Soun he had quickly volunteered to watch over her for Soun. He often delivered a short letter or the rare video tape with each training session. Less than five weeks ago she and Akane had over heard a lengthy discussion their father and Dan had had about a certain young man wanting to go on a date with Kasumi.

Both girls had listened as Dan went over a detailed background check of the boy with Soun and both girls had had to suppress giggles as their Father suggested that Dan be sharpening a sword when the boy came to pick up Kasumi. A week later Nabiki had felt sympathy for the boy after Agent Dan said he had substituted cleaning a shotgun for the sword and that it had worked very well the boy had been a perfect gentlemen on his date with Kasumi.

Nabiki shook her head and as Akane headed back through the gates sub vocalizing "Move over Dr. Tofu".

* * *

Kasumi frowned as she watched the videotape of Rising Sun's introduction to the world. She watched herself land by the Emperor, the Prime Minister and the American Ambassador. A hush had fallen on the crowd as her helmeted form, concealed in a skintight white costume, dropped from the cloud cover that had hidden her.  Said cloud cover also blocked Secret Service Agent Waldeker from view.  She had waited there with him for a half an hour until she was cued to appear. Almost shaking her head, Kasumi thought "Agent Dan" was right, the red dot taken from the Japanese flag was like a big target!  Almost the instant her feet touched the stage, the camera had zeroed in on the large red dot on her chest, much to her embarrassment as she watched herself on the gigantic television screen! Her belt and that red dot, along with the one at the same position on her back, were the only non-white color in the thick... body stocking? wet suit?

Kasumi was unsure what to call her uniform. It was made of a new secret synthetic material that was very heat resistant and even stronger than spider's silk! The Prime Minister said it cost at least five hundred times more than Kevlar to produce. That feeling reminded her of the wet suit that she had worn on her eight visits to "Waldeker's Folly." It, along with the specially refitted scuba tank and rebreather helmet allowed her to visit outer space!  But "Waldeker's Folly" wasn't a folly in her mind! She had gazed peacefully for hours from the crystal windows set into one of the five, stainless steel, milk tanks that Waldeker had fashioned into a crude space station. Perhaps space garden would be a better term, Kasumi ruminated during the crowds roar of acceptance. Why call it a garden? From the number of plants it contained, of course. He had etched WALDEKER'S FOLLY on it and set it to slowly spinning. She hadn't realized how nice it was to have things fall down, until they didn't!  The other Ultra class Secret Service Agents all laughed and teased, but like her they had all asked for and been given a tiny private room on Waldeker's Folly.  There was even a room marked for Superman and Ultrawoman, but agent Waldeker had confided in her that he and his wife didn't visit often.

Dragging her mind from the magnificent memories of viewing earth from 55,000 miles out, Kasumi frowned at yet another mistake made the day before. She was glad for her outlandish uniform, between the nearly featureless antenna winged helmet and the very tight, wet suit the only exposed part of her body was her hands and thankfully, the deep blush that had started when she had frozen above the crowd didn't seem to be reaching her hands.

***

Rising Sun hung frozen the winged white helmet and white suit outlined against the clouds after a moment a voice spoke in a language far older than the pyramids it roots buried on a distant and now dead world called Kobol.

"Rising Sun like all beings imbued with kryptonian powers has a energy or possible a dimensional distortion field that prevents our magic and equipment from getting direct readings on her body.  We can't even track her beyond line of sight but..."  The old man paused and leaning on a staff while several coughs escaped he finally managed to get out "excuse me" as a age withered hand appeared from ceremonial robes and a ring seemed to glint with more than overhead fluorescent light. 

A pitcher of water sitting on a table against the far wall rose and filled a plastic cup before settling gently back. Then the cup floated slowly into the air wavering slightly as the old man again coughed. The old man suppressed his coughing and the cup quickly traveled to the legendary Wizard's out stretched hand.

Usagi watched silently as Merlin poured himself a drink, experience had long ago taught her and the others around the table that Merlin the grandfather of one Pendragon Arthur the mostly absentee owner of the Crown Royal arcade and one time King of England was not one to allow others to do for him.

Merlin and the arcade had been a fixture in her life ever since a first grade party had introduced her to the eccentric old man running the arcade.  His tales and minor magic tricks pulling in as many kids as the games through it hadn't done her history grades any good.  She kept getting what the teacher's thought were legends mixed into history.

If they only knew, Usagi smiled at the thought of her high school teachers reaction if they ever discovered the legendary Merlin was running an arcade owned by King Arthur right here in the Jubin district.  The smile turned rueful, if only she had only known.  She had spent the first seventeen years of her life dreaming about being a princess straight out of Merlin's tales and since January of 1999 wishing she could have back the illusion of  a normal life. 

Turning back to the holographic image Usagi silently envied Rising Sun as she thought Lucky woman "At least you had some warning before you gained superpowers." 

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 Arthur Hansen
Howard Melton