[Ranma/TM][FanFic] Ryoko Saotome, parts 7-9
Luke Thrythlind Green
The cabbit was worried about his mistress, he almost didn't recognize
her as the same person any longer. Her thoughts and emotions had been
more and more connected with one individual. He could understand
disliking the casually destructive Ryoko, but his mistress's attitude
toward the pirate had been getting steadily more erratic.
He had first noticed it when Nagi first passed up a bounty in exchange
for information on the pirate. Nagi had never done that before, it
had been a source of pride for the bounty hunter that she had never
let a bounty slide before. It got progressively worse from there,
until Nagi just stopped taking bounties, living on her savings. There
were even rumors that she had died, as the surprise of the three
gossiping criminals showed when she accosted them for information.
Ken-Ohki was further shocked when Nagi actually involved an innocent
in her quest to take Ryoko into custody. Ken-Ohki had been ignoring
the misgivings at that point. It still seemed odd that Nagi would use
a ploy that she had long considered a tool of the weak. Before
kidnapping Tenchi, Nagi would have said that only proved that a person
wasn't capable of taking someone on directly.
The cabbit hadn't really started to worry until the report of what his
sunburst had caused reached his ears, or sensors. Even then he had
convinced himself that it was an accident of some kind. When Sasami
had commanded that a bounty be placed on Nagi's head Ken-Ohki was
surprised, but certain that it was some sort of misunderstanding.
Then Nagi had started talking about killing Ryoko's friends to keep
them out of the way.
Now she was withdrawing from him, keeping her thoughts closed. Nagi
was hiding things from him, and what Ken-Ohki caught did not calm him.
It seemed there was just something about Ryoko that set the bounty
hunter off. Even before the pirate had escaped the first time she had
seemed eager to torture Ryoko. It was like there was something about
Ryoko that just naturally ticked off his mistress.
Whatever the case, Nagi needed to be taken down, preferably in way
that left her alive. Ken-Ohki accepted that reluctantly. As it was
nobody would get any good from her being free. Nagi being included in
those that were hurt by her current activities.
So when the cabbit saw the small gray probe on its sensors, he said
nothing about it to his mistress. He reasoned that the Galaxy Police
would be a lot more likely to take Nagi alive than Ryoko would.
**************************
Washu looked at the data being relayed to her through the sub space
link. Chief among them was a blood scan that contained one DNA scan
that was so highly crossbred that it couldn't really be assigned to
any specific species. There were elements of Human, Nekojin,
Tel'Quessir, Ithrit and most of the human genes were specifically from
the Jurai strain. Then there were those genes that came from one of
the two races that actually claimed to be true demons, the Tanar'ri.
The scientist came to the same conclusion as Kiyone and both computers
involved. The blood came from Ryoko. That meant that Ryoko had been
alive, at least until a few days ago. As for now, they couldn't be
sure. Kiyone said she'd check into activity about the shrine. Which
left it to Washu to decide what to do with this information.
"Lady Ryoko survived then?" Washu turned towards the surprised voice
and stared Azaka in the face.
"What are you doing reading over my shoulder?" Washu demanded
irritably. Azaka guaged the chance of him ending up a kappa and
decided to apologize.
"Forgive me, Washu-s..chan," Azaka said quickly. "But I heard
Makibi-San's voice and wanted to know how the hunt was going."
"She's communicating by relay probes," Washu noted. "I had to wait
for two hours for all parts of this report to get to me. I would say
she believes Nagi to be in the area." Washu's voice betrayed the
irritation she felt at having to wait for the file. Obviously she
thought that Kiyone was being over cautious in her communication
methods. Azaka ignored that, Washu wasn't a proffesional in his and
the police officer's field, and making her feel stupid would only
resort in a temporarily rewritten genetic code.
"And Lady Ryoko?" Azaka asked. "I was certain that she would be dead
from her injuries."
"She survived Kagato, and the battle," Washu said. "At least that's
what the evidence shows."
"This is excellent news!" Azaka declared. "I must inform her
highness." He was about to leave Washu's presence when he suddenly
found himself in a small room, created around the two of them by what
seemed to be a little girl.
"Don't do that," Washu said.
"Why not?"
"She'll tell her sister," Washu said simply. "And I don't know how
she'd take it."
"Even if she weren't comatose again," Azaka retorted. "I do not
believe that she truly hated the woman. It might help her to hear
there were more survivors."
"And if Nagi has already killed Ryoko?" Washu asked. Azaka held
silent a moment before nodding in understanding. "We'll wait to see
what Kiyone finds."
**************************
"Imagine Saotome-kun going off and getting married the same day
we talked to him," Hinako Tendo shook her head in amusement. "It is
quite a coincidence."
"I knew we should have waited for Nabiki to go on break first,"
Soun sighed. ~Of course, Genma is pushing me to track down Natsume's
sister, nothing but a martial artist for him.~
"Nabiki already has someone," Hinako reminded him.
"That's part of the problem," Soun mumbled.
"But they're such a nice...opportunistic...couple," Hinako
either missed her husband's wince, or felt like teasing him. The
impish smile on her childish face indicated the latter. "And they're
both in law school, planning to manage a magician or something like
that?"
"Demon hunter," Soun confirmed reluctantly.
"That's right, Nabiki is perfect for that," Hinako snapped her
fingers. "What was that name again?"
"Chigako Ogawa," Soun said eyes closed. Hinako counted
silently on her fingers down from three. "My little girl is dating a
woman!!! WAHH!!!" Hinako laughed girlishly and glanced out the window
and choked on her giggles as she saw someone walking up the street
toward the dojo.
"Umm...Ohohoh, honey, you need to calm down really quickly,"
Hinako said in a rush. Her younger form had grown less hyperactive,
but she could still be quite bouncy when excited or panicked.
"Why should I calm down!" Soun wailed. "My daughter's a
lesbian and the only man she'd be attracted to is married!!!"
"Andshe'scomingupthestreet!!"
"What?" Soun asked through the wails.
"Nabiki'satthegate!!She'satthegate!" Hinako stopped herself
took a deep breath and pointed at the window down to the ground level.
"Na. Bi. Ki. Is. Here."
"Ack!" Soun rushed to the window to see Nabiki strolling
through the gate to the door with her normal bored expression. This
did not help matters. "My baby's going to think I don't love her!!!"
Hinako was panicking since she had initiated the outburst. The
end result was two hyperemotional adults running around a bed-room.
One of them waving her arms about and knocking things over, the other
crying a river. Until Hinako latched onto an idea.
Downstairs, Nabiki entered the house and looked around. She
heard something like an electrical discharge, or someone getting their
chi drained, followed by a thud.
"Tadaima!" Nabiki called out.
"Why, Nabiki," adult-Hinako's cool voice rang out as she walked
down the stairs to meet Nabiki. "We didn't expect you for another
week or two." Nabiki noted her stepmother's appearance and arched an
eyebrow.
"You're going to give me an Oedipal complex, Hinako," Nabiki
said dryly.
"At least I can wear something that nearly fits now," Hinako
answered cooly.
"I assume that Daddy's...resting?" Nabiki asked, as she sat
down at the dining table.
"I thought that one of us should be in a condition to act their
age," Hinako said as she walked into the kitchen and set up the Mr
Tea. "So how is your girlfriend?"
"Chi's fine," Nabiki said. "We're looking into starting a
supernatural insurance company after we're out of classes."
"That's good, the world needs one of those. Are you and she
having troubles. You had said that you were moving in with her."
Hinako asked, coming into the room with a pot of instant tea and a
pair of cups.
~Thank goodness the small talk is out of the way,~ Nabiki
thought. "This is just a day trip, I heard there was a new addition
to the family."
"I'm afraid that's not possible for another year or...oh, you
mean Saotome-kun's marriage," Hinako said.
"Yes, but thank you for the disturbing thought anyway," Nabiki
said. "So, what is this Ryoko like?"
"I have not met her," Hinako admitted as she lifted a tea-cup
to her mouth.
Nabiki didn't even pay attention as the woman through the cup
and her head back, downing the tea in one gulp. She had gotten used
to Hinako's transformations as surely as she had gotten used to
Ranma's.
"Ranma gets married, and Daddy doesn't do anything?" Nabiki
arched an eyebrow.
"Mmmm, good," Hinako-teen sighed. "Not as good as Kasumi-chan,
but better than nothing."
"Hinako," Nabiki reminded irritably.
"Hmmm?" the apparent blinked. "Ohh...well they've been out of
town since we last saw him. And I think I forgot to tell him about
Kasumi's message, silly me."
"Meaning they're back," Nabiki nodded. The girl turned to look
at the stairs at the sound of footsteps and waved at her weary looking
father. "Hi, Daddy, are you feeling better?"
"Nabiki!!" Soun shouted. "What a pleasant surprise!"
~And now we're back to small talk,~ Nabiki thought irritably.
**************************
"I'll see who it is," Dr. Tofu called back to Kasumi as a knock
came on the door. He moved at a more or less calm pace, if it had
been some sort of medical emergency the caller would have just gone in
through the clinic entrance.
As Tofu approached the door he felt a fuzzy, half-hidden chi
just beyond the entrance. He paused and sighed, incidences like this
were becoming commonplace around Nerima of late. He had to admit that
the girl was getting better at erasing her presence. Tofu prepared
himself to humor the young woman as most people had been, and opened
the door to empty air.
"Hello?" he asked, stepping outside for a moment and looking
around. The chi in question passed quietly behind him, radiating
mischievious joy, not so much as a stir in the wind to alert his
physical senses of the passage.
The doctor made a play of shrugging his shoulders and turned
back into the house.
"Must be a..." he stopped upon seeing Kodachi trying, and
failing, to keep a straight face. "Kodachi, you know you really
shouldn't sneak up on people like that. It'll get you in trouble
someday."
"Oh but the looks on peoples faces are simply priceless!"
Kodachi squealed happily. "Konatsu-chan has been teaching me oh so
many useful things, I actually won a match without using doctored
tools. It is to laugh. OH-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"How do you manage to sneak around without laughing?" Tofu
wondered idly.
"It is a secret ninja trick," Kodachi said superiorally.
"I would have thought you'd have to gag yourself," the doctor
continued. A large bead of sweat formed on Kodachi's forehead and
worked its way down.
"Yes, well onto why I'm here," Kodachi cleared her throat
before continuing. "My brother has recently received word of
Ranma-sama's nuptials and left to smite him with the vengeance of
heaven. That was sometime yesterday. Usually by now I have heard
from either the police or the hospital, and yet no word of my brother
has come to me since he left on his rather ill-conceived quest. I
spoke with the Saotome matriarch this morning, but she had heard
nothing of my brother. Perhaps I should have made another call to see
if Ranma-sama and his bride had yet awakened, but that is for later.
I am here now and wish to ask if you have seen my delusional brother."
At some point in the rant Kasumi had entered the room,
attracted by the sound of Kodachi's laughter, and joined in with her
husband in observing the Kuno girl's seemingly unending stream of
speech. For a moment they stood there waiting for her to continue
talking, not sure that she had yet finished.
"Oh, you're finished," Kasumi said finally. "Yes he was here,
I gave him some suggestions on where he might find Ranma." Kodachi
noted the looks on the older couple's faces and slumped.
"Is this little sight-seeing tour going to cost me a great sum
of money?" Kodachi asked.
"That is assuming that he survives it," Tofu added while Kasumi
blushed in embarrassment.
**************************
"What are you doing Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked, trying to see over
her partners' shoulder.
"I'm borrowing some satellites," Kiyone answered.
"Are we allowed to do that?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well this planet is under our jurisdiction," Kiyone explained
hesitantly.
"Oh, Okay!" Mihoshi said cheerfully. "Then is it okay if you
look into some of the local files?"
"Sure, I guess," Kiyone said, not paying attention. With the
level of technology on this planet, security was a joke. It wasn't
like there'd be anything to find though. ~As if I'm going to find
Nagi with one of these eyepieces, assuming she's even in orbit, or out
in the open.~
"I didn't know Ryoko had married Tenchi," Mihoshi said suddenly.
Kiyone looked up from her work and turned to Mihoshi.
"What are you talking about?" Kiyone asked. "She didn't."
"Well this must be another Ryoko Masaki who inherited the shrine
then," Mihoshi said, shrugging. The blonde suddenly found herself
being pushed to the side as the green haired detetctive moved into a
position to look over the information she had found.
"Are you really stupid," Kiyone asked after a minute or two.
"Or do you just enjoy making me frustrated?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kiyone," Mihoshi said,
blinking. "Is that Ryoko?"
"It looks like it," Kiyone said. "A second marriage, she was
really trying to bury herself..." Suddenly there was a hard rapping
echoing through the ship. "What is that?"
"I'll get it," Mihoshi said cheerfully.
"It's probably just some animal," Kiyone said over her shoulder
returning to studying the files Mihoshi had hacked into. "We're in
the middle of nowhere." The door opened letting more of the outside
sounds into the small craft.
"Now, foul beast, you shall fall at the hands of the great and
powerful Blue Thunder of the Kuno clan," a male voice shouted out as
the rapping continued. "Do you here me demon-sorcerer, no matter how
foul the demon you send I shall yet prevail over your unholy designs!"
Mihoshi looked out of the ship and stared at the kendoist
attacking their ship and blinked. She turned back to the equally
non-pulsed Kiyone and produced perhaps one of the most damning
statements ever uttered.
"Kiyone, there's an idiot out here," Mihoshi said. Kiyone's
face planted into the floor of the ship. The green-haired detective
picked herself up to take a look at what the blonde called an idiot.
"Excuse me," Kiyone called out as she walked past Mihoshi. "Is
there any reason that your hammering on our...RV?"
"Forsooth this vile daemonic creature must certainly be have
allied itself with the nefarious and unholy might of the foul sorcerer
that seeks to part me from the presence of my true loves!" Kuno
ranted as he continued to beat on the oddly shuttle-like "beast."
Certainly it must be an evil thing indeed if it could resist
blows that could cleave the earth itself. Either that or some mystery
alloy invented by a mostly-sane genius and reinforced by force
shielding. Kiyone suddenly considered that last fact and regarded the
wooden sword with renewed respect.
"That 'vile daemonic creature' is our vehicle," Kiyone said
irritably. "We're trying to camp here and that's hard to do with all
this noise." Kuno paused a moment and considered the woman before
him. Mihoshi suddenly acquired a thoughtful expression and
disappeared around the small ship.
"You say this...is a motorized vehicle?" Kuno asked staring at
the ship.
"That's what I think I said," Kiyone added irritably. "Look.
Doooor." She pointed to the entrance of the ship and tried not to
growl.
"It seems that I have been gravely mistaken," Kuno said
reluctantly. "Certainly this must be the work of the evil Saotome
trying to distract from my goal. Never fear good woman, I shall
avenge the slight the sorcerer has done you this day." With that the
kendoist limped away into the forest, much to Kiyone's relief. Then
she frowned at the sound of a cheerfully humming Mihoshi behind her.
"Just what are you doing Mihoshi?" Kiyone asked.
"I'm setting up camp," Mihoshi said. "You're right, it is easier
to do without all that noise."
"Why are you doing that?" Kiyone asked tightly.
"Well we can't camp out if we don't set up camp," Mihoshi said,
as if talking to a child.
"We don't need to do that!" Kiyone yelled. "That ship is about
five times as big inside as it is out, we're travelling with a bloody
house!"
"Then why did you tell that..." Mihoshi paused. "Oh, that was a
lie, wasn't it?"
"Yes Mihoshi," Kiyone said wearily. "Now I found a phone number,
and I'm going to make a call okay?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Mihoshi asked.
"Got into a rut," Kiyone muttered walking into the ship. She
paused as she looked at the name matching the phone number. "Saotome,
I wonder if that person knows him." She shook her head. "Too much of
a coincidence, even for us."
**************************
Ranma turned away from the silent accusation being leveled at her
from her own reflection and started to walk into the open room.
Briefly she considered switching back to male form, but decided
against it. She needed to work out both sides.
She guaged the amount of room she had for a moment before
starting. She had an idea that she might need to work on her chi
skills somewhat. That meant using the soul of ice, and with Ryoko
around she couldn't just let it go.
Ranma called up the soul of ice and concentrated on seeing and
controlling the chi flows. At her command the swirls of cold chi
stayed in the same small room as her, not coming close to the sleeping
alien in the next room. There was something about the mental state
that seemed different. She couldn't quite lay her finger on it, but
she seemed more comfortable than she had in a long time.
Ice had started to form on the walls when the phone started
ringing. Ranma quickly retreated from the soul of ice as she left the
room. Crossing the doorway, Ranma barely felt the huge change in
temperature.
"Hello?" Ranma said irritably as she picked up the phone. There
was silence for a moment. "I'm hanging up now."
"Ohkay what number did I reach?" the woman asked.
"This is the Saotome place," Ranma demanded. "But I ain't the
owner and I don't have any credit so don't try selling me nothing."
"I'm not selling anything, is there a Ranma Saotome there?" there
was a questioning tone in her voice.
"That's me," Ranma stated. She could almost see the blank look
at the other end of the line.
"That's impossible," the woman said. "The information I have
says that...why are there two sets of vital information listed under
your files?"
"What files are you talking about?" Ranma demanded.
"College transcripts, drivers liscense, medical records," the
woman continued. "Curse? Damn, cute pictures. Looks like something I
saw on a romance novel, wait a minute..." Ranma rolled her eyes,
there was a novel out there that had used his respective forms as
models. Something Nabiki had worked out to help him pay for college.
"Hey! Those are private," Ranma snapped. "You still haven't
said who you are yet."
"My apologies, you took me by surprise, I was expecting a male
voice," the woman said. "Are you aware that you seem to be married to
a Ryoko Masaki?"
"Is that her na...I mean what are you talking about?" Ranma
belatedly realized that he didn't know what the relationship between
Ryoko and this person was. For the moment she was his responsibility
and that meant protecting her.
"Then...she's alive?" the voice sounded hopeful. Ranma glanced
at the still sleeping Ryoko and narrowed her eyes. Coincidence often
seemed to rule Ranma's life, as a result the neo-girl had developed a
tendency, right or wrong, to leap to some very interesting conclusions
on the flimsiest bits of information.
"You wouldn't know a tall blue-haired psychopath with a whip
would you?" There was a long period of silence again.
"You aren't very subtle, are you," the woman stated.
"Is there a reason I should be?" Ranma asked.
"But Ryoko's alive?" the woman asked again desperately.
"I don't know what you got against her, and I don't care, but if
you want to get her you'll have to come through me," Ranma snapped.
~Don't expect me to stand around while a bunch a psychos beat up on
someone.~ It could be considered odd that a person would feel it
necessary to add the last as a conscious thought.
"I think you have the wrong idea here," the woman said quickly.
"I'm Kiyone Makibi, I traveled with her, maybe she mentioned me?"
"We haven't talked much about our pasts," Ranma said, it was
mostly the truth. The only past they'd talked about were a few
specific events and some skirting the edges of mutual loss. "We're
stuck together until she's on her feet and this bureaucratic snafu is
fixxed. Ain't like we're getting along."
"Not my business, but how is she? Where is she!? I found traces
of a fight at the shrine, was it Nagi!" as the questioning continued
Ranma held the uncomfortably loud phone away from her ear. There was
a muffled voice that sounded like "That's how I usually talk,"
followed by a sudden stop in the questions and a low growl.
"Who are you talking to?" an irritated Ryoko demanded from behind
Ranma.
"Why aren't you still asleep?" Ranma snapped back.
"I can't sleep with you yelling practically in my ear," Ryoko
retorted. "Now who are you talking to?"
"She says her name's Kiyone," Ranma answered, surprised as Ryoko
snatched the phone from her grasp.
"Kiyone!" Ryoko gasped in disbelief. "You're alive!"
"It is you Ryoko," Kiyone shouted on the other end. "What's
going on here?"
"First you tell me what happened," Ryoko returned angrily. She
paused for a long time. "How did Tenchi die?" She asked quietly,
turned away from Ranma. The redhead herself had politely walked away
a small distance.
"I'm about to be noticed by the locals," Kiyone noted, stalling
for time. "Let's meet somewhere tomorrow and I'll tell you."
"What's the name of the okonomiyaki place," Ryoko asked Ranma.
"Ucchan's, why?" Ranma asked.
"There's this joint in, Nerima?" she asked Ranma, who nodded.
"Ucchan's, be there tomorrow about four in the afternoon by local
time, and you'd better answer me then."
"I'll find it," Kiyone said. "I'm glad you're alive."
"Whatever," Ryoko shrugged. "You'd better have answers." She
clicked the phone down into the carriage and turned to Ranma. "I
can't get you to stay here, can I?" It was more of a statement than a
question really.
"Not very likely," Ranma muttered.
"Don't you dare tell anyone I cried in your arms," Ryoko snarled.
"I'll tear you to pieces."
"Lots of tried to before," Ranma said shrugging.
"Whatever."
**************************
"Kiyone," Mihoshi said. "Washu designed the communication
systems, Nagi couldn't find such a short range signal, much less
Earth."
"I don't want to talk about that over the phone," Kiyone
explained. "And I need some time to think of what to say and how to
say it."
"Are you going to tell her about Ayeka?" Mihoshi asked.
"No, Ayeka still might not survive," Kiyone said. "Better Ryoko
think she's already dead for now."
"Okay, now what?"
"Now we do a little more digging on this Ranma person," Kiyone
said, turning back to the computer.
**********************************************************************
Reunion
"What did I do to deserve this?" Shampoo wondered, her head
pressed into the table in front of her. Mousse was cooking, since
Shampoo was too stressed at the moment for it. He felt moderately
sorry for Ran-Ran when the girl woke up, Shampoo was likely to tear
her to ribbons. Seeing the girl come in sick from an allergic
reaction had scared his wife badly. Shampoo did not react to being
scared well.
"You spent several months inflicting hairbrained scheme after
hairbrained scheme on Ranma and everybody else," Mousse said wittily.
Shampoo growled without lifting her head from the table.
"You weren't any better," Shampoo snapped.
"I wasn't the one that asked," Mousse reminded her. He walked
over and set a pair of bowls of ramen on the table. Most of the
equipment was in, they'd be opening soon. Shampoo lifted her head up
and started on her bowl.
"We've been here for two days," Shampoo said. "So far we
haven't made any progress on finding enough property for sufficient
Amazons to start a colony, Ranma is married, Ran-Ran is completely
ignoring me about how to deal with men outside the village, and then
nearly gets herself killed."
"She's didn't eat that much garlic," Mousse said.
"She's acting like a total idiot," Shampoo snapped.
"She's acting like we did," Mousse agreed. Shampoo closed her
eyes and her face twitched.
"Mu Shu wants to spend the night in the storage closet I guess,"
Shampoo growled.
"That would be like old days," Mousse said, smirking. Shampoo
smirked back and leaned toward him.
"Maybe we should inspect it," Shampoo said huskily.
"Of course," Mousse agreed, shifting closer to his wife.
"Because if I'm going to spend a lot of time there, we'll need to make
sure it is fit for habitation."
"It would be good to know how much room there is before the rest
of the supplies arrive too," Shampoo smiled and leaned closer in,
their lips were almost touching.
"Big Sister Shampoo," Ran-Ran called out, her voice accompanying
the sound of featherlight steps coming out of the living quarters.
Shampoo and Mousse both slumped in frustration. "Ran-Ran feel much
better after nap. When I next visit ai..." Ran-Ran presented warding
symbols as Mousse and Shampoo both rounded on her and started tag-team
lecturing her.
********
"That Kiyone person is one of your friends?" Ranma asked
unnecessarily.
"More like a friend of a friend," Ryoko said, sitting back down
on the couch.
"Her partner shot me down on this place. If it weren't for that I
would have never have met..." She stared at the television playing
whatever came after the soap opera.
"Yeah," Ranma said, agreeing silently with the unspoken question
as to whether meeting her lost love was a good thing or not. The
redhead sat next to the pirate, not too close even if it was on the
same piece of furniture. Ranma stared at the television with Ryoko.
Neither of them were really seeing it.
"Is there any ice cream?"
********
Nabiki paused at the walkway to the Saotome house door as Genma
and Nodoka approached from the other direction. Ranma's parents
stopped to face her as well. There was a moment's silence from both
sides.
"I suppose you've heard," Nodoka said simply.
"Yes," Nabiki answered dryly. "That would explain why I'm here
a couple of weeks early."
"Are you here on behalf of the Tendo clan?" Nodoka asked.
Nabiki rolled her eyes and was about to answer.
"Her, she's an accountant, not a fighter," Genma started. Both
the women turned to face him. Nabiki arched an eyebrow and Nodoka
glared and then turned to face each other again, dismissing the
comment.
"I'd like to see what is going on," Nabiki said. "Ranma was
almost my brother-in-law." She crossed her arms and dared Nodoka to
dispute her motives.
"Well, I suppose there is nothing else to do than to introduce
you to my daughter-in-law," Nodoka said. "They should still be
inside." Nodoka relaxed her posture and walked toward the house's
entrance, her husband and Nabiki following behind.
"Tadaima," Nodoka called out as she entered the building.
"Ranma, you have a visitor!" Nodoka paused a moment and walked toward
the kitchen, groceries in hand. "Come along dear, we should get these
put up."
"Of course, Nodoka," Genma said resignedly. Nabiki frowned as
she waited for Ranma to call back. She the wandered past the kitchen
where Nodoka and Genma were sorting groceries.
"Ranma, are you here?" Nodoka said a little irritably. Nabiki
found the dining room and the newlyweds as Ranma called back. Nabiki
glanced at the silver hair and arched an eyebrow, and then down at the
tail and rolled her eyes. On the table in front of them was a
rabbit-like animal chomping away on a load of carrots.
"Yeah, Mom," Ranma snapped. "I heard. Is it another Amazon?
Some girl whom Pop promised me as a groom to? A wandering martial
artist?" Nabiki shook her head as the redhead shouted irritably.
"That is no way to talk to your mother, Ranma," Nodoka called
out dissatisfactorily from the kitchen.
"Sorry," Ranma called out.
"Getting a little snippy, Ranma," Nabiki said in an amused
manner. She noted the ice cream and the paired long faces and
frowned. Ranma turned to face her and huffed.
"Oh, hey Nabiki," Ranma said. "Sorry, but my life's gettin'
crazy again." The silver haired woman turned toward Nabiki and the
brown-haired girl's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged slightly.
"Who's this?" Ryoko asked roughly, before spooning up another
bite of ice cream.
"How's your friend?" Ranma asked when it looked like Nabiki
wasn't going to answer. Nabiki shook her head clear and recovered her
normal expresson.
"Ahh Chi's fine," Nabiki said. ~Good thing she's not here, I'd
be in trouble about now.~ She turned to face Ryoko "You must be the
new Mrs. Saotome I heard about." Ranma and Ryoko both winced and
glared. She drew out a business card and passed it to Ranma. "We'll
be selling insurance in another year or so, might be of interest to
you."
"She's like this all the time," Ranma explained taking the card.
"Nabiki, Ryoko. Ryoko, Nabiki. Actually the two of you might get
along." She frowned as she considered the implications and who she
was talking to. "Well...as friends anyway."
"Why is that?" Ryoko asked suspiciously. Nabiki arched an
eyebrow and waited for the answer as well.
"You're both pains," Ranma said and took some of her ice-cream.
Nabiki gave an amused laugh while Ryoko growled.
"So what's with the ice cream?" she pointed to the collection of
tubs in front of the pair. Ryoko and Ranma both tensed and found the
ice cream suddenly very interesting.
"Talking about old times," Ranma said quietly. Nabiki's
amusement died and she nodded. "Ryoko and I have some stuff in
common."
"Mind if I join you?" Nabiki asked, feeling morose as all the
memories brought up by recent events caught up with her. Ryoko looked
at her suspiciously.
"She's another of Akane's sisters," Ranma explained. Ryoko's
expression relented a bit.
"Fine, whatever," she said.
"Good, I'll be right back," Nabiki walked back to the kitchen
and grabbed herself a spoon and a bowl. She turned to Ranma's
parents. "Mind if we get some privacy for a while?" She asked.
Nodoka considered this and then smiled pleasantly.
"Of course, Nabiki," she said, though not without suspicion.
"We'll both be in the living room if you need us."
"Thanks, Auntie Saotome," Nabiki said, falling back into old
habits as she went to join in the ice cream pity party.
Nodoka peeked in once and saw Ranma and Ryoko, who weren't
sitting side by side, but were at least close, sitting across from
Nabiki. From what she could see, nothing was being said, or maybe all
was being said that was needed. She nodded in understanding as she
left the three women to eat their ice cream in peace.
********
"Excuse me, Ranma, ladies," Nodoka said, knocking on the door
half an hour later. "But we really must have the dining room for
dinner." She then passed straight through to the kitchen.
"Yeah, sorry Mom," Ranma said gathering up the bowls and tubs of
ice cream. With, predictably, a little trouble from Ryoko.
"I'm not finished yet," Ryoko growled holding her bowl tightly.
There was a moment's silent conflict before Ranma let go of the bowl.
"Fine," Ranma snapped. "I'm gonna go change." She vanished
into the kitchen as well, pausing to give a warning look to Nabiki.
Nabiki ignored him, internally amused.
"Well," Nabiki said as she was left alone with Ryoko. "You're
not quite what I expected."
"What did you expect," Ryoko asked cautiously as she continued
eating her ice cream.
"You obviously not any happier about this situation than he is,"
Nabiki said, ignoring the question. ~As for interested...we'll see.~
"Why, you want him?" Ryoko asked. "As soon as this little botch
gets fixed you're welcome to him." Nabiki snickered and shook her
head.
"I'm already attached, thank you," Nabiki said amused. "And
Ranma isn't really my type."
"Not interested in bad-tempered jerks?" Ryoko asked.
"Ranma would probably think I was planning to rent him out
again," Nabiki said, smiling. "But again, he's not my type."
"Rent him out?" Ryoko asked, confused. Nabiki took a picture
out of her wallet and passed it to Ryoko. She saw a picture of Nabiki
and some girl with glasses posing for the camera. "Actually, I think
Fem-Boy falls into that type." Nabiki wasn't apparently paying
attention, looking at some other photo in her wallet.
"Ranma's a guy even when he's a girl," Nabiki said without
looking up. "They were fighting less and less. Maybe if the Phoenix
people hadn't shown up one of them would have stopped being stubborn."
Nabiki handed over another picture, keeping a tight hold of her
wallet. Ryoko recognized Ranma and a girl that had to be Akane
holding hands at a balcony and watching each other while fireworks
were going off in the sky.
"If, yeah" Ryoko repeated. ~If I hadn't let Tenchi go, if
Kagato hadn't come looking for Ayeka. There are too many ifs.~
"Ranma's family," Nabiki said, who was considering trying to
convince Chi not to go on Yohko's devil hunting excursions so much.
"I protect my family."
"Don't worry about me," Ryoko said. "I'm not hanging around
long." Nabiki arched an eyebrow, but didn't answer as Ranma, in his
normal form, came into the room.
"So what is for dinner?"
********
"This must be the place," Kiyone said looking around. "Let's
find a...Mihoshi. What are you doing?"
"Hey, Kiyone! Come look at this!" Mihoshi called out. Kiyone
shook her head irritably and walked over to see what had attracted her
partner's attention. She found an embarrassed looking man apparently
tied to the counter with a leash. "Isn't this the funniest thing
you've ever seen?" The young man frowned at the comment.
"You'll have to excuse my partner," Kiyone said. "She's a
little...ditzy."
"A little?" the leashed man asked.
"Just to satisfy my curiousity," Kiyone continued. "Why are you
tied the counter." The young man blushed and laughed nervously.
"I don't want to postpone our wedding again," a woman's voice
called out as the chef came from the back to attend to the grill.
"And that's the only way I can think of to keep him from getting
lost." She set up behind the grill and grabbed a spatula, similar to
the giant one strapped to her back, if smaller. For a moment she
looked Kiyone and Mihoshi over, as if matching them to descriptions.
"What can I get you?"
"I'm not that bad," Ryouga said. Kiyone and Mihoshi turned to
look at each other in confusion.
"Excuse me," Kiyone said. "Why not buy him a map?" The chef
sighed and pulled out a box full of odds and ends, she pulled out the
shreads of map with multiple penciled marks and angry doodles on it.
"Hey, its not my fault the mapmakers are idiots, Ukyou!" Ryouga
snapped.
"Okay," Kiyone said. "Compass?" A small round piece of metal
came out of the box and was set on the counter. The needle on the
compass was spinning out of control.
"The compass frame got magnatized," Ukyou said dryly.
"How about a plast..." Kiyone didn't get to finish as another
compass joined the first. It was cracked and the plastic holding it
together was brittle in places. It was almost like it had been frozen
and nearly shattered.
"You didn't say I wasn't supposed to follow the arrow," Ryouga
said in a huff.
"Locater bracelet?" Kiyone asked.
"Fell off," Ukyou said. "Couldn't find one that changed size
enough."
"Ohkay," Kiyone tried to ignore that. "Subdermal microchip?" A
collection of bent, shattered and destroyed needles of various sizes.
"The doctors hate giving us shots," Ukyou said.
"Not that we need it," Ryouga hmphed.
"Umm," Kiyone sweatdropped. "Global positoning system?" A hand
held GPS joined the other items. Its screen repeatedly scrolled the
message "Where on Earth am I now!?"
"I don't know about that one," Ukyou said, she lifted a hand to
forestall Ryouga's explanation. "I don't want to know about that one.
It just doesn't work."
"Yeah," Kiyone sweatdropped. "We're just going to go sit over
here and wait for our friends, okay?" She backed off nervously,
pulling Mihoshi with her.
"Uhh, you wouldn't happen to be here to meet-owww!" Ryouga
turned to Ukyou with a confused and shocked expression. "What did I
say?!"
"That's going to be a rough marriage," Mihoshi said as she sat
down.
********
Kiyone saw a young women walk towards Ukyou and whisper
something. Immediately there was action. The chef moved to the
customers that were already in the store and politely talked to them.
As the customers finished up, each leaving with a coupon that Ukyou
handed out with an expression near to pain, Kiyone frowned.
"Hey, where's everybody going?" Mihoshi asked. The blonde stood
up and started walking to the door. Kiyone, on the other hand watched
Ryouga, still leashed to the counter.
"You didn't really have to shut down for this," a voice said
from outside. Kiyone turned her attention to the door and nodded,
satisfied that she was correct. Ukyou was holding the door open for
the last of the customers, and two newcomers. Ryoko walked in while a
man Kiyone recognized as Ranma talked to Ukyou.
"You kidding?" Ukyou asked. "Anything involving you can get
dan..err..out of..uuhh..exciting fast." Ranma frowned as Ukyou tried
to find a safe phrase to use. His own answer was cut off as Mihoshi
recognized Ryoko.
"RYOKO!!!" Mihoshi yelled loudly. The blonde rushed towards a
suddenly nervous Ryoko, and gave her a crushing bear hug. "I'm so
glad to see you alive! Everyone said you had died!"
Everybody else in the room paused for a moment in shock as Ryoko
winced at the blonde's expression of relief. Then there was a dash to
pull the excitable blonde off of the silver-haired pirate.
"Mihoshi, you're gonna hurt her like that!" Kiyone yelled as
Mihoshi was finally convinced to release Ryoko. The pirate staggered
and clutched at her side for a moment.
"Hey you okay?" the young man was asking Ryoko, moving to help
steady her. Ryoko shook off the offered help and steadied herself.
"I'm just fine," Ryoko growled, turning to face Kiyone. "You
cut your hair."
"Washu did that," Kiyone explained. "How long have you been
here?"
"This'll be the fourth day," Ryoko said. "Let's get off the
small talk. I want to know what the hell happened. The news said you
were all captured and Ayeka died, Nagi says Sasami has a bounty on her
and that it was HER that fucked everything up. All I know is Tenchi
is dead for nothing!" Everybody stared at her in silence for a
moment.
"You want to talk about this in front of them?" Kiyone asked,
pointing at the three Nerimans.
"We don't want to tell them we're not from Earth you know,"
Mihoshi insisted. Kiyone smacked her forehead.
"Actually, we already knew that," Ryouga said. There was a
clanging sound as Ukyou hit him over the head.
"This is a dramatic moment," Ukyou said. "Not time for comic
relief!" Ranma slapped his hand to his face, lacking a nearby surface
to bang his head against. Ryoko was glaring at them, wishing for her
powers back to blast the both of them. Kiyone was looking them in a
manner she usually reserved for one of Washu's untested inventions.
Mihoshi just blinked.
Ryouga and Ukyou turned embarrased looks to the other four
people in the room and at the same time gave an ashamed. "Excuse us."
Ryoko growled and turned to face Kiyone.
"Well?" she demanded. Kiyone nodded and started walking back to
a table. Ryoko followed, pausing when she noticed Ranma heading for
the counter away from her. "Not going to stick your nose into this?"
Ranma looked at her confused.
"Do you want me to?" Ranma asked, honestly surprised. Ryoko
produced her own surprised expression before frowning again.
"You're not as much of an asshole as I thought," Ryoko said, as
if reluctant to admit it. Then she moved to join Kiyone. "Now..."
Ryoko paused to look at Mihoshi cautiously. Mihoshi was directing a
sly, knowing look her way that was quite frankly making her nervous.
Attention from Mihoshi was usually a precursor to bad things. "What
happened?"
"Everything was fine up until Washu's virus destroyed the combat
stations around the planet," Kiyone explained. Ryoko narrowed her
eyes.
"Washu's virus destroyed the drones?" she asked, idly picking up
a knife. Everyone tensed at the motion. Kiyone blinked and looked at
her.
"Didn't it?" Kiyone asked. "That's how you got through right?"
"I destroyed the drones," Ryoko said. She tossed the table
knife at Kiyone, and the police officer easily caught before it hit
her head. Ryoko stood up as the three Nerimans across the room got
ready to move if the conflict escalated. "Who the fuck are you?"
"It's Kiyone, Ryoko," Mihoshi insisted.
"Bull," Ryoko snapped. "Even Mihoshi knew that Kiyone is..."
Ryoko turned to her "friend" and snarled. "Was right-handed, so who
are you?"
"Damn," Kiyone muttered under her breath. She turned her head
towards Ryoko and pulled back some of her hair to show a circular scar
in the side of her head. Ryoko blanched, but remained suspicious.
"Ask Ryo-Ohki, I am Kiyone. Just, well maybe Washu didn't put me back
together just right." Ryoko looked down at the cabbit that was
constantly with her and it nodded. She sat down again, drawing
several sighs of relief from about the restaurant.
********
"Guess she's who she says she is," Ukyou said under her breath,
resheathing her spatula. Ryouga sat down and nodded.
"Think we'll see more of that," Ryouga asked sitting back down.
Ranma shrugged, but remained standing, watching Ryoko. His fists were
clenched at his sides. Ryouga and Ukyou nodded on seeing that and
turned to quietly watch the discussion between the three aliens.
********
"Did that happen in the crash," Ryoko asked. Kiyone growled
angrily, something Ryoko had only seen from Kiyone when it had to do
with her partner.
"My peers in the Jurai Intelligence Service decided they wanted
to interrogate people as quickly as possible," Kiyone said. "Comatose
or otherwise. Meaning Ayeka and I were trea..."
"Wait, Ayeka survived Kagato. Survived that blue haired bitch,"
Ryoko said angrily. "Tenchi dies to save her, and then some
over-eager spook decides to skull-fuck her!" ~Tenchi really did die
for nothing.~
"And Kiyone," Mihoshi reminded her angrily. Ryoko glared at
Mihoshi and then shrugged apologeticaly.
"Yeah, how much did you lose?" Ryoko asked.
"I don't know," Kiyone said irritably. "Bits and pieces.
Obviously the battle, pretty much none of my skills, Washu saved those
well enough..." she paused. "In fact, I'm not sure that she didn't
add one or two."
"You have Ayeka's scan right?" Ryoko asked wearily.
"Yes," Kiyone said, slipping a disk out of her pockets and
handing it over to Ryoko. "Mihoshi, the player."
"Hmm, oh right!" Mihoshi put a small flat rectangular piece of
plastic on the table and pushed a section. The rectangular popped
open and Ryoko put the disc in and slapped it down. Almost
immediately a hologram screen appeared and showed the inside of the
Jurai throne room.
Ryoko watched Kagato play with Tenchi and almost completely
ignore Ayeka. She couldn't actually see the princess, but her hands
were visible, and her voice was easy to recognize. It was quite
obvious that Kagato had the advantage. Then the Jurai trees in the
illusion about the throne room seemed to become Earth trees. Tenchi,
on a second wind, and Kagato charged each other.
"Ranma?" Ryoko reached forward to hit the pause button on the
player. She shook her head and continued. "Come over here."
"Sure," Ranma said, breezing over to stand next to her. "You
sure you want me here?" Ryoko snorted.
"I just don't feel like having the story dragged out of me
later," Ryoko said irritably. "I don't NEED you here, got that?"
Mihoshi arched an eyebrow and gave Kiyone a knowing look.
"Got it," Ranma said. Ryoko nodded a good and started the
hologram again.
Ryoko leaned forward as Tenchi and Kagato charged each other,
biting her lip as if in anticipation. Ranma, standing next to her,
caught a muttered "please" repeated over and over again and sighed
resignedly. In the hologram, the ceiling caved in and the view
shifted upwards, along with Tenchi's focus.
"Damn it Tenchi!" Ryoko yelled, tears forming at the corners of
her eyes. "The old man's told you a thousand times never to take your
eyes off an opponent! Never! Turn back your eyes damn you!" Ryoko
felt someone gripping her shoulder and looked up to see Ranma. She
frowned and shrugged her shoulder away from him, but not before giving
a slight nod.
Certainly enough the view switched to show Tenchi impaled on
Kagato's black blade. Ayeka screamed, causing Kagato to turn as
Tenchi got one more shot in. The blade cut through Kagato and both
fighters went up in a swirling blaze of darkness and light.
Then all was dark.
**********************************************************************
Flashbacks and a Party
Ryoko slumped forward as the scan finished playing. She shook
her head wearily, taking deep breaths to help fight down her anger and
sorrow. The pirate gripped the edges of the table and growled,
crushing what was in her hand. She turned to look up at Mihoshi and
Kiyone again.
"Washu couldn't do anything?" she asked.
"Every cell was dead," Kiyone said. "Maybe she could make a
clone, but..."
"It wouldn't be Tenchi, right," Ryoko finished angrily. "She
always has the answers doesn't she." There was silence for a long
moment.
"Do you have any idea where Nagi would be?" Kiyone asked
finally.
"Don't worry about Nagi," Ryoko said, standing up with her fists
clenched. "She's dead."
"Ryoko, you didn't," Mihoshi whispered.
"No, she ain't yet," Ranma said.
"I don't need the back-up, Ranma," Ryoko growled.
"This has to be done right," Kiyone insisted.
"There's a bounty on her head," Ryoko reminded them sharply. "A
royal bounty. She's open season. And she should die just for the
fact that it was Sasami," Ryoko slapped her hand hard on the table.
"Who issued it." Ryoko walked out of the restaurant.
"Sorry 'bout this," Ranma said, standing up and following after
Ryoko. He waved to Ukyou and Ryouga on his way out. "Later guys.
Gotta make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
"That's almost the definition of Ryoko's attitude," Mihoshi
muttered as Ranma left. Kiyone gave her a sharp look.
"Yeah," Ukyou agreed walking over to the table. "I've noticed
she's as bad as Ranma."
"As bad as Ranma?" Kiyone repeated.
"Oh yeah," Ukyou said. "Ranma's pretty well known for
hair-braned schemes and thinking with his fists."
"Well, before Jusendo anyway," Ryouga said quietly. Ukyou's
smile vanished and returned hesitantly.
"What's Jusendo?" Kiyone asked, not liking where this was going.
"A spring of magical water," Ryouga said.
"Something happened there?" Kiyone asked. Ukyou pointed at the
player.
"Sort of like what I think was on that," Ukyou said. Kiyone
paled.
"Is he....safe?" Kiyone asked.
"Would he do anything to Ryoko?" Mihoshi asked nervously.
"Well, he kept her from drinking," Ukyou said, then flinched.
Ryouga blinked. "Uh oh."
"That was Ranma's fault!" Ryouga shouted and started for the
door, snapping the leash. "Ranma prepare to die!" Ryouga and Mihoshi
snapped to their feet at the same time Ukyou moved to intercept
Ryouga, slicing her spatula in the way.
"Are you still in high school!?" Ukyou demanded.
"But, I was covered in sake!" Ryouga whined.
"You want to postpone the wedding again?" Ukyou demanded.
"Really, have your fun with Ranma after our honeymoon."
"Fun?" Mihoshi and Kiyone repeated.
"By that time I'll have forgotten about this," Ryouga said.
Ukyou stared at for a moment and then burst out laughing, collapsing
to the ground. "What did I say?"
"Didn't you say he was going to kill that other guy?" Mihoshi
asked.
"Well, yeah," Ryouga said, scratching the back of his head.
"But it wouldn't feel right if I didn't." Kiyone nodded.
"Yeee-ah," Kiyone said.
"Forgotten..." Ukyou gasped through peals of laughter. "...by
YOU?!" Ryouga sweatdropped.
"I think we're missing something here, Kiyone," Mihoshi said.
********
"Back off," Ryoko snapped without turning around. "I don't need
a babysitter."
"Sure you do," Ranma said. "You're wide open."
"Shut up, Ranma," Ryoko growled. "I want to be alone!" She
whirled around, with a punch leading and frowned as Ranma lightly
sidestepped the strike. She growled and threw another, Ranma ducked
past it again and lightly pushed on her elbow to bring her past him.
"You feeling okay?" Ranma asked seriously. ~She's used to more
reach.~
"Just fine," Ryoko growled twirling out her arm. "It's closed."
She swung hard and wide again, and jabbed as Ranma ducked under the
strike. The martial artist intercepted it and directed it past him
again. Rolled past Ryoko and stood up behind her.
"Do you always fight like this?" he asked, shaking his head.
~Her footwork is improving. Though it can't do much more than
improve. It's like she's never fought on her feet before.~
"Would you get out of my face!?" Ryoko turned around and faced
off full with Ranma before attacking the martial artist with what was
going to be a series of fast jabs. Ranma caught the third and fourth
strikes and turned Ryoko around away from him. "Let go of me,
asshole!"
"Are you gonna stop acting like an idiot?" Ranma asked.
"Fuck you, Ranma," Ryoko snapped. Ranma let go as she pulled
against him. "I don't need this self-righteous crap."
"Who's being self-righteous?" Ranma asked. "This is stupid and
pointless."
"Yeah, what would you know about it?" Ryoko snapped. Ranma
frowned and crossed his arms. "Everything I've seen says that when
something happens, you clam up. All cool control, no passion! No
rage!"
"I need ta show you somethin'" Ranma said quietly.
********
"Pathetic," Nagi growled as she watched Ranma dance around
Ryoko. It was hardly like the vicious pirate Ryoko had been when
she'd first seen the woman. She closed her eyes and remembered.
********
"You don't seem very nervous considering this is first raid,
officer Inagi." She looked up to see the raid commander looking at
her with a sense of amusement.
"Should I be nervous?" she asked honestly.
"We'll be heading into heavy combat soon," he said. "And you
aren't breaking a sweat."
"I don't think anything is going to happen to me, sir," she said
confidentaly. "They'll probably fold before I get a shot in."
"We'll see about that, officer." he raid commander smiled.
********
Contact hadn't even been made when things went wrong. Some sort
of explosion rocked the pirate stronghold, and suddenly the guards
were on full alert. Pirate forces appeared from the surrounding hills
as the fire fight started and battle broke up into a confused mass of
laser fire and assorted explosions.
"They were set up for us, Aoi" Koji said. They had come through
the academy and the special units training together. He was probably
the only one outside of personnel and command that actually knew her
proper name. He was certainly the only one she let use it.
"Don't be stupid," Ken snapped, he was the third of their
splinter of the original raid. She hadn't been wasting her breath on
speech, listening as she went through the rapid ritual of point, click
and boom.
"I heard some of them talking about it," Koji insisted, firing
on some laser drones that were trying to get an aerial position on
them. "Somebody in command called it in, I heard a name."
"Talk about that later!" Hisato, the fourth and last of them
insisted. "It won't matter if we don't survive."
"Shoot, don't talk," she had insisted. Koji cried out in pain
behind them. Before any of them could turn to see what had hit him
there was an explosion that knocked them all off their feet.
Inagi rolled up, snapping a few shots toward the known enemy
positions to discourage them approaching, and saw Ken neatly being
slashed in threes pieces by a girl, no more than six years Inagi's
junior, with a red energy sword. Her face gleamed demonically under a
mane of silver hair.
Hisato lay motionless on the ground to the side, and Koji lay
dead. A massive hole burned through his chest.
"Damn you!" she had shouted and fired at the killer.
The laser fire sparked harmlessly off a field of force around
the girl. She lifted her free hand out toward Inagi and a crackle of
red energy appeared and rocketed past Inagi. It exploded somewhere
behind her, the explosion flavored by the sounds of human screams and
several small explosions as combat drones were caught in the
explosion.
It was then that the cabbit on the girl's shoulder leaped into
the air, and the girl vanished as soon as the great spiky ship took
form.
"Inagi, over here!" she turned angrily to see Hisato awake and
trying to stand. "Hurry before more come!"
********
"She must have been from a rival gang," Hisato had said in the
lonely trip back to headquarters. The pirate gang had been destroyed,
but the cost had been nearly all the raid's personnel. "Funny how she
let you live." Inagi stared at him, not liking the way he had said
it.
Months into a long investigation into police corruption, Inagi
walked out of the headquarters a civilian. She was one of the lot
that they had given the option to retire. There was no real evidence
against her, just some hearsay about how she felt safe on the mission
and how her life had been spared. The could make her life impossible
if she stayed on though.
All because of this the new pirate. Ryoko.
********
Ken-Ohki blinked at the memory that Nagi had dredged up. That
was something new to his experience. He didn't like that at all.
"Miao," the cabbit inquired.
"You were wondering why I hate her?" Nagi answered quietly.
"There's your answer."
"Miao!" Ken-Ohki insisted.
"If people get in the way," Nagi left the end of the comment
hanging.
********
Ryoko felt a chill as they approached the cemetary. That was a
good thing about space, there were rarely any burial places. The ship
Sasami had disappeared into was about the closest thing she had ever
run across.
"Something wrong?" Ranma ask as Ryoko hesitated to follow into
the cemetary.
"These places always give me the creeps," Ryoko explained.
Ryo-Ohki popped into existence and lighted on her shoulder.
"Miaooo," Ryo-Ohki asserted.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "I always thought so too." He walked
through the gates.
"Really?" Ryoko asked irritably as she followed him. ~Probably
not for the same reason.~
Ranma walked along the path stopping at a particular grave,
kneeling down, almost praying. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki came up behind him.
She checked the name on the tombstone and wasn't surprised to see
Akane Tendo written there.
"This is her?" Ryoko asked. Ranma frowned, then bowed to the
tombstone and stood up.
"I hope she doesn't mind this," Ranma said.
"Mind what?" Ryoko asked. "Me being here?"
"What else?" Ranma asked irritably.
"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Ryoko asked, she was
getting impatient.
"It was my fault," Ranma said quietly, he touched the tombstone.
"So it's your fault this girl died," Ryoko said. "But it's not
my fault that Tenchi died?" Ranma sighed in frustration and looked
down.
"Everybody thinks Saffron got one last shot off," Ranma said.
********
"I'm going to tear you to pieces!" Ranma yelled. A sudden
twister erupted around the martial artist as he made use of the fire
all around him to start a Hiryu Shoten Ha.
"You think that technique will work against someone like
Saffron, landling?" Saffron asked, laughing loud and condescendingly.
Another twister joined the first, and another soon after. "It does
not matter how many of these pitiful attacks you create, landling!
I'll not let you touch the Jusendo water!"
The battle raged for several more minutes before Ranma hit upon
focusing the hiryu shoten ha into a virtual spear of air to kill
Saffron. He ran with Akane towards the Jusendo taps. All around them
raged fire and tornados, tearing at the surrounding cliffsides. Ranma
had to watch as the wind carried the fire and rocks into the Jusendo
taps, demolishing them completely.
********
"It was an accident," Ryoko said after a long silence.
"I might as well have killed her with my own hands," Ranma said.
He growled the next sentence. "I know what rage is. It took
everything from me."
"It was an accident!" Ryoko shouted. "From what you said she
was dead anyway, rhe eyes closed or something right?"
"It still might have worked," Ranma insisted.
"And that's why you act like a zombie?" Ryoko shook her head in
mild disgust.
"Akane died because of my blunder," Ranma said. "At least your
Tenchi died trying to protect you."
"He wasn't there for me," Ryoko snapped. Then she continued
under her breath. "He was there for Ayeka." Ranma looked at her
strangely.
"You just don't get it do you?" Ranma asked.
"Don't get what?" Ryoko asked dangerously.
"Didn't you hear what that Kogata..."
"His name was Kagato," Ryoko corrected him.
"Whatever. Did you hear what the creep was saying?" Ranma
asked. "He set that all up just to get a chance to fight your guy.
Didja wanna wait for that asshole to work his way down the list to you
before Tenchi did something? That kinda person ain't worth a grain."
"What, you're saying he wasn't there for Ayeka?" Ryoko's voice
sounded slightly more angry actually, as if Ranma had just suggested
that Tenchi had gone to fight for the fun of it.
"I'm saying he was there to protect you all," Ranma explained.
"Just because you rescue someone doesn't mean yer going to marry them.
Damn, I shouldn't be talking about this here."
"You mean even if he went to rescue Ayeka," Ryoko said quietly.
"He might have loved me?"
"I don't know," Ranma said. "I didn't know the guy. But yeah
that's what I said sorta."
Ryoko thought back to the corridor of the Yagami and Tenchi
telling her that he'd love to go on a trip with her. He couldn't just
forsake Ayeka though. The thought that Tenchi may have loved her over
Ayeka warmed her somewhat, but it was tainted. Now the loss was that
much greater.
"Thanks, I feel so much better now," Ryoko said dryly. Ranma
shrugged and knelt back in front of the tombstone.kissing the stone
and the bowing again.
"We should go," Ranma said. "And stop bothering Akane like
this." The wind rose a little around them, slapping coldly into
Ranma's face and rustling the leaves in the trees. "See, she's
already getting impatient."
"It was just a little breeze," Ryoko said before she noticed the
strained smile on Ranma's face. The wind settled around them with a
sound that mirrored the frustration Ryoko was feeling. "Is the lesson
through for the day?"
"Yeah," Ranma said standing up and brushing himself off. "Let's
go."
********
Kuno looked around the forested area trying to spot any sign of
his quarry. What he did see convinced him that, yes indeed, the foul
sorcerer had been here.
"The demon has used foul magics to create behemoth monsters from
the various fauna of these woods!" Kuno declared, brandishing his
bokken at a giant lizard. "For the sake of all virtuousness I must
vanquish these foul minions!"
Kuno charged forward. Ten steps out he fell through the ground
and was smashed between a number of boards. Within another instant
several rocks came pouring down on his head.
"I wonder if perhaps the fair Kasumi Tendo does not approve of
me," Kuno wondered momentarily as he climbed out. "No, I must be
mistaken. Clearly the evil wizard expected me to follow him. Surely
he fears to face my challenge to avenge the fallen Akane."
"Hey you!" somebody shouted behind him. Kuno turned around to
face a man wielding a broom. "Go back! You shouldn't be here!"
"I am here to track the vile sorcerer Ranma Saotome," Kuno
declared. "Obviously he has worked his foul magic on these forest
creatures and made them monsters to do his bidding."
"Actually its the water of life that does that," the man with
the broom said. "But I know that name from somewhere. Anyway, you
shouldn't be here, go back to where you came from!!!"
"I see, obviously you are also a vile sorcerer that Ranma has
enlisted to cover his escape from the righteous fury of my vengeance!"
Kuno shouted.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" the man with the broom yelled
suddenly, as if he had just noticed Kuno. "You should go back to
where you came from, it isn't safe here!"
"If you will not let me pass," Kuno shouted. "Then I must make
you move!" Kuno charged forward.
*******
"Ahh, you're finally home," Nodoka said cheerfully as Ryoko and
Ranma walked in.
"Uh oh," Ranma whispered as he noted his mother's expression.
"Mom, whatever you got planned, can it wait until later?" Ryoko
didn't like the sound of that.
"I just realized that I have been unintentionally insulting your
wife," Nodoka said without paying attention to Ranma.
"We're not really married," Ryoko growled. "It was a clerical
error which will be fixed in just one or two more days."
"As I was saying I should have given more thought to the
situation," Nodoka continued. "So tonight Ryoko-chan..."
"...chan?" Ryoko repeated in shock.
"Miao?"
"Mom's weird," Ranma explained.
"Tonight I will allow you to cook the evening meal," Nodoka
said, smiling. "Ranma and Genma both have large appetites, so perhaps
you should cook for..."
"Ehh?" Ryoko blinked. ~That's a privilege?~
"Uhh...Mom," Ranma said.
"Ten people," Nodoka said finally. "No, make that twenty, this
is a special occasion."
"How is this a special occasion?" Ryoko demanded.
"Well, I must explain matters to your father," Nodoka said
turning around and walking into the house.
"Did she hear anything we said?" Ryoko asked.
"No," Ranma said, exasperated.
"Miao?"
"No, we probably won't get food unless Ryoko cooks," Ranma said.
The cabbit and Ryoko both seemed to grimace. "You can't cook?"
"What do you think of instant meals?" Ryoko asked.
"I've had worse," Ranma said, being curiously nostalgic. He
looked at the cabbit. "All you ever eat is carrots, what's your
problem?"
"Miao, miaooo." Ryo-Ohki said with a shiver.
"They make processed carrots?" Ranma said.
"Do you think bad cooking will get your mother off our backs?"
Ryoko asked.
"I don't know, maybe," Ranma shrugged. "We could tr..." Two
stomachs growled and two people started weighing the benefits of
trying to get Nodoka off their backs and having a good meal. Food
won.
"We could try ordering out and saying I made it," Ryoko
suggested.
"She'd catch it. But....uhh, I can cook," Ranma said
hesitantly. Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko stared at him for a moment. "What?"
"Miao." Ryoko nodded.
"I am not effeminate," Ranma protested.
"Wait," Ryoko said. Stomachs growled again. "Never mind, after
dinner."
*******
"I'm going to show Ryoko where everything is," Ranma called out.
"Okay mom?"
"That's nice of you to help your wife in the kitchen, Ranma,"
Nodoka responded.
"Look she's turning you into a weakling house-servant already
boy!" Genma shouted. There was the sound of drawing steel, and then
Genma shut up.
"Is all this really worth just one meal?" Ryoko asked. They
considered the question for a moment.
"Yes," was the unanimous decision.
"Okay, so what am I cooking?" Ryoko asked.
"Teriyaki chicken and rice with steamed vegetables," Ranma said.
"Is that all you can cook?" Ryoko guessed.
"Of course not," Ranma said. He continued under his breath.
"But if Ukyou hears I've been making okonomiyaki she'll have my head."
*******
Nodoka stood outside the kitchen and smiled in satisfaction as
she listened to Ranma and Ryoko plotting and cooking. Her plan was
working perfectly. All she had to make sure of was that her idiot
husband didn't get in the way.
"Our son is helping in the kitchen," Genma said. "I hope you
are aware of that."
"Yes, I think its very manly to want to help his wife get used
to a new kitchen," Nodoka asserted. "I hope nothing gets in the way,
it would be a shame to miss dinner." Genma stared at her a moment,
and the gears in his head started to turn.
~Nodoka says Ryoko must cook, Ryoko doesn't cook, no food,~
Genma thought.
~No food means NO FOOD!!~ "I shall endeavour that no-one interferes
with the cooking of the day's dinner!" He declared loudly.
"That's fine dear," Nodoka said. "But all I ask is that you
leave them alone. Excuse me." She stood up and walked to the phone.
*******
"You and that panda can't really eat this much food can you?"
Ryoko asked as the meal started to take shape. "I can't even eat that
much."
"Umm, actually," Ranma said nervously. "No. Mom knows that we
can't eat this much. I wonder..."
"Why did she ask me to make so much then?" Ryoko asked
cautiously. They heard the front door open and close again. "They're
going in and out a lot."
"Wait a minute," Ranma said. "Could you keep an eye on that?"
He pointed to the stove.
"Yeah sure," Ryoko said. "I can watch it cook, easy." Ranma
walked to the kitchen door and opened it looking out into the dining
room. He came back a moment later looking very irritated.
"You should see this," Ranma said. Ryoko frowned and followed
Ranma to the door and peeked out at the crowd of people.
"Ohhh, shit," Ryoko said, shocked.
"Oh, Ryoko-chan," Nodoka piped up cheerfully. "Is dinner almost
ready? The guests are waiting."
"Mom, who all's here?" Ranma asked.
"Well, Kasumi and that nice doctor of hers, Nabiki and
her...friend, Ukyou, Ryouga, they brought some friends of your wife's
by the way," Nodoka paused.
"Kiyone and Mihoshi are here too?" Ryoko groaned.
"That Tarou fellow and the serious girl with the rugbeater,"
Nodoka said. "Did you know they have a phone in that temple up there?
Soun and his new wife. Kodachi-chan and...you are certain that ninja
person is a boy, Ranma?"
"Yes," Ranma said, somewhat shell-shocked.
"The Amazons of course," Nodoka said. "That charming little girl's
sister and her husband are here as well."
"Perhaps I should have asked who wasn't here," Ranma grumbled.
"Well, you two should really hurry with the food," Nodoka said.
"It is not polite for the hosts to keep the guests waiting."
"Right," Ryoko said, eye twitching angrily. Ranma and Ryoko
backed there way into the kitchen. "She tricked us."
"Yep," Ranma said. "We're trapped."
"Want to run out the back and find somewhere to hide for two
days?" Ryoko asked.
"You don't want to know what will happen if that group is
promised food that is not delivered," Ranma said.
"We'll just have to make sure that everybody is aware that we
are NOT staying married," Ryoko said reluctantly.
"Do you think that will work?" Ranma said doubtfully.
"Just finish the cooking and let's get this over with," Ryoko
snapped.
*******
"So fem-boy finally woke up and got back in the game, eh?" Tarou
called out as Ranma and Ryoko started bringing the food out. The girl
next to him sent an elbow into his gut.
"I am pleased to see you feeling better, Ranma-san," Natsume
said. "And congratulations."
"Congratulations Ryoko!" Mihoshi yelled cheerfully. Sitting
next to her Kiyone had her head in her hand, and was shaking her head.
"Gee they don't seem too happy."
"I go through all that trouble," Ryuu Kumon said, he was sitting with
Lin Lin. "And you're already off the market." He sounded a little
disappointed. Ran Ran pouted.
"I wonder why," Kiyone said as the comments continued going
around. ~Why did I come to this? Oh yeah, keeping an eye on Ryoko.~
"Excuse me," a girl with brown hair and glasses said, catching
Kiyone's attention.
"Yes?" Kiyone asked, trying to beat down her developing
headache.
"How long have you and your girlfriend been together?" Chigako
asked.
"My girlfriend?" Kiyone repeated.
"Oh, Kiyone and I have been partners for years," Mihoshi chimed
in. "Since the academy."
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped.
"You two must really cae about each other," Nabiki said
smirking.
"Oh yes," Mihoshi nodded, hugging a mortified Kiyone. "We'd do
anything for each other."
"Mihoshi...." Kiyone whined desperately.
~Gee, thanks Mom,~ Ranma thought as the dinner turned into a
collection of random conversations. Most of them were trying to
involve him, Ryoko or both. ~I'll have to remember this when you hit
forty.~
~If I get stuck in this relationship,~ Ryoko thought. ~I hope
she likes babysitting.~ Though she was amused by the situation
Mihoshi was putting Kiyone in.
*******
Nagi watched the party with something akin to anxiety, which was
new for her. According to Ken-Ohki a number of the people that
arrived carried large amounts of a power similar to the Jurai. Ranma
most of all of them, but she had already known about him. Then there
was Ryoko's power added into all that.
She would never imagined that a mudball like Earth could produce
people of such power. And an investigator like Makibi was not a
lightweight threat either.
"If they plan on cooperating against me," Nagi whispered. "I'll
have to change my plans."