Splitting Heirs
By Jeffrey Vasquez
Disclaimer:
All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their respective
creators and companies. All others belong to me.
Chapter Three: Part Two
********
Azusa watched in awe as Tsunami stepped in from "outside" the
shrine. He looked behind her as she closed the door and saw an immense
tree, floating, as it were, in air. Tsunami demurely turned to regard the
monarch of the Juraian Empire. Azusa immediately dropped to his knees,
speaking the ancient rights as he did so.
"By my true name, and beneath the vault of Heaven I greet you Mistress of
Mercy. I live to serve. What is your need?"
"Do not worry Azusa. The boys are still on their way up to the shrine. By
the time they arrive, our audience will be long done."
"Go. . .God. . .Goddess." He stammered as he knelt. Very little in the
known universe could shake the Mountain that was Azusa. Tsunami was
at the top of the list. Not because he feared her. On the contrary, he
loved her as a man loves his Deity. It wasn't every day that your
Goddess appeared before you, let alone granted you an audience.
He felt like a child caught in the act of committing a crime.
"Relax Azusa. Be at peace." She smiled and the tension faded from the
man as a tranquility suffused the room. "I have not come to judge you Son
of Jurai." It was as if she had read his mind, but then again she was a
Goddess after all. The idea was not so far fetched. Tsunami floated over to
were the Emperor stood; halting herself an arm's length away.
"I have come to advise you in your pursuit of an heir."
Azusa smiled nervously. "But Tsunami-sama, there's no need!" he
chuckled. "I have already chosen my heir." Tsunami frowned ever so
slightly, causing Azusa to begin sweating.
"Your faith in Yosho is commendable Azusa, but I am afraid that I cannot
sanction his ascension to the throne."
Azusa looked pole-axed. Anger and offense welled within him.
"Why the Hell not!" He couldn't stop the words from rushing out of his
mouth, nor could he take them back either.
Tsunami's eyebrow twitched slightly, but aside from that she
showed no other emotion. The smile that warmed her face spoke of
forgiveness and love, as she knelt and lifted Azusa from the floor. He,
after all was little more than a child to her, and the statement that she
had made was indeed a blow to the man's pride. She tilted her
head slightly to the left and looked deep into his eyes.
"Answer me honestly Azusa, whom do you love more - the children of
your body? Or the Children of Jurai?" She hated doing this to him; putting
him on the spot like this. But if Juraian Empire was going to weather the
up and coming advent, the man must be made to put away his pride. She
watched in silence as Azusa warred with himself, only to come to an
inevitable conclusion.
"The Children of Jurai, Goddess." It hurt to admit, because he felt as
though he had just turned his back on his family. But he could not hide the
truth from Tsunami. An Emperor's first duty was to the people.
Everything else came second.
"I am glad to hear this." she said compassionately. "For if Yosho sat on
the throne, all that you, and your fathers before you, have built would
crumble away to dust." Azusa looked like a man ready to step into the
grave at that moment.
It broke Tsunami's heart to watch. Azusa had been a refreshing
change from his predecessors, each of whom had been more political in
their natures. Azusa had the fire of life running through his veins. And
necessity had forced Tsunami to take that from him.
"Do not mourn Azusa. Your son fathered two very strong daughters, who
in turn bore two very magnificent sons." She placed a elegant hand
beneath the Emperor's bearded chin. "They are worthy of you Azusa.
And I take both as my Champions."
Azusa looked at Tsunami aghast. This had never before happened!
Only the Emperor was considered the Champion of The Goddess! The
Protector of Jurai. Two would eventually divide the entire empire!
Tsunami read Azusa like a book. "Be at ease." She said, holding up a
hand. "One shall rule, while the other will assume the Regency. But," she
said quietly. "It is for you to choose who will follow you onto Jurai's
throne." Tsunami gestured with her hand, and one of the shrine walls
glowed white. Two large movies of both boys began to play themselves
out for Azusa.
One showed Ranma battling a winged man in a dazzling display of
dexterity and power. It was no where near his true potential, and Azusa
could plainly see that the boy hadn't even tapped his Juraian gifts yet. The
other movie mesmerized the monarch as Tenchi played out his battle with
the nefarious Kagato. The Wings of the Light Hawk were magnificent, and
he had to admit that the boy had done an admirable job of protecting his
daughters, as well as Tsunami.
Still, it didn't make sense to him to choose. Surely the Goddess
could choose a more secure choice. One that would lead the Juraian
Empire into a new age. Azusa's brow knit in concern. "Why must I
choose? Why not you?" Azusa almost fell over when he saw Tsunami
blush lightly.
"Because I am biased." She whispered, her blush deepening.
Shock gave way to curiosity, but when Azusa was about to voice
his inquiry, the voices of the boys filtered into the room.
"I am afraid that our time is done here, Son of my Heart." She smiled and
touched her brow to his forehead. Their symbols of power glowed in
response to each other. She pulled away slowly, letting a quiet smile touch
her lips. Azusa had always known that she was beautiful, but in that
moment Azusa wept at the magnificence of his deity.
"I will do all that you ask Mother of my Heart." He said formally.
Tsunami nodded once and turned to the door she had come
through. At the last moment she turned. "Endear yourself to the boys
Azusa . . . . It will make things easier for you, and them. Your gruffness
can be more sour than any lemon. You will see that Ranma is as wild and
untamed as his name implies. And Tenchi . . . Tenchi would sacrifice all
for you. Simply because of who he is. Be wise Azusa, be fair, and above
all else . . . love them." She smiled at him mischievously, in a way that
reminded him a great deal of Sasami. "You catch more flies with honey,
than vinegar."
Azusa's brow quirked at her statement. Honey? Vinegar? Flies?
Before he could question her further she was gone, and the Emperor of the
Universe's most powerful Empire was again left to his musings.
*********
Ranma stiffened as he felt a prickling on the back of his neck. An
immense amount of power had flared and then faded suddenly. He looked
in the direction of the shrine and tensed even more. The Emperor had
come before them, and King's always had a lot of enemies. Ranma spared
Tenchi and the others a glance to see if they had noticed anything.
Tenchi had a very concerned look on his face as well. The concern
blossomed into full born worry when the other boy realized that he wasn't
alone in feeling what he had. Ranma's eyes bugged out in amazement, as
Tenchi's Juraian battle armor materialized about his body. The little
fluffy puff-balls were a bit much for Ranma's tastes, but on the whole
Tenchi reeked of power. Ranma smirked and wondered if his cousin
was any good at the Art.
There would be time enough for that later. The Emperor could be
in danger and here Ranma was thinking about sparring! Both boys took a
unified step towards the shrine, only to be pulled back by Yosho's strong
grip.
"Grandpa?" Both boys said in stereo. The event would have been eerie to
anyone but Yosho.
**Unified in spirit and purpose! What good boys I have!** He smiled
broadly with pride. "It's all right boys, my father was simply visiting
with an old friend."
Ranma looked at Tenchi, and watched in wonder as the armor
disappeared. He allowed himself to relax, and savor the scent of the
brownies again. His reverie was shattered as the Shrine door slammed
open, and Azusa burst from the shrine. The broad, happy smile on his face
was contagious, and Ranma soon found himself grinning as well.
The young martial artist turned in time to see Tenchi tense, and
watch Yosho's face drain of color. He didn't understand what the big deal
was. Azusa was happy; that was a good thing right?
"Boys! Come give your Great Grandpa a hug!" The gathered men all face
faulted painfully on the stone path.
Yosho recovered quickly, and leaned down to whisper in the boys'
ears. "Scary." Both boys nodded in unison. Tenchi silently wished that he
had not removed his armor.
Azusa stopped half way to the boys and sniffed, testing the cool
night air. He closed his eyes and allowed the divine smell to settle in
him. It had to have been the sweetest smell that he had ever
encountered.
"What is that wonderful smell?"
The other men looked at each other, allowing bright smiles to
replace the fearful masks that they had been wearing. And together they
cried out in one great voice: "BROWNIES!"
*********
Ryouga pulled to an abrupt stop as he looked at the interior of the
shop. He idly wondered why it seemed so much bigger on the inside, than
the outside. He scratched his head in puzzlement giving his two passengers
enough time to catch up to him. Ukyou and Shampoo hit Ryouga's back
with enough force to knock the poor boy off of his feet and sent tumbling.
The mighty ball of flesh and flailing arms crashed through a series
of very advanced looking technological devices. It was his luck, or rather
lack there of to find himself hopelessly tangled and bound with the two
women. The rope that had been Shampoo's ingenious method of tracking
the Lost Boy, soon became the trio's prison.
"You JACKASS! Move your hand or I swear you'll lose it!"
"Aiya! Pig Boy no touch Shampoo there! Shampoo is no you wife!"
Ryouga squirmed, eliciting a stream of curses from Ukyou and a
sound that made his nose bleed from Shampoo. The Gods hated him. He
just knew it.
That's about the time Washuu's Anti-Mihoshi security system made
itself known. Ryouga could only scream along side his two feminine
companions as various, terrifying machines bore down on them.
*********
Akane, Ayeka, and Funaho watched the scene before them with
jaded eyes. Two dozen brownies had been divided equally between
Mihoshi and Misaki, and then topped with an obscene amount of ice cream,
whipped cream, hot fudge, and maraschino cherries.
The mountain of sweets was every little kid's extreme chocolate
fantasy. And for some women, the ultimate chocolate orgasm. For the
three women sitting at the table it was a common occurrence. Ayeka had
seen Mihoshi down worse, Akane had seen Ranma perform a similar feat,
and Funaho. . . well, Misaki was her sister-wife after all.
Nabiki and Ryoko however, looked a little green around the gills.
"How can they do it! It's like Ms. Hinako on steroids!" Nabiki whispered
to Kasumi. The eldest Tendo simply shrugged, and smiled. It didn't
matter in the least. She was just happy that they were enjoying what she
and Sasami had baked.
"Extremely high metabolisms." Funaho smiled and turned her attention
away from the cross stitch in her hands. Nodoka nodded wisely from her
grandmother's side, as she worked on her own needle-point.
Nabiki blinked dumbly and went back to watching as the two
gorged themselves. Mihoshi giggled at Misaki, and the Queen of Jurai
giggled right back. It was simply too eerie to comprehend, so Nabiki
excused herself to the bathroom.
Sasami tugged at Kasumi's sleeve. "Would you like to see my
room?" The little princess had found a kindred soul in Kasumi and meant
to capitalize on the good fortune while it lasted. Everyone seemed to
forget Sasami in the hustle and bustle, everybody except for Tenchi and
Ryo-ohki that is. She hoped that Kasumi would think about staying for a
while. It would be nice to have a new friend.
Kasumi smiled brightly, illuminating the room. "I would love to
Sasami-chan. If it's okay with your mother."
"Is it okay Mommy?" The little blue-haired girl asked with hopeful eyes.
Misaki grunted absent mindedly from her rapidly dwindling mountain of
pleasure, causing Sasami to look to Funaho for approval.
The First Queen of Jurai smiled softly and nodded, receiving a
squeal of happiness from her sister's daughter. Sasami wasted no time in
pulling Kasumi to her feet, and with Ryo-ohki on one shoulder, both
disappeared up the stairs.
Akane and Ayeka observed the rapidly dwindling treats, as the two
women seemed to inhale them. "What happens when their plates are
empty?" Akane whispered worriedly to the princess.
Ayeka shuddered. "They'll get bored." Visions of Misaki and
Mihoshi bored and looking to entertain themselves flashed through each
girl's head. For Ayeka this meant that she would be subjected to public
humiliation. For Akane it meant the possibility of Mihoshi wanting to
practice her first aid techniques.
A look of abject horror passed over the two girls' faces, and
turning to each other in unison, whispered: "We've got to do something!"
With a bit of whispered conversation the two came to an agreement, and
made their way to the kitchen to execute their plans.
Ryoko looked down from one of the rafters, happy that she was
well out of the range of any conflicts for once. Especially where Ayeka's
cooking was concerned. The former space pirate shuddered.
********
"Does everyone understand their roles in the Assault?" Azusa asked as he
faced his heirs. He was dressed in, what he would have called, his "stealth
armor." The whole outfit seemed little more than purple and brown
spandex to Ranma.
The little poofy cotton balls on the shoulder joints looked kind of
gay, but all in all it was cool. The brown leaf design was neat and the
whole ensemble offered freedom of movement, without the noise that
normal cloth would give. The fact that he was wearing a black version of
the outfit felt really weird though. Tenchi seemed to be okay with it, so
Ranma did his best not to fuss. He could be just as much a man as these
guys, despite the fact that he felt naked. That would be the extra
incentive needed to avoid getting caught.
He'd die of embarrassment if Akane saw him in this get up.
********
Washuu made her way into the lab to find her intruders, trussed
hand and foot to the cold examining tables. Naked as the day they were
born.
The two girls looked ready to kill and maim on a galactic scale,
while the boy wore a cheesy grin and endured a nose bleed that would have
killed lesser mortals.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" She said with a smirk.
"LET ME OFF A THIS YOU LITTLE mrfflwmgndf. . . !" Ukyou's tirade
was cut off as the table morphed a tiny bit, creating a gag of metal for her
over zealous mouth.
Washuu looked at the very alarmed purple haired girl (there was no
way in the Nine Hells that the Amazon was going to admit that she was
scared) and smiled.
"Feisty one isn't she?" Shampoo only nodded dumbly. Washuu smiled
again and called up her holo-terminal. After a quick verification, to be
sure of what she was dealing with, she looked over Shampoo and
Ryouga with an unhealthy amount of interest. There was a gleam in her
eyes that Shampoo had seen before.
Bu Ord worn it when she decided to find out what a rabbit looked
like from the inside out. By the Mother! Shampoo hated that look.
Washuu shrugged nonchalantly and returned to her terminal.
"Well, let's see how you managed to get past the primary lock out shall
we?" Images flashed before the scientist's face, causing her to laugh.
Especially at the dialogue from the spirited girl and the one named
"Shampoo".
But the boy's entrance to the lab is what puzzled her. She had
sealed and locked that door to Tokyo when the shop reopened months ago.
She retraced the time index for the door and found the problem. Two days
ago someone had accessed the door. But how had the little pain-in-the-
neck gotten passed the new security system?
Someday soon, she was going to uncover the mystery that was
Mihoshi. If it killed her, she would!
********
"What shall we make them?" Ayeka asked as she surveyed the kitchen in
dismay. She had never truly felt at home in the place. There were too
many foreign concepts here that eluded her.
"Well. . . ." Akane paused for a moment, following Ayeka's line of thought
almost precisely. "I'm not really that good of a cook," She hated to admit
it, but she might as well get it out in the open before Ranma did. ". . . so
I think we should keep it simple."
Ayeka looked at Akane with a smile of understanding. "I am not
well practiced in cooking either." She was glad that she had found a
kindred soul of sorts in the Tendo girl. "What would you suggest?"
Akane returned Ayeka's smile happily. "How about some
chocolate chip cookies?" An easy recipe. Surly they could pull it off
together. This was going to be fun!
The universe, for one single instant shuddered with fear.
********
Galaxy Police Prison, G-Alpha 26, Veridant Quadrant.
The cylindrical tube had been Knohet's penitentiary for over seven
thousand years. The first three thousand had driven him mad. The next
two had refined the madness into megalomania, and the last two were spent
planning his revenge against the people that had imprisoned the shape-
shifting assassin.
Washuu and Azusa had worked very hard to create his prison,
binding science and the power of Jurai into something that even he couldn't
escape. Who cared if he had murdered the previous King of Jurai! That
ungrateful brat Azusa should be thanking him for placing him on the
throne.
Something tickled on the edge of his consciousness, something that
reminded him of both Washuu and Azusa for some reason.
**Do you desire freedom?** A voice asked his mind.
**Yessss.** He responded hungrily.
**Know then that your life belongs to me. And through me to the Lady
Tokimi. Do as I require, and I shall release you.** It wasn't the most
favorable circumstance, but it was an opportunity.
**I accept the Terms.** Contracts were known to be broken. The thought
was hidden at the back of his mind, in a deep recess, shielded against the
prying of normal minds. But the mind that touched his own was anything
but normal.
**Betray Tokimi at your peril sentient. I am her Agent, and you are to be
her pawn. Remember your place and your life will find fulfillment.** The
viscous blue jelly that represented Knohet's "body" actually quivered at the
dead tone in the other being's thoughts. **Do you still wish to accept?**
Without a second thought, Knohet acquiesced. Anything was
better than this endless existence. **Goood. . . .** The voice seemed to
purr. **Then this is what you shall do. . . .**
The shape-shifter smiled happily. It wasn't Washuu's head on a
pike, but it was definitely a start.
********
Akane and Ayeka fled the kitchen with a look of terror in their
eyes. With frantic abandon, they started using various pieces of furniture
throughout the various rooms in the house to barricade the kitchen door.
Soon a veritable mountain of chairs, tables, bureaus, and couches locked
the offending room off from the rest of the occupants of the house.
The two girls looked at each other with a sense of pending doom.
How were they supposed to know that mayonnaise and caramel would
make something so volatile! If Ranma and Ryoko ever found out about
this. . . . Both girls shivered as they moved away from the door. Akane
began whistling nervously, and Ayeka picked up the tune absent mindedly
as well. All the while, both girls were dreading the wrath of their
respective sisters.
One look at the two, told Ryoko all that she needed to know.
Ayeka had destroyed the kitchen. She shook her head and phased through
the wall that separated the two rooms. . . and quickly drew her head back
upon witnessing the . . . . Damnation! There were just no words for what
she saw.
A smirk played across her lips and her golden eyes narrowed
gleefully. Ayeka was going to be in debt to her for the rest of her life!
If Mommy dearest found out that her little princess couldn't cook,
then Ayeka would be shipped off to learn. . . . Hey! That wasn't a
bad idea!
**Heehee! One more look, and maybe a snapshot for posterity's sake and
then off to Misaki!** The throaty chuckle loomed ominously in the air as
Ryoko passed her head and shoulders through the wall again.
A moment of silence hung in the air, and then Ryoko let out a very
explicit curse as her entire body was pulled into the kitchen. Sounds of
mayhem and casual destruction echoed from the direction of the kitchen.
Funaho and Nodoka continued to cross stitch with small content
smiles. Mihoshi and Misaki finished their desserts at relatively the same
time and groaned with utter contentment.
********
Azusa was impressed, a hard feat at best. The boy, Ranma, was a
natural in subterfuge. The moment he had entered the trees Azusa had lost
track of him, and only an orbital scan of the area could pinpoint the little
shadow's fleet progress. Tenchi on the other hand, while fairly competent
needed more work. Nobuyuki was hopeless, and so was told to "hold
down the fort."
The assault group slipped up to the house, finding Ranma waiting
patiently on the roof above the kitchen window. Ranma motioned that all
was well, and the three men made their way from the shadows. Ranma
was impressed with his grandpa's abilities. He moved pretty well for an
old guy. The look on his face though was something that Ranma
remembered from his days on the road with his dad.
There was a mischievous gleam in them that made the young
martial artist want to run and hide. It felt kind of good to be doing this
stuff again. He hadn't done any serious training since he and Akane had
returned from China.
Azusa made an odd gesture with his hands, which confused the
heck out of Ranma. The boy sat on the roof looking down at the Emperor
in bewilderment. Azusa made the gesture again, reminding Ranma a great
deal of that Pope guy, but for the life of him, the young man couldn't
understand what his great-grandfather wanted from him.
Yosho coughed quietly into his hand from behind his father,
drawing the monarch's gaze. The heavy knitted brow reminded Yosho of
the many disagreements between father and son. Most of which were still
as yet unresolved.
Yosho simply moved into Ranma's vision and pointed to the
window and made his fingers walk across the air in a slow, tip toeing
fashion. Comprehension dawned on Ranma's face, and he nodded
enthusiastically.
Azusa shot his son an incredulous look. "You can't be serious." he
whispered, dead panning.
Yosho shrugged. "I haven't had the time to teach them Battle Sign
yet." He said quietly. The father weighed the son with his eyes, and Yosho
was found wanting. And not for the first time either.
"We will have to remedy that." Azusa said coldly. The tone of his voice
chilled Yosho, and at the same time made him incredibly angry. Tenchi
looked at the two men with a deep sense of foreboding. If the determined
look in the Emperor's eyes meant anything, both boys were in for a world
of hurt - er "Training."
A resigned sigh issued forth from Tenchi's lungs, as his life yet
again spiraled helplessly out of control.
Ranma grinned in innocent bliss, completely unaware of the new
danger that had just entered his life. All that mattered were the brownies.
He deftly hung himself upside down, and without a sound slid the window
open. This was fun, it reminded him of the first night that P-chan "slept
over." Only this time, he wasn't going to let Akane bean him in the head.
That was about the time that a meaty purple tentacle reached out
and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him into the kitchen.
********
"Ranma!"
Tenchi cried out in alarm as Ranma was pulled bodily into the
kitchen. He hadn't known his cousin for a day, and already there was some
sort of monster or alien out to get him too. Why couldn't his life be a
quiet one? Without hesitating an instant more Tenchi rushed head long into
the danger. His Juraian battle armor flowed around him as he ran.
Yosho and Azusa looked at one another and shrugged. Neither of
them wanted to miss such a promising display.
********
Washuu heard Ryoko's mental scream of terror, and looked
worriedly through her "daughter's" eyes. The sight of a purple, tentacled
thing both excited her and alarmed her.
She couldn't understand why Ryoko hadn't simply teleported to
safety. The space pirate's vision, swung to the window, showing a very
heroic looking Tenchi climbing through the window. Washuu grinned at
the tactic.
**Good for you Ryoko!** Pride and embarrassment welled through the
link that the shared at Washuu's praise. Ryoko's vision took in the
handsome, and very tantalizing form of Ranma in his "stealth suit". This
looked promising indeed.
"You'll have to excuse me." she said to her subjects warmly, favoring
Ukyou with a slight pat to the girl's cheek as she passed. "I'm needed else
where."
Ukyou, and the now transformed Shampoo and Ryouga watched
with thankful hearts as the red headed scientist left her lab. Ukyou was
grateful that the witch hadn't done any more "examining." She shivered
involuntarily.
The whole discovery of Ryouga's curse was a fluke. The lunatic
had tripped over a cord, sending her tea into the Lost Boy's face. The
sudden shift in mass confused the table and its mistress long enough for P-
chan to make a break for it.
He made it seven and a half feet before the security system
activated putting him in, what looked like, a clear plexiglass box. Exactly
how that was managed Ukyou couldn't say, because the box had no doors
or hinges. Ryouga simply passed through the box. When the small, black,
pig tried escaping, he found out the hard way just how hard the "plexi-
glass" was.
Shampoo was next to be tested, and she put up little in the way of
resistence when she was put in a similar box. Leaving Ukyou, alone and
naked on the examination table. Now that the Wicked Witch of the West
was gone, Ukyou set to looking for another way to escape.
That's when she the clueless, blonde, gaijin woman walked in.
"Washuu, Ayeka created another monster in the kitchen agai. . . Oh!"
Mihoshi walked over to Ukyou's table. "Washuu's been playing 'Doctor'
with you hasn't she? Is she still here?" The vapid detective looked around
hopelessly for signs of the diminutive scientist.
The comment made Ukyou blush terribly, and she shook her head
in frantic denial. "She's not? Oh then she's probably gone to get some
toys. . ." Ukyou's eyes bugged out and she began hysterically bucking the
table in hopes of breaking free. Mihoshi giggled and patted the distraught
girl on the head. Ukyou started crying in fear. "Don't worry, she'll be
back soon." Mihoshi said consolingly.
"I know how you feel though, she once left me in here for a whole week!"
Ukyou's gaged mouth emitted a high pitched squeal, that cut off abruptly
as she passed out. Her mind just couldn't take the idea of being kept in
this torture chamber for a week.
**Ran-chan save me. . . .** her mind whimpered.
Mihoshi patted the girl's head again. It was good that she was
asleep. That way the time would pass faster. "Oh! What a cute little
piggy!" She squealed in delight, picking up the box. Ryouga looked at the
girl with very sad eyes, wondering how he had ever gotten himself into this
mess.
Oh, right. It was Ranma's fault.
"Would you like to be my friend little piggy?" The attractive girl asked,
causing Ryouga to wonder why his cursed form got so much attention. His
depression plummeted to new lows, as he came to the conclusion that he
was dog ugly as a man, but cute as a button as a pig.
"What a pretty green color! Uhm, Washuu hasn't been experimenting on
you has she?" The little pig shook his head. What a smart animal. Mihoshi
just knew that this was a special friend. Maybe he was like Ryo-ohki!
How neat! She wouldn't have to worry about ever crashing her ships
again!
Washuu was so thoughtful!
Mihoshi hugged the glass to her chest gleefully, until it cracked and
finally broke. P-chan found himself crushed against an impressive amount
of cleavage, and for the second time that day, he passed into the sweet
arms of oblivion.
Shampoo watched as the blonde woman left, with Ryouga clutched
to her bosom. She wished the idiot male luck wherever he went, she was
sure that she would see him again someday. In the mean time, she sat in
her cage, biding her time, learning the ways of her enemy. When the slip
came, she would escape and revenge herself on the red haired demoness.
Until then, she would pretend to be docile, just like her great grandmother
had taught her.
***********
End Chapter Three