((mostly showcasing what's going on elsewhere in
Nerima while episode 6 happens, plus a hopefully tidy
escape/segue into the next day))
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 Misaki 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 shadow 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."
"It is owned by a Nodoka Saotome," there was an
questioning tone in her voice.
"Well, yeah..." Ranma said, she 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.
"Who are you?"
"Uh...you're calling me," Ranma reminded her.
"I'm looking for the 'blue-haired psychopath,'"
the woman said. "But I think I may have hit upon
something a little more important. I assume you know
a Ranma Saotome."
"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
picture. 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," 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 gave up her meager attempt at deception.
"Yeah, and 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 have 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 that bureaucratic snafu is fixxed, and
maybe until she gets healed up or somethin' I ain't
lookin' to hang around her forever."
"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 demanded.
"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.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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