I've been getting a lot of requests for previous chapters of Insertion.
It's not that I'm ignoring you, it's just that my fics are a disorganized
mess. I haven't had time to get the chapters together. I save them on
disks rather than on my HD. I write on another computer and post with
this one. Sorry.

On a positive note, Fanfiction.net is up again. It's just...very slow. So
you should be able to get the previous parts if you have the patience.
I'll repost pars 61-63 this week though if you missed them. I'll try to
get around to it tomorrow, but if not it'll be the day after.

Anyway. Here's the next part.

 Insertion

 Part 64

 Uncharted Waters

+++++++++++++++

 Yohiko Hibiki stood on the roof of her home, she had just returned from
a patrol on the streets of Tokyo, and she was wrapped in the guise of the
Shadow. She smirked as she looked over Nerima for a moment. It had been a
quiet night, not much had happened and she jumped down to ground level.
This would have been normal, if not for the fact that her cloak flared
out a little too much, and caught on the corner of the building. 

 "Ouch!" cried the woman as her disguise melted away after she slammed
into the wall rather undramatically. 

 "I wonder if this ever happens to Batman," grumbled Carrot as he rubbed
their rear gently as they stood up.

 "That wasn't very graceful," agreed Xianfu lamely.

 "Man, you guys are idiots," commented Dan.

 "Didn't see you doing anything to stop it," muttered Carrot.

 "Can we go to sleep now? We gotta get up early tomorrow," said Ranma.

 "I guess so," commented Carrot as they staggered towards the door.

++++++++++++

 Xellos opened the door when they walked up and smiled at them. "Did you
have fun this evening?"

 "Yeah, loads," muttered Yohiko flatly.

 "Sounds interesting," said the man cheerfully. He set out some coffee
for them and sat across the kitchen table from her.

 "Why aren't you asleep?" said the woman as she frowned at him.

 "I still don't need it," he replied with a small shrug. "My power is
down quite a bit, but my nature hasn't changed."

 "Oh. That's useful," said the woman as she nodded at him.

 "Very," agreed the man calmly as he sipped at his drink.

 "Well, I need sleep. I'm going to bed," replied the woman as she stood
up and downed the hot drink all at once.

 Xellos blinked at the act, but nodded. "See you bright and early."

 "Right," muttered Yohiko as she vanished into her room.

++++++++++++++++

 Akane Tendo sat up in bed, sweat covering her body. She clutched herself
and stared out her window for a moment, tears streaming down her face.
"Ranma...why?" She shook the feeling away and lay back down. It was
getting close to morning, and she had a long day ahead of her. She had to
go to school; she didn't want too, especially without him there. She
curled up and began to cry, a small familiar grunting noise caught her
attention, and she looked down to see her pet pig looking up at her from
the foot of the bed. He nudged her foot with his snout and looked up at
her. 

 She reached down and took him into her arms, sobbing a little harder.
"Oh P-chan. He's gone."

 The pig's ears perked up at this. Inside the tiny brain, that didn't
grow that much larger when he was human, a tiny voice cursed angrily.
"What the hell has that honorless bastard done now!? When I get my hands
on him, I'll..."

 "Ranma," said Akane as she started to sob again.

 In her arms, the pig did it's best to comfort her while it was shaking
with a renewed hatred and anger.

++++++++++++

 Usagi Hibiki frowned as she looked at the long black mark just under her
right breast. She was getting dressed when she spotted it. "What the?"
She poked it with her finger, a horrified frown on her face as she looked
down at the ugly mark. "A bruise?"

 There was no pain when she touched it. "What is this?" she muttered to
herself. She looked up at the door to her room and frowned. She briefly
wondered about telling her mother about it, but decided against it. "I'll
wait a day or two, and see if it starts to go away first." She nodded at
that and put on the top of her dogi. "It's probably from the stupid
training anyway."

+++++++++++

 Nabiki frowned as she snatched the letter that was in her mailbox out.
She frowned and glanced up and down the street after seeing the address
on the label. It was far too early for mail delivery, and the address
told her who it was from. "That bastard," she grumbled. She paused and
looked down at it for a moment. The letter was addressed to her. She
crumpled it in her hand and looked back at her home again. 

 After a moment, Akane walked out and she quickly stuffed the letter into
her pocket. "Morning sis, feeling any better?"

 Akane looked up at her and gave a small frown. "Not really."

 "Well, we have to go anyway," she said as she turned into the street and
started walking.

 "Yeah," said the girl grumpily.

+++++++++++++++

 "There was another sighting last night!" said one of the girls sitting
behind a desk in a middle school in the Nerima area.

 Usagi Hibiki turned and looked at her for a moment. "Huh?"

 "You haven't heard!?" cried another one of the girls nearby.

 "I dunno. Heard about what?" replied the girl as she looked at them both
in confusion.

 The girl behind her pulled out a newspaper and showed it to her. "This
guy! People are calling him a superhero!"

 Usagi blinked at the shadowy figure on the front page. He was standing
on top of a building, looking out over the streets. The picture was taken
from a fair distance away, but it was surprisingly clear. "Wow! I've
heard about him. The Shadow or something." She thought about it for a
moment.

 "I wonder who he is?" said one of the girls nearby.

 "I'll bet he's sexy!" exclaimed another girl with a frown on her face.

 "He's older too," said another of the girls nearby as she grabbed the
paper and clutched it to her chest.

 "I've heard rumors he might be with the Yakuza though," said another
nearby girl with a slight frown.

 "Those are just rumors," snorted the girl behind Usagi as she waved her
hand. "What do you think Usagi?"

 "I'm not sure. He's very mysterious," she replied with a shrug. "He
looks...big," she added as she peered at the photo for a moment.

 "Yeah. I've heard he's eight feet tall," said the girl.

"I heard he's some sort of shinobi," added another.

 A boy walked between the huddle on the way to his seat and snorted. He
had short cut brown hair and an unusual looking frown. "I heard he's a
rumor. Jeez. This is a national paper, you'd think it was one of those
smutty tabloids." He looked at the surprised girls and frowned. "What?"

 "Who are you?" said the girls as they peered at him for a moment. Most
of them were drooling.

 The boy brushed his bangs out of his face and frowned at them for a
moment. "Jadeite, I'm a new student. Forgive me for being rude, but I
think I'm supposed to be introduced at the beginning of class."

 Usagi looked at the incredibly pleased looking girls around her and
frowned. "What's the big deal about this guy?" She looked up at him. He
was kind of cute, but something about him seemed a bit off to her. 

 The boy smiled at her and sat down. He hadn't heard her comment. After a
moment, he appeared to space out and pulled a book out before settling in
to read before the bell rang to start class. His eyes moved up to the
back of her head as she turned away, and he smirked in a very familiar
way. "Defender of love and justice? Heh. We'll see soon enough."

+++++++++++++++

 "What are you doing here?" Yohiko blinked and looked up at the girl
standing in front of her.

 "Great Grandmother say, Shampoo go to school now," said the girl sourly.
It was obvious that she wasn't happy with the new development.

 "Well, I assume that everyone here knows you," said the woman as she
stood up and looked at the class. They all nodded in reply. "We can skip
the introduction then, take a seat there." She pointed to an empty desk
near the rear of the classroom.

 Shampoo hung her head and stumbled towards the back of the room.

 After a moment Yohiko looked up again and arched her eyebrow as Ukyo
Kuonji walked into the room. She also had a scowl on her face and looked
at her. "What is it?"

 "Nothing. I'd heard that you'd gone off in search of revenge against
your fiancee or something," she replied as she continued to look at the
girl in surprise.

 "Well, I can't afford a trip to China. Not yet anyway," snorted the girl
as she walked towards her desk and sat down. "And he's my ex-fiancee."

 "Oh," said the woman with a shrug as she opened her book and turned her
attention towards the whole class. "Let's begin then."

+++++++++++++++

 Ranma Saotome stood overlooking the mountains with a small sigh. He was
dressed in silk clothes and was on the porch of a large castle nestled in
the woods of China. 

 "Is something wrong?" asked Herb as he moved up beside him for a moment.

 "Nothing. Just thinking about back home," replied the pigtailed boy as
he looked down at the villagers below him. There were about a hundred of
them, moving about in the small town below; maybe another twenty in
direct service to Herb in the castle.

 "I imagine it was quite a change. Do you regret this?" said Ranma's
husband with a small frown on his face.

 "Not really. I still miss them a little though," he replied calmly.
"Akane, I know she hit me a lot, but she was nice sometimes."

 Herb chuckled at this and shook his head. "Well, perhaps we should visit
one day."

 Ranma looked at him as if he had another head. "You kiddin? They'll kill
me! They only reason I think they won't come now is cause we're so far
away."

 Herb looked a little surprised at this. "Oh. I see."

 "I ain't never goin back there again," said the pigtailed boy with a
slight shiver.

 "Come my queen, we have things to do," said Herb.

 "I told you to quit callin me that!" snapped Ranma as he whirled around
and glared at him.

 "It is your title now," said the man with a shrug. "It's just a title,
don't take it so hard."

 Ranma growled. "We're gonna have a long talk about this Lizard-boy!"

 Herb sighed and shook his head again. "Please stop calling me that. I am
descended from noble dragons!"

 "Well you quit callin me 'queen' then!" snapped the pigtailed boy.

 "This is more work than I thought it would be," grumbled Herb as he
turned away.

 "Man. You ain't kiddin. I didn't want to be rulin no people and stuff,"
grumbled Ranma as he walked by a pair of servants that bowed deeply to
him as he went by.

 "It's part of the arrangement, please stop complaining so much. The
people will think you don't like them," said Herb.

 "I like em fine," said the pigtailed boy with another shrug. "I just
wasn't expectin this stuff. That's all."

++++++++++++++++

 Yohiko Hibiki frowned as she stared out at her students and scowled.
Nabiki Tendo was in the room, as was Kuno. Neither appeared to be paying
much attention.

 "Nabiki, would you please bring that note up to me?"

 The girl gasped and quickly shoved the page down under her desk. "I
um...can't..."

 "I'd like to know what you find more interesting than my class," said
the woman with her frown deepening. "The boy's certainly think it's
interesting enough."

 "That's not interest in the class," said the girl as she frowned at her.

 "True enough, but still. Bring it too me please," said the woman as she
held out her hand.

 Nabiki slowly stood up, her mind working desperately. "Damn! Gotta think
of something!"

 By the time she reached the desk, she was still coming up blank.

 Yohiko took it from her and read over it for a moment. She sighed and
handed it back to her. "I see..."

 "I um..." stammered the girl pathetically.

 "Don't worry Miss Tendo, take your seat. I want to discuss this with you
after class," said the woman as she frowned at her.

+++++++++++++++

 The room was empty, only Nabiki and Yohiko remained behind. School had
ended and the woman pointed to a chair that she had set up in front of 
her desk.

 Nabiki sat down nervously and looked at her warily.

 "Well Miss Tendo, whatever happens in this room today, remains in this
room," said the woman as she sighed and sat back in her chair and looked
at her.

 "I'm not going to accept the money. It won't keep it a secret," said the
girl as she hung her head.

 "Well, I'm not sure if I should say I'm glad to hear that, but my
opinion of you has risen," said the woman as she nodded her head. "So,
you're not going to meet him?"

 "I am. I want to shove this letter in his face," snarled the girl.

 "Keep it, it's evidence," said the woman calmly.

 Nabiki blinked. "It's not worded..."

 "It's asking to meet you alone, at night, in a place where not many
people will be around," said the woman calmly. "It was incredibly stupid
of him to send you a letter like that. I think that he knows that, and I
don't think it would be a good idea for you to go."

 Nabiki looked at the woman and frowned. "I..."

 "Would have gone alone, and with that letter in your hand if I hadn't
said something. Is that correct Miss Tendo?"

 The girl went pale and nodded dumbly.

 "Don't go, and if you do, make a copy of that note," said the woman.
"Take the copy, not the original, leave it in the envelope, and in a
place where someone will find it. Someone from your family Tendo."

 The girl nodded at this and frowned. "I understand."

 "I think he believes you're the most important witness," said the woman
as she rocked back on her chair and frowned at her. "Don't go. It's
dangerous."

 "If I don't, there's any number of ways he can still get to me," replied
the girl firmly.

 "I see. Let me help you then," said the woman a she leaned forward.

 "You?" said Nabiki in shock.

 "I can't be of much use to you, but I know someone," said the woman as
she looked at the girl and smirked. "I'm afraid I can't tell you who it
is, but if you need him...he will be there."

 "I can't..." stammered the girl as she looked at the woman with her
mouth hanging open.

 "Don't worry Tendo. However, I need your word on something."

 The girl nodded.

 "If you need him, you must not tell anyone about his connection to me.
He's not dangerous to you, unless one of his secrets is in danger.
Understand?" 

 Nabiki nodded and swallowed. "Who do you mean?"

 "I'm hoping you'll never have to find out," said the woman as she
smirked at the girl. "Don't look at me that way. I had my share of
adventures before I got married dear. Remember?"

 The girl nodded and stood up with another swallow. "He's safe?"

 "No, he isn't," said the woman as she shook her head. 

 Nabiki nodded and walked out of the room.

 Yohiko sat back and smiled after that for a moment. "Seems I'll be
useful in this after all."

+++++++++++++

 Usagi Hibiki blinked as her mother walked into the house. "Where have
you been?"

 "I do have a job you know dear," said the woman as she smirked at the
girl.

 "Where is your uncle?" asked the woman as she glanced around
suspiciously.

 "I dunno, he hasn't been home since I got here," replied the girl with a
shrug.

 "That rat. He's up to something," grumbled Yohiko as she glanced around
for a moment.

 "That's not a very nice thing to say," said Usagi with a frown on her
face.

 "You'd say it too if you knew him like I did," replied the woman as she
frowned at the girl for a moment.

 "Then why are you letting him stay with us?" asked Usagi in confusion.

 "Because he's family dear," said the woman as she pat her daughter on
the head. "He's not bad, he's just...got a weird sense of humor."

 Usagi nodded at this and shrugged. She turned towards the kitchen and
started washing dishes.

 Yohiko sighed and turned towards the door. No sooner than she had, then
Xellos walked in with a grin on his lips. "Where have you been?" said the
woman crossly.

 "Out," he replied with a shrug.

 "Where?" said the woman coldly.

 "I went around checking the area out today," he said with a small shrug.

 "You're not telling me everything," said Yohiko.

 "No. I'm not. Come on, where's the fun if I just tell you everything
I've been doing?" replied the man calmly.

 Yohiko rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Fine. You're staying
with her tonight, I've got something to do."

 "That Tendo thing?" asked the man calmly.

 "Yes," said the woman as she glanced at him for a moment. "That Tendo
thing I never told you about. I'd ask how you found out, but I know
better."

 "I'm glad you understand," said the man cheerfully.

 "What are you talking about?" asked Usagi.

 "That's a secret," replied Xellos cheerfully.

 "I just know you've been dying to say that all day," said Yohiko
irritably as she sat down and turned on the television.

 "You have no idea," said the man as he picked up the newspaper again and
started reading over it.

 "I'll bet," said the woman as she relaxed a bit.

++++++++++++++

 Usagi left the adults on their own and went into her room. She took off
her school uniform and set out another set of clothes on the bed.

 She suddenly remembered something as she took off her shirt and frowned.
The black mark, it was still there. "What is this?" she muttered as she
poked at it. It was just below her left breast. She felt no pain, but it
was an ugly looking mark though. 

 She sighed and turned away from the mirror to put on her fresh clothes. 

++++++++++++++

 Xellos sat at the table, smiling to himself as Yohiko moved towards the
door. "Going out?"

 "You know where I'm going," she replied as she smirked at him.

 "Have fun," said the man calmly.

 "I think I will," said the woman as she closed the door behind herself.

+++++++++++++

 Yusaku Godai stood on the porch of the apartment complex and blinked
when Yohiko stepped out. "Going somewhere?"

 "Yes. I've got something I need to take care of tonight," she replied
calmly as she paused and looked at him.
 
 "Mind if I come? I'm bored," said the man as he stood up.

 Yohiko paused and seemed to consider it for a moment. Finally, she spoke
up, "Sorry, it's kind of personal business."

 "Oh," said the man as he sat back down again. "I'll see you tomorrow
then."

 "Yes. You will," she replied as she smirked at him and turned away.

 Yusaku sighed and hung his head. "Yeah. She will."

++++++++++++++

 Nabiki Tendo stood in front of the greasy looking man in the park.

 "I'm glad you came," he said as he smirked at her for a moment.

 "You won't be when you hear what I have to say," she replied calmly.

 "Really? I'm offering you a lot of money young lady," he said with a
frown growing on his face.

 "You can't pay me enough to see that bitch rot in prison," said the girl
sharply. She turned away from him.

 "I'm sorry to hear that. However, my associates are quite pleased," said
the man as he turned away.

 Nabiki frowned as she looked around at the punks that stepped out from
behind trees and bushes. There were four of them, mean looking men with
vicious smirks on their faces.

 "Since you're not willing to accept my payment, these men will be glad
to take it off my hands to make you disappear." 

 "You won't get away with this," said Nabiki as she glared at him. "I've
got your letter still, people know I'm here."

 "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. You see, you must have been mugged on the
way here and killed. I never met you at all," said the man with an
apologetic shrug. "These men do things like this with their free time
young lady. I'm afraid that there won't be any connection to me."

 Nabiki backed away as the punks closed in around her. "Shit."

 "Such a pity, I'd offer you the chance to reconsider, but these men
probably won't care for that."

 Nabiki moved into a long forgotten combat stance, she knew she didn't
stand a chance. "I'm not alone!" she said angrily.

 "Oh?" said the lawyer as he started walking away. "Where is your friend?
I'm sure they'd love to meet my friends."

 "Right here," said the tall figure that actually rose from the shadows
in the ground in front of the man. 

 The lawyer simply stared up at the figure for a moment, his jaw hanging
down in shock. "What? Who are you?" he cried in terror.

 The man chuckled, slowly breaking into full-blown laughter. "Who am I
indeed?" The tiny man stepped back away from the imposing figure and fell
onto his rear. Taking a few slow steps forward the tall moving shadow
stalked towards him as he backed away from him on the ground. "Who knows
the evil that lurks in the hearts of men?"

 "I don't know..." stammered the man as the thing glared down at him with
metallic shining eyes.

 "The shadow knows," replied the thing as he leaned down and put his nose
up to the man's face.

 Nabiki was simply watching the scene in awe. She couldn't speak or move
from shock. After the lawyer started crying on the ground, curled up in a
ball, she turned to look around. There was no one standing around her,
just a few discarded weapons. "Wow."

 "Nabiki Tendo, return home now," said the thing as it looked directly at
her. "This one, won't bother you again."

 She stepped back and gasped. "You know my name?"

 "The Shadow knows..." said the thing cryptically as it reached down and
lifted the cowering man in front of it into the air. "The Shadow knows
all about you as well. The illegal dealings with the Yakuza, the real
estate scam you've been running, even the way you drowned your own pet
dog when you were five. "Shima didn't like that at all."

 The man started screaming in terror as the thing lifted him up by his
throat over his head.

 "What are you going to do with him?" said Nabiki as she stepped towards
the creature.

 "Don't worry. I have ways of dealing with this sort of scum. Return
home, you're safe from him," said the thing as he backed into the shadows
and vanished with the lawyer in his grip.

 Nabiki looked down at the ground. Her legs felt like lead, and her hands
were shaking almost violently. "What was that?" she muttered as she
finally managed to turn and start running.

++++++++++++++

 "As for you," said the Shadow as he held the man dangling over a rooftop
not even two minutes later. "You're going to go to the police, and you're
going to confess everything."

 "I can't! I'll..."

 "Your pathetic existence is of no concern to me. You'll do it, or you'll
never be rid of me," said the Shadow firmly. 

 The man cried out in terror as the thing's grip slipped a little and he
jerked downward towards the street. "I..."

 "I'll be watching you, in every dark corner, in the shadows of your
friends and family. You can't escape me, running away will only make me
angry. I'll find you. You can't hide from me anymore than you could from
your own shadow. In fact, I might even be your shadow."

 The man nodded violently and gripped at the thing's arm a little
tighter. "Anything! Please don't kill me!"

 "You're going to walk into the police station a block north of here, and
confess everything. Is that understood?"

 The man nodded again, not daring to speak this time.

 "Just because you can't see me doesn't mean I don't know. I always
know," said the thing as it jerked its arm back and tossed him onto the
gravel that covered the rooftop.

 The pathetic man jumped to his feet and looked around. It was gone. He
fell to his knees, clutching his head. After a moment of sobbing, he
started to laugh madly. He pulled at his hair and sniffled as he
staggered to his feet. He calmed a little and looked down at the wet spot
on his pants for a moment, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to try
and dry it off a little. "Bastard. I should..."

 "You should get going. Don't you have somewhere to be?" said the voice
of the Shadow.

 The man spun around and screamed in terror as he saw it standing not
even a foot away. He stumbled away, rushing towards the stairwell and
violently tearing the door open. He didn't stop running until he was
inside the police station.

 The Shadow stood overhead with a smirk on his face as his clothes melted
away, revealing Yohiko once again. "That was very entertaining."

++++++++++++++++++

 When she returned home, she smiled as Xellos met her at the door once
again. "A most interesting evening for you?"

 "How much do you know?" she replied with a smirk.

 "Enough," he said with another small shrug.

 "Well, I suppose you've got your ways," she said with a sigh as she sat
down in her chair.

 "That I do," agreed the man. 

 "What's tomorrow?" she asked as she looked up at the calendar on the
wall.

 "Wednesday," said the man as he eyed her for a moment and sipped at his
coffee.

 "I suppose. Maybe I should go back out?" she said as she noticed the
time. It was barely ten 'o clock. 

 "Perhaps. I think the city will sleep well enough without you for the
night," said Xellos cheerfully. He grinned at her and glanced towards
Usagi's doorway while her attention was on her drink.

++++++++++++++++

 A half hour earlier...

 Usagi frowned as she rolled over and looked at her clock. The book she
had been reading was spread out on top of her sheets in front of her and
she was tapping a pencil against the page. Her hair was pulled out of her
braids and she looked ready for bed.

 "That mark," she muttered to herself as she stood up and walked over to
her mirror. "It kind of tingles a little."

 She lifted up her shirt to reveal it. It was bigger now, and resting
just below her breasts, right in the middle. She stared at it for a
moment and frowned. "What is this? It moved!"

 Her eyes went wide as the mark slid up a little, moving between her
breasts. She sucked in a quick breath to scream, but a black substance
quickly covered her mouth, silencing her. She struggled against it,
pulling at it with her fingers. "No!" she muttered beneath the stuff. It
felt warm, almost like...

 Finally it just released her, the mark on her chest was gone, and she
found herself holding a small black strip of cloth. She stared at it and
quickly dropped it to the ground.

 It just lay there for a moment. "Weird..." she muttered nervously as she
backed away from it and slid onto her bed. She gasped and stared at it.
"That dream!"

 The cloth flew into the air, latching itself onto her face again, moving
as if it was made of liquid again. She gasped again, pulling at it.
Finally her struggles slowed as she realized something. She could still
breathe, and it wasn't hurting her. It was just, sitting there, clinging
to her. She slowly pulled her hands back and let it alone for a second.
It moved off of her face and slid behind her head, seeming to hide behind
her hair.

 "That guy I saw..." she muttered as her mind went back to the tall
shadowy figure she had seen jump off the roof of her home. She had
assumed it was a dream. She'd watched him fall away, and get his cloak
caught on the edge of the roof, ripping a small piece off of it. "Who was
that? What is going on?" she asked herself with a little fear in her
voice. She stood up, grabbing a rubber band to put her hair up with to
get a better look at the thing on her neck. She gasped as it slid up her
neck and wrapped around her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. 

 Her mind wandered back to the dream again. The last thing she remembered
was watching something move around near where the man had jumped away. It
had moved with impossible speed and jumped at her. The next memory she
had was waking up the next day, and assuming it was just a weird dream.

 "This thing. Its that man's cloak!" she said to herself. She frowned and
touched it gently. "It must be so lonely away from its family. I should
find him and..." She paused, realizing that she was wrong. She didn't
know why she knew that.

 She pulled her hand down and simply looked at herself in the mirror for
a moment. "I wonder if it can do other things?" She tried to imagine how
it could look as a hat maybe. The black cloth shifted into a baseball cap
on her head. "Neat!"

 She frowned and tried to think of something else. "Hmmm...a crown!"

 She gasped when the thing not only replicated the shape, but also the
color and feel of the metal. She touched it gingerly and simply stared at
herself in the mirror dumbly. "Whoa."

 "Too bad you're not a little bigger, I saw this really cute dress on the
way home from..." she blinked and looked down at her new dress. "Oh man."

 "What else can you do I wonder? How about...a superhero!" she said as
she grinned at the mirror again as her clothes shifted. She was dressed
in tights with a long flowing cape and a mask. "Nah. How about something
a little different?"

 She smirked as her clothes morphed once again, this time changing into a
sailor fuku that was insanely short. She had a mask on her face and a
pair of knee high boots on. "Wow! This is so cool!"

 "Isn't it though?" said a familiar voice behind her.

 Usagi screeched and whirled around. Xellos was leaning against her door
with a smirk on his face as he watched her. "Hello."

 The man nodded his head at her. "That's a nice costume."

 "I uh..." Usagi tried to think of an explanation of why she would be
wearing it.

 "Don't bother, I've been watching you since you turned it into a crown.
I was wondering where all that energy was coming from."

 The girl went pale and looked at him. "So..."

 "So. Did you know that costume makes you faster, stronger, and nearly
impossible to hurt?" said the man as he narrowed his eyes at the girl.

 "Huh?" said Usagi dumbly.

 "It's a very nice piece of magical tailoring. I've seen one like it
before," said the man as he walked up to her and kneeled down to look at
her.

 "So...you've got one too?" said the girl as her eyes went wide.

 "No. I don't, I do believe you've heard of the crime fighter called 'The
Shadow'?" said the man as he smirked at her.

 Usagi nodded. "I saw him... this is a little piece of his..."

 "I see. That explains it," said Xellos with his smirk widening a little.
"It's very nice. What are you going to call yourself?"

 "Call myself?" said the girl as she blinked at him.

 "You don't get something like that and let it go to waste. Don't you
ever read comic books?" he replied cheerfully.

 "Yeah," muttered Usagi in embarrassment. There was a bookcase with
hundreds of graphic novels lined up in it just behind her.

 "So? What are you going to call yourself?" he repeated.

 Usagi turned away. "Mom..."

 "She doesn't have to know. That's what secret identities are all about
girl," said the man.

 "Oh," said Usagi as she blinked at him. "Hey! You're right!"

 "See, it'll work out," he said as he grinned at her. 

"How about...Super Girl!?" she said as she pumped her arm. 

 "No. Maybe for that other costume, but not this one," he said as he
smirked at her again. "How about, Sailor Moon?"

 Usagi blinked and looked down at herself. "Hey. That fits! Thanks Uncle
Xellos!"

 "Hmm, we'll have to change your hair of course. The ponytail is a good
idea. You're hair is too distinctive otherwise. How about blonde?"

 The girl looked at him. "I can do that?"

 "You can look like whatever you want, whoever you want," he said as he
grinned at her again.

 Usagi nodded and looked at the mirror. Her hair was now a gold blonde,
flowing all the way down to the middle of her back from the ponytail.
"Cool!"

 "Yes. Just do me one favor," he said as he smirked at her. 

 "What's that?" she asked him cheerfully.

 "Don't just wander off and start attacking criminals right away. Learn
about your powers first. That costume is more than a disguise, it's a
weapon as well."

 The girl looked at him for a moment and blinked. "You sure know a lot
about this."

 "Magic is...a hobby of mine," he said with a shrug. 

 "Really?" said the girl with a look of surprise on her face.

 "Yes. Really," he said as he pat her on the head. "Why don't you go out
for a little while. I'll keep your mother busy if she comes back before
you do."

 "Okay! Thanks!" said the girl as she rushed into the hall.

 "Usagi. Use the window," he said as he pointed towards it.

 "Oh. Right! Superhero and all that!" she said cheerfully as she opened
it and climbed out onto the roof clumsily.

 Xellos's smirk changed into a slightly evil looking leer after the girl
had gone. He shook his head and chuckled to himself as he walked back
into the home to wait for Yohiko to return.

+++++++++++++++++

 Yohiko scowled at the sun as she stepped out to go to work. She smiled
as she saw Yusaku exiting the building right behind her. "Good morning."

 "Yeah," he said lamely. His entire body was sore, and he had a ways to
walk.

 Xellos came out behind him and handed Yohiko a stack of papers. "Don't
forget these Yohiko dear." He smiled at her warmly as she took them away.


 "Thanks. Call me that again, and I'll rip your tongue out Xellos," said
the woman as she scowled at him.

 "I was just being affectionate," said the man with a fake looking pout
on his face.

 "Yeah. Well stop it. It creeps me out," she said as she turned away from
him. 

 "You'll be home tonight?" he asked her as she moved away.

 "Yeah," she muttered as she waved her hand back at him.

 Yusaku watched the exchange with tears welling up in his eyes. 

 "I guess we should plan for family time tonight then," said Xellos as he
seemed to not notice the look on the man's face.

 "Family time?" muttered Yusaku pathetically as he started to stagger
away.

 Usagi burst from the building behind him. She had a cheerful smile on
her face as she moved by him. "Later!"

 "How can she still run?" muttered Yusaku as he scowled at her. "I can
barely walk right now."

 Xellos paused at that statement and frowned a little. "How indeed. I'll
have to talk with her about that later." He turned back into the building
and left the man alone. 

+++++++++++++++++

 In a prison, near Tokyo...

 "This is all that's left of you? Quite pathetic." He was a man in a
pressed black suit. He was looking down on the burnt and shattered form
of Vahn.

 "At least I'm still sane," growled the man as he moved one of his stumps
a little. He was lying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages. His legs
were gone, along with his left arm and most of his right hand. His face
was half covered in bandages and he was drooling from his broken jaw. He
winced in pain from speaking and turned his head away.

 "Yes. Olif is useless, little more than a gibbering idiot," said the
well-dressed man as he frowned a little deeper. 

 "What use am I? Once I'm out of here, I'm off to be some prison bitch
for the rest of my life," said Vahn hatefully.

 "So it seems," said the man with a snort. "What did you want?"

 "I want you to kill me. That's why I contacted your Oyabun. We were
working for him when this creature attacked us. I'd rather die than live
like this."

 The man smiled at him. "Creature? He is just a shinobi."

 "No!" said Vahn forcefully. He immediately regretted speaking so loud as
his jaw exploded in pain, forcing him to roll his head back and close his
eyes. "That thing is no ninja. It is not human. It's some kind of
monster. A devil," he whispered as he regained himself a little.

 "Oh? You were defeated by an Oni?" said the man with a mocking smirk
forming on his lips.

 "Yes," said Vahn with a decided finality in his voice. "Go speak with
Olif if you do not believe us. See what it did to him, what he became."

 "Yet you never saw this thing?" said the man as he frowned.

 "Not directly, no," admitted Vahn. "I saw what it looked like. It sent
us a message before it started killing my men."

 The man arched his eyebrow and leaned forward. "I'm listening."

 "It wore a large hat, its face was covered by a scarf, and its clothes
were all black."

 The man stepped back with a slow nod. "I will help you."

 "Thank you," said Vahn. 

 "You will be removed from this facility in two days."

 The man's eye went wide. "What?"

 "I should kill you, but I have something more interesting in mind."

 Vahn closed his eyes and leaned back on his pillow. "I see."

 "Be ready," said the man as he turned away.

 Vahn nodded and simply relaxed. 

++++++++++++++

 TBC...

 Next Time: Vahn's Revenge!
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