Ryoko Saotome
A Tenchi Muyo / Ranma 1/2 crossover
Part 9: Flashbacks and a Party
By Thrythlind
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." the 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.
"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 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."
Ryoko Saotome
A Tenchi Muyo / Ranma 1/2 crossover
Part 10: Sparring
By Thrythlind
((Since I like the idea of Ranma's hair color being a random color whenever he becomes a she, and I think it'll provide some good humor situations, I'm going to go back and try to change some of the references to hair color in earlier chapters.))
Ryoko and Ranma shut the door behind them and caught their breaths.
"Your mother is," Ryoko struggled for the words. "Odd."
"You have no idea," Ranma said.
"This is almost over," Ryoko said. "Right?"
"Uhhh," Ranma thought for a moment.
"Ranma! Ryoko-chan!" Nodoka called out.
"Why does she keep calling me that?" Ryoko asked. The door opened pushing them forward.
"Oh, there you are," Nodoka said cheerfully. "Now I know you two are eager to get to...other activities. But you must see off your guests, it is only polite." Ryoko twitched at the mention of "other activities." Ranma just seemed frustrated.
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma muttered, standing up. Nodoka nodded, smiled and exited the door. "Want to get this night over with finally?"
"Don't expect any of those 'other activities,'" Ryoko said standing up irritably.
"What other..." Ranma stopped and turned beet red. "Oh...Of course not!"
"Well, congratulations, fem-boy," Tarou slurred, drawing an envious glare from Ryoko. "I'll have to come by and beat the hell out of you for old times sake some time soon."
"You'd lose," Ranma said simply.
"In your dreams, Ranma," Tarou said.
"A rematch would be somewhat enjoyable," Natsume agreed, half-carrying the Chinese martial artist out. She noted Ryoko's scowl. "Is something wrong Ryoko-san?"
"Not really," she mumbled reluctantly. Still giving an envious glare to the drunk martial artist.
"I see," Natsume said. "Perhaps we shall make that a double match."
"Whatever," Ryoko said.
"They say there's this wonderful nightclub that we can go to," Mihoshi was cheerfully explaining to a dreadfully embarrassed Kiyone.
"Mihoshi," Kiyone sighed. "I don't think we have...umm..time for that."
"Oh, okay!" Mihoshi said and turned to a smirking Nabiki and Chigako to say they'd have to do it some other time.
"Ryoko," Kiyone whispered as soon as Mihoshi's back was turned. "Is there anything I may have lost about me and Mihoshi." She noticed Ryoko's mischievous smirk and sweatdropped.
"Not that I know of," Ryoko said. "You'll have to ask Mihoshi about that." Kiyone glared at her a moment and twitched.
"Thanks alot for the information," Kiyone said deadpan before walking out of the house, Mihoshi close behind.
"Kiyone! Wait for me!" Mihoshi cried out.
"Did you have to tease them the entire dinner?" Ranma asked as Nabiki and Chigako walked by.
"It was too easy," Nabiki said. "It had to be done. They're cops right?" Ryoko and Ranma stared at her in surprise.
"Mihoshi mentioned something about an academy right off the bat," Chigako explained.
"Okay, so, what's so big about that?" Ryoko asked. Nabiki and Chigako smirked secretively and walked out into the night, leaning on each other.
"What was that about?" Ryoko asked.
"I don't want to know," Ranma said. "Neither do you."
"Ranma," Hinako-adult said, carrying out a rather weary looking Soun. "I apologize for the flooding."
"I didn't think the human body had that much water in it," Ryoko muttered as Ranma chatted with his former teacher a moment. She noted the Amazons coming by and waved to Ran Ran, smirking. "Thanks for the shampoo, sorry it didn't turn out like you wanted."
"Sister Shampoo say Xi Fa Xiang Gao always work," Ran Ran muttered, pouting as she walked past her opponent. Shampoo whacked her on the back of the head.
"You're lucky Ranma didn't kill you!" Shampoo snapped. "Party like this is neutral ground, stupid girl!" ~I still wonder why it didn't work though.~
"We're sorry again for the trouble," Mousse said.
"Ran Ran get desperate," Lin Lin said, bringing up the rear and dragging along Ryuu Kumon. "Is jealous."
"I'm going to get you for this, Kumon," Ranma muttered, silencing whatever words Ryuu had planned. The other martial artist merely chuckled, sweatdropping and scratching the back of his head.
"This way!" Ukyou shouted, disappearing back further into the house and re-emerging with Ryouga in a few moments. "You guys need to make that bed."
"Thanks for the..." Ranma stopped talking.
"Nothing happened," Ryoko and Ranma said at once.
"All she said was make the bed," Ryouga said. "Nothing else." The Lost Boy had a definite smirk though. ~Take that Ranma! Wow, I'd forgotten how much fun it was to tease him.~ Ryoko and Ranma both glared.
Something seemed to breeze past them, whispering as it went. The whispering almost sounded like giggling actually.
"Konatsu and Kodachi," Ranma said. "Konatsu's teaching Kodachi how to be a ninja."
"Oh," Ryoko said. "That other lesbian couple. You seem to know a lot of those."
"Actually, Konatsu's a guy," Ranma said. Ryoko stared at him for a moment.
"Cursed like you?"
"Nope," Ranma said. "His family raised him as a girl, long story."
"Uhhh," Ryoko decided to let it pass for the moment and shook her head clear. She turned to see Kasumi and Tofu approaching and smiled in anticipation.
"Are you two the last ones?" Ranma asked irritably.
"Ranma-dear," Ryoko said cheerfully. Ranma gave her a blankly disbelieving look. "You should be more polite to our guests than that."
"Ehhh?" Ranma said, blinking.
"You seem to be in much better spirits, Ryoko," Kasumi said.
"That's right," Ryoko said. "After a few days rest I'm completely fit and healthy and healed up."
~Oh, I get it now,~ Ranma said, sighing.
"Well, let's see here," Tofu said, cupping his chin and taking a moment to look over Ryoko. "You do look much healthier. Chi flows seem to be mostly healed. Any problems with the injury?"
"Nope, not at all," Ryoko said enthusiastically. "It's just a little stretchy, that's all." ~Give me my powers back! Give me my powers back!~ The doctor turned to Ranma for a moment.
"Ranma?" he asked. Causing Ryoko to cross her arms in irritation.
"Now, now," Kasumi said, smiling. "We have to be sure you aren't putting on an act."
"I think she's good to go," Ranma admitted reluctantly.
"Okay then," Tofu said, shrugging. He reached out and cautiously grabbed the back of Ryoko's neck. Ryoko watched him carefully, eyes narrowed, and remembering something about a strength sapping maneuver. Then Tofu pinched her neck and she could feel all her power come back at her beck and call.
"Yes!" Ryoko shouted, laughing loud and floating off the ground a foot. Everybody sweatdropped as they watched her, and Ranma got ready to fight. "Get ready, Ranma, you are about to see the space pirate Ryoko in full..." She yawned, blinking for an extended time. When she stopped, she frowned. "Can we do this tomorrow?"
"Uh...yeah," Ranma said resignedly. Everybody around gave an extreme sigh of relief. Well most everybody anyway.
"Ranma," Genma lectured. "You can't really mean to give this weakling thief a spar can you?" Ryoko growled and extended a hand toward Genma, sending a blast of energy into him and plastering him to a wall.
"Maybe we could find someplace that it doesn't matter if we destroy it," Ranma suggested.
"I thought you said this was a school," Ryoko said looking around.
"It is," Ranma-chan said. "The gym is right above us." He pointed up.
"There's a jungle in the school basement?" Ryoko said in disbelief.
"The Principal is a little looney," Ranma said, shrugging.
"I noticed," Ryoko said, trying to figure out why Ranma was voluntarily in female form. Given all the water in this basement it was a sure bet that she'd have transformed soon, but why start that way. "You sure nobody will mind if we destroy this place?"
"They'd probably give us a medal," Ranma muttered.
"WAAHHH!!!" someone screamed to the side. "The bid kahuna's poor island paradise gonna go down the bid drain!!! WAAAAAHHH!!!" The principal swung idly back and forth, hanging upside down from the floor of his office.
"Like I said," Ranma muttered. "Nobody cares if you tear this place up."
"Why don't I just take out one of those stilts and bring that little hut down on him?" Ryoko asked.
"Your choice," Ranma said, shrugging. Ryoko seemed to think about it for a moment.
"Not worth the bother," Ryoko said. "Ready, fem-boy?" There had to be a reason Ranma had chosen this battle ground.
The ceiling was too high to be much of a problem. Perhaps Ranma was expecting the trees to slow her down in the air. She smirked at that thought. At least it was hot and muggy down here, considering that whole ice thing she would have expected something air conditioned.
"Whenever you are," Ranma sounded resigned as she got into stance.
"I like the hair by the way," Ryoko smirked, flexing her arm as Ranma growled a little.
"I hate blonde," Ranma muttered.
Ryoko lunged forward skidding over the ground. Her arm pulled out and a blade of red power appeared in her hand. Ranma's eyes widened slightly at the sudden appearance of the blade, but she recovered quickly, rolling under Ryoko's slash. Ryoko lifted into the air with a spin and tossed the energy blade at Ranma.
"You're fast, Ranma," Ryoko snapped as she backflipped over the energy blast. "But how long can you keep this up?"
"A pretty good amount of time," Ranma promised. She moved forward, first blurring and then vanishing from view.
"Teleported?" Ryoko asked herself, she heard a thud off of one of the trees behind her and she immediately teleported herself out of Ranma's path. "Nope, just very very fast."
"That was a neat trick," Ranma admitted as she twisted and propelled herself off another tree. ~Got to end this quick so she doesn't hurt herself.~ Ryoko smirked as she drifted easily out of Ranma's path.
"My my my, aren't you fast," Ryoko smirked. "You know another phrase for a fast woman don't you?"
"What's that?" Ranma asked, running down a tree as Ryoko sent blasts a step or two behind her. Ryoko vanished, blinking out, and Ranma lost track of her presence again. She felt it fade in just before he had to leap over another swipe of Ryoko's energy blade.
"Easy!" Ryoko said loudly, vanishing again. Ranma felt her presence disappear and then felt it come in again, and she barely had time to dodge again. Ryoko vanished after the first strike. Ranma hesitated to move, uncertain of where the next strike would come from.
~I can't stop her this way,~ Ranma muttered as he dodged another strike. Usually he had some idea of where someone was going when they moved, but Ryoko just simply vanished from the area around him, leaving him blind to where she was going to appear. ~Wait, she's blind too! I hope so anyway.~
"Had enough of this yet, girlie?" Ryoko asked popping into existence and finding no Ranma. She paused a moment to look and barely managed to float over a leg sweep.
"Who are you calling easy?" Ranma asked smirking.
"Sorry," Ryoko said, with a return smirk. "I guess you run a tighter ship than I thought." She said emphasizing the word "tighter," before she vanished again.
Ryoko and Ranma blurred or phased in and out of sight, sometimes in position to strike, sometimes not. Like some fast paced game of battleship, guesing where their opponent would next be.
Ryoko suddenly appeared in mid air again and started pelting the ground with energy blasts. It seemed random, until one noted the yellow and red blur just ahead of the blasts.
"You can't win if you can't fight back!" Ryoko said. She almost laughed as the blur started spinning into a tight spiral. Then the whirlwind appeared, carrying her opponent into the sky. "How the--!"
"Surprised?" Ranma asked, spinning a hand and thrust it back away from her. A second whirlwind appeared propelling her forward. Ryoko teleported out of the way, and into the first whirlwind. Getting tossed through the air towards a tree. "Hey! Look out!"
Ranma created another of the mini whirlwinds to change her direction as the first lost its momentum. It looked to be almost impossible for her to get to Ryoko before she hit the tree though.
"Watch yourself!" Ryoko shouted back, the tree shattered before she reached it, as if a large ball had just blown through it. Ryoko's righted her situation and smirked superiorially. "That little wind trick is impressive, but...!"
"Look out above!" Ranma shouted.
"Huh?" Ryoko looked up in time to see the top of the palm tree hammer into her force field and drive it half way into the ground.
"Is that enough for you?" Ranma asked walking up to the transparent globe he guessed was there.
"Like hell!" Ryoko shouted. Red lightning ranged out from her, bursting the tree on top of her and sending a cloud of dust and smoke into the sky. Ranma had to brace herself tightly against the force of the blast, erecting a thin barrier of her own chi to encourage the energy to wash over her. "Come on, Ranma, let's see what you got against my real power!"
Ryoko rose out of the depression in the basement floor, seeming to step out of it. She glowed bright red, the power even streaming out of her eyes, and there was a large grin plastered on her face. She casually called forth another energy blade and looked to Ranma.
~Hand to hand I'm far better,~ Ranma thought. ~But her chi control....~
"As I was saying, that whirlwind trick is good," Ryoko said. "But you're too slow in the air. Guess that's why you're female, less weight right?"
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted, unleashing the yellow energy blast. As expected Ryoko easily avoided the strike. ~Have to be a little serious if I want to end this without either of us getting hurt.~
"Tsk tsk," Ryoko said, enjoying herself. "Your technique really needs work, Ranma. No finesse, no finesse at all." She swooped in and swiped with her sword, Ranma ducked under, but rolled to standing in time to see the "sword" smash into a tree, denting it.
~It's not a slicing attack?~ Ranma thought. Then narrowed her eyes. ~She's blunted it.~ She dodged aside as the most recent energy blade was tossed at her and exploded. Ranma watched carefully as Ryoko summoned another blade.
"You can't beat me," Ryoko sang in a viciously cheerful tone of voice.
"I'm getting kind of tired of dodging that thing," Ranma said, smirking.
"Oh, so you give up?" Ryoko asked. She swung down with her blade.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted. Ryoko's blade connected with a bar of yellow chi. She blinked and backed off a moment.
"You learned that almost as fast as I did the first time," Ryoko said. Then she smirked. "Well, let's see how strong you can make that staff your first time!" She charged forward.
"Plenty strong enough!" Ranma shouted in return. The adrenaline was rushing and both charged each other with wide smiles.
"WAAAAHHHHHH!!!" The Principal wailed, unheeded.
The sun set down on the empty campus of Furinkan High.
"They've been in there for hours," Nagi groaned. "What could they possibly be doing? They are still in there right?"
"Miao," Ken-Ohki said uncertainly.
"You don't sound like you know for certain," Nagi said.
"Miao, miao!" Ken-Ohki insisted.
"This is an odd place for a lover's tryst," Nagi said. "Even if they were attracted to each other. There have been no signs of a battle. What are they doing?"
"Give up yet?" Ryoko asked, catching her breath. ~Ranma keeps learning new powers.~
"Not on your life," Ranma said, taking the chance to rest a little while the silver-haired woman was trying to goad her into a surrender. ~She's keeps getting better at hand to hand.~
"Nodoka, dear," Genma said, looking about the house, seemingly lost. "Where are Ranma and that woman?"
"They're still out dear," Nodoka said. "They haven't returned from their match." She sounded like she was uncertain about the meaning behind that.
"What?" Genma protested. "That started sometime yesterday morning, Ranma should have finished that off easily."
"Perhaps they found something to do after they were finished," Nodoka suggested.
"NOOOO!!!!" Genma cried. "Don't do it Ranma! You won't be able to anull the wedding!!!" Nodoka frowned and started to draw her sword, Genma shut up.
"Okay," Ranma took a breath. "That does it, time to get serious."
"Oh, really?" Ryoko said, wobbling a little in midair. "I'm just getting warmed up."
"No more!! No More!!!" the Principal pleaded weakly from under a pile of rubble.
Both combatants took another deep breath and suddenly the remains of the underground jungle was filled with clashing yellow and red light. When it cleared Ranma and Ryoko were standing facing each other in a pair of craters and breathing heavily.
"Next time I'm gonna get you," Ryoko said.
"Wait a minute," Ranma said. "How long have we been down here?"
"Umm," Ryoko paused and thought about it. She found a clock and shrugged. "Ten minutes."
"Ohh, okay," Ranma said shrugging. "Feels like a lot more."
"Man, I thought we'd have to drag them away from this place," Ukyou said tapping her fingers, and standing in front of the city offices. "It's almost closing already."
"Maybe they're getting to like each other?" Ryouga asked.
"Nodoka hasn't seen them since they went to go fight their match," Ukyou said darkly.
"You don't think that maybe," he swallowed.
"No way," Ukyou said.
"What the hell happened down here?" Ukyou asked, crawling through the rubble.
"Does the basement have hurricanes?" Ryouga asked.
"If Ranma's fighting down here?" Ukyou suggested with an upraised eyebrow.
"Good point," Ryouga noted irritably. "Hey, what's that?"
"It sounds like," Ukyou paused. "Crying." They rushed to the sound, Ukyou dragging along Ryouga, to find the Principal crawling out of his "office" and moaning over a fallen palm tree.
"WAAAHH!!! Dey hurt da bid Kahuna's poor babies!!" he wailed. Ukyou and Ryouga sweatdropped, sneaking past the principal.
"Okay, do you think they're still in this mess somewhere?" Ryouga whispered.
"Not finished yet," somebody said hoarsely.
"Gotcha this time," came the weak answer. Ryouga and Ukyou glanced at each other and climbed over some rubble to find Ranma and Ryoko sprawled over each other, sort of half-conscious.
"Knew it," Ukyou sighed.
"Are they both still trying to win?" Ryouga asked, sweatdropping.
Nagi wearily watched Ryouga and Ukyou carrying Ranma and Ryoko out of the school. She frowned.
"Did they kill each other?" Nagi wondered, hoping they hadn't. Ken-ohki shook his head.
"Miao," the cabbit said.
"Exhausted?" Nagi said. "What were they doing to exhaust each other? They couldn't have been fighting all that time. Ryoko should have finished with that Terran quickly, however powerful he is."
"Miao?" the cabbit said. Nagi sneered.
"No, she can't be weak enough," Nagi said. She remembered how quick and fluid Ranma had been in her own brief encounter with him. "And he can't be that strong."
Ryoko Saotome
A Tenchi Muyo / Ranma 1/2 crossover
Part 11: The Game's Afoot
By Thrythlind
Ranma's double bed was a little more crowded than usual. Sprawled across it were two figures competing for space. One was a tiny, blonde woman dressed in Chinese clothes with a short pig tail that was coming undone. The other was a fairly tall woman with tangled and matted silver hair wearing an outfit in multiple loud colors. The clothes in both cases were torn, sweat stained and very wrinkled. The woman with the silver hair was snoring loudly, while the other woman seemed to have kicked off her blanket and was starting to sprawl across the bed. It was only a matter of time before one or the other would wake up.
This is what is known as a dangerous situation.
Ryo-Ohki was snuggled comfortably between them.
She was being incredibly optimistic.
Ryoko reached up to scratch her head and then let the arm fall back down. She squinted in confusion upon hitting something soft other than a pillow. Of course, having endured Happosai, Ranma's response was slightly louder and more violent.
"Happosai!" Ranma shouted, sitting bolt upright and looking around for the perverted gnome. "When did you get ba--!" She was cut off by a slap to the face.
"What are you doing in bed with me!?" Ryoko demanded.
"ME?!" Ranma shouted. Then she pointed angrily. "YOU'RE the one grabbing me!"
"Feh," Ryoko said, crossing her arms. "If I did something on purpose it wouldn't be such a clumsy grab like that one."
"So you have experience with feeling up other girls then?" Ranma asked angrily.
"Yes..No! Arg!" Ryoko growled. "Only as a joke! Besides anybody who ends up with you, better be a little flexible."
"Oh thanks," Ranma said. They glared at each other for a moment.
"Why did you dump me in this bed with you?" They both demanded at once.
"You can be pretty sure that I would be male right now if I had been up and around," Ranma snapped. "Or at least not blonde."
"Like I'd dump in this bed and go to sleep there," Ryoko snapped back. Ranma stared back at her a few moments.
"Yeah," Ranma admitted finally. "You'd have to have won our match to do that."
"What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked. "I did win."
"No you didn't," Ranma said. "I did."
"You were just about to fall over," Ryoko reminded her.
"And you weren't?" Ranma asked. "The last thing I remember is taking you down."
"Same here, punk," Ryoko said. They growled low at each other.
"Iiiaaaooo," Ryo-ohki wailed. Ryoko hurriedly dug the dazed looking cabbit out from under the blankets.
"What happened to you?" Ryoko asked.
"I think we did," Ranma said, embarassed.
"Listen, I'm a damn sweaty, coconut smelling mess," Ryoko said. "I get the bath first."
"I've got the same trouble, AND I'm the wrong gender," Ranma reminded her, whispering. "And stay quiet or my Mom will wake up and you know what she'll suggest." Ryoko flinched.
"I want the bath, Ranma," Ryoko growled.
"So do I," Ranma said. They stared each other down for a moment, then Ranma smiled. "Flip for it?" Ryoko blinked and then smiled.
"Sure," she said.
"Call it," Ranma said, producing a coin.
"Tails," Ryoko said smirking. Ranma was about to flip, but paused.
"What is it with the tail anyway?" Ranma asked. "Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not."
"Minor shape-changing trick," Ryoko said. Suddenly Ryoko split into two people.
"That question coming from someone who changes gender," the first Ryoko said. She was a scholarly looking woman with her hair pulled back and a pair of spectacles.
"Seems rather silly to ask," the second Ryoko said, looking like a wide-eyed college student. They both fixed Ranma with a scathing glare.
"What the--?"
"Flip the damn coin," the Ryokos said in unison before merging into one body. Ranma shrugged and smirked before flipping the coin. She watched the coin confidently, until it clattered to the ground and landed, tails up. Ryoko vanished into the furo, smirking. Her voice virtually sung out from behind the door. "I won."
"Miao, miao" Ryo-Ohki said in a frustrated manner, shaking her head. Ranma picked up the still warm coin. Ranma flinched a little in surprise at the sound, but she really was getting better at that.
"Yeah, I figured it out," he said. "But then again..." He flipped the coin again, and then produced five more coins, and sent them into the air before the first had landed. All six coins landed on top of each other in a tidy column, heads up. "I was cheating too."
Ranma shrugged and walked into the kitchen. If she had to wait to clean up, not really all that high on her list anyway, she could at least heat some water to change back to normal. Even if she was merely indifferent to her female form now, she still vastly preferred to be male. Besides, she absolutely hated being blonde.
Ranma might say pink hair was worse, but that's because she felt like she was expected to. Pink hair only got her accused of being an Utena otaku, which was okay because that was a show with some fighting and such. Not that Ranma ever watched that it, no way.
It just seemed that whenever her hair was blonde, people tended to treat her as if her her intelligence had dropped several degrees. The absolute nail in the coffin on that particular color was when someone had made the mistake of calling her "Azusa" as a joke.
Ranma walked calmly, if a little irritably, to the counter and started fixxing a pot of water. While waiting for it to heat up she glanced at the calender. Ranma blinked, and leaned away from the counter to get a closer look at it. She blinked again, then leaned back against the counter.
"I guess that's it then," Ranma said. She turned back to the kettle and started drumming her fingers irritably.
Ryoko felt somewhat cramped in the standard-sized tub. It was a far cry from the palatial facilities Washu had provided. Then again, she hadn't had access to that place since before Jurai, and she'd relied on worse bath facilities before.
"That isn't going away," Ryoko muttered, fingering the scar from Kagato's attack. She had few other scars, her body didn't scar much at all. She closed her eyes and remembered freezing when she saw Yosho had fallen. She threw one weak blast and then let Kagato pick her off.
"Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko called out. The cabbit popped into existence on the sink across from her. "Have you been scanning the news?"
"Ma-," the cabbit said shaking her head. "Miao?"
"Not right now," Ryoko said, leaning back. She glanced out the window. "When the sun comes up. That'll be it."
"Miao?"
"You know what I mean, brat," Ryoko said.
Ryoko walked out of the bathroom to find Ranma not there. She blinked in surprise and looked around for the martial artist. She glanced down at Ryo-Ohki, tail swishing in confusion.
"After all that fuss, he just leaves?" Ryoko asked. The cabbit seemed to shrug. "You're a lot of help." She popped into the living room, but didn't see him there. At least not inside. She happened to catch a glimpse of movement outside, however, and glided a few feet before vanishing and reappearing outside.
Outside Ranma-kun was running katas, and Ryoko retreated to the roof and settled down to watch for a moment. Ranma's head inclined in her direction, but only for the briefest of moments. Other than that almost imperceptible motion, Ranma remained focused as his Art.
It was a quite different art from the Jurai sword arts practiced by Tenchi and Yosho. Ryoko could tell that right off, but it was still Art. Without an opponent to face, the moves looked more like a dance than anything else. Tenchi danced too.
"Bath's open," Ryoko said. Ranma looked at her directly, in the middle of a flip, while upside down. Then righted himself and landed lightly. Ryoko blinked and stared at Ranma's feet. He was standing on top of the grass, and the blades were hardly bending. ~Just how much did he pick up from me?~
"I noticed," Ranma said. He glanced towards the rising sun and then stepped onto the dirt path.
"If you're going to make a stink about something," Ryoko said, irritably. "The least you could do is not act like its no big deal."
"Sorry 'bout that," Ranma said, walking towards the house. "It's lookin' like its gonna be a long day already." He stopped and looked up at her. Ryoko watched him expectantly, and Ranma returned the look.
"RANMA!!" the old man shouted, rushing outside to meet Ranma. "How dare you let that woman fight you to a draw."
"What draw?" Ranma asked. "I won." He ignored the rock that bounced off his head. Genma had already turned away and fallen into lecturing mode, and thus missed the rock.
"The report from Ryouga was that he and his fiancee had found you sprawled over each other, mumbling about finishing the fight," Genma said.
~So it was them,~ Ranma thought. ~Thought so, Mom would have changed me back to normal. Then I probably would have gotten more than slapped.~
"They had to carry you back home," Genma said. "So again, how dare you let such a sickly weakling beat you."
"Excuse me," Ryoko snapped, sticking her head through the roof to glare at Genma. "Who are you calling sickly and weak, old man?"
"ACK!" Genma flinched back against the wall. "What is that?!"
"I gotta take a bath, Pops," Ranma said, smirking. "Maybe you'd like to try her for yourself?"
"It would hardly be worth the fight," Genma stuttered. Ryoko growled, and her disembodied head vanished from the ceiling, just before she reappeared completely in front of Genma. She glared for a long moment while Ranma walked inside, then leaned back and smirked.
"How about I hold back a little?" Ryoko asked, smirking. "Would that make it fair?"
"Fair!?" Genma shouted angrily.
"Not going to risk it?" Ryoko went on, floating back into the small yard. "I don't blame you. After all, if your afraid of your wife and her sword you'd be a damn fool to try me."
~Well, she's not human,~ Genma reminded himself. He rushed out and leaped into a quick, flying kick at her. Ranma paused on the threshhold to watch. His eyes widened slightly as Ryoko caught the kick and threw his father. She used almost none of her own motion to turn the attack into a throw. Almost no wasted motion or energy at all.
~That's not basic Jujutsu,~ Ranma thought. ~She picked up some of my Saotome-Ryu.~
Ranma shook his head clear and continued toward the bathroom. He could hear his mother humming pleasantly in the kitchen. He really did need that bath, before his mother started picking at him for smelling up the house. Besides, it was a lot more comfortale than being covered in grime.
"So how was your match?" Nodoka asked politely. She refilled everybody's tea.
"She cheated," Genma answered. Everybody looked at him and blinked.
"I wasn't speaking of that exchange this morning, dear," Nodoka said. "So how was the match?" Ryoko and Ranma stared at each other, virtually daring the other to say that they won.
"She's good," Ranma admitted at practically the same moment that Ryoko said "He's Good."
"HELLO!" A voice shouted from the entrance. It was followed by a cheerful looking Ran-Ran. "City Offices open today! Is time to fix mistake, yes?"
Ranma turned his glare to face the Amazon angrily.
"You're just waiting for use to sign those papers so you can get him," Ryoko said, growling. "Aren't you?"
"No, no, no!" Ran Ran said, glancing nervously at Ranma. "Ran-Ran just want make sure you know it time to fix mistake."
"I know," Ranma and Ryoko snapped back, then looked at each other.
~Great,~ Ryoko thought. ~Nothing but confusion today, why isn't he already dragging me off if he knew already?~
~She knew?~ Ranma thought. ~Why are we still here?~ Neither bothered to ask the question about themselves.
"Excuse me, miss," Nodoka said irritably. "You should not enter a person's home without requesting an invitation. It is very rude."
"Umm," Ran-Ran said, confused by the quiet tension in the air. "Sorry."
"I suppose you must be somewhat excused," Nodoka said. "Considering this is not your country. Still I must ask that you not barge in here like that again." ~And put these silly ideas in Ranma's head.~
"What are you two just staring at each other for?" Genma asked. "Hurry up to the offices." Nodoka spared a glare for her husband now. Ryoko and Ranma blinked and then stood up, regarding each other carefully.
"Yeah," Ranma agreed. "Why are we wasting time?" Ryoko bridled.
"Wouldn't want to be a burden on your honor any longer," Ryoko said, glaring at Ranma as he narrowed his eyes. They waited a moment and then stomped out of the room. Everyone stared after them for a moment.
Nodoka turned to say something to Genma, a rather annoyed expression on her face. She was stopped, however, when Ryoko and Ranma both appeared in the room, finished their breakfasts and then stomped out of the room again. Everybody blinked, then Ran-Ran chased after them, probably to make sure they accomplished their task.
"Genma, dear," Nodoka said dryly. "You need to learn to stop interfering in Ranma's life."
"Eh?" Genma said, blinking.
"That is my job," Nodoka explained, walking to the phone.
Ranma stopped walking and glanced around cautiously.
"What's the matter, fem-boy," Ryoko asked irritably.
"Did you feel something just now?" Ranma asked.
"What do you mean by that?" Ryoko asked, turning cautious now. Ranma shrugged.
"I guess it was nothing," he said, still unconvinced. Up a tree several yards away Konatsu watched them walk away. He held up a battered piece of paper and smiled in satisfaction.
"Ukyou-sama will want to put this in a safe place," he said, smiling. He was gone before Nagi appeared on the scene, following nearly a full block away from the couple.
Ran- Ran frowned as she followed Ryoko and Ranma. Somebody else was taking an interest in the couple. Ran-Ran wasn't entirely certain the interest was healthy. The woman did carry herself like a warrior. The animal on her shoulder did look a lot like Ryoko's pet.
Ran-Ran didn't particularly care if this woman killed Ryoko or not, but she couldn't let her interrupt the couple before they anulled their wedding. Ranma would feel obliged to interfere. That might result in her potential airen beating another woman in battle. She understood he was prone to that type of thing, and Ran-Ran felt she had plenty of competition in the silver-haired women.
Her mind made up, she dashed forward and landed in front of the woman following her quarry.
"Who you?" Ran-Ran demanded.
"You finally decided to show your face?" the woman asked from under her hood, smiling.
"You not interfere," Ran-Ran insisted. The woman glanced over her shoulder at the trees lining the park. A pair of shadows shifted slightly. Nagi looked back down at Ran-Ran with a thoughtful expression.
"You might prove useful, girl," Nagi said. ~As bait.~
"Miao?" the animal on her shoulder cried out. Ran-Ran could almost swear it was talking.
"You back off, and I no have to kill you," Ran-Ran warned her. Nagi laughed quietly.
Ranma and Ryoko stood in the line and tapped their feet impatiently.
"You're not a burden," Ranma said after a long silence.
"Excuse me?" Ryoko asked.
"You're not a burden to my honor," Ranma said. "You're something of pain in the neck, but you ain't a burden."
"Heh," Ryoko laughed. "Who are you to call me a pain in the neck."
"Takes one to know one, right?" Ranma smirked. They reached the end of the line.
"May I help you?" the attendant asked.
"We're trying to get a marriage annulled," Ranma answered.
"Any reason?" the attendant asked.
"It was a clerical error," Ryoko explained, tightly, drumming her fingers against her elbow. "We didn't mean to get married."
"I see," the attendant said. "May I see the license and your IDs?" Ryoko shuffled uncomfortably at the mention of ID.
"Sure," Ranma said. He reached into his pockets and blinked as he found nothing. "Eh?" He started getting nervous as he continued searching and continued to find nothing. "Ummm, I don't seem to have either."
"What!?" Ryoko demanded. "What do you mean you don't have them!?"
"I don't have them," Ranma said, sweating. "I was sure I had them right here, but they're gone!?"
"I can't help you without those papers, sir," the attendant said. "Please return when you have the proper papers." She looked past them. "Nex-rrk!?" Ryoko pulled the woman up into her face.
"Listen you miserable little creep," Ryoko snapped. "We did not get married on purpose. It was a damn accident, and if you don't fix it right now."
"I...I...I..I can't without the IDs and license miss," the woman stuttered. "There's information on them that I need." Ryoko growled at her. "But you can get new copies."
"Fine," Ryoko said, dropping the woman. "That's another line isn't it?"
"Uhhh..." the woman felt a little afraid of what might happen if she answered.
"Never mind," Ranma said. "We'll find it. Come on, Ryoko." Ryoko turned to see him walking away and snorted.
"You're lucky today," Ryoko said following Ranma. The woman in the both slumped against the counter.
"Next?" she said uncertainly.
The man in the window found himself staring into an angry face, which was not uncommon. The owner of the face was tapping their fingers incessantly. This was also not uncommon. The fact that the counter was cracking under his fingers was.
"We need ID," Ranma growled. "To get a copy of our IDs?"
"We'd accept any of these other methods of Identification," the man said nervously. "If you don't have a photo ID."
"And where do we get these?" Ranma asked coolly, looking over the list for a moment before handing it to Ryoko.
"Well," the man said nervously. "You go to the second door down on the left..."
"I'm sorry, sir," the next man said. "We can't give you this without some proof of your identity."
"That's why we want this information!" Ranma shouted.
"The idiot here lost his identification," Ryoko said irritably. "And I haven't had one for I don't know how long."
"Oh," the attendant said. "Sorry, but if you can't prove who you are..."
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said turning away from the window and stomping out of the room. "We'll try the next office."
Ranma and Ryoko had taken a break from the endless run of lines to find something to eat. Neither was in an exceptionally good mood. The sight of someone working hard to separate themselves from you was not a pleasant thing, even if you were doing the same thing. Add that to the frustration of dealing with bureaucracy, and you get a powder keg out of anyone.
"Hey!" Ranma said suddenly. "I just thought of something."
"What," Ryoko asked.
"Can Ryo-Ohki do that thing where they make stuff?" Ranma asked?
"She can make 'stuff' but I don't think it would be very useful," Ryoko said snidely.
"No, no," Ranma said. "Like on that American show the reproducers or somethin'?"
"Material fabrication?" Ryoko asked.
"Uhh...okay," Ranma said. "I guess so." Ranma and Ryoko looked toward Ryo-Ohki.
"Miao?"
"I don't think this will work," Ryoko said, standing on Ryo-Ohki's bridge somewhere over the pacific ocean. She was holding a small card that appeared on first glance to be plastic. A microscope would show that it was actually a flat sheet of crystal, however.
"What's wrong with it?" Ranma asked. Ryoko hesitated a moment and then showed Ranma the card. The martial artist burst out laughing at the image of Ryoko with whiskers and cabbit ears.
"Oh, you think that's funny?" Ryoko asked. She tossed him another card. This one with two images, a Ranma-cabbit-kun, and a Ranma-cabbit-chan. A blonde Ranma-cabbit-chan. "Now those are some funny pictures."
"Hey!?" Ranma snapped. "Let's see about this."
He turned to find one of those floating rocks that seemed to be Ryo-Ohki. He leaned to the stone and started whispering. A few moments later another card clattered to the bridge's surface. Ranma snatched it up.
"How's this for laughs?" Ranma asked, brandishing a picture of a Ryoko-carrot.
"Ryo-Ohki!!" Ryoko snapped, the crystals sweatdropped.
"Look at this one," Ranma snickered, picking up a card out of the growing pile.
"Heh, he has hair," Ryoko said, smirking.
"Pops never looked so good," Ranma agreed. "Who's that one?"
"This is Washu," Ryoko said, pointing at the Washu-cabbit picture. "The scary thing is she had a robot once that looked a lot like that."
"Really?" Ranma said. "Weird."
"Miao," Ryo-Ohki said, the sound carrying a definite serious tone. "Miao, Mi."
"Fighter jets, here we come," Ranma muttered.
"There aren't any ships around here right now," Ryoko said. She moved to the deck chair and sat down, calling up a flat screen. A white and blue crystalline ship was shown in the screen. "Nagi." Ryoko growled. A second screen appeared filled with the bounty hunter's face.
"Enjoying married life, Ryoko?" the image asked with cool amusement. "Don't look so surprised. It isn't like this world's computers are a match for Ken-Ohki."
"I'm not interested in chit-chat, bitch," Ryoko snapped back. "You've come to set the duel?"
"I asked you to take care of her Saotome," Nagi continued. "Not take care of her." She repeated with a humored twist.
"I could care less what you want," Ranma said. He walked next to Ryoko and leaned over to whisper to her. "Will she attack in that thing?"
"Ken-Ohki won't hurt Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko answered.
"Neither would Ryo-Ohki hurt Ken-Ohki," Nagi added. "As long as we stay on the ships it's a stalemate." Ryoko growled angrily at the smug Nagi.
"Get to the point," Ryoko demanded.
"Do you know a little girl with green hair that can't speak the local language?" Nagi asked calmly. "Somewhat repetitive name?"
"Ran-Ran?" Ranma asked levelly.
"I had an encounter with her today," Nagi admitted. "About the same time the first of the bounty hunters showed up. Aside from you of course." Ryoko frowned and stood up. She didn't like the girl much, but the girl was a kid, with plenty of time to grow up. Or at least she was.
"Where are the bodies?" Ryoko asked coolly. Ranma snapped a look at her.
"Oh, she's still alive," Nagi said. Another flat screen appeared showing two figures. Ranma flinched away from one, a nekojin with a superior smirk on his face. The other looked more or less human, if a fairly battered one.
"Those aren't bounty hunters," Ryoko growled. "You sold her off?!"
"What do you mean sold," Ranma asked, getting near to losing his cool.
"Carella and Irashi here claim to be bounty hunters," Nagi said. "But they have other lines of business. If you hurry, you can get to them before they reach the nearest black market port."
"You bitch," Ryoko snapped. "What are you doing this for?!"
"I'm just warming up," Nagi said, and her communication screen finished. The screen viewing Ken-Ohki showed the cabbit ship receeding rapidly, and they didn't have time to chase it.