And it had started as such a nice day too.....
Three months after the events that had started this mess, Daisuke and
Hiroshi found themselves enjoying a quiet lunch time in the afternoon sun.
"Never a dull moment, ne, Hiroshi?"
"Too true, Daisuke. Still, it's nice to relax and not worry about anything
for once."
"Hai. But it has been fun, ne?"
Hiroshi's answer was not heard because a green and black clad figure
dramatically leapt in from above them. He (the figure that is) was carrying a
young black haired girl in his arms. The girl was unconscious.
Daisuke and Hiroshi immediately held up placards. Daisuke's read 9.3,
while Hiroshi's had 9.5 on it.
"Cool. Who are you supposed to be? Great Saiyaman?" asked Hiroshi,
putting his placard away.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tangents: Act Six
Mousse's Unexpected Return
By Ash
Disclaimer: All characters and concepts are copyright their various creators,
yatta yatta. Don't ask me who. There's too many to list and many more to
come.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stranger, who did look something like the Great Saiyaman, with his
green vest, dark sunglasses, and similar hairstyle, disregarded the question
and asked one of his own. "Has Ranma Saotome returned?"
Daisuke and Hiroshi were surprised by the question, and the voice that
had asked it.
"Mousse? No way." said Daisuke, breaking the silence.
Mousse (yes, this is Mousse) surprised by Daisuke's answer, asked,
"When did you start talking like that?"
"It's a long story. Don't ask." replied Hiroshi.
"Ano... anyway, getting back to my first question, is Ranma Saotome back
yet?"
"No, sorry." replied Dai and Hiro.
"Is Dr. Tofu still around? I need to find out how bad Shampoo's condition
is."
Dai and Hiro goggled. "That's Shampoo?!" asked Hiro, "What
happened?"
The girl, who did not look like Shampoo, with her short, shoulder length
hair and smaller form. She was dressed in black mid-thigh length shorts, and
an oversized reddish purple T-shirt.
Mousse shook his head sadly, and said, " I'm not completely sure, I-"
He was cut off by the noisy arrival of something that was designed to cause as
much damage and trouble as possible.
"Youma." said Dai and Hiro simultaneously.
Facing the youma, they summoned their stands.
"Detonator!" shouted Daisuke as his stand, manifested as a 'Metal Hero'
like armor, formed around him.
"Spriggan Slash!" cried Hiroshi, summoning his stand, an armored muscle
suit, burst through his uniform. A pair of nasty blades, their inner edges
serrated in circular arcs, popped out from their housings in his forearms.
The youma, seeing this, headed toward our heroes.
"Stand back, let me handle this." said Mousse standing behind them.
"What? You can't handle that thing." said Daisuke.
"You could barely handle Ranma." added Hiro.
Mousse smiled. "Don't worry. I've picked up some new... tricks, while I
was away. Now, would one of you hold Shampoo for me? I need both of my
hands for this."
Stepping back, with Hiroshi holding Shampoo, the two wondered what
Mousse could possibly do.
They didn't have to wait long. Stepping forward, Mousse began to glow
lavender. With a sharp wave, the glow cut short, disappearing. His hands
began to dance, forming intricate patterns. Then, dropping a hand sharply, he
said, "Togetogeshii Kaze". Wind began to blow, bringing a small swarm of
lavender bees. The bees, floating on the breeze, exploded upon impact with
the youma's back. The explosions were small, but irritating. The youma
screamed in pain.
Mousse was not yet finished, not by a long shot. Going through another,
even more complex series of hand motions, ending with an upward, two-
fingered stroke. "Denkou Kiritateru." A blade-like flash of lightning arced
downward, cutting the youma across the chest. Furious from the pain mousse
had inflicted upon it, the youma charged.
Mousse brought out his arms as if surveying the land, and said 'Fiery
Curtain", bringing his arms together in a mighty clap. A massive column of
fire engulfed the youma, searing until ashes were all that was left.
Daisuke and Hiroshi, who had negated their stands, were speechless.
Mousse turned and simply said, "let's go see Dr. Tofu now." it took massive
willpower to keep Daisuke and Hiroshi from facefaulting or passing out or
maybe both.
******
Turning our attentions westward, to a place in China known as Jusenkyo,
we find that the caretaker, known as Gaido, has a visitor. Outside his modest
house, a panda is seen attempting to eat a bamboo stake that it has been tied
to. Nearby, a young girl is knocking on Gaido's door.
"Yes, yes, I coming," said Gaido as he opened the door. "Aiyaah! What
you doing back, here at Jusenkyo, land of accursed springs?"
The girl, who did not look more than sixteen years old, rushed him, and
grabbing at his shirt collar, cried, "Please you've got to help me!"
Gaido, pulling the tearstricken girl off of him, he replied, "Please tell, so I
know how help."
She picked up a nearby bucket of water, and unceremoniously doused
herself.
"Aiyaah! That never happen before! You fall in Nyannichuan?"
The girl, whose appearance had changed, but was still female, nodded.
"I know not what do. Most recent Jusenkyo visitors go Japan afterwards,
look up boy, name Ranma Saotome."
"Ranma Saotome." said the girl, letting the name settle into her memory.
"By the way, what your name? For records."
"Mizuki," said the girl, "Mizuki Kanegashima."
*****
Elsewhere, back at Furinkan High, Mara, also known as Marller, having
watched Mousse deal with the latest youma, turned to go off and mull over
this latest development, ran into Kuno.
"I'm sorry," she said, collecting herself. "I should've- "
"No, it was my fault." he smiled. "Now, may I help you up?" he asked,
offering a hand.
Mara smiled back, "why yes, thank you." >Why am I being so nice to this
worm?< screamed a voice inside her head. She held her head as if to suggest a
headache.
"Are you alright?" asked Kuno, concern crossing his face.
"Why, yes, I'm fine." she said, getting up. "Thank you anyway."
"Now that I have helped you, might I ask your name?"
"Why yes,"she said blushing, "it's Ma- ...Machiko Daimon." catching
herself before blurting out her true name.
"A good name for a beautiful woman. I am-"
"Tatewaki Kuno."
"Ah, my reputation precedes me. Yes, I am the Blue Thunder of Furinkan
High." Obligatory lightning (tm) flashing in the background behind him.
"Nice effects. By the way, might I ask you a question?"
"By all means."
"Why aren't you talking poetically?"
Kuno looked up at the sky, to see if any cargo planes were flying
overhead. "My poetry seems to attract... anvils as of late. Mainly upon my
head. Also, the Coach say that talking too much has adverse effects upon my
swordsmanship."
"I... see. And who is this coach?"
Kuno smiled. "So, you have not heard of Coach Wakatabe? Though he
works at another school, he feels that I am worthy of his training."
It was Mara's turn to smile. "You must be good to attract the attention of
a coach from another school."
"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have training session to attend."
"Ja ne."
"I would very much like to talk to you again. Farewell... for now."
She nodded and waved. Turning, she caught her reflection in a nearby
window. Seeing the face of Machiko Daimon, the human form she had
assumed because she could not possess anyone here, and gasped, having
forgotten who she was for a moment.
>I should have destroyed him on the spot.< raged a voice inside her head.
No, she thought, that would have blown my cover.
For a split second, her true form, with her blond hair and the 'V' shaped
marking on her forehead, appeared. It faded just as quick as it had appeared.
Suddenly, she clutched at her head and oblivion claimed her.
*****
"Ohhhhhhh Kunoooo!!! Practice time, Slacker!" shouted Coach
Wakatabe.
Kuno who had been hiding behind a bush, leapt up and swung his bokken
in an upward diagonal slash. Taking the coach completely off-guard, the
stroke ripped his shirt.
Smiling, Wakatabe looked up at Kuno. "Very good. You're getting better.
But there is still much for you to learn."
The two lowered their swords into position to begin a practice match.
*****
Having entered Dr. Tofu's clinic, Dai, Hiro, and Mousse stood waiting for
the doctor to talk with them. Shampoo, whom Mousse had set down on a
couch, rested peacefully.
They didn't wait long. "Hello, Daisuke, Hiroshi. What brings you two here
today?"
They explained the situation to him.
"Hmmm. I see." Turning to Mousse he said "Mousse, please follow me,
and bring Shampoo with you."
Daisuke turned to Mousse and said "We'll wait here for you."
Mousse nodded and followed the Doctor into the clinic. A few minutes
later, they entered a small room at the end of a hall. What Mousse saw in
there astounded him.
"Akane Tendo! What is she doing here? I thought she had died three
months ago!"
Tofu Shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it. While it is true that
she was dead for a time, she now appears to be in a coma. In fact, something
similar happened a year or two ago."
Mousse considered this for a moment, and said "So you're saying that she
was dead, and now she's sleeping?"
"That's a good enough explanation for now, though it doesn't cover the
entire problem."
"Oh."
Tofu pointed to a nearby bed. "Why don't you set her down there."
After setting her down gently, Mousse stepped back.
Tofu kneeled down to examine Shampoo. "This is strange. She's in a
coma, but it appears to be a case of total withdrawal."
Mousse nodded sadly.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Mousse shook his head. "I... don't know. There's a blank spot in my
memory for several weeks. The first thing I remember after leaving here was
that I was carrying Shampoo, and that the daylight made my eyes hurt."
Tofu mulled this over for a minute, and asked "Interesting. Is there
anything else that might be of importance?"
"Well, we were attacked by some...thing. It was then that I discovered my
new... abilities. After defeating it, I somehow realized that someone or
something knew what we looked like, so at the first village that we came to, I
sold some of my weapons and bought some clothes and a few other things to
change our appearances."
"So, after that, you came back here?"
"Yes, since neither one of us found Ranma, I thought he may have come
back here."
"That's understandable. Now, if you would follow me, I would like to
examine your eyes."
Mousse nodded and followed the doctor into another room. After a few
tests, Tofu gave Mousse the results.
"This is strange. If this is correct, you roughly average vision, but have an
extreme sensitivity to bright lights. The sensitivity makes sense, but not the
improvement in your vision. Do you know anything about that?"
"Yes. Before leaving, Cologne struck my 'eagle eye' pressure point. When
I discovered my light sensitivity, one of the first things I bought was a pair
sunglasses."
"So you ended up trading one vision problem for another."
"True. Yet I find that this is preferable to my... previous condition."said
Mousse.
Tofu nodded and said, "That's understandable. Now, about Shampoo,
I'm afraid there's not too much that can be done now. All we can do now is
let rest and come back when she is ready. However, come by later to see if she
is doing any better."
"I will. And thank you, doctor."
"No problem."
Mousse left the room, walked out to the waiting room, where Dai and
Hiro were still waiting for him. "Is there a reason you're still waiting for me?"
He asked when he saw them.
"Yes," said Hiro. "We need you to come to the Nekohanten with us."
"What, isn't Cologne still there? She'll be furious when she finds out what
happened to Shampoo."
"You don't have to worry about her," answered Daisuke. "She's...
indisposed at this time."
"Oh."
*****
Several minutes later, they entered the Nekohanten. They were
immediately greeted by an old woman dressed in over-sized black clothes and
was walking with a simple cane. "Hello boys, what bring you here today? And
who is your friend? I don't believe I've seen him around."
"Well Granny, this is Mousse." said Daisuke in a cheerful tone.
"Hello Mousse, I'm Granny Tsunami. You can just call me Granny."
"G-greetings, Granny." stammered Mousse, somewhat surprised by
Granny's friendly, yet stern manner.
Granny looked Mousse over. "Hmm. You've improved greatly in three
month's time. What happened to Shampoo?"
Mousse lowered his head. "She is at Dr. Tofu's. I'm afraid that she won't
be doing... much for a while."
Furrowing her brow, Granny thought this over for a moment. "I see. Why
don't take a seat over there while I talk with the boys for a moment."
Mousse did as she said.
Granny then turned and spoke to Dai and Hiro. "Well now, now that he is
here, there is something I need you to do." pausing, she placed her hand on
Dai's forehead, causing him to step back with a start.
"What was -that-?" he asked, startled.
"I modified your stand so that you are now able to fly."
"Fly?" asked Hiro.
"Yes. Now he and the Gundam Girl can carry you to Osaka, Spriggan."
"Just us and Sayuri? What about Yuka?" asked Dai, somewhat puzzled.
"You will not need her for this. Besides, Kameken's power frightens me.
If she becomes any more powerful, she will have to learn to fight without her
stand."
"Alright. It's just that she's going to be extremely -annoyed- when she
finds out that she can't go."
"I...see. One last word of advice, do not use your stands unless it is
absolutely necessary. Be discreet. Open this when you arrive. It will tell you
what you have to do." she said, handing them a sealed scroll.
Taking it, they nodded and left.
Granny walked over to the table where Mousse was sitting, and sat down
across from him. "Now why you don't tell me what's been going on with you
since you left here three months ago?"
Taking a deep breath, Mousse began his story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End Act Six
Next time on Tangents:
Daisuke and Hiroshi return from their 'excursion'
Mirai Trunks arrives in Furinkan
Shampoo wakes up
Trunks gets asked to go on a date
Our heroes are pitted against the evil villainy of 'E'
Hiroshi: "First we get Great Saiyamousse, then Mirai Trunks. Who's next?"
Ash enters from stage left.
Now you're probably thinking, 'why is he beginning a story with the sixth
chapter, and why is there no indication of what's happened before?'
Now there are several reasons to this, some of them even I don't know about.
Since this is just an alpha, I'll include a synopsys of what happened previously
in the Beta. While this is set at Furinkan High and other locales in Nerima,
this -not- a Ranma Story. Most of the principal characters will not appear for
some time. While the story may look in on what they're doing, they will not
become part of the main story until after act 22.
The changes that have been to the characters who have appeared, are
justifiable to me. Mousse's 'detached ki' techniques are a natural extension of
his hidden weapon skills, and he can do them while fighting hand to hand.
Daisuke and Hiroshi were perfect choices to have stands. Not only are they
able to observe what's going on around them, their wits allow them to deal
with situations more easily than the martial artists around them. Their Stands
are different from those seen in 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' in that they are
visible to anyone not just other stand-users. The stands also form around the
user's body like a second skin and like ki attacks, are powered by the user's
emotional state. Their speech pattern change came about from what they
experienced in my 'Daisuke and Hiroshi's Excellent Adventure' story that I
will release in the near future.
The new characters, Mizuki and Granny Tsunami will explained at a later
date after I have established them a bit more.
Ash exits Stage Left.
