** Sorry for the repost. The first went out as an accident in button
pushing.
Splitting Heirs
By Jeffrey Vasquez
Disclaimer:
All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their respective
creators and companies. All others belong to me.
Author's Notes:
Sorry for the long wait. Somehow it was inevitable that a bazillion
different problems would arise to impede its release. Hope you enjoy.
Many have been wondering about a time line and when these events
take place. All I'll say for now, is that it's at the end of both series.
Tenchi OAV/ Ranma Manga - For Tenchi it's after the first visit of the
royals,
while for Ranma its sometime before the failed wedding attempt.
********
Chapter Three:
Hereditary Principalities
Part One
********
Galaxy Police Headquarters
Col. Hierax Adrolops, a N'wellian from N'Wel VII, used one of his
twelve purple tentacles to scratch at his bulbous chin absently. The
transfer notice before him didn't make sense to him in the least, especially
since
the officer before him had worked so hard to get away from the partner she
was being reassigned to.
He thought about questioning the sudden change of heart, but upon
seeing both the Royal Seal of Jurai and the personal seal of the
Commissioner, he changed his mind.
Politics and N'wellians didn't mix well. It was one of the reasons
that Hierax chose the remote desk job of a commissions officer. That he
had attained the rank of Colonel was a fluke. Or so he thought. He hadn't
meant to save that Juraian Lord's life in the mess hall. It had been an
accident at best; tripping over someone's tail and latching onto the
Juraian's torso.
One quick squeeze and whatever had been obstructing the man's air
passage flew out and smacked one of the ranking officer's wetly in the
face. That very hour had marked his rapid raise in the ranks. Something
that he regretted.
He shook his head and bemoaned his fate silently while affixing his
own seal onto the official transfer notice. Perhaps he could put in for a
transfer of his own. Preferably to someplace quiet and well out of the way
of scrutiny. With a sigh of regret, he shook his head and returned the
papers back to the officer before him. It would never happen in his life
time.
"Good luck Detective." He said in his nasally monotone. She nodded her
head vigorously, as if she knew that she was going to need every bit of luck
that she could get. "I hope that you enjoy your new assignment." It was
an answer that he gave every officer; hollow and impersonal.
"Not bloody likely." She said under her breath as she left the commissions
office. Hierax had agree with her sentiment. He might have it bad, but it
could get worse. Much worse. He wondered who the poor human had
offended to be re-assigned to Detective First Class Mihoshi?
********
Space is a vast realm, infinite some say.
Lady Tokimi knew differently. The misconception that the various
societies held close to their hearts was that the vacuum of space spanned
forever, but that was simply wrong. The vacuum of space was immense,
but finite, bordered on all sides by other elements that comprised their own
vast realms.
Seas of plasma, bordered oceans of helium, and in turn they were
flanked by large seas of other elements not known to the denizens of this
particular "universe".
Her domain stood on the outskirts of one such joining. A place
where the reality of time/space was warped, dancing to and fro like a
drunken mariner on his tossing galleon. She both loved and loathed it. It
was like living in an exclusive villa on an isolated mountain. But without
the means or the ability to leave.
She could call out, and receive information from the corners of the
vastness of the void; but she could in no way escape from her "home." It
made for a terribly lonely existence.
She cursed the day that her sisters "escaped" the duties along their
barriers and left her, their elder sister, stranded and alone. If
everything went as planned, that would soon be a problem of the
past, and she would be free.
She knew who she would visit first. And Heaven help Washuu and
Tsunami when she made her appearance! Tokimi laughed. A beautifully
horrifying sound that made stars shiver with dread.
********
Washuu laughed. She couldn't help herself; the looks on the
newcomers faces were just too much to take.
Kasumi-chan's eyes were as large as saucers as she exited
Washuu's lab, and an odd, little, smile twisted her lips in a very
un-Kasumi- esque expression. Washuu knew the girl had potential,
and if her first impressions were correct, the Greatest Scientific mind
in the Universe would soon have a lab assistant. The idea was strangely
appealing.
Nabiki-chan wasn't much better off, but her smile had more than a
little drool associated with it. Washuu wasn't sure she liked the feverish
gleam in the girl's eye and made a mental note to upgrade her security
systems. Nabiki looked intelligent; and intelligence and greed didn't make
good bed fellows.
But the elder Tendo sisters weren't the source of Washuu's mirth.
The sight of a very dazed Akane, holding Ranma's little, green, hand made
the resident mad scientist burst out laughing anew.
Akane could only look at little Washuu with guarded fear.
"Kappa!"
"Ahhh!" Akane let out a little screech and nearly jumped out of her skin.
Howling laughter floated into the youngest Tendo's ears, causing her to
grumble, very quietly, under her breath. She turned her gaze onto the
little green mutation that morosely brought up the rear.
"Kappa Kappa!"
"Ranma!" She hissed at the little creature next to her. "Stop scaring me
like that!" She scolded. It vaguely resembled Ranma in the eyes and wild
black hair, but the scaly green skin, the beaked snout, and the large
tortoise
shell on its back made Akane's skin crawl.
Ranma could see the revulsion in Akane's eyes, and bowed his head
in defeat. Now what was he going to do? There's no way that anybody
could love him like this! As if anyone loved him in the first place.
". . .kappa. . . ." His voice sounded miserable, and his utterly dejected
posture softened Akane's heart. She knelt down and with only a little
shudder in her hands, took his tiny Kappa hand again.
"You realize of course that this is entirely your fault." Ranma felt as
though someone had hit him. He looked up at Akane and growled. "Don't
growl at me Ranma! It was your own fault for insulting her!"
"KAPPA! Kappakappakappakappa!" Ranma began dancing around angrily
but didn't let go of Akane's hand.
"What do you mean 'How was I supposed to know she was over twenty
thousand years old?'!" Her arms waved wildly as she yelled at Ranma.
She refused to release her hold on his hand either, pulling and tugging
Kappa-Ranma around like a small stuffed animal. "Did you think that a
twelve-year-old girl could ever create a tenth of the stuff that she did!"
". . . k. . ka. .kapp. . .a . . . ." Kappa-Ranma's eyes seemed to spin in
his head. Akane abruptly realized what she was doing and set the boy
turned Kappa down.
"Sorry Ranma." She amended quietly, and immediately set to the task of
brushing him off. "But you know I'm right, so don't even try to deny it."
Washuu watched Akane in amazement. How could this little, and
definitely human girl communicate with Kappa-Ranma? Washuu knew for
a fact that none of the kids were psi-positives; well, with the exception of
Ranma that is. The boy was a lot like Tenchi on that note. They both
came up as a blank slate on all of her scanning equipment. That was
something that she would have to remedy. And soon.
But the others, Akane included, were no where near active psi
levels. There was of course some latent possibilities, but everyone had at
least some potential. She folded her arms beneath her small breasts and
began analyzing the possible answers to this new puzzle.
Nabiki watched Washuu's reaction with no little amusement. In the
hopes of endearing herself to the master scientist, she sidled up and
decided to help her out.
"It's not that hard of a trick really." She said mildly, watching the
display unfold between Akane and what had once been her human fiancee.
Akane
fussed over and chided Ranma for being stupid. While Ranma made some
disparaging remark that sounded remarkably like "Tomboy."
"Oh?" Washuu looked up at the middle Tendo daughter
appraisingly. She began to re-examine Nabiki, discarding her previous
judgement in light of something much more. . . profitable. The girl was
intelligent, attractive, and at first glance, mildly greedy. All in all, a
good candidate for an experiment that she'd put on hold a while back.
Nabiki smiled, but the look that Washuu was giving her a very
uncomfortable feeling; she felt for the first time what it was like to be
examined under a microscope. She found that she enjoyed being on the
other side of that look more than she did the receiving end.
She gulped once, and told herself that there was no way that she
was going to let a twelve -year old girl intimidate her. regardless of what
the kid claimed. Twenty thousand-years old! Ha! She'd believe it when
she saw the birth certificate!
The smug, superior look that she wore like a second skin returned
full force, allowing her to continue. "Ranma has a limited vocabulary, and
tends to be _very_ predictable." Washuu didn't respond, instead she
simply nodded.
Ranma hung his head under Akane's tongue lashing. She was right
of course. The crack about Washuu being a "silly little kid" wasn't exactly
how he should have handled the Scientist. He could admit when he was
wrong (mostly at gun point, or rather sword tip, as the case may be.), and
when he was wrong he took responsibility for it.
He walked up to her and bowed deeply at the waist to Washuu and
mumbled what only could have been an apology. Kasumi smiled warmly
and looked to Washuu to see what her response would be.
Washuu for her part, smiled and smacked the Kappa-boy on his
shell rather forcefully. "Apology accepted Ranma. No hard feelings, eh?"
Ranma groaned inwardly, but made sure to smile and nod. The less he
offended the woman, the better off that he would be. Self preservation was
a well-honed tenet of the Saotome School. Unfortunately, he hadn't
mastered all of its techniques yet. Either that, or the Tendo School had a
very effective counter.
"Could you please change him back now Washuu-chan?" Kasumi asked
sweetly.
"Sorry Kasumi. The procedure doesn't work that way." Ranma
whimpered as his eyes bulged in fear.
"Oh my!" Kasumi said. Akane pushed forward in front of Washuu.
"How long will it last?"
"Oh, a couple of hours at most."
Ranma groaned at the prospect of remaining like this for the rest of the
night. At least it wasn't forever.
*********
The late night snack was a magnificent affair. Kasumi, Nodoka,
and Sasami worked their magic creating a feast fit for a king; which was
good since one happened to be in attendance at the table. But in order to
pull the impromptu meal off raw recruits were drafted into service. Ryoko
and Ayeka were sent to the store for missing ingredients, and Washuu's
matter duplication device was called to service to duplicate existing
ingredients and other foods. The device made both Kasumi's and little
Ryo-ohki's eyes sparkle in wonder and excitement at the possibilities.
Even Ranma and Tenchi were called to help, allowing Ranma to put
on a dazzling display of cooking that entertained the mass of women
milling about the kitchen. Tenchi only smiled at his new found cousin as
the young man showed off.
Strangely enough, Akane, Nabiki, and Mihoshi were no where to be
seen. A fact that didn't surprise any, and one that had put a fat wad of
bills in Nabiki's pocket book.
It had been ages since Funaho had been allowed to even enter a
kitchen with any hopes of preparing a meal for her family. It was an escape
that she had missed when Sasami left with Ayeka in search of Yosho. She
had been away too long, but happy to be back. The love and comradery
that abounded in the room made Misaki start crying, threatening to flood
the fruit salad that she was preparing. The emotional woman had to be
escorted out of the kitchen before her water works ruined dinner.
Kasumi, who had the most practice dealing with such emotional
states, calmly led Misaki out to join the men in their silent vigil at the
table.
Yosho and Azusa sat across from each other, staring out into nothingness.
The silence left Nobiyuki in a very uncomfortable position, and he
relegated himself to hide behind his newspaper in a very manly act of
cowardice. The sight seemed awfully familiar in a very foreign way that
she couldn't quite put a finger on.
Misaki seemed to feel the same way, but took it into mind to help
the men "break the ice", so to speak. Her presence at the table sent a
shiver down her husband's spine, and put a broad smile on Yosho's lips.
Nobiyuki wisely remained barricaded behind the stalwart bastion of his
newspaper.
Kasumi found the whole situation wonderfully entertaining, but
managed to pull herself away before she lost her composure. It wouldn't
be proper to laugh at an Emperor. She returned to the kitchen and soon
the sweet feast was thoroughly devoured.
Ranma had demonstrated remarkable constraint, more than any of
the Tendo sisters had ever seen. But for Ranma it came at a serious cost.
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he watched Mihoshi and Ryoko
literally gorge themselves on a particularly yummy looking ice cream
parfait. There was a moment when Nodoka thought that her son was
going to break under the pressure, but the boy's resolve held firm.
She was proud of him for showing such restraint. There was hope
yet that she could undo all the harm that Genma had ingrained in him, a
task that she was eager to start. A point that was mirrored in Funaho's
mind as well, but directed at both boys rather than exclusively toward
Ranma.
A chill ran up Ranma's spine, and somehow, he knew that it wasn't
from the small spoonful of ice cream that he had just eaten. He looked at
Tenchi and saw the same tremor pass through his body. On some
subconscious level Ranma was thankful that he wasn't alone in this pickle.
*********
"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW!" The pitiful cry rebounded off of the
alley walls morosely. The sound mocked Ryouga Hibiki's loneliness. He'd
been in this maze for over eight days now, and he couldn't get out. It had
to have been one of the most frustrating predicaments that he had ever
found himself.
He was sorely tempted to make an exit for himself, but the memory
of his last attempt stopped him cold. His irritation and impatience had
caused him to lash out randomly at a wall, that had consequently separated
a home's bath from the rest of the world. The young women bathing
themselves at the time were understandably upset, and had told Ryouga in
short order where they thought that he should go. The thought of the
experience made the Lost Boy's nose start to bleed, but he managed to
pinch it to stave off the flow.
His restraint wasn't getting him any where though, and that made
him even more despondent. So much so that an eerie green light began
crawling up and down his arms. The tiny flames licked his firmly toned
arms, exuding a painfully depressing weight on the young man's heart.
"Why am I so cursed?" He asked the empty alley way. A loud "Clang!"
and an echoing "Thud!" were the first responses that Ryouga was given.
"Because Jackass, you're an idiot." The feminine voice was very familiar
to Ryouga. One that he hadn't heard in a very long time.
Ryouga launched himself to his feet and grabbed his assailant by the
shoulders. "Ukyou! What did you do that for!" A second assault on his
thick cranium sent his feet six inches into the pavement.
"Because you is stupid, stupid-head Pig Boy!" Shampoo's high pitched
voice floated into Ryouga's ringing ears. "You tell Shampoo where Airen
is, and she no cook you in sezchuan sauce for dinner tonight!" Shampoo's
bonbori swished in the air as she swung them experimentally. The balance
was slightly off, and she thought that Ryouga might have bent something
with his ridiculously hard head. She grumbled an ancient Amazon curse
under her breath. It roughly translated into "Stupid, barbarian, Male!"
with some colorful additions that, for the sake of the children, could not
be
repeated here.
"Huh?" was Ryouga's intelligent response. Shampoo prayed to the Mother
to give her strength. When dealing with Ryouga, she knew she was going
to need it.
"CLANG!" Ukyou's giant spatula hummed as she removed it from
Ryouga's head.
"Open your ears BAKA!" Ukyou's voice was laced with worry, causing
Ryouga's attention to focus on her again. "Do you know where Ran-chan
is, or don't you?"
"How the Hell should I know where Ranma is!"
"BONG!" Shampoo winced again as her second mace lost its finely tuned
balance. The situation was getting out of hand, and the young Amazon felt
what remained of her patience slipping away too. She was also amazed
that the idiot male before her didn't notice the heavy rope that she slipped
around his neck. Ryouga was so thick witted.
"Airen no where he s'posed to be Pig Boy!" Ryouga growled at the
nickname. "You sneaky sneaky in Violent Pervert Girl's bed, maybe you
know where Airen go."
"HEY!" Ryouga protested.
"CLANG!" Ukyou made her presence known yet again, forcing Ryouga to
return his attention to her again. Shampoo took the opportunity that the
diversion provided to quickly tie the other end of her rope around her
waist. She knotted it several times just to be sure that it would hold.
"WILL YOU PLEASE STOP HITTING ME!"
"CLANG!"
"No. Now answer the questions Ryouga."
"I don't know where the Jerk is." Shampoo's dangerous smile made
Ryouga swallow his anger.
"You no know, or no tell?" She drew a very deadly looking sword from
no where, fingering it thoughtfully. "Shampoo think sezchuan pork sound
delicious. What Spatula Girl think?"
Ukyou looked at Ryouga with the most disturbing expression that
he had ever seen. It reminded him of that bear he had seen two winters ago
in that really snowy place. That, combined with the water bottle in the
chef's hands, convinced Ryouga that the world had gone mad. It was
either that or he was truly in Hell. And then Shampoo leaned forward
seductively. The motion caused Ryouga to freeze up; the look in her half-
lidded eyes was hungry too. And then she did something unexpected.
She took his head in her soft, powerful hands and kissed him on the cheek.
Ryouga's eyes flew open in shock! All the stories, all the rumors!
He clenched his fist and cursed Saotome for all Eternity. Shampoo had just
given him the kiss of death! He did the only thing that the situation would
allow.
He retreated. Very quickly.
Ukyou grimaced as she watched him go and then turned her gaze to
the grinning Amazon standing next to her. "Did you really have to scare
him that bad? I mean, that was not a very nice thing to do you know. Even
to Ryouga." The Amazon simply nodded her head, refusing to let Ryouga
out of her sight for an instant, watching as the rope played out at her
feet.
"Shampoo Great Grandmother always say, "When no have lead, follow gut
instinct. They always lead to victory." Ukyou was about to denounce
Shampoo's great grandmother, but was cut off as the rope attached to the
purple-haired girl's waist went taught. Shampoo grabbed the okonomiyaki
chef's hand and both were pulled down the alley after Ryouga. "Shampoo
gut say follow Pig Boy to Airen."
"Are you sure it's not just indigestion!" Ukyou cried as Shampoo
navigated the obstructions in the alley.
*********
Masaki Shrine, 10 p.m.
Azusa surveyed the room that he had been relegated, with derision.
The Shrine office was smaller than one of the maintenance closets in the
Palace. He had no idea how his wives had rooked him into staying here,
rather than on his ship.
"'It will be fun.'" He mimicked Misaki in a high-pitched falsetto, clasping
his hands girlishly next to his face. "Slumber party. Bah!" He sneered.
His eyes took in the tiny room and knew that he would be sleeping on
the floor tonight.
"This is intolerable!" He groused. How could the Emperor of the known
universe, be expected to sleep on the floor? His mental rant continued for
a long time, as he stalked the room. His long robes of state swished loudly
as he paced back and forth like a caged lion.
On his last circuit of the small room, his attention focused on
something that rested on a cabinet next to the table. With slow
moderation, he picked the object up and stared at it for a long, silent
moment. The image was crude, and flat, but it captured his darling, little,
girls in a moment of happiness that he had never before witnessed.
Sasami's cherub face was as bright as the sun, filled with the fires of
life, and held a little of the mischievousness that her mother had
terrorized
him with when they were courting. Ayeka on the other hand was his
shadow. Regal in her baring, in spite of the goofy smile on her laughing
face. They looked so free here, it was no wonder they didn't wish to
return. And the way that they both clung to Tenchi, showed the deep
affection that they had for the boy; an affection that he hadn't experienced
in over seven hundred years.
It had been difficult to let his babies go in the first place. Had it not
been for Funaho, the girls would never have set foot off of Jurai until he
was dead and entombed. That was not true. But it was all that he could
do to get by after Yosho left. All of his dreams, everything that he had
been building for his family and his people, died when Yosho disappeared.
So, he built new dreams that lay heavily on the shoulders of Ayeka
and Sasami. His pride would never allow him to admit it, but he knew that
he had driven them away just as he had Yosho.
His thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open.
********
Ranma was ticked. The fact that a ghostly blue aura had erupted
around the boy, was more than enough indication for Tenchi. The fact that
the steps up to the shrine were lit up like they were basking in the noon
day sun, unnerved the small group of men as they struggled up the steep
path.
Tenchi's father was especially uncomfortable. Out of all the
inhabitants in the Masaki house hold, he was the only "normal" human
being, and his finely honed instincts told him that he should be far away
from the glowing boy. Those instincts had never failed him before,
especially where Ayeka and Ryoko were concerned. But now there was no
place to go, no where to hide save the surrounding trees.
He silently wished that Sasami hadn't come up with the idea of the
slumber party, otherwise he'd be in his nice warm bed, instead of walking
next to a walking time bomb.
Tenchi on the other hand took the whole experience in stride, just
like he normally did. The boy was excited to have the chance to get to
know more about his cousin.
"You know Ranma," Yosho said from lower on the steps. "It could have
been worse." Ranma stopped ascending the steps and turned to his
grandfather with a raised eye brow. "They could have made us sleep in
Washuu's lab." Everyone shuddered and Ranma's aura guttered.
Yosho always seemed to know exactly what to say to put everyone
in their place. The idea of sleeping in the shrine took on a new, more
favorable light for the young martial artist. Ranma nodded and smiled, and
continued to walk up the stairs, whistling nervously. Tenchi laughed
nervously, and soon Ranma followed suit.
Soon, Tenchi began weaving stories about his "experiences" with
Washuu, to which Ranma countered with wild tales of various fiancees.
The playful competition began to escalate between the two boys, each
trying to out match the other with their girl troubles.
The Crown Prince of Jurai watched his two heirs begin to bond and
prayed that their friendship survived whatever his parents had in store for
the two. He shook his head and continued listening to the conversation as it
turned to more . . . interesting topics.
". . . they busted in on your bath!" Ranma said with a grin. "Man, I
thought that only happened to me!"
Tenchi looked at Ranma in mild surprise. "You too?"
Ranma smirked as he shook his head. "All the damn time. Sit
down for a nice warm, relaxing soak and WHAM!" His fist planted itself in
his palm with a loud smack. "Someone's either tryin' to kill me, or
somethin' equally physical." Ranma blushed and hung his head.
Tenchi patted his cousin's shoulder in sympathy. If there was
anyone who knew exactly what this young man was going through, it was
Tenchi. Both Yosho and Nobiyuki for their part were stunned. Women
throwing themselves at you in the bath was the stuff of dreams! How
could these two not enjoy it?
A sudden, disturbing, thought descended on the two men at the
same time. One that would need to be tested to verify. So many plans
rested on the shoulders of these two young men. Marriage was a high
priority, along with the grandchildren that would come of those unions.
Plus there were the scandalous rumor mills that would have to be
headed off, if their fears became reality. It wouldn't be so bad here on
earth, but on Jurai . . . it would be intolerable.
The boys maintained their banter up to the shrine building itself,
leaving the older men behind.
*********
Misaki's eyes sparkled in wide-eyed wonder at the dream come true
before her. There are perhaps three things that Misaki, Second Queen of
Jurai, enjoyed more than life itself. 1. Her baby girls. 2. Adorable,
cuddly
little things. 3. Sweets. The order, of course, depended entirely on which
caught her eye first. Currently her attention was focused entirely on the
mountainous, triple fudge, marshmallow and whipped cream, brownie
parfait that rested on the table in front of her.
Sasami, bless her little heart, loved her Mommy more than anyone
else in the world. And this treat proved it! Little did Misaki know that
this was simply a diversionary tactic, employed by the little blue-haired
princess to escape the torrential ball of matronly emotions, known as
Mommy.
The tactic was well appreciated by Ayeka, who had desperately
wanted to avoid embarrassment while entertaining the shrine's guests. It
had been a draining endeavor, that required all of her attention focused and
sharp. An impromptu, affectionate, bear hug the moment Misaki's eyes
wandered in Ayeka's direction. Holding her hand beneath the table while
eating, and every time the eyes began to sparkle with tears of love . .
.there
was a desperate search for Ryo-ohki, or some other equally cute and plush
distraction.
Mihoshi sat opposite of Misaki with more than a little drool
clinging to her tanned chin. The event set off alarms in everyone's mind
that knew Misaki.
Tension grew to a palpable level as Misaki took her first spoonful.
The taste was so heavenly it was sinful. A small whimper escaped from
Mihoshi's throat, causing Misaki to savor the treat all the more. Being a
Queen had its perks.
The second and third bites continued to torture the blonde-haired
detective. Each spoonful elicited a groan. Every "Klink" of metal chiming
against the china bowl caused Mihoshi's body to twitch involuntarily. And
for the second time that day Washuu, along with the rest of the inhabitants
of the room moved as far away from the table as possible.
Kasumi and Sasami made a mad dash to the kitchen. While Akane
and Nodoka huddled together in a corner as far from Mihoshi as possible.
Both had witnessed the wrath of Mihoshi vented on poor Ranma earlier
that evening, and neither had the desire to become her next victim. Ryoko
and Ayeka feared something much worse: Misaki unleashed.
Funaho sipped her tea as if nothing out of the ordinary was
transpiring.
*********
Ryouga ran. It was what one did when bereft of options. His
honor would not allow him to lastingly harm a woman, regardless of their
intentions. Both girls on the other end of the rope wanted him dead, and it
was all Ranma's fault. Again. He knew from the stories that he had heard
Ranma tell, that if Shampoo wanted him dead, she would follow him to the
ends of the earth. He could have fought to incapacitate, but there was
something else that held him back.
Amazon Law.
Death, or marriage. Sooner or later he would have to make a
choice. He just wasn't sure which was truly the worse fate. He looked in
back of him at the trailing figure of Shampoo as she literally flew in the
air behind. She did have an exotic beauty. The thought of her athletic
body
alone threatened to give him a nose bleed. But the thought of her
aggressive spirit cooled his hormones considerably. He wanted a sweet,
quiet, girl to settle down with. Away from all the excitement. Someone
who would love him, rather than treat him like a piece of property.
The thought of marrying Shampoo made him run a lot faster. If he
ran fast enough he could lose her. And with his sense of direction, and
habit of . . . wandering, it would be years before she would find him!
Yeah! That was a great plan! He doubled his speed and looked for
a place to duck into. They were in some sort of entertainment district with
lots of clubs and large crowds. There were plenty of places to hide. He
looked behind him and to his dismay the two girls were still there!
**What does it take to lose them!** His mind cried out.
He looked again and finally noticed Shampoo's rope. And much to
his passengers' dismay, the wandering martial artist stopped dead in his
tracks. Shampoo swore loudly in Chinese behind him. Something about
pigs being "too smart for their own good." Or was that "not smart
enough?" He couldn't remember.
Ukyou screamed in a very high pitched, girlish way. But the
explicative that she voiced was anything but sweet. The truth was the
words that were rapidly flowing from her mouth would have shamed a
barroom full of sailors.
Ryouga did his best to ignore their voices as they rapidly grew
louder; and closer. What he couldn't ignore was the impact of two,
shapely, young women. Their momentum pushed all three through a
doorway of a small shop, knocking people over like bowling pins in the
process. The doorway seemed to glow a hot pink for an instant, and then
there was silence.
On lookers from the crowd watched and waited for any signs of the
tumultuous trio from the shop. But all was eerily silent. With warding
gestures against evil, most people fled from the area in the hopes of
finding a less cursed place to enjoy their night off.
*********
The scent of Kasumi's and Sasami's baking wound it's way snake-like up the
steps of the shrine; following the manly quartet up to their place of exile.
Animals were roused, salivating from their sleep as the divine smell
slithered on the air. Ranma stopped just short of the shrine's doors as the
heavenly smell drifted into his nose from the direction of the house. His
body shivered with barely controlled excitement as his brain catalogued
the smells and sent the appropriate response to the tongue and the
stomach respectively.
Similar reactions could be seen occurring among his companions. Yosho's
glasses reflected the light of the fat moon that was just rising over the
mountains. Nobiyuki's body hung in midstep, and his stomach rumbled
thunderously in the night air.
Tenchi simply turned to Ranma and smiled hungrily. Both boy's looked at
each other with growing smiles.
"Brownies." The word was whispered reverently in unison by the quartet, even
as a strange, fanatical look entered their eyes.
*********
End Part One of Chapter Three