Well, this is a sad day, indeed. The end (for the moment) of the FFML, the end (for more than a moment) of the Sega Dreamcast. Many a reason to shed a tear.
Well, at least I can give this all out to you. Here is a preview of Duet 9, in progress from little ol' me. It's in alpha form, so all the accents and whatnot are missing, but they'll be in the final, to be posted on my website, RAAC, and maybe a Refugee ML or two while the main one's down.
Enjoy the preview, people. It'll be, sadly, the last Duet on the list for a while.
Libby
(depressed over the doom of her little white box o' fun and trying to decide if PS2, GC, or XBox is the way to go next)
A Duet of Pigtails
By Libby Thomas
Based on the characters and storylines of Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi and Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP
Part Nine:
Bai Bai, Bu-ru
The capture, to say the least, was messy. The transfer to the Vanden Plaz^� stronghold of Piazza Nero was worse. Now, as the prisoner was being forcibly dragged in, things were not looking good. In truth, to say that they weren^�t looking good would honestly be an understatement. In truth, the body count had not been something comforting.
^�Let me go! Let me go, damn you!^� the redhead screamed, rattling the bars with a jarring strength that surprised everyone, despite the relative ease of the initial capture. The capture fields were designed to counteract magic, and were in fact made of the same type they used on the King of Cephiro and his cohorts. However, where it seemed to work like a charm there, in truth it wasn^�t as easily explained in this case. Every so often a sliver of power would leak out and would send someone flying off their horse or transport; it was as if the anti-magic alloys and spellwards weren^�t enough to contain the power of the Pillar, not fully. Common sense said it shouldn^�t; when push came to shove the Pillar was a goddess. Yet it held on without much incident, and to be honest, it was preferable that the Vanden Plaz had lost several dozen men during the capture and transport instead of having someone with her power running around.
As they entered the Piazza Nero, the assembled crowd stared at the Pillar, shackled in chains and raging against her bonds. Some of the crowd wailed in sorrow, remembering the bravery of their goddess and watching her reduced to this. Some of the crowd, newly inducted into the ways of the Vanden Plaz^� ways, decried the redhead as part of the old system that must fall. Others merely shook their heads and mourned the slow obliteration of the whole world as they knew it.
^�People of Cephiro!^� the Pillar screamed at the top of her lungs as she was dragged off the cart and towards the entry to the main VP intelligence center. ^�Do not forget your freedom, do not allow these people to turn you into something that you^�re not!^� One of the stormtroopers took a swing at the Pillar, but she ducked under it, and despite the amount of restraints on her and her magic being sapped, she laid a number of punches on the guard, her fists flying so fast that arms were nothing but a blur as she sent the gray-suited guard quite a few feet away. Ducking under several more strikes and punches, the woman known to all as the person who^�d saved the universe twice from disaster fought for her freedom despite the limitations on her magic. Moving in styles and pattern the crowd had never seen before, she held seven guards at bay despite the chains and blocks, and it took a stun blast to the back of her head to finally drop her.
As the crowd went silent save for the occasional sound of anguished weeping or anti-Pillar jeer, the prisoner guard compliment doubled, and with several energy weapons now trained on her and set to kill, the woman all of Cephiro knew as Shidou Hikaru was dragged into the facility. Once in, the doors shut, sealing her inside; her fate would likely be caught up in that bleak facility as well.
~*~
Fuu shook her head, wondering how on earth she managed to get involved in this stunt; it made everything she^�d known as a Magic Knight and the sovereign of this world look like tactical ingenuity in comparison. ^�Of all the schemes I^�ve heard, this has to be the most bizarre, inane, and stupid--^�
^�Let^�s not forget moronic. After all, the bimbo did think of it,^� Hichan added.
^�Be nice, Hichan,^� Fuu reprimanded.
^�Yes, Aunt Fuu,^� the Water Squire drawled.
^�Ladies, can you keep it down?^� a third voice whispered harshly. ^�We don^�t know what the level of their audio detection equipment is.^� Turning momentarily from his view, Michael flashed the two Magic Combatants one of his dazzling smiles to take the heat off his snipe. At the moment, the trio lay on a rising overlooking the town that had been renamed Piazza Nero by the Vanden Plaz. According to the CIA operative, he found it interesting that it had been given an Italian name rather than a German one, and he surmised that the Vanden Plaz was not in fact merely German, but may have been a full Axis complement of German, Italian, and Japanese soldiers, as well.
But even that seemed wrong somehow. Looking through his rifle^�s gunsight/telescope, Michael added, ^�I don^�t want to make your people seem wrong, Fuu, but the group down there^�s far too large to be consistent with what few reports were given on Hitler^�s Vanden Plaz project. Either the addition of other nations^� troops was intentionally left out, or Cephirans and Autozamians are joining the cause. Considering the quick rise in adaptation from World War II-level weapons to advanced technology, I^�m sure the latter^�s the case, whether the former is true or not.^�
A melancholy look clouded Fuu^�s face, and for a minute the queen seemed even older than her forty-odd years. ^�There^�s always someone to hate for no reason,^� she murmured sadly, her thoughts focusing on the loved ones now imprisoned in the facility. Instead of expounding on the subject further, though, Fuu merely picked up her cylinder-shaped viewing crystal and continued to watch the magical image floating before her.
Watching through her own view crystal, Hichan watched as they took the redhead indoors. ^�I don^�t believe it. It actually worked!^� The raven-haired beauty looked at her companions, completely shocked that a plan as warped as this could actually hope to work, regarding the circumstances.
^�Of course it worked,^� Michael responded, his voice tight. ^�We gave them exactly what they wanted. Now, all we have to do is wait for the next batch of information, and then I^�ll move in. Once I^�m secure and in place, we^�ll bust everyone out and the rest of you can move in to cover our escape.^�
Fuu nodded, though it was clear that she did not like the second phase of the plan any more than she did the first; she didn^�t need to mention that she cared for the final stage just as little as she did the first two. ^�Okay, we know the first part worked, but how do we know the second part will?^�
Michael gave the queen another boyish grin. ^�Trust me. Once I head that way, not a soul will be able to catch me. I^�ve been doing this for years for the Company. Let^�s just say that when I get down on the ground, the chances of me getting in and not getting caught, well...to use a phrase in English, let^�s just say my chances are looking pretty ducky.^�
~*~
Daimler looked at the latest report regarding the initial test probes. So far, the Erde project was going perfectly, and if things continued on course, the weapon would be ready to be unleashed on the Cephirans before they ever knew something was wrong. The weapon code-named Erde would be a sight to behold, a glorious engine of death and destruction to the lesser that could only come from the hands of Aryan thinking and Autozamian technology. So far, the team of Barina, Sharan, a few Cephiran shamans, and Autozamian scientists were working as one, hoping to perfect the molding and forging process that would bring about Erde.
But there was one small catch in the whole scheme of things. Daimler turned on a video camera to stare at the comatose beauty that was at the heart of things. The woman named Kasumi, covered only with a sheet and a few sensorpads, lay on a table in the room adjacent to the area where the technical section of Erde was being built. It would take the sacrifice of this woman to power the Erde weapon, and from all indications from the sensor readings, Erde would be powerful enough to make the Doomsday Gun project back in Berlin look like a child^�s slingshot. The reason for that was simple, and yet so ominous: Kasumi was filled with energy so raw and potent, none of the scientists could document it initially. Almost as a fluke, one of the Japanese contingent had figured it out; while that trooper had come in to check on the health of her traitorous countrywoman, the Imperial Army officer taken one look at the sleeping woman and had said in enigmatic tones, ^�This woman is incred!
ibly strong in ki, but she doesn^�t know how to refine it. If she were to ever learn, I fear for the person who angers her.^�
Unfortunately, the Erde science team hadn^�t quite figured out how the integrate the power of ^�ki^� with all of their other results, but Daimler would be confident that they would. He was already sacrificing a lot on trying to develop this superweapon, and though others didn^�t know it, he would be sacrificing much more than that. Looking at Kasumi, Daimler^�s heart beat once more, and for a minute he wished she could have been of Aryan stock--he would have been more than pleased to take her as wife. But he couldn^�t do that; the situation was far too different to allow for such events to occur.
There was a knock at the door, and Daimler shut down the connection to his viewscreen. Grabbing a nearby stack of papers, he did his best to change his expression from lovelorn to bored and half-yawned, ^�Come in.^�
^�You seem out of wits, my lord,^� a voice hissed. Daimler looked up from his papers and saw Targa, standing at the doorway. ^�Paperwork does not suit you.^�
Daimler gave his assassin a weary smile. ^�Of course not--paperwork was a beast created by the impure to ruin our lives,^� he said in a joking manner. ^�So, what can I do for you, my friend?^�
Targa gave his leader a simple smile that seemed in truth far more predatory. ^�I have found a suitable pair of soldiers to lead the stormtrooper infantry,^� the assassin said, a harsh gleam in his eyes. ^�Admittedly, they^�re Autozamian, but they should suffice for our needs, and to be honest, they^�re as loyal as any true Aryan son would be. Trabant and Passat also feel they^�ll do well, and with your permission, I^�d like to give them the temporary slot to see how they would work out in such a situation.^�
Daimler nodded assent, but continued to look at his junior officer, knowing it wasn^�t enough. ^�Please, continue. I know that look in your eyes, Targa. You don^�t hide things very well when it comes to surprises. It^�s about the only thing you don^�t hide well.^�
Targa merely nodded, taking the mild rebuke in stride. ^�We had a disturbance in the town square today as we brought our newest guest in for lodging.^� His thin lips curled into a sneer that indicated he smelled blood in the water, sure as any shark. ^�I do believe that people have forgotten who their masters are around here. Shall I have a couple of the Fahrenjin or the Chizetamians we have in custody executed and left on the pile?^�
Daimler put his hands together under his chin then proceeded to rest them on the desk. His face took on an analytical and thoughtful cast, as he commented, ^�No, that won^�t do any good. They^�ll see that as something we do normally, and it won^�t bring about the compliance we need. Secondly, for those that have seen the error of their ways but have yet to fully join our cause, they need something that will bring them to us. I am taking care of the long term effects of that, but we need something more immediate.^� He paused as if making a minor contemplation before looking at Targa with inquisitive eyes. ^�Would you say that the Lady Umi no longer suits the needs of the men?^�
^�Well, a few of them complain that she^�s no longer a challenge. She just lies there like a dead person, not even bothering to entertain or pretend to try and ward them off. Of course, with the Pillar here now, we do have fresh meat.^�
Daimler wisely nodded. ^�Exactly my thoughts, at least in part. I do believe that our supplies can no longer afford us at this moment to hold on to prisoners of lower consequence than the Pillar. Give the word that at the stroke of sunrise tomorrow, we will have another execution in the town square. It is time that we benevolent and merciful to our enemies--call me soft, if you must. At the first stroke of dawn, Ferio, Umi, and LaFarga will be put out of their misery--and ours--permanently.^�
^�So it will be done, sir. In the meanwhile, I thought you^�d like to meet the person that has caused us so much trouble since she arrived. Since it seemed that our earlier reports on her were erroneous, I took the liberty of bringing in a company of our armored troopers and more spellwards.^� Targa snapped his fingers, and a score of soldiers dressed in VP-modified Autozam armor walked in, carrying huge and nasty looking rifles. After them came in a trio of the lower mages under the combined command of Sharan and Barina; in no time flat they set up blood spells, wards they would hold up at the cost of their life if need be; the introduction of necromancy into Cephiro, had the Pillar or the Guru known, would have given either convulsions. Of course, the Pillar was about to find out now.
Dragged in and hoisted up by the arms, the Pillar looked to be a barely bound rage. Almost covered in head to toe with extremely strong chains which were also heavily counter-charmed, the Pillar sported a nice bruise on the right side of her fair face, no doubt given to her by either Trabant or Jetta for the injuries dealt to them in the previous battle. The fact that the Pillar looked at him with an unearthly calm made Daimler idly wonder what she would have done in return to the offender had she been loosed to counter. Well, that wasn^�t likely to happen here.
^�Hello, Pillar,^� Daimler addressed her, his eyes filled with contempt. ^�I know you can^�t stand being in the same room with me, and frankly, I^�d rather put a bullet in your skull than to look at you for one minute more, but I think I can make this absolutely clear. You will likely never see the sun again. You will die at my whim, and you will know every single pain there is. Let me make this perfectly clear to you,^� he sneered, his face coming within inches of the Pillar^�s, ^�you may be the Pillar out there, but I am God around here, and I will introduce you back to the hell you deserve, creature!^� Still keeping his face a mere couple of centimeters from hers, he looked at her with the same emotion he would have for an insect. ^�So, what do you intend to do about this, O Favored One of the Universe?^� Inwardly, the Head of the Vanden Plaz was fully prepared for a futile act of defiance by her spitting or something. Every part of him ached for her to give him an excuse to r!
ock a blow across her face, some means of showing her who was boss.
What she did, instead, he hadn^�t prepared for in the least. Eyes flashed with contempt of the same intensity that Daimler held for her. She then flashed him a very catty smile...
...then all the Nazi officer knew was pain and stars as he took a jaw-crunching blow, then another one to the chest, which knocked the air out of his lungs. As he bounced off his desk then crumpled on the floor in a fetal position, he looked up and saw the face of the Pillar, and the beyond-imperious look on her face. It was a face that said exactly what she was: divine. He also noticed how he^�d been downed; though her arms had been bound completely, her feet had not, and she apparently had quite some agility as she proved across his face. She could have done anything to him from the position she was at, but she chose to merely stare at him, letting him know exactly what she thought of him.
His nose bleeding and probably broken, he shrieked with a painful slur, ^�YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT!^�
^�Someday,^� she answered, returning his haughty tones, ^�but it won^�t be at you--^� She didn^�t complete her sentence as she took a blow to the head, the green splash of an energy beam impacting against the base of her skull again. Though no one had apparently dared to cross the woman physically, one of the people at the far end of the room drew a bead on her and loosed a stun blast. She fell bonelessly, not feeling the kicks that the newly-emboldened troopers unleashed on her.
^�Enough!^� Daimler ordered, motioning for his troops to get off the battered, bloodied woman. Wiping the blood from his nose, he looked straight at Targa and commanded, ^�Throw her in with Lady Umi. Let her see her friends one last time before she dies. When they die tomorrow, I want the Pillar tortured! I want them to hear her screams as they die! I want her to hear their screams as they die! I want a symphony of pain for both of them, do you hear me? I want them to feel pain, completely and utterly!^�
^�Yes, sir,^� Targa hissed, picking up the unconscious Pillar. ^�Amazing, if I must say. My family has been in the assassin business since the Crusades, and I have never seen that move she just performed. I^�m wondering if she^�s here to break her friends out.^� Signaling to the guards, he ordered that the Pillar be taken to her new home. ^�She may be in the cage, but we may be the ones that end up in the trap.^�
^�I^�ve already thought of that. In the past couple of days, I^�ve had the wards increased, just in case this event occurred. Now, I^�m glad I^�ve had the foresight. If worst comes to, when Erde becomes operational, we^�ll use that avenue of possibility to attend to the problem of Saotome Hikaru.^� Gingerly moving to his seat at the desk, Daimler templed his fingers and looked at the space where the Pillar had just put him on the deck with little effort, despite the bonds that held her. Was it the Pillar^�s last gasp at glory, or a harbinger for whatever would happen next? The answer, of course was the former. The latter answer was simply unbelievable, and the sort of thing that would happen now. The Fuhrer had failed because he didn^�t have the might of the Vanden Plaz behind him. Now, Daimler would take that bright future and lead his troops to a brighter victory. He was nearly there with Autozam firmly in his pocket, Chitzetam and Fahrenjin blasted firmly into submission a!
nd the battle for Cephiro firmly going well for his troops.
As the remainder of the troops left the room, Daimler left his desk again and wandered over to the five globes seated in the center of the room. Unlike the ones he^�d grown up with as a child, these ones were far different. All four situated under a large holoprojector, each of the globes presented a different future. The replicas of Chizetam and Fahren showed extensive damage, whole areas of the continents on the two worlds completely pockmarked by craters, and there was little doubt that there had been cities where the wounds on the planets were. Autozam, in contrast, was a vibrant, living world, though how much it had changed none save the Vanden Plaz knew. Where the world had once been owned by the Autozamian people, the Vanden Plaz now considered the dead world their Berlin, their center of the universe; there was even suggestions by the garrison there that the world be renamed New Germany. On the globe that represented Cephiro, the globe was political vice geographi!
c, detailing currently which parts of the world were under Cephiran or VP control. Thirty percent of the world currently fell under VP command, and the rest would eventually fall. But the main prize, that was yet to be taken.
Situated slightly away from the other four globes to hint at the actual distance, this globe showed a geographic display, as the current political standing was currently unknown. Perhaps that was the way things were, but it wouldn^�t last for long. As Daimler looked at the globe of the Earth and planned for the invasion using Erde, he knew that the balance of power would turn and it would turn in his favor. Placing his hand on Europe, he could feel his own hand symbolically ensnaring the real continent and bringing it under his rule. In a day to come, that would happen, and when it did, the Pillar and her allies would rue the day they ever tried to deny the true nature of the universe--the very nature of the Reich.
~*~
Sitting by one of the rafters outside of Daimler^�s office, Minica watched as the prisoner was led off to the dungeon. As much as she wanted to do something to help, there were three things preventing that: it wasn^�t part of her operation, there wasn^�t much she could do to help given her size, and she was deathly afraid. But she was the only one who could perform this part of the mission, and if it meant saving her stepmother and the others, that was what she had to do. After all, now that her mother was...gone...other than her father and older sister, Umi was all that was left.
Minica wiped a tear from her eyes, knowing that it had only been a week or two since her mother had been murdered. But Minica was the leader of the faeries now, even if by default, and therefore she had to do something regardless. So here she was, inside the Piazza Nero, searching for the nearest safe entry port. There would be time to mourn her loss later, and in any case, if there had been one thing that Primera had instilled in her only child, it was that responsibilities had to be attended to, especially if lives were at stake.
Flitting as close to the ceiling as her wingspan would allow and hoping nobody would look up, she followed the captors as close as she could, hoping to trace a path that would lead from the dungeon to the nearest escape place. The reason for this, Michael had told her, was simple: if he was going to be able to get in and perform his intelligence gathering, he would need to know where many of the important rooms were. Secondly, once the breakout from the dungeon was to occur, it would be up to the faerie to make sure that the prisoners escaped to safety. If everything worked to plan, she would strike a blow in her mother^�s name, free the prisoners, and be a hero.
Following down a tunnel and a set of stairs, Minica found something very discomforting: the hallway that led to the dungeon was filled with water, with a very thin strip of dry walkway that the soldiers walked across. That, of course, wasn^�t the bad part was, but rather the electrodes that glowed with a dim electricity. The minute the guards and prisoner entered the room, the electrodes came alive with sparking, sizzling energy and began descending towards the pools. At first, it seemed that they were going to execute the redhead, despite their leader^�s wishes, and Minica stifled a panicked gasp. At the last, though, one of the guards produced a small disc-shaped remote device of some sort and a second after he pressed a small button on the remote, the security system shut down and reset, as protective energy damping fields slipped over the various pools as a safeguard. The entourage walked to the end of the defense chamber, entered a small, recessed door on the other end!
, and disappeared from sight.
As the electrodes kicked back into passive mode and the safety fields deresolved, Minica fluttered back through the first door, up the steps, and began searching for the place that Michael said would be the intelligence center. If it was anything like the War Chamber back at the castle, she should be able to find it easily. Landing on a ledge, she took out a small piece of paper that was a map of the old layout of the Hiace City Hall; could the intelligence center correspond to the archives or the old Guard garrison? Or was it something entirely different? Maybe it even was a--
There was a chitter behind her, and Minica leapt, airborne in an instant. Being a faerie, there were certain sounds that her race was warned about, and the noises of the glass spider was one of them. As she turned and flew backwards at maximum speed, she could see the huge transparent arachnid preparing to leap at her. If it bit her, it was all over for her--the bite of a glass spider caused a minor rash in full-sized humans, but she wasn^�t a full human, she was a faerie, and if the venom didn^�t kill her, the puncture wounds of the actual bite would.
As it leapt for the kill, she snarled, ^�Take this! Stinger!^� A combination of the latent magic in every faerie, for some reason, Minica^�s ability was far more than latent, and crossed into the overt. Upon agreement with Primera, Umi had worked with her stepdaughter to ensure that she^�d be able to defend herself. Though Minica hadn^�t been able to do much, she was able to learn to throw small energy blasts, which she subsequently labeled Stingers. Though they were for the most part just an annoyance to larger beings, it was quite lethal to smaller creatures. And eyeballs, Minica thought with an uncharacteristic grin on her face, remembering the injury she inflicted on the man who murdered her mother. The green dart of mystical force lashed out and cored the glass spider, leaving the arachnid to scream in pain as it died. Unfortunately, the Stinger was strong enough to set off the fire alarm sensor.
Alarms blared in the immediate vicinity as lights began to flicker red. Minica yelped in surprise from the cacophony, and found herself racing out of the area once again, flying as close to the ceiling as she could and hoping that they^�d think she was a butterfly or something likewise harmless. As she reached the halfway point of the hall, she could see beneath her a small force of guards and firefighters, each of them heavily armed for their particular function. Laserfire or foam could pretty much down her, so she kept to the ceiling, eventually finding refuge just around the corner, atop a security camera that was designed to do everything but look up. Cocking her ears, she listened and hoped for a miracle.
There were words spoken in a harsh, guttural language that she couldn^�t identify but sounded nasty--That must be German, the faerie thought--and eventually she was able to catch that an argument was going on. Peeking around a corner, she noted one of the firefighters looking at the burnt remains of the spider and the slightly damaged sensor; maybe if she was lucky, they^�d think the spider did the damage. The firefighter with the spider showed his finding to another firefighter and an accompanying soldier, and the three rambled on in that coarse speech for a few minutes more before the first person threw the spider^�s remains in a nearby wastebin, and the complement filed out, resetting the alarm back to normal.
>From her seat atop the camera, Minica breathed a sigh of relief. Not only had she not been caught, but if she^�d flown at her usual elevation, she would have been caught on-camera, and that would have sent off alarms. I^�d better not push my luck. I^�d better just find a nearby window and signal for Michael. But he said any window will do. I wonder what he meant by that? Deciding to trust in the spy^�s talents, she flew towards the stairs once more, headed for the upstairs and the hopefully less secure windows there.
A minute or two later, Minica sat on the sill of a broken window, in a storage room converted into a barracks. Apparently either the workers here hadn^�t gotten to the window, or it hadn^�t been repaired for some other reason. It didn^�t matter to her, though, as the room met the two most important criteria: it was easily opened, and the room was empty, making it easier for Michael to sneak in undetected. Out from under her shirt she pulled a small device about the size of a faerie dinner plate, made of some sort of unusual gray metal. Flat and circular in shape, it had ridges on the side and the top had the face of an old but noble sort of man. There were letters in a language that Minica wasn^�t familiar with, but she was familiar with numbers, and there were two small indentations under the man^�s bust that she was familiarized with. Taking out a headset that Aunt Presea had made for Minica for this operation, she plugged the jack into the indentation, then hit the bow sha!
ped marking on the silver disc. Taking out her map and tracing her path on the sheet, she spoke into the microphone, hoping for the best: ^�Mousse, this is Shampoo. Come in, Mousse. This is Shampoo, over.^�
~*~
<<This is Shampoo, over,>> the voice came over the handset. <<Repeat, Shampoo to Mousse....>>
Hichan and Fuu took an odd look at Michael. ^�Hair care products?^� both women asked in unison.
Michael merely shrugged, trying his best not to look nonchalant. ^�Hey, I couldn^�t think of any better codenames at the time. Go figure.^� He turned to cough, trying very hard not to look too mortified; he^�d never slipped up like that before, and it was a minor miracle that Nabiki or Ranma wasn^�t around. I gotta be more careful. That was a stupid, stupid thing to do. ^�Tell you what: next time I^�ll use car names, okay? I don^�t think that^�s been done around here.^� Returning his attention to the comm unit, he announced, ^�Okay, Minica, you^�re coming in clearly. Give me a status report.^� The next few minutes went by as the half-faerie gave status updates of what she saw in the area. Pulling out a palm computer, Michael jotted down notes, comparing them with what he knew of the outside perimeter, both from castle maps and an initial recon while the first stage of the plan was being initiated. After a few more minutes of data, he said, ^�Okay, thanks, Minica. Now go ahead w!
ith the second stage of the plan, and I^�ll be there shortly.^� Shoving his modified cell phone back into netherspace, he moved away from the two Knights and said, ^�So that^�s it, then. I^�ll find my way into the castle, then wait for our forces inside to make their moves. If you two can tell our diversion to prepare herself, then all should be in place.^�
Fuu looked at him critically. ^�Um, Michael, I realize that you^�re an American intelligence agent, but are you sure you can do this? No offense intended, but^�.^�
Michael nodded. ^�Look, I know how you feel, Your Highness. There was one time when I had to infiltrate a cell of a massive terrorist organization, in southern Africa^�my wife was in there, and the team that she was with had been wiped out. She was in there with no ammo, injured and possibly already dead. But there was no way I was going to walk away and scrub the rescue operation without her.^� Michael looked into the sky, as though recalling the memories from the clouds above. ^�Theresa was so important to my life, that^�well, I^�m sure you can understand, Fuu.^�
^�So you went in, guns blazing and rescued her?^�
^�No, I didn^�t.^� Michael turned to face the queen, and his dark eyes were as coals. ^�I backed off. I realized that my emotions were going to get in the way of my judgment, and I would do something that might get one or both of us killed, or worse, compromise the whole operation. So, I sat and stewed while I sent in another agent who I had every faith in to get the job done. She did, and Theresa was saved.^� He gave the Wind Knight a warm smile, and said, ^�Fuu, I can understand how you feel. You^�re gritting your teeth, doing everything you can to prevent yourself from hurling yourself at the front gates of that compound. But doing so isn^�t going to do a bit of good, and in the end, you^�ll have to have faith in all of us to rescue your loved ones. At the very least, have faith in Hikaru. She chose us for this, and personally I have yet to blow a mission.^� With that, he leapt over the hill, and down into the treeline below.
Watching him melt into the treescape, Fuu called down, ^�You^�ll do everything you can, right?^�
For a split second, he reappeared from out of the dense green, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye as though he were going on a jaunt in the park rather than a grave mission. ^�Don^�t worry about my end of the deal. I can do it without any help, but if you get my diversion going, that^�ll make everything all the much easier!^� Nothing more to be said, he vanished amongst the branches once more, proving his skills to her.
Hichan watched the space where Michael had been and whistled in appreciation of his skills. ^�Wow, he^�s good. Maybe you should have him train some of our intelligence forces, Aunt Fuu. Never know when we^�ll need someone of that caliber in our units.^� Unsaid was the fact that they would need them and soon; the war was raging out of control and if it had reached the point where the Queen herself had marched off to battle, things had gotten very grim indeed.
As for Fuu herself, she watched the point below where Michael had been, as though hoping any second now her beloved soulmate would come forth. But the truth was her king and husband were still in that menacing tower ahead, and so long as Ferio and their friends remained captured, she would have to do whatever it took to ensure that they was returned to her care safe and sound^�
^�even if it meant painful hours of waiting. Looking at the horizon, but addressing Hichan, Fuu said, ^�Get a hold of Nabiki and tell her, to quote Michael, ^�It^�s showtime.^� Let^�s see exactly what they^�ve got in mind.^� Whispering aloud, she said, ^�I don^�t like this plan. Not one bit. Something^�s going to go wrong; I can just feel it.^�
~*~
At the same moment, Kuno Nabiki was having similar thoughts, but for entirely different reasons. ^�I can^�t believe I let him talk me into this...oooh, when I get my hands on my little brother, I^�m going to make him pay for this!^� The look in her eyes was one sharp enough to cut through steel, the table it sat on, and the ground in one fell swoop.
Behind her, a timid-voiced Shiki admitted, ^�I have to agree with you. If it wasn^�t for the fact that my Michael-kun said that this idea might work, I wouldn^�t do it.^�
^�Yeah, but I never thought that Ranma would even...ah, nevermind.^� Nabiki groaned as she tugged her top in place, making sure it was just right. ^�How the hell did I ever fit into one of these before? This thing^�s^�-unggh!^�-too tight!^�
^�Before?^� Shiki squeaked.
Nabiki flashed her a baudy grin. ^�Well, I had something similar to this back when I was in high school. Don^�t ask me to explain, it was a impulse purchase and to this day I still have no idea why,^� she said, cutting off further conversation of the subject as they arrived at the bottom of the hill, ^�here we are. Ready?^� Waving towards a group of guards, she cried out, ^�Oh, hell-ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, gentlemen!^� To Nabiki^�s amusement, the men looked in her and Shiki^�s direction, surprised at first, but after a few more seconds, relaxing and dropping their guards.
^�What d^�ya know,^� the older woman said with a bright grin. ^�It actually worked!^�
^�I feel like a piece of meat,^� Shiki confided.
^�That^�s the point, Shiki. Men tend to think with their...well, let^�s just say the blood rushes to other parts of their body at times. Believe me, I^�m married--I know this for a fact.^� Nabiki winked, a sign that if she was going to do this, she may as well resign herself to some fun.
^�Um, Nabiki, I feel really uncomfortable about this,^� Shiki answered. ^�Do we really have to go through with this?^�
^�Too late to back out now,^� Nabiki replied, fake smile still plastered on her face as she took Shiki^�s hand in hers and made a beeline for the soldiers. ^�Now just follow my lead, and we^�ll be alright, okay?^� Not waiting for an answer, Nabiki moved forward, the other girl in tow, waiving towards the soldiers and making a spectacle of herself.
The soldiers, however, merely saw two women walking towards them dressed in the cabaret style of dress that female stage magicians liked to wear, with the one-piece tux top, fishnet stockings, stiletto heels, and the works. The one in front seemed more brazen with her shoulder-length brown hair giving her a sultry look, one she played up to the hilt with an amply shown bosom and a tail end well accentuated by the clothing she wore. The other one looked quite striking in the clothes as well, though she didn^�t stand out as much as the first. However, there was a demure and abashed look about the pink-tressed girl that made her seem more inviting for a second round than the raptor^�s look on the eyes of the first.
Nabiki went up to the nearest one and cooed, ^�We^�re here to give you a show you just can^�t quite imagine.^� Leaning closer to him, she traced one delicate finger across his jawline and said, ^�You won^�t be forgetting us anytime soon.^�
The man said something incomprehensible, but something Nabiki figured to be German; this was obviously one of the complementing, non-magical troops that the Vanden Plaz brought as backup, it seemed. And judging by the way he unabashedly stared at her cleavage (and making her force herself not to rip his eyes out in an attempt to put them somewhere else), there would have been a time where she would have feared for her womanhood. Not now, though; if anything, it was they who had much to fear...from her.
One of them said a couple of things in the local language, which made him the dangerous one to deal with. Shiki wasn^�t over by him, so Nabiki kept him in the corner of her eye, making it seem as though after she was done with her current tryst, he was next in line. Leaning up close to her current quarry, near enough to smell his stinking breath, she whispered something quick to Shiki, who was trying her best to imitate Nabiki^�s actions on another soldier. The man wrapped his arms around her, and right then and there she knew that she had him right where she wanted him. Maneuvering her hands, seemingly as though she were unbuttoning his shirt, she cooed to him, ^�Prepare for a touch you^�re never going to forget,^� she swooned, kissing him gently on the nose--then snarling, ^�Schwinehund!^� She had no idea what it meant, as she recalled it from an old American WWII movie she^�d seen once, but she figured it to be nothing positive.
His eyes opened in shock, indicating that she was probably correct; that moment of dropped guard was all she needed. In a second she turned from sex kitten into lioness, as she slammed him hard in the chest with a palm strike, screaming a kiai. Still holding momentum, she arced back, delivering a reverse spin kick to the back of the second soldier^�s head. ^�Shiki! Take ^�em down!^� she snarled.
It wasn^�t necessary. The younger girl reacted almost instantaneously, driving her elbow into the nose of her closer opponent, breaking it in a spray of blood. As the blossom of red came into full bloom, the younger girl had already dropped into a leg sweep, quickly flooring her other would-be attacker, who she put out of commission immediately with a point-blank chest blow. As a bonus, she^�d also been faster on the draw than Nabiki had when it came to Autozamian recruit, as the minute Shiki hit the floor, she thrust her hand toward the last man, loosing a verdant ball of ki that caught him dead-on, crumpling him like paper. Wiping her forehead, though she hadn^�t broken a sweat, she looked at Nabiki with relief and said, ^�Glad that^�s over with. One of them I think was trying to....^� She said nothing more as she broke into a deep blush.
^�Yeah, I know,^� the older woman replied. ^�Okay, let^�s go change back into our normal clothes, and we^�ll move to the next point. And as soon as this is over, I can cheerfully do payback on my little brother,^� Nabiki responded with a semi-cheerful tone.
Shiki looked at the Piazza Nero, only a few meters away. On the side they were on, the walls looked impenetrable and foreboding; perhaps any of them, even with their abilities to break through walls and shatter stone into powder might not be able to dent that. It was built to stand, and just from looks alone, it would. For a rare moment in her life, Shiki felt forboding.
Nabiki also looked at it, but looked at it with defiance. She^�d put up with many obstacles in her life, and each time they fell, either through her wits or (more recently) her fists. Giving it a stare akin to one throwing down the gauntlet, she willed a personal threat to it. Her brother and sister-in-law were going up against this monolith, and where they went, so would Nabiki, and she would be damned before she allowed either of them--or their friends--to fall. As both women headed into the relative protection of the forest, neither spoke a word. There was nothing to say that could speed up the situation, or abrogate the tension; but however bad she was feeling right now, she knew that for one of her loved ones, the situation was slightly worse.