Yet another installment of the insane saga strikes us yet again....

Ryoga P Hibiki wrote:

Insertion

Part 63

Dark Secrets

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

Ranma Saotome sat on the roof of the Tendo Dojo. He had just returned
from his adventure with Herb and was looking at the sky contemplating his
situation. It was starting to get dark, and he'd been home less than an
hour. It probably would have surprised anyone in the home, but he was
thinking.

It wasn't about anything in particular really, just his life in general
over the past few months. He sighed and stretched out.

"This sucks." It was a revelation to him really. He watched a cloud pass
over his head, not bothering to look at the sunset in the distance. "I
mean, it was fun at first and all. This whole girls, fights, and rivalry
thing is starting to get really old." His mind wandered a bit more, back
to Herb and his two lackeys. He frowned and sat up. "Is there anything I
can do about this?"

Cue pminous music in the background....

Finally, he jumped up and down onto the ground. No one knew he had
returned yet, he'd just come directly to where he was when he'd returned.
He looked around and scowled. Finally, he jumped over the wall and into
the street. "The road they took. I think they were going to Niigata..."

+++++++++++

Nabiki Tendo was lying on her bed, tears barely being held back as she
clutched her pillow. She had a deep sense of dread about her as she
simply lay there, waiting.
"Waiting for what?" she muttered to herself. She sighed and rolled over
onto her back. "Some lawyer to show up with a summons, that's what," she
grumbled. It was coming and she knew it. She stared at the ceiling for a
long moment, simply looking up at it. "What can I do about it?"

She thought about it for a long time, and then jumped out of her bed,
moving over to her closet. "Maybe I can do something?" She opened the
door and began to thumb through the clothes there for a moment. "Maybe.
I'll go tomorrow..."

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

Several hours later, at a dock in Niigata.

Herb stood with Lime and Mint, looking at the boat that would return
them to China. It was his, a large sailboat; it looked like something out
of a Viking movie almost. It had a dragon's head on an old wooden hull,
with a large sail towering over the ship. He turned to look back at the
country again, watching the people move about the dock as it started to
close down for the night.

I wonder why...

"So, we're returning home?" asked Mint as he bowed before his master
with Lime at his side.

"Yes. There's no reason to stay," said Herb calmly.

"I was hoping to have tea with a girl," grumbled Lime halfheartedly.

"You'll get the chance someday," said Herb as he turned towards the
boarding ramp.

"Hey, you wanna get married?" said a familiar voice from off to the
side.

The group turned to see Ranma Saotome in his female form sitting on top
of a few wooden boxes.

Herb looked at her for a moment and blinked. "Huh?"

"You heard me," she replied as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Herb pulled the Closed Water Ladle out from his robes and flung a splash
of water at the girl.

She jumped away and kicked him in the face, landing in front of him and
avoiding the water. "Hey! What are you doing? Ya jerk!"

Herb looked at her for a moment. "But...you said..."

"I didn't mean like that!" she screamed.

The prince narrowed his eyes at her. "I am a man."

"So am I," replied Ranma sourly.

"What do you mean?" said Herb as he backed away from her.

"Look, I ain't turnin into no girl for you got it?" snapped the redhead
angrily. "Maybe we can work something else out."

Herb arched his eyebrows and looked at Lime and Mint for a moment. He
turned back towards her and smirked. "I'm listening."

I should have expected this....*you just had to top yourself yet again....*

"Look. I know you don't want to marry some guy, but..."

The prince frowned a little. "I see. A trade, like at the springs?"

"Yeah. You touch mine, if I can touch yours," said the pigtailed girl as
she smirked at him.

"I will need an heir," said Herb flatly.

"So will I," replied Ranma with her arms crossed over her chest.

Herb stepped back again, glaring at the ground. "It has not been done in
ages."

Ranma blinked. "This sort of thing's been done before?"

Herb nodded at her and smirked. "Never in the Royal house."

Oh my there is a precedent??

"Weird," muttered Ranma under her breath.

"Why do you ask this of me?" asked Herb as he turned away from her.

"I dunno. I just got sick of it here. I mean, I get attacked and stuff
all the time, I get hit by girls all the time. Shampoo throws herself at
me, Ucchan just pushes me. I mean, you're the first person who tried
anything and well...you were nice about it. You..." Ranma struggled for
the words. "You wanted too, but when I said no, you just said 'Okay' and
stuff."

Herb blinked at this and looked at her. She was hanging her head and
blushing deeply. "You realize that you will have to be my wife."

I foresee interesting times....

"I ain't nobody's wife," snorted Ranma.

"Well, I mean in the ceremony. I am a prince," said Herb calmly.

"And I'm a manly martial artist type," retorted Ranma as she arched her
eyebrow at the man.

Herb turned away from her again and thought about it. "Very well. If you
wish it."

Ranma looked up, she actually had a surprised look on her face. "Oh.
Okay. We're gonna have to talk about this though. I mean, I ain't bein no
girl for nobody!"

"We'll work something out, I have no desire to change my title to
princess myself," he replied as he walked up the ramp without looking
back at the girl. Lime and Mint followed, looking back nervously.

Ahh yes the usual protoclary concerns....

"Right," said Ranma as she stood there.

"Are you coming?" said Herb as he looked back at her.

The pigtailed girl blinked and looked up, nodding quietly to herself as
she followed.

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

Yohiko Hibiki sat upright as a bucket of water splashed her in the
middle of the night. She gasped and stared at her sheets dumbly. "What
the?"

Standing in front of her was a familiar figure, holding a bucket calmly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" screamed the woman angrily as
she grabbed Xellos by his collar and shook him.

"Waking you up," replied the Mazoku calmly.

"I oughta..." growled the woman as she cocked her arm back.

"You'll wake up your daughter," said Xellos flatly.

That calmed the woman down, the four men were still quite upset. Xellos
found himself beaten into the ground within a few seconds time.

After the beating, Yohiko tied the belt on the robe she was wearing and
sat down on the edge of the bed. "Why are you here?"

"I came to tell you, you've just screwed up royally," replied the Mazoku
calmly.

"Screwed up?" said the woman flatly.

"Yes. Ranma Saotome, just eloped with the Musk Prince," said Xellos as
he sat up and smirked at her.

Surprise here was kinda of understated....

Yohiko fell silent. "What?"

"Ranma Saotome, just eloped with..."

"I heard you!" snapped Yohiko dumbly. "You've got to be joking!"

"I wouldn't have come all the way back here just to joke around with
you," said Xellos flatly as he looked at her. The look on her face told
him she didn't believe a word of it. He sighed and pulled out a crystal
ball from his robes. After a moment, the scene from the docks played for
them.

"Oh boy," muttered Yohiko. "So, what now?"

"Well, for starters, you can't do anything about it. L-sama is enjoying
this little drama quite a bit," said the priest calmly.

"Yeah. That sick bastard!" snapped the woman as she shook her fist at
the ceiling.

"Don't forget who you're talking about," said Xellos with an amused
chuckle.

"Right," muttered Yohiko as she hung her head. "I hate us more every
day."

"In any case, things will change drastically now. You could have just
sat back and enjoyed the ride. Enjoying the chaos as little more than
background, now however..."

"Yeah. Now we have no idea," grumbled Yohiko as she hung her head.
"You're going to have to take a more direct approach," said Xellos
cheerfully.

"The hell!" snapped Yohiko angrily.

A voice broke their conversation as someone staggered into the hall.
"Mom? Are you all right? You sound like you're having an argument..."
Usagi's voice trailed off as she saw a man sitting with Yohiko in her
room. She blushed and staggered out of the room. As she moved away, tears
filled her eyes. "At last!"

"Hey! You little pervert! Get back here!" snapped the woman as she
jumped up and rushed out to pull her daughter back into the room.

"Hello," said Xellos cheerfully.

"Mooom! I'm going to bed now, you can get back to what you were doing!"
said the girl with a huge blush on her face.

"We weren't doing anything. This is..." Yohiko looked at the man for a
moment.

Xellos arched his eyebrow a little at her and frowned.

"This is your uncle. His name is Xellos," said the woman cheerfully.
"He's my long lost brother! Yeah!"

Uncle Xellos????

Usagi blinked and flipped on the light, causing everyone to wince as the
room was flooded with light. After they adjusted, she looked at him for a
moment. "I guess I can see it, he looks just like you."

Xellos blinked at this and frowned. "What do you mean?" He turned around
and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look any different, and
neither did Yohiko. "I don't see it."

"Why is he in your room?" asked Usagi as she turned to look up at her
mother.

"Well...he is a Hibiki," said the woman as she smiled at the girl.

"Oh," said the girl dumbly as she looked at her 'Uncle' and blinked. "He
gets lost too?"

"Well, no... He just doesn't like the rest of the family to feel bad,"
said the woman cheerfully.

"Oh," said Usagi as she tried her best not to think about that. "I'm
goin to bed."

"You do that dear," said Yohiko as she pat her daughter on the head and
smiled at her.

Xellos frowned at this and sat down on the dresser. "In any case, it's
been decided that you aren't going to be able to just hang around
anymore."

"Great," muttered Yohiko flatly.
"At least they decided to send me to tell you," he replied with a shrug.

"Yeah. Thanks heaps," said the woman lamely.

"At any rate, I'm leaving now," Xellos turned and walked over to the
door, only to hit his head against it as he tired to walk through it. He
fell flat on his back and lay there for a moment. "This is odd."

He stood up and tried it again, with the same result.
"What's wrong?" asked Yohiko as she peered down at him.

"A flash of light appeared on the ground, and a language familiar to
both of them was etched into the carpet.

"Due to an amusing plot twist, Uncle Xellos will remain on the secondary
world until further notice," said the message.

"What?" cried the man as he stared at it. "Oh dear."

Yohiko smacked her forehead and fell onto her mattress.

She is in hell....

+++++++++

Usagi sat at the table eating her breakfast with a scowl on her face.
She was dirty, tired, and in an all around bad mood. So, things were
pretty normal. Well, save for the new face at the table.

"So. Uncle Xellos was it?" said Usagi as she looked at him.

The man was sipping on a cup of coffee with a few slices of toast in
front of him. "Yes. That's right."

"I've never heard of you," said the girl flatly.

"I'm a bit of a black sheep in the family," he replied calmly.

"Why don't you ever visit?" asked the girl as she narrowed her eyes at
him.

"Because," he replied as he sipped at his coffee again and picked up the
newspaper that was sitting on the table.

"You don't like us do you?" said the girl bitterly.

"I wouldn't be here now if I didn't," he replied calmly.

"Mom never talks about you," said the girl.

"Yes. I know," he replied.

"Does that mean she doesn't like you?"

"I tend to get on her nerves a little, but that's what brothers do," he
said with a small shrug.

"Grandma and Grandpa never said anything about you," continued the girl.

"They died some time ago," replied the man as he looked at her. "Is
there a reason you're asking me all of this?"

"She's hoping you're a new boyfriend," said Yohiko as she stepped out of
the kitchen while wiping her hands off with a towel.

"Oh I see. So, she doesn't know then," said the man as he sipped at his
coffee.

"Doesn't know what?" said the girl as she looked at her mother.

"It's nothing dear," said the woman as she glared at him.

He seemed quite pleased with himself and was enjoying the situation now.

"Mother," said Usagi crossly.

"How long has it been?" asked Yohiko.
"About twelve years," replied the man casually.

"So, my little brother comes to visit me. Staying a while?" she asked
him.

"At least a month or two, until I can get my own place. You did say that
I could," he replied as he looked at her calmly.

"So I did," she said as she smirked at him. "Where have you been all
this time?"

"Traveling. Europe mostly, I was in America recently though," he said as
he shifted the paper in his grasp a bit and continued to read. It really
wasn't a lie.

Usagi frowned. She hadn't realized that the pair was getting their story
straight. She cut off her mother. "Age?"

"Twenty seven."

"Job?"

"None currently. I was into politics for a few years though."

"Kids?"
"No."

"Wife?"

"Nope. Not looking either," he said as he smirked at her.

"Aren't you a little old to be single?"

"Aren't you a little young to be asking me about my sex life?" he
replied calmly.

Usagi growled at this, but backed off.

Xellos smiled at Yohiko and spoke up. "So, you've got that parent
teacher thing after school today?"

"Yes, that Saotome boy," said the woman as she nodded. "I'll be a little
late."

"Oh. That's nice," he said as he grinned at her.

"It's almost time to go dear, go get dressed," said the woman as she
smiled at her daughter.

"All right," said the girl as she staggered towards her room.

"Lovely child," said Xellos as he continued to drink his coffee.

"Better than her last incarnation," said Yohiko with a small shrug.

"Can't fault you there," he replied with a nod.

"You going to hang around today?" she said as she looked at him.

"Yes. Like you, I've got to go over my personal history. I think you'll
find I'm in any old family pictures now," he said with a short nod.

"Don't torture the tenants too much," she said as she stood up and
shifted her clothing into her work clothes with a mere thought.

"Mighty convenient," he replied as he looked her up and down.

"Isn't it though?" she said cheerfully.

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

Nabiki Tendo walked out of a large office in downtown Tokyo. She'd
spoken with the lawyers handling the case. As a result, she'd missed the
entire school day. That didn't bother her much, but she now felt sure
that she could keep a lid on her problem as far as her family was
concerned.
The prosecution had assured her that she would be contacted by her cell
phone number. It also gave its word not to send any legal notices to her
home. She would cooperate, in exchange for their silence. A good deal for
her.

"Hello, Miss Tendo," said someone behind her.

"Who?" she muttered as she turned around.

A strange man was looking at her with a smirk on his face. "I understand
that you're testifying against my client."

"I don't have a choice," she replied calmly as she looked at the smarmy
man. He was in his forties, with slicked back hair and a thick pair of
glasses.

"Really. It'd be a shame if your family was told about your child."

She turned to look at him, anger flashing on her face as she saw the
vicious looking smirk on his face. She clenched her fists and stepped
back. "So that's how it is?"

He nodded, a frown on his face as he looked away. "You understand. I
can't have my client's life ruined by some petty..."

"Even if she ruined mine?" snapped the girl hatefully. "If they don't
find out from you, they'll find out from the prosecutor's office. Go
ahead and tell them. I'm stuck either way, and I'd rather see her rot in
prison for what she did than let her get away with it. Either way, my
life is over."

"Taking her down with you?" said the man with his frown coming back.

"Fuck you," she said as she turned away from him.

The man frowned. He had hoped that he could get some of the girls to
back off. It wasn't working, most of them were kept under control by
petty blackmail, little more than cheating boyfriends. This girl was
different though, she was the big fish, and her secret was the worst one.
He sighed and turned away. She was the one he had to get rid of somehow.
If he did, the other witnesses would either fall apart, or most of the
big charges wouldn't stick. She'd end up with a small slap on the wrist,
if not for Nabiki Tendo. That girl was the one who connected her
operations to the Yakuza, she was the one who knew all about the major
dealings.
He snorted in disgust. The Yakuza would be of little use in this one.
His client wasn't a member of any family, and her operations were small
time enough that they'd ignore her problem. She was little more than a
small inflow of cash for them, something that could be easily replaced.

"I've got to do something about her," he said coldly to himself as he
turned away.

He is about to screw up big time....

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

Xellos blinked as he looked down at the figure standing in front of him.
It was a small round woman in her forties. She took a drag off of her
cigarette and looked him up and down for a moment. "Can I help you?"

"Who're you?" she asked calmly.

"Xellos," he said as he matched her appraising glare.

"I ain't seen you around before," continued the woman.

"Well, I've never been around here before," he replied.

"How do you know Yohiko?" she prodded.

"Why do you want to know?" he countered.

"I'm her friend. I think I should know, she's never mentioned you
before," said the woman as she blew out a puff of smoke.

"She's obviously got her reasons then," he said calmly.

"Yeah. I wonder what they are?" said the woman as she tried to think
about it.

"Hmmm...well it could be..." said Xellos as he looked thoughtful as
well.

Itchinose leaned forward with an interested look on her face. "Yeah?
What?"

"...a secret," said Xellos as he nodded to himself.
"You're as bad as Youtsuya," said the woman as she frowned at him.

"Thank you, I think," he replied cheerfully.

"I heard my name," said a tall snaky looking man who walked up to them.
He had a hat on, and a briefcase in his grasp. "Oh. Hello. Who might you
be?"

Xellos smirked at him. "I am Xellos."

"I am Youtsuya," said the man as he gave a short bow.

"Nice to meet you," said Xellos cheerfully.

"Same to you good sir," agreed Yotsuya as he smiled at him.

Yotsuya walked off, both men watched one another until they were out of
each other's sight.

"Boy. That was weird," said Itchinose as she took another drag from her
cigarette.

"Yes. Most interesting," agreed Xellos.

"Well, I'm not going to find anything out here," said the woman as she
started to walk away.

"Good day then," said the man as he closed the door and went back to
whatever it was he was doing.

The neighborhood gossipmongers settle in to interrogate....

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

Later that day...

"What?" Yusaku Godai clutched Itchinose by her collar and shook her for
a moment.

"Some weird guy is at Yohiko's house," repeated the woman as she looked
at him. "I think he's staying with her."

"That's weird," said Akemi as she took a few gulps of beer.

"Yeah. She's still not home either," said Itchinose with a thoughtful
frown. "Usagi is back from school already too."

"I wonder who he is? A relative maybe?" asked Yotsuya as he slid through
the hole in Yusaku's wall.

"Maybe a lover. That would explain why she's changed so much. Found
herself a wild man," said Akemi as she pointed at Yusaku.

"What?" cried the boy in panic.

"Hmm, could be," said Itchinose.

"Or...he could have killed her and hid the body," ventured Akemi. "I
haven't seen Usagi since she came home either. Maybe he's a mass
murderer?"

Yusaku thought about that for a moment, the only image his mind came up
with was Yohiko standing on top of a beaten man while flexing her arm in
triumph. "Nah. She could take him."

Everyone blinked at this and stared at him.

"You haven't been taking those lessons every day like I have," he said
with a shrug.
"Well, come on then," said Akemi as she stood up and stretched her arms.

"Where are we going?" asked Yusaku as she grabbed him and pulled him
towards the door.

"To check this guy out, he might be cute," said the girl as she grinned
at him.

"God I hope not," said the boy pathetically.

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

Usagi blinked as she opened the door and Akemi burst into the home
pulling Yusaku behind her. "Hey. You're mom home?"

"Um, no. She had a parent teacher thing..." started Usagi.

"Where's this guy I've heard about?" said Akemi as she shoved Yusaku
into a seat and looked around for a moment.
"Hello," said Xellos as he looked her up and down as he walked out of
the kitchen.

"Not bad," said Akemi as she looked him up and down for a moment. "So,
you're Yohiko's new boyfriend?"

Usagi looked at her dumbly, but Xellos managed to catch her eye. She sat
down next to Yusaku and kept silent.

"Well, I never said that," he replied cheerfully.

"Oh. Who are you then?" said the woman as she sat down and crossed her
legs.
Xellos merely shrugged and sat down across from her. Ignoring the
revealing negligee she was wearing. "I am Xellos."

"So it seems," replied the woman as she nodded at him. "How do you know
Yohiko. I never heard her mention you before."

"Really? How odd," said the man as he looked thoughtful.

My her hunting instincs have gotten the better of her logic centers....

Yusaku was merely sulking and looking at him angrily.

"I do remember having this conversation earlier today," said the man as
he smiled at the woman again. "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Akemi, one of Yohiko's friends," said the woman as she smirked at
him.

"Ah, and this?"

"This pathetic worm is Yusaku Godai," said the woman as she waved her
arm at him.

"Hey!" cried the boy.

"Ah yes. You must be that other student she mentioned," said Xellos
cheerfully.

The boy blinked at him and nodded numbly.

"So, do you practice those...um...martial arts?" said Akemi.

"No. I prefer a more subtle approach," he said with a light shrug.
"So, you visiting Yohiko or somethin? Where you from?"

"I'm staying with her," he said cheerfully as he nodded.

Akemi nodded at this. "You sure are good at avoiding questions you don't
want to answer."

"Well, I'd hate for dear Yohiko to become angry with me for saying
something she doesn't want you to know about," said the man cheerfully.

Yusaku twitched at the familiar address he used, but remained silent.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now," said Akemi as she smiled at him and
turned towards the door. She picked up Yusaku and pulled him along behind
her.

"It was nice meeting you," said the man as he waved at them.

"That was weird," said Usagi as the door closed behind them.

Xellos put his finger up to his lips and winked at her. He then looked
up at the ceiling. "I hope dear Yohiko gets home soon. She must be so
tired after a long day at work. I know she'd just love a cup of tea and
to just relax together in front of the television!"

There was a muffled sound from the other side of the door.
"I don't know why she wouldn't. She'll probably leave her clothes on
though, seeing as you're around," said Usagi as she seemed to catch on.

Eavesdroppers beware....what you may overhear may not be good for your health....

"Why. I've seen her naked before," replied Xellos a little loudly.

A pained cry sounded from the hallway. Usagi and Xellos sat around the
table chuckling to themselves.

"That was fun," said the girl as she looked at him with a grin on her
face.

"Wasn't it though? Let's see how long we can leave them hanging?" he
said as he grinned at her.

"Well, I've kinda been trying to set up that guy and my mom for a while
now," said the girl as she looked uncertain.

"Oh? Well don't worry about that. He'll just try harder if he isn't
sure. That's the fun in this, they don't know who I am, or what I want."
He winked at her and grinned again.

"Oh. So this could work to my advantage?" she said as she smiled at him.

"Yeah. I could help you out with this guy too," said Xellos as he
grinned mischievously.

"Really?" said the girl excitedly.

"Who better to help, than her own brother?" said Xellos as he gave her
another wink.

"That's great! Thanks!" said the girl.

Xellos sat back and put his arms behind his head. If he was lucky,
Yohiko would be kept busy in Nerima for hours. Giving him lots of time to
corrupt her daughter in all sorts of fun ways.

+++++++++++

Oh boy do I foreseee a master manipulator taking on an aprrentice? Or is it a catspaw...

Yohiko sighed as she stood in front of the gates of the Tendo Dojo. She
hung her head and walked in. "Best to get this over with." She shifted
back into her male self and opened the front door.

Kasumi stood with her hands over her mouth as she saw him. "Ranma!
You're back!"

The boy sighed and shook his head. "No. I'm not Ranma."

The girl looked at him for a moment and realized who he was. "You're
that other..."

"Yes. I'm afraid I've come with news about Ranma," said the boy as he
gave her a slightly sad smile.

He strolled by her and looked around the room. Soun and Genma were both
looking at him.
"Where have you been boy!?" cried Genma.

"You'd better have an explanation for this son!" agreed Soun.

He sighed and hung his head, shaking it from side to side for a moment.
"I'm not Ranma."

The pair looked at one another and then back at him.
"I'm the one from the future, remember?" he said as he smirked at them.
"I've brought some news about your son."

"RANMA!" cried a familiar voice from the top of the stairwell. Akane
rushed down and stopped just in front of him. "You're all right? A man
again?"

"I'm not your fiancee Akane," said the boy as he shook his head.

"You jerk!" she screamed as she attacked him.

He responded by casually grabbing her wrist from the air and flipping
her onto the ground while twisting her arm and holding her neck down with
his foot. "Remember who I am how?" he said with an almost playful
chuckle.

"What?" she gasped in shock. "You're that other..."

"That's right. I've come with news about your...friend...Ranma." The boy
looked up at them chose his words carefully. "It's not good news. Well,
not for you anyway."

"He...didn't get it?" said Akane as she looked up at the boy in horror.

"No. Ranma managed to cure himself, he's no longer stuck as a girl,"
said the boy cheerfully. After he let that sink in, he looked away from
them and tried to stifle a chuckle. "He's also not coming back."

"Huh?" said Genma. He was the first one to react.

"He went off and married Herb," said the boy with a shrug.

"Herb?" said Soun as tears started to fall down his face.

"Yes, that Dragon-girl Akane met," said the pigtailed boy cheerfully.
"He's halfway to China by now."

Genma jumped towards the boy and grabbed him. "What?!!"

"He's a prince...err...princess. Something like that. He's royalty now.
I'm afraid you'll find he's quite out of your reach, Saotome."

"Royalty?" muttered Genma.

"Yeah. Well, considering her...er...his husband, or wife, is half
dragon. I don't think it would be a good idea to bother him."

"Dragon?" lamented Soun.

"Yeah. You can't do anything. He said to hell with all of you, and went
off to marry someone else," said the boy with another shrug.

"He can't do that!" cried Genma. "Wait! Is he rich?"

"I don't think so. The Musk are almost extinct, they may have a bit of
money though. As it's a royal treasure, you won't be able to touch it,
even though you're his father."

"What?" said Genma dumbly.

"You can't take his inheritance away, because it's his. There are no
laws that are going to allow you to take it from him. He's a
prince...err...princess and you're not even royalty."

"No! That ungrateful boy!" cried Genma.

"What about the schools!?" snapped Soun.

"Nothing you can do about it, he's already married," replied the
pigtailed boy with a shrug.
"Saotome!"

"Tendo!"

"This can't be!" the two men cried as they hugged one another.

"Sorry old guys, if you don't mind, I got a few more stops to make,"
said the boy as he turned away.

"Wait! What about him!" cried Soun as he looked at the boy.

"That's right! He's a Saotome too!" cried Genma. "He even looks like the
boy! One is just as good as another!"

In this universe their brains seem to be caught in a terminal  loop...Or is there some sort of ulterior motive to this?

Ranma looked at them for a moment and frowned. "What?"

Akane was standing beside him, hanging her head. She was still in shock
from the news, and had yet to move.

Hell hath no fury like a women scorned....

"It's the perfect plan Tendo!" cried Genma.

"Our schools are saved!" cried Soun.

"The hell they are! I'm not your son!" said Ranma as he pointed at Genma
and frowned. "I've got no obligation to this engagement, and I won't do
it! You two are too weak to make me, so don't even think it!"

The two men glared at him angrily. "Do your duty to your family boy!"
cried Genma.

"Quite so!" agreed Soun.

"Hell no! I am not marrying Akane!" said Ranma as he snorted at them.

"You'll do it and like it boy! Have you no sense of honor!" lamented
Genma.

"Not to your family!" snapped Ranma angrily.

Akane twitched and looked up at her fiancee angrily. "So! I'm not good
enough am I? Is that it?"

"I've got a daughter who's almost your age Akane!" snapped the boy as he
turned and stared at her. "I am not a replacement for Ranma Saotome!"

Point good one....

That shut everyone in the room up at once.

"How dare you cheat on your fiancee that way!" cried Genma.

"I ain't engaged to her!" snarled Ranma.

"You pervert!" screamed Akane.

He slapped her and sent her to the floor. "I was married you ditz! I'm
thirty-six!"

Akane sat up and looked at him again. "Married?"

The boy crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the room.
"That's right."

"Daughter?" muttered Genma.

"Yup," said the boy as he looked at the man.

"So...what does this mean?" muttered Soun.

"It means I'm too old to play this stupid game of yours," said the boy
as he snorted at them. "I'm not marrying Akane, I have no obligation to
your family or your school, and I won't stand for being treated as a
replacement for Ranma Saotome. Got it?"

Everyone looked at him for a moment.
"I should also add that Usagi is my daughter, she isn't related to any
of you," he turned and smirked at them almost evilly. "And I'm not her
father, I'm her mother."

Akane passed out.

"Oh my!" said Kasumi as she almost dropped the tea she had brought in
for everyone.

"Boy! What are you saying?!" cried Genma.

"Leave me alone Genma, or I'll tell your wife that your son ran away to
be with a man," said Ranma as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "Don't
think for a minute that I don't know where she lives, or what she looks
like. It won't take me more than an hour or so to find her. Now, if
you'll excuse me, I've got other places to go."

"You wouldn't!" cried Genma in horror.

Oh yes he would...Not that the threat would really stop Genam IMNSHO...take 2-3 weeks to forget it....

"Why not?" asked Ranma as he changed into Yohiko again. "I'm not your
son. It won't be me under that knife, and Ranma is free of that
obligation. Meaning...it'll just be you." She smirked at him and turned
away.

"Oh my!" muttered Kasumi.

"Oh, hello dear. It's nice to see you again!" said the woman as she
bowed to her politely.

Kasumi smiled and nodded her head. She would have bowed, but the tea
wouldn't have allowed that. "Oh. It's nice to see you as well."

With that, Yohiko Hibiki walked out of the home and into the street.

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

"What?!" cried Ukyo as she stared at the boy across from her in shock.
"Ran off, Herb, married now, China," said the boy as he sipped at his
tea.

"Get out!" snarled Ukyo.

"What are you mad at me for? I'm not Ranma Saotome," he replied calmly.
"I never did any of this to you. Don't get mad at me just cause I happen
to look like him."

The girl turned away from him and shook with anger. "He...left me?"

"Never had any intention of marrying you from what I gather. Same with
Shampoo," said the boy calmly.

Ukyo screamed in rage and stormed out of the room.

I wonder will she go back to Saotome hunting?

Ranma blinked and looked at the customers in the room and sighed. He
stood up and walked behind the counter. "Who had the special?"

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

After a short time, Ukyo came back down the stairs slowly. Her head
hanging as she moved sluggishly down the stairs.

"Hey. Feeling any better?" asked the boy at the grill.

"No," was the reply.

Ranma shrugged and flipped another order onto a plate. "Well, you'll get
over it eventually. Ranma wasn't the center of the universe."

"What?" said the girl dumbly.

"I was him a long time ago," replied the boy casually. "I left that
behind twenty years ago."

"So, now what am I going to do?" she said as she leaned against the
wall, not caring about the people watching them from the counter.

"Get over it, go out with someone else," he replied.

"And let that bastard get away with this?" she snarled.

"Well, you saw how well that went the last time. He wasn't trying to
hurt you, and he still beat you. It's best not to fight battles you know
you can't win. Honor be damned."

"Easy for you to say," she replied hatefully.

"More so than you might think," he replied as he grinned at her. "In any
case, his problems don't apply to me. I've got my own life to lead, and
you do too."

The girl turned her head away from him and looked at the wall for a long
moment.

Ranma smirked at her again. "Why live for revenge, when you've got all
this?"
"This? You call this something?" she snapped.

"Better than a handful of revenge," replied the boy with a shrug. "You
can buy more with it."

Ukyo snorted and pulled her bakers peel off the wall. "Well, you can
have it. I want my revenge, I've earned it." She stormed out of the place
and into the street.

Ranma sighed and shook his head. "Well. I tried." He walked over to the
window and put up the closed sign. After that, he waited for all the
customers to leave and closed the place up behind himself.

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

Cologne sat with Ranma in front of her and smiled. "You say you have
news of Ranma?"

"Yeah. I suppose it won't matter much to you, but it could be important
for your Great Granddaughter. Fun's over old woman."

"Pardon?" said the crone as she leaned forward.

"Ranma ran off and eloped with Herb," said the boy with a shrug.

Cologne actually sprayed her tea across the room. "WHAT?"

Wow she just had a BIG shock....miracle she din't have a coronary or a stroke....

"They're getting married," said Ranma. "If they aren't already."

Cologne simply stared at him for a moment and coughed. "That's...most
unusual."

"Yeah. I thought so too," said the boy with a shrug. "To each his own."

"Indeed," agreed Cologne.

"So, what ya gonna do now?" asked Ranma as he looked at her.

"Well. I think we'll stay for a bit before returning to China," said the
old woman with a pleasant smile.

"Oh?" asked Ranma.

"Yes. My Shampoo has much to learn about the outside world, and she
still has a Ranma to lust after here to forget the old one."

"In other words, you don't want her going off after Herb's new wife,
husband, whatever he is."

"Yes," said Cologne with her head hung a little. "That could be
dangerous."

"I get it, but keep her away from me. I ain't as nice as that boy was. I
don't take to people grabbing me very well, and I can be just as
dangerous."

Cologne frowned at this. "You don't understand boy. I need your help,
without you to keep her attention, I may not be able to stop her from
going after him. Please."

Ranma blinked at this and sighed. "My patience isn't near as thick as
that idiots. Don't forget that, I'll overlook a little to keep her safe,
but not too much. Keep her away from my friends, and my family. If they
get hurt, I'll take it out on her, and any other Amazon I can get my
hands on."

Cologne narrowed her eyes at the threat, but nodded. "That is
reasonable."

"That's the most you can hope for," he replied as he stood up. "Now if
you'll excuse me, I've got to get home." With that, he left her alone.

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

TBC...

Next Time: Uncharted Waters

Hmmm ominous title...


WMD

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