Insertion

 

    Part 65

 

    The trip

 

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

 

    Six Months later...

 

+++++++++++

 

    Usagi stood in the shadows of the warehouse.
Tall 
stacks of wooden crates and various boxes
stood around her creating vast 
hallways through
the building. It was dark and foreboding, but that
didn't 
bother her at all. She could see as if she
was standing in the middle of a 
park at noon on a
bright sunny day. Still, she felt a small pang of
fear. 
Not from the shadows, but from the three
large men who sat around a card 
table with
automatic weapons strewn about them with a deck of
cards.

 

    There were three of them, all of them sitting
with 
their full attention on their hand. It was
almost comical to look at, the 
largest of them
frowned as he looked at his companions for a
moment and 
scowled. The other was a man of medium
build, and a skinny looking man with 
slicked back
hair. They looked bored if anything else.

 

    She crept silently up to the shadows closest
to them, 
their table was lit with a single desk
lamp, it was small, but dangerously 
bright.

 

    "Youse gots any threes?" asked the biggest 
one
dumbly.

 

    "Go fish," grumbled the skinny man. He was
irritated 
that his large companion didn't have
enough brainpower for poker.

 

    Sitting off to the side in a corner was a
young girl, 
she was tied to a chair and had a
handkerchief tied around her mouth as a 
gag. Her
face was stained from tears that she had stopped
producing a few 
hours earlier. Now she simply sat
in silence and watched the men play their 
game. A
small rodent moved up to her leg and she let out a
muffled scream 
as she tried to shy away from the
creature.

 

    The men looked over at her and chuckled, one
of them 
threw a notebook that was on the card
table at the rat and it scurried away 
from her.
They promptly returned to their game again.

 

    "What should I do?" said Usagi as she frowned
and 
looked at the scene for a moment.

 

    "Well? What are you thinking?" asked a
familiar voice 
as a face appeared in the air in
front of her. She gasped in surprise quietly 
and
scowled.

 

    "Don't do that to me!" she whispered to her
uncle's 
head.

 

    "Oh? Did I surprise you?" he said cheerfully.

 

    "Yes! What is it?" she snapped.

 

    "I'm just checking up on you," he replied 
as
cheerfully as ever.

 

    She knew from experience that no one but her
could 
see or hear him at the moment. "There's
three of them, they've got a girl 
hostage."

 

    "Hmmm, that sounds like the Kagami
kidnapping," said 
Xellos as he looked thoughtful
for a moment.

 

    "Great, so I should save her," said Usagi as
she 
peered around the boxes she was hidden behind
for a moment and narrowed her 
eyes at the men.

 

    "Sounds like a plan," said Xellos. "Well,
actually it 
sounds more like an objective than a
plan really."

 

    "How should I do this? They've got a hostage,"
she 
muttered as she mulled over the problem for a
moment.

 

    "It would seem that the girl is your first
priority," 
said Xellos as he smirked at her.

 

    "Right," agreed Usagi as she sighed. "I guess
I 
should go get her, and then beat them up."

 

    "Good idea," said her uncle.

 

    Usagi sighed and started to move back into 
the
shadows again, it took her two minutes to make her
way to the other 
side of the building. She had to
avoid the large area that they were sitting 
in,
moving along the tops of the walls made it a
little easier.

 

    Finally, she landed and moved up behind the
hostage. 
She was sitting right behind her and
watching, cloaked in the shadows for the 
moment.
With a smirk forming on her face she reached out
and pulled the 
girl into the darkness.

 

    The men sitting around the table stood up and
turned 
to see nothing but an empty space where
their hostage had once been.

 

    "Da girl!" cried one of the men in shock.

 

    His companions quickly armed themselves and
rushed 
over to the spot, only to find empty
shadows. They turned on flashlights and 
peered
into the darkness with them, finding nothing but
boxes.

 

    "Oh shit," muttered one of the men quietly.

 

    "Find her!" cried the skinny man angrily.

 

    The big dumb one frowned and looked around for
a 
moment. He sighed and started walking.

 

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

 

    "MMMMMFFFF!" screamed the frightened girl as
Usagi 
pulled her onto the top of the wall of boxes
near to where she had been. Her 
hand was keeping
the sound muffled and she grinned at her with her
finger 
up to her lips.

 

    The girl calmed immediately as she saw who 
was
standing in front of her. It was a blonde girl
with a mask over her 
face, she was wearing what
appeared to be a very short fuku with a pair 
of
knee high boots. Her eyes turned confused and she
gasped as the 
stranger pulled her gag away. "Who
are you?"

 

    "Shhhh. You'll find out in a moment. Just wait
here, 
I've got to take care of those guys," said
Usagi cheerfully. "This could be 
my big break!"
she thought privately. The kidnapping was a high
profile 
crime recently.

 

    "Wait! They have guns!" whispered the girl
fearfully 
as she reached for her savior.

 

    "So? I've got something better," said Usagi as
she 
smirked and jumped down into the darkness.

 

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

 

    "They can't have gotten far," snarled the
skinny man 
as he found himself standing in the
middle of a crossroads of sorts within 
the
towering boxes. His two companions stood behind
him and glanced around 
nervously.

 

    "What if it's the cops?" whimpered the big
one.

 

    "The cops would have just barged in," said the
medium 
build man as he scowled at him.

 

    "Right. Still..." said the skinny one. "We
should 
split up."

 

    The others were about to agree when they 
all
paused.

 

    A bright light was shining in front of them,
and 
standing in the middle, seeming to be the
source was a young blonde 
girl.

 

    "Villains who dare defile the sanctity of
family! 
Your actions are evil, and your hearts
black! Now the defender of love and 
justice shall
punish you on! Sailor Moon!" cried the girl
triumphantly as 
she posed in front of them.

 

    The three men stood dumbly watching the scene
for a 
moment in a sort of shocked awe. "What the?"
said the skinny one. He promptly 
raised his weapon
up and opened fire.

 

    Usagi screeched as she jumped up and avoided
the 
fire. She rose ten feet into the air and
scowled at them as she hung there 
for a moment,
suspended by several small ribbons from her
costume that had 
latched onto the walls.

 

    "Neat trick," said the big one dumbly.

 

    "You'll pay for that! No one shoots at Sailor
Moon!" 
screamed the girl as the ribbons let go and
she fell to the ground.

 

    The men trained their weapons when she landed,
but as 
soon as she did the ribbons lashed out with
a blinding speed. They were all 
disarmed and
wrapped up within seconds. Usagi smirked at them
and lifted 
them up into the air as she walked up
to them.

 

    They all looked at her fearfully as she
grinned. 
"Now, what should I do with you?"

 

    "Let us go?" asked the big one hopefully.

 

    "Nah, this is gonna hurt," said Usagi calmly
as her 
grin widened. Rows of spikes started to
form along the bottom part of her 
ribbons and
slowly moved towards the men. "Don't worry, they
won't kill 
you," she added cheerfully. "You just
won't be as pretty as you were 
before."

 

    The men started to scream in terror as the
spikes 
moved closer, they stopped suddenly when
the lights came on inside the 
warehouse. She was
blinded for a split second and shielded her eyes
with 
her forearms.

 

    "Well, if it isn't Sailor Moon," said a
dangerously 
familiar voice.

 

    Usagi whirled around and her three captives
were 
flung into the wooden boxes. They slumped
down out cold and Usagi growled as 
she saw someone
standing on a catwalk above her with the girl 
held
forcefully at his side. In his hand was a small
ball of light. He 
looked to be about fourteen
years old, with short brown hair and 
handsome
features.

 

    "Jadeite! I should have known you were behind
this!" 
screamed the girl hatefully.

 

    "Alas, too little too late," said the boy as
he 
smirked at her. "You've been quite the thorn in
my side lately. I think it's 
time I got rid of
you."

 

    "What?" said Usagi as she stepped back. A
familiar 
growl sounded from the boxes around her
and she narrowed here eyes. "This 
again?"

 

    "Well Sailor Moon, what will you do?" asked
Jadeite 
calmly as he pulled the girl along the
catwalk.

 

    Usagi stepped back as a large pile of boxes
slowly 
rose and shifted shape into a humanoid
creature. "These stupid things! 
Haven't you
figured out they don't work by now?" she cried 
in
frustration.

 

    "It may not be able to kill you, but it will
keep you 
busy long enough for me to make my escape
and take this girl with me," said 
Jadeite calmly.

 

    "Damn!" cried Usagi as she jumped away as the
thing's 
arm slammed into the ground where she had
been standing. "I don't have time 
for this!"

 

    The creature lumbered forward and she jumped
up and 
onto the wall next to its head. She stuck
there and thrust her arm out behind 
her. The
ribbons from her costume came to life again, this
time trapping 
the creature in them by surrounding
it on both sides. It struggled for a 
moment and
she jerked her arm back. The wall opposite her
came down 
slamming into the thing and shattering
it. She snorted in disgust and jumped 
up onto the
catwalk after avoiding the crash below her.

 

    Jadeite turned to face her with a scowl on his
face 
as she stood with a firm frown on her face
and dozens of ribbons floating 
around behind her
like the plumes of a peacock crossed with 
an
octopus.

 

    He snorted and released the girl, tossing her
to the 
ground in front of him. "That didn't take
as long as I thought it 
would."

 

    "You won't escape this time," said Sailor Moon
firmly 
as she stepped forward.

 

    Jadeite grabbed the girl by her hair and
growled. 
"Can you save her and catch me at the
same time?" he cried as he tossed her 
over the
side.

 

    Usagi jumped down after her without a second
thought, 
her ribbons wrapped around the girl and
stopped her decent cold. She frowned 
as she hit
something suddenly and groaned painfully.

 

    "Ha ha ha ha! You're as foolish as I thought!"
called 
Jadeite as he threw a ball of light into
the ground at his feet. "We'll meet 
again soon
Sailor Moon! I'm sure of it!" He vanished into
thin air leaving 
her alone with the girl.

 

    "Sooner than you think," growled Usagi.
Jadeite had 
tossed the girl on top of one of the
walls of boxes. She wouldn't have been 
hurt in the
fall at all, but Usagi had dove headfirst into
them, and 
managed to keep her from hitting
anything at all. She rolled onto her back 
and
looked up at the girl who was tangled in the
ribbons and stared at her 
fearfully. "Are you all
right?"

 

    The girl nodded almost violently as she stared
down 
at her savior in shock. "I'm fine," she
whimpered.

 

    "Good, let's get out of here," said Usagi with
a 
heavy sigh.

 

+++++++++++

 

    Usagi frowned, she had a large pout on her
lips as 
she scowled at the image in front of her.
She had dropped the girl off near a 
police station
after tying up the kidnappers. Now she was
standing on a 
rooftop in the Juban area. "Why? Why
did you make me do that?"

 

    "Because you need to keep your identity a
secret," 
replied Xellos with a heavy sigh.

 

    "Not that secret! People should know Sailor
Moon is 
fighting evil bravely! I can't believe you
made me make that girl promise to 
keep me a
secret!"

 

    "Well, what's done is done. You aren't good
enough to 
keep away from the newspapers just yet.
You still need more training before 
you can..."

 

    "Oh fine!" said the girl as she crossed her
arms and 
pouted again.

 

    "Jadeite again?" asked Xellos with an odd look
on his 
face.

 

    "Yes, he doesn't know that I'm Sailor Moon,"
said 
Usagi as she sat on the rooftop. "He's in my
class Xellos, I should be able 
to stop him!"

 

    "Well, we don't have any proof to incriminate
him, 
and you can't just attack him in school,"
said the man calmly.

 

    "Why not? He's a jerk!" cried Usagi angrily.

 

    "You know why," replied Xellos calmly.

 

    "You always seem bothered by that guy," said
Usagi as 
she frowned at him. "You never act this
way."

 

    Xellos turned his eyes away from her and
sighed 
again. "It's not something I can explain
easily. When the time comes, I'll 
tell you. Right
now, it's not important."

 

    "You know something!" cried Usagi as she
seemed to 
realize it all at once.

 

    "Nothing that will help you against him,"
replied 
Xellos calmly.

 

    "Who is he? How do you know him?" she 
said
forcefully.

 

    "Now that...is a secret," replied her uncle as
his 
transmission ended.

 

    "You jerk!" cried Usagi angrily.

 

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

 

    On the other side of town...

 

    The Shadow put his smoking weapons back into
their 
holsters and turned away from the scene. It
was an alleyway somewhere in the 
city, all around
the cowering young woman were men in black suits.
All of 
them were slumped to the ground and out
cold. His cloak billowed dramatically 
as he moved
away.

 

    "Wait!" cried the young Chinese woman that he
had 
just saved. "Come on! Give me something!"

 

    "Miss Kung, you should be more careful. I am
growing 
tired of saving you," said the
intimidating figure coolly as he turned his 
head
to look at her again.

 

    "You asshole! It's been six months since we
met! We 
should be dating by now and you won't even
give me an interview!?" screamed 
the young
reporter as she stood in the middle of a broken
pile of 
Yakuza.

 

    "You read too many comic books," said the man
as he 
vanished into the shadows again.

 

    "Shit," grumbled the woman as she turned away.
It had 
been an undercover assignment, and she was
doing well. Well, the Yakuza made 
her think that.
It had recently discovered who she was, and were
going to 
kill her. Luckily the Shadow had decided
to bust up an illegal drug ring that 
night. "I
sure have been seeing a lot of him lately," she
said as she 
looked up at the sky for a moment.

 

    All at once she gasped and put her glasses 
on.
"That's it! He must work with me! He's got to be
one of the men I work 
with!" She walked away at a
hurried pace and moved towards the street to 
catch
a cab.

 

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

 

    "Carrot, you were right," said 
Ranma
cheerfully.

 

    "Following this chick is fun!" agreed Dan.

 

    "She's certainly interesting," agreed Xianfu
with a 
small sigh. "She'd be dead by now without
us."

 

    "Yeah, it was just a hunch I had after we
saved her 
the first time," said Carrot cheerfully.

 

    "Really? I had the same feeling," agreed
Ranma.

 

    "So now what?" asked Dan casually as their
costume 
shifted to street clothes and they turned
female again.

 

    "Well, I'm hungry," said Carrot.

 

    "Me too," agreed Ranma.

 

    "We should be getting home soon," said Xianfu
with a 
slightly frustrated tone.

 

    "Yeah, after we eat though," said Ranma.

 

    "He's right," agreed Carrot. "We can stop on
the 
way."

 

    "Chinese?" asked Dan.

 

    "What about that Thai place?" offered Carrot.

 

    "Too spicy before bed," said Xianfu.

 

    "Okay," said Ranma. "There's that 
Okonomiyaki
place."

 

    "Naw, not as good as Ucchan's, she's spoiled
us," 
said Dan.

 

    "You jerks are going to make us fat!" 
snarled
Xianfu.

 

    "Lay off, we'll never get fat as active as we
are," 
said Carrot.

 

    "He's right you know," agreed Dan.

 

    "She's just mad because all this running
around made 
us put on a few pounds of muscle,"
pointed out Ranma.

 

    "Jeez," muttered Carrot. "Do you know how many
women 
would kill to look like us?" He adjusted
their breast to illustrate that 
point.

 

    "Right," grumbled the woman lamely. "We'll
just go to 
that take out place on the way home. I
don't feel like going out of our way 
tonight."

 

    "Fair enough, but no more complaining that
we're 
getting fat!" said Carrot.

 

    "Man, we ate Chinese last night!" 
complained
Ranma.

 

    They happily argued their way back to the
restaurant, 
and then back home again.

 

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

 

    "Wake up," said Yohiko as she scowled at 
her
daughter. "You should be getting up on your own by
now."

 

    A mass of disheveled pink hair rose from the
bed and 
two tired looking eyes glared up at her.
"Mom."

 

    "Stop talking and wake up," replied the woman
as she 
left the room.

 

+++++++++++

 

    "Morning Yotsuya," said Yusaku as he noticed
the man 
walking through the halls of the
apartments.

 

    "Ah, you seem more cheerful than ever young
Godai," 
said the man as he nodded to him. "Tell
me, what do you plan to do with your 
Saturday?"

 

    "Well, class is over, so I'm not sure,"
replied the 
man cheerfully. He was dressed in a
dirty looking dogi and had a smirk on his 
face.
"You?"

 

    "I believe Mrs. Itchinose is planning a
meeting to 
discover the identity of our mysterious
new tenant," said the man with a 
small nod. "To be
held in your room this very evening."

 

    "What? My room?" said the man as he hung his
head. 
"Just bring your own beer tonight. I've only
got one left, and it's 
mine."

 

    "Hmmm, it seems I am saddled with the task of
putting 
out the word," said the man as he nodded.
"Do you plan to buy more?"

 

    "Not until I get paid again," said Yusaku with
a 
frown on his face. "You guys are still on about
that?"

 

    "Pardon?"

 

    "Xellos," clarified Yusaku.

 

    "Oh. Yes, it is most distressing," said the
man. "A 
man of that age living with two young
maidens. Surely the implications are 
enough to
make you wonder."

 

    "Naw. Xellos is weird, Miss Yohiko doesn't
seem to 
like him much either. I'm just wondering
why she puts up with him."

 

    "Yohiko likes me fine," replied Xellos as he
put his 
head between them.

 

    "Ah, We were just speaking of you," 
said
Yotsuya.

 

    "Hello," said Godai as his face became
serious.

 

    "Good morning," said Xellos cheerfully.

 

    "Tell me, where is your destination this fine
day?" 
asked Yotsuya cheerfully.

 

    "Shopping, it's my turn to cook," said the man
as he 
looked at them.

 

    "You cook with two women in your home?" said
Yotsuya 
in mock surprise.

 

    "Well, living here is no reason to get out 
of
practice. Besides, Yohiko dear does require it."

 

    "Ah, the things we do for love," said Yotsuya.

 

    "Something like that," said Xellos with a
smirk on 
his face.

 

    "There is a meeting in Godai's room this
evening? 
Concerning myself?" asked Xellos
cheerfully.

 

    "Indeed," said Yotsuya.

 

    "Well, good luck solving the mystery. Good day
to 
you," said the strange man as he walked away.

 

    "I often hear noises from the home in the
evening, 
but they are difficult to make out. It
could be that Miss Hibiki is not a 
'screamer',"
said Yotsuya with a frown on his face.

 

    "Or it could be that one of them likes to
watch TV or 
listen to the radio at night," said
Yusaku calmly as they watched the man 
leave the
hallway.

 

    "Curses, his ambiguity drives me to madness,"
said 
Yotsuya as calmly as ever. "It worsens the
matter that both of the Hibiki 
women will say
nothing of this mystery to any of us."

 

    "Speaking of ambiguity, what do you do for a
living 
anyway?" said Yusaku as another smirk
formed on his face.

 

    "If you will excuse me," replied the man as he
turned 
towards his room.

 

    "I thought so," muttered Yusaku under his
breath. 
"Jeez, it's been months, you'd think
they'd have figured it out by 
now."

 

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

 

    Yohiko sighed as she stared down at the
television 
and frowned. "Man, Saturday is boring."

 

    "Boring? I could call up Mitaka," said 
Usagi
hopefully.

 

    "Gah! Stop that!" cried the woman as she
turned to 
glare at her daughter. The girl was
making a sandwich, rather skillfully at 
that. It
was a massive undertaking that had many levels and
complex 
structures built into it.

 

    "Usagi, I know you have to eat more with how
active 
you are, but..." said Yohiko as she stared
at the thing in front of her 
daughter.

 

    "Huh? What is it?" said the girl as she looked
up at 
her mother.

 

    "You do realize that you have to put that into
your 
mouth at some point, right?" said the woman
as she turned away.

 

    Usagi blushed and saw that it was becoming
almost as 
tall as her whole torso. "Oh, right."
She put the top layer of bread on and 
hefted it
over to the table.

 

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

 

    Yusaku frowned as he looked around his room
and 
tossed his shirt over to the small pile of
dirty clothes in the corner. He 
popped his neck
and sighed as he stripped off his pants and stood
in the 
middle of the room for a moment. He
stretched his arms and began to search 
through his
dresser for a new set of clothes.

 

    "What do you mean knock? This is Mr. Flunk
out's 
room," said a familiar voice as his door
opened.

 

    He turned his head and simply stared at the
two women 
standing there looking at him for a
moment. "Heh. Um...do you mind..."

 

    "Yes," said Akemi as her cigarette hit 
the
floor.

 

    Itchinose turned away slowly and pushed her
out of 
the room, closing the door behind her.

 

    Outside, the pair conversed amongst
themselves.

 

    "When the hell did -that- happen?!" cried
Akemi as 
she simply stared at the floor for a
moment.

 

    "Wow, that kid sure has changed," 
agreed
Itchinose.

 

    The pair looked at one another and rushed over
to the 
door, sliding it open just enough to peer
in.

 

    It opened in their faces and Yusaku was
staring down 
at them calmly. "Are you two finished
yet?"

 

    Akemi marched into his room and pushed him
back, 
forcing him to sit down in the middle of the
floor. "Just sit here a 
minute."

 

    He complied with a confused looking frown on
his 
face. "What is it?"

 

    Akemi picked up his arm and felt it for 
a
moment.

 

    "Well?" asked Itchinose.

 

    "Hard as a rock," said the woman as she
narrowed her 
eyes at him and began to feel on his
back, lifting the back of his shirt up 
in the
process. "Look at this!"

 

    "Most unusual," said the older woman as she
looked 
thoughtful.

 

    "What is it?" said Godai in confusion.

 

    "Shut up. We're trying to figure out when the
hell 
you became a babe!" said Akemi.

 

    "Is there some sort of air release valve?"
asked 
Itchinose as she felt along his side.

 

    "What?" said Godai dumbly.

 

    He stood up and walked over to the mirror that
hung 
from his wall. He blinked and looked at
himself for a moment. "Well, what did 
you think
would happen? I mean, I've been working out every
morning for 
the past six months."

 

    "Working out?" said Akemi dumbly.

 

    "I thought you were taking some sort of
aerobics 
class with Miss Hibiki," said Itchinose
in confusion.

 

    "It was martial arts classes, and what do you
think 
martial arts classes are?" he replied
calmly.

 

    "Oh," said the two women in unison.

 

    "Hey Godai," said Yohiko as she walked into
the room 
and looked around.

 

    "Huh?" he replied as he turned to face her.

 

    "Training trip, get your stuff," she said
simply 
before she walked out of the room.

 

    He blinked for a moment and looked at the two
women 
sitting in his room. They stared at one
another and then looked back at 
him.

 

    "Training trip?" they asked each other.

 

    Yusaku was packed within a minute and walking
out the 
door.

 

    "I wish I was nicer to him now," grumbled
Akemi as he 
left them.

 

    "Well what do you know? Yohiko is smarter than
I 
thought, rather than looking for a babe, she
went and made her own," said 
Itchinose dumbly.

 

    "Training trip indeed," said Akemi flatly.

 

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

 

    "Mom, where are we going?" asked Usagi as she
found 
herself being herded into a cab with Yusaku.

 

    "The mountains," replied the woman calmly.

 

    "The mountains?" asked Yusaku dumbly.

 

    "That's right," said the woman as she put
their 
traveling bags into the trunk.

 

    "The mountains?" asked a familiar voice from
beside 
her.

 

    Yohiko turned and looked Shun Mitaka in the
face. He 
was watching the scene in confusion.

 

    "Yeah," she said as she closed the trunk.

 

    "Mind if I tag along then?" he said
cheerfully. "I 
could give you a ride for free at
the very least."

 

    Yusaku started banging his head against the
back of 
the front seat of the car.

 

    "This isn't a vacation Mitaka, this is a
training 
trip," she replied calmly.

 

    "Training?" he asked in confusion. "What for?"

 

    "I've been teaching Yusaku and my daughter
martial 
arts," she replied calmly.

 

    "Oh? Is that so?" he said cheerfully. "I've
been 
taking some lessons myself."

 

    "Really?" asked Yusaku as he stuck his head
out of 
the back of the car.

 

    Mitaka seemed surprised that he would be
interested 
in that at all. "Yes, my mother thought
it would be a good idea to take some 
karate. I've
been doing it off and on since I was a boy. I just
recently 
started again. I've got my second dan."

 

    Yusaku actually got an impressed look on his
face as 
he sat back in his seat again.

 

    "Well, this isn't the same thing," replied
Yohiko 
calmly.

 

    "I'll tell you what, just take me to my place,
I'll 
pay for the ride there, and we can go in my
car," he said as he grinned at 
Yusaku.

 

    Yohiko looked at her two students and smirked.
"All 
right."

 

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

 

    Yohiko sat behind the wheel of the car with a
grin on 
her face singing merrily as she drove into
the wilderness.

 

    "I found out, long a go. It's a long way down
the 
holiday road. Holiday ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-
oh-oad, holiday 
roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oad!"

 

    Yusaku and Usagi sat in the back seat looking
rather 
cheerful as Mitaka blinked in surprise.
"You can drive a car?"

 

    "Sure," she replied as she looked at him. 
"Why
wouldn't I know how?"

 

    "No reason, I just didn't expect it," he said
with a 
small shrug.

 

    "First I knew of it," said Usagi.

 

    "Well, I was a lot more active before I got
married," 
said the woman cheerfully.

 

    "That's obvious," said Mitaka with a small
smirk on 
his face.

 

    "Where is this place anyway?" asked Yusaku.

 

    "Not far now," said Yohiko as she hummed her
song to 
herself a little.

 

    After about an hour she parked the car in a
somewhat 
deserted parking lot in the middle of a
small camping area. There were a few 
other
families vacationing as well, but it was mostly
deserted. School 
wasn't out for the year yet and
the season for such activity was still a 
few
months away.

 

    "It's very pretty here," said Mitaka as he
grinned at 
Yohiko suavely.

 

    "Well, we aren't going to have time to enjoy
the 
scenery much, take it in while you can," said
the woman with a serious 
looking frown. "We've got
a long walk ahead of us, so get your stuff.

 

+++++++++

 

    Mitaka was miserable, the trio in front of him
were 
still as fresh as they had been four hours
ago. Every part of his body was 
aching and he was
getting short of breath.

 

    "This looks good," said Yohiko as she glanced
around. 
They were standing in the middle of a
large flat area on the side of the 
mountain. It
was mostly a huge dirt patch. They could see for
quite a ways 
in almost every direction to the
south. The north was blocked from view by 
the wall
of rock a short distance from where they had
stopped.

 

    "So we should set up camp?" asked Mitaka as he
sat 
down on one of the rocks.

 

    "Yes, we'll rest a bit while we're doing that
and get 
started. We've still got a whole day ahead
of us," said Yohiko with a wry 
looking grin on her
face. She looked Mitaka up and down and turned
away 
with an almost bored expression.

 

+++++++++++

 

    It had taken about a half-hour to set up 
the
campsite, they had taken their time and then sat
around for another 
half-hour to rest up.

 

    Mitaka seemed much more cheerful after they
had 
started and Yusaku and Usagi were sitting on
the edge of the cliff looking 
out at the scenery.

 

    "Well, it's time to get started," said 
Yohiko
cheerfully as she stood up and stretched.

 

    "What are we going to do today?" asked Usagi.

 

    "Spar," said the woman as she looked at them.

 

    "Spar?" said the pair in confusion. They
looked at 
one another and then back at the woman
again.

 

    "That's right, we're here to test your
fighting 
ability," said the woman as she grinned
at them for a moment.

 

    "But, you haven't taught us anything about
fighting," 
pointed out Yusaku. "We've been doing
the same thing for six months now. All 
those
exercises and stuff. Running around, carrying
things, digging up 
weeds, construction work."

 

    "You already know how to fight," said the
woman as 
she smirked at him.

 

    Usagi was strangely silent and simply looked
at 
Yusaku for a moment.

 

    "What?" said the boy dumbly.

 

    "The motions and techniques of all the work
you have 
been doing are all the training you need.
You have the tools and the 
knowledge, you just
need to apply it."

 

    Usagi nodded and cracked her knuckles.

 

    Mitaka looked confused. "Okay. So we'll spar."

 

    "You'll be facing Yusaku," she said as she
looked at 
him.

 

    "Are you sure? I mean, I've been doing this
for a 
while now," he replied with a small frown.

 

    "Yes, go easy on him, and you'll lose," she
replied 
calmly as she turned towards Usagi.
"You'll fight me."

 

    "Okay," she replied with a small shrug.

 

    "I guess that's for the best, I'm sure 
Yusaku
wouldn't feel comfortable fighting her. She's too
young," said 
Mitaka.

 

    "Why not?" said the man as he looked at Mitaka
for a 
moment in confusion.

 

    "What?" replied Mitaka dumbly.

 

    "She's been doing the exact same thing I have
for the 
past six months," he said with a shrug.

 

    "Well, I..." Mitaka noticed the women were
giving him 
slightly disgusted frowns and he wisely
kept his mouth shut.

 

    "We'll get started, you boys go first," said
Yohiko 
with a smirk forming on her face.

 

    Mitaka nodded and stood opposite Yusaku, the
pair 
bowed to each other and took up stances.

 

    Yusaku looked slightly unsure of himself, but
his 
stance was firm. It looked somewhat sloppy
though, he was wide open and 
mostly undefended.

 

    Mitaka frowned slightly at this and refrained
from 
commenting. In the back of his mind he was
happy to have this opportunity. He 
could put a
little fear into Yusaku without making himself
look bad. That 
would make his chances with Yohiko
better than before. "Gotta be careful, I 
can't
hurt him," he thought to himself.

 

    "Begin," said Yohiko.

 

    Mitaka rushed forward taking the 
offensive
immediately, he wanted to end it quickly and
humble his 
opponent. That would make him easier to
deal with in the future.

 

    Yusaku stepped back nimbly and bent his back
slightly 
to avoid the punch. Mitaka spun into a
kick and gasped as it met the man's 
forearm and
stopped cold.

 

    Yusaku blinked and hit him in the chest.
Mitaka's 
eyes went wide as he flew off of his feet
and was thrown back ten feet into a 
nearby tree.
He hit it hard and slumped down to the ground with
a dazed 
looking frown. "Ouch."

 

    "Mitaka!" cried Yusaku in alarm as he rushed
over to 
his side. "I'm sorry! I didn't think I hit
you that hard!"

 

    The man looked up at his opponent, he was
still 
slightly dazed and laughed to himself.
"Huh?" He could see honest sincerity 
in his face.
"What hit me?"

 

    "I though you said you've been doing this for
a 
while," said Usagi as she fell to her knees
beside him.

 

    "He has been, this is why I didn't want him
coming 
along," said Yohiko as she walked up and
looked down at him. She smiled and 
extended her
hand.

 

    Mitaka took it and allowed himself to be
pulled to 
his feet. He shook his head and cleared
it.

 

    "What do you mean?" said Yusaku dumbly.

 

    "The Hibiki school of Martial arts isn't a
normal 
art. It's much more difficult to learn, and
the hardships you endure are much 
more rigorous
than those of most other arts."

 

    "What?" said Usagi in confusion.

 

    "Mitaka isn't exactly an expert, he probably
spends 
an hour a day, maybe two or three times a
week in a class. We've been 
spending four hours a
day, plus all the extra training I've been 
putting
you through on the side. The repairs to the
building, the yard 
work, I've been making you both
do outside of class..."

 

    "Three times a week," said the man groggily as
he 
wavered on his feet for a moment.

 

    "Admirable, but the Hibiki style requires that
you 
live for the art. It's more than a past time,
it's a way of life."

 

    Usagi gasped as she noticed the smirk on her
mother's 
face, it looked almost malevolent.

 

    "Stay for the whole weekend, and I'll do more
for you 
than an entire month in that class will,"
said the woman as she slapped the 
man on his back.

 

    "So, should we spar now?" said Usagi.

 

    "There's no need. I just wanted Mitaka to know
where 
he stood here, and let Yusaku in on his
abilities. You are already confident 
enough," said
the woman as she smirked at her daughter. "The
real training 
for you two is on the other side of
the mountain."

 

    The pair looked at one another as Yohiko led
Mitaka 
towards a nearby boulder to sit for a time.

 

+++++++++++

 

    Yusaku and Usagi blinked as they looked at 
the
contraption in front of them. It was a pair of
harnesses hanging from 
the trees.

 

    "What is this?" said Usagi dumbly.

 

    "Your training," said Yohiko flatly. "We've
only got 
three days before we have to return."

 

    "Three?" said Yusaku and Usagi in confusion.

 

    "Monday is a holiday," said the woman with a
small 
shrug.

 

    "It is?" said Usagi.

 

    "Yes, some teacher planning day or something.
I've 
already called in," she said as she looked at
them and smirked.

 

    "What's this for?" said Yusaku as he looked up
at the 
harness. Mitaka was standing a short
distance away, frowning at the 
scene.

 

    "This," Yohiko turned and walked over to a
nearby 
boulder. She tapped it gently with her
finger and it exploded in a shower of 
stone and a
cloud of dust. "The Bakusai Tenketsu. It took me a
week to 
learn, and you have two and a half days to
get it right. You'll remain in 
these until you
do."

 

    Usagi and Yusaku looked at one another and
then back 
at their sensei again.

 

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

 

    Mitaka was watching the scene in a sort of
shocked 
awe. Usagi and Yusaku were hanging from
the trees while two large boulders 
slammed into
them repeatedly. They had started only ten minutes
before, 
and the pair had already been knocked out
twice each. They quickly woke up 
and started the
process again.

 

    Yohiko turned towards him and smiled. "Don't
worry, 
this is the intermediate class. You're not
ready for this yet."

 

    "Intermediate?" said Mitaka in shock. "What
are the 
advanced classes like?" he asked
fearfully.

 

    "Do you really want to know?" she 
asked
cheerfully.

 

    "No, not really," he admitted with his head
hung 
low.

 

    "Well, shall we get started?"

 

    "Started?" said the man weakly.

 

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

 

    Mitaka was a heap of dead muscle. He couldn't
move, 
he could barely speak, and he simply wanted
to lie in silence until the pain 
stopped.

 

    "Feeling better?" asked Yohiko as she sat down
next 
to him with two cups of tea in her hands.

 

    "Not really," he replied as he tried to sit
up.

 

    "I'll just leave this here then," said the
woman 
cheerfully as she set his cup down next to
him.

 

    He closed his eyes and ignored the pain as he
forced 
himself to sit upright and pick up the tea.
It felt like it weighed thirty 
pounds in his
hands.

 

    The sky was now a sea of stars above them and
they 
sat together in silence for a long time. He
had spent the entire day digging 
holes, walking
along low branches, and carrying large rocks
around. There 
was more involved as well. They had
found a waterfall with a large pool and 
he had
spent an hour swimming around with a small boulder
strapped to his 
back.

 

    "Are you trying to get rid of me?" he 
asked
quietly.

 

    "In a way, but you did very well. You
complained a 
lot less than those two did the first
time they had to do that," she replied 
quietly.

 

    "They did?"

 

    "They've been doing similar things to what you
just 
did for the past seven months or so," she
said as she smiled at him for a 
moment.

 

    Mitaka sighed and looked down at his hands for
a 
moment. "The funny thing is, I believe you."

 

    "Not so confident anymore?" she asked him with
a tiny 
amount of amusement in her voice.

 

    "Nowhere near what I was before. This
was...very 
humbling." He didn't mention what
Yusaku had done to him, but it was clear 
that it
was what he was referring too.

 

    Yohiko smirked as she realized that he hadn't
said 
anything about when she had admitted that she
was trying to get rid of 
him.

 

    "Well, you've only got two more days left,"
she said 
with a small shrug.

 

    "Do I?" he said as he smiled at her again.
Even that 
small act was painful for him.

 

    "If you want to continue after that, you can,"
she 
said with a shrug.

 

    "I'm not going to give up, no matter what
happens. I 
haven't lost yet," he said without
looking up at her. He gulped his tea down 
and lay
back down, looking up at the stars for a moment
before closing his 
eyes.

 

    He didn't notice Yohiko giving a small growl
as her 
tin cup bent slightly out of shape in her
grip. "Oh well. He'll learn soon 
enough, one way
or another."

 

++++++++++

 

    Yusaku screamed as he saw the stone rushing
towards 
him, his arm cocked back and he thrust his
hand forward to strike. His arm 
exploded in pain
as the stone shoved it back and slammed into his
body 
once again.

 

    Usagi was hanging upside-down nearby with a
painful 
frown on her face. "I'm getting tired,"
she muttered.

 

    "She said we had to stay here until we learned
this," 
replied Yusaku as he took up a similar
position.

 

    "She's not here to watch us right now," said
Usagi 
with a slightly disgusted frown.

 

    "We're on the honor system Usagi, you know we
should 
keep working," he said firmly.

 

    "I know, but this still sucks," said the 
girl
distastefully as she pulled herself upright again.

 

    Yusaku followed suit and the pair began
working 
again.

 

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

 

    Two more days pass...

 

+++++++++++

 

Yohiko frowned as Mitaka coughed up a lung full of
water and wheezed as 
he lay sprawled out on the
edge of the small pond. The boulder was 
still
strapped onto his back and made breathing even
more difficult, but 
he ignored it in favor of not
moving at all.

 

    "Well, had enough?" she said as she knelt down
beside 
him.

 

    "Never!" he growled as he stood up and
staggered. He 
started moving forward again with
determination burning in his eyes.

 

    Yohiko shrugged and followed after him. After
a 
moment they jogged into a familiar clearing,
Mitaka promptly collapsed as his 
muscles failed
again and did not move.

 

    The woman arched her eyebrow in surprise at
the scene 
she found herself looking at.

 

    Yusaku was hanging upside-down, out cold and
snoring 
loudly. The remains of his boulder lay
shattered on the ground and he had a 
stupid
looking grin on his face as he drooled in his
sleep.

 

    Usagi was cursing to herself and pushing her
boulder 
back and fourth, repeatedly slamming it
into her body in a frustrated rage. 
"No fair! No
fair! Not fucking fair!" she screeched with each
new 
attempt.

 

    "Well whaddaya know?" said Yohiko as she
pulled at 
the knot that left the man hanging and
sent him into the ground. He didn't 
appear to
notice and continued to sleep.

 

    "I never thought he'd get it this time," she
said as 
she looked at him and grinned.

 

    "Really?" asked Mitaka dumbly.

 

    "Naw, took me a week to learn this," she
replied 
cheerfully as she kicked her slumbering
student onto his back. "I figured 
it'd take him at
least two, and probably not until he learned to
control 
his chi a little more first. I'm honestly
impressed."

 

    Usagi growled at her mother's assessment. "You
mean 
you didn't expect us to learn this?!!"

 

    "Not this time," she admitted.

 

    "Damn you!" screamed the girl in a rage. "Just
for 
that I'm gonna learn it anyway!" She went back
to her task and started in 
earnest.

 

    "You'll never get it if you're this worked
up," said 
her mother flatly.

 

    Usagi growled, but calmed down considerably.

 

    "Clear your mind, it's the only way to see 
the
breaking point," said the woman as she turned away
and started to drag 
Yusaku away.

 

    "Wait, you mean...that's what I've been doing
wrong?" 
said the girl as she looked surprised. The
boulder decked her again as she 
finished saying
this.

 

    "What? You didn't know?" said Yohiko as she
arched 
her eyebrow slightly.

 

    "How was I supposed to? You never told us!"
screamed 
the girl angrily.

 

    "Oh, sorry," said Yohiko as she dragged Yusaku
away 
with Mitaka.

 

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

 

    "You didn't tell them?" asked Mitaka as he 
lay
against a log and frowned at the woman.

 

    "I didn't want them to get it this time," she
replied 
as she looked over at Yusaku. She had
decided to let him sleep, he had stayed 
away for
almost three days trying to learn the technique.

 

    "What?" said Mitaka in shock, he sat up
abruptly and 
immediately regretted it. He fell
back down to the ground in pain and 
relaxed.

 

    "The whole point of the Bakusai Tenketsu isn't
the 
technique itself, but the extra toughness the
training gives you," said 
Yohiko with a smirk on
her face. "The move is essentially useless, it
only 
works on rocks. It's good for distraction and
intimidation, but not much 
else."

 

    Mitaka looked at her in a sort of horrified
awe. "You 
mean? They did all this for nothing?"

 

    "Heh. Mitaka, after Yusaku wakes up, there
won't be 
anything you can do to hurt him. He'll
shrug off your strongest attacks as if 
they were
the strikes of a baby. That is the secret of the
Bakusai 
Tenketsu. It has nothing to do with the
technique itself."

 

    The man looked at his rival, someone who 
he
considered to be nothing more than a mere boy.
"I'm glad our 
relationship is somewhat friendly
then. I may be his rival, but I still 
consider him
a friend."

 

    "He's a good one, I suggest you keep it that
way," 
said the woman with a small shrug.

 

    Mitaka nodded and lay his head back down
again.

 

    "We'll be heading back soon, I suggest you
rest until 
then," she said as she looked in the
direction where her daughter was still 
training.

 

    "Do I still have a chance?" he asked her
almost 
jokingly.

 

    "Neither one of you ever had one. I've been
trying to 
tell you that for a while now," was the
reply.

 

    "We'll see, I won't give up," he said with a
rough 
sounding snort as he passed out finally.

 

    Yohiko sighed. "These idiot men are going to
get 
themselves killed over this." She stood up and
walked towards the clearing 
where Usagi was
training.

 

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

 

    "I said you've done enough. It's time to go,"
said 
the woman as she looked up at her daughter's
angry face.

 

    "No! I'm not done yet!" screamed Usagi angrily
as she 
shoved at the boulder again.

 

    "Usagi, that's enough. I didn't really think
you 
would get it this time. I'm not angry."

 

    "There's no way I'm gonna let Yusaku show me
up!" 
snarled the angry girl as she continued to
beat herself senseless.

 

    "Usagi..." muttered Yohiko as she jumped up
and 
touched the point on the boulder, sending it
into shards all around the 
clearing. "That's
enough. Let it go for now. I promise I'll let you
take 
as long as you want next time. We have to go
home, you've got school 
tomorrow."

 

    The girl hung her head and turned away 
in
shame.

 

    "Don't even start Usagi," growled her mother
as she 
undid the knot and sent her to the ground
in a heap. "You've still got plenty 
of time ahead
of you to learn this."

 

    The girl looked up at her mother and sighed.
"I guess 
you're right. I wanted to be your best
student though!"

 

    "I'd rather have two of them," she replied.
"You'll 
find that in time, there are some things
he will do better, but some things 
you will do
better as well. This is just one of the things he
has improved 
in more."

 

    The girl looked confused. "What do I do better
in 
then?"

 

    "If I told you, you would focus only on those
things, 
and fall behind in others," replied the
woman as she put her arm across the 
girl's
shoulders.

 

    "I guess you're right," said the girl with a
heavy 
sigh.

 

    "Of course I am, I'm your mother. I'm right
even when 
I'm wrong child," replied the woman
cheerfully.

 

    "Mooom..." whined Usagi.

 

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

 

    "So, Mitaka. You thinkin about joining us?"
asked 
Yusaku as he leaned forward from the back
seat of the car.

 

    The man looked at him and smiled slightly.
They were 
all on their way home from the trip and
had a good hour left to go before 
they made it
back. "I don't think so."

 

    "Huh? Why not?" asked Usagi.

 

    Yohiko was smiling to herself and ignoring
them as 
she drove the car.

 

    "Yeah. You did real good," said Yusaku.

 

    "I learned a lot on this trip," said Mitaka as
he 
closed his eyes and sat back in his seat. "If I
stayed with you I'd only drag 
you two down for a
long time."

 

    "You sure?" said Usagi with an uncertain
looking 
frown.

 

    "He's right. If he joined us now, I'd end 
up
neglecting a lot of your training just to get him
up to speed with 
you," said Yohiko suddenly. "He
can join if he likes, but I don't think he's 
ready
just yet."

 

    "I will be," said the man firmly. "I hate
missing a 
chance like this. I'd love to spend my
mornings with the woman I love, but 
I'd be hurting
the both of you."

 

    Yohiko ignored them again and continued to
smile 
blissfully as she watched the road. Yusaku
turned his head away with an 
unreadable look on
his face. Usagi seemed pleased with this
declaration. 
Mitaka noticed the lack of a reaction
on Yohiko and turned away as 
well.

 

    "Maybe I've already missed my chance?" thought
Mitaka 
to himself.

 

+++++++++++

 

    "Stay on the right side of the road," growled
Dan as 
he forced a slight correction on Carrot as
they drove the car.

 

    "Sorry, I'm still gettin used to this 
place,"
grumbled the boy quietly.

 

    "We'll watch your back," said Ranma calmly.
"Just 
keep drivin."

 

    "Yusaku is doing better than I'd thought,"
said 
Xianfu seriously.

 

    "Indeed, I never thought he'd get that
technique, I 
just wanted to watch them suffer,"
said Carrot.

 

    "Yeah, it sure was fun torturing loverboy over
there 
all weekend," agreed Dan.

 

    "Indeed, he's a bit of an ass, but a nice
guy," said 
Xianfu as she made them glance over at
Mitaka when he wasn't looking at them. 
They caught
Usagi grinning at this out of the corner of their
eye and 
ignored her for the time being.

 

    "We should do something about miss matchmaker
too. 
This is getting annoying," said Carrot
flatly.

 

    "Right, she gets all excited when we so much
as speak 
to the clerk at the grocery store,"
agreed Dan.

 

    "What can we do?" asked Ranma.

 

    "Not much short of killing her or responding
to one 
of these men," said Xianfu.

 

    "Why does it sound like you don't think that's
a bad 
idea?" said Carrot distastefully.

 

    "I am a woman," she said coldly.

 

    "Well, yer outvoted," said Dan with a small
growl. 
"If it comes to a choice of the two, we
kill Usagi."

 

    "Don't even joke about that!" cried Pissant
and 
Xainfu at the same time.

 

    "Really, you people shouldn't be so mean to
our 
friends!" said Pissant.

 

    "Who's being mean? We're giving them
legitimate 
training," said Carrot.

 

    "You don't have to enjoy it so much," said
Pissant 
irritably.

 

    "That's part of being a master," said Xianfu.
"If any 
of you even suggest killing my daughter
again..."

 

    "Oh, she's your daughter all of a sudden? What
about 
us?" snapped Carrot.

 

    "You treat her like a plaything!" snapped the
woman. 
"Myself and Ranma are the only ones who act
like parents at all!"

 

    "Look, we all know we all like the brat," 
said
Dan.

 

    "What about me?" said Pissant.

 

    "You just complain, you don't do anything
else. 
That's not being a parent," said Ranma
flatly.

 

    "That wasn't very nice," whimpered the voice.

 

    "At any rate, we need to do something about
both 
these idiots. It's obvious they're not going
to leave us alone on their own. 
Yusaku ain't as
bad as he used to be, but still," said 
Carrot
flatly.

 

    "Yeah, but what?" said Dan.

 

    "I dunno, we'll figure something out,"
muttered 
Ranma.

 

    "What? I happen to think the attention 
is
flattering," said Xianfu.

 

    "Yeah, up to a point. These two idiots are
obsessing. 
I know Yusaku's had other offers he's
refused because of us. Mitaka as well. 
They need
to get on with their lives without us."

 

    Carrot caught them looking into the rear view
mirror 
at the sleeping Yusaku and taking glances
at Mitaka. "Stop that you perverted 
witch!"

 

    "What's wrong with it? I'm a woman aren't I?"
replied 
Xianfu.

 

    "We ain't," countered Dan.

 

    "You're being selfish," said Pissant.

 

    "What? You're siding with her?" said 
Carrot
flatly.

 

    "No! But if she just want's to look it's okay.
As 
long as we don't have too..." said the voice
pathetically.

 

    "I can't believe you pigs! After all you've
made me 
do?! What about Hotaru??" snapped Xianfu
angrily.

 

    "What about her? She ain't here, and we 
were
married," said Dan flatly.

 

    "Do you think I enjoyed having to be 
there
for...that?" snapped the woman hatefully.

 

    "Probably," said Carrot as he scratched their
ear for 
a moment and continued to watch the road.

 

    "Hey lady, we ain't screamers," said Dan with
a small 
chuckle.

 

    "Well, maybe I did a little, but it didn't
feel 
right!" admitted the woman bitterly. "I'm a
woman and I need a man!"

 

    "Lady, we all have to agree on some things,
and 
that's one of em. No men," countered Dan
flatly.

 

    "Pigs!" snapped Xianfu. She went silent and
left them 
to themselves.

 

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

 

    "So, how was the trip?" asked Xellos
cheerfully as he 
sat and looked at Yohiko with a
wry grin on his face.

 

    "Could have been better," said the woman 
in
reply.

 

    "Oh?"

 

    "We had a disagreement with ourselves," said
Yohiko 
calmly.

 

    "Well, it wasn't the first time I imagine,"
said 
Xellos as he seemed to lose interest
suddenly.

 

    "Or the last," agreed Yohiko. "I'm goin to bed
now, 
it's been a long day."

 

    "See you in the morning," said Xellos
cheerfully. She 
vanished into her room and left
him alone. He narrowed his eyes and smirked 
to
himself as he called up a small image in front of
himself. "Usagi? 
Let's see what you're up to." He
paused, for a moment he thought he heard a 
small
giggle in the back of the home. The sound and
whatever made it was 
gone now, and he returned to
his entertainment.

 

    His grin widened at what he saw and he 
leaned
forward. "Oh, this is certainly interesting."

 

+++++++++++

 

    Sailor Moon stood with a dangerous looking
creature 
standing over her. She was in an alleyway
and the large wolf monster loomed 
over her.
Jadeite stood on a nearby rooftop laughing to
himself. "Well, it 
seems I have you this time
Sailor Moon!"

 

    "I'll get you yet villain!" screamed Usagi
angrily as 
she dodged another strike from the
monster's claws. She was thrown into the 
wall as
the creature used her distracted moment to
backhand her.

 

    She grunted from the impact and quickly moved
to her 
feet. After a moment of surprise from the
lack of pain, she jumped into 
action again. The
creature dodged skillfully around her ribbons and
kept 
her on her toes for almost two minutes.

 

    After that time, she made a mistake and
tripped over 
a small metal can in the alley. The
monster lunged forward with its fangs 
bared.

 

    "No!" cried the girl as she braced herself for
the 
blow. It never came. There was a dull sounding
thud and the ground under her 
feet vibrated for a
moment. "Wha?"

 

    "Are you all right Sailor Moon?" said a
familiar 
voice.

 

    "Ryoga?" she muttered dumbly as a familiar
figure 
stood on top of a nearby dumpster with a
scowl on his face.

 

    "We need to stop meeting like this," he said
as he 
looked down at her with a short nod. He
turned his head up at Jadeite as he 
scowled at
them. "You! How dare you attack a young girl with
that thing!?" 
He pointed at the dazed monster for
a moment in anger. "I won't forgive you! 
Jadeite,
prepare to die!"

 

    Usagi snarled as she realized the creature was
still 
surprised from the appearance of the
umbrella that was now embedded into the 
pavement.
Her grin went wild and her ribbons lashed out
suddenly. This 
time, the ends of them had formed
into very sharp looking barbed spikes. The 
monster
howled in pain as they tore into its flesh and
began to rip 
through its body. It vanished in a
swirl of shadows. She rose to her feet and 
looked
up to see Ryoga jumping towards her enemy. "No!
Look out!"

 

    "Pest!" snarled Jadeite as he threw a ball of
light 
into the ground and vanished, leaving the
lost boy alone on the 
rooftop.

 

    "Damn, he got away!" snarled Ryoga as he
jumped back 
down onto the street. He plucked his
umbrella out of the pavement and looked 
at the
young girl in front of him.

 

    "I'm fine!" said Usagi as she blushed and
stepped 
closer to him. "Thank you for saving me."

 

    "You should be more careful, that man is
dangerous," 
said Ryoga as he turned away from her.

 


    "I have to stop him, no one else will do 
it,"
said Usagi as she suddenly steeled herself.

 

    "I understand. I had someone like that once."
Ryoga 
turned to face her again. "Good luck."

 

    Usagi pushed herself into his chest and they
kissed 
for a moment. She closed her eyes and felt
her lips suddenly become cold. She 
blinked and
realized that he had vanished as mysteriously as
he had 
appeared. The same as always. "Damn." She
turned away and left the 
alley.

 

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

 


    Ryoga sat down on a rooftop a short time
later. 
He was simply watching the moon in silence.
"Damn. That girl...she..." He 
turned his head in
disgust. "I've never had anyone treat me like she
does. 
Not even Akane, or Akari..." He growled in
frustration. "She'd never accept 
my
curse...but...Damn." He shook his head in
frustration and disgust with 
himself. "I can't
keep doing this, Akane needs me, and Akari...why
can't I 
just...Damn, Ranma...I'm starting to
understand you now." He stood up and 
jumped away,
vanishing into the streets. "Not that I'm going to
forgive 
you for doing that to Akane though," he
added as a final thought.

 

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

 

    Yusaku Godai lay on his back staring at the
ceiling. 
It had been a long day, but he had
finally succeeded in the end. His grin 
widened as
he thought about how things had turned out. Even
Yohiko hadn't 
expected him to do so well. "She
must be very proud of me," he said to 
himself.

 

    "Oh, I am, very proud. You're coming along
much 
better than I had thought."

 

    He sat upright and gasped in shock. He hadn't
even 
heard his door open. She was standing in the
doorway, closing it behind 
her.

 

    "Miss Yohiko," stammered Yusaku dumbly.

 

    "Shhh, you have to be quiet or you'll wake 
the
others," she said calmly as she stepped forward.
She was wearing a 
robe, and it was loosely tied.
It was quite obvious that there wasn't 
anything
under it.

 

    He simply sat there and stared, unable to
move.

 

    "Yusaku, I need something from you," she said
as she 
knelt down at his feet and looked into his
eyes.

 

    "Anything," he managed to mutter.

 

    "Good boy," she replied as she stood up and
removed 
her robe.

 

    Yusaku almost passed out cold as she fell to
her 
hands and knees and crawled over his body. She
moved slowly until she was 
looking him dead in the
face and smiled. He couldn't move at all and 
was
shaking quite badly.

 

    "Just a moment," she said to him. Her leg
lashed out 
and knocked over his dresser, covering
the hole in his wall. There was a tiny 
muttered
curse from the other room. "Now, be a good boy and
stay quiet. We 
have to be careful."

 

    He nodded numbly as she slowly started to
remove his 
clothes.

 

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

 

    Morning, a quiet chirping of birds and an
irritating 
beam of sunlight. That was all they
knew at the moment.

 

    "What's that smell?" muttered Carrot as he
groggily 
woke up from his slumber. He turned his
head and froze. "Oh shit."

 

    A familiar face stared back at him with an 
odd
looking grin. Yusaku was still sleeping, and had
the blissful glow 
that all men have when they've
just...

 

    
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHH!!!"

 

    TBC...

 


    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!

 

    Let's see how this one sits with ya! Heh.

 

 

Perfect Carrot- Consuming the universe, one Aspect at a time.


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