I have GOT to come up with some uniform method of posting these....
Process of Elimination -- Chapter Thirteen -- Part One
Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz
(Ranma 1/2), Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi
(Sailor Moon).
Additional tinting provided by: Takada Yuuzou, and Kodansha (3x3
Eyes), Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume
Nuku-Nuku), and of course, Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine.
That's all.
Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2
in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs,
not TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but it's
something of an alt anyway. 3x3 Eyes diverges before OAV2. This fic uses
the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.
-----------------------------
"One would be inclined to think that if the Emperor had been told
what was happening on Earth before the Second Wave departed to Juraian
space that the outcome would have been... different. Certainly, the
situation was already dire if [the Ethos array] had been called into
play, but for what was to follow.... There is no way that we can express
adequate sympathy for that, but neither can we hold the Emperor
responsible for the matter."
Laruma Karau of Minor House Laruma, Council Member -- Speech to the
Council in Old Terran Year 1999, July 30th.
In the midst of the vast wash of nacreous green fire, Ryouga stared
resolutely at the reaver immediately before him. The cascading torrent
of force was linked with something in him he had never felt before,
something that changed the way he realized the technique worked.
If the reavers had no ki, then they had no life. No souls. But the
force of his own ki, borne of his spirit, which was a reflection of his
own soul... that had the power to harm them. He just needed to put more
than ki into it, and push until that sharp pain deep within himself was
pouring his very soul into the attack.
He smiled grimly, realizing that he couldn't win... but neither
could they. And that, maybe, would be enough.
***
The raw emotional force pouring off of Ryouga was tangible, filling
the air and adding definition to the cascading torrent of green fire
that smashed through the trees and slammed the reavers into the ground,
pinning them around Ryouga. It flooded through Rei's senses, and she
fell to her knees, her stomach churning with the anger and self-loathing
that flowed through her, radiating outward from the focus of the boy's
attack.
Minako regarded it solemnly, not reacting yet, and Makoto simply
stared, her mouth hanging open. "Stop him," Rei managed weakly,
resisting the urge to throw up -- barely. "He's... he's going to kill
himself!"
"How?" Makoto asked, shaking her head, eyes wide. "How can we hope
to stop--"
The answer to that question arrived as a giant ball of red ki-flame
punched through the coruscating green, picking Ryouga up and flinging
him towards the girls. Minako's chain lashed out, carefully wrapping
about him and dropping him to the ground, unconscious but breathing. The
green energy faded away a moment later, and all of the defenders were
left with the sight of the smoking crater, all six reavers struggling to
right themselves from the devastating force.
Ryu knelt on the ground a distance away, staring at the sight with
wide eyes, his hand still pressed against whatever wound he had taken to
his stomach. Standing not terribly far away from him, in pristine white,
flowing clothes, offset by golden scaled armor, an imperious man with
greenish-gold draconian eyes raised an eyebrow. "Intriguing," he
remarked, eyeing the creatures in the devastated area of Ryouga's
attack. "I suppose then, that these are friends of Ranma's?"
Rei gawked, the emotional power fading from the air, and no longer
overriding her senses. At the man's side, but barely even noticeable
next to his resplendent form, Yosho stood, sword and shield at the
ready, a number of other forms clustered expectantly behind them.
"Yes," Yosho said, blinking away his momentary confusion. "We must
destroy them while they are distracted!" So saying, the man lunged
forward, seeming to bounce off of some invisible ramp, and leapt easily
fifteen meters towards the nearest reaver.
Taking that cue, the Amazon trio descended from the foliage above
the reaver nearest Ray, weapons poised. "Let's do it!" Minako
encouraged, running towards the reaver nearest her.
Rei nodded, drawing Makoto's sword from its holding space, and
following at Minako's right side.
***
"So the first thing we need to do before I let you go back down to
Earth, is to put this bracelet on," Washuu explained sternly, handing
Ranma what looked like a polished blue glass hoop, smooth and unbroken,
but large enough for him to slip over one hand easily.
Ranma frowned, tugging on his red robes -- which had been cleaned,
he noted -- before answering. "Okay," he said, accepting the hoop and
eyeing it suspiciously. "What does it do?"
"It's a limiter," Washuu said, as Ranma slipped it on.
Watching the hoop contract about his wrist until it was sitting
snugly against his bodysuit, Ranma frowned. "What's that?"
"I know!" Nuku exclaimed excitedly. "It's something that Papa-san
put in me to make sure I don't accidentally hurt people!"
"Right," Washuu said, lips quirking into a smile. "It means that you
can't access your powers, so you can't hurt yourself. Whatever you had
before, you'll still have, plus the benefit of your enhanced physique."
"So you took away my Masu powers?" Ranma asked, frowning at the
bracelet, but not removing it.
"No, I just gave you that to keep them in check for the moment.
They'll come back once I let you take it off."
"Okay," Ranma allowed, his voice subdued. "So does this mean I can
fight, just without using my powers?"
Washuu bit her tongue, and frowned darkly. "I'd rather you didn't,"
she answered after a moment. "If you have to, fine, but if things get
that bad I'll probably remove your limiter."
The boy nodded, and Washuu sighed, taking a moment to survey the
small room. She herself sat in one of the two chairs. Tsunami sat in the
other, hands carefully folded across her lap. Ranma stood a few steps
from Nuku, who was sitting on the bed, idly swinging her feet back and
forth while watching Washuu and Tsunami.
Ranma shrugged, tucking his sword into his sash, and shrugging his
shoulders -- a rolling motion he passed all the way to his feet, testing
his flexibility and movement. "Okay," he said, smiling softly. "Let's
get back, then. How do we get off of here?"
"Are you that eager to leave, Ranma?" Tsunami asked quietly.
"Hey, it's not.... I'm sorry, Tsunami. I know you'd like to have me
around, but you promised, and then, anyway, I should be doing what I can
to help," Ranma explained. "Even if it's just sensing where the reavers
are, it could help, right?"
"Yes," Tsunami said, bowing her head. "You are correct. I await for
your return, Ranma."
"Sure," he said, smiling. "What day is today, Washuu?"
"July twenty-fifth," she answered. "Why?"
"Just curious," he deflected. "You still haven't said how we get
down to Earth."
"Ran-oh-ki will have to carry us, I'm afraid. Ryo-oh-ki's a little
too rattled from the phase valance that got destroyed while she was...
busy helping Ryouko."
"Ryouko," Ranma said quietly. "Huh. She's here?"
"On the Throne, actually. The Galaxy Police and the second wave of
the Home fleet are preparing to use the Throne's gateway to move back
into Juraian space. Since they don't need to carry people for two weeks
or more on the journey, they're taking extra people. Already, the bulk
of Asia has been evacuated."
"So, everyone but us is safe from the reavers?"
"That's why we're volunteers," Washuu answered. "Everyone from the
Joketsuzoku village that wanted to leave has been evacuated already. But
we should be hurrying back -- I don't know if your friend Herb is going
to get along very well with the Joketsuzoku."
"Right," Ranma mumbled. "Well, if I can talk to him, things should
be okay."
"Oh, I nearly forgot, Ranma, there are some people who want to talk
to you before we leave," Washuu warned.
"Who would want to talk to me?" Ranma asked, frowning.
***
Spear at the ready, Kura-Wan led the assault against the reaver, her
spear-sisters -- and lovers -- only a half-step behind. Grasping the
spear by the haft, she thrust down as she approached, keeping as much
distance between herself and the monster as she could. The head of the
wickedly barbed spear, infused with her own ki, slammed into the
carapace, smashing through it and staggering the beast. Yellow ichor
began bubbling up from the wound, pooling on the creature's back.
Riding the spear until she was only centimeters from the expanding
pool of yellow ichor, she whooped, and pushed herself away,
somersaulting through the air and over the head of the Marine that the
lost boy had told her to work with.
She lit on the ground, turning to watch the battle. Jian-Di landed
on the ground before the reaver, both swords at the ready, and struck at
the monster repeatedly. Pei-Lin was there with her maces, fighting
defensively, and keeping the reaver's lashing claws from striking the
blue-haired woman.
Yellow-white sparks flew from the contact of the swords against the
reaver's hide, spreading long, thin slashes over it. Where Pei-Lin's
mace met with a lashing claw, there was a sudden flash of blue-green
light, deflecting the lashing claws, and forcing the creature to attempt
to crawl away, still run completely through with Kura-Wan's spear. The
other two women danced back, regarding the creature uncertainly.
Ray took that opportunity to open fire, projecting a raw shaft of
blazing green light into the side of the creature. The light seemed to
spread on contact from the creature, washing across it and spreading the
damage evenly over its side. It shrieked, as the women shielded their
eyes from the display and winced, watching bits and chunks of carapace
fly about, torn away from the force of the blast.
The stream of light eventually failed, and Ray dropped to one knee,
adjusting something on his weapon, and removing a piece of it. Kura-Wan
ignored him for the moment -- his weapon was obviously no real match for
the strength of her and her lovers anyway. Pei-Lin and Jian-Di led in
again, distracting the grievously wounded creature, and Kura-Wan hopped
to the top of it, holding one hand over her spear and concentrating.
Jerkily, barbs and jagged protrusions catching on things within the
creature, the spear began to free itself, shedding a faintly reddish
aura, and forcing the ichor off of it as it returned to her hands.
Rolling, she tumbled behind Jian-Di and Pei-Lin, cheering again. Pei-Lin
echoed her cheer, viciously slashing at the creature, and avoiding its
blood as Cologne had warned. Jian-Di, ever her calm and calculated self,
merely allowed herself a smile, breaking to the left without warning.
Mirroring the movement, Pei-Lin distracted the reaver, allowing
Kura-Wan an opening. She hefted her spear one more time, white ribbon
still undamaged from the ichor, and drove it through the creature's
eyes, causing it to shriek in greater pain before it heaved one massive
shudder, and collapsed. The cry was lost in the din of the battle, and
Kura-Wan retrieved her spear, surveying the damage.
***
Herb ignored everyone else for the moment, intent on studying these
new enemies that Ranma had deemed so dangerous. Monsters, perhaps, and
maybe even strong, but they didn't seem to be something so devastatingly
powerful that it was worth the trouble.
"Humph," he grumbled, landing before one of the beasts, and
gesturing towards it in an errant manner. "Hitou ryuu-zan-ha." Blades of
ki leapt from his fingertips, slicing completely through the creature,
leaving it to stagger backwards and lie unmoving, thick yellow blood
seeping from the wounds. "That's it?" he mused, glancing around the
battlefield.
He turned to one side in time to see another of the monstrous
creatures leaping towards him. Too late to move out of the way, his eyes
widened. How had it caught him unaware? His ki-sense was nearly
flawless, and yet, he couldn't sense them at all. He'd thought nothing
of it before, because he could see them, but perhaps that was why Ranma
feared them so?
A savage yell distracted him from his musings, a crackling blade of
writhing electricity cleaving the creature neatly in half, the two
halves separating and flying to either side of him. Sheets of crackling
electric force kept the yellow ichor in the still-twitching halves of
the monster, and a small spray of sparks rained down through the divide,
striking him ineffectually. Through the divided creature, which slammed
to the earth at either side of him, the Prince of the Musk beheld a
female warrior in a strange costume, holding a large tachi in both
hands, head bowed, and wreathed in a powerful aura of ki. The blade in
her hand hummed, writhing electricity playing across it, though she
didn't look up.
Herb found it impossible to tear his eyes from her, until she looked
up, smiling wanly at him. "Move," she whispered.
Not bothering to question why, he did as she instructed, stepping
forward to study her closely. She possessed a strangely foreign beauty,
and he found himself stricken by her appearance. "Yes," he said quietly,
stopping before the point of her sword, and staring into her eyes. "What
are you?" he asked, finding his voice, and ignoring the combat behind him.
***
Yosho landed on light feet before one of the reavers, his shield at
the ready, and swiped across an extended limb with his sword. He was
aware of one of the Marines and a number of Amazons working together to
his right, and to his left, Herb was confronting another of the
monstrosities.
The reaver before Yosho skittered away at the first touch of Yosho's
blade, apparently ready to leave. Surprised, Yosho moved to follow, his
chase interrupted as the massive Musk warrior -- Lime -- landed between
them, his hulking arms slapping together against the reaver's carapace.
Yosho gaped in shock as the boy growled, low in his throat like an angry
tiger, and hefted the reaver upwards, its limbs lashing about wildly.
"Hup!" cried his tiny counterpart, springing upwards from the
ground, a number of chains and cords spinning in his hands. Mint flew
upwards, dancing through the lashing tangle of reaver's claws, and
leaving a trail of small weighted ropes across the reaver before
bouncing up again, landing in a nearby tree.
Lime grunted, lifting the reaver above his head, its trapped limbs
still struggling, then slammed it down forcefully onto a large boulder.
The reaver shrieked, though if it were in anger or pain Yosho couldn't
tell, and Lime growled again, raising the reaver upwards, and once more
slamming it into the now-fractured rock.
Mint yelled something, and a blizzard of small knives flew from the
small boy's fingertips to imbed themselves in the reaver's hide, just as
Lime smashed the creature against the stone fragments again. While the
rock seemed to do nothing to the monster, the knives were driven into
it, turning one side of the monster into a seeping ruin of ichor. The
boy moved to raise the creature over his head another time, but Yosho
shouted out a warning, "Stop!"
The boy dropped the creature, and stepped back, wincing, and wiping
his hands on the furs at his waist. "Why?" he asked dumbly, staring at
his hands in confusion.
Yosho spared a glance -- the reaver's hides were not meant to be
grabbed, and the small spines and protrusions covering them had shredded
the thick calluses in his hands, thin streamers of the reaver's acidic
ichor making short work of the rest of them. After wiping the ichor off
onto his furs, his palms were left pink, but not bleeding. "It's not
safe to touch them," he reprimanded, driving the blade of his sword
through the confined reaver's eyes, laying it open further. "Now let's
help whoever else is still fighting!"
***
Makoto broke left the second the fighting began. Ryu was wounded,
but he was still healthy enough to be running around, and that meant the
reavers needed to be stopped first. Minako preceded her charge by a
half-step, after dropping Ryouga carefully behind the ferns. Rei broke
right, but Makoto remembered how much damage Ryouga's attack had done to
the lone reaver it had been used against last time.
The battlefield was obviously to the reaver's disadvantage, with the
defenders almost completely ringing them, and they already weakened by
Ryouga's blast. The blinding flash of one of the Marine's weapons
ignited across the ring, and Makoto drew her hands up before her,
distantly surprised to note that they were already wreathed in a faint
aura of electricity.
Clearing her mind and focusing on her target, she chanted the words
that ignited the nearly reflexive surge of magical energy from the
long-ago memories in the back of her mind. "Jupiter oak evolution!" she
cried, watching the surging flow of electricity leap off of her hands to
form the familiar golden leaves in the air about her. The leaves whirled
about her like a protective shield, larger tendrils of writhing force
snapping out as the reaver made a tentative slash towards her.
The reaver skittered backwards a half step before the attack was
released, golden projectiles streaking from about her faster than she'd
seen them move before, trailing angry red flames behind them as they
shot straight through the reaver, spattering ichor about the field. The
sudden release of magical energies left her momentarily reeling, and
Minako finished the job with a yell of, "Wink chain sword!" The slash
neatly bisected the wounded reaver, leaving the battlefield eerily
quiet, one last reaver standing in the center of all of the combatants.
Breaking the silence, the sound of Ray slamming another cartridge
into his fusion rifle echoed across the clearing. The reaver skittered
about, non-aggressive, as though looking for an escape.
"Fascinating," announced a boy with blue hair, a white forelock
dangling across his draconian golden eyes. "What do we do with the
remainder, now?"
Staggering back to the edge of the nearly solid ring of defenders,
still clutching a hand to his stomach, Ryu warned, "Kill it -- I smashed
a whole bunch of their eggs before I ran away."
The color visible drained from Yosho's face, and his eyes widened.
"We must destroy the nest," he exclaimed, advancing on the last reaver,
blazing sword of blue light at the ready.
Lowering itself to the ground, the weakened reaver seemed to pulsate
once, a dark, black aura extending from it, nearly to the ring of
defenders before snapping back suddenly. Yosho froze, glancing behind
him and through the ring of defenders apprehensively. "Oh, no," he breathed.
***
"Higurashi Ranma, meet Masaki Funaho," Washuu said by introduction,
gesturing to the woman in question.
Ranma nodded politely, taking a moment to study her neat robes and
regal demeanor. "Nice to meet you," he offered, shrugging his shoulders
uncomfortably, and glancing around the room. A small rounded table
occupied the center of the small space, and the walls were neatly ringed
in small channels carved into the wooden floors, water flowing through
them freely. Three chairs were ready at the table, and the walls were
bare wood instead of the leafy surfaces of the room he had woken up in.
"Please, have a seat," the woman offered, studying him intently.
Shrugging, he pulled a seat from the table and sprawled across it,
crossing his arms over his chest. Ran-oh-ki bounded from the floor to
perch atop his folded arms, yawning contentedly. More reserved, Washuu
took another seat, as Funaho joined them at the table. "So, what's this
all about?" he asked, frowning. "I kinda need to get back to Earth so
that I can help with the reavers."
"I'm sure that the Terran forces can survive another hour without
your help," Funaho asserted, her smile not slipping in the slightest.
"Tell me, Higurashi Ranma.... Do you know why I asked you here?"
"Nope," Ranma answered without hesitation. "Usually it's to
challenge me to a fight, or marry me off to someone." He narrowed his
eyes suddenly. "That's not it, is it?"
Funaho blinked, clearly taken off guard. "Ah, that is--"
"Funaho-san, please," Washuu grumbled. "Higurashi and I are both
very busy, we don't have time to play political games when Earth may
need our help."
"Fair enough," the woman allowed, bowing her head to Washuu and
attempting to recover her composure slightly. "I see that much has
changed in the short time since we've been here last." She turned to
study Ranma again. "Higurashi-san. I've asked to have this meeting
because of a certain political situation in the Empire. I've heard
you're not a great lover of overcomplicated speeches, so I will make my
request plain for you. Do you find this agreeable?"
He blinked, confused, and turned to look at Ran-oh-ki, wondering if
his partner could decipher the woman's meaning. The creature stared at
the woman with glassy eyes, his mind elsewhere. "Right," Ranma mumbled.
"Um, yeah, sure," he managed without much conviction.
Washuu snorted, rolling her eyes, and Funaho giggled quietly. "Ah,
yes," she said, recovering herself. "I've heard that you know my son,
Yosho, yes?"
Ranma nodded quickly. That question was easy to answer. "Yep," he
said with much more enthusiasm. "He's teaching me how to use a sword."
That Yosho had mentioned the style was secret and known only to his
family was calculated into the comment as Ranma let it slip.
Funaho's left eye twitched, as the woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
she said quietly. "That is... interesting. Well, I'll try to make a long
story short, since I know you're in a hurry, Higurashi-san. Yosho is my
son, and Tenchi is his grandson."
"Tenchi?" Ranma asked quietly. "Oh, yeah! I borrowed some clothes
from him, but they got a little ruined by a reaver.... Uh, I guess I owe
him a favor, now that I think about it. What's he need?"
Washuu smiled, watching Funaho struggle to deal with Ranma's
approach towards Juraian politicking. "Ah, well," Funaho said, clasping
her hands together. "Tenchi, as a Terran, needs support to be able to
run the empire that's been given to him. It would mean quite a bit for
his political situation if you were to... act as a bridge... for
Tsunami's support."
Ranma scratched his head, frowning. "I don't get it," he said flatly.
"It means that she wants to set you up with Tsunami for political
reasons," Washuu answered, frowning darkly. "So that she can say that
Tsunami likes you, and you support Tenchi, so Tsunami obviously supports
Tenchi, too." Her frown deepened a fraction before Funaho could reply,
and she added, "Or maybe even add my own support into the mix, too."
"Oh, right," Ranma said, frowning. "You're the greatest scientific
mind in the universe, or something. Is Tsunami a scientist, too?"
Washuu allowed her smile to return, as Funaho grimaced. "I'm not
trying to use you," the regal woman defended herself. "I'm asking for
your help. And Tsunami is no scientist -- she is the goddess of Jurai."
She turned her attention back to Ranma, and asked, "Will you help us? Or
more importantly, will you help Tenchi?"
"Uh, well, if Washuu and Tsunami say it's okay, then fine," Ranma
said dismissively. "I've got to get back to Earth, though. Hotaru and
Yosho and everyone else is still down there, after all."
"Of course, and the Throne will be leaving shortly," Funaho said,
rising to her feet. "I thank you for your time, Higurashi. Washuu, if I
could have a word with you alone?"
Washuu smirked, nodding. "This should be interesting," she whispered
to Ranma. "Certainly!" she said, raising her voice for Funaho. "Why
don't you wait outside for me for a bit, Ranma?"
***
Kintaro's notebook sat in the palm of his hand, his pencil tapping
out a small doodle of Mihoshi's face above the section he had written
down marked, 'Investigation Stuff'. Loitering across the hall from him
was the girl he had pushed out of the way that had gotten him involved
with the Galaxy Police in the first place. Sighing, he snapped his book
shut, and tucked it into the band of his belt. "Hi," he said cautiously,
smiling at the redhead. "I'm Oe Kintaro, a cadet with the Galaxy Police."
The girl brightened, her boredom vanishing in a smile, as she hopped
forward, bowing slightly to him and introducing herself, "I'm Nuku-Nuku!
I'm just trying to help Ranma-papa-san, and Washuu-mama-san."
Kintaro grinned. She sure was cute. Shaking his head, he tried to
dismiss those thoughts, and cleared his throat purposefully. "Well, it's
nice to meet you, Nuku-Nuku-san. I don't, ah, suppose that you've seen
my partner anywhere, have you?" he asked, hopefully.
"What's she look like?" the girl asked curiously.
"Hmm," Kintaro mused. "Well, she's about this tall, she's got blonde
hair, blue eyes, and she's really energetic," he said, holding his hand
out to demonstrate her height.
Nuku shook her head in negation. "Haven't seen her," she said.
"What's wrong?"
"Er.... Well, Mihoshi is supposed to be helping me -- actually, I'm
supposed to be helping her -- with an investigation.... I'm not supposed
to talk about what unless you're cleared for it, I'm afraid." He smiled
apologetically, changing the subject. "So, what do you like to do,
Nuku-Nuku-san?"
"Do?" she asked frowning.
"You know, to pass the time?"
"Oh!" Nuku cheered immediately. "Nuku-Nuku likes to play with...
um.... Nuku-Nuku likes to play with Ranma-papa-san, and to ride bicycles."
"Ah!" Kintaro enthused. "I loved my bike -- used to ride it
absolutely everywhere. So, could you do tricks? I used to be able to all
sorts of cool things with mine."
"Oh, I could make it go on one wheel, and balance it on rails, and I
could jump over traffic with it," she said. "Is that a trick?"
"It could be," Kintaro allowed, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe someday
I could race against you, just for fun."
"Oh! Nuku-Nuku would like that, Oe-san!"
Kintaro grinned, and said, "It's a deal, then." At that moment, the
door to the meeting room swept open, and the boy from the landing site
stepped out, the same furry creature still perched on his shoulder as
the last time he had seen him. "Ah, Higurashi-san," he greeted, nodding
his head.
"Hello," Ranma said quietly, one hand dropping to the hilt of his
sword for a moment. "Right," he said, relaxing. "Yesterday. You landed
the ship that dropped off the crate of weapons for us."
Nodding, Kintaro explained, "I worked at Central Defense in Tokyo,
but I slept through most of the ocean voyage. I decided to stick with
you guys in Shanghai, but, um, Mihoshi kind of drafted me. I'm supposed
to ask, um, someone named Masaki Funaho about--" He cut himself off
suddenly, laughing, and scrubbed his hand across the back of his head,
dislodging his baseball cap. "Sorry about that," he apologized, stooping
to retrieve the hat. "I'm not supposed to say unless you're cleared."
"Sure," Ranma replied, disinterested. Turning to Nuku, he asked,
"Are you ready to go back to Earth, Atsuko?"
"Yes, Ranma-papa-san!" the girl replied eagerly.
"You're going back?" Kintaro asked, surprised. Why would anyone who
could leave stay and face a fight that couldn't be won? Not even his own
father had the power to stave off the reavers.
"Yes," Ranma said levelly, turning to face Kintaro again. "Someone
has to fight. The more we fight, the more people we can save." He
frowned curiously, and asked, "Didn't you want to fight? Isn't that why
you came with us in Shanghai?"
"Yes," Kintaro admitted. "But.... That was because I thought that we
needed people to buy time. Now, with everyone who's coming, we don't
_have_ to fight."
"But we still should," Ranma countered, glowering. "Just because I
can sit this one out doesn't mean that I will. It's not about pride,
it's not even that the reavers stole everything I ever valued piece by
piece. It's about protecting what you have left. My great-great.... My
grandfather asked to me promise to do everything in my power to protect
this planet, and every last human on it. I plan to live up to that promise."
Kintaro stared, his eyes widening. Perhaps, then, he and Ranma had
something in common. "Your grandfather?" he asked cautiously. "My father
made me make a promise, too. What was his name?"
"Inu-Yasha," Ranma answered, frowning. Shrugging, he gestured to his
sword and explained, "He was half-youkai."
Scratching the back of his head, Kintaro took a moment to study
Ranma's longer-than-normal ears, and fiercely penetrating inhuman eyes.
"Oh," he said quietly. "I thought you were, um, from another planet."
Ranma shrugged again, dismissing the comment. "Don't worry about
it," he advised. "So you're working with the Galaxy Police, huh?"
Kintaro nodded quickly. "Yes, working with detective Kuramitsu Mihoshi."
Expression shifting to bored indifference, Ranma offered a nod to
Kintaro, then turned his attention to one of the large windows, showing
the Earth below. One of the boy's hands rose to press against the glass,
and his eyes unfocused, becoming distant.
Realizing that there were factors in the discussion that he couldn't
completely understand yet, Kintaro bowed his head. The girl, apparently
Ranma's daughter despite Ranma's obvious youth, stared at him worriedly,
one finger pressing against her lower lip.
Startled by the opening of the door again, Kintaro straightened up,
turning to face it as the tallish woman left. She raised an eyebrow at
Kintaro, then smiled slightly. "Good to see you again, Oe-san," she
greeted him casually. "Funaho is ready to address you and...." Her smile
faded, and she frowned, turning to glance down the opposite side of the
hall. "Where is Mihoshi?"
"I don't know," Kintaro admitted, chuckling nervously. "But, um, I
read the guidebook for how to conduct an investigation on, um, things
like this...."
Washuu's smile vanished. "Oh, dear," she said quietly. "That's not
good -- Funaho wants to speak with both of you now."
"Oh, boy," Kintaro groaned. "Um, maybe I can stall her?"
The scientist shrugged, offering a small smile to Kintaro. "Good
luck." Her smile vanishing, she turned her attention to the boy who was
still staring at the planet below. "Ranma? Before we go, I need to speak
with Tsunami -- maybe you can help Oe-san by finding Mihoshi for him?"
Ranma grunted disinterestedly, not changing his position. The small
creature on his shoulder straightened up, turning to face the boy, and
raised himself to put both paws against the side of Ranma's head before
he delivered a vicious bite to his ear. Kintaro winced in sympathy as
Ranma showed no reaction other than to twitch, until the creature leapt
from his shoulder, barreling down the corridors of the ship at full tilt.
Gritting his teeth together, Ranma grated out, "Now the rat _dies_,"
before charging after the departing creature.
Washuu masked a smile, and said, "Atsuko, can you follow Ranma and
make sure he doesn't break anything?"
"Okay!" the girl said, gleefully joining the chase.
Kintaro shook his head, walking through the door to the meeting room
with no small amount of trepidation.
***
"So here you are."
Tsunami flinched at the voice, turning an apologetic gaze towards
Washuu, and ducking her head guiltily. "I suppose I am hiding," she
admitted quietly, not able to meet the redhead's eyes.
Washuu snorted, summoning a small floating cushion from a subspace
pocket, and taking a seat near Tsunami, who had climbed onto the lowest
branch of the platform's Ouke-no-ki to think about things. "From?"
Washuu prompted, smiling softly.
"It is a difficult position that we're in," Tsunami answered,
finally meeting Washuu's eyes. "I.... I had not known that you made a
claim on Ranma."
"Whoa, hold up there!" Washuu protested, laughing softly. "No one's
laid a claim on him other than a Terran girl."
Tsunami's face fell, and she covered her mouth with her fingertips,
aghast. "Oh, oh, oh dear," she said quietly. "I... I hadn't realized,
and now, and now I'm too late? That's not very fair, is it?" she
managed, struggling to keep her voice from giving way to frustrated tears.
"Ah," Washuu chided, her smile lessening slightly, "you worry too
much. Ranma's choice is his to make, I would think, and I don't know
that he's interested in her."
The young woman brightened instantly. "Oh," she said, trying to keep
the relief from her voice. "I... I put too much hope in Ranma-dono-- in
Ranma, I think. He... he will make his own choice when he's ready.
What... what do you think his choice will be?"
"I honestly couldn't guess," Washuu admitted. "But what are you
afraid of, Tsunami? What are you really frightened will happen?"
"I'm afraid... afraid that I won't be loved," she said quietly,
closing her eyes. "Already I've lost my-- no -- not my mother. Sasami's
mother. Already I lost her. Tenchi may care for me, but at the same, he
doesn't love me, Washuu." Her eyes opened, brimming with tears and
pleading. "I think I pushed Ranma too far, Washuu. I think he won't love
me, if he doesn't already."
The scientist said nothing, merely watching Tsunami, as the
artificial breeze played through the ship, blowing air across the leaves
gently. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, carefully calculated.
"Tsunami, I don't... I don't know how to say this. I.... I really never
thought I'd be competing against you for someone's heart." She blinked,
considering her words, and offered a rueful smile. "Well, I never really
thought I had much of a chance at Tenchi, and he's still interesting,
but... that's merely an infatuation, I suppose, compared to...." She bit
her tongue, quirking her lips in a wider smile. "Well, now. Regardless,
Tsunami, I like you very much. You're a good friend, and even when you
were Sasami and Tsunami, not just Tsunami, I liked you. I don't want to
see you hurt."
Tsunami cocked her head to one side, curious. "What are you saying,
Washuu-chan?"
Washuu laughed at the honorific, and shook her head, sighing. "Ah,
Tsunami-chan, if you haven't figured it out.... If Ranma cares for
either of us -- and if he knows what's good for him, he'd better -- then
he probably cares just as much. He is giving us the same amount of
deference, after all," she noted.
The young woman winced. "Ah," she said quietly. "I suppose that it's
very hard for him to choose, then."
"You think that's bad?" Washuu asked, rolling her eyes. "Before he
sent them away, Ranma apparently had three fiancees. Actually, Cologne
said that one of them was a wife, and that there was another suitor, but
she also said that Ranma didn't consider himself to be married to her,
and that... that I'm rambling." Tsunami's frown vanished, and she
offered Washuu a weak smile at the humor of the situation. "Sorry. Now,
Tsunami-chan, what I'm suggesting is that we make the choice a little
easier for Ranma, once it comes down to it."
"What would you suggest?" Tsunami asked, her worried frown returning
again.
"Well now, Washuu said, looking away, a certain mischievous glint in
her eyes. "You're Juraian, so you would presumably follow Jurian
marriage customs, wouldn't you?"
"Er... if I were to marry," Tsunami hazarded. "I don't know that
Ranma will want me though."
"Hmm," Washuu said, unable to keep herself from grinning at some
as-of-yet unshared secret. "Well, doesn't Juraian custom allow men to
take two or more wives?"
"Er...." Tsunami paused, and offered Washuu a wistful smile. "It
does, Washuu-chan, but that law was created by Tatsuki. Some of Jurai's
sons were a bit, um, lecherous, and Tatsuki thought that the lords of
Jurai should be allowed more wives so that they could ensure prosperous
families. Unfortunately, that law only applies to Juraian nobles." She
bit her lip, considering that. "I don't know if I would be able to grant
him that -- my influence in the political arena is not very strong, and
I detest politics anyway."
"It's something to work with," Washuu countered. "I, ah, spoke with
Funaho not long ago."
"And?" Tsunami prompted, curious.
"Did you know that the Amatera live here, Tsunami-chan? On Earth?"
The subject change caused Tsunami to frown unhappily. "I've known
for quite some time," she allowed.
"Of course," Washuu mumbled. "Many of the Amatera have taken
different names now, but they still bear the title. It would probably
only take a slight amount of effort to prove that Ranma was Amatera,
too." She sighed ruefully. "I'm sure there are a lot of strings that can
be pulled, if you're willing. But you understand what I'm offering,
don't you?"
"Not really," the young woman admitted. "I don't see how the fact
that Ranma.... Oh." She blinked, shaking her head, and shivered once
before looking up to meet Washuu's eyes. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her face
taking a faint blush as the complete implications began to sink in.
"You... and... you and I.... You and I, and Ranma?" she asked, pressing
her hands over her mouth as she realized what she'd suggested.
Washuu offered her an amused smirk, and nodded. "Of course," she
said amiably. "I think we've seen enough of Ayeka and Ryouko to know
that there's no reason to fight over him." She coughed delicately, and
looked away. "And I think... I think I love him enough that I'm willing
to share him with you."
"I, ah, that is, I, um, oh, yes, easily," the young goddess babbled,
before breaking off in a nervous giggle. "I would be, of course, yes,
Washuu-chan. Completely willing," she affirmed, nodding.
Washuu smirked knowingly, and nodded, turning her head away. "I
thought you might be," she said quietly. "Though I'm surprised at how
quickly you've gotten over Tenchi, Tsunami-chan."
Tsunami sobered at that, and bowed her head. "Tenchi-san's
affections lay elsewhere, Washuu-chan. I.... That is, the self that was
Tsunami before did love him, but the self that was merely Sasami loved
him in a different manner. Ranma...." She bit her lip, looking away.
"Well, he saved me, and a spark began there that became something
entirely different once I became what I am."
"I won't push you," Washuu assured. "Aside from which, now I get two
of the most interesting specimens in the universe to study and do tests
on!" Surprised, Tsunami could only stare at the scientist. Washuu's eyes
were fixed on some faraway point, hands clasped together in adoration.
"I can study the Wings of the Light Hawk from you, and 'ki' from Ranma!"
"Um, Washuu-chan?" Tsunami queried nervously. "For Ranma, I'll....
What kinds of tests?"
Giggling, Washuu shook her head, hopping from her cushion to land on
the ring surrounding the platform's tree. "I was mostly kidding," she
assured Tsunami, unable to keep from grinning. Her smile faded, as she
became serious once more. "So much has changed. Let's hope we can end
things quickly."
Tsunami nodded her agreement, too agitated to speak at the moment.
"He's probably found Mihoshi by now, and wants to go back to Earth,"
Washuu continued, shaking her head. "Take care, Tsunami-chan. We will
have quite a lot to discuss once we explain our agreement to Ranma,
won't we?"
"Yes," she managed, slipping from her branch to land a few steps
away from Washuu. "I hope he is accepting. I do not know what I would do
if...." She bit her lip, looking away and leaving the rest unsaid.
"Thank you, Washuu-chan."
"For you," Washuu said solemnly. "And him. I don't know if I could
do it for anyone else."
***
The mechanism of the reaver's new ability was beyond Yosho, but the
effects of it were plainly visible. The one reaver remaining had managed
-- somehow -- to summon allies to it, making them slide towards it as
they phased through everything else.
The newly arrived reavers, undamaged by Ryouga's attack, as the
first six had been, landed with ground-shaking thuds, slamming into the
ground in a ring larger than that of the defenders. "Shit," Yosho swore,
counting. Fourteen more reavers -- an even twenty, counting the five
slain, and the one wounded. "Don't just stand there!" he ordered,
rushing the lone reaver again. "Fight!"
The reaver staggered away from him before his sword pierced the
already softened carapace, laying it open easily and deflecting the few
reflexive slashes from the creature with his shield. The staggered
creature sustained a long, gashing cut from a chain of woven light,
licking at it's hide like a lazy tongue of flame, and cutting through
the softened carapace. A bevy of miniscule projectiles from two spots in
the tree penetrated the carapace, before one of the massive warriors
travelling with Herb charged the creature and slammed a foot into it,
clearing the center of the ring, and leaving the desiccated husk to fly
into the outer ring.
Yosho was dimly aware of further conflicts at the periphery of his
senses, but fell backwards -- where they had flung the reaver away to
protect themselves, three more leapt into the fray, claws battering at
what resistance his shield could provide, and slamming him into the
forest floor. Rolling away as one claw penetrated his shield, and
slashed harmlessly in the dirt, he yelped, "Help!"
His cry was answered by Lime, having recovered an odd spear before
the second wave of attackers set in. The boy hefted the spear over his
head, and hopped easily into the center of the trio, whipping his weapon
about him. So fast were the motions, that for a moment it seemed that
his tiger-skin mantle became a solid sphere of reddish-yellow, striped
with black. But the motions ceased, and Lime grinned toothily, the
resultant force from the attack flinging the reavers back across the
line. "Big brother!" he yelled, not looking at Yosho. "We'll keep the
middle clear!"
A shorter boy, of a similar build to Lime himself, strode to his
side, hefting a matching tiger-spear. The blades of the spear were
curved oddly, like a pitchfork missing its central tine, but if they
allowed the Musk to repel the reavers, Yosho wouldn't complain. He
rolled to his feet, and joined the rough ring of defenders.
***
"I'm... a soldier," she said slowly, before Yosho's warning broke
the moment. Herb glanced back at the man, scowling, then turned his
attention to the outside of the circle. His warriors knew battle, and
should be able to manage themselves.
He stood at her shoulder as her eyes became distant, and she leveled
her sword at one of the awaiting reavers. "I must know more," Herb
murmured. "There is something to it."
She nodded, waiting a move to be made. The reavers moved first,
charging the defenders, and Herb waited, watching the girl fight. Her
body shifted sword forms easily, the crackling yellow electricity from
the blade tracing glowing arcs in the air behind her slashes. The reaver
that she had charged wheeled backwards, suddenly leery of her attack, as
the blade bit into the carapace, laying it open to spill forth its
acidic ichor.
Herb grinned his approval, and slid behind the girl, a blade of ki
readied as another reaver moved to attack her from behind. He calculated
in the back of his mind how much time he had left before the slowly
sprinkling water droplets would activate his curse. "This should be
fun," he said, summoning a ball of ki into his other hand. The reaver
did not halt its charge in the slightest, instead rushing him, two claws
raised to stab him.
Herb knew he couldn't afford to retreat -- the girl was fighting at
his back, and putting her in the way of too much harm before he could
have his questions answered did not suit him. Instead, he released the
ball of ki at the reaver, his skill allowing the sphere of reddish ki to
weave around its claws, and slam into the area beneath its maw.
The blow forced the reaver to rear up, and Herb wasted no time,
charging into the gap before his enemy could recover his defenses. The
blade of ki slid almost effortlessly through the creature's carapace,
and Herb plunged the blade in with grim efficiency. Too late, he
realized that the advantage was for the reaver, as his attack put him in
easy reach of the angrily lashing limbs.
A double-arm bar blocked a slash towards his face, knocking him
towards another pair of claws, and denting his bracers. He cursed to
himself, as his perception seemed to slow down, knowing that he'd put
himself in danger, but unsure of how to extricate himself from the
situation. A signal flared at the edge of his perceptions, and a length
of iron chain shot down from above him, laden with ki enough to catch
his attention even in the moment of worry.
The chain slammed through the forest floor, digging deeper into the
dirt, while the other end whipped sharply downward, away from Herb. The
prince of the Musk watched with stunned amazement as one of the same
people he'd tried to kill with Ranma stared at him, straining, but
somehow keeping the two limbs in check. Not for long, Herb realized,
scrambling away with none of the dignity his situation deserved. The
chain shattered as Herb scuttled away, shattered fragments of the broken
links whipping about, seeming to almost underscore the carnage of the
battle.
The reaver surged forward again, now righted from Herb's initial
blow, and this time Herb leapt upwards, not wishing to hazard the
frenzied blur of claws beneath. Mousse seemed to approve, and threw the
broken fragment of chain at the monster like a bola before vanishing
into the milling battle. Descending while the creature thrashed with the
entangling chains, Herb clapped both hands together before him,
summoning a blade of ki much longer than what generally used. The ki
burnt at the air, sliding effortlessly through the reaver's carapace,
and allowing Herb to slide on his heels off of the reaver's hide, his
blade laying the reaver open.
Struggling limbs fell motionless, and the red light gleaming in its
hard, orb-like eyes dimmed, as Herb reached the ground. He nodded in
approval at his slain foe before he spun on his heel, turning to regard
Rei, and her struggle.
***
Her movements were fluid, though she remembered wielding a different
weapon, and in a different battle. The gritty surface of Mars's soil
ground beneath her booted-feet as she lumbered forward, a phalanx of the
Guard flanking her.
The rebels stood their ground, refusing to give to the edict that
had been given from Serenity, but she would never think of
countermanding the orders she were given. All had to obey, and those who
would not obey would be silenced.
But those thoughts vanished as she drew near the rebels, armed with
what weapons they could arm themselves with. Blades of the shattered
ceramic of the homes that had been firebombed, spears of the supports of
those same structures, and armor that was the same patchwork and
polished ceramic that their weapons were crafted from. Her own weapon
was drawn, the blade already ablaze and hungry for battle. Their armor
-- resistant to the Guard's lasers due to the highly polished shine --
would resist most impacts, and was strong enough that even powerful
warriors had trouble breaking it.
But, as she had taught them, that resistance did not protect the men
and women inside from an impact that slammed them into a stone wall. No
time for that, though. Her body twisted to one side, a salvo of iron
spears lancing through the space she had occupied a moment prior, and
then spinning with the motion, her sword sent a wash of fire across the
enemy. Their armor insulated them well, but the fire blinded them until
the Guard were upon them.
Grinning, she charged into the fray, the hot metal of her blade
forcing ceramic armor to char and shatter, cleaving easily through it
and reducing the defender to ash instantly.
The memory fragment vanished, taking the reason for the battle with
it, but leaving the ability to battle behind. Rei blinked, her sword --
no, Makoto's sword. Makoto's sword was eerily alive in her hands.
Makoto dashed to one side, and Rei was aware that the strange man
with the glowing eyes was fighting at her back. Well, he had seemed
capable enough -- she could trust him to hold his own while she and
Makoto dealt with their current target.
The reaver danced around, trying to keep Makoto from getting on one
side of it, though both of the girls remained a cautious distance away.
It hissed quietly, a thin stream of ichor issuing from its maw, and then
dwindling to a trickle as it began to keen loudly, the call echoed by
its companions. Rei and Makoto exchanged a nod and Rei dashed to her
right, away from Makoto. The reaver made a choice, and spun towards
Makoto, deciding that Rei was merely a distraction.
Rei grinned slowly, raising the sword over her head like a lightning
rod, and stepping back. Her hands began to tingle as Makoto's words
reached her, "Supreme thunder dragon!" The surge of electrical magic was
not Makoto's strongest attack, but it flared out, pushing the reaver
back, and making the entire mass of its body writhe with power, which
then pulsed out of its body, arcing towards the sword Rei carried.
Sheathed in an envelope of power nearly a meter long, and twice that in
length, the sword tugged at Rei's grip, and she released, it, allowing
it to jerk from her fingertips and blur into a spinning disk.
The magical-sword-turned-electrical-plane-of-force sheared directly
through the reaver, laying open a massive cut as the blade entered
Makoto's grip. Rei sprinted around the reaver, wary of its death throes,
and took the blade back. "That worked," she said happily, scanning the
battlefield.
Another of the behemoth monsters surged towards them, and Rei raised
the sword defensively in response. Her action was unneeded, as a blazing
orb of reddish-black force slammed into the creature, sending it
crashing to the ground on one side. Rei glanced over, unable to avoid
the smile that rose to her lips at seeing Herb standing there, smugly
striding away from a slain reaver. The boy moved to her side, hopping
across the distance, then gestured to the toppled reaver as it righted
itself. "Shall we?" he asked, sounding bemused.
"Yes," Rei said, her attention snapping back to the battle.
***
As the surge of warriors marking the defensive perimeter flowed past
her, Minako was separated from Makoto and Rei, finding herself with the
wounded Ryu and Yosho. The old man checked over the boy's wounds
quickly, finally nodding unhappily, and allowing Ryu to rise. Ryu jerked
a nod at Minako before turning to face a reaver. A pair of Musk warriors
were slashing at it ineffectually with their clubs, though their attacks
kept the reaver too busy to counterattack them.
"The battle seems to be in control, mostly in our favor," Yosho
hazarded. "We need to seize the advantage while we can."
"Fat lot of fucking good that'll do," Ryu growled, clearly rattled.
"If they got any more nests, we're screwed."
Yosho's eyes dimmed, and he became very solemn. "Then we have to
fight as hard, and for as long as we can, because the longer we fight,
the more people have a chance to live."
Ryu shuddered, then nodded, turning towards the reaver. "Let's do
this," he mumbled. Yosho nodded to Minako before the blazing sword of
blue light sprang into his hands, and he rushed at the reaver, Ryu just
behind him. Calling her chain to her, Minako flung it between the two
massive warriors, the end uncurling and leaving a flurry of links to
scream along like the blade of a circular saw. She'd seen one a few
times, in her father's garage in England, and the adaptation of her
attack to fit it worked well. The golden links bit into the reaver's
carapace, not as quickly as she had hoped, but with grim inevitability.
A claw struck the chain, and it snapped back towards her, winking
into nothingness before any damage could be done. Ryu, his hand dropping
to a lasso at his waist, slipped to the side of one of the warriors,
targeting the legs of the reaver that remained planted firmly on the
ground. He snapped the lasso towards the four limbs, crying out, "Kinshi
kinbakushou!" The rope, which should have torn and been far too weak to
restrain the reaver, pulled its limbs together, sending it crashing to
the ground, and allowing the large pair of warriors to smash their clubs
against its eyes.
Yosho alit on the back of the monster, and drove his sword into its
back, while it was defenseless. Nodding to herself, Minako shook herself
from her stupor -- the reaver wasn't prepared for as many capable
defenders as it was facing. Her chain came to her fingers when summoned,
the heart-shaped links flying out and tangling the reavers remaining
four limbs before she pulled it tight. "We got it!" she cheered,
encouraging the others.
The warriors nodded, realizing that their own weapons did little
more than crack its eyes and anger it, while Yosho laboriously
lengthened the wound in the unresisting creature. It was then, bursting
from the crowd and trailing the chain that another defender had thrown
at its own legs, that another reaver leapt near it, lashing claws
knocking Yosho out of sight, and away from its pinned comrade. Minako
gawked, the newly-arrived reaver raising one claw and then slamming it
down with enough force to nearly cleave one of the two men in twain.
Another slash severed the rope that Ryu had thrown, leaving the injured
boy to tumble away, and then Minako's own chain dissolved, under their
combined attack.
She faltered, stepping backwards and alarmed, until she backed into
someone. Spinning, her eyes caught upon one of the Marines -- Eric, his
name was. He nodded at her, unlimbering a weapon similar to the plasma
rifles the other marines bore, and leveling it at the pair of reavers.
"You might want to step back," he advised in his clumsy Japanese.
"When did you get here?" Minako asked, confused.
"Norris thought backup might be good, so me, and Dew, and Mousse
followed Ray's trail," he answered, pulling the trigger. A beam of
solid, nearly arctic white light leapt from the muzzle of the rifle,
only seeming to gently touch against the reavers. Whirring panels on the
side of the rifle popped open, raw heat being shunted out from within,
as frost began to form on the reavers. The frost spread, until Eric
lowered the weapon, frowning at it. "It's got a charge, but is that
enough?" he asked warily.
The uninjured Musk warrior, who slammed his club against the reaver
that had slain his companion with savage glee, answered that question.
Groaning in complaint, the carapace shuddered, then split abruptly,
exploding violently away. The warrior ducked back, his hand fumbling for
the warrior that had been with him, jerking the fallen one away as the
fragments of shattered reaver hide rained down, sparkling with bits of
ice and frozen matter.
But there, in the center, smaller, now that the protective armor it
had generated was blasted away, was the reaver, apparently undamaged. It
seemed to shrug, then stepped through the frozen remains of its armor,
its companion a step behind as it advanced on Eric angrily.
"This ain't good," Eric observed, dropping to one knee, and aimed at
the reaver that was still injured from Yosho's attack. Minako scowled
and raised her chains defensively.
"I won't give up," she declared, her chains whirling in her hands.
"Be careful," Eric cautioned, before he fell silent, pulling the
trigger on his rifle. The pale blue beam shot out, again, slowing the
reaver, but fading out before it was halted. Minako threw her chain out
in a sideways throw, the whirring links pushing the reavers away and
giving the Marine time to change weapons. Not much time, though.
Her worries were interrupted as Mousse emerged from the press of
warriors to one side of their own battle, flaring his arms and diving
towards one of the reavers, dozens of chains and ropes trailing from his
voluminous sleeves. The reaver nearest to him spun, raising its claws,
and Mousse seemed to... flicker... once, before the first claw speared
directly through him, emerging from the back of his robe.
Propelled by the boy's own speed, the mass of chains and ropes began
whipping towards the monster, even as a second claw shot through,
emerging next to the first, and the two swung apart, causing a mass of
chain and rope to violently launch away from the point. The swarm of
chains wrapped about the reaver, leaving it nearly mummified in their mass.
Minako sputtered at the sight, unable to believe that the boy she'd
slowly come to like -- though she'd never put it into words for him --
had perished, and to save her and Eric, too. "No!" she screamed, not
accepting it, and giving herself over to the slowly consuming fury she
felt building deep within herself. No names and no words were needed,
the golden heart-shaped chains simply leapt from her fingertips,
writhing like angry serpents and smashing through the hide of the
captive reaver. The reaver was unable to do more than tremble as the
writhing chains all burst outward, tearing the reaver apart in the same
manner that Mousse had been killed.
But the golden chains weren't done yet, and neither was Minako's
anger. Moving onward, as the reaver attempted in vain to scramble away,
the chains wrapped themselves about it, rearing upwards and slamming the
points of the heart-shaped links into the reaver's carapace. Faring
little better than its companion, and having lost half of its armor to
Eric's attack, it struggled vainly, unable to overcome the furious
girl's temper. With savage force, the chains tore it apart, and only
then did Minako allow them to vanish, falling to her knees and staring
at her hands in wonder.
Her fingers were bleeding. The tips were rough and abraded. She had
known that using her powers caused her fingers to tingle -- that was
nothing new -- but never had she pushed so much and so hard that she'd
wounded herself. And yet....
"Hey," someone said worriedly. "Are you okay?"
She glanced up, vision obscured by tears, and stared into the
concerned eyes of Mousse, through the thick lenses of his glasses. Eyes
widening, she asked, "Are you real?"
"Yeah," the boy said, nodding. "Just lost my robe. Learned that
trick from... uh... it's not important," he said, frowning.
"Oh," Minako said, relieved, carefully putting her hands on the
boy's shoulder. "I thought you were dead. But there's something I need
to tell you," she pressed, remembering, and afraid that another chance
might not happen. "You're not wearing a shirt. I like that."
Mousse stared at her, frowning in confusion. Was that what she had
wanted to say? It would have to do -- she couldn't resist the inexorable
pull into the well of darkness that called to her, as she passed out
from exhaustion.
***
Years of trained reflexes coming to the fore, Ray dropped to one
knee, not even glancing as his superior officer fell into position next
to him, rifle at the ready. "We will distract," Jian-Di announced
primly, her swords held before her menacingly. Pei-Lin and Kura-Wan
nodded their agreement, the three circling to the left of the nearest
reaver, and allowing the men a clear shot.
Making sure to aim well away from the women, Ray opened fire. The
blinding stream of green-white fire issued from his weapon, bathing the
reaver in its lethal glow, and buying the women time to strike at it.
For some reason, its hide was much more resistant to their attacks than
the last, but Ray quickly attributed that to Ryouga's initial attack.
At his side, Jim Dew pulled the trigger of one of the other weapons
that they had been handed -- kinetic displacement beams. The blue-white
fire lanced through Ray's beam. Ray wasn't certain what caused it, but
when both beams were focused on the same point, they greedily ate
through the reavers carapace, leaving it to melt and slide off.
The Amazons whooped as the reaver began scuttling away from their
combined forces.
***
Makoto raised her arms over her head, electricity writhing across
her fingertips as Rei and Herb broke apart, one to each side of the
reaver. The reaver charged her, and she repelled it, scrambling
backwards with a cried, "Jupiter oak evolution!"
The leaves tore across the reaver's hide, as the strangely beautiful
man and Rei hacked at the practically defenseless creature. How quickly
the tides of battle had turned, she thought, blinking in surprise as the
man severed one of the reaver's limbs, and danced backward out of its range.
Apparently realizing that they were failing the reavers chose that
moment to vanish, sinking through the earth and disappearing.
Makoto blinked, looking around. Six reavers killed initially, the
eggs that Ryu had destroyed, one from she and Rei working together,
another from the mysterious pretty-boy -- who, when she looked closer
was actually a girl -- two to Minako, and two more to the newly arrived
warriors. "How did we do?" she asked, needing some form of confirmation.
"Well," Yosho said, staggering towards the loosely assembled
defenders, he and Ryu leaning on one another, "I count twelve." He shook
his head, grimacing. "Ryouga's unable to fight at the moment, Aino-san
is no better, and five of the Musk were slain. No one else was lost?" he
asked, looking around, unsure.
"Only five of my warriors will not heal," the strangely beautiful
girl assessed, grimacing. "Ranma was wise indeed to ask for my aid in
battling them. I did not expect the enemy to be as powerful as they
are." He paused, considering something, then shook his head. "It is of
no import. How many more are there? I do not relish the thought of my
men dying unnecessarily."
Yosho chose his words with great care, finally answering, "There
were three hundred, Herb, and through the efforts of the defenders, that
number had been reduced to less than two hundred and fifty... but now
that we know they can breed, then things might change. It is not a
matter of winning, if they get a foothold. It is merely a matter of
stalling until all the innocents that we can save are taken somewhere safe."
"Back to the stars," Herb responded cryptically. "This is...
disconcerting. I must speak with the Joketsuzoku about this."
"Right," Yosho mumbled, stowing his weapons. "We should--"
"Run!" Rei shouted, jerking upright suddenly. "We need to run, and
quickly!"
Everyone froze, turning to look at the panicked girl in complete
confusion. "What you talking about?" Jian-Di asked, frowning.
"The reavers -- they can pull themselves through things, and they're--"
Her words were cut off, as a black mass, moving so swiftly that it
was only glanced for a moment shot upwards, a stray limb or claw
shearing one of the Musk in half before it vanished. The other Musk
warriors turned to the Amazons, who wasted no time, quickly fleeing in
the direction of the village. No sooner than they had moved, another
pair of reavers burst upwards, rocketing into the sky and vanishing from
sight.
The retreating warriors stumbled to a halt, as another twenty
reavers hissed and clacked their claws together, a solid black wall of
slashing force. Makoto swallowed nervously, turning to Ryu worriedly.
"What now?" she asked, afraid, as more of the reavers flew from the
earth, streaking upwards.
***
"Okay, so that's that?" Tenchi asked, rubbing at his temples.
Ayeka nodded confirmation, offering, "Funaho has returned from her
inquiries, and Jakugo-san was rescued from the planet. The Home Fleet
has him now."
"Right. Let's get these people to Jurai, then." He frowned, a
thought occurring to him. "Where will they go from there?"
"Ginraii will carry them to Terra-two," Karau offered. "My brother
will oversee the operation personally. More Ginraii ships should be
arriving within the next few days. I believe that more Galaxy Police
will, as well, but am not certain."
"It'll have to be good enough," Tenchi mumbled. "I'm ready to open
the Gate, but Tsunami said that I could only do this one more time. Is
everyone ready?"
Ayeka nodded, glancing across the Court. "Yes, Tenchi-sama," she
answered.
"Offer the Galaxy Police transit with us, so they can unload their
passengers faster," Ryouko suggested.
"Done," Ayeka countered, smiling. "They accepted the offer,
Tenchi-sama. I thought you would want them asked."
Tenchi nodded again, closing his eyes, and gripping the Tenchi-ken
tightly. With slightly more practiced ease than his first few attempts,
the Gateway opened, allowing the Throne to cross over, and then, the
Galaxy Police, and finally, the Home Fleet, before he allowed the portal
to close, and sighed, exhausted.
"I have the strangest feeling that I'm not going to see that planet
again for a long time," he said, frowning unhappily.
No one was able to find it within themselves to respond to that comment.
***
Unused to his partner getting his attention in such a manner, Ranma
rubbed at his ear, one hand on Mihoshi's shoulder as he guided her back
to the room where she was supposed to be speaking with Funaho. Nuku
trailed him, humming something under her breath, and carrying Ran-oh-ki
in her hands.
Ranma stopped before the door to the meeting room, glancing inside.
Kintaro sat in one of the seats, looking nervous and uncomfortably, and
there was no sign of Funaho. "Uh, too late?" Ranma surmised.
"Yeah," Kintaro said, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "Man, this job
is harder than it looks."
"Oh, where did Funaho go?" Mihoshi asked, frowning.
"Back to her ship -- she said she was out of time and gave me a list
of stuff to tell you," he mumbled, pulling himself out of the chair and
shaking his head. "We should probably get to work."
"Oh?" Mihoshi asked, frowning. "Okay, I guess. What do we have to do
first?"
"Ask Kohito a few questions, if possible," Kintaro said, glancing
over his notebook. "Um, we also need to talk to Maintainer Shiname while
we're here."
Ranma sighed, indifferent to whatever they were talking about. It
didn't concern him, anyway. "Have you seen Washuu?" he asked.
"Right here!" the scientist answered, smirking as she rounded a
corner, and stepped into the hallway. "Been waiting long?"
"Kinda," Ranma grumped. "I'd like to get back to Earth soon."
"Okay," Washuu said agreeably. "Let's walk to one of the observation
decks that Ran-oh-ki can fit on.
Ranma nodded, then froze suddenly, turning to crane his neck at the
transparent ceiling of the station. "Oh, crap," he said quietly.
"Ranma?" Washuu asked, her smile disappearing. "What's wrong?"
"You've got to take my limiter off," Ranma insisted, thrusting the
bracelet towards Washuu insistently. "There are reavers coming here!"
"Ranma?" Washuu asked, taking a half step backwards. "What are you
talking about? The reavers can't possibly get here unless--"
Her statement was interrupted by a thunderous impact that echoed
through the space station, sending Mihoshi to crash into Oe, and Washuu
into Ranma. He growled, staring down the corridor. "There are more," he
hissed, one hand supporting Washuu, and the other rising to tap the gem
at his ear.
A squeal of static sounded, and then, "... evac! Repeat, we are
under attack by the reavers and badly outnumbered! More enemy
reinforcements are arriving every minute!"
Seizing control of the situation, even though Ranma knew from
experience that other people couldn't hear his gem, Mihoshi reclaimed
her feet, ordering, "All GP cruisers respond to that signal and evacuate
the site! Fire the big guns at the reavers!" She dropped her wrist,
apparently deactivating her transmitter, and turned to Kintaro. "You
need to find Shiname, I'll get Kohito and meet you back at the ship!"
Echoing a response from someone, though Mihoshi ignored it, a voice
complained, "We don't have any weapons! We dropped them for increased
cargo capacity!"
Ranma threw out one hand, his reflexes still sharp enough to counter
the loss of his ability to levitate. "Washuu," he insisted, as the
station shook again. "The limiter!"
"What are you going to do?" Washuu insisted angrily. "Hurt yourself
again?"
"No!" Ranma countered, growling, one hand falling to his sword as he
glanced down the hall. "Tsunami's still here -- I want Ran-oh-ki to take
you and Atsuko to safety."
"Ranma-papa-san?" Nuku asked worriedly. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to protect Washuu, and help Ran-oh-ki fight the reavers,
if you can, Atsuko," Ranma answered, turning to nod at the girl.
"Nuku-Nuku will protect Washuu-mama-san," Nuku vowed, stepping close
to Washuu.
Kintaro shook his head, warning, "You two are going to need to
evacuate--"
"We've got it under control," Washuu answered unhappily, her hands
rising to pull the bracelet from Ranma's wrist. She said nothing else,
simply staring at her feet.
"Aren't you going to tell me to be careful?" Ranma asked worriedly.
"You're going to save Tsunami," Washuu returned, raising her eyes to
meet his. "Don't be late." She smiled at him, and he blinked in
surprise. "Come on, Atsuko, we need to get outside of the station and
aboard Ran-oh-ki quickly."
Kintaro spared them one last glance, then broke away, running down
the corridor, as another trio of explosions shook the station. Ranma
rose a slight distance from the floor, and was instantly elsewhere.
He could feel Tsunami, though he wasn't certain how, and knew she
was close -- but the sight that greeted him after he teleported left him
at a loss for words.
Before the platform's tree, arms spread, and face defiant, Tsunami
stared down a reaver. The reaver, for reasons that Ranma couldn't
fathom... was afraid. It backed away, unsure, then wailed, and began
advancing, its limbs trembling with something that could only be
absolute terror.
It was enough for him, and he dismissed the oddity of the situation,
teleporting again to stand before Tsunami, drawing his blade. The
reaver, previously balked, now cowered, its legs lowering its body to
nearly the deck, and yet it still continued to inch forward. "Don't
worry," Ranma assured the girl. "I'll take care of this."
"Ranma?" Tsunami asked, worry and surprise evident in her voice.
"None other," Ranma allowed, extending his left hand towards the
reaver, and preparing to stun the already nearly incapacitated creature.
He reached out, drawing in whatever energy he could, and concentrated on
gathering as much force to him as he could. "Mouko takabisha!" he
shouted, staggering himself with the sudden concentration of power that
flooded through him, sweeping into his body from the tree, and even the
ring of water around it. The ball of force burned with a blazing
intensity and brightness, streaking from his black-gloved fingertips to
smash into the cowed reaver, and crush its carapace, splattering it
across the deck, and sending ichor flying across the wooden panels
surrounding the tree's ring of water.
He blinked, stunned at the display. "Whoa," he managed, awed. "That
was unexpected." He turned to face Tsunami, the shock draining from his
expression. "It's not safe here," he said, frowning. "I need to take you
out of here."
The girl nodded her understanding, her brave defiance melting into a
mask of worry and fear. "What happens now, Ranma?" she asked, her voice
quavering.
Ranma sheathed his sword, moving forward by the step separating
them. "I'll protect you," he swore. "Just like I'm trying to protect
Washuu." Before the girl could respond, he wrapped his arms about her
gently, and lifted from the deck, bearing her light form aloft easily.
His questing mind found Ran-oh-ki without effort, and he teleported
again, placing Tsunami in one of the seats -- near Washuu. Nuku was
seated in her customary place, the clamps on her ear-sensors locked into
place.
Washuu sighed in relief at seeing him, and said, "We're going to try
and clear a corridor, Ranma. Brace yourself." He nodded, trying not to
notice Tsunami's wide eyes and blushing face as she stared at him.
[End, Process of Elimination Chapter Thirteen, Part One]