Putting on Heirs

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura belong
to Rumiko Takahashi. They are used without permission.

Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at
all.

 ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton ~

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Part IV: Ranma, the hunted.
http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/damiensfiction/Crossovers/crossov
er.htm
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It was a darkened hall filled with the loud murmuring of a crowd
of anxious followers waiting patiently. Finally the huge doors to
the room opened and she walked into the great hall. The murmuring
ceased and all eyes watched her as she entered the room.

A soft spotlight split the darkness and illuminated her, basking
her form in a warm glow. She was a tall woman, close to six feet
in height. Her head was shorn save for a long golden braid on the
crown of her head that reached down across her square shoulders,
past her hourglass waist and thighs and brushed against her
shapely calves as she walked. She wore no make up, as she had no
need. Her lips were a natural strawberry red, her cheeks blessed
with an innate blush, framed perfectly by the golden hue of her
skin. To put it simply she was stunningly beautiful.

And was it mentioned she was nekkid.

Well, not exactly naked. She bore about her shoulders a sheer
white shawl clasped in front by a platinum thread just above her
supple breasts, but it concealed nothing and was little more than
window dressing. Reaching the center of the hall, she ascended
the small summit of steps to a chair like throne. She sat down
with a grace that left her audience in awe.

Out of the black, a servant, who was entirely naked, stepped
forward and bowed lowed to her, extending a goblet of a sweet red
colored alcohol. She accepted it with a kiss to the servant's
hand that caused a shiver to run through the young man. She
wetted her lips with the drink, a small rivulet of red running
down her cheek and neck and disappearing in the valley of her
breast. She placed the goblet down and spoke.

"Am I the prettiest?"

"Sure 'nuff!" Her followers shouted enthusiastically.

"Am I the sexiest?"

"Sure 'nuff!" They howled.

"Am I the baddest mo' fo' lo' do~own around this crown?"

"SURE 'NUFF!" They screamed.

The queen nodded, confidently. "And am I the most salacious,
licentious, lascivious, libidinous creature alive?" She already
knew the answer to all these questions but she never tired of
hearing the response. She waited for their thunderous reply.

And waited...

...And waited.

She began to tap impatiently on the chair's armrest. 'Well? The
answer is easy enough! Why don't they answer!'

There was disconcerted whispering in the crowd as everyone
present debated amongst themselves how best to answer.

"Well! Am I the most lecherous or not!" She said and imperiously
stood, tired of the delay.

All became quiet, until a small voice way way way in the back
called out timidly, "Uh... No."

"WHAT!!!"

A second spotlight was activated directly over the young woman,
who spoke (she was naked too, by the way). "According to a recent
check on the Galaxy Computer mainframe... an Earthling now holds
that particular title; because of the rules of the Communion, we
feared telling you..."

The Queen shook with rage... and fear.

"I... I... invoke the Sacred Challenge! Prepare the ship! We're
going to this Earth!"

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Ryoko Mendou stood and clapped loudly as the third teacher of the
day broke down in a fit of tears and ran out of the classroom.
Finally, someone had come to end the monotonous boredom of the
past six months.

This Aya person was just as entertaining as Master Moroboshi,
although not quite to the level of her Tomibaro, but beggars
can't be choosers. "Well, Ms. Tendou, what do you have planned
next?"

Aya dropped down from where she was hanging upside down on one of
the ceiling's light fixtures and made a three-point landing on
one of the student's desk. "I have a question..." Aya began her
query unmoving from the crouched position of her landing, her
eyes closed. "...Are the any men at this school at all?"

Ryoko blinked in thought, "Hmm... There is the school principal,
of course, and Mr. Chiro."

The entire class held their stomachs to keep from retching.

Aya sighed. "Any men under forty?"

"Not that I recall," Ryoko answered. "In truth, this place can be
quite mind-numbing. I usually seek my amusement elsewhere or have
it shipped in," Ryoko finished with a bemused smile.

Aya looked at her sidelong, wondering just what this strange girl
meant by that, before dismissing the whole thing. She didn't know
how she would last the rest of the day at this school never mind
an entire school year. She stood and began to walk towards the
door. Unfortunately, she forgot she was standing on a desk and
fell awkwardly to the floor, causing Ryoko to giggle. 'So much
like Master Moroboshi, I must introduce these two. Whenever,
Moroboshi comes back from his travels that is.'

By the time Ryoko had finished that thought, Aya was nowhere in
sight. Ryoko made a quick visual search of the classroom before
clasping her hands in front of her. "Kuroko..."

Two of her personal guard appeared from out of nowhere and bowed
low in front of her. Ryoko pointed toward the open classroom
door. "Follow her," she said simply, and the two disappeared.

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"Hurry up, stupid Mousse! Is almost lunchtime. Shampoo need take
Husband ramen!" She smacked him in the back of the head with a
wok to encourage his haste.

"Shampoo," he pleaded. "Why don't you forget that loser! He'll
never love you the way I do." He tossed the ladle he was using to
strain the noodles aside and rushed toward his one and only love.
"Shampoo! Let me show you my love. Come to me!"

Shampoo ignored the visually challenged boy as he sprinted away
from her and out the open door of the restaurant. Shaking her
head in disgust, she took his place at the stove and finished
preparing a serving of the House's special ramen to take to
Ranma. She had just removed her apron and was placing the bowl of
ramen in her delivery box when a weak scream came from the
direction Mousse had gone.

When Cologne hopped in from the rear of the restaurant, she found
Mousse flanked by Shampoo carrying an unconscious young girl
inside.

"Hoho, what's this you two have found?" Cologne queried pogo-ing
next to the pair as they laid the girl down on an empty tabletop.

"I mistook her for Shampoo and accidentally knocked her down."

"Hmm... seems she has had quite a rough journey," Cologne
concluded from the girl's injuries and ragged appearance.

"I... I think I recognize her," Shampoo ventured in her native
tongue. "I remember seeing her around the village." She looked
back and forth between her great grandmother and Mousse as if
seeking confirmation.

"You mean she's from home?" Mousse shook his head. "She is
unfamiliar to me." His glance moved to Shampoo and lingered
there. "But then I only have eyes for Shampoo."

Cologne rapped him on the head for the comment. "Now is not the
time for your mooning. Her name is Tsu Mi. She is the youngest
daughter of Tsu Yu, a strong family. But what is she doing here?"
Cologne wondered aloud.

At the mention of her mother's name, Mi began to stir. Slowly her
eyelids opened. She immediately recognized Shampoo. Mi quickly
sat up reaching out for Shampoo's hand. Though mentally excited
at finally reaching her destination, her body was still weary.
Mi was able to clasp Shampoo's hand and in a weakened and
exhausted voice say, "Vil... village... mon... monster," before
sleep claimed her once more.

The three remaining conscious people in the room stared at one
another dumbfounded.

"A monster?" Mousse said incredulously. "What could she be
talking about?"

"Great-Grandmother?"

Cologne took a deep breath, before retrieving her pipe from
within her garments. "While rare, I suppose it is possible, even
in this day and age. Still the village is strong enough to handle
a monster or two."  She lit the pipe and took a deep draw.
"Shampoo, get her cleaned up. Mousse, prepare the spare storage
room for her to rest." Having said that Cologne hopped into the
kitchen to prepare for the midday rush.

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"Please! Be reasonable!"

"You can't leave!"

Lum ignored their please and continued her dispirited journey
toward the Moroboshi home to gather her belongings there.
Tomobiki had far too many memories for her to stay. This
morning's incident was the final straw. Lum had to go away for a
while, but if it took the remainder of her life she would find
her Darling...

'And when I do finally find you again, Darling...'

Lum's body became rigid and her frame shook with power and rage
about to be released. It was more than enough of a hint for those
in her entourage to give her a wide berth. They scattered in
every direction, hiding behind whatever cover they could find.

Lum pushed the surge and emotions down. She had waited this long,
she could wait a bit longer. The better the lesson in the end for
her Darling. He would never even consider leaving her side again
after she presented him with the culmination of six months of
loneliness.

Shinobu and the others watched with relief as the sparks died
down and Lum regained control of the electricity she had been
hording ever since Ataru had disappeared. They quickly came out
of their hiding places and soon resumed the task of persuading
the depressed oni to stay in Tomobiki.

"Go left," Cherry suggested to the group, interrupting their
conversation.

Mendou pulled on the dog leash they were using to keep the monk
in tow and away from food vendors. "The Moroboshi household is in
the opposite direction. Why should we go this way?"

"Something ominous will happen if you don't go left." Cherry said
nothing further. Mendou again pulled on his chain causing the
monk to whimper like an abused puppy, but he still said nothing
more of why they should take his hint.

Shinobu, as always of late carrying Ten in her arms, came up to
Cherry and knelt down so that they were eye to eye. "Cherry,"
Shinobu began gently. "You still haven't told us where you've
been these last few months. Was Ataru with you? Do you know what
happened to him? Do you know where he is?"

Cherry's gaze moved from the imploring eyes of Shinobu to
Jariten, who tried to look disinterested. Next they moved to
Mendou, who glared back at him.

"What about you? Wouldn't you prefer that Ataru not return?"
Cherry directed at Mendou. "Now you don't have to worry about him
besting you." Mendou turned away from Cherry's stare, even so
Cherry continued. "There is no one to remind you of your defeats
and inadequacies." Cherry maneuvered himself so that he was once
again in Mendou's face. "No one stands between you and Lum. Isn't
your life infinitely better now that he is gone?" Cherry narrowed
his eyes, waiting for his answer.

Mendou tried to out stare the monk but failed, he turned away
again in disgust. "Yes, I want him to return! So I can once and
for all prove who is the better man and slay him. Until I see him
buried, I will not allow him to run from our sacred man to man
duel."

Cherry chuckled at the 'man to man' part. "I think you're lying
to yourself," he concluded, walking away. "AaaacK" Cherry choked
out the words as the chain around his neck pulled him back.

"If you know where he is..." Mendou threatened, drawing his
sword.

"Cherry." Shinobu said.

"Where is the idiot?" Jariten demanded.

"And why would you want the return of an idiot?" Cherry asked
Ten.

"Who says I want him back?" Ten countered.

"*I* don't want him back," Ran put in.

"I think it's best you don't know. He would only cause more
trouble, especially the way he is now," Cherry concluded.

"The way he is now?" Shinobu asked.

Lum paused, she didn't turn around to look at Cherry or give any
other indication that she was listening to the conversation other
than to hold perfectly still. Cherry looked sympathetically at
the poor girl.

Without a further word, Lum turned left, away from the path to
the Moroboshi home. She would allow herself one more chance at
hope. The second she had turned the corner she was bulled over by
a teenage girl in a St. Hebreke uniform. Lum found herself
looking into a pair of completely unfamiliar hazel eyes.

Aya held her head and her eyes closed in pain. "What are you
doing standing in the middle of the sidewalk like a statue?" Aya
asked, slowly propping herself up. When she opened her eyes and
looked down on the person she had tripped over she stared in
amazement.

"An oni..." Aya whispered aloud, but more to herself, not moving
from a top the immobile Lum. The woman beneath her was unlike
anyone Aya had seen before. She had green hair that reflected the
sun's light like a prism, small horns on either side of her head
and deep blue eyes. Although the girl was dressed rather shabbily
and looked as though she had spent the last several nights
crying, she was still quite beautiful. This was reason enough
alone for Aya to hate her. But there was something else,
something deeper that bothered Aya about this woman.

"Ah... Could you..." Lum began to ask the St. Hebreke student to
move so that she could stand up.

"Shhh..." Aya mouthed quietly. While still straddling the fallen
oni, Aya, with one hand held Lum's right hand down to the ground,
with the other she moved Lum's bangs from in front of her eyes.
Gradually, almost imperceptibly, Aya's head descended towards
Lum's.

For her own part, Lum wasn't sure what was happening and would
have electrocuted and kicked the strange girl off from on top of
her, but something was stopping her from doing so, and she wasn't
exactly sure what it was.
Part of it... part of it was a sadness, a feeling of remorse. Lum
had no idea what was the source of the feeling, but it was
definitely there. She had little time to ponder it though, as the
thought was eclipsed by what she saw next. Lum even failed to
notice Aya's face getting closer and closer to her own. Her
attention was locked on Aya's eyes.

A light hazel to begin with, Aya's eye color was gradually
becoming lighter, until they blended perfectly into the
surrounding white. Color then started to return to her eyes, but
instead of brown they were a pale, ghostly blue.

Just around the corner Mendou, Cherry, and Jariten were delayed
by some strangeness of their own; Shinobu suddenly wasn't feeling
very well. She leaned against a nearby wall for support.

"Shinobu, are you ok?" Ten asked, floating next to her shoulder
and gently touching her forehead.

She looked at him, her eyes dilated and nodded her head, 'yes',
before she passed out all together. Mendou was able to catch her
before she hit the ground.

"Miss Shinobu! What's wrong?" Mendou asked with obvious concern,
cradling her slumped form in his arms.

She gave no response.

Out of nowhere, Cherry appeared, sitting on Mendou's shoulder and
peering down at the comatose Shinobu. "She is possessed," he
chimed in a low serious voice.

Surprised by this, Mendou jumped a good five feet from the
teleporting monk. "What are you talking about you malignant
monk?" He began to carry the now semi-conscious Shinobu around
the corner to where he expected Lum to be waiting. Ten floated
just behind. "We'll take Shinobu to school to see Nurse Sakura,"
Mendou said to the group. The detour would also serve the dual
purpose of delaying any decision Lum had of leaving. "Miss Lum,
we need to take..." was all he said before dropping Shinobu like
a rock. "WHAT in the WORLD do you think you're DOING!" he shouted
through his shock at the light-haired woman who had Lum pinned.

>From Mendou's point of view, it appeared the two were kissing. In
truth, although their foreheads were touching their lips were
inches apart.

Shinobu was forgotten like yesterday's breakfast as Mendou rushed
over to the pair and yanked Aya off of Lum.

Finally, freed, Lum propped herself up on her elbows. Mendou
kneeled at her side, holding her about the shoulders.

Aya just stood off to the side, staring down at the pair with a
bemused look.

"Miss Lum, are you all right?" Mendou asked.

Still bewildered, Lum just nodded her head and stared up at the
strange girl who had had her pinned to the ground. Mendou
followed Lum's gaze to the smirking Aya.

"Now, Miss," Mendou began while helping Lum to her feet. "I know
Miss Lum is very attractive, but it is wrong for you to accost
her in such a manner. Women shouldn't behave that way towards
other women and especially not in public places." Finally he
turned to address Aya face to face. "Now, if you would like, I
can teach you how to properly dat... date..."

Mendou lost his train of flirt as Aya began to stare at him. He
was quite attractive and she considered herself a bit of a
connoisseur, so her gaze was unyielding. Therein lied Mendou's
dilemma. There were few people who could stomach looking into
this girl's pale blue eyes for any amount of time. It wasn't that
they were deformed in any way, although they did have a clouded
hazed look to them, much like cataracts. They were just plain
creepy. They were like the eyes of a dead person. Even when she
was looking straight at you, you got the impression that she
wasn't focusing on you. It made it difficult if not impossible to
talk to her. When those eyes were staring at you, most people
would begin to feel their skin crawl and nausea was known to
result from prolonged exposure.

She knew of only one person who could weather her gaze and that
particular individual had dubious motives as far as she was
concerned. As it was, Mendou was already beginning to feel his
breakfast coming up for a return engagement.

She half closed her eyes; her pallid irises hidden from view and
took a step toward the stricken Mendou.

"We don't have time for that now, Jing," a voice said in a
dialect of Chinese.

Lum, who was just now standing up, and Mendou who was cowering
away from the blue-eyed stranger, turned toward the familiar
sounding voice.

Shinobu stood a few feet away, looking disapprovingly at Aya. She
showed none of the illness that fell her just moments earlier. In
response to the look, Aya just crossed her arms and stuck out her
tongue. This drew a smile from Shinobu until she noticed Lum
standing a few feet away. The smile faded from her face and her
expression became thoughtful. This was the second time she had
run into the beautiful oni and again she was struck with the
notion that they had met much earlier.

Aya saw the change in Shinobu's expression and followed her
stare. She was still looking at Lum. Aya's expression too became
serious. She walked over and stood next to Shinobu. Both these
strange girls began to visually examine the oni.

"You feel it too? Don't you?" Aya began in Chinese to Shinobu.
Unnoticed by the pair, Cherry came over and stood next to them.
"What is it about that one that bothers us so?"

Shinobu shook her head. She was about to verbalize her doubt when
she noticed Cherry and his satisfied expression. 'What was he so
happy about?' It was then that she recalled another piece of
information from her previous encounter with the Tomobiki group.
Though she understood little of their conversation in Japanese,
she did remember their repeated use of the word, "Moroboshi".
Shinobu gave a sidelong glance at Aya. 'Were these the people
Cherry was relying on to steal Jing away?'

"Well," Aya began, switching back to Japanese and again walking
up to Lum. "I'll figure you out sooner or later." Her eyes
narrowed. "...And then I'll deal with you." She reached up with
her right hand and lifted a few strands of the oni's iridescent
hair, marveling at the way it reflected the light. "So pretty..."
she mouthed quietly, again speaking Chinese. Finally, she gave
the oni an enigmatic child-like grin, managing to blink her eyes
without the aid of her eyelids. Lum's expression became even more
perplexed at the display.

Behind them, Cherry's expression showed confusion. He hid the
look quickly when he saw Shinobu turn to look in his direction.
He realized he hadn't been quick enough when he saw her smile
grow more sinister. She bent down to whisper into the small
monk's ear. "Not the reaction you were expecting, is it?"

Cherry said nothing.

"You have no idea what is going on, do you, little man?"

Jariten looked at Shinobu worriedly, not understanding a word she
just said or anything that was going on around him. "Shinobu, are
you okay?" He asked, floating up to the young woman. She
completely ignored him.

"And as for you..." Aya said, turning quickly on Mendou, who
still stood by Lum's side and poked him in the chest with her
finger. "Call me," she suggested with a crooked smile and a lick
of her lips. Producing a small business card seemingly from thin
air with a flick of her wrist, she placed it inside the neck of
Mendou's shirt collar. "Anyway," Aya started stretching her long
limbs above her head. "The hunt continues." She turned to face
Cherry and Shinobu. Sprinting forward, Aya kicked Cherry into
oncoming traffic and began to sprint in the opposite direction.
After reaching the end of the block, she turned and yelled back
to Shinobu in Chinese. "You coming or going?"

The remainder of the group watched as Shinobu waved at her friend
and ran down the street after her.

And as if things weren't strange enough, a pair of kuroko and a
large circular shadow followed the two girls.

"What the heck was that about! And what's wrong with Shinobu?"
Mendou wondered only slightly less confused than Jariten. "I
honestly didn't know that Shinobu spoke Chinese so well!"

"Was that the language she was speaking?" Lum asked, finally
talking again. Her voice sounded distant.

"I believe so," Mendou answered. "But I could understand little
of what she said. Her dialect eluded me." He turned from looking
in the direction Shinobu and Aya had left and faced Lum. "What
are you going to do now?" he asked, fearing she still planned on
leaving. Jariten too, looked at his cousin with concern.

Lum neither answered nor looked at them. Reaching out, she took
the card Aya had left from out of Mendou's shirt. "Life is meant
to be lived. Are you living yours or is someone else living it
for you?" Lum read what else was written on the card. "Aya
Tendou." Written next to her name were a cell phone number, a
home number and a cartoon caricature of Aya. Tucking the card
away in her bikini top, Lum followed in the direction Aya and
Shinobu had gone.

There was something about that girl...

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All was quiet on the Furinkin front, which on most days was a
prelude to misadventure. Today was to be no different.

Students were just beginning to file out of the school for the
start of the lunch period. It was a time of day that could not
have come soon enough for one Ranma Saotome, especially after the
events of this morning. He and Akane soon found their usual lunch
spot and sat down to eat the lunches that Kasumi had prepared for
them.

"I wonder where Ukyou was this morning?" Akane asked before
placing a clump of rice into her mouth.

Ranma stiffened slightly before relaxing in an attempt to answer.
"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe she got sick or somethin'." At least
something like that would explain her behavior this morning.

Akane looked at him accusingly out of the corner of her eyes. "Is
that right? And why were you late for class this morning, Ranma?
And what happened to your shirt?"

Ranma looked Akane straight in the eyes... and fudged around the
truth. "When ain't I late for class?" he asked with a chopstick
hanging from his mouth. "If it ain't Kuno buggin' me, it's Ryouga
or Happosai or a thousand of other reasons!"

Akane wasn't appeased that easily. "Well, what reason was it this
morn..."

"Akane!" A shout from one of her friends cut off Akane's query.
She glared at Ranma briefly before going off to meet her friend.

Ranma sighed in relief, but his respite was short lived.

"So... Ranma, rumor has it that we scored with Ukyou in the
nurse's office this morning," someone said placing an arm around
Ranma's shoulder.

"What!" Ranma said incredulously and spun to see Hiroshi's lewd
grin.

"No point in denying it. Three quarters of the school has already
heard about it by now," another voice interjected and put a hand
on Ranma's other shoulder. "What I want to know is... how were
we?" Daisuke asked, his grin just as lecherous as his friends.

"What are you two pervs talking about?" Ranma demanded to know.
He was starting to get that sinking feeling as he watched an
increasing crowd of male students gathering around him.

"Oh, come on, Ranma! It's bad enough that you got some of the
best babes in all of Nerima wrapped around your little finger.
The least you can do is let the rest of us poor slobs live
vicariously through you!" There was a lot of heading nodding in
the crowd at that sentiment. "But, anyway, back to business. Were
we good?"

"Yeah," someone else in the crowd shouted out. "Did she scream
our name?"

"Of course she did!" another proclaimed. "We're a martial artist!
We can hit all the best position!"

"I can't believe we cheated on Akane!" A wail went out somewhere
in the crowd. "Our own fianc�e! Oh, the sin!"

"Bah! Ukyou's the cute one!"

"Don't listen to those prudes! We're young! We should play the
field while there is a field to play and we got the equipment to
play it! On to the next! It's all good!"

"No! We have to say true to Akane!"

"Screw Akane!"

"Yeah! Screw Akane next," a good portion of the crowd agreed.

"Be serious! We need to stop denying our one and only love,
Shampoo!"

"Forget it! Kodachi all the way!"

"That psycho?"

"Wait, wait! Look at it this way. Crazy in the head... crazy in
the bed! Lest us not forget, she's a gymnast too! That's like
bonus points."

The crowd began to murmur as they considered the well-made
argument.

"Hey! Maybe if we play our cards right, we can get Azusa too!"

"Are we, or are we not, Ranma Saotome? Azusa, Kasumi, Nabiki,
Shampoo, Kodachi are all as good as laid! I, Ranma Saotome,
guarantee it!"

Ranma looked at the scrawny freshman, who made that proclamation
and just shook his head, as everyone around him began to argue
the attributes of their favorite. Why did everything in his life
have to be so complicated? He started to walk off, he doubted he
could get the crowd to see reason or convince them that nothing
happened. Deciding to take the direct route, he leapt up and over
the crowd. He had just reached the apex of his jump when a soccer
ball struck the back of his head. He fell unceremoniously to the
ground.

A bellow rendered all the male students' arguing about who should
be Ranma's next "conquest" moot.

"RANMA!"

Ranma tepidly turned toward the shout. An enraged Akane was
standing in front of what was a quite large group of female
students, who no doubt, had told Akane the same nonsense the male
students were bugging Ranma about.
By the look on her face, he would have to talk fast.

"Um... what's up, Akane?"

"Ranma..." Akane began ominously and stalked over to stand in
front of her pigtailed fianc� with her fist clenched. "Tell me
again... How did you lose your shirt this morning?"

Ranma opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it.

"Well, Ranma?"

Ranma scowled, she should know by now that these things weren't
his fault. Trouble just seemed to fall in his lap. He decided to
tell her as much, when trouble fell in to his lap.

Happosai bounded over to Ranma, using the male student's heads as
stepping-stones. "Ranma! What's this I hear about you sleeping
with Ukyou!" He demanded to know, landing on Ranma's back. "Way
to go!" Happosai congratulated, patting him on the shoulder.
"Finally, you're living up to the ideals of the Anything Goes
School! EXCEPT! You should have let your Master know so he could
have watched!"

"Wha' the heck are you talking about?" Ranma yelled, swirling
around trying to dislodge the lech from his back.

"You got her panties, right?" Happosai asked starting to crawl
around Ranma's body searching for the prize.

"Whoa! You got her panties too!" A shout came from the crowd of
boys.

"You little freak! I didn't do nothin'...."

"RANMA"

All time stopped at that point for Ranma.  Unfortunately, time
continued for Akane. It didn't help matters that the crowd of
female students behind her was calling for his blood.
Purposefully, she walked up to Ranma, her eyes never leaving his.
A part of Ranma distractedly noted how attractive Akane looked
when she was angry, despite the fact that he often said otherwise
verbally. "Akane, don't tell me you believe this nonsense too?
How dumb can you get?"

And to that one part of Ranma Akane got even prettier.

Her fist shook with pent up anger and frustration. Akane wanted
to believe him. She really did, but Akane too had a part deep
with in her that would note things. How Ukyou and Shampoo were
cuter than her, better cooks than her, better martial artist than
her, expressed their love better than her... Of course he would
love Ukyou better than her. Insecurity pushed and drove Akane's
anger to new heights as she reared back her fist.

How far Ranma would have traveled on the force of Akane's blow
would have to remain a mystery, as she never got the opportunity
to throw it. A large explosion separated the two star-crossed
teens and forced the large crowd of boy and girls apart.

"Say it isn't so, Ranma," a voice pleaded from the within the
smoldering crater. "Although you probably did; men have no self
control." The smoke cleared, leaving a pouting Aya and a girl few
recognized. Aya leapt from the newly created hole and threw
herself at Ranma's feet. "Now you have to let the rest of us have
our turn," she cried wrapping her arms around Ranma's legs,
begging shamelessly. "It wouldn't be fair otherwise. Isn't that
right, Akane?"

The girl, who had arrived with Aya, folded her arms across her
chest and nodded in agreement, while Akane looked flabbergasted.
"Wha... what! I wouldn't let that pervert touch me! Ever!" In a
huff she stormed off in the direction of the school building. A
large majority of the girls followed her.

Forgotten, Happosai retreated to the outskirts of the crowd to
watch the proceedings and his "great-granddaughter" from a
distance.

Aya picked her head up from where it lay against Ranma's knee
long enough to see Akane's withdrawal before she returned it to
its place. "Oh well, more for us, hmm?" Aya's companion had
latched on to Ranma's other leg, effectively immobilizing the
youth. The girl again nodded her agreement.

"Like old times," she said in Chinese, a twinkle in her eye.

"Jeez, they're beggin' for us!" one in the newly invigorated
crowd of "Those who live through Ranma Club" shouted. Whoops and
hollers soon reverberated through out the mob.

"What are you people talking about!" Ranma yelled.

Happosai folded his arms across his chest and smiled. If Ranma
refused to follow all the tenets of the "Anything Goes School",
then he would raise an heir who would. Perhaps, if he had met
"Aya" earlier in "her" childhood she could have been his heir,
but as things stood she was far to old to catch up to her peers
now.

Ranma tried to shake the two strange girls off as they slowly
slinked up his form, smiling devilishly. "What's all this
protesting, Ranma? Don't you like girls?" Aya looked up at him
from her strategic position at his crotch, her friend had moved
behind Ranma and placed her arms lazily about his shoulders, both
women halted their assaults waiting for his answer.

The crowd of boys quieted as well, which was quite the
accomplishment considering the level of excitement that raced
through the crowd. Two girls at the same time and in public...
even though it wasn't happening to them, at least they were
getting ringside seats. Everyone looked at Ranma expectantly,
everyone, except Aya. She had grown impatient and was tracing
outlines around his groin with her index finger. This did not
help Ranma's concentration. Besides Aya was fairly certain of the
outcome of this particular scenario. Men were men after all. What
other uses did they have?

And peer pressure is a powerful thing.

"Of... of course, I... I like girls," Ranma stammered out.

Aya chuckled lightly to herself. "Of course you do," she said
softly, her finger finding the entrance to his pants.

Ranma jumped back fifty feet as if a snake had just crawled up
his leg. Aya stood and glared at her friend. "I thought you were
holding him," she hissed in Chinese. "Hello? Are you there?"

Her friend shook her head and stumbled toward Aya, who caught her
before she collapsed to the ground. Aya frowned and turned her
ghostly blue eyes to where Ranma had retreated. "I thought you
said that you liked girls?"

The crowd of boys turned to look at Ranma skeptically as well.

"Hey! I just met you yesterday!" Ranma shouted in retort. "And I
don't even know who that girl is?" He pointed at Aya's semi
conscious companion.

"Isn't that Shinobu Miyake?" One in the crowd asked.

"Shinobu, Shinobi, Shenandoah, who cares. She's a girl. She's got
the breasts, the butt, the whole nine yards and she wants to make
love to you. What else do you need to know?" Aya spared a moment
to look down at Shinobu, before a swear in Chinese escaped her
lips. She let the unconscious body fall to the ground without a
care.

Ranma hadn't noticed Aya's treatment of her friend as he was too
busy defending his professed sexual preference from the hormonal
crowd of sex crazed adolescents that were his schoolmates.

Dazedly, Shinobu picked herself up from the ground. She wobbled
unsteadily on her feet and tried to regain her bearings. The last
thing that she remembered was walking along with Jariten in her
arms. Everyone was together trying to cheer up Lum and convince
her not to return home to her planet. What happened after that,
Shinobu couldn't recall. She certainly didn't remember how she
got to her present surroundings. Not one single face in the crowd
of boys looked familiar to her.

Unable to figure out where she was on her own, Shinobu walked up
to one of the male students in the crowd. "Um... Excuse me," she
began tapping the teenager on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Heeeey," the boy drawled out. "If Ranma isn't up to playin' with
you girls..." He propositioned, placing his arm around Shinobu's
shoulder. "I'm more than willing to... OOOWWWW!"

Shinobu wrenched the arm from around her shoulder and twisted if
forcing the boy to twist with it or risk it's fracture. "Who do
you think you're talking to!"

'Why does Ranma get all the freebies?' The boy tried to stammer
out a reply through the pain, but Shinobu would have none of it.
His arm still firmly in her grip, Shinobu used her free hand to
pick the boy up by his pant's belt and into the air. Men were
such scum. She hurled the boy into the crowd, knocking down
another fifteen students in the process. To Ranma's glee the
attention of the crowd still standing including the blue-eyed Aya
turned to the irate Shinobu.

It was at this moment that a dark shadow loomed over the crowd.

<><><><><><><>

Mi woke up to a dark and unfamiliar room. Her memory of the last
day or so was a blur of unfamiliar places and images. Sitting up
in her makeshift bed, Mi noted that her burns had been given
fresh bandaging and clean clothing had been placed on the crate
near the bed. She dressed quickly and took a quick inventory of
her surroundings. There were a few wooden crates in the room like
the ones used to create her bed and nightstand, and sparse
cleaning supplies. Quietly, she walked over to an old broom and
broke the handle free from the head. With her crude weapon in
hand, she stepped towards the room's door and placed her ear
against it.

Outside the door Mi heard what sounded like a large mass of
people and the clattering of tableware. 'Have I finally made it?'
Mi wondered to herself trying to pull the last moments of her
long journey before she collapsed from exhaustion from her
tattered memory. She opened the unlocked door just enough to peek
out into the surrounding hallway. The moment she did so her
famished stomach was assaulted by an assortment of delicious and
mouth-watering aromas. Still unsure of her surroundings, Mi
remained cautious and stealthily snuck from the room. Almost in a
trance, she followed her nose toward the kitchen. She neared a
corner, just around which lay the nourishment her body was
screaming for. Peeking her head around, she saw a young man in
what appeared from behind to be a white robe, washing a large
bowl in the sink. The water was running and the conversations of
people in the other room were quite loud.

Deciding that the man was preoccupied with his chore and that
noise of the running water and people would mask any sound of her
movement, Mi crept from around the corner. She hadn't taken more
than three steps before a metal lid from a pot race past the spot
her neck had been a moment before and embedded itself into the
wall.

"Come to sponge off my Shampoo again, Ranma?" Mousse said,
preparing a second strike. "Hey, your not Ranma, your that girl,"
Mousse recognized adjusting his glasses.

Mi took advantage of his pause. Using her broom handle as a pole
vault, she hurled herself, feet first, at Mousse. Mousse easily
blocked Mi's kick with his right forearm, while his left reached
into his robes for some rope to subdue his attacker.

Mi, using the block as a springboard, jumped back to the far side
of the room. While in midair, she flipped and grabbed what food
she could from the table placed in the middle of the room. Upon
landing, she had but a second to avoid webbing of ropes thrown at
her. She reached for the lid that had been used against her just
moments before to block the lead weighted ropes and dashed out
the room. A large piece in her mouth, Mi happily rounded the
corner. She would charge out the front room and make good her
escape. Or at least that had been the plan before a punch to her
midsection forced the shrimp from her mouth and knocked the wind
out of her. She crumpled to the floor, holding her midriff.

"You need to pay far more attention than that little sister if
you plan on living long enough to stand amongst your peers as a
full fledged warrior."

Mi looked up with tears in her eyes, but not from pain. She would
recognize that voice in the roar of a typhoon. She jumped to her
feet and hurled her arms around the older girl. "Elder Sister,
thank the spirits. I've found you," Mi said, tears still coming
to her eyes as she buried her face into Shampoo's chest. It was a
most unamazon-like display, but Mi didn't care anymore.

Shampoo just blinked confusedly at Mi, not knowing quite how to
respond. Timidly, she returned the embrace, in an attempt to calm
her fellow sister.

Mousse, coming around the corner and seeing Shampoo in an
affectionate mood, tried to see if he could receive similar
treatment.

Shampoo knew how to deal with Mousse, so did the foot that
implanted itself in his groin.

<><><><><>

A few hours and a bag of ice later, both the crowds in the
restaurant and the swelling around the Mousse crown jewels
dwindled to nothing and the four transplanted amazons gathered
around a small table.

Cologne took a small sip from her cup of tea, letting the hot
liquid sooth her throat before she turned to address their young
guest. "Now that you've had a chance to rest and recover some of
your strength, why don't you tell us what has happened back at
the village and why you had to travel all this way."

Silence

Cologne stared at the comatose looking girl for a moment before
she rapped Mi on the head with her cane.

Startled from her silent worshipping of Shampoo, Mi quickly
apologized. "Please forgive my inattention, Great Elder. It's
just..." Her gaze moved to Shampoo once more. "I've always seen
Elder Sister Shampoo as a mentor, but I've never thought I would
meet her in person." Mi's expression changed from glee to
melancholy. "I wished it could have been under better
circumstances."

"Yes, about that," Cologne asked again.

Mi involuntarily shivered. She had traveled all this way for this
moment, but now she was hesitant to begin her tale. It wasn't
that she could not remember, every detail was burned into her.
Unconsciously, she scratched at the bandaging that covered her
burned skin and closed her eyes. Just behind them her nightmare
took form just as it had every night since she met the strange
girl sitting on that well and with a voice just above a whisper
she relayed what happened to Cologne and the others...

<><><>

I had just returned from training by myself in a nearby field. At
first, I didn't notice the condition of the village as I was
already late and ran straight home. When I arrived there, the
house was completely empty. It looked as though my mother and
sisters had left in a hurry as dinner was still warm on the table
and some of our things were strewn about the floor. I was going
to begin searching for them, when I realized how quiet the
village seemed... Quiet except for strange laughter coming from
the direction of the old well at the center of the village...

When I stepped outside my home to look for my mother and sisters
was the first time I really took note of the state of the
village.

"Had the village been attacked?" Mousse asked, interrupting Mi's
story.

Mi shook her head and continued.

The village was intact; there were no signs of a struggle
anywhere. The buildings and outer wall were on fire, but it was
unlike any fire I had ever seen. The flames were a brilliant blue
in color and although they seemed to completely engulf
everything, nothing burned or crumbled to the ground. And the
fire made not a sound, no crackling or popping. It simply was.

"Was there anything else, child?" Cologne asked, sipping from her
tea. Her expression was blank, not revealing at all whether she
believed the tale being told to her.

Mi nodded.

The fire didn't limit itself to things, small pockets of flame
floated freely in the air as well. And on the ground... on the
ground was a pale green fog that seemed to have a life of it's
own, ignoring the direction of the evening breeze.

I decided to head towards the old well, where the laughing seemed
to be coming from. When I got close enough, I could see what at
first looked to be two people sitting on the old stone siding,
but I was mistaken. The fog parted and I could clearly see a
woman about Shampoo's age... maybe a little older giggling to
herself. Then I heard her speak...

"Hmmhmmhmm... Looks like we forgot one."

"Was it a sister of the village?"

"At first, I thought so too, but ..." then Mi shook her head.

I was glad to finally find a fellow amazon, but the closer I got
to the stranger, the more I could tell that she was not one of
us. Her hair was a deep black in color and her eyes... her eyes
were the exact same color as the bright blue flames that
surrounded everything. She wore a tattered red shirt with
shortened sleeves...

Mi paused from her story. I noticed others wearing similar style
shirts during my journey here. They seemed to be made of
lightweight cotton.

"They're called T-shirts. Please continue," Cologne prodded.

Mi hesitated, but finally did continue.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Aya looked up at the black circular object in the air, blinking
her blue eyes until they returned to their normal brown, but they
quickly reverted to an ethereal blue. She hoped it had nothing to
do with her, but she knew how her luck usually went. Not taking
her eyes off the unidentified flying object, Aya backed into the
crowd, disappearing in its mass.

"What the heck is that?" Akane exclaimed, running back on to the
field. She had overcome her embarrassment and returned to Ranma's
side when she saw the shadow pass over the school building. Akane
did a quick look around. The girl with the shoulder length brown
hair that had arrived earlier and had been helping Aya in her
attempt to seduce Ranma was standing just outside the crowd. Her
arms were crossed against her chest and she looked very angry.
Akane smiled, Ranma had no doubt given her the brush off. Her
smiled widen when she failed to spot Aya, who was definitely
proving herself to be related to Happosai.

It was at this time that Lum and her entourage arrived on scene.
The Furinkan students were too absorbed with the unidentified
flying object in the air to stare at the alien oni teen. Noticing
Shinobu standing apart from the crowd, Lum went over to ask her
about the girl in the Saint Hebreke outfit Shinobu had run off
with. Cherry, however, spotted a man similar in stature to
himself standing at some distance from the crowd and watching the
scene. It was a man with whom Cherry very much wanted to continue
an old conversation.

"Oh. Hi, Lum," Shinobu greeted, glad to see faces she recognized.

"Shinobu, are you alright?" Lum asked. "You fainted and then
began to act rather strangely.

"Yes," Mendou said reaching the pair. "Who was that girl that
accosted Miss Lum? You two seemed to know each other well."

Shinobu looked at them, "What are you two talking about? The last
thing I remember was walking with everyone on the way to school.
The next thing I know I am standing here."

"You mean you don't remember speaking Chinese and running off
with some girl named Aya Tendou?" Mendou asked, taking hold of
Shinobu's hand.

"I... I... don't," she began before she noticed the large shadow.
'Oh no, more freaks...' she thought at what could only be another
alien UFO.

"What are THEY doing here?" Lum exclaimed as the form of the
alien ship became more visible. If these were the people
responsible for her Darling's disappearance, the Oni would wipe
out their whole sick race.

"Who?" Mendou questioned.

His question was answered when a beam of bright white light burst
forth from the bottom of the ship. When the light subdued, two
very large, very muscular and very bald men were standing in its
place, wearing a pair of signs, and only a pair of signs.

The crowd of mostly male Furinkin students looked at the two
specimens of alien masculinity and began to feel slightly
inadequate. They felt down right emasculated when the two men
raised the previously strategically placed signs over their heads
for the crowd to see them better.

Both Shinobu and Akane blushed furiously at the sight of the
offending male members. In unison, they ran up to the two alien
men. "PERVERTS!" They screamed and attempted to punt the aliens
back to whatever planet they had come from. The two aliens,
however merely twisted their bodies so that Shinobu's and Akane's
strikes impacted against the broadside of their rock like thighs.
The two girls hopped back to their respective groups of friends,
nursing their sore foots.

"Do you... know these people, Lum? Please say no," Mendou begged.
He didn't like what he was seeing at all.

Lum just glared at them, or more particularly, the signs they
were carrying which had written on them the simple words, "ATARU
MOROBOSHI".

"ME! ME! THAT'S ME! I'M ATARU MOROBOSHI!" a voice shouted from
the middle of the crowd of male students.

Lum's attention and that of the two buff alien men shot to the
direction of the voice. All they could see was a pair of arms
waving in the midst of the crowd.

"Excuse me, my ride is here," the owner of the arms boomed and
forced their way through the students. When Aya emerged, with a
huge leer on her face, her eyes locked on male meaty bones and a
river of saliva running from her mouth, reactions varied.

The aliens looked at each other confused. They were certain the
Ataru Moroboshi they were looking for was male. They continued to
hold the signs over their heads, and rotated them every now and
then so that everyone could read them.

Akane and Ranma merely shook their head in mutual disgust.
Definitely related to Happosai.

The Tomobiki crew wore a mixture of emotions.

Lum's expression was unreadable.

Aya walked up confidently to the pair of aliens with not the
slightest hint of fear or apprehension. "Hi," she waved
enthusiastically. "My name is... uh... Ataru Moroboshi. Yup,
that's me! Just what the sign says. Uh... Hello?"

The two aliens continued to ignore her, while the Furinkin
students of the crowd watched as if at a play.  The Tomobiki
students approached the strange girl who had crashed into Lum
earlier and was now claiming to be the person they've been
looking for over the past six months.

"You're not Moroboshi," Mendou stated as a matter of fact.

"And how do you know?" Aya said crossing her arms and staring at
Mendou.

"Well, for one thing. Ataru Moroboshi is a man. Not very much a
man, but a man none the less."

"I can do the 'man thing'," Aya declared and turned her attention
back to the specimens of alien beefcake. She waved her hands in
front of their faces and still received not the slightest
acknowledgement. Perplexed, she placed her hands on her hips,
until she realized she was dealing with a different culture.

'The man thing?' Mendou wondered exactly what the 'man thing'
was, but what he saw her do next completely erased that thought
from his mind. Who is this girl??

"Hello... Hello... testing... one... two... three..."

The males just watched her completely and utterly stunned. The
few women present once again found themselves blushing and
quickly turning away.

"What are you doing!" Lum demanded, not looking at the rather
obscene scene.

"Conversing..." *TAP* *TAP*  "Hello? Ataru Moroboshi here."

"Well, I don't think that's his ear," Shinobu pointed out to the
kneeling girl.

Aya turned her attention away from the male member in her hand.
"How do you know? Who knows how their strange alien physiology
works?" She again put the 'microphone' just in front of her lips.
"Hello? Hello?" She held it firmly in her left hand and tapped
the head repeatedly with the palm of her right. "Is this thing
on?"

It was definitely 'on' as the alien began to buck and gyrate with
Aya's actions. The other alien, feeling neglected, walked over
and stood in front of Aya, waiting his turn.

'Even alien males are predictable,' Aya thought with a smirk.

"Enough!" A female voice boomed from overhead. "Step forward,
Ataru Moroboshi."

"Here... Here I am!" Aya shouted, jumping up and down. She was a
little disappointed when she had heard the woman's voice, but she
was still hopeful. If these two naked men were any example of
what was in store...
Her smile grew increasingly lewd. 'Sexual experimentation... anal
probes... oh boy!'

Again the dark shadow of a ship produced a shower of light. This
time a beautiful woman wearing a sheer white shawl clasped with a
platinum string and a long billowing skirt made from the same
material. The outfit left nothing to the imagination, as at a
close distance it was quite see through.

The crowd of male students collapsed around the newcomer, leaving
her and her two male escorts, Aya, Lum, Shinobu, Mendou, and
Akane at the center. Both Aya and Lum scowled at the alien queen,
but for different reasons.

Lum had a pretty good guess why they were here. It no doubt had
to deal with the stupid laws of their 'combine' or 'communion' or
whatever it was they called it. It all boiled down to one thing
though. Their race was arguably the most lewd, sex-obsessed
people in the galaxy. They prided themselves on their prowess and
appetite, which they believed second to none (there was one other
race that competed for that title in other planets' opinion, but
that particular race didn't want that fact publicized). It was
this pride that was embedded throughout the laws and rituals of
the planet. It was even how the queen kept her throne.

Aya on the other hand hated all beautiful women out of principle.
Or rather... women she felt prettier than herself. They always...
always wasted the gifts they were endowed with. They never could
understand a woman such as herself and the struggle and work Aya
and women like her went through to gain the things handed to
beautiful women. After a moment though, Aya's dark expression
lightened to its usual brightness. Usually women given such
beauty relied upon it to the point that it shrunk their brains.
Aya was confident that she could handle the alien woman the same
way she did everyone else.

"Are you the one who claims the name Ataru Moroboshi?"  The woman
asked with a voice that perfectly matched her aura of sexuality.

With her hands placed behind her back, Aya nodded
enthusiastically.

"Ataru Moroboshi is a man and you look nothing like him," the
queen stated as a matter of fact.

Lum's demeanor darkened further. "And how do you know what he
looks like?"

The queen turned and noticed Lum for the first time. "An oni?
Here for the sport?"

Lum's cheeks flushed, but the rest of her face was still marred
by anger. "Answer my question!" Electricity began to arc up and
down her form.

"Hmph..." She snapped her fingers and the two men dropped the
signs they were carrying. They both took a knee, one directly
across from the other and interlocked arms. The alien queen
gracefully walked over and took seat on her impromptu throne.

Aya nodded her approval. She leaned over and whispered into Lum's
ear. "Now that's the way to live."

"I'd rather have my Darling," Lum replied in an even voice, then
stalked over to stand in front of the queen.  She missed Aya
going completely rigid at her words. "So..." Lum began again to
the queen.

The queen looked into Lum's eyes and knew that the oni's patience
was wearing thin. She eyed the growing crowd of natives as if
looking for one face in particular. Not seeing it, she sighed. "I
need to find Ataru Moroboshi. My future as Queen depends upon
it!" Her head drooped down into her hands.
Her tone was so down trodden that she immediately had the
sympathies of a majority of the men present, even Ranma looked at
her with sympathy.

Mendou was instantly at her side. He gently raised her head with
the tip of his finger. "What has that scoundrel Moroboshi done,
Miss?"

"Who's Moroboshi?" Ranma asked Akane. She shrugged in answer.

"Do you think she really is an alien? She looks human enough."
Akane whispered back. Ranma too answered with a shrug.

"My name is Vestal. What he has done is threaten my birthright."

"How so?" Shinobu asked. "Have you seen him lately?" Shinobu
spared a glance toward Lum, who stood just off to the side
looking like she was about to kill someone.

"It is the law of the great Communion on my planet that the
most..." She paused searching for the right word. "...Voracious
and insatiable person in the universe shall sit on the throne.
For the last fifteen generations my family has occupied that
exalted position."

Lum sighed, fully knowing where this conversation was headed. She
was almost glad her Darling wasn't here. He would have been
ecstatic at what was about to be said.

Queen Vestal continued. "A recent scan of the Universal Database
has indicated that may no longer be true." She signaled toward
her hovering spacecraft and a screen was projected in the air
above the crowd.

"What's the Universal Database?"  Mendou asked Jariten, who
floated nearby.

"You're really stupid if you don't know what that is," Ten
contemptuously answered back. "It's a database that contains
information on a majority of life forms in the know universe."

Mendou looked back at Ten in shock. "That's impossible."

"Maybe on this planet."

After a moment, five faces appeared on the hovering screen. The
crowded gasped, as two earthlings were clearly identifiable. At
the top was a picture of a smiling Aya. Second was Queen Vestal.
The third picture was of some kind of tentacled thing. The fourth
was the biggest surprise.

'Darling's not there..." Lum thought puzzled. She didn't know
whether to feel elated or worried at that fact.

Queen Vestal too looked at the list with a measure of surprise.
She then turned to Aya and then back to the view screen and the
caption beneath the image. '...Identity pending.'

"Um..." Ranma, pointing up at the picture of the fourth person,
interjected himself into the conversation. "What is this a list
of again?"

 The queen rose from her throne and stood before Aya, appraising
the young woman with her eyes. "It is a listing of the most
lecherous beings in the universe."

"WHAT!" everyone in the crowd except those from space and
Tomobiki shouted out and swirled around to gape at Akane in
shock.

"No wonder you got all the guys sniffing around you, Akane." Aya
winked in approval.

Her face completely red with embarrassment and anger, Akane
yelled her denials. "That's impossible!"

Ranma looked at her sidelong. "And you're always calling me a
pervert." She booted him from the field and onto the school's
roof.

Queen Vestal's gaze never left Aya. "There is no mistake. The
database is updated and verified constantly." Her eyes narrowed.
"So, you are Ataru Moroboshi," Vestal directed at Aya.

Aya read the caption beneath her picture. "Don't be stupid. Isn't
this Moroboshi supposed to be a guy?" Aya lifted the front of her
school uniform. "Do I look like a guy? I am Identity Pending!"

There was a collective slapping of heads. "That's not a name!"
Vestal exclaimed. Aya blinked confusedly back at her. "It doesn't
matter who you are! I will not lose my throne to you... I
challenge you to the Quaking!" Vestal declared.

"Me? You mean I get to be queen!?" Aya asked with excitement.

"Not unless you answer my challenge, as is my right as the
current sovereign!"

Aya jumped up and down. "Bring it on! Bring it on!"

Lum, who had been silently stewing up to this point, directed her
glare to Aya. "Wait until you hear what the challenge is..."

Aya blinked at Lum then turned to Vestal. "Uh... what is the
challenge?"

Vestal stepped up to her. "It is not for the uninvolved to hear."
She then whispered the rules of the Quaking into Aya's ear.

At hearing what exactly the challenge was about, Aya quirked an
eyebrow. "Whoa... Me... you... I don't do those kinds of things.
Really, I don't. Women just don't do it for me, no matter what
you may have heard otherwise."

Vestal stepped even closer to Aya. "You have no choice," she
declared in low husky voice.

Aya took an awkward step back and fell to the ground; Vestal
instantly pounced on her. With one arm trying to fend Vestal off,
Aya used the other to scurry away. "Wait! Wait! I've got a more
interesting challenge."

Vestal paused. "What is this challenge?"

Aya, whose expression had been one of fear just a moment ago
turned markedly more devious. "Let's go on a little hunt."

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

"And?" Shampoo asked. She was beginning to tire of this
children's tale and was impatient to learn what happened to her
fellow amazons.

In addition to the T-shirt, she was also wearing a pair of pants
that I'm certain belonged to a friend of mine, because at her
feet was a pile of clothing she must have taken from the village.
I even recognized some of my own.

"Where is everyone?" Mi asked the strange woman.

"Where is who?" the woman returned, just barely managing to
contain her laughter.

"My mother and sisters...were is everyone?"

"How should I know?" the woman answered brusquely, her demeanor
changing from that of amusement to checked anger. Her attention
moved to the clothing at her feet and she began to pick through
them for items that peaked her interest.

I was at a lost momentarily. I looked pointedly at the stranger
and noticed that the pale fog was beginning to gather around the
woman once again. When the woman held up a shirt belonging to my
mother, I decided that this person was indeed responsible for
what was going on, or at the least, knew what had happened. I
took a defensive stance. I had practiced it all day and hoped
that I could execute the kick as precisely as I had against that
old tree.

Mi grabbed the fear she was feeling and crushed it into a little
ball. She was an amazon warrior and her village was under attack.
There was no room for fear. Confidently, she took a provocative
step forward.

The woman noticed the change in Mi and sighed aloud. She stood
and crossed her arms against her chest. The fog parted between
the two and even the blue flames in the background seemed to
pause to see what Mi would do next.

I quickly dashed forward and before she could react, attacked
her. I connected, hitting her squarely on the side of her neck.
The blow spun the woman around and head first into the side of
the stone well. She impacted against it so hard that the wall
crumbled.

"This doesn't sound like much of a monster. Is she the one who
attacked the village or isn't she?" Shampoo asked.

Cologne nodded, seemingly in agreement. She wondered if Mi was
leaving some details out.

"I..." Mi began, but was cutoff when a certain pigtailed boy came
bursting through the doors of the caf�.

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Next Chapter Preview:

"Yes, I would like an order of the cr�me of sum yung guy," Aya
said looking at the menu and pointing to an item. Her gaze turned
to that of Mousse clearing the dishes from a nearby table.
"Better make that two."

Shampoo laughed, writing down the order of ramen Aya had pointed
at. She also noticed Ranma-chan watching them intently. Shampoo
wasn't exactly sure why Ranma was hiding from this girl in their
restaurant, but if avoiding this girl kept Ranma with Shampoo and
away from Akane, she was certain she could win the pigtailed
boy's affections after a time. "Anything else you like?"

Aya laughed, she liked a lot of things. Before she could say
something even more lewd, the sound of dishes crashing to the
floor erupted from the rear of the caf�.  Aya turned just in time
to avoid the butcher knife. It flew past her head and into the
crowded after school rush of the cat caf�.


Putting on Heirs part 5:
Three of a Kind
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