I'll say it again. I make no money off of this because I did not create the cast of Ranma or Tenchi. This is all just for fun.
DARK DESCENT
CH 1: A Matter Of Honor
Kasumi's hands trembled as she finished reading the letter she had been given. Slowly she lifted her head and regarded the person sitting in front of her sipping the tea she had prepared. Setting the letter down on the table, she picked up the box it had come inside and stared once more at the only other item it had contained. Wrapped in a vacuum sealed bag was a tanto, dried blood still visible on its blade. As she continued to stare at the weapon, her mind became focused on her visitor once more as a sharp cry emanated from the bundle she held in her lap.
Setting her teacup on the table, the stranger picked up her newborn and began to check the little girl for the source of her discomfort. After a few seconds her hand came to rest on the baby's diaper. Blushing, she looked to her host and smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, but is there somewhere I can go to change her, please?" the young lady asked. Kasumi was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly missed the request, but she shook her head clear after a moment.
"Uhm, of course. The bathroom is just down the hall, third door on your left," Kasumi replied. Her guest bowed and offered her thanks, then stood up, baby in her arms, and proceeded in the direction she had been told. Kasumi followed her with a studying gaze until she entered the washroom and closed the door behind her. Looking back at the letter sitting on the table, she began to sort through the revelations she had just received. Kasumi picked up the letter and read it once more.
Tendo-san
The time has come for the Tendo family to repay a debt that is owed to me. Failure to do so on your part will result in a blood feud between our families. It would not surprise me to find that you do not know how this is possible, so I will tell you the tale.
The tanto blade that has been delivered to you with this letter represents the substance of the wrong committed against my honor. It was used by your sister, Nabiki, in an attempt to murder me after she believed I failed to protect Akane from harm. On the pretense of having information as to Akane's whereabouts, she convinced me to join her in a trip to the Southern part of Japan. I was wary that she would not tell anyone else of this, but agreed to accompany her in the car she had rented for the trip.
During the second evening of the trip while I was asleep in the passenger seat, Nabiki pulled to the side of the road. It was here that she took the blade that lies before you and stabbed me in the chest. It is my belief that she had intended to make it appear as though I had attempted ritual suicide. Unfortunately, the strike did not kill me instantly and I began to struggle, though it was a weak attempt due to the wound. Rather than risk injury to herself, your sister decided to merely dump me out of the car and leave me for dead.
It appears that the Kami were with me that evening. Knowing I needed medical attention, I managed to reach a nearby village where I was taken to the local healer and treated. After many weeks of recovery, I set out to begin a new life. However I made sure to keep the tanto with me as proof of that which was owed me. I vowed never to return to Nerima until such a time that I felt it necessary to have my honor redeemed.
I now feel that time has come. As I am unable to trust your sister nor could I find her, I fear I must leave this debt of honor on your door. I therefore ask for you to shelter and care for the young lady who has delivered this to you as well as her child. She has been in my protection for some time now. I have done all that I can to support her during her pregnancy and the birth of her child. She is still under that protection.
I find I must, however, leave to tend to some business in a place that would prove to be hazardous to the both of them. I therefore offer you the chance to make amends to the slight on my honor from the Tendo family. I do not make this decision lightly but I have no other choice at this time.
It is imperative both for your safety and theirs that her presence is kept secret along with that of my continued existence. There are dangerous people out there who would not hesitate to end her life and the lives of anyone associated with her should her location be uncovered.
Should you doubt my story of your sister then I suggest you have the blade tested as I have made sure to keep it preserved in a sealed environment. The blood can easily be proven as mine while any fingerprints on the handle will match Nabiki's beyond any doubt.
Once my business is concluded I will return for them and depart from the Tendos' lives for good. I know your family's honor means everything to you. I trust you will do all in your power to repay this blood debt.
I will be in touch soon.
Signed,
Saotome Ranma
Kasumi refolded the letter as she heard the bathroom door open. Placing it back on the table, she waited as her guest rejoined her. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Ranma's handwriting was unmistakable. Despite the fact that Ranma had been missing for eight years now, she could still recognize his penmanship though it did appear that his grammar had vastly improved. On matters of honor, though, Ranma was nothing if not a perfectionist. Looking up she regarded her new ward. She watched as the young woman before her discreetly covered the child and began to feed her.
She was quite young, barely out of her teens. If Kasumi had to guess, she would put her age at no more than twenty-two years. Her face held innocence yet there was also hardness in her eyes that spoke of a darkness not yet revealed. She carried herself in a manner that belied a hidden strength, but she was as gentle as any mother would be with her child. Fiery red hair hung down along her back and for a moment Kasumi almost believed that she could be a sister to Ranma's girl form. Despite all this, Kasumi realized that she knew very little about her new guest. This was not acceptable to her.
"So what can you tell me about yourself?" Kasumi asked, smiling sweetly. The girl was obviously a gaijin, so Kasumi decided to reply in English. Unbeknownst to many, she had a real gift for languages. "I'm afraid Ranma's letter was very vague as to how he knows you. It didn't even mention your name."
"Well, I guess it would be proper for me to introduce myself since it appears that the wee one and I will be staying here for some time. The name I was born with is Allison Kathryn McCullough." She lowered her gaze to settle upon her child. "My friends call me Allie, though I have been known as "Hey You" from time to time." She finished with a smile.
Kasumi though startled by the frank manner of her ward continued her inquiry. "So how did you come to meet Saotome-san?" She noticed a sudden shift of her guest's features, a frown that was quickly covered up with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Well It's quite a long story really…and not a very happy one at that."
-----Roppongi-cho: Seven Months Prior-----
The girl was scared. That did not surprise Ranma very much. All the girls who were brought here were frightened to some degree. Even those who had been in service for a few years retained some of the fear despite all the time they had to get used to their fate. They all knew there was no hope for them. All they could do was survive from day to day. No, it wasn't the fact that the girl was visibly afraid that drew his attention. It was the degree to which she was showing it. It was more than usual, and it was enough to cause Ranma to take a big chance.
He couldn't go over to her now. She was in the common room at the moment along with all the other girls who were not yet engaged. Ranma knew that she would be chosen soon enough and he would have a chance to corner her sometime after that. While there were several other girls for a client to choose from, she was the only foreigner among them. This fact made her very popular among the customers who came in, most of them being simple salarymen. It still puzzled Ranma that she had been placed in this particular house instead of one that catered to the foreign businessmen and tourists. That wasn't his area, though.
A middle-aged man tapped him on the shoulder and immediately pointed out the girl in question. Once again, her red hair and larger breasts had drawn the attention of a client. Ranma looked at the man and then realized that it shouldn't have really surprised him. This person was one of her "regulars". Inwardly, Ranma smiled at this. He knew this meant that the customer had more of a fixation on this girl and would therefore be more gentle with her and take his time, thinking it made him seem more caring than her other customers. It also meant that she would take more time afterwards to refresh herself before returning to the common room. Ranma turned to an intercom box and spoke into it, calling the girl's name and telling her what room to go to when she was prepared. He then escorted the client to the same room. After the man entered, he waited by the door for the girl.
When she came up, she was surprised to find him there. Usually, they were told the room number and trusted to be there. It was the first rule that the girls were taught. The last one who had broken it had been a new addition who was still a little too defiant than she should have been. It had taken three weeks for all the evidence of her punishment to heal on her body. As she knocked on the door, she eyed Ranma with a look of nervousness.
For his part, Ranma showed nothing on his face but a neutral expression. Just before the girl entered the room, he stretched out with his senses to read her chi pattern. Starting at her head, he slowly lowered his gaze and paused momentarily when he reached her chest. There was something unusual there. He continued on, this time until he reached her abdomen. That was where he stopped; what he saw left him with no doubt as to the cause of her anxiety. The girl was with child.
"No wonder she's scared," Ranma thought as he walked back to the lobby. After having spent almost six months inside this Yakuza operation, he knew what they would do in this situation. Once the bosses discovered she was pregnant, they would move to have the fetus terminated. The problem was that being what they were they could hardly allow the girl to go to a legitimate clinic to have this done. That meant the girl was in just as much danger of being seriously injured or even killed as the baby.
Ranma thought back to the girl. Based on what he could tell she was nearly two months along. So far she had been able to hide her condition, but that couldn't last much longer. In another week or two, even the heavy geisha robes she wore would be unable to cover her protruding belly. It was only a matter of time before the bosses found out.
"Damn it," Ranma thought to himself as he watched over the lobby. "This is not what I need right now." In his mind he went over the reason he was here in the first place. A complication like this could really mess up everything he had worked towards. After debating the situation in his mind, he finally resigned himself to the fact that his honor wouldn't let him do nothing despite the risk. He was pretty well trusted, so as long as he didn't make any mistakes, he knew that he could pull this off. His mind made up, he called over one of the thugs that helped him ensure things went smoothly.
"Yeah, Ranma, what d'ya need?" He was nothing but a young punk and Ranma gave him a sneer that let him know what he thought.
"Watch over things for a while. I'm going outside for a smoke." He didn't even wait for an answer. His guys knew better than to question him. The last guy who did had just gotten out of the hospital two days ago and was still on a liquid diet thanks to his wired jaw. Ranma headed to the back of the shop and out the service door. As he stepped out into the alley, he looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. Satisfied that he was alone, Ranma jumped to the top of the building and began running over the rooftops until he came down outside a convenience store. Once again, Ranma looked around. He was sure he hadn't been followed but he hadn't gotten where he was by not being careful. Finally he walked over to a payphone on the corner and dialed a number.
"Lieutenant Makibi."
"Hello, Kiyone. It's Ranma. I need a favor from you."
"That depends on what it is, Saotome." The voice on the other end was cold. She did not like the fact that she had a vigilante out in the city. If it weren't for the fact that he let the police do their job in the end, she would have hung up right away. Of course, being his contact within the department also meant she got most of the credit for all the busts. Together, they were actually bringing the Yakuza down bit by bit. It was the only reason for her rapid rise through the ranks to the office she currently held as head of the organized crime task force.
"Do you have a safe house available?"
"What did you finally have your cover blown?" Kiyone smirked on her end of the line.
"It's not for me. It's for a girl at one of the 'houses'. She was brought here through one of the human trafficking rings."
"A foreigner?" This had Kiyone's attention. Now it made her case an international one. The ramifications of such she couldn't even begin to guess at. Although for her it would probably mean another promotion, perhaps even a post in the national agency.
"Yeah, they picked her up in America, but I think she's originally form somewhere in Europe. She has a slight accent that I can't place."
"I think I can arrange something. How long will she need it for?"
"I'd say about seven months or so. Just until she has the baby."
Kiyone's eyes went wide. "SHE'S PREGNANT?"
"Yeah, that's why I need to get her out. You know what they'll do when the bosses find out."
"Alright, I'll set it up. Call me back in two days. I take it you're going to bring her yourself."
"I have to if I'm going to cover things on this end." Ranma's eyes turned cold and his reflected it over the phone. "Kiyone, she is NOT a witness; at least not officially. She does not testify or get questioned. All she is is a girl who needs protecting. I will make other arrangements for her for after the baby is born."
"You know I can't do that, Ranma." It was a vain attempt. Kiyone knew she would have to listen to him.
"That's the deal, Kiyone. When I'm finally ready, you'll have more than enough to take down this end of the Yakuza without the girl. If you can't agree to this, then you'll get no more help from me."
"Fine, Ranma, you win. Like I said, call me back in two days for the location."
"Right. I have to get back now."
"Ranma, I have just one question. Is it your baby?" The only answer Kiyone got was a dial tone as the call was terminated on the other end. Kiyone stared at the receiver for a moment before she hung it up, and then picked it up again to dial another number.
"Jerk."
Ranma walked through the side door of the 'house' and went immediately to the room the girl had been engaged in. As he approached the door, he paused as he heard the soft sobs that emanated from the room. Slowly, Ranma opened the door and found the girl huddled in a corner. She was startled by the opening door, the anguish on her face quickly shifting to one of shock and horror as she saw the man standing before her. Unconsciously, she began to back into the corner before she realized she had no place to run to.
Ranma walked right up to her and knelt in front of her to look her directly in her eyes. He maintained a cold expression in order to keep her honest when he talked to her.
"I know about the baby." His voice was as devoid of emotion as the look he was giving her. He saw her eyes immediately go wide, confirming for him what his senses had told him earlier. He was glad to see that he hadn't gotten rusty.
"B-but that's impossible. I just found out my…" She immediately realized that she had just confirmed what he had said and in doing so had sentenced her child to death before it had even been given the chance to live. Her emotions poured out at what she had done. In doing so, she saved both her own life and that of the baby growing within her as Ranma saw her true feelings.
"If you could save your baby, even if it meant putting your own life at risk, would you do it?"
Her face snapped up. Through her tear-blurred eyes, she searched the face of the man in front of her for any sign of his true intentions. One wrong word would end not only her baby's life but possibly her own as well. She recalled what little she knew about this person.
He was definitely not someone who tolerated any infringement of the rules. A small number of people had crossed him in the few months she had been here. None ever repeated the mistake. She knew that he was not one to take an insult lightly. His honor was very important to him, which she thought somewhat strange giving what he was doing for an occupation.
But he did have honor and protected it fiercely, she realized. Unlike the others, he had never once raised his hand against any of the girls and on more than one occasion he had prevented others from doing so. Though he always wore a look that hinted at no emotion, she had seen his walk get slower. The place was having an effect on him. One she was sure hinted that he was somewhere he didn't want to be doing something he didn't want to do. Somehow in that moment, she knew that she could trust him.
"Even if it meant giving up my life, I would do whatever I had to in order to make sure that my baby had a chance to live," she answered with a fire in her eyes. It told of a hidden strength within her. It was a sign Ranma didn't miss. His decision was made.
Ranma gave her a small smile. "Okay, I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I say. Do you understand?" The girl nodded and he continued. "I'm going to get you out of here, but it's going to take a few days to get everything set up. I need you to just keep going as usual. It'll be tough, but you need to hang on. Can you do that?" Again she nodded.
"What are you going to do?" she asked him through the tears. This time they were coming for a different reason. For the first time in months, she began to feel some hope.
"Best not to tell you right now," Ranma answered. Things were going to be difficult enough without him taking the risk of her letting something slip at the wrong time. "One of the bosses may come down to talk to you about your baby." He saw her shudder at this, so he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "That can't be helped, but I will be there, and I won't let them do anything to you. You're just going to have to trust me."
"I don't know why, but I really think I can."
"Good. You need to get yourself cleaned up now and head back to the common room. For now, I can't do anything about that, but it won't last much longer." Ranma rose up and walked to the door. He stopped and turned before he reached it. "By the way, my name is Ranma Saotome."
"Allison McCullough." She watched as Ranma left, closing the door behind him. With that, she began to clean the tears off her face and compose herself. When she was done, she checked herself in the mirror. For the first time since she came here, she allowed herself a genuine smile before rejoining the other girls in the common room.
The next day, just as Ranma had told her, the boss in charge of this operation came to talk to her. His name was Ichiro Tanaka. At forty years of age, he was one of the youngest bosses the Yakuza had ever had. He was also one of the most ruthless. That being the case, Allison feared what he might do to her. Thankfully for her, Ranma kept his promise and stayed in the room with her. Apparently, Boss Tanaka knew of Ranma's skills as a fighter and was not about to upset him. He had come to hear of just how protective Ranma was of all the girls.
"I hope you didn't think that getting yourself in this condition was going to get you out of working for us," Tanaka told her, staring hard into her eyes. He relished the fear that he saw in her eyes. Turning to Ranma, he asked him, "You say you know somebody who will perform the procedure at no cost whatsoever?"
"That's right," Ranma told him. "He won't talk either. He knows better than to cross me."
"I hope so for your sake. You've proven yourself to be a valuable asset to our organization, but just remember that, like any other asset, you are expandable."
"I understand, Tanaka-sama. With your permission then, I will take her in two days."
"Is he a professional?"
"We run the same risks as with our normal people, but at least, like I said before, he is doing this for free. I told him the consequences would be most severe should anything happen to the girl. Aside from that I can make no promises."
"Very well," Tanaka told him before he leveled his gaze back to Allison. "I hope, my dear, that you will not be this foolish again."
Allison nodded, keeping her gaze to the floor. When Tanaka left she muttered a small prayer of thanks. It could have been a lot worse for her. It was not unheard of for girls who allowed themselves to become pregnant to be beaten or whipped around the midsection until they suffered a miscarriage. She had already seen that happen to one of the other girls and was told of two more that had suffered the same fate. Thanks to Ranma, she had been spared that pain. Hopefully, she would be spared even more pain come two days time.
Kiyone paced in front of the apartment building, alternately watching down the street and glancing at her watch. It was already a half-hour past the agreed upon meet time. This wasn't helping her mood and it had already been a long day. Her department chief had wanted a more thorough explanation of why she wanted to use the safe house, but she had been none forthcoming with any new information. Of course, that was because she didn't have all that much information to begin with herself. She went over what little she did know as she continued her pacing.
Ranma was bringing a girl to the safe house, a foreigner. Where she was from he hadn't told Kiyone, but there was a possibility that he didn't know himself. That girl had been working at one of the Yakuza's many houses of pleasure. She had been brought over through one of the human trafficking rings, so she was here either against her will or under false pretenses. Kiyone knew of several stories of how young girls in Europe and America were lured to Japan under the impression that they were going to be models or pop stars only to find themselves trapped in a world of prostitution and slavery.
She was so lost in her thoughts that Kiyone jumped when Ranma arrived with the girl. Of course, anybody would have done the same considering the fact that Ranma had landed behind her from the roof. She was even more shocked to find him carrying a young redhead in his arms. Kiyone quickly composed herself and gave Ranma a hard look. It was their first time meeting and she didn't want to seem weak.
"You're late, you know."
"Yeah, I know," he said as he put the girl down. She was a little shaken from her rooftop trip but aside from that she appeared to be in good health. "We had a tail that I had to shake, so I had to take her to a crowded area on the other side of town before I could make my move and double back."
Kiyone took the time to gauge the person in front of her. Ranma appeared to be about 5'8" tall and in decent physical shape. His long black hair was pulled back and tied into a ponytail that fell to just below his shoulders. He had a remarkably athletic build which she attributed to his training in martial arts. That aspect of him had been readily known to her from the way he was able to come up behind her. That and the fact that he had come from the top of a five-story building with no more effort than stepping off a street curb.
As she watched him, though, she noticed something else. There was a gentleness within him that he hid behind his tough exterior. The way he administered to the girl he had brought out made that clear. Kiyone realized that he held his honor in very high esteem. There was really no other reason that she could see for him to take such a large risk. It was sure death for him if any of the Yakuza bosses discovered what he had done, and he knew that more clearly than anyone possibly could. She came out of her thoughts When Ranma brought the girl up to her.
"Kiyone, this is Allison." Ranma watched as they shook hands. "Allison, I want you to meet Detective Kiyone Makibi. She's going to be protecting you for a while." Those words hit Kiyone hard. She knew that if Allison stayed in the safe house, she would have to delegate her protection to other officers in her department. Somehow she knew that this wasn't going to be acceptable to Ranma. There was only one solution, but did she want to take on such a risk? Finally she realized that she didn't have any choice if she wanted to continue to get information on the Yakuza.
"Ranma, talk to me for a minute." Ranma nodded and walked over to Kiyone so that Allison couldn't hear what they were saying. "Listen, I don't think the safe house is the best idea. I'll have to get other officers to watch her and then the department is going to want to question her."
"You have another idea then?"
Kiyone nodded. "She can stay at my place."
Twenty minutes later, Kiyone pulled into the covered garage adjacent to her apartment building. Instead of parking right away, however, she stopped her car next to the door leading into the stairwell. Ranma and Allison quickly got out and went inside and headed to the floor Kiyone had told them to go to. Using the spare key he had been given, Ranma opened the door and stepped inside, sweeping the interior to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them. He didn't expect any. Before choosing her as his contact within the police, Ranma had completely investigated Kiyone and found her to be completely honest and straightforward. Still, you could never be too careful, especially considering who their enemies were. Deciding that it was safe, he led Allison inside and turned on the lights.
Allison took in her surroundings and smiled. She was finally free of the nightmare her life had become. Not too long ago, she had been trapped in a place that every day and night robbed her of a little more of her soul. Eventually, they would have taken from her the joy of being a mother as well. It was that thought that caused a shudder to run through her body.
Now she was filled with a new hope. Her main concern at present was taking care of herself so that she could have a healthy baby. During this time, though, she knew that she was also going to have to begin thinking about what she was going to do once the baby was born. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to have to raise this child on her own. To do that she was going to need a job and her own place to live.
She sighed as she sat down on the small sofa in the living room. These things were still far into the future she knew. For now she was going to have to keep a low profile. Despite the cover story Ranma had created, she knew that the Yakuza would probably still look into the situation. If they ever found her, she knew that it was not going to be a question of if she would die but one of what method and how long it would take.
By the time Kiyone came in, Ranma had completely checked out the apartment, noting things like how far up they were, what kind of view the windows gave, and how many ways a person might come in undetected. Being a smaller apartment, there weren't many of the last and all of them were easily covered in one way or another. Kiyone noted what Ranma had been up to and turned to Allison.
"Allison, there are some sodas in the fridge. Would you mind bringing a tray of them out for us so that we can talk?"
"Sure, and by the way, my friends call me Allie." She smiled as she hurried to the kitchen, glad that she could be doing something to help repay the kindness she was being shown. When she was out of earshot, Kiyone turned back to Ranma.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked.
"It seems secure enough. Do you use an alarm system?" He thought he had noticed some odd devices around the windows and door, but didn't recognize them.
Kiyone nodded. "Yeah but they're not something you will find commercially. I doubt even the government has the type I have. I know someone who is very good at inventing things. She designed this system." Kiyone pointed to her doorframe and Ranma saw what appeared to be a metal band that surrounded it. "This band reads a person's DNA profile and feeds it to a central processor. If someone comes in and the system doesn't recognize them as a friend, they find themselves shocked by a couple thousand volts of energy."
"So how did Allison and me get in?" Ranma was to say the least skeptical. He could not believe this kind of technology existed. He knew the Yakuza had contacts in several research firms all over the world, both government and commercial. Nothing had ever been mentioned about this level of security being even in the design stages.
"When you went up, I deactivated the system with this." She held up a small device that appeared to be, for the most part, a palm pilot. "I can operate the entire system through this. It also lets me know when I have an attempted breach."
"Impressive. I guess she'll be safe here then. I take it you're going to add her profile to the list of authorized people."
"As well as your own. I take it you're going to want to check up on her now and then." When Ranma hesitated, she frowned. "Look, Ranma, we're the first people she has met in a long time that have done anything that even resembles a show of kindness. I've met girls who have been through this. She may seem alright now, but she is still going to need to be able to talk to people that she trusts. Right now the only two people here that she can do that with are you and me."
Ranma sighed. Kiyone was right, of course. More than anyone, he knew the dangers of not being able to talk to anyone about his problems. Sooner or later, it would eat you up inside.
"I can't do it that often. The bosses will notice if I start acting outside the routine I've established."
Kiyone shushed him as she saw Allison return with a tray full of drinks. Unfortunately, she failed to see that the rug in the living room had been disturbed and ended up tripping over a fold that was sticking up, sending the drinks flying at her two protectors. When she looked up to apologize, her words were lost as her eyes widened in shock. They were almost as large as Kiyone's.
Ranma cursed to himself as he felt the familiar tingle wash over his body. This was one complication he had hoped to avoid, but then he remembered that the harder he wanted to keep it hidden, the more likely it seemed that fate would intervene and cause him to fail at this. He, now she, pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the soda from her face. That's when she heard the distinctive click of a gun hammer being pulled back. Turning, she faced down the barrel of the 9mm Beretta Kiyone had trained on his chest.
"Considering what you just told me about your security system, how likely is it that I'm somebody other than the person who was here before?" Ranma asked, looking Kiyone hard in the eyes.
Kiyone considered this and slowly replaced her weapon in her side holster. She watched as Ranma went over to Allison and helped her to her feet before guiding her to the sofa. Finally she walked over to the chair in the corner and sat down herself, never once taking her eyes off of Ranma.
"Well?" she asked Ranma.
Ranma sighed. She didn't have a lot of time left before she had to report back to Tanaka. She also would have to change back before she made that report. One look at Kiyone, though, told her that she wasn't leaving without explanation. Finally, Ranma sat down next to Allison and began her tale.
"It all started back when I was three years old."
An hour later, the story was told. Ranma was impressed with Kiyone. She seemed to take it all in stride. This made her wonder what it was the detective must have gone through herself to be so accepting of magic and curses. Allison, however, was a different story. In fact, it was because of her that the story took an hour to tell instead of the normal thirty minutes. Even after the tale of the training journey was done, she was still asking questions.
"So, have you given upfinding a cure for your curse?"
Ranma merely shrugged. "I haven't been actively looking for one for the past few years. If someone were to offer me the chance though, I don't know if I would take it."
"Why not?" Kiyone asked her. "I mean doesn't it bother you?"
"It used to. Now I've gotten used to it. In fact, it's gotten me out of quite a few tough spots, especially conisdering what I am doing."
"So the Yakuza don't know about this."
"Nope,and I don't intend to let them find out." Ranma shuddered. "Can you imagine what they would do to me if they saw me in my female form?"
"Nothing I would like to speculate on."
Further conversation was interrupted by a beeping alarm. Ranma frowned and looked down at the watch on her wrist.
Damn, this has taken longer than I had planned. I have to go report back to Tanaka."
Kiyone stood up. "You obviously don't plan to do so looking like that. How do you change back?"
"Warm water changes me back. It's only temporary though." Ranma watched Kiyone walk back into the kitchen. Turning back to Allison, she took her hand. "Don't worry, I'll be by from time to time to check in on you."
Ranma walked up to Kiyone as she came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. Dumping the contents over her head, she changed back to a he and then headed for the door. Just before he left, he turn back to both girls and gave them a wink. Smiling, he left, closing the door behind him.
Kiyone turned to Allison and said, "You know, before tonight, I thought he was nothing but a self-centered, egotistical, macho jerk"
"And now?"
"Now I find out there's a lot more to him than I realized." Kiyone gave her a quick smirk. "He's still a jerk, thoough."
Allison couldn't help but laugh.
-----Tendo Estate, Present Day-----
"I must say that it took Ranma demonstrating the curse a few times before it completely sunk in."
Kasumi nodded. She remembered when Ranma and his father had first come to the dojo. She had found it hard to believe that magic really did exist until she had seen Mr. Saotome throw Ranma into the koi pond that still remained in the yard. She thought back to how she had been so repulsed by this that she and her sister, Nabiki, had literally thrown their younger sister, Akane, into the arranged engagement. As time had gone by, she had often wondered if that had been far too rash of her. In the years that followed, she came to realize what a decent and honorable young man he really was. The thought that Ranma was working in a Yakuza-owned pleasure house came as something of a shock, even if he was doing it in order to eventually bring it down.
"So what happened after that?"
"Ranma returned to Boss Tanaka and told him how the person he had gotten to perform the procedure had botched it. The result was my death as well as that of the doctor at Ranma's hand as punishment for failing him. Tanaka was not at all pleased to hear of my loss and demanded to see my body."
"And how did Ranma deal with that issue?" Kasumi asked. The only thing that she could think of was that someone else's body had been delivered, but that would have meant that Ranma would have had to take the life of an innocent girl.
"It was quite clever really. He burned an old warehouse that had been slated for destruction the next week. Tanaka was led to believe that both bodies had been consumed in the flames. Kiyone helped develop a false post-mortem report for myself and the nonexistent doctor. It was a good thing too. It seems Tanaka had an some of his people check everything out. It turns out that we gaijin girls are quite popular with their various clients and very hard to obtain. My loss represented a huge loss in their earnings."
"So where is Ranma now?"
"I'm not totally sure, but I think he is still working inside the pleasure house. He and Kiyone have been meeting a lot more in recent days. I think something big is about to happen. They want to keep me out of it, so they don't say anything around me."
"That does sound like the Ranma I remember. He could never stand to see an innocent hurt."
Allison took a drink of her tea and continued. "Over the next several months, Kiyone looked after me and became my first real friend over here. She had a friend of hers take care of me medically. Apparently she had all the knowledge but never became a fully licensed doctor, so there was no way for the Yakuza to discover me through medical records." Allison giggled under her breath. "I must admit she did make me nervous at first. She looked way to young to know as much as she did and that spiky red hairdo of hers was just weird. The worst part of all was her laugh though. It sounded like something form an old mad scientist movie."
"And what about Ranma?" Kasumi asked. "Did he listen to this Kiyone person about being there for you?"
Allison nodded. "He would look in on me from time to time. I must say it really did make a big difference. Up to that point, I had thought all men were perverted monsters. I guess that's not too surprising considering what happened to me. Ranma, however, was always a perfect gentleman to me. He was even there for the little one's birth."
As if she knew she was being talked about, the little girl in her arms began to coo. Allison smiled down at her and then surprised Kasumi by getting up and taking a seat next to her.
"Would you like to hold her?" Alison asked. After all, if this was a friend of Ranma's, she knew she could be trusted.
Not knowing what else to do, Kasumi nodded blankly. As Allison handed the baby over to her, she couldn't help but smile at the little bundle of pink that was wrapped tightly in the blanket. The first thing she noticed was that the baby was definitely a mix between the woman in front of her and a Japanese man. The baby's eyes were a bright blue that shone like a pair of the most perfect opals. Thin wisps of red hair matted the top her head. Kasumi tickled the little baby's chin and was rewarded with a fit of giggles. Allison looked on with joy.
"She really seems to like you. I'm glad."
"So am I," Kasumi said before her head came up in shock. Now where had that come from? Kasumi looked back down at the child in her arms, watching as she began drifting back to sleep. "By the way, what's her name? You never did tell me."
Allison's hand came up to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. "Dear me, you're right. How silly of me." She reached over and gently stroked her daughter's head.
"Kasumi, I'd like to introduce you to Ranko."
By sheer willpower, Kasumi managed not to drop the child.
-----Dublin, Ireland-----
Click. Snap. These were sounds all too familiar to Ashley McCullough. He was being woken up at gunpoint again. He tightened his grip on the knife he slept with under his pillow…well it wasn't exactly his pillow; he had pilfered it off of a vagrant at the shelter last week, and he liked it because it smelled like beef.
"Wake up McCullough!" his voice sounded like it had had one too many cigarettes. "You done fecked up real big this time, ye' bag o' shite'!" God this prick could a'ravate th' floys n'a d'onkey's arse.
"Whattaya want, ye' r'tarded m'nkey." Man I'm cool, like Charlie Bronson "Can't ye' see Ah'm tryin' ta sleep here?"
The man with the smokers' voice shoved Ashley out of his hammock. "I SAID MOVE YER ARSE!" Ashley rolled as he hit the floor and made it to his feet with a bounce, one knife at the man's throat with another through his forearm.
"Well now, Ah'm th'nkin thet ye'll be droppin' yer piece."
"GOD DAMMIT, ASHLEY! ME FECKIN' ARM!" the smoker bellowed.
Ashley head butted him. "Listen te me ye' horse's arse. Th' name is Mickey." He twisted the knife in the man's arm making him drop his gun in the process.
"Now Ah'll be askin' ye one more time lad." He cut into the man's neck ever so slightly drawing a bit of blood as he did so. "What is it that could be so pressin upon ye' that ye' interrupt a man's most important beauty sleep? Ah'll be needin' that answer in five, four, th- AAhh SHITE!" He looked into the man's face and saw that his eyes had rolled into his head, and with a curse he dropped him to the floor. "Ah, well maybe he's got some cash on im'." Ashley had just begun to go through the mans pockets when he heard a cellular phone ring
"Well is' not mine." He took the man's phone out of his coat pocket and answered
"Allo?"
"Did ye' get im'?"
"That depends, if ye' mean by im' d'ya mean th' man you sent in who's only now smellin'up me' flat cuz he shite imself'?"
"McCullough?"
"Th' One an' only. Now what th' feck kin ah do fer ya?"
"Where's me money ye' lil' shite?"
"Up Yer arse where'n ye' left it. Who the flyin feck m'ah talkin' ta?"
"YE' GOD DAMN KNOW BLOODY WELL WHO THE FECK THIS IS, NOW IF I DINNA GET ME' MONEY BY 2:00 YER FECKIN DEAD!"
"Faith and begorrah ye' dinna' have ta' yell. Ye'll get yer money Finnegan, bout' as soon as I shove me knife through yer forehead! Now leave me the feck alone!"
He hung up the phone and put it in his pocket because hey ho it's a free feckin' phone, as his dear departed mother would put it. He then continued to rifle through the unconscious man's pockets taking cash and a few gold chains as he did so. He then came across something that made him stop. It was a worn photo of a familiar young woman in a geisha outfit that did her no justice standing in front of a neon sign that read "Come see the girls of Roppongi, Tokyo."
"Allykat?"
He slapped the man awake.
"Why the feck d'ya have a picture of me sister?"
"Shove it up yer arse Ashley!"
"If'n I told ye' once, I told ye a tousand' times." He gave the man a stare that could have given Satan himself pause as he brought his knife across the man's throat. "Call me Mickey."
Ashley McCullough, better known to those who knew him as "Mickey", had never been in a better mood as he put on his brown bomber jacket and walked out of his flat with his pillow under his arm. He had found his sister, or at least he had found a lead. Decision made he pulled out his shiny new phone and dialed a number. The other line picked up.
"McClaine."
"How's it hangin', ol' boy."
"Mickey, I thought I told you never to call me here."
"D'tails, d'tails. Ah'm callin' in a favor. Ah need transportation to Japan, an' a passp'rt. Among o'ther things."
"Japan? Why the hell are you trying to get to Japan?"
"Ne'er mind that, kin ye' swing it?
"Yeah sure, But why?"
"Ah think ah've found some arse ta kick, it concerns me' family."
"I see. Call back in two days. It'll be ready."
"Gotcha, Don't feck me over now, ye'll regret it te' be sure."
"You know me."
"Tha's why Ah worry, boyo."
"And, Mickey…"
"Yeh?"
"You know this makes us even."
"Yeh, yeh, ah know. Later."
Mickey hung up the phone and hailed a cab.
"Wait fer me Allykat. Yer big bro's comin' fer ye."
END CHAPTER ONE
Author's Notes
Well, here it is. The first chapter of my third story. This will be my last new story until I complete at least one of my three tales. I am taking a small break from Unplugged to write a few more chapters of this and Trial Of Love. I plan on alternating posting chapters between the two until I catch up to Unplugged and then will be alternating among the three.
The idea for this story actually came to me in a dream a few nights ago. The fact that I actually remembered it as well as I did made me have to put this down. I plan on making this a dark look into what our heroes are capable of seeing and becoming. While Ranma is still going to be a hero, we will find that he may do things we would not expect.
On that note, I know the characters will be a bit out of character but that is going to be explained. I believe you will see what has turned our friends into what they become. Please be patient though. It will not be explained all at once.
As I said before, this is going to be for the most part a dark tale looking into the souls of people we have come to know. In some cases we hate them and in others we love them. Some of them we may even feel neutral towards. Despite the darkness, there will be a bit of comic relief in the form of Mickey.
Unfortunately, I can not take credit for this character. I was not even planning to have such a comic relief. However after sharing my story idea wih a fellow shipmate onboard, he created this character and convinced me of his need. Now I cannot see my tale without him. Out of appreciation, I am allowing him to write most of the scenes involving the knife throwing Irishman including his introduction. I really don't think I could have done it better. Once he comes up with a pen name, I will give him proper credit.
I hope you have enjoyed this story. I really don't see this story ending anytime in the near future. I hope to make this my "epic" tale as many other writers have done with other stories of their own. Hopefully, this will be my big mark.
Anyway, as usual, C&C as you see fit. Some of my best story ideas have come from the reviews submitted and I fully appreciate it. Thanks to all who have read my works.