Author's Notes –
No more disclaimers – I posted them on the first ten chapters or so of the fic. I hope you're not that ignorant of ownership issues with this fic if you've been reading it this long.
I'm leaving ships open right now.
Yes, Dr. Tofu is kinda meek, especially for someone as forward and firm as Tsuruko, and I guess age shouldn't be an issue….
I realize that Motoko and Naru are both similar to Akane in that they're both 'light' versions of the tomboy, and thus Ranma would have to deal with similar issues with them. The thing is, don't expect the cast to stay true to their portrayals in the manga/anime/games as the situations are forcing them to adapt and change ever so slightly.
Yes, there's a reason for so many crossovers. The newer characters shouldn't take away from the face time of the major characters – Ranma and Keitaro – but they will affect the leads' somehow. As to SF timeline, this is after SF4 but before SF3 (which is weird but that's how Capcom did it so don't blame me) and after SFA so expect the dolls to try and have some personality as they're trying to deprogram.
As to Ranma learning new techniques, well he hasn't exactly had the time to with everything that's happening. But expect that to change once he finally gets pushed to the limit by a Darkseeker.
On a side note – WooHoo, this fic hit 100 reviews.
*****
It wasn't unusual for the young, energetic blond to be found deep in thought as she went over her various scientific experiments. As the Hinata Sou's resident mad scientist Su was often found working hard in her workshop. But with the fall of mankind due to the Krippin virus she rarely left the safety of the air-filtered second and third floors of the Hinata Sou. Her specially designed shower (which was much more efficient though less entertaining than a bath) inside her room allowed her to wash up but kept her separate from the rest of the residents who were able to share an hour bathing together. Forced to stay inside she had taken to doing what she could do – working on a cure and on new mecha designs.
With Ryoga and Mousse around to do the heavy labor Su knew she could devote her attention and resources to finally analyzing the information she'd gathered while in Todai. Having also gathered a blood sample from each of the residents (new and old) she carefully placed a drop of their blood on individual glass slides. Handing the slides delicately she slide them onto a tray and into a specially designed and prepared room where the robotic arms carefully added an extract of gathered blood and saliva from the former Hinata Sou residents turned Darkseekers.
As the machines labeled the samples Su yawned. "I guess I'll work on that personal air filter," she mumbled. Need to make it more durable so that I can take more than one bath with everyone.
*****
Ranma really hated his, err, her beard. The thick red growth was very irritating in more ways than one. Since changing into his, err, her girl form (kinda hard to think that he, err, she was a girl when she had a thick beard) Ranma noticed not only the itchy and irritable skin around her chin and mouth, but an uneasy feeling that presided over the back of her mind. She just wanted to lash out at something, anything. She even debated picking a fight with either or both swordswomen just because… well, just because she wanted to.
"Why don't we stop in here?" Tsuruko suggested as they came across a now vacant café. "We might be able to find some food and we all need to rest a bit."
Ranma followed the elder sibling into the unlocked café. Standing so close behind the tall, elegant woman he, err, she couldn't help but notice the swordswoman's firm buttocks and shapely legs. Gulping, the bearded redhead fought the urge to simply tackle the woman before him, err, her, as she held the door for Motoko.
Damn, Motoko's pretty hot too, she thought as the younger Aoyama sibling walked past her. Without those bindings she really does have a nice pair….
Shaking her head, Ranma fought back the desire to ravish either of the women in their skin tight outfits. She was sure that if she were in her male form she'd have been pitching a tent. Grateful for the lack of such an obvious sign of her arousal the redhead closed the door as she distinctly tried not to look at the pair of sibling's firm, fine asses as they walked ahead of him.
*****
Rolling his neck Ryoga smirked. It'd been a long time since he'd been able to spar with anyone. Sure, destroying half of Nerima had been fun (in a drunken sense of the word) but it hadn't been what he needed. Cracking his fists he offered Mousse a respectful bow. The nearsighted boy gently pushed his glasses over his eyes before returning the gesture.
"Okay," Dr. Tofu said, drawing the two boy's attention. "Remember, no ki enforcements for strength and no special techniques. This is sparring only – you're not here to destroy the place."
Both boys nodded.
"Begin!"
Charging ahead Ryoga knew that he had a distinct advantage over his opponent in close combat. Though Mousse was faster the nearsighted boy was used to using weapons at mid to long range. Without his beloved weapons Mousse would be hard pressed to keep up with Ryoga's strength and endurance.
Surprisingly Mousse held his ground as the directionless wrecking ball known and Ryoga closed with him. A sudden sweep threatened to knock Ryoga's feet out from under him, forcing him to jump out of the way and abort his attack.
"They're pretty good," Mutsumi stated Kanako settled in beside her.
"Eh, I've seen better," Naru replied as she nursed her injured hand.
"This is nothing," Kanako added. "I'm sure that if they really wanted to go all out then they'd be tearing this place apart."
Naru looked at the raven haired girl skeptically.
"The only reason I found them was because Ryoga and Ranma had leveled most of Nerima," the lithe girl stated. "Somehow the two of them had done so with brute force, though they were pretty drunk when it happened."
The trio of girls watched as Mousse peppered Ryoga with swift kicks and punches. Though he landed more attacks it was clear that Ryoga was unfazed as he shrugged off the hits. Finally he managed to break through the longhaired boy's defenses, slipping past his guard as he connected with a glancing blow to Mousse's stomach, doubling him over. Winding up for a left cross Ryoga growled as he started to throw the punch.
"Stop!" Dr. Tofu commanded, calling an end to the practice bout.
Opening his fist Ryoga patted Mousse on the back, helping his breathless opponent to stand straight.
"I knew you were strong," the be-speckled boy gasped, "but…"
"Hehe," Ryoga chuckled as he scratched his head, not sure he wanted to admit to having received a gift from Happosai. "I guess I forgot how strong I really am."
*****
Glaring at the kettle of water Ranma willed the liquid to heat up faster than it already was. For countless minutes (at least it seemed that way) the bearded girl had simply sat and stared at the kettle as Tsuruko headed up to the roof in hopes of getting a better view of the area around them.
"Shouldn't we be gathering supplies?" Motoko suggested from across the room. With one of the curtains draped over her shoulder to provide her with some modesty (since the skin tight suit let little to the imagination) she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed before her (which only served to accentuate her unbound breasts).
The whistle of the kettle informed him, err, her, that the water was ready. Pouring the water into three cups and then into a thermostat Ranma made sure that there was enough water left in the kettle before she pulled off her wet silk shirt, the busty bearded redhead stood up. Ignoring Motoko's protest about being topless in public, Ranma poured the hot water over her, err, his head. The change was instantaneous, though not as gratifying as he had expected. Though the itch from his female form's beard was gone, the other, odd restlessness remained.
"As much as I like the view, I do think that you'll give my poor little sister a heart attack, Ran-ma," Tsuruko teased.
Stuffing his still wet shirt into stuff-space, Ranma pulled out a dry one. Quickly putting it on, he stood tall before the two women. "So, what's up?" he asked as he spotted the odd figure standing beside the swordswoman. "Who's your friend?"
A pale white figure emerged from the shadows. Even in the darkness it was clear that the newcomer was not human. Something about the odd ears and the fact that she wasn't wearing clothes (though that depended if you included armor as clothing) had clued him off to that fact.
"I am Seven," the gynoid replied with a formal bow.
"Seven?" Motoko repeated; her hand on her sword.
"She is one of the handfuls of gynoids left," Tsuruko explained.
"Gynoid?" the raven haired boy asked.
"I'll explain on the way," the elder Aoyama stated. "Right now we need to get moving. We need to make it to Library Island before night fall.
"Seven, if you would."
The gynoid simply walked towards the entrance, leading the trio of survivors out of the café.
"It appears that we were too late," Tsuruko explained. "The day after the rest of the Shinmeiryuu arrived here the magi here decided to evacuate the remaining populace."
"So they went to this 'Library Island'?" Ranma asked. It made sense as the water did keep the Darkseekers away.
"No, they went to the magical world," Tsuruko stated. "While the magic of the World Tree was able to filter out the airborne virus, it couldn't keep the Darkseekers away from the populace here. The only safe place left for them to go was the magical world where there was no Krippin Virus."
"Then why are we going to this Library Island sister?"
"For shelter – it won't be long before the Darkseekers come out," the elder swordswoman answered. "The World Tree not only provides a lot of cover and shade, it also keeps a lot of rain from falling on the ground around its base."
Not to mention that it's a lot warmer here, so they're more likely to come out despite the weather, Ranma thought as he trailed after the gynoid.
*****
Stuck in the tiny cabin together Keitaro couldn't help but wonder if they would be able to continue using the sailboat. It had been just the right size for two people, but for four, well, it would be extremely cramped. Though the bed was designed for one, it was capable of holding two, and with the two unused hammocks there would be enough room for everyone. The only thing they needed were blankets as the two meager blankets had barely kept Keitaro and Tina warm during the cold nights. "Sorry," he said as he turned to allow Juni and Juli to enter the tiny cabin. Pressing his back against the wall he waited as the two walked into the cramped space. "This is all we have – it's not a lot, but hopefully it'll do."
"It'll do," the brunette, Juli, replied in crisp Japanese.
"Um, we should probably get you two out of your clothes," he added. "We've got some extra clothes over in that…"
Unable to speak, Keitaro simply watched as the Juli and Juni stripped off their tight one-piece outfits as though he weren't there. C-cups…
A loud crashing sound brought Tina rushing down the stairs, shotgun in hand as she came down to the cabin to investigate. "Keitaro! What did you…?"
The sight of the two young women, naked as the day they were borne, standing by the hammocks as a stunned Keitaro lay on the floor told the busty blond everything she needed to know. He had after all passed out after seeing her completely naked once.
*****
The vast, wide open spaces simply amazed Ranma. I've seen hotels smaller then this library, he thought as he glanced up at the high ceilings overhead. No wonder it's an entire island.
The short (to him) trip had been uneventful as he had somehow managed to avoid transforming as the rain gave way to a heavy mist. If not for the gynoid's guidance Ranma was sure that they would not have been able to find the island (or they would have at least had to swim there).
Aside from the handful of Seven's sisters and brothers and the trio of survivors, there appeared to be no one on the campus at all. What had once clearly been a bustling campus full of life was little more than a series of vacant buildings and empty plazas. Stores that had once seen plenty of traffic had not seen any visitors in what appeared to be months.
"Where are we going?" Motoko asked as Seven led them down a deep stairwell.
"To see the Colonel," Seven stated.
Glancing over the edge of the stairs, Ranma contemplated just taking the quick way down. Still antsy and feeling the need to do something, he wanted to just jump over the edge.
"Saotome-san!" Motoko shouted, clearly alarmed by his apparent suicidal tendencies.
"Ranma!" Tsuruko's voice echoed as she held her sister back from following after him.
Bouncing off of the walls he rapidly descended as he did a reverse triangle jump all the way down to the next level a good kilometer down from the top of the stairs.
Shaking his head, Ranma knew that even if he did take that route he'd have to wait for the girls and the gynoid to reach the bottom. That would take too long. Seeing Shippu gliding down the open chasm Ranma nodded, his decision already made.
"Sorry," he said to Motoko before him.
"What did you do now?" the uptight swordswoman asked as she stopped and turned around to face him.
Grabbing hold of her arm he pulled her to him. Shifting his hold on her he wrapped his arm around her as he lifted her off her feet and hooked his other arm under her legs. Jumping over the side he easily reached the opposite wall.
"RANMA!" Motoko shouted as she realized that he had jumped over the edge. Somehow she managed to drown out both Tsuruko and Seven's shouts. Wrapping her arms around his neck and head she clung to him as the air rushed by them.
Leaping from one side of the hole to the other, he cleared the gaping chasm, easily reaching the stairs without breaking a sweat. After a few jumps he had his rhythm down pat, landing gently on some soft yet firm ground, he set down his passenger.
"That was faster," he stated happily. Slowly he set the trembling swordswoman down. "You alright?"
Knees still weak Motoko slammed her palms into his shoulders, "Wh-what the hell were you doing?!"
"Uh, I got impatient," Ranma stated. "I tend to just take the straightest route, even if it's just down."
"Y-you're insane!" she shouted as she buried her face into his shoulder.
Feeling her breasts pressed against his chest, Ranma felt his desire for her grow, well, something was growing… Breathing in her scent as she clung to him, he refrained from wrapping his arms around her as he spotted Tsuruko and Seven slowly descended on the gynoid's rocket boots.
Hearing the roar of Seven's rockets, Motoko quickly composed herself. Pulling herself away from Ranma she stood tall, towering just over the shorter pigtailed martial artist.
"You should be safe down here," Seven stated as she landed.
"That looked like fun," Tsuruko smirked, "maybe we can do that next time Ran-ma."
Feeling a wave of heat as her sister taunted the shorter martial artist, Motoko secretly fumed. Not sure if she was upset at her sister for her blatant teasing of Ranma or because she was jealous that her sister had that kind of relationship with him, Motoko turned her back to everyone as she pretended to examine the large cavern they were now in.
"Wow," Ranma exclaimed as he took in the unbelievable cavern. "Where's the light coming from?"
Watching as Seven lead Ranma around the cavern, Motoko felt a slight pang of jealousy as the lone boy went off with the gynoid.
*****
The sound of heavy, labored breathing filled the room as the two young men faced off. With little to do other than spar Ryoga and Mousse had spent virtually the entire day trading punches, kicks, and the occasional throw. Though Kanako and Dr. Tofu occasionally swapped in, it had been primarily Ryoga squaring off against Mousse.
Seven to one, he thought as he counted the number of hits that Mousse landed before he managed to land a counter. Despite the disparity of hits landed it was clear that Mousse looked much worse as Ryoga's punishing hits continued to land. Even though he had slowly begun to tone down the power behind his punches, the bandana wearing boy still had yet to properly adjust to his increased strength.
Hearing the air rush out of Mousse's lungs, Ryoga stood up. Offering his hand he helped Mousse back to his feet.
"I think that's enough for today," Dr. Tofu declared as he stood up.
Dripping sweat, Mousse nodded while Ryoga panted. Wiping the sweat from their brows, the two boys exchanged polite bows.
*****
Hiding in the shadows a lone figure continued to watch the trio and their mechanical guide as she trailed after the group of survivors. Even with the fog turning to mist, it wasn't hard for the skilled ninja to follow the group discretely.
Even though she had been concerned about losing her quarry once they entered the large building, the ninja had managed to follow their trail despite the many twists and turns through the multiple shelves full of books. Scuffed wood, wet footprints in the carpet or on the tiles told her the path that the group had taken. Reaching the giant stairwell the ninja girl swiftly descended. Hopefully her luck would hold and she'd be able to tail the group.
*****
A gentle rain fell, filling the open air bath with the sound of rain drops hitting the large tarp. Though much more humid then usual, it was much better than forsaking a bath after the day's sparring.
"Ah," Mousse exclaimed, "that feels so nice…."
Seeing the handful of bruises on Mousse's torso Ryoga tried to change the subject, "I wonder what Ranma and the others are doing right now?"
"Wow, those must hurt," Dr. Tofu stated as he walked over to Mousse.
"This is nothing," Mousse replied. "Ranma's usually roughs me up this bad when we get into a fight, so it's nothing I'm not used to. They'll probably be gone when I wake up in the morning."
"Hehe," Ryoga chuckled nervously, "yeah, Ranma usually does a lot worse when we mix things up."
Dr. Tofu nodded as he stepped into the hot water. "Ryoga, I know you're a tough nut to crack, but have you always had issued holding back?"
"Err, um…"
"I think I remember Shampoo once saying that only a really strong and tough girl could handle Ryoga," Mousse stated. "Even she couldn't handle him, and she was probably the strongest girl chasing Ranma."
Dr. Tofu nodded again as he settled into the water, "Maybe it would be best if you didn't spar with the others, at least until you develop better control."
If he hadn't been sitting Ryoga would have fallen over. "What?!"
"If you can't hold back while sparring than you might end up accidentally injuring one of the girls," Dr. Tofu reasoned.
"But… I… I could never hit one of them…"
"I know you wouldn't intentionally harm them," Dr. Tofu conceded. "But you yourself have said that you sometimes don't know your own strength, and it has happened before that you've acted instinctively. Just because you haven't hurt anyone yet doesn't mean that you couldn't do it in the future.
"I think you should work with Tsuruko and Motoko when they get back," he suggested as Ryoga seemed to deflate. "The Shinmeiryuu techniques are famous for their power as well as for the swordsmen's great control as well. Once you learn to control your monstrous strength you'll be a much better martial artist."
Beaming at the prospect of becoming better (and thus being able to defeat Ranma) Ryoga grinned manically at the experienced martial artist's suggestion.
"Mousse, I think we'll have to talk with Su about the possibility of getting you some contacts; that should improve your vision."
Glowering at the suggestion and the fact that he wasn't going to actually learn anything, the long haired martial artist sunk into the hot water.
"Once we correct your vision I'll work with you on your aim and teaching you pressure points," Dr. Tofu added. "You might not be as strong as Ryoga, but with pressure points and better aim you'll be able to stop stronger and tougher opponents with minimal risk to yourself. I'm not sure if the pressure points will work on Darkseekers, but since they're essentially the same as normal people, they should still have the same vital spot and weaknesses."
*****
Pealing off the special skin-tight outfit that Su had made for her, Motoko paused. Scanning the area to make sure that Ranma wasn't around, she continued to undress. Folding up her outfit she waded into the warm water. Finding a nice spot to settle into, she slowly submerged into the refreshing water.
Cupping her hand, she trapped some of the warm water as she lifted it. I wonder if this is warm enough to keep Ranma from transforming?
Blinking as she realized that she'd been thinking of the uncivilized martial artist, she felt her face grow hot.
*****
The sound of the gentle rain hitting the wooden roof of the cabin and the gently rocking effect that the waves had on the sailboat had lulled half of the cabin's inhabitants to sleep. After a long day filled with many unexpected surprises, Keitaro couldn't help but wonder how the sudden changes were going to affect them all in the long haul.
Listening to the gentle but steady breaths, Keitaro sighed. With their shortage of blankets the foursome had agreed that the three girls would share the bed while he slept in the hammock. Throwing together their spare clothes they had even managed to stitch together a blanket large enough for the three girls to share while Keitaro used the two worn blankets. It was a temporary fix which would last only until they had enough blankets for those who would be sleeping in the hammocks and the bed so that everyone had their own blankets.
Thinking of the three young women laying in bed, completely naked, Keitaro couldn't help but envision himself in the middle of that threesome… well, foursome if he were added. It was almost as though he were back at the Hinata Sou. True, he hadn't seen any of the Hinata Sou girls completely naked, and he really didn't know how Juli and Juni felt about him….
A sinking feeling in his chest seemed to weigh him down even as he lay in the hammock. I wonder how Naru and the others are doing?
*****
"How far down do these stairs go?" Ibuki asked herself as she stopped to catch her breath.
Suddenly her keen senses picked up another presence. Spinning around she lost her footing as she slipped off the edge.
A large mass, probably human sized, collided with her as she went over the ledge. Lashing out instinctively she stared into her assailant's eyes.
"Just stay still or you're going to kill us both!" Ranma shouted as he wrapped his arm around her slim waist.
Latching her arms around his neck and shoulders she let him take control of the situation. A golden glow lit up the darkening tunnel/hole as the boy somehow shot a ball of ki, slowing them every so. Several more blasts followed, each one slowing them more and more until he stopped. Charging up for one last shot, he discharged a large ball of ki before wrapping his arm around her he twisted ever so slightly.
Crashing into a column of water Ibuki gasped, nearly choking on the warm water that had suddenly enveloped them.
*****
"You must be Tsuruko," a warm, inviting voice said as its owner emerged from a stairwell.
"And you must be the mysterious Colonel," the swordswoman returned as she appraised the mage before her. "Your reputation proceeds you."
"As does yours, mistress of the Shinmeiryuu," he smiled back. Waving his hand, he offered her a seat.
"Only because my brother adopted his wife's name," the swordswoman spat as she accepted a seat on the stone bench.
"And you choose to take your husband's name," he countered. "But enough with formalities, what news do you have?" Seeing that she sat across from him he lowered himself onto a bench.
"There are few survivors," the swordswoman replied. "What of the swordsmen and women who came here ahead of me?"
"Only three of them managed to make it to Mahora," the mage explained. "Combined with the two that were already here, the five of them left with the rest of Mahora's survivors. You know that one of them was tasked with protecting the headmaster's granddaughter."
"So my brother took his child and her guardian, and the others with him then," Tsuruko stated.
"Eishun did what he thought was best for her and for the rest of the survivors," the Colonel consoled. "There were over three hundred survivors, and even though they shouldn't encounter any problems in the magical world"
"The headmaster and my brother felt that they had a better chance of surviving in the magical world than here," Tsuruko said, cutting off her brother's former companion.
"Yes," the mage replied. "I stayed behind only because I cannot leave. Down here the air is untainted, and the magic of the World Tree keeps the Darkseekers away."
"For now," Tsuruko cut in again, "and the water should keep them away from Library Island once the fading magic finally gives way."
A somber nod answered her.
Suddenly a golden light filled the cavern as several golden balls rapidly fell, crashing into the warm water. Displaced water quickly shot up, crashing into two falling figures. "It seems our young stallion has found another mare," she stated.
*****
A golden glow filled the cavern as though a setting sun had appeared underground. Looking up, Motoko noted the presence several golden orbs flying down towards the surface of the water. Ki?
Suddenly the first ball collided with the water.
Closing her eyes Motoko braced herself for the resulting explosions as several more balls crashed into the now turbulent water. Tossed about by the rough water, Motoko bumped her head against the hard stone she'd been sitting against, dazing her.
*****
"You're sure she's going to be alright?" Ranma asked as he averted his eyes from the naked girl laying before him. It didn't help that he was the reason she was knocked out, or that her older sister was holding two swords. Not to mention that there was a young and fairly attractive kunoichi whom he had also knocked out, though the ninja girl was more of a drowning actually. Man, what did I do in a past life to deserve this?
"They both should be alright, Ran-ma," Tsuruko said.
If she's teasing me than it's not too bad, he thought.
"But since you are the one who knocked them both out, it is your responsibility to take care of them," the swordswoman stated, a wicked look gleaming in her eyes. "Besides, I'm sure you're familiar enough with the female body that you wouldn't be embarrassed by the sight."
Ranma felt a light trembling sensation run up and down his spine. "Yes," he replied curtly.
A polite bow later and Tsuruko was gone.
"Man, if only Seven or one of the other gynoids were still around," the pigtailed boy grumbled.
*****
"An interesting young man," the blue haired mage joked as the swordswoman returned.
Though only an apparition, the mage still managed to annoy the former head of the Shinmeiryuu. "Yes, he is very interesting Albireo."
The robed man smiled.
"Tell me; what do you know of Jusenkyo?"
"Jusenkyo?" Albireo repeated. "Never heard of it – why?"
"Find out what you can about it and maybe I'll be inclined to actually visit you," Tsuruko teased.
*****
A/N
I think I'll just leave things where they're at for now.
Please Read and Review.
Dreamingfox