Ripples in the Water
Same Warning and Disclaimer: I don't own any of this
stuff...and don't take this fic too seriously.
Last Episode: Wu Fei is set off on a rant about
marriage by the mention of the word "amazon." The
Nerimites meet Tenchi, his grandfather, Ryoko and
Ayeka. Nabiki notices something. Xellos feels
someone walk over his grave. The Masaki crew are
given the short version of fiancee situation. The
Mano cousins discuss a traitor branch of the family.
*******************************************************
"Yes, its a spatula why do you ask?" Leaf said, her
husband still busy trying to extricate himself from
her spell. A blue aura began to grow around the boy,
and she stepped back ready to repell a spell. She was
surprised when the boy took his umbrealla off his pack
and stuffed the point in her husband's face.
"Then you're Ukyou's parents?" Ryouga asked,
seemingly calm, looking down at the tentacles wrapping
around the man's feet.
"You know Ukyou?" Leaf shouted eagerly, ignoring
the obviously threatening position the boy was
directing her husband. After all he was a kid,
whatever he could do was nothing more than what Jiro
deserved. "Where can we find her?"
"So he's the one made her pretend to be a boy and
chase after Ranma? You're the reason I'm constantly
getting clobbered over the head with a giant spatula?"
"Excuse me," Leaf paused and glared at her now very
nervous husband. "Jiro, you made her pretend to be a
boy?"
"I had a reason," he swallowed.
*******************************************************
"Hmm, excuse me a moment, father, Mr. Saotome,"
Kasumi said as she breathed through the house to
answer the door. She found a small crowd on the other
side. "Oh my, I help you?"
"Is Sylphiel here?" Kasumi looked down toward the
red-head who was standing in front of the group. She
looked to be about twenty-five years old or so.
Though she had that same look in her eyes of greater
age that Cologne and Happosai had. Almost all of them
had that same look however, the blonde woman and
purple haired man more than the others. The lone
exception was the fortyish looking blonde man that was
obviously with the red head.
"You are here to see Sylphiel Tendo?" Kasumi said
quietly.
"Sylphiel TENDO?" the odd blue-skinned man toward
the back repeated. "Yes, well I suppose her name
would change if she got married."
"Well where is she?" the red-head demanded again.
"I'm sorry, but my mother has been dead for many
years now."
"Your mother? She's dead?" The black haired woman
had been holding herself aloof up to that point, and
now she suddenly looked very guilty.
"I'm afraid so, would you like to come in?" Kasumi
moved herself to the side and gestured for them to
come in.
"Certainly, thank you miss-?"
"Kasumi," she answered the tall blonde woman. "If
you'll excuse me I was just making dinner..." There
was a blur as the red-head and the blonde man zipped
past.
"Lina-san," the black haired woman gasped in
embarrassment.
"Uh...Kasumi," her father called from the dining
room. "Who are these people over here?"
"Friends of mother's, father," Kasumi answered as
she let them in.
"OH My Late wife," Soun sniffed. "HOW I MISS YOU!
WAAAAHH!!!!"
As the black-haired woman and the purple-haired man
past she reached out to stop him, politely and
unaggressively, but still firm. "Excuse me, are you a
relative of my mother's?"
"No, why do you ask?" he said, turning closed eyes
toward her.
"You bare a slight resemblance to my sisters,"
Kasumi answered.
"Surprise, sur..." the black haired woman paused
and looked at the man. "SISTERS? Plural? Something
I should know about, Xellos?"
"Now, now, Ame-chan, now's not the time," he
pointed at Kasumi.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be discussing our
personal matters in front of you like this," the woman
bowed formally.
"It is perfectly all right," Kasumi answered. "I
thought I recognized him as mother's...friend anyway.
I should apologize to you from questioning him here in
front of you."
"Perhaps I should talk to you later, Kasumi-san,"
Amelia said as Xellos fake cringed past them. Amelia
knew he was enjoying the meal, and it irritated her a
little more. Though of course he had never seriously
hurt her, well never intended to.
*******************************************************
"Who won?" Akane asked as Ranma and Tenchi came
into the house for dinner. She blinked as she saw a
sopping wet Ranko walk in behind her fiancee's shell
shocked cousin.
"Does anybody have any hot water?" Ranma-chan
asked.
"Certainly," Sasami said, surprised but non-pulsed.
She sure they'd explain where Akane-san's fiancee
went in moment. She stepped up and drifted off to the
kitchen happily.
"Who is that girl and what's she doing with Lord
Tenchi?"
"Oh, Ranma, just why were you fighting near the
lake?" Nodoka shook her head sadly.
"Smooth move, Saotome," Nabiki noted.
"I wasn't!" he snapped. "There was a mop bucket!"
"Come on, girl," Ryoko stood up growling. "Who are
you and what are you doing with Tenchi?"
"Oh it'll be obvious in moment," Ranma started.
Ryoko launched out with a fist, which Ranma blocked
almost absently.
"What the...?" Ryoko found she couldn't press her
fist forward even an inch, and the red-head didn't
seem to be having trouble at all.
"Sorry, I don't fight girls," Ranma-chan said
simply.
Tenchi was still trying to process the recent
event. He'd seen some strange things, but this had to
top them. Washu leaned back and arched an eyebrow
with curiosity and amusement.
"Here's your hot water miss..." Ranma-chan took the
kettle and upended over her head.
"HOT!!!HOT!!!HOT!!!!" Ranma, now a he, danced
around trying to cool off. All the Masaki crew aside
from Tenchi, Washu and Yosho face faulted.
"How the heck did she...he...uh you do that?"
"Its a curse," Akane explained as Ranma blew his
hands cool. "He fell into the Jusenkyo pool of
drowned girl, so when he gets what he becomes a girl."
"This is...strange," Tenchi said finally. Yosho
laughed, amused. He'd heard of the springs before,
but he'd never thought that he'd see a victim, or that
it would be his own grandson.
"Uh, why is she looking at me like that?" Ranma
asked pointing at Washu. The Masaki crew
sweatdropped.
"Hmm, THAT will make an interesting wedding night,"
Nobuyuki sniped. Ranma and Akane resisted the urge to
smash him into the ground. After all, they were the
guests.
"You get used to it," Nabiki said. "Lots of the
gang back home is cursed, including one of the
fiancees." Nabiki checked her watch. "Speaking of
which."
"Speaking of which what?" Ayeka snapped. "Speak
plainly if you can!"
"Patience, sister," Nabiki snickered. "Remember I
when said two hours?"
"Yes and why do you insist on calling me sister?
And what does this have to do with anything?"
"Consider it a display of female solidarity,"
Nabiki said. "And as for the comment two hours, I
believe I said that...abouut...two hours ago...NOW!"
*THUD*
"What was that?" Tenchi asked. Ranma and Akane
looked sick.
*THUD*
*THUD*
*THUD*
*CRASH*
The wall collapsed in a shower of dust.
"Nihao!!"
"Get away from my Ranma-darling you Gaijin hussy!!"
"Hey Ranchan, I'm here to save you from that
heartless Nabiki!" Nabiki arched an eyebrow.
"Sorry about this," Ranma moaned.
*******************************************************
"You know what?" Leaf tapped her feet angrily.
"This bridge looks awfully familiar."
"I'm doing the best I can ALRIGHT!!" Ryouga
shouted.
"This is the fifth time we've been here," Kuonji
noted, then whistling innocently when they both glared
at him.
"Just let me find someone to ask directions,"
Ryouga complained looking around for a sign of
anything familiar. It was a futile gesture, Ryouga
wouldn't recommend a structure unless it was on top of
him. Suddenly Leaf's eyes widened in sudden fear.
"Eveyrbody hide!" they scattered to various
positions as what seemed to be a cute blonde girl
skated by, humming happily to herself. ~All that evil
and darkness can't be coming from that girl, can it?~
Suddenly the blonde girl stopped and stared at stop
sign.
"OH!! What a CUTE stop sign! Lisa-Maria come home
with Azusa?" The cute girl ripped the sign out of the
ground and happily skated back the way she came. Leaf
sweatdropped.
"Is she gone?" Leaf looked over to see Ryouga
shaking in fear high in a leafy tree.
~If I hadn't felt her I'd be calling him a wuss,~
she said. ~Wow, I wonder what she is.~
"What's the big deal about that girl?" her husband,
Jiro, asked.
"She wants to take me home and put me in her
collection of cute things," Ryouga whispered. "Is she
gone?"
"I don't see her anywhere," Leaf said. "Now can we
PLEASE get to this place and find my daughter?"
"Just a moment," Ryouga said. "I see somewhere we
can ask directions."
"Hello," Ryouga said as the door opened. "Can you
direct us to..."
"Oh...hello Ryouga," Kasumi said sweetly. "Ranma's
not here, he went with Akane, Nabiki and his mother to
visit his family."
"Well I'm not here to...WHAT...Akane AND Nabiki?
Does he know no shame? RANMA SAOTOME PREPARE TO..."
"Jiro, spatula." Leaf pointed at Ryouga who was
preparing to leave.
"Yes, maam."
*clang*
"HEY!"
"I'd be glad to let you run off it get lost, that
is AFTER you help me find my daughter."
"Ukyou hits harder than him," Ryouga noted
critically. Leaf blinked and started laughing
hysterically.
"That's not funny," Jiro Kuonji whined.
"Excuse me, would you like to come in," Kasumi
asked, as the "girl" started to calm down. "I was
just serving dinner, and we would welcome more
company."
"That sounds..." Jiro was cut off by a look from
his suddenly serious wife.
"Sorry, but we have to go find our daughter..."
"Do you mean Ukyou?" Kasumi asked. Leaf and Jiro
blinked. "Well she does take after you, and that man
is wielding a giant spatula."
"So do you know where she is?"
"She went with the other fiancees to go after
Ranma," Kasumi said sweetly. "It shouldn't take you
long to get there, perhaps you'd want some rest and
food first?"
"Hey Kasumi, what's with inviting people to
dinner?" Ryouga asked, confused.
"Well, okay just for a little bit," Leaf said
finally.
"Well it is moderately boring without Ranma
around," Kasumi said quietly. "So I was hoping to
make do. Mother's friends are certainly interesting,
but I certainly wouldn't want to turn out such a good
friend of the family as Ryouga or Ukyou's parents."
"Is there enough food?" Jiro asked.
"Oh, I'm used to cooking for Ranma and his father,
well, step-father as it turns out," Kasumi said.
"Genma is here, and two of mother's friends certainly
have healthy appetites, but I think I can make do."
She smiled sweetly.
"Yeah, yeah," LEaf sighed as she accepted the offer
and walked into the house. "Garrick always said a
mercenary should be ready to eat whenever they can.
That was ONE thing he was right about at least."
"Hey look, Lina, its an elf!"
"I'm only half-elf you dolt!" Leaf snapped.
"We've become a dungeons and dragons convention
Saotome," Soun noted wearily. Jiro stepped in, saw
Genma and growled.
"Ah...Kuonji," Genma swallowed. "Long time no
see."
"SAOTOME PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Jiro charged forward
spatula upraised.
"Hey you spilled my food! FIREBALL!"
Kasumi smiled as the chaos continued. Now it
seemed more like home again, she walked to the
telephone to contact the contractors.
*******************************************************
"There, finished," Kiyone said wearily, looking
about the last bit of the ships quarters. It had
taken long enough to do the job, but now she was done.
Everything looked perfect.
"Hey, Kiyone," Mihoshi called to the swiftly
calming detective.
"What is it Mihoshi?"
"What if she tries to show up at the apartment?"
Kiyone blinked. "I mean we haven't paid the rent in
two months, and last time we were there the place was
a wreck from the fight when everybody visited last
time."
"ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"Hey why don't we have headquarters give her
Tenchi's address and meet her there?" Kiyone fought
to get a grip on herself. When MIHOSHI was thinking
clearer than she was, it was a BAD sign.
"That's a good idea Mihoshi, let's do that," she
noticed a frame sitting on the control center. There
were several individual pictures inside the glass.
Mihoshi must have pulled it out while they were
cleaning. She glanced at the picture of a younger
Mihoshi, and her mother.
Kiyone had met the woman once or twice, and
remembered she had a tendency to talk about future
events as if they were history. She guessed it had
something to do with being FROM the future. Still Bra
was almost as big a ditz as Mihoshi. Still there were
some people there she didn't recognize.
"Hey Mihoshi who are these other people here in
these pictures?"
"Well, that's my younger brother," she pointed to
an angry looking boy in a black, sleeveless t-shirt.
"And our younger sister." The girl she pointed to was
a red-head wearing metal bracers about four years old.
There was a crushed piece of pipe in her hands, and
she embarrassed. Kiyone noted that Mihoshi would have
been about eighteen when this picture was taken so
that was maybe seven years ago.
"And in this picture?" It was a young couple. One
was an opportunistic looking woman with blue hair
wearing a tee-shirt that said "capsule" across the
front. The other had an angry expression similar to
Mihoshi's brother, and wild, spiky black hair.
"Oh those are my grandparents that aren't born
yet," she said as if it was no big-deal. "And this
guy over here is my dad." Kiyone had thought that the
individual in question wasn't supposed to be there
actually, since his back was turned to the camera. He
seemed to be scratching his head in confusion though,
and knowing Mihoshi it fit.
"I can't wait to meet your family!" Mihoshi jumped
up and down in delight.
"Yeah, well let's make those calls, then," Kiyone
sat down and turned to the communications controls.
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