Nexus Chapter 6 a Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura crossover by Black Dragon revcoll@peoplepc.com http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/fanficlair/index.html

Well, this is it. I don't own Takahashi's stuff. 'Nuff said.

As for continuity, obviously this takes the Ranma 1/2 story from the beginning, but as far as UY goes, it's a little bit after Mendo shows up.

Chapter 6 Shuriken Storm *************************************************************************** ******

"Argh! Curse that wretched little rat!" The buxom, shapely woman cursed as she stretched her singed body, having just been forcibly ejected from one plane to another. Nail looked about, then realized that she had appeared somewhere in the northern wastes, as was evident from the total lack of anything but baked, hard-packed dirt and stone pillars. "Damn. At least now I know why the boy had to be killed. I'll have to think of something else next time." Nail hopped up and spread her metallic wings, gliding upward to look over the vast expanse of barren land. She spotted a large object moving on the ground, and then recognized it to be Bit's charred body, fending off the desert scavengers already trying to tear him apart. The brute could take care of himself. Nail flew a bit higher, and placed a hand above her eyes to shield them as she scanned the area. Where were Bolt and Rotor? Unless they had succeeded in killing the swordsman... she could only hope. It would be nice to walk away from this whole mess with SOMETHING. "If you're looking for anything other than stone, this is the wrong place to do it." Nail started suddenly, then whipped around, the edges of her wings held in front of her, ready to deflect and cut. The woman who had spoken laughed lightly, and Nail scowled even as she lowered her guard. "Rivet. What are you doing here?" The woman raised an eyebrow and smiled. She looked exactly like Nail in almost every respect, with the same figure and long purple hair. The only difference was her eyes, which were a dull red, and her own outfit, which matched her eyes, but was still like Nail's otherwise. "Oh, I wander about here and there. Sometimes I come to the wastes to check up on the tribes scattered around." Rivet looked away for a moment, watching a large, thin reptillian beast fly up to a huge stone pedestal and land. "Still whoring about with those blasted humans, are you? I should have expected such," Nail searched the surrounding area as she muttered. Rivet smiled. "You really underestimate the mortals. And they're so much fun. When was the last time you danced with that insecticoid freak that you hang around?" Nail bristled. "Bolt is strong! Not a weakling! You can keep your damn humans!" Nail snarled furiously. Rivet blinked, slightly taken aback. She had always known her sister to have a poor temper and a certain prejudice against humanity, but something seemed amiss. "What's wrong? Did that necromancer dump another assignment on you?" Rivet knew that Nail had long ago sold her services to the Great Lord somewhere west, because her special aura allowed her to enter other dimensions but maintain a kind of link with Chryslon. It was something she shared with very few others, Bolt being one of them. Nail scowled. "Something like that. Did you see Bolt while you were flying around?" Rivet shook her head. "Nope. Just the big ape down there. I heard Rail was passing through back to the Blood Hills a while ago. Something I ought to know?" Nail frowned. She really didn't want to tell her sister about the humans she had been assigned to kill; Rivet thought too highly of the wretched creatures already. But then again, so what? "Lord Doppler ordered us to kill three humans in a land reached through the third Nexus, a little ways south of here. Apparently some of the White Star taints that land." Rivet blinked, then lowered herself to sit on one of the columns that were scattered about. "White Star? I heard there was a certain land in the third Nexus... wasn't it sealed?" Nail shrugged. "It was unsealed several years ago. In any case, the humans turned out to be... more formidable... than we anticipated." Rivet's eyebrow shot up. "They beat you?" She asked bluntly. White Star priests were hardly common (the career path had a nasty tendency of ending with being hunted down and killed), and those that practiced their art were very formidable, but Rivet hardly thought that they could fend off three creatures that possessed Nail's unique resurrection abilities. Four, if Rotor had accompanied them. 'Not only us, but the little gnome that was stronger than all of us too,' she thought. Instead, she said "Well, the boy managed to beat me, and apparently Bit was no match for the priest. But Bolt will win. He's more than a match for that other fool, I'm sure of it!" Nail smiled nastily at the thought of her love returning to her, wielding the blood-soaked sword of his prey as a trophy. Rivet could care less about that; she was far more interested in a human that could slay Nail in a straight fight. "Tell me about this human. How did he get so powerful?" Nail snorted. "Why don't you track him down and ask him yourself? I've got work to do." Nail spread her wings wide, then took off into the dry air of the wastes, ignoring Bit's grunting from down below.

Rivet watched her go, and rubbed her chin in fascination. She had always had a certain liking for humans; they simply seemed so much... more than the creatures that dark angels usually associated with. They built things, played games, and thought of clever ways to deal with the vicious creatures that shared their land. They knew how to have FUN. All demons did for fun was destroy and kill things. Not that she didn't enjoy the occasional bout of fire and steel, but she much preferred dancing. Now, to hear of a human that could slay a dark angel in combat? Surely, there had been tales of humans on Chryslon capable of such feats, but they were always embarking on dangerous and wondrous quests that more often than not lead to them getting butchered like sheep. She'd have to investigate this. Who knows, maybe things would get interesting? ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Rayden looked at Happousai as they walked down the streets of Nerima, wondering not for the first time what the little... thing was still doing alive. Ahead of him, Ranma, Ataru, Nabiki, Kaze, and Cyrax all chatted about their various encounters. "It was most unnerving the way they kept coming back to life. I've never dealt with anything like them." Cyrax scratched the back of his head anxiously. Ranma shrugged. "Well, if you stick around, we get those fairly often. Though most of 'em will die after you kill 'em once or twice..." Ranma muttered. "My Ranma, I didn't know this was a regular thing for you." Nabiki smirked as the pigtailed boy grumbled. "It 'aint like I asked for it or nothing! No matter what I do, these stupid things won't leave me alone!" Ranma stopped, startled, as Ataru suddenly turned around and held his shoulders. "At last..." he started softly, "a kindred spirit!" Ranma sweatdropped as Ataru hugged him. "Uh... hey, guys?" Everyone stopped, then turned toward Rayden. The swordsman scratched the back of his head for a moment, then pointed down. "What is he, and what is he doing here?" The others all looked at Happousai as if noticing his presence for the first time. Happousai waved at them. Ranma stepped on his head. "Yeah, what ARE you doing here?" He asked irritably, right before he was smashed into the air, courtesy of Happousai's pipe. The others sweatdropped as they watched Ranma spiral into the air, then come crashing down onto the sidewalk. Kaze turned to the perverted old man, and his eyes narrowed. Apparently the ancient creature was more than he seemed. "Look now, why are you following us?" "Me following you?" Happousai asked, annoyed. "I'm not following you! I'm going to the Tendo Dojo!" "No," Rayden shot back, "WE'RE going to the Tendo Dojo!" "No you're not! I am!" "We are!" Kaze and Nabiki sweatdropped as they watched the little man continue arguing with the giant man, until Ranma finally punted the little man into a brick wall across the street. "That HURT, you little freak!" Ranma growled, then started wiping dust and debris off of his pants. Happousai pulled himself out of the indentation he made in the wall, then spit out pieces of brick before turning to Ranma angrily. "Hey! Whadya do that for?!" Ranma glared back. "Why are you going to the Tendo Dojo anyway?" "Yeah, do you know my dad?" Nabiki was a bit curious why this little man, who was apparently involved in the destruction of the local park, would be heading for her house. Happousai crossed his little arms across his chest and sighed deeply. "I'm merely visiting an old student of mine, Soun Tendo." Nabiki frowned. "Daddy was a student of YOURS?" "That's right, cutie!" The ancient martial arts master grinned lecherously, then vaulted for her chest. Nabiki, who was already cringing from when he leapt at her, and Cyrax both blinked as the old lecher smacked into some sort of thin blue energy field. Nabiki glanced curiously at Kaze as he held his hand out next to her, knowing that he was somehow responsible for it. Ranma didn't seem surprised at all, and plucked Happousai off of the strange barrier. "What were you doing with that girl then? The one with wings?" "Yeah! Does she have a sister?" Rayden shoved Ataru away when the younger lecher tried to poke his head in. Happousai shrugged. "They said if I helped them, they'd give me panties!" ".........................................." the others responded. Except for Ataru. "Hey man, how can I get in on this?" Rayden hit him over the head out of reflex. Happousai sighed. "Anyway, that's all done with now. I must really be seeing my students!" Cackling with glee, the little old pervert took off in the direction of the Tendo Dojo.

Ranma stared after him for a bit, then turned toward Kaze. "Hey, should we do something? I mean, that little freak's no pushover..." Kaze frowned. "I sensed some malevolence from him, though nothing really dangerous. Mostly just... lust. Not particularly directed, but he has a very dissolute character." Kaze glanced over at Ataru. "Though I may be getting a false positive from Master Moroboshi; he hasn't taken his eyes off Nabiki's chest for a while now." Nabiki took some time out from being totally confused as to what Kaze was talking about to slap Ataru (not that it even fazed him; he'd been struck far harder without breaking his concentration). Cyrax scratched his head, then shrugged. "Well, it's been... interesting meeting you once again, Shikodan. I will train further, and hopefully our next match won't be so one-sided." The ninja smiled good-naturedly, and Rayden grinned back. "Don't kid yourself man, you did good. Take care." The ninja nodded at his former opponent, then leapt up onto the rooftops, jumping from building to building. Ranma watched the man in black leave, then turned to his friend. "He really did that well?" Rayden snorted. "No, not really. He's fast though, I'll give him that. I'm hungry." Ranma nodded as Ataru and Nabiki blinked. "Yeah, we'd better get home anyway. There's no telling what that little freak'll do." ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Ranma, Rayden, Kaze, and Ataru all sat on one side of the dining room table, sweatdropping as they kept looking back and forth between Happousai, sitting serenely on a cushion on one end of the table and smoking his pipe, and Soun and Genma, who were trembling in fear on the other end of the table in with their heads bowed. Across from them, Nabiki propped her head up with her elbow on the table and gave a half-lidded stare to her dad, while Kasumi served tea. "And then they blew up the mouth of the cave with dynamite! Ha ha ha! To think, you fools actually had the guts to try something like that!" Happousai cackled, and then took a drag from his pipe. "Ah, the bittersweet memories." "Master! Forgive us!" "Mercy, Master!" Genma and Soun continued blubbering on the ground. Happousai shook his head, then hopped up onto the table. "Don't worry yourselves boys, I'm not here for revenge. But 20 years of being stuck in that cave got me thinking. I'm not getting any younger-" "Well DUH," Ranma muttered under his breath. "-and it's about time I chose one of you deadbeats as the heir to the school." Genma and Souns' eyes started twitching. Then Genma blinked, as an idea broke through the cobwebs of his mind. Ranma wasn't sure why Genma was coming over to his side of the table until he felt one of his father's hands clap him on the shoulder. "The boy should do nicely! Here you are Master!" Ranma stared at his father. "What's gotten into you, Pop?" Happousai hopped over to look Ranma up and down, scratching his chin in thought. "Not bad, not bad." Then the ancient martial artist blinked. "He's your son, Genma?" Genma nodded proudly. "Not much resemblance, is there?" Happousai speculated. "Thank Kami," Ranma muttered, not under his breath this time. Genma growled and hit his son over the head. "Show some respect, you foolish boy!" Kaze took a sip of tea as Ranma planted a foot in Genma's stomach. "We've been considering the possibility that Master Ranma is adopted. Or at least were. Now we're just considering whether or not Saotome is actually the father. There's even a betting pool, if you're interested." Genma blinked, then pulled himself off the floor. "What? Nonsense!" Rayden looked at him dubiously. "I don't know man. Nodoka bet against you. That's a bad sign." Before Genma could stutter out a response, Happousai cleared his throat. "Be that as it may, Ranma is my new disciple!" Ranma snorted, then stood up, stretching as he did so. "I don't think so gramps. You're pretty tough for a geezer, but I 'aint training under no pervert, you got that?" He turned around to leave, and his exit was speeded very suddenly by the application of a pipe to his back. "Whoa. Old man's got moves!" Ataru was surprised that a little tap like that could throw someone through a wall so easily. Happousai snorted and tapped his pipe on his arm. "Well, he's got talent, but he needs a few lessons in manners." *Boot* *Crash!* Ranma lowered his leg and snarled. "How's that for 'manners' you freak!" Ranma leapt after him, and the house shook slightly as the fight escalated quickly. Rayden glanced over to Kaze. "Should we do something?" Kaze grimaced. "I'm not sure..." *Crash* "Ow! That hurt, you little perve!" *Smash* *Pow* "You snot-nosed little punk! I'll get you for that!" Soun shook his head. "The poor boy has no idea what he's getting into. To undergo such rigors at such a young age! Ah Ranma, thank you for sacrificing yourself for us!" Genma nodded in agreement. "This training will finally make a man out of that worthless son of mine. I've really been going too easy on him. Now he will know true pain!" Rayden looked once again over to Kaze. "NOW can we do something?" Kaze nodded, and they both stood up. *Wham!* *Wham!* Soun and Genma were both smashed into the floor, and Rayden followed Kaze outside to where the battle was taking place. Nabiki shook her head. "Oh Daddy. What's the big deal, anyway? He's just an old man, even if he does seem pretty limber for his age." Ataru snorted. "Ha! Bowing for an old crone like that! You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" Genma grimaced as he and Soun got up. "You can be forgiven for that comment boy, because you're young, and from what I hear, none too bright either. The Master is the most evil, perverted being that ever existed!" "Oh my! Is that true father?" Kasumi was worried. Should she set up the other guest room or not? Soun nodded miserably. "It's true. Master Happousai's lechery was the only thing that exceeded his greed!" Nabiki smirked at Ataru. "Well, looks like you have some competition, Moroboshi." The young pervert scoffed. "Please! Unless he can turn into a cute little guy who breathes fire, I think I can handle him." He took a sip of tea, and smacked his lips. "Wow! This is good!" Kasumi smiled at him and bowed her head slightly. "Why thank you Ataru!" Incidentally, this gave Ataru a perfect view of her cleavage, which was normally well-hidden within the housedress. He made no effort to hide his leer, at least until something impacted with the back of his head at high speed. "I thought I told you to knock off the perverted stuff!" Ranma growled as he tossed another rock up in the air, then caught it as it came down, clearly as a warning. "Hey! I didn't touch nothing!" Ataru cried back, rubbing his sore face. "And aren't you in the middle of a fight or something?" Happousai landed on Ranma's head and chuckled. "Come on, let the boy have his fun!" Then the ancient martial artist took out a bra from his gi (much to the surprise of everyone but Genma and Soun) and started snuggling it. Nabiki blinked. "Hey, wait a minute..." She looked down for a moment, and her eyes bulged. "Hey! That's mine! How did you get that?!" Happousai winked at her, much to her stomach's displeasure. "Well now, that is a-" *Pow* *Tha-wack!* "I am SO sick of that line," Ranma muttered, and then jumped outside to where he kicked the ancient lecher.

Happousai skidded across the ground, to stop at the edge of the koi pond and hop back up again. "Man, you just don't know when to lay down and retire, do you?" Ranma's left eye twitched violently. Happousai glared at him, then sighed and dusted off his hands. "Well my boy, I must admit, I haven't had a fight like this in a long time. It's been fun but I'm tired of playing around." "Bring it on gramps!" Ranma shouted. "I eat freaks like you for breakfast!" "Come on man! Kick his ass!" Rayden cheered from the sidelines, while Kaze merely watched and speculated. Ranma's twitch returned when Happousai took out the bra once again and started fondling it. "Would you STOP MESSING AROUND?!?! Screaming thunder missile!" Ranma glowed blue, and the projectile shot out like a rocket (though at half its normal strength; Ranma wasn't trying to kill anybody) and struck the ground hard, spraying rock, dirt, electric arcs into the air in a small cloud. Ranma peered into the dust cloud, wondering if he should have toned down the power on his attack a bit more. The freak was just an old man after all (though Ranma wouldn't have exactly grieved if he'd accidentally killed the little creep). "Ha ha! A ki blast! Training you will be more fun than I thought!" Happousai jumped down from the tree and rubbed his hands in anticipation. "You're ALMOST perfect. I'm just going to have to teach you some discipline!" "I'll show you discipline!" Ranma growled, and started concentrating, gathering his ki. Happousai chuckled, still holding his bra. "Oh really?" All of a sudden energy shot up around him, forming a massive aura that quickly formed in the shape of his body. Happousai grinned, the subtle motions of his lips mirrored perfectly by the monstrous ki that surrounded him. Ranma blinked, suddenly a bit unsure of himself. Then he realized he was frozen in place. 'What? How... ah! It must be one of those illusions that breaks your aura!' Ranma grit his teeth, even as the cackling form reared back a fist. 'All I have to do is concentrate on moving...' Ranma let go of his ki senses, and grunted slightly as his motion was suddenly restored. He punched at Happousai, but the ancient master simply moved to the side, dodging easily. "Well, you can still move? Today is just full of surprises!" Ranma grinned and launched a kick that Happousai jumped over. "Ha! I'm not afraid of any stupid illusion!" "What illusion?" Ranma only had time to blink at the response before the fist of the apparition slammed into him, throwing him into the ground hard enough to leave an impact crater. Spitting out some grass, Ranma rose unsteadily, only to get blasted into the ground by a ball of ki. "Urgh! Da-Damn it..." Ranma recovered quickly enough, having taken worse strikes before. Strikes meant to kill. But that old guy sure packed a punch! Launching himself back at the ancient lecher, Ranma launched kick after swift kick, each one being deftly avoided, before the pigtailed boy was slapped out of the air by Happousai's aura. "Ha ha ha! Whatsa matter junior? Don't tell me you're tired already!" Happousai once again brought his hands forward, and launched an even bigger ki blast before Ranma could recover, hitting the young martial artist dead-center. Ranma grunted and lifted himself unsteadily to his feet, finally coming to the realization that the tiny old man had been holding back quite a bit in their last engagement. Happousai chuckled, sensing Ranma's submission to his inevitable loss (or as close as Ranma ever got to submission, anyway). "Well kiddo, it's about time we wrapped this up!" Happousai reared back his fist, and his aura flashed around him, boring into Ranma with its fierce, empty gaze. Ranma took a sudden step back at the sight, and then groaned and clutched his side in pain, making a feeble attempt at a block with one arm. "Oh Darling! Where are you?" The voice cut through the tension of the moment like a hot knife, and Happousai blinked and looked up, Ranma temporarily forgotten. Then he saw the source of the voice, and Ranma was permanently forgotten. "Darling? Are you down there?" Lum called down toward the Tendo house, having seen the explosions from the air. She was surprised when she saw that Ataru wasn't involved with the explosions, though there was still a good chance he was around. "Sweet-O!!" Happousai shouted, and shot into the air like a Chinese rocket. *Glomp!* Lum screamed as something impacted her chest lightly at high speed, and then screamed again once she felt the sensation of her breasts being fondled. Of course, this elicited the normal reflexive defense action. *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* Electricity swam around the young oni in thick ribbons, leaving a thoroughly scorched old man careening toward the ground. *Splat!* Ranma stared at the display, and a sweatdrop rolled down his head. "Damn. Remind me to never mess with HER." Behind him, Rayden and Kaze nodded their heads mutely. To everyone's surprise, Happousai hopped up after a moment, and shook off the soot that covered him. "Whoa! What a rush!" He looked up at Lum, and then grinned lecherously, much to her growing horror. "What a nice bra you have! Let me see it up close!" "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! Darling! Help me!" Ranma and the other hadn't lost their sweatdrops yet, so when Nabiki yelled "Don't touch me, you pervert!", they fell over instead. Ranma sighed as he got up with his friends, fairly ignoring the flashes of lightning and the crash of furniture. "Rayden, rock please." His friend nodded, and grabbed onto the edge of a small boulder jutting out from the ground before tearing it out through the layers of hard- packed dirt and handing it to Ranma.

*Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* *Wham!* Happousai hit the ground again, coughed up some smoke, then leapt away from another volley of lightning bolts, his tiger-striped prize fluttering in the wind of his passing. "Ha ha ha! You can't catch me!" Happousai stuck out his tongue at the horned girl, who was covering her chest with one arm while hurling lightning bolts with the other. "Hey look! An attractive female streaker!" Happousai screeched to a halt at Ranma's voice. "What?! Where?!" *Crash!!* Ranma dusted off his hands after crushing the ancient pervert with his boulder, and Lum quickly snatched away her top, which was sticking out from under the edge. Ranma shook his head sadly, staring at the twitching hand beneath the large rock. "Now that's just pathetic. Who would be dumb enough to fall for that?" His question was answered when he was nearly bowled over by Ataru. "Where? I don't see her! Where is she?" Ranma stared for a bit, then turned to Lum. "Should I get another rock?" Lum shook her head. "No, I'll take care of it." Ranma nodded and left, ignoring Ataru's cry of surprise and panicked shout. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Night fell, and all was silent around the Tendo compound. The Moroboshi house was a totally different story, but then, this really isn't about Ataru. Keeping to the shadows, a lone figure moved silently across the grounds of the Tendo's backyard, blending into the night perfectly, and moving with such grace and skill that it seemed to not even disturb the air around it. Reaching the side of the house, a hand, black with the shadows of night, gently reached out and felt the walls of the structure, testing the aged wooden slats carefully before grabbing hold with a grip that was iron solid but did not cause so much as a light groan as the figure hoisted itself onto the wall and swiftly climbed upward like a spider, quickly coming to the window of the correct room. A smirk formed behind a blue- black mask as it saw that the window was already open. How convenient! The figure flipped through the open window, landing lightly without a sound, and quickly surveyed the interior. Four bed rolls, one of them empty. It once again scanned the room, looking for any obvious clue as to where the fourth occupant was. Seeing nothing, it moved up and looked over the bed rolls. The first was obviously not its target, the man that was snoring loudly was too old and simply didn't match the faded memories that indicated which man was the target. The figure frowned for a moment as the man's identity hit. It debated removing this one too, but quickly decided against it. If that one had to die, he would at least know what it was that killed him. Moving past the empty bed roll, the stealthy figure looked over the next two. One lump was slightly bigger than the other, and both heads that stuck out from underneath the sheets had dark hair. That didn't help at all. The intruder frowned from underneath the mask as it caught sight of the distinctive weapon of the target, the large bejeweled blade, lying between the two bed rolls. Cursing mentally, the figure decided there was no other way to do it. Both had to be killed. Moving a hand to its leg, it withdrew a dagger from its oiled sheath, and then carefully moved back the covers a bit to reveal the victim's neck, his pigtail brushing lightly against it. The blade was raised, and the figure gripped the hilt with both hands while pointing the dagger straight down over Ranma's throat. *Ahem!* "Urk!" The figure started in surprise, then plunged the weapon down, intent on finishing its mission regardless of discovery. Then it cried out in surprise as the intended victim rolled into it at the very last second, causing the dagger to sink deeply into the floorboards and for the dark assassin to fall over on top of him. "Huh? Whazzat?" Ranma awoke groggily, and was vaguely aware of somebody on top of him scrambling to get off. Kaze stared stonily at the assassin, who was now goggling at him from across the room. Obviously this one had been trained as a ninja, as he had been totally unable to see or hear anything, even though he knew what to look and listen for. Luckily for Kaze, he possessed other senses that no ninja was capable of thwarting. The ninja just stared frantically at Kaze, wondering how in the hell it had missed seeing a fairly tall guy in the corner wearing pure white. Then the priest made a gesture with his hand, and the light switch flipped on. Ranma blinked his eyes rapidly at the sudden flood of light, and then stared at the black-cloaked figure that stood in the glare of the lights, frozen like a deer in headlights. It was obviously female, with the way that the skintight black suit hugged her curves and ample chest, and she had long black hair that was tied mid-back into a ponytail. She looked to be about his age, around 16. It was her state of dress that alarmed Kaze, as it reminded him distinctly of Cyrax, whom he had met earlier that day. Instead of his elaborate cloak and baggy tunic, which was no doubt better for holding a multitude of weapons, this one's costume was a tight body suit that ended mid-thigh. She wore similar boots, though again they were tighter and smaller, emphasizing stealth and mobility. It was her gauntlets though, that confirmed it. Gauntlets with throwing knives sticking into them for quick access, and with the crest of the Hitokage, a viper's head reared back for a strike, carved into the wrist guard. 'Cyrax sent an assassin? But it doesn't make sense... and why would he not come himself?' "I suggest you tell me just who you are and who exactly you came here to kill, miss." Kaze couldn't see the frown from beneath the dark cloth mask that covered the young woman's face and nose, but he could sense frustration and panic beneath a wall of ice-cold determination. "It's unfortunate you had to get in my way. Had you just stayed out of this, I could have just eliminated my target and left. Now you'll have to go too!" With a flick of her wrist, she had taken out two throwing knives, and thrown them in an arc at Kaze. Kaze made a gesture with his hand, and both knives were suddenly knocked away harmlessly onto the floor. He could have erected a shield, but minor telekinesis was much more energy-efficient. The girl goggled, and then whipped around to throw a knife at Ranma, probably hoping to eliminate the target and then escape. Ranma caught the knife between two fingers, and yawned sluggishly. The ninja's eye twitched, and she growled slightly as Ranma casually tossed away the blade and stood up. "So, what's your problem anyway?" The girl looked back to Kaze, then again at Ranma. "I'm here for a man named Shikodan. Rayden Shikodan! Is that you?" Ranma blinked, then shook his head and walked over to the final bed roll and kicked it. "Yo, Ray! Get up! Someone's here to kill you!" The lump stirred, then rolled over. "Tell 'em to come back ta'morra... kill me then... *Snore*" Ranma shook his head and kicked his friend again. "Hey man, she's serious! Get up!" Rayden groaned, and started to struggle out from under his blanket. Ranma turned back to the girl, who was staring blankly at him. "So, why'd you wanna kill him again?" The young ninja blinked, then snarled at the figure that stood up irritably, clothed in a white t-shirt and a pair of boxers. With a flick of her wrist, a throwing knife was hurled straight at her target's heart. *Thwick* She grinned as the knife hit its target, and the man she was there to kill shouted out in surprise. "Ow!! Hey! That hurt!" Rayden yanked the knife out of his chest and threw it on the floor, then advanced on the girl, growling and clenching his fists. Her grin dissolved very quickly. She reached for the ninja-toh attached to her thigh, only to blink in surprise as her hand found only the empty sheath of the weapon. Glancing to her left, she realized that Ranma was holding it, idly thumbing the edge of the blade as he watched his friend advance. It was about then that she realized she was in a brightly lit room, surrounded by people whom she had already tried to kill, and failed. She sweatdropped as Rayden stepped up to her. "So, just who are you?" He cracked his knuckles for emphasis, and Rayden discarded the girl's weapon before crossing his arms over his chest. Instead of answering, she made a break for the window. *Trip* *Thud!* She didn't make it very far. Ranma retracted his foot and leaned over her before yanking off her mask. He frowned into the pretty face that glared back up at him, then shook his head. "I don't remember her. Ray?" The larger man shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." The girl snarled at him. "It figures you don't remember me! You'll pay for what you've done!" She lashed out with a kick at Rayden, which Ranma deftly deflected with his own foot, before using it to flip the girl over onto her stomach. Kaze shook his head, then leaned down next to the groaning ninja. "Tell me, are you a relative of Master Ayakana?" Within moments, Kaze could tell it was the truth from the torrent of emotions within the girl, but he waited for her to confirm it herself for his companions' benefit. "Ayakana? You mean that guy with the eye patch?" Ranma asked, scratching his head. Rayden nodded. "Yeah. You heard the whole story, right? Remember that whole mess with the ninja clan?" The girl got up slowly, eyeing her former victims warily (still being a bit unnerved by how quickly the situation spiraled out of her control). "My name is Eiko Ayakana. Cyrax is my brother." Kaze nodded. "I thought so. And did he order Master Shikodan's assassination?" Eiko snarled. "No! It was not him! Nobody 'ordered' it! I'm here to kill Shikodan for myself!" With that last shout, she jumped away to the dagger still embedded in the floorboards. Only to be caught in mid-leap by Ranma, who shoved her back away from her discarded weapons. "Would you cut that out?" Ranma frowned at her. "Why do you want to kill Rayden anyway?" "For what he did to my brother!" Eiko shouted, "For the loss Cyrax suffered! For the wound that will never heal!" Tears collected in her eyes, and she blinked them away. "I know Cyrax forgave you! I know he bears no grudge! But I will avenge him!" She clenched a fist before her, her fiery gaze burning into Rayden. "Hey now, what's all the noise?" Genma grumbled, finally roused from his sleep. The three demon hunters all looked at each other, ignoring him. "Sounds good to me," Rayden said. "Checks out," muttered Ranma. "I suppose it's as good a reason as any," surmised Kaze. Eiko blinked. "Huh?" Rayden turned to her. "Look, you can try and kill me all you want, but could you please do it later? We've all had a hard day and we're trying to sleep." He spared a glance at Genma. "Well, most of us have had a hard day." Eiko blinked again. "Uh... okay..." "Great! Good night!" Ranma and Rayden fell onto their bed rolls, apparently deeming the whole matter concluded for now. Kaze pulled the dagger from the floor, and then handed it to Eiko, along with all the other weapons she had drawn since she entered, including the knife still wet with Rayden's blood. Eiko blinked some more. "Er... thank you..." Kaze nodded. "You're welcome. I suggest you be on your way now. Have a good night." Confused, but finally free to leave, Eiko swiftly sheathed all her blades and leapt out the window. Genma witnessed all of this, though it didn't leave him with any better clue as to what was going on. "Who was that girl?" "That was Eiko Ayakana," Ranma stopped muttering to yawn, then shifted the covers over himself. "She was just here to kill Rayden, but we stopped her." Genma blinked, his eyes wide. "Did you say Eiko? Ayakana? Of that Hitokage clan?" Ranma frown, and sat up. "I didn't say Hitokage, but yeah. Why?" Genma sweatdropped and chuckled. If the boy didn't know, then he wasn't in trouble yet. "Oh, just curious." Ranma frowned more deeply, then shrugged. "Hey, Kaze! Wasn't that whole mess with the ninja Pop's fault anyway?" "Yes, I believe it was." Ranma nodded, and stood up. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Eiko paced back and forth along a narrow fence just a few meters away from the Tendo Dojo, contemplating her attack. On the one hand, she failed, and lost any advantage she had in her target not expecting her or knowing anything about her. On the other hand, she was still alive, and her enemies were not actively working against her. She frowned at that. Come to think of it, her victim had actually given her permission to hunt him down, and his friends had agreed to it. Were they used to this sort of thing? But that was ridiculous. Either way, they were treating it far too casually for her tastes. While that would make Rayden's inevitable demise that much easier, it was rather irritating to not be taken seriously. *Crash!* Eiko's musing was interrupted by the sound of a large object being hit through a window (a window that Eiko had closed on her way out), and she looked up to see a man-sized object in white fly off into the night sky. "Hmph. Whatever." Turning her back on the strange sight, she started running along the fence to where she was camping out during her stay in Nerima. "Just wait, Shikodan. You'll regret not finishing me off when you had the chance! You'll rue the day you and your friends ever heard the name-" "Sweeto!" "-Sweeto! Er... wait, what-GYAAAA!!!" ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

The next morning went without notable incident, with the exception that Akane wanted to know what all the noise last night was about. They had told her. Ranma shook his head as he walked to school alongside Ataru, Lum, and Akane, musing over the latter's reaction to last night's attack. What was the big deal? Just because a trained assassin broke into the house, tried to kill someone, and then promised to hunt down its target in the future wasn't cause for that much alarm. Surely, the Tendos have had such a thing happen before, right? In Ranma's opinion, an assassination attempt was hardly even noteworthy unless the assassin had at least one extra pair of appendages. Then it bore some investigation. "And apparently this girl is going to come back to attack again! Can you believe this?" Akane shouted. Ranma frowned. Hadn't she stopped talking about that yet? Ataru rolled his eyes. "Yes. What's the big deal?" "What's the big deal?!" Akane shouted incredulously, "She broke into our house! She tried to kill someone!" "So what?" Ataru muttered, "At least she was human." "See?!" Ranma cut in, "That's what I said! But she just won't shut up about it!" Akane seethed as Ataru nodded in understanding (of Ranma's apathy, not Akane's frustration), and Lum floated along lazily next to them. "Akane! Up ahead!" Lum called down, and Akane growled at the sight of the various jocks lined up, waiting for their turn to attack. Akane growled and launched herself forward, totally forgetting about her earlier difficulties. Ranma and the others merely walked right through, teenagers in sports gear swerving about them. "So c'mon, was she hot?" Ataru grinned at Ranma, and then cleverly moved around to the other side of him, to put the martial artist in-between him and the frowning Lum. Ranma blinked, taking a moment to knock away a hockey player that was smashed toward them. "What do you mean? Was who hot?" "Ya' know, the ninja! Was she a babe?" Lum twitched slightly. "Darling..." "What? What? I'm just asking!" Ataru smiled nervously, then turned back to Ranma, who rolled his eyes. "Incoming!" Ranma grabbed the airborne soccer player out of the air, then tossed him back at Akane, who got bowled over and dogpiled within moments from the unexpected assault. Ranma turned toward Ataru. "If you really want to know, she's right over there." Ataru blinked as Ranma pointed behind him, and then turned to see Kuno step out from under a tree. Above him, Ataru could just barely see a bit of foot on a branch mostly hidden by shadows, and couldn't detect anything else. "Are you sure?" "Yeah, she's hard to see, but she aint invisible." Ranma frowned as he saw a bunch of guys arguing over the prone form of Akane. Then he turned to Kuno. "Ah, but it be the Supreme Being's greatest gift upon me to brighten my presence today with your loveliness, Miss Lum. No doubt you are here to shower me with your affections and declare that you have thrown off the chains of the cowardly and lecherous sorcerer, Ataru Moroboshi!" Ataru looked at Ranma and circled a finger around his ear. Ranma nodded in agreement. "Hey! Stop saying things like that about my darling!" Lum shouted. It had always seemed to her that Kuno was a lot like Mendo. Well, Mendo was a lot smarter, less violent, nicer, and generally all-around more tolerable, but they were both rich and had little to no compunctions about pursuing several girls at once. Which made them practically the same person in her mind. Kuno frowned. "I see you are still under his spell, my fair space princess! But fear not! For I shall rescue you from his vile clutches, and then you may finally proclaim your love for me without hindrance!" Lum shook her head tiredly. Ranma sweatdropped. "Yo, man, are you okay? You never really struck me as bright before, but..." "Ah! And if it isn't another of the cowardly clan of sorcerers! I have heard of your relation to this foul creature, Saotome, and know that I intend to conquer you both!" "Yeah. Right. Okay. Say, Kuno, I think Akane is down." Ranma pointed over to where the boys were fighting each other over the unconscious form of Akane. Kuno looked shocked. "My fierce tigress! You have fallen! Fear not, for I will avenge you!" Kuno rushed off and began attacking the various fighters. Ranma and Lum shook their heads at the pathetic sight. "Ya' know, it's a sad sight to see someone that loony have enough power to cut down trees with a wooden stick." Lum nodded in agreement. "Hey! She is up here! And she IS a babe!" Lum and Ranma blinked, and then turned to the sound of struggling within the tree. "Hey babe, wanna go out sometime?!" "Get OFF of me, you pervert!!" There was more struggling, and Ataru fell off of his branch before scrambling away, just before a line of throwing knives embedded themselves in the ground where he had fallen. Ataru got up and grinned. "She's certainly energetic, eh?" *Crackle* "Darlingggggg..." "Uh... goodbye!" Ataru made a break for the school building, an enraged, flying oni trailing behind him. Ranma ignored his cousin's departure and turned back toward Eiko, who was fuming as she pulled her weapons from the ground. "So, why are you here?" "-Stupid freaking perverts, coming out of nowhere and just latching on whenever, and... huh?" "I said, why are you here?" Ranma repeated. Eiko blinked, and then straightened, trying to look as dignified as possible for someone who had just been sexually attacked. "I am here to find that scum, Shikodan. Has he already arrived?" Ranma frowned slightly. "Rayden's 19. He doesn't go to school." 'Not that he did when he was younger,' Ranma added mentally. "Oh. Well, can you tell me where I can find him?" Eiko asked calmly. Ranma stared at her for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair. "Look, if you insist on killing my friend, I'm afraid you're going to have to do it without my help." The shapely ninja considered this for a moment, then sighed. "I suppose you're right. You seem like an okay guy. Why are you friends with that monster?" Ranma sighed. "Look, you have your problem with Rayden, and I can understand that. But I've known him longer, and I know what kind of guy he is. Ray wouldn't hurt a fly." Ranma stopped, then sweatdropped slightly as he thought that over. "Well, okay, he wouldn't hesitate to kill a fly, but he's not a psychotic murderer." Ranma stopped again, and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I mean, he's never killed any people. As far as I know, your brother is the closest he's gotten." Ranma finished rather lamely, remembering all the times Rayden charged into a group of monsters and nearly gotten himself killed. Eiko snorted and jumped away, declining to reply. Ranma shrugged and headed for the school, idly wondering if Akane was going to be okay. A glance in that direction revealed that Kuno was standing over her and declaring that he would protect her with his life. She'd be fine. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

By the time Ranma sat down in class, Ataru was already a smoking heap slumped down in his desk, with Lum sitting across his desk, her legs crossed and arms folded condescendingly. He had to feel a little sorry for Ataru. Sure, the guy was an idiot and a lecher, but ultimately he was harmless. Yet he had the whole world stacked against him regardless. Plus he had gotten married by accident, which was something Ranma could personally sympathize with. The teacher started taking roll, and then suddenly stopped as he realized that several boys were present that normally weren't. The "horde o' hentai", as those with the peculiar desire to pursue dating Akane Tendo were called, were beaten to a pulp every day, and so they naturally never attended their first period class. Of course, being absent for the first hour every day was hardly the way toward an outstanding school record, but Furinkan had enough problems without flunking half the sophomore class, so those that participated in Tatewaki's little 'contest' had been given unofficial special exemption from normal rules regarding truancy. Eventually, this had led to just about everyone ditching first period on a whim, though the horde 'o hentai was still the only group to never show up at all. By the time second period rolled around, they had usually regained consciousness, and they could attend their normal classes as usual. For those boys to walk into their first class (albeit late; many of them had forgotten where their first class was) was akin to Ataru walking past a strip club without even noticing (in other words, not particularly remarkable, but it would never happen). "Uh... may I ask what's going on? Is Miss Tendo sick today?" It seemed likely. She wasn't here, after all. One student, dressed in a wrestling uniform, shot up immediately. "She's not sick! I defeated her in combat, finally! At last, I'll get to date Akane!" Another one leapt to his feet, this one clothed in hockey gear. "The hell you did! I knocked her out!" "But I was pinning her down! You just got in a quick shot, you cheater!" A rather beat-up, but still conscious, soccer player stood. "Why should you get credit for it? I'm the one that hit her first! I inflicted the most damage!" "Only because Saotome threw you! I gave her the knockout hit!" A baseball player stood up straight, though he didn't stand. "Hey, maybe Saotome should get her, since he really caused the most damage and we all know he's the only one that could stand up to her in a straight fight?" The baseball player blinked as all of the arguing boys and almost all of the class's girls turned to glare at him. Then he realized that Ranma was glaring at him too, and decided that maybe he should go hide under a rock. Forever.

The teacher, seeing a break in the argument that had obviously been leading to a brawl, cleared his throat. "If you're all quite finished, class is now in session. Those of you in the sports gear, I hope you realize that I won't be going any easier on you just because you've never been here before." He immediately turned to the board, and started writing sentences. "Hey man, what class is this, anyway?" The soccer player asked Mendo, as the richest boy in school also had a reputation for being the smartest. "It's English, dolt!" Mendo hissed back, then returned to his book. "I'm taking English this year?" "Aw, man! I suck at English!" "I missed out on a trip to Sakura's office for this?" Ranma sighed as he watched the teacher start banging his head on the wall. Still three hours until lunch... ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Eiko stalked across the streets of Nerima, no longer making any effort to hide herself as she jumped from roof to roof and ran along fences, and in turn catching quite a few eyes, especially from the men that happened to look up at the right time. She was trying to find her prey, of course, but had no idea where to look. She had already tried trailing the priest, but found herself totally unable to hide from him at any distance, and didn't have enough nerve to ask him for help in killing his friend. So here she was, running around at random, just hoping to- "Hello pretty lad-" *Thwack!* Eiko reflexively slapped the incoming object out of the air, sending it tumbling into the grass, unconscious. Her eye twitched as she saw it was a just a little boy in a strange, tiger-striped diaper, and cursed herself for being so paranoid just because she had spent half the night being groped by a tiny old person. Then she noticed that the little kid had a horn, and revised her opinion. Besides, she decided, as she kicked the young alien away into the bushes, she could have sworn he was flying before she hit him. Nerima had enough weirdos as it was. 'Now where was I? Oh yeah!' So here she was, running around at random, just hoping to run into- *Thud* "Oops, sorry about that." Eiko backed away from the brick wall... er, person she had walked into, and laughed lightly, rubbing her nose. "No, no, I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was..." then she realized who she was talking to. "YOU!!!" She pointed at Rayden. "Me?" "Yes, YOU!!!" "What about me?" "................." Eiko stood silent, her finger still pointed at Rayden, who stared at her, confused. All of a sudden, a light of understanding appeared in his eyes. "Ah, I get it. You have to kill me, right?" Eiko nodded, and then pulled out a kodachi from a sheath strapped to her thigh. "Yeah! You'll die for what you've done!" Rayden nodded. "Right, right. Well, let's get to it, shall we?" He stretched mightily, then slowly unsheathed the huge long sword on his back. Eiko couldn't help but think there was something terribly wrong with this situation, but paid it little heed as her opponent turned slightly away from her, his naked blade resting easily on his shoulder. It was an invitation to attack. So she took it. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Kaze's head perked up suddenly, and the man across the table from him blinked in surprise. "You okay there, fella?" Kaze stared off into the distance. "I sense a great disturbance in the force." The man blinked. "Er... what do you mean?" Kaze turned back to him. "Someone nearby is getting his or her ass beaten. It is none of our concern." The man nodded uncertainly, then cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, land in the middle of the district isn't easy to get, and it's not cheap for those who manage it, either. Especially when you need so much of it. Nerima has low property values-in just about any other district you'd be outta luck completely-but you're asking a bit much. Are you sure nothing else will do?" Kaze nodded in the affirmative. "I'm afraid not. It has to be there, I'm sure of it." "Ah, well, it's your money. What're you building, anyway?" Kaze took a sip of tea. "A cathedral." The man blinked. "You catholic?" "Not quite," the priest deadpanned. "I see. Well, it's none of my business. I think you'll have enough here for me to get you the deeds, but you'll still need a few permits before you can start building. Along with the cost of the actual construction itself, that's quite a bill for you to pay." Kaze frowned. "Well, I'll have to see my business partner about finding ways of making the money. Good day, sir." They bowed to each other, and Kaze walked outside, pondering. Then he turned away.

After a bit of walking, he came to a recent battlefield, easily recognizable by the large gashes in just about everything within a 10- meter radius of an unconscious body. Rayden stood over the body, idly tugging on his leather gloves. "Ah, Master Shikodan. I trust all went well?" Rayden looked up, then smiled at his old friend. "Yeah, she's not as good as her brother. Didn't even take a scratch." Kaze nodded in satisfaction, and glanced down at the unconscious ninja. She didn't appear to have any cuts, and there was no blood, but still... "Will she require any healing?" Rayden shrugged. "I dunno. Probably not. I didn't cut her or anything, so she should be okay." "Excellent. Well, now that that's taken care of, I have a matter of some importance to discuss with you. Come." Kaze stopped for a moment to nod at a tree, curiously enough, then turned and began walking toward the dojo, and Rayden swiftly hurried to catch up. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Cyrax waited until both Rayden and Kaze had turned a corner before uncloaking himself. Jumping down onto the street, he frowned slightly. If he didn't know better, he would've sworn that the priest had been nodding to him. But that was impossible, right? Even the great Matriarch of the Hitokage was impressed by his skill; how could a mere priest possibly have noticed him? Putting the question at the back of his mind, he shook his head as he looked down upon the body of his sister. He loved her dearly, but he sorely wished she did not feel as strongly toward him. He couldn't help but feel a bit angry that Rayden had harmed her, but that was swiftly crushed under the boot of logic. The man was only defending himself, and Eiko would recover without a scar. Taking out a water bottle, he splashed some on the girl's face, and she sputtered a bit before her eyes fluttered open. "Wha... what? Where... Cyrax?" Eiko sat up slowly, clutching her head in pain. "Yes, it's me. Be careful, you're hurt." Eiko held up her hand, and Cyrax pulled his sister to her feet, where she teetered unsteadily. "Ugh. I feel as if I was hit by a truck." Cyrax let go of her, and stared down with his one eye. "I saw the whole thing. A truck would have been a mercy, I think." He knew from experience how hard Rayden hit, and he was quite surprised that his little sister hung in as long as she did. Her eyes burned suddenly as the whole occurrence came back to her, and the young ninja clenched her teeth. "He... he beat me! No! No, I will defeat him! Next time I'll-" "There won't BE a next time," Cyrax chided, "I appreciate your concern for my welfare, sister, but I cannot allow you to attack Shikodan again." Eiko scowled, then looked sad. This wasn't the first time he'd tried to diffuse her seeking of Rayden's death, and she knew that there was nothing he could really do about it, short of knocking her out and tying her up. "Brother, he must face justice for what he has done!" Cyrax sighed. They both knew how these discussions went, yet continued to play out their parts anyway. "Eiko, it is my concern, not yours." "I'm making it my concern!" Suddenly, a thought came to his head. "Eiko, he's far too dangerous for you to kill. What if he didn't hold back next time?" Eiko stuttered a bit. "He-He was n-not holding back!" "He fought you with a five foot blade that can cleave stone, and you don't have so much as a papercut." He deadpanned. Eiko opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Cyrax nodded. "Sister, as your protector, it is my duty to see to your safety. Therefore, I cannot allow you to pursue this vendetta with Shikodan in good conscience. It is entirely contradictory to my responsibilities." Eiko twitched slightly, then began to say something again when Cyrax suddenly put a hand in front of her mouth, warning her not to speak. For a moment her anger rose, thinking that her brother was trying to terminate the discussion before she had a chance to make her case, but then she realized he wasn't even looking at her any more. "There's someone in that alley." Eiko started, then glanced in that direction as well, and quickly confirmed what Cyrax had already told her. Nothing was visible to the naked eye, of course, but there were other signs to look for. "Come out! Now!" A katana flashed in the sunlight as Cyrax drew it from its sheath, hidden beneath his black cape. The figure hastily stepped out, and Cyrax and Eiko both relaxed at the sight. It was a young man, just a bit older than both of them, dressed in a tight-fitting ninja suit with the crest of the Hitokage on his arm, which he held up to show off the mark. The man approached, and Cyrax smiled. "Well, this was unexpected. Why are you here?" The man bowed deeply first, then lowered the ninja mask that covered his nose and mouth. "I am only here to deliver a message, Ayakana, and inform you to make preparations with all due haste." He held out a small scroll, which Cyrax took curiously. "Preparations? Preparations for what?" Eiko asked. "Uh... perhaps you had better read the letter." Eiko turned to her brother, who was already doing so. The young man blinked, then looked up. "It would appear that father is coming here... along with the Matriarch herself!" Eiko blinked herself. "Father? The Matriarch? Here? Why?" "It... it doesn't say... just that they're coming soon, so we should be ready to receive them." Eiko turned to the other man, who she realized (much to her annoyance and secret satisfaction) had been staring at her chest ever since he was relieved of the message. "You! Do you have any idea what this is all about?" The older ninja shrugged slightly. "Well, don't hold me to this, but Cyrax sends letters home to his father that track his progress when he was searching for that swordsman, right?" Cyrax was a very well-known figure in his clan, as befitting his skill and position, as well as his injury and the shame he suffered for it, and hence his tale of tracking down the swordsman responsible was something of an legend back home. Cyrax nodded. "Well, I heard that some of the stuff in the letters attracted the attention of Master Ayakana and the Matriarch. I don't know about what the Matriarch wants, as you know that nobody spies on or gossips about her, but I heard a lot of people talking about how Master Ayakana has been bringing up that old engagement that he made for Eiko." "The... engagement? Oh boy..." Eiko put her hand to her forehead. "This is JUST what I need." Cyrax considered it. "The engagement... that would be to Ranma, the pigtailed one, if I'm correct." He glanced to his side, only to see that Eiko was muttering to herself instead of listening to him. He shrugged. "Still, that doesn't explain why the Matriarch would come as well." The ninja bowed in apology. "I can only offer what I have already told you." Cyrax nodded, then bowed back. "Thank you. You may go." The man replaced his face mask and leapt away, using the forest as cover to conceal his passage. "Hmph. Well he'd better be REALLY cute, or Daddy can just forget about it..." Eiko continued muttering, even as her brother took her hand and began dragging her away. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

"If it is not the foul sorcerer Ranma Saotome! Now that I have at last secured Akane Tendo from the clutches of you and your evil compatriot, Moroboshi, I shall at last-" Ranma ignored Kuno as he continued talking, and stood up from where he sat at the end of a bench. "Whatever Kuno. Night-night." Then he stamped his foot down on his end of the bench, causing the other end to bounce up and slam the kendoist firmly in the jaw, snapping his head up. Kuno slumped onto the ground a moment later, and Ranma resumed eating.

"Hmph. I tell you, all this casual violence is simply barbaric. Real men find other ways to resolve their differences, without their fists." Mendo sat down on the bench opposite Ranma, followed by Ataru and several other student. Ranma ignored him. "Like you're one to talk, Mendo. Always carrying that sword around." Ataru snorted, then started digging into his lunch with a speed that challenged Ranma's. Shutaro sniffed, then delicately started eating his own lunch as he talked. "The Mendo family blade I carry around for purposes OTHER than the vile use for which it was constructed." "At least until Ataru pisses him off," one other student interjected, causing chuckles around the table. Mendo continued as if nothing had been said. "The blade intimidates, and gives me a psychological edge. Of course, I don't expect creatures of such feeble intelligence like yourselves to understand such things." "Aw, he's still sore that Kuno's so much better than him at kendo!" Another student barked out. Mendo turned red at the barb, and his left eyebrow began to twitch. Mendo was more attractive, more popular, smarter, and richer than Kuno was (as well as more sane), but it always struck a particular nerve within him that he could never even begin to match the dimwit in the physical arena. Never mind that Kuno refused to acknowledge Mendo's superiority in any other area as well. The first time he had challenged Kuno, he had tried to replace him as captain of the kendo club, and ignored all of the older boy's arrogant ranting about his incredible skill with a smirk and a shake of his head. He hadn't been able to move for two days afterwards. Then, with that blow to his pride fresh on everyone's minds, he challenged Kuno again, intent on healing his wounded reputation and claiming to everyone that kendo was a thinking man's game; an arena where Kuno couldn't hope to match him. The half-hour that he had spent having to endure Kuno's victorious laughter and egotistical speeches as the kendoist stood over him was a torture exceeded only by the taunts he had endured ever since from his classmates. Ranma looked up at him. "Kuno's better than you?" Mendo continued twitching. "......... Marginally........." "Man, that's rough. Are you a cripple or something?" Ranma asked. It sure seemed that way, what with how he was shaking like that. Nearby, Ataru and several others collapsed into laughter. Suddenly, all of Mendo's anxiety seemed to melt away, and he looked up pleasantly. "No, actually. I simply do not go to such lengths for the purpose of something so barbaric as to beat another person into unconsciousness." Ranma blinked, then scratched his head. "Ah. So you're just a wimp then. Figures." Next to Mendo, Ataru and his friends once again started bellowing with mirth. Mendo shot up. "'Wimp'? 'WIMP'?! Why you little-" Mendo's hand reached for the handle of his katana, but then Ranma stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't take it personally or anything. But if you don't know how to use that sword, you shouldn't carry it around like that. You could hurt yourself. Actually, I have a friend who could give you lessons if you're interested." Mendo's hand finished closing on the sword's handle. *Shing* Ataru and the others blinked as Ranma blocked the slash with his foot, leaving the pigtailed boy standing on one foot with his other leg up in the air as he shook his head. "You see? No real power behind the swing, and the execution was weak. Plus I wonder if you even know how to extend the blow using air pressure. I didn't even feel a breeze." Mendo merely stood miserably, his blade being somehow held at the edge by Ranma's slipper, wondering how the situation could become any more humiliating. Of course, he realized the answer as soon as Kuno stepped up behind him. "Indeed, his skill is meager, to say the least. And look at his stance; he's off-balance, inviting one to disarm him before the final blow." "Look at this sword, is it even made to be used, or is it just decoration?" "This defense is sloppy, and his initiative is pathetic. Truly a disgrace to all who practice the fine art of kendo." Over at the bench, one of the students next to Ataru shook his head. "Man, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to feel sorry for Mendo." The others stared at him for a moment, and then shoved him off the bench. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Ranma flipped out of his seat as soon as the bell rang, then leapt out the window to make a three-point landing on the ground, hardly disturbing the ground underneath. Then, after taking a moment to readjust his backpack, he started running for the gate. He wasn't in any particular hurry, but Kaze had said that he was starting work on something today, and Ranma wanted to find out what it was. He skidded to a stop as a voice called out to him. "Ranma! Did you see where that pervert went?!" Ranma blinked. It was Lum, who was looking angry. Very angry. 'I wonder what's up.' "Ataru just left the classroom. He shouldn't be out of the building yet." Ranma replied. Now it was Lum's turn to blink. "No! Not darling! The other pervert!" "Other... pervert?" Ranma asked slowly. That's when the shouting started. "You little sicko!" "Come back here!" "Give me back my underwear!" "I'll kill you!" "You dirty old man!" "Stop!" Ranma could only stare as he watched a huge crowd of girls pass from window to window inside the building. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good look at what they were chasing, though the "dirty old man" comment gave him an uncomfortable sense of dread. However, the cackle that followed confirmed once and for all who it was that was causing all the fuss. "Whatta haul! Whatta haul!" Ranma slapped his forehead. "Oh, for the love of..."

Happousai laughed with glee as the horde of schoolgirls continued chasing him, wielding brooms, mops, bookbags, and almost everything else of any significant weight. Eventually, the old lecher decided he'd had enough of simply running, and leapt out one of the second-story windows to bounce onto the ground below. Shinobu glared furiously out the window, and then turned to her fellow enraged females. "After him! For his crimes of perversion, he MUST DIE!!!" The angry mob let out a cheer, then rushed after Shinobu down the stairs. Happousai listened to declaration for a moment, and then shook his head, preparing to accelerate away from the mob of foolish women. They actually thought they could catch him? Then he frowned as his ears picked up the hiss of air moving quickly, as if through a tube or something, and jumped out of the way just before a wind blade cut deeply into the ground he was standing on. Happousai turned around angrily to see Ranma grinning at his handiwork. "Why you little whelp! How dare you?!" Ranma snorted. "Whatsa matter, old freak? I hope I'm not interrupting anything!" He grinned as Happousai glared at him, then blinked in surprise when the old lecher sighed and crossed his arms. "I'd teach you a lesson, boy, but for some reason I'm feeling rather content right now. As if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders." "That would be your bag of underwear." Ranma pointed out, jabbing a thumb toward the group of girls that were frantically shifting through a huge pile of women's unmentionables, "It caught the tail end of that wasp strike and got cut open." Happousai made a curious *Crack* noise as he stared, shell-shocked, at the fate that had befallen his precious silken darlings, and he began to glow furiously as rage overtook his misery. "Rrrrrraaaaaanmaaaaaaaaa!" He growled, and his aura started to take shape. *Zak!* *Zak!* *Zak!* Three lightning bolts crashed down on the ancient martial artist in quick succession, and he fell to the ground in a charred mess. "Fellow women! Wait!" The various schoolgirls all stopped their searching to look up at Shinobu, who had moved past the pile of undies and was now pointing the handle of a broom threateningly at the blackened form of Happousai. "We can recover our property later! For now, priority must go toward punishing the man responsible!" The girls looked at each other, and Yuka spoke up from near the back. "Is it Ataru in disguise?" "Hey! Leave me outta this!" A voice yelled down from a second story window. Sayuri shook her head. "Never mind! She's right! Let's kill the perv first!" "HEAR HEAR!!!" Happousai twitched slightly, then sat up. On his left was a glowing Lum. In front of him was a glowing Ranma. To his right was a group of girls that, while not illuminated, were packing many blunt objects and outnumbered him significantly. "Well... goodbye then!" He took off. "COME BACK HERE, YOU OLD PERVERT!!!" The mob spoke as one, and as one it gave chase.

Ataru poked his head out of the main door to the school, and stared at the big pile of bras and panties lying out on the grass. "You know, one day, when I'm old and senile, I'm going to look back on this and laugh." Down by his knees, Cherry sipped some tea before speaking. "I doubt you'll live that long." "Shut up." ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

*Thwooooom!* *Crumble!* *Crash!* The flames washed over the stone, steel, and plaster, burning away everything that could be burned to ash. Shooting the flame was a stunning woman in a tight-fitting business suit with long, loose, purple hair and piercing red eyes. She let the fire die off a bit, and lowered her smoking index finger before frowning at the still-impressive mound of ground-up construction material before her. Stepping back, she put her hands together, then slowly drew them apart, a red, semi-transparent sphere of energy fluctuating before her. She let it grow to its full size, then thrust her hands forward, shooting it off into the construction yard. *Kablam!!* The fireball detonated violently, sending twisted, molten metal and charred concrete flying in all directions, and prompting a small collapse of the trash pile, as the various materials crumbled inward. Rivet smiled as she saw two shapes struggle their way out of the mess. "Well, well, well... if it isn't Rotor and my sister's little bug. You big boys come here often?" The grotesque, cybernetic creature focused the ruby lens of its mechanical eye on the smirking woman, and then finished pulling itself free from the rubble. "The mission has failed. We must report back immediately." Bolt dusted some debris off of his carapace with his clawed arm, and then walked up to Rivet slowly. "Thank you." He said simply, then turned to Rotor. "Can you locate Nail or Bit?" "Don't bother," Rivet interrupted, "I found them yesterday, wandering about in the Dazuun Wastes. Nail told me all about your little mission. Tell me, were these humans really able to take you boys out?" Bolt's mandibles clicked, and he turned once again toward Rotor. "Nail and Bit have failed to destroy their targets as well. We'd best be leaving." "Wait a minute." Rivet said, and Bolt turned back to her. "I find this... interesting. Tell me, who are these people you were supposed to kill?" "That is none of your concern," Bolt hissed. "There is no disadvantage in informing her." Rotor concluded aloud. The mechanical implant over what could be perceived as his eye beeped, and a light beam shot out and formed the image of Ranma, Rayden, and Kaze on the ground, at 1/2 normal size. "These are the targets. Ranma Saotome, Rayden Shikodan, and Kaze Toren. All three have proven to be very capable and extremely dangerous, though the exact reason for their extermination is unknown. Surely they are no threat to Lord Doppler's Dominion. They possess little knowledge of Chryslon and show no intent to even trek there." "Rotor, that's enough!" Bolt's mandibles clicked furiously, and he turned back to Rivet. "Thank you once again for freeing us. We must now be on our way." The insecticoid fighter immediately dashed for the forest, followed by the slow, rumbling gait of his companion as they sought escape.

Rivet didn't bother to wait until they were out of sight, and began walking toward the center of Nerima. Three such young humans defeated her sister and her companions? Very interesting. With a smile, she straightened up as she walked, which earned a few appreciative stares from the men that happened to be watching. 'I'd really like to talk to them. Maybe see what they can do. Who knows, maybe we could even have a little fun?' Rivet snickered. But first she had to find them. It shouldn't be too hard. On the whole, the people that inhabited this world were lazy and weak, confident in their safety and superiority. Suffice to say, after just two hours of walking among the people around here, even Rivet was thinking about the merits of going on a murderous rampage (you know, just to spice things up around here). And she LIKED humans. Locating a group of them with such extraordinary strength shouldn't be hard at all. *Rumble* Rivet stopped at the noise, and looked about as the subtle growl continued and started to rise. At first she thought it must be a rock worm, or similar beast, but then realized that there was no way such a fearsome and destructive predator could be found in a place like Japan. From looking around at the other pedestrians, she could easily tell that they had no idea what was happening either, which also ruled out any normal occurrence that she just didn't know about. "Get back here, you old freak!" "Stay still so I can zap you!" "Freeze, pervert!!" She felt a sweatdrop roll down her head as she watched the unusual procession run by on the other side of the road, and wondered what was going on. "Well, what have we here?" Rivet turned around at the voice, and then blinked, startled, as she stood before one of the men she had seen in Rotor's hologram. Rayden Shikodan, she believed. She smiled warmly. "Well, hello there. You know, I've been looking for someone like you." Rayden grinned. "And I've been looking for someone like you. Now how 'bout we stop messing around and get right down to business?" He took his hands out of his coat pockets, and his fingers flexed in anticipation. She matched his grin. "Well, I just wanted to talk, but since you put it that way..." she leaned back onto the wall, and stuck her chest out enticingly. "Come and get me, big boy." "'Kay." *Shink!* Rivet blinked as she suddenly found a rather large sword pointed straight at her neck. Rayden grinned some more. "I'm really gonna enjoy this." Rivet couldn't help but stare nervously at the diamond-sharp sword tip just an inch from her neck. "Um... just to make sure we're on the same page here, are you planning on having your way with me?" Rayden stared at her as if she had just asked the stupidest question in the world. "What? What the hell are you talking about?" "Yeah. Okay. That's what I thought. Hey! Your shoes are untied!" Rayden looked down at his feet, and Rivet wasted no time in backhanding him and running away. Rayden watched her go for a moment, rubbing his cheek. "Yeesh. She didn't have to hit me. Geez." Then he looked back down at his boots. "............ Wait a minute! These things don't even have laces! Hey! Stop!"

Ranma threw another wind blade at Happousai as the old man streaked ahead of him, and again the old man simply jumped up right before it hit. It was really starting to get frustrating for Ranma, as he was already leaving a string of craters and gouges in the wake of the angry mob, and was swiftly running out of energy to continue his barrage. He was rather impressed that the other groups, namely the schoolgirls and then Lum, were keeping up with him. Well, Lum could fly, but she had been throwing out lightning bolts like crazy. Okay, time for some quick thinking... "Hey look! An attractive female streaker!" *Rrrrrk!* Happousai skidded to a stop. "What? Where?!" *Ka-ZAK!!!* "Gotcha!" *Crash!* *Bam!* "Die, pervert!" "Get him!" *Crunch!* *Crack!* "I can't believe it. What kind of an idiot would fall for that TWICE?" Ranma shook his head sadly. After a while of doing this, he stopped and frowned. Ranma looked down one street, then another, and started tapping his foot on the fence he was standing on. Then he blinked as realization hit him. "Oh, wait. Ataru's still back at Furinkan." Shaking his head at the wasted time, Ranma hopped off the fence and crossed the street, ignoring the girls that walked away from Happousai's bruised and broken body.

"Hey! Leave me alone!" "What're you running for? Come back and fight me!" Ranma blinked, then turned around to see Rayden run by, chasing a beautiful woman in a business suit with a short skirt. He was obviously trying to kill her, as he kept making slashes with his sword that would end up gouging into the concrete walk, or an adjacent wall, or cutting down a telephone pole. The only thing that stopped Ranma from trying to stop him immediately was that the woman wasn't having too much trouble avoiding every strike. However, she obviously realized that her life was in danger, as she wasn't taking any chances either. And then recognition set in. "Hey! It's Nail!" New alarms started going off in Rivet's head as she heard the new voice, and a quick glance caught a glowing figure moving at her at high speed. Quickly digging her foot into the concrete walk to kill her momentum, she managed to turn around right before Ranma smashed into the walk before her like a comet, and duck under Rayden's blade as it cut a straight horizontal line that would have sliced her apart just below her shoulders. Hitting the ground and rolling, she called her maji to her hand and was about to activate it, when Ranma charged through her defenses with a brutal kick that sent her tumbling into a wall. Getting to her feet quickly, she jumped up and rebounded off the stone barrier, just before Rayden and Ranma pulverized it with a twin strike. Landing behind them, she willed her maji to form a sword, and energy flooded out of the golden rod, collecting in the air into the shape of a great claymore. Then she sweatdropped as she watched Rayden and Ranma approaching, apparently not impressed by her summoning a huge sword out of thin air. "Hey! Wait! Hold on! I don't want to kill you!" The approaching fighters stopped and stared. "You don't?" "No!" Rayden and Ranma stared at her skeptically for a moment, and then shared a glance before Rayden spoke up. "Well, who are you here to kill? I mean, if it's someone we don't like..." he trailed off, and Ranma jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow for the comment. "I'm not here to kill anyone!" Rivet protested. Ranma and Rayden both fell into a heavy silence, contemplating the concept of a demonic creature that didn't wish to kill anyone. It was about then that Ranma noticed the wound from the kick he had landed earlier. It had been a powerful strike, and there was a bit of blood where it had broken skin. "Hey... you're not regenerating!" Ranma stared for a moment, then scratched his head. "Are you Nail?" Rivet blinked, then sighed in relief as she realized at least one prompt for their relentless attacks. "No, no. My name is Rivet." Ranma nodded. "Right... well, anyway, if you're not one of those freaky monsters that keep coming back, and you're not trying to hurt anyone... well, uh, sorry about trying to kill you. We don't usually get many demons that aren't out to kill us, you see." Rivet chuckled nervously. "Oh, I understand completely! Of course!" Rivet let her maji deactivate, and the claymore shattered into motes of yellow light, which were quickly sucked up into the small golden rod. Ranma nodded, glad that there were no hard feelings. "Well, come on Ray. Let's go home." Rayden followed Ranma as he jumped onto a fence, but glanced back at Rivet suspiciously. "But she's a demon! Shouldn't we kill her anyway? On general principle?" "Killing things on general principle is wrong." "Why?" "I dunno. Ask Kaze next time you see him!" Rivet sweatdropped once again, and decided to be more careful from now on when traveling through Japan. "*Gasp!* Where? Where is she? *Pant* *Pant* I got here as fast as I could! *Wheeze*" Ataru fell to the ground, his energy exhausted, and groaned at having run such a distance when there weren't any naked women around. Rivet shook her head. What a bizarre place. She'd have stick around for a while. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______

Ranma tried to shrug off the feeling of dread and uncertainty that kept growing as he approached the Tendo Dojo. There was no smoke or fire or anything, so the most obvious and common disaster hadn't happened. This alone was enough to bring great relief to Ranma's mind; it wasn't often that he and his friends stayed anywhere for more than two days without it being totally demolished in one way or another. But then why couldn't he shake this feeling? Ranma found at least part of the answer when he noticed that Genma was slowly sneaking away from the dojo on the other side of the perimeter wall. Ranma wouldn't have noticed at all, except that the small panda spirit floating above Genma's head was just barely visible above the edge of the stone barrier. Gesturing Rayden to stop and remain quiet, Ranma hopped on top of the wall, and then yanked his father up and over onto the sidewalk. "Gaah!" *Thud* "Ow! Boy! What's the meaning of this?!" Ranma snorted. "Why don't YOU tell ME, Pop? What's the big idea trying to sneak away from the dojo, anyway? What'dja do this time?" "Thank you for catching him. Saved me the trouble." Ranma looked up at the voice, startled, and saw the ninja boy he had met the previous day, Cyrax, standing atop the wall, where only moments ago there had been nothing. "Oh... uh... no problem." Ranma muttered. 'How'd he sneak up on me like that? Maybe he's got some sort of special technique I can learn!' Rayden smiled up at the boy. "Hey Ayakana, how's it going?" Then something occurred to him, and he looked confused. "Uh, hey, why are you here, anyway?" Cyrax sighed, then scratched the back of his head, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "There is a matter of... some importance that we must attend to inside. If you would follow me..." Ranma and Rayden did so, dragging Genma along with them, and Rayden sighed. "This isn't about your sister, is it?" Cyrax shook his head. "Somewhat. Actually, it involves Saotome far more than you." Both demon hunters blinked at that, and shared a confused glance. Cyrax said no more, but stepped into the house. Ranma let his friend drag Genma in ahead of him, and then took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever lay beyond the outer walls of the Tendo household. He expected Eiko to be there, and she was sitting at the dining room table in a somewhat meditative position, tea in hand. That Soun and his daughters, as well as Kaze were present also came as no surprise. His mother's presence wasn't expected, but she had wanted to visit, so he wasn't that curious as to why she was here. What he didn't expect at all was an older man he didn't remember ever seeing before, dressed in an elaborate black cloak that looked far too ornamental to be of any use to a ninja, to be sitting next to her. He had short black hair, and though his face bore many scars, it was easy to see the resemblance to Eiko and Cyrax. The man took one glance at him, and then smiled broadly, standing up. "Ah! At last! It's been far too long since I've seen you son-in-law! What a fine young man you've grown up to be!" Eiko looked up at him as if noticing that he had entered, and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing who it was. Ranma idly noted that she had traded her ninja gear for a delicate white silken kimono that hugged her figure well, though her state of dress was pretty much the farthest thing from his mind. Ranma stared for a moment at the taller man, and then looked over at Cyrax, who could only shrug apologetically. Then he snatched Genma away from Rayden, and threw the elder Saotome onto the table roughly. "Okay Pop. You've got twenty seconds. Talk." Genma whimpered.

End Chapter 6 *************************************************************************** *******

Author's Notes: To avoid further embarrassment and humiliation on my part, I will cease referring to special techniques in Nexus in Japanese. Primarily because they're really screwed up. Maybe if someone wants to give me translations, but otherwise I just won't bother with it.