Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma ½ and Urusei Yatsura belong to Rumiko Takahashi. They are used without permission.
Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all.
~ Gilbert K. Chesterton ~
Part IV: Ranma, the hunted.
Warning: Sexual Situations… but not quite a lemon
It was a darkened hall filled with the loud murmuring of a crowd of anxious followers waiting patiently. Finally the huge doors to the room opened and she walked into the great hall. The murmuring ceased and all eyes watched her as she entered the room.
A soft spotlight split the darkness and illuminated her, basking her form in a warm glow. She was a tall woman, close to six feet in height. Her head was shorn save for a long golden braid on the crown of her head that reached down across her square shoulders, past her hourglass waist and thighs and brushed against her shapely calves as she walked. She wore no make up, as she had no need. Her lips were a natural strawberry red, her cheeks blessed with an innate blush, framed perfectly by the golden hue of her skin. To put it simply she was stunningly beautiful.
And was it mentioned she was nekkid.
Well, not exactly naked. She bore about her shoulders a sheer white shawl clasped in front by a platinum thread just above her supple breasts, but it concealed nothing and was little more than window dressing. Reaching the center of the hall, she ascended the small summit of steps to a chair like throne. She sat down with a grace that left her audience in awe.
Out of the black, a servant, who was entirely naked, stepped forward and bowed lowed to her, extending a goblet of a sweet red colored alcohol. She accepted it with a kiss to the servant's hand that caused a shiver to run through the young man. She wetted her lips with the drink, a small rivulet of red running down her cheek and neck and disappearing in the valley of her breast. She placed the goblet down and spoke.
"Am I the prettiest?"
"Sure 'nuff!" Her followers shouted enthusiastically.
"Am I the sexiest?"
"Sure 'nuff!" They howled.
"Am I the baddest mo' fo' lo' do~own around this crown?"
"SURE 'NUFF!" They screamed.
The queen nodded, confidently. "And am I the most salacious, licentious, lascivious, libidinous creature alive?" She already knew the answer to all these questions but she never tired of hearing the response. She waited for their thunderous reply.
And waited…
…And waited.
She began to tap impatiently on the chair's armrest. 'Well? The answer is easy enough! Why don't they answer!'
There was disconcerted whispering in the crowd as everyone present debated amongst themselves how best to answer.
"Well! Am I the most lecherous or not!" She said and imperiously stood, tired of the delay.
All became quiet, until a small voice way way way in the back called out timidly, "Uh… No."
"WHAT!!!"
A second spotlight was activated directly over the young woman, who spoke (she was naked too, by the way). "According to a recent check on the Galaxy Computer mainframe… an Earthling now holds that particular title; because of the rules of the Communion, we feared telling you…"
The Queen shook with rage… and fear.
"I… I… invoke the Sacred Challenge! Prepare the ship! We're going to this Earth!"
Ryoko Mendou stood and clapped loudly as the third teacher of the day broke down in a fit of tears and ran out of the classroom. Finally, someone had come to end the monotonous boredom of the past six months.
This Aya person was just as entertaining as Master Moroboshi, although not quite to the level of her Tomibaro, but beggars can't be choosers. "Well, Ms. Tendou, what do you have planned next?"
Aya dropped down from where she was hanging upside down on one of the ceiling's light fixtures and made a three-point landing on one of the student's desk. "I have a question…" Aya began her query unmoving from the crouched position of her landing, her eyes closed. "…Are the any men at this school at all?"
Ryoko blinked in thought, "Hmm… There is the school principal, of course, and Mr. Chiro."
The entire class held their stomachs to keep from retching.
Aya sighed. "Any men under forty?"
"Not that I recall," Ryoko answered. "In truth, this place can be quite mind-numbing. I usually seek my amusement elsewhere or have it shipped in," Ryoko finished with a bemused smile.
Aya looked at her sidelong, wondering just what this strange girl meant by that, before dismissing the whole thing. She didn't know how she would last the rest of the day at this school never mind an entire school year. She stood and began to walk towards the door. Unfortunately, she forgot she was standing on a desk and fell awkwardly to the floor, causing Ryoko to giggle. 'So much like Master Moroboshi, I must introduce these two. Whenever, Moroboshi comes back from his travels that is.'
By the time Ryoko had finished that thought, Aya was nowhere in sight. Ryoko made a quick visual search of the classroom before clasping her hands in front of her. "Kuroko…"
Two of her personal guard appeared from out of nowhere and bowed low in front of her. Ryoko pointed toward the open classroom door. "Follow her," she said simply, and the two disappeared.
"Hurry up, stupid Mousse! Is almost lunchtime. Shampoo need take Husband ramen!" She smacked him in the back of the head with a wok to encourage his haste.
"Shampoo," he pleaded. "Why don't you forget that loser! He'll never love you the way I do." He tossed the ladle he was using to strain the noodles aside and rushed toward his one and only love. "Shampoo! Let me show you my love. Come to me!"
Shampoo ignored the visually challenged boy as he sprinted away from her and out the open door of the restaurant. Shaking her head in disgust, she took his place at the stove and finished preparing a serving of the House's special ramen to take to Ranma. She had just removed her apron and was placing the bowl of ramen in her delivery box when a weak scream came from the direction Mousse had gone.
When Cologne hopped in from the rear of the restaurant, she found Mousse flanked by Shampoo carrying an unconscious young girl inside.
"Hoho, what's this you two have found?" Cologne queried pogo-ing next to the pair as they laid the girl down on an empty tabletop.
"I mistook her for Shampoo and accidentally knocked her down."
"Hmm… seems she has had quite a rough journey," Cologne concluded from the girl's injuries and ragged appearance.
"I… I think I recognize her," Shampoo ventured in her native tongue. "I remember seeing her around the village." She looked back and forth between her great grandmother and Mousse as if seeking confirmation.
"You mean she's from home?" Mousse shook his head. "She is unfamiliar to me." His glance moved to Shampoo and lingered there. "But then I only have eyes for Shampoo."
Cologne rapped him on the head for the comment. "Now is not the time for your mooning. Her name is Tsu Mi. She is the youngest daughter of Tsu Yu, a strong family. But what is she doing here?" Cologne wondered aloud.
At the mention of her mother's name, Mi began to stir. Slowly her eyelids opened. She immediately recognized Shampoo. Mi quickly sat up reaching out for Shampoo's hand. Though mentally excited at finally reaching her destination, her body was still weary. Mi was able to clasp Shampoo's hand and in a weakened and exhausted voice say, "Vil… village… mon… monster," before sleep claimed her once more.
The three remaining conscious people in the room stared at one another dumbfounded.
"A monster?" Mousse said incredulously. "What could she be talking about?"
"Great-Grandmother?"
Cologne took a deep breath, before retrieving her pipe from within her garments. "While rare, I suppose it is possible, even in this day and age. Still the village is strong enough to handle a monster or two." She lit the pipe and took a deep draw. "Shampoo, get her cleaned up. Mousse, prepare the spare storage room for her to rest." Having said that Cologne hopped into the kitchen to prepare for the midday rush.
"Please! Be reasonable!"
"You can't leave!"
Lum ignored their please and continued her dispirited journey toward the Moroboshi home to gather her belongings there. Tomobiki had far too many memories for her to stay. This morning's incident was the final straw. Lum had to go away for a while, but if it took the remainder of her life she would find her Darling…
'And when I do finally find you again, Darling…'
Lum's body became rigid and her frame shook with power and rage about to be released. It was more than enough of a hint for those in her entourage to give her a wide berth. They scattered in every direction, hiding behind whatever cover they could find.
Lum pushed the surge and emotions down. She had waited this long, she could wait a bit longer. The better the lesson in the end for her Darling. He would never even consider leaving her side again after she presented him with the culmination of six months of loneliness.
Shinobu and the others watched with relief as the sparks died down and Lum regained control of the electricity she had been hording ever since Ataru had disappeared. They quickly came out of their hiding places and soon resumed the task of persuading the depressed oni to stay in Tomobiki.
"Go left," Cherry suggested to the group, interrupting their conversation.
Mendou pulled on the dog leash they were using to keep the monk in tow and away from food vendors. "The Moroboshi household is in the opposite direction. Why should we go this way?"
"Something ominous will happen if you don't go left." Cherry said nothing further. Mendou again pulled on his chain causing the monk to whimper like an abused puppy, but he still said nothing more of why they should take his hint.
Shinobu, as always of late carrying Ten in her arms, came up to Cherry and knelt down so that they were eye to eye. "Cherry," Shinobu began gently. "You still haven't told us where you've been these last few months. Was Ataru with you? Do you know what happened to him? Do you know where he is?"
Cherry's gaze moved from the imploring eyes of Shinobu to Jariten, who tried to look disinterested. Next they moved to Mendou, who glared back at him.
"What about you? Wouldn't you prefer that Ataru not return?" Cherry directed at Mendou. "Now you don't have to worry about him besting you." Mendou turned away from Cherry's stare, even so Cherry continued. "There is no one to remind you of your defeats and inadequacies." Cherry maneuvered himself so that he was once again in Mendou's face. "No one stands between you and Lum. Isn't your life infinitely better now that he is gone?" Cherry narrowed his eyes, waiting for his answer.
Mendou tried to out stare the monk but failed, he turned away again in disgust. "Yes, I want him to return! So I can once and for all prove who is the better man and slay him. Until I see him buried, I will not allow him to run from our sacred man to man duel."
Cherry chuckled at the 'man to man' part. "I think you're lying to yourself," he concluded, walking away. "AaaacK" Cherry choked out the words as the chain around his neck pulled him back.
"If you know where he is…" Mendou threatened, drawing his sword.
"Cherry." Shinobu said.
"Where is the idiot?" Jariten demanded.
"And why would you want the return of an idiot?" Cherry asked Ten.
"Who says I want him back?" Ten countered.
"*I* don't want him back," Ran put in.
"I think it's best you don't know. He would only cause more trouble, especially the way he is now," Cherry concluded.
"The way he is now?" Shinobu asked.
Lum paused, she didn't turn around to look at Cherry or give any other indication that she was listening to the conversation other than to hold perfectly still. Cherry looked sympathetically at the poor girl.
Without a further word, Lum turned left, away from the path to the Moroboshi home. She would allow herself one more chance at hope. The second she had turned the corner she was bulled over by a teenage girl in a St. Hebreke uniform. Lum found herself looking into a pair of completely unfamiliar hazel eyes.
Aya held her head and her eyes closed in pain. "What are you doing standing in the middle of the sidewalk like a statue?" Aya asked, slowly propping herself up. When she opened her eyes and looked down on the person she had tripped over she stared in amazement.
"An oni…" Aya whispered aloud, but more to herself, not moving from a top the immobile Lum. The woman beneath her was unlike anyone Aya had seen before. She had green hair that reflected the sun's light like a prism, small horns on either side of her head and deep blue eyes. Although the girl was dressed rather shabbily and looked as though she had spent the last several nights crying, she was still quite beautiful. This was reason enough alone for Aya to hate her. But there was something else, something deeper that bothered Aya about this woman.
"Ah… Could you…" Lum began to ask the St. Hebreke student to move so that she could stand up.
"Shhh…" Aya mouthed quietly. While still straddling the fallen oni, Aya, with one hand held Lum's right hand down to the ground, with the other she moved Lum's bangs from in front of her eyes. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, Aya's head descended towards Lum's.
For her own part, Lum wasn't sure what was happening and would have electrocuted and kicked the strange girl off from on top of her, but something was stopping her from doing so, and she wasn't exactly sure what it was.
Part of it… part of it was a sadness, a feeling of remorse. Lum had no idea what was the source of the feeling, but it was definitely there. She had little time to ponder it though, as the thought was eclipsed by what she saw next. Lum even failed to notice Aya's face getting closer and closer to her own. Her attention was locked on Aya's eyes.
A light hazel to begin with, Aya's eye color was gradually becoming lighter, until they blended perfectly into the surrounding white. Color then started to return to her eyes, but instead of brown they were a pale, ghostly blue.
Just around the corner Mendou, Cherry, and Jariten were delayed by some strangeness of their own; Shinobu suddenly wasn't feeling very well. She leaned against a nearby wall for support.
"Shinobu, are you ok?" Ten asked, floating next to her shoulder and gently touching her forehead.
She looked at him, her eyes dilated and nodded her head, 'yes', before she passed out all together. Mendou was able to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Miss Shinobu! What's wrong?" Mendou asked with obvious concern, cradling her slumped form in his arms.
She gave no response.
Out of nowhere, Cherry appeared, sitting on Mendou's shoulder and peering down at the comatose Shinobu. "She is possessed," he chimed in a low serious voice.
Surprised by this, Mendou jumped a good five feet from the teleporting monk. "What are you talking about you malignant monk?" He began to carry the now semi-conscious Shinobu around the corner to where he expected Lum to be waiting. Ten floated just behind. "We'll take Shinobu to school to see Nurse Sakura," Mendou said to the group. The detour would also serve the dual purpose of delaying any decision Lum had of leaving. "Miss Lum, we need to take…" was all he said before dropping Shinobu like a rock. "WHAT in the WORLD do you think you're DOING!" he shouted through his shock at the light-haired woman who had Lum pinned.
From Mendou's point of view, it appeared the two were kissing. In truth, although their foreheads were touching their lips were inches apart.
Shinobu was forgotten like yesterday's breakfast as Mendou rushed over to the pair and yanked Aya off of Lum.
Finally, freed, Lum propped herself up on her elbows. Mendou kneeled at her side, holding her about the shoulders.
Aya just stood off to the side, staring down at the pair with a bemused look.
"Miss Lum, are you all right?" Mendou asked.
Still bewildered, Lum just nodded her head and stared up at the strange girl who had had her pinned to the ground. Mendou followed Lum's gaze to the smirking Aya.
"Now, Miss," Mendou began while helping Lum to her feet. "I know Miss Lum is very attractive, but it is wrong for you to accost her in such a manner. Women shouldn't behave that way towards other women and especially not in public places." Finally he turned to address Aya face to face. "Now, if you would like, I can teach you how to properly dat… date…"
Mendou lost his train of flirt as Aya began to stare at him. He was quite attractive and she considered herself a bit of a connoisseur, so her gaze was unyielding. Therein lied Mendou's dilemma. There were few people who could stomach looking into this girl's pale blue eyes for any amount of time. It wasn't that they were deformed in any way, although they did have a clouded hazed look to them, much like cataracts. They were just plain creepy. They were like the eyes of a dead person. Even when she was looking straight at you, you got the impression that she wasn't focusing on you. It made it difficult if not impossible to talk to her. When those eyes were staring at you, most people would begin to feel their skin crawl and nausea was known to result from prolonged exposure.
She knew of only one person who could weather her gaze and that particular individual had dubious motives as far as she was concerned. As it was, Mendou was already beginning to feel his breakfast coming up for a return engagement.
She half closed her eyes; her pallid irises hidden from view and took a step toward the stricken Mendou.
"We don't have time for that now, Jing," a voice said in a dialect of Chinese.
Lum, who was just now standing up, and Mendou who was cowering away from the blue-eyed stranger, turned toward the familiar sounding voice.
Shinobu stood a few feet away, looking disapprovingly at Aya. She showed none of the illness that fell her just moments earlier. In response to the look, Aya just crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. This drew a smile from Shinobu until she noticed Lum standing a few feet away. The smile faded from her face and her expression became thoughtful. This was the second time she had run into the beautiful oni and again she was struck with the notion that they had met much earlier.
Aya saw the change in Shinobu's expression and followed her stare. She was still looking at Lum. Aya's expression too became serious. She walked over and stood next to Shinobu. Both these strange girls began to visually examine the oni.
"You feel it too? Don't you?" Aya began in Chinese to Shinobu. Unnoticed by the pair, Cherry came over and stood next to them. "What is it about that one that bothers us so?"
Shinobu shook her head. She was about to verbalize her doubt when she noticed Cherry and his satisfied expression. 'What was he so happy about?' It was then that she recalled another piece of information from her previous encounter with the Tomobiki group. Though she understood little of their conversation in Japanese, she did remember their repeated use of the word, "Moroboshi". Shinobu gave a sidelong glance at Aya. 'Were these the people Cherry was relying on to steal Jing away?'
"Well," Aya began, switching back to Japanese and again walking up to Lum. "I'll figure you out sooner or later." Her eyes narrowed. "…And then I'll deal with you." She reached up with her right hand and lifted a few strands of the oni's iridescent hair, marveling at the way it reflected the light. "So pretty…" she mouthed quietly, again speaking Chinese. Finally, she gave the oni an enigmatic child-like grin, managing to blink her eyes without the aid of her eyelids. Lum's expression became even more perplexed at the display.
Behind them, Cherry's expression showed confusion. He hid the look quickly when he saw Shinobu turn to look in his direction. He realized he hadn't been quick enough when he saw her smile grow more sinister. She bent down to whisper into the small monk's ear. "Not the reaction you were expecting, is it?"
Cherry said nothing.
"You have no idea what is going on, do you, little man?"
Jariten looked at Shinobu worriedly, not understanding a word she just said or anything that was going on around him. "Shinobu, are you okay?" He asked, floating up to the young woman. She completely ignored him.
"And as for you…" Aya said, turning quickly on Mendou, who still stood by Lum's side and poked him in the chest with her finger. "Call me," she suggested with a crooked smile and a lick of her lips. Producing a small business card seemingly from thin air with a flick of her wrist, she placed it inside the neck of Mendou's shirt collar. "Anyway," Aya started stretching her long limbs above her head. "The hunt continues." She turned to face Cherry and Shinobu. Sprinting forward, Aya kicked Cherry into oncoming traffic and began to sprint in the opposite direction. After reaching the end of the block, she turned and yelled back to Shinobu in Chinese. "You coming or going?"
The remainder of the group watched as Shinobu waved at her friend and ran down the street after her.
And as if things weren't strange enough, a pair of kuroko and a large circular shadow followed the two girls.
"What the heck was that about! And what's wrong with Shinobu?" Mendou wondered only slightly less confused than Jariten. "I honestly didn't know that Shinobu spoke Chinese so well!"
"Was that the language she was speaking?" Lum asked, finally talking again. Her voice sounded distant.
"I believe so," Mendou answered. "But I could understand little of what she said. Her dialect eluded me." He turned from looking in the direction Shinobu and Aya had left and faced Lum. "What are you going to do now?" he asked, fearing she still planned on leaving. Jariten too, looked at his cousin with concern.
Lum neither answered nor looked at them. Reaching out, she took the card Aya had left from out of Mendou's shirt. "Life is meant to be lived. Are you living yours or is someone else living it for you?" Lum read what else was written on the card. "Aya Tendou." Written next to her name were a cell phone number, a home number and a cartoon caricature of Aya. Tucking the card away in her bikini top, Lum followed in the direction Aya and Shinobu had gone.
There was something about that girl…
All was quiet on the Furinkin front, which on most days was a prelude to misadventure. Today was to be no different.
Students were just beginning to file out of the school for the start of the lunch period. It was a time of day that could not have come soon enough for one Ranma Saotome, especially after the events of this morning. He and Akane soon found their usual lunch spot and sat down to eat the lunches that Kasumi had prepared for them.
"I wonder where Ukyou was this morning?" Akane asked before placing a clump of rice into her mouth.
Ranma stiffened slightly before relaxing in an attempt to answer. "Hmm… I don't know. Maybe she got sick or somethin'." At least something like that would explain her behavior this morning.
Akane looked at him accusingly out of the corner of her eyes. "Is that right? And why were you late for class this morning, Ranma? And what happened to your shirt?"
Ranma looked Akane straight in the eyes… and fudged around the truth. "When ain't I late for class?" he asked with a chopstick hanging from his mouth. "If it ain't Kuno buggin' me, it's Ryouga or Happosai or a thousand of other reasons!"
Akane wasn't appeased that easily. "Well, what reason was it this morn…"
"Akane!" A shout from one of her friends cut off Akane's query. She glared at Ranma briefly before going off to meet her friend.
Ranma sighed in relief, but his respite was short lived.
"So… Ranma, rumor has it that we scored with Ukyou in the nurse's office this morning," someone said placing an arm around Ranma's shoulder.
"What!" Ranma said incredulously and spun to see Hiroshi's lewd grin.
"No point in denying it. Three quarters of the school has already heard about it by now," another voice interjected and put a hand on Ranma's other shoulder. "What I want to know is… how were we?" Daisuke asked, his grin just as lecherous as his friends.
"What are you two pervs talking about?" Ranma demanded to know. He was starting to get that sinking feeling as he watched an increasing crowd of male students gathering around him.
"Oh, come on, Ranma! It's bad enough that you got some of the best babes in all of Nerima wrapped around your little finger. The least you can do is let the rest of us poor slobs live vicariously through you!" There was a lot of heading nodding in the crowd at that sentiment. "But, anyway, back to business. Were we good?"
"Yeah," someone else in the crowd shouted out. "Did she scream our name?"
"Of course she did!" another proclaimed. "We're a martial artist! We can hit all the best position!"
"I can't believe we cheated on Akane!" A wail went out somewhere in the crowd. "Our own fiancée! Oh, the sin!"
"Bah! Ukyou's the cute one!"
"Don't listen to those prudes! We're young! We should play the field while there is a field to play and we got the equipment to play it! On to the next! It's all good!"
"No! We have to say true to Akane!"
"Screw Akane!"
"Yeah! Screw Akane next," a good portion of the crowd agreed.
"Be serious! We need to stop denying our one and only love, Shampoo!"
"Forget it! Kodachi all the way!"
"That psycho?"
"Wait, wait! Look at it this way. Crazy in the head… crazy in the bed! Lest us not forget, she's a gymnast too! That's like bonus points."
The crowd began to murmur as they considered the well-made argument.
"Hey! Maybe if we play our cards right, we can get Azusa too!"
"Are we, or are we not, Ranma Saotome? Azusa, Kasumi, Nabiki, Shampoo, Kodachi are all as good as laid! I, Ranma Saotome, guarantee it!"
Ranma looked at the scrawny freshman, who made that proclamation and just shook his head, as everyone around him began to argue the attributes of their favorite. Why did everything in his life have to be so complicated? He started to walk off, he doubted he could get the crowd to see reason or convince them that nothing happened. Deciding to take the direct route, he leapt up and over the crowd. He had just reached the apex of his jump when a soccer ball struck the back of his head. He fell unceremoniously to the ground.
A bellow rendered all the male students' arguing about who should be Ranma's next "conquest" moot.
"RANMA!"
Ranma tepidly turned toward the shout. An enraged Akane was standing in front of what was a quite large group of female students, who no doubt, had told Akane the same nonsense the male students were bugging Ranma about.
By the look on her face, he would have to talk fast.
"Um… what's up, Akane?"
"Ranma…" Akane began ominously and stalked over to stand in front of her pigtailed fiancé with her fist clenched. "Tell me again… How did you lose your shirt this morning?"
Ranma opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it.
"Well, Ranma?"
Ranma scowled, she should know by now that these things weren't his fault. Trouble just seemed to fall in his lap. He decided to tell her as much, when trouble fell in to his lap.
Happosai bounded over to Ranma, using the male student's heads as stepping-stones. "Ranma! What's this I hear about you sleeping with Ukyou!" He demanded to know, landing on Ranma's back. "Way to go!" Happosai congratulated, patting him on the shoulder. "Finally, you're living up to the ideals of the Anything Goes School! EXCEPT! You should have let your Master know so he could have watched!"
"Wha' the heck are you talking about?" Ranma yelled, swirling around trying to dislodge the lech from his back.
"You got her panties, right?" Happosai asked starting to crawl around Ranma's body searching for the prize.
"Whoa! You got her panties too!" A shout came from the crowd of boys.
"You little freak! I didn't do nothin'…."
"RANMA"
All time stopped at that point for Ranma. Unfortunately, time continued for Akane. It didn't help matters that the crowd of female students behind her was calling for his blood. Purposefully, she walked up to Ranma, her eyes never leaving his. A part of Ranma distractedly noted how attractive Akane looked when she was angry, despite the fact that he often said otherwise verbally. "Akane, don't tell me you believe this nonsense too? How dumb can you get?"
And to that one part of Ranma Akane got even prettier.
Her fist shook with pent up anger and frustration. Akane wanted to believe him. She really did, but Akane too had a part deep with in her that would note things. How Ukyou and Shampoo were cuter than her, better cooks than her, better martial artist than her, expressed their love better than her… Of course he would love Ukyou better than her. Insecurity pushed and drove Akane's anger to new heights as she reared back her fist.
How far Ranma would have traveled on the force of Akane's blow would have to remain a mystery, as she never got the opportunity to throw it. A large explosion separated the two star-crossed teens and forced the large crowd of boy and girls apart.
"Say it isn't so, Ranma," a voice pleaded from the within the smoldering crater. "Although you probably did; men have no self control." The smoke cleared, leaving a pouting Aya and a girl few recognized. Aya leapt from the newly created hole and threw herself at Ranma's feet. "Now you have to let the rest of us have our turn," she cried wrapping her arms around Ranma's legs, begging shamelessly. "It wouldn't be fair otherwise. Isn't that right, Akane?"
The girl, who had arrived with Aya, folded her arms across her chest and nodded in agreement, while Akane looked flabbergasted. "Wha… what! I wouldn't let that pervert touch me! Ever!" In a huff she stormed off in the direction of the school building. A large majority of the girls followed her.
Forgotten, Happosai retreated to the outskirts of the crowd to watch the proceedings and his "great-granddaughter" from a distance.
Aya picked her head up from where it lay against Ranma's knee long enough to see Akane's withdrawal before she returned it to its place. "Oh well, more for us, hmm?" Aya's companion had latched on to Ranma's other leg, effectively immobilizing the youth. The girl again nodded her agreement.
"Like old times," she said in Chinese, a twinkle in her eye.
"Jeez, they're beggin' for us!" one in the newly invigorated crowd of "Those who live through Ranma Club" shouted. Whoops and hollers soon reverberated through out the mob.
"What are you people talking about!" Ranma yelled.
Happosai folded his arms across his chest and smiled. If Ranma refused to follow all the tenets of the "Anything Goes School", then he would raise an heir who would. Perhaps, if he had met "Aya" earlier in "her" childhood she could have been his heir, but as things stood she was far to old to catch up to her peers now.
Ranma tried to shake the two strange girls off as they slowly slinked up his form, smiling devilishly. "What's all this protesting, Ranma? Don't you like girls?" Aya looked up at him from her strategic position at his crotch, her friend had moved behind Ranma and placed her arms lazily about his shoulders, both women halted their assaults waiting for his answer.
The crowd of boys quieted as well, which was quite the accomplishment considering the level of excitement that raced through the crowd. Two girls at the same time and in public… even though it wasn't happening to them, at least they were getting ringside seats. Everyone looked at Ranma expectantly, everyone, except Aya. She had grown impatient and was tracing outlines around his groin with her index finger. This did not help Ranma's concentration. Besides Aya was fairly certain of the outcome of this particular scenario. Men were men after all. What other uses did they have?
And peer pressure is a powerful thing.
"Of… of course, I… I like girls," Ranma stammered out.
Aya chuckled lightly to herself. "Of course you do," she said softly, her finger finding the entrance to his pants.
Ranma jumped back fifty feet as if a snake had just crawled up his leg. Aya stood and glared at her friend. "I thought you were holding him," she hissed in Chinese. "Hello? Are you there?"
Her friend shook her head and stumbled toward Aya, who caught her before she collapsed to the ground. Aya frowned and turned her ghostly blue eyes to where Ranma had retreated. "I thought you said that you liked girls?"
The crowd of boys turned to look at Ranma skeptically as well.
"Hey! I just met you yesterday!" Ranma shouted in retort. "And I don't even know who that girl is?" He pointed at Aya's semi conscious companion.
"Isn't that Shinobu Miyake?" One in the crowd asked.
"Shinobu, Shinobi, Shenandoah, who cares. She's a girl. She's got the breasts, the butt, the whole nine yards and she wants to make love to you. What else do you need to know?" Aya spared a moment to look down at Shinobu, before a swear in Chinese escaped her lips. She let the unconscious body fall to the ground without a care.
Ranma hadn't noticed Aya's treatment of her friend as he was too busy defending his professed sexual preference from the hormonal crowd of sex crazed adolescents that were his schoolmates.
Dazedly, Shinobu picked herself up from the ground. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet and tried to regain her bearings. The last thing that she remembered was walking along with Jariten in her arms. Everyone was together trying to cheer up Lum and convince her not to return home to her planet. What happened after that, Shinobu couldn't recall. She certainly didn't remember how she got to her present surroundings. Not one single face in the crowd of boys looked familiar to her.
Unable to figure out where she was on her own, Shinobu walked up to one of the male students in the crowd. "Um… Excuse me," she began tapping the teenager on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Heeeey," the boy drawled out. "If Ranma isn't up to playin' with you girls…" He propositioned, placing his arm around Shinobu's shoulder. "I'm more than willing to… OOOWWWW!"
Shinobu wrenched the arm from around her shoulder and twisted if forcing the boy to twist with it or risk it's fracture. "Who do you think you're talking to!"
'Why does Ranma get all the freebies?' The boy tried to stammer out a reply through the pain, but Shinobu would have none of it. His arm still firmly in her grip, Shinobu used her free hand to pick the boy up by his pant's belt and into the air. Men were such scum. She hurled the boy into the crowd, knocking down another fifteen students in the process. To Ranma's glee the attention of the crowd still standing including the blue-eyed Aya turned to the irate Shinobu.
It was at this moment that a dark shadow loomed over the crowd.
Mi woke up to a dark and unfamiliar room. Her memory of the last day or so was a blur of unfamiliar places and images. Sitting up in her makeshift bed, Mi noted that her burns had been given fresh bandaging and clean clothing had been placed on the crate near the bed. She dressed quickly and took a quick inventory of her surroundings. There were a few wooden crates in the room like the ones used to create her bed and nightstand, and sparse cleaning supplies. Quietly, she walked over to an old broom and broke the handle free from the head. With her crude weapon in hand, she stepped towards the room's door and placed her ear against it.
Outside the door Mi heard what sounded like a large mass of people and the clattering of tableware. 'Have I finally made it?' Mi wondered to herself trying to pull the last moments of her long journey before she collapsed from exhaustion from her tattered memory. She opened the unlocked door just enough to peek out into the surrounding hallway. The moment she did so her famished stomach was assaulted by an assortment of delicious and mouth-watering aromas. Still unsure of her surroundings, Mi remained cautious and stealthily snuck from the room. Almost in a trance, she followed her nose toward the kitchen. She neared a corner, just around which lay the nourishment her body was screaming for. Peeking her head around, she saw a young man in what appeared from behind to be a white robe, washing a large bowl in the sink. The water was running and the conversations of people in the other room were quite loud.
Deciding that the man was preoccupied with his chore and that noise of the running water and people would mask any sound of her movement, Mi crept from around the corner. She hadn't taken more than three steps before a metal lid from a pot race past the spot her neck had been a moment before and embedded itself into the wall.
"Come to sponge off my Shampoo again, Ranma?" Mousse said, preparing a second strike. "Hey, your not Ranma, your that girl," Mousse recognized adjusting his glasses.
Mi took advantage of his pause. Using her broom handle as a pole vault, she hurled herself, feet first, at Mousse. Mousse easily blocked Mi's kick with his right forearm, while his left reached into his robes for some rope to subdue his attacker.
Mi, using the block as a springboard, jumped back to the far side of the room. While in midair, she flipped and grabbed what food she could from the table placed in the middle of the room. Upon landing, she had but a second to avoid webbing of ropes thrown at her. She reached for the lid that had been used against her just moments before to block the lead weighted ropes and dashed out the room. A large piece in her mouth, Mi happily rounded the corner. She would charge out the front room and make good her escape. Or at least that had been the plan before a punch to her midsection forced the shrimp from her mouth and knocked the wind out of her. She crumpled to the floor, holding her midriff.
"You need to pay far more attention than that little sister if you plan on living long enough to stand amongst your peers as a full fledged warrior."
Mi looked up with tears in her eyes, but not from pain. She would recognize that voice in the roar of a typhoon. She jumped to her feet and hurled her arms around the older girl. "Elder Sister, thank the spirits. I've found you," Mi said, tears still coming to her eyes as she buried her face into Shampoo's chest. It was a most unamazon-like display, but Mi didn't care anymore.
Shampoo just blinked confusedly at Mi, not knowing quite how to respond. Timidly, she returned the embrace, in an attempt to calm her fellow sister.
Mousse, coming around the corner and seeing Shampoo in an affectionate mood, tried to see if he could receive similar treatment.
Shampoo knew how to deal with Mousse, so did the foot that implanted itself in his groin.
A few hours and a bag of ice later, both the crowds in the restaurant and the swelling around the Mousse crown jewels dwindled to nothing and the four transplanted amazons gathered around a small table.
Cologne took a small sip from her cup of tea, letting the hot liquid sooth her throat before she turned to address their young guest. "Now that you've had a chance to rest and recover some of your strength, why don't you tell us what has happened back at the village and why you had to travel all this way."
Silence
Cologne stared at the comatose looking girl for a moment before she rapped Mi on the head with her cane.
Startled from her silent worshipping of Shampoo, Mi quickly apologized. "Please forgive my inattention, Great Elder. It's just…" Her gaze moved to Shampoo once more. "I've always seen Elder Sister Shampoo as a mentor, but I've never thought I would meet her in person." Mi's expression changed from glee to melancholy. "I wished it could have been under better circumstances."
"Yes, about that," Cologne asked again.
Mi involuntarily shivered. She had traveled all this way for this moment, but now she was hesitant to begin her tale. It wasn't that she could not remember, every detail was burned into her. Unconsciously, she scratched at the bandaging that covered her burned skin and closed her eyes. Just behind them her nightmare took form just as it had every night since she met the strange girl sitting on that well and with a voice just above a whisper she relayed what happened to Cologne and the others…
I had just returned from training by myself in a nearby field. At first, I didn't notice the condition of the village as I was already late and ran straight home. When I arrived there, the house was completely empty. It looked as though my mother and sisters had left in a hurry as dinner was still warm on the table and some of our things were strewn about the floor. I was going to begin searching for them, when I realized how quiet the village seemed… Quiet except for strange laughter coming from the direction of the old well at the center of the village…
When I stepped outside my home to look for my mother and sisters was the first time I really took note of the state of the village."Had the village been attacked?" Mousse asked, interrupting Mi's story.
Mi shook her head and continued.
The village was intact; there were no signs of a struggle anywhere. The buildings and outer wall were on fire, but it was unlike any fire I had ever seen. The flames were a brilliant blue in color and although they seemed to completely engulf everything, nothing burned or crumbled to the ground. And the fire made not a sound, no crackling or popping. It simply was.
"Was there anything else, child?" Cologne asked, sipping from her tea. Her expression was blank, not revealing at all whether she believed the tale being told to her.
Mi nodded.
The fire didn't limit itself to things, small pockets of flame floated freely in the air as well. And on the ground… on the ground was a pale green fog that seemed to have a life of it's own, ignoring the direction of the evening breeze.
I decided to head towards the old well, where the laughing seemed to be coming from. When I got close enough, I could see what at first looked to be two people sitting on the old stone siding, but I was mistaken. The fog parted and I could clearly see a woman about Shampoo's age… maybe a little older giggling to herself. Then I heard her speak…
"Hmmhmmhmm… Looks like we forgot one."
"Was it a sister of the village?"
"At first, I thought so too, but …" then Mi shook her head.
I was glad to finally find a fellow amazon, but the closer I got to the stranger, the more I could tell that she was not one of us. Her hair was a deep black in color and her eyes… her eyes were the exact same color as the bright blue flames that surrounded everything. She wore a tattered red shirt with shortened sleeves…
Mi paused from her story. I noticed others wearing similar style shirts during my journey here. They seemed to be made of lightweight cotton.
"They're called T-shirts. Please continue," Cologne prodded.
Mi hesitated, but finally did continue.
Aya looked up at the black circular object in the air, blinking her blue eyes until they returned to their normal brown, but they quickly reverted to an ethereal blue. She hoped it had nothing to do with her, but she knew how her luck usually went. Not taking her eyes off the unidentified flying object, Aya backed into the crowd, disappearing in its mass.
"What the heck is that?" Akane exclaimed, running back on to the field. She had overcome her embarrassment and returned to Ranma's side when she saw the shadow pass over the school building. Akane did a quick look around. The girl with the shoulder length brown hair that had arrived earlier and had been helping Aya in her attempt to seduce Ranma was standing just outside the crowd. Her arms were crossed against her chest and she looked very angry. Akane smiled, Ranma had no doubt given her the brush off. Her smiled widen when she failed to spot Aya, who was definitely proving herself to be related to Happosai.
It was at this time that Lum and her entourage arrived on scene. The Furinkan students were too absorbed with the unidentified flying object in the air to stare at the alien oni teen. Noticing Shinobu standing apart from the crowd, Lum went over to ask her about the girl in the Saint Hebreke outfit Shinobu had run off with. Cherry, however, spotted a man similar in stature to himself standing at some distance from the crowd and watching the scene. It was a man with whom Cherry very much wanted to continue an old conversation.
"Oh. Hi, Lum," Shinobu greeted, glad to see faces she recognized.
"Shinobu, are you alright?" Lum asked. "You fainted and then began to act rather strangely.
"Yes," Mendou said reaching the pair. "Who was that girl that accosted Miss Lum? You two seemed to know each other well."
Shinobu looked at them, "What are you two talking about? The last thing I remember was walking with everyone on the way to school. The next thing I know I am standing here."
"You mean you don't remember speaking Chinese and running off with some girl named Aya Tendou?" Mendou asked, taking hold of Shinobu's hand.
"I… I… don't," she began before she noticed the large shadow. 'Oh no, more freaks…' she thought at what could only be another alien UFO.
"What are THEY doing here?" Lum exclaimed as the form of the alien ship became more visible. If these were the people responsible for her Darling's disappearance, the Oni would wipe out their whole sick race.
"Who?" Mendou questioned.
His question was answered when a beam of bright white light burst forth from the bottom of the ship. When the light subdued, two very large, very muscular and very bald men were standing in its place, wearing a pair of signs, and only a pair of signs.
The crowd of mostly male Furinkin students looked at the two specimens of alien masculinity and began to feel slightly inadequate. They felt down right emasculated when the two men raised the previously strategically placed signs over their heads for the crowd to see them better.
Both Shinobu and Akane blushed furiously at the sight of the offending male members. In unison, they ran up to the two alien men. "PERVERTS!" They screamed and attempted to punt the aliens back to whatever planet they had come from. The two aliens, however merely twisted their bodies so that Shinobu's and Akane's strikes impacted against the broadside of their rock like thighs. The two girls hopped back to their respective groups of friends, nursing their sore foots.
"Do you… know these people, Lum? Please say no," Mendou begged. He didn't like what he was seeing at all.
Lum just glared at them, or more particularly, the signs they were carrying which had written on them the simple words, "ATARU MOROBOSHI".
"ME! ME! THAT'S ME! I'M ATARU MOROBOSHI!" a voice shouted from the middle of the crowd of male students.
Lum's attention and that of the two buff alien men shot to the direction of the voice. All they could see was a pair of arms waving in the midst of the crowd.
"Excuse me, my ride is here," the owner of the arms boomed and forced their way through the students. When Aya emerged, with a huge leer on her face, her eyes locked on male meaty bones and a river of saliva running from her mouth, reactions varied.
The aliens looked at each other confused. They were certain the Ataru Moroboshi they were looking for was male. They continued to hold the signs over their heads, and rotated them every now and then so that everyone could read them.
Akane and Ranma merely shook their head in mutual disgust. Definitely related to Happosai.
The Tomobiki crew wore a mixture of emotions.
Lum's expression was unreadable.
Aya walked up confidently to the pair of aliens with not the slightest hint of fear or apprehension. "Hi," she waved enthusiastically. "My name is… uh… Ataru Moroboshi. Yup, that's me! Just what the sign says. Uh… Hello?"
The two aliens continued to ignore her, while the Furinkin students of the crowd watched as if at a play. The Tomobiki students approached the strange girl who had crashed into Lum earlier and was now claiming to be the person they've been looking for over the past six months.
"You're not Moroboshi," Mendou stated as a matter of fact.
"And how do you know?" Aya said crossing her arms and staring at Mendou.
"Well, for one thing. Ataru Moroboshi is a man. Not very much a man, but a man none the less."
"I can do the 'man thing'," Aya declared and turned her attention back to the specimens of alien beefcake. She waved her hands in front of their faces and still received not the slightest acknowledgement. Perplexed, she placed her hands on her hips, until she realized she was dealing with a different culture.
'The man thing?' Mendou wondered exactly what the 'man thing' was, but what he saw her do next completely erased that thought from his mind. Who is this girl??
"Hello… Hello… testing… one… two… three…"
The males just watched her completely and utterly stunned. The few women present once again found themselves blushing and quickly turning away.
"What are you doing!" Lum demanded, not looking at the rather obscene scene.
"Conversing…" *TAP* *TAP* "Hello? Ataru Moroboshi here."
"Well, I don't think that's his ear," Shinobu pointed out to the kneeling girl.
Aya turned her attention away from the male member in her hand. "How do you know? Who knows how their strange alien physiology works?" She again put the 'microphone' just in front of her lips. "Hello? Hello?" She held it firmly in her left hand and tapped the head repeatedly with the palm of her right. "Is this thing on?"
It was definitely 'on' as the alien began to buck and gyrate with Aya's actions. The other alien, feeling neglected, walked over and stood in front of Aya, waiting his turn.
'Even alien males are predictable,' Aya thought with a smirk.
"Enough!" A female voice boomed from overhead. "Step forward, Ataru Moroboshi."
"Here… Here I am!" Aya shouted, jumping up and down. She was a little disappointed when she had heard the woman's voice, but she was still hopeful. If these two naked men were any example of what was in store…
Her smile grew increasingly lewd. 'Sexual experimentation… anal probes… oh boy!'
Again the dark shadow of a ship produced a shower of light. This time a beautiful woman wearing a sheer white shawl clasped with a platinum string and a long billowing skirt made from the same material. The outfit left nothing to the imagination, as at a close distance it was quite see through.
The crowd of male students collapsed around the newcomer, leaving her and her two male escorts, Aya, Lum, Shinobu, Mendou, and Akane at the center. Both Aya and Lum scowled at the alien queen, but for different reasons.
Lum had a pretty good guess why they were here. It no doubt had to deal with the stupid laws of their 'combine' or 'communion' or whatever it was they called it. It all boiled down to one thing though. Their race was arguably the most lewd, sex-obsessed people in the galaxy. They prided themselves on their prowess and appetite, which they believed second to none (there was one other race that competed for that title in other planets' opinion, but that particular race didn't want that fact publicized). It was this pride that was embedded throughout the laws and rituals of the planet. It was even how the queen kept her throne.
Aya on the other hand hated all beautiful women out of principle. Or rather… women she felt prettier than herself. They always… always wasted the gifts they were endowed with. They never could understand a woman such as herself and the struggle and work Aya and women like her went through to gain the things handed to beautiful women. After a moment though, Aya's dark expression lightened to its usual brightness. Usually women given such beauty relied upon it to the point that it shrunk their brains. Aya was confident that she could handle the alien woman the same way she did everyone else.
"Are you the one who claims the name Ataru Moroboshi?" The woman asked with a voice that perfectly matched her aura of sexuality.
With her hands placed behind her back, Aya nodded enthusiastically.
"Ataru Moroboshi is a man and you look nothing like him," the queen stated as a matter of fact.
Lum's demeanor darkened further. "And how do you know what he looks like?"
The queen turned and noticed Lum for the first time. "An oni? Here for the sport?"
Lum's cheeks flushed, but the rest of her face was still marred by anger. "Answer my question!" Electricity began to arc up and down her form.
"Hmph…" She snapped her fingers and the two men dropped the signs they were carrying. They both took a knee, one directly across from the other and interlocked arms. The alien queen gracefully walked over and took seat on her impromptu throne.
Aya nodded her approval. She leaned over and whispered into Lum's ear. "Now that's the way to live."
"I'd rather have my Darling," Lum replied in an even voice, then stalked over to stand in front of the queen. She missed Aya going completely rigid at her words. "So…" Lum began again to the queen.
The queen looked into Lum's eyes and knew that the oni's patience was wearing thin. She eyed the growing crowd of natives as if looking for one face in particular. Not seeing it, she sighed. "I need to find Ataru Moroboshi. My future as Queen depends upon it!" Her head drooped down into her hands.
Her tone was so down trodden that she immediately had the sympathies of a majority of the men present, even Ranma looked at her with sympathy.
Mendou was instantly at her side. He gently raised her head with the tip of his finger. "What has that scoundrel Moroboshi done, Miss?"
"Who's Moroboshi?" Ranma asked Akane. She shrugged in answer.
"Do you think she really is an alien? She looks human enough." Akane whispered back. Ranma too answered with a shrug.
"My name is Vestal. What he has done is threaten my birthright."
"How so?" Shinobu asked. "Have you seen him lately?" Shinobu spared a glance toward Lum, who stood just off to the side looking like she was about to kill someone.
"It is the law of the great Communion on my planet that the most…" She paused searching for the right word. "…Voracious and insatiable person in the universe shall sit on the throne. For the last fifteen generations my family has occupied that exalted position."
Lum sighed, fully knowing where this conversation was headed. She was almost glad her Darling wasn't here. He would have been ecstatic at what was about to be said.
Queen Vestal continued. "A recent scan of the Universal Database has indicated that may no longer be true." She signaled toward her hovering spacecraft and a screen was projected in the air above the crowd.
"What's the Universal Database?" Mendou asked Jariten, who floated nearby.
"You're really stupid if you don't know what that is," Ten contemptuously answered back. "It's a database that contains information on a majority of life forms in the know universe."
Mendou looked back at Ten in shock. "That's impossible."
"Maybe on this planet."
After a moment, five faces appeared on the hovering screen. The crowded gasped, as two earthlings were clearly identifiable. At the top was a picture of a smiling Aya. Second was Queen Vestal. The third picture was of some kind of tentacled thing. The fourth was the biggest surprise.
'Darling's not there…" Lum thought puzzled. She didn't know whether to feel elated or worried at that fact.
Queen Vestal too looked at the list with a measure of surprise. She then turned to Aya and then back to the view screen and the caption beneath the image. '…Identity pending.'
"Um…" Ranma, pointing up at the picture of the fourth person, interjected himself into the conversation. "What is this a list of again?"
The queen rose from her throne and stood before Aya, appraising the young woman with her eyes. "It is a listing of the most lecherous beings in the universe."
"WHAT!" everyone in the crowd except those from space and Tomobiki shouted out and swirled around to gape at Akane in shock.
"No wonder you got all the guys sniffing around you, Akane." Aya winked in approval.
Her face completely red with embarrassment and anger, Akane yelled her denials. "That's impossible!"
Ranma looked at her sidelong. "And you're always calling me a pervert." She booted him from the field and onto the school's roof.
Queen Vestal's gaze never left Aya. "There is no mistake. The database is updated and verified constantly." Her eyes narrowed. "So, you are Ataru Moroboshi," Vestal directed at Aya.
Aya read the caption beneath her picture. "Don't be stupid. Isn't this Moroboshi supposed to be a guy?" Aya lifted the front of her school uniform. "Do I look like a guy? I am Identity Pending!"
There was a collective slapping of heads. "That's not a name!" Vestal exclaimed. Aya blinked confusedly back at her. "It doesn't matter who you are! I will not lose my throne to you… I challenge you to the Quaking!" Vestal declared.
"Me? You mean I get to be queen!?" Aya asked with excitement.
"Not unless you answer my challenge, as is my right as the current sovereign!"
Aya jumped up and down. "Bring it on! Bring it on!"
Lum, who had been silently stewing up to this point, directed her glare to Aya. "Wait until you hear what the challenge is…"
Aya blinked at Lum then turned to Vestal. "Uh… what is the challenge?"
Vestal stepped up to her. "It is not for the uninvolved to hear." She then whispered the rules of the Quaking into Aya's ear.
At hearing what exactly the challenge was about, Aya quirked an eyebrow. "Whoa… Me… you… I don't do those kinds of things. Really, I don't. Women just don't do it for me, no matter what you may have heard otherwise."
Vestal stepped even closer to Aya. "You have no choice," she declared in low husky voice.
Aya took an awkward step back and fell to the ground; Vestal instantly pounced on her. With one arm trying to fend Vestal off, Aya used the other to scurry away. "Wait! Wait! I've got a more interesting challenge."
Vestal paused. "What is this challenge?"
Aya, whose expression had been one of fear just a moment ago turned markedly more devious. "Let's go on a little hunt."
"And?" Shampoo asked. She was beginning to tire of this children's tale and was impatient to learn what happened to her fellow amazons.
In addition to the T-shirt, she was also wearing a pair of pants that I'm certain belonged to a friend of mine, because at her feet was a pile of clothing she must have taken from the village. I even recognized some of my own.
"Where is everyone?" Mi asked the strange woman.
"Where is who?" the woman returned, just barely managing to contain her laughter.
"My mother and sisters…were is everyone?"
"How should I know?" the woman answered brusquely, her demeanor changing from that of amusement to checked anger. Her attention moved to the clothing at her feet and she began to pick through them for items that peaked her interest.
I was at a lost momentarily. I looked pointedly at the stranger and noticed that the pale fog was beginning to gather around the woman once again. When the woman held up a shirt belonging to my mother, I decided that this person was indeed responsible for what was going on, or at the least, knew what had happened. I took a defensive stance. I had practiced it all day and hoped that I could execute the kick as precisely as I had against that old tree.
Mi grabbed the fear she was feeling and crushed it into a little ball. She was an amazon warrior and her village was under attack. There was no room for fear. Confidently, she took a provocative step forward.
The woman noticed the change in Mi and sighed aloud. She stood and crossed her arms against her chest. The fog parted between the two and even the blue flames in the background seemed to pause to see what Mi would do next.
I quickly dashed forward and before she could react, attacked her. I connected, hitting her squarely on the side of her neck. The blow spun the woman around and head first into the side of the stone well. She impacted against it so hard that the wall crumbled.
"This doesn't sound like much of a monster. Is she the one who attacked the village or isn't she?" Shampoo asked.
Cologne nodded, seemingly in agreement. She wondered if Mi was leaving some details out.
"I…" Mi began, but was cutoff when a certain pigtailed boy came bursting through the doors of the café.
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"Yes, I would like an order of the crème of sum yung guy," Aya said looking at the menu and pointing to an item. Her gaze turned to that of Mousse clearing the dishes from a nearby table. "Better make that two."
Shampoo laughed, writing down the order of ramen Aya had pointed at. She also noticed Ranma-chan watching them intently. Shampoo wasn't exactly sure why Ranma was hiding from this girl in their restaurant, but if avoiding this girl kept Ranma with Shampoo and away from Akane, she was certain she could win the pigtailed boy's affections after a time. "Anything else you like?"
Aya laughed, she liked a lot of things. Before she could say something even more lewd, the sound of dishes crashing to the floor erupted from the rear of the café. Aya turned just in time to avoid the butcher knife. It flew past her head and into the crowded after school rush of the cat café.
Putting on Heirs part 5:
Three of a Kind