*************

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the Rumiko Takahashi characters named here, nor do I own Charlie's Angels or the YuYu Hakasho Foursome.

*************

Chapter 33

The Panda Unmasked

"So now that we've all shared our information, do we all understand what's going on around here?"  Sesshomaru's gaze traveled around the room seeking confirmation.

"Lazy Panda is Ranma's father," Sango confirmed.

"And VD is trying to wipe him out," Koga stated.  "Also, Vicious Dragon seems to be after Tetsusaiga."

"I don't think Tetsusaiga is directly connected to this," Sesshomaru told the group.  "I think that's a separate passion for him.  In fact, I'm relatively certain that my own father's death was more in connection with Tetsusaiga than anything else.  VD has probably been looking for Tetsusaiga for years and decided to jump on the opportunity when he saw it hanging in Inu-Yasha's office."

"That doesn't make sense, though," said Kagome.  "Tetsusaiga isn't valuable without Tensaiga, and Vicious Dragon doesn't have Tensaiga."

Kagura, who had remained silent during the discussion, spoke up.  "Value doesn't mean shit to a weapons enthusiast," she said aloud.  "They fall in love with the weapon itself.  It doesn't matter to them what the market value is, because they don't intend to part with it in the first place.  At least, that was how Bankotsu acted."

Sesshomaru attempted to squash the sudden flare of jealousy that arose inside him and failed miserably.  "Just who is this Bankotsu?" he asked Kagura with a soft snarl.  "How long did you know him?"

"He's no one important," Kagura said soothingly, moving next to him to lay a hand upon his shoulder.  "Just some guy I used to date.  He liked to collect old swords and knives.  I quit dating him after he just got too weird."

"Bankotsu?" Inu-Yasha interrupted them.  "Long black hair, owns a halberd called Banryu, star tattooed in the center of his forehead?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, you know him?" Kagura responded.

"Know him?  I helped send him to prison!  He and that gang of his were convicted of several murders.  One of the people they killed was an employee of mine," Inu-Yasha said.  "I still can't believe Jakotsu is walking around free."

"Jakotsu was charged as an accessory and copped a plea," Koga answered as he thumbed through some notes.  "The rest of them are still behind bars.  Hey, wait a minute," Koga read further.  "Sesshomaru, did you notice this bit about a doctor who was rumored to have connections to the group, but no one could provide any evidence?"

"Yes, why?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Didn't Kagura say a doctor was part of Rin's kidnapping plot?"

"What was the doctor's name?" Sesshomaru turned to Kagura.

"I'm not sure," Kagura said, frowning as she tried to remember.  "I wasn't exactly myself at the time, you know.  Soo…Sue…oh hell, I just can't think of it right now!  Doesn't it mention a name in that report?"

"No," said Koga.  "It just mentions it as a side-note to one of the investigations.  The doctor's name might have been intentionally suppressed, especially if he was influential within the community.  I'd be lying if I told you that kind of thing doesn't happen."

"Does Rin remember?" asked Sango.  "Unlike Kagura, Rin wasn't busy losing her lunch, so she might have caught his name."

Kagura and Sesshomaru exchanged a grim look.  "Rin's not speaking again," Kagura informed them.  "This afternoon she just quit talking to everyone, me and Sesshomaru included."  Kagura shrugged her shoulders painfully.  "We can't seem to get through to her right now.  Sesshomaru thinks it's her way of coping with post-trauma."

Kagome shook her head in confusion.  "There are too many threads here to keep track of," she complained.  "We don't even know if they're all connected or not!  And until we know who Vicious Dragon is, how can we protect Ranma's father?"

"Bring him into custody," Ranma offered.  "Wouldn't that be the best way to keep him safe?  And couldn't Pop tell you who Vicious Dragon is?"

Sesshomaru took a deep breath before explaining.  "We already have him.  Two of our field agents picked him up when Inu-Yasha called us," Sesshomaru told Ranma.  At the distressed look on the boy's face, he softened his tone.  "We figured that was the safest thing for him.  He's cooperating with us, but he can't tell us who Vicious Dragon is."

"Why not?" asked Miroku.  "He was working with him in the counterfeiting operations, wasn't he?  How could he not know him?"

"He never saw him face to face or even talked to him over the phone.  They corresponded strictly via the computer or by letters."  Sesshomaru drummed his long fingernails against the side of his cheek in thought.  "VD has played his hand carefully; he must have intended to take out your father all along," he said to Ranma.

"Just as soon as my father wasn't useful anymore," said Ranma glumly.  "Jeez, how did Pop get involved in something like this in the first place?  I know he's always been sort of – odd – but I never thought he'd get this deep into something illegal!"

Sesshomaru's cell phone hummed and he answered it.  "Jaken?  What the hell do you want?  No, don't stammer at me, you worthless toad.  You've got a lot to answer for, and don't think I'm going to forget about this when I get back.  What?"  Sesshomaru listened carefully.  "Shit!  All right, then."

He disconnected the phone in disgust.  "You're not going to believe this," Sesshomaru told the gathering.  His lip curled.  "We've been chasing another damn useless lead.  Ranma's father isn't a counterfeiter."

"What?" Koga exclaimed in surprise.  "You mean he isn't Lazy Panda?"

"Oh, he's Lazy Panda all right," Sesshomaru spat.  "But he's been working undercover for years as a sleeper agent for the Japanese government.  And incidentally, he says he never contacted Naraku's agency."

"Then who sent us here?" Sango asked.  "You don't think Naraku…"

"I don't know what to think," Sesshomaru sighed.  "It's just as possible that someone else posing as Lazy Panda contacted Naraku.  Meanwhile, I've been running down a bunch of blind alleys in a pair of silk stockings.  Our agents should have known about Lazy Panda being on our side."  He chucked his cell phone at the opposite wall with an angry motion.  "That's the problem with the world today," he spoke to the group at large.  "Nobody talks anymore."

*******

The shrubbery rustled as the two girls crept through it.

"Akane!" hissed one of the girls as she hoisted her okonomiyaki spatula over her shoulder.  "Shampoo went into that room; I saw her!" she pointed.

"Are you ready, Ukyo?" Akane asked as she adjusted her karate gi.  The other girl nodded.  "Let's go get her, then!  Mousse said he'd take her back to China if we get her away from Miroku."

Akane had no trouble kicking in the already battered door.  Once inside, she and Ukyo scanned the darkened room for signs of Shampoo.   Akane whirled around as she heard a soft meow.

"Over there, Ukyo!  Grab her!"

Ukyo scooped up the protesting cat and the girls ran from the room.  "Quit howling, Shampoo!  This is for your own good!" Ukyo scolded the cat as the girls dashed into the night.  "Man, you're getting heavy, Shampoo!  You've really let yourself go, haven't you?"

A girl wearing Chinese clothing watched the other two depart with the screeching cat. She ran a hand through her long flowing tresses, absentmindedly noticing one of her bangles was missing.  "Why they steal Kirara?" she wondered aloud.

********

"Well, that's a stupid ending to this case," Yuseke muttered.

"Quit complaining.  We got paid, didn't we?  And Tsubasa won't be getting anymore threatening letters," Hiei reminded him.  "So what if it turned out to be an ordinary stalker and not some demon?"

"There's still the matter of these animals," said Kurama.  We've seen a pig that changes into a boy and a cat that turns into a girl.  We also spotted a duck wearing thick glasses, he changed into a man.  What's going on with that?  Why would shape-changing demons be hanging around this pageant?"

"Pssst!  Quiet!" Kuwabara motioned.  He pointed into the distance at two girls running with a cat in their arms.  "Weren't those two hanging around the shape-changing duck demon?" he asked his comrades.

"Yeah," answered Yuseke.  "They must have captured the cat demon!  Let's see what they're up to!"  With that, the group took off in pursuit.

********

"Miroku, what's wrong?" Sango asked.

"What do you mean?" Miroku answered.  "Nothing's wrong, other than the general insanity that pervades this place.  Why do you ask?"

"You haven't groped me in while," Sango reminded him, kicking a pebble with her boot as they walked.  "I was just wondering if you still think I'm attractive."

Miroku stared at her in amazement.  "Sango, of course I still think you're attractive!  Everything's just been so crazy and with that woman stalking me…" he trailed off and smiled at her.  "Maybe I just haven't been showing my affection for you properly," he said as backed Sango against a nearby wall.  "I should be showering you with praises to your beauty."  He stroked her soft cheek with a finger.

Sango placed her arms around Miroku's neck and allowed him to take possession of her lips.  She loved being with him, she realized.  Even without the groping, she enjoyed his company.  Miroku had a way of keeping her from taking herself too seriously.  Sango couldn't remember ever smiling as much as she had since the reporter had barged his way into her life.

Miroku was definitely making up for the lack of groping.  His hands had strayed south of the border and the rubbing was making her dizzy.  Sango clung to him and deepened their kiss, wanting to taste every inch of him.

At the sound of a cough, they broke apart reluctantly.  "Yes?" Miroku asked Ranma, who had come upon the trysting couple.

"There's some guy named Shippo looking for you," Ranma told Miroku.  "He's screaming something about a wrecked Land Rover on his property.  Sorry about this," Ranma added as he walked off.

********

"Is your head spinning as much as mine?" Inu-Yasha asked Kagome.

"Just thinking seems to hurt," Kagome answered sympathetically.  She placed her arm around his waist as they walked to her rooms.  "It's like we're seeing a big puzzle come together, but we're still missing so many pieces we don't know what the puzzle will look like when we're finished."

She unlocked her door and Inu-Yasha followed her inside.  "P-chan?  P-chan!" Kagome called.  There was no answering squeal.  "I guess he took off again," Kagome sighed.  "He keeps doing that.  I really need to find his owner, but no one has claimed him."

"How does he get out?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Beats me," Kagome shrugged.  "He just does.  I keep finding him in the oddest places.  And when I do find him, he's either being chased by Kurama's crew or Ranma's threatening to turn him into a ham sandwich."

"Aw, I don't think Ranma would really hurt him.  Kurama's a weird one, though.  You should have seen the looks he was giving me the other day when I walked in on him practicing for the talent competition."  Inu-Yasha opened the fridge and took out a couple of bottles.  "Speaking of the talent competition, are you going to be watching it tonight?" Inu-Yasha asked as he handed her one of the drinks.

"Yes, but I'll be watching from the operations center."  Kagome took a swig and continued.  "Sesshomaru wants me up there in case anything happens.  Everyone else will be at the live performance."

"Everyone except me," Inu-Yasha responded.  "Sesshomaru wants me patrolling the outside grounds."  He grinned.  "He's too proud to tell me he doesn't want me to witness him prancing around on stage in a ballerina costume."

"And you're going to let him get away with that?" Kagome teased.

"Nope.  Kagura's taking pictures for me."

********

A/N:  Hope this chapter cleared things up a little for those of you confused by the Ranma XO.  If not, here's a brief primer:

Ranma + cold water = red headed girl

Ryoga + cold water = black piglet (p-chan)

Shampoo + cold water = cat

Mousse + cold water = duck

Genma Saotome (Ranma's dad) + cold water = panda

Hot water returns them back to normal.  Well, as normal as this crew gets, anyway.

Thanks so much to all of you for reading and reviewing!  There's too many to thank personally, so here's some No-Doz (I replenished my supply).