Tranquility Protocols Chapter 5
The sushi bar was high class for its neighborhood. It might have pulled three stars had any one bothered to review it, but the owners made sure it kept a low profile. It was a place for local salrimen to come and relax, where their wives would never find out about their activities, as long as they paid the right prices. Young girls provided many services, most of questionable legality. Older girls waited tables wearing provocative costumes. The full grown women gave massages in the back rooms and did the cooking and cleaning. The place was very neat and clean, because the owners liked it that way.
One of the owners was visiting. He wasn't the true owner, but they treated him as if he was. His reports were crucial to the survival of the establishment, and its employees. So he was given the best treatment. Four girls, hardly more than children, served his every whim and made sure he was satisfied. Two teens waited his table, bringing food and drink and other pleasurable substances. His companions were well cared for as well. Such was the benefit of being a Yakusa boss, even a very low ranked one.
The woman was as out of place as a gazelle entering a lions den. The Maitre D' tried to stop her. She refused to be stopped. The altercation attracted the attention of boss and on a whim he sent orders for the woman to be brought to him. She was and he examined her carefully. He wasn't afraid. The men around him were armed and trained to prevent people from bothering him. He questioned her, wondering why a house wife would come here. He laughed at her response. And as an indulgence allowed her to do what she wanted, with the provision that she had to be better at it than all four of the girls she was replacing. If she wasn't, then he would give her to his men.
She laughed. And agreed to take them all at once. She knelt in front of the boss.
The Dark creature began to devour an army.
-----
"Let us Dance, Child of the Asteroids."
Shampoo snarled. The girl was mocking her. She hefted her bon bori and charged. Saturn flowed aside, the Silence Glaive weaving an intricate pattern. Shampoo noticed that her weapons were off balance, and a quick glance told her why. The round heads were laying on the ground, each one neatly quartered.
Saturn was still standing, knees loose and Glaive balanced along her arm. Shampoo drew a scimitar and a short stabbing sword. Her rush had similar results. Her spears followed, and then her nun-chaku. Throwing knives, arrows, the bow itself, her long staff, then two short ones, all ended in pieces on the ground.
Shampoo was out of weapons and was starting to breathe a little heavy. Saturn was calm and unruffled.
"It is not about fighting, Child," Saturn said gently, "but about the Art. Dance with me. Do not fight me."
Shampoo felt the tug of desire. The desire to give in and just dance. She fought it off, shaking her head.
"Shampoo never loose to skinny girl. Shampoo fight as Amazon, until last breath." She raised her hands and began moving toward the girl. She strikes were brushed aside, her kicks evaded, and even her grabs slid off her opponent. Suddenly Shampoo's world went white, then black. She found herself on her knees, her lungs struggling for air. She looked up and met the eyes of her opponent.
She didn't see the anger or hatred she expected. Instead she saw sadness. The same sadness she had seen in the eyes of village girls when she had ambushed them to eliminate them from competition. The same sadness she had seen in her Great-grandmother's eyes when she humiliated her opponents. It was a sadness that she had thought made her opponents weak. Pity had no place in the heart of a warrior.
"Perhaps, some day you will understand," Saturn said. "Until then, let this remind you."
Shampoo was surprised at how gentle the touch of the pole arm could be. The steel that kissed her cheek wasn't cold at all, but warm like a lover's caress. She felt a single trickle of blood run down her cheek, and tensed. The girl would walk away, thinking the fight was over, and she would...
Moose rose from the crouch of his attack and lifted Shampoo in his arms. Cologne stared at him in shock. He glanced at her.
"Only to save her life, Elder," he said sadly. "I could never hurt her otherwise."
"Where did you learn the sleep point, boy?"
"Even one as blind as I can learn something that is repeated enough." He turned and bowed. "You're free Saotome. The Kiss of Marriage has been invalidated."
"That's nice," Nabiki drawled, "but Ranma is over there."
"I heard ya, Moose. Good luck."
The Chinese boy didn't reply, but hopped up on the wall and disappeared on the other side.
"You have made an enemy, today," Cologne said to Saturn. Saturn nodded with a sigh.
"I suspect that she has only enemies."
Cologne nodded. "Ranma."
"Yes, Cologne?"
The old woman laughed at Ranma's wary tone. "I'll be around should you want to learn some other techniques."
"Heh. And what are ya gonna charge me? Surely you don't expect me to believe that you're given' away your secret techniques."
Cologne laughed harder, tears coming to her eyes. "Of course I don't give them away, boy. My techniques are only taught to the heir of my Art. And you might give some consideration to listening to Happosai. Among all his perverted drivel there are a few nuggets of wisdom." She glanced at Ryoga. "I'll be running along home. Shampoo is going to need special handling for awhile." She bowed and disappeared in a blur.
The long moment of contemplation was broken when Velocity came up and suddenly hugged Saturn.
"-I'm glad you got your groove back.-"
-----
Haruka sighed as she flopped onto the couch. Michiru echoed the sentiment, but took her seat in the armchair. Setsuna said nothing, but dropped bonelessly into the recliner, raising the foot rest and reclining it flat in one smooth motion.
"Now what do we do?" Haruka asked from under her arm.
"About what?" Michiru responded.
"Hotaru and the whole Protocol thing."
"You will do nothing," Setsuna chimed in. "It no longer concerns you."
Haruka sat bolt upright. "No longer concerns us? Hotaru may end up dating a violent psychopath that wants to kill her. There are six more of them running around with who knows how much god-awful power. And you're telling us it doesn't concern us?" Her voice had risen to nearly a shriek at the end of her tirade.
"It does not concern you. There is absolutely nothing you can do, so don't worry about it. Besides you're about to have more important things to deal with."
"Oh really? Like what?"
Setsuna raised her head to grin maliciously at Haruka. "Like explaining your actions."
The ring of the doorbell made Michiru jump. Haruka stormed to the door and yanked it open. "We don't want..."
Usagi, flanked by the other girls, calmly walked past Haruka. Her expression did not bode well. Haruka shut the door and followed the five girls into the main room. Usagi sat at the head of the dining table, Rei on her right and Ami on her left. Makoto and Minako filled in the spots on either side, leaving two seats at the foot of the table.
"Usagi-chan, what's going on?" Michiru asked as she stood.
"We're going to have a little chat about creatures of Darkness, how they feed, and your actions of the past few days." Usagi's tone left no doubt that she was not happy with the two older girls.
Haruka turned pale and Michiru hung her head.
-----
Ranma leaned against the side of the house and sighed. Saturn had finally left and taken Velocity with her. Akane had alternated between anger and indifference, until Ukyo had dragged her bodily into the Dojo for some 'girl talk.' The shouting had lasted ten or fifteen minutes. The smashing went on for quite awhile. It had been silent since.
They weren't the only ones having problems. Nabiki was acting weird too. She tended to flip between smug silence and hyperactive babbling about quantum mathematics. Kasumi seemed normal, but her voice had a song like quality, as if she was about to break into opera at any moment. Their past lives were slowly integrating and merging with them.
Of course, the biggest shock of the day had come from finding that his own mother was a rabid fan girl. Several times over the course of the afternoon, he had caught her casting measuring glances at the Senshi. She brightened every time one of them spoke with him. Added to her reaction from meeting them, her actions spelled trouble for Ranma. He was beginning to worry what would happen when she met the other Senshi.
He was so lost in thought, that he didn't hear Ryoga walk up to him.
"Ranma, prepare to die!"
Ranma jumped and spun at the shout. His attacker was doubled over on the ground laughing.
"Somethin' funny, P-Chan?" Ranma glared at the laughing boy. Ryoga couldn't answer, he was laughing so hard. He merely pointed at Ranma and laughed until tears were leaking out of his eyes. Ranma stared. Ryoga had never been given to fits of hilarity.
"Y-y-you should have seen your face, Ranma," Ryoga finally gasped. He paused a moment to recover his breath. "What's going on around here, Ranma? Everything is weird. Weirder than normal."
Ranma tried to look innocent. "Whaddya mean?"
"This, for starters," Ryoga said. "Have you ever heard me laugh like that? And Nabiki is acting weird. She looked at me a spouted some mathematical thingy. Then she told me it was the quadratic formula of my direction curse. And she didn't even try to charge me. Kasumi is constantly humming or whistling. And Akane and Ukyo seem like the best of friends. Akane hasn't hit you once today. The Senshi drop by. Your mother has a formal omai with Cologne."
Ranma interrupted. "Not to mention that we aren't fightin'. I get the point. But I'm not sure what it is."
Ryoga fished in his pack for a moment. "Cologne gave me this." He held up the jar.
"What is it?" Ranma leaned close to peer into the bottle.
"Love potion." Ranma was suddenly two meters away. "Don't worry, I'm not going to use it. I think there's some sort of catch to it. They were in a big hurry for me to take it instead of Shampoo using it."
Ranma shook his head violently. "Accidents happen man. Remember the Koi rod? I ain't coming near you while you've got that stuff."
"Afraid of a little jar, Ranma?" Ryoga teased.
"No," Ranma snapped. "I'm concerned about what's in the jar, and I'd rather not get it on me."
"Ranma's afraid of a jar?" A voice said right behind Ryoga. He jerked in surprise and the jar went flying. Straight at Ranma. Ranma's reflexes kicked in and he batted the jar away. Naturally he struck it at just the right angle to loosen the lid. Ryoga saw it coming and ducked out of the way, not wanting to become a pig in front of Akane. He forgot that he was literally in front of Akane. The water splashed over her head. She brushed her bangs back and squeaked in astonishment as Ranma covered her eyes.
"Don't open your eyes, Akane. That was a love potion ya got splashed with."
Akane sighed. "Again? Why me?"
"Why you, what?" Ukyo arrived, having talked briefly with Kasumi.
Akane shoved Ranma's hands away and turned, opening her eyes to look directly at Ukyo. Ryoga nearly fainted away when she leaped into Ukyo's arms, performing a glomp worthy of Shampoo. She didn't stop with the glomp though, catching Ukyo open mouthed in a kiss. Her hands roamed down to Ukyo's butt, squeezing and pulling Ukyo against her.
Ranma smacked his palm to his forehead. Ryoga was reduced to spluttering and blushing. Nabiki arrived to take pictures. But the passionate embrace didn't end until Kasumi arrived.
"Ara..."
"Kasumi-oneechan, I've fallen madly in love with Ukyo," Akane announced. "Will you please take care of Ranma? Make sure to mallet him at least once a day so he doesn't do anything perverted."
"Like fondling Ukyo's butt?" Ranma put in.
"I think groping her breasts is more along the lines of what Akane means, Ranma," Nabiki said as she flashed a close up of Akane's hand .
"Ara..."
"IT WAS ONLY WATER!" Ryoga was taking deep breaths as they all looked at him. "I didn't want to accidentally splash anyone with it so I neutralized it and washed it down the drain at the Nekohanten. That was only water in the jar."
Ranma had both hands over his mouth and was emitting strangled noises. Nabiki was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Kasumi sighed and shook her head. Akane still had her arm around Ukyo, who was looking slightly dazed.
"Only water?" Akane repeated. "So I'm not passionately in love with Ukyo?"
"Apparently not, Akane," Ranma chuckled. "You'll just have to settle for me. I'm sure Mom won't mind if you keep her as a mistress though."
Nabiki burst out laughing. Kasumi smiled. Ukyo was howling and rolling on the ground. Akane pouted and put her finger on her chin.
"But I wanted Uchan all to myself."
Ryoga was getting confused. "Forget it. I'm going back to Akari. You people are getting too damn weird." And he turned and walked into the Dojo. They waited expectantly. Several minutes later Ryoga came out of the Dojo.
"Ano, what are you all doing at Akari's farm?"
Kasumi smiled and led Ryoga to the gates while the others tried not to laugh out loud.
-----
They arrived on the roof together. It was very late, or very early depending on your point of view. As usual, Velocity arrived at precisely the moment Nike started to get irritated. They waited a moment more to be sure of their target. With silent gestures they discussed the situation. After several moments they all nodded and moved their separate directions.
The Darkling waited patiently, as it had been ordered. It could sense the creatures it was to hunt, they were coming closer. Soon it would feed on their light and become more powerful. Maybe powerful enough to challenge the Master.
It was distracted from its vague notions of power by a cool voice from behind it. It spun to face the sound and realized that its master had lied. It would never have the chance to feed again.
"Aurora Photon Flare."
The burst of light signaled the others. As one they closed and attacked their targets.
"-Velocity Meteor Kick.-"
"A(2x*y^3)/b(2y*x^3)"
"Mouko Takabisha."
"Vulcan Hammer."
Harmony didn't attack directly. Her song flowed with all of the others directing and guiding them to the best possible places to work as a team. Eight creatures of Darkness fell in moments. The one assigned to watch and report started to flee, only to discover that Senshi were faster. Aurora and Velocity intercepted its flight. Aurora was glowing brightly enough to eliminate any nearby shadows. The creature winced away from the glowing Senshi and came face to face with Nike, who was glowing with a different, more frightening glow.
"Tell your master that we will be coming for him. Your kind do not belong here and we will destroy any of you that remain here. Go and deliver the message, then flee to your world. Or the light will consume you."
Aurora and Velocity moved aside as the creature fled Nike's wrath. Velocity followed it, noting that Nike had been right. It was making a straight line to its master. She turned aside and returned to the others when she was sure of its destination.
-----
The young man who worked the late shift at the all night ramen shop was pleasantly surprised when six girls trooped in just before his shift ended. They placed their orders and moved to the far end of the little enclosure. They sat down and began whispering amongst themselves.
Several moments later, four men entered. They sat near the entrance and watched the girls out of the corner of their eyes. The young man recognized the men, or at least their type. Two men just like them came around every month to collect money from the shop owner. 'Insurance' was the euphemism for it. He decided to try warning the girls, but right as their order was ready, two of them suddenly rose and approached the four men. The young man sighed. Six lovely girls were about to be rounded up.
OnnaRanma and Nabiki walked up to the table where the four men sat.
"Good evening, gentlemen," Nabiki drawled. "We noticed you were watching us and decided to come make your acquaintance."
"And avoid any unpleasant property damages," OnnaRanma added, cracking her knuckles.
"Down, Ranko," Nabiki said.
The four men looked at each other. This was a first for all of them. Usually their marks tried to run or call the police.
Nabiki went on when none of the men spoke. "My eldest sister detests violence, and no doubt some one would upset her if we waited for you to introduce yourselves. On the other hand the rest of them are quite prone to extreme physical reactions, and it would worry your Boss if you don't get home by curfew. And that would lead to later unpleasantness."
"Just so ya know," OnnaRanma said, "I'm Saotome Ranko, Heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts."
Nabiki nodded. "I'm Tendo Nabiki, and my sisters, Akane and Kasumi, are at the table with Kuonjii Ukyo and Haiyama Yoshimi. We're just passing by on our way back to Nerima. Let's not have any trouble. OK?"
One of the men started to say something when his companion stepped on his foot. The man who did the stepping stood and bowed respectfully.
"Pleasure to meet you, Tendo-San, Saotome-San. We certainly wouldn't want any unfortunate accidents. Perhaps we could accompany you to the edge of Nerima? So there wouldn't be any other problems." The man was practically kow towing to Nabiki.
"We'd be happy to have your company, gentlemen. It's dangerous for girls to walk around alone at night."
"You're not kidding," another of the men said. "Especially with all that weird shit going on south of Juban."
One of his companions smacked him, but both girls were suddenly interested.
"What sort of 'weird shit'?"
He glanced at his companions but they were all busy with their ramen. "Just rumors, really. People actin' weird. Whole restaurant just dropped out of the connection. Some one said a boss has gone missing. Others say he's around but actin' strange. Strange rituals. The whole place is kinda gloomy and dark."
OnnaRanma glanced at Nabiki. She smiled and tilted her head toward their table. "We'll be right back, gentlemen. Don't go any where."
The four men watched the girls, but they whispered carefully amongst themselves. Apparently they reached a quick consensus They all stood and trooped by, the tallest bowing politely. OnnaRanma and Nabiki stopped at the table.
"What's going on?" The spokesman asked.
Nabiki smiled, shark-like. "They're going home. On the way they'll contact some friends of ours and send them to meet us. Our friends can take care of the problem in Juban, but we want to make sure of the situation. Which means you'll need to take us to your superior."
All four of the men blanched at that. Two of them were shaking their heads. "We can't do that, Tendo-San."
"I'm sure you'll change your mind when you meet our friends." Nabiki was calm and OnnaRanma struggled to keep from showing any emotion. They paid for their meals and waited while the four men finished and paid for theirs. They were about to leave when the door opened and two new girls came in.
The first was clad in bright yellows and oranges and pinks. Her entrance was like the rising sun and all the men stared. She grinned and curtseyed. Her companion was dressed in blue and white. A halter top and bicyclist pants left her midriff and arms bare. She had silvery bracers at her wrists and a long, blue ponytail of hair.
"Gentlemen," Nabiki said, catching their attention. "May I introduce, Senshi Aurora and Senshi Velocity. They are two of the people who can help take care of your problem."
"I think we can justify introducing a couple of Senshi to the Boss."
Aurora smiled. "Especially since we aren't asking."
-----
Fujihara Ichionji was not, by nature, an early riser. It was one of the perks of being the yakusa boss of all of southern Tokyo. So, when his butler respectfully woke him before the sun was up, Ichionji seriously considered having the man shot. Sepuku wasn't an option since the unions had formed. Ichionji hated unions.
He relented shortly after the man told him why he had taken his life in his hands. People rarely claimed to be Senshi. And Senshi rarely called on yakusa bosses, and even then offers of help would be the last thing the yakusa would expect.
He was quite surprised, when, upon entering his lounge he came face to face with two girls who were not Senshi. The first was a petite red head, her hair back in a short braid. She was as well built as any of the girls who worked for him. Ichionji's practiced eye recognized natural beauty, as well as the lack of a bra. Something about her tugged his memory, but he couldn't pin it down.
The second girl was nondescript in comparison. She would stand out in a crowd of other school girls because of her unusual hair cut. She had sharp features and the kind of expression Ichionji was accustomed to seeing on accountants. She was vaguely familiar in the same way as the red head.
"These are not Senshi." He was loosing what little sense of humor he had.
"Tendo Nabiki and Saotome Ranko," the brunette said calmly. She either didn't recognize the signs of his anger, or didn't care. A voice from the side distracted him from the two hapless girls in front of him.
"No, Velocity, you may not have any coffee." The voice was exasperated. "And put that pastry back, it's your sixth one."
"-But Aura-neechan...-"
"No buts. We're guests. You can't eat the poor man out of house and home."
The other two girls were standing beside the table Ichionji had out for his underlings. One of them was dressed in a Senshi costume. The bows were brightly colored and her skirt brought to mind a sunrise. Her hair was tousled and she looked very annoyed.
The other girl was wearing blue spandex biker shorts and a white sport top. She had on running shoes and her long braid was clasped by a gold ring. She had just returned a pastry to a nearly empty platter and was reaching for the fruit bowl. Ichionji stared in astonishment as she carefully stripped a bunch of grapes, eating them one by one, in a matter of seconds.
"Senshi Aurora and Senshi Velocity," Nabiki said.
Ichionji held up his hand. "Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter." He ticked off the names. "Sailor Saturn, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Pluto. These are the Senshi. I do not know any other Senshi. Take these ladies..."
Nabiki interrupted. "Fujiyama Hiroshi."
Ichionji stopped and looked at her calmly.
"Your youngest son. Attends Furinkan High School. Adopted out to your niece's brother in-law so he won't be a target and can live out a normal life. Unless your elder son should be killed." Nabiki met Ichionji's gaze. "Whether you believe it or not, these two are Senshi and we don't have time to go through the typical demonstrations. So take my word, and we can get on with this."
Ichionji raised his hand slightly and the men around the room reached for their guns. Only to find them missing. Several went for secondary weapons and found them missing as well.
"-Where should I put these, Nabiki-san?-" Velocity asked from beside Nabiki. She had an armload of the weapons taken from the men around the room.
"Oh, just toss them in the bay, Velocity-san," Nabiki waved airily.
"-OK.-" Velocity wound up and threw the first pistol toward Tokyo bay. It went through the wall of the house without slowing. A second and a third followed, leaving small sonic disruptions in their wake.
"All right," Ichionji said. "I'll accept that they're Senshi. Tell her to stop."
Nabiki yawned. "Sorry, long night. You can stop now Velocity."
Velocity nodded. "-OK. I'm all done anyway.-"
"This had better be good, Tendo-San."
Nabiki's smile widened. "OK, here's the deal. There is a creature out there that is devouring the light out of people and making them its servants. Judging from everything we've heard this evening, it is mostly targeting Yakusa. There are probably three or four feeders that are taking victims. They pass the energy back to the master creature. It seems to have two objectives. Killing Senshi and devouring light."
Ichionji interrupted. "What is this light you keep mentioning?"
All four girls went grim.
"It's life force, or chi, or ki. Whatever you want to call it. It manifests as a person's morality. Those with more light are better people, polite, kind, nice. Those with less light are usually mean," OnnaRanma said softly. "When a person is devoured by the Dark, their light is completely extinguished. They become amoral and completely emotionless. Any apparent emotions are left over from their memory of being human. They will do anything the master commands, no matter how depraved or perverted. And they spread by spreading their depravity."
"Sounds like a perfect soldier," Ichionji mused. Before he could go further, he was slammed up against the wall. Senshi Aurora had his robe wrapped in her fist. And his feet were several centimeters off the floor.
"Don't even think it," she hissed. "These Darklings exist to extinguish light. When they can, they kill in the most painful way possible. You feel your soul being ripped from your body. That may not bother the likes of you, but if I ever hear that you or any one of your men attempt to contact this thing to form an alliance with it, I will personally come and ram a photon blast down your throat. Better you should die at my hand than be devoured by the Dark."
Nabiki laid a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "You see, Fujihara-san, every time one of these things devours the light of a soul, there is a little less light left in the universe. Senshi Aurora is the Senshi of Light, so she feels very strongly about anything that lessens the amount of light in existence."
Ichionji was staring at Aurora in shock as she let him drop to the ground.
"What are you? Senshi are fighters for love and justice. Not ruthless killers."
"We're Warriors. We weren't able to fight the last time the Dark tried to take over, and we had to stand and watch as our people were slaughtered. And we had no choice but to die with them." Aurora had tears in her eyes at the memory. "We were lucky, then. They couldn't devour our light. But now..."
She turned back to Ichionji, the tears evaporating as her eyes blazed with light. "There is a war coming. A war of Light and Dark, and we're the only ones who can fight it. We intend to win this war, whatever the cost. Humanity must be saved."
Ichionji flinched as his butler laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'd help them, Sir. However you can." Several of his higher ranked followers were nodding agreement. He sighed and nodded.
"Do what we can to help and keep me informed on the progress. I'm going back to bed." He turned and followed his butler out, muttering about what the world was coming to when yakusa clan heads started taking orders from teenage girls.
-----
"OK, what now?" Akane asked quietly. All six were seated around the Tendo's table. Ranma had returned to boy form and was toweling off his hair. The others were sipping coffee or tea, provided by a happily humming Kasumi.
"Now," Ranma began, "we find Minerva. All we've done so far is hold the front. We can't take on the whole group of them without Minerva's knowledge and planning."
"A fight the great Ranma can't win without help?" Nabiki teased.
Ranma grinned back. "I never said we couldn't win. Are you willing to pay the price it will cost us without Minerva?" He paused and glanced around. "I didn't think so. Besides, Minerva will know where Tranquility-hime is, and where Tranquility-hime is, Mordaé and Féadel are sure to be as well."
Nabiki laughed. "I like the odds a lot better with Mordaé and Féadel on our side. Not to mention Tranquility-hime."
"We'll all be happier when Tranquility-hime is back," Kasumi murmured. The others nodded agreement.
-----
In the woods, on a hill, far to the south of Tokyo, an old seeming man and a young boy were facing each other in the early dawn light. Bokken raised in salute and lowered to guard. The two began exchanging blows until the old man suddenly stopped and looked toward the shrine he guarded. Seeing an opening, the boy swung his bokken with all his strength, thinking his grandfather would see it. The old man didn't.
The resounding crack echoed through the woods. At the house below, a young blonde sat up suddenly, reaching for her weapon, forgetting that she was on the dock. The splash was impressive. Two other women had stopped their bickering over how to hang the laundry, to stare toward the woods. The youngest girl, in the house, paused for an entirely different reason. She sensed something, but the moment before she could identify it, there was a crash and the closet door burst open. The girl who came through had red hair as expected, but she was definitely not the regular resident of the space under the stairs.
On the hill, the boy stared at his grandfather in shock. The old man was laying on the ground, clutching his broken arm and laughing uproariously. His laughter cut off abruptly as a woman came into view along the path from the stairs. The boy's eyes widened further as his grandfather rose and bowed deeply to the woman.
She smiled and shook her head ruefully. "Still playing the rambunctious boy, Yosho?" A gentle wave of her hand knitted the bone and healed the arm in a matter of seconds. There was a sudden scream and an explosion from the direction of the house.
"Tenchi," Yosho said sternly. "Quickly, you must go and defend your fiancee."
"Yes, Grandfather," Tench responded without thinking. If Grandfather thought Ryoko and Ayeka needed his help, then they must be facing something very dangerous. He was already running down the hill with the Tenchi-ken in his hand when the exact phrasing caught up to him. Another explosion and Mihoshi's screams sent the thought out of his mind and he focused on rescuing his friends.
Yosho turned to his guest as soon as Tenchi was out of ear shot. "What do I owe the honor of this visit to?"
"Curtesy," the woman replied. "The war is starting again, though it will mostly be in Tokyo. You will no doubt sense my actions there. I merely wished to inform you that I will be moving around and making some noise soon."
Yosho snorted. "And you no doubt want me to keep my meddlesome guests out of it."
The woman smiled. "And your meddlesome parents. Earth is still an autonomous Kingdom. The interference of Jurai will not be welcome. You may tell them your landlady will be most disagreeable if they intrude."
Yosho nodded. He glanced toward the sounds of mayhem and carnage below. "Mordaé is still with you?"
The little woman nodded. "As frisky as she ever was. You might mention that she's been itching to catch Misaki in the bath again."
Yosho laughed. "That should certainly keep them from doing anything that might require your Majesty to visit Jurai."
She glared back at him. "We certainly wouldn't want to bring up the possibility of another omai, would we your Highness."
"Touché," Yosho said, conceding the point. He winced as the woman in front of him suddenly whistled loudly. The sounds of combat suddenly stopped and a red-haired girl dropped out of thin air to float next to the black braided woman. The red head winked at Yosho, before the two women disappeared. Moments later, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Washu, and Tenchi ran into the clearing, the four women in various states of undress.
"She's gone," Yosho announced. Reactions were varied, from relief (Ayeka and Mihoshi) to arrogance (Ryoko) to vengeful anger (Washu) to confusion (Tenchi). "Washu." Yosho waited until the little scientist looked his way. "You might want to wash the Regillian Pheromone Vine seeds out of your hair before they sprout." The little woman screamed and ran toward the house.
As the others wandered away, grumbling over the strange encounter and adjusting their clothing, Tenchi looked at his Grandfather.
"Who were they, Grandpa?"
"Our landlady and her bodyguard."
"I thought we owned this land," Tench said.
"No Tenchi. She is the Queen of Air and Darkness, the Ruler of this Solar System. Her mother was the Queen of a great Kingdom, and she left nothing but ashes and sadness for her daughter, who was never to have ruled in the first place." Yosho sighed. "We won't be going to Tokyo this year. You'll have to break the news to the others. And tell Washu... Never mind, I'll go tell her myself."
Tenchi watched as his Grandfather walked away, shoulders hunched as if the weight of a kingdom had settled on them.
****
End Note- No this is not going to become a Tenchi crossover, too. There will be mention of Characters and places from the Tenchi Anime though. In case you've gotten confused, the story is entering Day Three. I'll be keeping things a little neater as everything comes together. The Search for Senshi Minerva is beginning. The War of Light and Dark enters the first stages. Serenity and her Senshi encounter a Darkling. Ranma goes on a date, but not with the person you might think. Tuxedo Kamen returns... Or does he? And possibly a flash back if there's room. Tune in to the next chapter for Action Action Action!!! And maybe a little romance.