NOTE TO ALL READERS! PLEASE READ!
Madhat made this and he asked me to put it here in the side stories.
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The Interview
Ellen has traveled far from home just to get this story. Her career as a reporter is riding on this interview. To get to the bottom of this story she had to travel all the way to the U.S. into a remote part of the American heartland to find the one person that can answer the question that has been plaguing everyone back in Japan. What happened to Ranma Jones?
Having flown all the way from the other side of the world Ellen found herself on a motorbike, riding to the estate of the only person who can answer her questions: Doctor Indiana Jones, the legendary explorer, adventurer, archaeologist and also the great-grandfather of Ranma Jones.
While speeding through the heavy forest that surrounded the isolated estate she noticed that the sun is starting to set in the early afternoon sky. She just hopes that she will be able to get the interview done before it is nightfall. She has to admit that the forests here are nothing like the forests of back home. This forest is also a wildlife preserve, filled with many animals she has never seen before but she knows are quite rare. Riding on her bike Ellen had to dodge the overhanging branches of the trees on the uneven dirt road.
Finally, after a two-minute ride, she saw the house though the thinning tree line. It looks abandoned from the outside, the weathered wood and stone of the giant mansion showing its age. The shadowy, overgrown hedges that surrounded it cloaked the full size of the structure, isolating it from the surrounding forest. Ellen, as a resident of one of the big cities of Japan where space is tightly packed, could not believe that ONE person owns this house.
Finally reaching where the front door is she grabbed her camera from her bag and hooked it up to the cable link to her station's network system. This is going to be a live interview as Dr. Jones had agreed to over the phone. He would do the interview only if it is live so it would not be altered. It is a good thing she knows how to speak English because this is also going to be shown on the U.S. news channels and the whole world. The mystery of Ranma's wing, his history, those that were with him, the technology they hold, etc., has reached worldwide proportions.
She stepped up to the front door and pressed the speaker button on the intercom to the left of the door. "Mr. Jones, its Ellen. I came to do the interview about your great-grandson."
The intercom is filled with static as Jones' voice replied through it a few moments later. "The door is open. You can let yourself in. I'm in the study hall to your left, the third doorway down."
Grabbing her equipment she opened the door, already filming as very few people have ever been to the Jones Estate. Before coming here she did her homework and found out she is one of the few people to ever film inside this place.
The inside of the room she entered in is HUGE! Bigger than her apartment back home! The floorboards are solid oak that showed their age but still firm. A wide, wooden staircase that led to a second-floor balcony is located right in front of her. Arched wooden pillars lined the ornate hall, supporting the dark, heavy wood balustrade of the upper floor. The most fascinating part is that the whole place is filled with books and artifacts in showcases. It is almost like a giant library.
Making her way through the house Ellen scanned her camera left and right, trying to catch everything. While not much of a reader herself she did have some friends who would kill to have some of these books. Some of the books are quite rare; a few are not even being printed anymore. Going down the hallway she found herself filming the pictures hanging on the walls, all looked VERY expensive. Finally, she arrived at her destination.
The study hall is a huge room covered with artifacts, old photos and other tidbits that Dr. Jones has picked up during his younger years. The solemn ticking of an old grandfather clock filled the cool air, echoing off the high walls of the room. Sitting by the fireplace in an old chair is Dr. Jones, a table with a pitcher and two glasses and also a book in front of him and another chair for her to sit in.
As she took in the room some more something caught her eye. Set in a protective glass cover is an odd looking mirror shaped like an eye. It seemed to draw her attention to itself for some odd reason. She shook it off with effort as something that the old adventurer picked up years ago.
Dr, Jones inclined his head to her, and for the first time she noticed that his perpetual hat is gone. "Good afternoon Ms. Ellen. I'm sorry about the mess." She looked around the neatly arranged room. What mess? "Please, make yourself comfortable. You can set up the camera over there."
"Thank you." She proceeded to set up her camera and a few lights. She took out two lavalier microphones, connected the wireless receiver to the camera and clipped the mics on herself and Dr. Jones. She made sure the shot is good before sitting down on the chair across from the old man and asked if he is prepared. When he indicated that he is she used a remote to turn the camera on. She did her introduction and Doctor Jones' and then turned to do the interview. The whole world is glued to their TV screens, awaiting answers.
"So, Dr. Jones, I'm sure that the whole world, and me as well, have been wondering what has happened to your grandson, Ranma Jones. Many think that he died when the building blew up during the raid. Others speculate that he is somewhere here in the United States. One of the most common rumors is that he had been killed when his house mysteriously disappeared. Please let us know what has happened to him."
Jones chuckled a little at the rumors. "All I can say is that my grand-son is alive and well. However, I do not know where he is right now. He is keeping a low profile right now and didn't tell me where he is headed."
"So he IS still alive then!" Ellen exclaimed, knowing that many of the women in a certain police station is probably jumping up and down in glee. "What about those people who were with him? So far what I have been able to gather is that they are part of a supernatural American team that handles supernatural beings." It had cost her a LOT of money to get even that information as vague as it is.
Jones nodded in respect to the female reporter. Getting even that much most have caused all sorts of trouble for her. Well, if she wants trouble…"They are called the Dark Hunters. I was part of the organization myself in my younger years a little after I went in search for the Holy Grail. I help out now and then as kind of a freelance member. However, if you ask anyone in the government they will not admit to any knowledge of them. It is the same with most governments who have task forces that deal with the supernatural."
Ellen remained silent for a few moments, trying to accept the ridiculous notion of a task force employed by world governments to take care of the supernatural. Then again it does explain a lot of things. "You mean that there are some sort of demon hunters that work for governments around the world? Aren't you afraid of letting this out? This is a HUGE government secret and you will surely be jailed for this! Possibly even killed!"
Jones leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. "Once you are at a certain age you get a feeling of mortality, of feeling that you are slipping away from this world. I am at that age. Now, you can do one of three things when it happens to you. One, you can fight tooth and nail to remain in this world as long as you can. Two, you resign yourself to dying at any possible moment and wallow in old memories. Or three, you live out your last moments to its fullest, not letting the past bother you and living in the present. I chose option number three. I only wish to live long enough to see my great-grandson's wedding." Many women in a certain police station gasped, fainted or went into shock. They could not tell if that means Ranma has someone already or if he is now looking around for a bride. "He is really all the family I have left. After my father died I wanted to start a family of my own. I have had lots of adventures already and wanted to 'pass the torch' so to speak. Ranma was not what I expected, but I'm not disappointed. All I want is to see him wedded and a family of his own. If I do not live to see that day I'll wait for him by the side of the woman who captured my heart to the fullest, my dear Hina." Jones had a wistful smile on his face as he thought of Ranma's great-grandmother.
Ellen is very impressed, but there is one little detail missing. What does he mean by he has no other family? "What about your granddaughter, Nodoka Saotome?"
Jones opened his eyes and a hard, yet regretful look went on his face. His voice became more, hoarse as he spoke. "By blood she is my granddaughter. Yet, she never let me enter her life and ruined her own son's life." He sighed deeply and slouched, looking as if he is getting older by years instead of seconds right in front of her. "I had wanted to get to know her. I could not save my son from the grasp of his grandparents, but I at least wanted to know my granddaughter. But they were hostile to me and she would not acknowledge me as her blood. She is a true traditional woman, but while that is not bad she limited herself to the rules set by that lifestyle. She could not admit that she is part foreigner."
"She had the nerve to ask me for help when she saw she couldn't get out of the mess that she had put herself in. I would have done so, but then she asked me to bail out her husband as well! She knows of the crimes her husband has committed, yet ignores them while condemning her son! I then made it clear that I wouldn't help her because she never wanted me to be her grandfather and she refuses to divorce her husband. She can see how dishonorable he is. I know she can. Yet, while she lets her husband get away with anything he wants to do she is willing to be judge, jury and executioner to her own son! How could she judge her son differently when she knows it was her husband that raised him!"
He trembled in rage for a few moments before the anger left him. He slouched some more and he lost his hard look, yet the regretful one stayed. "I should have taken Ranma away from them, should have seen how bad Genma's influence is on everyone and did something to stop it. I can only hope that Ranma is better off now than when he was under their influence." He sighed deeply. "I have a feeling that grief had overcome her during her wait for her husband and son and made her what she is now. I'll never know will I?" he asked more to himself than Ellen.
Ellen nodded, forcing back tears at the emotion-laden speech. "Their trial has already started and public opinion is against them due to their crimes becoming public knowledge." 'I should know. I uncovered them.'
Jones composed himself before resuming. "Yes. I'm keeping a close eye on that." 'I'm the one who let you uncover their crimes so I should know.'
Ellen nodded. She then used the remote to go on a close-up of Jones and asked him the one million dollar question. "Now, what I would like to know is what is the deal with Ranma's infamous sky blue wing."
Throughout the whole world various squeaks and groans are heard as millions of people leaned forward in their seats to hear the answer. Scientists and such have notepads and pens ready and VCRs recording the broadcast.
Jones took a break to drink some water set on the table, going as slowly as possible in order to gather his thoughts. Millions of viewers cursed the old man to hurry the hell up. He cleared his throat before answering. "My grandson stumbled upon a magical artifact one day and an accident happened. The result is what you see on my great-grandson's back. It, however, only gave him one wing as you know instead of a pair. We do not know why that is either."
All over the world people are, yet again, shaking their TVs around, trying to make it reveal more details.
"A magical artifact?" Ellen asked while blinking. "Where is it now?" she asked while looking around. Maybe one of he artifacts here is it.
"It's in a storage vault in a disclosed area. Before anyone becomes gung-ho on finding and stealing it I want to make it clear that the artifact is VERY unstable. My grandson was lucky that it only gave him a wing. For all we know it could have turned him into a cat or a ghoul or even another monster like those he has faced. It might even turn its user to the opposite gender."
All over the world adventurers, thieves, organized crime leaders, etc., groaned in disappointment. Then they perked up. If they find it they can sell if for LOTS of money to any interested parties!
Ellen nodded and moved to another topic. "What about how he joined the Dark Hunters? What about his sisters, ALL of them? We have conflicting reports that he has more than two sisters."
"Alright, let's start with the Dark Hunters. It was the man known only as Stranger, the current head of the Dark Hunters, who recruited him after he renounced his name and left Nerima. They have been on the lookout to find recruits in Japan as most of the demon hunting were already being taken care by devil hunting families. Due to this the base of operations was more of information gathering than anything else. Before you ask that's all I'm saying about him. I respect him and his agency too much to say anything more about it. The Dark Hunters works clean. They have no black projects that cost or ruin the lives of others or getting rid of people who know about the supernatural world like how some of the deep cover agencies work, such as the ones that deal with unidentified flying objects or UFOs. It's the only agency here in the US that I still respect."
He continued after clearing his throat. "If you look back there have been numerous reports of strange things happening such as a mountain being destroyed for no reason, weird readings and earthquakes in China, those kinds of things that more than a year ago stopped occurring at around the same time Ranma disappeared. You should have guessed by now that that was my great-grandson fighting one threat or another. The Dark Hunters found out about his exploits and recruited him. Once I found out about Ranma joining I introduced myself to him."
"Now for your question about his sisters. Yun was an orphan Ranma met when he was on a mission. She was alone and Ranma, being who he is, took her in and adopted her as his sister. Natsume and Kurumi are his actual blood relatives. They are his half sisters by Genma." Many people had their jaws drop at that. "They were born out of wedlock when Genma was fooling around with a woman named Atsuko Nanashi. He left their mother to marry Nodoka because Atsuko gave birth to only daughters and he wanted a son. She raised her daughters as well as she could until she died of starvation. As you know Japan does NOT hire women with children but no husband except for menial jobs. After many years Natsume and Kurumi found out about their relationship to Genma and Ranma. They joined Ranma because he is the only family they have that would acknowledge them. Genma would not when the two confronted him."
All around the world single mothers prayed for the soul of Atsuko Nanashi and cursed Genma.
The judge that is supposed to be heading the court for Saotome's trial could only look at the TV screen in horror. He made a note on his papers that would seal Genma's fate.
Jones continued to explain about Ranma's last sister. "As for Ranko she is not his sister. She is his cursed form separated from him and has the soul from the spring in Jusenkyo. She was separated from Ranma by a botched spell and is a very powerful mage."
"What about Landis? What can you tell us about him and the rest of Ranma's team?" Many scientists are at the edge of their seats.
"Landis is a Winger, a tribe of people who have clawed feet and bat wings. They're not demons, but many people think they are and hunt them. They mainly keep to themselves in deep forests or in underground tunnels that they make their homes in. They do steal now and then, but mostly for survival as you can probably tell they cannot get regular jobs or even stay out in the open long without getting shot at. Some like Landis uses the way they look to scare people, but only for fun. He joined the Dark Hunter mostly because the other Wingers doesn't like him because of his prankster ways as the people in Shibuya can tell you. However, he is a good person at heart and he's powerful with magic and, besides my grandson, is the only flyer of the group. Not that I'm saying that there aren't demons working for us. Like humans there are good and bad demons out there."
Unknowingly, Jones has just started what will become a centuries long search for the Winger Tribe by hundreds of archaeologists and adventurers.
"So what about the others in the group?"
"Fred, Edge, Chris, and Rico were recruited in Europe. They have been training since childhood to be knights with Chris and Fred coming from a long line of them. Rico's family has been serving Fred's family since the Dark Ages. They use swords since some demons cannot be harmed or killed by guns. A well made sword can bring a demon down faster than a gun in the right hands. Jura, the blacksmith that remade Ranma's sword, also tempered their weapons, making them stronger than before."
"Speaking of swords what is the sword design of your grandson's sword? What is that sword style of his? Sword experts have never seen anything like it before."
"The sword style that he uses is the style that his late great-grandmother Hina made before she died." He sighed deeply. "Her parents are the ones responsible in making Nodoka the way she is now. They were also responsible for destroying the style that Hina made. She wanted to create something she could be proud of, but her parents were appalled that their daughter was so…violent." Jones clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles became white. A hateful look came to his face. "She was one of the most caring and exciting person I have ever known! All she wanted to do was to be more than what society had limited her to be! She came from a martial artists family that uses kenpo, but since she is a woman they would not permit her to learn anything! She did not want to be one of those timid and deferential women whose lives consisted of cleaning, cooking and taking care of children! She wanted to LIVE!"
Jones started coughing and hacking, grabbing for the glass of water that Ellen handed to him in worry. "Are you okay sir?"
After getting himself under control he nodded at her. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"No problem sir. Just take it easy."
After drinking another glass of water he resumed his story. "Anyway, they were so adamant on destroying what she created that they took the sword that I had given to her as a present and brought it to a blacksmith to be redone into a standard katana. The design I chose for it was one I found in one of my old books." He picked up the book on the table and opened it, showing a picture of Ranma's sword. "I do not know who made this book. However, this is where the design for Ranma's sword comes from. It is called the Sword of the God Hunter, said to be able to kill a god. I changed the materials it is made from and added a little here and there, but essentially it is the same sword."
"So what about the sword style? Many people back in Japan want to learn the style that Ranma uses, especially that finishing move he used." If she can get her hands on that style and sell it she'll be rich!
Jones shook his head in the negative. "Sorry, but the scrolls of that sword style are all with Ranma. Hina wanted it passed down in our family and so I have given it to Ranma. Besides, it is a powerful but dangerous style. Unless it is done properly the user can die. Ranma himself almost died when he used an unmastered technique against an opponent." Many martial artists agreed with what he is saying.
"So it is fatal to use if it isn't done right?" Ellen could not believe it.
"Yes. For that reason I have hidden away the only copies of the scrolls somewhere around the world. Only a person who can find all of the clues and solve all of the puzzles that I laid out can find where I have hidden it." Adventurers all over the world perked up at that.
"You mean a person has to go on a quest to find them? Something like the Quest for the Lost Scrolls or something?"
"Yes." Jones turned to look straight at the camera. "For all those who are watching and interested the only way to open the vault that holds the scrolls without destroying them by forcing your way in is to find all 13 keys to open it. Mind built the vault as I asked her to and made sure that the only way to open it is with ALL 13 keys or the bomb planted inside the vault will go off, destroying everything inside of it. The first of the clues to find it is located somewhere south of Salt Lake, written on a stone tablet. The 13 keys will tell you where the vault is located. From there you are on your own." All around the world the sounds of lead or ink being put to paper is heard.
Ellen is VERY impressed. "Wow! I'm sure that thousands of people are going to go after that!"
"Yes. Only a person that can solve the puzzles I laid out can learn it. It is a test, if you cannot solve it you do cannot learn that style." What no one knows is that the copy only contains the basics of the school. Only Ranma has the complete version and it will be passed on only in their family. That is what Hina had wanted.
Ellen looked down at her notes. "Alright, what about the old man, the girl in the white robe and the woman with the really skimpy yellow dress?"
"Piccolo is a Native American Mage, one of the last ones that still knows the art of nature-based magic. He is also the only one left of his kind and no, I don't know what tribe he is from. He has vast knowledge of magic and is far older than he looks. The training he has done gave him an extended life."
"Viki has powerful magic in her own right, but has a hard time learning new spells and controlling more powerful ones. She is the reason you will never find Ranma or them, for her specialty is teleporting to anywhere anytime."
"Ms. Hinako was Ranma' teacher before he had left Nerima. She joined him once she found out why he was back in Japan. Her skills were quite useful. She is also now the teacher of Ranma's daughters. I doubt that she would leave Ranma's side anytime soon. She has grown quite attached to him as friend and teacher."
"What about those ninjas and that girl with that pet gator?"
Jones could not help but chuckle as he is reminded of Midorigame. He has never met one of those things without being regarded as lunch before. "Kodachi Kuno was one of those girls that were after Ranma when he was still living in Nerima. She was quite a nuisance and insane. However, she has changed and Ranma gave her a second chance. He accepted her into his life and is now traveling around with him." Very unkind thoughts went through the minds of many women in a certain police station as jealousy reared its ugly head. "Her family's ninja is Sasuke, that's the short one. Watari, the one with black hair and white streaks, and Ayame, the female ninja with wild hair, have a contract with Ranma. Kasumi is a childhood friend of Ranma and since she is an outcast of her village she went to Ranma and now…er…well, their relationship is none of my business." He had to suppress a grin. Childhood friends turned lovers and soon husband and wife. What a classic story.
"As for Midorigame he is quite well trained, but only follows orders from Kodachi." He chuckled a little. "He has been trying to eat Landis ever since he got a bit of his wing at one time. He liked the taste so much he's been trying to get more ever since! Sounds familiar kids?"
Many kids around the world went "Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock!"
"So what's the deal with Tina Fight and the wacky inventor sister of hers?" A certain detective and his partner shivered when they are reminder of her.
"Fight fought and lost to Ranma when she thought she could win easily. Ever since then she has been following him around, helping him train to become stronger. In her family it is traditional for its members that if someone of the opposite gender defeats them they have to marry that person." Again jealousy reared its ugly head in Shibuya Police Station. "It is very much like the Amazons, yet they can break it off after a year." They then sighed in relief. "Her family all have strange abilities that make them stronger than regular people. Fight's fighting skills are much stronger than my grandson's and has proven that many times." Many people nodded. They were able to see what she was able to do to those women turned undead. Wait. Does that mean they should be looking for her instead of Ranma? That is a pretty good point. They have to ponder on this.
"Molly, or Mind as she likes to be called, is the greatest inventor I have ever known. She's the one that built most of the equipment that Ranma and his team used." Many thoughts went through the minds of scientists and government officials, thinking of finding and kidnapping the genius. "She is also the one that made those Duel Disks that all the kids are crazy about." Many kids raised their disks in hurrah. "She is always thinking of something to build and given enough time can figure out anything. She does have a thing with people calling her a kid or treating her like one as some people can tell you. She joined only because she wanted to test out some of her inventions and because of her sister. Before you ask she has always been like that and was born smart."
"What about the other girls and those two girls that were adopted by your grandson?"
"Iris' parents have passed away and Reni's mother, who had a one-night stand with the unknown father, is dead as well. Their grandparents are too old to care for them and their other family members did not want them. They were then sent to live with Sakura and her friends at an island resort inn Sakura used to own. After bikers working for Neclord destroyed the inn a slimy child welfare worker was going to take them away. They were to be sent to a run-down orphanage when my great-grandson did the only thing he could do, he adopted them. Both girls couldn't be happier right now." Jones could not help but have an expression on his face that says he is very proud of his great-grandson. Though he did feel a little sorry for Iris and Reni having to put up with so many mothers.
"The last I heard is that the slime ball is now facing charges of child abuse and child recklessness. He has put a LOT of children in bad homes and orphanages and they are now being relocated. So what about the other girls?"
"Sakura and her friends all come from a long line of demon hunters. Before you ask anyone can become a demon hunter with the right training and tools, but being born in certain demon hunting families does give the person some powers in killing demons. It also doesn't matter if the person is of a lower social class like some people tend to think. In fact, most of the time they turn out to be better hunters than those born of higher social classes." Jones inadvertently has angered many people with his statement.
"Each of the girls has their own story on why they joined the team. Sakura Shinguji has been training to become a demon slayer all of her life. However, her grandparents did such a good job at demon hunting that the only remaining demons in their area are friendly ones. She joined Ranma because she saw that she could become a REAL Demon Slayer by joining him. With her inn gone she had nothing to look forward to anyway. She couldn't exactly go back to her parents and say that she caused the family inn to be destroyed without suffering consequences after all. Plus, she is his best friend."
"Sumire Kanzaki of Kanzaki Industries and Kanna Kirishima have businessmen and women parents and have mostly been raised by their grandparents. Their parents did not like their family's traditions of demon slaying and so went into business, leaving their children to be raised by their grandparents where Sumire and Kanna learned their fighting skill from. Sumire was left on the island as a test to see if she can manage to keep the inn open before she is handed the company while Kanna left home when her parents started pressuring her to take up business. Sumire joined Ranma because he is helping her control her attitude while Kanna went because he is her friend."
"Maria Tachibana, Kohran Ri, and Lachette Altair were left on the island by their parents when the became old enough to look after themselves. The kids became burdens as they traveled around and so dropped them off and never visited afterwards. Maria learned how to use guns from her parents while Lachette learned how to use knives from her grandparents. Kohran's parents were engineers, which is where she got her intellect from."
He sighed sadly before continuing. "Orihime is a case that Ranma really hated to hear since it is so close to his own situation. You see her father is Japanese and her mother was Italian. Her mother's family has a certain…trait, where those born in their family obtain the power to control fire at puberty. Her father abandoned them, claiming he had to fulfill an arranged marriage that he was honor bond to uphold. Of course it was just an excuse to leave the family, not being able to handle his daughter's 'special needs'." Jones chuckled. "She joined with Ranma's team because she wants to be Mrs. Ranma Jones one day." Many people chuckled along with him except for the women in a certain police station.
After getting himself under control he explained the last two members of Ranma's team. "As for Red Bean and Green Tea they are Kohran's cousins and joined since they had nowhere else to go after they were kicked out of their village. They used to be part of the Amazon Tribe of China, but were kicked out for disobeying an elder. They were told to kidnap Ranma in any means necessary and they refused when they found out they were supposed to do it by force or drugging him and also required for them to fight against their own family." Akari is not really known so he does not have to explain about her.
Ellen nodded at all the information she has gained. "Some of the parents are pressing charges to get their kids back you know."
Jones looked disgusted. "Now that their kids are actually worth something they want them back. If they really did care for their kids they shouldn't have left them on an island for all those years. Those girls, besides getting rid of Neclord, are one of the few good things to happen to Ranma since returning to Japan. He never wanted to go back there ever again."
"You mean the only reason your grandson came back to Japan was to kill Neclord?"
"Yes. He has seen too much of the darker side of Japan for his liking, where parents can still ruin their children's lives for family honor or for spite. He knows it happens everywhere, but he has lived most of his life in Japan so it's understandable that he is a little biased. So unless it's a mission he won't ever return to Japan."
At a certain mansion in Japan the residents are watching the broadcast intently. Kaoru's eyes hardened since he knows full well what Dr. Jones said are true. Aoi put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. He slowly let his anger go and settled back down to watch the rest of the broadcast. Although he could have done without Mayu's head on his lap.
"But he's a hero! He has to come back one day! He's a national treasure!" Ellen cried out.
Jones actually shrugged. "After going through what he's been through can you blame him?"
"Well…I guess I see your point on that," Ellen hesitantly replied. "Staying on the subject who IS Neclord and those…people, with him?"
"Neclord is, or should I say was, the last of the Vampire Nobles that served under the command of the Vampire King during his rule 500 years ago. After vampire hunters killed off all of the other nobles he hid himself deep in the remote parts of Eastern Europe. He revealed himself when he tried to take control of the surrounding lands to create a Kingdom of the Dead. That's when the European-based Dark Hunters attacked his base and destroyed it, killing some of his enforcers. Unfortunately, he and what was left of his crew escaped and came to Japan where the demon hunters don't deal with his kind very much, therefore making your country easy pickings. Neclord is over 600 years old and knows many magic spells lost over the years. The older a vampire gets the stronger they become, as evident when he didn't had to worry about sunlight anymore when he attacked my great-grandson in broad daylight. That's all we have on him as only he knows who he was when he was still human."
In a certain headquarters a vampire whose name is Dracula spelled backwards smirked insanely as he stared at the television screen. 'Never heard of a vampire named Neclord so you're lying old man.'
"So what about those enforcers of his?"
"Well, as you already know from the broadcast of the invasion of Neclord's base Faceless admitted that all of them were human once before Neclord transform them into those super powered monsters. The only person that would know who they were would be himself or herself or Neclord. I'm sorry, I have nothing else beyond that."
"That's okay sir. One question that has been plaguing the minds of a certain group of wo…ahem, I mean people, is whether any of the girls in Ranma's team are in a relationship with him."
The women of Shibuya station as well as a few of Bokuto Station blushed to their toes. They had hunted down the reporter and asked her to ask Jones that question. Aoi giggled at the red faces of her friends.
Jones could not help but laugh long and hard. "Besides his sisters, his daughters, Rico, Ms. Hinako, Ayame and the two twins ALL of the girls have fallen for him! Some were even able to win his heart!" 'He's DEFINITELY a chip of the old block!' he though as he remembered some of his adventures and the women he met during them before he met Hina.
Ellen could not help but choke, on what no one knows. "Wait! ALL of them?"
Jones laughed some more. "Oh yes! He's been out on several dates with them, though he sees it as outings instead of dates. Of course quite a few of the girls are in denial, but these old eyes can tell! I don't know whether to be proud or jealous of him!" He laughed at the stunned expression on Ellen's face. It is not like Ranma is still around to see his great-grandfather have a little harmless fun at his expense.
"You mean that…" 'Is he a playboy? How many women has he slept with?'
Jones is able to control his laughter to mere chuckles. "Before you ask, no, my great-grandson is no playboy. They are the ones who want him. He NEVER makes the first move. In a way Ranma is sort of…an idiot when it comes to relationships. He doesn't know how to say no to a girl or to rebuke them. Nor does he realize how his actions affect them. Sometimes I wonder if his old curse made him some sort of girl magnet because girls were not flocking to him like crazy until he had been cursed to turn into one himself. Also, to stop you from thinking that he sleeps around, I swear on Hina's grave that he has NOT slept with anyone. He won't have sex until he's sure that he truly loves her and he is wearing something golden on his ring finger. He is one of those rare types that wait until after they're married to sleep with someone, a rare thing nowadays."
Ellen had to take a few moments to take in all of that. A MAN willing to wait until AFTER he is married to have sex? Well well well, a rarity indeed. She knows many men who, if they had been in that position, would be taking advantage of the situation and bedding as many women as possible. "So that means that he's still eligible right?" She is not asking for herself, but rather for a group of women she is representing.
Jones nodded. "Yes, but he's also looking for a mother for Iris and Reni now." 'No need to tell you that that position is already taken, six times over. Quite a few more times if the other girls are lucky.'
Many females could not help but go "awww" after hearing that statement.
Ellen looked at her notes and proceeded with the interview. "Okay, as you know many governments as well as scientists are after Ranma and the advanced technology that his group has. Some of what they are after are Ranma's Arm Blaster and Mind's Hover Bike. Then there are the bullets that were used during the raid. They were like the Casters in the manga and anime 'Outlaw Star' aren't they? "
"Well, the only one that knows how any of those things works is Mind since she is the one that made them except for the bullets that were made by Maria with the help of Piccolo's magic. As for Ranma, well, he works with the Dark Hunters and he's not changing sides anytime soon. Forcing them to switch sides if you find him, which I HIGHLY doubt, isn't wise as they are stronger than they let on. Ranma also HATES being manipulated and can turn violent. The only thing that can be used as leverage in getting Ranma to work for another government or just about anyone against his will is me. But of course if that happens Ranma won't rest until I'm free or if I'm killed. He will bring down the ones that killed me in a very gruesome way. I won't even go into what would happen if one of the Hat sisters gets kidnapped, if it ever happens. Their brother is a lot more violent than insane berserkers if his siblings are ever hurt."
"They have a brother?" That's news. No one knows much about the Hat sisters other than their name.
"Yes. There are seven siblings in all and the oldest one is called Dark Hat. The reason for the name Hat is because, as many people have noticed, neither Molly nor Tina have never been seen without those hats they wear all the time. It is a family tradition of theirs, and no I do not know why. Dark Hat is the one that is called in when there is trouble that the Dark Hunters can't handle. But he picks the ones that he does and it's costly too. His current rate for a job is 10 million up front in cash. He won't work for the underworld for no amount of money or governments doing black projects as he sees them as a threat to his siblings. He is really good at knowing what is a threat to his siblings and he takes them VERY seriously. He's really picky in choosing a job and if he doesn't like it he just leaves. If the person tries anything, well, no one has ever found anything of them except a blood-covered room. But once he does take a job he gets it done to the letter. In other words he is the perfect freelance agent. In fact he's also the one that killed off all of the members of the Black, Black Club, a group of people that deal with demons and who tried to get their hands on the data on the monsters that Neclord created." After Ranma and the others went to the other world Dark Hat showed up. Dark said that since he has been such a big help to his sisters and future brother-in-law that he will look after him for the rest of his days on earth. His sisters have grown to love him and he sees him as an in-law now. No one will ever threaten him and live.
"Wow! Sounds like he is really good!"
Jones chuckled. Good is an understatement from what he has heard. "Yes. He's one of the few people that Ranma fears to fight. No God or Demon has ever lived after confronting him."
"Gods?" She found it hard to think somebody can kill a God or Demon so she focused on a much safer topic.
"If you think about it just one god cannot maintain everything that happens in the universe. So God, whichever one you believe in, has other Gods and Goddesses and Angels to help maintain it. Demons, lead by a woman named Hild, and in no way are women evil, lead the Underworld whose purpose is to keep things interesting. That's what the demons that work for the Dark Hunters say." Mind has also told him once that Dark Hat has a special dislike of the underworld. Something about dating a Hild of one universe and she breaking off the relationship to be with the Kami-sama of that universe, which is why he has no remorse for wrecking havoc in her and her counterparts realms.
Of course, many people who believe in there only being one god will refute this.
"So this Dark Hat is that powerful?" Ellen asked. 'Oh man, he's starting to sound like a loon. Then again with all the things that has happened he's probably telling the truth. I don't know.'
"Yes. In fact, before Ranma left he hired him for a job, which is to protect me since I'll likely be a target to get to Ranma. If anyone tries anything they will see first hand how strong he is," Jones said with confidence.
The grandfather clock started to ring, showing it is now five in the afternoon and if Ellen wants to get back to town she needs to go. She shook his hand as the two of them stood up. "Thank you for the interview Dr. Jones."
"My pleasure. Be careful going back to town. There are things in these woods to look out for." He watched her as she turned off the camera, packed her things and left.
Riding through the woods Ellen's mind is racing from the interview she just had and thinking of what Dr. Jones told her. That was a lot to take in. She knows that she is not the only one thinking of what she has heard.
Then the sounds of gunfire erupted from the woods. She pulled out her camera and hooked it up to the cable link again as she drove to where the sounds are coming from. At her station they are surprised at getting another uplink from her, but put it on the air anyway since they know she would not uplink unless it is important.
She grabbed a hand-held microphone and spoke with the camera pointing to where she is heading. "This is Ellen reporting for CNN news and just after leaving the home of Dr. Jones the sounds of gunfire suddenly erupted from the woods not too far from his house. I'm trying to locate…!" Ellen stopped speaking as she saw what was in the clearing, zooming her lens for a better view.
Bodies dressed in black lay in the clearing, all of them dead and badly mutilated. From their uniforms they look like they are from some kind of army unit. Before she could get any closer a surviving member of that unit burst out of the tree line, firing away at whatever he is running from. An axe flew out, imbedding itself into his face. He dropped dead just a few feet from her. Then another survivor came crawling as fast as he can out of the woods, his face white with fear and both of his legs are cut off.
The camera is shaking as Ellen's hands shook from seeing someone die right in front of her. Turning the camera to the person that threw it she backed away as she saw who it is, a tall figure dressed in black and wearing a black TOP HAT! A white, faceless mask hides his face, but she knows who this is. The top hat gave it away.
"A-a-are you D-d-dark Hat?" Ellen asked, her voice trembling with fear.
He walked over to her, stopping only to pull free the axe imbedded in the dead man's face. Then he walked over to her, following the legless man as he crawled to her. He reached the man and brought his foot down onto the guy's head, crushing it like an overripe melon. He stopped in front of her, acting like it was nothing to brutally kill two people on live TV. Most of the people watching lost their lunch, seeing him crush the guy's head.
"You are Ellen, correct?" She nodded VERY hesitantly. No way is she getting on this guy's bad side. "These men were hired to kidnap Dr. Jones to get Ranma to hand over all of the advanced weapons his team has." He stared right at the camera, totally unaffected that he was filmed killing two people LIVE. "You people who hired them, consider yourselves already dead."
Seeing him leaving she cried out," Wait! Who hired them!"
She cannot see his face, but she got the feeling that he is smirking at her. "Just look for a massacre in a business building in New York tomorrow and you'll find your answer." He walked into the shadows of the forest and vanished.
"Who is that man?" Ellen asked herself as she filmed the area, thinking that this is one person she should not try to follow up on.
The group of people that hired those men is watching the TV on their meeting room screen. They are board members of a hidden group that deals with black market weapons. They are about to leave to lay low for a while when the door to the meeting room opened. Their eyes widened as Dark Hat, who they had just seen on the TV miles away, entered the room. Their screams rang throughout the building as Dark Hat went to work.
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