Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Birdy the Mighty, Tenchi Muyo, or Dirty Pair Flash with Wild Arms being mentioned.

Author's Notes: Here it comes! What's going to happen when Kikuko meets Ryoko? Mihoshi finds out about the curse? What can possibly go wrong next? Stay tuned for this exciting installment of Kikuko the Mighty!

Kikuko the Mighty

Chapter 8

Skies over Nerima-

It was harder than she thought it would be to locate the signal. All the beacon had done was tell her that Mihoshi was still alive and not much else. After all, who else would have the signal? Suspicion nagged at her mind as she recalled Kagato, but stubbornly pushed that thought down. She had to hope that she would see her friend again. Her current companion was Cologne. The younthened elder of the Amazons was clinging to her ARMS flight pack using her sharp eyes to monitor what was going on down below. When Kikuko had checked the signal this morning she was pleased to note that the beacon was much closer than yesterday.

"Are you sure about this?" Cologne asked through the small transmitter she was wearing. It was a simple earpiece with microphone designed to filter out background noise. If it weren't made for that then the loud rush of air would have deafened Kikuko.

"She's got to be down there somewhere. I know Mihoshi's alive." The redhead in power armor sounded almost desperate. The lavender haired girl prayed that it wasn't a trick. Her friend was practically dying the longer they were separated. When the younger girl looked up, however, her breath caught in her throat. A beautiful woman was ahead of them and coming in fast. Her spiky cyan hair barely ruffled by the wind and her outfit looked a strange kind of silk affair that exposed quite a bit of cleavage. That wasn't what made her gasp however; the mini scanner she held was telling her that she was the source of the beacon.

"I-Is that her…?" Cologne asked. The feeling of power was incredible!

"What…?" Kikuko asked then checked her own scanner. "That's not her." She sounded angry. "Why do you have Mihoshi's bracelet?" she roared into the loudspeaker. The woman stopped her advance before checking the beacon. She looked strangely relieved, but also a little nervous.

"Kikuko…Don't fight her. Something tells me there is more to this than you see." The young girl was glad she still had her wisdom. Besides, she didn't want to get involved in a fight in mid-air.

"Fine…" the girl said sullenly before sounding off through the loudspeaker. "What's going on? Who are you?"

Ryoko-

The beacon was hard to track. It seemed that whoever had it was moving around a lot, but it couldn't be down below, hence why she was searching the sky. The blonde back home was getting worse even with Ryo-Ohki's help. She was getting angrier and more depressed. Ryoko knew what it was like to hate the whole universe and was glad that she had Tenchi, even if she was forced to share him, but she didn't want Mihoshi to go through that.

"If only they knew…" she murmured with a smirk. The space pirate with a heart of gold, oh the irony of it all. Suddenly the proximity sensor on the beacon let her know her quarry was near. She scanned the horizon until she saw a suit of power armor and swallowed involuntarily. The design of it was something she had never seen before, and she had seen a lot, but it also appeared to have a passenger so she figured it was friendly. After all, how many mech suits of destruction have kids hitching a ride? With that thought in mind she flew over to it, noticing that it was form fitting and that whoever was in there could give her a run for her money in several areas. The mech suddenly stopped going forward. She was getting ready to hail it when a sharp spike in power alerted her to the mech's hostile intentions.

"Why do you have Mihoshi's bracelet?" the armored figure shouted out through the com system. That did not sound good at all. Before she could answer the girl seemed to be saying something to the mech pilot.

"Fine…" was the sullen response before she said louder. "What's going on? Who are you?" That was better. She was actually going to listen.

"My name's Ryoko and I know where to find Mihoshi." She managed to say before the mech lit up like a Christmas tree. The gold lightning arcing along the armored body was a malevolent warning of things to come if she didn't talk fast.

"She's back at my home. She crash-landed in the lake outside our home and she's been there ever since. W-we didn't tell her we found you until we were sure." Ryoko wasn't used to being scared, but it seemed to the smart thing to do since the power output was easily three times her own confidence power.

"Then let's go. Know this; if you're lying I'll disassemble you." Her fist raised and glowed, the gold streaked through with red. "I promise." Ryoko gulped and nodded. At her full power she could easily fight this person, she thought, but her missing gems hampered her. The two streaked off into the distance without another word. Poor Cologne had to hold on tight or be swept off.

Nearing the Masaki Shrine-

The trip to the shrine was mostly uneventful except for one thing. Cologne was loudly protesting the fact that she had to hold on to a relatively smooth surface. Kikuko blushed inside the armor and held her in her arms. The young Amazon was glad she spoke up and could actually enjoy the ride without being in fear of flying off. Ryoko kept stealing sideways glances at her flying companion, measuring what she had heard and the girl's current attitude. Mihoshi said she was one of the sweetest people a person could meet but apparently any sweetness and light was in storage.

At the shrine they received a shock. It was approaching nightfall but what Ryoko was expecting and what she saw were completely different. Kagato was at the tree with Tenchi fighting him fiercely, but it was still a one-sided battle. The space pirate flew down as fast as she could but knew she wouldn't be in time. Tenchi was disarmed and helpless as the sinister scientist prepared for the final blow when Katsuhito arrived and mysteriously summoned the Tenchi-ken to him. As she neared, the old man shouted to her.

"Get away from here!" before he turned back to the fight, but Kagato merely laughed.

"Give me the key or have a taste of what this fool received!" he demanded arrogantly. The old priest merely smiled at him before throwing the ancient weapon against the tree where it stuck.

"If you want it…then you have to take it!" he said smugly. Kagato spun and tried to yank the strange hilt out and found himself electrocuted for his troubles. He snarled and summoned his machines. Two of the machines caught Sasami but were quickly demolished by Ayeka and Mihoshi. More appeared which prompted Ryoko to fight as well.

"You should help them." Cologne said to her friend. Kikuko merely nodded and aimed her hand down, palm out, and began gathering power. The small hairs on the back of Kagato's neck began to stand up. He had the inexplicable feeling that he was in the crosshairs of weapon and turned to see his worst fear given life. He roared at the vizier of destruction.

"ARMS!" he hated the name, but hated the machine more. It was considered a legend that the weapons of the ancient demon race still existed. The weapon above him, however, was a legend brought to terrifying life. He stared frantically at the battle before him and saw his objective. With a speed born of desperation he appeared behind Sasami and grabbed her. The girl cried out but could do nothing as she was pressed tightly against the scientist, his arm across her throat. The mech above him held her position as she continued to gather power. His plan suddenly seemed foolish. He didn't know that Mihoshi was sneaking up on him, her spirit lighter now that she saw who was in the air above her, and she was determined that the bastard would not get away again. As she leaped to retrieve the child, a purple blur slammed into her from the side, hurtling the startled girl into Kagato. The scientist had heard the noise and hissed balefully as he engaged his teleporter. It had taken all of ten seconds for it to go from a win to tragedy. The girl who crashed into Mihoshi was Ayeka. She stared at the spot her sister had been for several long moments before her face screwed up in fury and grief. The Princess of Jurai rounded on the upset blonde.

"How could you be so reckless? You let him escape with my sister!" she screamed. The policewoman couldn't even look at the infuriated young woman and simply cried. She clutched her arm as blood ran out from her torn uniform.

"I'm s-sorry…" Mihoshi was about to wail when a very angry voice sent a chill through the crowd. It wasn't the volume that got to them but the lack of it.

"How dare you blame her for that? I realize you're upset because your sister has been taken, but don't blame the woman who was doing her job." The speaker walked up slowly. A girl was beside her with lavender hair and red eyes. What made them draw a breath was the suit of power armor. Katsuhito had to check his eyes to be sure they weren't fooling him. It was an ARMS unit! It had red torso armor, thigh guards, shoulder pads, gauntlets, and boots. The rest was blue with a black visor. It looked evil, especially with the clearly glowing golden eyes. Her companion was cute if a little short; her hair was long and she was wearing a tight black shirt that covered hers arms and hung loose around her hands with a plaid skirt as well as black leggings and slippers. The armored one knelt beside Mihoshi and disengaged her helmet.

"K-Kiku-chan…" Mihoshi said tearfully. She tried to give her a hug, but her arm was obviously broken and it couldn't be moved. The armor vanished in an instant and she found herself cradled gently by her friend. Kikuko was crying as she held the wounded girl.

"It's alright Mihoshi-chan… It's okay…" Kikuko held her as Cologne straightened her arm out, using a pressure point to dull the pain. The redhead used her ki to heal Mihoshi's arm. The wound shrunk visibly before their eyes before all that was left was a pulsing red line and then not even that. She wilted from the expenditure, but if it brought her friend comfort, who was she to refuse?

"How did she do that?" Tenchi asked his grandfather.

"She is obviously quite gifted…as is the girl with her." The elder Masaki said to his grandson. Ayeka witnessed the spectacle and could only gape in wonder. If she were to help than surely her sister would be saved, but she had to admit she was wrong as well. She saw the policewoman getting ready for the lunge and should have realized she was taking advantage of the bastard's distraction to get her sister. It was her own fault that Mihoshi failed. The sister, not the princess, wept for Sasami.

"Kikuko. You need to rest." Cologne said in her "don't argue with me" voice.

"I-I will…but Kagato…" she was cut off by Katsuhito.

"We all need to rest. If we are tired we will be sloppy and it could be disastrous." When Ayeka went to argue he said firmly. "We cannot help effectively save your sister in this condition. Kagato must be defeated and we cannot take risks." He was adamant on that point. Mihoshi was lightly cradling Kikuko's already sleeping form with a strangely tender smile. Cologne smiled at the sight even as she quashed down the jealously, but it was certainly difficult. The others of the house finally agreed and went back into the house where the only one who could sleep easily that night was Kikuko.

Next morning-

It was time to fight. Kagato's ship would be even more of a challenge, thought Ryoko because they only had one ship, but Ayeka had an idea. As Ryo-Ohki hung in the air, it beamed up Ayeka's tree, thus increasing its already considerable might, but that wasn't the end of it. Mihoshi released the cruiser from her bracelet and let the water out. Kikuko blinked rapidly as she even saw fish flop from the interior of the ship. When Ryoko protested that it was too damaged, the two Galaxy Police officers smirked. ARMS was summoned and was connected to the ship. Before their eyes the ship was rejuvenated. It seemed that it had a nanomachine program that was activated using the redhead's ki. Any further questions were tabled in the face of the impossible. If the Soja had this kind of capability than they were in trouble. Strangely, Mihoshi had a contemplative look on her face before running inside the ship.

"What's she doing?" Ryoko asked.

"She's wasting time!" Ayeka declared angrily, but Tenchi had other ideas.

"Those two have worked together a lot, right? We should have faith they know what they're doing." He said. A girl's voice floated out from the ship followed by Mihoshi's cheerful exclamation.

"Guys! Get in here!" she cried. The assault party looked at each other before hurrying aboard. There was the blonde looking smugly at the view screen that held an image of a redheaded girl that looked like Kikuko only she had one blue eye and one green eye.

"Greetings those of the past! It is my humble pleasure to meet you!" she cackled with glee, making the hairs on the backs of their necks stand up.

"I am Ranko Saotome! Third child and genius extraordinaire! I am the one who rebuilt this ship and restored the ARMS unit. ARMS II features a unique capability that allows it to junction with ships and enable system fusion. I have heard of the cabbit ships and I have total confidence that such a fusion would be possible. Fusion is the unique ability to grant power greater than the sum of its parts, thereby transcending the original! A cabbit ship can initiate fusion better than any other ship in existence. The Soja is a truly wicked ship with unbelievable combat potential so you may need the extra power. Oh before I forget…Some people want to see you." She smiled. Suddenly the screen changed to show two girls. One had long purple hair and the other had orange hair with a blonde tuft in the front. They were smiling in relief.

"Mihoshi!" the chorused. If it was possible they would have jumped through the screen, but that simply could not be done.

"Hey guys! We're going after Kagato now, but we'll talk more later, k?" Mihoshi asked. The two girls nodded, but before they severed the connection.

"We're here if you need us." And then there was silence. The blonde turned to the others. She knew it was time to go. Ryoko promised to think about the fusion idea, but she wasn't so sure about it. It would depend on Ryo-Ohki. Cologne insisted on being aboard the police cruiser ship while the rest climbed aboard the cabbit ship. It was time to go.

They knew that no matter how careful they were their approach would not go unnoticed. Space was a beautiful place, but pretty soon it would be littered with machines and enemy ships. Apparently the stage was set and it was time for the opening act as dozens of drone ships hurtled out of nowhere before they even got close to the Soja. The GP cruiser veered right, huge arms burst forth bearing huge guns, ready to go. The force cannons making short work of any ship too stupid to dodge. Ryo-Ohki let out a fierce "Miyah!" before plowing through the enemy with fierce beams. Even though it took less than five minutes, they knew it was far from over, especially when stronger ships appeared around them. They had their first confirmed view of the Soja through the thickening machines.

"We'll keep them busy! Get inside the Soja and save Sasami!" Mihoshi ordered as the combat system kicked up to level three. The GP cruiser began reconfiguring itself. The back of the ship split into legs. The front of the ship split and came off before reattaching to the sides forming arms. It suddenly flipped up; the head looked vaguely like a ninja with a star above the glowing eyes. The mech executed an impressive kata before getting ready with a beam sword in its hand. The people aboard the ship blinked in astonishment.

"I'll stay back to help them." Tenchi volunteered. He had been told how the Lighthawk Wings on a Jurai ship worked so he planned on being their shield. The girls looked like they wanted to refuse him, but couldn't. He was absolutely serious about it. The pigtailed boy quickly got into the control unit for the remainder of the ship and launched. The drone ships that tried to attack were defeated by the still powerful weapon systems.

Ryo-Ohki took advantage of the break in the attack to get closer to the Soja. It hadn't tried to attack, which made the two girls uneasy. They made the docking procedures and quickly climbed aboard. They thought they were alone when Mihoshi ran up out of nowhere.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoko asked.

"There was a break in the fighting and Kikuko dropped me off. Cologne has grabbed a terminal cable and has been lending her ki to the cause." The blonde said, dressed in her battle outfit with a huge bazooka.

"Fine, but don't get in my way!" Ayeka cried, she was wearing her battle garb as well and took off flying down the hallway like a shot. The space pirate merely shrugged before taking off as well. Mihoshi growled before trying to run after them and tripping over her own feet, dropping her police issue cube storage unit. It glowed as it made contact before dropping her through the floor. The girl's only thought was "What a day…"

Outside the Ship-

The drones were relentless in their pursuit of destruction but the powerful mech was more than a match for them. Kikuko was thrilled that Kagato hadn't made his creations more powerful from the last time, but that didn't help the fact that they still had their ki shields. She would have been taken out long ago if Tenchi hadn't been there to guard her back but it appeared that they were pressing him more than her. The red mech tried to get to Tenchi through the thickening drones but they held her back from her goal. The pigtailed boy was holding them off bravely yet she could tell that the busted ship's power was waning rapidly. If she could get to him and give him some more power…

"Moko Takabisha!" she cried as she pumped extra power into the attack. The golden beam streamed out, vaporizing everything in its path. Kikuko couldn't help but feel relieved as the ranks of enemies began to thin out. As suddenly as she breathed in relief, disaster struck. The broken ship suddenly ran out of power and was destroyed completely. Even the tree looked severely battered. The world took on a terrible red hue as her anger reached its peak. She didn't know the boy well enough to be depressed but the needless waste of life infuriated her. Instead of calling out her attack, she screamed in fury. The golden wave quadrupled in size and turned red. She spun around in a circle, the never-ending stream destroying her foes in droves. The enraged girl dimly felt a flagging life force joined with hers. It barely registered until she realized in horror that she had Cologne piggybacking on all her attacks!

"Cologne!" she ended the attack quickly as her anger reached manageable levels. The lavender-haired girl sighed in exhaustion. It was a good thing the girl had some ki control or she might not have noticed her there.

"I'm okay…just tired…poor Tenchi…" the girl panted as she tried to get her heart rate under control. Kikuko silently agreed. She vowed to make them all pay for the poor boy known as Tenchi.

Through the Looking Glass-

Mihoshi may not always be the brightest bulb, but she knew when she was lost. Not only did she know she was lost, she knew she was in a different dimension, and that heading into the heart of the weirdness was the quickest way out. How did she know all this? When she was younger she went on a date with a boy named Cosmo Hibiki. The two of them went out for a while and he explained about getting lost. It was a good subject because their dates tended to end up being longer than they should. Their last date was five weeks. Since that time she was able to identify the different types of lost. This fell under a mild type she called "Mildly confused about current location". When she reached the weirdness center the blonde saw two snakes. Lucky for her they weren't real. There seemed to be something between the snakes so she went to investigate. It was a crystal coffin.

"Aiyee!" she screamed before getting herself under control. The girl inside appeared to be sleeping. She had spiky pink hair, much like Ryoko's hairstyle. She wore a black shirt, black shorts, and pink leggings. Mihoshi seemed lost in thought. Something was nagging at her mind as she tried to remember what her friend Kikuko said about ki control. She set her fingertips on the coffin.

"How did that go…? Take a deep breath…don't force it…and simply feel…" she breathed easily and let her mind go. It truly didn't take a lot of focus to call your ki so it was no surprise that Mihoshi managed to call hers the first time she tried. She felt her own warm ki fill her up as she extended it through the coffin lid. The policewoman didn't know how it would feel to touch a dead person, but today wasn't the day. A sleeping ki greeted her vibrant and active ki. Her heart jumped in indescribable happiness as she felt a familiar soul. It shot down through generations and speared her. She opened her eyes and looked at the diminutive girl with a smile. Quickly, the girl brought out her cube. Granted, she could smash the lid easily, but if it was pressurized than the girl inside would be scrambled as the air rushed back in. She tried remembering how to use the blasted thing as she turned it end over end, pushing on all the sides as she came to them. Finally she heard a chime, which said she did something, but when she looked at the coffin it was still closed. Flustered, she turned back to the cube to try again, but twin shadows appeared above her. The girl looked up to see the statues come to life.

"Oh damn…" she breathed before exploding into action. The snakes missed her, but just barely. Mihoshi was kept leaping about like a hyperactive pinball, narrowly avoiding the snakes. The cybernetic constructs narrowly avoided hitting the coffin. Mihoshi saw red. She brought her palms together like she had seen Kikuko do countless times and let her ki manifest. With all the aura exercises that her friend put her through she believed she could manage one attack.

"Rei-ken!" she cried as a burst of white ki rocketed out from her palms and nailed the snake into the floor. The other snake swiveled around in time to meet the same fate as she fired it a second time. Neither snake got back up, but her bazooka made sure they stayed down. The policewoman breathed a sigh of relief even as she leapt for joy. Her first ki attack and it had so much damage! If she had known that it shorted out their circuitry by projecting her ditz power into them then she might not cheer so loudly. Someone's soft clapping brought her back to the present.

"That was certainly impressive. I've never seen such a unique display…" Mihoshi spun around to see the girl she was trying to release standing there.

"What…?" she asked intelligently.

"If you're wondering how I'm out then I'll tell you. When you released the coffin you awakened the guardians. The guardians were constructed to keep me trapped here and to kill me if I escaped. What I would like to know is…How did you do that thing with your hands?" the girl asked.

"Why not tell me your name first. I'm Mihoshi." The blonde wonder introduced herself.

"Well…Mihoshi. I am Washu, the greatest scientist in the universe!" she began cackling until Mihoshi cleared her throat.

"I know one scientist greater than you, but she's not even born yet." The girl said with a smile. Try figuring that one out, she thought. Washu blinked a couple times.

"Time travel?" she suggested.

"Yep."

"Kagato's fault?"

"Yep."

"He's a bastard."

"Got it in one."

The two women looked at each other for a long moment before a sound attracted their attention. They moved over to a viewing globe that was there and Mihoshi gasped in shock. It showed Ayeka and Ryoko squaring off against Kagato. The fight was one-sided as the master of evil simply played one against the other. In a show of cruelty, he froze Ayeka and prepared to finish her off, but Washu quickly grabbed the cube and pressed a few sides. Mihoshi couldn't figure out what she was doing until Ayeka suddenly appeared on their side, but unconscious.

"How is that going to help?" the blonde asked.

"Ryoko was holding back to avoid hurting her, now she can use her full power." The scientist said. Ryoko, with her restored gems, was absolutely amazing to watch. Kagato used telekinesis to throw her into a pillar but had to dodge frantically when she fused with the pillar and became a giant construct of stone. With a negligent gesture he cut her apart with invisible blades. Once back on the Soja, it was obvious that his power was much greater than off the ship, and the former space pirate was discovering all of this first hand. She struggled valiantly, but ultimately couldn't win against such a superior foe. As she bowed her head, she didn't want to see the finishing stroke, her mind wandered back to Tenchi. If she focused, she could even hear his voice… Wait. That was Tenchi!

"Leave her alone Kagato!" the pigtailed boy appeared out of a portal, his heroic advance hampered by his foot getting stuck, but he pulled it loose and continued.

"Oh please…Don't make such a scene. I don't care what you think you can do because in the end you are a nothing. You're cute little Sasami will make a fine prize…as will the Tsunami. Yes…Tsunami…and the power of the Lighthawk Wings! So sorry Tenchi boy…but you must die!" Kagato said viciously as he summoned his power and unleashed it in a lethal killing wave of power. The figure of Tenchi was completely obscured by the blast of power. As the dust settled, Kagato gloated about how easily the child was defeated until he saw a glow. Six Lighthawk Wings were clearly visible through the clearing smoke. Tenchi stood there with a grim look of determination on his face. He held his arms out as the wings merged with his body becoming the white armor of Jurai. Another of the wings became a sword, which he brandished threateningly.

"What is this…?" Kagato asked in stunned amazement before he smiled. "The Wings of the Lighthawk! Give them to me!"

"If you want them…Come get them!" Tenchi said bravely as he readied himself. Kagato whipped out his sword.

"So be it!" He roared. The two rushed at each other so fast that only Mihoshi managed to see it and gasped in astonishment. Tenchi had sidestepped the swing before slashing through Kagato and abruptly appeared on the other side in the proper position.

"Yes! I'm free!" Washu exclaimed happily. All eyes fell on her as everyone was suddenly in the main room just as Kagato disintegrated.

"Who is that?" Ryoko asked as Ayeka began to wake up.

"I am Washu! The greatest scientist in the universe!" she cackled madly before subsiding. Ryo-Ohki bounded in as the group assembled. It all came out that she was a great scientist who was betrayed by her top student and had her daughter stolen from her. The daughter was supposed to also be an amazing weapon, but she wasn't going to be used for that. Kagato was her student and he took control of Ryoko and forced to become an evil space pirate with Washu safely locked up.

"Y-you're m mother?" the shocked girl exclaimed. At Washu's nod she got ready to refute it, but suddenly the ship lurched.

"I think you cut through the ship." She stated calmly. It would have been a senseless death, but Ryo-Ohki quickly turned into her spaceship form, gathered everyone aboard, and took off.

"Why can't life be normal…?" Tenchi complained.

Outside the Ship-

Kikuko was slowly running out of power, but she would never give in. She couldn't allow them to win. The mech was preparing another Moko Takabisha when suddenly the cabbit ship erupted out from the rapidly exploding Soja.

"Kikuko!" Mihoshi cried out happily over the com unit. The redhead was inexplicably relieved over hearing the bubbly girl's voice, but Tenchi's death still weighed heavily on her.

"Mihoshi…Tenchi is…is…" Kikuko couldn't finish that thought.

"Right here! Isn't that amazing!" the ditz proclaimed happily. She stared at the com unit for several seconds as she heard sudden laughter. The girl was getting ready to ask what it was about when suddenly the alarms went off.

"M-Mihoshi…What the hell is that!" Ryoko cried out as she stared at the screen. Out in space, where the ship had exploded, a throbbing membrane floated. Something shrieked through their brains and it continued for several seconds before it resolved into a voice.

You have made me angry…

"Kagato?"

Correct. You have enraged me beyond all reason. You fools are like cockroaches waiting for someone to crush them into the carpet. I take it as my sworn duty to destroy you. Farewell. the voice faded as the rippling sack of fluid began tearing. Viscous fluid sprayed out through space as claws exploded out from the sack. The beast within tore its way out, revealing it to be a massive pus green dragon with terrifying claws and even more terrible wings, it bore six of them, and they eerily resembled the Lighthawk Wings…

You used the power on me, which was what I needed…Thank you! Dragon Kagato roared in their minds.

"Just when you thought it couldn't get worse…" Cologne said resignedly. Looks like they had a fight on their hands.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Whew my ideas are overflowing…the story still isn't over yet of course. I have not yet begun to write! I hope you all enjoy the next chapter. Ja ne!