Author's Note: I changed "Deep Sea Exhibit" to "Pressurized Exhibit for Exotic Sea Life" in the last chapter because it was pointed out to me that the technology for Deep Sea environments (200+ meters deep) was hit or miss at best through the 1960s and 1970s. There was still technology that let it work as intended for the purposes of restraining Genma, so I left the actual simulated depth vague.
Also, "Xiu" translates to "shade, darkness, guard, protection, shield". I didn't expect the reference to shadow/darkness and guard/protection to be covered by the same word when I looked to name my conceptual 'shadow guard' in this chapter.
Chapter 17: Things to Fight For
March 27, 1977
Katsunishiki gave a snort at the foreign object resting on the hay bale, finding it out of place. He'd woken up in the barn with the morning light to find the intrusion and was understandably curious. The air movement from his breath seemed to disturb the object, which turned on its side under a blanket. Another inquisitive series of snorts from the pig, however, proved to the intrusion that ignoring the rightful occupant's queries wasn't a tenable course of action.
Happosai sat up and stretched, the hay bale not the worst place he'd ever slept but hardly the best. Looking over, he took note of the massive and quite confused pig. The events of the previous evening took time to flow back into his mind, so he briefly regarded the creature with equal surprise before finally regaining his bearings. The aged grandmaster gave a sigh. "I've woken up in worse ways, I suppose. A shame there aren't any hot little things to get a recharge from around here..."
The man hopped off of the hay bale and left the barn, leaving Katsunishiki unaware of what to make of the vagrant. Said man went outside to the nearby well and drew up a bucket of water to wash his face. Perceiving the scent of fresh food, Happosai's attention was drawn to a nearby window where he saw Ranma, Natsume, and an unknown man inside cooking a meal. He took a position of stealth and waited in the bushes nearby in hopes of an opportunity to swipe some breakfast.
Such was the life of a wandering martial artist. He was almost envious of the children inside who were welcomed with open arms. It was goodwill that he knew they would miss when they got older.
Resorting to his stealth training, the young Mu Tsu escaped from the container he was in shortly before arriving at the shipment's destination. It was not yet dawn in that part of China, so he was forced to navigate by starlight. His glasses bound to his head with an elastic strap in perhaps the only advice he'd bothered to accept from Ran, he rushed eastward into the darkness.
'Wait for me, Xian Pu. I'm coming to save you and not even the Council can stop me!'
Mu Tsu never noticed the driver of the cart glancing in his direction briefly before looking away. It wasn't the driver's fault though. The programming of the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique compelling him to ignore the child's existence was not something the man could fight. Loofah had made certain of that.
When she awoke from her slumber and opened her eyes to the morning light, Ukyo realized two things. The first was that Ranma was gone from her arms again. This was not unusual. The girl was starting to justify the efforts to corner him in his sleep as a form of training. The underlying affection was still there, but it was a matter of pride now as well. The second matter, however, gave Ukyo confused concern. Clinging to her from behind as she had been clinging to Ranma was one Akari Unryu. The same girl who had professed her love to Ukyo yesterday for defeating a giant pig.
Staring at the situation from the kitchen were an awkward-looking grandfather, a puzzled Natsume, and an amused Ranma. The smell of breakfast met Ukyo's nostrils, convincing her to deal with Ranma's smug face after getting free and getting to the food. This was no easy task. No matter how hard she tried, Akari kept clinging to Ukyo's back. Ukyo eventually had to stumble to the kitchen with the added weight, Akari still snoozing even with the effort.
"Nice way of practicin' with weights, Ucchan. Maybe we'll add it to your trainin'." Ranma teased good-naturedly, biting into a fresh apple with a loud crunch that woke up Kurumi. The five-year-old black hole looked like she was half asleep as she hobbled into the kitchen and started eating the breakfast provided. Ukyo just fixed Ranma with a tired glare of sorts before Akari's grandfather spoke.
"Sorry. Akari is a heavy sleeper and is accustomed to sleeping on Katsunishiki's back while riding. Fortunately, I know of a way to make her let go." Butahito moved behind Ukyo and started to tickle Akari's sides, the girl promptly laughing and waking up. She fell off of Ukyo, only to be caught by her grandfather and lifted up into a breakfast chair. Looking around herself, Akari was confused for a moment. Seeing food before her and her new friends and fiancée there with her grandfather, she shrugged and began to eat.
"Nnnmmm...hungry as a pig..." She sleepily grumbled.
"Good morning, Akari. I have to say that I'm worried you've misunderstood something..." Akari's grandfather said nervously as the girl looked to him with a piece of toast in her mouth. "You see, I wanted you to find a strong boy to marry so your children could be strong and continue the farm. That's why a boy had to defeat Katsunishiki to begin with. But...two girls can't make children. Only a boy and a girl can." The grandfather tried to ease into the topic while Akari chewed her toast.
"Because of that, I'm afraid you couldn't marry Ukyo even if she weren't engaged. It has to be a boy." The grandfather was not happy with the sad look on Akari's face and the small whine that escaped her toast-filled mouth. No grandfather wanted to see their only grandchild upset. "I'm sorry, but I can't help that. It's just how it works."
"Why?" Kurumi asked, bluntly.
Butahito looked to the girl, whose plate was already half empty. "What do you mean, Kurumi?"
"Why is it like that? How do a boy and girl make children? Why can't two girls do it?" Ukyo and Natsume looked curious regarding the answer to Kurumi's question as well, and Akari appeared hopeful that she could find a loophole if she knew the details. The grandfather looked around at the assorted inquisitive and innocent faces, though he noted that Ranma was looking away from the group as if to say 'not my problem, don't notice me, I don't exist'. While surprised that Ranma knew enough not to want anything to do with the matter, he couldn't fault the child for choosing that stance.
Butahito cleared his throat before speaking."Um...like with martial arts or raising sumo wrestling pigs, being told some knowledge too early is dangerous. Everything must be learned in the proper order to be effective. Just know that every child alive has had a man and a woman make them. No other combination works. It's like trying to write a note with just two pieces of paper, or just two pencils. You need one of each or it's not physically possible to write the note. Besides, it seems that Ranma and Ukyo are already engaged, so that's that. Now finish your meals. Akari and I need to get to work on the farm. We'd appreciate help from you kids if you're interested in training using our methods."
Ranma thought Ukyo was simply using the engagement to get out of having to deal with Akari's advances, so he didn't protest the old man's words. He didn't do anything to support them either, though. He was busy wondering what sort of training might be available. Akari, meanwhile, looked saddened. She left the room to do some chores as her worried grandfather looked on. None of them noticed Happosai standing just outside the window, scarfing down some stolen breakfast. The old man was smiling widely, an idea striking him on how to resolve the situation.
Shampoo's father reflected on the day's events thus far as he sat at the Joketsuzoku village's communications shack. It was a duty that was often conducted in shifts, but it had become all the more important since Mousse went missing. His personal items taken, along with travel supplies kept at the ready for the town's warriors, had made it clear that the child had gone after Shampoo and Cologne in spite of warnings. Now Shampoo's father was waiting for word from the neighboring villages or the warriors in the field on if the boy had been found. He pondered if the village had pushed the boy too hard and too fast to change in their concern for something that wasn't the child's fault. Even if Mousse was a creepy kid obsessed with his daughter, he inwardly questioned the decision.
Contrary to what might be expected, the village of Nyuchiehzu in which the Joketsuzoku lived didn't consist exclusively of primitive methods of communication like carrier pigeons or smoke signals...though cleaning the pigeon coop was indeed a common punishment handed down to the children if they misbehaved badly enough. No, the Cultural Revolution had taught the Council that more modern methods were required so that the village could respond swiftly to threats. A World War II surplus telegraph and telephone system were present, connected to multiple buried phone lines concealed from aerial reconnaissance. This was further supplemented with an old vacuum tube Soviet-made radio system from the 1950s, though this and its diesel generator were typically turned off and gathering dust.
It was thus with practiced ease that the man noted and recorded the pulses and beeps which started to flood the room from the old speaker on his desk. The dots and dashes represented a long sequence of digits from 0-9 which were dutifully recorded as four-digit numbers. Once the message was completely recorded, the man got to work decrypting. He pulled out one of twelve modified Chinese Telegraph Code booklets that he used to look up which written character was represented by each four-digit number. These booklets were non-standard and thus allowed for a rotating encryption scheme. As he worked, the information he was decrypting made him shudder.
This wasn't about Mousse. No, this was something far more dangerous. Promptly pulling on a cable to ring a bell that called for the on-duty pigeon caretaker and errand-runner, he looked at the message again and shook his head. They'd need to wake up the Council for this one...
As Akari pulled a filled pail out of the well, she looked upon her saddened reflection in the water. Though they perished when she was young, her parents were very happily married when they were alive and she'd always wanted that for herself. It was lonely sometimes with just Grandpa and the pigs. When she finally found someone with who she might be able to have that, it wasn't allowed and she couldn't know why? It wasn't fair...
"Quite a pickle. Isn't it, little girl?" A voice said from behind her, making Akari wheel around in surprise to see a small old man regarding her. She almost spilled the water in her haste. "Now, now. I'm just your average, everyday old man with some wisdom. I overheard your problem through the open window in passing. There's an answer to it, you know."
"T-there is? What is it, Mister?" Akari asked, desperate for a solution. If this would let her be with Ukyo, then she'd try anything.
"Alright, just listen to Grandpa Happosai..." The old man conspired with the innocent girl, honestly believing himself to have the best solution. Soon enough, Akari was excitedly convinced of this as well.
"You're smart as a pig! Thanks, Mister! I'll get ready right away!" She smiled at Happosai before running off to get things set up. Happosai was a bit confused when she scampered away, unsure of if he'd been insulted or praised. What he was certain of was that Ranma would appreciate this favor in time.
'Hyah! Kya!' Shampoo practiced her art while waiting for the food to cook, sparing with an amused Cologne. The woman was glad to spend time with her descendant and had stepped up her training in hopes of reaching a new level by the time they traveled the over four thousand kilometer distance to Japan. The alternative training method to the Chestnut Fist was something Shampoo was taking to well enough, but practical combat was still very important to include. Ran had mentioned that Shampoo's footwork was a bit weak in the future, after all. They were also working to teach her the Japanese language when her body was at rest.
It was a serious training regimen but Ran suspected that her other half was at least as focused. Briefly closing her eyes as she cooked the meal, she could feel Ranma's distant ki through their connection. It had grown by no small measure in his travels. Letting the meat simmer, Ran pulled the thermos out of their mutual ki-space that once held hot water. Opening it expectantly, she smiled when a piece of paper was found inside. Pulling it out to read, she immediately recognized the handwriting as Ranma's.
Hey, Ran.
Everybody else is still asleep here at Akari's place, so I thought I'd drop you a line. Yeah, that Akari. Ucchan beat up a rampaging Katsunishiki and got herself engaged last night. Akari thought Ucchan was a boy but didn't let up on the love talk even after being told that she's a girl. Her grandfather's not sure how to handle this. I'm trying not to laugh, it's just weird being on the outside looking in is all.
That was...interesting. Ran remembered Akari Unryu. On reflection, Akari was probably the most 'normal' girl of the bunch. As good for Ryoga as she was, the relationship started with only a little less than the typical amount of Nerima-grade crazy.
Thanks for clearing up what happened in the pit, and welcome to the world. It was confusing and I'd thought it had something to do with the Neko-ken. Especially since I wound up mastering the cat and ascending the art into something called the Shin Neko-ken. Full conscious control and no fear of cats. It's a pretty neat consolation for Pop's stupidity, even if it took 12 years to pull off. Maybe you should see if you can trigger the form. You were with me until we escaped the pit at least, so you might have picked up the Shin Neko-ken too.
Ran was a bit surprised. That was a thing? She'd not thought to try it. Perhaps she'd give it an attempt in her travels. She tended to the simmering meat for a moment before she resumed reading.
Thanks for the warning about the Joketsuzoku and their politics. It sounds like you did everything you could to keep that from becoming a mess, so no hard feelings when it blows up in our faces. That's just how these things go. I'd be glad to get any training information you can send. I'm in a good position for it now after what eventually happened with Pop. I'll get to that though.
First off, I didn't as much escape from Pop as just walk away. He thought the Pride of the Fierce Tiger was something the Neko-ken gave me, so he chained himself up in the pit and tried to learn it himself. He told me not to bother him for a while as the cats attacked him, so I went ahead and did just that. I also left a letter saying I was kidnapped and sent him on a wild goose chase all over Japan so I could escape and so everyone he swindled could get a piece of his hide. The marriage contracts he was still carrying made it easy. I also swiped the Neko-ken manual, the Umisenken, the Yamasenken, and some other stuff he stole. That should keep Ryu Kumon's dad alive. Maybe I'll visit the Kumon Dojo sometime and try to learn their style or something.
Ran was pleased that Ranma seemed to be starting to fix things as well. Ryu Kumon's father could be saved by such a simple action that there there was no reason not to try. She flipped the meat in the pan and kept reading.
I found the Kuonji okonomiyaki cart nearby when I left. Turns out Pop took it so he wouldn't have to pay for the meat and fish for the Neko-ken training. I took the cart and found Ucchan's address in the phone book. I went to straighten things out, only to find out that Mr. Kuonji engaged me to Ucchan even knowing I was engaged already! Then he kicked a crying Ucchan out of the house and refused to take the cart so I'd have to take them. I made sure to take the safe holding the Kuonji copy of the marriage contract too though. Serves him right. Anyway, I decided to leave Kyoto and head over to Mom's place with Ucchan. I couldn't leave her alone, and she was impressed enough with my skills to want to train. We made a training journey out of it.
This part made Ran angry. Ucchan's father had acted just as dishonorably as her own. At least he supported Ucchan and took the opportunity to improve her skills. She continued to read about their travels. Maihara and the Gambling King. Sekigahara with Tatewaki, Kodachi, Kaori, and their fathers. The Nekoyama Shrine with Kasumi and the youkai where Ranma learned he'd been engaged to the Tendos twice over and achieved the Determination of the Wild Horse technique. The extended madness that was Takato. There was also a bit about their stay at the Unryu farm.
Since I won mastery of the Saotome School from Pop, I can integrate as much Chinese Wushu into the style as I want. Feel free to send what you think seems right. As for Natsume and Kurumi, I'm hoping Mom will adopt them when we get to Tokyo. Maybe Ucchan too if her father's such a jerk. I think the Kunos are on a better path now, but we'll have to wait and see. You never know with that family.
Well, that's about it. Don't be a stranger and keep sending letters!
Ranma Saotome, Master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts
Ran finished the letter and put it away, amazed by just how much Ranma had achieved in such a short time. Ukyo was going to be a force to be reckoned with at this rate, and Ran felt the need to improve Shampoo's training in kind. Finishing the cooking and portioning it out, she called out to the sparring girls. 'Breakfast is ready! Take a break to eat!'
The trio was soon ready and digging into the food, Shampoo feeling the burn from the morning session. Ran pondered if Shampoo could be trained in a few moves from Anything Goes. Maybe she should ask Ranma permission to do that in exchange for the knowledge of Joketsuzoku techniques.
"Help! Help! Ranma!" Ranma and the others heard Akari's cry and dropped their farm work to rush over to the field behind the farmhouse. Looking around, they saw something strange. Akari was tied up loosely behind the well, clearly able to get out of her bindings if she truly wanted to. Near her was Katsunishiki, though he seemed to have been...dressed up a bit. A little dirt was added to create the appearance of a scar over his eye and a fake mustache was tied around his nose.
Seeing her grandfather and the others arrive, she called out. "Ranma! Katsunishiki's evil twin brother came to steal his title, but Katsunishiki isn't here! He's mad and demanding to fight you or he'll...uh...take me away until you do!" The six-year-old struggled to construct the fantasy into something which would be believed. Katsunishiki looked uncomfortable but felt obligated to obey his mistress. Happosai smiled from his hiding place in a bush nearby, expecting the young Ranma to believe it. He was a mere child, after all.
"That's horrible!" Kurumi said while buying it hook, line, and sinker. "Ranma! Beat up that pig so I can eat it for dinner!" Katsunishiki was nervous and gave a squeal at this comment, but stood his ground.
Ukyo's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, Ran-chan! Prove what Anything Goes Martial Arts can really do!" Even the level-headed Ukyo had enough strangeness in the last few weeks to begin believing the outlandish. The fact she was still six years old was also a likely contributing factor. The slightly older Natsume was silent, vaguely perceiving that something was off, and Butahito was still stunned by this. Ranma wasn't sure what in the world was going on.
"Akari, Katsunishiki doesn't look comfortable with this," Ranma said, trying to make sense of the play-acting. Akari was worried that Ranma was seeing through it, but thankfully the other girls kept pushing.
"That's not Akari's piggy! Don't you see the scar and the mustache! He's the evil twin!" Kurumi said excitedly and with concern. Ranma couldn't believe the girls were buying this...
After searching Akari's eyes and finally realizing what was happening, her grandfather shed proud, manly tears. 'Akari. You are trying to take a proactive role in finding a good husband. Your mother would be so proud.' Joining the facade, he looked to Ranma with his best fake serious expression. "Katsunishiki's evil twin again? He was always up to no good. Ranma! Please, save my grandchild by defeating him! Hurry! Before it's too late!" Ranma was about to comment, only for Katsunishiki to charge at Ranma with a loud squeal. The others moved clear to allow the pair to do battle, while Ranma sighed and wondered just where things had gone wrong.
The young boy easily managed to evade the large pig, proving difficult for Katsunishiki to even keep up with in spite of repeated charges. All the power in the world meant nothing if one couldn't hit their opponent, and Ranma's speed was well above a sumo pig if he could keep up with a cat youkai. Akari realized that the old man she met today was right! Ranma was even faster than Ucchan! This could really work!
One charge from the pig saw it trample through a nearby bush, an old man soon flattened on his back with hoof-marks from toe to head. He was unobserved by the group as they focused on Ranma trying to lure the pig away. Ranma's movements were efficient as they displayed the mastery of the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts which Butahito had until now doubted.
Ranma finally got far enough away from the group and to his preferred location, at which he plunged his finger into the ground and leapt away. An explosion rocked the hard, rocky section of the field and pelted the surprised pig with the shotgun-like blast of pebbles. His hide was tough enough to endure it, but the true cause for Ranma's action was revealed when the pig fell into the pit Ranma's attack had created. The creature flopped onto its belly with a grunt before quickly standing again and looking around itself. The frustrated creature tested the walls, trying to climb, but it proved unable. It could likely dig its way out in time, but the actual fight was over.
"W-what was that? Ranma made some sort of explosion!" Butahito exclaimed upon seeing the pit form and seeing his prize pig trapped down there.
"That was the Breaking Point." Ukyo said as if it was something she was accustomed to. "I think Ran-chan learned it in China. He uses it to blast apart rocks with his finger."
"His...finger?" Butahito pondered the strength that required of the child, not really sure how to parse that. He was clearly strong enough for Akari to wed and would likely grow stronger. "Well, at least I don't have to pay to have that rock blasted before it was hauled out of my field..."
"YAY! Ran-chan beat Katsunishiki!" Akari wriggled out of her ropes and practically tackled the boy. "You're strong as a pig! Now we can get married!" The girl was happy, and the grandfather seemed content, but Ukyo was aghast.
"H-Hey! I told you he's engaged to me! Are you trying to take him away from me, Akari?" This was said with a bit more anger than Ranma expected of her. Ukyo hadn't suffered for a decade and gotten obsessed with the engagement like last time, so why was she acting like the older Ucchan? Butahito crossed his arms, not sure how to defeat this engagement. Still, the boy was worth it, wasn't he?
"N-no, Ucchan! Don't worry! A little old man told me how to make it all work!" This made Ranma feel very concerned, more than the hug or Ukyo's anger did. The old lech was around, and his advice was rarely sound. This feeling doubled as Akari pulled Ukyo into the hug, pulling Ranma and Ukyo very close together. "Girls may need to marry boys to have kids, but you and I can just share Ranma! If all three of us get married, it still works! I get you, you get him, Grandpa gets grandkids, everybody's happy!"
The grandfather's expression was one of confused horror as Akari essentially proclaimed herself as Ukyo and Ranma's mutual mistress, and Ranma mentally cursed the old lech for what was clearly his influence. Of course, Ranma's expression grew to match that of Butahito's when Ukyo innocently responded. "Oh...so that's how it works?" Ukyo's father had engaged her to Ranma when he already had a fiancée, so this put her father's actions into context...albeit an incorrect one.
Ranma was worried that this would lead to abrupt physical pain. Such things always did. He couldn't help but expect a mallet, spatula, chui, bandana, or some other implement of war to lash out at him any second. Part of him, however, wished for the distraction from the topic this would bring.
The day's first rays of sunlight were just now peeking out from behind the nearby Bayankala Mountains as the Council of Elders entered the emergency session. Cologne's seat was temporarily occupied by her daughter, herself a stone's throw from earning a seat in her own right. She noted Loofah with the appropriate respect, but a wise wariness and suspicion. No one knew who was responsible for this situation, after all. Rumors of Mousse going missing had been whispered since the previous day, but a child running away wouldn't justify this session. Had something worse happened to the boy?
Soon, Shampoo's mother entered the room with her husband at her side. The pair bowed to the council, and Loofah hoped for an opportunity to attack them both for being Cologne's allies and for waking her from her sleep. If this was about Mousse...
'The Emergency Session has begun.' Lotion said, the Matriarch looking to the two before her. 'What business has necessitated your calling upon the council? Is this regarding Mu Tsu?'
'No, it is completely unrelated to Mu Tsu.' Shampoo's mother's words were unexpected, but she was allowed to continue. 'The reason for this session is that we have an emergency telegraph from the Xiu in Beijing.' The council grew dead silent. The Xiu didn't send emergency communications lightly.
When the Shaolin Temple and their famous brand of wushu fell to the Communist Party during the all-too-recent Cultural Revolution, it proved to the Joketsuzoku that skill alone wouldn't suffice to protect them from extinction. The Xiu was a newer division of ultimately expendable Joketsuzoku warriors created at the time to protect the village from falling to the Communist Party in a similar manner. To be inducted into the Xiu was costly to the warrior, though. Programmed with the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique and the appropriate shampoos to be secretly but unshakably loyal to the village and to forget its location and secrets, no Xiu could be bribed or tortured successfully for information. This meant, however, that they lacked complete free will and had a low chance of ever seeing home again. It was a very harsh punishment to be inducted into the Xiu, while almost no one volunteered unless they were crippled or sterile and sought honor in an unconventional manner.
As harsh as this was, it allowed fanatically loyal warriors trained in stealth to use that same Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique on civilian, media, political, and military targets to protect the village and the surrounding settlements from government discovery or to otherwise further village interests, including via the gathering of intelligence. Many barber shops near government targets or on military bases had been infiltrated toward these ends. The Jusenkyo guide was among those who had been turned by the Xiu through this process.
The Xiu had thus far kept the government largely unaware of happenings in the mountain backwaters of Qinghai Province, all while acting as the village's intelligence and black ops division.
'...Read it.' Lotion ordered, the content of the emergency telegraph to be unknown no longer. Shampoo's mother raised the communiqué to her eyes and began to read from the document.
'Grandstudent of Happosai, Ranma Saotome (6), seen and recorded on Japanese public television using various forms of Joketsuzoku Wushu, Breaking Point Technique, Chestnut Fist Training Method, and Hiryu Shoten Ha. Used techniques to defeat his father and seize mastery of descendant art of Happosai's. Ground was wet asphalt, Ranma's Soul of Ice allowing recording of frozen footsteps for analysis. Half of Hiryu Shoten Ha's method of use revealed. Happosai identified techniques as Joketsuzoku. Discussed interactions with village 90 years ago during commentary of battle. Unknown magical artifact of Ranma's used to shield bystanders from Hiryu Shoten Ha, not used in actual battle.
Happosai not mention village's exact location nor local landmarks. Noting 400-fold increase in queries to Beijing regarding Joketsuzoku by provincial governments and news organizations. Japan and Soviet Union formally inquiring to Beijing about Joketsuzoku. Government scrambling to obtain information. Secrets holding for now. Unknown how long situation is tenable. Acting to contain or redirect. Recommend contingency preparations.'
Eyes widened at this information. A number of curses were uttered at Happosai's involvement and the fact that the Joketsuzoku were now fast-spreading public knowledge. Had the Communists not burned so many historical texts in their eagerness to purge China's culture and history, the village might have been found already. The fact the Xiu considered the situation potentially untenable was alarming.
'The Xiu may understand that they operate best with a sense of balance, hiding quietly and keeping the government unstable and distracted, but functional. If they consider that impractical though, they are programmed to guide China to tear itself apart rather than let this village be exploited or destroyed.' Shampoo's mother clarified, explaining the nuances of the letter. If things were not resolved, the Xiu would act more overtly to destroy the government from inside or guide it into open civil war. Given how many people were scrambling for power after Mao's death six months prior, the latter was quite likely.
Loofah grumbled. Ranma Saotome. That was the one that future Mousse sent back with the Wind Tunnel. Now his apparent knowledge and reckless display of secret Joketsuzoku techniques were threatening to doom them all. If Ranma was acquainted with the future's Shampoo and Mousse, then his knowledge was likely Cologne's fault. A shame she had no proof.
'Inform Phoenix Mountain and Yaocaicun of the situation. This involves them as well. The former may need to add to their stock of Imprinting Eggs and the latter need to produce more of the herbal shampoos for the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique. If all else fails and we are discovered, we all need to be allied in this. A shame we can't get word to Ku Long's group. Mu Tsu also picked a fine time to run away...' The Matriarch didn't like where this was heading. It might not be happening today or tomorrow, but time was marching toward a new type of war that they were not necessarily prepared to fight.
But fight they would. Of that, there was never any question.
"Do you really have to go?" Akari asked Ukyo and Ranma, looking disappointed. She'd expected them to stay on the farm with her grandfather and Katsunishiki once they got engaged so she wouldn't be lonely. Instead, Ranma had been insistent that they had to get going. They'd packed up their futons and were preparing to continue their journey.
"Y-yeah, sorry. Pop stole me from Mom when I was two, and we're goin' to go see her again. I might be livin' someplace in Tokyo after that, don't know. Besides, I don't think an engagement works without my folks and Ucchan's folks agreein'. There's rules to it all." Ranma expected it to end there, in spite of Akari's pout, but was surprised when Akari's grandfather approached.
"In that case, here are copies of our farm's business card. You can show them to your families, and they can know where we live and our phone number. You can even call Akari sometimes as friends! She's a lonely girl, though I hope that her starting school soon and hearing from you all regularly will help with that." He handed each of the children business cards, though Kurumi didn't seem to understand what one was and looked at it in confusion. Butahito wasn't sure yet about Akari being involved with Ukyo, but Ranma was clearly a catch. It might be something to touch base with at least. Maybe they would be Akari's friends even if it didn't work out as Akari's childish mind thought.
Ranma was hesitant to agree, but Akari seemed so upset...and he knew she was a nice girl aside from the pig quirk. He rubbed the back of his head. "Engagements aren't somethin' I have luck with, but talkin' as friends is fine..."
Ukyo smiled, feeling a bit of unexplained relief at Ranma's response. It was awkward for her as well. Two girls getting married? That was something she didn't know could be done. Did that mean she was going to marry Kaori and Kasumi too? She had to think about this, but for now... "Of course we can be friends!" She took Akari's hands and smiled, her friendliness winning out over the awkwardness. "I'll call as soon as I can, okay?"
"Oh, you two are as kind as pigs! You make sure and call me with every detail, alright? And write too!" Akari hugged them both firmly, though the two were durable enough for her grip not to hurt them. She let go, clearly in a better mood than she was in before. With that out of the way, it was time for the nascent Wrecking Crew to move on.
Akari, Butahito, and the recovered Katsunishiki waved to the quartet of children in the morning sun as they departed the farm on the last leg of their journey to Tokyo...toward an uncertain future. Ranma waved back, hoping that the future would be a kinder one than the one he left behind.
...No. He'd make it kinder.
