Brothers of Old
(I'm Sorry for not updating sooner than I should be, but my teachers are becoming more obsessive with dishing out homework than before.)
Chapter 15: Solving the Problem called Joketsuzoku
After that fiasco with Ryoga, Ranma became more wary of his surrounding. He feared that this problem would continue as long as he was here. Of course the other's noticed this but didn't know what to do or say to our edgy marital artist. So to come up with something, the group decided on an emergency meeting at the Higurashi shrine.
"Kyo, can't you do something? I mean, you're his brother." Chibi-usa asked.
"I don't know, I haven't been with him for most of his life in Nerima so I don't know how bad they traumatized him there. But by his aura, he's worried about our safety and being involved… especially you Rei-chan." Kyo replied, "I heard of what happened to you when Ryoga came in to town. Well, it's going to be much worse once the Chinese Amazons and the other people of the NWC get here trying to find their favorite scapegoat."
Everyone thought of this and suddenly stumbled on a realization.
"Hey Kyo, what's the NWC?" Sailor moon asked.
"The NWC is short for the Nerima Wrecking Crew and they consist of people who want to hurt Ranma and some of his Ex-fiancées. I'd be careful around them because they will use any means necessary. They are the reason my brother likes to keep things to himself."
I said.
Suddenly, a portal opened in the middle of the room. And out stepped the three Outer Senshi. Kyo, remembering what happened last time fell into a stance ready to fight back if the three tried to do anything.
"It's alright; they're not here to fight." Ami said walking up to Kyo.
"What she says is true; I have come to warn the princess that there is an impending danger coming here." Her words made Kyo's face blanch.
"Shit! I told her not to tell them, that Mercenary girl is sooooo de-"
Just then Kyo's cell-phone rang.
Hello?
KYO! I got some serious News. The Amazons are coming to Juuban!
I know Nabiki-san, I thought I told you to keep it quiet on where we moved.
I didn't say anything to them… for once this time, I'm telling the truth. Kuno-baby and Kodachi teamed up and put most of their enormous amount of allowance money into launching an investigation to find Ranma. So far I've been pulling strings to keep them from knowing too much and throw them of the path if slightly. But the amazons are becoming desperate. They want Ranma and they're using one of Colognes antiques that helps you find a certain persons ki-signature as long as they have anything that they own.
How did you come to acquire this information?
I followed them personally because no one would do it. Now they're after my blood for helping you guys escape from them.
Ok, I want you and Kasumi to come and stay at the address I am about to give you. Don't tell anyone and be sure you're not followed. But I doubt you can get here without being followed.
Outside of the conversation on the phone Ami looked at her potential lover's face turn into one of worry and fear.
"Pluto, can't you do anything about this?" Ami asked the Senshi of time.
The Senshi considered this for a moment and in her mind consulted the time gate.
"It doesn't mess with the time line so I can teleport them here." The Senshi of time said to Ami.
"Kyo did you hear that?"
"Yes I heard."
So Nabiki, get Kasumi and wait in your room. We're sending you someone from here to pick you guys up.
Don't worry Kasumi's here already and most of our things are packed also.
We'll see you when we do. Just be safe. click
"Sailor Pluto, I ask you to please bring them here safely." Kyo said bowing.
"I shall." And with those words she opened up a portal and stepped through the portal and disappeared.
A few minutes later she came back with Kasumi and Nabiki right behind her. But their clothes were a little tattered.
"What happened?" Kyo asked the Ice Queen.
"The amazons thought they'd finish me off first so I couldn't warn you guys of their approach." Nabiki said, "But Sailor Pluto came just in time and brought us here before anything could happen."
Kyo looked at the Senshi of time and bowed down.
"Thank you for your help."
"Don't mention it… And I would like to apologies for my recent attack against you on behalf of the outer Senshi. I thought you and your brother would have been a threat to Crystal Tokyo if you two had that kind of power." She said.
"It's alright."
"Umm… With further research from the time portal, you and your brothers are becoming essential to Crystal Tokyo." The Senshi of time said.
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked with question marks popping out all over her head.
"What I mean is that in seeing him and his brother with us, Crystal Tokyo has been assured without the Great Freeze and no deaths or casualties to the innocents," she proclaimed.
To say that everyone was shocked was an understatement.
"So you're telling me that with Ranma and Kyo here, Crystal Tokyo is as good as here?"
"Seems so Princess."
"Umm… not to disrupt or anything… but… aren't we getting side tracked here?" Kyo asked.
"Oh… blush yes, uh-hum. Getting back to the subject, something ominous is coming to Juuban and I can't see it in the time gate either. So I came here to ask Ranma and Kyo to forge an alliance with us."
"I don't mind, but I want to know your real name as with the other outers." Kyo said.
Over with the sulking Ranma
'I don't know what to do anymore! Where ever I go, the NWC seems to find me. This time, I even got my friend hurt … again!' He thought as he was roof hopping. When he was hopping over the 50th roof he heard a girls cry for help.
He quickly roof hopped over to where he heard her.
"Monster! What do you think you're doing out in daylight like this you freak of nature?" yelled the leader of what seemed to be a group of boys surrounding a girl younger than them.
"P-p-p-please stop… your… hurting me." The girl said between the kicks and the thrown rocks.
"We don't care! You deserve to die." The boy said kicking her in the stomach.
Ranma couldn't stand it any longer.
"Leave her alone! What did she ever do to you!" Ranma yelled out as he jumped off the roof and landed in between the mob and the injured girl.
"What do you care, this freak bumped into us so we were teaching her a lesson," the leader said with a smirk on his face, "And if you're defending her you must be a freak too. Let's get him guys!"
The group charged into beat up Ranma.
"I admit, I am a freak." Ranma said as he disappeared from sight using Umi-sen-ken, "Freakishly powerful enough to beat the living shit out of you bastards!"
The leader was looking around for the Ranma; he was beginning to feel scared.
"What kind of Youma are you" He asked bravely.
"Me, a Youma, don't make me laugh… I'm a martial artist. I defend the weak and down trodden and that girl needs my help I'm going to dish out the justice that you honor-less fools deserve," Ranma said appearing right in front of the leader and punching him in the stomach launching him into the concrete wall creating an imprint of the leaders figure.
That the group was shitting in their pants was an understatement. When Ranma turned to face them they visibly flinched.
"Now, who's next?" Ranma asked turning his head with an audible crack.
Many of the kids turned to run but found their exit blocked by Ranma.
"You beat up an innocent girl and now that you're faced with a powerful opponent you run like chickens. Ha what a bunch of trash. And as they say… what was it? 'It's time to take out the trash'"
5 Minutes later…
"Now if I see or hear of any of you guys picking on this girl or anyone again, I'm going to do a lot worse to ya than I did now. UNDERSTAND?"
"Y-y-y-y-yes sir!" the now beat up and broken gang said as they limped away as fast as they could while the carrying their unconscious leader and few more incapacitated members away.
Ranma walked over to the girl who started to back up in fear.
"Don't be afraid. I made sure those bullies won't ever bother you again. Are you alright?" Ranma said as he stretched out a hand to help her up.
"Why are you helping me?" the little girl asked.
"Like I said to those goons, I'm a martial artist, I help the weak and the down trodden. You were in need of help so I helped." Ranma explained with an almost arrogant tone, "Can you tell me why those bullies were picking on you?"
The girl looked down, "I've had the power to heal injuries, I can heal big injuries but it tires me out. Because of it they pick on me," she explained expecting the person who saved her to run away from her.
"That sounds like a good power to have."
The girl's eyes opened in shock. "So… you're not… afraid of me?"
"Nah," Ranma said shaking his head, "To a martial artist like me, who gets injured a lot, that kinda power would be a life saver." Ranma gave the girl his smile which made her blush, "Now lets get those cuts and bruises bandaged."
"By the way, my names Abarai Ranma, what's yours?" Ranma said as he finished bandaging her injuries and putting the first aid box back into his infinite storage space.
"Hotaru Tomoe, nice to meet you," Hotaru said smiling.
"Well, it's getting late," Ranma said looking up at the sky, "Let's take you home."
"OK!" Hotaru said taking Ranma's hand.
"Kya!" Hotaru squealed as she was lifted up and was now in the strong arms of Ranma.
"Hold on, this is going to be windy." Ranma said as he took off into the air and landed on the roof and started to roof hop, "So can you point which way you live and tell me when we are near your house?"
All Hotaru could do was nod.
"Don't be afraid. It's kinda fun looking at the city from above." Ranma said.
Hotaru slowly took her head off of Ranma's chest and looked around to see the city she lived in.
"Wow…" She said, "Can you go higher?"
"Sure if you want me to." Ranma said as he landed on the next roof and ki- enforced his jump.
Hotaru looked at the view from above and to say she was having fun would be an understatement.
But as soon as it begun, it was over.
"Well, we're here." Ranma said as he set Hotaru down.
"Aww…" Hotaru pouted.
"Hotaru?" a voice came from the door, Rama looked up to see a woman with long green hair.
"Hi Michiru-mama, I'm home." Hotaru said with a small smile.
Michiru Kaioh looked at her charge and saw she was in bandages.
"Hotaru, what happened! Who did this to you?"
"I'm alright Michiru-mama; I was being bullied when Ranma helped me and bandaged my injuries." Hotaru said as she looked up to her new friend, "and he even brought me home to be sure the bullies didn't come after me."
Michiru stood up and bowed, "Thank you for taking care of her."
"It wasn't a problem."
"Would you come inside? I would like to properly thank you." Michiru said grabbing his hand and leading him inside.
Back with Kyo…
"So you're telling me that you're from the future to create a new moon kingdom on earth and want my brother and I to help you Setsuna-san?" Kyo asked.
"Yes, that's the just of things."
"So what about the Amazon problem? If they take Ranma away there are going to be problems." Nabiki said.
"Don't worry, right now, he is with the other outers. They'll ask him the same thing as I did for Kyo here."
"But that doesn't answer my worries! The Amazons will do anything to get a man with the power to kill a demi-god on their side even if it means selling their soul to the devil himself!" Nabiki retorted, "Plus, I don't think the other outers could handle fighting against the matriarch of the Joketsuzoku."
"Did you just say Joketsuzoku?" Pluto, now known as Meioh Setsuna, asked.
"Yeah what about them?"
Suddenly Pluto went into a fit of laughter that creped everyone out, even Kasumi.
"In my past life, I lived with them. I know their rules inside and out. If Ranma is being pursued because of the kiss of marriage, then have him start dating one of the Senshi."
"Huh?" was the answer they got from the majority of the group.
"sigh I'll clarify it for you. When the Moon Kingdom was still in existence, a group of warriors decided to make a tactical outpost on earth. After the fall the warriors there decided to create their own kingdom there. Since they were trained by the Senshi they overpowered many armies that stood in their way, but slowly, their magic was being depleted because the Moon Kingdom was the source of magic. So they decided to have a meeting and slowly moved on to Martial arts that were taught to them by the men they captured… And on a side note, that is where the train of thought men are weak came up from in the Joketsuzoku," Setsuna said explaining it as simple as she could.
"But why does Ranma need to date a Senshi?" Kasumi asked.
"Because one of the laws created during a council for establishing rules are that if the Senshi where to be reborn, a man claimed by the Senshi become untouchable by them, unless they want to feel the wrath of an angry Senshi."
"Well, now that we know who is going to date my brother? And what about the other of the NWC?"
"We'll have to think of that later. Right now let's go to the Outers place to plan for what's going to come our way."
And with that said the Senshi of time opened up a portal and beckoned everyone to go through. Once everyone went through the portal, Pluto stepped through and the Portal closed behind them.
Outside the limits of Juuban
"Great-grandmother, how much longer till Xian Pu get Airen?"
"Not long child, but I'm confused at why son-in-laws ki is so chaotic, I would have to guess because of Jusenkyo but it doesn't explain the giant flux it went through yesterday. The color of son-in-laws ki is changing colors almost constantly. Now Mu Tzu… Mu Tzu? Where did that blind child go off to now?"
"Xian Pu no care what happens to duck boy! Airen waiting for Xian Pu in Juuban." And with that said Xian Pu walked off with the mystic item.
To be continued…