OMG I'M SOOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING 2 WEEKS!! Its just that I've been grounded for failing Drivers Ed1 Totally sorry, but I'll try and update faster!
Okay, here's chapter 3 n I really didn't think I would get this far, actually! I thought it would turn out horrible and no one would actually want to read it and I'd have to discontinue it! So thank u soooooo much for all your support !!
Well yeah here it is n, someone asked if I would be bringing all the other Ranma characters into this mess. My answer is …so totally YES!!
Disclaimer: Everyone mentioned that is in Ranma ½ does not belong to me, but instead to Rumiko Takahashi!
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"Can't you remember anything!?" Ranma questioned impatiently, standing up from the floor, only to be smacked back down by the old woman's staff.
"Be quiet. Everything was so hectic back when I arrived that it's hard to remember much of anything from before that" the old woman said as she pulled her staff back and folded her hands in front of her; sinking back into deep though.
"Why you sell powerful Amazon artifact like that, Great Grandmother?" Shampoo questioned in an almost scolding manner.
"Well, I didn't really think there would end up being a situation such as this, plus I didn't think such a simple minded fool would figure out the mirrors power due to the fact that most people like to hang mirrors on walls and stare at them for a brief seconds and nothing more. It wouldn't have caused any harm…plus I needed money for important things such as food and the café of course" the old woman said in a sigh before sipping her tea.
They'd all returned back to the Tendo household since the search of the Cat Café for the mirror appeared to be a fruitless attempt, seeing as it was no longer there. Shampoo sat beside her grandmother on one side of the table, while Ranma and Akane sat opposite them. Ryoga had nodded off sometime ago and was lying asleep in the corner. How that boy could sleep through something like this was beyond them. Azumi was next to him, keeping herself busy with a few of Akane's old dolls that Kasumi had scrounged up from the attic.
"Is there anything you can remember? Even anything small will help" Akane questioned; being a little more patient with the older woman.
"No I'm afraid not. Like I said, it was too chaotic back then" the old woman sighed.
"Well, they do say that the mind's the first thing to go when you get old-" Ranma mumbled to himself, but was soon smacked in the head with the old woman's staff again.
"I'll have you know I'm not old!" she yelled to him angrily; staring him down as she stood on the table now.
As the two bickered back and forth, Akane sighed and turned towards Azumi who was idly playing with the dolls; not taking notice too much of anything else that was going on.
"Oh! Azumi, I forgot to ask you" Akane started as Azumi looked up at her curiously.
"Yeah, Auntie Akane?" Azumi questioned as she placed the dolls down on the floor gentley and turned towards Akane.
"Well, I was really curious…who your mother was?" Akane questioned with a wide smile as Shampoo sat next to her; eager to here who the mystery woman was.
Even through sleep, Ryoga had caught the question and his eyes popped open wide and he glanced nervously in Azumi's direction. He was curious about who his supposed 'wife' was, but was he sure he wanted to know?
"Oh! That's an easy one!" Azumi exclaimed with a smile.
"Her name's Mommy, of course!" Azumi said matter of factly as she went back to playing with the dolls while the three others just gave each other incredulous looks. (A/N: props to JWG for reminding me that most lil kids don't know their parents actual names!)
"I, uh, don't think we'll get anything other than that as an answer" Akane said since she knew the unspoken rule that you were never, ever to speak your parents' names to them or anyone else.
Ryoga sighed heavily; slightly disappointed that he didn't get the chance to know, but shoved that disappointment away.
"So, how much did I miss?" he questioned as he stretched his arms out.
"You missed nothing, really. I can only remember so much about this young man now that I really think about it" the old woman sighed.
"So what is that you remember exactly?" Ranma questioned as he crossed his arms on the table and nestled his chin on them.
"I remember he was a strange young man. Short, but still slightly taller than me. He almost reminded me of a rat almost" the old woman mused as she contorted her face into that of deep thought again.
"A rat?" Shampoo repeated; confused.
"Why yes, he did. He had overly large teeth like a rat, whiskers as well, and he even crept around like a mouse did. Strange boy, indeed" the old woman said as she shook her head.
"Hmm, Ranma, doesn't that sound kind of familiar?" Akane questioned, as she seemed to recognize the strange features from somewhere.
"Yeah, a little bit. Sounds almost like-"
"SASUKE!!" Ranma and Akane yelled in unison as the vague description of the person the old woman had sold the mirror too cleared up.
"You mean Tatewaki Kuno's young retainer? Oh my, why yes, I do believe that was the boy I sold the mirror to!" the old woman said as she stood from the table with everyone else.
"The what the heck are we doing standing around here for then?" Ryoga said quickly as he picked up Azumi, startling the poor girl, and running out the door with everyone else.
"You're gettin' better at this 'daddy' stuff, eh Ryoga?" Ranma joked as he noticed how Azumi was curled protectively in the crook of Ryoga's left arm.
"I swear Ranma, if you don't shut you mouth, I'll kill you!" Ryoga yelled angrily as he chased after Ranma; letting the pigtailed boy lead Ryoga in the correct direction of the Kuno Estate.
"The pigtailed girl or Akane Tendo, the pigtailed girl or Akane Tendo, the pigtailed girl or Akane Tendo" Kuno continued his mantra as he stared at the two posters in front of him; one of Akane and the other of the Female version of Ranma.
A loud ruckus outside brought him back from his trance like state of decision just as the wall to the left of his door was destroyed. Standing in the now present hole was Shampoo; glancing around the room curiously as if Kuno wasn't sitting right in front of her. Turning her head a bit, she spoke to the others behind her.
"Shampoo see no mouse man" she said bluntly.
"Hey, Shampoo, maybe we, uh…should have used the door" Ranma said before sliding the door of Kuno's room open.
(A/N: I apologize now, but I'm making an attempt at typing what Kuno's going to say in my stories because I have NO idea how to speak old English!)
"Pardon me, but…May I ask why you have, not only obliterated the wall of my room, but why you have also trespassed onto my property-without my permission or knowledge, might I add" Kuno said calmly as he stood from the floor in front of the posters and strolled to stand before Ranma.
"Hey Kuno, we need a favor" Ranma answered; seeming to have entirely ignored Kuno's question.
"So, Ranma Saotome, to what do I owe the displeasure of this unwanted visitation?" Kuno questioned venomously.
"Well, we needed to ask you something" Akane stated again as she appeared from behind Ranma and took her place to his left.
"Ah, Akane Tendo! You've come because you've finally discovered your burning affections for me and because the thing you wanted to ask was if I would date with you" Kuno said as he quickly grabbed both of Akane's hands in his and proceeded to try and kiss them.
Akane, with a look of disgust, quickly kneed Kuno in the gut; forcing him back and giving her the opportunity to free her hands.
"That's not really what I wanted to ask" Akane stated; trying her hardest to be polite about it.
"Ah! Then it is the pigtailed girl who has sent you to confess her undying love for me and to date with me!" Kuno said as he quickly stood up.
"That's not it either!" Ranma yelled angrily as he slammed his fist into the top of Kuno's head and sent him to the floor once more.
"Oh for the love of-forget it! This is getting us nowhere!" Ryoga yelled out, aggravated, before barreling past them and inside; brash as ever.
"Yo, Ryoga, wait up!" Ranma yelled after the directionally challenged boy, knowing that he'd run right out the front door and in some entirely random direction taking him God knows where.
And with him still holding Azumi that would be bad.
Akane, Shampoo and the old woman followed after and left Kuno to remain face planted into the wooden floor; trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"I said wait up, Ryoga!" Ranma yelled as he finally caught up to the other boy and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"What'd you do that for?!" Ryoga yelled angrily as he turned to face Ranma after his brush with near strangulation.
"You wouldn't stop running. Had to stop ya somehow" Ranma said with a simple shrug.
"Well, you didn't have to choke me!" Ryoga countered as Akane and Shampoo rounded the corner breathlessly; finally catching up with the two boys.
"Hey" Akane broke through their bickering quickly.
"What?" Both boys snapped by accident.
"Ryoga…where's Azumi?" Akane questioned.
"Oh, she's…" Ryoga trailed off as he turned to stare at the spot where he'd placed the young girl, only to find no one there.
"Apparently not there" Ranma finished for Ryoga as he leaned around him to stare blankly at the empty spot as well.
"You two lost her!" Akane exclaimed; appalled.
"She's not lost! We just don't know where she is," Ranma said as Akane and Shampoo rolled their eyes.
"Oh, for the love of-when we find her me and Shampoo are looking after her since you guys are too incapable of taking care of a little girl" Akane growled as she stormed past the two boys and down the hall.
They circled the house continuously, calling Azumi's name multiple times in multiple directions, but the young girl either would not answer or was unable to hear them.
"Where little girl go in such big house?" Shampoo questioned to whoever was listening as she peered into another room that held no sign of Azumi.
"This place isn't that big" Akane sighed as she came strolling down the hall again; checking ever corner and crevice that hadn't been scanned over yet.
"I beg to differ, but remember the last time went roaming around the Kuno house?" Ranma drawled lazily as he came in from outside; Ryoga right behind him.
"Oh, you mean the 'Kuno Family Labyrinth' we had to go through when we needed to get that urn?" Akane inquired as she remembered how she had wondered how the Kuno family managed to fit such traps in their home.
"Yeah. For all we know Azumi could be going through the things we went through: The Wheel Of Death, The Washing Machine of Destruction, Fountain Of Despair, and all that other weird stuff" Ranma named off; failing to see that as he named off each thing, Ryoga's face got slightly paler at the though of the poor girl trapped in those strange Kuno security systems.
"Well let's hope that's not where she is. Hey Ryoga, are you feeling okay?" Akane said as she realized the green tinge to Ryoga's color.
"Oh yeah, just…fine" he answered slowly as he grabbed onto a nearby windowsill to hold himself up.
Opening it up, Ryoga leaned outside to get some fresh air and clear his head of the horrible thoughts of Azumi being trapped in any of those places that had been set especially for Ranma's 'demise' at that time. It was the cheery giggling that drew his attention to his left and onto the back lawn of the Kuno house. He immediately recognized the head of long chestnut colored hair and the flash of the bright yellow summer dress.
"Azumi!" Ryoga cried out after spotting her before she ran out of view.
"Where!?" Akane and Shampoo yelled out as them, and Ranma, pushed past Ryoga to look out the window, and accidentally forcing the poor boy out of it.
Landing on the grass with a loud crash, Ryoga quickly righted himself and bolted in the direction Azumi had gone in. It wasn't hard to spot her considering that the Kuno's home didn't had much of anything, but wide open space in the back so Azumi was in plain view.
"How come you're dressed like that Mr. Rat Man?"
"Because I like to dress like this, and please, my name is Sasuke"
"Azumi!" Ryoga yelled to the curious little girl and frustrated servant of the Kuno family.
Turning around quickly, Azumi smiled brightly and, stretching her arms out as if she were a bird, she ran towards Ryoga.
"Daddy!" she yelled when she finally reached him; hugging him tightly around the waist and clinging to his shirt.
"Daddy?" Sasuke parroted with a look of confusion, and Ryoga just shot him a look that said it was a long story.
Breathing a sigh, he kneeled down and placed Azumi back on her feet in front of him.
"You can't just run off like that. You nearly gave us all a heart attack" Ryoga explained seriously.
"Sorry, daddy. I didn't mean to break the rules," Azumi said apologetically as she scuffed her feet in the grass and stared at the ground.
"What rules?" Ryoga questioned confused.
"The rules you and mommy always make me remember. It's rule number three, 'never ever walk away from mommy or daddy or I'll get in trouble'. It's right after rule number two, 'never ever, ever go off with strangers!'" Azumi said with a serious tone; or as serious a tone a five year old could have.
Ryoga blinked at her before cracking a smile with a small laugh.
"Good to know I'm at least teaching you well in the future" Ryoga said, but then grimaced, "I'll still never get over how weird this all is"
"Ryoga! Azumi!"
"Don't worry Akane, I found her!" Ryoga yelled to her as the other three ran out from the back door to join Ryoga and Azumi in the middle of the back lawn.
"You mouse man that Great Grandmother speak of, yes?" Shampoo questioned as she bent down a little in front of Sasuke to look him in the eyes.
"For the last time my name is Sasuke!" he whined with a sigh.
"You there, young man, you have something of mine that I need" said the old woman as she appeared from out of nowhere almost.
"M-me? What could you possibly want from me?" he asked; confused.
"Do you remember a long while back when I sold you a mirror?" the old woman explained as they all gathered around Sasuke.
Sasuke's brows furrowed in confusion as he glanced at each one of them; trying to figure out what they were talking about.
"A mirror?" he repeated.
"Yes, a mirror, that I sold you. It was very important and we desperately need it," the old woman continued to explain.
"Oh! Now I remember! Yes, you did sell me a mirror" Sasuke said as he smiled up at them.
"All right! Then can we borrow it for a bit?" Ranma flat out asked.
"Well, uh, the thing is…I, uh, no longer have it" Sasuke said sheepishly as he wrung his hands around the rake handle that he was holding.
"What!?" they all yelled in unison as another dead end came and smacked them in the face.
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YAY! Tis done n once again I am so so soooooo sorry for not getting this up earlier, but my mom is strict when it comes to grades. Especially when those grades pertain to me ever driving in my lifetime! But it's up, I'm happy, I hop you all r too, so sayonara!
I want to also apologize on how sucky this chapter is, but I wanted it done quick so I could get it up so please forgive me! ducks in cover
+Izzy+