Disclaimer: I do not own the song Maxwell Edison.
Chapter Four: Unneeded? Yep. Interesting? Maybe.
As the light receded from the diminutive grandmaster Ranma began to wonder if he was truly surprised by such a transformation. He looked to his master to see her with an eyebrow raised in question as she looked at the man left over from the lightshow.
Ranma looked back at Happousai with half lidded eyes and took in his new appearance.
Where once there had been a two foot tall, pudgy pervert there was now a six foot tall man, of similar build to Ranma, with snow white hair styled into about fifty, two inch spikes, silver eyes that reflected the light in the room appearing to give them a depth more substantial than the Mariana Trench, and tanned skin that contrasted his hair and eyes enough to almost make them glow. He wore an old set of chinese training clothes, dark blue in color.
The man then spoke in a voice that was decidedly not Happousai's, or atleast the Happousai Ranma knew, and in an all too familiar manner, "Oh, Goddess of beauty that bless mine eyes, this pitiful soul beseeches thee with but one wish. Allow this mortal to continue to admire your beauty and this one shall forever more be your servant!"
The guy was on a single knee before Yoruichi and had his hands clasped before him as if in prayer.
Yoruichi looked to her vassal, to ask if the grandmaster of Anything Goes did this often, to find him ignoring the oddity that was Happousai's new appearance in favor of a hot cup of tea from the elder Tendo sister.
Yoruichi snapped her eyes back to Happousai when she felt her breasts being fondled. She found the perverted grandmaster clutching at each of her breasts with a look of intense concentration on his face.
What happened next was an act of one quarter instinct, one half honed reflex, three eigths anger, and one eigth channeling Maxwell Edison.
Ranma looked at the results of such a combination, then looked at the woman who had become his master, though neither wanted to have anyone else hear her given such a title, and said, "I am officially afraid of you. Nice hammer, though."
Yoruichi gave a cursory look to the silver hammer in her hand before tossing it over her shoulder where it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Happousai lay on the ground, face through the floorboards, groaning and twitching in pain.
"Back to busin-" Yoruichi was interrupted now by a scream of rage from a bandana wearing ogre in yellow.
"Saotome!! Prepare To Die For Your Tresspasses!!"
A gutteral growl; feral, dominant, bloodthirsty.
Ryoga recoiled in fear. He had never heard such a ferocious warning from anyone or anything, let alone the formerly pigtailed martial artist. His baser instinct of fight or flight was reacting much the way Akane's had just a few minutes prior, but he could feel that neither would aide his survival.
Ryoga right then, infront of Yoruichi, Ranma, and the Tendo sisters, began to beg the gods for his survival, pleading for his life like a sacrifice about to have his heart ripped out...
...and nearly missed Ranma saying, "Eheh heh heh," he scratched at the base of his skull, "Sorry about that. I kinda missed lunch."
Three face faults out of six conscious people later and Ranma was being glared at by those same three out of six.
Nabiki, after hearing the growl, had practically dived out of the door to get away from what was probably going to be a highly destructive battle, only staying close enough to watch the preceeding to get a good tape to sell.
Akane had frozen with her eyes wide open. She had no idea that Ranma could even make such a sound, let alone with sincerity.
At the confession of hunger over a missed lunch and admission that the sound, that 'First-you-say-it-then-you-do-it' inspiring roar of animalistic lust for the flesh of lesser creatures, was an accident, only one reaction was acceptable. Their faces met the floor in a combination of relief and shock.
Then the three of them realized that they had been fooled, by Ranma's stomach of all things, again illiciting only one suitable reaction. All three glared.
"So, uh, we still gonna fight?" Ranma asked still grinning a little sheepishly, as Kasumi left to get him a suitably sized snack.
Ryoga looked away from Ranma and turned his nose up, "What's the point? You completely ruined the mood. Just be ready to die when I get back!" With that Ryoga picked up his backpack and left for... where ever.
Yoruichi sat back down at Ranma's left and waited for Kasumi to come back with the food before continuing the conversation.
After a quick feast, only a snack for the two powerful martial artists, the conversation continued.
"Okay, you're rich. Richer than anyone we've ever met. And don't get me wrong, I'll happily spread the word that Ranma is free from obligations and make even more money doing it, but what gives you the authority to end the arrangements his father made? And lets not even get started on the amazons. Nothing short of death will get them off Ranma's case," Nabiki said as Kasumi went about picking up the dishes. Ranma decided that this discussion was better left between his master and Nabiki so went to help Kasumi with her chores.
"Oh, but I think I have shown you exactly why I have that authority, Li'l 'Biki-chan," Yoruichi said with her grin in place, "It's good that the Amazons are so reasonable, because that is what awaits them and anyone who thinks they can take my pet without my approval."
Nabiki didn't try to call the older woman's bluff. She knew it wasn't one. After what had been done to her, and her younger sister, she knew that this woman wasn't one who could or would talk the talk without walking the walk.
"Okay, but you know it still won't be that easy with the amazons. You'll have to use someone as an example of what will happen if they disobey your rules, but you'll also have to wait for them to actually break one before you do. Otherwise they'll think you don't play by your own rules and find devious little ways around them. You'll probably have to do it repeatedly with Genma."
Yoruichi grinned at Nabiki, "You are a smart one, I'll give you that, but I've really got it all covered. And don't worry about the fat oaf," Yoruichi threw a scheming look at the unconscious martial artist with a bra size larger than his I.Q..
"Okay, I'll take your word for it on that. What will you do about Ranma's mother?"
"I'll simply tell her that he's my vassal and that as my underling it is my right to determine who will make a fine bride for the man who has dedicated himself to my family."
"Hmm... Instead of calling him your vassal, claim him as your samurai. Nodoka is big on the whole honroable warrior thing and its connection to manliness. I doubt you can get anymore honorable than being a samurai under a lord or lady," Nabiki suggested.
Yoruichi gave it a moment of thought, before nodding, "That will mean mum's the word when it comes to my personal training."
"Right," Nabiki said pausing to sip some tea, "Now as for what you want me to tell the community about Ranma's relationship status: Do you have a specific message in mind or do I have free reign in that area?"
Yoruichi grinned again, sending shivers down both girls' spines, and said, "I don't care how you word it as long the message that Ranma is open to all comers gets across. The only two rules are: One, if I don't approve they are not to bother him anymore. Failure to comply with this rule will be handled at my discretion. Interference in interaction between Ranma and any girl will imediately equal disapproval. Further interference will warrant sentencing, again at my discretion."
Nabiki quickly wrote down all that they had talked about. She nodded to herself as she looked over the work. She even set a relatively low ammount for the information, a mere five hundred yen. She figured she'd be telling so many people that even such a low amount would bring in a sizeable chunk of change.
Akane narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched the woman and her sister speak about her subject. The way the woman seemed to convey that she had all contingencies planned for sickened Akane. As if this woman could even halfway match her genius. She just needed a little time, a little more info, and this whore would get what was coming to her.
She stood up and left the table not wanting to be in the presence of the woman, Yoruichi, any longer. She stomped off to the dojo to carefully plan how to get Ranma into the lab if the malleting continued to be ineffective.
In the back yard two figures, one the troll like figure of the amazonian matriarch, the other the ninja of the Kuno family, darted away, their presence only noted by Yoruichi as she shook hands with Nabiki to seal the deal.
Thing were about to get fun. Yoruichi's eyes twinkled with delighted apprehension.
+--- End chapter Four---+
A/N: I know it was a short chapter, but it was mostly just a filler anyway. I do hope you all enjoyed it though. Please review if you have something to say.