Assassin Drones: The original saga
Fuyuki's training Arc. De Arimasu!
By Alex Young
In Zyururu's last hideout at an undisclosed location, 3:11 am. April 8, 2003
Biochemist Venono was sitting in his corner defeated, yet knows that somehow, Jirara was still alive. "Hmph, that sly old frog! No wonder he survived for so long as an assassin." Venono congratulated out of respect for Jirara, as much as he hated him.
The liquefied bodies of the very comrades Venono had personally slaughtered, excluding Zyururu because he escaped and was much too quick for his rampage, left an awful stench that Venono strangely enjoyed.
One whiff of dreadful putrefaction after another was like a really powerful drug. Venono's strange fascination for biochemistry (hence the name) that allowed him in to Zyururu's unit in the first place, had a far darker origin.
It was primarily because he was so competitive in disallowing anyone else to kill Jirara, so much so that he sought to get a leg up on them all by any means necessary, even if it meant exploring material and biochemical sciences.
Somehow still aware of the direction in which Zyururu is currently fleeing, Venono took up pursuit once more. Venono's excellent tracking skills had led him to the outskirts Kiriri's current hideout.
In this wake, he had formed what he called a temporary mercenary platoon, comprised of Zurara, Gururu, Duroro, and himself as the leader. "We ransack this shit hole, kill any witnesses, steal any weapons, and get the hell out of dodge, that's an order!" Venono seethed before stealthily entering the compound in Yokohama bay.
Why all the cold rain and thunderclouds? They form directly over Venono's head whenever he's focused on killing anyone. In other words, a freezing thunderstorm forms over his head whenever he's in his element.
"Ready or not, ya sons of bitches! HERE WE COME!" Zurara screeched as he and his companions broke in to the hideout early in the morning. "This is getting very dangerous, let's get out while we still have time" "No! We stay and fight to the end!" Kiriri and Zyururu conversed as though in love.
"MMMMRRRRRRRRRR YOU TWO DIE RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW!" Venono snarled angrily before he leapt down from the ceiling and decapitated both commando leaders with his venom blade.
The venom made short work of both leaders instantly liquefying their remains for easier clean up with a vacuum pump. It was part of a technique called "Assassin dark magic: Venomous Liquefaction," hence Venono's name.
The stench of liquefied, decaying flesh would be enough to drive anyone up the wall in disgust. Venono wasn't done yet, not at all! In fact he set out to extract the ovaries from Pathfinder Tegugu, Sentinel Sigaga, and Engineer Vegaga before liquefying their flesh as well.
He donated his own seeds of life in a sandwich bag to give to Operator Miaa for safekeeping, as he had a sexual desire for her body for some reason, lecherous or otherwise.
Miaa was young, yet had a sort of conviction rivaling that of any mother. With that, she brought herself to join Venono's new mercenary group, still devoted to making her contribution to the latter's family line.
A building called the Saotome residence, 7:00 am. April 9, 2003
It's been almost two day since the war of assassins (otherwise known as Operation: Diprotodon) began to die down, and Jirara was just starting to wake up in a daze. His vision rather hazy, Jirara began to sit upright.
The very same kimono clad woman who took the Keronian home with her, was also caring for him. He knew for a fact that his own claw would regrow quickly as per healing, but the woman was so nice as to have give him a nice place to rest.
"I must say, your charity is not unlike that found within the Tendo residence." Jirara remarked. "Say, are you a distant relative of the Tendo family?" Jirara asked in curiosity. "No, but my husband happens to be friends with the man called Soun Tendo." The woman noted.
"Anyways, you can call me Nodoka. Nodoka Saotome." The woman dubbed Nodoka introduced. "In exchange for your hospitality, you may refer to myself as Jirara." Jirara replied in a more gentlemanly manner.
Also within the Saotome residence was Scirocco Malachai, the eigth generation grand master of martial arts falconry. He, too was healing up after playing his part (that's his reconaissance run until he was ambushed by the Don Viper's henchmen) in the war of assassins.
"That Venono character. He is someone else." Scirocco noted as he got up slowly with his own healing much more brief. "A very dangerous character at that. I'll need to monitor his every move." Alisa Southerncross sounded from the door to Scirocco's room.
"However, as dangerous as Venono is, Miaa is the one we should be even more concerned upon him successfully killing Jirara. Who knows what will happen to her mind if such a moment should come to pass." Alisa quivered a little citing the potential danger Miaa may pose if she were to lose Venono.
"Agreed, once I leave this place, I will become he X1 unit's instant messenger and report any new developments concerning this new mercenary unit to the Adviser whenever necessary." Scirocco decreed as he took his leave with game plan in motion.
Along a touge road, 1:07 am. April 10, 2003
Venono and his now permanent mercenary crew were looking for a hideout along a more obscure part of the road. From there, he and his crew helped to dig a hole in the ground in a bosky area along the road.
Once it was deep enough, and the cave within wide enough, Venono unpacked his new hideout kit contained in his Kero ball. A trap door was constructed at the entrance to the hole, and they all began to settle in on this rather damp early morning.
In so killing his former comrades, he had permanently severed any ties he had with the Keronian government. He was no longer as much of a threat to Earth and its inhabitants, seeing as how he became just another hired gun willing to work for the highest bidder.
Strangely, as though by coincidence, one of the Don Viper's henchmen paid a visit to Venono's new headquarters. It was Cloak and Dagger Viper, and his boss may very well have an offer that Venono simply wouldn't pass up!
"Hello there! Is this Venono of the Venom-X tactical hit squad?" Cloak and Dagger Viper called out. "Yes! What do you think, stupid?" Venono snarled as he popped open the trap door to come up and face the Viper still very hostile towards his species in general.
"I'll tell you what? If you do us a small favor, we'll begin funding your operations. How about that?" Cloak and Dagger Viper presented. "Hmph, sounds like a deal. All the more money to be spent on trying to kill Jirara." Venono replied citing his hostility towards Vipers being trumped by his obsession for Jirara.
Somewhere near the Tendo family graveyard, 3:00 pm
The Saotomes and the Tendos all clad in black marched onwards towards the Tendo family graveyard to mourn Mrs. Tendo's passing once more.
Akane wore a black seifuku, Ranma wore a black pseudo-military uniform, the patriarchs wore black dress shirts, suits, and ties, and Nabiki and Kasumi wore their black skirt suits and black tank tops.
Upon arrival at mrs Tendo's grave, Akane laid down a bouquet of her favorite flowers. "Here you are, mom. I know they're not in season, but you're favorites so I brought them over." Akane breezed having since grown up from her mother's dear departing.
"Hello, darling. We're all just fine, so you need not worry." Soun sounded with hands clasped and eyes closed. Kasumi did her duty of the routine grave watering, and Ranma soon clasped his own hands after a while of reflecting upon Jirara's disappearance.
Soon after the memorial service, Ranma found himself walking along the fence as he usually did when walking to school. Ranma then turned around to see Giroro piloting a bipedal assault mech armed with coil shotguns and a shoulder mounted laser cannon, and Ryoga on the other side of the partly empty sewage canal.
A very tense, if not unnerving atmosphere built up between the two combatants/rivals in love. "now, you listen to me, Giroro! You'll never break Natsumi's heart again!" Ryoga spat in contempt for Giroro's attempt to break them up. "Well I wouldn't have had to do it if you'd have just stayed far away from her! You fucking horny pig dog!" Giroro snarled back in cocking his mech's guns.
"That does it, Giroro! PREPARE TO DIIIEEEE!" Ryoga screeched as he launched his umbrella at Giroro's mech, which dodged surprisingly quickly with time limited V.T.O.L. technology.
"On the contrary, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD PREPARE TO DIE!" Giroro growled as his mech landed on one of the sloping walls within the canal. Giroro fired his 30 mm cyclical cannon at Ryoga, who swerved from side to side in his advance.
He used his umbrella as a shield in deflecting the bullets and then as a battle aura laced sword in cutting the machine cannon weapon off from the mech's left arm section. It was then that Giroro opened the mech's "backpack" remotely to switch out weapons, in this case to a Gaussian sniper cannon.
The two coil shotguns fired hemotoxin laced neodynium alloy fragments, and the Gauss sniper cannon fired tungsten carbide slugs. Ryoga constantly used his breaking point technique to either create decoys, or deflect the electric shrapnel, much to Giroro's obvious annoyance.
Ryoga then tossed barrage after barrage of bandana blades in Giroro's mech's direction, which fired its weapons, and destroyed all but a few of them that escaped, and cut both weapons from its arm sockets.
Deciding that this battle had gone on long enough, Ryoga charged up his super lion's roar shot sniper bow, and Giroro prepped his laser cannon for fire. "PREPARE TO DIE!" Both parties screamed as they fired their respective weapons, only to blow each other out of the water, literally.
"CUUURRRRSEEEESSSSS!" "THIS ISN'T OVER YEEEEET!" Giroro and Ryoga screeched respectively as they flew off in opposite directions. The resulting shock wave was enough to knock the fence part that Ranma was still standing on off balance, and toss him into the water below.
"Aaaah frickin Jesus, Mary, and Joseph almighty! Just what I needed!" Ranko spat moping in the small crater cross legged. "It would look as though we meet again, Ranma." Scirocco sounded.
"Hey! Wait just a damn second! You're that Scirocco guy from the scorpion bra incident, aren't you?" Ranko cried with her memory well and fully jogged at the mere sight of his shadow.
"You could use a little help by the looks of it. Algol. Help our arrogant friend out of the water." Scirocco commanded of Algol as the raptor swooped in and picked Ranko up by the talons and dragged her all the way out with minimal effort.
"Thanks, though I could just as easily have gotten out myself." Ranko spat selfishly as they parted company once more. Just then, further along the canal route to school Ranko turned around to chance a look at the very woman who saved Jirara from certain death; Nodoka.
"Oh, hello there." Ranko said. "Hello there, young lady. I was just looking for a Genma Saotome and his son. I hope my letter made it in time." Nodoka replied. "Wait, you mean you know the guy?" Ranko paused incredulously.
"I only hope that Genma has fulfilled his promise to make a man among men out of my son, Ranma." Nodoka lamented citing something else that Ranko may not be too comfortable with.
"Excuse me." Ranko shivered as she headed off home. "You go on ahead, young lady." Nodoka sent off as she resumed her ever slow walk towards the Tendo residence.
Ranko was just at the gates to the Tendo residence when Gial suddenly popped in from out of nowhere, flanked by that all too familiar pair of associates on both sides; Raikoume and Kamikase.
"Just as a fair warning." Raikoume began. "The moment you meet your own mother, is a sight and a moment to die for. We mean that quite literally." Kamikase added. "Why is that?" Ranko spat still defiant. "That's for the three of us to hint at and for you to find out." The twins finished as all three disappeared in search of a place to observe her.
"A moment to die for? Wonder what they mean by that?" Ranko queried to herself as Genma stumbled his way down the stairs, and carried her off by the waist. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!" Genma screeched before being lassoed in by Soun.
"Now do tell me before you just run off, Saotome. you could in the very least tell us what exactly is it that you're so utterly paranoid about, hm?" Soun queried sternly as he hog tied his companion to a tatami mat.
"LEMME GO! LEMME GO! LEMME GO!" Genma constantly ordered to no avail as Kasumi read the letter. [I sincerely hope this letter finds you well, I'm coming over for a visit. Signed, Nodoka.] The letter read with the three Tendo siblings gathered round.
"Hello there! Is this the Tendo residence?" A voice, Nodoka's resounded through to the living room as Soun motioned himself up. "Coming!" Soun replied as Genma began to untie himself.
Inside the lake, though. \It's the suspense that get's me!/ Raikoume communicated through her rebreather mask. \I'm with ya there. Damn, is this gonna be good!/ Kamikase added as she noticed Genma with Ranma under armpit diving for the lake.
*Guhsplash.* Father and son changed into their curse forms as they made a break for behind the dojo. "Okay, ahem. Why in the living, breathing fuck would you hafta do that, huh?" Ranko spat unappreciative of what Panda Genma had done.
[Trust me! You don't want to know!] Panda Genma replied as Ranko whacked him upside the head. "Don't be stupid! Of course I want to know!" Ranko snarled in return as Gial dropped several canister like bombs scattering them all around.
By the time father and son realized what exactly these canisters were for, it was already too late as one loud boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion after another showered the both of them in hot water, reverting them back into birth forms.
"The hell was that all about, Gial!?" Ranma spat. "Nffhahahahahaa! Those were B.L.E.V.E. (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) bombs that Gial dropped on your asses. For every time we catch either of you in curse form, expect one of these to revert you back to birth form, HA!" Raikoume taunted waving a B.L.E.V.E. canister in her hand.
"DO YOU GODDAMN JERKOFFS ACTUALLY WANT MY BOY DEAD OR SOMETHING!?" Genma screeched as he and Ranma kicked all three Assassin drones into the sky far away!
Ranma then proceeded to pick up a peculiar piece of paper, shoving Genma's warnings to the wayside so he can look at it for himself. "Hmmm. It reads [Upon my failure as a father to make my boy, Ranma into a man among men, I, Genma Saotome, will join him in committing ritual suicide together by your hands.] Gotta wonder why pops would be afraid." Ranma paused for a second as he sat in his room cross legged.
"Well, once mom goes home, then we'll discuss how to deal with the seppuku contract." Ranma proposed to himself willing to run and hide from his own mother until he can come up with a decent argument.
One that's convincing enough an argument to get Nodoka to accept him just for who he is. "Hey, Ranma. It's me, Fuyuki. Can I come in?" Fuyuki sounded much to Ranma's relief as he entered.
"Well, I dunno how to break this news to you, but first." Fuyuki paused to take a moment and read the aforementioned seppuku contract for himself. "Wow. That's what I call a sobering reminder of a Jusenkyo curse's double edged sword effect. Speaking of bad news, I honestly think that Jirara's dead. Yet all is not lost, for there is a way." Fuyuki broached handing Ranma a handheld mirror of reflections past.
Ranma, obviously tearful from the shocking news of Jirara's apparent death, took the mirror of reflection and looked into it. Fuyuki was standing by his side when Ranma's freshly shed tears dropped onto the mirror, and transported them to the time of about an hour before Jirara's showdown with Aoryuzen and Dororo.
Somehow, they were teleported to where Biochemist Venono was nearby, all alone in his very early morning walk. Venono spotted Ranma and Fuyuki as they teleported back in time, and engaged them thinking that they were out to kill his sworn nemesis, Jirara prematurely. Ranma and Fuyuki dodged Venono's venom blade and bounded about the landscape.
"Hold on! We're not out to kill you or Jirara!" Fuyuki pleaded, and much to his surprise, Venono began to listen. "Then what is it that you two idiots want?" Venono growled curious, yet still very hostile with blade still in hand. "It's Dororo! Also known as Zeroro! HE'S THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO KILL JIRARA!" Ranma forewarned.
After a while though, a click in Venono's corrupted mind sounded throughout the rest of his body. "WHAT!? I'M NOT GONNA LET SOME PIPSQUEAK GET THE DROP ON MY SWORN ENEMY!" Venono screeched citing a promise of revenge he made to himself as part of an arcane death ritual dating back to Keron's ancient history.
With that, Venono disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke, the weight of his wrath dangerously obvious as he sped off towards the impending confrontation. Venono's lightining fast advance was unabated amid the F/A-18C/D Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, F-14D Super Tomcats, and several other allied fighters dogfighting with Reaver Drones and Mecha Missiles.
Venono bounced off of several of the partaking aircraft, cutting them to pieces along the way. An unfortunate pilot of an Mi-42 Mudskipper found their aircraft rent to ribbons as it exploded in Venono's wake.
Venono was gunning it full speed ahead into the forest as he locked not Dororo, but Aoryuzen in his sights as he pulled back his fist, and thrust it into the Alpha 134 commander's lower jaw.
The sheer force of the punch knocked Aoryuzen sideways into the whole mess of trees, plowing them down along the way. "Who did that!?" Aoryuzen snarled angered at this act of interference as he got himself back up and was set to lash out at Venono for it.
"Nobody gets in my way." Venono snarled back through all the smoke before turning to face, and clash with Dororo. This was when the latter found himself streaking to the side thrust forward by and clashing with Venono this time, leaving Aoryuzen to deal with the possessed Koyuki.
Dororo found himself lost amid the gunfire being traded between the guerrillas and the soldiers as he traded blows with Venono; a deadly foe he had not seen or ever even heard of before.
It felt like several hours but was only one as the two former assassins clashed among the bamboo forest. One after another, several Mecha Missiles were cut to pieces by Dororo and later Venono in their fighting.
Venono's venom blade barely missed Dororo, but Venono struck him down with its hilt. "Do you want to know what happens when some pipsqueak like you comes between me and my revenge?" Venono hissed as he raised his sword set to plunge it into Dororo's beating heart.
Suddenly, Koyuki came to Dororo's rescue once more in disarming, and grazing Venono in the visor side of his head with her icicle shards. "Are you alright, big D?" Koyuki queried in the same concern she expressed when confronting Jirara herself.
"Rrrgh, dammit! You can have Jirara, but just this once!" Venono sneered in regret as he made his bloody retreat. With that, Koyuki and Dororo made it clear to retreat to safer grounds.
Come nightfall, the present Ranma and Fuyuki distantly watched with their past selves nowhere to be seen as Aoryuzen supposedly pulled the trigger on what looked like Jirara, and shot him dead.
Ranma and Fuyuki turned around a second afterward to reveal the real Jirara watching right beside them. "Hmph! Never thought that I would get to watch my own execution playing itself out." That was all the real Jirara said before heading off.
With their mission accomplished in realizing that Jirara wasn't dead after all, Ranma and Fuyuki returned to the present back into the former's room with the mirror of reflection. Thus they resumed Fuyuki's training together in Nodoka's absence, and parted company once more for the day.