Hey again
Hey again. Sorry I took time to update this chapter, but I've been doing quite a bit of work lately. First off, I've been working my ass off to get a few new chapters of Being Alive up, and, at the same time, outlining a bunch of chapters for this story. Suffice to say, my writer's block is gone. If things go smoothly, there should be more frequent updates from now on.
I'll be updating Being Alive the next chance I get. Plus, I'm going back to work on Golden Classics pretty soon. That's all for now. Enjoy.
Chapter 6
School, Jews, and Triads
At Tokyo International Airport, a small, private jet flew in from the clouds, and landed on the runway. Coming to a stop a few hundred feet from the terminal, the door opened up, and several men began to step out onto the runway. They were all Chinese men in business suits, several of them carrying duffle bags and briefcases. After twenty men stepped off the plane, a fancy sedan pulled up from the airport, and out stepped a larger, more distinct man, also Chinese. He was taller than the rest of them, and had a long, brushy goatee on his hard, gruff face. His face bore a few scars, as did his hands. When he stepped out of the car, all the other men, who had been chatting and laughing amongst themselves, suddenly went silent, their eyes remaining on him.
The larger man pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and walked up to one of the men, muttering something in Chinese. The shorter man nodded wearily, and pulled out a small set of papers, hading it to the bigger man. He looked them over, and eventually came across a photo of a large, golden monkey idol. Staring at it for a few seconds, he finally nodded, handing the papers back, but keeping the photo for himself.
At that moment, three more cars pulled up, and all the men got in. The cars drove off, leaving the empty jet behind.
"School?" the youth asked, a surprised look in his eyes as he sat across from his father.
Max sipped his coffee while looking at a paper. "Well, we are going to be here a while…plus, you haven't been to school a while. You might as well have something to do."
"You could have asked me first" the boy retorted.
"The law kinda' requires you to, son. Not really much of a choice." Pulling out a schoolbag from somewhere, he held it out for Ranma to take.
Sighing, Ranma took the bag, and stood up. He heard footsteps behind him.
"You're in the same school as Akane and me," Nabiki said, walking by in her school uniform. "See you there!" She was about to step outside, when she stopped to get a look at the boy's father.
Looking up from his paper, Max saw the girl looking at him. "Something wrong miss?"
Smiling, she shook her head. "Oh, nothing. See you later." And with that, she made for the door.
"Wait!" Akane yelled as she ran up to her sister. "I'll go with you!"
Whirling around, the elder daughter smiled. "C'mon, Akane, he's your fiancé. You should at least walk him to school." She stepped outside, and Akane and Ranma glared at each other before turning away, and heading out the door to school themselves.
Once they were all gone, Max finished his coffee, put down his paper, and reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a set of photos. As he went through them, Carlos stepped into the room, stretching his arms and yawning.
"Late riser, huh?" Max asked, smirking.
"Yeah, yeah," the man responded. "They leave already?"
"I'll be goin' after em' in a minute" Max said, continuing to look through the photos.
"What for?" Looking closer, he saw the photos. "What're those?"
"Oh, just some shots I took back in China. Planning on gettin' a head start."
Walking closer, Carlos closed in on the pictures. "What are you talking about…oh."
Smiling, Max put away the photos. "Get it?"
"Yeah," he said. "Really, though…those're worse than Nabiki would do, seriously."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
Carlos walked over to the coffee pot, and poured himself a cup. "By the way," he said, adding some sugar, "are you any closer to knowing just what it is that brought us here?"
"Nope," Max quipped. "Sorry, but I'm not sure there's a way for us to find out. We won't know unless the reason jumps out in front of us lit up by neon."
"I figured," Carlos answered, sipping. "Guess I really don't care; I'll just suck it up and be happy with our little opportunity."
"Now you're talkin'," Max finished, stashing the photos in his jacket. "Anyway, I'm off."
"Already?"
"Hell yeah! There's no way I'm gonna miss this." And, with that, he went out the door. Once outside, he thought to himself, and smirked. But first, I need to make a stop at the copiers.
In a run-down Japanese jewelry shop in downtown Tokyo, an old man sat behind the counter, inspecting a series of gems. He looked up when he heard the bell above the door ring, and saw two foreigners walk through.
"Irrashai- Tony?"
The hulkish man nodded in a greeting fashion. "How ya doin', Ryo?"
The man stood in shock with his mouth hanging open. "H- how can you be here? They said you were killed!"
"People say a lot a' things. But they don' always make sure."
"But I heard you were shot in the head with your own gun!"
"I was," he answered, turning back to look at Avi, who rolled his eyes and sighed. "An' everyone obviously thought the same, 'cause they all left me fer dead. It was only by dumb luck that some paramedic bothered to patch up the wound 'fore I expired. I spent eight months recuperatin', and I've just now gotten me a new job, working for the same bloke that shot me before. Kinda' ironic once you think about it."
Taking a deep breath, Ryo gathered his thought. "Well, I'm glad you're still alive, Tony. It's wonderful to see you again."
"Jus' wonderin, Ryo" Tony said, looking around the shop, "did you ever think about it?"
"About what?"
"You know – your function in life."
The man froze up at this question. He thought to himself, apparently searching for an answer. "Well…I'm still not sure about that, Tony…"
"S'all right, Ryo; don't think to hard about it. Anyway, we're here because we think you might be able to help us."
Breathing easily again, the man asked, "With what?"
"We're wondering if anyone's tried to sell you something rather expensive an' valuable recently. Something big, high-profile?"
"I'm afraid not. Business has actually been pretty slow lately."
Tony sighed. "Sorry ta' hear that." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a slip of paper. "Still," he said, "if you come across anything out of the ordinary, like a seller with something big, I'd appreciate you giving me a call."
Taking the slip, Ryo looked at the number written on it. "Will do, Tony."
"Thanks, old chum. Hope business picks back up." And, with that, he walked back out the door, followed closely by Avi. Once outside, the two began to walk down the street.
"What the hell was the point of that, Tony?" Avi let out.
Turning to face the man, he sighed angrily. "Let me explain a little something to you, my dear Avi: when people find rather expensive items they wish to cash in, they go to places like this. I'm merely letting an old friend of mine know of our little situation so that he may help if he can. See a lack of logic there, do you?"
"Why the fuck would the guys with the idol come to this dump? Wouldn't they go to an actual jewelry store, where they're likely to be paid better?"
"If the men we're looking for are from around here Tony, and I believe they are, they'll come to this place. Anyone with the least bit o' knowledge on merchandise comes to this place, 'cause they know they'll get the best deal. Trust me if you want me to go with you any further on this."
Letting out a sigh himself, Avi responded. "Alright, alright. But this hasn't gotten us any closer to the idol, Tony."
Stopping at a cigarette vendor, Tony pulled a pack from the machine, and lit up. "Patience is a true virtue, my dear Avi. Take that to heart."
He sighed a final time. "Yeah, whatever."
"Hate boys! Hate boys! HATE BOYS!" This is what ran through Akane's head, as well as what came from her mouth, as she ran towards the gates of the school, and the dozens of students that charged at her, fists and weapons raised. Ranma, in his surprise, found a seat on top of the wall, watching the spectacle.
Not far off, behind a nearby tree, Max was watching as well. He'd done a quick run-through inside the school, and was ready to get down to business. Soon, the school would be in a pretty nice uproar. But for now, he wanted to see just how things would play out between Ranma and Kuno.
Soon enough, Akane was standing amongst a field of fallen bodies, and Ranma was jumping down beside her. Seconds later, a single red rose flew in the direction of the two; Ranma reached out to grab it, looking at it for a moment. "Huh?"
"You there! Who are you, and why do you hold the rose of love meant for my Akane Tendo?"
Here it comes, Max thought. Let's see what he does.
"Who the hell are you?" Ranma asked in retort.
"Cur! Did I give you permission to inquire about my name?"
Arching his eyes more, Ranma merely turned back to continue in the direction of the school.
"Hold, fool! I have not yet given my name!"
"You just had your chance," Ranma said under his breath.
Kuno proceeded to give his 'Blue Thunder' speech, to which Ranma started to walk away during the middle of.
"Blue Thunder of Furinkan- halt! Did I give you my leave, scum?"
"Did I ask, prick?" Ranma snorted.
Max laughed. Kid's learning more already.
Pointing his bokken at Akane, Kuno turned towards her. "Forgive me, my love, but I must put this cur in his place. Fear not, we shall spar soon." He raised his weapon, and charged at the new student.
Eyeing the charging kendoist, Max kept his eyes on his almost-son. C'mon, boy, do it…
"Cur! I shall smite thee for thy insolence!" the fencer yelled.
Ranma stared down his opponent as he charged, and, at the last moment, leapt into a flip, coming down just as Kuno passed, and jabbing two fingers right to the back of the kendoist's neck. Kuno fell forward face-first, skidding into the dust.
Max smirked. Perfect.
Akane ran up to the boy. "Ranma! What are you doing, getting into a fight!"
"Hey, he came at me! What the hell do you want me to do?"
The girl looked down at the kendoist, who was starting to move around on the ground. "What did you do to him?"
Looking at the fingers he used, Ranma answered, "Nothing much, just a small move pops taught me. He won't be able to move the left side of his body for a bit."
"Huh?" Akane quipped, looking at him weirdly.
Sure enough, Kuno was trying to raise himself up with his right arm, using his bokken for support. "Damn you, cur," he said in slightly slurred speech. "I fight on!" He quickly lost his support, and fell flat on his face again.
"C'mon, let's get inside," she said, pushing the boy to the door.
Exiting the front entrance, Max dusted off his hands. He'd just finished his next bit of work. Walking to the nearest tree, he climbed up, and prepared for the coming fireworks.
Nabiki sat at her desk, thinking to herself. Since the previous night, she had been scheming on how to get her hands on the expensive piece of gold and jewelry that belonged to her father's friend. While she was still working on it, she had plans to gain some quicker cash. She was just waiting for Kuno to show up to class.
Class had already begun; she sighed. Kuno would have to stay out in the hall with the pails, and she wouldn't be able to break the news until the next class.
A long, sudden scream that resonated throughout the halls broke her concentration, and she recognized it as Kuno.
"What's his problem? Ranma didn't beat him that bad, did he?"
"Ranma Saotome! I forbid this engagement! You shall never sink your claws into my Akane Tendo!"
The class shot up in uproar, making for the door at the news. Nabiki sat up, hardly daring to believe it. Could Ranma or Akane have told him? They couldn't have…
Following the class out the door, she pushed her way through the crowd, who were all crowding the walls. Her mouth fell open in shock.
Pasted over nearly every inch of the walls were fliers, showing a smiling Ranma and Akane, both in respective wedding clothing, holding each other. The flier promptly announced the engagement of the two, and hinted at an already long-running relationship.
"It can't be!" she said, though she couldn't hear herself over the crowd. "Who did…" Her mind came to a screeching halt as she realized her answer.
"Very clever," she said. "Looks like this will be interesting."
Soon enough, Ranma was running through the halls, evading the strikes of Kuno's bokken as it slashed through the air behind him. He had burst through the classroom door, yelling about the engagement, and Ranma had leapt up and run, planning to lead him outside. That was when he saw the fliers; the ones posted all over the walls of the hallway, showing a very fluff-filled picture of Akane and himself together. Now, he was bubbling with anger as he leapt and dashed down the hall, wondering who the hell could've pulled this stupid prank.
"Hold still, scurvy cur! Submit and accept your punishment!" the samurai-wannabe yelled, slashing the bokken at the boy.
"You can't be serious!" Ranma replied, literally bouncing off the wall to avoid a swipe.
"When one deserves such punishment, it is only honorable to accept it in its most brutal form! Considering that I am the superior fighter, there is no point in resisting!"
After another dodged swing, Ranma kicked off from the wall, and delivered a foot to the kendoist's face, leaving a noticeable mark. "Please, pal. You couldn't hit the broadside of this building!"
Regaining his composure, Kuno resumed his chase. "Silence, knave! I will put you in your place for insulting the skills of a master samurai!"
Ranma couldn't hold back a laugh as he turned in a new direction, almost forgetting his anger about the fliers. "No thanks. I'm perfectly happy kickin' your ass, jerkoff," he said, sending a right hook to Kuno's jaw.
The chase resumed until Ranma saw a window up ahead. Turning back, he eyed the kendoist. "This is no place to fight, Kuno! Follow me!"
"That I shall!"
Max had a pair of binoculars put to his eyes, keeping a close eye on the window, waiting for the inevitable. Must be taking his time, though, he thought. It didn't take this long in the story. Maybe he's really having more fun this time. Smiling, he waited. I sure am glad we spent that much time together. Otherwise, he'd still be a boring, stuck-up Boy Scout punk.
Sure enough, a large figure burst through the window, followed by another one. They both began to plummet towards the swimming pool below.
"Oh no!" the youth yelled as he fell towards the pool. Feeling how close Kuno was to him, he took immediate action, and grabbed hold of the kendoist. Using Kuno as a surface, he bounded away, landing well past the pool, while Kuno plummeted in with a splash.
Dusting off his hands, Ranma began to walk away. "Ain't no way I'm turnin' into a girl in front of these people." His mind suddenly went back to the big surprise from the halls. "Who the hell could've done all that? Nabiki? She seemed kind of like the type…nah. She didn't have that kind of stuff on her when she went to school. It must've been…" His head shot up in the air when he realized what he was thinking. "Oyaji!"
At that exact moment, water sprayed up from the grass, soaking the boy, and temporarily washing away his manhood. The redhead stared, open-mouthed at the sprinkler system in front of her. "It can't be…"
She was suddenly grabbed from behind, her chest being squeezed painfully tight.
"I fight on, Saotome!"
Screaming in irritated pain, Ranma reached up, grabbed Kuno by his hair, and drove his head into the ground. Breathing heavily in anger, she stomped off, trying to squeeze the water out of her clothes.
Kuno, using his bokken, slowly dug himself out of the dirt, his head popping up, all covered in dirt. He couldn't help but stare into space.
"Who was that?" he pondered. "A woman? Yes…that was certainly a woman." Slowly standing up with the aid of his wooden sword, he took a deep breath before exhaling in another fit of anger.
"Saotome! I will not be fooled by this cowardly display of trickery! You are no man! YOU ARE NO MAN!!"
A red-hot kettle of water collided with the Kendoist's head, sending his head right back into the ground. Digging himself out again, he turned around, and saw the same girl standing before him. She was wearing only her shirt and boxers, having begun wringing the water out of her pants.
"Oh, it's you. That hurt, you know."
"Shut up!" Ranma shouted, balling up her fists. She had been about to use that water to change back, and was mad she had to use it for something otherwise. "I don't have to stand there and take that from you. Come on!" she said, taking up her stance. "I can take you anytime!"
Slowly standing up, Kuno raised his bokken. "Very amusing. Should you win…I would allow you to date m-"
A flying kick to the face silenced him. "Who the hell is asking to go out with you?" the girl said, snatching the bokken right out of his hands, and striking four places on his body in succession, before tossing the weapon to the ground. She began to walk away, before turning back to Kuno, who was still standing upright after the strikes.
"Oh, and for the record, pal; Ranma Saotome is way better'n me! So don't get your hopes up!" With that, she walked off.
Kuno stared at the girl as she walked off, his mind running a mind a minute. Who on Earth… he thought, before trying to take a step.
As soon as he moved, though, the muscles in each of his joints where he had been struck locked up tight, and he fell face-first onto the ground, unable to move.
From his place in the tree, Max watched through a pair of binoculars. Not bad, kid; using the joint-lock. Putting the pair away, he leapt down from the tree, walking over to the fallen fencer.
Kuno looked up to the one approaching him. "And who are you?" he asked in a slurred voice.
Later that day at the dojo, Max practiced his own techniques, waiting for Ranma to show up.
Soon enough, the young aqua transsexual, once again a male, came storming into the building, searching angrily for his father. "Oyaji! Get out here! I know you're here! And I know you made all those stupid fliers of me an' Akane and posted em' all over the school! Get out here so I can kick your ass!"
Running out of the house and into the dojo, Ranma continued running at the same speed, and failed to notice the small tripwire at the entrance to the dojo. Rolling on the ground until he hit the wall, he attempted to stagger to his feet, only to feel about two hundred pounds fall right on his back, sending him to the ground once more. Looking up, he saw the black-gi-clad figure of his father sitting on his back, holding what looked like a large knife.
"Oyaji! Get offa me so I can kick your ass!" he yelled, trying and failing to force the older man off his back. Max elbowed him in the back of his neck, and continued to inspect his blade.
"Put a sock in it, punk," he said, running the flat of the blade across his gi-clad arm. "I figured that you'd at least be able to spot a tripwire by now. Apparently, I was wrong."
"You jerk!" Ranma screeched again. "Why the hell should you be talking about my skill? You're the one who made all those stupid fliers of me an' Akane, weren't you?"
"Your intelligence is precise," he said sarcastically. "Yeah, I made 'em. I felt you'd need all the training opportunities you could get."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma retorted, still struggling under his father's weight.
"It means that this is a perfect opportunity to get more training everyday. Think about it: now that everyone knows you're Akane's fiancé, they're all gonna be gunning for you, as well as her, every morning. And the Kuno douche will be a nice addition. You need to be alert, and this is the perfect way to ensure that you are."
Ranma growled. "Oyaji, I am sick of you going off and making decisions for me! I've been humiliated in front of the entire school because of this stupid engagement! And I can take any of those twerps, any time of the day!"
"Really? Then fight 'em for the rest of the school year. We'll see how good you do." He got up, and Ranma leapt to his feet, immediately taking a swing at his father. Max easily parried it, knocking the boy on his rear again.
"That's it, Oyaji! Yer' goin' down!"
"Please, son, don't make me laugh," he said, easily keeping up with his son's chestnut fist. "You need this training, and you know it." He proved his words by landing a final tap to Ranma's forehead, which sent the youth flying back five feet.
Ranma got up again, and angrily sulked, but seemed to calm down a notch. "What about the engagement? What if I don't wanna get married to that chick?"
"Then don't."
Ranma's eyes went wide, and donned a confused look. "Huh?"
"This engagement is really more to keep your mother happy, son. Tendo and I recently agreed that we don't need you and Akane to unite the schools. We're doing business in a different way. But we thought it might be good for you two to at least spend some time together, considering how much time you've spent away from society and women in general."
When Ranma finally got the jist of what his father said, he angrily retorted, "And who's fault is that, huh?!"
"Yeah, and I'm making up for it, right? Besides, you already had a girl for a friend during our journey."
"Whaddya' talking about, Oyaji? I never knew any girls on that trip!"
Max caught himself. Oops. Almost spilled the beans. Gotta save that girl for later. "Yeah, sorry. Anyway, just relax. They'll all grow to accept your 'engagement' soon enough. Well, everyone except Kuno, that is. Take it easy."
He left, leaving Ranma alone in the dojo. The boy sat down, sighing an angry sigh, until he saw someone else at the entrance.
"Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, holding out what looked like an envelope. "It seems you've received a challenge…"
The next morning, Max had gotten up early, and was out in the garden, holding one of his two handguns. He'd done his usual exercises, and was now thinking about something else.
How can I extend my abilities with these things? He asked himself mentally. Learning simple movie tricks isn't even half the game. I know there's more to it. But where to start…
Pulling the slide back on the gun, he sighed. I can start by getting a new set. A whole armory of weapons, and I go for a lousy pair of Berettas. I gotta work on customizing my own weapons.
A sudden scream grabbed his attention away. It was Ranma, no doubt waking up from his little Freudian nightmare concerning Kuno's declaration of love the previous day.
Ranma and Akane didn't even exchange words during their run to school that morning. Nabiki shortly followed. As the kids ran off down the street, someone watched them from the other side of the road. He lifted up a radio, speaking a few words.
A few minutes later, Kasumi left the house as well, carrying her purse for a shopping errand. As soon as she was out of sight, the lone figure gave a final signal into his radio.
Max looked over the inside of his jacket to check his arsenal once more. He had his two Berettas, a few extra magazines, and his Bowie Knife; not much, but all he would need, should the need arise. Walking over to his futon, he pushed it aside, and lifted up the tatami mat, revealing a hole in the floorboards, where he had stashed the idol. Taking it, he shoved it into his jacket, and headed into the living room, spotting Carlos.
"Where're you headed?" he asked, looking up from his paper.
"To see a supposed expert on jewelry. I've been looking around, and this guy's resume looks pretty good. We might be able to get a good deal, or at least some info. You wanna come?"
Leaving the paper on the desk, he nodded. "Sure."
As Nabiki sat listening to her homeroom teacher blab away, she smirked, tapping a pen lightly on the wooden surface of her desk. Being who she was, she had a number of connections across town in the business of money, including brokers and jewelers. She'd mentioned to one of her more distant connections about the prize her father's friend possessed, and he'd perked right up at the news. Soon enough, an ad was in the papers, one that wouldn't slip by the old man's eyes. Of course, she had her own motives in telling the jeweler that bit of information, and they didn't include buying it from him, should he get his hands on it.
Max and Carlos stepped through the doors of a jewelry shop, sounding the bell. The jeweler, standing behind the counter, looked up from a set of sapphires to greet them.
"Irrashaimase," Ryo said, putting down his eyeglass. Glancing at the two men, he found they matched the description that girl had given him. "How can I help you two gentlemen today?"
Max walked up to the counter, Carlos close behind him. "Thank you. We just wanted to talk to you about some supposed merchandise value; we heard this store was one of the best in town."
"Not one of, sir; we are the best in town."
"That's good to hear."
"So, what did you want to talk about, sir?"
Max leaned in closer. "I'd rather talk about this in the back room, if you don't mind. This isn't something that needs to be recorded," he said, noting the security camera up on the wall.
Looks like these men could be the people Tony was talking about, Ryo thought. "Sure, whatever floats your boat," He led them around the counter, to the door leading to the storage room.
Outside the shop, a couple of cars were parked on either side. Inside the one on the entrance's side, the driver spoke into his radio.
Max slowly pulled the cloth off of the idol for all to see. Ryo's eyes widened as he gazed at the golden monkey shape, encrusted with countless diamonds. He reached out his hands, stopping just short to throw a glance at the owner. Max nodded, and the jeweler took the piece in his hands, holding it lovingly.
"Unbelievable," he said, his eyes locked on the idol. "I've never seen such a thing in my life. Where did you find it?"
"China," Max said, taking a look around the room. "Other than that, we don't know a lot."
"I see," the man replied. "It doesn't look very Chinese…"
"I'm as confused as you are." Max walked around, looking at the various boxes stacked around the room. "So, how much do you think-"
A knock at the door interrupted him. Ryo immediately perked up, and headed for the door. "Oh, looks like I have another customer. Who would come to the back door, anyway?"
Max's eyes shot up as he turned and saw the man reach out for the knob. "Wait!" he said, reaching inside his jacket. "Don't open that-"
It came too late. As soon as the knob was turned, five men stormed inside, running over the jeweler and Carlos. Max tried to draw his pistol, but felt the force of an iron tool on his head before losing consciousness.
As she peacefully drank from her juice box, Nabiki looked down to see a toy stuffed panda on her desk, and looked up to see who had tossed it there.
"What's this?" she asked.
"A present," Kuno replied.
She picked it up, and shoved it back into his arms. "Sorry, Kuno-chan, but I'm afraid it's not my style."
"Did I offer it to you, Nabiki Tendo?" the kendoist retorted, glaring at her coldly. "Don't make me laugh; this sweet treasure…" He turned to face her, slamming his hands on the desk, "I save for my goddess in pigtails!"
Nabiki spat her mouthful of juice at the boy in surprise. The juice dripped down the boy's face as his eyes twitched.
"Now look what you made me do," she said, setting the box down.
"What I made you do…"
Before he could continue, the girl laid out a set of five photographs onto the desk. Each was of Ranma in his female form, and a slight bit revealing in some way.
"Set of five for 3000 yen. Whadd'ya say?"
Kuno took the pictures in his hands. And began to look them over. "Ohhh, dear…she is so…so…defenseless…"
"Kinda' like a boy, huh?"
"These aren't quite as nice as the other set…though, I suppose they'd make a nice addition…"
The girl's smile disappeared. "What do you mean, 'other set'?"
Kuno reached into his pocket. "Nothing. Just some photos another man gave to me yesterday," he said, pulling out five other photos. "Hey! Return those!" he said as Nabiki snatched them from his hands. Looking them over, she saw the differences: one had Ranma sleeping on her back, with her legs spread wide, her panties barely clinging to her. Another had the girl with a splash of vanilla ice cream accidentally spilt onto her chest, just above her low-cut tank top. And, yet another had her laying face up in the tub. Nabiki narrowed her eyes as she gazed at them again. So…the old man knows how to play hardball…how the hell did I miss shots like this?
"I repeat, hand those photos back to me!" he said, reaching for them, and missing when Nabiki lifted them into the air. She dropped them on the floor, and Kuno scattered to pick them up.
When Max came to, his first attempt at breathing got him a mouthful of cotton. Realizing a bag was over his face, he began to struggle about, but was immediately restrained by another smack from what felt like a nightstick, and found his hands were bound. After hearing some unintelligible words spoken in Chinese amongst their unseen captors, the bag was lifted off his head. They were all in some closed off maintenance room he didn't recognize, surrounded by five Chinese-looking men in dark suits. He saw that he, Carlos and the jeweler were in the same position, thought the jeweler looked a bit more roughed up than either of them.
"Max! Who are these jokers?" Carlos mouthed before being knocked in the head.
"I'm not sure! I don't know why-" Max thought about it for a second, and remembered who he'd stolen the idol from. It can't be…how the hell could they have followed us all the way here!
Before Max could think any further, the door to the room opened, and in walked three other men; two looked like typical mob soldiers, armed with pistols. The one in the middle, however, was something else altogether. He was a bit taller then the others, had his long hair tied back into a rough ponytail, and wore a brushy goatee. His face was covered with some rather ugly scars. Walking up to one of the men, he said something in Chinese. The man reached into his pocket, and pulled out the idol. As soon as Max saw it, he knew they were in real trouble. The larger man took it, inspected it, and handed it to one of his underlings. He walked up to Max, and took a long, intimidating look down at him before whipping his fist across his face. Speaking to the other man again, he gestured to Max and the jeweler, and began to leave. When the man spoke to him again, motioning to Carlos, the tall man hesitated before making a sign by dragging his finger across his neck in a cutthroat fashion. He stormed out, his underlings behind him.
Two of the taller, bulkier men in the group grabbed hold of Carlos, and began to drag him out the door. Shit! Max thought. "Carlos! Carlos, hold on!" he said, attempting to leap to his feet. He was restrained by two of the others.
Carlos was dragged to his feet, and the men began to lead him out the door at gunpoint. "Max! Do something- hey, fuck you!" he said, shoving at the triad that had shoved him. He was subsequently forced out the door.
"Fuck!" Max yelled, attempting to break free of his restrainers. Once again, however, they pulled out a crowbar, and conked him over the head, putting him down, but not out.
"It's time for you to shut up! one of the men said, switching to Japanese. "We have the merchandise you took from us, but we want more information about who you were getting it for. What did Voronov want with our things? Answer, or it gets worse!"
Max promptly spat a huge wad of blood and saliva in the man's face. "Get fucked, jerk-off."
The man wiped the slime off before decking Max again, "Very well. You leave us no other choice." He yelled to his cronies in Chinese, and Max and the jeweler were forced to their feet, and led out of the room.
"Tell me why I must give this to you, Saotome!" the upperclassman demanded.
Ranma stared back at the kendoist, then at the toy panda in his hands, a blank expression on his face. "What are you talking about?"
"Answer me! 'If you want to give it to her, give it to Ranma Saotome', quoth Nabiki Tendo! How do you know my pig-tailed goddess, cur?"
Sighing in frustration, Ranma tossed the stuffed toy back at him. "I'm tellin' ya, bud, just forget about her." He began to walk away.
"What was that, Saotome?"
He turned to glance at him one last time. "If I have my way, you'll never see her again! So beat it!" He turned the corner, and stormed away, running right into a blast of cold water from an upstairs pail.
"So, basically, that's the jist. Nothing to it," Nabiki said to an audience of three, just outside the school building.
The three in question were not students at the school, and were rather strange looking. One was short, with messy blonde hair, whisker marks on his face, and wore what looked like an orange jumpsuit. The second one was about the same height, with shaggy black hair, and wore heavy blue clothing. The third was taller and bulkier than the others, and wore a combat jacket over a black jumpsuit. They all wore some form of headband with a metal talisman on their forehead.
"Let me get this straight," the black-haired one said. "You want us to steal something from this jeweler, and you don't expect us to want a piece of the reward?"
"Yeah! If we're stealing something, we want the best piece of the merchandise!" the yellow-haired one followed up.
Nabiki held her hands up and shook her head. "No, no, listen to me already! This jeweler, his name's Ryo Hinoya. He always carries around a good deal of jewels and cash around with him. Most people just don't realize it. Anyway, he's going to have something that I want. It's golden idol he'll have bought from someone else. It's not worth that much, it just appeals to my tastes. He'll be at another dealer early tomorrow morning. You guys go into the dealer when he gets there, and take his merchandise. You give the idol to me. Anything else he's carrying, as well as what's in the store, is yours to keep. Got it?"
"Yeah, we got it," the kid said again. "We just don't know why you're so eager to get only this thing. It's a bit suspicious, if you don't mind my saying so."
"I can understand it," she replied, "but that's my offer. I'm already giving you a small cash advance so you can prepare. I suggest you handle this quietly; get a few guns and masks, and just take it. Don't go with any of this macho martial arts crap."
"What the hell is it with you people and those gun things?" the black-haired one said. "We didn't even hear about them until we came here last week! How would you expect us to know how they work?"
"They're simple, you idiots! You take it, point, and pull the trigger! If you don't learn to use these things, you're all going to get shot one day. Now, go. You have the information you need. I'll be waiting here at this time tomorrow to receive the goods." She turned and left.
The black-haired one turned back to his friends. "What a crap job. Why are we wasting our time on jewelry, anyway?"
"Because, Sasuke, there's a lot of dough to be made in the jewelry trade! We can't keep stealing cars forever, and cash is harder to come by!" the blonde one said.
"Plus, drugs are too dangerous," the taller one said. "Those guys are always armed. And I think it is time we learnt to use guns. Everyone else know how."
"I get it, Kakashi," he replied. "How come we never even heard of these things until we came here last week, Naruto?"
"Don't ask me," he replied. "They just look really gay. I don't know why everyone uses them."
Nabiki returned just in time to dump another kettleful of hot water onto the redhead. He immediately kicked Kuno in the face, knocking him back. "Do you get it now, moron?" he said as he walked away.
"HOLD, SAOTOME!" the fencer bellowed, causing Ranma to stop in his tracks. "Where have you hidden my pig-tailed goddess? Tatewaki Kuno will not be fooled by such trickery!"
Turning back, Ranma gave the kendoist a frustrated look. "Listen, pal-"
"I guess he won't clue in until we spell it out for him," Nabiki said, walking up to her classmate. "Oh, Kuno-chan…"
"Hey, what exactly are you planning to tell him?" the boy called after her.
Max breathed in and out at a heavy pace as the triads handcuffed him to the end of a shower curtain pole, one of them holding a gun on his face. He watched with and angry gaze as they did the same to the jeweler, only they had placed him right inside the cast-iron tub for the shower. They had moved everyone to a nearby staff shower room, and had turned up a TV in the room outside loud enough to scramble any noise they might make. And Max had a nagging feeling he knew what was coming.
The door to the bathroom opened once more, and in stepped the lead henchman, brandishing a gas-powered chainsaw. Max attempted to calm his breathing, but it was no use.
"Let's see if this changes your mind," the thug said, holding the power tool up to the gagged jeweler, who recoiled with a look of terror in his eyes. "Are you going to tell us or not?"
Looking from the triad to the jeweler, Max exhaled, saying nothing.
Sighing, the man yanked on the cord, and the chainsaw came to life with a burst of noise. He slowly moved it towards the bound man, then, with a small jerk, sent it through his arm. Blood began to splatter all over the tub, and Max shut his eyes, trying not to listen to the jeweler's muffled screams.
Keeping his hands over his head, and feeling the cold end of a large handgun against his neck Carlos listened to the loud noises of the TV, as well as those in the background he couldn't make out. Things didn't look good. Gotta' think of something to do, he thought. Can't let it end like this… He cringed when he thought her heard a scream; getting an idea, he thought to himself for a second…
A number of grisly seconds later, the jeweler remained in several pieces in the furo. Fortunately, thanks to the blood, it was hard to tell anything apart, but the sight still left Max spooked. They were now cuffing him in the exact same place, another thug still holding the gun on him. The pool of blood that had collected in the tub was now seeping through his shoes, and he coughed up a few times from the rancid smell of the blood. The thug was now preparing the chainsaw again, and looked at Max one final time. "I'll ask you one more time: are you going to tell us what we want to know?"
"If what you wanna know is that the blood on your slacks makes you look like you're riding your sister's menstrual cycle…then, yeah," he said with a hard-pressed laugh.
The man grimaced, and yanked on the cord again.
This time, Carlos heard it: the noise was starting up again. Now was the time to act. Glimpsing from the corner of his eye that one of the henchmen was gazing the other way, he drove an elbow into his side, moving faster than they noticed. He began to yell as they attempted to restrain him.
Briefly hearing the yelling on his radio, the lead henchmen stopped the progress of his tool towards Max, and grabbed it from his belt. Just as he turned away, Max took the opportunity. Yanking down as hard as he could, he broke the shower curtain pole from its place, and grabbed hold of the arm holding the gun on him. They both struggled as the chainsaw thug's attention was brought back. The triads all started yelling and cursing in Chinese, until Max forced the man to point the gun in the direction of the third henchman, grabbed the trigger, and fired, catching him in the head. The lead thug immediately came at them both with the chainsaw; grabbed the arm with both hands outstretched, and shoved forward: the saw cut through both the thug's arm and his handcuff chain. As the other triad screamed in agony, Max kicked the leader in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall. He kicked the armless man until he was out for good, and leapt out of the tub.
The chainsaw thug ran out of the room, cutting through the window with the tool, before landing on the fire escape. Leaving the blade behind, he tore down the fire escape, not looking back.
Finally finding his way to the fire escape, Max saw the chainsaw laying there, but couldn't see the triad thug. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. No time! I gotta find out where they took Carlos! His question was answered when he looked down into the alley five stories below, and saw both of the larger thugs that had dragged Carlos out of the building earlier. One had a gun trained on him, the other stood a few feet away, keeping watch.
Dammit! He thought, cursing himself for not picking up the henchman's gun earlier. I'll never get down there in time! There's nothing I can do…unless…
He looked behind him, and saw that the roof was only a floor higher. He then looked back down, at the long drop. Making up his mind, he grabbed the chainsaw, and headed for the roof.
Five stories down, the bulky henchman had his Desert Eagle trained right on Carlos' head. "I hope your conscience is clean, you Japanese filth." He pulled back the hammer on his gun.
Taking in the deepest breath he could, Max tossed the live chainsaw off the roof, and followed, leaping off himself. Hope I aimed those things just right, he thought.
Looking up, Carlos saw what was falling towards the triad over him. His eyes went wide, and he immediately ducked and covered with his arms. Holy SHIT…
The noticed his hostages actions just long enough to get a disturbed look on his face; and was immediately sawed open by the chainsaw, as it cut down at a jagged angle, all the way down to his torso. His weapon discharged a round as he collapsed to the ground. At almost the same moment, Max landed square on the back of the other thug, breaking both his fall and the man's spine. The other man's gun also discharged a round as he fell. As he rolled onto the ground, Max fell out of consciousness.
Noticing that the other man was still moving, Carlos moved in and delivered a hard kick to the face, putting him down for the count. He then grabbed a tacky shopping back from a nearby trash heap, and grabbed both pistols off the ground, putting them into the bag. He went through their pockets as well, grabbing all the cash and jewelry he could find, as well as their cell phones. Putting all of them into the bag, he hoisted the unconscious Max over his shoulders, and carried him out into the street.
After taking a few steps, he saw that the lead triad was staggering down the street, his leg apparently injured from the fall he'd had out the window. Grabbing one of the guns out of the bag, Carlos pointed it at the triad. "Oi, dickwad!" he yelled. The triad turned around fast enough to widen his eyes in shock. Carlos fired off two rounds, putting the man down in the middle of the street. He then rushed over to the car on the street he guessed was theirs, and loaded Max in. Finding the keys, he started it up, and drove off.
"Cur! Enslaver of women!" Kuno yelled, taking a swipe at the boy, and instead slicing a tree in half.
"Hey, get a grip!" Ranma yelled back, leaping aside. Turning to Nabiki, he glared. "What the hell did you tell him?"
"Nothing, really. Eyes front, Ranma-kun."
"Wah!" the boy wailed, dodging another blow.
"I shall fell you! I shall free her!" the kendoist raged, swinging with more and more strikes.
Ranma dodged each one. "Oh, so if you lose, you'll forget about her, right?" he replied, coming in with a kick.
As Kuno fell back from the blow, a few paper photographs fluttered out of his tunic. Catching one in the air, Ranma's eyes bugged out as he saw what was on it. "What the-"
"An opening!" the kendoist yelled. Striking the boy in the side with his bokken.
Having had enough, and ignoring the pain in his side, Ranma tossed the pictures away, and proceeded to land a series of kicks across the fencer's body. When it was over, the wooden sword stopped just above his face, and Kuno fell to the ground.
"That does it!" Ranma said, clutching his side. "I've had enough of this prick."
Akane, who'd been watching from the start, went up to inspect. "Wow. Each kick his a vulnerable spot. How'd you learn that?"
"Just something pops taught me…" he groaned. Holding up the pictures the kendoist had dropped, he scanned them over. "What I wanna know is how he got THESE," he said, a disturbed look on his face.
Walking up behind him, Akane saw that some of them were of her. "What the-" she said, snatching them. "Why the hell do you have pictures of me, you jerk?"
"Why do I- Kuno had these, dummy!"
Akane turned back to her older sister, who smiles innocently. "Just trying to make a little money on the side."
"My own sister!"
"But don't look at me for those pictures of you, Ranma-kun. I didn't sell him those, though I wish I had."
"What?" he said, picking them up again. "But if you didn't do it, then…" His anger started to build up inside him again. Only one other person could be doing all this. "Dammit, Oyaji! This is the last straw!" Leaping to his feet, and ignoring the pain, he dashed out of the schoolyard.
"Wait, Ranma! We still have class!" Akane called after him, following.
Leaping over the fence to the Tendo home, Ranma barged in through the door. "Oyaji! Get out here! I found these stupid-" he stopped short when he entered the living room, his mouth gaping open at what he saw.
Both his father and Soun were laying on separate futons, their bodies patched up in numerous places from bruises and cuts. Max was nursing what looked like a wound on his arm. Kasumi was helping both of them to rest.
Forgetting about his little predicament, Ranma slowly stepped forward. "What the hell happened here?"
Noticing Ranma was home, Max turned to speak. "Son – has anything happened today?"
Confused, Ranma tried to answer. "Whadd'ya mean?"
"I mean, did anyone try and attack you today? Did anyone follow you around?"
"No!"
Max let out a breath of relief. "Good. But you need to be on the watch from now on."
Grimacing angrily, Ranma stomped towards his father. "Alright, Oyaji. You'd better tell me what the hell's going on here."
"Later. Let me patch up, and I'll tell you everything. I've just gotta do something first." He stood up, and made his way over to the phone, and, digging out a small piece of paper, picked up the phone, and began to dial, just as the other girls made their way into the room.
"Daddy!" Akane exclaimed. "What happened to you?"
Hearing a ring on the other side, Max waited. After another ring, the other end picked up. The voice said something in Russian.
"I need to speak to Josef. It's urgent."
"Who is this?" the voice asked.
"Tell him it's Max."
A few seconds later, the Russian underboss was on the other end. "How do you do, Max?
"Not so good, sir." Max proceeded to tell him the story, keeping quiet enough not to be heard by the others.
After a few seconds of silence, Josef answered. "That man you described earlier – are you positive that's what he looked like?"
"Yeah. You know him?"
"He's only the most feared triad hitman to ever grace the landscape of China. I'm a bit surprised you haven't heard of him."
"Enlighten me."
"Very well. His name's Kwok Chang; a.k.a. Kwok the Killer, a.k.a. Kwok the Lead-Biter: as rocky as the landscape of China, and as hard as the Great Wall that surrounds it. Apparently, it's impossible to kill the bastard."
Max gripped the phone tighter. "He's caused us quite a bit of trouble in the past," Josef continued. "I hope for your sake he isn't out for your blood. That is all I can tell you."
After a short pause, Max replied, "Thanks." He hung up the phone, and sighed in exasperation.
Next time: The Caper come to a close!