Disclaimer: My Preciou.... oh, wait, wrong fandom. I don't own Ranma 1/2. Thanks for visiting.
Ranma-Papa, Shampoo-Mama
Chapter 22
"Listen, Saotome… Gods know we aren't friends, but you are going to need help if the girls are hurt!"
Ranma, who was walking up the stairs to the Amazons living quarters in the Cat Café turned and looked Mousse in the eyes. "And I'm going to trust you why? Hell, I'm amazed I haven't gotten a knife in my back over Shampoo as it is!"
"There are… other factors to consider now." Mousse temporized. "And to save them, I think I can put aside my distaste for you."
"Fine. I don't have time to argue." Ranma continued up the stairs, and to Colognes bed chamber door.
"What are you doing, anyway?"
"Gambling."
"What does…"
"Where the hell am I now!" Ryoga's voice nearly shook the building, and caused Ranma to smile.
"Right on time. Go grab Ryoga before he gets lost again. We'll want his help too."
Mousse frowned, but turned to chase after the lost boy. Ranma, with a sigh, slipped into the old womans door.
"So basically they plan to sacrifice one of the girls." Ryoga commented, seething. The other two had explained as they ran across the city. "And to get to them we're going to have to fight through a sky scraper full of ninjas, only to fight wizards at the top."
"Yep, that sums it up."
"Damn it Ranma." Ryoga smirked, suddenly. "And I didn't get you nothing." His grin was malevolent, and promised a titanic amount of pain for someone.
"Did you miss the part about a time limit Hibiki! We have till midnight, if Ranma's ninja friend wasn't lying, and it's already 10:30! That's less then two hours." Mousse pointed out.
Ranma started walking towards the entrance, and the suddenly very worried looking guards visible at the doors. "Then we had better get started."
Troika smiled as he watched the monitor. The battle in the lobby was everything he could have hoped for.
Ranma, the boy called Mouse, and a third boy his people had identified as Ryoga Hibiki, were ripping through his men like a tornado passing through a trailer park. They were leaving as much destruction as one, too.
"We can't afford an interruption, Troika." The leader of the Cabal stated. A woman, the only other present Cabal member, stood behind him and nodded in agreement.
"My Lord, My Lady, I shall go to stop these welps myself."
"Good. We didn't enhance you mystically to hold you in reserve. Lady Zann will guard the ritual chamber. I'd prefer to send her with you, but with Lord Hoffenstager stuck in Europe we are short handed."
"It shall not be a problem." Troika stated, and with a bow turned to the elevator.
As the doors closed the two wizards walked to the Golden doors of their ritual chamber, and the prisoners inside.
"Let us go, you bastard!" Akane yelled, pulling at the chains locking her to the floor. "Can't you see what you're doing here?" Shampoo, holding a nearly catatonic Ukyo, growled feraly next to her.
"Garunting my immortality, as well as that of my associates." The mage answered calmly. "Ms. Kounji's condition is unfortunate, but those of you who survive shall be released unharmed. We aren't barbarians."
"No, you're worse." Stephanie snapped, causing both wizards to chuckle.
"Oh, I disagree." Nabiki, the only calm one, and the older girl who'd most taken on the job of calming the younger, scared girls around them, commented calmly. "This definitely has the feel of Genghis Kahn at his best… Or worst."
"That being said, I'm sure we can work out some sort of deal." The middle Tendo finished.
"I'm intrigued." The immortal man stated, honestly. "What do you suggest?"
"Keep Shampoo." Nabiki replied. Both cabal memebers were surprised that the purple haired amazon didn't seem surprised by that offer. "You need a strong woman with an easily manipulated weakness, and her Jusenkyo curse…"
"Would give us a tenth of a second." Zann interrupted. "The Widow is a Fey, and since Jusenkyo is a hotbed of fey magic, she'll have no problem taking control of it. Ms. Kounji's terror at being captured and restrained would be nothing compared to the Widow's fear of being trapped as a soul in an iron ball. As for Akane… well a rage disorder isn't much of a weakness from our point of view."
"The American girl has no such weaknesses, and you aren't strong enough to draw her interest Ms. Tendo." The witch grinned. "However, I am impressed. You came up with this offer in the ten minutes we were gone?"
"Yes." Nabiki stated coldly, her voice as cold as nitrogen.
"And got Shampoo to agree to it. I'm impressed! We could offer you a position with our corporate front after all of this is over, you'd make an obscene amount of money."
"No thanks. I think I'll stay away from blood money."
"Pity." The male mage commented. "Now, since we can't have you conscious and an option during the ritual…" He pushed a button on a remote he carried, causing thousands of volts to flow through the older girls, causing them to slump to the floor, out cold.
"Mother!" Shi cried out, catching Shampoo, while Himeko managed to field both Nabiki and Akane. Shi glared at the man.
Himeko, also glaring, snarled out "Ranma will kill you!"
The leader of the cabal frowned, considering the girls. Then he raised a hand and cried out "Levin Bolt!" A bolt of energy, a mystical tazer, sent them both tumbling into the darkness after their ersatz family.
"Why'd you do that? WE need as many candidates as possible!"
"They were to strong willed. Now leave, I need to start the ritual, and you need to grantee it's completion."
AN: Ryoga Vs. Troika! Next time!