Forcibly United

oOo

Comes the Hot-Blooded Dragon

Chapter 5

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With a solid kick, Ryu bashed open the unlocked door to his warehouse. He glanced over at Ranma with a grin as the other boy's jaw dropped.

The warehouse was, to put it bluntly, loaded. Crates of weapons, ammunition, computer hardware, military hardware, and random plunder were stacked high from one end of the rather large building to the other. It would have taken an entire fleet of torpedo boats like the one owned by Ranma's boss to cart away the contents.

"You've been at this a while, haven't you?" Ranma's friend, Ryouga, muttered darkly. The boy had an icepack held to his head, and Ryu assumed that Ranma had had to knock the boy out to keep him from interfering. The fact he'd done as much to a man who apparently refused to be away from Ranma at any time spoke volumes about how seriously the pigtailed boy had taken their fight.

"We've hit more than our fair share of pirates," Ryu admitted, scratching at the sling holding his broken arm. He turned towards the older black man. Dutch, if he remembered correctly. "Like I said, you can have first pick of anything in here. Your armoury had a lot of top quality items. I'm sorry to say that those were offloaded almost immediately. Some of Blondie's stuff might still be in here somewhere, and if it's not I'm sure there's some equipment which is just as good."

"Not going to give us the grand tour?" Ranma asked with a grin.

"Sorry, Saotome. The local doctor is going to have to fit me for a cast thanks to our little fight. I should be back in an hour or two. Pack your boat until the water-line's an inch from your deck, for all I care. I'm going to be offloading what's left before my men and I sail west," Ryu waved his good arm as he departed, adding, "My men will help you load up your boat. Don't leave until I get back, alright?"

"Get that damned arm fixed," Ranma ordered, meeting the other boy's eyes. "You and me are going to have a beer when you get back and have a chat about that new style of yours."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ryu said with a grin, before walking towards the clinic.

On the walk over, he knocked on Greta's door, smiling sadly as the girl answered. He knew he'd have to move on sooner or later, and it was only fair he give the girl the option of sharing the last few hours he'd spend in this village.

oOo

Dutch couldn't keep the smile from his face as he pored over the collection of items he'd unearthed. Fuck the guns, fuck the hardware, fuck everything else he'd found in the place up until now. This was what he'd been hoping for, and the punk Ranma had fought certainly didn't disappoint.

He tore off the cheap sunglasses he was wearing, discarding them to the side with one hand as his other slowly reached out to grab his new love. The sunglasses were rimmed in solid silver titanium, oval-shaped the way he liked, but a little smaller than the average pair of reading glasses. The dark tinting was a deep grey with just a hint of red, striking the happy medium of being light enough not to be a hindrance in the night, yet dark enough to keep out the bright light of the sun. They had even been treated for glare and reflection.

The best part, he realized as he read the tag, was the state of the art chemical they'd been coated in. The label promised that even in the heaviest rains, droplets would disperse or run off with only a small decrease in visibility.

Dutch slipped on the pair of sunglasses with a feral grin. The only way they could have been more perfect was if they'd had guards for his peripheral vision.

Now that he'd finally replaced his babies with an acceptable subsitute, it was time to go see what his recent benefactor had in stock which could hope to replace the stock of weapons which had been taken from the Black Lagoon's weapons locker.

With sunglasses this bad ass, Dutch knew he was in for a treat.

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Doctor Darien Grey was not a happy man. He glared at the source of his irritation, a young man who frequently brought him a lot of work. This was the first time he'd ever had to treat the little bastard in question for injuries, however. It was always his subordinates who had injuries and maladies.

Never Ryu Kumon.

"So how is it, Darien?" The boy asked, wincing as Dr. Grey shifted his broken arm a little.

"It'll be a lot better once I get this cast on you," the silver-haired doctor replied, poking the boy in the arm and eliciting a gasp. "What the devil hit you? I've seen you laugh off hits that would leave a normal man paralyzed and comatose for life... Did you decide to get into an argument with a tractor-trailer?"

"Nothing as bad as that," Ryu admitted as he lifted his arm slightly, allowing the older man to begin wrapping the splint in bandages which would allow the broken limb to heal correctly. "It was just a fight."

"Just a fight?" Darien prompted, quirking an eyebrow.

"Just a fight with a guy on my level," Ryu admitted with a slight grin. "He's gotten a lot better. I used to think that I had to have surpassed him by now. I'm glad I'm mistaken."

"How do you mean?" The doctor asked, applying more plaster to the bandages while briefly glancing at his patient. "I would have thought you'd be disappointed that you've not gone beyond your foe."

"He's proof that my abilities aren't anywhere near where they could be," Ryu noted sagely, his eyes growing slightly distant. He sighed, waving his free hand. "Every martial artist fears the day when they discover their peak. The day they discover the limit that training can take them to, the limit on just how strong, how fast, or how skilled they can be. Until my fight today, I was worried that I'd hit that peak."

"And now?" Grey asked, reaching for more bandages.

"Now, I know I've got so much more I can improve. Saotome didn't really use any of his special techniques and he still fought me to the edge of a draw! He might have underestimated me a bit, but that just means I've got that much farther to go!" Ryu said passionately, clenching his good hand. "Once my arm heals, I need to redouble my efforts. I need to win my rematch with him!"

"A broken arm and you're already thinking about the next fight. You're such an idiot, Ryu!" Greta's voice intoned sternly. Both men looked up to see the girl crossing her arms and glaring at the young Japanese man. She stormed in, holding a note. "And what, exactly, is this note? You're leaving!?"

"It's not exactly safe here anymore, Greta," Ryu said sadly, not meeting her eyes. He reached out, taking her hand and holding it for a moment before meeting her silver gaze. "I always knew that my men and I would have to move our base sooner or later. We'd have to if we didn't want the people of this town to suffer for our actions. With my broken arm, I can't fight like I might need to. I don't want to draw the pirates I've been robbing down on the people of this town."

"Your arm will heal though. You don't have to go!" The girl pleaded, grabbing the boy in a rough hug. Dr. Grey noted the wince on his face as he wrapped his good arm around the girl.

"Greta, my arm won't be healed for weeks. If my comrades mess up just once, all the criminals in Roanapur might descend on this place for vengeance. I've done too much good for this town to see it burn for my shortcomings," Ryu told her.

After a moment, she drew back, eyeing him critically.

"Well... Fine, but you'd better visit! And until you leave, I'm going to be right beside you no matter what! Do you understand!?" Greta demanded, crossing her arms and pouting cutely.

"Don't look at me," Darien Grey informed his patient with a chuckle when the boy shot him a helpless look. "I'm no better at dealing with that look than you are."

The European girl didn't even bother trying to hide her victorious smile when Ryu finally nodded.

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Rock wandered through the warehouse, taking a casual inventory of the contents, when he ran across them. He had no real eye for weaponry. His eyes weren't suited to telling the difference between a well-produced gun or a poor one, but something about the items he saw drew him to take a closer look.

At first glance, they looked like flashy showpieces. The exact sort of weapon which Revy would hate to use. Both were variants of the basic 9mm Beretta, though to call them such was a gross misrepresentation of the amount of customization which had obviously gone into their design. Most of the basic parts of each piece had been replaced with upgraded components.

That was obvious. What wasn't obvious was how the pistols were the color and material they were. One was made of what appeared to be ivory. Rock had to touch the pistol to make certain, but the distinct feel of the thing confirmed it. It was, indeed, made of bone... Yet somehow, it was able to withstand the pressure of actual weapons fire. It was just as amazing as the onyx stone the ebony gun's pieces appeared to be carved from, likewise showing no sign whatsover of wear and tear despite the completely illogical choice of material.

Wonderingly, Rock picked up the white pistol, his eyes widening at the lightness and balance to the pistol. He wasn't trained to use such weapons, yet just holding the thing made it feel like a natural extension of his arm. He clicked off the safety and aimed at a can on the floor, firing on instinct.

He was supremely surprised to see the bullet pierce the can only a centimeter to the left of where he'd tried to aim it. He raised the white pistol close to his face, inspecting it for the maker's markings. The only production mark was a dedication to 'Tony Redgrave', whoever that was.

Rock scooped up the other pistol, quickly stashing the pair in a plain leather bag.

Revy had lost her custom Beretta 92Fs. While these were a little flashier than she might have liked, he was certain she wouldn't complain about the balance. In fact, he mused, they might go a long way towards smoothing over the difficulties between Ranma's friendly rival and Revy regarding her broken arm.

The woman liked revenge, he knew. She liked nice weapons a lot more. Perhaps if he presented the opening of the armoury partially as an act of reconciliation, with him finding these pistols in particular, she wouldn't be inclined towards violence the next time Ryu happened to grace Roanapur.

He wasn't willing to bet on it, but combined with Ryu's own broken arm, it might be a start towards a reconciliation of sorts.

Rock was so lost in his thoughts, he was completely unprepared for the flying tackle which he recieved as he turned around.

"Big brother! I knew you'd find me!"

Rock recognized the voice, much like he recognized the face which was smiling down on him.

Yet what he was seeing was impossible.

Gretel was alive, and Gretel was smiling.

"You're alive?" Rock gasped, reaching up to cup the girl's chin. She leaned into his hand with a contented smile, firmly grabbing the hand with both of hers. "I don't believe it! You're alive!"

"She was in a bad way when Dr. Grey found her. Shot in the back of the head," Ryu noted sternly, and Rock turned to see Ranma's foe eyeing him with undisguised malice. "You'd better have a damned good explanation for me or I'm afraid your sister is going to be an only child very soon."

Ryu was clearly no match for Ranma in his present condition, yet the older Japanese man knew that the only thing standing between him and death was the disabled boy's good will.

Rock gulped.

oOo

Author's Notes:

Two days early. The next arc is beginning right where this one ends instead of having a longer conclusion. It's a lead-in thing, so nyaaah!

And thus, the first story arc is ended. I've finding the concept of working on a story in arcs a little weird but overall it's been a good experience. It helps me focus the attention of the large cast I've saddled myself with on a relevant subgroup of characters, and lets me just get on with things. I may have to transition this new method over to my other stories to help focus them.

Certain Capcom fans might recognize Revy's new pistols. Colors aside, the Tony Redgrave thing is a supplementary materials thing. Shout-out or set-up for a future arc? You'll find out. Heh heh heh.

Next up is an arc called Rock's Little Sister, which will deal with Greta being brought back to Roanapur, with her acclimating to her new life and the various people who knew her old self getting used to the idea of her being around. This is the arc I've been looking forward to writing, so you should expect an aggressive release schedule.

Well, more aggressive than normal, I should say. If such a thing is possible for me.

By the way: This officially takes me to beating the NaNoWriMo challenge (writing 50,000 words in a month) with one story. Just because I know Lady Shinimegami was probably going to say something about me dispersing my writing like I did the first time I hit my mark.