Somehow, Shampoo found the strength to turn her head, and whisper one word, one name, one simple pair of syllables, as tears of impossible joy freely streamed from her eyes. "Ranko!"
"Hiya, Shampoo!" the other girl said, then looked around at the new surroundings. "Man, you really pick some weird places to party! I thought that place in Shibuya was spaz, but this place really sucks!" She then focused her personality on the demoness. "Look, I said get the hell away from her. Aren't you listening?"
The demoness was complete at a loss. "B-b-b-bu-but I...I stole your soul!"
"Wrong answer; sorry, you don't get to play the bonus round. The correct answer is: you only took my ki, a force that really didn't suit me, anyway. Besides, I'm my own person now that I'm free of your control, so I have a new style! No one owns my soul, except me. Now back off, wingbrat!"
The demon straightened, raised her chin in defiance. "Make me."
Ranko ran her hand through her hair, putting her fingers to her temple in a dismaying gesture. She spoke to no one in particular as she commented, "Some people just never learn...", then went through the motions of readying a ki blast. "Well, if you say so!" She thrust her arms out, fingers splayed, and shouted, "Take this! Kaminariken!"
The demon easily moved to outmaneuver one of Ranko's red ki beams. But what bolted towards the hellspawn was no regular ki projectile. A sky-blue fireball, with tiny arcs of electricity dancing over the fireball's surface, slammed into the demon, lighting her up like a Christmas tree and flinging her back, a hellspawn leaf caught in a gale. The demon tumbled head over heels, collapsing in a pile about thirty feet away from Shampoo, leaving a plowed trail behind her.
Ran-chan didn't wait for the demon to get up and counterattack. She charged in, yanked the sword from her sash belt, and shouted, "NOW!" A second blur flew past as Libby leapt forward, grabbed Shampoo, and bolted back to where Mousse was. The demoness fired a stream of foxfireballs to intercept the rescue attempt, but Ran-chan leapt in front of them and parried with her blade.
She turned and shouted, "Libby! Can you get them both out of here by yourself?"
Libby, in turn, was taking the coat off her business suit and throwing it over Shampoo, who was still paralyzed. "Think so. Why?"
"Get them both out of here, now!" she screamed, as she whacked another volley of foxfireballs away, using the sword as if she were playing baseball. "Go! I'll cover you!"
"But, Ran-chan-"
"'But' nothing! Get your ass out of here now and take them with you!"
"Okay," Libby called back as she picked Mousse up and slung them over her shoulders, nearly dropping to her knees from the weight. "I just hope you know what you're doing." She leapt once more, and crossed the portal.
As the portal disappeared behind the trio, Ran-chan thought, So do I, Libby. So do I. She returned her full attention to the creature and snarled, "Okay. Playtime's over. Let's finish this."
The pair charged towards each other, the demoness in a charging punch, while the redhead went into a flying kick.
The portal exploded in a shower of light and sparks behind Libby as she and her charges returned to the normal earth plane, on the stairs right above the empty space where Kuno and Kaguro had done their combat. She leapt off the stairs with both in hand, landing on the ground in the darkened room, and crumpling from the extra weight.
Breathing heavily, she muttered, "Whew! Can't believe I got them both on this side! I knew Mousse was going to be a problem, but Shampoo's obviously gained a few pounds!"
"I heard that..." a voice at her side murmured.
"Shampoo! Don't try to move. You're injuries are really bad, and..."
Libby never finished her sentence as the Chinese Amazon painfully forced herself to her feet, grunting and gritting her teeth every inch of the way. "It'll take more than a servant of the underworld to take me out. Speaking of taken out, where's Ran-chan?"
"What I'd like to know, is just what the hell's going on? Where are we? What happened?"
Shampoo buttoned up the blazer, wincing at the various cuts, burns and blisters on her front, back, and arms, and giving Libby a dirty look. "Where's Ranko?"
"She...she stayed behind to protect us from...from whatever the hell that devil thing was! She said this was more her fight than yours, and hoped you'd understand."
"No, I don't." Shampoo's voice betrayed her fear and love for her friend, as well as a seething anger that Libby guessed was directed at that demon(?) thing. "Where's the portal?"
"She, um, had me do an arashikyaku to destroy the portal thingie when we went through. Just in case you decided to follow." The taller girl moved between the wounded Chinese Amazon and where the portal had been. "Shampoo, I don't pretend to know a single thing as to what's going on. But, considering what I've just been through, I think I damn well deserve an explanation!"
"You didn't get one because I didn't tell anyone 'til I could confirm my suspicions. By then, things had gotten a little out of control."
"Really? And here I thought getting kidnapped was a normal thing," Libby replied, her sarcasm mode set to extra-crispy. "So while you're negotiating for 'The Understatement of the Year' award, you have to rest, tell me what's going on, and take care of your boyfriend."
MOUSSE! Shampoo's mind went from a volcano to a clear spring at the image of her love. Ignoring everything but him, she kneeled at his side, inspecting the damage. Apparently either Libby-she looked up as the girl shook her head-OK, Ranko took the time to bandage his wounds. "Is he-" she croaked.
"No. It looks like both of us would be dead right now if it wasn't for Ran-chan."
Ranko saved them? How? She was dead. But she's not, she's fighting the demon of the stone! And none of that mattered right now, nothing in this world mattered to her right now except her and Muu Tsu.
She took his head and cradled it in her lap, gently so as not to agitate his head wound. She then bent over and caressed his face, feeling a surge of love, a swooning feeling as strong as she'd ever felt for Ranma. She looked at her lover, and whispered in Chinese, "Wake up, my sweet. Let's go home."
Slowly he responded to her loving ministrations, as he slowly opened his eyes and said, "Oh, Shan Fu. I thought I'd never see you again."
"If you were only that lucky, stupid." Throwing all her fears, pain, and anger away, she leaned down and kissed him, her burnt hair creating a canopy for the two lovers. They easily remained in this position for an eternity of peaceful forever, a total Zen state for the two hearts. Or five minutes, by Libby's watch.
"Um, you know how much I hate to break this tender reunion up," Libby said, "but we have to get out of here. Wherever here is."
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Despite all the stuff that covered her face, Libby could easily tell that Shampoo was blushing. "If we can get to the pier, we'll get off this island. Tate, Maria, and Ronnie will have thought of something by now."
Libby did a double take. "Tate's here!? Maria, too?! Just where the hell are we? Treasure Island?"
"Alcatraz, actually." Shampoo ignored her looks and said, "What about Ranko?"
"She said she'd catch up. Leave it at that. You know how she is-death couldn't stop her if it tried."
Shampoo smiled brightly at that. Libby, you don't know how right you are. "Okay, if you say so..." Wait 'til I tell Tate! Plus, somebody's gotta get a hold of Ranma and tell him to calm down, assuming Ranko's not gotten a hold of him yet. "Let's go; I'll fill you two in on the details as we move." She looked at Mousse again, kissed him quickly, and said, "Can you walk?"
He got up, leaning back on his elbows. "Well enough to carry you; you look worse than I feel. But you'll have to tell me how you do that."
"Do what?"
"Still look as beautiful to me as always, even during the times you say you'd least look it." She kissed him once more at that comment, pouring all the love she had for him into that one grand gesture.
"Still healthy in some areas, I see." She smiled impishly. "So I take you'll do the walking, then?"
"I'd walk to hell and back for you, Shampoo."
"Oh, sure-now you tell me," she said, throwing her arms up in mock-exasperation. Seeing her friends' puzzled faces, she amended, "Never mind. Let's get going-we have a boat to catch."
As the portal disappeared behind the trio, Ran-chan thought, So do I, Libby. So do I. She returned her full attention to the creature and snarled, "Okay. Playtime's over. Let's finish this."
The pair charged towards each other, the demoness in a charging punch, while the redhead went into a flying kick. Ran-chan, however, landed on the demon's arm, and powerslid into the demon's face, dragging her blade along the length of the monster's arm as she did so. As the demon whipped back, black blood erupting from its damaged right arm, she surged forward and threw a Chestnut Punch attack for 964 hits, the last punch being an uppercut, setting up for an air combo. Her opponent still airborne, Ran-chan grounded herself, sheathed her blade, did a quick roll, and as the demon fell to the earth, she commenced a damaging Shoryudan attack that set her opponent ablaze.
The demoness in turn, lashed out with her tail, but Ran-chan grabbed it, and whipped her overhead and into the ground again. She leapt back and charged up another lightning fireball, holding the projectile as the demoness got up and turned, exposing her weakness.
There! She announced her attack, threw the kaminariken, and it rocketed away towards its target like greased lightning. The hellspawn moved to block, but too late; the thunderbolt fireball hit its target and tore through, completely shredding it and detonating what was left.
The demon screamed in agonizing pain and fury as her right wing disintegrated from the blast.
Ran-chan raced in, shouting, "No mercy! You were given that by Lao Jiukiu Tsesao, and you threw it away, and tried to take me with you in the process! This time, you won't escape!" Just at a point of feet apart, she formed a fist, called upon her inner well of power. An explosion of electric-blue ki warped the air as she screamed, "Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Super Attack! Kacchu Tenshin Amagurikyaku!"
Flaring waves of blue light surrounding them both, Ran-chan spin-kicked her opponent, then went into the Chestnut Kick, pushing out a massive 573 hits to the demon, hearing the crunch of ribs breaking and the slap of her foot against sagging flesh.
She backed out, dashed back, and went into a defensive stance. "Give up now. I'll make your eternal punishment easier on you." She smirked, a deadly grin crossing her face. "Not."
"Fool!" the demon screamed. "You don't know the extent of my powers! After I defeat you, I'll leave this body to die, and possess yours! I can't have your soul, but I can torment it!"
"Try it." Ran-chan held her defensive stance, but loosened it just a bit.
The demoness noticed instantly. She spread her arms, thundering, "Now see what true power is! Behold the power of my unstoppable Ultimate Technique! Hellscratch!"
Once again, there was a sudden darkness, and the ground around the two fighters erupted in geysers of red and blue flame. The demoness seemed to stretch past Ranko in a haze of blue and red, then stopped just behind her. The land and sky regained its sickly colors, the flames dwindled to nothingness. Ranko remained in her defensive block, varied only by an arm and fist thrust out, as if she were flexing her muscles.
The demoness snapped her fingers.
Nothing happened.
Ran-chan came out of her parrying motion. She brushed the dust off her clothes, and said to the demon as saccharin-sweet as possible, "Oopsie, gomen ne. I blocked your attack. Silly me." Kawaii as ever, she stuck her cute little pink tongue at the creature.
As the demoness' face blanched with terror, Ran-chan formed double fists, and her blue aura shone with a stellar intensity. Arcs of electricity danced up and down her body. Her hair floated away from face, her head simulating a giant plasma ball. Calling upon her ultimate strength, her echoing voice roared, "Time to pay the piper!" Halos of electric-blue ki rippled the sky, sending shockwaves out for miles around as Ranko Saotome screamed words that echoed in demoness' ears: "SAOTOME SCHOOL OF ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL ARTS FINAL ATTACK, REVISED! KOGEKI NO BAKUHATSU SURU!"
Nothing could be seen of the world anymore except the blue warping caused by Ran-chan's energy displacement. The look on the hellspawn at this point was that of a deer in the headlights. Ran-chan herself became a moving shadow of red and black as she went into the Burst Attack final. Shorter than time it takes to blink an eye, she assaulted the demoness with:
A 501 hit Chestnut Punch;
A 57-hit combo using a various amount of punches and kicks;
A right hook that crushed the demoness' jaw;
A point-blank kaminariken, destroying the left wing, removing the creature's only chance for escape;
A second Chestnut Punch, this time for 738 hits;
A back slice kick to set her up for the coup de grace;
A fully ki charged Chestnut Kick for 972 hits.
All in a matter of thirty seconds, she'd thrown close to 2500 blows against her opponent. A lesser being would've been worm food at this stage; somehow, the demoness survived. Barely.
The demoness dropped where she stood, a virtual stain on the ground. Completely, utterly vanquished, she said, through charred lips, "I will...still...win. You...have a lim...ited number of years in...your life, while...I have eter...ni...ty."
"You will spend it imprisoned within the gem. Should you ever get out, there will always be a Lao or a Saotome to oppose you. Whether it is myself, Shan Fu Lao, or our descendants, you will be opposed, and you will be defeated."
"I...still win, regard...less. You...must...imprison me...within the Heart of the...Demon. And doing so will...cost you...your...life." The demon began to laugh.
Ranko formed another final attack level ki charge, channeling it into her fists. Those fists held a fireball for a second, then that fireball rapidly evolved into a small star, so bright that Ranko herself couldn't look at it anymore.
The demoness continued to laugh, and bluffed, "You... wouldn't throw...that. You care...about life...too...much."
To the absolute terror of the demon that had once been Jade Chiang, Ran-chan did not back off. "Then I must do what I must do. I care about life, but I care about those I love more so." She had no sadness in her voice; in fact, she sounded completely at peace with her decision. This time, the same as last, she knew what must be done. However, this time, there were just more than just Mousse's and Libby's lives at stake. Now, the entire world was in dire straits-and only she could stop it. everything hung in the balance; time to even the scales.
Reaching for one last try, she thought to her brother, hoping that somehow, this one last time, everyone would hear it as well. Ranma, Akane, Shan Fu, Muu Tsu, Mom, Pop, Shiva, Ryoga, Uc-chan, everyone-I love you all. Owari.
Ranko Saotome spoke the demon's words of doom. "Demon, meet your punishment! Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Final Attack! Hino no Kami-sama-tachi!"
Ranko Saotome released the Hino no Kami-sama-tachi-the Fire of the Gods-at the demon.
There was nothing but an eternal blue.
Doing a circular pattern in the bay waters a few hundred yards off of the island, the group watched, waiting for Ran-chan to come out. As expected, Kuno was happy to know that "Pigtail" was alive and well, but that changed when Libby informed him that she'd stayed behind on the island to cover their escape.
"We're going back!" he screamed, trying to take the wheel away from Maria. "I came to save Pigtail, and so I shall!"
"No, we're not." Mousse, although in his seat, stood firm. "She's giving us the chance to escape."
"Do you know what we went through just to save you guys?!"
"I know what I saw; what they did to her. How's she's still alive, Tate, I don't know." Mousse leaned back in his chair. "This was her choice. Besides, what can they do to her that she couldn't return a hundredfold?"
"Mousse's right, Tate," Shampoo said. "I don't like it any more than you do, but she'll do what ever she'll want to, just like Ranma."
"'Like brother, like sister.' Yeah, I know that old routine," he muttered. "I would've done the same if it were Kodachi in trouble." He grunted, then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least she should be out soon; after I defeated the ninja master, those ninjas took off like rats from a sinking ship. I'll tell you all about it later." His last comment was said to all, but Shampoo knew he specifically meant her.
She replied nonchalantly, "I shan't wait to hear it," specifically using the archaic English term to signal that she understood his hidden meaning.
Ranma, Akane, Shan Fu, Muu Tsu, Mom, Pop, Shiva, Ryoga, Uc-chan, everyone-I love you all. Owari. The voice of Ranko Saotome rang in their minds at once.
"What the...?" everybody said at once.
"Did you hear that, too?" Libby said.
"Pigtail?" Tate asked.
Shampoo just nodded dully, trying to make sense of Ran-chan's words. "Owari? That's 'sorrow.'" Oh shit! What the hell's she up to?
"Oh my God..." Ronnie, who through all this, had been quietly manning the binoculars, now pointed in shock at the island. "Everybody, look!"
"This is your captain speaking. We'll be landing at San Francisco International in five minutes. For those of you on the left side of the aircraft, you can see the Golden Gate bridge and old Alcatraz island. Please ensure that your seats and trays are in the upright position."
Ranma didn't bother looking. This was his first time to the States, but it held no joy for him. His sister was dead, and he may as well join her, feeling emptier inside than he had ever felt in his life. If I could only explain it to Akane, to make her understand. I know she still hurts after the death of her mother so long ago, as well as Shinnosuke's and Konatsu's. So she's more familiar with the concept of death than I am.
But this was my sister. No, she's more than a sister. She was my clone, she was me. If she had been created as a little girl, she may have been our daughter. In any event, I've had more impact on her short life than Mom and Pop; in effect, I've raised her.
Oh sis, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I pushed you away when you needed my help the most. I only wish I had the chance to tell you that.
Akane was leaning over him, looking at the beautiful view. "Ranma, this is gorge-" Seeing the depressed look on her face, she immediately clamed up. I'm so stupid. We're here. He's obviously thinking about her. She said no more and sat back in her seat.
Ranma, Akane, Shan Fu, Muu Tsu, Mom, Pop, Shiva, Ryoga, Uc-chan, everyone-I love you all. Owari.
"Huh?" Ranma and Akane looked at each other. Ranma then went vacant-eyed as he frantically tried to reach his sister. Ran-chan! Ranko! ANSWER ME! PLEASE!
The woman in seat 22A screamed. "Oh dear Allah, please save us..." She pointed at the window, shouting, "Alcatraz!"
Ranma and Akane looked out the window and stared in horror at the island.
"Mrs. Kuno," the pilot said, gently reaching over and shaking her, "We're on the landing approach. The control tower's given us the green light, and we're on the way down. KTech's SF office will have someone standing by with a car for you. Didja get all that?"
"Um, fine, sure, yeah," Nabiki said, numbly. She was still rocked by Akane's words that Ranko was dead. Nabiki was never felt so low in her life-and considering some of the things that she'd during the course of that life, that was saying quite a bit.
Ranko, I failed you. We all did-you needed our help, and we turned you away for our own selfish reasons. I'm so ashamed to have lost you, sis. Please don't go. The tears threatened to sting Nabiki's eyes again, and she tried desperately to fight both her exhaustion and sorrow. Things were already bad enough for her. What worse could happen?
Ranma, Akane, Shan Fu, Muu Tsu, Mom, Pop, Shiva, Ryoga, Uc-chan, everyone-I love you all. Owari.
The voice called to her in her mind; Nabiki knew the voice of the red-head as sure as it was her own. Ranko's up to something, but she's still alive. Ranko, if you can hear me, I swear none of us will ever fail you again. I promise you with that item more precious to me than gold-my heart.
"Oh mah gawd," the pilot spat suddenly. What he saw rocked his world. Nabiki saw it a second later, and what she saw chilled her to the marrow.
The island, indifferent to the planes above and the speedboat in the water sat there for a second, dark and still. Without warning a light blazed inside, a bright azure luminescence that lit every window and opening in the main building. Cracks appeared on the building's surface, outlined in the same color, becoming a cobweb network of light.
The light continued to expand past the structure of the facility, beginning to encompass the other buildings as well; slowly but surely forming the same cobweb of brilliance that covered the main building.
"FLOOR IT! MARIA, GET US TO SHORE, PRONTO!" Ronnie screamed, knowing instinctively what was going to happen next.
"Ay, Dios mio!" Maria, unintentionally a genius at physics, as well as a master of ki-powered marital arts, also had the same idea. Without requiring any further prompting from the others, she gunned the engines and raced the speedboat as fast as it would go, spearing for the distant coast of the mainland.
Libby started to frantically toss overboard everything that wasn't bolted to the deck, hoping that somehow the lessened weight would translate into exponentially faster speeds.
Mousse, Kuno, and Shampoo stared at the slowly growing ball of flame, not knowing how to react. As the building began to break up, there were three frantic shouts:
"Pigtail!"
"No, Ran-chan, no!"
"Damn you, Ranko!" Shampoo was too weary and tired to say everything she wanted to say. "How could you do this to me?" Shampoo grabbed onto Mousse, holding him close to her, shivering, not wanting to see any more.
The cracks in the building began to grow larger as molecular bonds snapped, the gravity net holding them together neutralized by the energy that demanded to escape its confines and rush to the many tangents of the compass. Bit by bit, the solid pieces of Alcatraz prison grew smaller and smaller as the bricks, cement, dirt and what have you became so much dust. The energy became an umbra of immense power, a destructive canopy of blue that slowly consumed the island and no small amount of the surrounding bay.
Still, the light became brighter and brighter, easily illuminating all of the bay area with light equal to that of a morning sun.
The jet became chaos, people seeing the apocalypse in the bay below slowly growing to their size. Over the intercom, the captain told all the passengers to brace for emergency landing. Those inside the plane began to scream and shout in panic and fear: "Oh my God...What's going on, mommy?...We're gonna die!...Somebody save us!...The FAA will hear about this...You mean if we live that long!...Are we under attack?...Where's the Air Force when you need them?" Minutes remaining in the lives of the passengers were counted as the pilot of the Concorde ignored the reminder of the aircraft's scheduled holding pattern and immediately began landing procedures.
Ranma and Akane Saotome ignored them all, staring only at the flare in the ocean below that once was an island.
"Ranma! Could that be?"
"Ranko..." To Akane's shock, he actually smiled for a second. "She took her killer with her." Ranma Saotome remembered something he said eight years ago, a world away:
"This is my sister, Ranko. Anybody who has a problem with that will have to deal with me." He then looked at his sister, and there was no mistaking the love, joy, and pride he had in his eyes. "You did good, sis. Thank you."
His mind held no greater emotion as he "said," Farewell, sister, daughter, self. I love you, am very proud of you, and will miss you. Owari.
"San Francisco control, this is Kunotech flight 33X2. We are in danger. Repeat, we are in danger. Am making immediate emergency landing at runway two. Over."
Nabiki looked at the thing that was Alcatraz. This is not a good day to die...
The canopy of light became a bubble, the light it emitted far stronger than a noonday sun in Arizona.
Then the bubble burst, and a massive shockwave shook the area, nearly buckled the Golden Gate Bridge, rattled buildings for miles around, and certainly shook a small speedboat and a much larger Concorde jet.
The final sign that it was all over was the electric blue mushroom cloud that rose to the sky, arcs of lightning cascading up and down the base and cap.
Alcatraz, the island, stood for eons, untouchable. Alcatraz, the prison, stood for decades, impregnable. Now the force and willpower of one small woman determined to save the world at any cost consigned both to the tomes of history.
The inspector gave O'Shaugnessy the letter. "Here. Ye read it an' see if it ha' any sense o' meaning ta ye." The inspector looked at the crater in the middle of the park. "Ne'er in all m' years ha' oi e'er seen the likes o' this..."
Giving his superior an odd look, the constable read the strange missive:
Gentlemen,
I find myself honor-bound to apologize for the way that I have entered your city-and nation-in a different form of transport than what is considered the norm. My transportation was not expected, nor was my trip, and I truly apologize for the unintended damage that I have caused. As I did not intend for this trip, please contact my office, so I may begin reparations. My office number is US number (415) 555-7098, which I can be reached at starting tomorrow evening, or you may leave an EMail at ykaguro .
Yours in humblest regards,
Yujiiro Kaguro
A few meters away, Yujiiro Kaguro stepped off the grounds of Trinity Park and into the streets of Dublin, Ireland, in search of a travel agent, a hotel, and new clothing. It was fortunate for him that he carried his passport out of habit.
I never thought that love could be this...entertaining; it is certainly making me a well-traveled person. So my beloved Shan Fu has cousin Tatewaki as a chaperone, eh? I wasn't aware that she was under family caveat. I suppose I'll have to get creative in my efforts to win her heart.
Kaguro touched his temple in repose, sighing at the thought of his true love.
Life would get interesting, indeed.
In the early hours of the morning, dawn broke over the far off mountains of California. The rays of the rising sun began to alight upon the cityscape of the Bay Area, illuminating clearly all that had occurred during the previous night. The Bridge was only slightly damaged; Caltrans could repair that within a few hours. The shockwave had shattered a few windows, and rattled a few other things, but most people took it with the calm of Californians dealing daily with the much more ominous San Andreas Fault.
The only loss in all this was the island of Alcatraz, as various state and federal agencies began to investigate.
Elsewhere, a very wet and indignant Jade Chiang pulled herself out of the waters and on to the shore of Fisherman's Wharf. She was uninjured, but felt completely sore and exhausted. She got off the immediate pier grounds, then stopped to rest in the parking lot across the street. Fortunately, it was fairly early in the morning, so there would be no one to record her embarrassing emergence from the water, the goddess Aphrodite rising from the sewers.
She had no idea where she was or how she got in the water. And why was she wearing a metal bikini, anyway? Where were her ninja togs? What time was it? A glance at her watch revealed that it was 6:12 in the morning.
She reached up to feel the Heart of the Demon-the true Heart of the Demon-and found the ruby pendant still on its leather thong around her neck. She held it in both hands and began to channel her chi, feeling the ruby begin to glow with a carmine aura, as the red battle aura encompassed her once more...
...which quickly died as the power of the talisman began its thousand-year slumber once more. Jade Chiang became enveloped once more in her old, useless, green aura.
As she stood there, dripping on the asphalt, the green aura shimmering as it was saying "I'm baaaaack!", Jade Chiang hand only one thought in her anger-filled mind: This is all Lao's fault!
She fired one of her blood chi-make that chi bolt, instead-towards the direction of the California Cat Cafe, screaming, "You got off easy this time, Lao! I'll get you yet!"
Shan Fu Lao would pay for this humiliation, Jade swore. Now, all she had to do was to get to the Golden Dragon Palace before she either froze to death or rusted solid.
Same time, at the Lao/Windham/Saotome household:
"Owww!" Shampoo winced as Libby applied disinfectant to her back wound. "That hurt!"
"Quit being a baby, Shampoo. You stomp around Alcatraz, level the island, get sliced and diced by a demon of the netherworld, and you're bitching about me cleaning your wounds?" she replied, as cheerlessly as possible. "Would you prefer that the cut would scar and fester? Or would you prefer that I do your breasts, instead?"
She crossed her arms in mock anger, then winced again from agitating her arm burns. "Not on your life!" Glancing longingly at Mousse, bandaged under Tyler's care, she said, "Besides, I think I may have a willing volunteer for that, later."
"That's assuming you can get Veronica off him." The other girl, leg completely taken care of, was currently rubbing up and down Mousse's arm like an animal in heat, much to Mousse's dismay and Tyler's disappointment.
"Call an ambulance later. She may require hospitalization."
"For her wounds? I checked 'em out myself. They weren't that bad..."
"They will be when I'm done with her."
Tyler and Gil were overjoyed to see that the group had made it back safe, but were disheartened at the news of Ranko's death. Still, they needed help, so, it was a good thing that Shampoo had the foresight to keep the medicine cabinet, earthquake kit, and dojo first aid kits fully stocked.
Gil double-checked Maria's injuries, declaring that Ronnie had done a better job than the Midwestern girl had initially thought. "I'm really glad you made it out alive. I was really worried."
She returned his smile, saying, "Worried about what, Gil?"
"Um, never mind."
There was a knock at the door. Since all were busy, except for Kuno (who had been taken care of first), he replied, "I'll get it." He cradled Mige in his arm and answered the door. Mige, having that uncanny sense of prediction that all cats seem to, leapt out of his arm as the door was slammed in his face, crushing him against the wall.
Ranma Saotome walked into the household as though he were entering a shrine or temple in his sister's memory.
"He still hasn't mastered finesse, has he?" Nabiki asked Akane as the pair walked in a split second after.
"It's not like I haven't tried to teach him," she apologized by way of explanation. "Besides, I love him just the same. Also, it helps to have a decent sparring partner."
"In the dojo, or in bed?" Nabiki purred.
"Nabiki!" Akane flushed, then smiled saucily. "Both."
"RANMA!" Shampoo ripped herself from Libby's care, and "bounced" on over (she was topless, having shed Libby's jacket in order to facilitate medical care) easily into his arms, sensually putting her arms around her old flame and kissing him very tenderly and lovingly...on the side of his mouth, then turned and stuck her tongue at Akane. "Relax, Akane," she laughed, then added a hello to Nabiki.
"Well, if I was expecting a welcome like this, I woulda come sooner," he joked, instinctively ducking Akane's punch.
From behind the door, a newly bruised Kuno said, "She seems to do this often. You just get the special treatment."
Mousse commented, "How come I don't get the special treatment?"
Shampoo turned towards Mousse, "You're getting it from her." She glared at Ronnie, who flipped her off.
"I don't want it from her!" Mousse complained.
Ranma countered, pointing at Shampoo, "You think I want it from her?" Unfortunately, his finger ended up on her breast.
"Ranma," she breathed, enjoying the familiar insanity, "I knew all along that you-"
Ranma ducked another blow, as Kuno shouted, "You fiend! How could you do that to Akane! And in front of her, no less?!"
Akane turned and decked Tate, screaming, "I'll take care of my own marital problems, thank you!" She then turned to Ranma and Shampoo, snarling, "Ranma no baka!" and throwing a charging punch at her loving husband.
Ranma and Shampoo ducked in tandem, thus allowing Akane's punch to head straight towards Mousse, who came over to break up Ranma and Shampoo's "little embrace". Mousse in turn ducked, leaving Ronnie to take the full brunt of the blow. She flew back and ended up ricocheting off the wall and landed on the coffee table, breaking it.
Libby, by force of habit, walked over to the phone, and hit one of the speed dial buttons-the one to the furniture store. Getting the answering machine, she said, "Hiya. Libby Windham here. Need the usual. Put it on Shampoo's card this time. Delivery time, usual. Thanks." She hung up the phone.
Meanwhile, Ranma and Shampoo were still doing synchronized ducking, chatting along merrily as Akane, Kuno, and Mousse hit each other trying to break up the pair's friendly hug.
"Ten years ago this always used to happen-" he said, laughing.
"-and it still happens every time we have family reunions!" she giggled.
Finally, Tyler got fed up with it, and screamed, "HEY, CAN WE GET SOME ORDER AROUND HERE?! PUH-LEASE, PEOPLE!"
The "Furinkan High Gang" stopped where they were, groaning and throwing annoyed glances Tyler's way.
"What'd I do?" he asked.
Seated on the couch, playing with Mige, Nabiki answered. "Now you've gone and done it. You ruined all their fun. This is just the way they greet each other."
"Oh."
Shampoo stepped out of Ranma's arms as Maria handed her a T-shirt. She put it on, never once taking her eyes off of Ranma's baby blue eyes. Playtime was over. Her eyes became downcast, and she knew it was time to say the hardest words she'd ever have to say to him. "Ranma airen," she began, forcing herself not to cry just once more, "I know you already know this-"
Ranma's eyes began to tear. "I know. I also know she got her killer. I can see that you did everything to try to prevent it."
She hugged Ranma again, motioning for Akane to join them. "I'm so sorry, dear heart, Akane-chan. I tried, but I failed. Please forgive me and my stupidity. Because of my shortcomings, Ranko's-"
"Hi-ya!" a rusty, high spirited female voice boomed.
Everybody snapped their heads at the door to see...
...a very wet and bedraggled Ranko Saotome walking through the door. Her clothing was complete soaked and smelled of the bay. Her hair was completely undone, and the Jusenkyo sword was still at her side.
She took off the sword and put it on the coat tree near the door. She then wandered off to the kitchen saying, "Man, oh man! You won't believe the time I just had! Ohmigod! Think I'm gonna totally catch a cold, for sure! Swimming the Bay was hard enough, but-"
"Swimming the bay?!" Gil said, completely stupefied that Ranko was alive, much less here. "Nobody swims the bay!"
Ranko nonchalantly commented as she had her head in the fridge, "I'm a Saotome. There's no such thing as impossible. Anyway, the swim really sucked, but the jog from the Embarcadero was worse! Traffic from all the cameras checking out 'The Big Alcatraz Incident'-" she popped her head out of the fridge long enough to grin, roll her eyes and wiggle her fingers in a quotation-marks motion, "- and the fact that it's so damn far! Didn't know that there was no bus service near here this early in the morning, or I woulda taken a taxi!" She popped her head out again, a carton of Pineapple Juice in her hand. "Hey guys, we're out of tortillas again. Can we just go out to breakfast this morning? I'll even pa-"
She stopped and noticed the black haired man in Chinese clothing staring at her. Ranko?
Oniichan! Dropping the carton of PJ, she powerleapt over the countertop to her brother and tackled him in a loving embrace. "Oh Ranma," tears of joy streaming from her eyes, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
His joyful tears matched hers. "Same here, sis." He playfully admonished her. "Don't ever go off and get yourself killed without me again!"
"Never again, I promise." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, big bro."
"I love you too, Ranko."
Akane pounced on the pair, equally crying, "Don't forget about me!" Soon Tate, Shampoo, and even Nabiki joined the dogpile.
Mousse stood in front of the football play, a joyful smile on his face, glasses fogging from happy tears. "Nobody get any ideas," he grinned. "Let the happy little family be."
He didn't have to worry. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.