Insertion Part 35: A Return To Normality Of Sorts... by Sean D'Anna ===== Belldandy stood in the Morisato home, standing in front of the stove cooking cheerfully. She paused in the middle of stirring and fell to her knees, clutching at her head. "No!" she gasped in horror. In a nearby room, Urd looked up and got a blank look on her face. She was sitting in front of the TV with Keiichi and Skuld. "What's up sis?" asked the younger goddess in confusion. Urd looked at her, almost completely pale and muttered. "You didn't feel that?" "Feel what?" asked Keiichi in confusion. Belldandy stumbled into the room with the look of shocked horror on her face. "Bell!" cried Keiichi as he rushed to her side and helped her to a chair. "What's wrong?" "I felt something terrible!" said the goddess quietly. "It was as if billions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and then were suddenly silenced!" "What does it mean?" said Urd as she stood up. "I don't know. I feel something terrible has happened!" said Belldandy as she hugged herself and shivered. +++++++++++++++ Ranma walked into the gates of Furinkan High almost lazily. Akane trailed behind him almost lazily as he walked through the usual morning crowd undisturbed. He walked by Tatewaki Kuno and gave the boy a short nod in greeting. Kuno frowned at this, but said nothing as he stepped out from behind the tree. "Hold Saotome." "Well, good morning Kuno," replied the boy calmly. "What is it that you want?" "I must free Akane Tendo..." "Akane Tendo can do as she likes, she has no obligation to me," replied the pigtailed martial artist as he continued walking. "That's not entirely true, boss," said Akane as she looked at Kuno for a moment. "Well, that's professional though, not personal," said Ranma with a small shrug. "What?" stammered Kuno. "So it is true! Your hold on Akane Tendo must be broken knave." "Akane works for me you nimrod," said the pigtailed boy as he turned to face Kuno. "So you have enslaved her to..." Kuno paused as Ranma put a business card in his face. "You've used my service before Kuno," said the boy calmly. Kuno blinked and looked at Ranma for a moment. "You are the owner of the Men In Black security agency?" "That's right," replied Ranma with a shrug. "Akane is one of my employees. So it would be clearly unprofessional of me to have such a relationship with her. I'd never do a thing like that!" Kuno frowned as the gears in his mind turned. "So..." An image of Akane the demure secretary and her overbearing boss appeared in his mind. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You'll do what I say, or you'll remain as a lowly servant forever! You'll never make enough money to support your family!" said the dream Ranma cruelly. "Yes! I must! For the sake of my poor family!" said the dream Akane sadly. Kuno's brow furrowed and he almost shook with anger. "Cur! To think I would allow such dishonorable behavior..." "You're just letting your imagination run off with you," said Ranma flatly. "Silence fool!" roared Kuno as he slashed at the boy with his boken. Ranma sidestepped lazily and kicked the boy in his gut sharply. Kuno keeled over and slumped down on the ground face first. "Tsk. Defeated again." "I admit no defe..." muttered Kuno. "Do we really have to go over this again Kuno?" said Ranma calmly. "Admitted or not, everyone knows you were just defeated." With that, Ranma and Akane left him on the ground. ++++++++++++++++ Nabiki Tendo frowned as she sat under a tree with the financial paper in her grip. She had just watched Ranma cream Kuno yet again, nothing unusual about that. She sipped on the can of juice sitting next to her and promptly spit it back out. Her eyes went wide as she saw something in the stock exchange. Ranma's company was listed, and it was one of the top 500 stocks in Japan. "No freaking way!" she gasped in shock as the paper in her grip began to shake violently. "What is it Nabiki?" asked one of her associates nearby. "There's no way that moron is..." she paused and realized that there were other ears present. She sat down and began to contemplate her situation. Ranma, the crazed psychopath, the man who brought strange memory erasing devises into her home, the man who she thought was quite capable of committing murder, was one of the richest people in Japan. He had to be, yet he lived with her father, seeming to freeload off of her family with his oaf of a father. His mother wasn't living with them, but he knew that her living conditions weren't the greatest either. She was a struggling single woman. Something about this didn't quite add up. She stood up and walked into the school. ++++++++++++++ Ranma walked into his classroom and paused. "Ucchan?" he muttered dumbly as he saw the girl sitting at one of the desks in the middle of the room. Akane paused and looked at the new boy for a moment. He was wearing a school uniform and was currently staring at them. "You know this guy?" The boy in question looked at them both dumbly, recognition flashing across her face suddenly. "You! So! You've finally showed up!" The girl stood up and took her bakers peel off of her back. "When did she get here?" asked Ranma as he looked at Akane for a moment. "She?" said the girl in confusion. "Ranma! Die!" cried Ukyo as she jumped over the desks and attacked. Ranma casually blocked the strike and held the giant spatula in the air, still looking at Akane. "He showed up while you were off training," said the girl as she looked at him for a moment. "Hey! Great!" said Ranma as he smiled at the girl attacking him. Ukyo was struggling to remove her weapon from his grip. "Let go!" He did and she promptly fell flat on her back, glaring up at him hatefully. "Um, he seems pretty mad at you..." ventured Akane nervously. "Really?" said the boy as he looked at her again for a moment. "I wonder why?" "How dare you!" cried the girl as she attempted to smack him again. He caught the weapon again and frowned at her. "What's with you Ucchan?" "Die!" snarled Ukyo hatefully. "Ahem!" said the teacher as he looked at the scene. "Oh, sorry Sensei," said Ranma sheepishly. "Come on Ucchan, we'll go somewhere else and settle this." Akane blinked and watched as the pair walked out of the room and into the hallway. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down at her desk. ++++++++++++++ Outside, in a quiet corner of the schoolyard, Ranma stood with his hands in his pockets and looked at the girl for a moment. Ukyo stood in a battle ready stance and glared at him. "You're going to suffer for what you did to me!" "Explain," said Ranma calmly as he watched her. "What? How dare you!" snapped Ukyo. She paused when he pulled a weapon of his own out from behind his back and pointed it at her. It was a firearm of some kind. "What?" she muttered in shock. She staggered back and stared at him. "What's with you? We used to be friends. I'm not going to fight you until you explain exactly what's wrong." "Dishonorable..." growled Ukyo as she stepped back. "Maybe, but I think you owe me an explanation at least," he replied with a small shrug. "Don't worry, this isn't lethal, but it does leave a rather nasty mark." He fired a small bolt of energy from the weapon and the tree next to Ukyo now had a bald spot on the bark. "I'm not the one who owes an explanation," snarled Ukyo. "Well, you explain and then I will. How's that?" said the boy cheerfully. The girl growled and turned her head away. "Why did you abandon me?" "Abandon?" said Ranma in confusion. "Yes! You stole our Okonomiyaki Cart, and ran away with your father!" snapped the girl bitterly. "Stole?" said the boy flatly. "Pop said your father gave us the cart." "He did?" said Ukyo dumbly. Her face hardened again and she stepped back once again. "That's no excuse! You left me behind!" "We were supposed to take you?" said Ranma, as he looked even more confused. "This is the first I've heard of that." Ukyo blinked and looked at him for a moment. "You're serious!" "Why would he promise to take you with us? That doesn't seem like him at all. The fat greedy bastard, the last thing he'd want is a responsibility like that," ventured Ranma with a dumb expression on his face. Ukyo's eyes went wide and she almost dropped her weapon. "You mean you don't know!? You've got to be joking! This isn't funny!" Ranma put his weapon away and shook his head. "I suppose I could pay for the cart, there isn't really much else I can do to satisfy your honor..." Ukyo growled, he seemed sincere enough at the moment, almost. "I'll humor you for now, on the off chance that you're telling the truth." "Huh?" said Ranma as he managed to look even more confused. "My father arranged a marriage between us, the cart was the dowry. You and your father abandoned me by the side of the road, and left without me!" "An arranged marriage?" said Ranma as he narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. "That's right! I gave up my womanhood and trained for ten years! Now I've come for my revenge! I trained by the raging sea, so I could defeat you, and regain my honor!" "Well, isn't this just great," muttered Ranma irritably. "If you want revenge, take it up with my father. I didn't know about any of this until just now." "What?" gasped Ukyo in shock. "I will not be held responsible for Genma Saotome's greed any longer," he said with a shrug. "He's a dishonorable coward, and a thief. If you want to regain your honor, kill him." "You're giving me permission to kill your father?" gasped Ukyo as she stared at him. Ranma sighed and walked towards the gates of Furinkan. "Come on." "Where are we going?" snapped Ukyo irritably. She moved into a combat stance again and waited. "Well, I suppose I'm partly responsible for this mess. I suppose I should do something as restitution," he said with a heavy sigh. +++++++++++++ Ukyo Kuonji was confused. Ranma had just walked out of a large bank in Tokyo and dropped a briefcase in her lap. "What the hell is this?" "A billion yen," he replied with a shrug. "What?" muttered Ukyo as she looked at the case dumbly. "Payment for the dowry, personal suffering, and restitution for your dishonor," he replied with a small shrug. "You're trying to pay me off?!" gasped the girl in shock as she threw the case onto the ground and glared at him. "No, I'm paying you what I owe you," he replied calmly. "Do you think you can buy back my honor!?" snarled the girl. "Yes," replied Ranma simply. Ukyo blinked. "Look, I can't honor the engagement, there's too much going on in my life as it is. I don't need another enemy, and I like you. We used to be friends. There's not much else I can do to help you." Ukyo turned her head away from him. She stared down at the case and looked back up at him again. "Where did you get this?" Ranma smirked at her. "I'm the owner of a security company in Tokyo." She frowned again and lifted up the case. "I can't accept this...it's..." "More than enough to wipe the slate clean between us Ukyo," said the boy as he shoved it into her chest. "I'm wiping my hands clean of my father. Do what you want to him, but leave me out of this." Ukyo stared at him in horror. "How can you say that about your own father?" "Oh, that's right. You don't know," said Ranma with a smirk on his face. "My mother is trying to kill him too. He's a slippery bastard, I won't help you kill him, but I won't stop you either. Same deal I've got with mom." "Your mother?" said Ukyo dumbly. "That's right," said the boy with a short nod. Ukyo stood up with the case in her grip. "I'll see you around, Saotome." "Right," said the boy with another nod. She paused and looked back at him again. "We're still not friends, Ranma." "No, not yet," he said as he turned and left her standing there. They parted ways, each moving in a different direction. +++++++++++++++ Nabiki stepped out of the shadows and watched the pair go their separate ways. She had never made it to class that day. She had a cold frown on her face as she watched the pair separate. She turned away and walked for a few hundred yards before a voice stopped her. "So, did you find out what you wanted to?" asked Ranma as he leaned against a building directly in her path and smiled at her. He had a familiar object in his grip, what appeared to be a silver pen. She stumbled back and shielded her eyes before it went off. It never did and she lowered her arm slowly. Ranma's face was now a very slight frown. "It seems you know what this is. I wonder how that happened?" He put it in his pocket and looked her up and down for a moment. "Who are you?" she growled. "Ranma Saotome," he replied with a small shrug. "All this money, and you live like a freeloading wanderer in my house?" she said as she glared at him hatefully. "I'm not poor, no. My father is though, he has no idea just how rich I am," said the boy with a casual smirk. "What?" said the girl as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Pop is stupid, there's no nice way to put it. I've got a few partners, and the money is all in their names," said Ranma calmly as he started walking in stride with her. "Why are you telling me this?" asked Nabiki cautiously. "You've been sneaking around me. I figure it's better to just tell you up front. Besides, if you ever try to use it against me, I can make it all just disappear," said the boy as he pulled the pen-like device from his pocket and showed it to her again. "What if your partners decide to cut you out of the deal?" said Nabiki. "They won't, I've entrusted my life to them, and they've entrusted me with theirs," said the boy calmly. "Their loyalty is unquestioned." "That's a rare thing," commented Nabiki skeptically. "You have no idea what we've been through together," said Ranma as he smirked at her again. "I suppose you'll tell me?" she ventured. "No. It's a secret," he replied calmly. "That doesn't explain much," said Nabiki coolly. Ranma shrugged his shoulders and opened the door of a black car with dark tinted windows. "Get in," he said calmly. "What?" said the girl in shock. "What is this?" "My car," said Ranma with a shrug as he pulled out a set of keys and moved into the driver's seat. Nervously, Nabiki did so. She sat down in the front passenger side and edged away from him as he pulled out into the street. "In the seat behind you, you'll find a briefcase, pull it out and look inside," he replied calmly. She did so and glared at him suspiciously as he continued to drive through the streets of Tokyo. After several moments he pulled out into one of the suburbs and out of the congested traffic. Nabiki flipped through several papers and frowned. "What is this?" There were several accounts set up, much smaller than the main one in the print out she had in her hand. Her eyes went wide when she saw the numbers on the main account. "This is..." "Not what you're supposed to be looking at, look at the smaller accounts below," said Ranma calmly. Nabiki frowned and noticed four smaller accounts. "What is this?" "Your college fund," said Ranma as he glanced at her for a moment. "What?" stammered the girl dumbly. "That one is a nice nest egg for Kasumi, for whatever she feels she should do with it," said Ranma as he pointed to the second account. "This one is for your father, as restitution for the time we're going to be spending at your home," said the boy as he took another turn and pointed at the bottom account. "What is this?" said the girl as she looked at him in shock. "Your family has been very hospitable to me, I'm going to shove it all back in your face sooner or later. I'm not marrying any of you. When I leave, I'd like to make sure it's on good terms. Your father won't be particularly happy, but I think he'll accept my generous offer." Nabiki nodded dumbly. "As for why I'm telling you this, I want you off my back. If you dig too deep you're going to find things out that you don't want to know," said Ranma as he glanced at her again. "Yakuza," said Nabiki with a sharp intake of breath. "No, I'm afraid not," said Ranma cheerfully. "It's much deeper than those thugs could be." He pulled the car over and into the parking lot of a small shopping center. "Come on. I'll buy you lunch." She nodded dumbly and stepped out of the car. +++++++++++++ They were sitting inside a nice French restaurant a few moments later. It was located in Juban, and had a nice view of the town below it, over a small cliff just across the road outside the window. "That last account, it's Akane's?" asked Nabiki. "No, that's to take care of my mother. Akane is working for me, she can handle her own affairs rather easily I'd think," said the boy as he took a sip out of a glass of water that had been set before him. Nabiki nodded and shook her head. "What...why..." "Don't think on it too hard. My father is a leech and a coward. I'm not going to be held responsible for him any longer," said the boy with a casual shrug. Nabiki narrowed her eyes at this, but said nothing more. "I'm planning on giving him a small sum as well, if he lives long enough for me to become independent of his legal protection," said the boy with a shrug. "He'll be happy for a while, and probably blow it. After that, he's on his own." "This is...I don't get you," said Nabiki as she looked at him again. "Sometimes you can be such an idiot...but that's not true is it?" "Beauty is the most lethal weapon, and stupidity is a close second," said the boy with a small wink. "I get it, you don't want people to know how smart you are," said Nabiki as she seemed to understand. "Right," said the boy cheerfully. "Although, I'll admit I've had my dumb moments." "Right," said Nabiki as she looked away from him again. "In any case, I've got a lot of responsibility, even though I don't run the company myself," said Ranma. "You're partners do?" "Would you do business with a sixteen year old boy if you were a large corporation?" asked the boy cheerfully. "I suppose not," admitted Nabiki. "I'm the keeper of more secrets in Japan than anyone else," said Ranma as he smirked at her. "Military intelligence has nothing on me." "Is that where that thing in your pocket came from?" said Nabiki. "It's part of it," admitted Ranma. ++++++++++++ An hour later, Nabiki stepped out of the car again and stared up at the tower that loomed overhead. "This is..." "The offices are on the top floor," said Ranma casually. Nabiki looked at a very sleek looking sports car that was beside Ranma's car and gaped. "Wow." Ranma smirked at her. "You like that?" She nodded and gently touched the side of the vehicle. "Maybe Akane will give you a ride some time," said the boy as he smirked at her. Nabiki almost fell over. "Akane!!?" "That's right," said Ranma as he gently took her arm and pulled her towards the doors. ++++++++++++++ "Agent R, how are you doing today?" said the pretty secretary who sat at the entrance to the offices. "Fine Midori, I need a badge," said Ranma as he jerked his thumb towards the girl. "Who's this?" asked the woman with her eyebrow arched slightly. "Agent A's sister, Nabiki," said the boy with a smirk. "I'm going to show her what her sister does for a living." Nabiki pinned on the badge the woman gave her and followed Ranma through the office. There were dozens of men and women wandering around. Each wearing a black suit and tie. "I'm sensing a theme here," she commented dryly. Ranma smirked and walked her up to the second floor, to the training area. There, she saw what appeared to be part dojo, part weight room, and part firing range. "You carry firearms?" she gasped. "One of the few offices with a license in Japan," said Ranma with a small nod. "Only a very select few agents are permitted." "I'm starting to see why you're so expensive," commented the girl nervously. He walked her into another room and she paused as she realized that she was behind a one way mirror. There was a classroom full of people in front of her, they seemed to be learning something about firearms. There was a chart with various automatic weapons on it that the instructor was pointing too. "There's another level above," said Ranma as he walked her out of the room and to an elevator. She stepped on tentatively and he smirked as he pushed one of the buttons. Once inside, Nabiki gasped as she saw a huge command center of some kind. There were screens showing various places in Japan, not just Tokyo. On one wall, there were screens that showed moving cameras that moved through buildings. "Those are hidden cameras on our agents in various places. We use this to keep tabs on what they're doing. They screw up, and they're gone, no room for error or bad agents here. Only the best, we cost enough to demand it." "Is that the diet building?" muttered Nabiki as she saw one of the moving cameras following behind someone who's back was turned. "Yes, we have a few agents performing bodyguard duty there," said the boy calmly. "They have a lot of government security there too. We seem to get along well with them for the most part, our professional image is very important to us." "You own this?" said Nabiki as she looked at him in shock again. "Mostly. It's a partnership between myself and five other people," said the boy with a shrug. "Are any of them...available?" said Nabiki as she felt a chill run down her spine. "They're all a bit old for you," said Ranma calmly. "Two of them are gay anyway." "Gay?" muttered Nabiki as she looked up at him. Kunzite walked up to him and frowned. "Speak of the devil!" exclaimed Ranma. "You realize that I hate you," said the man calmly. "Yeah, what's up?" "What is she doing here?" said the man as he looked at the girl for a moment. "You know she's not trustworthy." Nabiki swallowed and stepped back under the man's gaze. "Relax, I didn't show her anything important," said the boy calmly. Nabiki's mind boggled at the implications of that statement. These men had cameras inside the Diet building, and the hadn't shown her anything important!? "I need to talk with you," said Kunzite as he glared at Nabiki for a moment. "Sure, let me just," Ranma pointed towards Nabiki and smiled at her. "Here, you can wait in my office. I won't let him talk for more than a minute," said the boy as he led her over to a door just outside the command room. Nabiki blinked and looked around. She sucked in a sharp breath and stared out the huge window that took up a whole wall in the room. There was a neat looking desk in front of it, with several papers spread out across the surface of the desk. She paused when she noticed one of the folders that was opened on the desk. Sitting in front of her, were the identities of the Sailor Senshi. She flopped down into the chair and simply stared at the page in shock, not daring to touch it. "This is..." She simply sat there, staring and memorizing the names and addresses. It didn't take more than a moment. She would write them down as soon as she returned home of course. +++++++++++++++ Kunzite frowned at Ranma and sat across from him at his own desk. "I checked up on that Kuonji girl. She's returned to that restaurant she's rented out, not much else going on with that." "Good, I think she'll back down," said Ranma calmly. "In any case, she's not much of a concern for us anyway. The senshi have been relatively quiet as well, and no new sightings of your mystery woman." "She's the second Youma Lord, I'm sure of that," said Ranma with a small frown. "Our green headed friend has kept himself busy recently. He's been killing off a lot of rather unscrupulous criminals. The Yakuza are quite upset with him." "I imagine so," said Ranma. "It's no concern of ours at the moment. He's out of our way, and unless we figure out who he is, we might as well ignore him. That mask supposedly makes him invincible. You can't kill him, or really hurt him." "I know, I've seen him pull off his own head before," agreed Kunzite. "On that subject, fingerprints and DNA analysis are inconclusive. It seems to be protecting its host somehow." Ranma nodded and looked out the window. "Anything else?" "No, that's all for now," said the man as he turned his chair around to look out the window for a moment. "She's not trustworthy, having her anywhere near here is dangerous," said Kunzite coldly. "She's asking questions. I'm giving her enough information so that I think she'll be satisfied enough to back off a bit." "She's smart enough to realize that," said Kunzite. "That's what I'm wondering," said Ranma as he looked at him for a moment. "Let's give the rat a little room to wander, and see if it'll trap itself." "All right, it's your call," said the man. He nodded and closed his eyes in thought. "I can handle her easily enough," said Ranma with a short nod. "We might distance Akane," commented Kunzite with his eyes still closed. "I don't want her to know about this just yet," said the pigtailed boy. "We'll inform her later on, see if Nabiki says anything to her on her own. If so, how much she says." "If things get out of hand?" asked Kunzite. "I'll let Akane handle her," said Ranma. "That way, there's no putting the blame on us." "Nice plan," said Kunzite. "Well, we want to give her some rope, but not enough to hang herself with it," said Ranma with a small chuckle. ++++++++++++++++ Nabiki jumped up as Ranma opened the door, she turned the chair so that she was looking out the window and he entered. "Sorry to keep you waiting." "Nice office," she muttered. "Shall we go? It's about time to head back," said Ranma. "Right," said Nabiki as she stood up and followed him out. ++++++++++++++++ Back at the Dojo, Nabiki stared at the ceiling in her room and frowned. She looked at the names and partial addresses in her note pad and frowned. She could remember most of it, but there were a few easily verifiable details she was missing now. She smirked to herself and rolled over in her bed. "What should I do with this?" +++++++++++++++ Ranma sat behind the counter of the newly opened Ucchan and smiled at Ukyo a little nervously. "What are you doing here?" she asked a little coldly. She wasn't being hostile though, which was a plus. "Your Okonomiyaki is the best in Japan," said Ranma with a shrug. "You know that." "Well, that is true," she replied a little suspiciously. "Are you going to be staying?" he asked her as she started to cook one for him. "I don't know," she replied with a small shrug. She flipped the pastry over and glanced up at him. "Well, if you do, you should do well. This is a good place for a business like this," said Ranma as he glanced around. "It seems to be doing well so far," agreed Ukyo. "That's good," said Ranma cheerfully as she set his meal down in front of him. He smirked when he saw the smiley face that was looking up at him. Ukyo blinked and saw it as well, she hadn't even realized she'd done it. "Oops..." Ranma shook his head and started eating. "The Chinese place across the street should put up a little competition though. They're very good." "Cat Café?" asked Ukyo as she glanced at the place. "Yup," said Ranma. "The old woman who runs the place is a little hard nosed, but shouldn't cause any trouble." "Oh?" asked Ukyo. "I worked over there for a short time when I first got here," said Ranma. That struck the girl as a little odd, considering he'd just handed her a briefcase with a billion yen inside. She didn't press the matter though and continued to work. Ranma finished his meal and stood up. "See you around, Ukyo." "Yeah, I guess you will," she muttered. She wasn't sure if she should be angry with him or not. +++++++++++++ "Airen!" exclaimed Shampoo as she bounced across the street and tried to tackle the boy in a rough hug. He jumped over her and landed beside her before she could latch on. "Hey Shampoo." "Well, if it isn't the son in law," said Cologne as she appeared out of the front door of the restaurant. "You haven't been by to visit your wife in a while, how shameful." "I'm not married you old bat," replied Ranma a cheerfully. "How are things?" "Well enough, business is going well. I see we have competition now. Tell me, where have you been?" Ranma arched his eyebrow at this and smirked. "Nothing much, I fought a giant fire dragon, got sent into the past for about a month, and came back about a week ago." Cologne chuckled. "Well, if you don't want to say..." "Training mostly," he said with a shrug. "Came up with a few new techniques, you know how it goes." "I suppose that I do," answered the old woman casually. "You are still staying with that family?" "Yeah, don't know how much longer that will last. Mom wants me to go back home with her, but I'd like to finish school where I'm going now." "Really?" asked the old woman. "Yeah, it's a bit of a commute though," said Ranma with a shrug. "It's easier to stay here for now. I'll probably go back home after this year." "Well, I suppose you'll be staying around now?" asked Cologne. "Hadn't planned on leaving, but you never know," said Ranma with another shrug. "I see," commented Cologne with a short nod. "Come Shampoo, we've got work to do at the moment." The girl had been watching the conversation in slight confusion. She grabbed Ranma around his neck and then followed after the old woman. He'd allowed it and then turned away. "See you." He floated into the air and into the sky towards Tokyo. Cologne paused and watched for a moment as he did this. "New techniques indeed." "Airen can fly?" muttered Shampoo dumbly. "This grows interesting," said Cologne as she entered the restaurant. ++++++++++++++ Ranma sat inside the cockpit of the Mikon Taka, the console was opened up and he worked on replacing a few of the indicator lights on the dash with the repair manual resting in his lap. He paused when he noticed that he had visitors outside the ship. Tenchi Masaki was staring at the ship dumbly. Ryoko and Ayeka stood on either side of him, looking at it. "I told you there was a ship here," said Ryoko smugly. As if in reply to this, the ramp lowered and Ranma stepped out. "Hiya. Can I help you?" "This is..." muttered Ayeka as she looked on. "Kinda old isn't it?" said Ryoko as she smirked at the princess. "You!" said Tenchi as he recognized the boy. "What are you doing here?" "Working on my ship," he replied with a shrug. "It's got a lot of work before it'll fly again. What are you doing here?" "We live at the shrine at the top of the mountain. Tell me, where are you from?" asked Ayeka. "Here, I live on this planet," said Ranma as he looked her up and down. "You must be the first princess of Jurai." Ayeka nodded and looked at Tenchi. "I had no idea this planet was capable of interstellar travel." "It isn't, I'm a special exception," replied Ranma with a shrug. "Oh," said the princess in reply. "I've not seen a ship like this before." "It's a YT-1300, around ten thousand years old. Most of them are out of commission. It's a freight ship, but this one's been modified quite a bit," said Ranma as he glanced back at the ship. "Old Man Masaki told me I could park it here for a while. I'm fixing it up, some of the parts need replacing." "Grandpa knows about this?" gasped Tenchi. "Yup," said Ranma. Ryoko snorted and turned away. "Well, I suppose the monster woman wasn't lying," said Ayeka. "Who are you calling a monster woman!? You old hag!" snapped Ryoko. "Oh man," grumbled Tenchi. Power started to crackle around the pair as they faced off. "Hey! Do that somewhere else! Some of these repairs are delicate!" snapped Ranma. "I can't have you two causing explosions around here right now!" "You stay out of this!" snarled Ryoko. Ranma arched his eyebrow and raised his hands. Both girls rose into the air about a body's length off the ground. "Calm down, both of you," he said simply. "Whoa!" gasped Tenchi. "Let us go!" snarled Ryoko as she fought against the strange power that held her arms and legs against her body. "I demand that you release us at once!" cried Ayeka fearfully. "Only when you both promise to calm down. I don't want to have to fix anything else on this damn thing!" said Ranma as calmly as ever. "You let them go!" cried Tenchi as he pulled Tenchi-ken from his pocket and it came to life in his hands. "Relax, they aren't hurt. I'm just holding them back," said Ranma as he glanced at the boy. "Are you two going to behave yourselves?" Ryoko and Ayeka reluctantly nodded and he lowered them back to the ground again. "Thank you. Now, if you're going to fight, fine. Do it away from here. This thing is broken enough as it is." "How dare you!" snarled Ryoko as she glared at him and started to move foreword. "You said you'd behave yourself," said Ranma. "So I lied! I'm gonna smash that thing! Nobody does that to me in front of Tenchi!" snapped the woman angrily as an energy sword appeared in her hands. Ranma responded, and his lightsaber appeared out of his wrist. Ayeka gasped at the sight of the weapon. "You're a Jedi!" Ranma paused and looked at her. This was definitely new, he'd only been joking around in the Silver Millenium when he'd used his chi to mimic the powers from those movies. Ryoko backed away slowly, reassessing her actions slightly. "This could be more trouble than I'd thought," she said with a chuckle. "Ryoko, stop this!" said Tenchi. He turned towards Ayeka. "What's a Jedi?" "It's an order of strong fighters. Ten thousand years ago, a man defeated a powerful warlord. He had strange powers, and defeated all of the strongest warriors in the system with relative ease. He vanished after the battles, but a few others began to discover some of the techniques he used to defeat the warriors. They formed an order, in order to defend the galaxy from evil. Many years ago, a criminal named Kain was imprisoned with their help by one of my ancestors. Most of them died in the battle, and only a few remain in the galaxy to this day," explained the princess. "They're glorified Galaxy Police, bounty hunters most of them," snorted Ryoko. "In a way," agreed Ayeka. "Well, what are you doing here then?" said Ryoko as she eyed the boy in front of her. "I told you, I live here," said Ranma with a small shrug. He powered down his weapon and replaced it inside his arm again. "This is my home planet. You don't have a bounty on your head anymore, so I don't care about you." Ranma looked at the trio for a moment. "Interesting," he muttered to himself. He turned back towards the ship. "Well, I've got to get back to work now." "Indeed," said Ayeka with a slightly odd look in her eyes. Ryoko and Tenchi started moving back towards the shrine. Ayeka stood watching the ship for a moment. "Ayeka?" asked Tenchi. "I'd like to speak with him about something," said the princess as she looked at him for a moment. "I won't be a moment. I am quite safe, the jedi are very trustworthy." "Are you sure?" asked Tenchi as he looked at the ship nervously. "Very," said the princess with a short nod. "Unless he's a Sith," she muttered under her breath so he couldn't hear her. She doubted that, the Sith were thought to be destroyed long ago. It was a part of the arrangement that the Jedi had with Jurai when they imprisoned Kain. Ryoko stared at her for a moment, but said nothing and followed Tenchi back up the shrine. +++++++++++ Ranma turned around and blinked when he saw Ayeka walk up the ramp and board the ship. "Hello," he said as he looked her up and down for a moment. "I would like to speak with you about something," she said in a very formal tone. Ranma arches his eyebrow and put down the tools he had picked up. "Really?" "Yes, that criminal Ryoko, she is dangerous. I want you to get rid of her for me," said the princess coldly. "Oh really? And why should I do that?" said Ranma as he smirked at her and leaned against the wall. "I'll pay you of course. That demon attacked Jurai, and we have always had good relations with your kind in the past." Ranma arched his eyebrow and frowned at her. "I see." "Will you help me?" "No," he replied simply. "If it's money you want..." started the princess sharply. "I'm not interested in your money princess," he replied simply. "Ryoko has been imprisoned her for seven thousand years. She was defeated by Yosho, and has served her term according to your laws." Ayeka stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean? She was..." "The cavern where she was sleeping is a Juraian prison, go and see for yourself if you don't believe me." Ranma was guessing on that, but it seemed to fit. "I don't recall the laws stating anything about how she was imprisoned, or where. Yosho used his authority as the first prince of Jurai to implement her term. I might also add that she had no trial before hand, so if anything, your people are the ones who have broken the laws." Ayeka stared at him. She turned away and clenched her fists at her sides. "I see." "Good," said Ranma as he smirked at her behind her back. "You just want her out of the way, because of that boy." Ayeka turned to glare at him. "What are you implying?" Ranma chuckled. "That is it, I was right after all." She blushed and turned away. "Tenchi is of..." "The Juraian Royal Family, a rather close relative of yours too I'd imagine," he finished for her. She turned to look at him for a moment, not saying a word. "I'm not as ignorant of your little group up there as you might imagine. Little Sasami is with you as well, arrived yesterday." "So, you've been spying on us?" she asked hotly. "That's my job," he replied with a small shrug. "Did my father send you?" she asked. "No, I work on this planet. Your father has not contacted me," he replied with a shrug. "I'm here to monitor people like you, and ensure that you don't mess with the culture here. Among other things," he replied. "Such as?" "There is a lot of extra dimensional activity on this planet, the senshi have recently reawakened as well. I'm keeping the planet safe from meddling powers." "So, you're working under the power of Queen Serenity," said Ayeka as she seemed to understand. "No," he replied simply. "I'm working on behalf of the planet. I'm keeping it safe, and that includes keeping it safe from the Senshi." Ayeka frowned at him. "What do you mean?" Ranma smiled at her. "I'm not a part of this new Jedi order. I'm the original. I was sent back to the Silver Millenium recently, I just got back about a week ago or so. I'm the one who defeated the Senshi, and destroyed Valdis." Ayeka stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say. "If that's true..." "And it is." "You have no ties with Jurai Royal Family. This planet is a colony..." "I don't recognize your authority, Princess," he replied simply. "I doubt if the Senshi will either, they're going to want this planet back when they awaken fully," he said with a cold smile on his lips. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Because it amuses me," he replied with a shrug. "You can't tell anyone on this planet about it. My secret is safe, and I don't have to tell you that I can probably handle the whole lot of you if I need to. You and your group are welcome as long as you behave yourselves. Step out of line, and I'll kick you off this planet personally." "I see," she replied. "That was for treating me like a mercenary," he said as he turned his back on her. "Leave Ryoko alone, if you try to arrest her again. I'll stop you." Ayeka stepped off the ship without another word and left him to his work. Ranma snorted and walked back into the cockpit again. "Man, what a bitch." +++++++++++++ "Wow, this is neat," said Usagi as she looked down at her handheld video game and played vigorously. The other inner senshi were all walking down the sidewalk in a group. Tsuki was with them, the girl tripped and hit a mailbox as she walked beside them. She scrambled back into the group as they passed by her, ignoring the event. "It sure has been quiet lately," said Ami. "Too quiet," agreed Minako. "Something is bound to happen soon. I don't think that guy was the only Youma," said Rei with a small frown. "Maybe they gave up?" asked Usagi hopefully. "Nope," said a new voice from behind them. The group of girls turned around and saw a little girl with pink hair looking up at them, and following close behind them. "There's three more left." "Who are you?" said Makoto as she bent down to stare at the little girl. "My name is Usagi, people call me Chibi-Usa," replied the girl. The group looked down at her strange state of dress. She was wearing a black bodysuit with a set of hiking boots, and had a backpack slung over her shoulders. "Who?" muttered Mercury. "Hey, she has the same name as you," said Minako as she turned towards Usagi. "Well, I was named after my mother after all," said the little girl with a slightly sour frown as she glared at them. "Really?" said Usagi in confusion. She bent down and looked at the girl. "Yeah, you nimrod," said the little girl as she peered at the blonde for a moment and touched her nose with her finger. Every one of the scouts fell over. Tsuki was the only one who remained standing. "Hey kid, been a while." "Hiya," said the girl as she waved at her. "You know her?" stammered Makoto as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Yeah, she's from the future," said Tsuki. "She's not usually this rude, and she's dressed different than normal." She eyed the girl for a moment. "What's up?" "Mom decided I should take a trip," said the girl with a small shrug. "A trip?" muttered Usagi. "Yeah, to the past," replied the girl as she looked around and saw all the senshi staring at her. "What?" "You're Usagi's daughter?" muttered Rei as she looked at her face a little closer. "Yeah. So?" said the little girl as she peered back at her. "I can kind of see it," said the girl as she looked up at Usagi. Usagi looked like she was about to start foaming at the mouth. Mamoru walked up to the group and looked around. He noticed the little girl and blinked. "Hi. Who's this?" "Usagi's daughter," said Tsuki casually as she leaned against a telephone pole. "What?" said the boy as he went pale. "Relax, she's from the future," said Tsuki. Mamoru seemed to relax very slightly as he peered down at the girl. "That means she's my..." Usagi blushed and looked over at him. "You mean, she's our..." "Hey. I know him," said the little girl as she peered at Mamoru for a moment. "Well you should, he's your fath..." started Tsuki. "Uncle Mamo?" said the girl as she blinked and pointed at him. "Uncle?" said Tsuki as she suddenly froze with a look of surprise on her face. She slowly uncrossed her arms and looked at the girl in horror. "But that's..." "Uncle?" said Usagi and Mamoru in a sort of horrified unison. "But, aren't we married in the future?" said Usagi as she jumped on the girl and grabbed her by the shoulders. She shook violently and stared her right in the eyes. "Married? To him? Heck no," said the girl. "What's your father's name?" asked Makoto as she grabbed Usagi by her shoulders and pulled her back. "Ranma Saotome," said the girl as she looked around in confusion. "What? You didn't know?" The senshi were all frozen in shock, not one of them could move or speak. Mamoru's eyes rolled into his head, and he passed out. "Man, Pop was right. They are weird and stupid," said the little girl flatly. +++++++++++++ TBC... Sorry, not as many jokes as normal, and Ranma's starting to show an evil streak that could come back and haunt him later on. Boy will it ever. Heh.