Insertion Part 40: No Need for Ranma by Sean D'Anna ===== "Come out! I know you're here!" said Mihoshi as she pointed her weapon towards the large Juraian Tree near the Masaki shrine. There was a small pond of water surrounding the place, and Ayeka, Sasami, Ryo-Ohki, and Tenchi stood around the woman. There was a chuckle and a green sphere of energy appeared where Mihoshi had her weapon trained. "Please excuse my behavior earlier," said Kagato as he leered at them and bowed. "I deeply appreciate you coming out to welcome me." Ryoko appeared out of the air nearby him and fell to the ground. Tenchi rushed up to the woman's side, lifting her up to check on her. "Ryoko!" "However, this one belongs to me. She is... how can I put this delicately...waste product. Still, she is agile. I'll bet she's given you some trouble." Kagato smirked and turned towards the group again. "Now then, Princess Ayeka. Don't you think its best if we talk someplace private, someplace where there's no one to bother us?" "Kagato! This is a specially protected area, any kind of combative action is forbidden. If you involve any civilian, I'll blast you to bits!" said Mihoshi as she moved in front of the group. "Oh my! You really frighten me. I've heard much of your heroic actions in the past. Now I hear you're overworked, and your performance stinks," said Kagato calmly. Mihoshi growled and fired at the man, her shots passing by him harmlessly as some sort of field distorted the blasts. "Please, don't misunderstand me. I've only come to invite you all to my ship, the Soja. Hmmm, a very pleasant place. A place where we can get to know one another." Kagato paused as Tenchi activated Tenchi-ken. "Oh! I see, you have the sword! But that's the king's property. Wave it around like that and you might hurt yourself." "What? What do you mean? What king?" snapped Tenchi. "You would fight me without full knowledge of the sword?" snorted Kagato. "All right then." He reached out with his hand, and a whirlwind formed, pushing Tenchi back. His hand slowly moved foreword and reached for the blade. "Don't waste your life. Now just hand me that sword," said Kagato. Ryoko awoke and dove, knocking the boy out of the way. "No Tenchi! Don't let him have it!" Kagato smirked again. "Fascinating. And what about that boy interest you so much Ryoko?" A sword appeared in his hand, and Ryoko suddenly clutched her head as the gem on her wrist began to glow. "Ryoko?" said Tenchi as he looked at her. The woman's eyes changed and she moved to put him into a headlock. "Ow! What are you doing?" Slowly, she released pressure and backed away from him. "No! I..." Kagato paused. "What? She's resisting me?" he said coldly. He increased the power he was putting out to control her and she screamed in pain, clutching her head again. "This isn't right...how can she..." Ryoko collapsed. "I see," said Kagato as he looked down at her for a moment. He turned towards Tenchi again and smirked. "It is said that that sword controls the greatest energy in the universe. The sword will only release that energy if held by a suitable owner. Tell me, are you that suitable owner?" "Maybe I am! Maybe not! I don't know!" snapped Tenchi. "Come then. I'll test you," snorted Kagato. "Wha?" muttered Tenchi as he backed away. Kagato attacked him, the boy was barely able to block his strikes and was pushed back, ending up in the small pond that surrounded the tree. "Tenchi..." muttered Ryoko as she looked up from her place on the ground. Kagato floated over Tenchi's head where he was sitting in the freezing water. "Do you enjoy wasting my time?" He reached out and the sword was pulled from Tenchi's hand, floating towards Kagato. Just before he grabbed it, it vanished and flew at an almost impossible speed into the waiting hand of Yosho. "Are you playing with something that doesn't belong to you?" "Come Ryoko, I'll give you one more chance," whispered Kagato. The woman screamed again and clutched at her head, glaring at Kagato hatefully. "Noooooo!" She collapsed on the ground again and Kagato frowned. "How is it that she's doing this? No matter...""Ah, the First Prince of Jurai," said Kagato as he looked at the man. "Will you show me the secret of the universe? Will you share that treasure with me?" Ayeka froze and gasped. "Treasure?" asked Yosho. "Well, I do know of a really comfortable hot spring nearby." "Well, aren't we cocky," said Kagato with a rough snort. He shot a ball of power that narrowly missed the old man's head. Yosho stood calmly and only moved his neck slightly to avoid it. "The greatest energy in the Universe? There's no such thing. Even if there were, it couldn't be controlled by humans." "I have journeyed through sea after sea of stars to find this secret. What will it take to get that secret? Your blood, Jurai Royal Family's blood?" snarled Kagato. Yosho blocked with a shield of energy calmly. They were about to break and begin their battle when a blast of power blind sided Kagato and pushed him to the side. "What?" Jadeite stood calmly a short distance away. He was watching the scene and frowning at the group. "It seems I've found the source of the disturbance." "Who might you be?" asked Kagato with an evil looking snarl. "I am called J, you're not welcome on this planet, leave now." "Oh?" said Kagato as he readied his sword. Jadeite raised his palm, and a ball of dark energy appeared there and crackled for a moment. "I'd rather you left peacefully. I can't have you and that ship you've got up there making a mess of my home." "Interesting," said Kagato as he gave Yosho a sidelong glance. Jadeite smirked and a rapier like sword appeared out of the energy ball. "Indeed. I suggest that you leave now." "Who?" muttered Tenchi as he looked at the newcomer in confusion. "Very well. I shall withdraw for now," said Kagato as he frowned at the man. Ryoko passed out and floated up next to the man. "No! Ryoko!" cried Tenchi. "I will take your precious Ryoko with me. Improve your skills, then come to us," said Kagato as he vanished into the green sphere of power again. Ayeka rushed foreword, jumping into Yosho. "You're my brother! You're my brother Yosho." "Easy now! Don't scold me!" said the man as he looked down at her. Ayeka brushed his cheek with her hand. "This is all very interesting, but you do realize that a starship with more offensive power than a Galaxy Class Cruiser is sitting over our heads," said Jadeite as he walked up to the small group. "He's got Ryoko!" cried Tenchi. "This is an affair of the Jurai Royal Family!" snapped Ayeka as she glared at the man. "Who are you?" "Jurai Royal Family? What are you doing on my planet?" asked Jadeite coldly. "What?" gasped Ayeka. "Humph. Didn't take you vultures very long to move in after the fall of the Moon Kingdom did it? I never liked you much, a bunch of over glorified space pirates." "What?" said Tenchi as he turned to the man. "In any case, you can sit down here all day for all I care," said Jadeite as he started walking away. "Who are you?" asked Yosho as he looked at the man for a moment. "Come now, don't tell me your old age has made you forget Yosho. I am Jadeite, Admiral of the Imperial Fleet of the Moon Kingdom, and servant of Queen Serenity." "What?" gasped the old man. "That can't be! You..." "Died?" said the man with a rough snort. "I assure you that we are quiet well." "What are we going to do? We have to go after Ryoko! I've got to save her!" "We?" muttered Yosho as he looked at the man for a moment and frowned. He didn't press the matter any. "We certainly don't have to go save her! She's caused us nothing but trouble!" snapped Ayeka. "How typical," said Jadeite as he turned away from them again. "Jadeite, you never liked us much. I never did understand why. This is not just an affair of Jurai Royal Family. Your planet is in danger, Kagato would think nothing of destroying this world to get what it is he seeks." "I know that," said the man with a smirk. "I don't intend to let this situation stay as it is." "Then it's true, Grandpa! The stories, the legend. All of it is true!" gasped Tenchi. "Yes, and you are Jurai's crowned prince," said Yosho as he looked at the boy. "But, I never knew," said the boy as he looked at the ground in shock. "What difference would that have made?" snorted Jadeite. "This conversation is very interesting..." "He's right, we have to go and save Ryoko!" said Tenchi firmly. "But why?" cried Ayeka. "She's the cause of all our trouble. You certainly don't have to save her!" "Don't be stupid. This problem isn't going to go away just because we let him have that woman," said Jadeite. Ayeka turned to look at him and gasped. "What? How dare you!" "This is my planet, I'll speak to you how I wish," said Jadeite as he glared at her. "Now. Do you have a way that we can get up to that ship?" Tenchi blinked. Everyone else stood silently. "It figures," grumbled Jadeite. Ryo-Ohki yowled and scampered away. "Hey! Where's he going?" All of them followed the animal as it rushed away. "Interesting," said Jadeite as he watched them go. "That boy, he's not like the others. Yosho has changed much as well, not the arrogant fool I once knew." He followed after them, taking his time. ++++++++++++ Ryo-Ohki yowled angrily as it stood in front of the lake that sat just in front of the Masaki home. The center of the water seemed to boil as the large living and control area of Ayeka's ship rose from the surface and hung in the air. "Whoa!" gasped Tenchi as he looked on. "No! My cute little Ryo-Ohki!" gasped Sasami. "I guess we take that," said Tenchi dumbly. "Well, it seems you do have a ride," said Jadeite. "Are you coming?" asked the boy as he looked at him. "I suppose I should. It wouldn't do to waste time waiting for my own ride." "I'm coming too!" said Mihoshi. "I appreciate it," said Tenchi as he looked at her and smiled. "It's my duty as a Galaxy Police Officer!" exclaimed the woman. "I'm going too!" cried Sasami. "It's best if you stay here and help protect the shrine," said Tenchi gently. "Okay," muttered the girl dejectedly. Ayeka stood silently, watching them for a moment. "Big sister?" said Sasami with a questioning frown. The girl smiled at her and nodded. "All right!" cried the little girl. "We'd best get going then," said Jadeite. "Tenchi. I'm giving this to you," said Yosho as he held out Tenchi-ken. "What? Grandpa?" said the boy dumbly. "Take it, you will need it. Kagato is a powerful and dangerous enemy," said the old man firmly. Tenchi reached out for the sword again. A field of power prevented him from grasping it, but he pushed through and took hold of the hilt, pulling it from his grandfather's grasp. "The sword has accepted you as it's rightful owner," said Yosho. "Thank you Grandpa," said the boy with a short nod. +++++++++++++ Ranma stepped into the Mikon Taka and glanced around. "Well, we'd best get going." "How much time do we have?" asked Dan. "No clue. Hope we don't miss all the fun," commented Carrot. They blasted off, moving through the clouds in a few moments into the stars. ++++++++++++ Kagato sat in a large throne in the main room aboard the Soja. Ryoko was trapped inside the sands on the bottom of a giant hourglass, and the man ignored her as he watched the screen. "Here they come. The fools. It's strange, they are coming here to throw away their lives to save someone as defective as you," said the man with a small snort. "I am not defective! I am a human being!" snapped Ryoko. "Human being? And compared to the infinite will of the universe, human feelings amount to little more than dust. You know, your current form was chosen because it was convenient. Your original form could have been anything that I wanted. Like a stone. Should I turn you into a stone? Would that make you happy?" Ryoko stared at the man fearfully. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to prepare for our guests." "If you lay your dirty hands on Tenchi you'll be sorry! I swear it, you'll be sorry!" ++++++++++++ "Kagato's ship is preparing to fire. Please avoid it!" said Ayeka as she looked over Jadeite's shoulder. "The thought had occurred to me princess," said the man as he gave her a passing glance and frowned. The ship rocked as it was struck by a few of the destructive beams. "I thought you could fly this thing!" cried Tenchi. "I can. I was an Admiral, there's nothing I can't fly. I didn't say that I could fly it well though," snapped the man in retort. "Waaaahhhhh!" cried Mihoshi. "Ryo-Ohki attack! I command you!" cried Ayeka. "You could try using the fire button," said Jadeite as he immediately did so. The giant cobra shaped starship in front of them easily deflected the blast. "Not that it did us any good." "What are we going to do?" cried Tenchi. "Can we attack from that ship this thing absorbed?" asked Jadeite. "Well, yes but..." stammered Ayeka. "That was a Juraian ship, it should be able to dish out enough to at least get through those shields," said Jadeite. "The only weapon still operational..." said Ayeka. "I'll go!" cried Tenchi. "When I get there, you'll have to instruct me!" "Wait! Tenchi!" cried the girl. He was already gone though. ++++++++++++ "Ayeka. I'm ready," said Tenchi as he appeared on the deck of the princess's ship. The girl appeared on the screen in front of him. "First you must open the Light Hawk Wings. Its original purpose was meant for defense. It wasn't meant for attack, so we will be vulnerable." "It's our only hope right?" muttered the boy. "Whatever you're planning, do it soon," growled Jadeite. "Right. How do I open the wings Ayeka?" asked Tenchi. +++++++++++ Kagato looked on as the three bladed shield appeared in front of the ship. He smirked as it moved into attack mode. "Well, they're using the Light Hawk Wings, I'm impressed. But I have a suitable strategy." +++++++++ Tenchi grit his teeth as he forced the wings into a ball of power, the Soja was powering up as well. He screamed as he forced the energy to fire. Unfortunately, the Soja's blast was stronger, after a brief struggle, the boy's projectile wavered and Ryo-Ohki was blown in half, the bottom portion of the ship shattering, with Tenchi inside it. ++++++++++ Ayeka stared in horror at the debris that floated outside the ship. "No! Tenchi! Tenchi! Tenchi!" She cried his name over and over as she changed the view, hoping to find him. Jadeite stood up from where he had fallen in the blast and frowned. "Too bad, he seemed like a good kid." Ayeka screamed. ++++++++++ Ranma looked on from the cockpit of the Mikon Taka as the smaller ship was hit. "Damn. We're too late!" said Ranma. "No, if we'd come any sooner. We'd have to fight of Kagato ourselves. We weren't meant too," said Carrot. "Huh?" said Ranma. "We made it just in time," said Carrot. "Don't worry, we're not here for Kagato anyway." "Oh?" asked Dan with a small frown. "No. Our old friend Washuu is on that ship. She's a prisoner," said Carrot. "We're just here to say hello." "What?" gasped Ranma. "Don't worry so much," said Dan. "He's right." Ranma frowned as something appeared through the debris in front of them. "Hey. Look!" "What is it?" said Ranma. "Tenchi. Or, what's left of him..." said Carrot. "Gross, he's been blown in half." The boy was resting inside a shield generated by the two guardians. He appeared to be quiet dead. "We gotta do something!" cried Pissant. "Well. It speaks," said Carrot with a smirk forming on his face. "Don't just sit there! Maybe we can save him!" said Pissant. "We don't have to. Tsunami is going to do it for us," said Carrot. "Huh?" muttered the voice. "Just watch," replied Dan sourly. "Whoa! Who's that?" said Ranma as a ghostly figure appeared in front of Tenchi's body. She was a beautiful woman with long blue hair. She paused and looked at them for a moment. Ranma grinned and waved to her cheerfully from inside the cockpit. She blinked and then turned back to her task. After a moment, Tenchi was gone. Seeming to vanish into space. "That was kinda cool," said Carrot. "So, now what?" asked Dan. "Well, now we get to shoot things and cause explosions. Come on," said Carrot. He piloted them through the mess of debris and moved towards Ryo-Ohki's mostly intact form. +++++++++++++ Inside the Soja Ryoko exploded with rage and grief as Tenchi died before her eyes. The sands in the hourglass swirled around her, moving back into the top half in a few seconds. Kagato paused as the glass exploded outward. However, that was not the end of it. Ryoko glared at him and screamed again, clenching her fists at her sides. "This is..." Kagato glared at her. "Not possible! Ryoko cannot transform! How can this be?" At his words, Ryoko's hair suddenly changed into a bright golden color, her eyes changing from yellow into a deep blue. She screamed in rage and vanished into thin air. "This could be a problem," snarled Kagato as he turned back towards the screen. +++++++++++ "Tenchi!" cried Ryoko as she teleported around the debris. She paused when she saw a headband floating through space, tainted with blood. It was Tenchi's. She screamed again, curling into a ball as her tears floated through the darkness. Her sobs slowed as a ship appeared in front of her. She looked at the man staring at her from inside the cockpit and frowned. "You." Ranma was staring at Ryoko dumbly. Carrot chuckled to himself and shook their head. "She didn't." "Apparently she did," said Dan irritably. "Hey, what happened to her? She looks like us when we..." said Ranma dumbly. "Um...Remember that...special...sample we gave Washuu in the past?" said Carrot. "Yeah. What's that got to do with anyth...Oh god no." "Well, two kids now," said Dan with a frown. "We should say hello," said Carrot. He waved at her and she looked at him for a moment. Ranma blinked as she vanished from in front of him. He felt something poking at his back and blinked. Ryoko was behind him, an angry frown on her face as she jabbed her energy sword into his back. "What are you doing here?" "My job. Really Ryoko, you shouldn't be so rude," he said calmly as he turned around and glared at her. "We have a lot in common you and I." "Oh?" she said coldly. "Calm down, you want revenge for your boyfriend don't you?" said Ranma with a smirk forming on his face. "What would you know?" snarled the woman. "I know that you're planning on going back and killing Kagato," he said carefully. "I doubt if you'll need much help in your current state." "What's that supposed to mean?" she said as she growled at him. "You haven't noticed yet?" he said with his eyebrow arching slightly. Ryoko lowered the blade slightly. "Noticed what?" she spat. Ranma smiled and nodded towards her reflection in the window. The woman gasped and reached out to touch the glass. "What? What happened to me?" "You just transformed. It was probably triggered by the extreme emotions you're feeling right now," said the boy with a small shrug as he sat down in the pilot's seat and flew towards Ryo-Ohki. "This is Mikon Taka hailing the starship Ryo-Ohki, come in please." "Ranma!" said Jadeite as he answered. "I figured you'd be here," said the boy with a smirk on his face. "What's the sit-rep?" "Not good, Kagato seems to have stopped firing, but this ship is badly damaged, and we've suffered a loss." "I know. I arrived just before it happened. I couldn't do anything," said Ranma with a short nod. "The others...aren't taking it well," said Jadeite with a disgusted sounding sigh. Ayeka and Mihoshi were crying in each other's arms, sobbing pathetically. Ryoko frowned and teleported out of the ship. "Who was that?" said Jadeite. "Don't worry about her, she's cool," said Ranma with a shrug. "Um, right..." said Jadeite. He paused when he noticed the woman appear in front of the controls of the ship. Ayeka and Mihoshi both blinked. "Who are you?" said Mihoshi dumbly. "What is the meaning of this?" "Tenchi is dead," said Ryoko coldly. "Leave now if you must, but I'm going to have my revenge. Even if it kills me." "Who are you?" said Ayeka as she backed away from the newcomer's icy demeanor. Ryoko glanced over her shoulder and tossed her the boy's headband. Ayeka looked at it in horror, and then back up to the woman again. "Ryoko?" ++++++++ Ryo-Ohki blasted foreword, slamming into the shields of the Soja. The Mikon Taka moved up behind it, using it as a shield to move in as well. Within a few moments, they were through. ++++++++ "So, which way?" asked Jadeite as he stood with the three women. "You stay here and guard the ship," said Ranma as he looked at the man for a moment. "We'll probably need to leave in a hurry. Stay on board and be ready to pull us out." Jadeite frowned at him, but nodded. "I hope you know what you're doing." "All the passages will lead to him," said Ryoko. "I'll go with the idiot, you two take the other passages," said Ranma as he jerked his thumb towards Mihoshi. Ayeka nodded. "Let's go." The rushed away, taking different paths. +++++++++ As they rushed through the halls, skull-like robots appeared in their way, shooting blasts at them from laser turrets in their mouths. Ryoko easily crushed the things, shattering them in her wake as she simply blasted foreword. Ayeka took a similar approach in her own hall, while Mihoshi took a slower approach as she blasted them with the large shoulder mounted cannon that she carried with her now. Ranma walked behind her almost casually and smirked. They were both making good time despite this. ++++++++++ Ryoko was the first to arrive at the end of her hallway. Blasting through a wall and passing through a sort of dimensional field. She glanced around and frowned. "There must be an entrance around here somewhere." The wall in front of her opened up, revealing a passageway. Ayeka stepped through next. She paused and smirked. "Well now, looks like an invitation." "Sure does. Let's not be rude," said Ryoko as she started foreword. Ranma and Mihoshi stepped out last, a short distance behind the women. "Hello! I'm right behind you could you please wait up!" cried Mihoshi. She stumbled back and hit the small bunny tail on the back of her uniform against the wall. It shifted into the control cube and landed on the ground. Ranma appeared to be more amused than anything else as he watched it hit the floor and noticed them phase onto another plane. "Seems to be going well," he commented to himself as Mihoshi rushed foreword. She didn't appear to notice that they had been relocated. He chuckled as she continued to call after the others and strolled foreword calmly as the passage began to close. +++++++++++ Ryoko and Ayeka found themselves in the throne room. Kagato saw playing the organ and ignored their entrance until he finished. He stood up and greeted them. "Welcome to my chapel ladies. Enjoy the music?" he said with a small bow. Ryoko growled. "Stand back Ayeka," said Ryoko as she clenched her fist. The princess shot foreword and attacked him, blocked by some sort of energy field within the room. "Scumbag!" "Is that a term of affection? Or do you just not like me?" asked Kagato. "You're quite powerful princess, but this temple's forcefield counteracts all energy that attacks it. Now allow me to teach you some manners." Ayeka was thrown back by an unseen force and landed on the ground roughly. Kagato was blown off his feet by the energy bolt that Ryoko blasted at him while he was distracted. He stood up and growled. "She has grown stronger it seems. Most unusual." Ryoko appeared behind him and stabbed him in the throat. Kagato vanished with a slight scream of pain. The woman gasped. "Shadow!" Kagato grabbed her by her throat and smiled darkly. "Seven hundred years is a bit to long of a rest for you my dear." Ryoko had her eyes closed and braced herself. She then paused and turned her head to look at him. "This doesn't hurt at all. I thought you were stronger than this." Kagato blinked. "What?" The woman grabbed his arm and squeezed, crushing her grip and forcing him to release her. "So. You're not as strong as I remember you." "You're quite a bit stronger than I remember you my dear," snorted the man. "Perhaps a bit too strong." "I'll show you no mercy," she spat. "This new ability of yours is quite impressive I must admit, you were able to resist my power before, and you're no longer useful," snorted the man. He grabbed her by her shoulder. Ryoko moved to attack, but gasped. "No! Kagato don't! My arm!" She watched in horror as she was quickly turned to stone. He dropped her to the floor and looked down at her. "Too bad, you might not have been such a waste had I been able to control this new form." He turned and Ayeka's sleeping form rose from the ground. Casually pulling off his glove to reveal that his hands were invisible, or non-existent. He reached out with his arm and held her by her face. "You will show me the secret of Tsunami Unit, Princess Ayeka." ++++++++++++ Mihoshi walked foreword, glancing around nervously at her new surroundings. It was some sort of temple. A large crystal sat in the middle of the room, with large cobra statues seeming to guard it on all sides. "This place is really, really weird! Where'd they go?" she exclaimed. "Kagato might have them already! If he does, then I'm all alone." "Hey! What does that make me?" snapped Ranma as he smacked her in the back of her head. "Oh. Well, I guess I'm not completely alone then," she amended. "Don't worry! I'll protect you from harm!" "Like I need you to protect me," snorted Ranma as he backhanded one of the giant cobra statues that had started to move just behind them. It sailed into one of its comrades and he snorted. "We should probably do something about these things though." "What?" gasped Mihoshi as she noticed them. There were four of them, and they were probably around forty yards long. Ranma casually walked by her and moved towards the crystal that had a familiar figure standing inside of it. "Well. What have we here?" "Aren't you going to help me?" cried Mihoshi. "Hey, you're the one who said you'd protect me, remember?" he said as he looked over his shoulder at her. She cried out in fright and blasted them with the weird glove on her arm. It was some sort of ice gun that was freezing the statues in place. Ranma ignored this and looked at the crystal carefully. He shrugged his shoulders and punched it as hard as he could. After giving a sharp yelp of pain and shaking his hand violently from the pain of the impact he jumped back. "Damn! That's harder than it looks!" "What are you doing?!" cried Mihoshi fearfully. The creatures had started to break free of their icy prison. "Nuthin, just keep them busy for a minute will ya?" he snorted. The crystal in front of him began to crack, and Washuu opened her eyes. It shattered away completely and the snakes stopped suddenly. "Hey. Been a while. Ya know, we've got to stop meeting this way," he said with a smirk as he looked down at her. "Huh?" said the woman as she looked up at him and blinked. "Ranma?" "Hiya!" he said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?" she muttered. "Well, I figured I'd come save you again. Didn't have anything better to do today, so I figured, why not?" She blinked and looked at him. "Well, it's nice to see you again." "Hmm. Thanks," he replied with a smirk. "So. How are things?" "You mean aside from being stuck in that crystal, or being stuck inside another dimension?" she said flatly. "Well, yeah," he said with a shrug. "Not to good," she said calmly. "You must be Mihoshi. Nice to meet you. My name is Washuu." "Oh. So...you two know each other?" said the blonde after a moment of thought. "You could say that," said Washuu cheerfully. "As I'm sure he's figured out, he's the father of one of my better creations." Mihoshi blinked, not quite sure what to say to that. "Found a use for that sample did you?" he said as he looked around for a moment. "Well, I was going to use something called the Masu, but your genetic make up was much more fascinating. You had no idea how much trouble it was to keep her weight down." "So, my genetics have to do with the way she looks right now?" he said as he frowned at her. "Yes. The added mass you've gained some how allows for the controlling of massive amounts of energy. It's quite extraordinary." "Well, the science lesson is nice and all, but shouldn't we be doing something else?" he said as he looked towards the floor. "You're right," agreed Washuu. "Rise and shine!" She moved her hand and Ryoko phased through the floor, still made of stone. Washuu moved around her and inspected her. "Hmmm, looks like nothing's broken. That jerk tried to destroy her hmm? Well, I'll show him." "Um excuse me. Who are you? You're obviously dressed in a Science Academy Uniform from a long time ago." "Your body is sagging a bit, the deterioration of your muscle definitely effects your ability to fight. It also effects your visual psychological tactics," continued Washuu obliviously. Ryoko grabbed her and lifted her up by her shirt. "Okay pipsqueak. Whether my body is sagging or not is none of your damn business! What are visual psychological tactics anyway?" "Your sex appeal of course," replied Washuu. "Hey! I'll have you know my body hasn't changed in seven hundred years! What do you think of that ya big smart aleck!?" "I think that's no way to talk with your mother, Ryoko," said Ranma. Washuu blinked at him and turned towards Ryoko. "He's right you know. That doesn't explain how he knows about that." "The hair," said Ranma as he pointed at the woman's hair. "She dyes it blue." Ryoko dropped the woman and stared at him. "I do not!" "Why is it red now then?" he replied simply. "Your transformation burned off all the hair dye." Ryoko blinked and looked at her reflection in the floor. She wasn't a blonde any longer, and her hair was indeed red. "Hey! What happened?" "The transformation only lasts a short time, you might be able to do it again, but you don't have enough training to do it at will. Your grief from Tenchi's death was what caused it to manifest in the first place." "What would you know about that?" she snapped angrily as the energy sword appeared in her hand. Ranma smirked at her and glared coolly at her. "Because you inherited it from me." The golden aura of power exploded around him. Ryoko backed away. "What are you saying?" "We're your parents," said Washuu. Ryoko stared at the pair for a moment dumbly. "Wha?" "That's right. I created you, I created Ryo-Ohki, I created the Soja, I've created so many things! But I used my ova for you, so I'm more like your mother than your creator. He supplied the other half of your DNA, so he's your father." "You must be that female student that was kidnapped by Kagato!" exclaimed Mihoshi. "A female student? No! I am Washuu! I am the top scientific genius in the universe. Although, I have to admit I am cute! I know I look a little young to be your mother, don't I Ryoko?" Ryoko paused and glared at them. "Baloney! I've been alone for two thousand years! Ever since I was born..." She paused as she realized what she had just said. "Ever since I was born..." "This is nice and all, but don't we have something we should be doing?" "He's right! Where are we?" snapped Ryoko. "This is the reversed world," explained Washuu. "Reversed world?" "This ship has two layers, a top and a bottom. The intersection between the two of them is one way though..." "Forget about it!" snapped Ryoko. "How do I get back?" "So you can take revenge for Tenchi?" asked Washuu. Ryoko had her sword out again in an instant. It was placed across Washuu's throat. "What do you know about Tenchi?" "As you are connected with Ryo-Ohki, so am I connected with you my dear," said Washuu. "So I know...everything." "Well, now that we have that cleared up. How about we go and kill this evil man who is torturing the young princess as we speak?" said Ranma with a small cough. "Hey! We're having a dramatic moment!" snapped Washuu. "Well, it's over now," snorted Ryoko. "How do I get back?" "For you, it's simple," replied Washuu. Ryoko snorted again and turned away. "Ryoko, before you go. I have to ask you one thing..." "What is it?" snapped the woman. "Could you please...call me Mom?" Ryoko grunted in frustration and vanished. "You know, now that I think about it...she's a lot like her sister," said Ranma. Washuu blinked and looked at him for a moment. "Sister?" "Yeah. My daughter from the future, she's visiting right now, I left her at home though." "Interesting," commented Washuu. "In any case, what should we do now?" "Hey!" cried Mihoshi as she tried to follow. Washuu put out her hand to stop her and the blonde looked at her. "But, why shouldn't we go with her?" "Because it's impossible. Once we're on this side, we can't leave unless Kagato is destroyed," replied Washuu. "But..." stammered Mihoshi. "Try to understand, that was Ryoko's astral body I brought over here. Her physical body is on the other side," said the redhead. Mihoshi seemed to think about it for a long moment. She then looked at Washuu again. "Now...where are we?" Ranma chuckled at the woman's reaction. ++++++++++ Kagato was invading Ayeka's mind, the image of Yosho appeared before her as she floated naked in an empty space. "Tell me the secret of Tsunami! What is the secret of Jurai Royal Family's power?" "You are not my brother! You're not Yosho!" cried the girl as she attempted to break free of the invasion. Kagato was forced back as the young girl began to glow. He released her and jumped back. "Well, I see Tsunami must be protecting those of royal blood. In that case..." He paused as a bolt of energy pierced his forearm. "Well, the shrew who was in the world of shadow has returned. It seems you've lost that extra power. Your hair has changed as well, how interesting, you always were such a vain creature." "You're one to talk," snorted Ryoko. +++++++++ Washuu sat on top of a huge blueprint with Mihoshi at her side. "So, you mean there's no way out?" asked Mihoshi. "No. you see here on the ship's diagram, that goes this way and this goes that way. So, there's no way out," said Washuu with a nod. Ranma was standing nearby, looking at the prints in boredom. "Hey. What's this?" He pointed downward. Washuu blinked. "That's just the ship's weakest point. Even that will take more energy than we can create to break through. I might have been able to build something that could do it on the other side, but Kagato intentionally deprived me of the materials needed to build something like that on this side." "Not that, there's a dock here. What for?" said Ranma as he pointed towards the spot next to the diagram she had been talking about. "Dock? What dock?" said Washuu. "Right here," said Ranma as he pointed again. Right exactly opposite where the dock is on the other side." "Well, everything on this side is an exact copy of the other side, even if we left the ship in one of the craft that are in there, we'd still be in this dimension." "Oh," said Ranma with a small frown. "Would it be any easier to break through the barrier from outside the ship? I mean, you shouldn't have any trouble with dimensional travel right. Your lab is inside a pocket space after all as I recall. The field preventing us from traveling that way would only be on the inside of the ship." Washuu looked at him. "You're right. I hadn't thought of that." "Oh," said the boy as he blinked in surprise. "In any case, it would still take a few hours to make something like that. I doubt if the battle will last that long." "Oh. Good point," said Ranma with a shrug. Washuu turned towards the charts again and ground her teeth. "I can't believe I never thought of that!" "So, where are we again?" asked Mihoshi. "ARRRGGGHHH!" cried Washuu as she fell flat on her face. ++++++++++++ Ryoko's battle with Kagato raged on, she growled in frustration as she fought and found herself running more than fighting. "Damn! That power is gone, and I..." Kagato was surrounded in Ayeka's shield suddenly and Ryoko looked down at her. "Damn! She's still here!" +++++++++++ "Well, in any case. There's only a couple of things we can do here," said Washuu. "What's that?" asked Ranma with a small frown. Washuu created a porthole where they could see Ryoko and the other room. "Hey! Well, now what?" asked Mihoshi. Washuu handed her a fan and started cheering with a pair of her own. Ranma merely sat down and began to meditate. "What's he doing?" asked Mihoshi. "I dunno?" said Washuu. "I'm waiting for someone," replied Ranma. "Oh," replied the two women in confusion. Ranma opened his eyes. "Ryoko isn't using her full power." Washuu blinked and looked at him. He was scowling and looking down at the ground. "She's new to that transformation," said Washuu. "No, she's holding back even now," said Ranma. "Ayeka is getting in the way. She'd be hurt if Ryoko went all out. Pull her in here with us." Washuu blinked, her eyes turned down to the battle and she saw Ryoko was losing more and more ground. "He's right! We have to do something!" "What can we do?" said Mihoshi. Washuu looked at Mihoshi and held out her hand. "Hand me your cube." Mihoshi shrugged and gave it to her. With a few simple twists, Ayeka was there. Ayeka was standing in the room with them, still in a combat pose. "What? Where am I?" she gasped. "Hey," said Ranma as he waved at her. "Ayeka! Are you all right?" said Mihoshi. "No! I have to..." "You've got to stay out of the way, you were doing more harm than good before," said Ranma as he looked down at the battle. He closed his eyes again and spoke out loud. "Ryoko! We have Ayeka here now! Don't hold back anymore! It's your only chance to win!" Washuu blinked as she noticed the woman pause and nod her head. "Hey. Since when can you do that?" "Old Jedi mind trick," replied the boy with a shrug. "So, you've brought Ayeka to the other side," said Kagato. "Even I can't do anything to the princess now that she's in another dimension." "I'd watch what I was doing if I were you. My daughter is quite skillful, especially since I haven't trained her yet." "Who are you?" said Kagato as he noticed the boy sitting with the others. The rest of what he was going to say was cut off as something blasted him in the side. ++++++++++ Ryoko smirked as she looked down at Kagato. "Got ya!" she cried in triumph as he was distracted by something. Kagato smirked and Ryoko suddenly fell to her knees. "What? What did you do? I'm getting weak, my power is draining." Ranma frowned and looked at the image of Kagato that stood before the and smirked. "So, you're using those gems of hers are you?" "Indeed, you're smarter than you appear," said the man as he looked the boy over. "Hmm, you're a bigger fool than I thought, Ryoko," said the boy. "What?" said Washuu. "Giving her those gems was a mistake Washuu. She would have been stronger without them, especially if she's my child," said the boy as he looked at her. "Don't be silly," snorted Kagato. Ranma stood up and his tail uncoiled from around his waist. "Don't be so sure. There's a lot you don't understand." "What?" said Kagato as he stared at the boy in shock. "So, a Saiyan? I thought you'd all been destroyed. No matter, things of legends that are of no particular concern to me." Ayeka gasped in horror. She backed away from the boy. "Saiyan!?" Washuu frowned. "You weren't a Saiyan when I met you." "No, I wasn't," said Ranma as he looked at her. "I'm not even sure if I am now. Some demon chick gave me this tail a few days ago." "I see, so someone tried to recreate the race based using you?" said Washuu as she smirked at him. "You have many similar properties. I could see why they would try." "You used my DNA because it could handle the energy that the gems put out. Is that it?" asked Ranma. "It is, I had originally planned on using something called the Masu, it had a similar construct, but yours was much more efficient," said the woman as she smirked at him. "In which case, I think you're right. Ryoko could be stronger than the gems allow her to be. She was when she was turned to stone. It seems that she's unable to tap into that power again at the moment though." "Insufficient training," said Ranma with a short nod. Kagato nodded. "Most interesting, that information could be of use to me later. In any case, I think we should have a little experiment. I've redirected all of the gems' power, including the ones in Ryoko. Now, since I can't get the information from you princess. I'll just ask your brother and your little sister instead." Ranma smirked as he felt the energy build up outside the ship. "Everyone you know will be killed in that blast, Sasami, Yosho, even Mr. Masaki." "Eh?" said Kagato as he looked down at the boy. "Who are you talking too?" Ryoko slowly rose to her feet from behind Kagato. "You already took my Tenchi away! I won't let you steal anyone else!" she screamed. "What is this?" gasped Kagato as the gems in her wrist fell out suddenly and clattered across the ground. The golden aura blasted to life around Ryoko and she screamed in rage. Kagato laughed. "You're too late to stop me!" The Soja fired and Ryoko screamed again. She paused though when Kagato smirked as an invisible field blocked the energy blast. "What?" she muttered as she started to calm. "Don't lose it Ryoko!" cried Ranma from what sounded like somewhere nearby. She blinked and looked down at herself. She realized that she felt refreshed and that her strength had returned again. An evil looking grin crossed her face as she glared at Kagato's back. "You're mine this time!" Kagato was ignoring her in favor of the huge Juraian ship that had appeared. "Tsunami! It has arrived!" "Die!" screamed Ryoko as she attacked. Kagato stepped back and shot energy blasts at her again, the sword appeared in his hand and he smirked at her. "Not so easy as you might think! Tsunami will soon be mine, and I'll rule the Universe!" Ryoko moved her sword up to block the blasts, but gasped when she realized that it wasn't in her hand. "Wha?" Her eyes went wide when she realized the problem. "Oh shit! No gems!" Kagato appeared behind her and slammed her in the back of her head, sending her sprawling across the ground. "Damn!" growled the woman as she slowly rose to her feet and glared at him for a moment. "I won't let you beat me!" "My dear, you've already lost," snorted Kagato as another set of green energy balls from the sword slammed into her chest and pushed her through several of the pillars that lined the walls. The rocks crumbled around her and she found herself barely able to stand up. "No! What went wrong?" she thought desperately. Her hair changed back into the deep crimson tint and she fell to the ground. "Humph, pathetic," snorted Kagato. ++++++++++++ Washuu hung her head and sighed. "What went wrong?" "No way! Ryoko lost!" cried Mihoshi in horror. "I could sense that she was more powerful than Kagato, but she was so used to using her gems to fight with..." Ranma sighed. "When she lost them, she tried to rely on them again," said Washuu as she seemed to understand. "Right," said Ranma. "It wouldn't take much for her to win, a little training to get her out of that habit." "Training we don't have time to perform," pointed out Washuu. "We've lost?" whimpered Mihoshi pathetically. Ranma smirked at her. "No, not yet." "What?" said the blonde. "There is still Tsunami, and a special surprise," said Ranma. "Surprise?" asked Washuu. "I sense a power, a strong force, but it is hidden, and it isn't that ship," said Ranma with a smirk forming on his face. Tenchi stood in the back of the great hallway, Ryoko resting in his arms as he glared at Kagato. Jadeite stood next to him, a small frown on his face as he glanced around. "Well, it seems we didn't miss the party after all. Ranma isn't here," snorted Jadeite. "Take her," said Tenchi as he handed Ryoko over to the man gently. "Make sure she's safe." "Right. I suppose you're going to take on the big bad evil guy on your own then?" snorted the man as he glared at the boy. "Jadeite, do as he says, and stay out of the way," said Ranma from somewhere within the room. "Hey! Where are you?" asked the man. "I'm stuck in a pocket dimension at the moment with the others. We're all fine, but this boy has a hidden power. Stay out of his way, no matter how bad it gets." "Who are you talking to?" asked Tenchi as he looked at the man in confusion. "Don't worry about it," replied Jadeite. "Do what you have to." Tenchi nodded and stepped foreword. "Kagato!" "Didn't think you were still alive kid," said the man as he turned to face the boy. Tenchi paused when the two guardians appeared on either side of him. Azaka and Kamadake. "Lord Tenchi, let us handle this!" said one of them. They moved towards Kagato and were promptly swatted aside easily. "You two stay here and protect Ryoko with him," said Tenchi. "What do you plan to do boy?" said Kagato as he smirked at them. "I'm gonna defeat you!" cried Tenchi. He lunged foreword and swung at Kagato with the sword. He gasped as the evil man caught the blade with his bare hands. "That's just a rusty old piece of junk," said Kagato. "The Master Key is just a tool used to activate the ship. It's useless when cut off from the ship's power!" He blasted the boy again, and Tenchi was thrown back. "Damn!" said the boy as he regained his footing and pushed against the energy. He charged foreword again and tried to attack. Ryoko found herself staring at the battle, unable to help. "Damn! I can't move! Don't just stand there! Go help him!" She looked at Jadeite and the two guardians. "We can't!" cried Kamadake. "Kagato's energy is increasing at an incredible rate! We are using all our power just to shield it!" explained Azaka. Jadeite was standing just outside of their protection with his arms crossed over his chest. "You are?" He snorted and turned back to the battle again, watching it calmly. "You can help him," snapped Ryoko. "My orders are to stand here and not interfere. That's exactly what I'm going to do," said the man. "Bastard!" snarled Ryoko. "He hasn't lost yet," pointed out Jadeite. Kagato was holding Tenchi by his arm, after another failed attack. "What's the matter? The Master Key doesn't help anymore? Too bad, if you had left these women behind, you could have remained alive." Tenchi glared at him. "I would rather die, than forsake any one of them!" Kagato laughed and threw him against the wall. "That's all right with me, because I have all the gems!" The gems on the hilt of Tenchi's sword began to release their energy as well. "Ha Ha Ha Ha! Marvelous power! Come to me now, Tsunami!" The ship began to move towards the Soja. "No! This can't be the end!" growled Tenchi. Just then, a voice entered his head. "Tenchi. Use the force Tenchi!" "Huh?" said the boy as he blinked and looked around. Mihoshi, Ayeka, and Washuu all paused and stared at Ranma as he sent out the message. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" The boy ignored them and continued to sit in a meditative position. Tenchi looked out at the Tsunami. "It won't be long now, soon Tsunami will be mine, and I will rule the universe!" said Kagato triumphantly. "I'm sorry I failed you," said Tenchi. "Let go, Tenchi," pressed the voice. The boy stood up, a confused frown on his face. He looked down at the sword and frowned again. "Tenchi, trust me," said the voice before he felt the presence fade from his mind. Tenchi stood up and glared at Kagato, tossing the weapon aside. "How can you have any power left?" said Kagato in surprise. Tenchi merely glared at him wordlessly, and closed his eyes. "I was going to finish you off later, but why not now?" said Kagato casually. He raised his palm and shot a huge blast of power at the boy. It exploded and sent up a cloud of dust. "No!" screamed Ryoko. Jadeite uncrossed his arms and stepped foreword, a shocked expression on his face. He desperately hoped he had not just made a dangerous mistake. Kagato turned towards Jadeite and Ryoko. "Ah, now it's your turn." He paused and turned back to the cloud of smoke, and the three glowing blades of energy that had formed there. "Impossible! I thought the power from Tsunami was completely cut off!" Tenchi appeared from the smoke, completely unharmed, the Wings of the Light Hawk were protecting him. He raised his arms, and two of the blades passed over his body, creating a new set of clothes. "It's you! You're causing all of this!" gasped Kagato as he realized what was going on. A single glowing blade appeared before Tenchi, he reached out and grasped it, changing it into a sword in his hands. Washuu gasped as she watched this. "The transformation of objects! The Wings of the Light Hawk! Unbelievable!" Ranma merely chuckled and looked on from where he sat. Kagato and Tenchi passed by one another, each holding his weapon in a finishing position. Tenchi stood upright and turned to face Kagato. The man did the same and chuckled to himself. "Tenchi, same name as the Master Key. Splendid plan Tsunami, Tenchi can be copied." He turned to look at his opponent and smiled. "You've won boy." With that, he simply burned away. Washuu looked at the scene for a moment. "A boy who can create the Wings of the Light Hawk huh? I want to make him mine!" Ranma snorted. "What's so impressive about that?" Washuu blinked and looked at him for a moment. "At any rate, we should be able to return now," said the pigtailed boy as he stood up. They were all bathed in light and appeared on the other side of the dimensional wall. Ryoko stood up and looked at her savior. "Tenchi!" She paused when the others appeared next to her, Mihoshi and Ayeka both had looks of adoration on their faces. They started foreword and Ryoko tripped them. "Ha ha ha! Too bad! I'm gonna be the first one to give Tenchi a hug!" She turned to see Ranma standing in front of the boy with a smirk on his face and his hand on his shoulder. "Well my boy, I must thank you for saving my daughter. If you break her heart, I'll break your legs." "Huh?" stammered the boy as he looked up at him fearfully. "Dad!" snapped Ryoko. Ranma appeared to get tears of joy in his eyes at this. "You called me Dad!" He grabbed her in a rough hug and squeezed her, popping her back in the process. He then promptly let her go and shoved her up next to Tenchi. "Did she just call you 'dad'?" asked Jadeite with a worried looking frown on his face. "Yes, this is my other daughter. Her name is Ryoko," said Ranma with a smirk on his face. "She's the result of my little trip to the past." Washuu was standing in front of Tenchi now. "Nice to meet you! My name is Washuu. I like you. You wanna be a guinea pig for my experiments?" Ryoko grabbed her and pulled her away. "Listen Mom..." "What's the problem?" asked Washuu. Ryoko froze as she heard the sound of Sasami hugging Tenchi from behind. "Hey, when did she get here?" said Ranma in confusion. "She was Tenchi's ride," said Jadeite with a small shrug. "Oh," muttered the pigtailed boy. "Well, let's get out of here before this place blows," said Ranma as he started towards the door. "Huh?" said Washuu. "You coming?" asked Ranma as he started to jog away. The entire ship shifted suddenly, half of it moving one way and half the other. "Oh. I guess the spaceship was cut in half also," commented Washuu. ++++++++++ Ranma sat with the rest of the Masaki family after the whole battle was finished. They had just arrived on Earth and Ranma's starship was parked outside the home. "What happened to your hair Ryoko?" asked Tenchi as he seemed to finally notice the woman's red hair. Ryoko blushed and turned away. "She dyes it! To hide how old she is!" said Ayeka with a confident looking smirk. "Who are you to talk," commented Ranma lazily. "You dye your hair too." "What!?" gasped Ayeka as she looked at the boy in horror. "I most certainly do not!" "Your hair is the same color as your little sister's hair," said Ranma. "Ha! Who's old now princess!" snorted Ryoko. "Listen you hag!" snarled Ayeka. "Now, now. There's no need for that," said Mihoshi as she pushed them apart. Surprisingly enough, it seemed to work for the moment. They did continue to glare at one another. "So, you're really a Saiyan?" asked Sasami with a slightly nervous looking smile. "I'm not sure," replied the boy as he looked down at her. "That demon could have changed me into one completely, but there's no way to tell. Not without risking me destroying half the planet anyway." "He's right. The Saiyans are a dead race, they've been that way for thousands of years. Even I don't have any way to compare his DNA and find out," said Washuu. "In any case, it only proves that Ryoko really is a monster woman," said Ayeka. "Actually, Ryoko was before I got my tail, so she's probably not as much of a Saiyan as Chibi-Usa," said Ranma with a small shrug. "Who's Chibi-Usa?" asked Tenchi. "My other daughter, she's visiting me from the future at the moment," commented the boy with a small shrug. Washuu smirked at this. "Sounds interesting." "She does seem to act a lot like her older sister," commented Ranma dryly. "Hey! What the heck is that supposed to mean?" snapped Ryoko. "Probably that she knows you, and thinks of you as a roll model," replied Ranma with a small shrug. "Me? A role model?" Ryoko burst into laughter. "She's strong enough to wipe the floor with you," snorted Ranma. "Hey!" snapped the woman. "It's just as well. We can't have Jurai Royal Family's blood tainted by such a vicious space pirate anyway," commented Ayeka. "Where the heck did that come from?" whispered Jadeite as he leaned in next to Ranma. "Romantic rivalry over our friend Tenchi," he explained. "Oh," said Jadeite with a small shrug. "In any case Princess, I seem to recall the occupation the First Emperor of Jurai had before he found the trees that make your planet so powerful was the life of a space pirate." Ranma sipped at his tea and looked over to where Yosho was sitting quietly. "Hmmm, this is true," he said with a small nod. "An interesting dilemma." "Plus, my other daughter is the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity. Meaning that after I am wed, Ryoko will be a princess as well. In fact, such a joined marriage would probably benefit the house of Jurai." Ayeka went pale. "What did you say?" "You mean, I have to be some stupid princess?" snorted Ryoko. "Well, you are already a Lady of the Highlands," said Ranma with a small shrug. "I was a powerful Lord during the Silver Millenium, and a great General." "Great? What about the time you scaled the wall of the Imperial castle and hung a wreath of tampons around the visiting Senshi of Mercury's window in order to commemorate her first period?" "Well, Queen Serenity did ask that I do something special for the girl," said Ranma with a blush on his face. "Hmm, the boy does have a valid point though," commented Yosho. "Such a union would indeed benefit the house of Jurai." "Grandpa!" cried Tenchi. Ryoko promptly latched onto his neck. "Did you hear that Tenchi! Our families approve!" "Now wait a minute! No one has agreed to anything!" snapped Ayeka. "Well, there's lots of time," said Ranma with a small shrug. "He's still a bit young for such things. Give him a year or two before we decide anything." Tenchi was starting to turn blue as Ayeka tried to pull him from Ryoko's hug. Yosho was obviously amused by the scene, and Ranma's face mirrored his own seriousness with the only possible hint of their enjoyment in their eyes. "Well. I hope you visit again soon," said Yosho. "You are welcome here at any time. We do appreciate your help today." "What?" gasped Ayeka. "This evil being! He's a monster! I refuse to believe that he is not both a Sith Lord and a Saiyan!" Ranma snorted and looked at Ryoko again. "I'll see you again some time daughter. I'm sure your sister would be glad to see you as well." "Yeah, yeah, scram pops," snorted the woman as she struggled to keep her grip on the young boy's neck. Jadeite stood up with Ranma and they left the scene. On the way out, the older man turned towards the pigtailed boy and smirked. "I wonder if anyone has ever reminded those two that the Emperor of Jurai is allowed more than one wife?" "Probably not," said Ranma with a smirk. "It's too much fun to watch them fight over the poor boy. He's a nice kid, but a bit of a sap." "Ah, young love," said Jadeite with a smirk on his face as he walked ahead of him. Washuu appeared in front of Ranma and looked up at him. "Hello." "Oh, hey. That's a good look for you," said the boy as he smirked at her. "You knew I was in the Soja didn't you?" she asked as she looked him over. "Huh? How would I know that?" he said with a barely hidden smirk. "Something is up with you," she said as she eyed him for a moment. "Maybe one day you'll find out," he said as he winked at her. "Don't worry Washuu-chan." "I'm not worried, this is interesting," she replied. "Want me to ruin it for you now?" he asked. "No. I think I'll figure it out on my own thanks," she replied as she turned away. "Okay, suit yourself. Tell me what you find out, okay?" he said as he walked off. "Right," she replied with an evil looking gleam in her eyes. "Ha! No mystery is to great for the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe!" A short distance away, Ranma paused and scratched his shoulder with a slightly confused frown on his face. "I feel kinda weird..." +++++++++ TBC...