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[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] Quantum Destinies 22 (Part 2 of 2)
Hi all, And now, the conclusion to the current chapter. Steve (Part 2 of 2) ****************************** While casually leaning back in the comfortable chair in his office, Soun stretched. He set down the newspaper he had been perusing, one he had picked up during an early lunch he had taken when Kasumi had shown up at his office unexpectedly. Seeing her, dressed in the paramilitary uniform of this Japan's Security Directorate had awakened a feeling of intense pride within him, and there was a part of him that was pleased to see her back in uniform. She had saluted him with a professional smile, and they had gone out and enjoyed a pleasant lunch together. He did not choose to question her decision to return to active duty, since he knew Kasumi was not one to do impulsive things, but he did wonder how her husband felt about her decision. He tamped out the cigarette he had been smoking. It was curious to read about the events taking place in this world and find them both familiar and strange at the same time. He pulled his feet off of the desk and rocked forward, yawning a bit, part of him still unused to working an actual job. Getting up before dawn each day had probably been the worst part of the adjustment to his existence here, especially since his dreams were troubling his sleep. No, not dreams. They were more like nightmares, with voices accusing him of being weak, a failure, voices that sounded like his own and those of his family. To distract himself, he quickly pulled out another one of the files he had been given to review, one marked 'For Your Eyes Only.' He flipped it open and began to read. It turned out to be a rather dry affair, a detailed report on business activities by the Sanzenin zaibatsu. The name was familiar to him, reminding him of the skating competition Ranma had been in a while ago. The Ranma of his original world, he amended in his thoughts after a moment. But he quickly grew bored with reading the file, picked up his signature stamp and inked it, and then he marked it as having been reviewed. It joined several others on another stack on his desk. This was not the exciting life of a government agent that he would have once imagined, spending his days shuffling paperwork from one pile on his desk to another. This was bureaucratic drudgery, not adventure. Where were the fast cars, the vodka martinis, and the daring feats, like that English fellow had in those movies he had seen a few of back home? However, in his youth, his counterpart here had enjoyed such things while serving in the field on His Imperial Majesty's secret service. But, shortly after Akane was born, one mission had gone very badly, one from which this body still had the scars, so his other self took a desk job and became a bureaucrat instead, beginning a rapid rise up through the ranks. There was even speculation that he was next in line to head up the Directorate someday, but Soun didn't put much faith in such rumors. Thinking about the past, his other self's past, there were a few things he had left unfinished out in the field, old scores to be settled and other matters he meant to get back to someday but never did. Soun mused about them even as he lit up another cigarette. He snapped the lighter shut with a well-practiced move and set it down, drawing his holstered service pistol fluidly a moment later, the same one that had served his other self so well in the field years ago. He sighted down the barrel at some of the pictures on the wall for several moments before quickly reholstering it. Right up until that final mission, those had been good days, days of service to the Empire to be proud of. He sighed rather wistfully, remembering past escapades and victories, but he shied away from any thoughts of the occasional beautiful woman his counterpart had been involved with on missions, not wanting to betray Kimiko's memory. Too late he realized his mistake. He quickly closed the file in front of him and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing back the tears and sorrow that suddenly welled up within him at the memory of his late wife. She had been taken from him much later here than his own had been, but she was still gone and the emotional pain was like an ache. Not here. He couldn't afford to cry here. He had to be strong like his counterpart had been, holding back the pain of his emotions instead of giving in to them, damping them out by sheer will, a discipline he himself had never found the strength to master. After a time, he managed to regain control of himself and returned to his work, picking up another file. He could not afford to lose his discipline, to let slip the mask and return to being the broken man he once was. No, he had been given a new chance, and he would not fail in his duties as a father and a man. Not again. As he read through the report, the theme music for England's most famous secret agent played in the back of his mind. ****************************** Kodachi looked up from her lunch when Nanami Jinnai, one of the girls in her class, slid into the desk next to her. The other girl seemed to be in high spirits as she quickly pocketed a thick bundle of yen notes. They had never spoken much to each other, just casual exchanges of greetings each day, and Kodachi sensed that Nanami seemed to be avoiding speaking with her for some reason. She quickly went back to enjoying her meal and trying not to think about Ranma, still feeling a bit confused after their brief but passionate kiss earlier in the week. Her thoughts quickly defaulted to thinking about the other boy in her life: Miki Kaoru. The dance at Ohtori was coming up quickly, and Kaoru-kun would be calling her this weekend to finalize their plans. She was looking forward to speaking with him again, remembering with fondness the last few times they had been together. The friendship she had felt for him as children was still strong, only now it was laced with something extra, feelings of a much more adult kind of attraction to him. Unbidden, images arose in her mind from the life of Sukeban-Kodachi, of her relationship with that world's Miki Kaoru. Memories of being with him came over her, of kissing with him and of being intimate with him, sometimes gently and sometimes much more passionately. A light blush appeared on her cheeks at such thoughts, and she indulged in them a bit, fantasizing about Kaoru-kun, wondering if he felt the same sort of interest in her. She shook her head, dispelling her fantasies. She should be thinking about Saotome-kun, since they were engaged, even if he did continue to spend time with those other, far less worthy girls that sought his attention. Still, he had kissed her, quite deeply and passionately, and that must have meant something to him. After all, Ranma was not at all like her brother's best friend, that vile and disgusting womanizer, Mikado Sanzenin. Still, while the kiss with Saotome-kun had been wonderful, that other Kaoru-kun in Sukeban-Kodachi's world had been an even better kisser, so gentle and yet so passionate, and she wondered what a kiss from this world's version of him would be like. Another fantasy triggered off inside her, and she drifted away, a smile on her face, the rest of her lunch sitting untouched. Nanami glanced over at the wistfully sighing Kuno girl, and she shook her head. The young noblewoman must have been thinking about Ranma again. What was it about the guy that had so many girls so wild about him lately? She glanced at her watch, wondering how things were going with the girls from the fan club. Ranma had better not lose. That would be bad for her own plans concerning him. He was proving to be quite the moneymaker for her, so long as he remained unbeaten by any of the girls, like their own local version of that Chinese barbarian girl fighting in the Arena, the one she had heard Akane Tendo talking about a few times. ****************************** The cafeteria areas at Whitehall and Blackhall were more like five-star restaurants than the humble eateries most schools throughout the Empire enjoyed, only Ohtori Academy boasting comparable fare. Groups of students sat in booths or at the various tables in Whitehall's dining hall, eating and chatting. In one booth, Tatewaki Kuno enjoyed a quiet lunch with his friend, Mikado Sanzenin. Today was a selection of Chinese cuisine for the menu. "So what's been bothering you this week, Kuno-kun?" asked Mikado, as he set down his soup spoon to sit back and wait for the serving staff to bring the main course. All of the training he had been doing lately, as well as the many intensely heated encounters he had been having with Asuka, the White Lily, had raised his appetite quite a bit. "You've had a sour look on your face for days now, and it's hindering my enjoyment of this fine food. Are you concerned about this omiai you have coming up?" "Nay, that is not the cause of my disquiet," Kuno replied. "While the Arisugawa girl is no doubt politically-expedient as a choice, which would suit the aims of my mother and likely further the interests of the Kuno's, I know little of her, or care to. My warrior heart hath already been claimed, by the clever and skilled Nabiki Tendo, and her stout-hearted and strong young sister, Akane. Gods, what women they both are!" He clenched his soup spoon in one hand, his eyes glazing over as he imagined them both. "I know what you mean." Mikado nodded at the thought of Nabiki Tendo. Akane didn't interest him that much, but Nabiki was a different matter. It was rare for a girl to reject him as forcefully as she had, but that rejection had only served to fire the intensity of his own interest in bedding the middle Tendo daughter. There was just something innately attractive about her that he yearned to experience, to feel her body against his as he took pleasure from her. Then, once he was done with her, his friend Tatewaki could have her for a concubine, but he wanted her first. ****************************** In the next booth, Kinnosuke Kashuoh paused in what he was doing, his hearing having picked up the conversation despite his being somewhat distracted. Lynx and Panther both sat next to him, and the curtain was drawn on their booth to allow the trio some privacy. Lynx was still eating quietly, but he had already finished his own lunch. Panther had not finished hers, but she was currently otherwise occupied. Several buttons on her blouse were undone, and Kinnosuke's hand had been gently kneading one of her bared breasts while they shared an intimate kiss. But he broke off the kiss to listen more closely to the conversation going on next to them, even as Panther began nuzzling and kissing at his neck, her attention still fully on him. Lynx's ears twitched as she heard Nabiki Tendo's name mentioned nearby, but she showed no other sign of interest and continued eating without pause. Her muscle-bound (and muscle-headed) fellow lilith, Panther, had not appeared to notice, she mused with no small amount of disdain, glancing at the couple as Panther pawed at Kinnosuke-sama. Her ears perked up a little bit as she listened to what was going on behind her in the next booth. ****************************** "I have dedicated myself to preparing myself these past days," Kuno said in fierce tones. "If Nabiki Tendo will only accept a conqueror to her arms, then I shall conquer her. After all, am I not Tatewaki Kuno? Am I not the rising star of the kendo world? My skill with a sword shall overcome her, like a bolt arcing down from the very heavens themselves, for I am the lightning and the thunder personified." The last word seemed to awaken a new thought within Kuno. "Yes, a thunder, but thunder alone is not enough of a sobriquet for my most puissant skill at arms." He paused in thought, distracted for the moment from his true concerns. "Perhaps a blue thunder?" Mikado asked jokingly, noting the color of the clothing that Kuno usually affected when they were outside of class. "Yes!" Kuno crowed. "Verily, thy words ring true with me. Let the word go forth, my good friend. Tatewaki Kuno shall henceforth be known as the Blue Thunder of Whitehall Academy." He sat back, contemplating his new nom de guerre and finding it worthy of himself. However, his good mood faded quickly, being crowded out by his other concerns. Noting the mood shift in his best friend, Mikado sighed. "Now what?" "Ranma Saotome," was all Kuno said in reply. "Oh. Him." Mikado's pleasant mood vanished also. "What happened?" "A scene too vile to endure." Kuno closed his eyes, feeling his rage build up within him, but he forced himself to remain calm. "I caught the knave forcing himself upon Kodachi, right there on the floor of her own bedchambers." Mikado blinked. "What? He did what?" He realized he was raising his voice, noticing some of their peers looking their way, and he hastily calmed himself and assumed a more casual appearance. Tatewaki did not mind causing a stir with his antics, but appearance was everything to a Sanzenin, after all. "I saw it with mine own eyes," said Kuno darkly. "My innocent and virtuous young sister was pinned down on the floor while that- that animal was about to ravish her of her purity. Would that I could sear the memory of that scene from my mind. I rushed to her aid, but that most wretched of scoundrels used his foul sorceries upon me, and I somehow lost consciousness. Then, later on, my poor, deluded sister even defended the lout. 'Tis utter insanity the hold he doth have on her mind. To think that my chaste young sister would have aught to do with that vile beast, Saotome. It defies comprehension." Mikado's gaze narrowed as he listened to Kuno continue to rant about Ranma Saotome. A cold rage filled him. Something had to be done to the pigtailed boy, to show him that the noblewomen of the Empire were not for the likes of him, least of all Kodachi Kuno. It was like a clarion call to battle had sounded, and he would answer it. Ranma Saotome would pay for his crimes, for daring to sully the virtue of that precious, innocent jewel of womanhood, Kodachi Kuno. Mikado's hand clenched into a fist, one he yearned to use to totally shatter every last bone within Ranma's body. I shall defeat you, Ranma Saotome, Mikado mused darkly, even as Kuno continued to vent his hatred for the pigtailed boy. I will prove that your victory over me was merely bad luck on my part. Kodachi Kuno's pure heart shall never be yours, for I am Mikado Sanzenin, and you are mere trash, a lowly peasant who dares to rise from the gutters and look his betters in the face as an equal. But soon I shall be the one to send you back to where you belong, ground beneath my feet. I swear it! ****************************** Kinnosuke went back to kissing with Panther as the conversation in the next booth continued on, hearing her purr softly with pleasure into the kiss, but his thoughts were more on what he had just heard. So Ranma had feelings for the Kuno girl and had acted on them, he mused. That could be potentially useful, and it seemed the two imbeciles in the next booth did not care for what Ranma had done. Perhaps his search for allies to crush the pigtailed boy would be much easier than he had imagined. Feeling smug, he turned his full attentions back to Panther, his lips pressed tightly against hers as their tongues dueled. His injuries no longer pained him, his meal had been quite good, so now he was looking forward to slaking his other hungers with Panther's assistance. Doing such things in a semi-public place like this only seemed to increase his ardor, and he growled softly with pleasure as he felt Panther's hand sliding up his inner thigh caressingly. ****************************** Akane was quietly waiting for Sakura to join her for lunch, keeping herself occupied by watching some members of the Combat Club battling in the rain behind one of the main buildings, when she felt someone suddenly bump into her from behind, almost knocking her down. Already feeling irritated at not being able to join in on the fights yet, she whirled around to face her assailant. "Watch where you're going," she growled out, one hand balling into a tight fist and ready to pound whoever it was. "Um, I'm sorry," a chastened Ryoga replied, bowing as best he could and still keep the rain off himself while backing up a step. Tokyo was a very large and confusing place, and he was still angry at losing Ryoko at the public bath that morning, which he promptly added to Ukyo's tab. He had been wandering for several hours now, but he had let himself become so involved in his own grim musings that he had bumped into a girl, mortifying him. He quickly bowed again. "I-it was an accident. I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." "Well, be more careful next time," Akane replied, her tone softening a bit as she looked the stranger over. She felt a familiar, pleasant tingling sensation running along her nerves, one she had only felt a handful of times before, most notably with Ranma or that rich idiot, Kuno, and it was equally powerful to the sensations the pigtailed boy awoke within her. She studied Ryoga intently for a moment, seeing by his clothing that he appeared to be some kind of wandering martial artist. She wondered if he was a decent fighter, and a sincere hope that he was suddenly blossomed within her. "You're not a cadet here. Are you lost or something?" "Uh, kinda." Ryoga suddenly looked bashful. Even though she was still frowning at him, he suddenly noticed that the girl in front of him was really cute, and he was pleasantly astonished by the fact that he felt the same sort of warm feelings inside himself that he had previously only felt before around Ukyo. Desperate to think of something to keep the conversation going with the girl, he wished he had some smooth line to use on her, but all he could stammer out was, "I-I'm Ryoga Hibiki. Nice to meet you." "I'm Akane Tendo," she said simply in reply. She then went back to looking him over, which only made Ryoga more nervous. "Do you study martial arts?" "Yeah!" Ryoga said, brightening at the chance to keep talking with Akane. "I've been in training all my life." Akane nodded, only showing a flicker of interest in her gaze. "Are you any good?" Ryoga felt a bit of irritation at the question. "Of course I am," he growled. He noted her posture taking on a more combative air to it. "But I don't fight girls," he quickly added. Well, except for Ryoko, he amended in his thoughts, but she was a special case, almost like she wasn't really a girl, since she acted so macho all the time. "What?" Akane said, startled. Her gaze narrowed and a note of anger came back into her voice. "Why not?" "I-it's just not right for a guy to fight a girl," Ryoga explained, stammering a bit, wondering what he had said wrong. He decided to try again, deciding to define it how his grandfather had once explained it to him. "It's a man's duty to protect women. So it's wrong for a guy to fight with a girl." Akane growled out, "Listen, you. Girls can fight just as well as boys can, and I certainly don't need any boy's protection. Want me to prove it to you?" Her eyes glinted more dangerously now, and she was getting really excited at the prospect of an unknown new challenge. Her intensive training sessions spent with Sakura had been building up her fighting abilities, and she was eager to test them out on someone, to see if she was ready for Nabiki yet. Her goal of joining the Combat Club still hovered out there, but it had been temporarily pushed aside until she had dealt with the much more immediate issue of her sister. Ryoga backed away, waving his hand. "N-no, no, that's okay. Um, I'm sorry for bumping into you." He quickly departed, a heaviness in his heart. He would probably never see that girl again. But that sadness quickly transformed into more anger at Ukyo. Akane watched Ryoga retreat and harrumphed disdainfully. The boy had been handsome, but his moral code perplexed her. What was it about some boys that they didn't think girls could fight just as well as they could? She felt disappointed at his running off so quickly like he had. It was a good thing Ranma wasn't like that. He was a real man, one willing to treat her as an equal, like he had shown by fighting with her. She went back to waiting for Sakura to arrive, watching with interest as one Combat Club member put the other one down on the ground with a brutal axe kick, and then stood over him victoriously. She sighed wistfully. Fighting was so wonderful, even just to watch. ****************************** Shielded from the rain by his umbrella, Hikaru Gosunkugi gazed through the chainlink fence surrounding it at Mobius Institute Storage Facility #8, located several blocks from the Imperial Academy. After fleeing from Minami and Frost that morning, he had been wandering around the area aimlessly and eventually found himself here. Suddenly, everything came back into crystal clarity. Words came unbidden to his mind, and he whispered them as he gestured at the gate. The padlock melted, the chain sagging as the metal heated up, quickly becoming a searing white mass that rain steamed off of as droplets of metal fell to pool on the ground. Within seconds, it was over, and the metal pool on the ground congealed quickly. Gosunkugi waited for the metal to cool before touching the gate, and he pushed it open and shut it behind him. He whispered the words of a spell, setting it in place here at the gate, a subtle illusion that would draw the Saotome boy within. The storage facility was on the path that Ranma normally traveled, and it would trigger when he was within a few hundred feet. Gosunkugi was so focused on his need for revenge against the pigtailed boy that he did not think to question how he knew such magic, drawing on it by instinct alone. "Ranma Saotome," he muttered. "The day of your doom is here." ****************************** Ranma relaxed a little as the last girl stumbled back from his punch to her solar plexus and collapsed. Today they had varied their routine, waiting until lunchtime to attack him in the hallways as he made his way to the cafeteria to buy some food, since Kodachi was still not speaking to him yet, and he didn't feel right about having Ukyo feed him every day. The nubile bodies of his attackers lay strewn about in numerous odd positions, but none were seriously injured. Luckily, his injuries were mostly healed by now, so he was far better able to deal with them than he had been earlier in the week. "You're certainly popular with the girls, Saotome," observed Kyosuke in a conversational tone as he took a sip from his juice container. He carefully stepped over one fallen girl in a blue uniform. "This is getting to be like a ritual." "Yeah, I'll say," Ukyo agreed with a grin, as she stood leaning against one wall. She had been standing off to one side during Ranma's battle today with the female cadets, since he had explicitly told her to stay out of it when it erupted. It was true he hadn't needed her help, and she could understand his pride as a martial artist in wanting to deal with it on his own. It had actually been quite interesting to her to watch him fight, maybe even a little arousing. She hastily distracted herself from that line of thought by casually slamming her fist down on the head of one girl who was already starting to wake up while Ranma's back was to them, and the cadet quietly collapsed again. "It's annoying is what it is," Ranma replied sourly, looking at each of them in turn. He flipped a thin notebook towards Kyosuke, having brought it with him from class just in case he ran into the older boy during lunch. "I made some notes on those problems you were having troubles with. They should help. You just gotta understand the steps you need to follow." Kyosuke caught it out of the air. "Thanks." He began leafing through it, nodding at what he saw there. After the events at Ohtori a while back, and at Yohko's more recent urging, he had been making an effort the past few days to become friends with Ranma. And he was also getting to be good friends with Ukyo in the process, since the other boy seemed to hang around Ranma quite a lot, but that was okay. He rather liked Ukyo, and he was a little envious of the other boy's good looks. Even Yohko had once remarked on them, not that she appeared to be interested in Ukyo. Asking for help on his homework had seemed the easiest approach to talking with Ranma, and he quickly flipped to the section that had been giving him trouble. He suddenly brightened as he read the pigtailed boy's scrawled notes. "Oh, I see it now." Ukyo came over to them and stood next to Ranma. "Well, I'm glad that someone understands the material. Ranchan, I could use some help with my homework, too. Do you think we could go over it when you come by after classes are done today?" "Sure. Not a problem." "Great." She grinned. "Maybe you can give me a ride on that new bike of yours too." "You two guys doing something tonight?" Kyosuke asked, briefly looking up from his reading. "Yohko's dragging me to some new movie she wants to see. It's something romantic, I think. You know how girls are." He shrugged. "Heh, yeah," Ranma replied casually, glancing briefly at Ukyo to see that she was nodding in sympathetic understanding like any boy would have at the comment. He grinned at the sight and turned his gaze back to Kyosuke. "We're just going to hang around together tonight. I'm going over to Ucchan's aunt's place for dinner, and then we're going to do some sparring." Ukyo seemed to prefer her gender be thought of as male around campus, so Ranma tried to avoid pronouns when speaking about her. While the three chatted, off to one side, Ami watched them through her camera. She sighed softly as she focused in on Ranma's face, how beautiful she found him to be, his appearance and athletic body nearly as exciting to her as the brilliant mind he possessed. She jumped when a hand suddenly came down on her shoulder. She looked back. Yohko stood there, a serious look on her face. "Nabiki wants to talk to you, Mizuno-san. Please, come with me." "Uh, yes," Ami replied, feeling a little frightened. Some of the few cadets who were within earshot gave her sympathetic looks. There had been some kind of shakeup in Nabiki's organization recently, and a rumor floated around that someone had tried to poach on the Tendo girl's turf. There was another rumor that it was a science cadet, and so there was an uneasy tension now forming between the two groups of students. Ranma noticed Yohko half-dragging Ami off, and he turned to Kyosuke and pointed it out. "What's up with that, I wonder." "I'm not sure," Kyosuke replied. "Yohko won't talk to me about it, but it's probably got something to do with Nabiki, I guess." He shrugged. Yohko had been very tight-lipped on the matter, not that he had tried to press her very hard on it. The matter with Madoka Ayukawa was still a sore spot between them, even though it had been a few weeks since he had last seen the biker girl, so he was trying to make as few waves as he possibly could with Yohko. He was also still trying to figure out a way to broach the subject of Azusa Kanzaki with the young Devil Hunter without looking guilty of anything. The girl desperately wanted to be Yohko's apprentice and had begged Kyosuke's analog for help during the brief time they were switched. "Yeah. But why Ami Mizuno? She's harmless." Ranma considered the girl briefly. He had seen Ami around sometime when his morning bout with the girls occurred, always with her little video camera. Even so, he found it hard to believe that she might have been involved with that. No, that was just paranoia speaking. Ranma was far more concerned about Kinnosuke Kashuoh to worry over what was going on with Ami. The next day after the fight with Kinnosuke and the three catgirls occurred, the other boy had transferred from their school to Whitehall, without any sort of explanation. The rumor mill had not yet connected it with the shakeup now going on in Nabiki's network, but it was probably only a matter of time. He wasn't sure why, but he was convinced that it wasn't quite over yet between him and Kinnosuke. His experiences from his other selves gave him a better insight on such matters than he would have had before. No, the Kashuoh heir might have retreated for now, but he would be back someday, likely more powerful a fighter than before. And Ranma planned to be ready for him. He turned to talk to Ukyo about it, and he was startled to see that the ninja girl had vanished. He scratched his head. She was really good at her stealth skills, much better than any of her counterparts in those other worlds, and she seemed to enjoy startling him each morning by suddenly appearing next to him while he left his house. He wondered where she had gone off to. ****************************** Minami grumbled to herself as she sat down in a deserted hallway in one of the sub-basements, enjoying a quiet lunch by herself. She ripped off the cover to the boxed meal she had made for herself and began eating, her anger over the events of this morning still evident in her movements as she speared chunks of fish and vegetables, the grip on her chopsticks tight enough to whiten her fingers. She shoveled the food into her mouth, barely even chewing it. "Damn that Hikaru Gosunkugi and his spinelessness," she muttered darkly in between bites. The coward had skipped classes, going off somewhere to hide from her righteous wrath. "That- that womanizer, playing with my feelings and getting involved with that emotionless doll, Frost." She took a swig from her juice box, sipping on the straw noisily. "And damn that Ukyo Kuonji, too. Why hasn't he noticed me?" The day could not get any worse now, as far as she was concerned. ****************************** *** Earth +4.199,+3.423 Ranko paused as she moved through the darkened hallways underneath Kolhotz High School, currently lit only by emergency lighting, a pack strapped to her back as she hurried along. She had been doing a bit of exploring, trying to find someone to talk to, since the entire area of Nerima seemed to be deserted. Ever since her arrival yesterday, she had yet to see any human beings, only strange aircraft flying overhead, perhaps military of some kind. She had chosen to hide from them. Scorch marks were visible on walls and the pavement in places outside, and there were burned out cars on the roads, the signs of some kind of battle damage. She had also seen corpses in those vehicles, so she was no longer looking in any of them. Whatever had happened here had apparently happened days before her arrival on the scene, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get off this creepy world as soon as possible now. She glanced at the timer on her device. There was less than a minute left before the paratemporal flux aligned with another parallel Earth. She had been so involved in her explorations that she had almost missed her window, and she wanted out of here, unsure when the next one would be. She didn't know what might happen if she were to try opening a portal underground, so she was heading for the stairs as quickly as she could. It was at that moment that she came across a patrol that emerged from an intersecting hallway, several figures in some sort of heavy body armor and carrying guns of unfamiliar make. She reacted quickly and took off running, cursing herself under her breath for not being more wary. She couldn't afford to get tied up in some kind of fight here, especially with armed men. She didn't recognize their insignia, but they all moved like trained soldiers, their features only dimly visible behind semi-transparent faceplates in the current lighting. Bullets began whining and ricocheting past her down the hallway as she ducked and weaved while running to make herself a harder target to hit. Who were these guys? Was Japan fighting a war? "<Now there's a good-looking breeder female,>" commented Centurion Ranma Saotome in the guttural language of the Musk Dynasty, chuckling as he admired the shapely backside of the girl currently fleeing from them. He drove a backfist into one of the men nearest him who had been shooting to kill, knocking the soldier down. "<Aim down for her legs, Tendo, you idiot! I swear, you're as useless as a female! That goes for the rest of you! There's a thousand credit bonus to the man who brings her down alive for me, and without any permanent damage. I want her for my family's household.>" Ranma's gaze was hungry as he studied the running girl in front of him, even as the soldiers under his command hastened to obey. He admired her pert derriere as she agilely evaded their fire. As he did so, the soldier he had knocked down got back up, the face plate smeared with some blood from his backhanded punch. Kaneda Tendo regained his feet and directed a murderous glare at Ranma. He briefly flipped up his faceplate a little and dabbed at the blood dribbling from his nose, grimacing at the splotch of gore on the visor from when it had been driven into his face. It would have been so easy to level his weapon and empty the magazine into Ranma's back, but that would not have been satisfying. No, he yearned for the other boy to acknowledge him as the superior fighter, to prove to Ranma Saotome that he was the stronger one between them, the true heir to Great Master Happosai's teaching. It galled him that the other boy, barely a year younger than he was, kept beating him in fistfights. Noticing Kaneda's look out of the corner of his gaze, Ranma realized he was going to have to teach the other boy to respect his authority again when they got back to the base camp. While it was close between them in their relative skill, Kaneda Tendo was his inferior as a fighter, and it was time to grind that fact into the older boy's face yet again. At least it would be a pretty decent match. Perhaps Kaneda had even learned something new since their last duel. Ranma grinned wolfishly as he and his men pursued the fleeing girl, certain that his father would be pleased with him for acquiring the redhead for their household. He couldn't wait to bed her. It was the most pleasurable benefit of being an officer in the Musk's legions, to have his pick of any booty found, such as the very attractive girl now before them, ripe for the plucking. Years ago, his father had acquired his mother the same way. He himself had already obtained two playthings for his own amusement this way, who waited for him back home to ease the tensions acquired on foreign battlefields: Ukyo Kuonji, the pretty, young geisha he had picked up on his second combat drop as a new officer, and the athletic and well-built Perfume. The pink-haired Chinese Amazon had been quite a fierce hellcat when he first defeated and captured her on another Earth, amidst the destruction of her home village going on around them. He still relished the memory of that first battle with Perfume. His rifle had jammed after he had been forced to kill the lavender-haired Amazon he would have preferred taking as a prize, and a savage struggle had erupted between him and Perfume that could have gone either way. The strength and spirit she had shown during their fight had captivated him. Even after her defeat, after dragging her all the way back to his home timeline in chains, it had still taken time for her to be properly broken in and brought to know her place as a woman, but now she lived only to please him. However, his pride and joy was Kasumi Tendo, Kaneda's older sister by two years, the one who kept his house in order and the other girls in line, and who was such a wicked delight in bed with her fondness for leather and bondage. There was definitely something to be said for more mature women, and she was indeed a proper Musk woman through and through. His father's purchase of her from Legate Tendo to unite their two houses had been a wise investment, and he was looking forward to bringing this new girl to her as a gift when he returned home, for proper training at Kasumi's hands like she had done with Perfume. A lecherous grin crossed his face. After all, while not as fortunate as his better-placed analogs were among other Musk-controlled worlds, he was the undefeated heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts on his own, as well as the strongest fighter among all his analogs he had met so far. It thus fell to him as his masculine duty to father many strong male children and pass along to them the teachings of Great Master Happosai, and that required a proper harem. But he was already beginning to grow a bit bored with the two girls he now had, even the sensuous Perfume, and there was something quite tantalizing about the girl in front of him. He shrugged, shouldering his rifle and sighting in. Perhaps he had seen an analog of her on another world somewhere. It was a shame this Earth had offered the Musk such little challenge, since that meant smaller bonuses for officers like himself. The people here had been sheep, having enjoyed peace for centuries, and they were unable to muster any kind of armed defense when the Musk warships had arrived over their heads, and Musk soldiers like himself had attacked their cities. Their precious art and literature did them no good when the wolves came, and the Musk's forces had ravaged this world from pole to pole within the span of mere days, a quick but very dissatisfying victory. Even his own counterpart here had been a mewling weakling, a musician, not a true warrior like himself. Driving the blade of his combat knife into his analog's heart had been a mercy killing, an honorable death, sparing the other boy the ignominy of spending the rest of his days as some honorless, nameless slave on one of the agricultural collectives or mining facilities that fed the Musk war machine. Kaneda's female analog here, Nabiki, had been claimed as a pleasure slave by another officer. He was still annoyed by the fact that his own analog here had been engaged to marry Kaneda's, part of what prompted him to end the other Ranma's life as brutally as he had. It was the eighth such killing he had done, but it always gave him an exquisite thrill to kill one of his own analogs, reaffirming his own physical superiority. It fit the Musk's guiding philosophy, that the strong took what they wanted from those weaker, and the weak perished. Killing his first analog had been an epiphany, how easy it was, and he quickly came to realize that all of his other selves were weak, nothing but pathetic shadows of himself. Even those living on Musk-controlled worlds were but pale imitations of him. He was the true Ranma Saotome, the only one genuinely worthy of the name in the entire multiverse, and he intended to keep killing his analogs until he was the only one left. A short ways ahead of the pack of soldiers chasing her, Ranko glanced at the timer as the firepower from behind her slackened for a few moments, and the soldiers hustled to catch up to her and round the same corner she had. When it reached zero, she activated it and pointed it in front of her, still racing headlong away from the group of men. A portal immediately yawned open in front of her, and she began sprinting even harder towards it, pushing herself for all she was worth. "<A quantum tunnel!>" yelped one of the men. "<Sir, she must be a Matriarchy spy! She's escaping!>" "<No!>" Ranma shouted, taking aim. He pulled the trigger a bit hastily in his eagerness to have the girl. "<She will be mine!>" Ranko leaped headlong into the opening in the same moment that she felt a shock in her hand, and her device was nearly ripped from her grip. She only had a brief moment to glance at it, but she cursed loudly as the vortex of the quantum tunnel sped her away to her next destination and then snapped shut behind her seconds later, cutting off her stream of rather unladylike invective. Lowering his rifle, Ranma had a thoughtful look on his face. How could he have missed? He immediately turned to the radio man. "<Report in that we have encountered a possible Matriarchy spy, and there might be more. I will accept the blame for her escape and personally apologize to Legate Ikari when we return to base.>" As the man hastened to do as he bid, Centurion Saotome raised a hand and made a gesture forward, and the squad continued on with their patrol. ****************************** *** Earth 0.000,0.000 Off balance from her diving entrance into the quantum tunnel on the other end, Ranko went from being in a dimly lit corridor to a much brighter one. Even as the portal immediately snapped shut behind her with a brief flash of light and a fading distortion of the air, she slammed full tilt into Minami, knocking the other girl to the ground and stunning her as they fell down together. "Ow," Ranko grumbled, feeling the bruises on her body from the impact as she gingerly rolled off of Minami. She glanced at her device again and swore under her breath. A bullet had passed through the top part of the casing, missing her hand by centimeters. She hoped she could salvage most of its components and rebuild the rest. She swore again. She glanced over at the other girl, currently laying with her limbs all akimbo, and her eyes rolling a bit. Ranko blinked when she recognized the uniform, the gray cloth and black piping of a Security cadet. The signet ring on her finger was also noted, identifying the redhead as a member of the Mobius Institute and a mage trainee of some kind. "Could I finally be home?" Ranko wondered aloud. Hope blossomed within her, since the few instances she had come across Kolhotz High School showed her it did occupy roughly the same physical location as the Imperial Academy. However, she needed to make sure, and that required a disguise, since she couldn't walk around campus out of uniform. She studied the unconscious girl, noting that their frames were not too dissimilar in their proportions, except that the other girl was a few centimeters taller. Ranko was grateful that she wasn't quite as small in stature as all of her analogs seemed to be, so the other girl's uniform would probably fit pretty well. Ranko knelt down next to Minami and began removing the Ghost Sweeper's clothing. When the girl started to stir, Ranko grimaced and slugged her in the jaw, sending the Ghost Sweeper back into unconsciousness. "Sorry about that," Ranko murmured, quickly continuing to strip the insensate Minami. When the Ghost Sweeper was finally unclothed, she speedily began removing her own clothing and putting on Minami's, trying hard to not feel aroused by the sight of the other girl's body, now clad only in bra and panties. When she was finally dressed in Minami's gray uniform, Ranko began putting her old clothes on the other girl, dressing the Ghost Sweeper in the light blue Chinese-style shirt and black gi pants she had been wearing on her arrival. She was pleased to find that her initial assessment was right, that they were about the same clothing size, except Ranko's legs were a little shorter, and her body more compactly muscular. Just to be on the safe side, she gagged and tied up Minami before locking her away in one of the nearby rooms, leaving the other girl in what was hopefully a relatively comfortable position. After hiding her pack, and stuffing her device into one of the side pockets, she quietly headed off down the hallway. When she suddenly heard voices, she hid in the shadows. Ami and Yohko walked by, and Ranko wondered where the pair was going. Yohko looked just as she remembered her, and Ami had been a friend, a pretty good one, actually. Curious, she stealthed after them. Ukyo emerged from the shadows momentarily, curious as to who the girl in Security gray was, and why she was following the same quarry she was. She flitted silently from shadow to shadow, keeping the redhead and her original targets in sight as best she could. Unaware of being followed by anyone, Yohko halted and knocked on a door. There was a pause for a few moments, and then it opened up to reveal Yuka, who nodded at her and quickly stepped aside. Hiroshi was currently kneeling on the floor behind her, holding his stomach and gasping for breath. A thin trickle of blood leaked from one side of his mouth, and a livid bruise was on his cheek. Sayuri stood behind him, looking a bit grim. ****************************** Ranko leaped up into the ducting overhead, hiding herself there. She had caught a glimpse of a girl who looked like Nabiki Tendo in the room. She settled down to wait, one leg and arm looped around a pipe to hold herself in place. A little ways down the corridor, Ukyo also took to the ceiling area, quietly moving closer. Whoever this other girl was, she moved very well, almost like a ninja herself. Without a sound, she crept closer. ****************************** Nabiki was in the process of slipping her uniform jacket back on when Yohko escorted Ami in. She turned to face them, and then her gaze slipped briefly over to Sayuri. "I think we're done with him," she said calmly. "I'm sure I made my point quite clear. Sayuri, please escort Hiroshi-kun here back to class, would you? Make sure nothing happens to him along the way." "Yes, Senpai," Sayuri replied, before grabbing Hiroshi by the collar and half-hauling, half-helping him to his feet. "Come on, Hiro-kun." She helped him to the door, beginning to berate him as they left. "How could you have been so stupid, you dummy? You should've trusted that Nabiki-senpai would take care of things. Now look at-" The closing door cut off the rest of her words. ****************************** "-should've trusted that Nabiki-senpai would take care of things," Sayuri berated Hiroshi as she passed underneath Ranko. "Now look at what's happened. You betrayed Nabiki-senpai. And for what? A single threat and you fold like a house of cards? You're pathetic." The pair continued on down the hall, Sayuri still chastising Hiroshi. Ranko watched from overhead as they went out of sight. So far that she had seen, everything was the same as how she remembered it. A few feet back from Ranko, Ukyo silently waited and observed the new girl, wondering what she was up to. ****************************** Ami swallowed nervously as Nabiki settled herself into a chair and leaned forward, folding her hands together and resting her chin on the tips of her fingers. There was a second chair in front of her that Yuka promptly righted, and Yohko escorted Ami to sit in. She felt even more nervous to see the calm look on Nabiki's face. After Ami sat, Yuka left the room to stand watch in the hallway. It was quiet for about a minute. "Mizuno-san," Nabiki said calmly, breaking the silence. "I'd like you to explain to me just what is going on with Ranma being attacked by all those girls each morning." "Uh." Ami blinked. "Why are you asking me?" "Because I've been hearing some things about you and that Jinnai girl somehow being behind this matter," Nabiki replied. "Now, I thought I'd start my questions with you before I dealt with her. So, what can you tell me about it?" She smiled, but there was little pleasantness in it. "This will go so much easier if you're honest with me." Ami swallowed again and looked down. She was a bit startled when Nabiki reached out and gently placed her fingers on her chin, lifting her face up to look at her. Remembering the sight of the boy who had been on the floor, bleeding, when she arrived, she began trembling. "I'm not angry, Mizuno-san," Nabiki said, her tone a little more gentle now. "I just want to know what's going on with those girls and Ranma. I'm concerned about him. You see, he's very important to me, and I don't allow anything to happen to something I value. It's not how I operate." Yohko nodded as Nabiki spoke. When the middle Tendo daughter had first begun establishing her network towards the end of their first year at the Academy, she had shown no hesitancy towards being harsh, even brutal at times, in her methods when dealing with the politics and shifting alliances here. Now even the upperclassmen respected Nabiki's position in the Academy's hierarchy. But gaining that level of respect had meant a bit of violence was sometimes necessary. She and Nabiki had already become good friends by then, both of them on the outskirts of the Academy's social circles. Nabiki's exclusion was due to her father's position in the Directorate, from a desire to avoid any hint of trying to depend on his coattails, and Yohko's was due to her status as a Devil Hunter. It was perhaps inevitable that the two of them had drifted together and became friends, and it was only natural for her to act as the brawn to Nabiki's brains, since Nabiki was much better than she was at scheming. Together, they were running a rapidly growing organization inside of a month. Nabiki even began blackmailing a few of the instructors into looking the other way while they conducted their business, and that was not an easy task here. But once her power base had been firmly established all those months ago, everything proceeded pretty smoothly. This matter with Kinnosuke Kashuoh had upset that calm, Yohko mused, and Nabiki had been dealing with the aftermath all week. It was slow going at first, but word was getting around that Nabiki Tendo, the Iron Bitch, was intent on getting all of her affairs back to normal running mode. Making an example of Hiroshi and a select few others for their acts of betrayal, while rather distasteful to the young Devil Hunter, was simply part of re-establishing Nabiki's authority. But her friend was also now realizing she needed to be on the lookout for some hotshot first-year cadet trying to do the same thing to her that she had done to the upperclassmen. That Nabiki-wannabe, Nanami Jinnai, was up to something, and Ami Mizuno seemed to be involved as well. However, Nabiki was using gentler methods of interrogation to find out what Ami knew, which Yohko was secretly grateful for. It was more of a 'good cop' approach this time, a sign of how much Nabiki had mellowed over the past several weeks, not that Yohko was complaining at all. If anything, they were becoming even better friends now, since Nabiki had loosened up quite a bit, at least in private with her. "Mizuno-san," Nabiki said calmly, disturbing Yohko from her musings. "Tell me what is going on. It's in your best interests. I'm sure that Jinnai girl is just using you." What went unspoken was, 'It's what I would do.' "I-it's nothing bad," Ami stuttered. "J-just a fan club." ****************************** Ranko felt she had waited long enough. Even if this wasn't her world, she didn't feel right about leaving Ami alone in there with Nabiki and Yohko. The girl had looked pretty scared, and someone had beaten up Hiroshi inside that room. She eyed Yuka, standing off to one side of the door, and she shifted her position, readying herself. The Yuka she remembered was a middling fighter at best compared to her, but there was no reason to take any risks. With a soft breath, she released her hold on the pipe and dropped down next to the other girl, the rubber soles of her borrowed shoes barely making a sound. Her arm quickly snaked around Yuka's neck, and she pressed down on the carotid artery in a choke hold, not wanting to make any noise out here. Yuka struggled briefly, desperately throwing her weight back against Ranko in an attempt to crush her assailant against the wall and loosen the iron grip around her throat. Ranko grunted, but her hold remained firm. She hoped nobody inside heard anything as the two struggled. After several moments, Yuka's eyes rolled back up into her head as she passed out, and her body's weight slumped limply into Ranko's arms. The pigtailed girl laid her down gently and briefly checked her pulse, laying two fingers against her neck. Yuka would have somewhat of a headache when she woke up, but nothing more serious. Ukyo, still quietly observing, nodded at the strange girl's technique. She moved and fought well, Ukyo judged. It would be interesting to see how she fared against a more challenging opponent. ****************************** Nabiki blinked at Ami's words and was about to inquire further when there was a faint sound from the hallway. She glanced up at Yohko, who seemed aware of it as well. They exchanged looks, and then the Devil Hunter quietly walked over to stand beside the door. Opening it revealed Yuka laying up against the wall, apparently asleep. Yohko had only a moment to wonder what was going on before Ranko swung down from where she was hiding among the ducts and pipes running along the ceiling. Her hands firmly grasped the top of the doorframe, and she kicked both her feet hard into Yohko's midsection, knocking the other girl back a few feet and to her knees. Nabiki sprang up when Ranko finished her maneuver, coming into the room in an acrobatic flip and landing with feet spread, her knees soaking up the shock of landing. When Yohko came at the redhead in retaliation, Ranko ducked under the other girl's strike and threw an uppercut to Yohko's jaw in reply, knocking her to the ground again when the Devil Hunter's knees promptly buckled. A second punch across Yohko's face knocked her out. Ami just sat there, amazed at the sudden intrusion. "Who the hell are you?" Nabiki demanded, surprised to see someone put the Devil Hunter down so quickly. She would avenge her fallen friend, and her gaze narrowed wrathfully as the two girls eyed each other intently for several moments. "You're wearing an Academy uniform, but I don't know you." While she didn't recognize the pigtailed girl, she was obviously very well-trained. "I'm Ranko," the redhead said simply, meeting the older girl's look levelly. She paused and thought a moment about what name she would give, then decided to use one that Nabiki would probably never have heard of before on this world, not wanting to get her own analog in trouble, if she had one here. "I'm Ranko Kuonji. I'd suggest you not try and get in my way. You'll only end up like your friend here." ****************************** Out in the hallway, Ukyo nearly lost her grip on the ducting she had been clinging to. Did that girl just say she was a Kuonji? Ukyo's mind whirled for several moments, then the answer suddenly came to her. Something had happened in the past with her Aunt Yumi, something that the rest of the clan would not speak of. A child born out of wedlock made sense, and the girl seemed to be the right age. That would mean that Ranko was her cousin. That was great, she mused with a grin. It would be fun to have another girl around to talk with, and she was looking forward to seeing the look on her aunt's face when she told her that she'd figured out her secret. She considered going in at that point, but decided to wait and see how things played out. But she would be ready, if Ranko needed any help. ****************************** Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the name the girl gave her. "Let me get this straight. _You_ are threatening me?" She assumed a casual pose, lowering her arms to her sides, her gaze still locked with Ranko's. "I don't think you realize just who you're dealing with, shorty." "Come on, Mizuno-san," said Ranko, finally breaking eye contact with Nabiki as she ignored the insult. She went over to where Ami sat, looking stunned and relieved that she was being rescued. The redhead put a hand down on her shoulder. "I'm getting you out of here." "You're not going anywhere yet, Ranko Kuonji," Nabiki said calmly after a moment. "You come in here uninvited and brutalize my most closest associate. That's rather rude, you know." Ranko shrugged. "I'm just helping out someone in trouble is all." She helped Ami up and stood the girl behind her to protect her. "I'm not really sure just what's going on here, but I'm saying this interview is over." "You're not being very respectful to an upperclassmen," Nabiki said with a cool look, her temper aroused by the other girl's disrespectful attitude. "Sorry about that, Tendo-senpai," Ranko replied sarcastically. "I'll try to do better in the future." Nabiki moved to bar their way. "You're not going anywhere until I get a few answers out of you." "Wait here a moment, Mizuno-san," Ranko said in an aside. She stepped over closer to Nabiki. "Look, here's how this is going to work. She and I are going through that door, so I'd suggest you get out of my way right now." Her hands dropped to her sides, partly closing into fists. There was nothing she would like better right now than to knock the Tendo girl on her rear, feeling more and more aggravated by the older girl as she drew nearer. Irritated by the smaller girl and her disrespectful attitude on several levels, Nabiki threw the first punch, one swiftly blocked by Ranko, and then the fight between the two began in earnest. Off to one side, Ami stood and wondered who this Ranko Kuonji was, and why she was helping her. Out in the hallway, Ukyo heard the sounds of a major fight breaking out in the room, and she peeked down from the ceiling to peer inside. A fierce battle raged between her supposed cousin and Nabiki, and both fighters were looking pretty intent on putting the other one down as harshly as possible. She saw Ami watching the whole thing, an almost rapturous look on the girl's face as she began recording things with her small video camera, her attention apparently focused on Ranko. Nabiki reeled back as one of Ranko's punches slipped past her guard to drive into her face, releasing a brief spurt of blood from her nose. But her own response was equally swift and powerful as she regained her footing, a snap kick that caught Ranko in her ribs, just under one breast. The two girls circled each other for a few moments, and then they began trading blows again, very few actually connecting as they weaved and danced around each other, taking each other's measure as a fighter. Ranko was startled that this Nabiki was so formidable a fighter, a rarity amidst the few analogs she had seen of the older girl. Feeling a familiar sensation now percolating in the cells of her hindbrain, aroused by the passions of the fight, she boosted, and she felt her senses quickly expand as her muscles swelled with new strength and power, and her reflexes turned lightning-fast. In front of her, Nabiki's motions seemed to slow to a crawl, and Ranko grinned, setting up the Tendo girl to be finished off quickly. She drove a few solid punches past the other girl's now glacial defenses. "Enough of this," Nabiki growled, reeling back, irritated at Ranko's sudden burst of speed. She would show the redhead what speed really was! "KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" She unleashed a furious storm of punches at the smaller girl. This would finish her off, she thought with certainty. To Ranko's accelerated awareness, Nabiki's fists suddenly seemed to blur in at her, almost too fast to perceive each individual punch, and she strained to keep up with the sheer volume of strikes coming at her, recognizing the technique even though she had not trained herself to use it yet. Ranko ducked and wove her body among the blows, her hands deflecting still more, and she just soaked up the damage caused by those that did hit her midsection and face by virtue of the stew of endorphins, adrenaline, and other serums surging within her. But the effort was taxing her more than she could have ever imagined. Luckily, it was over quickly. Nabiki was caught offguard when Ranko seemed unaffected by her attack, despite a couple of bruises now adorning the other girl's face. Her body sagged, still unused to such a staggering demand of energy made on her muscles so quickly. She realized a bit too late that she had just overcommitted herself and tried to brace herself to absorb the smaller girl's counter-attack. Grinning mirthlessly, Ranko took advantage of Nabiki's misjudgment, and she laid into the middle Tendo daughter with heavy punches and kicks. Despite the euphoria of the boost, she could feel she was reaching her limit soon, dealing with Nabiki's attack having drained her reserves much more quickly than normal, so she needed to finish this fast. Her attacks ripped through the Tendo girl's weakened defenses, shredding them away before her punches and kicks began driving hard into Nabiki's body and face. "Uhn! Uh! Uhn!" Nabiki grunted as the smaller girl's fists and feet slammed into her again and again without letup. She tried to rally, but it was too late. Her knees buckled from the damage, and Ranko quickly grabbed her shoulders and drove a savage knee strike up into her belly, followed up quickly by a second one and then a third. Then everything went black as the last thing she saw was the redhead's fist coming straight at her face. Ranko paused, feeling exhaustion roll over her as the boost abruptly subsided within her, grateful that the battle had ended. In front of her, Nabiki's eyes were rolling back in their sockets, the pigtailed girl's fist almost embedded in her cheek as they stood in a brief tableau. Then Nabiki slumped unconscious at Ranko's feet, even as the redhead fell to her knees, her stomach roiling within her and growling with hunger as her muscles trembled throughout her whole body from the sudden rush of fatigue poisons hitting her all at once. Her lungs panted like a bellows. She was startled when Ami put an arm around her and started to help her up, but she was grateful for the assistance. She slowly stood, leaning heavily on Ami. "Th-thank you," Ami said hesitantly. "No problem." Ranko grinned, flashing the other girl a victory sign and acting macho, even as her legs trembled beneath her. "Glad I could help." "You were just amazing," Ami gushed, helping the other girl move to the door. "I've never seen anyone fight like you, other than Tendo-senpai and Saotome-san." Feeling her strength gradually returning with each moment as they headed down the hallway, Ranko glanced at Ami. "Saotome-san? Ranma Saotome?" "Y-you know him?" Ami asked with sudden hesitance, fearing that the redhead was another girl romantically interested in Ranma. Up above, Ukyo's eyes narrowed as she listened in. Was this another rival for Ranma? Her own cousin? "I'm familiar with him." Ranko noticed the odd look Ami was giving her. "What's wrong?" "N-nothing," said Ami, quickly looking away. Somewhat shyly, she asked, "A-are you interested in Saotome-san?" Ranko's mind immediately summoned up images from the erotic dreams she kept having about her male analog. She blushed and quickly stammered out defensively, "O-of course not! I'm not interested in him at all like that!" Above them, Ukyo relaxed, putting away the small throwing spatula she had unconsciously drawn out. "I'm glad," Ami sighed with relief. "Saotome-san is already being chased by a fair number of girls." "Oh? Like who?" A brief feeling of jealousy arose in Ranko, and she hastily beat it back down, blushing some more. Feeling her strength returning to her limbs, Ranko ceased leaning on Ami and stood on her own. Her stomach growled a bit loudly, and she put one hand behind her head and grinned slightly with embarrassment. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little hungry." "Oh, let me buy you some lunch!" Ami replied quickly. "It's the least I can do for you helping me out like that." She took Ranko by the hand and started leading her down the hall, smiling at the redhead. "You were very brave to stand up to Tendo-senpai like that. Are you a new transfer student?" "Something like that." Ranko smiled nervously, unsure what to do. She let Ami lead her down the hallway. Once they were around the corner, Ukyo dropped down quietly and quickly followed after them, listening to the two girls chatting. ****************************** Kodachi eyed the pigtailed girl that Ami had brought back to their class, her arms laden with food. The girl had given her a startled look when she first came into the room, as if recognizing her, and Kodachi was sure she had seen the other girl before, somewhere, perhaps on another timeline visited by that part of her that she referred to as scholar-Kodachi. The redhead had kept a wary eye in her direction even as she consumed food with a barbaric gusto, showing little in the way of proper feminine decorum. As she did so, several of Ami's friends gathered around them to find out who the girl was. Even Nanami got up from her desk and went over to chat, welcoming the new girl. Feeling a bit jealous of how easily the pigtailed hoyden was making friends with the other girls in class, Kodachi sullenly ate the rest of her lunch and listened to the bits of conversation she could hear. She was especially interested as Ami described in detail how Ranko had rescued her from a meeting with Nabiki, even taking down the Tendo girl in single combat. That earned a few ooh's and ah's of respect from the gathered girls, and Nanami seemed even more interested in the pigtailed girl, a gleam appearing in her eye. Seeing all the respect Ranko was getting, Kodachi felt even more jealous. "So, Ranko," Nanami said, leaning over the girl's shoulder. "That's impressive that you beat Tendo-senpai. Aren't you worried about her wanting to get back at you?" Ranko grinned, enjoying the food more than the attention, feeling it quiet the hungry beast that had been raging in her belly. "Nah, she wasn't so tough. I'm sure I could take her again if I had to." Nanami smiled, a scheme already forming in the back of her mind. "I'm sure you could," she said with a nod, eyeing the redhead and smiling. "I think we're going to be good friends." Several other girls nodded with her. Ami was pleased that her newfound friend was being welcomed so easily by the other girls in class. ****************************** The sun was lowering in the cloud-filled sky as Ryoga paused next to a wall and leaned against it with one hand. He had been walking all day, feeling cold and wet from the rain, trying desperately to find either Ukyo or Ryoko without having any luck. He shut his eyes, tears of rage threatening to burst forth. It just wasn't fair! He had no idea where he was. Ukyo could be anywhere in this city. "Man, today has been one bad day," Hiroshi grumbled to himself as he started to walk past Ryoga, who had his hand resting on a brass plaque that proclaimed 'Tokyo Imperial Academy - Founded 1845' in kanji. "I can't wait to get home and forget about this day." That uniform, Ryoga realized, his eyes locking on to Hiroshi. His hand swiftly lashed out and grabbed the boy by the collar. "Where is the Imperial Academy!" Hiroshi blinked. "Wha-?" "I recognize that uniform you're wearing!" Ryoga shouted into Hiroshi's face as he hauled him close. "You go to the Imperial Academy! Where is it?" Hiroshi fearfully pointed over Ryoga's shoulder, and Ryoga turned and read the words on the plaque slowly, with disbelief. His morale soared as he realized he was close to his goal, and he turned back to the two cadets and shouted, "Where is Ukyo Kuonji!" "I-I don't know," Hiroshi whimpered, afraid he was going to get beaten up for a second time in one day. "I don't know where he is! I swear!" Just at that moment, Ranma came out the gate, heading to the parking area for his bike. He stopped, dead in his tracks at the sight of Ryoga. Both boys locked gazes for a moment in a brief tableau. "You!" Ryoga snarled, recognizing the pigtailed boy as a friend of Ukyo's here. "Tell me where Ukyo is!" He let Hiroshi go as an afterthought and stalked towards Ranma, dramatically cracking his knuckles to throw a scare into the other boy. "You'd better tell me where Ukyo is, and you'd better tell me right now," he growled. ****************************** Above the two boys, Ranko was kneeling on the top of the wall, partly hidden amidst several tree branches hanging over it while she observed the scene with interest. After eating a huge lunch with Ami and being fawned over a bit by the girls in Ami's class, she had spent some time scouting around the campus. Everything looked just like she remembered it from her own world, but that familiarity only made her homesickness that much more acute. She had also snuck back downstairs and retrieved her quantum tunneling device, and after examining it had determined that the damage done to it would require special parts to fix, parts she could not get outside of the Science Ministry. Realizing she needed help, she had been biding her time for the remainder of the afternoon, waiting for a chance to talk to Ranma in private after he was done with classes. He was the only one who could possibly help her, even though she also suspected that he was the one who had messed with her brain. ****************************** Spotting his pigtailed nemesis leaving the grounds of the Imperial Academy, Mikado emerged from the limousine he had been waiting in. With a grim look on his face, determined to make Ranma pay for his assault on Kodachi, he headed over to where his target was apparently being confronted by another boy. Not that it mattered to Mikado. If the boy wearing the bandanna had a grudge against Saotome, he'd have to wait in line. ****************************** Ranma considered his options quickly. Now that he was healed up, he felt confident about dealing with Ryoga. Ukyo was getting her spatula from her locker, and he was supposed to meet her in a few minutes. He gave Ryoga a grin. This wouldn't take very long. "I don't think so, Lost Boy," said Ranma in his most insulting tones. "Man, are you really so stupid that you think I'd just tell a moron like you where Ucchan was?" Ryoga stopped dead in his tracks, not expecting that response. "What did you say?" "You heard me," Ranma replied. "Leave Ucchan alone. Say, where've you been for the past few days anyway? Get lost crossing a street?" Ryoga growled, his eyebrow twitching as he grew more furious. "Oh, you're going to get it for that." Ukyo could wait a little while, after he pounded this pigtailed jerk into the ground first. He advanced another step. "Catch me if you can, Lost Boy!" Ranma turned around and headed off at a run, hoping to lure Ryoga away from Ukyo, and then deal with him on his own someplace more private. "Damn you!" Ryoga roared, sprinting after Ranma, angry beyond reason now. First he was going to pound on this guy a bit, then he would beat Ukyo's location out of him, assuming the other boy's jaw wasn't broken first. ****************************** What the heck? Ranko saw the pair suddenly take off at a run. She dropped down from the wall, just in time to be run into by Mikado, who had started sprinting when Ranma suddenly took off running. Both of them fell to the ground. Mikado grimaced as he sat up, and then he saw the girl who he had run into. He immediately went over to help her up, Ranma forgotten for the moment. Feeling a pleasant tingling as he took her hand, he studied her for a moment, noting the delightful expanse of a bustline she had, and her pleasingly athletic figure. "Are you all right, Miss?" he asked, smiling. "Wha-?" Ranko was still a little stunned from the impact. Ranma was getting away, and she had to start after him. "Ah, but let me introduce myself properly. I am Mikado Sanzenin." And with that, he pulled Ranko into an embrace and promptly kissed her. Ranko's eyes went wide, a storm of emotions erupting inside her. Part of her found the kiss enjoyable. Her first kiss, she absently mused. Then another part came roaring up out of the back of her mind, as if triggered by the embrace. Wait a minute! A guy was kissing her! She knew him! Memories of a skating match came over her, and a powerful sense of deja vu mixed with revulsion. With a surge of rage, Ranko drove her knee up into Mikado's groin and shoved him away. Feeling tears of anger welling up in her eyes from the stolen kiss, she ran off after Ranma. Mikado came near to throwing up, and tears of pain leaked from his eyes as he collapsed to the ground, clutching himself. He rolled to one side and watched Ranko running away from him, and a fierce rage came over him. How dare that little commoner wench do such a thing to him! Somehow managing to get to his feet, he began staggering after Ranko, determined to make her pay for what she had just done. Whichever one he caught up to first, Ranma or Ranko, would feel his wrath. ****************************** Ryoko had finally made her way back to familiar territory, grateful for the easing of the rain. She was looking forward to her revenge upon Nabiki Tendo, savoring it a bit in her mind as she walked along. It was going to feel so good to pulverize the other girl for daring to insult her like that. Ranma went charging past her, followed up quickly by Ryoga. "Just wait until I get my hands on you, Saotome!" roared Ryoga. Ranma glanced back, and he stuck his tongue out as he peeled down one eyelid with a finger. "Gotta catch me first, you slowpoke!" Startled, Ryoko turned around to watch them for a moment, wondering why Ryoga was picking on poor Ranma like that. She was promptly knocked down as Ranko came around the corner and sprinted right over her, using her as a launching platform for a quick leap as she struggled to catch up to the two testosterone-filled morons. Ryoko slammed face down into the pavement. "Sorry about that!" Ranko called back, still running hard after the two boys. As she was getting to her feet, Mikado ran over her next, slamming her face back into the concrete. He never even paused. Ryoko growled as she got back to her feet, deciding that pummeling Nabiki Tendo could wait. First she was going to pound that redhead into mulch, not to mention the guy chasing her. And then she was going to find out why Ryoga was picking on Ranma. She took off at a run after the group. ****************************** Up on the rooftop of the Institute's storage facility, Gosunkugi watched a small parade of people that were apparently chasing after Saotome, two boys and two girls. He had been laying subtle spells of illusion all over the building all afternoon, being very careful to avoid the vats of Jusenkyo water, and he was feeling a bit tired by his efforts. He walked over to peer through a skylight into the dim interior, hoping to see Ranma's downfall with his own eyes. ****************************** There, that place would be perfect, Ranma thought. He burst through the unlocked gates to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse a few blocks from the Academy. He could fight here with Ryoga without doing any property damage to anything valuable, like his other selves always seemed to be doing. Once inside, Ranma leaped up the stairs, cataloging his surroundings as he headed up towards the catwalk overhead. The building was open and spacious inside, offering him plenty of room to maneuver, and it seemed like it hadn't been used for a long time, judging by all the cobwebs and dust on everything. He had just reached the catwalk's level when Ryoga came running in, practically ripping the metal door off its hinges in his eagerness to get him. "SAOTOME! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" "Up here, stupid!" Ranma waved jauntily down at Ryoga. He grinned as he took a moment to loosen up for the fight while the Hibiki boy came barreling up the stairs. The short run had gotten his heart rate up a little, and he felt ready for anything. A moment later, Ranko came running in through the doors. She paused, looking around, and then she heard a loud commotion up overhead. "Now I've got you!" Mikado cried out as he came running into the warehouse next. Ranko had just barely turned around, and Mikado managed to get in the first blow, a punch that rocked the pigtailed girl back on her feet. She leaped aside as Mikado tried to follow up with a side kick that just barely missed. "I don't got time for this!" Ranko bounced off a nearby wall and came surging back towards Mikado, knocking him back into a pile of crates, stunning him. Her path took her to another set of stairs. Meanwhile, Ranma and Ryoga stood and faced each other on one catwalk above. Ranma grinned, which infuriated Ryoga. With a growl, Ryoga swiftly charged across to where Ranma stood near the middle of the catwalk. He lashed out with a hard punch at the last moment, and Ranma hopped up to perch on his arm for a moment before he bounced up to land easily on one rail. "You're gonna have to do better than that," Ranma teased, dodging the punches that Ryoga threw as he danced back along the railing. "I could keep this sort of thing up all day, Hibiki." Below, Ryoko came charging in. Spotting the redheaded girl up above, she pursued, sparing a glance at the fight now going on between Ranma and Ryoga. First, the redhead, she decided. She bounced off crates as she bounded up to the catwalk. "Stop running away!" Ryoko roared, finally managing to catch up to Ranko. "Stand and fight!" She lashed out with a flying kick that managed to hit Ranko in the shoulder, spinning her around. Ranko growled. "That hurt, ya know." She began trading blows with the angry, green-haired girl. "What's your problem?" "Stand still a moment, and it won't be a problem anymore." Ryoko aimed a roundhouse kick at Ranko's midsection, but it missed, shearing clean through one of the support posts holding up the catwalk. It lurched to one side as the post gave way, and both girls quickly hopped up on the remaining rail and continued their duel without a single moment's pause. A recovered Mikado had just started out across the catwalk when it suddenly pitched violently to one side, propelling him off it. "Wha- Ahhh!" He tumbled headlong into one of the vats of water below and vanished with a noisy splash. Across the warehouse, on the next catwalk, Ranma still danced around Ryoga, but he was finding it much more difficult than he remembered it as being. He quickly snap kicked Ryoga, catching the other boy in the chest and knocking him back against the railing. Ryoga regained his footing and glared at Ranma. "That was nothing! You hit like a girl!" "What the hell did you say?" Ranma snarled. "Take that back, Hibiki! You take that back!" He launched into a furious attack, a flurry of punches and kicks into Ryoga. Meanwhile, Ranko and Ryoko were engaged in a dazzling display of their fighting skills as they dueled fiercely with each other. Ryoko's fists and feet missed Ranko by mere centimeters, but Ranko was discovering that her own blows were not wearing down the other girl as quickly as they had with Nabiki. She redoubled her efforts, throwing more of her strength into her strikes. Below them, the water in one vat stirred as first a stream of bubbles and then a small black piglet suddenly broke the surface. It gasped for breath as it struggled to stay afloat. "Bwee!" the piglet called out fearfully, paddling as best it could with little cloven hooves. "BWEE!" ****************************** Ranma glanced back, startled to hear the sounds of a pig crying out. "Now I've got you," growled Ryoga, slamming a kick into Ranma with all of his strength, propelling the pigtailed boy out into open space. Ranko glanced down, startled to hear the sounds of a pig crying out. She was caught unprepared as Ryoko swung around on the remaining support pole and drove both her feet into her chest, launching her across the warehouse. ****************************** Ranko twisted her body around, catching sight of a fire sprinkler pipe behind her that she could land on. Ryoko was in for a surprise as soon as she touched down. Ranma caught a brief glimpse of a pipe behind him that he could use to land on, and he twisted his body around to spring off it. Ryoga was about to get a surprise. Ranko and Ranma slammed into each other full force, and they tumbled together towards a vat of water below them. Half-conscious from the impact, they instinctively clung together. Both of them vanished beneath the surface with a large splash. ****************************** *** Heaven 0.000,0.000 The screen on Skuld's workstation abruptly cleared. * MISSING PARAMATERS FOUND. IMPLEMENTING FILE MERGE. * MIDGARD REALITY PARADIGM ADJUSTMENT: 43% COMPLETE. A few moments passed, then another line appeared. * MIDGARD REALITY PARADIGM ADJUSTMENT: 44% COMPLETE. ****************************** *** Earth 0.000,0.000 At the Mobius Institute, Setsuna Meioh paused as new futures suddenly arose before her vision. She immediately crumpled up the piece of paper she had been drawing on and cast it aside. A small smile lit her face. "It has begun," she whispered, quite softly. ****************************** Even as the water in the vat began settling, a hand suddenly broke the surface as a female figure emerged from its depths with a gasp and grabbed hold of one of the sides, dressed in a Chinese-style shirt and black gi pants. Just behind her, a gray Imperial Academy cadet uniform floated up, empty. Coughing up a small quantity of water as she treaded water, her mind whirled as a confusing kaleidoscope of memories assaulted her. But they quickly began to stabilize. What had happened? Why did she feel so strange? A sudden impulse seized her, and she ripped open her shirt, staring in apparent shock at a pair of breasts. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" ****************************** Seeing the girl come up and look to be all right, Ryoga breathed a sigh of relief and kept his eyes peeled for Ranma. He did think it was odd that the girl was wearing an outfit like the pigtailed boy had. Then she did the strangest thing. She opened her blouse and screamed. Then she looked right at him, and the sheer, raw fury in that gaze astonished him by its intensity. "RRRYYYOOOGGGAAA!" she raged, leaping at him in a high-bounding surge from the water to bounce off some boxes and land on the railing in front of him. She opened her blouse to him. "You jerk! Look at me! Look what you did to me!" "I-I'm sorry for getting you wet, Miss," he said, feeling his nose starting to stream blood, unsure what to say. He was still stammering an apology and trying not to stare at her bared breasts when she launched herself at him and spun around in midair to land a heavy roundhouse kick into his chest. Caught off-guard, he flew from the catwalk and vanished off into the dimness. There was the sound of a distant splash. Ryoko, seeing that the redheaded bimbo had just flashed her chest at Ryoga and then attacked him while the idiot was offguard, started to leap from the catwalk she was on when the remaining support suddenly gave way. The entire catwalk began plummeting to the floor of the warehouse. Desperately trying to leap clear, Ryoko pushed off the already descending railing. She reached out and just missed the handhold she had been aiming for by millimeters. She fell to land in another vat. ****************************** Gazing down through the skylight, Gosunkugi felt triumphant. Ranma Saotome had apparently drowned in one of the tanks, but luckily the girl had survived. He laughed maniacally for several moments. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Eh?" He turned around to see Frost standing there, her robes slowly billowing in the light wind. "I have spent all day preparing a nutritious dinner for you, Airen," she said with a serious look. "You will come home and eat it now." With that, she grabbed him in a hug and flew off. ****************************** Up on one catwalk, the girl began shaking a bit, her mind whirling with scattered memories. She clutched at her head for several moments, and then leaned forward. "I-I'm Ranma," the girl said in a mutter, staring at her hands. "Or am I Ranko?" Memories of two lives arose within her mind, and she buried her face in her hands for several moments. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening." With a sob, tears streaming from her eyes as she lifted her gaze from her hands, she leaped down from the catwalk and ran from the warehouse, out into the rain beginning to fall heavily from the skies. ****************************** In the tank where Ryoko fell, the surface of the water began bubbling, and then a small cat with greenish fur broke the surface, looking panicked. "Meow! MEOW!" the cat cried out, struggling to stay afloat. "BWEE! BWEE!" added the piglet, still trying to keep his head above the surface. At that moment, Cherry entered the warehouse. Hearing the cries of fear from the animals, he made his way carefully to the tanks of water and fished them out before either could drown. They both collapsed, utterly exhausted from their efforts. He tapped a spot on each of their bodies, and they fell unconscious. "Rest now, little ones," he said, his bald head gleaming slightly in the dim light. "Fate has apparently chosen you." Cherry eyed the tank where Ranma and Ranko had fallen into, where only one had emerged. A plaque on one side read, 'Danger! Jusendo Water - Properties Unknown.' The old monk bowed his head solemnly and prayed for a moment. "Yes," he intoned ominously. "Such is Fate." ****************************** In the back of the warehouse, Ryoga pulled himself free from the vat of water he had fallen into and collapsed on the pavement. He coughed up a quantity of fluid. His lungs panted like a bellows. He'd nearly drowned! Then he got a good look at himself, at what he had become, seeing his reflection in the glass of a nearby window. He shook his head slowly, horror dawning. This had to be a nightmare. Or he had died after all, and he was now in hell. "Growf?" murmured the large panda, quickly running paws over his face and body, his ever-present bandana tight on his skull. Closing both paws into fists, Ryoga bellowed his rage to the sky. His rage at Ukyo was forgotten for the moment. It was the girl. That girl would pay for doing this to him, whoever she was! "GROWRRRRR!!!!" ****************************** Sometime later, soaked to the skin by the icy rain, Ranma-chan sat all alone, huddled against one wall of an alleyway, sniffling. As she sat there, a figure came into the alley, shielded from the rain by an umbrella, drawn by the sounds of human misery emerging from the alley. After a moment, Ranma-chan looked up, rain running through her hair and down her face and neck in cold streams. The lights of the street shone brightly behind the sudden apparition, and Ranma-chan tried to make out who it was. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she started to run away, not wanting anyone she knew to see her like this. Barely going a step, the shock and stresses of the day's events finally seemed to catch up with her, and Ranma-chan passed out. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tried to get this one done before the end of the year, but holiday festivities and work intervened. Stay tuned for the next chapter, already underway: "Secret Identities" .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----' |