Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi and its characters belong to her, and her alone. I'm just kinda borrowing them. A few others are mine. The story below is for entertainment purposes only, and not to be used commercially. ...Obviously.
"Learning Curve"
Part XXX
by: J. Wagner
"He's ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Inside the van, Pearl Adams let out a deep sigh, while his associates got their living weapon ready. Over the last few weeks, he'd truly become dissatisfied with what his assignment had grown into. He'd been forced to decide between two situations both of which were doomed to leave a lot of corpses in their wake, and while Adams had taken more than a few lives of his own in the course of his career, he had tried to keep innocents from being among them.
Growing up in the outback, he'd become a mercenary on what was literally a lark. Good with a gun, and physically hardy, as a boy he'd been born with a survivalist streak that had gotten him in trouble more than a few times. Happier tracking emu and hunting rogue dingo, he'd dropped out early and made money taking odd jobs as a ranch hand and, later, amateur boxer. When he'd gotten the money, he moved to America for a while, and found out that money could be made through less scrupulous methods.
Back in Australia, Adams had rediscovered money problems nipping at his heels, and after the death of his old man, took a few tours of duty. It was all-good for the most part. He'd made up for lost time, gotten an education, and became an officer. But profitable...? It wasn't that he spent money unwisely; it was just that there wasn't much to begin with. Two divorces hadn't helped either. After a few years, he'd decided to go independent and break out on his own. He'd done some business in South America, earned a bit of a name, and then he'd been called out to Borneo to track a man down.
That had been his first contract with the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society.
Hell, he hadn't even known what 'Jyusenkyou' was. Their money was good, very good, and just as importantly, their missions were always interesting. He'd spent more than a little time there, working for them. The Society was obviously looking for something on the island, but as far as he knew they never found it. His good work, however, had gotten him a good reputation in the Society, and they'd brought him to China to help them out there.
Trippy shit.
Over the last year, Pearl Adams had seen things his old rummy of a father never could've imagined. Or maybe he did when he got piss-drunk and needed his gun to fall asleep. Half-men half-animals, people who can shatter stone with their fingers, energy blasts like out of some screwed up comic book... it all seemed insane, really. But... but it was damn real.
Damn real.
"Ryu?" Yosho asked, voice amiable.
The boy's voice was full of eagerness. "Yes?"
"How do you feel Ryu?"
"Better than ever before." The boy with the white bandanna smiled. "I feel invincible!"
"Good." Yosho paused for a second to check Ryu's neck, and then, seemingly satisfied, patted the boy on the shoulder. "You know what to do, right?"
"Find them, lure them." No hesitation in Ryu's response. "Kill them."
Adams listened, and frowned. He'd been ordered to Japan to identify a handful of targets from the JPS Registry: Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, and Hibiki Ryouga. They'd given him a team of men, and asked for a detailed analysis of the three: strength projections, Speed category, lists of fighting techniques 'conventional and unconventional,' medical records, living arrangements, and a number of other things. At the same time, he and other cells had gone about identifying and cataloguing other Japanese martial artists and unusual phenomenon. It'd been quite fascinating work, actually, but he never asked why the Society wanted the info... and to tell the truth, he hadn't really cared.
Then, Bishop had told him to kill them.
Or at least the two boys. The more detailed written orders he'd been given were to ensure the elimination, past a given time, of the two primary targets. Apparently, someone is the Society, possibly Bishop himself, had deemed it likely that while the two young men might get involved in Society business, the older Saotome man would not. A bomb had seemed like the best plan of action, but...
Pearl closed his eyes and thought of Kasumi. This had always been his problem. Women! But Kasumi was different from the others. Her smile filled him with a secret joy he had to hide from his compatriots, and the deception he was using on her caused him pain - made him feel lower than the lowest slug in a garden of red roses. She was the linchpin of an odd family, but it was a family none-the-less. A happy, growing family. How could he let all that disappear in a cloud of fire and metal?
No.
Kasumi would not die. Nor would her sisters and father, not if he had another option available. And now, that option was ready to be unleashed. Despite not being a martial artist himself, or anywhere near capable of the amazing feats he'd witnessed, Pearl Adams had knowledge. And knowledge was power. The surikomi egg had done half the job and Tomiko's success at Ryugenzawa had built on that foundation. Kumon Ryu would be his walking weapon: a martial artist to fight martial artists.
Off the record Kumon had orders, told to him when Kenji and Yosho weren't around, not to endanger the Tendos. On the record, Adams had argued to his comrades that by using this method, instead of a bomb, there'd be no outstanding connection to the Society, as per his orders. It would look like the work of a rogue martial artist. The local cops and authorities would follow the commands from higher up and clean up any resulting messes. He'd been assured that some elements and levels of the Japanese government were already under the influence of the Society, should it become necessary to use them. And following this route, he could take care of his two targets and make it look like a martial arts duel gone out of control.
Still, he suspected Kenji and Yosho were silently questioning his motives. Kenji, who had been included in the group primarily to make the bomb that would get the job done, was at first annoyed that he wouldn't get the chance to use what he'd "put his soul into making." Then, after being reminded that he got paid either way, he had seemed relatively content to let his 'baby' be the backup operation. Yosho, however, was another story. He was a specialist in surveillance and intelligence gathering, and Adams was starting to suspect that he was reporting on them behind his back.
The van slowed and parked at a mall at the edge of the district.
"Now..." Yosho said, before opening the back doors. "It's time."
"Adams-sama?"
"Go on, Ryu." Adams had been the one the boy first saw when he woke up. The effects had been everything the Society had told him.
"I won't fail you." Kumon Ryu cracked his knuckles. "Those two guys... Saotome Ranma and Hibiki Ryouga... are as good as dead!"
***
China.
Herb stood, a cool breeze caressing his face, overlooking the Seventh Gate. A hundred feet below, rank after rank of Musk marched, carrying their supplies on their backs. They were all strong warriors, and trained to move lightly and with great speed across long distances. Miles behind them, they had separated from the bulk of Herb's Army, and begun the trek up the Seventh Stair that led to the Gate, and finally, around the mountain summit and into the Amazon heartland.
At his feet, a pebble broke loose, and tumbled down the rocky precipice. From where he stood, the Seventh Gate beckoned - a slow, but steady descent, treacherous most of the year due to landslides and ice. From afar, between howling winds and mist covered mountain peaks, it called to him. This was the season of his victory. Of his ultimate triumph! Already, it had brought him so much, and found the Dragon Prince in good fortune.
Soon.
He felt a laugh bubble up at the sheer, almost giddy, joy of it all. This was where he was *now.* Just months before, he'd only dreamed of this moment, and now it was real. Real! What other glories did the future hold? He already had more than he had imagined, just half a year ago. Clenching his fist, he deeply inhaled the mountain air. Soon, he would march through green pastures. Soon, the bodies of Khu Lon and Oui Ru would each decorate a pike, high above the ruins of the Joketsuzoku village. Where, then, would he be? What, then, would he do?
"Pantyhose."
Herb's half brother didn't answer immediately, but made up for the disrespect with his usual well-chosen words. "My liege?"
Herb looked over his shoulder at Pantyhose Taro, his bastard younger half brother born of tainted Amazon blood and the most noble of Musk ancestry. Taro was a fine warrior, even in comparison to fellow Musk, but his Jyusenkyou curse, his foolish name, his (tentative) chance of inheriting the Dragon Throne, and the damned coincidences of his birth would forever stigmatize him in Herb's eyes. Taro was not his equal, and never would be. Still, he had his talents, and his uses.
"Go, as planned, and scout out the lands ahead before our arrival." Herb turned back to the view. "Use what resources and male spies among the Amazons that you still have available. This will be our final campaign."
Taro's eyes sparkled, though Herb didn't see it.
"Should I attempt to encourage the southern pockets of Chinese Muslims to rise up, or leave them be for the moment?"
"They would only be crushed at this point." Herb shook his head. "It is tempting... but let things be that are, at least for the immediate future, out of our reach. Just do as planned, and rendezvous with us in three days. Oh, and... one more thing, 'little brother.' I want you to find an Amazon male who goes by the name Mu Tzu. His safety seems to be a concern of my woman's, and so it has become my concern as well."
"Feh." Taro reached down to his waist and unscrewed a small canteen looped to a strap over his shoulder. "Consider it done. ... My liege."
The younger brother jumped, then, into the air. With an almost inaudible splash, Taro transformed. His body expanded several fold, horns erupted from his skull, wings from his back, hooves where feet had once been... and then something new: tentacles. From the base of his spine they writhed and curled. With a roar that shook the ground, Taro flew overhead, and to the east. Below Herb's lookout, more than a few Musk paused in their march to cheer him.
Watching his agent fly off, Herb reached to his side and pulled out the Kinjakan staff from where he'd jabbed it, several inches, into the rocky ground. It was in perfect condition, of course. Being damn near invulnerable to damage, it would take a great deal to break the legendary Jusendo staff. As he held it Herb found the feel of it in his hands rather enjoyable. It was one of the lost treasures of the Musk, but now it was back where it belonged: in the hands of the Dragon Lord whose ancestor had commissioned its creation. It's brother-staff, the Gekkaja, however, was still lost to them.
A true pity.
Herb had no doubt that the Phoenix still held the Gekkaja prisoner in some hidden storehouse beneath Phoenix Mountain. It was then only a matter of time before, having finished subduing the unruly Amazons, the Musk returned to that place and finish off their perverted cousins and creations, the Phoenix. And reclaim... what was theirs. Holding the Kinjakan eye level, Herb concentrated, and the staff responded to him. It knew its master well, for while anyone with knowledge of Ki could use the Kinjakan, only one from the bloodline of Ma'at could master it, and utilize it to its full potential.
Only a few quiet minutes later, Herb heard the approaching footsteps his well-honed Ki senses had long before warned him of. He let the two get close before pivoting slightly and giving some proper greeting. His breath caught at the sight of her, of Kuonji Ukyou, standing before him. She was wearing Musk light armor (with her mega-spatula tied to the back), but her long blowing chestnut hair, her eyes, her face... all made it impossible to not see her as female. He smiled inwardly. To him, Ukyou looked beautiful no matter what she wore.
Herb inclined his head to her and mentally switched languages to Japanese. "Ukyou. Would you... ah... care to join me?"
She smiled, and it filled him with warmth. "If I fall off that edge, you'd better catch me."
"I would be remiss if I did not." Herb took a step to the side and let her join him, looking out over the edge of the cliff. She would be his wife, if he had any say in the matter, and a decidedly un-Musk part of him was happier to have her with him here and now than all the victories in war thus acquired.
And, of course, Mint stood behind the two, his arms crossed, and a serious expression on his young face. Herb paid him only a passing glance, and silent testimony to a job well done as Ukyou's bodyguard. Mint was a loyal Musk, good hearted, and well skilled. He had taken to the task of guarding the would-be bride of the Dragon Prince with distinction and devotion, and Ukyou seemed to have grown comfortable with his presence. So, Herb let him stay close as they watched the mountains and the pass.
A little shyly, Herb let his slightly shaking hand settle on Ukyou's waist, and when she didn't respond negatively, he held her closer to him. "I'm... glad you accompanied me... I value you more than I think I've ever made clear, Ukyou."
Surprised, she turned to face him.
"After this is over," he said, and looked away again, back to the seas of rock and trees. "I will let Mint escort you home, to Japan, if you so desire. I will not hold you against your will, though I am loathe to let you go."
"You have an odd way of being romantic, sugar," she replied, playfully.
"Oh?" he asked.
"But I'm not going to leave just yet." Ukyou continued. "Someone has to look out for you."
He smirked. "My hero."
They stood in silence for a few more moments, before Ukyou spoke up. "Herb?"
"Mmm?"
"I came here to ask something of you."
'Some ulterior motive?' he wondered. "What is it?"
"Well..." She paused, as if unsure whether to continue.
"Speak your mind, woman." Herb pressed her.
"I know you have no qualms about killing, Herb. I know one of the reasons you're here is to kill... those who have wronged your family. I'm not going to tell you that what you're doing is wrong. But..." Her voice became bolder. "But I want you to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. Even if they are Amazons, who you make no secret of your hatred for, I don't want innocent people to get caught up in this."
Herb wrinkled his nose, as if smelling something rotten. "This is war. The innocent and the guilty alike bleed in war."
"Herb..." Ukyou pursed her lips, and grabbed him by his collar. "I don't think you're a bad person, but if you want there to be something, anything, between us, you'll promise me..."
"If it is so important," Herb interrupted, and gently pried her fingers from his tunic. "Then I'll see it done."
"Really?"
"Though some of the men will be disappointed, the bloodshed will be kept to a... minimum." He frowned a little. "I promise."
"Good." She seemed satisfied with that, and relaxed. Herb just sighed.
Women were strange creatures, indeed.
Far below, the Musk marched on.
***
Ryugenzawa was gone.
Shinnosuke still couldn't quite believe it. Everything he'd ever known, everything, was gone. Burned to ashes. So long as he lived, never would he forget the smoldering ruin that had once been their guardianship and their home. Looking out the window, to the speeding countryside around the train, he wondered something.
"Where are we going?"
His grandfather had a weary look to him. "We're going to visit an old family friend."
"Oh."
Shinnosuke mentally filed that little factoid away (where it promptly was forgotten two minutes later). Coughing softly, he covered his mouth, and looked around at the other people in their part of the train. None seemed to pay him much heed, but the forgetful one had a strange feeling that they were being watched. Gulping, he tasted something off, and looked down at his hand.
Blood?
Wiping his lower lip with his wrist. Shinnosuke shrugged. He'd probably just bitten his lip or something. Looking to his only surviving family, he held out his hand. "Grandfather. Tissue?"
The older man saw the blood, and for an instant, Shinnosuke saw panic in his eyes. Then the old guardian reached into a pocket and handed over a rumpled white tissue. Shinnosuke cleaned off his hand and wrist, while running his tongue around inside his mouth, trying to find the bite. After a few seconds, however, he found nothing, and gave up. It wasn't that big a deal anyway.
"How are you feeling, Shinnosuke?"
"I've got a bit of a headache." The boy leaned forward and to the side a little, resting his shoulder against the windowpane. Yawning, he blinked his eyes a few times. "I guess I'm just a bit worn out."
"We're almost there," his grandfather assured him. "You can sleep when we get to their house."
"... Who are we going to see again?"
The old man sighed, and explained it for the tenth or eleventh time. It was just a half hour later when, after leaving the train station, the two men reached their goal. Approaching the main gate to the compound, Shinnosuke's grandfather gave their names and waited for a ranch hand to let them in.
"Have I ... ever been here before?"
Shinnosuke's grandfather closed his eyes and nodded sadly. His heir's forgetfulness was not just a serious hurtle to be overcome in their line of work, but a major annoyance as well. Any girl poor Shin-chan managed to hook up with would need patience to rival the Buddha. It was one of the reasons he had canceled his old agreement with Benjiro. He only hoped that time had healed the remaining animosity between the former friends, because without help, Shinnosuke didn't have much longer to live.
Only a minute later, a tall man in overalls opened the gate, and led the two men to the main house. It wasn't particularly large; little more than a farm house, and dwarfed by the large pens behind and to its right side. Large animals roamed in those pens, and a fair distance away some of their free-range cousins milled about. Entering the comfy house, liberally decorated in pig motifs, Shinnosuke and his grandfather came at last to an enervated old man seated before a table in the middle of what was likely the living room. With a bow, the two also sat down.
"Rinji." Their elderly host said, simply.
Shinnosuke's grandfather bowed his head. "Benjiro."
"... Do I know you?" Shinnosuke asked, looking closely at the other old man.
Benjiro smiled wryly. "You may, Shin-kun. But I'm not surprised you forgot. I was younger, then. Healthier. Gentlemen. My grand-daughter will be in with tea in a moment."
"We were both younger then." Rinji nodded, slowly. "Benjiro, you must know this isn't just a social call."
"I didn't expect to see you again after breaking off the engagement."
"Ryugenzawa..."
"I heard." Benjiro cut his one-time friend off. "On the news. A forest fire... I suppose that is what it would take to bring you two out of that cursed forest for even a day or two."
"Ryugenzawa is not a cursed forest!" Rinji growled, and Shinnosuke suspected it wasn't the first time he'd said those words in that tone.
"'Was not a cursed forest,' you mean." Benjiro smirked, the wrinkles on his forehead and face scrunching up slightly. "Why did you come, Rinji? No where else to go?"
After a tense moment, Shinnosuke's grandfather relented, voice exhausted. "No."
In the distance, an animal grunted, and a wind chime sounded in the breeze. Soft footsteps interrupted the moment, and a young lady in work-pants and a hastily thrown on shirt walked in, holding a tray. Seeing her, Shinnosuke felt a moment of recognition come and go in a heartbeat. She was cute; expressive hazel eyes and long deep-brown hair with brilliant pink highlights running down the side. Was it that, or something else, that made him feel as if all this was deja vu?
"Hello," she said, voice kind but with a certain determination. "Tea, anyone?"
"Please." Rinji inclined his head, and nudged Shinnosuke in the side.
"Oh." The young man looked at the girl. "Umm... yes. Please."
Benjiro leaned back a little from where he sat. "I wonder, Shin-kun, do you remember my granddaughter: Akari?"
"Akari?" Shinnosuke cocked his head to the side.
"Shin?" Akari sat down after serving the two guests. "Shinnosuke?"
"That's me." The boy seemed to shift nervously under her gaze. "Have we met?"
"When we were younger." Akari clarified. "You don't remember me at all?"
"Sorry... no..."
She looked away. "...oh...."
Rinji coughed, making his presence known, and reminding their host that there was business to discuss between them. "There is more to this than you know, Benjiro. Many years ago, not soon after we... parted ways, actually... Shinnosuke here was involved in an accident while saving a young girl. He was injured quite severely."
"I was?" Shinnosuke asked, not liking how clueless he sounded in front of Akari.
"Yes. It is time you know how serious this situation is for you, my boy." Rinji frowned deeply. "On that day, I thought you were going to die. Not only had you been poisoned, but also your mongoose-horn whistle was gone. Without it, there was no chance of subduing the Orochi and healing you using the Moss of Life. However, the Water of Life could heal you temporarily, so I didn't believe the problem was life threatening so long as you remained within Ryugenzawa."
"Now, with the sacred forest gone..." The old man placed his palms on the table and bowed deeply. "I need your help, Benjiro! For old time's sake! Help me! Help me find the Tendo Dojo!"
Akari's eyebrows perked up. "Did you say, 'Tendo Dojo?'"
"Yes." Rinji nodded, once. "The girl he saved ended up carrying Shinnosuke home after he stepped on one of the monster traps. I got her name before she left, and it was Tendo Akane, of the Tendo Dojo. She was gone before I learned any more, but I am convinced, now, that Shinnosuke must have given her the whistle. Unfortunately, I have no idea where the Dojo is..."
"What about the Water of Life?" Benjiro asked.
Rinji wiped away a tear. "I returned after the fire had been put out, Benjiro. Nothing was left. All the animals were dead. And... and..."
"And?"
"And the Water of Life is gone. Drained!" Rinji balled his hands into fists. "Which means the Yamata-no-Orochi has awoken. He will have to be defeated or subdued before yielding the Moss of Life that can save Shinnosuke."
Throughout this, Rinji noticed, the boy in question was eerily silent. It wasn't every day one learned they were dying. Rinji had purposefully not said just how long his grandson had left before death overcame him, instead trusting in the tone of his voice and the seriousness of the situation to make it clear: not long. Luckily, the Unryu Ranch was on the way to Tokyo, and if worse came to worse, and Shinnosuke was not long for this mortal coil, he would be able to spend that time comfortable and happy.
Benjiro sighed, knowingly. "These are difficult times. I will do whatever I can to help, Rinji."
"Ano..." Akari spoke up. "Grandfather... I know where the Tendo Dojo is."
"You do?" Rinji focused his eyes on her, tears of happiness in them. "Where is it?"
"Nerima Ward. I can take you there, if you like."
"Ah, yes!" Benjiro clapped his fist in his palm, remembering. "Akari was in Tokyo just a little while ago. Looking for a husband!"
"Grandfather!" Akari blushed, embarrassed.
"You can head out first thing tomorrow morning. I think young Shin-kun here is at least entitled to one good meal and a good night's rest after everything you've both been through." Akari's grandfather declared. "Akari, please show Shin-kun to the guest room. Rinji and I still have things to discuss."
"Of course." Akari stood up, and Shinnosuke did likewise after a few seconds. "This way."
Following her in relative silence up the stairs, he finally said something.
"What's your name again?"
She just smiled. "Unryu Akari."
"That's a nice name." Shinnosuke smiled back. "Akari..."
***
Lychee savored the sensation of flight, partaking deeply of air so pure; it was normally reserved for the birds alone. The Lucky Gods Airship had taken to the sky once more, after spending the better part of a day at ground level, and Lychee had watched as regiment after regiment of Musk troops had loaded into its cavernous bays. She had watched, as supplies of rice and pickles were prepared for the journey ahead.
As the thought of rice and pickles, she felt a moment of distaste, but it came and went. Those two foodstuffs had played a greater role in her diet than she deserved, though luckily the ship also maintained a store of more tasteful ingredients for special occasions. She had a feeling that those would not last long with several hundred ravenous Musk aboard, but such was the importance of their place in Prince Herb's plan that the price would have to be paid. More importantly, the Society and her Father wished the Amazons crushed and under their control.
Herb was a linchpin in that plan, though he himself was oblivious to it. Lychee only wished she could see her beloved father soon, especially to see how he looked now that he'd taken Saffron's power into himself and become more-than-man. Ironically, during the assault on Phoenix Mountain, Herb had used the Airship as a distraction, and at the same time, Bishop and the Society had used *him* as the distraction they needed to nab the young Phoenix God. Soon enough, even the arrogant Prince of the Musk would be put in his place.
Such was the plan of her father, Bishop Verikov.
Her adopted father, anyway. Lychee's real family had died when she was barely a child. The only reminder she had of them was the family scroll that had been passed down for generations, and that had proven the greatest inheritance she could have asked for. The scroll was the second half of a similar one in the possession of the Seven Lucky Gods martial arts clan. It had allowed her first entrance into Prince Kirin's court, and later, his heart.
Lychee had little doubt that her father had adopted the scroll as much as the girl. He was far too crafty and knowledgeable in such matters to leave that in doubt. But that realization had never really bothered her; she was more than willing to be a part of his plans and the destiny of the human race. Over time, she had grown to love her father, and he her. If she was also useful to him as an agent in his plans, then all the better.
They were both practical people.
Not at all like her husband, the Prince: Kirin. Kirin was an eccentric, and a romantic, which was a nice change of pace, really. He was just... a little soft. He lacked the ruthlessness of even many of his servants, like Bishamonten, Monlon and Ebiten. It took more than a little pulling and prodding on her part to get him to give the Alliance with the Musk his blessing. 'A soft touch,' she had called it, when her father had asked how her progress was with the Prince.
The only alternative, of course, was to use a surikomi egg. When the plan had begun, and she had gained Kirin's audience and confidence to the point where she could hit him with it without arousing suspicion (roughly when they began sharing bedchambers), her father had offered her one egg out of the few they had back then to get the job done. However, she had declined. Its use would destroy him and make him into a slave, and though his stubbornness got on her nerves more than once, she did not want a slave for a husband. And she did not want the proud and noble Prince Kirin to befall such a fate. She had told her father as much, and though he was annoyed, he relented and let her do as she thought was right.
Of course, that was before Bishop's plans entered a critical phase, and before surikomi eggs were in any abundance. All they had available at that time were old surikomi eggs that the Society had gotten their hands on during the last war, and that Saffron the Terrible had left behind in the places of his power. Now, with the Phoenix God a part of her father, surikomi eggs were no longer scarce. Even though the Society was busy using them to gain influence around the world as part of the plan, her father seemed more insistent that she consider it an option when dealing with Kirin.
"Sorry, father..." She whispered the apology. Even if he asked, she wouldn't do it. Despite his faults and idiosyncrasies, Kirin had grown on her, and... and she loved him. Loved him enough to protect him. No: her husband and Prince could be manipulated just as all husbands were, and in so doing, Kirin would one day join her father of his own free will. It was only a matter of time.
Which made her wonder about Kuonji Ukyou.
The Japanese girl, when last they had talked, still wanted to go home, though Lychee had detected more than a little fondness for where she already was. Could it be: was she falling for that Musk Prince? True, Herb was handsome and strong, but he was hardly what Lychee would consider kind and loveable, or even that likeable. Dismissive of women in general, overbearing and arrogant, Herb just didn't seem like her type.
This complicated things. Lychee had suggested to her father that Ukyou could be used against Herb. He had allowed her to proceed with that possible course of action, while at the same time giving those two barbarians Sumac and Taro free reign to plan against the Musk Prince so long as it did not seriously impair the Campaign against the Amazons. Sumac, Lychee knew, was as ruthless and ambitious as her father. She wasn't sure how wise it was trusting him to act on his own... and Taro... Pantyhose Taro was a wild card. His only real allegiance seemed to be with himself.
Still, if everything went well, the Amazons would be smashed, and the entire area would be restructured. Sumac would oversee all the lands of the Amazon and Phoenix, Taro would get whatever he wanted (whatever that was), and Herb would either be broken to their cause or made too impotent to oppose it. Kirin and the Seven Lucky Gods clan would then support the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society as it assumed control over the area, with all its ancient wealth in martial arts, magic, artifacts and knowledge. With that, and the elimination or assimilation of all the powerful martial artists of the world, the Society would have a free hand to infiltrate and control all the major governments on the planet. Her father, now an immortal being, would then rule over all the earth, secretly at first, and then with greater boldness and force.
Then, finally, the world would know peace...
"Lady Lychee?"
"Hmm?" She turned a little, just enough to see a young man approach the railing at the edge of the Airship. His oak-brown hair, and prominent bandanna, immediately identified him as Prince Toma, the 'other' Prince on board the ship. He wasn't in his normal attire, however, as instead of wearing the light blue bandanna she had seen on him before, his present one was all black. He hadn't been his usual talkative self the last few days, and Lychee had little doubt that he was still mourning the death of his friend and bodyguard, Wonton.
"Prince Toma." She gave him a curt bow. "What brings you out here?"
His eyes were half lidded as he looked out into the open sky. Below, the hills were slowly turning to mountains, and above, a flocks of birds seemed to hover, keeping pace with the slowly moving airship. Seeing them, the young Prince took a step back, and in the time it took to bat an eye, draw his sword. Without a word, he motioned upwards with it, and a column of fire lanced out, engulfing the flock.
Which flew out of the flames unharmed.
"Animals never fall for my illusions." He narrowed his eyes. "No matter."
In that instant, he was gone. Lychee looked up, and saw him reappear in midair, among the birds. Before the animals could properly panic and scatter, Toma's sword flashed, and the lot of them, all twelve, disappeared in little explosions of feathers and blood. The next second, Toma disappeared once more. Appearing next to her in a flash, she saw him just finish sheathing his sword.
"Why...?" She started to ask.
"They could have been spies for the Phoenix. Better not to take the risk." He looked out over the railing again, as if nothing had happened. Little feathers and bits of feathers slowly rained down, drifting on invisible air currents like snow. Lychee caught one in her palm that seemed to flutter more erratically than the rest, and saw that it had been cut cleanly down the center.
Toma closed his eyes and sighed. "Did you know... that this is only the second time I've been to the land of my ancestors?"
The first had been when he'd come for Prince Herb's summons, weeks ago, before the plan for war had been decided on. Lychee, however, was unsure what to say to such a question. Seeing his shadowed eyes on her, she suddenly felt nervous. Toma was a Lord of Illusions, and despite his youth, he was a formidable fighter, as she had just witnessed.
"What do you think of it?" She asked, finally.
"This place..." Toma's grip on the railing tightened. "A part of me can feel its allure, its ancient history. I share some of my blood with Herb, and though it does not flow as strongly, it is still part of me. I knew of my bloodline, but never really understood it until I came here. And even then... not until I drew my sword with intent to kill."
Lychee blinked, confused. Why had he paused in his words?
After twenty or so seconds, Tome continued. "I was so... shocked at first. So frightened. Now... now my blood revels in it, and burns with a corrupting fire I had never imagined existed. Within me is a Serpent, dark and evil: a ghost haunting the descendants of Ma'at with promises of power and death. I can see, now, why the Musk Lords ever restrained themselves in the affairs of men."
Toma's left hand clenched into a fist. "If this siren song beats so strongly in my heart... Herb must feel it pulse with his every thought and impulse! Yet... yet... I do not feel he is falling towards the Abyss. How does he control it so easily, while I struggle so? I am unsure whether to admire him, or fear him."
"Perhaps," Lychee suggested. "A little of both?"
"Perhaps." Toma said, voice distant. "I fight here because I gave Herb my word, and my word is my bond. I fight because I want to distinguish myself... made a name for myself. And, maybe, bring Musk and Togenkyou closer together in friendship. I never asked... I never asked why Wonton fought. He simply did, I suppose. I just never... thought to ask."
"Now he's dead." Toma wiped his nose, and stood up straight. No tears, though, which surprised Lychee. Prince Toma had been in isolation for two days after the assault on Phoenix Mountain, only meeting with his surviving bodyguard, Toristan, and Prince Herb, before he set out on his campaign. Before that, on the deck of this very airship, Toma had openly wept over the body of his fallen friend, seemingly ignorant of the arrow shaft imbedded in his arm and refusing to leave Wonton's side.
"He's dead." Toma repeated, his face stony. "And so are at least a hundred and seven other Togenkyou warriors, from horizon to horizon. I thought the view from here might ease my mind, but it seems to have had the opposite effect."
Lychee didn't know what to say, except, "I'm sorry."
He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. "Don't be. You have nothing to feel sorry for. ... Good night, Lady Lychee."
Watching the young man's back as he walked away, Lychee turned again to the view over the railing, seeing more than just the mountains and the sky. "Oh, father..."
***
"Ok. Let's try this again..."
Ranma shook his head at Ryouga's weary tone of voice. "Ok. On three. One... two..."
The pigtailed martial artist lifted the nozzle of the garden hose and splashed his rival. "Three!"
Instantly, Ryouga disappeared and shrunk down amid the spray of cold water, into the body of a little black piglet. Looking wearily down at him, Ranma got the next thermos of hot water ready, and unscrewed the cap. Though it didn't look like it, he and Ryouga were training. Or, more precisely, Ryouga was training, and he was helping.
It was the system they'd developed.
They had decided to train together when it came to normal sparring, without the special techniques. Special techniques and the like were independently worked on, for the most part, but they had agreed to help each other with any special training they might need. It was a little boring, mostly because Ranma wasn't doing anything personally productive, but he knew Ryouga would return the favor if asked.
They were still rivals, but they weren't enemies.
It was an interesting arrangement, and one Ranma was actually rather enjoying. Maybe they were even friends, now. Ryouga had never called Ranma a 'friend' but, really, did you need to call someone a friend for them to be one? It occurred to him that if Ryouga got lost again Nabiki wouldn't be the only person to miss him. He would too.
"Hey, Pig, how ya doin?"
The piglet growled and squealed.
'Probably a curse.' Ranma figured; some porcine equivalent of cross-dresser. Ranma smirked. "Ok. Here comes the hot water. Get ready."
Upending the thermos, Ryouga-pig was showered by the steaming water. In half a second, he was back in his human form, wearing only his boxers. Sitting cross-legged, he sighed. "It's getting easier. Two or three more times, and I'll have it down."
"Cool." Ranma reached for the hose. "How's it feel?"
"Weird." Ryouga nodded sagely. "The hard part was getting the clothes to transform with me in the first place. After that, getting them to reappear was relatively easy. You shouldn't have too much of a problem getting it down."
Ranma 'hmfed.' "If Mousse can do it, I should I hope I could, too. On three?"
"Yep."
Counting to the required number, Ranma hosed Ryouga down once again, and he shrunk into his pig form, taking the boxers with him. That, Mousse had told them before he left, was the trick to changing forms with clothes on. For the Chinese Amazon it had been a relatively easy technique to pick up, because of his background in Hidden Weapons. It was for that same reason that both had decided to let Ryouga have a try at it first. Aside from having a more embarrassing curse, which, when triggered, usually meant he lost his clothes, Ryouga also had more experience with hidden weapons. Though it was a different variety than that which Mousse had mastered.
Ryouga had already made good progress. They'd been at it for the last hour and a half, and already he could transform without losing his boxer shorts. This, apparently, was enough for the lost boy. His regular clothes were already Ki treated, using the Tekimen Kongou Gishu technique, and the lost boy suspected that the Instant Diamond Hand would make them much more difficult to transform with. When Ranma asked why, he had reminded him that the clothes react to impacts, especially piercing ones, using infused Ki to stiffen in response. He was afraid they'd react negatively with what they were trying with regular clothes, and wasn't willing to risk it.
It was still a handy ability to have, though Ranma knew Ryouga was more interested in it than he was. Ranma had very rarely found himself for want of clothes due to his curse. Still, once or twice Ranma had wished he'd be able to quickly move out of a girl-disguise clothes and into something more fitting his real body, if only to avoid embarrassment. But there was little need to master it, at least not at this point in time.
Then, just as he was about finished unscrewing another hot water thermos, his martial artist's warning sense went off. 'Danger!'
"Ranma..." Akane called, walking towards where they were practicing. "Would you like some tea and cherry-blossom mochi?"
Leaping up and away, his head was intercepted by one of the dozen or so unused concrete blocks by the side of the house. Falling back to earth, Ranma crossed his arms and frowned, landing on both feet. Touching the bump on his head, he gave Akane a bitter look. Walking up to her, he picked up one of the mochi balls from the tray.
It was a cruel, deformed creature.
"This is cherry-blossom mochi?" He looked at it dejectedly, and Akane nodded happily. "It looks more like a mashed potato."
Ryouga-pig winced, but walked over to the two as they sat down. 'Real smooth, dumbass. Why is he always making fun of Akane's cooking?'
Sniffing it, Ranma rubbed the second bump on his poor abused skull. "Are you sure this is cherry-blossom mochi? This one smells like a month old burrito."
A second later, Ranma was nursing yet another bump on the head.
"Of course it's cherry-blossom mochi!" Akane shook her fist angrily. "I made it myself!"
"That much is obvious..." Ranma whispered.
"Just eat one, Ranma!" Akane yelled, a hint of desperation in her voice.
Ranma looked down at the miserable little foodstuff, and seemed about to take a little nibble, when...
"What have we here?" Kuno exploded onto the scene, and landed behind them with a flourish and a flick of his wavy hair. "Ah, cherry-blossom mochi sculpted by the lovely hands of Tendo Akane! Such a treat alone could divert me from my courtship of the pigtailed girl, whose mother I have heard, now resides within these humble walls!"
"Oh, great..." Ranma groaned.
Ryouga-pig snorted in disapproval. 'Nabiki...'
Tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks, Kuno lunged for the tray of mochi. "Such a treat is fit only for..."
Abruptly, the kendoist's throat seized up, and he fell forward limply landing on all fours. Slamming his head with the palm of his hand, in obvious pain, Kuno writhed for all of fifteen seconds before standing back up, fist clenched... and a big black X on his face.
"Tendo Akane..." He proclaimed, proudly. "I would endure any agony for you!!"
"What the...?" Ranma narrowed his eyes, looking more closely at the mark on Kuno's face. In the next second, Kuno jumped towards his one-of-two true loves and was promptly punted over the wall. Calming down slightly, Akane took a deep breath and sat down again. Noticing Ranma's glare, she relented.
"Alright. I'll tell you everything." Akane quickly composed her thoughts, and proceeded to tell Ranma and Ryouga about how she had ran into the old man who had sold her the things, explaining that they would mark incompatible people with an X and compatible people with cherry blossom outlines. At the end of it all, Ranma waved his hand dismissingly.
"What a waste of money."
"I just wanted to see if, you know..." Akane's thumbs tapped each other nervously. "I mean: we're engaged because of our parents. I was just curious about whether... if..."
"Yeah, well, I ain't interested!" Ranma barked back, defensive.
Akane growled. "Why not?"
"Because..." Ranma looked down at the malformed mochi still in his right hand. "Because I'm scared. Not because I believe this stupid stuff works... but because..."
"Because?" Akane pressured.
"Because its gross!"
Bump number four.
"Fine!" Akane hissed, really angry now. She spied Ryouga-pig sitting down on his haunches, nearby. "You don't think my cooking is bad, do you, Ryouga?"
The pig shook his head.
"Well, Ryouga ain't never eaten any, so he doesn't know how dangerous..." Ranma winced, barely avoiding getting blow number five to the noggin.
'I know it can't be Ryouga. And if Ryouga eats one, Ranma will have to.' Akane thought as she handed him one of the mochi balls, and the pig ate it in one bite. For a split second, the piglet's body froze up, his eyes wide. Then, tears welling up, the pig formerly known as P-chan let out a loud squeal, and ran around in erratic circles before hitting a wall and collapsing completely.
"I told you." Ranma shook his head. "Man, I feel sorry for the guy, now. He had no idea what he was getting into."
Akane just scowled. "Shut up, Ranma! At least he was man enough to eat one! What would your mother think?"
"She'd think: 'Don't poison my only son!' That's what she'd think!"
"Why you...!"
"Ugh..." Ryouga's voice interrupted the two, and they saw that the lost boy had recovered enough to splash himself with the thermos Ranma had last unscrewed. "Such exquisite agony..."
"Ryouga?" Akane watched him closely. He was still looking down at the ground and holding his face in one hand. "Was it that bad?"
"Errg graaa..." He slowly stood up, shaking his head. "K... keep practicing, Akane-san... There was just... a little... too much sea salt..."
...
"Guys?" Ryouga looked at the two teens. Akane and Ranma were just staring at him. "What? Oh! I've probably got an X, right?"
"N... no..." Ranma shook his head. "Cherry blossom petals..."
"What?" Ryouga frowned. "Don't play games with me, Saotome..."
"It's true!" Akane gasped. "I don't believe it! You're the man I'm destined to be with?!"
***
Furinkan High School.
"I hate summer classes!"
"I know, Kurumi-chan... but we have to go to school." Natsume explained, patiently, as they walked out of the building. "We have to make up for lost time, or we'll never be worthy of inheriting the Tendo Dojo."
Kurumi's shoulders slumped. "I know..."
"Hey! You! Are you two Natsume and Kurumi Tendo?"
The two sisters looked up, and saw someone standing in the large tree near the school gate. Jumping down, they saw he was a tall boy, taller than Ranma and Ryouga and probably Kuno, too. He looked at least Natsume's age, with a white headband, dark sleeveless shirt, gloves and matching military pants and belt holding numerous pouches. He also had what seemed to be a collar around his neck. Laced up black boots took measured steps toward them, and both girls began to feel his battle aura flare up around them.
"Who wants to know?" Natsume asked, summoning her courage, and her own formidable fighting spirit to her defense.
"Yeah?!" Kurumi piped in, taking up a fighting stance and reaching for her ribbon/bow.
"Natsume and Kurumi Tendo... of the Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu..." The man smiled. "You two aren't real Tendos, so there shouldn't be a problem using you as bait."
"Not 'real' Tendos? What are you talking about?!" Natsume drew her rug beater, spinning it once before pointing at him. Her body began to glow dangerously, ice blue energy coalescing around her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Kumon Ryu." He stopped walking, and crossed his arms in front of him. "Remember it!!"
"He's going to attack!" Natsume called to her sister. "Kurumi! Quick! Musabetsu Kakutou Hiryu Carimbou!!"
With lightning quick reflexes and teamwork that could only come from years of training together, Natsume and Kurumi unleashed their final attack. Since the last fight they'd had with Ranma and Akane (only later discovering that the girl was, in fact, Ranma), the two sisters had trained to improve their attack - to make it stronger, more cohesive, faster... The version they unleashed now wasn't at full power, but it was comparable to the old 'full power' version they had used against Ranma in the fight for the Dojo.
Their opponent just laughed as the attack smashed into his body, sending him flying back into the concrete wall encircling the school. The resulting crash blew away the embankment for over twenty feet, throwing dust and bits of stone everywhere. A moment later, the tree nearby snapped from the wind pressure and the strength of the attack at its periphery. It fell to the ground in a heap.
"We got him!" Kurumi jumped, pumping her fist in the air. "We showed him!"
"Indeed." Natsume then looked more closely at the rubble, where a figure was still on his feet. Taking a few steps forward, and out of the cloud of dust, Kumon Ryu snickered softly.
"A few days ago..." he said, loud enough for the girls to hear. "That would've broken one of my ribs. Kudos. You've earned this..." Crossing his arms again, Ryu's Ki built up dramatically, his battle aura blazing like a living wildfire. "Kijin Raishu Dan!!"
Mere seconds later, Kumon Ryu walked away with the two girls over his shoulder... and Furinkan High School burning at his back.
Author's Notes:
Thus ends chapter 30! Holy smoke! Hard to believe I've written all this and gotten this far. I write the very first version of "Learning Curve" as a mere one-shot, only fifty pages long. The first half of the first half was almost all Ranma-Ryouga, but I think I've done a good job of diversifying and giving other characters a chance to show their stuff. It's been an ordeal sometimes, and a real joy almost all the time, all tempered by amazement. Thirty! Damn.
What's up for the next fifteen chapters? Lemme see: In Japan, we've got those damn mochi screwing with the nice comfortable relationships, Shinnosuke dying without the Water of Life, not to mention the menace of a ruthless, pumped-up new Kumon Ryu doing the will of the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society hit men. Then there's the rising infiltration of that group into governments across the world... Plus more... In China, the war continues, and reached the boiling point as Herb and his forces drive towards the Joketsuzoku village itself. Not to mention the manipulations of Sumac and Soap, and their respective power plays! Then there's Shampoo and Mousse's less-than-healthy situation, and wildcards like the Jyusenkyou Guide, Rouge, and Taro...
This story is far from over! I better get writing...
"Learning Curve"
Part XXX
by: J. Wagner
"He's ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Inside the van, Pearl Adams let out a deep sigh, while his associates got their living weapon ready. Over the last few weeks, he'd truly become dissatisfied with what his assignment had grown into. He'd been forced to decide between two situations both of which were doomed to leave a lot of corpses in their wake, and while Adams had taken more than a few lives of his own in the course of his career, he had tried to keep innocents from being among them.
Growing up in the outback, he'd become a mercenary on what was literally a lark. Good with a gun, and physically hardy, as a boy he'd been born with a survivalist streak that had gotten him in trouble more than a few times. Happier tracking emu and hunting rogue dingo, he'd dropped out early and made money taking odd jobs as a ranch hand and, later, amateur boxer. When he'd gotten the money, he moved to America for a while, and found out that money could be made through less scrupulous methods.
Back in Australia, Adams had rediscovered money problems nipping at his heels, and after the death of his old man, took a few tours of duty. It was all-good for the most part. He'd made up for lost time, gotten an education, and became an officer. But profitable...? It wasn't that he spent money unwisely; it was just that there wasn't much to begin with. Two divorces hadn't helped either. After a few years, he'd decided to go independent and break out on his own. He'd done some business in South America, earned a bit of a name, and then he'd been called out to Borneo to track a man down.
That had been his first contract with the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society.
Hell, he hadn't even known what 'Jyusenkyou' was. Their money was good, very good, and just as importantly, their missions were always interesting. He'd spent more than a little time there, working for them. The Society was obviously looking for something on the island, but as far as he knew they never found it. His good work, however, had gotten him a good reputation in the Society, and they'd brought him to China to help them out there.
Trippy shit.
Over the last year, Pearl Adams had seen things his old rummy of a father never could've imagined. Or maybe he did when he got piss-drunk and needed his gun to fall asleep. Half-men half-animals, people who can shatter stone with their fingers, energy blasts like out of some screwed up comic book... it all seemed insane, really. But... but it was damn real.
Damn real.
"Ryu?" Yosho asked, voice amiable.
The boy's voice was full of eagerness. "Yes?"
"How do you feel Ryu?"
"Better than ever before." The boy with the white bandanna smiled. "I feel invincible!"
"Good." Yosho paused for a second to check Ryu's neck, and then, seemingly satisfied, patted the boy on the shoulder. "You know what to do, right?"
"Find them, lure them." No hesitation in Ryu's response. "Kill them."
Adams listened, and frowned. He'd been ordered to Japan to identify a handful of targets from the JPS Registry: Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, and Hibiki Ryouga. They'd given him a team of men, and asked for a detailed analysis of the three: strength projections, Speed category, lists of fighting techniques 'conventional and unconventional,' medical records, living arrangements, and a number of other things. At the same time, he and other cells had gone about identifying and cataloguing other Japanese martial artists and unusual phenomenon. It'd been quite fascinating work, actually, but he never asked why the Society wanted the info... and to tell the truth, he hadn't really cared.
Then, Bishop had told him to kill them.
Or at least the two boys. The more detailed written orders he'd been given were to ensure the elimination, past a given time, of the two primary targets. Apparently, someone is the Society, possibly Bishop himself, had deemed it likely that while the two young men might get involved in Society business, the older Saotome man would not. A bomb had seemed like the best plan of action, but...
Pearl closed his eyes and thought of Kasumi. This had always been his problem. Women! But Kasumi was different from the others. Her smile filled him with a secret joy he had to hide from his compatriots, and the deception he was using on her caused him pain - made him feel lower than the lowest slug in a garden of red roses. She was the linchpin of an odd family, but it was a family none-the-less. A happy, growing family. How could he let all that disappear in a cloud of fire and metal?
No.
Kasumi would not die. Nor would her sisters and father, not if he had another option available. And now, that option was ready to be unleashed. Despite not being a martial artist himself, or anywhere near capable of the amazing feats he'd witnessed, Pearl Adams had knowledge. And knowledge was power. The surikomi egg had done half the job and Tomiko's success at Ryugenzawa had built on that foundation. Kumon Ryu would be his walking weapon: a martial artist to fight martial artists.
Off the record Kumon had orders, told to him when Kenji and Yosho weren't around, not to endanger the Tendos. On the record, Adams had argued to his comrades that by using this method, instead of a bomb, there'd be no outstanding connection to the Society, as per his orders. It would look like the work of a rogue martial artist. The local cops and authorities would follow the commands from higher up and clean up any resulting messes. He'd been assured that some elements and levels of the Japanese government were already under the influence of the Society, should it become necessary to use them. And following this route, he could take care of his two targets and make it look like a martial arts duel gone out of control.
Still, he suspected Kenji and Yosho were silently questioning his motives. Kenji, who had been included in the group primarily to make the bomb that would get the job done, was at first annoyed that he wouldn't get the chance to use what he'd "put his soul into making." Then, after being reminded that he got paid either way, he had seemed relatively content to let his 'baby' be the backup operation. Yosho, however, was another story. He was a specialist in surveillance and intelligence gathering, and Adams was starting to suspect that he was reporting on them behind his back.
The van slowed and parked at a mall at the edge of the district.
"Now..." Yosho said, before opening the back doors. "It's time."
"Adams-sama?"
"Go on, Ryu." Adams had been the one the boy first saw when he woke up. The effects had been everything the Society had told him.
"I won't fail you." Kumon Ryu cracked his knuckles. "Those two guys... Saotome Ranma and Hibiki Ryouga... are as good as dead!"
***
China.
Herb stood, a cool breeze caressing his face, overlooking the Seventh Gate. A hundred feet below, rank after rank of Musk marched, carrying their supplies on their backs. They were all strong warriors, and trained to move lightly and with great speed across long distances. Miles behind them, they had separated from the bulk of Herb's Army, and begun the trek up the Seventh Stair that led to the Gate, and finally, around the mountain summit and into the Amazon heartland.
At his feet, a pebble broke loose, and tumbled down the rocky precipice. From where he stood, the Seventh Gate beckoned - a slow, but steady descent, treacherous most of the year due to landslides and ice. From afar, between howling winds and mist covered mountain peaks, it called to him. This was the season of his victory. Of his ultimate triumph! Already, it had brought him so much, and found the Dragon Prince in good fortune.
Soon.
He felt a laugh bubble up at the sheer, almost giddy, joy of it all. This was where he was *now.* Just months before, he'd only dreamed of this moment, and now it was real. Real! What other glories did the future hold? He already had more than he had imagined, just half a year ago. Clenching his fist, he deeply inhaled the mountain air. Soon, he would march through green pastures. Soon, the bodies of Khu Lon and Oui Ru would each decorate a pike, high above the ruins of the Joketsuzoku village. Where, then, would he be? What, then, would he do?
"Pantyhose."
Herb's half brother didn't answer immediately, but made up for the disrespect with his usual well-chosen words. "My liege?"
Herb looked over his shoulder at Pantyhose Taro, his bastard younger half brother born of tainted Amazon blood and the most noble of Musk ancestry. Taro was a fine warrior, even in comparison to fellow Musk, but his Jyusenkyou curse, his foolish name, his (tentative) chance of inheriting the Dragon Throne, and the damned coincidences of his birth would forever stigmatize him in Herb's eyes. Taro was not his equal, and never would be. Still, he had his talents, and his uses.
"Go, as planned, and scout out the lands ahead before our arrival." Herb turned back to the view. "Use what resources and male spies among the Amazons that you still have available. This will be our final campaign."
Taro's eyes sparkled, though Herb didn't see it.
"Should I attempt to encourage the southern pockets of Chinese Muslims to rise up, or leave them be for the moment?"
"They would only be crushed at this point." Herb shook his head. "It is tempting... but let things be that are, at least for the immediate future, out of our reach. Just do as planned, and rendezvous with us in three days. Oh, and... one more thing, 'little brother.' I want you to find an Amazon male who goes by the name Mu Tzu. His safety seems to be a concern of my woman's, and so it has become my concern as well."
"Feh." Taro reached down to his waist and unscrewed a small canteen looped to a strap over his shoulder. "Consider it done. ... My liege."
The younger brother jumped, then, into the air. With an almost inaudible splash, Taro transformed. His body expanded several fold, horns erupted from his skull, wings from his back, hooves where feet had once been... and then something new: tentacles. From the base of his spine they writhed and curled. With a roar that shook the ground, Taro flew overhead, and to the east. Below Herb's lookout, more than a few Musk paused in their march to cheer him.
Watching his agent fly off, Herb reached to his side and pulled out the Kinjakan staff from where he'd jabbed it, several inches, into the rocky ground. It was in perfect condition, of course. Being damn near invulnerable to damage, it would take a great deal to break the legendary Jusendo staff. As he held it Herb found the feel of it in his hands rather enjoyable. It was one of the lost treasures of the Musk, but now it was back where it belonged: in the hands of the Dragon Lord whose ancestor had commissioned its creation. It's brother-staff, the Gekkaja, however, was still lost to them.
A true pity.
Herb had no doubt that the Phoenix still held the Gekkaja prisoner in some hidden storehouse beneath Phoenix Mountain. It was then only a matter of time before, having finished subduing the unruly Amazons, the Musk returned to that place and finish off their perverted cousins and creations, the Phoenix. And reclaim... what was theirs. Holding the Kinjakan eye level, Herb concentrated, and the staff responded to him. It knew its master well, for while anyone with knowledge of Ki could use the Kinjakan, only one from the bloodline of Ma'at could master it, and utilize it to its full potential.
Only a few quiet minutes later, Herb heard the approaching footsteps his well-honed Ki senses had long before warned him of. He let the two get close before pivoting slightly and giving some proper greeting. His breath caught at the sight of her, of Kuonji Ukyou, standing before him. She was wearing Musk light armor (with her mega-spatula tied to the back), but her long blowing chestnut hair, her eyes, her face... all made it impossible to not see her as female. He smiled inwardly. To him, Ukyou looked beautiful no matter what she wore.
Herb inclined his head to her and mentally switched languages to Japanese. "Ukyou. Would you... ah... care to join me?"
She smiled, and it filled him with warmth. "If I fall off that edge, you'd better catch me."
"I would be remiss if I did not." Herb took a step to the side and let her join him, looking out over the edge of the cliff. She would be his wife, if he had any say in the matter, and a decidedly un-Musk part of him was happier to have her with him here and now than all the victories in war thus acquired.
And, of course, Mint stood behind the two, his arms crossed, and a serious expression on his young face. Herb paid him only a passing glance, and silent testimony to a job well done as Ukyou's bodyguard. Mint was a loyal Musk, good hearted, and well skilled. He had taken to the task of guarding the would-be bride of the Dragon Prince with distinction and devotion, and Ukyou seemed to have grown comfortable with his presence. So, Herb let him stay close as they watched the mountains and the pass.
A little shyly, Herb let his slightly shaking hand settle on Ukyou's waist, and when she didn't respond negatively, he held her closer to him. "I'm... glad you accompanied me... I value you more than I think I've ever made clear, Ukyou."
Surprised, she turned to face him.
"After this is over," he said, and looked away again, back to the seas of rock and trees. "I will let Mint escort you home, to Japan, if you so desire. I will not hold you against your will, though I am loathe to let you go."
"You have an odd way of being romantic, sugar," she replied, playfully.
"Oh?" he asked.
"But I'm not going to leave just yet." Ukyou continued. "Someone has to look out for you."
He smirked. "My hero."
They stood in silence for a few more moments, before Ukyou spoke up. "Herb?"
"Mmm?"
"I came here to ask something of you."
'Some ulterior motive?' he wondered. "What is it?"
"Well..." She paused, as if unsure whether to continue.
"Speak your mind, woman." Herb pressed her.
"I know you have no qualms about killing, Herb. I know one of the reasons you're here is to kill... those who have wronged your family. I'm not going to tell you that what you're doing is wrong. But..." Her voice became bolder. "But I want you to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. Even if they are Amazons, who you make no secret of your hatred for, I don't want innocent people to get caught up in this."
Herb wrinkled his nose, as if smelling something rotten. "This is war. The innocent and the guilty alike bleed in war."
"Herb..." Ukyou pursed her lips, and grabbed him by his collar. "I don't think you're a bad person, but if you want there to be something, anything, between us, you'll promise me..."
"If it is so important," Herb interrupted, and gently pried her fingers from his tunic. "Then I'll see it done."
"Really?"
"Though some of the men will be disappointed, the bloodshed will be kept to a... minimum." He frowned a little. "I promise."
"Good." She seemed satisfied with that, and relaxed. Herb just sighed.
Women were strange creatures, indeed.
Far below, the Musk marched on.
***
Ryugenzawa was gone.
Shinnosuke still couldn't quite believe it. Everything he'd ever known, everything, was gone. Burned to ashes. So long as he lived, never would he forget the smoldering ruin that had once been their guardianship and their home. Looking out the window, to the speeding countryside around the train, he wondered something.
"Where are we going?"
His grandfather had a weary look to him. "We're going to visit an old family friend."
"Oh."
Shinnosuke mentally filed that little factoid away (where it promptly was forgotten two minutes later). Coughing softly, he covered his mouth, and looked around at the other people in their part of the train. None seemed to pay him much heed, but the forgetful one had a strange feeling that they were being watched. Gulping, he tasted something off, and looked down at his hand.
Blood?
Wiping his lower lip with his wrist. Shinnosuke shrugged. He'd probably just bitten his lip or something. Looking to his only surviving family, he held out his hand. "Grandfather. Tissue?"
The older man saw the blood, and for an instant, Shinnosuke saw panic in his eyes. Then the old guardian reached into a pocket and handed over a rumpled white tissue. Shinnosuke cleaned off his hand and wrist, while running his tongue around inside his mouth, trying to find the bite. After a few seconds, however, he found nothing, and gave up. It wasn't that big a deal anyway.
"How are you feeling, Shinnosuke?"
"I've got a bit of a headache." The boy leaned forward and to the side a little, resting his shoulder against the windowpane. Yawning, he blinked his eyes a few times. "I guess I'm just a bit worn out."
"We're almost there," his grandfather assured him. "You can sleep when we get to their house."
"... Who are we going to see again?"
The old man sighed, and explained it for the tenth or eleventh time. It was just a half hour later when, after leaving the train station, the two men reached their goal. Approaching the main gate to the compound, Shinnosuke's grandfather gave their names and waited for a ranch hand to let them in.
"Have I ... ever been here before?"
Shinnosuke's grandfather closed his eyes and nodded sadly. His heir's forgetfulness was not just a serious hurtle to be overcome in their line of work, but a major annoyance as well. Any girl poor Shin-chan managed to hook up with would need patience to rival the Buddha. It was one of the reasons he had canceled his old agreement with Benjiro. He only hoped that time had healed the remaining animosity between the former friends, because without help, Shinnosuke didn't have much longer to live.
Only a minute later, a tall man in overalls opened the gate, and led the two men to the main house. It wasn't particularly large; little more than a farm house, and dwarfed by the large pens behind and to its right side. Large animals roamed in those pens, and a fair distance away some of their free-range cousins milled about. Entering the comfy house, liberally decorated in pig motifs, Shinnosuke and his grandfather came at last to an enervated old man seated before a table in the middle of what was likely the living room. With a bow, the two also sat down.
"Rinji." Their elderly host said, simply.
Shinnosuke's grandfather bowed his head. "Benjiro."
"... Do I know you?" Shinnosuke asked, looking closely at the other old man.
Benjiro smiled wryly. "You may, Shin-kun. But I'm not surprised you forgot. I was younger, then. Healthier. Gentlemen. My grand-daughter will be in with tea in a moment."
"We were both younger then." Rinji nodded, slowly. "Benjiro, you must know this isn't just a social call."
"I didn't expect to see you again after breaking off the engagement."
"Ryugenzawa..."
"I heard." Benjiro cut his one-time friend off. "On the news. A forest fire... I suppose that is what it would take to bring you two out of that cursed forest for even a day or two."
"Ryugenzawa is not a cursed forest!" Rinji growled, and Shinnosuke suspected it wasn't the first time he'd said those words in that tone.
"'Was not a cursed forest,' you mean." Benjiro smirked, the wrinkles on his forehead and face scrunching up slightly. "Why did you come, Rinji? No where else to go?"
After a tense moment, Shinnosuke's grandfather relented, voice exhausted. "No."
In the distance, an animal grunted, and a wind chime sounded in the breeze. Soft footsteps interrupted the moment, and a young lady in work-pants and a hastily thrown on shirt walked in, holding a tray. Seeing her, Shinnosuke felt a moment of recognition come and go in a heartbeat. She was cute; expressive hazel eyes and long deep-brown hair with brilliant pink highlights running down the side. Was it that, or something else, that made him feel as if all this was deja vu?
"Hello," she said, voice kind but with a certain determination. "Tea, anyone?"
"Please." Rinji inclined his head, and nudged Shinnosuke in the side.
"Oh." The young man looked at the girl. "Umm... yes. Please."
Benjiro leaned back a little from where he sat. "I wonder, Shin-kun, do you remember my granddaughter: Akari?"
"Akari?" Shinnosuke cocked his head to the side.
"Shin?" Akari sat down after serving the two guests. "Shinnosuke?"
"That's me." The boy seemed to shift nervously under her gaze. "Have we met?"
"When we were younger." Akari clarified. "You don't remember me at all?"
"Sorry... no..."
She looked away. "...oh...."
Rinji coughed, making his presence known, and reminding their host that there was business to discuss between them. "There is more to this than you know, Benjiro. Many years ago, not soon after we... parted ways, actually... Shinnosuke here was involved in an accident while saving a young girl. He was injured quite severely."
"I was?" Shinnosuke asked, not liking how clueless he sounded in front of Akari.
"Yes. It is time you know how serious this situation is for you, my boy." Rinji frowned deeply. "On that day, I thought you were going to die. Not only had you been poisoned, but also your mongoose-horn whistle was gone. Without it, there was no chance of subduing the Orochi and healing you using the Moss of Life. However, the Water of Life could heal you temporarily, so I didn't believe the problem was life threatening so long as you remained within Ryugenzawa."
"Now, with the sacred forest gone..." The old man placed his palms on the table and bowed deeply. "I need your help, Benjiro! For old time's sake! Help me! Help me find the Tendo Dojo!"
Akari's eyebrows perked up. "Did you say, 'Tendo Dojo?'"
"Yes." Rinji nodded, once. "The girl he saved ended up carrying Shinnosuke home after he stepped on one of the monster traps. I got her name before she left, and it was Tendo Akane, of the Tendo Dojo. She was gone before I learned any more, but I am convinced, now, that Shinnosuke must have given her the whistle. Unfortunately, I have no idea where the Dojo is..."
"What about the Water of Life?" Benjiro asked.
Rinji wiped away a tear. "I returned after the fire had been put out, Benjiro. Nothing was left. All the animals were dead. And... and..."
"And?"
"And the Water of Life is gone. Drained!" Rinji balled his hands into fists. "Which means the Yamata-no-Orochi has awoken. He will have to be defeated or subdued before yielding the Moss of Life that can save Shinnosuke."
Throughout this, Rinji noticed, the boy in question was eerily silent. It wasn't every day one learned they were dying. Rinji had purposefully not said just how long his grandson had left before death overcame him, instead trusting in the tone of his voice and the seriousness of the situation to make it clear: not long. Luckily, the Unryu Ranch was on the way to Tokyo, and if worse came to worse, and Shinnosuke was not long for this mortal coil, he would be able to spend that time comfortable and happy.
Benjiro sighed, knowingly. "These are difficult times. I will do whatever I can to help, Rinji."
"Ano..." Akari spoke up. "Grandfather... I know where the Tendo Dojo is."
"You do?" Rinji focused his eyes on her, tears of happiness in them. "Where is it?"
"Nerima Ward. I can take you there, if you like."
"Ah, yes!" Benjiro clapped his fist in his palm, remembering. "Akari was in Tokyo just a little while ago. Looking for a husband!"
"Grandfather!" Akari blushed, embarrassed.
"You can head out first thing tomorrow morning. I think young Shin-kun here is at least entitled to one good meal and a good night's rest after everything you've both been through." Akari's grandfather declared. "Akari, please show Shin-kun to the guest room. Rinji and I still have things to discuss."
"Of course." Akari stood up, and Shinnosuke did likewise after a few seconds. "This way."
Following her in relative silence up the stairs, he finally said something.
"What's your name again?"
She just smiled. "Unryu Akari."
"That's a nice name." Shinnosuke smiled back. "Akari..."
***
Lychee savored the sensation of flight, partaking deeply of air so pure; it was normally reserved for the birds alone. The Lucky Gods Airship had taken to the sky once more, after spending the better part of a day at ground level, and Lychee had watched as regiment after regiment of Musk troops had loaded into its cavernous bays. She had watched, as supplies of rice and pickles were prepared for the journey ahead.
As the thought of rice and pickles, she felt a moment of distaste, but it came and went. Those two foodstuffs had played a greater role in her diet than she deserved, though luckily the ship also maintained a store of more tasteful ingredients for special occasions. She had a feeling that those would not last long with several hundred ravenous Musk aboard, but such was the importance of their place in Prince Herb's plan that the price would have to be paid. More importantly, the Society and her Father wished the Amazons crushed and under their control.
Herb was a linchpin in that plan, though he himself was oblivious to it. Lychee only wished she could see her beloved father soon, especially to see how he looked now that he'd taken Saffron's power into himself and become more-than-man. Ironically, during the assault on Phoenix Mountain, Herb had used the Airship as a distraction, and at the same time, Bishop and the Society had used *him* as the distraction they needed to nab the young Phoenix God. Soon enough, even the arrogant Prince of the Musk would be put in his place.
Such was the plan of her father, Bishop Verikov.
Her adopted father, anyway. Lychee's real family had died when she was barely a child. The only reminder she had of them was the family scroll that had been passed down for generations, and that had proven the greatest inheritance she could have asked for. The scroll was the second half of a similar one in the possession of the Seven Lucky Gods martial arts clan. It had allowed her first entrance into Prince Kirin's court, and later, his heart.
Lychee had little doubt that her father had adopted the scroll as much as the girl. He was far too crafty and knowledgeable in such matters to leave that in doubt. But that realization had never really bothered her; she was more than willing to be a part of his plans and the destiny of the human race. Over time, she had grown to love her father, and he her. If she was also useful to him as an agent in his plans, then all the better.
They were both practical people.
Not at all like her husband, the Prince: Kirin. Kirin was an eccentric, and a romantic, which was a nice change of pace, really. He was just... a little soft. He lacked the ruthlessness of even many of his servants, like Bishamonten, Monlon and Ebiten. It took more than a little pulling and prodding on her part to get him to give the Alliance with the Musk his blessing. 'A soft touch,' she had called it, when her father had asked how her progress was with the Prince.
The only alternative, of course, was to use a surikomi egg. When the plan had begun, and she had gained Kirin's audience and confidence to the point where she could hit him with it without arousing suspicion (roughly when they began sharing bedchambers), her father had offered her one egg out of the few they had back then to get the job done. However, she had declined. Its use would destroy him and make him into a slave, and though his stubbornness got on her nerves more than once, she did not want a slave for a husband. And she did not want the proud and noble Prince Kirin to befall such a fate. She had told her father as much, and though he was annoyed, he relented and let her do as she thought was right.
Of course, that was before Bishop's plans entered a critical phase, and before surikomi eggs were in any abundance. All they had available at that time were old surikomi eggs that the Society had gotten their hands on during the last war, and that Saffron the Terrible had left behind in the places of his power. Now, with the Phoenix God a part of her father, surikomi eggs were no longer scarce. Even though the Society was busy using them to gain influence around the world as part of the plan, her father seemed more insistent that she consider it an option when dealing with Kirin.
"Sorry, father..." She whispered the apology. Even if he asked, she wouldn't do it. Despite his faults and idiosyncrasies, Kirin had grown on her, and... and she loved him. Loved him enough to protect him. No: her husband and Prince could be manipulated just as all husbands were, and in so doing, Kirin would one day join her father of his own free will. It was only a matter of time.
Which made her wonder about Kuonji Ukyou.
The Japanese girl, when last they had talked, still wanted to go home, though Lychee had detected more than a little fondness for where she already was. Could it be: was she falling for that Musk Prince? True, Herb was handsome and strong, but he was hardly what Lychee would consider kind and loveable, or even that likeable. Dismissive of women in general, overbearing and arrogant, Herb just didn't seem like her type.
This complicated things. Lychee had suggested to her father that Ukyou could be used against Herb. He had allowed her to proceed with that possible course of action, while at the same time giving those two barbarians Sumac and Taro free reign to plan against the Musk Prince so long as it did not seriously impair the Campaign against the Amazons. Sumac, Lychee knew, was as ruthless and ambitious as her father. She wasn't sure how wise it was trusting him to act on his own... and Taro... Pantyhose Taro was a wild card. His only real allegiance seemed to be with himself.
Still, if everything went well, the Amazons would be smashed, and the entire area would be restructured. Sumac would oversee all the lands of the Amazon and Phoenix, Taro would get whatever he wanted (whatever that was), and Herb would either be broken to their cause or made too impotent to oppose it. Kirin and the Seven Lucky Gods clan would then support the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society as it assumed control over the area, with all its ancient wealth in martial arts, magic, artifacts and knowledge. With that, and the elimination or assimilation of all the powerful martial artists of the world, the Society would have a free hand to infiltrate and control all the major governments on the planet. Her father, now an immortal being, would then rule over all the earth, secretly at first, and then with greater boldness and force.
Then, finally, the world would know peace...
"Lady Lychee?"
"Hmm?" She turned a little, just enough to see a young man approach the railing at the edge of the Airship. His oak-brown hair, and prominent bandanna, immediately identified him as Prince Toma, the 'other' Prince on board the ship. He wasn't in his normal attire, however, as instead of wearing the light blue bandanna she had seen on him before, his present one was all black. He hadn't been his usual talkative self the last few days, and Lychee had little doubt that he was still mourning the death of his friend and bodyguard, Wonton.
"Prince Toma." She gave him a curt bow. "What brings you out here?"
His eyes were half lidded as he looked out into the open sky. Below, the hills were slowly turning to mountains, and above, a flocks of birds seemed to hover, keeping pace with the slowly moving airship. Seeing them, the young Prince took a step back, and in the time it took to bat an eye, draw his sword. Without a word, he motioned upwards with it, and a column of fire lanced out, engulfing the flock.
Which flew out of the flames unharmed.
"Animals never fall for my illusions." He narrowed his eyes. "No matter."
In that instant, he was gone. Lychee looked up, and saw him reappear in midair, among the birds. Before the animals could properly panic and scatter, Toma's sword flashed, and the lot of them, all twelve, disappeared in little explosions of feathers and blood. The next second, Toma disappeared once more. Appearing next to her in a flash, she saw him just finish sheathing his sword.
"Why...?" She started to ask.
"They could have been spies for the Phoenix. Better not to take the risk." He looked out over the railing again, as if nothing had happened. Little feathers and bits of feathers slowly rained down, drifting on invisible air currents like snow. Lychee caught one in her palm that seemed to flutter more erratically than the rest, and saw that it had been cut cleanly down the center.
Toma closed his eyes and sighed. "Did you know... that this is only the second time I've been to the land of my ancestors?"
The first had been when he'd come for Prince Herb's summons, weeks ago, before the plan for war had been decided on. Lychee, however, was unsure what to say to such a question. Seeing his shadowed eyes on her, she suddenly felt nervous. Toma was a Lord of Illusions, and despite his youth, he was a formidable fighter, as she had just witnessed.
"What do you think of it?" She asked, finally.
"This place..." Toma's grip on the railing tightened. "A part of me can feel its allure, its ancient history. I share some of my blood with Herb, and though it does not flow as strongly, it is still part of me. I knew of my bloodline, but never really understood it until I came here. And even then... not until I drew my sword with intent to kill."
Lychee blinked, confused. Why had he paused in his words?
After twenty or so seconds, Tome continued. "I was so... shocked at first. So frightened. Now... now my blood revels in it, and burns with a corrupting fire I had never imagined existed. Within me is a Serpent, dark and evil: a ghost haunting the descendants of Ma'at with promises of power and death. I can see, now, why the Musk Lords ever restrained themselves in the affairs of men."
Toma's left hand clenched into a fist. "If this siren song beats so strongly in my heart... Herb must feel it pulse with his every thought and impulse! Yet... yet... I do not feel he is falling towards the Abyss. How does he control it so easily, while I struggle so? I am unsure whether to admire him, or fear him."
"Perhaps," Lychee suggested. "A little of both?"
"Perhaps." Toma said, voice distant. "I fight here because I gave Herb my word, and my word is my bond. I fight because I want to distinguish myself... made a name for myself. And, maybe, bring Musk and Togenkyou closer together in friendship. I never asked... I never asked why Wonton fought. He simply did, I suppose. I just never... thought to ask."
"Now he's dead." Toma wiped his nose, and stood up straight. No tears, though, which surprised Lychee. Prince Toma had been in isolation for two days after the assault on Phoenix Mountain, only meeting with his surviving bodyguard, Toristan, and Prince Herb, before he set out on his campaign. Before that, on the deck of this very airship, Toma had openly wept over the body of his fallen friend, seemingly ignorant of the arrow shaft imbedded in his arm and refusing to leave Wonton's side.
"He's dead." Toma repeated, his face stony. "And so are at least a hundred and seven other Togenkyou warriors, from horizon to horizon. I thought the view from here might ease my mind, but it seems to have had the opposite effect."
Lychee didn't know what to say, except, "I'm sorry."
He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. "Don't be. You have nothing to feel sorry for. ... Good night, Lady Lychee."
Watching the young man's back as he walked away, Lychee turned again to the view over the railing, seeing more than just the mountains and the sky. "Oh, father..."
***
"Ok. Let's try this again..."
Ranma shook his head at Ryouga's weary tone of voice. "Ok. On three. One... two..."
The pigtailed martial artist lifted the nozzle of the garden hose and splashed his rival. "Three!"
Instantly, Ryouga disappeared and shrunk down amid the spray of cold water, into the body of a little black piglet. Looking wearily down at him, Ranma got the next thermos of hot water ready, and unscrewed the cap. Though it didn't look like it, he and Ryouga were training. Or, more precisely, Ryouga was training, and he was helping.
It was the system they'd developed.
They had decided to train together when it came to normal sparring, without the special techniques. Special techniques and the like were independently worked on, for the most part, but they had agreed to help each other with any special training they might need. It was a little boring, mostly because Ranma wasn't doing anything personally productive, but he knew Ryouga would return the favor if asked.
They were still rivals, but they weren't enemies.
It was an interesting arrangement, and one Ranma was actually rather enjoying. Maybe they were even friends, now. Ryouga had never called Ranma a 'friend' but, really, did you need to call someone a friend for them to be one? It occurred to him that if Ryouga got lost again Nabiki wouldn't be the only person to miss him. He would too.
"Hey, Pig, how ya doin?"
The piglet growled and squealed.
'Probably a curse.' Ranma figured; some porcine equivalent of cross-dresser. Ranma smirked. "Ok. Here comes the hot water. Get ready."
Upending the thermos, Ryouga-pig was showered by the steaming water. In half a second, he was back in his human form, wearing only his boxers. Sitting cross-legged, he sighed. "It's getting easier. Two or three more times, and I'll have it down."
"Cool." Ranma reached for the hose. "How's it feel?"
"Weird." Ryouga nodded sagely. "The hard part was getting the clothes to transform with me in the first place. After that, getting them to reappear was relatively easy. You shouldn't have too much of a problem getting it down."
Ranma 'hmfed.' "If Mousse can do it, I should I hope I could, too. On three?"
"Yep."
Counting to the required number, Ranma hosed Ryouga down once again, and he shrunk into his pig form, taking the boxers with him. That, Mousse had told them before he left, was the trick to changing forms with clothes on. For the Chinese Amazon it had been a relatively easy technique to pick up, because of his background in Hidden Weapons. It was for that same reason that both had decided to let Ryouga have a try at it first. Aside from having a more embarrassing curse, which, when triggered, usually meant he lost his clothes, Ryouga also had more experience with hidden weapons. Though it was a different variety than that which Mousse had mastered.
Ryouga had already made good progress. They'd been at it for the last hour and a half, and already he could transform without losing his boxer shorts. This, apparently, was enough for the lost boy. His regular clothes were already Ki treated, using the Tekimen Kongou Gishu technique, and the lost boy suspected that the Instant Diamond Hand would make them much more difficult to transform with. When Ranma asked why, he had reminded him that the clothes react to impacts, especially piercing ones, using infused Ki to stiffen in response. He was afraid they'd react negatively with what they were trying with regular clothes, and wasn't willing to risk it.
It was still a handy ability to have, though Ranma knew Ryouga was more interested in it than he was. Ranma had very rarely found himself for want of clothes due to his curse. Still, once or twice Ranma had wished he'd be able to quickly move out of a girl-disguise clothes and into something more fitting his real body, if only to avoid embarrassment. But there was little need to master it, at least not at this point in time.
Then, just as he was about finished unscrewing another hot water thermos, his martial artist's warning sense went off. 'Danger!'
"Ranma..." Akane called, walking towards where they were practicing. "Would you like some tea and cherry-blossom mochi?"
Leaping up and away, his head was intercepted by one of the dozen or so unused concrete blocks by the side of the house. Falling back to earth, Ranma crossed his arms and frowned, landing on both feet. Touching the bump on his head, he gave Akane a bitter look. Walking up to her, he picked up one of the mochi balls from the tray.
It was a cruel, deformed creature.
"This is cherry-blossom mochi?" He looked at it dejectedly, and Akane nodded happily. "It looks more like a mashed potato."
Ryouga-pig winced, but walked over to the two as they sat down. 'Real smooth, dumbass. Why is he always making fun of Akane's cooking?'
Sniffing it, Ranma rubbed the second bump on his poor abused skull. "Are you sure this is cherry-blossom mochi? This one smells like a month old burrito."
A second later, Ranma was nursing yet another bump on the head.
"Of course it's cherry-blossom mochi!" Akane shook her fist angrily. "I made it myself!"
"That much is obvious..." Ranma whispered.
"Just eat one, Ranma!" Akane yelled, a hint of desperation in her voice.
Ranma looked down at the miserable little foodstuff, and seemed about to take a little nibble, when...
"What have we here?" Kuno exploded onto the scene, and landed behind them with a flourish and a flick of his wavy hair. "Ah, cherry-blossom mochi sculpted by the lovely hands of Tendo Akane! Such a treat alone could divert me from my courtship of the pigtailed girl, whose mother I have heard, now resides within these humble walls!"
"Oh, great..." Ranma groaned.
Ryouga-pig snorted in disapproval. 'Nabiki...'
Tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks, Kuno lunged for the tray of mochi. "Such a treat is fit only for..."
Abruptly, the kendoist's throat seized up, and he fell forward limply landing on all fours. Slamming his head with the palm of his hand, in obvious pain, Kuno writhed for all of fifteen seconds before standing back up, fist clenched... and a big black X on his face.
"Tendo Akane..." He proclaimed, proudly. "I would endure any agony for you!!"
"What the...?" Ranma narrowed his eyes, looking more closely at the mark on Kuno's face. In the next second, Kuno jumped towards his one-of-two true loves and was promptly punted over the wall. Calming down slightly, Akane took a deep breath and sat down again. Noticing Ranma's glare, she relented.
"Alright. I'll tell you everything." Akane quickly composed her thoughts, and proceeded to tell Ranma and Ryouga about how she had ran into the old man who had sold her the things, explaining that they would mark incompatible people with an X and compatible people with cherry blossom outlines. At the end of it all, Ranma waved his hand dismissingly.
"What a waste of money."
"I just wanted to see if, you know..." Akane's thumbs tapped each other nervously. "I mean: we're engaged because of our parents. I was just curious about whether... if..."
"Yeah, well, I ain't interested!" Ranma barked back, defensive.
Akane growled. "Why not?"
"Because..." Ranma looked down at the malformed mochi still in his right hand. "Because I'm scared. Not because I believe this stupid stuff works... but because..."
"Because?" Akane pressured.
"Because its gross!"
Bump number four.
"Fine!" Akane hissed, really angry now. She spied Ryouga-pig sitting down on his haunches, nearby. "You don't think my cooking is bad, do you, Ryouga?"
The pig shook his head.
"Well, Ryouga ain't never eaten any, so he doesn't know how dangerous..." Ranma winced, barely avoiding getting blow number five to the noggin.
'I know it can't be Ryouga. And if Ryouga eats one, Ranma will have to.' Akane thought as she handed him one of the mochi balls, and the pig ate it in one bite. For a split second, the piglet's body froze up, his eyes wide. Then, tears welling up, the pig formerly known as P-chan let out a loud squeal, and ran around in erratic circles before hitting a wall and collapsing completely.
"I told you." Ranma shook his head. "Man, I feel sorry for the guy, now. He had no idea what he was getting into."
Akane just scowled. "Shut up, Ranma! At least he was man enough to eat one! What would your mother think?"
"She'd think: 'Don't poison my only son!' That's what she'd think!"
"Why you...!"
"Ugh..." Ryouga's voice interrupted the two, and they saw that the lost boy had recovered enough to splash himself with the thermos Ranma had last unscrewed. "Such exquisite agony..."
"Ryouga?" Akane watched him closely. He was still looking down at the ground and holding his face in one hand. "Was it that bad?"
"Errg graaa..." He slowly stood up, shaking his head. "K... keep practicing, Akane-san... There was just... a little... too much sea salt..."
...
"Guys?" Ryouga looked at the two teens. Akane and Ranma were just staring at him. "What? Oh! I've probably got an X, right?"
"N... no..." Ranma shook his head. "Cherry blossom petals..."
"What?" Ryouga frowned. "Don't play games with me, Saotome..."
"It's true!" Akane gasped. "I don't believe it! You're the man I'm destined to be with?!"
***
Furinkan High School.
"I hate summer classes!"
"I know, Kurumi-chan... but we have to go to school." Natsume explained, patiently, as they walked out of the building. "We have to make up for lost time, or we'll never be worthy of inheriting the Tendo Dojo."
Kurumi's shoulders slumped. "I know..."
"Hey! You! Are you two Natsume and Kurumi Tendo?"
The two sisters looked up, and saw someone standing in the large tree near the school gate. Jumping down, they saw he was a tall boy, taller than Ranma and Ryouga and probably Kuno, too. He looked at least Natsume's age, with a white headband, dark sleeveless shirt, gloves and matching military pants and belt holding numerous pouches. He also had what seemed to be a collar around his neck. Laced up black boots took measured steps toward them, and both girls began to feel his battle aura flare up around them.
"Who wants to know?" Natsume asked, summoning her courage, and her own formidable fighting spirit to her defense.
"Yeah?!" Kurumi piped in, taking up a fighting stance and reaching for her ribbon/bow.
"Natsume and Kurumi Tendo... of the Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu..." The man smiled. "You two aren't real Tendos, so there shouldn't be a problem using you as bait."
"Not 'real' Tendos? What are you talking about?!" Natsume drew her rug beater, spinning it once before pointing at him. Her body began to glow dangerously, ice blue energy coalescing around her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Kumon Ryu." He stopped walking, and crossed his arms in front of him. "Remember it!!"
"He's going to attack!" Natsume called to her sister. "Kurumi! Quick! Musabetsu Kakutou Hiryu Carimbou!!"
With lightning quick reflexes and teamwork that could only come from years of training together, Natsume and Kurumi unleashed their final attack. Since the last fight they'd had with Ranma and Akane (only later discovering that the girl was, in fact, Ranma), the two sisters had trained to improve their attack - to make it stronger, more cohesive, faster... The version they unleashed now wasn't at full power, but it was comparable to the old 'full power' version they had used against Ranma in the fight for the Dojo.
Their opponent just laughed as the attack smashed into his body, sending him flying back into the concrete wall encircling the school. The resulting crash blew away the embankment for over twenty feet, throwing dust and bits of stone everywhere. A moment later, the tree nearby snapped from the wind pressure and the strength of the attack at its periphery. It fell to the ground in a heap.
"We got him!" Kurumi jumped, pumping her fist in the air. "We showed him!"
"Indeed." Natsume then looked more closely at the rubble, where a figure was still on his feet. Taking a few steps forward, and out of the cloud of dust, Kumon Ryu snickered softly.
"A few days ago..." he said, loud enough for the girls to hear. "That would've broken one of my ribs. Kudos. You've earned this..." Crossing his arms again, Ryu's Ki built up dramatically, his battle aura blazing like a living wildfire. "Kijin Raishu Dan!!"
Mere seconds later, Kumon Ryu walked away with the two girls over his shoulder... and Furinkan High School burning at his back.
Author's Notes:
Thus ends chapter 30! Holy smoke! Hard to believe I've written all this and gotten this far. I write the very first version of "Learning Curve" as a mere one-shot, only fifty pages long. The first half of the first half was almost all Ranma-Ryouga, but I think I've done a good job of diversifying and giving other characters a chance to show their stuff. It's been an ordeal sometimes, and a real joy almost all the time, all tempered by amazement. Thirty! Damn.
What's up for the next fifteen chapters? Lemme see: In Japan, we've got those damn mochi screwing with the nice comfortable relationships, Shinnosuke dying without the Water of Life, not to mention the menace of a ruthless, pumped-up new Kumon Ryu doing the will of the Jyusenkyou Preservation Society hit men. Then there's the rising infiltration of that group into governments across the world... Plus more... In China, the war continues, and reached the boiling point as Herb and his forces drive towards the Joketsuzoku village itself. Not to mention the manipulations of Sumac and Soap, and their respective power plays! Then there's Shampoo and Mousse's less-than-healthy situation, and wildcards like the Jyusenkyou Guide, Rouge, and Taro...
This story is far from over! I better get writing...