Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Lucky Gods and Elephant Troubles ( Chapter 89 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

"What's that?" asked Ro-Mano (or Romeo, as she was having trouble getting used to the adopted nickname which the Demoness had given her) as she stirred on the bedding that she shared with her beloved.

"What was what?" replied Ju-Lan (or Julian, same story as with the other name), half-sleepy.

"I heard voices coming from downstairs," Romeo frowned, slipping from the covers with the gracefulness of a lithe panther.

"So?" Julian replied, content to watch her with half-lidded eyes, admiring the sinuous curve and supple turn of his girlfriend's well-toned body.

Romeo spared a fond smile in his direction. Julian, for all his many charms and strengths, did not have the benefit of her warrior training, being only moderately competent at self-defense, which was the whole reason he had been downgraded to farmer status by his Elder. He did not share her paranoia and native cautiousness towards any and all disturbances in her environment, and things were still a bit too strange for her to feel comfortable, even granted that the bed was a lot softer than her own hard mat back in their village. Little things still tended to bother her on the level of an unknown, potential danger.

"I'm going to have a look downstairs," she said, moving to gather up her shirt and pants, dressing as smoothly as it would take a normal person to cross three steps to the door (another novel concept) that afforded them privacy in the chamber they had jointly selected as their living quarters.

Julian sat up, the bedsheets sliding away to reveal his youthful frame, hardened by the intense labor of the fields, partially revealed in the faint light that filtered in through the shaded skylight as he said to her in a low whisper, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No," she rather enjoyed his crestfallen expression, though in truth she was gratified that he had answered. Julian might not be a warrior, but he was certainly no coward. Unfortunately he was only moderately good in a fight, and certainly not good enough to stand up to a warrior of her caliber…which was something she rather counted on when it came to giving him a good tumble.

Romeo slipped out onto the balcony-like overhang that overlooked the main artist's studio and peered down at the main galley, where she found the Demoness talking to a pair of strangers while a young girl who was also unfamiliar sat near the Demoness's side, all seated on chairs rather than the Japanese custom of kneeling. Ganglot was leaning back with her feet propped up on a footstool, calmly sipping from a cup of hot tea with a relaxed and care-free manner that reminded the Amazon rather much of a contented Snow Leopard who was not immediately hungry but could change its mind at any moment.

The man and the woman did not seem quite so relaxed as they regarded her, the man particularly looking edgy while the woman retained enough calm not to betray her emotions. Clearly that one had the heart of an Amazon, while her man was rightfully submissive in his dealings with her, always quick to differ on any point of his that she contradicted. The younger girl was a very different study in contrasts, both tense and ready while curiously eager and expectant, rather like a young warrior hanging attentively on the words of an Elder seeking to gain greater wisdom. From the close proximity she shared with the Demoness it was clear that Ganglot counted the girl as someone to be trusted.

"…Now isn't this more pleasant than anything confrontational that you might have been expecting?" the Demoness chatted in her usual pleasant, melodious voice, "I'm not such a bad sort when you get to know me better, Sidney."

"Ah…you're probably right on that," the beautiful woman with the oddly foreign accent remarked, "But I kind of wonder why you chose to reveal yourself to us that way. If you can make convincing illusions like that…"

"I might have appeared to you as old and toothless, as your assistant implied? " Ganglot nodded the man.

"Ah…" that worthy responded hesitantly, "What I meant to say was that anyone normal…er, not that you're abnormal, of course-but what I mean to say is that you…really don't look a thing like what I expected."

"What a charming boy," Ganglot nodded to Sidney, "I can see why you're rather fond of him."

The man-obviously a Foreign-born type with Occidental features-blinked his eyes, glanced at the woman beside him and said, "You are?"

"Nigel and I are partners…in a sense," the woman noted, "But I don't think of him…that way."

"Oh," the one called Nigel sat back, obviously deflated.

"Is that so?" Ganglot gave them a knowing smirk but chose not to pursue the issue, "It is a shame that such a lovely thing as you has no steady romantic interests in your life. Is it a matter of time and opportunity, or are you just too busy to concern yourself with such issues."

"How about…it's none of your business?" the woman replied, "No offense intended, of course."

"And none taken," Ganglot said easily, "Still it is a shame, all that beauty going to waste. Still, in your chosen profession romantic entanglements would probably be a nuisance. Falling in love can be such a life-altering thing, just as it was for me when I met my darling husband," she sighed, "He was truly a most extraordinary man, and I miss him to this day though it has been close to three hundred years since I lost him…at least to this plane of mortal existence."

"Excuse me," Nigel raised a hand, "Not that I want to belabor the point or anything, but I'm finding it a bit odd to think that you are THE actual Ganglot that we've read about in legend. I mean…not that you aren't a pleasant hostess or anything, but if you were actually her…you would have to be…?"

"Thousands of years old?" the Demoness smiled, "I watch what I eat, stick to polyunsaturated fats and I don't drink or smoke to excess. I also try and exercise regularly, and I have an amazing health and dental plan that comes with the job of being a Wish Oni."

"A what?" the woman-Sidney was it?-eyed the Demoness oddly.

"I grant wishes to Mortals who enter into contract with me to procure my services," Ganglot revealed, "It can be rather a bit of a full-time job, but currently I've been enjoying an off season. There are so many needs you mortals have that granting you exactly what you most need or desire can be a bit of a challenge, and there are always these unintended side effects that so often need sorting out. I don't mind telling you that I have my work cut out for me working in this town…so many lives that need repairing…" she shook her head with a sigh, "And then there are the concerns of my family that I must needs look after."

"Ah…" the child finally spoke up, "I just want to get this straight for the record…you're a good Oni, not a bad Oni? But…I thought all Onis only worked evil?"

"Not necessarily," Ganglot cautioned, "You can't judge just simply on the basis of what those stuffy old Priests always say about us, Great-Grandchild. We Oni are no better nor worse than the kami who oppose us and favor the Priesthood. Oh sure, many of my relatives can be nasty, brutish thugs and all that, but what family doesn't have it's share of problems? I try to make up for it by being the type of Oni that people can rely on in a crisis. Besides which, you have Oni blood in you as well, and I certainly don't see you as being evil."

"This does take a bit of a mental adjustment," Nigel admitted.

"Is that why you chose to reveal yourself to us, to make us believe that you're the exception to the normal rule about Onis?" the woman named Sidney questioned in a cautious manner.

"I leave it to you to judge for yourself if I am a Good Oni or a Bad Oni," Ganglot replied, "It seemed the best way at the time of convincing you that I am indeed the child's great grandmother and can be trusted to look after Ryo-chan's welfare as her legal guardian and clan Matriarch. I prefer dealing openly with my charges…much less bother and hassle than trying to conceal the truth from mortal perceptions and all that. A simple demonstration of my powers was intended to impress on you that I could be a very nasty sort if crossed, but would prefer to count the both of you as potential allies."

"What makes you think we would want to ally with the likes of you?" Sidney asked her.

"No particular reason," Ganglot shrugged, "But you are in the antiquities business, a very rare and exotic world of obtaining relics that can be displayed in public museums, or finding lost valuables for the price of a donation to your favorite charities. I could be useful to you in both capacities, or you could be useful to me should I have need any of any number of lost treasures that I know about but have been so far unable to locate. My knowledge of the past is extensive, and when it comes to arcane lore…well, you are looking at the living source of many a historical wonder."

"She's got a point, Sid," Nigel noted to the Professor, "It might be better to have someone like her on our side instead of against us."

"Maybe," Sidney continued to give the demoness a wary regard, "But how do we know that we can trust you?"

"You don't," Ganglot answered, "Trust must be earned if it is to have any value. It is my hope that I will be able to earn your trust over time, just as I know you can be trusted to keep your word as long as it does not conflict with your conscience."

"You seem to know a lot about me," Sidney frowned slightly.

"I know what I need to know," Ganglot smiled enigmatically, "But you did bring me my lost great granddaughter, and for that I am in your debt. In exchange for this favor I will give you the clue to finding one of the lost treasures of antiquity that you have longed to find and put into a museum. Obtaining it is up to you, but in addition to the information I am prepared to pay your travel costs and helping you clear customs, plus the added fare for getting back home when it is all over."

"That's very generous," Nigel said, "But I'm still not convinced leaving Ryomi with you is such a good idea…"

"Me neither," Sidney frowned, "And buying us off with a few trinkets is no way of insuring friendship."

"I will not take offense that you harbor these suspicions regarding me," Ganglot replied, "But I think the ultimate decision must belong with Ryomi. We Oni are strong enthusiasts on the concept of Free Will, and since it is the child's fate we are deciding, I think it better if we consult with her over whom she would be best served in staying. Ryo-chan, I will not fault you if I make you uneasy, but I alone know how to reunite you with the rest of our family, including your mother, my granddaughter. If you would rather stay with her, then I will understand this."

"Mom's alive?" Ryomi jumped on the promise that had been made to her earlier, "You really know where she is? Tell me!"

"In good time," Ganglot replied to the child's eager expression, "Atsuko-chan has been very worried over you since you wandered away from the camp where she was busy training your older brother. Being that you all share an acute problem in finding your way to any given destination."

"Why is that…er…if you don't mind my asking?" Nigel asked with a note of caution in his voice.

"It doesn't come from me," Ganglot shrugged, "At least not directly. Rather it is to my son whom you must look for the legend of the Hibikis. He's wandered the world many times over having many strange encounters while acting in a way consistent with his being the heroic type, and in the course of his travels he has affected many lives for good or ill, not least of whom was a certain gypsy witch, who placed a curse on him…one of many under which he currently suffers."

"So the legends of the wandering Hibiki are true?" Nigel wondered, "He truly was cursed to wander the world, never to rest through all eternity?"

"Actually it was more like, 'Why don't you watch where you're going, you big oaf?'" the Demoness mimicked in a surprisingly good imitation of someone very old and bad tempered, "But actually it was more the way she put it that affected my son's fundamental sense of direction…something like, 'May you be cursed to never find your way,' which of course is why he always turns left when he means right and goes backward instead of forward. Give him a maze and he can negotiate his way through it very time, but tell him to cross the room to the opposite end and he will wander aimlessly in circles. It's a rather nasty curse…more like a wish cast on him with the aid of one of my former associates at the Rival Relief office, a particularly nasty creature who goes by the name of Mraller."

"That must make it pretty hard on him," Sidney reasoned, "Always wandering, never at home in any one place."

"It would be," Ganglot said a bit sadly, "But for another, more terrible curse cast upon him, one that he picked up in the forests of Ruenza, the curse of forgetfulness and periodic amnesia. My son can't remember things for much longer than a minute, he tends to blank out all but the most general of details and would even forget his own name if people weren't always shouting it to him. Of course the fact that he inherited his Oni strength and resiliency from me is what has kept him alive all of these years, and nature endowed my son with an indomitable charisma that makes him all but irresistible to most women, including my daughter-in-law, your evil grandmother, Cybelle the Demi-Dryad."

"Cybelle?" Nigel swallowed, "You mean…like the Mesopotamian goddess whose followers used to cut off their…" he crossed his legs with special meaning.

"We ran across a nest of her followers a while ago while looking for an enchanted harp," Sidney noted, "Nigel…well, let's just say he almost wound up singing soprano when they captured him and tied him down to their altar…"

"SIDNEY!" Nigel raised his voice in protest, "Do you mind? Some things are intensely personal…"

"My daughter-in-law is indeed related to those selfsame cultists," Ganglot revealed, "And she is a nasty sort who has adapted well over the centuries. In fact she is currently indulging in the wonders of modern technology in pursuit of world domination. You would do well to avoid her in the future, she can be truly menacing when she has an urge to get melodramatic."

"Ruling the world?" Sidney asked, "Is that what you're ultimately after?"

"Abyss no," Ganglot chuckled, "Why would I want to rule the entire world? Too much overhead, and can you imagine the paperwork? No, I'd rather just have a market share, something comfortable to tide myself over well into my declining years…although, now that you mention it, if I did rule over everything then you can believe that I would make quite a few changes from the way the current system is managed (to use a loose euphemism) by Kami-sama."

"How so?" Sidney asked.

"Well, for one thing, there would be a lot more nude beaches," Ganglot grinned, "And not so much stuffy rigmarole about self-denial in religion. I'd want people to have fun, to enjoy life a lot more, and to take better care of each other. You know, it truly is a shocking waste of human potential that you all but throw away a good third of your entire population, branding them as useless to society…the poor, the sick, the mad, the underprivileged, the slow of wit, those born to bad families…" she shook her head sadly, "Of course I'm not the one calling the shots, or else you can very well believe that I would put a stop to the deplorable Japanese practice of whale hunting."

"Wow," Ryomi sounded impressed, "You don't sound like any evil Oni I've ver read about, Great Gramma."

"Thank you dear," Ganglot relaxed, "I really shouldn't get up on the soap box like that…it just isn't my style to be all lofty and pretentious."

"Well…" Sidney paused before continuing, "You sure make a convincing case for yourself as an altruistic Oni…"

"I like humanity very much," Ganglot replied, "You people are such fascinating creatures, and so very unpredictable, which is why I would hate to see my daughter-in-law's plans for you achieve ultimate fruition. If she had her way things would be a lot more boring and predictable with everyone carded, stamped, numbered, briefed, debriefed, and indexed. None of that for me! I am not just some statistic, I am a free and self-willed Oni!"

"Sid," Nigel asked of his senior partner, "You think maybe it would be all right to leave Ryomi here? I don't think she intends to harm her own flesh and blood…"

"Maybe," Sidney turned to regard the demoness, "We do have to get back to the States as soon as possible, and if you really are the child's natural grandparent…great-grandparent… whatever…then I suppose you would know what was best for her, especially if you can unite her with her mother."

"As I said before," Ganglot noted gravely, "The choice must belong to Ryomi. What about it, Child?" she turned to regard the younger girl, "Will you trust me to do what is best? I give my word that I will protect you from harm and see you safely into your mother's loving arms. Your ten year long odyssey will be at an end and a new chapter in both of your lives will be written. You'll no longer have to live like a modern-day Ulysses and we can all be a family again, or as close to a 'normal' family as we've ever been. Just keep in mind…it is your decision."

"Ah…well…" Ryomi turned to Sidney and Nigel, "No offense to you guys, and it has been fun, but…if there's even a chance that Grammy's on the level here…I gotta take it."

"All right," Sidney sighed, "If that's what you want, then we won't try to stop you."

"But you will write if anything untowards should happen?" Nigel asked.

"I'll even pay for the call myself," Ganglot smiled, then ruffled the dark brown hair of her great granddaughter, "You won't regret this, Ryo-chan, I promise you that. We're going to have so much fun together, you and I…and won't your mother be so pleased to see what a big girl you've gotten to be all on your own?"

"Ah…well…" Ryomi put a hand behind the back of her head and made an odd chuckling noise, completely unaware of her resemblance to someone else for whom this gesture was second nature.

"So," Julian startled Romeo, who had been so intent on eavesdropping that she had not noticed him coming up to join her, "Looks like we've got another tenant."

"She does seem to draw in the strays," Romeo noted, and together the two Amazons exchanged looks before silently turning about and returning to their still-warm bed to continue their process of getting more "domesticated…"

"Hey, Senpai, wait up!" Makoto called out, surprising Ukyo as she was not expecting to meet her on the Furinkan High School campus.

"Mako-chan?" Ukyo-kun turned to see the tall girl striding across the schoolyard, "What are you doing here? I thought you had classes in Jubaan?"

"We were having a field trip today and I kind of skipped out on the rest of my class," Makoto smiled as she came up alongside the now-male chef, grinning broadly, "I have to be back before they take a head count, and I stand out pretty much in a crowd, but I wanted to come see you and offer you lunch. It's not okonomiyaki, but I'm sure you'll agree it's delicious."

"Oh…ah…" Ukyo was caught at a loss as Makoto handed her a bento box, "Sure…that's awfully thoughtful of you, Mako-chan, but I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble…"

"Ah, it's no problem at all," the tall girl waved a hand dismissively, "Besides, I'm thinking about taking a temporary transfer and enrolling here for the rest of the semester…that is, if you accept my proposal."

"Say what?" Ukyo's eyes widened appreciably.

"I mean about going to work for you, silly," Makoto patted the nervous chef on the shoulder in a seemingly "innocent" manner, "I wouldn't want to put pressure on you by rushing things… although, now that I think about it, it's awfully convenient that you're legally registered as a guy …kinda makes it easy, if you know what I mean…"

"Hah?" Ukyo responded.

"You know…" Makoto lowered her eyelashes and scuffed one foot while blushing in a pretty manner that made her seem like a perfectly normal girl with a serious crush, which raised more than a few eyebrows from certain members of the female half of the School population.

"Look at that overgrown cow flirt with our Ucchan!" complained an irate Cheerleader as she frowned in their direction, "Hey Ai, are we gonna let her get away with that? She's poaching on our territory!"

"Yeah," Mariko added, "And trying to grab the prize male catch of our school at that."

"That Kino girl needs to be taught her place," Ai nodded in agreement with her team mates, "Imagine the nerve of playing hooky just to try and catch his interest."

"Yeah," Kyoko frowned, then looked at the others sitting with hear eating lunch, "How come none of us ever thought about giving him our lunches?"

"Maybe because none of us can cook a decent okonomiyaki to save our lives," Mariko sighed, "It's just not fair…"

"Ah…" the fifth member of their team spoke up, "Is anybody here besides me worried about what's gonna happen when Akane sees this?"

"Oboy," the first speaker winced, "There's gonna be trouble…"

As these four girls were saying this, Ai turned her head and said, "Well now…scan to the left, girls…do you see what I see?"

"Yeah?" Mariko turned to follow her sister's line of sight, "It's Saotome…what about him?"

"Aside from the fact that he's one of the other prime catches of our fair school?" Ai replied, "What a shame he wastes his affections on that Cold Fish, Nabiki, and that top-heavy Chinese Bimbo. What does he see in those two?"

"Nice boobs?" Kyoto replied, then once again received the bland-eyed stare of her team-mates, "What? It's not like I don't notice…"

"Not question about it," Mariko mused, "She's definitely been hanging around you too much, little sister."

"Bite me," Ai replied sweetly.

"Already did," Mariko remarked with a slightly ironic expression as the two sisters briefly shared a nervous glance in the other's direction.

Ranma was not aware of any of this, of course, having his eyes focused squarely on the true objects of his affections, and using what nerves he had to keep from turning around and retreating. His mouth was dry and his palms were sweaty as he tried to keep the words in mind that he was going to say the previous day at this selfsame very hour. The ring boxes felt unusually heavy in his pockets as he successfully crossed he yard without incidence, then paused before the two girls, who turned to look up at him with expectant expressions.

"Ranma?" Nabiki asked, "What's up?"

"Ah…" his mind went blank, his carefully rehearsed speech turning to liquid in his thoughts.

"Is Ranma okay?" Shampoo asked, "Why Airen so nervous?"

"I…ah…got something to say," Ranma tried to get the words out, "It's important, okay? I…I've been doing a lot of thinking…"

"What?" Nabiki's face drained of color and Shampoo just looked bewildered.

"Look…" Ranma gulped, "You two are the best, and you've been swell to me all this time, and I…I gotta say something…and it ain't easy…"

"No…" Nabiki looked away, "I-I don't want to hear this…"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "What are you talking about?"

Nabiki stood up so fast that her bento box spilled to one side, "Look, I got things to do, so we can talk about this later…"

"What?" Ranma realized that his script was not being followed to the letter, "What do you mean later? I gotta do this now!"

"Why?" Nabiki turned a hard, flinty glare in his direction and seemed genuinely angry about something, "So you can say 'We'll always be friends,' Saotome? Is that your idea of talking?"

"What the heck are you going on about?" Ranma blinked, "Why are you getting so mad at me all of a sudden? I just wanna ask you two a question!"

"And it can't wait, huh?" Nabiki looked as if she were going to be sick to her stomach.

"No way," Ranma insisted, "I'm gonna say this and I'm gonna say this right and wild elephants aren't gonna stop me…"

"Huh?" Nabiki turned to look at him, confusion replacing her sudden wave of nauseous anger, but before Ranma could continue there was a loud CRASH-ing noise that caused everyone's attention to shift at a ninety-degree angle horizontal.

"Oh for crying out loud," groaned Ranma at this latest interruption.

Akane was coming back from guiding Ryoga to the public rest rooms and was the first to see the phenomenon that had just demolished one portion of the school wall, "Hey, what is that?" she asked, her voice all but drowned out under the exclamation and shouting that filled the air for the next several seconds.

"I don't know," Ryoga replied, having heard Akane in spite of the shouting "It looks like some kind of large, dark cloud…and it's coming this way!"

Akane tracked the huge dark object as it surged forward and immediately saw who was standing in its direction, "It's headed towards my sister! We've gotta stop it!"

"Yeah," Ryoga agreed, "But…how…?"

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

That stupid baka of a boyfriend of mine…it figures he couldn't even propose to me in a perfectly normal manner! Not that I'm complaining about the way things turned out, but giving me a fright like that, making me think-even if for only a few seconds-that he was about to break up with me and Shampoo… words just fail me!

Not that it really was Ranma's fault that I got that fool notion into my head. I guess from the very start of our relationship I've been walking around waiting for the other shoe to drop, as if expecting somebody was going to produce this giant pin to pop my bubble. Let's face it, I'm not used to being this happy, and for all the headaches I've gone through over this fiancé business, I've gotten closer to Ranma than I've ever been to anybody else except my mother (and Shampoo, of course, but that's a different kind of romantic story).

I don't know why being happy should still seem so strange to me. I was pretty happy before any of this happened…or at least that's what I tell myself some days when I can pretend that I don't know any better. Loneliness was more like it, but I was used to that and I could keep most people at arm's length and not have to worry too much about it. I had Kasumi to do the mother thing for me, but it's not the same when it's your sister, and as for Akane…well…we got along most of the time, but you know how middle and little sisters can get sometimes. I'd exploit her, make money off of her, make snide insults about her femininity and her cooking, and she'd go on to become the most popular girl in our school, making me feel jealous even when I said I wasn't.

Okay, enough reminiscing on that. I'm digging myself into a hole here reliving that awful moment when I thought Ranma was gonna break up with me, by which I mean rip my heart out of my chest with a shovel. What a lot of paranoid BS on my part that proved to be, considering the real reason he was acting so skittish.

And like I say, he couldn't even do it in a normal fashion…but then again how do I hold what happened over his head considering everything he went through for my sake? If it wasn't for him and Shampoo…well…I don't know what I would have done! But I'm getting ahead of things, as usual, when I should be telling this weird story from the beginning…

Okay, like I said before, this huge THING goes plowing through a wall, big as a house with a really black aura that was so impenetrable that even my vaunted Lore Master senses couldn't penetrate the thing. All we could see were a pair of red-glowing, malevolent eyes, eyes that radiated pure hostility, the sort of thing you get when you piss something off real bad and it comes lurching out of Hell to register its protest.

Think I'm exaggerating? You try being in the center of that thing's focus! Of course it was heading straight for Ranma with deliberate intention, Shampoo and me just winding up in the collateral periphery of its cone of blazing anger. Ranma naturally thought he was protecting me by scooping me up into his arms and jumping out of the way, just seconds before the thing goes plowing into my favorite shade tree and reducing it to a pile of toothpicks.

"What is that thing?" Ranma asked as the dark blob reoriented in our direction.

"Is after us," Shampoo said with a wonderful grasp of the audience, bless her well-padded hide as she was also seeking to offer me protection with her body.

The rest of our fair classmates scattered like extras in a Giant Monster movie, but we found ourselves suddenly flanked by Akane, Ryoga, Ukyo and (don't ask me how she got there) Makoto! They interposed themselves in the path of the creature, and Ryoga-nice boy that he is-had his ever-trusty umbrella in hand, while Kuonji was flashing her Spatula of Justice.

"Get back, Ranchan!" Ukyo-kun called, looking strangely manly as if the role came with the package his curse had provided.

"Get Nabiki out of here!" Akane ordered with fists raised at the charging blob.

"I'll handle this!" Ryoga announced as he bravely-and stupidly-charged the thing with his umbrella thrusting forward. Something happened, a movement within the darkness, and the lost boy was batted away like a leaf by a fly swatter.

"Uh oh," Makoto responded, "What do we do now, Senpai?"

"Ah…" Ukyo-kun seemed to seriously think about it.

"Running sound like good idea," Shampoo volunteered.

"Got that right," Ranma hefted me up and cried, "SAOTOME SPECIAL MANEUVER!"

And with that we beat feet hastily out of there, another beautiful school day spoiled on account of the bizarreness' that comes with living in Nerima…

Naomi slammed onto the floor of the dojo and lay stunned for several seconds, wondering how it was that she was getting thrown around like the proverbial rag doll. She waited until the room stopped spinning before getting up, then turned to regard her current tormentor, who was smiling back at her with utter serenity in her expression.

"Had enough yet?" this woman who called herself Silk asked politely, her very at-eased posture infuriating Naomi to no end.

With a rude noise Naomi forced herself back to her feet and turned to regard the other woman, angry enough to spit nails but tempering her impulses this time as she sought to analyze why she had so far been unable to score a point against her.

She's faster than she looks, Naomi reasoned, and so much more limber and flexible than me. I rate as a Fourth Dan in Shotokan Karate, but she's never where I expect her to be…almost like she's anticipating my moves and reading them before I've even committed.

Aloud what Naomi said was, "You're good…but what is it about this 'Anything Goes' school that makes you different from other systems?"

"For one thing," Silk replied, "The Musubetsu Kakuto Ryu is more flexible and adaptable than other traditional schools, having a less formal and structured style that allows one to combine different aspects of rival systems into a more integrated whole. The Tendo school, represented by Soun-chan, is the Land Based system that uses the strength of an opponent against themselves, while the Saotome School, represented by Genma-san over there, is the Sky school of Aerial style attacks. I know both systems, of course, having studied alongside these two gentlemen in the course of our mutual association."

"Amazing," Yumi noted in a low voice as she watched these exchanges, "She managed to say that without calling him 'That Fat Tub of Lard over There…' in fact she was almost civil."

"Why don't you shut up?" Comb growled in low undertone, her eyes on Naomi as she was marking the woman's style with critical attention to details of movement and posture.

"Then I take it you are not the lady of the house?" Naomi was asking as she studied the other woman for openings, finding nothing that could immediately be exploited.

"By no means," Silk sighed, "But not for lack of wanting. Soun-chan's late wife just happens to have resembled me, but I have high hopes for the future, should Soun-chan be willing…"

"Eh?" the man in question asked, arching an eyebrow as he caught the wistful note at the end of the Lore Master's comment.

"Oh, touched a nerve have we?" Yumi was murmuring to Comb, "You know, it has never ceased to amaze me how you and the Oni can go all weak in the knees over that overstuff panda…"

"I seem to recall that a short while ago you were doing pretty much the same," Comb sniped back in an even tone of voice.

"I was drugged and bewitched," Yumi's eyebrow twitched, "It doesn't count."

"That's why I haven't pounded your face into the ground over the issue," Comb said softly, "As far as I'm concerned it's a closed subject."

"Like you and Nodoka?" Yumi asked, then smiled when Comb refused to answer.

"Let me see if I have this right," Naomi noted as she began to circle her Chinese opponent looking for the least moment of hesitation, "You had a child by Tendo Soun before he was married, born illegitimately in your native country, and she looks identical to the oldest daughter born to your former rival? That's a stunning run of seeming coincidences, don't you think?"

"My grandmother is always telling me that there are no true coincidences," Silk noted without giving the other woman the opening for which she was looking, "Like you're being here…I'm sure that there must be a reason behind even the most trivial of gestures."

"Eh?" it was Naomi's turn to be surprised as Silk moved before the business woman could shift from attack to defense to counter, and all at once she went flying across the room to land in a rolling heap near the far end of the dojo.

"Why don't we take a small break to catch our mutual breath, eh Nakamura-san?" Silk offered by way of an olive branch, "Let the boys have their fun while, then we can renew things as soon as you are ready."

"Man," Kento winced, "That lady is brutal."

"Like a pillow wrapped around a gold brick," Genma agreed, then sighed as he heaved himself to his feet, "Well, you wanted a workout, and as long as you're paying, I see no reason not to oblige you."

"Thanks, Saotome-san," Kento grinned as he also got to his feet, "I'll consider this both an honor and a personal favor, and I'm sure you'll give me my money's worth."

"We'll see," Genma smiled with a soft smile and a reflected gleam of light off of his glasses.

"Are you all right, Mommy?" Rachael asked as she got up off of Kasumi's lap to sit next to her aching mother.

"I'll be fine, Rachael," Naomi winced slightly, rubbing her shoulders to restore full circulation, "I guess I'm just a little out of practice…"

"You did quite well, you should be proud, Nakamura-san," Kasumi complimented, "Silk is rated very high among her own people, and her knowledge of Wushu is quite extensive, although she has been studying lately with Father and has done very well in mastering the Anything Goes system."

"Why don't you practice sparring?" Naomi asked of the gentle-mannered young girl whose beauty and grace had impressed her on their first meeting.

"Oh, I don't have time to work out all that much," Kasumi replied, "I have far too much work to do around the house…although not as much lately since Silk moved in with us. She's been very helpful in a lot of things and we've gotten to be good friends lately…although if father decides to make it official, I suppose that I could get used to calling her mother…"

There was the slightest hesitation in the young woman's voice that caused Naomi to raise an eyebrow, but about that point the men began their sparring, and at once she shifted the focus of her attention their way, allowing Rachael to settle onto her lap as she sat with her legs folded in the Japanese manner.

Kento launched a powerful attack that did not come anywhere near to connecting with the older and heavier-set Genma, who moved with a speed that belied his girth and circled around behind the big man to plant a kick on his backside.

"Too slow, Boy," Genma taunted, "You've got a lot of raw power but you have to learn to move faster if you want to get the chance to use it."

"All right," Kento grinned back as he recovered, "Guess I don't have to take it easy with you, Old Timer…"

"I think Genma may have bit off a bit more than he can chew here," Happosai noted.

"Oh so?" Hinako asked as she sat by his side, "Why is that, Master?"

"That Kento's got more than raw strength on his side," the ancient Master responded, "He's got the hardened edge of a trained pit-bull, and he's obviously been in a lot more fights than most youngsters his age."

"Yeah," Kennou agreed reluctantly, "See that smile he's got pasted on his face? He likes to get down to rough housing."

"Weird," Atsuko frowned, "There's something about that guy…he's almost familiar…"

"Oh dear," Nodoka raised a hand to her mouth as Genma was caught off-guard by an elbow-shot that caught him under the chin and knocked him sprawling.

"Hah!" Kento grinned, "Fell for my Rock Crusher special maneuver. Don't worry, though, I pulled it at the last second."

"You hear that, Saotome?" Soun raised his voice, "You should be able to shrug that off easily."

"Yeah," Yumi grinned, "Your head's still attached to your shoulders, but I'll bet it's ringing like a bell…"

Suddenly Kodachi appeared in her school uniform and called out, "Kasumi-everyone! Evacuate the building at once!"

"Kodachi-chan?" Kasumi turned to look at her beloved friend, "What is it?"

"No time to explain!" the Black Rose cried urgently, "Just trust me on this and please get out of there, everyone!"

"Something must have happened," Comb stood up, "It probably concerns my son-in-law, so I guess we had better have a look."

"Might as well," Happosai sighed as he and the others got to their feet, "Can't stand to watch much more of this. Genma old boy, you're gotten too soft from easy living…"

"Wait," Yumi paused, looking down, "I feel something…"

"Huh?" Kento looked around, "What's the matter?"

"The ground is shaking," Naomi got to her feet with great haste and grabbed her daughter by the arm, "I think it's an earthquake!"

"No," Silk replied, "Not an earthquake…it's something else…"

"Would you hurry up already!" Kodachi vaulted into the dojo and took Kasumi by the waist, hurrying her to the door, "It's almost on us!"

"What?" Kennou asked.

"Miss Kodachi," Hinako began scolding, "Your unseemly haste is most unbecoming in a lady…"

That was about all she had time to say before a loud crashing noise sounded from just outside, and a second later the back wall to the dojo exploded outward, startling those inside the dojo who had just barely managed to get out of the way of the huge mass that thrust through the wall like a runaway locomotive.

Almost miraculously everybody found themselves out in the yard outside of the dojo as the black shadow reared its head and roared like a demon from the pits. Even Atsuko was noticeably impressed as she cried, "What the hell is that thing?"

"That's what we'd like to know," said Ranma as he and the others made their presence among the crowd of their stunned elders, "It followed us home, and we think it's after Nabiki!"

"Nabiki?" Soun reared to full parental mode, "How dare that thing attack my daughter and ruin my dojo!"

"Look!" Kennou cried, "It's got the old man wrapped up in its trunk!"

"You're right," Genma sheltered his eyes, "It has the Master…"

There was a pause as everyone turned to look at Kennou, including Shirokuro.

"Trunk?" asked Nabiki before any of the others could even think about it.

"Well…yeah," Kennou seemed surprised at the attention being focused her way, and she pointed, "It's an elephant…can't you see it?"

Atsuko focused her eyes on the blob and said, "You're right…it is an elephant!"

"HELP!" cried Happosai just before being slammed into the rubble of the dojo.

"Master!" Hinako cried before manifesting her own aura of anger, and she took a step forward, producing her trademark coin and pronounced her dreaded chant (while everyone else stepped back as far as they could in the time available to give her wide berth), "Happo Five-Yen Satsu, MALICE, EVIL, ILLNESS, PAIN, MAGIC!!!"

The wave of force that poured out from the creature triggered an immediate transformation in the young girl, causing her to expand in size and proportions to her adult form, while the dark cloud surrounding the creature all but evaporated, absorbed into the cone of Hinako's spell. Stripped away from its cover the creature itself was revealed, standing well over ten feet in height and incredibly massive.

"An elephant?" Soun said in dismay, "That's what wrecked my dojo?"

"Are you seeing this?" Naomi asked Kento, who was shielding her with his body.

"Yeah…and that's not all I'm seeing!" the big man responded, his eyes riveted to the sight of Hinako, who was trembling from all the energy she was absorbing.

"What the hell?" Kennou stared at the transformed teacher.

"Too much…" Hinako grunted, staggering back as she lost her grip on her coin and faltered, "Too much power…!"

"H-Hinako-chan…?" Happosai groaned from where he lay amid the crumpled floor of the dojo.

"Aiyaa," Shampoo exclaimed, "Is too much aura even for teacher!"

"That's it," the now-adult Hinako declared as she righted herself, "I can't absorb any more. What an incredible battle aura! I've never encountered anything like it…"

"Don't bother yourself about it, Teach," a figure stepped forward, tall and proud with an outfit vaguely like a school uniform, consisting of a while top and green dress with a large pink bow-tie, "I've got this thing covered!"

"Mako-chan?" Ukyo gasped as if to confirm for herself that this was indeed her girlfriend.

"Don't worry, Senpai," Makoto raised her hands and an electrostatic charge began to form as the tiara around her head drew lightning like an antennae, "My friends and I deal with stuff like this all the time. This thing is toast if it makes another move!"

"I think she means get the heck out of the way," Yumi said tensely.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Comb noted as she and the rest of the crowd cleared the field around the sailor-suited Makoto.

The elephant still had much fight left in it and was about to rear forward when a voice sounded from a nearby tree, "JASMINE! That is enough! Come to Lychee!"

"Huh?" everybody collectively gasped as they all looked up to see the figure standing amid the branches looking back down with a cool and dispassionate expression. On command the elephant turned to this figure, raising its trunk until the young girl could set foot upon the upraised snoot and then was gracefully lowered down to ground level, coming to stand in front of the elephant as she turned her attention towards Happosai.

"Happosai…we find you at last!" declared a girl with blonde hair who was dressed in a curiously formal style of Chinese dress, "Now you answer for what you do!"

"Friends of yours, Master?" Genma asked.

"N-Never saw her before…" the old man groaned faintly.

"So you say!" the young girl held up an object in her hand and threw it at the ancient pervert, "But you give this to Lychee ancestor, and now she cursed to never know real happiness!"

The object in question turned out to be part of a scroll, which same bounced off Happosai's head and rebounded into the crowd of watching spectators, one of whom caught the thing by reflex more than good judgement.

"What the heck?" Nabiki asked as she looked down at the thing in her hands.

"Is half of scroll?" Shampoo asked curiously.

"Why the heck did she throw that at the old freak?" Ranma wondered.

"Perhaps it's part of an invitation?" Kodachi volunteered.

"Uh-oh," Makoto looked not at the scroll but at the sky over their heads, "What the heck is that?"

"Trouble," Silk replied as the clouds opened up and trouble indeed followed…

Continued

Comments/Criticisms/Crisis over the Skies of Nerima: Shadowmane@msn.com