InuYasha Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crossover ❯ Coming Together ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

Coming Together

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Daisetsu Tendo was not a happy camper. It was way too early in the morning to be doing this sort of thing. Normally the Ronin would be with his wife, or perhaps off in a class. Since it was a weekend, most definitely the former.

However, he had received a call last night from a voice he hadn't expected, nor particularly wanted to hear. It was Ryoga Hibiki.

Granted, if it was his old friend then he wouldn't have minded. But this caller was the double, the one from an alternate reality. He had felt guilty when he gave the boy his phone number, but he couldn't really think of anything he could do for the alternate Ryoga and his young friend.

That's when he heard the youngest boy crying over the phone.

Sometimes guilt could be more motivating than his own wife.

Ryoga had said that he and Kari would stay the night at the train station and head over in the morning. Daisetsu had said that he'd get the two a place to stay.

Nabiki was going to kill him.

His wife had still been sleeping when he left. Not wanting to wake her, the young man had simply written her a short note and left it on the table. "Out to pick up from friends from the train station. Be back soon." Simple and to the point.

A few minutes later he had arrived. The train station was near his University, which also meant that it was near his apartment. And trust his luck to run into an automatic sprinkler system right as he was about to enter the station.

She sighed at the unfairness of it all.

Then things took a turn for the worse.

"Ah! My little fawn!" The voice that Daisetsu knew much too well came from behind the boy-turned-girl. She could feel him entering her circle of chi awareness.

With a groan, Daisetsu turned around just in time for Kuno to throw his arms around the girl.

"Ah! It is good to see you well, my love! I had seen Copycat Ken on the eve of yesterday and felt it necessary to ensure your own safety." He squeezed harder as righteous tears clouded his vision. "One such as he cannot be trusted to remain properly vanquished, and I feared he might come for those I care of after suffering another defeat by my hands!"

Daisetsu struggled to get free, but Kuno really had her in a tight grip this time. She didn't even notice the sounds of the bullet train coming in.

-----

Kari awoke from her slumber with a jolt. The train was slowing down. It surprised her, as the stop was supposed to be totally smooth, but she supposed even Japan's amazing bullet trains could get a bit ill repaired.

"Awake?" a voice asked from beside her.

Kari noticed Ryoga there, not even looking at her. He was staring out the window as they pulled into the Tokyo train station. "Yeah, thanks." It wasn't a casual thanks for his comment; it was a heartfelt thanks for everything he had done for her last night. She had practically broken down, seeing her father like that.

Ryoga shuffled around in his seat, looking over at Kari. He was unused to that kind of attention. "No problem."

The girl stood once the train came to a complete stop. The train was usually sparsely filled at this hour, but on a weekend it was completely empty aside the two teenagers. "Come on," she said, "let's go find Daisetsu."

Together the two made their way out of the train. The station was almost completely empty. Once the two businessmen waiting for the train shuffled onboard, there were only two others.

One was immediately recognized as Kuno. This one, however, appeared older. He was even taller than before, and perhaps with a bit more build.

The other was a girl caught in a crushing hug by Kuno. She was remarkably cute, Kari thought, with her short brown hair that almost reminded her of Akane, though possibly a little longer. She had a nice face, too. Her bust was a little small, but Kari also noticed it didn't stop Kuno from groping.

She couldn't stand to see this happening. If there was one thing Kari hated, it was perverts. She had bad experiences with them. "Hey, Kuno!" she cried, leaping forward.

"Eh?" Kuno looked up from his fawn, only to find a foot heading right for his face. A loud sound reverberated throughout the station as Kari's kick took him directly in the face, sending him flying back and into the wall of the station. He fell down, dazed, though not unconscious.

"You okay?" the young ninja asked, turning toward the brown-haired girl.

She shook her head, shaking it clear of cobwebs. "Er, I'm fine." She gave a thankful smile. "Thanks for the save."

Kari smiled back. "No problem." She extended a hand, a Western gesture she had never left behind in her old life. "My name's Kari Umikage."

The girl automatically grasped it, giving a firm handshake. "Dai, though my friends call me Daichan."

"So, do you mind if I call you Daichan, then?" the younger girl asked.

The other girl blinked. "Um, sure," she replied.

Kari turned around, just as Ryoga approached. "Oi, Ryoga!" She gestured a hand to her new friend. "This is Dai."

Ryoga groaned. "Aren't we looking for Daisetsu?" He looked over this Dai person. She seemed like an ordinary girl, really. But, then again, she was holding herself like an experienced martial artist. "Nice to meet you." He gave a bow.

Dai bowed back. "I heard about you." She straightened her body, looking over the lost boy. "You're an alternate version of my world's Ryoga Hibiki, right?"

Kari responded first. "Daisetsu sent you, then?"

That's when the annoying person made himself known again. "Ah, my love! Fly into my arms!" Kuno tried, again, to catch his object of affection in his arms.

She was more prepared this time, though, and caught him with a swift kick to the chin that sent him out of the station completely.

"Nice kick," Kari admired.

"Thanks."

"So, are you going to take us to Daisetsu?" Ryoga asked, bringing up the subject.

"Ah, no," Dai said, thinking quickly. "He wanted you to meet him at Tokyo University's front entrance. You know where that is, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kari responded. It was nearby, so she could find it easily.

"Well, it's close to his apartment so he'll meet ya there." Dai quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled something down on it. Handing it to Kari, she explained. "That's my number. Give me a ring if you wanna talk, okay?" It was different than her home number, so Kari wouldn't need to know that she was also Daisetsu.

Kari accepted the paper, folding it and putting it into a pocket. "Thank you."

"No problem," Dai replied. "Well, I gotta be off!"

"Bye," both Ryoga and Kari replied, watching as the girl bounded off. Unbeknownst to them, she was simply going to find some hot water and meet them at the University as a boy.

Daisetsu pondered a moment as she bounded off. She hadn't meant to lie to Kari, not at first, but the boy really had seemed to need a friend. She hoped she wouldn't have to keep the charade up for long.

But if she were going to do it, she'd do it right. She'd need a change of clothes to throw off suspicions.

Good thing her apartment really was close by.

- - - - -

Nabiki was not a morning person. It didn't help matters any when she found that Daisetsu was absent from her side when she woke. She had loved him for some time now, but recently he had become necessary to her.

The two of them had been through a lot in a very short time. It had started when she had accidentally killed a man with Yakuza connections. Daisetsu had taken care of it. He had taken care of her. He had been willing to die for her. He had killed for her.

Supposedly the danger had passed but Nabiki was still afraid and insecure. She'd been having nightmares about it all and so had Daisetsu. The only comfort either of them found was in the arms of the other. It was not to be borne when that comfort was absent.

He'd left a note for her at least. She had no idea who these friends might be. Presumably they were part of the crowd from Nerima, but there was fifteen years of his life that she knew absolutely nothing about. It could be old friends dropping by. Then again it could be those Senshi. If it was that Rei girl then she'd let him know how she felt about -that-. She'd seen how she looked at him. Worse, she had seen how he looked at her.

The middle Tendo daughter's mood was not improved at all when she made it to the bathroom. There were wet clothes in the tub. A quick check revealed that the water boiler hadn't replenished the hot water supply as yet. He'd probably had two hot showers this morning. And now she would have to wait for hers. She glanced in the mirror. Her hair was a frizzled mess.

She heard the door open and went out to meet her `beloved' husband. Behind him stood Ryoga who was without his pack and a young girl she didn't recognize. Nabiki planted her hands firmly on her hips.

She had to hand it to her man; he had keen survival instincts. "Morning honey. Why don't you go make yourself up while I make breakfast for you and our guests?"

Daisetsu's offer mollified Nabiki somewhat. "Okay Daisetsu. Then you can explain to me what is going on." Using his full name let him know in no uncertain terms that she was not pleased. She retired to their room to select some clothes and to give the boiler some more time to warm up the water to something above frigid.

"You guys make yourselves at home, I'll get things rolling in the kitchen." The young man hurried into the kitchenette as though his life depended on it. Possibly his well being did. He started to prepare perogies, something he had gotten Nabiki hooked on quite a while ago. In one pan he started to fry up diced green and red peppers along with onions in butter. The perogies were set to sizzle in a wok along with some vegetable oil. From the cupboards he fetched some spices and from the fridge he retrieved the sour cream.

Through this whirlwind of domestic activity Daisetsu found himself reflecting. He had not been having a good morning. It was bad enough that he'd had to wake up way too early, only to be glomped by Kuno while in his girl form, but then he'd been rescued by a little boy. His ego was taking a bruising. Things had only gotten worse when he'd rushed off to change and shower before meeting his two new charges at the University.

They had been waiting for him at the appointed place. He had greeted them with a friendly, "Hiya guys, ready to go?"

The boy had shot him such a dirty look. He didn't understand it at all. He'd talked as they walked back to his apartment. "I live with my wife, Nabiki Tendo in a single room apartment. You two are welcome to share the pullout couch we have."

"I can't sleep with him!" exclaimed the boy as he jerked a thumb at Ryoga.

Again Daisetsu had been confused. "I don't know what you're making such a big fuss about. It's a big couch, plenty of room for both of you when it's pulled out into a bed."

Ryoga was ever the gentlemen. "Don't worry Kari, I'll sleep on the floor."

Daisetsu shrugged and soon the three were arriving at his apartment. Where Nabiki had been waiting.

Now the young man known to some as the Black Ronin was hastily arranging perogies and sautéed vegetables on four plates.

Kari and Ryoga had not been idle in this time. Both were casually exploring the tiny apartment. Ryoga in particular found a little stuffed plushy black pig with one of his bandannas wrapped around its neck. "Look at this, Kari. Isn't it cute?"

Kari had been examining a katana hanging on the wall over a Buddhist shrine. The handle was wrapped in glossy black leather and ended in a thong, which could wrap around a persons wrist. The sheath was made from what looked like black onyx and was capped with gold. Something about the weapon seemed to be calling out to her. Something she sensed on the periphery of consciousness. Ryoga's question had snapped her out of it. She couldn't help the look of shock on her face as she saw Ryoga holding a stuffed P-chan.

"What?" Ryoga was taken back a bit by the expression on his young friend's face.

"It's nothing," she said quickly with a smile. "It's cute."

The plates were just being laid on the table as Nabiki came back out. She'd managed a lukewarm shower but wasn't feeling much better. She did brighten considerably at the repast Daisetsu had prepared. She wasn't sure where or when he'd learned to cook but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She sat down with the others to eat. The little table had been cozy for Daisetsu and she but was outright crowded with the two guests. "So Ryoga, what brings you and your little friend by?"

The lost boy found it a tad unnerving to be addressed by a person he recognized yet knew wasn't the same person. It seemed also that she knew him, or at least this world's version of him. "Its rather complicated Nabiki." He looked down, not knowing where to start.

The young woman looked between Ryoga and his young friend. She made some lightning fast calculations then came to the conclusion she liked the best. "Ryoga, you didn't get anyone in trouble did you?"

The two houseguests immediately went into full denial mode. They were so empathic that they must either be telling the truth or were the best liars Nabiki had ever come across. She discounted the latter possibility. "Okay then. Maybe you can explain it a little better Tiger. Especially the part where this is our problem."

Daisetsu swallowed the mouthful of food he was chewing. "Well, Biki, it all started the other night when I went out for that walk. Remember how I was feeling restless? Well I sensed something was wrong. When I went to investigate I found a group of people standing lost in the street. After a little conversation I learned something startling."

"Surely that wasn't the fact that Ryoga was among the lost?" Nabiki quipped.

"Not at all." Daisetsu couldn't help but smile. "I learned that they were all from a parallel world to our own. They all seemed to think that they could find people to help them out in this world but I gave them our number just in case."

Nabiki wore a frown. "How charitable of you." Then her eyes narrowed. "How many people were there Tigerchan?"

Daisetsu wasn't fooled by her sweet sounding voice for a minute. "There were three others. Tatewaki Kuno, Kodachi Kuno and some silver haired girl I don't know."

Nabiki stood up suddenly and slammed both fists into the table. "Don't tell me you invited the most insane siblings in any world to come live with us!"

An innocent perogie was being chased around Daisetsu's plate with his chopsticks. "I don't so much invite them to stay with us as promise to help them find a place to stay." He looked up hopefully. "But they went to the Kuno estate. I'm sure we won't hear from them again."

The doorbell rang. Daisetsu's face dropped. Nabiki's frown deepened. Kari and Ryoga ate with gusto. It was really the best meal they'd had in days.

Cursing his luck, Daisetsu went to answer the door. Gin flounced in followed by the Kuno siblings.

Tatewaki looked around the living room slash dining room. "What a small waiting room. I do hope the bedrooms are larger."

Kodachi corrected her brother. "It's not small brother dear, it's quaint. We're guests here, so don't be rude."

Gin furnished Daisetsu with her most brilliant smile. "We called information to get your address since we were in the neighborhood." The truth of the matter was that Gin was well aware that it was harder to get rid of people on your doorstep then it is to over the phone. She agreed with her boyfriend's assessment of the place. Still, it would have to do until she found a sugar daddy.

Nabiki's eye twitched. There were now seven people in her home. Seven people who needed a place to sleep. Seven people who needed to eat. Seven people to use the hot water in the morning. Her eye twitched again. Daisetsu had promised them that he would help them in this world. As his wife she was obligated by that promise. She would have to be their hostess. This was many times worse then when Ranma had shown up on their doorstep two years ago.

The youngest girl seemed to notice Nabiki's state of mind. "If it really is a problem for us to be here, we can move on."

"We'll adapt. I may not like it but I share the responsibilities of my husband." She helped the aforementioned husband clear away the dishes and began preparing breakfast for the three new arrivals. "I'm sure we'll manage just as long as there are no more arrivals or surprises."

Just then Daisetsu's head snapped around to focus on a point on the ceiling. "Umm…"

An inky black portal opened and from its maw dropped a body. The body of a young man with brown hair landed with a thump on the floor. He was wearing a white button up shirt over a black T-shirt. He also had on a pair of jeans and white sneakers. He seemed to be unconscious and the portal was closing just as suddenly as it opened.

There was an eerie calm about Nabiki. "Right." She said as she held out a hand to Daisetsu. "Give me your credit card. I'm going shopping."

Daisetsu handed the card over without protest and then prepared an additional helping of breakfast.