InuYasha Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crossover ❯ Testing, One Two Three ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

Testing, One Two Three

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It was a not-quite-normal morning to the residents of the Tendo apartment. The previous night saw a change in the sleeping arrangements, Eryn getting the floor while Kodachi joined Kari and Daisetsu joined his wife in their bed. It pleased Ryoga, Kuno, and Sei, who no longer had to worry about the dreaded Sleep-Fu.

So the three were well-rested and sporting no new injuries, a change from the usual routine.

"That was good," Ryoga said as Daisetsu collected the morning's plates.

Kuno agreed heartily. "Indeed. Your culinary prowess is quite formidable, Daisetsu."

"So," Sei said, clapping his hands in front of him, "what are we all doing today?"

"School," Nabiki replied. "Speaking of which, you'd better hurry with those dishes, Tiger."

Daisetsu grumbled. How did he get stuck with cooking and dishes on the same day? It just wasn't fair.

Kari stood, her chair scraping against the ground as it slid backwards. "Well, I'm off for a little shopping." She showed off a few yen notes. "I have a little money left, so I'm going to see what I can get for this." It was barely over 400 yen, but she could find a little something to make life easier.

"I'm going out to get an umbrella," was Ryoga's answer. Daisetsu had given him the address of a shop where his world's Ryoga got umbrellas, a different one than the boy used in his and Kari's dimension.

"Oh." Kari's face fell. If she had to take Ryoga to wherever this place was, then she wouldn't be able to go shopping herself, at least not until much later. "Well, where is this place?"

"Do not worry yourself," the elder of the Kuno siblings spoke. "You need not be distracted from your own quest. As little is required of the mighty Blue Thunder today, I shall accompany this man on his journey."

The young ninja blinked a few times. "Ah, thanks."

"'Tis not a problem."

Sei smiled. "Well, I guess we're all off, then." He wanted to check the area, to scout for good fighting spots. Maybe he'd spot another shirt/sweater while doing it, too.

As the people left the room, only two were left inside. Eryn looked down at Kodachi, who was latched onto his arm like a barnacle to a ship.

"Oh, my darling," the gymnast purred, "we're all alone today, aren't we?"

Eryn quickly made plans for himself for the day.

-----

The blue-haired ninja walked home, an extra skip in her step.

She didn't have much money to spend, but she found the perfect thing for just the right price. She clutched her new stuffed penguin to her chest and squealed in a girlish manner. But she didn't care if it was girly. She had a penguin! She was going to name it Pen Pen, and she could keep it on the stand next to the pullout. It would be absolutely perfect!

Well, aside from that person trailing her along the rooftops. The street was an empty one, nothing nearby except for a few water fountains and soda machines.

Glancing into the window of a building to her right, she caught a navy-colored blur in the reflection, atop the building to Kari's left. She walked over to the building and placed her stuffed animal on the ground. "Stay here, Pen Pen," she instructed. Turning around, she walked a few steps out into the middle of the road.

Her pursuer obligingly dropped onto the ground in front of the ninja.

The young girl got a look at her adversary. She was taller girl, appearing in her late teens, probably old enough to attend college. She was also wearing a navy blue school uniform, the skirt going to mid-thigh and showing off her legs. Her hair was brown and tied back into a ponytail, as well as a braid framing the right side of her face. The girl's most outstanding feature, at least to Kari, was her smile. It was half-smile and half-smirk, full of confidence and playfulness.

Kari narrowed her eyes. "Why have you been tailing me for so long?"

The girl's smirk grew. "Eh, I'd rather not say why, if it's all the same to you."

"I'm afraid I insist." The ninja slipped two kunai into her right hand. She was prepared to throw them at a moment's notice.

"It's rude to fight without even knowing each other's names." Keiko patiently ignored the fact that she usually did that. The truth was, this little girl intrigued her. The first part of the test had been how the girl would handle a surprise attack, but instead she noticed that she was being followed. That was impressive.

The blue-haired girl could tell a fight was about to start, so she quickly catalogued the best routes of escape even as she spoke. "Making small talk, huh? I guess I can play along." She looked her opponent in the yes. "My name's Kari Umikage, last heir to the Umikage style of Ninjitsu."

"Keiko," her opponent replied. "So, you're a ninja, eh?" From behind her back, Keiko pulled two tantos. "You don't mind if I bring in some weapons then?" Not that she'd stop even if Kari did mind. Before the girl could respond, Keiko threw herself forward at, to her, a frighteningly slow speed. She was just testing the ninja, after all. She was pleased when the blue-haired girl nimbly dodged to the side, letting loose one of the kunai. Keiko easily batted the kunai to the side with one of her tantos, but was quickly shocked when she saw another one coming. "She placed the kunai in the shadow of the other?" she thought, quickly bringing her other tanto around to block.

"Damn," the ninja muttered, seeing her quick plan had been foiled. She quickly drew forth two more kunai, holding them like daggers, and decided to see just how good her opponent really was. Just as Keiko had done, Kari leapt at the girl at much lower than her greatest speed, intent on testing the water, so to speak.

A flurry of blows followed, tanto meeting kunai as intricate arcs were blocked with a great display of skill on both parts.

Keiko was grinning. "You're holding back."

"So are you," Kari responded.

Both girls quickly threw themselves at each other again, this time moving faster. Kari was moving fast enough to register as only a blur to most people, and Keiko was matching her speed.

"Damn," the ninja muttered, falling back to rethink her strategy. "She really is fast." She watched Keiko, who was content to wait for Kari to make the next move, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "She's pretty fast, I don't think I can win if I hold back at all." For some reason, that thought excited Kari. She couldn't recall the last time she had gone all-out against somebody. Her Ranma and Ryoga were good enough to push her that far, of course, but they never did anything but spar.

Keiko was pleased with the girl's progress in her test. She seemed to be doing better than she would have thought, especially considering her age.

"Time to get serious," Kari remarked. She slid her feet apart, taking a fighting stance akin to one of Ryoga's. It made it look like she was prepared to stand her ground, but her figure almost vanished, so clearly that wasn't her intention.

Within the space of a second, Keiko had blocked one dozen blows. "Only a dozen?" she asked with a smirk, as Kari landed a few feet away.

"Yeah, a baker's dozen," the ninja responded. She smirked as the ribbon on Keiko's school uniform fell, a sudden gust of wind blowing it down the street.

The young dragon, instead of feeling annoyed, felt a tingle go up her spine. She wasn't used to people landing blows, regardless of whether or not she was holding back. The ninja was definitely good enough for whatever it is she was facing.

But she didn't want the fight to end yet.

"Come on." Keiko grinned. "I'm not done yet." She rushed at Kari, going at her best speed. Well, at least her best without a boost from magic.

Kari was hard-pressed to block the attacks coming from the two tantos. She was surprised to find that she was actually a little bit slower than her opponent, though not by a significant margin. Still, though, the only person she'd ever seen faster than her was her own father. She concentrated on something as she parried the other girl's strikes, waiting for the right moment.

"Got you!" Keiko cried as her tanto struck its intended target. She made sure it was a mostly harmless blow, but was surprised when she found her blade stuck in a... log? Where had that come from?

A swift kick caught the girl in the back of her head, sending her stumbling forward. However, when she turned around to look at Kari there wasn't even a bump. "You're pretty good, but your hits are weak." It was the truth, but she was also impressed that Kari had gotten in two hits.

The ninja scowled. Her body substitution was best for surprise, so it wouldn't be as effective in the future. Oh, well, she still had a few aces up her sleeve.

The two girls leapt at each other once more, exchanging blows too fast for most people, or even most martial artists, to follow. Keiko got in two good slices, each on a shoulder. Twin lines of crimson appeared, but the ninja girl ignored them. She leapt back, throwing the two kunai she was using toward her opponent, who wasn't there to get hit by them. However, each kunai embedded themselves into a water fountain, sending spurts of water into the air.

Keiko sliced at Kari, who jumped backwards again to avoid the blows. The dragon girl wasn't done, and tried slicing two more times, but then ninja agilely leapt over the blows and landed behind her opponent. As Keiko spun around, she stopped.

Since when was she fighting four of Kari?

"Now you face my ultimate technique," one of the ninjas said. She flipped a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear. "The Mizu Bushin no Jutsu, my Water Clone Technique."

"Water is the basis of my family style," another Kari continued, slipping a kunai into her hand.

Motioning a hand toward the spurting water from the broken drinking fountain, another one of the girls smiled. "So fighting near water always gives me an edge."

"You ready for round two?" the last one asked.

Keiko nodded, grinning like a madwoman. "Always."

The four ninjas leapt at Keiko, who dodged all four with a great deal of skill and speed. The hatchling was actually putting all her concentration on the fight, and it showed as not a single blow was landed against her.

"How is she doing so well?" Kari thought, sweat on her brow from the concentration required to maintain all three clones. "We were mostly even when it was one on one, now it should be clearly in my favor." She spotted a grin as Keiko dodged again. "Was she holding back that much?"

"It ends," Keiko muttered. Two swift kicks caught two of the clones, turning them into large puddles of water. A stab into the last clone's stomach dispelled that one as well, leaving only the real Kari with the young dragon.

The blue-haired girl was almost speechless. "How?"

Keiko smirked. "I'm not so unskilled as to not be able to tell a clone from the real thing." She leapt forward, but instead of slicing she simply lashed out with kicks, knocking around the real Kari, who had exhausted most of her energy.

As Kari roughly hit the wall of the building by which she had set her stuffed penguin, Keiko ended the fight. "I'm afraid I have to be off, now. My sister is waiting for me." She winked at the fallen girl, then took off to the tops of the buildings.

Kari moaned, looking over at Pen Pen. "Who... was that?" She groaned again as she got to her feet, then walked over and picked up her stuffed penguin.

-----

The last few days, while I hardly think they could be considered "good" under any circumstances, did give me a nice opportunity to relax the control I had been holding since ending up in that first Ranmaverse. I mean, when you're surrounded by a large number of moderately competent fighters, who really needs to beat the tar out of everything that moves?

I had decided to take a nice walk today. I mean, it was quite clear that the sun was shining happily, and how often is a lethal battle of life and death occurring when it's this nice outside? It even looked safe enough that I could wear my shirt/sweater! Of course, despite my recent sense of relaxation, I wasn't silly enough to leave my bow behind; it was really about the only thing vaguely resembling a trump card that I had available to me at the time. It was strapped in a bundle across my shoulder, looking all the part of the "Mysterious Weapon-looking Object That No One Gets To See Until It's Too Late!"

Of course, I wasn't simply taking a walk for my health; I had a couple reasons for heading out this day.

One: To figure out where the assorted oversized deserted parks in the middle of town are… Chances are average to good that there will be at least 3 or 4 fights in the next little while that both take place on foot and will cause unnecessary property damage.

Two: To get a lay of the land and figure out where the more strategic fighting spots were.

And three: To see if Louis shows his face, damn his hide!

I was just investigating the second of those oddly placed mid-city wilderness zones when a chill came across my body, sending a tangible shiver through my body. Now I don't chill easily, but when I do it usually means it's either pretty cold, which it isn't, or that I've just made a series of mistakes that are about to blow up in my face, also unlikely as I haven't had much chance to make any mistakes lately, or someone's been in my blind spot for longer then 10 seconds.

Sure, I may not have any nice ninja skills, but I most certainly know when someone is nearby, but out of my vision for a period of time longer than any average passerby would stay. It doesn't help that I tend to hit mental roadblocks a lot quicker when someone's watching me, making it real troublesome to use a computer in a public place because of that too.

I kept going for another minute or so, really hoping it was just a bad coincidence, but when the nasty feeling refused to go away, I sighed loudly, rubbed my forehead in aggravation, and pronounced quite loudly, while looking back to where I came from, "You might as well get this over with; I doubt we're going to find a much better place to settle our little philosophical discussion now, are we?"

"That's a new way of putting it."

How the... I could have sworn whoever it was happened to be behind me! I started to turn back front, only to have to duck my head as a pair of tantos nearly took my head off (and took a few stray strands of hair off while they were at it!)

I didn't have time to take my bow out at the moment, and my hand-to-hand combat skills were… lacking at best. I still think I did pretty well in switching my turning momentum by going low, bracing my left hand against the ground, and swinging my right leg into a half-decent sweep kick. Apparently it was good enough to make my attacker jump back, doing a fancy little cartwheel, and entering a fighting stance with the tantos held in front, presumably to reevaluate me.

I decided to do the same myself, and entered a clumsy homebrewn fighting stance, keeping my left arm against my torso, palm facing up and hand partially closed, while I kept my right arm with the hand pointed up at about neck-level, fingers held together and the back of the hand facing my opponent.

Damn, did it HAVE to be both cute AND female!?!?

I blinked a few times. "Ah, just out of curiosity, would you mind telling me what it is exactly that I've done to warrant either death or a severe beating? I don't think I've been around long enough to get on anyone's bad side..."

The braid-girl's expression didn't change, but she did say, "You talk too much," prior to charging forward at a phenomenal speed. I was starting to raise my guard when she turned on her foot in mid-charge, and altered her momentum to take her behind me, I know for a fact that I'm not that fast, but I could still read the movements. It's not like she was invisible to the untrained eye yet, was she?

Guessing where the attack was coming from, I pivoted on my left heel and did a 180 degree roundhouse kick with my right leg, about the most advanced thing I can really do in hand-to-hand combat, and without much surprise on my part, she simply lowered her head and prepared to strike.

Right, experiment time, if this hits, it'll probably do a bit of damage, and if I lose my balance, I'll be on the defensive for the rest of the fight. Ah well, anything beats getting hit by those sharp things! Instead of canceling out my momentum from the roundhouse, I dropped low, balanced on my left hand, and swept with the right leg again, ducking under the Tantos in the process. Of course, she jumped over it, but as I returned to face her in my third sweep, I pushed up to get myself some more height, and tried doing a knife-handed chop instead of another kick while she was still coming down from dodging the sweep.

The chop connected as expected, what wasn't expected was the total lack of any acknowledgement from the attack (as well as how much my hand was hurting, and how suspiciously close I came to falling into the same trap the star characters of Harem anime tend to fall into, a few inches higher and things might have been bad…) There was an awkward pause at this point, as I chuckled nervously.

"Ah… Did I ever mention that I wasn't very confident in hand-to-hand combat?"

If we were lucky, at this point there would have been a dramatic gust of wind and a tumbleweed would have bounced across the battlefield. Unfortunately though, there was nothing to distract me from the total ineffectualness of my attack.

"That… Was… Pathetic…" Wow, I actually got a response… Granted, a chilly, icy, "I'm going to rip your heart out and make you LIKE it" tone of voice, but a response, nonetheless.

"So… Ah…" I began a few seconds later into the standoff. "You wouldn't mind holding on for a minute while I get into a slightly more prepared stance, would you?"

I took the renewal of hostilities as a "No."

Well, in my own defense, I was holding up fairly well against Braid-Girl's onslaught. I managed to keep away from those tantos, and while most of the unarmed attacks were getting through, they weren't doing much more then giving me a few nasty bruises.

Of course, the downside was that I was going full-out in just keeping up a defense capable of NOT getting killed, while she hadn't even broken a sweat yet. This usually means that you're outclassed to a new meaning of the word, but your opponent just wants to play around with you.

After a particularly good exchange of blows on my part, I managed to get enough space between us to catch my breath. I never even bothered with a stance at this point, and just let my hands hang loosely at my sides; I tried to be glib about the whole situation though, if my plan was to work, I'd need some time… "So, nice weather we're having today, isn't it?"

What? A Reaction? Who would have thought that just asking a totally irrelevant question would be enough to poleax this particular assassin? Well, as long as poleax is defined by a few blinks and a twitch. "I've seen better," was the reply, though when you get right down to it, it WAS the first verbal reply to any of the comments I had made during this fight. Just a few seconds more now, might as well call her over then!

"Well, I suppose it's back to work then." I took this opportunity to enter a modified version of my earlier stance; this might be my only chance to level the scales even a small amount! If this doesn't work out, I'm likely to tire out and get diced by those blades after a single misstep.

Then again, the very fact this is a last resort increases my chances of success by a reasonable margin, I fought very hard against myself to avoid smirking as Braid-Girl recommenced her attack, a head-on charge with those Tantos, now timing is critical here!!

Ka-CHING!

Rather then dodge this time around, I threw out both hands, the area between the thumb and index finger opened up and violet chi gathered around that region. I then proceeded to catch both blades with that reinforced region. I did garner a somewhat puzzled look from Braid-Girl though, I grinned weakly. "Taihei-Ryu, Ken no Haji (Taihei-style, Grasp of the Blade), the Wise Falcon hides it's talons and all that."

Slit.

Please let that have been a figment of my imagination… I looked down…

... Oh NOW you did it! DAMN those blades of yours to Hades! My new Shirt/Sweater's ripped!!! NOW you bleed, I don't care if you're a girl! My expression hardened. "You really… Really shouldn't have done that…"

I then flexed my hands slightly while falling back, utilizing the force built up from Braid-Girl's attack to send her into the air a bit of a distance above me. Next, I scrambled to my feet and pulled my bow out from the bundle on my back, pulled an arrow out from the holster that was also in there, and took aim at the now falling target, channeling all of my chi into the arrow.

"I'd like to see you dodge this in midair! HYAH!!!!!!"

The arrow, glowing a much brighter violet then usual, exploded from my bow with enough force to push my off my feet and impacted with Braid-Girl with considerable force. It even made a rather sizable explosion! At this point, my aura winked out, and I blinked a few times. "Was that just a little bit much?" I said to myself.

Of course, due to anime physics, the opponent is NEVER beaten when the smoke clears, and she dropped out of the smoke-cloud only looking slightly disheveled and not looking particularly hurt at all, though she seems to have put the tantos away.

Well… Mostly unhurt; there was one slight little detail I think she failed to notice. It was my final gamble, and if she took offense, I'd probably be beaten to a pulp.

"Ah..." I began with my traditional sentence starter, "I don't think you noticed yet, and I'd really like to apologize… But… Somethingwiththearrowwentweirdandnowyourehairisonfire!"

Braid-girl blinked a few times, and then reached back at her ponytail.

Yep, it was clearly on fire.

Her eyes widened slightly, and while I would have expected most people to run for the nearest lake, she was at least respectful enough to give a little bow beforehand and say "We'll have to finish this another time," before turning around and walking moderately quickly towards the nearest lake.

I blinked a few times, and then put the bow into the holster and strapped it to my waist. "Well… Pleased to meet you too." I then shrugged, and decided to head back to where we were all living. I think I've had a bit too much excitement for one day.

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As Kari and Sei trudged back to their current residence, Keiko and Reiko, the twin dragon hatchlings, were converging on a new target.