Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ The Monster... ( Chapter 79 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"All right, Miyuki!" officer Natsumi of the Tokyo Metro police enthused, "A three day weekend to your uncles place on the coast! We're gonna have fun, just you, me and Nakajima…"

"Cut it out, Natsumi," her partner replied, "I'm nervous enough as it is about seeing him after he took that trip with his father to race in the French Open. We've only talked a few times by long distance…"

"Oh," Natsumi said with an insinuating smile, "Is it getting serious between you two or what? When's he going to pop the question already? You two've been dating for not quite a year…"

"Pop the question?" Miyuki almost lost control of the wheel of her car, which was something no one else-including Natsumi--had ever seen her do before, but reflexes kicked in just in time as she took the curve with no more incident than Natsumi grabbing hold of the dashboard for dear life, "What question? I mean, it's not like we're ready for something like that…after all there's still time…"

"Yeesh, would you watch it?" Natsumi chided, "I swear this shy routine of yours is getting old, Miyuki-chan! You wanna be an old maid or something? You know that you and Nakajima are nuts over one another!"

"I know no such thing!" Miyuki protested, then in a milder tone of voice she amended, "I mean, he is nice…and sweet and brave and incredibly handsome, and he can say the nicest things at times, and there is that way he smiles at me that I could almost think that maybe, possibly, he might be serious about our…relationship…but it's really been quite informal. No one's officially said that the two of us are dating…"

"Yeah, right," Natsumi rested her chin on one hand as her elbow leaned on the window while she gazed out at the kilometers of open coastline they were driving past on their way to their destination. Natsumi was a city girl at heart, but she was looking forward to getting away from regular patrol duties and spending some time with her best friend and partner, if only she could think of some way of getting Miyuki to lighten up a little. The way her normally calm and composed friend could turn into such a little schoolgirl at the mere mention of the name of Nakajima…

"Hey!" Miyuki suddenly cried out as Natsumi's reverie was shattered by the sound of rolling thunder passing them by. She turned just in time to see something pass them by that she at first glance thought was a truck, but which on closer examination turned out to be the BIGGEST damned motorcycle that she had ever seen in her life, driven by a literal giant in biker leathers at a speed so great that they were virtually passed standing still.

"What the hell was that?" Natsumi demanded.

"I don't know," Miyuki said, "I think it's some odd kind of motorcycle."

"Motorcycle?" Natsumi put all of the skepticism that she could into her voice, "It's as big as a house, and did you get a look at the rider?"

"I could hardly miss him," Miyuki replied, "He almost reminds me of the Ronin."

"Or his big brother," Natsumi frowned, then she noticed that their car was speeding up and she said, "Hey…what gives here?"

"He must be doing at least seventy kilometers per hour above the speed limit," Miyuki replied as she reached up and placed the temporary flashing alarm light atop their vehicle, rendering it instantly from a civilian to police car, "In addition to that, he is driving recklessly and endangering public safety."

"Yeah," Natsumi said, "But we're not on duty…we're on vacation, remember? Leave it to the regular highway patrol guys."

"You know we can't do that, Natsumi-chan," Miyuki replied as she increased velocity and began to overtake the massive biker, "It's our duty to uphold the law even when we're not on duty. Better call this in, we may need backup."

"There goes our vacation," Natsumi said fatalistically, reaching for the dashboard radio and adjusting the frequency to the proper channels while picking up the hand-mike.

Meanwhile their quarry took notice of the flashing red light and debated his best course of action. A voice in his ear said, "(Boss…I'm monitoring a call from some local police with your basic description. Should I handle it through channels?)"

"(Naw,)" the big man replied, "(I'll handle this myself. Estimated time to landfall?)"

"(Three hours twenty two minutes.)"

"(Gives me enough time to play around,)" the big man smiled to himself, "(The driver of that car's pretty good. Imaging catching up with me in a Subaru! I want to meet the driver who can do that, even if he is a cop.)"

He pulled over to the curb and cut the engine, then waited for the car following him to pull up behind him. He removed his goggles and stood up nice and slowly so as not to alarm anybody. The last thing he felt like doing was shrugging off more bullets on top of the countless other slugs his body had absorbed over the decades.

To his considerable surprise and delight, the driver who emerged from the right-hand side was a pretty Japanese girl who looked barely old enough for college. Another equally pretty girl stepped out from the passenger side with one hand holding a radio mike, both studying the big man with rounded eyes as if to anticipate anything dangerous.

"What can I do for you, officers?" he said courteously in flawless Japanese.

The two plainclothed lady cops blinked their eyes in chorus and exchanged startled looks, then the driver looked forward again and said, "Um…did you happen to know what speed you were doing, sir? This is a public road and…"

"No problem," he reached for his jacket pocket and pulled out an ID card that he then extended out towards her. She reluctantly stepped forward to accept his permit, barely taking one eye off of him as she examined it for a moment, then he read a familiar reaction.

"Doctor Franklin Nathaniel…Steinberg?" she finished the last part as though stumbling on the foreign pronouncement.

"Yes," he replied, "But my friends just call me Frank."

He saw the other girl silently pronounce his name with a dubious expression and had to smile in an entirely sympathetic way. He was used to it, even took a certain pride in the reaction most people gave to his chosen name, even if his real name was something of a mystery even to himself.

For Miyuki and Natsumi the name sounded oddly appropriate, considering that the man before them stood over seven and a half feet tall with a face that resembled Boris Karlof, without the makeup. This was no mere coincidence either, as plastic surgery had long ago given the man more acceptable features than those he had been born with. In Frank's estimation, it was only poetic justice.

"Um," Miyuki began again, "You're height is two-point-three meters, you weight…one hundred sixty kilos…?"

"Only when I diet," he replied facetiously, actually enjoying their reaction as it was nice to know he had not lost his touch at impressing new people at first meetings.

"And you're from…?" Miyuki glanced at the ID again then said, "Brazil?"

"That's my home address," Frank replied, "But actually, I'm from a lot of different places."

"Separately or all together?" Natsumi murmured to herself, unaware that the man had ears sharper than any wolf and he picked her up just fine.

Miyuki found her eyes unable to keep from glancing at the motor vehicle that the man had been riding, "Um…I'm sorry, I can't quite identify the make and model of your…motorcycle…?"

"Not surprising," Frank nodded to it proudly, "Only two others like it in the world and I built all three for myself. I call it The Monster, and if you don't mind me saying so it's quite a beauty."

"The Monster," Natsumi also studied the thing with a disquieted expression, finding the name oddly appropriate, and not just on account of its unusual size with tires that were 42" at least!

"If…you don't mind my asking, sir…" Miyuki could not help staring at the motorcycle with a look almost of awe worthy of a religious moment.

"Be my guest and have a look," Frank generously offered, remaining where he was so as not to upset these already nervous women.

Miyuki took the invitation up and approached the motorcycle, staring at its gleaming exterior before saying, "The engine is awfully big for a cycle…one sixty cubic centimeters?"

"Not bad," Frank did not have to feign being impressed, "You know your way around engines?"

"I know a little something," Miyuki replied modestly, ignoring the derisive snort from her partner at the deliberate understatement, "What sort of gas mileage and horsepower does this thing have?"

"It uses a special ethanol-gasoline mixture," Frank replied, "The intake feed on the fuel line oxygenates the fuel through a specially designed valve chamber that's one of my personal patents…"

"The Recombinant Oygenator?" Miyuki straightened up with a look of shock, "That's your creation?"

"You've heard of it, huh?" Frank nodded, now really impressed with this girl who barely stood a head higher than his belt level, "It's barely been on the market for less than two months…"

"It's a totally revolutionary new system," Miyuki said excitedly, "Greater efficiency, cleaner combustion, more mileage to the cubic liter, and backed by a Fuel Cell electrical system…"

"Ah," Natsumi decided to call her friend back to reality before she got lost in all the technical data of two evident Motorhead enthusiasts, "Miyuki-chan?"

"Oh, yes," Miyuki recalled herself with a start, "I'm sorry, sir, but your motorcycle isn't approved for Highway usage, and I'm afraid your violation of the traffic laws…"

"Call it in if you feel it necessary, Officer Miyuki," Frank urged, his pale eyes betraying his amusement.

"Ah, yes…one moment, please," Miyuki bowed to the man then hurried over to Natsumi and handed her the man's card. Natsumi called it in, then they waited for hear back from Headquarters, only to straighten up when a voice came on the line angrily informing them that the man in question had a security rating and was not to be interfered with.

Frank stood where he was hearing the static from the other end as he took note of the way both girls snapped to attention, actually saluting as though their superior were in front of them upbraiding them for interfering in an officially approved matter. When the chewing out was done Miyuki hastily came back and returned the card with an apologetic, "I am so sorry, sir…if you had only explained that you were on official business…"

"Don't worry about it," Frank said as he put his card back in his jacket pocket then said, "You two were just doing your duty and didn't know any better. I'll have a word with your superiors to make sure it gets overlooked. It's been a real pleasure meeting you, but if you don't mind I've got that official business to attend to, so if you will excuse me."

"Of course," Miyuki bowed again, "And enjoy your visit to Japan."

"Thanks," Frank mounted his bike and started the engine up again as he replaced his goggles, "I always do, at least since they opened the place up to tourists."

In his ear he heard a feminine voice chide him, "(You enjoyed that way too much.)"

"(Well hey,)" he softly replied, "(It was fun, and those two are real cute, especially that saucy one who diagnosed you at a glance.)"

An entirely feminine snort of derision was the reply in his ears, while Frank turned his attention to the digital display in his goggles, which were counting down the time to estimated landfall as just over three hours and closing. He accelerated forward as he checked the reference displays to confirm the estimated location of anticipated landfall, then cross-checked it with the shortest land routes to arrive there with plenty of time to take recon of the surroundings.

Behind him Natsumi shook her head and said, "That is one very strange dude. Think we'll be seeing him again?"

"I'd count on it," replied Miyuki as she got back into the car and started up her engine, "We're going to follow him and see what he's up to."

"WHAT?" Natsumi reacted, "Have you flipped out on me, partner? If he's working for the government then any interference on our part…"

"Who said anything about interfering?" Miyuki replied reasonably, "I just want to know where he is going in such a hurry."

Natsumi heaved a weary sigh born of long experience around her partner, knowing how impossible it was to talk Miyuki out of anything once her mind was made up. Instead, what she murmured was, "There go our pensions…"

Hinako Ninomiya was doing her best to calm the students of Furinkan High School, all the while wondering where Principal Kuno was, and secretly glad that he was absent. The teacher was less than pleased that the man was missing during an important crisis that had interrupted a typical school day (which, come to think of it, was pretty typical in itself at Furinkan) while at the same time not missing him at all as he was often more of a nuisance to public order than many of their students.

"This simply will not do," she said to a fellow teacher, "Bad enough that some students have yet to be located, but for the Principal himself to be tardy during an emergency evacuation?"

"Maybe he got caught in the rubble," her fellow teacher suggested, almost sounding hopeful, which provoked a scowl from Hinako, even though she could hardly fault the sentiments behind the statement.

"We don't yet know how extensive the damage was," Hinako's frown deepened before adding, "Does anyone here know what caused this in the first place?"

"I'd heard it was a giant lizard rampaging through the school building, Hinako-Sensei," one of the students at the front of the class lines remarked, trying to pretend that he had not been forefront among the students who had fled from the creature.

Hinako sniffed dismissively at that, "I mean the real reason, not some silly rumor somebody started to disrupt school order…"

"I really mean it, Sensei," the boy said earnestly, "There really was a monster…you can ask anyone else who saw it, it was huge and scaly…"

"Hmph," Hinako said derisively, "As if I wouldn't notice a thing like that running through my hallways. If you don't tell me at once what kind of impractical joke you students are attempting to pull here I am going to get cross and…"

"But there is a monster, Sempei!" the student now had an edge to their voice to match a dawning look of panic, "Honest! I saw it chase some students into the Cafeteria, right before it exploded."

"I see," Hinako nodded sagely, and then her eyes went wide, "Exploded? But…what about the ice cream?"

"It's probably gone," one of the female students noted, "Along with half of the kitchen."

"Oh no!" Hinako wailed, thinking of the lovely triple-fudge sundae she had been looking forward to when her free period would come up in another few minutes. The thought of losing her chance filled her with grief and a sense of looming outrage.

"It does no good to get upset about things we cannot do anything about," a pleasant voice remarked, causing Hinako to look up into the luminous purple eyes of an unearthly beauty, "Besides, if something is not done very soon, you people will have something else much worse to worry about in another few hours."

"Who are you?" Hinako frowned, "Are you a teacher?"

"Only in the most figurative sense," the woman replied with a gentle smile, "Your friends have need of your services. Go to them at once and I will see to it your students do not go astray in your absence."

"Someone has need of me?" Hinako asked with raised eyebrows, "But who…?"

"Your big sister, of course," the purple-eyed woman smiled, "The one who shares a curse that causes her to change into something other than what she appears on the surface."

"Tendo Nabiki?" Hinako gasped, then turned to her students and said, "Class, obey this woman until I get back! Do not move without her permission!"

With that she turned and started running as fast as a girl who looked twelve years old could manage while the one whom she had been speaking to smiled then said, "Almost too easy. I hope Tendo-san does indeed manage to come out from this one intact, I so rarely get this sort of challenge in these times," she smiled as she turned to her new charges, giving them all a patented glance that read them Akashically before she began, "Class…who here knows anything about a game called Poker…?"

"Oboy," said Ranma, "That guy's already as big as a building. How are we going to deal with that?"

"No problem," the redheaded Thor-chan replied as she reared back with her hammer, "I'm an old hand at taking down giants--OW!"

"How is that again?" Ukyo glared at the cursed redhead as she held up her huge spatula with a look of warning, "Were you about to hurt my baby?"

"Ucchan?" Perfume blinked in disbelief at the possessive tone of her beloved.

"I think somebody else besides that lizard got imprinted back there," Nabiki turned to her friend and fellow iinazuke, "Ukyo…we have to talk…"

"I know he's big," said Ukyo defensively, "And mindlessly destructive, but he's still a child after all! He's not responsible for his actions…"

"Tell that to the authorities," Aiko nodded towards the block where the fish market had been standing, where sirens could be heard as police cars converged on the area to try and seal it off from every angle.

"Oboy," Akane said averred, "Somehow I don't think that's going to help much…"

"Can't we make them understand that it's not a good idea to attack him?" Ryoga wondered.

"Good luck," Urd remarked, seeing how the police had already drawn firearms and were pointing them at the creature, "Somehow, though, I don't think they're gonna listen."

Indeed the creature began to extricate itself from the building, which naturally alarmed someone enough that they discharged their firearm from reflex, which set up a chain reaction as other police fired up at the fifty foot tall lizard, which only served to anger the beast as it reacted to the sting of pelting slugs bouncing off its thickening hide.

"Baby!" Ukyo cried in alarm.

"Don't bother," Hercules said, nodding to the police, "That was a real mistake…the thing's got a hide like Kevlar. You need something a bit stronger to penetrate to a vital area."

Indeed, the creature shrugged off these futile attacks and lumbered out into the open to lash out at the petty creatures who were annoying it with bee stings. As it reared to counter attack, however, it paused as it heard Ukyo's cry, which distracted it away from it aggressive assault so that it instead moved forward, stomping through the mass of police cars as though they were minor obstacles to its path while the police themselves moved to get out of its path.

"Uh oh," Nabiki averred, "Don't look now, people, but it's coming this way."

"Should we run?" Ranma asked practically, even though the idea of cowardice was normally quite foreign to his nature.

"No point to it," Hercules replied, "It can move faster than you guys."

"Scatter!" Nabiki shouted as she sought to dodge away, "Don't bunch up in groups, maybe we can confuse it!"

Everyone but Hercules, Thor and Aiko moved away in all directions as the creature loomed over them, but of a sudden it shifted directions and oriented once again towards Ukyo. Perfume saw this and moved to intercept, only to find herself knocked aside by a glancing blow of its tail as it whipped past her with the sudden turn. Ranma managed to duck low while Nabiki vaulted over the tail and Ukyo dodged back, only to trip unexpectedly and land sprawling at the feet of the creature.

"Ucchan!" Ranma cried as he straightened up in time to see the creature bend down over Ukyo, but his attempt to move forward was restrained by Nabiki, who interposed herself in the way and said, "Hold up a minute, Ranchan…I don't think she's in any danger."

Indeed, the creature was making plaintive noises as it bent down over Ukyo, wuffing once again like a giant puppy. Aiko started to move to her aid but Ukyo waved her away and said, "It's alright! I'm not hurt. He doesn't want to hurt me, do you Baby?"

The creature made a sound as if in reply to this, then it reached out with a clawed foreleg and gently touched Ukyo's outstretched arm. It lowered its massive head until it was only inches away from her, and Ukyo got back to her feet, nursing her ankle by hopping on one leg as she reached up to pet him, eliciting a throaty noise of approval.

"Will you look at that?" Thor marveled.

"Kinda hard not to," Hercules said in the same tone of amazement.

Ryoga saw the police slowly advancing and turned with both arms raised, "Stay back! Let us handle this, please!"

"Are you all right?" Akane asked Perfume, who was sitting up with a look of surprise on her face.

"Yes," Perfume blinked, looking at herself with astonishment, "I am all right…but how…?"

"Let's table that question for the moment," Nabiki said evenly, "Nobody do anything to alarm the creature. Let Ucchan handle this…she seems to be the only one it favorably responds to."

"Hmm," Principal Kuno mused as he rubbed his chin absently with his fingers, "Now that you mention it, he wouldn't make a too bad Mascot after all…"

"Well, what do you know?" Urd remarked, "It really is just an overgrown baby after all. It doesn't want to cause trouble, it just wants love and attention."

"Kind of like you," remarked Sif.

"Exactly," Urd blinked, "Waitaminute…"

"Eep!" Thor-chan remarked and ducked behind Hercules, who arched an eyebrow.

"Where did you come from?" Urd demanded.

"Vanaheim," Sif replied, "But I'm Asgardian by adoption. I've been looking all over for you people since I lost track of you a while back. What happened to Algonquin…and have you seen Thor anywhere about?"

"Well," Hercules started to say when Thor-chan punched him in the kidney, causing him to wince as he continued, "Not for the last few minutes, now that you mention it, no."

"That idiot," Sif sighed in frustration, "He can get himself so lost at times, but I guess I shouldn't worry. He can basically handle himself in most situations, I just wish he'd think once in a while before he jumped into things he sometimes can't handle. I swear he can be as stubborn as one of those goats who pull his chariot sometimes…"

"I am not!" Thor-chan protested, then clasped her hands over her mouth with a look of near panic.

Sif was only just starting to react to this when the sound of a helicopter flying overhead distracted them all. The creature turned an alarmed look at the flying object slowly circling about the area, and then he moved forward and snatched up Ukyo with one claw, heaving her up to its chest as it reared to its full height with a bellow and started to move forward again, stomping on a parked car in the process.

"Ucchan!" both Ranma and Perfume cried together.

"That's it!" Aiko cried, "No more sitting on the sidelines! I don't care what that girl says, that bad boy is going down for the count!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Hercules called out as Aiko leaped into the air like a guided missile and in two broad steps interposed herself directly in the path of the creature.

"Gotta admit," Thor-chan remarked, "She does takes after you."

"Yeah," Hercules winced, "That's the problem. Remember how it reacted the last time?"

Indeed the creature suddenly halted as it sensed something different about the tiny figure confronting it in such an aggressive manner. It sniffed the air as if to form a question, then reared back as if in recognition and turned to the side, heading towards a narrow alleyway that it could not possibly fit into, smashing its way as it widened the canyon.

"Hey, come back here!" Aiko cried as she charged after the creature, which vanished abruptly in a cloud of dust that was equal parts caused by collapsed brick and mortar. Aiko unwittingly plunged too far ahead of where she had intended, losing the creature and herself unexpectedly as the nearby walls of the two buildings began to collapse towards her. She looked up in dismay, sensing what she could not see as several tons of building came down on her without warning.

"Aiko!" Akane cried out, "No!"

"Tartarus," Hercules snarled as he rushed forward towards the mounting pile of debris, plowing into the rubble and digging through the wreckage as though it were Styrofoam, only to find in his surprise that Thor-chan was right beside him in sifting through the rubble.

"Hey, I got nothing against the kid," Thor-chan remarked when she saw his questioning look, "Even if she is related to you. I…"

The rubble sifted, forming a dome in front of them as the two Gods stepped back to watch the rubble clear all by itself. A figure appeared out from under an invisible umbrella that the debris just seemed to magically slide off, wearing a revealing form of leather-like armor that came complete with a space-age helmet through which the face of Beatrice could be seen.

She looked down at a slightly disheveled Aiko, who was on her knees with arms raised in deflection, only to look up at the smile of her erstwhile school rival and bitter enemy-turned ally as Beatrice said, "Consider this my way of returning the favor."

"Beiko?" Aiko slowly got back to her feet, looking more mussed than injured as she gave the silver-haired girl a questioning lookover, to which she finally sniffed and said, "Well…what took you?"

"I was in the area following the trail of destruction when I sensed you needed me," Beatrice replied, "As you can see I took the time to dress for the occasion this time. No sense being caught unprepared a second time, eh?"

"You had that thing tucked away inside your locker all this time, didn't you?" Aiko frowned, "And who says I needed you? I could handle a little thing like a building…"

"Better than I could unarmored I have no doubt whatsoever," Beatrice replied with a genial smile, "Just the same it is good to see you well, Alison."

"Uh…" Aiko glanced away and colored slightly.

"What's with the outfit?" Nabiki asked as she and the others finally caught up with the action, "I take it this isn't just your idea of a fashion statement?"

"Hardly," Beatrice flexed her arms and displayed her physique to interesting effect that made the males present study her more appreciatively, much to the annoyance of their female companions (including Thor-chan, who failed to notice the look Sif paid in her direction), "Akagiyama Armor, one of my more successful inventions. This bolsters my natural abilities to nearly twice Aiko's usual level of performance. It also has a number of handy devices built in, such as the forcefield generator I used to deflect part of that building."

"Neat," Akane looked her over with a smile, "How does it work?"

"Don't ask her that!" Aiko hastily insisted, "Not unless you want a technical lecture that could last and hour and make your eyes rollup in their sockets."

"As it so happens, Aiko-chan," Beatrice remarked, "I was about to give her the shorter explanation…"

"Look, can we stick to the problem at hand?" Ranma looked around, "Where'd that monster get off to with Ucchan?"

"Good question," Nabiki glanced down the ruined alleyway, "I take it the creature did not just vanish into thin air. It must have gone somewhere, perhaps on the other side of the building."

"I'll go have a look," Beatrice replied, and then she sprang into the air and flew high over the buildings while Aiko glanced after her with a curiously haunted expression.

"Wow!" Ryoga marveled, "Did you see that? She can fly!"

"Obviously," Perfume said, turning a look back down the alleyway for a moment before saying, "Somehow I don't think she's going to find it on the other side."

"My thoughts exactly," Nabiki nodded, "It's gone to ground all right, the only question is…where?"

"Gone to ground?" Hercules blinked, "You don't mean…?"

"Sempai?" Ryonami said as she finally got the courage to step forward, Gosunkugi hovering close nearby like an owl ready to spook at any moment.

"Oh, sorry Ryo-chan," Nabiki turned back to her aid-de-camp, "In all the excitement I forgot that you had something you wanted to show me."

"Here," Ryonami said as she passed the printed sheet of paper that she had been clutching in her hands the whole time that she had followed the antics of the others, then she dutifully waited for Nabiki to read it, seeing her Sempai's expression tighten slightly after another few seconds.

"What is it?" Ranma asked her.

"Nothing to worry about right now, Ranchan," Nabiki replied, moving her eyes but not her head to glance towards Principal Kuno with a meaningful nod that she hoped he would correctly interpret. She carefully folded the paper up and slipped it into her shirt, then gave Ryonami a curt nod and said, "Good work. I'll speak with you both about it later."

"Hai, Sempai," Ryonami agreed while Gosunkugi just looked more worried than ever, if such a thing were conceivable.

"Now there's only one problem," Nabiki sighed, "Finding the creature is going to be a lot harder now, but I don't think Ucchan's in any immediate danger."

"What do you mean harder?" Ranma asked, "It's over five stories tall, Nab-chan!"

"Your iinazuke is correct," Beatrice remarked as she came floating down to the slight hum of some manner of engine, "The creature is no where to be seen on the other side of these buildings and has most definitely taken refuge in the one place where we cannot immediately pursue it. A clever strategy, almost as if the thing has above-average animal cunning…"

"What are you talking about, Beiko?" Aiko asked her, "How does a thing that big just disappear like that?"

"I will show you," Beatrice replied and promptly led the way through the rubble-strewn alleyway, indicating a large collapsed wall through which they could see the massive hole torn into the floor, more than big enough for a fifty-foot creature to disappear through.

"This thing burrows?" Thor-chan remarked, "Bloody hell! That means it must have found its way into an underground sewer…"

"You are correct," Beatrice replied with a nod, "It is now underground, having discovered the artificially created tunnels that underlie Nerima. I dare say, judging by the speed with which it moves, even when carrying a passenger, that it could be almost anywhere by now. This makes tracking it down into a priority, so who here would like to go on a little monster hunt down where it's dank, dark and dangerous?"

"The three 'D' Words of monster hunting," Hercules snorted, "It's my specialty. Can't be any worse than fetching Cerebus to the Vet for his bi-centennial shots."

"Hey, you're not the only monster hunter on the block here, you know," Thor-chan snorted.

"But how will you find it if it's gone underground?" Akane wondered.

"Good question," Nabiki replied before she and everyone else turned a glance towards Perfume, who reacted with a terse, "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Of course I'll find my Airen! As if there were any question," she glanced at the hole with a nervous expression, "I just hope it's not too wet down there," she shivered slightly.

"Well now," remarked a very wizened voice in some amusement as they turned to see Cologne appear amid the rubble, accompanied by Happosai and the rest of their curious entourage, taking in the sights of massive devastation all around them, "I take it you're about to try and find the creature in its lair? I do not think that would be such a good recommendation."

"GAH!" Hercules responded with a start before giving Cologne a more careful look, after which he sighed, clutching at his heart before saying, "Whew! For a moment there I thought you were somebody else, Granny. Almost scared me out of a millennium there…"

"Who did you think she was?" Thor-chan asked, "Mother old age of Jotunheim?"

"Close," Hercules replied, "I'll tell you about it later…"

His tone trailed off as he suddenly set eyes on Genma, who was leaning forward while adjusting his glasses slightly as he and the others took in the large hole at the base of a building. In a very faint tone Hercules murmured, "It can't be…"

"What all have we been missing, Nabiki-chan?" Soun asked of his daughter.

Nabiki sighed, "I don't know where to begin, Daddy…"

"Hey, Kuno-kun," Ranma smiled, "You feeling all right, old buddy?"

"Saotome," Kuno smiled, "I feel that it is safe to say that I have never felt better."

"Hey son," Principal Kuno smiled, "How's it hangin'?"

"Father," Kuno replied in tones of neither warmth nor indifference before turning his gaze back towards the dark haired slender girl he had come with.

"The thing went down there?" Natsume asked as she was stared at the hole, as did the other new arrivals, including her younger sibling.

"Seems that way," Akane smiled, giving her cousins a friendly nod of greeting, "You guys won't believe the kind of day we've been having…"

"That good, huh?" Kurumi replied with a faint smile, "Guess you'll have to fill us in on the way…"

"Not so fast," Happosai said gravely, "Following the creature where it's gone is no light matter for you young students. At the rate the thing is no doubt growing, it will soon be too large to fit in the sewer system, and it will have to come back to the surface soon enough in order to eat its fill when it gets hungry again. That's how we can trap it."

"But it has Ucchan," Ranma protested.

"The cute chef?" Happosai gave Ranma a studied look, "If it hasn't harmed her already she's probably in no real danger. This isn't the first time something like this has happened you know…"

"What?" Nabiki turned towards him, "You've got to be kidding, Grandfather! You've seen this creature before?"

"Not this one," Happosai said, "But others like it. It happened before any of you kids were born, and if we don't do something very soon it could mean the end of Nerima, maybe even the human race itself over the whole planet."

"Isn't that kind of Apocalyptic?" Aiko asked, "One overgrown lizard can't be that big a problem…"

"That is where you are wrong, Aiko," Beatrice said gravely, "The Legends say Typhon the Destroyer once came very close to ending life upon this planet before the Gods imprisoned him for what was supposed to be forever…"

"You got that right," Hercules nodded while still keeping wary eyes on a clueless Genma, "It was supposed to be forever, but somebody obviously either dropped the ball, or else…"

His tone trailed off, leaving Urd to ask, "Or else what?"

"Or else someone deliberately planted that egg where somebody was bound to one day find it," Hercules said gravely, "I smell a rat, and I think I know which one is behind all this."

"Well?" Thor-chan asked, "Don't keep us in the dark, old buddy. Who are you pointing the finger at, or do you intend to play twenty questions?"

Hercules shook his head slowly, "I'd rather not say aloud, somebody's bound to hear it and get alerted. If it's who I think it is, she's bound to make herself known sooner or later."

"She?" Cologne regarded the Olympian with a studied look, "I take it by this that you are implying that it is a relative of yours who took the egg from where it belonged and brought it to Nerima."

Hercules nodded, "You got that right, Granny. The problem with my family isn't figuring out who would have the means and motive, it's more like eliminating the cast of probable suspects to narrow it down to one candidate in particular, and when Dad finds out she's behind this, somebody's in for a much-deserved spanking."

"I wish you wouldn't talk in riddles like that," Sif remarked, "Now what was that again about luring the creature back to the surface? I suppose you intend to bait a trap of some sort?"

Nabiki nodded, "First we'll need to round up the right sort of cheese…or should I say fish? Second part will be knowing where to set the trap, and how to ring the dinner bell to bring Junior running."

"I suggest we concentrate on where we are going to find enough fish to satisfy its appetite," Beatrice remarked, "Such a quantity as we'll need could wind up costing a fortune."

"So?" Aiko asked, "Just give your Dad a call and tell him to open up his wallet."

Beatrice shook her head slowly, "I am no longer on such good terms with my father that I could rely on him for that, even if I could make him understand the severity of the situation."

"Hmmm," Thor-chan mused, "A load of fish, huh? I think I might be able to solve that little problem. Tell you what, you guys worry on how to capture the creature and I'll go bait the right hook…"

"Make sure you use the right bait this time, dear," Sif mused with a studied expression.

"Hey, I always use the right…" Thor-chan blanched, turning a guilty look in the blond Goddess's expression, "Uh…"

"I am not stupid, you know," Sif said crossly, "It's taken me a few minutes to put everything together, but now I've finally figure it out," she glared at Thor-chan, "Just how long have you been back on this Earth, Thorilla?"

There was a very long pause and then everyone at once responded, "Thorilla…?"

Continued

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