Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ An American Dragon in Nerima ❯ Chapter the Eighth ( Chapter 8 )

The early morning sun was just creeping into the arms room of the 374th Security Forces Squadron.  The day shift had fallen into its morning formation, waiting for their flight chief.  Marx walked out of the control center, and to the armorer, received his pistol, cleared it and moved in front of the formation.  "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  Before we begin our usual briefings, I have an advisory from the Japanese National Police that's been posted to all American installations and foreign embassies.  None of the following information is to leave the base, at the request of the National Police.  They don't want to start a panic.

"It seems there have been a series of kidnappings over the past several weeks.  The targets are young women, from the ages of thirteen to twenty, no specific body types or ethnic backgrounds, although the majority are native Japanese.  There is, unfortunately, very little information to go on.  Patrol leaders, there are photo arrays in Control.  Make sure you sign for one.  Those on the gate, Sgt. Spirenburg and I will run them out to your posts.  If you see any of these women, contact Control, and try to hold them, or at least follow them.  Gate guards, have your civilian PD liaison keep an eye on them.

"We've been asked by the National Police to contact local law enforcement if we see any of these girls, and to monitor their whereabouts.  And because of the significant danger, patrol arrangements will be shifted tomorrow.

"Sergeant Spirenburg, the flight is yours."  Marx turned and walked back into the control room.

-------

High atop Mt. Fuji, there was a cave complex far off the pilgrim trails.  Sitting deep within this complex was Firespur, back in her human guise, sitting at a somewhat rickety camp table writing a challenge letter, a mix of propane and battery-powered lamps creating pools of light throughout the complex.  Of course, she could have used light spells to provide illumination, but there was the risk that the use of her magic would give away her location to her opponent far too early.

For the complex to be so far off the beaten path, it was remarkably clean and had been reinforced, almost as if it was to be used in time of war.  Firespur had added a few homey touches to it-like artwork from raiding the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.  She was also grateful that the two-legged vermin that infested the area had thoughtfully provided cells in one side chamber.  These were currently in use, filled with "snacks" that ranged from thirteen to twenty.

It was long after finding where her old nemesis was living that the challenge was finished.  Satisfied with the wording, Firespur stalked towards her "pantry".  The teenage girls and young women cowered towards the far end of their cells.  She looked at her captives, almost tempted to go "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe" at them.  "You'll do," she said, pointing at a pale-skinned girl in a Mugen Academy uniform.  "Come with me," the dragoness barked, as she opened the cell.  The selected girl complied, as the dragon led her into the private chambers.

Firespur settled down into an overstuffed chair.  "What is your name, girl?"  She asked, gazing into the teen's purple eyes.

"H-Hotaru Tomoe," she replied, entranced by the way her captor's eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Well then, my little firefly, I have something for you to do."  The dragoness slid the envelope towards her messenger.  "You will deliver this to 'Yin Zi', or what ever he is calling himself now, at the Tendo Dojo, in Nerima-ku.  If he is not there, then I permit you to give this only to the one he has given his heart to.

"Once you have completed this task, you are to return to your school, and forget about everything about this past week.

"Now, repeat back my instructions."  Hotaru did as she was ordered.  "Very good.  Remember, if you fail me, little firefly, you will suffer.  Dearly.  Now go."  The schoolgirl took the envelope and left the cave.

-------

It had started out as a normal morning for the Tendos.  Kasumi had started breakfast preparations not long after her fiancé had left for work.  She smiled as she looked at the silvery dragon plush that now occupied a portion of the counter.  Marx had been extremely gentle with her last night, cradling her in his forelimbs, wrapping a wing around her.  The warmth radiating from his body was comforting, almost like being wrapped up in a big living electric blanket.  Ranma and his father had sparred, with both of them ending up in the pond.  Soun had his head buried in the paper, and Akane was out on her morning jog.  And since she had moved on to campus, Nabiki was home only on the weekends.

With breakfast placed on the tables, the usual fights stopped, the families settled down, except for Ranma and his father sparring over food.  The engaged teens ran out, almost late for school, but only Akane made it.  Ranma ditched her and made his way back to the Dojo, then hid himself in a tree that overlooked the house.

For all parties involved the day felt like it was lasting forever.  Marx had the cops chasing his vehicle around the flightline like a mother duck and her ducklings, but it still didn't feel like it made the day go any faster.  And this particular exercise also had the "kidnapping" of SrA Hutton, as a willing participant since she fit the general profile of the victims.

For Kasumi, the day moved as a normal day, just a bit slower.  And the young love a certain dragon couldn't help but feel that she was being watched as she went about her chores and errands.  Although it didn't feel like the Amazons from last week, it was, nonetheless, a set of eyes.

Ranma, at various times, was fighting to stay awake.  Stakeouts simply weren't his particular cup of tea.  Especially sitting up in a tree.  For the pigtailed martial artist, even the weather was conspiring against him.  The late April day was warm and a light breeze was blowing, giving a slight sway to the tree.  Both were having a sopoforic affect on the teen, and it was by sheer luck that he was able to stay awake.  But as the day wore on, he luck was beginning to run out.  Just a few moments won't hurt, he said to himself, as he closed his eyes.

When he opened them next, it was in time to hear Akane.  "I don't believe that pervert."

"What did Ranma do this time," Kasumi asked patiently.  She was, however, getting tired of listening to her youngest sister rant about how every thing was Ranma's fault.  As the eldest, it should have been her responsibility to the family to accept the engagement, but Ranma's curse frightened her at first.  And if she hadn't fallen head over heels in love with their only paying tenant, she would have asked her father to transfer the engagement to her.

"He walked me to school, fought Kuno as usual, and then disappeared.  I'll bet he was hanging out with that Amazon hussy or his 'cute' fiancée all day."

"Akane, after last night's attack on Christopher-kun, I doubt very much that Ranma would want anything to do with the Amazons anymore.

"Besides, he's been here all day."  Upon hearing that little revelation, Ranma did a spectacular face-fault from his perch in the tree.  The squirrels he was sharing it with whipped out score cards: "8.5" "9.0" "8.0" "9.5" "7.5"

As he dusted his Chinese silks off, Ranma looked at the eldest Tendo.  "How'd you know I was here?"

Kasumi smiled her genuine smile.  "The same way I know when to have the first aid kit ready.  Musabetsu Kakutou Tendo-ryu Domestic Harmony."

They all had a good chuckle at that, until Akane turned on her fiancé.  "Why weren't you in school?  I had to fend for myself today?"

"Marx-san asked me to keep an eye on Kasumi.  He told me he had a bad feeling about today."

They were interrupted by the chimes at the gate.  "Ranma, keep an eye on dinner for me.  Akane, don't you have homework to do?"  She nodded.  "Then off with you.  And stay out of the kitchen." 

Kasumi made her way to the main gate and opened the heavy wooden door.  Standing there was a young girl, no more than fifteen.  "May I help you?"

Hotaru looked up at the women standing before her.  "I have a letter for Yin Zi," she said.

There was a sharp intake of breath on Kasumi's part.  "How…how do you know that name?"  She asked the young girl quietly.

"My mistress bade me to come to this address and deliver this missive to Yin Zi or 'the one he gave his heart to.'"

Kasumi held out her hand.  "I'll take the letter for Yin Zi."

Hotaru took Kasumi's hand.  "You have his scent all over you.  You are the one he gave his heart to.  You are permitted to take the letter," she said cryptically, as she handed the letter over.  The teen in the Mugen Academy uniform turned and left.

"That was odd," she muttered, as she closed the gate and returned to the house.  Letting Ranma go to get his notes and homework for those classes he shared with Akane, she looked at the letter.  It had two different scripts written in an elegant hand.  One was formal hiragana, the other was, as best as Kasumi could place it, was a rune-type.

With dinner set to simmer, all she had to do was wait for her fiancé to return home from work. 

The phone in the hall began to ring.  Ranma, as the nearest resident to it, answered.  "Moshi, moshi, Tendo-ke…Oh, hey LT…Yeah, I'll let her know…Good luck, Lieutenant."  The pigtailed Saotome stuck his head in the kitchen.  "Kasumi, Marx-san called and said he'd be late."

"Thank you Ranma.  Dinner will be ready soon."

-------

Marx pulled up to the Dojo and parked the US government sedan.  Sitting there for a few moments, he collected his thoughts on why he was late.  One of the younger sergeants, someone Marx had thought to be reliable, had been snatched by Chiba's police force in a district-wide operation to break up a prostitution ring.  Which, under normal circumstances wasn't a problem to call Marx in on.  The district police would have been more than happy to fine the staff sergeant, and let him go.  Except for one little thing-the sergeant in question was caught with a 15 year old girl.  Which placed the young NCO into custody for statutory rape.  Which, in turn, opened a jurisdictional can of worms.

All Marx wound up doing at police headquarters was to officially transfer jurisdiction to the Chiba police force, but requested that the Air Force hold him until plea hearings, and then trial.  The Chiba police agreed and signed over temporary custody.

With his thoughts collected, the stress of the day pooled for a long hot soak in the furo, Marx climbed out of his cruiser and walked into the compound.  For one of the few times since he moved in, it was quiet.  Akane and Ranma weren't arguing, the fathers were quietly engaged in their shogi.  Trading his combat boots for house slippers, Marx made his way into the kitchen.  Kasumi was sitting by the counter, a piece of paper in her hand.  "How was your day," he asked.

"Slow.  And I wish you'd told me that Ranma wasn't going to school this morning."

Marx hung his head slightly.  "It was a last minute decision made on my way out.  I still think that the Amazons aren't finished with me yet.  And that means you're still in danger."

Kasumi put the piece of paper on the counter and took her fiancé's head in her hands.  She gently pulled him up into a light kiss.  "Anata, thank you for your concern," she said when she was done.  She picked the letter up off the counter.  "This came for you today.  I think it might be a challenge letter, but I didn't open it because I couldn't understand the second text on it."

Marx took the folded parchment from her hand.  To his touch, it was the finest parchment available.  The red wax seal had an impression of a dragon taking flight.  "Firespur," was all he muttered, when he translated what the runes under the hiragana said.  Breaking the seal, he read the note.  His face twisted into a grimace as he read.  "That…bitch," he growled.  "She murdered Peng."

"What was that, Christopher?"  Kasumi asked, a concerned look on her face.

"You remember that red dragon I told you about?  The one I fought over Tibet?"  Kasumi nodded.  "She had Peng murdered by the Amazons.  Just to get back at me for fighting her.  And now she's challenging me to a rematch." 

"Does she say when the rematch would be?"

"No, she doesn't.  Other than a piece of advise to prepare myself."

"But why is she doing this?"

"Red dragons are the most prideful and conceited of all dragons.  They believe themselves to be infallible and hold a grudge going back millennia.  What Firespur is doing is bragging that no matter what, she'll still win."  The gold key that led to Marx's hoard appeared in his hand.  "I'm going to do something that none of the memories I have show that I never done before.  Take the key."  Kasumi did so, and Marx placed his hand over hers.  "Now concentrate."

~Hello Kasumi~. The key "purred".

She almost dropped it.  "It spoke to me."

Marx nodded.  "The key is, as far as I can tell, sentient."  He snorted as he eyeballed the key and listened to it gripe.  "Hush you," Marx said to the key.  "I know what I'm talking about.  And I'm making sure my legacy doesn't end."  He looked at his fiancée.  "The key is now attuned to you.  All you have to do is will t to appear and disappear.  Just act like you're inserting the key and turning it to open a doorway to my lair.  Use it any time you need to escape for awhile, or you need to help out the family."  Kasumi nodded.

~I will only answer to your summons now or from the big goofball over there.~

"I heard that," Marx growled.  "I rescue you from the bottom of a spring after three millennia, and this is the gratitude I get."

Kasumi chuckled as they heard the key "raspberry" Marx.  The key disappeared as she willed it away.  "I saved some dinner for you," she said as she opened the fridge and pulled out the leftovers.  "So what kept you at work," she asked.

Marx sighed.  "One of the sergeants from Charlie flight got snatched in a vice sting."

"That's bad.  But why were you called in?"

"He got snatched while with a fifteen year old."

"That's horrible.  What's going to happen to him?"

"Well, he's sitting in custody right now on base.  But we're just holding him to make sure that he shows up.  I think he's going to go to jail for quite sometime.  And I'm going to recommend that he get court-martialed.  He's a staff sergeant, he should have known better."

"But people are fallible."

"I know, but you know what he told me?  'Her pimp told me she was 18.'"

"That's horrible."

"I know."  Marx shook his head.  "And I thought yesterday had been a bad day.  This is turning out to be a bad week.  And I fear that it's going to get so much more worse."  Letting the conversation taper off to companionable silence, allowed the draconic lieutenant to finish his dinner.

-------

Marx opened his eyes.  It was the middle of the night; the full moon that was out earlier was behind scudding clouds.  Kasumi was sound asleep, snuggled up next to him.  "She's out there," he said quietly.  "It's long since time we finished this."  He extricated himself from his sleeping fiancée.  Kasumi muttered at losing her warm, furry teddy bear and rolled over.  Not bothering with a robe, Marx made his way out of the sleeping house, towards the courtyard. 

He shifted forms, and stretched out his wings.  Even though he preferred his human form to his draconic, there were times he needed to exercise the other form.  He picked up a scent that he'd recognized as clinging to Ranma's most of the day.  Hints of spices and lavender shampoo identified whom it belonged to.  "Xian Pu," he said in Mandarin.

"Nihao, Dai Ryuujin no Nishi," the purple-haired Amazon greeted him.  "Do you want to come peacefully tonight?"

"Xian Pu, you seem like a level-headed warrior.  What if I told you that your ancestors were manipulated into attacking, into killing Peng?"

"That's not what the histories say."

"History can be wrong.  History can be, and is, used as a tool of propaganda."  The silver dragon sighed.  "I don't want to fight you tonight.  But I have a favor to ask.  And the only thing I ask for as a repayment, is for you to listen to the true history of Jusenkyo."

"What is it you ask?"

"I want you to watch over Kasumi.  I'm going to fight someone I thought long dead.  Someone who will try to hurt me in anyway possible, including attacking my loved ones."

"I will watch over the Tendos.  As a favor.  And I will listen to your version of history with an open mind, at a neutral location.  But, I will use this favor as a marker, to be called in at my choosing.  Even though our histories tell us that you are a tricky and wicked creature, you could have killed us for endangering your loved one.  Yet you didn't.  You could have attacked me when you called to me, but you didn't.  For that, I will not force you to come with me.

"I wish you success in your mission, Dai Ryuujin no Nishi."  Shampoo leapt up into the same tree that Ranma was in earlier in the day.

Marx leapt into the air, his wings beating the air as he climbed into the night sky.  Now, if I were Firespur, where would I lair.  Of course, baka, Mt. Fuji.  She's a red, and would think of this part of Japan her exclusive preserve.  He winged his way over to the south, keeping in the clouds for concealment.  Unsure of how long he would be away from the unit, he put in emergency leave papers to cover an absence for up to 30 days when he left the squadron the night before.  Hopefully, he wouldn't need them.

-------

Morning broke over Tokyo as it usually did.  Kasumi was already up making breakfast as the sun crested the compound wall.  A pigtailed blur was quickly followed by a furry black and white blur from the guest bedroom window, and father and son began their morning routine. 

Except that routine was about to be broken, as the bruised, bloody, burned and battered form of Dai Ryuujin no Nishi all but collapsed in the yard.  "Go call Doc Tofuu!"  Kasumi shouted.  Akane jumped from the table and ran to the phone.

Marx opened a bruised eyelid.  "She's dead.  Finally, it's over," he said before closing his eye again. 

"Who's dead," Kasumi asked quietly.  "Cologne, Shampoo, or Firespur?"  She didn't get a response.  "Damn you, Christopher.  Don't die on me."