"Hmm, there's a lot more to this place than it looks like there is," Ranma noted.
"Yeah, it feels," she thought about it. "Well it feels like Nerima actually."
"Really, Akane," Nabiki huffed, trying to keep up with the other three was becoming rather tiring. Nabiki had new respect for Nadoka after all this climbing. "Do you think there is anywhere that attracts as much trouble as our little hometown?"
"Yeah, Akane, that's silly," Ranma agreed. "Nothing could be as bad as Nerima." A series of explosions rocked the top of the hill they were climbing.
"I can't stand it ANY longer!" the shouting voice drifted in from the end of one explosion. There was a distinct note of haughtiness to it, similar to Kodachi's but MUCH softer. "I'll teach you to chase after MY Tenchi!!"
"Oh why would Tenchi want a stuck up girl like you?" Several more explosions sounded and faded into the distance. The Nerimans sweatdropped.
"You were saying," Akane put in, as they continued up the stairs. They found themselves at the top of the hill standing before a large, comfortable looking house.
"Now I suppose we should call at the shrine first," Nadoka said, turning away from the house. Akane and Ranma turned to find more steps and shrugged. Nabiki facefaulted.
Six figures found themselves standing on the edge of a town just in front of what seemed to be a circular rip in the fabric of time and space.
"How long will that remain open?" one of them asked, a short man with what seemed to be blue skin. The red-head in front of him was much shorter than he was. She hmphed irritably at the question.
"For us or for them," the red-head jabbed her thumb at the tall blonde woman standing next to the short blue-skinned man. Then she jabbed a finger at the purple-haired man standing next to a tall slim, black-haired woman with a generous figure and a look of righteousness on her face. ~Not fair, why can't I get tall and big like that? Well at least she doesn't look hideous like her sister did.~
"For all of us, of course," the blue skinned man answered irritably.
"I think it will be about a month before the gate turns unstable again," she answered. "Are you certain she lives around here?"
"Well," the purple haired man started.
"Oh, Xellos's certain all right," the black haired woman next to them, confirmed. Xellos sweatdropped.
"Well let's go find her then," the sixth person piped up suddenly, he was a tall, blonde haired man standing protectively next to the red-headed woman. The black haired woman began concentrating and gathering power.
"What are you doing, Amelia-san?" the blonde woman asked, curiously. Amelia glanced at Xellos and arched an eyebrow.
"I'm trying to find MY daughter, of course," she explained. Xellos sweatdropped again.
"Man, she's angry," the blonde man said.
"Gourry, if I found out that YOU had children across half the cosmos, I'd be mad too."
"How can you have children across a comma, Lina?"
SMASH
"Excues me, can you tell me the way to the Tendo dojo?" Ryouga embarrassedly scratched the back of his head as the pair turned to face him. The girl was kind of cute, though those pointy ears were weird. Then again, he had fangs so who was he to talk. There was something familiar about the man's weapon, it looked like a giant fly swatter, though something was telling him he should recognize it as something else.
"Sorry, never heard of the place," the girl waved her hand dismissively. "But maybe you could help us?"
"Uh...." Ryouga swallowed. "I'm not certain about that, what do you need."
"We're looking for a Ranma Saotome." The girl blinked as Ryouga took on a sudden change.
"Ranma...Saotome!" he growled. "Let me guess, your father here..." The girl lifted one red leather boot and slammed it into his foot before he could finish. He looked down, and then said in a resigned voice, "What did you do that for?"
The girl blinked as she tried to figure out why that hadn't hurt him. She'd smashed toes through steel plated boots before.
"This baka isn't my father," she snapped irritably. "He's my husband."
"Leaf, why don't we just go on, he doesn't seem trustworthy to me." Leaf glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. Then held her hands out in front of her and concentrated.
"I call upon the power of the gnomes," she mumured, as a light grew between her hands and tentacles erupted from the ground to grab the man. He grabbed the weapon off his back and started swatting the things ineffectually. "You're not one to talk about trustworthy."
"Okay so why are you looking for Ranma Saotome?"
"Because my baka husband here sent our daughter after him and his father ten years ago while I was....stuck somewhere."
Ryouga glanced again at the weapon the man was using to smack the tentacles around his feet.
"Excues me, is that a spatula?"
bleep bleep
A slim hand reached from underneath the blankets and cast about for the source of the sound. After about ten more seconds of incessant bleeping the hand found the necessary button.
"Hello?" a muffled voice spoke from under the blankets.
"Detective Kiyone?" There was a stifled growl from under the blanket. The bed's occupant reminded herself that THIS was why she bothered with keeping up the rent on their apartment. Headquarters couldn't contact them there unless it was an emergency. If it was an emergency her earring would have been blaring.
"Speaking, make it quick, its really early."
"There have been some inquiries into your whereabouts."
Great, just what I need, Kiyone thought. I wonder what that's all about. "Do you have a name?"
"Let me see here a moment," there was a shuffling of papers and then the man read a name. The blankets were silent for a long moment. "Detective?"
"I'm not certain I heard that correctly," Kiyone said, head coming out from under the blankets as she turned to face the communicator. It was a blank screen, she generally left it set to audio only while she was asleep. "Could you repeat that name?"
"Certainly," the other officer said. Kiyone was certain she'd heard it correctly this time. She leaped out of bed and looked about her room. The area was quite clean compared to Mihoshi's quarters, but there was certainly room for improvement.
"STALL HER!!! I NEED MORE TIME!!!" Kiyone rushed about in a cleaning frenzy.
"Detective," the voice on the communication screen asked. "Is this some criminal coming for you?"
"No! That's my mother!"
"What? Ranchan is gone?" Ukyou shouted.
"Is true?" Shampoo demanded. Kasumi nodded, smiling happily.
"Yes, he and my sisters went to visit his mother's family."
"Oooo, she's a sneaky one that Nabiki," Ukyou snarled.
"Pardon?"
"Well, Akane is too rash for this kind of plot," Ukyou explained. "But Nabiki on the other hand, get Akane and my Ranchan off alone together with Ranma's family. Let her start to feel like part of the family and then...bang."
"Akane fall in love with Ranma and stupid Airen marry violent girl," Shampoo growled.
"We have to put a stop to this plot!" a new voice declared. They turned to see a leotard clad girl standing on a light post just outside the doorway. "I will show the pitiful Akane Tendo and her devious sister that Kodachi, the Black Rose, and the Black Rose alone, is the one for my beloved Ranma. And where, pray tell did Ranma leave to?"
"I believe it is a shrine in the country," Kasumi said. "Wait a moment, I think I have the address." Kasumi disappeared into the house.
"You two hussies can leave now," Kodachi informed them arrogantly. "There is no need of you."
"Crazy girl think she only one get address?" Shampoo growled. "Shampoo learn address and then she free airen from violent-girl."
"Are you two out of your gourds," Ukyou laughed. "I've got the best chance of us all, he doesn't even like you two!" Weapons were brandished.
"Hello girls," Soun called out as he walked past the door.
"Hello Mr. Tendo," all three said cheerfully.
"Now, where were we?" Ukyou said. "Oh yeah that's right." The dust cloud erupted at that point.
"Ah here's that address," the paper was immediately snatched out of Kasumi's hand by a ribbon.
"OHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Too slow girls!" Kodachi bounced off, Shampoo and Ukyou in pursuit."
"Oh my, I wonder if we should send them a warning." Kasumi considered it and shrugged, Ranma would be expecting it.