Insertion Part 62 The Quest for the Open Water Kettle +++++++++++ Yohiko looked down at the two figures panting pathetically on the lawn. She sighed and squat down beside Yusaku, he was face down in the grass. She lifted up his head by his hair and frowned at him. "Let me ask you something. Am I really worth all this?" He stared at her with half lidded eyes for a moment, seeming to consider the question. "Definitely." "Oh. Okay," she said as she dropped his head in the grass again. "Come on Usagi dear, it's time to get ready for school." The girl groaned and tried to push herself to her feet. It took a minute, but she managed finally. "I don't think you're worth this." "Well, you don't have a choice. You're going to do your family proud," said the woman as she snorted at that. ++++++++++ Yohiko Hibiki smiled as she stared down the young student in front of her. The girl was in a corner of the schoolyard, and was holding a large wad of money in her hands. "Well, what have we here?" "Miss Yohiko," said the girl. "I..." "Miss Yutori, I see you've been busy this morning," said the woman as she grabbed the girl by her arm. "Tell me, what is this money for?" "Um...I..." stammered the girl pathetically as she was dragged towards the doors of the school. She dropped a notebook on the ground as she staggered. Yohiko smiled and picked the book up. "Oh. What is this? An account book?" "Um, no..." said the girl nervously. "Really? That's what the first page says," said Yohiko as she showed the girl the page. "I see names at the top, and accounts for quite a few students here! You wouldn't be working as a bookie for someone would you?" "I uhh..." said the girl as her brain shut down. "I thought that she...had an agreement with the teachers..." "Agreement?" said Yohiko as she frowned at the girl. "Well, we'll just have to put a stop to that won't we?" "I..." muttered the girl as her face went completely red. "We aren't hurting anyone!" "Who is we?" asked Yohiko with a dark looking frown on her face as she looked the girl in her eyes. "Eeep!" said the girl as she saw Nabiki standing behind the teacher. She shut her mouth quite abruptly. "Why Miss Tendo! Imagine finding you here? Shouldn't you be in class?" said the woman as she turned to face the girl. The girl narrowed her eyes at the woman and turned away. "As for you, we're going to have a little talk," said Yohiko as she pulled the girl into the building. +++++++++++++++ "I did it!" cried the girl as she hung her head in shame. "Please don't be too harsh on me! My parents will kill me!" "Possibly," agreed Yohiko. "After you get out of jail that is." The girl went completely pale and stared at the woman for a moment. "I...WHAT?" "I'll be blunt, I don't care about you. I want the big fish," said the teacher as she leaned forward and smiled at the girl. "Big fish?" muttered the girl. "Yes. I know who it is, but I don't have proof yet. If you were to name her..." "She'd kill me!" cried the girl. She quickly realized what she'd done and clapped her hand over her mouth. "I could call the police, but I think a visit to the principal's office before that would be better," said the woman as she leaned back in her chair. "I don't know anything!" cried the girl. "Do you know what the principal does to students who get sent to his office?" said Yohiko as she leaned forward again and gently took a bit of the girl's ponytail into her hand. She rubbed it for a second and then let it fall back down. "It's a shame really." The girl was quivering in terror. "No. You can't!" She clutched her head protectively. "I can, and I will. Unless you give me what I want, and promise me that you won't work for her again. Ever." Yohiko chuckled and sat back once again. She lifted her hand up and inspected her nails for a moment. "I don't have a choice! You don't understand! She's got..." started the girl as she began to cry pathetically. "Oh? Blackmail as well?" said Yohiko as she leaned forward with her grin widening suddenly. "This gets better and better." The girl across from her went completely white. "But...I can't! If Jiro finds out that I..." "It'll be no different than if I have you sent to jail," said the woman gently as she nodded her head in false understanding. "My, you're certainly in a bind. Wouldn't it be nice, if you could put the girl responsible for this in a bind as well?" "But..." said the girl as she looked up at the teacher again, this time with tear filled eyes. "Listen dear, you're in a no win situation here. You can either stick it out from some misplaced sense of loyalty for someone who's used you for her own purposes, or you can take the path of least resistance and nail the person really responsible. You may lose your little boyfriend, but there are other boys." "I'll never get a date again!" cried the girl fearfully. "It's that bad!" "Please dear. You may be lonely through the rest of your high school career, but I doubt if it will travel with you outside of these walls," said the woman with a casual wave of her hand. "Honey. I hate to put it bluntly, but there are other boys besides this 'Jiro' kid. It's time to look out for number one." "But I love him!" cried the girl fearfully. "We..." "You're a teenager, in a year's time, you probably won't even remember his name," said the woman calmly. "Time to face the music child." The girl looked down at her hands, she was shaking. Finally, after sitting in silence, she looked up at the woman. "All right." Yohiko smiled to herself. "Good. I'm glad you're smart enough to realize the right choice here." ++++++++++++ Nabiki Tendo looked on as Mitsuri Tanaka was escorted from the building by a police guard. She turned to look at the girl for a moment and scowled. She simply watched in silence, not saying a word. "She's gone." "Well Miss Tendo," said Yohiko as she stepped out of the building. "Saying goodbye to your old friend?" The girl turned to look at her with a shocked expression on her face. "I..." "You can relax now," said the woman as she put her hand on the girl's shoulder and winked at her. Nabiki nodded and turned to watch the girl being carted away. "We found her stash of records. I'm sure she has more at her home," said Yohiko as she squeezed the girl on her shoulder and smiled at her. "You know!?" gasped Nabiki in horror. Yohiko frowned at herself for a moment. This was a completely unexpected development. "Your secret is safe with me Tendo. I would never betray something like that." The girl looked up at the woman's serious frown and gasped. She rushed into her arms and sobbed pathetically. Yohiko growled in anger as she saw the girl being pushed into the back seat of the police car. She had broken into the girl's locker personally. It hadn't taken more than a moment to find the false panel in the back of the wall. "Such a horrible child," she said as she watched the car pull away. "But..." said Nabiki as she looked up at the woman. "I..." "I understand Tendo," said the woman as she smiled at her for a moment. "Don't worry, I think we'll find everything." "They'll find out!" cried Nabiki in shock. "When this goes to court! My family! They'll disown me!" "I can't speak for them Tendo," said the woman as she knelt down beside the girl. "I hope they'll surprise you. In the end, it will work out for the best. You won't spend your life worrying if they ever find out about it." Nabiki gasped at her. "I..." "I can't condone what you did, but I can't fault you for it," said the woman as she put her hand on top of her head. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" muttered the girl in horror. "Yes. Possibly ruined your life?" said the woman. Nabiki stepped back with a horrified look on her face. "What?" "And how many other lives would she have ruined if I hadn't done anything?" said the woman as she stood up and dusted off her coat. "I loved him. I knew Daddy wouldn't understand. After it happened..." "He left you alone," said the woman as she looked down at the girl. "Seems your father would have been right after all?" Nabiki looked up at her for a moment. "How dare you?!" "You were a fool in love Tendo. You never know what might happen, this may work out in the end, and your secret may be safe. You should just be happy that you had a doctor as understanding as Tofu." The girl hung her head. "How do you know it was him?" "Call it a hunch," said Yohiko. "I imagine he recommended someone to you. Possibly even set up the appointment himself." Nabiki frowned and turned towards the open gates of Furinkan. "I'm glad she's gone." "I am too, using you to hide herself from view was cowardly, but effective. Be glad I came along, you may not be now, but someday you will understand." Nabiki looked up at the woman and simply stared at her. "You should be in class," said the woman as she took out a pen and a notepad. "Here. I'll make you a pass." She tore the page out of her notepad and smiled at her as she handed it to her. "Just remember what happened here Tendo. I think I can trust you, but don't forget what happened to her." Nabiki looked up at her and nodded dumbly. Yohiko watched her walk back inside and frowned to herself. "We should remember this. It could be useful later on." With that, she walked back inside the building to her first class of the day. +++++++++++ Ranma Saotome sat in a hot spring somewhere in the mountains of Japan. Herb was beside her, soaking with a towel on her head. "So, this thing. What do we have to do when we find it?" asked the pigtailed girl. Herb frowned at this and sighed. "We bathe in the water. It should remove the effect of the ladle." "Sound's easy enough," said the redhead. Herb nodded and tried to wrench her eyes away from the girl's body. She growled in anger and finally gave up, staring at the redhead. "What are you starin at?" snapped Ranma. Herb turned away from her. "That girl. I can't stand the sight of her." Ranma blinked and looked around. "Huh? What girl?" "You," said Herb flatly. "You look just like..." Ranma scratched his head in confusion, not sure of what to say. "I ain't no stupid girl!" he said finally. "Neither am I," retorted Herb hatefully. "Fine then," said Ranma as he turned away. "Good. I'm glad you understand," said Herb with a rough sounding snort. Ranma blinked suddenly and looked at Herb. "I guess you would understand all this crap wouldn't you?" "Pardon?" said the dragon girl as she turned to look at her companion again. "I mean. We're a lot alike," said Ranma as she pulled her arm out of the water and looked at it for a moment. "The curse and all." "We are not alike! I am descended from dragons! You're just a pathetic human!" "Hey! If there's one thing I ain't, it's pathetic!" said Ranma angrily. Herb frowned as the redhead stood up. Her breasts bounced right in front of her face and she blushed furiously. "Hey! Quit starin at those!" snapped Ranma as she sat back down again and covered herself up. "I ain't starin at yours!" Herb looked at her and got a sort of confused look on her face. "That's true. Why not?" "Huh?" said Ranma dumbly. "Why haven't you been looking at my breasts? I mean, I understand that I am to be considered attractive. It seems odd that you wouldn't be looking at all." "Are you nuts? You're a guy! A guy!" cried Ranma as she raised her arms into the air. Once again, her breasts bounced excitedly and Herb's attention was caught once more. "Stop that!" cried Ranma as she moved away from the other girl. "Why do they move like that?" said Herb as she poked at her own breast in confusion. "How odd." "I dunno, it's annoying," said Ranma with a frown on her face as she did the same. "Quite uncomfortable," agreed Herb as she bounced a little to test it. "Yeah," agreed Ranma. "Look. I don't wanna look at you, cause I know you ain't really a girl. All right?" "But, I am really a girl," said Herb. "What?" said Ranma as his eyes went wide. "That is what the spring does. It changes you into a girl, therefore, I am a girl." Ranma shook the explanation off and frowned. "No. I don't mean like that. I mean, you were born a guy right?" Herb nodded. "Well, you still think the same right?" continued Ranma. "Yes. This spring does not affect the mind," said Herb calmly. "Well, then you ain't a real girl," said Ranma. "So, real girls think differently than men?" said Herb in confusion. "Boy do they ever," muttered Ranma with a downcast look on his face. "How odd," said Herb as he thought about this. "How do they think differently?" "I dunno," said Ranma. "I ain't a girl." "Explain this to me," said Herb as she leaned forward. Ranma blinked. "Well, they get really embarrassed about some stuff. It's weird. They do girly things, like shopping." "I like shopping," said Herb flatly. "It's different for girls. They can spend all day in a shoe store," explained Ranma. "I went one time with Kasumi, and Akane. I thought we'd never get out of there." Herb blinked at this. "All day?" "Yeah! Hours!" said Ranma. "That is unusual," agreed Herb. "They're always calling guys perverts," continued Ranma. "Even when they ain't. I mean, I know some perverted guys. Those two idiots with you are perverts for example. I know I ain't one though." "Perverts?" said Herb in confusion. "What does this word mean?" Ranma blinked and looked at the girl. "I uhh. Guys who like, think about doing it and stuff all the time. They like, touch girls and stuff." "Touching girls is bad? What is this 'it' you speak of?" prodded Herb as she leaned forward more. It was obvious that she was fascinated. "Well. Girls don't like it when you touch certain things. I dunno why, but they're just like that," said Ranma as he looked at Herb as if she'd grown a second head. "'It' is...well...sex." "I see. So thinking about sex is bad?" said Herb with a frown on her face. "I had heard it was pleasurable." "Yeah. That's what I heard. Girls get all upset about it though. I dunno why," said Ranma with a frustrated frown. "So, females are confusing?" ventured Herb. "Yeah. Really," agreed Ranma. "Lime and Mint are perverts?" asked Herb as she looked at Ranma. "Yeah. Really big ones," said the redhead flatly. "They keep askin if they can touch my breasts." "Can they?" asked Herb. "What? No! These are mine!" cried Ranma defensively. "Oh," said Herb with a small shrug. "Can I?" "No! Touch your own if you wanna know what it feels like!" snapped Ranma. Herb looked down at her chest and shrugged. "Okay. Maybe later I will." Ranma turned away. "Can we talk about something else?" "Like what?" said Herb in confusion. "I dunno, anything!" cried Ranma. "Where does our penis go? I've wondered about that for a while now," said Herb as she looked down into the water. Ranma sank into the water and started blowing bubbles in frustration. "Something besides that too." "Oh. Another topic?" Herb thought about it for a moment. "My rear. I've noticed that it became rounder..." "Arrrgghhh!" said Ranma as he hit his head against one of the nearby rocks. "What?" said Herb. "Something else!" cried Ranma. "Oh. Well, I'm not sure what else to talk about." Herb looked down at Ranma's body again. "How about this. You can touch my breast, if I can touch yours?" "What?" said Ranma as he looked at the girl dumbly. "No way!" "Why not? It's a trade right?" said Herb with a frustrated frown. ++++++++++++ "Why do we have to wait here?" grumbled Mint in irritation. "I dunno," said Lime as he frowned and turned towards the springs where his master and their new companion bathed. "I don't see why we can't take a bath with them too." "Yeah. Master Herb is so lucky! He gets to take a bath with a girl!" said Mint in frustration. "Yeah!" agreed Lime. "We used to take baths with Lord Herb all the time!" "Something seems different, ever since we started looking for the Open Water Kettle," grumbled Mint. "Yeah. I wonder what it is though?" said Lime. "Hello boys," said a voice as someone stepped out in front of them. Lime and Mint froze in place as someone stepped out in front of them. "T-titties!" muttered the pair. Yohiko Hibiki smirked at them both and put her hand on her hip. "How are you doing tonight?" Lime and Mint looked at one another for a moment and stood up in unison. "Would you like to have tea with us?" asked Mint as he hefted a mallet over his head. "Yeah. We'd like to talk with you a little," said Lime as he pulled out a net. Yohiko smirked at them and narrowed her eyes. "Well, aren't you two full of spirit?" ++++++++++++++ Ranma had her eyes closed and had her hand on Herb's breast. "Okay. Doesn't feel any different than mine. Ouch! Not so hard!" "Sorry." Herb frowned and let go. "I dunno, I'd always thought there'd be more to this." "Yeah, well sorry," said Ranma as she pulled her hand away. "Can we stop now?" "I guess so," said Herb as she looked at her hand and flexed her fingers. "Are we doing it right?" "How the heck should I know?" grumbled Ranma irritably. "Look, this was your idea. I just wanted you to shut up about it." "Oh," said Herb as she sighed and sat back in the water. "Maybe there's more to it?" "Probably," grumbled Ranma as she rubbed at her chest. Herb nodded and suddenly sat upright. "Do you feel that?" Ranma jumped away. "No! What the heck are you touching now!? Never mind! I don't want to know!" "Lime and Mint!" said Herb as she jumped out of the water and grabbed her cloak. "Huh?" muttered Ranma as she followed, pulling her own clothes on as she followed after her. +++++++++++++ Herb growled as she walked onto the campsite and frowned. There were signs of a scuffle. Throwing knives littered the ground, and several other signs of battle could be seen. "There's been a fight here. I can feel ki in the air!" Ranma nodded and frowned as she knelt next to the fire. "Look!" Herb turned and saw the redhead with a letter in her hand. "It's a note!" "What does it say?" said Herb as she growled. The ladle was in her hand, still where it had been when the fight started. "You'll find them when you find the kettle," said Ranma with a frown on her face. "Someone is following us!" snapped Herb as she glanced around. "Right," agreed Ranma. "Who? Why?" "I don't know, but they aren't weak if they managed to defeat both of them." Ranma nodded at this and crumpled the letter in her hand. "This isn't good." "What should we do? I can't sense them," said Herb as she looked at the woods surrounding them. "I dunno, should we look?" asked Ranma. "No. If I can't sense them, it probably wouldn't do any good," said Herb as she growled in frustration. "We should find the Open Water Kettle. If the note says they'll be there, I'm sure we will." Ranma frowned at this, but nodded. Herb looked at her and sighed. "We should get some sleep." "What if whoever did this comes back?" asked Ranma. "I doubt if they'll come back. Whoever this was, could have surprised us in the springs," said Herb as she continued to watch the trees. Ranma frowned, but nodded in agreement. "I think you're right." "We should stay close though," said Herb as she looked at her companion. "You'll stay in the tent with me tonight." "Huh?" said Ranma dumbly. "What? No way!" Herb blinked in confusion. "I wasn't thinking about that. Now that you mention it though..." Ranma turned green and backed away. "I'll keep watch, you go to sleep." Herb shrugged and walked into her tent. Ranma sat down by the fire and wrapped a blanket around herself. Watching the tent in a sort of fear. After a moment Herb stuck her head out. "Are you sure? I mean, I went through all this to find out about that. It would be a shame to not find out." "Yes!" cried Ranma with a ferocious blush on her face. "Okay," said Herb as she went back into the tent. +++++++++++ Morning came, Ranma woke up in front of the burnt out fire and looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" Herb was sitting nearby, with the bucket and ladle in her hands. "It's time to get started." The pigtailed girl blinked and nodded. "Okay. Which way?" Herb put the ladle on top of the bucket. It spun around like a compass and eventually settled in a fixed direction. "That way," said Herb calmly as she pointed. "Right," said Ranma as she began to pack her things. "It shouldn't be too much farther. I'm getting a strong reaction," said Herb firmly. The pair finished packing up camp and started on their way. +++++++++++ Yohiko smirked, her two prisoners hefted over her shoulders. They were awake and struggling against their bonds. She grinned at them and started on her way. She moved a fair distance behind Ranma and Herb. It was easy enough to follow them, but hiding Lime and Mint's auras was a bit of work. "Quit struggling, you two won't break those chains," said the woman as she jolted them a bit. They were both bound with heavy chains and gagged. The pair calmed down and growled under their gags. "Don't worry, I'm not going to stop Herb from finding the Open Water Kettle. I just don't you two idiots getting in my way when I challenge them." The pair looked at one another in surprise. +++++++++++++ It took about half a day to get to the top of the mountain. Ranma and Herb looked at the giant kettle-shaped rock for a moment. "Is that it?" asked Ranma. "It should be inside," said Herb calmly. "So. We have to break that rock?" said the redhead. "Just the tip, that should start the water flow," said Herb. Ranma nodded and cracked his knuckles. "I kinda wish Ryoga was here. He could be useful for things like this." "A friend of yours?" asked Herb. "Something like that," said the redhead with a short nod. "Come on. Let's get..." "Hold it," said a familiar voice. "Damn!" cried Herb as he looked up and saw Yohiko standing on top of the rock. Lime and mint hung from the 'spout' on the stone by their chains. "Miss Yohiko?" said Ranma in a sort of shocked confusion. "Hello Saotome," said the woman as she smirked at her. "You know her?" asked Herb as she glared at her companion. "She's my English teacher," said Ranma dumbly. "You were expecting someone else?" asked the woman as she shrank into her male form in front of them. "No way!" cried Ranma in shock. "Heh. If you want to get the power of the Open Water Kettle, you have to defeat me. Otherwise, I'll never let you use it!" The male Ranma jumped down, switching back into his older form as he landed. "Why?" cried Ranma in shock. "As I said before, defeat me, and I'll tell you everything," said Yohiko coldly. "Ha! You don't stand a chance!" cried Herb as she charged forward, flying into the air. The woman laughed and kicked him in his gut, knocking him out of the attack again. "Pathetic!" "What? Twice she defeats my technique?" muttered Herb in shock. She crumpled to the ground. She stood up and blasted Yohiko with a burst of chi energy. The woman sidestepped and bat the projectile away with her palm. She growled at her and rushed forward, decking her across her jaw. "Not bad! Not good enough though!" She lashed out with her arms, wrapping the dragon girl up in a mass of chains. "That technique!" cried Ranma in shock. "Hardly hidden weapons," said Yohiko. Ranma gasped in shock when she saw that the chains weren't coming from inside her clothing, but rather out of them. Her dress shrank visibly as Herb found herself wrapped up tightly and flung to the ground. The woman was now barely covered by her skirt and top. She smiled at Ranma and put up her fists. "Are you good enough to get by me Saotome?" "Damn you!" screamed Herb as she struggled against her bonds. Her aura flared up, and the chains tightened quite suddenly, cutting off her hair supply and breaking her concentration. "I wouldn't try that again," said Yohiko as she turned her gaze down at the girl for a moment. Ranma charged forward, screaming angrily as she attacked the woman. "You bastard!" "Ha! You'll have to do better than that!" cried Yohiko as she blurred her arms, blocking the Amaguriken technique easily. She jumped up and slammed her knee into Ranma's face, knocking the girl over. "Damn!" grumbled Ranma as she stood up. "Get away! She's too strong!" cried Herb. "Ranma Saotome? Give up? As if I'd allow that!" said Yohiko as she turned towards the girl. "She wouldn't do such a thing." Ranma stood and frowned. "Come Saotome! Let's see if you're good enough!" cried the woman as she jumped back and raised her hands. A ball of Ki larger than the one Herb had used blasted from her palms, shooting towards Ranma. The pigtailed girl jumped out of the way, her eyes wide with shock. "Impossible!" cried Herb from where she lay. The chains tightened once again as her aura started up, forcing her to suppress it once again. "Come on!" snapped Yohiko as she attacked. Ranma backed away, dodging desperately. She kept turning her eyes towards the rock. "Keep your eyes on the fight Saotome, not the spoils," snorted Yohiko as she knocked the girl to the ground again with a kick across her jaw. She followed this up by jumping back and extending her palms. "Kamehameha!" Ranma cursed as she rolled away, the force of the blast lifted her into the air and threw her several yards in the dirt. She staggered to her feet again. "Damn!" "Can't you do better? I expected more from the great Ranma Saotome!" cried Yohiko as she jumped towards her again, a chi powered vault that sent her dozens of feet into the air. Ranma managed to escape the falling kick that followed. She cursed again, moving on the defensive. Finally, she smirked at her opponent. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" snapped Yohiko as she punched up into the air. "Hiryuu Shoten Ha Reversal!" Ranma smirked. "Yeah! I did! Moukou Takabishia!" Yohiko blinked in surprise as nothing happened after her reversal strike. Then it hit her, Ranma had somehow managed to keep her cold aura just warm enough to keep the technique from working and pulled into a trap. She cursed and took the attack in the chest, sending her flying into the side of the stone kettle. It cracked, but didn't break. "Very clever," she commented as she glared at him for a moment. Yohiko snarled angrily and pushed her aura to its maximum. She spread her arms and readied herself for the next attack. "Time to put this fight up a few notches." Ranma looked at her in horror. The ground was crumbling away around her. "She's going to shake this whole mountain apart!" gasped Herb from her place on the ground. "Damn!" said Ranma as she charged again. Yohiko met him halfway and backed away from his strikes, dodging as lazily as if she were fighting with Akane. "Can't you do better than this? Show me what you can really do!" Ranma was growing more and more frustrated. "Damn you!" "Falling for your own trap! How pathetic!" snapped Yohiko. "Huh?" said the pigtailed girl as she suddenly realized what had happened. "Hiryuu Shoten Ha!" cried the woman as she raised her arm into the air and created the tornado. "Weren't expecting me to use that a third time were you?" Ranma was tossed into the air, his strength waning away quickly. "Damn! She's so strong! Her ki is tearing this place apart!" He could see the mountain crumbling away around them. "There has to be a way to beat her! She knows everything I can use against her!" Her eyes focused on her as she reached the top of the tornado and began to fall towards the earth. "So I'll just have to try something new! All this ki! I can..." Yohiko smirked as she saw the girl falling towards her with a determined look he her eyes. "Here it comes." "Hiryuu Korin Dan!" screamed Ranma as he collected the force of the ki and redirected it towards his opponent. The ground where Yohiko had been standing was torn up from the force of the blast. It dug a deep gouge into the earth, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust. Ranma slammed into the ground and groaned painfully. She staggered to her feet and looked at the destruction. "Did I get her?" "Ranma! Look out!" cried Herb. The redhead turned around and saw Yohiko standing behind her. The woman seemed to melt out of the dust cloud as it settled. "No way!" "Relax Ranma," said the woman with a smirk on her face. "This fight is over." "Huh?" said the pigtailed girl dumbly. "You've won," said Yohiko as she let out a heavy sigh. "What? But you..." "I dodged," said the woman with a nod. "But only because I already knew what you would do." Ranma stared at her with her jaw hanging down. "What?" "You forget who I really am," said the woman as she melted back into her male form. "As promised, I'll explain why to you now." "What? That's it? You mean..." Ranma was in complete shock. "I'm gonna kill you!" "You're going to need the experience you'd have gotten from this fight. You should have been fighting Herb, not me. It would have ended the same way. Now, you have an ally, instead of an enemy." The woman smiled at him and looked over at Herb. "You would have fought with Herb, and defeated him. Ryoga and Mousse would have assisted a little, and you would have destroyed the Open Water Kettle in the process. You would have managed to cure yourself with it before that, both of you. In the end, you would have won." Herb was looking at her with her jaw open. "In fact, it would have been Herb's male form you defeated in the end. You would have done it in your weaker female form as well." Ranma was simply staring at her in shock. "I..." "Now, I'll let your friends go, if they promise to behave themselves. The kettle is yours to do with as you please Herb. Don't think for a moment that I can't beat you again." The chains wrapping around the three Musk warriors suddenly released them and slid across the ground, moving onto Yohiko's body and reforming as her dress again. She smiled at them all and turned away, walking calmly down the mountain. Ranma growled as he watched her go, but decided against attacking her again. "One day, I'll get strong enough to beat her." Herb looked at the boy for a moment in silence, he then turned towards the stone kettle and raised his palm, blasting away the tip of the spout. Hot water poured out of it and she walked into the shower, coming out the other side as a broad-chested male. He looked down the mountain and frowned for a moment. Ranma went in immediately after him, coming out as a man on the other side as well. "Who is she?" asked Herb. "She says she's me, but from another world, and in the future," said Ranma as he glared at the path she had vanished down angrily. "I see. You have an interesting life, Saotome," said the Musk Lord as he followed his gaze. "I should take my revenge, now that my strength is back. However, I shall leave her in your hands." Ranma nodded and smirked at him. "Leave it to me." "Take care of yourself, Saotome," said the man as he nodded towards his companions and started walking. "The next time you are in China, look me up." "Right," said Ranma with a confident smirk on his face. Herb turned and went on his way, Lime and Mint trailing behind him. Both of them had tears in their eyes. "What happened to the titties?" lamented Mint. Lime snorted. "I'll miss them both!" Herb promptly decked them both, growling in frustration. "Idiots." Ranma gave a small chuckle before turning back towards Nerima and starting on his way. "I guess that's it then." +++++++++++++++ "Did you enjoy your trip?" asked Usagi as her mother walked into the apartment. "Huh?" said the woman as she looked at her for a moment. "Yes. It was very interesting." "Oh," said the girl with a small shrug. "Well, I'm going to bed," said Yohiko lazily as she walked towards her room. "Well, you've got a date with..." started Usagi cheerfully. "Cancel it. I'm tired," said Yohiko as she stretched her arms and yawned. "But you promised!" cried Usagi. "When?" said the woman as she looked at the girl. "Last week," said Usagi sheepishly. "I most certainly did not," said Yohiko flatly. "You'd best stop setting these things up. I might get angry with you dear." The girl swallowed and nodded at the implied threat. "Yeah. Heh heh." "Cancel the date Usagi, and don't set up any more. I'm old enough to handle that on my own," said the woman as she walked into her room and closed the door behind her. "Drat!" exclaimed the girl as she walked over to the phone and started dialing. "This is gonna get harder now." +++++++++++ TBC... Next Time: Dark Secrets!