Insertion Part 65 The trip ++++++++++++++ Six Months later... +++++++++++ Usagi stood in the shadows of the warehouse. Tall stacks of wooden crates and various boxes stood around her creating vast hallways through the building. It was dark and foreboding, but that didn't bother her at all. She could see as if she was standing in the middle of a park at noon on a bright sunny day. Still, she felt a small pang of fear. Not from the shadows, but from the three large men who sat around a card table with automatic weapons strewn about them with a deck of cards. There were three of them, all of them sitting with their full attention on their hand. It was almost comical to look at, the largest of them frowned as he looked at his companions for a moment and scowled. The other was a man of medium build, and a skinny looking man with slicked back hair. They looked bored if anything else. She crept silently up to the shadows closest to them, their table was lit with a single desk lamp, it was small, but dangerously bright. "Youse gots any threes?" asked the biggest one dumbly. "Go fish," grumbled the skinny man. He was irritated that his large companion didn't have enough brainpower for poker. Sitting off to the side in a corner was a young girl, she was tied to a chair and had a handkerchief tied around her mouth as a gag. Her face was stained from tears that she had stopped producing a few hours earlier. Now she simply sat in silence and watched the men play their game. A small rodent moved up to her leg and she let out a muffled scream as she tried to shy away from the creature. The men looked over at her and chuckled, one of them threw a notebook that was on the card table at the rat and it scurried away from her. They promptly returned to their game again. "What should I do?" said Usagi as she frowned and looked at the scene for a moment. "Well? What are you thinking?" asked a familiar voice as a face appeared in the air in front of her. She gasped in surprise quietly and scowled. "Don't do that to me!" she whispered to her uncle's head. "Oh? Did I surprise you?" he said cheerfully. "Yes! What is it?" she snapped. "I'm just checking up on you," he replied as cheerfully as ever. She knew from experience that no one but her could see or hear him at the moment. "There's three of them, they've got a girl hostage." "Hmmm, that sounds like the Kagami kidnapping," said Xellos as he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Great, so I should save her," said Usagi as she peered around the boxes she was hidden behind for a moment and narrowed her eyes at the men. "Sounds like a plan," said Xellos. "Well, actually it sounds more like an objective than a plan really." "How should I do this? They've got a hostage," she muttered as she mulled over the problem for a moment. "It would seem that the girl is your first priority," said Xellos as he smirked at her. "Right," agreed Usagi as she sighed. "I guess I should go get her, and then beat them up." "Good idea," said her uncle. Usagi sighed and started to move back into the shadows again, it took her two minutes to make her way to the other side of the building. She had to avoid the large area that they were sitting in, moving along the tops of the walls made it a little easier. Finally, she landed and moved up behind the hostage. She was sitting right behind her and watching, cloaked in the shadows for the moment. With a smirk forming on her face she reached out and pulled the girl into the darkness. The men sitting around the table stood up and turned to see nothing but an empty space where their hostage had once been. "Da girl!" cried one of the men in shock. His companions quickly armed themselves and rushed over to the spot, only to find empty shadows. They turned on flashlights and peered into the darkness with them, finding nothing but boxes. "Oh shit," muttered one of the men quietly. "Find her!" cried the skinny man angrily. The big dumb one frowned and looked around for a moment. He sighed and started walking. ++++++++++++ "MMMMMFFFF!" screamed the frightened girl as Usagi pulled her onto the top of the wall of boxes near to where she had been. Her hand was keeping the sound muffled and she grinned at her with her finger up to her lips. The girl calmed immediately as she saw who was standing in front of her. It was a blonde girl with a mask over her face, she was wearing what appeared to be a very short fuku with a pair of knee high boots. Her eyes turned confused and she gasped as the stranger pulled her gag away. "Who are you?" "Shhhh. You'll find out in a moment. Just wait here, I've got to take care of those guys," said Usagi cheerfully. "This could be my big break!" she thought privately. The kidnapping was a high profile crime recently. "Wait! They have guns!" whispered the girl fearfully as she reached for her savior. "So? I've got something better," said Usagi as she smirked and jumped down into the darkness. ++++++++++++ "They can't have gotten far," snarled the skinny man as he found himself standing in the middle of a crossroads of sorts within the towering boxes. His two companions stood behind him and glanced around nervously. "What if it's the cops?" whimpered the big one. "The cops would have just barged in," said the medium build man as he scowled at him. "Right. Still..." said the skinny one. "We should split up." The others were about to agree when they all paused. A bright light was shining in front of them, and standing in the middle, seeming to be the source was a young blonde girl. "Villains who dare defile the sanctity of family! Your actions are evil, and your hearts black! Now the defender of love and justice shall punish you on! Sailor Moon!" cried the girl triumphantly as she posed in front of them. The three men stood dumbly watching the scene for a moment in a sort of shocked awe. "What the?" said the skinny one. He promptly raised his weapon up and opened fire. Usagi screeched as she jumped up and avoided the fire. She rose ten feet into the air and scowled at them as she hung there for a moment, suspended by several small ribbons from her costume that had latched onto the walls. "Neat trick," said the big one dumbly. "You'll pay for that! No one shoots at Sailor Moon!" screamed the girl as the ribbons let go and she fell to the ground. The men trained their weapons when she landed, but as soon as she did the ribbons lashed out with a blinding speed. They were all disarmed and wrapped up within seconds. Usagi smirked at them and lifted them up into the air as she walked up to them. They all looked at her fearfully as she grinned. "Now, what should I do with you?" "Let us go?" asked the big one hopefully. "Nah, this is gonna hurt," said Usagi calmly as her grin widened. Rows of spikes started to form along the bottom part of her ribbons and slowly moved towards the men. "Don't worry, they won't kill you," she added cheerfully. "You just won't be as pretty as you were before." The men started to scream in terror as the spikes moved closer, they stopped suddenly when the lights came on inside the warehouse. She was blinded for a split second and shielded her eyes with her forearms. "Well, if it isn't Sailor Moon," said a dangerously familiar voice. Usagi whirled around and her three captives were flung into the wooden boxes. They slumped down out cold and Usagi growled as she saw someone standing on a catwalk above her with the girl held forcefully at his side. In his hand was a small ball of light. He looked to be about fourteen years old, with short brown hair and handsome features. "Jadeite! I should have known you were behind this!" screamed the girl hatefully. "Alas, too little too late," said the boy as he smirked at her. "You've been quite the thorn in my side lately. I think it's time I got rid of you." "What?" said Usagi as she stepped back. A familiar growl sounded from the boxes around her and she narrowed here eyes. "This again?" "Well Sailor Moon, what will you do?" asked Jadeite calmly as he pulled the girl along the catwalk. Usagi stepped back as a large pile of boxes slowly rose and shifted shape into a humanoid creature. "These stupid things! Haven't you figured out they don't work by now?" she cried in frustration. "It may not be able to kill you, but it will keep you busy long enough for me to make my escape and take this girl with me," said Jadeite calmly. "Damn!" cried Usagi as she jumped away as the thing's arm slammed into the ground where she had been standing. "I don't have time for this!" The creature lumbered forward and she jumped up and onto the wall next to its head. She stuck there and thrust her arm out behind her. The ribbons from her costume came to life again, this time trapping the creature in them by surrounding it on both sides. It struggled for a moment and she jerked her arm back. The wall opposite her came down slamming into the thing and shattering it. She snorted in disgust and jumped up onto the catwalk after avoiding the crash below her. Jadeite turned to face her with a scowl on his face as she stood with a firm frown on her face and dozens of ribbons floating around behind her like the plumes of a peacock crossed with an octopus. He snorted and released the girl, tossing her to the ground in front of him. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would." "You won't escape this time," said Sailor Moon firmly as she stepped forward. Jadeite grabbed the girl by her hair and growled. "Can you save her and catch me at the same time?" he cried as he tossed her over the side. Usagi jumped down after her without a second thought, her ribbons wrapped around the girl and stopped her decent cold. She frowned as she hit something suddenly and groaned painfully. "Ha ha ha ha! You're as foolish as I thought!" called Jadeite as he threw a ball of light into the ground at his feet. "We'll meet again soon Sailor Moon! I'm sure of it!" He vanished into thin air leaving her alone with the girl. "Sooner than you think," growled Usagi. Jadeite had tossed the girl on top of one of the walls of boxes. She wouldn't have been hurt in the fall at all, but Usagi had dove headfirst into them, and managed to keep her from hitting anything at all. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the girl who was tangled in the ribbons and stared at her fearfully. "Are you all right?" The girl nodded almost violently as she stared down at her savior in shock. "I'm fine," she whimpered. "Good, let's get out of here," said Usagi with a heavy sigh. +++++++++++ Usagi frowned, she had a large pout on her lips as she scowled at the image in front of her. She had dropped the girl off near a police station after tying up the kidnappers. Now she was standing on a rooftop in the Juban area. "Why? Why did you make me do that?" "Because you need to keep your identity a secret," replied Xellos with a heavy sigh. "Not that secret! People should know Sailor Moon is fighting evil bravely! I can't believe you made me make that girl promise to keep me a secret!" "Well, what's done is done. You aren't good enough to keep away from the newspapers just yet. You still need more training before you can..." "Oh fine!" said the girl as she crossed her arms and pouted again. "Jadeite again?" asked Xellos with an odd look on his face. "Yes, he doesn't know that I'm Sailor Moon," said Usagi as she sat on the rooftop. "He's in my class Xellos, I should be able to stop him!" "Well, we don't have any proof to incriminate him, and you can't just attack him in school," said the man calmly. "Why not? He's a jerk!" cried Usagi angrily. "You know why," replied Xellos calmly. "You always seem bothered by that guy," said Usagi as she frowned at him. "You never act this way." Xellos turned his eyes away from her and sighed again. "It's not something I can explain easily. When the time comes, I'll tell you. Right now, it's not important." "You know something!" cried Usagi as she seemed to realize it all at once. "Nothing that will help you against him," replied Xellos calmly. "Who is he? How do you know him?" she said forcefully. "Now that...is a secret," replied her uncle as his transmission ended. "You jerk!" cried Usagi angrily. +++++++++++++ On the other side of town... The Shadow put his smoking weapons back into their holsters and turned away from the scene. It was an alleyway somewhere in the city, all around the cowering young woman were men in black suits. All of them were slumped to the ground and out cold. His cloak billowed dramatically as he moved away. "Wait!" cried the young Chinese woman that he had just saved. "Come on! Give me something!" "Miss Kung, you should be more careful. I am growing tired of saving you," said the intimidating figure coolly as he turned his head to look at her again. "You asshole! It's been six months since we met! We should be dating by now and you won't even give me an interview!?" screamed the young reporter as she stood in the middle of a broken pile of Yakuza. "You read too many comic books," said the man as he vanished into the shadows again. "Shit," grumbled the woman as she turned away. It had been an undercover assignment, and she was doing well. Well, the Yakuza made her think that. It had recently discovered who she was, and were going to kill her. Luckily the Shadow had decided to bust up an illegal drug ring that night. "I sure have been seeing a lot of him lately," she said as she looked up at the sky for a moment. All at once she gasped and put her glasses on. "That's it! He must work with me! He's got to be one of the men I work with!" She walked away at a hurried pace and moved towards the street to catch a cab. ++++++++++++ "Carrot, you were right," said Ranma cheerfully. "Following this chick is fun!" agreed Dan. "She's certainly interesting," agreed Xianfu with a small sigh. "She'd be dead by now without us." "Yeah, it was just a hunch I had after we saved her the first time," said Carrot cheerfully. "Really? I had the same feeling," agreed Ranma. "So now what?" asked Dan casually as their costume shifted to street clothes and they turned female again. "Well, I'm hungry," said Carrot. "Me too," agreed Ranma. "We should be getting home soon," said Xianfu with a slightly frustrated tone. "Yeah, after we eat though," said Ranma. "He's right," agreed Carrot. "We can stop on the way." "Chinese?" asked Dan. "What about that Thai place?" offered Carrot. "Too spicy before bed," said Xianfu. "Okay," said Ranma. "There's that Okonomiyaki place." "Naw, not as good as Ucchan's, she's spoiled us," said Dan. "You jerks are going to make us fat!" snarled Xianfu. "Lay off, we'll never get fat as active as we are," said Carrot. "He's right you know," agreed Dan. "She's just mad because all this running around made us put on a few pounds of muscle," pointed out Ranma. "Jeez," muttered Carrot. "Do you know how many women would kill to look like us?" He adjusted their breast to illustrate that point. "Right," grumbled the woman lamely. "We'll just go to that take out place on the way home. I don't feel like going out of our way tonight." "Fair enough, but no more complaining that we're getting fat!" said Carrot. "Man, we ate Chinese last night!" complained Ranma. They happily argued their way back to the restaurant, and then back home again. ++++++++++++++ "Wake up," said Yohiko as she scowled at her daughter. "You should be getting up on your own by now." A mass of disheveled pink hair rose from the bed and two tired looking eyes glared up at her. "Mom." "Stop talking and wake up," replied the woman as she left the room. +++++++++++ "Morning Yotsuya," said Yusaku as he noticed the man walking through the halls of the apartments. "Ah, you seem more cheerful than ever young Godai," said the man as he nodded to him. "Tell me, what do you plan to do with your Saturday?" "Well, class is over, so I'm not sure," replied the man cheerfully. He was dressed in a dirty looking dogi and had a smirk on his face. "You?" "I believe Mrs. Itchinose is planning a meeting to discover the identity of our mysterious new tenant," said the man with a small nod. "To be held in your room this very evening." "What? My room?" said the man as he hung his head. "Just bring your own beer tonight. I've only got one left, and it's mine." "Hmmm, it seems I am saddled with the task of putting out the word," said the man as he nodded. "Do you plan to buy more?" "Not until I get paid again," said Yusaku with a frown on his face. "You guys are still on about that?" "Pardon?" "Xellos," clarified Yusaku. "Oh. Yes, it is most distressing," said the man. "A man of that age living with two young maidens. Surely the implications are enough to make you wonder." "Naw. Xellos is weird, Miss Yohiko doesn't seem to like him much either. I'm just wondering why she puts up with him." "Yohiko likes me fine," replied Xellos as he put his head between them. "Ah, We were just speaking of you," said Yotsuya. "Hello," said Godai as his face became serious. "Good morning," said Xellos cheerfully. "Tell me, where is your destination this fine day?" asked Yotsuya cheerfully. "Shopping, it's my turn to cook," said the man as he looked at them. "You cook with two women in your home?" said Yotsuya in mock surprise. "Well, living here is no reason to get out of practice. Besides, Yohiko dear does require it." "Ah, the things we do for love," said Yotsuya. "Something like that," said Xellos with a smirk on his face. "There is a meeting in Godai's room this evening? Concerning myself?" asked Xellos cheerfully. "Indeed," said Yotsuya. "Well, good luck solving the mystery. Good day to you," said the strange man as he walked away. "I often hear noises from the home in the evening, but they are difficult to make out. It could be that Miss Hibiki is not a 'screamer'," said Yotsuya with a frown on his face. "Or it could be that one of them likes to watch TV or listen to the radio at night," said Yusaku calmly as they watched the man leave the hallway. "Curses, his ambiguity drives me to madness," said Yotsuya as calmly as ever. "It worsens the matter that both of the Hibiki women will say nothing of this mystery to any of us." "Speaking of ambiguity, what do you do for a living anyway?" said Yusaku as another smirk formed on his face. "If you will excuse me," replied the man as he turned towards his room. "I thought so," muttered Yusaku under his breath. "Jeez, it's been months, you'd think they'd have figured it out by now." ++++++++++++++ Yohiko sighed as she stared down at the television and frowned. "Man, Saturday is boring." "Boring? I could call up Mitaka," said Usagi hopefully. "Gah! Stop that!" cried the woman as she turned to glare at her daughter. The girl was making a sandwich, rather skillfully at that. It was a massive undertaking that had many levels and complex structures built into it. "Usagi, I know you have to eat more with how active you are, but..." said Yohiko as she stared at the thing in front of her daughter. "Huh? What is it?" said the girl as she looked up at her mother. "You do realize that you have to put that into your mouth at some point, right?" said the woman as she turned away. Usagi blushed and saw that it was becoming almost as tall as her whole torso. "Oh, right." She put the top layer of bread on and hefted it over to the table. +++++++++++++ Yusaku frowned as he looked around his room and tossed his shirt over to the small pile of dirty clothes in the corner. He popped his neck and sighed as he stripped off his pants and stood in the middle of the room for a moment. He stretched his arms and began to search through his dresser for a new set of clothes. "What do you mean knock? This is Mr. Flunk out's room," said a familiar voice as his door opened. He turned his head and simply stared at the two women standing there looking at him for a moment. "Heh. Um...do you mind..." "Yes," said Akemi as her cigarette hit the floor. Itchinose turned away slowly and pushed her out of the room, closing the door behind her. Outside, the pair conversed amongst themselves. "When the hell did -that- happen?!" cried Akemi as she simply stared at the floor for a moment. "Wow, that kid sure has changed," agreed Itchinose. The pair looked at one another and rushed over to the door, sliding it open just enough to peer in. It opened in their faces and Yusaku was staring down at them calmly. "Are you two finished yet?" Akemi marched into his room and pushed him back, forcing him to sit down in the middle of the floor. "Just sit here a minute." He complied with a confused looking frown on his face. "What is it?" Akemi picked up his arm and felt it for a moment. "Well?" asked Itchinose. "Hard as a rock," said the woman as she narrowed her eyes at him and began to feel on his back, lifting the back of his shirt up in the process. "Look at this!" "Most unusual," said the older woman as she looked thoughtful. "What is it?" said Godai in confusion. "Shut up. We're trying to figure out when the hell you became a babe!" said Akemi. "Is there some sort of air release valve?" asked Itchinose as she felt along his side. "What?" said Godai dumbly. He stood up and walked over to the mirror that hung from his wall. He blinked and looked at himself for a moment. "Well, what did you think would happen? I mean, I've been working out every morning for the past six months." "Working out?" said Akemi dumbly. "I thought you were taking some sort of aerobics class with Miss Hibiki," said Itchinose in confusion. "It was martial arts classes, and what do you think martial arts classes are?" he replied calmly. "Oh," said the two women in unison. "Hey Godai," said Yohiko as she walked into the room and looked around. "Huh?" he replied as he turned to face her. "Training trip, get your stuff," she said simply before she walked out of the room. He blinked for a moment and looked at the two women sitting in his room. They stared at one another and then looked back at him. "Training trip?" they asked each other. Yusaku was packed within a minute and walking out the door. "I wish I was nicer to him now," grumbled Akemi as he left them. "Well what do you know? Yohiko is smarter than I thought, rather than looking for a babe, she went and made her own," said Itchinose dumbly. "Training trip indeed," said Akemi flatly. ++++++++++++ "Mom, where are we going?" asked Usagi as she found herself being herded into a cab with Yusaku. "The mountains," replied the woman calmly. "The mountains?" asked Yusaku dumbly. "That's right," said the woman as she put their traveling bags into the trunk. "The mountains?" asked a familiar voice from beside her. Yohiko turned and looked Shun Mitaka in the face. He was watching the scene in confusion. "Yeah," she said as she closed the trunk. "Mind if I tag along then?" he said cheerfully. "I could give you a ride for free at the very least." Yusaku started banging his head against the back of the front seat of the car. "This isn't a vacation Mitaka, this is a training trip," she replied calmly. "Training?" he asked in confusion. "What for?" "I've been teaching Yusaku and my daughter martial arts," she replied calmly. "Oh? Is that so?" he said cheerfully. "I've been taking some lessons myself." "Really?" asked Yusaku as he stuck his head out of the back of the car. Mitaka seemed surprised that he would be interested in that at all. "Yes, my mother thought it would be a good idea to take some karate. I've been doing it off and on since I was a boy. I just recently started again. I've got my second dan." Yusaku actually got an impressed look on his face as he sat back in his seat again. "Well, this isn't the same thing," replied Yohiko calmly. "I'll tell you what, just take me to my place, I'll pay for the ride there, and we can go in my car," he said as he grinned at Yusaku. Yohiko looked at her two students and smirked. "All right." ++++++++++++ Yohiko sat behind the wheel of the car with a grin on her face singing merrily as she drove into the wilderness. "I found out, long a go. It's a long way down the holiday road. Holiday ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh- oh-oad, holiday roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oad!" Yusaku and Usagi sat in the back seat looking rather cheerful as Mitaka blinked in surprise. "You can drive a car?" "Sure," she replied as she looked at him. "Why wouldn't I know how?" "No reason, I just didn't expect it," he said with a small shrug. "First I knew of it," said Usagi. "Well, I was a lot more active before I got married," said the woman cheerfully. "That's obvious," said Mitaka with a small smirk on his face. "Where is this place anyway?" asked Yusaku. "Not far now," said Yohiko as she hummed her song to herself a little. After about an hour she parked the car in a somewhat deserted parking lot in the middle of a small camping area. There were a few other families vacationing as well, but it was mostly deserted. School wasn't out for the year yet and the season for such activity was still a few months away. "It's very pretty here," said Mitaka as he grinned at Yohiko suavely. "Well, we aren't going to have time to enjoy the scenery much, take it in while you can," said the woman with a serious looking frown. "We've got a long walk ahead of us, so get your stuff. +++++++++ Mitaka was miserable, the trio in front of him were still as fresh as they had been four hours ago. Every part of his body was aching and he was getting short of breath. "This looks good," said Yohiko as she glanced around. They were standing in the middle of a large flat area on the side of the mountain. It was mostly a huge dirt patch. They could see for quite a ways in almost every direction to the south. The north was blocked from view by the wall of rock a short distance from where they had stopped. "So we should set up camp?" asked Mitaka as he sat down on one of the rocks. "Yes, we'll rest a bit while we're doing that and get started. We've still got a whole day ahead of us," said Yohiko with a wry looking grin on her face. She looked Mitaka up and down and turned away with an almost bored expression. +++++++++++ It had taken about a half-hour to set up the campsite, they had taken their time and then sat around for another half-hour to rest up. Mitaka seemed much more cheerful after they had started and Yusaku and Usagi were sitting on the edge of the cliff looking out at the scenery. "Well, it's time to get started," said Yohiko cheerfully as she stood up and stretched. "What are we going to do today?" asked Usagi. "Spar," said the woman as she looked at them. "Spar?" said the pair in confusion. They looked at one another and then back at the woman again. "That's right, we're here to test your fighting ability," said the woman as she grinned at them for a moment. "But, you haven't taught us anything about fighting," pointed out Yusaku. "We've been doing the same thing for six months now. All those exercises and stuff. Running around, carrying things, digging up weeds, construction work." "You already know how to fight," said the woman as she smirked at him. Usagi was strangely silent and simply looked at Yusaku for a moment. "What?" said the boy dumbly. "The motions and techniques of all the work you have been doing are all the training you need. You have the tools and the knowledge, you just need to apply it." Usagi nodded and cracked her knuckles. Mitaka looked confused. "Okay. So we'll spar." "You'll be facing Yusaku," she said as she looked at him. "Are you sure? I mean, I've been doing this for a while now," he replied with a small frown. "Yes, go easy on him, and you'll lose," she replied calmly as she turned towards Usagi. "You'll fight me." "Okay," she replied with a small shrug. "I guess that's for the best, I'm sure Yusaku wouldn't feel comfortable fighting her. She's too young," said Mitaka. "Why not?" said the man as he looked at Mitaka for a moment in confusion. "What?" replied Mitaka dumbly. "She's been doing the exact same thing I have for the past six months," he said with a shrug. "Well, I..." Mitaka noticed the women were giving him slightly disgusted frowns and he wisely kept his mouth shut. "We'll get started, you boys go first," said Yohiko with a smirk forming on her face. Mitaka nodded and stood opposite Yusaku, the pair bowed to each other and took up stances. Yusaku looked slightly unsure of himself, but his stance was firm. It looked somewhat sloppy though, he was wide open and mostly undefended. Mitaka frowned slightly at this and refrained from commenting. In the back of his mind he was happy to have this opportunity. He could put a little fear into Yusaku without making himself look bad. That would make his chances with Yohiko better than before. "Gotta be careful, I can't hurt him," he thought to himself. "Begin," said Yohiko. Mitaka rushed forward taking the offensive immediately, he wanted to end it quickly and humble his opponent. That would make him easier to deal with in the future. Yusaku stepped back nimbly and bent his back slightly to avoid the punch. Mitaka spun into a kick and gasped as it met the man's forearm and stopped cold. Yusaku blinked and hit him in the chest. Mitaka's eyes went wide as he flew off of his feet and was thrown back ten feet into a nearby tree. He hit it hard and slumped down to the ground with a dazed looking frown. "Ouch." "Mitaka!" cried Yusaku in alarm as he rushed over to his side. "I'm sorry! I didn't think I hit you that hard!" The man looked up at his opponent, he was still slightly dazed and laughed to himself. "Huh?" He could see honest sincerity in his face. "What hit me?" "I though you said you've been doing this for a while," said Usagi as she fell to her knees beside him. "He has been, this is why I didn't want him coming along," said Yohiko as she walked up and looked down at him. She smiled and extended her hand. Mitaka took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He shook his head and cleared it. "What do you mean?" said Yusaku dumbly. "The Hibiki school of Martial arts isn't a normal art. It's much more difficult to learn, and the hardships you endure are much more rigorous than those of most other arts." "What?" said Usagi in confusion. "Mitaka isn't exactly an expert, he probably spends an hour a day, maybe two or three times a week in a class. We've been spending four hours a day, plus all the extra training I've been putting you through on the side. The repairs to the building, the yard work, I've been making you both do outside of class..." "Three times a week," said the man groggily as he wavered on his feet for a moment. "Admirable, but the Hibiki style requires that you live for the art. It's more than a past time, it's a way of life." Usagi gasped as she noticed the smirk on her mother's face, it looked almost malevolent. "Stay for the whole weekend, and I'll do more for you than an entire month in that class will," said the woman as she slapped the man on his back. "So, should we spar now?" said Usagi. "There's no need. I just wanted Mitaka to know where he stood here, and let Yusaku in on his abilities. You are already confident enough," said the woman as she smirked at her daughter. "The real training for you two is on the other side of the mountain." The pair looked at one another as Yohiko led Mitaka towards a nearby boulder to sit for a time. +++++++++++ Yusaku and Usagi blinked as they looked at the contraption in front of them. It was a pair of harnesses hanging from the trees. "What is this?" said Usagi dumbly. "Your training," said Yohiko flatly. "We've only got three days before we have to return." "Three?" said Yusaku and Usagi in confusion. "Monday is a holiday," said the woman with a small shrug. "It is?" said Usagi. "Yes, some teacher planning day or something. I've already called in," she said as she looked at them and smirked. "What's this for?" said Yusaku as he looked up at the harness. Mitaka was standing a short distance away, frowning at the scene. "This," Yohiko turned and walked over to a nearby boulder. She tapped it gently with her finger and it exploded in a shower of stone and a cloud of dust. "The Bakusai Tenketsu. It took me a week to learn, and you have two and a half days to get it right. You'll remain in these until you do." Usagi and Yusaku looked at one another and then back at their sensei again. ++++++++++++ Mitaka was watching the scene in a sort of shocked awe. Usagi and Yusaku were hanging from the trees while two large boulders slammed into them repeatedly. They had started only ten minutes before, and the pair had already been knocked out twice each. They quickly woke up and started the process again. Yohiko turned towards him and smiled. "Don't worry, this is the intermediate class. You're not ready for this yet." "Intermediate?" said Mitaka in shock. "What are the advanced classes like?" he asked fearfully. "Do you really want to know?" she asked cheerfully. "No, not really," he admitted with his head hung low. "Well, shall we get started?" "Started?" said the man weakly. ++++++++++++ Mitaka was a heap of dead muscle. He couldn't move, he could barely speak, and he simply wanted to lie in silence until the pain stopped. "Feeling better?" asked Yohiko as she sat down next to him with two cups of tea in her hands. "Not really," he replied as he tried to sit up. "I'll just leave this here then," said the woman cheerfully as she set his cup down next to him. He closed his eyes and ignored the pain as he forced himself to sit upright and pick up the tea. It felt like it weighed thirty pounds in his hands. The sky was now a sea of stars above them and they sat together in silence for a long time. He had spent the entire day digging holes, walking along low branches, and carrying large rocks around. There was more involved as well. They had found a waterfall with a large pool and he had spent an hour swimming around with a small boulder strapped to his back. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked quietly. "In a way, but you did very well. You complained a lot less than those two did the first time they had to do that," she replied quietly. "They did?" "They've been doing similar things to what you just did for the past seven months or so," she said as she smiled at him for a moment. Mitaka sighed and looked down at his hands for a moment. "The funny thing is, I believe you." "Not so confident anymore?" she asked him with a tiny amount of amusement in her voice. "Nowhere near what I was before. This was...very humbling." He didn't mention what Yusaku had done to him, but it was clear that it was what he was referring too. Yohiko smirked as she realized that he hadn't said anything about when she had admitted that she was trying to get rid of him. "Well, you've only got two more days left," she said with a small shrug. "Do I?" he said as he smiled at her again. Even that small act was painful for him. "If you want to continue after that, you can," she said with a shrug. "I'm not going to give up, no matter what happens. I haven't lost yet," he said without looking up at her. He gulped his tea down and lay back down, looking up at the stars for a moment before closing his eyes. He didn't notice Yohiko giving a small growl as her tin cup bent slightly out of shape in her grip. "Oh well. He'll learn soon enough, one way or another." ++++++++++ Yusaku screamed as he saw the stone rushing towards him, his arm cocked back and he thrust his hand forward to strike. His arm exploded in pain as the stone shoved it back and slammed into his body once again. Usagi was hanging upside-down nearby with a painful frown on her face. "I'm getting tired," she muttered. "She said we had to stay here until we learned this," replied Yusaku as he took up a similar position. "She's not here to watch us right now," said Usagi with a slightly disgusted frown. "We're on the honor system Usagi, you know we should keep working," he said firmly. "I know, but this still sucks," said the girl distastefully as she pulled herself upright again. Yusaku followed suit and the pair began working again. ++++++++++++ Two more days pass... +++++++++++ Yohiko frowned as Mitaka coughed up a lung full of water and wheezed as he lay sprawled out on the edge of the small pond. The boulder was still strapped onto his back and made breathing even more difficult, but he ignored it in favor of not moving at all. "Well, had enough?" she said as she knelt down beside him. "Never!" he growled as he stood up and staggered. He started moving forward again with determination burning in his eyes. Yohiko shrugged and followed after him. After a moment they jogged into a familiar clearing, Mitaka promptly collapsed as his muscles failed again and did not move. The woman arched her eyebrow in surprise at the scene she found herself looking at. Yusaku was hanging upside-down, out cold and snoring loudly. The remains of his boulder lay shattered on the ground and he had a stupid looking grin on his face as he drooled in his sleep. Usagi was cursing to herself and pushing her boulder back and fourth, repeatedly slamming it into her body in a frustrated rage. "No fair! No fair! Not fucking fair!" she screeched with each new attempt. "Well whaddaya know?" said Yohiko as she pulled at the knot that left the man hanging and sent him into the ground. He didn't appear to notice and continued to sleep. "I never thought he'd get it this time," she said as she looked at him and grinned. "Really?" asked Mitaka dumbly. "Naw, took me a week to learn this," she replied cheerfully as she kicked her slumbering student onto his back. "I figured it'd take him at least two, and probably not until he learned to control his chi a little more first. I'm honestly impressed." Usagi growled at her mother's assessment. "You mean you didn't expect us to learn this?!!" "Not this time," she admitted. "Damn you!" screamed the girl in a rage. "Just for that I'm gonna learn it anyway!" She went back to her task and started in earnest. "You'll never get it if you're this worked up," said her mother flatly. Usagi growled, but calmed down considerably. "Clear your mind, it's the only way to see the breaking point," said the woman as she turned away and started to drag Yusaku away. "Wait, you mean...that's what I've been doing wrong?" said the girl as she looked surprised. The boulder decked her again as she finished saying this. "What? You didn't know?" said Yohiko as she arched her eyebrow slightly. "How was I supposed to? You never told us!" screamed the girl angrily. "Oh, sorry," said Yohiko as she dragged Yusaku away with Mitaka. ++++++++++++ "You didn't tell them?" asked Mitaka as he lay against a log and frowned at the woman. "I didn't want them to get it this time," she replied as she looked over at Yusaku. She had decided to let him sleep, he had stayed away for almost three days trying to learn the technique. "What?" said Mitaka in shock, he sat up abruptly and immediately regretted it. He fell back down to the ground in pain and relaxed. "The whole point of the Bakusai Tenketsu isn't the technique itself, but the extra toughness the training gives you," said Yohiko with a smirk on her face. "The move is essentially useless, it only works on rocks. It's good for distraction and intimidation, but not much else." Mitaka looked at her in a sort of horrified awe. "You mean? They did all this for nothing?" "Heh. Mitaka, after Yusaku wakes up, there won't be anything you can do to hurt him. He'll shrug off your strongest attacks as if they were the strikes of a baby. That is the secret of the Bakusai Tenketsu. It has nothing to do with the technique itself." The man looked at his rival, someone who he considered to be nothing more than a mere boy. "I'm glad our relationship is somewhat friendly then. I may be his rival, but I still consider him a friend." "He's a good one, I suggest you keep it that way," said the woman with a small shrug. Mitaka nodded and lay his head back down again. "We'll be heading back soon, I suggest you rest until then," she said as she looked in the direction where her daughter was still training. "Do I still have a chance?" he asked her almost jokingly. "Neither one of you ever had one. I've been trying to tell you that for a while now," was the reply. "We'll see, I won't give up," he said with a rough sounding snort as he passed out finally. Yohiko sighed. "These idiot men are going to get themselves killed over this." She stood up and walked towards the clearing where Usagi was training. +++++++++++++ "I said you've done enough. It's time to go," said the woman as she looked up at her daughter's angry face. "No! I'm not done yet!" screamed Usagi angrily as she shoved at the boulder again. "Usagi, that's enough. I didn't really think you would get it this time. I'm not angry." "There's no way I'm gonna let Yusaku show me up!" snarled the angry girl as she continued to beat herself senseless. "Usagi..." muttered Yohiko as she jumped up and touched the point on the boulder, sending it into shards all around the clearing. "That's enough. Let it go for now. I promise I'll let you take as long as you want next time. We have to go home, you've got school tomorrow." The girl hung her head and turned away in shame. "Don't even start Usagi," growled her mother as she undid the knot and sent her to the ground in a heap. "You've still got plenty of time ahead of you to learn this." The girl looked up at her mother and sighed. "I guess you're right. I wanted to be your best student though!" "I'd rather have two of them," she replied. "You'll find that in time, there are some things he will do better, but some things you will do better as well. This is just one of the things he has improved in more." The girl looked confused. "What do I do better in then?" "If I told you, you would focus only on those things, and fall behind in others," replied the woman as she put her arm across the girl's shoulders. "I guess you're right," said the girl with a heavy sigh. "Of course I am, I'm your mother. I'm right even when I'm wrong child," replied the woman cheerfully. "Mooom..." whined Usagi. +++++++++++++ "So, Mitaka. You thinkin about joining us?" asked Yusaku as he leaned forward from the back seat of the car. The man looked at him and smiled slightly. They were all on their way home from the trip and had a good hour left to go before they made it back. "I don't think so." "Huh? Why not?" asked Usagi. Yohiko was smiling to herself and ignoring them as she drove the car. "Yeah. You did real good," said Yusaku. "I learned a lot on this trip," said Mitaka as he closed his eyes and sat back in his seat. "If I stayed with you I'd only drag you two down for a long time." "You sure?" said Usagi with an uncertain looking frown. "He's right. If he joined us now, I'd end up neglecting a lot of your training just to get him up to speed with you," said Yohiko suddenly. "He can join if he likes, but I don't think he's ready just yet." "I will be," said the man firmly. "I hate missing a chance like this. I'd love to spend my mornings with the woman I love, but I'd be hurting the both of you." Yohiko ignored them again and continued to smile blissfully as she watched the road. Yusaku turned his head away with an unreadable look on his face. Usagi seemed pleased with this declaration. Mitaka noticed the lack of a reaction on Yohiko and turned away as well. "Maybe I've already missed my chance?" thought Mitaka to himself. +++++++++++ "Stay on the right side of the road," growled Dan as he forced a slight correction on Carrot as they drove the car. "Sorry, I'm still gettin used to this place," grumbled the boy quietly. "We'll watch your back," said Ranma calmly. "Just keep drivin." "Yusaku is doing better than I'd thought," said Xianfu seriously. "Indeed, I never thought he'd get that technique, I just wanted to watch them suffer," said Carrot. "Yeah, it sure was fun torturing loverboy over there all weekend," agreed Dan. "Indeed, he's a bit of an ass, but a nice guy," said Xianfu as she made them glance over at Mitaka when he wasn't looking at them. They caught Usagi grinning at this out of the corner of their eye and ignored her for the time being. "We should do something about miss matchmaker too. This is getting annoying," said Carrot flatly. "Right, she gets all excited when we so much as speak to the clerk at the grocery store," agreed Dan. "What can we do?" asked Ranma. "Not much short of killing her or responding to one of these men," said Xianfu. "Why does it sound like you don't think that's a bad idea?" said Carrot distastefully. "I am a woman," she said coldly. "Well, yer outvoted," said Dan with a small growl. "If it comes to a choice of the two, we kill Usagi." "Don't even joke about that!" cried Pissant and Xainfu at the same time. "Really, you people shouldn't be so mean to our friends!" said Pissant. "Who's being mean? We're giving them legitimate training," said Carrot. "You don't have to enjoy it so much," said Pissant irritably. "That's part of being a master," said Xianfu. "If any of you even suggest killing my daughter again..." "Oh, she's your daughter all of a sudden? What about us?" snapped Carrot. "You treat her like a plaything!" snapped the woman. "Myself and Ranma are the only ones who act like parents at all!" "Look, we all know we all like the brat," said Dan. "What about me?" said Pissant. "You just complain, you don't do anything else. That's not being a parent," said Ranma flatly. "That wasn't very nice," whimpered the voice. "At any rate, we need to do something about both these idiots. It's obvious they're not going to leave us alone on their own. Yusaku ain't as bad as he used to be, but still," said Carrot flatly. "Yeah, but what?" said Dan. "I dunno, we'll figure something out," muttered Ranma. "What? I happen to think the attention is flattering," said Xianfu. "Yeah, up to a point. These two idiots are obsessing. I know Yusaku's had other offers he's refused because of us. Mitaka as well. They need to get on with their lives without us." Carrot caught them looking into the rear view mirror at the sleeping Yusaku and taking glances at Mitaka. "Stop that you perverted witch!" "What's wrong with it? I'm a woman aren't I?" replied Xianfu. "We ain't," countered Dan. "You're being selfish," said Pissant. "What? You're siding with her?" said Carrot flatly. "No! But if she just want's to look it's okay. As long as we don't have too..." said the voice pathetically. "I can't believe you pigs! After all you've made me do?! What about Hotaru??" snapped Xianfu angrily. "What about her? She ain't here, and we were married," said Dan flatly. "Do you think I enjoyed having to be there for...that?" snapped the woman hatefully. "Probably," said Carrot as he scratched their ear for a moment and continued to watch the road. "Hey lady, we ain't screamers," said Dan with a small chuckle. "Well, maybe I did a little, but it didn't feel right!" admitted the woman bitterly. "I'm a woman and I need a man!" "Lady, we all have to agree on some things, and that's one of em. No men," countered Dan flatly. "Pigs!" snapped Xianfu. She went silent and left them to themselves. +++++++++++++++ "So, how was the trip?" asked Xellos cheerfully as he sat and looked at Yohiko with a wry grin on his face. "Could have been better," said the woman in reply. "Oh?" "We had a disagreement with ourselves," said Yohiko calmly. "Well, it wasn't the first time I imagine," said Xellos as he seemed to lose interest suddenly. "Or the last," agreed Yohiko. "I'm goin to bed now, it's been a long day." "See you in the morning," said Xellos cheerfully. She vanished into her room and left him alone. He narrowed his eyes and smirked to himself as he called up a small image in front of himself. "Usagi? Let's see what you're up to." He paused, for a moment he thought he heard a small giggle in the back of the home. The sound and whatever made it was gone now, and he returned to his entertainment. His grin widened at what he saw and he leaned forward. "Oh, this is certainly interesting." +++++++++++ Sailor Moon stood with a dangerous looking creature standing over her. She was in an alleyway and the large wolf monster loomed over her. Jadeite stood on a nearby rooftop laughing to himself. "Well, it seems I have you this time Sailor Moon!" "I'll get you yet villain!" screamed Usagi angrily as she dodged another strike from the monster's claws. She was thrown into the wall as the creature used her distracted moment to backhand her. She grunted from the impact and quickly moved to her feet. After a moment of surprise from the lack of pain, she jumped into action again. The creature dodged skillfully around her ribbons and kept her on her toes for almost two minutes. After that time, she made a mistake and tripped over a small metal can in the alley. The monster lunged forward with its fangs bared. "No!" cried the girl as she braced herself for the blow. It never came. There was a dull sounding thud and the ground under her feet vibrated for a moment. "Wha?" "Are you all right Sailor Moon?" said a familiar voice. "Ryoga?" she muttered dumbly as a familiar figure stood on top of a nearby dumpster with a scowl on his face. "We need to stop meeting like this," he said as he looked down at her with a short nod. He turned his head up at Jadeite as he scowled at them. "You! How dare you attack a young girl with that thing!?" He pointed at the dazed monster for a moment in anger. "I won't forgive you! Jadeite, prepare to die!" Usagi snarled as she realized the creature was still surprised from the appearance of the umbrella that was now embedded into the pavement. Her grin went wild and her ribbons lashed out suddenly. This time, the ends of them had formed into very sharp looking barbed spikes. The monster howled in pain as they tore into its flesh and began to rip through its body. It vanished in a swirl of shadows. She rose to her feet and looked up to see Ryoga jumping towards her enemy. "No! Look out!" "Pest!" snarled Jadeite as he threw a ball of light into the ground and vanished, leaving the lost boy alone on the rooftop. "Damn, he got away!" snarled Ryoga as he jumped back down onto the street. He plucked his umbrella out of the pavement and looked at the young girl in front of him. "I'm fine!" said Usagi as she blushed and stepped closer to him. "Thank you for saving me." "You should be more careful, that man is dangerous," said Ryoga as he turned away from her. "I have to stop him, no one else will do it," said Usagi as she suddenly steeled herself. "I understand. I had someone like that once." Ryoga turned to face her again. "Good luck." Usagi pushed herself into his chest and they kissed for a moment. She closed her eyes and felt her lips suddenly become cold. She blinked and realized that he had vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared. The same as always. "Damn." She turned away and left the alley. ++++++++++++ Ryoga sat down on a rooftop a short time later. He was simply watching the moon in silence. "Damn. That girl...she..." He turned his head in disgust. "I've never had anyone treat me like she does. Not even Akane, or Akari..." He growled in frustration. "She'd never accept my curse...but...Damn." He shook his head in frustration and disgust with himself. "I can't keep doing this, Akane needs me, and Akari...why can't I just...Damn, Ranma...I'm starting to understand you now." He stood up and jumped away, vanishing into the streets. "Not that I'm going to forgive you for doing that to Akane though," he added as a final thought. ++++++++++++ Yusaku Godai lay on his back staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, but he had finally succeeded in the end. His grin widened as he thought about how things had turned out. Even Yohiko hadn't expected him to do so well. "She must be very proud of me," he said to himself. "Oh, I am, very proud. You're coming along much better than I had thought." He sat upright and gasped in shock. He hadn't even heard his door open. She was standing in the doorway, closing it behind her. "Miss Yohiko," stammered Yusaku dumbly. "Shhh, you have to be quiet or you'll wake the others," she said calmly as she stepped forward. She was wearing a robe, and it was loosely tied. It was quite obvious that there wasn't anything under it. He simply sat there and stared, unable to move. "Yusaku, I need something from you," she said as she knelt down at his feet and looked into his eyes. "Anything," he managed to mutter. "Good boy," she replied as she stood up and removed her robe. Yusaku almost passed out cold as she fell to her hands and knees and crawled over his body. She moved slowly until she was looking him dead in the face and smiled. He couldn't move at all and was shaking quite badly. "Just a moment," she said to him. Her leg lashed out and knocked over his dresser, covering the hole in his wall. There was a tiny muttered curse from the other room. "Now, be a good boy and stay quiet. We have to be careful." He nodded numbly as she slowly started to remove his clothes. ++++++++++++++ Morning, a quiet chirping of birds and an irritating beam of sunlight. That was all they knew at the moment. "What's that smell?" muttered Carrot as he groggily woke up from his slumber. He turned his head and froze. "Oh shit." A familiar face stared back at him with an odd looking grin. Yusaku was still sleeping, and had the blissful glow that all men have when they've just... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH!!!" TBC... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA! Let's see how this one sits with ya! Heh.