Insertion

Part 67

Visiting Nerima

+++++++++++

It was mid afternoon in Japan, the sun was
high in the air and slowly descending towards the
horizon.

They had attempted their new technique earlier
that morning and had kept it up for about four
hours. They stayed in the home and things were
relatively quiet, other than a small scuffle about
what to watch on television that is.

Now, Carrot stood in the street staring at Dan
and Xianfu just after they finished their
separation. "Well, we should get going. I'd say
we've got anywhere from three to four hours before
this breaks down on us."

"Right, stay out of trouble," said Dan with a
snort as he turned away and started walking.

"I suppose I'll see you when you get back
then," said Xianfu as she turned away.

Ranma growled at her, but didn't say anything.
Carrot turned them around and started walking.
"Easy there buddy, we've got other concerns
today."

They were all in different forms. Carrot and
Ranma were in their original sixteen-year-old
form, Dan was in their older adult form, and
Xianfu had taken the guise of Yohiko.

"Right," grumbled the original owner of their
body hatefully. "We'll get her later."

"One way or another," agreed Carrot as he
strolled down the street. "So where are we going?"

"Well, Xianfu is moving into Nerima, who the
hell knows where Dan wandered off too, so I guess
we'll go this way," replied Carrot as he pointed
towards their destination.

"I thought we weren't supposed to fight,"
muttered Ranma dumbly.

"We should be all right," said Carrot as they
started towards Nerima.

+++++++++++++

"So...ummm..." said Pissant as they stepped
into a bar and sat down at a stool. "What are we
doing today?"

Dan snorted and glanced up at the bartender.
"Getting drunk."

"Oh, why?" asked the voice with a slightly
nervous tone.

"Because I deserve it, and we're gonna need it
to kill the pain once those idiots get together
again."

"Oh."

The bartender walked over to them and smiled.

Dan returned the smirk. "Gimme a beer."

++++++++++++

Xianfu smiled and sighed with contentment as
she walked through the streets in silence. It was
a wonderful feeling to just walk, no constant
babbling, no arguments, nothing. Just the sweet
sound of silence.

After a moment she found herself in the middle
of a small shopping center and sat down at a table
just outside a cafe.

"Good morning," said the handsome waiter as he
walked up to her with a notepad in his hand.

"Yes it is isn't it?" she replied with a
smirk. The man's gaze was lustful and she crossed
her legs with expert care as she noticed his gaze
wandering slightly.

He seemed to snap out of his stupor and opened
his mouth to speak.

She interrupted him and tossed the menu aside.
"Bring me some green tea."

"Of course," he said nervously.

She watched him leave with a smirk on her
face, eyeing his rear as he walked away. With a
heavy sigh she turned away and frowned. "I suppose
I can behave myself for today."

++++++++++

"Aiya! Airen!" cried Shampoo cheerfully as she
jumped towards her beloved.

Carrot sighed and sidestepped the glomp,
barely managing to avoid it. "Damn, gotta remember
we're not as strong of as fast this way."

The young Amazon girl was undaunted as she
turned to face them again. "You come to see
Shampoo?"

"Not really no, but you're here," replied the
young looking pigtailed boy somewhat pleasantly.
"How ya been?"

"Ranma not come visit Shampoo for long time!
Been almost week!" said the girl with a cute
looking frown.

"I don't come here to visit you Shampoo, I'm
just checking up on things in general," replied
the boy casually.

"Ranma being unkind to wife!" snapped the
girl.

"You're not my wife, and I do come to see you
and the ghoul while I'm here," replied the boy
flatly.

The girl nodded and started walking along side
him. "Ranma stay long time today?"

"Only a few hours," replied the boy calmly.
"I'm working on something today."

"Oh?" said the girl cheerfully. "What is
working on?"

"New technique," said Ranma calmly as he
continued towards the Cat Cafe.

"Well, at any rate..." said the boy as he
glanced around. "Where is Mousse, he should be
trying to kill me by now."

"Mousse very busy today," said the girl
cheerfully. She giggled and bounced towards the
restaurant.

Ranma followed them inside and sat down at one
of the tables. Cologne bounced over to him and
stopped cold.

"Son in law?"

Ranma blinked at this and stared at her.
"Huh?"

"You have returned from China? Are you
visiting, or has something happened between
yourself and the Musk Prince?" said the old woman
as she sat down beside him. "It was unwise for you
to return here. The others are not pleased with
you."

"What the heck are you talkin about you old
bat?" said Ranma dumbly.

"Don't try to fool me boy, I can read your
aura," said the old woman as she eyed him
playfully.

"Actually, I'm not sure what you mean..." the
boy's voice trailed off as a realization came over
him. "Oh. That."

Cologne arched her eyebrow and remained
silent.

"You've got the wrong Ranma," said the boy
with a chuckle. "I'm working on a new technique,
so my aura is different than usual."

"A technique that changes your aura?" said the
woman doubtfully. "It must be a very powerful
technique, your ki is much lower than..."

"I'm down by a two thirds," said the boy with
a shrug.

"Oh?" said the woman as she relaxed a little.

"I suppose there's no harm in telling you," he
said calmly. "It's called the Multiform Technique.
There's three of me running around town today."

Cologne almost fell out of her chair. "What?"

"I managed to split myself into three separate
bodies," said the boy calmly.

"That isn't possible," said Cologne
doubtfully.

"Really? It wasn't very difficult," said the
boy with a shrug.

Cologne found herself chuckling despite
herself. "Ah, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't
believe it. I can see now that your aura is
slightly different now. That could have been done
since the boy left for China all those months
ago."

"Naw, it's just me," replied the boy
cheerfully.

"If there are three of you, then perhaps we
can work something out with my Shampoo..." started
the woman as she set tea out for him and herself.

"Ha! Always manipulating?" he said cheerfully.
"Well, I still wouldn't do it, but I'm afraid it
wouldn't work out even if I did."

"Oh?" asked the old woman as she frowned
slightly.

"The technique only lasts about three or four
hours, and we aren't sure if there's some sort of
range effect or not," replied Ranma as he chuckled
slightly.

"Most interesting, the weakness?" asked the
woman as she eyed him carefully.

"It's a side effect. Each of us is weaker than
the original by how many copies we make of
ourselves. Three is the most I can do at the
moment."

"Ah, I see," replied the woman as she nodded.
"So tell me, what brings you to Nerima? Shouldn't
you be working?"

"Took the day off to test out the technique.
There's still some things I'm not sure of," he
replied with a shrug.

"Oh?" she prodded.

"Well, the exact amount of time I can do it
for one, the range, we're trying that out now, and
how many times I can do it in one day."

"I see," said the crone with a short nod. "You
will be staying around today?"

"For a few hours, until this wears off
anyway," said the boy with a small shrug. "You
still haven't told Shampoo? I'm getting tired of
playing Airen for her."

"She isn't ready. I've tried to keep her
distanced from you, keeping her too busy to go
looking for you in Juban. I do appreciate what
you're doing."

"Well, I suppose it's not hurting anything,"
replied Ranma with another shrug. "Still, you need
to work this out."

Cologne sighed and nodded. "Believe me, I
understand."

"I'm surprised she hasn't found out on her own
though. Kuonji isn't happy with Saotome, and those
Tendo girls probably would have told her by now
I'd think."

"It was easy enough to buy silence from them,"
replied Cologne with a small smirk. "Kuonji was
the simplest, keeping her revenge private was all
I needed. Nabiki Tendo, she requires nothing more
than a small donation. Akane has never liked
Shampoo, but seems to respect her enough to keep
silent at my request. The two idiots, they need
only the knowledge that their plans for reunion
are exclusive to Akane Tendo. The Kuno family does
not speak with Shampoo, she tends to avoid them.
Mousse is an idiot, and he doesn't know thanks to
you. As for the Hibiki boy, his little habit of
making his bed with the Tendo girl..."

"I think I get the picture. These fools are
too easy to manipulate, they all have glaring
weaknesses."

"You are correct," agreed Cologne.

"Is he still on about that Shinnosuke boy?"
asked Ranma with a slight chuckle.

"Yes, it maddens him to no end," commented
Cologne merrily. "Young Akane has been keeping in
regular contact with him through letters, she
plans to visit soon. I do not think she will
return from that valley when she does go."

Ranma nodded and smirked. "Hibiki's still
losing, despite everything?"

"He doesn't seem to understand it," said the
woman. "With Ranma out of the picture, he thought
his love was secure. Poor creature."

"Poor creature indeed, you can't imagine my
surprise when I heard him bellowing 'Shinnosuke!
This is all your fault!' Heh."

"I have been getting a strange feeling
Saotome, that you had something to do with that?"
asked Cologne as her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Who? Me?" replied the boy with a knowing grin
on his face. "What makes you say that?"

"What indeed?" she said as she turned her head
away from him.

"It wasn't too much of a problem really, I
just had to fight a dragon, save his worthless
behind, and tattoo 'write Akane a letter today' on
the back of his hand." He sighed and hung his
head. "I just wish I'd done it as a man. I think
Akane still has a crush on her teacher."

"Yes, she is a very confused young woman,"
said the hag in amusement.

"Irritatingly so," agreed Ranma flatly.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the
day?" asked Cologne as she stood up.

"I was planning on wandering around town a
little. I'm really just waiting for my time to be
up."

"I see, well, good luck then," said the old
woman as she smiled at him and hopped away.

"Yeah, thanks," muttered Ranma as he stood up
and headed for the door.

Shampoo appeared out of the kitchen. "Airen,
you is leaving?"

"Yeah. Afraid so, I got some stuff to do
today," he replied as he glanced back at her.

"Shampoo come too then!" squealed the girl.

"Sorry Shampoo, I'm just visiting a few
people, I'll stop by again if I have time later,
but no promises."

The girl frowned and pouted. "Ranma not being
very good husband."

"Whatever, It's personal business Shampoo.
Don't worry so much," he said with a small sigh as
he walked out of the building.

++++++++++

Carrot and Ranma found themselves standing
outside the Ucchan a short time later.

"I'm hungry," said Ranma as he looked up at
the store sign.

"Well, if you are I am," replied Carrot as he
shrugged and walked into the front door.

"You!? How dare you show your face here! Die!"
screamed Ukyo.

"You know, this was kinda funny the first ten
times it happened Ukyo," said the pigtailed boy
who found himself standing in the act of dodging
several small spatulas that were now stuck in the
wall.

The girl behind the counter blushed and
relaxed suddenly. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, me," said the boy a little sourly.
"I'll have the usual."

Ukyo nodded and began to prepare his meal
silently.

"How are things?" asked Ranma as he leaned
against the counter.

"Well enough, you haven't been by in a while,"
said the girl with a somewhat cheerful expression
on her face. It didn't look forced in the
slightest.

"Yeah, I've been busy. My daughter's falling
behind in her schoolwork, and my brother is still
living with me. That useless leech."

"Must run in the family," commented the girl
as she put the boy's plate in front of him.

"Something like that, I think that gene
skipped me or something," he said flatly.

"Whatever," muttered the girl irritably.

"Hey, stop comparing me to him. It's annoying
enough as it is," said the boy as he narrowed his
eyes at her.

Ukyo blinked and turned to look at him.
"Brother?"

"Yeah, I've got a brother," replied Ranma
calmly as he ate.

"Ranma doesn't have a brother," said the girl
in disbelief.

"And I'm not Ranma," replied the pigtailed boy
as he smirked at her.

"Who is a useless leech?" said a familiar
voice from behind Ranma. He found himself face
down on the counter with a wooden staff in the
back of his head.

"Who the heck are you?" muttered Ukyo as she
stared at the newcomer.

"I am Xellos," replied the man cheerfully.
"I'm this fools brother. He doesn't appreciate me
though, obviously." He pulled up a chair and sat
down next to Ranma.

"What the hell are you doing here?" snorted
the pigtailed boy irritably.

"Just checking up on you and your friends. One
of them is babe watching in a shopping center, the
other is getting rather drunk in a bar near our
home. Neither one is my idea of an ideal day."

"Figures," muttered the boy flatly.

Ukyo froze and stared at the men for a moment.
"I guess I can see it, kinda."

"Creepy isn't it?" asked Xellos.

"Everyone keeps saying that, but we don't look
anything alike," grumbled Ranma irritably.

"I guess it's that willing personality we seem
to have," said Xellos cheerfully.

"Right," muttered Ukyo.

"In any case, I should probably drop by to see
the Tendo family," said the pigtailed boy with a
heavy sigh.

"So they can try to force you into marriage?"

Ranma glared at Xellos and sighed. "They
aren't that bad."

"Whatever," muttered Ukyo as she looked away
from the pair.

"So how goes the quest for my dear other
self?" said Ranma as he cheered up suddenly.

"I've almost got enough saved up," grumbled
Ukyo. "I'll get that bastard yet."

"Well, you do that," said the pigtailed boy as
he stood up and started towards the door.

"See you around," said Ukyo as he exited.

He gave her an acknowledging wave over his
shoulder and continued on his way without a word.

"Aren't you going?" asked Ukyo as she noticed
that Xellos had not moved.

"So those two idiots can try to marry me off?
No thanks, I'd rather they never found out that
he's got a brother."

Ukyo shook her head and chuckled despite
herself. "Well, what can I get you then?"

++++++++++++

"Boy!"

"Son!"

"Oh my!"

"Great."

"You! Die!"

The Tendo family, plus one Saotome, greeted
him in their usual fashion.

Ranma ducked under the attacking Akane and
sent her sprawling across the floor with an
extended leg. He smiled at Kasumi, and jumped over
Genma and Soun, only to land in front of Nabiki.

"You know, I almost think you scripted this
stuff," muttered the girl as she smirked at him.

"Seems that way at times, I wish they'd stop
this. It's annoying."

Ranma turned to face Genma and Soun. "Hiya old
guys."

"Boy! It's time you lived up to your
responsibility!" cried Genma.

"Yes, my poor Akane is so upset!" agreed Soun.

Ranma looked over to where the youngest was
standing and smiled at her. "Hey Akane, how's
Shinnosuke doin?"

The girl blinked in surprise and suddenly
blushed heavily. "How would I know?"

"I dunno, he's been writing you right?" said
the boy as he looked at her in mock confusion.

"Oh yes!" said Kasumi cheerfully. "In fact,
she received a letter from her little friend only
yesterday!"

"Good," said Ranma cheerfully. "I imagine not
much has changed in that little part of Japan."

"Not really," grumbled Akane as she turned
away in embarrassment.

"Good," said the boy as he sat down on the
floor in front of Soun and Genma. "So how's it
hangin old guys?"

"Boy, your family needs you!" snapped Genma as
he stood tall in front of him and tried his best
to be intimidating.

"This again?" grumbled the boy as he frowned
suddenly. "Man, don't you two ever give up? You'd
think me or Akane had some sort of inheritance or
something the way you've been going at this."

Both men fell silent and looked at one
another.

"Of course not boy! What would make you think
that?" snapped Genma.

"Because I had one, my evil clone killed you
after you tried to steal it from him. Too bad, he
rather liked you from what I understand."

The men looked at one another for a moment and
fell silent again.

"Did you say evil clone?" asked Nabiki in
shock.

"Yeah, he was a real asshole. We killed him
eventually, but he caused all sorts of trouble,"
said the boy lazily as he picked at his ear.

"Um. Ranma doesn't really have an evil clone
does he?" asked Akane nervously.

"Huh? I don't think this one does. Well, he
could, but only if his mother turned into a
megalomanaical witch over the past ten years or
so. He killed her too as I understand it. I don't
know all the details, I was busy being dead for
most of that time."

"Dead?" muttered Kasumi.

"Yeah, it kinda sucked. I was in hell, then I
went to heaven. It's a long and involved story
that I really don't like getting into unless I
have too."

Kasumi blinked and looked at her sisters
before sitting down in front of him. "Did you get
to meet Kamisama?"

"Huh? Well, yeah. I was dead after all. I met
Hild too, she wasn't all that bad really," replied
the boy.

"You have got to be kidding me," muttered
Nabiki.

"So skeptical? Even after everything you've
seen over the past year or so?" replied the boy
with an amused looking chuckle.

"Who's Hild?" said Akane dumbly.

"She's the Queen of Hell," said the boy
cheerfully.

"Oh my!" gasped Kasumi with a scandalized
looking frown.

"Kamisama wasn't near as impressive looking as
she was really. It was kind of a let down," said
Ranma with a small shrug.

"What was he like?" asked Kasumi hopefully.
She was absolutely enthralled.

"Hmm? Oh, he was nice enough. He's got a
really weird sense of humor. I even found out he's
got a boss," said Ranma cheerfully.

"Wait a minute," said Nabiki. "Let me get this
straight. Kamisama, has a boss?" The look on her
face told him she didn't believe a single word of
it.

"Yeah, L-sama. Lord of Chaos or something.
It's a really big god that pretty much makes up
the entire universe," said the boy cheerfully.
"It's the really big one, even the demons are
under that thing."

"Oh my! But, you said it was a god," muttered
Kasumi nervously.

"Well, not really. It's more
like...hmmm...more like an all-powerful being that
controls both evil and good. It's sort of both."

"Ranma, you're so full of crap your eyes are
turning brown," said Nabiki.

Outside, thunder rumbled ominously.

Everyone in the room became quiet.

"Okay, how many people in this room have been
dead before?" said Ranma as he raised his hand. He
looked around and saw no one else with their hand
in the air. "Okay then."

"That doesn't sound very nice," muttered
Kasumi as she fretted about it for a moment.

"Huh? Don't worry so much Kasumi. Kami's a
great guy. You've got nothing to worry about.
You'd probably like L-sama if you met it."

"It?" grumbled Nabiki crossly. "It's not a boy
or a girl?"

"Actually, I think it's a little of both.
Mostly male though," replied the boy with a shrug.

"You're just being a jerk and showing off!"
snapped Akane.

"Why else would I come over here?" replied the
boy as he looked at her as if she'd grown a second
head.

"You..." started the girl hatefully.

"What? Calm down and relax. I'm just having a
little fun, besides, I'm not lying."

"Do you really think L-sama would like me?"
said Kasumi as she looked at the boy.

"Yeah. I'm sure of it," said Ranma cheerfully.
"At any rate, those two sure have been quiet." The
boy suddenly realized that Soun and Genma hadn't
spoken yet, they were merely sitting in place and
staring at him.

Finally, Genma spoke up. "That's enough of
this nonsense boy!"

"My son in law is crazy! Waaahhhh!" cried
Soun.

Ranma sighed and stood up. "Idiots."

"Show your father some respect boy!" said
Genma as he charged.

Ranma put his palm against the man's chest and
casually flipped him aside, sending him into the
koi pond. "I really wish he'd stop making me do
that every time I come over."

"So did you just come over here to bother us?"
asked Nabiki.

"Huh? Naw. I haven't seen Happosai around
lately," said the boy as he looked up at the room.
"This is the third time I've been by, and I
haven't seen so much as panty lying around the
floor in this place.

"Well, he's avoiding you still," replied
Nabiki.

"Still? Man, it's been almost a month now!"

"Well, you did sneak in and turn his head into
a 'Chia Pet'," said Akane without much heat in her
voice.

"And then there was that time you replaced his
panty collection with used men's boxers and jock
straps," pointed out Nabiki.

"Yeah, it was disturbingly easy to find
volunteers for that one," replied the boy with a
shudder.

"Don't forget the time he covered all his
panties in itching powder," said Kasumi
cheerfully.

"Yeah, his head was beet red for almost two
weeks from all the scratching," said Akane as she
seemed to be getting into the spirit of things.

"Well, he did keep trying to activate my
curse. I just couldn't get it through his skull
that water didn't work anymore." The boy shrugged
and turned towards the door. "Oh well. See you
around, I just dropped by while I was running a
few errands in town."

"Yeah, see ya," muttered Nabiki as the boy
walked out the door.

Akane sat down at the table and sighed again.
She'd been in a rotten mood over the past few days
or so.

"What is it?" asked Nabiki.

"Nothing. I'm starting to get worried about
Miss Hibiki. She's missed two days now," said the
girl with a slightly frustrated frown.

"I'm sure she's fine. She'll probably be in
tomorrow. I heard there's some sort of little bug
going around that side of town," said Nabiki as
she turned away and looked in the direction Ranma
had walked off in.

"Yeah, she's such a great teacher though. I
miss her, the substitute just isn't the same,"
said Akane a little too emotionally.

"I'm really starting to wonder..." muttered
the older girl to herself as she watched her
sister stare out into space for a moment.

"Did you say something?" asked Kasumi.

"Huh? No. Just thinking out loud," replied
Nabiki as she walked towards her room.

+++++++++++++++

Carrot walked into a park, looking for a
deserted area. It didn't take long for him to find
a nice quiet corner.

He sighed and sat down, looking up at the sky
as he felt the last of the ki holding his body
together fading away. "Well, that was interesting
if nothing else."

"Wonder where we'll end up? With Dan or
Xianfu?" asked Ranma.

"Who knows?" said Carrot with a shrug of his
shoulders.

"It'd be nice if we did," grumbled Ranma.

"Well, that's how things are," replied Carrot.

"Yeah," agreed the boy halfheartedly.

"Ranma!" cried Ryoga Hibiki as he appeared in
front of them. "I've found you at last! For what
you've done to Akane, prepare to die!"

"Hiya Ryoga," said the pigtailed boy as he sat
up and frowned at the lost boy.

"Hiya? Is that all you've got to say to me?"
snarled Ryoga.

"I'm not Ranma," said Carrot flatly.

"What? How stupid do you think I am? You
abandoned Akane!"

"You're obviously stupid enough to forget
about me," said Ranma calmly as he stood up and
dusted his pants off. "Besides, Shinnosuke is
Akane's boyfriend, not you."

Ryoga glared at him. "What?"

"You heard me," replied Ranma casually.

"That bastard is not Akane's boyfriend!"
snarled Ryoga hatefully.

"Well, in any case, it's none of my business
either way," said Ranma as he frowned at the boy.

"Where am I?" asked Ryoga with a distasteful
snort.

"A park near the dojo in Nerima," said Ranma
as he cheered up a little.

"So, I'm near to Akane?" asked the boy
hopefully.

"I'd take you there myself, but I'm waiting
for something," said Ranma cheerfully.

"Waiting?" said Ryoga in confusion.

"Yeah, this body should start do vanish in a
minute or two," said the pigtailed boy as he
looked at his hands expectantly.

"WHAT?" muttered Ryoga dumbly.

"I'm testing out a new technique," said Ranma.
"Don't worry, it's just a side effect. I'll be
fine."

"Oh," muttered the lost boy dumbly.

"Yeah, whatever."

"So, which direction is the Tendo Dojo then?"
asked Ryoga.

"The direction you just came from," lied
Ranma.

Ryoga nodded and started walking directly
towards it.

"Hey, lucky him," said Carrot cheerfully. He
glanced down at his hand and noticed his fingers
were becoming transparent. "Hey. It's showtime. We
got about...four hours and five minutes in."

Ranma nodded and they drained the last of
their ki.

+++++++++++++++++

They found themselves sitting in a small cafe,
staring obsessively at someone's rear.

"Gah!" cried Carrot in shock as he quickly
jerked their head away.

"Hey! I was watching that!" said Xianfu
irritably.

"Obviously," grumbled Ranma.

"Hey guys," said Dan as he appeared as well.
"We might not want to stand up for a minute or
two."

"Huh?" said Carrot as he ignored the advice
and immediately stumbled over their chair. "What
the hell?"

"We got a little carried away," muttered Dan
sheepishly.

"What the hell did you do to us?" cried Ranma
in shock.

"We're drunk," said Carrot irritably. "Sit
down again for a minute. We've got a lot of added
mass now, it shouldn't last long."

"So, how was your day?" asked Xianfu.

"Fine," said Carrot with a shrug. "We spent
the day in Nerima."

"I thought you said no fighting," snorted Dan.

"We didn't get into one all day," said Ranma.

"Good," said Xianfu coldly.

"How about you guys?" asked Carrot.

"Huh? We spent all day in a bar," said Dan
cheerfully.

"I spent most of my day wandering around this
area," said Xianfu.

"Well, I suppose we should go home then," said
Carrot as he stood them up. The were a little
light headed, but the group of them was able to
keep them somewhat coordinated despite their
drunken state.

++++++++++++++

The arrived home about an hour later and
looked down at Usagi irritably. "What?"

"You've been gone all day?" she asked her
mother with a frown on her face.

"Yeah? What of it?" snorted Yohiko.

The girl sighed and watched as her mother
slowly lowered herself into an armchair. "I'm not
moving from this spot for a very long time Usagi.
Please don't bother me."

The girl shrugged and walked into the hallway.

+++++++++++

"Your performance was less than admirable,"
said Yotsuya as he glared at Yusaku. They were
sitting in the remains of his room. The boy still
had a somewhat dazed look about him.

"Shut up, you're just mad she wouldn't let you
watch," said the boy as he glared at the man.

"That has nothing to do with my objective
opinion," said the man as he turned away.

"So Godai finally got lucky," said Itchinose
as she took a drag off of her cigarette and looked
at the remains of the wall for a moment.

"I dunno if I'd call that lucky," commented
Akemi.

"She seemed pretty upset," said Itchinose.

Both women glared at Yusaku for a moment.

"Hey! I didn't, I mean, she came...I um...It's
not like that! She made me do it!" cried the boy.

Usagi appeared in the doorway and sighed at
the hole. "Well, I'm not sure what to say."

"Usagi!" cried the man as he fell at her feet.
"Is she still angry? Tell her I'm sorry!"

"I'm not really sure. She hasn't said anything
about it," said the girl with a shrug. "She was
pretty upset though."

"Damn!" muttered the boy as he looked away
from her. "I've got to do something! Help me! I'll
do anything!"

Usagi sighed and sat down. "Look, I heard
about what happened from Yotsuya, I'm not mad at
you. I don't think she's too angry with you
either. She seems more upset with herself about
it. But..."

"But?" muttered Yusaku in horror.

"I'm not sure if there's anything you can do.
I've never seen her this upset about something,"
said the girl with a small sigh. "I think you blew
it Yusaku, sorry."

"Nooooo!" cried the boy in horror. He fell
face first into the floor and did not move.

"He took that remarkably well," commented
Akemi.

"Indeed," agreed Itchinose as she took another
drag off of her cigarette.

Usagi sat down and sighed.

"Now, on to this mysterious Xellos," said
Yotsuya.

Everyone turned to look at Usagi.

"What? How many times do I gotta tell you?
Don't look at me that way! I can't ruin his fun
like that, he'll be angry if I do. You don't want
him angry at you."

"Why not?" asked Akemi with a slightly worried
looking frown.

"He gets this really disgustingly cute look on
his face. It's so pathetic it's horrible! Then
he'll start doing things. Like one time, I got him
mad, so he froze all my panties, and then put them
back in my drawer right before I woke up. Then
later, he filled my shampoo bottle with shaving
cream. After that, he made curry flavored waffles
for breakfast..."

"How diabolical," said Yotsuya in horror.

"Yeah, tell me about it. You're just gonna
have to figure him out on your own," agreed the
girl.

+++++++++++

Carrot and the others sat around in the
bedroom calmly. They were all looking at one
another. Dan and Pissant were wearing a black
leather jacket and shades, while Carrot and Ranma
looked exactly the same, but without the jacket or
shades. Xianfu was the only one currently in
female form and she glared at her companions.

"So, roughly twice a day fully charged," said
Carrot calmly.

"This is the third time," said Dan calmly.

"We probably only got about two hour's worth
in this one," said Ranma calmly. "Besides, we
don't need to be doin this stuff all the time."

"What?" said Xianfu angrily.

"He's right, we're weak afterwards. We're just
testing the limits. I suggest we keep it down to
maybe once a day, and we don't have to go for all
four hours either. Think of it as sort of
borrowing the car from mom or dad. Go out, get
what you need, and come back." Carrot smirked at
the looks on the other's faces.

Dan sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Whatever. I can live with that."

"Well, I was hoping for a little more than
that," grumbled Xianfu irritably. "But..."

"Well you can stop complaining right now
bitch!" snarled Ranma as he jumped up and glared
at her hatefully.

Dan arched his eyebrow at this and snorted.

"The hell! Look you jerk..." snapped the woman
in retort.

"This is all your fault! Just cause you whine
and..."

"Asshole! Do you have any idea what I was
going through?" snarled Xianfu as she stuck her
face into the pigtailed man's. Their foreheads
touched together as they glared at each other.

"Brother," muttered Dan irritably.

"Yes I do thanks to you bitch! I ought to kill
you for that!" snapped Ranma hatefully.

"Just try it!" snarled Xianfu.

"You're on!" retorted Ranma as he shoved her
back and tackled her onto the floor.

Dan stood up and paused suddenly as he saw
Usagi standing in the doorway watching the scene
in shock.

He looked at the ground and then back at the
girl again.

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"

"Hey kid," he said as he walked up next to her
and leaned against the wall.

"Mom!" cried the girl in alarm as the shock
finally wore off.

"Don't worry about those two, they're always
like this," said Dan calmly.

"Always? Who are you?" said Usagi as she
backed away from him and looked at the fight with
an uncertain frown. "Mom!" she started forward to
help her mother but found a restraining hand on
her shoulder.

"She'll be angry if you butt in on her fight
kid," said Dan calmly.

Usagi blinked and looked up at him again. "Who
are you?" She looked somewhat frightened.

Xellos walked into the room and smiled warmly.
"Ah, just like old times eh, Dan?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," said the man at Usagi's
side with a sly looking grin on his face.

Carrot and Xianfu were clutching at each
other's throats and rolling around on the ground
while kicking at each other. It wasn't even close
to a martial arts match. "Uncle Xellos? You know
these people?"

"Of course, they trained under my father with
your mother to learn Martial arts. Carrot and
Yohiko are old...friends..." said the man
cheerfully. He looked somewhat uncertain at that
last part.

"He's trying to kill her!" cried Usagi as she
pointed at them and froze. A deep blush covered
her face as she noticed they were no longer trying
to kill each other, but were locked in a rather
passionate, if somewhat violent, looking embrace.
"Oh my!"

"Heh, come on kid," said Dan as he pulled her
and Xellos out of the room and left the pair
alone.

+++++++++++++

Usagi blinked as she looked at the man and
frowned. "You trained with my mother in martial
arts?"

"That's right," said Dan with a small nod. He
smirked to himself at the irony, it wasn't really
a lie.

"So, how come you never visited?" asked the
girl as she frowned at them.

"What? You saw what Carrot and Yohiko are
like," said Dan. "She was married, and she'd given
up the art too. We'd heard she'd picked it up
again and decided to stop by and see her."

"How did you know?" asked Usagi.

"I told them," said Xellos as he sipped at a
small cup of tea.

"Oh," replied the girl as she frowned and
turned her head slightly at some of the noises
that were coming out of the room. She was blushing
quite badly when she turned back.

"Man, I been hangin around Carrot too long,"
thought Dan to himself.

"I'm surprised you were able to think all that
up so quickly," agreed Pissant.

"Shaddap," grumbled Dan in his mind.

"Well, I think it's time we got some sleep,"
said Xellos as he stood up and pat Usagi on the
shoulder. "We've got things to do."

The girl nodded and stood up to go to her
room.

Dan sighed and relaxed as he sat back in his
chair.

++++++++++++

Xellos smiled at Usagi and looked at the wall
next to them as it began to shake rather
violently. "Um, perhaps it would be best if you
went out for a while. We both know you aren't
getting any sleep with...ahem...all this going on
around here."

The girl blushed deeply and grinned at him.
"Yeah. Thanks Uncle Xellos."

"Come back in a few hours or so," said the man
as he walked out and left her alone.

Usagi nodded and stepped out of her window as
her clothes transformed.

++++++++++++

A short time later she found herself jumping
across rooftops with a huge grin on her face. "I'm
gonna have to meet this Carrot later. If Mom likes
him this much, he might be just what I need to get
her over Dad!"

She landed in the middle of a small abandoned
lot and blinked in surprise. A small tent was set
up, with a familiar figure sitting in front of it
with a pot of water boiling in front of him. He
poured the water into his cup of ramen and set it
down to cook.

"Ryoga?" she said out loud.

The boy jumped to his feet and blinked in
surprise. "Sailor Moon?"

"Hey, it is you," she said as she walked over
to him and smiled. "You know, this is the first
time we've met when something wasn't trying to
kill me."

"Um, yeah," replied the boy.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked him
as she noticed his tent.

"My house is pretty far away from here," he
muttered under his breath as he looked at the
tent. "It's just easier this way."

"Oh," said the girl as she looked at his
campsite and smiled. "Nice tent."

Ryoga blushed and quickly covered his crotch
as he sat back down again and leaned over the
fire. "Um, sit down if you'd like," he muttered
nervously.

Usagi did, right next to him as opposed to
opposite the fire where he had indicated. Ryoga
was sweating bullets.

"Are you hungry? I made some...um..." he
turned his head and noticed her staring directly
at him.

"No thanks, I already ate," said the girl as
she smiled at him. She turned her head up at the
sky and leaned back in her seat. This put her
breasts at Ryoga's eye level, and he found himself
unable to move. "It sure is pretty out here," she
commented while looking up at the stars.

"Yeah, um...pretty..." he muttered as he
finally managed to tear his eyes away from her
chest and look at his cup of noodles. He blinked
as he saw a spot of red appear on his hand. "No!
Not now!" His mind screamed as he desperately
plugged his nose with a tissue he pulled from his
pocket.

"Are you all right?" said Usagi as she moved
in front of him and forced him to tilt his head
back. Not before he managed to get an eyeful of
her skintight uniform as she practically shoved it
into his face without realizing it.

"I just feel a little light headed," he
muttered pathetically.

"Oh my! You should lie down!" said the girl as
she grabbed the blanket he had set out and forced
him to lay on top of it.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" said the girl
with a worried look in her face as she took his
hand away from his nose and applied pressure to
the wound.

"It's nothing, just..." he muttered weakly.
"My god! I'm gonna pass out again," he said as he
tried to sit up and move away from him.

In his flailing, he accidentally grabbed her
chest and froze with his hand there as he realized
what he'd done. "I...I'm sorry! I didn't mean
too...I mean...I..."

Usagi looked slightly irritated for a moment
and gently grabbed his hand. She sighed and shook
her head. "You're not doing it right."

Ryoga went white as a sheet as she pressed his
hand against her chest and slowly leaned forward
to kiss him.

+++++++++++++

TBC...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I am so sick and evil!
Heh. Anyway, this is going towards something, so
don't worry... Next time: Vahn's Revenge!