Insertion Part 73 Jusenkyo's Secret! +++++++++++++ Usagi stared at her cousin and her mother in a sort of happy wonder. They were getting along so well, it was almost scary. Of course, the fact that Carrot, Dan, Yusaku, Xellos, and the man everyone now knew as Nephrite were now in the room with their new guest didn't hurt either. "What's up with this?" asked Dan irritably. "Yeah, I'm sure of it! I hadn't even thought about it until now," agreed Carrot as they all looked at Nephrite. The man was simply looking at them in confusion. He appeared to be no more than twelve years old as he was now. He also had a sort of innocent smile on his face. "Well..." said Xellos cheerfully. "You shut up, we aren't asking you," snorted Carrot. The man wisely kept his mouth shut and sat back in his chair after this. "Why the hell are you Phibrizzo anyway? You were Gaav when we left," said Carrot irritably. "What they is talking about?" asked Plum as she leaned in towards Usagi. The older girl looked down at her and shrugged. "Got me, must be some more backwards sorcerer stuff." "Sorcerer?" muttered Plum dumbly. "Yeah, something like that. Don't worry, he's my uncle, and they're both okay guys," whispered the girl cheerfully. Nephrite finally got around to answering. "Well, It's like this. We found out about this 'Slayers' thing. Naturally, Zocite and Kunzite didn't like the idea of one of them betraying the other and becoming rouge. I offered to switch around with him, and you agreed. That's all." "Oh, well, you idiots do realize that that's just a manga right?" asked Dan with a small frown. "We didn't want to take any chances with you around," snorted Xellos calmly. He was looking directly at Carrot as he said this. "Oh, right," said Carrot with a small shrug. "On to other business!" "Why am I here? What's going on? What's all this stuff about Phibritso and stuff?" muttered Yusaku in confusion. "Someone please explain what's going on!" The smaller Mazoku chuckled. "Well, for starters, Phibrizzo is my name." "Oh, Who are you?" asked Yusaku. "I'm Yohiko's love child with Carrot!" announced the boy proudly. Everyone fell face first onto the table. "WHAT!?" screamed Yohiko. "You little..." "I have a brother?" gasped Usagi. "Does that make him my cousin?" asked Ryoga fearfully. "Don't worry, not much danger of you sleeping with this one," replied Dan. "I thought we were gonna keep this a secret! You weren't supposed to say anything!" snapped Carrot as he grabbed Phibrizzo by his collar and shook him. His face was a mask of fake anger. "It's not true!" screamed Yohiko. "Say it isn't so!" wailed Yusaku. Xellos chuckled as he felt the shift in reality fade again. He wondered just how long it would be until L-sama stopped laughing after he told them that Phibrizzo really was their love child now. "I'll kill him!" screamed Yohiko as she attempted to dive across the table and grab the boy's neck. "Calm down," said Carrot as he held her back. "WAAAAHHH! Rejected by my own mother! Oh the shame!" cried Nephrite cheerfully. He was really trying not to smile, but it was more than he could handle. "Everyone BE QUIET!" screamed Plum at the top of her lungs. The whole room turned to look at her. The girl slammed her palm down on the table and an old looking sheet of paper was slapped across the surface. She sighed and looked at them all for a moment. "I brought this map with me. Dad always called it, "Jusenkyo's secret". If this map falls into their hands, then the Spring of Drowned Man, The spring of Drowned Girl, all the springs at Jusenkyo will dry up!" "WHAT?" cried Ryoga in horror. "Tough luck kid," said Carrot as he pat the boy on his back and smiled at him. "We've gotta do something!" cried Ryoga. "What the heck is Jusenkyo?" asked Usagi lamely. "The Training Ground of Cursed Springs," said Yohiko calmly. "Yes, very tragic story!" agreed Plum. "So, you're that old guide's runt?" snorted Dan indifferently. "Didn't figure him for the marrying type." "In any case, this is interesting. Problem is, I don't see any reason not to just give this map to them," said Carrot with a small shrug. Plum blinked. "What you is saying? No more cure for Jusenkyo curses anymore!" "Well, Ryoga is keeping his as punishment for what he did to Usagi," said Carrot calmly. The boy froze up and made a choking sound. "Other than that, I say we make a deal. A few flasks of Jusenkyo's drowned girl and man springs in exchange for the map. After that, no more curses. You won't need a cure." "No more job for family either!" snapped Plum. "You'll just have to find other work. As it is, you're living off the suffering of others," said Yohiko with a small snort. "Besides, what about all those Jusenkyo Springs Mail Order Products?" Plum frowned and clutched the map to her chest. "What's all this about curses?" muttered Yusaku dumbly. "Don't worry about it, Ryoga is the only one here with a problem," replied Carrot with a small shrug. "In any case, these Phoenix people are mostly harmless right? Other than being extremely territorial that is." "No," replied Xellos calmly. "It's much worse than that." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "There hasn't been a Phoenix King in a thousand years. If Lord Saffron completes his transformation, things will go very badly for the people in that area. It will seriously cripple China, and possibly go as far as engulfing the entire world in a war. A war against someone who is very nearly immortal, and immune to any weapon that uses heat to destroy." Carrot narrowed his eyes at this. "What do you mean?" "Nukes won't kill him," supplied Dan calmly. "Radiation might though, just not the blast itself." "There's more to a nuclear explosion than heat ya know," grumbled Carrot. "Still, there is a high probability that he will survive unharmed, and possibly not be effected by the radiation fall out that would occur either," said Xellos with a sort of dark foreboding in his tone. "So what? Now we just go and cream the bastard then right? He's just a kid now," snorted Carrot. "Allow me," said Xellos cheerfully. He waved his hand and an image appeared in front of them on the table. It was little more than old looking drawings depicting his story, but Yusaku almost fell out of his chair when he saw it. "The Bayankala Mountain Range, in the Quinghai region of China. To the south of Mount Kensei, which holds Jusenkyo, stands Mount Phoenix. At the summit of Mount Phoenix, is a poll as cursed as the pools of Jusenkyo are cursed." Xellos smirked at the bored expression on the three adult's faces and showed them images of these places. "According to the ancient lore, the pool at the summit of Mount Phoenix was cursed, when one of the many birds surrounding the peak fell in and drowned." "Hence, the bird people that live there," said Carrot with a small nod. "The three of us have heard all this before." "We have?" asked Yohiko. "Well, Dan and I have at any rate," commented Carrot with a shrug. "No big thing." "What is talking? You know why they're trying to destroy Jusenkyo?" asked Plum in confusion. "Yeah, they want to raise some Phoenix God named Saffron. It has something to do with that," said Carrot calmly. "How...do you know all this?" asked Usagi in confusion. "Various adventures in the past, I've been to Jusenkyo myself actually," replied Yohiko. "It's nothing to worry about." "Oh, okay," said Usagi in confusion. Yusaku was simply staring at the scene. He had no clue about any of this. He jumped to his feet and frowned. "You there! Come on out!" Carrot turned and chuckled at the trio that now stood in the window. "Well, what have we here?" Dan turned as well and blinked. "Whoa, what a babe!" "Yeah, you said it," agreed Carrot as they both stared at the winged woman who had entered with her two male lackeys at her side. "Um? What?" asked Usagi as she turned to stare at them. "I guess she is kinda pretty..." "What? I'm not good enough?" snarled Yohiko as she put Carrot into a headlock. "What? You don't like me anyway!" snapped the man in retort. "You bastard! How dare you cheat on my auntie right in front of her!" cried Ryoga angrily. "We have to actually be dating for me to cheat on her! We just fooled around a bit!" cried Carrot. "Enemy to all women!" screamed Yusaku angrily as he stood beside Ryoga and started to stalk towards Carrot. "I...um..." said the bird woman dumbly. "Um, hello..." "What should we do?" asked Usagi as she pulled on Dan's sleeve. "Do what you want, I'm gonna check out the babe," said Dan as he pointed at the newcomers. Kiima was starting go grow red with anger. "What the hell is this?" "Please! Stop fighting! We must defeat evil monsters! Save Jusenkyo remember?" "Sure," said Carrot as he jumped over Ryoga and Yusaku and kicked them both in the back of their heads. The pair slammed into the wall and slumped down. Neither one of them was out though, they simply sat there rubbing their foreheads in irritation. "Anything if I get to see more of her. Bet she can fight too, my kinda woman!" "Shut up!" screamed Kiima. "Won't work, she already did that," said Carrot as he pointed at Plum. Both he and Dan were standing on either side of her, with her two lackeys easily kicked out of the way. "What?" she muttered in confusion. "Why are you? Enough of this! Give me that..." "Great move, now she's mad at us," grumbled Dan. "Hey, ain't like you had a better idea," snorted Carrot irritably. "Enough!" snapped Kiima as she slapped them both. The men blinked at her and then looked at each other. Finally, Dan sighed and turned around. "Okay, everyone turn around and pay attention while the pretty bird lady tells us who she is and threatens us!" Everyone immediately did so. Kiima blinked at this. "Um...thank you." "Sure thing," said Dan as he winked at her and stepped aside with Carrot so that she could pose with her lackeys. They were somewhat woozy, but quickly recovered. "I am Captain Kiima of Mount Phoenix!" announced the woman. "I'm Koruma," said the dark skinned boy next to her. "The name is Masara," finished the lighter skinned boy. His hair was a spiky mess as well. He also had a bow and arrows strapped onto his shoulder. Kiima and Koruma both had swords on their belts as well. Both boys were wearing expensive looking silk clothes with mostly ornamental looking armor. Kiima had little more than an armored leotard on. Kiima turned and looked at several owls fluttering around just outside and smirked. "Thanks for guiding us, return home with our blessing." Ryoga chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "Never would have guessed that you'd come here. Makes our lives easier." "Pipe down! I'm tryin to make a good impression!" snapped Dan as he belted the boy across his head. "Don't bother, you know we're gonna have to fight her," snorted Carrot. "Real shame though," he added with a sigh. "Pigs!" snapped Yohiko. Usagi was standing there with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a scowl on her face. She nodded in agreement with her mother. Plum was standing in the back of the room with Xellos and Phibrizzo. "You are great sorcerers right? You should do something!" said the girl nervously. "Oh dear me no!" exclaimed Xellos. "Yeah, we could get hurt," agreed Phibrizzo cheerfully. "What?" muttered the girl in confusion. Yusaku wasn't taking this whole mess very well, he simply stood against the wall and stared at the bird people dumbly. "Man, what a night! No more of that curry flavored Ramen before bed. Not ever again!" "Kukuku. Your bravado is quite entertaining to behold. It would seem that you're not going to just hand over the Jusenkyo map peacefully." "Well, I might be persuaded..." said Carrot with a somewhat lecherous looking grin forming on his face. "Damn! Wish I'd thought of that," grumbled Dan. Kiima narrowed her eyes at this and smirked. "So, no agreement can be reached then." "Well that's disappointing, you didn't even try to negotiate," said Carrot with a small frown. "I'd like to think a handsome guy like me would have some kinda chance. Right Dan?" "Yeah," agreed Carrot's mirror image as he looked down at himself. The only difference between them was the Dan's shades and the leather jacket that hung from his shoulders. "Oh, you are soooo dead," growled Yohiko irritably. "Seems you're already spoken for," said Kiima as she and her lackeys started to spread out a bit. "Besides, I'd never soil myself on a mere landling, no matter how handsome his exterior. Carrot chuckled at this opening and simply crossed his arms, ignoring her defensive posture. "Who are you callin a landling?" "What?" muttered Kiima in shock. The trio of adults all had odd-looking grins on their faces. The room was suddenly filled as they all grew a huge pair of bat-like wings from nothing. "What is this?" gasped Kiima in shock. She backed away and almost fell over her companions. "You've just walked into a trap Lady Kiima," said Carrot calmly as he frowned at her. "Too bad, you really are a babe too." Whap! "OUCH! What the hell is wrong with you?" cried Carrot as he turned his head just in time to see Yohiko pulling her wing back with a satisfied looking smirk on her face. Usagi was drooling on the floor. "Coooooooooollllll!" Her eyes were wide and she had an incredibly huge grin on her face. Yusaku was clutching the wall fearfully. Xellos, Ryoga, Plum, and Nephrite were all simply watching the scene from the back of the room. They had decided that it would be best to stand away from the mess. "Maybe we should leave?" asked Plum. "Good idea," agreed Ryoga. "I suppose we should, this could get messy," agreed Xellos. He twirled his staff and they vanished from the room. "The map!" cried Kiima. "I can't believe they left me here!" cried Yusaku as he stared at the empty spot where the others had been. "Man." A hand reached out of the plaster and pulled him inside the wall, leaving only a liquid like ripple in his wake. Usagi was still kneeling on the floor and now appeared somewhat thoughtful. "Hmmm..." She closed her eyes and stood up. Wings like those the others had were now sprouting from her back, they were a little smaller, but proportionately around the same size. "Wow! This is so cool!" Kiima's wings shot straight up, shattering the ceiling above her. She crossed her arms and chuckled. "Fools! Thousand Wings of the Seabird Attack!" Carrot simply folded his wings in front of himself, creating a sort of cocoon of darkness around himself. Dan and Yohiko quickly followed his example, this combined wall blocked Usagi. Kiima smiled in satisfaction, but it quickly fell away when the wings opened up and revealed that the group had not even been slightly injured. "What?" "Surprised?" asked Carrot as he eyed her for a moment. "Again then!" she snarled. "Thousand..." "Dark Wind!" cried Carrot as he formed a ball of chi energy in his palms and pointed it at her. Before she could complete her attack, his wings swooped down and released a huge burst of wind. The ball of power in his hand shot forward, carried by the force of his winds, and increased them a hundred times. Kiima screamed in pain as the superheated air slammed into her and shot her through the open window. "What magic is this?" cried Masara in shock. "Captain Kiima has been defeated? What do we do now?" said Koruma. "Running would seem to be the best option," said Carrot with a small chuckle. "You won't find that map at the moment, Plum has it and he's run off with my friend Xellos. Looking for her tonight would prove fruitless." "Defeated? Have some faith in your Captain!" snapped Kiima as she appeared in the room and conked the pair on their heads. She turned her head towards Carrot and frowned. "And you, that hurt. You'll pay. Mark my words, we'll meet again!" "God I hope so," muttered Carrot and Dan in unison. "Koruma! Masara! To the skies!" snapped Kiima. "Yes, Captain!" cried the pair as they followed her. "Well, that's over for now. Dang, didn't get a phone number or anything," grumbled Carrot. "I must be losing my touch." "Yeah, how depressing," agreed Dan with a small sigh. "You idiots!" screamed Yohiko. "Think outside your own pants for once!" "Hey, it's never let me down before," replied Carrot with a shrug. "If it don't make you drunk, have breasts, or explode, I ain't interested," replied Dan as he mirrored Carrot's reaction. "Um, Mom...now what?" asked Usagi in confusion. "Well, you're going to put those wings away and go to sleep, I'm going to beat the hell out of these two, and in the morning, Xellos and Nephrite will bring Yusaku, your cousin, and Plum back." "But, I wanna try them out!" whined the girl as she flapped them experimentally. "You'll get plenty of chances later. I don't want you running around with those bird people flying about. Just go to sleep." "Yes, Ma'am," grumbled the girl dejectedly. "Right," said Yohiko as she sighed. ++++++++++++++ Meanwhile, in the Quinghai region of China, at Mount Phoenix... "Hey old man! Isn't my bath ready yet?" The old birdman knelt before the empty pool and sighed. "My lord, please be patient for just a little bit longer. Soon Kiima and her soldiers will come back with the secrets of Jusenkyo." "Damn it! They're too slow!" snapped Saffron as he tossed his bath pail into the empty tub. The old man started to shake in fear as a huge crack appeared in the base. "Yes Lord Saffron! You have every right to be angry! So I have created this, in order to ease your suffering." He pulled what looked like a chalk board eraser from behind his back and began to tap at it, sending a cloud of aromatic powder into the air. "See? Smells just like a bath house!" +++++++++++++ "Where are we again?" asked Ryoga as he glanced around at the glowing walls of brimstone and flowing magma that surrounded them. "Huh? Just my lab," said Xellos. "It's sort of a wizards workshop, no big deal really. Don't worry, you're all protected by my magic here." "Is warm," said Plum nervously. "Ah, it's nice to be home for a while," commented Phibrizzo. "Isn't it though?" agreed Xellos. "Sure is scary for a lab," said Yusaku. "Yes, I suppose it is. Sometimes I just have to have a little room though to try something out. I suppose it can't be helped." Ryoga sighed again and sat down. "I think I've been here before." He paused and pointed at the wall. "Hey! It's still there! This is where I carved my name in the wall." Xellos blinked and looked at the spot. "Hmm. So it is. How did you managed to get all the way down to the thirteenth level though?" "Well, Hells not the same place it used to be I suppose," commented Phibrizzo. "I guess you're right," agreed Xellos with a small sigh. "What's that noise?" asked Yusaku as a sort of wailing floated across the wind. "Huh? Oh that. Just the tortured souls, nothing to worry about. They're quite a ways away. I sort of staked this place out for myself. You can only hear them if they get really loud some nights. Don't wander off anyone, just try to catch a little sleep. We've got to go back tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" muttered Yusaku in shock. "We've got to stay here tonight? Where the hell are we?" "Funny you should mention that..." said Phibrizzo cheerfully. "Neat!" cried Plum cheerfully as she ran her hand through the molten magma unharmed by the flames. She played with it cheerfully and started to make cute little castles and statues with as if it was sand on the beach. She didn't even notice the fact that her clothes had little holes burning in them now from the splattering. She looked up at Xellos and smiled. "Can I go swimming?" "Well, okay, but take off your clothes or they'll burn off and you'll be naked anyway." The girl nodded cheerfully and started stripping. "This isn't happening to me!" muttered Yusaku as he clutched the side of his head and started rocking back and fourth. "Don't be such a weenie, it's only for a few hours. Teleporting us all took a lot out of me," snorted Xellos as he sat back and closed his eyes to rest. +++++++++++++ Dan frowned as he walked down the street with a bottle in his hand. Naturally, Yohiko's attempt to beat up Carrot and ended as it always did. The pair were going at it like sex starved rabbits in a wool sock. He sighed and took a swig of his beer as he continued walking through the cool night air. "Man, why do they gotta make so much damn noise?" he muttered irritably. He paused when a mess of arrows landed all around him on the ground. He blinked and looked around himself calmly, they had all missed, but not by much. "Shit." He turned his head and saw Koruma jumping towards him. The boy was in his human form, and was lobbing some sort of white things at him. His eyes went wide as he realized what they were. "Oh man! Shit!" They slammed into his body, several small eggs that cracked on impact. Before he could even react he found himself wrapped up in the tiny fibers that flowed from inside the eggs. "Well isn't this just fuckin great!" Masara appeared beside his companion and chuckled. "Ha. Got him." +++++++++++ Kiima sat on top of the chimney where they had created a base of operations. Tiny birds flocked around her and she spoke to one that was resting on her hand. "My messenger, report this to Mount Phoenix. "By the end of the night, the map will be ours!" +++++++++++++++ A few hours later, near morning... Kiima caressed the giant egg that had engulfed Dan and kept her wings wrapped around it to protect it from the cold night air. Finally, it cracked and she smiled to herself. She chuckled softly as the arm burst from inside the egg and smirked. She gasped in shock as two jet black wings shot out from inside, they were feathered this time. Like those of an eagle, the egg exploded outward and the man inside stood up with a smirk on his face. His eyes cast down to the ground. "Heh." The bird woman simply stared up at her new hatchling in shock, unable to speak or move. "What the?" she managed after a moment. Dan looked at her. His intense gaze locking with her slightly frightened one. "Hello." Kiima smirked as she stood up and regained her composure. "I am your mother now. You are my child, and you will do as I say." Dan smile grew slightly as he watched her carefully. "Lady, you're much too young to be my mother." Kiima gasped in shock and stepped back. "It failed? Wha? How?" The man grabbed her by her shoulders and leaned her down deeply. "Heh. Gimme some sugar baby." Kiima's eyes went wide as the man planted his lips onto hers. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She relaxed slightly as he pulled her back up to her feet. She staggered for a moment with a huge blush on her face as he turned away from her and looked out over the city. "What?" "So, I take it you wanted something from me? You wouldn't go to all that trouble for nuthin pretty lady." Kiima smirked at him. "Well, isn't this interesting." "I want that map, do whatever it takes to get it," said Kiima as she smirked at him. The man turned his head to look at her again. He cocked his eyebrow and chuckled. "Groovy." He stood upright and looked down at the city. "Well, tough luck Carrot. I get the babe this time. All that, and I finally get to do what I've always wanted to. Get ready you bastard." He opened his wings wide and smirked back at Kiima again. She backed away from him with a slightly frightened frown on her face. "Tell you what. I'll call you Mom like you wanted, if you tell me I'm your Daddy." The woman blinked in confusion, not quite sure what to make of this. "Looks like I'm gonna have ta show ya," he replied with another chuckle. ++++++++++++ "Damn birds," the old man looked out the window of his apartment and shook his fist at the sky. The industrial chimney could be seen from his window and he frowned. "They never used to be this loud!" "Come to bed and forget about the stupid birds!" snapped the old woman from the large futon in the middle of the floor. "I can't! All that racket in the middle of the night?" snapped the man angrily. "I'm gonna make some calls tomorrow and see about putting in another formal complaint!" "You do that, for now come to bed! You're keeping me up with all this muttering!" "Bah!" cried the man as he waved his hand and turned away from the window. He just missed seeing the giant pair of wings appear there, and then the silhouette of a naked woman arching her back in a cry of passion before vanishing back down into the large nest again. +++++++++++++ TBC... It gets better! Next Time: Dan Vs. Nerima.