Insertion Part 76 Chinese Connections! ++++++++++++ Ryoga Hibiki was having a bad day; his life in general had sucked recently. Unfortunately, this wasn't something he could blame Ranma for. Well, not technically anyway. Almost all of the women were in a foul mood, and he was beat up yet again. Fortunately, Usagi had saved him from death at the hands of her parents. He had been hoping to sneak out of the room early, before the adults woke up, but found himself staring right at Yohiko as he walked out of the room. The woman had cracked her knuckles and frowned at him. Running proved fruitless as Carrot stepped out of the room as well. He was somewhat sympathetic, but wasn't about to get in his lover's way. She had caught him easily and started to pound him with in an inch of his life. Usagi had come out, and the woman had yelled at her. A few moments later, Plum and Ukyo came out of their room. Neither of them was in a good mood either, and he wasn't sure why. To make a long story short, the Musk would have to rebuild that hallway. In the end, Usagi had come to his rescue. She shifted the blame to Ukyo and Plum. The woman reluctantly accepted the explanation, but kept giving him dirty looks. The two girls somehow thought he had conspired against them in something that he couldn't figure out. His life was hell again. Naturally, Ukyo had been somewhat amused when she'd discovered his relations with Usagi after her mother told everyone within earshot about it in her angry ranting. Still, everyone was leaving him alone now, and that suited him fine. They were now walking through the forest again, with Herb in their party now. Carrot was scouting ahead of them a short distance away. He wished he could as well. Everyone around him was female, and not one of them was very friendly at the moment. Usagi was avoiding him, Yohiko was giving him nasty looks, Plum and Ukyo were plotting revenge for supposedly tricking them into that room, and Herb was generally disgusted with her situation in general. He was tied to a line that Plum was holding and following at the rear. "Why are you a girl anyway?" asked Yohiko as she turned to look at Herb. "I didn't bother changing when we left," replied the girl irritably. "I've found that outside my home, I can rarely keep my male form for long." "Well, I suppose it is a curse," replied Yohiko with a small shrug. Ryoga didn't like the sound of that one bit. He kept quiet though and continued to follow. "How much farther is it?" asked Usagi as she glanced back at him for a moment. "Not very," replied Plum. "A few more miles at most." "I can see it," said Carrot as they caught up with him. He was standing on a hilltop looking into a valley just below them. He pointed and they all noticed several small plumes of smoke rising into the air. The village was still hidden by the terrain, but it wasn't very far at all. "We should make it within an hour or two if we keep this pace. "Can we just fly?" asked Usagi. "I don't think it would be a good idea for you to use those wings of yours right now," said Herb. "Especially given our current situation. They may know of what's going on already. They would have found out before us if something happened." "He's right, it's better to walk," agreed Yohiko. "Man," grumbled the girl as she hung her head. "We should be careful, I don't want to end up like Ranma did when he came here," said Ryoga as he narrowed his eyes. "You and me both," agreed Carrot. "We have it worse than you do," commented Herb lazily. "Oh really? How many Amazon wives do you have in your village?" snorted Carrot. "None, they don't make good wives," replied Herb with a small snort. "I'd take being female over that any day," said the boy as he looked at the village again. "Shampoo wasn't that bad," muttered Ryoga. "No? Wait until we get closer and you see how men are treated around here," said Carrot as he smirked at the boy. The group started forward again and walked towards the village. +++++++++++++ Herb stood in front of them, staring at the two young girls in front of them. "They're telling us to stop," she translated. "I know, I speak Chinese," said Carrot calmly. "You do?" said Usagi in shock. She looked at the girls in confusion. They were wearing light armor, and had spears in their grasps. Neither one of them looked particularly clean. "Yes, I know Mandarin as well," agreed Yohiko. "That's a big help," said Ryoga with a small sigh. "It makes things easier," agreed Ukyo. "You never said anything," said Usagi as she looked at her mother for a moment. "I never needed too," replied Yohiko. "Yggdrasil is a wonderful thing sometimes," commented Carrot. "What?" asked Herb in confusion. "Inside joke," said Carrot as he jerked his thumb at Yohiko. "Oh," replied the king with a small sigh. "You! You're trespassing!" said one of the girls as she stepped forward and pointed her spear at Carrot. She was still speaking Mandarin, and the three Japanese teens in the group had no idea what was going on. "I've got business here," replied Carrot calmly. "Where is Elder Cologne?" The girl frowned at this and stepped back. "What do you want with her?" "Do you have any idea who it is you're speaking too?" snarled Herb angrily. "Please don't tell me you're going to tell them you're a king when you look like that," said Carrot as he turned to face her. He sighed and turned back towards the girls. "Tell her that some old friends from Japan have come to see her with distressing news." "What news?" snapped the girl. She had backed off somewhat though. "Don't say it," grumbled Yohiko. "Now that, is a secret," replied Carrot calmly. "Why should I?" replied the girl indignantly. "This could take a while," said Plum with a small sigh to Ryoga, Ukyo, and Usagi. "What's going on?" asked Usagi. "She looks mad." "She's being...difficult," said Plum as she frowned. "What should we do?" asked Ryoga. "Maybe we should be difficult," growled Ukyo as she fingered one of her throwing spatulas for a moment. "Do you want to attack them?" snorted the girl as she turned her gaze on him. "Remember what happens if you beat them." "Not really," said the lost boy with a nervous swallow. Ukyo reluctantly relented and put her hand back down to her side. The adults were quickly growing annoyed with the guards, but had so far restrained from any physical confrontation. The girl smiled at Carrot and pointed at him. "If you want to get by, you'll have to beat me!" "Right, like I'm that stupid. I'm not here to play 'trap the man' with you little girl. I've got important news that will endanger your entire tribe if you spend all day playing around with me." "Just tell her and be done with it!" snapped Herb. "No," said Carrot as he turned to glare at the two women. "I don't like her attitude. If she wants to fight, fine. I'll just kill her and we'll be on our way. I doubt Cologne will be very angry with us when we tell her what this is about." "You're probably right about that," agreed Herb honestly. This caught the two girls by surprise. "What?" "Enough, stop teasing them," said an amused sounding voice from the bushes. "I was wondering how long it would take you to show your face old bat," said Carrot cheerfully. "How dare you!?" snarled one of the two girls as she stepped forward. "Stop! Leave them be! They are too dangerous for the likes of you," snapped Cologne as she hopped out in front of them and eyed them both coldly. The old woman switched to Japanese and faced the group with a smile on her face. "So tell me, what brings you and the King of the Musk here?" "Jusendo, and Mount Phoenix," replied Yohiko as she stared at the woman seriously. "So, it's that time is it?" said Cologne with a small sigh. "Yeah, we've come to beat up Saffron," said Carrot cheerfully. "Isn't that nice?" "You'll be killed," responded Cologne. "Maybe," replied Carrot with a small smirk. "You know something though, don't you boy?" asked Cologne. "How did you know we were here?" asked Yohiko as she interrupted the pair. "A man came and told us of you," said Cologne. "A friend of yours? He was a powerful sorcerer. Scared the council half to death when he appeared in the middle of our weekly meeting. I imagine many of them would have gotten themselves killed if he hadn't managed to get our attention so quickly." "Told you about Jusendo?" asked Carrot. "Yes, among other things," replied the old woman with a small shrug. "So you already know then," said Carrot as he shook his head and sighed. "That idiot Xellos." "Yes, that is the name he gave us," replied Cologne. "Who is he? What is his relationship to you? Many of my sisters are still quite upset. A male in the council chambers is unheard of." "Xellos? He's, not exactly human," said Carrot in Mandarin. "What?" asked Usagi as she looked up at her parents. "What's this about Uncle Xellos?" It was the only word she had understood in what her father had just said. "She doesn't know?" queried Cologne in her native tongue. "No," replied Carrot calmly. "I see. Come, we'll talk in the village," said Cologne as she motioned for them to follow. +++++++++++++ Ryoga sat on the dusty floor with Usagi and Plum just outside the room where the adults were talking. They were in Cologne's home and it was starting to get dark. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," muttered Ryoga dumbly. "What's with him?" asked Usagi. "I dunno," replied Plum. Ukyo looked at them from the far corner and said nothing. She had a pretty good idea what he was upset about, but remained distanced from them. she turned her head away and leaned against the wall. Ryoga looked at them for a moment and shook his head. "Ranma, even you wouldn't deserve this place! I don't see how Mousse could stand it!" His respect for the blind martial artist had risen enormously. Everywhere he turned, he had seen the men of the village. They were doing things that were considered women's work by Japanese standards. Not that it was all that bad, but some of the other things he'd seen disturbed him. There was a whorehouse with male prostitutes. Slaves pulling carts, following women who ruled over them with fists, as nothing but property, cattle. Outwardly it didn't appear all that bad. However, someone as experienced as he was in the art, and as familiar with depression as he was. The signs were all around him. Men were nursing injuries that were neglected and ignored, the eyes of dead men staring at him from all around him. Many of them were once fighters like himself. They moved like broken men, but also men trained to fight. There were a few well-treated men as well, but it was also easy to see that most of them were kept in line by force. "Usagi," he said softly. "Yes?" she asked as she turned to look at him. "Promise me, no matter what happens, you won't let me get lost in this place." The girl blinked in surprise and looked at Plum for a moment. "Um, sure. I promise." +++++++++++++ "This place disgusts me," said Carrot as he stood staring out a window at the village. "Hmmm," said Cologne calmly as she sipped at her tea. "This Xellos, tell me about him?" "He's a monster," said Yohiko calmly. "An old acquaintance of ours. He shouldn't be trusted." "Oh?" asked Cologne as she arched her eyebrow. "He told us to trust what you had to say." "He's got his own agenda. He's a strange one, he won't lie to you, but he won't tell you everything either," said Carrot. "He's actually not all that bad as monster's go." "He was strong, but a monster?" snorted Cologne. "We're here to help stop a Phoenix God, is a Monster that much of a stretch?" replied Yohiko. She was sitting across from Herb at the table on either side of Cologne. "We don't have time for this," snorted the King irritably. "We have more than you think, I doubt if they've even made it back yet," said Carrot calmly. "What makes you say that?" asked Yohiko. "Because, I just felt them pass by about two miles north of us. I wonder what took them so long. They flew here." Carrot was looking off towards the north at a wall. "You can feel them?" asked Cologne. "Yes," said Carrot as he smirked at her. "I can do a lot of things. I'd explain more, but we don't really have time. Like she said." He nodded at Herb and smirked. The girl growled slightly, but let it pass. "We should hurry." "It's late. You'll stay for the evening," said Cologne. "We have much to discuss." "Sending an army to fight Saffron would be useless," said Carrot calmly. "We're more interested in passing through your lands than asking for help." Cologne frowned at this but nodded. "I understand. However, it is late, and they won't do anything until tomorrow. They can't see well in the dark. If they haven't made it back yet, they will land until morning. Even if they do, they will not start their plans until daylight." "I don't like this place," said Carrot as he frowned at the window again. "Making you uncomfortable?" asked Yohiko with a small chuckle. "I am uneasy as well," agreed Herb. "You are safe with me," said Cologne. "I'm not worried about my safety," replied Carrot as he looked at her again. "I'm more worried one of your women will do something stupid and get herself killed." Cologne arched her eyebrow at this and sighed. "It's not all that bad. Our men are not..." "Don't try to justify this with me Cologne," said Carrot coldly. "I know a broken spirit when I see one, and I've seen dozens just walking to your home." "Hmmm, it is our way to remain strong," she replied with a calm ease about her. "Yes," responded Carrot coldly. "It's mine to remain free." "What are you worried about?" asked Cologne as she looked at Yohiko for a moment. She paused suddenly. "Something is different." "We're stuck like this," said Yohiko with a small nod. "We aren't sure why just yet." Cologne's face turned into a small grin and she chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. It's probably best if I say nothing." "You know something?" asked Carrot as he turned to look at her. "I do, but as I said. It is not the time for such things," replied the woman as she stared at him for a moment. "Your auras are different. Perhaps there is more to this technique of yours than you're letting on?" "That's our business," said Carrot as he turned away from the window. "So, we will remain here for the evening then?" asked Herb. "Not much choice," said Yohiko with a small nod. "It is early yet, there will be a meeting in a short time to discuss this. Until then, I offer you my home." "Thanks," said Carrot with a small sigh. "Yes," agreed Yohiko. "You have my gratitude," agreed Herb. "Where is Shampoo?" asked Carrot as he smirked at her. "They'd never admit it, but I think Ukyo and Ryoga might like to see her again. Mousse as well." Cologne looked up at him for a moment. "I suppose they would." "Yes, it would give the children something to do besides sit around while we talk," agreed Yohiko with a small sigh. "I suppose you're right," agreed Cologne. "I'll have them summoned and let them show the children around a bit." "Right," said Carrot with a small shrug. +++++++++++ Ryoga looked up and frowned as a pair of familiar faces walked into the room. Ukyo had sat up at their entrance and frowned slightly. She had no real interest in either of them, but she knew both Mousse and Shampoo. The nearly blind martial artist had a look of euphoric happiness on his face as he followed Shampoo. "To think, the elders sent me with Shampoo! Could it be that they have finally acknowledged my love for her?" "Stupid Mousse! Shampoo bring you because you know pig boy and spatula girl too!" snapped the Amazon as she turned to stare at them. She didn't look particularly pleased to be there, but not upset either. "What are you doing here?" asked Ukyo coldly. "Pig boy?" said Usagi as she turned towards her cousin. "It's...nothing," muttered Ryoga lamely. Plum smiled at the girl and bowed as she stood up in greeting. "It is a pleasure, Honored Customer! I am Plum." "Who this is?" asked Shampoo as she blinked at the two unfamiliar faces. "Miss Yohiko's daughter, and the daughter of the Guide from Jusenkyo," said Ukyo as she stood up as well. "I take it they want you to show us around or something?" "Shampoo told to give tour," replied the girl with a small nod. "Keep safe from other villagers, no worries." "I have been told to assist her as well," agreed Mousse. "I wish I could say I was glad to see you again, but our pasts are not the kind one wishes to remember." Ryoga nodded. "I'd rather sit here and be bored," he snorted irritably. "I've got no desire to wander around this place." "Well I don't want to wait on the adults to finish all day," snorted Usagi. "Anything is better than sitting in this room. I'll bet they're planning on staying the night." Ryoga stared at her a moment and cursed under his breath. Ukyo appeared to have the same mindset. Plum was indifferent. He had to go, rather than risk being by himself. "All right. You'd better not lose me though." Usagi shrugged and grabbed his arm. "Come on, don't be such a whiner." "Shampoo show market and training ground, not much else to see," said the Amazon with a small shrug. "Let's get this over with," grumbled Ukyo. The group walked out of the home and into the dusty street. +++++++++++++ "So, we're here," said Yohiko as she snorted at Carrot. "It wasn't what I expected," replied the man. They were sitting in the room the Amazon's had given them and waiting patiently. Soon someone would come to summon them. As it was, Herb was speaking with the elders. "Last time I saw this place was a tournament, some sort of festival. It wasn't this bad." "Hmmmm," agreed Yohiko. "Most of the villages around here don't care for them, but there isn't much that can be done." "You lived in this area?" asked Carrot as he turned to look at her for a moment. He had forgotten that once she had been native to this region. "No, I was further to the South, we knew about them though. Go a little farther out and no one will know what you're talking about if you ask them about this place." "Maybe we should visit the place when this is over?" asked Carrot with a small shrug. "Why? Everyone I knew died over a thousand years ago," replied Yohiko with a small shrug. "If it's even still there at all that is." "Good point," said Carrot with a small shrug. "Still, I don't like this set up. I think these women are up to something." "Working with the enemy?" asked Yohiko. "No, I doubt it. Cologne's not that stupid," replied the man calmly as he sat down on the small cot-like bed. "This is something else." "Life here wouldn't be that bad for me, but even I'm not cruel enough to put you on them," said the woman with a small snort as she looked out the tiny window. "I'd kill them within a month, or die trying," said Carrot cheerfully. "Not a bad deal considering." "Talking like that is bound to get us into trouble," said Yohiko as she turned to stare at him for a moment. "You've been wagging your tongue a bit too much for my comfort around here." "Maybe you're right," said Carrot a little thoughtfully. "I should tone it down a bit around here." There was a knock at the door and a young girl walked into the room and bowed. "Elder Cologne will see you now, leave your male here." Carrot chuckled at this. "Her male? Jeez this place is backwards." Yohiko growled at the comment and started walking behind the girl. Once they were out in the hall, she spoke up. "I suggest that you put the word around not to bother him child. He's very dangerous to your kind, and he doesn't care much for your village." "Ha! You don't know the strength of my..." "I know it very well child. That man defeated King Herb and his Queen alone, with his bare hands." The girl fell silent. "I see...why are you here?" "If the elders want you to know, they will tell you. We are not staying long, and we will leave in the morning." +++++++++++ Cologne sat in a small chamber and smiled as Yohiko walked into the room. "Spreading rumors again?" "Carrot is edgy, that makes him very dangerous," replied Yohiko. "Carrot?" asked the woman. "Ah, I see. Could he not be a woman as well if he chose?" "Our daughter doesn't know about the curses," replied the woman calmly. Cologne shook her head and sighed. "I see." "That explains a lot," said Herb. "Not why there are two of you though." "We discovered a technique to split ourselves into separate bodies. Something went wrong recently, and we haven't figured out what happened yet." Herb snorted in surprise. "A technique?" "Yes, a technique. It only lasted a few hours at first, but we've been stuck like this for a few days. There is another, but he was captured by the enemy. Brainwashed into serving them." "Yes, I recall you mentioning that there were three of you," said Cologne. "It's not important right now. He is the least of our worries," said Yohiko. "Herb, leave us," said Cologne. The man nodded his head and left the room. "I thought we were going to discuss some sort of plan?" said Yohiko. "The Amazons can do little to help you," said the old woman with a small sigh. "Old women like myself, and Shampoo are our strongest warriors." "Don't you mean Mousse?" said Yohiko calmly. "Mousse is skilled, but is not considered a warrior," replied the old woman carefully. "Well trained for someone in this village, especially a male," replied Yohiko as she narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Indeed, Mousse's father had hoped his son would escape, where he could not. Unfortunately, the boy fell in love, and ruined his plans." "Heh, you won't be able to string him along forever. Sooner or later, Shampoo will find someone. You'll lose him, or her husband I think." "It is a delicate situation," agreed Cologne. "Still, the boy is within the laws so far. We can do little to stop him." "I doubt that," said Yohiko. "He's been hounding Shampoo since I met him." "You're smarter than I'd hoped you were. Still, Mousse has uses to us, when he does not, we'll be rid of him." "I see," said the woman with a small nod. "I was going to return to Japan to speak with you, but you've come here. Very convenient for me." Yohiko blinked at this statement. "What for?" "We want you to join us. You show all the qualities of a great Amazon. Your intelligence and strength are great, and you would easily become a part of the council. Your skills as a teacher did not escape our notice either." Yohiko frowned slightly. "You want me to join you?" "Yes, we could use a woman like you in the village. I am working on updating our culture a bit. Modern life impressed me more than I had thought it would." "What? Running water?" snorted Yohiko roughly. "Wow, I'm impressed." "Among other things," said Cologne cheerfully. "There are a lot of improvements we can make without disrupting our society. Plumbing is one I think will easily become accepted. As well as a small electrical plant for a few other things." "Well, I'm sorry to say that I must decline. I have a family to think about after all." "Your daughter is already here, and she would become greatly respected." "I don't agree with your way of life, I'd be disruptive more than helpful," replied Yohiko calmly. "Oh?" asked Cologne carefully. "Your man seems to be well under your control. I don't see a problem." "Carrot is hardly under my control," replied Yohiko with another snort. "And he isn't my man, just the father of my children. We do not get along well." "Herb tells me differently," replied Cologne with a small shrug. "Herb confuses passion with love," said the woman sharply. "Carrot has his own agenda in this, and I'm not sure what it is." "So, I was right all along. You are separate," replied Cologne with a smirk forming on her face. Yohiko frowned at this. "Not exactly." "Three minds, one body," said Carrot as he walked into the room and chuckled. "Well, five minds technically." Cologne gasped as she stared at him. "What are you doing here?" "Spying on you. I figured you were up to something," replied Carrot with a shrug. "Didn't expect this though." The old woman narrowed her eyes at the man and snorted. "I suppose there's no harm. It seems I'm not going to persuade her differently at this time." "Or ever. We're schizophrenic, the multiform technique allowed us to split up our personalities and take a break from each other for a little while. Getting stuck like this was unexpected though," said Carrot as he leaned against the doorway. "In any case, I understand you aren't going to be much help after all." "We can do little against the warriors of Mount Phoenix. Their ability to fly would prevent us from even holding them back. They'd just fly over any opposition we'd set against you. Plus, we are not foolish enough to believe we can beat them." "You might have been useful as a distraction, but otherwise I hadn't expected much else," replied Carrot with a small shrug. Yohiko blinked and turned her head. "Is that Ryoga?" "What?" said the boy dumbly. "I felt something," said Yohiko with a frown on her face. "Oh shit." "What is this?" asked Cologne as she turned her head. "Hell," grumbled Carrot as he left the room and took off, Yohiko was right behind him. ++++++++++++++ "Is training ground," said Shampoo as she pointed at a large open patch of dirt. There were several girls of different ages working on various wooden poles and training dummies. There wasn't a class going on at the moment though. The group moved through and looked around at the display the training girls were giving. Several of the older girls paused as the group walked through. They eyed both Ukyo and Ryoga for a moment. Finally, one of the larger girls walked up to the group. She was a little overweight, but the huge pair of maces she held in her grip told them that she was very strong. She said something to them and they all paused. "It's a formal challenge," said Mousse. He responded in Mandarin and the girl's face fell. She growled and snorted in disgust as she looked them over again. "You! Male! Fight me!" "What?" asked Ryoga as he blinked at her. "Not you! Him!" snapped the girl as she pointed at Ukyo. "Great," grumbled the girl as she stepped back. "Look hon, I'm not..." "Not turning down Amazon challenge," said Plum. Shampoo chuckled and said something in Mandarin to the girl. She blinked and dropped her pointing finger to her side. A huge blush crossed her face and she growled angrily. "Fine! This one then!" Usagi pulled Ryoga's arm a little tighter and frowned. "He's taken." "What?" said the boy as he looked at her. "Well, Akari right?" she whispered at him. "Oh," said the lost boy as his face flooded with relief. "Not good idea," commented Shampoo. "You're challenging her right," said Mousse. "What?" said Usagi as she blinked at him. "A counter challenge," replied the boy with a shrug. "You just made sure we can't help you." "You're supposed to be stopping this sort of thing!" cried the girl as she glared at them. "If kept mouth shut, would have," responded Shampoo with a shrug. Usagi turned to look at the large girl and frowned. "So? I have to fight her?" "No! She'll get the kiss of death!" cried Ryoga as he put himself in front of her. "Only if win," said Shampoo. "Doesn't have to beat pig boy to have as husband if win either." "You're screwed," said Plum as she looked up at the boy. "Kiss of death?" asked Usagi. The Amazon girl cracked her knuckles and chuckled as she glared at the skinny pink-haired girl. "Break." Shampoo held up her hand for a moment causing the girl to pause. She frowned and backed off for a moment. It was obvious Shampoo wasn't going to stop this. "Is promise to hunt to ends of earth and kill. If outsider defeat Amazon warrior, and not male, then must be given." "What? A death match?" cried Usagi in shock. "Not exactly," muttered Ryoga nervously. "I can take care of this," said Ukyo firmly. "I never liked the Amazon's much anyway. After I take care of Ranma, the Musk will be after me anyway." "No," said Ukyo as she steeled herself. "I know I can win, that's not the problem. I don't want to kill her though." "Weak girl not beat Lo Xian," replied Shampoo. "Don't bet on that," muttered Ryoga under his breath. "Stupid! Fight now! No waiting!" snapped Lo Xian irritably. Shampoo shrugged and stepped aside. "Wait!" cried Usagi. The Chinese girl jumped forward with her mace extended in a strike. Everyone quickly backed away as Usagi reacted without thinking. She was covered in a black substance that deflected the blow. It slowly slid across her body, changing colors as it moved. After a second, she was dressed in a familiar fuku with dozens of long ribbons floating in the air and holding the unfortunate Amazon in the air above her. "Stop it right now!" screamed Usagi angrily. Lo Xian was tossed aside and landed against one of the practice poles, snapping it in two. Usagi growled and faced her again, ready for another attack. "Still want to fight?" "Aiya!" cried Shampoo in shock. "What is this?" muttered Mousse dumbly. "Calm down!" cried Ryoga as he stepped between the pair. Lo Xian stood up and stared with her jaw hanging down. She took a step back, and then turned around in a full sprint away from the scene. "Why not just tell Shampoo you do that?" Ukyo and Plum both pat the girl on her back. "Good job." "Yes, you did very well!" agreed Plum. "What the hell is going on?" cried Carrot as he dropped out of the sky and folded his wings behind his back. "Oh, hi daddy," muttered Usagi sheepishly. "Stupid Amazon laws," muttered Ukyo irritably. "Is not stupid!" cried Shampoo. "What the hell?" muttered Yohiko as she walked up from her own landing just behind Carrot. "What the hell were you going to do with that?" snapped Carrot as he looked at Ryoga for a moment. "Huh?" "I felt that Shishi houkoudan across the village!" snorted the man irritably. "I'm sorry, I got scared," replied the boy sheepishly. "I thought you two were here to stop this sort of thing!" cried Yohiko as she glared at the Amazon teens. "It was a technicality, Usagi challenged her challenge. We couldn't do anything after that," said Mousse with a shrug. "It was an accident!" cried Usagi as she looked at her parent's glares. "That doesn't surprise me, I think their entire law system is written around trapping men," said Carrot with a small snort. He turned around and noticed that there were Amazons looking at them all over the place. Most of them were not looking very friendly. "Where the hell is Herb anyway?" snorted Yohiko as she ignored them. "Right here," said the Musk King. He was male again and scowled at them all. "It's getting late, we should get some sleep." He walked up with Cologne and sighed. "This is all that stands between the world and total destruction." Cologne was silent. She hadn't been expecting her guests to sprout wings and nearly kill one of her young warriors. She was expecting the girl would get smacked around a bit, and she'd have to intervene and debunk the marriage claims. This was much more than she had expected though. "What is this?" "Family secret," said Carrot as his wings melted into his back. "Ryoga?" she said as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Immediate family," corrected Carrot. "I see," said Cologne as she nodded. "It would be wise for you to spend the rest of the night indoors, and then be on your way tomorrow." "Yes, We've got to get to Mount Phoenix," agreed Yohiko with a small snort. "Come then," said Cologne as she motioned for them to follow. "Right," said Carrot as he nodded and walked after her. "Dope," grumbled Yohiko. +++++++++++++ TBC... Next Time: The Hot Springs Devil Strikes!