"Big sister, where are we heading?" Hikari asked.
"Ever hear of the Nerima Ward in Tokyo?" Mai replied.
Saya ran a hand through her hair, while dodging the safety glasses on the top of her head.
"There are rumors of crazily overpowered martial-artists in the area," Saya stated.
"They aren't exactly rumors, but they don't fall under Yokai Police jurisdiction," Mai replied with a shrug. "We can hold our own with most of them, but there are a few that might give us problems."
"Are you being arrogant?" Saya asked.
"Not really. Of course in our transformed state, we'd be more than a match for almost anything that Nerima has to offer would. I don't recall anyone getting stepped on or kicked away by a twenty meter tall robot or taking several direct hits from air-to-surface missiles in Nerima."
Saya winced and rubbed her stomach. "That did sting a bit."
Mai smirked a bit. "Hey, you wanted to be a Makendo and created your own device. You just have to put up with the problems we have to go through. At any rate, other than some old pervert named Happosai that gains strength from stealing female undergarments, we should be okay."
"What are we going to do about him?" Hikari asked.
"That's why Sabi is here," Mai stated.
"Mai? I've noticed that...," Saya began and trailed off.
"You have noticed that you are a bit stronger than you used to be. You don't get cut or bruised as easily as you used to. It is a side effect of being a Makendo. We won't get sick and there is a good chance that we will see our three-hundredth birthday. Of course that might be understating things, since we have no idea how the Makendo powers really affect our aging," Mai said.
"I'm at least with family, cousins," Saya said, and gave a tight smile. "Aunt Shouga really laid into you."
"Mom was right though. I've been trying to deny that part of me. I thinks that is more due to be annoyed with Doro," Mai said.
The trio of girls chattered for a while. Soon enough the chartered bus came to a stop near a house inside the Nerima district. The Tsuruginos left the bus and entered their temporary home. The girls quickly put their things away and looked out their front door.
"It is kind of crowded," Hikari stated.
"We're on the main island and in Tokyo," Mai replied, with a shrug. "We're used to living on the northern island. I hope you realize that we can't go swimming all that often. There are no beaches in Nerima."
An older girl walked up to their front door and knocked. Mai looked at her relatives and shrugged. She went to the door and opened it.
"Hello. I am Mai Tsurugino."
"Hello. I am Kasumi Tendo. I am welcoming you to the neighborhood."
"Do you live in that house in front of that dojo?" Mai asked
"Yes. I noticed that you also have a dojo in back of your house."
"That is for personal use and nothing more. The family dojo is on the northern island," Mai said.
"Are you a martial-artist?" Kasumi asked, with a bit of a forced smile.
"All three of us are. We're just here until our school gets repaired," Mai stated.
"Nothing else? No arranged marriages?"
The Tsurugino girls slowly shook their heads and looked at each other in confusion.
"No. My parents are dead and I know they didn't set anything up," Saya said.
"I don't have one, and I know that my sister Hikari doesn't," Mai said.
Hikari looked at the sky and shook her head. "Our parents don't believe in arranged marriages."
"I almost forgot. This is my sister Hikari Tsurugino and my cousin Saya Tsurugino," Mai said.
Kasumi smiled at the girls and nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you three."
After Kasumi left, Hikari looked at Mai.
"What was that all about?" Hikari asked.
"My best guess is that the Tendo family has some problems with arranged marriages. Maybe Kasumi is in love with someone and she's afraid that one of us might be in an arranged marriage with the one she loves," Mai explained. "We'll probably find out more at school tomorrow."
Back at the Tendo home, Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief as she thought about the three girls she just met.
"They don't seem to be here for Ranma, so Akane should be okay with them," Kasumi muttered.
Soon Nabiki, Akane, and Ranma returned from school. They were followed shortly by Soun and Genma
"What's with the new house and dojo?" Ranma asked.
"Three girls with the family name Tsurugino moved in until their school is fixed," Kasumi slowly said.
"Yo Pops, not another fiancé?" Ranma demanded.
"Tsurugino? I have never heard of the family at all," Genma said.
"Mai Tsurugino?" Nabiki asked.
Kasumi nodded.
"She is sixteen years old. She has trophies in karate, Aikido, kung fu, and kendo. Has a younger sister named Hikari who has also taken several martial arts trophies. They attend a school that has been recently stuck by meteor and are probably here until their school is repaired," Nabiki recited.
"Anything on their cousin Saya?" Kasumi asked.
"She has perfect scores on every test she has taken and could easily skips grades if she felt like it, but has not. Her parents died recently and moved in with her cousins and has several trophies in dart competitions."
"How did you find that out so quickly?" Akane asked.
"With all the martial-artists around here, I've been keeping tabs on some of the more famous ones elsewhere in Japan that might show up," Nabiki replied with a casual shrug. "The only other thing of note is that Mai or Saya have been reported on dating that actor/stuntman that calls himself Makenkah. No one is sure which one Makenkah likes."
"They are definitely not fiancées," Ranma said in relief. "They are just girls who will leave soon. Other than their skills, there is nothing special about them and Nothing I need to worry about."
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(Posted Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:31)
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