Nerima, the Tendō dōjō…
"Saw them, didn't you?"
"Couldn't ignore them," Saotome Ranma mused as he relaxed himself on the roof of the Tendō home, his eyes turned to the evening sky over Tōkyō. "Hiromi described them to me when we first met last week, but I found it a little hard to believe back then." He smirked. "Can't deny it now, I guess. Is it out on the news?"
"NHK's running the initial story right now," Tendō Akane said as she moved to shift herself to sit beside her fiancé. "You should see the look on Nabiki's face."
"Like she just swallowed some of your cooking and didn't realise it…HEY!"
He ducked the playful sweep of her hand, and then he relaxed as he turned his eyes back once more on the darkening sky. Akane gazed on him, and then she smiled before she relaxed herself. "Yeah, she looked like that," she admitted. "Soon as I mentioned that Hiromi-san was the one in charge of that fleet, Nabiki looked at me as if I had grown a second head." She then smirked. "She's still sitting in front of the TV with that look on her face. The one that tells EVERYONE she's planning something."
"Oh, boy. We better watch ourselves for the next while."
She nodded, a giggle escaping her. Both then fell silent as they gazed at the heavens, their minds replaying the image of three very large starships, pained all light blue with the United Nations' wreathed globe crest on them, flying the flags of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces, the United States Navy and the Canadian Forces Maritime Command on their mainmasts. How all three of them had lifted off buildings using what was clearly some type of tractor beam, and then ascended into space with them in tow. And while many people seeing this would wonder what was going on, Ranma and Akane both had a good idea of what might have prompted tonight's surprise appearance by JS Yamato, USS Arizona and HMCS Haida in the skies over Tôkyô.
Redet Lum.
A literal CHURCH that viewed the Oni as a living goddess figure.
Spying on everything that had happened in Tomobiki since right after the Tag Race.
Moroboshi Ataru.
In many ways, one of Ranma's only true friends.
Declared the "great evil" by the Church of Lum all because he adamantly chose to live his own life by his own rules, thus painting a huge target on the man's head.
Moroboshi Hiromi.
The reborn Xiàolíng Emperor of Hàn, given life and purpose by having her soul be part of a rather interesting conglomeration of souls that had inhabited Ataru's mind.
A woman now determined to protect Earth from ALL potential alien threats.
Including threats those who monitored events in Tomobiki could NEVER imagine.
And now had the means to enforce her desires.
"So what were in those buildings?" Akane asked.
"Dunno," Ranma breathed out. "But if what Hiromi told me about this Church of Lum is anything near the truth, I wouldn't have put it past these creeps to have set something up to make sure they can continue to spy on everyone's diaries in Tomobiki so they can continue to make new chapters for their 'holy book.'"
"It was a cobalt bomb."
The couple tensed on hearing that toneless voice, and then they turned to gaze up on the woman now dressed in a black gi, standing at the apex of the roof nearby. Quickly noting the similarities between this woman and Moroboshi Hiromi, Ranma concentrated his ki senses on her. That told him plenty. "You're Negako, right?"
A nod. "Hai. Hiromi informed me of what you have learned now concerning your current status vis-à-vis your family and those who desire your hand in marriage, Ranma." Those dark eyes then fixed on Akane. "I also can sense you've made your decision concerning your future with Ranma, Akane. I assume both of you would desire a chance to gain much better control over your lives than you possess at this time?"
Both martial artists nodded. "It would be appreciated, Sensei," Akane replied.
A sigh. "Akane."
Akane tensed. "Hai?"
"Do not call me 'sensei,'" Negako advised. "Prepare clothes and a field kit for a week's journey. Inform all who ask you're on a training trip." A light smile then crossed her face. "Given how Genma and Sōun constantly pressure you to be married so they could live off your hard work in 'retirement,' I doubt they would object."
"Nabiki will have to be made to leave it alone," Ranma warned.
Negako didn't react to that. "So be it, then."
"Oh, my! I didn't realise you had a guest here this evening, Akane-chan!" Kasumi said as Akane, Ranma and Negako walked into the living room. "I'll make some tea…"
"Do not bother, Kasumi. We will be leaving soon," Negako said.
Caught off-guard by the abrupt nature of the grandmaster of Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū, the elder Tendō daughter blinked, her jaw open as she tried to interpret what was happening. By then, Akane and Ranma had gone to their separate rooms to prepare for their training trip. As Genma and Sōun watched this scene, both surprised at the sight of this strange woman, Nabiki looked over from the television, which was running a special broadcast from NHK concerning what just happened over Tomobiki. She was quick to sense something familiar about the newcomer. Instantly, she was on her feet and peering intently into Negako's impassive face. "You related to Moroboshi Ataru, aren't you?!"
"My last host and now my adopted younger brother," Negako calmly answered.
"WHAT?!"
Nabiki and Kasumi both balked as a Demon Head instantly formed, looming dangerously over Negako. "YOU HOMEWRECKER! HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY HOUSE AND TRY TO DESTROY THE HONOURABLE AGREEMENT BETWEEN SAOTOME-KUN AND I?! YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE IN THE UNION OF THE SCHOOLS! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU WILL…!"
A finger then jabbed Sōun — right THROUGH the ki screen of his Demon Head — between two of his left side ribs. The patriarch of the Tendô family jolted as the Demon Head instantly vanished, and then he croaked out as a tsunami of pure pain flooded his body from head to toe. As Sōun collapsed to his knees as he curled in on himself, a moan escaping him, a whistle then echoed from nearby. "Damn! I haven't seen the Heart-Blast Touch used for quite some time! How are you, Negako-chan?!"
"Free at last," she said as Happōsai walked into the living room. She then peered intently at the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū for a moment before she sighed. "Remain still for a moment, Happy," she said as she walked over to him.
As she began to gently press pressure points over the aged grandmaster's body, Genma instantly got to his feet as he moved into the opening stance of the Umisen-ken. He had been quick to see what this strange woman had done to his best friend. And given that his own master knew this woman — and this woman WAS related to that damned boy whose other adopted sister had put in some blasted ideas in his…!
WHOMP!
"Sorry, Oji-san, but I'm afraid you can't interfere this time," Akane said after she had decked Ranma's father with her ki mallet. She was now dressed in normal clothes in lieu of her school uniform, a backpack at her feet.
Genma moaned as he passed out. By then, Negako was finished. "That should alleviate some of the more problematic symptoms," she said as she stood up while Happōsai shook his head. "A deeper examination will have to be done, but I would suggest you rest for the time being, Happy." She then looked to the stairwell. "Are you ready, Ranma?"
"Coming!" Ranma called back from his guest room.
"Where are you going?!" Nabiki instantly asked.
"None of your business, Nabiki," Akane immediately said as she moved to leave, and then she stopped on seeing Sōun struggling to remain conscious. "Um, Negako-san…?"
"Be assured, his heart will not explode and kill him," Negako calmly announced.
Kasumi gasped as Nabiki instantly blanched at that dire statement. Sōun then cried out as the pain overwhelmed him, and then he collapsed to the floor as he passed out. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about listening to his crap for a while," Ranma said as he came up to join his fiancé, his backpack on his back. And, much to the surprise of the elder Tendō sisters, he had the Saotome honour sword in hand.
Akane was quick to notice. "Was she any problem?"
"Nah! Quick pressure point put her out like a light," Ranma said before he stared at Kasumi for a moment, and then he bowed. "I doubt I will be coming back here anytime soon, if at all, Tendō-hime. Thank you very much for your kind hospitality and I apologise for all the disruptions my presence here has brought to this household."
Silence.
"HEY! What the HELL…?!" Nabiki began…
…and then she gasped as a finger landed on the right pressure point between HER ribs. As the middle daughter began to sputter as her heart began to thunder in her chest, Kasumi was instantly at her side. "Nabiki!" she cried out before she stared wide-eyed at Ranma and her younger sister. "I don't understand! Why…?!"
"I'll explain it to you, Kasumi-chan," Happōsai then said in a calm voice that made the older Tendō daughter stare in shock at him. "You two kids get going."
Ranma and Akane smiled before they deeply bowed to him. "Arigatō, Sensei!"
Happōsai nodded in return. As the couple and Negako left, the aged grandmaster then reached over with the end of his pipe to tap the counter-point to what Negako had used on Nabiki. As the middle daughter cried out in relief as the pain in her chest subsided, Kasumi then turned to him. "Why, Ojii-san…?"
A sigh. "There are things you two need to know," he flatly announced. "And now is NOT the time for the usual shenanigans if Nabiki-chan here passes on the word on what's now happening to all the usual suspects!" His eyes then narrowed dangerously. "If you value the true honour of your family, Kasumi-chan, you will listen to what I say."
Kasumi blinked, and then she slowly nodded…
In Tomobiki…
"So you're saying that the large building Yamato just pulled out of the centre of town contained a cobalt bomb?! And it was planted there to ensure that there could be no interference by anyone who wanted to stop this 'Lum Church' from SPYING on everyone here because they view this place as a 'holy city?!'"
"That is quite correct," Hiromi answered the CNN reporter. An impromptu news conference was now being held in the main gymnasium of Tomobiki High School. A model of the Yamato had been produced by Kōgetsuei so that the photographers could get good pictures of it so it could be distributed to all the world's news media.
"Miss Redet, why is it this 'Church of Lum' views you as a living goddess figure?" a BBC reporter then asked as cameras swung towards the Oni.
A sigh. "I really wish I could answer that question for you, sir," Lum said as she stood up. "All I can say is this: When a trade delegation from Phentax Two came to Uru to discuss trade talks about twelve years ago, the son of one of the delegates ventured into a large primal wetland west of Onishuto. We call it 'the Terrible Swamps.' There, he got lost and might have been eaten by one of the predators hadn't I found him and saved his life. That man was Ōgi, the current president of Phentax Two. This 'church' that he created was, in a way, his saying 'thanks' to me." She closed her eyes. "And these days, I will admit that I hate the man so much that I now earnestly wish that I had left him there in the Swamps TO be eaten!"
Instantly, Ataru was on his feet and comforting her. Seeing that, all the reporters and photographers gushed with delight cameras went off to capture what would be a Page One photograph on many morning newspapers. "Moroboshi-ssi, given what you and your sister have stated about what happened last week, your actions against Redet-ssi's double were, in effect, a 'divorce' amongst her kind?" a KBS reporter from Sŏul asked.
"Hai," Ataru replied with a nod, grateful that Kōgetsuei and Jun'iku Bunjaku had set up a universal translator field in the gymnasium so everyone could understand what was being asked and how it was to be answered. "My 'marriage' to Hensō — that's the name of Lum's replica — was illegal under Urusian law and tradition since I tagged her horns to win a Tag Race, which is the ONLY time that sort of action is not seen as a marriage proposal. That, atop the fact that Hensō had been allowed to literally take Lum's life away from her five years ago, destroyed what love and respect I did have for her when I finally learned the truth on Okusei five months ago."
"But Onii-san couldn't properly act on that until such time as Tsukihana-san and Ayami-san had come along with what they created in Earth's defence," Hiromi added.
"What of the people that created that spacedock you used to build Arizona and her sisterships?" an American NBC reporter asked. "Won't they be mad by your using their technology to create those ships in the first place?"
"That race has been extinct for ten thousand years, sir," Bunjaku replied. "And while we don't know what their successor race might feel about it, both Tsukihana-kun and I believe that by our returning the spacedock and the fleet that was with it back to the planet Sagussa, we would signal good intentions to them."
"If they do make contact with us sometime in the near future, we'll do all we can to foster those feelings," Hiromi added. "Next question?"
"Mademoiselle Moroboshi, referring back to the original briefing concerning the Galactic Federation and their current cold war stance with the Ipraedies Empire, what exactly would you propose Earth do in this case?" a reporter from France's TF1 asked.
"I personally can't and won't say anything that could potentially influence the decision of the leaders of the United Nations and the nations of this world, sir," Hiromi answered. "But I will say this: It was one part of Ipraedies society that kidnapped Tsukihana-san and Ayami-san — along with an estimated five hundred other people over the last decade or so, including my family's former back-door neighbour and a former classmate of our school nurse, Ryōki Kōsei-san — four years ago. It was other parts of Ipraedies society that helped them escape so they could make their way to Den'sha Two and find the abandoned Sagussan fleet there."
"The Ipraedies are, despite what the leaders of the Federation might say, a very pluralistic society despite their government being an absolute monarchy," Oyuki added. "Discourse between the two main social groups on Ipraedos is encouraged and allowed as long as it doesn't lead to open rebellion against the government. That, I believe, should be encouraged by the leaders of Earth." She then blushed. "But I am only a humble visitor to this world, so I won't say anything further."
Laughter filled the room. "What would be the difference between the Ipraedies and the Niphentaxians then, Herr Moroboshi?" a reporter from Germany's ARD wondered.
"The Niphentaxians wouldn't tolerate ANY sort of dissention from the established 'party line,'" Ataru answered. "For instance, there are those on Phentax Two and her colonies who look on me, even now, as the 'Goddess' Beloved Darling' instead of the 'Great Evil.' From what I've learned, if the Church authorities caught them, they would be sent immediately to correction camps where they would be starved to death to make them repent their heresy. I can guess that whoever my 'fans' are out there have to keep totally silent about what they believe if they don't want to be killed."
Hiromi then waved to the model of Yamato. "We mentioned the Avalonians as well. There is a man named Ganzo dai-Louc, who has, for his whole life, fought to see them emancipated and allowed to live their own lives as free beings. He's now living in exile in Noukiite space with a death sentence on his head because in the eyes of the Church and most governmental authorities, he's no different than what John Brown was seen as in the southern American states before the Civil War."
"And look what Ōgi did to innocent, suffering people in the Vosian capital city of Lecashuto five years ago," Ran added. "In the midst of a terrible civil war that's ripping the Confederation apart, that creep dropped a bio-bomb all in some vain hope of killing the Mikado, the current dictator that's in charge there!"
"Never came close to getting him at all," Benten added, and then she scowled. "Bet he still laughs over all the folks he DID get with that germ bomb of his!"
The reporters quickly jotted their notes down. At that moment, one of the doors into the gymnasium then opened, revealing a smartly-dressed officer in the uniform of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces, captain's stripes on his shoulder boards. "Excuse me," he then called out as people gazed on him.
"Hai, Captain. What is it?" Hiromi asked.
A smart salute. "My deepest apologies for interrupting this briefing of yours, Moroboshi-dono," he said before he turned to the reporters. "The Minister of Defence has ordered me to deliver this statement concerning this evening's events concerning the Japanese Starship Yamato, Her Majesty's Canadian Starship Haida and the United States Starship Arizona," he declared. "An official briefing concerning this evening's events will be made at the Ministry of Defence tomorrow at one o'clock in the afternoon by the Minister himself, along with the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff and the Chief of Maritime Staff. All media are invited to attend. The government, however, requests that any further attempts to interview Moroboshi-dono, her brother or any of their companions be curtailed." A chuckle. "After all, despite their many great deeds over the last year, they are still high school students. His Majesty and the Prime Minister both expressed their grave concern that these people's need to press on with their education — as they are under a year from the Centre Test — be NOT interrupted as best as possible."
Laughter then filled the room…
Later…
"So you would be willing to host a Tournament at Tomobiki?"
"I'll ask the Principal about that," Hiromi promised. "I suspect the answer will be a clear 'yes,' even if Onsen-sensei warns us not to make it too messy."
The tōshi with their reborn emperor then laughed. "Hey, Shigi! You think you can convince Ukitsu to get Gogun in on this?!" Gakushū then asked.
Taishiji Shigi nodded. "I can talk her into it."
"Alright!" Sonsaku Hakufu then whooped. "It's going to be awesome!"
Hearing the shout of innocent joy from the Nan'yō freshman, the other fighters all blinked, and then they laughed. Everyone was now gathered at the front gate of Tomobiki High School, ready to go their separate ways for the evening. At that moment, a voice then called out, "So you're finally getting together with all your friends, eh, Hiromi?!"
"Good evening to you, Ranma-san, Onē-sama," Hiromi said as she glanced over her shoulder at the approaching people, and then she blinked. "Ara! Akane-san! So you decided to finally listen to your heart in the end?!"
Akane smiled as many of the tōshi were gazing in awe at her fiancé. "Hai, Hiromi-san, I did," she said as she moved to hug Ranma's arm, which made many of the female tōshi present all swoon with envy on seeing how close his fiancée was to him.
"About time," Ataru said as he held up a fist for Ranma to tap with his own. "No problems from the home front in coming here?"
"Negako here helped Jijii start his recovery from what your ancestors pulled on him a century ago," Ranma reported. "He'll brief Nabiki and Kasumi on everything."
"Yo, Ranma! Is everything cool?" Shigi asked.
A sigh. Ranma had met the top fighter of Yōshū two months ago, when a mallet strike from Akane had sent her fiancé into the middle of a brawl between members of Shigi's faction and a rival faction controlled by the current head of the school, Ryūyō. When those who were trying to put Shigi's people down believed that Ranma was actually on Shigi's side, they attacked him en masse. Some were STILL recovering from the beating Ranma had given them as a result. "It's getting there, Itsuku." He held up his family's honour blade in emphasis. "We're getting there."
"Cool! We'll spar sometime!"
"You bet!"
With that, Shigi headed off. As people began to part for the evening, we…
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:07)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.