"Growf!" [Master! That bird destroyed your panty collection!]
Happosai didn't even spare a glance towards his pupil, focussing instead on lugging the large sacks of ill-gotten booty to where he could properly inventory it.
Genma began limping away as fast as he could as the mynah bird continued to approach.
Ranma dropped as he finished dismembering the thing. Even if he had no experience with undead prior to this, he knew that killing something already dead probably was a major undertaking. Even after the fire in its eyes had gone out and it had stopped moving, he hadn't stopped until he was darn sure that it wasn't going to gather itself back together again for another go at it.
On the one hand, there had been a part of him that had enjoyed all this. There had been a dangerous thrill absent from much of his recent fights. On the other hand, that last big boom had NOT been enjoyable. Not on any level.
Pillars nearby had been blackened, in fact - a large number of things had been pretty badly singed. Ranma included himself in this category.
The Guide and the two gals close to the floor had pretty much gotten through it unscathed though. A little burned around the edges but that was it. The big monster that Unri had been fighting had fallen over her, and so she wasn't even that badly burned.
Ranma watched as the Guide and Unri gathered things together from the enemies. Looting the bodies was apparently acceptable behavior here. It would have been unthinkable in ancient Japan, work for one of the eta, but here and now it was normal.
"That was pretty nasty," said Jupiter. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine, you two?" Ranma assured her, though he didn't feel okay.
"Fine, our Senshi transformation helped. It seems to be better defense against magical attacks than purely physical ones." Jupiter said, eyeing him.
The Guide finished what she was doing and beckoned them forward again.
"They're gone!" proclaimed Rei to the phone.
"What do you mean they're gone, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked.
"Minako, Makoto, Ami - they're in some dark cavern somewhere fighting an ancient evil!"
Usagi pouted. "And they didn't invite us?"
"I was meditating before the sacred fire, and I got an image of them!" said Rei.
"Okay," said Usagi agreeably. "So what should we do about it?"
"I..." Rei stopped, shut her mouth, considered, frowned. "I don't know. They were with that martial artist guy and those two dark elves."
"Hmmm," said Usagi. "Well, I guess we could go visit that guy's house again and see if they left a message."
Rei blinked. "Good idea, meatball head."
"Well, thanks, I - HEY!"
"CURSE YOU, RANMA! BECAUSE OF YOU I... oh to hell with it." Ryoga sighed.
It just hadn't been the same since that light from that girl with the long ponytails. He'd become more mellow somehow.
Now he had left a bunch of helpless girls at the Nekohanten! Well, that wasn't so bad. He could have left them someplace a lot worse.
Ryoga just sat back and tried to figure things out.
"Say, didja hear? Gosunkugi slipped Akane some kinda magic potion and then he took her off and married her!"
"Yeah. I heard her screaming something about that in front of City Hall. Didn't sound none too happy."
"Well, it figures that Gosunkugi wouldn't be able to perform. That's probably it."
Ryoga looked over at the two who had interrupted his contemplation. "Excuse me. You're Hiroshi and Daisuke, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Oh hey, you're that Hibiki kid," said Hiroshi. "What's your take on it? The wedding of Akane and Gosunkugi?"
Ryoga considered the koi rod, red string of fate, and other things he'd heard of. Believability check passed. "I think Gosunkugi is going to get hurt."
"Yeah, wait till Kuno hears about it," chuckled Daisuke.
"HE DID WHAT?!"
"Married Akane Tendo," said Sasuke, ducking and covering.
Tatewaki Kuno was trying to make sense of this. How could Hikaru Gosunkugi have married Akane Tendo?
How could the pure and tidy Akane now be Mrs Gosunkugi?
How could the Foul Sorcerer have lost his hold on Akane only to have it taken up by Hikaru Gosunkugi?
There was clearly only one answer (at least to Kuno's labyrithine thought processes) - Gosunkugi had somehow gathered more power at the Dark Arts than the Foul Sorcerer had!
"I see," said Kuno. Yes, the lowly Gosunkugi had at last revealed his hand and the full power of his Dark Arts had been likewise shown. No doubt he would seek to add the pigtailed girl as a concubine or mistress! He could see it now.
"You do, Master Kuno?" asked Sasuke.
"I shall have to strike fast before he doth ensnare the pigtailed one as well," mused Kuno. "Ah, poor Akane, to suffer so - yet divorce is not easily done within the straits of Japanese society. Unless, of course..."
"Unless?" prompted Sasuke.
"Unless she be a widow," said Kuno with a mad gleam in his eye. Even more than usual.
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(Posted Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:36)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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