Spoiled Brats - Chapter 20
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:39 amSpoiled Brats
Chapter Twenty – A Sharp Turn
Ranma faded into her apartment after a grueling two days in the wilderness. It wasn’t the two days in the wilderness that was the grueling part. It was spending two days in the wilderness with Tsukino Usagi. It wasn’t that the girl complained about the cold, or the hiking, or the physical challenges. It was just that she had a certain way about her that you had a hard time saying “no” to the girl. So when the girl suggested a “pajama” party, Ranma somehow found herself teleporting into town to snacks. And when she suggested they do something with Ranma’s hair…
Ranma’s musings were cut short when an enthusiastic brunette bundle of energy tackled her, accompanied by a searing kiss. Minako smiled at her and said, “Has anyone told you you’re a great sister?”
Ranma blinked at the girl, puzzled. Seeing a certain white stuffed toy cat, the woman asked, “Artemis, what’s she talking about?”
“Well, Ranma, Takeda Megumi, Takeda Kappei, and Minako are pretty much on the cover of every celebrity gossip magazine, entertainment magazine, and idol magazine. Most of them seem convinced that Megumi is preparing Minako to marry Kappei when she turns sixteen. Some of them think that she’s training Minako as a devil hunter, though.”
“Tell him the best part, Artemis!”
“Oh. They’re also convinced that Megumi and Li Nyugen are an item.”
Minako grinned impishly. “Should I be jealous?”
Ranma got out from under Minako, and helped the girl up. “How did they come to that conclusion?”
“Apparently they interpreted Kappei’s ‘moving out’ as a desire to remove temptation from your relationship. If Megumi and Minako were in a relationship, he would’ve ‘stayed.’ Any public signs of affection between Megumi and Minako are because you’re practicing for when Minako is older. Oh, and they figured that your familiarity with Li-san meant you were secretly dating.”
Ranma shook her head as she headed for the kitchen for hot water. “Man, I’d like to see Mousse’s face right now. He’s probably freaking over the idea that we’re an item.”
- + - + -
Mousse fled an alley in one of worst parts of Hong Kong, shadowy figures pursuing him on either side, a sword clenched in his fist. He slashed horizontally when one of the figures dropped in front of him. The shape evaded the blow, but in doing so it created an opening through which he could flee.
Eventually, though the shadowy forces arrayed against him managed to run him to ground. “So, human. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Surrender the Gekkaja to us, and you will live. Do not lie to us, for we know you have it.”
Mousse grimaced as familiar, though now unwelcome, thought came to him. ‘Ranma… this is all your fault.’
- + - + -
Minako cuddled on the sofa with a now male Ranma, a steaming cup of tea in her hand. “So, how did the training trip go?”
Ranma took a sip of tea. “Better than I expected. There was a bit of tension at first between Makoto and Rei, so naturally I paired the two of them off against Usagi and Ami. They also have surprisingly thorough instincts when it comes to martial arts. They simply need to train their bodies to make use of them. I gave them a set of kata to practice at home. I also suggested that they get in the habit of making nightly patrols.” Ranma took another sip as he looked at the brunette. “Speaking of which, any activity on the Dark Kingdom front?”
Minako gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence. “How would I possibly know?” She held it for about three seconds. “Alright, I went out on patrol. I didn’t think I’d have another spell, and I was the only one here. I didn’t want the Dark Kingdom to take advantage of everyone else being absent.”
“So?”
“Not a peep, just like last week. Have you heard anything from Zoisite?”
“No… and I’m starting to get worried. I have the awful feeling that something terrible has happened.”
- + - + -
Zoisite, chained against the wall of the tiny cell, looked up as the door opened up. It took a while for the man to recognize the silhouette of Beryl. “Why do you resist me, Zoisite? Why do you resist your queen?”
“I serve only one Master, and that is Endymion.”
“Tell me what I want to know, Zoisite, and all will be forgiven. Don’t you love me?”
“A delusional peasant woman would rather destroy everything unless she gets her way? Hardly.”
She didn’t raise a finger. She didn’t have to, in order to release the might of Metaria against her prisoner. “Why did you betray me? How did she know where we were? Tell me!”
“You cannot betray one you do not serve. Kunzite has returned to Endymion’s service. She has made an alliance with Serenity. But she still hates you with a passion.” Zoisite laughed mockingly. “And she knows exactly where you are, my dear… queen… Beryl.”
Zoisite’s mocking laughter followed Beryl from the cell. “Jadeite! Nephrite! Attend me!”
The two men hurried to her side. They remained silent as she strode furiously to her throne room, before the slumbering Metaria. “You two still love me, do you not?”
“Of course, Queen Beryl-sama. I am always your loyal servant,” Jadeite hurriedly reassured his queen.
“You have but to speak, and we shall obey, my lady,” Nephrite added, with a glare at the blonde haired young man.
“Then if you love me, get me the energy I need. As much as you can, as fast as you can. They will all pay for this affront!”
- + - + -
Minako sighed. “If you don’t hear from Zoisite soon, what will you do?”
“Minako, he’s my responsibility. Furthermore, if something’s happened to him, it’s because I put him in danger. If he hasn’t contacted me in a few days, then I’ll go there in person to make sure he’s alright.”
“I should come too. It was my idea, after all.”
Ranma shook his head. “I’m going to have to do this quietly, like the proverbial ghost. I will need you standing by nearby, though,” he added as Minako’s expression began to darken. “I’m not stupid enough to take on the entire Dark Kingdom single handedly, Minako.”
“Good. When will we go?”
“Wednesday. Too soon, and they’ll still be on high alert. Too late, and we won’t be able to help at all. I’m afraid you’ll have to miss a few days of school.”
- + - + -
Ranma’s sense of unease increased when she couldn’t book a flight into Asahikawa airport. So she booked a flight into Sapporo instead. When she got to Sapporo, she found she couldn’t book a private plane to fly them farther north: the Japanese Self-Defense Force had declared central Hokkaido a “no fly zone.” Renting a car got them no closer to their goal. All roads leading to Asahikawa were closed, with the military, the American military, making sure they stayed that way.
In the seat beside Ranma, Minako looked nervously at her sempai. “Now what do we do?”
“I think we should…” Ranma trailed off as one of her cell phones went off. She removed Megumi’s public phone, looked at the unfamiliar number, and answered. “Hello? This is Takeda Megumi… yes… as a matter of fact, I’m close by.” She glanced at Minako as she gave told the Colonel on the phone their location. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Closing the cell phone, Ranma turned to Minako and said, “Decision time. Something has happened in Asahikawa, and they want Megumi there. It’s not hard to figure out what or why. If you go with, you’re pretty much going to confirm the suspicion that you’re an apprentice devil hunter.”
Minako nodded. “It’s alright. I am kind of one, aren’t I?”
“Good girl. Let’s get going.” Ranma altered her appearance into Megumi’s, turned the car around, and headed for the nearest checkpoint.
- + - + -
Second Lieutenant Sarah Oleson watched as a familiar car approached her checkpoint. ‘That must’ve been Ms. Takeda’s car the first time.’ The young woman’s unease about the whole situation increased dramatically. She had heard rumors at OTC about magi-ops, and all of them had a distressing tendency to end with most of the normals dying in various messy ways.
The car stopped, and two people went out. Even without the forwarded picture, Sarah would’ve recognized Ms. Takeda. She was a fan of her Mamono Hunter Yohko movies, and it was unnerving that a star like that was a real one. ‘I wonder if the movies and anime are fictionalized accounts of Ms. Takeda’s actual exploits. It would make a wonderful cover for her activities.’ She looked at the young teen that accompanied the woman. ‘So that was why they included Aino Minako’s picture. Amazing. Well, if I want to keep the language to Japanese, I better speak first.’ After Ms. Takeda retrieved a long case, the woman and her companion began walking towards them. As she approached, Lt. Oleson snapped to attention, her squad following her lead, and said in perfect Japanese, “Takeda-san? I am Lt. Oleson Sarah. Thank you for coming.” She turned her salute to the younger girl. “Aino-san.” She held her composure as the civilians glanced at each other, before returning her salute.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Lieutenant,” Ms. Takeda said, “But I thought soldiers weren’t supposed to salute civilians.”
“You would normally be correct, ma’am, but the U.S. military has found it very useful to assign people like yourselves temporary ranks. It really helps cut down on any possible confusion having you in the chain of command. Which is why you’ve been assigned the temporary rank of major,” she said, handing Ms. Takeda a box containing a pair of gold oak leaves. “While Aino-san has been assigned the rank of first lieutenant.” She handed the girl a pair of silver bars. “Pin them on the collars of your jackets. Colonel Sanada of the JSDF will brief you at the field H.Q.”
- + - + -
“At 0100 hours on yesterday, something attacked this town. The next morning, nearly ten thousand people were discovered in their beds, in unexplained comas. The Ministry of Health contacted the JSDF, and we immediately moved to quarantine this town. There wasn’t another attack last night. Takeda-san, by your presence here, I assume you know more than we do.”
Ranma nodded. “You’re familiar with the attacks in Tokyo?”
“Yes, but they’ve always been isolated incidents. Nothing of this scale.”
“I managed to track them down to the mountains not too far from here. We were on our way so that I could do a little reconnaissance, when we ran into your roadblocks.” Ranma stared hard at the mountain that hid the Dark Kingdom. She didn’t sense anything. “I think they’ve fled. Colonel, can we get if a lift up the mountain? And some clothing more appropriate for hiking. We left the rest of our luggage in our car.”
- + - + -
Minako, dressed in slightly oversized camouflaged fatigues, squeezed her way past a narrow part of the cave. “Was it always this tight?”
Ranma’s fatigues fit a bit better than the teen’s. “No. The chambers were huge, and the passages wide. Beryl must’ve been using quite a bit of power to make this cave habitable.” Ranma knelt, feeling the echoes of Metaria’s presence. “Well… it’s official. They’re gone, all of them. And they’ve taken Metaria with them.”
Chapter Twenty – A Sharp Turn
Ranma faded into her apartment after a grueling two days in the wilderness. It wasn’t the two days in the wilderness that was the grueling part. It was spending two days in the wilderness with Tsukino Usagi. It wasn’t that the girl complained about the cold, or the hiking, or the physical challenges. It was just that she had a certain way about her that you had a hard time saying “no” to the girl. So when the girl suggested a “pajama” party, Ranma somehow found herself teleporting into town to snacks. And when she suggested they do something with Ranma’s hair…
Ranma’s musings were cut short when an enthusiastic brunette bundle of energy tackled her, accompanied by a searing kiss. Minako smiled at her and said, “Has anyone told you you’re a great sister?”
Ranma blinked at the girl, puzzled. Seeing a certain white stuffed toy cat, the woman asked, “Artemis, what’s she talking about?”
“Well, Ranma, Takeda Megumi, Takeda Kappei, and Minako are pretty much on the cover of every celebrity gossip magazine, entertainment magazine, and idol magazine. Most of them seem convinced that Megumi is preparing Minako to marry Kappei when she turns sixteen. Some of them think that she’s training Minako as a devil hunter, though.”
“Tell him the best part, Artemis!”
“Oh. They’re also convinced that Megumi and Li Nyugen are an item.”
Minako grinned impishly. “Should I be jealous?”
Ranma got out from under Minako, and helped the girl up. “How did they come to that conclusion?”
“Apparently they interpreted Kappei’s ‘moving out’ as a desire to remove temptation from your relationship. If Megumi and Minako were in a relationship, he would’ve ‘stayed.’ Any public signs of affection between Megumi and Minako are because you’re practicing for when Minako is older. Oh, and they figured that your familiarity with Li-san meant you were secretly dating.”
Ranma shook her head as she headed for the kitchen for hot water. “Man, I’d like to see Mousse’s face right now. He’s probably freaking over the idea that we’re an item.”
- + - + -
Mousse fled an alley in one of worst parts of Hong Kong, shadowy figures pursuing him on either side, a sword clenched in his fist. He slashed horizontally when one of the figures dropped in front of him. The shape evaded the blow, but in doing so it created an opening through which he could flee.
Eventually, though the shadowy forces arrayed against him managed to run him to ground. “So, human. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Surrender the Gekkaja to us, and you will live. Do not lie to us, for we know you have it.”
Mousse grimaced as familiar, though now unwelcome, thought came to him. ‘Ranma… this is all your fault.’
- + - + -
Minako cuddled on the sofa with a now male Ranma, a steaming cup of tea in her hand. “So, how did the training trip go?”
Ranma took a sip of tea. “Better than I expected. There was a bit of tension at first between Makoto and Rei, so naturally I paired the two of them off against Usagi and Ami. They also have surprisingly thorough instincts when it comes to martial arts. They simply need to train their bodies to make use of them. I gave them a set of kata to practice at home. I also suggested that they get in the habit of making nightly patrols.” Ranma took another sip as he looked at the brunette. “Speaking of which, any activity on the Dark Kingdom front?”
Minako gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence. “How would I possibly know?” She held it for about three seconds. “Alright, I went out on patrol. I didn’t think I’d have another spell, and I was the only one here. I didn’t want the Dark Kingdom to take advantage of everyone else being absent.”
“So?”
“Not a peep, just like last week. Have you heard anything from Zoisite?”
“No… and I’m starting to get worried. I have the awful feeling that something terrible has happened.”
- + - + -
Zoisite, chained against the wall of the tiny cell, looked up as the door opened up. It took a while for the man to recognize the silhouette of Beryl. “Why do you resist me, Zoisite? Why do you resist your queen?”
“I serve only one Master, and that is Endymion.”
“Tell me what I want to know, Zoisite, and all will be forgiven. Don’t you love me?”
“A delusional peasant woman would rather destroy everything unless she gets her way? Hardly.”
She didn’t raise a finger. She didn’t have to, in order to release the might of Metaria against her prisoner. “Why did you betray me? How did she know where we were? Tell me!”
“You cannot betray one you do not serve. Kunzite has returned to Endymion’s service. She has made an alliance with Serenity. But she still hates you with a passion.” Zoisite laughed mockingly. “And she knows exactly where you are, my dear… queen… Beryl.”
Zoisite’s mocking laughter followed Beryl from the cell. “Jadeite! Nephrite! Attend me!”
The two men hurried to her side. They remained silent as she strode furiously to her throne room, before the slumbering Metaria. “You two still love me, do you not?”
“Of course, Queen Beryl-sama. I am always your loyal servant,” Jadeite hurriedly reassured his queen.
“You have but to speak, and we shall obey, my lady,” Nephrite added, with a glare at the blonde haired young man.
“Then if you love me, get me the energy I need. As much as you can, as fast as you can. They will all pay for this affront!”
- + - + -
Minako sighed. “If you don’t hear from Zoisite soon, what will you do?”
“Minako, he’s my responsibility. Furthermore, if something’s happened to him, it’s because I put him in danger. If he hasn’t contacted me in a few days, then I’ll go there in person to make sure he’s alright.”
“I should come too. It was my idea, after all.”
Ranma shook his head. “I’m going to have to do this quietly, like the proverbial ghost. I will need you standing by nearby, though,” he added as Minako’s expression began to darken. “I’m not stupid enough to take on the entire Dark Kingdom single handedly, Minako.”
“Good. When will we go?”
“Wednesday. Too soon, and they’ll still be on high alert. Too late, and we won’t be able to help at all. I’m afraid you’ll have to miss a few days of school.”
- + - + -
Ranma’s sense of unease increased when she couldn’t book a flight into Asahikawa airport. So she booked a flight into Sapporo instead. When she got to Sapporo, she found she couldn’t book a private plane to fly them farther north: the Japanese Self-Defense Force had declared central Hokkaido a “no fly zone.” Renting a car got them no closer to their goal. All roads leading to Asahikawa were closed, with the military, the American military, making sure they stayed that way.
In the seat beside Ranma, Minako looked nervously at her sempai. “Now what do we do?”
“I think we should…” Ranma trailed off as one of her cell phones went off. She removed Megumi’s public phone, looked at the unfamiliar number, and answered. “Hello? This is Takeda Megumi… yes… as a matter of fact, I’m close by.” She glanced at Minako as she gave told the Colonel on the phone their location. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Closing the cell phone, Ranma turned to Minako and said, “Decision time. Something has happened in Asahikawa, and they want Megumi there. It’s not hard to figure out what or why. If you go with, you’re pretty much going to confirm the suspicion that you’re an apprentice devil hunter.”
Minako nodded. “It’s alright. I am kind of one, aren’t I?”
“Good girl. Let’s get going.” Ranma altered her appearance into Megumi’s, turned the car around, and headed for the nearest checkpoint.
- + - + -
Second Lieutenant Sarah Oleson watched as a familiar car approached her checkpoint. ‘That must’ve been Ms. Takeda’s car the first time.’ The young woman’s unease about the whole situation increased dramatically. She had heard rumors at OTC about magi-ops, and all of them had a distressing tendency to end with most of the normals dying in various messy ways.
The car stopped, and two people went out. Even without the forwarded picture, Sarah would’ve recognized Ms. Takeda. She was a fan of her Mamono Hunter Yohko movies, and it was unnerving that a star like that was a real one. ‘I wonder if the movies and anime are fictionalized accounts of Ms. Takeda’s actual exploits. It would make a wonderful cover for her activities.’ She looked at the young teen that accompanied the woman. ‘So that was why they included Aino Minako’s picture. Amazing. Well, if I want to keep the language to Japanese, I better speak first.’ After Ms. Takeda retrieved a long case, the woman and her companion began walking towards them. As she approached, Lt. Oleson snapped to attention, her squad following her lead, and said in perfect Japanese, “Takeda-san? I am Lt. Oleson Sarah. Thank you for coming.” She turned her salute to the younger girl. “Aino-san.” She held her composure as the civilians glanced at each other, before returning her salute.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Lieutenant,” Ms. Takeda said, “But I thought soldiers weren’t supposed to salute civilians.”
“You would normally be correct, ma’am, but the U.S. military has found it very useful to assign people like yourselves temporary ranks. It really helps cut down on any possible confusion having you in the chain of command. Which is why you’ve been assigned the temporary rank of major,” she said, handing Ms. Takeda a box containing a pair of gold oak leaves. “While Aino-san has been assigned the rank of first lieutenant.” She handed the girl a pair of silver bars. “Pin them on the collars of your jackets. Colonel Sanada of the JSDF will brief you at the field H.Q.”
- + - + -
“At 0100 hours on yesterday, something attacked this town. The next morning, nearly ten thousand people were discovered in their beds, in unexplained comas. The Ministry of Health contacted the JSDF, and we immediately moved to quarantine this town. There wasn’t another attack last night. Takeda-san, by your presence here, I assume you know more than we do.”
Ranma nodded. “You’re familiar with the attacks in Tokyo?”
“Yes, but they’ve always been isolated incidents. Nothing of this scale.”
“I managed to track them down to the mountains not too far from here. We were on our way so that I could do a little reconnaissance, when we ran into your roadblocks.” Ranma stared hard at the mountain that hid the Dark Kingdom. She didn’t sense anything. “I think they’ve fled. Colonel, can we get if a lift up the mountain? And some clothing more appropriate for hiking. We left the rest of our luggage in our car.”
- + - + -
Minako, dressed in slightly oversized camouflaged fatigues, squeezed her way past a narrow part of the cave. “Was it always this tight?”
Ranma’s fatigues fit a bit better than the teen’s. “No. The chambers were huge, and the passages wide. Beryl must’ve been using quite a bit of power to make this cave habitable.” Ranma knelt, feeling the echoes of Metaria’s presence. “Well… it’s official. They’re gone, all of them. And they’ve taken Metaria with them.”
but I've been very busy at work. 
