Kasumi: The Mist Fox-Ninja
A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction Story
Copyright (C) 1998 Mark Ranel M. Lambo (maramala)
All Rights Reserved.
Part 4: The Moot Point
*Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and all related characters are
copyright (c) 1998 Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty
Film, Viz, etc. All Rights Reserved. Used without
permission (and hopefully _they_ won't bother to sue
such a humble homage of their work. :)
*Author's Notes:
A ** ** indicates the character/s thoughts
A _ _ indicates the word/s to be stressed
A { } indicates what is written on the signs
A ' ' indicates a quotation
A < > indicates animal sounds
A > < indicates sound effects
A ~ ~ indicates flashbacks
What Has Gone Before:
=====================
A week before her 21st birthday, Kasumi Tendo
was returning home from the market when her purse was
suddenly snatched by a thief. The snatcher was soon
accosted by a mysterious figure, accompanied by mist
and haze, who proceeded to attack the unfortunate
thief with a unique yet familiar martial art
technique. Soun Tendou recognized the technique
which was used by a certain long-dead member of the
family...
A few days later, one of Akane Tendo's female
friends, a fellow classmate, was brutally raped, so
Akane decided to go visit her. While walking home
alone, Ranma Saotome was ambushed by a female ninja
(or a kunoichi no shinobi, if you prefer), but he --
or rather, she, as Ranma fell into a nearby canal and
changed into his cursed form during the fight -- was
able to defeat her. Quickly clearing up the big
misunderstanding with Mitzutaki Hanchimegami, the
said female ninja, an enamoured Ranma made her agree
to meet him at Uuchan's on Friday for a "date", in
order for her to explain her side to the others.
It turns out that Mitzutaki was after the fur
scarf that she accidentally dropped -- which Ranma
found earlier, and was carrying at the time -- a few
days ago. She was forced by her brother Wurfu to
recover the scarf at all costs, hence the sudden
ambush on Ranma. The scarf was actually the symbol
used by her clan as a form of identificaton as a part
of a secretive organization.
It is actually powerful criminal organization
led by Asou Daiyoh -- a ruthless ganglord and a
direct descendant of a ancient family of a ninja clan
long thought extinct -- and the vicious Wurfu,
Mitzutaki's abusive and incestous brother, who was
just recently released from prison. They have
recently began to move when reports of a "mist-fox"
vigilante taking action, disrupting their many
criminal activities and now threatening the delicate
balance of the society the controlled in the shadows.
The local police have also been drawn into
the events, as the recently-appointed Commisioner
Hizukana Oné, Doctor Tofü's cousin, zealously decided
to personally oversee the case of the "mist-fox"
vigilante himself. At the same time, Hizukana has
forcibly entered into the now-strained relationship
between Kasumi and Tofü.
Now, only a couple of days to go before her
21st birthday, and the release of a vow she has sworn
over ten years ago by her mother's deathbed, Kasumi
now faces the greatest of challenges yet...
BEGIN PART 4
*********************
Drivng the last of sleep out of her, Nabiki
observed her slavish sister perform the usual
tiresome breakfast routine, trying not to act too
cold and distant yet at the same time not revealing
the disgust and contempt she felt inside. The whole
routine was so monotonous, so repetitive, she could
memorize the whole act in detail, and could time the
whole thing, down to the last minute detail.
First, Kasumi would cheerfully arrange the
cups, saucers and chopsticks, perfectly and neatly
placed in their designated positions. Not one cup
is out of place, every person has been accounted for,
with space for more in case guests would unexpectedly
drop by. Kasumi thought of everything.
Then she would cheerfully bring in breakfast
as soon as the first of the inhabitants of the Tendo
residence stumble down into the dining room and sits
down to eat. Never once does Kasumi cook less than
enough food for the family -- she even has a rice
cooker beside her, just in case.
Then once she laid down the food on the
table, she immediately kneels down sitting down on
the back of her legs, on her usual position, right
beside her pathetic father. She would then slowly
nibble at her food, delicately savoring the results
of her newest culinary masterpiece, apparently
satisfied with mere crumbs from her loving
painstaking efforts while the pigs would scarf and
generally devour everything in sight. She would
smile beatifically and occasionally engage in light
conversation with the other members at the table,
while making sure that everyone get fed even at her
own expense.
Kasumi's place was where their mother used to
sit. Nabiki remembered it clearly like it was just
yesterday, even when ten years have already passed
since their mother had died. Akane would have most
probably forgotten all about it, but was so very easy
for her to remember since Kasumi always do the same
things her mother always does, and not just during
mealtime. Kasumi always did the same thing every
day, yet Nabiki never ceases to be amazed by her
sister's silent tenacity.
**Anyone else would have gone insane by the
boring sameness,** she thought. **How does she
manage it all the time? I don't get it. What the
hell's her motivation for being so meek and kind and
cheerful and... so _sickeningly_ sweet? Or is she
nuts already, just like the rest of this totally
crazy household...**
*********************
"Nabiki-chan?"
Nabiki was jolted from her thoughts. "Yes,
father?"
"Is anything wrong, dear? You seem...
distracted lately."
"Oh." Nabiki shook her head. "Nothing,
father. Nothing at all."
*********************
Yuka looked horrible.
That was the first thing that came to Akane's
mind when she visited her friend for the first time.
Yuka was bandaged from head to toe, both arms and her
left leg in casts. A gauze bandage covered her left
eye, and her neck was in a brace. In her room, the
heavy scent of painkillers and herbs wafted.
Still, that didn't stop Yuka from greeting her
guests. She was on a sitting position on the bed,
several pillows propped up behind her, when Akane and
the others arrived.
"Hi... sorry I couldn't be more accomodating."
Yuka smiled at the newcomers.
"That's all right..." Akane replied, when
Sayuri burst into tears.
"What's wrong, Sayuri-chan?" Yuka asked,
concerned about her friend despite her condition.
"I'm so sorry, Yuka-chan." Sayuri tearfully
replied. "I should have insisted that we have stuck
together then... I shouldn't have let you run off...
Oh, it's all my fault..."
"Stop blaming yourself, please, Sayuri-chan...
It's not your fault, really... No one could expect
this to happen to me... C'mon, don't cry, cheer up..."
Akane felt helpless, watching the scene unfold
between her two friends, and feeling quite left out.
It was then she realized the distance between the
three of them, and regretted not getting close to the
two. Sure, they were once very close friends, almost
inseparable, but as the years went by, their friendship
was slowly drifting apart... But now Akane could see
that she was the only only one cast away. She could
almost envy them, together in the sorrow over the
tragedy one of them suffered yet both of them shared,
and wished she could be a part of them. Maybe, if
they were still as close as they once were, this
wouldn't have happened. She would have been there to
stop those disgusting perverts who did this to her...
**And get yourself raped too, in the process,**
Akane thought. Then she saw Yuka's eyes, while she was
comforting with great difficulty a sobbing Sayuri.
She understood the moment after their eyes met. **Stop
wallowing in self-pity, girl...***
On the back of her mind, her inner voice told
her that it was somehow Ranma's fault. She would
agree if he happened to be in sight -- it was always
his fault if he was around...
If he was around.
Akane sighed, shaking her head. No, it wasn't
Ranma's fault. Nor was it hers, or Sayuri's, or Yuka's
fault. If there was anybody to blame, it was the
people who did this to Yuka...
Her train of thought was interrupted by the
murmurs of the other girls behind her, and she broke
off her quasi-meditative reflection and moved away
from the door to let the other girls enter.
Ukyou came in first. "Well, I'll be damned...
You look like hell, Yuka."
Yuka grinned. "Still talking like a guy, aren't
you Ukyou?"
Ukyou averted his gaze, letting it settle to
the windowsill. "Sorry, Yuka... force of habit. Look,
I'm really sorry about what happened to you. It must
have been awful..." Out of a corner of her eye, she
noticed something.
**Waitaminute... That lamppost wasn't there a
moment ago... why that...** "'Scuse me, girls." Ukyou
apologized, hefting her Big-Assed Super Spatula (tm) (or
BASS for short). "Be right back."
Within an eyeblink, Ukyou leaped right out of
the window, heading towards the said errant lamppost.
Nothing else could be seen (after all, Yuka's room was
on the second floor of her house), but the other girls
grew sweatdrops at the sounds from outside.
>KLANG!< "TSUBASA! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD
YOU TO STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND!"
>KLANG!< "But, Ukyou-sama... I was just
visiting poor Yuka, Akane's friend..."
>KLANG!< "BAKA! THIS IS FOR GIRLS ONLY!"
>KLANG!< "But, Ukyou-sama... am I not a..."
>KLANG!< "ARRRRGGH!!! GET LOST!"
>KLANG!< And a very battered lamppost went
sailing out to sub-orbital range.
Everyone was silent as Ukyou hopped back in.
"And that's that... what? Did I miss anything?"
"Aiya." Shampoo, who was among the other
girls with Akane, spoke up first. "Even Shampoo is
surprised."
"What? Me beating up that pervert Tsubasa?
You should be used to that by now."
"No, Shampoo not surprised by that... Shampoo
surprised Spatula Girl did not use more force on
Pervert Boy."
"AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
Ukyou brought her BASS to bear.
"Is Shampoo mean what Shampoo say."
"YOU MEAN I'M TOO WEAK?!? IS THAT IT?"
"Spatula Girl said so, not Shampoo." Shampoo
smirked, producing her bonbori from... wherever she
stored them.
Everyone tensed. "Hey, no fighting in the
house..." Akane pleaded.
Everyone froze at the sound of laughter.
They turned to see Yuka laughing. Even Sayuri
stopped crying to smile.
"Ha, ha, ha... You... you're so funny..."
Yuka laughed, then grimaced in pain. "Oww..."
"What's wrong, Yuka?" Sayuri asked.
"Oww... It's nothing, really." Yuka
grimaced. "Forgot about _that_. It still hurts."
"You weren't... paralyzed, or something now,
were you..?"
"No, nothing like that..." Yuka explained.
"Just hairline fractures, and a lot of bruises. I
can walk, when I've healed up. Until then, it still
hurts like hell."
"It must have been awful..."
Yuka rolled her eyes. "If I have a hundred
yen for every time..."
"No, really. It must have hurt."
"Yes, it hurts. A LOT. Think about it...
Imagine 14 inches long 3 inch thick going in..."
"That BIG!?! Wow..." Sayuri widened her eyes
in shock.
"Don't tell me you _wanted_ THAT. Now I
understand why you regret not being with me..."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"
Everyone else facefaulted.
The girls spent the whole visit chatting idly
among themselves, and to Yuka. Even Ukyou and Shampoo
called a truce, and were soon talking to each other
amicably.
*********************
In a darkened room somewhere in Nerima, there
was a meeting taking place. Nine chairs surrounded a
round table in a U-shaped formation, matching the
cresent moon in the dark sky. A solitary light of a
blood-red candle -- which stood on what appears to be
a horned skull -- dimly illuminates the surrounding
during the proceedings. Everything around the large
room was decorated with reddish-brown hide. Even the
regal chairs were covered in the fur. The candle
flame occasionally fluttered as if blown by a breeze,
which enhanced the mood of the place by casting
ominous shadows on the walls around them.
At the head of the table, seated on the
largest chair, was Asou Daiyoh, the leader of the
organization. His brows were furrowed in deep
thought as he currently contemplated on the recent
events. He would occasionally raise his head and
look around to study the faces of the others gathered
before him. Seven of the eight remaining chairs were
currently filled, their occupants looking back at him
as if waiting for him to say something and officially
start the meeting. In front of them, written on old
wooden signs, are the traditional positions held by
the individuals currently sitting on the chairs.
Most of them are of Japanese descent. He breathed
deeply, then began to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," He spoke slowly, his
low yet powerful voice resounding throughout the
entire room. "I thank you all for coming here to
participate in this moot on such short notice. I am
very sorry if ever I have disrupted any of your
other... important activites because of this."
Everyone nodded in assent. A hand was
raised.
"Yes, Ya Long?"
The others turned to a middle-aged man of
probably Chinese descent, and wearing formal Mandarin
attire. "Forgive my boldness, Lord Daiyoh, but we
are missing one." He spoke as he adjusted his
spectacles.
"Yes." Asou nodded in reply. I know. The
Jackal is still absent."
"He's been gone for many years now." Spoke
up another Chinese man, this one wearing a plain
white suit and tie. "We have never seen him in any
moots for several years now."
"I agree." Ya Long added. "Something must
have befallen him. Haven't you chosen a... suitable
replacement... by now?"
"As of this time, I deem it unnecessary to
find a suitable replacement, Tang. Our agents have
learned that he is still very much alive, and
operating somewhere around in Nerima."
"Here in our own backyard, and does not even
bother to show up? Such defiance." Tang folded his
hands and leaned back into his chair. "He should be
reprimanded."
"And reprimanded he will, Tang. But he is of
no consequence. Of course, we will find him, and
bring him back to the fold... one way or another."
He turned to another, signalling the end of that
subject. "However, that is not the purpose of this
meeting. Tell me, Inu... What is the current
situation?"
The only female in the meeting, a pale
raven-haired beauty in her late 20's seated at the
very edge of the table, nearly dropped her papers in
surprise at the sudden mention of her name. She
recovered quickly however.
"Lord Daiyoh, rest assured that the financial
side of the organization is still quite stable, and
despite the recent slump in the economy, we still
enjoy sizeable profits." She produced a remote
control and pressed a few buttons. Slowly a large
LCD screen lowered from the ceiling above them.
Pressing a few more buttons, the monitor flickered to
life and displayed an animated bar graph showing
exactly what she was talking about.
"And what of the other groups in Tokyo?" Tang
commented. "Would we be expecting their reaction to
our successes?"
She smiled, a slight predatory gleam in her
eye. "They're too preoccupied trying to eliminate
each other to take heed of us. And if anyone decides
to pry in our various operations, they would find the
dummies so legit they'll be seeing nothing but white."
"Well done." Asou turned to another. "And
you, Wu?"
A young man in his early 20's dressed in a
hakama spoke up this time. "Despite the unexpected
choice for the heir's bride-to-be, we are certain
that the monarchy will have no interest in meddling
in our affairs."
He appropriated the remote from Inu and
pressed a few buttons, showing pictures of the
Imperial family. "The recent... incidents have
convinced the young prince not to interfere."
The others nodded. All were pleased at the
current situation. The screen flickered off, and
then slowly went back towards its resting position on
the ceiling.
"And the prime minister..?"
Wu smiled, handing Asou a small manila
envelope. Asou opened them and perused their
contents. "We won't have any trouble from him."
Asou smiled. "Well done. Hound?" He turned
to the only one present in the meeting who is not
seated on the table.
The one known as Hound, his face hidden in
the shadows merely nodded. "The organization won't
be disturbed by the local law enforcement officials.
Except..."
Asou nodded. "I know. This the very reason
why I asked all of you to be here."
Seated directly on his right, Wurfu Hanchimegami
turned around. What is it, Lord Daiyoh?"
Asou paused. "The Kitsune, Akane Nanaemegami,
has resurfaced."
"WHAT???" Immediately, everyone started to
speak at once.
"Who is this Akane Nanaemegami?"
"What's going on?"
"Trouble?"
"The Kitsune?"
"Where was she last seen?"
"She's still alive?"
"SILENCE!" Boomed the commanding voice of
Lord Asou Daiyoh. Almost instantly, the whole group
fell quiet, as Asou's voice echoed throughout the
room for a few moments afterwards.
"Look," Asou began as he settled back in his
chair. "I know almost none of you has personally
known the Mist Fox family of ninjas. Other than
Wurfu, most of you did not hold your current
positions at the time of the Nanaemegami. However,
your predecessors may have briefed you a little about
them."
Taima, the studded leather-clad man to the
left of Asou, growled. "So what's the problem? She
hasslin' you or something, Boss? Lemme take care of
her then."
Wurfu frowned at his rival's flippant remark.
Taima made no secret about his own personal ambitions.
**He should be put in his place...**
Asou saved him that effort. With blinding
speed, he quickly rushed to Taima's side and roughly
pulled him to his feet. Even thought Taima was still
in his early 20's, the elderly Asou still managed to
calmly lift the street gang lord up in the air by his
throat with one hand without even straining from the
effort. The others gasped, amazed at their leader's
nearly supernatural abilities. Only Wurfu chuckled
at the scene.
"THIS. IS. NOT. A. LAUGHING. MATTER."
Asou slowly spoke. He roughly dropped Taima back to
his seat. Taima choked, clutching his throat as Asou
returned to his seat.
"This is a very serious matter." Asou
continued as if the incident didn't even happen. He
sat down, pressing a button at the console in front
of him. "Seppunki, Mitsutaki. Report."
>POOF!< >POOF!<
Immediately, twin smoke clouds appeared to
the left and right of Asou's chair. The smoke
cleared to show two ninjas, a male and female, bowing
low at each side of Asou.
Asou waved the smoke away, a look of
irritation on his face. "Well?"
The girl stepped forward first, proudly
showing her scarf. "Mitsutaki Hanchimegami no
Tanuki, reporting as ordered."
Wurfu frowned at her, causing her pause. The
expression was lost on the others, save one.
"Continue," Asou ordered.
"I took the initiative and decided to scout
out Nerima Ward myself. I familiarized myself with
the surroundings, and found it ridiculously easy to
assimilate into the surroundings."
"So you left on your own and defied Wurfu and
my orders." Asou calmly spoke.
"N-no... no, I did not do this to defy you,
Ass-oniichan... er, I mean, Lord Daiyoh." Mitsutaki
quickly corrected herself.
"Little sister, we will overlook your
oversight," Wurfu spoke. "For now... Continue."
"I... I have fulfilled the reconnaissance,
and I an confident to say for a fact that the Kitsune
no Gasumi have indeed resurfaced."
"Oh?" Tang spoke. "How so?"
"Several unexplained incidents have occured
in Nerima Ward. The victims are all criminals, all
interrupted either during the crime or right
afterwards. More importantly, they described their
assailant."
"We heard of all that in the news." Ya Long
interjected. "How can this be related to her?"
"They all share several similarities. The
gathering mists, quick vital point strikes, a
strikingly attractive assailant... The "vigilante"
uses the same methods as the Akane Nanaemegami,
Kitsune no Gasumi. If I may add, a former member of
our organization..."
"The police already have that information,"
Hound interrupted. "Why do you say yours are any
different?"
"Because..." Mitsutaki's voice dropped lower.
"I... had... a feeling..."
"Wuzzat?" Taima jeered. "Can't hear ya."
"Yes. Speak up!"
"And louder this time."
"I said, I feel that she is hiding somewhere
in Nerima."
"Under our very own noses? Preposterous!"
Tang roared. "That's as unconceivable as the Jackal!"
"And how can you prove of this?" Asked Inu.
"With your own 'feelings', so to speak?"
"I..."
"That's enough." Asou spoke, and everyone
else fell quiet. "Perhaps Seppunki has have more
success on his part."
"Many thanks, Lord Daiyoh." This time it was
the smaller man who spoke. "After informing the rest
of the organization, I personally escorted Wurfu-dono
from his place of incarceration. Then, I..."
"Cut the damn cheez, man." Taima growled.
"What's yer point?"
"Well... I took the liberty of, shall we say,
passing through Nerima Ward. Just a sightseeing tour,
nothing more. With my ear to the ground, as it were,
I chanced upon something remarkable."
Ya Long impatiently strummed his fingers on
the table. "Get to the damn point."
"Well, turns out that some business-minded
schoolgirls are... well..." At this point the ninja
turned red.
"What?" Wu asked, now as interested as the
others.
"Well, they were selling... pictures..."
Inu chuckled. "Pictures, eh? I remember the
time when I was back in high school... And what else
did you bought _aside_ from photos of young horny
virgin teenage sluts, hmmm?"
"Hey! I'm not that kind of pervert, you know!"
"What's so interesting about the pictures?"
Ya Long frowned.
"Well, look at these..." Seppunki reached
into the folds of his suit. With a flourish, he
scattered the pictures on to the table. "The seller
was so helpful... she even gave names of each and
every one of the girls."
Everyone took turns perusing the pictures.
There were several wolf whistles of admiration from
Tang and Ya Long.
"Will you look at that..."
"These japanese girls are so... well-built."
"And with a little research on birth records
in city hall, it was very easy to figure out just
which are the children of Akane Nanaemegami -- the
very suspects who would have assumed the mantle of
Kasumi no Gasumi." Seppunki finished, beaming in
pride.
"I see..." Asou softly spoke. Seppunki
could not help but notice the regret in the voice.
"Look..." Seppunki brought the attention
towards several of the pictures. "These are pictures
of her children..."
Most of the pictures were of Akane, some
belonged to Nabiki.
"Such a remarkable likeness..." Wurfu nearly
whispered, staring at one photo of Akane in her school
uniform.
"...And her friends and schoolmates." Seppunki
continued.
Taima chuckled.
"What do you find so funny, Taima?" Asou
inquired.
"Beggin' yer pardon, Mi'Lord Daiyoh." Taima
grinned from ear to ear. "But I've 'ready had some of
these." He waved a picture of Yuka in the air. "Yup,
virgin sluts all right... man, an' was _she_ TIGHT!
Loud too. Screamin' to heaven's very gates, if she
thought that could save her. A good fuck, she was. I
came trice, myself, in all three holes. An' the
last two times wuz right after the boyz had their
turn..."
"Sheesh, I can't believe this..." Inu rolled
her eyes in disgust. "Do you mind?"
"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry..." Taima chuckled, amused
at Inu's obvious discomfort. "Did I unnerve you? Then
again, I doubt that you are..."
"That's enough, Taima." Asou interrupted.
"This is the second time today. There will be no more
From you. Understood?"
Taima shrugged.
"When did this occur?" Wurfu asked.
"Well... Jus' a few days past, when me and my
crew scoped out the 'hood. It was jus' after receiving
the summons for the moot today."
"And you mean to say that she dropped into your
laps, just like that?" Wu asked, slightly curious.
"Somethin' like that... Hell, it was damn right
textbook PERFECT, y'know... Lone girl, empty street,
dark dead-end alley nearby... The whole place is easy
pickings... Like lambs in the field, with no sheep
dog in sight." Taima leered. "Liked the way ya said
that... '...dropped on your laps...' Har, har, har.
That's a good one. She dropped on our laps, all
right... Some of my crew plan on moving here after this
is all over..."
It was Wu's turn to roll his eyes in disgust.
Asou was about to speak when he noticed
Mitsutaki staring at a certain picture. "What is it,
girl? Do you recognize this one?"
"Huh? Wha... Uh, that is..."
"Hey, let me look at that..." Seppunki
snatched the picture from her hands. He whistled.
"Oh, this one. Hot. Ranko Saotome. A hot seller,
this one is."
"Your poetry is as bad as your looks, Seppunki.
Speak up more clearly." Asou remarked. "And why is
this name so familiar?"
"Sorry, Lord Daiyoh... This one is a cousin
of Ranma Saotome."
The Hound stepped forward. "The Ranma Saotome?"
"Yep... Know of him?"
"The police are currently investigating Saotome
Ranma's fiancee's family, the Tendos." He sifted
through the pictures until he found one. "Especially
this one. Akane Tendo."
"So," Seppunki grinned. "Just as I thought."
For the first time this evening, Asou grinned.
"Everything is falling into place... Destiny calls..."
"Hmmm..." Tang looked through the pictures.
"Where did you say you got these photos?"
"From a girl who attends the Furinkan High
School. Ironically, one of the members of the very
household." Seppunki dropped a photo on top of the
others. "Nabiki Tendo."
Asou smiled, showing gleaming fangs.
"Yes, how ironic..."
*********************
"Ranma?"
"Yes, Nabiki."
"Where's the scarf?"
"Oh? I returned it."
"I see... What was that job you wanted me to do?"
"Never mind. I found what I was looking for..."
With a grin, Ranma left, leaving a very puzzled Nabiki in
his wake.
*********************
*(Author's Postscript: Thanx to Mike for the use of his
account, and to Jodd for proofreading. for Send C&C email
to maramala@geocities.com (no flames, please!)
'Till next time,
-maramala :)
(
geocities.com/tokyo/ginza) (
geocities.com/tokyo)