New Pigtailed Loops 6
Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.
This group is based on a Groundhog's Day concept, if time was looping, and certain members were aware of this.
These are their insanities.
New Loop #1:
"Does the multiverse have any normal schools?" Ranma wondered aloud, making his way down the hallway.
A new Loop, possibly pseudo, since he had yet to find or sense any anchor, was before him. No other Anchors were present, no other Loopers as well. He was all alone … here … in this new universe.
"You should just stop goofing off and show them who's boss!" he heard Lilith cheer to him in her mind.
Deflecting one girl's use of a stun gun, spinning her into another with a cloth laced with chloroform, and ducking a dart, he continued on his way to Class S here at the Private Joshi Oka High School. It was a school filled with an insane amount of girls, a handful—literally—of guys. And the girls made the Furinkan Hentai Horde look like monks.
Normally, there were only three official ways and one unofficial way to stay safe if you were a male in this school: become the school idol and thus be above approach, become everyone's lover, or promise yourself to one female—preferably outside the school so she would be safe from violent intimidation.
The unofficial way of course being that you were so ugly, even these desperate females wouldn't want to touch you.
Ranma was proud that he had created a fifth option: be too damned good for the teenage hormone-filled psychos to get you.
About the only normal girl he had found so far was a plain ordinary girl named Rise Okitsu, who had explained some of the facts about the girls. She also explained why the girls were teaming up to get him now.
Considering he recalled all too clearly what some of those girls had stated were their plans for him when he was caught, he was grateful for any warning. Thankfully, the Kage Bunshin had popped itself before they even got close with the Viagra.
"It just makes them want you more," Munechika stated from his position by the lockers.
"How come no one stops you from smoking?" Ranma asked.
The guy shrugged as he started walking beside Ranma. "Girls love it, teachers won't stand against what keeps the daughters of their main funders happy."
Ranma snorted. He could easily get the funds to buy the academy and level it, turning it into a McDonald's. "Makes me wonder what their parents did to turn them into this."
"Probably better off not knowing," the taller male said. "Of course, there are always better ways to deal with daddy issues."
"They can find someone willing to do that," Ranma waved off. "I am somewhat shocked that they can pull off these insane plans and actions, yet not sneak away from home and get a boy."
"To be honest, many are surprised you have retained your freedom this long," the elder student stated.
"I'm just that damned good," Ranma smirked, pulling out a small item, tossing it against the wall up ahead, making it angle to the turn up ahead, before releasing a bright flash.
"You give me crap about smoking, but you come armed with a flash-bang grenade?" Munechika grumbled.
"The principal complained about the amount of girls that ended up in the infirmary when I used my shadow clones and the exploding ones," Ranma stated, feeling somewhat insulted.
A bunch of perverted guys end up in the infirmary, well, that was just the way things were.
Replace the boys with girls, and all of the sudden you had some major problem.
Walking past the scrambling girls who were still trying to recover their sight, the duo made their way into Class S.
It was just another day at J.S.A.
New Loop #2:
Leaning back against the wall of the shrine, Ranma looked outward. There was a small gap in the trees giving him an impressive view of the countryside.
"It is quite peaceful, isn't it?" asked the shrine's caretaker, Katsuhito Masaki, also known as Yōshō Masaki Jurai, Prince of Jurai.
Ranma nodded. "Wish I could have come sooner."
"So you found out?"
Ranma nodded. Apparently, his world contained a lot more than he thought.
When the Loops had started, Washu—in her usual fit of super-insane genius—decided that it wasn't worth living the year over and over again. Therefore, around the lands of the shrine and the Masaki household, she created a temporal bubble, one in which time was flowing at only a fraction of normal. In essence, they could blink and miss an entire iteration of the Loop.
It also explained why Ranma would feel some power here, but every time he tried to approach, the Loop would reset. He had at first figured that it was just some barrier, some 'Do Not Cross' sign in space-time that was the result. He'd used it a few times himself to end some painful Loops.
Now, he knew it was because as he waded into the outer edge of the bubble, time was moving faster in the world, and before his foot would touch the ground after only a few paces, he'd be shot out as time reset. For some reason, people like Tenchi and Keiichi couldn't be anchors, at least in this universe. None of the other Goddesses would give him any clue as to why that was.
Maybe just a conflict of interests at the time, he figured. Technically, because of the three Elder Goddesses who stayed at the Masaki home, he guessed using Tenchi as an Anchor would have been considered poaching.
Of course, that would have been helpful to know before Washu detected the variance of being 'awake' in a Loop that was Ranma, teleported him to the shrine after dropping the barrier, and proceeded to go 'full guinea' on him. Oh, how he wished he could suppress those memories, like he had done some Loops.
Would have helped had Skuld not tried to 'assist' him in his recovery while wearing the same nurse's outfit—was there a store at the tenth dimension selling them on sale or what?
"I do admit, I have other reasons for asking you here," Yosho stated, dropping his disguise field.
Ranma arched an eyebrow, even as the man refilled his saucer with sake. "If Washu needs me for another series of tests…"
"Not that," Yosho chuckled lightly, as Ranma filled his glass. "My mothers and father will be arriving soon."
"They awake?"
"Not that I am aware of," Yosho stated. "I'm still not sure how Washu dealt with all that she did, all that we were involved in, while we were separated from space and time…"
Ranma snorted as he downed his drink. It was probably what Washu did that now explained how the Anchors and those Awake could wind up in a Loop alongside their Prime Selves.
"But anyway, Sasami has sent her mother a message."
"And?" asked Ranma, wondering about the chill down his back.
Sighing—and not wanting to be a shot messenger—he slid a copy of the message to Ranma and started to inch away, prepared to use the power of Jurai if needed to save his life.
Ranma scanned the letter, noting the pleasantries exchanged, tales of life on Earth, and the request for an omiai with…
"… Well… Shit," Ranma muttered, seeing his name.
"You're taking this very well," Yosho commented from behind an overturned chair.
"Well, I am relaxed at the moment," he replied. "I'm just worried about how other parties will take this news, like Skuld, or Belldandy-II…" He shivered at that. Hell hath no fury like a Belldandy frowning.
"I am curious how the Yggdrasil-II is tied to our universe," Yosho commented.
"At this point, I accept it as fact and move on," Ranma admitted. "Less headaches that way."
New Loop #3:
Having Naruto as a classmate wasn't as difficult as one would think.
This was especially true when one had easy ways to distract him, such as new techniques, or paths to follow to restore old ones in a new universe.
If he figured it right, he'd have one day to outpace the blond demon container from a ninja world.
This was why Ranma was currently meditating, looking for a new world inside himself.
No, not one inside his subspace pocket. This was an Inner World, a plane of existence within himself. It was similar to how he had discovered the Nekoken had evolved into a Raiju of nine tails.
However, this wasn't a visit to the place of connections, a realm where he could hop from one internalized level to the next. It was a trip to meet the spirit of his zanpakutō, to learn its name and eventually, its power.
Therefore, he needed to search inside himself, search past Lilith's level of pleasure, past the fields the Raiju liked to roam, past the representation of Jusenkyo, past any number of levels that represented him in some way or form, some piece of his mind and soul, his journeys beyond counting.
Say what you will, he had had the time, time to map the myriad of paths within himself—even to question what it might mean that he was both so divided and complex.
Finally, he came to a new level, a new world within his soul that had not been there before, a world he felt resonate with his Zanpakutō.
A world no other person in the Shinigami Academy could probably find so quickly.
Opening his eyes, he marveled at the representation. It seemed to be a peaceful countryside, trees and mountains surrounding the path. He could hear a roaring waterfall in the distance, and even make out a dojo through a small space in the trees. In fact, he felt it was an ideal representation of what he felt a Grand Master's special retreat should look like.
What he didn't expect were the mirrors.
They were literally everywhere, formed into the surface of trees, rocks, even the path before him as if they had been grown and forged with the rest of the place. Despite the ways the surfaces were distorted, as if they had formed directly on the items and assumed their forms, the images reflected were clear. Looking at a few, he swore they seemed to repeat memories he had experienced, scenes from his life, his dreams, fantasies, and nightmares.
However, they were not what he was looking for. Firming his resolve, he continued down the path, deciding that if this place was to represent his inner self, then the spirit of the Zanpakutō was not in the Dojo.
He would be at the waterfall, waiting for the challenger to come to him.
So focused on finding the spirit, he missed when one of the taller mirrors turned dark, a copy of Ranma looking out of it, focused on the real one. Nevertheless, the copy wasn't true.
It was pale white, eyes black with yellow cat-like irises, and smiling, licking its lips and salivating, as if the greatest meal was before it. It lasted but a moment, before it faded away.
Ranma approached the waterfall, spotting a large boulder disturbing the water before it, a figure resting on it.
"So," the figure spoke, voice echoing and sounding as if it had a harmony of voices beneath it, "you came quicker than I expected."
"Really?" Ranma asked quietly, looking about.
"That is neither good nor bad, it is simply a fact," the spirit spoke.
Ranma nodded. "You know why I am here?"
The cloaked figure nodded, no distinct features reaching out from under the cloak or hood, save for a single blue-lit spark that seemed to represent its left eye. But even that had no defining features, no pupil or white, just a blue as deep as the sky, almost like what lurked behind a Hollow mask.
"So, how do we do this?" Ranma asked, deferring to the spirit.
The spirit simply turned its head, looking towards the left of Ranma. "I hate those clouds."
Blinking at the change of topic before dismissing it—so what if it was about as stable as Ranma himself, who was he to judge—he turned as well, spotting several dark clouds, a mist falling from them. But the clouds seemed to be lower than the sky, barely above the trees, and scattered about the lower field.
"Do you know what they are?" asked the spirit.
"Guessing my darker memories and things left buried," he replied.
The spirit nodded. "I hate those clouds, they bring the entire place down, threaten to grow and eventually wash this all away."
Ranma could only wince at that, not liking where the topic was going. He'd prefer not to dwell on certain actions of his past, dredge up memories of before the Fused Loops. He'd rather give in to the attentions of the Shihōin girl than relive those. "Is that my test?"
"An observation," the figure returned. "Such things should be dealt with, before a flood arises that cannot be turned."
Shoulders slumping, Ranma turned towards the spirit once more. "I'll promise to work on it, starting within this week. If I fail, I have no doubt you'll remind me."
Nodding, the figure stood. "Move forward, but do not forget what came before, do not repeat that which has failed, do not forget the whole and the sum."
"I promise," Ranma stated, watching as the figure began to literally walk across the water, the pool changing into a series of mirrors wherever it touched, before it stood before Ranma. Even that close, his eyes still failed to pierce the shadows of the cloak to gain greater detail of what the spirit truly looked like.
"Then I shall loan you my power. I am—"
Smiling, Ranma stood in the field, drawing his sword. "Illuminate and cover … Henshou!" he cried, the sword glowing for a moment, before it dulled enough to reveal itself once more. Floating about the sword now were several bars of varying length in distance, orbiting the blade in a dance that both drew and distracted the eyes, refusing to allow one to focus on a single bar or even the blade.
Smirking, Ranma held it up. "Nice Shikai," he murmured.
"NO FAIR!"
Turning, he spotted several Narutos glaring at him, before the lead pointed towards Ranma. "You cheated!"
"Hey, you're the one who wanted his ninja skills back," Ranma waved off. "Now, you better get cracking on learning your Shikai, or I'll leave you in the dust, Naruto."
New Loop #4:
Ranma looked at the little life in his arms. She was a girl, his girl, his ... daughter.
Had all these resets been leading to this, to show him the joys of a life he helped create, her flaming red hair as dark as his own, her eyes a darker shade of blue than his own.
But she was of him. She was his child, his first child, a new hope, a new chance, a new understanding...
"So, have we decided on a name yet?" his lover asked, panting lightly from the effort to bring the new life into the world. "I'd tell the doctor, but the painkillers are making me a bit loopy, and I don't want to name her something weird ... like Honey Suckle Saotome."
Ranma chuckled lightly, looking at the girl. "Well, I guess the obvious would do."
She laughed lightly, a smile forming on her face. "Okay, but I name the next one."
Nodding, Ranma stared into the eyes of his child. "In that case, your name is-
His-now her-eyes opened wide as time reset, the hospital room replaced with the damp streets of Nerima, as a single realization came to her.
Time had reset again.
She was about to scream in rage, in anguish, in despair for the life taken from her, as the all-too-familiar stop sign impacted on the back of her head.
Before light faded and sent her to a blissful state where thought didn't exist, tears began to flow from her eyes. Not for the physical pain, but for the pain of losing her child.
"Ran...ko," she muttered, hitting the ground and fighting a losing battle to stay conscious. "Her name ... is Ranko," she muttered, before real-time thought fled from her.
Genma never noticed that she didn't stop crying, even out cold, as he carried her to the Tendo Dojo, wondering who this 'Ranko' the Boy had been babbling about there at the end of their fight, was.
New Loop #5:
"Well … shit," Ranma muttered, looking about as time restarted.
He could tell immediately that he was not in Nerima. The trees were tall, the air was fresh, and he was both male and still conscious after a second with no Stop signs nearby.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he closed his eyes, waiting for the new set of memories to upload into his mind.
"Damn it," he muttered, resuming his walk down the path. It looked like in this world he was from the Village of Nerima, a village that had a ninja force, but actually took that matter seriously and didn't announce what they were the Village Hidden in. They were a major financing village with deals in many of the countries about.
They were also extremely tough, as who wouldn't want access to all the money the village moved about.
However, that wasn't why he was moving in this direction. No, it was because apparently, Nerima had finally received the death certificate for one Kushina Uzumaki, activating a Will she had in place.
And nearly a decade after her death… Apparently, the only thing slower than the civilian post office was Konoha Bureaucracy.
The Will had stated that in the event of her death and that of the Fourth Hokage—how odd that they had yet to receive that particular certificate and yet his death was common knowledge—a member of Clan Saotome was to come to Konoha and take over raising her child.
Being the strong fighter he was and the container of the only Beast of Light to appear—Kyuubi no Neko—he had offered to take this job.
It didn't have anything to do with the marriage contracts being offered by girls from the Village Hidden in the Heavens, the Kage in the Village Hidden in the Fire Pits, or any number of Hidden Villages, no matter what you say! He was just the best person for the job in training the young Jinchuuriki, that's all.
Of course, there was just one issue left to deal with; he would have to leave for a mission soon, as it appeared someone was messing with Nerima projects in the Land of Waves—as if he didn't know.
"You know, this time, maybe I'll just get Zabuza and his band to betray the asshole and work on Nerima's payroll," he groused, as he soon spotted the entrance to the Village Hidden in the Leaves—kind of hard to miss, considering it was almost as tall as the trees themselves. "Though, I ain't really certain how long I have," he replied. For all he knew, the Uchiha were still alive.
Seeing the guards at the Gate, Ranma decided to have some fun with them, and pulled out a map.
Shimon Hijiri and Kotetsu Hagane sat in the guard shack by the west gate, waiting for returning teams, suppliers, and such.
"Man, this is boring," Shimon muttered, resting his head on his arm.
"Just keep using my mantra," offered Kotetsu.
"Mantra?" asked Shimon.
"Guard duty is better than Tora."
"… Oddly, I do feel better—incoming," the Chūnin stated.
As they both stood up, they watched a boy with a long black pigtail hairstyle walk past the gates, muttering at a map he was entirely focused on.
"Maybe I should have made that left at St. Loius," the male replied, before turning the map ninety degrees. "Or was that south as Timbuktu?"
"Excuse us?" stated Kotetsu, loud enough to gain the visitor's attention, both Chūnin preparing in case they needed to 'subdue' him.
The figure looked up for a moment, staring at them. "Oh, excuse me, do you guys know where Konoha is?"
The two just blinked at him, unsure if this was a joke or not. "You're standing in it," stated Shimon in a deadpan tone.
Blinking, the figure looked about, before smiling. "Hah! Told them I could find it!" After a moment, he paused, looking at the map. "But wasn't I supposed to pass through the Village Hidden in the Clouds first…"
"Identify yourself!" called out Kotetsu.
"Oh, Ranma Saotome," the figure stated, folding up the map before scratching the base of his pigtail nervously. "I'm here to see the Hokage on official business for Nerima."
"Papers?" asked Shimon.
"Oh, right here—HEY!" Ranma called out, as a cat jumped over his shoulder, snatched the paperwork from his hand, and ran off with it. He made to move after it, but was stopped by Kotetsu, as Shimon took off after the animal.
"First my pocky, then my papers!" bellowed Ranma at the fast moving feline. "You hear me! I'll turn you into a hat for this, you furry demon! YOU HEAR ME!"
The feline came out from behind a dumpster, watching with a smirk as the Chūnin continued to chase after a copy of it, darting in-between villagers going about their daily activities. It disappeared with a small flicker, being replaced with a crouching Saotome.
"I can't believe that worked," he said with a smile. Nothing like confusing people with the Old Bugs Bunny/Ryoga introduction. "Now, off to the Hokage," he replied, switching to his girl form, hoping that Naruto wasn't awake in this Loop.
Actually, he hoped he had arrived after the Uchiha Massacre. Some of them could be downright scary at times, like a stressed-out Skuld, when he turned the women down.
And that was before he ever revealed he had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. "Well, hope I can keep that little fact hidden," she muttered, making her way to the Hokage Tower.
"This will not be tolerated, Hokage," growled Fugaku Uchiha, current clan head, as he addressed the Hokage. "The Uchiha Clan will not tolerate the blatant separation from Konoha!"
The Third sighed; rubbing his forehead, trusting his assembled ANBU guards to ensure neither Fugaku nor his Uchiha clansmen attacked him during the distraction. "Uchiha-san," he started, "I ensure you that these measures are not to insult your clan, but to deal with rumors from—" he paused, as did everyone in the room, hearing the sound of the empty slurps of a cup of liquid.
Turning, they all located the source of the sound: a pigtailed male, dressed in Jounin-style armor, drinking from said cup by a straw, reading a manga.
"Man; I still don't get how this started the whole hate war between ninja and pirates," the figure muttered, before muttering about trying to grow something called 'devil fruit'.
"… Excuse me?" spoke Sarutobi.
"I know," the figure stated, ignoring the tone, turning the page. "Maybe Luffy had a ninja as a rival or something…"
"I meant, who are you and how did you get in here," Sarutobi replied, motioning for the ANBU not to advance. For all he knew, this was the Uchiha's opening move in a possible civil war.
The figure looked up, stopping to slurp once again on his empty container, before speaking. "Hmm?" he asked, looking surprisingly like a certain chronically late shinobi at that moment.
"Names Ranma Saotome, here to see a lot of this village about financial matters related to Nerima," he offered.
To everyone's shock, a single ANBU broke off from their frozen positions, ripped off his mask, and fell to his knees.
"I'm sorry I'm late on the payment!" he cried. "Please don't repossess my home! I swear, I already talked to someone about—"
"I'm not here for that!" Ranma exclaimed. Granted, he was pretty certain he was supposed to carry on Nerima business aside from his current mission. But surely if this man's problem was so important, Cologne would have sent another agent for that.
He then suppressed a shiver at the possibilities of which person he knew could be such an agent, and uttered a silent prayer it was neither a base-universe fiancée, a new interest party from the Loops, or Kasumi.
Okay, so maybe he carried a bit of fear from that one Loop. But he felt it was okay to have such, after being used as 'French Maid Ranko-chan' by her Mistress, a futanari named Kasumi—thanks to Jusenkyo packets—and her gimp, Tofu.
"… You're not?" asked the pale ANBU.
"No!" Ranma replied. "But I can assure you that if you spoke to a true agent of our village, and honor your new payment plan, you can probably keep your house."
The unmasked ANBU then began to grovel at his feet, thanking him, and promising to take the next S-class mission to ensure he had the proper funds to make said payment.
Letting out a hefty sigh, Ranma reached into his vest, grabbing at the needed item to prove he was who he said he was. After all, he couldn't count that everyone else would be as skittish as the ANBU before him.
Actually, he wondered exactly why said ANBU was so skittish around Nerima agents, but put it out of his mind. In this world, it could have been any agent of Nerima.
They were supposed to be that damned good. All people feared Nerima agents for a reason, after all.
Sadly, reaching into his vest seemed to be a silent sign for the ANBU and Uchiha clansmen to race forward to capture him, assuming that whatever he was reaching for would be meant for ill.
Even Fugaku and Sarutobi both raised an eyebrow as the men seemed to freeze. The source of their stopped movement became clear as several copies of the supposed Jounin from Nerima faded into view, each one holding one ninja, with a kunai to their temples.
"Here it is," Ranma stated, pulling out a hitai-ate, with an engraved cloud, a sign of ryō in the center.
"Most people wear those, you know," Sarutobi stated with a weak smile.
Ranma just chuckled. "We're nin from Nerima, we take the whole shadows and secrecy thing to a higher level." With that, he slipped the headband back into his outfit. "Need any more proof?" he asked.
"No; that will do for now," the Third replied. "But could you let our men go?"
Looking at the group, Ranma just rubbed the base of his pigtail. "Nah, best to keep them like that till I finish telling you why I'm here."
"And this news is so important, you felt the need to sneak into our important meeting!?" growled Fugaku, earning a curious stare from his son, Itachi. One ANBU and Uchiha had hung back to protect their leaders.
Ranma just directed a disinterested glare towards the Uchiha head. "Well, since one part does involve your clan.. Yeah," Ranma stated with a tired shrug.
"The Uchiha do not finance through Nerima, nor have we since shortly after the founding of this village," Fugaku replied.
"Oh, the issue with your clan isn't about finances … mostly," Ranma muttered. Truthfully, Nerima didn't have any business with the Uchiha. The current clan had always invested into their clan. And frankly, he hadn't yet had time to send what he knew to Cologne.
Luckily, these people didn't need to learn that fact. "So, who's first? Uchiha or Konoha?"
"Are you insinuating that the Uchiha are not part of Konoha?"
"… Man, you are really way too touchy about this, aren't you?" Ranma smirked, irritating the Clan Head all the more. "Well, since you obviously need a nap to deal with this extra grumpiness, you can go first."
Coughing into his hand, Ranma snapped into a pose of attention. "To the Uchiha Clan from Nerima! I am to inform you that a member of your clan has been interfering with many of the investments of Nerima! As such, we have set a bounty on the head of this individual, one who calls themselves: Madara Uchiha!"
The group just stared, shocked at what they heard.
"You have been misinformed," Itachi stated, deciding to respond before his father acted out even more. "Madara Uchiha was killed in the Valley of the End by Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage."
Ranma just snorted. "Well, then it will refer to the guy who has been going around with an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan eye, usually hiding behind some orange mask, calling himself that."
"Impossible!" Fugaku yelled out.
"I know, huh," Ranma replied, scratching the back of his neck. "You think a ninja that lived through all he did would be smart enough not to mess with us.
"Anyway," he continued, "it also leads us into the business with Nerima as a whole, including your clan, Uchiha-san, since our intelligence indicates this individual was the reason behind the Kyuubi no Yoko's attack on this village nearly a decade ago."
This got Sarutobi's attention. "And this information comes from…?" he asked.
Ranma just gave a smile he learned from a certain mazoku priest. "That would be information attained through our scrying efforts, and thus a secret!
"Continuing on from the subject of madmen with fetishes for dangerous pets, it was also recently made public the death of one, Kushina Uzumaki. The fact she died nearly a decade ago and it took you guys this long to deliver her death certificate is also an issue to be discussed later. Frankly, we're also waiting on the certificate for Minato Namikaze.
"But with her certificate, we can now activate her will."
"Will?" asked Sarutobi.
"Yeah," Ranma replied. "What? You think she trusted your village to deal with her affairs? You guys can't even defeat bureaucracy enough to send out timely notifications."
"And what does her will state?" Sarutobi asked.
"Basically, after the usual stuff about handing out property and what-not, that assuming Namikaze-san would be unable to, the Godfather of her child unable to, that Nerima would send an agent from Clan Saotome of Nerima to raise said child."
"… You can't be serious," Sarutobi replied.
"Deadly so," Ranma replied, all trace of humor and good cheer replaced with cold intent. "I take such matters given to my clan very seriously, Hokage-sama. And before you speak up, I already know the burden young Uzumaki carries, how it will affect him as time moves on, and all it takes to ensure he doesn't end up becoming lost to the beast he carries."
Fugaku couldn't resist. Turning towards the Hokage, he just put on a spiteful smile. "Your Law is really working well, don't you think?"
Sarutobi decided to remain focused on the Nerima-nin before him. "Your plans for Naruto?"
"Depends on him, really," Ranma replied, his voice still cold. "He wants to stay; then I stay, and assist him, raise him, train him, help him live a life his mother would have wanted. If he wishes to leave this village of fools who believe the Fourth couldn't tie his shoes, let alone seal a Bijuu, then so be it. Nerima can offer him more than here.
"And before you ask about how we would plan to deal with his furry prisoner escaping, let us just say there are other forces out their aside from the Bijuu." With that, a golden chakra seemed to leak out of him, coalescing into the form of a standing cat, nine tails of light dancing behind it. "One is my partner, the Kyuubi no Neko, the Beast of Light, first of them to appear in our world.
"And we will ensure no matter what, the child will survive, even if his parasite does not."
The chakra dissipated, leaving Ranma standing as he had been before. "Any questions?"
Seeing their continued stares, Ranma snapped his fingers, causing his clones to vanish in a puff of smoke, releasing their prisoners, who slowly moved back to their positions beside their leaders.
"Well, I got things to do, a child to raise, and apparently a home to debug," Ranma stated, stretching a bit, tossing his empty cup into the nearby trash, and sliding the manga into his vest.
As he turned to leave, he paused. "Oh, and Uchiha-san; I notice that since you know a bit more of the Yoko's past thanks to the Uchiha records, something else might help to assure you that I am the best person for the job, as you and the Hokage go about finding a way to address the rumors and ensure Madara gets the proper … fame … for what he did."
"Oh?" Fugaku asked. Frankly, he was a bit more excited about the Council finding that out than the raising of the village jinchūriki.
Turning, everyone noticed that the blue eyes of the Nerima-nin were gone, replaced with the formation of the fully matured Sharingan.
Gasps were heard from the Uchiha—who understood what it meant—as the eyes changed again, revealing a cat slit surrounded by a circle containing four tomoe each.
"A little hint," Ranma stated coldly. "Just because Madara found one way to achieve it, doesn't mean it is the only way." And with that, Ranma vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving the assembled people to wonder if he had ever been there, or simply teleported away.
Sarutobi just rubbed his temples. His only consolation would be when everything revealed here today was told to the council. If he was really lucky, perhaps Danzō would die from shock.
… Yes, that would just about equal the hell he was about to go through.
New Loop #6:
"Why, so much trouble, you are to me, my Padawan?" Yoda asked, walking down the hallway towards the Council Chambers.
"I don't see what the big deal is, Master Yo—DAMN IT! Quit hitting me with your stick!"
"One day, hope to knock sense into you, do I," the Jedi Master offered. "And a big deal, this is. None before have done such with the Force, questions need answering." He paused, turning to glare at his charge. "Answers you will provide, yes?" he asked, tapping his cane on the ground.
"Yeah, ye—OW!" Ranma bellowed, hopping on one foot, glaring at his teacher, and wondering why he was still unable to avoid the cursed piece of wood.
"Show respect, you will," Yoda stated, his voice hard. "Know your opinions of the Council Members, I do. Be kind, be respectful, and be different from who you act in public."
Sighing, Ranma put a hand to his head, taking in a deep breath, and mentally enforcing his calm with every trick he knew. "Easier it would be, if hit me, you did not," Ranma offered with a smile.
WHACK!
"Talk normal," Yoda smirked as Ranma held his head.
"… I'm going to get that cane from you one day, and enjoy burning it to ash," Ranma growled.
Yoda continued to smile. "Even if a Jedi Grandmater you become, take this from me, you never will," the diminutive Jedi stated, before turning around. "Come, see we must, if you will even be a Padawan after today."
Ranma just shook his head. "Man, I don't see what the big deal is."
"He did … what?" asked Council Member M'Doli.
"Heard me correctly, you did," Yoda stated.
Council Member Taru, a Twi'lek, could only stare at the image in front of them all, as the planet rotated, nowhere near what it had been. "And you did this … why?" he asked.
Ranma shrugged. "They asked me to."
"And how many 'asked you to'?" asked M'Doli.
"One hundred and eighty five."
"So, a small number of the planet's population, asked you to help them, so you decided to use the Force and completely change Ryloth into … this?" Taru asked, pointing at the image that no longer resembled his people's homeworld. Aside from the fact that it no longer appeared tidal-locked, it also seemed to have developed a landscape mixing the old hemispheres with greenery, oceans, and developing ice caps.
"Well, it wasn't exactly the Force," Ranma offered, scratching the back of his head. "I did use it to communicate with the planet, find out how to make it all work, before I merged with the Ley Lines and did it. The hard part was getting the water. Finding the right mix of organic plant life to go with the crystal plants was the easy part."
Council Member Nara already had three of her four hands rubbing her forehead to stave off a headache. "Do you have any idea the resources that will be needed to correct what you have done, the lives displaced?"
"None."
"None?" she asked.
"Hell, if I was able to get it rotating again with the crust being torn apart by new forces, did you think I'd just leave them without an option?" he asked. "I simply relocated their population centers towards the temperate zones."
"You … moved entire cities?" asked Council Member Opalli, staring in shock.
Ranma just nodded and smiled.
"… I knew I should have retired last week," Opalli muttered.
Ranma just shrugged. That seemed to be the general thought with all the leaders he dealt with.
"All right, let's start from the beginning," Nara muttered, before calling up a small screen beside her. It looked like the Council would be hitting the liquor stores hard tonight.
New Loop #7:
Some say there is a war—metaphysical, at least, between the forces of chaos and order. Order wishes things to remain the way they are, chaos wishes for things to constantly change.
Order brings us laws, peace, and constants of the universe that allows science to do what it does.
Chaos creates the events that spark evolution, creates the challenges for us to rise to.
Wiping his mouth, Ranma growled. There was one other constant, a constant between Order and Chaos.
When they met, it usually is followed by a fight.
"That's the only one you get, Fate," Ranma growled, looking at the golden-helmet covering the face of Nabu's newest host.
"You should not be here, Being of Chaos," the dual-voice boomed.
"Hey!" cried out Klarion, the Witch Boy.
Fate glared at the boy. "You are nothing compared to the chaos of … HIM!"
"Told ya!" Ranma smirked at the growling magic boy … and his little cat too! He was half-tempted to let Ranneko out, just for them to settle who had the better cat at their side.
But … he had to deal with a very possessive spirit. "Now, listen, we all know the drill," Ranma started. "You call me out, I pwn your ass, rinse, and repeat," Ranma stated. "Mainly, this works because I'm older than you, and unlike any host you ever get, I can channel my powers without burning out, at the needed level."
Nabu/Fate said nothing, glaring at his declared foe … even with Klarion nearby.
"Don't be like that!" Ranma called out. "Not your fault you can't plan ahead," he finished, before scratching his head. "Can't plan ahead, pretty stupid flaw for a supposed master of Order," he mumbled.
Fate heard him, the glow of power increasing.
"Wow, that pissed you off, shocker," Ranma sighed.
"Um, what's going on?" asked Kid Flash.
"I too, find myself curious," replied the dark skinned Aqualad.
Ranma just waved them off. "Argument as old as time," he spoke, before glaring at the current form of Fate.
"Now," he spoke, "normally, I'd beat the crap out of your host, and then knock your helmet around for shits and giggles," he commented. Actually, depending on how Fate asked, Ranma could and would use the helmet for … less sanitary things as well.
In his defense, a being of Order should not start breaking out the 'Yo mama' jokes.
"You know, even I share me time with what's inside me," Ranma replied. "How many times do you let your hosts have their own voice?" he asked with a smirk. "Complete domination, such a thing leads to … chaos…
"You sure you're a being of Order?" Ranma asked.
After what happened, the Justice League created a new rule, one listed as Rule #1 and in some cases, Rule #0—so you had to consider if before all else!
Ranma and any being calling itself Dr. Fate were to be kept as far away from each other as possible.
The pigtailed Looper just felt it was unfair that he had to personally repay the loss of Roanoke Island by himself, while Dr. Fate couldn't chip in a single penny.
New Loop #8:
"Here you go, Akane," Ranma stated, entering the dining room for the Tendo house, and handing the youngest Tendo child—physically, not mentally, as that belonged to Soun Tendo ninety-five percent of the time.
"P-chan!" Akane cried, hugging her precious piglet to her chest. Holding him at arm's length, her eyes narrowed. "Hey! He still has that Charlotte collar on!"
"Oh yeah," Ranma mumbled, before pulling out a key from his pocket. "There you go," he finished, tossing it to her. "Felt you might want to do the honors yourself."
"And just how did you get P-chan away from Azusa Shiratori?" Nabiki asked. "She didn't seem like the type to give up on her precious Charlotte." Of course, it went unsaid by her that if Saotome had simply swiped the piglet, then Nabiki could make a nice bit of change reporting to the distraught kleptomaniac about said piglet's location.
Ranma's eyes seemed to darken. "Best you don't know," he muttered, turning a gaze upon Nabiki that she felt was far superior to her father's Demon Head. "The less you know, the less you can be called to testify for."
That got the attention of all the assembled at the table.
"Son," Genma started, worried that if the Law came looking for Ranma, they may notice a few of his … minor legal misunderstandings, "just how did you reacquire your fiancée's pet?"
"Like I said," Ranma muttered darkly, "you don't want to know."
"I do!" Soun stated.
"No… No, you don't," Ranma stated gravely.
Kasumi just tilted her head. "You didn't wear that outfit out of here this morning, Ranma-kun," she replied in her usual tone, somehow ignoring the creepy aura he was projecting. "Did something happen to your clothes?"
"Yeah, they had … something spilled on them, couldn't be saved," he stated, grabbing a cup and filling it with tea. "Best to throw them out … away from here and have them burned."
P-chan/Ryoga, who had just begun to awaken in Akane's arms, looked about, wondering how he had escaped the dreaded Pink Skating Menace. Having heard some of Ranma's tale, even he was beginning to suspect the worst.
… Okay, he always suspected the worst with Ranma, but now said suspect was beginning to grow darker.
"Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Let's just say she got what she needed that no one else would apparently give her, the Golden Pair isn't likely to attend another match in its current incarnation, and that she will never steal another thing … again," he replied, taking a sip of his tea. "Lovely as ever, Kasumi."
"Why thank you," she replied. It was so nice of him to thank her—not that he family ever did anymore—even if he had horribly murdered that poor girl to rescue Akane's pet pig that she had yet to register and have fixed … unless she was planning to breed him.
As everyone scooted slightly away from him, Ranma hid a smirk. It had all gone according to plan.
In her bedroom, barely covered by a sheet that should she be found, would keep their view more PG than R—if only because the sheet wasn't white—laid one Azusa Shiratori, her vacant eyes staring at the ceiling.
Then … they blinked.
"Oh," she muttered, slowly blinking her eyes as reality came back into focus for her. Turning her head, she tried to look for the one who had done this to her.
But as he had stated … he was gone.
"Damn," Azusa muttered, slowly sitting up, wincing slightly at the tired pain in her lower region. Just as he promised, he had given her something very precious, so much so, it could never be taken from her unless time did so.
A woman's first time…
She could only smile, recalling many tales of such events from the few females she associated with. Their tales were often quickly over, with sad endings, and if they were lucky, no trips for any medical reasons.
Not his…
No, she had been overcome by the pleasure delivered, far beyond her hopes, far beyond what her 'partner' would have delivered if ever given the chance.
"I had hoped I could keep him here," she purred, being careful as she edged towards the floor. Men like that… No sane woman would let him leave her bed.
But only now did she feel sane, after looking back on how she acted.
I will show you a path you never considered. That will be my payment to you for the piglet.
Well, he did, at least, that was her opinion, as she slowly made her way tiredly towards the furo.
After she was finally soaking, giving aching areas a chance to relax, she stared at the ceiling … and reflected.
Her partner had to go, that was certain. The phrase, 'he doth protest too much', came to mind, and she supposed it could fit with him.
Her actions… How had she stayed out of the hands of the Law for so long? Not her parents—always traveling. Hmm, perhaps she should look into that.
"Ranma Saotome," she muttered, making promises to change her 'vault' as it were, tossing out her ill-gotten gains or returning them. "Yes, I only have one precious to pursue now."
After all, a grand fool would let him go without trying to get him to return to her bed. She only wished she hadn't torn his clothes like that. Now that would have been something worthy to keep in her vault.
After all, it was rare for a female nowadays to have a memento from her first time to truly treasure, especially if he had actually cared for her pleasure first.
I must remember to check with our lawyers about whether or not we have a deal with the Saotome clan…
And if not … what will it take to get such…
In mind, no longer, was she a spoiled child.
New Loop #9:
Akane just glared at Ranma. Nothing new there.
The rest of the table was ignoring it. Also nothing new there.
Kasumi, however, was much too polite to ignore the oddity while handing out the breakfast meal. "Would your friend like some food, Ranma-kun?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes, please!" Ranma stated, absent-mindedly deflecting several attacks by his father on his own meal.
"Why is she even here!?" Akane growled out.
"I was invited," Kodachi stated beside Ranma, eating quietly.
"She attacked me!"
"And I apologized," Kodachi calmly replied once more.
Nabiki just stared at the youngest Kuno—unless their father had been up to some stuff on his 'extended vacation'. "Excuse me, but you're acting nothing like expected."
"Oh?" Kodachi stated. "That is because I made a great friend."
Ranma nodded. "She just needed to talk out some issues, a hug or two," he waved off. "Really, she's much better now."
"I believe the term is that I have 'found my happy place'," Kodachi offered.
Nabiki just arched her eyebrow, wondering exactly what drugs Saotome had given the Kuno heiress … and how she could get them to sell to the other students.
"WAAA~AAAAH!" cried Soun. "My future son-in-law is cheating on my innocent maiden!"
Ranma was so tempted to point out he wasn't engaged to Kasumi and that Nabiki was hardly innocent, Akane hardly a maiden, but held his tongue.
Frankly, he wanted them to crack under the pressure of dealing with a kind, sane Kuno. And honestly, he really had only talked and hugged Kodachi.
I wonder if hug-therapy would help Akane… he thought, before looking her way … and seeing her glare. On second thought, maybe I should study the drugs-option first…
New Loop #10:
Akane smiled. This was the moment she had been waiting for!
As the Hentai Horde charged her, she smirked, jumping into the air … and to the shock of the students, stayed there.
With a scream, her hair turned bright yellow as did the battle aura she created. "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME!?" she yelled out.
One by one, the horde dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Akane sneered. "Is my power too much for you?" she growled out.
"Akane?"
Blinking, she looked beside her, spotting her sister. "Nabiki?"
"They didn't pass out because of the … girth of your power," Nabiki chuckled. "They passed out because you are flying, and forgot to wear gym shorts to cover your panties, Little Sister."
Blinking before her eyes went wide, Akane eeped, and looked back down at the unconscious students, now noticing the blood dripping from their noses.
"ECCHI BAKA!" she cried out, ki gathering in her hands.
BOOM!
"Oh dear," Kasumi said, hair blowing in the wind of her now blue aura, as she turned back towards her father.
"Anyway, Father, as I was saying, you need to return to teaching … now."
Soun's mouth just flopped open and closed, trying to understand his daughter's new attitude … as well as understand both when she could generate a battle aura … and when did she dye her hair such a blue color.
"You have wallowed in your grief for too long," the Super Saiyajin Goddess stated. "Now get back to work, before I … get upset.
"And you won't like me when I'm upset, Father."
"Yes, Saotome," Nabiki said into her phone, as she looked at the pit where Furinkan had once been. "She did that, so we need you to bring out Bob and wish it all back, before Little Sister goes away for murder."
Sighing, she turned to her frozen sister. "Seriously, Akane, no nuking perverts!"