Ranma ½ Divine Blood
- Thread starter Thrythlind
- Start date
Do you have to stay to a specific route for this race? Tessa asked?
Naiki took a blow on her back that she couldn't completely dodge and grimaced.
I don't think so, Naiki said. Nothing was said...
Fall back, Tessa suggested.
What? Naiki asked.
Fall back, she repeated. Act like you're giving up and take an alternate route. Leave her with your spell.
Naiki's face scrunched up in confusion as she "listened" to the plan.
"You're wide open, Satomi," Kouta shouted.
As the okonomiyaki martial artist swung the huge spatula forward, Naiki ducked down to the ground and stopped cold, letting Kouta flash right past her.
The chef blinked in confusion herself for a momment, and then shrugged as she had to avoid another piece of debris.
"Giving up on the fun already, sugar?" she asked with a smirk before turning all her attention on moving forward despite the debris.
Behind the other martial artist, Naiki waited for Kouta to pass ahead for a minute or two before leaping off in another direction at driving speed, now free of having to protect her cargo.
Naiki took a blow on her back that she couldn't completely dodge and grimaced.
I don't think so, Naiki said. Nothing was said...
Fall back, Tessa suggested.
What? Naiki asked.
Fall back, she repeated. Act like you're giving up and take an alternate route. Leave her with your spell.
Naiki's face scrunched up in confusion as she "listened" to the plan.
"You're wide open, Satomi," Kouta shouted.
As the okonomiyaki martial artist swung the huge spatula forward, Naiki ducked down to the ground and stopped cold, letting Kouta flash right past her.
The chef blinked in confusion herself for a momment, and then shrugged as she had to avoid another piece of debris.
"Giving up on the fun already, sugar?" she asked with a smirk before turning all her attention on moving forward despite the debris.
Behind the other martial artist, Naiki waited for Kouta to pass ahead for a minute or two before leaping off in another direction at driving speed, now free of having to protect her cargo.
tjalorak said:
Heh. Tessa showing off her tactical skill. Nice partnership. 
Given how fast martial artists tend to move, wouldn't a minute be too long to give to Kouta in the race? Or is this part of the plan to have a scrum near the end of the race?
Given how fast martial artists tend to move, wouldn't a minute be too long to give to Kouta in the race? Or is this part of the plan to have a scrum near the end of the race?
That was in beginning portion of TSR.
Many people forget she designed the sub.
And there is a reason that she is the Skipper of the biggest and meanest sub in the Pacific, no matter how talented an engineer is they would not give them command of such a vessel, their Special Forces crew, and it's Air Group, if she didn't have some really impressive tactical, strategical, multitasking and improvisation abilities.
And there is the fact that the crew loves her, and that means she has previously earned the respect of the best specialist money can buy, from Royal Navy Seamen, to Russian Spetnaz, plus pilots, mercenaries, and her own superiors. Truth to be told, you could make and entire fic of just how she earned her ship and crew.
And there is the fact that the crew loves her, and that means she has previously earned the respect of the best specialist money can buy, from Royal Navy Seamen, to Russian Spetnaz, plus pilots, mercenaries, and her own superiors. Truth to be told, you could make and entire fic of just how she earned her ship and crew.
"Well, they both seem to be making good time now," Naoko noted as she looked from the speck that was Naiki hopping along rooftops, to the clatter of debris that was the demon-cursed Kouta.
"Is your kid a pk?" Ukyou asked, frowning as she watched the debris harass her student.
"That's a way to put it," Ranma said. "So what's the last deal on this race?"
"What are you talking about?" Ukyou asked.
"The last time Sao...Satomi was involved," Mouse noted, "the goal was unaware that he was the goal and they had to trick him into eating it."
"The fact that he was Kuno didn't help," Ranma muttered.
Ukyou shivered.
"Perhaps some research into the history of this event would have been wise," Konatsu noted.
"I think the surprises will be minimal," Mousse noted. "There's a Tendo on the judge panels."
"Yeah, I saw that, but I didn't recognize the given name," Ukyou said. "I figured it was a mistake."
"No, I confirmed it with Kasumi," Mousse said. "The woman is one of her sisters."
"Wait," Ranma said. "Akane Saotome, Nabiki Hibiki, Kasumi Ono. So who's...."
Ranma groaned and slapped a hand to her face.
"Kurumi?" she asked glumly.
"Oh, you know of her as well?" Mousse asked.
****
Naiki and Kouta stopped cold and stared at each other as both became aware of each other.
In that instant, her motion stopped, the spell that was depending on that motion came to a close and the martial-chef was pelted only one more time with assorted debris.
Both martial artists looked across at each other and then toward the building that held their goal.
Somewhere, a guitar played Morricone's masterpiece...
...and both girls zipped across the street toward the house...
"Hold there!" a voice called out.
...and both girls stopped dead in front of a woman wearing a judge's sash.
"First thing first," she said. "Let's make sure your meals are intact."
Naiki and Kouta turned to stare at each other suspiciously as each held their delivery box to the side and opened it up well away from their opponent.
****
"You mean the mystery food bandit from when we were young?" Mousse said.
"The one that ate so fast we couldn't even get a clear look?" Ukyou added.
Konatsu simply shivered.
"Yes," Ranma said dramatically. "By now, it is already too late."
****
"All right, you'r both disqualified," the woman said, smirking as she licked her lips.
"What...?" Naiki said, blinking and looking into her delivery box.
"You...you...JACKASS!" Kouta demanded.
"What kind of race requires you to disqualify yourself?!" Naiki protested.
"Did anybody at the finish line tell you there'd be a judge to check your delivery BEFORE you handed it off?" the woman scoffed. "You need to be prepared to look for deception as well as assault when you're carrying valuables."
"What valuables, this is takeout?!" Naiki protested.
"Speak for yourself," Kouta protested. "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki is a masterpiece not to be stolen by random fake judges!"
"Is your kid a pk?" Ukyou asked, frowning as she watched the debris harass her student.
"That's a way to put it," Ranma said. "So what's the last deal on this race?"
"What are you talking about?" Ukyou asked.
"The last time Sao...Satomi was involved," Mouse noted, "the goal was unaware that he was the goal and they had to trick him into eating it."
"The fact that he was Kuno didn't help," Ranma muttered.
Ukyou shivered.
"Perhaps some research into the history of this event would have been wise," Konatsu noted.
"I think the surprises will be minimal," Mousse noted. "There's a Tendo on the judge panels."
"Yeah, I saw that, but I didn't recognize the given name," Ukyou said. "I figured it was a mistake."
"No, I confirmed it with Kasumi," Mousse said. "The woman is one of her sisters."
"Wait," Ranma said. "Akane Saotome, Nabiki Hibiki, Kasumi Ono. So who's...."
Ranma groaned and slapped a hand to her face.
"Kurumi?" she asked glumly.
"Oh, you know of her as well?" Mousse asked.
****
Naiki and Kouta stopped cold and stared at each other as both became aware of each other.
In that instant, her motion stopped, the spell that was depending on that motion came to a close and the martial-chef was pelted only one more time with assorted debris.
Both martial artists looked across at each other and then toward the building that held their goal.
Somewhere, a guitar played Morricone's masterpiece...
...and both girls zipped across the street toward the house...
"Hold there!" a voice called out.
...and both girls stopped dead in front of a woman wearing a judge's sash.
"First thing first," she said. "Let's make sure your meals are intact."
Naiki and Kouta turned to stare at each other suspiciously as each held their delivery box to the side and opened it up well away from their opponent.
****
"You mean the mystery food bandit from when we were young?" Mousse said.
"The one that ate so fast we couldn't even get a clear look?" Ukyou added.
Konatsu simply shivered.
"Yes," Ranma said dramatically. "By now, it is already too late."
****
"All right, you'r both disqualified," the woman said, smirking as she licked her lips.
"What...?" Naiki said, blinking and looking into her delivery box.
"You...you...JACKASS!" Kouta demanded.
"What kind of race requires you to disqualify yourself?!" Naiki protested.
"Did anybody at the finish line tell you there'd be a judge to check your delivery BEFORE you handed it off?" the woman scoffed. "You need to be prepared to look for deception as well as assault when you're carrying valuables."
"What valuables, this is takeout?!" Naiki protested.
"Speak for yourself," Kouta protested. "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki is a masterpiece not to be stolen by random fake judges!"
Is the debris still kicking around? I have a feeling that this is going to get messy pretty fast. Martial artists or not, I don't think they're ready to deal with an irritated newbie demon. Especially one that (as far as I can tell) hasn't been told what is and isn't impossible yet. Not saying that they couldn't take her- Kurumi's freaking FAST!- just that they don't realize the potential can of worms they're opening.
Nimu Ichi stopped at the edge of the town and looked back at her younger sisters. Yonjuu Ni and Sanya San.
Yonjuu was a tracker with exceptional physical senses, scent, sight and hearing. She also a somewhat larger chest than most of the girls, which tended to get her somewhat teased, especially given the trouble her extra weight gave her in dealing with her acrobatics and gymnastics training.
Sanya was an ogre, pure and simple. She looked as slender and dainty as most the rest of her sisters, but her skin was at the very least bulletproof and she was able to lift dozens of times her own body weight. If they found this intruder that had made off with the Mistess's subject, Sanya was going to be the one to take her down.
Or, at least, that was the plan.
Unfortunately, their opponent's method of travel, which was essentially roof-hopping whether or not their were roofs around, made actually tracking him difficult, even for the front-loaded Yonjuu. The best she'd been able to was give a general guess as to where the young-man was heading.
This village was in the general path, but so were several others along the side that hadn't really panned out.
They'd have to be lucky to catch sight of the intruder now. He'd have to have lingered for the several hours they'd taken checking the other villages in his probable path. And that was just stupid.
"Ooo, a festival!" Sanya said, pointing.
"We're not here for games," Nimu snapped in response.
"But we should check the festival anyway," Yonjuu noted. "They're probably not there, but if they are and we miss them, the Mistress will...be upset."
Nimu grimaced at the thinnly veiled, but very truthful excuse.
"Fine, we'll make a circuit of the festival," Nimu said.
Yonjuu was a tracker with exceptional physical senses, scent, sight and hearing. She also a somewhat larger chest than most of the girls, which tended to get her somewhat teased, especially given the trouble her extra weight gave her in dealing with her acrobatics and gymnastics training.
Sanya was an ogre, pure and simple. She looked as slender and dainty as most the rest of her sisters, but her skin was at the very least bulletproof and she was able to lift dozens of times her own body weight. If they found this intruder that had made off with the Mistess's subject, Sanya was going to be the one to take her down.
Or, at least, that was the plan.
Unfortunately, their opponent's method of travel, which was essentially roof-hopping whether or not their were roofs around, made actually tracking him difficult, even for the front-loaded Yonjuu. The best she'd been able to was give a general guess as to where the young-man was heading.
This village was in the general path, but so were several others along the side that hadn't really panned out.
They'd have to be lucky to catch sight of the intruder now. He'd have to have lingered for the several hours they'd taken checking the other villages in his probable path. And that was just stupid.
"Ooo, a festival!" Sanya said, pointing.
"We're not here for games," Nimu snapped in response.
"But we should check the festival anyway," Yonjuu noted. "They're probably not there, but if they are and we miss them, the Mistress will...be upset."
Nimu grimaced at the thinnly veiled, but very truthful excuse.
"Fine, we'll make a circuit of the festival," Nimu said.
ôHello there, young man,ö the barker said as he jumped out in front of Deimosu and Yaku. ôWouldnÆt you want to try you hand at the ring toss, see if you can win a toy for your little brother here?ö
ôBroàö Yaku started to say inquisitively before Deimosu gestured for her to quiet down.
Deimosu felt more than a little unclean as he took in the artery clogging cholesterol that was embodied in the weasely manÆs smile, but the point of this whole distraction was to give the little girl he was now bringing to Korea with him a bit of normalcy.
ôWhat do you think?ö Deimosu asked. ôDo you want to try?ö
ôHow do you play?ö Yaku asked.
ôWell thatÆs simple, my boy,ö the barker said, snatching up some brightly colored rings.
ôBoy?ö Yaku asked, but she was being ignored now.
ôYou take these rings here and you throw them out there onto those bottles,ö the barker explained. ôThe farther away the bottles and the smaller the rings, the more points you get. The more points you have at the end of a try, the better a prize you can get. But you have to get all your points in one try.ö
He gestured to the side where a number of toys, souvenirs and stuffed animals were displayed.
ôYou get five rings per try,ö the barker continued. ôYou can choose the rings, but you only get five and each try costs a little bit more.ö
ôSmall rings are more points?ö Yaku asked, grabbing some from that pile.
ôBut harder to get to the target,ö the barker explained.
ôCan I try twice?ö the little girl asked Deimosu.
ôYeah, sure,ö he said. ôI think I have enough for that.ö
Nodding firmly as Deimosu paid the barker, Yaku collected her ten rings for her two tries and looked across to note the point values of different toys and other prizes, eyeing a large stuffed dinosaur. Then she looked to the point value legend for the game and made her choices.
Deimosu was rather neutral to the game until Yaku started throwing. The girl had some, obviously undeveloped, agility, but that wasnÆt what caught his eye. Nope, it was the curious off-balance wobble the rings had as they flew through the air. Each one that Yaku threw only made him more and more certain.
The rings were unevenly weighted.
In the end, only two of the girlÆs rings landed around a bottle, and those were each on different ôtriesö as the barker was quick to point out.
The disappointed look on the girlÆs face as she collected the two pieces of candy she could claim as prizes was something Deimosu had expected to see. She wasnÆt trained, so there was no call to expect sheÆd succeed at the game. If it had been a fair game, Deimosu would have given her a third try and some advice.
It hadnÆt been a fair game.
ôLet me have a try,ö Deimosu said with a smirk as he handed over the cost for another game and reached out to grab five of the smallest rings, ignoring the barkerÆs crooked smile.
He shook the ring out and felt something inside the ring shifting. The rings werenÆt just poorly weighted, there was something inside that could slide around making the balance of the ring change in mid flight.
That made things a bit interesting, and he was briefly appreciative for every sack of flour, bag of coins and crate of potatoes that had ever been launched at or by him in every Jackie Chan inspired lunatic training session his mother had every put him through to deal with debris or improvise a weapon.
ôAre you just going to spin them around or...ö
There was a small cracking sound.
There was also the matter of the amaguriken.
ôàthrow them?ö the barker finished, wondering just what that sound had been.
ôI already did,ö Deimosu said, pointing with a smirk on his face.
The barker grimaced in confusion and turned to look out at the bottles and noticed five rings all around the absolute furthest, highest point bottle, still spinning and even seeming to smoke a little.
The manÆs jaw dropped to the floor.
ôSo what does that get us?ö Deimosu asked.
****
ôExcuse me,ö Yonjuu said irritably to the chef handing them their shiskabob. ôWhat are you looking at?ö
ôOh, excuse me, miss,ö the man said quickly as the apparent teenager caught him staring at her ample bosom. ôHereÆs your food.ö
ôWhy does everybody stare at my chest like that?ö Yonjuu asked as she stepped away from the line. ôIsnÆt it rude to remind people of their flaws?ö
ôItÆs just ignorance,ö Nimu noted calmly as she chewed on a piece of beef marinated in honey. ôThey donÆt mean anything by it, Yonjuu.ö
ôNimu-ne-san,ö Yonjuu said in a conspiratorial whisper as Sanya was placing her order. ôI saw an article in a medical magazine recently. Did you know that thereÆs a surgery that you can have to make your chest smaller?ö
ôSurgery?ö Nimu said in surprise. ôSomething so drastic, IÆm sure there are plenty of people that couldàappreciateàyour situation.ö
She gestured weakly toward YonjuuÆs peaks as compared to her elegant and efficient chest. Though, Nimu had to admit, that she wouldnÆt mind having SanyaÆs chest, the girl was almost the epitome of slender grace and sublime beauty.
ôOh please,ö Yonjuu said. ôYouÆve seen it to, the only pictures of big-breasted women belong to semi-mindless harlots that anyone in their right mind would avoid. I donÆt need to be comforted in my deformity.ö
ôYou are not deformed,ö Nimu sighed, shaking her head. ôYouÆre just anàacquired taste.ö
ôHey, a strength test,ö Sanya noted in excitement.
The youngest of the three cut off any further discussion of YonjuuÆs problems by pointing to an elaborate rig with the traditional hammer and a weight meant to be flung by the contestant as high as possible.
ôYou donÆt need to be testing your strength,ö Nimu said, rolling her eyes.
ôYou donÆt want to be trying that rig anyway,ö the chef said. ôTokijo is a cheat, donÆt know quite how, but heÆs definitely a cheat. He lets a few win here and there, but most people fall suspiciously short.ö
Nimu sighed as Sanya smiled widely, eyes glittering like twin polished onyx stones.
ôAll right,ö she said. ôThis is a chance for Sanya San, Pillar of Strength of the San batch to demonstrate to all comers the strength that is hers! Ohhh-hohohohoho!ö
And off she went, marching up to the line for the hammer.
ôWell, at least weÆre blending in to the other festival goers,ö Yonjuu noted with a sigh.
ôA San with a chance to show off doesnÆt blend,ö Nimu noted shaking her head as she followed the younger girl. ôThey scream like a siren.ö
ôAnd when she does that she sounds a good deal too much like Moàö Yonjuu started to agree.
ôDonÆt call her that,ö Nimu growled
ôShe canÆt hear us out here,ö Yonjuu protested.
ôItÆs not a matter of fear,ö Nimu responded firmly. ôItÆs a matter of the respect she deserves.ö
Yonjuu shrugged the matter aside as they proceeded to move to the front of the group of spectators as their sister came to the front of the line.
ôWhatÆs this then?ö the barker asked as the short, slender Sanya walked up to where he held the hammer. ôUh, little girl, this probably isnÆt the best game for you.ö
He spoke with a dismissive laugh as he gestured at her.
ôPlease,ö Sanya said with her own air of derision. ôI so rarely have a chance to truly demonstrate the power in my hands and IÆve been told your contest here is a truly difficult challenge.ö
ôListen, girl,ö the man said with a snicker. ôI can take your money, but youÆre what twelve years old and eighty pounds soaking wet?ö
ôI am fifteen, physically,ö Sanya protested. ôAnd IÆll have you know I weight ninety six pounds! Now, please hand me the hammer and step out of the way.ö
Shaking his head in amused disbelief, the man heaved the hammer up to his shoulder as the girl handed him the money for her try at a swing. Pocketing that, he took the hammer in both hands, rolling his eyes as she reached out with one hand, waiting for the extra-heavy hammer to drag her to the floor with a cutely surprised expression.
Only the girl took it in hand easily and swung it about like a child with a butterfly net.
ôOoo, this is sturdier than I thought itÆd be,ö she said in satisfaction.
That said, Sanya barely noticed the shocked expression on TokijoÆs face as she walked to the rig, playing with the forty-pound hammer like a baton-twirler. Swallowing he cricked his neck and surreptitiously fingered the remote in his pocket. As the girl eyed the target, he turned up the power on the electromagnetic in the base of the rig to the maximum level.
There was no way that that slip of a girl could defeat two tons of electromagnetic force pulling down the ball.
No little freak of a girl was going to make a fool of him.
ôDo you smell ozone?ö Yonjuu asked Nimu.
The much less sensory adept young woman turned to her younger sister with an arched eyebrow.
ôOh, right,ö Yonjuu said as a flash of blonde hair passed the sizeable crowed behind them. ôYou donÆt smell things like I do.ö
ôAll right,ö Sanya declared loudly to the audience. ôNow you shall see why I am known as my sistersÆ pillar of strength. Ohhh-hohohohohohoho!!!ö
And, flipping back her long and unbound black hair, the girl lifted the hammer with a wild expression and then swung it downward with enough force to crater into the stone beneath the rig.
To TokijoÆs eternal shock, the metal marker not only lifted up from the magnet that should have been holding it firm, it rocketed up into the evening air a good twenty feet, only to come down and be caught by the fifteen year old girl that had just demolished his rig.
ôWell, not so challenging after all,ö Sanya said. ôHo, ho ho.ö
That said she handed off the hammer to the shell-shocked barker and ignored it as the weight of the hammer carried him sprawling to the ground, while she walked back to join her sisters, cracking her knuckles as she did so.
ôMmm, that felt good,ö she said.
ôAre we done with the random destruction for now then?ö Nimu asked.
****
Yaku sat on a park bench, holding tightly to the large stuffed shark Deimosu had given to her. She was staring at a giant glass jar while Deimosu was getting them some drinks.
There were a lot of people looking all around the glass jar, with little notepads in hand, or just figuring in the dirt or their heads. Every so often someone would walk off to the side and write down a number in a book and take a ticket in return.
As she watched it, she held up her fingers and closed one eye. More than a few processes had been accelerated in her, some more than others. At least one of those left her hearing a voice occasionally. She shouldnÆt have been hearing it yet, not until her body and brain were more mature, but she hearing it.
The voice taught her things.
Words sometimes, but mostly numbers.
And some of what sheÆd learned from that voice was being used right now as she estimated the diameter and height of jar in front of her. She wasnÆt using any units that a school would recognize, but she was using the same standard for all her measurements and that was all she needed.
The rest of the math was all the same.
And then she was looking at the fruit-flavored skittles in her hand and examining them, her feet kicking back and forth childishly.
ôAll right, hereÆs your soda,ö Deimosu said handing her a fizzy red drink that smelled of sweet things she hadnÆt had before.
ôWhatÆs this?ö she asked.
ôCherry limeade,ö Deimosu said. ôItÆs something from America, I hear.ö
ôMmm,ö she said, taking a long sip. ôCan I go write a number on the list?ö
ôSure,ö Deimosu said, looking over at the booth that was taking guesses for how many skittles were in the big jar, best guess and winner to be announced in a another hour or two.
Coming away from the booth and walking through the festival some more, Yaku watched the colorful dances and entertainments, blinking and restraining the repetitive urge to giggle at some of the sights. Curiously, she was hearing laughter from all around, there was some girl laughing especially loud a little bit ago.
That girl had sounded familiar, actually.
ôDeimosu-san, are you going to be my brother?ö she asked.
He shuffled about uncomfortably.
ôI have to do somethingàdangerous,ö he said. ôDo you know what that means?ö
ôYou might die?ö Yaku asked.
ôDie?ö Deimosu said, surprised the girl jumped to that.
ôThatÆs what they call it when a person breaks and canÆt be fixed,ö the little girl said.
ôRight,ö Deimosu said, embarrassed. ôSo you see, I canÆt take you with me. You might get hurt.ö
ôWhy do you need to do something that could make you die,ö Yaku asked.
Deimosu frowned quietly.
ôSome people hurt my mother,ö the demi-god said. ôI have toàmake sure they donÆt hurt anybody else.ö
That wasnÆt his motivation, though. He wanted revenge, and he had to admit that.
ôI can help,ö the little dark-haired girl said, clutching the shark.
The blonde haired Satomi had to laugh at that.
ôIÆm sure you can kid,ö he responded with a smile.
ôNo, really,ö she said. ôI can make things.ö
ôLetÆs get safe first, then talk about other things,ö the Satomi boy said as he ruffled at YakuÆs hate.
****
ôYou had to place a guess at the jar,ö Nimu noted.
ôIt wasnÆt a guess,ö Yonjuu protested. ôIt was a count.ö
ôHow did you count them?ö Sanya asked. ôAll you did was walk up to the glass and lean over your oversized torso to put your ear against the glass while you knocked on it.ö
ôBe fair, Sanya,ö Nimu said.
ôThank you, Ne-san,ö Yonjuu sai, smoothing out her clothes.
ôRight, sorry,ö Sanya said. ôYou were leaning your side against the glass so your chest wouldnÆt have been in the way, sorry.ö
ôExcuse me, young miss,ö a man said stepping out in front of her. ôA young college-going girl like yourself, out with your younger sisters, should feel right at home in trying their hand at this test of skill and accuracy.ö
Nimu turned to see a large array of bottles and several containers of rings.
ôSkill and accuracy,ö she repeated moving to pick one up and nodding appreciatively at the shifting weight of the ring.
These were well designed throwing rings. The shifting weight, when thrown by an expert such as herself, would result in just that extra bit of impact when it struck. She looked out over the bottles and noticed several rings around the bottles and worked out the nature of the game being presented.
ôI suppose a little practice would be in order,ö Nimu said.
Two minutes later, Nimu had a stuffed godzilla as a flabbergasted barker rambled about how something had happened ôtwice in one day.ö
It had been a while since the Mistress had quit teaching them how to fight. Since most of the other Ichi batch had tried to break free of her. Now they all had to just settle for their powers and experience when she sent them into fights and tasks.
And that had lost Nimu a lot of sisters, older and younger.
But she, herself, still knew a thing or two, and sheÆd been practicing and teaching what she knew, quietly, the sisters she could. Probably why the girls under her had survived so long.
ôEnjoying the festival, Nimu-ne-san?ö Sanya asked the apparent college-girl teasingly.
ôHave you noticed anybody here yet?ö the eldest responded in a deadpan serious tone.
ôThatÆs the NiÆs job,ö the lolita ogre said, pointing to Yonjuu. ôIÆm just here to beat them up when we find them.ö
ôThatÆs a ænoÆ,ö Nimu decided as she turned toward the girl with the strong physical senses. ôHave you noticed anything?ö
ôNot really,ö Yonjuu said. ôThereÆs a lot of fireworks and smoke in the air, hard to get a good scent of anybody in particular. It all just blends into a mess. IÆve been breathing through my mouth most of the time to avoid gagging.ö
ôYou still didnÆt answer the question, Nimu-ne-san,ö Sanya reminded her in a sing-song voice.
ôYes,ö Nimu said glumly. ôIÆm enjoying the festival.ö
ôBroàö Yaku started to say inquisitively before Deimosu gestured for her to quiet down.
Deimosu felt more than a little unclean as he took in the artery clogging cholesterol that was embodied in the weasely manÆs smile, but the point of this whole distraction was to give the little girl he was now bringing to Korea with him a bit of normalcy.
ôWhat do you think?ö Deimosu asked. ôDo you want to try?ö
ôHow do you play?ö Yaku asked.
ôWell thatÆs simple, my boy,ö the barker said, snatching up some brightly colored rings.
ôBoy?ö Yaku asked, but she was being ignored now.
ôYou take these rings here and you throw them out there onto those bottles,ö the barker explained. ôThe farther away the bottles and the smaller the rings, the more points you get. The more points you have at the end of a try, the better a prize you can get. But you have to get all your points in one try.ö
He gestured to the side where a number of toys, souvenirs and stuffed animals were displayed.
ôYou get five rings per try,ö the barker continued. ôYou can choose the rings, but you only get five and each try costs a little bit more.ö
ôSmall rings are more points?ö Yaku asked, grabbing some from that pile.
ôBut harder to get to the target,ö the barker explained.
ôCan I try twice?ö the little girl asked Deimosu.
ôYeah, sure,ö he said. ôI think I have enough for that.ö
Nodding firmly as Deimosu paid the barker, Yaku collected her ten rings for her two tries and looked across to note the point values of different toys and other prizes, eyeing a large stuffed dinosaur. Then she looked to the point value legend for the game and made her choices.
Deimosu was rather neutral to the game until Yaku started throwing. The girl had some, obviously undeveloped, agility, but that wasnÆt what caught his eye. Nope, it was the curious off-balance wobble the rings had as they flew through the air. Each one that Yaku threw only made him more and more certain.
The rings were unevenly weighted.
In the end, only two of the girlÆs rings landed around a bottle, and those were each on different ôtriesö as the barker was quick to point out.
The disappointed look on the girlÆs face as she collected the two pieces of candy she could claim as prizes was something Deimosu had expected to see. She wasnÆt trained, so there was no call to expect sheÆd succeed at the game. If it had been a fair game, Deimosu would have given her a third try and some advice.
It hadnÆt been a fair game.
ôLet me have a try,ö Deimosu said with a smirk as he handed over the cost for another game and reached out to grab five of the smallest rings, ignoring the barkerÆs crooked smile.
He shook the ring out and felt something inside the ring shifting. The rings werenÆt just poorly weighted, there was something inside that could slide around making the balance of the ring change in mid flight.
That made things a bit interesting, and he was briefly appreciative for every sack of flour, bag of coins and crate of potatoes that had ever been launched at or by him in every Jackie Chan inspired lunatic training session his mother had every put him through to deal with debris or improvise a weapon.
ôAre you just going to spin them around or...ö
There was a small cracking sound.
There was also the matter of the amaguriken.
ôàthrow them?ö the barker finished, wondering just what that sound had been.
ôI already did,ö Deimosu said, pointing with a smirk on his face.
The barker grimaced in confusion and turned to look out at the bottles and noticed five rings all around the absolute furthest, highest point bottle, still spinning and even seeming to smoke a little.
The manÆs jaw dropped to the floor.
ôSo what does that get us?ö Deimosu asked.
****
ôExcuse me,ö Yonjuu said irritably to the chef handing them their shiskabob. ôWhat are you looking at?ö
ôOh, excuse me, miss,ö the man said quickly as the apparent teenager caught him staring at her ample bosom. ôHereÆs your food.ö
ôWhy does everybody stare at my chest like that?ö Yonjuu asked as she stepped away from the line. ôIsnÆt it rude to remind people of their flaws?ö
ôItÆs just ignorance,ö Nimu noted calmly as she chewed on a piece of beef marinated in honey. ôThey donÆt mean anything by it, Yonjuu.ö
ôNimu-ne-san,ö Yonjuu said in a conspiratorial whisper as Sanya was placing her order. ôI saw an article in a medical magazine recently. Did you know that thereÆs a surgery that you can have to make your chest smaller?ö
ôSurgery?ö Nimu said in surprise. ôSomething so drastic, IÆm sure there are plenty of people that couldàappreciateàyour situation.ö
She gestured weakly toward YonjuuÆs peaks as compared to her elegant and efficient chest. Though, Nimu had to admit, that she wouldnÆt mind having SanyaÆs chest, the girl was almost the epitome of slender grace and sublime beauty.
ôOh please,ö Yonjuu said. ôYouÆve seen it to, the only pictures of big-breasted women belong to semi-mindless harlots that anyone in their right mind would avoid. I donÆt need to be comforted in my deformity.ö
ôYou are not deformed,ö Nimu sighed, shaking her head. ôYouÆre just anàacquired taste.ö
ôHey, a strength test,ö Sanya noted in excitement.
The youngest of the three cut off any further discussion of YonjuuÆs problems by pointing to an elaborate rig with the traditional hammer and a weight meant to be flung by the contestant as high as possible.
ôYou donÆt need to be testing your strength,ö Nimu said, rolling her eyes.
ôYou donÆt want to be trying that rig anyway,ö the chef said. ôTokijo is a cheat, donÆt know quite how, but heÆs definitely a cheat. He lets a few win here and there, but most people fall suspiciously short.ö
Nimu sighed as Sanya smiled widely, eyes glittering like twin polished onyx stones.
ôAll right,ö she said. ôThis is a chance for Sanya San, Pillar of Strength of the San batch to demonstrate to all comers the strength that is hers! Ohhh-hohohohoho!ö
And off she went, marching up to the line for the hammer.
ôWell, at least weÆre blending in to the other festival goers,ö Yonjuu noted with a sigh.
ôA San with a chance to show off doesnÆt blend,ö Nimu noted shaking her head as she followed the younger girl. ôThey scream like a siren.ö
ôAnd when she does that she sounds a good deal too much like Moàö Yonjuu started to agree.
ôDonÆt call her that,ö Nimu growled
ôShe canÆt hear us out here,ö Yonjuu protested.
ôItÆs not a matter of fear,ö Nimu responded firmly. ôItÆs a matter of the respect she deserves.ö
Yonjuu shrugged the matter aside as they proceeded to move to the front of the group of spectators as their sister came to the front of the line.
ôWhatÆs this then?ö the barker asked as the short, slender Sanya walked up to where he held the hammer. ôUh, little girl, this probably isnÆt the best game for you.ö
He spoke with a dismissive laugh as he gestured at her.
ôPlease,ö Sanya said with her own air of derision. ôI so rarely have a chance to truly demonstrate the power in my hands and IÆve been told your contest here is a truly difficult challenge.ö
ôListen, girl,ö the man said with a snicker. ôI can take your money, but youÆre what twelve years old and eighty pounds soaking wet?ö
ôI am fifteen, physically,ö Sanya protested. ôAnd IÆll have you know I weight ninety six pounds! Now, please hand me the hammer and step out of the way.ö
Shaking his head in amused disbelief, the man heaved the hammer up to his shoulder as the girl handed him the money for her try at a swing. Pocketing that, he took the hammer in both hands, rolling his eyes as she reached out with one hand, waiting for the extra-heavy hammer to drag her to the floor with a cutely surprised expression.
Only the girl took it in hand easily and swung it about like a child with a butterfly net.
ôOoo, this is sturdier than I thought itÆd be,ö she said in satisfaction.
That said, Sanya barely noticed the shocked expression on TokijoÆs face as she walked to the rig, playing with the forty-pound hammer like a baton-twirler. Swallowing he cricked his neck and surreptitiously fingered the remote in his pocket. As the girl eyed the target, he turned up the power on the electromagnetic in the base of the rig to the maximum level.
There was no way that that slip of a girl could defeat two tons of electromagnetic force pulling down the ball.
No little freak of a girl was going to make a fool of him.
ôDo you smell ozone?ö Yonjuu asked Nimu.
The much less sensory adept young woman turned to her younger sister with an arched eyebrow.
ôOh, right,ö Yonjuu said as a flash of blonde hair passed the sizeable crowed behind them. ôYou donÆt smell things like I do.ö
ôAll right,ö Sanya declared loudly to the audience. ôNow you shall see why I am known as my sistersÆ pillar of strength. Ohhh-hohohohohohoho!!!ö
And, flipping back her long and unbound black hair, the girl lifted the hammer with a wild expression and then swung it downward with enough force to crater into the stone beneath the rig.
To TokijoÆs eternal shock, the metal marker not only lifted up from the magnet that should have been holding it firm, it rocketed up into the evening air a good twenty feet, only to come down and be caught by the fifteen year old girl that had just demolished his rig.
ôWell, not so challenging after all,ö Sanya said. ôHo, ho ho.ö
That said she handed off the hammer to the shell-shocked barker and ignored it as the weight of the hammer carried him sprawling to the ground, while she walked back to join her sisters, cracking her knuckles as she did so.
ôMmm, that felt good,ö she said.
ôAre we done with the random destruction for now then?ö Nimu asked.
****
Yaku sat on a park bench, holding tightly to the large stuffed shark Deimosu had given to her. She was staring at a giant glass jar while Deimosu was getting them some drinks.
There were a lot of people looking all around the glass jar, with little notepads in hand, or just figuring in the dirt or their heads. Every so often someone would walk off to the side and write down a number in a book and take a ticket in return.
As she watched it, she held up her fingers and closed one eye. More than a few processes had been accelerated in her, some more than others. At least one of those left her hearing a voice occasionally. She shouldnÆt have been hearing it yet, not until her body and brain were more mature, but she hearing it.
The voice taught her things.
Words sometimes, but mostly numbers.
And some of what sheÆd learned from that voice was being used right now as she estimated the diameter and height of jar in front of her. She wasnÆt using any units that a school would recognize, but she was using the same standard for all her measurements and that was all she needed.
The rest of the math was all the same.
And then she was looking at the fruit-flavored skittles in her hand and examining them, her feet kicking back and forth childishly.
ôAll right, hereÆs your soda,ö Deimosu said handing her a fizzy red drink that smelled of sweet things she hadnÆt had before.
ôWhatÆs this?ö she asked.
ôCherry limeade,ö Deimosu said. ôItÆs something from America, I hear.ö
ôMmm,ö she said, taking a long sip. ôCan I go write a number on the list?ö
ôSure,ö Deimosu said, looking over at the booth that was taking guesses for how many skittles were in the big jar, best guess and winner to be announced in a another hour or two.
Coming away from the booth and walking through the festival some more, Yaku watched the colorful dances and entertainments, blinking and restraining the repetitive urge to giggle at some of the sights. Curiously, she was hearing laughter from all around, there was some girl laughing especially loud a little bit ago.
That girl had sounded familiar, actually.
ôDeimosu-san, are you going to be my brother?ö she asked.
He shuffled about uncomfortably.
ôI have to do somethingàdangerous,ö he said. ôDo you know what that means?ö
ôYou might die?ö Yaku asked.
ôDie?ö Deimosu said, surprised the girl jumped to that.
ôThatÆs what they call it when a person breaks and canÆt be fixed,ö the little girl said.
ôRight,ö Deimosu said, embarrassed. ôSo you see, I canÆt take you with me. You might get hurt.ö
ôWhy do you need to do something that could make you die,ö Yaku asked.
Deimosu frowned quietly.
ôSome people hurt my mother,ö the demi-god said. ôI have toàmake sure they donÆt hurt anybody else.ö
That wasnÆt his motivation, though. He wanted revenge, and he had to admit that.
ôI can help,ö the little dark-haired girl said, clutching the shark.
The blonde haired Satomi had to laugh at that.
ôIÆm sure you can kid,ö he responded with a smile.
ôNo, really,ö she said. ôI can make things.ö
ôLetÆs get safe first, then talk about other things,ö the Satomi boy said as he ruffled at YakuÆs hate.
****
ôYou had to place a guess at the jar,ö Nimu noted.
ôIt wasnÆt a guess,ö Yonjuu protested. ôIt was a count.ö
ôHow did you count them?ö Sanya asked. ôAll you did was walk up to the glass and lean over your oversized torso to put your ear against the glass while you knocked on it.ö
ôBe fair, Sanya,ö Nimu said.
ôThank you, Ne-san,ö Yonjuu sai, smoothing out her clothes.
ôRight, sorry,ö Sanya said. ôYou were leaning your side against the glass so your chest wouldnÆt have been in the way, sorry.ö
ôExcuse me, young miss,ö a man said stepping out in front of her. ôA young college-going girl like yourself, out with your younger sisters, should feel right at home in trying their hand at this test of skill and accuracy.ö
Nimu turned to see a large array of bottles and several containers of rings.
ôSkill and accuracy,ö she repeated moving to pick one up and nodding appreciatively at the shifting weight of the ring.
These were well designed throwing rings. The shifting weight, when thrown by an expert such as herself, would result in just that extra bit of impact when it struck. She looked out over the bottles and noticed several rings around the bottles and worked out the nature of the game being presented.
ôI suppose a little practice would be in order,ö Nimu said.
Two minutes later, Nimu had a stuffed godzilla as a flabbergasted barker rambled about how something had happened ôtwice in one day.ö
It had been a while since the Mistress had quit teaching them how to fight. Since most of the other Ichi batch had tried to break free of her. Now they all had to just settle for their powers and experience when she sent them into fights and tasks.
And that had lost Nimu a lot of sisters, older and younger.
But she, herself, still knew a thing or two, and sheÆd been practicing and teaching what she knew, quietly, the sisters she could. Probably why the girls under her had survived so long.
ôEnjoying the festival, Nimu-ne-san?ö Sanya asked the apparent college-girl teasingly.
ôHave you noticed anybody here yet?ö the eldest responded in a deadpan serious tone.
ôThatÆs the NiÆs job,ö the lolita ogre said, pointing to Yonjuu. ôIÆm just here to beat them up when we find them.ö
ôThatÆs a ænoÆ,ö Nimu decided as she turned toward the girl with the strong physical senses. ôHave you noticed anything?ö
ôNot really,ö Yonjuu said. ôThereÆs a lot of fireworks and smoke in the air, hard to get a good scent of anybody in particular. It all just blends into a mess. IÆve been breathing through my mouth most of the time to avoid gagging.ö
ôYou still didnÆt answer the question, Nimu-ne-san,ö Sanya reminded her in a sing-song voice.
ôYes,ö Nimu said glumly. ôIÆm enjoying the festival.ö
Tokijo wiped his forehead as he looked over his jury-rigged repairs on the strength test and breathed a sigh of relief. At least he'd get a good two or three more hours of operation before the crowds started to thin out.
And here was his first victim coming now.
A blonde gaijin teenager walking through the crowds with a kid who was carrying a big stuffed shark. Obviously he'd already had some luck at the carnival, which meant he'd be ripe to pluck.
"Excuse me, young man," he said, smirking. "Care to test your strength?"
A few minutes later Kojiko watched the blonde guy walk off with his prize and then looked toward his machine and the now clearly shorting out electromagnet. After that he looked toward the festival reps and police officers heading his way.
This was just not his night.
****
"Okay, everybody," a voice called out over the loudspeaker. "We're going to announce the winner of the 'guess how many skittles' contest in the next few minutes so get yourselves over here to find out if your guess is the correct one."
****
On one side of the festival, Yonjuu steepled her fingers together, smirking. I few quiet echos from her knocks on the side of the jar, with her ears against the glass and she had probably the most exact estimate of skittles of anybody.
"Okay, let's get this last thing over with and back on mission," Nimu said.
"What are we going to do with all the prize money?" Yonjuu wondered to herself.
"Is that the prize?" Sanya wondered. "I thought it was the candy."
****
In another area, Yaku simply wondered if her calculations were accurate. She thought they were, but it would have been better if she had another jar to compare it to. Oh well, she thought the numbers were still right, they usually worked well for her.
"What was the prize for that contest anyway?" Deimosu asked her.
"Some money," Yaku said in an aside as if that wasn't overly important.
****
"Okay, after the tally and the count," the cheerful speaker was saying as she waved at the crowd. "We've come to the astonishing conclusion that we have a tie for the most accurate guess."
"What?" Yonjuu said, surprised. "Who's going to be able to match my count?"
"Each of these guesses is an amazing two pieces off in their count. Yonjuu Ni at 3,789,546 and Yaku Go at 3,789,542," the speaker continued.
"I was wrong?" Yaku asked with a expression quite similar to the one she had worn when she missed almost all her ring tosses earlier.
"You were only off by two," Deimosu said. Though he was more concerned with the other name connected to the winning.
"The prize money collected from the booth entry fees will be split between both guessers," the hostess added. "So why don't both parties come up and get their prize money!"
"Well, I suppose it shall have to do," Yonjuu said in disappointment, not paying attention to the name of her competition.
Nimu lingered behind, frowning and eyes narrowed.
"What?" Sanya asked, looking back at their elder sister.
The what came clear as both groups stepped out in the open to collect their money.
"Everybody give them a hand!" the speaker said as both Yonjuu and Yaku started forward.
The three sisters and Deimosu stared across at each other as Yaku quite calmly walked up to the podium.
"Why was I wrong?" she asked the woman at the podium.
"Excuse me?" the woman asked bending down to the little girl.
"You said I was wrong by two," she said. "Why? I counted it all up."
"You're one of the winners?" the woman said.
"Yaku, it means 'benefit' which is something that helps a person," the girl said.
"Wow, you must be very smart!" the woman said, "here's your prize. Isn't this amazing, everybody, what a brilliant child here!"
The camera flashes that followed were the trigger for the action.
Yaku blinked at the cameras, waving a bit innocently as Deimosu moved forward to pick her up and the three sisters darted forward to try and grab her.
The confused event hostess could only blink as the five people left in varying degrees of speed, only to have one of the three teenaged girls return a minute later, grab the other envelope and bow.
"Thank you very much," Yonjuu said.
"Yonjuu, we're going to need you!" the oldest teen girl shouted back.
The girl, trying as much as possible to hide or minimize her generous chest, flashed a victory sign (or perhaps just the number 2) at the cameras and then dashed off.
And here was his first victim coming now.
A blonde gaijin teenager walking through the crowds with a kid who was carrying a big stuffed shark. Obviously he'd already had some luck at the carnival, which meant he'd be ripe to pluck.
"Excuse me, young man," he said, smirking. "Care to test your strength?"
A few minutes later Kojiko watched the blonde guy walk off with his prize and then looked toward his machine and the now clearly shorting out electromagnet. After that he looked toward the festival reps and police officers heading his way.
This was just not his night.
****
"Okay, everybody," a voice called out over the loudspeaker. "We're going to announce the winner of the 'guess how many skittles' contest in the next few minutes so get yourselves over here to find out if your guess is the correct one."
****
On one side of the festival, Yonjuu steepled her fingers together, smirking. I few quiet echos from her knocks on the side of the jar, with her ears against the glass and she had probably the most exact estimate of skittles of anybody.
"Okay, let's get this last thing over with and back on mission," Nimu said.
"What are we going to do with all the prize money?" Yonjuu wondered to herself.
"Is that the prize?" Sanya wondered. "I thought it was the candy."
****
In another area, Yaku simply wondered if her calculations were accurate. She thought they were, but it would have been better if she had another jar to compare it to. Oh well, she thought the numbers were still right, they usually worked well for her.
"What was the prize for that contest anyway?" Deimosu asked her.
"Some money," Yaku said in an aside as if that wasn't overly important.
****
"Okay, after the tally and the count," the cheerful speaker was saying as she waved at the crowd. "We've come to the astonishing conclusion that we have a tie for the most accurate guess."
"What?" Yonjuu said, surprised. "Who's going to be able to match my count?"
"Each of these guesses is an amazing two pieces off in their count. Yonjuu Ni at 3,789,546 and Yaku Go at 3,789,542," the speaker continued.
"I was wrong?" Yaku asked with a expression quite similar to the one she had worn when she missed almost all her ring tosses earlier.
"You were only off by two," Deimosu said. Though he was more concerned with the other name connected to the winning.
"The prize money collected from the booth entry fees will be split between both guessers," the hostess added. "So why don't both parties come up and get their prize money!"
"Well, I suppose it shall have to do," Yonjuu said in disappointment, not paying attention to the name of her competition.
Nimu lingered behind, frowning and eyes narrowed.
"What?" Sanya asked, looking back at their elder sister.
The what came clear as both groups stepped out in the open to collect their money.
"Everybody give them a hand!" the speaker said as both Yonjuu and Yaku started forward.
The three sisters and Deimosu stared across at each other as Yaku quite calmly walked up to the podium.
"Why was I wrong?" she asked the woman at the podium.
"Excuse me?" the woman asked bending down to the little girl.
"You said I was wrong by two," she said. "Why? I counted it all up."
"You're one of the winners?" the woman said.
"Yaku, it means 'benefit' which is something that helps a person," the girl said.
"Wow, you must be very smart!" the woman said, "here's your prize. Isn't this amazing, everybody, what a brilliant child here!"
The camera flashes that followed were the trigger for the action.
Yaku blinked at the cameras, waving a bit innocently as Deimosu moved forward to pick her up and the three sisters darted forward to try and grab her.
The confused event hostess could only blink as the five people left in varying degrees of speed, only to have one of the three teenaged girls return a minute later, grab the other envelope and bow.
"Thank you very much," Yonjuu said.
"Yonjuu, we're going to need you!" the oldest teen girl shouted back.
The girl, trying as much as possible to hide or minimize her generous chest, flashed a victory sign (or perhaps just the number 2) at the cameras and then dashed off.