Family Trees - Chapter 2
A Splash in the Pond



Last Episode: Ranma learned that Genma isn't his
father, and he and Akane are off to meet his mother's
family. Nabiki was visited by Xellos who wants her
and Akane out of the city while certain people are
coming to visit. A elfin girl(??) berates a man about
sending a girl off on a vendetta.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Hmm, there's a lot more to this place than it
looks like there is," Ranma noted.
"Yeah, it feels," she thought about it. "Well it
feels like Nerima actually."
"Really, Akane," Nabiki huffed, trying to keep up
with the other three was becoming rather tiring. 
Nabiki had new respect for Nadoka after all this
climbing. "Do you think there is anywhere that
attracts as much trouble as our little hometown?"
"Yeah, Akane, that's silly," Ranma agreed. 
"Nothing could be as bad as Nerima." A series of
explosions rocked the top of the hill they were
climbing.
"I can't stand it ANY longer!" the shouting voice
drifted in from the end of one explosion. There was a
distinct note of haughtiness to it, similar to
Kodachi's but MUCH softer. "I'll teach you to chase
after MY Tenchi!!"
"Oh why would Tenchi want a stuck up girl like
you?" Several more explosions sounded and faded into
the distance. The Nerimans sweatdropped.
"You were saying," Akane put in, as they continued
up the stairs. They found themselves at the top of
the hill standing before a large, comfortable looking
house.
"Now I suppose we should call at the shrine first,"
Nadoka said, turning away from the house. Akane and
Ranma turned to find more steps and shrugged. Nabiki
facefaulted.
*******************************************************
Six figures found themselves standing on the edge
of a town just in front of what seemed to be a
circular rip in the fabric of time and space.
"How long will that remain open?" one of them
asked, a short man with what seemed to be blue skin. 
The red-head in front of him was much shorter than he
was. She hmphed irritably at the question.
"For us or for them," the red-head jabbed her thumb
at the tall blonde woman standing next to the short
blue-skinned man. Then she jabbed a finger at the
purple-haired man standing next to a tall slim,
black-haired woman with a generous figure and a look
of righteousness on her face. ~Not fair, why can't I
get tall and big like that? Well at least she doesn't
look hideous like her sister did.~
"For all of us, of course," the blue skinned man
answered irritably.
"I think it will be about a month before the gate
turns unstable again," she answered. "Are you certain
she lives around here?"
"Well," the purple haired man started.
"Oh, Xellos's certain all right," the black haired
woman next to them, confirmed. Xellos sweatdropped.
"Well let's go find her then," the sixth person
piped up suddenly, he was a tall, blonde haired man
standing protectively next to the red-headed woman. 
The black haired woman began concentrating and
gathering power.
"What are you doing, Amelia-san?" the blonde woman
asked, curiously. Amelia glanced at Xellos and arched
an eyebrow.
"I'm trying to find MY daughter, of course," she
explained. Xellos sweatdropped again.
"Man, she's angry," the blonde man said.
"Gourry, if I found out that YOU had children
across half the cosmos, I'd be mad too."
"How can you have children across a comma, Lina?"
*SMASH*
*******************************************************
"Excues me, can you tell me the way to the Tendo
dojo?" Ryouga embarrassedly scratched the back of his
head as the pair turned to face him. The girl was
kind of cute, though those pointy ears were weird. 
Then again, he had fangs so who was he to talk. There
was something familiar about the man's weapon, it
looked like a giant fly swatter, though something was
telling him he should recognize it as something else.
"Sorry, never heard of the place," the girl waved
her hand dismissively. "But maybe you could help us?"
"Uh...." Ryouga swallowed. "I'm not certain about
that, what do you need."
"We're looking for a Ranma Saotome." The girl
blinked as Ryouga took on a sudden change.
"Ranma...Saotome!" he growled. "Let me guess, your
father here..." The girl lifted one red leather boot
and slammed it into his foot before he could finish. 
He looked down, and then said in a resigned voice,
"What did you do that for?"
The girl blinked as she tried to figure out why
that hadn't hurt him. She'd smashed toes through
steel plated boots before.
"This baka isn't my father," she snapped irritably.
"He's my husband."
"Leaf, why don't we just go on, he doesn't seem
trustworthy to me." Leaf glared at him out of the
corner of her eyes. Then held her hands out in front
of her and concentrated.
"I call upon the power of the gnomes," she mumured,
as a light grew between her hands and tentacles
erupted from the ground to grab the man. He grabbed
the weapon off his back and started swatting the
things ineffectually. "You're not one to talk about
trustworthy."
"Okay so why are you looking for Ranma Saotome?"
"Because my baka husband here sent our daughter
after him and his father ten years ago while I
was....stuck somewhere."
Ryouga glanced again at the weapon the man was
using to smack the tentacles around his feet.
"Excues me, is that a spatula?"
*******************************************************
*bleep**bleep*
A slim hand reached from underneath the blankets
and cast about for the source of the sound. After
about ten more seconds of incessant bleeping the hand
found the necessary button.
"Hello?" a muffled voice spoke from under the
blankets.
"Detective Kiyone?" There was a stifled growl from
under the blanket. The bed's occupant reminded
herself that THIS was why she bothered with keeping up
the rent on their apartment. Headquarters couldn't
contact them there unless it was an emergency. If it
was an emergency her earring would have been blaring.
"Speaking, make it quick, its really early."
"There have been some inquiries into your
whereabouts."
~Great, just what I need,~ Kiyone thought. ~I
wonder what that's all about.~ "Do you have a name?"
"Let me see here a moment," there was a shuffling
of papers and then the man read a name. The blankets
were silent for a long moment. "Detective?"
"I'm not certain I heard that correctly," Kiyone
said, head coming out from under the blankets as she
turned to face the communicator. It was a blank
screen, she generally left it set to audio only while
she was asleep. "Could you repeat that name?"
"Certainly," the other officer said. Kiyone was
certain she'd heard it correctly this time. She
leaped out of bed and looked about her room. The area
was quite clean compared to Mihoshi's quarters, but
there was certainly room for improvement.
"STALL HER!!! I NEED MORE TIME!!!" Kiyone rushed
about in a cleaning frenzy.
"Detective," the voice on the communication screen
asked. "Is this some criminal coming for you?"
"No! That's my mother!"
*******************************************************
"What? Ranchan is gone?" Ukyou shouted. 
"Is true?" Shampoo demanded. Kasumi nodded,
smiling happily.
"Yes, he and my sisters went to visit his mother's
family."
"Oooo, she's a sneaky one that Nabiki," Ukyou
snarled.
"Pardon?"
"Well, Akane is too rash for this kind of plot,"
Ukyou explained. "But Nabiki on the other hand, get
Akane and my Ranchan off alone together with Ranma's
family. Let her start to feel like part of the family
and then...bang."
"Akane fall in love with Ranma and stupid Airen
marry violent girl," Shampoo growled.
"We have to put a stop to this plot!" a new voice
declared. They turned to see a leotard clad girl
standing on a light post just outside the doorway. "I
will show the pitiful Akane Tendo and her devious
sister that Kodachi, the Black Rose, and the Black
Rose alone, is the one for my beloved Ranma. And
where, pray tell did Ranma leave to?"
"I believe it is a shrine in the country," Kasumi
said. "Wait a moment, I think I have the address." 
Kasumi disappeared into the house.
"You two hussies can leave now," Kodachi informed
them arrogantly. "There is no need of you."
"Crazy girl think she only one get address?"
Shampoo growled. "Shampoo learn address and then she
free airen from violent-girl."
"Are you two out of your gourds," Ukyou laughed. 
"I've got the best chance of us all, he doesn't even
like you two!" Weapons were brandished.
"Hello girls," Soun called out as he walked past
the door.
"Hello Mr. Tendo," all three said cheerfully.
"Now, where were we?" Ukyou said. "Oh yeah that's
right." The dust cloud erupted at that point.
"Ah here's that address," the paper was immediately
snatched out of Kasumi's hand by a ribbon.
"OHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Too slow girls!" 
Kodachi bounced off, Shampoo and Ukyou in pursuit."
"Oh my, I wonder if we should send them a warning."
Kasumi considered it and shrugged, Ranma would be
expecting it.