Ryouga nodded in agreement. "If we move in force we should be able to take out any of the thugs your grandfather hired."
Suteko nodded. "Just let me get into the compound and take out those cameras or this will be a really short trip."
The others agreed and they headed off. There wasn't much to say on this. They all knew just how difficult this rescue would be. But they were more cautious this time. They had all been humbled a bit from the ease of their capture and the fact that they had to be rescued. As Suteko ran along side her brother she felt a twinge in the place that Ito had broken her collar bone. She knew that he wanted revenge. She had carefully kept the letters that showed up from nowhere in her backpack from Ranma and the rest. Ito had been keeping an eye on the group. He noted each of their battles or accomplishments in those letters. She knew he was taunting her. She shook herself out of her thoughts as they neared the compound. She looked about at the team and saw the slight hesitation in each of the members, even her overly brash brother.
"Okay everyone. I'll have that gate open in a jiff." She stepped and disappeared from sight, leaping to the top of the wall and then looked about. She could just hear her brother's quiet comment.
"Careful sis."
Suteko looked out across the compund yard and was puzzled. There were no guards this afternoon but they had no time to really worry about that. Ito had his men somewhere she was sure, she just hoped they could get through to where Hanzou was being held. She jumped down and slid back the bar keeping the gate closed and waved for the others in get inside.
The seven teenagers dashed across the compound, sticking to the shadows. They kept their eyes peeled for any movement and they all stopped in shock as they saw a body fly out of a window and land in the compounds main fountain with a large splash.
Suteko, not sure why, ran to the fountain and reached down to help the soaked figure when her eyes came in contact with her mother's matching green eyes. She pulled back her hand like she had just been burned. "So, Mother, have a little falling out with your friends?"
The other teenagers stood in shock. Ranma took a step forwad but was stopped by both Akane and Ukyo's hands on his arms. Akane whispered to him. "Let her deal with this, Ranma. It is important."
Atsuko looked up at her daughter from under her dripping hair. At first her heart leapt with joy to see her daughter so close to her but within a moment fear replaced the joy. "You have to get out of here. He knows you are coming for the winged boy." She scrambled out of the fountain and reached out to take her daughter's arm. She almost fell back into the fountain as Suteko's staff came flashing down from nowhere.
Suteko's voice was harsh but her eyes were wet from tears she wasn't going to shed. "We know that, Mother.."
Shampoo watched the little scene with cold eyes. She whispered to Ukyo, "If woman of Amazon tribe do what she did, daughter would kill, not talk to."
Ukyo glared at Shampoo. "Remember we are not in China now. And remember Suteko is an American." Shampoo just shrugged.
Mousse stood just behind Shampoo, and like most if the rest he was paying attention to the interplay between mother and daughter. For once he agreed totally with the Amazon law. The woman did not deserve to be trusted.
Ryouga on the other hand was looking about and he saw a face in one of the windows above. He broke the tableau with a harsh whisper. "No time for this. We are being watched."
Suteko shook herself and darted a glance upward. "Damn," she whispered and then swung her eyes back to her mother. "Your master is calling, mother." She spun about, racing toward the house. The others followed her with not a glance for the woman standing next to the fountain.
Ito casually looked outside and smiled a the tableau below him. The children had arrived just on schedule. And from what he could see Atsuko's daughter was not happy with her mother. He was a bit disappointed when the girl purposely missed the woman but things looked good, "hmm just as I foresaw." He turned back to the woman awaiting his orders, "Natsu, you know what to do." The black clad woman smiled and nodded, then silently left the room. Ito turned back to his game, the boy chained to the wall just moaned.
Natsu planted herself in a darkend corner of the hallway, she had plans but they were not what Ito thought they were. With a smile she settled back to wait for the faint footsteps to come closer. "All the pieces are in place now" Natsu thought.
The seven teens entered the house, spreading out in the great hall. The room echoed their light footsteps back at them. After a few moments Suteko nodded to Ranma and once more disappeared. The others gathered about Ranma, waiting.
"Are you sure sister be safe, Airen?" Shampoo whispered.
Ranma nodded, even though inside he knew that she wasn't. Ito once before, Suteko had gone about in that shadowy half world that she had slowly been teaching him to access, in this house and she had been caught just the same. After a few minutes she stepped back into view, startling everyone but Ranma. She put her hand over Akane's mouth to muffle the surprised squeak. "He isn't in the room you were kept in or the room the rest were."
"Then where?" Asked a concerned Ukyo. Hanzou might be a bit annoying to her but he was family and therefore to be protected.
Suteko debated for a moment and then spoke. "There are two places he could be." She walked over to just below the stairs and looking around for a few moments, her hands searching, she pushed a hidden button. "There is a secret passage here that leads to some 'special' hidden rooms. Most likely he is down here." She waved the others through.
As Ranma moved to take the lead she touched her ear. He nodded and slowed his pace, letting Akane take the lead. The rest of the teens passed them by and then Suteko and Ranma followed, a bit behind. After the teen ahead of them rounded the bend in the hallway, Suteko took her brother's arm and stepped sideways, taking him with her.
"Okay sis, where is he?" Ramna spoke calmly. He had slowly become used to this strange place that his sister stepped into. Sound was muffled in here. Though he hadn't learned how to actually 'step' here once he was there he could function for a time before he reappeared.
"Ito is upstairs in his 'dungeon room'. He knows we are here, obviously." She looked at her brother for a long time before going on. "Ranma, he will use what ever means he can to disable us." She pulled on one of the fixtures on the wall and another door slid open. "Hanzou, his grandfather, everything has been an elabrate trap you know?"
Ranma wasn't sure just what she meant. How could Ukyo's little cousin be part of a trap? "How so, sis? You saying we can't trust Hanzou?"
"NO!" She whispered fiercely. "No, we can trust him. He is very honest." She smiled a little bit. "That kid will grow up to be one of the great ones..." She didn't complete that sentence out loud. "Like you, little brother are destined for greatness." She said that part only inside her own head. She looked about and then started off. "No, if Ito hated his family so much he would have taken them out long ago. His power is not as small as some think. He just bided his time. He makes sure all his plans have some extra added benefit."
Ranma reached out and stopped her. "Sut....when did you discover all this stuff?" He waved a hand about, meaning everything from the secret passages to the information about Ito himself.
Looking a bit ashamed for her deception she told him. "Ranma...those times when you thought I was out on a 'training mission'?" She didn't need to continue.
"You have been sneaking in here, haven't you?" Ranma asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
She nodded. "I knew he would once more try for you and I wanted to make sure we would know in advance."
Ranma's voice dropped low and became fierce. "You could have been caught!"
Suteko shook her head. "You think I came here while HE was in resisdence? I planned my little trips for when he was out of town on business."
Ranma shook for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Sis....you spend way too much time alone."
She just smiled and gestured for them to start off. Ranma followed, wondering just what else his big sister wasn't telling him.
Just as Suteko and Ranma started off once more down the other tunnel was when Akane noticed something wasn't right. She stopped and looked back. Ukyo nearly walked into her back. "What? Why you stopping Akane?"
"Where are Ranma and Suteko?"
"They're right behind..." Ukyo's voice trailed off as she too looked back. "Why those..." her voice became a bit angry.
"Why for spatula girl and violet girl stop?" Shampoo asked, Mousse nodding at her side.
"Because our leaders seemed to have disappeared on us," answered Ryouga quietly. He had noticed that the brother and sister weren't behind them a while ago but he thought he knew why. He didn't agree with them but he understood.
"Why that!" Akane's voice started to rise in volume and Ukyo slapped her hand over Akane's mouth.
"Shhhh! You want everyone to know we are here?"
Akane glared over Ukyo's hand and then took a deep breath, relaxing. A bit surprised Ukyo lowered her hand. "You calm?"
"No, but I know enough to keep my voice down." She glared at the space where Ranma should be. "When I find him I am going to..."
"Leave Airen alone..." Shampoo glared at Akane. "He and sister must have good reason for leaving us behind."
"What would you know, you chinese tramp!" Akane's anger at being left behind needed a focus and Shampoo was the perfect one. She pulled her hammer from the air and Shampoo pulled out her bonboris.
Ukyo rolled her eyes and then stepped between them. "Look you two right now is not the time for a spat."
"SPAT!" The two girls turned their anger toward Ukyo who held up her hands in defense.
"Come on. We are in the middle of a rescue here. I am sure Ran-chan had something in mind when he had us go this way." Ukyo said soothing voice. She just hoped that was true, though a part of her knew that planning wasn't Ranma's strong point. It was Suteko's though.
Natsu stood in the shadows and shook her head. "Can't these children stop argueing for one moment?" She couldn't believe this was the same group from on the tapes that Ito had shown her. "Well time for some fun."
The three girls all fell silent. For different reasons but at least it cooled the auras building. For once Shampoo agreed with Ukyo. It was enough for her that her Ranma might have a plan. As for Akane it was more shock that anyone would think Ranma had some previous plan than agreement with Ukyo. Mousse took the chance to speak into the silence. "We better start moving. It isn't safe to stay in one place."
The rest nodded and Ryouga moved up the column to walk next to Akane. They started down the hallway once more. Even for a house the size of this one the hall they were in seemed long. With no doors to either side it was like it was neverending. The quiet started to get to Akane.
"Strange how we haven't found any guards yet?" Akane said as they ran down the hall.
Akane's attention was more on the left side of the hall than the right. She didn't see the glint of metal but someone else did. Ryouga's eyes widened and he barely knocked her out of the way of a strike with a knife.
"You had say something violent girl" Shampoo chastiesed.
Natsu stept out of the shadows to stand just before the massed teenagers. "Well it seems we have rats in the house." As the teens tensed she lazily assumed a combat stance.
"Where is Hanzou?" Ukyo asked icily, giant spatula in her hands.
Natsu studied the girl for a moment, like she was looking over some annoying insect and then she relaxed out of the battle stance. "I believe you have other problems, beat them and maybe I'll tell you" Natsu replied cheerily.
The group turned around, there before them were 5 guards armed with guns. Mousse reacted quicker than the quards expected and sent his chains to ensare the guns and snatch them away. The sound of them weapons hitting the floor behind him startled everyone.
The guards looked down at their empty hands and then up at the teenagers. Instantly they all dropped into defensive stances and moved apart. As one the guards moved forward. Each attacking a different member of the team.
Though the hallway was not broad it gave enough room to manuever. The man who faced Ryouga was pretty big. He smiled and smashed one fist into the floor, causing a temor to jitter down the hallway. Ryouga on the other hand had learned a bit since his last trip inside the walls of this house. He simply pulled off and launched a bandanna right at his opponent. He nailed him right between the eyes, knocking him senseless. "That wasn't so hard." He looked over toward Akane to see if she needed any help.
Akane at the moment was glowing brightly with her battle aura and her hammer was raised above her head. The same guard from her last visit to this house stood before her. But this time he wasn't so confident. It seemed the girl was a lot meaner. She lit up the hall around her. He watched in horror as the biggest, glowing hammer he had ever seen desended on his skull. He fell like a ton of bricks off a truck.
Uyko found herself matched with a fast moving little man who dodged her thrown mini spatulas. He moved in on her with a sly look not paying attention to the big weapon on her back. Ukyo bounced back a couple of feet and pulled her weapon from her back and with a flick of her wrist, sent it crashing down on his skull. Her opponent stood still for a moment, his eyes crossed and then he crashed to the ground, out cold. She smiled and spun her spatula about. "Well, that was easy."
Shampoo stood next to Mousse and together they swung into action. Shampoo went low and Mousse went high, each taking on one of the two remaining guards. Mousse came down right on top of his opponent, driving him to the ground and wrapping him up with the chains inside his long white sleeves. Shampoo just outright brutalized her opponent, who was quickly put out.
Stepping back out of the shadows, she looked about with a raised brow and crossed arms. "Not bad for children," Natsu joked. "Seems you are as good as they said." Then her expression went from amuzed to serious. "But the game is over." She leapt into the midst of the group and layed about her with blinding speed. She launched a series of jabs, kicks and fients at the surprised teenagers. None of them were prepared for the speed or direction of her attacks. She aimed for blows that were not concidered honorable and had them separated and a bit dazed in moments.
Once she got them separated she attacked Ryouga first. From studying his moves and attacks from the surveilance tapes she knew that he would be the hardest to take out after the Saotome kids. He was strong and had more stamina than any of the others. He had an almost mythical pain tolerance and she had to be sure to stun him fast and knock him out. She went toward him, low and fast, raining blows around his face and shoulders. As Ryouga blocked them she got clo before he could react she brought her knee up into something he usually never thought of having to protect. He let out a woof of air and fell to his knees, clutching himself. She then grabbed him and shoulder threw him into the nearest wall. As his back hit the way there cracks radiated out from the imprint of his body and he slid down the wall, unconscious. She smiled and dusted her hands and then looked back at the surprised teenagers. She shrugged. "I said this was the big time kids."
to be continued
go forward to chapter four, part two
If you want to contact the writers of this story you can reach David here and Lisa here.