{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim 
them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and 
may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and 
certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any 
funny stuff!}

                      A Wolf in Samurai's Clothing

                            by Lara Bartram
                            ---------------

Part 4, Chapter 2


	
	Kodachi wasn't sure if she should say. Did she really dislike her 
brother that much? He and Nabiki appeared to be happy together. Did she 
want to ruin things? And after her brother had helped her, been nice to 
her...
	Gosunkugi saw the struggle in Kodachi's eyes. "Tell me," he 
growled, his eyes glowing with angry amber light.
	Kodachi's mouth worked for several seconds, still warring 
internally, before Gosunkugi's influence won. "N... Nabiki Tendo."
	"Well now. Isn't that interesting," Gosunkugi said as the glow in 
his eyes faded. "I've already taken action against her, but I suppose 
she could be useful in other ways now..." Nabiki must've been more 
desperate than he thought if she was lowering herself to be with a 
schmuck like Kuno. Gosunkugi shook his head. "Anyway, you keep a good 
watch on your brother, and I'll be able to concentrate on Ranma."
	"Ranma? What are you going to do to Ranma?" Kodachi asked 
fearfully.
	"I'm just going to kill him and take Akane for myself. Nothing for 
you to concern yourself with." Gosunkugi chuckled evilly when he saw 
Kodachi begin to tremble. "What? You don't want to see Ranma killed?"
	Kodachi shook her head.
	"How foolish. Your happiness is of no concern to me. Now then, I 
will contact you when I want what you know. You are never to mention me, 
and continue on as you would as if I never visited you. Understand?"
	Kodachi nodded. "I understand."
	"Good. You know, I might just decide to keep you around after my 
plans have been fulfilled." Gosunkugi placed his hand on Kodachi's 
cheek. "You are rather lovely." He leaned forward and placed his mouth 
against Kodachi's...
	
	Kasumi found herself unable to sleep. She paced the house quietly, 
listening to the night sounds. Gentle sounds of breathing from her 
father's and Akane's rooms, some considerable snoring from Ranma's and 
his father's room... Nabiki's room, however, was a different story.
	Standing with her ear somewhat to the door, Kasumi could hear the 
two, still asleep, but not soundly. At least one of them was tossing and 
turning, disturbing the other. Kasumi opened the door as silently as she 
could and looked at the bed. There were two figures fighting each other 
for more room in a twin bed.
	Kasumi watched the two tussle in their sleep, smiling gently. If 
only... But no, she had done it again. There was Tofu... Tofu, who she 
had ignored for the last two days. Of course he wouldn't like her if she 
just kept ignoring him, but he... he... Was it so wrong to feel pleasure 
from the things they had done? She was about to close the door and head 
back to her bedroom when a head lifted itself from the mass on the bed.
	"Tatewaki, are you sleeping well?" Kasumi asked in barely a 
whisper, not wanting to wake Nabiki up.
	Kuno shook his head, squinting from the light in the hall shining 
in his face.
	"Join me in some tea then."
	Carefully, Kuno crawled over Nabiki and got out of the bed. The 
fact that he was nude in front of Kasumi made no difference to him. He 
pulled the blanket back over Nabiki, tucking it in around her, then he 
pulled on his pants and left the room with Kasumi.
	The two of them went downstairs and into the kitchen, Kasumi 
immediately heating a kettle of water. Kuno leaned against the counter 
and settled for looking like hell. Kasumi turned after getting the cups 
ready and smiled at him. "Were you having nightmares?"
	Kuno shrugged, then nodded.
	"What were they about?"
	"I am... unsure. Just... something about my sister. She was in 
distress, but I could not help her. And she was asking me to help her... 
but I was unable."
	Kasumi didn't say anything after that. She hadn't had a nightmare 
in... she couldn't think how many years. Though lately she had been 
feeling very unsettled in the house, like she was forgetting something. 
She was still feeling that way, and it got stronger whenever she was 
near Akane's or Nabiki's room. Very strong.
	"Do you intend to marry Nabiki?" she asked to break the oppressive 
silence.
	Kuno looked at her, a bit surprised, but that quickly changed. He 
looked down at his bare feet. "It does not matter. She wants nothing to 
do with me."
	"Then why do you..."
	"You've seen me turn into an animal. The days when I first had 
this... condition, before I was aware of it, women, of all ages, were 
attracted to me. Even while I was horribly scarred and unable to take 
care sufficient care of myself, they thought... they wanted..."
	"Oh my. Why were you scarred?" This was news to her.
	"I was attacked. By a wild beast. It made me the way I am. I 
almost died."
	"I'm sorry. Please continue."
	"Nabiki was caught in the middle of things. Somehow, I chose her 
as my m... m... mate."
	Kasumi looked suitably surprised.
	"I didn't really choose her. It was chosen for us. Neither of us 
knew what was happening. We only knew that we could not..." Was there 
any delicate way to put it? He smiled wryly, with an almost bitter 
humor. "We couldn't keep our hands off each other. I started dreaming 
about her every night."
	Kasumi nodded. She could relate since she had suddenly started 
dreaming about Tofu each night. Not that it was bad...
	Kuno sighed. "My whole life turned upside down that night I was 
attacked. After all that has happened, I wish I had died then."
	Kasumi let out a horrified gasp. "Why?"
	"Because not only my life has been affected. There are so many 
others..."
	"I don't understand." Kasumi removed the kettle full of hot water 
and poured the tea. "Why don't we go outside so we don't disturb 
anyone."
	Kuno nodded, and they headed out to sit on the steps to the yard. 
"Please continue your story, Tatewaki," Kasumi said once they were 
settled.
	He sipped his tea. "Well, Nabiki maintains that I have ruined her 
life, and that, I do not doubt. Then Ranma, and Gosunkugi, all those 
girls, and, I fear, you."
	That got Kasumi. "Me?"
	"Yes. Earlier, your eyes, in the dojo, they were red. Red like 
mine."
	"Red?"
	"Yes, red. Should I demonstrate again?"
	"Demonstrate?"
	Kuno sighed. He supposed he had been just as hesitant to accept 
things. "Then I shall demonstrate. Do not be afraid."
	Kasumi shook her head. "Afraid of what?"
	Kuno looked at Kasumi sternly. "This," he said as the color seemed 
to drain from his eyes and be replaced by red. "There is nothing to be 
afraid of," he said again as he let the change overtake him. There was 
something he was starting to find... pleasurable about the whole 
process.
	Of course, it was impossible to talk to Kasumi after he changed. 
Instead, he simply looked at her. He was pleased to find that he had 
none of the lustful feelings from before, he didn't have any desire to 
tear Kasumi's clothes off. In fact, he didn't feel any urges for Kasumi 
at all, even though the change itself left him wanting a good screw.
	"Oh my, you mean I'm going to turn into that?"
	Kuno shrugged. He could hope she wouldn't, but he knew that she 
would. There just wasn't any other explanation for things.
	Kasumi stood up and help her hands out, preparing to touch Kuno, 
but stopped just short. Was it just another hallucination? Could she be 
that sick? She placed her hands on his chest and ran her hands over his 
fur.
	What was it with women? They always had to run their hands over 
him. If they knew what that did to him, they'd keep their hands off. 
Feeling extremely flustered, Kuno pushed Kasumi away. He couldn't let 
anything happen. It would be bad.
	And that was when Kasumi started to feel it. A tingling in all her 
extremities and strange aching in her chest and head.
	Kuno watched with something between hope and horror as Kasumi went 
through the change he knew so well. First the feet, slowly moving 
upward, Kasumi's body shifting and changing underneath the nightgown. He 
watched the entire process rather dispassionately. If she was to deal 
with it, she would have to learn to accommodate the change and 
eventually control it. There were some things he just couldn't help 
with.
	With barely a squeak of displeasure, the human Kasumi was gone, 
and now, witting down, was one very flustered looking wolf in a tattered 
nightgown. Kasumi looked around confusedly, her ears twitching at the 
bevy of sounds.
	Kuno looked at her appreciatively. He extended his hand to help 
Kasumi to her feet, which she gratefully accepted. In itself, that was 
somewhat strange. He knew she was grateful, but she hadn't expressed it 
in any way. He just knew she was. He also knew Kasumi was very confused 
and concerned.
	Yet, he took his time admiring her as he assisted her. It was what 
his lusting animal mind had been waiting for all this time. Kasumi was 
about five inches shorter than he, covered in a chocolate brown coat of 
fur, her fingers and toes ending in short, but sharp, slightly off-white 
claws. The nightgown was stubbornly hanging off one shoulder, covering 
most of her, but revealing enough to for Kuno to see the smooth, lean 
chest. It wasn't nearly as large as his and absent of any obvious 
breasts, but Kuno found the overall effect very desirable.
	Kasumi looked down at herself then at Kuno. She couldn't quite 
believe it. How could it have happened to her? Kasumi hung her head and 
felt a trickle of hot tears escape. It wouldn't be possible for her to 
take care of the family anymore, and Tofu would be... But hadn't 
Tatewaki said that Nabiki had found him irresistible? And Nabiki knew 
that he turned into a wolf, and she didn't mind. In fact, they... Kasumi 
blushed. Sort of.
	She looked back at Kuno. He was rather... large. And quite 
masculine. Her eyes wandered down from his chest. Maybe she had judged 
Nabiki too quickly. Wait a minute. What was she thinking? She couldn't 
stay like this! But she could barely think straight, her head was 
pounding and she was so hungry, and she ached... Ached...
	Kasumi walked up to Kuno a little unsteadily. She ached in a way a 
proper lady shouldn't. She laid her hands on Kuno's chest and stared up 
at him, her red eyes meeting his. He wasn't responding, so Kasumi did 
the first thing that her body wanted to and licked Kuno's face.
	For Kuno's part, he knew what she wanted most definitely. Some 
sense or smell told him everything he needed to know about Kasumi. But 
the danger, the complications associated with that... He shook his head, 
trying to get Kasumi to back off. Unfortunately, Kasumi was not to be 
denied quite yet, and refused to go away. Kasumi licked him again, and 
Kuno tried to move her hands away, but she was quite persistent.
	Again, Kuno tried to push her away, but Kasumi put her arms around 
him and held on. Struggling, trying not to hurt her, Kuno growled and 
was answered in kind as Kasumi's hold tightened. Kasumi's growl, 
somewhat quiet and unassuming and threatening at the same time, inflamed 
Kuno. But it still didn't feel right to be with Kasumi. Yes, it felt 
good, but it didn't feel right.
	Sensing his indecision, Kasumi forced the issue in her own little 
way. Releasing Kuno, Kasumi dropped to all fours, the nightgown hanging 
off her, and circled Kuno's legs. She rubbed her head against him then 
nosed at his crotch.
	Finally, seeing Kuno's refusal start to fade, Kasumi positioned 
herself in front of him, her rear pointed toward him, tail pointed as 
high into the air as she could manage under the nightgown. She was still 
growling softly, challenging him.
	Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Kuno hunched down 
behind Kasumi and pushed the nightgown up her back, farther, and farther 
still until its mere presence annoyed him. Getting two handfuls of the 
material, Kuno ripped the gown in half and pulled it from Kasumi's body.
	Kasumi turned her head, snarling and growling at Kuno for what he 
had done. Kuno snapped back, the saliva foaming in his mouth. Swiftly 
removing his pants, but careful not to rip them, Kuno dropped to all 
fours behind Kasumi, each of them still growling.
	Kasumi watched Kuno slink around behind her. He was low to the 
ground, almost dragging his chest, his tail snaking back and forth 
menacingly. This was something... new to him. She was beautiful and 
alluring, sleek and powerful. A huntress indeed, but she was not his 
true desire, not his real fantasy... He hated to think of her like so, 
but she was a convenience.
	That thought only cemented what he was about to do. Slowly 
approaching Kasumi from the rear, he was about to raise himself up to 
mount her when he was hit rather unceremoniously in the ass. Kuno 
yelped, his tender testicles receiving a portion of the abuse. Rolling 
to the side, laying on his back, Kuno looked to see Nabiki staring at 
him hatefully, holding Akane's shinai.
	"What the hell are you doing and what did you do to Kasumi?" 
Nabiki asked, waving the shinai threateningly.
	Kuno tried to sit up, but found the pain had spread to his legs 
and stomach. He cringed when Nabiki approached, but she ignored him in 
favor of Kasumi.
	"Kasumi? Kasumi, are you OK?" Nabiki asked quietly, looking in the 
glowing eyes of her sister.
	Kasumi exhaled, everything having been ruined and she still ached. 
She hung her head and nodded. Now what was she going to do? She couldn't 
very well get Ranma with his father in there with him. That thought 
simply disgusted her. Genma... Kasumi shook in a full body denial.
	Kuno, erection long gone, tried to make the pain go away, trying 
to hold himself as still as possible, not caring at all what it he 
looked like in his current position. If he could only get rid of that 
sick feeling in his stomach... He closed his eyes and tried to breathe 
deeply when he felt like he was going to vomit.
	Nabiki had to stop herself from just screaming at Kasumi, "What 
happened to you?" She knew it would only hurt Kasumi, though and simply 
trembled at the sight of her sister. "Kasumi, what did he do to you?" 
she asked instead.
	Kasumi shook her head this time. It obviously hadn't been anything 
he had done. She hadn't even seen Tatewaki until after... The morning in 
the kitchen, going to see Tofu, her horrible behavior... Something had 
happened to her. Something has made her diseased, and she had never even 
known it. Kasumi was suddenly surprised at her reasoning ability.
	Her mind wasn't cluttered with concerns about the household 
chores, her father and Uncle Saotome, her sisters, or how Tofu felt 
about her. Tofu... he would relieve her ache, he wouldn't care what she 
was like. And so, tuning out Nabiki, Kasumi ran through the yard and 
hurdled the wall easily, heading for the clinic.
	Nabiki watched her go, dumbfounded, then turned her attention back 
to Kuno. He was still on the ground, holding his bruised organs. He was 
panting heavily, his tongue hanging out, and his eyes were closed 
tightly. He looked halfway to death. Nabiki felt absolutely no sympathy 
for him considering what he was about to do Kasumi.
	Not totally what he was about to do, but what he had already done. 
How else could Kasumi have contracted the... the disease? Curse? It 
didn't matter, it was obviously Kuno's fault, and that made her just a 
little upset. "Why did you do that to Kasumi?"
	Kuno was still unable to form any sounds, just some feeble 
wheezing. He opened his eyes, stars swirling about, and looked at 
Nabiki. Boy she looked upset, and that shinai didn't look any 
friendlier. Barely managing to roll over, Kuno got to his knees with his 
hands still at his groin, the movement causing fresh pain. He whimpered 
at the lingering hurt, not yet attempting to get to his feet.
	"You better start talking in a hurry, Kuno-chan. Right now I'm 
having a hard time believing just how angry I am at you." Nabiki poked 
him in the chest with the end of the shinai.
	Yeah, she was definitely mad. The pain was beginning to lessen, 
not that he was getting a choice in settling down before he changed... 
He started his transformation as quickly as he could endure, his 
concentration divided heavily between a number of things, the biggest 
distraction being the ache centered on his groin. He didn't notice it at 
the time, but he was getting to the point where it didn't take any 
concentration to change, only a thought to set the process in motion.
	"So now that you can talk," Nabiki said, not stopping for a 
moment, "why don't you tell me what was going on?" She eyed Kuno coldly, 
pointing the shinai at him. "That would be a good idea, don't you 
think?"
	Kuno nodded, the pain slowly fading to a throbbing ache.

***

	Kasumi stood up and knocked on the door. She couldn't just go 
barging into other people's homes after all. So she waited, then knocked 
again. The lights inside stayed off. Getting annoyed, Kasumi knocked 
again, but this time her hand went through the door. She removed her 
hand and growled at the unladylike thing she had done.
	She grabbed the doorknob and yanked on it, removing the entire 
thing from the door. She was happy to see she hadn't damaged the frame. 
Kasumi pushed open the door and walked quietly inside, her eyesight 
almost unaffected by the darkness. Immediately she headed for the stairs 
and went up them as quickly and silently as possible.
	
	Tofu Ono. An intelligent and talented man, but a very sound 
sleeper. He didn't stir at all as the door to his bedroom opened and an 
imposing figure walked in. He didn't stir when the blanket was lifted 
and the figure crawled into bed with him. He did start to wake up when 
his pajamas were removed. Then he really woke up when he was hugged by 
something furry.
	Tofu's first thought was that Mr. Saotome was having an identity 
crisis. Before he could protest, and inexplicable wave of calm overcame 
him. 'How very odd,' Tofu thought. He tried to break free from the 
crushing hold to no avail. So instead, he turned, with great effort, to 
face what was holding him. Tofu found himself face to face with...
	Right away, Kasumi could see the fear in his eyes, and that hurt 
her, but Tofu wasn't making any attempt to escape either. That gave her 
a measure of hope. Kasumi nuzzled Tofu, wishing with all her heart for 
him to realize it was her.
	Tofu was frightened and fascinated. There was no magical aura 
about the creature in front of him, so it couldn't be Jusenkyo or any 
sort of spell. There weren't any pressure points that would change a 
person into an animal... physically. 'A were...' Tofu's thoughts were 
cut off by the gentle touch of silky fur on his lower extremities.
	Then that strange feeling washed through him, the same one that 
had hit him when he was with Kasumi. He closed his eyes as the gentle 
touch returned, not just fur, but a hand this time. "Oh... Kasumi..." 
Tofu groaned.
	Kasumi nuzzled Tofu while still caressing him. The fact that he 
had called her name... He still cared for her. But that didn't mean he 
realized it was her in bed with him. How could she make him see? She had 
stopped the movement of her hand while she pondered the problem.
	"Ka... Kasumi... Don't stop," Tofu said, his eyes still closed.
	Kasumi couldn't take it any longer. With a yelp from Tofu, she 
'convinced' him to relieve her of her aching need.
	
	"You're sure you didn't?" Nabiki asked.
	"Positive. I would never..."
	"I don't care. Kasumi's my main concern right now. And more 
specifically, where she went."
	"I believe she may go... to..."
	"Go where? Spit it out."
	"To... relieve herself." The way she had been coming on to him, 
she probably must have maybe run off to a place she could get what she 
wanted.
	"She went to the bathroom?" Nabiki asked. She had definitely not 
enjoyed being awakened in the middle of the night, then greeted by the 
sight of Kuno and her sister...
	"No! She wanted to fu..." Kuno said exasperated, then quickly 
stopped, realizing what he was about to say. "I believe she needed to 
relieve some... sexual tension." He could feel his face turn bright red.
	"Kasumi... Sex..." Nabiki's eyes glazed over for a moment. "Kasumi 
doesn't have sex!"
	"I was not raping her. And she was... broken already," he answered 
defensively, taking Nabiki's words as an accusation. "I was only 
complying with her wishes."
	"But Kasumi doesn't..."
	"I would suggest that whoever your sister is enamored with is 
about to receive a visitor."
	That seemed to snap Nabiki out of it. "Enamored? Oh no, Dr. Tofu." 
Nabiki has always been able to see that her sister had liked Dr. Tofu. 
Why they hadn't gotten together before, she'd never know. "Well, we have 
to go stop her. Come on."
	"Why?"
	Nabiki stared at him. Kuno was aware that she was still holding 
the shinai. And while he wasn't hanging out in the wind, he hadn't put 
his pants back on, simply laying them across his lap for the time being. 
"Did you just say why?"
	Kuno nodded, trying not to look worried.
	"And why would you say something stupid like that?"
	"Because she is an adult, is she not?"
	Nabiki nodded slowly.
	"It is her choice then. Who am I to say what she may or may not 
do."
	"Cut with the lecture and let's go!" Nabiki was not amused in the 
least by Kuno.
	"I will not." Kuno refused to budge.
	"Let's go," Nabiki growled.
	"No."
	Nabiki glared at Kuno. "Fine, you wait here then."
	"Why do you insist that you must control your sister's life?"
	"Are you joking? Did you see her? She was scared and confused. 
She's obviously not thinking straight."
	"Do you believe I am thinking straight?"
	"As straight as you normally do."
	Kuno frowned. "She knew exactly what she was doing."
	Nabiki stared, then shook her head. "I'm going to find her." She 
began to walk away, determined to find Kasumi.
	"You shall do no such thing," Kuno commanded, suddenly grabbing 
Nabiki from behind. "You shall afford your sister the privacy she 
deserves."
	Nabiki struggled briefly. "Hey, just because I care about my 
sister and you don't..."
	There was silence for two seconds. "My... sister..." Kuno said 
slowly. He felt his heart lurch in his chest. He had left her all alone. 
He released Nabiki, shoving her away slightly. Nabiki was in no danger, 
and neither was Kasumi, but his sister...
	Kuno picked up his discarded pants and put them on. "My clothes," 
he said breathlessly, looking around. Then, waving his hand, he said, 
"Unnecessary. I must attend to my sister."
	Nabiki watched him transform and run out of the yard. She shook 
her head and headed back inside. Her thighs and stomach protested at the 
movement as she started up the stairs. "Idiot," she mumbled slowly 
moving. She wasn't in any shape to go looking for her sister anyway.
	
	Kasumi dropped back to the bed, removing herself from Tofu. She 
laid down next to him and sighed happily. Poor Tofu hadn't really been 
close to satisfying her, but just sharing their bodies had been enough, 
had made her happy. To know that she had made him feel so wonderful, 
that he had made her feel so warm inside, even when he was so small...
	Kasumi pulled Tofu closer to her, feeling and hearing he was 
already asleep from exhaustion. As she drifted off to sleep herself, 
Kasumi felt the tingling in her and wondered what would happen this 
time...
	
	Kuno burst into the house and ran immediately to Kodachi's room. 
He was shaking his head the entire time, and continued to do so even as 
he opened her door. It was so strong, so powerful... It made his stomach 
roil, and it was even stronger in his sister's room.
	He saw Kodachi sleeping in her bed and tip-toed over to it. Kuno's 
entire body shuddered at the stink. Rolling Kodachi over, he scrutinized 
her face, looking for any sort of changes. She appeared safe and normal 
to all his sense, so Kuno reluctantly pulled away.
	Backing away toward the door, Kuno stopped. He closed the door and 
went back to the bed. He wasn't positive that would be able to sleep 
through the stink, but as long as he knew she was safe. Kuno crawled 
into Kodachi's bed and settled in next to her. If he did manage to get 
sleep, he could only hope the dream didn't come back.

***

	Gosunkugi frowned. It wasn't that things were going badly, they 
just weren't going the way he wanted them to. Kuno knew, Ranma wasn't 
dead, he had been forced to deal with Kodachi, and now this. The boy 
Gosunkugi used to be was very upset. He hadn't liked what had happened 
at all, but what was done, was done.
	He looked down at the body, somewhat sadly. The glow surrounded 
his hand for a moment, then faded. Why had his mother forced her way in? 
Why hadn't he been able to stop himself from sending the deadly spikes 
of magic toward her chest? And then his father had come in...
	Gosunkugi sighed sadly. He would definitely have to do things 
quicker than he had originally planned. It was all beginning to slip 
through his fingers.

***

	Kuno woke up later feeling disoriented. That is, until he felt the 
point under his chin, digging into his flesh. That got him instantly 
awake. He laid completely still, waiting to react to the weapon at his 
neck.
	"Brother." The voice was quiet and haunting, almost pained. 
"Brother."
	Was it really Kodachi with a weapon under his chin? Kuno 
whimpered. It couldn't really be her. He refused to believe it.
	"I must... He says I must... I don't want to." Kodachi's hand 
trembled, the knife wavering against Kuno's skin. "I don't want to... He 
says I don't like you..." A tear rolled down Kodachi's cheek.
	Kuno pressed his head back as the knife was pushed forward. He 
could feel the point break his skin and blood ooze out. The way she was 
crouched over him, Kodachi would be able to feel any attempt to throw 
her off, and his arms were partially pinned. There was one option.
	"I don't want to," Kodachi said again. "But Ranma..." She pressed 
the knife forward, sinking the blade into the underside of her brother's 
chin, with no intention of stopping until the steel penetrated his 
brain.
	Kuno whipped his head to the side, the knife tearing through his 
skin, but stopping the slow piercing of it. He let out a pained yelp and 
flung Kodachi off the bed.
	Kodachi let out a startled scream, releasing her hold on the knife 
as she was tossed into the air, and landed hard on the floor. She stood 
up quickly and leapt back on the bed, preparing to finish the deed. She 
was met by her brother's fist and fell unconscious back to the bed.
	Kuno laid on the bed panting, one hand at the tear under his chin, 
blood gushing out, every little move agony. The knife, now laying on the 
bed next to him, had been very sharp, and had ripped through some of the 
muscle in his neck. Thankfully, his windpipe had not been cut, and no 
major veins or arteries had been severed.
	Yet, he was still hurt, still bleeding. And Gosunkugi... he had 
done something to his sister. Gosunkugi had taken over her mind, and it 
was all his fault because he hadn't been there to protect her. No 
matter, once he recovered, he would take care of Gosunkugi, once and for 
all. If he recovered...
	
	She had failed. How stupid of him to let her do something so 
important. He should have waited and handled it himself. He made a sound 
of disgust. All of his plans were quickly turning to shambles, and if he 
didn't do something about it very soon, there was going to be serious 
trouble for everyone.
	Gosunkugi shook his head and started a little practice to try and 
take his mind of things for the moment. Calling forth a small ball of 
fire, he playfully shaped it into the form of a bat. Bats, they seemed 
appropriate for some reason. He opened his hand and the bat rose into 
the air, floating there. Gosunkugi smiled and the bat shifted to take 
the shape of a long, snake-like dragon.
	What would they be able to do against power like that? He knew. 
Nothing.

***

	Kodachi woke up slowly with a throbbing headache. The morning 
light pained her, but she forced herself to sit up. She managed to make 
it into a sitting position, still in her night gown, though it was 
stained... With blood. She looked to her left and saw, to her horror, 
her brother.
	His eyes were half open, but glazed, and he had one hand at his 
throat. Kodachi put one hand over her mouth, thinking he was dead. The 
fact that his neck and chest were covered in dried blood didn't help in 
the least.
	She touched his arm, expecting his skin to be cold and stiff, but 
it was warm. He was alive. And to prove it, his eyes fluttered, then 
opened fully. Kodachi pulled away, afraid of what her brother's reaction 
might be to her.
	"K... Kodachi?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.
	Kodachi didn't move, didn't make a noise.
	Removing his hand from his neck, Kuno sat up, his neck still sore. 
"Kodachi, last night... What..."
	Kodachi suddenly hopped off the bed and ran out of the room.
	Kuno watched her flee the room, then slowly removed himself from 
her bed. He walked out of the room, his legs feeling rubbery and weak, 
and his throat felt like he hadn't anything to drink in weeks.
	He hobbled to the bathroom to clean himself up. Once inside, he 
stripped and began to wash himself. He scrubbed off the dried blood, not 
thinking much of it. The thing was that he couldn't remember changing 
back to his human state. Shortly after he had knocked out Kodachi, he 
had passed out himself, only to regain consciousness this morning.
	Kuno felt his throat, searching for the cut or even a scar. 
Feeling nothing, he sighed and finished washing his body. She he was 
fine, but that didn't make him feel any better about Kodachi. Gosunkugi 
had his hooks in her, and that was something he simply could not allow.
	The thing he was really worried about the most was Kodachi's 
mental state. She hadn't appeared to be under Gosunkugi's control when 
he awakened, but that didn't mean he didn't have power over her still. 
So Gosunkugi had made a cowardly attempt on his life using his own 
sister, who was nearly defenseless against the unearthly powers used by 
the little retch.
	Before he could go running after Gosunkugi, Kuno needed a plan, he 
needed to come up with some strategy. He sank into the bath and began to 
think things over. If Gosunkugi had tried using Kodachi against him, 
then Gosunkugi was either afraid of him, or didn't know his abilities 
and wasn't taking any chances. "Coward," Kuno said quietly.
	
	Tofu woke up after having the strangest, yet most amazing dream. 
Next time, no spicy squid before bed. As awareness returned, he realized 
that he was naked, and that there was someone in bed with him. That was 
strange. He had gone to bed alone...
	He looked over to see Kasumi sleeping peacefully next to him, 
naked as the day she was born. Instead of the blathering he was half-
expecting, he simply brushed away the hair from her face, leaned forward 
and kissed her forehead. Still, how much had been a dream, and how much 
reality?
	Kasumi sighed happily in her sleep and snuggled up to Tofu.
	
	"Did you hear any noise last night, Nabiki?" Akane asked, noting 
the haggard appearance of her sister.
	"Not a peep, Akane," Nabiki answered tiredly. Kuno had worn her 
out physically, and Kasumi had worn her mentally. She didn't have a 
whole lot of energy left for the day ahead.
	Akane looked a little downcast. "Oh. I guess it was just a dream 
then." There were things going on around the house that she really 
wanted to know about. She sat at the table, staring silently at the 
empty bowl in front of her. "Where's Kasumi?" she asked suddenly.
	That seemed to startle Nabiki, though she still didn't look awake. 
"Uh, I don't know, Akane." Nabiki hoped it hadn't been too obvious a 
lie.
	"Oh," Akane said simply, frowning in thought. "I guess I'll have 
to make breakfast and lunch then," she continued, her mood improving. 
Akane stood up and went into the kitchen.
	Nabiki dropped her head to the table and groaned. It was going to 
be one of those days.
	
	The bath seemed to rejuvenate Kuno. His neck was still a bit sore, 
but other than that, he felt good as new. Now to take care of his 
sister. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't trust her either. So 
what was he to do? He didn't trust her enough to turn his back on her, 
but he didn't feel right just leaving her alone. Who knew what else 
Gosunkugi might try when he was gone.
	Dressing quickly for school, Kuno noted he couldn't locate his 
sister anywhere in the house or close by. Maybe she had already went on 
to school, and if that was the case, there wasn't much he could do. He 
hated to just leave things like they were, but... Duty and 
responsibility just didn't want to fit into life's schedule.
	
	Kasumi woke up, smiling gently. She had to go and start breakfast 
and make lunches, otherwise there would be unnecessary arguing about 
Akane's culinary attempts. That's what she thought until she remembered 
what had happened with Kuno and Tofu. "Oh my," she said quietly.
	"Kasumi?"
	Kasumi opened her eyes fully and sat up in the bed. "Tofu?" she 
asked quietly, looking at his concerned face. It was then that she saw 
how truly handsome he was. His smooth, boyish face, kind eyes and mop of 
tousled hair... The broad shoulders and flawless skin... And the only 
way he knew how to act was kindly.
	"Is there something wrong?" he asked, pushing her hair back over 
her shoulder, staring in her eyes.
	"What happened last night?" Kasumi asked with uncertainty.
	"I'm not completely sure. I must have had a very strange dream 
because..."
	Kasumi closed her eyes, missing the rest of what Tofu was saying. 
All she had to do was tell him it wasn't a dream...

***

	"What's your problem?" Nabiki asked when she saw Kuno looking like 
a squirrel before an earthquake. She was still annoyed, but after 
smacking him with the shinai and clipping his jewels, she couldn't stay 
mad. As much as she hated to admit it, he had been right, though she was 
still very worried about Kasumi.
	"My sister," Kuno said in a hushed whisper.
	"Oh yeah, I know she's a problem."
	"No. Last night, she tried to kill me," he said, still whispering.
	"Are you sure? Or are you making things up again?"
	"No! You will listen to me, now!" he boomed, getting the attention 
of everyone within 25 feet.
	"OK, fine. Settle down. Why would your sister want to kill you?" 
Unaffected mostly by his outburst, Nabiki maintained her nonchalant 
attitude.
	"I believe her mind has been affected by Gosunkugi," Kuno 
continued in a whisper.
	"Her mind was affected a long time ago," Nabiki mumbled.
	"Please keep your disparaging remarks about my sister to 
yourself," Kuno said sourly, hearing her words clearly.
	"Yeah, well, sorry." Nabiki shrugged, though she had forgotten 
about his improved hearing. He was taking the whole Gosunkugi thing far 
too seriously. 'Or maybe you're not taking it seriously enough,' a 
little voice told her.
	"But I no longer trust her." Kuno ignored Nabiki's rolling eyes. 
"Now I am unsure of what to do. I must protect her, yet she wishes me 
harm.. What am I to do?"
	"I don't know. Commit her or something." No, Nabiki didn't really 
like Kodachi. Once or twice, she had heard Kuno call his sister's name 
in his sleep, and she hadn't liked that.
	"You are not helping," he said sullenly.
	"So what do you want me to say then?" OK, the conversation was 
starting to get annoying.
	That seemed to deflate Kuno. "I don't know."
	"Maybe you should just let things happen. You're convinced you're 
going to have to deal with Gosunkugi, right?"
	Kuno nodded.
	"Then maybe you should just wait. If he already has control of 
Kodachi, then what do you think would free her?"
	He thought it over for a second, then looked at Nabiki.
	She nodded. "Taking care of Gosunkugi," she said knowingly. She 
had mostly convinced herself that she was humoring him.
	"Your words have wisdom. And while I hesitate to abandon my 
sister, Gosunkugi shall be my first priority." He had a plan now. Sort 
of.
	"And I'm sure you have some sort of half-baked plan that you're 
going to try."
	Kuno started to nod then stopped. "Nonsense! A half-baked plan 
would not befit my skills."
	"Right. So why don't you come over after school and I'll help you 
out." How, she didn't know. Maybe she was still humoring him, but she 
was also feeling just a wee bit horny.
	Kuno looked at her doubtfully. How could she help? Maybe she 
couldn't help with a plan, but there were other things she was good for.
	The two looked at each with amazing cunning. Too bad they were 
thinking the same thing.
	
	Kasumi headed back home with Tofu as her escort. Tofu's amazing 
turn around to sanity when he was near Kasumi prompted very radical 
changes in their relationship together, though Tofu still wasn't sure 
about the strange dream he had. But, finally able to form full sentences 
around Kasumi, he had proposed.
	Kasumi had tearfully accepted, knowing it was the way things were 
meant to be. She would wait to tell him her problem because she knew it 
would not matter to him.
	And now they were heading back to the dojo, in the afternoon sun, 
to make the announcement to everyone. They were both beaming with 
happiness, though Kasumi did look a bit strange in Tofu's gi.

***

	"So where should we begin? Are you just going to barge into his 
house and attack him?" Nabiki asked. She and Kuno were holed up in her 
room, and she looked a bit underdressed for a battle planning session. 
She had slipped on a tank top, her bra straps poorly hidden, and a pair 
of shorts rarely seen by anyone outside her room.
	Kuno had broken out into a heavy sweat when she had changed, 
especially into the shorts. They were short, cut high up the sides and 
made with deep red silk. They contrasted nicely with the cream colored 
tank.
	He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. "I was... I don't 
really remember..."
	Nabiki smiled. She had put one badly formed plan to rest. 'That 
should settle him down until tomorrow,' she thought as she reclined on 
her bed. "So what DID you have in mind then?"
	Kuno appeared to be thinking hard, but in truth, he was hardly 
thinking. Seeing Nabiki in such an alluring ensemble made all rational 
thought impossible, and she knew it. With a sigh of defeat, Kuno sat on 
the bed. "I give up," he said and hung his head.

***

	"That's so beautiful! My little girl!" Soun wailed, tears 
streaming from his eyes.
	Kasumi smiled gently while Tofu looked extremely uncomfortable. 
Akane was smiling, tears shimmering in her eyes, and Ranma appeared 
uninterested. In Kasumi, at least. He was sneaking glances at Akane out 
of the corner of his eye. Genma was holding up a big sign that said , 
'Congratulations!' And in smaller writing, 'When's dinner?'
	"Where's Nabiki?" Soun asked. "She should be here to share this 
moment with us."
	Kasumi listened carefully for a moment and heard Nabiki upstairs 
with Tatewaki. She smiled almost mischievously. They were much closer 
than Nabiki would ever admit. "I don't think she was feeling very well, 
and is resting upstairs. She'll hear about it later, Father."
	"She seems to be sick a lot lately. I hope she's not getting..." 
Soun's voice quavered.
	"Now, now, Father. I'm sure she's fine," Kasumi answered.

***

	The celebration continued, even as the sun dipped toward the 
horizon. Everyone unoccupied at the time was involved in making a 
celebratory dinner for the engaged couple. Akane and Ranma had tried to 
get Kasumi to sit and relax, but she would have none of it and insisted 
on helping.
	
	'Kodachi.'
	Kodachi shook her head, dropping the hoop she had been practicing 
with.
	'Kodachi, in an hour, I want you to go to the Tendo dojo, and 
don't let your brother know where you're going.'
	Kodachi continued to shake her head, yet she knew she couldn't 
resist the order given to her by Gosunkugi. Not that her brother could 
follow her. She hadn't seen him since morning.

***

	Gosunkugi half walked, half floated in the early evening darkness, 
heading for the Tendo's. No more dancing about now. It was time to get 
things rolling, beginning with the easiest target. And there it was now.
	
	Akane was amazed. Dr. Tofu, who had always seemed less than sane 
around her sister, was actually participating in a regular conversation 
with Kasumi right next to him. The two never talked to each other, never 
looked at each other, but they sat close enough to keep in constant 
contact. Akane couldn't help but smile.
	Kasumi smiled at each member of the family present. And yes, Ranma 
and Genma were members of the family, even if she had been rude to Genma 
several times. Past actions didn't matter though. Everyone was smiling 
and happy and laughing. Things were good, if not normal.
	"My, my... Am I interrupting something?"
	The group stopped their celebrating at the sound of the voice. 
Almost as one, their heads turned to see Gosunkugi watching them with a 
nasty smirk on his face. He was glowing with an eerie green aura that 
periodically shifted to purple.
	Kasumi's expression darkened immediately. She didn't like the way 
Gosunkugi smelled at all. It was somewhat stale, and earthy... Like 
someone had just dug up a rotting corpse. Nobody else seemed to even 
notice the smell he was giving off.
	"Well, Ranma Saotome, I think it's time that you realize who your 
superior is," Gosunkugi said confidently. He smiled, showing his fangs.
	Ranma looked at the smaller teen with a completely unworried look 
on his face. "Have you been takin' lesson from Kuno or somethin'?" he 
asked.
	Gosunkugi immediately frowned. "What did you say?" he hissed.
	Ranma stood up slowly. "I said, you sound like Kuno." Ranma tensed 
just a little, enough to make his muscles twitch. "You got a problem 
with that?"
	Gosunkugi snarled, his aura flickering wildly. "Do you dare 
compare me to that buffoon?"
	"Yeah. You two musta been popped outta the same mold. Only, he's 
more of a challenge to fight." Ranma didn't like the look of Gosunkugi's 
aura. It was very powerful, and intensifying. It appeared that somehow, 
Hikaru Gosunkugi had become competent.
	"Ranma Saotome, today will be your end, and Akane Tendo will be 
mine!" the smaller 'boy' raved.
	Ranma spared a quick glance back at everyone. As usual, his father 
and Mr. Tendo were expecting him to take care of everything. Tofu was 
looking at the two of them curiously, Akane looked ready to hit 
something, and Kasumi... Kasumi was actually frowning.
	"I'd like ta see ya try," Ranma answered, smiling cockily.
	"Oh, that I shall. And succeed as well." Gosunkugi raised his 
hands as a sphere of light flickered to life between them.
	Reading his foe's intent, Ranma charged the skinny boy. Even if he 
got hit full force, it was better that no one else did. Of course, it 
was impossible to say what he was going to get hit full force with.
	Fortunately, Gosunkugi wasn't expecting the charge, and before he 
could release his attack, was struck dead in the face by Ranma's fist. 
Even with his enhanced strength, Gosunkugi was still relatively light, 
and flew 15 feet back from the blow.
	Ranma was incensed. "what's wrong with you? Don't you know 
anything about the code?" he yelled. "You coulda killed someone!" Ranma 
had stepped outside and away from the house to prevent anyone from 
really getting injured, because it looked like there was about to be a 
brawl.
	Gosunkugi stood up, brushing some dirt off himself. His face was a 
bit surprised at first, but that soon changed to a smile. He looked at 
Ranma. "I know," he said as his aura intensified.
	
	"What was that?" Nabiki asked, trying to listen. "Did you hear 
something?"
	Kuno, on the other hand, hadn't heard a thing. "I... heard... 
nothing..." he said with some effort.
	"Stop grunting and get off of me!" Nabiki commanded and slapped 
his arm. "I know I heard something. Kind of like shouting."
	Kuno slowed and eventually stopped, rolling off Nabiki and nearly 
passing out on the bed. To have to stop like that... And he had been so 
close.
	It wasn't just disappointment though. There was the purely 
physical pleasure involved that would be satisfied by any woman, but, 
and this was something he never mentioned as he liked all his body parts 
where they were, he also had a driving desire, a need, to impregnate his 
mate. No matter what people thought of him, he wasn't stupid. He knew 
what was happening: the drive for the continuation of the species.
	Sometimes, the feeling would hit him and he would nearly lose 
control of himself with the need to procreate. Or at least the need to 
try. So there he was, shaking with the need, unable to fight the 
feeling. "Nabiki, I..."
	"Sh! I'm trying to listen!" She was up with some clothing in her 
hand.
	"But I..."
	"Sh!" There was a voice that sounded very familiar, but she 
couldn't quite place it.
	Kuno looked at Nabiki, a desperate, pained look on his face. He 
was shaking uncontrollably. Things had never gotten so bad before 
because he had always been able to satisfy his need. This time though... 
"Nabi..." The rest of his speech was garbled as he began to change.
	Nabiki, who had been standing by the door, looked back. "Stop 
that!" she said when she saw his state. She knocked his hands away when 
he got off the bed and tried to grab her. "I said stop it!"
	Kuno shook his head and tried to grab her again, whining the 
entire time.
	"You can't wait?" Nabiki asked. She didn't want it to turn out 
like a few nights ago. She didn't need to feel like that again.
	Shaking his head again, Kuno still had his hands out. He didn't 
want to do anything unpleasant, but he just couldn't help himself.
	If this was how he was going to act... "Fine. But change back. You 
make too much noise otherwise," Nabiki said clinically. She always ended 
up walking funny too.
	Kuno nodded vigorously and changed back quickly.
	
	Everything Ranma was hitting Gosunkugi with was being shrugged 
off. Sure he was bouncing Gosunkugi all over the yard, but nothing 
seemed to hurt him. He just couldn't make anything get to Gosunkugi, and 
he knew he couldn't waste all his energy on moves that didn't accomplish 
anything. Though, he had only tried single moves, or combination 
attacks. Even Kuno got up from those, so maybe he needed to try 
something more severe.
	Ranma tried to set himself up for a kachuu tenshin amaguriken, but 
Gosunkugi seemed to flow like water to the side, and poked him lightly 
in the ribs. The shooting pain that traveled through his body was almost 
unbearable.
	Dropping to one knee, then rolling away, Ranma stood up slowly, 
one hand on his side. The Saotome Super Secret technique was of no use, 
because as soon as he was gone, Akane wouldn't have anyone to protect 
her.
	He limped forward, willing the pain away, and tried an uppercut, 
hoping to just knock Gosunkugi out of the yard. His fist was stopped in 
mid-swing though, caught in the coolly fleshed hand of Gosunkugi. 
Ranma's eyes widened at the show of strength, then he was shoved away 
with very little effort.
	"So this is all the great Ranma Saotome has to offer in defense of 
his life and his fiancee?" Gosunkugi asked, smirking. He hadn't been 
bothered at all by the 'beating'.
	"I don't need..." Akane said indignantly.
	Ranma turned to look at Akane. "Akane, sit down and be quiet," he 
said seriously, almost angrily. "This isn't about you right now."
	Akane stopped in mid-sentence. Ranma had never spoken to her like 
that. It was an ugly tone of voice, filled with worry and warning. She 
closed her mouth and held everything back.
	"OK, Gosunkugi," Ranma said, facing his foe, "I guess I have to 
get serious now." It was time to go beyond the basics.
	
	"There. You're done. Now get off me. It sounded like there was 
fighting." Nabiki shoved Kuno off her, quickly getting dressed after. 
There was shouting, angry words, and the sound of bodies flying. What 
could be going on? "Go out the window and come around the front like you 
just got here," she commanded Kuno as she prepared to leave the room.
	Kuno nodded, feeling very content. What he really wanted was to 
just take a nap and hold Nabiki against him. He closed his eyes, smiling 
faintly as Nabiki left. For a brief moment, he considered just laying 
back down, but that would just annoy Nabiki. She wasn't satisfied with 
anything he ever did.
	Kuno got up, feeling sluggish, but happy, and got dressed. He 
opened the window and climbed out, dropping to the ground easily. Then 
he walked around to the front of the house rather casually. After all, 
it was probably just Ranma and Akane fighting again. They always did 
that.
	
	Nabiki went downstairs and joined the rest of the family. She 
watched slack-jawed for a moment as Gosunkugi and Ranma battled each 
other, fists flying, neither really hurting the other. "What's going 
on?" she whispered to Kasumi.
	Kasumi had trouble answering, she was so mad. How dare this little 
boy come to her home and start fighting with members of her family!
	Nabiki noted the growl Kasumi answered her with and stepped back a 
bit. Apparently there was a break in the fighting and her movement had 
caught Gosunkugi's attention.
	"Well, well," Gosunkugi said, keeping one eye on Ranma and the 
other on Nabiki and Akane. "So it seems the other piece to my plan has 
shown herself."
	"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Ranma asked, breathing 
somewhat heavily. He was going to have to let it all hang out. But that 
was OK; Gosunkugi would never be able to stand against his best moves.
	"After I'm done with you, she'll be what I use to get Kuno." Both 
of Gosunkugi's eyes fixed on Nabiki for a split second.
	Nabiki felt her blood run cold at the stare and his words.
	"But what does my sister have to do with Kuno-sempai?" Akane asked 
cluelessly, still stunned by the fighting prowess Gosunkugi had shown.
	"You don't know? Isn't that humorous." Gosunkugi chuckled. "Akane-
chan, your sister is having a rather heated affair with that idiot." He 
smiled wider seeing the look on Akane's face. "And when he gets angry, 
he turns into a big dog."
	Akane appeared aghast, Nabiki looked horrified, and everyone else 
seemed stunned. Nabiki's face started turning red, but if it was from 
embarrassment or anger, it was impossible to tell which.
	Gosunkugi began laughing. "With that look on your face, maybe I'll 
keep you along with your sister."
	That made Akane's, and even Soun's face twist with anger. "Now 
listen here, young man..." he began, and started to stand up.
	"Sit down, old man!" Gosunkugi roared, Soun dropping back to his 
seat.
	"Come on. Your fight is with me right now," Ranma said, gearing 
up, turning attention to him, away from the people inside.
	Gosunkugi turned back to Ranma. "Quite right. And for my rudeness, 
I'll even afford you the first attack." He smiled condescendingly.
	"Smile at this..." Ranma brought his hands forward, his entire 
body glowed for a split second, then he shouted, "Moko takabisha!"
	The blast flew straight at Gosunkugi, who didn't bother to do 
anything but smile. It struck him square on the chest, then seemed to 
flow around his thin frame, causing massive destruction behind him. He 
never stopped smiling.
	Ranma looked on, amazed. No one had ever been able to just ignore 
his attack like that. Some people could counter it, but never take it 
and not even bother to blink.
	"Not bad," Gosunkugi said, "but I think I can do better."
	Ranma flinched internally at the statement. Conditions just 
weren't right for a hiryu shoten ha, and that seemed to be his last 
hope. He hadn't been able to adapt to a fighting style, because 
Gosunkugi simply didn't have one. And he couldn't seem to hurt his foe 
even when he did get in solid shots.
	"Ranma Sao..." Kuno stopped when he saw who was standing in the 
yard. His gaze darkened and he lowered his head a little as he began to 
growl. "You," he said in a threatening tone.
	This was an unexpected development for Gosunkugi. He wasn't ready 
yet for Kuno, not without Nabiki under his control. But there was still 
Kodachi, and she probably should have been showing up at any second. She 
would do, and all he had to do was threaten Nabiki... "Yes, it is I. And 
you have been a nuisance far too long, you pompous, over-inflated bag of 
wind."
	"You... I will..." Kuno said, enraged.
	"No way," Ranma butted in. "I'm going to take care of him. Kuno, 
you keep outta this."
	"No. For what he's done to Kodachi, I will destroy him." Kuno's 
eyes were glowing with fury, already red. His fists clenched 
spasmodically, but his feet remained in one spot.
	"But Kuno-sempai can't..."
	"Be quiet, Akane!" Ranma said again, backing away slowly. If Kuno 
really wanted to fight Gosunkugi, and he was willing to go that far... 
Who was he to stand in the way of a grudge battle?
	"Ranma, you know..." Akane started to say.
	"Akane, shut up!" Nabiki hissed at her sister.
	Akane's mouth kept moving, but no sound came out.
	Gosunkugi watched Ranma back away and move slowly toward the 
house. So he was letting Kuno have a go. No matter. His eyes slid over 
to settle on Kuno. Where was Kodachi? For several minutes, they only 
glared at each other.
	
	Kasumi and Nabiki were the only ones who seemed to fully 
understand the danger with what was happening. Ranma knew there was 
trouble, but not to what extent. All he could hope was that Kuno didn't 
get his butt kick too quickly.
	"Nabiki, what's..." Akane asked.
	"Sh!" was Nabiki's answer as she moved from the table to get 
closer to the fight. She stood next to Ranma, whose every atom seemed to 
be on edge.
	"Kodachi?" He whispered.
	Nabiki nodded.
	
	"Psychological games?" Gosunkugi finally broke the silence by 
asking. "I wouldn't recommend it. Mental exercises just aren't you 
thing." Gosunkugi wanted to sound a lot more confident than he felt. Why 
he was so nervous about things, he didn't know, but he wanted to be done 
with it all.
	Kuno didn't bother with any answer other than changing quickly to 
a wolf. 'Another shirt,' he thought as he discarded the one he had 
destroyed.
	There was a gasp that he identified as Akane's, a thump that was 
Soun fainting, and an interested 'hm' that must have been Tofu's. 
Gosunkugi's expression hadn't changed.
	"Isn't that cute. If I thought you'd survive, I'd get you a collar 
and doghouse."
	That made Kuno's growling a very audible presence, though he still 
hadn't made a move.
	"Maybe I'll save that for your sister though..." He watched Kuno's 
entire body stiffen, and cast a sidelong glance at Nabiki. "Or maybe 
Nabiki..."
	That did it. Kuno couldn't just stand by any longer. He sprang 
suddenly at the slight target in front of him. He was on Gosunkugi 
before he could act.
	At first, Kuno was a flurry of activity, swinging wildly, letting 
his anger ruin anything constructive he might have been able to do. But 
as he rained ineffective blows down on Gosunkugi, he began to slow. The 
actual pummeling wasn't doing anything at all, and Gosunkugi was still 
smiling.
	As a sort of mutual decision, the two broke, Kuno bouncing back, 
and Gosunkugi rolling to his feet. The next exchange wouldn't involve 
any surprise at all. Gosunkugi quickly gathered a reserve of power and 
began firing orbs of magic at Kuno. They looked innocent enough, a dull 
red color, but their destructive capability was horrific.
	Kuno dodged them easily, as they were fairly slow moving and never 
varied in height, but he made no move at Gosunkugi yet. An assault on 
the house was still a distinct possibility, so he had to move the fight 
away from it somehow.
	Gosunkugi was beginning to see how things would be even more 
difficult that he had originally anticipated. So far, the mangy wolf had 
easily avoided all his attacks with minimal effort, and was now staring 
at him angrily. Damn it! Where was Kodachi?
	Gosunkugi changed tactics slightly. He rose three inches off the 
ground and began moving back and forth quickly, Kuno's eyes following 
his every move. Then tiny fiery, globes began to fly from his hands, 
each one about the size of a lime. They zipped through the air in a 
seemingly random pattern, impossible for Kuno to avoid.
	Gosunkugi's glee at watching Kuno get toasted quickly changed to 
anger as Kuno simply ducked under the wave. Gosunkugi had not learned 
complete control over his magic yet and could not control the direction 
it traveled very well. Straight lines at one height was all he could 
manage.
	Kuno slunk under the orbs, almost crawling on the ground, 
advancing on the angry vampire swiftly. He did not want to feel the 
sting of that magic on his flesh. Looking quickly to the side, he 
affirmed that no one in the house was in any danger, and continued 
forward, a little more quickly.
	Seeing Kuno coming up on him, Gosunkugi changed tactics again, and 
sent a group of what appeared to be snakes of fire along the ground. The 
slithering motion would make them difficult to avoid, even for the most 
nimble-footed. He watched as Kuno skipped and hopped out of the way, 
coming close to being hit several times, but eventually ending up unhurt 
in front of the observers.
	That was when Gosunkugi was alerted to a new presence. Exactly 
what he was waiting for. He could still make things work. "If you think 
that's all I've got," Gosunkugi said, stalling, glaring at Kuno, "then 
I've got a surprise for you." The worried looks on everyone's faces made 
him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Now, if you would," he said 
casually.
	The laugh came from the rooftop and sent chills through everyone. 
"Ranma-sama!" came the voice that made everyone look up.
	Everyone except Gosunkugi and Nabiki. Without a sound, Gosunkugi 
drew upon his entire reserve and released a gout of fire straight at 
Kuno. Cylindrical in shape, the flame resembled a dragon's head, and 
headed unerringly at Kuno until Nabiki threw herself at him.
	She slammed into Kuno, knocking him out of the way as she was 
instead engulfed by Gosunkugi's fire. It seemed that complete silence 
had descended, except for the anguished screams of Nabiki.
	Burning much like the flames that consume newspaper or dry leaves, 
the one consuming her was hot and bright, but not long lasting. The 
magical fire winked out of existence, leaving a vaguely human mass 
behind. It was still breathing for the moment. An ear-splitting howl 
pierced the night air, soon joined by another, as Kasumi, consumed by 
anger and grief, transformed.
	Kodachi dropped lightly to the ground to see what all the fuss was 
over, as she hadn't been able to see very well on the roof.
	"I guess I missed," Gosunkugi said, and shrugged.
	Kuno scrambled to his feet to check on his fallen mate, afraid to 
touch her. He was whining and whimpering, looking at her blackened skin. 
If he hadn't been ill already, the smell would have been enough to make 
him vomit.
	Kasumi, filled with rage, hopped over Tofu, knocked aside Kodachi 
and dove at Gosunkugi. Her left hand penetrated his stomach to her 
wrist, and her right hand closed on his throat, her claws sinking into 
his chalky flesh.
	That brought a cry of surprise from Gosunkugi as he doubled over 
from the gut shot, then was yanked upright by the claws in his neck. 
Kasumi moved around him, tearing his neck a little, and got him in a 
secure hold, his arms pinned to his sides.
	In the meantime, at Tofu's insistence, Kuno had carefully managed 
to get Nabiki inside, where she was being attended as best Tofu could 
manage. Never had he seen someone injured so severely. And to still be 
alive? Unheard of. Unfortunately, it looked like that would not last 
long, not much past morning, even with medical treatment.
	Tofu delicately touched some pressure points to dull the pain, but 
that was all he could do. He looked up at Kuno, then the others, and 
slowly shook his head. "The best I can do is make it hurt less until 
she..."
	Instead of the sorrowful response Tofu was expecting, Kuno looked 
angrier than before. He watched Kuno march out into the yard where 
Kasumi (Kasumi?!) was still holding Gosunkugi tightly. Maybe... maybe it 
hadn't been a dream...
	Ranma, recovering from the events he had just witnessed, stood in 
front of Gosunkugi. He could barely speak the words. "Why? Why'd ya do 
somethin' like this?"
	Gosunkugi merely smiled, his eyes looking back and forth between 
Ranma and the approaching Kuno. He shrugged, and wheezed when Kasumi 
squeezed his throat, sinking her claws in deeper.
	Ranma looked back at Tofu and Nabiki, who was now covered with a 
light blanket. "You can heal her, can't ya?"
	Gosunkugi shrugged, his eyes glittering. He could if he wanted to, 
but why... He could feel his body being crushed as Kasumi strengthened 
her grip yet again.
	Eyes narrowing, Ranma glared at Gosunkugi. He looked back at the 
tear-streaked face of Akane and felt his bubble of self-control begin to 
burst. Before he could act though, Kuno stepped between him and 
Gosunkugi.
	Gosunkugi looked up at Kuno and immediately tried to look away. He 
would not allow himself to be lulled by Kuno's hypnotic gaze, not when 
he had one of his own. Yet... No! It just wasn't possible for that fool 
to be more powerful than him! He struggled, trying to escape the grip 
Kasumi had on his body, and the grip Kuno was trying to get on his mind.
	Slowly, he could feel his will slipping away. Words he wasn't 
saying were coming form his mouth. "Yes, I will heal you all," he 
rasped.
	Kuno nodded at Kasumi, who released Gosunkugi's arms, but did not 
remove her claws from his throat. He could see the dull anger in the 
vampire's eyes and knew the hold he had would not last long.
	Gosunkugi's body seemed to move independently of his will. His 
arms moved in intricate patterns, weaving the spell that would... No! A 
glow surrounded his hands. No! He couldn't allow this to happen! He 
touched Kasumi's arm, and the glow spread to her.
	Kuno watched closely, fascinated. It was actually working! 
Everything would be back to normal! But a sudden shrieking from behind 
him made him whip his head around just as Gosunkugi's hand was reaching 
out...
	"Kill them, Kodachi!" Gosunkugi yelled. The hold had been broken. 
The blue glow faded and turned red.
	Kuno saw his sister stagger toward Tofu and Nabiki, a spiked club 
in one hand, a razor hoop in the other. Her footsteps were heavy, 
plodding. She was still fighting Gosunkugi's commands. Kuno bounded over 
before Kodachi could actually make it inside, spun her around and hit 
her. He never imagined he would hit his sister in such a manner, let 
alone twice.
	
	Kasumi had heard Nabiki shriek, then Gosunkugi's fateful words. 
She had watched his hands change color, the healing blue changing to a 
deadly red. Then Kuno had run off and the only target there was Ranma. 
Too slow to act, she watched Gosunkugi grab Ranma's arm, and the 
sizzling noise... Ranma had yelled and struggled, but could not break 
free.
	The smack and soft thud as Kodachi hit the ground, Ranma soon 
following, Nabiki still screaming... Kasumi couldn't take it any longer. 
Akane had joined in the yelling when she saw Ranma fall, and Gosunkugi's 
hands reached back for Kasumi...
	There was a brief burning sensation on Kasumi's arm, and then she 
jerked away, taking half of Gosunkugi's throat with her. That was it. 
She struck him in the head, driving him to the ground, and began tearing 
into him. She tore at his skin, ripped apart his insides, snapping bones 
and crushing organs.
	Finally, she grasped what was left of Gosunkugi's neck and 
squeezed. The spine was pulverized, and she could feel the cord squish 
between her fingers. Even then, she didn't stop ripping at his remains 
until all that was left was a great gory smear in the yard.
	Kasumi stopped and suddenly sat down. Everything that had happened 
toppled down on her. Her body shuddered, and she fell unconscious.

***

	Tofu averted his gaze from the huge wolfen creature and left the 
room. There was nothing more he could do, nothing anyone could do. He 
shut the door after himself.
	Kuno looked down at the figure on the bed. She was very still, but 
breathing shallowly. Tofu had been right; she would not last much 
longer. And it had all been his fault. If he hadn't been so pompous and 
insistent... He kneeled by the bed and laid his head on it. He would 
wait there until the end.
	By either a miracle, or some sort of hideous luck, everyone else 
had been fine. Kasumi had been healed, and showed no signs of being 
anything other than herself. Ranma had a severe burn and a concussion, 
but was fine otherwise. Kodachi had been physically fine, but mentally, 
she was completely wrecked. She wouldn't be leaving the house for a very 
long time.
	Kuno sighed. Would it be too much to ask, just this once, that 
things went right? Everything else seemed so inconsequential with his 
head on the bed, watching Nabiki's life ebb away. Even if they had not 
been bound, he would never wish this as her fate.
	He whined in frustration and sadness. And heartache. As if it was 
one last slap in the face, Nabiki's hand settled on his head. If he had 
been capable of more tears, he would have shed them then.
	He could never be sure quite where it came from, but he suddenly 
got an idea. It was very close to insane. It would mean willingly 
subjecting someone... But she was dead otherwise, and wasn't alive 
better than dead? And if she hated him for it? Better that she be alive 
and hate him than be dead and forever gone. To not be with her because 
he had done the only thing he knew to save her life was better than 
because of his stupidity.
	And really, she deserved to live so much more than he. He should 
have died the night he was attacked. If he had, none of this would have 
happened. So if she really hated him, then that was fine. He would 
simply finish what had been started and remove himself from her presence 
forever. His honor never entered into the equation. Die like a warrior, 
die like a coward... Who would care?
	Just the thought of doing such a thing to her made him salivate, 
and that worried him. What if he did it, but couldn't stop himself? Kuno 
shuddered and gently removed Nabiki's hand from his head. Opening his 
mouth, he put his jaws around her upper arm. Looking at her face 
forlornly, he snapped his jaws shut and tasted the blood gush into his 
mouth.
	It was so warm, so sweet... He shook his head a little, tearing 
the flesh, more blood spilling out, flowing into his mouth... Kuno 
jerked back, staring at the arm he had just mangled. He stood up and 
backed away quickly.
	
	Akane was downstairs, trying to keep her composure with Kasumi and 
Tofu. It wasn't easy, but she was managing. Barely. A sudden thumping 
from upstairs startled her, and what sounded like a herd of bowling 
balls coming down the stairs made her whip her head around. She saw Kuno 
charging down the stairs, his eyes wide, his muzzle covered in red. He 
ran past the three of them, outside and disappeared into the night.

End Part 4, Chapter 2

End Chapter 2