Memories (a Ranma 1/2-with-cameos! fanfic)
by Nikholas "Mayhem" F. Toledo 


	The Ranma 1/2 Universe was created and therefore owned by Rumiko 
Takahashi, Viz Communications and Shogakukan. If you do own Ranma and I 
have failed to mention you, that is because I am not worthy to even write 
your name since you are really incredible people and earn a million 
dollars just to write up the characters in the Ranma 1/2 title.  I would 
also declare that I will not get a single cent from this work and that I 
am only doing this to pass away time and for my own personal artistic 
fulfillment.


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|Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!|
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Chapter Eight
Broken Hearts on Parade

	Tokyo, capital of a nation. 
	Inside its steel spires, millions of people work and play, die and 
are born, smile and frown, cheat and be cheated. Its streets are filled 
with the pulsating flood of humanity, its factories creating goods that 
will be passed on to markets all around the world. 
	Tokyo, a place of skyscrapers and parks, of Tokyo tower and the 
Diet building. A miraculous ascension from the rubble made when Godzilla 
last decided to make a visit. It was a major cog in the economic machine 
that was Japan.
	So much the more that it had to be defended.
	That was what the Japanese National Guard was for. It had a duty - 
never again shall the city be reduced to ruins by any monster nor alien. 
No terrorist, madman, and other such fiendish enemy of all that is good 
shall destroy what the Japan had labored so long to rebuild. They were 
the city (and the nation's) shield. 
	The best, last and only line of defense.
	That is, until the Sailor Senshi came to town.
	Everybody loved the Sailor Senshi. Fighting for love and courage 
(and for the heavenly body [not those] of their choice), they had even 
more appeal than any tank, or APC, or footsoldier had. 
	Sailormoon merchandise filled the stores everywhere, and many a 
child (even small boys and some adults) wanted to become one of them. 
They always won, even against hopeless odds, thanks to that special 
crystal Sailor Moon had, and the often strange way that they somehow 
found the strength needed to defeat the enemy, no matter how strong. Much 
more, they worked for free! 
	Needless to say, the National Guard felt unwanted (their own 
marketing strategies failed miserably). The ranks declined, as most of 
the troops moved into the Sailormoon fan club. 
	But the Sailor Senshi had one weakness: they cannot, *would not*, 
fight perverts. 
	It was proved when the evil ogre and Happosai attacked the U.S. 
West Coast. The evil old man just kept on coming, the tight sailor suits 
and the short skirts increasing his fighting skills exponentially. It was 
only through a combined effort of the Sailor Senshi, the U.S. National 
Guard, G.I. Joe, the Ghostbusters (the real and the original ones), the 
C.I.A., F.B.I., M.I.B. (they used the flash-thingy on everyone so no one 
really knew that they were there), all six Enterprises (the existing NCC-
1701-A through E with the alternate future F), Batman (Adam West), Swift 
Enterprises, and a small troop of geeky kids headed by a purple dinosaur, 
that they were finally able to contain the horrible ogre. 
	But that was after a grueling three and a half weeks of full scale 
war. And, after all that, the Baywatch lifeguards had to clean a beach 
full of discarded swimsuits left by Happosai. The West Coast has still to 
recover from the onslaught, even though six months had passed.
	And the same pervert (so cleverly named Ranma Saotome by CNN) was 
sighted in Tokyo! The National Guard simply could not let the same thing 
happen here. 
	The Sailor Senshi were still recuperating from the harrowing 
incident, so they were alone. They, in all the world (together with the 
Eisenhower carrier group), were the ones ready to meet the assault - an 
attack like that should never happen again. 
	Before the day shall end, they will be victorious.
	That is, if they knew where he was.
	However, at precisely 1:25 p.m., a strange radar blip appeared. 
Computers in the U.S. fleet and on land determined that it was a 
projectile and calculated its impact site. Immediately, the information 
was disseminated to all the military and civilian bureaus concerned. 
	At 1:28, a citywide state of emergency was declared all over Tokyo, 
in readiness for a possible West Coast scenario. At the same time, battle 
plans were made and commanders brought to speed.
	And so, at thirty minutes past the hour of noon, the Flaming Arrow 
tank battalion headed by a Gen. Yamashita together with promised close 
air support from the U.S. fleet, rumbled out of the armor barracks, to 
finally slay the cursed beast, once and for all.

	"Everyone! Disengage all non-essential equipment. Reduce power 
output to 5%." The Adviser barked out the orders for a temporary shutdown 
of the Kendo Club Dojo. 
	Miss Hinako was approaching real fast. 
	The Organizer helped with the debriefing. "Be brave, men! The time 
of victory is at hand! Do not lose heart. Our agents have infiltrated 
every corner of this school. When we shall attack, it will be one united 
campus. Before the day shall end, we would have defeated that cursed 
Ranma, once and for all!" He was answered with cheers. "RANMA SAOTOME 
SHALL DIE!!!"
	The Adviser took out several watches. He gave them to the different 
club heads. "These are two-way communication devices. Keep in touch with 
me - I'll hold the fort while classes are going on. This is a very 
crucial moment in the plan, so be careful." 
	With everything finished, the Cappuccino Consortium ran to the back 
door just as Miss Hinako stepped in through the front. All she saw was an 
empty room and a pair of geeky kids sleeping on the floor. 
	"Hmm... I thought I heard delinquents here..." she said and left.
	"That was close," the Organizer sighed in relief. "The entire 
operation would have been jeopardized. Have you made an alternate attack 
plan that would deal with Miss Hinako?"
	"Yes. Do not worry. D-hour shall go on as scheduled, right after 
classes end in the afternoon." 

	An empty room.
	There is not a lonelier place in all the world. Even Siberia or 
Death Valley could not compare to the starkness that a room can have 
without anyone else there could have. It is not a physical emptiness, but 
one felt deep inside the soul. In such a room, everything looks the same, 
yet not when emptiness describes it.
	And Soun was stuck in an empty house.
	He mulled over these thoughts, not really finding anything else to 
do. He was beyond crying for hours now. He had tried to watch TV, but 
somehow the tempting allure of noontime variety shows simply did not 
come. It wasn't fun playing shogi alone - at least that was something 
Genma was useful for. He still hadn't eaten lunch yet, and his stomach 
rumbled a little bit. 
	"Where is Kasumi?" he thought, watching the orange-spotted carp who 
had been temporarily placed in a glass bowl due to the destruction of the 
koi pond that morning. For some strange reason, he felt a lot like that 
fish, trapped in a place without anything much to do. 
	His eyes started to brim with tears as he recalled that it was the 
same fish that he had won for his wife in one of the town fairs. Her last 
one. It was ironic that a gift would outlive its receiver. 
	Soun began to cry, remembering the dream he had last night. 
	He stopped, for he heard scuffling from the outside.

	Dr. Tofu hid behind the lamppost near the Tendo Dojo. 
	"What am I going to do?" he asked himself. 
	The sudden surge of courage he had felt was gone. This happened 
every time he went here, the fuzziness and nervousness in meeting Kasumi 
always getting in the way. He could only go there on house visits, when a 
member of the Tendo family (and assorted houseguests) were sick and the 
Hippocratic oath gave him the strength. But, even then, he would go 
haywire when he saw Kasumi.
	He regretted this weakness of his. It was this reason that he was 
not able to come when Kasumi had invited him over last Christmas. He was 
doing the same thing all over again, for he also hid here on that starry 
Christmas night. 
	While the party went on inside, he stayed out here in the cold, 
never finding the nerve to take the next few steps to the gate. To make 
things worse, a flotilla of space debris chose to pass through the 
Earth's atmosphere then. 
	There he was, on one of the most romantic nights of the year, 
underneath a starry sky full of shooting stars, with Kasumi standing on 
the balcony, within earshot, with the starlight on her hair and a cool 
wind blowing. It was a night for falling in love. 
	It was a night lost forever. 
	When Kasumi asked about it the next day, "there are also sick 
people on Christmas." What a lousy excuse, he thought.  
	Taking a deep breath, he decided that it was now or never. He would 
not let the same thing happen again. 
	He depressed an adrenaline-generating pressure point and advanced, 
for the 51st time, to the front gate. He hesitated before knocking the 
door, the point of no return. Feeling weak, he began to retreat.
	"Ah... What can I do for you?" Mr. Tendo opened the gate.

	Three things happened in Furinkan that day.
	Nabiki lost. Nabiki lost. Nabiki lost.
	An event like this happens only rarely, and deserves an instant 
replay (from two different angles even). 
	Like any sports event, the tactics and strategies used were 
discussed, time and time again, by self-proclaimed sports experts, who 
most probably never participated in the sport in the first place. Every 
thrust and parry, from the tendrils of blue aura to the small and 
seemingly insignificant right eye twitches, all the moves were catalogued 
and classified, bound together into a rather thick volume. It could be 
said that the fight could be replicated, if the need should arise. 
	But why should it? All those present (aside from Nanami) suffered a 
great amount of loss in their monetary resources. The Record Keepers of 
Furinkan High (the defunct Book Club) decided that, for the benefit of 
all mankind, the book be sealed and buried into the depths of incunabula.
	But, before it was banished from this realm forever (until such a 
time as a bookworm would find it once again, thus gaining the 
capabilities to conquer the world), let us peer through its fine print 
for one last time.
	Nabiki Tendo, defeated. 
	Those words do not belong to one sentence, nor could they be said 
in the same breath of air. 
	Nabiki always got her way. Nabiki always got all the money. It used 
to be a universal law, and now the cosmos shuddered at the upset. 
	How could such an impossibility happen? How could a nobody like 
Nanami Jinnai come to Furinkan High and suddenly rip the very social 
fabric into tatters? Half of the book dealt with this subject.
	Expert Furinkan analysts blamed the loss on Nanami's sudden 
appearance: Nabiki simply had not time to prepare for an all-out vicious 
attack. Expert Shinnonome analysts (the competition became more a school 
matter, even though Furinkan was at the losing end, either way) pointed 
to Nabiki's underestimation of Nanami's abilities, one they were proud 
of. 
	Both sides were wrong: Nabiki was well-prepared for any attack and 
she was in the middle of a scheme when Nanami chose to make an 
appearance. A simple manipulation of the variables would increase the 
margins of profitability greatly.
	Actually, it was Nabiki's correct estimation of her opponent's 
abilities that was her downfall. She knew that Nanami would quickly grasp 
the socio-economic and political situation of Furinkan High, being a 
reporter - and that Nanami did. The way she manipulated the events 
involving the main contenders for Ranma was excellent proof of that fact. 
	Nabiki was sure that, to get the complex twists of Ranma's life, 
she would be asking help from the expert on that. An agent that worked in 
the shadows, sufficiently interested (obsessed would be a better word) in 
one of Ranma's fianc�es to keep up with the backbreaking job. And Nanami 
chose Gosunkugi to be her partner in crime.
	Nabiki was sure that, for Nanami's coup de gr�ce, she would use 
Kuno in one form or another - that would be a masterful conclusion, using 
Kuno would rub her triumph in. She even emphasized the point at the first 
formal meeting, when she began making a scene about Kuno. 
	Just as she predicted, Gosunkugi's ten words made the rounds around 
the campus. She just decided to act in a way unexpected by anyone. She 
did not even think about it, even at the last moment, so that the 
opponent could not read her moves. It was a totally unanticipated, 
impulsive move that served to push those that survived the Great Kissing 
Switch (the last scene was referred to in this way) into temporary 
insanity.
	She kissed Kuno right smack on the lips (without tape).
	And this was her downfall.
	For those ten words were: "There ain't no way Nabiki Tendo would 
kiss Tatewaki Kuno." 
	A freaking double negative.
	She had played directly into her hands.
	In a Ranma-dominated society, the double negative is used for 
emphasis. In the rest of the world, however, the double negative is 
considered to be an affirmation, like a negative number multiplied by a 
negative number produces a positive number.
	Everyone thought that what Nanami meant was that Nabiki would not 
kiss Kuno under any circumstances. "It was an obvious fact," the student 
body bet on that. If anyone would complain (and many did), Nanami warned 
that a court hearing was the only way they could get their money back. 
	Needless to say, everyone wanted to avoid all the fuss. She got to 
keep all the money, and estimates figured it up to a cool million yen. 
	Just as Nabiki had predicted, she would use Kuno as her final 
attack, just to emphasize the irony. But she forgot an even more ironic 
ending:
	A Queen could become a pawn.

	*CRASH* "Gah, this is bad!"
	Tsubasa forgot that he was still dressed as a steamroller when he 
tried to enter the Ucchan's. 
	"My dear Ukyo, please forgive me. But I do this for the sake of our 
future happiness." The master of disguise switched to a giant spatula 
(camouflage) and clambered above the wreckage, acting very spatula-like.
	He needed to find something that would indicate father-in-law's 
present whereabouts. He hesitated climbing the stairs to her bedroom, 
thinking that it would be some form of sacrilege. Seeing no other way, he 
crept slowly up the stairs, afraid of being discovered. 
	"The last time I was caught..." He shuddered at the thought of 
being flattened by mighty mighty spatulae. 
	The room was a mess. Suitcases and clothes were scattered all 
around. He tried to take his eyes off the unmentionables, because it 
might invoke thoughts of... Uh oh - too late. He slapped himself silly 
(pretty hard if you're in a spatula costume). 
	"Come on, Tsubasa. Snap out of it." Snaps, he thought, the sound 
that a br- 
	"ARRGGGHH!!!" He slammed himself on the wall, which reminded him of 
body slams and on softer surfaces it could even-  
	"I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" He gasped ("GASPS!!!") and staggered 
outside. He tripped and tumbled down the stairs, landing with a mighty 
bump.
	"I think I've been playing Strip Fighter too long..." he groaned 
before passing out.

	*SLAM*SLAM*SLAM*
	"HIROSHI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"
	Classroom 1-F was in an uproar. Everyone lined the perimeter of the 
room, desperately trying to increase their distance from the five people 
in the center of the room. It was Sayuri who not quite screamed, smashing 
what was left of her miniature electric organ on what was left of 
Hiroshi's head. "COME ON! SPEAK UP!"
	"Uh, Daisuke, could you help me out here - mmphh" Hiroshi managed 
to say through broken teeth before he was cut off by a finger placed on 
his lips.
	"Your voice, it sounds like the whispering of a cool wind through a 
window chime, predicting good fortune to us," Mio glomped Hiroshi once 
again, squeezing his brains out. "I saw you in the stars, my love. When 
Venus aligns with the sparkling of your eyes." She placed her head on his 
chest, closing her eyes. 
	Sayuri resumed her pummeling. 
	*SLAM*CRASH*PAIN*BLOOD*VICERAL ORGANS*SPLAT*OWW*
	Daisuke and Yuka watched from a distance, cringing at the amount of 
damage Hiroshi was receiving. "Ah, doesn't that remind you of something?" 
Yuka stared, right eye twitching. 
	Daisuke thought for a while.
	"AHA! IT LOOKS LIKE MY *OTHER* STORE STATUE!"
	"Huh?" Bigsweats dropped as this strange old man with glasses 
appeared in the window. 
	"Sorry, just passing through." The cursed antique shop owner 
climbed in and went out the door.
	Hiroshi took this opportunity to make his escape. However, he was 
not as lucky as he thought. 
	"Where do you think you're going?" two pairs of voices piped up. 
	A few moments later, the carnage began once more.

	Two people were walking towards a helicopter. A few minutes ago, 
these two were bitter rivals, using their intelligence and abilities to 
the fullest to beat the other. 
	But Nanami had won, and the competition was no longer there. There 
was no need even for the smallest outpouring of intimidation aura. They 
met as bitter rivals, and now they parted as best of friends. 
	After all, who else in the world had the same interests aside from 
the two of them. The same level of diplomacy, monetary skills, 
specialization in underhanded tactics? Yes, Nabiki did consider Nanami to 
be her friend - she was her equal. The level of acquaintanceship could 
not be higher.
	They were discussing future plans of combat when Gosunkugi chose to 
make an appearance. There was this unreadable look on his face. "So, 
you're leaving, then," he walked alongside them, trying to avoid Nabiki's 
questioning gaze.
	"I already think that I have overstayed my welcome. Quit while 
you're ahead, as I always say." A few moments of silence passed by.
	Nabiki looked at the two of them at the corner of her eye in 
wonderment. "There's something here..." She kept quiet, observing.
	Gosunkugi broke the silence first. "Umm... So, how did you do it? I 
mean, what happened a while ago? It seemed like you had everyone eating 
out of your hand. Even Nabiki here, no offense intended."
	"And no offense taken, Gosunkugi." Nabiki realized that, somehow, 
Gosunkugi changed from the whining coward everyone knew to something else 
she couldn't determine at the present time. 
	Nanami wove a hand through her hair. "Weell, I have to admit that I 
took a pretty large risk." She paused for a while to think. "I got 
information on Nabiki's plan for Ranma to kiss Kuno from that piece of 
paper Nabiki dropped." She gave Nabiki a consoling look. "But that wasn't 
her mistake, I would have found out otherwise from another source." 
	Nabiki nodded in understanding. "My original plan was to make 
Nabiki kiss Kuno out of desperation. Since I calculated that Nabiki would 
charge Kuno for an extremely large amount of money, I had two options. I 
had get rid of Ranma or get rid of Kuno.
	"However, a client came (who wished to be anonymous) with the same 
proposition. Their company hired me either to get rid of Kuno or to make 
Ranma avoid changing into a girl for the rest of the day. Believe me, I 
was bewildered at the start, but I could thank Hikaru here for helping me 
out." The voodoo master reddened a bit at that remark. 
	Nanami continued without a hitch. "They gave me this love formula 
encased in some kind of- Oh, yeah, you know about it already, so I'll 
skip that part. 
	"It was a massive risk I took using that formula on them. Ranma-
chan would have kissed him there and then. Just as I had hoped, one of 
Ranma's fianc�es was there to toss a hot water kettle before he passed 
the point of no return. 
	"Since Ranma would instantly fall in love with Kuno if he changed 
into a girl, that problem was solved. There was no way he would change to 
a girl for the rest of the day. I used Akane at that point in time to 
shoo Ranma away from the scene before the second phase of the plan took 
place. The kissing part was an added bonus. 
	"I thought that, in desperation, Nabiki would pretend to be the 
pig-tailed girl, using Kuno's terminology, to kiss him and thus get his 
money. However, I had not expected that the kettle would hit Kuno in such 
a way that the kiss appeared to happen in his deranged mind. Even I was 
surprised that things happened the way they did." She trailed off, deep 
in thought.
	They reached the helicopter. "I guess that it's time to go." She 
took out a small bottle and gave it to Gosunkugi. "Here, take this. This 
is a bottle of Prozac at an extremely purified level. No - I don't use 
this. I keep it for my brother (a long story, I tell you)." 
	She reached out and opened Gosunkugi's left hand, placing the 
bottle on his palm. "You aren't the weakling you think you are, Hikaru. 
Don't waste your life just hiding in the shadows. You deserve better than 
this. You saw how influential you were to my victory." She shook his 
right hand. "You could become better, remember that." 
	She let her hand linger for a little while. Reluctantly, Gosunkugi 
let go.
	She turned to face Nabiki. "I thought that you would see through 
that double negative trick, Nabiki. I think that..." She paused for a 
little while, as if trying to find the right way to phrase it. 
	She decided to attack in another direction. "It has been a long 
time since we last met, Nabiki. Things have changed. I have this feeling 
that you like Kuno, or you would not have let him influence your 
decisions. Ah, you laugh in disgust now, but trust me - deep in your 
heart, you like him."
	"Yeah. It's soo deep that I can't feel it," Nabiki added 
sarcastically.
	Nanami continued, "I have this knack of seeing through disguises. 
The mask that you're wearing is very much like one your sister Akane puts 
on in front of Ranma. I guess that it runs in the family. Anyway, my 
point is that you should introspect, find out what you really feel. 
	"I made the same mistake you're making now, Nabiki. I did not ask 
myself what I really felt for this guy at my school." Bad memories sprang 
unbidden, sadness washing over her like a bucket of ice water. "I let him 
hang around me, not returning the affection he gave, since it was 
unbecoming of my, no, our status, Nabiki. 
	"We must remain coldly calculating at all times, never let our 
emotions affect us, so our abilities would remain at their peak. I simply 
toyed around with his emotions, using him as some sort of dummy. When he 
started liking someone else pretty badly, I was shocked. I tried 
desperately to win him back, but it was too late. 
	"Don't let the same thing happen to you, Nabiki." She smiled, "You 
could lose a lot of money that way."
	The pilot called out from the cockpit. "Nanami, I think we have to 
leave as soon as possible." He was eyeing the growing mob of angry 
students who wanted to get their money back, even by force. He revved up 
the motors.
	Nanami shook Nabiki's hand. "Well, it has been a pleasure meeting 
you again. I haven't really had a good workout in a long time."
	Nabiki replied, in all honesty, "same here, old rival, same 
here..."
	When everything was finished, she walked away.
	"Uh, Nanami, I -" Gosunkugi spoke up.
	"Yes, Hikaru?"
	"Ah... Nothing." He could not meet her gaze, focusing his eyes 
instead on the grass at his feet.
	"Okay," she said quietly. She climbed in the helicopter and closed 
the door. 
	A few minutes later, it was in the air, disappearing rapidly into 
the Nerima sky. The mob shot a few arrows and several spears, but the 
giant bird was beyond range. 
	In the distance, the clock chimed the end of lunch break. The mob 
milled about and, in their chaos, effectively left Nabiki and Gosunkugi 
alone.
	"She's never coming back, is she?" Gosunkugi asked, a dark shadow 
falling over his eyes. Nabiki couldn't help but feel pity.
	"You're pathetic," she said and walked back to class. 

	Meanwhile, on the other side of Tokyo:
	"Open fire, men!" Gen. Yamashita ordered his troops over the radio. 
"Don't spare the horses! Full salvo!"
	"But sir! That's a school building!"
	"Darn it! I have the monster in my sights! Open fire! That's a 
direct order! Besides, it would be lunchtime. No one would be inside the 
building. FIRE!"
	*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*

	"WAAAHHHH!!! Mako-chan, please give me some more food!" 
	"Hey! Give that back, Usagi-chan! The Sailor Senshi are on a hunger 
strike, remember?"
	Ami Mizuno snapped out of reverie. "At least things are starting to 
go back to normal," she thought. 
	The monster attack in California was a devastating blow to all of 
them. It was a good thing that there wasn't any evil kingdom using people 
as portable generators at this point in time. All of the Sailor Senshi 
were in the middle of a bad case of depression. She was afraid that if an 
attack should come...
	Usagi grabbed the remaining dimsum in a place where Makoto could 
not recover it - she stuffed it into her mouth. "Do you see any sailor 
senshi around here? All I see is just poor and hungry Usagi, who has not 
eaten a full meal for hours now. Can I have some more?" 
	Minako sighed, "Usagi-chan, if you keep stuffing yourself like 
that, you're going blow up. Would you want to look like a tomato whenever 
you change into Sailor Moon?"
	Ami kept out of the discussion, paying more attention to her own 
train of thought. The hunger strike was Rei's idea. It was pathetic, in 
her opinion, to force the government to pass stricter anti-perversion 
laws. But it was something to keep them all busy - busy enough to forget. 
	She sighed. She still woke up in the middle of the night in a cold 
sweat. It was always the same dream, the same dark overtones filled with 
the screams of -
	"EEK! COME BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!!!!"
	"WHAT A HAUL! WHAT A HAUL!"
	All four looked up to see an angry mob of women carrying 
pitchforks, chasing a small old man carrying a sack bursting with 
panties. 
	"Pretty ladies!" He ran over to them, closing the distance with 
each hop.
	"I-it's h-him!" Usagi stammered in recognition. "Somebody, do 
something!" But they were all frozen in shock. 
	*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*
	The air was filled with debris as the tanks unleashed tons and tons 
of ammunition on the diminutive pervert. The barrage lasted a full twenty 
seconds, punting enough firepower to obliterate a medium-sized city on a 
target small enough to fit inside a hot water kettle. 
	The grass was cratered by bomb blasts, trees were ripped to shreds. 
There were several large gaping holes in the school building. Due to the 
skills of the gunnermen, no one was hurt. 
	"CEASEFIRE!" The booming of the tanks ceased. A large cloud of dust 
filled the air.
	 "Is he dead?" All eyes turned to the center of the gaping hole 
that used to be a normal school garden. The suspense was enough to kill 
an enraged elephant, hopefully a small pervert.
	Jaws dropped as the old man emerged unscathed. Happosai looked 
himself over. "I'm dirty all over. I guess I better wash this when I get 
back home." 
	He grabbed his bag, "well, back to business!" He ran off, doing 
what he did best. The mob of metal and lace took chase, wrecking 
everything that stood in their way.
	"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"
	<17 second transformation>
	"I SHALL PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF VENUS!" Sailor Venus jumped up 
and gave chase. Good thing everyone else was still too stunned to see the 
transformation scene. 
	The glittering display of Senshi power vanished into the thick mob, 
with the battle-cry, "ALL PERVERTS DESERVE TO DIE!!!" 
	Mako-chan shook her head as Ami stood up to follow. "It's a waste 
of time. We won't be able to catch up to him." It was obvious that she 
was trying to hide her shame in the one enemy that they've failed to 
defeat. She tried to smile. "I guess there won't be any classes for the 
rest of the day. Where are you going, Ami-chan?"
	"I guess I'll be heading over to the library."		
	Mako-chan noticed Usagi lying on the ground. "Are you okay, Usagi-
chan?"
	The future Neo-Queen Serenity foamed at the mouth. "Fooood... Give 
me some foood."
	"Why did I have to ask."

	"Hey, Hiroshi's not moving."
	"Maybe he's dead."
	"Oh! I know CPR. He needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! I learned 
it in a dream!"
	"HA! DO YOU THINK YOU COULD TRICK ME?!" *SLAM*SLAM*
	*Groan* "When does the hurting stop..." 
	"It never does, Hiroshi. It never does." 
	Akane stepped into the room, looking crestfallen. Immediately, 
Sayuri and Yuka rushed to her side, with Mio reluctantly leading the 
rear. 
	"Hey, man. Could you help me up?" Hiroshi called from the floor. 
Daisuke helped him to his feet. 
	"Female support groups," Hiroshi gazed at the large agglomeration 
of women fussing around Akane. "How come you didn't help me out there?"
	"I don't know. For a minute there, you looked like Ranma. You do 
know what happens when you interfere in a Ranma-fianc�e-no-finesse-
martial-arts-fight, don't you? Ranma always does, and he's the one who 
always gets blamed."
	"I see what you mean." He looked around the room. "Speaking of 
which, where's Ranma?"
	"I don't know. But he better remain that way, for his sake. Right 
now, he's going to have a lot of enemies - a lot."

	Ranma sneezed once again. 
	Gosh, he hated himself then, hiding like a small weak animal. 
Everyone by now would have known his secret. He stood up - bathroom tiles 
were bad company. He splashed some water on his face (not enough for 
changing) from the sink as he hid in the men's room. (A sudden flash of 
insight, perhaps?) 
	The scene flashed once more through his mind: 
		Mousse's incredibly devastating punch. 
			Shampoo's look of anger. 
				Akane's look of pity. 
		Akane kissing Mousse. 
	That last one sent waves of jealousy through him. 
		Anger at his helplessness. 
			Weakness... 
	Rage against it! 
	With all the hate he felt, he vented his rage on the bathroom 
mirror, wishing to hurt something, anything.
	*CRACK*
	The bell rang in the background, signaling the end of lunch break. 
	"OWW! @#--" He bit back a curse. 
	He ended up hurting himself even more.
	The glass did not even break. Blood began to flow through an open 
wound in his right hand. 
	"Ranma?" a voice from behind called out to him and Ranma cringed - 
it was female. 
	Thinking that it would be Miss Hinako, he took a deep breath and 
slowly turned around.
	It was only Ukyo.
	"Ranma!" She rushed to his side, seeing the blood trickling down to 
the floor. 
	She grabbed a strip of cloth from her pockets and tied it around 
the wound, hesitating a bit at the thought of touching his hand. The 
administration of first aid took place in total silence.
	Ranma spoke up first, "Thanks, Ucchan."
	After that, the two began to talk at the same time.
	"Where have you-?" "Don't mention -"
	"Is anything bothering-?" "What's wrong-?"
	"Nothing -" "Nothing -"
	"We better stop -" "We better stop -"
	"We *better* stop doing this," Ukyo managed to break through. Both 
of them giggled - the situation was actually funny. Whatever nervousness 
or anger left them like a flash. 
	*GROWL* Ranma's stomach protested this development. This did cause 
a few more moments of laughter.
	"Oh, you must be hungry, Ranchan." Ukyo took out the box she had 
been carrying. "I present you with the *ULTIMATE OKONOMIYAKI*!!!" 
	With a flourish, she ripped apart the wrapping paper, exposing an 
extremely tasty, overly decorated, and large, okonomiyaki. "That's the 
best recipe I know. I've been meaning to give you this a few minutes ago, 
but you were busy and I-" 
	"Uh-oh," Ukyo thought, "I shouldn't remind him about that." 
	Ranma tried to smile. "Thanks for caring, Ukyo. You're the best 
friend a guy could ever have." Quickly, almost ravenously, he dug in. The 
warm taste exploded slowly in his mouth. 
	"WOW! This is the best one I have ever tasted!" The mouthfuls grew 
in size. He was really tempted to put the entire thing in his mouth, but 
each bite had to be relished. "This tastes so good!"
	"A friend - is that all you think of me, Ranma?" Ukyo looked at him 
with sad, sad eyes. "You mean, after all the things I have done for you, 
you still consider me to be at the same level of acquaintanceship as 
Hiroshi and Daisuke?" 
	Ranma's gluttonous attack continued unabated. "But you are my 
*best* friend, Ukyo!" 
	Ukyo just sighed, "Ranma, why do you always have to say the worst 
things at the worst time..."
	"Why? Don't you want to be my best friend?"
	That did it. Tears began to flow. "Ranma... You don't really care 
about me, do you?"
	*URK* "Now what the heck did I do?" 
	He sat closer to her, not really knowing how to calm her down, much 
like an inexperienced guy next to a crying baby. "Ukyo, are you hungry? I 
still have some of that fantastic okonomiyaki left." His hands were 
shaking, not knowing how to comfort her.
	Ukyo managed to smile despite herself. A very flustered Ranma was a 
very funny sight, indeed. "Thanks, Ranma. You really do care for me..."
	In a very rare occasion, Ranma managed to say something really 
appropriate. "But, of course, Ukyo. Why the heck would you think that I 
did not care for you? I've known you since we were kids. You are the only 
person I've met in the past not to have gone psycho on me - not like 
Shampoo, or Ryoga, or..."
	At the mention of Ryoga, strange feelings washed over Ukyo. She 
shut her emotions out and concentrated on the task at hand. "Ranma, 
that's not the point." 
	She gazed into his eyes. "Ranma, the way you're acting now, the way 
you're at a loss for the right words... It... It means that... you l-love 
me..."
	Now that made Ranma speechless for a while. 
	Ukyo thought, "I have to make a move now. Ranma's too dazed right 
now to do anything." She slithered up close to him, not breaking eye 
contact. Ranma was visibly nervous now, but Ukyo was thankful that he 
wasn't opening that mouth... 
	Ranma was getting real scared. She had that cute cross-eyed look 
that somehow he couldn't take his eyes off of. His head swam as the 
perfume she wore wafted in his nose. His hands began to twitch as she 
held them in her hands. And she looked at his lips... 
	Ukyo snickered as beads of perspiration came down his face. "If he 
were Ryoga, he would be nose-bleeding by now." Surprise came to her, then 
anger. "Why did I think of that jackass at a time like this?" 
	Thinking of him strengthened her resolve even more. "Here goes..." 
She closed her eyes and dared to put her face even closer to his. She 
continued the advance until she was mere millimeters from him. 
	"Ranma has to be the one to make the move. He has to be the one. 
Come on, Ranma, don't back out now..." 
	Some 90% of Ranma's brain turned to jello. The remaining 10% were 
tabulating all the disasters that could happen:
	- The building could blow up.
	- Ukyo was possessed by some demon.
	- He was actually talking to Shampoo (she would do this kind of 
thing).
	- Hallucination due to hunger or Kodachi.
	- A lot of people would appear out of nowhere (that happened once) 
and he would be forced to marry her.
	- Akane would just happen to pass by, just as she was wont to, and 
he would have a hard time to explain...
	"Akane!" he thought. "Why the heck did I think of that tomboy at a 
time like this?" 
	Akane kissing Mousse - the memory tore his heart to pieces. 
	He looked at Ukyo's face, so near to his. 
		Akane's taunting words of pity. 
		Ukyo, who would understand his weakness. 
			Ukyo. 
			Akane. 
	A decision was made. The 10% voted unanimously.
	He reached out, closed his eyes, and bridged the gap.

	"You mean you're not coming with us?" Rick Hunter asked the blond 
inventor as he stepped out of the jeep. He thought that Tom Swift had 
some kind of gizmo on him that would protect them from the attacks of the 
monster pervert. Or he could make one on the fly, much like MacGyver. His 
departure increased the already great amount of apprehension Rick was 
feeling right now.
	"Sorry about that. I have to go to the library to do some 
research."
	"Don't you have enough information on that computer of yours - not 
to mention instant access to the 'net?"
	The Admiral spoke up. "Sometimes, turning pages would be better 
than pressing a key or clicking a mouse. Libraries are still a good 
resource facility, even in today's day and age. They've worked for 
centuries - they'll work for a few more."
	Tom Swift continued the Admiral's point. "I have to research on old 
Chinese manuscripts concerning a new type of power source we need to 
defeat the monster. There are no electronic versions, just old yellowed 
paper only available here." 
	He smiled. The train of thought he had been thinking for the past 
half year was nearing its apparent terminal - or dead end. "It's 
sometimes hard to think that ancient ideas could have modern day 
applications."
	Rick Hunter nodded his consent. It was impossible otherwise, 
against the combined odds.
	The Admiral started the engine once more. "I'm sure that you want 
to go home on your own, take a little bit of sight seeing or research 
until the library closes. I trust in your abilities, but be careful. 
Tokyo could be a pretty rough place when you don't know your way around. 
I want you to be back at 2100H for the briefing with the staff. 
	"Until then, take care. The battle we will face will hinge on what 
you would find." He gave Tom Swift a smart salute, which he promptly 
returned before turning away.
	"Well, Rick. We're off to Nerima. Wear your seat belt, though. It 
might become a pretty rough ride."
	The jeep rumbled on to other adventures.

	Dr. Tofu and Mr. Tendo faced each other off.
	"Sir, I would like to see Kasumi. I have something important to 
tell her."
	"Why not tell me, instead?"
	"Sir! If anyone should overhear us... They might think we're some 
kind of perverts!"
	Mr. Tendo guessed at what Dr. Tofu was going to say. "So you really 
like my daughter."
	This was met with a pause. "Yes, sir," he said defiantly. 
	"Wow! I actually managed to say it!" he thought.
	"You've been a family friend for a long time. If you have said this 
earlier, I would have given you parental consent. However..." He frowned. 
"However, your actions this morning were inexcusable for a martial 
artist. I would not want to see my daughter getting married to a 
potential madman. Goodbye." He closed the door.
	Dr. Tofu put his hand in. He grimaced in pain as his fingers were 
crushed into the wood. But it worked - Mr. Tendo opened the gate once 
more. 
	"Sir," there was desperation in his voice, "Sir, please give me 
another chance. I act that way because I really care for Kasumi. I've 
loved her ever since we were little kids. The very sight of her fills me 
with joy. There is no way I would ever hurt her. Mr. Tendo, I give you my 
word of honor that I would do anything to be worthy of her. Please..." 
	Mr. Tendo smiled. "Your courage is admirable. I feel the sincerity 
in your voice. Very well, I shall give you another chance. Prove that you 
are the respectable man we all know you to be." 
	He placed his hand on the doctor's shoulder. "I was in the same 
position as you once, almost begging in front of the door of the one I 
love. I made a vow then that I would listen. Use this chance wisely."
	"Sir... I -"
	"Why, hello, Dr. Tofu! What brings you here!" A smiling Kasumi with 
P-chan in her arms waved to them from the street corner. "I see that 
you're getting well with father again."
	"K-K-Kasumi..." 
	All hell broke loose.
	"Kasumi! Please save me from this horrible man!" Soun sobbed as Dr. 
Tofu did the famous skeleton carry on him. 
	"Dr. Tofu. Please! You're scaring father. Please, put him down." 
Kasumi pleaded. 
	All P-chan could do was a "B-wee!"
	After a few minutes, Dr. Tofu managed to calm down a bit. Soun was 
crying like a fountain. "Thank you so much, Kasumi. Please, take me 
home." The two of them staggered into the Tendo Dojo. 
	"Please stay here, Dr. Tofu. I want to talk to you later," Kasumi 
looked back before closing the door.
	Dr. Tofu's hazy feeling was replaced by a feeling of dread. "I did 
it again." Kasumi's last words echoed in his mind. "She's going to tell 
me to stay away." 
	Shame. It filled him with shame. He knew that he couldn't face up 
to her.
	So when Kasumi stepped out once again, an empty street greeted her. 

	When Nabiki stepped into 2-E, there was a small commotion going on. 
"Hey, Nabiki, someone's looking for you." 
	The cursed antique shop owner approached Nabiki. "Hello again, 
Nabiki. I wouldn't believe it, but it seems that your credit cards don't 
work anymore. I was wondering if you could pay me now, perhaps."
	She took a deep breath. "I don't have any money," she said quietly.
	The classroom became silent. All ears strained to hear the 
impossible sentence. 
	"Eh? What did you say?" The cursed antique shop owner cupped his 
ears. 
	Nabiki looked him straight into the eye and said in a firm, defiant 
voice, "I don't have any money. I'll pay you tomorrow." Then, she added 
hesitantly, "please."
	There was stunned silence. Whispers began to erupt much like a 
volcano on steroids. 
	"Nabiki, not having money!" 
	"I never thought I would live to see that!" 
	"It's not as though I would believe it." 
	"It's the end, I tell you." 
	"She must have lost her spleen." 
	"Haven't you heard what happened a while ago?" 
	"Don't know, I was eating." 
	"YOU ATE SPLEENS?!?" 
	"No, I ate meat by-products, idiot."
	Nabiki spoke again, not minding what was being said about her. 
"I'll pay you on Tuesday."
	"You must pay now! I have to pay the rent today."
	"I really can't..."
	He threatened, "Then I'll have to..."
	She dared, "Then you'll have to what...?"
	"I'll have to charge you a 10% interest!"
	*GASP!* "Did you hear what he said!" 
	"10% interest!" 
	"That's one heck of a mean attack!" 
	"Nabiki has no choice." 
	"She'll have to pay it." 
	"Poor Nabiki. Lost twice in a day." 
	"I TOLD YOU I DON'T EAT SPLEENS!"
	"Only weak and dishonorable men attack when the enemy is down. 
Attack when the enemy is strongest, and die with honor and dignity." 
	All eyes turned to the door, where Kuno (who else) made a grand 
entrance. "Is it not when thou hast defeated the enemy against impossible 
odds, the greater the glory you shall receive? I tell you, if the fair 
Nabiki Tendo were only a quarter stronger than she is now, she would have 
thou cast into the pitless hell of bankruptcy! Do you want money, here!" 
He slapped him with a wad of bills. 
	"Ha! Thy true colors show. You are nothing but a miscreant glutton 
for money! The souls of real men could not be bought. Begone, before I 
shall beat with my legendary bokken justice into your soul!" The cursed 
antique shop owner was too happy to comply.
	"Thank you, Kuno..." Nabiki said. She tried not to say anything 
more, nor pay attention to the dizziness she suddenly felt.
	"Ah! For the fair Nabiki Tendo, I shall do anything. For thou has 
protected me against the tentacular desires of the one called Nanami 
Jinnai. Even though thou hast lost thy title, for the great Blue Thunder, 
thou shalt remain to be the Queen of Capitalism." 
	He gave her a sparkling smile. "The great Tatewaki Kuno and the 
Kuno family is in debt to you. Thou has earned a just reward." He took 
out a small button from one of his pockets. "I bestow upon you the Kuno 
Seal of Excellence, given only to those whom the Kuno family holds in 
high esteem. Only two other people have received both the Seal of 
Camaraderie and the Seal of Excellence bestowed upon them. Thou hold a 
special place in the Kuno family. Consider it a special honor." The Blue 
Thunder graciously took his leave.
	"He even forgot what happened," Nabiki shook her head in disbelief.

	Silence.
	A resounding slap echoed through the small room, dying upon the 
bathroom tiles.
	Silence - stunned silence.
	An angry shout. 
	A pleading voice.
	The door slammed.
	Tears fell.
	"I did it again," Ukyo sobbed. "I did it again..."

	Ranma ran away. 
	He did not know where he was going - all he knew was that he had to 
run away, run away from it all. 
	His footsteps echoed through the empty corridors of the school, the 
merciless faces that occupied it, a nest of traitors that used to be his 
friends. 
	He felt betrayed, betrayed by them all. First, it was Akane. Now, 
it was Ukyo. Soon, he knew that Shampoo would reject him as well, when 
she found out that Mousse was stronger than him. They all laughed behind 
him, the entire world laughed at him, chasing at his heels, spitting gore 
and spleens, thirsty for his blood. 
	He let the anger rage inside him - anger, hate, rage, fury. 
	"LIKE I CARE!" he yelled. 
	Let the world rot. He would get his strength back. He -
	He thought that he could depend on Ukyo. His friend, the only one 
who would understand him no matter what happened. Why did she have to 
slap him then? 
	He thought that she cared for him, only him. He eyed the bandage on 
his right hand. 
	"Why did he have to take her away from me? Why now?" 
	He needed Ukyo's love for him now. The only one who loved him out 
of no reason at all. Unlike Shampoo, who only wanted him out of her 
tribe's tradition, or Kodachi, who only wanted his body. Akane was angry 
(or jealous) most of the time and he honestly wasn't sure if she really 
did care for him. 
	Ukyo, on the other hand, was pure unconditional love. He knew that. 
She would be the one to understand his decision if he did choose Akane, 
the only one among the others. The only one... the only one whom he felt 
true love from.
	On any other day, he would have been happy for the two of them - 
but not now. The possessive side of his mind wanted to keep all of his 
fianc�es to him (except for Kodachi), all of them.
	The bandage fluttered in the cold draft that began to blow, the 
same bandage Ukyo had so lovingly wrapped. 
	It was Ryoga's bandanna. 

	Tsubasa woke up from strange dreams to find a really hairy monster 
staring back at him. 
	"Eep! Please, don't eat me!" he screamed, desperately trying to get 
away. 
	A few seconds passed without anything happening, he opened his eyes 
to find a Tibetan llama laughing at him with unsuppressed glee. There 
were other llamas roaming around the store, eating everything that wasn't 
tied down. 
	Tsubasa shooed them out. "Get out of my dear Ukyo's store!" 
	One of them was eating an envelope and he grabbed it before the 
saliva would make it inaccessible to his dainty hands. His eyes lit up to 
find that it was a letter addressed to the postman with the words 
"Forward all mail to this address: <Mr. Kuonji's address>" 
	"AT LAST! I FINALLY FOUND IT!" He jumped around with joy, causing 
the llamas to bigsweat. 
	Already, a plan was forming in Tsubasa's head. He ran over each 
phase of the scheme in his mind.
	An SD Tsubasa set up an anvil above the doorway of the Kuonji 
residence (pictured as a giant okonomiyaki with a porch and a garden). 
Mr. Kuonji (in black, because Tsubasa didn't know what he looked like) 
would step out of the house to cause the 10 ton anvil to drop on him. SD 
Tsubasa, with a dashing cape and nice smile, will appear out of nowhere 
and push him out of the way. 
	"Oh, son. You have saved my life," Mr. Kuonji's dark silhouette 
would say, patting his back. "You would become a great addition to my 
family." SD Ukyo would happen to pass by to see the great save. "Oh, 
Tsubasa! You saved my father! I love you so much." 
	SD Uyko and SD Tsubasa would hug as the sunset filled the sky with 
glorious colors and the curtain would fall down just as they were about 
to kiss...
	"Ha ha ha ha BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

	Hinako-chan was ANGRY. 
	Somehow, she was not able to find any perverts that lunch time. Her 
trigger finger was itching now, and if anyone dared cross her way...
	Ranma Saotome bumped right into her. 
	"Uh-oh..." 
	"AHA! A DELINQUENT!" She took out a coin. The corridor was filled 
with an intense light. 
	When it vanished, Ranma was cringing at Hinako-chan's foot, looking 
not at all drained. 
	"Nothing happened?" She was startled. "That blast should have 
drained him raw."
	Ranma rose unsteadily to his feet. "Ranma Saotome! You think that 
you can cut classes again? Go to your room!" She dismissed him with a 
wave of her hand, trying not to let her surprise show. 
	Ranma staggered away, not looking back. "That should teach you..." 
	Hinako-chan resumed the search, wondering what the heck was going 
on.

	Akane wondered what the heck was going on. "Ranma's not come in 
yet." The teacher droned on and on in the background. She glanced at the 
empty seat to her left. "Where is he?"
	That morning, everything seemed fine between her and Ranma. Now, 
only a mere eight hours later, they weren't even on speaking terms. As 
far as she could remember, she did not do anything out of the ordinary 
that would produce this type of reaction. Except for... 
	"Oh, Mousse..." She bit her lip and tried to hold the tears back. 
	Kissing Mousse only made matters worse. Akane hated herself. Gulit 
spread its clammy hands over her heart. 
	"Why? Why the did I do something like that?" She tried to justify 
herself, trying to shake it away. "Oh, Ranma, why can't you understand? 
Mousse is only a friend, just a friend..."  
	Mousse was just a friend. That's all he was. The only guy who had 
the strange property of neutrality. Everyone else was either rooting for 
Ranma (like Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome) or too hostile against him (like 
every bachelor in Furinkan High). 
	Mousse simply did not care who she ended up with, just as long as 
he and Shampoo would be together. Ryoga was her best friend, the one whom 
she could trust, the only one who understands her. But sometimes he could 
be so anti-Ranma - too anti-Ranma for her own peace of mind.
	She sought relief in her anger, putting the fault all on him. 
"Ranma could be too jealous sometimes. It's his fault. If he really cares 
for me, he should just go ahead and say it. He should understand that I 
don't belong to him. I can kiss anyone I want to. I can do that. Why 
can't he just say it?" 
	She answered her own question. "Because I don't listen. Because I 
blame him for all my mistakes. Because I can't cook. Because I make him 
jealous all the time. Because he..." She paused, the last one shocking 
her the most. "Because he doesn't really care." 
	That did it. Tears began to flow. She slumped forward on her desk, 
trying very much to stifle the sobs. "Oh, Ranma, I... I don't know what I 
do without..." The rest of the sentence was submerged into an ocean of 
tears, with halting sobs splashing unto the shores of her heart.

	"When governments collapse... Eh? Ranma Saotome! Do you realize 
what time it is?! If I were Miss Hinako, I'd... <sigh> You know the 
drill."
	Daisuke sat up straight at the teacher's outbreak. 
	He looked around. All eyes were turned to the doorway. It was Ranma 
who so brazenly interrupted the lecture. Groaning, he walked out again to 
get the buckets of water. 
	With him gone, the class went back to its usual routine.
	Daisuke did not accept this to be routine. Somehow, everything was 
different. He glanced at Akane, still slumped forward on her desk, trying 
not to give the appearance of crying. He looked over to his right where 
Hiroshi sat, still being glomped by Mio under the harsh gaze of Sayuri. 
	He ran over the list of other events that happened that day. So 
many things have happened that day, events that would have normally taken 
months to develop were occurring in the space of eight hours. It was just 
too much. He had this scary feeling that the universe was speeding things 
up and rushing headlong to some kind of impending doom... 
	He shook it off - he had enough of these conspiracy theories.
	"Daisuke, is anything bothering you?" Yuka asked him. She looked 
around, "I guess you're feeling weird, too." She had worry written all 
over her face. 
	"Everything's suddenly different now. All the things we have taken 
to be unchangeable are just... changed. I feel like I'm lost or 
something." 
	"Don't worry, Yuka. It's just another case of Neriman madness. 
Things would go back to normal, they always do." 
	He avoided telling her the other part of that saying. Things always 
go back to normal, but they always get worse first. 
	"If only Gosunkugi were here. I could ask him a few more 
questions," but the chair behind him was hauntingly vacant. Out of all 
the questions, the one that was the most important was, what's going to 
happen now? 
	The teacher droned on in the background. He was talking more to 
himself than the students. "When governments or societies collapse, it is 
usually the loss of the leader or domineering individual of that society. 
In the power vacuum that ensues, different individuals would seek to 
claim the spotlight, and whoever becomes the victor not only becomes the 
new domineering individual, he also becomes *the* society. In other 
words, the society becomes him."
	There was a silent breeze and Daisuke felt hairs prickle at the 
back of his neck. He looked behind him. Gosunkugi sat in his seat as if 
he had been sitting there all this time. 
	Daisuke felt cold. He decided not to pursue the matter any further. 

	Somewhere, someone (or something) laughed, sending chills to all 
those that heard.

	The jeep stopped at the foot of a small flight of stairs that 
extended from the street to a small building. "This is a shinto temple, 
Rick. These people have experience in dealing with monsters."
	"You mean we came all this way for a priest?" Rick Hunter asked 
incredulously. "We could have gotten one from a nearer location."
	"But this place is special, Rick. According to legend, the temple 
founders sealed an evil monster that ravaged across Japan inside a box 
for a thousand years. Sounds familiar, does it? I think that it would be 
worth our while to check." He disappeared inside the shrine.
	A few minutes later, the Admiral came out with a Shinto priest. The 
priest was talking, "I may be able to help you with your monster 
problems. However, we might be in need of some kind of reinforcements 
just in case."
	"You mean you don't trust the United States Navy?" the Admiral 
asked the priest.
	"It's not that. From what I have heard on the news, it took a 
pretty long battle to contain your monster. Here we have some good people 
who would be willing to fight, if it was needed, and they would even be 
more effective than any cruise missile could ever be."
	The Admiral laughed. "You reached the same conclusion as I did. The 
Navy does need all the help it could get. Where did you say we can get to 
these people you were saying?"
	"I can direct you to the Tendo Dojo," the priest said slowly.  

	"I'm sorry, Mr. Swift, but that portion of the library is closed 
for today."
	The words echoed through the large hall of the National Library. 
Tom Swift stood at the Librarian's counter. "Is there any way I could go 
through those records? It's really important." 
	He pleaded with the bookkeeper, but he was adamant. (Not all 
librarians are old spinsters.) "I'm sorry, Mr. Swift. But we are under 
strict orders not to let anyone in there. Tokyo is in a state of 
emergency right now, and the Archives section has several valuable 
manuscripts. There may be people who would take advantage of the 
situation, not that we suspect you or anything. For all rights and 
purposes, the entire library should be closed. I'm sorry, Mr. Swift, but 
there is nothing I could do."
	He tried another tactic. "Could there be other records outside of 
that room? Someone could have read the ancient manuscripts and made a 
book about them that wouldn't be as ancient and as valuable, right? 
Copies of copies. I guess that I could I get my hands on them, can I?" 
	The librarian nodded. "Well, I would like to borrow those books." 
	The librarian smiled and disappeared into the endless stack of 
books.
	After a few minutes, he came back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Swift. The one 
copy we have of the book you're looking for is checked out right now." At 
his dejected face, the librarian added, "If it is really important, you 
could ask that girl over there," he pointed with his hand. 
	"She's the one who borrowed that book - quite a regular. I wouldn't 
be surprised if she had even gone into the Ancient Records section." He 
frowned, "Come to think of it, I don't recall anyone borrowing that book 
for a long time. She even said that she found it hidden at the back of a 
stack of books. I think that no one has read that book for at least 10 
years." 
	His face broke into a smile. "Well, good luck on whatever you're 
looking for." 
	Tom Swift approached the girl. The blue-green haired girl was so 
absorbed in the book that she did not notice the blond inventor slide up 
in front of her. ("How come some Japanese have such weird hair color," he 
thought.)
	He cleared his throat. "Ah, excuse me. Are you using that book?"
	She looked over the book and stared at him as if she were in shock.
	The book cluttered harmlessly to the floor.
	Lucasian Kinetics: The physical quantification and dissertation of 
chi.
	Authored by: Kimiko Tendo.


To be continued...

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There. I finished Chapter 8. I put in some hints as to what the story is 
all about, I hope that you guys see them. I also got the part where 
Sailor Venus transforms from the guy who made Bishoujo Senshi Sailor 
Ranma, Stephen Tsai (hey, I timed it - it is 17 seconds). I don't want 
people telling me how clever I am at that part of the story, for I did 
not think of it first. 

I guess it would be too late to say this but "Merry Christmas and a Happy 
New Year!"

Watch out for Chapter 9, The Attack of the Cappuccino. I hope to be able 
to finish it before the end of January. C&C is needed pretty badly, I 
want to know how you guys like the story so far, specialy those scenes 
(you know what I mean). 

Oh, yeah. The disclaimer. The only original major character in the fic is 
the Admiral. The others I leeched from other sources to great to mention.

If you missed the earlier parts, you can get them at the Nikholas F. 
Toledo Zu Website, if you dare enter the tubular tunnels of Mayhem's 
sewer pipes. 

January 02, 1998

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