Subject: [FFML] [Ranma]Rendezvous with Fate 9
From: "Ice Angel" <angelysis@hotmail.com>
Date: 12/5/2000, 1:38 AM
To: ffml@fanfic.com
Reply-to:
ice-o8o@usa.net



Okay, for those of you who have been asking, here it is :)



I'm sorry it's one month late :) hehehe, with the holidays coming up... who 

knows I might just release Rend next month :)



As usual c&c would be most welcome.





iCe

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com





-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --

-- File: Rend 9.txt



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Special thanks to:

JM Bickham

Byookie Desu



Here's the long list of places to get the fic:



Chapter 8:

http://24.163.53.26/cgi-bin/RetrieveStory.exe?StoryID=151889



Revised 3-6 this August:



If you want it in one big bulk P-7 Mr. Phillip has provided space at:

http://members.tripod.com/the_packrat/anime.html (THANKS)



If you want it by chapter it's archived at http://www.fanfiction.net



The formatting of 7 is already fixed at Mr. Phillip's page and at

fanfiction.net :)



Our motto here is reader satisfaction ;) (With a smile)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Disclaimer: I own nothing





Creep home, and take your place there,

   The spent and the maimed among;

God grant you find one face there

   You loved when all was young.

				~~ Charles Kingsley

				Young and Old



				~ Chapter 9 ~



_... Remember the start? I didn't do much of anything... by the end, I

was too deep in doing things I'm not even sure I *know* how to..._



                     ||-----------^_^-----------||



   After dismissing Hanae and Sei, Akane stalked off to take a bath.

Sending off Ifuku telling her that she did not need her help, Akane

fumed as she began to strip off her sweaty kimono and violently upended

a pail of water on top of her head. From experience, Akane wasn't a

sore loser, but she was a rather inexperienced one.



   All throughout her high school years she had been second to none,

the unbeaten champion in competitions. If Akane Tendo fought, she won.

Akane Tendo *always* brought home the gold.



   When Ryoga had wandered in to her life, she had never once been

beaten. Her husband had qualms about sparring with her but he was a

good teacher, a patient and lenient one at that.



   In time she would have taken on the mantle of Anything Goes. She

shook her head as she scrubbed herself clean, she had not expected time

travel to be her downfall.



   It didn't help the matters that someone had just beaten her. As she

played the fight out thoroughly in her mind's eye, she grimaced

repeatedly over Nabiki's criticism. It was her scathing words that had

proven to be her undoing rather than her precise blows.



   'Is there anything worse than being given advice you haven't even

asked for?' Akane thought bitterly as she remembered the way Nabiki had

humiliated her in front of the children. Akane winced again, 'Yes,

being given advice by someone who's just beaten you.'



   And Nabiki had beaten her. Badly. 'Damn.'



   After rinsed herself of the soap she sighed, her anger washing away.



It had been mostly her fault in the first place. She had expected she

was still the best, she wasn't. Her father's words came back to her,

"Don't get too cocky, Akane. Remember that there's always someone out

there who's better than you are."



   She just didn't expect to face that person so late in her life.

Akane sighed, after she made sure all the soap was washed away, she

sank into the hot furo. The warm water easing her muscles, already she

could feel her bruises forming from Nabiki's jabs. Kodachi was a person

who bruised far too easily for Akane's tastes.



   Rubbing a sore spot in her side Akane looked up at the ceiling, "I

have serious training problems." She wondered how on earth she was

going to coerce -- err -- convince the people living with her to help

her.







   Nabiki watched as Ranma initiated the next lesson he was going to

teach the children. The Raging Waters attack was one of the attacks of

the Anything Goes School that linked two people into a fight.



   When they were younger, both Ranma and Nabiki had been trained to

fight independently and with each other, a unique training that Genma

had passed on to them. Usually twins were trained to depend on each

other to the point that when one was disabled, the other would be hard-

pressed to continue.



   They had to admit that it was one of the things that was worth

thanking Genma for, their training. Nabiki watched the moves

critically, they were back to back and hands linked towards each other.



   The last time the cousins had tried to do this, they hadn't even

managed to walk towards the entrance. The move depended on the ability

of the two to second-guess what they needed to do next, one misstep by

either can make them loose momentum and get hit.



   As it was, Sei had taken on the mantle of leading. Hanae simply

followed. It wasn't a very successful habit. She wondered how they were

going to fare when they were placed on those isolated rocks in the

beach, with the waters pressing hard against them... and the

instructions for them not to get wet.



   She could almost see Ranma's exasperation towards the two and she

smiled a bit. Ranma was an exceptional student, but he wasn't that

patient a teacher. Both of them weren't.



   Nabiki mused that the reason for this was that they had learned so

quickly in such a small amount of time, that they became irritated at

anyone whose performance rated below than what they had done. That

encompassed every other person they met up with.



   "Don't be too hard on them Ranma, few can learn it in two days."

Nabiki smirked at Ranma's imperceptible frown, they had learned it in

less, "Has your students told you anything about my fight with Kodachi

yesterday?"



   Without taking his eyes off the children Ranma shrugged, "What else

is new? She shouts, you infuriate her, she gets her ribbon, you dodge

it all, she laughs that enraged laugh, you give her one of your smirks

and walk off."



   "Everything about it was new." Nabiki quipped as she walked to stand

beside her brother, "She managed to challenge me."



   "She does that every time."



   "She used Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu." Nabiki smirked as she watched

Ranma's reaction to that piece of information, he did not expect that

one. "I can recognize our style anywhere."



   For that brief moment Ranma took his eyes away from his students and

looked at Nabiki thoughtfully, then turned back to the children, "How

much does she know?"



   "I'm not sure. I think the best way to find out is for a sparring

match, although I have a rough idea of her skill." Nabiki gazed at the

cousins who were starting to try to jump, after all the principle of

the attack was to evade all projectiles from a cyclic direction... just

as the flow of water. "I still think you shouldn't be lax on your hold

on Kodachi. She's watching right now."



   He spared a glance outside and sighed, "I'll make her go away.

Please watch the children for a while." With that he disappeared

towards the entrance of the dojo.



   The match between herself and Nabiki opened Akane's eyes a bit. She

may be a practitioner of the Anything Goes School, but Nabiki had

enough skill not only to beat her, but also play with her while doing

it.



   Truthfully, she hadn't been keeping up on her training. She had been

a sensei, that much was true but her father had taken more of the

mantle of a teacher in the dojo than she did. And since her marriage to

Ryoga, her father had been left alone to manage the big house by

himself. She did travel everyday since her marriage from the apartment

to the Tendo Dojo, which was a few blocks away from their house, but

that had stopped as soon as she was informed she was having a baby.

Sure, she still dropped by the halls to see her father every other

day... but the training had not been as intense, just enough to

maintain the level she was at. The thrusting back into time complicated

her training a bit.



   Still, her only work out involved a pack of bricks and a daily jog

and the basic drills and exercise, just enough to be a sensei but not

enough to improve. She wasn't as serious as Ryoga who went into

training trips. It seemed to her that even her former husband would be

no match for someone like Nabiki, especially if Hanae is accurate in

her description of how her sister-in-law handles a sword. Ranma, it

seemed was even better than Nabiki.



   Strengthened by her resolve to learn more about the art her newly

acquired husband practices, she donned the kimono Ifuku offered to her

and left the bathing house.



   Akane dismissed her maid, and she bowed to retreat to someplace.

Walking towards the dojo, Akane decided she should probably watch Ranma

train the children, it was early morning, and she found out that he

usually trained them before he left for whatever purposes for the day.



   What she found in the dojo made her smile, Hanae and Sei were going

through in perfect unison the katas they have just been taught. She

found out that after half a year of not teaching, she truly missed the

job.



   Something nagged her about the moves that the children were doing

and scrutinized them carefully. When she finally found out what it was

she gasped for it came from some of the more advanced katas of the

Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu.



   The two pupils were initiating moves from the Duo Jet Ski Raging

Water Attack(85), although how they were going to achieve it without

things flying towards them and how they train for it without the

aforementioned jet ski, she didn't know.



   Her watching the two stopped suddenly when her vision was impaired

by red. She looked at the shirt, then at the owner of it and sighed,

"Do you mind, Ranma? I was watching."



   "You know the rules, Kodachi," Ranma said as he lead her away from

his students, "You don't watch my children train."



   "Well, fine." Akane humphed, as she crossed her arms. Fact was, she

didn't know, but that information might have just aggravated the

situation. If her husband wasn't going to teach her, she'd be just as

stubborn about it as he was. "So would you mind explaining to me why

you're using Indiscriminate Grappling? I was told only one house

practiced it."



   Akane noted that Ranma's temper seemed to go up a notch. What

worried Akane was that there wasn't anything physical that indicated

this shift, more of a feeling in her part. "I don't know how you

determined that from watching them practice only a few moves, much less

put a name on it but I don't think it's your business to know what I

teach my students."



   "As the heir of the Tendo School of Martial Arts, I am *making* it

my business." Akane pointed out. His temper went up another notch

higher. She seemed to be saying all the wrong things.



   From her fight with Nabiki she should have known better to start

shooting her mouth off. The wisest thing to do was shut up and find out

how all of them were connected. Whatever entity sent her back must have

had a deeper reason for making them all inter-connected.



   But Akane wasn't at all a rational person when she was angry, and

her temper got the better of her that day, she hoped she could reign in

her temper now. Nabiki said that Ranma was better than she was, and

Akane had just received a beating from Nabiki, she didn't know if her

body could handle more from a better opponent.



   Ranma was silent. She had startled him. Good. She wasn't angry, just

curious as how a Saotome could've gotten hold of such a specialized

form. Of course, now that the words were out of her mouth she regretted

it. She wasn't heir now. Just her luck if someone challenges her out of

the blue. At least she hadn't said Anything Goes, it would have brought

more trouble than it was worth.



   "Her style is very... shall we say specialized?" Nabiki said as she

walked towards them in a slow deliberate manner. It seemed that she had

exited the dojo as soon as the move was finished, and since Akane

failed to spot her initially, she was taken by surprise when she

finally spoke. "Although how she managed to learn it is beyond my

comprehension."



   "Who trained you?" Ranma demanded.



   "My father." Akane answered a bit uneasily looking at Ranma then at

Nabiki, "What's wrong with that?"



   "Your father." Ranma echoed as he turned to Nabiki, "My sister tells

me you want to train Hanae in martial arts?"



   Akane's eyes lit up, she might finally get away with not teaching

Hanae swimming... "Yes."



   "How much do you know?"



   "Enough."



   Ranma turned back to look at her weighing her down, "Enough? How are

those bruises of yours healing?"



   "What?" Akane took a step back, her bruises were hidden, and Nabiki

couldn't have known she had them through her blows. She couldn't have

told Ranma anything about her physical state after the fight.



   "Nabiki tends to hit pretty hard." He explained as if he was talking

to one of the children, "How are your bruises?"



   'Nabiki tends to hit pretty hard. In the right places, and in more

ways than one... and they say Ranma's better?' Instinctively she rubbed

one behind her back. "They're... okay..."



   "They'll heal completely within a week." Nabiki offered Ranma, she

shrugged, "It was a test of her defenses, I didn't have to go as hard

as Cologne or even pops did." Akane winced, what would have an all-out

fight brought? And she had been giving her all.



   "I'll give you two weeks. One week to heal, one week to train. If

you can beat me in a fight, I'll let you handle Hanae's training."

Akane didn't know if she should be happy at the prospect or completely

give up.



   "What do you get if you win?" Akane asked tentatively.



   "I don't want anything from you." Ranma turned to go.



   "That doesn't sound right, you're giving me something but you won't

get any." Akane wondered why she was doing it, the odds of her winning

against Ranma was not enough for what she was about to do. She had

nothing to offer him.



   "My, how noble," Nabiki answered in the most pleasant voice Akane

has ever heard her use. Although it matched something of a friendly

note, Akane couldn't deny that there was a sadistic intent behind those

pleasant tones. "If you don't give one brother, I'll be happy to think

up of your reward."



   "If it's okay with Kodachi?" He expected her to protest, but she

conceded quietly. Akane almost gulped at that. It was blatantly obvious

that her sister-in-law did not like her. Akane's claim of being heir

might be something that will manage to get her thrown out. It worried

her.



   "I'll think of something up, Kodachi." Nabiki smiled pleasantly,

bowed her head and walked with Ranma towards the waiting children.



   As she watched the twins retreat she looked around for support and

only found one of the stone lanterns, she leaned against it and sighed

as she replayed the confrontation in her head. 'Oh boy, what have I

gotten myself into now?'



                                 ~~~



   Normally, Nabiki just stayed behind while the company went to the

border and she watched things at home. Today, she had decided to

finally check out the discrepancies at the border. It was doing more

harm than good and she was worried for the meeting.



   She glanced side-ways at Ranma, he had a frown plastered across his

face and was determined to get to the border and finish with it.



   'First things, first.' Nabiki didn't know if it was Ranma's temper

or the hot day, but it seemed like the walk was taking longer than

expected. Even at the break-neck pace that they had set, it seemed they

were spending more hours than usual.



   It would do well if she would lighten up his 'wife-induced' mood,

before they dealt with whatever attacks were happening at Hase. His

mind was troubled, and troubles cannot bother someone who's going into

battle, 'Well, there's no other time better now to bring this up,'

Nabiki stopped at one of the trees, her hand holding against its trunk.

Noticing her stop, Ranma turned to look at her a few trees ahead.



   "What's wrong, Nabiki?" He asked, jumping towards her.



   Nabiki smiled as she sat down at the branch she was standing on and

looked up to his looming form, "Come on, let's talk a bit before the

samurai catch up with us." Their usual escort was lagging; they hadn't

quite taken to the trees as the twins had.



   He gave her a puzzled look, but he didn't question her intent and

sat complacently at a branch opposite hers. The branch swayed lightly

but held him, "I have a feeling this is about this morning." He smiled

ruefully waiting for her questions.



   "Why didn't you think up your prize? You could've had anything."

Nabiki looked at him, Kodachi would never contest the prize he would

say and he could easily beat her. She didn't need to ask the question,

she knew the answer, she just wanted to hear it from him, "You know you

could've."



   He looked away, "It didn't feel right."



   Nabiki stared at her brother, after more than twenty years with him,

it still surprised her that he tended to act like that. In between all

the screw ups Genma managed to teach them, Ranma's honor is one of the

real gems. It wasn't a startling revelation, she had known all along...

but she only just now realized why he treated wife so kindly.



   She finally realized what it was all about. It had struck her as

strange that he would not pick out something he would clearly have at

the end. He didn't want anything from Kodachi, not because she was

Kodachi, but because he knew he could beat her. It was an arrogant

thing to do, but it had always been Ranma's way. She should have known.



   Nabiki frowned, her brother's sense of honor, although touching was

irritating at times like this. It was the honorable way but sometimes

she wished he'd just break that to show up someone like Kodachi, "You

know, I never could understand why you'd do such a pig-headed thing.

It's an advantage."



   "You can take whatever she gives if you want." The finality of the

way he said it stated clearly there was no room for discussion. He

would never take what he felt was wrongfully given.



   'Well that throws anything material out the window,' Nabiki thought

as her mental list got shorter, Ranma would never even consider taking

it. Thinking she won't get any more from the discussion she changed the

subject, "Are you still worried about her claim on being an heir?"



   "I'm more worried about the fact that she doesn't think before she

enters a fight." He stopped to think for a moment then looked at her,

"Yes, she said she was heiress of something... what was it? Tano,

Tenda..."



   "Tendo... the Tendo school of Martial Arts." It sounded familiar to

Nabiki. She didn't know where she heard the name, but it was something

she'd encountered before. Looking it up was a wise move, "I'll put our

people on it."



   "You sure the house would be okay with only Kodachi there to

manage?" Nabiki didn't know if he was worried for the house or for

Kodachi, "I've never left her alone without you to supervise."



   The crackle in the bushes got Nabiki on her feet, she turned to look

down, "It looks like the samurai have finally caught up with us." She

brushed her black pants but before she jumped towards the next tree she

gave her brother a knowing smile, "Don't worry about Kodachi. I left

her with some things to do. I never actually *believed* she'd fall for

Martial Arts of Wife in Good Graces."



                                 ~~~



   Akane brushed her sunny yellow kimono that complimented her mood

that day as she tipped her bonnet up into the sky and smiled, then

picked up another flower in her path and placed it in her already

accumulating pile. It promised to be a very sunny day.



   "Lady 'dachi, what are we doing picking a lot of flowers?" Hanae

asked taking a few of the flowers she fancied as she passed by them and

added them to Akane's basket.



   "It's Akane." Akane reminded Hanae wrinkling her nose with distaste

as she remembered the *exact* words Nabiki had used to describe her

cooking abilities. She promptly dropped another flower into her half

filled basket. "Oh, well, Nabiki suggested that I try some ikebana

arrangements since I can't cook."



   "Uh... dontcha think that's too much?" Hanae asked eyeing the basket

carefully. There was only one takonama that needed an ikebana

arrangement, and that was the one at the dojo... and it didn't need

much of the flowers Kodachi was picking.



   "Don't worry about it, Hanae." In the past few weeks, Akane had

grown to like the girl. The girl obviously wasn't her daughter, and

maybe Ranma had cheated her, but she was all too nice for her to stay

*too* mad at something that was her parent's faults.



   To Akane's way of thinking, who the girl was born to wasn't Hanae's

fault. Rather, the disregard the parents had towards their... uh...

relationships. She still didn't know what to teach her though, and as a

foster mother she was obliged to teach *some*thing. And she simply had

nothing at hand to teach.



   "Uh... what does Sei's foster mother teach him?" Akane asked as they

continued the walk, it was a pleasant day, and it seemed both Ranma and

Nabiki had some *more* business to attend to at the border. She was

happy at that, at least she didn't need to explain *why* she had just

claimed *his* title. 'At least I won't be fighting him... not yet

anyway'



   "How not to listen when you're not spoken to," Hanae answered

jumping along to a tree branch, Akane frowned, it was much too high to

suit her liking, yet Hanae seemed to like the place far too much. "Um,

Confucius's _Four Book of Morals_, _Book of Great Lineage_, _Ancestries

to the Mikado_, _Three Character Book Morals_, gener'lly books like

that. But 'Nty 'kyo already taught those things to me.(86) Oh and how

to read and write, but I know that too."



   "How many years older are you than Sei anyway?"



   "About a year." Hanae smiled promptly then shrugged, "But he's a

better learner than I am, I don't need to learn much 'cuz I'm a girl.

I'm just suppose to get an omiai."



   "And this is okay with you?" Akane asked disgusted. Medieval Japan.

Figures.



   "Well, I already know more than most girls."  Hanae answered as she

smiled, plucking some leaves of the tree then letting it fall gently to

the ground "What I *really* want is the train under the Amazons. Just

like 'Nty Nabiki and daddy."



   "Amazons?" Akane asked incredulously, the child had to have a wild

imagination, weren't the amazons some remote tribe in Greece? Wasn't

that mythological? "I thought Ranma and his sister trained in China."



   "Hmm... well, yah, under 'der Ko'lon and some 'peror." Hanae

answered proudly, although Akane certainly didn't understand the words.

Hanae scanned the trees in front of her and smiled as she called to her

foster mother, "Hey 'da -- 'kane-san, I'll race you to the water!"



   Akane sighed, as she followed in pursuit. For a girl, Hanae could

easily outrun her, and she was more than ten years her junior. She was

actually very happy she had been keeping fit for the past few months.



   She frowned at the sight of the water, not wanting the implications

it brought, and gulping down the impending doom that loomed over

Hanae's want for the water. She ran towards the girl wishing Hanae

could find some other person to ask to learn to swim.



   Out of her kimono, Hanae took out a well-hidden cat and set it free.

She smiled at Akane as she patted the small creature, and waved it

goodbye.



   "You like cats?" Akane asked as she watched the girl look out

longingly at the feline creature, who was scampering away at the

moment.



   "Hmm... oh yes. From what daddy tells me, 'Nty Shampoo makes the

cutest cat you've ever seen." Hanae answered impishly gazing out into

the horizon, "She has purple fur like 'Nty Shampoo's lav'nder locks and

has these sort of bells in her hair. Daddy tells me lotsa stories..."



   Akane took that Hanae's Aunt Shampoo was a doll maker or something

and left it at that. She nodded as she looked at the wistful girl,

"Don't you want to keep that cat?"



   Hanae whirled around suddenly, but shook her head solemnly, "Daddy

and Aunt Nabiki have this aversion towards the cat-like species. It

leans t'wards the safer side for us not to keep the little darlings."



   "Oh?" Curiously the girl didn't mention Ranko who seemed deathly

afraid of them, surely neither would punish the children for bringing a

cat home just because they hated the things. She dismissed the thoughts

because Hanae had managed to persuade her to finally teach her how to

swim.



   Akane shook her head as Hanae walked beside her towards the beach,

she wondered exactly how Hanae had cajoled her to teach her the

rudiments of swimming, when she *can't* for the life of her move an

inch in water.



                                 ~~~



   Ukyo's aunt, just as her father, was in the okonomiyaki business.

Just as her grandfather, and great-grandfather before them. It was what

the Kuonji line excelled in, and it is what the Kuonji line was known

for.



   Another thing they were known for was the unique style of martial

arts they possessed. She had heard that her forefathers -- or rather,

the women -- had created the style because of the need to defend

themselves and they could not rely on the brute strength the men had

and they sorely lacked.



   Of course... since only men could sell food, Kuonji women were

forced to use other methods. Pretending to be men for one, at least the

Saotomes just cast a blind eye to this. This was what Kuonji Ukyo was

thinking while she was cleaning the small white plates the last

customer her aunt had served used.



   Ranma and Nabiki Saotome had thought she was a boy the moment they

stole that okonomiyaki from her grill (87) all those years ago. It had

been a wonder that Genma Saotome had thought to offer to her father the

proposal for her hand, and her father -- because Kuonji women were hard

to marry off -- had agreed.



   It had been a foolish thought -- no -- a *stupid* thought to think

that any samurai would consider her to be wifely material. But Genma

Saotome had thought her to be fit... along with the hundreds of men and

women he stringed along for his two wards.



   Ranma Saotome had been a fairytale. He had been the prince that her

father talked about in his stories in the deep of the night when she

was about to sleep. And just like those fairytales... he was an

illusion she could never hope to have.



   'I don't love Ranma, damn it.' Ukyo thought scrubbing the plate with

a vengeance, not really for want to clean the already immaculate plate,

but to relieve her of the stress that had settled on her shoulders.



   'If you don't love him... then why do you pine for him?' Ukyo looked

up at the clear sky trying to stop what she knew would be tears. With a

battle against her heart... she was sure she was going to fail. And she

was going to fail miserably.



   Any further brooding from her was interrupted by her aunt's call

from the counter, "Ukyo, dear, come here please."



   Thankful for the interruption of her thoughts, Ukyo wiped her hands

on the cloth beside the tub of water she was using. She took a deep

breath to try to calm herself, determined not to let her aunt see her

distress.



   She ducked under the small curtain that separated the back of the

restaurant from the small garden outside of it and smiled for the

benefit of her aunt. It was an ordinary business day... and a pointedly

dull one at that.



   Days like this, Hanae walked up the grill and asked Ukyo to teach

her how to make okonomiyaki... and they'd laugh over the distorted food

she managed to whip up... She hadn't quite realized how much Hanae had

added into her life until she was gone. 'Get a grip, girl,' Ukyo

scolded herself pulling her bangs out of her eyes and to her ears, 'You

make your own decisions, Hanae was one of them.'



   And yet she missed the time she spent with the girl. Hanae had the

most energetic attitude that was entirely too infectious for her own

good. She always made a slow day worth something. Hanae had taught her

things in life that made every day bearable. Ukyo's days seemed to be a

lot bleaker without the carefree laughter she brought and the beaming

smile she carried wherever she went.



   In the past few days that she had managed to distance herself from

Hanae, she wondered why she hadn't stopped being her foster mother

before. The kami knew she could have done so a long time ago. But she

didn't.



   Hanae was a headstrong character and self-reliant. She could take

care of herself pretty well, she was a fast learner, maybe not as fast

as everyone hoped Ranma's daughter would turn out, but quicker than

most. The truth was, it was more of Ukyo needing Hanae than the other

way around.



   Ranma wasn't the type of person to force a friend to do something

she didn't want. Ranma had the resources and enough vassals to find

another foster mother for the child. In all truths, there was nothing

forcing her to stay. Nothing but her own heart.



   "Yes, Aunt Kashiko(88)?" To everyone other than family, it was queer

to address such a masculine looking person as an aunt. If anyone

wondered where Ukyo had learned how to disguise her femininity during

her younger years, they had but to look at Kashiko to understand. "Is

there something you wanted?"



   "Oh, Ukyo dear," The woman smiled pleasantly as she handed her a

parchment. After Ukyo scanned it, she took it as an invitation of sorts

and a tall order, "I know you've always wanted to try and cook for a

clan meeting."



   Ukyo looked at the parchment, uncomprehending, it looked like some

old samurai wanted her aunt to cook for some sort of a party in the

Yuigahama area. She wondered what clan meetings had to do with the

invitation she held. "It seems like a good job order, Aunt Kashiko...

do you want me to help out?"



   "Oh, no Ukyo-chan, I don't want you to do anything of the sort," The

old woman said, flipping an okonomiyaki at just the right time, she

turned to smile towards Ukyo again. "I want you to go there and do it

for me."



   Kashiko was a woman in her mid-fifties, and a Kuonji 'till the end.

Just as most Kuonji women -- she had never married and had remained in

the Sagami since god knows when. She was still strong and worked

diligently; it was uncharacteristic of her to pass down work of this

magnitude. Her skills have not waned over the years and she was just as

good now as she was ten years ago... maybe even better.



   Ukyo frowned, the job order was a good one, and her aunt could still

whip up for a gathering. It was hard to hold money, and samurai paid

well for their services. At least their wives did. "If you wish so,

Aunt Kashiko."



   Kashiko was the closest person Ukyo could call as mother since her

own had passed away when she was a child, and her concern towards her

niece spurted up in all occasions, "You still don't understand me do

you, child?"



   Ukyo nodded her head in agreement, folding the order into her obi.

Obeying her aunt's wishes, to get to Yuigahama on time she would have

to leave soon.  Maybe punctuality wasn't a prize treasured by samurai,

but she abided by its rules. "No, Aunt Kashiko, I don't understand."



   The old lady smiled as she placed the fresh okonomiyaki off the

grill, she was far slower than when she was young, but her age had not

affected the quality of her food. "My dear Ukyo, the Yuigahama event is

one that *only* the most elite of the Clan are invited along(89)." She

gazed into her eyes meaningfully, then repeated the last part of her

sentence to stress her point, "Only the most elite."



   Ukyo nodded, trying to pass a semblance of understanding while

trying to plan what she would do. She would need to go to her aunt's

shanty then backtrack to Yuigahama. Something was vaguely familiar

about that setting that seemed to nag at her but dismissed the thought

as trivial.



   Her aunt, satisfied at her nod, dismissed her with a wave of her

hand to prepare. She backed out of the room gracefully as her aunt

turned to the newly cooked okonomiyaki.



   Kashiko sighed as she looked at it. She had wished to give it to her

niece since she seemed too dejected, but had completely forgotten.



   She turned to one of her help, gave it to her, and told her to catch

Ukyo. Looking at the grill with a determined set of eyes, she started

to make another batch of the okonomiyaki batter.



   She had noticed Ukyo's dreary mood since her arrival at her

restaurant, and it was certainly a mood that Kashiko had never

associated with the girl. It was as if life was robbed out of her the

way she was constantly on the verge of tears and in a perpetual state

of anxiety.



   Something was troubling the girl, and Kashiko had solved it the only

way she could. Give her something else to work on. The events the

Saotomes held at Yuigahama will keep the child from her dreary

thoughts.



   Sometimes the samurai graced them with a fight or two. A spar or

two. Not those duels fought to the death, but rather the test of skill.

It would serve as a wonderful night for Ukyo.



   There are things that the Saotome Clan has managed to hide from most

of the other clans, and one of it was their fighting style. Another was

the Jusenkyo curse, although she had yet to see what this curse

*really* does.



   She was one of the more trusted vassals, which is one of the reasons

she had been the one set to cook. As she had said, it was a meeting

held in the strictest secrecy. But then... she wasn't young forever.

And Ukyo could be trusted. Besides, the girl was far too desolate to

sit and watch an old woman do her chores. She needed young boys to play

with.



   Yuigahama would be the best medication she could give her niece, she

just knew it.



                                 ~~~



   The moment Nabiki arrived on the small camp the samurai were holding

at the border, the scent of blood overwhelmed her. It was as if she was

twelve again leading that stupid little troop just to prove that she

was worthy of being samurai to the Saotome clan.



   One of the samurai came forward and bowed, "Lady Nabiki, Lord Ranma

--" whatever he was going to say was cut short by the shout of one of

the samurai. Nabiki and Ranma's head shot up in perfect unison.



   "They're here." Ranma muttered as he held his katana while he took

to the trees. Nabiki shook her head as she followed, her brother still

went head on to a fray.



   Still -- aerial combat was the specialty of the Saotome school of

martial arts. If their opponents took to the trees, Ranma'd get them

all. When he killed the first man, Nabiki landed on the ground, "Come

out, come out, dear boys... time to play."



   She closed her eyes, blocking whatever noise Ranma made throughout

his fight, she was out today and she might as well have some fun, her

sword was out the moment a branch snapped towards her.



   Instinctively she raised her sword to block, and opened her eyes to

one ninja, "Well, dear, I never expected you to actually play..." She

smiled as both of them jumped away from each other.



   And Nabiki remembered why she hated dealing with ninja. They were so

hard to fluster, they didn't even react. Her sword was sheathed again

as she dodged the small throwing knifes, one cut her cheek, the other

cut her hair. She was thankful it didn't cut the dragon whisker.



   She thumbed the small cut in her cheek and frowned, maybe she

shouldn't have worn her white shirt today. "I'd hand it to you if that

was poisoned." Nabiki said sarcastically.



   Before she could draw her sword again, Ranma landed beside her, and

his opponent hit the ground with a sickening thud, Nabiki winced as it

broke the ninja's neck and elbow, "Now *that* has *got* to hurt."



   She turned towards her enemy again and almost cursed when she

couldn't find him, "Damn, I hadn't even landed a blow yet, Ranma."



   "Save your energy, they'll attack again." Ranma answered then gave

her a flask of water he had carried for good measure, then he jumped up

towards the trees to see if he can spot the enemy. "Change." Nabiki

almost forgot, she should have changed before she left, if those ninja

ever let it slip she was out of Nerima, Happosai was going to giver her

hell.



   Nabiki cut the white bonds in her breasts swiftly, just as the

change completed, she sighed as she shrugged on her shirt. A second

longer and she would have had trouble with the restrictive bind.

Walking back out of the trees that had shielded her, she turned towards

Ranma.



   Due to the apparent likeness to Ranma the curse gave Nabiki, she

had mainly used his name, just as Ranma used the name Ranko to hide

his girl-form from everybody else. When they appeared together,

however...



   "Shizukama(90), did you see something?" Ranma called on top of one

tall trees. He had not sheathed his sword yet.



   "No." Nabiki-kun answered curtly as he offered the silk he brought

along to Ranma, so that he could wipe his blood soaked sword. "Even in

the trees, I could not see where they disappeared to. It was far too

fast for me to trace. And I had to change."



   Jumping down from the trees to get the proffered cloth, Ranma didn't

respond as he cleaned the red liquid out of his katana, in deep

contemplation of the events. Nabiki-kun knew he wouldn't be able to see

where these ninja retreated to, but he had to try at the very least. As

he had foreseen, he had not even spotted them.



   The situation was starting to look bad, each attack was closer to

Rose Brier, closer to Nerima. If they managed to reach that part of the

border, they *would* be able to reach Nerima. Possibly the Tokai.



   What was frustrating was that the ninja were attacking at their

weakest points. This shouldn't even happen in the first place. Samurai

have been places strategically some meters apart starting from the

beach near Rose Brier towards the road to Zushi, and the roads to

Enoshima up to the point where the Edo met with the Sagami. Samurai

have also been placed on each city in the border. Hase has been

attacked and the temples Gokurakuji and Anryuuji as well. It clearly

signified that they could at least break though the border guards.



   The deep flaw of this plan was that it worked when you were battling

straightforward samurai warriors, but simply didn't work with ninja.

Ninja who took to the dark and could slip past the keenest of eyes. The

only reason the ninja have not achieved whatever they wish to achieve

is that Saotomes aren't your ordinary samurai and that Nabiki and Ranma

have been working to keep the ninja off their backs.



   In all aspects, they should've beaten this ninja months ago, but no

matter how they revised and re-revised their plans, they always seem to

anticipate their moves. Nabiki had started to suspect a leak inside,

but she couldn't point her finger on anyone.



   The problem was, they didn't know what the ninja were after. They

attacked just enough to hold them back, and disappeared just as

quickly. They didn't even finish their fights and never returned for

their dead. They appeared, tired everyone out and disappeared. They

could see no motive.



   Ranma and Nabiki walked back to camp just as the leader of the

particular troop entered.



   "Return to your posts." He ordered as he too wiped his sword.

Nabiki-kun looked at Hiroshi, he was one of their farther cousins. Not

direct blood, so he hadn't been trained in the art, but was a semi-

competent leader and could be trusted with his life.



   "I think I should start sleeping in the border, Shizukama." Ranma

frowned thoughtfully at his sword, then re-sheathed it carefully.

Nabiki-kun recalled it had taken him a lot of time to actually remember

to call him that when he was cursed. Now it came almost naturally.

"We're loosing too many samurai. I can't afford anything closer to

Yuigihama. Old man Happosai's not going to like it if this attacks

costs him *that* gathering."



   Nabiki-kun frowned, it wasn't possible, Ranma was needed in Rose

Brier as well, as it is, it was their *weakest* spot. It was attackable

from both Zushi *and* Enoden. The rest of the Sagami might be safe, but

Rose Brier was still on the border. He said so.



   "I know, but this is crazy!" Ranma said looking around him, "<I

*should* be in Hase, in case of a second attack. I may be a daimyo,

Nabiki, but I'm just a vassal of the old lech. I *should* be in the

front of the lines.>"



   "<Then let me stay here.>" Nabiki-kun answered, he had thought about

this a lot and it would be a good solution for both his worries and his

brother's.



   "<No. Much as that would be a good solution as my presence, you know

I can't run the house. You're the only one who can. There's no way you

can leave for that long a period without the house going to shambles.>"

Ranma answered frustrated, but then gave him a small teasing smile,

"<Besides what am I supposed to do, sit there and tolerate Kodachi

while you have fun?>"



   "<Okay... how about a compromise?>" Nabiki-kun drawled, light smile

playing on his face. When Ranma didn't answer his smile grew wider,

"<Okay... here's what we do...>"



                                 ~~~



   Kodachi Saotome steeled herself for the convulsion that came as her

muscles regenerated itself. She wished she could retch out the muddy

taste in her mouth, but the worms that came out extremely sickened her.



   She watched in fascination as muscle clung to the bone and settled.

In a few minutes, the second layer would cling out. She had worried

about her hair not growing, but it seemed to regenerate as well.



   She had consoled herself with the fact that her face had not yet

decomposed. When she had accepted the offer, she had expected a full-

functioning body... not a half body of months-dead woman. At least

Gosunkugi hadn't made a fuss about her first appearance. He just

fainted. If he had screamed she would have been forced to knock him

out, and she barely had muscles back then.



   She needed to recover fully, but their hideout completely disgusted

her. If she didn't need Gosunkugi, she would have scrapped the entire

idea of putting up with the place altogether, but she needed to heal

and the eta village was the place to do so. Hardly anyone steps foot in

the eta village, no one would try to seek her out there. It was foul

grounds, and whatever happens that may seem queer will be left alone.



   'I swear if I get a single louse on my kimono I'm going to burn this

damn house.' She stopped as another convulsion passed and inspected her

right hand.



   The regeneration was taking longer than she had expected, but at

least she was regenerating, in a week she could get out and meet with

people. When she had first opened her eyes, she thought she'd had gone

to hell. It had taken her a complete day to break out of the coffin.



   Of course it would help if the person who's body she's currently

invading is actually a samurai, but the girl who sent her down wouldn't

even give her that. She had to settle for a degenerate peasant.



   'I've lost time already.' Kodachi thought as she wrapped her hand

with a white cloth she had managed to acquire in the village. She hoped

Gosunkugi could get all those mercenaries ready, because the Yuigahama

meeting only happens once a year. The ninja attacking the border

wouldn't last long without the leaks she was handing to them, and they

were so close to the meeting.



   'Let Nabiki think what she wants from those attacks, I don't care.'

The only purpose she had continually sent them the attacks was to

startle them, make them unstable... and to keep all their resources at

the borders, the cities would be virtually defenseless with all the

samurai there, and she would be able to make her move. 'After all...

nobody knows their enemy is *inside* their cities themselves, do they?'



   First she needed to take out the Akane girl, and that wasn't going

to be easy. Bringing out the special quill for the pigeons she started

to write to her brother. 'I wonder if brother still searches for that

girl he has devoted his soul to?'



   Maybe her brother has heard of her supposed amnesia, but she was

smart enough to use the exact codes their father had entrusted to them

when they were children. Tatewaki would recognize it was from a trusted

Kuno source



   Then again, Tatewaki was a maniac and would go wherever his love

was, regardless of who sent it. He was still dumb enough to search for

that woman blindly. Even in Saotome territory.



   Her brother can bungle up this one all he likes. He's made her life

a living hell, let's see if he can do so now, with her in someone

else's body. Finishing the small note she brought the pigeon closer to

her, and inserted the small note to the cylinder in her leg.



   "Now let's see if my brother can still use all his resources when

he's trying to get something he wants." She smiled as the bird flew

away, "Go my pretty, find my brother for me."



   Kodachi watched as the bird flew and she laughed. Back in Nerima

Akane shivered as she turned to look at the sky.



                                 ~~~



   Akane leaned against the bark of the tree as Ifuku handed her a soft

towel for her perspiration. Akane gave the woman a weak smile as she

slumped down, she had run her farthest and fastest today, and Ifuku

seemed to be less ruffled than she was.



   If Nabiki or Ranma found out about it, she'd die of humiliation.

Being outmaneuvered by her own maid was not a comforting thought. "Do

all the servants run as fast as you do, Ifuku-san?"



   "No, Lady Akane," Ifuku answered taking back the cloth and giving

her a comforting smile. Akane suspected Ifuku was just trying to make

her feel better. "When I was young, I wanted to be samurai so much, I

tried to train as they did."



   "They grant samurai status?" Akane whispered as she sat down on the

soft ground for a rest. From all the history books, she knew it was a

handed down title.



   Ifuku smiled wistfully, she had not worn the kimono for the run and

had dressed up in one of Akane's... creations, "I was a child. Children

tend to dream." Akane wondered how Ifuku got over that particular wish.



   "It's nice of you to offer to run with me, Ifuku, but it wasn't all

that necessary." Akane said kindly as she took out a small fan, "I dug

myself into this trouble, and I have to get myself out."



   "Won't you consider giving up Lord Ranma's challenge? He is very

skilled." There was concern in Ifuku's eyes and she wondered what were

the odds of winning against her husband, "Lord Ranma is trained to

kill. You have not picked up a ribbon in five years, and you've had

amnesia. You must reconsider."



   "Wait a minute! You think he has *won* already with the way you're

speaking. Well I'll show Mister High and Mighty Ranma Saotome. We'll

see who wins in two weeks." Akane shook her head, it was a matter of

pride. She didn't want to back down now. Her husband would think she

was a coward, and Akane was not a coward.



   Ifuku got up from the ground and offered her hand. "Then you must

drive yourself to the limits, Lady Akane. Lord Ranma is honorable, and

he will not take unnecessary shots at your body, but he is stronger and

faster than Lady Nabiki. He has not fought you in a sparring match for

seven years, he will not know how to pull his punches."



   "I don't want him to pull his punches!"



   Ifuku bowed, she had angered Akane, "I'm sorry, my lady. But if you

don't want Lord Ranma to pull his punches, then I don't think I can

help you. Lord Ranma's skill can match against any Saotome trained

samurai and he wins. He always does. I don't think you can *survive* if

he turns all out, and I'm sure you've never seen a chi blast."



   "What?"



   "Lady Akane, Lord Ranma surpasses every trained *Saotome* samurai in

speed and agility which makes up for his strength. He's not that

strong, but he's stronger than most. In one punch he can break your

bones, I'm not joking. Saotome samurai use the sword to kill not

because they need it, but because they want to underplay their

abilities. In all truth, the clan detests the use of any kind of

weapon. All they need are their hands."



   "How... how do you know all of this?"



   "I'm a loyal servant of the household, I have served the Saotome

house for years. One of the reasons I guard you is because I am

trusted." Ifuku paused, she was telling the truth, but telling the

naked truth to Kodachi Kuno tended to get you killed. Still... she

seemed to have revamped her personality... "I am here because I can

protect myself if necessary."



   "Where do your loyalties lie Ifuku?"



   "There can be no question towards my loyalties." Ifuku bowed her

head even lower than Akane could have thought possible, "I am loyal to

the Saotome clan, and I am loyal to you."



   "It's a direct clash, your loyalties."



   "No, Lady Akane, because I was never loyal to Lady Kodachi." Akane

was surprised to hear that, "I can't promise your victory, Lady Akane,

but I can train you to survive. If I learned anything when I was

young... I will teach you how to survive."



   Akane placed her hand on Ifuku's shoulder, "Get up, Ifuku-san. You

don't need to apologize. My temper got away with me. I'm sure you can

help me."



   Then adopting the bow Ifuku had used towards her, Akane said

reverently, "Ifuku-san, please train me."







   In the trees, Hanae watched silently. Ifuku would keep Kodachi from

being killed in a fight against her father, although she was sure her

father would never try to hit a girl... he had since revised his

philosophy regarding Kodachi. She didn't know whether that was bad or

good news. She stroked the cat she held silently. It looks like she

might not learn swimming or gymnastics from Kodachi at all.



   She set the cat down silently, another one cast away from Rose

Brier. She wondered how long it was before an accident happened with

the sudden population of the little critters.



   As it scampered away, Hanae turned to go towards the house when Sei

appeared and dropped another kitten at her side. "You know..."



   He fell silent as he watched Ifuku and Akane run, then turned to

talk to his cousin, "I didn't know Ifuku-san could run as fast as she

did."



   "I didn't know she could run at all." Hanae answered as she turned

towards the house, she paused for a minute, wondering, "Should we tell

what we saw?"



   "Kodachi learning to fight from Ifuku?" Sei thought about it for a

moment then looked at Hanae inquiringly, "Does Ifuku-san know anything

at all?"



   "Apparently she has a great deal more endurance than Akane, and

judging from the way she runs, a great deal faster too." It was the

only assessment she could give, other than that, Ifuku's skill was a

mystery.



   Peasants did not train in martial arts, what they know was just

enough to keep them safe from robbers. If they were attacked by even

low-class samurai, Hanae was sure that samurai would win. Of course...

there were exceptions to the rule.



   "Would Ifuku-san training Kodachi help in any way?" Sei asked, he

was like his mother in that. He asked questions, and rarely gave

answers.



   "Probably not. Ifuku-san doesn't know the style... and daddy is very

skillful." There was worry in her voice, although Sei was sure it

wasn't for their father.



   "Father will beat Kodachi regardless of training Ifuku-san gives.

Will warning father accomplish anything but betraying the trust Kodachi

has given to you?" Kodachi would never know who would have said it, and

Ranma would never have told her, but it was all the same to them. "But

we should probably tell father, just so he knows Kodachi is training

and her bruises are healing nicely."



   Hanae nodded, she gave her complete trust to her cousin regarding

matters that needed to be thought out. "Come on Sei-chan, before Sasuke

finds out we're skipping Kyudo practice."



   "We had to get rid of cats." Sei grumbled as they turned to walk

towards the house, "That's a good enough excuse for him."



                                 ~~~



   Ranma walked back to Rose Brier late at night, he stumbled into the

first steps of the house, barely slipping off his Chinese slippers and

thoroughly exhausted from the fights of the border and his trip back.

All he wanted to do was rest.



   Of course, there were still things that were left unattended to, and

Sasuke's sudden appearance at the entrance reminded him of this. The

ninja bowed and smiled as he began on a detailed report on what has

happened since his leave. The ninja's first attempts to do that had

startled Ranma, not expecting anybody to welcome his arrival. Now it

had become more natural, just as the people calling him lord and all

other idiosyncrasies that came with Rose Brier.



   "Sasuke, are the children still awake?" Ranma asked in a hushed

tone, although the answer was already obvious. If the house had been

sleeping, within five minutes of his arrival at the boarder of Kamakura

city, samurai would have already gone ahead to rouse whoever was asleep

at Rose Brier, it was a custom he was sure he would never understand.



   "They have been waiting for your arrival, Lord Ranma." He answered

in the same hushed tones Ranma used, "The Lady Ko - Akane is waiting

for the Lady Ranko, lord. It's the latest my lord has arrived since the

attack at Hase."



   "Yes, I had some trouble, Shizukama had to be left at the border."

For being a ninja, Sasuke *still* hadn't found out about their curses.

It was uncanny and Ranma admitted to himself that he was sometimes

scared of the seeming incompetence of the ninja. Still... it was an

added bonus to the twin's part, "It's probably going to get worse. I'm

going to leave for a few months. Ranko is going to stay here in my

place until she switches place with Shizukama at the border."



   "And Lady Nabiki?" Sasuke asked noticing Lady Nabiki's absence,

"Where will she be?"



   "She's doing something for me. We're trading places before the

Yuigahama gathering." Ranma stated, wanting Sasuke to know the surface

of his plans, so he would not dig for more. Hopefully, that would keep

his curiosity for a while. "Thank you, Sasuke."



   The ninja bowed and disappeared into the night to do his other

duties.



   Hanae was the next person who found him, with a glass of water and a

change of clothes, she smiled impishly, "Daddy, you should change

before you see your wife."



   Kneeling down beside the girl he smiled, patting her head, "I don't

think the hallway is appropriate, Hanae. Come here, Sei."



   The boy, who was slightly behind him, was not surprised at Ranma's

beckon, it had been obvious that Ranma had already sensed his presence

the second he had stepped to hide behind him, which was exactly when

Hanae had smiled.



   The boy bowed first then ran towards him, to stand beside Hanae,

"Good evening father. Is mother coming home?"



   "Good Evening, Sei. I'm afraid not." Ranma smiled, not regretting

that he told the boy to continue to call Nabiki mother even after the

adoption, "Nabiki-chan has been detained for a while. I'll be handling

most of your lessons while she's gone."



   "Will the Yuigahama party still cn'tinue?" Hanae asked worriedly. It

was something she had always liked, even though she only heard stories

of the happenings through her father and her aunt.



   Ranma nodded as he stood up, carrying the two children in his arms

easily, Hanae was still holding the kimono and glass, "Yes, Lord

Happosai would be extremely disappointed if something happened to

prevent it."



   "Father, how long has Lord Happosai been head of the Saotome clan?"

Sei asked curiously, Ranma smiled it was a reasonable question,

although Happosai looked like a venerated figure, he certainly was not.

"It seems he has held that position for a thousand years and yet he has

so few political ties."



   "One hundred years, possibly more. The title is hereditary. Lord

Happosai has made a lot of enemies, Sei." Ranma explained patiently to

a boy who would be experiencing the old man's beckon soon enough.

Especially if he were to be Ranma's heir, "A long life does create time

for ties, but long enough to break them, too."



   "Then I wish I would never live as long as Lord Happosai." Sei

wished fervently, "If I ever hold the Clan I wish I won't be cursed to

live as long."



   "Me too." Hanae piped up, just as Ranma reached the front of their

rooms, "Daddy, are we sleeping alr'dy?"



   "Yes," Ranma answered as he put the children down in the hallway,

patting the children's head he smiled as they tried to stifle identical

yawns, "You two are tired and *I'm* the one training you tomorrow."



   Both scampered to their rooms, Ranma went to visit Hanae first, as

she pulled up her blanket towards herself, he blew out the light of her

lantern and stroked her forehead gently, "Good night, Hanae." He did

the same thing to Sei as well.



   He sighed as he headed for the furo, he certainly needed another

bath, the trip had been dusty, and far too long. The blood and his

sweat had mixed into his skin that he was sure a long scrubbing would

be hard to take.



   'Nabiki was right, we should switch places, it's the wisest thing to

do.' He just hoped he could pull of the part where he had to stay as

Ranko most of the time. The curse simply didn't follow any wish to curb

it.



   Sometimes he even wondered if it was sentient. Maybe it willed water

to touch him. He had been lucky thus far. But for how long?



   He also had to deal with Kodachi. Anything Goes martial arts should

remain to the Saotome name only. Such were the rules that Hanae and

Nabiki, being women, are not allowed to show any part of the art to

their husbands or their children.



   Any ordinary adopted child was not allowed to learn the art as well,

but being Nabiki's son, and being re-stated into the Saotomes though

Ranma's adoption, made Sei special.



   Hanae was that too... but Rian was an Amazon, and was entitled to

the art, he couldn't very well give her back to the Amazons when his

friend had entrusted her to him. Besides, her record showed that he is

her official father and only Cologne, Ranma and Hanae herself knew

otherwise.



   'When did my life start to get complicated?' He wondered, it

certainly hadn't seemed so when he had been younger, learning the art

with Nabiki.



   Maybe it had been when he had married into the Kuno family, wasn't

Kodachi the root of all his problems? Maybe it had been when he

returned from China, wasn't that when the fianc�e wars started? Maybe

it had been when he and Nabiki had won that battle, wasn't that the

whole reason they were sent away? Maybe it was when they were trained

in the art, wasn't that training a curse and a blessing as well.



   Maybe it was even before that. Before he was born. The past has a

way of searching you out. It is only a matter of time until it caught

up. It was his time now. He was probably paying up for some past life.

'Karma,' he thought, then shook his head ruefully, for a Christian, he

still thought back to his Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. He really didn't

believe in Christianity that much, it was more of an order from

Happosai that kept him from converting back rather than faith.



   "Why do we have to wake up when he arrives anyway, Ifuku? It's not

like he wakes up every time *we* come home."



   Kodachi's firm but almost groggy voice startled him out of his

reverie, he was surprised to hear her. He looked over his shoulder and

saw the rope Kodachi tied. The long line was still there, he had passed

it and had barely noticed, 'I must really be tired.' His actions were

never automatic unless he was thoroughly exhausted.



   There was irritation in the voice. Ranma sighed, Kodachi in her best

mood was hard to handle. Irritation was one of the many things that

made her even more incorrigible. He did not want to deal with an overly

distraught wife, not now. He wouldn't know how to handle her. "Would

you *please* explain all of this? I'm confused enough as it is."



   "My lady, it is customary that the lord arrive to an alert home."

There was a sigh. Ranma, because he was already there, decided to enter

the room but changed his mind, leaning against the paper-thin doors and

listening to the conversation instead.



   The shoji made listening in a joke, and watching them, a farce. The

lantern that projected their shadows made him visualize the room to its

exact detail, and for someone who was trained to watch details, it was

not a hard task, "It has been that way for our ancestors, as it is for

you, as it will be to your descendants."



   "My mother waited for my father to arrive, but it wasn't strict. He

let her sleep when he arrived and she was tired waiting up for him

coming home from work!" Kodachi retorted indignantly, Ranma thought she

must not have come from a very close knitted family. "Honestly, when do

we get to sleep? I'm not much of a night person myself."



   "When my lord sleeps, the whole house may sleep, except for the

samurai that guard the night." Ifuku explained, the shadows against the

shoji suggested that Ifuku leaned to give Kodachi some tea, "We must

wait 'till Sasuke tells us that the lord is asleep."



   "I just wish that he'd sleep soon," There was a yawn that followed.

Slightly exasperated, "I can't imagine how I'm going to teach Hanae how

to swim. Why can't Nabiki believe me when I tell her I can't even tread

in water!"



   "My lady will find a way to teach Lady Hanae," Ifuku reassured her,

Kodachi fidgeted. Ranma looked at the shadows wearily, he knew Kodachi

was an agile swimmer, and even if she cannot teach any martial art

technique with swimming, she will be able to teach Hanae its basics. "I

have my faith in my lady."



   "Is... Is Ranko Hanae's mother?" It was a tentative question, and

there was a tinge of... something in her voice that Ranma couldn't

place. There was a pause, and Ranma waited expectantly for Ifuku's

answer.



   Ifuku was one of his most trusted servants, which was the reason he

had let Kodachi keep her for a maid. She was an invaluable vassal, a

loyal girl. She was also one of the few people who knew about Ranko and

Shizukama. Her answer would be interesting.



   There was a pause as Ifuku regarded her lady's question and worded

her answer carefully. "Is my lady not Hanae-san's mother?" Ifuku asked

gently, "Is Ukyo-san not Hanae-san's mother?"



   There was silence, and presumably a nod, then Ifuku continued, "In a

sense Lady Ranko is Hanae-san's mother. It does not matter who birthed

her into this world, Lady Akane, it is who cares and loves her."



   That was a surprise, it seems Kodachi has won Ifuku's trust as well,

she had started to call her Akane, and Ranma had not said anything

about anybody calling her in that name. If Ranma had been truly honest

with himself, he knew he was beaten, he was loosing the war that he had

pitted against his wife. Kodachi was slowly winning everyone.



   "I guess you're right..." She sighed, then let a tinge of irritation

in her voice as she was reminded of the other girl, "Where *is* Ranko

anyway?"



   "Maybe with the Lady Nabiki." Ifuku offered. She had managed to tell

Kodachi his supposed whereabouts without revealing the curse.



   There was small lag in their conversation and another yawn, "I

really wish Ranma would sleep, I'm getting tired of waiting for him."



   "Uh... my lady, forgive me if my question sounds impertinent..."

Ranma tensed, Ifuku never asked for forgiveness before she did

something. It must mean that she saw it as something wrong.



   "Ask me, and I'll tell you." Kodachi answered her answer suddenly as

guarded as Ifuku's.



   "Does my lady really feel nothing for my lord?" Ifuku asked her

hands reaching out for Kodachi's. Ranma frowned, his sudden softness

regarding Kodachi must have been so evident for someone to comment on

it.



   "Oh, I do feel something for him," Kodachi answered lightly, Ranma

stood there shocked, it was not the answer he had expected from someone

like her. "I *detest* him."



   Now *that* was the answer he was expecting. So why did his heart

feel so heavy all of a sudden? He looked at the room disgusted; this is

what he got for listening in to people like Kodachi.



   He eyed the kimono and the water that he held in his hands. He

turned towards his room, his want for the furo gone. He could take his

bath in the morning, it was not needed at the moment.



   He didn't *need* to sleep in Kodachi's room in the first place.

Ranko was the one who had sworn, and he wasn't Ranko at the moment.







   The Lady Akane, Ifuku sensed, was in a foul mood. She had been

roused from her three-hour sleep because of the late arrival of Lord

Ranma and was feeling rather distasteful that Lady Ranko was nowhere to

be found. All of this she blamed on their Lord.



   So rationally, now was not the time to ask the Lady Akane for her

feelings towards Lord Ranma. She was obviously angry and such a

question would only provoker her. But Ifuku had wanted to know and she

would not get a better opportunity than that night.



   Thinking she had calmed the lady enough, Ifuku tensed as she asked

the question that she had wanted to be answered for so long, "Oh, I do

feel something for him," Ifuku's heart soared, because it could only

mean that her Lord had hope and that... "I *detest* him."



   Ifuku's high spirits plummeted almost immediately. Apparently, she

was wrong. Either Lady Akane *wasn't* calmed down enough or... she

*didn't* love her lord. She was wishing it was more of the former

rather than the latter.



   Her soft ears picked up a small rustle in the shoji, a sound almost

muted to silence, that she had not been sure if she had imagined it or

not. Her heart skipped a beat, there were only a few people in the

whole household whose footsteps she could hear through the tatami.



   A good number of those she could sense were servants as herself, but

from the lightness of the tread, she was sure it was samurai. There

were few reasons why samurai would mis-step like that.



   One reason would probably be her lady's declaration of hate towards

the lord.



   "What is it Ifuku?" Akane asked sensing the abrupt silence from her

maid. "Is there something wrong?"



   "Nothing, my lady. It's probably the wind... Would my lady excuse

me?" Ifuku whispered when Akane nodded she stood up, going over to the

shoji peering at it closely, "I see something near the shoji."



   Ifuku moved towards the door, certain that she would find nothing of

importance, sliding it noiselessly aside. She stifled her gasp when she

saw what was there, bending over she picked up the items left by her

lady's door.



   "What is it, Ifuku?" Akane asked.



   Turning around slowly Ifuku showed her the sleeping kimono that

Ranko usually wore folded neatly in her hands and a cup of cool water.

Akane frowned at this, not understanding what the items meant.



   "I thought Ranko was with Nabiki."



   "She is." Ifuku answered, knowing then for sure that the Lady Ranko

would not be sleeping at Lady Akane's room that night. "It must be

Sasuke, his signal for the Lord's sleep."



   "His... signal?" Akane repeated.



   Sasuke appeared shortly then nodded to her, and bowed to Akane.



   "Yes, Lady Akane, Lord Ranma has retired to his quarters." Ifuku

whispered, Akane nodded as she greeted her a cheery good night and for

the second time, retired to her futon.



   Ifuku bowed slowly to her lady then moved out of the room to her

adjoining quarters, but sleep would be longer in coming than that of

her lady. Because she knew something her lady had not known. She knew

the truth behind those items.



   'Lord Ranma has heard the worst from my lady...' Ifuku thought as

she stared at the dark ceiling, 'It could be the only reason why he

left that.' She frowned, sure that Ranko would not step the rope Akane

had divided the house into.



   But the implications on Ranma's part was also clear to Ifuku, her

lord would not have been hurt if he felt nothing for her lady. And her

lady would not have protested so vehemently if she truly loathed her

lord.



   To her eyes, the two led such a tragic love that was almost as

painful to watch.



   Ifuku sighed, every time Lord Ranma and Lady Akane seemed to find

something to bring them closer to one another, something drove them

infinitely apart. 'Karma, maybe theirs truly was destined to be a

arduous love.'



                                 ~~~



   Ifuku went about cleaning the room, humming in a pleasant tone that

her mother had sung to her when she was a child. Two of the younger

servants were cleaning the shoji. Their happy chatter distracted her,

but brought her memories of how she had had learned to be what she was

now.



   "Lady Akane had a fight with Lord Ranma and Lady Nabiki yesterday,"

The smaller one said in a hushed tone. Ever since Lady Akane's amnesia,

everyone has had their gossip, even the young ones enjoyed whatever

they saw.



   "Well, Lady Nabiki won against her," If Ifuku wasn't mistaken, the

older one was Sara. She didn't mind their loose tongue, every one had a

right to speculate, "I think Lady Akane wanted to redeem herself. Lady

Nabiki did manage to humiliate her in front of Lord Sei and Lady

Hanae."



   "How can she redeem herself if she claims the name Tendo? It doesn't

really make sense."



   Ifuku's head shot up at the name, dropping the blankets that she had

been preparing to store away. She turned to look at the children who

had peeked in to find out what was wrong.



   "What did you say?" Ifuku asked in the calmest manner she could

muster. The children just stared at her blank eyed, not knowing what

she was referring to. "What was that name Lady Akane said?"



   "Tendo, Ifuku-san. It was Tendo."



   Ifuku paled at the words. She had not misheard. 'What could she

know?' Ifuku thought as she stood up murmuring an excuse to the

children and asked them to finish cleaning Lady Akane's room for her.



   When she was sure the children were busying themselves with the

task, she went towards Lady Nabiki's room and took the inkwell and

brush, while swiping some paper as she scribbled a note.



   She wondered how Lady Akane could know of the house, but if the

Saotomes didn't know if it by now, they would try to learn of it later.

The Tendos... they were far from the sphere of influence. How could

they possibly hear of the house?



   Rolling the paper quickly, she stole out of the room quietly praying

that she would have a chance to send it in time.



                                 ~~~



   Cologne walked back to a place she never thought she'd visit again.

For all the bad blood between her kind and the twins, she'd never

thought that she would come back to Japan to seal an alliance with the

Saotome Clan for the Joketsuzoku.



   It was desperate times, and for them to need outside help to survive

-- it was desperate times. She needed a place for her great-

granddaughter to learn. Only the Saotomes came to mind. They were the

only ones who could wake Shampoo up. It had been a long shot, but she

needed her great-granddaughter back.



   Already the girl looked dejected, the nearer they were to Rose

Brier; the more she frowned. She looked down at her feet rather than

straight ahead which was a sign the girl was still demoralized. Cologne

didn't know if the trip towards Japan made matters better or worse

regarding the girl.



   Expecting Nabiki to greet her by the gates of Rose Brier, it came as

a surprise when it was Ranma -- in his cursed form who bowed and

welcomed her in. It was unnatural for the man to be the one who

welcomed such visitors and it wasn't much of a shock that he did so as

a girl.



   "Good day, Matriarch Kuh Lon," Ranma-chan gave her a deep bow, which

she returned, then turning to Shampoo she bowed again, "Good day, Xian

Pu. Welcome to Rose Brier. What makes you venture to these parts?"



   "Is there any other reason why we would go to Rose Brier, Ranko-

chan?" Ranma-chan would not find out the reason of their stay, and she

just left the answer to the girl's imagination.



   "Could I offer the ladies... something?" Ranma-chan just shook her

head as she entered the house with Cologne. It was apparent to Cologne

that even though he had time to get used to his girl from, he did not

train much in how one should act, especially when receiving guests.



   It looked like Nabiki still did most of that for him. He has some

more ways to learn in the arts of hospitality, Cologne declined

graciously and so did Shampoo, "And how is your lovely wife?"



   "I don't have a wife," Ranma-chan answered lightly guiding them

towards a room where they could talk, "Though if you are asking of Lord

Ranma, he is by the border of the Sagami, by Yuigahama shore."



   'So they had decided to keep the curse from the household of Rose

Brier, just as what they had done in their house in Nerima. The twins

traded places. Who else would be at the beach if not for Nabiki? Ranma

wouldn't tell me something like that if one of them wasn't there.' The

information was of some significance. "And the Lady Kodachi?"



   "Sick with a mild cold," Ranma-chan opened the shoji that lead to

the garden for some of the fresh air to come in, taking some of the

zabuton(91) she offered it to them, "She seemingly forgot how to swim."



   "It would be of great pleasure if Hanae and Nabiki's son grace us

with their presence." Cologne answered as she looked at Ranma-chan

closely, gauging his expression. It didn't change.



   Taking a small bell from inside the folds of her obi, Ranma-chan

raised it and rung it several times. The moment she stopped a young

girl had arrived and bowed once towards her then at the two guests,

"What is it Lady Ranko?"



   "Please call Sei and Hanae."



   The girl bowed and left, only to return in a short while with the

two children, then bowed again to leave. Cologne turned her attention

to the new arrivals.



   Sei held a distinct resemblance to his mother and a small

resemblance to his uncle, at five, he was already an charming lad.

Although from what she had learned Sei took more of his appearance from

his father's side.



   Hanae, as she had expected, was the exact image of her mother,

except for the long red locks she had so neatly tied in a pony-tail,

Cologne could just imagine staring at her lost heir. Her resemblance to

Shampoo could not go unnoticed as well, and she wondered how long it

would take for her heir to notice that the young girl in front of her

was an Amazon.



   "Elder Kuh Lon, Xian Pu, the young Lord Sei and Lady Hanae of the

House Saotome." Ranma-chan said as both bowed to each, "Sei, Hanae, I

would like you to meet the Honored Matriarch Kuh Lon and her heir and

great-granddaughter, Xian Pu from the Joketsuzoku."



   Hearing this Hanae's eyes widened in surprise and delight, but

refrained from clapping. Sei remained as passive as he had been, just

like Nabiki when she had been introduced to Cologne the first time, the

boy really did take up after his mother after all.



   "Great-grandmother... she..." Shampoo's voice trailed off. Cologne

nodded, the girl had not noticed the similarity to Rian from the

portrait, but upon seeing her close, its implications dawned on her. A

hurt look crossed her face as she stood up, "May I be excused?"



   She didn't wait for a yes and fled down the hallway, leaving Ranma

and the two children confused at the sudden departure. Cologne just

gazed off after her, a soft and rare frown appearing on her face as she

thought about Shampoo's departure.



   "Uh... was it something I said?" Ranma-chan asked uneasily switching

her gaze from Shampoo to Cologne. "I--"



   Shaking her head, Cologne sighed, she had thought Shampoo was better

than this. Jumping to conclusions was one thing an elder of the Amazon

Village needed to put away... "She thinks you betrayed her."



   "What?"



   Through the years, Ranma's denseness towards the other sex became an

amusing show that she indulged in but at times like this, it was a

rather painful task of explanation. It was a wonder that his sister was

so keen at it. "<She thinks you're Hanae's father.>"



   There was a moment of confusion, and then understanding dawned on

Ranma-chan's face as she stood up to go after her friend, but Cologne's

outstretched staff stopped her in an instant. "What? I have to go after

her, she doesn't understand..."



   "Let her think first," Cologne said withdrawing her staff from

Ranma's path, "Then talk to her, she might be more receptive to the

truth then. For the moment, I want to see your students perform, neh?"



                                 ~~~



   Sobbing, Shampoo ran, she found solace in the forest, the only place

in Japan she could picture as her home. Even a few months off mainland

China brought a heaviness towards her heart that she knew was from

homesickness.



   She missed China already. Yet she had missed Ranma most of all, no,

she had missed their times together when they were young. Those were

carefree times where she sought his hand or his sister's head.



   She jumped up to one of the trees and sat on its branches, pouring

her heart out. Her nails clinging on to the soft fabric of her dress,

her tears making dark splotches against the beautiful red silk, not

minding that she would probably get reprimanded for ruining such a

prized gift from her cousin.



   All this years she had thought that even if Ranma hadn't loved her,

even if he didn't believe in the laws, that he had at least been honest

with her. That he had told her the truth.



   She had fast learned that Ranma Saotome's word was worth nothing at

all.



   He had told her he wouldn't marry, because he didn't and couldn't.

His *honor* demanded that he marry all the girls he had been engaged

to, and he never wanted that... which resulted to the fianc�e wars. Yet

he had married Kodachi Kuno in a blink, someone who he wasn't *engaged*

to in the first place.



   It was a slap in the face she could not and would not take. That was

the reason she had gone to China, because of the humiliation he had

forced her to endure. She had tried to attack Kodachi Kuno, blindly

tried to kill the woman who had stolen her love from her, but Ranma had

defended her to the last minute. Even if he showed nothing but contempt

towards Koachi. Even if he loathed her being.



   Then he swore that he had not broken the law, that she had as much

chance as Rian in his heart. Then he had slept with Rian. How else

could the child look so much like her cousin? She was convinced Hanae

was indeed her cousin's daughter, and the red hair proved that she was

her father's daughter.



   He had twisted the knife that was already sticking out to her back

and it hurt her far more than she wanted to admit. Because after all

this time of loathing Ranma, the most terrible realization came with

her tears... that she still loved the man.



   Damn him, Ranma was a liar... and yet she still loved him. He had

betrayed her... and she still loved him... 'What am I going to do?'



   'I'm nothing but a lovesick puppy.' Shampoo thought, her sobs

racking her whole body and moving the branch she was sitting on

violently, 'I'm no better than that idiotic Mousse who pines away for

me. At least he lives in his own dream world. I don't even have the

comfort of that.'



   Her crying seemed to last forever, until someone tapped her

shoulder, sitting down beside her in the branch. She didn't turn to

look who it was, she knew for certain it was *him*. Who else could it

be?



   "Hey, Shampoo..." He murmured softly... he had changed back to his

male form.



   "Hey..." Shampoo's voice broke off, she couldn't think of anything

else to say. Anything more threatened to spill more of the tears that

were lurking behind her eyes, and she had vowed not to let him see her

pain. For the moment silence seemed to be enough.



   He smiled at her, just as she remembered back when they were young.

He was still as handsome as he was six years ago. Her heart shot up the

unmistakable pain of longing through her body that she hoped to squelch

but could not. "Did Cologne tell you anything... after I got married?"



   "No..." Shampoo's eyes traveled to his shirt, a small chain with a

cross was imprinted through the thin wet top. It was an unfamiliar

object that Shampoo had not seen him wear before, and it bore

implications she did not want to think about at the moment. "Grandmamma

chooses to tell things when thinks Shampoo is ready."



   Her Japanese was better, but still not flawless.



   "What you follow me here for?"



   "It's getting late..."



   Shampoo turned to look at the sky, indeed the sun had set; she must

have been out longer than she thought. But she had all the time in the

world, she needn't hurry back to the village, no one was waiting for

her there, and she needn't go back to the house, for the only one she

wanted to have did not want her. "I no need your concern."



   It was one of those times that Ranma had wisely decided to keep his

mouth shut opting to watch her silently and Shampoo just stared on the

grass below her stoically. Finally, deciding that the conversation

would go nowhere she breached the topic she did not want to discuss.

"<Is my cousin Hanae's mother?>"



   "She is."



   Shampoo's slap rang across the night, it was the first time she had

ever tried to intentionally hit him in his boy form, and the first time

she had ever meant it. This was no longer a game of two sixteen year

olds, they were adults, it was time they came to the real world.

Accusation was laden in her cool eyes, "Why?"



   Ranma asked his eyes not leaving Shampoo's. His hand didn't even

come up to his defense, and Shampoo knew that he had let her slap him.

It troubled her to no end. Ranma had never let anyone intentionally hit

him before, no one. "Why what?"



   "<Why did you do it?>"



   "<Because Rian was a friend.>"



   "<I'm your friend too and you don't see me sleeping with you!>"

Shampoo looked at him, tears streaming down her face. Her resolve not

to cry broken by his confused state, and she desperately wanted to

believe that he had not betrayed her, but knew that he had.



   The last she had heard of her cousin was that she had married a

samurai... too many coincidences, "<How is she?>"



   Ranma averted his gaze. There were some things too much bound by

secrecy that cannot be parted with, even with close friends. "<As best

as she could be... I guess.>"



   "<How is your consort, then?>" There was steel in her voice,

"<Great-grandmother talked to Nabiki before we went home, I never got

the chance to see her. To know her. All I know is that you have one.>"



   There was a puzzled look in Ranma's face that Shampoo grew to

despise, she had not known that he was *that* good at manipulating,

maybe he had learned from his sister. "<I don't -- oh... you must be

talking about *Ranko*.>"



   Ranko? Who the hell? Wasn't this where he was supposed to admit that

he had taken Rian in, "<No! I mean my cousin!>"



   "You think I took Rian as a consort?" He asked perplexed.



   "<Isn't she?>"



   "<No!>" The denial was too vehement and automatic to be fake.



   "<Then Hanae's father...>"



   "<... is dead.>"



   "<Then who-->"



   "<I'm not allowed to tell anybody too much,>" Ranma sighed as he

looked at her, "<The fact that you know I'm not really Hanae's father

will already get me into too much trouble...>"



   "<You don't have to tell me anything.>" Shampoo said as she turned

to watch the scene below. It was not much and merely foliage, but she

found it interesting at the moment. It was better than to look at

Ranma's pleading eyes, because she knew that if she looked at him, her

resolve would break, and she'd find herself desperately wanting to kiss

him just as she had when they were young, "<Please leave me.>"



   He seemed like he wanted to say more to her, but he didn't continue

past his open mouth. He nodded and left her to her thoughts. His

departure was almost as silent as his arrival, leaving her to ponder

on her thoughts once more.



   How did Rian's hate for him turn to love? How did hers? They had

been mere children, she had been twelve and Rian fifteen when they

met... and far too young...







   "<Do I sense a touch of resentment, cousin?>" Shampoo asked as she

walked along the palace gardens. Rian had been sent under the Imperial

Palace to train when she was twelve, and had been staying there for

three years, she has never been defeated, and it smarted for an

outsider to do so. The fact that Ranma really was a *man* rankled even

more.



   And to such as Rian, who prided herself as heir, to be beaten by a

man with such a handicap as Ranma at that time... the implications did

not sit well with her, and Rian found herself in a constant irritable

mood that Shampoo exploited every chance she got.



   Rian's dagger was pointed at Shampoo quickly, not a threat, but a

warning nonetheless. Rian seems to think Shampoo had overstepped her

boundaries. "<Do not insult me again! I am the best of *our*

generation! The only reason you won that tournament is because I am

here. I do not think a match will yield you good results.>"



   Rian also had no sense of humor. It was probably because she had

been so young when she was taken away, and so driven by her mentors to

be the best that she had forgotten the basics: How to laugh and be a

child. Rian had been forced to grow up so soon, so quickly. Shampoo

pushed the dagger away. "<I was merely joking.>"



   Rian sheathed her dagger quickly, it was one of her most prized

possessions and she guarded it as jealously as she did her honor.

Shampoo noted her cousin liked to put the weapon in her hair. The

thickness and her hair color hid it well, "<Jest all you like, I do not

like to be defeated by a man!>"



   "<You do not *want* to be defeated, period.>" Shampoo stopped then

turned to face Rian. Asking understanding from her cousin, "<Do you

think *I* like being beaten by the lower class?>"



   "<Maybe. I don't know, I've been away from the village for far too

long.>" She continued to walk even though Shampoo just stared at her,

they needed to tell the events to their great-grandmother "<Maybe the

time has robbed you of your warrior's pride.>"



   Pride was something that was dominant in all Amazon women...

especially undefeated champions. But then, they were undefeated

champions no longer. Nothing lasts forever. Defeat has always been

something that loomed in the future. Amazons just didn't train to

loose, that's why it came as such a hard blow -- but then again... who

did?



   It was then that the person she previously known as the red-haired

girl-- now appropriately dubbed Ranma -- walked across the garden, with

a girl, presumably his twin sister, by his side. It came as a surprise

to the two Amazons that it was the boy of the two that wore his hair

long rather than the other way around.



   Rian watched them through guarded eyes, "<Is that Ranma's uncursed

form?>"



   "<Yes.>" Shampoo thought looking at them, there had been no formal

introductions, the emperor had thought it wise for the Amazons to call

off for a bit. She had to admit though, Ranma was good looking and his

sister seemed a strong enough warrior...



   "<I don't think I'll manage to fall in love with him.>" Rian said

disgusted then turned towards the gates of the palace, the roads that

would lead to the end of the city and the trail to the village, "<I'm

thankful he bested you first.>"



   Shampoo looked at the two walk towards the garden, they were

laughing, at something they saw by the cherry trees. "<You don't know

... maybe he'll manage to surprise you... I'm starting to like him,

and that's just by looking.>"



   "<I will *never* love him.>" With that Rian turned to report to the

village, jumping from roof to roof. Shampoo looked at her for a while

before she followed.







   'Oh, Rian.' Shampoo thought as she closed her eyes, they had been

cousins, friends and rivals at the same time, and she had watched Rian

fall in love with Ranma, watched her change her attitude towards him.

How could she not? Ranma was a man easy to love.



   He had been a na�ve, sweet and terribly uncouth boy that had

certainly endeared him to both of their hearts. He had his share of

faults but no one was perfect.



   They had lived in a village where every woman was above any man, he

lived in a country where every man was superior to women. They had been

so different, and yet on the fleeting moments they had trained they had

been the same. They had been on equal ground... and the moment they

parted everything had changed.



   Both Rian and she actively pursued him, but had different reasons

for doing so, Rian had always wanted to bash him more than hug him, and

Shampoo was the one who constantly tried -- and succeeded -- to kiss

him.



   Somehow... in the middle of the frenzy, Rian's barrier of hate

crumbled. They said there was a thin line between love and hate, Rian

had crossed the final lines and her growing love for Ranma had hurt

Shampoo more than she cared to admit. Rian had increasingly tried to

kill him more because it kept her on the edge, knowing that she will

never win, rather than truly maiming him. Ranma had been a great

sparring partner, and so was his sister. Both were extremely

challenging on their own fields.



   Then... Rian disappeared... with only minuscule clues to her

whereabouts.



   ... And now ...



   'You lied to me too.'



                                 ~~~



   Ifuku walked past the samurai, her hands almost shaking. If anybody

ever found out what she was doing, she would die. The would kill her

regardless of what she reasons out and of her longstanding loyalty to

the clan.



   She was sacrificing her life for a secret that she had never wanted

in the first place. She entered the pigeon house without question from

the samurai; they had let her in easily. The pigeons fluttered

restlessly at her entrance.



   Bringing out the small rolled parchment she had kept beneath her

robes she placed it on one of the cylinders and set the bird free.

Sending out a small prayer for its safety, Ifuku closed the windows and

leaned against its frame.



   From the moment she had heard of the fight that morning between the

lords, she had been in a perpetual state of worry. She knew how these

people worked... If he did not get it in time... they might have no

chance at all.



   "What did you send out?"



   Ifuku didn't turn quickly, now her life depended on her ability to

stick to the truth without revealing too much... to lie if necessary.

To lie to the people who had taken care of her since her childhood. She

took a deep breath to compose herself, "A letter, what else?"



   "I'm not playing games, Ifuku-san. What did you send out?" If Ifuku

had not been sure who it was before, she had known now. She turned

slowly around to look at Omokage. She cursed for her incompetence.



   "Can I not send a letter to my husband?" She needed to retain their

trust, because most of all, she needed to survive.



   There was uncertainty in Omokage's eyes. That would buy her some

time, but would that time be enough? "I did not know you had a

husband."



   "No one has ever asked." It was the most subversive voice she had

ever used towards anybody. 'Sohin, Be safe. I just need some more time

before he can warn any other samurai. A few more minutes before that

pigeon flies free.'



   "No one needed to ask. You grew up here!" His accusation was as loud

as any slap her mother could have given her. She had made a mistake,

she should have known to tell more people about her wedding, but it was

a ruse and she was a peasant.



   She heard the faint sound of running and she knew this could only

end with her death. Her jailers have come to arrest her. A samurai

barged in, the dead bird in his hands. It was her last chance of

survival.



   Omokage got the bird and opened the small cylinder with the letter

on it, he read it aloud, "Sohin, Lady Nabiki searches for answers

regarding the Tendos. Please tell her what you know -- your wife,

Ifuku."



   "Is there something in my letter that displeases you?" Ifuku asked

as she watched him, she dare not let a smile play on her face. She was

not out of trouble, yet.



   "Do you know what would happen if this falls in enemy territory?"

Omokage demanded as he threw the dead bird at her feet, "You're lucky

our archers were astute. Lord Ranma and Lady Nabiki always informs

samurai if they send out anything. Lady Nabiki handles the letters, and

she isn't home at the moment."



   "Gomenasai, Omokage-san. I was not thinking." Ifuku proceeded to

kneel in the most abject manner possible and bowed before him, "May I

ask who the Lady Nabiki has asked for information for the Tendos?"



   "Why do you wish to know something that is not of your concern?"



   "Because my husband would be the perfect spy for her." Ifuku

answered, murmuring her words through the tatami. 'Please let him agree

with me.' "Let my husband look into the matter."



   "Why have you not told Lady Nabiki of this yourself?"



   "I was afraid that she might not agree."



   Ifuku dared not to look up at his face, "Lady Nabiki is very

intelligent, her refusal towards your offer will have good reasons." He

was by her side in a second and he lifted her face off the mat, "You've

been here as long as I have Ifuku. Are you willing to loose everything

you've ever held for a gamble?"



   "I have faith in my husband," Ifuku answered as she stared at

Omokage's eyes, he had to believe in her for her to get any chance at

all, "He will not let me down."



   Omokage turned towards the samurai who shot down the bird and for a

moment she thought he was going to order her death, "Here give this

letter to her husband."



   Ifuku almost cried at his words. He trusted her. She thanked the

gods. "It is fortunate that he is currently in the Temple of

Gokurakuji. He will be accompanying a boy and his foster mother. Just

ask the monks for him."



   As the man left for the day's journey, he paused to look at Omokage,

when he nodded he left. Ifuku turned to Omokage and bowed again,

"Arigato gozaimashita, Omokage-san."



   She could feel his gaze upon her, "Do not thank me yet, Ifuku. If

anything happens to that samurai. If that man of yours doesn't push

through with that information... I'll have to kill you."



   "You don't need to do that, Omokage-san." She intended to die first

before anybody else got to her, she wasn't going to be a pawn in this

game. She didn't know if he understood her intentions or not, but he

let it rest.



   "When does your husband leave the temple grounds?"



   She knew where the questioning was going to lead to... but to lie

now... "A week from now."



   "And when do you take your yearly leave, Ifuku-san?"



   She hoped her voice would not break, "A week from now."



   "And this is something you do yearly?"



   "Yes, Omokage-san." She waited for the next question, but it did not

come. Omokage was intelligent enough to put two and two together. If he

ever decided to tell the Saotomes she was meeting Sohin behind their

back... she didn't know what would happen to her. The Saotomes knew

mercy, but in their point of view, would they think her case was worth

it?



   He left as soundlessly as he came in. Ifuku's head shot up from the

tatami, her under kimono sticking to her sweaty flesh. That encounter

had scared her more than she cared to admit. Omokage will not tell Lady

Nabiki what she had done that evening because he had let her get away.

She just hoped Sohin would push through for her.



                                 ~~~



    Ranma-chan looked back at the forest with mixed feelings. Because

of Shampoo's sudden outburst, she had been forced to think if she had

wronged the girl in any way. She had been about to go fetch her for a

second time when Cologne stopped her again, a hand on her shoulder.



    'Shampoo is a young girl at heart,' he remembered her saying

clearly, 'She has not learned the value of what you have willingly

given her. She doesn't understand that when you didn't marry her, you

gave her something that she has not manage to experience through all of

her teenage life... her freedom.'



    Walking slowly towards Kodachi's room, Ranma-chan sighed preparing

for sleep as silently as she can. Kodachi had already slept since Ifuku

had told her that 'Ranma' had done so already, and Ranma-chan didn't

want to deal with her at the moment.



    It came as a surprise when Kodachi stirred as Ranma-chan went past

her to get a fresh sleeping kimono from the small alcove. Opening her

eyes slowly, Kodachi adjusted to the semi-dim room, her eyes still

blurry from sleep. "Ranma?"



   Ranma's intake of breath was sharp, worrying that in Kodachi's

sleepy state, her subconscious managed to piece in the puzzle her

rational mind could not. The connection of the appearances between

Ranma and Ranko... no matter how implausible it may have seemed then.



   "Oh... I'm sorry, Ranko-san, you look so much like my husband."



   Ranma-chan let out the breath she was holding, the secret was safe

for now. And if she had any choice in it, it will remain to be.



   "If you're here, Nabiki's out and I'm sick... who's taking care of

the children?" It was a rare moment of rationality that Kodachi asked

such a question, the worry breaking clean on her face, "Surely..."



   "The matriarch Cologne offered to step up their training." Ranma-

chan shrugged as she turned to get the clothes, in a second she was

ready for bed, the immaculate futon laid out the opposite of Kodachi's.

"We've been very fortunate."



   Kodachi followed Ranma-chan through her eyes as the red-haired woman

walked to the small basin Ifuku had left, earlier to wash her face and

hands clean. Ranma-chan dismissed her to take care of Shampoo, since

the Chinese woman had a Jusenkyo curse, few could be trusted to be her

maid. Ifuku was one of the few who fell neatly into the category.



   "Umm... Ranko, do you mind if I ask you something?" To Ranma,

Kodachi seemed uneasy. Her muscles tensing visibly even in the dark

room. Ranma-chan shrugged, wondering what question could cause her such

discomfort, and was troubled and a bit startled at her follow-up. "Why

does Ranma stay married to me?"



   Frowning at the question, Ranma-chan got the comb at the side of the

basin then sat on his futon, looking at Kodachi sideways, "He was

ordered to marry you, Kodachi."



   There was a bit of shuffling that Ranma-chan ignored as she tried to

stay comfortable in the futon. Unfortunately, the humidity of the night

wasn't helping at all.



   "Oh... does... does Ranma usually stay at Rose Brier?" Kodachi asked

tentatively at the dark room. They weren't facing each other but Ranma-

chan could just imagine the distaste showing in her face as she asked

the question.



   Giving out a non-committal grunt Ranma-chan undid the ties of his

hair, combed it briskly and re-braid it again, she had found out from

Nabiki that it gave him less trouble in the morning when she did that.

"Rose Brier is at the border of the Sagami, Kodachi--"



   "Akane."



   Ranma-chan wasn't sure if she was just trying to make small talk or

she really was geared on irritating him, but she repeated the name

nonetheless, "Akane... and it's to be constantly protected especially

if there's a threat. He usually stays here when there are important

things to do but usually goes to the other house in Nerima to visit his

mother."



   "That's what I'm unclear about, what's this Nerima house?" Kodachi

asked uncertainly, "Isn't Brier Rose in Nerima?"



   "Let's get this straight okay? Rose Brier is at the border of

Kanagawa in Nerima in Sagami. Rose Brier is where the twins stay. The

Nerima house, for a lack of a better name to call it," Ranma-chan

quipped, "Is mainly where Lady Nodoka and you stay. Sometimes Odawara

Castle when Happosai calls."



   "Then why is he usually here?" Kodachi relaxed against the light

chatter, it was the first time she had managed to engage Ranko in a

conversation without either of them getting into a big fight. In all

truths, she *really* wanted to be friends with the girl, "I mean... why

does he seem to love the place dearly?"



   "Lord Ranma doesn't love the place..." Ranma-chan trailed off

thinking about Kodachi's questions, she certainly didn't treat Rose

Brier different than any other place she held fiefdom over, "It's just

that... maybe it's the peace and quiet... he never had much of a

peaceful life."



   "Hmmm..."



   Ranma-chan sighed, maybe she really should tell Kodachi the truth.

Kodachi was going to find out about it anyway. Putting down the comb

she lay down on the futon, "It's just that Rose Brier was an ancestral

home, Lady Kodachi, it actually belonged to Ranma and Nabiki when they

were young..."



   "I thought Rose Brier was mine." Kodachi answered reclining into the

futon.



   Ranma heard the distinct close of the shoji in another part of the

house and thought that Ifuku must have already left Cologne and

Shampoo's room to return. Her light tread against the tatami was one of

the most distinct of all the servants, and Ranma knew all the

households footsteps. It was needed for the safety of the home after

all.



   "Oh, Rose Brier is yours, but the Twofold Dragons was theirs."



   "Wait a minute, you lost me. What Twofold Dragons."



   "It's a name okay? It's what this place was called before you got

your hands on it."



   "What happened?"



   Ranma-chan shrugged there were few things that could be blamed for

their sufferings if it concerned before their birth, sometimes it was

their own ancestors, often it was their liege lord, but most of all it

was their foster father. "Genma Saotome happened. He managed to gamble

the house and land away and being the fool Genma was, he lost. The

house and land was renamed."



   "So he married me for the land?" She could almost see the hurt

expression her voice obviously showed, Ranma-chan sighed. She still

couldn't believe that a lot of people thought she was that kind of

person.



   "He married you because he was ordered to. It has nothing to do with

the land." Ranma-chan quipped as she turned away from Kodachi, even in

the dark, he could see her form. Her eyes settled on the shoji doors.

Tomorrow, she would be at the border, tomorrow Nabiki returns. That

was the key tomorrow.



   "Why did he agree to marry me then?"



   "Is an order so hard to comprehend?" Ranma-chan's eyes flared, "And

because of that order he can not turn you away!"



   "Why?"



   "Arghhh!" Ranma-chan threw her hands up in frustration, Kodachi

simply didn't want to understand, "There are some things in the

marriage that makes it different from the others!"



   "What?"



   Her monosyllabic questions was starting to get to Ranma-chan's

nerves, there were simply too many clauses that their farce of a

wedding had, "Any injury to you done by a member of the Saotome clan

ordered by a Saotome clan or anything similar would be reciprocated to

Nabiki."



   "Why Nabiki?"



   "Because the Kunos knew that Ranma loved his sister completely and

her mind is a liability to them." Ranma-chan frowned as she rubbed the

small scar at the small of her back, "Another little quirk is that if

you are sent home, Rose Brier would be returned to them."



   "So... you can't kill me unless Nabiki dies?"



   "Or turns ronin." It wasn't a comforting thought.



   Kodachi was silent as she digested this information, Ranma-chan

grumbled as she turned again. There simply was no comfortable position

to sleep with in a room with Kodachi Saotome. "I don't know about you,

but I need my sleep. I'm not one to answer questions you should, by all

aspects, know."



   With that, Ranma-chan silenced herself and reclined to the futon,

listening to Kodachi's slow breathing.



   Though they remained silent, sleep would not come to them for a

while, both lost in thought about the past and the future.



                                 ~~~





      A full week later Nabiki-kun headed home and was more than

surprised to find Kodachi with a bowl of *something* -- badly cooked,

and with a small lacquered tray. Nabiki-kun gulped at Kodachi's more

than eager eyes. The last time she had managed to eat Kodachi's

cooking, she enjoyed the savory taste, but had been paralyzed for half

a day. Now it seemed she wouldn't even manage to have that small

luxury.



   "Ranma! Come, I made this dish for Nabiki's return. Want a taste?"

Kodachi piped eagerly as she put the small bowl down. Nabiki-kun

flinched at the burnt smell and Ranma-chan, who was actually leaning on

one of the paper doors was languidly watching the exchange.



   In the fianc�e wars, the twins have been served everything and

endured all from each one of their suitors. One of the things that

didn't sit well with Nabiki was that Kodachi was one of the best cooks

the Fianc�e wars produced and she was damned set on poisoning them as

well.



   Mostly it was Ranma who was the hapless victim of the girl... but

since she had quite *conveniently* forgotten everything, her timing

couldn't have been worse.



   "Maybe we should wait for Nabiki." Nabiki-kun suggested as he raised

her eyebrow questioningly at the substance. Whatever it was, prolonging

its way to her stomach seemed to him, a better idea.



   Kodachi smiled pleasantly, "You and Ranko have the same idea! You

really like Nabiki, don't you?"



   Nabiki-kun looked at her twin who was looking at anywhere but at

her. Right then she decided that he was getting his revenge from all

those times she had pretended to be him to one of her fianc�s and said

that she loved the taste of his food -- which actually tasted one step

lower than mud.



   Kodachi pulled on his arm, "Is it such a bad idea to eat with your

wife?" There was a small plead in her eyes and her tone was so pitiful,

Nabiki-kun almost gave up.



   "Actually," Nabiki-kun started as she turned towards the rooms

looking at Ranma meaningfully. "Maybe we could..."



   Ranma-chan's eyes widened, not really knowing what Nabiki was

implying, then pulled her away from Kodachi's grip "Ahh... hehehe, Na -

- Ranma?" He always stammered and forgot to call her his name when he

was nervous, it was a good sign, "Can I speak to you for a minute?

Don't worry Kodachi, I'll return him to you just as *soon* as we have

*that* talk."



   Kodachi started to say something, but Ranma-chan had managed to drag

Nabiki-kun away before either could protest. When Ranma-chan managed to

get them by the dojo ground he frowned at her sternly, "Really,

Nabiki."



   "What? *You* started it." Nabiki-kun crossed his arms against the

dirty silk shirt he wore. What she truly wanted was a nice bath and a

long soak in the furo... a very hot furo and his true *female* form

rather than fighting with his angry brother -- currently sister.



   "It *is* a bad idea to eat with my wife." Ranma-chan lectured

sternly as she walked around, "And you know it."



   "I don't know, brother." Nabiki-kun drawled out rather lazily as he

noted the nice flowery black kimono Ranma was wearing. He had to admit

though, his brother could chose the drabbest clothes and still look

gorgeous in his female form. "It seems you like spending time with her,

why else wear her clothes?"



   Nabiki-kun knew that retort was rather below the belt but hell would

freeze over before he backed down. Kodachi was getting closer to Ranma

every day, she was still the violent maniac -- mellowed out probably -

but still a maniac. "We already had this conversation."



   "Are you sure that's the reason, brother?" Nabiki-kun murmured

softly as she looked into his troubled blue eyes that dimmed slightly

at her statement... in his female form they were so much lighter, "Or

are you just making excuses?"



   Ranma-chan didn't know how to answer to that accusation, but didn't

avert her eyes from his.  "You're starting to doubt me?"



   "No, merely trying to question you. One doesn't necessarily mean the

other." Whatever anybody said, Nabiki was loyal to her family first,

and her brother the most... and to see him make a mistake over Kodachi

for the second time around. "It's my job."



   Ranma-chan sighed, "Let's not get into this whole Kodachi issue,

Nabiki. For the first time in weeks, you're home. How was Yuigahama?"

Her hand balled into a fist, "Can the old lech still hold his party

there?"



   "If the old man wants something..." Nabiki-kun trailed off, there

was no need to continue, the end was apparent. They heard the discreet

shuffling of feet and turned towards the house, in a few moments,

Kodachi appeared holding out what seemed to be two identical letters.



   From the wax seal outside the letters both knew exactly whom it came

from before they could even hold it. "Ranma, it seems to be an

invitation of some sort."



   In the back of the letters, Ranma's name was scrawled in kanji and

Nabiki's in hiragana, both with their appropriate honorfics. Kodachi

handed them both to Nabiki-kun.



   Looking at them, Nabiki-kun rolled her eyes then handed her

invitation to Ranma-chan. "Here, open Nabiki's letter for me."



   "Where did it come from, Ranma?" Kodachi asked eagerly to Nabiki-

kun, Nabiki just wondered if she could point out the woman in the right

direction then and there. It was perplexing to know that Kodachi

thought of her cursed state as her husband. It was simply creepy. She

did not want to go to the point where Kodachi starts flirting. If and

when that happens, she was going to set the girl straight regardless of

their orders.



   The twins sighed in an identical manner, and opened the letters that

had been handed to them, scanning down and confirming their suspicion.

In the bottom of the letter was Happosai's hanko(92) in red ink.



   "Well?" Kodachi asked expectantly raising her eyebrow meaningfully.



   Nabiki-kun handed her the invitation, "It's from our liege lord."



   "I, Lord Happosai of the Kanto and head of the Saotome Clan, request

the presence of Lord Saotome Ranma-noh-Tetsuma(93), as acting heir of

the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, on the twenty-fourth day of Hachi-gatsu(94)

to attend the Yuigahama Saotome clan meeting." Kodachi looked up from

the letter to Nabiki, "Will you be going?"



   "Are you dull, Kodachi? Or do you just really like to get on my

nerves?" Nabiki asked truthfully, her patience was always lacking with

Kodachi. "Is an order something so difficult to comprehend?"



   "There was nothing said about orders."



   "Of course not," Nabiki-kun breathed in deeply, and began again,

"It's impolite to state that out on paper, but it's what this is.

Happosai doesn't *invite* you to somewhere, he *commands* you there."



   It rang on Ranma-chan's ears, it was the same thing he had told

Kodachi just the night before. Kodachi was simply starting to forget

her values. The Yuigahama meeting has always been for further

discussion of the clan, maybe a little mingling. It's for the clan to

know the situation of the Saotome holdings. The Kanto is a large area,

and significant land is hard to protect.



   "It is an honor reserved only for the daimyo of the different lands

Happosai is controlling." Nabiki-kun said as she got Ranma's invitation

from Kodachi's hands, "Few are able to attend."



   "It's an order and now an honor?"



   "An order can always be an honor. It is always an honor to perform

for your liege lord." Ranma-chan said quoting Cologne on one of her

lectures, "Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to like it."



   It was then that Cologne decided to walk in on the three of them,

holding a similar parchment on her hands, "Ahh... son-in-law, it is

good you have not forgotten your lessons, no matter how long ago it has

been taught."



   The twins both grunted, Kodachi was just bewildered then Nabiki-kun

bowed, "I wasn't informed of your arrival, Matriarch Kuh Lon. Is there

something I can do for you?"



   The old woman just smiled as she held out her hand to Nabiki, "You

look exactly like the day I left you... haggard and *male*." At

Kodachi's dumbfounded look Cologne turned to Nabiki-kun and raised an

eyebrow, "I take it there are some things of significance your brother

has forgotten to tell me."



   Ranma-chan shifted uneasily twirling the letter in her hands

signifying the state of her nerves but Kodachi still looked bewildered

and Nabiki had to wonder when she would catch on about the curses. By

the hints the old woman was dropping, she should have at least found

out something suspicious, "It depends on what was said."



   "We'll discuss it after a hot bath, proper change of clothes *and*

body parts." Cologne nodded then added a wink for effect. Had it not

been their Jusenkyo secret under scrutiny, Nabiki would have found the

mere idea of Cologne doing the said things amusing. Finally Cologne

turned to Kodachi finally acknowledging her presence, "And who is this,

son-in-law?"



   "Matriarch Kuh Lon, it seems you have forgotten Saotome Kodachi."

Nabiki-kun answered for her brother. Cologne didn't bat an eyelash,

"Kodachi, meet Cologne."



   "Ahh, the lovely girl my son-in-law has fallen in love with."

Cologne laughed a little as she looked at her up and down, it was a

teasing gesture rather than an appraising look, "You seem different

from the last time I saw you, Kodachi."



   "Umm... I'm a completely different person, now... matriarch." From

her hesitation, Nabiki knew Kodachi had been unsure as how to address

the three-foot shriveled up woman. It was hard to conjure up respect

for someone who barely came up to your hips. Nabiki-kun noted she

didn't comment on the 'fallen in love' part.



   Cologne looked at her intently and nodded, taking her time to

answer, "So it seems. At least I can rest assured my great-

granddaughter lost to a fair match?"



   The unease never left the twins' faces. Cologne suspected that much

of what she was saying was striking chords. Sore ones. The two were

just too proud to tell her to back off. That or they really just wanted

to hear it.



   "Umm.. excuse me? What fair match?" Kodachi seemed genuinely

puzzled.



   Cologne turned to Ranma-chan. "Are you planning to tell me why our

dear Kodachi is the curious sort today, or will you keep me guessing?"



   "Kodachi claims she has amnesia."



   "Amnesia?" Cologne raised her eyebrow and appraised the girl. She

stopped, then searching her pockets, pulled out a shampoo labeled 110,

she threw it to Ranma-chan, who caught it instinctively. She smiled

mischievously, "You do remember the Xai Fang Gao(95) technique, don't

you? Ever since that little incident, I've always kept the remedy close

at hand."



   Nabiki-kun's eyes widened at the sight of the bottle. How could they

forget?







   Nabiki shielded her eyes from the sun as she touched her hair, she

felt somewhat...refreshed. As if she had just taken a bath. A

persistent voice in the back of her head told her that she was doing

something important, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't

remember what it was.



   Standing up from the small forest, Nabiki decided that it was time

to get to the palace, she was sure Cologne would give another one of

those lectures for her being late and she wasn't in the mood for any

such lecture.



   Someone walking beside her, following her towards the palace

interrupted her brooding. She didn't so much as mind his company, more

than that he seemed to remind her of something she couldn't put her

finger on.



   He waited until they reached the city gates before he spoke, "So,

what happened, Nabiki? Did you win?"



   That made her stop on her tracks, now how would someone she doesn't

know, pinpoint her name? She was sure she knew everyone around the

palace, even the maids. A commoner outside the palace couldn't possibly

know who she was. She was a palace secret. A Chinese commoner wouldn't

know Japanese.



   "That bad, huh?"



   There was a small click, and Nabiki remembered that what this boy

claimed was what she was trying to do. She had been fighting with

Shampoo and Rian Pu, "It was rather inconclusive, Rian and Xian

disappeared," Nabiki answered trying to place a name on that

insufferable grin and that cocky stance. "How do you know about that?"



   "You don't know?" The boy said incredulously. As if knowing how he

knew was her top most priority, "You take on two challenges at a time

and you don't expect me to find out? Nabiki, I'm not your brother for

nothing."



   Nabiki started walking again, in a faster pace this time; some fool

of an idiot was claiming to be her brother. Did her father have a

consort while he was with Nodoka? Possible. He did resemble some

features of her father. "So... pops sent you to look for me?"



   "Hey, I went to look for you on my own. There was this strange

feeling in my gut." He peered at her closely, concern filtered through

his bluish-gray eyes, "Are you sure you're alright?"



   "I do not want to be babied." Nabiki answered pushing him away from

her, starting to run. To her disdain, he was rather quick as well; he

ran along side of her without any trouble, "Is there something the

matter?"



   "I want to make sure you get to Cologne."



   "Really, I can get there on my own."



   "I know but I'm supposed to worry about you." He gave her another

one of those smiles and she had to admit, he was handsome. "I'm your

twin after all."



   She managed to catch herself before she tripped, her so-called

brother steadied her with his left hand, "Would you mind repeating

that?"



   He looked confused but complied with her request, stopping right

along with her, "I'm supposed to worry about you."



   "No, after that that."



   "What? That I'm your twin?"



   Nabiki stared at him, then turned at the small puddle in the road,

brought on by the rains that they had been having recently, she looked

at him again, "I find that hard to believe."



   "What?!"



   "I can take the fact that you're my brother... but my twin?" She

eyed him suspiciously, "Do I know you at all?"



   It took more than pouring water over him to bring him out of his

current face-plant.







   Ranma-chan hefted the small bottle in his hands, "I'll keep this in

mind, Matriarch."



   Kodachi just stared at the three of them cluelessly.



   "Thank you for the gift." Nabiki-kun followed up, then bowed again,

"Matriarch? Excuse me, Lady Ranko, Lady Kodachi." Such times one needed

to be formal, especially with one such as Cologne watching, "I think my

bath is long overdue."



   The old woman waved her staff. "Oh yes, the cat's in the bath!"



   Nabiki managed to catch herself before she tripped, she could just

imagine Ranma cringing at that. 'So... Shampoo is here too... So why

does this make me think that Ranma wants me here so he can escape them

all?'



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footnotes:



(yes, it really does start at 85)



(85) The Duo Jet Ski Raging Waters Attack: I don't know if it's in the

manga, but Ranma and Akane in the Anime, when they dealt with the Dojo

destroyer used this move. I don't know the Japanese term of this anyone

wanna help me out? Nabiki referred to it as The Raging Waters attack

because (obviously) there isn't any jet skis in the 17th century.



(86) Yes there are such books, and boys in Primary School learned them

in Japan. I learned that here:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html



(87) No, I don't know if there were grills back then. I don't know how

they cooked okonomiyaki without grills, and I don't know when

okonomiyaki was born :)



(88) Kashiko: Cake Child



	Kashi: cake

	Ko:	 child, baby

		 Arc :)



(89) There is an event in the Kamakura vacinity in the Yuigihama beach

in mid-August, they watch fireworks display and such. I'm not sure if

there are fireworks in 1600's but hey, anything's possible. Besides

let's just say that the Yuigahama meetings changed over the years.



(90) Shizukama: If you missed this earlier on (Rian's death), it's

Nabiki's second name.



	shizuka: calm, serene, tranquil

      ma:	   three guesses, the first two don't count ;)



(91) Zabuton: cushions used to sit on



(92) Hanko: this is a stamp. People in Japan don't sign (even then)

they use stamps and every individual in Japan has one. This is used in

all situations where any signature is required.



(93) Tetsuma: Horse of Steel



	This is the twin's real father.



	Saotome Ranma-noh-Tetsuma roughly translates to Saotome Ranma of

      Tetsuma or from Tetsuma. (The connection of names after the 'noh'

      part is very flexible, it could be used connecting any name in

      your family with you depending on the way your name is used.)



(94) Hachi-gatsu: Eighth month, August.



(95) Xai Fang Gao: This is Shampoo's technique. Shampoo used this to

take away certain parts of Akane's memory: basically RANMA. 109 was the

shampoo to make you forget and 110 was the remedy. (I don't know the

translation, anyone wanna help out again?? :)



                     ||-----------^_^-----------||



Author's Notes:



Okay, sorry this took too long and I think I cut JM Bickham's editing

of this, but I really wanted to send this out already. :)



Okay... some say it's too long, others say it's too short, but since

I can't please everybody :) we'll have to settle for this.



Any speculations on the Tendos and Ifuku's and her husband's involvement

to them will be welcome.



People ask about Akane and Nabiki's fight, well to that question,

which I have failed to answer, here it is:



Why was Nabiki's fight with Akane sort of like when she fought Ranma?

She was like that when she was sixteen, didn't she get at least a

little better? Okay, Akane when sixteen couldn't land a punch at a

Ranma who wasn't trained to kill.



Akane at twenty nine, who is in another woman's body, hasn't trained

a lot, just recovering from her illness and fighting a Nabiki who is

proficient in Anything Goes and practices quite a lot *with* the

intent to kill, is just the same thing, probably even less chances

for Akane to win.



So while Akane *did* get better with the years, she doesn't *know*

any special skills.  Let's try to remember that without Ranma,

Ryoga really doesn't know any special skills either, so basically,

Akane hasn't *seen* any special skills, so sees no reason to

train in them/believe in them.



Much as I like to continue on this rant, whoever wants to take

up the argument can send me a letter :) I'm very open to hear

complaints about stuff like this. Let me warn you though,

I can tolerate rants, but I want reasonable comments so

you can get reasonable answers. (Don't tell me: YOUR FIC

IS BAD YOU BITCH and leave me hanging, k??? I want reasons

so I can justify my actions... leaving out the bitch part

is good too. :)



Okay I think that this particular rant is over:) Now to turn back

to reformatting my computer :)



See 'ya

iCe



                     ||-----------^_^-----------||



ICQ: 51376120



Please be reminded send mail to me at: Ice-o8o@usa.net [that's an o

and not zero, both of them] and not at this address (although

you can just press the reply button :)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves everyday :)

								          ~~Unknown



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~







-- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---. | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'