Subject: [FFML] [fanfic][dark][UY/Ranma/Sispri] "Lonely Souls" Part 1 (of ?) (second draft)
From: Frederick Herriot
Date: 10/14/2001, 3:19 AM
To: Fanfiction Mailing List

Modu annyoung,

Here's a revised version of "Lonely Souls" Part 1
(with revisions of Parts 2 and 3 to follow).  Part 4
is almost finished.  After that, I'll circle back and
write the Prologue.

Enjoy!

Fred

=====
Fred Herriotfherriot@yahoo.com**** **** ****"Fanfiction IS Real Life!"**** **** ****

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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: LoneS-01.txt
-- Desc: LoneS-01.txt

	Somewhere in the Korea Strait...

Tell me that you love me!
I cannot stand that you're never mine!
You really break my heart!

Tchajungnaego hwareul
Naedo tto nouoe misoman pomyoun
Pabo kat'eun na...

Noun nuga pwado aju yeppeugo
T'amseurou'un sagwa kat'a kkaemurou
Chugo ship'ou anajugo ship'ou
Noueui p'ingk'eu pit hwasare kkojoussou.

Noun moduege neul ch'injourae
Keuraesou ch'akkakdeul haji
Namaneui aeinin'goul ijji an'atdamyoun
Naege tou isang changnanch'ijineun ma.

Yokshimi chinach'in koulkka
Chashini oumneun koulkka
Puran'an ma'eum ppunya...

	The small crowd in the snack bar aboard the "Ferry Pukwan" laugh and clap as the bearded traveller by the karaoke machine croons the notes of Si-kyung Sung's "Misoch'ounsa."  Most of the crowd on tonight's run from Pusan to Shimonoseki are Koreans taking advantage of summer vacation to spend time abroad.  Imagine their surprise on encountering the singer, who was clearly a native of Japan despite his astounding fluency in the tongue of the Land of the Morning Calm.  Given the decades of hatred between the nations bordering the shores of the East Sea, to encounter someone of Japan willing to learn a "lesser" tongue like Korean was shocking.

	As the song comes to a close, the traveller smiles, handing the microphone back to the bartender.  "You sing well," one of the women, an office lady from Seoul, laughs as he rises, turning to leave.

	The traveller pauses, sensing that some of the women there, all in their late twenties and early thirties, would gladly want him to continue to sing if not engage in other activities.  "Kamsahamnida," he bows thanks in Korean, then adds, "Forgive me, but I'm travelling with my sister.  She doesn't like sea voyages.  I better check on her.  Good night."

	He bows again, then steps out.  "Awwwwwwwwwwww..." some lament.

	Walking forward, then ascending a gangway to where first class quarters are located, he draws a key, then opens the door to one room.  Glancing in, he tries not to grin on seeing a woman under the covers.  Despite the aura of physical fitness which cloaks her, her skin is pale and clammy, sweat pouring from her shaggy head of chestnut hair.  Her eyes, both dark brown, are squeezed shut.  "You okay, Onee-chan?" the traveller wonders, sitting on the bed as he gently brushes away her perspiration.

	A tired breath escapes her.  "Why did you insist on taking *this* route back to Japan?" she hisses through gritted teeth.

	"You hate flying as much as travelling by boat.  Besides, this was cheaper," he shrugs, then gently kisses her cheek.  "Relax, Negako-neechan.  They'll be dropping anchor outside Shimonoseki in a few hours.  The waves should be pretty calm around there.  And, just in case the waves pick up, all they have to do is take the ferry right into the Kanmon Strait."

	"What time is it?"

	"About eleven-thirty."

	Negako faintly nods.  "Nine hours," she exhales.  The ferry docked at the Shimonoseki terminal around 8:30 in the morning.  She opens her eyes to gaze on him.  "You seem indifferent about returning to Japan, Ataru."

	"Thanks to you, Onee-chan," Ataru clicks his tongue, then stares out the curtained window.  Bright points of light on the horizon and closer indicated fishing boats plying their trade.  "Right now, there's nothing that'll force me back into that hellhole.  Nothing at all..."

	He falls silent.  Negako stares at him, then closes her eyes anew.  "I see you've finally dismissed Lum from your thoughts."

	Ataru tenses, then deflates.  "No sense lamenting on what no longer is," he rises to undress.  Even if they were "brother" and "sister" to the public, Ataru and Negako had become used to sharing accommodations on their travels.  "Lum's gone and there's nothing I can do to change that.  If I kept weeping over her, I'd be no different from Megane and the goons that flock around him.  'Sides, it's not my fault she assumed my leaving those bastards meant I wanted to leave her.  She made the choice, not me."

	"She was not prepared to accept what happened to you," Negako smiles as Ataru, now in boxers, slips in beside her.  In deference to modesty, she currently wears a tank-top and panties.

	They warmly embrace as Ataru draws the blankets over them.  "Yeah," he cuts out the lights.  "Besides..." a faint glow illuminates his left eye.  "She was not the Other.  The Other is elsewhere.  Elsewhere..."

*    *    *

"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot <fherriot@yahoo.com>
**** **** ****
"Misoch'ounsa," performed by Si-kyung Sung, lyrics by Hoe-jin Yi, music by Soung-je Hwang
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Rumiko Takahashi; and "Sister Princess," created by Naoto Tenhiro and Sakurako Kimino.  This story is set after the end of the "UY" and "Ranma" manga series.
**** **** ****

NOTE:  The writer's notes are at the end of the Prologue.

**** **** ****

THE FIRST PART - SOLITUDES

	Nerima, mid-morning...

	"Ohayo, Onee-chan.  Where're Ranma-kun and Akane?"

	Kasumi looks up, then smiles as Nabiki sits across from her at the dinner table.  "Akane-chan's at school with her friends preparing for the drama class play.  I'm not too sure where Ranma-kun is, however..."

	Nabiki grunts, shaking her head.  "Those two idiots just don't know when to leave it alone, eh?" she mutters.

	"Unfortunately.  And adding Auntie Saotome to the equation doesn't help matters, I'm afraid," Kasumi sighs, nodding.

	Today is exactly six weeks after the disaster which might have been Ranma Saotome's and Akane Tendou's wedding tore apart the dojo.  At the same time, Nabiki mused, it effectively shredded what progress both teens had made in their relationship since the day they met.  In the wake of the battle with Saffron, things had been relatively calm for two weeks (i.e., no major spats between Ranma and Akane).  That peace gave their fathers hope that they could try again in spite of what happened the first time.

	That was quickly dashed, however.  The instant the other fiancees got wind that Souun and Genma were pressing their children into yet another wedding, everything seemed to regress back to the way things were before Mount Phoenix.  Morning ambushes by Shampoo and her bicycle atop the fence.  Specially-prepared lunches by Ukyou Kuonji and Shampoo to ensure Ranma was not exposed to Akane's cooking.  The challenges by Tatewaki Kunou in hopes of "freeing" Akane and the pig-tailed girl from the "foul sorcerer."  Yet more ambushes by Mousse to punish Ranma for "stealing" Shampoo from the nearsighted weapons-master.  Ambushes and near-poisonings by Kodachi Kunou in hopes of winning her "beloved's" heart.  And, unfortunately, Akane's mounting frustration over Ranma's unwillingness to firmly deal with all his problems, which often resulted in his taking a quick flight via Mallet-sama across town every time, it seemed, he opened his mouth, even in innocence.

	Even more so, Nodoka had joined her husband and Akane's father in pressing Ranma to do the "manly" thing and properly consummate his relationship with the youngest Tendou.  That, Nabiki quickly learned thanks to her many wiretaps in the Saotomes' guest room, did nothing more than erode whatever faith and trust Ranma had in his mother.  Understandable.  Being absent from his life for a decade, then forcing Ranma to live a lie as "Ranko Tendou" to avoid a seppuku pledge, had made Nodoka a stranger to her own son.  And, unfortunately, Nodoka's traditional world-view wouldn't allow her to see beyond what cold giri demanded of her family.

	"Where's the newspaper?" Nabiki wonders.

	"It's over by the television," Kasumi points.

	Nabiki nods, rising to pick up a copy of the "Yomiuri Shimbun," then she sits as Kasumi heads into the kitchen to prepare tea.  Flipping through the pages, her eyes stop as they pick up a headline from the local news:

ALIEN PRINCESS DEAD!  TOMOBIKI IN MOURNING!

	Knowing the "Yomiuri Shimbun" didn't do flashy tabloid headlines, Nabiki plunges into the article.  *'It has today been confirmed by the principal of Tomobiki High School that the Oni princess Lum, who resided in that part of Tokyo's Nerima Ward for the past eighteen months, was killed three weeks ago by enemies of the Oni race,'* she reads, shuddering.  *Oh, shit, this isn't going to do me many favours.  'Lum, who was well liked among people in Tomobiki despite the "Second Tag Race" of two months ago, was forced to leave Earth, along with other alien residents of Tomobiki, when reports came of the Oni race's state of war with another race, known to United Nations authorities as the Noukiites.  While exact circumstances of Lum's death still remain unclear, it is believed she may have been assassinated because of her high standing in Oni society.

	*'When news of Lum's death reached Tomobiki, the expression of grief and sadness at her loss, especially among the high school-age population, was unprecedented.  Already, there is a movement to erect a memorial to Lum at Tomobiki High School, financed by the Mendou Conglomerate at the behest of Shutaro Mendou, heir to the Conglomerate's leadership and a close friend to the late Oni.  A special memorial service in Lum's honour will be held on Monday morning around 12:00 PM at Tomobiki High School.

	*'Surprisingly, Ataru Moroboshi, Lum's common-law husband, has been missing from Tomobiki for the past six weeks, his disappearance coinciding with Lum's expulsion.  His current whereabouts, much less the circumstances of his departure from Tomobiki, remain a mystery...'*

	Nabiki puts the paper down.  She had invested in parts of the Mendou family empire, using profits from that to keep the dojo on a firm financial footing.  Further, her intelligence and betting network was fully linked into the Tomobiki student grapevine.  She knew about Lum's departure (along with that of the Oni's cousin Jariten and a former junior high classmate, Lan), not to mention Ataru's disappearance.  The latter concerned her; like Ranma in Furinkan, Ataru Moroboshi seemed to be a magnet for trouble.

	Trouble, Nabiki long ago learned, generated profits.

	Rising, the middle Tendou daughter heads into her bedroom.  Picking up her cell-phone, she dials a number.  A second later, a young woman's voice calls back, "Moshi-moshi, Marubeya residence."

	"Momoe-san, it's Nabiki."

	"Oh, Nabiki-san!" Momoe Marubeya laughs.  "I didn't do it."

	"Funny, funny!" Nabiki snorts.  "Listen, you got any more tidbits about why Moroboshi skipped town six weeks back?"

	A sigh.  "He renounced his parents."

	Silence.

	"What?!" Nabiki gapes, wide-eyed.

	"Truth.  Turns out, it's because of THAT, Lum got thrown off the planet.  When he said *adios* to his parents, he said *adios* to whatever agreement they made with Lum's parents about their getting married.  When the U.N. got wind of it, they decided Lum no longer had reason to stay.  With the crap with the Noukiites starting at the same time..."

	"No shit!"

	"Got that right."

	"People around town know about this?"

	"Nope.  I'm sitting on this one.  I don't care about what Megane and his crowd might do if they find out, but if Mendou-san found out..."

	Nabiki grins.  Momoe, like almost all the girls attending Tomobiki High, had harboured a long crush on Shutaro Mendou.  That Momoe wanted to look out for Mendou's "better" interests was understandable.  Despite being of upper middle-class extraction, Ataru Moroboshi had proven to be quite a formidable class rival to Shutaro Mendou.  What could happen with Lum dead, with so much in Tomobiki now in question, was debatable.

	Best to err on the side of caution.

	"Yeah, I hear you," Nabiki nods.  "Alright, keep me up to date on what goes on there, Momoe-san.  How's the mood?"

	"It..." Momoe pauses, then sighs.  "Hard to say, Nabiki-san.  I mean, regardless of how you feel about her, Lum really left her mark on this place.  All the guys are...!" a pause, then, "Shit, it's scary if you ask me!  I think we're gonna see some suicides out of that bunch!"

	"Run a pool on that one.  My money's on Megane."

	"I'll have to keep it quiet, then," Momoe warns.  "And well..." another pause as she considers things, then, "Look, I hate the idiot for the crap he stirred up because of Lum and all that, but I don't want to wish the guy dead!  He's a first-class jerk and all that, but, hell..."

	"Yeah, I gotcha.  What about the girls?"

	"Well, the biggest impact's been on Shinobu-san, but I already told you about that."  Hearing that, Nabiki nods.  Almost immediately after Lum had left, Shinobu Miyaki's strange ability to summon vast levels of strength in times of great stress had vanished.  "I guess with Lum gone, she might think of trying to get back together with Ataru-kun again."

	Nabiki sighs.  "Really hard to predict that one, Momoe-san.  After all, the guy's been gone for six weeks.  Besides, thanks to him, Lum got the boot off the planet.  Look, run a wager to see if he shows up at the memorial on Monday."  It was Saturday now.  "Usual odds and fees, okay?"

	"Hai, gotcha," Momoe replies...

*    *    *

	On the Shinkansen bullet train between Osaka and Tokyo...

	"Shit, they sure got that wrong, AGAIN!"

	Negako blinks, then glances over to read the article that caught Ataru's attention.  She then turns to gaze out the window as the RailStar whips through the countryside at almost 300 kilometres per hour.  "Unless you make a public statement about what happened between you, Kinshou and Muchi and how that affected Lum, they will continue to make that mistake."

	Ataru folds the paper and sets it aside.  "No, not yet.  Now that someone's broke the news to those idiots in Tomobiki, I won't be able to say a thing without it being twisted and turned every which way possible."  A pause, then, "By the way, did you sense who brought the news to Earth?"

	"Oyuki was responsible," Negako sighs.  "Benten can be easily stopped by the Zephyrites if need be.  Jariten also, IF his parents would allow him to come to Earth anyway now that Lum is dead.  And as long as Rei is engaged in combat against the Noukiites, Lan will remain close to him."

	Ataru's eyes narrow.  "Yeah, the Zephyrites might be loath to try to stop a crown princess from making a visit to that zoo.  Too many political implications.  Besides, if we fully close Earth off to the Galactic Federation as a whole, Triton's going to be in quite the spot."

	"They may try to seek you out," Negako warns.  "You know very well none of Lum's friends have really liked you."

	"As of this time, the feeling's VERY mutual.  And you're right.  They may try to seek me out," an icy smile then crosses Ataru's face, his eyes narrowing.  "As if they'll succeed in doing whatever they might want to me in 'punishment' over what happened to Lum, that's another damned story."

	"Indeed..."

*    *    *

	Tomobiki...

	Located in the heart of the district are triple towers, twenty floors high each, arrayed in a triangular formation.  All the floor space of the northern tower is rented by the Toranoseishin Financial Group, Japan's largest banking company which was not allied with an industrial group.  In this age, with the traditional links between big business, the banks and the government being called into drastic question thanks to the recession, Toranoseishin was quick to capitalize on fiscal uncertainty to wedge itself deeply into the economy.  Companies which had taken questionable loans from Toranoseishin faced bankruptcy if they defaulted.  The company was not, in the words of its operations chief, "in the business of propping up useless and wasteful companies whose mere existence cannot be justified by economic logic."  Because of that hard-nosed approach to business, Toranoseishin had attracted much in the way of foreign investment, ensuring it would remain at or near the top of its game for a long time to come.

	"Yumoa-san, Mendou-sama is here to see you."

	"Send him in, please, Yuri-san."

	"Hai, right away."

	Reigi Yumoa, a dark-haired, bespectacled, American-born orphan adopted when he was a child by the founder of Toranoseishin, sighs as the door to his office opens, he rising to greet his guest.  "Make yourself at home, Shutaro-san," he waves the heir to the Mendou fortune to a chair.

	Behind Mendou, the door closes behind him.  Noting that, he turns to gaze on Toranoseishin's chief of operations.  "Where is Moroboshi?" he demands, his hand gripping his personal katana.

	Reigi blinks.  So the idiot was putting some things together finally.  About time.  "What makes you think I'm Ataru's keeper?"

	"Otou-san recently informed me this company's primary shareholder is none other than Moroboshi's own uncle," Mendou replies.  "Further, I'm now aware of the break between Moroboshi and his parents, not to mention the earlier break between your employer and his brother and sister-in-law.  It doesn't take much to conclude that the instant Moroboshi moved out of his house, his uncle would be more than happy to welcome his nephew in."

	"So why do you want to know where Ataru is?"

	"He has some things to answer for."

	Reigi blinks, then his eyes narrow.  "Stop now, Shutaro."

	Mendou tenses.  "What...?!"

	Faster than he could react, Reigi's hand snares Mendou by the neck, yanking him up.  A tap to a shiatsu point on the arm makes the younger man let go of his katana.  Mendou is then slammed back-first into a wall, Reigi glaring into the other man's eyes.  "You, asshole, don't seem to get what's REALLY going on here," Toranoseishin's chief of operations snarls, tapping another shiatsu point to totally paralyse Mendou's arms and legs.  "I've waited for a VERY long time to see that Oni slut you loved so much thrown off this planet.  Much that you'd like to think otherwise, boy-o, not EVERYONE in this lunacy asylum you call home liked her."

	Mendou shudders, then sensing he couldn't do anything with his arms and legs, pales.  Reigi smirks.  "I haven't had cause to use my own martial arts training in some time, but given what a pompous ass you are, Shutaro, I felt it was time to brush up on my shiatsu skills.  Now," the financier leans up to gaze into the younger man's eyes.  "I talk.  You listen."

	Mendou jerkily nods, clearly not used to THIS.  "Good," Reigi smiles.  "As of now, because of the outlandish way you've used people WE partially pay for ALL to harass my guardian's nephew for NO reason whatsoever, I am seriously considering withdrawing ALL funding for your clan's army, air force and the Kuromegane.  I've already spoken to your parents about this.  They agree.  It's time, boy, to start growing up.  And with Lum forever out of the way, you can't run away from certain obligations your family desires you to fulfil.  I trust the name 'Asuka' means something to you?"

	"Y-y-yes..."

	"Good.  Now, here's the deal.  You lay off on Ataru, FOREVER.  If you don't, YOU'RE the one who'll learn first-hand what 'shotgun wedding' means.  Asuka-san's parents are sick and tired about you harping over Lum and harassing Ataru instead of what you're SUPPOSED to be doing.  They want it to end.  I promised I'll do whatever I can to see it DOES end.  Besides," he lowers Mendou, then slaps him on the back, sending him face-first into the floor.  "Since you DO love Asuka-san, this isn't so bad.  Yuri-san!"

	The door opens, revealing Reigi's secretary.  "You bellowed, sir?" she is nonplussed on seeing Mendou on the floor.

	"Take Mendou-san and have him returned home, please.  Then place a call to his parents.  Tell them we had that discussion I promised we'd have," Reigi orders, stepping away from Mendou.

	"Hai, sir, right away," Yuri nods, stepping out.

	Two burly men walk in, grabbing Mendou by the shoulders and dragging him to his feet.  "Remember this, Shutaro," Reigi muses as the scion of the Mendou empire is taken out.  "If you think what I've kept under my hat's rough, you better watch out for what ATARU'S kept under his hat."

	Mendou says nothing.  However, Reigi is quick to notice the outrage in the other's eye before the door is closed.  Sighing, the chief of operations returns to his chair, gazing once more at the city.  Well, if he didn't get the hint THAT way, then he'd have to learn it the HARD way...

*    *    *

	Somewhere in Nerima, later that day...

	"Stupid Oyaji.  Stupid tomboy.  Stupid EVERYONE..."

	A curvaceous redhead with damp clothes sits at her favourite place in all of Nerima:  under the arch of a bridge spanning the Shakujii River near Furinkan High.  Like so many times in the past, Ranma had been forced to take a swim after Akane brained him with that damned mallet of hers.

	Damn it, it wasn't Ranma's fault that Shampoo decided to blast a new door into the Tendou home to deliver up another serving of her drugged ramen.  Even more, Akane had tried to cook breakfast again, so Ranma had been trapped both ways.  In a way, it had been a relief to get out of the house.  She wasn't in any mood at this time to put up to Genma's or Souun's raving at her "unfaithfulness" concerning Akane, not to mention Nodoka's...

	Mother...

	Ranma squeezes her eyes shut, failing to damn back the tears.  Damn it, couldn't her own MOTHER see what was going on?!  Was she so wrapped in her outdated concepts of honour that she wouldn't think of doing a THING to stop what was going on?  Didn't she care about Ranma's feelings?

	"I think it's this way, Nee-chan."

	Ranma blinks as she senses footfalls on the bridge.  Glancing up, she walks into the clear to gaze on whoever had stopped right above her head.  Two people, teenagers despite the man's beard.  Both dressed as if they had taken an excursion in the wilderness, backpacks slung over their shoulders.  Peering closer, Ranma is quick to sense their chi auras.  Their chi...

	Oh, man!

	"Is there a problem?"

	Ranma jolts, then notices both were now staring at her.  "Um, s-sorry 'bout that!" she flusters embarrassingly.

	They are quick to notice her damp clothes.  "What happened to you?" the male asks, moving to the end of the bridge, hand out to help Ranma up to street level.  "By the looks of it, you took a dunk in the river."

	"Er...?!" Ranma jolts, then laughs, allowing him to help boost her up.  "Y-yeah!  Got into a fight with someone and she socked me here."

	Both newcomers pause, then exchange a look before the female crosses her arms.  "If this is supposedly a 'friend' of yours, I think it would be very much to your benefit to end that friendship."

	"You can say that again," her brother snorts, then sighs.  "Look, we're looking for Tampopo's Ramen and Beefbowl Bar.  We heard it moved to this part of the city.  Do you know where it is?"

	Ranma grins.  Tampopo Kamekichi had opened her doors about three weeks ago.  After sampling her cooking, Ranma effectively swore off both the Nekohanten and U-chan's.  Neither Shampoo or Ukyou had realized where he had gone.  Yet.  "Yeah, I know where it is!  It's my favourite place to eat now!  Why, you knew her back when she was working in Tomobiki?!"

	Another exchanged look between the siblings.  "Yes, you can certainly say that," the male then catches himself.  "Damn, sorry about that.  I'm Ataru Moroboshi and this is my sister, Negako.  Pleased to meet you."

	Ranma pauses, then stares anew at Ataru.  "Ataru?!  What're you doin' here in Nerima then?  Don't you live in Tomobiki?"

	The air around him chills to winter temperatures.  "No.  I don't."

	Ranma shudders at that look, waving her hands as if to say 'It's not MY fault!'  Negako sighs.  "Please forgive Ataru.  Given the propensity of the people of Tomobiki to blame him for EVERYTHING that happened there, he has little love for them.  In fact, had he the power, he'd drop a nuclear bomb on the place to eradicate it from Existence itself."

	"Not that it'd help," Ataru snorts.  "Save for a SCANT few, they're all idiots.  Even a nuke wouldn't affect them!"

	"Agreed."

	Ranma blinks again, then shrugs.  "Oi, I've been feeling the same way about a lot of folks living here.  C'mon, let's go see Tampopo-chan and get something to eat.  She should be open."

	"Always is," Ataru smirks...

*    *    *

	Later...

	"Ataru-chan!!  You're back!!!"

	"Hiya, Tampopo-chan!" Ataru grins as he shares a warm embrace with the proprietress of Nerima's newest eatery.  "Hai, I came back finally!  You remember Negako-neechan there, don't you?!"

	"Indeed, I do!" Tampopo gently grasps Negako's hand and giving it a firm squeeze.  "Thanks for bringing him back in one piece, Negako-san!  I'd be put off if he didn't survive the tortures you planned for him."

	"It was required," Negako lightly smiles.

	Ranma feels her cheeks flush as Tampopo and Ataru gaze on her.  "See you were quick to pick up a new one after I left," he muses, then stares with exaggerated annoyance at their hostess.  "Why?!  Didn't I provide enough entertainment for you when we were living in Tomobiki?!"

	"No, in many ways, Ranma-chan here's in the same boat you were in back there," Tampopo replies.  "Usual, Ranma-chan?"

	"Hai, please," Ranma nods, taking her place at the counter.

	Negako and Ataru sit beside her.  Orders are made, then they relax.  "Why aren't you going back to Tomobiki?" Ranma stares at Ataru.  "I mean, even if the people there are idiots and all that, it still is home."

	Ataru sighs.  "You don't know my story, so I'm not going to take offense at you referring to that dump as my 'home,'" he sips a glass of water.  "In effect, it ceased to be my home long ago, but it wasn't until six weeks ago that it finally sunk in that I really had no future there."

	"Why?"

	"Think of all the things you've gone through, Ranma-chan," Tampopo sighs as she now prepares the martial artist's favoured shrimp okonomiyaki.  "In one way or another, Ataru-chan's been through the same things."

	"Oh?!" Ranma's eyebrow arches in disbelief.  "You mean multiple fiancees, a stupid curse, a moron for a father, plus all sorts of weirdos coming out of the woodwork to make my life hell?"

	Ataru sighs.  "Well, I've had to live with an ex-girlfriend who never really cared if I live or die, a so-called 'wife' who felt it was her right to TOTALLY dominate everything about my life, total assholes for parents, no friends whatsoever and a whole town where almost everyone," his eyes fall on Tampopo, she blushing in return, "...blames you for everything that happens there even if it wasn't your fault in the first place."

	Ranma nods as Tampopo serves her.  "I guessed the 'blame everything on you' part.  Since we're so close to Tomobiki, a lot of things people say there filter here.  Maybe you shouldn't've come here, y'know."

	"If it's necessary, we'll move," Ataru grins as Tampopo serves his favoured ramen with shrimp and rice cakes.  "But comparing the weirdness that hit Tomobiki while Lum was there to the stuff I've heard about Nerima, I'd say I'd be getting a better deal here."

	"Why?  Because you're a martial artist?"

	"You noticed?"

	"Her chi-perception skills are as refined as yours, Ataru," Negako explains.  "What you possess in skill, Ranma has experience to counter that.  If you decide to train together, you will benefit the other well."

	Ranma blinks, then stares at Negako.  Her eyes narrow as she tries to analyse the latter's chi signature.  What Ranma gets is a bemused stare from Negako, not to mention a chi-cloak which shrouds the latter like a veil.  Almost as effective as the Umisenken technique.  Sensing the utter calm Negako projects, Ranma emits a low whistle, then turns back to Ataru.  "Your sister's good, Ataru-san.  How long has she been training for?"

	Ataru pauses, then shakes his head.  "That, Ranma-san, will take quite a while to explain..."

*    *    *

	The Nekohanten...

	"Gone...?"

	Cologne shudders as she tries to focus in on the intensive chi nexi she perceived a half-hour ago.  Whoever, WHATEVER, it was, it outstripped both her and Happousai when it came to experience, not to mention Ranma in potential.  Trying to keep track of it as she was monitoring lunch, the elder lost the trail when it stopped, totally vanishing from the elder's chi-view around the ramen/beefbowl establishment some blocks away.

	What was worrisome to Cologne is that whatever this newcomer was, she (the Nyuchezuu elder believed the newcomer was female) was accompanied by a man whose chi levels are on par, though his experience was minuscule.  Even more, Ranma had met up with them on the bridge over the Shakujii.  Cologne knew that was Ranma's chosen place whenever he wanted to be alone.  She respected that, ensuring neither Shampoo or Mousse would disturb Ranma when he was there.  A tired sigh escapes her.  It was now QUITE obvious that everyone's pushing on Ranma was about to provoke an explosion at the level the battle with Saffron unleashed.  The lad was being overwhelmed by the competing fiancees, the sea of would-be challengers, the mindless pressure from his PARENTS of all people...!  And with the loss of that last keg of Nannichuan water thanks to Happousai at the so-called wedding, Ranma's dream of being a full man again were perhaps forever dashed.

	Privately, Cologne recently concluded that pushing for a marriage between Shampoo and Ranma was now out of the question.  Regardless of the feelings he might have for the Tendou girl, to force Ranma into the world of the Nyuchezuu would, after all he had been through, be inhumane.  Yes, the Nyuchezuu laws were harsh and tilted too much to uphold the female over the male, but Cologne's native society wasn't as absolutist as the spineless idiots running the so-called "People's Republic" in Beijing.  But there were escape valves built into all the Nyuchezuu laws, even the combat-for-marriage and the Kiss of Death laws.

	Ranma needed them.  Cologne knew her great-granddaughter was too headstrong to accept that Ranma didn't love her.  If Cologne spoke up now against it, Shampoo would just charge on ahead.  No, to deflect Shampoo away require the help of the whole Council.  And after Ranma's victory over Saffron, Cologne was confidant that even the several ultra-conservative members of the Council would go along with her reasoning.

	After all, to bring in a potentially unstable male who killed a GOD of all things into the Nyuchezuu...?!

*    *    *

	Tampopo's...

	"Oh, gods, you've GOT to be kidding me!"

	"No joke," Ranma shakes her head.  After having dinner with Ataru and Negako, the three had moved to a private booth at the back of Tampopo's.  Once alone and feeling relatively secure from potential eavesdroppers, Ranma and Ataru began relaying their life stories to the other.  "Even now, AFTER she said that Oyaji had fulfilled the contract, she's always on my damned case about being 'manly' and all that.  Damn, with three official engagements and all that, what's so 'manly' about that?!"

	"And her perception of 'manly' is being a better version of this pervert you told me about," Ataru shakes his head, then sips his juice.  "Geez, this is the twenty-first century, for cryin' out loud!  What sort of mother would wish her son DEAD for not being a 'man above men?!'"

	"Yours?"

	"Oh, no!  She'd want me to hang around so she could try to extort all the money Grandma and Great-grandma set aside for me, then when she embezzled it all, THEN she'd get rid of me!  That's why she tried to get me married off to Lum as soon as she could.  Hell, she probably told the newspapers about us being a 'common-law' couple and all that.  Thank Buddha that Reigi-kun and Grandma's lawyers never bought into that crap!"

	"You know, you're lucky that you still got people who're still there for you," Ranma notes.  "I've got next to nothing here."

	"There's gotta be someone..."

	"Well, there was Kasumi," Ranma sits back in her seat, then shakes her head.  "But she doesn't do much other than cook and clean.  Sometimes, I tell her things and she listens, but..." a shrug, then, "I don't even think her own family really listens to her these days.  She even tried to make Akane promise to treat me nice back at the beginning, but that fell through quick enough.  And to be honest with you, I don't think Akane'll ever really change when you get down to it.  And Nabiki..." she snorts.

	"Well, someone that likes to dig up dirt on other people better have a clean closet," Ataru snorts.  "Besides, if you hit 'em the right way, even those Nabiki thinks she's got under her thumb'll turn against her."

	"Yeah, I guess so, but I'll be damned if I know how.  I ain't really used to thinking like she does," Ranma admits.

	"And no doubt, she'll want you to stay that way."

	"Yeah."

	"Was there anyone else you might have trusted?" Negako asks.

	Ranma shrugs.  "Well, just Doc Toofuu Ono, but he moved outta town a long time ago.  I guess 'cause he couldn't make himself think straight around Kasumi, he gave up and left."

	"Too bad," Ataru admits.  "You have my sympathies."

	"Thanks," Ranma smiles.

	"You still care for Akane, don't you?"

	The martial artist sighs.  "Ya know, if you asked me that sometime ago, I would've said 'yes' right then and there.  I mean, I bet it's the same way you felt about Lum, right?  You really wanted her deep down, but you didn't want it all to happen right then and there, right?  Well, it's kinda the same thing for me, y'know.  I mean, when she's not angry, she's really nice and all that.  Her smile..." a wistful grin crosses her face, then she sighs.  "It's just something to behold.  But..."

	"But?"

	"At the wedding, when I found out that casket of Nannichuan was gonna be a 'wedding present' and that Akane knew about it but never told me..." her voice trails off, then she gazes at her glass of juice.  "Well, that's when I realized she was really no better than Shampoo or Ukyou."

	"Meaning?" Ataru prods.

	"Treatin' me like a prize instead of a person."

	Hearing that, he nods, groaning.  "Oh, yes, I know how THAT feels.  I..." now he pauses, then breathes out.  "I never really sat back and thought about it until Nee-chan here came back to fix my memories up," he indicates Negako with a nod, "...but Lum always treated me, right from day one, like some prized pet.  I wasn't a real husband to her, not where we'd share a relationship as equals and all that.  I was just a fool who couldn't be trusted to make his own decisions and all that.  Gods!  Did she honestly expect me to be willing to live my whole LIFE like that?!  I mean, yeah, she had her good points, too!  But...!"

	His voice trails off, then he drowns the rest of his drink in one gulp.  "Now, it's too late," Ranma finishes.  "She's dead and there's no way you can reconcile what happened between you."

	"Yeah," Ataru nods.  "You take my advice, Ranma-san.  You better do something about your family and all these girls trailing off you.  And you do it real soon.  Take a stand and don't back down from it.  Make 'em all see what you're really about deep down.  If something happens and people decide they ain't gonna change their view about you, it's too late.  I know I'll never be really welcome back in Tomobiki (not that I'd really want to go back, to be honest)!  Don't let yourself get into that trap, man."

	"Yeah.  So what're you and Negako-san here gonna do now?"

	"Get a hotel room, then start scouting around for an apartment," Ataru stretches.  "Since it's summer vacation and that Reigi-kun secured all my records when I left Tomobiki, I'll go to your school."

	"Yeah, you'll be a real hit with the principal," Ranma snorts, nodding to Ataru's beard and ponytail-styled hair.

	"Oh?" Ataru's eyebrow arches.  "Sounds like you can give some advice about what I could expect there."

	"I could."

	"Okay, then.  Why don't you come by tomorrow around lunch and we'll chat some more about it?"

	"Right on!  I'll be here."

*    *    *

	Ranma leaves Tampopo's, heading back to the Tendou home.  Ataru and Negako shift themselves back to the counter so they could talk to the ramen stand owner.  "You know, you don't have to go to expense of getting a hotel or ryokan room.  I've got room here if you want to stay," Tampopo proposes.

	"Would you mind?" Ataru asks.

	"For my real friends, not to mention my favourite customer?!  Of course not!" Tampopo chuckles.  "It's good that you did come, Ataru-chan.  I'm starting to get worried about Ranma-chan there.  If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was a combat solder just back from World War Two."

	"She does show extreme signs of combat fatigue," Negako sips a cup of tea.  "Perhaps her battle with Saffron was the right sort of impetus.  Unless she alters her strategy concerning all her would-be rivals soon, she could easily loose control of herself.  And given her skill and experience, it could easily result in the deaths of many of those she cares for."

	Ataru blinks, then stares at her.  "Are you saying that Ranma there's really a girl deep inside, not a boy?"

	"When she was first immersed in the Nyannichuan at Jusenkyou, she did not revert to her birth-form until nearly twenty minutes after she fell in," Negako reports.  "Given the mental damage she sustained because of the Neko-ken training however, the psychological change Jusenkyou's power could unleash in that instance did not latch on right away.  In ways, Ranma could still withstand that transformation indefinitely, but that would be in a more stable situation emotionally than what she possesses now."

	"And with that stupid seppuku contract..." Ataru snorts.

	"Agreed."

	"Oh, terrific..."

*    *    *

	The Tendou dojo, the next morning...

	"Ohayo, Ranma-kun.  I saved some breakfast for you."

	"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma nods, sitting at the table.  Outside the eldest Tendou daughter, he had found himself alone in the Tendou home this morning.  "Where'd everyone else go off to?"

	"Otou-san and your father got themselves drunk last night.  Your mother had to go retrieve them.   I believe they're all asleep in the dojo.  I've really no idea where the 'master' is," Kasumi's face twists into a frown.  Ranma understood that expression very well; no one in the house would really care about what Happousai did in the end.  "Nabiki is off with her friends, as is Akane.  How do you feel today, Ranma-kun?"

	"Better than average," Ranma admits.  "Ran into this guy who's been in as much garbage as I've been through since I came to Nerima.  I'm going to meet him and his sister over at Tampopo's place at lunchtime."

	"You go to Tampopo's now?" Kasumi's eyes widen.  "I've been there.  Tampopo-san is a very nice person, not to mention a very good cook."

	"Hai, she is that, isn't she?" he nods, then stares intently at her.  "You aren't going to tell Nabiki about that, are ya?"

	Kasumi raises her hand in oath.  "It will not leave my lips and I've made sure this room hasn't been bugged."

	"Great!" Ranma stands up...

*    *    *

	Tampopo's, sometime later...

	"What got you, Ranma-san?"

	A wet, female Ranma stands at the doorway.  "There's this old lady living some doors down from the Tendou place.  She gets me every time she's out waterin' her walkway!" she mutters, squeezing the extra liquid from her blouse before stepping over to sit at the counter.  "How come you're working here today, Ataru-san?  Couldn't get a hotel room?"

	"No, Nee-chan and I were given the chance to stay in the guest room here," Ataru nods to the back of the restaurant.  "So I paid her back by helping out with the morning shift.  Want something to warm up there?"

	"Please."

	"Hai, coming right up."

	A cup of hot cocoa sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with marshmallows is soon in Ranma's hands.  "Man, what do you put into this?" she shudders as the soothing taste drips down her throat.

	"Something Tampopo-chan came up with for me to recover whenever Lum decided to give me her 'divine retribution,'" Ataru rolls his eyes, then pauses, frowning.  "Damn.  Not the right thing to say about the dead, ne?"

	"People here wouldn't really care, I think," Ranma notes.  "We never had to live with aliens full-time, you know."

	"In that, my friend, you are very lucky," Ataru smirks.  "Then again, we never had to live with crazy martial artists..."

	"Excuse me, can someone...?  RANMA?!!"

	Ranma sighs, then looks left to see Ryouga Hibiki standing now at the entranceway.  Ataru blinks, then glances at the wanderer.  "I take it this is ANOTHER of your playmates?" he stares quizzically at Ranma.

	"Unfortunately," Ranma mutters under her breath.

	Growling, Ryouga advances on his long-time rival.  "Ranma, what are you doing here?!  If you've insulted Akane...!  *Bweep!!*"

	Ranma jolts, then looks over before her eyes drop to see a struggling P-chan trying to navigate out of Ryouga's clothing.  Before the piglet can escape, a hand snares him by his bandanna, then yanks him up so he could gaze eye-to-eye with Ataru.  "Hibiki-san, I'm going to make this VERY clear!" the transplanted Tomobiki resident growls.  "If you even THINK of starting a fight with anyone in my friend's shop, I personally will see you FOREVER frozen as a piglet for the REST of your life!  Got me, buster?!"

	Ryouga jolts, then shudders as certain little factoids form a logic chain (or whatever passes for logic inside Ryouga's brain)...

	He had been publicly transformed into P-chan...

	The person now holding him had addressed him by name...

	Said person was clearly a new friend of Ranma's...

	Said person had just threatened to hurt Ryouga...

	Add it together and...

	"***BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!***"

	Ataru grabs Tampopo's pizza-flipping super-spatula, then drops it HARD on P-chan.  The piglet is send snout-first into the linoleum, his squeals cut off.  Seeing that, Ranma winces.  She had never done something like THAT to the guy, though she had been tempted.  Unfortunately, Ranma had always been stopped by Akane before he could've done the sukebe pig any lasting damage.  Maybe by turning his back on what Fate had always dished out on him, Ataru had won the sympathy of some friendly guardian angel.

	Then again...

	"Hibiki, I'm going to say this ONCE.  And if it hasn't sunk into whatever serves as your brain, I will NOT be responsible for what happens next," Ataru sighs, sensing Ryouga had recovered enough to pay attention.  "One:  Ranma-san did NOT tell me about your meeting with Jusenkyou.  That problem of yours is as obvious as mud in a ballroom when it comes to your chi signature.  And believe me, I CAN read chi.  Two:  Ranma-san DID tell me about your obsession with Akane Tendou, how much YOU'VE made Ranma-san's life hell because of it.  Three:  I am NOT bound by outdated codes of Bushido as you (even if, in my opinion, you HAVE no honour in the first place!), which means that if you start a vendetta against me, you better have your papers in order.  Because if you attack me, I will use your curse against you and KILL YOU!!  THEN, I might decide to mail your carcass to Tendou-san to make sure she doesn't get any stupid ideas!  GOT ME?!!"

	The spatula is spun around so that the sharp edge points down, then drops like a guillotine blade straight for the hapless piglet's neck.  "BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...!!!"

	The blade halts not a half-centimetre from P-chan's neck.  Shivering, he looks up into Ataru's face.  A smile crosses that face.  It was not a friendly smile, Ryouga realized.  This was the smile of someone who often contemplated how much pain he would have to unleash before killing or permanently maiming someone.  NOT a good thing!

	"Now.  Get out," Ataru snarls.

	The spatula slams P-chan in the skull, sending him out the open front door, disappearing into the sky.  Ataru sighs, then notices Ryouga's clothes and backpack.  "What normally happens with this stuff?"

	"Just put it out somewhere," Ranma recommends.  "He'll find it sooner or later.  He always does."

	Ataru shakes his head, then picking everything up, takes it outside and dumps it near a lamppost before heading back in...

*    *    *

	Later, near Furinkan High School...

	"P-chan!!  Sweetie, what happened to you?!!"

	P-chan moans as Akane sweeps him up, then relaxes as the cushiony feeling of her bust presses against his cheek.  "Boy, who gave him THAT?!!" Sayuri points to the VERY large lump on the side of P-chan's skull.

	"Oooh, I bet it was Ranma!!" Akane notes what Sayuri points to.  They and Yuka had been out window-shopping when Akane had spotted her pet buried in some garbage pile.  "I'll deal with that hentai pervert later!  C'mon, P-chan, let's get you something for that nasty boo-boo!"

	"Bweee...!" P-chan croons delightedly as Akane carries him in the direction of the dojo.  Though happy to be in the arms of the first person to treat him with kindness, the transformed Ryouga's thoughts are storming.  This time, they weren't focused on Ranma, but someone else.

	Someone who knew his secret.

	Someone who would gladly EXPLOIT that secret.

	Therefore, someone who was as totally honourless as Ranma.

	There was only one solution to that, Ryouga knew.

	That someone would DIE!

*    *    *

	Tomobiki, the Mendou mansion...

	"But, Otou-san...!"

	"No, Shutaro.  Our minds are made up on this matter," Hajime Mendou puffs his pipe.  Shutaro was now seated across from his parents in their lounge.  "Reigi-san is, as the guardian of Ataru-san's inheritance, within his rights to demand you back away and leave the lad alone from now on.  The Conglomerate has maintained good relations with Toranoseishin Finances for over thirty years.  I do not wish to see those relations soured because of your unwanted (and now unnecessary) obsession with Lum-san."

	"Otou-san...!!"

	"That is enough!" Hajime sends a piercing gaze at his son.

	Hearing the sharpness in his father's voice, Shutaro pales.  It was VERY rare to hear Hajime Mendou speak with emotion.  "Shutaro, whatever your feelings for Ataru-san are is not the issue.  What happened between Ataru-san and Lum-san is ALSO not the issue here.  You have an obligation, a profound obligation, to both your family and the Conglomerate.  And your mother and I, along with Asuka-san's parents, believe it is time for you to see that obligation through to the proper conclusion."

	"I...!" Shutaro gulps, then bows his head.

	He was trapped.  For so long, giri had been an important part, THE most important part, of Shutaro Mendou's life.  To deny that would be, in effect, denying himself.  Yes, some'd say he had acted in a questionable way when it came to his classmates at Tomobiki High.  But in comparison to his overall life, matters in school had been trivial.  Until now.

	"Hai, Otou-san, I understand," Shutaro bows his head.

	"Splendid," Hajime exchanges a knowing look with Haruka, who smiles.  "We shall make an official announcement about your engagement to Asuka-san sometime this week, AFTER the furor over Lum-san's memorial has died down.  Given the interest your female classmates have often expressed to you, we don't need to shock them TOO much now, do we?" an eyebrow arches.

	"Hai..."

*    *    *

	Elsewhere in Tomobiki...

	"You won't go?!"

	"Nope," the plain-looking girl with the short-cropped raven hair slurps up her noodles, then sets her bowl aside.  She is now seated beside her sister at a yatai near the Tarouzakura hill.  "I never cared one bit for Lum in the first place, Nee-chan, so why on Earth should I go to a memorial for her?  Especially since Ataru-kun hasn't been seen around town for the last six weeks!  I doubt he'll be there, so why should I?"

	"Chigaiko-chan, the school called Tou-chan and Kaa-chan to tell them it was mandatory attendance for the memorial."

	"Do I care about what the morons running that place think?" Chigaiko glares intently at Fuchiko Inu, then coughs.  Damned flu!  Why couldn't it just leave her alone?  "Besides, I don't see them going head-over-heels to find out where Ataru-kun is!  So if they're not trying to track down Lum's so-called 'husband,' why should they ever care about someone like me?"

	Fuchiko blinks, then shakes her head.  "Well, I dunno..."

	The yatai matron looks up.  "Oh, don't bother your sister about that, Fuchiko-san.  Personally, I agree with Chigaiko-san.  Good riddance, not only to Lum, but all those other alien monsters that came with her."

	"Like Rei, Oba-san?" Chigaiko chuckles.

	"Hai, like that THING!  If it was a person, I certainly never saw it.  Personally, I don't understand why the U.N. didn't crack down on those Onis earlier."  With that, she takes both the Inu sisters' bowls back, then refills them.  "You know, Chigaiko-san, if you're so concerned about Ataru-san, you might want to go to Nerima and talk to Tampopo Kamekichi."

	"Why her?" Fuchiko wonders.

	"I doubt you'd know of this since you go to Butsumetsu High instead of Tomobiki High, but ever since Lum came to Earth, whenever Ataru-san wanted to be left alone, he went to Tampopo-san's shop in the Ginza," the matron smiles.  "Even more so, Lum could NEVER get away with ANYTHING when she was close to Tampopo-san.  Even the HINT of her trying to zap Ataru-san resulted in that Oni getting brained by Tampopo-san's spatula."

	"You're kidding!  I never knew that!!" Chigaiko gapes.

	"Oh, I think it was kept quiet to pass on the illusion that Lum was invincible, but she wasn't," the matron walks over to her small work shelf, draws out a piece of paper, then jots down an address and telephone number.  "Here you go," she hands that to Chigaiko.  "She's in Nerima, close to Furinkan High.  If anyone knows where Ataru-san is, Tampopo-san would."

	"I..." Chigaiko blinks, then smiles.  "Arigatou!"

	Fuchiko chuckles.  "Looks like you got yourself a field trip ahead of you, Chigaiko-chan," she winks.

	"Definitely," her sister nods...

*    *    *

	Nerima, near U-chan's, that afternoon...

	"Hmmm.  Looks nice."

	Negako, Ataru and Ranma stand at the gates leading to an abandoned Shinto shrine.  The former had located this place.  According to some of the neighbours, the last shrine priest working here had gone insane and killed himself five years ago.  While volunteers ensured the place did not fall apart, no one had tried to have the temple reopened.  The real estate agent had been more than willing to allow the Moroboshis to rent it, though he warned Negako that evil spirits haunted it.  That didn't bother her; she and Ataru knew of far STRANGER things than mere spirits haunting a shrine.

	"It is," Ataru crosses his arms.  "Enclosed courtyard, the fence is high enough to keep the neighbours from peeping in and the building's in good shape.  A little change here and there should make it cozy."

	"And it's on a cul-de-sac.  AND not at the end of it," Ranma thumbs behind them.  "You might avoid the loons that prance through here.  They stick to the main streets.  Except for Ryouga.  If he loses it, first thing he does is nail any walls with the Bakusai Tenketsu and charges on ahead."

	"Well, if he tries, he's instant back bacon," Ataru smirks, then stares at his sister.  "Well, Nee-chan, you picked it."

	"It will do for now," Negako nods.  "Depending on our overall tactical situation, we could easily remain here for some time."

	"Okay, we're in," Ataru nods.  "Let's get our stuff."

	"Want some help?" Ranma asks.

	"Sure," he grins.  "Let's get back to Tampopo's."

	They head off...

*    *    *

	Minutes later, they arrive at Tampopo's to obtain the backpacks Ataru and Negako used in their travels.  What "permanent" items the Moroboshi siblings might need had been kept in storage at Toranoseishin Finances' Tomobiki headquarters.  Ataru would not send for that until after Lum's memorial.  Just before turning down the cul-de-sac to the Moroboshis' new home, a voice bellows out from behind them, "RANMA!!!!"

	Ataru and Negako spin around as a dark-haired woman charges up, a chi mallet in hand.  Ranma's reaction isn't as quick as the mallet dives for her skull.  Ataru's is much faster as he levels his index finger on target.

	"***SEISHIN REEZAA KOOSEN!!!!***"

	A searing hot bolt slices Mallet-sama's handle in half, causing the head, now lacking any motive force, to spin in mid-air before crashing DOWN on Akane's head!  Ranma is frozen as she morbidly watches her fiancee drop face-first into the street.  So are Sayuri and Yuka, both of whom have NEVER seen ANYONE so readily defeat Akane's mallet attack.  Negako remains calm as Ataru moves to stand beside Ranma.  "You okay there, Ranma-san?"

	Ranma blinks, then stares at Ataru.  "Um, y-yeah, I'm okay.  How'd you do that?!  I've never seen a chi attack like THAT before!"

	"Oh, one of the many things my family's Art teaches you to do," Ataru shrugs, sensing Ranma really didn't want to deal with whoever was trying to clock him.  "C'mon, let's get going.  No need to waste yourself around bullies who don't have any sense of honour in the first place, ne?"

	"Er...!  Um, r-right," Ranma jerkily nods.

	Ataru guides her away from the scene.  Negako watches them go, then glances at Sayuri and Yuka, both now moving to help Akane.  Shrugging, she moves on, then stops on hearing an incensed "BWEE!!!!"  She drops to one knee, a finger tapping the road just as P-chan races past, ready to tear at the bastard who DARED fire a chi blast at Akane.  Before he could react, the ground EXPLODES, sending a funnel of earth at him!!  Sayuri and Yuka scream, covering Akane with their bodies as P-chan finds himself flying into the sky with a pained wail.  As smoke settles over the scene, Sayuri and Yuka cough, waving away dust.  "Hey...!!" the former gasps, then looks to where the strange woman and man had been with Ranma.

	The smoke clears to reveal nothing.

	Yuka looks up, then glances around, a chill warping through her.  "What WAS that?!" she then turns to Sayuri.

	"I don't know," Sayuri gulps, then she looks down to see Akane still in la-la land.  "Worry about it later.  Let's get Akane-chan home."

	"Er...o-okay."

*    *    *

	The Nekohanten...

	"Hibaa-chan, what was that?"

	"I believe it was an application of the earth-heart fire-geyser, child," she glances out the window, noting a cloud of dust in the air.  "I even sensed the spirit laser.  But only trained practitioners of Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjitsu-ryuu are familiar with either of those manoeuvres."

	Shampoo blinks, then her eyes widen.  "Ayah!  Hibaa-chan mean Tiger-spirit shadow ninjas come to Nerima?!"

	"Indeed, I believe it so.  And if that's true, things in this town might become more lively than what we're used to," the matriarch chuckles, then switches to Mandarin.  "Don't worry about it now, Xian-pu.  If and when the members of our allied clan do decide to make themselves known, we'll make whatever choices we have to make at that time, alright?"

	"Yes, Great-grandmother, I understand," Shampoo nods...

*    *    *

	The Tendou dojo...

	"'Way of the Supreme Life School of Stealth'...?"

	Nabiki slips off her earphones as her mind churns over what she just overheard thanks to the wiretaps in the Nekohanten.  It had been especially hard to place those taps there given how skilled and experienced Cologne was, but it had been worth it, especially when things picked up again after Mount Phoenix and the wedding disaster.  So what did all THIS mean...?

	She walks out of her bedroom to the guest room presently occupied by the aged grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu.  As always when he wasn't on his rounds, Happousai busies himself with ironing his 'silky darlings.'  "Ojii-chan?  Can I talk to you for a moment?" Nabiki taps the door.

	"What is it, Nabiki-chan?" Happousai stares briefly at her, then turns his attention back to the bra on the ironing board.

	Nabiki is quick to note that bra was actually one of hers.  Well, she'd deal with that later.  "Tell me something, Ojii-chan.  Have you ever heard of a school called 'Saikoo Jinseijitsu...?'"

	"Moroboshi-Hana Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjitsu-ryuu," Happousai then finishes with a smile.  "Matter of fact, Nabiki-chan, I know about that school very well.  So," he glances briefly out the window, then turns back to the bra, chuckling.  "That's what I sensed a few minutes ago.  I assume you got that name from those taps you have in Cologne-chan's restaurant."

	Nabiki jolts, then steels her face into her "Ice Lady" look.  "How'd you know about that, Ojii-chan?"

	"Oh, don't worry.  I won't tell her.  Sometimes, she needs to be knocked off her high horse to remind her that she's still human," Happousai sighs, then a smile crosses his face.  "You probably heard Cologne-chan mention two particular attacks used by those who practice that Art:  the Seishin Reezaa Koosen and the Daichi-ki Hi-kanketsusen."

	Nabiki's jaw drops, then she glances at her notes.  "Hai, that was the attacks mentioned..." she pauses, then blinks.  "Excuse me, you called that Art the 'Moroboshi-Hana' school...?"

	"Yes, Nabiki-chan.  The Moroboshi and Hana clans are ninjitsu clans from Touhoku, up around where Sendai is these days."

	Silence as the middle Tendou daughter considers that, then her eyes narrow suspiciously.  "They wouldn't be related to an ATARU Moroboshi from Tomobiki now, would they...?" her eyebrow arches.

	"Yes, that's his family.  Well, it's a lucky thing the poor boy doesn't have to put up to that alien girl anymore," he smiles.

	"Ooooooooookay," Nabiki drawls, quite taken aback by THIS revelation.  "So how'd YOU find out about this, Ojii-chan?"

	"Easy enough," Happousai chuckles as he sits up, drawing up his pipe and lighting it.  "You see, Nabiki-chan, you might say Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu is what inspired me to create Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu."

	A pregnant pause, then, "You're kidding me!" Nabiki gapes.

	"Nope," Happousai chuckles, then hums.  "Nabiki-chan, let me give you some advice, advice you'd BETTER listen to if you value your life there," he stares at her.  "If you actually meet whoever practices that Art, don't play your usual games with them.  It could be life-threatening."

	She considers that, then asks, "How life-threatening?"

	"Well, let me tell you what the most deadly attack of that Art is," he sets the iron aside.  "The 'soulsword.'  What it is when you get down to it is a chi-blade which is the ultimate representation of your training, your experience, your very BEING.  Now, me, I can barely forge a soulsword and I've seen it used many times in my life," he points to himself, then holds up a cautioning finger.  "But masters in Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu, for morning WARM UP exercises, fight no-holds-barred soulsword duels!"

	She gapes.  "Like kendoists fighting with real blades."

	"Right.  The soulsword, my dear, does NOT leave a mark on the body.  But the soul..." Happousai makes a "no-no" gesture with his finger, then he points at Nabiki's heart.  "If a soulsword struck you with the tip, Nabiki-chan, your soul would be cleaved out of the body before you knew what the hell hit you and you'd be dead before your body hit the ground.  If the FLAT of the blade hits you, then you'd be in more pain than anything you could ever imagine.  And this pain, Nabiki-chan, lasts a LIFETIME!"

	Nabiki gulps.  "In other words, the perfect murder weapon."

	"Riiiiiiight," Happousai drawls, nodding.  "Take my advice.  You're far too pretty to be impaled by one of THOSE, Nabiki-chan.  Don't start something before you realize what you're up against."

	"Gotcha," she slowly nods, rising.  "Thanks for the tip."

	"Anytime," he waves as she steps out, then once the door is closed, stands by the window, gazing out at the city.  He blinks, then sniffs as a tear trickles down his cheek.  "So, you're free at last, are you, Spirit of the Earth?  That's good.  Good.  And Ranma-chan's met up with you and your first, eh?  Good.  Maybe now, the girl'll finally get the strength she needs to throw off the idiots in this place and go live her life!"

	Nodding, Happousai turns back to his silky darlings, a jaunty drinking song from a century ago drifting from his lips...

*    *    *

	Downstairs...

	"Oh, MY!!!  Akane-chan, what happened to you?!"

	Akane moans as Yuka props her head up with a pillow and Sayuri rushes in from the kitchen with a damp cloth to put over her friend's forehead.  Nabiki comes down, then on seeing her sister laid low, turns to Kasumi.  "What happened here, Onee-chan?!" her eyebrow arches.

	"That's what I'm trying now to understand," Kasumi returns, then gazes on Yuka.  "Who hurt her, Yuka-san?"

	"Some guy we ran into over by U-chan's," Yuka reports, then explains what went down, including what happened to P-chan.

	Hearing Yuka, Nabiki's other eyebrow arches.  Kasumi is stunned, then she gazes on Akane before looking at Sayuri.  "Ranma-kun was there?"

	"Yeah, and he did NOTHING to stop this guy!  In fact, the first thing Saotome did after Akane went down was ask the guy where he learned that!" Sayuri shudders.  Not being a real fan of Akane's fiance (and given Akane's present suffering), she is quite ready to grab a mallet of her own and deal out some of her own punishment to Ranma, not to mention his new "friend."

	"I see..." Kasumi frowns, then looks away.  "I must confess, I'm disappointed in Ranma-kun..."

	"Don't be so disappointed, Nee-chan," Nabiki sighs, then looks at Yuka.  "Which way was Ranma-kun facing when Akane charged him?"

	"Er..." Yuka blinks, then shrugs.  "He didn't see her coming until she called out.  She came at him from behind."

	"So what?!!" Sayuri snaps.

	"So, Sayuri, obviously to this new guy, Ranma-kun was being bushwhacked by some lunatic with a hammer," Nabiki shrugs.

	Silence falls as the others consider that, then Yuka sighs.  "I guess we're so used to seeing Akane-chan hit Ranma all the time, not bothering to say anything about it, seeing someone DO something about it's a shock."

	"Well, there is that," Kasumi agrees, then blinks on hearing a moan escape Akane.  "Akane-chan...?!"

	"Ooooh...!" the youngest Tendou's eyes flutter, then she glances around the room.  "Where am I...?  The house...?!"

	"You okay, Akane-chan?" Sayuri frets.

	Grunting, Akane slides up into a sitting position, then takes another look around to ascertain who is with her.  "Sayuri?!  Yuka?  Nee-cha-...?!" she pauses, then asks, "Where's Ranma?!"

	"Don't know," Yuka reports.  "We didn't follow since that girl who was with him and that guy caused an explosion.  P-chan's gone."

	"WHAT?!?!" Akane's eyes widen.  "How?!!"

	Sayuri and Yuka explain.  As they chatter, Nabiki glances at Kasumi, then nods for the kitchen.  Seeing that, the elder Tendou daughter nods, rising to follow her sister so they could have a private chat.  Once the door to the living room is closed, Kasumi sighs.  "What do you know?"

	"That we've got two, maybe more, people in town who practice the martial art school Ojii-chan based our family's Art on," Nabiki reports.  "Ojii-chan sensed what happened.  So did Cologne.  And by the sounds of it, these people are long-time allies of the Amazons."

	Kasumi considers that, then exhales.  "Oh, dear!  That isn't going to help matters much, especially if it was a boy who hurt Akane-chan.  Not to mention Ranma-kun's indifference..."

	"I don't think it was indifference, just shock.  After all, this IS the first time anyone's put Akane down, not to mention defeat that damned mallet.  Maybe it'll inspire Ranma-kun to stop putting up to that from her.  That'll do Akane a world of good in the long run if you ask me."

	"Or it could provoke a fight that'd tear our family apart," Kasumi cautions.  "Certainly, Auntie Saotome won't approve of this when she gets wind of it.  Can you find out who these people are?"

	"I'll get right on it, but we better make damn sure the two idiots don't provoke something stupid with these people."

	Kasumi stares quizzically at Nabiki, realizing that her sister had meant Souun and Genma by the term "two idiots."  That earns her a recap of what Happousai told the middle Tendou daughter earlier.  Kasumi's eyes go wide, then she covers her mouth.  "Oh, my...!"

	"My point.  And thanks to Akane's temper...!"

	"True..."

*    *    *

	Nightfall...

	"So that was Akane, eh?"

	Ataru, Negako and Ranma relax in the sitting room, sharing cups of herbal tea.  As soon as the Moroboshi siblings had moved into the old shrine, they decided a practice bout was in order to ensure their skills didn't rust.  Ranma was treated to the sight of two people trained with the same intensity as she, going at each other with gusto.  While the exotic moves in Saikoo Jinseijitsu hadn't come into play, what Ranma had seen had been enough to tell her that the Moroboshi siblings could teach her things that Genma hadn't even heard of, perhaps Happousai and Cologne too.

	That was saying much.

	Without hesitation, as soon as he was done with Negako, Ataru invited Ranma to spar with him.  In doing so, Ranma learned that while Ataru had vast levels of technical knowledge, his experience level was actually minuscule.  But given the unusual way Ataru gained his skill, Ranma could understand why.  At the end, Ranma told him that given time and luck, Ataru could easily be a match for Ranma and give Negako a real workout.

	Hearing that, Ataru responded with a sad smile.  "Let's hope then that I WON'T get that sort of time OR luck."

	Ranma understood that, too.  Ataru was a pacifist at heart.  Even if his feelings for those who had interacted with him in the past had considerably soured, he wouldn't really want to see them dead in the long term.  After another trip to Tampopo's for dinner, the Moroboshis and their new friend returned to the shrine.  Once tea was served, conversation drifted to what happened earlier.  "Yeah, that's her," Ranma sighs.

	"Her skill level is laughable at best," Negako notes.  "She has no self-discipline, her control over her emotions is nearly non-existent..." she pauses, then sighs.  "In the end of it all, she is lazy, Ranma.  And your overprotective attitude towards her has not helped matters.  If she desires to gain a sufficient level of skill to deal with a normal run of opponents, she will have to drastically change ALL her habits."

	Ranma blinks, then slowly nods.  "Yeah, I suppose so, but if I just upped and walked away..." she shrugs.

	"Everyone and his dog'll be on your tail for 'abandoning' her, right?" Ataru's eyebrow arches knowingly.

	"Yeah."

	"And you are presently uncomfortable about considering walking away from them once and for all," Negako adds.

	Ranma jolts, then nods.  "Yeah.  I mean, it's honour, but..."

	"Honour has no relevance in this case."

	The martial artist blinks, then stares at Negako.  The latter sighs, sipping her tea.  "There is a lament in our family.  'Honour is a sword shattered on a rock, a slip of paper burned in a fire, a gravestone eroded by the wind, a shrine brought down in an earthquake.'  In other words, when it comes to the BASIC facts of life, Bushido and other codes of honour do not and CANNOT survive.  Here you are, trapped in THREE valid engagements, made to adhere to a grossly outdated viewpoint on your manhood (exacerbated more because of your curse and your father's misogynist attitudes) AND find yourself the target of what Americans call 'gunfighter syndrome.'"

	"'Gunfighter syndrome?!'"

	Ataru chuckles.  "Simply put, you ARE the best martial artist of your age group in Japan, perhaps the whole world.  You happen to be in a part of the world which has an overflow of powerful martial artists.  And because you're the best, these dorks feel insecure, thus, they decided to challenge you in hopes of beating you and gaining a greater sense of security."

	"And by letting this continue unchecked due to your own sense of pride, you ultimately do nothing to put an end to it," Negako adds.  "What must it take then, Ranma?  For someone to be killed?"

	Ranma jolts, then pales as Negako's observation sinks in.  "I don't think it'll go that far..." she flusters.

	"It already has.  Look what you did to Saffron."

	Silence.  Ranma feels a chill warp through her, then she clutches a hand over her heart.  "Yeah, that's true..."

	"In that case, because of Saffron's self-regenerative ability, you didn't have to face the emotional duress killing someone can force on one as -- innocent, shall I say -- in certain ways as you are," Negako adds.  "But if, as you stated to us earlier, things are back to 'normal,' the chances are strong that another fight at the scale of Mount Phoenix will occur in the future.  Would you care to wager on the odds of your opponent THEN having the same regenerative ability Saffron is blessed with?"

	"You might not get a second chance next time, Ranma," Ataru muses, then sighs, drinking the rest of his tea.

	"No, guess not," Ranma bites her lip, then finishes the rest of her tea.  "Well, I might as well get home..."

	"Perhaps you should remain here tonight."

	Ranma blinks, then stares at Ataru.  "Hey, I don't think..."

	"That the idiots you live with would like the idea of you not being with them so they can abuse you further?" Ataru finishes.  "Sorry about that.  But it's like I said.  You better start putting your foot down on some things or else it's going to fly out of control sooner or later."

	Ranma considers that, then nods.  "Yeah, you're right.  Look, I'll go get my things, then be back here soon, 'kay?"

	"Sure," Ataru nods as the transformed martial artist rises, heading out of the shrine.  Exchanging a knowing look with Negako, Ataru nods.  Negako does not react as she rises, following Ranma out of the shrine.  As soon as she is gone, Ataru sighs, moving to make more tea.

	"Let's hope we're in time with her."

	"Agreed."

*    *    *

	The Tendou dojo, the next morning...

	"WHERE IS HE?!!"

	The crowd around the table jolt as Akane's cry echoes through the house.  "Akane-chan, is there a problem?!" Nodoka calls up.

	"Where's who?!" Nabiki wonders.

	Akane storms down, fists quaking indignantly as she plops down beside Nabiki.  "Ranma!!  He didn't even come home last night, Auntie Saotome!!!"

	"Actually, he called sometime after supper," Kasumi reports.

	Eyes lock on the eldest Tendou daughter.  "And?" Souun asks.

	"He was invited to remain with a new friend he just made," Kasumi lightly smiles as she serves some coffee to her father.  "It's good that Ranma-kun is making new friends, isn't it?"

	"Not at the expense of his martial arts training!" Genma growls.  He had been pretty put off himself over not being able to engage Ranma in their normal morning work-outs.

	"Oh, there's no concern there, Uncle," Kasumi muses.  "It turns out Ranma-kun's friend is quite the martial artist in his own right."

	"You can say that again," Akane mutters under her breath.

	Nodoka gives the youngest Tendou a glance.  "...in fact, Ranma-kun told me his friend's skill in his family's Art is as great as Ranma-kun's," Kasumi adds.  "And Ranma-kun's friend likes morning exercise, too."

	Surprise responds.  Genma sips his tea, then his eyes narrow.  "I best take a look at this fellow to ensure that boy of mine isn't slacking." 

	"Yes, it wouldn't do to allow someone else to assume your place as Ranma-kun's instructor in the Art, Saotome-kun," Souun gravely nods as he turns the page.  "Who knows WHAT sort of odd ideas might be passed along."

	"May I ask what art this fellow practices?" Nodoka wonders.

	"Much less the creep's name?" Akane adds, snarling.

	Kasumi smiles.  "Well, the young fellow's name is Ataru Moroboshi.  He just moved here from Tomobiki with his sister, Negako.  And his family Art is referred to as Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjitsu-ryuu."

	Silence, then everyone goes crazy.

	"WHAT?!?!" Akane screams.  "MOROBOSHI?!!  He's a PERVERT, Nee-chan!!!  That creep's even worse than the old fool upstairs!!!"

	"I never heard of him being a martial artist!!" Genma scoffs.  "The boy's time is wasted with that fellow!!!"

	Niagara Falls from Souun.  "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!  Poor Ranma-kun'll learn all sorts of horrible things from that man!!!"

	"Maybe not," Nodoka muses.  "Given his interest in women, perhaps Ataru-san might teach my son some *manly* things he'll need to know!"

	"You've GOT to be kidding, right?" Nabiki stares at Ranma's mother, clearly wondering what planet Nodoka was born on.

	Genma bolts to his feet.  "I'm going to get that foolish boy and bring him home right this very minute!!"

	"Yes!" Souun bolts up beside Genma.  "We must act now to ensure the schools will unite once and for all!!"

	"**You -- will -- do -- NO -- such -- thing!!**"

	The fathers instantly pale on hearing that threatening tone.  Both then prostrate in front of Happousai, now quite refreshed from his morning rounds.  "Master, forgive us!!  We didn't see you come in!" Souun intones.

	"I'll let that go.  For NOW!" Happousai draws out his pipe.  "As for your child, Genma, he can remain with Ataru-san and his sister for as long as he desires.  I think he'll learn many things from Ataru-san and...!" he pauses, then glances at Kasumi.  "What was her name again, Kasumi-chan?"

	"Negako, Ojii-san," Kasumi replies.

	"Ah!  'Wish child.'  How ironic," Happousai nods approvingly, then stares at his students.  "So if you IDIOTS even THINK of trying to drag Ranma-chan from his hosts, I might decide to drag BOTH of you on a training trip to teach you some respect!" his voice drops to a threatening growl.

	"B-b-but, M-master, wh-what about...?!" Souun stammers.

	"***I DIDN'T ASK FOR OBJECTIONS!!!!***"

	Souun and Genma scream as Happousai's battle aura nearly blows the roof off.  Even the sisters and Nodoka back away fearfully.  That reaction from Happousai had certainly not been expected.  Hearing burbled apologies from the fathers, the aged grandmaster relaxes.  "That's better.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to relax for a bit.  Be warned, both of you.  Not a PEEP about dragging Ranma-chan off on one of your mindless little schemes!  Both of you TOGETHER don't have the brains for it!!"

	"Y-y-yes, M-m-master!" Souun and Genma fearfully burble.

	Happousai bounds upstairs.  "Oh, my!" Kasumi blinks, covering her mouth.  "That was certainly unexpected."

	"I don't like this," Nodoka muses.  "Anything that fool likes is bound to hurt my son sooner or later..."

	Genma's hands clap his wife's mouth shut.  "Nodoka, are you INSANE?!  Questioning the Master will only cause trouble!!!"

	The cloth bounding the Saotome honour sword unravels.  Seeing that, Genma shies away, eyes wide.  "Husband, we need to speak about a few things," Nodoka frostily intones, glaring intently into Genma's eyes...

*    *    *

	Tampopo's...

	"Irasshaimase!!"

	"Arigatou!" Chigaiko Inu, draped in her Tomobiki High seifuku, steps in.  A quick glance around reveals a slender man with an unruly mop of dark brown hair at the counter, eating a large beefbowl without abandon.  Seeing this, Chigaiko grins.  Even if the fellow had grown a beard and moustache, not to mention let his hair go long, Ataru's love of food always made itself apparent whenever he was in a restaurant.  "Ataru-kun!!!"

	Ataru jolts, then looks left before his eyes widen with recognition.  "Chigaiko-chan?!  What are you doing here?!"

	Chigaiko smiles, moving to sit beside him, then she gasps as a large spatula blocks her way.  "And, what, pray tell, are you doing away from school, young lady?" Tampopo demands.

	"Er...?!" Chigaiko shudders, sweating as she remembers what she heard about this woman clamping down on Lum when she went wild concerning Ataru.

	The fellow in question quickly moves to intercede.  "Oh, geez, relax, Tampopo-chan!" he shoves the spatula from Chigaiko's line of sight.  "Chigaiko-chan was probably the only girl I DIDN'T have any trouble with back at school.  She's okay.  Though I suddenly find myself in agreement with Tampopo-chan here in wondering why you aren't at school, either."

	Tampopo withdraws her spatula, returning behind the counter to continue preparing breakfast.  "When the dorks there're forcing mandatory attendance for Lum's memorial service, I decided to 'vote with my feet' and not attend," Chigaiko reports.  "The teachers're deluding themselves into believing everyone liked her.  Besides, I don't see any of them putting out the hounds to find you and drag you down to attend, Ataru-kun."

	"Maybe because I withdrew from school when I left home, so they have no real right to force anything on me anymore," Ataru smirks, waving Chigaiko to the chair beside him, then he sits.

	"What'll you have there, dear?" Tampopo asks.

	"Oh, beefbowl, please!" Chigaiko smiles.

	"Hai, right away."

	Chigaiko then turns to Ataru.  "So where've you been, anyway?  I mean, no one's really been asking about you because of Lum being kicked back home and all that, but I've been worried about you, Ataru-kun."

	Seeing her cute pout, Ataru smirks.  "Long story..."

*    *    *

	Tomobiki High School, an hour later...

	"Welcome to Tomobiki High.  We're pleased to have you here."

	A reception line of students, black mourning bands around their arms, bows as parents and dignitaries stream up the front path.  Off to one side near the front doors, a grove of young sakura trees have just been planted, forming a hollow circle around a statue.  Though presently covered in a tarp, it is easy for the onlookers to tell who the statue was sculpted in honour of.  Standing near that are several students from Lum's homeroom.

	"Geez, who's going to be showing up next?!" Ryuunosuke Fujinami wonders, noting the head of the Tomobiki district council and some of the ward managers passing by.  "The Prime Minister?!"

	"Knowing Mendou, that just might actually be a possibility," Aisuru Megane muses, adjusting his glasses over his bloodshot eyes.

	Shinobu Miyaki, standing beside Ryuunosuke, gazes worriedly at the leader of "Lum's Bodyguards."  The last several nights had been filled with echoes of pained wailing drifting through the streets of Tomobiki, the loudest coming, of course, from Megane.  While not wanting to think ill of the dead, Shinobu would gladly wish the Oni hadn't made such an emotional impact on her schoolmates.  Rumour had it that several other students, including Megane's friend Urayamu Chibi, had attempted to kill themselves.  Fortunately, parents had been on their guard since the news got out.

	"Yo, Shinobu, ya think Lum's pals from out there might be by?" Ryuunosuke gazes at her best friend, notioning up.

	Shinobu considers that, then sighs.  "Hard to tell.  I mean, do people like Benten and Oyuki really care for us?  Way I've always seen them, all they cared about coming here was Lum, not anyone else."

	The "son" and heir of the Fujinami Hamajaya-kissaten considers that, then nods.  "Yeah, I guess you're kinda right about that."

	Megane hums, then turns as two of the Mendou Clan's Kuromegane special agents approach.  "What news about Ataru?" he demands.

	The Kuromegane bow.  "Forgive us, Megane-sama, but our attempts to locate Moroboshi-sama have failed," one replies.  "Further, Mendou-sama's father ordained that we are not to continue the search for Moroboshi-sama."

	"What?!!" Shinobu gasps.  "Why?!!"

	"That was not explained to us, Miyaki-sama," the other replies as both bow.  "Please accept our sincere apologies.  Excuse us, please."

	They leave.  Shinobu and her classmates exchange stunned looks, then Megane quakes.  Before he could launch into another tirade about Ataru's continued disloyalty, a hand snares his throat and squeezes tight.  "Will you fuckin' KNOCK IT OFF with your flippin' mouth, Megane?!" Ryuunosuke snarls.  "Maybe the reason Moroboshi ain't coming is because he's sick and tired you and Mendou rantin' on all the time about Lum!  Got me?!"

	A croak escapes Megane as Ryuunosuke shoves him away, he falling on his butt.  The others flash appreciative looks at her before Shinobu's surprised gasp turns their attention back towards the front gate.

	"Oh, Moroboshi-san, Mrs. Moroboshi!  Hi!!" Shinobu waves.

	Ataru's former girlfriend breaks from the others to approach his parents.  As she closes in, Shinobu's heart chills to see the aged, pained looks on Muchi's and Kinshou's faces.  Well, it was understandable to an extent; both did care for Lum.  But the level of pain, grief and even anger being projected from their eyes clearly came from more than Lum's death, the way it happened.  "Moroboshi-san, Mrs. Moroboshi, are you alright?" she moves up, bowing respectfully, then she gently grasps Kinshou's hand.

	Kinshou blinks, then stares quizzically at the girl who might have been her daughter-in-law before she looks away.  "Hello, Shinobu-chan," she weakly replies.  "Oh, yes.  We're quite fine.  Excuse us, please."

	They head towards the school.  Shinobu watches them go, then feels an ominous chill run through her.

	What in God's name had happened...?

*    *    *

	Unnoticed by Shinobu or any of her friends, a swarthy man, dressed in a jumpsuit emblazoned with the Tomobiki District Sanitation Service badge, walks through the gate, heading toward the main entrance.  Empty garbage cans are piled on the trolley he now pushes onto the grounds.  His eyes, partially hooded by bushy eyebrows and a weathered face, dart everywhere as he separates the innocent from the guilty.  At last, the day had come.  Paradise was beckoning Ibrahim Alhamzi with its call.  He knew God would bless his sacrifice as long as the devil-woman Lum's infidel worshippers were delivered to their deserved place in the lowest pit of Hell!

	But Ibrahim also knew God would not look favourably on his taking the lives of the innocent as he righteously punished the guilty.  This had to be done with as much precision as possible.  Yes, too many here, both boys and girls, were enchanted by the devil-woman and those who followed her.  But only a scant few were truly guilty of crimes against the human race.  This was not just jihad, the fight to protect Islam from heretics who would destroy the Faithful.  This was a war for humankind's liberation from the lies and false promises ALIENS of all things forced on them.

	Surely, God would bless his noble deed this day.

	He moves towards a pile of garbage bags by the front doors.  He had already seen one target.  Aisuru Megane, the leader of the monsters who had slavishly followed the devil-woman's ways from the start.  His many crimes against humanity, starting from the day he helped the devil-woman steal the liquid gold from under the sands of Arabia, were just too many to count.  No matter what, Ibrahim vowed, this one would DIE.  All he had to do now was locate Megane's co-conspirators, then he would send them all to God.

	"Oi, hold up there, friend!"

	Ibrahim jolts as someone in a boy's uniform walks up to help load garbage.  But this, he knew, was no boy.  Ryuunosuke Fujinami, an innocent victim of the madness that had shrouded Tomobiki since the devil-woman first came.  Many times, he prayed for God to give Ryuunosuke strength to overcome her evil father.  Many times, he had come to Tomobiki High to see that infidel -- no, PAGAN! -- beast repeatedly abuse the child for not being a "manly man!"  Madness!  Utter madness!!

	"Oh, thank you!" Ibrahim bows politely as Ryuunosuke pitches in to get rid of the garbage.

	"Eh, no problem, Alhamzi-san!" Ryuunosuke waves at him.

	She moves to head off once the last of the bags were stowed away in the bins.  "A terrible thing to happen, eh, Fujinami-san?" Ibrahim asks.

	"Eh?!" the tomboy blinks, then stares at the covered statue of Lum, realizing what Ibrahim spoke of.  "Oh, 'bout Lum, ya mean?" she sighs.  "Yeah, I guess so, I suppose.  Anyhow, I gotta go."

	She heads off.  Ibrahim watches her, then nods, moving to head inside.  *Merciful God, watch over that one, please,* he prays...

*    *    *

	Above...

	"Splendid."

	Negako Moroboshi stands in the clock tower, staring out the window as the native of Qatar heads in to locate targets, then carry out his mission.  The grandmistress of Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjitsu-ryuu had no intention of getting in Ibrahim's way, but using him to hers -- and Ataru's -- own ends.

	A glance near the statue reveals Megane heading to the front door.  Negako had already picked out Chibi, Shitto Paama and Daremo Kakugari (Ibrahim's other intended victims) in the northwest wing.  Also there was Ryuunosuke's father, someone Negako sensed Ibrahim would also gladly kill if he was given a chance.  Strangely enough, Ibrahim did not see Mendou as a target.  Neither did Negako; the fellow was an annoyance, but easily dealt with without resorting to the sure finality death could bring.

	All that was needed to add to the mix were two more.

	Negako slips out of the clock tower, then stepping gingerly along the roof of the central connecting wing, she stops above the third-floor washrooms.  Flipping through an open window in the girls' washroom, she then slides into a stall.  Closing the door behind her, she concentrates, the black ninja's gi morphing into a dark blue Tomobiki High seifuku.

	Stepping out of the stall a minute later after flushing the toilet, Negako smooths her skirt, then enters the hall.  Her eyes narrow as she locates the two she wanted, then she heads for a stairwell.  Descending to the first floor, she spots her targets by the nurse's station, chatting with Sakura.  Negako sighs; the Shinto priestess' own paranormal senses might perk up if she came in close proximity to her.

	Easily dealt with, Negako smiles.

	Making a gesture with her hand, she sends a chi pulse into the earth, locking on a slight fault under the school's southwest wing.  Instantly, the ground quakes, causing everyone to jolt.  It is a brief tremor, abating immediately.  Silence seems to fall as people glance around, then feeling as if this was an isolated incident, resume doing what they were doing.

	All save one.  Sakura's eyes narrow suspiciously as she scans around, then excusing herself from Ataru's parents, heads off.  Muchi and Kinshou exchange a look, then shrug, turning to join the crowd filing through the wing to the back doors, where the gymnasium is located.

	Negako remains in place as Muchi and Kinshou fall behind, then noting no one looking her way, slips in behind the two.  Her fingers lash out to tap a shiatsu point on the backs of their necks, one put there by Negako herself some years earlier for this potential eventuality.  Ataru's parents seem to falter for a second as Negako leans up.

	"Head to the northwest wing science lab," she orders.

	Stepping aside, Negako watches as the two turn around, then casually walk into the northwest wing.  Her eyes narrow as Negako senses Megane now meeting up with his fellow Bodyguards.  Ibrahim was two metres away, he now seeing that Fujimi Fujinami was within optimal killing range.

	Another thirty seconds more...

*    *    *

	Oh, yes!

	God was truly with him today.

	Here were the four monsters who had betrayed their friends, their nation, their very PLANET, to serve the devil-woman Lum.

	Here was the pagan who had tortured his child, forced her to behave in a way that God certainly did NOT intend by making her a woman.

	And...

	Wait!

	Ibrahim's eyes widen on seeing two people casually walk up behind Megane and his friends.  Why, were they not...?

	Muchi and Kinshou Moroboshi.

	The traitor parents of the devil-woman's most tragic victim.

	Ibrahim tries desperately not to grin.

	Oh, yes!  NOW was the time.

	Now, indeed...

*    *    *

	"So who was that guy you knew, Ryuunosuke-kun?"

	Ryuunosuke blinks, then feels her cheeks redden as Momoe's stare lances into her.  "Wh-what guy, M-momoe-san?!" she sputters.

	"The garbageman," Momoe augments.

	"Oh...?" the tomboy is nonplussed, then she catches herself.  "Him!  Shit, don't worry, Momoe-san!  He's some guy from Qat-..."

	A thunderous *crack!* from the school nearly shatters their ears as windows explode.  Scant milliseconds later, the whole northwest side seems to bulge at its foundations before jets of flame rip through the woodwork.  The shockwave comes next, sending planks and other debris flying through the air.  The sakura trees take the brunt of the shrapnel, though the shockwave rips past the trunks to knock everyone standing by Lum's statue onto their faces.  Ryuunosuke's martial arts experience kicks in as she flings herself over Shinobu, protecting her friend as she covers her head from sharp glass fragments which could easily end either of their lives.

	The explosion's titanic roar starts to fade, it replaced by the ominous cracking sounds of thick wooden beams breaking.  Ryuunosuke quickly looks behind her, her eyes widening on seeing the sea of flame where the first floor on the northwest side had been.  The upper floors buckle as stanchions shatter.  The tomboy cries out, averting her eyes as the second floor collapses onto the first, dust and dirt billowing to cover a lot of the front lawn.  As the second floor settles onto its new "foundation," the stanchions and walls holding the third floor fail.  Like the sides of an accordion being squeezed together, the outside walls explode as the third floor drops onto the second, burying whoever was there under tons of wood, plaster and concrete.  Not two seconds after, the walls holding the roof sections over the fallen third floor drop down, repeating what happened.

	More dust and dirt fly into the air as Ryuunosuke finally rolls off Shinobu, allowing the latter to get up and see what happened.  Coughing, Ataru's former girlfriend stares at the destroyed northwest wing, then she gasps as tongues of hot flame leap out from the wreckage to begin rendering the rest into ashes.  "Jesu Cristo, what was THAT?!!" she screams.

	"Bomb!!  C'mon!!!" Ryuunosuke grabs Shinobu by the arm, then pulls her away from the school towards the front gate.

	Shinobu doesn't resist...

*    *    *

	Nerima, the Tendou dojo...

	"What was THAT?!"

	Nabiki looks up as the distant *crack!* echoes through her bedroom window.  Rising, she looks outside.  Her bedroom gave her a good view of much of the surrounding territory.  Immediately, her eyes lock on a plume of smoke in the far distance, to the west-south-west.  Her mind quickly draws up a map of the local area as she tries to ascertain where that was.

	It comes quickly enough.  "Tomobiki High...?" she whispers, then lunges for her cell-phone, quickly dialling a number...

*    *    *

	Tampopo's...

	"Ataru-kun, did you hear that?!"

	"Hear what, Chigaiko-cha-...?" Ataru's voice instantly cuts off as a wave of disturbed chi energy warps through him.

	His eyes narrow as he slips out from behind the counter to step outside, then he glances around.  Being on ground level, he cannot see much, so a quick leap to the top of a nearby telephone pole is warranted.  Balancing himself perfectly on top of the concrete pole, he takes another sweep around with his eyes.  They stop on seeing the smoke.

	"The school...?" he whispers, then spits out.  "Oh, hell!!"

	"Ataru!"

	Ataru glances left to see Ranma bounding over rooftops towards him.  Seeing the telephone pole was taken, Ranma stops herself on the nearest roof, within normal speaking distance.  "I take it you noticed," he waves.

	"Something bad, I think," Ranma looks herself, then squaring her shoulders, spins and bounds off towards the disaster scene.

	Ataru watches her go, then shudders before sighing.  "Well, can't run now," he mutters under his breath, then moves to follow.

	"Ataru-kun, where are you going?!"

	He glances down at Chigaiko.  Her surprise on seeing him perform such a careful balancing act is apparent.  "Someone just blew up the damned school!" he yells.  "If you want to come help, hurry up!  If you don't, stay here!  We'll be back soon, okay?!"  Without waiting for a reply, Ataru bounds off, using the string of telephone poles to act as his walkway.

	Chigaiko watches him go, then blinks.  "Oh, hell!  What are those idiots up to now?!" she snarls, racing off to follow...

*    *    *

	Tomobiki High...

	"You okay there, Momoe?!"

	"Y-yeah, just a couple scratches!" Momoe grunts, feeling her bleeding left arm; two bits of glass left cuts in the skin.  "What happened?!" she looks at the wall of fire and smoke which was one part of her school.

	"A bomb, I think..." Ryuunosuke blinks as a herd of Kuromegane escort out a young man dressed in a white school uniform.  "Mendou!!"

	She and Shinobu run over to help Mendou stay up.  His uniform is badly cut up and there was a gash over his eyes, blood draining from wounds on arms and legs.  Remarkably, he still held his katana.  "Please stay back, Fujinami-sama, Miyaki-sama!" one of the bodyguards warns, waving the girls away.  "We must see the Young Master off to medical aid!!"

	"Oi, he's not the only one who needs it!!!" Ryuunosuke growls.  How could these lunkheads be so insensitive after THIS?!

	A cough.  "Sh-she's..."

	"Young Master!!" a Kuromegane gasps.

	Mendou's eyes flutter as he yanks an arm free, then draws out a cell-phone.  "Call..." he spits up blood.  "Rescue..."

	"Hai!" another bodyguard snatches up the phone, then dials the number for the Mendou Clan Emergency Disaster Rescue Brigade.

	Watching that, Ryuunosuke blinks, then smiles, exchanging a look with Shinobu.  Arrogant he may be, but Shutaro Mendou certainly had his heart in the right place at times like this.  Once the summons are made, Mendou is then laid down on the ground.  Momoe quickly moves to help out as other people start to stream out of the wrecked school.  "C'mon!" Shinobu grabs Ryuunosuke by the arm as they move to help those who might need it.

	"Uhn!" the tomboy nods, then jolts on hearing someone fly through the air towards her.  Spinning around, she gapes wide-eyed as someone in a red Mandarin tang and workout pants flies out of mid-air to land not five feet away, then with another spring, she charges towards the fire.  "Holy...!!"

	"Who...?!" Shinobu's mind nearly blanks out, then she screams as someone else lands near her, charging into the disaster zone.

	This was no woman, but a man.

	And not just ANY man, Shinobu instantly realizes.

	"Ataru-kun...?"

*    *    *

	"Oh, shit!!  What do we do?!!"

	Ataru stops beside Ranma, both standing not three metres from the collapsed northwest wing.  "Stop the fires, first!" he grunts, then raises his hands, they glowing with chi.  "Stand back!!"

	Ranma falls back as Ataru creates a chi ball between the palms of his hands, then he bellows, "***SENPUU NETSU-HI DABOKU!!!!***"

	The air suddenly becomes alive as the chi ball in Ataru's hands melts into a mini-cyclone.  Rising away from him, it grows in size and strength as Ataru tilts it onto its edge, shifting it over the flames.  As oxygen is sucked away from the wreckage, the flames start to sputter, the released heat and other energy being sucked in like light drawn into a black hole.

	"ALRIGHT!!!" Ranma whoops as the last of the flames is drawn off, leaving only swirling dust.

	"Stand clear!!!" Ataru swings himself to the left.

	The whirlpool moves with him, getting clear of the school into the front yard.  Ataru then cups his hands together, another chi ball forming.  This one has a different purpose.  "***SEISHIN SHURIKEN ARASHI!!!!***"

	Bolts of energy, like photon torpedoes from the "Enterprise," punch through the whirlpool.  It collapses, the accumulated dust dropping into a heap on the grass.  "Yes!!" Ataru ceases the attack.  "C'mon!!!"

	"Un!!" Ranma nods.

	The two dive into the disaster area...

*    *    *

	By the front gate...

	"Holy shit...!!" Ryuunosuke gapes.

	"He...!" Kumiko Gekasawa, Momoe's best friend, sputters as the unreality of it all hits.  "Is that Ataru-kun?!  OUR Ataru-kun?!!"

	"That CAN'T be...!" Momoe shakes her head in denial.

	"Ataru-kun?" Shinobu absently feels her heart.  "H-how...?!"

	The sounds of sirens fill the air...

*    *    *

	Elsewhere...

	"Splendid."

*    *    *

	"Lotta stuff here!" Ranma grunts.

	"We have to break it up!" Ataru cracks his knuckles to loosen them, then he stares at his friend.  "You said the Nyuchezuu taught you a lot of their own manouevres, right?!  You know their chestnut fist attack?!"

	"Sure thing!" she nods.

	"Okay!  I'll break the large pieces, then pass them to you!!  We're going fast, so watch out!" Ataru moves in on the wreckage.

	"Right!!"

	Finding the first big piece, Ataru jabs out with his fingers.  "***TAIFUN KAZE-TE KITEI!!!  SHINZOU BAKUHATSU SHOKU ARASHI!!!!***"

	His hands become living jackhammers as the roof section is shattered, the pieces flung towards Ranma.  Using the Chestnut Fist, Ranma tosses the wreckage into a pile right beside Lum's statue.  Within a minute, the uppermost sections of collapsed building are gone, allowing Ataru to dig clear about a half-dozen people from the third floor who had nearly been crushed by the roof.  "Someone, give us a hand here!!!" he screams to the crowd massing by the front gate.  "We've got people still alive!!"

	Shinobu breaks from the crowd.  Ryuunosuke is quick to follow, accompanied by Momoe, Kumiko and two of the Kuromegane who had helped Mendou get clear.  By then, sirens herald the first arrivals of Tomobiki's bravest, not to mention teams from the Mendou estate.

	Also to arrive is a camera crew from NHK...

*    *    *

To be continued...

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