Subject: [FFML] [fanfic][UY/Ranma/SisPri] "Lonely Souls" Part 8 (first draft)
From: Frederick Herriot
Date: 11/21/2001, 11:32 PM
To: ffml@anifics.com

Modu annyoung,

First of all, an apology to those who received the
abbreviated message before this one.  I was trying to
type up my notes for this chapter of "LS" and I hit
the wrong key.

Anyhow, here is the first draft of Part 8 of "LS." 
Thanks to all of those who gave me C&C for this story.
 If things don't become clear right away, they will in
future chapters.  Be warned, a BIG fight's coming
sometime very soon!

As for what's going on in FF.net with my story, I DID
try to contact them and warned them that for some
weird reason, the MS Word (.doc) copies of "LS"
uploaded to that site had a lot of the text cut out. 
Further, when I tried to upload ASCII GWP (.txt) files
there, everything between "<...>" was cut out.

To that end, I will NOT update "LS" on FF.net until I
am ready to post the story at RAAC.  The copy on
FF.net will be an .htm copy in that case.

For those of you wanting to read my story as it is
being updated and improved, you may go to:

http://ladycosmos.topcities.com/

(located in the "Crossover" section of Lady C's site)

OR

http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic

(located in the "Ranma," "Urusei Yatsura" or "Sister
Princess" sections of that site)

Enjoy!

Fred

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

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month.
http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1

-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: LoneS-08f.txt
-- Desc: LoneS-08f.txt

     In orbit over Earth...

     Truth be told, Sunmee hates the position she is now in.

     Like dozens of her kind, the Avalonian bioroid had been in 
storage aboard the factory unit when Oogi's spirit seized control
of it, sending it on its 'divine mission' to Earth.  In such a state,
Sunmee had been a mental blank slate; save for the basic knowledge
that would allow her to live on her own, no distinct personality
had been gestated.

     That changed the day Oogi came.  When Sunmee was programmed
with a personality copy of a man named Shitto Paama.

     It had taken her some time to understand who and what exactly
that person had been.  In the eyes of most of the Invaders, Shitto
had been one of the five 'holy apostles,' those said to be the most
loyal to Lum.  Their words, as recorded in their diaries, formed
the core of the Book of Lum, the sacred teachings of the 
Niphentaxian's current 'goddess.'

     But Shitto never knew, never understood, how famous he had 
become on Phentax Two.  Truthfully, that confused Sunmee.  If the 
Niphentaxians so revered that man, why didn't they seek to make 
contact with him?  Shouldn't he know, shouldn't he understand,
what effect he had on the natives of Phentax Two and her many 
colonies?  Shouldn't it be right that he truly appreciate what he had
done, for good and ill, to so many, even by proxy?

     Yes, she was confused.  And now, to add to that confusion
was pain and uncertainty.  Shitto had been killed in a vicious 
terrorist attack on his school ten days ago, along with several
friends, including three other 'apostles' to Lum.  Fortunately,
Oogi had been able to obtain a copy of their very souls, transferring
them to the factory ship's databanks for preservation and eventual
use in the creation of new bioroids.  That was good and proper in 
Sunmee's eyes.  When he died, Shitto had yet to seek out a mate and
have offspring.  It was only right that something of him be preserved
to be passed onto posterity; that, in and of itself, was one of the
primary reasons the Avalon bioroid project had been started long ago.

     But for some unknown reason, no proper DNA copy of Shitto's
body had been logged into the factory's databanks.  Without that,
the factory could not create a replica of him.  Even more, Oogi had
yet to initiate a proper search to obtain samples of Shitto's DNA to
see that process through to its logical conclusion.  And with the 
many restrictions put onto the Avalonians aboard the factory, Sunmee
couldn't do a thing to aid that process along.

     Even more, Sunmee realizes that Shitto's parents, whom she had
come now to see as her parents also, would no doubt be grieving
for their lost child.  Sunmee also knew that because of Shitto's
long interest in Lum, his parents wouldn't look kindly upon ANOTHER
alien invading their lives.

     Sunmee didn't know what to do.  She wanted to give Shitto's
parents something of a future to believe in again.  If she couldn't
give them a replica of their child, then she was willing to give 
herself to them and be their daughter.  But would they accept her or
send her away?

     What should she do...?

*    *    *

"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
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 EIGHTH PART - FRIENDS

     Promised Island, early morning...

     "Tadaima!!"

     The main doors leading into Welcome House open, allowing twelve
women to step in.  Many stretch themselves.  Marie, carried by 
Mamoru, is asleep.  The sisters got up very early that morning,
clearing out of the Moroboshi home just as Ataru and Ranma had begun
preparations for school.  One quick trip on one of Chikage's 
teleportation rainbows later and they were home.  "I'm gonna put 
Marie in bed there, okay?" Mamoru gazes at Sakuya.

     "Alright," the oldest sister nods.

     Mamoru heads off just as the doors open behind the others,
revealing Jii-san.  "Ah, you girls're back already!" he nods.

     "Oh, Jii-san, ohayou!" Shirayuki hails.

     "There's three new girls staying in Rooms Ten and Twelve,"
Jii-san warns.  "They just came in late last night."

     "Where are they from?" Haruka wonders.

     "***WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?!?!?!***"

     Everyone jolts on hearing Mamoru's outraged shout, then scramble
down the hallway towards Room Ten.  Mamoru herself is at the doorway,
her fists clenched and ready for a fight as she glares into the room.
"What's going on here?!!" Sakuya demands, then looks inside before
her jaw drops.

     The room, one of the spare ones in the hostel, was now furnished
and occupied.  Said occupant, presently draped in pyjamas, is 
glancing at her surroundings, clearly baffled as to how the hell she
got all the way from Nerima to Promised Island.  As the others crowd
around the door, many unsure as to how to react on seeing HER now 
living in THEIR home, Chikage slips through the crowd, then calmly
crosses her arms.  "Ohayou, Akane."

     Akane blinks, then stares quizzically at Chikage before 
recognition flashes deep in her eyes.  "Chikage-san?!" she stands
up.  "Where the hell am I?!  This isn't my bedroom!  What's going
on here?!"

     The sorceress sighs, then glances over her shoulders.  
"Shirayuki, will you get some miso soup and soft food prepared
for Akane?"

     "I..." the would-be chef blinks, then nods.  "H-hai."

     She heads off.  "Now, wait just a cotton-pickin' minute here!!"
Mamoru snarls.  "We're not going to let THIS bitch stay in our...!"

     "That's ENOUGH, Mamoru!"

     Mamoru jolts.  So do the others; none of them had EVER heard
Chikage speak with such force.  "We will concern ourselves with the
recriminations stemming from Akane's assault on Marie another time,"
she ordains, the look in her eyes clearly stating she wasn't going
to tolerate any dissention on that.  "Leave what's going on with 
Akane to me.  Everything will be alright.  In the meantime, Mamoru,
please take Marie to her room."

     "I..." Mamoru stutters, then she gives Chikage a stern look.
"This sure as hell ain't over with, Chikage," she warns.

     The athlete heads off.  Akane watches her go, then senses other
accusing eyes fall on her.  Gazing at the crowd by the doorway,
she sighs.  Staying in this place clearly wasn't going to be a treat.
At that moment, a strange voice then asks, "Chikage-sama,
is there something the matter?"

     Everyone turns to see two women, appearing in their late teens,
standing by the entrance to Room Twelve.  "Who are you?!" Sakuya
demands, then her eyes focus on their ears.  "You're aliens!!!"
she points.

     Jonna and Orin exchange a look, then the former turns to answer
when a joyous yip foreshadows Michael flying into them, knocking
them over as he proceeds to give their faces a thorough washing.
The expat Niphentaxians giggle delightedly as the dog reintroduces
himself to them.  "Michael-chan, do you know these two?" Kaho 
wonders, she kneeling beside them.

     Michael barks, then turns his head before trotting into Marie's
room, which is across from Akane's.  The others watch the dog as he 
leaps onto her bed, then stars licking her face.  Marie sputters,
then her eyes open as she weakly asks, "Michael?  Is there something
wrong...?"

     "Hey, Marie, you need to get some sleep there," Mamoru protests.

     Marie looks around.  "I'm in my room..." she whispers, then 
grunts as she sits up before noticing the small crowd at the doorway.
"Is there something wrong, everyone?" her eyebrow arches.

     "Um..." Sakuya waves to her right, making a beckoning motion
with her hand.  Jonna and Orin then walk up.  "Seems we've got some
visitors from afar here," she points to the expat Niphentaxians,
then stares at them.  "So what the hell brings you two to our island?
After all of Onii-sama's problems with aliens, we sure as hell don't
want any of the same."

     "We understand that well, Sakuya-sama," Jonna bows her head.
"And were the situation not so dire, we would be glad to respect
your wishes on that matter and leave you and your blessed sisters
be."

     Everyone blinks surprisedly on hearing the word "blessed"
applied to all of them.  "So what DOES bring you guys here?!" Rinrin
asks, then points to Akane.  "And what the hell's this mallet-happy
lunatic doing on the island, anyway?  Geez, after what she did to 
Marie, not to mention all the crap she's heaped on Aneki, I sure as 
hell'll watch my back around her!!"

     Akane winces on hearing the words 'mallet-happy lunatic' applied
to her, then she jolts, wide-eyed, on hearing Jonna's answer:  
"Because it is Marie-sama's Will that Akane remain alive, 
Rinrin-sama."

     Silence.

     "Excuse me...?" Haruka gapes.

     "You mean...?" Marie blinks, then looks at Akane before turning
back to Jonna.  "You were the ones that stopped Akane-san from 
killing herself?"

     More silence.

     "What...?" Mamoru blinks, her jaw dropping to the floor.

     Eyes turn on the youngest Tendou.  Akane shudders, then bows her
head.  "It is true," Chikage speaks up, she placing a supportive
hand on Akane's shoulder.  "Last night, while the rest of you were
with Ani-kun and Ane-kun, Akane decided that in the wake of what 
happened to Marie, she had to atone for all the times her anger 
caused other people pain.  She would have succeeded had it not been
for Michael..." she then indicates Jonna and Orin.  "Not to mention
our two visitors.  They, fortunately for Akane, had access to a place
where she could be rejuvenated, restored to the prime of health.
Atop..." a smile crosses her face as she stares knowingly at Akane,
"...giving her some special abilities that I'm sure our visitors
from afar will be more than happy to teach her in using, correct?"

     "Hai, Chikage-sama, we will," Orin nods.

     Akane blinks, then stares at the expat aliens.  "Why?"

     "Excuse me?" Jonna wonders.

     "Why save my life?"

     The sisters exchange a look, then glance at Marie.  "Because
it was Marie-sama's Will that you were to live, Akane," Jonna shrugs.

     Confusion appears on many faces, then Yotsuba asks, "Excuse
me, but why are you treating us like we were saints or something
like that?"

     "Because in our eyes, Yotsuba-sama, you ARE saints.  Or, if you
wish, there is a profound life-debt the both of us now owe to your
brother.  And thus, to you," Orin intones, then points to herself.
"My sister and I would not be alive right now were it not for 
Ataru-sama."

     "Not two weeks ago as you tell time, we were on the brink of 
dying of forced starvation on our home planet," Jonna adds.  "As was
our mother, Miree.  Ataru-sama came to our homeworld to destroy
a monster named Oogi.  A man who long allied himself with the Onis
in hopes of laying waste to your planet and remould your society
to his warped vision.  Ataru-sama was able to defeat the demon, 
though he didn't destroy Oogi.  In that fight, Ataru-sama found us 
and our mother trapped in a jail, dying.  He..." she pauses, 
realizing she needed to use the right words to ensure these innocent
girls would not be frightened too much by their brother's remarkable
capabilities, then, "...gave part of his life-force to us to keep us
alive long enough to properly heal ourselves.  In payment of that 
debt, my sister and I've come here so we can protect you."

     "From what?" Sakuya adds.

     "From Oogi," Orin sighs.  "As Jonna said, Ataru-sama didn't
succeed in destroying Oogi.  In fact, Oogi is now in orbit over 
Earth, waiting for a chance to confront and destroy Ataru-sama.
I don't think that Ataru-sama would take too well to seeing any of 
you, the last, true living remnants of his family, being hurt along
the way."

     Silence falls as the sisters consider that, then Hinako asks,
"But who's going to protect Onii-tama?"

     Jonna smiles.  "Don't fear, Hinako-sama," she kneels down to 
place a warm hand on the young girl's shoulder.  "Ataru-sama
is more than capable of defeating a beast like Oogi.  And he has 
Ranma-sama at his side now, not to mention the Earth Angel Negako.
Do you really think that someone would come along to hurt Ataru-sama
and His True Beloved, Hinako-sama?  Do you?"

     Hinako blinks, then smiles, nodding.  Suddenly, a girl's 
sniffles turns everyone's attention to Akane.  The youngest Tendou
now stares at the floor, her eyes awash in tears as she mutters,
"No...!  No...!  Ranma's mine...!  He can't be a girl...!  He 
can't...!  He just can't...!"

     The others sigh.  "Somehow, I don't think you should've said 
things like that about Onii-sama and Onee-sama in front of her," 
Sakuya advises.

     "Agreed," Jonna nods...

*    *    *

     Nerima, the Moroboshi home...

     A knock.  "Chigaiko?  Hey, you awake in there?"

     "Come in..."

     The door opens, revealing Ataru.  "Hey, aren't you...?" he asks,
then pauses on seeing the haunted look on her face.  She now sits on
her bed, staring nowhere in particular, still dressed in pyjamas.
"Chigaiko?" Ataru walks over, sitting on the bed as he places a 
friendly hand on her shoulder.  "Hey, what's wrong?!  We missed you
last night!"

     "I'm okay," she mutters, then buries her face in her arms.

     He stares at her, then sighs.  "What's wrong?"

     A sniff.  "Nothing."

     Silence.

     "Chigaiko, you sure aren't acting like nothing's wrong."

     She jolts, staring at him, then her expression softens.  
"Gomen," she reaches up to gently grasp his arm, then mutters,
"It wasn't good news."

     "What did the doctor tell you?"

     A sigh.  "My anaemia's provoked something worse," she whispers.
"The doctor did blood tests.  He said I had too many immature white
blood cells.  My platelet count's way down from where it should be.
It means..." she shudders, fresh tears flowing down her face.  "I 
have..." she sobs.

     A wail steals her voice as Ataru draws her gently into his 
embrace, then gazes out the window.  "You've got some type of 
leukaemia, right?"

     "Y-y-yes..." Chigaiko sobs, then buries her face into the crook
of his neck.  "A-ataru-kun, I'm so sc-sc-scared!  I don't want to 
die!!"

     Ataru squeezes her tight, then smiles.  "You won't."

     A knock.  "Hey, Ataru, what...?!" Ranma peeks in, then clams
up on seeing the weeping Chigaiko in his arms.

     Ataru glances at her, then mouths, "We'll talk about this 
later."

     Ranma nods, then heads out...

*    *    *

     Promised Island...

     "Here you go, Akane-san.  They're leftovers, but it'll fill you
up pretty good," Shirayuki places the food tray on Akane's 
nightstand.

     Akane gazes at the miso soup, rice, kimch'i and 
spinach-in-sesame oil before nodding thanks.  "Arigatou, 
Shirayuki-san," she draws the tray onto her bed, then picks up her 
chopsticks to eat.

     Shirayuki looks at her, then smiles, heading out.  Despite
objections from Mamoru and some of the others, Marie had been carried
into Akane's room so they could enjoy breakfast together.  Marie sits
at the end of the other girl's bed.  Michael sits off to one side,
dozing.  "Ah, it's so nice that we can get some good food in this 
place," Marie sips her tea.

     "This is good," Akane admits.  "Almost as good as Kasumi's
cooking."

     "Hai, Aneue-sama told us how good your sister is in the 
kitchen," Marie smiles.  "She was almost tempted to propose to 
Aniue-sama that Kasumi-san and Shirayuki-chan have a cooking 
contest."

     Akane stares at her, then sighs.  "That's Ranma for you," she 
shakes her head.  "Always thinking through his stomach."

     "Akane-san!" Marie scolds.

     Akane winces, then looks down.  "Sorry.  I guess that while 
h-...!" she pauses, then sighs.  "While she was here, she had a 
chance to give you a lot better impression of herself than she did in
Nerima."

     "And who's fault was that?"

     Silence, then Akane notices Marie staring quizzically at her.
"Well, if you asked me that before all this happened, I'd've 
automatically said it was Ranma's fault all the way.  I mean, the way
I looked at hi-..." another pause, then, "...her! -- it seemed to me
that he didn't want to do ANYTHING to straighten the mess in Nerima.
But..." a deep sigh, then, "...now that I'm looking at it 
differently, I suppose we've all got to share the blame."

     "That's the impression we've received about how life was for 
Aneue-sama while she was staying with your family," Marie nods.  "She
does admit to many things she did wrong.  All the insults that were
exchanged, her unwillingness to respect your own skill in martial
arts, her..." a pause, then, "...her shame that because of all the 
foolish things her father forced on her (and her inability to 
properly deal with that in a timely fashion), she couldn't get a real
chance to admit to how she felt about you."  Her hand reaches over
to gently squeeze Akane's.  "Even now, she does care for you, 
Akane-san.  And there was a time where she loved you with all her 
heart.  She certainly proved that when she had to deal with this 
Saffron fellow.  But then..." a shrug rolls her shoulders.

     Akane blinks, then returns Marie's hand-squeeze before turning
back to her breakfast.  "Yeah, she did.  And now..." she bites her 
lip, then stares out the window, new tears in her eyes.  "Marie-san,
I still see Ranma as a man.  I just can't believe this whole business
about Jusenkyou forcing a personality change on Ranma, that being
blocked by the damage the Neko-ken caused him!  I..." she shudders,
then sighs.  "I'm losing the man I love to another MAN, of all 
things!!  It's not fair, Marie-san!!!"

     "No, Akane-san, it's not fair at all," Marie lightly smiles,
then sighs.  "It wasn't fair when my mother died.  It wasn't fair 
when my step-father died.  It wasn't fair when your mother died.  It
certainly wasn't fair when Aniue-sama had his whole life destroyed
by his so-called parents.  Life is like that, Akane-san.  Or, as 
soldiers say (and if I was willing to be profane like Mamoru can be 
at times), 'shit happens.'"

     Akane stares wide-eyed at her, then shakes her head.  "No.  I'm
sorry, Marie-san, but I just CAN'T imagine you swearing like Mamoru!"

     Both laugh...

*    *    *

     Nerima, the Moroboshi home...

     "She has...?!" Nodoka gapes.

     "Acute nonlymphocytic leukaemia," Negako sips her tea.  "And at
the stage it is in now, standard medicine will not be able to help
her."

     "Is there any way to help her, Negako-san?" Hinako Ninomiya
asks.

     Ranma stares at the child-teacher as Hinako sips her herbal
tea, the same blend Ranma currently drank.  With the draining of her
skull of excess blood and cerebro-spinal fluids, the potentially
catastrophic results of what befell her yesterday morning were 
averted.  She would require a week's bed rest and shiatsu 
manipulation to ensure blood clots or other potential deadly 
after-effects didn't come up to strike her down, but Negako seemed
optimistic.  Even more so, Negako had promised that she would help
Hinako retain her adult form full-time once the immediate problem
was resolved.  

     "There are several avenues we may take," Negako muses.  
"Zephyrite medical technology has the means by which malignant
cells in Chigaiko's bone marrow could be forced to revert to normal.
Once that is done, all that would be required is to cleanse her blood
of the granular leukocytes, then give her a transfusion.  I will keep
her here for today to perform some shiatsu manipulation to stop the
spread of the malignancy in her bone marrow.  Some herbs from 
Kun-lon's stock can be used to more steady her white blood cell 
count, but this will not forever eliminate the problem."

     "Onee-chan's not a believer in chemotherapy," Ataru smirks.

     "The body can heal itself if it is granted the chance to do so,"
Negako stares at her brother.  "Chemotherapy destroys the malignant
cells, but potentially could leave waste matter in the blood stream
which could provoke a new outbreak of the illness.  I wish to avoid
that.  In a way, Chigaiko's problem is like yours, Ranma.  The parts
of the body affected are different, thus demanding a different
approach in treatment.  But it can be treated with patience.  Modern
medicine, in my eyes, tends to lean too much towards 'lightning'
cures which may not solve the problem..."

     "Or make it worse," Hinako finishes.

     "Exactly."

     "Well, I'll be happy to assist in whatever way I can," Nodoka
smiles.  "Chigaiko-chan's a nice girl.  It's shameful that your 
former classmates in Tomobiki didn't extend her simple courtesies
like you did, Ataru-kun."

     "They couldn't help themselves, ma'am," Ataru winks, sips his 
tea, then sighs.  "Their eyes were too full of Onis and octopi..."

*    *    *

     In Tomobiki...

     "AH-CHOO!!!"

     "AH-CHOO!!!"

     Guess who they were?

*    *    *

     Everyone laughs, then turn as a knock is heard at the door.  
Ataru looks over, then calls out, "C'mon in, Nabiki-san!!"

     "Ohayou!" Nabiki steps inside, then slips off her shoes.

     Ranma is quick to notice the frantic look on her face.  "Hey,
Nabiki, you okay there?!  Something happened at home?!"

     "Yeah, you can sure say that!" Nabiki sits beside Hinako.  
"Someone came to the house sometime last night and took EVERYTHING
of Akane's from her room.  Furniture, clothes, EVERYTHING!!
Atop that, Akane hasn't come home!!  I..." she turns to Ataru and 
Negako, ignoring the annoyed look on Nodoka's face.  "Ataru-kun,
Negako-san, I was hoping that you'd come over to the house to look
things over there!  This has got me totally stumped."

     "What did Happy say about it?" Negako wonders.

     "He's avoiding that room like it was infested with the bubonic
plague or something like that!" Nabiki shrugs.

     "Well, I can go give it a look-see," Ataru promises.  "Onee-chan
here's got work to do with Ninomiya-sensei and Chigaiko-chan."

     Nabiki blinks.  "Something wrong with Chigaiko-san?"

     "It's a long story," Ranma sighs, then rises.  "C'mon, let's
get our things and get going.  We gotta meet the kendo club guys 
today, remember?"

     "Right," Ataru rises.

     "Ranma?"

     "Yeah, Mom?" Ranma stares at Nodoka.

     "Don't bother visiting the Tendou home," Nodoka ordains, 
uncaring of the fact that Nabiki was listening to everything
she said.  "You have severed all your ties with that family.  They
shouldn't presume they can keep you on a leash like they did when you
and Akane were engaged."

     "I..." Ranma pauses, then sighs.  "Hai."

     She heads to her room.  Ataru gives Nodoka a curious glance,
then heads off to get his own things.  Hinako stares at Ranma's
mother.  "Don't you believe that was just being a little too harsh,
Nodoka-san?"

     Nabiki rises, turning to leave, though a shark-like smile 
crosses her face.  "Well, Sensei, what do you expect of someone
who, for ten years, decided that a piece of paper meant more to her
than her son's love?"

     Nodoka jolts, her eyes falling on Nabiki as the latter steps
out.  Shuddering, she rises to follow, then halts on hearing, 
"Nodoka."

     Ranma's mother stares on Negako.  The grandmistress had spoken
with a frighteningly cold voice, her eyes narrow.  "Regardless
of how you may presently feel about her and her family, Nabiki IS my
student.  Do be so kind as to remember that," Negako rises, then 
heads into the kitchen.

     Nodoka shudders.  "H-h-hai..."

*    *    *

     The Tendou dojo, minutes later...

     "Oh, Ataru-kun, ohayou gozaimasu."

     "Ohayou, Kasumi-san," Ataru nods to the eldest Tendou daughter
as he steps into the living room, then he nods again to Souun.  "A 
pleasure to see you again, Tendou-san.  Nabiki-san told me you have
a problem."

     Souun looks up from reading the morning paper, then begins to 
cry.  "Oh, Ataru-kun, I'm so glad to see you've come!" he moans,
then glances around to see that he had come alone.  "But...?!
Where is Ranma-kun?!"

     Ataru sighs.  "She's gone ahead to school."

     Silence.

     "WHAT?!?!?!" Souun bellows as the Demon Head forms, causing
Kasumi and Nabiki to balk.  "WHY ISN'T RANMA HERE TO HELP LOCATE
AKA-...?!?!?!"

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

     Souun screams out as a bolt of psychic chi shreds his Demon Head
attack.  The Tendou patriarch collapses on his back, his eyes 
spiralling as the whiplash of Ataru's Psychic Laser Beam puts him out
for the count.  Seeing that, Kasumi frowns.  "Ataru-kun, that was not
nice."

     "I apologize, Kasumi-san, but I've no time nor patience for 
useless expressions of emotion," Ataru turns towards the stairs,
where Nabiki was waiting to escort him up.  "Now, lead me to Akane's
room, please."

     "Hai, this way," Nabiki waves him up.

     They get upstairs, then Nabiki waves him into Akane's room.  
Stepping inside, he jolts on feeing a gentle wall of chi pass by; the
backscatter of what had been used on this room.  Some form of 
teleportation?  No, it was more like a quantum transporter using an 
interdimensional line of travel to alleviate the problems with 
distances.  Which could mean...?

     His cell-phone rings.  "Moshi-moshi, Moroboshi desu."

     "Anii, it's me!"

     "Mamoru?!  What's up?!"

     "We've got a problem, Anii!" Mamoru sighs.  "That bitch Tendou's
here on the island!!  Some aliens showed up, sayin' that you saved
their lives and because of that, they owe us some sorta life-debt
or somethin' like that!  And because Marie there didn't want Tendou
to kill herself, these girls saved her butt and dragged her to the 
island!  I don't trust that bitch around Marie, especially after what
she did to her yesterday!!"

     Ataru blinks, then sighs.  "Mamoru-chan, what are their names?"

     "The aliens?  Jonna and Orin."

     Another sigh.  "Are either of them there?"

     "Um...!  Hold on a sec'!  Jonna!!"

     Faint footsteps, then another woman's voice calls out, 
"Ataru-sama?"

     "What are you doing here, Jonna-san?" Ataru closes his eyes,
shaking his head depressedly.  "Where's your mother?  And how the 
hell did both of you get new bodies so fast?  Did she make it to 
Phentax Twelve?"

     "She..." Jonna pauses, then sighs.  "Mother's dead, sir."

     Ataru takes that in, then he nods.  "You have my condolences,
Jonna-san.  May she find what she deserves in the next world," he 
whispers.  "How did you two get here?  Do either of you have the 
Staff with you?"

     "I have it."

     "And did Mamoru tell the truth about Akane trying to kill 
herself?"

     Hearing that, Nabiki turns sheet-white.  "Hai.  Marie-sama
desired Akane to continue to live," Jonna replies.  Were it not for
Michael-sama, Akane would've been lost.  The Staff aided us.  Um...!
Ataru-sama?"

     His free hand clenches.  "Where is he?"

     "In orbit, aboard the factory.  But he hasn't been able to find
you given the changes you've undergone since you reunited with the 
Earth Angel.  He's trying to contact what Lumite observers are still
around Tomobiki to aid him in the search.  He..." a pause, then, 
"He's merged with that stupid curse that fool witch on the Oak Forest
asteroid put on Lum once."

     Ataru shakes his head.  "Wonderful..." he mutters, standing
up.  "Jonna, I hold you and your sister personally responsible
for my sisters' safety.  If you can find another device like the 
Staff, do so as soon as you can.  I..." he pauses.  "I've got some
planning to do.  Tell the girls that I'll get back to them as soon
as I can.  Understood?"

     "Hai, I understand.  Your Will will be done, Ataru-sama."

     He cuts the link, then snaps, "SHIT!!!!"

     Nabiki stares at him.  "What the HELL was THAT all about?!"

     He spins on her, causing Nabiki to wilt as a stare which she 
could most likely call "lethal" rips through her.  Calming himself,
he walks up to place his hands on her shoulders, then kisses her 
forehead.  "Hontou ni gomen nasai, Nabiki-san," he lightly smiles.
"It appears that someone I once thought dead and gone has decided
to come back to make my life hell.  I'll fill you in on all the 
details when we get a chance today, but let's go down and give the 
news about Akane to your father and sister, okay?"

     "I..." Nabiki blinks, then nods.  "Alright..."

*    *    *

     Promised Island, later...

     
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

     People scramble out of their bedrooms, racing down to the small
room Hinako called her own.  None of those who lived in Welcome
House had EVER heard the youngest of Ataru's sisters cry out like 
THAT before.  Yes, like most eight year olds living with older 
sisters, Hinako had pretty much done everything she could to keep her
Onii-tama's attention whenever they were together, but none of her 
half-sisters could state Hinako was a sucky-baby about it.  Besides,
there was a very painful tinge to that particular wail.  That 
definitely meant that something had hurt Hinako bad.

     Mamoru, the first one at the door, throws it open to see Hinako
on her knees beside her bed.  A glance to her right reveals Jonna
seated on the young girl's bed, unnaturally still.  As if...?  "What
the hell's goin' on here?!!" Mamoru demands, kneeling before Hinako.

     Sensing comforting hands, Hinako throws herself into Mamoru's
embrace, she burying her face into the crook of the taller girl's
neck.  "Hina-chan, what's wrong?!" Karen walks in, kneeling beside
the weeping girl, then stares confusedly at the unmoving Jonna.  
"What's with her?!"

     Chikage arrives next, gazes at Jonna, then sighs before reaching
out to tap a shiatsu point on the alien's forehead.  Her body jolts,
then her eyes flutter as she looks around confusedly.  "What 
happened...?!" she begins, then jolts on hearing Hinako's pained
sobs.  "Hinako-sama, what's wrong?!!" she kneels beside the girl,
drawing her out of Mamoru's arms and into her own.  "Are you 
alright?!!  Did someone hurt you?!!"

     Hinako stops crying, she staring confusedly at Jonna for a 
second, then she starts crying again.  Seeing this, the 
Niphentaxian-Avalonian drops away from Hinako, then prostrates
herself before the young girl.  "HINAKO-SAMA, I'M SO SORRY!!!!
WHAT DID I DO TO MAKE YOU CRY?!?!"

     Silence falls as Hinako begins to regain control of herself,
then she feels Chikage's hand on her shoulder.  "It's alright,
Hinako.  It's alright now," the sorceress sighs.  "You just hit 
Jonna's sleep spot."

     Hinako blinks, blinks again, then sniffles, "Wh-what...?"

     "'Sleep spot?!'" Mamoru demands.  "What the heck's that?!"

     Chikage titters, reaching down to help both Hinako and Jonna
to their feet.  "Jonna here, not to mention Orin and Akane, are what
many would call a 'bioroid.'  A biological android in other words.
A clone in a way which is created in a laboratory.  Human (or 
humanoid) save mode of birth."

     "Bioroid?!" Rinrin demands.  "But that's impossible, Chikage!
Earth technology doesn't have the ability to do that and I'm sure 
that all the alien races Grandmother knew about don't have it, 
either!!"

     "That's not exactly true, Rinrin-sama," Orin, now standing
beside Aria, sighs.  "The place were we obtained our new bodies was
discovered by the Niphentaxian Union over five decades ago on Phentax
Twelve.  We've kept the Avalon factory's existence a secret ever 
since.  After all, I don't believe the other planets in the Galactic
Federation would tolerate the idea of our possessing solitary access
to such technology."

     The others take that in, then Karen asks, "You made new bodies
for yourselves?  What happened to your old ones, then?!"

     "Remember when we told you about how your brother saved us?" 
Jonna sighs.  On seeing the sisters nod, she takes another deep 
breath.  She had hoped to avoid THIS topic with them.  "Your brother
now has the ability to help shift a person's very soul from one body
to another.  He did that with Orin and I when he saved our lives.
Our mother stole about the factory to create new bodies for us so we
could have our own lives again."

     "Then, where's your mother...?" Haruka demands, then on seeing
the pained look deep in Jonna's eyes, bows her head.  "Gomen nasai,
Jonna-san, Orin-san.  I did not realize the full extent of your 
loss."

     A sniffle.  "Wh-what...?" Hinako blinks, then she gazes on Jonna
before more tears flow down her cheeks.  "Your mama's gone...?"

     "Hai, Hinako-sama."

     Hinako blinks again, then moves to embrace the taller woman.
Sensing the pain the Terran felt at her loss, Jonna shudders,
then lowers herself so Hinako could draw her arms around the 
Niphentaxian's shoulders.  Nearby, Orin jolts on feeling Aria's hand
fill hers, the younger girl leaning into her side.  "Oh, man, this
is just..." Mamoru shakes her head.

     "We know, Mamoru," Sakuya sighs, then blinks, turning to 
Chikage.  "Chikage, you said that Akane has a new body, too."

     "Correct," the sorceress nods.

     "I see..."

     "What's going on here?!"

     People turn as Akane marches up from Marie's room.  "I heard
someone crying!" the youngest Tendou looks around.  "Did someone
get hu-...?!"

     Sakuya slips between Shirayuki and Rinrin, then taps the centre
of Akane's forehead.  The latter stops dead still, frozen in 
mid-step, her facial features locked up.  She seems to sway for a 
second, then her feet adjust to keep her balanced.  Everyone looks
at her, then Rinrin turns to Chikage.  "Is she aware of what just 
happened?"

     "No," Chikage shakes her head.  "All her upper-brain functions
have been halted.  In effect, her conscious mind is now in stasis.
However, the body's autonomic controls have been taken over by a 
mental sub-control  unit.  A programmed subconscious mind, in effect.
I believe this is a safety feature that is, I suspect, placed into
newborn Avalonians to ensure their safety during the first several
weeks of their lives."

     "As I recall, there've been reports of Avalonians acting 
robotically when they emerged from gestation," Orin reports.  "No one
said very much about it.  After all, in our society, Avalonians
were slaves.  That they acted like it was quite acceptable in our 
eyes."

     "What of Niphentaxians who become Avalonians?  What happens
to them?" Rinrin crosses her arms.

     "Well, until your brother showed us the means to shift our minds
into new bodies, that's never happened before, Rinrin-sama,"
Jonna shakes her head.  "There have been many times when leaders
in our society have created Avalonian replicas for one purpose or 
another -- mostly for reasons of vanity, I believe -- but nothing
like what happened to Orin or myself."

     "Much less Akane here," Yotsuba points at the frozen girl.

     Rinrin blinks, then smirks.  "I've GOT to get up there and see
this thing for myself!!" she giggles, rubbing her hands in 
anticipation.

     "Oh, cripes!  Here she goes again!!" Mamoru slaps her forehead.

     Rinrin flashes Mamoru an annoyed look.  "Um, shouldn't we at 
least let Akane-san be normal again?" Karen wonders.

     People jolt, then Sakuya sighs, reaching over to tap Akane's
forehead to wake her up again.  She pauses, then reaches for Akane's
arm.  Shifting it up over the girl's head, Sakuya notices that the 
limb had moved with some resistance.  No doubt, this new body's limbs
had the same range of motion as her original one.  Letting the limb
go, Sakuya blinks on seeing it frozen in its new position.  Her 
eyebrow arches as a hum escapes her, then she taps Akane's forehead.
"...-rt?!" she finishes, then jolts on sensing her arm sticking
into the air.  "What the hell...?!" she lowers her arm to look at her
hand, then stares at Sakuya.  "What happened?!"

     "Oh, nothing much, Tendou-san," Sakuya shakes her head.  
"Jonna-san had a bit of an accident there and Hina got upset."

     "Er...?" Akane looks inside Hinako's bedroom to confirm that all
was well, then she sighs.  "Well, if you say so," she turns around,
then heads back to Marie's room, closing the door behind her.

     Silence falls, then Sakuya sighs, gazing on Chikage and Haruka.
"It's time we finally decided what we'd want from her."

     "Agreed," Haruka sighs, Chikage nodding in turn...

*    *    *

     Furinkan High School, first period...

     Nabiki sits in her desk, staring at her study notes for a 
practice run at the college entrance examination which would be held
for third-year students in two weeks' time.  The words and numbers
before her seem to blur.  It is of no real concern.  Nabiki did get
pretty good marks, high enough to avoid having to attend a nighttime
cram school.  She was more than confident that she would score high
enough on the real exam to get an open door right into Tokyo 
University.  But her college life didn't concern her now, especially
after what Ataru had told her on the way to school.

     After reassuring her father and sister that all was well with
Akane, Ataru took Nabiki on a round-about route to Furinkan so he 
could explain the whole story about his past history with the natives
of a world named Phentax Two.  With a person named Oogi, 
specifically.  Hearing what the nominal president of the Union of 
Phentax Two was like, Nabiki was torn between laughing her heart out
and finding some way of getting as far from Japan as possible before
things between Oogi and Ataru came to blows.  To believe there was 
someone out in this universe who could out-otaku anyone from Tomobiki
when it came to Lum!  And, even more, to make the majority of his 
whole RACE fall in behind him to create the "Church of Lum."

     Since Ataru had nominally allied himself with the Noukiites
in their fight against the Onis (why he had done that, Nabiki had yet
to hear the answer), he knew that he was honour-bound to help those
people in every way possible to obtain a clear-cut victory over Lum's
people.  Ensuring the Niphentaxians wouldn't come to the Onis' aid 
was one method Ataru chose to pursue.  The strategic reasoning
was simple:  if the Noukiites were beaten, what was to stop the Onis
or the Niphentaxians from turning their attention on Earth?  There
had been many on both worlds who would've gladly ignored the Tag Race
results and press on with an invasion.  Doing THAT, he warned, 
would've dragged in two of the largest galactic players closest
to Earth -- the Zephyrites and a race known as the Seifukusu -- thus
unleashing a no-holds-barred intergalactic war with Earth as the 
battleground.

     Going to Phentax Two while he was training in Sanctuary with 
Negako, Ataru allowed himself to be captured, then dragged before
Oogi so he could be 'tried' for 'crimes against the Goddess and Her
Holy Company.'  That was what Ataru had wanted; Negako had made sure
her brother had been prepared enough to deal with Oogi and his 
lunatics and get away alive.

     What Ataru had NOT counted on was him encountering 
representatives of a Niphentaxian sect calling themselves 
'Guardians.'  These were people who ensured that their races' inbred
fanaticism for copying other races' social structures didn't expand
to the point where any disruption in that process didn't destroy
the Niphentaxian race as a whole.  And, as luck and Murphy's Law 
would have it, the Guardians possessed a weapon to help 'enforce'
their desires.  A weapon whose power was of such magnitude that if it
had been channelled into a nuclear bomb, the resulting explosion
would have ripped Phentax Two, a world slightly larger than Earth,
into shreds.

     The elder Guardian, a woman, used that very weapon to bring 
Oogi's judgement on the 'great evil.'  But when the weapon -- the 
Staff of Gihan, Ataru remembered it was called -- came into contact
with him, it triggered his first-ever transformation into the Cyborg.
And when THAT monster got loose, driven by a decade's worth of 
uncontrollable rage and scalding pain, he readily -- how, Ataru had
NO idea! -- bled off enough energy from the Staff to completely
level the capital city of Phentax Two, Lumukyou.

     Nabiki shudders, remembering the pained tears Ataru had shed 
when he relayed the worst part about that incident.  Though Oogi and
most of those within immediate range of Ataru had died in the blast,
the head Guardian had survived, the Staff in hand.  She tried to use
it against the Cyborg, but when the Staff made contact with the 
Cyborg, it probed Ataru's memories and learned of Lum's death on Uru
a week earlier.  When it learned THAT, the Staff then triggered
a 'doomsday' program the Guardians had put into it, one that would
only work when it learned that the very inspiration of a race-wide
church (which the Church of Lum had effectively become) had died.

     Ataru hadn't told Nabiki what was the result of that, but the 
latter could easily guess how bad it must've been.  But there had 
been survivors of the destruction of Lumukyou.  A woman named Miree
among them, who had two dying daughters with her, Jonna and Orin.
Using the Cyborg's power, Ataru shifted Jonna's and Orin's soul into
Miree's mind so they could live.

     Miree soon found the Staff of Gihan, now no longer slaved to the
Guardians' will, then whisked her way to one of Phentax Two's colony
worlds, Phentax Twelve.  There -- this was speculation on Ataru's
part, now -- she located a bioroid factory unit left behind by an 
unknown race, then created new bodies for her daughters, giving up 
her life along the way.

     And that still wasn't the worst part of all this.  Ataru had no
idea that Oogi had survived the destruction of Lumukyou and the 
gutting of the Church of Lum.  Even more, if Jonna was to be 
believed, Oogi had merged his consciousness with the controlling
sentience of a curse put on Lum when she was a newborn.  That curse,
unleashed in vengeance over some idiotic slight suffered by the 
curse-caster, a witch who had been a long friend of Lum's family
(Ataru had no idea about the exact details), was meant to ensure
that Lum would NEVER enjoy a happy life with her true love.

     Fortunately, there was some good news in all this.  Since Oogi,
in all effect, wanted Lum to himself, he was no doubt engaged in a 
subtle war of his own with the curse's controlling conscience.
That could be easily exploited since Oogi, for all his current 
strengths and advantages, had NO knowledge of combat, especially
the psychology which went into combat.  He was more arrogant than 
Tatewaki Kunou and Shutaro Mendou COMBINED.  And for its 
single-mindedness, Ataru mused, the Cyborg would gladly ENJOY 
locating such people and introducing them to a fellow named U. R. 
Dead.

     Victory is possible, but it has to be done delicately,
Ataru sighed as they arrived at school before the first bell.  At 
best, Ataru wanted to avoid ANY involvement of the Cyborg in another
fight with Oogi; once THAT beast got out -- especially if Ranma or 
any of Ataru's sisters got hurt -- he would go all out to destroy
Oogi regardless of collateral damage.

     Hearing that, Nabiki shuddered, remembering what she had 
overheard Ranma tell Ukyou Kuonji at U-chan's on Monday night.  Not
to mention the title Ranma's neko-self had given Ataru when they 
dealt with Genma.

     The Other.

     Nabiki closes her eyes.  It was plain for all to see.  Ranma
is now evolving into a woman.  Not just any woman, but an eligible,
frankly quite desirable woman.  Ataru is an eligable man.  Both have
totally rejected any relationship with the people they cared for 
before the Second Tag Race and the battle of Mount Phoenix.  Both 
were also QUITE tired of other people interfering with their lives,
influencing their choices.  Both willing to ensure all understood
that, regardless of the emotional cost inflicted from a sea of broken
hearts and shattered dreams.  Fate brought them together and had kept
them together.  And that situation was fertile ground for the one 
thing Akane and Lum had long wished from Ranma and Ataru 
respectively.

     Love.

     *This is not good,* Nabiki shakes her head.  *Not good at 
all...*

*    *    *

     Downstairs...

     "So what happened with the kendo club guys?" Ataru wonders.

     "Well, I told 'em Nabiki had asked for your help in findin'
Akane, so they understood why you weren't there," Ranma sighs.  Since
the principal had left, no one had tried to get a substitute
teacher for English class until Hinako Ninomiya's return.  Extra 
study time, the other students had decided.  Ataru and Ranma had 
moved down to the library so they could be alone.  "They want to 
invite both of us to join the club."

     "Really?" Ataru's eyebrow arches.  "Why?"

     "Well, part of it is because they want a chance to learn some
unarmed stuff," Ranma sighs.  "I guess if I decided to teach them 
something, it'd be my first real teaching job.  I have to talk to 
Jijii about becoming a teacher beforehand, though.  And they want a 
chance to learn about alien swordsmanship.  You sure spoke a lot 
about that when you fought Kunou, you know.  And they want a chance
to exchange techniques with Haruka-chan."

     "Haruka?!" he blinks, then smirks.  "Well, she's an expert in 
Zen archery, kendo, naginata-do, the use of the gunsen and other 
weapons, plus some aikido.  She's even explored English yeoman 
archery and quarterstaff fighting thanks to one of Jii-san's friends.
Yeah, she could teach those guys a lot, but..." he holds up a warning
finger, winking.

     "Yeah, I warned them about that," she chuckles.  "Believe
it or not, they do accept that you've got a duty as Haruka-chan's
brother to protect her virtue.  They accepted it pretty much."

     "What did they say about Akane?"

     She sighs.  "Well, I told them about what Akane did to 
Marie-chan.  They were all pretty shocked about it.  I also told 'em
that since you, Chikage or Negako didn't sense something bad happen
to Akane, that she'd be okay.  They do want to apologize for falling
in behind Kunou and all that, but they won't do it until Akane's
given some restitution to Marie-chan.  I told them to wait for your
word on that before doing anything."

     "That's fair enough," he sighs, then glances out the window.

     Ranma gazes at him, then asks, "What did you tell Nabiki?"

     Silence.

     "Oogi's here," Ataru announces.

     Ranma's eyes widen.  "What...?!" she hisses.  "You sure?!"

     "Yep," he nods, then points up.  "Up in orbit right now."

     She considers that, then reaches over to gently grip his hand.
"Hey, you won't be fightin' this asshole alone, ya know."

     He feels the warmth of her hand, then stares at her before 
giving her hand a thankful squeeze.  "I know," he sighs, then looks
out the window.  "It's not as bad as one might think.  He's combined
his life-force with the power of that stupid curse some idiot witch
gave Lum."

     "Oh, that was the Witch of the Oak Forest," she nods.  After
Ataru had dropped the ugly revelation on events in Lumukyou on Ranma,
it had been easy for him to fill in the rest of the details during
the rest of their stay on Promised Island.  "But that curse was meant
to make sure *Lum* never had a happy relationship.  Lum's changed
now."

     "Yes.  That's an exploitable point," he sighs.  "Atop that, he 
can't use the Avalon factory sensors to lock in on me since my body's
matured since I last saw him.  That limits him to using what 
observers he planted around Tomobiki to keep watch on his 'goddess'
and her 'holy company.'"

     "Can we get people out to find these dorks?"

     "Yes.  Nabiki-san's promised to help with all the people she's
in contact with.  We just have to be vewy, VEWY quiet about it," he 
slips into a faux-Elmer Fudd accent, making a shushing motion with
his finger.

     She giggles, then leans close.  "Hey."

     "What?"

     Ranma beckons him closer.  He tilts his ear towards her.  She 
leans up to whisper, "I love you, Ataru," then she kisses his cheek.

     Ataru blinks, then stares into her eyes.  "I love you, too, 
Ranma."

     They share a gently kiss just as the bell rings, heralding
the ten-minute break before history class.  "Well, shall we go up?"
he wonders.

     "Yeah!  History class is really fun these days," she nods.

     They head out...

*    *    *

     Standing between a pair of bookshelves close enough to overhear
what they said, Chieko Fujii tries not to faint in shock.  Ye gods,
to actually believe that Ranma had said THAT to another MAN and that
other man having reciprocated it?  What could she do?  What should
she do...?

     Straightening herself, she glances around to ensure Ataru and 
Ranma weren't there, then she heads off.  Nabiki would know what to 
do...

*    *    *

     Promised Island, before lunch...

     "Come in, Akane-san."

     Akane steps into the recreation room of Welcome House to find
several of Ataru's half-sisters awaiting her.  Marie is there, having
been carried into the room by Mamoru.  Also present is Sakuya, 
Chikage, Haruka, Yotsuba and Rinrin.  Akane feels a shudder rip 
through her as the others' neutral gazes fall on her, then seeing
Marie indicate the empty chair beside her, moves to sit down.  Doing
so, she finds herself facing Sakuya and Chikage.

     "You wanted to see me, Sakuya-san?" Akane clears her throat.

     "Yes, we did," Sakuya crosses her hands under her chin, a sigh
escaping her.  "You can guess what we want to talk to you about."

     Akane shudders.  "Yes, I can understand that."

     "I hope so.  But we're not going to just come out and demand
an apology and some restitution for what you did to Marie without
laying down all the facts," Sakuya sighs.  "First of all, we know 
that you were in very angry at Ryouga Hibiki for his long deception
to you about his curse.  We know that he lied to you all along, that
he preyed on Onee-sama's honour to make her lie to you, just so he 
could press his 'revenge' on Onee-sama.  We know that and we 
sympathize with your feelings.  Believe me, if Hibiki had ever pulled
that on any of us, well..." she lightly smirks.

     Akane sighs, clenching her fists.  "Yeah, you can say that 
again."

     "Good," Sakuya breathes out, then turns to Haruka.

     The martial artist nods, then sighs as she stares on Akane.
"Akane-san, you claim to be a martial artist, do you not?"

     Akane jolts, then nods.  "Yes."

     "I must confess, you certainly don't act like it," Haruka 
asserts.  "We also understand the pain you've experienced because
of your mother's death.  As you might suspect, several of us have 
also lost our mothers, I among them.  But that pain doesn't give you
any excuse to lash out at innocent people because they might disagree
with your point of view or not pay you any respect.  We've all be 
told about how you've been so quick to judge Anegimi-sama without
giving her ANY benefit of the doubt.  Is it any reason that she 
cannot bring herself to say that she loves you, Akane-san?  Is it any
reason that, now that she's been given the chance to really express
herself, she no longer wishes to be with you?"

     Akane blinks, then bows her head.  "I still care for hi-..."
she sputters, then shakes her head.  "I still care for her."

     Chikage:  "You still have problems dealing with Ane-kun's
curse."

     "I just can't believe THAT is happening to her, Chikage-san."

     "True, but as Ane-kun herself has asserted, that is no longer
of any concern of yours," the sorceress sighs.  "Given your past with
Ane-kun and how matters between you've affected Ane-kun's life, her
relationships with other people, we've decided the best punishment
to demand of you is to give you a chance to experience what you've
long believed of Ane-kun."

     "Eh?!" Akane's eyes widen.

     Rinrin reaches into her pocket, then draws out some folded 
computer printout, opening it to show to Akane.  Akane blinks, then
gags on seeing Ranma, as a girl, dressed in such a skimpy bathing
suit, it left utterly NOTHING to the imagination.  And, by the looks
of the background, the shot had been taken in the Tendou dojo.  "When
was THIS taken?!" Akane demands.

     "Sometime before Onee-sama's fight with Saffron," Sakuya 
reports.  "It was sold to some people at Furinkan High, including
one who scanned it and put it out onto the Internet.  Rinrin was able
to retrieve quite a fair-sized collection of shots like this.  I'm 
sure if we asked your sister Nabiki about this, she'd reveal that she
forced Onee-sama to undergo this in payment due to damages from some
silly altercation between Onee-sama and one of those dorks who looked
on her as a thing, not a person."

     "You'd most likely say that because Ane-kun was a guest in your
home, she had a responsibility to deal with those like Hibiki, 
Xian-pu, Kunou and whoever else might've come out of the woodwork,"
Chikage adds.  "But given the frequency and the repetition of these
attacks, didn't it EVER occur to you that you should've done 
something to help Ane-kun deal with this?"

     She shakes her head, cutting off a response from Akane with a 
waved hand.  "No.  You didn't.  You chose to ignore it, then berate
Ane-kun for bringing such a disruption onto your home.  And that 
added to all the pain, anger and mistrust that was building up 
between you.  A situation that, had not Ane-kun met Ani-kun and 
Negako-anekun, could've easily resulted in a nasty break between
your family and Ane-kun's family in the future."

     "Surely, you realize what that could've resulted in, Akane-san,"
Haruka sighs.  "Anegimi-sama could've renounced her family and left
you in the cold, uncaring about what damage had been done to your 
family's honour.  She could've renounced the agreement and walked
away; after all, where is the physical evidence that such an 
agreement is legal?  Verbal evidence is not as believable as physical
evidence, like a signed contract.  Even more, she could've walked
away, then vowed to create her own school of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu
for the express purpose of challenging and destroying your family
school.  I'm sure Happousai-shihan would've granted her the right
to do so.  He could've created the excuse that both your father and
Anegimi-sama's father weren't really doing ANYTHING to guarantee
the future of your Art.  In the worse case scenario, Anegimi-sama
could've waited until a monster like Saffron came to hurt you..."
her voice trails off.

     "She could've left me to die," Akane whispers.

     "Exactly."

     "Gods!"

     "Well, perhaps that won't happen now," Sakuya sighs.  "Rinrin,
show Akane-san the other picture, please?"

     Rinrin pockets the picture of Ranma, then draws out another
picture.  Seeing that, Akane shudders, her cheeks flaming in shame
and outrage.  This was a picture of her, dressed in the school gym 
uniform.  No doubt, this had been taken in the Furinkan High 
gymnasium at the time Hinako Ninomiya had become Akane's new homeroom
teacher.  "Nabiki...!" she growls.

     Rinrin draws out the picture of Ranma.  "Notice the difference?"

     Akane blinks, stares at the picture of Ranma, then her own 
picture.  "I..." she shudders, then lowers her eyes.  "Ranma looks
like a..." her voice falters as she tries to come up with the right
word.

     "A slut," Sakuya provides.

     Akane blinks, then nods.  "Hai."

     "Don't you think it's unfair?" Rinrin wonders.

     "I..."

     "All this ended up doing, Akane-san, is help reinforce what 
YOU'VE always said about Aneue-sama and her problems with her curse,"
Marie sighs, waving Rinrin away from Akane.  "You always kept calling
her a pervert.  You always accused her of exploiting her curse to do
perverted things with other girls at school.  You completely
destroyed any chance of Aneue-sama having any female friends in 
Nerima.  And you didn't once say or raise an objection to Nabiki-san
going off and spreading THAT image of Aneue-sama hither, tither and
yon.  And because the boys at school were constantly being fed images
like THIS..." she waves to the picture of Ranma, "...all the time,
Aneue-sama had to always be on guard when it came to them, especially
in the shower rooms.  That, Akane-san, is not fair."

     Akane shudders, then feels tears sting her eyes.  "Ranma..."

     "Don't you think you owe her something?" Sakuya wonders.

     "I..." the youngest Tendou daughter blinks, then nods.  "Hai."

     "Alright, then," Sakuya rises.  "You know, given the fact that
you have a virtually brand-new body now, one that could be taken away
from your conscious control with just a touch to the forehead,
we could easily render you unconscious, then take very gross 
advantage of your helplessness to embarrass you, shame you in the 
very same way Onee-sama was shamed..."

     "What?!" Akane cuts in.  "What are you talking about?!"

     "Don't you remember earlier, when Hinako cried out?" Chikage
asks.

     Akane blinks, then her eyes widen.  "I..." she raises her finger
to her chin in thoughtfulness, then she blinks.  "Yeah!  I heard the
shout, then walk up, then I..." she stares at Sakuya.  "You came up 
to me and touched me up..." she points to her forehead, a shudder
racing through her as realization hits.  "I blanked out, then I woke
up and my arm was in the air!  Hey, how'd you do that, anyway?!"
her fists clench.

     "For that, you best have a long talk with Jonna and Orin," 
Chikage sighs.  "But the basics of what happened to you are this:
you decided to end your life.  To do that, you borrowed one of your
sister's cleavers, then secluded yourself to commit suicide in 
private.  Michael found you and tried to stop you.  In the scuffle,
you accidentally stabbed yourself in the abdomen.  Michael's howls
brought what happened to you to Jonna's and Orin's attention.
They teleported you to a place where they literally created a new 
body for you, then shifted your soul into that body."

     Hearing the sorceress' words, Akane's skin pales as the full 
scale of what befell her the previous night hits hard.  "No..."
she finally rasps, shaking her head in denial.  "You...?!  You 
mean...?  I...!  I'm a...!!" she stutters, her hand falling on her 
heart.  "A...!  A MACHINE?!!"

     "We are all machines, Akane.  Protein-carbon-and-water
machines," Chikage sighs.  "The difference between you-as-now
and you-yesterday was that the body you have now was gestated in a 
laboratory, not birthed in your mother's womb and allowed to mature
naturally."

     Akane shudders, then hugs herself.  "I...!" she shakes her head,
tears spilling down her cheeks.  "I...!  I really died...!!  Oh, 
gods, I really died last night...!  I really died...!!  I...!  No!  
No!  I...!" sobs then steal her voice as the strength in her limbs
fail.

     Marie reaches out with her hands.  Sensing what she wants to do,
Chikage gestures, levitating Akane over to Marie's side.  "Hey, what
the hell do you...?!" Mamoru protests as Marie draws Akane into an 
embrace.

     Marie silences Mamoru with an even glare, then turns back, 
allowing Akane to seek comfort with her.  The others stare at the 
weeping girl, a mix of sympathy and reserved concern etched on their
faces.  Finally, after a few minutes, Akane pulls away from Marie.
A handkerchief from Haruka is used to wipe her face, then Akane 
stares at Marie.  "Thank you."

     "You're still you, Akane-san," Marie reports.

     Akane blinks, then stares at her hands.  "I guess so."

     "Alright, then," Sakuya sighs, crossing her arms.  "Now that 
we've got THAT out of the way, let's get back to what we came to talk
about."

     Hearing that, Akane braces herself as the others sit down to 
face her.  "As we mentioned earlier, we could easily knock you out,
then use you in the very same way your sister used Onee-sama,"
Sakuya announces.  "But we will not do that.  I'm sure Onee-sama,
regardless of what feelings she actually has for you now, wouldn't
approve.  To that end, here is what you WILL do:  sometime next week,
you will go to Nerima, call your schoolmates together in an assembly
-- I'm sure Nabiki-san can help arrange that -- and you'll PUBLICLY
apologize to Onee-sama for the pain and embarrassment your false 
assumptions have caused her!" she points at Akane.  "If you do not,
then I will speak to Onii-sama about this and we will do EVERYTHING
in our power to subject you to the very same type of humiliation,
hatred and embarrassment Onee-sama's been subject to!!"

     Akane jolts, turning sheet-white at Sakuya's threat.  "Atop 
that, I believe a public apology from Nabiki-san to Anegimi-sama,
in the very same manner Akane-san should act, is also in order, 
Sakuya," Haruka adds.  "She deserves to experience some of what she
forced Anegimi-sama through."

     "Agreed," Sakuya nods, then stares at Akane.  "Akane-san?"

     "I..." Akane shudders, then gazes briefly at Marie before bowing
her head.  "Hai.  I'll..." she sputters, then sighs.  "I'll apologize
to Ranma.  I..." she takes a deep breath, then exhales.  "I just 
don't like doing something like that in front of everyone at school.
It's..."

     "Embarrassing?" Yotsuba provides.

     A weak nod.  "Hai."

     "Maybe you should've kept in mind what Ane-chama was going 
through, especially after finding out what Ane-chama's dad did to 
her," Yotsuba sighs.  "Ane-chama couldn't understand why you were 
screaming at her.  Even now, she doesn't understand, deep in her 
heart, why you were so upset in the first place.  She doesn't 
understand things about what happens between guys and girls.  Her dad
didn't tell her anything.  Her mom sure didn't.  Heck, Sakuya here
had to give her the 'Talk,' for criminy's sake!"

     "What?!" Akane gapes, wide-eyed.  "You're kidding!!"

     "No.  We aren't," Chikage forcefully intones.

     Hearing that, the youngest Tendou sighs.  "Guess I've got some
other things to think about..." she mutters, shaking her head...

*    *    *

     Nerima, the Moroboshi home, after school...

     "So what did Kimiko-san say about the slumber party?"

     Ranma hums as she and Ataru walks up to the front gate of the 
old shrine.  "Oh, it's nothing much.  Some of the girls're bringing
some video tapes and all that.  I recommended that we see 'Gone With
the Wind.'  Soon as I told her that I'd seen that on Promised Island,
Kimiko-chan really freaked out.  She couldn't believe that something
like THAT would impress someone like me," she reports as they pass
through the gate, then stop on seeing the small okonomiyaki
yatai sitting by the front door, its sides and roof folded up for 
movement.  "Hey, who's here...?!"

     "Ran-chan!"

     "U-chan?!" Ranma jolts, then gapes as Ukyou steps outside.
Beside her is a hulkish man who girth reminds Ataru of Lum's late 
father.  Seeing him, Ranma gapes in disbelief.  "Kuonji-san!!"
she gasps, then bows.

     Much to Ataru's surprise, given how much he had been told of the
pained history between Ranma and the Kuonji family, Haruka Kuonji
grins as he walks up to give Ranma a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"It's alright, child!" he chuckles, his voice a deep bass tenor.
"Ukyou-chan's told me everything about what's happened to you.  Here,
let's go inside."

     Ranma blinks, then nods as she follows the Kuonjis inside,
Ataru behind her.  In the living room sit Negako and Hinako.  As 
everyone takes their places, Ataru stares at his sister.  "How's
Chigaiko-chan?"

     "Asleep right now," the grandmistress reports.  "I've started
her on some herbal medicine to help retard the malignancy in her bone
marrow."

     "That's good," Ranma sighs.  "Where's Mom?"

     "Repairs to your family home were finished by lunch, 
Ranma-chan," Hinako explains.  "Jinseiko-san and her friends helped
get all of your mother's belongings back home.  She hopes you'll
spare the time to visit her even while you're under Negako-san's
care, Ranma-chan."

     "Um...!  Er, thanks, Sensei!" Ranma lightly smiles, then turns
to Ukyou's father.  "So U-chan told you about what happened to 
Oyaji?"

     "Hai, she did.  Not to mention the little bombshell you dropped
on my daughter on Monday," Haruka sighs.  "That's the reason I felt
I had to come up here to speak to you directly, Ranma-kun.  I..."
he pauses, takes a deep breath, then sighs.  "Please.  Right now, I 
bear you no ill-will because of your father's idiocy and selfishness.
Ukyou-chan was quite explicit when she told me about what that fool
did to you all this time."

     "I see," Ranma sighs, then bows her head.  "Thank you, sir.  
But..." her eyes then fall on Ukyou.  "When is U-chan going to be 
allowed to be what she really is?  She deserves that at least, 
doesn't she?"

     "Yes, she does.  And I've already made the necessary 
arrangements towards that end," Haruka nods.  "But..." he pauses,
then stares at Negako.  "Moroboshi-shihan, please, will you tell me 
what this Jusenkyou place is really all about?  Why it's turning
Ranma-kun here into a girl, both in her body and in her mind?  Is 
there ANY way to reverse this?!"

     Negako's eyebrow slightly twitches, though she doesn't say 
anything to Ukyou's father about what she thinks of the title 
"shihan."  Looking nowhere in particular, she then stares at Ukyou's
father.  "Tell me, Haruka.  Do you like being mocked?" her eyebrow
arches.

     "I..." he blinks, then shakes his head.  "No, of course not!"

     "Jusenkyou doesn't like being mocked, either."

     Everyone looks at her.  "What are you saying, Negako-san?!"
Ukyou demands.  "Are you saying that Jusenkyou's alive?!"

     "Not in the way you might understand what 'life' is, Ukyou,
but yes, Jusenkyou is VERY alive," Negako evenly smiles.  "Consider
this.  Someone or some power long ago forged a special type of 
'magic' to create a place where the souls of drowned people and 
animals were prevented from reuniting with the Universal Tao as all
things must do at the end of their time in this existence.  That is 
Jusenkyou.  To the spirits that reside there, they are dead and wish
to be in peace.  But they have, at the same time, merged with the 
physical realm of water.  How does one disturb water?"

     "By falling into it," Ranma provides.

     "Exactly," Negako nods.  "Every time someone falls, steps, 
glides or does whatever to disturb the state of one of the Jusenkyou
springs, it, in effect, disturbs the 'rest' of the spirit (or spirits
as is the case of several springs in that location) residing there.
That is when the curse is forced onto the person or animal who falls
in.  Now..."

     She holds up her hand.  "Look at my hand.  There are five 
fingers there, but they are interconnected by the palm.  Jusenkyou
is constructed in the same fashion.  Over one hundred separate
springs, but they branch from the same water source.  Because of 
that, the spirits of the humans who drowned there have been able to 
influence even the animal spirits that drowned there.  To that end,
all the curses have the same spiritual and psionic 'weight' when they
come to impress themselves on someone.

     "If someone immerses herself into the spring, then reverts
to their birth-form immediately -- as was the case of Genma, Xian-pu,
Mu-tsu, Ryouga and many others -- then the curse's controlling
spirit doesn't have the chance to properly latch onto and influence
the recipient's soul.  The safety margin depends on what type of 
curse the receipient receives.  For animal-based curses, it averages
ten minutes, the higher animal forms such as mammals and birds 
providing a shorter period of time than lower forms such as fish and
invertebrates.  Human and other sentient-based curses have a much 
lower safety margin.  An average of five minutes or so."

     "And in Ranma-kun's case?" Haruka wonders.

     "Ranma did not transform back into her birth-form for twenty
minutes or so.  On the initial transformation, she became so incensed
at what Genma had led her into, she wound up pursuing him all over
the valley."

     "I lost track of the bastard for a bit," Ranma laments, gritting
her teeth.  "That's probably when the guide found Ryouga and nearly
cooked him alive so he and Oyaji could have something to eat."

     "You're kidding!" Ukyou blanches, then shakes her head.  "Man,
it's no wonder that he ended up hating you, Ran-chan!"

     "So why didn't the mental transformation affect Ranma-chan
right away, Negako-san?" Hinako stares quizzically at Negako.

     "The damage from the Neko-ken training Ranma endured when she 
was ten," Negako explains, then sighs.  "By Saturday, the repairs
to Ranma's mind from the damage Akane inflicted on her will be 
complete.  At that time, she will be allowed a choice when it comes
to performing the more intricate repairs concerning the damage from
the Neko-ken training."

     "The choice being...?" Haruka sighs, staring at Ranma.  "Whether
to live with permanent ailurophobia...!"

     "Or to become a woman in spirit as well as body," Ataru 
finishes.

     "There's no need to wait before then."

     Eyes lock on Ranma.  "Ran-chan..." Ukyou shudders.

     "U-chan, do you want to live around me when I've no control
over the N-n-n-Neko-ken?!" Ranma stutters.  "When the only part of me
that's got any control over that is a part of me that HATES you?!"
she grits her teeth, then on seeing Ukyou turn sheet-white,
she presses on, much that she didn't want to.  "You remember Sunday
night, don'tcha?  Remember what I turned into?!  That part of me 
doesn't like ANYONE who's hurt me!  And as far as she's concerned,
you hurt me.  You hurt me when you came back into my life hating
me because of what Oyaji did to you and your dad long ago.  You hurt
me by not understanding, not accepting, what I might've wanted.
And you sure as hell hurt me at the wedding.  Do you want to live 
with THAT hanging over your head, U-chan?  I sure don't want it!" her
hands squeeze into fists, then she relaxes on feeling Ataru's hand
on her shoulder.

     Taking a deep breath, she gazes sadly at Ukyou.  "I'm sorry,
U-chan.  I know what you want.  I'm sure it's what your dad wants,
too.  But Fate's really backed me into a corner this time.  I want
to be rid of this damned f-f-f-fear once and for all!" she stutters,
then sighs.  "I don't want to be a threat to people.  But now, the 
stakes are WAY too high.  So I gotta let Negako heal me..." she 
closes her eyes.  "No matter how much it'll change me here," she 
points to her heart, then her head.  "And here."

     "Ranma-chan..." Hinako bows her eyes.

     Ukyou blinks, then reaches over to draw Ranma into an embrace.
Haruka stares at his daughter, then gazes at Negako.  
"Moroboshi-shihan, is there...?" he pauses as he marshals his 
thoughts, then he presses on.  "Is there any way, ANY way, to try to
split Ranma-kun's male and female half into separate beings?!  To..."
he breathes out, then shrugs.

     Negako stares at him, then thinly smiles.  "Do you wish your 
daughter to weep over an empty grave, Haruka?"

     That causes him to jolt.  "Wh-what...?!"

     The grandmistress sighs.  "I suspected that those who desire
Ranma as a future husband might consider asking about that," she 
reaches down to sip her tea.  "Believe it or not, Happy once tried
that with a person who fell into Nyanniichuan about a 
hundred-and-fifty years ago.  The end result was this..." she pauses,
then thinly smiles.  "Yes, there is a way to split the male and 
female halves of someone who fell into Nyanniichuan (or any other
spring in Jusenkyou).  But, as I warned earlier, Jusenkyou does not
like to be mocked.  The result of that was that the male 'half' was
not spiritually as 'complete' as the female half.  Happy and the girl
watched as the boy born of that split grew weaker and weaker.  Try as
Happy might, he couldn't save the fellow.  He then died..." a pause,
then, "...and once he died, his body disintegrated.  His 'sister'
had nothing to bury."

     Silence falls as people absorb that, then Ukyou shudders,
staring pleadingly at Negako.  "What about using the Nanniichuan,
then...?!"

     "Do you wish Ranma to become a hermaphrodite, Ukyou?"

     Ukyou balks.  "What?"

     "Surely, you remember Tarou, don't you?"

     "Pantyhose?!  What about him?!"

     "Remember after we first fought him?" Ranma cuts in.  "He went
back to Jusenkyou.  Once he came back, remember what happened to 
him?"

     Ukyou blinks, then her eyes widen.  "Wait!  He fell into...!!"

     "Chanyuiniichuan.  The spring of drowned giant octopus,"
Ranma finishes.  "What happened to him then, U-chan?"

     "It..." Ukyou pauses as she considers what Ranma is saying,
then she slumps down.  "The curses combined together," she mutters.

     "Right.  Same thing'd happen to me if I used Nanniichuan
water on myself now," Ranma sighs, then shakes her head ruefully
as she crosses her arms.  "It's a damn good thing that Jijii drank
that casket at the wedding.  Who knows WHAT could've resulted from
that if I managed to use that water!  Not just me, but Ryouga, Mousse
and Oyaji, too..." she shudders.

     "Well, in Genma's case, it'd've been rightfully deserved!"
Ukyou snorts, then sighs, looking down.  "So there's no real way out
of this damned mess save what you're doing right now, right?"

     "Right," Ranma sighs.

     "Damn..."

*    *    *

     The Nekohanten...

     "WHAT?!?!?!"

     "Yes, child, it's true," Cologne nods, staring at Shampoo.
It was closing in on the start of the supper rush.  Having sensed
that Ukyou's father was in town, plus also sensing that Ukyou had 
herself been told the truth about what was now happening to Ranma,
the Nyuchezuu elder decided the time had come to clue her 
great-granddaughter on the matter.

     Shampoo blinks, then sinks into her chair.  The look on the 
younger warrior's face reminds Cologne of someone who had just been
shot in the back.  "Great-grandmother..." she looks down at the 
table.

     "There is nothing that can be done to change this fact, Xian.
Save for what Negako is doing now," the elder shakes her head.  Both
converse in Mandarin to ensure that the few patrons there didn't
overhear them.  Mousse was seeing to their needs, though Cologne
could guess that he was hearing every word they were saying.  "For
Ranma, it is too late."

     Shampoo blinks, blinks again, then breathes out.  
"Great-grandmother, you know what that now means," she whispers.

     "Yes, child.  I know.  I've already sent a message to Mi-su to 
warn her about this," the elder nods, then takes a deep breath.
"I'm saddened at the fact that our various Lore Mistresses never kept
any sort of records about Jusenkyou doing THAT to its victims.
Perhaps, if we knew about this ahead of time, we could've done 
something to help Ranma along instead of literally hounding her like
some wounded tiger into a corner..."

     Shampoo stiffens, sensing the hidden condemnation in Cologne's
voice.  She knew that her great-grandmother disapproved of, would
gladly change, the combat-for-marriage laws if she had the chance,
but...!  "I had to do everything to uphold the Kiss of Marriage,
Great-grandmother!" the younger warrior reminds the elder.  "That
was my right and responsibility!!  If I did not, then I would have
brought shame onto our family and tribe!"

     "Yes, Xian, I know, I know."

     Silence falls as the two women consider what to say next, then
Shampoo glances briefly at Mousse before turning back to Cologne.
"You know that if we want Ai-...!" she pauses, then sighs, "...Ranma
to join the tribe, we have to use the Blood-Sibling Law, 
Great-grandmother."

     "Yes.  In fact, that might be necessary, especially if Ranma's
mother doesn't react well to this news," Cologne warns.

     Shampoo jolts, then sighs.  "Ranma foreswore that, not to 
mention everything else that stupid panda did to hi-...!  To her!!"
she spits out, then sinks in her chair.  "I still can't believe
it."

     "Neither can I, but given what Negako is, how much she knows
of places like Jusenkyou, I have no choice but to believe AND accept
it."

     The younger warrior considers that, then ruefully nods.  "So 
when do we approach Ranma and tell hi-..." she stutters, "...tell
her about this?"

     "Not yet.  I don't think Ranma has yet to tell her mother about
this.  She might decide to hold off until she can emotionally
accept it within herself.  That won't happen for some time to come,
Xian.  Leave it be for now."  With that, Cologne takes a deep breath.
"In the meantime, we have to get ready for the supper crowd.  Let's
get to work, Xian."

     "Hai," Shampoo flips to Japanese, then walks to the kitchen.

     Mousse is already there, monitoring the various tubs with 
bubbling soup stock.  As Shampoo moves to pick up things so she could
watch over the tables, the weapons-master hums a jaunty romantic
tune from the village, one many males liked to sing.  Hearing that,
Shampoo shudders.  She could easily guess what Mousse was now 
thinking.  With that, she walks over to tap his shoulders, then as he
turns to her, she glares into his eyes.

     "Don't think you'll get me that easily, Mu-tsu," she hisses.

     Mousse jolts, then stays in place as Shampoo heads back into the
dining area.  A smirk then crosses his face as he turns back to 
watching the soup stocks.  *That's what you think, Xian...*

*    *    *

     "You need not worry about Ane-kun giving you to Mu-tsu, Xian."

     Shampoo jolts, then turns to see a girl in a black cape sitting
at the bar, currently enjoying a glass of spring water.  Staring
at Chikage, the Nyuchezuu warrior-maiden hums, then her eyes widen
in recognition.  "You're one of Ataru's half-sisters, right?" she 
responds in Mandarin; the young sorceress spoke Shampoo's native
dialect fluently.

     "Yes.  I'm Chikage Hirosaki, soon to be Chikage Moroboshi
once the lawyers get around to putting our names on the family 
register," Chikage sips her drink.  "I assume your honoured 
great-grandmother just told you about the hidden 'gift' Jusenkyou
bestowed on Ane-kun."

     "She did," Shampoo nods.  "I don't want to talk about it."

     "But you're worried that when the time finally comes and you 
adopt her as your blood-sibling, Ane-kun would hand you to Mu-tsu,
right?"

     "I..." Shampoo bristles, then nods.  "Yes."

     "You need not be.  I've already told Ane-kun about the 
Blood-Sibling Law and what she'll be allowed to do once she's adopted
into your clan," Chikage lightly smiles.  "I gave her a suggestion
about that when it comes to you.  I think you'll like it, Xian, even
after you've finally recovered from what losing Ane-kun to 
Jusenkyou's magic will take from you."

     "What did you tell her?"

     "Why, Xian," Chikage winks.  "Do you honestly think that after
all the times Ane-kun's fool father engaged her to WHO KNOWS HOW MANY
girls, not to mention the tension which existed between Ane-kun
and Akane while they were together, that she'd force you to endure
the same thing?"

     Shampoo blinks, then her eyes widen.  "You did that?"

     "Yes."

     "And Ranma will do it?"

     "I'm more than sure of it.  And if Mu-tsu tries to press her the
other way, Ane-kun'll probably do it out of spite."

     Considering that, Shampoo then grins.  "You're wicked, 
clan-sister.  I like that.  So do you want something to eat while
you're here?"

     "Why not," Chikage smiles.

     The order is made, then Shampoo heads into the kitchen to make
sure Mousse prepares it right.  At that time, Cologne pogo-sticks
her way out to place herself beside the sorceress.  "So, other than
making Xian's day a considerable touch better, what does bring you 
out our way, child?" the Nyuchezuu elder muses in Japanese, gazing
intently at her.

     Chikage ignores her look.  "Reconnaissance.  Something very bad
will befall Ani-kun and Ane-kun soon.  It's already started and it's
affected Akane.  That's why she's staying with us on the island right
now."

     "Ah, I wondered where she went to.  What are you looking for?"

     "People who..." the sorceress pauses, then sighs.  "People
who come to us from another world, Elder Kun-lon.  People born with
a great gift to mimic the culture and society of others, but for the
most part, lack the creative spirit to make their own.  And thus,
they are readily tricked by those who do have some sense of 
creativity to become mindless drones, ready to unleash death and 
destruction virtually at command."

     Cologne takes that in, then her eyes narrow.  "I've sensed 
people like that sometime.  They've often come here to have something
to eat.  They seemed rather harmless, wanting not to create a 
disturbance."

     "Naturally," Chikage grimaces.  "They're spies, Elder, for a 
fellow who's hurt Ani-kun greatly.  And, by the looks of things,
has come now to renew 'acquaintances' (as Negako-anekun says it) with
Ani-kun."

     "How powerful?" the elder tenses.

     The sorceress sighs.  "Remember Sunday evening?"

     Cologne's eyes go wide.  "Oh, dear..."

*    *    *

     Promised Island, suppertime...

     "So this is the thing that helped you save my life, huh?"

     "Hai," Jonna nods.  In the Niphentaxian-Avalonian's
hands now is a wand-like device reminiscent of what one might see 
Sailor Moon and Wedding Peach use in shoojo anime.  It is coloured
bright pink and white, a swirl of winged red hearts adding the 
requisite kawaii look.  Four wing-like projections, white-silver
in shade, surround the wand's cup.  Currently, Jonna is fitting
an ovoid-shaped ruby-like crystal ball into the cup.

     The gutted remains of the original Staff of Gihan now sits in 
Akane's lap.  Orin sits nearby, absently glancing through a copy of 
the island's local tourist magazine, "Promised Walker."  Akane 
watches Jonna work, then stares at the non-functional weapon in her
lap.  "Where does this thing come from in the first place, Jonna?"
she wonders.

     "A planet named Sagussa, located outside our galaxy proper,"
Jonna grunts as the crystal snaps into place.  "There.  Done."

     "And it's fifteen thousand years old?" Akane wonders.

     "In or about.  Some of the memory chips in the Staff's 
controlling processor unit were burnt out, so it's hard to say 
exactly how old it is," Jonna tests the new wand's weight, then nods.

     "So what was it made for?"

     "We don't know," Orin shakes her head.  "When it was found by 
the Guardians, its basic operating programs had been erased.  No 
doubt, whoever took the Staff away from Sagussa wanted to ensure
it couldn't cause any real harm if it fell into the wrong hands."

     "From what we do know -- we learned this thanks to Mother when
she had possession of the Staff -- was that Gihan was a theoretical
scientist living in a society that had pretty much become so full of
itself, they saw it as 'normal' to play all sorts of DNA-altering
experiments with what they then saw as 'primitive' races," Jonna then
scowls.  "As far as we could discover, the Sagussans eventually
destroyed themselves in a long civil war, but fragments of that 
society -- the Staff, for example -- wound up being scattered
all over the known galaxy and beyond."

     "The bioroid factory where we got our new bodies is another
Sagussan artifact that was left behind when that war went down,"
Orin adds.

     "You're kidding," Akane shudders.

     "No.  We know now of another device like this.  It was created
by a contemporary of Gihan named Paran.  Now that the Staff has been
converted, our next task is to retrieve Paran's device and convert
that," Jonna sighs.

     "And give both to Hinako-chan and Aria-chan?" Akane's eyebrow
arches.  "Jonna, don't you think that's going a wee bit too far?!"

     "What do you mean?" Jonna wonders.

     "Jonna, if these things are as powerful as you say they are..."
Akane shudders, then mutters, "...and they sure must've been powerful
if they saved my life and all that -- handing them to an eight-year
old girl and a ten-year old girl is...!  Is...!  Well, you know...!!"

     "You believe Hinako-sama and Aria-sama will accidentally
do something to bring harm on those who cannot defend themselves,"
Orin sighs.

     "Yes!"

     "You needn't worry, Akane," Jonna shakes her head.  "Hinako-sama
and Aria-sama, because they're so young, have the purest hearts.
Their souls, of the souls of all of Ataru-sama's Beloved Sisters,
are those that are the least fettered by thoughts of Entropy.  Yes,
they've known people who've lost loved ones, people like Marie-sama
and Haruka-sama.  But the reach of Entropy hasn't had a chance to 
touch them directly.  That's what makes them perfect to be the new 
holders of the Staff and the Genesis Wand."

     "'Genesis Wand?!'" Akane blinks.

     "Paran's weapon," Orin explains.  "The one we hope to obtain
for Aria-sama.  It's a living genesis device.  Did you ever see the
second 'Star Trek' movie?"  Seeing Akane nod, Orin sighs.  "Think
of the Genesis Torpedo and what it could do.  The Genesis Wand can do
the same thing."

     Silence falls as the youngest Tendou considers that, then her 
skin starts to pale.  "Orin, if she uses that on a planet with 
life...?!"

     "I do not think Aria-sama will ever tread down THAT path, 
Akane," Orin shakes her head.  "Jonna placed a seed program in the 
Staff which, once it comes in contact with the Genesis Wand, will 
transfer over.  It's like a computer virus, but this will ensure
that the Genesis Wand will move to detect ANY form of life before
Aria-sama accidentally kills someone."

     Akane takes that in, then after contemplating it for a time,
slowly nods.  "That's good.  Believe me, I don't WANT to think of 
what Hinako-chan and Aria-chan might do if they see Ataru-san
as the Cyborg!"

     "True, but I strongly believe it will happen, especially
when Oogi decides to seek battle with the Saviour," Jonna nods.  
"Even more, what might happen if Oogi learns of the Saviour's
Beloved Sisters and decides to attack them first?  Ataru-sama
would come immediately to stop him.  And if any of them are badly
hurt, the Saviour's Dark Self's emergence is assured.  Hinako-sama
and Aria-sama couldn't avoid it then.  And because they love him so 
much, they'll do anything to punish the one who hurt the Saviour.
And with this," she holds up the new Staff, "...Oogi is finished."

     "It's like your people say here," Orin shrugs.  "'Play with fire
and you get burned.'  Oogi should've learned that when he fought
the Saviour in Lumukyou.  And with his 'goddess' in all effect 
gone..."

     "Right," Akane sighs, shaking her head...

*    *    *

     Tomobiki, that moment...

     "AH-CHOO!!!!"

     "Bless you!  You okay, Lum-chan?!"

     Seiko Izumo shudders, then rubs her nose as she and Sakiko walk
through the centre of the Tomobiki Ginza, both out shopping.  "Oooh!
Someone's talking about me," she moans, then stares at her 'sibling.'
<<Lan-chan, practice using our new names,>> she hoods her eyes to 
obscure the burgundy luminescence they projected when she made use of
her new powers.  <<We don't want people learning who we once were,
remember?>>

     <<Sorry!  Sorry!>> Sakiko closes her eyes, then sighs.  "So who
do you think's talking about you, anyway?"

     "Can't say," Seiko's nose suddenly wrinkles as a acidic stench
assaults her olfactory nerves.  Glancing right, she cringes on seeing
a middle-aged woman cook some fried squid for several customers.

     Sakiko looks over, then winces.  "Cannibals!" she hisses.

     "Yeah!  Let's go," Seiko waves her away from the yatai.

     Both head down a side alley leading into the local fish and meat
market.  Avoiding places that sold squid or octopi, they quickly
stock up on some of the tastier fish, then head over to a ramen yatai
to get a snack before returning to their new home.  As soon as the 
yatai cook gets to work, the Izumo 'sisters' breathe out.  "Never
had to worry about doing this before, eh?" Sakiko sighs, leaning
her chin on her palms.

     "Hai, but it'll be a good experience," Seiko muses, closing
her eyes.  <<Especially learning how to cook normal Earth foods!>>

     <<Yeah.  Can't afford to turn you into a werewolf like you 
turned Darling into once, ne?>> Sakiko closes her eyes, then jolts
on feeing a wave of deep sadness emanate from Seiko.  "Sorry about
that, Sei-chan," she whispers, reaching down to gently squeeze 
Seiko's hand.

     "It's okay," Seiko wanly smiles.

     The yatai owner comes up with two bowls of piping hot broth.
The Izumo sisters dig in, keeping their eyes hooded as they slurp
down the noodles and sliced pork.  <<What are you going to do now,
Lum?>> Sakiko wonders.  <<I mean...!  I can't BELIEVE what Darling
did when he was off training with Negako-san!!  Yeah, he had a right
to get angry because of the whole mess with Rupa and all that, but 
actually helping the Noukiites of all the races in the galaxy against
us?!  He can't hate us THAT much, even if he did visit Noukiios
and Phentax Two!!>>

     <<I don't know, Lan-chan,>> Seiko sighs, then clasps her hands
together under her chin, taking several breaths to cool her mouth
from the ramen.  <<When he was fighting that Kunou fellow, saying
what he had done to get his sword and all that, I could tell he felt
JUSTIFIED in what he was involved in,>> she shudders.  <<And if he 
felt that and we tried to challenge him about it, it'd make matters
worse, not better.  You felt how powerful Darling's Cyborg-self
is, didn't you?  Against THAT monster, both of us together couldn't
stand a chance if we got into a fight!>>

     <<And you'd prefer to avoid that.>>

     <<Hai...!  Eh?!>>

     Seiko and Sakiko jolt on hearing the roar of a starship's
atmospheric thrusters echo through the air.  People turn up to see a 
Boeing 747-sized ship looking like a cross between a Klingon Bird of
Prey and the "Yamato" from the sci-fi anime series move to land at 
Tomobiki High School.  The 'sisters' exchange a surprised look, then
mutter, "The 'Renegade'..."

     "Oh, damn!  I thought we were rid of them all finally!!"

     Both stare at the yatai owner, slightly cringing on seeing the
scowl cross his face.  "Are you alright, Oji-san?" Seiko asks.

     "Would you be?!" he glares at her, then sighs.  "Sorry!  But I 
hoped that with that Lum girl dead, aliens would never come back 
again!"  He moves to wash down some plates.  "All the disruptions
that girl made.  All the garbage her cousin started.  And PLEASE
don't get me started about that monster Rei!  He was the worst of the
whole lot!!"

     Sakiko jolts, trying not to loose her temper at the man's insult
of her late boyfriend.  "But didn't people blame Ataru Moroboshi
for all that?" Seiko blinks, crossing her arms.

     He pauses, then sighs.  "Yeah, we did.  And perhaps it was 
wrong.  Yeah, the boy had problems, but hearing what his parents
did to him?  Gods, it's no wonder he left this place.  Amazes me that
he came back to help out when that lunatic blew up the school..."
another pause, then he sighs.  "After all, no one really liked him.
I doubt Lum liked him."  Since he is looking down, he doesn't see the
pain in Seiko's eyes.  "Yeah, no wonder he left.  No one cared for 
him in the end, except for Tampopo-san..."

     Sakiko reaches over to gently grasp Seiko's hand, giving her an
empathic burst of support, then she draws out some money to pay for
the ramen.  "Thanks for the meal," she picks up her bag of groceries,
then beckons Seiko with her.  "It was wonderful."

     "Have a good day," the yatai owner calls out...

*    *    *

     Nerima, the Moroboshi home...

     "Someone's here?!  Who?!"

     "Nassur, I believe," Negako glances out the window in the 
general direction of Tomobiki.  Ataru, Ranma and a sleepy Chigaiko
relax in the living room; Hinako Ninomiya has already retired for the
evening.

     "Who's Nassur?" Chigaiko mutters, then yawns.

     "Lum's former self-defence instructor," the grandmistress
explains.  "An expatriate of a world named Vos.  To the current
government-in-power there, Nassur is a renegade and deserter from an
organization known as the 'Special Hunter Corps.'  He's been on the
run for over thirty years."

     "Thirty years?!  How come?!" Ranma blinks.

     "Complicated story," Ataru sighs.  "In a nutshell, Nassur 
watched the ruler of Vos, some nut callin' himself the Mikado or 
something like that, go and blow up his girlfriend Cinba's home 
colony.  I heard that over three hundred thousand people died there.
Naturally, he decides he isn't going to work for the Mikado, then 
goes independent."  A pause, then, "Turns out that he actually
made pretty good of his life (if the Inquisition's to be believed
and all that), but the Mikado's like every other tin-pot dictator
that's come out of the woodwork.  He doesn't like to be defied."

     Hearing that, Chigaiko shudders.  "So if Nassur ever came to 
Earth to visit that stupid Oni...!" she shakes her head.

     "Chances were pretty good that the Mikado might've decided
to target me or any of Lum's friends in Tomobiki just to get at 
Nassur," Ataru then finishes.  "Matter of fact, the Mikado's already
tried to kill Lum and her family.  That was what made the 
Niphentaxians bio-bomb Vos' capital city."

     "You told me about that," Ranma shakes her head.  "Geez!  As if
we don't have ENOUGH problems, for cryin' out loud.  What next?!"

     Ataru shrugs...

*    *    *

     Tomobiki High School, minutes later...

     "Doesn't look so bad," Benten crosses her arms.

     Footsteps echo from the "Renegade's" boarding ramp as a tall man
in a blue uniform descends from the ship.  Glancing at the 
just-repaired section of the school, Nassur hums, then shakes his 
head.  "If this is what people in this place call 'normal,' I'd hate
to see what their idea of 'hectic' is," he chuckles, then suddenly
tenses, his blue eyes glowing as he glances towards the front gate.
"Company coming.  Who are they?"

     Benten looks, then sighs.  "Shinobu Miyaki and Ryuunosuke
Fujinami.  Lum told you about those two, right?"

     Nassur nods as Shinobu calls out, "Benten?!  Is that you?!"

     "Yo, how's it goin'?!" the Fukunokami waves as Shinobu and 
Ryuunosuke walk up.  "Where're the rest of the guys, anyway?!"

     "We're alright.  Mendou-san'll be here very soon," Shinobu
nods, then sighs.  "Megane-san and his friends..." her voice halts,
then she waves to the school.  "They were killed last Monday, along
with Ataru-kun's parents and..." she pauses again, her eyes turning
to Ryuunosuke.

     Benten blinks, then stares at the tomboy before asking, "Your
dad?"

     "Yeah," Ryuunosuke sighs.  "And Nagisa, too."

     Hearing that, Benten winces.  "Oh, shit!"

     "I'm very sorry for your loss, Miss Fujinami."

     Surprised by the new voice, both Terrans gaze on Nassur.  
Shinobu's cheeks instantly colour as his ruggedly handsome features,
framed by wavy black hair, a moustache and beard, strike a chord deep
in her heart.  Even Ryuunosuke is taken aback, though since she's
never had much experience with 'normal' relations concerning
the opposite sex, it isn't as visceral as what Shinobu now feels.
"Er..." Shinobu tries not to blush too much, then stares at Benten.
"Um...!  Who's this, Benten?!"

     Benten blinks, then feels her hands clench on recognizing
what the look on Shinobu's face means.  *Shit!  Not another one...!!*

     "I'm Nassur of Home Base," Nassur gently grips Shinobu's
hand, giving her a disarming smile.  "I'm a bounty hunter.  Lum-chan
was my friend and a student of mine in self-defence some years ago."

     "I...!  Um, welcome to Earth then, Nassur-san!" Shinobu 
sputters, then draws her hand back.  *Oh, Jesu Cristo!  He's so 
handsome!!*

     Nassur stares at her, then blinks as his eyes glow again.  
"Who...?"

     "Nassur-chan!!"

     He turns just as Seiko flies into his embrace, knocking him 
over.  Everyone jolts as the expat Oni-turned-Nendo-kata/Terran
nearly squeezes the life of the Vosian hunter.  "Oh, Nassur-chan,
how are you?!"

     "Urk...!!" Nassur grunts.  "Lum...!  I need to breathe...!"

     Seiko catches herself, then lets him go, allowing Nassur to drop
down as he takes several deep breaths to replenish his blood's oxygen
supply.  "Ooops!  Sorry about that!!  Guess I don't know my real 
strength in this body now!" she blushes, then helps Nassur back to 
his feet.

     "Guess so!" Nassur tries to smile.  "Damn, Lum, what in 
Lecasur's name do you do now?!  Wrestle Yehisrite landsharks
every day?!"

     Benten laughs.  Even Shinobu and Ryuunosuke grin.  By that time,
Sakiko has come onto the scene, accompanied by Mendou, Sakura and 
Cherry.  "Hello, Nassur.  It's been a long time," Sakiko tries to 
smile.

     Benten tenses.  The Terrans are quick to notice the pained look
on Sakiko's face, then glance at Nassur.  He seems uncertain,
then he lightly nods.  "Hello, Lan.  I heard about Rei.  I'm very 
sorry for your loss."

     Sakiko blinks, then gently exhales.  "You'll forgive me if I 
find myself having problems accepting that," she looks away.

     Nassur crosses his arms.  "That was...!"

     "Not exactly my fault, you know," Sakiko sternly cuts in.

     The Vosian pauses, surprised by the force in her voice, then he
feels Seiko's hand on her shoulder.  They exchange a look, then 
Nassur nods.  "Alright, if that's the way you feel," he stares at 
Sakiko, then turns back to Seiko.  "So how've things been with you,
Lum-chan?"

     "We're surviving," Seiko lightly smiles.  "What brings you 
here?"

     "It concerns Ataru Moroboshi."

     The Tomobikians tense.  "I suggest we repair to somewhere
more private to discuss this," Sakura proposes.

     Everyone nods...

*    *    *

     Downtown...

     "So more of Lum's friends come to stir the pot, eh?" Chikage
sighs, now standing on the roof of the Toranoseishin Fiances tower.
"Wonderful.  That's just what Ani-kun and Ane-kun do NOT need now."

     "Will they be a problem?" Cologne wonders, focusing her own 
senses on the powerful chi emanating from the male who had come with
that starship.

     Goddess, to bring someone like THAT into the village...!

     "Perhaps, depending on how soon Oogi learns of their arrival,"
the sorceress scowls, slowly shaking her head...

*    *    *

     Somewhere close to Sakura's shrine...

     "The 'Renegade' is here?!  Why?!!"

     "We don't know, Commander Shaskaar," the young female observer,
who had come to the Holy City just before the Cataclysm nearly 
rendered Phentax Two lifeless, shakes her head.  "But according
to the group living near the Holy Citadel..." -- that was what 
members of the Church of Lum addressed the real Tomobiki High School
as -- "...the Goddess' Holy Friends Nassur and Benten have just met
up with the Fifth Holy Apostle, the Sinful Doubter Shinobu, the Holy
Friends Ryuunosuke, Sakura and Cherry, plus two other women we don't
know of."  She pauses as another message comes through her wireless
earpiece.  "Wait!" she holds up her hand, blinks, then sighs.  "They
just reported that one of these girls greeted Nassur-sama quite 
passionately, as if the girl was Lum-sama Herself."

     "What?!!" Shaskaar's eyebrow arches.  "But the Goddess was slain
by those heathen Noukiites!!  Unless...!" she pauses, her mind 
rolling through what the younger girl just told her, then she sighs.
"Damn!!  I wish we could've placed listening devices on the Citadel's
grounds itself!!  We could find out so much more about the Holy 
Company that way!"

     "You know that's forbidden, Shaskaar," an older man warns.

     "Hai, true," Shaskaar nods, then crosses her arms.  "Alright,
we'll just have to sit back and wait for Them to add further to Their
Holy Writings before ascertaining what's happened tonight."

     The other observers nod...

*    *    *

     Tomobiki High School, sometime later...

     "Things are THAT bad now?!" Lum gapes.

     "I'm afraid so," Nassur nods.  Everyone relaxes in the 
cafeteria.  Ryuunosuke and Sakiko work the stove so everyone could
have a snack as they listened to the news the expat Vosian hunter
has brought.  It isn't good.  "The Noukiites've unleashed a 
battalion's worth of special psi-warriors they call the 'Lost Stars.'
Orphaned children who were biogenetically enhanced to use a whole
galaxy of paranormal powers.  It's almost as bad as if your people
were fighting the Yizibajohei, Lum-chan."

     The aliens wince.  "'Yizibajohei?!'" Mendou wonders.

     Benten stares at him.  "An entire PLANET full of people with 
paranormal powers, some of 'em so powerful, they could wipe out whole
starfleets without breakin' a sweat," she explains.

     Everyone pales.  "God..." Shinobu breathes in.

     "As you can suspect, most people in the local cluster don't want
anything to do with them," Nassur lightly smiles.

     "I can see why," Sakura sighs.  "So how long before this war 
will finally come to an end, Nassur-san?"

     "Perhaps another week.  Fortunately, the Noukiites are showing
a profound amount of restraint when it comes to the Urusians,"
Nassur sips his tea.  "Atop that, a rumour's gotten out in the 
Dominion about a lost Noukiite colony that was founded on Uru before
the Seifukusu conquered the planet.  From what the Inquisition's
passed on to me, many of the Lost Stars are looking for remnants
of this place."

     "That's not true!" Sakiko calls out, walking up with a tray of 
sakura-mocha.  "The Noukiites couldn't reach out to Uru back then!"

     "You can't be sure of that, Lan," Nassur reports.  "The 
Zephyrites have long known that the Noukiites possessed space-flight
capabilities a thousand years ago.  They certainly are capable of 
developing the knowledge for transwarp starships; how else do you 
think they were able to overwhelm the Urusian fleet like they did 
when this all started?"

     "What's the story behind that?" Seiko asks.

     "I'm not sure.  Neither is the Inquisition -- or, at least,
those people on Jiyuu that I spoke to don't know the story.  If 
someone DOES know in the Holy Republic, they're keeping it VERY 
quiet."

     "Are they afraid the Noukiites might lash out against them?"
Shinobu wonders, sipping her tea, then picking up one of Sakiko's
sakura-mocha.

     "No, Shinobu-san, the Noukiites have no reason to lash out 
against the Zephyrites," Nassur shakes his head.  "Granted, there've
been times that the Zephyrites have been concerned about the 
Noukiites, it's never lead to anything adverse between them.  As a 
matter of fact..." he sighs, closing his eyes.  "You might say the 
Noukiites are doing the Zephyrites a favour by finally beating the 
Urusians down."

     Seiko's and Sakiko's eyes widen.  "WHAT?!!  WHY?!!"

     Nassur gazes at the two expat Urusians, then he reaches into his
tunic to draw out a folded piece of paper.  Opening it, he gazes at 
the words written there, then he sighs.  "Lum-chan," he stares at 
Seiko.  "How much do you know of what your parents talked about to 
Ataru's parents on the 'Kashin' when they moved to arrange your 
engagement with him?"

     Seiko blinks, then hums before staring anew at her friend.
"Well, after I brought Darling and his parents aboard, I had to send
Darling to the science lab to break down that forcefield Babara put
around him.  It took a while, so I escorted Muchi and Kinshou to the
observation lounge so they can talk with Mom and Dad.  Dad told me he
had to talk to Muchi about getting the approval of Darling's 
head-of-clan for our marriage, so I went to the science lab to wait
for Darling to be freed of that forcefield.  Once that happened,
I took him back up to the observation lounge."  She sighs, sitting
back in her chair as a clouded look crosses her face.  "I don't 
remember exactly what was said between them, Nassur-chan.  Though,
now that I know about the garbage Kinshou pulled on Darling when 
Negako-san was taken out of his mind, it wouldn't surprise me that
they would've tried to deflect any questions about Darling's 
grandmother..."

     "I see," Nassur sighs, staring anew at the paper in his hand.
"You know what happened to the 'Kashin,' don't you?"

     "It was captured by an Ip'ihu team about the same time Rei-chan
died and Onishuto was bombed," Sakiko then speaks up, echoed by 
Seiko's nod.

     "Right," the Vosian sighs.  "The Ip'ihu took the ship to 
Noukiios to allow their intelligence forces a chance to crack open
the Urusian military codes so they could press on their attacks
and anticipate any retaliations against their population in return.
At the same time, they allowed the Holy Inquisition a chance to 
examine the ship's internal security logs, which..." he pauses,
"...revealed quite a lot about what happened when you were down 
waiting for Ataru to be freed of that forcefield, Lum-chan."

     Seiko stares at him, then sighs.  "Nassur-chan, please don't
play these games with me.  What did you find out?"

     He looks at her, then sighs, holding up the paper.  "This is a 
copy of an 'ex post facto' indictment issued by the High Court of 
Star Chamber on Jiyuu not so long ago, Lum-chan.  You see, your 
father, not to mention a fair-sized group of senior ministers
inside the Urusian government, are all implicated in a conspiracy
to kill a Zephyrite Righteous Gentile living on Earth at the time of
the First Tag Race."  A pause, then he adds, "That Righteous Gentile
was Lady Nagaiwakai Moroboshi, Lum-chan."

     Seiko pales.  The others' jaws drop in stunned shock.

     Nassur grimaces.  "Ataru Moroboshi's grandmother."

*    *    *

     Nerima, the Moroboshi home...

     "So now you know the truth, Lum," Negako sighs, then peeks into
one of the old shrine's bedrooms.  There, laying in each other's
arms, are Ataru and Ranma, content smiles on their faces.  With that,
she closes the door, then heads back into her own bedroom to get some
sleep...

*    *    *

To be continued...

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