Help Coming Right on Cue
Ep. Seven of Cas of Blues Series
by Thom Keehn
zinyadel@hotmail.com

Always under revision

Ranma 1/2 characters and places belong to Rumiko Takahashi.  They are
used without permission throughout this work.  This is written without
the intent of monetary gain and shall not be distributed under such
pretenses.  This is meant for entertainment purposes only and shall
not be used in any way to harm animals.  This is and shall ever be the
last time I write a disclaimer of my own.  At least for this series.

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

This is written after the end of the manga series around the time
Ranma and company would be graduating.  Words in '' are thoughts.
This is a slow building series that concentrates heavily on the
addition of a new character.  You have been warned.

Cas and company have raced to Kyoto yet lost the prize.  They are
broke (well, maybe not Ukyou but the rest of them are) and need a new
scam to get funds for their trip to Nerima.

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


Opening Theme - "New Beginning"

Welcome stranger what is your name?
Will you be my friend?
Time brings people through our lives
Few stay to the end

Life can be so temperamental
Fickle in its ways
So humor me as I open up
We can make a page that says

This is a new beginning
We can take this bond between us, and make it something more
This is a new beginning
Hold on tight, don't let me go, feelings rise and soar

Turn to me and ask the question
The one I want to hear
Keep me high up on this cloud
Whenever you are near

The phone waited impassively before her.  Her hand reached out to pick
up the receiver.  The tone blared mercilessly at her, uncaring.  She
brought it up to her ear, wincing.  This was not the way she wanted to
end the day, but she saw no other choice.

'Please may it be better than last time,' she begged silently.  Her
fingers punched the numbers as her mind strayed over words she would
use in the upcoming battle.  She spoke her name when prompted and
waited in silence for her father to pick up.

It was late at night, hours after the disappointing loss to Zenkei's
team.  Once Ukyou had composed herself and Ryuu gained consciousness,
the exhausted band had walked the rest of the way to Kyoto in silence.
Cas had excused herself from their 'merry' campsite on the outskirts
of the city, promising to be back soon.

"Cassie," a voice spoke on the other line.  It wasn't her father's but
she did know the voice.  Despite the grim atmosphere that had hung
over her most of the afternoon, Cas's eyes lit up as she smiled.

"Patrick," she started.  "Father too busy to answer his phone?"

There was a chuckle on the other end.  "You know him," Patrick stated.
"So where are you?  You know father doesn't tell us squat about you
anymore."

"I'm in Kyoto, Japan."

There was a pause.  "How the hell did you get out there?"

"Father finally let me go on that trip he promised me three years
ago," Cas explained.  "Of course things didn't quite go as planned."

"They never do," Patrick agreed.

"So what are you home for?"

"Semester is over," Patrick answered.  "Five years of school down.
I'm finally seeing an end to this.  I was hoping to see you, but hell,
Japan is probably more interesting than arguing with father."

Cas's eyes wetted.  Patrick was the youngest of her brothers, only
four years older than her.  He was the only one in her family she felt
any connection to.  Then he had gone to college, severing her from her
only confidant.  That had left her only with tutors and father, not
exactly a wealth of friends.

"Hey," she began softly.  "How much do you think it would cost you to
get down here?  It would be nice to have a familiar face around."

"Patrick, off the phone now," a stern voice commanded.  It was her
father on another line.

"It's only Cassie," Patrick said in a meager attempt of defiance.

"I don't want you speaking with her," her father declared.  Cas bit
her lip.

"That's a little extreme, father," Patrick protested.  "She's my
little sister."

"Not anymore," her father said firmly.

"You can't just cut off family," Patrick spoke up angrily.

"Hang up now or I'll cut you off as well," her father continued.  "You
can fund the rest of your medical school on your own if you continue
speaking with her."

There was silence.  "Cassie," Patrick spoke.  "Just remember,
precedence.  Goodbye father.  I think I'll head to Chicago early."

"Chicago?" Cas asked.

"I'm finishing my schooling there," Patrick explained.  "You remember
that girl I met online.  Well, I'm going to marry her father.  And I
will finish my schooling on my own.  Call me, Cassie.  Precedence."

There was a clang as a phone was hung up.  There was silence.  'Good
for you, Patrick,' she thought, a tear tracking down a cheek.  'What
was all that nonsense about precedence?' she asked herself.

"What do you want?" her father demanded.

"What time is it there?" Cas asked.  'After that exchange,' she mused,
'I doubt he'll be helping me with finances.'

"A bit after two," her father stated.  "What do you want?"

"I'm stuck again," she answered honestly.  "Kyoto this time.  You
think you could help me this time?  I'll do anything you want, I
promise."

Silence answered her.  Then there was a clunk as the phone went down.
Cas sighed, hanging up her phone before the disconnected tones could
start.  'Good going,' Cas thought dejectedly.  'Managed to get Patrick
in trouble with only a few sentences.'

"Well at least I got the time of day out of him," she muttered,
punching in a new set of numbers.  A voice told her the amount for the
call.  She grimaced and deposited most of the money from her pockets
into the greedy machine.

"Thank you," the phone droned.  Cas began to twirl her tresses in her
free hand.  The phone began the usual ringing tones.  It didn't even
get past the second ring before someone picked it up with a customary
greeting.

"Bill Garner, please," Cas stated.

"May I ask who's calling?" a woman asked in a monotonous tone.

"Cassidy Keating."

"One moment please," the woman replied automatically.  The phone went
dead as she was put on hold.  Cas tapped her foot, worrying that at
any moment the phone would demand more money, something she didn't
have.

"Ms. Keating?" a deep voice sounded on the other line.  "I was
beginning to think you wouldn't call.  Your father warned me you might
earlier this week."

Cas gritted her teeth.  "Well, my father probably didn't mention he's
all too happy to leave me stranded in Japan," Cas declared.  "I'm in
Kyoto and I need some money if I want to get out of here."

"I hate getting in the midst of family affairs," Mr. Wagner stated,
"but it's not like I can deny you access to your account.  However I
will need a name of a bank to transfer the funds to.  You do have a
name of one, right?"

"I figured you would want a big one so Kan Kokusai Ginkou," Cas told
him, recalling a large building she had passed by earlier.

"And the amount?" Mr. Garner ventured.  She could hear him writing the
information down.

"200,000 yen worth," Cas said after a pause.  It was better to have
more than less.

"I should inform you that your account was increased a considerable
sum in the last three weeks," Mr. Garner noted.  "Your father didn't
explain the details why it happened.  I'll send you a balance
statement with the transaction at the bank."

"Thank you," Cas replied.  "When can I expect the money?"

"It should be through first thing Monday," Mr. Garner answered.  "I
guess I'll cut this short seeing as you're calling from Japan.
Pleasure talking to you."

"Same here," Cas said.  They exchanged farewells and hung up.

Cas turned about, walking away from the phone.  'Sorry, mom,' she
sadly thought.  'There was just no other way this time.'  She walked
alone, back to camp, hoping she was making the right decision.

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

The little bell of the restaurant chimed merrily at the entrance of a
customer.  Ukyou looked up from behind the counter to see the man of
her dreams walk across the threshold.  He was dressed in his custom
attire, a short sleeved, silk shirt and long blue jeans.  His black
hair was braided in a pigtail in back.  His stormy blue eyes smiled at
her as he took a seat at the counter.

"What'll it be, sugar?" Ukyou greeted with her best smile.

"Anything you make would be fine," Ranma declared, the statement
boosting her morale.  She quickly set to work on a pair of pork
okonomiyaki.  Ranma settled in his chair, getting visibly relaxed.

"What brings ya here today?" she asked as her specialty cooked away on
her grill.

"Akane business," he answered.  Ukyou sighed, though she tried not to
make it too visible.  Not an easy task when her company happened to be
the best martial artist to her knowledge.  Thankfully he was quite
oblivious to anything she did, a bane more than a blessing.  "I
actually had something I need to ask you for."

For a moment Ukyou let her hopes soar with that comment.  But
rationality quickly kept that in check.  Only in her dreams would
Ranma ever have the courage to drop Akane and switch to her with a
single question.  It was a truth she had become more convinced of over
the years of silence following the incident at the wedding.

"You can ask anything, Ranchan," Ukyou stated, her attention divided
on caring for his food as well as his words.

"I was wondering if you'd be my best man."

Ukyou sat straight up in her sleeping bag in a cold sweat.  The sun
was up but none of her comrades were.  She shuddered, closing her
eyes.

'Not real,' she reminded herself.  'It's not the first time for that
dream.'  She had been having that kind of dream more than any other.
It was like it was written into her life, a thousand times by a
thousand different authors each time a little different than the last.
If only she could find that pen, she'd write a different story that
would make sense, would make her happy.  'No wonder my composition
teacher loves me.  I'm completely insane.'

Cas was stretching.  Little pigs bobbed as the short blond rolled her
head about with eyes closed.  Her blue eyes opened slightly and she
offered Ukyou a smile.  Cas pulled her hair up into a high ponytail,
reminding Ukyou to do the same.

"It's early," Cas stated with a yawn.  Ukyou was quickly infected with
a yawn of her own.  She could only nod in reply.  "You look like you
had a bad dream."

Ukyou shrugged.  "It's nothing new," she said dismissively.  "We
should wake the others."

"Easier said than done," Cas declared, getting up out of the sleeping
bag.  "Ryuu sleeps deeper than a corpse.  Ryouga isn't much better."

Ukyou got to her feet, getting her spatula in the process.  "Well, I
can always pound them flat," Ukyou said, letting out another yawn
despite herself.  Cas followed suit, but shook her head.

"It might not wake them up."

Ukyou grinned.  "Just have ta find out," she stated.  She walked over
to Ryuu.  Only his head poked out of the sleeping bag.  His eyes were
darkened from bruises and his nose was bandaged.  Two swaths of cotton
were stuffed up his nostrils.  'Still can't believe I did that.'

"Don't hit him in the face," Cas protested.  "You scared the hell out
of me yesterday with that performance.  I was fully expecting you to
clock Ryouga when you finally stopped."

She threw her attention to Cas.  She couldn't hold the gaze long
before looking down at the spatula she held lightly in her hands.  "I
really don't know what overcame me yesterday," she admitted.  "I was
just so...."

Ukyou felt a hand on her ankle.  She looked down and instantly
regretted her choice of reaction.  Her foot was pulled out from under
her.  The ground rushed up at her.  She tossed the spatula out to
catch the ground with her hands instead of her face.  The shock of the
impact coursed up her arms.

She rolled over but the hold on her ankle did not break.  She glared
up at Ryuu standing above her.  "What did you do that for?!" she
demanded.  She kicked out with her free foot only to have it similarly
restrained.  Ryuu grinned smugly.  It wasn't a pretty sight
considering the state his face was in.

Ukyou crossed her arms in defiance.  Cas, laughing, jumped onto Ryuu's
back.  The blonde's legs wrapped about his waist while one of Cas's
arms slipped across his neck, choking him.  Ryuu's hands let go to
grab hold of the offending arm.  Ukyou quickly rolled free, scooping
up her spatula.  Cas continued to laugh as Ryuu struggled to break
free.

Ukyou watched Ryuu stagger about, amused at the sight.  Cas's ankles
crossed at his stomach, tightening her hold as he tried to throw her
off.  Ryuu's face was turning red.  He managed to get a hand between
his throat and her arm.  Ukyou readied her spatula.  Ryuu would be
free soon.

Sure enough, Ryuu pried the arm away.  Then with both hands on Cas's
left arm, he heaved her forward as if he was cracking a whip.  Cas
yelped as her legs lost their hold and soon was on the flat of her
back.  Despite the audible impact, Cas was still laughing, though not
with as much gusto.

"Aaaaaaa!" screamed a voice from the side.  "You will pay for that
Ryuu!"  Ryouga charged in umbrella leading.  Ryuu immediately began
backpedaling, avoiding a flurry of umbrella swipes.  "Apologize to
Cas, now."

"They started it!" Ryuu protested, sidestepping a thrust.  He grabbed
Ryouga's arm and pulled the lost boy off balance.  He also tried for a
trip, but Ryouga had recovered enough to avoid it.  "She was going to
pound me in my sleep.  I'm the victim here."

Cas rolled up onto her knees and with Ukyou's help, got to her feet.
"Ryuu versus Ryouga, take two," Cas whispered conspiratorially to her.
"I'd love to get in there but I'll only get hurt."

Ukyou could only nod in reply as the two danced in a display of skill.
Ukyou watched in interest.  Ryouga was throwing all the punches while
Ryuu dodged or blocked.  'It's almost like watching Ranma fight,' she
noted.  'Ryouga is always on the offensive, while Ranma tries to
reason away.  Who is this guy?'

Ryuu stepped in, avoiding a vicious lunge.  He grabbed onto Ryouga's
shoulders and pulled the boy down into his rising knee.  Ryuu hopped
back.  Ryouga was dazed but not really hurt.

'Anyone else,' Ukyou thought, 'and that would have been the end of the
fight.'

"Okay, that's enough you two," Cas scolded the pair, wagging a finger.
The blond turned on Ryouga.  "You should know better than picking on
Ryuu like that.  He's holding back."

'Holding back?' Ukyou's thoughts echoed.  'That would explain why he
didn't take the offensive other than to throw Ryouga about a little
here and there.'

Ryouga glowered but said nothing.

"I don't know if it would do any good," Ryuu stated.  "I swear he
didn't even feel that blow to his head."

Now Ryouga was grinning in arrogance and pride.  "That was a blow?"
Ryouga said mockingly.  "That was nothing.  I can take anything you
can do."  Ryouga clenched his fist and turned his head away, a look of
confidence on his face.

Ryuu regarded Ryouga with interest.  He then leveled a finger at
Ryouga.  "We will rematch at a later time of my choosing," he
declared.  "Then you will see what I can do."

"Look, this is all great and everything," Cas stated, her hands up in
the air with a palm to each of the boys.  "I think it's time we all
did a bit of planning for what we are to do when we get to Nerima."
She pointed to Ryuu.  'Obviously, you don't feel your ready for a
confrontation."

Ryuu nodded.  "Still we don't have the money to get there," he
reminded them.  "We should focus on the things at hand and worry about
Ranma later."

Ukyou fumed at that statement.  "What are you three planning against
my fianc�?" she demanded.

Cas arched an eyebrow at her.  Then the girl promptly ignored her to
face Ryuu.  "The money has been taken care of last night," she
informed them.  "It will be available to us sometime late Monday."

Ukyou grew angrier by the moment.  "What are you three planning
against my fianc�?"

"How did you manage that?" Ryuu asked.

"We all have our secrets, Ryuu," Cas drawled.  "If you want to know
some of mine, you'll have to share some of yours."  Cas threw a glance
about the group.  "For that matter we all should."

Ukyou's knuckles whitened as her grip tightened on the spatula.  "What
are you three planning against my fianc�?" she repeated again.

Cas's eyes narrowed, glancing towards the nearby brush.  "Someone is
spying on us."

Ukyou could take no more.  She snatched at the nearby bush, pulling a
kicking and screaming girl out.  'Tsubasa.'  Ukyou dropkicked the
offender, the girl disappearing in the distant sky.

"I think that was Tsubasa," Cas declared.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me," Ryuu muttered.

Ukyou calmed down a bit, her breathing slow and deliberate.  She
glared at her companions.  "What are you three planning against my
fianc�?" she said in the calmest voice she could muster.

"Do you really love this guy?" Cas asked bluntly.

Ukyou was appalled.  "Of course I do," she declared.  'What a
ridiculous question.'

"And he's engaged to another," Cas continued.

"Yea but he doesn't love her!" Ukyou spat with vehemence.

"My thoughts exactly!" Ryouga chimed in.

Cas glanced over to Ryuu, who help up his hands.  "Don't ask me," he
started.  "I really didn't think too much about them.  I was busy
trying to put him in an early grave for witholding the technique I
wanted."

Cas held up a finger.  "Okay, I'm not going to jump to believing that
Ranma here doesn't love this Akane," Cas declared.  "Mostly it's
because I believe nobody knows what it's like to be in love."

"I do!" both Ukyou and Ryouga shouted in the blond's face.

"Nobody knows," Cas said, nonplussed.  She wagged a finger at them,
her eyes closed at the moment.  "Least likely me.  But here is what we
will do.  Ryouga and I are going to defeat Ranma in exchange for a
promise.  That promise will be for you Ryuu."

Ukyou snorted.  "Not likely," she huffed, crossing her arms.  "Ryouga
can't beat Ranma even with your help."

"I can too!" Ryouga shot back.

Cas smiled.  "Oh, I assure you he will," she stated with a smirk.
"And I'm pretty sure Ryuu knows what I'll ask for."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow.  "I've got a couple ideas," he admitted.
"Though getting Ranma to agree to any of them will take a bit of
trickery."

"Nonsense," Cas dismissed.  "From what I understand, this guy thinks
he's the best.  All I need to do is question his abilities and wager a
promise out of him if we win."

Ukyou's brow twitched.  'It might work,' she thought.  'Ranma never
backs down from a challenge even when he's putting his fianc�e on the
table.'

"Hey!" she shouted as a new thought came to her.  "Why not beat him
for me?  Or make him renege his engagement to Akane.  That would make
more people happy than any promise for Ryuu."

Cas shook her head, piglets bouncing.  "I'm not about to meddle in
love affairs without knowing the guy first," Cas chuckled.  The blond
thrust a thumb back into Ryouga's chest.  "I still don't know this boy
well enough to do anything but tease him with his 'women'.  You know
for a moment there I thought he had a crush on you too."

Ryouga started stammering a protest.

Ukyou did her best not to bark out in laughter.  'Ryouga,' she
thought, 'and me?  He's even shier than Ranma.  I don't think so.'

Ryuu stepped between the two girls.  "Enough of this," Ryuu stated in
a bored tone.  "If we're stuck here a few days, we should make the
best of it.  We still have some money left over from Fukuoka.  Maybe
we can see some sights or something."

Cas smiled.  "Anybody know if they have a tower?"

Both Ryuu and Ryouga face-faulted.

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

Ryouga had given a serious effort to appear interested in the imperial
villa they were leaving.  'Thank goodness that's over,' he sighed in
relief.  'Another minute and Cas would have caught me napping.'

Ryouga wasn't paying much attention as he followed his friends through
Kyoto.  'Soon,' he plotted.  'Ranma, your days are numbered.  With Cas
on my side, you can't stop me.'  He laughed, drawing several curious
glances from his companions.  He smiled and quieted down, returning to
his silent monologues in which he professed doom to his rival.

A bobbing, furry tail caught his attention.  He noted that the
district they were now in was obviously for tourists and the youth.
He wasn't certain how he got here, but that was nothing new to him.
His eyes quickly locked onto what had drawn him out of his
contemplations.

The red tail was attached to a pair of faded denim jeans a woman was
wearing.  The girl was wearing a gray tank top.  She was extremely
thin and had her red hair pulled up into two triangles on the top of
her head.  She did look quite like a cat with the way she walked with
her two male companions.

Ryouga blinked.  'I've seen them before,' he thought.  Ryouga tapped
Cas on her shoulder.  Cas looked up at him, blue eyes questioning.  He
pointed to the group that was stepping into a single story building
with neon lights and large, shaded windows facing the street.  One of
the signs read Nakagakushi, most likely the name of the place.

"Hey, Ryuu," Cas said, punching the other boy in the shoulder.  "How
many girls do you know of with red hair and cat ears?"

Ryuu blinked, glancing down the street to get a better look.

Ukyou sighed.  "That's Kiten," Ukyou confirmed.  "She's always
parading about like that.  She even has retractable claws."

Ryouga gaped.  "She's part c-c-cat?" he stammered.

Ryuu snickered at this but made no comment.

Ukyou shook her head, wearing a smile.  "It's a prop, silly," she
scolded him.  "She didn't have it during the race, or don't you
remember?"

Ryouga shrugged.  He hadn't paid much attention to the girl during
the race and hadn't been behind her at any point of time to make the
observation of a lack of tail.  His thoughts, fresh with ways he would
proclaim his victory over Ranma, seized upon an idea.  He flashed
Ukyou a grin. "Maybe we should take her along, Cas," Ryouga declared.
"I somehow feel that Ranma wouldn't take to kindly to Kiten."

Ukyou rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Cas and Ryuu both blinked.  Cas whistled an 'okay', following Ukyou's 
example in eye-rolling.  "Anyways," Cas started, "let's go check up on
them.  Maybe we can hang out without them rubbing their victory in our
faces."

Cas led the group across the street, approaching the double door that
Gyosha's band had disappeared into only moments ago.  Ryouga peered
through the shaded windows, glimpsing what looked to be like tables
and chairs.  He wondered if this was a kind of restaurant or
something.

As the door swung open, a cloud of smoke wafted out of the room.
Ryouga heard Ukyou mutter something before entering.  "Not likely."

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

Ryuu waved smoke aside as he stepped into the room.  Gyosha and
Fujiiro were standing by a table covered in green felt while Kiten was
over at the counter paying for a drink.  Ryuu recognized the table as
part of a foreign game.  He wasn't certain how the rules went, but
then again, what could be so hard about putting balls in holes with a
stick.

Fujiiro's dark brown eyes caught sight of them underneath shaggy his
shaggy hair.  Fujiiro was wearing a silk, purple shirt with short
sleeves and a tan pair of slacks.  The tall man tapped Gyosha with the
cue stick he had been carrying during the race.

Gyosha looked over, a thin smile touching his lips.  Gyosha was
dressed in a thin, dark blue shirt with long sleeves.  It was
unbuttoned revealing a black t-shirt with Japanese print stating
'Drivers like it fast.'  He was also wearing dress pants, though his
was black in color.

Kiten came over to them, slithering up next to Fujiiro.  Getting no
response out of her man, she turned to look at whatever was holding
their attention.  She smiled, disengaging herself from her companions.
The red head set her drink down on a nearby table and leaned back
against it, regarding them.

Cas bounced towards Zenkei's troop, piglets hopping to the music
blaring over the speakers.  In the corner of his eye, Ryuu noted
Ukyou's grimace.  Ryuu shared the feeling, not comfortable with the
environment.

Ryouga walked up to join Cas, oblivious to the surroundings.  Ryuu sighed, 
deciding whatever embarrassment Cas had planned was at least
worth to hear, if he could hear anything over the music.

Unfortunately, Ryouga was in the way, preventing him from getting any
closer to hear whatever Cas was talking about with Gyosha.  Ryuu
started to move around the table, aware that Ukyou was close to his
side.  Cas was still shouting animatedly at Gyosha.  Fujiiro was
chalking up the end of his stick disinterested.

Ryuu realized he was going to have to get past Kiten if he was to hear
what was going on.  Kiten's eyes seemed to glow as she grinned at him,
daring him to pass without a word.  Ryuu stopped uncertain of what he
was seeing.  Her fangs were more noticeable than before.

"So Ukyou," Kiten shouted over the din.  The redhead poked him in the
chest.  "Is this your boyfriend?"  Kiten paused, a mischievous
twinkle in her eye.  "No wait.  I remember."

The redhead grabbed her glass and tossed it in his face.  Ryuu
sputtered, wiping water out of his face.  "What did you do that for!"
he shouted at the girl, waving a fist at her angrily.

"Oops, my mistake," Kiten giggled, handing him a hand towel.  She then
turned her attention back to Ukyou.  "I see he isn't your Ranma but
he's quite the looker."

Ryuu rolled his eyes, dabbing his face with the towel that reeked of
something he couldn't quite place.  Ukyou pushed past him, her hand
reaching back for the spatula.  Sensing trouble, Ryuu decided to talk.

"Are those real?" he asked, pointing to Kiten's teeth.

Kiten lowered her head, running her tongue over her fangs.  "Naw," she
shouted.  "It's like my tail."  Kiten turned about and hunched down,
hands on knees.  She wiggled about, swishing the red, furry tail in
front of him.

Ryuu smirked in amusement.  "I hear you have retractable claws," Ryuu
hollered when she had turned around to face him again.  Ukyou clenched
his arm in a painfully tight grip.

Kiten held up a gloved hand.  It was a black glove that left her
fingers free but covered the rest of her hand.  "Oh these," she
declared, feigning boredom.  She curled her fingers into a fist and
flicked her wrist down.  Four short claws slipped out of the end of
the glove right above her knuckles.  "My father wanted me to be able
to take care of myself so he made these for me.  Cool, huh?"  She
raised her wrist up, the claws slipping back into the glove with the
motion.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ryuu asked.

Kiten shook her head. "These are special gloves," Kiten explained.
"It won't cut through, though I do get an occasional nick now and
then."

Ukyou, still having his arm seized in an iron grip, pulled him down to
her.  Ukyou hissed angrily into his ear, "Stop encouraging her.  She's
a shameless flirt despite her relationship with Fujiiro."

Ryuu stared into Ukyou's eyes.  "And your solution is to pound her?"
he ventured.

"She's not exactly helpless," Ukyou said with a meaningful nod towards
Kiten.  "She's one of my grandfather's students."

There was a tap on his shoulder.  He looked over into blue eyes.
"They're challenging us to a friendly match of pool," Cas explained.
"Do you know how to play?"

Ryuu shrugged.  "Can't be that hard?  You need me to play?"

Cas nodded, smiling.  "We get two people on our team.  Fujiiro and
Gyosha versus whomever we feel like.  What about you Ukyou?  You want
to play?"

Ukyou flashed a glare at Kiten who flashed fangs in return.  "No,"
Ukyou declined.  "I need to keep an eye on things."

Cas glanced over to Kiten and smiled.  "Looks like the boys are going
to play.  Guess we get to look pretty and distract them at every
opportunity."

Kiten shared a devilish grin with Cas.  "I'm all ears," she laughed,
poking at her red tufts to further the point.  Cas handed Ryuu a cue
stick and propelled him over to the other guys.

Ryuu walked over to Ryouga, sharing a clueless moment as both regarded
Fujiiro setting the balls into a triangle.  He cast a glance over to
the girls at the table.  He wanted to listen in on the girls' chatter
but couldn't pick out the words over the music.  Sighing in
frustration, he watched Fujiiro meticulously sort the balls in a
pattern that left the black ball in the center of the third row.  Once
finished, Fujiiro lifted the triangle casing, leaving the balls in a
tight triangle.

"Your break!" Gyosha shouted from the other side of the table.  The
dark eyed man rolled a white ball to him.  Ryuu stopped it and
brandished his stick to it.  He gazed down the stretch of green
between the white ball and the colored balls, some solid, some
striped.  He backed up for room, holding the stick in both hands.  He
then quickly swatted the ball across the table, the force of his
strike snapping the stick.

Fujiiro twisted aside to avoid the part of his stick that went flying.
Gyosha and all the girls were laughing.  He looked over to Ryouga, who
shrugged.  The white ball had scattered the rest of the balls, but
none had been sunk.

"Harder than it looks," he grudgingly admitted.

"You're supposed to hit it with the tip," Gyosha guffawed over the
music.  The short man slapped his shoulder only to quickly retract the
hand and shake it as if it were burnt.  "Watch me," he ordered, "and
Fujiiro."  The tall man looked up.  "Get him another stick."

Gyosha leaned down on the table, studying it.  He glanced back at
Ryuu.  "Nice break," Gyosha admitted.  "I can't make anything easy out
of this."  Gyosha pointed at a green striped ball and exchanged
glances with Fujiiro.  Fujiiro nodded.  Gyosha leaned down and slowly
lined up his stick, point towards the ball.  Ryuu blushed in
embarrassment.  Gyosha struck the white ball, which in turn glanced
the green striped ball.

"Heads up!" Fujiiro shouted, tossing Gyosha another stick.  Gyosha
handed it over to Ryuu.

"Ryouga's turn," Gyosha told him.  Ryuu nodded, stepping back to give
Ryouga space.

Nervously, Ryouga approached the table, stick held gingerly in strong
hands.  Ryouga lined up the tip to the ball and pulled the stick back.
With unbelievable speed, Ryouga struck the cue.  The ball shattered
into a pile of dust.

The girls were laughing again.  'Well, not Ukyou,' Ryuu noted.
Fujiiro and Gyosha blinked at the pile of dust.  "Um," Fujiiro
muttered, only audible as there was a pause in the music.  "How do we
play that?  Is that like knocking the ball off the table?"

"Just get another ball and play it free," Gyosha declared.  Gyosha
patted Ryuu on the chest with the back of his right hand.  "I've never
seen a ball shattered before.  Now you'll see Fujiiro play.  Watch and
learn."

Fujiiro pulled a new ball out onto the table.  The green striped ball
was an easy target now, thanks to Gyosha's previous shot.  Fujiiro
leveled his cue stick down at the ball.  Ryuu noted the end of the cue
stick was shaped in the figure of a dragon coiled about the stick.
'Uh oh,' he thought.  'He's either good, or his parents like to buy
him nice things for his hobbies.'

Fujiiro's cue shot out and retracted like a piston.  The white ball
stopped dead after hitting the green striped ball.  The struck ball
shot straight into a corner pocket and fell into the net mesh that
hung underneath each hole on the table.  Fujiiro paced around the
table, a complete look of seriousness upon his face.  'Thank goodness
we aren't betting anything.'

Fujiiro leaned on the table, facing the white ball from a different
angle.  Ryuu couldn't determine the target, but Fujiiro looked
confident.  The tall man lined up and shot the white ball.  It bounced
off the table rim to strike a red striped ball straight on.  The
struck ball shot in a completely different direction into the
sidepocket next to Fujiiro.

When the white ball stopped, Fujiiro had an easy shot at the blue
solid.    However Fujiiro didn't take it, sending the white ball all
the way down the table to catch the tip of the orange striped ball.
The ball slowly rolled into the same corner pocket its green companion
had gone.

Ryuu leaned into Gyosha.  "Why didn't he go for the blue?"

Gyosha leaned back.  "Because you're the solids."  Ryuu nodded, not
fully certain if he understood.  Fujiiro had knocked the yellow
striped ball into a corner pocket and was currently lining up for his
next shot.  He struck out, sending the white ball in a path to clip
the purple striped ball.  The clipped ball rolled diagonally into the
other sidepocket.

Fujiiro only had two striped balls left and the brown would be an easy
shot with the right angle.  The blue striped ball was well guarded by
two solids.  Still Fujiiro lined up a shot for the blue ball.  He
struck out.  The white ball bounced twice.  The second bounce sent it
over the red solid to strike the blue ball.  The targeted ball
careened slowly down the felt into an empty corner pocket.

"It's your turn now," Fujiiro stated as he brushed past Ryuu and
Gyosha.  "I'm going to hit the black aside so you have a clearer
shot."

Gyosha nodded.  Before Fujiiro could strike the ball, the door swung
upon with enough force to make the protests of the hinges audible over
the din of the music.  Everyone looked up as a ragtag band of unshaven
men sauntered into the facility.  Gyosha paled.

A big burly man wearing a black leather jacket, studded with metal
chains that glinted in the light, pointed out to them.  "I thought I
told you and your friends never to come here again!"

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

Ukyou cast a baleful glare at Kiten as the redhead chatted with Cas.
Kiten was trying to pry information about Ryuu out of Cas.  Cas
shrugged often, either not caring or not knowing.  Kiten gave a shrug
of her own before retrieving what was left of the drink from the table
and taking a swig of it.

Ukyou's eyes twitched as she watched Cas start to bob arms and hands
about to the music.  Kiten laughed and began to do the same.  Ukyou
hid her face in her hand, flushing red.  She decided watching the game
would be less embarrassing.

'Maybe not,' she corrected, witnessing Ryouga shatter the cue ball.
She then watched in dismay as Fujiiro worked the table like a pro.
Fujiiro was just lining up another shot when a group of twenty or so
men filtered into the room, all dressed in leather.  Out of the corner
of her eye, Kiten clenched her teeth.

A big, bald man pointed at Gyosha.  "I thought I told you and your
friends never to come here again!" the man shouted over the music in a
booming, bass voice.  "We don't take too kindly to hustlers."

The music was cut off.  Ukyou looked back to see the man behind the
counter quickly scurry out the back door.  'This is not a good sign,'
she thought.

Gyosha approached the man, steadily.  He held his hands up, palms to
the man.  "We just played a game," he stated.  "It's not my fault you
thought he was a bad player simply because he doesn't look like much.
We won fair and square."

"Coming in here," the man fumed, "sealed your fate."  The bald man
grabbed Gyosha by the collar, lifting him off his feet.  "Teach his
friends a lesson they won't forget."

Three lackeys charged forward at Fujiiro.  The boy's eyes widened.
Fujiiro whipped his cue stick up, spinning it like a staff.  He caught
the first under the chin with the dragon end of his stick.  The force
of the blow sent his assailant up and backwards to land on the floor.

Gyosha didn't have a chance.  The bald man lowered down to grab
Gyosha's legs, and heaved him overhead.  Then with a grunt from the
leader, Gyosha was tossed over the girls into the back wall.  He
struck the wall with a thud and fell down behind the counter.

Several men charged at Ryouga and Ryuu.  The group split up to attack
both of them.  Ryuu backed away, hands up showing he didn't want to
fight.  The first man charged on, flashing a fierce grin to the
reluctant Ryuu.  The man swung arm leading.  Ryuu caught the arm and
used the man's motion to send the man up and over a table behind him.

Ryouga snapped his cue stick over the head of an assailant.  The foe
went down without a sound.  Another man punched at him.  Ryouga caught
the fist in his own and squeezed.  The man screamed in agony, causing
his fellows to reconsider attacking Ryouga.

"Get them," the bald leader commanded, his face showing some worry.

Fujiiro swung his stick down, taking the legs out of his second
opponent.  The last foe grabbed his arm.  Fujiiro slammed the stick
into the man's gut, doubling the attacker over.  With a swipe up, he
struck the last man's face, sending the man sprawling.  Fujiiro spun
to face the girls flashing a smile.

An elbow struck her in the side.  Ukyou looked over to Cas.  "Should
we be helping?"

"Fujiiro!" Kiten shouted, springing to her feet.  Fujiiro fell to the
floor, having been tripped by one of his fallen opponents.  More men
came over and hefted the tall man up onto their shoulders.  Fujiiro
was kicking and shouting as he was tossed through the shaded window.
Glass shattered out into the street along with a bleeding Fujiiro.

Kiten leapt up onto the pool table and dove into the crowd of men,
kicking and screaming.  A steady stream of curses rose from the mass
of bodies as Kiten's claws drew blood.  Cas and Ukyou blinked.  Kiten
bounced up to her feet, hopping on her toes in a loose stance.  A man
got up only to get hammered with a powerful right hook from the
redhead.

"I told you she wasn't exactly helpless," Ukyou muttered to Cas.

Ukyou reached back for her spatula, getting to her feet.  Ukyou knew
Gyosha wasn't a fighter and that Fujiiro was only mediocre with a
staff.  With both of them out of the fight, it wasn't likely anyone
else was going to get hurt but she wasn't about to take any chances.

Ryuu smashed his palm into the face of another charging man.  The
momentum was enough to send the man down to the floor, legs flying up.
Another man swung a cue stick at Ryuu.  He easily caught the weapon
and delivered a devastating uppercut, sending the man head over heels.

Ryouga was now evading the path of a blade.  He caught the man's
forearm and kicked up with his left foot, catching the man in the
chin.  The man's eyes rolled up.  A stick smashed across Ryouga's
back.  Ryouga hefted the unconscious knife wielder over his shoulder
and into the man behind him.

"Kill them all!" the leader shouted furiously.  The bald man pulled
out a three-foot blade and approached Ryouga.

"I don't think we can sit out any longer," Cas declared, getting to
her feet.  Ukyou hopped up onto the pool table and brandished her
spatula at a would-be opponent.  The thug shied away, allowing her to
survey the scene.  Fujiiro and Gyosha didn't look like they were
getting back into the fight anytime soon.  The men felled by Ryouga
and Ryuu didn't seem to be getting back up either.

Most of the others had recovered from Fujiiro's blows and were facing
off with Kiten, who simply didn't have the strength to keep her
opponents down.  This was her biggest concern, considering knives were
being drawn but most of the foes still standing.

Kiten spun, elbowing a man in the gut and delivering a roundhouse to
the next foe.  She ducked underneath a lunge, following it with an
uppercut that took both her and the victim off the floor.  She spun
about to punch a man approaching her from behind.  Then the bald
leader grabbed her by the hair, lifting her off her feet.

"Nice kitty," the man taunted.  Kiten grabbed onto his arm holding her
air to give her leverage.  She then twisted and with a flick of her
wrist sliced the face of the leader open.  The man's eyes widened in
shock.  His free hand reached up to feel the blood trickling down his
face.  He snarled but didn't let go of her hair as Kiten continued to
writhe in his grip.

Ukyou dove off the table, swatting a thug across the room.  The blade
the man had been holding bounced against the floor but had not quite
settled in the time it took Ukyou to smash a second man aside.  The
other opponent fell backwards through the opening in the glass that
had been made earlier.

Ryouga caught a lunge with a knife, trapping the arm behind his back.
He smashed the man's face with his right fist.  He released the man,
kicking the back of the knee to send the man down.  Someone grappled
him from behind.  Ryouga tried to flip the man over, but didn't have
the time as two more men grabbed onto him.  He was lifted up and
tossed through a table, the wood shattering underneath him.

The bald man brought his other hand to Kiten's neck.  Kiten's eyes
bulged as he began to squeeze.  He let go of her hair and shook her
about like a doll.  He then lifted her off her feet and slammed the
redhead onto the pool table.  She moaned, rolling off onto the floor.

Ukyou growled, charging at the bald man.

"That's it," Cas growled, eyes flashing.  She threw her arms down,
palms up.  Ryouga was getting up unhindered as the gang thought him
out of the fight.  Ukyou was about to smash the bald man flat when she
stopped short, sensing something.  There was a low hum barely audible
over the sounds of Ryuu battling the thugs.  "Feza-nagasu!"

All eyes turned to the blond as fifteen balls lifted into the air
around her.  Her eyes held an unspeakable rage in them.  She swept her
arms forward.  All the balls shot out towards the gang.  There were
screams of pain and fear as the missiles struck.  Several foes fell
unconscious.  Those unharmed quickly vacated the premises, leaving a
furious leader on his own.

"You witch!" the man snarled.  He took one step forward and paused
underneath Cas's stare.  Her eyes widened for a second.  Then the pool
table lifted up into the air.

"How would you like a pool table slammed into you?" Cas growled, her
gaze steady.

The bald man sweated profusely, realizing the situation.  "I'll get
you for this," he declared, running out the door.  When his footsteps
faded off in the distance, the pool table lowered back to the ground.
Cas glanced over to Ukyou and Ryuu feebly smiling.

"It... isn't beyond explanation."

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

Cas's friends walked down the street in ringing silence.  Fujiiro was
carrying Kiten.  He was a little cut up but nothing serious.  His head
had hit the pavement earlier, explaining why he hadn't joined them
afterwards in the fight.  The bump was quite visible despite the lack
of light.  Kiten was awake but Fujiiro had insisted upon carrying her
back to their hotel.

"This is the place," Gyosha declared, stopping in front of an
impressive hotel.  "I'd thank you guys for help in that fight, but it
seems we were the only ones to really get hurt there."

"Your own fault," Ukyou stated.  Gyosha shrugged and waved for his
friends to follow him.

"Hey, Kiten," Cas called.  Fujiiro paused turning about so Kiten could
see them.  "If you're ever in Tokyo you should stop by for a visit.
I'd love to see you again."

Kiten smiled, sharing a glance with Fujiiro.  "Sure thing, Cas," Kiten
shot back with a grin.  "I'll see you guys later."

Ryouga waved as the trio disappeared into the hotel.  They began to
walk randomly through the streets of Kyoto.  Ryouga was careful to
keep them in sight at all times.

"What the hell was that, Cas?" Ukyou asked, breaking the silence.

"Perhaps another time," Cas answered evasively.  The blond smiled.
"I'll explain only in exchange for a secret from each of you."  Cas
shot a look over her shoulder at him.  "That includes you Ryouga."

Ryuu smirked.  "I think we can hold back on that for now," Ryuu
commented.  "We'll leave the get to know you session for another day."

"Quite right," Cas agreed.  "Besides there's this traditional thing I
heard about called the Manto-nagashi on the Hazu-gawa.  I hear you can
make a wish.  I'm certain all of you have something to wish for.  I
already have a good idea for most of you.  For Ryuu a rematch.  For
Ryouga a love life.  For Ukyou Ranma."

Ryuu laughed.  "Really," he said, dragging out the word.  "What do you
want?"

Cas smiled.  "Oh nothing grandiose.  World domination would be fun."  
Everyone began laughing nervously.

Ryouga looked up to the stars after the awkward moment had passed.
'Sorry Akari,' he thought.  'I only wish that Akane is loved the way
she deserves to be.'

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

Closing Theme - "Dizzy"

Waiting
Watch the clock pass time
The words I want to say to you
Can't escape my mind

Wondering
Someday will you realize?
The feelings that I hide behind
The fury of my eyes

Please dizzy up this girl
Spin around my world
Tell me that you love me more than anyone you knew
Dizzy up this girl
Give my life a twirl
Wait and see what happens next when you do

How long will your indecision
Bring heartache in my life
Whether wrong or right
It keeps me up at night

Letting go of a childhood dream
Was never my intent
But if you don't say yes
My life will be a mess

So dizzy up this girl
Watch her wings unfurl
As you say you love her more than anyone you knew
Dizzy up this girl
What was sand is now a pearl
As every girl needs love to get her through

Please someday soon

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

Belated addition to the series.  Please email any comments to
zinyadel@hotmail.com.
I don't mind flames.  Sometimes good ideas come from them.

Ciaow

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