Ranko had been dreaming of this moment.
	All her life she'd heard stories of Tatewaki Kuno, and how both 
her parents destroyed him on a regular basis.  The Kuno she knew was her 
rich uncle, the father of her best friend.  Sure, he was arrogant, and he 
sometimes forgot they were living in the twenty-first century, but he was 
a nice guy.  You don't go beating up nice guys.
	Idiot swordsmen who insulted your father, now; those were the 
people you _should_ beat up.
	_Pop always said he could take Kuno in one shot.  I need to know 
if I'm that good.  Pop never would say if I'm as good as he was when he 
was my age.  And I know he won't fight me now.  He wouldn't even fight 
Spring, and she was trashing him._
	Kuno was shouting to the sky.  _I've got just one chance at this; 
I've got to make it count._  Ranko waited until Kuno was looking at him.  
Then the pony-tailed boy drove her fist into the swordsman's solar plexus.
	Kuno went down, hard.
	"Good shot," said Ranma.  Ranko smiled at the compliment.
	Tachi was not quite so enthusiastic.  "You hit my father," she 
breathed.  "I can't believe it.  You hit my father."
	Ranma knelt down and grabbed Kuno by the hair.  Hey, it's only 
Kuno."  He pulled the would-be-samurai's head off the ground.  "See, he's 
OK.  It's not like I don't smack the jerk around all the time."
	"You hit my father," Tachi repeated.
	"Hey, you saw how he was acting," cried Ranko defensively.  "He 
was talking trash, and he needed to be taken down."
	"And you," Tachi accused Nabiki.  "You let them do this!"  The 
chronologically-displaced girl took a step away from her mother.  "How 
could you?"
	Nabiki sighed.  "What should I have done?  That's just the way 
Kuno-chan is.  He babbles like a madman, then somebody knocks him out of 
his misery.  After a few minutes he gets back up, with no real harm done."
	"I don't believe any of this," cried Tachi.  She turned and ran, 
her stocking feet sliding on the muddy grass.
	"Tachi, don't leave mad," yelled Ranko.  "Look, I'm sorry."  The 
pony-tailed boy swore under his breath, then ran after his cousin.
	Akane watched her future daughter leave.  "Wait," she called after 
him.  "Don't go!  I don't even know you're name."  Then she, too, started 
running, following the other two.
	Ranma took a step in that direction, but stopped when he saw 
Ryo.  The pig-tailed boy was picking a limp Ukyou up in his arms.  "Is 
she all right?" Ranma asked.
	"She will be, Pop."  Ryo shifted his burden until Ukyou seemed to 
be resting comfortably.  "She passed out, so I hit a nerve center to keep 
her sedated until the danger was gone.  She'll be better once I take her 
home."
	"Oh."  Ranma blinked.  "That's OK, I guess."  Then he started 
running after Akane and the others.
	Ryo frowned.  "Why didn't he stay with Mom and me?"
	"You've got me there," said Nabiki, who was idly brushing Kuno's 
bangs away from his face.
	"Will he be all right?" Ryo asked, nodding at Kuno's prone form.
	"Of course.  This _does_ happen all the time."  Nabiki looked 
away.  "In a few minutes he'll wake up and start asking for Akane and his 
pig-tailed goddess."
	"Then I'll take my mother home to Ucchan's.  If you see my father..."
	Nabiki nodded.  "I'll give him your message.  For five hundred yen."
	"Five hundred?  Tachi doesn't charge that, even with twenty years 
of inflation changing the value of the currency!"
	"Then I haven't taught her very much."  Nabiki stared at the horizon.
	"Him," Ryo corrected.  "The Tachi I grew up with is a boy."
	"I'll remember that."
	Ryo started walking away, moving slowly so as not to disturb his 
mother.  "I don't doubt you will."

* * * * *

	Cologne had a very simple mission for Spring and Shampoo: find the 
locket and bring it back.  Mousse volunteered to go with them, but 
Shampoo emptied a bucket on his head and left the duck tied to a coatrack.
	*I think I threw it here.*  Spring pointed to a stretch of the 
canal.  *It's hard to tell.  The streets all look alike, and I was 
fighting at the time.*
	*You'll have to go in the water and look,* Shampoo reminded her 
daughter.  *I can't.*
	Spring jumped over the fence and carefully slid into the canal.   
The water came up to her knees, occasionally splashing higher as she moved 
about.  *I don't see it here, but it's hard to tell.  And the locket  
wasn't very big to begin with.*
	*Keep looking.*  Shampoo sat on the top of the fence, watching 
her daughter work.  *You were telling me that you couldn't find anyone to 
marry...*
	Spring paused in her work.  *There were plenty of nice boys around, 
but they weren't, you know.*  The transdimensional Amazon took a few steps 
downstream.  *I wanted someone like Dad, and there just wasn't anyone.*
	*Ranma is very special.*  There was a dream-like longing in 
Shampoo's voice.
	"SHAMPOO?!" roared a voice filled with darkness and rage.
	Shampoo spun around and stood up, balancing on the top of the 
fence.  Ryoga stood on the sidewalk below her, his feet planted firmly on 
the ground.  His hands were curled into white-knuckled fists, and they 
quivered with pent-up fury.  "What Ryoga want?" she asked.
	"I thought you'd gone back to China with Ranma," he growled.  
"Well, if you're here, then he must be around somewhere.  Tell me where 
he is!  Tell me where Ranma is hiding?"
	"Shampoo no know what Ryoga talking about."
	Spring jumped out of the canal to stand beside her mother.  *Who 
is this boy?*
	*He's just some friend of Ranma's.*
	*Is he related to us?*  There was a determined intensity in Spring's 
voice.
	*Him?*  Shampoo sniffed.  *No.*
	*Good.*  Spring cracked her knuckles.
	"Where is Ranma?" Ryoga demanded a second time.  Waves of anger 
radiated from his body like heat from a bonfire.
	Shampoo suddenly realized what Spring was up to.  *I do not want 
Ryoga as a son-in-law!*
	*Sorry, mother.*  Spring swept Shampoo's feet out from under her, 
knocking the Amazon into the canal.  *I need a husband.  And he is cute, 
in an animalistic sort of way.*
	"Meow!" screeched Shampoo.
	"If you won't tell me where Ranma is, I'll make you tell me!" 
shouted Ryoga.  His face was an ugly shade of red, and he was baring his 
fangs.
	"Spring glad to tell where is Ranma... after fight."  She pressed 
her hands together in front of her chest, bowed, and leapt at Ryoga.  Her 
foot caught him in the nose but it was like kicking a rock.  *Ouch!*
	"Fine," snarled the eternally lost boy.  Spring dodged his punch, 
but the chain-link fence behind her was torn apart.  Ryoga grabbed one of 
the support posts and pulled, ripping free a large section of metal 
mesh.  He threw this impromptu missile at his assailant, trying to net 
her like a fish.  Spring dodged that attack, too, but just barely.
	The Amazon smiled.  _He's good!_  She danced under Ryoga's guard 
and punched him a few times, but her blows didn't seem to be affecting 
the enraged boy very much.  Any normal human would have required 
hospitalization by now.  Ryoga, on the other hand, was just breathing hard.
	"Boy make good husband," Spring told him as she avoided another 
piledriver-like punch.  "Spring so happy find good fighter not already 
in family."
	"Husband?" screamed Ryoga.  "Is that what this is all about?  Has 
Ranma decided to ruin my life by dragging me back to China with him?"  
Ryoga's two-fisted punch missed Spring and shattered the sidewalk.  "I 
won't go!  I finally have a chance to be happy here, and I won't let 
Ranma, you, or anyone else take it away from me!"
	Ryoga started glowing.
Author's note: What does a Shi-Shi-Hokodan really look like?  The only 
one I've seen came from Movie #2, and I heard that it wasn't all that 
accurate.
	A wall of solid air slammed into Spring, knocking her across the 
street and into a retaining wall.  If the Amazon girl knew what a Mac 
Truck was, she would have been able to make the comparison.  Instead, she 
just passed out.
	"What... What was that?" wondered Ryoga.  He wobbled a bit, took 
an unsteady step forward, then fell to his hands and knees.  _If I can do 
that to Ranma..._

* * * * *

	Nabiki sat with Kuno in the school infirmary, watching the fool 
swordsman as he slowly regained consciousness.  _So I really did marry 
him after all.  In two dimensions nonetheless.  Looks like I have to do 
something drastic about Kodachi, then, if what Tachi told me is true._
	Kuno began to stir, and Nabiki pressed a cool washcloth against 
his forehead.  "Stupid dreamer," she muttered under her breath.  "I know 
the first two things he's going to ask for.  And I'm not either of th- 
Ouch!"  The mercenary Tendo girl pulled her hand away from Kuno; her 
fingers felt like they'd been burned by dry ice.  "What was that?"
	Kuno's eyes snapped open and he sat up, reaching for Nabiki's 
hands.  "Akane Tendo, I would date with you," he declared.  That short 
speech temporarily exhausted him, and the scion of a once noble house 
fell back on his cot.
	He immediately popped back up, once more reaching for Nabiki.  
The girl looked away.  _Here it comes._
	"Nabiki, my goddess of finances, where are you?"
	Kuno slumped down a second time, but Nabiki hauled him up by the 
front of his robes.  "What did you just say?"  she demanded.
	Kuno stared at Nabiki, reason slowly creeping into his eyes.  He 
crushed the girl to his chest.  "Oh, my short-haired angel of mercy.  How 
blessed I am to have you care for me when black ma-"  Kuno collapsed like 
a puppet with his strings cut.
	Nabiki set the dented water pitcher back on the washstand.  Her 
eyes were wide and filled with confusion.  _I heard what he just said.  I 
saw what he just did.  If it's true, I'm set for life.  But how do I make 
the most of this?_
	_And do I want to?_
 ______
{B-{=__