al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx


		The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt

		Fourth Test, part B, section 2



Childhood lost... madness regained (continued)


			DAY 10

	Morning at the Tendo house was unusually calm. The absence 
of Ranma made way for this peace, with no crazed fianc�es 
breaking in or new opponents showing up to threaten him to 
death. Of course, the Tendos had always been a fairly normal 
family, it were the Saotomes who brought upon the craziness to 
their lives. And now that we're on the subject of craziness...
	Akane didn't even know what to think. Even though she tried 
hard to concentrate so she could make an edible breakfast, her 
mind kept going back to that moment last night, when Phaeron 
said... IT.
	Because "it" was something very important, and very 
startling, given the situation. But then again, she couldn't help 
but smile warmly at the memory. His voice had been so sincere, 
so _honest_... She wished she could express her own feelings with 
such ease. But then, if what he said was true...

	She played back some of what had happened back then. After 
Phaeron had said IT, Akane staggered back slightly, not fully 
believing what she had heard.
	"You... Do you mean it?" Despite the darkness of the night, 
she saw his reddish face as he meekly nodded, his eyes looking 
as if he had been relieved of carrying a deep secret. "And does 
she..."
	"No," he shook his head gravely, "She used to, but it's one 
of the things she forgot after Jusenkyo."
	"So _that's_ it?" Akane whispered, taking his hand to lead 
him out of the room, "That's what you want her to remember?" He 
nodded, sighing. Akane stared oddly at him, "But... I mean, is this 
for real? Do you really... Her?"
	"Please, don't tell anybody else," Phaeron pleaded, "Only 
Yuannyan knows about it. Well, some Espers know too, including 
Coldfire. And she..." he turned to the sleeping girls, "...she has 
to remember herself before I can even say anything to her."
	"Phaeron-kun..." Akane took his hand, "It must hurt not being 
able to say anything... All the time you've spent here, seeing her 
every day, and you couldn't say a word..."
	"That's why I told you, because I couldn't hold it anymore," 
he sighed. "But please, not a word about this."
	Akane walked away a few steps, holding onto the railing of 
the stairwell, "I... understand." She turned to him, giving him the 
warmest of smiles, "I won't say anything, I promise. Especially 
not to her." He smiled back, "Thanks, Akane."
	He suddenly turned back to the Phaeron she knew, "Let's go 
help Mink with her training." He smirked, "After all, I'm a sucker 
for seeing new ki-techniques." Akane blinked, then smirked back.
	
	Still at a loss for words, she came out to the dining room, 
silently setting down the dishes and sitting at the table, 
opposite to the garden door. In front of her, she saw the twins 
engaged in a mild childish quarrel. Even as Kasumi passed out 
the breakfast dishes, Akane idly took her plate and put it down, 
staring at the minute-older twin. Resting her head on her hands, 
Akane smiled tenderly at her, recalling once more Phaeron's 
simple yet stunning words.
	"Hey, Earth to Akane," Nabiki called, sitting next to her. 
"Anyone home?" she tried again, "Akane, Ranma-kun called and said 
he just married Shampoo and Kodachi at the same time." Not even 
_that_ drew a reaction. Shrugging, Nabiki noticed how beautiful 
Akane looked with that pensive expression and began to take 
pictures to her heart's content. Kuno would die to get these.
	Their tiff moving up one level, Ranko smirked and took a 
spoonful of the breakfast Akane made. "Okay, Yuan-chan, you call 
me 'older sister' one more time and you'll get it!"
	"Hah! Oneechan, oneechan!" Yuannyan sang mockingly, ducking 
to avoid the catapulting food. "Two can play at that!" she 
threatened, digging a spoon into more of the food, "Take this!" 
she arched back her spoon, releasing it to shoot out a direct 
hit.
	"Yaah! I'm hit by poison!" Ranko laughed while Yuannyan 
giggled. The twins laughed heartily.
	Suddenly breaking out of her trance, Akane reached for 
Ranko.
	"Uh... you're gonna get it now, oneechan," Yuannyan said, 
meekly edging away. Ranko hurriedly tried to apologize, "I... it's 
not poison, I..."
	"You know something?" Akane said, messing up her hair, 
"You're a very lucky girl."
	Ranko blinked several times, puzzled, while Akane simply 
smiled at her before finally starting to eat. Yuannyan poked her 
sister, mouthing, "What?"
	"You're asking me?" Ranko mouthed back, shrugging. "Hey, 
oneechan, what was that all abou--"
	"Can I come in?" Nodoka called from the door. Kasumi quickly 
stood up to receive her. Carrying the miniature staff, Nodoka 
greeted the Tendos, standing next to her daughters. "I hope I 
didn't intrude..."
	"Not at all, Mrs. Saotome," Soun welcomed her at the table, 
inviting her to sit.
	"Oh, thank you very much, but I just came to take the girls 
back home," she bowed in gratitude, "But first..." she raised the 
staff over the red heads. Yuannyan just closed her eyes as she 
grew to age ten, her clothes suddenly quite smaller. Fortunately, 
Nodoka had brought new clothes for them to wear, Yuannyan 
hurried to the bathroom to change.
	"No! I don't wanna grow up!" Ranko complained, "I like being 
like this!"
	"Wouldn't you like to be back to normal?" Nodoka asked. Not 
that it bothered her, she would also like to have two children 
running around for a longer time.
	"Oh, grow up, will you?" Akane rolled her eyes. Ranko glared 
at her, "You just _had_ to say that..." Akane snickered and 
shrugged, "But you should grow up. You don't want to keep 
Phaeron-kun waiting, would you?" she smirked as Ranko blushed 
strongly, assessing Akane's victory. "Oh, all right..." the redhead 
closed her eyes and let Nodoka touch her with the staff, then 
stuck her tongue out at Akane and made a break for the 
bathroom to change.
	"Eh?" Mink came from the corridor, "Saw short red blur run 
past. All okay?"
	"Hey, that's some suit," Akane said, looking at the uniform 
that Mink carried, draped on her right arm. "You're going to use 
it today?"
	"Hai!" Mink nodded confidently, "I spend half night preparing 
for fight. I win for sure!"
	"Ah?" a brown-haired girl, dressed in one of Mink's Chinese 
outfits, staggered into the room, cautiously looking around. She 
shrieked mildly, tugging at Mink's clothes.
	"Sorry, Shugo-kou," she replied, "I go alone this time. And 
you need learn to walk like person. If you turn human, I no want 
you getting hurt." Shugo-kou shrieked like a bird again, looking 
around nervously. "Yes, nice people take care of you while I 
gone." She turned to the people. "Akane-sama, can you help put 
on suit?" Nodding, Akane stood and they headed for Mink's room, 
where the Saotomes formerly stayed.
	Then she stopped.
	The entire house trembled at its center.
	"What?! Ranma married Shampoo and Kodachi?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!"
	Nabiki gave up.

			*	*	*

	"Where is that crazy girl?" Shampoo asked, impatiently 
tapping her foot on the ground of the vacant lot. Mousse 
shrugged, looking around for signs of Mink. Cologne, clinging to 
her staff, took out the letter of challenge Shampoo had received 
yesterday. Yes, it said to wait at the vacant lot, at high noon. 
Maybe Mink shouldn't have watched that Western film...
	"I here!" Mink called, arriving. Akane came next to her, 
nervously realizing Cologne had also come to watch.
	"What?" the Joketsuzoku villagers blinked at Mink's outfit.
	"Last time, I no ready to fight yet. This time I bring real 
uniform... for real fight."
	Mink was wearing an outfit nearly identical to her cousins': 
an Amazon uniform made of a closed silk blouse and violet tights 
that reached down to her mid-calves. The lower half of the 
blouse was red-colored, matching the belt and the edge of the 
neck. But the blouse was sleeveless, having a flower of silk 
frills instead. She also wore red shoes, as polished as always, 
and white finger-less gloves with red edges, and the wrist of 
each glove also bloomed widely. These gloves matched her elbow 
pads, crimson but with white edges.
	Mink's lush blond hair was tied into a long and thick 
pigtail, with a scarlet ribbon intertwined through its full length. 
And containing the wispy end of the pigtail was a fist-sized orb, 
apparently made of silver.
	Mousse gasped at the sight of the bespectacled girl. Her 
golden hair, tied so elegantly... And her uniform was much more 
generous with her figure than her usual Chinese clothes, letting 
him gawk at her legs very easily.
	Mink noticed his stare, and giggled. But now, she _had_ to 
win this. It was a lucky twist of fate having Mousse watching. 
She would show him. She would defeat Shampoo and make him proud. 
And maybe... Maybe he would become attracted to her.
	She sighed. This man had found a place in her heart so 
quickly.. and so deeply. During the worst time in her life, when 
her family and friends cast her away, in shame of her defeat, he 
had appeared like a shining beacon to show her the way. A 
stranger, of all people, had been so kind to her... She couldn't 
let herself be humilliated before him. She couldn't be defeated 
before the one she admired and maybe even loved. No... She 
couldn't _lose_!
	"Are you sure you want to go through this?" Mousse asked, 
worried. Half of him was concerned about this beautiful girl, 
while the other didn't want his beloved to be hurt.
	"That depend on her," Shampoo looked straight at Mink, 
"Shampoo like to fight, but Shampoo have honor. She no fight 
weak girl after learning powerful magic."
	"No worry, I fine," Mink smirked, "I fight with honor too. 
Akane-sama?" she turned to Akane, who simply flung the 
Brindstone to Shampoo, "You need to be careful with magic. You 
should no lose that."
	"Thank you," Shampoo snickered, "But now Shampoo have all 
power she need now."
	"So do I!" Mink walked away from Akane and faced Shampoo. 
"And no worry, honorable Cologne. I Amazon too, but I no give 
Kiss of Death."
	"But Shampoo wouldn't give it either," Cologne thought, 
narrowing her eyes, "Mink's village is still within Joketsuzoku 
lands. She is not an outsider. And she fights to avenge her 
family honor. Nothing can stop an Amazon whose honor has been 
blemished." Turning to Shampoo, she said, "Give it all you've got, 
great-granddaughter. She'll be a tough opponent."
	"Shampoo ready, great-grandmother. No let her win."
	"Okay," Mink whipped out her hands. Suddenly, she reared up 
and stood on a one-legged fighting stance, holding a hand mirror 
in her right and a glass sword in her left, the latter being 
lifted over her head. Shampoo nodded and also reared back, 
putting her garnet in her clothes and taking out a pair of 
bonbori. "Fight me, Shampoo!" Mink bellowed.
	"If you want to lose..." the Amazon replied, then pulled back 
and shot forward in a purple blur, crackling with Silver streaks. 
Mink waited until the last possible second, then initiated her 
first attack:
	"Diamond Ring Effect!" she called, whipping her mirror in a 
circle to reflect a ring of light, then tilting the item to blind 
Shampoo. Losing her sight momentarily, she couldn't see Mink leap 
away while leaving the tree behind her.
	"Ouch," Akane grimaced as Shampoo slammed into the trunk.
	"Now..." she rubbed her head, "Now you pay!" charging her 
bonbori with magic, she flung it with incredible speed at Mink, 
who hadn't yet descended from her leap. Holding the sword upside 
down, she sliced through the round mace and slashed down, "Blow 
Cross!" she shouted, slicing with her mirror side-to-side 
afterwards. The light, reflected by both the glass sword and the 
mirror was suddenly focused into a cross of light that Shampoo 
barely avoided.
	"Ha! Moon Shield!" she brought her hands upwards to create 
the silvery sphere, then dashed for her opponent. Mink threw a 
trio of prisms into the wall before somersaulting over Shampoo. 
But this time, she was kicked hard in her lumbar vertebrae as 
Shampoo delivered a thrust kick to her back, then followed with 
an overhead bonbori slam. Mink rolled away at the last second, 
then whipped her sword at Shampoo. As swift as ever, Shampoo 
pushed down with her round weapon, hitting the flat of Mink's 
sword and forcing it down. But Mink wasn't as physically strong 
as Shampoo, she lost her grip on her weapon and was nearly 
brought down altogether. Noticing, Shampoo quickly thrust her 
bonbori into the ground, crushing the sword completely, and 
tightened her grip on the mace's handle, handstanding on it and 
flipping to bring her heels into Mink's head. Smirking, Mink ducked 
exactly next to the bonbori, Shampoo's own body protecting her. 
Bouncing up, she caught Shampoo from behind and leapt into the 
air, trying to follow with an air-suplex. But as they fell, upside 
down, Shampoo flung her upper body towards her feet, her 
momentum pulling Mink along. They crashed into the ground, Mink 
cushioning Shampoo perfectly but being relieved of air at the 
same time. Shampoo disentangled herself from Mink and dashed for 
her bonbori. Mink, while still weak, threw a quartet of prisms to 
another wall, then leapt to her feet and retrieved her two 
mirrors.
	"Haa!" she pounced forward, planting her mirrors on the 
ground and rolling, then she stretched her arms and legs to 
deliver a thrusting handstand-kick, powerful enough to shatter 
one of Shampoo's maces. Not fazed, Shampoo once more grabbed 
Mink's feet.
	Ah, but that wouldn't work now. Being noon, Shampoo was 
nearly blinded as the mirrors on the shoes' soles reflected the 
sunlight straight into her eyes. Staggering back for a minute, 
she released Mink, who put away her mirrors and crossed her 
arms before her, putting her palms on her shoulders.
	"You good," Shampoo admitted, "But not enough!" she dashed 
for Mink with the Chestnut fist, but throwing spear-hands 
instead of punches. Standing still, Mink narrowed her eyes and 
suddenly spread her arms.
	"Hummingbird Wave!" she shouted, fluttering her arms so 
rapidly they became invisible. The Amaguri-ken was effectively 
blocked by Mink's technique, much to Cologne's bewilderment and 
Akane and Mousse's awe. Finally, Mink grabbed both of Shampoo's 
wrists and smirked.
	"Steel Talons Veritas!" she shouted, leaping up and whipping 
out a front kick to Shampoo's gut, then bringing in her other leg 
and kneeing her in the chest, finally to extend that leg and kick 
Shampoo away just as she released her wrists.
	"Steel Talons?" Cologne wondered. No human school had such 
a technique. Meanwhile, Akane gasped in realization. Mink was 
beginning to use the Stymphalian techniques! If Lavos himself 
couldn't counter them, what would Shampoo do?!
	Mink threw another set of prisms to one of the tree's 
lower branches, then to the middle of the trunk. Turning back to 
Shampoo, she gasped silently when she noticed that her last kick 
had been perfectly blocked by a small Silver shield of Shampoo's 
creation.
	"Yes, you very good," Shampoo smirked mischievously, "You 
good opponent, too bad you no win!" her voice grew louder as she 
suddenly waved her hands before her, as if polishing a window. 
"SilverStrike!" she yelled, her palms shot out two large orbs of 
Silver energy. Mink gulped and leapt upwards, then crossed her 
arms again and shouted, "Hidden Weapons Master!"
	"EEEHH?!" Mousse stared widely at her. Mink spread her arms 
to release a volley of strange weapons, ranging from maces to 
axes to steel claws and a yo-yo. Shampoo tried not to laugh 
while she cleaved the weapons' chains with a Silver magic blade, 
then prepared for another SilverStrike.
	Not out of tricks yet, Mink took out her mirrors and spun 
her hands, making the mirrors circle around an axis. The light 
reflected was cast off through tiny glimmers, like stars, as she 
now waved her arms around, creating a trail of glimmers in 
midair. Suddenly, forming a constellation in front of her, she 
made her mirrors face each other and channelled ki into them, 
creating a bright white ball between the facing mirrors.
	"Ryuuza Suisei Senkou!" she yelled, shooting out a 
Shishihokodan-wide comet of energy that cancelled out Shampoo's 
SilverStrike and nearly crushed her against the wall. Using her 
shield to fight off the Dragon Constellation Comet Flash, 
Shampoo used all her might to push before leaping away, the 
comet crashing through the wall behind her and leaving a gaping 
hole in it. Before Shampoo could even blink, Mink tossed a myriad 
of prisms at the hole, lining all of its edge with perfect 
crystals.
	"Why crazy girl toss crystals at walls?" Shampoo wondered, 
"Better destroy them before she use them." Lifting her hand, she 
charged it with a bright Silver glow and aimed at the wall, 
sending out a full blast of light. Mink panicked for half a 
second. She quickly removed her elbow pads, tossing them at the 
wall. Shampoo's blast was reflected away by the inner surface of 
the pads and hit into the ground instead.
	"As long as she have mirrors she fight!" Shampoo thought, 
"Shampoo have to take away mirrors!"
	She quickly dashed for Mink, leaping up to avoid another 
Diamond Ring strike, and crosskicked her along her torso, 
knocking away her mirrors. Before Mink could retaliate, Shampoo 
kicked the ground and smeared dirt on Mink's shoes, hindering 
their powers of reflection while she grabbed the hand mirrors, 
tossing them away afterwards.
	"I no beat even if mirrors gone!" Mink suddenly whipped her 
head in circles, finally nodding forcefully towards Shampoo. As it 
turned out, the silver ball that contained the end of her pigtail 
was actually a massive steel weight, which she used to slam into 
the ground where Shampoo once stood.
	"Scorpion Tail!" she bellowed, once more nodding towards 
Shampoo, who lifted an arm to block. But the ball swung straight 
into her arm, bruising it severely. Shampoo cried out and 
clutched her arm, clenching her teeth. Ready for the next attack, 
she released herself and caught the steel ball with her open 
palm, halting it perfectly.
	"Now you see!" Shampoo said grimly, pulling, Mink shrieked as 
her hair was pulled, then flicked her wrists and a large crystal 
came out of each of her gloves. Mink flung them at Shampoo, 
exploding upon impact in a cloud of gem dust. Startled, Shampoo 
stepped back and pulled the stell ball right off, releasing Mink's 
hair from it. Coughing, she took her bonbori from her Wormhole 
Arsenal (tm) and reared back.
	"Aiyaaa!" she shouted as she rushed Mink.
	"You no beat me!" Mink shouted back, grabbing the loose end 
of the scarlet ribbon that kept her pigtail braided. She pulled it 
loose, releasing her lush blond hair, and snapped it at Shampoo's 
weapons. The ribbon suddenly cracked like a whip, ensnaring the 
handle of one mace. Shampoo hadn't seen it, Mink took the chance 
to pull the ribbon over her head, pulling Shampoo along.
	"Aiyaa!" she yelled again as she sailed over Mink, landing 
near Akane. Snarling, she got to her feet and began to charge a 
massive aura of Silver magic.
	"The fight end!" Mink threatened, crossing her arms in the 
same way as before and standing perfectly straight. She closed 
her eyes, lifiting her chin as in rapture. Shampoo blinked at her 
odd behavior. But Shampoo was smart. She knew that Mink was 
about to try something devastating, and she couldn't just rush 
in to try to stop her. If she did, she would put herself right in 
Mink's hands. Instead, she gazed at one of the many prisms Mink 
had (seemingly) randomly tossed. Hmmm...
	"Hah!" she aimed her finger at the prism. A shaft of light 
was sent forth, hitting the crystal. But Mink was also smart. 
That had only been a decoy, as it blew up in an orange cloud. 
"Now!" Mink thought to herself, noticing Shampoo's surprise.
	"_Feng_  no musume no waza...! Tenshin Sekiyou!!"
	_EVERYTHING_ became orange as Mink's true aura manifested 
itself, expanding to cover the entire city block.
	"What the..." a lonely bird, pristine white and as large as a 
condor, wondered upon seeing the aura. But it took this event to 
take Crystallus out of his train of thought. For some reason he 
did not comprehend, he couldn't think about anything else but 
Shugo-kou, in both her avian and human shape. And for another 
reason, he couldn't help blushing slightly at her memory. He was 
just considering how to approach her when the cry came...
	Mink's entire body rose half a foot over the ground, 
casting off a powerful wind as it did. Mousse, Cologne and Akane 
had to push away to defend from this hot wind. Shampoo just 
pressed herself forward, fighting the assault. But the Chinese 
Phoenix' Daughter attack, the Imperial Setting Sun, hadn't even 
begun.
	Several shafts of golden light spread from the spot where 
Mink had been standing. Then the shafts aimed upwards, becoming 
a thick beam that engulfed Mink. With a roar, the shaft collapsed 
into a great sphere that descended upon the ground, indeed like 
a setting sun, until it disappeared completely into the earth, 
pulling Mink's aura along.
	"Phew..." Akane shook her head. "That... that was like 
Ryouga-kun's Shishi hoko-dan!"
	"M-Mink..." Mousse stared at her in disbelief.
	"Impossible..." Cologne stammered. But suddenly a dreadful 
memory came to her. Mink's father... he had been the only person 
to ever fall into the Spring of Drowned Phoenix. Could it be that 
the power was somehow transmitted from father to daughter?
	"It... over...?" a completely worn-out Mink got up on her 
hands and knees, panting. She weakly glanced at Shampoo, who was 
in a slightly worse condition as she was mildly burned.
	"I no... beat yet..." Shampoo scowled at her, summoning her 
strength, "Shampoo fight demons, fight monsters, and win! Shampoo 
no lose to you!" Gaining her second wind, she flung herself at 
Mink, who closed her eyes, "I wish I no have to do this..."
	She aimed a small pen-light to a prism on the wall.
	Suddenly an entire web of lasers was strewn from prism to 
prism, trapping Shampoo inside the vacant lot. Like a butterfly 
trapped in a spider's web, Shampoo couldn't even move. "I no 
wanted to hurt you," Mink said calmly, standing up, "But maybe I 
have to win by knocking you out..." she clenched her fist, tossing 
a prism at the first to knock it down, The lasers were 
dissipated immediately. But even before Shampoo could retailate, 
Mink's Hummingbird Wave sped for her head...
	"No," Mousse calmly took Mink's fists, suddenly stopping her. 
"You have already won. Do not hurt her."
	"Mousse-sama?" Mink blinked in confusion. Confusion that 
quickly became admiration, for he had stopped her from making a 
grave mistake.
	"Shampoo no need Mousse's protection!" she angrily stomped 
her foot on the ground. Mousse slowly turned to her, "Let it 
be."
	"Mousse, you're breaking almost every principle of our law!" 
Cologne chided, "Let this battle continue at once!"
	"Not if it will hurt either of them," he replied, gazing so 
sternly at Cologne even she was thrown aback. Mink sighed at 
him, he was sincerely worried about her...
	"Mink won already," Mousse said, "According to our law, when 
a warrior gains an advantage of life or death over her 
opponent, she wins immediately. When Mink used her laser web, she 
could have easily killed Shampoo. She is the victor."
	"You mean it, Mousse-sama?" Mink's eyes were glazing.
	"You stupid...!" was all that Shampoo could say through her 
anger, "And Mousse say he love Shampoo?!?!"
	"Eh?" Mink was brought out of her dream by her words.
	"It is because I love you that I cannot see you get hurt 
senselessly," he replied.
	"Ah..." Mink heard that with crystal clarity. "M-Mousse-
sama... You... love Shampoo?" her voice trembled slightly.
	"Mink, you too?" Akane thought, "Do you love Mousse?"
	He gulped loudly, recognizing at once the ring in Mink's 
voice. She couldn't... No, she couln't... Could she? Love... him?
	"I-I..." he stretched his words, trying to escape having to 
answer, "I do."
	Even Crystallus, flying overhead, could hear Mink's heart 
shatter to one thousand, three hundred and seventy two pieces.
	Witout another word, Mink staggered back, away from 
Shampoo, away from Mousse, away from _everyone_. With a cry, 
she ran away, fleeing the vacant lot in grief. Akane stared at 
her in shock for a second before running after her. But she 
stopped on her tracks to scowl viciously at Mousse and Shampoo, 
"You don't even know what love means." Not even deigning to look 
at them, she took of in pursuit of Mink, calling her name.
	"M-Mink... I'm so sorry..." Mousse clenched his fist, lowering 
his head in shame.
	"Stupid girl loved Mousse?" Shampoo shrugged, puzzled.
	"Takes an idiot to love another," Cologne grinned evilly.
	Mousse scowled at them, silently quieting them, and slowly 
walked back to the Nekohanten.

			*	*	*

	Kasumi happily prepared dinner, humming a simple tune. Akane 
and Mink had left a few hours ago, but she wasn't worried. They 
probably had gone to Ranma's house or simply gone out for a 
walk. But twilight was soon to come and she hoped they hurried 
so they wouldn't be late for dinner. And with Akane's cooking 
steady advances in the kitchen --Kasumi had finally gotten her 
to understand the difference between soy sauce and gravy, along 
with why you shouldn't use mustard on cakes-- it was a sure bet 
that Akane would want to help her with the meal.
	"Hm?" she suddenly felt a slight tug, almost timid, at her 
blouse. But the instant she turned, the tiny hand quickly darted 
away from her, as if afraid. "Oh, Shugo-kou!" Kasumi smiled 
motherly at her, although Shugo-kou's human body seemed to be 
about twenty years old. "What's wrong? Do you miss Mink?"
	The girl nodded, comprehending the language but unable to 
reply in kind. She felt her throat as she shrieked slightly, 
wondering if Kasumi could understand her as easily.
	And indeed she understood, as she usually payed more 
attention to the feelings transmitted than the words pronounced, 
"No, I'm sure she's all right." Again she showed that sweet smile, 
"Mink's clothes really fit you. You look very pretty."
	Shugo-kou showed a brief, timid smile as she pulled her 
hands to her chest and then spread them out again. Kasumi 
giggled, Shugo-kou still moved her limbs as if they were wings. 
But she had learned to walk fairly quickly, she no longer tiptoed 
and now walked upright. But she still had to work on letting her 
arms go slack, though, and to avoid jerking her head when 
addressed. Other than that, her avian origins were not very 
obvious.
	"Mink will probably come a little later," Kasumi said, helping 
her put her hands down. Shougo-kou bent her elbows again, out 
of reflex. Kasumi straightened her arms again. Shugo-kou pulled 
them in again. After a few more tries, both women giggled at the 
game, with Shugo-kou snapping her hands at Kasumi excitedly. For 
a moment, she even forgot about her problems, ignoring her 
curse and using her new body to play happily with her friend. 
Kasumi noticed the effect that the game was having and stepped 
back, slowly waving her arms up and down as if flying. Shugo-kou 
shook her head and took Kasumi's hands with her own, stopping 
her. She then fluttered her arms, waving them forward in ovals 
and stretching her hands every so often, showing how a bird 
really flies.
	But as she did, she couldn't help recalling about a certain 
white phoenix. Kasumi saw, puzzled, how Shugo-kou's happy 
demeanor turned to slight sadness, and the hawk-woman 
eventually hung her head, no longer in the mood for games.
	"Shugo-kou..." Kasumi tried, but she was already skulking 
away, dragging her feet as she exited the kitchen. The elder 
Tendo sister sighed, she wanted to help but she knew Shugo-kou 
would be better left alone.
	She never even expected this. Shugo-kou had always been a 
hawk, and an exceptional one, at that. She had excellent 
eyesight, she was swift as a cobra and a great hunter. According 
to her progenitors' tales, Mink's father had once fallen into a 
spring, enabling him not only with vast power but also the 
ability to communicate with birds of prey. When she hatched from 
her egg, in a cozy nest settled on a perch outside Mink's home, 
she could feel the man's thoughts in her newborn mind. And he 
then realized she would be the perfect pet for his daughter, 
considering the poor girl had a lousy eyesight. Like a seeing-
eye dog, so to speak, but she gladly took to the lifestyle of a 
trained hawk. Mink had always been very generous with her 
through Shugo-kou's slight two years of age, equivalent to a 
seventeen-year old human. Always letting her soar over the 
richest hunting grounds, or fishing from the transparent lakes. 
And during winter, Mink even let her snuggle in her bedroom, 
perched on the posts of her bed. A truly admirable friendship 
had grown between the Amazon and her hawk, and the latter 
always considered Mink as an adoptive sister.
	Even when Mink was banished from her village, and Shugo-
kou's siblings made mockery of her, the hawk always defended her 
from the verbal assaults that Mink would receive, whether they 
came from bird or man. In fact, when Mink's brother tried to 
force her out of the house, Shugo-kou dove for him and left a 
nasty scar on his cheek. Mink, of course, was stunned at her 
behavior, but both human and avian families cast away the 
females. One, for being humilliated in a tournament that would 
have brought the clan back to ruling the Joketsuzoku. One, for 
attacking the very people who harbored the frail family of hawks. 
Both, for disgracing the honor of respectable families.
	It was then that the only friends and family they had were 
each other. Months and months of harsh, sometimes brutal 
training, lost amid the mountains of China. All the time, she 
watched over her master and sister, honoring her name of 
"Guardian Female Phoenix." Not once did she leave Mink's side, not 
only because she knew she would be helpless without Shugo-kou's 
sharp eyes, but also because she was her family. Hunger, 
blizzards, none could break Shugo-kou's loyalty towards Mink, who 
was always aware of the small hawk's feelings. But of course, as 
all training trips, their trek was full of dangers, not all of 
them caused by weather or Mother Nature.
	Thugs and barbarians were very threatening for a near-
blind beautiful girl. Also were goshawks and hunters for a young 
hawk. But Mink and Shugo-kou always defended each other. And 
still, that was months ago. For birds reach maturity fairly 
quickly, and Shugo-kou was two years old. Even though she could 
have easily gone astray with the rare hawks she was attracted 
to, her sisterly love for Mink was not something she would yield 
easily. She spurned many suitors, not without experiencing pain 
each time. She thought it would be easier when Mink also became 
a hawk, and the bonds between the two became stronger than 
steel when that happened. After all, they would be truly like 
sisters, and maybe they could even find those exotic royal 
eagles that flew by the other day. But then Mink fell for that 
Chinese man, and Shugo-kou's dreams of herself and Mink building 
avian families were brought down... until she found the phoenix.
	She sighed again at the thought of him, she was suddenly 
aware she had gone upstairs and was now standing on the 
balcony, looking out into the crimson shades of twilight. Nervous 
at first, she uncurled her arms and let them go slack, setting 
her hands on the railing. The soft winter breeze waved her lush 
brown hair, a strange feeling for somebody who used to have 
feathers. She opened her mouth slightly, still acting like a bird. 
Looking up at the sound of quacking, she saw a flock of ducks 
leaving the city. They were a bit too late, winter would arrive 
very shortly. But Shugo-kou could only keep her mind on the 
phoenix.
	She reformed his image on her mind. He was perfect. Strong, 
powerful, yet with a savage beauty, nobility that captivated her. 
She had never seen a bird like him. His glistening white 
feathers, the great wings that seemed to stretch forever. The 
majestic, lush tail and crest possessed by all phoeni were 
striking for her. For her, he looked like a great king, free and 
unbridled, noble and fierce.
	But she sighed. He probably wouldn't like her if she turned 
into a human. But then again, he was hit by the magical water 
also. Not only that, but the strange pill had made her normal 
body grow as large as him. She blushed mightily at the mere 
thought, but the blush was soon joined by a soft smile and a 
sigh.
	Looking up into the clouds, she closed her eyes and rose 
her hands up to her mouth, shrieking loudly. She attracted a 
couple of eagles, but none other. Breathing deeply again, she 
reared back and called once more.
	She never knew it, but Crystallus _did_ hear her summon. 
Puzzled for an instant, he wondered just what kind of human 
could imitate an avian mating call so beautifully. And yet there 
was a touch of sorrow in that call, like a piece of shrapnel 
that stabbed into his heart. To hear Shugo-kou's calls was a 
pleasure and a torture, all at once. A sad perfection he knew he 
had to find. Heeding the call, Crystallus changed his flight path 
and searched for the caller.
	Sighing deeply, Shugo-kou wondered if she could ever see 
her phoenix again. But her eyes opened widely as a realization 
came. They were staying at a nice house, with caring people that 
protected them. Despite her feelings for Mink, maybe she could 
leave for a little while, and look for him. Surely nothing bad 
would come from just a small flight around town. Excited, she ran 
back downstairs, still keeping her hands pressed against her 
torso. But when her small foot touched the base of the stairs, 
she gulped loudly.
	"Shu... Shugo-kou..." Mink said through her sorrow, her eyes 
filled with tears even as Akane tried to confort her. "He doesn't 
like me..." she said in sad Chinese. The hawk-woman hung her head 
in empathy, slowly walking towards her adoptive sister and 
rubbed her head against her, as she usually did as a hawk 
whenever Mink was blue. The Amazon, used to this treatment, 
stroked Shugo-kou's head, her hand adjusting from a small hawk's 
to a tall woman's.
	"But you... You also like somebody..." Mink said. She already 
knew of Shugo-kou's attraction towards the phoenix, but the 
spiritual bond they had formed let her sense exactly what 
Shugo-kou was almost going to do. "It's okay... Be selfish for a 
while. Akane-sama is trying to help."
	Shugo-kou perked her head at the comment. How could she 
forget about Mink, now that she was in so much pain? On top of 
that, she didn't want Akane to take her place either. Ignoring 
Mink's words, she rubbed her head against her once more.
	"Please, Shugo-kou," Mink lifted her face. She was used to 
simply lift a tiny beak with her fingers, but now she had to put 
both hands beneath Shugo-kou's cheeks to lift the silent face. 
"If you love that bird, go after him. I don't want to see you as 
sad as I am now." She smiled a little and pushed her away, "Go 
on, shoo!" she spread her hands outwards, motioning for her to 
leave. Still hesitating, Shugo-kou turned to Akane for 
reassurance.
	"Don't worry, I'll help Mink. You go on and find Crystallus."
	So that was his name, she thought. How beautiful...
	Nodding, Shugo-kou dashed outside, throwing her clothes 
away as she dashed for the bathroom, throwing away her clothes 
almost at the same time as she splashed into the tub.
	Soun just blinked as a beautiful woman stripped herself and 
leapt into the bath with him. A large hawk came out, shaking the 
warm droplets off her downy and taking off through the open 
window. Soun stared forward blankly.
	Brrr. Shugo-kou shivered slightly as she soared over 
Nerima, the cool breeze brushing her wet feathers. She could 
hear many other mating calls erupt all around her as she passed 
by the eagles and the ducks, but she ignored them, leaving 
several crying birds behind. Those idiots. How could they even 
try to woo her when she was four times larger than them? She 
whipped her head all around, using her pinpoint-accurate eyesight 
to scan the skies and land. Shoot, nothing but small birds and 
pigeons. But maybe her beloved wasn't in town... Narrowing her 
wings, she dove like an arrow, building up speed before opening 
her wings fully again, gliding swiftly towards Mt. Fuji.
	Crystallus didn't know what to make of it. According to his 
senses, the call had come from the Tendo house. He was there, 
but where was the sad caller? Muttering at what he was about 
to do, he closed his eyes and dove for the pond.
	"Kyaaaa! Ecchi!"
	"Hm?" a human Crystallus blinked at Nabiki, puzzled. What 
was wrong, he had simply turned human... Oh. He had forgotten how 
human beings tend to act nervously when seeing another human 
naked. Good grief, these humans were so unnatural... Rolling his 
eyes, he ignored Nabiki's scream and covered himself with the 
table's footwarmer.
	"Did you happen to hear a loud shriek?" he asked to Nabiki, 
who had calmed down enough to threaten with a lawsuit.
	Shugo-kou was far away now, having reached the forest 
already. One thing was for sure: she loved these larger wings. 
Granted, she was even faster with her smaller body, but now she 
could glide farther without growing tired.
	"Eh?" a strange man, not very Asian-looking, looked up from 
amid the trees. "Good golly! That's gotta be da biggest o' them 
birdies I've e'er seen!"
	The poacher grinned, crouching to get a better angle, and 
aimed his rifle at Shugo-kou.

			*	*	*

	Flying towards Mt. Fuji, Crystallys felt a dagger cleave his 
heart as he heard a hawk shrieking in pain. Up ahead, he saw the 
beauty of Shugo-kou plummet to the forest.
	And the shriek stopped.

			*	*	*

	"Got it! Got it!" the poacher danced in joy, "Clifford, go 
get that birdie!" The droopy-faced dog barked in response.
	"No!" Crystallus bellowed and shrieked, becoming a white 
bolt as he shot towards Shugo-kou's limp form. In his dive, he 
felt a sharp sting on his chest, casually looking down at the 
bullet hole he suddenly sported.
	The poacher had shot him.
	The _poacher_.
	It's said that a dragon has a "gekirin," a certain spot that 
angers it to no end. Espers have something similar to that, 
called a "Clim." If you want to make Mireillia angry, you just 
have to touch her. Or hurt Nadir's horns. Or worse yet, you can 
hurt one of the twins and see what Phaeron thinks of it. But 
when it comes to Crystallus, you better make a break for it if 
you're a poacher.
	Crystallus shrieked in battle as he dive-bombed the man, 
claws glimmering. His speed was so great he could tear open the 
poacher's shirt, melt the cannon of his rifle, leave a permanent 
scar on his back and scare away the dog before the hawk's body 
touched the ground. Certain that he had done enough, Crystallus 
shot towards her and gasped as the beauty before him hit the 
ground hard, then idly rolled down a slope and splashed into the 
river.
	"Ah!" Crystallus had no time to think as he dove into the 
river, feeling the change almost instantly. He swam downstream, 
but after seeing nothing he dove into the depths of the river, 
fixing his eyes on the beautiful woman that slowly sank to the 
bottom. Using every bit of magic and strength in him he hurried 
towards her, taking her cold body in his arms and 
instantaneously using his Silver to rise above the waters.
	"Phew..." he sighed as he carefully set her down on the 
shore, examining her for injuries. He gasped, the wound was 
located mere inches below her human heart. He winced as he 
noticed that, despite being hit as a hawk, her left breast was 
pierced and bleeding profusely. Ignoring the fact that they were 
both human and naked, he clenched his right fist and sat down, 
placing her on his lap while he held her with his left.
	"Green Wind!" he summoned, opening his right hand. A strong 
beam flowed from his palm and towards her, the warm aura of 
green spreading to cover all of her body. He concentrated, the 
bullet slid out of her chest and the external wound sealed. But 
her lung was a mess, the vena cava had been compromised by the 
bullet. Clenching every muscle in his body, Crystallus changed 
back to a bird and shouted, "Esper Fusion!" In a flash of light, 
his body became crystal and he split into the separate parts of 
the Armor, covering her with the boots, gauntlets, torso, helmet 
and wings, hiding her nudity completely. Concentrating once more, 
he surrounded her with a soft aura of Light magic at the call 
of "White Phoenix," his Esper technique.
	Several minutes passed, but he could feel no life in the 
cold body he was covering. He began to feel a deep cold 
spreading inside him as she did not stir. "Please, don't die," he 
pleaded, receiving deadly silence for an answer. Unable to 
repress it any longer, the eyes on the Crystal Armor's helmet 
cried.
	"Uhhh..."
	And they kept crying, out of relief instead.
	"You're safe!" the Armor cried in joy. Fluttering her 
eyelids, Shugo-kou moaned slightly and tried to focus. It took 
her a moment to realize she was human once more, and there was 
a crystalline suit covering her. "Ah!" she opened her eyes widely.
	"Yes, you're safe," the helmet smiled in relief and glowed, 
as did the rest of the Armor as Crystallus left her body and 
reformed himself beside her. Shugo-kou stared widely at him, 
leaning closer to make sure he was no dream. But he was real. 
Very real, as she proved when she shrieked in happiness. 
Crystallus blushed and looked away. Shugo-kou took him by 
surprise and hugged him. With her sitting down, he was larger, 
she easily buried her face in his warm feathers. Crystallus 
blushed even more, but slowly gave in and opened one wing to 
return the hug. Slowly, Shugo-kou released him and bobbed her 
head backwards, standing up and "closing her wings." Crystallus 
entire head turned red as he gazed upon her human perfection. 
Noticing his stare, she smiled a little and crouched on tiptoe, 
cocking her head to one side. Crystallus nearly melted as he saw 
how cute she looked in that position. Smiling again, she looked 
closely at him, examining the lush beauty of the phoenix before 
her. She also blushed, becoming familiar with the sensation on 
her face.
	"I... here," being a crystal-based creature, Crystallus had 
access to the four elemental forces. He created a little water 
then heated it with Fire, changing her back.
	The hawk and the phoenix stared into each other's eyes, 
unsure what to do next. Shugo-kou slowly walked towards him, 
ready to take off after him if necessary. But Crystallus didn't 
move an inch. The truth is, he had never seen such beauty 
before. He was still very timid when it came to dealing with 
females. Because of that, he desperately wanted to flee, to just 
watch her from afar. But he controlled himself. He would never 
even meet her if he flew away again. Gathering his courage, he 
opened his beak to talk in avian language.
	"Wha... What's your name?" he asked through a series of shy 
chirps.
	"Sh... Shugo-kou..." she replied, also timidly, "You... You're 
called Crystallus?"
	"Yes," he nodded, running out of conversation topics.
	"Y-you... saved me?"
	"Uh, yes," he replied. "A-are you all right?"
	"Yes," she turned away slightly, sighing, "Thank you."
	"It's my job," Crystallus said, "I didn't want to see you 
hurt."
	"Thank you," Shugo-kou said again, "Oh! You're hurt!" she 
looked at the bullet hole that blemished his whiteness.
	"Eh? Oh, it's nothing," he pecked at his own wound, taking 
out the bullet in his beak and regenerating the flesh. Shugo-kou 
stared awestruck at his actions.
	"How did you do that?"
	"I... uh, I'm an Esper," he replied, hoping she wouldn't be 
scared off by that.
	"Esper?" Shugo-kou wondered, "What's that?"
	"A creature made of magic," Crystallus said, a hint of pride 
showing in his voice. "That's why I turned into a suit of armor."
	"Then I'm an Esper too?" Shugo-kou referred to her curse.
	"No, you're not an Esper," he blushed before adding, "You're 
a beautiful hawk."
	"Oh, thank you," Shugo-kou thanked yet again, noticing that 
her face could blush as a bird also. Crystallus noticed the 
slight red beneath her brownish feathers and smiled, blushing in 
sympathy.
	"You... you're very attractive..." Shugo-kou looked away from 
him, avoiding his gaze. But she didn't need to, Crystallus had 
melted to a feathery puddle. He was _happy_.
	"Where... do you live?" he asked, reforming himself.
	"Somewhere called Tendo dojo."
	"You live there?" Crystallus smiled broadly, "Then you're 
living with that blond girl, right? And you know Akane!"
	"Uh-huh," she nodded, cheering inwards as she realized she 
had said something useful. "And you...?"
	"Oh, I don't have a home, actually..." he hung his head.
	"You could come with me!" Shugo-kou quickly said, "That is... 
if you'd like to live there..."
	"I... I'd love to," Crystallus stared at her. Certainly Akane 
wouldn't mind, but he would have to ask for permission first, of 
course.
	"You know..." Shugo-kou was almost too shy to continue, 
"I've been looking for you... Since the day when Mink fought..."
	Crystallus turned his stare to a gawk, "You were that 
pretty hawk?" Shugo-kou blushed deeper, "I changed a little..."
	"Then you're also..." before continuing, Crystallus looked at 
the heavens and thanked God for this chance, "You're the pretty 
hawk that swallowed that pill! And you were splashed with 
Nyannichuan water!"
	"I..." Shugo-kou turned away, wishing he wouldn't be bothered 
by her change.
	"I don't know what I did to deserve this, but thank you!" 
Crystallus thought, looking upwards, "Don't worry. I change to 
human too."
	"Really?" Shugo-kou perked up.
	"Look," he said, clenching his muscles again. In a puff of 
feathers, he became a tall, silver-haired man of about twenty. 
Shugo-kou opened her beak in awe before being splashed by 
Crystallus' Water magic. Sneezing at the cold, she shivered a bit 
and stood up, her hands still attached to her torso. Crystallus 
took them, straightening her arms. She giggled a bit, recalling 
the game with Kasumi a while back. Crystallus felt his heart 
soar when she giggled.
	"You want to change back?" he asked. She started to nod, 
but then recalled something that she had seen other humans do. 
She smiled timidly and shook her head, resting her hands on his 
chest and leaning her head against him. She didn't understand why 
humans did this, but it felt good. She sighed.
	Crystallus thought he was going to cry.
	"It does feel warm," Shugo-kou thought, "I like this. He's so 
perfect. And he doesn't mind me turning into a human." She looked 
up at his face, "He looks so happy. Maybe he likes me..." she 
sighed and rested her head against him once more.
	"I'll spend the rest of my life thanking you," Crystallus 
looked upwards. "N-now?" Shugo-kou nodded slowly. He created a 
faint dew around her. She shivered slightly at the cold, but his 
magic warmed the water. Her wings snapped back to covering her 
torso, although her head was still resting on Crystallus' avian 
shoulder.
	"Hm?" he noticed a bright glimmer travel through the orange 
skies.
	"A shooting star!" Shugo-kou said, looking up. "Hm," she 
thought, "A little too late. I already have my wish."
	"Yes, me too," Crystallus smiled, using his telepathy to 
hear her thoughts.
	"What a wonderful day..." she thought, feeling her eyes 
growing tired. So she missed dinner, who cares? She was feeling 
sleepy, but she only wanted to stretch this moment forever.
	"So, where did you come from?" Crystallus asked.
	Shugo-kou sighed sadly, "From China. And you?"
	"It's a long story," Crystallus smirked. "Let's just say I'm 
over 1500 years old."
	Shugo-kou blinked at his statement. But somehow, something 
deep inside her, hidden in the back of her head, made her 
understand. It was as if the spirit inside the water had given 
her precise memories about what had happened 1500 years ago in 
China. And those memories made her love Crystallus even more.
	Crystallus looked tenderly at her, once more hearing those 
thoughts. If Ranko and Phaeron knew that Ranko's lost memories 
were held by Shugo-kou...
	"Come on," he said, walking away from her.
	"Hm?"
	"Follow me," he said, spreading his wings and nearly 
blindidng her with their majesty. Shrieking happily, she complied 
and spread her own wings, following him as he took off into the 
darkening skies. Silently, the pair soared towards Mt. Fuji, 
settling down on a large rocky protrusion, where Crystallus had 
built a small nest, big enough only for him.
	"Would you like to be able to change back and forth into a 
human?" Crystallus asked. She recalled how wonderful she felt 
when she rested against him and nodded, hiding a tiny smile. 
Smirking, he became human and concentrated. This time, his new 
body became crystal. He took a stone and clenched his fist, 
creating a Brindel Lodestone. He changed back to a white bird 
and gave the stone to Shugo-kou.
	At first, she thought of the glowing stone as a present, 
something she would value. But the instant she grasped it with 
her claw the Brindstone hummed and flashed. It became an 
emerald.
	"Emerald represents love," Crystallus explained, blushing. 
"Concentrate on turning into a human."
	Nodding, she closed her eyes, still holding the emerald in 
her claw. Suddenly, the magic of Jusenkyo was overrun and she 
changed, finding the emerald beneath her foot. She smiled 
excitedly. When he asked her to turn back, she easily became a 
hawk again. Not only that, but even in her hawk shape she could 
switch back and forth between her original size and her new, 
larger body. Upon becoming smaller, she hopped towards 
Crystallus and rubbed her tiny head against him, although he was 
towering over five times larger than she was. Ignoring their 
size, she took the emerald in her beak and put it inside the 
nest. Crystallus lied down on the cold stone, snuggling his head 
between his shoulders. Shrieking slightly, Shugo-kou set down 
beside him and snuggled up to him, his massive body providing 
more than enough warmth for her. Sighing, she looked at the moon 
before closing her eyes.
	Mother Nature smiled upon them, their natural love let them 
sleep in absolute innocence.

			DAY 12

	"You tell her."
	"Why me? It was _you_ who, um, 'did it.'"
	"But I only went to the bathroom!"
	"You didn't exactly get 'one' or 'two'..."
	"Very funny. But please! _You_ tell her!"
	"Wow. I've never seen you beg. Let me get a camera!"
	"This is already hard for me to admit, okay?"
	"If you can't tell her, why should I?"
	"But you're the feminine one!"
	"So what? You're the tomboy one."
	"Just because I'm outspoken..."
	"I'll say. Speaking with your fists more often than with 
your mouth."
	"Shut up. Besides, _you're_ the one who's into girly stuff."
	"You're a girl too, remember? And um, _this_ happens to all 
girls."
	"But this is too weird for me!"
	"Oh, all right... I'll tell her. But you owe me. BIG."
	"I know, I know..."
	Nodoka tasted the meal she was making, smiling at the 
flavor. Too bad her daughters weren't around, they both seemed 
very eager to help her fix dinner, now that they were twelve 
years old. But the twins were nowhere on sight.
	"M-mom?" she turned to the door at the hesitant call. Any 
normal person would have troubles distiguishing one from 
another, but Nodoka's motherly instincts let her discern her two 
daughters perfectly. Small details, like Yuannyan's longer hair 
and Ranko's thinner pigtail, were easily seen by her eyes.
	"Yes, Yuan-chan?"
	"Well, uh..." she fiddled with her hands. As if hiding behind 
her, Ranko was red as a beet. She poked her twin in the ribs, 
making Yuannyan wince slightly, "Oneechan! I said I'd do it!"
	"Do what, dear?" Nodoka turned her full attention to them, 
embarassing them even further. Ranko blushed even more and 
Yuannyan became nervous.
	"Well, it's like this..." Yuannyan started, "A little while ago, 
oneechan felt strange and went to the bathroom... But the water 
in the toilet ended up all red and everything..."
	Nodoka's eyes widened in pleased surprise. "Ah! My little 
girls are growing up!" she said, taking them in a crushing hug. 
Then she blinked, and detached herself from her green-faced 
daughters. She stared at their chests. "Oh my. You're _really_ 
growing up. But maybe you can finally wear this!" she pulled a 
piece of clothing from thin air.
	"NOOO!!!" Ranko screamed in shock before fainting.
	"Oneechan, it's only a bra!"

			*	*	*

	A lonely girl skulked across the empty streets before her. 
Many gasped at her beauty, but she was oblivious to all. As the 
sun played with the reflections on her glistening hair, Mink could 
only sigh in sadness, the sadness of a love she never gained, 
but lost just as well.
	"Why did I even have to meet him?" Mink thought, pushing up 
her glasses. "Well, I already defeated Shampoo. Maybe I better go 
back home and forget everything here..." She stopped her pace, 
slowly lifting her head to gaze at the clear blue sky. The 
sunlight broke into many small reflections as it hit her green 
eyes, making her flutter her eyelids.
	"The weather doesn't even fit my mood right now..." she 
thought, looking down once more. She brought a fist to her 
chest, above her heart, almost feeling its pain. But she shook 
her head. Before being banished, she had many suitors in her 
village. Maybe she should just give them a chance and forget 
about Mousse, even though those suitors never gave her a 
second glance when she was cast away. But now, with her as the 
victor, and even with a letter signed by Cologne (not without 
many curses and mutters, of course,) she would prove her family 
that she had restored her honor.
	She was finally going home. She hadn't seen her parents in 
such a long time she had almost forgotten what family life was 
like. Granted, the Tendos had taken her into their own family 
very quickly, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to see her real 
parents.
	But even as she tried to cheer herself up with such 
thoughts, she couldn't help thinking that, in a way, she was still 
defeated. Shampoo had already won the heart of the only man she 
loved, and Mousse never did as much as call her to see if she 
was all right. Once more, her nemesis had emerged victorious 
over her, leaving Mink powerless to do anything. If only there 
was a way, a way to fight back... What could she do, when she 
didn't even speak the language correctly? She was in a different 
country, with different laws, and she had no idea about what she 
could try.
	Sighing, she thought about that place, the "Nekohanten." Cat 
Cafe it was called also, and it was where Shampoo worked and 
lived. Lucky girl, she could see Mousse every day. Even if she 
didn't show any signs of being attracted to him, Shampoo was 
surely very happy with him as a suitor. Mink sighed, if only she 
could get her own place, her own money, Mousse would see she 
was as able as Shampoo when it came to making a living.
	The clouds gathered as it began to rain. _Now_ the weather 
matched her feelings. But she let the rain drench her, she was 
turned into a hawk and simply flew on top of a streetlight, 
watching over her clothes so nobody stole them.
	She sighed again, this time also in sadness. Forget those 
dreams. She would never find a way to get her own place in this 
city. Not without spending the rest of her life working so she 
could _begin_ to afford the land, given Tokyo's land value. What's 
the use. Let's just go back to China and put everything behind.

			*	*	*

	"Muuu!"
	"Can't do better than that?!" Rouge taunted, tossing a 
fireball at the winged minotaur. Narrowing his eyes, Pantyhose 
Taro took a frying pan from Panspace and batted the fireball 
back at her. She just flew out of the way, using her six arms to 
send six lightning bolts while she spewed flames from her mouth. 
Taro's eyes widened at the assault, then he swooped downwards 
and avoided the blasts, flying back up and ensnaring Rouge's 
arms with his tentacles. He reared back his fists. Smirking, 
Rouge heated herself up and produced a powerful aura, then 
transmitted it to Taro. The rain was warmed up and he became 
human, falling to the ground. But the aura also heated the 
droplets over Rouge, she turned back to a normal, overly-demure 
girl. Taro scowled at her.
	"Kyaaaaaaaa! Ecchi!"
	"Will you stop saying that?!" he bonked her, covering 
himself with the clothes thay were just laying about on the 
street. Above them, a hawk shrieked.
	"Kyaaaaaa! Cross-dresser!"
	"Wha..." Taro looked at himself, then yelped as he noticed 
he was wearing female Chinese clothes. He tossed them away, 
drawing yet another cry from Rouge, and jumped out of the warm 
aura. "Muuu!"
	"Kyaaaaaa!" Taro was getting sick of Rouge's screaming, but 
the newest version of her scream came because he was chasing 
her, lifting his tentacles to release a Saiyajin blast.
	Mink felt something burn inside her. Despite her own 
feelings, there was no way on Earth she would let that maniac 
monster hurt that innocent girl. Shrieking in challenge, she took 
off in pursuit. Several sharp crystals appeared between her 
feathers as she readied the attack.

	"Everything is ready, master."
	"Good, good. I will come back in a few days."
	"Oh, Shutaro! Take care!"
	"Grandfather, get a hold of yourself!" Mendo pried the old 
man off him, "I'm only going to check how our family enterprises 
take over those American companies!" Opening his umbrella, Mendo 
walked out the door, heading for the helicopter.
	"But you can't go anywhere with this weather!" his 
grandfather shouted.
	"Oh?" Mendo realized he was right. He simply took a cellular 
from his pocket and called somebody. Within five seconds, the 
clouds cleared and sunshine came down instead of rain. "Hmph. 
Five seconds. Those fools are getting slow with their weather 
control."

	"HA!" Rouge laughed loudly as she emerged from a fountain, 
six arms and three faces at the ready. Taro bellowed, punching 
her hard into the air. But suddenly several crystal daggers were 
digging deep into his side, he grimaced in pain. He took them out 
with his tentacles, then caught a glimpse of the hawk that 
followed him through the skies. He smirked, then aimed his palms 
at Mink.
	"I have you!" Rouge sent out a bolt of lightning that 
nearly fried him, then followed with a gush of flames that her 
three faces spewed. The second attack missed, but blazed right 
over Mink just as a woman from a balcony tossed out the 
dishwater.
	"Kyaaaa!" Mink screamed as she suddenly turned human and 
fell, luckily landing near the place where her clothes were. She 
quickly dressed and put on her glasses, chasing the flying 
chimera and six-armed woman.
	"Ready for take-off," the Mendo Enterprises pilot said, 
starting the heli's engine.
	"Muu!" Taro shot out a gigantic blast.
	"Yaah!" Rouge countered with a massive lightning.
	Both attacks met, then fused and shot straight down.
	"WAAAAH!" the pilot screamed as he saw a ki-lightning come 
straight for the helicopter. Mendo only saw him leap out of the 
cockpit and madly run for his life. Intrigued, Shutaro bent 
towards the window and looked up.
	"There's somebody in there!" Mink thought, dashing with 
unbelievable speed for the helicopter. She leapt over the Mendo 
Security guards and punched right through the main gates, her 
eyes fixed on the helipad.
	BOOM.
	A large orange cloud blazed over the private Mendo 
heliport.
	Rouge and Taro blinked, looking down at the damage they 
had caused, and quietly flew away.
	Mink coughed a few times, facing down on the ground. 
Opening her eyes, she was relieved to see the youth below her 
was still in one piece, maybe only a little dazed by her rescue. 
She put her glasses on properly, sitting back on the ground.
	"Eh...?" Mendo sat up, looking around. "Ah! My helicopter!"
	"You're all right!" his grandfather cried.
	"You fine?" Mink asked. He suddenly turned to her and 
blinked, puzzled. "Did you save me?" he _did_ wonder what that 
golden blur was when the blast hit. And her hair matched that 
color perfectly. He stood up, helping her to her feet, "I am 
deeply grateful, miss...?"
	"Mink," she replied timidly.
	"Mink? What a fine name..." Mendo held her hand, "Tell me, 
dear girl, what can I do to repay for your bravery?"
	"Huh?" she blinked, not sure she had heard right. "Oh, no 
need to thank! It all right!"
	"But surely there must be some way..." he smiled at her. 
She nearly melted in his hands. Straightening herself, she shook 
her head and smiled back, "It really all right. I like to help!"
	"Then your generosity _must_ be rewarded!" he insisted, 
"Just say the word, and you can have anything you want!"
	"Huh?"
	"Please, ask! I can give you anything your heart desires, 
to thank you for saving my life!"
	"Anything...?" she smirked mischievously, narrowing her eyes. 
"Okay, there only one thing I want..."

			DAY 13

	It is not a proven fact that many people experience an 
emotional storm during the 13th year of life. However, the lack 
of eveidence is not evidence of lacking such distraught feelings. 
This is actually due to the high amounts of hormones produced 
during his period, coupled with the so-called "discovery of the 
other sex." Indeed, it is a period of deep infatuation, although 
most people become emotionally obsessed with unreachable icons, 
such as movie stars or sports players. Still, when one loves a 
closer person, such as a girlfriend or a boyfriend, the 
infatuation reaches levels unheard of.
	Especially when it comes to this lovesick girl.
	Yuannyan's eyes were nearly blank as she stared into the 
sky, a sigh escaping her lips each minute with clockwork 
precision. In fact, Kasumi was timing her oven through Yuannyan's 
sighs. After fifteen of them, she took out the food.
	Another sigh.
	"You're driving me crazy, you know," Nabiki said.
	"Aaaah..."
	"One more and I'll sue."
	"Hmm...."
	"That's it," she stood up and planted herself in front of 
Yuannyan. With yet another sigh, she looked straight at the 
yellow buttons on Nabiki's blouse. "Just like Herb-chan's eyes..." 
And the blouse itself reminded her of his hair, the fabric even 
had a pair of blue stripes to match Herb's lines of blue hair. 
Yuannyan sighed for the umpteenth time.
	"Will you cut it out?" Nabiki said through a megaphone, 
receiving no anwer.
	"Come on, you know what she's going through," Akane said, 
smiling, as she came into the dining room. "I'm actually surprised 
she's not going head-over-heels. After all, they're going through 
this so quickly..."
	"What are they doing here, anyway? Why doesn't she goes to 
her house and sigh there?"
	"Ranko-chan wanted to train in the dojo," Akane replied, 
"She and Ranma are changing into their dougis right now. Besides, 
they're only two years younger than what we're used to. This'll 
be over in a couple of days."
	"Well, at least _that_ twin isn't going ga-ga for some guy," 
Nabiki crossed her arms, blinking as now Yuannyan was drawing 
Herb's name with her finger on the floor over and over and over.
	"Oh, I don't know..." Akane said, smiling briefly as she 
recalled the way Ranko had spent hours sighing at the sight of 
her emerald necklace. She denied it, of course, when Akane asked 
her what she was thinking about.
	"Nothing!" Ranko had quickly said, dropping the necklace. "I 
was just looking at my stone!"
	"Doesn't it have to do with someone else?" Akane asked, 
nudging her.
	"O-of course not!" Ranko spluttered, turning deep red. "You 
baka! What are you thinking?!"
	"And what's that?" Akane pointed at a crystalline glimmer on 
Ranko's finger, then at her wrist.
	"What do they have to do with anything?!" Ranko hurriedly 
hid her gold bracelet and the Wall Ring. "Look, if you're just 
gonna keep bothering me I'll go home!"
	"And watch that Rayearth tape again?" Akane giggled as 
Ranko both blushed and fumed, her face unable to decide which 
emotion to show.
	"Yeah, I wonder what she was thinking about..." Akane, back 
in the present, snickered.

			*	*	*

	"So, let's start!" Ranko fastened her belt, facing her 
brother in the dojo.
	"Heh. I'll go easy on you, after all you're a little girl..."
	"And I can take you on anytime, oniisan," she smirked, 
showing a small glint in her eyes.
	"Just remember, I wanna train because I've been working on 
a couple new techniques. So don't come crying to me saying that 
we don't use special techniques during training."
	"Don't worry. You'd never touch me anyhow," she reared her 
left leg back to a fighting stance, spreading her legs in a 
frontal half-step position and lifting her hands, palms facing 
downwards with her left at the same height as her face and the 
right protecting her chest. Ranma imitated her, but stretched his 
front leg and placed a fist a few inches above the knee, rearing 
the other hand over and behind his head.
	As they took battle postures, Akane wandered in, carrying 
a long cylindrical object in her hands. She didn't want to 
interrupt, so she just stood near the side wall and watched on, 
leaning Phaeron's staff against the wall.
	"Kyaa!" Ranko was the first to attack, leaping slightly for 
a front hop-kick. Ranma swerved back and grabbed her foot, 
pulling a little. Falling upside down, she pushed the floor with 
her hands and bounced back, nearly catching Ranma with a horse-
kick. As she landed, he quickly spun with a strong backfist. Her 
sixth sense told her to duck and she did, then stood up again 
and grabbed his arm, whipping around for an over-the-shoulder 
toss. At the last second he grabbed her other shoulder with his 
free hand, landing on his feet and reversing the throw. She flew 
into the wall, bouncing off it with a jumpkick. He rolled beneath 
her and darted a thrust kick at her back, which she simply 
twisted to avoid. Almost immediately he followed with the other 
leg, but she quickly held his knee with her right arm and pushed 
his chest with her left palm, sending him tumbling to the floor. 
He pushed off and stood up again, then sent a swift snake fist 
to her clavicle. She grabbed his hand again and fell back, 
planting her feet on his gut and hurling him with a leg toss. He 
landed on his feet again but was nearly smacked across the face 
by a roundhouse. He blocked, leaving himself wide open for her 
tripping kick.
	"Not bad, kiddo," he smirked, standing, "You're faster than I 
remember."
	"Thanks," she beamed, "So try this!" she darted for him with 
a flurry of kicks. From the sidelines, Akane barely managed to 
see a good forty percent of the 53 kicks she sent in under one 
and a half seconds. Ranma held his own, blocking most of them 
but having to duck to avoid the rest. Ranko noticed he had 
escaped and suddenly somersaulted backwards, then curled up and 
dropped with great force in a dropkick. Ranma sidestepped and 
tripped her, then came down with an elbow drop. Ranko rolled 
away but the floor next to her was hit by a fast punch, making 
her stop her roll and whip her legs up to strike Ranma. He 
grabbed her ankles and pulled her up.
	"Hey, look what I caught!" he said in victory, holding his 
sister upside down. "Leggo!" she squeaked, squirming out of his 
hands and landing on a handstand. She quickly dropped and 
grabbed his legs, pulling. He tumbled backwards again, then she 
pulled and stood up, spinning in circles and swinging Ranma 
around.
	"Wanna go for a spin?!" she said, letting go. He just 
bounced off the wall, landing next to Akane.
	"So, do we try 'em?" he asked.
	"Any time you're ready," Ranko replied.
	"Okay..." he reared his fists back, covering himself with an 
aura. "Haaaa... Wind Cracker!" he sent a flurry of spear-hands 
forward. His hands shot out many needles of light, piercing the 
air with a whistle. Ranko pulled her hands down to put up an 
aura shield, seeing the needles rippling as they hit her barrier.
	"Hmm... Needs a little work on range. Send your hands 
outwards just a bit." He obeyed, the needles shot out in a  
wider range. He ceased the attack. "What's next?" she asked.
	"Haaa..." he spread his legs, stretching them completely, and 
joined his palms over his head. His position shaped a triangle, 
with his hands at the peak. Suddenly, he slashed down with a 
hand. Then the other. The first hand slashed sideways. The three 
slashes shaped a triangle as well, a golden figure left by 
Ranma's ki. He reared his fists back.
	"Triad Blow!" he yelled, punching with both fists through the 
gold triangle. Three large golden fireballs were shot out towards 
her, she had to put up a strong shield to keep the balls from 
incinerating the dojo,
	"Hey, not bad," she said, "Considering you used magic..."
	"Nope," Ranma pointed at Akane, who was holding Ranma's 
belt with his Brindstone in it. Ranko gasped as she realized he 
had developed those techniques from his own skills.
	"O-oniisan..."
	"What? You're not the only one who's been working on ki 
techniques, y'know," he winked at her. "Ryuusei kyaku!" he 
shouted, leaping for her with their famous ki-jumpkick. She 
ducked and rolled away, then pressed forward, "White Touch!" 
Ranma was stuck to the wall, unable to move as her palms sent a 
steady flow of white ki. Fighting it, he opened his palms and 
aimed them at her, "Gray Touch!"
	"Whoa!" she was suddenly pulled towards him, then smirked 
and let him pull her in, stretching out a leg to kick him. He let 
go, twisting to avoid the blow.
	"When did you learn the Gray Touch?!" Ranko asked, sending 
a slicing kick for him.
	"I've seen you use it 'bout a dozen times. You'd think I'd 
learn from watching it." He blocked her foot and handsprung off 
it, leaping over her and landing to deliver a back kick. He 
spread out again, "Triad Blow!"
	"Hey, watch it!" she said, leaping between the fireballs.
	"Ranko-chan, here!" Akane flung something to her. Ranko 
caught it out of reflex, staring in silence at Phaeron's staff.
	"Heads up!" Ranma called, sending a head-height roundhouse 
for her. She quickly returned to Earth and ducked, then thrust 
the staff towards his gut. He caught the end and pulled her 
over him. She landed on her feet and reared back to a defensive 
stance, barely holding the staff in her hands. With the speed of 
lightning, she whipped her left hand forward and thrust with the 
right, hitting Ranma squarely in the gut. He smirked, "Score one, 
sis."
	"Heh," she smirked back, "Phaeron-kun's not the only one who 
uses staves." Suddenly, she sighed after saying that name.
	"Hm?" Ranma blinked at her while sending a simple punch. She 
never even saw it, he had to pull back just as it came one inch 
away from her face. "Yo, kid, what're you doing?"
	"Eh?" she came back to reality. "Oh, right. Here I come!" she 
sliced sideways with the staff. Ranma blocked. She immediately 
switched hands and brought the rear end of the staff upwards, 
slashing the air before him and pushing with the other end. 
Ranma had to constantly keep on his toes to avoid her thrusts 
and swings. When had she learned to use this weapon, anyway?
	"Ah!" Ranko thought to herself as a fraction of her lost 
memories was restored. "That's it!"
	"Hm?" Ranma wondered, seeing her leap away and grasp the 
staff tightly.
	"Star Cleaver!" she shouted, swinging the weapon 
horizontally. Suddenly all of the ki in it was pushed to the 
front end and a bright arc of light was sent forward from the 
staff's wake. Ranma yelped and dropped flat to the floor, 
avoiding the sharp blade. No sooner had he recovered, that she 
was already initiating another attack.
	"Whirling Scythe Cut!" she yelled, spinning the staff before 
her. The ki in the weapon was sent to both ends, creating a pair 
of curved blades on each end. She then brought the staff above 
her head, still spinning it horizontally, and flung it at Ranma. He 
watched as the two-bladed scythe sped for him, then sent a 
Chetsnut Fist to catch the pole, yelping as the energy was still 
making it intensely hot. He immediately flung the staff to the 
floor, waiting for it to cool off and the blades to dissipate.
	"What the..." Akane blinked.
	"What _was_ that?!" Ranma asked, rubbing his hand.
	"I just remembered something from China!" Ranko said 
excitedly, "Those were Lael-kun's techniques!"
	"Huh?"
	"Who's Lael?"
	"Who?" Ranko blinked, "I said Phaeron-kun."
	"No, you said 'Lael,'" Akane said.
	"I don't know any Lael," Ranko shrugged.
	"But you just said it!"
	"I did?" she blinked, "Why would I ever say that? It's 
Phaeron-kun who used these."
	"But you said that 'Lael' used them!"
	"Who's Lael?" Ranko blinked. Ranma and Akane slapped their 
foreheads.
	"I know who he is," Yuannyan said, coming into the dojo.
	"What are you doing?" Ranma looked up at her.
	"Eh?" she looked down. Her reveries had caused her to 
float into the air. "Wah!" she yelped as she fell down.
	"What happened to 'Herb-chan'?" Ranko asked, mocking.
	"Aaahhh..." Yuannyan sighed. Akane counted a hundred and 
sixty four.
	"Oh, great," Ranma said, "Just when she was gonna say who 
that 'Lael' is." He glared at Ranko, "Nice going, kid."
	"But who's Lael?" she shrugged.

			*	*	*

	Cologne smirked at the sound of the cash register at 
Nekohanten. Business, as always, was thriving. She had heard 
rumors of another Chinese restaurant opening in the Nerima 
area, but she didn't care. Nobody would be foolish enough to try 
and contest Nekohanten. It was a shame Shampoo was upstairs, in 
her room, otherwise the number of customers would double. But 
after her near defeat the other day, she wasn't feeling well 
enough to wait on the tables. Curse that Mink. Although she 
shouldn't --and couldn't-- hold a grudge on her, Cologne muttered 
at the impudence of that girl. True, she had followed a just 
cause as she tried to restore her honor, and with Shampoo's 
previous victories this one battle meant nothing. Of course, 
when an Amazon's ego gets the best of her...
	"Leave Shampoo alone!" Shampoo tossed a pillow at Mousse, 
who had only set one foot in her room. She wasn't really angry 
at him, and in fact she was happy there was somebody worried 
about her. But right now, with her bruised ego, she simply 
wanted to be alone. She was used to yelling at him, but now she 
regretted each word she pronounced. Still, she went on. "Shampoo 
no want to talk with stupid Mousse!"
	"I simply want to help you," he replied, peeling the pillow 
off his face. "Is that so bad?"
	"Yes!" she tossed him her nightstand, "Shampoo want to be 
alone!"
	"It was just a fight, Shampoo. It doesn't mean anything."
	"What Mousse know?" she flung him the other nightstand.
	"I know that you're the best of our village, and you were 
there to defeat alien creatures when we had to go to other 
planets. You've won who knows how many battles, just ignore this 
one."
	"Shut up!" she tossed him the entire bed. He effectively 
collapsed.
	"I have the feeling you don't want me around..." Mousse 
groaned from the floor.
	"What give Mousse that idea?!" she yelled, reaching for her 
weapons cache.
	"What's wrong with you, Shampoo?" Mousse demanded, standing 
up. "It was only a fight, for crying out loud!"
	"Mousse no understand! Shampoo lose to Mink! To _Mink_!"
	"It's not like she's rubbing it in or anything. It was a fair 
fight, nobody got hurt, what's so wrong with that?"
	"Stupid Mousse! It wrong because Mink is stupid girl!"
	"She's not stupid," Mousse was beginning to strengthen his 
voice. "You can't say anything bad about her, since she tried her 
best not to hurt you." He rolled his eyes. "If anything..." he 
thought, "she hurt your ego."
	"How can stupid Mousse say that when he say he love 
Shampoo?!" she scowled at him.
	"It's because I love you that I want you to understand." He 
sighed, "I've endured many defeats because of you. I realized 
that I may not be able to defeat Ranma now, but someday I will, 
and you'll be there. But I always learn something from those 
defeats. You could do the same."
	"Shampoo is not like Mousse," she glared at him, "He like 
being beat, Shampoo no like that. If Mousse too stupid to see, 
then leave Shampoo alone! You no see?! Now that Mink beat 
Shampoo, Ranma will think Shampoo weak!"
	"Nobody thinks you're weak, Shampoo. I love you and you're 
still the best in my book. Cologne knows you're strong, or why do 
you think she didn't even scold you about losing? Defeats only 
make us stronger."
	"That's right," the old troll suddenly popped up next to 
Mousse, nearly giving him a heart attack. "You don't have to 
worry about losing to Mink. We'll keep on trying to get the son-
in-law away from those rivals."
	"That's not what I meant, you little ghoul!" Mousse yelled 
before being smashed into the wall by her staff. Staggering back, 
he went on, "Besides, if Ranma thinks anything bad about yu then 
he's not worthy of you!"
	"Mousse shut up! Shampoo know Ranma love Shampoo!"
	"But that's not true and you know it! Who's the one who has 
faced any adversary for you? Who has always been there to help 
you? Look at me, Shampoo! _I_ love you!"
	"Mousse..." Cologne started in a warning tone. "You're 
treading dangerous roads here."
	"But Shampoo never love Mousse! He too blind to see truth! 
Only way Shampoo love him is if he beat her and he too weak to 
do!" She shut herself up. Had she really meant to say that?
	Mousse, on the other hand, only heard her words. "Dammit, 
Shampoo! Don't you see? If I've never fought you it's because I 
don't want to hurt you!" Cologne was about to say something 
when Mousse grasped his Brindstone and flung her away with a 
powerful gust of Wind. "Stay out of this, you evil woman! It's 
because of the machinations that come from withered old trolls 
like you that stupid laws like that are made! Why, if we were 
Espers, Shampoo and I would already be married from all the 
times I have saved her life!"
	He ceased his bluster, breathing heavily as Shampoo and 
Cologne stared incredulous at him. Straightening up, Mousse 
adjusted his glasses and stood straight, taking a deep breath. 
"But now that I realize it," he said, "I don't care about laws 
anymore. Go and see if you ever marry somebody, Shampoo." With 
that, he whipped around and headed for the door. The Amazon 
stared at him for an instant, trying to think up an apology  
before calling, "Mousse!"
	He stopped at the door, but didn't deign turn back, "You 
always say I'm blind, Shampoo. Well, let me tell you something. 
You're blind too. You're blind to love. You don't even know what 
it is."
	He silently left the room, heading out to the street.

			*	*	*

	"Okay, this is it," a ninja said.
	"The final battle," a teddy bear with wings followed.
	"Only one shall emerge victorious," a blonde in a sailor 
suit narrowed her eyes.
	"Only one will win!!" the trio claimed to the heavens.
	Ukyou rolled her eyes and held her head, wishing she could 
be somewhere far, far away...
	Tsubasa, Mog and Konatsu glared at each other.
	All the girls in the restaurant called for Mog, while the 
guys (unaware of the hideous truth) called for the kunoichi and 
the girl. Konatsu and Tsubasa shuddered in disgust while Mog 
laughed at them. A veritable crowd was gathered at Ucchan's, 
after having heard of the battle that would be waged by some of 
the foremost representatives of kawaiiness.
	"Okay, let's begin," stage announcer Nabiki said, holding a 
microphone. "There will be three main contests. The winner of 
each contest will score four points. Second place will get three 
and third place will receive two. The contestant who scores the 
highest number of points will have a chance to ask Ukyou here..." 
she aimed her hand towards Ukyou, "for the chance of a date. 
She will also be the judge throughout the event, and can pick a 
sole winner at any given time. Also, if the contestant with the 
most points is spurned, then he and the others will have to stop 
pestering Ukyou." She turned to the trio, "These are the terms. 
Do you agree?"
	"Anything for Ukyou-sama," Konatsu pulled the ninja mask 
over his face.
	"No obstacle is too great," Tsubasa adjisted the big ribbon 
on his hair.
	"No prob, kupo!" Mog twirled his personalized spatula over 
his head.
	"Then let's get started. The three events are: First up, 
cooking. Second..." she rolled her eyes. This was Tsubasa's 
suggestion, "disguises. And third..." a big drop of sweat formed 
on her head. This was obviously Mog's doing, "...cuteness." She 
drew a flag from Flagspace, rising it over her head. The three 
contestants nodded and stood by the grill, spatulas at the 
ready. Tsubasa and Konatsu smirked, nodding to each other.
	"Heh," Tsubasa thought, "It'll be suicide to fight a kunoichi. 
But that stuffed toy can hold his own too. We'll first get rid of 
him, then I'll doublecross Konatsu and defeat him at disguises!" 
He blinked at the kunoichi, "Nice uniform, though. He really looks 
like a girl."
	"Hah," Konatsu thought, "It'll be suicide to fight that 
cross-dresser. I'd probably get half the school on me if I hurt 
him. We'll first get rid of that plush toy, then I'll doublecross 
Kurenai and defeat him at cuteness!" He blinked at the sailor-
suited "girl." "Nice disguise, though. You'd think my stepsisters 
raised him."
	"Hmph," Mog thought. "Look at those two idiots. Ukyou likes 
me, but she's always kicking out that transvestite guy and she 
doesn't even know that Konatsu is alive." He smirked, "I've won 
this for sure."
	Nabiki rolled her eyes again, "On your marks..." The trio 
stepped forward, "Get set..." They reared back with their cooking 
utensils, "GO!" she waved the flag.
	"Desert Aria dance!" Mog yelled immediately, "Kitty Steps!"
	Suddenly a cat appeared next to him, rubbing his head 
against Mog's leg. The moogle became covered by a speed-spell, 
his hands were blurred as he began to prepare okonomiyaki. 
Tsubasa blinked, then spilled the batter on the grill. Konatsu 
began to cook God-knows-what.
	"Order up, kupo!" Mog tossed a plate towards one of the 
tables. "Order up!"
	"Agh!" Tsubasa thought, "He's too fast!" He flung his own 
dish, "Order up!" the plate smashed against Hiroshi's face, 
knocking him out. "Aii..."
	"Order up!" Konatsu flung a gelatinous goo towards Daisuke 
with pinpoint accuracy (thanks to the years of kunoichi training, 
of course.) Too bad he had reflexively tossed a few shuriken 
along with it...
	"Yaaaah!" Daisuke ran out of the restaurant, followed by a 
gelatinous goo that was bent on devouring his hair.
	"Order up! Order up! Order up!"
	"AAAAH!" Tsubasa yelled inwards, then narrowed his eyes and 
fluttered his eyelids at Mog. The teddy bear forgot about 
Tsubasa being a transvestite and blushed. Taking the chance, 
Tsubasa took Mog's cat and rubbed its head against him. The 
spell worked, but the cat left a tic-tac-toe board on his face 
with its claws. Tsubasa yelped and tossed the cat aside, then 
began to cook at a frenzied rate. "Order up!" both he and Mog 
yelled.
	"That's what you think! Happou Bijin Shuriken!" Konatsu flung 
a volley of blades towards the plates, shattering them before 
they reached their targets. Several customers moaned in 
disappointment.
	"Hah!" Mog scowled at him, "Forest Suite dance, Rage!" his 
series of steps summoned a windstorm, blowing a host of leaves 
towards Konatsu.
	"Fuujin Seikyou-sho!" Konatsu blew out a whirlwind of bills, 
receipts and invoices, cancelling out the Rage leaves.
	Meanwhile, Tsubasa snickered and equalled Mog's delivered 
orders. The stopwatch in Nabiki's hand indicated one minute left. 
Putting all his effort, he surpassed Mog's record and sent out 
the last okonomiyaki... which sailed right out the door.
	"Wind Song dance, Wind Slash!" Mog danced. A gust of razor-
sharp wind shears came through the door, rebounding the plate 
back at Tsubasa and knocking him out. Konatsu took out his fake 
sword and dissipated the wind.
	"Order up!" Mog called in victory, sending the plate towards 
Akane's friend Yuka. She cried, "Kawaii!" and began to eat.
	"Time's up!" Nabiki said, waving her flag again. Konatsu 
blinked in disbelief and Tsubasa snored in abashment. "Somebody 
wake that guy up."
	After a few more minutes, with Konatsu and Mog cleaning 
out the leaves and bills, Ukyou and Nabiki took out the people 
to prepare the next event: disguises. 
	"Okay people, gather round," Nabiki called with her 
megaphone. "Let the contestants clean up after themselves." She 
saw that all of the people were out on the street, waiting. 
Nabiki explained the rules. Every contestant would have to don a 
disguise of some sort and hide in the restaurant. The customers 
would go back in and look for them. The contestant with the best 
disguise would obviously be the last one found, so he would be 
the winner.
	"Remember people. These are masters of disguise. They can 
be anything from potted plants to chairs to Neko statues. Be 
sure to search thoroughly. Hey you! Yes, that blonde in the back! 
Did you hear?" the girl nodded, "All right, begin!" she waved her 
flag.
	"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Ukyou held her head again. 
"Tsubasa's gonna win this for sure."

			*	*	*

	"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Daisuke ran.
	"HAIR! ME WANT HAIR!" the gelatinous goo slid in pursuit.
	"Did someone say hair?" one of the four Niku-men thought.

			*	*	*

	The crowd stormed into Ucchan's scanning the place 
carefully. They only heard an "Urk!" upon entering. The 
restaurant was spotless, almost new. Even the floor squeaked 
clean. Hiroshi was the first to examine Ukyou's Neko statue, 
right over the counter. He knocked on it with his knuckles: 
hollow. He took it in his hands and shook it, but nothing rattled. 
It was empty, just a normal statue.
	Sayuri recalled Tsubasa's style. Whistling innocently, she 
edged towards a potted palm and suddenly uprooted it. "Oops."
	"They're gonna wreck my place!" Ukyou yelled, hearing the 
loud crashes and the sound of tables being turned over.
	"It'll all come out of Mog and Tsubasa's pockets, Ukyou," 
Nabiki calmly stopped her from running back inside. Ukyou 
struggled, waving her arms and reaching for her restaurant, then 
winced as she heard the cash register's bell when it was forced 
open. "If one yen is missing, sempai..." she glared at Nabiki.
	"Found him!" Hiroshi called. Mog was in the backroom, hiding 
among several plush toys. The moogle slumped down in defeat. 
Next to him, E.T. sighed in relief as nobody saw him.
	"Where're the others?" a guy wondered.
	"I dunno," the blonde replied.
	"Hm?" Mog, walking out, blinked. "Heh. I've got you." Calling 
out loud, he said, "Well, I guess Konatsu has the best disguise!"
	"What?!" the blonde scowled at him, "Konatsu's not the best! 
I'm the... the..." she stopped when she realized she was cynosure 
of all eyes. "Oops."
	"There he is!" Hiroshi pointed at the blonde. Tsubasa swore 
eternal vengeance towards Mog, who just grinned evilly.
	"You can come out now!" one of the girls said, calling 
Konatsu.
	"But I never even try to hide..." a weak voice came from 
the door. There, plastered against the welcome mat, was Konatsu. 
When the crowd rushed in, he had been perfectly flattened and 
rendered hidden.
	"I won..." he sighed before collapsing.

			*	*	*

	Daisuke...
	"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
	Goo...
	"ME WANT HAIR!"
	Niku-men...
	"Where's the Dragon's Hair?!"

			*	*	*

	"Now, for the last event!" Nabiki announced through her 
megaphone again, with the crowd out on the street once more. 
"The three contestants are just getting ready for the final 
round. When you come inside, you will all judge which of the 
three is the cutest, then Ukyou will decide whether or not to 
validate that judgement. Since two of the participants are 
already tied, try to be objective so we don't run into a triple 
tie. Begin!" she waved her flag again. The people returned to the 
restaurant, which had already been recovered from its damages.
	Standing on the grill were the three rivals, each showing 
his finest attire and accessories. Mog was as always, but he had 
fluffed up his whiskers and gone into a dry cleaner previously, 
leaving him with puffed fur. Tsubasa was in his best Sunday 
dress, a flowing green with large white frills that matched his 
sun hat, also green but with a white ribbon. He blinked 
coquettishly. Konatsu had left his worn-out and patched kunoichi 
uniform to don a maginificent _male_ outfit, like a British royal 
suit.
	"My feet are burning," Mog muttered without breaking his 
smile.
	"So are mine," Tsubasa hopped slightly, bending a leg in a 
way that made several guys raise an eyebrow... and throw up 
afterwards in sheer disgust. Ukyou grimaced at the sight of her 
floor.
	"But for Ukyou-sama..." Konatsu winked at the audience, 
enduring the pain.
	"Aaaahhh..." many girls fainted with a sigh at his wink.
	"Hm, to choose between a teddy bear, a showoff and a cute 
girl?" was the question that raised among the guys.
	"Ah, what a dilemma... That idiot cross-dresser is out, but 
the teddy bear and the bishonen..." the girls looked dreamily at 
these two.
	"I'm gonna hate myself and _HURL_ for choosing a guy..." all 
of the men thought, but grudgingly decided to choose Tsubasa.
	"No! Mog!" "No! Konatsu-sama!" the girls couldn't make up 
their minds, divided amongst themselves. Half the female 
population chose Mog, the other half chose the kunoichi. Tsubasa 
was the only one who had been unanimously chosen, he therefore 
received the majority of the votes.
	"Oh boy..." Nabiki looked nervously at Ukyou.
	"'Sure, let the fanboys have their fun. Let them have a 
contest to see which one you like. I'll charge admission.' Way to 
go, sempai," Ukyou glared at her. "We're exactly how we started!" 
She threw her hands upwards, "AAAGH! I don't know why I ever 
agreed to this..."
	"Because I payed you for the rights of merchandising Mog's 
image," Nabiki said under her breath, grinning at the thought of 
making billions by selling Mog dolls.
	"It doesn't matter if we're tied!" Konatsu bellowed, "I'm still 
the best!"
	"In your dreams, kupo!" Mog leaned towards him, drawing a 
lance.
	"My dress!!" Tsubasa shrieked when the lance pierced his 
skirt.
	"HOW CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
	Everyone suffered a heart attack. And slowly, _very_ 
slowly, the trio turned to see the origin of the high-pitched 
squeal.
	"Angeline! Marianne! Dominique!"
	"!!"
	"Come with widdle Azusa!!!"
	A moogle, a blonde and a ninja ran for dear life.

			*	*	*

	"AAAAAAHHH!"
	"HAIR!"
	"The Dragon's Haaaaaaaaiiiir!"
	Three sudden blurs sped past them.
	"Angeline!" Azusa bumped into the Niku-men, Goo and Daisuke, 
sending them into orbit.

			*	*	*

	"Hmph. Brain-dead girl," Ukyou snickered, sweeping her 
abused-by-so-many restaurant. "Heh. Tsubasa'd be a perfect 
match for her. Just like Ryouga and Akane..." her voice drifted 
away as  lightbulb appeared above her head.
	"I've got a few phone calls to make," she smirked, reaching 
for the telephone. "Yes? Kasumi? Could you please tell Akane 
that..."
	A minute later...
	"Yes? Auntie? Hi, it's Ucchan. Could you tell Ranma that..."
	Another minute later...
	"Yes? The Hibiki residence? What? Hey, is anyone on the 
phone? Are you barking? Hello?! Seems like a dog picked up! 
Hello??"

			*	*	*

	Idiot. IDIOT!
	How could he say those things to her? What was happening 
to him? Why had he yelled to his beloved Shampoo?
	Mousse dragged his feet as he walked through the streets 
of Nerima, ever-looking towards the sky. It would soon be 
sundown, he had been going in circles for the past few hours. 
But what was happening?
	His thoughts were too much a jumble right now. Shampoo... 
Had he really said those things? Sheesh. He regretted every 
word, although deep down he admitted he had wanted to say them 
for a long time. He would always love Shampoo, but... Damn, she 
could be so _alien_ to him. What was he doing wrong? The 
Shampoo of his childhood had always been a rebel, she didn't 
exactly heed Joketsuzoku laws. But frequently she had acted so 
meekly towards them... Curse that old troll. She had warped his 
beloved's mind against him and towards Ranma. Or had she? 
Shampoo was too strong to let even her great-grandmother 
influence her so. Could it be... Could she truly be so obsessed 
with Ranma?
	But now he saw it clearly. It wasn't Ranma who was his 
enemy. And despite all evidence, it wasn't Cologne either. His 
nemesis was somebody different. Mousse snickered, this was 
something that Phaeron and Coldfire knew very, very well. His 
enemy was himself.
	How? He knew exactly how. He was indeed blind, but not in 
eyesight. He was wrong when he yelled to Shampoo, for it was 
_he_ who was blind to love.
	He never really loved Shampoo. No. Throughout the thirteen 
years of pain, he was simply infatuated with her. It was painful 
to admit it, but it was true. Why else would he pursue Shampoo 
like... like Tsubasa pursued Ukyou? Ugh.
	His thoughts were interrupted as an odd sight appeared 
before him. A large group of people, all wearing the same uniform 
with the strange logo emblazoned across their backs, like an 
octopus. They were busy adjusting the flaps of a restaurant's 
sign, receiving orders from a certain bespectacled blonde.
	"Easy, easy," Mink repeated, motioning with her hands. 
"There. All ready. Thank you."
	"Our pleasure, miss," one of the workmen said, "Our boss 
said you saved master Shutaro's life, this is the least we cold 
do."
	"Yeah," another man said, "Now you can have your very own 
Chinese restaurant!"
	"Want to do the honors?" a third man said. Mink nodded with 
a bright smile. The man held his hands together as a stirrup. 
She lightly stepped on his hands and let him boost her up. She 
grasped the end of the sign's cover, which read, "Another fine 
member of the Mendo Enterprises family."
	"Hah!" she stripped off the cover. The men below gasped and 
applauded as the letters, knitted in golden thread, shone in the 
twilight. "At last!" Mink clapped her hands together.
	She had her very own restaurant: the Dragon Diner.
	As Mink joined the human Shugo-kou and Crystallus below, 
who happily joined in her excitement, Mousse could only sigh 
sadly. He had hurt her so deeply. But now even Mink seemed to 
have forgotten him. Just like Shampoo, she ignored him. Shaking 
his head, he walked away from the Dragon Diner.
	It was so difficult. Never did he think that he would 
someday doubt of his love for Shampoo. And this new girl only 
made it worse. A girl that actually loved him, but then _he_ 
ignored that. His entire being felt like running back, to 
apologize to Mink, but something held him back.
	"Does she still love me?" he wondered. "No..." He sighed, "Do 
_I_ really love Shampoo?" he shook his head...
	...and his dramatic sigh was broken as he was run over by 
three people and a crazed girl that screamed, "Angeline! Marianne! 
Dominique!" over and over.
	"Aigh..." he staggered to his feet.
	"AAAAHHH!"
	"ME WANT HAIR!"
	"The Dragon's Haaaaaaaair!"
	"UGH!" he was flattened again.

			*	*	*

	"I don't know how I always get stuck like this..." Ranma 
muttered as his head already sported a wooden mallet on its 
top.
	"Oh, loosen up, Ranchan," Ukyou said, removing the mallet 
and giving it back to its owner. "You don't see Ryouga 
complaining."
	"Eh heh heh..." Ryouga replied, ecstatic at feeling Akane's 
proximity.
	"Ryouga-kun?" she looked up at him, worried about his blank 
eyes and stupid grin.
	"Whose idea was it to go on a double date, anyway?" Ranma 
said.
	"Mine," Ukyou locked her arm around his, "Don't you think 
it's romantic, Ranchan?"
	"As long as that pervert keeps his distance," Akane looked 
away, miffled.
	"I've died and gone to Heaven..." Ryouga thought, feeling 
Akane taking his hand. "But..." another image invaded his reverie, 
the image of a redhaired girl.
	As the foursome walked through the dark streets, looking 
for a restaurant, they heard mild giggling and a pair of familiar 
voices. Rounding the corner, they came face to face with--
	"Oh!" Akane said in surprise, "Hi, Seraphim. Hi, Phaeron-kun. 
What're you doing here?"
	"Phaeron" leaned towards her and pointed at his face, "My 
eyes. What color are they?"
	"Your eyes? Oh, right. Sorry, Coldfire." He smacked his 
forehead. Seraphim giggled. "What's wrong?"
	"Oh, it's just that he was telling me about how much he 
would like people to call him 'Raphael' and not Coldfire," Seraphim 
explained.
	"Sorry, Raphael-kun," Akane snickered.
	"Hey, is that you?" Ranma blinked at Seraphim in slight 
disbelief. Akane and Ukyou bonked him when he started drooling.
	"Sure is," Raphael put his arm around Seraphim's shoulders. 
"She may have turned human, but she's still a stunner." She 
blushed timidly at his compliment.
	"So, where're you guys headed?" Ukyou asked, tightening her 
grip on Ranma's arm.
	"Well, we're on a date," Seraphim said, "We were thinking 
about going to dinner, then to the park and finally a movie. I 
hear tonight it's a 'double-feature' night at Okina teather."
	"That sounds great," Ukyou said, "Could we join you?"
	"Sure," Raphael said, "If you don't mind us..." he winked at 
Seraphim, who gave him a gentle punch across the chin.
	"I know," Akane said, "There's a place down the street, 
called Ma Maison..."
	"Oh, come on," Ranma protested, "_Again_? Every time some 
fanfic writer wants us to go out, they always make us go to 
that stupid restaurant! The waiters already know our names 
there!"
	"So what? It'll be easier for us to get good service," 
Ukyou joked.
	"Fine!" Akane said, responding to Ranma, "Then what do 
_you_ suggest, Mr. Hotshot?"
	"Now you're talking. I've heard of this place called Mama-
chan..."
	"Uh, I don't think so," Raphael replied with a nervous stare.
	"Why not?" Ukyou said, taking Ranma's side, "Let's go give it 
a try!"
	Seraphim turned to Raphael, who just shrugged, "I warned 
them."
	A few minutes later, the three couples arrived at Mama-
chan. Shrugging at the establishment's decor, they stepped inside.
	Two seconds later they stepped outside.
	"What the..." Ranma stared at the patrons from outside the 
window.
	"Wheeeeehoooo! Lay 'ere 'nother round, m'boy!"
	"Mom, stop it! You're embarassing me!"
	"Come now, Godai-kun, have another drink."
	"K-Kyoko! I didn't mean that!"
	"G-g-get o-off of m-me..."
	"Oh, Mr. Soichiro, don't climb all over poor Shun!"
	"Yo, cutie, want some booze?"
	"Akemi! Have you ever heard the word 'shame'?!"
	Even Ryouga had been brought out of his reveries by 
_that_ motley crew.
	"I warned you," Raphael shrugged.
	"Really..." Ranma shook his head, "A grown man, afraid of 
_dogs_!"
	"Oh?" Akane showed him a cat.
	"YAAAAAH!"
	"So, where to?" Ukyou asked.
	"Hmm... Well, I once found a place called Maxim's..." Ryouga 
said, rubbing his head, "It was in some place with a replica of 
Tokyo Tower but completely black, and there was a big river 
passing through. I think there was a big arch of victory or 
something like that..."
	"Forget Paris," Raphael said, dismissing with a hand.
	"Already saw it," Akane said.
	"Saw what?"
	"That movie."
	"What movie?"
	"'Forget Paris.'"
	"No, I meant... Never mind. Let's just go find some other 
place."
	They continued their search for the elusive restaurant. 
Eventually, they reached a row of cafes and diners, apparently 
each had a different type of food.
	"Chinese?" Ranma asked, seeing a sign.
	"Ugh. I'm tired of it."
	"American?"
	"Too much plastic."
	"French?"
	"Too expensive."
	"Indian?"
	"Too spicy."
	"Spanish?"
	"Gas."
	"Huh?"
	"Too confusing."
	"No, I mean, 'Huh?'" Ranma pointed at another restaurant.
	"What do you say?" Raphael turned to Seraphim, she smiled 
and nodded in agreement.
	"How 'bout it?" Ranma asked to both Akane and Ukyou.
	"There's always room for that, I suppose," the latter 
replied.
	"I don't know..." Akane was in doubt.
	"Don't worry. You can always as to see the chef if the 
food doesn't have enough poison," Ranma grinned, ducking a mallet 
swipe.
	"I think I've eaten it before..." Ryouga said, "It's sometimes 
spicy, but it always has a lot of grease. I've seen cooks 
emptying entire bottles of cooking oil when making this."
	"Then it's out, I guess," Akane said.
	"You can't lose your figure anymore, Akane."
	"Will you SHUT UP?!"
	"Oh, come on. Let's give it a try," Ukyou insisted, trying to 
preserve the fragile peace, but she couldn't help but snicker at 
Ranma and Akane's quarrel. Soon Akane would switch over to 
Ryouga, and...
	"Eh?" she blinked at Ryouga, who was staring at the reddish 
hair of one of the waitresses.
	"Shall we?" Raphael bowed, motioning for Seraphim to enter 
the restaurant. The troop followed, with only one casualty.
	"Stupid... tomboy..." Ranma peeled himself off the asphalt.
	"Table for six?" a moustached man asked. "Follow me, 
please." He lead them to a large cabin on the wall, handing out 
the menus.
	"Anyone know what a 'taco' is?" Ranma asked.
	"Forget that, what's a 'pozole'?" Ukyou blinked.
	"Oh, so that's it..." Akane said as Ryouga explained her the 
various items on the menu. "Really? Hm, it sounds good..."
	Ranma tried to look away, but his jealousy couldn't permit 
it. Look at that. Akane and Ryouga. Bleah, it made him sick. 
"Enjoy it while you can, pig-boy, I noticed there's a dish here 
that includes pork chops."
	Ukyou blinked at her date, "Ranchan? What are you glaring 
at?"
	"Uh? Nothing, Ucchan. Just a pest that's in front of my 
nose."
	SLAP!
	"Better?" Akane glared at him.
	"Yeah, bedder..." Ranma rubbed his nose after her slap. "Hey, 
P-chan--"
	"Who's P-chan?!" Ryouga pulled him by the collar.
	Ranma remained perfectly calm, "What happened to..." he 
began to imitate his sister's voice, "'Yay! P-chan's here!'"
	Ryouga blushed mightily and sat back, acknowledging Ranma's 
victory. "Did you forget?" Ranma asked.
	"Forget what, Ryouga-kun?" Akane asked.
	"N-nothing, Akane-san!" he quickly replied. "Watch it, Ranma."
	"I'm watching it. Are you?"
	"What?"
	"What will sis say when I tell her about this date?"
	"Ah! No! Don't!" Ryouga nervously tried to defend.
	"What are you two talking about?" Ukyou said.
	"N-nothing..." Ryouga replied sheepishly.
	"Oh well. If the guys don't say anything let's just ignore 
them. Right, Akane?" Ukyou and Akane nodded, snickering.
	"Waiter, we're ready to order," Raphael called.
	"What will it be?"
	Seraphim smirked and spoke in perfect Spanish, stunning 
even the waiter, who smiled in surprise. Raphael just pointed at 
the picture on the menu. Mimicking him, Akane and Ryouga also 
pointed at the menu.
	"Hmm... I don't know what it is but I guess it's good. One of 
these, please," Ukyou said, trying to pronounce the name while 
pointing at it.
	"There's a first time for everything..." Ranma rolled his 
eyes, "I'll have a... an... ench... enchilada?"
	"Good choice," the waiter smirked mischievously. After a few 
minutes he came back with all the food. Ranma began to salivate 
at the sight until the waiter handed him his dish, which had 
several triangles bathed in a mean-looking sauce. "What's this?"
	"Those are what the Mexicans call 'tortillas,'" Seraphim 
pointed at the triangles, "They're flat circles of corn dough, and 
in this case they're folded and filled with meat, dipped in 
sauce." She giggled, "Careful."
	"Hah. No sweat," Ranma took the challenge and promptly took 
a major bite. Then he _did_ began to sweat. Uncontrollably. And 
his eyes began to water, his face bright red. Akane and Ryouga 
scrambled to avoid the breath of fire he released.
	"Hot?" Ryouga mocked.
	"Aaaahh! Water! Wateeeeer!" Ranma pleaded, running around 
the restaurant.
	"Just eat a little bread, Ranchan," Ukyou identified the 
spice as chile, her culinary skills let her know immediately what 
to do. "Bread or milk, actually. Water doesn't do a thing to help."
	"Maybe we _should_ have gone to Ma Maison," Raphael 
smirked.

			*	*	*

	"Agh."
	"You're a wimp, Ranma," Ryouga smirked, he and Akane 
followed the others into the park.
	"I didn't see _you_ very calm when you swallowed that 
thing," Ranma smirked despite his pained tongue.
	"At least I handle hot spices better than you," Ryouga 
replied. "So what if I spewed fire too. You dunked your head into 
a fountain."
	"Hmph. I don't know why I did that. I should be used to this 
from Akane's cooking..."
	"Do you have a death wish?" Akane calmly pulled Mjollnir 
from Hammerspace, aiming it at Ranma.
	Several eyes glimmered among the bushes.
	"C'mon, you guys," Ukyou tried to calm them down.
	"Let's just enjoy the date, shall we?" Seraphim _smiled_ at 
them. Akane and Ranma blinked and nodded meekly.
	The eyes narrowed. A loud rustling was heard around the 
couples.
	"So, Ryouga," Ranma snickered, "What'll you do about you-
know-who?"
	"Shut up already!" Ryouga fumed, turning bright red.
	"Y'know, it's hard to believe you threw away that magic 
fishing-rod. You could've used it now."
	"It was different then!" Ryouga clenched a fist.
	"Don't let that pervert tease you," Akane smiled. She 
thought she had heard a clue about Ryouga's emotions, and she 
couldn't help but giggle softly, "I'm sure you wouldn't use magic 
to get to a girl, right, Ryouga-kun?" He slumped down in 
abashment.
	"Get 'em!" the shadows leapt from behind the trees and 
bushes, wielding clubs and even firearms. "Hold it right there!" 
the leader said, "This is a stickup!"
	"So, where do we go now?" Ukyou asked. Nobody even noticed 
the muggers, who sweated visibly.
	"Hey! I said hold it!" the leader bellowed.
	"Oh!" Akane stopped, "I lost an earring!"
	"That's right," the mugger noticed they had stopped. "Now 
reach for the sky and give us your stuff!"
	"We're not fooling around!" another hooligan threatened.
	"I think it fell around here..." Seraphim bent down and gazed 
upon the ground, illuminating it.
	"Found it!" Akane said, "Thanks, Seraphim!"
	They resumed their walking.
	"That does it!" the leader fumed, aiming his gun at the 
group. He fired.
	The bullet phased right through Seraphim, not even her 
dress was damaged. He fired again.
	The bullet bounced off Ukyou's spatula. He fired again.
	The bullet stopped one inch away from Raphael's head 
before melting. He fired again. Another mugger took a swipe with 
his switchblade.
	"What's this?" Ryouga idly caught the bullet with two 
fingers.
	"Looks like a bullet," Akane reflexively kicked the mugger in 
the groin without even looking.
	He fired again. With an Uzzi.
	"Hm?" Ranma turned around to see many sparks flashing on 
the surface of his Wind shield. "Excuse me for a sec," he said, 
leaping out of the shield. Ryouga grinned and cracked his 
knuckles, following.
	Six seconds later, Ranma and Ryouga used several of the 
latter's bandannas to tie up the unconscious crooks.
	"Where did those guys come from?" Ukyou blinked, finally 
noticing them.
	"I dunno," Ranma shrugged. "That should do it," he stood up. 
"It oughta hold until the cops wake up and find them."
	"A Brindel's work is never done..." Raphael smirked, shaking 
his head.
	"Heh," Ranma snickered, "If it weren't because of the dojo, 
I'd like to do this all the time."
	"_You_ want to be a policeman?" Akane held her belly as 
she tried not to laugh. She wasn't very good at it.
	"I bet you'd look great in uniform, Ranchan," Ukyou held his 
arm.
	"At least _someone_ encourages me."
	"You mean you were serious?" Akane laughed again, joined 
by Ryouga.
	"Oh? And will _you_ do, P-chan? Become a tour-guide?"
	"Who's P-chan?!" he bonked Ranma.
	"You guys..." Ukyou called.
	"Leave Ryouga-kun alone!"
	"Hey..." Raphael also tried.
	"She's defending me..." Ryouga sighed.
	"Excuse me..." Seraphim also tried to say.
	"Anyone in there?" Ranma bonked Ryouga.
	"HEY!" Ukyou yelled with a big head.
	"Wha..."
	"We're here," Raphael pointed with his thumb towards the 
movie teather.
	"Talk about _old_," Ukyou said, blinking at one of the 
titles.
	"It's only a few years old," Akane shrugged.
	"Besides, it's a double feature. They don't usually put two 
new films together," Seraphim said.
	"Okay, so we got 'Malice' and 'Executive Decision.'" Raphael 
read the titles. "We should be out by... eleven o'clock."
	"Aww, man..." Ranma groaned, "Don't tell me they're gonna be 
dramas!"
	"They're not," Akane said.
	"With those names? I bet the first is some cheesy thriller 
and the other is about stupid politics!"
	"You're on," she showed a feline smirk. "What're you 
betting?"
	"Oh, I won't fall for that! You'll probably want me to eat 
your cooking if I lose!"
	"That's not losing if you ask me," Ryouga said. Akane smiled 
at him, then blinked as he melted in a puddle.
	"Sure. Ask P-chan," Ranma said.
	"What does P-chan have to do with anything?"
	"You guys never stop fighting, do you?" Raphael blinked.
	"It's what we do best!" they replied before pulling faces.
	"Come on, Ranchan," Ukyou idly grabbed him by the shirt and 
pulled him to the entrance. Akane stuck her tongue out at him 
and gathered the puddle inside a bucket, following the others.
	The attendant in the ticket booth greeted Seraphim and 
Coldfire, selling them their tickets. But when the others came 
near... "Welcome to-- AGH! Not _you_ again!"
	"It's us alright," Ranma grinned evilly. The salesperson 
yelped in desperation before muttering, "The teather will burn 
down..." 

			*	*	*

	And at eleven o'clock...
	The salesperson danced a jig of joy as the three couples 
left without bringing down the place.
	"Talk about cameos," Ranma snickered, referring to Steven 
Seagal's "brief" appearance.
	"See? I told you it was an action film."
	"Yeah, guess you're right. It was pretty good."
	"What do you know?" Ryouga said, "You snored right through 
the entire  first movie!"
	"Yeah!" Raphael bonked Ranma on the head, "We barely heard 
a word they said!"
	"Oh, come on. You don't mean you _liked_ that movie. It was 
too confusing!"
	"If you weren't such a blockhead you might have 
understood!" Akane said.
	"Well, they both kept _me_ awake," Ukyou said, "Ranchan was 
probably tired after beating up those thugs."
	"Then you didn't see him during the second movie," Akane 
smirked.
	"Whaddaya mean?" Ranma glared at her.
	"I thought you'd rip off the seat's arms from the way you 
were hanging on to them!" Akane joked. "The movie has tension, 
but not _that_ much!"
	"I'd say. They really knew how to keep the public in the 
seats," Ukyou said.
	"But I still can't understand how anybody could be so... 
wicked..." Seraphim said, recalling "Malice."
	"You have a lot to learn about humans, Fiducia," Raphael 
said, "Then again, that gal could give ol' 'Dysi' a run for his 
money." He and Seraphim laughed.
	"What're you talking about?" Ranma asked.
	"The movie you slept through, you baka," Akane said.
	"Why do you keep rubbing it in? Ryouga missed it too!"
	"Well, I..." Ryouga explained, in his embarassed way, how he 
had gone to buy popcorn... by himself... with obvious results.
	"It's a good thing _I_ wanted a drink before the second 
movie began," Ukyou said, scolding him mildly. "What were you 
doing in the women's restroom, you perv?!"
	"I _thought_ it was the snack bar, okay?"
	"Even when that lady shrieked?!"
	"I was wondering why she scratched me..."
	"Hmph. You'd think that your sense of direction would-- 
whoof!" Ranma discovered that speaking is difficult when you're 
shoved into the asphalt by a bicycle.
	"Shampoo!" Akane and Ukyou blinked. "AHA! So THAT'S how you 
do it!" they pointed at Shampoo's back. She still wore the 
parachute she had used when she suddenly dropped from above.
	"Uh, yes," she said, taking it off. "You see Mousse?"
	"No, why?"
	Shampoo sighed sadly, "Shampoo wanted to apologize for 
saying bad things she no mean. Been looking for Mousse all day."
	"We haven't seen him," Akane shook her head.
	The Amazon sighed again, "Hope he all right..." She looked 
down to her victim, "Aiyaaa! RANMA! AIREN!" she smiled happily as 
she glomped onto him.
	"She doesn't seem too glum," Raphael shrugged.

			*	*	*

	"Heh heh heh..."
	_He_ had come...
	"Dear?" Nodoka called, "I'm going to sleep. Will you please 
wait for Ranma to come home?"
	"Hm-hm," he nodded, playing a solo Shogi. He cried inwards 
as he couldn't cheat with himself.
	"The girls are already sleeping," Nodoka blinked as he payed 
no attention. "DEAR!" she shouted in his ear with a megaphone. "I 
said, the girls are already sleeping. Wait for Ranma, okay?"
	The girls are sleeping... The girls are sleeping... _He_ 
couldn't take his mind off that phrase as _he_ grinned evilly.
	Nodoka shook her head and slowly climbed the stairs, 
covering her mouth as she yawned. Before going to her room, she 
peeked into her daughters' and smiled, they were sleeping 
soundly. Tomorrow, yes... Tomorrow they would grow back to 
normal, skipping only being fourteen. Giggling as she saw 
something between a girl's arms, she closed the door and went to 
sleep.
	"Heh heh heh..."
	Now was the time...
	Genma was fed up with this solitary game. He put it away, 
heading to the kitchen to ransack the fridge. There now, so much 
better... He rubbed his belly as he headed upstairs, forgetting 
completely what his wife had asked of him.
	"Hm?" he heard a soft, but loud sigh coming from the girls' 
room. Shaking his head amusedly, he peeked in to check on them. 
For once, neither had kicked off the covers from the beds. 
Yuannyan was apparently having a happy dream, there was a wide 
smile on her face as she rolled on her side. But he had to 
repress a snicker when he saw Ranko: she was cuddled up in the 
covers, holding a big stuffed animal in her arms. Now where did 
she get that? And even then, when did _she_ start sleeping with 
a stuffed toy?
	He quietly closed the door and tip-toed to the master 
bedroom. But he suddenly stopped as he heard a loud crash of 
breaking glass. And it was near the twins' room.
	Dashing back through the corridor, he screeched to a stop 
when he saw...
	"Happosai!" he thought, a mixture of terror and anger.
	"Eh?" Happy noticed him just as he was about to open the 
door.
	"Master, leave my daughters alone," Genma's voice was 
_never_ so serious.
	"Heh heh heh... Happosai snickered, "Not until I see them in 
these!" he reached into his sack, retrieving various pieces of 
lingerie.
	"Master, I'm warning you..." but Genma's knees began to shake 
in fear.
	"_You_, warn me?" Happosai laughed, "Come on, Genma m'boy! 
Just go play panda and let me go in!"
	"If you touch my daughters..." Genma narrowed his eyes. His 
knees suddenly stopped shaking. A large aura flared around him.
	"What will you do?" Happosai enlarged his battle aura and 
took out a Happodaikarin.
	The twins slowly woke up, rubbing their eyes.
	"Master!" Genma's eyes widened as he rushed forward.

			*	*	*

	"Get your hands offa him!" Ukyou yelled, pulling Ranma's arm.
	"He Shampoo's husband, spatula-girl!" Shampoo squeezed 
Ranma like a toothpaste tube.
	"Help..." he managed to get out.
	"Get away  from them, you pervert!" Akane smashed her 
mallet on his head.
	"I'll help you, Akane-san!" Ryouga reared back.
	"Must it always end like this?" Seraphim sighed and rolled 
her eyes.
	"Hey, it's their reason to live," Raphael shrugged, then 
noticed a pair of clouds of dust, "Huh?"
	"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
	"ME WANT HAIR!"
	"The Dragon's Haaaaaaaiiiiiir!"
	And...
	"WAAAAAAHHH!"
	"Angeline! Marianne! Dominique!"
	The clouds of dust sped away, leaving behind six flattened 
figures and a blinking angel.
	"Anyone get the license... never mind..." Ranma dug himself 
out of the street.
	"They're _STILL_ at it?" Ukyou blinked.
	"Ouch..." Shampoo rubbed her head, "Brain-dead girl no beat 
Shampoo! Shampoo give Kiss of Death!"
	"You'd die from all the sugar in that girl," Raphael stopped 
her.
	"Was that Konatsu?" Akane shook her head, trying to clear 
it.
	"I thought I saw your cooking pursuing Daisuke, Akane," 
Ranma said.
	"Will you stop insulting Akane-san's cooking?!" Ryouga 
grabbed Ranma and tossed him into a wall.
	"Is that a challenge, pig-boy?" Ranma smirked and backed to 
a fighting stance.
	"Stop it!" Akane yelled. "Ryouga-kun, it's nice of you to 
defend me but Ranma will always be a JERK!!"
	"What do you know, you uncute tomboy?!"
	"Violent girl always get airen upset!" Shampoo drew out a 
bonbori.
	"Shampoo, calm down or you'll get it," Ukyou wielded her 
hyperspatula.
	"ALL of you calm down," Raphael began to summon several 
aura shields. Seraphim shook her head and was about to change 
back to an angel when--
	BOOOOOOOOOOOM.
	"What was that?!" Akane suddenly forgot all her anger and 
turned to the direction of the explosion.
	"I dunno, but it sounded like  it came from a few blocks 
away!" Ranma also put away his urge to fight.
	"Wait," Seraphim closed her eyes and lifted her hands to 
her head. She touched her temples with two fingers of each hand, 
her halo appeared immediately. "It came..." she opened her eyes 
and gasped, "It came from brother Ranma's house!"
	"What?!" everyone was shocked.
	"Mom! Sis!" Ranma took off at once.
	"Ranma, wait up!" Akane followed.
	"Ranchan, we'll help!" Ukyou and Shampoo put their emnity 
aside and dashed behind them.
	"AAGH! Ranko-san!" Ryouga held the sides of his head as he 
yelled, then left everyone in his wake as he ran.
	"Let's go!" Raphael became a phoenix and let Seraphim ride 
on his back as he shot towards the Saotome house.
	"Ah...?!" the twins gasped.
	"D-Dear!!!" Nodoka choked on her words.
	"What's going on?!" Ranma burst into the house, standing on 
the doorway... and Ryouga, Akane, Shampoo, Ukyou, Raphael and 
Seraphim stamped him on the floor.
	"What happened?!" another phoenix, but with brighter colors, 
arrived at the scene. Phaeron quickly morphed back and retrieved 
his staff. He turned to the others, who nodded silently and 
scattered to search for the origin of the explosion. Ryouga went 
to the bathroom but never made it --he discovered that the 
closet was very dark and its door would automatically lock 
itself, though. Ukyou and Shampoo headed for the garden. Akane 
went to the kitchen but Ranma promptly stopped her, while the 
others went upstairs.
	"Eh?" Raphael noticed the blast smears on the wall of the 
stairwell. "Up here!" he called for the others. The eight people 
dashed to the upper floor, noticing with horror how all of the 
white walls were burnt to blackness. Breaking away from the 
group, Ranma immediately dashed for the nearest room: his 
sisters'.
	"WHA...!?!"
	He couldn't believe his eyes. The rest of the people 
hurried to follow him, especially after his gasp. Upon witnessing 
what his eyes saw, they couldn't help but mimic him.
	"WHA...!?!"
	A slightly-bruised Genma was standing over a burnt and 
beaten Happosai.
	"I warned you, Master," Genma said, glaring at the 
unconscious midget.
	"P-pop?" Ranma stared at him agape, "_YOU_ beat the old 
freak?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
	"You don't have to act _that_ shocked!" Genma bonked him.
	"Dear..." Nodoka held her hand to her mouth, impressed that 
_her husband_ would do that for their daughters.
	"Dad..." the twins stared at him in absolute surprise, too 
confused to say anything else.
	"You okay, Ranko-chan?" Phaeron asked, seeing her. She 
quickly hid her stuffed toy behind her and grinned nervously.
	"I thought he was scared spitless about fighting Happosai," 
Ryouga said.
	"Mr. Saotome... Did you really..." Akane was also surprised.
	"Don't say anything," he clenched his fist, closing his eyes, 
"At this point, there is only one thing to do..." he reached for... 
...the phone, "Tendo-kun! I defeated the master! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!"
	"It's my old man, alright," Ranma stared at him.
	Genma continued to laugh maniacally into the phone, 
oblivious to Soun's ranting on the other end, and not even 
noticed when Soun became exasperated and hung up.
	"I beat the master!" he said to a dial tone, "I beat the 
master! Bwa ha ha ha ha h--"
	"Cut that out!!" Happosai had recovered and booted him into 
the stratosphere. "Puff... puff... puff..."
	"Y'know..." Ranma smirked evilly, "I've been waiting a long 
time for this..."
	"You can wait downstairs," Raphael said, turning to the 
girls. "We've still got some unfinished business here."
	"Ranko-chan, we'll take it over from here," Phaeron took his 
staff. Shrugging, she nodded and followed Yuannyan back into the 
bedroom. Nodoka led the others downstairs for some tea while 
the foursome surrounded Happosai.
	"What were you trying to do to them?" Ryouga cracked his 
knuckles.
	"If you dared attack her..." Phaeron reared back, filling his 
staff with golden ki.
	"You're toast, freak," Raphael grinned.
	"Hmph," Ranma simply stretched his arm. Murasame suddenly 
appeared on his hand, followed by a gust of sharp wind.
	"Uh-oh..." Happy tried to show an innocent, big-eyed face. It 
didn't work.

			*	*	*

	About ten minutes later, a midget sailed through the skies 
of Tokyo, burnt, charred, cut, dirt-covered, bruised and with 
bubblegum stuck on his shoe. He landed on a garbage pile.
	"Owww..."
	"Hey, Master Chupon! Look who's here!"

			*	*	*

	About five minutes later, the same midget was a lump on 
the ground. Suddenly, three figures sped past him. Tsubasa 
quickly tossed his moogle disguise, which covered Happy 
perfectly.
	"ANGELINE!!!!" Azusa crushed him to her chest, then knocked 
him out and walked home.
	"FREEEE!" Mog, Tsubasa and Konatsu cheered, then fell in 
exhaustion.
	A perfect end to a weird day.
	


Wait till you read the next parts...

The TerBril
(who's getting tired of thinking up new sigs for every section ^_^)