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 Chapter Ten:  Family Values


  Shampoo and Kuno raced up the stairs, nimbly dodging the hailstorm of ki
projectiles that were released by the sudden onslaught of twenty Kaguro
shinobi.  The ki balls serrated the stairway and the walls, but not the two
fighters.
  Shampoo shouted, "We're running up against shinobi again!"  She flipped
over a black spray that blew up under her, landed on her feet and slashed a
strange man wearing black and carrying a shotgun--they were apparently
determined to stop them at all costs.  He took the slash, and tried to gun
butt her, but she rammed him in the stomach, and using her shoulder, sent
him flying down the stairs.  A second later, another tried to get the jump
on her from behind, but she backhanded him, then slashed his face.  "Tate!
How you holding up?"
  Kuno swung and thrust with the pike in a blazing dance that sent shinobi
flying to the four winds.  "Passably well, Shampoo, my old friend.  But
it's obvious that they were keeping more of these lunatics in reserve."  He
was just ahead of her, slamming his victims into the wall left and right,
taking just enough care to prevent any injury to the Chinese Amazon.  A
shinobi with a pair of pistols fired at him, but he moved just enough that
the slugs missed him and hit a ninja trying to drop in between the two
fighters.  Kuno slammed the blade into the ninja's shoulder, then snapped
the pike at the blade joint. He began using the pike as a bo staff, using
it first to silence the screaming, bleeding victim.  
  She threw a Cat Scratch Fever attack at another unlucky ninja, puncturing
his chest several times before sending him flying back.  "No kidding!
These damn rodents are everywhere!"
  "Yes, they are, aren't they?" Kuno slammed the pole over the head of
another, and then slammed it back to nail one more.  the ninja, however,
deftly blocked the shot, then smacked Kuno in the chest with a tonfa
strike, dropping him to the ground.
    "Kuno!" Shampoo screamed.  Without thinking, she slammed her sai into
the back of the ninja's spine--blade first.  "That's it!  Kitty wanna
play!"  The was a burst of crimson ki as she went into her normal Special
attack, the Feline Assault.  The Chinese Amazon became a blurry berserker,
racing into a fury of strikes, slashes, and kicks, like a buzzsaw out of
control.  Bodies began to flail about from the sheer amount of blows she
was throwing.  As the attack slowed down and her prey screamed and moaned
in pain, she lifted Kuno off the ground.  "Tate, you hurt?  Talk to me,
goose."
  He groaned, then muttered, "You've got the wrong person; I'm not injured,
they are.  And since when did you start using movie quotes?"
  "Touch‚."  She flashed a grin, then looked around nonchalantly.  "Well,
sorry to ruin your fun, but I got carried away in taking them out."
  Before her partner could answer, she heard a voice call out, "Don't
worry.  I saved more just for you."
  Chasing down the voice, the duo sprinted up the stairs and turned the
corner, skidding to a halt in the passageway, which appeared to be the old
chow hall.
  Surrounding them were approximately 300 Kaguro ninjas and shinobi.
Standing in the center of them all, battle scarf at the ready, was the
master shinobi, flanked by his associates Isamu and the woman with the
glasses.  Kaguro grinned.  "Shan Fu, my beloved.  it is good to see you
once again."
  "Kaguro...." Shampoo seethed through clenched teeth.
  "Ah, my love, so you do remember me, as you say my name with undisguised
affection and sensual longing.  Perhaps you realize that it is time for you
and your compatriot there to surrender yourselves to the one who as mighty
as the tallest redwood, who is as powerful as the strongest storm, who is
as swift as the fastest humm-"
   "Yuji, shut the hell up and skip the speeches,"  Kuno rebuked in
Japanese, bringing the pole to a ready position.  He smiled grimly and
said, "Hello, cousin.  Long time no see."

*   *   *

  Maria slowly threw the last opponent down to the ground, wincing at the
pain in her side.  They'd have to retreat back to the boat; she and Ronnie
were too battered and bruised to continue, and things were getting worse.
The ninjas were throwing huge numbers at them, and it was only their skills
that kept their heads above water.  Unfortunately, there was a price to pay
for all this:  Ronnie's leg injury had just about disabled her in the last
wave of psychotic fighters, and a couple of Maria's own ribs were broken
after an unlucky encounter with a pair of nunchaku.  They'd managed to wipe
out the contingent, but were both in need of medical care and as soon as
possible.  
  She gasped from the pain and screeched, "Ronnie?  You okay?"
  Ronnie wound down from her Firestorm kick.   "B-barely.  I don't think
we're going to make it unless we get back to the boat."  Maria noticed that
Ronnie was still going on pure willpower.  Her injured leg had been joined
by an abraded arm, and several cuts and bruises to various parts of her
body.  She gingerly went to a standing position, and then her leg gave up
and she fell to the ground, panting.
  Maria need a break as well, so the two women sat, back to back.  Gasping
out her comment, she said, "How do you think we did?"
  "I think we...we cleared a lot of opposition for Shampoo and that Tate guy."
  "That's good,"  Maria said in a half-dreamy voice, her tones lilting in a
sing-song fashion.  "I was honestly worried for a second that we didn't do
much damage."
  Ronnie turned her neck, with some pain.  "Hey, what about you?  Can you
make it back to the boat?"
  "Funn...ouch...funny, that's what I was just about to ask you."  She
slowly, painfully dragged herself to her feet and offered the kickboxer a
hand up.  "Ready to go?"
  Ronnie took the hand and lifted herself up,  using Maria as a brace and
trying very not hard to agitate the other girl's broken ribs.  Taking a
deep breath of air in an attempt to dispel the dizziness, she replied,
"Ready as I'll ever be.  At least in this condition, anyway."


  Fifteen agonizing and amazingly unopposed minutes later, the pair arrived
at the damaged landing.  When they had arrived, however, they noticed three
things.  The first was the unfortunate fact that their boat had finally
succumbed to the sheer amount of damage that it had received, and was now
almost completely under the waves; only a small portion of the boat's prow
could be seen above the dark waters.
  Item number two was noticed when Ronnie threw off her broken glasses.
She hurled them off in a random direction, and Maria watched them fly off
towards the far northwest.  That's when she noticed the speedboat, tied to
a second landing that no one else had noticed when they had begun their
assault.  This made it clear as to why there were such huge numbers on the
island:  reinforcements were brought in. If they could get to the boat,
they had a way off the island, and back to home.
  That's when item number three came into play.  A huge, muscle-bound ninja
was guarding the boat, carrying one of the biggest, sharpest, and nastiest
katanas that Maria had ever seen.  But that didn't matter; the boat did.
And the rather sizable object had to be eliminated.  Period.
  Ronnie said, "I have an idea.  But it's gonna require a little surprise,
and a lot of pain.  For us and him."
  "Okay.  What's the deal?"
  "Well, here's the plan."  She leaned over and whispered in to Maria's
ear, "First thing we do is...."


  Takuhi Magami was bored.  He'd been detailed to ferry duty, to stand by
and await the request of other forces as needed.  So far, he'd ferried over
several hundred personnel since this operation began.  From what he heard,
the opposition facing his Lord Yujiiro and Master Isamu were top-notch.  As
a survivor--one of the few--of the Ishihara debacle, he'd heard the name
"Saotome" mentioned briefly.  For a moment, Magami felt dread; he still
carried the scar, slashed across his chest by the red-haired speed demon
Saotome Ranko.  He would not wish to face her again--she had been the only
opponent he had ever lost to, and she defeated him handily, flawlessly,
without so much as a scratch or even breaking a sweat.  She was a ninja of
pristine caliber, and if she was no ninja, then the Kaguro clan had best be
afraid.
  "Excuse me, I'm lost.  Can you tell me the way to Pier 39?"
  Magami looked down and saw the woman, over a foot shorter than him.  She
looked like she'd been through hell, but was calmly standing there, cute as
a button.  She smiled briefly at him.  "Hey, if you don't know, just point
me to the nearest water taxi."
  "Huh?" was Magami's reply.
  She suddenly got cross, and even that somehow looked cute on her.
"Listen.  I just beat the hell out of several hundred of you ninja types.
Now, I just want to get home, soak in a tub, and maybe have a beer or two."
 She eased up on her attitude, and said, "You look kinda bored.  Care to
join me?  I haven't had dinner yet, and was thinking of stopping at a
Denny's."
  "Wha?"  Magami was completely perplexed.  {She just beat up...?}  
  The girl shook her head sadly, sighing, "Story of my life.  Why do I
always seem to get all the stupid types?"  She looked at him again, and
said, "Attention, K-Mart shopper.  I just asked you out on a date.  If
you're too brain-damaged to recognize that, then I'm wasting my time."
With that, she turned to walk away.
  Magami's slow brain finally put two and two together.  {She said she
defeated some ninjas like me.  That means she attacked my compatriots.
Which makes her an enemy!}  Magami faced the woman's back as she walked
off, his face the portrait of hatred.  "YOU MUST DIE!!!!" he roared in
Japanese, bringing his ham-sized fist to bear on the smaller, unprepared
woman.
  That's what he thought, anyway.  Ronnie leaned back, caught his arm as it
now rocketed just over her shoulder, and  using his momentum, she threw
herself forward and flung him away, shouting, "All yours!"
  The next thing Magami saw as he flew uncontrollably, was a woman in
military gear, standing casually, as if waiting for his arrival.  Just
before careening into the woman, she announced an attack of "Sunflare
Upper!" and hit him with what seemed to be a fist, infused with the power
of a neutron star.
  Magami's world went black.


  Ronnie stood back up, and walked over to the boat, beginning to undo the
lines.  She was joined a second later by Maria, who hopped in the driver's
seat, and began checking everything on the craft.  Ronnie hopped in the
boat as Maria thrummed the engine to life, and the pair softly moved away
from the landing slip.  Once they got reasonably distant, Maria maneuvered
the boat into the moon-oriented shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, cut the
engines, and sat, while Ronnie threw the small anchor over and looked for
the first aid kit.
  "Neat trick,"  Maria said, breaking the small period of silence.  "How'd
you know he was going to react like that?"
  "I didn't," Ronnie admitted.  She walked up to Maria, carrying several
first aid kits.  "I had planned to try to use my feminine charms on him,
but he was as hormonally dead as a doornail."  She popped open one of the
kits, and pulled out the gauze.  "Now stand up and take off your shirt;
I've got to bind your ribs before we get anywhere.  The night's not over
yet."  She looked at her watch; the digital face read 11:45.  "Yeah, it'll
definitely be an all-niter."

*   *   *

  "Well, cousin Tatewaki.  It has been a long time.  I wasn't aware that
you were a suitor for the heart of my beloved Shan Fu," Kaguro commented,
bowing gracefully.  "I would give up now, but I'm afraid honor compels me
to challenge you for her heart."
  "You are such the fool, Yuji," Kuno replied.  "I am happily married to
another woman; Shampoo and I are simply old high school friends.  We are
here to correct your grievous error."  He brandished the staff like a holy
talisman. "One that you will pay dearly for.  You killed a woman tonight,
possibly two others."
  "We have two prisoners, a man and a woman," Kaguro waved two fingers to
his lieutenants, motioning them away.  "The one who died was killed by
Chiang.  She was a Saotome, and that family has now paid the price for
their past transgressions against the family Kaguro, as well as the clan
Kuno." He said, remaining unruffled.
  "Where Chiang?" Shampoo thundered.
    "My love, I ca--"  His voice was cut off in an instant as without
warning and in the proverbial blink of an eye, Shampoo raced up to him, and
grabbed him by the front of his shirt.  She stared into his eyes, twin
furnaces of marital fury.
    When she spoke, it was the voice of a panther on the hunt.  "You tell
Shampoo where is demon.  It pay."  Her voice was as emotionless and cold as
a tombstone.  "Today you hurt and killed people who dear to Shampoo.  Kill
you now, except Shampoo have to stop demon before destroys world."  She
spoke again with the voice of the predator.  "Tell now, or prepare to face
ancestors up close and in person."
    He saw the blind fury in her eyes, and directed her with his own.
"Next floor, the infirmary."    
    "Thank you, Kaguro."  She raked one of her sais across his cheek, deep
enough to let the blood flow freely, then thrust a well-placed knee to his
crotch.  As he crumpled to the deck, whimpering in pain, Shampoo sped off
towards the stairs.  She paused long enough to shout, "Tate to take care of
hillbilly cousin for.  Shampoo have score to settle."  She smiled sweetly
as she said, "Make sure suffer for every injury done own."  She resumed her
sprint up the steps.
  "Sure thing," Kuno called back.  "Give 'im hell, Shampoo!"  As she
disappeared from sight, he muttered to himself, "That may have not been the
best choice of words...."
  "No one...stop her."  Kaguro wheezed.  "She must do this alone, to prove
her bravery to me as I--"
  Kuno picked up his cousin, facing him with a look of mock-dismay.  "If I
were you, Yuji, I'd worry about yourself.  Because if I don't kill you for
your transgressions, you'd best have that seppuku equipment handy."  He
threw him back.
  Kaguro at this point recovered, and landed easily, looking at Kuno with
disgust.  They had never gotten along, but there was no reason to kill
Tatewaki.  That he could justify.  At this moment, anyway.  "Dear cousin,"
he spat sarcastically, "what have I done to incur your wrath?"
  "The woman that you helped murder.  Ranko Saotome--"
  "Yes, I believe that was the little minx's name," Kaguro said with an air
of disinterest.  "What possible interest did she have to you?  A personal
vendetta that I didn't let you finish?"
  Kuno leapt in for the attack, screaming, "YOU BASTARD!  YOU KILLED ONE OF
OUR OWN!"  Kuno slammed the pike home with such force that it shattered on
impact...
...against the floor; Kaguro had moved aside, easily avoiding the strike.
Kuno moved again to smite his opponent, but the remainder of the stave was
snapped out of his hands by a quick whip motion of Kaguro's scarf.
  "You are completely without honor.  You have allowed the Saotomes to ally
with us--after they dishonored us in the Ishihara conflict!  It is
therefore my duty to remove the stain of your existence from the family."
Kaguro went into a ready position.
  "The Saotomes were part of us years before your error in spiriting
Saotome Nokdoka away," he snarled.  "I never had definitive proof that it
was the ninjas of our clan that did it.  Now I do.  And you will suffer for
it all."  He whipped out his sword, and the pair bowed to each other in the
traditional Japanese manner.
  They began to circle each other, readied for conflict.  From somewhere
beyond, the ghosts of Shogun Kuno Yoshiaki and Shinobi Lord Kuno Kaguro
screamed at each other from the essences of their descendants.
    
    
  The pair circled each other, sensing the other's moves, probing for
weaknesses, observing for the other's strengths.  Save for the fact that
Shampoo had given Kaguro a once-over (not a very injurious one either,
since she was pressed for time), both men were ready for a fight to the
finish.
  They continued this for a minute or two then stopped, long enough to look
at each other in the eyes, expressions of hatred and disgust in their
faces.  The whole room tensed with the two relatives, every eye in the room
focused on the pair in the center of the dimly lit, aged, empty room.  Not
a soul breathed, not a mouth uttered a sound.  There was a silence like the
deepest corners of space.
  That silence ended as the two charged towards each other, determined to
end the conflict as quick as possible.  Kuno made the initial attack, going
into the Lightning Sword assault.  However, Kaguro swiftly danced around
it, easily maneuvering between each thrust of the blade.  
  To counter, he dived on the floor, rolled free of the area, then
commenced his Pulse Disruption attack, sending great gouts of flame towards
Kuno.  Kuno leapt to the side, however, and threw his wide slash.  The
stream of ki punched Kaguro to the floor, but he got up and countered with
his ribbon knife.  The DNA-like strands of energy nailed Kuno squarely in
the chest, throwing him back several feet.
  The pair leapt at each other again.  This time, Kuno did his Rising Slash
attack in mid-air, while Kaguro whipped his scarf.  The two attacks
canceled out each other, the force of the cancellation flinging both
fighters back against the walls like towels in a dryer.
    

  Kuno got up, ignored the small solar system doing the Macarena in his
vision, wiped a rivulet of blood from his mouth.  {Well, so it seems that
Yuji can fight after all.  I guess I'll have to put some extra effort into
it.  I can't go back home to Nabiki in a box.  She's been through too much
already, and I'm too young to make my beloved wife a widow at 27.}
  He couldn't afford to lose.  His "playing" with Ranma years ago never had
this intensity, and his ordeal at the Crystal Temple taught him that he had
to win.  Lest the consequences would be suffered by his loved ones, not
him; all the pomp and pageantry and puffery of his younger days wouldn't
matter in the grave.
  Shaking off the momentary disorientation, Kuno dashed towards his cousin,
sword down low, ready for another special attack.  "Yuji!  Prepare for your
undoing!"


  Kaguro used the wall as a brace to stand up.  He ignored the nosebleed
and rested momentarily against the semi-sanctuary of the wall.  {So
Tatewaki has some skill with a kendo sword.  I suppose I will have to be
careful from this point on.  If I am not, I may never get the opportunity
to take the heart of my beloved Shan Fu.  And that would be a sad tale
worthy of the Books of Manyoshu.  So fight I must, for the sake of my love,
proud yet shy beauty that she is.}  Kaguro leapt up and raced to meet his
emery--a blood relative that had defiled the very core of all that embodies
the majesty of the names of Kuno and Kaguro.  {What an ass.  Next thing,
he'll say that the world is flat.}  Kaguro continued his onslaught in silence.


  The pair clashed again in the center of the hall, Kuno putting his
strength behind a power strike while Kaguro threw a Blast Upper.  The
flames scored Kuno's shirt, but his strike rang true, slashing his cousin
across the chest.  The recoil from Kaguro's assault spun Kuno around
tripped him, while his attack launched the shinobi back several feet again.
 Both, however, leapt to their feet and charged once more.  this time,
however, Kuno did a flying kick and nailed Kaguro in the head, landed,
rolled around, and did the three-hit-one-fist combo.  Kaguro snapped to
rapidly enough that he caught Kuno off guard, landing several rapid chops
to his chest and a palm punch to his jaw.  Kuno fell back, but managed to
roll back, coming back to defensive position.
  Kaguro did the same.  The two stared at each other for the longest time,
and the audience of Kaguro ninjas wondered:  were they charging up their ki
for Special attacks, or resting for another fierce round at each other?


  Kaguro didn't understand why he was about to do what he was about to do,
but he did it anyway.  He tried at the last to end this struggle with
minimal dishonor and bloodshed.  "Tatewaki, give up and die honorably.  Is
it not enough that you have defiled family honor by consorting with an
enemy of the family?  I promise I will be there for your seppuku."
        

  Kuno laughed, the sound of contempt clear in his voice.  "You're a fool,
Yuji, a damn fool.  I married my wife Nabiki because we taught each other
to see past such veils as vanity and treachery, something that Ranko--" he
winced as he said her name; fighting off the wave of anguish, holding onto
his rage "--taught both of us.
  "I thought Saotome Ranma a venomous dog when I was younger.  Now that I
know him and now that he's my brother-in-law, I realize that I cannot have
had a better friend or relative than he.  He is certainly more honorable,
loyal, and trustworthy than my other relation by marriage, Sanzenin Mikado;
more honorable than my twisted sister or my idiotic father.
  "If you think that honor can be defined by a name or a history, think
again.  This is not the era of the Warring States.  This is not the Feudal
period, nor the Meiji Restoration. The shogunate is dead, and for the most
part the families of the Kuno clan, in clinging to warped versions of the
old ways, have killed our own honor.  Our clan taught me all that was noble
except the one lesson that was most important--nobility.  The Tendos and
Saotomes taught me that instead, and that is why I'm more than proud to be
a member of their family.
  "Each person has to find their own personal honor, not rely on the ghosts
of the dead.  You never understood that, Yuji.  Ultimately, that will be
your downfall."


  The pair stared at each other between the meters that separated them, and
from the gulf that was even longer than that--the ideals that each man had.
 Kaguro believed that Kuno betrayed everything that had once been sacred to
the swordsmaster, while Kuno believed that he had truly grown up, and
become a respectable human being.  who was right, who was wrong, no one
knew or was to say.  what they did know was that their relationship could
never again be mended, and this would end with only one man walking away
intact.
  The pair relaxed, bowed once more, then charged at each other, raging
against their personal machines that made what the other called his soul.

*   *   *

  "Man, I *hate* this waiting!"  Tyler was pacing around on the carpet in
the girls' place, waiting for some kind of answer.  Any kind of answer.
"Gil, I have *no* idea how you can be so calm.  Those bastards killed
Ran-Chan, for chrissake!"
  Gil, seated on the sofa, said, "I'm not, Tyler.  By no means am I happy
about the current situation.  But we have no proof that she was killed.  We
know that some psychotic individual with some kind of vendetta against
Mousse captured the three, and that Ranko's supposedly been killed for her
actions in trying to rescue Mousse and Libby.  It's just that there's no
solid proof."
  The two continued to wait at the girls' place, trying to remain patient
and brace for the worst simultaneously.  The police officer, assured his
charge would be safe--safer than he was, at any rate--returned to the
station to file a report.  The SFPD would at this point just be bystanders
for Shampoo's little war on the ninjas who had offended her.
  "You liked her too, huh,"  Tyler commented, the grip of melancholy in his
voice.
  Gil sighed, then smiled slightly and said, "Yeah.  She was a real
sweetheart.  Excellent fighter, too, from what you told me."
  Unaware of his friend's attempt to cheer him up, Tyler brightened on the
subject.  "Man, is she ever!  I've never seen a master of her art the way
she is.  My old sensei, Mr. Yamamoto, was probably the best that I'd ever
seen previously.  But there's no way he could ever hold a candle to the
skill that Ranko has!  An' to boot, she says her brother's even better,
probably the best in the world at his art.  I believe her.  Just from the
things that I've learned from her, I--"
  Gil was grinning.  "Feeling better, now?"
  Tyler smiled back.  "Yeah.  Thanks."  He sat down next to Gil and asked,
"So what do you think happened to them?  I mean, Shamps, Maria, Ronnie, and
that Kuno guy?  Haven't heard from any of them, and you think they'd let us
know about the situation."
  "They may be in the battle of their lives.  You heard what Shampoo said,
you heard why she practically forbade us to go, and you know how fiercely
protective she is of Mousse, Libby, and Ran-Chan.  Plus, I know for a fact
that Tate feels the same way about Ranko that Shampoo does.  All three of
them are old friends, after all."  Gil stood up, and patted Tyler on the
shoulder.  "Look, I'm going to use the bathroom.  I'll be right back.
Don't worry about it.  It'll turn out all right in the end.  You'll see."



  As Gil walked towards the facilities, Tyler felt a  sense in the back of
his head that things were going to get just a bit worse.  This was
compounded by the fact that the phone rang, startling him.  He reached over
and picked it up.  "Hello?"
  The tinny voice on the other end spoke Japanese. "Koban wa.  Shampoo
onegashimasu?"
  "I'm sorry, but I don't speak Japanese.  Also, we, uh, have a bad
connection.  And, um, I--"
  "Sorry.  Is this better?  I can't do anything about the line, 'cause I'm
calling from a plane."  The woman on the other end switched to a  pleasant
(if accented) English.  "Is Shampoo there?  I'm her friend, Akane.  I
sincerely hate to be rude, but this is an emergency."
  "I'm afraid she's out for the moment."  Tyler's voice trembled slightly
as her said this, unsure of how to say in his best words that Shampoo had
declared war on ninjas and a supernatural being.
  "Hai."  A moment of silence, then:  "Um, is Ranko there?  I need to speak
to her as well, even more so than Shampoo."
  Tyler's voice got even shakier.  "N-no, I'm af-fraid that...she, um...is,
er...out as well."  Though I hope not permanently, he mentally added.
  "Hai, soo desu.  Do you have any idea where I may be able to find them?
This is extremely urgent, and it's important that I talk to them."
  "Uh, I'm not sure where they are at the moment.  Maybe they went out to a
danceclub, or a bar, or something.  That's about the only place that I can
think of where I couldn't reach them."
  "Arigato.  You've been very useful with your assistance."  Tyler got the
distinct impression that the woman on the phone was trying to keep her tone
and temper neutral--and not succeeding too well.  "I won't trouble you any
further.  Have a pleasant evening."  The call ended, just as oddly as it
started.



  Gil came out as Tyler replaced the phone in the power jack.  "Hey, who
was that on the phone?"
  "Some Japanese woman named Akane.  An old friend of Shampoo and
Ran-Chan's, from what it sounded like.  She didn't sound too happy.  Was
also calling from a jet.  Why?"
  Gil's mouth tightened.  "Tyler, buddy, the shit is about to hit the fan.
Akane is Ran-Chan's sister-in-law.  If she's in a jet, chances are, she's
on her way here.  Along with our dear redhead's brother.  Who, as you heard
Shampoo say, always has a way of knowing when his sister is in
trouble...and is *very* overprotective."
  "Kinda like someone else I know?" Tyler deadpanned, grasping for
humor...and failing pretty badly.
  "Possibly.  But Shampoo and Ran-Chan are best friends," Gil returned,
with an equally feeble attempt to lighten the mood.
  "I guess this means that things aren't necessarily about to get better,
are they?"
  "Unfortunately, no.  I have been wrong before; this is probably one of
those times."

*   *   *
   
  Akane sighed as she hung up the phone for the hundredth-or-so time; her
life was just out past the realm of everyday standards, as went the norm
since she met the redhead girl and panda on that rainy day ten years ago.
A small joke sparked in the back of her mind, complemented by the barest
hint of a smile:  {Maybe I should've accepted Tate's affections.  My life
might've been a little more sane.}  Also as usual, she brushed the thought
off; that redhead turned out to be half of the one person in the world she
loved more than anything.
  That person was currently asleep in his chair, fitfully, but at least no
longer a problem, and now everybody within the vicinity of seats 23A and
23B could breathe just a bit easier.  Akane herself did so as well; the
sleeping pills that the stewardess had slipped in the second cup of water
did their job.  The flight, though fast, still had another two hours to go
before they touched down in California, and she was still getting nowhere,
fast.


  She did at least manage to get a hold of Nabiki (who, by some wild
chance, was still at the office--wasn't it nearly midnight in the States?),
and asked just what the hell was going on?  Nabiki in turn, initially
avoided her younger sister's attempts, but when push came to shove, she
then explained her role in these odd turn of events:
  "Kuno-baby took a company Lear jet to San Francisco as soon as he could.
I thought it was simply to review the new contracts with Libby and to
deliver the info to Shampoo.  I had no idea just what the hell he was up to."
  "What was in the documents, Nabiki?"
  "I don't know, sis.  He pulled a couple of favors from a sparring partner
of his who works at the State Department."  She sounded completely at a
loss.  "He didn't even make copies or anything for our, um, 'use'.  That's
not like him."
  Nabiki had also explained Shampoo's basis for the call, and her concerns
about Ran-Chan's safety.  Along with that, she also mentioned the fact that
the Chinese Amazon wanted none of the family involved, furthermore added
that it had sounded like Shampoo had set up a firewall in the inevitable
event that Ranma found out.  "Why?  What's going on?  Where are you calling
from?  It sounds like an airport, not like a beach in the tropics."
  Akane explained the current situation to her older sister.
  "I'll be in Frisco within in the hour.  Just look for me at the airport.
What flight you on?"  Akane gave her the flight number and arrival time.
"Sis, I pray that just for once, Ranma's wrong.  Sweet God above, let him
be wrong."  Finally, as they hung up, you could hear the voice of sultry
tones of Nabiki Kuno thunder, "Tina!  Call the company hangar and have them
prep the other Lear!  NOW!!!!"
    

  That was twenty minutes ago, about the same time that Ranma did the
sleeping-not-so-beauty routine.  Since then, she tried to call everybody
else in Japan, but to no avail.  Nabiki did give Akane Shampoo's number,
and that's when she had the weird conversation with that guy.  {Either he's
not telling me something, or--no.  He's the firewall that Shampoo set up.
As usual, she's got a trick in that magic bag of hers.  Leave somebody
behind to stall us while she charges in; this way, she doesn't have to
stabilize an uncontrollable Ranma, and also has the advantage of local
knowledge that we don't.  She may even have this resolved somewhat by the
time we arrive, if I know her.}  Akane smiled did a briefly once more; once
again, Shampoo had thought of everything.


  So, feeling she did all she could at the moment, she returned to her
seat.  She dropped into the somewhat comfortable upholstery of the chair
and picked up the in-flight magazine, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
  That someone turned out to be a stewardess--the same one who had given
Akane the pills.  "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I couldn't help but notice
that you and your husband are very distraught.  I also remember you saying
something about a death in the family?  Perhaps you need someone to talk to
about it.  I'm here to listen, if you'd like."
  Akane's hand went to her mouth in surprise.  {Did I blurt that out to
her?  I must be worse off than I thought!}  "I, um--"
  The other woman smiled as she sat down in the seat across, which had been
empty.  "I understand.  I know how it feels.  Something tells me you have
before, as well.  I'm also guessing that he--" she gestured at Ranma,
"--hasn't.  No matter how many times it happens, it never lessens the pain.
 But sometimes talking relieves the anguish."  She flashed a bright, cheery
smile.
  Akane couldn't help but match smile for smile.  She bowed her head
slightly.  "I'm Akane Saotome."
  the other girl did the same.  "Nice to meet you, Akane.  I'm Jiukiu
Tsesao Lao.  Jiu for short."

*   *   *

  {Brilliant, Tatewaki, just absolutely brilliant.  You really blew this
one.  Nabiki'll have your head for this.  If Yuji doesn't first.}  That
happy little mantra was the main thing going through his mind.  He did have
to admit that he did have better days, those being the kind where he wasn't
bleeding profusely.  Or days where he didn't have a black eye, an arm with
several cuts, burns on a couple parts of his body, and enough sweat and
blood to make all his injuries sting.  His clothing was bloodstained,
ripped, or burnt in various places, and he generally didn't look too much
like the grand prize winner at a fashion contest.  {It's crystal clear that
I'm not the kid I used to be.  I recovered so much faster when I fought in
my younger days.}  He momentarily stumbled in his attempt to get back into
the battle.  {I'm sooooo exhausted.  It seems that I've been fighting him
for the longest time, but it's not been the time so much as the intensity.
He continued to struggle to his feet.  Well, he decided, at least I'm still
alive, and I got my shots in on Yuji.}
  He then noticed his cousin rushing in for another strike.  Kuno slowly
moved his blade into the defense position.  As Kuno swung in a sad attempt
to counter what he thought would be a whip slash attack, Kaguro swiftly
changed tactics, coming in and belting him with a hard left hook, then as
the two moved away from the counter, Kaguro spun and flung ribbon knives at
Kuno's unprotected back.  The beams tore away from the battle scarf,
tearing through cloth and into flesh.  Kuno hit the floor with a
blood-thinning yelp of pain and surprise.


  Kaguro stood over him as if he were the mighty Colossus of old, full of
pride and hubris at his victim's feet.  Kaguro himself was not in much
better condition that Kuno.  His face was scorched by ki discharges.  He
had multiple slashes and shallow puncture wounds all over. His top was
completely torn away, his battle scarf frayed and torn at various places.
He looked like he might join Kuno on the floor, if it was not for the fact
that the space was already taken.
  "I'm terribly, terribly sorry it had to end this way, Tatewaki.  True, we
have never been on the best of terms, but I had always respected you for
your honor and loyalty to the clan.  It is such a shame to see that you
have fallen from the noble ways, and into shame and depravity.  I offered
you an honorable way out, but you refused.  So it is my duty as a Kaguro to
remove the stain of dishonor from the clan Kuno."  He raised his fist, and
the battle scarf began its pseudo-galactic swirling motion, the shimmering
aura a pale rainbow of doom.  Grinning like a madman, Kaguro said his final
word: "Farewell."


  As the fist came down in what seemed to be slow motion, Tatewaki Kuno saw
the most recent ten years of his life flash before his eyes:

  {His first look at the beautiful and strong Akane, followed two years
later by her equal, the mysterious tree-borne kettle carrying pigtailed
girl...The multiple fights with Ranma, over his enslavement of Akane and
the pigtailed girl...His spurning of Mariko, the one woman who had actually
cared for him...The many adventures and struggles that ensued, culminating
in the conflict in Vietnam, and his unexpected spurning by Ranko, along
with her "little lecture" to him...An awkward, early disastrous first date
with Nabiki, followed by a not-as-bad second date, and so on...Their date
at Tokyo Disneyland, where he finally admitted that he'd fallen completely,
hopelessly in love with her, and her alone; then finding out that she was
about to say the exact same words to him...A romantic vacation in Beppu,
the one where he proposed to her...The wedding ceremony, the one where he
and Ranma finally made peace with one another, followed by the most joyous
and wonderful honeymoon in Honolulu...The day they announced to the family
(the Tendos--he'd long since given up on his own) that they were moving to
LA to take over a small corporation that his grandfather had given him as a
wedding gift...the eventual evolution of that small company into Kunotech
Industries, Inc., the pride and joy of two young people whose love for each
other outstripped all else in this world, a true accomplishment of a pair
who were the least likely to ever marry each other in the first place.}

  This montage was culminated by the image of Nabiki as an angel, his
angel, looking at him, eyes pleading and voice full of a lover deeper and
larger than the oceans:  "Come back to me.  I can't live without you, my
love.  I need you at my side, Tatewaki-chan, to be at your side.  Come home."

  Tatewaki Kuno couldn't, for the life of him, explain what happened next.
As Kaguro's Pulse Disruption punch hit the deck, discharging its energy to
the floor, Kuno rolled under his legs and leapt to his feet.  As Kaguro
finished his move and looked for the remains of his cousin, Kuno called
every last iota of strength, stamina, and life-force, willing himself to
the striking position, and commanding the last vestiges of his deepest well
of ki.  There was the sound of a thunderclap, and Kuno began to glow with a
fierce blue light.  


  Kaguro turned in a smirk of pride:  he had completely obliterated the
offender that had besmirched the family pride.  There was nothing to
commemorate the remains of Kuno Tatewaki except for a sizable crater in the
floor.  So, with his noble and proper combat completed, the interior
designer ninja turned to face his followers
  That smirk turned to a blanched mask of fear as he turned and faced a
blazing Kuno, eyes crackling with blue ki, looking not at all unlike one of
the divine warriors of old, a true samurai.  Kaguro stood there, frozen to
the floor, a total enveloping fear providing a wonderful adhesive.  He
couldn't act, duck, or even talk; the master ninja was totally, utterly at
a loss.
  Kuno pulled his arm as far back as he could, then roared words that
seemed to have originated from the highest tiers of the stratosphere
themselves:  "*Super Attack!  Lightning Strike Lance!*"  He thrust the
blade forward, and a massive wave of blue lightning rolled straight towards
Kaguro, an incredible tsunami of azure ki-powered plasma.  
  Kaguro had no time to react.  The master shinobi was swept up in the wave
of destruction and carried along as the blast roiled through the wall, out
of the dilapidated prison, off the island, and launched him clear towards a
destination unknown.
  As the form of Yujiiro Kaguro, outlined by the discharge of blue, could
be seen rocketing away in the distance, Kuno stared at it, and said softly,
"Nothing will ever come between myself and my love.  Never, Yuji.  Remember
that stain on your honor.  Just be glad I used the flat of the blade."  He
bowed slightly in the direction of the blue comet, then watched with a
small smile as the Kaguro ninjas bowed deeply to their Lord Kuno.  
  He laughed and saluted like a swashbuckler of old Europe.  "All you
assembled here.  Teach your master the ways of honor.  He has been blinded
by pride and hubris.  It is your duty as those of the Kaguro sect of the
Kuno clan to instill in him the measure of honor that will bring you to the
correct path.
  With that, he slowly walked out towards the door that he and Shampoo had
entered.  His job was done here; it would be up to Shampoo to do her part
for the conflict.  He now had to bandage himself up, then find Mousse,
Libby, and Ranko's body.  Once that was accomplished, he could then
rendezvous with Maria and Ronnie, wait for Shampoo, and finally leave the
island.
  He sighed.  The easy part was over, and now the true gauntlet had begun.
{Finding and dealing with Pigtail's body, that's where it gets difficult.
Oh, Nabiki, my love, whatever shall I do?}
  The Kaguro ninjas still assembled still bowed as Tate Kuno stepped back
into the shadows, a comforting and cleansing darkness swallowing him up.

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