The Fire's Kiss 

By Kain the Seeker 

aka Andrew Graham (Kaintskr@aol.com) 

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2 

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun, 

Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo, 

Mousse, Kunou Tatewaki, Kunou Kodachi, Tofu Ono Sensei, and Hinako 

Ninomiya Sensei are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko. 

All other charaters are property of Andrew Graham. 

Publishing rights: 

Japan: Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo 

Hong Kong: Jademan (Holdings) Ltd. 

North America: Viz Inc. 

Nabiki placed the lilies on the grave, sniffing with misery. Tears kept forming in her eyes, but so far
she had managed to keep them back. 

Barely. 

She hadn't felt this devasted since her mother's death. Her dealing in and outside the school had
fallen to an all time low. Money didn't seem worth it anymore. She couldn't hide behind the almighty
yen any longer. 

"I miss you, every minute of the day. Katsumi and Akane seem to understand and Ranma knows;
but the others don't have a clue what you were to me.", She kneels and brushed off the headstone,
and finally breaks down. Pent up tears flowed and sobs racked her body as she lay by the head
stone. 

Nearby, shadows darkened and flowed together. Something forms in them. It was weak, the conflict
of late had slain many of it's kind and left whatever remained mere shells of the powers that they had
been. 

Indeed, it could well be the last of it's kind. It knew that this was a possibility and had fed very little
since the last battle, taking only a bit of despair here, a taste of anger and hatred there. Caution was
the order of battle now, it had to wait and bide it's take. Rebuild the legions of it's kind before it
would be confortable striking with the impunity of the past. 

Still, the prey WAS alone and walked the dark paths of despair. It would be simple to stoke the
fires and keep them burning bright till a more convient time to stalk and feed. After all, dusk wasn't
too far off, and night was close beyound that. 

Satified with the possiblity of a full meal for the first time in weeks, it reached out with tendrils of
darkness and stoked the fires of despair in the sobbing girl a few feet away from it's shelter. 

Nabiki in her depressed state never felt the touch of the Shadow, but was drawn into a dream of
what had been, something not quite a dream but more than a daydream. The Shadow was pleased,
it wasn't sure that it could induce such a deep trance in it's weakened state, it's prey was truly on the
edge of darkness. It channeled more of it's power into the bond and drew her more deeply into the
darkness within herself. It's lulling rythyms carriered her deep into herself and the recent past. 

Nabiki was largely unaware of the occurance, and listened to the rythyms. And Remembered the
past, all the time aware of the pain to come. 

Deeper within, however a small part realized what was happening and tried to fight back the
encompasing shadows. 

It fought and flamed at the shadows, and the shadows grew stronger from the conflict. 

It flickered and guttered like the flame of a dying candle. 

Nabiki, trapped in despair and the Shadow's grasp, was helpless to do anything but Remember. 

-- Weeks before -- 

Nabiki turned and slowly flowed into the next routine. She moved with a fluid nature that would have
suprised many that knew her. The kata flowed from her smoothly and with a perfection that was
suprising. Time slowed when she did this, and the world outside her ceased to have meaning. This
was a rare place for her and she cherised the moments when she had them. 

Finally, as it always must, reality intruded upon her moment. 

"Oh, excuse me...", she heard from the doorway. 

She snapped out of the trance, and stumbled slightly as she turned. She hoped that it wasn't
someone that knew her too well. She couldn't afford to let rumors of this to get around, it wouldn't fit
her "hard as nails" businesswoman image. 

For a moment, she thought that she had been caught by Ranma. The girl at the door fit Saotome's
girl side at first glance, till the differences registered. She was a good 6 inches taller, and while she
had Ranma-chan's firey red hair, it was brushed and tied off in a long mane that came halfway down
her back. Nabiki figured that she was somewhere around 16 or 17. Another part of her mind tallied
the fact that she would definitely fit into the Kuno "Girl" profile that helped keep her profits so high. 

"... I'm so sorry to disturb, but I was wondering if you could tell me where the economic's club is
meeting today. My name is ...." 

"Kei Tanaka.", her contacts in the admissions office had told her of a new girl in school and she
could hazard a quess that she was it, " I'm Nabiki Tendo. The economic club isn't meeting till
tomorrow, I'm the club treasurer. If you want, I could show you where we are going to meet after I
get cleaned up." 

"That would be nice, but... " 

"What?" 

"I thought the gym was off limits this late after school, something about students destroying school
property in fights and such." 

"Well", Nabiki smiled to her as she turned away and walked towards the locker room, " let's just say
that I have a special arrangement with the school's custodians." 

"What you promised to keep the negatives out of the papers or something? I mean when I got here
they were telling me that the school was kind of harsh on enforcing the rules." 

"Uh...", Nabiki was kind of suprised at the girl's perceptive guess, "as a matter of fact that is about
the whole truth of it." She blushed and looked back at Kei. For the first time in a long time, she was
more than a little embarrased by her mercanary ways. 

Kei looked back at her a little suprised at the response that she had gotten, then smiled and giggled.
Nabiki couldn't help herself and soon both girls were laughing at the situation. 

The situation at the gym sort of broke the ice with the two. Nabiki reflected later that night. Akane
made friends with a lot of people and Katsumi had a gentle manner about her that made everone
trust her. Herself on the other had, she reflected, had built a reputation as a moneyhungery person
that would do anything for a yen. 

With Kei, it was different, they had hit it off from the moment that she had met the tall redhead. It
was kind of strange, thinking of how easily Kei had put her at ease while they talked about each
other at the cafe after she had cleaned up. 

Maybe, she thought as she went to sleep, Kei would even understand her moneygrubbing ways. Or
at least not be put off by it. 

Kei looked up at the clock and sighed, it was 10:00 and still no sign of her target. Grandmother had
insisted that she go out and do the rounds to get a feel for the new area. The old woman had also
insisted that "they" were in the area, at least in Nerima proper if not within a couple blocks of their
new home. 

"Sometimes being a being of destinty and power really sucks, " she muttered to herself as she started
back home. Almost 4 hours and not one sign of trouble, another wasted night. Not that she was
complaining, ever since she had become aware of her family's duty she had never had much of a life
of her own. 

Not to mention the fact that she went through more schools than even she could believe. Maybe this
time she will be able to stay in school more than a couple months, especially since she had seen
several very wierd and bizarre things in the last couple hours. 

Like the resturant owner that she had seen apparently assaulting a soda machine. Turned out to be a
girl in a very articultate disquise. Not that she had much of a chance to look at the girl before the
cook punted her over the horizon. 

A very potent martial artist from the what she had seen. Not to mention a great cook as she found
out later, having stopped to eat and ask the girl about the area. 

Ukyou was a good source of information. Nothing out of the usual strangeness had occured
according to her, though Kei had been unable to get her to eloborate on what she had meant by
"usual strangeness". 

Then again being pestered by soda machine a welcome change from the "usual strangeness" in HER
life. It would be nicer than having to worry over the broken bones and scars, she thought to herself
as she turned to head for home. 

Naturally that was the first moment in two months that she senses them. As usual is starts as chill up
her spine and a hissing static that only she and her grandmother can hear. 

"Damn",she muttered, "almost made it back home". She turned and headed back the way the feeling
indicated. Naturally, she thought, it would lead to the dankest and most out of the way alley in all of
the Nerima prefecture. The enemy was very predictable in a lot of ways. 

Unfortunately, they had already gotten to their prey. There was only a husk left of whoever it was.
Kei stood in the middle of the alley, furious at herself for the selfish thoughts that she had been
thinking. This bundle of cloth and skin had been a human being. Anger flamed within her, righteous
anger that stoked her chi to an inferno of power. 

"Come out and get me you bastards, " she shouted, "I know you are out there. You can hide from
me." 

:Foolish mortal:, whispered the voice from the shadows, :we have fed on your kind for centuries and
will do so for as long as we desire, which will be long after your bones have turned to dust: 

The shadows thickened and flowed into several discrete forms. At the same time the meager light for
the street that did make it into the alley dimmed, and the temperature in the alley dropped from the
warmed of a balmy spring night into the first chill of winter. 

Kei felt her pulse involuntarily quicken and suppressed the accompanying sudder that always
followed. Fear was the weapon of choice among the Shadows. Mankind always had an instictive
fear of the dark and the dying of the light. 

"Cute," she smirked, " know any other tricks?" 

:??:, the shadows were confused, never had they met a foe that could resist their Fear and Darkness.
More formed, drawn to the power that such prey would provide when they finally broke down her
resistance. Stupid and predictable, she like them over the canny ones, she thought as she stretched
her senses to the limit. Darkness enfolded the alley and consumed all of the meager light that
remained. From outside the alley, if there had been obseverers, it would have looked like she had
been encased in a glode of the darkest obsidian. Frost formed on the edges of the ground where the
glode touched. 

Kei laughed as she stood in the void, the air had gotten so cold that she could see her own breath. It
was like going from spring into the middle of an artic blizzard. Any normal human would be dead in
moments from exposure, and the overwelming fear that lay all around her would kill in even less
time. 

"You still haven't recognized me yet? Even for the weakest of the Shadows that is bad. I thought all
of you fiends had heard of the Lightbringer.", she taunted them as she reached within and pulled the
flames within her to the fore. 

:Lightbringer:, for the first time in the encounter, she felt a shudder of fear that wasn't directed at her.
The Darkness withdrew for a moment, then anger replaced fear and then the Shadows struck, :Die!: 

Kei dodged the first of the claws that came out of the Darkness around her, and then exploded.
Literally, as a column of fire erupted from her body and rose high into the sky. The glode of
Darkness shattered into a hundred shards, each one wreathed in flame. 

As they landed on the ground, they guttered and evaporated into a hissing stream. Within seconds,
the warm night and light had returned to the alley. With the exception of the small pile of clothes and
the scorch mark around Kei. 

Kei looked down at the smoldering clothes and kneeled. Who were you, she thought, do you have
family that will wonder at your disappearence or were you alone. I'm sorry that you had to die, but
at least your spirit is free now. 

She sighed as she put the clothes in a nearby dumpster and walked away. She hated failing, since
most of the time it wasn't her that paid the price. The lucky ones just die, she thought to herself as
she resumed her journey home. She hated to contemplate what happened to the unlucky ones. 

Her musings were interupted when she bumped into someone. 

"Excuse me", they both said at the same time. Kei looked at the young man in front of her. He was
around her height and heavily muscled, travel worn clothes not withstanding, he was in fairly good
shape. It was the interal sight, she was still keyed from her battle and hadn't completely gone back to
her normal level of awareness, that made her gasp. 

He was a potent source of Chi, that wasn't unusual, but the fact that his chi was so dark, so negative.
She had never seen an indivigual so unbalanced. Only those consumed by the Shadows have less
positive chi. 

He muttered his apologies and wandered off, while she looked at him stunned at what she had seen.
If the Enemy got their claws into him, they would become a lot stronger. Strong enought that she
wasn't even sure that she could continue her fight against them. Still, he looked strong enough to
resist them and they were so few that he might pass unnoticed, but she made a note to keep an eye
on him and find out more about him. 

As she walked away and Ryoga Hibiki fumbled his way to the Tendo Dojo (where he would arrive
in a couple days), a small shadow crawled out of the alley and surged into the shadow of the
streetlight. It looked out to the street and watched Hibiki wander away. 

:Yes:, it said to the night, :He's the one:. 

Cologne was drinking tea when it happened, and the shock of the power that was put out almost
made her drop her cup. She looked out into the night and watched the tower of flame fade away. 

"Hm.. I wonder what this means for the future", she muttered as she took her staff and went
downstairs to check on the resturant. It was closing time and she always checked it out one last time
before having Shampoo or Mousse lock up. 

Whatever it was, she mused, would have wait. Somethings only come in their own time. Still she
couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to occur soon. 

Happi was asleep, on his bag of pilfered panties, but even in his deep sake inspired sleep he was
disturbed by the energies sent out. He turned restlessly in sleep before turning over into a less
contented sleep. 

Kei sat down and dried her hair as she talked over the speakerphone. 

"That pretty much tells the whole story grandma, when are you going to be back from the States?" 

"I don't know dear, there is so many sites to check. Next week, I will be in Cheyanne. I got some
leads on a possible evocation on a reservation near that area, an old friend asked me to check on it.
I will check in sometime around Friday or Saturday. Are you doing okay, child?", concern colored
her voice. Kei was her only blood kin left and she tended to be a little bit of a motherhen, even when
she sent her out to possibly die. 

"Yeah, grandma, I like this school a lot that's all." 

"I understand, child. I really do, but everytime that you have to get involved with shadows you draw
attention to yourself and we both know that we have to keep a low profile. Maybe we will be able
to stay longer here. You never know dear. Well I have to go, this call is costing a fortune and I really
have nothing more to say right now. I will call you friday." with that she hung up leaving Kei in the
house alone. 

Kei sighed, it was a hard life and one that for the most part she would not have chosen for herself,
but even she had to admit that it was essential job. Just a lonely one. Her mother and father had died
years ago when she was a small child, and after a... regretable incident when her powers first
emerged, her father's side of the family was definitely not able to handle her. 

So that left her grandmother, who promptly took her in and started schooling her in her powers and
martial arts. It was later that the revelation of the Shadows and her mother's family crusade against
them was explained. 

At first it was fun, fighting the Shadows and using her powers. 4 years now, she had fought the
Shadows doing her small part to keep them at bay wherever she found them and what had it gotten
her? Scars, broken bones, and lost friends. Seeing friends die at the hands of the Shadows hurt only
less than seeing those who survive pull away from her in fear. 

She hoped that Nabiki was the first of her friends that didn't have that trait. She definite felt there
was something there, as she settle into her bed. Maybe grandma was right, she thought as she
slipped into sleep, this time would be different. 

Kei settle back in her seat, lunch was definitely an unique experience. First came the chinese bicyclist
that took short cuts through wall looking for her fiance. Who it turned out to be engaged to two or
three other girls depending to who you listened. He also turned out to be a she halfway through day
and then back into a he. Then there was the Chem club trying to do him (her?) in. 

Nabiki walked up and smiled," Hey Kei, how are things going? You look a little overwelmed." 

"Is Furican High the Japanesse version of the Bermuda Triangle?", Kei looked up as Nabiki giggled. 

"I am guessing that you have seen Ranma and company at work." 

"Is it always this bad out here?" 

"Actually it is kind of quiet today. No new fiances, or Ryoga showing up to fight him again." 

"No joking? Is it really that bad?" 

"Heck, it's been really quiet for the last two months, ever since Kuno went to the states as an
exchange student." Kei shot up straight in her seat, a chill running up her spine. 

"Kuno? Not Tatewaki Kuno?", she could feel the color away from her face. Nabiki smirked as she
answered. 

"Right, I see that you have heard of him." 

"Doesn't he have a sister, too? Does she go to this school also?", Kodachi Kuno was the last person
on the planet that she wanted to see. It had been eight years, but she doubted that Kodachi had
forgetten her. 

"No, she goes to a local boarding school. Though she does stop by from time to time to see her
brother or Ranma." 

"She is chasing Ranma also?", Saotome was cute if you liked that type of guy but she found it hard
to believe the amount of attention that he seemed able to draw. It was awe-inspiring. 

"Yeah, he is a very profitable er... popular guy around here." Nabiki smiled quickly to cover her
blunder, but Kei caught it anyway. 

"That is the other thing, Nabiki, everyone tells me that you are the big money person in the school. In
fact, they told me that you never do anything that doesn't make an impact on the bottle line. Is that
true?" 

Nabiki opened and shut her mouth a couple times, trying to come up with a reply when the teacher
came in and they had to hold off the conversation till class was over. Then she had to run to get to
her next class on the other side of the school. So Kei never did get the answer. 

At least till after the Economics club meeting. Kei watched the meeting with fascination. She had
good student in economics, it was an interesting subject to her and she had made it a point to always
have at least one course in her curriculum when she could that covered the subject. 

Nabiki was far and away the best student in the subject of money and economics that she had ever
seen. It was an all cosuming interest with her. 

Kei didn't understand passion but she could appreciate the amount of work that it took. She was
think about that when Nabiki called out to her. 

"I was wondering....", Nabiki started, and then stopped apparently embarrased or suddenly shy. 

"Wondering what?", Kei asked. 

"I was wondering if you would like to come over and study with me, I know that you could probably
use some help getting caught up with your studies. After all our class is pretty advanced compared to
what you were telling about your last couple of schools.", Kei could tell that she was really making
the effort to be friendly. 

"Sure, Nabiki, that would be nice.", she smiled. Apparently Nabiki was trying hard, wether to prove
she wasn't as big a mercnary as the school scuttlebutt or because she really was giving a real effort
to a friend. 

An hour later, she was sitting in the dining area of the Tendo home sipping lemonade after having
made the acquaintance of the rest of the household. She had already met Ranma and Akane from
school and Kasumi seemed a nice lady. She wasn't too sure about Mr. Tendo or Mr. Saotome, they
were apparently up to some type of mischief and both Ranma and Akane were giving them the evil
eye. 

Sometime over dinner, she had gotten in an arguement over various martial art techniques with
Akane and Ranma. She eventually wound up having to spar with Akane to prove her point. 

She made a good strong effort to hold back, but she was sure that they couldn't tell that she was.
After all, she still beat Akane. After cleaning herself she went home and went to bed. It had been a
good night. hopefully the first of many. 

Akane sighed, she looked over at Ranma. He had been quiet for most of the night, apparently deep
in thought. She smiled, he had been happy to have a female visitor that didn't chase him around the
room. 

"You've been kind of out of it tonite, Ranma. What are you thinking about?", she asked as she sat by
him on the porch. He sighed and put an arm around her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Ever
since last fall when he finally admited his feeling for her, they had been a lot more confortable around
each other, though both had made it clear that they weren't yet ready for marriage. The last week
had been good, she thought to herself, no arguements. She hoped that she hadn't started one, when
he took some time to answer. 

"I was just wondering what she was hiding.", he finally answered. 

"Who?" 

"Kei, she is really a lot better than she let on. She was holding back through the whole match, I'm
sure of it." 

"What are you talking about?", she asked a little irratably, Kei had beaten her quite soundly and now
Ranma was saying that she wasn't even putting forth her full effort. 

"Think back, look at the way she fought, compared to some of the people you fought in the past." 

Akane frowned as she compared Kei's moves and tactics to the people that she had fought over the
last few years. Then the simularity hit her. 

"She fights a lot like you when we spar, sidestepping and evading and I think I see what you mean.
She held back, but why?" 

"I'm not sure but there are a couple other things that seem out of place. Did you notice her hands?
They had calluses like mine. She is a serious marital artist, but downplays her abilities and pulls her
attacks. 

Not to mention the fact she is hiding something, I just know it." 

"Are you going to look into it?" 

"No, everyone deserves to have some secrets, Akane. I won't deny that I am curious, but I am not
about to go looking for trouble.", he looked at Akane, "I DO occasionally learn from my mistakes
you know." 

She smiled, and hugged him. The last year had been kind of harsh on them. Next year they would be
seniors and she had planned on taking a degree in drama, while Ranma was still stalling over what to
study, but the big fights and fury of their earlier times was mostly gone and she was happy because
of it. 

Nabiki looked up from her ledgers and sighed. It was nice to have a friend like Kei, someone that
she could just unwind with. Everyone hit it off with her over dinner, maybe she could stop by again
next week Nabiki thought. Have to make a note of that, as she pulled the Ledgers and her calculator
back towards her and finished the day's entry. 

Kei stood in the darkness, confused. How had she gotten here? Where was here? The last thing that
she recalled was the dinner at the Tendo's. 

She felt a pain in her hand. As she looked a wound opened, a terrible gash. Then another appeared,
a slash up her right side. Then a ragged tear up her left thigh. She fell to the ground, her leg gone
cold. 

A Shadow appeared in front of her, reaching for her with claws. She flamed it away, only to have it
replaced by two more. She dropped them as quick, only to have two replace each one that fell.
Soon a horde gibbered at the edge of her light circle. Groggy from her wounds and blood loss, she
strained to pull more of the fire from within. She had to buy the other's time to get away. 

Others, what others one side of her mind asked, even as she struck out with her powers. The
thought was quickly pushed aside as she fought for her life, trying to keep the horde of Shadows
away from her. 

Then something changed, the horde backed away and an opening appeared. At first she hoped that
she could charge down that gap and reach the others. 

What others, the questioning side asked? Her leg wouldn't let her though, she could hardly stand
much less run. 

The Shadows pulled back even further, and a figure approached her. Kei couldn't make out who, or
what it was, till the figure finally entered the circle of light that she kept up. Recognition dawned on
her, as the figure approached. She.... 

Woke screaming, with only vague memories of what she had dreamt of. Her heart was racing and
she was soaked in sweat. The clock read 5:50, not enought time to go back to sleep. Even if she
wanted to, she thought as she climbed out of bed and get ready for school. 

She tried to push the dream, what she could remember of it out of her mind; but it kept crawling to
the surface. This made it hard to keep her mind on school. Finally she was able to put it out of her
mind and get back to work. After all, with her lifestyle it was only expected to have the occasional
nightmare. Reality was worse than anything that her mind could possibly come up with. 

Nabiki sat down and went over her gains for the day, all in all a profitable day she thought to herself.
Maybe she should celebrate, she said to herself as she paused by the gate waiting. 

Kei came by a couple minutes later, looking a little tired and sad. Someone who could surely use a
night off, thought Nabiki, as she fell into step with the taller redhead. 

Hey Kei, there is a new movie in town, I was wondering if you would to go and see it with me?",
Nabiki was suprised at herself with the boldness and honesty that she meant it with. Kei snapped out
of her funk and smiled. 

"Sure, maybe that is what I need." 

"Problems?" 

"No, not really, I just didn't sleep well last night." 

"You should try it at my house sometime, what with all the stuff that goes on there some nights.",
Nabiki smile. With Ranma around, the Tendo's suffered from many things, but boredom and quiet
evenings weren't among their more frequent problems. She started to tell Kei about some of the
more interesting nights that had gone down at the Tendo Dojo as they walked home to get ready for
the movie. 

Kei and Nabiki left the Theater laughing it had been a good night. They had a great time, Kei mused
to herself as they headed over to a Coffee shop that Nabiki liked. She couldn't think of the last time
that she had enjoyed someone else's company so much. She found herself wishing that the night
would never end when it happened. 

Nabiki stopped talking when she saw Kei suddenly go stiff and stop walking. Kei looked like she
had seen a ghost. 

"What's the matter, Kei." 

"I just remembered that I left something at the theater, why don't you go on to the Coffee shop and I
will catch up with you in a couple minutes, Ok?", Kei said smoothly as she turned to head back in
the direction and took off at at a near run. 

Nabiki watched her go, suprised at what had happened. She was a very good person when it came
to reading other people. It was one of the things that made her such a dangerous card player. Kei
had lied to her, a very smooth and professional lie, but she could still see that it was a lie. 

"What is going on?", she asked herself as she walked to the Coffee shop wait for Kei. Every impulse
told her to follow and find out just that, but she went to the shop and waited twenty minutes for her
friend anyway. 

Kei walked into the Shop sore and tired, sometimes her life was a real mess. The shadow had been
pretty powerful, and taken flight when she appeared. She had chased the damn thing for almost eight
blocks before cornering it. She had gotten away with a close cut on her back, but luckily she could
cover that with her jacket she thought as she sat down in the booth mindful of the tender spot on her
sholderblade where the blow had landed. 

Nabiki looked over at her friend, years of being around hard core martial artists coming in useful.
She took in how the redhead favored her left side and the fact that she was wearing her jacket even
though it was still slightly warm in the shop. She slid a cup over to her. 

"Here, you look like you could use this more than I need it.", while keeping her eyes on Kei. 

"..Thanks, Nabiki.", Kei stammered as she lifted the cup with her left hand. , "Sorry that it took so
long to get back. What do you want to do now?" Nabiki started, seemed to snap out of a daydream
and looked at her watch. 

"I think that we need to get going, we both got classes in the morning.", she got up and Kei followed
suit. They quietly walked home, with very little said betwwen them the rest of the way home. Kei
said goodnight as the walked past the Tendo Dojo, and started to go the rest of the way home alone
when Nabiki called out to her. Kei turned and looked back at her. 

"You might want to get that shoulder looked at, and if you want to talk about it sometime, I am
willing to listen.", she paused a second before contining, "I think that we both have been too long
without a friend to talk to." With that, she turned and walked into the darkened house. 

Kei hissed as Dr. Tofu cleaned out the cut, the stinging antiseptic burning for a few seconds before
she was a able to clear the pain from her mind. The doctor had been more than willing to treat her,
even this late at night. He was a very good doctor and had used acupressure to numb the wound
before putting the stiches in. 

"So, Miss Tanaka, I am adding six stitches and a cracked rib to the impressive collection of scars,
puntures, and lacurations that you seem to have collected over the years. I don't suppose you would
care to tell me how a pretty young girl could have accumulated so many scars over the years." 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Tofu-sensai, "she said as she pulled her torn blouse back on.
Another outfit destinined for the trash she sighed, her lifestyle was as hard on clothes as it was on
her. 

"Kei, if you aren't more careful you could be in a lot of pain when you get older. Some of your
wounds look really bad, in fact a couple of them are so bad that I wonder how you ever survived
taking them.", he said as she pulled her jacket on and headed out the door. 

"Tofu-sensai, let's just say I am a lot more resilant than I look and leave it at that." 

Tofu watched the girl leave and walk out into the street. Long moments passed as she finally
rounded a corner and vanished from sight. Somehow, he knew that she would be back. As certain
of it as he was that Ranma would be back inevitably. He shook his head and smiled. With Ranma, it
was trouble that came looking for him. Kei, however, was different, he reminded himself; she went
looking for trouble. 

The watcher sat crouched on the wall as Kei walked on home. So, she was back in Nerima after all
this time. The watcher smiled, this time Kei wouldn't win. Especially since, the watcher smiled, I
won't be foolish enought to fight her. The watcher leapt to another rooftop, and sped away. 

Time enough to plan revenge, the figure thought, and possibly even remove a rival or two. This time
Kei won't win, I am sure of it. 

Kei rolled over in her bed, she was unable to go to sleep no matter what she tried. Was it that she
was worried about the fact that Nabiki caught her lies so easily, or was it something else. 

She looked at the mirror on the door of her closet, a haggard Kei looked back. She knew what it
was that scared her. The future. 

The dream was a vision and she was terrified of what it portented. 

Nabiki folded the money and slid it into a pocket, the morning was turning out to be a potentially
profitable one. She was calculating the rest of the day's enterprises when someone sat down beside
her. She opened her eyes and looked over at her visitor. It was Kei. 

"You look like hell, Kei. What's the matter?", she was suprised at the lack of color in her friend's
face. Not to mention the bags under her eyes. 

"I have to talk to you, can you meet me after school?", Kei looked desparate to talk. 

"Sure, behind the gym after school." 

"Hello. Yes, this Shampoo. Who I talk to?", the chinesse Amazon listened intently for several
minutes, growing angrier as she listened. 

Finally she put the phone down and made to leave the room. Cologone stuck her head out an
ajoining room. 

"Grand-daughter, who was that?" 

"No one important, I go see Ranma now, Grand-mother?", she said as she went down the stairs.
Cologone called something out, but her mind was on other things. She opened a closet and pulled
out her maces, before pausing a second. 

No, she thought, this not good enought. I need something more ... lethal, as she pulled out the sword
out of it's scabbard and ran an appraising finger down the edge. This will do nicely. 

She leaped onto the rooftops, and dashed off in the direction of Furikan High School. Her target
was tall, and had long red hair, she reminded herself as she closed on the school. 

Kei looked a little better, Nabiki noted by the end of school. She was leaning on a wall waiting for
her. Apparently she was torn up over something and still trying to resolve it. She stood biting her
lower lip for several seconds before she got up and walked over to talk to Nabiki. 

"Nabiki, about last night. I'm sorry that I lied to you. It's just that everyone that I have shared this
with has..." She paused, cocking her head as if hearing something. 

Then she shoved Nabiki away from her hard. Nabiki was caught off guard and the shove knocked
her on her bottom several feet away. When she looked up Kei was locked in combat with... 

"Shampoo! What the hell are you doing!", she yelled as she ran to the two girls. 

"Stupid Girl, I kill demon before she get Ranma!" the Amazon yelled as she cuffed Nabiki with a
backhanded slap that spun her around and knocked her back to the ground. 

Kei had Shampoo's sword locked between her clasped palms. Shampoo couln't believe the strength
this slender girl had in her, impossibly preventling her from pulling the weapon free. Then with a
twist, the sword was pulled and thrown free of the grappling girls. It landed tip first in a tree not far
away, driven deep with surprising force. 

"Why did you attack me?", hissed Kei in accented Mandarin as she circled counter-clockwise.
Shampoo's eyes widened with suprise, the red haired demon spoke her tongue. 

"You are going to kill Ranma, I must stop you", she hissed back as she leapt forward in a jump kick.

Suprise registered as Kei grabbed her foot and slammed her into the ground. She had expected her
foe to duck or sidestep allowing her to backflip into a better position to attack. She rolled to the side
and hopped up quickly bracing for the inevitable followup attack. 

It never came, Kei instead falling into a guard stance. Shampoo unleased a flurry of blows with
blinding speed, only to have the girl block and dodge them with apppalling ease. It all served to drive
the young amazon insane with rage. Shampoo snapped out a kick that knocked her foe back several
feet even though she successfully blocked it with crossed arms. 

Kei was stunned with the fury of the chinesse girl, Shampoo if she got the name right, and couldn't
believe the strength that she had. She had to go on the offensive, she decided, if the girl got one or
two good hits in she would be in for a world of hurt. She led the girl in with an apparent feint and
block, and then snapped a quick backhand past her guard into her face. 

Shampoo's head snapped back, her nose broken from the force of the blow. She couldn't beleive
that someone could hurt her so in a single blow. Rage burned all the pain away and removed any of
the distractions that might have resulted from her injuries. She lowered her head and charged
forward. 

Kei spun away after she broke the girl's nose. Give her time to recover her senses and realize that
this is a useless fight. The feral light that suddenly burned in shampoo's eyes erased all doubt that
was a mistake, this one will be hard not to kill she thought as she leapt over the charging girl. 

Shampoo spun around, everything having taken a red haze to it as she looked for her foe. She was
on the other side of the clearing, trying to run apparently . The sword was close at hand. Maybe, she
thought, if I do this right... A hand grabbed her, Mousse or some other fool she thought as she
snapped out a punch. She barely registered sound of crunching bones as she charged Kei, quickly
sidestepping and grabbing her sword. 

She spun around and saw what she had done. Nabiki lay on the ground bleeding and unmoving. Kei
walked forward a few steps, whispered her name in shock. I will never get a better chance she
thought as she raised the sword and charged. 

She brought down the sword with all her strength and felt the shock of impact and it made contact.
Her eyes widened as she realized that the redhead had grabbed the sword barehanded for a second
time. Then she realized the depths of the trouble she was in as a fire kindled in her enemy's eyes. 

Uh Shit, she thought as she watched Kei flex her thumbs inward and the blade snapped like a twig.
Fear uncoiled in her stomach as she watched a glow build. She backed away holding the sword's
handle trying to find words as she recognized the girl for what she was. Kei's blast lifted her up and
threw far beyond the clearing and into a tree. She heard ribs snap as she landed badly and passed
out. 

All Kei's instincts told her to go and finish the amazon before she recovered, but she had to check
on Nabiki. It was the anger talking she told herself as she looked over her friend with concern. Her
nose was broken, that was where the blood came from, and she was still a little groggy. 

"Nabiki, hold still, this is going to hurt a little," she put her hands on Nabiki's head and concentrated
bringing the healing fires to the surface. 

Nabiki was only semi-consious but she felt the warmth and when her nose snapped back into place
she was totally awake. She sat up, and looked angrily around. 

"Where is that little blue haired bimbo?" 

"Over that way, I think, I hit her pretty hard after she punched you.", Nabiki looked over and saw
the unmoving figure of Shampoo sprawled out in front of a tree. She had to take a moment to realize
what the meant. 

"Kei, you don't realize what you have done," she started as Kei cut her off. 

"Yes, I do, now if you are okay, I need some help moving her. My ribs are killing me, and she looks
heavy.", Nabiki just smiled and walked over to the sink on the side of the gym, grabbing a bucket on
the way. 

One splash of cold water later, they were on there way. Kei looked at the small pink cat. She was
surprised to learn the sheer number of cursed people in the city. Not, that she was complaining
about Shampoo's curse. It would come in very handy when and if the amazon ever challegned her
again. 

Shampoo sat on the table as her grand-mother examined her. The ribs would be very simple to set
and with the right potions would heal very quickly. What interested her was the burns, they reminded
her of something that her mother had told her years ago. What was it, she thought to herself as she
turned to the redhaired girl. 

"I thank you for sparing my grandchild's life, I would have hated to have to kill you to avenge her, "
she said as she took the kettle off of the burner. She was pleasently suprised when the stranger
replied in Mandarin. 

"I think, that you underestimate me old woman. I only ask that you or her try to kill me for merely
defending myself and Nabiki. It would reflect badly on everyone involved." Cologne turned at the
implied threat. Kei held out her hand and a small ball of flame appeared. 

Cologne swallowed nervously as she realized exactly who she was talking to. She bowed deeply
and knelt on one knee . 

"Lightbringer, I apologize... I am an old woman worried about the life of my grand-child. She is a
little foolish at times, but still a good ....", Kei waved her to silence, and Cologne let her words die
unspoken. 

"I am not going to kill her. I merely want some assurance that she will not come looking to kill me
again." She crushed out the flames with a thought, and continued, "I know your clan thinks that you
owe my family a debt, but all I want is a little peace." 

Nabiki waited outside, and fell in step with Kei as she came out of the resturant. Kei's steps turned
toward Dr. Tofu's clinic, and she noticed that her shoulder was bleeding again. 

"What was all that about?" 

"My family has a very... unique history, Nabiki, and part of that inclues a certain tribe of Amazons in
China owing us a blood debt. Like I said, I don't think Shampoo will be bothering us again." She
smiled, and continued, "This sort of deals with what I was going tell you earlier. You know, I could
use something to drink and eat after the Doctor restitches me. Want to stop and talk about it over
something to eat." 

"Sure, why do I think that this is going to be I want to be sitting down when you tell me?", she smiled
at her febble attempt at a joke as they turned off to stop at the Coffee shop. 30 minutes later she
well into the story of her family history. 

Kei stopped, and looked at Nabiki. The girl had a dubious look on her face as she droned to a halt. 

"You're not buying are you?" 

"Please, Shadows of evil, Lightbearers..." 

"Lightbringers. We have hunted them for centuries. The women of my family were gifted with
powers of light by a magus centuries ago. She had fought another magus, but by the time that she
finally defeated him she was dying herself. That left no one to hunt the Dark One's minions, the
shadows. 

She took an apprentice and gifted her with the powers of light. 

The Shadow's take many forms, and have been the inspiration for several of the legendary creatures
of evil. Vampires, Werewolfs, Zombies, Tax Collectors," 

"Tax Collectors?" 

"It's a joke Nabiki.", Kei smiled, "I have been doing this job since I was 12. My grandmother has
trained me all my life for this." She sipped her coco before going on. "The few friends that I have had
told this usually run screaming into the streets or just avoid me,but you seem to be taking it quite
well. " Nabiki smirked. 

"Kei, compared to what I have seen in the last year or so your life is almost normal. I mean you
don't have any psycho relatives, or cursed fiancees or so on, do you?" Kei swallowed nervously as
she looked at Nabiki. 

"Well, actually..." she started when a voice cut her off. 

"Why cousin, it's been years since I've seen you., " Kodachi smiled as she walked up to their booth.
"I heard that you are going to Furikan High School now. Oh, hello Nabiki, " she looked over at Kei,
"I see that you wasted no time finding a 'friend' cousin." Kei paled in anger, and Nabiki was sure that
it was getting substantially warmer. 

"Kodachi, I see that you recovered from our last bout", Kei turned to look at her, "I suppose you
would like to resume our fight where I left off?" Nabiki look down at her coffee at suprise, it was
starting to boil and the room was definitely warmer. 

Now, it was Kodachi's turn to pale. She backed away from the booth, muttered a quick apology
and dashed out. Kei watched her cousin leave, swallowing hard trying to dampen down her rage
before the shop caught fire. 

"Kodachi Kuno is your cousin?", Nabiki couldn't believe it, "She's definite a psycho, so where is the
cursed fiancee.?" She smiled it was a weak joke at best, but the look on Kei's face told her that it
was appreciated. The coffee stopped boiling and the room started to cool almost immediately. 

"No fiancee, Nabiki. Grandmother understands me too well to try to push me into a marriage.", Kei
liked her lips nervously, "That was the other thing that I wanted to tell you Nabiki." She stopped
suddenly nervous. 

"What?" 

"I'm gay." 

Nabiki sat back at her desk, thinking over the day's revelations. She was suprised to find that Kei's
admission didn't scare her. Kei had insisted that she would never force herself on anyone. She went
on about how she couldn't stand the thought of pushing herself on someone, and how she didn't want
to put anyone at risk due to her duties. She didn't have many friends, she had told Nabiki, and she
was happy just to have a friend. 

Nabiki looked at her sketchbook, suprised that she couldn't tell Kei how she felt. Kei was the most
moral and honorable person she knew, even more so than Ranma she reflected. She sighed, closing
the sketchbook, and stretched. It was enough to make her want to scream. Why wasn't things ever
easy, she wondered as she dressed for bed. 

Kei pulled a throwing spike out of her jacket and snapped it to the right. She smiled as she was
rewarded by a howl of pain and anger. The shadow she was tracking was one of a clutch of shifters.
The creature was the only one of the clutch still alive, she had managed to find the rest before they
could bond with a human. 

This one had gotten away, and unfortunately bonded with a human. It had fled across town, and she
had chased it all the way to the warehouse district when she had lost it in the shadowy environs of a
warehouse. 

Shifters were resilient, able to stand the light and fire better than any other shadow she had heard of.
The downside was that silver was toxic, grandmother suspected that they were the source of the
stories involving western style were-creatures. 

The shifter charged her, lunging out of the shadows with inhuman speed. She spun to the side as it's
claws tore at her jacket. She backflipped out of the follow-up stroke and dropped flat just in time to
avoid being smashed by a crate. 

She rolled to the right as she heard the rush of clawed feet, pulling several more spikes out of her
jacket. I should have eight more, she reminded herself. She threw one at the oncoming creature as
she hopped to her feet, more as a distraction than to hopefully kill it. 

The needle sank into it's right thigh and it went down with a blood-curling howl. Quickly it hopped
up, and circled to the right, while she mirrored it's moves. 

Her hand twiched back and the forward, a small movement missed in the darkness of the
warehouse. The spikes landed with a loud thud in it's chest. It screamed in pain and charged her.
She flipped out of the way, narrowly avoiding another backhand slash that would have gutted her. 

She smiled creature spun around and stood looking at her. The loading dock entrace to it's back.
She charged it, screaming as she went. It stood weaving and stunned from the physical abuse that it
had taken. It registered her attack seconds before her strike hit it. Then it exploded in flame. 

The shifter's burning corpse arced out of the warehouse and landed in the river beside it. Dead
before it hit the water's surface. She watched from the shore as the body sank below the surface and
didn't come back up. 

She smiled, the night had turned out pretty good. Nabiki had been really understanding and had told
her that she would be happy to be her friend. Kei assured her that she only wanted her to be friends.
She hated lying, but she promised herself that she wouldn't force herself on someone. She sighed,
why weren't things ever easy, she asked herself as she started home. 

Ryoga stirred restlessly in his sleep, as the shade crept up on him. It slid from one flickering shadow
to the next. Till it came up to Ryoga's sleeping form. It slid a flickering arm into his ear and then
smoothly pulled itself in. 

Ryoga stirred restlessly, his dreams had taken a dark turn. The creature within him fed the dark
images to him and took in the dark power that churned up in return. It formed part of it's growing
form into a twin. The twin joined it in feeding on the power that the young boy seethed with. 

Finally the dreams took a more concrete form as Ranma was pulled from his memories. Rage surged
and fed the shadowy forms as they doubled and doubled again. Then they pulled memories of his
battles and fed that into the rage that was building. Suddenly, Ryoga's eyes snapped open. 

"RAMMMMNAAAA!!!!!", he screamed into the night. He exploded, literally. One thing kept
running through his mind, kill Ranma and Akane would be his. He growled, the darkness within him
grew and changed. He looked south, something told him that was the direction he needed to go. 

He charged out of the burning clearing taking his pack and umbrella with him. The Rage built within
him, and the Shadows fed it back into him. 

He increased his pace and continued on his coarse. 

To the south, Tokyo and Ranma slept on, unaware of the storm that was coming. Within Ryoga
Hibiki, the Shadows fed on the darkness of his soul and something else ; and changed. 

Kei sat back and listened to the girl say her piece. It wasn't an easy thing to swallow that much
pride, she told herself, but Shampoo had come to apologize for her ambush. She also suspected that
the girl's great-grandmother put her up to it. She waited for the chinese girl to wind down. 

"Apology accepted.", she stood up and held out her hand. Shampoo took it and shook it. Kei
looked at her and saw raw awe and a little fear in those eyes, "Shampoo, I am just a normal
teenager as far as most everyone around here is concerned. I would like it to stay that way." 

"Shampoo, no understand. Lady Lightbringer, you ...", Kei waved her to silence. 

"Call me Kei, Shampoo, I am not royalty. I don't want people suspecting what I can do." 

"Ok, Lady... Kei. Shampoo try to remember.", Shampoo started to bow, caught herself and backed
away. As soon as she was about 10 feet away, she turned and leapt to the rooftops. Seconds later,
she was gone. 

Kei rubbed her chin. She had never quite seen that type of reaction before, fear and distrust she had
dealt with. Awe and that type of fanatic loyalty was something new. Cologne and Shampoo would
do about anything that she asked of them, Grandmother had confirmed it. She found it just a little bit
intimidating in fact. 

Nabiki watched the whole proceedings with interest. Shampoo was a willful and proud person, and
to see her eat crow was a very welcome. She slid the camera back into her pocket, it was a moment
that she would definitely cherish for sometime to come. Maybe she could sell the pictures to Akane.
When Shampoo had landed beside her and apologized at great length, she thought she was going to
faint. It was, she decided, a day for the record books. 

Kei smiled at her as she sat down beside her to eat. 

"You look a little flustered Nabiki, what's the matter.", she asked with a sly look in her eye, "a cat
get your tongue?" 

"You know what is, Shampoo apologizing to me. It's scary what you can get her to do." 

"Yeah, I told her that she had to apologize for breaking your nose, if she wanted me to accept her
apology to me." 

"But why is she doing it?" 

"Clan honor demands it. They owe my ancestors an.. what was it... an 'unpayable debt to the last
generation.' quote, unqoute." 

"Boy, there is a lot of power there for abuse, ", did I just say that Nabiki asked herself. Kei and
Ranma must be rubbing off on me, she told herself. 

"Tell me about it", Kei grumped over it. She had been taught to be honorable in all her dealings, but
it could be very tempting to meddle, not to mention that she knew Shampoo to be very literal in her
actions to pay that debt. It was like making a deal with the devil, you had to watch what was actually
said. Because you got exactly what you asked for. 

Nabiki smiled, Kei was just like Ranma in a lot of ways. That was part of what drew Nabiki to her,
but she was also a lot sharper than Ranma. That she put off different upbringing, Genma Soatome
was definitely not the best of teacher when it came to wits. She was still making a pretty penny off of
keeping his wife at a distance. She nudged her friend. 

"You look like you could use a night off with a good homecooked meal. Katsumi told me that I
could bring a friend over, plus, ", she paused, " Akane and Ramna wouldn't mind to do a little
sparring." 

"Sure, why not, I wouldn't mind, but... " 

"What?" 

"I thought Ranma didn't like fighting girls?" 

"Well, he made a comment that he would like see more of your style.", she replied, " actually, Akane
would like to fight someone that is willing to fight back. Ranma tends to dodge and weave a lot, not
much in the way of attacking. She has been practing and could use someone who is skilled enough
to spar with. Dad, and Mr. Saotome, are out of town for a while. How about it." 

Kei mulled it over, she hadn't sparred with her grandmother in a while and it would be nice to do
some practice. It would be a change from having to fight for her life. 

"Sure, why not?" 

Kei dropped into a guard position, Akane snapped out a set of punches that led Kei backwards.
She was baiting me into thinking that she is strickly a straightforward fighter, and I would have
bought it if you didn't shift your foot so soon. She dropped and did a crossed arm block to catch
Akane's spinning kick. 

Striking quickly, she grabbed Akane's ankle and flung the girl across the room. She landed with a
thud, but recovered quickly. Kei cirlced quietly while Akane frowned, trying to figure a good tactic
she thought of herself. 

Then she charged screaming at her, setting up for a high kick. Kei ducked only to see Akane slide
into a sweep. She landed with a thump and Akane moved quick to pin her before she could recover.

"Ready to give up, Kei.", Akane asked with an impish smile on her face. Kei grunted and smiled
back. 

"Not really, how about you," she asked as Akane was flipped off and the pin was quickly reversed.
Akane frowned with effort trying to get out, but Kei wasn't letting it happen. She watched the other
girl finally stop. 

"Okay, you got me, " she sighed as Kei let her up, "Can you show me how that reversal works." 

Kei walked her thru the manuever a couple times while Ranma watched the two girls practice. He
liked Kei, simply for the fact she had become Nabiki's freind. Admitily, since Nabiki had started
kicking around with Kei, she had stopped extorting money from him, but he was glad to see her
happy for a change. It taken a while, but he finally figured out that money was what Nabiki used to
keep people at arm's length. To keep from getting hurt. 

She had let that slip one night when Ranma found her drunk outside the house. She was crying and
Ranma listened to her while he carried upstair. It was only later that night that he found out from
Katsumi that their mother had died on that night many years before. Ever since then he had felt that
he understood Nabiki better. His contemplations and the sparring match came to an end as Katsumi
called them to dinner. 

Dinner had been great, a home cooked meal that she didn't have to each alone or something bought
on the fly. Ranma and Akane were becoming good friends, and she could tell that they were
completely in love with one another. Despite the vigarous picking and sniping throughout dinner. 

Kei looked up at the sky, it was clear and the moon was full. She stopped at the corner to cherish
the moment. She stood there looking at the moon, lost in thought. I shouldn't be thinking this, she
chided herself, I promised that I wouldn't do this to myself. Not again. 

All recriminations were driven from her mind, when she heard the Call. The intensity drove her to her
knees. This isn't good, she told herself as she stood up. Then her heart stopped, and a chill ran down
her spine when she took her bearings, and realized where it was. The Tendos. 

"Oh, my god," she said as she took off on a full run. She hoped that she wasn't too late. She was a
block away when the explosion when off in the back yard. 

Ranma landed on the other side of the yard, Ryoga looked up from blast crater, this time he would
get him. Rage welled up in him, giving him strength and direction. All this time it had been Saotome's
fault, he was the one that had caused him to be cursed. His fault that he couldn't tell Akane his
feelings. Everything was Ranma's fault. His vision turned red and he turned to look at his enemy. Kill
him, something inside him whispered and he loved the thought. 

Ranma looked over at Ryoga, disbelief in his eyes. This was a man that he had never seen before.
His side hurt and his right eye was blinded by blood, the result of cuts from Hibiki's bandannas. He
wiped his eyes clear and only just managed to get out of the way of Ryoga's punch, only to get
hammered by the unbrella. Ribs creaked dangerously as he flew across the yard. He landed and
recovered his balance, but before he could react Ryoga had him by the wrist. How in the, he started
as Ryoga slung him around into the tree. 

This time the ribs gave way with a seemingly audible snap. He gasped for air and was rewarded with
a stabbing pain as he rolled to one side. Not good, he told himself as he leaped away. There was
nothing human in the eyes of his foe. The very air was charged with something that he couldn't
identify, 

and the Ryoga that he faced wasn't human. A swift kick sent him flying across the yard and as he
spun in the air, he saw Ryoga moving with great speed to meet him as he landed. 

He landed with great difficulty, and was only half way into guard position when he was slammed to
the ground. He was too stunned to move, and saw the next kick coming but was unable to react in
time. He readied himself for the blow and closed his eyes against the pain. 

Only the blow never came, aand he opened his eyes to discover that Akane was holding Ryoga's
kick in a block. Ryoga was almost as suprised as he was, and the look of pure rage that well up in
the wanderer's eyes was unbelievable. Ranma knew that his childhood foe was beyond all reason. 

"Akane, run. He'll kill you", he said as he stood. 

"No, Ranma, I won't leave you again.", she growled as she held the leg in a lock. Ryoga's rage
doubled and with it his strength. Uh oh, Ranma thought as he moved to help his fiancee. 

In a scream of inhuman rage, Ryoga exploded in a blast of Dark Chi throwing both his foes across
the yard. Akane was stunned by her impact and groggy for a few seconds, and in that time Ryoga
had made it across the distance between them and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her up into the
air and looked in her eyes as she screamed in pain. 

" You are mine. I will have you as soon as Ranma's broken body is laid at your feet, and you had
better not defy me again." He slapped her aside and turned to look for Ranma. 

"Akane!", Ranma screamed as he slammed dozens of punches into Ryoga's chest. Anger and rage
beyond anything that he had ever know pushed him to new levels of ability. He felt bones break and
muscles tear under the torrent of his attacks. For the first time in his life, his beserker side had come
out completely. His vision ran red as he punched the young teen across the yard and into the dojo,
never giving him a chance to recover or block. Finally he pulled back his fist for one final blow on
the fallen Ryoga when a hand grabbed him. 

Whirling to face his new foe, he stopped his punch at the last second. Looking down at her face,
swollen and bruised, he realized what he had almost done. 

"Oh no, what have I done," shame at his loss of control broke the hold of his anger and he pulled
Akane into his arms, "I could have killed you." Akane held him, whispering to him that it was all right
as she led him away from the broken heap that was Ryoga. 

Only to have both of them turn back to face the dojo as a scream of pure rage called out to them.
Ryogo stood tettering on his feet, and impossibly seem ready to continue the fight. An aura of pure
rage radiated from him, coloring the dojo red in it's haze. 

"You won't get away this easy, Ranma. I won't rest till you are dead." Akane went cold at those
words, she knew that there was bad blood between the two boys, but this was something different.
Ranma pulled her behind him and took a guard position. Both of them knew that he couldn't
continue this fight for much longer. She prayed that one of the other's had been able to call for help
in the last few minutes. It would take a miracle for them to survive, she thought as she pulled free of
Ranma and stood beside him, but she wasn't going to stand by and let this brutality continue while
she watched. 

Just them a miracle happened, the wall of the dojo exploded and Ryoga was thrown past them into
the yard. He screamed in pain as the fire touched him, but it didn't stay long enough to harm him. Kei
stepped into the dojo and smiled at them as she walked by. 

"I don't suppose you will let me play though ?", she asked Ranma as they watched Ryoga stand. 

"Help yourself, I could use a breather." Ranma replied to this new Kei. She radiated heat and was all
business. This was the thing that she had hidden from them before he guessed. 

"Lightbringer, this is no of your affair.", came an animalistic growl in the yard. She turned and looked
at the thing that stood outside the building. "I merely came for the girl and to kill the boy.. It is none
of your affair." 

"Ryoga Hibiki, I know you are in there. I don't want to harm you but you have to fight the things that
are controlling you. It might seem like a natural rage running through you, but it is something...dark,
they're called shadows, and they are playing you for a fool to get power from your darkness. Fight
it, Ryoga. Don't let the shadows consume you." 

The boy just laughed a gutteral laugh and launched a flurry of bandannas as Kei leaped out into the
yard. She burned them away with a quick gesture and moved in for a punch, only to be knocked
back a fericous kick. 

Damn, Kei thought as she dodged and weaved Ryoga's attacks, this is something that I have never
seen before. Shadows to be sure, but they have changed in some way. Halfway through an attack,
Ryoga threw off a shade, and it attacked her also. 

She blasted it and reeled backwards from the blow she had gotten from Ryoga. It fell to the ground
and it's corpse lay hissing as it burned fittfully. She hopped over it and backflipped further into the
yard, hoping to give the others distance that they needed to get away with. 

Then it hit her, the shade hound had a REAL body. Oh shit, she thought as she turned to face Ryoga
again. This time he had throw off more two shades and followed up with a blast of pure dark chi.
She ducked under the blast and rolled aside to avoid the pouncing attack of one of the hounds. 

She snapped a quick firey fist to it's skull and backflipped out of the range of the other. It hit the
gound about the same time she did. Ryoga was charging her and whipped his umbrella forward like
a spear. 

She did a sidestep and touched it gently as they passed each other. 

They turned and faced each other, and Ryoga drew back for a throw with his umbrella only to see
the front half fall to the ground in pieces. Kei smirked and shrugged her shoulders at his look of
disbeleif . She threw a bolt at him, which he ducked, and caught the second hound as it circled
behind him for another pounce. Behind him lay the Tendou home. 

What she saw stopped in her tracks for a second, sometime during their fight one of Ryoga's blasts
had torn thru the house causing the ceiling to fall in on..... 

"Nabiki!!" Kei screamed in rage, her friend lay on the floor of the house in a pool of blood with
Katsumi tending her urgently. Ryoga closed with a simular scream of rage. Never again, she swore
as she pulled all the power she could into this strike, you'll never again hurt another. 

The two met in the center of the yard, and their punched slammed together with a clap that blew out
windows for blocks and blinded the onlookers for a few seconds. 

Oh my god, thought Ranma and Akane, never had either of them seen such techniques. When their
vision cleared they saw Kei staggering into the house, leaving a battered and broken Ryoga smoking
in the middle of the ruined yard. They ran to help when they saw how badly injured Nabiki was.
Katsumi looked up with tears streaming from her face, and shook her head. Akane howled in pain
and Ranma held her, close to tears himself. 

No, Kei told herself, it will not end like this. Not this time, she swore holding Nabiki's head and
reaching deep in herself. Reaching within, she pulled all that remained of her chi, draining herself to
the very edge of death and channeled it into her friend. I won't let it happen, she told her self as her
resolve pushed her deeper into her own powers. The fire blazed around them both for seconds,
startingly the others as they watched Nabiki's wounds close and life return to her face. Kei laid her
head gently on the floor and stood to go, tettering as she turned to her friends. 

"She'll be okay, I .....", she started but it was too late, she collapsed on the floor beside Nabiki.
Darkness rose up and claimed her. 

Nabiki felt the back of her head, it was a little tender but other than that nothing was physically
wrong with her. Mentally, she told herself wryly, is a whole different kettle of fish. Turning to look at
the bed, she wondered what had really happened. Kei had healed her, bringing her back from the
dead according to Katsumi. Not without a cost, she reminded herself as she sat down to wait for
Kei to wake up. She held onto her friend's hand and waited. There were, she reflected, some costs
worth paying. 

Kei woke slowly, sore and tender in many places. She remembered fighting with Ryoga Hibiki and,
she bolted upright. Nabiki sat there by the bed, smiling at her. Deep within her, something shivered
in pleasure at that smile. She suppressed it, as she tried to get up. She had promised that she
wouldn't think about her own wants, she told herself. 

"Kei," she closed her eyes and pushed the desire out of her mind. I have done without this so long, I
can make do without now. Nabiki lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. Kei opened hers and
looked at her friend. Awareness of something new bloomed within her. 

"Oh, no...", horror warred with her desire over what had happened, "I never meant to share that
much with you." Nabiki smiled as she put a finger on her lips. Her mind touched Kei's gently as she
spoke. 

"Kei, you didn't make me what you wanted, you only shared what you felt with me. I feel the same
way, and don't you dare pull back into your shell again." She leaned forward and kissed Kei on the
lips, while easing her back onto the bed. Both knew what the other wanted, and Nabiki giggled as
she lay beside her. "Are you sure you are up to this Kei. You are still recuperating." 

Shush, Kei thought as she pulled Nabiki closer, let me worry about the pain later. The two girls
smiled and let the passion run it's course. 

That's what you say now, but what about tomorrow?, Nabiki thought back, before passion
prevented even thought between them. 

The shade staggered and weaved through the back alleys, it still felt the sting of it's foes fire. All of
it's brethen were blasted into ash and it was weak and dying. To continue as what it had become, it
would require a new host. It reached out and pushed it's senses to the limit looking for something
approaching the level of darkness that Ryoga had. 

It stopped at the gate of a large estate as the gate open and a shadowy figure slipped out. It looked
into the soul of the figure, and bowed it's great head. The figure ran a finger across it's ridge skull and
smiled. At last, I have the power that I am due, the figure thought. 

The shade shimmered and turned to smoke, and merged with the shadowy figure. It knew it's master
when it saw it, and that much suffering would come to feed it in the coming days. 

Kei leaned against the wall hissing in pain as her sore ribs creaked under the bandages. She couldn't
heal herself for a couple days, she had put too much energy in Nabiki and it took time to build up the
amount of Chi that she was used to maintianing. Till then she was pretty much a normal, if battered,
teenager. Kind of nice actually, if it wasn't for the soreness. Nabiki looked over at her with a smile. 

I told you so, came the thought from her, but would you listen to me? No.... you had to have your
wicked way with me. 

If I remember right, Kei shot back, you didn't have any complaints when I had my... way with you. 

True, came the smug selfsatisfied reply, but I'm the one that DID get the benefits of your miraculous
powers while you had to make do with Dr. Tofu's bandaging. 

Kei groaned, Tofu was the best doctor she had ever seen, but she had become spoiled by the fact
that she could miraculously wave away almost any non fatal injury. At least, she reflected, I got off
easy compared to Ryoga. The wander was cleansed of the Shadows, but it would be months,
maybe years before he would be completely healed. 

Ryoga lay back on the bed with a groan, he couldn't find a section of his body that wasn't in pain or
buried under a layer of cloth or plaster. He remembered the entire fight but it was like he was sitting
in the back seat and not in control. He had been mulling over his defeat like it was a irratating spot.
He couldn't find a thing wrong with what he had done, according to the way that he had felt at the
time, but now he was almost overwelmed with shame. 

A noise to his right, made him turn his head to see who was approaching. Dr. Tofu had said that he
would be allowed very few visitors till he got a lot stronger. He hissed in pain, his neck was one of
the sorer points of his body, and after blinking away tears saw that the visitor was Ukyou. She had a
food carrier under one arm and smiled at him as she approached. 

"About time you woke up sleepyhead.", she teased as she sat down on the bed beside his. Ryoga
sighed, in the last few months he had found himself think more and more of her and not Akane. It
was another thing that made him feel guilty and disloyal to Akane. Now, after his battle with Ranma
and the realization that Akane would never be his, he was terrified of committing and feeling those
feelings for someone else. 

"You had better leave, Ukyou, I can't see anyone.", he said simply, straining to keep his face
unemotional. It tore at his heart to see the hurt on her face. 

"Why? Don't you like my cooking? I mean, I have been feeding you for the last few months without
hearing a complaint anytime you stagger in.", she was hurt and trying to hide it he realized. Ranma
and Akane had been as painful for her as it was for him. 

"I'm dangerous Ukyou. I don't want to hurt anyone else, I nearly killed Ranma and Nabiki." 

"That wasn't you, it was those things, the ...ah.. Shadows controlling you.", she placed a gentle hand
on his and struggled to keep her tears at bay. 

"I had those feelings, Ukyou. Those dark feelings weren't from outside me, but part of what I am.
Don't you see, the shadows didn't make me do anything that I wasn't already capable of.", it still
terrified him to think of the casual disregard that he had for hurting Akane. Tears trickled down his
cheek, it was chilling to think of what he would have done if Kei hadn't stopped him. He felt that he
was better off dead than going down that path again. Ukyou shook her head violently. 

"Just because you have these dark feelings within you doesn't mean that you are the thing that the
Shadows made you into. Do you think that you are the only one that has thought of killing to get the
one that you love?", he watched the shadow of fear and doubt cross her face, and knew that she
contemplated simular thoughts in the dark of the night. "Almost every person that lives and breaths
thinks these things, but you have had hundreds of chances and never acted upon it." She leaned
forward and kissed him gently on the lips, "you are a noble man Ryoga Hibiki, and you will find a
person that cares for you. Well, I got the be going, hope you like the lunch." She stood and made to
leave before he grabbed her wrist, at his touch she looked down at him. He licked his lips nervously
before he spoke. 

"Ukyou, would you stay a while? I don't really feel like be alone anymore." 

"Sure, for as long as you want Ryoga." She sat beside him, never bothering to let go of the hand that
held hers. 

Tofu and Katsumi smiled as they quietly stepped back into the front section of the clinic. They had
been looking for something to keep Ryoga from retreating into a suicidal funk. Love comes from the
most suprising of places, Tofu thought to himself as he rested a hand on the eldest Tendou daughter's
shoulder, all the time forcing himself calm with all his power. 

"I told you it would work, didn't I?" Katsumi said shyly to him. 

"Yes, you did Katsumi, and I guess I have to pay my debts." Stay calm Tofu reminded himself as he
took the next step. 

"Debt?", she asked innocently. 

"Of course, I have to take my lovely nurse out to dinner to celebrate what is likely to be a full
recovery on the part of our patient. 

"I don't know, Ranma and Akane will be waiting on dinner...." Tofu smiled and shook his head. 

"Ranma called and said that he would help Akane fix something simple for themselves tonight. I think
that they might want to be alone also." 

"Well, as long as you think they are going to be okay...." 

"Trust me, they will be fine." 

Ranma laid back on the cushions and sighed contentedly. It wasn't everyday that Akane could make
a meal fit to eat, he said silently, ableit with help. Akane snuggled as close as she could without
jarring his ribs or wrist. She looked up at him with concern, he had been unusually quiet all evening. 

"Are you okay, Ranma?", she asked. He looked down at her and gave a half-hearted smile. 

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?", he lied, and could tell that it had been a bad one. Akane sat up and
looked him straight in the face. 

"It's about last night, isn't it?" 

"Yeah, sorta... When I was losing and you stepped in to stop Ryoga, I can only remember looking
at you in pain and that look of fear in your eye....", he bowed his head in shame, "then something in
me snapped, and I couldn't think of anything but making him pay for your pain. It was like all the
years of disipline that pop taught me had vanished and all that was left was rage and hate. Then
when I felt someone touch me, my first thought was to stike it.", he swallowed nervously, "then I saw
your face, and realized that if I had been a second slower .... you would..." She cradled him in her
arms as his tears finally came out. 

"Shh.... It's alright, I'm okay. You wouldn't ever hurt me." She whispered as she rocked him in her
arms. This is my place, she thought as she held and comforted him. I won't ever leave him alone with
this pain again, as she thought of all their past arguements. 

Katsumi looked in as she slipped silently into the house. Akane was asleep with Ranma in her arms.
He looked like hell, but she sensed that something of importance had been resolved that night and
she was glad that she had arranged for the two fathers of the house to spend sometime away from
the house. It was just what she had thought the young couple needed. Time together without being
pressured about the marriage. 

She looked in Nabiki's room, just to see how her sister was doing only to find that she wasn't there.
Maybe she is at Kei's house, Katsumi thought as she dressed for bed. Nabiki had said that she
owed the redhaired woman a large debt and she was always big on making sure her debts were
paided. 

Kei smiled at the sleeping form on the bed, even with the energy levels that she claimed to have,
Nabiki was still exhausted by the time that they had finished their dinner together. Kei had insisted
that she stay the night and go home the next day. 

Nabiki was everything Kei had ever wanted in a soulmate, and her bond had brought out a bold and
loving person that lived underneath the moneyhungry mecanary that everyone else saw. She gently
closed the door and walked down the stairs to the library. The phone call to the United States took
a few minutes to place, but she eventually got her grandmother on the line and explained what
happened. 

"Kei, soulbonds are powerful things and our family has always considered them the mark of the gods
favoring a couple. Each of you will have gained something from it, but remember that it is at a cost.
What one feels and experiences the other does as well. Also,....", her grandmother hesitated for a
second.. 

"What", Kei asked, wanting to know everything that could happen. 

"When one member of the bond dies, the other usually follows. Kei, you have always understood
the price that you might have to pay as part of our family duty. Do you understand that you might
take her with you?" 

Kei couldn't reply, she seen a lot of death in her life and had accepted sometime ago that she would
most likely not see life past early adulthood, but the thought of taking Nabiki with her was
unspeakable. 

"Kei, now that I have put the fear of what could happen in you, I think that you should know that I
am happy for you. It is a rare gift that you have received, something that the Magus who empowered
our ancestors had given to make up for the pain of our lives. What you do with this is up to you,
make the most of it. I have to go now, call me soon. Bye." 

Kei hung the phone up, her heart heavy with the facts that she had gotten from her grandmother. She
had the lover she had always wanted, one that she knew loved her as intensely as Kei loved her, but
the thought that she might kill Nabiki with her death was terrifying. 

"Then don't die on me, silly", came a sleepy voice from the doorway, Kei turned to find Nabiki
wrapped in a sheet and looking really tired, "you know, I think that you need to think a little less and
trust your feelings a lot more. Look what it has done for me." She wrapped her arms around Kei
and smiled. A thought crept through the makeshift sheilds that each had started to build for privacys
sake. You won't get rid of me Kei, I won't ever go back to the emotional vaccum that there was
before you came along. Nabiki smiled as she continued, I can't sleep and since we are both
awake...... The thought trailed off as she showed her lover exactly what she was thinking off. 

Nabiki, Kei thought back at her, is that the only thing that you ever think of? 

No, came the reply, just when you are around. Are you complaining about it? 

Not, not really, Kei sighed mentally and smiled back at her, but do you think it can wait till we get
back upstairs maybe? 

Better hurry. 

Alright, I'm hurrying.. 

The two girls laughed as they retreated to the bedroom and took what comfort they could in each
other. Unaware that another watched them and took note of their joy. 

Ah yes, she will do nicely for the beginnings of my plans, the Master of Shadows thought. Very
nicely indeed. And soon, the Master thought with narrowed eyes, my vengence will be complete. 

Kei slept fitfully the next night, she hadn't realized how much the intimacy that she had shared with
Nabiki had changed the way she acted. Nabiki held the dreams and fears at bay. Without her, they
were free to fight her in the one place that she couldn't run from them. Her soul. 

She looked up and realzed that she wasn't anywhere really familiar. A howl was brought from the
darkness by a light nightime breeze. The fires around her flittered fitfully and raised jumping shadows
all around her. From within them came the hounds, made of shade and darkkness but with real
substance. 

She dropped to a guard position and retreated cautiously, only to find herself somewhere else. She
stood in the middle of a concrete and metal jungle. Surronded by enormous metal buildings and the
hounds calling at her heels. Their keening was like a song from the depths of hell, bring fear and
weakness with every breath. She pushed the fear out of her mind and forced her body to deny the
weakness. She had to find Nabiki, that was all that she concentrated on. 

The hounds burst from the shadows with an almost audible tearing sound, already in midleap. She
dropped and kicked out a foot that burst into flame just before it hit and nearly blew the creature in
half. It's mate pounched on her and managed to savage her hand before burning itself and retreating
in pain. Then there were more and she was forced to bod and weave to keep alive. 

She had to hold out till the others were able to get Nabiki and run, she told herself. Then wondered
with a feeling of deja vu, what others? I'm alone, just like I've always been. Despair and loneliness
welled up within her as she struck out an attacking hound in rage. Her blow crushed it's skull in one
blow, but it still managed to slash up her side before dying. She hissed in pain and jumped clear of
two more attacking hounds. 

They are toying with me, trying to make me burn out my chi before they finish me. The feelings of
loneliness doubled again. You will die alone and unmissed, whispered a part of her, why continue
this foolish crusade against some nameless evil that no one believes exist. You could take Nabiki and
live the life you want together. Happy. Alive. Unburdened with this foolish geas that has haunted
your family line for hundreds of generations. 

"No, I can't!", she cried aloud and shone bright with her power, driving the hounds back with it. She
raged at the duplicity that they had tried with her, well let them reap the consequences. With a flick
of the wrist, she raise a wall of fire that burned 5 to ashes where they stood and then followed with a
fireball that consumed two more as they leaped at her. She laughed at their futile efforts to take her,
totally consumed by her warrior side. The beserker rage fed her and kept the pain at a distance. She
seemed to possess endless power to fight them, she though in triumph. 

Then the rage guttered out and she fell to her knees as her wounds flared and her weakened body
shook with the loss of so much so quickly. The hounds keened truimphantly and opened a path for
someone to approach. 

She looked at the figure who approached and knew that it was her death in physical form. She
radiated Dark chi like no other, it was a near physical force. Recognition left her nearly speechless
and paralysed. 

"No..." 

"Yes, it is. Tell me little Lightbringer how does it fell to know that you will die alone.", a hand was
raised and Kei could feel the power as it rose. There would be no stopping this one. 

I'm sorry Nabiki, she whispered in her mind as she bowed her head and waited for the final killing
blow to land. She.... 

......came out of the bed screaming in a terror, that was only made worse for the fact that she had
forced her shields up before it could reverberate down her bond with Nabiki. For minutes all she
could do was shake in fear, curled in a fetal position. 

"It wasn't real, It wasn't real, It wasn't real, It wasn't real, It wasn't real, It wasn't real," she kept
repeating aloud as the memory of the dream clouded and faded in power. She looked at her hand
and saw the scars of the hound's bite, and swallowed. "It wasn't real, it couldn't be." She told the
mirror with a great deal of conviction and determination. The image in the mirror wasn't fooled
anymore than she was. 

Kei lay on the bed thinking of what she had experienced as she dried her hair. It was clearly a vision,
but as to how true or close to the fact that it was was another thing. Grandmother had mentioned
several times in her training that dreams had a special place in reality. They could transport you to
the future or the past and show you what paths should or shouldn't be taken. 

Still, she couldn't remember enough of them to be able to piece together what she should or
shouldn't do. Who or what her foe was, or what they wanted. She sighed, it was a very frustating
thing when she thought about it. 

Nabiki smiled as she heard the slender form hit the rooftop above her room, she knew that siloette
too well to worry that it might be Ukyou or Shampoo, and Ranma and Akane were downstairs
together. That left only one person, she thought as she pulled a robe on and finished up the last of
her homework. 

Kei had called in sick and been keeping her sheilds in place all day, so she merely acted like she
wasn't aware of the approaching footsteps on the roof or the whisper of wind as the window slid
open. 

She smiled as she turned. 

"My aren't we being bold this evenin....", she was cutoff by the shock of what she saw, and
screamed for only a second before she was knocked out. 

"Nabiki," Akane screamed as she charged up the stairs only a step ahead of Ranma. The
heartrending scream that she had heard made her fear for the worst as she pulled open the door. 

"Akane, no don't!", Ranma yelled as he threw her from the door with a flying block that pushed both
of them out of the line of the open door. A split second later, a blast of tremendous force blew out
into the hallway and tore through the frame of the house. It was like nothing either had ever seen.
For seconds, they looked on stunned and then looked at one another. 

"How," Akane asked as she helped Ranma up. 

"I felt something, a large force of 'chi' building up and being channeled at the door. Whoever it was
wanted you dead.", he answered as they walked into the ruin of Nabiki's room. She was gone, and
a single item was left behind that didn't fit in. 

Akane picked it up cautiously, taking care to hold it with a piece of cloth and not to prick herself
with any of the many savage thorns on it. A single black rose. They looked at each other, concern
for Nabiki in their eyes. 

"Kodachi," they both answered the unspoken question. 

Kuno stepped out of the cab, and streatched with great vigor. Home, after months over in America,
he thought. I almost wish that I could have stayed longer, but graduation is coming soon and I will
have to make plans to attend the university. Still, he reminded himself, there is always the summer
break before going back to the grind. He paid the driver and stepped inside with some trepidation. 

The last few months away from his father and sister had been a healing balm that made him rethink
the last year or so in a different light. He looked for Sansuke or his father as he mused over the dark
house. He flipped on a light as he entered a room and looked around. The den was a mess, and his
heart stopped as he saw his family's prized possession gone from it's place. 

The Kuno family blade was gone. Even in his years of less than rational thought Tatewaki Kuno
knew that he wasn't yet worthy of wielding this weapon. Now someone had taken it. He rushed out
looking for someone, anyone that could explain how this had happened. 

He hadn't gone far when he tripped over something in the hall. He looked at the small bundle as he
got up. It was Sansuke. The small man hadn't passed quietly or quickly from the looks of it. Kuno
eased his servant's eyes shut and whispered fiercely in the dead man's ear. 

"You won't die unavenged," he promised as he stood up and pulled a boken from a nearby room. It
wasn't the sword, he reminded himself, but only one man had ever beaten me in a fair fight. He heard
a laugh of pure insanity and the liquid sound of steel being drawn as he stepped into his sister's side
of the house. 

"Why dear brother, aren't you happy to be home. Father is so happy to see you are home where
you belong.", Kodachi motioned to her left, where Kuno saw his father's body. Sansuke got off easy
compared to him, Kuno told himself as he steeled himself for the coming confrontation. 

"Why, Kodachi? Why this ...", he motioned around him, "insanity? You have been poisoning me for
years and no one knows what you did to father before left. This is to much. Give me the sword and
let me help you.", he suprised himself at the amount of lucidity that he showed. It had taken most of
his time in the States to realize that she had been drugging him for years, keeping him as insane as
she was. The whole affair with Akane and the female Saotome were the most prominent things, but
there were others that he was just as ashamed of. 

"Power.", she answered, "I should have been given the Fire's kiss, mother was as much an heir to it
as Kei's. Why should she get it?", Kuno sighed, he remembered his cousin and how his sister had
grown to hate her after she was chosen by their mutual grandmother to be the next heir to the family
Arts. She had even attacked Kei once after she was chosen. Kei had almost killed her by accident. 

"Lady Akikio had the right to choose who her heir would be. It is family tradition Kodachi. Please,
let me get you help before you do something that we all regret." 

"No, I am afraid that it is far too late for that. I made a deal for my power and now dear brother, I
must pay the price for it." She raised the katanna into a postion of attack, and charged him, "I must
extinguish all the Lightbringer's bloodline." 

So be it, he thought as he met her attack with a sliding sidesteep and a counter slash. The boken
went through her like she was made of gossamer. Even before it had completely cleared the torso,
she whipped off a furious slash that he only barely dodged. With an insane cackle, Kodachi faded
into the adjoining shadows and vanished. 

Impossible he thought, as he spun around looking for her. No one could just vanish like that into a
shadow. Except for one of the shadows, reminded a long buried part of him that had listened to the
tales of his maternal grandmother as a child. 

"We don't have to do this sister, please don't make me kill you.", he begged her as he looked around
the shadows for her. He would see movement on one side of the room only to see it on the other
side in the corner of his eye as he spun to face it. "Father and Sasuke can be only ones that had to
die in this." 

"Wrong dear brother," came the fierce whisper as she slashed his arm and vanished back into the
shadows, "who do you think killed our mother, and Kei's long departed parents in that little car
accident." 

"No, you were to little to have done it.", he screamed as he kept looking for an attack. His arm was
only knicked, she is playing cat and mouse he told himself as he continued, "it was a car accident." 

"Yes, dear mommie drank something in her tea and she fell asleep at the wheel while she was driving
up to the mountain cabin with her sister.", came the reply as the sword slashed him across the chest
and nicked his elbow. All he saw was a flash and she was gone again, only to reappear on the other
side slashing him across his arm again. He let go of the boken and switched to a single handed
stance. "I was trying to get Kei, but she stayed home sick that day." 

"No!", years of repressed fury and sadness exploded in the young man as he continued. "Face me if
you dare, demon. I want to see the light go out of your eyes and end the madness that had plagued
this family for so long. Surely, you don't fear me with all your power, Shadow." Shemelted out of the
shadows in front of him. 

"I am not a Shadow, I am still Kodachi Kuno and you are no match for me dear brother." Fury
colored Tatewaki's face as he raised the boken and pulled all his chi for this one blow. 

"I have no SISTERR...." he screamed as he charged her. She met his attack with a parry and a back
handed slash that left him looking at his boken and hand laying on the floor in front of him. He
gripped his wrist with his remaining hand and looked up in dismay at the THING that had replaced
his sister. Insanity lurked in those black eyes, as she smiled and started in on him. Tatewaki Kuno
screamed in agony as the pain grew under Kodachi's careful work. 

He landed on the floor by the large bath with a thud. Tried to rise and failed, instead rolling over to
look up that the monster that had tormented him. She smiled down at him. 

"I would stay and finish this dear brother, but I have more important people to find and settle with.
With the assistance of poor Nabiki, I will lure all my foes to the place of my choosing and there slay
them! 

Too bad you couldn't see the possibility of power brother, you would have been a good servant in
my conquests." 

"You're mad," he croaked as he fought against the bloodloss induced weakness and his wounds.
Kodachi smiled and ran a finger down his chin, drawing blood with it. 

"That may be, but I will survive the night." She hefted his amputated hand and tossed it behind him
along with his boken, then lifted him as easily as a rag doll, "you, I fear, will not survive the hour." He
landed in the pool with a splash and sank into the water trailing blood. 

He looked about him as he tried to reach the surface, spotting the shadow that slipped up from
below just before it locked an iron gripped jaw around his ankle and pulled him deeper into the
water. 

Ranma and Akane ran as quickly as they could trying to find the fragmented address that was left in
Nabiki's ruined desk. Akane spotted the right house first and pulled Ranma to a stop. 

"I think this is the one, Ranma.", They ran to the door and knocked. They were greeted within a
minute by Kei. Their explanation took as little time as they could tell the story in, for everyone
involved knew of the insanity that Kodachi was capable. Kei went inside for a few things and then
they were off to the Kuno estate to face Kodachi. 

Ranma seethed in sympathetic response to the anger that he felt flowing from Akane, she was only
concern with the safety of her sister. He was worried about them all. It was so unlike the old
Kodachi that he had fought and dealt with in the past. There were issues bigger than just him and
Akane involved in this, otherwise she would have taken Akane not Nabiki. He looked at Kei as they
cleared another set of buildings in a leap, she was cool and totally in control but there was something
driven in the way she was facing this. Like she consumed with some awful complusion that drove her
on regardless of what she wanted. 

Kei locked all her worries and concerns down tight as the threesome cleared the final wall and were
in her Uncle's household complex proper. There was a stillness in the house that didn't bode well. It
was the calm of a tomb that had long closed and forgotten. When they found Sansuke, she knew
that something was wrong, terribly wrong. Kodachi, even the one that she had heard stories, would
never have fallen to such levels of depravity unless.... 

Surely not even her cousin would sink to such levels of curruption she thought as she heard the
scream of pain further in the house. 

"This way, follow me", she called as she ran towards the noise. 

Kuno nearly passed out from the pain as the alligator locked it's jaws around his leg and spun him
underwater. Stopping only to tighten it's grip on his leg once more, he spotted the sharp fragment of
the boken and grabbed it just in time. The spinning began again and he surfaced just long enough to
scream aloud and grabbed a breath of air before being pulled under again. 

This time he flailed at the mostrous reptile with all his strength. It was a luck blow that he landed on
it. The shard had driven deep into the creatures eye, and he used all of his remaining power to shove
it home into the beast's brain pan. Then he relaxed and watched as the pain flowed away. 

Kei and Ranma hit the room in tandem and jumped into the water without hesitation. Akane waited
on shore worried for them all, but unwilling to trust her poor swimming skills. Seconds later, the two
girls resurfaced carrying a mauled and pale Kuno between them. Akane pulled her belt off and
grabbed a piece of broken wood from the floor and made a makeshift pressure bandage. 

It was bad, worse than any of them had thought when they first found him. His hand was gone, and
someone had only cauterized the stump enough to prevent bleeding. His struggles and broken the
skin and blood seeped from the wound. Akane strapped it off and applied pressure while telling
Ranma to do the same to the swordsman's leg. 

Kei concentrated and pushed a ball of light from her hand into her cousin's chest. He twitched
convulsively and opened his eyes. He looked out at the three girls and they were chilled by the fear
in his eyes. He pushed Kei's hands away from him and looked her in the eye. 

"No cousin, your powers are needed elsewhere, Ranma and Akane will take me to the clinic." There
was a coherence that none of them had seen in him for some time. 

"You might die if I don't do it." 

"So be it, but you have to stop her. Besides as these two will attest, I am far too stubborn to die."
Kei nodded, words were too hard at this moment, Tatewaki was the only family that she had left
beside her grandmother, and he was telling her to leave him to die while she killed another family
member. The doubt must have been in her eyes. "Kei, she killed your parents." 

Tatewaki watched the mixture of confusion, fear and anger wash over his cousins face. She took his
stump, Akane's tourniquet wouldn't be enough,and looked him in the eye. He knodded grimly, and
closed his eyes. Ranma and Akane grabbed his arms and body as Kei wrapped her hands around it.

He screamed in agony as her hands sizzled with indescribable heat. The last thing he remembered
before passing out was the sickly sweet smell of burned meat. 

Kei looked out on the city from the roof of Tofu's clinic, her cousin was in good hands. The doctor
was sure that if he survived the night that he would live. Without his hand for sure and maybe part of
his leg, but he would live. Now, she reminded as she stood up and made to leave, there were other
matters. 

Ranma landed beside her, and Akane followed close after. 

"This isn't something you two can help me with." She said before they could say anything. Akane
looked angrily at the older girl. 

"Nabiki is my sister Kei, I am not going to let that psychopath have her. If you think I am going let
you run off without me or Ranma you're mistaken." 

Kei looked at her, long seconds passed as she looked intently in the girl's eyes and those of her
fiancee. Ranma met her gaze with a quiet intensity that reminded her of her grandmother. 

"We're coming wether you agree or not, Kei" He said quietly. 

"Fine, but you do what I tell you. Ok? You're only along to get Nabiki clear. Kodachi and the
Shadows are my problem. Understood." 

They nodded their agreement and the threesome took off across the rooftops of Furikan. Kei
couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu. 

For an hour or more, they ran across the rooftops while Kei strained her senses for any sign of
Nabiki or Kodachi. She felt nothing, not a whisper of the shadows or a hint of Nabiki through her
soulbond. She was becoming rabidly more desparate and worried. 

Then she felt a shiver of fear from Nabiki from nearby and almost at the same time a corresponding
chill of the Shadow. She stopped the other two with a gesture as she peeked over the roof edge. A
pair of hound prowled around the warehouse that they were on. A glance into a nearby skylight
revealed a terrifying sight. 

Nabiki was hanging by her hands and bleeding from dozens of little cuts over her body. It was all
they could do to keep from leaping into the warehouse and taking their chances in rescueing her. All
knew from experience that what you saw was rarely what you would get with Kodachi. 

Kei landed beside the hound and brought her leg down in a cresent kick that broke the back with a
loud snap. It's dying howls echoed through the building and she could hear it's packmate's grating
growls as they approached. She blasted the leader with a blast of flame that left no doubt as to who
and where she was. 

The pack emerged from the shadows and she ran before them. Keeping just out of reach she led
them way from warehouse. Hopefully it would by Ranma and Akane the time that they needed. 

Akane landed by the hound with inhuman stealth, and dropped it with a single blow to the throat as it
leapt for her. She spun around to help Ranma only to find that he had already dispaced the other
two with a flurry of punches from his good arm that was too fast to follow. 

Moving quickly they lowered Nabiki and untied her. They hurried through the city to the clinic.
Hoping the whole way that they would have time find Kei and help her. 

Kei leaped across the roof and took a quick look behind her. The hounds were still close, though
they were slowed everytime they had to cross a brightly lit street or building. Some instincts were still
hard to ignore, just as she had hoped. Maybe she cold pull this off after all, she thought as she
looked ahead to her final destination. 

Nabiki opened her eyes, and wished that she hadn't. There wasn't a place on her body that didn't
hurt or sting. Her arms burned from the hours of hanging like a side of beef. She turned to look at a
very concerned Ranma and Akane sitting together by her bed. 

"Where is Kei", she asked as she reached for the mind on the other end of their bond. She didn't
hear their response as she hit a wall of iron will blocking out all outside interference. Akane said
something, but she didn't hear it. She was too busy trying batter down the walls surrounding Kei's
mind. 

Kei felt Nabiki come to and strengthened the mental sheilds around her mind. She didn't have the
time for arguements or recriminations. Tears welled up as she leaped over a wall with her pursuers
close behind her. 

"I'm sorry Nabiki-chan, but it has to be this way." 

She could see her destination was close and took the last fence at a full run. Her leap cleared it by a
good margin, and she hit the ground running. The hounds tore through the fence with great vigor
before following her into the complex. 

She led them deeper into the complex, dodging behind a maze of pipeworks and the towering
storeage tanks. Soon, her instincts told her, just need to find the right spot. 

Soon, was all that Nabiki heard through the rigid sheild that she was trying to breach. The finalty of
the word chilled her to the bone. 

Kei leaped over a series of chest high pipes and only just avoided the claws of her pursurers. Here
there wasn't the presence of the hateful light to hold them back. She cleared the last hurdle of pipes
and ran into a clear space that was thankfully covered by a brilliant streetlight in it. 

There she stopped and prepared to take her stand. Her weapon came free from it's concealed
shealth and she turned to face the pack. She threw a handful of spikes into the seething mass as she
set her back to the light pole. A smile crossed her face as several of the lead line fell with howls of
pain. Silver still worked on these Shadows. She raised her sword and waited. 

The pack skidded to a halt just short of the circle of light, looking for a way to attack without coming
within the circle of light. It would be only a matter of time before at least a few of them would muster
the courage to move into the circle. 

Long seconds passed before first leaped into the small circle and charged her. She met it's charge
with an overhead smash to the skull with her sword. It feel to the concrete without a sound, but her
sword was trapped in the skull. 

"Crap", she whispered as her instincts told her to move. She dropped and rolled out of the way of
two hounds. They had entered the circle from opposite sides and attacked almost simultaneously.
She managed to nail one with one of her remaining spikes, and it retreated back to the shadows with
a mornful howl. 

The second skidded to a halt and turned to leap at her again. Dropping back to the ground, she
snapped out a kick to it's chest. The breastbone cracked loudly from the impact and it landed on the
ground dead before it landed. 

Turning on her side, she hopped up and only just backflipped out of the way from yet another
hound's claws. It's claws tore through the denim pants and it was only luck that she hadn't gotten
more than a graze. 

Dropping back into a couch she missed getting caught up in the leaping hounds outreached claws.
She let the momentun of the leap carry the hound out of the circle and back into it's packmates. She
turned to await the next attackers or even the pack as a whole. 

The pack merely waited at the circle of light's boundary. They had the numbers to wear her down,
and the time to do it. Dawn was hours away still and that might not even effect them, as changed as
they were. Not that she would last that long, she was winded and tired. Her legs hurt terribly and her
knee was about to buckle. She hadn't recovered all of her strength from the battle with Ryoga four
days earlier. 

She forced herself to stand upright and looked out at the pack, something had changed. There was a
tension in the pack that was all but physical. She could feel it. The hounds quickly cleared a path to
the circle just in front of her. She knew suddenly that the real battle would begin now. A shadowy
figure walked down the path with dignity and grace of Royalty. Kei swallowed as she watched the
hounds mill around the figure in a state of barely restrained agitation. 

The figure paused at the circle's edge to put a gentle hand on the muzzle of the pack leader. Kei
almost screamed in anquish at the sight, she could no longer deny the evidence. 

"Hello, cousin.", she quietly said from the middle of the now useless circle of light. Kodachi looked
up and met her gaze with an insane smile. There was no doubt that the Shadows had claimed her. It
saddened Kei to accept that, as if the realization was a personal failure. 

"Kei, I am so glad that you survived Shampoo's attack and I hope that my pets didn't tire you too
greatly." Kodachi raised the sword, "I should never have let something as important as this in the
hands of others." 

"Why?", it was all that Kei could say. 

"Why? Why not? It was always you Kei. You were the one that was so good, so honorable. I
couldn't do anything right, it was Kei this or Kei that. Then grandmother picked you for the power."
Kei shook her head sadly, it always came to this, but Kodachi kept to on, "Well now, I have the
greater power and you don't. I'll prove her wrong, I'll show her that it should have been me!" 

"You weren't the one, Kodachi, grandmother explained all that after the test." As soon as the words
let her mouth, Kei realized the folly of them. She watched the rage and insanity burn away everything
that had been human in her cousin leaving only an Shadow parody. 

Kei pulled her sword free as her cousin charged forward with a soul rending scream. Steel met steel
in a shower of sparks as she managed to bring it up in time to block slash after slash. So be it, she
told herself as she brough her sword up in a salute and channeled her power into it. It lit with a
brilliant flame. 

"What makes, you think you could control the fires when you can't control yourself Kodachi?" She
asked as she brought up the sword. 

Kodachi's only replay was a scream of pure insane rage. 

Nabiki could feel the fury of the battle as it raged. Scenes would slip through the sheilds for a
fraction of a second. She closed her eys and pushed at the walls with all her willpower. 

Kei tripped over a body and fell roughly to the ground. Kodachi was on her in an instant, and she
dodged the decending blade only by a fraction. She hopped up and backflipped out of the way. She
couldn't keep this up for long, the chase had tired her more than she had thought and Kodachi was
still fresh and rested. She stepped back out of the way of a slash and slammed hard into a wall,
gasping in pain from her bruised ribs and weakened leg. The impact and pain stunned her for a
second. 

In that second, the battle was lost. Kodachi, fresher and uninjured, was quick to take advantage.
She barely had time to register the attack before the sword slammed into her chest impaling her to
the tank behind her. 

She screamed in pain as the sword wound in her gut burned. It was just as she had seen it, she
would die alone and a failure. Kodachi smiled and twisted the blade with vigor. 

Nabiki screamed in sympathy with Kei as the sheilds collapsed, and she was once again united with
her lover. She caught Kei's last thoughts as the pain drove her into a fetal position on the bed. Even
second hand, the pain was beyound description. She could smell the metallic mixture of blood and
oil, and knew what Kei was thinking as if it was her own thoughts. 

No, she screamed across the bound, Kei don't do it. Please! 

I'm sorry Nabiki, Kei thought as she brought her hand up. It burst into flame. Kodachi laughed and
twisted the sword again. 

"Do you think that your puny powers are going to stop me now, Lightbringer? You don't have
enough to kill the least of my minions much less me." 

Kei coughed up blood and struggled to answer. She lifted her eyes to meet her cousins and smiled
ferally. 

"All it takes to bring light to the world is a spark," she said as slammed the flames into the pool of
blood and gasoline at her feet. 

Kodachi only had a second to register fear before the flames reached the first tank. Kei closed her
eyes and reached across the link to Nabiki. 

I'm sorry that it had to end this way, Nabiki, she sent as tears ran down her face, just remember that
I love you. 

Then the tank exploded with thunderous force, and washed all her pain away as she fell into the light.

--- The Present--- 

Nabiki pulled the knife from her jacket. It had taken days of patient waiting to get hold of it. Who
would have thought that in a dojo that all the weapons would be so hard to get? Finally, she had
snatched the knife from the kitchen while Kasumi was shopping. 

She put the blade to her wrist and slashed it to the bone. She sat beside the markers and watched
the dark blood pour from her wrist. Her head was getting light and the pain was fading quickly as
she closed her eyes and waited for it to be all over. 

"I'll be with you soon enough Kei", she whisphered as fell into darkness. 

Nearby the shadow slid out of it's hiding place and quickly set about savoring the last energies of the
dying girl. Despair and death were in the air and it fed eagerly on that. 

"Nabiki, get up." she looked up and saw a figure that she had missed everyday for the last 8 years.
Her mother. 

She got up from the grass that she had been laying on and wrapped her arms around the delicate
woman that stood beside her. Her mother returned the hug with as much strength. 

"I've missed you so much Mama." she said through her tears. 

"I know darling, but you can't stay. It's not your time Nabiki." Nabiki looked up and saw the tears in
her mother's eyes, and knew what was coming. "You have to go back." 

"No, there is nothing there for me there!" 

"There is your father and sisters", came the gentle reply. Nabiki shook her head angrily. 

"They have their lives mother, they will miss me but they are stronger than me." 

"Don't be so sure Nabiki, you were the one that had the strength to do what ever you set your mind
to. Your sisters won't take this as easily as you think." 

"But, I can't go back. You're here and Kei." She paused sadly before continuing, "I can't live without
her, Mama. She's the one that brought me out of the cold shell that I have locked myself into when
you died. It hurts to think of living another day without her. I'm afraid that I'll go back to that cold
mercenary thing I had become. I just want to be with her again." 

"She not here, Nabiki. She left behind too many things undone in the world of the living. Without
someone to take her place, she will never rest in peace." 

"What? Wha.. What do you mean?" 

"She had a destiny and when she died that destiny was left unfulfilled. She can't rest till someone
takes that burden from her soul and carries on her destiny." Nabiki quailed at the thought of Kei
trapped without rest. An idea formed in her mind, one that she both hated and accepted. 

"I'll do it" Nabiki swallowed nervously, "I'll take her place." 

"Do you understand what that means Nabiki? You know what Kei went through her whole life. You
will bleed for people you don't know or even like. You might die alone in a far off place in vain like
Kei did." Nabiki closed her eyes and nodded. 

Gentle hand clasped her own and she felt a familar touch in her mind. She opened her eyes and saw
Kei smiling at her. The red head was blinding in her beauty, and looked at peace with herself.
Something that Nabiki had seen when Kei was asleep. 

"Baka." Kei kissed her gently, and whispered in her ear, "I'll be waiting for you, Nabiki, but don't go
out and hurry back. You have a full life ahead of you and if you waste a second of it I will never
forgive you." 

Nabiki started to reply but suddenly she was falling faster and faster. The last thing she saw was Kei
smiling at her from a long distance away. 

Then  the cold grass on her cheek as awareness and sensation returned to her. She opened an eye
and gazed upon the Shadow feeding from her wrist and felt the wrongness of it's existance. 

A fire burned in her that was more than a rage at being manipulatied by the creature. Before she
realized what she was doing, Nabiki's hand shot out with lightning speed and grasped the thing tightly
in her grip. 

"You did this!", she growled through gritted teeth as the fire grew larger. It struggled to get loose but
couldn't. She barely noticed the cold of it's touch or the cuts it's claws inflicted on her hands as she
tightened her grip. 

With an audible 'whomph' her hand lit with flame and the creature lit up like a piece of oil soaked
rag. Flames played over her arm and the creature as it screamed and writhed in agony. 

Nabiki watched in shock and surprise as the Shadow burned away to nothingness. 

For long minutes she looked at where the creature had been and the flames in her hand. They
burned without harming her. She closed her hand into a fist and snuffed the fire with a thought.
Lightbringer, she heard within herself. She could feel paths within her opening and a gentle strength
building within her. 

Tears ran down her face and she felt the changes within herself. Looking down at the gravemarker,
Nabiki finally realized the price that she would have to pay. 

The accountant in her tallied it in her mind. She would have to fight, possibly die badyly for nothing
more than an assurance that Kei was at peace. She would be the noble hero that she had so often
mocked. She could appreciate the irony. 

"It's worth it," she said to the nighttime sky as she turned to go home and prepare for the rest of her
life. "It just hurts so much Kei."