Well, here goes Part 4 of the next phase of the series!  This
is based heavily on events and situations from the previous stories,
which are available on my Web Site.

As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
"Miyabi" and "Masao" appear courtesy of Kunoichi, whose "Ranma
nibun no ichi" series inspired this "Paralell Universe".

All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.


Coutuva.



Mysteries of the Mind - Part 4
Lightning Strikes                                 <WARNING - LIME>
------------------------------------------------------------------



	Nabiki sat across the low table from Kasumi, holding her cell
phone open in her right hand.  Her face bore a look of utter disbelief as
she slowly closed it up.
        "Nabiki-chan?  What's wrong?"  Kasumi asked gently, looking
concerned.
	"I can't believe it... there's absolutely no sign of Ranma anywhere.
For the last week, all of my sources have come up blank... This is
unthinkable."  Nabiki related, face drooping with shock.  "I can find
*Ryoga* if I have to, but I still can't find Ranma.  It's like he dropped
off the face of the Earth."
	"Oh, Dear... What do you suppose that means?"  Kasumi asked, raising
a hand to her mouth.
	"Only two things... He doesn't want to be found, or he's stayed in
one place without moving or attracting attention."  Nabiki speculated, brow
furrowed with concentration.  "And we both know how likely the latter is."
she continued, eyeing her sister knowingly.
	"That's true... adventure does tend to find him, doesn't it?"
	"We can only hope.  If he stays this quiet, we may never get a bead
on him."  Nabiki commented, darkly.  "I'll keep my eyes peeled, though...
someone like Ranma can't stay invisible forever."
	"I know you will, Nabiki-chan.  You have a way of meeting with
success."  Kasumi encouraged, smiling.  "Will you be staying for supper?"
	"Well no, as much as I'd like to, I had best get back to
Kuno-Baby... he can't be left alone too long, or else he starts to think
for
himself." she winked, grinning wryly.  "See you tomorrow, oneechan."
	"Good night, Nabiki-chan.  Thank you for coming;  I know Akane
appreciates it."  Kasumi smiled, rising to see her sister to the door.
	Once Nabiki had left, Kasumi cleaned off the low table, and glanced
out at the walking deck.  Akane sat there alone, knees against her chest,
rocking slowly back and forth as she stared into space.  Kasumi's brow
furrowed at the sight, as this had now become a ritual for her youngest
sister.
	Upon putting the dishes in the kitchen, Kasumi joined Akane on the
deck, and placed a warm, reassuring hand on her younger sister's shoulder.
	Akane's first reaction was to sigh sadly, the she turned to regard
her older sister with lifeless eyes.    "Kasumi... why does everyone I love
have to leave?"  Akane asked, emotionlessly.  "Am I not good enough to
deserve happiness?  Are my children not worthy of a father?"  she
continued,
her voice still completely flat.
	"Akane-chan... don't beat yourself up.  This has nothing to do with
you or your children.  It was an accident... and who you are or what you do
had no bearing on it."
	"It's been a week, oneechan... with no word.  I'm scared."  Akane
added, quietly.
	"I know, Akane... we all are.  But, you have to remember that your
children, especially Miyabi-ko, really need you right now.  You have to be
strong for them."  Kasumi reminded, gently.
	"Feh... how can I be strong for them?  I can't even be strong for
myself.  Without Ranma, I'm not whole... not complete... not... good
enough."
she countered, dropping her face between her knees and starting to rock
again.
	Kasumi's furrows deepened.  It was now apparent to her that her
sister had slipped beyond the point where simple advice might help her...
she could see the early signs of depression manifesting in Akane, and they
instantly conjured up images of her mother, who had suffered from clinical
depression shortly before she died.
        She became convinced that it was time to let Nodoka or perhaps
Tofu-Sensi speak to her, in the hope that they could catch her before she
really began to sink.



	"Tadaima!  Elysse?  Are you home yet?"  Hitomi called into their
apartment.  Glancing at the watch she had just bought herself, she noted it
was a bit before five.  Since it was Friday, the Daycare had closed a bit
early, and since it was payday, Hitomi had decided to cash her cheque and
buy some new shoes and a watch.
	She had hoped Elysse would be home so she could invite her out for
supper, but she assumed she must have beaten her rommate home.
	Shrugging, she slipped her purse strap off her shoulder, and set it
beside her while she slid on her slippers.  It was then that she heard a
couple of solid thumps coming from down the hallway, toward the bathroom.
	Eyes narrowing, she removed the slippers again and headed toward
the noises.  As she ventured down the hallway, the thumps continued.
She noticed that they seemed to be coming from the bathroom, so she crept
up to the just-open door and peered through the space.
	What she saw froze her in her tracks... until she started to laugh.
	In the bathroom, completely filling the small room stood a very
agitated horse.  When the animal heard Hitomi start to laugh, it
immediately
whinnied loudly and gave the door a quick kick.
	"Okay, okay!  I'll fix you up...just a second!" Hitomi responded
between laughs.
	Dashing back to the kitchen, she grabbed a pitcher and filled it
with warm water, then returned to the bathroom.
	"You're gonna have to move over, Elysse...  I can't get too great
of an angle from here!" she instructed, still giggling.
	The horse shuffled over as best it could, and Hitomi squeezed
herself through the door.  As soon as she was in position, she upended the
pitcher all over the horse.
	In the next second, a very naked, very wet Elysse stood in it's
place.  On the floor lay the torn remants of her clothing, and the
scattered
contents of her purse.
	"Thanks... I needed that."  Elysse grinned sheepishly, crossing her
arms over her chest.
	"What happened?"  chuckled Hitomi, covering her mouth with her hand.
        "I... knocked the soapdish into the sink, and when I turned on the
cold water, it hit the dish..."
	"Wow, did it ever.  Shame about your skirt, though..." Hitomi
commented, kneeling down to pick up what remained of Elysse's favorite
suede
skirt.
	"Not the first time I've lost one..." Elysse noted, dryly.  "Could
you hand me a towel?"  she continued, noticing that Hitomi was checking her
out again.
	"Awww.. you're no fun anymore."  Hitomi pouted, winking.  "Hey,
I got paid today... want to go out for supper?  My treat!"  Hitomi gushed,
happy to be able to return the favor for a change.
	"Sounds great!  Give me a few minutes to find something else to wear,
and we can go.  I didn't feel much like cooking anyway."  Elysse grinned,
heading for her room.
	Hitomi smiled happily and headed back to the livingroom, stopping
to check herself in the wall mirror.  Her flame-red hair was still neatly
in place over her shoulders, combed forward to hide her dressing, and the
green silk China-mini she wore still looked presentable, despite a full
day in it.
	The only thing she needed to change was her shoes, since she had
worn flats to work as usual.  It just so happened that she had bought a
pair of nice heels, which matched her outfit perfectly.
	Grinning at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe how well
things were going so far.  She still couldn't remember anything about
herself from before she woke up in Elysse's apartment, but for some reason,
that really didn't bother her very much.  Her life now was so much fun
that she didn't miss what she couldn't remember.
        Her job at the Daycare had worked out incredibly well to date, all
the children having fallen in love with her.  Her glib, happy, easygoing
nature charmed the toughest of them, and for the more stubborn cases, a
few quick little Martial Arts tricks won them over.  Even though only an
assistant, she had become the most popular staffer there.
	Most of the children in the centre were those of Japanese parents,
who were quite pleased that their children were being looked after by
someone who spoke the language and knew the culture.
	Hitomi had also become good friends with the owner, who had already
suggested that she meet her son... Hitomi considered that a great
compliment,
but skillfully avoided the subject, given that boys just weren't her thing.
	She and Elysse were getting along very well, although Hitomi wished
at times that their relationship was a bit... different.
	"Okay!  I think I'm finally ready."  Elysse called from down the
hall, adjusting an earring as she strode toward Hitomi.
	Hitomi had to gasp aloud at the sexy outfit Elysse had on, thinking
suddenly that she would rather stay in.
	"Ohhh, Elysse... you look sexy!"  Hitomi commented, leaning hard
on the word.
        "Thanks!"  she chimed, standing beside Hitomi to look herself over.
Wrapping an arm around Hitomi's shoulder, she brought her face down to the
same level and winked into the mirror.
	"Better than Mortal Man deserves."  she quipped, winking again.
	"Definitely."  Hitomi agreed, although for different reasons.
	"Hey, Hitomi... you look like quite the snack yourself.  Is that
what you're wearing?"
	"Sure.  I got some new shoes, too."
	"Well, It looks great.  I wish I could wear those... Got a little
too much baggage though."  Elysse commented, patting her rear.
	"No you don't... It looks fine to me.  Especially in that skirt."
Hitomi stated, sneaking a look at Elysse's shapely rear.
	"Yeah, but you're biased."  Elysse grinned, finishing her primping.
	"Are you ready yet?"  Hitomi asked, her stomach reminding her of
their plans.
	"Yep!  Let's go.  Where do you want to eat?"
	"There's a nice Japanese/Cantonese place I just heard of from
Minako.  She gave me the address, so we can just catch a cab."  Hitomi
indicated, walking toward her purse and new shoes.
	"I'm game.  Anytime."
	"Hai, Hai.  You lock up."  Hitomi smirked, sliding on her new
shoes and slinging her purse.


	Monday morning couldn't arrive fast enough for Hitomi, who actually
missed 'her kids' over the weekend.  She had managed to drive Elysse crazy
with stories of their antics, and smiled happily as she walked to work,
anticipating another enjoyable week.
	Since the weather had turned out to be a bit windy, she had opted
for a longer outfit on this day, selecting an almost floor length dark blue
number with a long slit.  Again, it was her favorite Chinese style, and the
silk it was made from shined in the morning sun.
	The only problem she encountered was that men gawked at her all
the way to work.  Some of them even whistled, or saw fit to make lewd
remarks at her.  She could feel herself getting quite angry about it all,
but used her foreign looks to ignore them by pretending not to understand.
	Having made it through the gauntlet, she happily strode into the
center, where she was in for a very pleasant surprise.  Upon hanging her
purse in her locker, she stepped out to greet 'her kids' and was promptly
overwhelmed by the exited choruses of "Ohiao, Hitomi-Sensei" from
twenty-two happy children.
	As she bowed to the assemblage surrounding her, she heard her name
being called from behind her.  Turning, she saw the Owner of the center
standing with a *very* attractive Japanese girl just outside the main
office.
Hitomi was momentarily stunned at the sight, her cheeks flushing almost
instantly.
	"Kawaii..." was all Hitomi could think, her mouth unable to move.
The girl noticed Hitomi's reaction and smiled sheepishly, demurely turning
her eyes away... but only for a second.
	Once the initial shock wore off, Hitomi gathered her wits and
approached the two women, eyes riveted on the girl.
        She stood about five foot tall, sported jet-black hair and a perky,
medium-sized chest.  She was blessed with a perfectly proportioned figure
and an absolutely lovely face, and wore a surprisingly plain blouse with a
short green skirt.
	Hitomi smiled as she stepped up to the pair, and the owner
introduced them.
	"Hitomi-Sensei, this is Okimiyaki Kikyo.  She is here to replace
you."  the owner stated, smiling.
	"Konnichiwa, Okimiyaki-san."  Hitomi bowed, then realized what the
owner had said.
	"Nani?? Replace me?"  she blurted, shocked.
        "Hai.  One of our regular teachers quit on the weekend... it seems
as though she felt displaced by your ability with the children.  I have
decided to move you into the spot she vacated, and I have hired Kikyo to
take your place."  the owner grinned again, happy with her little joke.
	Hitomi breathed a huge sigh of relief.  "You had me worried there
for a minute, Minako-san."  Hitomi breathed, shaking her head.
	The owner simply grinned a little wider.  "I will leave Miss
Okimiyaki to your care, Hitomi-Sensei.  Be sure to show her around, and
teach her what to do."
	"Hai."  Hitomi agreed, and bowed again.  "Ano, Minako-san?"
	"Hai?"
	"Domo Arigato.  I appreciate your faith in me.  I will do my best."
Hitomi stated, bowing again.
	"I know you will." Minako replied, and stepped back into her office.
	"Nice to meet you, Hitomi-Sensei."  Kikyo bowed when Hitomi turned
to look at her.  The girl's smile seemed to be able to melt Hitomi's heart.
	"Ano, nice to meet you, too.  Oh, and call me Hitomi.  The 'sensei'
part isn't necessary.  You're staff now."  she instructed, smiling back at
the girl.
	The girl seemed to flush for a second, then glanced away.  Hitomi
noticed it, and hoped it meant what she thought it did.

	For the rest of the morning, Hitomi showed Kikyo the ropes, and
noted happily that she seemed to take well to the tasks assigned her.  She
also noticed that whenever she went near Kikyo, one of two things happened.
Either Kikyo would lose her concentration, or she would make a mistake.
Hitomi took that as a sign of things to come, herself being unable to stop
thinking about the girl, and sneaking covert glances at her whenever she
could.
	Lunch time finally rolled around, and Hitomi decided that she
should put her suspicions to the test.  Quickly checking her hair and
dress,
she headed over to where Kikyo was just finishing with a child.
	"So, how's it going?"  Hitomi asked as an ice-breaker.
	"Everything is going well, Hitomi-Sensei."  the girl replied, bowing.
As she rose from the bow, Hitomi noticed that she suddenly seemed very
nervous.
	"What's wrong, Kikyo-san?  Is something bothering you?" she asked,
becoming concerned.
	"Ya... nothing is wrong, Sensei.  I... I.. just wanted to ask you..."
the girl began, looking as if her heart was about to fail her.
	"Hai...?"  Hitomi urged, regarding the fidgeting girl quizzically.
	The girl closed her eyes, swallowed audibly, and then finally
blurted out her question.  "Would you like to have lunch with me?"  she
asked quickly, opening her eyes and breathing heavily.
	Hitomi couldn't believe her ears.  "Hai!  I was just coming to ask
you the same thing.  I would be delighted."  she replied, smiling happily.
	"Y... you would?" the girl asked, both stunned and excited.  "Thank
you!  You honor me."  she added, bowing again to Hitomi.
	"No, thank you, Kikyo-san.  I'm honored to be asked by someone as
pretty as you."  Hitomi responded with a smile, deciding to go for broke.
	"Oh, Sensei..."  was all the girl could muster, as her cheeks
fairly glowed.
	"Please, Kikyo-san... call me Hitomi." she indicated, now sure of
her young friend's intentions...  they were exactly the same as her own.
	"Hai... and I would like you to call me Kikyo." the girl countered,
smiling sweetly.



	That night, Hitomi fairly floated home, having had a wonderful day
getting to know her new friend.  As soon as Elysse stepped in the door, she
had to tell her all about it.
	"Elysse!  I had the most wonderful thing happen to me today!" she
gushed, dragging Elysse over to sit with her on the futon.
	"What?  Tell me!"  Elysse responded, a bit taken aback by Hitomi's
exuberance.
	"I met the most wonderful girl today... she's Japanese, young,
pretty... and just the sweetest person I've ever met!"  Hitomi babbled, her
eyes dancing with excitement.  "And she likes me!"  she added, giggling
with delight.
	Elysse was stunned.  Her face dropped momentarily, but she managed
to recover quickly.  "How... did this happen?"  she asked, trying to cover
her feelings.
	"One girl quit, so they promoted me, and hired her to take my old
job.  I almost fainted when I met her... she's just so cute."
	"That's great... I'm happy for you."  Elysse replied, forcing a
smile.
	Hitomi nodded her agreement, then abruptly noticed the crestfallen
look on Elysse's face.  "Is... something wrong, Elysse?"  she asked,
looking her in the eye.
	"No... nothing at all.  Would you excuse me for a minute?  I ...
have to use the washroom."  she replied quietly, rising and heading out of
the room.
	Hitomi watched her go, somewhat bewildered at her reaction.  After
all, she had not said anything when Elysse didn't come home Friday night,
so she had a hard time figuring out what would bother her about the news
she had.
	After a few seconds, Hitomi decided to just shrug it off, figuring
that Elysse would eventually tell her about it anyway.
	At the moment, Hitomi didn't really want to get involved in such
discussions regardless, especially since she had to get ready for her
first date.

	In the washroom, Elysse collapsed against the inside of the door,
totally stunned at Hitomi's news.  She had worried that something like this
might happen, especially since she had rebuffed all of Hitomi's advances
toward her.
	She wasn't sure yet just how to handle the situation, or what
effect it would have on her carefully laid plan to isolate the male Ranma
for herself.  So far, she had succeeded in keeping Hitomi too busy to be
worried about her past, but suddenly it seemed as if the plan had worked
too well.
	Her mind whirling, she flung the bathroom door open and dashed
across the hall to her bedroom, throwing herself on her bed.  Reaching up
under her pillow, she pulled out her childhood grief counselor... an old,
well worn brown teddy bear, and hugged it tightly.  Within a few moments,
she could feel the tears starting as she realized she may have schemed
herself right out of the very opportunity she had been trying to create.


        Hitomi was in heaven as she and Kikyo enjoyed their evening
together on the town.  After dinner in a fairly fancy restaurant, the two
took in "Phantom", spending the entire time edging closer to one another,
eventually ending up snuggled together.  Kikyo was no longer as shy as she
had been when they first met, although she still behaved like the perfect
Japanese woman, demure, polite and still somewhat restrained, which for
some reason delighted Hitomi to no end.  The two got along famously, each
happily sharing their likes and dislikes, with Hitomi having to be
careful, wanting to avoid mentioning her little difficulty.
        By the end of the evening, Hitomi was so smitten that she didn't
want it to end, and Kikyo confessed to feeling the same way.  As they
stood outside Kikyo's apartment building, they looked deep into each
other's eyes, both euphoric over their wonderful evening, and sad that it
was drawing to a close.
        Just as she was about to head in, Kikyo surprised Hitomi by asking
her to come in for a nightcap, but Hitomi politely declined, using the
excuse that she was tired.  Inwardly, she knew that  if she went in, she
probably wouldn't leave... and that didn't feel like the right way to
handle this situation.  Instead, she stepped forward and took Kikyo in
her arms, hugged her tightly, and went to give her a kiss goodnight.
        Kikyo surprised her again by returning the kiss so passionately
that Hitomi's toes started to curl, and the goodnight kiss turned into a
long, hot promise of things to come.
        When they finally  parted, Hitomi had to hold Kikyo up for a few
seconds, her knees having become momentarily weak.  Once she recovered,
Hitomi saw her to the door, pecked her cheek once more and smiled happily,
wishing her a good night before turning to hail a cab.
        In the cab, Hitomi flopped against the seat back, utterly
overwhelmed by the evening's events.  She was beyond euphoric, feeling
that she had found someone very special.
        The cab driver, noticing the flush on her cheeks and silly
expression on her face, smiled to himself, recognizing the signs.
        "Hot date tonight?" he asked, personably.
        "Too hot..." Hitomi replied, breathlessly.
        "Is he a nice guy?"  the driver continued, still smiling.
        "Nope... not at all."  Hitomi winked, a wry grin sliding across
her face.  "Better."  she added, haughtily.
        When she finally arrived home, she discovered that Elysse had gone
out, leaving a hastily scrawled note saying "Don't wait up."  She frowned
at that discovery, wanting to tell her friend all about her incredible
date.
        Sighing, she changed out of her dress and pulled on a nightshirt,
then flopped on the futon with another huge sigh.  Her thoughts were
immediately back on Kikyo, and how thoroughly she had enjoyed their evening
together.  All she could think about was how much she wanted to see her
again, and couldn't wait till the morning.
        Closing her eyes, she allowed her thoughts to drift over the
evening, remembering Kikyo's delicate face, piercing brown eyes and petite,
sexy body.  As well, her demure, reserved manner absolutely endeared her
to Hitomi, who herself was anything but.
        Sighing happily again, Hitomi reached up and touched her lips,
still able to taste the delicate sweetness of their parting kiss.  On her
hand, she could smell the delicate traces of Kikyo's understated perfume,
and smiled deliriously as she inhaled the fragrance.


        Up in her apartment, Kikyo floated in the door and set her purse
on the side table, humming happily to herself.  She couldn't remember
having
so much fun on a date, and was in awe of the wonderful woman that was
Hitomi.  She still couldn't believe that someone as perfect as her would
even be interested in a plain girl like herself, but she wasn't about to
argue the point.
        Glancing at herself in the hallway mirror, she saw the flush on
her cheeks and the faraway look in her eyes, and could feel the twinge in
her heart that told her she missed Hitomi's company already.  In her mind,
she recalled Hitomi's bright smile, easy, happy manner and dreamy eyes, but
most of all, the passionate kiss that lingered on her lips.
        Hanging her jacket in the closet, she grabbed her purse as she
turned to head into her bedroom, and then tossed it on her bed as she
passed by.  It landed upside down, spilling it's contents across the
comforter, including her wallet, keys, makeup, cell phone and .45 caliber
Smith & Wesson automatic.



=========================================================================
END - Mysteries of the Mind - Part 4        A Ranma1/2 FanFic by V. Coutu


Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com




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