Grrr…. Never thought this part would take too looong to finish. My
apologies to those
who've always liked this one. IT took me some time to get in the right of
moods. As well
as finding the time considering the amount of reports that piled up in
school. I hope I did not 
disappoint you people with my latest installment of this megacrossover I've
started. 
Give me C&C and stuff. 

Chapter Seventeen: For Want Of A Better Future
	
	Tia woke up drenched in cold sweat, eyes wide with unspoken terror.  
The darkness felt all too stifling for her.  Her breath came in labored 
gasps.  She gripped the edges of her bed, almost crushing it with the 
force she had brought to bear on it.  She shivered at the damp air that 
drifted through the open window beside her bed.  She cast nervous eyes 
into the moonless night as if she might glean something from its inky 
depths what it was that so haunted her this night.  
	Tia shivered at the cold that raced up and down her spine.  A 
chilling sense of dread enveloped her.  She twined her arms around 
herself, feeling the chill that gripped her heart.  Tia glanced outside.  
Her eyes seeking the danger that was not there.  A cold wind blew across 
her face, drying the sweat permeated her face.  Deciding a further need 
to cool off, she got out of bed and walked out to the balcony.  There, 
the icy breath of the wind bore away the worries that were plaguing her 
mind.  She sighed contentedly as the cold air rushed through her sweat-
soaked mass of hair.  She lifted a hand and ran it through her azure 
hair, wishing for the nth time she didn't have long hair.  
 	Her eyes then fell on the imposing view spread out for her to 
behold.  
 	Even though the moon was hidden deep in the shadow of the Earth, 
the lake situated a few meters away did a good job of reflecting 
starlight around the surrounding forested area, bathing everything in a 
soft white glow.  
	<Beautiful,> she thought to herself.  <Ryoko certainly knew the 
perfect spot to crash-land a house.>  Everything about this place felt so 
timeless.  It was as if time itself refused to extend its influence upon 
this small stretch of paradise on earth.  Tia let out a sigh filled with 
wistful longing.  
	How she wished Reimi could be with her this night.  
	Memories cascaded unbidden to her mind.  Memories she had thought 
she had banished into the darkest recesses of her mind.  She tried vainly 
to shut it away but her resistance was in vain.  It remained haunting her 
with the dreams that she and Reimi had often talked about in the past.
	Dreams to be a family in more than just name....  
	Metal creaked as it protested under her now tightly clenched fists.  
Tears came unbidden to her eyes.  The heavens only knew how much she 
loathed the Shadow Moon for what it had done to Reimi.  Tia sorely missed 
Reimi and her quiet laughter - so unlike that psychotic laugh she made 
nowadays.
	The Shadow Moon had a LOT to pay for.  What they did to Reimi 
foremost of them all.  And only her duty to her charge, the Moon Princess 
Chibiusa, kept her from doing what she would have almost done so many 
decades ago when she had first learned of Reimi's fate.
	Bitter tears ran down her face.  
	This battle had been going on for too long.  And if her memories 
were to be believed, it had raged since the time before he was born.  She 
leaned slightly on the rather twisted bar that had once been straight.  
She wondered just how under the heavens was she going to stop it?  
	<Trust in yourself, my child.  All will end in good time,> 
whispered a voice from within the depths of her mind.  Tia blinked at 
first.  Then something akin to sadness welled up within her.
	Her heart ached for one person right now.
	<Mother...>
	 
* * * * * 

	The day started out fairly the same as it did so many times before.  
Ranma, visibly female, was silently grumbling about her current trip to 
the koi pond.  Common decency -- something her mother had deeply 
ingrained <mostly at sword point!> in her when she had last visited -- 
did not allow her to do what she normally did before.  She hated being so 
wet so early in the morning.  Now, she had to wait until Akane had 
finished her bath before she could have one of her own and change out of 
these damn wet clothes.  
	Her ears picked up the muffled laughs coming from two particular 
women who sat by the edge of the koi pond.  Strange to see such open 
friendliness between two people who had shared such an open hostility 
towards one another the day before.  The two had surprised her that 
morning whilst she had been practicing in the dojo.  She had managed to 
hold out for a while against the two until Sayoko had decided to polish 
up a bit on her spells.
	She shot the two a dirty look before she left to tend to her sore 
pride.
	"Think Ranma would get over it?" Sayoko asked casually, head cocked 
at her blue-haired companion.
	Ifurita smiled beatifically.  "I'm sure he..." she paused before 
correcting herself.  Gender changes always wrecked havoc with pronouns.  
"... she'll be fine."  Ifurita glanced at her newfound friend.  "You do 
realize that Ranma managed to hold out quite well against the two of us 
that time."
	Sayoko nodded; her gaze thoughtful.  "His skills as a warrior are 
amazing and damn worth the effort you've certainly put in training him... 
err... her and her friends."  Her expression turned somber.  "I hope that 
they'd be enough to help protect the princess."  She sighed.  "Damn them!  
Without Radler to help out...."
	"Is Radler that powerful?"  Ifurita asked.  She had often wondered 
what could it be that had the Shadow Moon so hell bent on getting rid of 
the young man.  The reasons as to why Radler had preferred to stay in his 
cursed form was understandable... but what reasons did the Shadow Moon 
truly have for wanting him dead?
	Sayoko shook her head.  "No.  Actually, Radler's pretty much your 
normal, average, young man with a few mysterious abilities who's mired 
deep in trouble and cursed to turn into a girl when wet."  That made 
Ifurita laugh out loud.  
	Sayoko's eyes then turned serious.  "Truth to tell, even I'm not so 
sure.  My sister had always said that there were many things we did not 
know about him.  Perhaps that the reason.  I barely know him since the 
only things that I _do_ know of him came largely from my sister whenever 
she was feeling rather talkative with me." 
	"Do you have the feeling that he's not dead yet?"  Ifurita asked 
suddenly.  
	No answer was forthcoming.  Ifurita did not need to know more than 
what she saw in Sayoko's face.  The doubt was there.
	That was enough.
	Further discussion was cut off as Kasumi called everyone to the 
table.  
	Both entered to be greeted them was a sight to behold.  There 
before their very eyes lay food as sumptuous as any to be found in the 
Emperor's palace.  Perhaps even more.  Before long, everyone was ready, 
eagerly waiting for Kasumi's leave.  
	Kasumi smiled as she waved everyone to proceed.  Without further 
prompting, everyone grabbed his or her share of the food.  Food was 
consumed at an alarming pace, the plates scoured of any and all that it 
was a wonder why Kasumi had to clean those particular dishes.  
	She watched the others as she daintily ate her own portion of the 
meal.  She was content with what she saw in them.  They were happy as 
they could only be in these trying times.  She was not blind to the 
worries that shadowed their eyes or the lines of worry that creased their 
foreheads.
	She was not as withdrawn from the real world as the others thought.  
She had simply chosen to surround herself with household chores to stem 
the flow of her own misery since their mother's death.  But such a 
demeanor as what she had created could not hope to last long.  For when 
Ranma had first stepped into their lives, everything had changed.  And 
many of it for the better.  
	No longer were the Tendos bound by the sorrows of their mother's 
passing.  No longer was there any cause for them to be bitter at the 
world.  For a young man had entered their lives and filled it with 
happiness they had long lost.  And for that, she would be eternally 
grateful to Ranma and his assorted friends.  She doubt anything else 
would have worked to bring them out of their individual miseries.  
	But now, something had descended into their lives that would 
forever change them all.  To what, she was not sure.  The loss of a 
certain young man/woman did not help matters much.  
	Radler had died to save the one he vowed to protect with his life.  
She sighed, offering a silent prayer to the man who had brought all of 
them closer together.  Kasumi let her eyes linger upon the group of young 
people arrayed before her at the table.  
	So young.  
	And yet, to be forced to bear such an incredible burden...  
	It should not be this way.  But it was so.  No matter how she tried 
to twist it.  
	The times they lived in now were awash with the dangers that Ranma 
and his friends were mired in.  She could find little to lay blame on 
Ranma for this.  In fact, she approved of his actions.  He may be quite 
the insensitive jerk her sister often declared, but she could never 
question his sense of duty.  A rare thing for a boy his age would have, 
considering the man who reared him since childhood.  
	She set her food down, the others blinking as they saw this 
uncharacteristic Kasumi attitude.  
	"Kasumi?  Are you okay?"  she heard her youngest sister ask 
worriedly.  One did not find a cheerless Kasumi no matter the reasons.  
To find Kasumi this way... spoke of _many_ things.  All bad -- for anyone 
living in the dojo anyway.  People tend to shy away from the dojo 
whenever news leaked out Kasumi had taken ill.  
	Kasumi appeared surprised as her mind once more snapped back into 
reality.  She shook her head.  "No.  I'm fine.  Just a slight headache."  
Everyone noticeably cringed at that remark.  Kasumi smiled inwardly.  She 
knew everyone had tasted her sister's concoctions at least once -- save 
for poor Ranma.  Still, she could not blame her youngest sister for the 
lack of trying.
	"Don't worry, Father," she consoled her now hysterical father who 
seemed to be mumbling something about food and Akane.  "I'll be fine.  
I'll take a nap after I clear the dishes after breakfast"
	"I could come home straight from school to help around in the 
kitchen, onee-san," offered a self-less Akane.  
	"No!  DON'T!!"  Ranma blurted out unthinkingly, eyes bulging with 
fear from Akane-poisoning.  "Not again!" 
	No one in the room missed Ranma's cryptic remark.  Nor did it 
escape Akane's concern.  A cold gleam flashed in Akane's narrowed eyes.  
Her very countenance hinted upon the dreadful energies of female wrath 
that she was putting to bear against her fiancé.  "What did you say, 
R_A_N_M_A??"  she ground out through tightly clenched teeth.  A blue aura 
flared around her as she summoned her trusty mallet to deliver her 
vengeance.  "What is _wrong_ with my cooking???"  she demanded heatedly, 
brandishing her mallet threateningly over her fiancé's poor head.  
	"Everything!"  he uttered in terror.  
	Everyone groaned visibly; Mizuki, Ranma's sister, more than most.  
Much as she loved her long-lost brother, she often wondered if she had 
been right in pressing them both into admitting their feelings.  Love may 
_be_ blind for everyone else but it was a hazardous agent for her 
brother's health.  
	Akane visibly trembled with rage.  Her aura was glowing red now.  
	Everyone save Ranma had taken a few steps backward.  No telling who 
might get hit accidentally.  Kasumi merely watched, rooted to her seat.  
No one was worried over her.  She was holy ground.  No one would _dare_ 
to touch her person.  
	99.999 percent of the times anyway.  <That means there's _still _ a 
ghost of a chance.>
	Akane gnashed her teeth together; feeling her anger rise at that 
misopportuned word.  
	It wasn't like she did not know how bad her cooking was!  But she 
often wished that her fool of a fiancé would at least offer some other 
form of constructive criticism other than his usual insults.  
	Then again, her anger always did get the better of her 99.999 
percent of the time.  
	Ranma wisely chose not to speak further.  Explanations would hardly 
have sufficed right now, anyway.  Even if he could offer one, it would 
just probably inflame his fiancée even more.  Now, if he could only think 
just as clearly _before_ he spoke with her, then maybe he wouldn't get 
bashed by her mallet like what was about to happen to him right now.
	"Die, Ranma!!" 
	The mallet descended.  
	Ranma cringed.  
	Everyone knew the inevitable would happen and calmly accepted it.  
After all, they've seen it a hundred times a month already.  
	A gentle hand halted the mallet's fearful descent.  
	Everyone blinked.  Something was not right.  By all rights, Ranma 
should be tumbling headlong into the koi pond or flying through the blue 
skies above -- whichever came first.  
	"Akane!!  Stop it!!"  a firm voice ordered.  
	Akane gaped no less than everyone else at the owner of that voice.  
Akane craned her neck above her mallet to see the steel in her sister's 
eyes.  
	"That will be quite enough, Akane," Kasumi said in a voice that 
held little warmth.
	She took hold of Akane's mallet and laid it gently on the floor.  
Akane had little chance to resist as she was then pulled by her sister 
out into the veranda and into the solitude of the gardens.  The firm look 
Kasumi gave the others would ensure much-needed privacy.  
	It was time to have a serious talk with her younger sibling.  
	The light showering into the Tendo living room lengthened.  No one 
spoke nor moved from shock.  Eyes continually stared outside as if they 
expected the world to end.  The sumptuous meal Kasumi had prepared was 
all but forgotten as everyone sat in a state of utter shock.  
	One _just_ does not see Kasumi lose her temper.  
	It was hardly something to even think about.  Much less witness it.  
	"Kasumi!!!"  wailed a distraught Mr. Tendo who was bawling 
everywhere in the living room.  Tears gushed out from  eyes as he cried out
a name.  
"Kasumi!!!  Waaaaaaaa!!!!!" 
	"The end of the world is at hand..." mouthed a still shocked Mizuki 
with no trace of mirth in her face.  
	"Something around that line, I'd say," offered a very familiar 
accented voice that could only belong to a person so used in handling 
people and their money.  
	Mizuki turned around and found Nabiki coolly leaning on the 
doorway, a faint smile creasing her face.  Behind her waved the ever-so-
cheerful magic-user, Yuriko, Nabiki's roommate and somehow her best 
friend too.  How that happened was anyone's guess.
	Ranma blinked.  "Nabiki?!  Yuriko?!  Why are you guys here?"  she 
asked.  "You guys shouldn't be here!  The dangers..." 
	Nabiki shrugged.  "No.  I think that part of it has passed -- for 
us."  Ranma was about to protest when she held out a silencing hand.  "No 
matter.  I'll tell you guys why we're here later on."  She paused, 
placing one dainty finger to her lips.  "Unless, of course, you prefer to 
be late for your classes." 
	Four individuals paled.  Being late in class compounded with the 
presence of their demented principal and with Hinako-sensei for their 
first period teacher....
	Dread did not begin to explain their fears.
	All four left in a flash while two young girls left at a more 
relaxed pace.  Their school started at around the same time and sure they 
might be late but they didn't have to worry about a pair of shears or 
circular objects with holes in them.
	Yuriko eyed her best friend with that pointed look that would have 
condemned anyone to immediate penitence.  Nabiki shrugged nonplused[1], 
all the while wondering where she learned that look.  Definitely 
something she needed to learn considering her line of business interests.  
	"What are we doing here, Nabiki?  Professor Miyabi clearly stated 
we were to refrain from coming here unless it was merited or under 
specific orders from her."  Yuriko asked for the nth number of times ever 
since they had stepped into the dojo.  
	Nabiki let out an exasperated breath.  There were times when she 
found her roommate irking.  And this was one of those.  But what her 
roommate was saying was true.  Still, she did not want to alarm her 
friend -- just yet.  And if last week's nightmare had not been proof 
enough for alarm....
	She shivered as her mind projected vivid pictures of that night.  
She had tired for the past week to shrug it off as just a dream fueled by 
her recent 'mishap'.  But last night had proved her so very wrong.  
	
* * * * *

[1]  Nonplused is to be in a state of perplexity where one is unable to 
act.

* * * * * 

	Light filtered through the window to touch the tender face of a 
brown-haired young woman who appeared to have cried herself to sleep.  
The figure who lay in a fetal pose groaned.  Light brown eyes squinted at 
the light that shone on her face.  Everything looked so cheery and 
bright.  
	All except her.  
	Weeks had passed since she had learned of Tia's death and the 
subsequent unfolding of the truth of Tia's true nature.  Sure, she could 
have laid the blame on Ranma but she wasn't that naïve.  What was she to 
do?  She had already decided to give up her darling Ran-chan so that she 
could profess her feelings for Tia.  
	She had tried to put the best face on, but who was she to kid 
herself regarding her problems?  She loved Tia and, now that she was 
gone, she was left with the fruits of her forbidden love.  
	She hated wallowing in misery.  But here she was.  Doing almost 
everything to feel the pain that she felt she ought to suffer.  
	Did she truly love Tia _that_ much in so short a time?
	The truth hurt to know.  Tia was a man cursed with the nyannichuan 
waters form China.  Strangely enough, she wasn't too surprised 
considering the number of cursed people living in Nerima.  
	She sighed as she slowly got out of bed, wincing slightly at the 
way her body protested her movements.  Sleeping like that was not a good 
thing considering the cramps she was now suffering from.  A part of her 
snickered as it reminded her that she _did_ want to suffer.  
	"Shut up!"  she told no one in particular.
	Red-rimmed eyes greeted her from across the full length mirror in 
her room.  Her hair was in total disarray and her room was no less 
cluttered as her thoughts.  
	Glancing over at the digital clock at the side of her bed.
	8:35.
	It was already too late to even go to school -- not with Hinako as 
her first teacher.  She let out a tired sigh.  She wasn't all that keen 
on going to school today anyway.  
	<oh well... needed to do a bit of room cleaning, anyways.>
	It took the better part of the morning to get everything in her 
room cleaned out.  She was surprised to find the level of dirt and grime 
that had accumulated since the day she started her sulking.  
	Cleaning her room had left her feeling a lot better than she did 
when she had first opened her eyes that morning.  Still, the ache in her 
heart was still there.  An emptiness that had once held her love for 
Ranma and her now unrequited love for Tia, Radler's female half.  She 
sighed once more.  The third this morning.  Life seemed so full of 
disappointments for her.  When was the happiness that she had so 
endlessly dreamed and waited ever going to come her way??  
	"Where the heck am I now?!!!!"  a most familiar voice cried out 
from somewhere within her walk-in closet.  
	Ukyou blinked twice, all the while wondering just how under the 
heaven's name did Ryouga managed to get in there.  Didn't she just finish 
clearing the closet out??  She smothered a laugh.  Knowing Ryouga, he'd 
find a way through _anyone's_ closet one way or another.
	Ukyou was surprised when she heard a silvery peal of laughter 
escape her lips.  This was the first time she had found _any_ reason to 
smile or laugh about.  And she was damn glad of it.  
	She heard a sudden commotion inside her closet.  Ukyou rushed 
towards it.  She didn't want a hole in her room right now.  Nor did she 
want to clean up another mess in her closet not after she spent half the 
morning just cleaning it!  She opened the double doors of her closet and 
found a rather bedraggled Ryouga Hibiki mired in about half of her 
clothes.  
	Ukyou laughed once more and helped the lost boy out of her closet.  
	"You're a sight for sore eyes, Hibiki!"  Ukyou told the still 
confused young man before her.  "Where'd you come from now?"  She eyed 
the state of his clothes.  From the looks of it, Ryouga had been 
swimming.  
	Her mind suddenly reeled from shock.  Her mind went blank.  Water 
and Jusenkyo do not mix.  
	Unless...
	Ukyou grabbed Ryouga's shirt.  She took note of it being quite 
soaked.  Enough to change good old Ryouga into Akane's pet pig, P-Chan.  
	"How...?"  she asked, unable to focus on what she was supposed to 
say.
	Ryouga looked rather sheepishly at Ukyou.  A nervous smile stuck on 
his face as he scuffed his travel shoes on the carpeted floor of Ukyou's 
room.  
	"Well?" asked Ukyou, who stood there waiting for some answer.  One 
certainly does not find a cursed individual actually being cured around 
these parts.  No matter how many times Ranma and the others had tried to 
find the cure to their curses, something always seemed to stop them from 
gaining their most cherished desires.  
	"Truth to tell... I got no idea whatsoever, save for how it 
happened." 
	Ukyou briefly considered frying the guy right there and then with a 
ki blast.  She learned a few tricks from Ifurita from those weeks she had 
trained all of them.
	"What is that supposed to mean?" 
	Ryouga was nervous.  Here was a woman whom he found himself caring 
for.  It had all started out in that Tunnel of Lost Love trip.  And, with 
time, had blossomed into something akin to love.  He had known for a long 
time that Akane held Ranma's heart in her hands.  But that meant little 
to him at that time.  
	A tiny voice in his mind decided to remind him about Akari.
	Ryouga felt little for the young woman who had learned of his most 
guarded secret.  She had learned P-chan's human identity.  No.  He loved 
her not.  He prayed Akari would forgive him.  He just did not feel the 
same way about her like what he was feeling right that very moment.  
	This woman in front of him, however, was another matter.  The 
beautiful face framed by her waist-long hair and sorrow-filled eyes was 
one he could learn to truly love.  
	"I've been traveling around perfecting my techniques and trying to 
make up new ones while there's a lull in the fighting with the Shadow 
Moon.  I was heading for Kyoto for the final leg of my trip when I found 
myself in some fog-shrouded valley.  Knowing I must have made some wrong 
turn somewhere, I tried to double back ---" 
	Ukyou burst out laughing.  
	Ryouga calmly let it pass.  He knew he had quite a _bad_ sense of 
direction.  And he was mostly used to all those disbelieving stares and 
laughs from people whenever he asked where Nerima was.  
	"Anyway, that's when _it_ happened."
	"Huh?"
	"I fell into the lake." 
	Ukyou gasped; putting two and two together.  She grabbed Ryouga by 
the shirt and shouted in his face.  "You stumbled on the cure to the 
Jusenkyo curse?!!!!!" 
	Ryouga winced, wishing women didn't possess such a loud and high-
pitched voice.  "Uh... yeah..."  He felt very uncomfortable now for 
Ukyou's face was mere millimeters from his own and with her ample chest 
was literally squashed on his own....
	He stared at Ukyou's chestnut eyes.  Time seemed to suddenly 
stretch into infinity as both stared into each other's eyes.  
	During those moments, something began to blossom between them.  
	"Uh... Ukyou...." began a nervous Ryouga.
	That brought her out of the clouds.  Realizing just how 
uncomfortably close she was to Ryouga, she instinctively shoved him away 
from her.  Too bad she forgot how strong she could be at times.
	Ukyou blinked a couple of times at the large hole where her closet 
door should have been.  Ukyou groaned.  She cast a look heavenward as she 
dragged Ryouga's inert and bruised form out of her closet.  No telling 
what he might find in there.

* * * * * * 

	Ryouga woke up to the smell of okonomiyaki being cooked.  He opened 
one eye, wincing slightly at the pain that pounded in his skull.  Ukyou 
was stronger than she looked, considering she'd had to have been quite 
strong to have such an effect on him.
	His stomach angrily reminded its master that it needed sustenance.  
He slowly got up and headed for the grill where he saw Ukyou busily 
flipping okonomiyaki for a few early customers.  Ukyou waved at him to 
take a seat somewhere and added some of her special okonomiyaki she 
normally reserved for Ranma or Tia.  
	Ryouga sat near the edge of the table before the grill as he sought 
to figure out what he felt for the young okonomiyaki chef.  Ukyou was by 
far one of the most beautiful of women who chased after his lifetime 
rival, Ranma.  He knew of her love of the woman who called herself Tia.  
He also knew of the pain she kept hidden away from the discovery of Tia's 
secret.  He wondered Ranma knew of his friend's plight of misery.  
	"Here you go, sugar!" warned Ukyou as she flipped four okonomiyaki 
in his direction.  Ryouga expertly grabbed the plate in front of him and 
plucked all four out of the air.  
	"Thanks, Ukyou." 
	Ukyou just smiled at him.  Ryouga, however, was not fooled by her 
pretense of cheerfulness.  Ukyou was hurt in a bad way.  He sighed, 
wondering what to do.  He was never good with girls and speaking to one 
made him lose just about every ounce of sense he had.  Ukyou was no 
exception save he could hold out longer with her than normal.
	He watched as Ukyou efficiently served her customers.  Deftly 
handing out plates filled with okonomiyaki to those who had ordered it.  
The restaurant has half-filled and even Ukyou could not hold out such a 
number of people for long.  
	Not without help.  
	And with Konatsu taking a long vacation, Ukyou was left without 
anyone to help.  Then realization struck him.  Ukyou was alone with no 
one to turn to and was denied what little comfort she could gain had 
Konatsu been around to attend to her.  
	He sighed as he set his fork down.  Ukyou was in need of someone 
she could talk to.  Ryouga knew Ukyou needed it for he knew just how bad 
pent-up emotions could be.  He walked towards the door and flipped the 
'CLOSED' sign hanging by the sliding door and walked over to Ukyou to 
lend a helping hand.  Ukyou, for her part, wondered why Ryouga had done 
what he did.  
	"Why did you do that?"  she asked him when he came back to get the 
last remaining plates of okonomiyaki from her.  
	"You need a break, Ukyou," he replied.  "And besides that, I think 
you need someone to talk to." 
	Ukyou could only mutely stare at this statement.  She wondered what 
Ryouga was thinking.  True, she felt rather wrung out.  Quite possibly 
from all that sleepless nights she had lain crying to herself and for the 
love she had lost when she had surrendered her heart to Tia.  She could 
continue to delude herself that she had fallen for Tia because of her 
strange charms that could be easily attributed to the fact the she was a 
he -- albeit a cursed one at that.  But in her heart she knew she did not 
love the man behind the woman.  Her love was centered upon the woman 
_behind_ the man that was Radler.  
	She sat in one of the chairs as she watched Ryouga finish serving 
the rest of her customers.  One by one, they left as they finished their 
meals.  By the end of the eleventh hour, all of Ucchan's regular 
customers had left.  
	All but two people.
	Ryouga felt his heart pounding in his chest 'til it almost hurt 
just ignoring it.  He found Ukyou demurely sitting in one of the larger 
tables idly twirling her XL-spatula around her fingers.  He visibly 
cringed.  He gathered what courage he could hold on to and forged on, 
bound by the need to ease the pain he saw lurking in the shadows of her 
eyes.  For more than anything else, he did not want to see that look of 
hopelessness in her.
	Time seemed to stand still for Ryouga as he approached her.  Ukyou 
looked up and Ryouga froze in his tracks.  He tried to will himself to 
move but he stood there like a deer caught in the headlights of an 
incoming car.  
	"Ryouga... I...."  Her voice failed.  
	For a time, neither spoke until Ryouga found the heart to break the 
ice.  "Ukyou, I know everything's been hard on you lately.  In a way, I 
share your pain.  R..." He stopped as he debated which name to choose.  
In the end, he chose, "... Tia was a great person.  She did what she had 
to do: sacrificing honor and pride to ensure the safety of someone she 
cared so much about."
	Ukyou shot up from her position.  There she stood, trembling with a 
rage she had bottled up within her.  "Pride??  What honor??  She never 
had that!  Why couldn't she trust me?  Why did she have to toy with my 
feelings?!!  Didn't she know just how ready I was to go down on my knees 
and profess my love for her?!!"  She sank back to her chair, sobbing 
uncontrollably.  
	"Ukyou..."
	"Why??"  she asked in between sobs.  "Why...... why... did she... 
do... this... to me??" 
	"Because she never wanted you involved in any of this, Ukyou."  
Ryouga answered.  Ryouga gently touched Ukyou's tear-streaked face.  
"He... she never meant to hurt you.  That much I know.  He... she... just 
didn't want anyone else embroiled in her problems." 
	Ryouga wanted to yell at himself.  He was ill-equipped to handle 
this.  He had sensed how emotionally strained Ukyou was but he never 
expected anything like this!!  How was he to handle Ukyou?!!  One wrong 
move could push her over the edge!!  
	"At least she should have told me about her secret, Ryouga," she 
shot back.  "All this time, I thought of myself less the woman I am.  
I...."  Words failed her.  Then again, what was she supposed to say 
anyway?  Ryouga, while he never entertained himself for possessing too 
much intellect, reasoned out the reason for Ukyou's dilemma.  "You really 
shouldn't hit yourself over and over with the fact you love Tia, you 
know."
	"And why not?!!!"  she demanded, angry at Ryouga for the way he had 
said it.
	"Uh... I... just feel that, well... uh..."  Ryouga found himself at 
a loss for words and was twiddling his thumbs, trying to think of 
something to say.  
	Ukyou, however, regained her composure.  "I'm sorry, Ryouga-kun.  I 
never meant to be angry with you.  It's just with her; the way she had 
deceived me, her death and everything else...."
	"I think I understand, Ukyou."  Ryouga paused, unsure if he should 
broach the subject or not.  "I....  What about Ranma?" 
	Ukyou inhaled sharply.  Ryouga cringed wondering if it was a 
mistake bringing such a painful subject as that.  Two emotions warred 
within Ukyou.  One that still stubbornly held to the belief that Ranma 
was still in love with her.  The other having reconciled herself to the 
knowledge that Ran-chan's heart belonged to only one girl whom she still 
felt was undeserving of Ran-chan's love.  
	"I don't know," Ukyou answered.  "I'm not really sure what to feel 
about anything right now."  She wiped the tears that slid down her face.  
"I just... don't know anymore!!"  she wailed as she finally surrendered 
to her grief.  
	Ryouga remained silent as he tried to comfort the young woman who 
had been such a staunch friend and ally.  He briefly wondered just what 
the hell was happening to them all now and whether they'd be alive after 
all this.

* * * * * * 

	"Ki-ya!!"  came the shout from within the dojo.  
	The sound of wood being shattered reverberated across the empty 
dojo as two individuals watched a young pink-haired girl rise from the 
kneeling position that she was in.
	"Well," Ranma drawled.  "Looks like you got some strength in those 
arms of yours, Chibi.  Not bad, considering you're a bit of a beginner in 
all this." 
	Chibi shrugged.  "Radler had been teaching me for quite a 
while."  She looked thoughtful for a moment, one dainty finger on her 
lips.  "Although, I never seem to get it right save for a few self-
defense stuff he taught me.  Then again, I never really did master any of 
them."
	Ranma laughed a bit, remarking on how come she couldn't have 
assimilated any of it considering just how long she'd been around.  
Chibiusa countered by saying something that made all three laugh out 
loud.  
	"Well, I think its high time you learn a couple more 'stuff', 
Chibi."  Mizuki winked at her.  "I mean, most of the martial arts I've 
taught you so far you've managed to absorb nicely."
	"Howz about a bit of a demonstration, Chibi-chan?"  Ranma asked.  
	Chibi nodded as she began the beginners' kata that Mizuki had 
successfully taught her.  She moved along the dojo with a grace she 
normally never had.  Chibi was surprised at the level of awareness she 
had right now.  Her body was independent from the mind, allowing the body 
to flow through the kata with a precision she could only dream about.
	During that time, her conscious mind could not help but notice the 
striking similarities that the Anything-Goes style of Martial Arts and 
Radler's fighting techniques had.  Both adhered to the strict percept 
that a martial artist _had_ to be able to handle whatever was thrown at 
them.  In a way, she saw the relative importance of this, considering 
just what type of people they were dealing with.  
	As Chibi went through the now more difficult portions of the kata, 
she worried about what might happen.  Too many things had already been 
against them from the start and now without her guardian around, she felt 
so insecure.  Radler had always been there for her no matter what.  
	But now....
	She knew she had Ranma, Ryouga, and their assorted allies and 
friends for help.  She also had in her side a woman who considered 
herself a weapon of death and who loved a human.  With her, too, was the 
last of all the senshi - perhaps the only one who had no binding ties to 
her mother.  Sayoko was Puu's younger sister.  Someone who had survived 
the wars that had destroyed the Moon Kingdom so long ago.  A woman who 
had mastered the arts of spellcasting and summoning.  She was powerful 
and no doubt she had gotten over her distrust over Ifurita.  
	Chibi wanted more than anything to see this war end.  Too many 
deaths littered the twisting path she trod upon.  	
	Too much blood had already been spilled.  
	And more importantly, she was sick with it all.  


	Ranma and Mizuki was staring dumbfounded as Chibiusa flowed through 
an intricate kata to make any martial artist drooling with envy.  To 
think that the young girl could have done such a feat considering her 
record for being such a klutz.  
	Mizuki watched in utter fascination as Chibi went through that 
strange kata with such precision that made it seem that no strength was 
left wasted in the performance of the kata.  And this was one kata that 
resembled a dance than anything else.  
	A very deadly dance with an equally deadly, but absent - thankfully 
- partner.  
	Mizuki had her eyes locked on the girl whom she considered a friend 
or perhaps a sister.  Like her, Mizuki had been forced by circumstances 
to age prematurely.  She may look little over thirteen or so but she held 
herself in a way that it doubled her age somewhat.  Her classmates at 
school often made fun of that but she knew not to put any serious thought 
upon what other people had to say to her.  She had traveled a rough and 
treacherous course ever since she found out more about herself.  She 
could never truly tell her brother that.  Perhaps because it would taint 
their name.  One respected only because their mother tried hard to make 
it so.  Mizuki sighed, wishing for some way to forget the things she had 
learned of herself of late for she knew she only sought out her brother 
only after that discovery of herself.  It scared her shitless.  God only 
knows how much it truly scared her.  
	Ranma, unlike his sister, had not gone into such a deep state of 
introspection.  No.  He was by far a man of action rather than words.  
One of so many reasons why he keeps getting into trouble.  
	Ranma barely recognized any of the stances Chibiusa was performing.  
Many of it looked like it had been ripped-off from some bad martial arts 
film.  Yet, the way Chibi was doing it made it something else.  Something 
that his limited intellect could not firmly grasp.  
	"Cripes!  How the hell is she doing that?"  Mizuki asked no one in 
particular, awe tainting her voice faintly.  
	Ranma's jaws was hanging form its natural hinges, eyes bulging at 
the now complex moves Chibi was exhibiting for their benefit.
	
 
	For Chibi, she was only half aware of what she was doing.  Her mind 
was firmly entrenched in her own thoughts of loneliness and despair.  She 
was worried about everyone putting their life on the line for her.  Too 
many times those people had the unnerving tendency to die or become her 
own worst enemy - and Radler had dispatched too many of those in the 
past.
	How she wanted to talk to Radler and relieve the stress she now 
felt and hid from the others.  But her guardian's death and her inability 
to confide her growing fears to her newfound friends prevented her from 
properly dealing with it all.  
	With a sigh, she let her consciousness drift back into her own 
body.  There, the normal rule for her went into immediate effect.  
	She stumbled.  

* * * * * 

	"Exactly why again am I doing this??"  Tia asked the red-haired 
woman who was tapping away at a console.  "What is the purpose of this 
experiment anyway?"  she asked futilely.  
	She had long ago learned from experience that her 'savior' was a...  
how was it again?... a scientist of the ultimate caliber, save for the 
slight little fact she sometimes went into a psychopathic depression 
which turned her into a crazy professor.
	And she was afraid this was one of those times...
	<Just her luck!>  she thought grumpily.  She once again irritably 
runs a nervous hand through her thick azure hair hoping against hope that 
Sasami called lunch early.  Of course, luck just wasn't interested in her 
right now.  
	Tia shivered at the cold that seemed to always permeate the 
atmosphere of Washuu's interdimensional lab.  She rubbed her hand along 
her arm trying to generate some heat through the skin-hugging bodysuit 
she wore.  She had yet to get used to her female body and like Ranma was 
having a very hard time coping with the problem inherent to a feminine 
form.  
	"Well..." drawled Washuu, face lit up with unholy glee.  "We just 
need to try a few test patterns to judge the extent of your powers."
	Tia tried hard not to shiver at the way Washuu was leering at her.  
It vaguely looked like a cat finding unexpected dinner.  
	"Say again?"
	Washuu whirled around on her floating pillow.  "The tests I ran on 
you for the past few weeks showed a rather intriguing power fluctuation 
that has been steadily growing for the past week or so.  I can't be sure 
what it is but the power you are generating seems to be akin to that of 
Tenchi's."
	Nervousness forgotten, Tia blinked.  "Huh?  But I can only generate 
light.  Maybe I could do some things with it."  Tia stared skeptically at 
the scientist.  "From what I've heard, Tenchi's capability to generate 
the Light Hawk gives him a power unsurpassed by anyone." 
	Washuu merely shrugged.  "That's theoretically correct if you want 
it put that simply." 
	"Huh?"  Tia sounded quite lost.  
	Washuu muttered something about ignorance and kids although Tia 
couldn't 'quite' translate it all into meaningful words.  Still, from 
what she got, it hardly seemed complimentary.  "Many things may seem 
inconsequential at first glance, Tia.  Your light powers are very 
formidable by themselves, Tia.  From my scans alone, you are capable of 
many feats that I'm sure you are fully aware of.  Many of those 
applications are just as powerful as those generated by the Light Hawk."
	"That's comforting to know," Tia replied.  "Not that it ever made 
any sort of difference considering I could never use it just the way I 
want it to." 
	"Because you lack the ability to fully contain the outflow of 
power," summarized Washuu professionally.  "Standard stuff, really.  What 
you have in power is offset by the fact that you cannot safely handle 
that power without proper tools or help.  Great limitation," she added.  
"But ---" Washuu whirled around once more to face her computer and began 
typing rapidly.  "--- with my _superb_ genius, all I have to do is to 
simply create a gem that will help you with your problem.  Nothing a 
genius like me cannot handle."  She punched in a complicated series of 
keystrokes that would have proven impossible for even the most gifted 
contortionist.  
	She said little as she broke speed records with her typing skills.  
	"There!!  That should do it!" 
	Tia was still blinking rather cutely at the actions of the 
eccentric scientist.  She wondered if she was safer in Serenity's grasp.  
She had long known just how bad the limitations on her powers were.  Most 
of the time she that she could actually successfully control it 100 
percent were only during rare, life-threatening occasions.  Really _LIFE_ 
threatening situations.  Still, what assistance Washuu could give her 
would be most helpful.  
	"There we go!"  cried out Washuu in childish glee.  
	Tia was frightened.  
	"Uh... what am I supposed to do with this?"  Tia asked after being 
handed a reddish oblong-shaped gem reminiscent of Ryoko's own save for 
the shape.  
	"Put it on, silly" was the offhand reply.  
	"Where?" 
	"Anywhere." 
	"Oh." 
	Tia did not have an inkling as to where she would put it lacking 
anything that might help her figure out how to wear it.  Considering it 
was made by Washuu, it wasn't hard to understand her current predicament.
 	Still, maybe....
	She laid a hand on the gem that rested just below her collarbone.
	The gem glowed faintly.  
	"Hmmm..." <Wonder what would..> Tia let the red gem in her hand 
touch the faintly glowing gem to the one on her chest.  
	"Ack!!" shrieked Washuu as she took note of what Tia was doing.  
"You're not supposed to..." 
	Her warning came a _little_ too late as a sudden flash of light 
filled the whole lab.  

* * * * * 

	"Who are you?"  Chibi asked the woman who stood before her.  
	"Someone you know," came the terse reply.  
	Chibiusa was puzzled by the woman.  Even with the shadows hiding 
the strange woman's features from her, she could still see the basic 
outline of her body against the background.  From what little she could 
see, the woman was definitely tall and very slender.  Her hair was bound 
in twin ponytails that trailed down her back and reached down onto the 
floor.  Chibi took note of those strange protuberances on the woman's 
head... just like hers....
	"Na... ni..??...."  Chibi found herself taking a step back as 
realization slowly dawned on her.  "It... it... can't be...."
	The woman stepped out from the shadows; a smile on her lips.  On 
her forehead shown the inverted sigil of the moon....  
	"I am you." 


To be continued.........


Nikholas "Radler" F. Toledo 
mail me here!! <radler@tri-isys.com> 
===========================

Member of the Zu, known to them as Tripper Joe, and all around anime fan
My Homepage in the Zu at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/radler.html

===========================

Radler: What the hell am I doing in this crazy place!! 
	<rattles the adamantium bars that hold him> 
	Argh!!!! 


A fool who knows he is a fool cannot be called a fool anymore. 
He should be called a genius...