So here's the first part of the next "chapter".  E-mail, C&C and
all that still apply.  I don't mind it, really.





{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim 
them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and 
may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and 
certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any 
funny stuff!}
	
                     A Wolf in Samurai's Clothing
                            Chapter 2 part 1

                            by Lara Bartram
                            ---------------
	
	"You there!"
	"Who? M... me?" The boy pointed at himself.
	"Yes, you! I wish words with you, Hikaru Gosunkugi."
	Gosunkugi gulped. "It wasn't me. I didn't do it, really!"
	Kuno strode up to the pale boy. Gosunkugi was bad news. There was 
an unpleasant air about him, an air that smelled of open graves and 
brimstone. An air that smelled like it blew from the depths of hell 
itself. Kuno kept a polite distance from the underclassman. "I have 
something to discuss with you, and you will give me your undivided 
attention."
	Gosunkugi thought he saw Kuno's eyes flash red for a moment and 
took a step back. "Yes, sempai." 
	
***
	
	"What is it with him? Every day he makes a big show and it sure 
seems like he could do better, but I kick his butt like normal..."
	"And you're complaining about it, Ranma?" Akane looked in surprise 
at the young man next to her. Normally, he didn't care. To him, a quick 
and easy fight was a good fight.
	He shrugged his shoulders, looking up at a few puffy clouds. "I 
guess it just gets boring, ya know? I keep waitin' for him to do 
somethin' different. Like he possibly learned somethin', but it's just 
the same old thing." He jumped up to walk on the fence. "Even Ryoga's 
like that. 'Prepare to die' and 'I've seen hell'... but he never does 
anything different."
	"He almost beat you before."
	Ranma gave her a sour look. "Yeah... he's pretty good." A moment 
of silence. "Good, but boring." He looked down at Akane. "Even Pop's 
gettin' predictable. So much for Anything Goes... More like Anything 
that you're not too lazy to do Goes."
	Akane snickered. For once, she wasn't going to enter her own 
martial arts ability into the equation. Even if she didn't think she was 
as bad as Ranma liked to say, she was just going to keep out of it. 
	
***
	
	"I think you're insane!"
	"What? What did you say?" Kuno grabbed the front of Gosunkugi's 
shirt.
	"I said you're insane! You expect me to believe a... a story like 
that? Do you think I'm going to fall for a stupid trick like that?" That 
was poor, downtrodden Hikaru's breaking point. People thought he was a 
wimp. Fine. People thought he was strange. Fine. But he was NOT stupid 
His somewhat vacant eyes narrowed into a glare. He tried to knock away 
Kuno's arm.
	Kuno's grip was like iron, though. It tightened further on 
Gosunkugi's shirt, becoming almost painful. "You..." Kuno yanked 
Gosunkugi toward him, lifting the boy off his feet. "You should learn to 
treat your betters with respect."
	Gosunkugi gasped as he watched Kuno's arm bulge unnaturally and 
pale hair race down its length. He looked up at Kuno's face, his mouth 
hanging open.
	Kuno, this time, most definitely had red eyes and was snarling. 
Snarling and baring very long and pointed teeth.
	"Sorry. Sorry, Kuno-sempai. I didn't mean it," he said 
frantically.
	Kuno dropped him back to the ground and released the white uniform 
shirt from his hand, his arm looking completely normal. Kuno smoothed 
his own shirt, then turned his attention back to Gosunkugi. "I will 
speak with you after school." That was his dismissal, though Gosunkugi 
was too shellshocked to move. Kuno looked down at the the smaller 
student then walked off.
	
***
	
	"I think I hate that woman."
	"Come on. I'll get you some hot water."
	Ranma sighed and tried to be inconspicuous.
	"Pig-tailed girl."
	"Oh no," Ranma said under her breath.
	"I must..." Kuno stopped in mid-sentence. He smelled Ranma 
somewhere very close by. He lowered his head a little and glared at the 
pig-tailed girl. "Where is Saotome, girl?"
	Ranma looked at Kuno, feeling annoyed as usual, until he saw the 
look in Kuno's eyes. He didn't like it at all.
	Kuno approached Ranma, still glaring. "Where is he?" he hissed.
	Ranma swallowed. This was far beyond anything he had seen Kuno act 
like before. He decided to play it safe and act cute and irresistible. 
"Whatever do you mean, sempai?"
	"I know he is here, somewhere. I will find him and destroy him." 
Kuno's hands twitched as if they were around Ranma's neck. He breathed 
deeply through his nose, trying to locate Ranma.
	The only clear scent was the pig-tailed girl's, though hers was 
admittedly strange. It was very distinctive, but she smelled like... she 
smelled like a man, and... There was one thing Kuno had learned: 
everything had its own scent. Some things were similar, but none were 
exactly the same. None, except for the pig-tailed girl. She smelled just 
like fresh pine chippings and a cool breeze. She smelled just like... 
"Ranma... Saotome..."
	Ranma almost flinched away from the look in Kuno's eyes. Kuno 
looked very upset and extremely unstable, a dangerous combination in 
anyone. Ranma wasn't sure if anyone else could see the same things he 
did in Kuno, but he didn't like what was there.
	There's no way she could smell like Ranma unless she WAS Ranma. 
And Ranma smelled like a woman... And the pig-tailed girl smelled like a 
man... like Ranma! "You are... Ranma Saotome..." Kuno's lips parted, 
revealing a mouth full of white teeth. "You... You..." The hatred was 
almost tangible.
	Ranma noted Kuno's teeth were very long and very pointed. While 
normally there wasn't anything to fear from Kuno, and Ranma wasn't 
worried about losing, there were the teeth... Those were something new.
	"Sa... O... To... Me..." Kuno began advancing on Ranma, showing no 
fear, no hesitation, and an uncommon fury.
	"But I'm not..."
	"I will destroy you." Kuno's eyes were fairly glowing.
	Ranma's own blue eyes hardened. "Fine. You wanna fight? You're 
gonna get one." Ranma brought her two delicate fists up.
	Bestial growling came from Kuno's throat, distracting Ranma for 
the barest second. "I shall destroy you."
	"Dream on."
	Nabiki walked up, and as if the two were in slow motion, she 
watched Ranma and Kuno approach each other. Alarm bells went off in her 
head right away. One of the them, maybe both, was going to get hurt, 
probably very severely.
	Akane didn't like the way the two were matching up either. 
"Ranma!" she yelled.
	"Kuno-chan!"
	Ranma's eyes never left Kuno, but Kuno turned to look at Nabiki.
	"Stop it!" she said sharply.
	"I must de..."
	"No! You better stop right this instant!"
	"Who are you to command me?"
	Nabiki got a better look at Kuno and immediately walked over to 
him. Her voice was a fierce whisper. "Kuno, don't! You don't want to do 
this. Someone's going to get hurt."
	"That is the point, woman."
	Nabiki was surprised at the contempt in his voice. She stared in 
his eyes and spoke, her voice growing colder than before. "If you don't 
stop this... never again." She watched his eyes turn red as her meaning 
sank in.
	"How dare..."
	"No! I will explain later, but stop right now. And if you don't 
stop changing, everyone's going to know."
	That stopped Kuno. "Changing?"
	Nabiki nodded, seeing his eyes shift back to their normal color.
	Kuno's mouth tightened into a thin line. Without a word, he turned 
and walked away, leaving everyone to watch, stunned.
	Ranma and Akane, confused and amazed, went over to Nabiki. "What 
was that?" Akane asked her older sister.
	"You don't want to know," she said, watching Kuno as well. She 
looked at Ranma. "Don't you think you should change, Ranma?"
	
***
	
	"What were you doing?"
	"I do not know."
	"Why were you changing?"
	"I do not know."
	"Is that all you're going to say?"
	"No. I wish to utterly destroy Ranma Saotome."
	"That's a huge improvement over 'I do not know'," Nabiki said with 
heavy sarcasm.
	Kuno glared at her. "Are you making fun of me again?" he asked 
tersely.
	"Yes. Are you going to do something about it?" Nabiki was 
nonchalant as always.
	Kuno's glare faded. "No," he said quietly, with a trace of defeat.
	Nabiki had been hoping as much. Kuno had gotten quite 
unpredictable and the scene with Ranma that morning had proven it. She 
didn't really think he would do anything to her, but there was a 
niggling in the back of her mind.
	"Good," she said, adopting her normal air of 'I've got what you 
want'. "I've got good news and bad news."
	"About what?"
	"About getting you cured of your little problem."
	"I have already seen to that."
	"What? What did you do?" No doubt it was a mistake that would be 
big trouble in the near future.
	"I have requested the services of one Hikaru Gosunkugi to look 
into a cure."
	Nabiki's mouth hung open. "You. Did. What?"
	"He agreed to look for something that would relieve my condition."
	"You told him?!" It seemed Kuno's brainlessness went to deeper 
depths than Nabiki had anticipated.
	"Yes. He hesitated at first, but I was able to convince him."
	"You didn't show him, did you?" That would be the icing on the 
cake of stupidity.
	"Of course not! Though he most certainly did not agree because of 
my superior stature." Kuno frowned. "The little worm," he said under his 
breath.
	"I can't believe you did something that stupid... Wait, yes I 
can." Nabiki shook her head. "Since you've got such an expert, I'm sure 
you're not interested in hearing what I've found out."
	Kuno's glare returned. "Woman, you try my patience," he said 
menacingly.
	"I'll assume that means you are interested." Nabiki turned and 
began rummaging through her bag, looking for the notes she had made. 
"Hmm, they're not where I thought I left them..." She nearly screamed 
when the hands grabbed her and moved her bodily to the other side of the 
room.
	Hands... Claws. The fur-covered arms, the strength that surrounded 
her... He had finally gotten tired of her comments and was going to put 
and end to them once and for all. That's what Nabiki thought, at least, 
until Kuno pushed her over the arm of the big, overstuffed couch and 
lifted her dress.
	"What are you..."
	Kuno's angry growl cut off her words, and she felt a tremor of 
fear run through her. Putting her hands on the puffy cushions where she 
had lost her virginity, Nabiki tried to push herself up. However, her 
hands sank into the couch and a large hand came down on her neck. Head 
and torso pinned down, she found it impossible to fight back against 
Kuno's power.
	He growled at the struggling girl and yanked down her panties. If 
she was going to cop an attitude with him, then she was going to get a 
surprise. Even with the straining seams, he managed to get his pants 
down without tearing them.
	"Kuno..." Nabiki reached behind her and tried to push Kuno's hand 
away from her neck. "Let me go." She struggled and squirmed under his 
hold.
	Her attempts to escape were starting to get annoying. With the way 
she was wriggling, she wasn't staying in position. Kuno growled again; 
there was only one way to deal with an uppity female. Removing his hand 
from Nabiki's neck, Kuno grabbed her around the waist, and clamped his 
mouth over the back of her neck instead.
	Nabiki's entire body stopped moving instantly. She figured she was 
in for serious injury if she didn't stop struggling since the hold on 
her was not friendly, nor playful. "Shit," she said quietly, feeling his 
erection pressing against her leg. Resisting the urge to try and break 
free, she did her best to relax. It would hurt less that way.
	"Please don't," she said in a last ditch attempt to avoid the pain 
he would cause.
	Kuno snorted in her ear, tightened his hold on her waist, and 
thrust himself into her as deeply as he could. Just as he knew his hold 
would do to her, Nabiki didn't move even as she cried out.
	The sound of her pain still bothered him, but that was just 
something he would have to get used to. That thought passed quickly 
through his mind before he started moving, his tail swishing back and 
forth in time with his thrusts.
	Nabiki couldn't move with the way her body was pressed into the 
couch, his weight holding her there, his mouth on her neck, and his arms 
holding her tightly. She moaned, the initial pain giving way to intense 
pleasure.
	"Ku... Ku... nooO." It was the only way she could react to the 
sudden rush he was making her feel, along with taking the cushions in an 
iron grip.
	Kuno didn't stop. He wasn't even close to being finished with the 
receptive female body beneath his. The position appealed to his 
increasingly animalistic desires, but did absolutely nothing for his 
sense of romance. He wanted to see her pleasure, see how much she was 
enjoying him, and he really liked it when she pulled on his fur.
	He sighed heavily and, as if he flipped a switch, released his 
seed in Nabiki's body. Kuno relinquished Nabiki's neck and pulled 
himself out, looking down disgustedly at the mess he was. The moment he 
got the urge to lick himself was the point he decided he would end his 
twisted existence.
	Growling softly at himself, Kuno flipped Nabiki's dress back down 
then pulled on her shoulder and got her standing. He turned her around 
and looked at her flushed face. Her slight grin was his reward.
	After that little fiasco, a bath was in order.
	
***
	
	"So he says jump and he thinks I'm just supposed to ask how high? 
What a..." Gosunkugi looked around his room as if to make sure Kuno was 
not there. "What a moron. He wants a cure, I'll give him a cure..." He 
opened the thick book to a page he had intimately memorized and stared 
at the intricate drawings.
	One well-penned picture portrayed a man kneeling in front of what 
was supposed to be a floating portal. Out of the portal, flowing into 
the man, was a shapeless mass. Oh yes, Gosunkugi would give Kuno his 
cure, and a little something extra...
	
***
	
	"How dare he deceive me!"
	Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Just wash my back." She felt Kuno's hands 
begin scrubbing her with the sponge and soap. It was hard to believe how 
dense he really was sometimes. She shook her head and closed her eyes, 
relaxing under the firm and methodical washing.
	"You know, we have tried to tell you."
	"Nonsense. It was a determined effort to conceal Saotome's true 
nature. That is not something I appreciate at all." Kuno set down the 
soap and sponge and worked his thumbs into the tensed muscles of 
Nabiki's back. "Why did you deem it necessary to make a fool of me in 
such a manner?" His voice was quiet, almost hurt.
	"We tried to tell you, Kuno-chan. You just didn't want to listen. 
Ranma never liked it either, you know." Nabiki sighed, frustrated with 
Kuno, but also enjoying his attention. "We never hid anything from you, 
and I never needed to try and make fun of you. You did it all on your 
own."
	Kuno's voice had lost most of its fire. "Truly, I did not know. 
Though I am still angered by Saotome's actions. He performs most unkind 
deeds against Akane."
	"Ranma got some of it in return. I wouldn't worry about it. Those 
two give as good as they get. Especially to each other."
	Kuno sighed and picked up the sponge, running it idly over the 
smooth, flawless skin of Nabiki's back. "No matter. I will have my 
revenge."
	"What is it with you and revenge? Why can't you just let it go?"
	"Look who speaks. If you were similarly humiliated, you would seek 
revenge as well."
	"I wou..."
	"Do not deny that which I know to be true."
	Nabiki shrugged. "I suppose." Then wanting to change the subject, 
she said, "I'll get your back now. Turn around."
	They both turned and she started on his back. There was one 
question that would not leave Nabiki alone; she had to ask it. "So, why 
were you changing at the school?" She used the sponge on his back where 
his wounds had been at one time. "You know it would cause trouble if 
people saw you." 
	"I was not aware that I was. I was angry at Saotome and had only 
his destruction on my mind."
	That didn't tell Nabiki anything except what she already knew: 
Kuno was pissed at Ranma. "Then why... How did you... Earlier?" She 
wasn't sure how to voice the question.
	Kuno didn't respond for a moment, only sitting and allowing Nabiki 
to wash him. Finally, when he did speak, it was very quietly. "The 
things you said... they made me very upset. Your insults wound me 
greatly, and the way you take advantage of me..." His head shook slowly. 
"I could never hurt you. You could threaten my life, even the existence 
of the planet and I would not be able to hurt you in the least. I 
suppose I did the only thing I knew would hurt you, that I could do, 
even if it was only for a moment."
	"You changed... on purpose?"
	Kuno shook his head. "No, not on purpose. I merely thought that 
that was how I hurt you before, and I wanted to hurt you for... I wanted 
to hurt you for hurting me."
	Nabiki's hands stopped moving.
	"When I saw you bent over like that, it just happened. I was 
powerless to stop myself."
	'Couldn't? Or wouldn't?' Nabiki thought. So why was it possible 
for him to change back to human at will, but not a wolf? "Well, maybe I 
deserved it, but I don't think you changing was chance."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Frankly, I think you can control it, and you're afraid to learn 
how. See, it's nice and safe to turn human, but why would you ever want 
to turn into an animal, right?"
	Kuno nodded. It almost made sense. Too much sense.
	
***
	
	Gosunkugi couldn't take the time to admire his construct. It took 
his full concentration just to maintain it. He whispered the words 
again, feeling the power surge through the room.
	It was working! It was really working! Gosunkugi was happy, 
euphorically so. Finally, the secrets of real magic were his! Now Akane 
would be his! Revenge would be his! Everyone at school would finally 
respect his ability.
	It was his glee that did it. He was so happy, his concentration 
wavered, and that was all it took. The black mass flowed from the portal 
like it was water and engulfed young Hikaru Gosunkugi.
	The pale boy tried to scream, but the blackness filled his mouth, 
invaded his brain, wrapped around his soul. And just as quickly, it was 
gone, flowing back into the portal.
	Gosunkugi was left on the floor, barely conscious, as the portal 
collapsed in on itself and snuffed out the candles arranged around the 
room. The thin, pale boy was even thinner, even paler than before, and 
passed out among the arcane symbols and decorations. 
	
	"I am sorry," Kuno said, sitting down in the steaming water next 
to Nabiki.
	"Don't be," Nabiki answered, kissing him softly. 
	
	Gosunkugi's eyes opened slowly, glowing with an unholy light. He 
sat up, his bones almost creaking, his entire body in pain. Sweet, 
comforting pain... 
	
	"Tuly, I did not want to," Kuno said apologetically.
	"Doesn't matter to me, but I plan on getting you under control, 
one way or another," Nabiki said, much to Kuno's delight. 
	
	Gosunkugi stood up and surveyed the darkened room. It brought a 
smile to his lips, revealing sharpened fangs. "Kuno will get his cure, 
and I will have my revenge... And Akane." He began to laugh, a deep and 
evil sound, totally unexpected from the boy.
	
***
	
	At school, Kuno watched the other members of the kendo team mill 
about nervously. Why they didn't just go about their normal daily 
business, he didn't know.
	Two of the young men suddenly started arguing about something 
inconsequential, nearly coming to blows. A sharp glare from Kuno broke 
the the two apart, embarrassed looks on their faces. The other team 
members didn't speak, fearing the wrath of their captain.
	Tired of their presence, Kuno waved his hand and sent the group 
scattering across the school yard. That was when he spied Akane, Nabiki 
and Ranma entering school grounds. With long strides, he went over to 
meet the group, and to face Ranma in combat once again.
	Ranma saw him approaching and immediately tensed up. "Here comes 
trouble," he said.
	Nabiki looked at Kuno, catching his eye. Unnoticed by Ranma or 
Akane, she shook her head.
	Kuno snarled in her direction and continued to get closer.
	Nabiki frowned. If Kuno didn't figure out how to stop himself from 
changing, the entire school was going to know his problem, and that 
would not be good. She shook her head again and gestured to the other 
students standing around.
	That made Kuno stop. He looked at the students, all waiting to see 
the fight, then turned and walked away, his body shaking with restrained 
rage.
	"What's gotten into him?" Akane asked, confused by Kuno's 
behavior.
	"Beats me, but I don't really care," Ranma answered.
	
***
	
	"I want to see you change."
	"What? Why?"
	"Because I do. Now change."
	"But... I can not."
	"I think you can. You can change back human, can't you?"
	Kuno nodded.
	"Then change into a wolf."
	"I can not!"
	"This is what I thought would happen. It's not that you can't, 
it's that you don't want to. I'll be right back."
	Kuno watched Nabiki walk into the bathroom and close the door. He 
was more confused than ever. Why would she want him to change? Why would 
HE want to change? Being an animal was a bad thing. He'd killed as an 
animal... The bathroom door opened and Kuno's jaw hit the floor.
	Nabiki was in the doorway wearing something small and black and 
mostly see through. Saliva formed in his mouth in large quantities. 
"What do you think?" She smiled, looking into his eyes that were the 
size of dinner plates.
	"I... uh..." Kuno's hands twitched and he sat down heavily. 
"You..."
	"You want me?" She didn't move from the doorway.
	Kuno nodded.
	"Then change."
	He shook his head. "No, I can not."
	"Do what I know you want to, and change. Then you can have what 
you want."
	Kuno started to stand.
	"No. Not until you change. I know you want to. It feels so much 
better that way, doesn't it? If you change, I'll let you do it. No 
teasing."
	Kuno sat back down, not sure what he should do. Nabiki wanted him 
to change. That was the only way she would let him... And he really 
wanted to. Seeing her in that tiny little swatch of translucent 
material... What man could resist? All he had to do was change.
	Change into a monster? No, not a monster. He hadn't done anything 
monstrous, only what any other man would like to be able to do. 
Everything was so much more real when he was changed. All the sights and 
smells... The way everything felt... Kuno looked over Nabiki again and 
that was when the tingling started.
	Nabiki smiled as she watched Kuno transform, bursting out of his 
shirt. It wasn't that pleasant to watch, it looked quite painful, but it 
was fascinating. She wondered when he would learn to get undressed 
before he changed. His shirts would last longer that way.
	Of course, now she had to deal with an extremely eager and amorous 
wolf stalking toward her. Nabiki did not allow her smile to falter as 
Kuno approached. Maybe her plan had been a bit drastic, but soon he 
would learn... But, why did she care? When he towered over her, his eyes 
burning with desire, and his hands grasped her hips, his head dipping 
lower with his long tongue hanging out... That was why.
	
***
	
	Gosunkugi wanted to go out and begin his plan, but the fiery rays 
of the sun kept him trapped inside. Sitting in the darkness of his room, 
he looked through the book, his eyes seeing with perfect clarity. He 
found the things written on the pages quite interesting.
	The information was priceless to anyone who knew how to use it. 
The power in it was... beyond belief. Only someone with amazing ability 
and a phenomenal command of magic would be able to consider using a good 
portion of the spells. He had been very lucky that his brain hadn't been 
incinerated just considering using some of them. Long canines were 
revealed when he smiled, perfectly accenting the bloodless face.
	He knew exactly what Kuno's problem was, and it was really quite 
easy to solve. It was also easy to pass around, and that would be the 
basis of Gosunkugi's plan.
	If the sempai wanted someone to push around, well, he'd get 
someone. Gosunkugi looked over at the vial of swirling black liquid 
sitting on a small table.
	He would have to have his camera ready when the sempai got his 
surprise.
	
***
	
	"That much?!"
	"Yes, that much."
	Kuno looked down at the devastated pieces of lingerie. "That 
much?" he asked again.
	"You heard me. It's not like it's just some pair of underwear. 
That was very high quality."
	Kuno nudged the cloth with his toe. "I am sorry."
	"That's alright, just as long as you pay me back for it."
	Sighing, Kuno nodded. He hadn't been very articulate when he had 
removed the wisp of fabric and had torn it to pieces. He had no desire 
to buy Nabiki's favor, but if that was what it took to get her dressed 
in an outfit like that again...
	"So what did it feel like?"
	"It felt the same as it always feels. Your screaming..."
	"Not that. Did it feel any different when you changed?"
	"Not really. I just..." 'Thought about how much I wanted you and 
then I...' "Started to change." Because he wanted to.
	"Because you wanted to. I told you, Kuno-chan. It's all because 
you want to."
	Kuno frowned. Maybe she was right. All those times, he had done it 
because he wanted to? He had wanted to change so he should kill those 
men, so he could get revenge... "No," he said flatly.
	"You can. You've done it."
	"No. It is not my choice. If I could control it, I would." He was 
shaking his head the entire time.
	"But you can control it. It is possible."
	"And what difference does it make to you? Why do you care?"
	"Because I..." Nabiki thought for a moment. Because she actually 
cared? So what was wrong with that? "Because, whether I like it or not, 
I want..." She took a big breath. "I want what's best for you."
	Kuno felt his heart swell. She could admit it, so maybe he could 
too. "Maybe I can control it," he said quietly. "It is... very 
difficult."
	"Because you don't know how?"
	"I never considered the prospect. Why would I want to turn into a 
mon... a beast."
	Nabiki's voice softened. "You're not a monster or a beast. 
You're..." 'Not really an animal, not my mate, not in love with me, not 
really in my dreams, not someone I'm beginning to care about.' "An OK 
guy." That seemed to temper the intense look in his eyes that was 
directed at her. She found herself shaking.
	
***
	
	She was cute in a girlish sort of way. She would do; he needed the 
energy. "You're Sayuri, right?"
	They tried very hard to ignore him. Most everybody did. But he 
would not be denied. Never again, would he be denied.
	Gosunkugi put his hand on Sayuri's shoulder and spun her around. 
"Why don't we go somewhere private?" he suggested.
	Sayuri blinked at him. "OK."
	Sayuri's friends watched, dumbfounded, as she walked away with 
Gosunkugi. They looked at each other, their eyes suddenly becoming 
vacant. Then, shaking their heads at the same time, they looked around. 
"Where's Sayuri?" the first girl asked.
	"I think she's at cheerleading practice," answered another.
	"I didn't know she was in cheerleading," commented the third.
	"Neither did I, but she is that outgoing type," the first girl 
responded.
	And with that said, the girls didn't think about Sayuri for the 
rest of the night and the next day. 
	
	It couldn't have been too late that she woke up, but she was 
regretting the fact that she had. A soft, pillowy quilt was covering her 
and a pair of arms were wrapped around her. It was warm and comforting. 
It was a feeling she didn't want to lose.
	"How was your nap?"
	"Very nice." She smiled as his lips brushed her neck. "I don't 
ever want to leave."
	"You won't have to, Sayuri." Gosunkugi's eyes flared with yellow 
light and his hand seized Sayuri's throat.
	Sayuri's eyes flew open and she tried to scream. The yellow glow 
surrounded Gosunkugi's hand as he started to drain her life away. Her 
only sound was a gurgling.
	Gosunkugi raked his fangs lightly over Sayuri's cheek, leaving two 
shallow grooves, as her lifeless body slumped in his arms. He licked up 
the trickle of blood from the dead girl's cheek and smiled. If it was 
that easy to get Sayuri, then Akane would be no problem...
	
***
	
	"Akane, I'm sorry."
	Akane had tears in her eyes. "But how, Kasumi?"
	"They didn't say. They were calling people they knew she was close 
with." Kasumi opened her arms and waited for Akane to come into them.
	After a moment of stunned disbelief, the tears intensified and 
Akane threw her arms around Kasumi.
	"It's OK, Akane. Go ahead and cry." Kasumi rubbed Akane's back and 
kissed the top of her head.
	"What's with you, Akane?" Nabiki asked, coming down the stairs.
	Kasumi gave her that certain look, and gestured with her head that 
Nabiki should go on ahead.
	"Whatever," Nabiki said, collecting her lunch and bag. 
	
	"So how's Gosunkugi's search coming?"
	"In truth, I have not seen him for two days. A visit to his 
domicile may be in order."
	"If you think that'll help." Nabiki ignored the stares from her 
lunchtime companions. She could see their heads turn from her to Kuno 
and back again. They looked... unnerved by his presence.
	"From his initial hesitation, I believe it is." He finished his 
lunch and stood. "I thank you for your company." Kuno bowed to the small 
group of girls and walked away.
	Nabiki answered the questions before they started. "I'm 
subcontracting."
	
***
	
	"Nothing like Akane, but not half bad," Gosunkugi said under his 
breath. The girl he was eyeing was tall and slender, like the most 
popular idol singers. She moved with grace and confidence. She was 
exactly the type of girl that would not go out with him. If she had a 
choice, that is.
	Gosunkugi sauntered up to the girl and her friends, stopping right 
in front of her. "Hi. My name's Hikaru. What's yours?"
	The other girls looked at him with disgust. "Buzz off, you little 
weirdo," one said in defense of her friend.
	Gosunkugi ignored them. "What's your name?"
	His target looked at him, revulsion on her face until their eyes 
met. Unbeknownst to the others, there was a dancing flame in Gosunkugi's 
eye. It was a flame that no girl could resist.
	Without speaking, the girl took his arm and led him off into the 
night.
	
***
	
	Kasumi began the task of cleaning the lunch boxes. It was getting 
close to her bedtime and this was her last chore of the day. She opened 
Ranma's and smiled. It was almost perfectly clean, like he had licked 
it. Kasumi shook her head. Ranma was such a healthy eater. She began to 
wash it. 
	
	Gosunkugi crept through the house. The creeping wasn't necessary 
since none of the inhabitants could see him anyway, but it was a habit 
that was hard to break. He headed up the stairs, his footsteps 
completely silent, and went to the room at the far end of the hall. Sure 
it was fun taking care of those girls that always rejected him, but they 
served an important purpose too. It wasn't just petty vengeance; the 
strong lifeforce provided him with the necessary power to make himself 
unseen by the members of the household. And going around without anyone 
seeing him was of the utmost importance.
	Kasumi's room. Gosunkugi knew Kasumi was in the kitchen, and 
couldn't really think of anything to do to her. She was, after all, the 
only one who ever treated him kindly. He left the door untouched.
	Nabiki's room. She deserved something special, a special brand of 
humiliation. Gosunkugi pondered giving her a little of what he had for 
Ranma, but decided it just wasn't right. Maybe a little glamor spell, 
make her completely irresistible to men... violently so. He grinned and 
passed through Nabiki's door like it wasn't even there. 
	Much to Gosunkugi's chagrin, she wasn't there. "Damn. Where the 
hell is she at this time of night?" he growled. He'd get to her later; 
he never had liked her.
	Still frowning, Gosunkugi left Nabiki's room and went to Akane's. 
He entered it and stood at her bedside, looking at the sleeping girl. 
"Very soon, Akane... When I have my revenge and all obstacles are 
gone..." He touched her cheek with one long-nailed finger and watched 
her grimace in her sleep. "Very soon."
	Now it was time to set everything into motion. It wasn't possible 
to give it to Ranma directly. That was just not how things were done. 
Besides, Gosunkugi wanted Ranma to be humiliated and laughed at when it 
happened. Ranma's lunch would do, and the really convenient thing was 
that it didn't even need to be put in the food itself.
	
	Kasumi left the clean boxes on the counter while she checked on 
her father and Genma. They were forever staying up until all hours of 
the morning, making horrendous noise in the meantime. She walked down 
the hall and shivered for a moment. Stopping and looking around, she 
didn't see a thing. Nabiki would need to have someone check on the 
heating.
	
	Gosunkugi passed through Kasumi, wincing at her goodness, and went 
into the kitchen. There, sitting on the counter, was Ranma's lunch box. 
If anyone could have seen Gosunkugi, they would have been frightened by 
the maniacal glee in his eyes. Pulling the little vial from his pocket, 
he unstoppered it and dumped the contents into the box. Ranma would 
never know what hit him. Gosunkugi smiled as the inky liquid covered the 
bottom of the box.
	"Have a good lunch, Ranma Saotome. And say hello to that cheese 
head Kuno for me." Gosunkugi smiled wider, then faded out of existence.
	Kasumi reentered the kitchen and began putting the clean dishes 
away, until she got to Ranma's lunch box. In the bottom of it, there was 
some sort of dark residue. She scratched it with her fingernail, but it 
wouldn't come off at all.
	It was a good thing she hadn't drained the sink of it's soapy 
water yet. She plunged the box into the water and immediately jerked her 
hands out, splashing water onto her face and apron. "Oh my, that's 
warm." It hadn't just been warm though. It had been near scalding.
	Kasumi rubbed her hands on her apron, then used her apron to wipe 
her face off. Cautiously, she put her hands into the water again and 
relaxed when it did not hurt her. 'That certainly was odd. Maybe I 
should have Dr. Tofu look at my hands.' Kasumi giggled inwardly and 
began scrubbing the box.
	When she finally finished, the box was as clean as a whistle. She 
never noticed the blackish residue on her hands.
	
***
	
	"Do it."
	"No! That is too embarrassing!"
	"Come on. I think it's kind of cute." Nabiki gave Kuno a sly 
smile.
	"I know your tricks. I will not do it."
	"Look, it's just one more part. Like all the others."
	"One more part you say. Next you will want to see my..." Kuno 
blushed heavily at the thought.
	That widened Nabiki's smile. "Not a bad idea, but seriously, do 
it."
	Kuno sighed, resigned to his fate. She wouldn't let him not do it, 
no matter how humiliating. "Very well." He closed his eyes, then thought 
better of it and opened them to glare at Nabiki. "Do not look!"
	"Why would I ever do something like that?" Nabiki asked 
innocently.
	"I believe it would be to look at my..." Kuno couldn't bring 
himself to say it, so he left it at that. He closed his eyes again and 
began to concentrate. He should have known he could control it. After 
all, what had he done in Kodachi's room that one night? It was easy to 
imagine how grotesque his hand had looked.
	Kuno suddenly felt a tugging on a body part he didn't normally 
have. "Release me!" he bellowed trying to pull away from Nabiki.
	"I told you, it's cute," Nabiki said, holding and stroking Kuno's 
tail.
	"Release me, woman!" Kuno demanded, trying to pull his tail out of 
Nabiki's grasp. Her hands felt just a little too nice for comfort.
	"That was really fast, faster than anything else. How'd you do 
it?" She released the tail and tried to get a good look at where it was 
connected to Kuno's body. He was right. She was getting a pretty good 
look at his butt.
	Kuno whirled around, holding his pants up, removing the tail 
mostly from Nabiki's sight. She couldn't help but snicker. Humans with 
tails just... weren't right. She met his outraged gaze. "You liked it," 
she said simply. "It felt nice, didn't it?"
	Damn, he hated how she always knew how he felt. And especially how 
she knew what she did to him. It just wasn't fair! "Yes. One day, you 
should be so lucky to experience the sensation." Kuno stepped forward, 
his spare appendage forgotten for the time.
	
***
	
	Gosunkugi looked down at the body. He was taking too many, he had 
to stop. But the power, the lifeforce was so delicious, how could he 
bring himself to end his feasting?
	A red aura engulfed his hands as he touched the body, and it was 
consumed totally in a heatless fire, burning with spectral black flames. 
It was Sayuri that taught him he couldn't just leave bodies laying 
around. They were soon discovered, and then people started asking 
questions. Nor could he stand to see Akane cry like that.
	Gosunkugi brushed his hands off and went back to the study of the 
book. Maybe, after Akane was his, he would go about with something 
larger. World conquest possibly. Insane laughter escaped his mouth as he 
looked at the picture of oceans filled with blood.
	"Hikaru? Are you alright in there?" His mother's voice was 
accompanied by her knocking.
	Gosunkugi coughed, his laughter ending. "I'm fine, Mother," he 
answered. "Just fine."
	
***
	
	"Here's your lunch, Ranma."
	"Thanks, Kasumi." Ranma grabbed his lunch out of Kasumi's 
immaculately clean hands and bounded out of the kitchen and down the 
hall.
	Kasumi watched him go, smiling at his back. 'Such a nice boy,' she 
thought. 'Such a nice, well-built young man.' Kasumi's eyes blinked as 
she realized what she was thinking. "Oh my. Perhaps I should go see Dr. 
Tofu." She wiped her hands on her apron. 
	
	"Excuse me, Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi called from the waiting room. 
Mysteriously, everyone that had been in the waiting room had left 
quickly when she had arrived.
	"Just a moment."
	Kasumi waited demurely for Dr. Tofu to show himself. He was so 
darling, always talking in funny voices when she was around, and doing 
things to make her laugh. It had been a long time since anyone had ever 
done anything for her. Especially not her family...
	"Why, hello, Kas..." Tofu came out of his office and stared. The 
familiar heat never rose to his cheeks, and the fog didn't cloud his 
brain this time. In fact, Dr. Tofu was feeling... urges. Directed at 
Kasumi. It was wrong to be feeling such urges toward Kasumi, but he just 
couldn't stop himself. The words were out of his mouth before he could 
do anything else."Kasumi," he said quietly, staring at her still.
	"Good morning. I was wondering if you could look at my hands. I'm 
afraid I might have burned them last night."
	Tofu strode over to Kasumi, feeling supremely confident. "Of 
course, Kasumi." He took her hands in his and stared deep into her eyes. 
"Your hands are fine, Kasumi. They're beautiful."
	"But Dr. Tofu, you..."
	"No. Call me Tofu." His voice sounded somehow deeper. And how he 
was able to be so forward with Kasumi? Tofu clutched her hands in his. 
It didn't matter.
	"Why, Doct... Tofu, what's come over you?" Kasumi was still 
smiling politely.
	"You, Kasumi. When you're near, I can barely form a coherent 
thought and I can't speak."
	Kasumi couldn't speak, she was so startled by Tofu's confession. 
"I never knew you felt that way, Tofu," she said, feeling a little 
excited by the good Doctor's closeness. Excited and confused. She had 
never felt this way about anyone. She had always had a crush on Dr. 
Tofu; he was so handsome and noble, and always took good care of her 
family when it was needed. But he was being so... direct. She wasn't 
sure what to make of it.
	She had conflicting feelings about what was happening. Being so 
close to him was making her almost weak-kneed, but Kasumi knew it wasn't 
right. Feelings like she was getting were supposed to wait until a man 
and a woman's wedding night. "Tofu, I don't know if we should do this."
	"I do, Kasumi." And without further ado, Tofu leaned forward and 
kissed Kasumi.
	Kasumi didn't resist. He was a doctor after all. 
	
	"Kasumi!"
	"She said she was going to Dr. Tofu's, Tendo. Something about her 
hands..."
	Soun burst into tears immediately. "Oh no! What's happened? She'll 
never cook again!"
	"Now, now, Tendo." Genma took the opportunity to rearrange some 
pieces on the shogi board. "I'm sure she's perfectly fine." 
	
	"Tofu, what are you..."
	"Relax, Kasumi. This won't hurt at all."
	"Oh my!"
	
***
	
	Gosunkugi conjured up a small window in front of him. It gave him 
a view of the school yard and Ranma, as if he was looking into a pool of 
water. It was a little fuzzy, but would do for the time being. He 
watched Ranma face off with Kuno yet again. He didn't figure either one 
of them would learn.
	
	"Look, it's not my fault you're a moron!"
	"It no longer matters. Only your defeat at my hands is of any 
importance," Kuno hissed.
	Ranma was slowly getting the idea that he shouldn't be teasing 
Kuno. The kendoist did look just a little mad. "Fine. Then come on, even 
if you can't beat me." Ranma grinned and shifted his stance, prepared 
for the enraged Kuno's attack.
	Enraged was probably an understatement. Kuno snapped his bokken in 
half with a twitch of his hand and threw the pieces aside. It was not 
his *special* bokken, though. He kept that in a very safe place. 
Clenching his fist in a moment of supreme control, he suddenly charged 
Ranma.
	Ranma thrust his fist out, expecting it to connect with the 
onrushing Kuno's face, but barely managed to dodge away as Kuno slipped 
past his attack. To Ranma's trained eye, he could follow Kuno's 
movement, but he also knew that Kuno was moving much faster than he ever 
had before. 
	
	Gosunkugi watched the battle with interest. It was quite feasible 
that Kuno could beat Ranma if he went all out and changed. But once they 
made it to lunch, that would be the time to watch the fireworks. Still, 
it was a good matchup. 
	
	Ranma felt something like an anvil hit him in the back. Was this 
really Kuno? He turned quickly and blocked a fist that seemed to be the 
size of his head, and lashed out with his foot. A grunt from Kuno was 
the only indication that the attack had connected. Kuno's assault never 
slowed at all.
	Grabbing Kuno's other arm that had extended in a punch, Ranma 
twisted, pulled and flipped Kuno to the ground heavily. He released 
Kuno's arm and skipped back a few yards, waiting for his opponent to 
stand.
	
	Gosunkugi chuckled as he watched Kuno get to his feet. With Kuno 
actually using his change, it looked like Ranma might be in even more 
trouble. That would be a rather crushing blow to Ranma: to lose to Kuno. 
	
	"Damn it."
	"What's wrong, Nabiki? Is Ranma ruining your odds?" Akane asked 
with a hint of anger.
	"Why don't you just keep your nose out of what you don't 
understand, OK?" Nabiki didn't bother looking at her younger sister. "I 
told him not to do this," she said under her breath.
	The two sisters watched with concern in their eyes as Kuno and 
Ranma prepared to attack each other again.
	Ranma was breathing heavily, and was somewhat satisfied to see 
that Kuno was as well. How Kuno managed such skill, without his bokken 
even, Ranma didn't know. There had been glimpses of kempo that Ranma 
knew very well and maybe a little kung fu, but where Kuno learned them 
and how he managed to integrate them... Ranma shook his head. And there 
was also that healthy dose of street brawling.
	Kuno snarled at him and rushed forward again, but Ranma was better 
prepared this time. Instead of trying an attack, Ranma simply blocked 
the speeding attacks. Instead of the expected fist crashing into him, 
Ranma felt something like razor blades slice into the skin of both his 
arms, drawing blood. Surprised by the sudden sensation of pain, Ranma 
acted on instinct to block Kuno's next series of attacks. 
	
	Gosunkugi saw the blood pouring down Ranma's arms and smiled 
hungrily. Things were looking up for his plan. Ranma wouldn't be able to 
resist revenge after this, and if he ended up using his full power... 
That would most assuredly spell the end for Kuno, and once everyone saw 
Ranma... The vigilante killer would be caught, and that would be Ranma's 
end too. 
	
	Ranma fought valiantly, ignoring the burning pain in his arms. He 
was losing blood fast. Something important in his arm was cut, and he 
was in bad shakes. He was probably dying even as he was fighting. Kuno 
had left him a rather sizable opening, but when he tried to kick Kuno's 
liver out his back, Ranma simply tripped over his own feet, his legs 
feeling rather heavy.
	On the ground and struggling to sit up, Ranma watched Kuno 
approach him calmly, his fist upraised. Ranma could see the blood all 
over Kuno's hand. "Not yet, Kuno," he said tiredly. 
	
	Gosunkugi watched with increasing interest. Could it be that Ranma 
wouldn't even make it to lunch? That thought filled his dark heart with 
joy. He would have to change his plans around a little, but that was 
perfectly acceptable. 
	
	"Ranma!" Akane shouted as she watched Kuno prepare to strike.
	A shrill whistle made everyone stop and look at the person who had 
made the sound. "Akane, go get the nurse," Nabiki said calmly.
	Akane nodded, sparing a glance at Ranma, and ran to the school.
	"Ranma, relax. Help is on the way."
	Ranma started to shake his head, but that made his vision blur.
	"Hiroshi, Daisuke. Help him until the nurse gets here."
	The two nodded and rushed over to help Ranma, carefully avoiding 
Kuno.
	"Kuno..." She looked at him while he stared back, his eyes devoid 
of any emotion. "Kuno, you come with me."
	He looked at her indignantly and was preparing to say something 
when Nabiki cut him off.
	"No. You follow me. Now." With the order issued, Nabiki walked 
away, expecting Kuno to follow.
	After a few moments of alternating looks between Nabiki's back and 
the fallen Ranma, Kuno followed Nabiki, a scowl on his face. 
	
	Gosunkugi allowed the window to fade as the nurse began bandaging 
Ranma. So it looked like Ranma would make it to lunch, though the plan 
might be on hold a bit while Ranma recovered. Gosunkugi was only sorry 
he hadn't been there in person. 
	
	"Look at yourself! What were you doing?" Nabiki asked angrily, 
glaring at the blank-faced Kuno.
	Kuno looked at his blood-stained hands. Ranma's blood. Ranma, who 
he had been ready to kill. Ready to kill for humiliating him. The fiance 
of the girl he had once claimed to love. The sister of the girl he 
thought he loved now. "What have I done?"
	"You almost killed Ranma, that's what! I don't know how you feel 
about your little sister..."
	Kuno looked up, anger flashing in his eyes. "I love my sister."
	"Well, I love mine too. And she loves Ranma, why I'll never know, 
but when you hurt him, you hurt her. And when you hurt her, you make me 
very upset."
	"I am sorry."
	"I'm getting tired of hearing you say that. Next time..." Next 
time, what? Instead of voicing her anger, Nabiki hauled back and slapped 
Kuno. "Next time, I won't bother to care what happens to you." Then she 
gathered her anger and walked away.
	"Wait, Nabiki," Kuno called, but she did not slow. Once she had 
left his sight completely, he looked down at his hands again. They were 
very ugly, covered in blood like that. "What have I done? What have I 
become?"
	
***
	
	Ranma looked at Kasumi as she brought him some tea. He had never 
noticed how truly pretty she was. Even her actions were pretty. Ranma 
smiled and thanked her.
	Kasumi smiled back. Ranma really was a nice, polite young man, 
almost as sweet as Tofu. "If you need anything, Ranma, just let me 
know." She almost didn't want to leave the sight of those beautiful blue 
eyes, but she had duties to attend to.