{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

                            by Lara Bartram
                            ---------------

Part 2, Chapter 2

	Leaving the room, Kasumi met up with Nabiki. "So how is the lug?" 
Nabiki asked, peering into the room.
	"He's doing extremely well," Kasumi said brightly.
	Nabiki looked at Kasumi. Her older sister seemed full of 
enthusiasm, even more than usual. "That's good to hear," she said 
slowly.
	"Oh my, yes. It would be simply devastating if he was injured too 
badly. Young Mr. Kuno would be in considerable trouble."
	"He's already in trouble," Nabiki said quietly.
	A knock on the door disturbed their conversation. "Let me get 
that," Kasumi volunteered.
	"You do that," Nabiki said as Kasumi walked away.
	Kasumi opened the door. "Can I hel..." Her voice died as her eyes 
met with the visitor's.
	"I... wish to... speak... Ranma..." Kuno's mind slipped right into 
neutral and he dropped his transmission when he locked gazes with 
Kasumi.
	"Of course," Kasumi said, stepping aside for Kuno to enter. Young 
Mr. Kuno indeed. Young, handsome, virile Mr. Kuno. There was something 
about him that she found extremely... desirable, even for a younger man. 
She wasn't sure why, it was just... something. "He's in his room."
	Kuno looked at Kasumi, amazed by her raw, natural beauty. He felt 
warm all over, and the overwhelming desire to change ripped through him. 
It was the first time he actually wanted to change. WANTED to change and 
was not coaxed into doing it. And Kasumi had caused it.
	He walked past her slowly, that prickling feeling all over his 
skin. So used to his heightened senses that he had learned to ignore the 
overflow of information, he opened himself to what they were trying to 
tell him. Everything they were trying to tell him about Kasumi. Kasumi. 
Hot, sensual, erotic Kasumi...
	Her breathing. That was the first thing he processed. It was quick 
and shallow, and made her chest heave in a most mouth-watering way. And 
her heart was beating quickly, very quickly. Her scent was nearly 
overpowering. It wasn't sweet and intoxicating like Nabiki's; it was 
primal. She smelled of meat and blood and sex.
	"Hello? Anyone home?" Nabiki waved her hand in front of the two, 
but couldn't get any reaction at all. "Uh... whatever." She stepped 
between the two and out the door. "I'll be back later."
	They continued to stare until Kasumi finally said, "I'll show you 
to his room."
	Kuno nodded as Kasumi walked off, leaving the door wide open. He 
followed close behind, his eyes glued to her shapely rear. The lovely 
floral print dress she wore under the frilly apron just seemed to 
enhance her curves and the way her hips swayed. What he wouldn't have 
done right then to be able to take those two pliable mounds of flesh in 
his hands and put his...
	"Kuno, what're you doing here?"
	"Huh? What?" Kuno managed to tear his mind away from that line of 
thinking for a moment.
	"I'll let you two talk in private now," Kasumi said, stepping from 
the room hesitantly. She really wanted to stay and feel the firm, warm 
flesh of the two young men, but she had Tofu...
	Kuno watched her go. If only he could get her alone for a few 
minutes. Nabiki wouldn't mind. It wasn't his fault Kasumi was some sort 
of sexual goddess. Just to have any portion of her bare skin touching 
his...
	"I said, what're you doing here?!" Ranma nearly yelled.
	"Huh?" Kuno looked back at Ranma, finally remembering why he had 
come. "Oh yes, why I'm here." Kuno closed the door, then kneeled and 
touched his forehead to the floor. "I beg your forgiveness for the 
manner in which I've treated you."
	Instead of the stunned silence Kuno was expecting, Ranma said, 
"Why should I?"
	Kuno looked up, surprised. Here he had lowered himself to 
apologize to someone he wasn't sure was worth it, and what did he get? 
"Why you ungrateful little..."
	"Look what you did to me!" The outburst from Ranma was completely 
out of character. He held up his arms for Kuno to see the bandages. 
"They said I was lucky.. They said I came real close to dyin'. If it 
wasn't for Nabiki, you'd be a murderer. How does that make your 
overblown sense of 'honor' feel?"
	"I'm already a murderer," Kuno replied. "I lost control. I didn't 
really want to kill you, I'd never kill anyone." Who was he kidding? He 
had already killed seven people, even if they did deserve it. "You... 
you don't deserve to die. I know that's no excuse for what I did. I 
never should have..."
	"Just get outta here. I'm tired of you and all your crap. Just 
leave me alone from now on."
	"But I've come here to..."
	"I don't care! I'm sick of you! Do you finally understand? Did it 
finally break through your thick skull? I hate you and Akane hates you! 
Leave us alone!"
	Kuno stood up, his whole being surprisingly unemotional. "Very 
well. If that is how you feel." He opened the door and left, feeling 
Ranma's angered gaze pierce his back.
	He left the Tendo home quickly and quietly, wanting to go 
someplace he could be alone.
	Kasumi walked into Ranma's room with more tea. "Oh my, where has 
young Mr. Kuno gone?"
	Ranma gave Kasumi a funny look. "Young Mr. Kuno?"
	Kasumi nodded in earnest.
	"I told him to get the hell out."
	"Ranma, that's not a very polite thing to say to guests," Kasumi 
chastised.
	"Kasumi, I don't really care. I'm just really tired of him and his 
sister. And I'm really mad about my arms. Look at them! They hurt! If I 
had another chance, I'd..."
	While Ranma was delivering his tirade, Kasumi was inspecting the 
bottle of medication. "Ranma, how many of these pills did you take?"
	"I don't know... Three or so. But I'd kick his butt all over Tokyo 
and stomp on his..."
	"Ranma, you were only supposed to take one per day!" Kasumi smiled 
at Ranma, who was babbling inanely. He really was quite adorable, though 
she wished he hadn't scared that boiling pot of masculinity away. "Oh 
my," Kasumi said, getting a reign on her thoughts.

***

	Overblown sense of honor Ranma had said. Was it really true that 
no one believed in his honor? What harsher blow to a warrior than to 
question his honor? Yet, he wasn't really a warrior anymore. He was a 
simple beast that killed with his hands and mouth, and rutted with any 
girl he could get his hands on.
	Kuno looked into the darkened sky and wished that something would 
go right for once. He stood up and walked out from underneath the tree 
had been sitting against. No, things didn't need to go right, he just 
needed to get away from them.
	'Thank you, Nabiki,' he thought then changed fully, his shirt 
ripping to pieces. He looked down at it for a moment, then shrugged and 
ran off. To escape his problems, if only for one night, that would be 
worth all the money in the world to him.
	Kuno ran along the darkened streets as fast as he could, only 
stopping when he had no more breath. His nose picked up something that 
smelled like food and he went off in search of it. He encountered some 
cans that the heavenly smell was coming from and began digging through 
them.
	There, at the bottom, something Chinese. Kuno gobbled it up, 
overjoyed at his ability to not care what his food looked like or that 
someone else had been eating it or that it had been sitting in a garbage 
can.
	The ability, the luxury to shrug off the order, the structure, and 
rules of the everyday human world was a thrill. He snuffled excitedly in 
the can, looking for another morsel. 
	
	Shampoo walked slowly back to the Nekohanten. Her attempts at 
getting close to Ranma had been a complete failure. When she'd showed up 
at Furinkan, she was told, rather impolitely, that he wasn't there.
	Then, at the Tendo house, she was blocked at all opportunities, 
hearing the words over and over, 'He's hurt. You can't see him.' But if 
Shampoo's husband was hurt, she would most definitely see him, one way 
or another. That was what she had thought, and so had waited until it 
had grown dark.
	She had snuck in a window, excited about seeing Ranma, and had 
been far too careless. The window Shampoo had entered had been Akane's 
and Akane, just returning from the bathroom, was none too pleased to see 
the Amazon in her room. In no mood to deal with Ranma or Shampoo, Akane 
gave Shampoo a swift boot and jettisoned her out the window.
	Shampoo had landed with a helpless splash in the canal, her little 
cat body struggling to the surface as her clothes washed away. The small 
cat swam awkwardly to the edge of the canal, and after considerable 
trouble, pulled herself from the cold water. Then she began her long 
trek back to the Nekohanten.
	She was walking around the back to the kitchen entrance when she 
saw something huge going through the garbage cans. Shampoo almost 
couldn't believe her cat sight. At first, she thought it might have been 
another victim of Jusenkyo, but this was... this was different.
	It was blocking her way to the kitchen, and Shampoo didn't want to 
test the theory that it was human and wouldn't attack her. Slowly, the 
cat began to back away. 
	
	A rapid heartbeat caught Kuno's attention. He pulled his head from 
the garbage can and looked around. He pinpointed the quickly beating 
heart as coming from someplace to his right, and when he looked, a 
small, lightly-colored cat could be seen. It was glaring at him.
	Some very unusual instinct overtook Kuno and he growled at the 
cat, food dripping from his muzzle. The cat was small, it was 
frightened, it was prey. Kuno knocked the can aside, the noise causing 
the cat to jump. He stepped forward, growling softly, as the cat 
steadily backed away. 
	
	Shampoo knew she was in a heap of trouble. She backed away, the 
fur on her back rising, her tail puffing out. Shampoo hissed and backed 
away as the wolf-man hybrid got closer. A tremor of fright passed 
through the little cat as the monster licked its chops.
	That spurred Shampoo into action, her short legs carrying her as 
fast as she could make them. Scampering in, over, and around anything 
that might make the monster lose her, Shampoo ran. It seemed that it was 
always on her heels, close enough to keep her running, but far enough 
back that it couldn't quite reach her.
	If only she hadn't been so insistent to see Ranma, she wouldn't be 
here. Next time, maybe she'd listen to Mousse. Then she ducked between a 
group of trash cans and ran between two buildings, realizing too late 
that there was no way out. Shampoo spun around to face her pursuer, 
hissing loudly. 
	
	Kuno saw the little cat spitting and hissing at him. He went down 
on all fours to get nearer to the cat's level and crept closer. Chasing 
the little animal had been great fun, and he didn't figure playing with 
it a bit longer would hurt.
	He slunk farther to his left, leaving an open escape to his right. 
It was more than adequate if the cat wanted to run past him. Try to run 
past him. Kuno moved closer, watching the cat move to the corner, the 
open area directly in front of her. It was obviously getting ready to 
make a run for it.
	Kuno waited for the cat to go. He could see its body trembling and 
knew it was frightened, almost to the point of paralysis. He blew air 
out his nose, hoping to surprise the cat into action, but the cat 
remained rooted to its spot. Creeping two steps closer, he let out a 
whuff which did send the cat running.
	Leaping to the side where Kuno knew the cat would go, he landed in 
front of it, almost causing it to plow into him. With a chuckling noise, 
Kuno picked up the stunned cat in his mouth, careful not to hurt it, and 
headed back to where he had first encountered it. 
	
	Shampoo was waiting to be eaten at any moment. She was utterly and 
completely helpless against the giant monster. Much to her surprise, the 
giant fangs did not bite her in half; they closed gently on her neck and 
lifted her. Letting out a pathetic mewling, Shampoo wriggled in Kuno's 
mouth, but his hold was secure. She let out a cat sigh and hung limply. 
	
	Kuno headed back the way he and the cat had come. Sticking to the 
deepest shadows, Kuno watched the stray pedestrians on the opposite side 
of the street warily. He had been extremely lucky no one had seen him 
chasing the cat.
	Hiding as best he could, Kuno looked at a small crowd gathered in 
front of a club a distance away. He could hear their voices quite 
clearly and smell the mix of alcohol and cigarettes in the air. He would 
have to move quickly and quietly to avoid being discovered. Beginning to 
move from his hiding place, Kuno suddenly froze. There was a thin frame 
he recognized in the crowd.
	His growl picking up again, Kuno watched Gosunkugi talk with some 
girls. Kuno's dislike of the mysterious and awkward seeming Gosunkugi 
began to grow, even though he didn't know why. Kuno watched a girl grab 
hold of Gosunkugi's arm, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. Then the 
pair walked away from the rest of the group.
	For some unexplainable reason, Gosunkugi looked over at Kuno, 
which caused Kuno to shrink back farther into the shadows. It was the 
eyes that did it. The eyes that glowed yellow and seemed to hold Kuno's 
with immense power. And the smile. Gosunkugi never smiled, until now, 
and it was a hideous smile. 
	
	Shampoo saw the boy look over at them and whimpered softly. Her 
great grandmother had an aura about her. A powerful aura. The boy's aura 
was much stronger. Shampoo mewed quietly, hoping the boy wouldn't decide 
to get any closer than he was. 
	Kuno watched Gosunkugi leave with the girl, all the fur that had 
risen on his back, laying back down again. He heard the cat make some 
pathetic noises from his mouth and he felt it shiver. Then he started 
moving again, away from the club as quickly as he could.
	Back at the Nekohanten, Kuno set the cat down and backed away 
slowly, trying not to present himself as a threat. The cat kept its eyes 
on him until he could no longer see the small feline. Feeling mentally 
and spiritually refreshed, if not peaceful, Kuno ran back to his home, 
keeping the scene with Gosunkugi in the back of his mind.

***

	Kasumi woke up in the morning, feeling not so happy or cheerful. 
She went downstairs and into the kitchen, not caring if she disturbed 
anyone. Looking around blankly, she started on the tedious task of 
making breakfast for everyone in the house. Sighing heavily, Kasumi went 
through the motions. 
	
	The only bright part of her day was helping out Ranma. Currently 
under the proper dosage, Ranma was dozing, enjoying his time off school, 
even if he was hurt.
	Opening his eyes, Ranma's first view was of Kasumi smiling down at 
him. "Hey Kasumi. What happened yesterday?" Everything was hazy. Had he 
really said all those things to Kuno? Had Kuno really attempted to 
apologize?
	"You took too many of your pills. You were a bit delusional." 
Kasumi giggled.
	Ranma groaned in response. "So all that stuff happened?"
	"Yes, it did. But I was still disappointed you and..." There just 
wasn't something right about calling him 'young Mr. Kuno.' It was too 
impersonal. "Tatewaki couldn't get along." Kasumi blushed at referring 
to Kuno in so familiar a manner.
	"It's not my fault..." Ranma's voice faltered as Kasumi kneeled 
next to him.
	"I know, Ranma," Kasumi said sadly, her eyes downcast. "But you 
have to learn to get along with others. Tatewaki's not that bad, is he?"
	Ranma just stared at Kasumi. What the hell was she talking about? 
Was she actually defending Kuno? "How... how can you say something like 
that, Kasumi?"
	"You just need to get to know him, Ranma." She couldn't voice her 
feelings about Kuno. Ranma just wouldn't understand. She wasn't sure she 
understood them herself. And she really liked Tofu.
	Tofu had told her that he loved her. Kasumi found that almost 
frightening, but also very pleasant. There were some very strong 
feelings for Tofu in her heart, but they were nothing like the feelings 
she had for Kuno. Kasumi kept her smile on Ranma. And maybe there were 
some for Ranma too.
	"Is there somethin' wrong, Kasumi?" Ranma asked with concern. "You 
look a little... sick."
	Kasumi shook her head, her cheeks flushed. "Just one of those 
things. PMS or something..." Kasumi quickly put one hand over her mouth. 
"Oh my, I shouldn't have said that."
	Ranma's face was scarlet. It was the closest thing to dirty talk 
he had ever heard from Kasumi and he found it somewhat thrilling. "Th... 
that's OK, Kasumi. I didn't hear nothin'."
	Kasumi smiled. "Thank you, Ranma." She stood after straightening 
the blanket over Ranma. "If you need anything, anything, just call me." 
Kasumi gave him a smile that was a lot like Shampoo's, then left the 
room.
	Ranma released the breath he had been holding and slumped down 
under the blanket.

***

	"Wake up."
	"Wake up."
	"Wake up."
	He groaned and rolled over, trying to escape the intruding voice.
	"Wake up."
	If Nabiki didn't shut up, and soon, he was going to have to quiet 
her himself. He grinned in his half sleep. Quiet her for a few minutes 
anyway.
	"Wake up, Brother."
	That sent Kuno's eyes flying open. 'What?' he meant to ask, but it 
came out as a surprised bark instead.
	Kodachi pulled back from the outburst. "It is time that you awaken 
for school," she said evenly. It was just a bit inconvenient that he was 
sleeping in her room at the side of her bed. She had almost screamed 
when her foot stepped on something warm and furry when she first woke up 
and tried to remove herself from bed.
	Kuno looked at his sister, his eyes growing fearful. That dream... 
He hadn't... with her? The entire concept made his body shudder. It was 
all wrong.
	"Move along, Brother. I must prepare myself, and I do not relish 
the idea of doing it in front of you." Kodachi nudged her brother's back 
with her toe. She didn't know why he was there, but she had taken the 
advantage and watched him sleep peacefully, curled up and breathing 
deeply, before she had tried to wake him.
	The will-power she had needed to not run her hands through his fur 
was immense. She didn't want him to wake up while she was doing it and 
have him think she was... odd.
	But... he was the one in her room. Kodachi just hoped he didn't 
try anything, or want to try anything. She had no plans on cooperating 
if he did. "Please, Brother, you must leave."
	Kuno sat up and looked around. He was indeed in Kodachi's room, 
but only laying on the floor. And from Kodachi's tone, he didn't think 
anything had happened, he HOPED nothing had happened. Kuno stood up and 
stretched, trying to remember what exactly HAD happened the previous 
night.
	"Brother, get out!" Kodachi shoved him toward the door.
	Kuno turned and gave her a familial growl before leaving the room. 
Thinking more about it, he had arrived back home, the sight of Gosunkugi 
still haunting him. The way the girl had gone with him had been somewhat 
eerie, but he wasn't sure why.
	With concern for Kodachi's safety, Kuno had patrolled the house 
for an hour before deciding he needed sleep. Only when he was in 
Kodachi's room and next to her bed could he manage to sleep without the 
awful image of Gosunkugi hovering in his mind. Kuno went back to his 
room and decided it was not a day to skip school, so he forced his body 
to take its human shape.
	Maybe this was something he needed to tell Kodachi. She 
understood. She would know not to take his words lightly. Quickly 
putting on his uniform, he went to talk to his sister. If anything, he 
just wanted to warn her about Gosunkugi.
	Going to her room first, Kuno knocked on her door. "Kodachi," he 
said and opened the door. He got sight of some bare skin, then a vase of 
black roses crashed into his face.
	Kuno stumbled backward and slumped against the wall as Kodachi 
slammed her door shut. Removing the vase from where it seemed embedded, 
Kuno massaged his cheek and looked at the door. "Kodachi, I must speak 
with you."
	Kodachi's voice reached him through the door. "Brother, I will not 
have you taking advantage of me!" Her voice was angry, but also a little 
embarrassed. Her earlier exposure, when she had asked for his help, was 
very fresh in her mind. It may have been a tactic to get what she wanted 
then, but no longer.
	Kuno's face was tinged with pink. It was thoroughly impolite to 
walk in on one's sister. The fact that she had been in a state of 
undress was undoubtably humiliating for her, but he had hardly noticed. 
Well, maybe just a little.
	He set the vase, with roses intact, down. "Kodachi, it concerns 
your safety. It is very important. It is why I was in your room this 
morning."
	There was no noise from Kodachi's room for a few moments, then the 
door opened and she stepped out in her uniform. Kodachi looked at her 
brother on the floor, and frowned. "What is it? And I request that you 
no longer walk in on me!"
	"Forgive me, but this is of utmost importance." So he related his 
story of the events up until he fell asleep, emphasizing what he had 
seen with Gosunkugi.
	Kodachi looked at him thoughtfully, then she began to laugh. The 
idea of her and that little corpse was just delicious. "Brother," she 
said, her laughter dying down, "why would I ever go out with that 
little..."
	"No! He uses dark sorcery to..."
	"You and your dark sorcery. Brother, you have nothing to worry 
about. I would never stoop so low as to cheat on my Ranma."
	"I saw his eyes! He uses magic to..."
	"Yes, yes. He enslaves women and you feel you must free them. I've 
heard that many times from you."
	"Kodachi, I am not..."
	"Yes, I already know you're involved with Nabiki Tendo, but that's 
never stopped your hyperactive honor before." With that, Kodachi moved 
down the hall. "I must finish my preparations for school now."

***

	"Nabiki, I have alarming news."
	"Not now. I've got business to take care of, then I promised I'd 
help Akane with something."
	"But it is important."
	"It's going to have to wait."
	Kuno frowned in frustration. When was someone going to listen to 
him?

***

	Nabiki crawled into bed, feeling utterly exhausted. She'd had to 
skip her usual tryst with Kuno, and felt a bit frustrated, but sleep was 
her first concern. She pulled her blanket up and closed her eyes.
	A thump at her window and the sound of it sliding open made her 
look over, though not get out of bed. Nabiki watched with amusement as 
Kuno somehow managed to squeeze himself through the window.
	"What are you doing here, Kuno-chan?" she asked as he closed the 
window.
	He turned and looked at her as crossly as he could.
	"Oh yeah, you had something you wanted to talk about, didn't you?"
	Kuno nodded, still annoyed. He changed quickly, the process 
growing faster and less painful every time. He sat on the edge of 
Nabiki's bed with a very serious look on his face. "I attempted to warn 
Kodachi this morning, but she would not listen. She does not know as 
much as you."
	Nabiki was waking up quickly. "Warn her about what?" This was 
serious and not just one of his little fantasies.
	Kuno told his story again, saying how he had patrolled the house 
and then fallen asleep at his sister's bedside to protect her.
	"You were chasing a cat?" Nabiki asked, looking at Kuno with her 
eyebrows raised.
	That flustered Kuno. "It was an entertaining game. I needed to 
alleviate the pressure from my mind."
	"Sure. Were you rolling in smelly things and rooting through the 
trash too?"
	Kuno's silent reply told her all she needed to know. Nabiki saw 
the hurt look on his face and decided to drop the subject. "So, you 
think Gosunkugi has some sort of magical power?"
	Kuno nodded. "There is no doubt in my mind. The way his eyes shone 
with unnatural light... And that young woman, why would she knowingly 
leave with that..." Adequate words failed Kuno.
	"I get the point. Well, I believe you. What I can't believe is 
that that little loser actually managed to do something right. Let alone 
learning magic..." Something clicked in Nabiki's mind. "Do you think... 
Sayuri..."
	"It is entirely possible. Who knows how long he has possessed such 
power." There had been plenty of stories about Gosunkugi before, but 
never any stories of the underclassman having any real abilities.
	Nabiki was fully awake now and thinking. "This isn't good. You say 
he knows about you?"
	Kuno nodded. Telling the pale runt had been a sizable mistake on 
his part. Most likely one Nabiki would never let him live down. He 
grimaced at what her next words might be.
	"Who knows what he might have done then. Or what he might be 
doing. It's just too bad there's no proof that it was him." Nabiki tried 
to think of something, but found her mind running in circles. She 
slumped back down in bed. "I'm too tired to think right now. This is 
going to have to wait until morning." Her eyes closed and she headed 
back to sleep.
	The shift of weight told her Kuno was doing something, and she had 
a pretty good idea what. "What do you think you're doing?"
	"Nothing you shan't enjoy. Please relax." When Nabiki had her eyes 
closed, Kuno found her to be so innocent-looking that she was 
irresistible. A few days after he had revealed his problem to Kodachi, 
she had gathered the courage to ask him a barrage of questions. One of 
the had been, ridiculously enough, if he felt compelled to assault 
virgins. That had caused him to laugh long and hard.
	Here, though, the way Nabiki looked so innocent, he thought that 
maybe he had been a bit hasty in laughing at his sister. Maybe virgin 
was silly, but there was definitely some appeal in the face that was so 
innocent and unwary. But that wasn't all. There was just something very 
different about how he felt, which confused him, but he was also too 
excited to care.
	Pulling back the blanket to reveal Nabiki covered in her sleeping 
shirt, Kuno ran his hands up over her stomach, taking the shirt with 
them.
	Nabiki laid still as her shirt was slowly removed. Hanging 
somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, she felt Kuno's hands push her 
shirt up to her neck. He tugged on the shirt's neck, and Nabiki briefly 
considered his request before raising her arms and lifting her head.
	Kuno pulled off her shirt and dropped it to the floor. Running his 
hands over Nabiki's stomach and breasts, Kuno swallowed hard and felt 
his erection grow. This was definitely different than the other times. 
He didn't even want to have sex with her, he just wanted to make her 
happy. No more, no less.
	He started to lower his head when a question stopped him. Was this 
what love was about? He had said it enough times, but here he was, 
wanting someone else's pleasure before his. And he had never thought of 
Nabiki in a sexual manner before his attack, so it wasn't pure lust... 
Kuno found his head spinning with uncertainty.
	For some reason, Kuno had stopped, and Nabiki found that very 
frustrating. She groaned a little and shifted her body from side to 
side, trying to get Kuno going again. She sighed softly when his hands 
began moving again.
	Whether Nabiki cared how he felt about her or not, Kuno had to 
know what exactly it was he did feel. He needed to know if what he was 
feeling was just some strange effect of his change, or if he was 
really... in love. The idea was almost frightening. Almost.
	Lowering his head, Kuno's mouth found the pale skin of Nabiki's 
chest, and he felt her whole body stiffen. He wasn't sure why. "What's 
wrong?" he asked, a little winded. "Should I change?" It was no secret 
how much she enjoyed him in his alternate form.
	"No, I just..." He had never done anything so... personal. Never 
had he touched her quite like that when he was human. And he hadn't made 
a move to finish undressing either one of them. So, just like her 
dream... "Don't stop."
	Kuno smiled. "As you wish." He continued where he had left off on 
Nabiki's chest. She had her chance on him, in both forms, and now he 
wanted his turn to find out what made her tick, sigh, groan, and scream.
	It had been 15 minutes that he had been attacking various parts of 
her chest and neck with his mouth, and he could tell that his 'innocent' 
victim was ready for more. Kuno lifted his head, breathing heavily. 
"Shall we take it... farther?"
	Nabiki nodded. "How... how did you know?" Her voice was barely a 
whisper, her breathing just as heavy as his.
	Kuno leaned up, brushing his lips over her cheek and up to her 
ear, where he nibbled on it momentarily. Finally, he whispered, "I can 
smell you." His right hand slid down Nabiki's side and started to push 
their way into her panties.
	Nabiki inhaled sharply and arched her hips as Kuno's fingers moved 
closer to her pleasure point. "Don't..."
	Then, without warning, Nabiki's door opened. "Nabiki, are you..."
	Nabiki felt Kuno immediately stop moving as Kasumi came into the 
room and speak. She struggled to say something, deny what was happening, 
but she had not recovered her breath yet. She opened her eyes to get a 
good look at Kuno's shocked face.
	"Oh my," Kasumi said, but made no effort to leave the room. So 
that was what Nabiki had been doing all those nights she had not shown 
up for dinner. Something unfamiliar welled up in the pit of Kasumi's 
stomach.
	Upon hearing Kasumi's voice, Kuno felt something like an electric 
shock travel through his entire body. He turned his head and looked at 
the intruder. To say that he felt like he had been struck by a bolt of 
lightning would be a vast understatement. Removing himself from Nabiki, 
Kuno stood before Kasumi and hovered dangerously at the edge of the 
change.
	Nabiki frowned as she watched Kuno and her sister stare at each 
other. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, then spoke. "Hey! 
What's wrong with you two?"
	Finally unable to control himself, Kuno began to change in front 
of Kasumi's wide, unblinking eyes. That was when Kasumi realized what 
the cold feeling in her stomach was: jealousy. Jealousy over the animal 
standing in front of her being kept by her younger sister. Kasumi's brow 
creased as she looked at Nabiki.
	Nabiki looked right angry. 'Serves her right,' Kasumi thought. 
Such negative thoughts were completely unknown to her, and she found 
that type of malice toward her family very frightening.
	Unfortunately, she didn't have time to dwell on an apology as Kuno 
stepped closer, his entire body quivering in Kasumi's presence. "Oh my. 
This is a strange turn of events." Of course, it put a damper on things 
because it just wouldn't be proper to get involved with a younger man, 
and one who turned into a wolf no less.
	Kuno took another step forward. Finally he would have Kasumi and 
his problems would be gone. He put his hands out in preparation to grab 
the demure Tendo sister standing in front of him. But... How would 
Kasumi help his problems? She would most likely only give him more to 
worry about.
	Nabiki watched the scene unfold with a detached air. A thorough 
questioning of her sister was due, but in the mean time, it looked like 
Kasumi needed help. Holding the blanket to her, Nabiki got out of bed 
and walked to Kuno. "Kuno-chan, what are you doing?"
	Kuno blithely ignored Nabiki as he approached Kasumi. He was 
pleased that Kasumi was waiting for him and not trying to get away. Not 
so many people would be that understanding of the fact that he was a 
large wolf creature. And so he would make her very happy for her 
patience.
	Being ignored was not something Nabiki would stand for. She stood 
behind Kuno, grabbed his tail and pulled hard. Naturally she didn't 
think that that might bring a rather violent reaction, so was quite 
unprepared when Kuno turned and growled at her. It wasn't his playful 
growl either. It was the growl he used when he had faced Ranma. Nabiki 
backed away, holding the blanket up, tighter around herself than before.
	Kuno pulled his tail away and glared at Nabiki. Hadn't she learned 
from before? It seemed she needed another lesson. Very well, then she 
would have her lesson, but she had better learn it this time. He turned 
to let Kasumi know that he would be only a moment dealing with Nabiki. 
Kasumi would be able to understand him even if he couldn't speak. 
Unfortunately, Kasumi had disappeared from the doorway.
	Kuno frowned and turned his attention back to Nabiki. He might as 
well finish up what he had started. The mood had been lost anyway, and 
Nabiki looked awfully tasty wrapped up in that blanket, looking like she 
was afraid for her life like that...

***

	Kasumi opened Nabiki's door slowly. Who knows what she might find 
this time; Nabiki was always somewhat mysterious. Thankfully, Nabiki was 
alone, even if she was late for school. Looking in, amazed, Kasumi 
entered the room and closed the door, stepping over the mess. Her 
younger sister definitely needed a firm talking to.
	Nabiki's eyes split open, her head, and mouth as it tasted, filled 
with cobwebs. It had been a very late, very confusing, very... violent 
night. She was on the floor with her blanket over her, and she was sore 
all over. Rolling to her side, she looked blearily at the remains of her 
room. 'Bastard Kuno,' she thought.
	She had tried to keep him away, but her room was just too small 
for any sort of strategical retreat, and when he had pushed the desk in 
front of the door... Nabiki had been able to tell that he was angry, and 
he wasn't about to be denied, but that didn't stop her from trying. 
Things had been thrown, by both of them, miraculously not waking up the 
rest of the household, and she had ended up on the floor with Kuno on 
top of her.
	Was it rape? Nabiki wasn't sure, but if it wasn't, then it came 
awfully damn close. He had been awfully rough, but at least he hadn't 
hit her or anything. Sure he had said that it just wasn't possible for 
him to hurt her, but he seemed far more interested in Kasumi than her... 
Maybe Kasumi was the one he couldn't injure now. That line of thought 
made Nabiki unhappy.
	Looking up, she saw Kasumi with a look of distaste on her face. 
"Nabiki, I'd like to speak with you."
	Nabiki groaned. "I'd like to speak with you too, sis, but now is 
not a good time." Nabiki grimaced as Kasumi sat down on the bed and 
merely looked at her. "OK, OK... What is it?" Nabiki asked, sitting up 
with some effort.
	"How long has this been going on?"
	"How long has what been going on?"
	Kasumi's expression changed slightly toward unhappy and Nabiki 
felt a twinge of guilt hit her. "How long has your relationship with 
Tatewaki been going on?"
	Nabiki looked at Kasumi hard when she thought she heard a trace of 
emotion over Kuno's name. "What difference does it make?" she asked 
suspiciously.
	"Because..." Kasumi pursed her lips. She should have known Nabiki 
just wouldn't volunteer information like that without questions. 
"Because the thing you were doing have some very serious consequences."
	"Is that all?" Nabiki didn't think that was all Kasumi was worried 
about. She still had a a tremor of emotion in her voice.
	"Nabiki! How dare you question me!" Kasumi felt something close to 
anger in her.
	The whole conversation was just getting weirder and weirder. 
Nabiki couldn't remember the last time Kasumi had used that tone of 
voice. And she had never said anything like that. Nabiki didn't speak 
for a moment, then with sincerity, said, "I'm sorry, Kasumi."
	Kasumi, as a whole, seemed to relax. "That's perfectly acceptable, 
Nabiki. Now tell me, have you... have you..." The more Kasumi tried to 
say it, the angrier she got. 'She doesn't even realize! How could she do 
that? How could HE do that when all she ever did was make fun of him?' 
Kasumi's jaw clenched imperceptibly. "Have you been taking proper 
precautions?"
	"Sis..."
	"I said, have you been taking proper precautions?" Kasumi's voice 
was becoming strained.
	Nabiki gave up her protests at the tone of Kasumi's voice. "Yes," 
she answered quietly.
	Kasumi's eyes narrowed for a moment, then the look was gone. 
"Good. At least you're doing something right." Then Kasumi stood up and 
walked to the door. She opened it, but before leaving, turned back to 
Nabiki, with a malicious gleam in her eye. "And it's not proper to be 
having sex with animals." It pleased Kasumi to see the stunned look on 
Nabiki's face. 'Ha! Got you this time!' Then Kasumi left, a smug smile 
creeping onto her face.

***

	"What the hell were you doing last night? That was Kasumi you were 
about to assault." Nabiki was at Furinkan, albeit, a bit late, and was 
having a very one-sided conversation with Kuno.
	"I know who it was."
	Nabiki boggled for a moment. "Then what were you doing?!"
	Kuno shrugged, avoiding eye contact.
	"You're impossible!"

***

	"Kasumi!"
	"Tea's coming right up, Father." Kasumi picked up the kettle and 
looked at the steam coming from the spout. She could never admit to 
anyone that there was something wrong, since she was the rock of the 
family... But there was definitely a problem.
	"Kasumi!"
	"Just a damn minute!" There was a sudden and complete silence 
throughout the house. Kasumi only looked at the steam, angry at the 
insisting voice of her father. He and Uncle Saotome were exactly the 
same, relying on past glory and their age for respect. Respect...
	They didn't want respect. They wanted a handmaid. That thought 
reduced Kasumi to sudden tears. Her father, caught in a downward 
spiral... He had always tried so hard...
	"Kasumi, what's wrong?" Soun put his hand on his daughter's 
shoulder. She had been acting quite strange; he was not too oblivious to 
see that. "Please talk to me, Kasumi," he said gently.
	"I'm so sorry, Father. I didn't mean it. I know you tried... Tried 
so hard..." And she was so ashamed for yelling at him. And she had 
spoken unkindly to Nabiki, and she had been ignoring Akane. "Oh, Father, 
I feel... I feel so awful."
	"Kasumi, what could you possibly feel bad about?" Kasumi couldn't 
harm an ant, let alone do anything to make her feel bad enough to cry.
	"Father, I've behaved so inappropriately. I've mistreated the 
entire family, and I spoke with such disrespect." Kasumi's hands were 
clutching the edge of the counter, her knuckles white. Teardrops fell 
one by one to the counter. Aside from that, she simply looked tired. 
"I'm... I'm afraid. You all must hate me."
	"No, Kasumi. We could never hate you. We will always love and 
support you."
	Kasumi felt relief flood through her at her father's caring 
support.

***

	"Kasumi," Akane said, looking at her soup strangely, "why is there 
a hair in my soup?"
	Everyone stopped in the middle of their dinner and stared at her. 
Soun looked almost scared. He opened his mouth to quiet Akane, but 
Kasumi beat him to it.
	"So what?" she said.
	Akane looked at Kasumi, then at her soup, and back at Kasumi. 
"Umm, well, normally, there's not."
	"What's your point, Akane? What are you trying to say?"
	"J... just that normally there isn't hair in the food."
	"Are you saying there's something wrong with the food?" Kasumi's 
voice rose in volume steadily. "Is there something wrong with my 
cooking?" Kasumi was nearly screaming at a stunned Akane.
	"Kasumi, she said nothing of the sort," Soun said firmly, but with 
love. "Now let's all continue eating. The food is delicious, isn't it?"
	Kasumi looked at the other faces around the table. Akane was 
stunned, Genma was confused, her father looked concerned, Ranma looked 
embarrassed, and Nabiki wouldn't lift her eyes from her food. Kasumi 
returned to her own food, feeling guilty and resentful. For what, she 
didn't know. Maybe it was everything, maybe it was nothing...
	She watched Akane pick the long hair from her soup and nearly 
burst into tears. Why were things so crazy? What had happened to her? 
Why, all why...

***

	Gosunkugi looked at the intimidating house. He had seen it 
numerous times, but never had he been so close to it. In fact, he was 
standing just outside the door. Briefly, he wondered what the purpose of 
his visit was, but the lust for vengeance, for power, for... for Akane 
quickly pushed it away.
	Waving his hand, Gosunkugi watched the door open silently, and 
then stepped inside. He just needed to come up with something... He 
wandered through the house, waiting to see who he would encounter first.
	He roamed through the silent halls, his mind working very slowly 
and deliberately through several plans. He wanted more, he wanted to 
crush Kuno's world. The really silly thing about it was that Kuno would 
end up anyway, Just as soon as Ranma realized his true potential.
	Gosunkugi stopped in front of a door and stood as if he was 
listening. A deep contented breathing came from the room. Kuno, sleeping 
as a wolf. Gosunkugi humphed. Acting like a stupid animal. What a fool. 
He ignored the door and kept going. 
	
	Trapped in a dream again. All his dreams were nightmares, all 
involving loss and despair, death and hopelessness, futility and sorrow. 
This one was no different from the others, but this time he was not 
alone.
	A wide open plain spread out before him, bathed in darkness, the 
light of the full moon only deepening the shadows around him. Littering 
the plain was a mass of bodies, the blood flowing from them seeming to 
glow. Everything was unnaturally still, somehow nurturing the death in 
the air.
	He tried to look over at his companion, but the mysterious figure 
was hidden in the blackness of the night. The only thing he could see 
was a pair of red eyes looking back at him. His first thought was that 
it was Gosunkugi, and that made him back away, which in itself was very 
humiliating.
	Why should he be afraid of Gosunkugi? That little stick of a boy 
was the least intimidating person in school... Until... He knew he had 
very good reason to be afraid of Gosunkugi. Yet, he knew it was someone 
else standing next to him. A friend, someone he didn't need to fear. His 
eyes couldn't penetrate the darkness that covered his ally though.
	Before he got a chance to ask the identity of his ally, a shrill 
inhuman wail pierced the air. He looked up, across the field, his eyes 
searching for the source of the noise, and then it happened.
	He involuntarily stepped back when all the bodies started to rise, 
their eyes glowing with the same amber light that... Gosunkugi! There 
was the cause of it all, hovering 20 feet in the air, smiling, his eyes 
glowing along with those of his minions.
	He wanted to scream and run away. It was only a nightmare; he 
didn't have to be brave. He could simply run away from his problems. 
Trying to lift his feet yielded nothing though. They were rooted in 
place. He watched with horror as the corpses advanced on him, waiting to 
be subjected to whatever horrors they might inflict on him. 
	Gosunkugi reached another door with a familiar name on it. He 
smiled, the perfect plan finally coming to him. Kodachi's door slid open 
and Gosunkugi stepped inside her room. The door shut silently as he 
approached her bed.
	He watched her sleep, her form moving every so often. She was 
lovely in the innocent confines of sleep. It was almost a shame to have 
to do such a thing to her. Gosunkugi hardened his heart against such 
pathetic emotions. They were of no use to him; they were simply a 
weakness that could be used against him.
	Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble by waking her, Gosunkugi 
lowered his hand until it was nearly touching Kodachi's cheek. For her, 
it would be quick and painless. She would never know what hit her. 
	
	Struggling, Kuno fought to pull himself from the dream. It had 
turned out that the person next to him was his sister, and the corpses, 
the vampires he knew them to be, were... were... "No!" he cried out as 
he watched them shred her flesh. "No!" 
		
	Gosunkugi looked up quickly when he heard Kuno cry out in his 
sleep. Time was running short. Frowning, Gosunkugi watched Kodachi stir, 
mumbling something unintelligible. He wondered if something like this 
might happen, the same way Akane had known he was there even in her 
sleep. Damn these 'good' people and their sensitivity. Gosunkugi briefly 
pondered continuing with his plan before he heard footsteps rapidly 
approaching. "Damn," he said quietly and faded into the darkness.
	Kodachi's door was thrown open and Kuno was silhouetted in the 
doorway. "Kodachi!" he said loudly, his eyes scanning the darkened room.
	With great effort, Kodachi sat up in her bed, her eyes barely 
open. "What is it now, Brother?" She sounded annoyed and tired, both 
with good reason.
	Kuno walked in and turned on the light, searching the room, 
looking under the bed and in the closet. He looked out the window 
briefly before he yanked the curtains closed. Then Kuno turned to his 
sister and studied her face. "You have not been harmed, have you?"
	"Of course not. Now what is the meaning of this?" She was more 
awake and more annoyed. And she wasn't about to tell him she hadn't been 
sleeping well because of some silly nightmares.
	Kuno's stern look soon melted to relief. "I was most concerned 
with your health and safety. I had a most... unpleasant dream."
	Kodachi looked at her brother, her annoyance fading. It still 
seemed strange that he would worry about her, and with such... passion. 
"I am fine, but I do require sleep. So if you would please..." She 
looked pointedly at him, then at the door.
	Kuno seemed to ponder things for a moment, then nodded. He turned 
off the light as Kodachi settled back in bed, and started to leave the 
room. He had the door shut most of the way when he heard her ever so 
quietly say, "Thank you, Brother."
	'You are most welcome,' he thought, and went back to his own room. 
Something though... Something was not right in the house. Another 
midnight patrol was in order.
	Dressed only in a pair of baggy blue sweatpants, he changed 
quickly and immediately he began trembling. How he hadn't noticed it 
before... He followed the smell of gravestones toward Kodachi's room and 
stopped at her door. Gosunkugi had been there, most definitely, and 
quite recently.
	That did it. Kuno busted through Kodachi's door, immediately 
waking her again, and hurried to her bedside. Against her protests, Kuno 
scooped her up, wrapped in her blanket, in his arms, and hurried from 
the room. They needed someplace secret, hoping that Gosunkugi couldn't 
simply teleport to them.
	Going back down to the dank confines of the basement, Kuno 
wandered, looking for the right place. Anything less than completely 
hidden wouldn't do. Moving through a maze of cold hallways, to a door 
that only he knew about, Kuno went into the small room and closed the 
door, barring it.
	Kneeling, Kuno set Kodachi down in the bed gently, the blanket 
still around her body. This was the place where he went when he needed 
to be alone, without interruption. Even in such a large house, it was 
hard to be alone with his sister wandering around.
	Released from his arms, Kodachi was livid. Her face probably 
should have been red. "What do you..."
	Before she could get anything more out, Kuno had his hand over her 
mouth. Kodachi's eyes bulged as her brother changed back, keeping his 
hand in place, his arm going around her shoulders. "He was here. 
Gosunkugi was here," he whispered fervently.
	"Brother, you're..."
	"No! I smelled him, at your room, I smelled him. I am worried 
about you. Your safety is very important to me." A hint of rationality 
wormed its way into his voice. "He is not all that he appears to be, and 
I would not wish to see the results of one of his midnight visits." His 
words surprised him. 'One of his midnight visits.' Kuno hadn't noticed 
any strange smells before, but... "Let us hope it is his first, and 
last, visit," he finished, his voice still a whisper.
	The serious attitude her brother had adopted worried Kodachi. He 
had never been so... afraid? In fact, she couldn't remember any point in 
time when he had been afraid. Then, when his arm clutched her tighter 
and his hand released her mouth, she did not protest his actions. "You 
honestly believe he has malicious intent?" she asked quietly.
	"Yes. You could not understand unless you had personally witnessed 
the infernal glow in his eyes." Kuno shook his head, still holding 
Kodachi as if someone might pull her away from him. "He is a demon."
	This time, Kodachi didn't berate her brother for saying such a 
thing. He truly believed what he was saying, and at a time when he 
seemed mostly lucid. It was at times like this that Kodachi felt the 
tendrils of fear grab at her.
	Very little had been able to reach her brother over the past four 
years. Father had been one, and that was from the hatred.  Fortunately, 
Father wasn't around very much. His change was another. She could 
remember the way he had looked near tears. Several thoughts ran through 
Kodachi's head in a similar vein before she finally said, "Then I shall 
stay here for the night."
	The hold on her tightened, and she realized that he was hugging 
her. Hugging her as if they had been lost to each other for years. For 
his sake, she endured it. Maybe a little for her own too. 

End Part 2, Chapter 2