Chapter Eight
Broken Hearts on Parade

	Tokyo, captial of a nation. Inside its steel spires, millions of people
work and play, die and are born, smile and frown, cheat and be cheated. Its
streets are filled with the pulsating flood of humanity, its factories
creating goods that will be passed on to markets all around the world.
Tokyo, a place of skyscrapers and parks, of Tokyo tower and the Diet
building. A miraculous ascension from the rubble made when Godzilla last
decided to make a visit. It was a major cog in the economic machine that
was Japan.
	So much the more that it had to be defended.
	That was what the Japanese National Guard was for. It had a duty. Never
again shall the city be reduced to ruins by neither monster nor alien. No
terrorist, madman, and other such fiendish enemy of all that is good shall
destroy what the Japan had labored so long to rebuild. They were the city's
(and the nation's) shield. The best, last and only line of defense.
	That is, until the Sailor Senshi came to town.
	Everybody loved the Sailor Senshi. Fighting for love and courage (and for
the heavenly body [not those] of their choice), they had even more appeal
than any tank, or APC, or footsoldier had. Sailormoon merchandise filled
the stores everywhere, and many a child (even small boys and some adults)
wanted to become one of them. They always won, even against hopeless odds,
thanks to that special crystal Sailor Moon had, and the often strange way
that they somehow found the strength needed to defeat the enemy, no matter
how strong. Much more, they worked for free! Needless to say, the National
Guard felt unwanted (their own marketing strategies failed miserably). The
ranks declined, as most of the troops moved into the Sailormoon fan club. 
	 But the Sailor Senshi had one weakness. They cannot, *would not*, fight
perverts. It was proved when the evil ogre and Happosai attacked the U.S.
West Coast. The evil old man just kept on coming, the tight sailor suits
and the short skrits increasing his fighting skills exponentially. It was
only through a combined effort of the Sailor Senshi, the U.S. National
Guard, G.I. Joe, the Ghostbusters (the real and the original ones), the
C.I.A., F.B.I., M.I.B. (they used the flash-thingy on everyone so no one
really knew that they were there), all seven Enterprises (the existing
NCC-1701, the A through E with the alternate future F), Batman (Adam West),
Swift Enterprises, and a small troupe of geeky kids headed by a purple
dinosaur, that they were finally able to contain the horrible ogre. But
that was after a gruelling three and a half weeks of full scale war. And
after all that, the Baywatch lifeguards had to clean a beach full of
discarded swimsuits left by Happosai. The west coast has still to recover
from the onslaught, even though six months had passed.
	And the same pervert (so cleverly named Ranma Saotome by CNN) was sighted
in Tokyo! The National Guard simply could not let the same thing happen
here. The Sailor Senshi were still recuperating from the harrowing
incident, so they were alone. They, in all the world (together with the
Eisenhower carrier group), were the only ones ready to meet the assult. An
attack like that should never happen again. Before the day should end, they
would be victorious.
	That is, if they knew where he was.
	However, at precisely 1:25 p.m. a strange radar blip appeared. Computers
in the U.S. fleet and on land determined that it was a projectile and
calculated its impact site. Immediately, the information was disseminated
to all the military and civilan bureaus concerned. At 1:28, a citywide
state of emergency was declared all over Tokyo in readiness for a possible
West Coast scenario. At the same time, battle plans were made and
commanders brought to speed.
	And so, at thirty minutes past the first hour of afternoon, the Platoon
Nerima Tank Squad headed by a Gen. Yamashita together with promised close
air support from the U.S. fleet, rumbled out of the armor barracks, to
finally slay the cursed beast once and for all.

	"Everyone! Disengage all non-essensial equipment. Reduce power output to
5%." The Adviser barked out the orders for a temporary shutdown of the
Kendo Club Dojo. Miss Hinako was approaching real fast. 
	The Organizer helped with the debriefing. "Be brave, men! The time of
victory is at hand! Do not lose heart. Our agents have infiltrated every
corner of this school. When we shall attack, it will be one united campus.
Before the day shall end, we would have defeated that cursed Ranma once and
for all!" He was answered with cheers. "RANMA SAOTOME SHALL DIE!!!"
	The Adviser took out several watches. He gave them to the different club
heads. "These are two-way communication devices. Keep in touch with me,
I'll hold the fort while classes are going on. This is a very crucial
moment in the plan, so be careful." 
	With everything finished, the Cappuccino Consortium ran the back door just
as Miss Hinako stepped into the front. All she saw was an empty room and a
pair of geeky kids sleeping on the floor. "Hmm... I thought I heard
delinquents here..." she said and left.
	"That was close," the Organizer sighed in relief. "The entire operation
would have been jeopardized. Have you made an alternate attack plan that
would deal with Miss Hinako?"
	"Yes. Do not worry. D-hour shall go on as scheduled right after classes
end in the afternoon." 

	An empty room.
	There is not a more lonely place in all the world. Even Siberia or Death
Valley could not compare to the starkness that a room can have without
anyone else there could have. It is not a physical emptyness, but one felt
deep inside the soul. In such a room, everything looks the same, yet not
when emptiness describes it.
	And Soun was stuck in an empty house.
	He mulled over these thoughts, not really finding anything else to do. He
was beyond crying for hours now. He had tried to watch TV, but somehow the
tempting allure of noontime variety shows simply did not come. It wasn't
fun playing shogi alone, at least that was something Genma was useful for.
He still hadn't eaten lunch yet, and his stomach rumbled a little bit.
"Where is Kasumi?" he thought, watching the orange-spotted carp who had
been temporarily placed in a glass bowl due to the destruction of the koi
pond that morning. For some strange reason, he felt a lot like that fish,
trapped in a place without anything much to do. His eyes started to brim
with tears as he recalled that it was the same fish that he had won for his
wife in one of the town fairs. Her last one. It was ironic that a gift
would outlive its receiver. Soun began to cry, remembering the dream he had
last night. 
	He stopped, for he heard scuffling from the outside.

	Dr. Tofu hid behind the lamp post near the Tendo Dojo. "What am I going to
do?" he asked himself. The sudden surge of courage he had felt was gone.
This happened everytime he went here, the fuzziness and nervousness in
meeting Kasumi always getting in the way. He could only go there on house
visits, when a member of the Tendo family (and assorted houseguests) were
sick and the Hippocratic oath gave him the strength. But even then, he
would go haywire when he saw Kasumi.
	He regretted this weakness of his. It was this reason that he was not able
to come when Kasumi had invited him over last Christmas. He was doing the
same thing all over again, for he also hid here on that starry Christmas
night. While the party went on inside, he stayed out here in the cold,
never finding the nerve to take the next few steps to the gate.  To make
things worse, a flotilla of space debris chose to pass through the Earth's
atmosphere then. There he was, on one of the most romantic nights of the
year, underneath a starry sky full of shooting stars, with Kasumi standing
on the balcony, within earshot, with the starlight on her hair and a cool
wind blowing. It was a night for falling in love. It was a night lost
forever. When Kasumi asked about it the next day, "there are also sick
people on Christmas." What a lousy excuse, he thought.  
	Taking a deep breath, he decided that it was now or never. He would not
let the same thing happen again. He depressed an adrenalin generating
pressure point and advanced, for the 51st time, to the front gate. He
hesitated before knocking the door, the point of no return. Feeling weak,
he began to retreat.
	"Ah... What can I do for you?" Mr. Tendo opened the gate.

	Three things happened in Furinkan that day.
	Nabiki lost. Nabiki lost. Nabiki lost.
	An event like this happens only rarely, and deserves an instant replay
(from two different angles even). Like any sports event, the tactics and
strategies used were discussed time and time again by self-proclamed sports
experts, who most probably never participated in the sport in the first
place. Every thrust and parry, from the tendrils of blue aura to the small
and seemingly insignificant right eye twitches, all the moves were
catalogued and classified, bound together into a rather thick volume. It
could be said that the fight could be replicated, if the need should arise.
But why should it? All those present (aside from Nanami) suffered a great
amount of loss in their monetary resources.  The Record Keepers of Furinkan
High (the defunct Book Club) decided that for the benefit of all mankind
that the book be sealed and buried into the depths of incunabula.
	But before it was banished into this realm forever (until such a time as a
bookworm would find it once again, thus gaining the capabilites to conquer
the world), let us peer through its fineprint for one last time. 
	Nabiki Tendo, defeated. Those three words do not belong to one sentence.
Nor can they be said in the same breath of air. Nabiki always gets her way.
Nabiki always gets all the money. It used to be a universal law, and now
the cosmos shuddered at the upset. How can such an impossibility happen?
How can a nobody like Nanami Jinnai come to Furinkan High and suddenly rip
the very social fabric into tatters? Half of the book dealt with this subject.
	Expert Furinkan analysts blamed the loss on Nanami's sudden appearance.
Nabiki simply had not time to prepare for an all-out viscious attack.
Expert Shinnonome analysts (the competition became more a school matter,
even though Furinkan was at the losing end, either way) pointed to Nabiki's
underestimation of Nanami's abilities, one they were proud of. Both sides
were wrong. Nabiki was well prepared for any attack and she was in the
middle of a scheme when Nanami chose to make an appearance. A simple
manipulation of the variables would increase the margins of profitablilty
greatly.
	Actually, it was Nabiki's correct estimation of her opponent's abilities
that was her downfall. 
	She knew that Nanami would quickly grasp the socio-economical and
political situation of Furinkan High, being a reporter. And that Nanami
did. The way she manipulated the events involving the main contenders for
Ranma was excellent proof of that fact. 
	Nabiki was sure that, to get the complex twists of Ranma's life, she would
be asking help from the expert on that. An agent that works in the shadows,
sufficiently interested (obsessed would be a better word) in one of Ranma's
fianceés to keep up with the backbreaking job. And Nanami chose Gosunkugi
to be her partner in crime.
	Nabiki was sure that, for Nanami's coup de grâce, she would use Kuno in
one form or another. That would be a masterful conclusion. Using Kuno would
rub her triumph in. She even emphasized the point at the first formal
meeting, when she began making a scene about Kuno. Just as she predicted,
Gosunkugi's ten words made the rounds around the campus. She just decided
to act in a way unexpected by anyone. She did not even think about it even
at the last moment so that the opponent could not read her moves. It was a
totally unanticipated, impulsive move that served to push those that
survived the Great Kissing Switch (the last scene was refered to this way)
into temporary insanity.
	She kissed Kuno right smack on the lips (without tape).
	And this was her downfall.
	For those ten words were: "There ain't no way Nabiki Tendo would kiss
Tatewati Kuno." 
	A freaking double negative.
	She had played directly into her hands.
	For in a Ranma-dominated society, the double negative is used for
emphasis. In the rest of the world, however, the double negative is
considered to be an affirmation, like a negative number multiplied by a
negative number becomes positive.
	Everyone thought that what Nanami meant was that Nabiki would not kiss
Kuno under any circumstances. "It was an obvious fact," the student body
bet on that. If anyone would complain (and many did), Nanami warned that a
court hearing was the only way they could get their money back. Needless to
say, everyone wanted to avoid all the fuss. She got to keep all the money,
and estimates figured it up to a cool million yen. 
	Just as Nabiki had predicted, she would use Kuno as her final attack, just
to emphasize the irony. But she forgot an even more ironic ending.
	That a Queen could become a pawn.

	*CRASH* "Gah, this is bad!"
	Tsubasa forgot that he was still dressed as a steam roller when he tried
to enter the Ucchan's. "My dear Ukyo, please forgive me. But I do this for
the sake of our future happiness." The master of disguise switched to a
giant spatula (camoflauge) and clambered above the wreckage, acting very
spatula-like.
	He needed to find something that would indicate father-in-law's present
wereabouts. He hesitated climbing the stairs to her bedroom, thinking that
it would be some form of sacrilage. Seeing no other way, he crept slowly up
the stairs, afraid of being discovered. "The last time I was caught..." he
shruddered at the thought of being flattened by mighty mighty spatulae. 
	The room was a mess. Suitcases and clothes were scattered all around. He
tried to take his eyes off the unmentionables, because it might invoke
thoughts of... Uh oh. Too late. He slapped himself silly (pretty hard if
you're in a spatula costume). "Come on, Tsubasa. Snap out of it." Snaps, he
thought, the sound that a br--- "ARRGGGHH!!!" He slammed himself on the
wall, which reminded him of body slams and on softer surfaces it could
even--- "I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" He gasped ("GASPS!!!") and staggered
outside. He tripped and tumbled down the stairs, landing with a mighty bump.
	"I think I've been playing Strip Fighter too long..." he groaned before
passing out.

	*SLAM*SLAM*SLAM*
	"HIROSHI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"
	Classroom 1-F was in an uproar. Everyone lined the perimeter of the room,
desperately trying to increase their distance from the five people in the
center of the room. It was Sayuri who not quite screamed, smashing what was
left of her minature electric organ on what was left of Hiroshi's head.
"COME ON! SPEAK UP!"
	"Uh, Daisuke, could you help me out here---mmphh" Hiroshi managed to say
through broken teeth before he was cut off by a finger placed on his lips.
	"Your voice, it sounds like the whispering of a cool wind through a window
chime, predicting good fortune to us," Mio glomped Hiroshi once again,
squeezing his brains out. "I saw you in the stars, my love. When Venus
aligns with the sparking of your eyes." She placed her head on his chest,
closing her eyes. Sayuri resumed her pummeling.
*SLAM*CRASH*PAIN*BLOOD*VISCERA*SPLAT*OWW*
	Daisuke and Yuka watched from a distance, cringing at the amount of damage
Hiroshi was receiving. "Ah, doesn't that remind you of something?" Yuka
stared, right eye twitching. 
	Daisuke thought for a while.
	"AHA! IT LOOKS LIKE MY *OTHER* STORE STATUE!"
	"Huh?" Bigsweats dropped as this strange old man with glasses appeared in
the window. "Sorry, just passing through." The cursed antique shop owner
climbed in and went out the door.
	Hiroshi took this opportunity to make his escape. However, he was not as
lucky as he thought. "Where do you think you're going?" two pairs of voices
piped up. 
	A few moments later, the carnage began once more.

	Two people were walking towards a helicopter. A few minutes ago, these two
were bitter rivals, using their intelligence and abilites to the fullest to
beat the other. But Nanami had won, and the competition was no longer
there. There was no need even for the smallest outpouring of intimidation
aura. They met as bitter rivals, and now they part as best of friends.
After all, who else in the world had the same interests aside from the two
of them? The same level of diplomacy, monetary skills, specialization in
underhanded tactics? Yes, Nabiki did consider Nanami to be her friend. She
was her equal. The level of acquaintanceship could not be higher.
	They were discussing future plans of combat when Gosunkugi chose to make
an appearance. There was this unreadable look on his face. "So you're
leaving then," he walked alongside them, trying to avoid Nabiki's
questioning gaze.
	"I already think that I have overstayed my welcome. Quit while you're
ahead, as I always say." A few moments of silence passed by.
	Nabiki looked at the two of them at the corner of her eye in wonderment.
"There's something here..." She kept quiet, observing.
	Gosunkugi broke the silence first. "Umm... So, how did you do it? I mean,
what happened a while ago? It seemed like you had everyone eating out of
your hand. Even Nabiki here, no offense intended."
	"And no offense taken, Gosunkugi." Nabiki realized that somehow Gosunkugi
changed from the whining coward everyone knew to... something else she
couldn't determine at the present time. 
	Nanami wove a hand through her hair. "Weell, I have to admit that I took a
pretty large risk." She paused for a while to think. "I got information on
Nabiki's plan for Ranma to kiss Kuno from that piece of paper Nabiki
dropped." She gave Nabiki a condoling look. "But that wasn't her mistake, I
would have found out otherwise from another source." Nabiki nodded in
understanding. "My original plan was to make Nabiki kiss Kuno out of
despiration. Since I calculated that Nabiki would charge Kuno for an
extremely large amount of money, I had two options. I had get rid of Ranma
or get rid of Kuno.
	"However, a client came (who wished to be anonymous) with the same
proposition. Their company hired me either to get rid of Kuno or to make
Ranma avoid changing into a girl for the rest of the day. Believe me, I was
bewildered at the start, but I could thank Hikaru here for helping me out."
The voodoo master reddened a bit at that remark. 
	Nanami continued without a hitch. "They gave me this love formula encased
in some kind of--- Oh yeah, you know about it already, so I'll skip the
part. It was a massive risk I took using that formula on them. Ranma-chan
would have kissed him there and then. Just as I had hoped, one of Ranma's
fiancees was there to toss a hot water kettle before he passed the point of
no return. 
	"Since Ranma would instantly fall in love with Kuno if he changed into a
girl, that problem was solved. There was no way he would change to a girl
for the rest of the day. I used Akane at that point in time to shoo Ranma
away from the scene before the second phase of the plan took place. The
kissing part was an added bonus. 
	"I thought that in desperation, Nabiki would pretend to be the pig-tailed
girl, using Kuno's terminology, to kiss him and thus get his money.
However, I had not expected that the kettle would hit Kuno in such a way
that the kiss appeared to happen in his deranged mind. Even I was surprised
that things happened the way they did." She trailed off, deep in thought.
	They reached the helicopter. "I guess that its time to go." She took out a
small bottle and gave it to Gosunkugi. "Here, take this. This is a bottle
of Prozac at an extremely purified level. No. I don't use this. I keep it
for my brother (a long story, I tell you)." She reached out and opened
Gosunkugi's left hand, placing the bottle on his palm. "You aren't the
weakling you think you are, Hikaru. Don't waste your life just hiding in
the shadows. You deserve better than this. You saw how integral you were to
my victory." She shook his right hand. "You could become better, remember
that." She let her hand linger for a little while. Reculantly, Gosunkugi
let go.
	She turned to face Nabiki. "I thought that you would see through that
double negative trick, Nabiki. I think that..." she paused for a little
while, as if trying to find the right way to phrase it. She decided to
attack in another direction. "It has been a long time since we last met,
Nabiki. Things have changed. I have this feeling that you like Kuno, or you
would not have let him influence your decisions. Ah, you laugh in disgust
now, but trust me. Deep in your heart you like him."
	"Yeah. It's soooo deep that I can't feel it," Nabiki added sarcastically.
	Nanami continued, "I have this knack of seeing through disguises. The mask
that you're wearing is very much like that of your sister Akane puts on in
front of Ranma. I guess that it runs in the family. Anyway, my point is
that you should introspect yourself, find out what you really feel. 
	"I made the same mistake you're making now, Nabiki. I did not ask myself
what I really felt for this guy at my school." Bad memories sprang
unbidden, sadness washing over her like a bucket of ice water. "I let him
hang around me, not returning the affection he gave, since it was
unbecoming of my, no, our status, Nabiki. We must remain coldly calculating
at all times, never let our emotions affect us, so our abilites would
remain at their peak. I simply toyed around with his emotions, using him as
some sort of dummy. When he started liking someone else pretty badly, I was
shocked. I tried desperately to win him back, but it was too late. 
	"Don't let the same thing happen to you, Nabiki." She smiled, "You could
lose a lot of money that way."
	The pilot called out from the cockpit. "Nanami, I think we have to leave
as soon as possible." He was eyeing the growing mob of angry students who
wanted to get their money back, even by force. He revved up the motor.
	Nanami shook Nabiki's hand. "Well, it has been a pleasure meeting you
again. I haven't really had a good workout in a long time."
	Nabiki replied, in all honesty, "same here, old rival, same here..."
	When everything was finished, she walked away.
	"Uh, Nanami, I---" Gosunkugi spoke up.
	"Yes, Hikaru?"
	"Ah... Nothing." He could not meet her gaze, focusing his eyes instead on
the grass at his feet.
	"Okay," she said quietly. She climed in the helicopter and closed the
door. A few minutes later, it was in the air, disappearing rapidly into the
Nerima sky. The mob shot a few arrows and several spears, but the giant
bird was beyond range. In the distance, the clock chimed the end of lunch
break. The mob milled about, and in their chaos, effectively left Nabiki
and Gosunkugi alone.
	"She's never coming back, is she?" Gosunkugi asked, a dark shadow falling
over his eyes. Nabiki couldn't help but feel pity.
	"You're pathetic," she said and walked back to class. 

	Meanwhile, on the other side of Tokyo.
	"Open fire, men!" Gen. Yamashita ordered his troops over the radio. "Don't
spare the horses! Full salvo!"
	"But, sir! That's a school building!"
	"Darn it! I have the monster in my sights! Open fire! That's a direct
order! Besides, it would be lunchtime. No one would be inside the building.
FIRE!"
	*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*

	"WAAAHHHH!!! Mako-chan, please give me some more food!" 
	"Hey! Give that back, Usagi-chan! The Sailor Senshi are on hunger strike,
remember?"
	Ami Mizuno snapped out of reverie. "At least things are starting to go
back to normal," she thought. The monster attack in California was a
devastating blow to all of them. It was a good thing that there wasn't any
evil kingdom using people as portable generators at this point in time. All
of the Sailor Senshi were in a middle of a bad case of depression. She was
afraid that if an attack should come...
	Usagi grabbed the remaining dimsum in a place where Makoto could not
recover it: she stuffed it into her mouth. "Do you see any sailor senshi
around here? All I see is just poor and hungry Usagi, who has not eaten a
full meal for hours now. Can I have some more?" 
	Minako sighed, "Usagi-chan, if you keep stuffing yourself like that,
you're going blow up. Would you want to look like a tomato whenever you
change into Sailor Moon?"
	Ami kept out of the discussion, paying more attention to her own train of
thought. The hunger strike was Rei's idea. It was pathetic, in her opinion,
to force the government to pass stricter anti-perversion laws. But it was
something to keep them all busy. Busy enough to forget. She sighed. She
still woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. It was always the
same dream, the same dark overtones filled with the screams of---
	"EEK! COME BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!!!!"
	"WHAT A HAUL! WHAT A HAUL!"
	All four looked up to see an angry mob of women carrying pitchforks
chasing a small old man carrying a sack bursting with panties. "Pretty
ladies!" He ran over to them, closing the distance with each hop.
	"I-it's h-him!" Usagi stammered in recognition. "Somebody, do something!"
But they were all frozen in shock. 
	*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*KABOOM*
	The air was filled with debris as the tanks unleashed tons and tons of
ammunition on the diminutive pervert. The barage lasted a full twenty
seconds, punting enough firepower to obliterate a medium sized city on a
target small enough to fit inside a hot water kettle. The grass was
cratered by bomb blasts, trees were ripped to shreads. There were several
large gaping holes in the school building. Due to the skills of the
gunners, no one was hurt. 
	"CEASEFIRE!" The booming of the tanks ceased. A large cloud of dust filled
the air.
	 "Is he dead?" All eyes turned to the center of the gaping hole that used
to be a normal school garden. The suspense was enough to kill an enraged
elephant, hopefully a small pervert.
	Jaws dropped as the old man emerged unscathed. Happosai looked himself
over. "I'm dirty all over. I guess I better wash this when I get back
home." He grabbed his bag, "well, back to business!" He ran off, doing what
he does best. The mob of metal and lace took chase, wrecking everything
that stood in their way.
	"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"
	<17 second transformation sequence>
	"I SHALL PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF VENUS!" Sailor Venus jumped up and gave
chase. Good thing everyone else was still stunned to see the transformation
scene. The glittering display of Senshi power vanished into the thick mob,
with the battlecry, "ALL PERVERTS DESERVE TO DIE!!!" 
	Mako-chan shook her head as Ami stood up to follow. "It's a waste of time.
We won't be able to catch up to him." It was obvious that she was trying to
hide her shame in the one enemy they failed to defeat. She tried to smile.
"I guess there won't be any classes for the rest of the day. Where are you
going, Ami-chan?"
	"I guess I'll be heading over to the library."		
	Mako-chan noticed Usagi lying on the ground. "Are you okay, Usagi-chan?"
	The future Neo-Queen Serenity foamed at the mouth. "Fooood... Give me some
foood."
	"Why did I have to ask."

	"Hey, Hiroshi's not moving."
	"Maybe he's dead."
	"Oh! I know CPR. He needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! I learned it in a
dream!"
	"HA! DO YOU THINK YOU COULD TRICK ME?!" *SLAM*SLAM*
	*Groan* "When does the hurting stop..." 
	"It never does, Hiroshi. It never does." Akane stepped into the room,
looking crestfallen. Immediately, Sayuri and Yuka rushed to her side, with
Mio reluctantly leading the rear. 
	"Hey, man. Could you help me up?" Hiroshi called from the floor. Daisuke
helped him to his feet. 
	"Female support groups," Hiroshi gazed at the large agglomeration of women
fussing around Akane. "How come you didn't help me out there?"
	"I don't know. For a minute there, you looked like Ranma. You do know what
happens when you interfere in a
Ranma-fianceé-no-finesse-martial-arts-fight, don't you? Ranma always does,
and he's the one who always gets blamed."
	"I see what you mean." He looked around the room. "Speaking of which,
where's Ranma?"
	"I don't know. But he better remain that way, for his sake. Right now,
he's going to have a lot of enemies. A lot."

	Ranma sneezed once again. Gosh, he hated himself then, hiding like a small
weak animal. Everyone by now would have known his secret. He stood up,
bathroom tiles were bad company. He splashed some water on his face (not
enough for changing) from the sink as he hid in the men's room. (A sudden
flash of insight, perhaps?) 
	The scene flashed once more through his mind. Mousse's incredibly
devastating punch. Shampoo's look of anger. Akane's look of pity. Akane
kissing Mousse. That last one sent waves of jealousy through him. Anger at
his helplessness. Weakness... 
	Rage against it! 
	With all the hate he felt, he vented his rage on the bathroom mirror,
wishing to hurt something, anything.
	*CRACK*
	The bell rang in the background, signalling the end of lunch break. 
	"OWW! @#--" He bit back a curse. 
	He ended up hurting himself even more.
	The glass did not even break. Blood began to flow through an open wound in
his right hand. 
	"Ranma?" a voice from behind called out to him and Ranma cringed. It was
female. Thinking that it would be Miss Hinako, he took a deep breath and
slowly turned around.
	It was only Ukyo.
	"Ranma!" She rushed to his side seeing the blood trickling down to the
floor. She grabbed a strip of cloth from her pocket and tied it around the
wound, hesitating a bit at the thought of touching his hand. The
administration of first aid took place in total silence.
	Ranma spoke up first, "Thanks, Ucchan."
	After that, the two began to talk at the same time.
	"Where have you---" "Don't mention---"
	"Is anything bothering---" "What's wrong---"
	"Nothing---" "Nothing---"
	"We better stop---" "We better stop---"
	"We *better* stop doing this," Ukyo managed to break through. Both of them
giggled, the situation was actually funny. Whatever nervousness or anger
left them like a flash. 
	*GROWL* Ranma's stomach protested this development. This did cause a few
more moments of laughter.
	"Oh, you must be hungry, Ranchan" Ukyo took out the box she had been
carrying. "I present you with the *ULTIMATE OKONOMIYAKI*!!!" With a
flourish, she ripped apart the wrapping paper, exposing an extremely tasty,
overly decorated, and large, okonomiyaki. "That's the best recipe I know.
I've been meaning to give you this a few minutes ago, but you were busy and
I---" "Uh-oh," Ukyo thought, "I shouldn't remind him about that." 
	Ranma tried to smile. "Thanks for caring, Ukyo. You're the best friend a
guy could ever have." Quickly, almost ravenously, he dug in. The warm taste
exploded slowly in his mouth. "WOW! This is the best one I have ever
tasted!" The mouthfuls grew in size. He was really tempted to put the
entire thing in his mouth, but each bite had to be relished. "This tastes
so good!"
	"A friend, is that all you think of me, Ranma?" Ukyo looked at him with
sad, sad eyes. "You mean after all the things I have done for you, you
still consider me the same as Hiroshi and Daisuke?" 
	Ranma's gluttonous attack continued unabated. "But you are my *best*
friend, Ukyo!" 
	Ukyo just sighed, "Ranma, why do you always have to say the worst things
at the worst time..."
	"Why? Don't you want to be my best friend?"
	That did it. Tears began to flow. "Ranma... You don't really care about
me, do you?"
	*URK* "Now what the heck did I do?" He sat closer to her, not really
knowing how to calm her down, much like an inexperienced guy next to a
crying baby. "Ukyo, are you hungry? I still have some of that fantastic
okonomiyaki left." His hands were shaking, not knowing how to comfort her.
	Ukyo managed to smile despite herself. A very flustered Ranma was a very
funny sight indeed. "Thanks, Ranma. You really do care for me..."
	In a very rare occasion, Ranma managed to say something really
appropriate. "But, of course, Ukyo. Why the heck would you think that I
didn't care for you? I've known you since we were kids. You're the only
person I've met in the past not to have gone psycho on me. Not like
Shampoo, or Ryoga, or..."
	At the mention of Ryoga, strange feelings washed over Ukyo. She shut her
emotions out and concentrated on the task at hand. "Ranma, that's not the
point." She gazed into his eyes. "Ranma, the way you're acting now, the way
you're at a loss for the right words... It... It means that... you l-love
me..."
	Now that made Ranma speechless for a while. 
	Ukyo thought, "I have to make a move now. Ranma's too dazed right now to
do anything." She slithered up close to him, not breaking eye contact.
Ranma was visibly nervous now, but Ukyo was thankful that he wasn't opening
that mouth... 
	Ranma was getting real scared. She had that cute cross-eyed look that
somehow he couldn't take his eyes off. His head swam as the perfume she
wore wafted in his nose. His hands began to twitch as she held them in her
hands. And she looked at his lips... 
	Ukyo snickered as beads of prespiration came down his face. "If he were
Ryoga, he would be nose-bleeding by now." Surprise came to her, then anger.
"Why did I think of that jackass at a time like this?" Thinking of him
strengthened her resolve even more. "Here goes..." She closed her eyes and
dared to put her face even closer to his. She continued the advance until
she was mere milimeters from him. "Ranma has to be the one to make the
move. He has to be the one. Come on Ranma, don't back out now..." 
	Some 90% of Ranma's brain turned to jello. The remaining 10% were
tabulating all the disasters that could happen. The building could blow up.
Ukyo was possessed by some demon. He was actually talking to Shampoo (she
would do this kind of thing). Hallucination due to hunger or Kodachi. A lot
of people would appear out of nowhere (that happened once) and he would be
forced to marry her. Akane would just happen to pass by, just as she was
wont too, and he would have a hard time to explain...
	"Akane!" he thought. "Why the heck did I think of that tomboy at a time
like this?" Akane kissing Mousse, the memory tore his heart to pieces. He
looked at Ukyo's face, so near to his. Akane's taunting words of pity.
Ukyo, who would understand his weakness. Ukyo. Akane. A decision was made.
The 10% voted unanimously.
	He reached out, closed his eyes, and bridged the gap.

	"You mean you're not coming with us?" Rick Hunter asked the blond inventor
as he stepped out of the jeep. He thought that Tom Swift had some kind of
gizmo on him that would protect them from the attacks of the monster
pervert. Or he could make one on the fly, much like McGyver. His departure
increased the already great amount of apprehension Rick was feeling right now.
	"Sorry about that. I have to go to the library to do some research."
	"Don't you have enough information on that computer of yours. Not to
mention instant access to the 'net?"
	The Admiral spoke up. "Sometimes, turning pages would be better than
pressing a key or clicking a mouse. Libraries are still a good resource
facility, even in today's day and age. They've worked for centuries.
They'll work for a few more."
	Tom Swift continued the Admiral's point. "I have to research on old
Chinese manuscripts concerning a new type of power source we need to defeat
the monster. There are no electronic versions, just old yellowed paper only
available here." He smiled. The train of thought he had been thinking for
the past half year was nearing its apparent terminal. Or dead end. "It's
sometimes hard to think that ancient ideas could have modern day
applications."
	Rick Hunter nodded his consent. It was impossible otherwise against the
combined odds.
	The Admiral started the engine once more. "I'm sure that you want to go
home on your own, take a little bit of sight seeing or research until the
library closes. I trust in your abilites, but be careful. Tokyo could be a
pretty rough place when you don't know your way around. I want you to be
back at 2100H for the briefing with the staff. Until then, take care. The
battle we will face will hinge on what you would find." He gave Tom Swift a
smart salute, which he promptly returned before turning away.
	"We'll, Rick. We're off to Nerima. Wear your seat belt though. It might
become a pretty rough ride."
	The jeep rumbled on to other adventures.

	Dr. Tofu and Mr. Tendo faced each other off.
	"Sir, I would like to see Kasumi. I have something important to tell her."
	"Why not tell me instead?"
	"Sir! If anyone should overhear us... They might think we're some kind of
perverts!"
	Mr. Tendo guessed at what Dr. Tofu was going to say. "So you really like
my daughter."
	This was met with a pause. "Yes, sir," he said defiantly. "Wow! I actually
managed to say it!" he thought.
	"You've been a family friend for a long time. If you have said this
earlier, I would have given you parental consent. However..." He frowned.
"However, your actions this morning were inexcusable for a martial artist.
I would not want to see my daughter getting married to a potential madman.
Goodbye." He closed the door.
	Dr. Tofu put his hand in. He grimaced in pain as his fingers were crushed
into the wood. But it worked, Mr. Tendo opened the gate once more. 
	"Sir," there was despiration in his voice. "Sir, please give me another
chance. I act that way because I really care for Kasumi. I've loved her
ever since we were little kids. The very sight of her fills me with joy.
There is no way I would ever hurt her. Mr. Tendo, I give you my honor that
I would do anything to be worthy of her. Please..." 
	Mr. Tendo smiled. "Your courage is admirable. I feel the sincerity in your
voice. Very well, I shall give you another chance. Prove that you are the
respectable man we all know you to be." He placed his hand on the doctor's
shoulder. "I was in the same position as you once, almost begging in front
of the door of the one I love. I made a vow then that I would listen. Use
this chance wisely."
	"Sir... I---"
	"Why, hello, Dr. Tofu! What brings you here?" A smiling Kasumi with P-chan
in her arms waved to them from the street corner. "I see that you're
getting well with father again."
	"K-K-Kasumi..." 
	All hell broke loose.
	"Kasumi! Please save me from this horrible man!" Soun sobbed as Dr. Tofu
did the famous skeleton carry on him. "Dr. Tofu! Please! You're scaring
father. Please, put him down." Kasumi pleaded. All P-chan could do was a
"B-wee!"
	After a few minutes, Dr. Tofu managed to calm down a bit. Soun was crying
like a fountain. "Thank you so much, Kasumi. Please, take me home." The two
of them staggered into the Tendo Dojo. "Please stay here, Dr. Tofu. I want
to talk to you later," Kasumi looked back before closing the door.
	Dr. Tofu's hazy feeling was replaced by a feeling of dread. "I did it
again." Kasumi's last words echoed in his mind. "She's going to tell me to
stay away." Shame. It filled him with shame. He knew that he couldn't face
up to her.
	So when Kasumi stepped out once again, an empty street greeted her. 

	When Nabiki stepped into 2-E, there was a small commotion going on. "Hey,
Nabiki, someone's looking for you." 
	The cursed antique shop owner approached Nabiki. "Hello again, Nabiki. I
wouldn't believe it, but it seems that your credit cards don't work
anymore. I was wondering if you could pay me now, perhaps."
	She took a deep breath. "I don't have any money," she said quietly.
	The classroom became silent. All ears strained to hear the impossible
sentence. "Eh? What did you say?" the cursed antique shop owner cupped his
ears. 
	Nabiki looked him straight into the eye and said in a firm, defiant voice,
"I don't have any money. I'll pay you tomorrow." Then she added hesitantly,
"please."
	There was stunned silence. Then whispers began to erupt much like a
volcano on steroids.
	"Nabiki not having money!"
	"I never thought I would live to see that!"
	"It's not as though I would believe it."
	"It's the end, I tell you."
	"She must have lost her spleen."
	"Haven't you heard what happened a while ago?"
	"Don't know, I was eating."
	"YOU ATE SPLEENS?!?"
	"No, I ate meat by-products, idiot."
	Nabiki spoke again, not minding what was being said about her.
	"I'll pay you on Tuesday."
	"You must pay now! I have to pay the rent today."
	"I really can't..."
	He threatened, "Then I'll have to..."
	She dared, "Then you'll have to what..."
	"I'll have to charge you a 10% interest!"
	*GASP!*
	"Did you hear what he said!"
	"10% interest!"
	"That's one heck of a mean attack!"
	"Nabiki has no choice."
	"She'll have to pay it."
	"Poor Nabiki. Lost twice in a day."
	"I TOLD YOU I DON'T EAT SPLEENS!"
	"Only weak and dishonorable men attack when the enemy is down. Attack when
the enemy is strongest, and die with honor and dignity." All eyes turned to
the door, where Kuno (who else?) made a grand entrance. "Is it not when
thou hast defeated the enemy against impossible odds, the greater the glory
you shall receive? I tell you, if the fair Nabiki Tendo were only a quarter
stronger than she is now, she would have thou cast into the pitless hell of
bankruptcy! Do you want money, here!" He slapped him with a wad of bills.
"Ha! Thy true colors show. You are nothing but a miscreant glutton for
money! The souls of real men could not be bought. Begone before I shall
beat with my legendary bokken justice into your soul!" The cursed antique
shop owner was too happy to comply.
	"Thank you, Kuno..." Nabiki said. She tried not to say anything more, nor
pay attention to the dizziness she suddenly felt.  
	"Ah! For the fair Nabiki Tendo, I shall do anything. For thou has
protected me against the tentaculous desires if the one called Nanami
Jinnai. Even though thou hast lost thy title, for the great Blue Thunder,
thou shalt remain to be the Queen of Capitalism." He gave her a sparkling
smile. "The great Tatewaki Kuno and the Kuno family is in debt to you. Thou
has earned a just reward." He took out a small button from one of his
pockets. "I bestow upon you the Kuno Seal of Excellence, given only to
those whom the Kuno family holds in high esteem. Only two other people have
received both the Seal of Camaraderie and the Seal of Excellence bestowed
upon them. Thou holds a special place in the Kuno family. Consider it a
special honor." The Blue Thunder graciously took his leave.
	"He even forgot what happened," Nabiki shook her head in disbelief.

	Silence.
	A resounding slap echoed through the small room, dying upon the bathroom
tiles.
	Silence.
	Stunned silence.
	An angry shout. 
	A pleading voice.
	The door slammed.
	Tears fell.
	"I did it again," Ukyo sobbed. "I did it again..."

	Ranma ran away. He did not know where he was going. All he knew that he
had to run away, run away from it all. His footsteps echoed through the
empty corridors of the school, the merciless faces that occupied it, a nest
of traitors that used to be his friends. He felt betrayed, betrayed by them
all. First, it was Akane. Now, it was Ukyo.  Soon, he knew that Shampoo
would reject him as well, when she found out that Mousse was stronger than
him. They all laughed behind him, the entire world laughed at him, chasing
at his heels, spitting gore and spleens, thirsty for his blood. 
	He let the anger rage inside him. Anger, hate, rage, fury. "LIKE I CARE!"
he yelled. Let the world rot. He would get his strength back. He---
	He thought that he could depend on Ukyo. His friend, the only one who
would understand him no matter what happened. Why did she have to slap him
then? He thought that she cared for him, only him. He eyed the bandage on
his right hand. "Why did he have to take her away from me? Why now?" 
	He needed Ukyo's love for him now. The only one who loved him out of no
reason at all. Unlike Shampoo, who only wanted him out of her tribe's
tradition, or Kodachi, who only wanted his body. Akane was angry (or
jealous) most of the time and he honestly wasn't sure if she really did
care for him. Ukyo, on the other hand, had pure, unconditional love. He
knew that. She would be the one to understand his decision if he did choose
Akane, the only one among the others. The only one... the only one whom he
felt true love from.
	On any other day, he would have been happy for the two of them. But not
now. The possesive side of his mind wanted to keep all of his fianceés to
him (except for Kodachi), all of them.
	The bandage fluttered in the cold draft that began to blow. The same
bandage Ukyo had so lovingly wrapped. 
	It was Ryoga's bandana. 

	Tsubasa woke up from strange dreams to find a really hairy monster staring
back at him. "Eep! Please, don't eat me!" He screamed, desperately trying
to get away. A few seconds passed without anything happening, he opened his
eyes to find a Tibetan llama laughing at him with unsupressed glee. There
were other llamas roaming around the store, eating everything that wasn't
tied down. Tsubasa shooed them out. "Get out of my dear Ukyo's store!" 
	One of them was eating an envelope and he grabbed it before the saliva
would make it inaccessible to his dainty hands. His eyes lit up to find
that it was a letter addressed to the postman with the words "Forward all
mail to this address: <Mr. Kuonji's address>" 
	"AT LAST! I FINALLY FOUND IT!" He jumped around with joy, causing the
llamas to bigsweat. Already a plan was forming in Tsubasa's head. He ran
over each phase of the scheme in his mind.
	An SD Tsubasa set up an anvil above the doorway of the Kuonji residence
(pictured as a giant okonomiyaki with a porch and a garden). Mr. Kuonji (in
black, because Tsubasa doesn't know how he looks like) would step out of
the house to cause the 10 ton anvil to drop on him. SD Tsubasa, with a
dashing cape and nice smile, will appear out of nowhere and push him out of
the way. "Oh, son. You have saved my life," Mr. Kuonji's dark silhouette
would say, patting his back. "You would become a great addition to my
family." SD Ukyo would happen to pass by to see the great save. "Oh,
Tsubasa! You saved my father! I love you so much." SD Uyko and SD Tsubasa
would hug as the sunset filled the sky with glorious colors and the curtain
would fall down just as they were about to kiss...
	"Ha ha ha ha BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

	Hinako-chan was ANGRY. Somehow, she was not able to find any perverts that
lunch time. Her trigger finger was itching now, and if anyone dared cross
her way...
	Ranma Saotome bumped right into her. "Uh-oh..." "AHA! A DELINQUENT!" She
took out a coin. The corridor was filled with an intense light. 
	When it vanished, Ranma was cringing at Hinako-chan's foot, looking not at
all drained. "Nothing happened?" She was startled. "That blast should have
drained him raw."
	Ranma rose unsteadily to his feet. "Ranma Saotome! You think that you can
cut classes again? Go to your room!" She dismissed him with a wave of her
hand, trying not to let her surprise show. Ranma staggered away, not
looking back. "That should teach you..." 
	Hinako-chan resumed the search, wondering what the heck was going on.

	Akane wondered what the heck was going on. "Ranma's not come in yet." The
teacher droned on and on in the background. She glanced at the empty seat
to her left. "Where is he?"
	That morning, everything seemed fine between her and Ranma. Now, only a
mere eight hours later, they weren't even on speaking terms. As far as she
could remember, she did not do anything out of the ordinary that would
produce this type of reaction. Except for... "Oh, Mousse..." she bit her
lip and tried to hold the tears back. 
	Kissing Mousse only made matters worse. Akane hated herself. Gulit spread
its clammy hands over her heart. "Why? Why the did I do something like
that?" She tried to justify herself, trying to shake it away. "Oh, Ranma,
why can't you understand? Mousse is only a friend, just a friend..."  
	Mousse was just a friend. That's all he is. The only guy who had the
strange property of neutrality. Everyone else was either rooting for Ranma
(like Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome) or too hostile against him (like every
bachelor in Furinkan High). Mousse simply did not care who she ends up with
just as long as he and Shampoo would be together. Ryoga was her best
friend, the one whom she could trust, the only one who understands her. But
sometimes he could be so anti-Ranma. Too anti-Ranma for her own peace of mind.
	She sought relief in her anger, putting the fault all on him. "Ranma could
be too jealous sometimes. It's his fault. If he really cares for me, he
should just go ahead and say it. He should understand that I don't belong
to him. I can kiss anyone I want to. I can do that. Why can't he just say
it?" She answered her own question. "Because I don't listen. Because I
blame him for all my mistakes. Because I can't cook. Because I make him
jealous all the time. Because he..." She paused, the last one shocking her
the most. "Because he doesn't really care." That did it. Tears began to
flow. She slumped forward on her desk, trying very much to stifle the sobs.
"Oh, Ranma, I... I don't know what I do without..." the rest of the
sentence was submerged into an ocean of tears, with halting sobs splashing
unto the shores of her heart.

	"When governments collapse... Eh? Ranma Saotome! Do you realize what time
it is?! If I were Miss Hinako, I'd... <sigh> You know the drill."
	Daisuke sat up straight at the teacher's outbreak. He looked around. All
eyes were turned to the doorway. It was Ranma who so brazenly interrupted
the lecture. Groaning, he walked out again to get the buckets of water.
With him gone, the class went back to its usual routine.
	Daisuke did not accept this to be routine. Somehow, everything was
different. He glanced at Akane, still slumped forward on her desk, trying
not to give the appearance of crying. He looked over to his right where
Hiroshi, still being glomped by Mio under the harsh gaze of Sayuri. He ran
over the list of other events that happened that day. So many things have
happened that day, events that would have normally taken months to develop
were occuring in the space of eight hours. It was just too much. He had
this scary feeling that the universe was speeding things up and rushing
headlong to some kind of impending doom... He shook it off; he had enough
of these conspiracy theories.
	"Daisuke, is anything bothering you?" Yuka asked him. She looked around,
"I guess you're feeling weird too." She had worry written all over her
face. "Everything's suddenly different now. All the things we have taken to
be unchangable are just... changed. I feel like I'm lost or something." 
	"Don't worry, Yuka. Its just another case of Neriman madness. Things would
go back to normal, they always do," he avoided telling her the other part
of that saying. Things always go back to normal, but they always get worse
first. "If only Gosunkugi were here. I could ask him a few more questions,"
but the chair behind him was hauntingly vacant. Out of all the questions,
the one that was the most important was, what's going to happen now? 
	The teacher droned on in the background. He was talking more to himself
than the students. "When governments or societies collapse, it is usually
the loss of the leader or domineering individual of that society. In the
power vacuum that ensures, different individuals would seek to claim the
spotlight, and whoever becomes the victor not only becomes the new
domineering individual, he also becomes *the* society. In other words, the
society becomes him."
	There was a silent breeze and Daisuke felt hairs prickle at the back of
his neck. He looked behind him. Gosunkugi sat in his seat as if he had been
sitting there all this time. Daisuke felt cold. He decided not to pursue
the matter any further. 

	Somewhere, someone (or something) laughed, sending chills to all those
that heard.

	The jeep stopped at the foot of a small flight of stairs that extended
from the street to a small building. "This is a Shinto temple, Rick. These
people have experience in dealing with monsters."
	"You mean we came all this way for a priest?" Rick Hunter asked
incredulously. "We could have gotten one from a nearer location."
	"But this place is special, Rick. According to legend, the temple founders
sealed an evil monster that ravaged across Japan inside a box for a
thousand years. Sounds familiar, does it? I think that it would be worth
our while to check." He disappeared inside the shrine.
	A few minutes later, the Admiral came out with a Shinto priest. The priest
was talking, "I may be able to help you with your monster problems.
However, we might be in need of some kind of reinforcements just in case."
	"You mean you don't trust the United States Navy?" the Admiral asked the
priest.
	"It's not that. From what I have heard on the news, it took a pretty long
battle to contain your monster. Here we have some good people who would be
willing to fight, if it was needed, and they would even be more effective
than any cruise missile could ever be."
	The Admiral laughed. "You reached the same conclusion as I did. The Navy
does need all the help it could get. Where did you say we can get to these
people you were saying?"
	"I can direct you to the Tendo Dojo," the priest said slowly.  

	"I'm sorry Mr. Swift, but that portion of the library is closed for today."
	The words echoed through the large hall of the National Library. Tom Swift
stood at the Librarian's counter. "Is there any way I could go through
those records? It's really important," he pleaded with the bookeeper, but
he was adamant. (Not all librarians are old spinsters.) "I'm sorry, Mr.
Swift. But we are under strict orders not to let anyone in there. Tokyo is
in a state of emergency right now and the Archives section has several
valuable manuscripts. There may be people who would take advantage of the
situation, not that we suspect you or anything. For all rights and
purposes, the entire library should be closed. I'm sorry, Mr. Swift, but
there is nothing I could do."
	He tried another tactic. "Could there be other records outside of that
room? Someone could have read the ancient manuscrips and made a book about
them that wouldn't be as ancient and as valuable, right? Copies of copies.
I guess that I could I get my hands on them, can I?" The librarian nodded.
"Well, I would like to borrow those books." The librarian smiled and
disappeared into the endless stack of books.
	After a few minutes, he came back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Swift. The one copy we
have of the book you're looking for is checked out right now." At his
dejected face, the librarian added, "If it is really important, you could
ask that girl over there," he pointed with his hand. "She's the one who
borrowed that book. Quite a regular. I wouldn't be surprised if she had
even gone into the Ancient Records section." He frowned, "Come to think of
it, I don't recall anyone borrowing that book for a long time. She even
said that she found it hidden at the back of a stack of books. I think that
no one has read that book for at least 10 years." His face broke into a
smile. "Well, good luck on whatever your looking for." 
	Tom Swift approached the girl. The blue-green haired girl was so absorbed
in the book that she did not notice the blond inventor slide up in front of
her. ("How come some Japanese have such weird hair color?" he thought.)
	He cleared his throat. "Ah, excuse me. Are you using that book?"
	She looked over the book and stared at him as if she were in shock.
	The book cluttered harmlessly to the floor.
	Deterministics of Lucasian Kinetics, Descriptions and Relevant Physical
Laws: A dissertation on the possible use of chi as an energy source.
	Authored by: Kimiko Tendo.

To be continued...

There. I finished Chapter 8. I put in some hints as to what the story is
all about, I hope that you guys see them. I also got the part where Sailor
Venus transforms from the guy who made Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Ranma,
Stephen Tsai (hey, I timed it. It is 17 seconds.) I don't want people
telling me how clever I am at that part of the story, for I did not think
of it first. 

I guess it would be too late to say this but "Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year!"

Watch out for Chapter 9, The Attack of the Cappuccino. I hope to be able to
finish it before the end of January. C&C is needed pretty badly, I want to
know how you guys like the story so far, specialy those scenes (you know
what I mean). 

Oh, yeah. The disclaimer. The only original major character in the fic is
the Admiral. The others I leeched from other sources to great to mention.

If you missed the earlier parts, you can get them at the Nikholas F. Toledo
Zu Website, if you dare enter the tubular tunnels of Mayhem's sewer pipes. 

-------
Mayhem
January 02, 1998
Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/mezza9.html
Vector, Switch, Yebah, Rain Man, goo, Pervert, Scruples, Hollie, NomaD,
Blitz, Gee, Datzo, Jewel, Elf, Radler, Pinball, Mayhem, Chaos, Father, Attar
Fanfiction @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/fanfics.html
Warp Zone @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/thirteen.html
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The logo of the Church of All Worlds is nine concentric circles.
Word from the Laity:  Wipe yer feet!  Bloody 'ell...
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/3145/index.html
Currently under construction... confessional at the links.
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