On Sat, 14 Mar 1998, Coutuva wrote:

Here you go!

indeed!

	Shampoo didn't even wait until the dust from the
departure of the girls' taxi had settled before racing to the
phone and hastily dialing a certain number.

obviously, a little time has passed since the previous chapter.

	Her fingers actually trembled as she waited for the
overseas call to connect, certain that the party she was
calling would be able to make her scheme a success.  The idea
had come to her as she showered that morning, and she had
been anxious to try it ever since.

This looks bad...

	Finally, the call went through, and her heart almost
jumped at the sound of the voice on the other end.
	"Moshi, Moshi." the other party's voice answered, familiar
despite being a bit distorted by the cell network.
	"Ohaiyo, Kuno Nabiki-san.  It is Shampoo calling."  the
Amazon stated, trying to control the nervousness in her voice.
She knew that contact with Nabiki could prove to be a double-edged
sword, and wanted to chose her words carefully.

Keep in mind the time differential here, so you want to establish *when* 
this call is taking place.

	"Ano... Shampoo?!?  Where the hell are you?  

Everyone's

been wondering!"  Nabiki sputtered, taken completely off-guard by
the call.

"Especially your husband!"

	"I am in Canada, but no one needs to know that.  I have
my reasons."  Shampoo responded, keeping her voice serious.
	"Huhn.  Now that's what I like.  A woman with clear
goals.  So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"  Nabiki replied,
bemusedly.

Nabiki catches on quickly, don't she...though I think she might be a 
little more dubious about Shampoo just dumping Mousse to chase after 
Ranma's body again...

        "I need to find information about someone.  Are you still
doing that?"
	"Yes, but I'm keeping it quiet these days.  Social
pressures, if you know what I mean.  So, who's the victim?"
        "Her name is Okimiyaki Kikyo.  I think you know her."
        The phone went very quiet in her ear, and for a moment,
she thought she lost the connection.  Just as she was about to ask
if Nabiki was still there, Nabiki herself spoke.
	"Just a minute." came a terse response, followed by the
clack of computer keys in the background.
        Shampoo smiled to herself, her suspicions confirmed.
Nabiki was still upset about Kikyo, which meant she would get
exactly the kind of information she wanted.

Well, it's understandable...

        "Eto... Okimiyaki Kikyo... 28 years old, black hair, brown
eyes, 137 pounds, born in Kobe, emigrated to Canada in 1991, former
elementary school teacher, Weapons Expert, last major occupation
with the Canadian Armed Forces.  Honorably discharged in 1995,
now working at Hiroshima Daycare, Toronto Ontario.  Father
and Mother both deceased.  She also shows as burakumin, which
is probably why she left Japan."  Nabiki recited, still tersely.
"What do you want to know about her?"

"How did an elementary school teacher become a weapons expert, especially 
in Japan?"

        "I want to know when you gave her the orders to find 

Ranma." > the Amazon explained, hoping Nabiki wouldn't push for details.

        Nabiki didn't respond for a second, then Shampoo heard her
huff into the phone.
        "I don't know what you're doing, Amazon, and I really don't
want to know, but I think I like it."  Nabiki responded, wicked
amusement threaded through her voice.  "Okay, here's the scoop. She
was first given those orders about two or three hours after the
accident... right after I found out.  She was sent a complete file,
including pictures within the month, and I talked to her on her cell
phone a few times in there, too."  Nabiki indicated, the sound of
amusement still in her tone.

okay....

        "Arigato, Nabiki-san. I have what I needed."  Shampoo
smiled, excitedly.  "If you ever need a favor, you call Shampoo.
Just don't tell that I called you, or where I am."
        "Daijobu desu... Anything to help a friend get someone.
Especially *that* someone." Nabiki responded, smugly.  "Well, good

Um, Nabs...remember what happened last time?  Do you *really* want to 
risk Mu Lin coming back from the grave?

luck, Shampoo... you must let me 

know how this turns out.  
Oh, and > I may just take you up on that offer one of these days.  It just

so happens that I need a new Operative in that area.  Caio!" Nabiki
continued, and broke the connection.
	Setting the handset on the hook slowly, Shampoo smiled
wickedly, unable to believe her luck.  She had thought it would still
take some convincing to get anything out of Nabiki, even though she
had reason to want to get back at Kikyo.  Instead, she had everything
she needed already... with only one major exception.  She still
needed some kind of physical evidence, just in case.

Well, Kikyo burned the dossier before she read the marital status and 
family sections...

	Sitting back on the couch, she thought over what she had
discovered, realizing that she was now in possession of a ticking
bomb, and wanted to handle it appropriately.
        It had occurred to the Amazon that since Kikyo had been one
of Nabiki's Operatives, she must have known about Ranma/Hitomi long
before Mu Lin told everyone.  That would mean that she deliberately
withheld that information from Hitomi, for what were probably quite
selfish reasons.  Making matters worse, at the time Kikyo first met
her, she would have thought Hitomi was actually Ranma, and was well
aware that *he* was wanted in Japan.  That also meant that Kikyo
probably knew that he had a wife and children there, and again kept
that from Hitomi.

Not quite, but it would certainly look that way, and she *did* 
deliberately close her eyes to avoid learning.

	The wicked smile spread 

further over the Amazon's 
face. > Knowing how Hitomi loved children, it would devastate her to think

that two very young ones had been left dangling in Japan, all
because of Kikyo's dishonesty.  This, coupled with the fresh memory
of Kikyo knowing Hitomi's true origin and having not told her until
recently, added up to a major betrayal.  Shampoo knew that if there
was anything that would upset someone as forthright and trusting as
Hitomi, that would be it.

quite possibly...however, your just blurting it out would also be a 
betrayal, especially after your own part in the affair...

	Shampoo suddenly 

realized that all she had to do 
now was > be able to prove it, and her plan could actually succeed.  The

concept was so shocking that the Amazon actually had to let it sink
in for a few minutes.

Part one, yes.  Part two will fall down on what has scuttled all your 
other plans...

	
	Nodding her approval of it's location, she continued to pace

its

	Shampoo stood in the large window, partially hidden
behind the curtains, watching intently as Hitomi stood
gesturing about the yard.  Kikyo stood alongside, resting
her head on the redhead's shoulder.  In the depths of her heart,
she was still fighting the urge to quit while she was ahead, but
her warrior spirit wouldn't let her off that easily.  She thought
to herself that she had begun a mission, and couldn't stop till
it was complete, whatever the outcome.

Which has gotten you into trouble over and over again...

	Still, she felt slightly sad for what she was about to do
to the only two people that she really cared about, but reconciled
herself with the fact that if she let the chance get away from her,
she would regret it for the rest of her life.  As well, if she
succeeded, she would end up with what she desired most, and if she
failed, then she would know that Hitomi and Kikyo were indeed mated
by the Fates, and that she was destined to a life of failure and
loneliness.

Well, mated by Mu Lin, anyway. You are destined to a life of failure and 
loneliness.  Sorry, Shampoo. 

	Sighing loudly, Shampoo looked down at the crumpled pieces
of paper in her hand, and shook her head.  Copies of pay stubs, a
cell phone bill, and the second page of a fax detailing the urgent
orders to find Ranma.  Everything she needed to utterly destroy
Kikyo's credibility, and thereby Hitomi's trust in her.

Ouch.

	Shampoo was still surprised by how easily she had found
them, stuffed in an old box in the back of the girls' bedroom
closet.  She concluded that Kikyo was not expecting anyone else to
know her dirty little secret, so she had made no serious effort to
hide the evidence.

Besides, she thought she burnt the damning stuff.  Though why she hung 
onto the rest when she moved is beyond me.  Maybe you should mention that 
there were tax documents also in the box?

	 Because of this, Shampoo was 

able to take comfort in the

fact that a wrong actually *had* been done.  And she could justify
her actions based on that premise, should the need arise.

Yes and no...You aren't trying to see justice done, you're just trying to 
break up a loving couple for your own selfish desires.

	"No, Hitomi...!  I don't need you worrying about me like
this.  I can handle it!"  Kikyo abruptly snapped, stunning the
redhead.  "You stay here till you're actually tired."  she added,
turning and heading toward the bedroom.  "Oyasumi, anata."  she
added, firmly.

My God, she's turning into Akane!  (Though anything left of Ranma in 
Hitomi will probably find that attractive...)

	Hitomi sank back to her 

seat, stunned.  Kikyo had 
never > raised her voice to her in all the time they had been together,

and she didn't know quite what to do.

Cringe and take it like a man.

	Shampoo had to fight to supress a delighted grin.
        "Eto... she's being awful mean, isn't she?"  the Amazon
commented, shaking her head.
	"Ano... Hai."  Hitomi replied before thinking about it.
"She's been having mood swings though..."  the redhead added,
quickly.  "That's probably it."  she continued, looking up the
hallway.

Yep.

	Hitomi sighed heavily and shrugged resignedly.
	"I guess so... I'm just surprised.  Kiko-chan has never
done that before.  I didn't even know she could."  she remarked,
shaking her head.

Raise her voice and get snappish?  Geez, you really are naive.  All women 
(and men) have that capability.  Heck, even Kasumi's done it once in a 
while. 

	"Aiyah... If you would have seen her when you were taken
over by Mu Lin, you wouldn't have any doubt.  She's deadly."
Shampoo noted, eyes widening for effect.
        Hitomi turned to face the Amazon, jaw gaping.  "Ano...
you mean...?"
	Shampoo nodded sadly.  "Hai."  she added, softly.

"You never did tell me the whole story on that, did you?"

	A few days later, with the incident largely forgotten,
Hitomi rode home in the cab with Kikyo after taking in the Big Ben
Challenge at the Royal Equestrian Show.  It was a long ride back
from the CNE, and Hitomi noticed that Kikyo seemed preoccupied.

CNE?

	"Hai... I liked it okay... I just didn't know you liked
horses.  You've never said anything about it."  Kikyo replied,
snapping out of her daydream.

Like you've known her all that long?  And besides, Hitomi was almost a 
blank slate when you met her, she probably hadn't even thought of whether 
she liked horses.

	"Ano... lived with one?  You mean... No... not her, too?"
Kikyo responded, a bit surprised.
	"Hai!  Elysse was cursed as a horse.  If she got wet, she'd
change into an Arabian mare.  Imagine that cooped up in a
bathroom!"  the redhead chuckled, remembering the time fondly.
"Y'know, I wonder what she's doing these days... I've never heard
from her since she took off."
        "Why?  Do you miss her or something?"  Kikyo abruptly shot
back, leaning forward a bit.

"Yes, silly!  And don't you think it's just a bit *weird* how she vanished?"

	Hitomi stared back numbly, face fallen.  Kikyo continued
to glare at her for a moment, then huffed and turned away.
	"Kiko-chan...?"  Hitomi ventured weakly, reaching toward
Kikyo tentatively.
	"Don't worry about it."  Kikyo deadpanned, not moving her
eyes.

Oops, do I detect jealousy?  Geez, Kikyo really is having mood problems, 
since she knew darn well Hitomi was fond of Elysse.

	Once in the house, she noticed Shampoo sitting on the couch
with a curious look on her face, and that Kikyo was nowhere to be
seen.  When Hitomi looked back at Shampoo questioningly, the Amazon
pointed to the hallway.
	"She's in the bathroom.  What happened?"  Shampoo blinked,
cocking her head slightly.
	"Ay... I wish I knew."  Hitomi replied, defeatedly.
"Lin-san... I'm going to change.  See if you can talk to her, ne?"

"Into my male form so I feel more comfortable with being an idiot..."

seemed to be enjoying herself, even getting excited when a rider
ran a 'Zero-Fault' circuit.  Because of that, she couldn't make
it add up.  She noted that it was like Kikyo went from her normal
self to cranky in the blink of an eye, and Hitomi knew that
wasn't like her.
	As far as Hitomi was concerned, that left only one
possiblilty.  She had somehow upset Kikyo, but was still at a loss
to figure out why.

Kikyo is turning into Akane!  Just wait for the mallet to show up...

	Playing with her hair, the feature of herself she was most
proud of, had happily distracted her from that sad business, but

Not her "enormous tracts of land"?

	In the livingroom, Kikyo regarded Shampoo questioningly.

living room

	"What do you mean, she doesn't understand?  Feh, I sometimes
wonder about that girl."  she stated, shaking her head.
	"Well, you know she hasn't been around for very long...
maybe that's it.  Thinking about it, she's only about a year old."
Shampoo suggested, blinking at her own observation.

And is *amazingly* naive.

	Kikyo shot the Amazon a lazy smirk.
        "Huh... in this form, maybe.  Don't forget... she's got
most of the mind of a 30-something man.  I used to know exactly

Who was also amazingly naive, sometimes...

how old he was, but I don't have the info any more."  she
indicated, thoughtfully.
        "The info?"  Shampoo pounced, straining to both hide her
shocked delight and sound legitimately curious.
	"Hai.  I used to have a file on that Saotome Ranma from
shortly after I met Hitomi."

Whoops...

        "Eto... why would *you* have a 'file' on Ailen?"  Shampoo
prodded, acting as if she knew nothing about it.
	Lowering her voice to a whisper, Kikyo leaned toward the
Amazon before replying.
        "Don't you remember?  I worked for someone in Japan both
before and during my first few weeks at the Centre.  Finding
Saotome Ranma was my last assignment.  I was sent a file
describing him, and it was from that file that I discovered
who Hitomi was... or, who I thought she was."  Kikyo explained,
regarding the Amazon questioningly.  Shampoo couldn't believe
her ears.

Uhoh!!  Kikyo, you baka!

        "Ano... you mean it told about his curse, too?"  the
Amazon gasped, feigning shock.  "Who did you get that file from?
Not everyone knows about that."
        "A woman... a really unpleasant one named Kuno Nabiki.
She was my boss."  Kikyo stated, thoughtfully.  "I'm glad I
don't work for her anymore."  she added, emphatically.
	"Aiyah... that woman is Ailen's sister-in-law!  I know
her!  And she is unpleasant... even Ranma and Akane's children
don't like her."  Shampoo noted, shaking her head.

Didn't see *that* in Kun-chan's stories.  She was quite reasonable 
there...Although after her husband went off the deep end, and the love 
potion wore off, she might have taken a turn for the worse.
	Oh, and Shampoo?  You really shouldn't slander your new boss.
 > 	 Kikyo's face dropped as she heard a slight 
rustle 
from > behind them, then she jumped to her feet and looked down the

hallway.  She relaxed as she noted that nobody was there, and
breathed a huge sigh of relief.
	"Ay... I thought Hitomi-chan was there.  Didn't you say
she was changing?"

Her mind about this relationship....

	"Hai, she was... I wonder what keeps her?"  the Amazon
answered, turning to look up the hall.  Inwardly however, she
was absolutely delighted.  She had also heard the rustle, and
her trained warrior's ear had already told her that her efforts,
minimal as they were, had been sucessful.
	

successful
Well, Kikyo *was* bound to be found out eventually....though this way 
makes her look worse than some of the others she could have done...And 
Shampoo's definitely not going to like the results...

Has Elysse had her child by this point?

Some indiviual notes:

Kikyo:  Much as she's had this coming for a long time, I do feel a bit 
sorry for her.  This isn't going to be easy to explain.  "Well, after you 
missed three days of your life, waking up with a cat you've never seen 
before in your arms and me in the hospital, and didn't ask *one* question 
about what happened, I figured I could get away with never revealing 
anything."

Hitomi:  This experience is going to shake her badly, no question about 
it.  Kikyo lied to her, Shampoo lied to her, and if Hitomi's brain 
finally starts firing on all cylinders, she'll realize that Elysse *must* 
have known the truth and deliberately concealed it from her for unknown 
reasons.  That's pretty much all the people she has a close acquaintance 
with except the waitress.  And it's not like Hitomi knows any of the 
people in Japan to fall back on.

Shampoo:  Never learns, though her technique is much improved.  Things 
are likely to get very hot for her.

Nabiki:  Should really know better, but you could say she's "paid in 
advance" on this one, since she *tried* doing things honorably and 
reasonably, and got threatened and belittled for her efforts.  Then when 
she did the wrong thing for the right reasons, but tried to minimize the 
collateral damage (unlike most of the other women, who didn't give a 
darn), *she* was the one who got punished while the others got off scot 
free or even rewarded.

Elysse:  Is off everyone's Xmas card list for sure now.


SKJAM!