This untitled project is just in the birthing stages,
but, well, they grow up so fast.  :)  This is a xover involving
Ill Met By Starlight by Mike Loader and Susan Doenime, and my
own story A Wolf in Samurai's Clothing.  I was so annoyed with
Ranma in IMBS, I finally decided to do something abotu him.  :)
I take some liberties with the IMBS characters, but, hey, it's
all in good fun and I haven't killed Ranma YET.

(this story does not affect either plot in any way though it does
have spoilers for WiSC 5 [it takes place during 5] and at a 
certain scene from IMBS 5 [thus turning it into an IMBS alternate
timeline].  Coolly confusing eh?)

And on with the show...  [except this will be my last posting until
I return from AKon Tuesday night]




IMBS/WiSC



 	It was weird.  Like a ripple in the fabric of reality, it was
nearly insubstantial, but it carried quite a bit of weight.
 	One moment, Ranma had his fingers clutching Nabiki's throat,
the next, he was still clutching her throat.  Actually, Ranma hadn't
noticed a thing except maybe something subtle in the eyes.
 	Nabiki noticed a huge change.  She was no longer in her room
getting ready to go out.  She was still in her room, but Ranma was
there and was choking her.  He was also standing uncomfortably close
to her.
	She tried to speak, but could only gurgle; her air supply was
almost non-existent.

~~~~

 	She slumped to the floor.  Whatever had happened, it was a
lifesaver.  She had no idea what it was, but Ranma was gone and she
could breathe again.  She began coughing uncontrollably, her throat
raw.
	Strong arms were instantly around her, lifting her to her
feet.
	Turning, suddenly afraid that Ranma was back, Nabiki froze in
the face of who it really was.
	"Does something ail you?" Kuno asked.
	He had glowing red eyes.  Nabiki wanted to scream, but her
voice refused.  She settled for fainting for the moment.

~~~

	Ranma stared.  He couldn't believe it.  Just what the fuck was
going on!?  "What are you?"  How could he have missed this?
	Nabiki stared at Ranma, teeth bared, growling, and she could
feel the saliva building in her mouth.  He had quite a nerve asking
her questions.  She was only defending herself, while he had been
apparently attempting to kill her.  And where was Kuno-chan, that
idiot?
	Positions reverse, Nabiki barely felt the feeble blows he was
delivering, though she would have to make this quick or he would be
able to apply some painful hold or use pressure points.  She wasn't
immune to that stuff.
 	She squeezed a little tighter, being able to hear the slowing
of his heartbeat, how he struggled for air.  She wouldn't kill him,
even if maybe he deserved it, but...  She squeezed even tighter,
wondering if maybe she should anyway.

~~~

 	Fainting wasn't something Nabiki usually did.  Returning to
consciousness in the situation she was in was something she NEVER
did.  It was comfortable and warm, and it was softer than anything
she had ever felt.
 	A fur blanket?  Hey, who was she to look gift horses in the
mouths?  Yet, this one was growling softly in her ear.  Trying to
pull away from the thing holding her, Nabiki practically fell out of
her bed, and scrabbled across the floor.
	She looked back at the thing still in her bed and stared.
Just what was that... monster?  But what was even worse was that it
started to change shape into Kuno.  "Wha..."
	"Pray tell, what is the cause of your ills, my love?"
	And that was almost as bad as the monster thing.

~~~

	Nabiki waited until she was sure Ranma was unconscious, then
released him.  Released him?  She tossed him out in the damn window.
A little bit lucky for him it was open at the time.  She didn't
appreciate his death threats, and wouldn't stand for them when there
was something she could do about them.
	She would make sure Ranma didn't bother her again.  Her or
whatever...
	But she definitely knew one thing: something funky was going
on.  This was her room, but it wasn't quite her room.  Things were
oh so subtlely different.  A book here instead of there, a pencil
left out that she was sure she had put away...  This wasn't where
she belonged.
	And Ranma.  That had been the biggest change of all.  Why in
the hell would Ranma be trying to kill her?  At least, if she was
where she was supposed to be.  The Ranma she knew would never try to
touch her in any way, let alone try to choke her.
	Kuno.  He wasn't here, and after they had just...  That was
another reason she knew something was wrong.  Very wrong.  And she
had no idea how to put it right.
	Nabiki heard the commotion downstairs, including Akane calling
for help, and quickly slammed her door.  Could she afford contact with
whoever these other people were?  Sure, they looked like her family,
but they could all be homicidal maniacs like Ranma.  Or maybe she
shouldn't even let on that there was anything wrong.
	For the moment, she decided that's what she'd do.  She could
adequately defend herself if necessary, and she could outrun them
all if needed.  Yes, she'd pretend there was nothing wrong, if she
could get her heart to stop beating so quickly.

~~~

	"Please, tell me what has happened?"
	"You...  You...  You..."
	Kuno blinked at her.  That had been the only thing she had
said for the past five minutes, staring at him, her mouth agape.  "I
shall get your sister."  Looking at her to make sure she wasn't
going to get up and run off, he turned quickly and left the room,
heading downstairs as quickly as possible.
	He found Kasumi in the kitchen, preparing dinner.  She
turned and smiled at him, ignoring his distress for the time being.
	"Tatewaki, you and Nabiki should really get married if
you're going to continue..."
	Suddenly getting the urge to tear his hair out, Kuno
interrupted her politely.  "I'm sorry, but there seems to be
something wrong with her and she will not speak to me.  Could you
lend your assistance?"
	"Oh dear, of course."  Kasumi got the tiniest look of
concern on her face as she followed Kuno out of the kitchen.
	Back upstairs, Nabiki was still sitting on her bed with a
look of disbelief on her face.  Just what... what in the world...
How...  Who was...  Where the hell was she!?  This was not her home;
it couldn't be!  She refused to accept that.
	She shook her head, unwilling to believe the series of things
that had happened over the last...  Hell, she didn't even know how
long she had been in the... the... flip world.  And Kuno...  The idea
made her shiver.
	But Ranma, she was away from that psychopathic piece of shit.
And she was the only one that could save Akane, and as much as she
hated it, she had to get back to stop him.  There was no way around
it.
	That was when the idea flitted through her mind.  If she was
here, and they apparently had no idea that she was not her self that
was supposed to be here, then that meant that she had... displaced
herself here.  Agh.  It was all so confusing.  But Nabiki was getting
the distinct impression that she had put someone who could very well
be her double in a very bad position.
	And... and what if her double died and there was no way for
her to get back?  She couldn't live her life out in a place that was
so... messed up.  That just wasn't fair to her, or any of the people
that expected her to be someone else.  As much as the idea... turned
her off, it wasn't fair to deny Kuno whatever sort of relationship
he'd been having with her double.
	Just the way he had acted...  It was obvious there was
something heavy going on between the two.  Nabiki shivered again at
the idea.  And he was some sort of monster!  Hello?  Being a nice guy
and in love and all was nice, but he turned into a big furry monster,
which definitely did not win any points.
	A soft moan escaped Nabiki's lips.  What was she going to do?
It was all wrong, all a mistake...  She couldn't stay, but then, she
didn't really want to go.  She loved her family, but Ranma...  She
loved her family, but she so desperately wanted to stay alive.
	In the movies, the choice is always so easy.  Everyone does
what's right.  The safety of her family should come easily before her
own safety.  But Nabiki wasn't in a movie.  She wasn't the hero, she
wasn't morally sparkling, she wasn't nice.  Her personal safety was
very important to her to the point...  Her family could fend for
themselves if they didn't want to see that there was something very
wrong with Ranma.
	A soft knock on her... the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Nabiki, would you mind if I talked with you?" Kasumi asked.
	Trying to gather her wits, Nabiki spoke slowly.  "Sure.  Come
in."  She tried to appear nonchalant, but could feel every muscle in
her body tense up as the door opened.  She was just waiting for Ranma
to be there, to attack her again.

~~~

	Hiding the torn clothes, Nabiki quickly dressed in something a
little more conservative.  Whatever was up with Ranma, the way his
hands had been... touching her, she wanted to keep covered up at all
times.
	Though this was not HER room, everything was the same in one
way or another.  Her clothes were in a different order, but they were
all the same clothes she had at home.  Some of the files in the desk
were organized differently, but considering the information, it was
how she might have done it.  It was most definitely her room, but not
HER room.
	Feeling as ready as she thought she might ever be, Nabiki put
her hand on the doorknob to open it.  Closing her eyes and taking two
deep breaths, it was the only way she thought she might be able to
control herself in the current situation.
	Still feeling tight as a drum, she opened the door slowly and
peeked out.  She stepped out and looked each way down the hall for
good measure.  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  Of course, she had
just thrown the out of the ordinary thing out the window.
	Things seeming ordinary was about the most worrisome thing of
all though.
	She walked swiftly and quietly to the stairs and descended 
them.  If only one thing was the same, that would be some sort of
comfort.  Just one thing...

~~~
	
	Kasumi was smiling softly as she entered the room.  "How are
you feeling, Nabiki-chan?"  She was using that tone again, like Nabiki
was little, or sick.
	Nabiki didn't miss it.  "I am fine, Kasumi."  It felt weird
calling this stranger Kasumi, even if she looked and sounded like
Kasumi.  Acted like her...  "I just don't..."
	"Don't what, Nabiki-chan?"  That tone again.
	Nabiki bit her lip, unsure what to say, how much to say.  "I
just don't feel too well."  Could she get away with it?  For how long?
	"Tatewaki was very worried about you, Nabiki-chan.  I know
he's slightly over-protective, but..."
	Kasumi knew about this... relationship, and didn't care?
"Yeah, well..." Nabiki answered quickly, not wanting to hear anymore
about it.  "Sometimes it happens."
	Kasumi's smile seemed to increase just a touch.  "Yes, it
does.  If you need anything, you just ask, Nabiki-chan."
	Nabiki nodded as Kasumi stood.  It was then she saw the gold
band her sister was wearing on her finger.  Married?  Kasumi was
married?  Again, Nabiki felt faint.
	No, she couldn't allow herself to be faint.  She had to stay
calm and maintain the lie for just a little bit.  Just to give herself
time to think, form a plan, and then she would tell.  Yes, just enough
time to recover her wits.  That was all she needed.
	Kuno appeared in the doorway after Kasumi had gone.  This,
Nabiki did not need.  "What do you want?" she snapped.
	"I am not as easily placated as your sister."  He could tell
there was something more than illness, but what, he couldn't put his
finger on.  "Tell me what the problem is."
	"Kuno, just get the hell out of here and leave me alone."  The
look on his face told Nabiki that she had made an error in saying
that.  He was even more suspicious now.
	"You promised to return with me to see Reichi and Aichiko
tonight.  They're not yet..."
	Nabiki couldn't get her mouth under control quite quick
enough, and asked, "Who?"  And immediately she knew that had been a
mistake.
	Instead of saying anything, Kuno just looked at her curiously.
"Please come with me," he said after a moment.  It was a subtle
command.
	Nabiki looked fearfully at the hand he had extended toward
her.

~~~

	Unfortunately, the first person Nabiki encountered downstairs
was Ranma, who stared at her.  Luckily, Akane was with him, doting
over him.  There was no hint of the malice she had seen in his eyes
before, no gleefully evil smile, nothing.  He just stared at her.
	"Ranma, how could you have slipped off the roof.  That's not
like you," Akane said worriedly, her eyes filled with adoration.
	"I just did, Akane.  Drop it."  Ranma was looking at Nabiki
the entire time.
	Well aware of the fact that Ranma could hurt her if he put his
mind to it, even as she was, Nabiki looked away quickly and walked
swiftly to the kitchen.  If it had been any other situation, she would
have glared daggers at him, but this... this was not any other
situation.  This was very wrong.
	Stopping for a moment before entering the kitchen, she inhaled
deeply, trying to get a fix on Ranma's scent.  As she suspected, there
was something slightly different about it, but she couldn't say from
what.  But now that she knew what he smelled like, she wouldn't be
caught unaware by him.  No way.
	"Nabiki," Kasumi said, seeing her younger sister standing in
the doorway, "we need something from the store, and Akane is busy
helping Ran..."
	"Sure, sure."  Anything to give her an excuse to get out of
the house, get away from the weirdness.
	Avoiding looking at Ranma, Nabiki put on her shoes quickly and
almost ran out of the house after getting the brief list from Kasumi.
Malice, definitely.  Hatred, yes, some of that too.  Fear, strangely,
but yes.  And she had seen in his eyes that he knew she didn't like
him.
	There was apparently some feud going on between them that was
kept quiet.  Feud, hell, it approached war from all that Nabiki could
see after she had... appeared in the mixed-up world.  So just what was
she supposed to do?
	There was no one for her to turn to, nothing she could really
DO to figure out just what was going on.  And it was probably just the
fear and adrenaline doing it, but she already missed... them.  She had
never asked for that "family", but it was hers to take care of.  That
was something she never failed to do.  Ever.
	Until now.
	"Reichi...  Aichiko..." she whispered to herself.

~~~

	She didn't want to do this, but she felt compelled after that
awful slip.  If she didn't, surely he would know there was something
wrong, and that... that would be bad.
	But if he tried... tried anything with her, she was going to
knock him flat.  If everyone else could do it, so could she.  So far
though, he hadn't even spoken to her, let alone put his hands on her.
	That was somewhat troubling, as she knew Tatewaki Kuno to be
the biggest blabber mouth in the school, no matter what he was
speaking of.  Nabiki looked up at him, almost expecting him to be
looking back at her suspiciously.
	He walked slowly at her side with his eyes directed forward,
unwavering from that viewpoint.  His hands would change, somewhat
restlessly, from their position of being clasped behind his back to
swinging lightly at his sides.  There was no bokken in sight.
	Nabiki could see that his jaw was clenched tightly and that he
was obviously keeping himself under very tight control.  There was no
doubt in her mind that he knew something was wrong, something was more
than wrong.  Was he actually attempting to manipulate her?  Kuno the
airhead was manipulating her?  What a laugh!
	The smile that threatened to plaster itself all over her face
died immediately when she saw they were approaching the Kuno mansion.
And this was one of the last places she wanted to be.

~~~

	Nabiki returned to her foster home.  She had no place else to
be and had no desire to go investigating how things might be
different.  She just wanted to let her brain vegitate, or meditate, as
Kuno would always claim he was doing.
	Walking inside slowly, quietly, she removed her shoes and
practically tiptoed to the kitchen with the bag.  "Here you go,
Kasumi," she said, dropping the bag off.
	"Thank you, Nabiki."
	Nabiki looked at Kasumi for a moment, looking for any subtle
differences in her, something just a little out of the ordinary, but
found none.  Kasumi appeared to be the same.  It would be too weird if
she were some psychopathic axe-murderer.  That was just beyond
imagination.
	Or... or what if the reason Ranma had been... attacking her
was that SHE was the psychopathic axe-murderer?  And Ranma had only
been protecting the family from her.  She had almost killed him, was
ready to...  What would have happened if she had and then she returned
home, leaving everyone defenseless for the person that returned?
	No.  Ranma hadn't just been protecting the family.  If he had,
why had he been...  Why had his hands been...  He hadn't been playing
protector, and the looks he had given her didn't lead her to believe
they had been involved in any kinky sex games either.
	Nabiki was not the enemy here.  Ranma was.  And she really
wanted to get out of that fake home and escape from that fake family.
	Feeling the need to be around someone in case Ranma made
another appearance, she went to where she could count on someone
being.  "Daddy, Uncle Saotome," she said simply, taking a seat ten
feet away from the two men playing shogi.
	They stopped their game and looked at her curiously.  They
watched her arrange herself in a comfortable kneeling position in the
sun, close her eyes, and sit silently like that.  After a few moments,
Genma shrugged and looked back at the board.  He never had understood
that girl anyway.  Soun maintained his gaze for a moment more, missing
the pieces his friend was rearranging on the board, then returned to
the game as well.
	Nabiki just hoped, in her state of tenuous calm, that she
would be returned home before night came.

~~~

	Kuno opened the gate for her and waited for her to go through
it.  Nabiki looked at the open gateway, then walked through it slowly,
as if expecting someone to jump out at her.
	She did jump a little when Kuno closed the gate and put his
hand on her shoulder.  "They are probably asleep.  It has become nigh
impossible to deny them their afternoon naps."
	The way he said that...  He knew.  He knew it wasn't her.
Nabiki tried to turn to say something to him, but the hand on her
shoulder gripped it tightly, forcing her to face forward and continue
walking.  Swallowing thickly, she began to sweat some.  The whole
situation with Ranma had put her on edge, shaken her up a little, and
that tense, chicken confronted by a crocodile feeling would not leave
her.
	It was beginning to look like everyone was after her, they
were all twisted in the head, sadistic murderers.  Nabiki suddenly
felt faint again, at a time she could not afford to lose her wits, no
matter how paranoid and absurd she had gotten...  She could not allow
herself to be at the mercy of any of these people.
	Doors slid open, revealing Kodachi in a very simple kimono.
Her face was... odd, lifeless, unemotional.  She looked haunted beyond
haunted.
	Nabiki froze in her tracks, feeling like she was suddenly the
lamb being led to slaughter.  The lamb being sacrificed to Kodachi...
	Kuno forced her forward though, not allowing her fear to stop
them.  "Asleep?" he asked Kodachi.
	Instead of saying anything, Kodachi nodded in assent.  She
looked at Nabiki, but not with her usual predatory gaze.  Again, it
was emotionless, flat... dead.
	"Did you take your prescribed pills?" Kuno asked her.
	Kodachi turned her gaze from Nabiki to her brother and nodded.
	"Good.  I will make dinner for you shortly."
	Nodding, head bobbing like her neck was a spring, Kodachi
turned around and disappeared inside.
	"They will be hungry when they wake up.  Will you be able to
feed them?" Kuno asked her quietly.
	Nabiki could hear what he was really asking in the tone of his
voice.  It was almost contemptuous.  Staring at the open doorway, she
began to shake her head jerkily.
	"A good mother should always be ready to feed her children,"
he said quietly.
	No, that wasn't true.  He was lying in an effort to make her
confess.  No children, not any children at all.  No.  She refused to
believe it because it would simply never happen.  Never.  Not with
him, not with anybody, ever.  She began shaking her head more
vigorously, her vision blurring, hair whipping in her face.
	Nabiki closed her eyes, her face taking on a look of pain and
anguish.  Never.  This was not where she belonged.  She couldn't stay
here where she was only a lie.  A fake, an imposter because she could
never do the things that Kuno was saying she had.
	"Oh no, what's happened to her?" a woman's voice said from far
away.
	"I am unsure."
	Arms of multiple people were around her supporting her, but
she couldn't let them control her.  Struggling against the people,
Nabiki's mind was a whirl of random thoughts about Ranma and her
family and what would happen to her if he... if he...
	"She's passed out.  What do you think..."
	"I do not know, but when she awakens, I intend to get
answers," Kuno answered, looking critically at the unconscious girl in
his arms.
	"Don't be too harsh on her.  There's probably a very good
reason for whatever's happened."
	Kuno's voice softened.  "Of course."

~~~

	When dinner finally rolled around, Nabiki ate quickly and
quietly, not answering anything asked of her by Kasumi or Akane.  She
needed to go out and get something else to eat because she was hungry
from before, and dinner wouldn't fill he suddenly bottomless stomach.
	Forcing herself not to acknowledge Ranma's presence, Nabiki
took her empty dishes, the first at the table to finish, to the
kitchen.  Trying to get out before anyone else could finish and follow
her, she gave a half-hearted goodbye, and hurried out.  It wasn't
necessarily wise, but she needed it.  The fresh air would do her good.
	In fact...  Nabiki changed her path and headed for the park
instead of back toward the market.  She could wait there in relative
privacy until after dark and then explore this place on her own terms.
	Glancing behind her every so often, she somehow avoided
running, though it was something she wanted to do more than anything.
No, Ranma wouldn't be able to sneak up on her, but it was nice to
confirm that fact with her eyes.
	Once at the park, Nabiki found that the greenery did afford
her some peace.  It was enough to hide the rest of the neighborhood
from her sight, and hopefully hide her from it.
	Finding some trees that were sufficiently bunched together to
create a small patch of wildness in the well-groomed park, Nabiki went
among them and sat down.  She had chosen well.  While sitting, the
height of the bushes obscured her from view, and it looked like no one
had bothered exploring this little area for some time.
	It would do until dark.  And in the meantime, she could
consider her options, or lack of.
	Without even knowing what had happened, there was nothing that
could be done to counter it.  Nothing at all had felt different about
her, and she hadn't felt anything when it has actually happened.  One
moment, she was just finishing getting dressed, and the next, she was
being choked by Ranma.
	Reclining amidst the vegetation, Nabiki was glad there wasn't
anyone to see her tears of anger and frustration.

~~~

	"I think she's waking up."
	"Good.  Then she shall be able to give me the answers..."
	"Don't be so harsh, Tatewaki.  She's obviously scared."
	"As she should be."
	"Tatewaki!  If that's the attitude you're going to take, why
don't you just leave until she's recovered her wits?"
	"Forgive me, but..."
	"Yes, I know it's difficult.  Just relax and settle down, and
we'll get her back somehow."
	Nabiki opened her eyes then, feeling probably even more
confused than she had before.  Who was this woman who talked to Kuno
with that type of familiarity?  She most definitely wasn't Japanese,
but she spoke expertly.  Better.
	The woman dabbed a cold, wet washcloth to Nabiki's forehead,
looking at her with obvious worry.  "Don't let Tatewaki scare you.
He's just very concerned about..."
	"His wife?" Nabiki asked with restrained anger, and also
fright.
	"No."  It was Tatewaki's turn to speak.  "She will not marry
me.  I only believe she stays because of..."
	"Your children."  The word flowed smoothly from her mouth, but
she felt a kind of overwhelming dread.
	"Reichi and Aichiko, yes.  She loves them."
	"And you?"  Whatever was going on, this was not the same old
Kuno-chan that she had known.
	Voice suddenly growing quiet and almost hurt, Tatewaki
answered, "I like to think so.  She refuses to show it oftentimes, but
I know..."  He bowed his head suddenly and covered his face with his
hands.
	Nabiki watched, stunned, as the woman went over to him and put
her arms around him in a gentle hug.  The woman began rocking him
gently, whispering in his ear.
	Tatewaki dropped his hands from his face, burying it into the
woman's shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her.
	"Sh, it'll be fine, Tatewaki.  Don't worry, don't cry.  She'll
come back.  Just you wait."  Nabiki was most surprised by the scene
before her when the woman kissed Tatewaki on the top of his head in a
motherly manner.
	"Look," Nabiki said, shaken from what she had just seen, "I
didn't ask to be put in this world.  It just happened.  I'd go back if
I could."  Or would she?  It was so hard to think about it, because
she wanted to go back where she could be herself, but that meant...
Ranma.  She knew further encounters with him could be dangerous to her
health.
	"See, Tatewaki?  It's not her fault.  Don't take it out on
her.  We just need to make the best of what's happened so far.  Maybe
you need to go lay down.  Come along."  The woman tried to steer
Tatewaki out of the room, but he resisted her attempts.
	"No.  I... I have to make dinner for Kodachi," he said
haltingly, and pulled away from the woman.  Avoiding looking at
Nabiki, he left the room quickly without further words.

~~~

	Time passed slowly.  At least, it seemed like it.  Nabiki
wasn't sure what time it was, but it was dark, and that was what she
had been waiting for.  No one had approached her hiding spot in the
time she had been waiting, and it appeared it was safe for these
little things.
	Looking around, over the bushes, for any people in the park
this late, Nabiki quickly began to undress when it appeared to be
deserted.  Carefully wrapping her clothes in a bundle, Nabiki changed
into her wolf form, suffering through the slight pain.
	Not trusting to just leave her clothes on the ground, Nabiki
picked up the bundle and climbed halfway up a tree.  She tucked the
bundle against the trunk and a branch, sufficiently hidden among the
leaves, then dropped to the ground.
	Now it was time to see just what things were like in this
screwed up place.
	She burst from the trees, running full speed to the other side
of the park.  If anyone did happen to see her, she wanted to be far
away from her hiding spot.  Pausing momentarily in a deep pool of
shadow, Nabiki smelled the air, smelled Nerima.
	There was just something different, so subtle she almost
missed it, but this was definitely not the place she had grown up.
	She sniffed again.  There WERE some people in the park.  They
just hadn't been close enough before to concern her.  Following the
faint scent of people, she ended up at the edge of the largish pond.
That island in the middle.  It was coming from there.
	There?  Why would people be camping/hiding out there?  Not
that it mattered.  She couldn't be bothered with that at the moment.
But she tucked their scents away so she would know if they decided to
steal her clothes.  Ah, revenge was so easy for her now.
	Sprinting away, she decided to have a look in on her "home"
and see what was going on there.  Surely, they couldn't be idle, not
with that... psychopath in the house.  He must have been a better
actor than she had ever dreamed of being to fool them all.  None of
them were THAT stupid or clueless.
	Nearing the house, moving silently through the darkness, she
was distinctly aware of someone else's presence.  Very close, but not
moving.  She didn't like that presence, whoever it was.
	There, the wall.  She hopped up on top of it, then lept up
into the nearest tree.  Clinging carefully to the trunk, she
maneuvered around until the house was in clear view.  That presence
was still waiting someplace on the opposite side of the building,
where Nabiki expected it to stay.  If it knew what was good for it.
	Not very happy about the position she was in, Nabiki tried to
find a position a bit more stable to wait in.  Trying her best not to
shake the branches too much, to call any attention to herself, Nabiki
managed to lay out on one branch that didn't bend too much under her
weight.
	And now it was time to wait.

~~~

	"Who are you?"
	"I think I should be askign you that, don't you?"
	Nabiki sat up slowly, wondering just when she had wandered
into the twilight zone.  "I...  But it's just me.  I can't tell you
anything different than what it looks like."
	"But you're not OUR Nabiki."
	Our?  "No, I'm not.  I don't belong here, but I don't know how
to get back either."
	The woman looked at Nabiki for a few more moments.  "I'm
Irina.  I suppose we could keep you as a guest until we sort things
out."  There was something not totally friendly about the way she was
speaking, but this girl, this fake...
	"Here?"  A tremor of doubt went through Nabiki.  Stay?  At the
Kuno mansion?  With...
	Irina saw the doubt and fear still in the girl's eyes, and
couldn't help herself from feeling sorry for her.  "There's nothing to
be afraid of.  Nothing here will hurt you."  She sat a little closer
to Nabiki and put an arm around her shoulders tentatively.
	"Here... with Kodachi."  And Kuno who turned into a monster.
And two children who weren't hers, but they might think they were.
	"Why would you be afraid of Kodachi.  The poor girl's as
harmless as a kitten."  Ever since Kodachi had emerged from her coma,
she barely spoke and never left the safety of the house for more than
ten minutes at a time.  Who would ever find her frightening?
	"Harmless?  She..."  She had quite a reputation, and she
certainly came across as teh most intimidating thing since Godzilla,
btu she had never actually done anything.