(Scene:  The Rock of Perpetuity, a spire of stone lost somewhere 
in a vast sea of fog.)
	(Scene:  Interior, the firing range.  Officer Kira Midori, 
wearing ear and eye-covering goggles, is shooting a Buck Rogers-style 
blaster at T2000 mock-ups.)

Kira:  Take that! *ZORCH* And that! *ZORCH ZORCH MORCH* "Morch"?  Time to 
clean this thing again.

SKJAM! (voice-over, presumably by intercom) Officer Midori, please report 
to the den.  We have another chapter of Onna: Red Side.

Kira (removing goggles):  But I thought the Lurker was putting that off 
until "Suiseki" was done?

SKJAM! (VO):  Apparently Zen threatened locking Mr. Morrison in a small 
room with the Zenfic version of Akane while wearing a Ranma mask unless 
he produced some O:RS too.

Kira (shudders):  oh, I see.  I'll be right up.

	(Scene:  The den.  The mysterious (yeah right) wizard is already 
seated, sipping some tea, Orange Pekoe, lukewarm, heavily sugared.  Kira 
comes in, hair slightly damp, and takes her seat.)

SKJAM!:  Like some tea?  And why's your hair damp?

Kira:  Took a shower on the way.  Your blowdryer isn't working too well.  
No on the tea. 

SKJAM!:  Ah.  Will fix that later.  On with the fic!

On Fri, 5 Jun 1998, The Eternal Lost Lurker wrote:

[Note to everyone else: Enjoy! C&C appreciated. Previous chapters can
be found at http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker]

Kira:  C&C mode engaged.

	Chapter 25: Demonic Departure

SKJAM!:  All the demons go away?

	The door to the Tendou residence slid open. "Tadaima!" Ranma called
out.
	"Welcome back!" Kasumi said as she moved to welcome everyone home.
She paused. "Ara..."
	Soun ran past Kasumi, sobbing as he attempted to crush everyone into
a hug. "Oh, it's so good that everyone's home...we were so
worried...huh?" He stepped back, then scowled. 

Kira:  I take it that "everyone" is a misnomer here...

	Ranma laughed weakly. "Hi..."
	"RAAAAAAAANMAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Soun roared, as his head inflated to
fiendish proportions. "What have you done with Akane? Why isn't she
here?"

SKJAM!: (Ranma voice) I dumped her in the other dimension.  I've decided 
I want to marry Nabiki or Kasumi instead.

	"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" Ranma said, raising his hands in 
surrender. "Gimme a chance to explain, wouldja?"

Kira:  Not until after we've malleted you.  It's a tradition.

	When Soun calmed down, Ranma continued, "Akane and the others are
fine, they're still in Cephiro. We had to come back to find somethin'
we need over there that's in China."

SKJAM!:  Tea.  They're starving for a decent cup of tea in Cephiro.

	"China you say?" Genma asked as he walked up beside Soun.  "Why
didn't the others come back with you?"

Kira:  (Umi voice) Because this way we can have Ranma all to ourselves!

	"Because they have to look for something over there," Fuu explained,
"and because Clef-san and Cologne-san are teaching them to use the
new magic they've gained."
	"Magic?" Soun asked. "Well, that's fine then, just as long as
they're safe." He stepped out of the doorway. "Please, everyone come
in. I see you have some new friends with you," he said.

SKJAM!:  Remarkably calmly.  Must have upped his Prozac dosage.

	"Yeah, this is Lantis," Ranma said. "He's a swordsman from Cephiro.
And this is Hikaru's pet Hikari."
	Lantis nodded stiffly. Hikari barked.

Kira:  I smell lingering cat scent in this house!  And fresh panda!

SKJAM!:  Fortunately, this is not the Genma from Doenime's Past/Present, 
who panics at dogs...

	"Anyways, Mokona brought us back alright, but he landed us at Tokyo
Tower, so we gotta get to China some other way," Ranma continued.
	"Puu, puu..." 
	"Don't act innocent, Mokona! You did it on purpose!" Umi snapped. 
	"Puu! Puu, puu puu puu!" Mokona retorted.

Kira:  Translation, "Swallowing Primera makes me light-headed."

	"I see," Genma said, rubbing his chin. "That could be a problem." 

SKJAM!:  You'll have to swim.

	"Not really," Fuu said. "Mokona-san will provide a way across the
sea, I'm sure."
	"But we'll probably need to hike to where we're headed," Ranma said.
"It won't be easy."
	"Then you'll need lots of supplies," Soun said.

Kira:  8 boxes of Kleenex, a gallon of eyedrops, Gatorade to replenish 
body water...no that's my supply list.

	"That's what we're here for," Ranma replied. "We figured we'd get 
ready for the trip and catch some rest here before we go." 	

SKJAM!:  Normally, this would be a problem in Nerima, but with half the 
troublemakers elsewhere....

 > 	"Oh, by the way," Kasumi interjected, "that Kunou boy was here > 
earlier looking for you and Akane."

Kira:  (Kasumi voice) I hope he comes back soon, I was so looking forward to 
practicing brain surgery.

	Ranma grimaced. "He found us." He frowned. "Lantis, are you *sure*
there ain't gonna be any more of those demons?"
	Lantis shrugged. "I doubt it." 

SKJAM!:  (Lantis voice) Also, man will never be able to achieve 
heavier-than-air flight, and there's no way Truman can defeat Dewey.

 > 	"We should be on our guard, just in case," Fuu said. 

Kira:  That's why I use Sure anti-prespirant.

	"Demons? What demons?" Soun asked.

SKJAM!:  The ones standing right behind you.

	"Eh, somethin' from Cephiro that followed us here, possessed Kunou,
and tried t' kill us," Ranma said.

Kira:  Same old, same old.

	"You shouldn't say it so casually!" Umi said. Ranma shrugged.

SKJAM!:  (Ranma voice) I don't feel like using formal speech.

	"And there are more of these demons in Cephiro?" Genma asked.
	Lantis nodded. "A few."

Kira:  And since they're created by the subconscious fears of the people 
of Cephiro, more will pop up with this invasion.

 > 	"AND YOU LEFT MY BABY 
GIRL IN A WORLD FULL OF HORRIBLE DEMONS!?"

Soun roared, inflating his head again. "RAAAAAANNNNMAAAAAAA!!!"
	"Sheesh! It ain't nothin' they can't handle," Ranma said. 

SKJAM!:  (Ranma voice)  I'm totally confident in Akane's ability to 
handle any danger she might find herself in.  ...What am I saying!?

	"Besides, 

Chevuro demons can't leave their home unless 
someone > summons them," Lantis said, "and summoning them takes a lot of

power."

Kira:  You haven't had any reactor leaks lately, have you?

	"I'll start preparing some dried foods for you to take along
tomorrow," Kasumi said, disappearing into the kitchen. "All of you
should use the bath before dinner," she added, "if you've been
fighting a demon."

SKJAM!:  Or I will personally disinfect you.

	Everyone blinked. "Is she always so calm about things like that?"
Lantis asked.

Kira:  Yes, after all, it's perfectly normal.

	"More or less," Ranma said. "She only reacts to really big stuff."
	"Really big stuff!?" Umi asked. "Like what?"
	"Like Akane gettin' her hair chopped off."
	Ranma scratched his head as everyone else facefaulted. 

SKJAM!:  Obviously they didn't see how awful her hair looked.

	*****

	A dark, female figure bounded across the rooftops of Nerima,
cackling maniacally. A stream of rose petals sprayed in her wake. 

Kira:  the lovely, if slightly wonky, Kodachi in all probability.

	Suddenly, the figure halted, falling over and rolling off a roof.

SKJAM!:  Something's wrong here....

Anyone staring directly at her would notice the thick, black mist
clinging to her body...

Kira:  (Kodachi voice)  Dammit!  That paralysis mist wasn't supposed to 
go off until I had Ranma-sama in my arms!

	*****

	The body was asleep, and Ranma's soul was asleep.
	Hikaru, however, was wide awake. And she was bored again.

SKJAM!:  I know!  I'll make the body get up and get its ears pierced!

	In the featureless void of the mind, Hikaru sat and watched Ranma
sleep, tossing and turning in the grey mists. He appeared to be
dreaming. She wondered what he might be dreaming about. <I shouldn't
pry,> she told herself. <I've already imposed so much upon Ranma...he
deserves privacy in his dreams.> She watched him for a few moments
more. She smiled. <We've both led very troubled lives, haven't we
Ranma-kun? I only wish we were able to meet normally, instead of this
way, trapped in the same body...>
	Ranma began crying out quietly in his sleep. <No...no....>

Kira:  Please don't make me see my baby pictures again...

	Hikaru blinked. <He's having some kind of nightmare...I can't take
it. I gotta know what he's dreaming about.>
	Silently moving over to him, she gently placed her hands on his
head, careful not to awaken him, and concentrated. She had no idea
whether or not what she had in mind would work, but it was something
to do.
	Ranma's mind opened to her, and his dreams played out before her...

SKJAM!:  She was distressed to find he had accidentally received one of 
Ataru Moroboshi's dreams...

	"Ranma! HELP!" she cried out.
	<What? That voice...>

Kira:  James Earl Jones?

	"No! NOOO!" Ranma shouted, running as fast as he could, trying to
jump to something that was beyond his reach.

SKJAM!:  A logical conclusion.

	Harsh, cruel laughter rang out as a pagoda flew by overhead, a
figure dangling from an open window on the lowest level. The figure
swayed back and forth, thrashing her legs helplessly, crying out to
Ranma to save her. But hard as he tried, Ranma couldn't jump to the
pagoda, couldn't reach her.

Kira:  Shades of the "Seven Lucky Gods" movie...

	Hikaru floated above the scene, intangible, watching as Ranma chased
the flying pagoda. <That girl...that's...>

SKJAM!:  Christina Applegate!  What's she doing here?

	The top level of the pagoda illuminated, revealing several
silhouettes, standing in various mocking postures. Only their mouths
were fully visible, and every single one of them was sneering at the
pigtailed boy. 
	"Forget her, Ranma," jeered a familiar, but slightly distorted, male
voice. 
	"We're taking her from you," the soft female voice of another figure
said. The lips were moving out of sync with the speech.

Kira:  Bad dubbing.

	"You'll never see her again," another female voice rang out, with a
metallic echo.
	"We're taking her from you, and she'll be lost to you forever." This
voice sounded familiar as well, but Hikaru couldn't place
it...perhaps she didn't want to...

SKJAM!:  Since that would mean no seats left for her.

	"We're going to kill her, Ranma." Hikaru shivered. This voice was
from...her past? From...China?

Kira:  Jackie Chan?

 	"She's going to be dead to you for all time." The voice of a grown
woman, with a hard edge, like a knife or a katana.

SKJAM!:  Uhoh.  I think we know who this is...

 	"We're taking her from you, and you can't stop us." Two voices,
female, cruel and mocking.
	"RANMA! HELP ME!" she screamed. Lightning flashed, illuminating her
tear-streaked face and burning red hair. From her ethereal vantage
point, Hikaru shuddered.

Kira:  Washuu?

	The pagoda disappeared, and Ranma sank to his knees, sobbing.
"No...please...bring her back..." 

SKJAM!:  I want to be a girl again!

	<Ranma-kun...> She wanted to reach out to him, but she couldn't. 
	Ranma rose to his feet, his battle aura flaming around him. "I SAID
BRING HER BACK!!!!" Hikaru gasped as Ranma suddenly took to the sky,
flying like a character from a manga she read a long time ago. "IF
YOU HURT HER, I'LL KILL YOU!"

	Hikaru jerked her hands away from Ranma's head, and moved away,
staring at him. <R-Ranma?> she thought. <Wh-what does this dream
mean...?> 

Kira:  It means he loves you like the sister he never had.

	The images of the dream played through her mind over and over again.
The voices...they'd sounded vaguely like people from both her life
and Ranma's. And that girl, in the pagoda...there was no mistake who
that was. And Ranma, angry enough to gain the power of flight...even
for a dream, that was unusual.
	<But why? Why would Ranma have a nightmare like that?> Hikaru's mind
whirled. <It couldn't mean...> She stared at the sleeping 'form' of
Ranma at length.
	<...could it?>

SKJAM!:  Don'cha just love foreshadowing?

	*****

	Ranma awoke with a start. His heart pounded as he looked around the
room, as though trying to find something in the pale starlight
filtering through the window.

Kira:  Something ill met, perhaps?

	Calming his racing heart, he turned his gaze inward. Within their
shared body, Hikaru was sleeping fitfully. 

SKJAM!:  Or was the dream she saw actually her own, masquerading as 
Ranma's? 

	"Man, what a weird dream," Ranma muttered as he resumed conscious
control of his body. "Oi...Mokona!" he whispered.
	"Puu?" The fat white bunny bounced over from the corner of the room,
looking fresh and wide-awake.

Kira:  It's Poppin' Fresh!  (sticks finger in Mokona's gut.)
 

	"Hey...I just had the craziest dream. I wanna talk to someone about
it, but I dunno how everyone else would take it."
	"Puu puu?"

SKJAM!:  Translation:  "They'll think you're as insane as I think you are."

	"I mean...I'd probably talk to Hikaru about it, she understands me
better than anyone, but..." he trailed off. "I can't tell her about
it, not yet."

Kira:  She might wanna get engaged or something.

	"Puu, puupuu puu."
	Ranma chuckled. "Okay, I'll tell you about it." He launched into a
recollection of the already-fading nightmare. As he spoke, Mokona
seemed to become more thoughtful, and almost...happy? 
	"Puupuu, puu puu puuuu pu puuupuu..." Mokona said, before bouncing
back to its corner. It was smiling.

SKJAM!:  Translation:  "At last the promise between our two houses can be 
fulfilled!"

	Ranma scratched his head. "You know, that's the first time I didn't
understand what that fluffball said," he muttered to himself.

Kira:  Be glad.

	Further contemplation of the matter was interrupted by an explosion
from the garden, followed by what could only be described as the
shriek of a banshee. "What in the--?" Ranma leapt out of bed and
headed for the window.

SKJAM!:  Uh oh.  The cry of the Bean Sidhe means someone in the house is 
about to die.

 > 	Out in the garden, a familiar silhouette was bouncing around,

twirling a ribbon and laughing. Ranma scowled. "Kodachi. But why at
this time of night...?" 

Kira:  Because all the caffiene she ingested earlier is finally kicking in.

	"Puu! Puupuu...puu...pu," Mokona said. It frowned as it perched on
the windowsill.
	"What? Are you sure?" Ranma asked, noting that he could suddenly
understand Mokona again.

SKJAM!:  As his effective IQ dropped.

	"Puu, pu puuuu." 
	"Chikushou..." Dressing quickly, and grabbing the Fire Knight
gauntlet as an afterthought, Ranma dashed towards the other guest
room, where Lantis was sleeping. "Oi, Lantis," he said.

Kira:  Mind you, since this is where Happosai rooms, the decorations are 
a little...odd.

	Lantis immediately sprang to his feet. Seeing his visitor 

was Ranma,

he relaxed. "It is late, Ranma," he noted. 

SKJAM!:  (Lantis voice)  But I am willing to give you what you desire 
nevertheless.

 What would be a gripe from

anyone else was acknowledgement that something was wrong from the
Cephiran warrior.
	"I think we got another one of those demons," he said.
	Lantis' eyes widened. "Another one? How can you tell?"

Kira:  It has a glowing neon sign over its head that says "another demon".

	"Kunou's sister Kodachi is tearin' up the garden," Ranma said, "an'
Mokona got real upset when it looked at her."

SKJAM!:  Of course it could just be upset because all the carrots were 
destroyed.

 > 	"Hmmm...alright, I'll be down shortly. You go wake the others."

	"Right." Ranma dashed out of the room, and down the hall to Akane's
bedroom, where the other two Magic Knights were sleeping. He flung

Kira:  In one bed?  (checks to make sure this isn't a Chris Davies fic.)

the door open without knocking. "Umi! Fuu! We've got trouble," he
said.
	The two girls stirred. Fuu sat up, more or less alert, and blushed.

SKJAM!:  Apparently they *were* in one bed...

"Ranma-san," she said, "you shouldn't barge into girls' bedrooms like
that without knocking."
	Umi pulled her sheet over herself, and grumbled. "Just because you
turn into a girl doesn't mean you have the same priveleges are one."

Kira:  "privileges as one"

	"Sorry about that," he said, "but we've got big trouble."

SKJAM!: o/~right here in Nerima City, and that starts with T, which 
rhymes with D, which stands for Demon! ~\o

	"What's wrong, Ranma-san?" Fuu 

asked. > 	"Another demon."

	Umi flung the sheets aside and leapt to her feet. "WHAT!?" she
shouted. "I don't believe this! Argh! In the middle of the night,
even!? Let me at it!" 

Kira:  (Umi voice)  And it had better have really good tentacles!

	"Anou...Umi," Fuu said.
	"What, Fuu?"
	"Maybe you should get dressed first."

SKJAM!:  Are you *sure* this isn't a Chris Davies fic?

	Umi blushed. Ranma decided to leave before she remembered he was
there.

Kira:  She'll mallet him later.

	Within moments, Ranma, Umi, and Fuu joined Lantis in the garden.
Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi were gathered on the veranda. "Good grief,"
Nabiki said. "I thought she was at least sane enough to do this kind
of thing at a decent hour..."

SKJAM!:  No, she's come in the middle of the night before.

	"She must have come to visit Ranma," Kasumi decided.

Kira:  And for once, is spot on.

	"Alright Kodachi," Ranma growled. "Whaddya want?"

SKJAM! (Kodachi voice)  World domination!  Or failing that, some light 
bondage.

 > 	"She definitely looks like a demon," Umi said.

	"Nah, this is how she always looks," Ranma replied.
	"She always looks like a demon?" Fuu asked.
	"That's about the size of it."

Kira:  Okay, the glowing eyes and three-inch fangs are new.

	Kodachi was standing on the property wall. She brought her hand to
her mouth and laughed quietly. "Why, *dear* Ranma-sama," she said
with a trace of acid in her voice. "I've just come to pay my
respects." Her eyes blazed. "My *final* respects." Kodachi leapt from
the wall, and landed gracefully on the surface of the pond, as though
it were as solid as a gymnastics mat.

SKJAM!:  Okay, that's new.

	"As you feared, Ranma, she's possessed," Lantis said.

Kira:  Nonsense.  It's just a new martial arts technique.

	Kodachi let loose a peal of laughter that caused everyone to wince
and clutch their ears in pain. "I'm called Corsica! My mistress sends
her regards!" With another earsplitting laugh, she began twirling her
ribbon before her. A disk of blackness formed in the center of the
spiral. "BLACK HOLE!" Corsica shouted, flinging the disk into their
midst.
	"Hit the dirt!" Ranma shouted. The Knights and Lantis scattered,
dropping to the ground, as the black disk swallowed a chunk of the
lawn before disappearing.

SKJAM!:  "Black Hole" means something entirely different in Russian, btw.

	"Alright you, that's enough of that," Ranma said, slipping on the
gauntlet. The crimson gem flared, and the magic armor encased Ranma.
Twin trails of fire streaked up his legs, across his torso, and down
his arms, forming his drake claws. Umi, Fuu, and Lantis each summoned
their armor and weapons, and spread out, surrounding Corsica. 

Kira:  Which is a neat trick, given the size of the island.

	Corsica laughed. "So, the Magic Knights think they can defeat me?
Let's see how you like this trick." From out of nowhere, she produced
four large hoops.

SKJAM!:  Let's hula!

	"Everyone be careful, those things are razor-sharp!" Ranma called
out.
	"You don't know the half of it!" Corisca giggled, as the hoops began
to thicken. Black sparks danced along their edges. "BOLT CHAKRAM!"
Corsica yelled, flinging a hoop at each of the warriors.

Kira:  Ay-yiyiyiyiyi!!

	Lantis scowled as he rushed to intercept the dark weapon. With three
quick slashes of his luminous blade, the hoop shattered, sputtering
as its fragments fell to the ground.
	"Mamorete no kaze!" Fuu shouted, flinging a powerful gust of wind at
the hoop closing in on her. The spell slowed the chakram's flight,
allowing Fuu to safely dodge it. The razor-edged hoop struck the
boundary wall, and bounced off, sending up a shower of sparks.
Everywhere it touched, it left scorch marks.
	"So, that's how you want to play it," Umi said. "AOI TATSUMAKI!" A
torrent of water rushed forth, intercepting the dark ring. 
	"Umi! NO!" Ranma yelled. "Baka, that thing's--"

SKJAM!:  electrified, yes?

	The water spell halted the flight of the chakram, and Umi smirked
triumphantly. "Yosh'...huh?" Arcs of black lightning began coursing
up the fading stream of water, and leapt out to strike Umi.
YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed.
	"Umi!" Ranma called out, leaping out of the path of the chakram
flying towards him. It struck the roof of the veranda and exploded,
spraying chunks of wood and tile everywhere. The bystanders on the
veranda yelped, and ducked back into the house. 

Kira:  Where they had a nice glass of warm milk and went back to bed.

	Umi slammed backwards into the shrubbery at the edge of the garden.
Arcs of electricity surged along her armor, and she appeared to be
unconscious. "Umi..." Ranma said as he approached. The same word,
spoken with another voice, echoed in his mind, sounding increasingly
frantic with worry.

SKJAM!:  The joys of living in a double-decker mind.

	"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! Your friend seems a little shocked from my
attack!" Corsica said, perching on the wall above them. "And now, for
my next trick..." Corisca threw a shadowy ball at Ranma. 

Kira:  (Corsica voice)  I shall pull a rabbit from my hat!  Wait, I don't 
have a hat...

 > 	"Knock it off!" Ranma yelled, slashing at the ball with his 
claws.

It exploded, throwing him backwards into the pond. Corsica let loose
another peal of laughter.

SKJAM!:  It was glad to escape.

	As Fuu raced over to Umi, the pond began to boil. A glowing, orange
column erupted from the pond surface, and from it emerged an armored
redhead with burning red eyes, weilding a large sword. "You hurt
Umi-chan!" Hikaru shouted. "You'll pay for hurting Umi-chan!" 

Kira:  And I don't accept American Express!

	"Oh? So the real Fire Knight appears," Corsica said. "Very well,
Magic Knight...show me what you're made of."

SKJAM!:  Whereupon Hikaru pulled out a chart, put on glasses, and began, 
"the human body is made up of..."

	Hikaru scowled. *I don't like seeing my 

friends hurt. Especially

after what they went through without me in Cephiro...I can't let
anyone hurt them again! And on top of that...she tried to hurt Ranma
too...* "For you, who hurt my dear friend, a new spell!" Hikaru
shouted, leaping into the air. She began spinning as she flew towards
the demon, her sword tracing a deadly circle around her. "DESCENDING
DRAGON!" 

Kira:  As opposed to "Condescending Dragon", which merely humiliates the 
opponent.

 > 	At the apex of her flight, Hikaru thrust the point of her sword

down, directly above the demon's head. A wave of fire spiralled
beneath her, setting Corsica ablaze and knocking her off the wall.
The fiery vortex extended three meters around Hikaru and half a meter
down, and expired as she landed. 
	"I must check to see whether the demon lives," Lantis said, hurrying
through the gate.

SKJAM!:  A wet sound and his head rolling back into view suggested it 
did. 

	Hikaru leapt off the wall, landing next to Umi, who was now awake,
thanks to Fuu's healing spell. "Are you alright, Umi-chan?" she
asked.

Kira:  (Umi voice)  Juzzt fine, thankzz.

	"I'm fine, Hikaru," Umi said. "What was that spell?"

SKJAM!:  And how was it spelled?

	"A little something I picked up from Ranma," Hikaru said, grinning.
"It's one of his techniques, just done backwards." 

Kira:  And wait till you see what else I can do backwards!

	"Is everyone alright?" Kasumi asked as the Tendou family came across
the garden, surveying the damage. 

SKJAM!:  they took out their maps and surveying equipment...

	"We're all fine," Umi said. 
	Lantis returned to the yard, perplexed. "She disappeared," he said.
	"What?" Hikaru asked.

Kira:  He said, "She disappeared."

	"Corsica, the demon...she vanished. There's no sign of her."
	"That's odd," Fuu said.
	"Maybe Hikaru did her in..." Umi said.

SKJAM!:  This early in the story?  Besides, it would get rid of one of 
Ranma's problems.

	Lantis shook his head. "No, she was there a moment ago. But before I
could get close enough to use the containment spell, she vanished."
	"This is not good," Fuu declared.

Kira:  It is however par for the course.

	*****

	:The wind is terrible tonight,: the Guide mused as he looked out the
window of his small hut.
	There was a knock at the door. :Who could that be?: he wondered. :I
hope it's not a customer...: 

SKJAM!:  I hate trying to remember which spring is which in the dark.

	The Guide opened the door, and gasped. Two large, winged figures
pushed past him into the cottage.
	:Aiyah...:

Kira:  Phoenix Mountain people, no doubt.

	*****

	"How many more of these things are we going to have to fight?" Umi
asked as the group sat around the living room table, drinking tea.

SKJAM!:  At least one.

	"Lantis-san," Fuu asked, "Is there any way that could have been the
same demon?"

Kira:  After all, Ranma sex-changes, and they did have a family 
resemblance. 

	Lantis shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. We've fought two
different demons." He frowned. "I don't understand how there could be
two of them here on Earth. The amount of power it takes just to
summon them...let alone to send them to another world..."

SKJAM!:  Zagato could do it, maybe...

	"Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." Mokona seemed extremely unsettled.
	"Then we need to hurry and get that other Mashin," Hikaru said. "If
we're facing someone that powerful..."
	"Cephiro is in great danger," Lantis said. 

Kira:  Heck, *EArth* is in great danger.

	The next day was spent gathering camping supplies and maps, as well
as making plans. "When we get to the Bayankala Range," Ranma said,
"We've got to be extremely careful. It might help us to meet up with
the Guide at Jyusenkyou," Ranma said.
	"Jyusenkyou!? We're not going there, are we?" Umi asked, paling at
the thought.
	"We'll have to pass through it," Ranma said, grimacing. "Mount
Phoenix is in that area." He paused. "It might help if we get some
Chinese phrasebooks and dictionaries, and try to learn a little of
the language before we go." He scowled. "It'll help us keep from
doing stupid things like my pop did when we went over."

Kira:  Far, far too late for that, my boy.

	"Mokona-san," Fuu asked, "will you be able to send us back to
Cephiro from China when we find the Mashin?"
	"Puu," Mokona said, bouncing once.

SKJAM!:  Translation: "Yes, but you won't like where."

	"With something native to Cephiro, and that powerful, nearby, even I
could get us back to Cephiro," Lantis said. 
	"Okay, that's one less thing to worry about," Ranma said. "We still
gotta deal with those loose demons."

Kira:  We must get them to practice safe sex!

	"Ranma-san is right," Fuu said. "They're here specifically to kill
us. They'll follow us all the way to Mount Phoenix." 
	Umi scowled. "When I find out who turned those things loose..."

SKJAM!:  You'll be really shocked, personally.

	
	*****

	"Okay, that's taken care of," Nabiki said, yawning. "Now to give
them this info..."
	Nabiki's phone rang. "Moshi-moshi? ...collect? Yeah right...from
WHERE?" Nabiki sighed. "Alright, I'll take it...yeah?" Silence for a
moment. "You're kidding, right? Listen, most of them
aren't...available right now," she said. "Yeah...Ranma and his father
are still here...listen, I'm sure they'd love to help you, but we've
got problems of our own and...did you say Mount Phoenix? Hmmm..." She
paused again. "Look...as it turns out, Ranma and some friends are
headed there to find something important. No, just sit tight. Don't
send your daughter looking for them. They'll get there soon. Yeah.
Alright, I'll make sure to tell them. Oh, and when you see them? Pay
for this call. Yeah. Bye-bye now." 

SKJAM!:  Well that was convenient.

	*****

	Nabiki came downstairs, holding a notepad. "Okay, Ranma...I've got
plane reservations for all of you."

Kira:  Actually I've got reservations about you as well. 

	Ranma smiled. "That's great, Nabiki!"
	"Just remember, you guys are paying for them."

SKJAM!:  Umi, Fuu, here's your lingerie.  Be in my studio in 5 minutes.

	Everyone grew sweatdrops. "We're fortunate to have Mokona-san with
us," Fuu said. 

Kira:  (Nabiki voice)  Nah, I don't think anyone's gonna pay to see that 
thing in lingerie.

	Nabiki handed Ranma a sheet of paper. "Here, this is all you need to
get the tickets. By the way," she said, "make sure you stop in to see
that Guide at Jyusenkyou."
	"We were planning to," Ranma said. 
	"Good. Well, I have some more business to attend to, so good luck."
Nabiki headed back upstairs.

SKJAM!:  That was easy.

	"Take care, son," Soun said from the shogi board. "Whatever you do,
be sure to get back here in one piece, and make sure Akane's with you
when you come back."

Kira:  We'll have the minister waiting.

	[Good luck, boy,] Genma signed.
	"Are you sure I made enough trail kits for you?" Kasumi asked.

SKJAM!:  There's only two years' supply...

	"Yeah Kasumi, we're fine. If we run out, Mokona can give us more,"
Ranma said. 
	Carrying heavy backpacks, the three teens, Lantis, Mokona, and
Hikari left for the train to Narita. "Mokona," Ranma asked, "are you
sure you can follow the plane, and carry Hikari?"
	"Puu," Mokona confirmed. 
	"Why can't the fluffball just fly all of us?" Umi wondered.

Kira:  It's lazy.

	"Because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves," Lantis said.
"Do you really want to fight demons over the sea?" Umi grimaced. "The
demons will most likely be confused by Mokona's transport, and it can
distract them away from the plane in case they do find us."

SKJAM!:  Oh goody, an airborne battle...

	
	*****

	"Moshi-moshi?"
	"Satoru-san? This is Tendou Nabiki."
	"Ah yes, Nabiki-san. Do you have any new information for me?"
	"Yes. They just left. They're going to be landing in..."

SKJAM!:  Hmm, Satoru-san is smarter than he looks...

[End act four]

[To be continued soon in Act Five: China]

Kira:  And we'll be looking forward to that....



SKJAM!
(Remember:  Ma Vie et Roses does *not* require you to have actually seen 
the Utena series to understand the story.  Please read it!)