CHAPTER TWO

	It was just before dawn, a time when all good little boys (and their
feline android bodyguards) were still snuggled in bed, getting their
much-needed rest.  Ryunosuke dozed rather fitfully in the unfamiliar
surroundings, while Nuku Nuku, true to her nature, was curled up on the
nearest available surface and dreaming of mice. 
	The boy's parents opened the door a fraction and checked on him, then
silently closed it and moved out onto the balcony of Kyusaku's hotel
room.  Acting in unspoken harmony, they positioned two chairs closely
together - but not *too* close - and sat down to watch the sunrise
together. 
	Mornings had always been a special time for them.  Akiko was a great
believer in the old "Early to bed, Early to rise" adage... or, as she
put it, "The sooner I wake up, the sooner I can make money".  In
contrast, Kyusaku wasn't really an early riser - rather, he tended to
stay up all night, working on some invention or other.  As long as he
hadn't been awake for more than a couple of days, he was usually be at
his most alert and personable soon after Akiko had woken up.  They had
watched many a sunrise together and, though neither would admit it, they
both missed this time of quiet companionship. 
	Kyusaku lit a cigarette and puffed contendedly for a moment, his gaze
vaguely settled on the gathering glow on the horizon.  "I have to
admit," he said softly, without looking at her.  "This was one of your
better ideas." 
	"I'm glad you approve," she responded with a hint of a smile in her
voice.  "Though I still think we should have gone with my original
plan..." 
	Her husband shook his head.  "He wouldn't have accepted it.  Not from
you." 
	"That's true... he's become such an independant and forceful young
man.  Mishima will do well when he takes my place." 
	"If that's what he decides to do," he pointed out.  Then he chuckled. 
"I am surprised, though, that you allowed him to come here.  Aren't you
afraid of all the horrible things that might happen to him in the
ocean?" 
	She joined in his laughter.  "Well, a mother *should* be concerned for
her child... but I think I can see now that I was only driving him
away."  Akiko looked out at the sea, where the first sliver of sunlight
was slowly ascending.  "Don't think that I've given up, though. 
Someday... someday I'll win him back to me." 
	He reached out and clasped his hand around hers - she looked down in
surprise.  "Maybe," he suggested, "that day will come when we three are
united again... as a *real* family this time." 
	She scrutinized him for a moment, doubting his sincerity... then she
smiled slightly and twined her fingers with his.  "Kyusaku..." 
	They sat like that for a time, in warm silence, while the sun made its
appearance.  Finally Kyusaku gently squeezed his wife's hand, then stood
up and walked to the railing of the balcony.  "Well, Ranma wasn't
exactly like I expected her... him to be." 
	She took a position next to him.  "It's unbelievable, I know.  To
change shape or gender just from water..." She glanced at Kyusaku with a
smile.  "But then, some might say that implanting a cat's brain in an
android is unbelievable, too." 
	He scratched his head.  "I'm sure there's a logical explanation... some
metamorphic virus in the pools he mentioned..."  He looked at her.  "Did
you really try to...?" 
	Akiko just nodded.  "Hai.  And I still think it would have worked, if
not for... complications." 
	Her husband laughed.  "It sounds like complications are a way of life
for *that* family."  He stubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray.  "Well,
let's wake up the children - after all, we have a fight to go to!" 
	She smiled fondly at him, and nodded.

	But first, breakfast.
	It will be sufficient to note that the Natsume, Tendo, and Saotome
families met as previously agreed, and that breakfast did indeed take
place.  The only noteworthy factor was that, given Ranma and Genma's
ravenous eating habits and Nuku Nuku's decision that such methods looked
like fun, Akiko wisely heeded Nabiki's advice to have them sit at a
separate table, while the rest of the group tried to ignore them.  This
was more or less successful, except when a rogue chopstick bounced off
the back of Soun's head. 

	The recently constructed stadium, formed in a half-circle around a
central field, was not large, but it was packed to capacity.  The
audience was composed of two types of people - those who had come due to
an interest in martial arts or had some connection to the competitors,
and those who had seen the sudden surge in advertising for Umikaze and
had decided to take advantage of the reduced rates.  Either way, the
competition promised to be quite exciting. 
	Down on the field, the fighters themselves - of which there were about
forty - were preparing for the match in their own personal ways.  A few
were dressed in their traditional fighting costumes, but most were
wearing swimsuits or very sparse clothing... another factor that added
to the event's appeal.  Some of the competitors were stretching and
doing warmup exercises, some were watching their opponents in order to
find any weaknesses, and some were simply meditating quietly. 
	Only one was waving excitedly to the crowd.
	"Ryunosuke!  Papa-san!  Mama-san!"
	"Nuku Nuku!" Kyusaku shouted as he waved back enthusiastically. 
	His son cupped his hands together in front of his mouth to amplify his
voice.  "Gambatte, Nuku Nuku!"  A happy laugh was his reply. 
	"Really,"  Akiko noted with some asperity.  "Why does she have to make
such an unseemly display?" 
	Nuku Nuku had proved to be an enigma to her opponents.  None of the
usual pre-match psychological techniques seemed to work on her, and
neither did attempts to establish a potential post-match relationship. 
Oh, she was easy enough to talk to, but invitations to meet after the
competition for a drink or two were met with blank stares and the
explanation that Nuku Nuku wasn't thirsty - those who would try to
intimidate her were told that they were silly. 
	It was embarrasing.
	Meanwhile, a short distance away, Akane was limbering up with a few
stretches, Ranma (in male form and wearing a pair of shorts) was running
through a few katas, and their fathers were... supervising. 
	Ranma glanced at his fiancee.  "You sure you're up to this, Akane? 
Some of these guys look pretty serious." 
	"Don't you worry about me, Ranma."  She essayed a few kicks at empty
air.  "I can take care of myself." 
	"Suit yourself."  He looked around at the other competitors.  *Seein'
the ghoul last night ain't a good sign, though,* he thought to himself. 
*Not that I'm worried, but I bet it ain't no coincidence that she showed
up.* 
	*I wonder if Akiko paid for her ticket, too...*
	An announcement from the staduim's loudspeakers interrupted his train
of thought.  "May I have your attention, please?" 

	Arisa stretched out on her beach towel, feeling the sun's rays warming
her.  "Ahhh... I told you this was going to be an easy gig for us.  With
Kyusaku, the cat-girl, and those karate types around, Our Lady doesn't
even need us today." 
	"Hai..." Kyoko opened up two beer cans and handed one to her partner. 
"As annoying as it is to see the schoolgirl android, sometimes it's
better when Our Lady and her worthless husband are getting along."  She
patted her own towel, causing a metallic thunk.  "Though this doesn't
exactly count as having a day off." 
	After a long sip of her drink, Arisa set the can down on the wing of
POISON SEVEN - the jet was currently parked with its tail just inside a
large hangar - and turned over onto her stomach.  "That's true... I'd
rather be down on the beach than sitting here.  Still, it's better than
following Akiko around in our full Mishima uniforms, or wearing our
flight suits.  At least this way, we can relax and get a tan." 
	Unnoticed by the bikini-clad ladies lounging on POISON SEVEN's frame, a
small patch of shadow seemed to detach itself from the greater darkness
within the hangar and slowly edged its way beneath the assault jet,
moving toward one of the engines. 
	Kyoko closed her eyes and lay back.  "We might get in trouble, though." 
	"Nah... we're just following orders."
	The shadow paused near the engine, and a moment later a small red light
began to blink silently, emanating from a carefully placed device that
hadn't been there before.  And the shadow moved on, toward the other
engine... 
	"Eh?"  The blonde peeked at her partner over the top of her
sunglasses.  "How do you figure that?" 
	"Simple.  Our Lady told us to keep an eye on POISON SEVEN, ne?  And
that's exactly what we're doing." 
	Another device was put into place, without attracting the attention of
the two Mishima employees above, and the shadow returned to the hangar
and quickly vanished from view. 
	"Hai, hai... nothing's going to happen to it while *we're* around,
that's for sure." 

	The name of the game was Martial Arts Scavenger Hunt. 
	The object, the announcer explained, was to find special items from the
list provided to the competitors, and return the items to the stadium
for scoring.  Each item was hidden somewhere in the untamed forest which
made up most of Umikaze, and was guarded by a martial artist of a skill
proportionate to the item's value in points.  And it was also a
competition: it was possible to attack another player and take any items
they were carrying. 
	"However," the announcer warned, "attacking another player when they do
*not* have an item is strictly prohibited, unless that player attacks
you first.  Anyone who does this will be disqualified!  Also, to make
sure we have a good show, you can't just hand your item over to another
player without a fight - trying to 'throw' the competition in this
manner is also prohibited." 
	The announcer gestured upward to a huge display board.  "The audience
will be able to watch the competitors' progress, so remember to make it
look good!  Does everyone understand?" 
	There was a general rumble of acknowledgement.
	"Then take your places at the starting line!"
	Several fighters, having deduced (incorrectly) that Nuku Nuku knew
where the items would be in advance - word of her association with
Mishima had gotten around - made sure to get a spot close to the
cat-girl.  After all, they decided (also incorrectly), it wouldn't be
too hard to get the prizes away from such a young, innocent looking
thing. 
	Akane prepared for the signal to start, her gaze fixated on the forest
ahead.  She *would* win this time, and rub in in Ranma's face for once,
the way he always did to her... 
	"Give it up, Akane," a familiar voice beside her suggested.  "You'll
only get hurt." 
	"Shut UP, Ranma!" she growled.
	"I'm only tryin' to spare your feelings.  You gotta realize - you're
way out of your league here." 
	"I said shut up!"
	The loudspeakers blared again.  "Competitors... ready!" 
	While the others around them prepared for the signal, Ranma and Akane
continued to argue.  "C'mon, Akane!  I just don't want you to get hurt
or nothin'." 
	She looked at him in surprise.  "Ranma..."
	"Nothin' spoils a vacation like havin' a crippled tomboy lyin' around,
moanin' and sulkin'..." 
	The signal shot was fired.  "GO!"
	"DIE, RANMA!"
	Akane punted her fiancee into the air; almost immediately afterwards,
big red letters flashed on the display board. 
	[#37 Tendo Akane - DISQUALIFIED]
	As the other competitors stampeded forward, Akane simply stood there in
disbelief.  "That... that... that's not fair!"  She yelled at the
disappearing dot in the sky.  "Ranma, you JERK!" 


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