-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fic
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Switch: Herbs and Spices Day 1
by Nikholas "Switch" F. Toledo
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Please do remember that Ranma 1/2 is a trademark and a copyright of and 
by some big name people and companies I am not even worthy to introduce.  
Anybody who says that I took any of their stuff better not find me 
hiding.  Also, great thanks to whoever reads this and likes it, good 
thanks to whoever reads it anyhow, and teeny-weeny thanks to whoever else 
even saw this. 
------------------------------
The Vector Mark of Approval is the foremost seal of excellence of NFT 
fics.  The freshness, correctness, and F-ness of each work pass through 
rigorous tests of labial dexterity and cognitive consistency.  Grammar 
checked and taste tested by the highly esteemed board of Vector, Editor-
in-Chief.  (No small thanks to Peggy Stonnel who read it without knowing 
what she was getting into and ended up knowing more about the language.)
------------------------------



                      The Light on the Fourth Floor



	Nodoka was baking a set of cookies for her neighbors to eat as a 
gift for seeing the house for the time she'll be at the Tendos'.  While 
waiting for the oven to signal her, she was reading up on her 
international news.  Her index and pinkie fingers were twirling 
themselves upon a strand of loose bangs, and she noted that they had been 
starting to straighten again.  She sighed.  She would have to have her 
coif set again.  No matter.  There'll be time for that.
	The oven pinged for her attention, and she hurriedly extracted the 
latest batch of goodies, which she then put into a small tray.  Counting 
pieces, she realized that she had planned to make a last batch of sugar 
tidbits for the children of her neighbor, which they loved co much.  She 
moved to the crate she had hoarded in order to claim the half-dozen eggs 
she needed when she suddenly realized a peculiar thing:  some eggs were 
missing.
	She was sure they had been there earlier, and that she hadn't used 
any unaccounted for.  Maybe she had misplaced them.  She absently took 
note of it for later investigation.

	Out in the rain which had suddenly fallen in sunny summer Nerima, 
two females ran drenched into an overhang.  They began to systematically 
dry their hair as they waited for the sunshower to pass.  Akane was 
trying very much not to get annoyed.
	"I knew I should have brought an umbrella," she said.
	Her companion shrugged.  "Good one."
	She gave the redhead a cleaving look which prompted momentary 
silence.  It didn't help any at all, and none would be the better.  They 
both knew that.  A silent drizzle began to trail.  
	She sighed to tilt her head skyward.  It was a brilliant sunshower, 
where the sun's still out to catch each droplet in mid-air and give it a 
slightly crystalline look.  She must have cocked her head to one side 
because Ranma-chan had sidled up ever so cautiously.  She permitted 
herself a small smile before the sneeze caught her by surprise.
	A fit of d�j� vu filled her when she felt the muscular arms of her 
fianc�e embrace her form.  A haze of red began to form, only to be 
stifled by the look on the smaller girl's face.  She turned her gaze 
skyward once more to wonder when the rain will end, and as the arms 
cradled her waist to offer some of the warmth she needed, she hoped it 
wouldn't for some while, some while.
	
	Nabiki had gotten home just before the downpour, but she was still 
drenched.  She caught Soun preparing bleary-eyed for a tragically delayed 
lunch.  Leaving him almost in tears in the waiting room, she phoned for 
an order of six teriyakis on rice with the payment on delivery to the 
Tendo dojo.  You know, the one near the high school, across the fenced 
walk near the river?  Good.
	As soon as she had dropped the phone, Mr. Saotome entered rudely.  
	He looked left and right and saw Soun near tears.  Knowing all too 
well that his friend would be beyond words at this point, he aimed his 
sign at the female.
	<Where is he?>  he said.
	"If it's that son of yours you're looking for, he should be coming 
home from Dr. Tofu's.  What's got you so riled?"  she said, catching her 
breath.
	<Nodoka's coming.>
	Oh, so that would be it.  She wasn't very surprised.
	"Then I'll just make sure that he finds out before any incidents 
can occur," she concluded, grabbing an umbrella.  "He's probably changed 
for the situation already," indicating the weather.
	<Thank you> said the panda, setting himself upon the task of 
drawing his friend back to the living, not exactly realizing that he was 
slated to pay for their lunch today, as Nabiki left for her best sources 
of income.

	Finally, as sudden as it had appeared, it had passed.
	Ukyo had briefly left the customers to take care of the fallen 
teen.  She brought him up to her waiting room upstairs.  After she had 
set him up with a towel on his forehead, she felt necessary to close shop 
early.  The people were audibly disgruntled, but mostly did not argue the 
assessment of the management.  After quickly tidying up the stalls and 
the grill, she closed the doors and the windows, and went up to check on 
her charge.
	The sunshower had barely shown itself than it passed, giving Ukyo 
the mild assumption that there was peace in the world.  But, in her mind, 
there was only turbulence and questions.
	She pulled out an electric fan to cool the passed-out wanderer.  
Then she started to undo his footwear.  This latter maneuver 
unfortunately required that she partly undo his pants, which she did with 
little delay.  She just hoped that he wasn't going to wake up on him just 
yet, because after what he's gone through, his poor little brain couldn't 
handle the attention, not to mention his overworked ego.
	For the moment though, introspection was required.  So, on the 
couch nearby, she promptly, but properly, fell asleep.

	Shampoo did not exactly believe her luck.
	For one, the first eggs she had chanced upon belonged to her 
mother-in-law.  She didn't actually believe that this in itself was a 
good thing.  She knew that her husband-to-be was not showing himself to 
her yet, and it wasn't easy for him to do so.  Neither was it easy on his 
mother, but it was the way it was.  It was the type of thing that only he 
and his father could resolve, and so some deception was in order to 
acquire the needed foodstuff.  After all, what's six eggs when she's 
ready to provide their bloodline with good and strong children?  Surely 
any woman can appreciate that.
	Secondly, she couldn't find him.  She saw only the stupid stick-boy 
and the mustached father of Akane.  She was a bit annoyed to think that 
they could be together as they sometimes were, but she had checked the 
clinic and there was only the doctor acting funny, and Akane's nice 
sister.  They couldn't be at the school.  So she just kept jumping up and 
down with the food in a steam container when the rain passed by.  She 
cursed the goddess of the rain with her poor timing when the oven jumped 
her.
	Tsubasa didn't exactly believe his luck, either.  Here was some 
free food, with just a cat beside it.  He was wondering where the nicely 
curved female he was following went, as he sort of lost her because it 
was hard to jump while wearing an oven, but this will do.  He opened the 
grill door to gather the dumplings, not noticing that the cat was heating 
a kettle of water.
	Shampoo was sure that she was going to kill this girl.  She was 
eating the love dumplings she was going to give her future groom, which 
she had to borrow eggs for.  The pangs of defeat began to twitch her 
changing muscles.  Frustration was starting to bubble as she began to 
wear the skimpy oriental dress she had brought along with the kettle, and 
was slightly glad that summer rains in Nerima only lasted seconds counted 
on two hands.  
	She slid gracefully to her opponent to establish the exchange of 
blows properly:  with a kiss of death.  Quickly was it done, so that 
bloodshed could occur, as this was mostly what was on her mind, beside 
the queerness of the opponent.  So it totally took her off guard when her 
opponent stared at her with great big doe eyes.
	Tsubasa was stunned.  There was this total knockout of a babe that 
was modeling some form of lingerie/swimsuit that was thinking of 
revealing enough of her to leave one in traction.  And the first thing 
she did was kiss him!  Not only was she a great body, but she had an eye 
and fashion sense to boot.  He gratefully took her hand in his and asked 
politely, "what is your name?"
	The Amazon was wondering what had gone wrong.  Her recipe was only 
supposed to make whoever ate the dumplings fall in love with the first 
member of the opposite sex he/she will encounter, no big deal.  Kid's 
stuff, really.  Something terrible had happened.  "What you talking 
about?"  She tried to move slightly out of range of the range.
	The girl just moved with her, never losing her grip on the warrior-
maiden's hand.  "But, my beauteous silk-skinned one..."
	This was something Shampoo had to refer to her great-grandmother.  
"So sorry, must be going," she muttered and flew into the air.
	Not to be outdone, Tsubasa followed once more.

	Nabiki had used the excuse to leave the house once more in order to 
set the matters of the rather extreme events of the morning into clearer 
focus.  She passed by the park to check if her contact was there, and, 
sure enough, there he was.
	He was entirely nondescript.  Nothing could be said about his 
features, save for the fact that there was nothing out of the ordinary.  
She stood near the bench he was sitting on and said, "it was there."
	He stood up.  She had the most distinct feeling that the 
conversation, like all conversations they had, were completely under his 
control.  "So it was."  He looked her in the eye.  "You did do as I 
asked, should the money be there."
	At that, she blushed ever so lightly.  "Yes."
	He slightly sagged, as if the news served to depress him instead of 
elate him.  "You'd like to know what you did that for."
	Again, she nodded.
	He sighed inwardly.  "You've been doing some of the reverse 
engineering.  You should be able to find out what would happen."
	Nabiki said, "I've gotten the two together."
	He nodded.
	Nabiki was about to ask, but his hand silenced her.  "It is 
important that they get together now, instead of later."
	She could only ask, "But why do they need to get together now?"
	He only looked at her askingly, as if to pose the same question to 
her, leaving Nabiki to ponder the possibilities she could have not 
considered.

	The two left for their destination in silence.  It was just a small 
game they had, to figure out who would break this fragile mood, and how 
long this comfortably warm non-verbal interaction would last.  They 
actually made it to the road which leads straight to the dojo grounds 
before anyone dared to speak.
	"I'm hungry."
	Ranma-chan immediately considered the effects of having said I'm 
hungry at this point in time.  He had quickly ditched the okonomiyaki 
through the ever efficient Saotome digestive system, and now he regretted 
it.  But he had to hide it from Akane.  It would have precluded their 
slightly weak moment earlier.
	But whenever Ranma would mention his need for sustenance, he felt 
he would immediately be assaulted by the fawnings of one or (usually) 
more of his fianc�es would jump at the chance to outdo all the others, 
claiming that this would be the ultimate proof that she was the one for 
him.
	It was usually either martial arts or cooking in which the four 
would fight over him for.  He was having slight problems accepting that, 
even though she was greatly lost in either compared to the others, he 
still chose Akane.  It wasn't the practical choice, nor was it actually 
the wise choice.  He just knew somewhere deep down that it was the right 
choice.
	Now how was that for sappy?  He stared at the one he cared for.
	What would happen if he had lost her?  He wouldn't know.  He tried 
not to think about it, as often as it almost happens.  He admitted to 
himself that he didn't want to know.
	He felt a kinship to her.  She was his, and he hers, and there was 
nothing that could shake him from that.  Not Mikado.  Not Ryoga.  Not 
Shinnosuke.  Not even Kuno.  Not his other fianc�es.  And definitely not 
Kodachi.
	He honestly did not know what to do without her by his side.
	If only they could see that together.
	He just waited for the reaction his statement evinced.
	
	Akane pursed her lips as they walked the damp road.  She dared not 
to speak, for fear of words which could bind them, words which could tear 
them at each other.  It always came to these, words.  Little nothings in 
all senses of the word.  What would happen to words if you hear them 
backwards?  They lose meaning.  How can we go on like this?  She stole a 
glance at the pretty face which held her at a loss at times.
	What kind of poetry could the old masters write which could involve 
us without gender?  The tomboy and the half-boy/half-girl.  Not a he nor 
a she, but a you and an I.  We were meant to come together now, here.  
The real and the mystic.  Like some uncommon sort of soulmate, the 
complement of the other, yet reflecting one another.
	She wondered slightly.  She was romantically thinking about him.  
It was delicious irony, but it was too dear to her for her to dismiss.  
He was always there for her, even though she felt... undeserving.  He 
would never leave her.  
	But, how would life be if he was here with her, forever?  After all 
those times when trouble would lead to him.  Could they be able to stick 
it through?  With all these people keeping them apart, and pushing them 
together.  They were just fighting all external forces.  How did he 
really feel?  How did she really feel?
	Would it be the right thing to happen?
	Would there be the right words to say?
	She closed her eyes to hear his voice.
	"I'm hungry."

	The man woke up again, with his head ringing.  The way the light 
crept into the room told him that it was very close to lunchtime, and 
that it will rain very recently.  He blinked a bit, then breathed in 
deeply.
	He stood up to the window, then closed the blinds.  He then went to 
the light switch, to get a handhold on the amount of light at least.
	Nothing.
	He groaned.  The switch was busted, he forgot.  Stupid, stupid.
	Wheedling to the window, he slid the venetians slightly, so as to 
provide just the amount of light needed.  He remembered to keep tabs on 
the date, and today was the day he was supposed to meet with Nabiki.  
Another groan.  He won't make it if he didn't hurry up.
	He's just glad he won't get caught in the rain.  Nerima always had 
rain.

	Shampoo didn't exactly know where to run.  This girl was more 
trouble than she was worth.  Whenever she would try to turn around to 
assail the overeager poseur, she'd have gone into a different guise.  
Then, when she thought she was safe, the girl would jump out of a nearby 
tree or garbage can.  This was starting to stink, too.
	Down the road she barreled at cheetah speed.  Luckily no one was 
near enough to be barreled down, or else they'd grab a hefty helping of 
Chinese.  She thought of going down the road, when she realized that this 
was where the Tendo dojo was.  She almost was able to pass by the fence 
when a fire hydrant slammed into her.  They fell into the river.
	How predictable, they thought, oblivious to the commotion for the 
moment.  Akane and Ranma-chan heard and saw the splash of water, as they 
had been on the self-same road.  They quickly ran to the action, which 
had started building a chokepoint on the path.
	At the scene, they saw Tsubasa (in a ruined fire hydrant costume) 
holding an oriental dress of sorts.  He was crying, "she's naked!  I must 
clothe her before anyone can defile her body with lascivious glances," 
and ran through the other side of the road.
	This scene flew through Ranma's brain (with only the mild essence 
of:  Tsubasa seems to talk like Kuno now, is he dressing up Chinese, 
too?), as Akane quickly summed up the logical course of action:  "Let's 
go, Ranma."
	This, of course, was due to the pinkish cat she held in her arms, 
screeching and scratching.  She, of course, kept this from her 
houseguest's (or is it, housepest?) eyes and ears.
	Not too successfully, though.  "What was that?"
	Akane feigned ignorance.  "What was what?"
	Ranma-chan cocked her head.  "Nothing.  I just thought it was..."
	Akane took the phrase.  "Nothing."
	Ranma-chan glanced at her.  It could have gone well, too.
	They just went ahead, the girl in red on the fence, and the girl 
with the cat slightly behind.  She whispered, "we'll talk about this 
later, Shampoo."  The pink cat just made a tiny screech, and continued to 
protest.

	 Mousse woke up.  He opened his eyes.  Nothing.  A muttered curse 
that ended up as a sound like that of a crumpled clarinet confirmed the 
worst:  he was, in fact, a duck.  He sometimes wished that he had some 
sort of fastening for his glasses like that of Mr. Saotome, so that they 
wouldn't sneak up and away from him.
	He tried standing, but his wings were kept where they were by some 
unseen force.  He felt sure of only a few things:  someone was planning 
to cook him, and it wasn't either Shampoo or Cologne.
	The latter meant mainly that this was no dream.  He was sure of it 
because he could hear the slashing motions made by the butcher's knife 
being tested for sharpness.  Most Chinese recipes he knew the Amazons 
used involved using unprepared meat and fowl.  No, this chef was planning 
to chop his head off before dressing him.  
	No, this was not the way a good day would be going.

	"What did you say, Saotome?"  Soun bellowed to the panda practicing 
looking innocent while playing with a beach ball.
	The panda fished around for something.  He withdrew the sign which 
said "Nodoka's coming", and flashed it at his host.
	In turn, Tendo bugged his eyes out.  Much as Nodoka was a welcome 
guest, lately, it never brought any good out of the house.  Or in it, for 
any matter.  "When?"
	<Don'know> was the reply.
	Soun started to show large veins on his forehead while speaking.  
"So you're planning to take your son with you on a training trip, just to 
avoid the heat, knowing very well that the Master could strike at any 
point?"
	At that, the panda quickly hid the backpack he had recovered for 
his cursed family members.  <Now, that you think about it...>
	Tendo sat cross-legged looking at the panda.  "And until then, 
you'll just be doing that, eh?"
	The panda nodded, returning to rocking a tire.
	He also nearly avoided a few neatly thrown tables.
	When the delivery man arrived, Soun left the unconscious "bear" 
floating face-down in the pond, betwixt strewn table entrails.

	Sasuke was really glad that he had snooped on the Amazons earlier.  
	It's been a while since he's cooked Peking duck, that he really 
wasn't sure that he was going to do it right.  But, oh joy of joys!  Here 
he was with a duck he just picked up on the street in the marketplace on 
the way back.  The duck was high-quality meat, with good stuffing.  It 
was kind of heavy as well, too heavy for a mere duck, which made him kind 
of wonder.  What was kind of weird, though, was when he picked the 
waterfowl up, it was wearing a set of glasses.  At least, that was what 
it looked like.  He kept the latter for later inspection.  (a ninja 
doesn't just return objects picked up, they have to check it, you know?)
	He was playing with a butcher's knife.  He could remember someone 
warning him not to play with sharp objects, but being in the servitude of 
the Kunos, it was unavoidable.  There would be times when he would have 
to clean a set of hoops which had dulled due to hitting posts in 
gymnastic rings, or sets of grass-cutters (with black-tinted clippings) 
or razors.  A butcher's knife was one of the more safe things he's 
handled recently.
	He was also swinging it in mid-air, making slicing motions.  That 
was the traditionally martial-arts way of testing snappiness and 
sharpness, if there was a whoosh of air filling in a vacuum, or a sharp 
hiss.  Why, in China, they'd test the sharpness of their weapons by 
simply slicing through the air, as the air over there was hard enough to 
sink your teeth into.
	Smirking, he chopped at the head of the duck.

	The man woke up.  He tried to flick on the light, as the blinds 
were drawn.  He flipped it on.
	Nothing.
	Oh well, that would explain the new bulb yesterday.
	He drew the blinds open.  The streets were only slightly damp.
	He yawned.
	He rolled up into bed.

	

                               Five to Nine



	Kasumi folded and put down the apron she had borrowed for the 
doctor and sat on one of the beds.  That doctor!  She chuckled to 
herself.  Although he had put on this horrendously funny act, he had left 
rather hastily with his skeleton Betty.  It was rather nice of him to 
entertain her, when she was only here to return a book.  (but wasn't this 
what happened every time?)  She had already picked out the book she 
wanted to borrow (an old tome on the virtues of herbs as practical gift 
items), but still, Dr. Tofu hadn't come back.  She was worried that he 
would be gone for quite a while, and she had to cook lunch.  Poor father.  
He'd be worried sick.  Maybe I should call home?  Yes, that would be the 
proper thing to do.
	Kasumi tried to call home, but the phone was uncharacteristically 
busy.  After three tries, she hung up.  Maybe I'll call a bit later.
	The motherly Tendo went back into the reception room of the clinic 
to read the book she had borrowed.  I'll just wait for the good doctor.  
It was there that she saw the letters scattered on the table.  "What's 
this?"  she asked openly.  Since she had cleaned the clinic, she would 
fix this up a bit, too.  She almost whistled a happy tune, while absently 
filing away the unopened letters and subscription forms.  She glanced at 
a few of them, and was almost done when a sheet of folded paper fell.  
She had settled the rest on a cabinet in the inner room when she picked 
it up.  Not meaning to pry, she noted that the letter was for his mother.  
She smiled slightly at that.  Such a lively woman she was.  It shows of 
good health and vitality.
	She put that atop of the rest, and returned to her book.

	Cologne was busy filling in orders at the Cat Cafe when some sort 
of ruckus could be heard above the din.  As it came from the outside, 
several of the diners were peering through the windows.  But almost 
immediately, they returned to their seats, and returned to their usual 
state of chaos.
	She grunted.  So, Kasumi Tendo was cleaning up at the young 
acupuncturist's clinic again, eh?  Shampoo must already be on the way to 
the groom's lunch table.  Things are definitely looking up.  Too bad that 
Mousse seems to have gallivanted looking for the girl.  If it wasn't 
lunch time, I'd have knocked him silly.  As it is, though, I'm sure that 
the two won't have too much trouble.
	
	There.
	Mousse thrust the left wing at the butcher's knife, confident that 
his aim would be dead-on.  
	Sasuke opened his eyes.  Instead of finding a headless duck, he 
just saw that his hands were no longer on the knife.  After a moment's 
searching determined that it had in fact imbedded itself onto the ceiling 
of the kitchen, he began to wonder.  He must be using too much force, and 
had let go of the knife before impact.  If he could just stop from 
blinking whenever he swings the stupid thing...
	Mousse started to fuss in his awkward position, looking for a 
suitable tool to use in this predicament.  He had to keep calm in order 
to use his other senses, and being hounded with a butcher's knife while 
tied up was not the most calming of situations.  He had almost gotten his 
left wing out when the ninja had returned from the roof.
	Most interesting, Sasuke said to himself.  The menu was giving a 
chase.  So be it!  he thought, as he was used to fighting in the most 
unusual of venues against the most ridiculous of opponents.  This would 
most certainly qualify.
	He had leapt into the air and was heaving the blade mercilessly 
toward the fowl, shouting a battle cry (which, as could be added, is not 
what your everyday ninja would do), and, as a result, got him a mouthful 
of explosive eggs.  He fell down as MuMu-chan righted himself, shaking 
off flecks of wood and eggshells.

	Kuno stood at the dining table in the estate.  He waited as 
patiently as he could.  But he could not take any more of this insolence.  
"Sasuke!"  he bellowed, temerity brimming.  He was kind of hungry, and a 
true warrior does not keep himself hungry.  If only such fools around him 
would realize and submit willingly. 

	Ranma-chan and Akane were about to go in when Nabiki met them.  
They entered the gate when the phone rang.  Inside, they could here the 
baritone of Soun Tendo responding to an unknown dialogue.
	The redhead was greeted by a bellowed, "so, how did it go with the 
doctor?"  The raven-haired one answered, "he was able to stop the hair 
growth."  Soun was just nodding.
	He said, "that was Kasumi.  She said she'd be waiting for Dr. Tofu 
in the clinic.  Have any of you seen him?"
	Ranma-chan and Akane stared at each other.  The some-time pig-
tailed goddess said, "try the park," and went into the dining room.
	It had caught the young martial artists' noses that there was 
already hot food on the table.  Since their young cook was not around, it 
was decided that someone had ordered for delivery and that it had been 
reheated.  To whoever that was, Ranma could not give enough thanks.  He 
could only avoid grinning because his nominal fianc�e was at his side.
	At once, the two who came from the clinic ate.  They were joined 
soon after by the middle Tendo sister sans umbrella.  They ate in 
somewhat silence, which Ranma soon broke by announcing that he was to 
take a bath again (making it his fourth).  The siblings merely took the 
utensils and bowls to clean.  
	For a while, only the grunting sounds of a panda at play were 
heard.

	Shampoo didn't exactly wait where she was.  Having to stay here 
while her husband was taking a bath was no fun, but, admittedly, having 
him pass out in hideous fear was another.  It, well, just didn't suit 
him.
	She waited where she was when Akane arrived with a kettle of hot 
water, a towel and a dress of sorts.  She was going to be civil as long 
as it was getting her something, and for now, it's simply shelter.
	Akane started, "what were you doing with Tsubasa?"
	Shampoo stared at her, wondering if this was the first time that 
only they were together, and not at each other's throats.  And, if it 
was, why.  "You know crazy girl, Akane?"
	They didn't meet before, of course.  "Tsubasa is a guy.  But I 
thought he was after Ukyo."
	"This Tsubasa is guy?  Oh."  She hit a hand with the other.  So it 
wasn't wrong after all.
	At this point, Akane was openly wondering why that dress didn't 
look quite comfortable with Shampoo in it.  She realized that it was 
because it was just a bit too tight around some areas.  She slightly 
flinched at the thought.  "What?  Why is he after you, Shampoo?"
	"Maybe Shampoo have something Ukyo don't," she cryptically said.
	Cryptic doesn't do Shampoo well.  Akane was close to asking again 
when Shampoo stood up.  "I go now."  And with that she left for the roof.  
	As Akane, too, stood, Shampoo peered from above.  "I return dress 
later."  Then she fled.

	Dr. Tofu was busy retracing his steps.  Having gotten to the other 
end of the district on foot was no easy task, and something he had to 
redo soon.  He was still grinning ear to ear, though.
	Not wanting to remove Betty from her piggyback position, he trudged 
quickly down the path to the clinic.

	Kuno had had his lunch, but had to get it from Sasuke after he had 
been revived.  Evidently, he had been trying something with eggs that did 
not do well.  
	He was on his way to the open court in order to practice some katas 
and hone his eloquence when he had chanced upon a duck.  The duck acted 
like it was a bit drunk, swaying about and bumping into posts and such.  
He picked up the fowl and placed it into Mr. Turtle's pond.  It was 
probably past his lunchtime.
	Kuno left the pond amidst the sounds of the second battle there in 
hours for his afternoon fancy.

	A cherry blossom festival was being held in Tokyo.  Among the pink 
and brown background, one could not notice a diminutive, venerably aged 
man carrying an ice box.  He trudged along unnoticed, sadly noting the 
presence of kimonos and fineries which hid the true wonders of the human 
body.  Had to wait until the summer.  He came and left.

	Cologne was not surprised to see Shampoo in a school uniform.  The 
traditional white and green-blue ensemble was a regular enough sight at 
the diner.  She quickly discarded this in search for some flimsier 
clothing.
	"Granddaughter, where have you been?"
	Fitting herself into a short-sleeved affair she said, "at Ranma's."
	Cologne knew that that answer didn't add any to her confidence in 
her descendant's abilities in the marital arts.  "Where is that bird-
brain Mousse?"
	The younger Amazon replied, "don't know, great-grandmother."
	She hopped on her staff a bit, leaving the ramen in the wok.  "The 
numskull was just supposed to buy me some pork and potatoes.  Where could 
he have gotten off to?"
	Shampoo was only minutely vexed by the concern the elder had.  "Why 
great-grandmother worry about Mousse?"
	"I just don't want to be left out on the information, child.  He 
could be plotting something right this minute."
	Shampoo only smirked.  "I no worry.  Ranma ready for anything."
	"Oh, I'm sure son-in-law would, child," she said as she went back 
to her cooking.

	Kodachi woke up on the floor of her lab.  Strewn about the doors, 
several househands were lying unconscious.  She stood up and dusted 
herself with her gloves.  She then went to the sink and washed off the 
grime from her face.  That was one formula she'd have to test again.  Who 
would imagine that a love potion would have paralytic properties?  It was 
probably used to succumb the target for more amorous purposes, not 
necessarily of the target's liking.  It could prove useful.
	It was, in fact, when she was planning to cook up a larger batch of 
this particular recipe when she heard the fight.

	Nodoka was about cleaning the yard of the house when she had seen 
the unusual sight of a young man with a skeleton on his back.  He was 
definitely a martial artist of skill:  not only was he moving at an 
exhilarating pace, he was doing this without upsetting the dust that she 
was gathering into a pile, nor with a sound.  Not recognizing the style 
of martial arts which practices that particular style, she went back to 
her sweeping.

	The man shifted unnaturally in his sleep.

	It was when Ranma was taking his fourth bath when he started to 
relax, again in tune with his own body.  He hated not having complete 
control over his body;  a martial artist keeps it upon himself to 
harmonize body and mind, in order to perfectly coordinate and adapt.  It 
couldn't do good just to know how to use an attack or a defense, but 
when.
	As he sank in the pool, he would remember to keep these hot baths 
to a minimum, as there was only so much that their overworked heater 
could stand.  He would probably have to take more cold baths, as his 
mother was expected to return.  He had gathered as much without being 
told by Nabiki:  his father was so transparent you could see him inside 
that panda suit.
	He tensed slightly at the twists fate had thrown him in.  Having 
girls chase him wasn't exactly new, as he wasn't exactly unpopular in his 
youth.  It's just that he never saw females as anything more than just 
different people, with all the same problems that come with being human.  
He slightly blanched at the fact that having not exactly the same body 
parts caused their own problems.  That's probably why he and Ukyo were 
having problems now:  He still saw her as the friend he left and met 
again, because that's who she was.  He... couldn't respond.  He wasn't on 
the same wavelength.
	But being a girl was another matter.  He had to keep himself from 
revealing their curse to his mother, the one woman who had meant to him 
all that time they were on the road.  And the cat-fist technique, which 
gained full control of his sensibilities.  He somehow lost more of his 
life to fate.  
	He scrubbed down to dress up to continue their shared vigil.

	Mousse felt that he had to get away.  Just because.
	He was kind of sure that he didn't want to go into the maw-like 
thing with rather sharp teeth attached to it that seemed to bear itself 
upon him.  
	Also, he could hear and feel a certain amount of jostling, 
amounting to the cavalry.  Not very good odds, but he's been in worse.
	First, the Abyss.  A few well-placed eggs would do fine, but the 
finesse would be lost.  Replace with a well-placed bo, and we're in 
business.  
	What would do fine would be to get the hell out of here.  Simply 
flight with duck wings wasn't going to get him through much, as he 
couldn't exactly see where he was going.  He kept his spare sets of 
spectacles out of his cache of weaponry, as glass tends to break within 
the confines of sharp and deadly instruments.  No, guided telemetry was 
needed.
	Upward, he threw a grappling hook attached to strong wire.  Feeling 
for the bob, he held on to the largish metal ball attached to the end of 
the wire.  Knowing full well that the physics of it would hold, he 
followed the path of the grappling hook as followed by the bob.  
Incidentally, the grappling hook went over a wall, and thus the Kuno 
servants watched the duck (that stuck a wooden staff across the 
mistress's pet alligator's mouth rather well) hang on to the ball of 
metal into the springs of the Kuno mansion.  They knew better than to 
touch the reptile, they filed instead into the other end of the mansion, 
as this was the only path into the Jacuzzi of the manor.  As they did 
this, they passed by the greenhouse, which had been cleared of the 
dreadful stuff the mistress had been brewing. 

	Ryoga noticed the afternoon sun peeking through the window, as it 
directly flashed into his face, waking him.  He had a damp (and cold) 
cloth on his forehead, which wasn't quite enough to turn him into a pig.  
He discarded this, and tried to assess his current situation.
	He was in someone's bedroom.  He hoped it wasn't Akane's.  It 
wouldn't exactly be good to have her come in on him in his current state 
of (somewhat) undress.  He slipped on his sandals and fastened his pants, 
as he was getting the heck out of wherever he was.  He reckoned he was 
where he was earlier this day, when he thought that he was at the 
Tendos'.  But how or why he ended up here was a mystery.  Nothing that 
should actually bother him, though.
	He noticed an assortment of pictures of a family set on a side 
cabinet.  He couldn't identify much in the faded photos except for a 
vehicle of sorts which was always there with the family.  He went past 
this unto the window pane, to open it further.
	It wasn't as though he could recognize where he was through 
landmarks.  His last count ended him somewhere in the sixth floor of the 
Diet building, so that was of no help.  
	His ever-reliable reflexes alerted him to some movement.  He 
quickly turned towards the source:  a couch near the mat he was lying on.  
As slowly as he could, he inched closer and closer to the furniture.
	As he peeked over the top, he had the unfortunate experience of 
losing blood for the third time in the day, unconsciousness mercifully 
claiming him.

	Kodachi was quick to note that the duck had its trajectory vectored 
to the hot springs.  It was lucky to note that no one was using them at 
the time.  Not that she'd care.  If that duck had only thrown it 
arbitrarily in the exact opposite direction that it did, it would have 
left the premises.  The unforgivable creature had harmed her pet, and she 
would make sure to give it the full treatment.  There was something 
itching in the middle of her head (which would make it the back of her 
brain) about the waterfowl, but it was naught of any consequence.
	She leapt unto the wall that separated the baths from the forest in 
time to see the bird rush headlong into the nearest pool.  She allowed 
herself a slight smirk in appraising the advantage in her position.
	No mere bird will make a mockery of Kodachi Kuno, or her pet.
	No mere bird will survive.  Even if it is just a bird.
	She jumped down, almost exactly into the arms of a young man she 
hadn't seen there.
	Mousse was now human, he could tell:  the water was warm enough for 
bathhouses.  He rose in the robes he had brought with him for such 
occasions, and ascended, reclaiming the hook-and-ball.  If anybody had 
been noticing, his figure silhouetted against the steam, encloaked as he 
was, seemed like the ascension of an angel of mercy.
	Which was what Kodachi was thinking.
	She fell on the tips of her feet, as any gymnast would be able to 
do with minimal discomfort.  Bringing her hands to her face, she tried to 
discern the features of the man she fell in love with immediately.  
Through long tresses of hair, his blue eyes fell upon her vulnerable and 
frail frame, as though to caress it.  Truth to tell, Mousse couldn't tell 
a telephone pole from his darling Shampoo from two paces away normally, 
so Kodachi being just beyond two meters in the foggy environment could 
not exactly have been caressed by sight.  It also didn't matter.
	She took no time at all to glomp onto the stranger.

	Nerima sighed.
	The sun was beginning to leave its lazy arc, into the quicker yet 
equally lethargic drop into the horizon.  Things become such during the 
summer days here.  Another uneventful day was wrapping itself up, 
preparing to throw itself into the ditch history prepared entirely for 
days like these.
	And night was to surround, bringing the peace that the dark takes 
away to far regions of the world.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
	(Detach here)
	Hello?  Anyone still there?  Yoo-hoo?  Anyone still interested?
	If I was an established writer, I'd claim I'd be cashing my good 
faith chips.  But I don't have any.  So I'll just clam up and try to 
concentrate on this.  This doesn't mark anything other than two parts, 
and my closing in on the closure of the first day of events.  Or absence 
thereof.
	Hopefully, after the first day, I can run along with the rest of 
the story before it gets too mushy.
	Incidentally, I've set the universe to be a hybrid of the Ranma 
English-dubbed anime (since I brought Sasuke in, already) and English-
translated manga (for the name spellings, and left-handedness), along the 
end of the anime without Akari, Konatsu or Nodoka knowing about her 
family's problems with the water.
	Where's the fight scenes?  There have been four in my last count:  
1) Mr. Turtle v P-chan (my personal favorite, who else can say their 
first fight scene was with two pets?);  2) Nabiki v Ukyo (how's that for 
cool?, and over Ryoga, yet);  3) Sasuke v MuMu-chan;  4) Mr. Turtle v 
MuMu-chan.  Four fight scenes in one day.  What more can you ask for?
	Also, the wrap up in the day's events in parts 6 (Sixth Sense and 
Sensibilities) and 7 (Seventh Sign-off), plus WATCH THIS SPACE for the 
Interlude (called All Wet) part which I have lined up as an experimental 
bit.  Hey, if you don't like it I'd understand.  (although since you're 
reading this, I don't understand you already)  Expect the appearances of 
some of the people who would come right at you from the NFT fics, plus 
some of the regulars I'd forgotten to put in.
	Currently, a recap of where everyone mentioned was:
	Ranma:  in the dojo, in the wait on news of Happosai and Nodoka
	Akane:  in the dojo, in the wait on news of Happosai and Nodoka
	Nabiki:  in the dojo, waiting for her cue
	Soun:  in the dojo, calmly waiting for Kasumi's return
	Genma:  in the dojo, transformed, waiting for hell to break loose 
	Happosai:  last seen in Tokyo, lugging a box
	Ryoga:  with Ukyo, in Ukyo's bedroom, unconscious, thought dirty 
thoughts (the naughty boy)
	Ukyo:  with Ryoga, in Ukyo's bedroom, slightly undressed, asleep
	Kasumi:  at Dr. Tofu's, waiting for the good doctor
	Tofu:  on the way to his clinic
	Betty:  riding shotgun with the good doctor 
	Cologne:  cooking, wondering why Mousse's missing, in the Cat Cafe
	Shampoo:  planning to get rid of Tsubasa, in the Cat Cafe
	Tsubasa:  looking for Shampoo, through Nerima
	Nodoka:  cooking something up at the Saotomes' house, planning to 
go to the dojo sometime really, really, really soon, as part of Genma's 
apocalyptic foresight
	Kuno:  in the Kuno estate, honing skills
	Sasuke:  in the tames of the Kuno estate, being Sasuke
	Kodachi:  glomping Mousse, in the springs in the Kuno estate
	Mousse:  with Kodachi, glomped by former, in the springs of the 
Kuno estate, blind as a bat
	Mr. Turtle:  in his pond, Kuno estate, with a bo in his mouth
	The man:  asleep, in the fourth floor of some unnamed building 
	Next up, the sixth sense and sensibilities.  What is the man up to?  
Where is it all headed?  Why have I wasted 100K on only five major plot 
revisions?  When will the hurting stop?  Will I ever get to post this?  
Who will ever want to read this?  Will this be a lemon?  Why am I so 
nasty?  Why is the sky blue?  And, what does Happosai want to do with an 
ice box?
	Please somehow send C&C.
	(Detach here)
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