note-This is the third part of the first chapter of Tofu: Master of 
Darkness. The first part was just over a week ago as Tofu: Master of 
Darkness. The Second part was cut off the "part 2" in the subject line 
and looked like it had the same title.


Tofu's looked at his reflection. It seemed to have returned to normal. 
He was certain that it would speak again the moment he let down his 
guard.
The conversation had worn Tofu out in his less than satisfactory state. 
He leaned back in the hospital bed , but attempted to keep his eyes 
open. Odd, how hospital blankets were never thick enough to keep out the 
chill� 
*****
The tower rose into the sky in an effort to spite the lowly ground. The 
surrounding ramparts seemed weak and ineffective, but all knew that they 
were merely for show. The tower needed no defensive barrier. Men wearing 
hooded black robes occasionally passed through the gates, but he knew 
that they were not clergy, at least not like Father Lucius. 
His family's small home was part of the village that slept by the 
tower's ankles. The villagers treated the tower with fear and respect. 
No man would ever walk into the shadow left by the edifice.
The tower held mystery and thus appealed to his young mind. He was 
intrigued by the way that the other villagers treated it. He faced the 
tower and, with a feeling of destiny, pledged to make his way inside. 
The dark clouds that had swept in over the tower moments before rumbled 
in assent. 
He heard the sound of a door. It was his mother returning.
*****
	His mother walked in through the doorway� no, it was not his mother. He 
knew the sweet face. She was one dear to his heart; it was Ceci� Kasumi.
Kasumi? What was Kasumi doing in this� hospital? Who was Cecilia? Tofu 
felt the sleep pass from his eyes.
Kasumi neared the bed and paused for a moment. She looked around the 
room and up at the lights, then back at Tofu. She stared for a moment 
before speaking.
"Very good morning, Tofu-sensei, how do you feel?"
That gentle face� the long brown hair� she was so beautiful. Those 
innocent eyes, so understanding. Soft smiling lips. He would die to put 
his arms around her. Her face surrounded him. A warm, gentle cloud 
settled in his heart and mind.
Kasumi radiated a gentle golden glow. Warmth emanated from her smile. 
Her eyes were the seas, a never ending expanse. Her dark tresses were 
rippling waves.
I want to be a part of this exquisite creature.
Needles jabbed his arms. Daggers of ice tore down his spine. His entire 
body was punctured and laid open to the freezing wind.
Tofu once again saw Kasumi, but she was now just a woman. She was 
standing at his side. The room was once again the very model of a 
perfect hospital room.
"Kasumi, it's good to see you."
*****
"I think I can walk now."
Ranma braced himself with the wall and stood up. He set a foot forward, 
then the other. 
"C'mon, lets catch up with Kasumi." Ranma slowly began to make his way 
down the hall.
Moments later, he was back on the ground.
Akane helped him back up and supported him on his feet.
"Ranma, this is serious. You're not going to be able to make it to 
Tofu's room."
"Sure I can," he grunted in pain, "it'll just take me a little longer."
Akane was torn between concern and the desire to thoroughly brutalize 
him with a hammer for his stubbornness. 
"Son in law?"
Akane and Ranma turned their heads in unison to the source of the voice.
An elderly woman the size of a large teddy bear and a girl with purple 
hair peered at them from a room.
"Ranma, is you! I so happy!"
Ranma yelped as Akane dropped him to the floor.
*****
Akane helped Ranma over to the room's single chair, but before she could 
help him to sit, Shampoo was at his side.
"Ranma, what you doing here?"
"Oh, ah Shampoo, I um�"
Akane interrupted abruptly. "We are here to see Dr. tofu, who was 
injured in the blast this morning; and, Shampoo, do you have to have 
your arms wrapped around Ranma to ask him questions?"
"Violentpervertgirl just jealous because Ranma no let her touch him."
"Shampoo, I can't move at the moment." Ranma's face reddened as he 
looked at Shampoo, then paled when he saw Akane's face.
"Ranma, act more like husband."
Small microbacteria in the air plunged tiny daggers of carbon atoms into 
their vitals upon being caught by Akane's glare. Flowers set in an 
alcove behind Akane caught fire. Akane became synonymous with the color 
red.
"At least leave the room if you want to act like that." Akane prepared 
to deliver a skyscraper toppling blow.
"Stop girl, now is not the time." Cologne's staff had materialized in 
the path of her fist with the old crone at the other end.
"Calm yourself, Akane. You must all listen to me. There is evil in the 
air, can't you feel it?" 
"Great Grandmother, how you get out bed? You know much injured, doctor 
say no can move." The purple-haired amazon disengaged her viselike grip 
from Ranma's  shoulders and rushed to her elder.
While the old woman's tough, wrinkled skin hid most of the marks, Akane 
now realized that cuts and bruises ran all along her face. She watched 
Shampoo aid her grandmother back into the bed and under the sheets and 
she noticed the casts that covered her right arm and both legs. Cologne 
truly was a remarkable martial artist to have moved so quickly when she 
shouldn't have been able to move at all. 
"Shampoo, Akane, Ranma, there is much we must discuss and I am weary. 
Let us leave trivial rivalries aside for now. This man, Tofu, and all of 
us are in great danger."
*****
"Kasumi dear, I appreciate that you came to see me, but�"
The woman hesitated. "How are you feeling, doctor?" She blushed lightly. 
"Oh my, I know that must sound odd, I mean, I feel odd saying it�, that 
is�"
"Kasumi."
She paused
"Kasumi, it's nice to see you."
"I brought you some flowers. I hope you like them." Her blush deepened. 
She had never seen him like this before and she was uncertain what to 
make of it or how to act.
She walked closer to his side. And stopped dead. Cold pricked her skin. 
Something was very wrong.
"Kasumi?"
She looked into Tofu's brown eyes.
Grey eyes.
*****
"Well, you sure are good at scaring off the women. Either that, or 
Kasumi hadn't been to the bathroom in about a week."
"Oh, you're back. Wait a second, you aren't in my reflection. Where are 
you?"
"Check the flowers."
Tofu looked at the flowers that Kasumi had left before excusing herself. 
What a disgustingly cute little puppy that was in the wrapping. It was 
making faces at him.
"Have you no sense of taste, Gosunkugi-kun?"
"None whatsoever."
 "Hey, um, Tofu-san, I gotta go. There's someone coming to see you."
The puppy waved cutely and returned to normal.
Tofu looked at the door to await his next visitor.
*****
Cologne sighed wearily. Why couldn't this have happened when she was 
younger? She had acquired many skills over the years and the power and 
wisdom she had gained were normally a great advantage, but she simply 
lacked the stamina she had eighty years ago, and now she was crippled. 
Cologne could only hope that Shampoo was up to the task.
A hand waved in front of her face. "Hey, old ghoul, you croaked on us or 
something?"
Ranma. She would have to use him if they were to resolve this situation. 
It had once been a matter for the Joketsuzoku, but she had no choice. 
Besides, she still had every intention of making him one of them.
"Hey!" Ranma cried as he evaded the deadly arc of Cologne's staff. When 
he landed, Cologne sat down and faced Shampoo, Ranma, and Akane.
"Listen! I will tell the three of you of lore held sacred by the elders 
of the Joketsuzoku tribe. It has been passed on for countless 
generations, but due to its importance, only a few have ever known of 
it. Shampoo, under other circumstances I would have passed this 
knowledge on to you when I felt you were ready. I must tell you now only 
because of great need."
"She's stalling because she doesn't remember. The old ghoul is trying to 
make something up," Ranma mock whispered.
"Shut up Ranma, this sounds important." 
"Akane is correct, son in law, please take her advice." The old woman 
wiped the sweat off her brow with a gnarled hand. "These lines contain 
the bulk of the legend:"
	The Sun sinks and a man of Shadow comes from the twilight. 
	Shadow hides from Sun and Moon.
	Earth brings water, Air brings Dragon.
Dragon is made Earth.
	Man of Fire and Man of Shadow duel beneath Sun and Moon.
	Shadow is made Water.
"See, I told you she was making it all up."
"The legend says that these lines speak of a magician who visited the 
tribe many centuries ago. Little else is known, but, you should know 
that he was very powerful."
"I'll bet his shows were expensive. It must have cost an entire yak to 
go see him perform."
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane slapped her fiancee on the back of the head.
"Here, let Shampoo try." Shampoo likewise slapped him on the back of the 
head. "That fun. I always wonder what feel like do that."
	Cologne resumed. "Shampoo, the leaders of the tribe have been 
responsible for guarding the legend for countless generations. I am 
'indisposed' for the time being and it is up to you to fulfill an 
ancient promise."
	"You must return to China, great granddaughter. And, You, Ranma, you 
must accompany her for the sake of those you love.
*****
	Twilight came. Tofu's eyes were on the door when his window blew in. A 
flock of ravens smashed the glass and flew into the room. As the birds 
dispersed, a figure became visible in their midst.
	The man who walked towards him was wearing a finely cut black suit. 
Sunglasses covered his eyes and long black hair framed his face. A dark 
grey mantle lay over his black trench coat and grey gloves sheathed his 
hands. Long black hair was draped down his neck.
He stopped by Tofu's bedside and looked in the mirror.
	"Do you think that these sunglasses suit me?"
	"What?"
	"I asked you if these sunglasses suit me.
	Tofu shrugged and nodded in assent. "Who are you, and why did you break 
my window?"
	"Sorry, I wanted to make a good entrance."
	"So you flew in through my closed window?"
"No, I was actually in here for quite some time, I just thought it would 
look more impressive if it seemed like I flew in and came from the 
birds, so I called the ravens here. I think that I need cooler looking 
sunglasses if I want the effect to work. These just don't look right. 
More to the point, I can't see very well with them on. As for your 
window�"
	Tiny glimmering threads appeared in the space where the windowpane had 
been and attached themselves to the stray shards of glass. Within 
moments, the glass had been pulled back into the window and had reformed 
itself perfectly. 
	He  pulled off the sunglasses.
	"Anyway, Care to talk?" he asked the doctor as he slipped his shades 
into a pocket.
	"Just who are you?"
	"Ah, the brave lad wants to know, does he?" The man in dark clothing 
turned to the small table near Tofu's bed. "Do you mind?" he asked, 
signaling the flowers with a nod.
	"Um, sure, I guess." Tofu replied reluctantly.
	The dark clad man plucked the petals off a flower and tore off the 
lower tip of the stem, he then placed that end of the stem between his 
lips. The other end took on a bright orange glow. He inhaled deeply 
before removing the stem from his mouth. As he exhaled a faint green 
mist, he replied to the doctor.
	"In case you care about my name, it's Mallory. Corwyn Mallory. I 
suppose I'm here as a messenger." He looked out the window and sighed 
longingly. Mallory replaced the green rod in his mouth and took another 
puff. "I really don't understand this country. It's too cheerful. As 
cities go, Tokyo's not bad, but what's with all the frogs and ducks and 
puppies?"
	Tofu waited patiently while Mallory made use of his specialty smoke a 
few more times. He was struck by the fact that the other man's eyes 
seemed to have been colored green by the process.
	"I suppose I ought to get my business done with. I was told by my 
employer to instruct you to make your way to a spot in China."
	"Why? How do I know that I can trust you?"
	"You will be meeting a gentleman of some importance there. He will 
provide you with some necessary information."
	Tofu's voice took on an excited tone. "What do you mean? Where is 
this?"
	"You'll find it." Corwyn pressed the smoldering end of the flower into 
Tofu's forehead."
	The doctor's voice became subdued. "I should have known it would be 
there."
	"Well, I best be off. I don't want to be here any longer than I must." 
Corwyn stepped over to the door and opened it. "By the way, how do you 
think I would look with a cape? I think it might work better than this." 
He flicked what remained of the flower at Tofu as he made his way out 
the door.
	When did that thing become a stub? I never saw it shorten, and it left 
no ash. Well, that hardly matters. I must now prepare for my destiny.
	Ono Tofu, onetime chiropractor and scholar, dressed and prepared for 
his clandestine journey to Jusenkyo.

end part 1

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