Memories (a Ranma 1/2-with-cameos! fanfic)
by Nikholas "Mayhem" F. Toledo 


	The Ranma 1/2 Universe was created and therefore owned by Rumiko 
Takahashi, Viz Communications and Shogakukan. If you do own Ranma and I 
have failed to mention you, that is because I am not worthy to even write 
your name since you are really incredible people and earn a million 
dollars just to write up the characters in the Ranma 1/2 title.  I would 
also declare that I will not get a single cent from this work and that I 
am only doing this to pass away time and for my own personal artistic 
fulfillment.


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|Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!|
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Chapter Five
The Cappuccino Conspiracy

	Furinkan High - the great bastion of madness, the place where 
martial artists find their home. Not a day ends without a single brawl. 
	There was always some sort of violence happening around the school 
grounds. Of course, this fact had a beneficial side to it: a typical 
school day, as a whole, could never ever be considered boring.
	The school, in fact, was once peaceful. But that was a long time 
ago. Ever since those pesky martial artists moved into town, trouble 
always happened. So, Principal Kuno, on one of his good days when the 
siren call of Hawaii was quiet, arranged to have a certain teacher, with 
a certain martial arts ability, help keep the students in line. And this 
certain teacher was a certain kawaii/sexy Miss Hinako Ninomiya, with the 
ability do drain battle auras and turn into this ravaging figure of a 
woman. 
	The most important test was against the great pervert Happosai 
himself, the school's worst delinquent (of course, he's too old to be a 
student, but it never stopped him from going to school). And she passed 
it, with even more than flying colors. 
	The school faculty applauded this. At last, Furinkan's atmosphere 
would go back to a more sane level, if not conductive to learning.
	There was, however, a problem. Miss Hinako's changing abilities 
filled many a man's imagination. And with this came the inevitable 
downward spiral, where one thing led to the next, until finally, they 
found themselves transformed into something that all their life they have 
tried to avoid. 
	Furinkan has not lost a pervert - it has gained a whole army of 
them.
	And this self-same Hinako Ninomiya whimpered at her desk, waiting 
for classes to begin.

	Hinako-chan [1] sighed softly. This was not a good day for her. 
	On the way to school, she had lost her last 5 yen coin, her lucky 
one at that. All the stores she had gone into did not have enough change 
to break a 1000 yen bill into coins with holes, being early in the 
morning. And, for some strange reason, her collection of circular-things-
with-holes had been stolen by this weird girl calling them stupid French 
names. 
	Because of this, she had let the delinquents go on with their bad 
acts, with disastrous results. Now, the canteen personnel's hands were 
full as they struggled to get that giant bread loaf out of the courtyard 
and into the Furinkan kitchen for processing, and the friendly reporters 
were still stuck here with their wrecked helicopter. Somehow, it seemed 
to be all her fault.
	A day with delinquents roaming free was a day *not* worth 
describing.

	[1] In the flexible Ranmaverse, everyone's physical state may 
change in ways never before seen by any language. There will always 
appear problems with pronouns and names to indicate the changelings' 
current physical states. For Miss Hinako Minomiya, Hinako-chan would 
describe her has that kawaii girl and Miss Hinako would be when she is 
transformed into that ravaging wow of a woman.

	The news had spread like wildfire. 
	The lack of anyone shouting "Aha! Delinquents!" was a great 
reminder of the seeming disappearance of Miss Hinako. Rumors were that 
she was absent, most probably pregnant, which should be all Ranma's 
fault, him being the pervert that he was. 
	For the rest of the morning, all the students, even the martial 
artists, would be stuck behind desks, unable to go out. It was a physical 
law of the universe (untwisted even in Nerima) that moving objects would 
be pretty hard to stop - and the restraining bolts were currently 
unavailable. 
	Needless to say, the natives were getting restless.

	Akane dragged Ranma over to their classroom. 
	"Honestly, Ranma. Why do I always have to be the one to drag you 
from place to place? It not like you're a cripple, you know. Why don't 
you walk on your own two legs for- Ranma?" 
	He had stood up and walked ahead, not even bothering to look back. 
Akane began to feel cold. "What did I do wrong now? Oh, Ranma..."
	He entered the classroom. Somehow, something felt missing. He 
noticed the vacant chair to his right. "Where's Ucchan?"
	Yuka answered him. "Ranma, haven't you noticed? Ukyo hasn't gone to 
school for the past few days!"
	Ranma slumped down on his seat, idly twirling his ballpen. Akane 
watched from afar, sad enough to be beyond jealousy. She did not notice 
that his eyes were somehow glossed over.
	Hiroshi munched on his sandwich. "I hope she comes back. I sure 
miss the free okonomiyaki she gives out..."

	Nabiki quietly treated Kuno's wounds. "Wow! The greatest amount of 
damage I have seen on you for months. You better get your uniform, 
though, or your own father is going to scalp you."
	"Zounds, woman! Thou best keep my elder out of this. The hair of 
the Blue Thunder cannot be touched for fear of his bokken."
	"In other words, you're going to hide here all day, like the 
chicken that you are."
	"You dare aim such arrowed words at Tatewaki Kuno! I cannot be 
compared with such a lowly creature! If thou were not the fai-OUCH!"
	Nabiki poured alcohol all over him. "Oh, shut up with the crap. 
Where's the package you were supposed to give to me? I'm not going to 
give you the pictures until then."
	"Ye gods! The pain sears to my very soul! Not only is my body 
racked in suffering, my heart is filled with anguish. Blast! If my 
unworthy manservant were here- Sasuke! Where art thou?"
	*CRASH* "OOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!!!!"

	Nanami Jinnai waited patiently outside. Her two companions were 
busy fixing the helicopter. At least it was still flyable. 
	"How long do you say again before we can get out of this dump?" 
	The pilot looked out from under the aircraft. "I don't know... 
About a few hours, perhaps." 
	Nanami sighed. The initial euphoria of her news flash was already 
waning. In her heart, she felt that what she did was the best done in the 
whole world. What she needed now was a second opinion. And those two 
idiots had no taste for news. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere..."
	The cameraman stood up and walked over to her. "Why not just take a 
bus and get out of here... Were only just a few dozen miles out of Tokyo, 
anyway."
	She shook her head. "I have this odd feeling that something else 
would happen soon..."
	*CRASH* "OOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!!!!" 
	The crash surprised everyone. "See, I told you that something would 
happen." She grabbed the camera and ran off. "I think I smell a news 
story."

	Sasuke crashed into his master's chest, overflowing his brain with 
pain. "Oh, master Kuno! Please forgive me!" He jumped off groveled on the 
floor.
	"Sasuke... For thy excellent service to the Kuno family, I shall 
punish you leniently. Thou shalt be taken immediately from this place to 
the gallows and hung from the neck until you are dead."
	"Thank you, master..."
	Nabiki shook her head.
	"Has thou brought the cloth that shall swath my nakedness and the 
gift so requested by Nabiki Tendo?"
	"Yes, master." He took out the generic school uniform and the 
unmarked crate from the inside of his sleeves. "I ran to this place as 
fast as I could, seeing that you left in a hurry."
	"But not as fast as my services require. Both of you, turn around 
so that thou may not see me undressed." He took the curtain and slid it 
closed. 
	"Sasuke, could you open the box for me?"
	"Who are you? You are not my mast- Arrgghhh!" She tweaked his ear. 
"Okay, already." The box was opened and out slid several bouquets of 
roses. 
	Kuno slid back the curtain fully dressed. "These are the best 
roses, carefully picked from the Kuno hydroponics labs. They were grown 
with tender loving care, protected by the tightest security to make sure 
that my twisted sister could not lay her devious hands on them. These 
roses are those reserved for the pig-tailed girl and Akane Tendo. 
Normally, these roses are used only to declare my blessed love for them. 
This is a high price I am paying for those pictures, Nabiki Tendo. I dare 
ask that the pictures you are to give are of the finest quality."
	She reached out and the exchange was made. "Heavens!" His eyes 
bulged. "These are the best pictures I have ever seen." Kuno ranted on 
about how beautiful they were, especially the panties decorating the pig-
tailed girl's picture. "Truly, the trade was fair. T'was a pleasure to do 
business with you, fair Nabiki. I would fain to do so again."
	"Same here, Kuno... Same here..."

	Ukyo silently flipped the five yen coin she had found on the 
sidewalk. She had found this before Ranma crashed in front of her. Yes, 
she considered this lucky. 
	Memories came to her unbidden, of the time she spent at Dr. Tofu's. 
She forced her to hold back tears. "No! I will love him alone, no one 
else. I will love him for the rest of my life! Damn you, lost boy!" 
	In anger, she punched a nearby lamppost. She sighed, "Why does it 
always have to be this way..." She worked her way to market, trying to 
block out bittersweet images.
	After she had turned around the corner, the lamppost began to 
scream in pain.

	Kuno was happy. "Farewell, fair Nabiki. I am off to ponder upon the 
mysteries of the world. Sasuke, go back and guard my house..." The ninja 
disappeared like proper ninjas should.
	*SMASH*
	A figure entered the clinic in a hurry, smashing Kuno into the 
wall. "Imbecile! You dare smash Kuno into the wall! Cur! Vile fiend! I 
SHALL SMITE TH- eep..." The scene before him left the Blue Thunder 
speechless.
	"Well, if it isn't Nanami Jinnai. What a pleasant surprise." Nabiki 
gave a sarcastic grin, radiating a strange blue aura.
	"Why, hello, too, Nabiki Tendo. I did not notice that it was you 
counting the money in the courtyard." Nanami said the words slowly, also 
radiating a strange blue aura. 
	The convoluting currents of energy filled the room, creating small 
lightning bolts. Chilly winds began to blow.
	This is the same kind weather felt in the quiet before the storm.
	Kuno thought it prudent to make a silent departure.

	Somewhere else in Furinkan High, two hidden figures were 
conversing.
	"Sir, I have analyzed Saotome's latest fight with Happosai. And I 
tell you, the results were astounding."
	"What have you found out?"
	"Well sir, the chi-sensors detected a sudden dramatic drop of 
Ranma's ki. It was too abrupt, even accounting for that chi blast he 
released."
	"Miss Hinako's work?"
	"No. She was nowhere to be seen at the time of the incident. The 
word on the street has it that she blew up because she sucked up too much 
battle aura, but most likely she's just absent for the day."
	"That's strange... Where has Saotome been since this morning?"
	"Well, our spies had a hard time following him. Let's see." He 
counted off his fingers. "He got into a fight with Akane," the two 
pressed their hands together as a sign of respect, "a shouting match with 
Happosai..."
	"Did Happosai touch any pressure points?"
	"No. Cameras clearly show that it was just a verbal attack."
	"That's strange... Continue..."
	"He went into low earth orbit (LEO) launched by the Chinese fianc�e 
(surprising, ain't it), attacked in mid-air by Happosai again (no, he 
just tried to snap a bra on), crashed into the ground with a still 
unexplainably powerful detonation blast, brought by the Kuonji girl to 
Dr. Tofu's..."
	"Dr. Tofu's? Hmm... How was the good doctor feeling?"
	"He seemed to be more jittery than usual, considering that Kasumi 
wasn't there. Analysis indicate intake of too much caffeine -"
	The other laughed. "Aha! An opportunity presents itself! Call a 
general meeting as soon as possible. We may be able to finally get rid of 
Saotome, once and for all!"
	"Yes, sir..."

	Dr. Tofu's hand shook as he dialed the digits. "Gah... I shouldn't 
have drunk so much coffee..." He waited as the other side rang. 
	After the angst-ridden scene a while ago, everyone was still in a 
stupor. Ryoga was still on the bed, unable to move. Soun was way past 
wailing and was now staring quietly into the ceiling. Dr. Tofu was the 
first to recover. 
	"Mr. Tendo won't be able to go home on his own. I hope someone else 
would..." The other end answered. "Hello! Tendo residence..." 
	Dr. Tofu's glasses frosted over at the sound of the cheerful voice. 
He gave a startled gasp and managed to put the phone back on the hook 
before anything untoward happened. But the bubbling he felt inside did 
not disappear. 
	"Kasumi answered... Kasumi answered..."

	"That's odd..." Kasumi put down the phone. "Oh well. I guess I'll 
just play along with those kids..." She smiled. With nothing better to 
do, she went to the living room and began to watch TV.

	1st Lt. Rick Hunter jumped out of the plane and ambled over to the 
other. He was mobbed by people interested in what happened, seeing that 
Lisa would not come out of her plane. Unable to get an answer, the people 
resumed the activity they had been doing before these planes had to use 
the flight deck to land. The air was filled with the grunts of men 
bumping against each other in a way the Americans fondly call football.
	Rick climbed up the steps and peered into the cockpit. The entire 
fiberglass casing was obliterated, Happosai's punch leaving only a few 
shards. And in the middle lay Lt. Commander Lisa Hayes, still in a state 
of shock.
	"Lisa... Are you okay?" he asked. He removed the seatbelts and 
looked at her. "Lisa, it's all over. You're safe now."
	"Let me stay here for a while, Rick. I still feel so weak."
	"Okay... I'll wait for you." He stood there transfixed, looking at 
her face. All of his life passed before his eyes.
	He left his promise to the singing Chinese girl he left across 
miles and miles of ocean, to someday come back for her. But that girl 
also had dreams of her own and an audience to please, and oftentimes Rick 
was left out in the cold. 
	He had fallen for Minmei when they were stuck in a cargo hold for 
days, never knowing if they could get out ever again. He felt so close to 
her then, during the desperate moments when it counted. But it seemed 
when the sun came out once again in their skies, she would go off on her 
own, forgetting that Rick was there whenever she needed him.
	And now in front of him was the sourpuss Lisa Hayes, his commanding 
officer, who ruled with an iron grip. Through the years, he had found a 
friend in her. Beneath that heart of steel was a soul of gold, strong yet 
fragile. 
	He never liked to see her helpless. He would rather have her 
calling him names and/or ordering him around than staring out into sea, 
like a liferaft at the mercy of the waves. He felt something for her like 
he had never felt for Minmei. If he loved Minmei, what was he feeling 
now?
	He reached out slowly and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 
"Lisa, I'm here for you..." 
	She shifted in her seat and looked at his face, seeking support. 
Rick looked deep in her eyes, then saw movement at the corner of his eye. 
It was the ripped flight jacket flapping in the wind, barely concealing 
something Rick shouldn't have seen.
	Everything finally went to his head, overloading the brain with 
information. He did the most opportune thing to do.
	He fainted.

	Ryoga woke up to find Dr. Tofu jumping around the clinic. "Dr. 
Tofu, snap out of it..."
	"ha-ha... Why am I clapping with Betty's hands?" He put the bones 
back on the pile to be reassembled later. "Thank you, Ryoga. I might have 
done something weird if you hadn't stopped me."
	Ryoga looked for the door. He wanted to get lost, at least for a 
while. 
	"Wait..." the doctor called out to him as he went into a closet. 
"Can you call the Tendo residence? I think Kasumi's the only one there 
and someone needs to take Mr. Tendo home..." He pointed to Soun, who was 
still staring at the ceiling. He sheepishly added, "I can't- Well, you 
know..."
	It took a few minutes of guiding to lead Ryoga to the phone. "Okay, 
dial this number." 
	Ryoga thought silently. "Hmm... Maybe if I should memorize this 
number so I can call here if I am lost so someone would come to get me. 
Akane would- No. I won't be able to get a word through if I should talk 
to her." He began to feel funny. "Oh no! What if Akane were to answer? I-
I-I won't be able to do anything." The calm part of his mind took over. 
"Oh yeah. Akane's at school."
	"Hello, Kasumi... This is Ryoga... Yes, I'm fine... Listen, uh, can 
you go over here at Dr. Tofu's? Mr. Tendo needs help in getting back 
home..." There was the sound of wicked laughter on the phone. "In a few 
minutes... Okay... Goodbye."
	"What was that wicked laughter?" Ryoga asked himself. The doctor 
was busy getting ready for Kasumi's arrival. "I know how you feel, 
doctor. I feel the same way when I'm with-" conflicting thoughts entered 
his mind, "-her." 
	Dr. Tofu guided Ryoga to the front entrance. "Good luck, Dr. Tofu." 
For some strange reason, he began to give him advice. "Dr. Tofu, please 
tell Kasumi that you like her. It will save both of you lots of pain if 
you do it now."
	"Sure, Ryoga. Come back soon."
	Ryoga stepped outside, wincing at the irony of it all.	

	It would be a good thing to note that currently dozens of wild 
animals were roaming about the town. For some strange reason, these 
animals avoided martial artists, wreaking their havoc upon the lesser 
folk. Instinctively speaking, these animals knew trouble whenever they 
see it.

	The thief was spying the large house with the dojo. Noticing that 
the house was quiet, he began to make his move. 
	He fixed the bulky bag he had on his back, filled with loot from 
other nearby houses. He slid open the door, laughing wickedly. The only 
occupant of the room was this young maiden talking to the phone. 
	"... I can't, Ryoga, no one else is here..." Kasumi noted the open 
door and the dojo's new occupant. "No, it's okay, I'll be there in a few 
minutes... Have a nice day, Ryoga." 
	She turned and faced the robber. "Take care of the house while I'm 
gone, Happosai."
	"Why, sure, Kasumi!" The panty thief slumped down the bag as Kasumi 
stepped out the door.

	It would be also safe to add that the said wild animals would also 
avoid Kasumi, so everyone can stop holding their breaths now.

	Mousse pried himself off the ground. He began to take a system 
check. 
	"Hmm... All four limbs are in place... Brain functioning 
properly... Gyros a bit off-whack, but realigning... Checking vital 
organs... IT'S GONE! No, spleen still here... Weapons check... Universal 
Spice Gathering system must have blown up with the impact... Duck potty 
trainer missing... Everything else all accounted for... Systems 
nominal..." 
	He began to walk away but bumped against the burnt deliveryman. 
"Gah!"
	He forgot to check his visual sensors.

	A group of women were milling about outside the Furinkan high 
school clinic. When Kuno finally barged out, they scattered and made 
themselves appear to do something else. 
	For the second time that morning, the Blue Thunder ran unpoetically 
away. This gave rise to an enormous amount of inferences and calculated 
guesses about the incident. 
	"Did you hear? Kuno gave Nabiki several bouquets of flowers..."
	"WHAT! Maybe she just bought them or something..."
	"No. We were passing by the clinic when we heard Kuno telling 
Nabiki that those roses were reserved only for Akane and his pig-tailed 
girl. He went at it for great lengths, really stressing the point that 
the flowers he gave were really special."
	"Now that you mentioned it, haven't you noticed that the two are 
always seen together? Kuno never seems to leave her side, unless he 
chases Akane and Ranma. And Nabiki always enjoys Kuno's company."
	"I remember a few months back, I saw Kuno take Nabiki around town, 
treating her to restaurants and stuff like that. It looked like they were 
dating!"
	"And now, Kuno keeps chasing her sister. It's just so bad."
	"Yeah... The poor girl. Maybe that's why she's so cynical these 
days. He goes about chasing others when here she waits for her beloved to 
finally see the light."
	"You make it seem so romantic..."
	The flow of logic was halted yet again when the two other occupants 
of the infirmary ward stepped out. Both were radiating a tremendous 
amount of blue aura. "Well, I guess I have to go, Nanami," Nabiki wove a 
hand through her hair. "I still have classes, you know." 
	Nanami started to walk away. "I guess I'll just see you for lunch. 
The helicopter is still under repair and I might be stuck here for a 
while."
	"See you around, old rival..." The massive blue auras died down as 
the two went on their respective ways. 
	The last remark raised a lot of questions among the womenfolk. 
	"Rival?!?"
	"Did you hear her say that?!?"
	"Wasn't that the reporter who crash-landed on that loaf of 
bread..."
	"That's the same kind of aura Akane radiates when Ranma's chasing 
other girls."
	"And Kuno was running away from the clinic like he saw a ghost..." 
	"Hmm..."
	It was obvious to what kind of conclusion they would find 
themselves making.

	Kodachi was stuck in the tree branches, angrily spitting out like 
some caged animal. "The pig-tailed hussy and Akane Tendo managed to 
escape?!?" 
	*poke* "My own brother has even defected to their side?!?" 
	*poke* "What have I done to deserve this?" 
	*poke* "Why can't life be fair for once?" 
	*prod*
	She screamed at the animal catchers who were poking at her. "I'm 
not an animal! Go home!" They ran away terrified.
	She took a moment to rest and then began laughing. "I still have 
one more card up my sleeve! My love lipstick hasn't been tested yet! Wait 
a minute... Didn't I kiss Ranma darling a while ago?" She took out the 
formula from a hidden pocket. "Aha! It needs oral application! I simply 
hadn't kissed Ranma's lips yet." 
	She breathed in and began to laugh a lot louder. "Ranma darling, 
you will be in my arms before the day is through! HO-HO-HO-HO-*snap*-
*crash*-ho-ho-ho-*cough*"
	The branches took that particular instant to break.

	The two animal catchers ran to their parked van. "Are you sure that 
was a laughing hyena?"
	"Yes, I heard it a block away from here!"
	"HO-HO-HO-HO----"
	"See what I mean..."
	There was a loud growling sound at the back of their vehicle as a 
once-asleep panda was beginning to wake.

	"Hello... Dr. Tofu..." Kasumi knocked at the front door of the 
clinic. "I came to fetch my father."
	"K-K-Kasumi!" The doctor was sitting near Mr. Tendo when this 
beautiful apparition made itself known. "Fancy meeting you here, of all 
the places in the world." His glasses were way frosted over. "Mr. Tendo, 
Kasumi's here, you can go home now... Mr. Tendo, you're hands are so 
light! Have you been eating properly?" He turned around and the hand 
snapped off. He froze in fear, his eyeglasses losing their sheen.
	"Dr. Tofu, that's Betty's arm..." Kasumi laughed at the good 
doctor's antics. Once again, eyeglasses frosted over.
	"Whew... Kasumi, is there anything else I can do for you."
	"Son, don't talk so near my face. You're making my head hurt."
	"Kasumi, make sure your father gets plenty of rest today. And make 
sure that he doesn't do anything stressful."
	Kasumi approached the doctor. "Thank you so much for taking care of 
my father..." She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and turned away. "Let's 
go home now, father." Mr. Tendo was crying his guts out. "Wahh! Thank you 
so much, Kasumi, for taking me away from this horrible place."
	The rest of the conversation was lost to Dr. Tofu's ears as he 
reached his boiling point. His sight was filled with a pink haze...

	1st Lt. Rick Hunter, the best fighter pilot in the fleet, destined 
to become the Grand Admiral of the U.S. Navy, fainted. Being a few feet 
in the air, with only a hand securing him to the side of Lisa's plane, he 
fell, luckily landing on something soft. 
	Which was not lucky for the marine who was about to launch one of 
the greatest football passes in the history of the USS Eisenhower flight 
deck. It would come down, however, as one of the most infamous.
	Rick crashed into this unnamed person. Him being in the middle of 
the maneuver for the pass, managed to let go of the ball. The ball soared 
in the air, going higher and higher. The other people on deck began to 
chase after it, since it was their lucky hunk of pigskin. 
	A mob was formed, composed of the best men America could offer. 
They followed the ball, ignoring the hapless seamen who were unluckily in 
their way. Screams of anguish and pain filled the air. 
	The ball began its downward trajectory, hitting a man carrying an 
unnamed box from storage. The man fell bravely, like all brave men dying 
for their country. He protected the crate with this own body, absorbing 
the blows. He, however, forgot that he had already opened the box, and 
its contents poured out.
	The Class A-1 2-millimeter United States Navy Registered Ball 
Bearings fell to the deck, reducing friction dramatically as they were 
designed to do. In aircraft or in other machines, it was a good thing. In 
other cases, it was way, way bad.
	The raging horde of marines found that they could not stop. As they 
were trained to do so, they screamed with terror. Remembering their 
training days, they instinctively dived for cover, exposing as little of 
themselves from the unseen enemy. They continued to roll on, the ball 
bearings acting as little wheels. 
	Seeing the battle lost, these courageous men chose to save their 
fellow marines instead of themselves, struggling to hold on to the others 
to force them to stop. But they continued relentlessly. 
	A large carton labeled top secret managed to stop their slide, 
preventing them from falling into the waters below. The force of their 
bodies crashing into its side made a large hole on its side and they 
horribly found themselves disappearing into the dark. 
	The trampled seamen struggled to their feet to see what happened to 
their comrades in armed conflict. They were appalled to find that their 
frightened screams dissolved into-
	<Crackles of frightened chickens>
	"WHAT THE HECK ARE CHICKENS DOING ON MY FLIGHT DECK!!!!" the deck 
sergeant made his way through the chaos. There were screams of pain and 
terror. 
	"Arrghh! My spleen! It is misplaced!"
	"The A-1 class 2mm United States Navy Registered Ball Bearings are 
ruined!" 
	"The marines! They were transformed into chickens right before our 
very eyes! What hideous experiment is our government hiding from us! Will 
we die too from this--this--thing?" 
	"Something's moving... THEY'RE ALIVE!!" 
	"We're OKAY! Let's sing! <Marine Corps cheer>" 
	"Cock-a-doddle-doo!" 
	"Someone catch our lunch!"
	The deck sergeant ran to the unnamed man. "WHO DID THIS?" 
	"Did what, sir?" 
	"THIS!" 
	"Sir, I have to help Lt. Hunter get up, he seems to have fainted."  
	"ARGGGHHH! Who knows who did this?" Only the chickens answered his 
question. In his anger, he kicked the lucky football into the air, 
straight to-
	*wham*
	"OWW!!!" Captain Gloval emerged from the bridge to find the pilots 
of the Echo squadron. He pried the ball off of his face. "What's the 
meaning of this! Who's responsible!" 
	"Him, sir!" The deck sergeant pointed to Rick as he was finally 
coming out of his stupor. He ran away when everyone wasn't looking.
	"Son, are you all right?" the captain helped Rick to his feet. 
	"Sir, I'm okay. We should help Lisa, though..." Lisa Hayes was 
still in the pilot seat in shock. 
	"Where's the deck sergeant? I can't seem to find him. Have someone 
to take her out to the infirmary."
	"Sir, the deck sergeant disappeared. Most probably, he is in 
camouflage."
	"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

	Genma-panda woke up to find himself in the back of the animal 
catcher's van. "Hmm... This could be to my advantage. I could stay in the 
zoo as long as I want to! I'll wait until the heat's died down and 
everyone has already forgotten about this morning's incident." 
	He growled. <I've won over you this time, Nabiki.> He laughed like 
a criminal walking out of jail, although he was going into one.
	His joy of escaping Nabiki's grasp was cut short as a piercing 
shout tore through the air. "OSCAR! I FOUND YOU AT LAST!"
	<Mama-mia! Not again!>

	Dr. Tofu went out of his haze to find himself in front of the Tendo 
Dojo. 
	"How the heck did I get here?" As usual, he had run about the town 
carrying Betty on his back to let out steam. "Wait a minute... Aren't 
Betty's parts separated from one another? Then who am I..." 
	The man on top of him began to cry. "Dr. Tofu, please put me down. 
I'll do anything you want, please just put me down on the ground."
	"Mr. Tendo! What are you doing up-?" He was interrupted as a figure 
ran up to them. "Dr. Tofu! You move so fast! You didn't have to take him 
home."
	The bubbly feeling returned. "K-Kasumi! What a coincidence to find 
you again!" 
	Soun was crying. "Kasumi! Help! Take me away from his horrible 
man!"
	After a few minutes of heckling, Dr. Tofu was finally able to put 
down the martial artist without any further damage to him. 
	"Thank you for everything, Dr. Tofu!" Kasumi stepped into the 
house. Once again, he was about to go haywire, but something horrible 
shook him out of his fantasy world.
	Mr. Tendo was looking at him in a way that sent chills down his 
spine.

	Kasumi led Soun to his bed and tucked him in. "Father, please just 
take a nap. We'll take care of the house for you." She went out the door. 
"I'm going out to buy the groceries. I've asked Happosai to keep an eye 
on you. Father, don't go out of bed."
	Soun grabbed her hand. "There's something I want to talk to you 
about." He took a deep breath. It was obvious how he was uncomfortable 
about the topic he wanted to talk about. Kasumi sat patiently at his 
father's bedside. 
	"Kasumi, I want to tell you about a promise I made at your mother's 
deathbed." He paused for a while, thinking. "I-I made a promise that I 
would find good husbands for all my daughters." He closed his eyes. "And 
what happened at the doctor's clinic made me realize... That everything 
that I thought was right may not be what is really right." He was 
beginning to sob. "I'm sorry, Kasumi, but I don't think Dr. Tofu..."
	"No, father... You don't have to say it." Soun saw his daughter's 
head bowed. He could not see her eyes. "Father, I have to go now..." 
Kasumi smiled. "I'll cook the best lunch you've ever tasted."
	She stood up and walked away. She paused by the door, as if about 
to say something. "Goodbye, Father. Please don't go out of bed. I'll be 
back in an hour." And then she disappeared.
	Soun heard the front gate door shut as his eldest daughter went on 
her way. He had listened closely to what she had said, but could not find 
any trace of sadness in her voice. "Maybe I was wrong about him," he 
thought. 

	Genma-panda tore from the leather straps that kept him immobile and 
worked his way to the front of the vehicle. The two animal catchers 
screamed as Genma tried to take control of the vehicle. "Get the taser 
gun, hurry!" 
	The panda managed to take the driver's seat. <Please, just get me 
out of here!>
	"It's a talking panda!" 
	"No, stupid. You know pandas don't talk." 
	"Okay, then it's a literate panda that can drive a car." 
	They tried once again to open channels of communication. "Mr. 
Panda, what do you want?"
	Genma floored what he thought was the accelerator and was rewarded 
with an extra boost of speed. <Look behind you...>
	They looked back and saw a hideous sight. Azusa was skating right 
behind them, dragging two kawaii elephants (Antoinette and Lucy) by their 
tails. "OSCAR! COME BACK!"
	"Bismillah! It's her again! The panda's right! We better get out of 
here!"
	"Why not shoot her with the new taser gun?"
	"Growl!" The van began to rock violently.
	"What's it, now?"
	<I don't know how to drive.>
	"Aiiiiieeeeeee!!!!"

	Lisa woke up in the infirmary to find Rick hovering over her like 
some kind of mother hen. 
	"Rick, I'm okay now. You can relax." There was something about this 
man in front of her that seemed to take away the ever-present sadness she 
had. He was always there for her, even though she herself did not want 
anyone be there. 
	How many times has he saved her from death? Four... Five... A dozen 
perhaps... She couldn't count. He had that Minmei girl with him, though, 
and he was one lucky man.
	"Lisa, thank goodness you're awake now... The captain wants to ask 
us a few questions. He wants us to go there as soon as possible."
	She stood up, trying to ignore the throbbing protests her skull was 
giving her. "I guess he doesn't believe what happened a while ago. Let's 
go now."
	"Are you sure you're up to it?"
	"Orders are orders, Rick. Orders are orders."

	Shampoo bigsweated as the vending machine she was about to buy from 
began to move away. "Aiyah! What a strange day!"

	Passing through the park coming from the supermarket, Ukyo was so 
deep in thought that she bumped into someone. A few of the tin cans fell 
to the sidewalk. 
	"Why, hello, Ukyo! Don't you have classes today?" 
	Kasumi's presence made Ukyo smile. Both of them reached down and 
began to pick up the canned foodstuffs that had fallen. 
	"Good morning, Kasumi. I'm going to school a bit later in the 
afternoon. I have to cook Ranma's lunch, you know." Ukyo was glad that 
Kasumi was not looking at her when she said this. She had a good guess 
about Kasumi's opinion on who Ranma's best fianc�e would be. 
	"Why, that's very good, Ukyo. I forgot to cook Ranma's lunch today, 
so I guess he'll have a better choice than eating Akane's cooking. She's 
really trying hard, but I think it would be a while before she becomes as 
good as a cook as you..."
	This statement surprised Ukyo. "But I thought that you wanted Ranma 
and your sister to be..."
	"Of course I want them to end up together - she is my sister. But 
it is really Ranma's decision. And, right now, you can cook better than 
Akane can. Whether or not Ranma likes someone who can to cook, it is all 
up to him."
	"Oh..." They began to walk together for a while.
	"Is something bothering you, Ukyo?" 
	"It's nothing..."
	"Are you sure?" 
	Ukyo did not want to talk, but somehow, the words kept coming out. 
"It's about Ranchan. I-I haven't seen him lately, and for some strange 
reason, whenever I do, he's always with Akane." Ukyo felt a dam burst 
inside and she couldn't help but sob. 
	Kasumi led her to a nearby park bench. "All of a sudden, he seems 
so distant that I-I-" she sighed, letting the tears fall, "I feel so out 
of place." Several tracks of thought branched of at this point, and the 
one she chose surprised even her. "And there's Ryoga." She gasped and 
paused for a while.
	Kasumi smiled. She knew this was coming. "Well, tell me about 
him..."
	"Ryoga's my friend! That's all he is!"
	"Then why is your face so red..." 
	"But, I-I -" 
	Kasumi put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to fight it, you 
know. It always hurts two people if they can't admit the fact that they 
care for each other. There's Ranma, for example. He can't choose between 
all of you, since he is afraid that his decision will hurt everyone else. 
But, unknown to him, his indecision hurts even more." She took out a box 
of tissues and offered it to her.
	"But I'm affianced to Ranchan! There's no way I can find space for 
Ryoga in my heart. He's just a friend. Loving Ranma is the only thing, 
the right thing, I can do..."
	Kasumi glanced at her for a while. "Sometimes, the things that seem 
right to us may not be the right things." She looked away, resting her 
gaze on some flowers on the ground. 
	A small breeze began to blow. "Things aren't always what they seem. 
Those that seem to be our lovers might actually be our friends. And those 
that seem to be only our friends may actually be our lovers..." She let 
the statement hang at this point.
	"Thank you, Kasumi," Ukyo cried the last of her tears away. "Guess 
I kept you here long enough, huh?"
	"Ukyo, you've worked so hard all your life for Ranma. I wish you 
the best of luck in whatever you do. But never forget to look around you. 
Do your best to win Ranma's heart, like Akane trying so hard to learn how 
to cook. But don't let his decision, if it is for someone else, be your 
undoing."
	Ukyo found some of the cheerfulness she had lost that morning. 
"But, Kasumi-chan, I'm sure that Ranchan will choose me." She smiled a 
real smile, taking her groceries and waved goodbye.
	Kasumi went back on her way. "Good luck, Ucchan..." she said, 
smiling.

	Akane gazed over Ranma as he sat on the chair to her left. There 
seemed to be something wrong with him, but she couldn't put her finger on 
it. She sighed. 
	"Is it my fault you're acting this way?" she thought, feeling 
melancholy all of a sudden. 

	Gosunkugi watched at the back as he saw Akane looking at Ranma with 
such a sad gaze in her eyes. He, too, detected a sudden shift in Ranma's 
behavior. He seemed rather quiet. 
	On a regular day, he could immediately sense Ranma's presence in 
the room, but now, Ranma seemed like he was missing, that the image he 
could see was just Ranma's ghost. 
	"Too bad he isn't really dead, or things would be a lot easier for 
me," he chucked softly.
	His spleens shone with an evil light. 

	The park bench that both Kasumi and Ukyo had sat on began to cry 
bitter tears.

	Nabiki began to hear soft murmurs behind her back. She turned 
around to look, but its source disappeared. 
	Another incident of soft murmurs began to erupt to her left, and it 
vanished when she turned around to look. Feigning ignorance, she 
concentrated looking at the board while her ears did the investigation.
	Kuno also heard soft murmurs behind his back. "Methinks the 
peasants are talking about me. Well, I shall let them shower the Blue 
Thunder the praises that they feel too shy to say to my face." He 
continued doodling in his notebook. 
	Nabiki stared at him with eagle eyes, erupting a rather large 
episode of whispers. Retesting her hypothesis, she reached for the 
bouquets of flowers she had placed inside a paper bag, and she was 
rewarded by a much louder whispering fit. 
	"Conclusion: Just as I thought..." 

	It took a while before Kodachi was able to stop coughing. 
	The sun was a lot higher in the sky now and her stomach signaled 
the approaching impending landmark of the day. 
	"Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho! I have enough time before lunch with which to give 
Ranma my special kiss. Ranma darling, wait patiently for I will be with 
you in a few minutes." 
	She bounced around the corner of the right wing of the building. 

	Mousse stumbled across the Furinkan courtyard looking for his 
glasses. Hours had passed and still all he could see was that awful haze. 
	"Arrggghhh! Of all the time in the world with which to get lost." 
He still had to look for Shampoo and use the opportunity that the Chinese 
herb gave him. 
	He began to think wistfully, "I hope Shampoo would look for me 
here." He came up against a wall and began to walk parallel to it. "I 
wish I could see you soon, Shampoo..."

	Ryoga made his way through town, trying to get lost very fast. He 
did not notice that he was only walking in circles around the Ucchan's, 
the place where he wanted to be the least. 
	"I don't want to see you right now, Ukyo." He knew her secret now, 
and its raw horror burned holes in his heart. "Ukyo... Why did you have 
to do this?" 
	He forced back the memories of Dr. Tofu's and hid it in the deepest 
recesses of his soul. He simply did not want to face her anger and sorrow 
again.
	He found himself once again in front of the restaurant. "Oh no! Got 
to get out of here before she comes back!" 
	He turned around and found the front door. He turned around and 
found the front door again. "Arrggghhh!" He could see the giant spatula 
walking amidst the noontime crowd. "What am I going to do?!?"

	The animal catcher's van careened through town. 
	<HEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!> Genma-panda screamed as the van 
swerved. The two animal catchers tried to wrench the wheel back into 
their control while trying to keep Azusa from the poor defenseless 
animals. Good thing the panda's growls (and Azusa's wails) were a better 
sign of their approach than an ambulance siren could ever dream.
	However, there was a martial artist that could not interpret signs 
at all.

	"Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho" <skip> <bounce> <bounce>
	"Shampoo..." <grope> <fall> <stand> <grope>
	*Bump*
	<kiss>
	"Shampoo?" "Ranma darling?"
	"SHAMPOO!" "YUCK!!!"

	Ukyo managed to avoid the out-of-control van with minimal loss to 
the bag of groceries she carried. Reaching the front door, she was 
surprised to find a yellow bandanna. 
	"Ryoga? Here?" She looked around, but there was no sign of the lost 
boy. 
	Ukyo had mixed feelings about the piece of cloth, so she kept it 
for further analysis.

	Kasumi was peacefully sitting down at a small sidewalk cafe. 
	"Nihao, Kasumi!" Shampoo bounded by with her bicycle. 
	"Hello, Shampoo! It's nice to see you!" 
	The patrons began to tense up, seeing that this was one of the 
regular martial artists who wreck the shop. 
	Shampoo parked near Kasumi's table. "Shampoo ride all day. Feel so 
tired!" She slumped down across the seat. "What you doing?" she asked as 
Kasumi began to take note of what she had brought.
	"I'm thinking of what to cook for dinner, if that's what you mean."
	"Oh..." She glanced over to the neat stack of foodstuffs. "You cook 
dinner without herbs and spices? Great-granma always cook with Chinese 
herbs. She say it make food taste good, together with a few side 
effects." She smiled a calculating smile. "Shampoo cook Ranma's lunch!" 
she pointed at the frozen chicken that sat on the basket attached to the 
bike's handlebars.
	"Well, that's nice..."
	Shampoo thought for a while, seemingly lost in thought. Then she 
asked, "What you think of Mousse?"
	For the first time that day, Kasumi was surprised. "But I thought 
you liked Ramna best?"
	"Aiyah! Shampoo want to marry Ranma, no one else!" Then she sighed. 
"But Mousse now have good chance of marrying me, too. Shampoo make this 
mistake about Chinese herbs and now Shampoo find strange feeling inside 
whenever she think of Mousse. Bad, very bad."
	Kasumi thought for a while. "You always treat Mousse very badly. 
Why do you do so?"
	"Mousse always get on Shampoo's nerves. Ever since children, he 
always fight with me so he defeat me and become Shampoo's groom. He 
always get beat up. Mousse very weak. No like weak men. That's why 
Shampoo like Ranma!"
	"What would you feel if Mousse suddenly defeated you?"
	"Mousse no defeat me! Shampoo too strong for him!"
	"Just pretend... What if he defeated you?"
	Shampoo stopped at thought for a while. "Don't know what Shampoo 
feel then. Shampoo guess that she have to marry Mousse, according to 
honorable ancestors."
	Kasumi began to smile. "Do what you heart tells you to do, Shampoo. 
Don't let anyone tell you how you should feel about someone."
	The owners of the restaurant were about to relax seeing that there 
was no indication of a brawl coming soon when this large van zoomed 
across the street. It left large clouds of dust in its wake, ruining some 
of the customers' lunches and causing some of them to sneeze. 
	"Would honorable ancestor get mad if Shampoo chose Mousse?"
	Kasumi fixed her hair. "I don't think so... You can let Mousse 
defeat you in battle so they won't get mad." She smiled, "I think Mousse 
likes you a lot, to keep following you around -" 
	Shampoo had already disappeared. "Oh, well, I guess I better go on 
my own way too."

	Captain Gloval wearily sat down on his desk as the formal inquiry 
proceeded. The two pilots in question stood firmly at attention as the 
Admiral came into the room and sat on one of the chairs at the back. 
There were few people in the room at that time, as everyone was ordered 
to catch the chickens for lunch.
	"I call this meeting to order." The captain stroked his mustache. 
"Well then, Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Hayes, please state the events that happened."
	Lisa took a deep breath and begun. "Well, sir, me and Lt. Rick 
Hunter were flying over Tokyo as part of the sightseeing tour. At around 
0630 hours, he detected a radar anomaly at an altitude of 25,000 feet 
with a bearing of 305 degrees from our current position, a few miles out 
of Tokyo. Radars at home base could not find the anomaly. However, it was 
not instrumentation, as I, too, detected the same flying object that the 
Lieutenant had found." 
	She paused for a while. The difficulty of the next few statements 
showed in her eyes. "Upon investigating, we found..." she couldn't 
continue.
	"With your permission, sir, I would like to narrate the next 
events..." Rick Hunter spoke up. 
	"Go ahead."
	Rick glanced at Lisa as she tried to hold back the tears. He nodded 
at her, letting her know that he was there for her. 
	"Upon investigating, we found an old Japanese man flying at the 
same position as the anomaly so we naturally assumed that he was the 
radar signal that appeared." He continued on with on with the rest of the 
story. The admiral silently watched the proceedings.
	"... so we managed to land without further mishap," Rick finally 
concluded.
	Captain Gloval sighed. The story was fantastic, yet the two pilots 
in front of him were the best. They were simply incapable of lying. "I 
guess there's nothing more that we can do. The onboard computers' 
recording of the incident was sketchy, at best. Let us simply put this 
strange event behind our backs -"
	*SLAM* The guard at the outside of the room barged in. "I'm sorry, 
sir, but you'll just have to see this." He switched on the TV placed on 
one side of the room. The Admiral looked at the captain. "It seems that 
what we are about to see has something to do with this incident.
	"This is CNN international." The world-wide standard for 
international news appeared. "The top breaking stories for tonight, a 
horrible monster named Ranma Saotome has been sighted over the skies of 
Nerima, a small district of Tokyo." The captain's eyes bulged out as the 
announcer continued his report. "This news footage courtesy of NHK Tokyo 
shows clearly the monster and the extent of the damage he has wrought." 
	The news clip was lashed, with subtitles displayed at appropriate 
intervals. The screen distinctly showed the burnt form of Happosai. There 
was no need for subtitles at that part, for it was clearly understood 
that he had groaned the name Ranma Saotome. 
	Lisa fainted at this point and everyone scrambled to her side. 
	The announcer continued, unaware of the chaos he had part in 
creating. "We have not confirmed this, but it seems that this Ranma 
Saotome was the same monster that attacked the U.S. West Coast a couple 
of months back. Why or how it escaped the National Guard is still 
unknown. The reporters that had taken this newsclip had disappeared 
immediately after capturing the monster on film and are believed dead. 
Japanese officials are now asking for immediate military aid from the USS 
Eisenhower carrier fleet docked at Tokyo harbor to deal with the menace."
	The Admiral scrambled to his feet. "It seems that the security 
measures I have taken were not sufficient. I'll have to arrange for other 
measures."
	He disappeared before everyone else could ask anything.

	Ranma sneezed very violently many, many times over. Hinako-chan, 
who was currently teaching them, did not seem to mind. Whispers began to 
erupt. 
	"She let him live!" 
	"She should have drained him completely for less!"
	Gosunkugi began to think. "Miss Hinako let Ranma unscathed while 
she could have drained him completely. It could mean two things. Either 
she's getting lenient all of a sudden or..." he was startled at the idea, 
"she can't drain anymore battle auras!" It was his chance to get rid of 
Ranma. 
	"Its now or never!" He jumped up on his desk. "RANMA SAOTOME! IT'S 
TIME FOR YOU TO DIE! Gosunkugi Final Attack: The Spleen Bomb!" 
	Everything after that seemed to be in slow motion. 
	The bomb flew though the air, a spinning organ of doom. 
	It flew in the air, hit Ranma at the back of this head... 
		and it... 
			and it...
	And it fell to the floor with a small *twack*.
	"It didn't blow up! It didn't blow up!" The school bell rang out, 
signaling the end of morning classes and the beginning of lunchtime. 
	The pulsating mob of hungry students dragged Gosunkugi outside 
before the repercussions of his brave act could reach him. Akane and 
Ranma were the only ones left in the room.
	"Ranma, is anything wrong?" Akane saw that he did not move at all. 
"Let's go now, it's lunch time."
	Ranma began to walk away again, not bothering to look back. "I want 
to eat lunch alone today, Akane. See you later..." He vanished before she 
could even raise a word of protest.
	Akane began to hold back tears. "He did not even call me a jerk... 
He's really angry at me... Ranma... What did I do now..."

	Kuno dashed to the small room at the side of the Kendo club dojo 
where everyone else were already gathered. The presidents of the 
different clubs were there: the sumo club, Akane's stormtroppers, 
archery, football, baseball, everyone was there. "Blast! I come to this 
meeting late and find that no progress has been made! Cease wasting the 
precious time of the Blue Thunder or fear my wrath!"
	The president of the Chem club finally arrived. "Good afternoon, 
gentlemen. I have come to inform you of the latest developments regarding 
our common foe. In the past, we have realized the futility of attacking 
Ranma Saotome one club at a time, and our greatest loss was the time 
Ranma's strength was reduced to that of a mere boy. When we could have 
defeated him, we went our separate ways, each of us seeking our own 
glory."
	"Come now!" Kuno began to act up, seeing that the president of the 
chem club *might* be a better orator than he was. "Let us not go down the 
winding road."
	"Ahem! We found out in this morning's fight that Ranma has somehow 
become weaker, a lot weaker than ever before. His current ki levels are 
way below the last time this happened."
	"Aha! I see an opportunity! I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall smite the cur 
into the ground and claim, finally, the glory- *oww* groan!"
	The president of the sumo club finally chose to sit on Kuno. 
"Please continue..."
	"We, therefore, of the Chemistry club of Furinkan High, suggest an 
alliance, a coalition, where no club shall be above any other, with 
which, our combined forces shall rid us of Ranma Saotome and bring back 
Akane Tendo's freedom." 
	Applause and cheers erupted. 
	"Unity in the face of our common enemy!" 
	"Death to all our foes!" 
	"No one can stop us now!" 
	"Our dreams will finally come true!" 
	These and other unity cheers filled the air. Everyone once again 
found the joy in living and studying in Furinkan high.
	There was however a small question that a mere member of the lesser 
known Journalism Club managed to ask, in the face of everyone's good 
intention.
	"Excuse me... But what shall we call our Coalition?"
	The ruckus paused for a while. "Good question... What shall we call 
ourselves?"
	Suggestions poured out. The president of the soccer team managed to 
have his voice heard. "What about R.A.N.M.A. for RAnma shall Never Marry 
Akane."
	"Only an imbecile such as the president of a club for the brainless 
sport of soccer would think that a name for our worthy and noble cause 
shall be of the same name as our villainous enemy."
	"Then what name would you suggest?"
	"A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. I would name 
it FIERCE LIGHTNING which gives forth the BLUE THUNDER. Surely, that is a 
fitting name..."
	*WHAM*
	"Or perhaps another name would suffice..."
	Other suggestions appeared. 
	"What about PRO Akane for People Really Obsessed with Akane?" 
	"Nah, it gives us a bad appearance of being overly obsessed." 
	"How about T.G.I.S. for Thank God, he is an Impotent Saotome?" 
	"Impotent seems too harsh a word. Perhaps invalid would be a better 
one." 
	"Methinks that-" 
	"NO!" 
	"UTKS- Unified Team for Killing Saotome?" 
	"It sounds like the Universal Tool Kit, and its family of secret 
tools and appliances, small enough to be hidden in a sleeve." 
	"Ahem! This is getting nowhere..." The chem club president called 
for everyone's attention. "It seems that we would be wasting our time 
with such trivial matters. It would be wise to inform you that we could 
thank Dr. Tofu for his unknowing hand in Ranma's current weakness. What 
kind did Dr. Tofu take in?"
	The answer was whispered in his ear. "Cappuccino, eh... What about 
it, shall we name ourselves the Cappuccino Coalition." 
	The idea was passed around. "Cappuccino is as good as a name as it 
would be." 
	"Let's just get to it, we don't care what we call ourselves." 
	"RAGING WIND!" 
	"Someone make Kuno shut up!" 
	The idea was debated for a few more minutes until it came to pass 
that it was called the Cappuccino Consortium, for lack of a better term.

	Kasumi knocked on the door of the house. There was movement inside 
and it was opened by a beautiful woman with long hair. 
	"Oh, it's you, Kasumi. What a pleasant surprise! Please come in!" 
She stepped aside to let Kasumi in, placing the large katana back to its 
honored place.  
	"Good afternoon, too, Auntie Saotome."


To be continued...

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|Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!|
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There may be people among you that would think that Kuno was slightly 
bullied in the last scene, that such peasants would dare slander the 
honored line of the Kuno family.  Well, at the time of that scene, Kuno 
was being used as a chair by the president of the Sumo club so he is 
unable to use his trusty bokken to defend himself.  The other presidents 
would of course take this chance to get back at Kuno's prose.

To further add, you can remove the author's comments if you want the fic 
to have a sense of structure in it.  Each chapter is 12 pages long and if 
one chapter is longer (like Chapter 3 with 13) the next chapter would 
compensate (Chapter 4 has only 11 pages text). 

For those of you who have missed the other chapters, they are available 
at the Nihkolas F. Toledo site if you dare risk the tubular tunnels of 
Mayhem's sewerage system. 

Many thanks to the people iRL who have contributed to the creation of 
Memories.  Many, many thanks to Angela-sama who was the first to send me 
any C&C.  Thanks too to the people responsible for creating El Hazard 
(Nanami) and Macross (Rick Hunter, Cpt. Gloval, and poor traumatized Lisa 
Hayes) who without their creativity I would have been forced to make my 
own character designs.

<Blatant Plug-in Follows>

Watch out for Chapter 6 (A portrait of Ranma's stomach) coming out in a 
few days.  Also, wait for the posing of the first NFT Zu megafic, still 
under its planning stage but full of promise.  Thank you so much for 
reading.

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|Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!|
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