as stated earlier (but apparently a lot of people missed it), the
events in Scarlet Diary take place simul to chapter 6...

Featherbrite's Tale, the Bet. Rough version
by Gregg Sharp based on Rumiko Takahashi's situations/char
other char TM other authors. 
Metroanime@mindspring.com
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
6a: Osaka Or Bust
--------------------------------------
 In a lot of Somewheres, there is an otherwise mythical
place called Japan. In a lot of the versions of this mythical land
is a ridiculously large and sprawling city called Tokyo, Tokio, or
some variant thereof. Such sprawling cities usually end up with 
segments of themselves that have other names, so that these 
imaginary inhabitants of these mythical regions can identify one
segment of their city from another. In some of these no doubt
ridiculous fantasies, there is a chunk of the city of Tokyo which
is known as the prefecture of Nerima or Nerima-shi.

 In such a fanciful setting, one could further imagine
segmenting the city down further to make manageable chunks
out of it, thereby increasing your chances of actually finding 
one of these imaginary inhabitants. There might even be a few
variants of those with a Nerima-shi, which  would contain a few
notable locations such as a Tomobiki-cho or a Furin-ken.

 Of course, if one could imagine this, one could easily
imagine that within such a section as Furinken (sometimes 
spelled Furinkan) that there would be a number of dwelling places
and businesses and some locations that were a bit of both.

 And, though this might be stretching it, that one of
those purely imaginary beings, in a totally hypothetical dwelling,
in just such a mythical city, in a land that was just made up by
someone years ago, would have come across a book of Magic
and realized one of the very great Truths of existence.

 Ignorance may not be bliss, but it can be far more
comfortable than realizing that Everything You Thought You
Knew Was Wrong. Of course, this wasn't completely true either,
but that would be revealed rather later in a different chapter
dealing with stabilizing reality and predominant paradigms and
feedback loops.
---------------------------
 Nabiki growled at the figures in front of her, not finding
NEARLY the satisfaction she had in the comforting flow of numbers
that she usually did.

 Her eyes tracked back to The Book. The problem she
knew, was one of control. Her various businesses, loans, the
shake-downs and the photos, all were a full time job. In order
to pursue this new line, she would have to relinquish control
over at least some of her current work.

 There was Ryonami. She could take over much of
her bookie business. Midori could take over other duties, while
Akira could quite easily handle the photo jobs. It was just that
she had worked so long to put it all together, how could she
relinquish any of it?

 Nabiki leaned back in the chair and sighed. Well,
that was only PART of the problem, wasn't it? 

 It galled her. The Ice Queen, the tough girl who
had no heart, who could destroy people without a second
thought, was human too. She missed Ranma. Missed an
unasked for iinazuke who had brought chaos and the bizarre
into her life, and had vanished just as quickly.

 He'd left enough bizarre behind to occupy her
attention, but she found herself missing HIM.

 Nabiki threw the pencil down onto the ledger
and pressed her hands up against her face. Why was this
happening to her? She liked boys, unlike Akane, but she
had never lost control. She'd never felt an absence like
this. Akane had one kind of strength, she had another.
To lose that edge...

 She was used to playing with sharks. Any 
sign of weakness and she could be pulled down into
those dark waters without so much as a ripple.

 A voice seemed to whisper in her head that
maybe, just maybe, it was time to give up being a shark.
She had enjoyed being a shark, but could see where sooner
or later, she'd stumble. The voice whispered again that maybe,
just maybe, she could be a dolphin instead.

 Dolphins seemed to have more fun than sharks.

 The ancient leather tome, gilt-edged, seemed
to call her. In it were information gathering techniques
beyond anything she'd ever tapped into. In it were ways
that she could take control of her life and take steps 
away from the familiar life she'd led. Into an unknown
future where nothing was certain.

 Had she overreached by taking it? Would 
this be damnation, or salvation?

 Nabiki Tendo, of course, did not realize
that the Book was looking at her and wondering the
same thing.
---------------Faerie Realm----------------------
 The figure loomed over the comparitively
tiny girl before it, long fangs dripping saliva, batlike
wings spread out impressively, yellow eyes staring
down at the morsel before him.

 "Why hello, Mister Dragon, it's a beautiful
day isn't it?"

 The dragon paused. He blinked. The mouth
shut with an audible crash. Shaking his head, he again 
bared fangs, essaying a growl that echoed off the mountains.

 "I'd really love to chat, but I've got to get
this water back to my friends."

 The growl trailed off to an uncertain whine.
He blinked down at the little figure in front of him. The
mouth shut and opened and shut again.

 "Is there something wrong, Mister Dragon?"

 The dragon looked pleadingly at the sky and
muttered something about the unfairness of it all and why
did this sort of thing happen to him?

 "Look 'ere," the dragon finally rumbled at Kasumi.
"Aren't you at least a little bit scared?"

 "But you're so cute!"

 Kasumi felt the shudder in the ground as
something weighing over ten tons facefaulted.

 "Oh my."

 "Ah think that would be my line," the
dragon mumbled into the dirt. Unplanting his face,
he stared directly at the human in front of him. "Look,
you're a human, and from the smell of you, you've been
baptized, right?"

 "It's really not polite to tell someone they
smell, I think." Kasumi frowned ever so slightly.

 The ground shuddered again, this time from
the dragon slamming his chin down on the ground. "Look,
you're NOT doing this right! Can we get back to the usual
deal, eh?"

 "Oh, I'm sorry," Kasumi cocked her head at the 
dragon. "What am I doing wrong?"

 Muttering something about how this sort of
thing never happened in his youth, the dragon shook
his head as if to clear it. "Look, you're SUPPOSED to
either flee in mortal terror, or attack me in some misguided
religious fervor, or challenge me in order to free the elf 
from her centuries long sleep, OR try to steal the magical
sword from its prison. Okay?"

 "I'm sorry. Should we start over?"

 The dragon thought for a moment. "No. I
don't think it would be the same." He seemed rather
dejected. "What gave it away?"

 "Pardon?"

 "What gave it away that I wasn't a bloodthirsty
monster who would snap you up and devour you as a light
breakfast?" 

 "Your entire attack was off. You charged forward,
then stopped. The snapping out of your wings was entirely
reminiscent of intimidation tactics used to ward off some 
species of predators by certain insects. You made several
warning moves, indicating you were trying to scare me off 
rather than come out and attack." Kasumi thought about it. 
"Plus I had a feeling."

 "I was that bad?" The dragon really seemed dejected
now.

 "Oh, I'm Kasumi Tendo." Kasumi bowed slightly, 
no reason not to be polite. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

 "I'm Drath, Magical Site Guardian third class." Drath
looked sadly at his cave. "I'm just having a Maalox millenium, I
am. No wonder I couldn't make second class."

 "Could you heat up the water in this kettle, Mister
Drath?"

 "Great, from Magical Site Guardian (third class), I
get demoted to tea-maker. You won't tell any other dragons, will
you? I'd never live it down. Not that that will really be a problem."

 "Oh?" Kasumi smiled as flames enveloped the kettle
briefly. This would do. If she walked slowly it ought to be cool
enough not to burn Ranma when she changed him back.

 "Yes, one of my little talents. I've always known the
moment of my death." Drath sighed. "But it's dangerous for
you here. Whatever it is that's going to kill me is going to 
arrive within the next five minutes."

 "My, that must make things...tidy." Kasumi nodded
as the dragon resumed heating the teakettle. "What's arriving?"

 "I don't know," the dragon sighed. "Four minutes now.
Y'know, I really wouldn't mind this so much, we've all got to go
sometime, but there's so much I've wanted to DO!"

 "Oh, you've made plans." Kasumi was slightly interested
now. She'd just cut major ties with her own past and was trying to
decide what she'd be doing while she thought things out.

 "Well, yeah, sorta." Drath shook his head. "Never had
kids, never got to see the sunrise over the Dire Straits, never met
a princess, never done anything REALLY important or even 
accomplished much except get rooked into watching an elf who's
put herself into enchanted slumber, and a magic sword of sorts."

 "How disappointing." Kasumi looked with sympathy
at the dragon. "I'm sorry, but I really must go now. My friends 
need me."

 "Hmmm. Hang on. You're a human in the Faerie Realm,
you're with friends. You wouldn't happen to be on a quest, would
you?"

 "Well, I suppose."

 "Good. Can you hold something for me?" The dragon
grinned. "If I'm going to die anyway, I might as well spite whoever
or whatever the thief is in some little way, eh?"

 "I suppose..." Kasumi repeated, looking a little uncertain.

 A claw reached into the stream and pulled out a pearl
roughly the size of a baseball. "Take this with you. Give it to the 
person you deem most worthy."

 Kasumi took the strangely warm pearl into her hands,
bowed slightly and started her trip back to camp. Such a nice 
dragon. She wondered what it was that was going to kill him.

 "And if your friends are OK, come by later. I'd at
least like to have a pyre, y'know."
-------------------------
 Drath sat back and watched the girl go. "That was
a strange one, but destiny walks with her. Maybe I can get an
adventure accomplished posthumously..."

 Drath checked his mental clock. The purple-haired
girl hiding in the bushes moved back away from the stream.
Drath lowered his head slightly. Not that one either?! Then
how was it that he was going to die in thirty seconds?

 He scanned the sky with eyesight far keener than
a falcon. His ears twitched, ready to catch a cricket's footfall.
He sniffed the air, with an olfactory acuity similar to a bloodhound.
Nothing registered on his senses that was out of the ordinary.

 What a nasty headache he was beginning to get.
Reminded him of when he'd eaten icecream too fast. Still, no
one ever died of a....

 The dragon keeled over, dead before he hit the
ground.
-----------------------------------------
 Hot water splashed over Ranma, causing the
familiar transformation. He blinked up to see a face he
hadn't expected to see ever again. "Kasumi?"

 "Ranma, are you okay?"

 "Hah, it'll take more than a few drugs to keep
me down," Ranma rolled to his feet. Unfortunately the
world seemed to be rolling right along with him and he
kept going.

 "Airen has more pride than sense, Shampoo
think." The amazon looked over her airen and wondered
if maybe he ought to be restrained in bed. She smiled at
the thought. That could be fun!

 "Ranma, they knew what they were doing.
They most likely used some really powerful drugs. You're
going to have to move soon. In the meantime, I have to
go check something." Featherbrite hovered a little uncertainly.

 "Shampoo carry airen this time. You awake now,
so you just hang on while Shampoo carry you piggy back."

 "I'm going to search for a weak point so we can
get back to the mortal realm. Try not to get into any trouble
while I'm gone." Featherbrite had recovered enough to do
basic reconnaisance. "And stay away from any Unseelie!"
 
 "What mean Unseelie?" Shampoo looked up
from checking her weapons. "Mean enemy?"

 "Shampoo, try speaking Mandarin instead of
Japanese." Featherbrite rubbed her forehead.

 "Okay, but I really don't think big sister Kasumi
speaks Mandarin, especially the Nichieju dialect."

 "My, Shampoo, your Japanese has just improved
dramatically!"

 "Eh?"

 "There's a translation effect here." Featherbrite
sighed. "Ok, here's the deal. Ancient times on Earth between
one of the sets of Ice Ages, ok? You've got a magical race
which can go between one universe and another at the 'weak
points' - are you with me so far?"

 Ranma looked off, a little bored, he'd heard all this
before.

 "What is Ice Age?"

 "A winter lasting centuries," the faerie replied.
Well, at least she was paying attention. "It was noted that
in some areas, the faerie had tampered with the lifeforce of
the planet, producing strange animals and effects. One of
these, I suspect, is Jusenkyo. It turned out that the Faerie
Court was about to have its first and only Civil War dealing
with the consequences of using this planetary lifeforce.

 "Those who felt we should not kill, not cripple
this other world by stealing its life were known as the Seelie
faction. They became the Seelie Court. Those who felt that
this world and its life were to be used without concern, they
were known as the Unseelie. Do you understand?"

 Shampoo nodded. "You mean that they are 
enemies. I understand."

 Featherbrite sighed. Well, maybe she'd gotten the
most important point at least.
-----------Nerima, Japan-------------------
 Hikaru Gosunkugi looked from the new spellbook
(which had fallen from a tree in his own backyard, narrowly 
missing him) to the various circles, sigils, lit candles, the bowl
of pure rainwater, sacrifice of old ways for new (ashes from his
previous spellbooks), and the three stones.(1)

 Upon these three stones were scribed the words
that he'd found in the book, which invoked the changes that
he wanted to accomplish.

 Having finished all this with attention to every
detail, Hikaru paused. Much as he cared for Akane, this was
a big step. Casting it would likely destroy him, even if it were
successful. Make that especially if it were successful.

 Plenty of guys had been willing to fight for Akane.
How many of them would be willing to die for her? How
many would literally unmake themselves for her? Gos couldn't
think of one among the throng. Excepting one.

 That one checked everything a third time, and
Hikaru Gosunkugi cast the spell.

 Five minutes later, upon completing the spell,
Hikaru Gosunkugi (Furinken SHS student) ceased to exist.
------------------------------------------------
(1) that the book had fallen from a tree was not nearly so
concerning to Gos as the fact that the tree had giggled in
and said "Oops" very distinctly in a feminine voice... 

clip to 6b