Hello there, FFMLers!  I'm back!

Due to the amount of requests for a further continuation of the It's A
Kind of Magic teaser/introduction I post to the FFML, I decided to
continue the story.  This is what I came up with.

I sent a test version to my pre-readers, who responded.  Thus, I have to
thank

Dragonbard
The Apprentice
and Ken

for their efforts.  And their comments.  As well as every one who
responded to my post.

This story was originally conceived as being a comedy, something I have
extreme difficulty writing over a prolonged period of time.  This section
was not intended to be dark.  Nor was it intended to be more than 40K.
Instead, I am sending out nearly 150K.  My pre-readers noticed the
difference, and told me so.

What to do?  I decided to continue with the darker storyline, then create
a light-hearted "fluff" parody of my own work.  Which shouldn't be too
hard.  All that remains is to see if I will do it.

Thus, this story is the Dark Powers Saga.

This story is somewhat [Dark] and a little [Lime].

I have also included a minor character bio at the end of the story, more
for the Magic: The Gathering fans, but Ranma fans may also find it
interesting.

I have also tried something new for me: adding musical scores ala
Undocumented Features or Bubblegum Zone.  I know my musical tastes leave a
lot to be desired, but if you, the reader, C&Cs this, input would be
greatly appreciated.

Lastly, thank you, the readers.  It was your requests that changed my
initial intentions regarding "It's a Kind of Magic" into a continuing
(though short series).  Fear not, Night Saber fans; I am still working.

And a Happy New Year to you, one and all,

Curtiss Nelson
curtiss@seattleu.edu


Now, the 'fic!



"It's a Kind of Magic"
Dark Powers Saga
A Ranma 1/2 and Magic: The Gathering Crossover
First Chapter

Written by Me (aka Curtiss Nelson)


The First Tapping: "Smoldering"


	Ryoga wandered, continuing on his journey, the morning sun 
not yet having arisen on this new day.  Yet it truly was a new day.  The 
lingering stench of burnt wood and char, along with the pale grey curtain 
of ash that lay across the land was ample proof that what had happened 
yesterday was not, in fact, merely a dream.  Even as Ryoga had outrun 
the flames, and the ever-efficient Japanese Forestry Service had 
responded, the blaze had still remained quite significant in size.  Huge, if 
fact, and had it not been for the fact an air-mobile fire control station had 
only been four kilometers away, it would have quickly raged out of 
control.  As a matter of fact, in the midst of the sirens and helicopters 
flying above, Ryoga had gotten little sleep, despite how drained he felt.
	Now, walking along the moss-covered ground, Ryoga felt full of 
life again.  Bursting with power.  It made him feel almost giddy, as if a 
small pool of liquid fire dwelt as a furnace in his chest.  With each beat of 
his heart, it invigorated his body, making him strong.  It was as close to a 
perfect moment as Ryoga had felt in a long time.
	Contrary to popular opinion, Ryoga did think.  He thought quite 
a lot.  The only problem was his thought train tended to be something 
like: "Kill Ranma, kill Ranma, the world is a dark and lonely place, watch 
out for water as I do not want to become someone's pork chop, where in 
the Hell is Nerima, this forest is very big, what forest am I in anyway?" 
and so on.
	But this time, Ryoga was thinking about something entirely 
different.  While not entirely the smartest boy in Japan, Ryoga did know 
that when he spontaneously throwing fireballs for no apparant reason 
other than a heartfelt desire to do so, something was not quite right.  
Now Ryoga understood the basic laws of reality.  Simply wanting to 
throw a ki-blast didn't mean it happened.  Nor did wanting to throw a 
fireball make a sulphurous mass of flames appear.
	Ryoga thought about that for a while, then made the 
connection.
	He had been thinking about that game.  The one with the cards.  
He had wanted to cast a fireball.  He had.
	Hmmm... Citrus had introduced him to the game.
	Citrus had given him those perfect cards and that beautiful box.
	Ryoga had watched the cards and box dissappear.
	In the game, you used mana to cast spells.
	In his wandering, Ryoga had lost a number of his land cards in 
his journey and search to get back to Nerima.
	The forests; he had lost each one while wandering through the 
wilds of Japan.
	And his mountains; some of those forests had been quite hilly.
	The swamps; some of the forests had dipped into valleys 
covered with stagnant water.  Which was odd, as he usually avoided the 
water.
	The red spell Fireball had been in his box.
	His box had disappeared shortly before he had called the 
fireball.
	He had felt something rush from him when the fireball appeared.
	He now had a ball of pure energy burning through him.
	It was crazy, he knew that.
	But then again, so was turning into a pig, duck, or girl when 
splashed with cold water, wasn't it?
	Daring for one small moment to believe, Ryoga stepped into an 
open clearing, took a deep breath, a held his hand together as though he 
were preparing for a Shi-Shi-Houkodan, and aimed for the sky.
	Deep within himself, Ryoga called a small spark of the dark fire, 
that seemed to twist and pulsate, as though alive.  He felt alive, beyond 
alive!  He was life!
	Holding that tiny ember, channeling into his hands, he forced 
his mind, struggling to remember what he had done that day before.  That 
spell of a fireball.  It had appeared in his mind, held in his concious, 
waiting to be used.
	In Ryoga's mind, it was as though each of the placards he had 
had in his box floated by, just beyond his vision, the details of each 
indistinct.  Ten.  Twenty.  Thirty cards danced in his mental sight, and 
Ryoga felt suddenly humbled by the power he controlled.  He couldn't 
quite make out what they were, but he knew what they were.  Sorceries.  
Creature summonings.  Enchantments.  Artifacts.  And- there it was!
	"YES!" Ryoga cried, even as he felt the card disappear, 
retreating within himself, and the small glow flowed into his hands.
	"Fireball!" he whispered, as before his delighted eyes, like 
someone who expected but did not truly believe the results until that 
moment, a small ball of fire flew from his hands.  It rose, higher and 
higher, until Ryoga made a small chopping motion with his hands.  The 
ball denotated with a loud *CRACK* and puff of fire.
	Ryoga felt his knees go weak, as he collapsed to the ground, his 
mind reeling.  It wasn't a dream.  It was real.  Magic.  Magic that he held 
in his body, seething, waiting to be released.  And then it suddenly came 
to him.
	He could beat Ranma now.  He had beat him at the card game 
with Citrus, and now he could beat him with *real* magic.  He would 
show everyone, once and for all, that there was no question; _he_ was 
greater than Ranma.  He was power now!  He could do anything!  If this 
was like the game, he was now as a God to most normal people!
	But was it a fluke?  Maybe this _had_ just been a new 
technique he had stumbled on?  Maybe... He had to make sure.
	Once more calling on that feeling in his gut, he now noticed 
their was a slight deadness there.  Puzzled, Ryoga suddenly realized the 
deadness was the feeling of the fact that the lands he had called on were 
temporarily depleted.
	Selecting a summoning card at random from his mind, one that 
required little mana for him to bring.  Hopefully, it would work like in the 
game, and be something he could bring into being, and control at will.  
He didn't want to accidently summon a dragon and have it eat him.  
Willing the requisite mana from himself, Ryoga invigorated the card with 
power.
	Unlike the sorcery, this one did not retreat within himself and 
wait until it could be used again.  Instead, it flew "out" of his mind, and in 
a shimmering green haze, the creatures appeared.
	Ryoga, shocked despite expecting it, looking in shock at the 
huge brown bear that appeared.  The creature looked at him expectantly, 
growling slightly, and in spite of himself, Ryoga stepped forward and 
began to pet the thick fur of the bear.  It gave a contented purr of sorts.
	As he petted the creature, Ryoga realized he could feel it.  It was 
as though a mental link had been forged between the two of them, and 
above all, Ryoga realized he could command it at will.  So saying, Ryoga 
mentally gave a command, and watched in delight as the bear backed up 
a few steps, before sitting down.
	This was great!  He had trouble getting his own dog to sit, and 
now he could make a *bear* sit at his command!  This was like in the 
game!  He had absolute mastery over these creatures!  And thumbing 
through his mental Rolodex of magical cards, Ryoga knew a significant 
chunk of his cards were creature summonings.
	It was clear now.  He would never be alone again.  He would 
summon friends, and live wherever he went, no matter what the forest.  
He now had the power to go anywhere he wanted to.  He could beat 
Ranma, with or without his allies.  He would become awesome, and 
everybody would look up to him!  He would become the Lord of the 
Wilds!
	Eagerly grasping for another card in his mind, Ryoga found one 
with a significant mana cost.  Oddly enough, it seemed to require mana 
that was both green, red, and black.  Curious, Ryoga channeled his 
power, bringing it into this world.  When nothing seemed to happen, 
Ryoga mentally reviewed what he had done.
	Behind him, a gold colored cloud of mist appeared, and a long 
and slender leg stepped delicately on the mossy ground.
	Unaware, uneasy, Ryoga began to review his spells.  Had he 
done something wrong?  Why hadn't the creature appeared in front of 
him?  Maybe it was invisible?  He continued to think about various 
options, when all of a sudden, a voice spoke out from behind him, one 
that sent shivers down his spine.
	"You summoned me, Master?" came a voice that held the music 
of two hundred days of beautiful spring in each resonance.
	Eyes wide, Ryoga turned to face the creature behind him, and 
his brain seemed to shut down when it smiled back at him.  She was 
perfect.  As though the perfect female form had been given flesh of 
lightly tanned bronze, wearing a slight, gauzy and airy garment that hid 
nothing.  Ryoga could only feel the blood pressure roar in his ears as 
those vivid emerald orbs twinkled back at him, and her hair of colored the 
gold of dry wheat, the brown of smooth wood, and the green of fresh 
grass, all mixed into a single free cascade down her back.
	"Master?" the nature goddess stepped forward, concerned, as 
the nose of the sorceror who had summoned her exploded in blood.
	Ryoga's last thought, as he lost conciousness while staring at 
her, was a hentai realization that the gold, brown, and green of the hair on 
her head _was_, in fact, her natural hair color.
	Wyllow, the Alluring Nymph of Oldenwood, looked at the 
Sorceror who had summoned her, lying on the ground, with blood 
streaming from his nose, a little perplexed.  All of a sudden, realization 
dawned on her, and she gave a gay little laugh that had a chorus of 
songbirds mixed in with the bubbling of a brook.  Kneeling down, she 
lifted the comatose boy, and carried him over to a small glen.
	Looking down, Wyllow decided impulsively that he was cute.  
Very cute, especially with those little fangs, and that tousled hair.  Yes, 
she decided, she could serve this Mage.  He was better than the dried up 
old fossils she usually worked for and served.  And he had a great body, 
she noticed, as she lay down beside him for a moment.
	Straightening herself upright, a mischevious gleam intensified in 
her eyes.  It was the clothes, she decided, that is what had caused the 
nose to explode in blood.  Too much constriction of the flow of blood to 
the head.  That was it, she confirmed, as she removed the last articles of 
clothing.
	(Yes), Wyllow smiled, as she started her own unique brand of 
waking up the young man, (I _will_ enjoy serving this one).
	Her grin grew even wider.
	(Oh, yes indeed!)


^_-


	Ukyo awoke with a groan, looking with blurry eyes over at the 
alarm clock that was currently screaming for attention, attention which 
she sharply administered in the form of a heavy overhead smash, 
silencing the electric banshee.  Sighing, she turned over on her bedding, 
pulling back the covers.  Then she fully opened her eyes.
	By the kami, she felt GOOD!  It was as though a smooth, 
comforting, and caring blanket had drapped through every fiber of her 
being.  It was like a song of joy that just wouldn't stop.  With a grin, she 
sat upright, then jumped to her feet, the covering pooling around her in a 
flurry.  With a light step, she exitted the mat on her floor, slipping on a 
robe from a nearby closet.
	What was wrong with her?  Last night, after wandering about 
for hours, she had come home with a sever stomach ache.  She had 
wished, not for the first time, that she had not insisted that Konatsu take 
a break.  The male Kunoichi was almost invariably the first to awaken in 
the resturaunt, and Ukyo frequently set her daily rhythm to the cheerful 
effeminate voice announcing "Good morning, Ukyo-sama!"
	Puzzled at her sudden recovery, Ukyo shrugged, and simply 
went about her morning chores, whcih seemed four times as difficult 
withou Konatsu not being there.  It was very early in the morning, and 
she knew she would have to have the resturaunt ready to open.  
Fortunately, she had decided to close the shop until the middle of the 
afternoon, so as to spend some time with her friends.
	(And), she thought darkly, (to make sure none of those hussies 
got too close with her Ran-chan).  It was one of her greatest fears, that 
Akane or one of the others would get too close to Ranma while she had 
to work.  In many ways, it wasn't fair, but then again, she had learned 
quite some time ago that things seldom were entirely fair.  Being 
disgraced, forced to hide her true sex, and then having the man of her 
dreams pursued by so many other women- no, life was not fair.  But she 
always tried to make the best of what she had.
	It was just the damn headache that she was having.  It kept her 
dizzy, as though images of small rectangles just beyond her sight kept 
floating by in a mad jumble.  She was just so tired.  She needed to be 
there, to make sure she didn't lose Ranma.  He was getting more mature, 
impossible as it may sound, and soon enough, he would be looking at all 
of them, trying to determine which would be best as his wife.  Ukyo had 
to make sure she was the top of the list.  But she also needed help at the 
restaruant.  She knew Konatsu needed a vacation, whether he wanted to 
admit it or not.  She knew her decision was right.  It was just that she 
really needed some help!
	Ukyo clutched her head as some of the warmth now infusing her 
body _moved_.  It seemed to pull strength from somehow, just as, at the 
same time, something remarkable happened.  Ukyo had to question 
whether or not she had a worse fever than she had imagined, as a white 
mist seemed to gather, and when it left, a woman dressed in brown 
leather clothes stepped forth.
	"So who are 'ya, to be callin' a Benalish Hero, Lady Mage?" the 
woman inquired, an odd drawl in her Japanese.
	Ukyo backed away, towards the grill, an ever-present spatula 
now in hand.  She snapped it in front of her, in the upper guard position.  
"Who are you, and why are you here?" Ukyo shouted at the intruder.
	"There be no need 'ta shout.  I 'ken hear 'ya just fine from 'ere", 
the woman groused, cleaning her ears.
	"Who are-", Ukyo began again.
	The woman interupted, "And as ta' who I am, my name be Feeri, 
Benalish Hero, beyond the class system.  And as ta' why I am here, 'ya 
summoned me, Lady Mage."
	"My name is Ukyo, not Lady Mage", Ukyo growled.
	The woman raised an eyebrow, "Usen yer real name, are 'ya?  Ya 
must be new ta' the magic game ta' make such a beginner mistake."
	"Magic, what are you talking about", Ukyo protested.
	"Of course magic!  How do 'ya think I came to be 'ere?  Ya 
summoned me, and now I came ta' obey", the woman replied, then 
frowned, looking a little puzzled, "But I dinnae understand why I feel the 
urge to do some cleaning."
	Ukyo back away, as she suddenly realized she could *feel* the 
person before her, as though she were connected to her.  "Ummm.. I, uh, 
needed someone to help me clean", Ukyo finished off lamely.
	The woman sighed.  "Well, I be honest with 'ya, my greater 
strength be in me swordarm, but I shall do as you bid, Lady Mage Ukyo."  
Turning, the woman began to scrub.
	"But...." Ukyo began, as all of a sudden, things fell into place.  
Women's intuition maybe.  Blind logic perhaps.  But none-the-less, a 
pattern began to emerge.
	Her box.  Citrus.  The game.  That white card, the Benalish Hero, 
who looked exactly like the woman in front of her.  Her odd feeling of 
power.  All of a sudden, too sudden, it came crashing in on her.
	"It's impossible", Ukyo whispered, collapsing as her knees 
became jello.
	"Is something wrong, Lady Mage Ukyo?", Feeri asked.
	"Magic can't be real", Ukyo whispered in protest.
	The woman snorted, "Of course it is!  How do 'ya think I came 
to be here?  Hmm?"  She turned back to her work.
	Ukyo took several calming breathes, before she turned and 
looked over at the woman scrubbing her floors.
	"Feeri", Ukyo spoke firmly.
	The woman turned, "Yes, Lady Mage Ukyo?"  Ukyo tried not to 
flinch at the title.
	Ukyo took a deep breath.  "Tell me what you know about 
magic."
	The woman shrugged, then said, "Not much, I'm afraid."
	"Tell me what you know", Ukyo said, firmly.
	Ten minutes later, Ukyo left the resturaunt,  having ordered 
Feeri to guard it, a task the woman obeyed.  Somehow, Ukyo knew she 
*had* to obey.  Ukyo darted down the street to towards where they 
would be meeting today, her mind racing with thoughts, and what she 
now realized were the placards that represented the various spells she 
knew.  The creatures she could summon.  The sorceries she could cast.
	(This can't be real), she thought.  (It can't be.  Citrus just gave 
us game cards.  Nothing more.)
	Yet another thought wormed its way into her conscious.  (What 
if it is true?  What then?)
	That almost brought her up short.  Feeri had only the most basic 
of knowledge on how magic functioned, or how sorcerers operated, but 
that was more than Ukyo had known.  The very thought of using magic, 
if it was real, left her vaguely unsettled.  Suddenly, a realization came to 
her.
	(If this magic is real, and I can do all these things, then there is 
no way Ran-chan can deny I am the best choice!  I can take care of the 
others, and get rich, and-) Ukyo's thoughts broke off, as they focussed 
on one thing.
	(Ran-chan, get ready.  By this time tonight, if this stuff works, 
you are going to be all mine), Ukyo grinned, beginning to laugh as she 
ran to the park where the gang was to meet.


^_-


	Shampoo knew something was different the minute she awoke 
in her room.  She had always been a physical girl, like any good Amazon 
warrior, and was ever aware of any changes in her body.  She was a 
finely crafted instrument, at this time designed to attract a husband and 
fight well, as she had been for most of her teenage years.  Despite the 
effects of the strange Japanese food, she had kept in excellent shape.
	Something had now upset that balance.  Shampoo could feel it 
the minute she awoke.  It was as though a presence had flooded her 
entire body with its being.  It was odd, a burning and lively vigor, that 
twisted and danced deceptively just outside of her awareness.  It 
reminded Shampoo of her own sexuality, like when she had suddenly 
become aware of the power she held over the male members of her 
species.  The sensation of being a woman.  Of being an ultimate power, 
greater than any man, as all women were.  Of being better than other 
women, as all Amazons were.  It was as if one of her ancestors now 
danced within her.  And thus, a wanton and delighted smile graced her 
lips before she ever opened her eyes.
	With a surge of motion, Shampoo flipped out of her bed, the 
covers flying, landing on her feet, as she felt the energy invigorate her.  
In a flash, she dressed in a nice outfit, not planning to do much work 
today, in any event.  Her Great Grandmother was allowing the first half of 
the day all to herself.  Stupid Mousse would work instead, so she could 
be close to her husband.
	The thought of that brought a smile to her face.  Though 
Shampoo was not stupid, she was not particularily intelligent either.  Her 
planning, however intricate, tended to be very simple, with a clear-cut 
goal at the end.  She relied on her Great Grandmother to address the 
intricate eddies of subterfuge.  But in this case, unlike the other Nerima 
dweller's gifted by Citrus, this simplicity of thought served her well.  For 
Shampoo, it was easy.
	Shampoo had power now.  She did not have such power before.
	Citrus had given her a special box, which had disappeared 
before her eyes.  Unlike the silly, over-civilized inhabitants of Japan, 
Shampoo knew full well that magic existed.
	Citrus had played a game involving magic, with cards identical 
to many of those in her box.  Shampoo had memorized the cards, in case 
someone might steal them.
	Shampoo knew impressions of these cards were now floating 
through her mind.  But she also realized, it was more like they were felt.  
Like a good sword hanging by your side, always ready to leap from the 
scabbard, and strike down an obstacle in the way.
	The conclusion was simple.
	Shampoo now had magic powers like in the game.
	Shampoo was going to be the strongest woman in world, and a 
great leader among the Amazon tribe.
	But first things first. A great leader needed a good husband.
	Grinning, Shampoo tensed every muscle in her body, hearing 
the power sing through them, and made ready her plans as she headed 
down to the restaurant proper.
	Only to bump into Mousse on her way down.
	Mousse accidently staggered into Shampoo, who merely 
pushed him out of her way.  Staggering, a little drunk on the power he 
now held, Mousse leaned against the wall he was smashed into for 
support.
	It had been so strange, this morning.  He had gone to bed last 
night tired and sick to his stomach, exhausted both mentally and 
physically from his search for his box of cards.  He had gone to his place, 
the small hollow in the attic where he rested, before he had curled up, to 
sleep.
	The morning had brought him to awareness, called from that 
lethargic state by the pulsating ball of shimmering energy that now 
seemed to burn in his chest, occassionally hidden by the patches of utter 
darkness that blocked it.  It was as though all the years of abuse he had 
suffered in the village, all the humiliations he had been forced to endure, 
all the rage and despair of his denied dreams had been forced into a tiny 
ball of pure potentiality within himself, waiting to be unleashed.
	Mousse had long since become accustomed to abuse, long 
since aware that he would never be good enough in the eyes of some 
people.  But now, that certainty shattered, as something told him that 
things were going to be different from now on.  Hide for now, and wait, it 
told him.  Feeling a dark sureness, Mousse allowed himself a grin as his 
eyes tracked the swaying hips of Shampoo, moving rhythmically beneath 
the thin fabric of the cheongsam she had chosen.
	Mousse pushed the wire frame glasses back on the bridge of his 
nose, never stopping to wonder where they had come from, and why he 
was not wearing the coke-bottle glasses he was used to.  Or why, all of a 
sudden, his vision was crystal-clear.
	Or even why he knew the brass wire glasses had once belonged 
to someone named Urza.
	He just knew.
	Just as Cologne knew something had seriously changed in both 
Mousse and Shampoo the minute she saw them descend the stairs from 
the living quarters.  Last night, when they had come home, and she had 
eaten that strange, yet delicious foreign food, she had known something 
was different.  Something profound, though she just couldn't place it.  
Now it was as apparant as the sun.
	And like the sun their auras blazed, invisible to most senses, 
except those truly talented in the manipulation of Chi.  A strange, blazing 
and exhuberant aura of green, red, and blue pulsated from Shampoo, 
strangely alive.  On the other hand, Mousse's aura of magical power 
seemed almost placid, with a small and compact ball of red energy, 
hidden by shifting patches of blue discoloration and black spots of 
darkness.
	To her credit, Cologne's eyes only widened slightly, before 
narrowing into slits.  Something had happened that she was unaware of, 
and that was never a good thing in her book.  She needed to find out 
more information, before the foolish youngsters used their power 
carelessly.  And if the others had such abilities... the implications were 
staggering.  As well as horrifying.
	"Shampoo, come here.  There is work that must be done.  You 
too, ingrate", Cologne said from her perch atop her staff.
	Shampoo merely looked at Cologne with a smile, and Cologne 
was shocked to see the defiance and arrogance in that smirk.  Shampoo 
merely looked down at Cologne; and Cologne realized she actually 
_was_ looking down at her; and said, "Later, Great Grandmother.  Must 
go find Ranma!"
	Cologne didn't bother to hide the shock she felt this time, even 
as she saw Shampoo turn to leave, and the sudden smoldering flare of 
anger in Mousse's eyes.
	"Shampoo, you are not leaving until your chores are finished!" 
Cologne snapped, voice full of authority.
	Shampoo stopped, as she turned to Cologne, regarded her, then 
smiled and raised one hand.  Before Cologne's shocked eyes, a copper 
tinted mist appeared, coalescing into an automaton, a man shaped 
construct formed of solid brass.
	Shampoo smirked at Cologne with a dangerous passion in her 
eyes, clearing enjoying this, "Metal man do work for me, Great Grandma", 
she announced, before flouncing out of the restaurant.
	Just as shocking to Cologne, she heard a growling sound of 
anger, and saw Mousse rising, his eyes ablaze with emotion.  Even more 
than the emotion, which he frequently demonstrated, if not so strongly, 
was the steel and strength in his piercing gaze, as he started out after 
Shampoo.
	"Hey, you are not off today, lollygagger!" Cologne barked at 
Mousse.  She needed one of them to stay, so she could find out what 
was going on.
	Cologne received another shock as Mousse, a man of the 
Amazons, refused a direct order from a Matriarch of the Amazon tribe.  
Seriously angry, Cologne snarled, "Hey, you!" as she brought her staff 
down on Mousse's head, intending to take him down so that she could 
talk some sense into him and put him back in his place.
	Only to receive yet _another_ shock, as the thick ironwood 
shaft shattered into splinters on striking the cranium of the fleeing 
Mousse.
	Cologne stared at the broken stump of her staff, then at the back 
of the fleeing Mousse.  She knew that Mousse had a hard head, and that 
he could take quite a licking.  But she also knew how strong her staff 
was, and how hard she had hit him.  Above all, there was Mousse's 
reaction.
	Nothing.  He had continued on as though all she had done was 
tap him on the head, an act easily ignored.
	The Ryoga boy _might_ be capable of resisting one of her 
blows.  Might.  But not Mousse, that myopic fool.  Something was 
seriously wrong.
	For the first time in quite a while, Cologne felt the tendrils of true 
and terrible terror tangling the thrumming tread of her heart.  If this was 
more than just Mousse or Shampoo, more than just a few-
	Killing that thought, even as it quietly began to whisper in the 
back of her head, Cologne drew a fresh staff from under the counter, 
even as the brass machine began to go about, cleaning up.  Flipping the 
closed sign, Cologne hopped down the street.  As much as she resented 
it, there was only one person she knew who might be far travelled 
enough to know what was going on.
	Happosai.


^_-


	"KASUMI!!!!!!!!" came the long and echoing cry.
	Like a bolt of lightning, like a well trained dog, like a miser on 
spotting a penny laying on the ground in the middle of the street, Ranma 
was moving before he realized it, clad only in his tank top and boxer 
shorts, scarcely aware of the snoring panda that was asleep in the room 
with him, as he darted out of the room he shared with his father, already 
moving down the corridor of the house towards the stairs as his sense 
began to become awake along with the rest of him.  Somewhere behind 
him, he could feel and hear the opening of doors and the pounding of 
another's feet.
	"Dad?" Akane cried, as she came barrelling down the wooden 
floor behind him, ready for a fight.
	"Daddy?" Nabiki asked, cautiously opening her door.  Trouble 
was something she tried to stay out of the direct line of, playing off the 
sidelines.
	Ranma took the steps in one gracefully leap, and as he hung, 
suspended in the air, he realizied something odd.  It was a moment, like 
you read in those corny romance novels or the account of an accident 
survivor.  The moment, when time slows down, and an epiphany is 
reached.
	Ranma suddenly realized the presence of a swirling ball of 
energy in his chest, radiating out with thousands of tendrils, touching 
every cell of his being, and beyond.  It snaked into the very tapestry of 
his Chi, becoming one with it.  It was like a rainbow confusion of sparks 
swirling about.  Each spark shined of two different colors, depending on 
how it was viewed, each twin radiance leaving a small comet in his chest, 
before exploding into tiny beams of light that streaked throughout him.  
In each spark, he felt placid calm, a fiery anger, a slinking depression, a 
calculating deception, and a vibrant life force.  Each fell back, linking in 
on each other, leaving Ranma in a condition he had only dreamed of: 
balance.  His yin and yang at perfect opposites, his male and female 
unified yet competing, his entire being whole.  It was beautiful beyond 
belief, and Ranma felt one of the truest moments in his life, almost like 
falling in love, as the feeling engulfed him, rushing-
	Just like the floor Ranma had forgotten about, though the 
wooden planks had not neglected him.  Out of focus in his self-
absorbtion, Ranma barely noticed the fact he had made a perfect, flawless 
landing, before sinking to his knees, overcome with rapture.  He could 
feel them, sense them, hear them, smell them, taste them, the small motes 
of energy that merged into the rainbow collage of his being, each one 
holding the small array of cards around him in place, chained to his heart 
and perceived through his mind.  He instinctively knew the meanings of 
some of them, as he reached out to join the light within himself to the first 
card-
	<POW!!!>  Ranma felt himself doing a faceplant as Akane ran 
over him, Nabiki daintily stepping over his prone form.
	Akane hurried towards where the cry of her father had sounded 
from.  Turning towards the kitchen, she found her father staring at 
Kasumi, who was dressed in her apron, cooking.
	Akane felt rage boil in her as she realized her overly emotional 
father had once more set out another false alarm, glaring contempuously 
at the crocodile tears her father was shedding.  Damn him, didn't he 
realize just how early it was!?!  Sure, they had to meet the others at the 
park today, but not for nearly an hour.  Not that Akane particularily 
looked forward to meeting that conniving bitch Ukyo, that slut bimbo 
Shampoo, or that psychopathic whore Kodachi.  Even thinking about it 
made Akane's hands clench and unclench, as her rage sweltered.  It was 
as though a red haze had descended over her eyes, even as there was a 
volcanic network of furious energy spreading throughout her entire 
body, rippling in waves of emotion and fury, each cell screaming an 
eruption of rage.  Akane could feel it sweltering to the surface of her 
thoughts, just as she could feel a confusion of annoying images flying 
around her head, known, not actually sensed.  The hatred was growing 
stronger and stronger, despite the small island of white calm in the center 
of her being.  It was so bad, she didn't even notice Nabiki walking up 
behind her.
	Nabiki yawned, annoyed at being awoken so early.  She had 
been suffering from a stomach illness when she went to sleep, but when 
she awoke this morning, she had felt... changed.  Like someone had torn 
out the slightly frayed, mismatched cords that made up her being, and 
replaced it with water.  A slinky, flowing water, that made every step one 
of confidence, and deception, flowing through her entire being like an 
underground river.  It was not an ice-queen persona, like she had so 
often adopted.  No, it was something more playful, more intimate, more... 
sensual, for lack of a better word.  Yes, it was like seeing the world anew, 
through the eyes of cat, with everything in sight belonging to her, or 
having the potential to be hers when she wanted it.  It was the ultimate 
self-confidence, as she seductively slid up next to her sister, languid 
eyes impassively regarding her father.  Deep within the recesses of her 
mind, something sinister whispered, as vague objects floated about her 
head.
	Raising himself, finding his epiphany gone but the feeling and 
understanding remaining, Ranma walked up to the two sisters, noting 
that Akane seemed to be burning up with rage, and Nabiki was sending... 
unsettling signals.  "What's up?" Ranma asked the two as he 
approached.
	Something snapped in Akane as she glared at Ranma, who 
stepped back at the fury in those twin orbs, missing the sudden shifting 
of her body, as the swift punch sent him flying, the words "Shut up, 
BAKA!" echoing in the air.
	"Really sister, was that entirely necessary?" Nabiki inquired, 
raising an eyebrow.
	"Shut up Nabiki!" Akane snarled, looking in anger at her sister.
	Nabiki was briefly taken aback, before she turned her 
expressionless features to her father.  "Ranma does raise an interesting 
point?  What is going on, father?"  Akane turned to look as well.
	Soun just stood there, mouth slightly agape, apparantly in 
shock, which wasn't a difficult proposition in the case of the Tendo 
patriarch.
	"Daddy?" Nabiki asked, snapping her fingers in front of his 
eyes, getting no response.
	Ranma sat up, then stood up in disbelief, looking over at the 
Tendo family, examining the distance.  A good six meters, at least, a good 
Akane punch.  Yet when he examined his jaw, Ranma could only feel the 
slightest of flushes, indicating a very mild bruising.  That punch should 
have clocked him, or at least made him dizzy.  Instead, he found himself 
just puzzled, with the barest of tingling on his jaw.  Shaking his head, 
Ranma joined the Tendos.
	"Oh my, what was that noise- ah, Nabiki?  Breakfast is not quite 
ready?"  Kasumi said, as she stepped into the doorway to the kitchen, 
dressed in her usual dress and an apron.
	"No problem, sis, just a little curious as to why father has turned 
into a drooling vegetable", Nabiki said dryly.  Akane just fumed.
	Kasumi frowned at Nabiki.  "That is hardly an appropriate 
comment to make about your father, Nabiki", she admonished, before her 
countenance cleared into its usual peaceful demeanor, "And as to why 
father is the way he is, I really have no idea-" Kasumi broke off, turning 
her head towards the kitchen, speaking "Oh yes, of course, would you 
please set the table?  Thank you very much."  Kasumi turned back to her 
family.  "Just a few more minutes, until breakfast is ready."  She entered 
the kitchen.
	Akane moved before Nabiki could speak up, "Who are you 
talking to-!" she demanded, before her voice cut off, and Akane, Ranma, 
and Nabiki all joined Soun in appearance as the being stepped out of the 
kitchen, plates and silverware in hand.
	Pure white feather adorned the wings that gracefully swept out 
from the back of the blonde woman who exitted the kitchen, her angelic 
face open, with a welcome smile.  Her feet, like the gown and sword she 
wore, seemed almost ethereal as she set the table and, like a breeze, 
retreated back to the kitchen.
	"Oh, thank you Sera!  I'll get started on the rice, if you can finish 
this!" came Kasumi's voice.
	"k-k-kassumi?" Ranma managed to find his voice as he hoarsely 
croaked out her name.
	"Yes, Ranma-kun?" she enquired, appearing at the doorway.
	"That was a Sera Angel", he said hesitantly and quietly, not 
quite believing it himself.
	"Hai", Kasumi blinked, smiling widely.  "Her name is Sera.  
Along with her sister, Sera.  They are helping out around the house."
	"But Sera Angels only exist in that game Citrus taught us", 
Ranma managed to choke out, before becoming pasty white in the face.
	"Hai", Kasumi positively beamed, "It was an awfully nice 
present that Citrus-san gave to us."
	"They?" Akane managed, her anger dampened by her shock.
	"Of course", Kasumi smiled beautifically, "Mr. Whitestone is 
standing watch over the house, while those two nice paladins of the 
Order of Leibur, Roland and Carlos, are guarding the front gate.  They are 
such polite young men.  And..."
	Ranma turned his head to the front gate, his shocked expression 
going absolutely slack as he froze.
	"... and then there are those nice healers I had go help at Dr. 
Tofu's clinic", Kasumi finished, before gasping, putting hand to mouth, 
"Oh my, the rice!" she exclaimed, heading back into the kitchen.
	In the kitchen, Kasumi checked to make sure the rice was 
coming along nicely, humming a tune as she smiled at her helper, who 
smiled back at her.  She was feeling a little drained, the placid pool of 
pure goodness that had dwelt in her inner self having been tapped a 
number of times to help improve her house and call all of her wonderful 
friends.
	For too long, Kasumi had been forced to watch the harmony of 
her home destroyed.  She didn't blame Ranma-kun; he tried, he really did.  
And the others; well, they were just very energetic.  She could forgive 
them, for the pain they caused her, the sleep they made her lose, the work 
they made her do, including her violent youngest sister, her mercenary 
and callous younger sister, and even her useless father and that lazy 
good-for-nothing demon seed, Genma Saotome.  She could forgive them 
all.
	She just wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
	And now she had the power to make sure everyone was proper.
	And if anyone opposed the harmony of her home, Kasumi and 
her new friends, including the gigantic Mr. Pale, would simply ruthlessly 
crush them like annoying insects.
	Not that she had anything against insects, mind you, a 
concerned Kasumi reminded herself.
	Humming a cheerful tune, Kasumi busied herself with her 
chores.
	Back in the dining room, Akane turned to Nabiki, who was 
looking back at her in shock.
	"What was that?" asked Akane, angry.
	"An apparation?" Nabiki whispered, disbelieving.
	"If that is so, can somebody tell me when the Hell the Tendo 
Dojo got a CASTLE WALL!?!" Ranma gradually raised his voice, still 
staring.
	"What?" Akane snarled, her own expression and anger 
vanishing as she saw what Ranma gazed upon.
	Nabiki lost all words as she followed Ranma and Akane outside.
	There, gleaming in the morning sun, stood walls of marble stone 
at least ten meters tall, occasionally higher, all of them engulfing the 
Tendo Dojo property.  Huge banners hung from pinions at the corner 
towers of the masonry, and at each corner, the three young people could 
see movement.
	"What's that?" Akane pointed out, finger emphasizing the 
direction her gaze was signifying.
	Ranma and Nabiki turned their gaze as well, gasping at what 
they saw.
	There, arranged around the Tendo Dojo koi pond, was a series 
of five symbols cut into the ground.  Each was a perfect circle, with 
intricate glyphs and sigils marking the insides.  Each also had a color, 
blue, red, white, green, and black as they made a semi-circle around the 
pond, the blue and black circles near the actual house.
	"Circles of Protection", Ranma breathed out.
	Akane and Nabiki looked at him, the former demanding, the 
latter expressionless in her interest.
	"Circles of Protection, remember?  Like in the game?", Ranma 
said, as he carefully paced each one, careful not to touch.  "Blue, red, 
white, green, black.  The five colors of mana.  I just remember because 
Kasumi kept blocking every attack I made using them, back when we 
were playing with Citrus."  He trailed off, staring at the works of art each 
circle truly was.  It looked like it would take hours, days, if not weeks to 
construct each one.
	Ranma, Nabiki, and Akane all looked on as a man armored in 
silver chain mail, on a horse armored in barding, passed them by , 
apparantly on patrol.  The knight nodded to them, tipping his helmet to 
both girls, before trotting on.
	"OK, did Kodachi slip me some of her hallucinagenic powders 
when I was sleeping?  Or did Shampoo screw up another one of her 
schemes?"  Ranma half-joked, half-hoped to have his pathetic 
suggestion confirmed.
	"Not unless we were all slipped the same thing", Nabiki shattered 
that thought, her mind awhirl with possibilities.  If it worked for Kasumi, it 
could work for her!  Could it?
	Akane looked at shining walls about her, and the faintly 
glowing circles before her, and deep in her mind, plans began to form.  If 
magic was real, then she could use it.  It would be something new, 
something no one had mastered.  She wouldn't have to worry about 
being a better cook, or being built better, or being a better girlfriend, or 
being a better martial artist, or being a better student, or being of a better 
family; they were all starting out afresh at this magic game!  Akane knew, 
somewhere in her mind, that she could work magic.  Just as she knew, 
somehow, that the others at that feast could do the same.  It had to be 
something to do with the boxes Citrus had given them.  Somehow, it had 
made them able to use magic.  Now, she could be on top!  No more stupid 
boys challenging her, no more competition from the others, no more
unwanted fiancees, no more being a second-rate martial artist.  She would
be better than all the others at this, and Akane vowed to make sure she
was number one this time!
	Nabiki's thoughts turned to a different, yet similar train of 
thought, as she became aware of what the swirling power invigorating 
her body was, in fact, magic.  Even now, just closing her eyes and 
stretching out her newfound senses, she could feel them.  The ocean 
docks and waters she had visited, the places of business she had 
stopped by at during her wanderings.  And she knew, as she felt with a 
sense of predatory glee, the objects that seemed to be swirling about her 
mind were actually the cards from her box.  They were spells, either to 
invoke sorceries or summon creatures.  The knowledge washed over her, 
even as she felt the pull from the graveyards she had visited touching 
her mind, calling to her.
	A new revelation hit her with the force of thunder and lightning.  
The box.  She _was_ the box!  It had become part of her, granting her 
these magic powers.  It had been nothing more than a symbolic element 
of the power she had held, never even truly a physical object, just as the 
"cards" were, in fact, nothing more than spells disguised as those artful 
placards.  How someone had managed to spin magical power into such 
icons-
	Citrus! The thought rocked her, even as her face and poise 
remained impassive.  Of course!  He had done this!  Those monsters had 
been after him!  Reviewing the events of that day carefully, Nabiki 
thought back.
	When they had first come across Citrus being attacked by those 
shadow demons- wait, how did she know they were shadow demons?  
Oh well, it just seemed to be part of the magic.  He hadn't been dressed as 
he was until later!  When first seen, he had been dressed in outlandish 
clothes, which had changed later to those more ordinary clothes.
	And his Japanese!  At first it had been crude and childish.  But 
then he had become more and more fluent.  Shock from the attack, she 
had first thought.  But it wasn't.  It was magic.  The magic of his spell 
slowly adapting.
	Wait, if everything was symbolic then; his sack!  Of course, just 
like their boxes, those sacks were his magic.  That sack, which had gotten 
bigger and bigger with each passing moment.  It had almost been as big 
as Citrus himself when he had left the restuarant!  It was from the sack 
that he had taken forth the boxes!  And if that was indicative of his 
magical power, then... then...
	Nabiki lost her impassive facade as blood flush across her face 
and body, nipples rising as she felt hot lust and desire flare through her 
body, dancing along with the magic dwelling there.  Dear God, the power 
he must hold! Nabiki almost fainted as her new awareness brought her 
enlightenment on the strange man they had encountered.  Power, he had 
to be pure and unadultrated power, the kind of a blazing star.  
Involuntarily, an image of Citrus flared in her mind.  He was decent 
looking, though not handsome.  But Nabiki had long ago learned to look 
beyond simple appearances.  And this one had to have those qualities 
she wanted.  Intelligence.  Power.  Wealth.
	Wealth.  How petty that seemed to be now.  Wealth was just 
power in another form.  And power is now what she had in her control.  
In her possession.  Just waiting to be used.  Something none of the 
others could have-
	Wait, did the others have such powers?  Kasumi sure seemed 
to.  Tracking her gaze over to Ranma and Akane, she gave them a 
speculative glance.  They had boxes as well.  Did they have control of 
their powers as well?  Neither were particularily bright, but Ranma was 
very, very versatile. And the others-
	"Hey, do you suppose the others have noticed things like 
this?" Nabiki asked, not trying to ask innocently, as they would never 
believe that from her.
	"You don't think the others.....?", Ranma left it hanging.
	Looking at each other, Ranma, Nabiki, and Akane rushed out of 
the Tendo Dojo, now Castle Tendo, pausing only briefly to glance at the 
shimmering, moving wall of sword blades that stood before the Dojo 
gates, and to gather some decent clothes outside their sleepwear.  The 
two armored knights merely saluted as they ran by.
	"A beautiful, peaceful morning for the home of Lady Kasumi, is 
it not?" Roland said to his brother.
	"Indeed, it is so", Carlos replied.
	Indeed, it was so.


^_-


	Tatewaki Kuno walked along the steet, largely ignorant of the 
disorderly peasant masses that jostled and bumped into him.  He was 
beyond care, as he strolled down the sidewalk, dressed in casual clothes, 
with dark bags under his eyes, resembling one of the walking dead.
	Despite the best of efforts, the truth was that he had been 
unable to find a center, as the illness that had struck after he had 
wandered the town had only grown worse.  His stomach ache had 
seemed to congeal, becoming a sickening ball of fire that left him by turns 
depravedly sick and perfectly healthy.  No amount of katas or meditation 
had been able to stop his loss of balance.  Not even praying before the 
sainted images of Akane Tendo or the Pig-tailed Girl had given him 
respite.  He had shamefully collapsed into slumber on the floor of his 
training mat.
	Even now, he could not fight the swirl of images that floated 
just beyond his perception.  Or the constant feeling of the ball of energy 
radiating power in his chest.  It was almost maddening.  But he was long 
used to madness, given his family tendencies, and could endure any 
such endemenings.
	Mayhap it was the food from the fantastic feast friend Citrus 
had furnished for the friends of the famous Tatewaki Kuno?  Nay, it was 
not that.  He had consumed such fare before, though seldom arrayed in 
such a manner, or at the same time.  Nor was it an illness, for he was long 
familiar to ailments.  Yet it was not one of his twisted sister's concoctions 
tested against his noble constitution, though he did wonder, considering 
his sister had disappeared that night.  Off on one of her quests, no 
doubt.
	Rather, it was just something the proud scion of the noble 
House of Kuno would have to deal with.  He was, after all, the rising star 
of the Kendo world.  He was one with a great destiny before him.  He was 
the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High.
	Just thinking of his appropriate nickname brought to mind the 
image of that card in his box, before they had disappeared.  Of the electric 
blue of that jagged, fierce, yet beautiful and endearing bolt of lightning.  
Like himself.  A manly man, with an understanding heart to the fragile 
and gentle needs of nubile women.  Yes indeed.
	Just thinking of it, made him feel all warm and full of power 
inside.  The image burned in his mind, as he grinned, feeling the kami-
granted rightness of himself burn bright!
	"I am the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" he declared.
	<BBBBBOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!> came the thunderous crash 
and brilliant flash of arctic blue light.
	Kuno's eyes went wide as he spun around, staring in mute 
horror at the splashes of blue electricity that still danced across the four 
story cement building, the sparkles of the shattering glass dancing in the 
sunlight as the electrostatic charge of the atmospheric discharge caused 
a destructive harmonic synergy to build in the liquid suspension lattice 
of the glass.
	Watching the screaming hordes trying to flee the falling 
daggers of silicate, Kuno could only gasp in horror as the flashes of 
blood erupted from violated flesh.  He heard the cacophany of screams 
and cries for help, and could only stand there, dry swallowing, as he 
watched the nightmare unfold, even as the blackened cement of the 
upper levels began to collapse.
	And try as he might, Kuno couldn't stop the small voice in the 
back of his head, the one that filled him with elation.
	And fear.
	The one that said he had done this thing.
	Turning, Kuno staggered, then picked up speed as he began to 
run, aimlessly fleeing to the park, never noticing the tears that fell from 
his eyes.
	Or the fact that his wish for the people behind him to be healed 
had been granted, as a portion of the energy ball within his chest became 
faint.


^_-


(Song: Offspring: "come out and play")

	The park was a busy place usually, full of people and of life.  Yet 
this early in the morning, people were not yet up and about.  The 
constructs and jungle gym sat, unused, as the trees patiently awaited for 
the sun to fully invigorate their outstretched leaves. There was still an 
aura of anticipation, as if the land waited more visitors than the several 
dozen who milled about.
	"Shampoo, wait!" cried out Mousse, hurrying after the fleet 
Amazon female.
	"Stupid Mousse go away!" she yelled back, raising a hand 
towards Mousse, casually tossing back a small fireball.
	Mouse saw the brilliant point of light coming at him from her 
outstretched hand, and instinctively began to raise his arms.  Knowing 
he had no time to dodge, his mind desperately reached for a solution.
	There was a coarsing of his power within moving outward, as 
one of the cards in his mind solidified, becoming the Shield Sphere, 
which defected the blast, absorbed it harmlessly.
	Mouse looked in shock at his hands, stopping dead, before he 
started to grin as he realized the power he held.  He stopped chasing the 
running Shampoo, just enjoying the view, as he came to a realization.
	This would be interesting.  He would observe, overlooked, as 
usual.
	Ah, it appeared Ukyo was arriving.  Looking at her though his 
heavy lidded eyes, Mousse saw his glasses seem to cloud, as a strange 
aura began to appear around Ukyo, now visible to him.
	Interesting indeed.
	Ukyo entered the park, a little out of breath.  Throughout her 
run, she had been mentally reviewing her plan of attack.  How to wow 
over Ranma.  And take care of the others.  She had gone through the 
mental storm of the spells available to her, trying to categorize and 
discover which ones were her best bet.  She seemed to have-
	All of a sudden, she sensed danger, and a portion of her power 
flowed from her frame, spawning a series of red runes to float about her 
torso, making a glowing circle that enveloped her in a shimmering red 
sphere.
	Just in time, as the harsh light of the fierce lightning bolt that 
rent the sky spent its violent energies on the energetic barrier.
	Ukyo lowered her arms from their position of warding, seeing 
across the way, a confidently smirking Shampoo dressed in a form-fitting 
rose and gold colored dress.  She looked very good, and very fetching in 
her outfit.  Ukyo immediately divined her intentions, and power sang to 
her, as she was dimly aware of the fact the cry of "Nerimaites!",
"Nerimaites!" had been raised, and people were fleeing as though their
lives depended on it.
	"So, stupid Spatula girl have magic too, huh?"  Shampoo 
smirked.
	"Shampoo", Ukyo growled.
	"Too bad she is too stupid to use correctly," Shampoo 
insinuated with a sly grin.
	"Try this then!" Ukyo cried, randomly grabbing a card from the 
mental storm, and fed mana into it.  The card seemed to spin away before 
disappearing into a puff of white mist.
	"What ugly, man-woman Spatula girl think she doing?" 
Shampoo laughed.
	Which was abruptly cut off as the stooping Mesa Falcon tore 
into Shampoo, its talons raking her back.
	"Stupid bird! Stupid Spatula face!  You ruin Shampoo's dress!" 
Shampoo growled, as she cupped her hands together.  "Dress for Ranma.  
You ruin.  You obstacle!"  The hands aim at Ukyo.  "KILL!"
	Ukyo jumped back as the horde of insects erupted from 
Shampoo's hands, engulfing Ukyo in a biting, moving mass.  Ukyo 
screamed, terrified as the mass of chitinous bodies began to force their 
way into her throat and nasal passages.
	She barely had time to gag when a sudden kick in her gut sent 
her flying.  Trying to remove the crawling mass that were infesting her 
eyes and other orifices, Ukyo backflipped, facing Shampoo.
	Shampoo laughed, "What is wrong?  You having trouble, little 
girl?  Leave Ranma to real woman, and you no more get hurt!"
	Snarling, Ukyo squinted at Shampoo as another card flipped onto 
the ground, vanishing into a blue mist.  The mist seemed to cling to the 
form of the Phantom Warriors, giving their bodies a slight outline, as 
they advanced on Shampoo.
	Mousse's interest rose as he saw both Ranma, Nabiki, and 
Akane running up to the park, as well as Kuno running toward the open 
area.  This should be interesting.
	Ranma, Nabiki, and Akane had increased to their pace to a 
breakneck pace when they saw the two bolts of lightning come from the 
brilliant and clear blue sky.  While Ranma wasn't a genius, it didn't take 
him long to put two and two together.
	Kuno had been blindly running forward, when he saw the sight 
before him.
	A horde of insects hovered in the air, and a bird of prey spun 
around, crying out in anger.  Ukyo and Shampoo stood twenty feet apart, 
Ukyo's face flushed red from the bit marks, streaming tears, as Shampoo, 
in a torn dress, tried to kick the onrushing ghostly images attacking her.  
She failed, and gave a cry as the ghostly creatures cut her.
	"What is going on here!?!" Ranma screamed out at Shampoo 
and Ukyo.  Both looked over at him.
	Shampoo smiled, self-confidence radiating from her frame.  The 
rents and cuts in her dress just made her all that much more alluring to 
male eyes, and she used it to her advantage as she gave him a 
smoldering glance, "Is woman fight.  Shampoo just showing Spatula girl 
how good Sorceress Shampoo is.  Best Sorceress for Ranma."
	"Ran-chan is mine, Chinese bimbo!" cried Ukyo, as she directed 
her minions to attack.
	Shampoo replied in kind, "Airen want real woman, taped-chest, 
flat chest boy-girl!"
	"Hey, wait-!" Ranma started, only to see Akane run past him.
	There they were, ignoring her again.  As if she didn't matter.  
Pretending they were the only ones.  As if she wasn't a threat.  Well, she 
would show them.  She was a better Sorceress than either of them.  She 
could feel the power crackling under her skin, urging every muscle to 
greater heights of endurance.  She would show them, show Ranma, show 
her better looking sisters, everybody!
	The card seemed to catch fire in her mind, before it was tossed 
out, to explode in red smoke as the living ball of lightning appeared, 
glowing blue as the tentacles of electrical fire lashed out.
	Akane held the Ball Lightning in her arms for the briefest of 
seconds, like a baby, before she released it with a shout, while she 
imbued the short-lived creature with a Blood Frenzy, spurning it to 
greater heights.  With a last spell, she shattered Ukyo's Circle of 
Protection: Red.
	The creature flew towards Ukyo and Shampoo, destroying 
anything in its path, including half of the jungle gym.  It reached the two 
teenagers as it exploded in shocking bolts of ionized air, almost, but not 
quite, drowning out the cries of agony from Shampoo and Ukyo.
	Ranma stared in absolute horror as Akane gave a savage grin, 
teeth bared, as she leapt to the attack on the weakened Shampoo and 
Ukyo.
	Ukyo and Shampoo, badly burnt and injured from the attack, 
looked at each other, before making a decision.  Neither of them trusted 
each other, but neither were they going to lose Ranma to *her*.
	Kuno looked, blinking away the last of his tears, and felt 
something in his noble heart stir as the fair and beautious Akane was 
attacked by that peasant servant girl Ukyo, and that common Chinese 
tramp Shampoo.  Cursing himself for lack of a bokken, Kuno never really 
noticed the Runesword that appeared in his hand, as he leapt to the 
attack.
	Mousse just smiled and enjoyed the show.  Hmm... strong red 
aura on Akane, streaked with white.  Interesting.
	Ranma turned helplessly to Nabiki, who just held up her hands 
and shrugged, her expression just as shocked in her familiar "hey, what-
do-you-expect-me-to-do?" look.  Turning back Ranma saw Kuno leap 
into the fray.
	Nabiki just watched in shock as the others started commanding 
creatures to attack, or summoning them out of thin air.  Could she do 
that?  Summon creatures.  Perhaps  Not that she would.  Not being a 
martial artist meant that any injury or serious attack would put her down 
flat.  And any summoned creatures would make her the object of attack.
	Still, it would be nice to have a loyal bodyguard, one she didn't 
have to blackmail in order to keep him in line.  Someone unseen, who 
could do her bidding.  Yet powerful enough to protect her or attack 
people.  Someone...
	Nabiki, though a somewhat controlled person, never noticed 
how one card seemed to detach itself from her mind, fed power by her 
train of thought, and disintegrated into a blue haze beside her.  She just 
suddenly felt a loss in the liquid smoothness flowing through her, as a 
voice intruded on her mind.
	<Mistress?> it asked, sibilant.
	Nabiki started, looking over to where the mind voice seemed to 
come from, and saw nothing.
	Except air molecules that seemed to glow, forming a faintly 
visible whirlwind, visible only to her own eyes, she knew.
	An Air Elemental!  Like in the game!  She had called it.  Nabiki 
grinned widely as she realized the power and control she held over this 
creature.  It was hers.  She called it.  She controlled it.  Not through 
bribes, not through blackmail, not through charm.  Only from power.  
Sheer, pure power.  Power she could make forever hers.
	<Mistress!> the Air Elemental screamed at her.
	Nabiki turned to where the Air Elemental seemed to want to 
direct her attention.
	And saw it coming right for her.
	The fight had escalated to the point where creature summonings 
and fireballs were flying freely.  The battle raged across the park, as 
Ranma watched in shock and horror, Mousse in interest and amusement.
	Then it happened.
	A lawnmower had been left out by a maintainance crew, 
undoubtably intending to return to finish the job before the fireworks 
had erupted.  A stray fireball aimed at Kuno caught the lawnmower in the 
blast.
	And the blades of the mower was launched outward like a rifle 
slug, propelled by the magic and fuel explosion.  It spun, end for end, as 
it screamed through the air.
	Nabiki turned just in time to catch it clean across the head.
	Ranma didn't waste time screaming, or anything of silly, only 
cursing himself for being caught flat footed.  He didn't even bother with 
the common fighters protocol of calling out the attack name as his hands 
became a blur.
	All too slow.
	It struck.
	Nabiki pitched backward, the blade flying off in another 
direction, laying on her back, arms and legs splayed out as a tiny splash 
of blood spit from her head.
	"NABIKI!" Ranma screamed as he leapt at her, craddling her 
body, tears already forming.  Damn himself for not being fast enough!
	"Yes, Ranma?" Nabiki's voice reached his ears, as disbelieving 
as his own eyes were as he drew back from clutching her.
	Ranma watched her hand reach up to her forehead, where there 
was a small cut, and evidence of a bruise that would soon be forming.  
Other than that, there was nothing else but a little damage to her clothes, 
from the fall of all things.
	As shocked as he was, Nabiki pushed herself up to a seated 
position, before unsteadily standing, an attendant Ranma hovering by 
her.
	"Are you okay?" Ranma dared ask.
	Nabiki looked a him, looked at the small amount of blood on her 
hand, then back to his eyes.  "Actually, outside the cut, I am just fine", 
she announced, eyes wide as it was true.
	A loud explosion drew Ranma's attention away, and Nabiki 
stepped away, not wanting to be the target of another attack.  Yet how 
had she survived that accidental missile.  Then it hit her.
	The game.  This was like the game.  In the game, Mages had 
twenty life.  If a Ballista bolt did a mere two points of damage in the game, 
how much damage would a stray lawnmower blade do?  Not much.  
Which explained why she was fine!  She had twenty life, down whatever 
the projectile had incurred.
	Ranma looked over at the fight still raging, and felt a rage of his 
own boil inside him, as well as a sudden understanding.  They hadn't 
even noticed.  They didn't care.  So wrapped up in their petty little 
squabble, they hadn't even noticed that, if not for some quirk of fate, 
Nabiki would be DEAD!  The power within him screamed for attention as 
he gathered ALL of it, drawing it into being, as he snatched several of 
the floating cards, and *did* _something_.
	"STOP IT!!!!!!!!" Ranma screamed in a voice to topple the 
Heavens, as he unleashed his magic.
	Suddenly, Akane, Kuno, Ukyo, Shampoo, and all the creatures 
they had summoned in the battle stopped.  The creatures seemed to 
shimmer as they died in droves, vanishing, just as the four martial artists 
from Nerima collapsed, lethargy creeping into their limbs as their very 
lifeforce was sapped from them.
	Everyone, Ukyo, Kuno, Shampoo, Akane, Mousse, and Nabiki 
looked in Ranma in shock as the stolen life he had claimed caused his 
aura to flare in a blinding swirl of rainbow colors, his eyes glowing like 
the sun.  The sheer contempt, anger, and disappointment etched on his 
face struck them, as they guiltily realized the condition of the formerly 
happy park, the one they themselves had planned to enjoy.
	Trees lay like cordwood, shattered and splintered into 
fragments.  Pieces of concrete and the objects in the park lay as though a 
giant child had smashed them and tossed them about.  Children, like 
those who had hoped to enjoy the blackened and scorched land they 
now stood admidst.  The faint cry of police, fire, and ambulence sirens 
echoed on the wind.
	Ranma took one last look, tears flowing down his face, before he 
turned and ran, running as though he didn't care what lay ahead, as 
though trying to escape what lay behind him.
	In many ways, that was precisely true.


^_-


	Ryouga looked at the Elvish Ranger who knelt before him, 
reporting, her bow held lightly in her hand.
	"Lord of the Wilds, I regret to report I have not found Nerima, 
though we seem to close to Kyoto", she said.
	"Thank you, Elenna", Ryoga said, bidding for her to rise.
	His retinue of bears, elves, and wood nymph had been trekking 
for nearly two hours, trying to find Nerima.  An embarassed Ryoga 
couldn't very well have his minions aware of the fact the Lord of the 
Wilds had no sense of direction.
	On the other hand, his journey was giving him a chance to 
summon more creatures.  He felt like a child receiving a gaggle of 
presents, eager to see what lay hidden in the next box.
	"Perhaps the Master would like to relax for a time?" Wyllow 
asked, as she slid up next to Ryoga, pressing close against the blushing 
boy.
	Ryoga flushed the color of a tomato as the beautiful Nymph 
gave him an openly lustful smile.  Just looking at those sensual lips, and 
remembering her pleasant, though unusual, technique for waking a man 
up, made Ryoga's nose begin the blood works.
	Wyllow laughed as she handed him a piece of cloth, her hand 
staying a little longer than necessary as she stepped back.  Through the 
mental link he had with all his minions, Ryoga could taste the smoky 
desire that she seemed to be made of.
	Pushing aside the temptation of the offer, which was like a 
woman with her first taste of chocolate being asked to push away a 
platter of the candy, Ryoga turned his thoughts to his new power.
	He could feel them, not precisely, but he could feel them.  When 
they cast spells of one sort or another.  There had been a constant flurry 
of spells that seemed... pure.  Kasumi, Ryoga identified without 
hesitation.  From Wyllow, Ryoga knew what some of the feelings he was 
receiving now meant.  Along with some of his physical ones, he flushed.
	Banishing thought of that for the moment, Ryoga looked 
around.  The elves had said that this site was ideal for his purposes.  
Ryoga had to agree.  Down in the valley was a swampy morass, and a 
high mountain peak rose above their heads.  The small, forested plateau 
they stood on was easily defensible and concealable.
	Turning to his servants, Ryoga nodded.  "Here", he said, as he 
raised his arms, and willed the magic into being.
	It was a magic every Mage had, Wyllow had informed him.  The 
ability to construct a Stronghold.  A place where their magic held 
strongest.  A place a Mage called home.
	The trees seemed to twist and bend as they became the thick 
wooden walls of the Lord of the Wilds' new castle.  At the same time, the 
harmless appearance of the forest remained.  Even though he knew it was 
there, even Ryoga had a hard time identifying the boundaries of 
Stronghold through sight.  Of course, his magic senses unfallingly 
allowed him to tell where it was.
	It resembled an Elven Fortress, even though it was much, much 
larger.  Space and time were warped within, giving dimensions far larger 
than they appeared.  To create this had drained a significant portion of 
his available power.
	"And now", he announced to the others, "a guardian for our 
new home!"
	Ryoga focussed his power, calling it to him in waves, pushing it 
into the creature that was coming into the Earth realm.  The green fog 
seemed to be everywhere, until one last burst of magical energy made the 
fog vanish, gone.
	In place of the fog was something that made everyone step 
back, and Wyllow move behind his back.  Even Ryoga felt a quiver of 
fear as the creature unlimbered its massive bulk and gave a roar that sent 
the birds and other forest creatures fleeing for miles around.
	Done, the mighty Scaled Wurm dropped it's gaze to the mortal 
Mage who had commanded it to this world.  At Ryoga's unspoken 
command, the huge dragon-like beast drew back, its chameleon scales 
already blending into the surrounding terrain as it vanished into the 
brush, almost soundless but for the dull thumps of its feast.
	"Our watchdog is now in place", Ryoga said.  "Go on in."
	The elves and bears nodded, ambling into the Stronghold.
	Ryoga caught the arm of one of the elves as she walked by.  
The elf turned to him.
	"Umm..." Ryoga blushed, "my advisor and I will be.. discussing 
things" the flush grew brighter, "and we are not to be... ahem" his face 
was practically glowing,  "disturbed" he finished, bright red.
	The elf gave him a knowing smile, before nodding and entering 
the fortress with her ilk.
	Ryoga allowed a trembling hand to hesitantly move down the 
perfectly rounded posterior of the beautiful nymph.
	A inhumanly smooth hand caught his hand, moving it down farther
and firmly into the soft flesh, muscles strong underneath, and Ryoga
looked up to see the approving and welcoming look in the eyes of Wyllow.
	Her other hand grabbed his, giving it a squeeze, and all other 
thoughts of bringing his Green Mana Vault into being, or having a 
serious discussion, vanished when he saw those perfectly white teeth, 
the color of fresh snow.  For a moment, he faltered, not wanting his 
magical control forcing her to do anything, before assurance and 
answering desire came at him through the mental bond.
	Together, hand in hand, they walked into the one thing Ryoga 
had never truly had in his life.  A home.
	It was, ironic, he acknowledged.  He had started the morning, 
worrying that he was seriously ill enough that he could not reach 
civilization, contemplating thoughts of revenge.  Now, as he felt the warm 
pseudo-woman beside him, the presence of his new minions in his mind, 
and the security of the walls around him, Ryoga did something 
remarkable.
	He allowed the last remanents of depression and anger to flake 
away into nothing, and allow the simple joy of living to flow into himself.
	That was, until Wyllow got him alone in the baths in the inner 
castle.
	Then Ryoga knew a new joy.


^_-


	Ranma lost track of where he was running.  Places, houses, 
people, all a blur as he kept running.  Meters became kilometers, and he 
still ran onward.  He didn't notice anything, his martial artist's reflexes 
keeping him from being hurt by cars or irate people.
	The scene kept playing over and over and over and over again 
in his mind.  The explosions.  Nabiki almost dying.  The sheer hatred and 
desire to _kill_ on so many of those faces.  He almost dry heaved at the 
thought.
	It was his fault.  He should have done something sooner.  Made 
a decision.  Though he wasn't quite sure what decision he would have 
made.  Still, he knew that it was in part his fault.  The girls; no, the young 
women were getting more and more mature.  More serious, too.
	Ranma stopped.  Yes, serious.  This was serious, even if they 
didn't realize it.  Long ingrained prejudices enforced by his father always 
had him perceiving women as the weaker sex, despite what had seen.  It 
might be wrong, but it was his first inclination.
	So it was the rush of magic that had caused the weaker-willed 
females to use their powers.  At first, Ranma could almost believe it.  But 
then he remembered the impressions he had had since this morning.
	He could sense them, almost.  It was if he had sudden gained 
more than his usual six senses.
	It wasn't them, Ranma knew.  It was the magic.  It changed 
whoever used it.  The awesome flow of mana altered the wielder of the 
power.  Changed them, as they became attuned to that aspect of the five 
powers.
	Akane's deck had been mostly red.  Thus rage would 
predominate.  Mindless rage.
	Shampoo: green, red, and blue.  Life, passion, and in Shampoo's 
case, seductiveness.  All three taken and enhanced to a magnitude.  
Ranma shivered.
	Ukyo had been green, white, and blue.  Her simple life, 
homeliness, and deceptiveness taken out of whack.
	The others: Kuno, Mousse, Kasumi, Kodachi- Ranma truly 
shuddered at what Kodachi must be like now.
	Blue had been the primary color of Nabiki's deck.  Better be 
double careful around her.  No, ten times as careful.
	Somewhere in Ranma's brain was a carefully crafted piece of 
neural matter and thought processes.  Something, perhaps the only thing 
crafted in Ranma by Genma that was truly worthy of being called 
incredible, and it was working hard.
	The Ranma Tactical Neural Network Version 231.85 was, as 
always, running at full effect.  It was not quite perfect, as it still had not 
managed to come up with an effective counter-measure deployment for 
the Akane Tendo Mallet Attack Version 5.24, or the Shampoo Glomp 
Version 18.02, or even the Kasumi Disappointed Look Version 958.74, but 
it was still quite impressive, regardless.  It crashed more often than 
Windows 95 when presented with the Mother's Katana Motivational 
Technique Version 2.04 or when he tried to run his own Express True 
Feelings Version 1.97.  Yet now, it had come to realize something.
	One thing Ranma had, above all else, was versatility.  Even 
turning into a girl via some strange magical curse, or having more fiances 
than any rational man should, could not faze Ranma for long.  And 
suddenly, it had assimilated the fact that he controlled magic.
	Ranma blinked as the Ranma Tactical Neural Network Version 
232.01 booted up, and smiled as he felt the magic starting to return to 
him.  Slowly, but surely, is was seeping back into him, as his exhausted 
lands replenished their mana.  RTNN Version 232.02 now running.  A new 
revelation.
	Looking at the ground, Ranma found a piece of glass.  Perfect.
	Baring his arm, Ranma brought the sharp edge on his skin, 
drawing it swiftly across his flesh.
	Nothing.  Only the feeling of a slight bruising, as the lifeforce he 
had stolen, and naturally possessed, being a mage, fused with his 
physical body, protecting him from harm.  Ranma smiled.  He could get 
used to this.  He considered the ramifications of this briefly.  A few 
moments later, RTNN Version 232.07 kicked on.
	Ranma also realized the fact he had an even balance of lands 
made him least likely to be affected by the consequences of having mana 
flowing through him.  On the other hand, there *would* be effects.  He 
would have to be cautious, as using too much of one type of mana would 
leave him imbalanced.  His RTNN continued to update.
	Ranma smiled as he thought of the others thinking about him.  
They knew he had a deck with all five colors.  His power came from five 
seperate colors.  And one of the things they had all learned in the game 
with Citrus was that spreading mana resources too thin meant too little 
power when it was needed.
	But Ranma grinned even wider.  He knew something they didn't 
know.  There was a reason he had been out so late.  It had been very 
hard to find appropriate places to allow his land cards to fall and attune 
to himself.  The requirements for his lands were unusual, to say the least.  
Finding an equivalent land-base for a Bayou, Savannah, Tundra, or Taiga 
in Japan was a little hard.
	All of Ranma's lands were dual lands.  Lands that could produce 
one of _two_ different colors.  Two of each dual land.  Twenty total dual 
lands.  So while the others would be expecting him confined to a 
maximum of four mana of each color, he could in fact call on eight mana 
of one color at a time.
	Ranma quickly took stock of his status.  His situational 
concentration did not fail him, as he ruthlessly grabbed every "card" 
spell floating about in his concious, and probed it until he had a basic 
understanding of what it did.
	The RTNN Version number started to skyrocket.
	But Ranma was also aware that he was weak.  Vulnerable.  He 
needed time, to prepare himself, to get ready.  First-
	Ranma looked about himself, seeing for the first time that he was 
in a truly disreputable part of Nerima.  In fact, he could see people 
looking out at him out of the corners of their eyes, the crazy boy 
standing in the middle of the street.  The criminal element was perfect, as 
far as Ranma was concerned.
	One particularly foolish young tough approached the intruder 
on his turf, meaning to hassle some money from the pig-tailed martial 
artist.
	"Hey, you have to pay the toll in my neighborhood!" he 
insisted shoving his face in Ranma's.  And just as suddenly, he backed 
away.
	Ranma could not see it, though he could see the reaction as he 
advanced on the cowering tough, who was trying to retreat.  Ranma 
could not see as the tough did, how the mana returning to his body set 
his eyes swirling with multi-colored sparks of light, that merged into a 
dangerous light, burning with an intensity that could see worlds burn.
	Ranma smiled.


^_-


(Song: Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack "Imperial March")


	On another world, far away, a similar set of eyes burned, as they 
watched the gates open, signalling the invasion of the world Totas had 
suggested.


^_-


	Back in the ruined park, a battered and weak Akane, Kuno, 
Shampoo, and Ukyo stood, glancing at each other, before leaving in 
seperate directions.
	Ukyo left, new plans hatching as she felt mana return to her, 
slowly.
	Akane left, horrified by what she had done.  Yet even now, a 
smoldering rage was beginning to return, insisting that it was all their 
fault.  All of them.
	Shampoo left, thwarted but not defeated, as a new idea 
sensuously wrapped itself around her thoughts, setting her body into 
motion.
	Mousse left, keeping his distance, watching the view afforded 
by Shampoo's tattered clothes.  He would observe for now.
	Nabiki left, trying to as unobtrusive as possible, her Air 
Elemental following.  She had been shocked by the savage rage and 
ruthlessness of Ranma's attack, but now her self-confidence and 
sureness was returning, like the tide brought water to the shores.  She 
needed information.
	Kuno left, feeling strangely empty.  After leaving the park, he 
looked back.  And he saw them.  The horrified and shocked faces of 
those upon seeing the ruined place of fun and joy.  Those faces stabbed 
into his heart.
	Runesword in hand, hanging limply, and feeling very small, 
Tatewaki Kuno, rising star of the kendo worl- NO!  No, Tatewaki Kuno, 
undeserving of any title, left the people behind, confused, alone, and 
miserable in his guilt.


^_-


	Ranma looked at the elderly man before him, hoping this dirty 
and decrepit man was not the one he had spent the last half hour beating 
the crap out of people to find.  The old Chinese man had long white 
mustaches that were gray from neglect.  The long table with straps to 
restrain the guest, lay stained and filthy before him.  The various 
instruments of his trade cluttered around the small and soundproof 
basement room.
	"Are you Chun?" Ranma dared ask the old man.
	The old man roused himself, giving a hacking and phlegmic 
cough before he answerd, his back seeming to be out of joint.
	"I am Chun.  Who wishes to know?" Chun said, wiping away 
the drool and extract from his cough with his trembling fingers.
	This was the expert?  The one he had used so much physical 
exertion and so much of his pitiful funds to learn the name of.  "Someone 
who wishes to procure your services."
	The old man gave a hacking laugh, "Save your breath, sonny!  
I'll not be performing on any one nowadays."
	Ranma stepped forward.  "I have searched, asked others to find 
the best in your profession.  They say you are the best. And it is on 
myself I wish the service to be performed."
	Chun gave him an increduous look.  "You?  You don't look like a 
strange one.  Only criminals and perverts desire my services.  Besides, I 
am retired."
	"None-the-less, they said you were the best, the only one who 
could do what I request and require", Ranma said calmly.
	"Stuff it, boy! I am in no condition to work!  Thus, I am 'retired'!"
	Ranma examined Chun with his new senses, and found what he 
was looking for.
	"You are very sick, are you not, Chun-san?" Ranma said.
	"Yes", Chun snorted, coughing.
	"Do this for me, and I can cure you", Ranma offered.
	"Ha!" Chun sneered, "Both traditional and Gaijin medicine know 
there is no cure for cancer!  I suppose you think you have some miracle 
cure?  Ha!"
	Ranma grinned slightly, holding his hand behind his back, as he 
drew on white mana, pooling it as he cast his spell.  He moved his arm 
into view, showing Chun the Alabaster Potion in his hand.  "This will 
cure you."
	"I don't need any cure", Chun said, waving off Ranma's offer.
	Ranma suddenly realized, smiling.  "Drink.  This one is for you.  
Another for whichever loved one you have who is also afflicted with 
cancer."
	Chun's gaze shot to Ranma's face.   "You're a sharp one, aren't 
you?"
	Ranma's face became stern as he ordered, "Drink."
	Hesitatantly, the old man took the ornate bottle drinking the 
rose scented water that tasted of light honey.  He dropped the bottle, not 
noticing it vanished before it struck the floor.
	The change was dramatic.  The liver spots on his hands seemed 
to vanish, still showing wrinkles, but now clean.  He stood tall with a 
popping sound, as joints long out of place snapped back and bones 
grew to their proper firmness and length.  His hair became clean and, with 
one last hacking and spitting of large and slimy ball of phlegm, his cough 
dissappeared.
	"H-how?" Chun said, disbelieving, his hand no longer 
trembling, his voice rather soft.
	"That is my affair", Ranma said.  Chun looked up at him.  
"Another if you do the work I request.  I warn you, it will be long and 
trying."
	Chun shook off his warning, "If you can truly do as you did to 
me to my daughter, I will do work fit for the Emperor himself.  Very well, I 
accept.  What do you want me to do?"
	Ranma pulled out a handful of sheets of paper, heavily written 
on.  It had taken him some time to get the spell to work in fashion he 
desired.
	Chun raised his long eyebrows at Ranma.  "Are you sure, 
young man.  These are complex beyond most.  You look as hale as an ox, 
but for any man-"
	"Can you do it?" Ranma asked bluntly.
	"Yes", Chun replied, and Ranma was relieved to hear no 
hesitation in that assurance.  "But..."
	Ranma looked at him.  "Yes?"
	"You may not survive, especially if I do as you have 
requested",  Chun said quietly.
	Ranma nodded, accepting it.  "I know."
	Chun nodded in return, before he clapped his hands together.  
"Let's get started then, shall we?"
	A few minutes later, after Chun had cleaned the table and 
gathered all his instruments, Ranma found himself strapped and chained 
to the table, nude but for his boxer shorts.  Chun gathered the last of his 
devices, before turning to Ranma.  "This will *hurt*", he warned.
	"I know", Ranma whispered, as the gag was lowered into his 
mouth.
	"I wish I could sedate you, but I can not.  I am sorry", said 
Chun, before his professional demeanor descended.
	Ranma tried to nod, but found he could not do even that.
	And, he soon discovered as Chun began his work, he could not 
even scream.
	One thing Ranma and Genma shared, beyond genetic 
similarities, was a desire for one thing: for Ranma to be the greatest 
practitioner of the Art.  No matter what the Art might be.
	Ranma would be the best in any Art, no matter how silly or hard 
it was.
	Ranma _would be_ the best Mage.  The best user of the magical 
Art.  Even if it killed him.
	And as his world became black pain, Ranma Saotome concluded 
it just might.


^_-


(Song: Aqua "Barbie Girl" or The Smurf Theme Song)


	Kasumi smiled, as she handed the Alabaster Potion out to the 
White Knight.
	"Oh, there you are Turin-san.  Please go and distribute this to 
the needy of the city", she beamed at the armored man.
	"Of course, fair Lady", he bowed, kissing her hand as he spun 
to do her bidding.
	"Oh, you", Kasumi blushed as she laughed.
	Hmm... Akane was home.  Bad day, Kasumi noted, as she saw 
Akane's charred and blackened clothes.  Must have been quite energetic.  
She didn't look like she needed any healing, though.
	And as long as she didn't track dirt in, she wouldn't have Mr. 
Pale have a discussion with Akane.  Now, all she needed was some clean 
water, as she started to seperate the laundry.
	A vast rumble greeted her discontent, as a large bucket of 
heated water was deposited beside her.
	"Why thank you, Mr. Pale!" Kasumi exclaimed, dimly aware of 
her father and Mr. Saotome cowering away from Mr. Pale.  Kasumi didn't 
mind.
	She scratched the shining white scales behind his ears, smiling 
as she saw the sapphire eyes close in pleasure as the creature crooned 
his appreciation.
	Another spade shaped head nudged in, holding a sheet gently 
in its teeth.  It deposited the cloth beside Kasumi, who gathered it.
	"And thank you, Mrs. Pale", Kasumi said, as she started to 
clean the sheet, humming as she went.
	The two mated creatures began to hum along with her, the 
rasping sound grating, but Kasumi made no comment.
	After all, the Alabaster Dragons _were_ trying.


^_-


	Ranma staggered down the street, his entire body throbbing in 
agony as his vision blurred, objects doubling and tripling.
	"Drunk!  At this hour!" he heard a scandalized female voice 
comment.
	Ignoring the woman, Ranma staggered on.  It was as though a 
sadistic maniac was pounding his frame with a sledgehammer.  It was like 
there was an open wound that would never heal.  No, only scar tissure 
would form over that wound, not skin.
	Was it worth it?  Ranma had to wondered.  After nearly four 
hours of pain, the transmutation was done.  Chun had been as good as 
his credentials, and Ranma had managed to channel the mana into the 
spell as Chun worked.  He had even managed to save enough mana to 
create another Alabaster Potion for Chun's daughter, though all Ranma 
wanted at that moment was to quaff it down himself.  But he knew that 
would not heal his hurt.  Ranma Saotome was now and forever changed 
and marked, whether he kept his magic or lost it.
	He was lucky he had managed to add the condition that Chun 
mention none of this to anyone.  He had been relieved when Chun had 
agreed.
	Now, not surprising perhaps, Ranma found himself standing in 
front of the Tendo Dojo.  He could see the shimmering castle walls, 
almost illusory, as people walked by the Dojo, never noticing the walls, 
only occasionally given hidden looks at the two knights standing guard 
at the Dojo gate.  But then again, most neighbors were used to the 
strangeness of the Tendo Dojo.  Ranma just wondered why they didn't 
see the walls.
	(Stronghold), something in his memory whispered to him.  It 
seemed important, but the pain made prolonged, conscious thought a 
difficult proposition at best.
	He wondered if Kasumi was happy.  If Akane and Nabiki were 
alright.  Even his Pop and Mr. Tendo.  But in the end, it didn't matter.  
Because he had to follow his own path.
	Looking at the Tendo Dojo for last time for what would most 
likely be for the last time, Ranma Saotome whispered three words.
	"Saotome Final Attack."
	And then he was gone.


^_-


(Song: Offspring "Burn it up")


	In the Tendo Dojo, Akane sat, huddled on the floor, in new 
clothes, but still hurt, as she sniffled and cried.
	Ranma had attacked her.  Hurt her.  In all the time she had 
known him, he had never done that.
	She knew she had gone a little overboard.  She had only wanted 
to be the best.  But now...
	She recalled once more that look on Ranma's face.  That look of 
horror.
	That look of shock, at the actions they had all done.
	And that look of utter contempt.
	So Akane lay huddled, sobbing, before a warm feeling came to 
her, comforting her as it always had.
	Anger.  It was not her fault.  He was just a boy.  A stupid boy 
who pretended to be honorable, then broke his own code of honor and 
hit a girl.  When she was being double teamed, no less.
	It started as a warm breeze, but became hotter and hotter.  He 
thought she was contemptuous, did he?  Him?  That pervert half-man!
	Kasumi wasn't here for her now.  She was too busy with the 
house and her new friends to help her sister.  She couldn't trust anyone.
	Tapping the white mana again, she allowed the healing spell she 
knew to repair the last of her physical damage.
	Fine.  Kasumi wanted the house?  She could have it.  That was 
her place.
	She was the heir to the Tendo Dojo.  The heir to the Tendo 
Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts.  This was her place, here.
	Standing up, Akane brought her foot down on the Dojo's 
wooden floor.
	And thus established her Stronghold.


^_-


	<Ding-dong> Ranma rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to 
come to the door.
	The pain seemed to have died down a little, in increments that 
could only be measured in milimeters.  But better still, the swelling had 
gone down, and Ranma had managed to lose the stuffy bandages that 
made him look like a leper in this heat.
	<Ding-dong> he rang the doorbell again, knowing one of them 
was here.  And where one was, the other was sure to be close by.  Ranma 
needed them for the next phase of his plan.  He could hear the padding of 
sock-covered feet coming down the stairs.
	"What!" came the annoyed voice, as the door opened, the voice 
continuing, "I was this close to beating Sephritoth with the Mirror and 
Clown combo- oh, hey, Ranma!"  Daisuke broke off, as he opened the 
door wide open, motioning Ranma in.
	"Thanks", Ranma said, managing a weak and strained smile as 
he took off his shoes on entering the house.
	"What's wrong man, you get in a fight with Akane?  You look 
like shit, man!" Daisuke observed.
	"Thanks alot", Ranma grumbled, involuntarily smiling as 
Daisuke grinned at him.  For a moment, joking around, Ranma could 
almost forget the events of the day, and pretend he was still normal.  
Well, relatively normal.
	"Come in, take a load off; it's summer, for crying out loud, and 
we got three weeks before my mom starts seriously harping about 
studying and cram schools.  We should be enjoying the summer of our 
young lives.  It's great.  The sun is out, the skies are blue, and for once, it 
isn't a furnace.  There is magic in the air, I tell you!" Daisuke finished, 
gesturing.  "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.
	Ranma looked up with a grin from where he had doubled over 
laughing at his last comment.  Grinning, Ranma asked, "So what are 
_you_ doing this fine summer, hmmm?"
	Daisuke shrugged.  "Hanging out with Hiroshi, playing video 
games."
	Ranma gave another chuckle.
	"Come on up", Daisuke started up the stairs.  Ranma followed, 
ignoring the pain each motion caused.
	Upstairs, in a room with the walls covered with posters both 
normal and ecchi, sat Hiroshi, fingers furiously working the controller, as 
he watched the television screen with an intensity he usually reserved 
for when the adult form of Ms. Hinako walked into the classroom.  The 
only sign Daisuke's mother came in was the flower in the vase of water 
on the small table.
	"Are you playing King of Fighters again?" Daisuke asked, as he 
plopped down next to Hiroshi, looking at the Sony Playstation.  "Oh, by 
the way, Ranma's here."
	"Yeah, playing '95", Hiroshi said, as he beat his opponent and 
his character, Mai Shiranui, did a teasing pose.  When it was finished, 
Hiroshi glanced over. "Hey, Ranma!"  His expression changed.  "You 
look like shit."
	"Hey, Hiroshi.  Thanks for noticing", Ranma said.
	"So, watcha doing over here?" Daisuke inquired, grabbing the 
free controller and joining in the game.
	Ranma took a breath, hoping his guess was correct.  "Have you 
guys ever heard of a game called Magic: The Gathering?" Ranma asked.
	Hiroshi laughed, and Daisuke snickered.
	After a long pause, Ranma asked again, adding a hint of 
menace.  "Well, have you?"
	In responsed, not pulling away from their game, Hiroshi's foot 
nudged a large stack of thin, white boxes.
	Curious, Ranma knelt and opened one, gasping a little at the 
pain, and found Magic cards.
	Hundreds of Magic cards.  And dozens of boxes.
	Desperately hoping, Ranma held aloft the card showing the Sera 
Angel, willing his body to channel mana and summon the winged 
woman.
	Nothing happened.
	"What are you trying to do, summon a Sera Angel?" Hiroshi 
joked.
	"If you are going summon something, chose someone a little 
better looking!", Daisuke threw in his two cents.
	"Yeah, something like that", Ranma muttered to himself.  Raising 
his voice, he asked, "Do you want to play a game?"
	Daisuke snorted.  "Sorry Ranma, no offense, but me and Hiroshi 
have been the Nerima Magic Champions for four years straight.  It'll take 
a miracle for you to beat us at Magic."
	Ranma fought back the sudden grin that threatened to split his 
face.  He looked over at the two, intent on the game, "Well, can you 
teach me then?"
	That made the both of them pause the game, as they stopped to 
look at one another, before turning to Ranma.  Having a martial artist like 
Ranma owe them something, no matter how small, could be quite a coup 
on the cause of weak and oppressed normal guys.  Namely, themselves.
	"Sure", Hiroshi said.
	"How about tomorrow?" Daisuke added.
	No, that would be no good.  Ranma cleared his throat.  "How 
about we play at that place out in that village your uncle used to live at, 
Hiroshi?"
	Hiroshi blinked.  "Uncle Tenzo's summer apartment?  You 
remembered that?  Wow.  The only people I told that I had inheritted that 
place were you and Daisuke."
	(Perfect), thought Ranma.  "Yeah, that place."
	"There is nothing to do out there, except swim.  I don't even 
know if the place even has power anymore", Hiroshi explained, turning to 
the game.
	"Let's just stay here.  We can teach you if you like, and if you 
are on the out and out with Akane, you can crash in my bedroom", 
Daisuke offered, his gaze also swivelling to screen.
	Damn.  No, no, no.  That wouldn't work.  He needed time to 
learn, where no one could interupt.
	Ranma gritted his teeth.  He hated to do this.  It was contrary to 
everything his father had taught him, contrary to everything Ranma 
identified as being manly.  Every cell in his body begged him not to, but 
he had to.  But Ranma practiced Anything Goes, and anything truly did 
go.  Ranma moved.
	"Oopsy", came Ranma's higher pitched female voice, a slight 
twitter in her giggle as she regarded the spilled vase, the majority of the 
water contained within having managed to fall on her shirt.
	At the higher pitched voice, Hiroshi and Daisuke both took a 
quick look back from their video game, before they ignored it completely 
and turned their attention completely to their transformed friend.
	Ranma just shrugged, and noticed that their eyes were fixed 
much farther south than her face.  She could feel it, as she had begun to 
more and more, long before she had been measured.  The water had been 
cold, and she was responding to the slightly chilled water.
	The wet shirt molded her torso like a phantom garment, the 
slickness of the soaked fabric making her current... state... all the more 
obvious.  The heavier cloth brushing across the sensitive area only made 
things worse.
	Ranma gave a hestitant smile, her resolve to the plan faltering, 
even more so as she saw her two friend's smiles degenerate into subtle 
leers.  Ranma fought down the hot flash of anger and the sudden urge to 
deck those leers off both of their faces.
	Ranma sort of got into an angry crouch, before she noticed this 
seemed to only enhance their burgeoning lust, as she leaned forward.  
Smoothing her face, Ranma commented, "That is too bad.  I would really 
like to have seen the village; with both of you."  God, that sounded 
corny, and boy was he laying it on thick.  It almost made him naseus.
	Ranma looked at them, swallowing, angry and embarassed at 
having to do this.  Something inside her seemed to tense, and then it 
happened.
	It was as though the ball of energy nestled in the chest 
suddenly let go, diffusing outwards into her entire frame, touching every 
nerve and every pore of her skin.  It was an ecstatic flow of awareness, 
and transcendent moment, when all of Ranma's inhibitions and 
prejudices just seemed to melt into the warm glow coursing through her, 
carried by the waves of magic.  It was different, when she was female, the 
magic diffuse, rather concentrated when she was male.  But even as her 
entire body was awash in fiery power, a small ball remained within her, 
like a child in the womb, reminded her she was male as well.
	In that single moment, yang truly became yin, or perhaps yin 
became yang, but it did not matter.  For in that moment, not dulled by 
drugs or deranged by damage to her brain, Ranma became female.  Not 
just in body, but in fact.  Yet just beyond was the male, waiting, a part of 
her.  It was a union.  A balance.  A perfect moment.
	And Ranma Saotome accepted it.
	Opening her blue eyes, shimmers of rainbow colors dancing 
along the whites of her eyes, Ranma regarded with amusement and a little 
delight the two boys practically drooling over her, their fear of her as a 
man being overshadowed by desire.  Entirely understandable, of course.  
She was very well endowed, especially for her height, and she also took a 
certain pride in her hourglass figure, a side effect of her constant martial 
arts training.
	"Yes, too bad", Ranma sighed, locked her fingers and stretching 
her arms high above her head, incidently sticking her chest out.  She 
didn't even have to look as she mentally grinned, knowing their 
reactions.  "I've been so tense, so wound up; sometimes I just need to 
relax."
	Desire was still burning in their brains, but something was 
beginning to click, she could see.  Ranma cursed herself lightly, 
forgetting that the old Ranma wouldn't be talking so.
	"Ya' know?" Ranma said leaning forward, and both Hiroshi and 
Daisuke leaned forward, as though being invited into a conspiracy, 
though their eyes remained on their primary target, like a group of 
starving dogs eyeing a delicious morsel.  Ranma shrugged a little, 
"Sometimes I just wanna get away from it all.  Just spend some time with 
some guys", oops, better compensate, starting to lose them, "out by the 
beach, or in a small room together.  To relax, you know?"
	They nodded jerkily, their breath a little ragged.  They knew, 
though what their perverted little minds were constructing was not likely 
to be what she was thinking.
	And now for the capper.  "You know, if it is just us; I can trust 
you, right?"  Another round of nodding heads.  Ranma leaned back and 
smiled.  "Then it can be just us, no worrying about anyone else.  I can go 
out, eat anything I want, not worry about consequences or nothin'."
	They seemed almost mesmerized by the concept nodding as she 
stood up.  Their common sense made one last effort to bring the truth 
and enlightenment to their addled brains.
	As she expected, hormones won out over good sense.
	Now for the cincher.  She let her eyes go dreamy.  "And I could 
go swimmin'.  I love to enjoy the water lapping over my body, the sun 
beating down on my bare skin."  Ranma looked down, as though just 
realizing something.  "'Course, I don't got a new swimsuit, and would 
need to get a new one.  I keep gettin' bigger", she trailed off, muttering, 
still looking as though far off.
	Hiroshi and Daisuke looked at each other, and images of a vast 
array of swimsuits with the girl Ranma modelling them almost made their 
noses explode.  Nodding to each other, their thoughts in perfect 
harmony, they grinned before returning a serious look to the confused 
and indecisive Ranma.
	"It sounds like a great idea, Ranma!  We can leave today!" 
Hiroshi said, his words tripping sincerity, though his eyes were alive in 
intensity.
	Ranma looked almost startled, her acting quite bad, though it 
was unlikely either of them would notice it.  "But I thought we were 
going to also play Magic..."
	"No problem!" Daisuke almost shouted, grabbing a box.  "We'll 
bring them along too!"
	"Well... if it's just us three..." Ranma started, almost ruining the 
entire thing by laughing out loud.  She had to bite the inside of her cheek 
to stop it.
	"You bet!" Hiroshi and Daisuke practically shouted in unison, 
hoping to sway what they saw as a hesitant Ranma just on the fence of 
indecisiveness, whom they hoped to push over to their idea of going out 
to Uncle Tenzo's summer apartment.  Just the three of them.  Alone, in 
that cramped and hot apartment.  They flushed in anticipatory thought.
	"Ok then!" Ranma said brightly, grinning with amusement.
	Hiroshi and Daisuke saw a pretty girl smiling at them, and 
practically wilted.
	"Just us", Hiroshi warned.
	"Yeah", Daisuke added, almost as though praying.
	"Ok", Ranma winked, "I'll just go take care of a few things, and 
meet you at the village in three hours, okay?"
	"Why not come with us?" Hiroshi begged, hoping it wasn't 
obvious.
	"So I can lose any of those damn girls", Ranma said, playing on 
their probable delusional fantasy.
	"Yeah, good point", Daisuke nodded feverently.
	Ranma set a pout to her lips.  "Now you both better make sure 
you don't tell any, even your parents, where we are going, okay?" Ranma 
waved a finger.
	"Okay", Hiroshi and Daisuke said in unison, almost like zombies 
as they stared at her.
	"Well, until then, ja ne!" Ranma said, waving one hand as she 
bounced out of the room, adding a little swaying of her hips to grind the 
point home.
	Hiroshi and Daisuke just looked at each other as they thought:
	(This is going to be the best summer ever!)
	Outside, walking down the street, Ranma let out the laughter 
she had been holding in, marvelling at how theraputic it was.  How good 
it felt.  As a guy, she would never let her emotions fly so freely.  But 
sometimes, she just had to.  Cry, or laugh, or just let feelings take over.  
The feelings seemed to merge with her multicolored magic, becoming a 
seemless whole, a part of herself.  And it felt good.  Better than good, it 
felt right.  Right to express herself, let herself go every now and then.  
Because that was part of being healthy.  Part of being a woman.
	Twirling slightly, leaping with a spin kick in the air, only to kiss 
the cheek of an astonished elderly man, Ranma grinned and ran towards 
the train station, on this beautiful, beautiful day.
	It was good to be a girl.


^_-


(Song: Duran Duran "A View to a Kill")


	Shampoo was furious as she stormed into the Nekohaten, feet 
pounding and face set.  How long, had she been like that?  How long, 
had the dress been in tatters?  How long, had she been walking about, 
her derrier visible to all those with two eyes?
	She had thought she was getting a little too much attention, but 
it was hard to tell sometimes.  She seemed to attract attention wherever 
she went, and unlike many silly Japanese girls, Shampoo could 
confidently say she was beautiful.  She looked good, had a great body, 
and was proud of that fact.  Hours upon hours of labor and martial arts 
had brought her to that peak.
	It wasn't until that group of cavorting children had run by her, 
and one had given her a children's slap on the buttocks.  All of a sudden, 
the meaning behind the male leers around her had become apparant, 
along with the female disapproval and scandalized contempt, which was 
beyond the paranoid and xenophobic contempt Japanese had for 
outsiders.  Shampoo had stood there, gaping for a second, before she 
punished them.
	The fireball hadn't been _too_ big, but it had shattered the 
building sign like tinder, setting it ablaze.  Old habits died hard in Japan, 
especially the good ones, and on sighting the fire, most of the people 
promptly remembered their finely honed Tokyo instincts.
	Namely: see fire, run like hell.
	In the confusion, Shampoo had appropriated some clothes from 
a local clothing store, before leaving.
	Now she stood in the Nekohaten, still a little angry, but more 
than that, plotting.  Her Brass Man still stood in the corner, frozen, so 
Shampoo sent a burst of mana to it, allowing it to reanimate in 
preparation for her next command.  Should she ever have another.
	"Great Grandma!  Great Grandma?" Shampoo called out, 
listening carefully for a reply, though her instincts told her no one was 
here.
	A short search confirmed the fact.  Damn.  She had been hoping 
to use the wisdom and knowledge of the matriarch to help advance her 
control over her emerging powers.  And give advice on how to use them.
	(Though...), Shampoo thought, as she gave a smile like a 
hunting cat's grin.
	(I have a good idea where to start!)
	The smile was not a pleasant one for whoever the unfortunate 
mouse this feline plotted to devour was.


^_-


	Mousse watched from a rooftop, his glasses allowing him the 
vision of a hunting hawk.  He saw Shampoo storm into the Nekohaten, 
still wearing that trenchcoat she had stolen, still furious.
	Mousse openly grinned as he remembered her appearance, and 
her humiliation and shock at her state of dress.  He could feel a savage 
burst of vindication as she felt and knew the humiliation he had been 
forced to endure.
	She was, as always, forceful and energetic, the qualities he so 
admired about her, along with more common, physical attributes..  She 
was his primary goal, as always, but something seemed to have changed 
in him.
	He would break her, he decided.  Humiliate her.  Let her render 
herself helpless and weak, and then he would step in and claim her.  He 
was now her equal, whether she cared to admit it or not.  Now, all that 
remained was to see her arrogance and domineering beat out of her by 
others.  See her taken down a notch or two.
	Maybe it was Japan, Mousse mused, and not the magic.  Maybe 
he stayed to long outside the village.  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  It mattered 
little.
	He just had to be patient, and observe.  It would be safer that 
way.  Like Ranma, like Nabiki also no doubt realized, things between all of 
them had moved into the big leagues.
	Whether they liked it or not.
	(And that was just fine with me), Mousse smiled.


^_-


(Song: Depeche Mode "Blasphemous Rumours")


	Nabiki enter the modest aparment, bare and empty but for the 
carpeting and some old furniture.  It had but three rooms total, and one of 
those was not even carpetted, just an empty storage room.  Still, the 
place was perfect for Nabiki's needs.
	She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, with a T-shirt and black 
leather jacket over.  She doubted anyone outside Kasumi even knew she 
*had* such clothes, as she had always kept them in the back of her 
closet.
	The jacket had once belonged to a boy, one of the few boys she 
had ever had strong feelings for.  Perhaps she had even loved him.  She 
had only been in Junior High, and he had been a High Schooler, a cool 
kid with his leather jacket and smooth attitude.  He had been as cool as 
ice, and Nabiki had never figure out in time why so many people either 
disliked him.  He had charmed money and favors out of her, leaving her 
broken-hearted and poor.  But he hadn't left her destitute or taken the 
one thing for hormone-driven mind thought might entice him to stay with 
her.  He had refused her, instead just giving her a kiss on the cheek, his 
jacket, and vanishing from her life.
	It was at that moment Nabiki started her life, abandoned twice in 
her life, but this time the person leaving her had shown her a new path.  
Nabiki never forgot him.  For she had tried to become just like him.
	And in truth, probably exceeded him.
	She dropped the cooler with the food on the ground, as she 
turned and locked the door.  The bag of clothes and personal items 
joined the cooler on the ground as Nabiki did a tour of the apartment.
	Several minutes later, Nabiki was convinced that there was no 
one in the apartment, nor any listening bugs.  She had blackmailed Mr. 
Tetsuo Kaneda into giving her use of the apartment, which had been 
formerly used to house one of his mistresses.  A fact Nabiki had used, as 
his wife held most of the money.  His wife knew about her, of course; 
manyJapanese housewives knew of their husband's affairs.  Mrs. Kaneda 
actually doled out the money.  The real threat was Nabiki confronting 
Mrs. Kaneda.  That would reveal Mr. Kaneda had not been discrete 
enough.  That would reflect badly on the honor of Mrs. Kaneda.  Mr. 
Kaneda knew the consequences of that.
	It was a minimal apartment, part of the Hayama Building, partly a 
business office building, partly an apartment complex, and partly a mall 
on the lowest levels.
	Perfect for her purposes.
	She would be safe here, and no one would think to look here.  It 
would be a secure haven all of this.  Nodding to the mass of animate air 
molecules, Nabiki bid her Air Elemental to guard and wait in the living 
room.
	Nabiki made sure the building was locked and then leaned 
against the wall, sliding down until she was seated.
	It was simply unbelievable.  The feeling of the blue mana 
coursing through herself, her entire body awash with the power, the little 
eddies of black mana seeping in.  It wasn't like Akane, who was no doubt 
burning up with rage.  Or Ranma, who was probably even now thinking 
he was unaffected by the mana, except for the greater emotional extremes 
it brought.  Fools, all of them.  The mana touched a person in a personal 
way, becoming part of her.  Nabiki felt like she could stay forever 
emerged in the dark pool of her mana, water all about her in a comforting 
embrace.  True power, her one, true love.  Nabiki smiled.
	She would continue as she always had; manipulating from the 
sidelines.  She would control all the other mages, playing them off 
against each other.  That way, she would remain safe, until her power 
was great enough.  Yes, *her* power.  She would manipulate Kodachi, 
Kuno, Ranma, Akane, Ukyo, Mousse, Shampoo, Ryoga as she always 
had, and has she had attempted to do with Kasumi.  Kasumi.  She would 
be a problem.  Nabiki did not care to go against her sister, but if she had 
to...
	She wondered if the others had noticed.  The toughness?  
Probably.  Nabiki had discovered that benefit when she attempt to cut 
herself, with little effect, just as the lawnmower blade had been.  She also 
wondered if the others realized how ineffectual their vaunted martial art 
abilities were.  Sure Ryoga might be able to strike with the force of a 
rhino, and Ranma could strike a hundred times in the span of a second, but
in the game, what would that be?  Five points of damage, if that much!
Nabiki would now be able to take blows she once needed to hide from.  The
thought made her grin.
	Though perhaps it might be best to ally with someone.  Ranma 
would probably be a good selection, but a bad idea, especially given how 
much attention he would draw.
	Kuno?
	No, too much arrogance, especially when he discovered his 
magic.
	Shampoo or Mousse?
	Hmm... Mousse perhaps.  Shampoo, never.
	Kodachi?
	Nabiki shuddered at that thought.  Only if she was truly foolish.
	Ryoga?
	No, he would get lost, and was unreliable to boot.
	Her sisters?
	No, she had too much of a weakling sentimental attachment to 
them to use them.
	Ukyo?
	Perhaps... she had potential, but would probably be stuck on 
Ranma for a while.
	That was a thought, one of a fantasy Nabiki had secretly 
entertained several times, but ultimately rejected when she seriously 
thought about it.  Going after Ranma, even when she had the power, was 
foolish.  She could get all she needed on her own, and she needed no 
one.
	Did they even notice?  Probably not.  Probably not, indeed.  All 
they would be thinking of would be the "neat" powers they had.  Only 
she was likely to divine the other impact of the magic nesting within them 
all.  Nabiki had discovered it.
	She was immortal.  Not the sort of invincible immortality, or even 
sustenance immortal, but ageless immortal.  She had simply desired to 
stop aging, and she had.  The magic prevented the negative effects of 
age from gracing her.
	That was one of the best things about this, Nabiki knew.  If she 
could stay like this, keep her magical power, she could remain forever 
young.  And that meant a *very* long time to gather power.  Garner 
wealth.  After all, she could just put a considerable sum of money in the 
bank, or in a mutual fund, and live off the interest.  Or let the interest fall 
in on itself and make her more money.  The possibilties were endless.
	But she needed to know more, Nabiki acknowledged, as the grin 
slipped from her face, her lips pursing.  She didn't want to make some sort 
of mistake, and have some unforseen consequence result.  Even worse, 
something permanent, such as death or losing her magic.  She needed 
information, and the one thing Nabiki prided herself on was being the 
Mistress of Information and Dark Secrets.
	Yet this card.  Did she dare use it, she wondered.  After all, the 
implications...  Yet if *she* had control over all her creations, then 
wouldn't she...?  Yet she didn't know enough to make an informed 
decision, something that galled her.
	Banishing that thought train, Nabiki called her servant to her 
side as she enter the storage room, the concrete cold beneath her feet.  
She needed to get some clothes for this place.  Or a rug.
	Swallowing, Nabiki fell into a comfortable kneeling position, 
looking at the bare concrete before her.  There didn't seem to be any real 
requirements as she concentrated on the card she had been planning on 
using, even as a small part of her dreaded it.  What if she lost control?  
This wasn't, technically speaking a creature or minion.  Banishing such 
thoughts, reminding herself she needed the knowledge, Nabiki 
swallowed and channeled almost half of her tiny store of black mana into 
the spell, allowing it to take effect, fighting the filthy sensation of the 
black mana, and the pleasure the dark power brought.
	Before her, on the concrete, an inky black mist appeared, cut off 
as shimmering red lines of magic burnt their way into the stone 
substitute.  As the black mist vanished, the red pentagram remained, 
which flared into life.  Nabiki resisted the urge to flinch, as the smell of 
brimstone filled the air, a point of a dimensional hole appearing, before 
depositing a creature and departing.
	The imp looked about, looking like nothing more than a small 
gargoyle with an oversized head.  It examined the human female staring at 
it, drinking in the power of her mana, before giving a cursory glance at 
the Air Elemental beside her.
	(You called for my services, Sorceress?) a suave and smooth 
voice spoke in Nabiki's mind.
	Nabiki started, surprised at the dry touch on her mind.  She 
stared at the small creature, realizing it was the source.  It took Nabiki a 
moment to speak aloud her why she had called the creature.
	"Tell me all you know about magic", Nabiki blurted out, already 
regretting her slip.
	The tiny demon raised a fleshy eyebrow, before smiling.
	(That, Sorceress, will take some time.  Perhaps from the 
beginning, then?) it said, questioning politely.
	Nabiki placed a smooth mask over her features, nodding, hoping 
the demonic creature did not notice.  Summoning Air Elementals and 
Locust Swarms were one thing.  Demons was another.
	The demon, ancient and long accustomed to humanity, noticed.  
The young girl, and girl she was, for all her magic, was an open book to 
him.  In her eyes and body language was two warring feelings, nervous 
caution and fervent desire.  Its favorite state for humans.  The truly 
depraved were always too easy and immune to the suggestions it would 
make, while the pure soon enough learned to ignore it.  It was the naive, 
innocent, and, with a sniff of the air, virgin ones that always pleased
it.  The neonate dabblers.
	Nabiki stared at the creature, patiently regarding her, and 
resisted the urge to lick her lips.  "You serve me.  You will not lie.  Tell me 
all you know of magic, starting at the beginning with the most basic."
	The demon nodded.
	While it was true it had to serve her, it also could subtly 
influence _how_ it served her.  It would tell the truth; starting from the 
truth and remaining with it was always the greatest tool of corruption, 
though few realized it.
	Yes, he could help this girl.  There was far too much blue in her 
mana.  More black would do her good.  In time.  It was nothing if not 
patient.
	(Magic is the lifestuff of the universe, one of many such powers 
that sustain the All.  Magic can be divided into five primary types, called 
mana, which are represented by five colors.  Mana is-) the creature 
started its lecture mode voice.
	Across from it, Nabiki felt reassurance flow into her.  The 
creature would serve her, give her knowledge.  She had made the right 
choice.
	Within the red pentagram, the Demonic Tutor couldn't agree 
more.


^_-


	Ukyo sat in her resturant, mindlessly preparing Okanamiyaki for 
her customers, as her new talent bustled about delivering orders.  Feeri 
hadn't liked the kimono, and had liked even less having to give up her
sword, but had obeyed Ukyo's orders.  Ukyo hadn't countermanded Feeri for 
roughing up a customer who had slapped her backside, only advising her 
to not do any permanent damage.  Feeri had reluctantly accepted her 
orders.
	It had been a harrowing journey, heading back, but it had been 
without further incident.  Her clothes had been badly damaged, but she 
had endured.  Once back home, Ukyo had used her white mana and 
spells to heal her injuries somewhat.
	She couldn't believe Ran-chan had hurt her.  Hurt her.  After all, 
she had only been defending herself against attacks by Shampoo, and 
then that crazy bitch Akane had launched that attack while destroying 
her Circle of Protection: Red.  And then Ran-chan had, *her* Ran-chan 
had-
	(Attacked all of them!) Ukyo realized suddenly.  It hadn't been 
anything personal at all!  That look of contempt hadn't been aimed at his 
true fiancee, but rather the others.  His Drain Life had barely touched her, 
as she was already being badly beaten by the others.
	Of course!  He couldn't show favoritism to any of them, or they 
might hurt her.  He was just looking out for his cute fiancee, as well as 
warning her against future public magical combat.  It was dangerous, as 
she was only truly safe here, in her Stronghold.  Her resturant, she meant.
	(Or in the arms of Ran-chan), she sighed, daydreaming, as a part 
of her mind flowed with blue mana, already thinking of ways to use her 
new power to get rid of her competition.  She still was a little uncertain 
about the idea of her magic.  It just seemed... wrong.  She was used to a 
hands on appr-
	A crash from the back brought her out of revere.  Damn Jade 
Statue.  What had it done now?
	Behind her now, on the grill, the Okanamiyaki she had been 
burning blackened even farther.


^_-


(Song: Dune Soundtrack "Dune (Desert Theme)")


	Hours later, just outside the village where he was to meet 
Hiroshi and Daisuke, Ranma found what he was looking for.
	It was an old place, probably built back during the Great War, 
World War II.  Maybe it had once been a storage depot, given that it was 
fairly high up on the mountainous seaside.  Maybe it had been an 
airfield, given the large grassy plain before the building.  Maybe it had 
been a army base, given the large supply of water from the river nearby, 
before it ran into a murky swamp.  Maybe it had even been just a simple 
hiding hole for villagers, given that the forest around it obscurred all 
sight.  Who knew.
	What Ranma did know, as he walked towards the place, was 
that he was called here.  Drawn, by something beyond perception, but 
something he felt none-the-less.  Like a keening, just beyond hearing, 
that drew him closer.
	He reached the old building, the grime and dust of the years 
piled high on the sides.  The windows, the crude and thick old style 
glass, were caked with dirt, making sight impossible.  There was a lock on 
the door, but it was old, and one twist, and Ranma had broken it.
	It was indeed a warehouse, as he had suspected, but there was 
no indication of what it had been originally used as.  There was a slight 
light from the outside, but for the most part, the warehouse was dark.  
There seemed to be an old diesel engine, maybe an electric generator, 
looking as though it came from the '60s or '70s.  A few steel drums,  for 
the most part thoroughly rusted, stood in one corner near the engine.  In 
the back of warehourse, oddly enough, was a wall with a door in it.  With 
a sense of the unreal, Ranma opened the door.
	Beyond, he could here a soft dripping of water, along with a 
faint bubbling of water.  There was utter darkness, that fled as Ranma 
held aloft his hand, willing the power within him to manifest as a very 
soft glow.  It wasn't much to see by, but he knew that it was all his of 
own power.  His eyes, though very much accustomed to the weak night 
lights of the city, had learned in the country trips to rely on far less light.  
Thus, with the dim light of his magic, he could see.
	It was a cavern, the warehouse just the front.  It seemed to have 
been inhabited, the smoothness of the walls indicating volcanic rendered 
flat, the porous nature of the rock lost through the movement of action 
across the surface.  Ranma walked deeper into the cavern, the tunnel 
wide and relatively simple.  Directly ahead, after a moment of travel, he 
saw the source of the noise.
	It was a large cavern, larger than even the warehouse outside.  
The walls on either side were slick, with moisture rendering the blackish 
stone ebony.  Stalagmites and stalagtites climbed around Ranma, but for 
the center of the room, which was a flat dias, roughly five meters in 
radius.
	A small waterfall of cool, fresh water from the mountains 
dribbled by on Ranma's left, before the flow continued downwards, 
vanishing from the small pool when it reached fullness.
	To his right came the bubbling sound, a slight hissing as the 
heated water of a hot spring bubbled up.  Some of the water from the left 
snaked around, only to be heated in the hot spring to the left.  A faint 
steam could be felt and seen.
	Ranma stepped into the center of the cavern, and raised his 
arms and face to the sky above, closing his eyes.  It was perfect.  Better 
than perfect.  It was the ideal symbolism for himself, the hidden heart of 
Ranma Saotome, soft beneath the stone he surrounded himself with, 
while water, both hot and cold imprisoned him.  His aura flared the color 
of rainbows, and he declared his Stronghold.
	Ranma grinned, then paced around the dias, his finger tracing in 
the slight dust and dirt covering the stone.  A circle he drew, a perfect 
circle, though Ranma was no artist.  Five equidistant spacings were left.  
In each of those spacing, Ranma made a circle in each break of the larger 
circle.  In each of these five smaller circles he drew a single symbol.  
When he finished drawing each symbol, each began to glow, small 
particles of colored light emerging.  Once each symbol, for green, blue, 
red, white, and black where drawn, the outer circle began to glow in a 
rainbow color.
	Still grinning, Ranma began to criss-cross the inner circle with 
lines, connecting each of the smaller outer circles to each other,  the glow 
from each circle flowing out to meet the glow from the other circle the line 
touched. Gradually, the five pointed star began to take shape.  With the 
last line complete, Ranma was in the center of his glowing pentagram.
	Raising his arms, Ranma allowed the glow of the magical circle 
to become blinding as he summoned the power of all his lands, his mana 
pooling in the ball in the center of his chest, before it shot out.
	Above each of the five small circles, a bronze mist began to 
form, leaving behind solid objects as it departed, each shape floating 
above the sigil as power turned the entire circle incandescent.
	With a scream of pleasure, almost an orgasm as the power 
ripped through his body, Ranma grinned, his teeth and eyes splashed 
with oil, showing competing colors glowing as they shimmered in the 
light.
	(Now), Ranma exulted, glorying in the moment, as the five mana 
batteries appeared, completing the circle.
	(Now it *truly* begins!)


^_-


(Song: Tenchi Muyo Background Music)


	Tatewaki Kuno, simply Tatewaki Kuno sat alone on the floor of 
his training hall, just sitting on the floor.  He had removed the pictures for 
the walls, all ornamentation.  He was alone.  He like it that way.
	His journey home had been thankfully uneventful, and there 
was no sign of his twisted sister about.  Thank God for small miracles.
	He sat there, alone, as the ball of fire raged within his chest, 
burning hot.  He could feel it, pulsating in synchronization with his 
heartbeat, as whispers of good and evil swirled about it.
	He pushed aside the thoughts of the park.  Of lust.  Of 
happiness.  And tried to get rid of thoughts of horror and guilt.  He just 
wanted to be alone.  For a long time, he just wanted to be alone.  No 
outside distractions.
	For Tatewaki Kuno was doing something he rarely did.
	He was thinking.


^_-


(Song: Macross Plus Soundtrack "After, in the dark -Torch Song")


	Several hours later, Ranma sat cross legged, meditating, sweat 
staining his body from the effort of his last effort.  Like strength and 
surity returning to exhausted muscles, Ranma could feel the mana from 
his lands once more causing his shifting well of power to grow brighter 
within.
	With a sigh, Ranma levered himself to his feet.  The hard part 
was over, yet another difficulty remained.  Could he do it?  Could he 
transpose several artifacts at once.  Achieving the result he desired.
	Only one way to find out.  Stepping back, Ranma backed onto 
the faintly glowing lines of his magical circle, raising his hands at the 
center of the pentagram, as he grabbed the five magical "cards" from his 
"deck".  The five artifacts seemed to twist as he forced half of his total 
mana into summoning them.  They fought his power, not wishing for the 
result he wanted, reality itself opposing his attempt, but Ranma stood 
resolute.  He forced the artifacts into being, forced them to merge, as the 
large bronze mist mist brought them into being.
	A concussive shockwave threw him backward, into the stone 
wall, and Ranma, even with his magically enhanced toughness and 
constitution, could feel his ribs creak as his skin tore and his clothes 
shredded, the wind blown from his lungs in an explosion.
	Groggily, Ranma raised his head, then smiled despite is injury as 
he saw what he had done.  It had worked!  The effect of the circle had 
reinforced his own magic, and allowed the fusion to succeed!
	Staggering to his feet, giving a coughing chuckle, Ranma 
staggered back into the circle, to the combined artifact that now stood 
before him.  He lowered his quivering body into the confines, relaxing.
	The Throne of Bone was actually somewhat comforting, but for 
the Iron Star embedded in the center of the back of chair, and it bit into 
his back somewhat.  At least the Ivory Cup and Crystal Rod fused to the 
end of each armrest did not bother him; in fact, his hands could curl 
around them, grasping them like handles.  Now that he thought about it, 
the Iron Star was actually a little theraputic, as he used it a back 
scratcher.  And the Wooden Sphere at the top of the Throne of Bone 
bothered him not in the slightest.
	Somewhere, someone cast a spell, and Ranma diverted a portion of 
his mana into the artifact on which he sat.  He was rewarded as his mana 
was converted by the sympathetics in the harmonic echo of the spell that 
had been cast into Life, which flowed into his frame.  Ranma smiled at the 
sensation.
	But no, he had one last thing to do.  One thing that would 
require something Ranma Saotome was fairly lacking in.
	Diplomacy and smooth speech.
	Knowing nothing was going to get down any faster, Ranma 
focussed touched his mana, drawing on all five colors as they flowed 
into him.  The five circles of his circle glowed in response.  They would 
hide his use of magic, so that no one could track him.  All five colors 
were joined in the ball of energy at the center of his being, before he cast 
his spell.
	The card seemed to "fly" out of his mind and up, exploding in a 
glowing gold mist as *something* materialized.
	Despite thinking about it, despite knowing what he intended to 
tell the legendary creature, Ranma Saotome could only gape like a gutted 
fish at the thing that glared down at him from among the stalagmites.
	(You summoned me, Mage?), the mental voice, totally alien, 
touched Ranma's own, and the contempt and anger hit him like waves.
	"Yes... yes.. I did", Ranma said softly.
	(Then command me, Sorceror), the creature hissed.
	Ranma stood from his throne, and walked forward, each step 
difficult as he felt a fear that nearly paralyzed him.  He continued until he 
stood no more that a meter from what he had summoned.
	"I did not summon you to serve as a slave", Ranma said, as 
confidently and clearly as he could.
	(Oh?) the disbelief and contempt rolled in waves from the 
creature.
	"No", Ranma said, firmly, and allowed the creature into his mind 
a bit, through the mental link they shared.
	A ripple of alien emotion, perhaps hesitation?, was felt for a 
brief moment before the familar emotions of the alieness of the being and 
its contempt reached Ranma.
	(Minds can be altered), the creature hissed.
	"True enough, I suppose", Ranma admitted.  "I have summoned 
you here for one thing: to listen to my offer."
	The creature drew back, surprise evident as it narrowed what would 
be eyes, for it. (Offer?)
	Ranma nodded.  "Yes, offer."
	He waited for several minutes as the creature mulled that over, 
before it came back.  (My kind, we, and I, have all been presented with 
many "offers" in the past.)
	Anger flared.  (And each time, we were betrayed!  We were 
slaughtered when our usefulness was ended.  Toys of destruction, 
discarded once used!  I _will not_ allow that to happen again, BOY!) 
Hatred became a wave that staggerd Ranma, dropping him to his knees, 
clutching his head.
	The creature watched him impassively, uncaring of his 
suffering, as he mastered his pain and raised himself to speak once more.  
"I can not understand your pain, though I can hear your pain and-" 
Ranma touched the blood dribbling out his ear "feel your pain."
	The creature was as cautious as ever, but seemed to indicate 
that he should continue.
	Ranma did so.  "My offer is simple.  Become my partner.  Help 
me.  Work with me.  I will ask much of you, many sacrafices.  Perhaps, in 
the end, the ultimate one.  I will ask you to send your people to fight and 
die for me."
	The creature hissed at each demand, but allowed him to 
continue.
	"In exchange, I will summon more of your court to here, for you 
to rule over them." He could clearly feel the faint astonishment from the 
monster.  "I will treat you kind fairly, never using them rashly or hastly.  I 
will regard them as my precious troops, which they will, in fact, be."
	(And?) the creature inquired, sensing more.
	"And..." Ranma took a deep breath, "when this is over, if it is 
within my power, I will release you completely from my control."
	This time the astonishment was without deception, and clear as 
a sunny day.  It seemed to invigorate Ranma, like an icy cold shower 
wakes one up.
	Then, the emotion was tinted with humor.  (You are either very 
generous, or very young, Sorceror.  And since no Mage would ever fit 
the former condition, I shall assume you are the latter.)
	Ranma bowed his head in acknowledgement.  "Young, I do 
confess."
	(Then what do you wish, youngling?) the creature hissed in his 
mind as well as ears.
	"Power", Ranma answered truthfully.
	A mental hiss again.  (As I expected.)
	Ranma waited.  "Partners then?"
	The creature drew back, and a sense of caution and patience 
filled Ranma.
	(I shall watch.  I shall wait.  And, in time, I shall judge), the 
creature said, and the mental link, while still there, no longer carried 
thoughts or emotions.
	"Well enough, then", Ranma said, smiling.
	His eyes began to glow.
	(I have all the time in the world), he thought, laughing in his 
mind.


^_-


(Song: Bad Religion "Infected")


	The scene was akin to something from a cheap horror writer's 
stereotypical scene of the mad scientists lab, the evil villains lair, and the 
dark mages abode, all rolled into one.  The arcane objects, the medical 
instruments, the assorted servants.
	Dressed in a fetching skintight leotard, the deranged Kodachi 
Kuno, now the self-stylized Queen of Darkness, laughed softly as she 
stepped over what had been her last experiment with her magic.
	The mortuary had been unused since the death of her mother, a 
building on the far side of the Kuno family estates.  It had been used as 
such when the family servants needed to be prepared, or family members 
themselves, the work handled by burakumin allowed to squat on the 
noble Kuno family grounds in exchange for their unclean services.
	Now, it served a wonderful purpose for Kodachi's noble 
experiments!  Indeed, she had just discovered that the Basal Thrull could 
be sacrificed to gain mana, just like in the game!  And the rush she had 
felt, the power seeping into her like a plague, had set her afire with 
pleasure, even as her laughter had sang counterpoint to the agonized 
and muffled shrieks of the creature as it had slowly died and disintigrated 
into a pile of sludge.
	Holding the mana within herself, Kodachi hummed a cheerful 
little song as she passed by the Black Mana Vault in the room, the 
artifact pulsing with power.
	That handsome devil, the Lord of the Pit, had been most 
forthcoming after she had managed to persuade it with her bullwhip to 
tell her what she wanted to know.  He had enjoyed it almost as much as 
she had, claiming it reminded him of the ministrations of his succubus 
mistress.  Kodachi had been flattered, and couldn't wait to try out her 
technique on Ranma-sama.  Or have him take her into obediant account 
with manly force.  Either one would please her greatly, as she shivered 
with repressed passion and desire.
	It was too bad she had been forced to banish him, as the Lord of 
the Pit had been good company for a time.  Then the peasant had begun 
to demand she give him a creature on which to feed.  When she had 
correctly refused the impertinent demand, the animal had attacked her!  
Why the very thought of it!  She had sent him back to Hell without 
further ado.
	Kodachi nodded to the Royal Assassin who stood in the 
shadows, awaiting her command.  She allowed her hand to also track 
down the sleek and warm flank of the black hellhorse, the Nightmare, she 
had summoned as a worthy mount for her personage.  Then she came 
across what she was looking for.
	Her Throne of Bone stood tall, and she sat on the pleasing 
yellow paleness of the inner skeleton of some creature, compressed into 
the chair form.  It almost reminded her of the headmistress' paddle at 
school, and that unpleasant thought was banished by the thought of her 
Ranma-sama performing the act.
	Where was he, her noble pig-tailed savior?  With his passionate 
blue eyes she so longed to have devour her?  And that sensuous mouth 
that could be so cruel when it told her he wanted nothing to do with her, 
knowing how those words and his harshness would set her body and 
emotions afire?
	Kodachi smiled a dreamy smile as she fantasized about what she 
would do to that red-haired harridan next time she saw her.  That nice 
Lord of the Pit wanted a creature?  She would give the red-haired 
succubus to the demon, and watch her used by one of her own kind 
before she was consumed.  Oh yes, and then the others.  Shampoo.  
Ukyo Konji.  Akane Tendo.  Those foul, wicked, wicked women who kept 
thwarting her.  They would get theirs, Kodachi vowed, as she cracked 
her whip.
	A noise brought her to the attention of the creatures before her.  
She had been surprised to find, when wandering down the street, that 
such animals were available for free in some cases, or at very low costs.  
She had paid the peasant girl for the information, smirking when the 
schoolgirl had conveyed her hope that she could find a pet she liked as 
well.  Kodachi had only laughed.
	Now the mass of dogs and puppies, cats and kittens, pigs and 
piglets, lay in a squirming noisy mess in front of her, confined in the 
steep pit she had constructed.
	Imagine, Kodachi thought, (so much free Life laying about, and 
no one to claim it!)  She had been lucky to get there before the others 
had.  She had outsmarted them once more.  Breeding would always tell.
	Kodachi rose, ignoring the whimpering Armor Thrull in the 
corner.  It knew what fate awaited it, but Kodachi knew that it would be 
dealt with later.
	Drawing on the dark power of her black mana, Kodachi felt all 
the swamps tap, as she used her few green mana to power the Bone 
Throne, giving her Life as she poured her mana through the spell she had 
selected.
	It could have been fast, of course, but Kodachi would have 
none of that.  She loved the feeling of being a vampire, as the life force 
slowly was drained from lesser creatures into her, a Goddess of Death.  
Like it should be.  Like all those other girls.  Like she would draw her 
beloved Ranma-sama into her embrace, and claim him.
	"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Kodachi, 
her laughter echoing in the chamber, the sound counterpoint to the 
cacaphony of the small creatures pitifully crying out below her, as their 
life force and youthful vigor was drained away.


^_-


(Song: R.E.M. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)")


	On a distant world, dimensions away, something was finally 
coming to a close.  Almost seven hours after the first portal opened, the 
last of the minions of the despotic mage-king of the realm lay dead or 
scattered, the mage himself a feast for one of the demon lord generals of 
the mighty army that had invaded.  And on the highest mountain peak 
and highest building of every town, hung the flag of the Iron Empire.
	(Totas had chosen well indeed), thought the master of the Iron 
Empire. (Now, to consolidate.  To establish control.  And then....)
	An image appeared before the Master of Worlds, of a world of 
blue oceans, and brown and green landmass, whispy clouds clinging to 
the air.
	(We move again), the mage smiled, as his frame began to swell 
with the power of the newly conquered mana sources.
	(To Earth)


^_-


Here ends the first chapter of It's A Kind of Magic.  (What I first posted 
to the FFML was the introduction -Me).

The chapters in this series are going to be of moderate length, with a 
total of about three chapters planned.

Night Sabers 7c is still in the works, but it will be quite long, and thus not 
out for a while.


Character Bios:


Basic format:

Name (self explanitory), Colors (which colors of mana the mage uses, and
the effects they bring), Creatures (creatures known, roughly how many the
mage commands), Sorcery (types of spells, number of sorcerys), Artifacts
(known samples, amount), Goals with magic (what the mage intends to use
their magic to accomplish),  Stronghold (site where the mage resides and
their personal magic reigns supreme.  Dangerous if it should be damaged or
lost).


Ranma Saotome: Colors: All, which makes him the most balanced of the
martial artists.  Roughly 20 mana pool.  Creatures: Unknown.  Sorcery:
Basic and common spells, moderate number.  Artifacts:  Life giving
artifacts and mana batteries. Goals with magic: Unknown, be best mage?
Stronghold: Unknown, hidden cave.

Akane Tendo: Colors: Red, with a little white, which makes her
irrationally angry at times, and gives her impressive strength.  Roughly
18 mountains, 4 plains.  Creatures: Ball Lightning, moderate number.
Sorcery: Many spells, most enchantments or direct damage.  Artifacts:
Unknown.  Goals with magic: Claim Ranma, prove equal, become best mage.
Stronghold: Tendo Dojo.

Nabiki Tendo: Colors: Blue, with a little black, which makes her
predatorily cunning, with a weakening of her already weak conscience.
Roughly 16 islands, 5 swamps.  Creatures: Air Elemental, not many.
Sorcery: Vast spells, mostly countermagic, enchantments, or effects.
Artifacts: Unknown.  Goals with magic: Accumulate power and wealth, while
staying young forever, attaining greater power.  Stronghold: Hayama
Building.

Kasumi Tendo: Colors: Entirely white, which makes her even more pure and
sanctious, though somewhat intolerant.  Roughly 23 plains.  Creatures:
Many, such as Order of Leibur, Alabaster Dragons, Walls of Swords, etc.
Sorcery: Protection, enhancement, and healing, with many spells.
Artifacts: Unknown.  Goals: Making the world a harmonious and peaceful
place, however it may come about.  Stronghold: Tendo Home.

Tatewaki Kuno: Colors: Red, white, and black, which makes him emotional,
balanced by an ability to do great good or evil.  Roughly 10 mountains, 5
plains, and 5 swamps.  Creatures: Unknown.  Sorcery: Red attack spells,
others unknown.  Artifacts: Runesword, others unknown.  Goals with magic:
Currently in the process of discovering that.  Stronghold: Unknown.

Kodachi Kuno: Colors: Black, with a little green, aggravating her dark
tendencies into open evil.  Roughly 19 swamps, 4 forests.  Creatures:
Nightmare, Lord of the Pit, Royal Assassin, many Thrulls, a great many
creatures.  Sorcery: Modest amount of spells, mostly draining or raising
the dead.  Artifacts: Throne of Bone, Black Mana Battery, few total.
Goals with magic:  Punish, torture, and slay her enemies, claim Ranma for
herself (or vise-versa), and become the powerful Queen of Darkness.
Stronghold: Kuno Mortuary.

Shampoo: Colors: Green, red, and blue, which makes her even more
vivacious, passionate, and seductive.  Roughly 9 forests, 9 mountains, and
6 islands.  Creatures: Locust swarm, others unknown, moderate creatures.
Sorcery:  Many spells.  Artifacts: Brass Man, most unknown.  Goals with
magic:  Achieve power, get Ranma, and become powerful Amazon leader. 
Stronghold: Unknown; likely Nekohaten.

Mousse: Colors: Blue, red, and black, which turns his usual anger to a
cold fury, patient, and ruthless.  Roughly 8 islands, 8 mountains, and 6
swamps.  Creatures: Unknown.  Sorcery: Unknown.  Artifacts: Glasses of
Urza, Shield Sphere, others unknown.  Goals with magic: Get Shampoo after
getting even, the others unknown. Stronghold: Unknown.

Ukyo Konji: Colors: Blue, green, white, which makes her a cunning, lively,
and homly young woman, taken to an extreme.  Roughly 6 islands, 6 forests,
6 plains.  Creature: Mesa Falcon, Phantom Warriors, many creatures.
Sorcery: Protective spells, moderate spells.  Artifacts: Jade Statue,
unknown.  Goals with magic: Get Ranma, increase business, be happy.
Stronghold: Her resturant.

Ryoga Hibiki: Colors: Green, red, and black, which makes Ryoga an even
more robust and violent boy, with a primal connection to nature and a
tendency to become dangerously depressed.  Roughly 9 forests, 8 mountains,
5 swamps.  Creatures: Wyllow (legendary creature), many elves, bears,
Scaled Wurm, many creatures.  Sorcery: Barely moderate spells.  Artifacts:
Green Mana Battery, unknown.  Goals with magic: Protect servants and
position as Lord of the Wilds, get even with Ranma, remain very happy.
Stronghold: Expanded Elven Fortress.


I also introduce some cards not in Magic: The Gathering.  Later, I will
be detailing what those cards are, such as their casting cost, details,
etc.


I will also be writing other, new stories, and cleaning up old ones to post 
to the FFML (in some cases, simply re-writing them).


Any comments or criticism is greatly appreciated.  Please direct E-mail to 
Curtiss Nelson at curtiss@seattleu.edu


Thank you for reading!