Been a while.  But here's the next part and things start to pick 
up a bit.  
Previous parts still at http://www.emich.edu/public/llb/wisc.html
until I rework my site.

Lara




{These characters are not property of me.  I would never attempt to
claim them as my own.  This story may not be used without my
permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or
form.  Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko
Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}


                      A Wolf in Samurai's Clothing

                            by Lara Bartram
                            ---------------

Part 4, Chapter 4


	Kuno's fingers digging into her flanks caused Nabiki to yelp 
with surprise. She snarled back at him, bracing herself by flattening 
her hand against the ground. She just wanted him to get it over with, 
dispense with the pointless act and just...
	A single moment, uneventful as a whole, and then the teasing 
started. His fingers dug a little too deeply into her legs, forcing 
her to clench the muscles, turning them into iron. She knew that she 
had fallen right into his trap.
	If he could not have her during the change, then she would have 
him, and she had done just as he hoped she would. The pain he had 
caused her, no matter how truly insignificant it was, caused her to 
tense up... totally.
	Kuno's entire body shuddered at once with pain, pleasure, and 
effort. Not too fast, he didn't want it to end too soon. Self control 
was the thing that had served him beneficially countless times, and 
he would have it no different this time.
	Nabiki felt it in his hands initially. They suddenly got a lot 
larger than they usually were, and she adjusted automatically for the 
change in height of his body. Any moment he would...
	Getting off his knees and to his feet with his knees deeply 
bent, Kuno leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Nabiki's body. He 
then leaned forward and closed his mouth on the back of her neck.
	He began moving again, holding back until their rhythm together 
had been re-established, Nabiki's panting louder than usual... She 
must have know what was going to happen. Only then did Kuno release 
the last thread of control, letting himself go the rest of the way.
	There was a slight whimper from Nabiki as it happened, her body 
trembling within his hold, and then, as he continued to grow and she 
seemed to contract around him, he couldn't hold anything back. His 
change was sudden, almost violent, his teeth coming very close to 
piercing the skin of Nabiki's neck as he orgasmed wildly.
	The only reaction from Nabiki the entire time had been the 
whimpers; otherwise her body was completely still. Even her panting 
had ceased. Kuno could imagine the look on her face though and 
released the hold on her neck.
	As soon as his mouth was clear, Nabiki collapsed to the ground. 
She was shaking slightly, but her breathing was slow and deep. 
Satisfaction, total and complete, was what the look on her face 
conveyed.
	Sitting back roughly, Kuno could only stare blankly, his body 
disbelieving of the pleasure it had just experienced. His mind wasn't 
that far behind, registering only the sound of the fire, Nabiki's 
breathing and his own heartbeat.
	It was only a moment later that he realized she was asleep 
again, and it felt like he would be joining her shortly. Kuno looked 
down at himself, disgusted that he would still be stiff, still oozing 
even. If the afterglow of what they'd done could do that to him... A 
kind of sick curiosity made him wonder just how much... he still had 
in his tank.
	Sighing deeply, he pulled his pants on, figuring on a trip to 
the river when he woke up to get himself clean. He laid down next to 
Nabiki, their bodies almost touching, and slept.

***

	"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so hesitant, and 
never about sex. You must have been pretty scared." Nabiki grinned, 
rather pleased with herself.
	"You did not see the look in your eyes. Sometimes I fear for my 
life with you. And my manhood," Kuno responded defensively. It was 
exciting and scary at the same time, and he loved every minute of it.
	"Self preservation kicks in now? You would have a lot more 
brain cells if you had some of it before you started attacking Akane 
and Ranma." A lot of the guys at Furinkan would if they had learned 
that.
	Kuno smiled faintly. "I did not acquire such an instinct until 
the first time you saw me sans clothing."
	"Oh, there's that sense of humor again too. You're just pulling 
out all the stops today." Nabiki slipped her arm around his waist and 
leaned against, completely out of habit, and laughed lightly.
	"Your mood seems to have improved. To what do I owe this?"
	She shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up and just felt good. Wipe 
that smile off your face. Maybe it was you, maybe it wasn't, but you 
don't need the ego inflation either."
	"You will not allow me any confidence in my ability to make you 
happy? You are a most harsh mistress," Kuno lamented dramatically.
	"Well... maybe it had something to do with last night, but 
that's all I'll say. I really do need to keep your ego in check." It 
was the truth too. Kuno got far too reckless when he believed he was 
unbeatable.
	There was silence for a bit as they walked. Then...
	"Did it hurt still?"
	"Yeah. I take it it doesn't hurt when you do it?" Nabiki asked, 
jealous because she knew he didn't feel any discomfort.
	"No, there is no pain to speak of. It faded after a week or so 
of regular changes. I believe we both know what is at the root of 
your problem."
	"Yeah. Well, nothing to do about it now except live it. I guess 
I'll just deal with it until..." That was something she didn't want 
to think about. Not until she really had to.
	"I do believe we have finally found what we have been searching 
for."
	Nabiki blinked at looked at Kuno. That didn't make any sense. 
She had just been talking about... She followed his gaze and her 
breath caught in her throat.
	That was how they would know where they were going. Rising high 
above the tree level, glowing with eerie light, was the mountain.
	Actually, they could only assume it was the mountain. It was so 
dark, the only thing that was visible about was the multitude of 
lights and the fact that they seemed to float high in the air.
	"I guess so," Nabiki said, clearly in awe. "That's where we 
go..."
	"Aye, but I am less than confident about this. The dark is a 
formidable enemy in its own right. Consider the mysterious swamps we 
were warned of. We must watch for those. There is much more danger 
here than we might first believe."
	Nabiki was about to laugh at Kuno for being so incredibly 
melodramatic, but... She walked toward the mountain and away from the 
river to discover the downslope there. And that was where they would 
no doubt find the swamp. "Right, so what do we do now?" she asked.
	Kuno stood next to her, looking down into the darkness. "We 
risk the swamp. What choice do we have?"
	Nodding, Nabiki stared into the darkness as well and wondered 
what mighty be there waiting for them. She turned her gaze up to the 
lights glowing on the mountain. And what would be waiting there. "Do 
you think we should have lights? I don't know how smart it is to go 
walking into a swamp in the dark like this." Improved eyesight didn't 
make her that much more confident.
	Kuno opened his bag and rummaged around in it before pulling 
out a pair of sizable flashlights. "Use this. I hope it will be 
enough."
	Nabiki took one of the flashlights and switched on the powerful 
beam, almost blinding herself in the process. "Yeah," she said, 
turning it off, trying to blink away the spots in her vision, "I 
think that's fine."
	"Then shall we be off?" He quickly checked his own flashlight, 
though it was slightly smaller and lighter than the one he had given 
Nabiki. It was better to keep the smaller one for himself in case he 
had to change quickly and lost it. He knew he couldn't count on 
Nabiki for any backup, so the larger light would be fine with her.
	Nabiki hesitated for a moment then leaned up and kissed Kuno on 
the cheek. "For luck," she explained. She knew they would need it.
	Kuno nodded, keeping a straight face. Shining his light in 
front of him, he started down the gentle slope.
	Nabiki turned on her light again, keeping it pointed away from 
her face, and followed.
	As they descended, the air, which had been perfectly clear 
before, began to grow hazy. The longer they walked, the hazier it 
got.
	When they finally reached the edge of the swamp, it was a thick 
fog surrounding them, enough so that it was impossible to see each 
other if they were more than five feet apart. Even the lights were of 
no help.
	"I think we've just discovered one problem with this place," 
Nabiki said, shining her light ahead to see only a wall of fog.
	"Indeed. But if we continue in an eastwardly direction, it 
stands to reason that we shall encounter the mountain," responded 
Kuno, obviously lost in some sort of thought.
	"Yeah, which is fine, but if we get separated, how will we..."
	Nabiki made a noise of surprise as Kuno suddenly grabbed her. 
He moved his mouth up and down the side of her neck, making her 
believe he had finally lost it. "Kuno-chan, what are you doing?"
	"I will not lose you," he whispered. "If we are separated, I 
will find you."
	"How? And I don't really think this is the time or place for 
that."
	Kuno pulled away. "I will find you," he repeated and inhaled 
deeply through his nose.
	Understanding dawned on Nabiki. "Oh... Could I do that?"
	"Of course. You need only try."
	Nabiki stepped up to Kuno and delicately smelled the bare flesh 
of his shoulder. "Immediately she said, "I don't smell anything."
	"Deeper. Breathe deeper. You may already know it and simply do 
not realize it." In fact, he knew she did. She just didn't realize 
it.
	Giving him a strange look first, Nabiki did as he instructed. 
Still she didn't smell anything. "I don't get it. There's nothing 
different about you." She was beginning to think it was a big joke on 
her.
	"Of course there is nothing different. I have never changed the 
way I smell. Hold. I will demonstrate for your benefit." Before 
Nabiki had a chance to question him, Kuno switched off his light and 
disappeared into the fog.
	"Hey!" Nabiki snapped. "Where do you think you're going? Don't 
leave me here alone!" Foolish panic started to set in, but Nabiki was 
powerless to stop it. "Get back here!" she yelled, hysteria creeping 
into her voice.
	"Come find me. It should be an easy task," Kuno said, his voice 
floating out of the fog.
	Growling, Nabiki first tried following the sound of his voice, 
but the fog was too distorting, making everything sound strange.
	"Do not use your ears, use your nose. It will not lie to you 
the way your ears will in this mist."
	Grumbling to herself, Nabiki stood in the fog, crossed her arms 
over her chest and waited. She just wasn't going to play this little 
game.
	"I was aware of the truth when you became pregnant," his voice 
seemed to taunt.
	"Good for you. Are you done yet?"
	"I knew it would happen. You were at your most fertile time, 
even with those pills."
	"This won't work so just give it up," Nabiki said loudly, 
trying not to let him get to her.
	"I knew it was. That last time before Gosunkugi... I could 
smell it in you, and I could not be denied. I smelled that you were 
ready."
	"Shut up, you bastard! It wasn't enough for you. You forced me; 
I couldn't say no..." The sudden flood of memories about that night 
was almost too much for her to handle. Those were feelings she had 
locked up tighter than anything to keep the pain away, to not have to 
remember. That was where it had all started...
	Nabiki growled, fighting back tears. He had gone too far this 
time, she would make sure that he knew that. It was instinct born of 
a desire for vengeance, of rage and anger. It didn't matter, Nabiki 
didn't care. It made no difference why he had done it, only that he 
_had_ done it.
	He was close, not more than twenty feet, and holding his 
position. "Finally you have realized..." he started to say.
	"Yeah, that I'm going to kill you. Isn't that nice to know?" 
She covered the remaining distance and lunged at the spot she smelled 
him at.
	"But I am more accomplished at it," he taunted again from where 
he had dodged to Nabiki's left. "Even though I am unable to see you, 
I know you are there. I know that you are angry. I know that you are 
afraid."
	Nabiki followed him in circles through the fog, his voice 
always taunting, mocking her. She knew what he had done and why, but 
that once carefully sealed off memory of pain and darkness, fire 
dancing around her... Awakening that was unforgivable. "Just stand 
still so I can beat the hell out of you," she commanded, tears of 
anger and frustration in her eyes.
	He was suddenly behind her, holding her tightly. "Allow you to 
beat me senseless? I have already had enough of that from your 
sister," he whispered.
	"Let go of me! Do you have any idea just how pissed off I am?" 
Nabiki yelled, struggling.
	Kuno's nose moved lightly up and down her neck, and he chuckle 
quietly. "Of course I do. If given the chance, I am quite sure you 
would tear me limb from limb right now."
	"Right now? Don't think that's going to change any time soon 
either."
	"I think it will. Know that I am sorry for having to bring up 
such... traumatic memories, but often emotion brings forth that which 
words alone do not."
	Nabiki shook her head. "I'm not going to break down just 
because you apologized. That point is long gone."
	"Of course. And yet, we are all creatures of habit, and this is 
one of your habits, is it not? Deny everything and it shall not be 
able to harm you."
	She could feel his breath on her ear as he spoke, raising 
goosebumps on her arms.
	"It harms you in ways you could not possibly imagine, ways you 
would not wish upon your most intense rival. It eats at you, 
relentlessly, until there is no way for you to stand it any longer. 
Until you wake up one morning and the only thing you know is the 
hurt, the pain, the internal rot. And it has consumed you so 
completely there is no escape from it. But there are always ways to 
escape ... by fleeing into it."
	Nabiki gasped and ripped herself free of his hold, away from 
his dark, seductive voice. "What happened to you?" she asked, gulping 
oxygen, the surrounding fog suddenly oppressive.
	"It happened. We all did it. We fled into the pain; we had no 
other way to deal with it. And look what has happened. I fled into 
the madness with my sister and my father. What other choice did I 
have?"
	Standing there, shaking her head, Nabiki felt a tightening in 
her chest. "No," she wheezed, short of breath, "it doesn't have to 
be. I didn't... not when my mother died. Not that night..."
	"But are you positive?"
	Nabiki sat up with a start, her heart thudding in her chest. 
She looked around wildly for a moment, then slowly relaxed. There was 
nothing, no taunting voice, no memories. Only the fog, the sound of 
insects and... She looked at Kuno, who was practically asleep in her 
arms. "Running into the pain, eh?" she said quietly and brushed some 
hair form his forehead. "You're right. We all did."
	She yawned and wondered just what it was that was making her so 
tired. And the dreams... Those weren't so impressive either. There 
was a swamp they had to make it through too, and sitting at the edge 
of it made her very nervous.
	"Don't make me... I love you..."
	Not even thinking, Nabiki gave Kuno a shove to wake him up. 
When he started getting into the "I love you" dreams, he got fairly 
annoying, grabbing her and thrashing around. A stiff elbow to the 
ribs usually snapped him out of it.
	Kuno mumbled a bit more, then quieted and was sleeping deeply 
again.
	"Idiot," mumbled Nabiki, then stood and stretched. She looked 
out, through the light fog as where the swamp was. They didn't know 
how big it was, how far to the mountainous castle they would have to 
go, but they had no choice.
	And again, the things Rhodes and Anatalia had said about the 
swamp... She didn't have any reason to disbelieve them, so what was 
it that was so frightening about it? That, in fact, was what worried 
Nabiki the most.
	If they had told her there was a giant alligator, big enough to 
swallow them whole, she would have been scared, but at least she 
would have know what she was scared of. With no idea what there 
was... The idea of going into that unknown scared her more than 
anything.
	But with the way Kuno was sleeping, she probably had another 
few hours to worry about it. Whee.

	Nabiki switched on her light, annoyed at just how little it 
pierced the fog, and shouldered her bag. Taking one deep breath, she 
followed Kuno into the swamp. The swamp of doom she liked to joke to 
herself, but was finding that less funny as time went on. "Are we 
there yet?" she joked lamely. She was amazed when Kuno managed to 
return her humor, however slightly.
	"No, and there is no bathroom nearby." He swore under his 
breath as he stepped into a pool of water that reached the middle of 
his calf.
	"What is it?" The sound of him stepping in the water was 
obvious, but it shouldn't have been that big a deal.
	"These pools of still water, they may contain dangerous... 
vermin."
	Nabiki swallowed. "Dangerous vermin? Like what?"
	"Leaches are my main concern. Though there may be other things 
as well," Kuno answered, checking his leg for any uninvited 
passengers.
	"Other things... You're not making this any easier. You know 
that, Kuno-chan?"
	"You ask and I answer. What would it accomplish to lie?"
	"I don't know, but it might make me feel better about this," 
Nabiki replied, her light directed at the ground as she avoided the 
standing water.
	"Granted."
	They walked quietly for a while as the ground grew moister, 
more water appeared and more dead, stunted trees showed through the 
fog. It gave the appearance of a more typical movie swamp. Not that 
it helped at all.
	"OK, so when does something nasty jump out at us?" asked 
Nabiki, her every nerve on edge.
	"Ask and ye shall receive," Kuno responded grimly. He was in 
the same condition, straining his senses to detect anything at all. 
But for all intensive purposes, the swamp around them was dead. "I 
find it entirely too quiet here. Unnervingly so."
	Sweeping her light in a wide arc around her, Nabiki nodded. It 
was awfully quiet, more than it should have been she was sure. She 
skipped over an especially large pool of water to a patch of land. 
Her feet sank deeply into the mud, and she took another step to free 
herself from it.
	The next step was an unstable though and her feet sank even 
further. In an attempt to rip free from it, she lost her balance. 
Arms pinwheeling, shrieking, Nabiki could feel herself about to fall, 
her feet sinking still in the muck.
	"Kuno!" she yelled, regaining her balance, but still sinking, 
unable to pull free.
	He was at her side in an instant, holding her arm tightly. "I 
have you. Do not struggle; I will pull you out." His voice was calm 
and reasonable, and completely opposite of everything Nabiki was 
feeling.
	Kuno pulled gently, but steadily, on Nabiki's arm and shoulder. 
It was keeping her from sinking any further, but it wasn't getting 
her out either. "I must change my hold on you. I will not let you 
go," he warned.
	Nabiki nodded her head, tossing away the light she was still 
holding and the bag over her shoulder. Without those things, she 
could concentrate fully on holding on for dear life.
	Kuno tried to release his hold from under Nabiki's shoulder so 
he could get her under her other arm, but when he took his arm away, 
he could feel her sink deeper into the mire.
	Grunting, he tried to get his arm around her as quickly as 
possible, losing his light in the process. It slipped from his hand 
and landed a foot in front of them. He did not pay attention to it as 
it slowly sank beneath the surface of the mud.
	Nabiki tried to brace herself on his arms as he pulled her 
back. "That's doing it," she said as she felt her feet and ankles 
begin to pull out.
	Kuno continued until finally, with a disgusting sucking sound, 
Nabiki was free, and they both tumbled backward to the ground.
	They got up slowly, Kuno partially winded from the effort and 
fear, and Nabiki staring blankly at what she had almost been consumed 
by. It had resumed disguising itself as a perfectly safe section of 
ground, and Nabiki couldn't help but shudder.
	Turning away, Nabiki began to remove her shoes and socks, 
anxious to get the filth off her skin.
	"Let me help," Kuno offered and sat down. Pulling her legs out 
straight, he set her feet in his lap and pulled a thermos out of his 
bag. He had filled it with water from the river before they had 
descended into the swamp, and although it was intended for drinking, 
it would work for a little washing as well.
	He opened the thermos and began pouring the water over Nabiki's 
feet, wiping the mud away from them. "Be thankful," he said idly, 
"that you did not get this mess in your fur. It is difficult to 
clean."
	Nodding silently, Nabiki could only watch Kuno's hand as he 
cleaned the filth away. This was definitely making her yearn for a 
nice, hot bath.
	"Think, it shall only be a few more days before we can return 
home," Kuno continued. His eyes played over her delicate feet and 
ankles, and his voice was soft and dreamy. "Home," he repeated. The 
comforts of home, the safety of home... Taking care of Kodachi, 
making sure she was healthy...
	Things he missed greatly, but also a routine he was dreading 
returning to. He didn't want to fall back into those ruts he had 
driven himself into. Ruts that did not allow him to see beyond what 
he wanted to, believe only what he wanted... Ranma would never be his 
friend and Akane would never want anything to do with him, but there 
was an internal peace he could find. There had to be.
	There just had to be that peace because he didn't want Ranma as 
a friend and he didn't need Akane. Ruts. No more ruts. It was time to 
let things go, though that always proved to be harder in practice 
than in theory.
	"Kuno-chan? I think my feet are clean."
	Kuno blinked and looked at what he had been doing. Daydreams 
would be something else he would try to eliminate. While he was 
sitting there, who knows what he had missed, thinking about things 
that were unimportant to his situation. "Forgive me. I shall..."
	"No," Nabiki said, standing. "We should get going anyway. As 
long as this stuff dries, I should be fine." Thank goodness for a 
change of clothes, even if it was only some clean socks.
	Once she had replaced her socks and damp shoes, she reclaimed 
her bag and light, now the only light they had. "Now that I've 
narrowly avoided death, let's get going," she said with more levity 
than she felt.
	A moment of awkward silence stretched, and a little nagging 
voice in her told her to just say it. It was no hit on her pride, 
nothing to be ashamed of. "Thanks. That could have been a lot worse 
than it was."
	"Yes, but worse than it should have been. I was at fault for 
not watching closer than I was." The dangerous little games they 
played with each other finally had to stop. This was no place to be 
taking chances.
	"Live and learn," Nabiki said shakily, fighting off the urge to 
blame him. "Next time, we'll know to look a little more closely at 
where we're going."
	"There will be no next time. I will see to that."
	Nabiki looked at Kuno, not quite sure how to read him. "No. I'm 
thanking you and I want you to accept it. Don't talk about there not 
being a next time because we just don't know."
	Kuno flinched at her plainly stated declaration. "Then I... 
accept your thanks. You are welcome."
	"Good. Now we can go." Nabiki realized she had her fingertips 
on his chest, preventing him from walking off, and quickly removed 
them. For some reason, that was just the wrong thing at the time. She 
felt her cheeks flush and had no idea why.
	Kuno cleared his throat, strangely affected the same way Nabiki 
had been. "As distasteful as the prospect might be, I suggest we stay 
clear of the land. And we should stay within arm's reach of one 
another at all times. We should take as few chances as possible."
	Nabiki looked at the water with a slight scowl on her face, her 
blush fading. Then she looked at the hidden pit of sludge she had 
stepped in. "Right. The water it is."
	As they continued their trek through the swamp, the fog changed 
in various spots. Sometimes it was light, like a morning mist, and 
sometimes it was thicker than any they had seen before and swirled 
around them at knee level.
	Nabiki considered those the worst times, when she could see 
that there wasn't anything around them. Yet, the mountain, the 
stronghold built into the mountain still glowed in the distance. It 
didn't seem that they were making any progress toward it at all.
	Kuno shivered next to her briefly. "What's wrong?" she asked, 
whispering though she didn't know why.
	"Nothing. It was nothing," was his answer, though it had very 
definitely been something. With the fog, it was impossible to see 
anything, but he had felt it. Felt something brush by his leg in the 
water. Something large. "It was nothing," he repeated, this time in a 
whisper as well.
	He couldn't fool her. Nabiki had been able to feel the water 
shift, the displacement something had caused in the water. There was 
something in the water with them, and she knew it was large. "I don't 
like this," she said, her eyes trained on the thick layer of mist.
	"You felt it?" Kuno asked, the grip he had on the strap of his 
bag tightening. He had felt it, but there was no smell, no sound, no 
warning. A small splash somewhere to his right got his attention. 
"Whatever it is, I do not believe its intentions are friendly." It 
felt like he was being toyed with, examined in preparation for an 
attack.
	Nabiki began to move faster, walking more quickly than she had 
been before. She didn't dare run, fearing that whatever it was would 
be attracted by the quick movement. And while she could run pretty 
fast, in the water, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to run 
fast enough. "Do you think this is what they meant?" she asked.
	"Possibly, though I sincerely hope not," Kuno replied, hoping 
it was a swamp manatee or something similarly harmless.
	They stood that way, still and silent, for a minute, waiting 
for whatever it was to show itself. But instead of an attack, the 
mysterious visitor just seemed to leave, the water becoming 
completely still again.
	Whispering, Nabiki noted, "I think it's gone." She was trying 
to see the water through the mist and failing miserably. "Let's just 
get the hell out of here before it decides to come back." Her voice 
wasn't frantic. Not yet.
	"Calmly. Hurried movement may attract it. We were save possibly 
by its refusal to exit the water. Let us not give it a reason to do 
so next time." Kuno was breathing in a most odd manner, taking long, 
shallow breaths.
	Noticing this, Nabiki looked at him closely. "You don't sound 
so good. Maybe we should wait..."
	Shaking his head, Kuno said, "No. We have wasted too much time 
already. It is important that we continue on our way." Without 
waiting for any kind of response from Nabiki, he started walking, 
keeping a steady pace through the water.
	He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of whatever that thing was 
swimming around with them, but he really didn't want to give it a 
reason to investigate them any closer than it already had.
	Thankfully, uneventful described the next fifteen minutes of 
slogging through the swamp. Doubt about their destination, whether 
they would really fin what they wanted there or if it was all a huge 
mistake, was eating at them both. Silence was preferable to shared 
worry though, and in the deadness of the swamp, their voices seemed 
entirely too loud, even at whisper level.
	It seemed, much to their relief, that their journey was at an 
end when the water grew shallow and a patch of rock rose from the 
swamp. The fog had returned to its state of existing all around them 
instead of just at their knees, and there was no way to see the 
mountain. It would have been helpful at finding a way in.
	"I am so glad to get out of there," Nabiki said, clearly 
relieved, and removed her soaked footwear.
	"As am I. We have not reached our goal however. It would be 
premature to stop now," Kuno warned. It was definitely nice to be out 
of that water though.
	"Are you... are you sure we're heading in the right direction? 
We didn't make a big loop or anything, did we?" Nabiki was trying to 
find the glow of the mountain through the fog, but could not see it.
	"Of course we are heading in the correct direction."
	Nabiki waited for Kuno to explain himself, but he said nothing 
more. "How do you know?" she asked finally.
	"I can feel it."
	"Oh, well that's a comfort. As long as you can feel it, then I 
guess we're just fine. When we wander into another patch of 
quicksand... Just as long as you 'feel' we're going in the right 
direction." Nabiki backed off then, thinking she had gotten her point 
across adequately.
	"Your doubt wounds me," Kuno said softly.
	"My doubt? How would you feel if I told you something like 
that? There's not a whole lot to be confident about." Nabiki frowned 
to herself. "I don't like it, you know? I don't like it here and I 
don't like the way you treat me," she said, surprising herself.
	Kuno gaped at her. "The way I... What about... How can you say 
such a thing?" he cried. "I treat you with the deepest respect ad 
with all my love. What do you find wrong with that?"
	"For one thing," Nabiki replied, getting into the infant 
argument, "you treat me like a side of beef. I'm not a prize and I'm 
not your conquest. I'm completely capable of handling myself, and I 
was long before I met you. What a dark day in my life that was," she 
muttered finally.
	"You act as if every day for me has been a privilege to be an 
acquaintance of yours. I have paid a dear price to know you, Nabiki 
Tendo." Kuno was keeping his gaze directed forward, not wanting to 
see the look on her face.
	"I guess that means the feeling is mutual then," she said, 
scowling. "Idiot," she added under her breath. The monotony of the 
fog was starting to annoy her as well. If she had been able to stare 
at some trees, or the mountain, anything else, Nabiki might not have 
been so grouchy.
	The ground stayed rocky, though the air still held the smell of 
the swamp. Nabiki hoped that they had stumbled upon a portion of the 
mountain and that they really were almost there. With any luck, 
they'd be able to follow the rock finger right to the base of the 
mountain and the castle.
	Kuno, walking in front of her, stopped suddenly, causing her to 
bump into him. "Did you hear that noise?" he asked, his voice a 
hushed whisper.
	"I didn't hear anything. This time you're imagining things," 
she replied harshly. "Let's go."
	"Stop. My ears are not deceiving me. I heard a noise, stealthy 
and near to us." Kuno tilted his head to the side, trying to hear it 
again.
	Nabiki shook her head. "You said yourself that you couldn't 
trust your hearing in this fog, so why are you? There's nothing 
there." She could actually tell this time, not smelling anything out 
of the ordinary.
	"Under different circumstances, I would agree wholeheartedly. 
This time I am not so sure."
	Surprisingly enough, Nabiki found herself believing him. Maybe 
that sound she had dismissed really wasn't just her imagination.
	"Slowly," Kuno said, advancing through the fog.
	Peering into the white wall, Nabiki asked, "Is it getting 
thicker? I'm having a harder time seeing through it."
	"It would seem so." Kuno took a few more steps forward and 
suddenly began thrashing around. "Come no closer," he warned, 
struggling.
	"What is it?" Nabiki asked, taking another step forward. She 
couldn't tell what was going on, just that Kuno was struggling 
violently for some reason.
	"Come no closer! There is something..."
	Nabiki stifled her gasp when she saw the dark shape in the fog 
off to her left. "What are you caught in?" she asked, inching closer 
to the shape, needing to know before she started panicking.
	"It feels... like webs of a spider," Kuno grunt, trying to pull 
himself free.
	"That's what I was afraid of." She reached out a gently tried 
to touch the shape. What looked like a veil of silk fell away, 
revealing the shape to be a skeleton with an obviously lupine skull. 
"Stop struggling. That's only going to make it worse," she said, 
somehow hiding the panic in her voice. "I'm going to try to get you 
out. As long as I don't get caught too."
	Moving back to Kuno, she could see the thick strands that 
blended in so well with the fog. The moment she laid her hand on of 
them, meaning to rip it away, she could feel just how he had managed 
to get himself stuck. It was like placing her hand on a piece of 
human-sized flypaper... and in a way, that's exactly what it was.
	"Don't change," she warned, trying to break the strand. 
"That'll just make it hurt more."
	Kuno stood still and silent, wanting to tear himself free 
desperately. He knew what exactly he had stumbled into and wanted as 
far away from it as possible before whatever had created it returned.
	Nabiki was working as quickly as she could, but it was hard. 
The strands were very thick and strong. "Just a little bit more," she 
said more to herself than anything.
	"There! I heard it again!" Kuno said suddenly, making Nabiki 
speed her efforts more.  
	He hadn't been imagining things, and now she could hear it too. 
A soft, far away clicking noise. It was a clicking, like someone in 
high heels...
	"Please hurry," Kuno begged pitifully. It was a fight to not 
struggle wildly, to try and break himself free.
	"I'm trying." Nabiki didn't want to mention the skeleton she 
had seen. She wasn't sure that if whoever that had been hadn't been 
able to escape, and Kuno couldn't, then she wouldn't be able to get 
him out.
	Swallowing, she stared at her hand. If she could just get it to 
change, just her hand, she could probably slice right through those 
webs.
	"Please hurry."
	Nabiki ignored him and concentrated on her hand. She could do 
that, just her hand. Not her entire body, which she had trouble 
dealing with; just her hand.
	Her eyes widened in surprise as her hand began to shift. 
Watching, fascinated, her hand doubled in size, started to grow fur, 
and a wicked set of claws began to emerge. The sensation started to 
spread up her wrist and she frantically willed it to stop.
	The bones were shifting subtlely, lengthening, some splitting 
and fusing. Nabiki whimpered, her efforts to make the process stop 
failing miserably.
	"What is happening?" Kuno asked, trying to turn and see.
	"I can't make it stop," she replied, her wrist and forearm 
changing. There were tears in her eyes with the effort of trying to 
prevent herself from changing. "It won't stop."
	The ache started in her shoulder, marking the slowed progress 
of the change through Nabiki's body. She could slow it down, but she 
hadn't learned what it took to make it stop.
	"Don't fight it. Will it," Kuno said, sounding like a 
completely different person.
	Nabiki froze and stared at Kuno, not sure if that was him 
talking or not. But... Will it. She could do that. Or try. Instead of 
holding the change back, she simply forced it, made it comply. 
Amazingly enough, that seemed to work.
	Surprised at her success, Nabiki continued to stare at her 
hand, now fully transformed, but only her hand. Nothing more.
	"Nabiki..."
	Right, Kuno. Looking at his trapped figure, she casually swung 
her arm and felt the strands part as her claws tore through them, 
like so much crepe paper. A few more swings, each coming within 
millimeters of drawing blood from Kuno, and he was free.
	Ripping the stray strands away from his body, Kuno stepped away 
from the destroyed web and looked at Nabiki. "Thank you."
	Nabiki ignored him and looked at her hand again. Will it. Order 
it. Want it. Go away.
	The process was quite quick actually. Without resistance and an 
active desire for it to take place, it took moments, and there was no 
discomfort. Shuddering briefly, she thought she might have some 
frightening possibilities bubbling in her brain for such an ability.
	That tingling, like pure energy in her muscles, was still 
there, all up and down her arm, like she could change in an instant. 
If she wanted to.
	Pleased with herself and just a little smug, she smirked at 
Kuno and his ridiculously grateful face. She figured he must have 
been deathly afraid of spiders for that kind of reaction. Then again, 
after the skeleton and the size of that web, she couldn't really 
blame him.
	Their elation was short-lived though, interrupted by that 
tapping sound again.
	"I think it's heading this way, and I have no interest in 
meeting up with it," Nabiki whispered, staring out into the fog.
	She began backing up, not sure exactly from what, but not 
wanting to find out either. "Whatever's in that water... It's not 
here," she said.
	"I agree, most assuredly." Kuno sprinted for the water, hoping 
the thing couldn't swim.  
	After slogging through the water for the better part of ten 
minutes without slowing at all, the pair realized they had a 
different problem when they realized they weren't being followed.
	"So now where are we?" Nabiki asked, slightly out of breath.
	"No I am unsure." Kuno slowed his pace, but did not stop. 
"Though we have lost that creature. It must not have a fondness for 
water."
	"Yeah, no kidding. The last thing I'd want is to become a pile 
of leftovers in that web." Nabiki shuddered, realizing that maybe 
there were worse things she was refusing to consider. "So which way 
to we go from here?" she asked, changing the subject.
	Finally, Kuno did stop, and looked around. Still the fog 
surrounded them and obscured any view of their surroundings. They 
could have been half a mile from the mountain and they wouldn't have 
known it. "Um..."
	Nabiki threw her hands into the air. "Great. Just great."
	"I am beginning to see the peril in this swamp," quietly Kuno 
said. He put his hand on his chin as he considered the situation.
	"Well, look. If we were headed north before, then we went..."
	"We were traveling in a westerly direction."
	Nabiki blinked. "What?"
	"We traveled south alongside the river, then west toward the 
mountain. West, not north." Kuno still appeared to be lost in 
thought.
	"North, west... At this point, it doesn't matter. We were 
heading toward the mountain then went left to escape that spider 
thing. Maybe not straight left, but I'm sure that if we now go back 
to our right, we'll hit the mountain eventually." Nabiki crossed her 
arms and looked at Kuno.
	"A reasonable assumption," was his only answer before he turned 
to his right and started walking.
	For a moment, Nabiki watched him go, a bit unbelieving, a 
little disgusted. "No, really, Kuno-chan. It was no problem," she 
said and followed.  
	There was another close encounter with their underwater 
visitor, but other than that, the pair progressed with no trouble. No 
more spider webs and only the occasional patch of clinging muck. 
Things were looking up even if they hadn't found the mountain yet.
	More than once, Kuno had caught sight of Nabiki staring at her 
hand as she walked. It seemed like forever to him; he couldn't even 
remember what he had felt like those first times when he had realized 
what had happened to him.
	Then again, the stakes hadn't been so high. But with Kodachi 
around, he could never be so sure about that. But that was before... 
If anything, he wanted to see everything through for her. To prove 
that it hadn't been for nothing. "This way," he said sharply, 
gesturing Nabiki forward.
	Nabiki was still trying to figure out just what was so 
dangerous about the swamp. Yes, the quickmud and the spider thing had 
been life-threatening, and whatever it was that lurked below the 
surface of the water, but other than that... "Kuno-chan, I just don't 
get it."
	"And what is that?"
	"What's so terrible about this place? From how people talked, 
you'd think we were walking into certain death. More than certain 
death. And yet here we are. So what's the problem?"
	When Kuno didn't answer, Nabiki kept talking. "Wouldn't it just 
be some huge cliche if there was something else, every step is a new 
peril, like we're in some cartoon. Next thing you know, we'll have 
singing chopsticks and dancing swamp gnomes."
	Kuno gave a chuckle, which turned into a small laugh, which 
turned into a full laugh. "There are times that I find you most 
amusing, Nabiki Tendo."
	"Well, we pretty much think you're a full-time riot, Kuno-chan. 
We've never laughed so much at one joke before," she deadpanned. She 
knew it was a mistake before it had come out of her mouth.
	"Oh, but do 'we' still laugh? How funny do 'we' think the joke 
is now?" he asked, an edge of steel in his voice.
	Even though Nabiki was walking behind him, she could imagine 
the look in his eyes. Hard and cold like diamonds, tempered by time 
and pressure, tortured by nature, only to have transformed into 
something invulnerable to anything but its own kind.
	Nabiki knew she hadn't become a diamond. Not yet anyway, though 
she hoped she never did? There was something cold, lifeless in that 
diamond. A sparkle, but empty, clear. A valuable gem if cut right, 
but if not... She stared thoughtfully at Kuno. She hadn't become that 
diamond yet, but maybe she needed to. Maybe the process wasn't one 
diamond shaping another, nut two diamonds shaping each other. 
Chuckling at her own silliness, she pushed that idea away.  
	"You know I'm getting sick and tired of this place," Nabiki 
said in the most annoyed tone she could muster. They had been walking 
for longer than she thought they should have been without reaching 
the mountain.
	The fog had once again changed to sit on top of the water, 
though a finer mist still hung in the air. They had come across two 
more of the rocky outcroppings, but neither had been directly 
connected to the mountain. They were right back where they had been 
before, but deeper in the swamp with no knowledge of how to get out 
again.
	"Wonderful," Nabiki said. "This is the absolute last and only 
time I ever go tromping through a swamp like this. Because if I do, 
and fall in quicksand and fight off some giant spider, I'm..."
	"Quiet!" Kuno snapped. "If you talk incessantly, I am unable to 
hear!"
	Nabiki shook her head. "You're hearing things again. Give it 
up. The only thing dumb enough to be out here is us, and we're not 
exactly... in..." Her voice trailed because she could hear something 
too. It didn't sound happy. "Tell me I'm imagining that," she 
whispered.
	"You are imagining that."
	"Now is not the time to play games."
	"I am aware of that. If it were, I would not be considering 
running like a frightened child." This looked like it might be too 
much for him to handle, and he couldn't count on Nabiki for any 
reliable help.
	"What is it? I can hear it, but..." It was like a slow air 
leak, a steady hissing.
	"I believe our subaqueous escort is making its presence known." 
And it was huge; he just knew it, and there was no place for them to 
run.
	Nabiki was looking down for any sign of the thing. "How big can 
it be? The water doesn't even reach our knees."
	"Did you know it is possible to drown in three inches of water? 
Or that fatal shark attacks have occurred in two feet of water? Water 
is a dangerous element even in small amount."
	"Thanks for the science lesson I didn't need. Are we just going 
to stand here or are we going to do something?" Running was pretty 
high on Nabiki's list at the moment.
	"And your suggestion for what we should do? If you are 
considering running, please inform me where we should go to." If the 
thing would just attack, it wouldn't be so bad. But the way it was 
just keeping out of sight and making that noise was driving Kuno mad.
	"Anywhere but here. Let's just go." She tugged on his arm a 
little, not wanting to make the first move.
	Kuno took a step to his right, splashing noisily. As he feared, 
the hissing grew in volume. "For some reason, it waits for us to make 
our move first. If we attempt to run, surely it will attack."
	"Well..." Nabiki looked to her left and right. "What if we 
split up? It can only chase one of us at a time. Then you could..."
	"No! I will do no such thing! I will not leave you."
	"You idiot! How the hell are we supposed to get out of here 
then? Fly? I don't think so!" Nabiki yelled in his face. "Get a damn 
clue! We're screwed!"
	"Do you remember that night when I rescued you from that truck 
after you had fallen into the street?" Kuno asked quietly, not 
responding to her outburst.
	She sputtered for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. You saved my life. 
Why?"
	Kuno turned his head slowly, grinning. He changed right there 
as Nabiki watched then lifted her into his arms.
	"Don't do this," she hissed as if whatever the monster was 
would know what they were about to do. "You'll get us both killed."
	Kuno shook his head at her and, without notice, shot into the 
air.
	Nabiki couldn't help but scream at the sensation, and when they 
landed with a humongous splash, she released another shriek. "What 
are..." she started to ask.
	Before she could finish her question, they were in the air 
again. Some how, she managed to keep her eyes open and looked down as 
they rose into the air. She saw, through the swirling fog, a vague 
glimpse of something black, a hint of the entire thing, skin shiny 
like a dead eel, rotting in the sun. And that hissing noise.
	Another landing, filthy water fountaining up around them. The 
sound of something large moving through the water, a sleek vessel, 
parting the waves as if they were not even there.
	"Go!" Nabiki screamed.
	There was a moment as Kuno prepared to leap, and then Nabiki's 
stomach dropped. When she looked down at the water where they had 
just been standing, it exploded upward and the only thing she could 
focus on were the rows of sharp teeth. "Shit!"
	Kuno landed and still Nabiki was staring at those teeth. "Don't 
stop now! GO!" she screamed, yanking violently on Kuno's fur.
	Forgoing another leap, Kuno ran, more precisely skipped, 
knowing the monster was right behind them without having to look. And 
after Nabiki's reaction he didn't want to look. All he wanted to 
think about was running as fast as he could, away from the thing 
behind him.
	"Faster! Run faster! It's gaining!" Nabiki begged. She could 
smell the stench of rotten meat coming from the mouth of the creature 
and making her eyes water.
	The jaws gaped wider, revealing the black hole of the throat 
that would swallow their bodies after it ripped them apart.
	Somewhere in the fog, Nabiki heard a shout, voices, other 
people, and she could only hope that Kuno had as well. They would 
provide an adequate distraction.
	"There! I can see it! It's out of the water!" a voice shouted 
from somewhere ahead. A group of people came running out of the fog. 
They looked like primitive villagers, all carrying wooden spears.
	We're dead was Nabiki's first thought. How a bunch of villagers 
with wimpy wooden spears could kill the thing...
	Almost all the men lifted their spears as Kuno charged at them, 
but their attention was drawn by the monster following him.
	"Quick! The drugged meat!" the man in the lead yelled, holding 
his spear up.
	The huge snake beast reared up in the face of the man. Its 
lively prey had escaped and now it had these others to deal with.
	A younger man, looking to be nothing more than a teenager, 
stepped forward. Armed with a spear and a piece of bloody meat, he 
nodded. "I'm ready."
	"The meat will slow it down. The rest is up to you," the oldest 
of the group said and backed away. "Good luck."
	The others murmured their good fortunes and also backed away, 
leaving the young man alone in front of the beast. He watched it with 
wide eyes as it weaved back and forth in front of him.
	Shaking, the teen drew back his arm and hurled the meat at the 
monster.
	Almost a blur, its head snapped forward and swallowed the meat 
whole, leaving the teen with only his wooden spear. But as the snake 
prepared to strike again, it gave a hideous shriek of pain.
	Seeing his chance, the young man ran forward, tossing his spear 
aside and pulling a knife out of his belt. He ducked under the 
beast's body as it thrashed back and forth, then ran parallel its 
length. The point at which the snake was lifting itself off the 
ground, he stopped.
	Gripping his knife tightly, he sliced deeply into the beast and 
sheared off a hunk of the rubbery skin. He was about to yell in 
triumph when the huge snake, howling with renewed pain, whipped 
around and slammed into him.
	Ribs aflame, he flew backwards and landed in the water ten feet 
away. He had only a moment to consider the pain he was in before the 
monster lunged. With on hand holding tightly to his prize of flesh 
and the other holding his knife, he watched the beast come for him 
for one precious heartbeat.
	Suddenly, his hand shot out and the knife was flying at the 
monster's face. The man closed his eyes and waited for his final 
moments.
	Instead, there was a shriek that sounded like metal on bone but 
twenty times louder, that made him open his eyes. Looking up at the 
thrashing titan, he could just see where the knife had managed to 
pierce the skin just below the animal's eye.
	Trying to shake the invader loose, the snake retreated, finally 
sinking back beneath the water and disappearing.
	Finally, the young man let out a whoop of joy even though it 
caused intense pain in his chest. He had done it, he had passed. He 
was a man now. "It's gone! I've done it!" he shouted as loud as he 
could manage.
	After a few moments, the villagers were reunited. Two of the 
men held Kuno at spearpoint, and another held tightly to Nabiki's 
arm.
	No words were wasted as they headed through the swamp.

End Part 4