Okay, here is the final version of CMD 16.

PLEASE NOTE: The ending segment in 2057 has been changed dramatically
based on feedback from my pre-readers for the draft of CMD17 (due to the
FFML this upcoming week). So just forget who appeared at the end of the
previous version of CMD16 for now, okay? :)


As with my other recent stories, I won't send this to RAAC for several
days, so if you spot any last minute errors, let me know right way.
Thanks.



=======================================================================
Childhood of a Modern Dynasty
Chapter 16: A Cat's Life, Yukiko's Story

Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko
Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission

Childhood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and
copyright 1998-1999 by Jim Lazar

An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime.

<Speech text in angle brackets is thought by character.>
"Speech text in double quotes is spoken as Japanese."

E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: mailto:jimlazar@earthlink.net

Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for
all released CMD stories, graphics files, and other information:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime/md
=======================================================================
>From the personal journal of James Davidson:


September 12, 2057

     My mind is still reeling at the events that Akane had described to
me this morning. During her description of her wedding attempt in April
of 1999, Akane informed me that Ranko was pregnant, apparently from some
side affect of the magic used to split her from Ranma. This pregnancy
was not in any of the official documents I had researched over the past
few years while working on the books. I was starting to suspect that
with all of Nabiki's 'alterations' to the official documents that all my
painstaking research will end up being a waste of time.

     Not knowing about the pregnancy, Ranma and Sanma each tried to stop
the wedding. Sanma even went as far as impersonating Ranko at the altar.
When they found out about the pregnancy, they were beyond shocked. After
some heated discussion, they were ready to allow Akane to marry just
Ranko for the baby's sake and to keep Akane's fragile mental state at
the time from deteriorating further, even if it was tearing them apart
inside.

     You'd think this would have be enough for one wedding disaster, but
Akane never had it easy when she tried to get married. After a couple of
minor interruptions, a woman calling herself Yukiko interrupted the
wedding and claimed to be Ranma's wife. No one seemed to recognize her,
but when she was splashed with cold water and turned into a cat they
realized she was Shampoo, back from the dead.

     I now sat across from another woman named Shampoo. Well she used
that nickname at least, or had it foisted upon her by that tyrannical
teaser I call Akane. I suspect the latter is the truth. Her real name
was Shashiki and she is the daughter of Yukiko. She looked to be in her
fifties, with long black-dyed hair, and bore a resemblance to the
pictures of Shampoo I had seen during my research. In fact, she probably
looked more like Shampoo than Yukiko must have when she had interrupted
the wedding in her short black hair and simple dress.

     "So, where is your mother now?" I asked Shashiki, while Akane was
in the kitchen getting some lunch.

     "She died at the end of the Black Wars," Shashiki said softly.

     "Oh, I'm sorry."

     "It's okay. She lived her life to the fullest and died...
honorably. I think she was happy, I know my father was." I could hear
the sadness in her voice. Time does heal most wounds, but never
completely.

     "Who was your father?" I asked.

     Shashiki was about to answer when Akane's voice interrupted. "Oh no
you don't!!"

     I started and looked over at Akane. "What?"

     "No fair trying to get ahead of me," Akane replied. She knelt down
and put the food on the table.

     "Tyrant."

     "Yes, but a cute tyrant."

     "Un-cute tyrant, if you ask me," I muttered, then took a bite of a
rice ball.

     "Oh, very funny, James. I asked Shampoo over to give you the
details on how her mother survived the fall and what led her to show up
in the dojo that day, not to fill in some gaps in your Tendo family
tree," Akane calmly said.

     "So somewhere along the line Shampoo... err... Yukiko or one of her
descendants marries into the Tendo family tree, huh?" I remarked,
grinning.

     Akane's face went pale. "Damn reporter," she muttered, obviously
miffed at letting that tidbit slip.


     Shashiki began to tell me about her mother as Akane sulked at
losing a round in her constant battle to keep me from getting ahead of
her story. It didn't happen often, so I relished my victory even if the
info was only partially helpful in my quest to figure out this family
that I had married into.


***********************************************************************
April 10, 1999 - Nerima, Japan


     The Tendo and Saotome families all stood in shock and stared at the
woman who had interrupted Akane and Ranko's wedding. At least the latest
attempt at a wedding. The woman had shoulder-length black hair and wore
a simple dress. "Don't know these girls... my husband is Ranma," she
said, pointing directly at the male Ranma.

     Ranko pushed Ranma forward. "Here you go. You two be happy now."

     "Hey! Cut that out! I'm not her husband!" Ranma yelled.

     "Yes, you are," Yukiko calmly stated.

     "Genma, did you do something stupid again?" Nodoka asked her
husband, who had been backing away.

     Whether out of actual guilt or just out of habit, Genma panicked
and jumped across the dojo. He grabbed a fire bucket and poured the cold
water over himself. In a heartbeat, he transformed into a panda.

     Unfortunately, the cold water splashed the young woman as well.
Before everyone's startled eyes, the woman shrank and transformed into a
small white cat with a red ribbon tied around its neck.

     "Sham...."

     "...poo?"

     The little cat shook the water out of her fur and meowed softly.

     "Cat!" all three Ranmas yelled and crashed through the nearest wall
in their panicked attempt to flee from the cat. Since this almost
undamaged wall had been the only thing keeping the remains of the dojo
together, the roof collapsed and buried everyone within under the
debris.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     After everyone was dug out of the dojo, they all assembled in the
Tendo family room. Genma was still a panda and held the small white cat
in his arms. The cat was purring softly as Genma stroked its back.
Besides the minister, who had been sent home since there was almost no
way to stage a fifth wedding that day, Akane and Kasumi were the only
ones not present.

     "Where's Akane?" Ranko asked as Kasumi walked in alone. She knelt
on the opposite side of the room from the cat and carefully avoided
looking in that direction. Ranma and Sanma were doing likewise.

     "She's up in her old room. She's a bit upset," Kasumi explained,
probably understating Akane's mental condition.

     Everyone understood. The shock of all the problems at the latest
wedding attempt and then the sudden reappearance of Shampoo had taken
its toll on Akane. The fact that she was upstairs in her old room
instead of the room she shared with the Ranmas made everyone worry the
most, especially the Ranmas.

     "I think it's time we heard 'Yukiko's story'," Nabiki said, looking
at the cat. She used the name that Shampoo had used when interrupting
the wedding. Like the others, Nabiki had her own personal reason for
wanting to know the story. At the top of the list was Nabiki's guilt at
selling Shampoo the information that led to her death, or her supposed
death. Next on that list was her relationship with Mousse before he flew
away from her. For months, she had hoped he would fly back into her
arms, but even if he did return now, whose arms would he fly into?

     The Ranmas all had their guilt at not preventing Shampoo's fall
from the building to concern them, but they were more concerned why
Akane didn't show any delight in Shampoo's return from the grave. She
had blamed herself for months, but now she didn't seem relieved at all.
Of course, they knew that the timing of her return, Ranko's pregnancy,
and all of the assorted wedding troubles all played a role in Akane's
current state.

     Kasumi walked over to Genma carrying a fancy Chinese dress and a
steaming kettle. The dress was one of Shampoo's old dresses that had
ended up in the koi pond, which Kasumi dutifully fished out and washed.
It, like all the other clothes that ended up in the pond, was kept
around for those all too frequent emergencies when a naked Shampoo would
appear.

     Genma placed the cat on the floor. Kasumi put the dress down near
the cat and then poured the hot water over the cat while everyone looked
away from her.

     The cat grew into a woman and slipped the dress on quickly. "You
know about me turning into a human with hot water and a cat with cold
water?" Yukiko asked, as she finished putting the dress on.

     "Yes, we know all about the curse," Ranma said, looking over at
Yukiko. Now that he looked closely, she was the Shampoo that he knew.
The hair was black and not dyed purple, which also explained why the cat
was pure white instead of being pink with purple highlights. The simple
shoulder-length cut was held in place by the red ribbon that the cat had
worn as a collar. She didn't wear much, if any, makeup. That, and the
simple dress she had been wearing, had prevented anyone from recognizing
her when she first interrupted the wedding.

     "Curse?" Yukiko asked, confused, but happy that she wasn't going to
be stuck as a cat with these people. She had been scared at first when
she transformed, but after they had dug her out of the debris, the panda
had been very gentle with her. This helped calm her fears that they
might hurt her while she was a cat.

     "Well, the curse that turns you into a cat. Like my father behind
you," Ranma explained.

     Yukiko looked closely at the panda standing behind her. "Father is
panda?" Now that she thought about it, she did see the big man at the
wedding transform just before she did.

     The panda held up a sign that read, 'Yes, I am Ranma's handsome and
dashing father'.

     "Do you get fur balls, too?" Yukiko asked.

     The panda held up a sign that read, 'Unfortunately, yes'.

     Everyone in the room tried not to laugh and at the same time
wondered why Genma licked himself in the first place to be able to get
those hairballs. A mental image formed in their minds that wasn't
exactly pleasant.

     Kasumi walked over, handed the panda a gi, and poured hot water
over him. Genma pulled his gi on and straightened his glasses.

     "Weird. I thought I was the only one," Yukiko said.

     "And this guy here turns into a pig," Ranma said, pointing at
Ryoga.

     "Shut up!" Ryoga snapped. "You used to turn into a girl!"

     "Better than a pig!" Ranma insisted.

     "Yeah, at least we didn't become breakfast!" Ranko insisted.

     Yukiko frowned. "But why do you call it a curse?"

     "It's a long story. You don't remember anything?" Ranma asked.

     "Not really, just bits and pieces. The only thing I clearly
remember is being married to you, Ranma," Yukiko said, looking directly
at Ranma.

     "Err... We're not married!" Ranma insisted, awkwardly.

     Yukiko looked Ranma squarely in his eyes upon hearing this. "We're
not married?"

     "No. You tried to marry me and I guess according to Amazon law we
were theoretically married already, but we're not really married and we
never will be. I'm sorry," Ranma explained, trying to let her down easy.

     Yukiko's reaction put a huge dent in Ranma's ego. "Hooray! That big
relief!" She smiled broadly and jumped around, giddy as a schoolgirl.

     "Gee, thanks for being so disappointed," Ranma remarked
sarcastically.

     "Sorry, I'm sure you'll find a pretty girl," Yukiko said, patting
Ranma's shoulder. "One of the cute redheads there would make you a
beautiful bride." She pointed at Ranko and Sanma.

     "We're his sisters!" Sanma shouted, then muttered, "Sort of..."

     "Oh."

     Soun interrupted the exchange, before it got out of hand. "I think
maybe you should explain to us what happened to you since last August."

     Genma nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea, Shampoo."

     Yukiko looked confused. "I don't need to wash my hair."

     "No, that's your name," Genma explained.

     "Yukiko's my name."

     "No, Yukiko is your name you're using now. Before it was Shampoo."

     "Why you so hung up on me needing to wash my hair?" Yukiko asked,
fingering her hair to see if it was dirty.

     "No, your name is Shampoo!"

     "No, Yukiko means snow-baby."

     "No, before you lost your memory your name was SHAMPOO!"

     "Shampoo is soap, not name."

     Smoke started to pour from Genma's ears and he collapsed from the
strain.

     "Let me try," Ukyo said, sliding over to Yukiko. "Yukiko, your
Amazon name is 'Shampoo'. It's what you called yourself before you lost
your memory."

     "Shampoo is my real name?" Yukiko asked, frowning. Everyone nodded.
"Stoopid name."

     Ukyo smirked at Genma and gloated at how easily she had explained
it. "The Amazons have odd names."

     "Amazons?"

     After Yukiko was filled in with a bit of her history, they all
listened to her story of the past eight months.


***********************************************************************
September-October 1998 - Shinjuku, Japan


     In a dark bedroom a figure stirred. The handsome young man rolled
over in his bed, then sat upright suddenly as a loud screech was heard.
"What?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He turned on a small table lamp
and looked around the shadowy room. "Yukiko, what are you doing up on
the bed... I told you that you needed to stay in the box," he scolded.
Reaching down he carefully picked up the small cat that had been
sleeping on top of his legs. He checked the four casts on the cat's legs
and made sure they were okay, then tried to put the cat back into the
box at the foot of his bed.

     The cat squirmed and started to meow, pleadingly. The man looked at
the cat sternly. Then, as he always did, he relented. He put the cat
down on a pillow and lay down next to the cat, which had curled up into
a loose ball.

     "You know if we ever find your owner it's going to break my heart,"
the man said, as he rubbed the cat's stomach. The cat rolled onto its
back and began to purr. The man smiled as he drifted back to sleep.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     The lights came on in the cage-filled room. Immediately, there was
a blast of noise from all the assorted animals. The handsome man entered
wearing a lab coat and walked down to the end of the cages. He paused
and said hello or gave words of comfort to each animal. His short black
hair framed his chiseled features nicely. His brown eyes had flakes of
green in them, seeming to sparkle as he checked and greeted the animals.

     He stopped at a small cage and undid the catch keeping it closed.
"Come on, Yukiko, time to take those casts off. He pulled out a small
white-haired cat, whose fur was dirty and matted. Four little casts
covered its legs. He carried the little cat gently out of the room. "I
hated to have to put you in there, but I couldn't have you underfoot
while I nursed that German Shepherd back to health for the last week,"
he said while he stroked her back. He ran a finger along the scar on her
head, noticing that the shaved hair around it was already half grown
back.

     The man walked into an examination room and put the white cat on
the exam table. "There you go, you're such a good little girl. Stay
there and I'll get those casts off, then you'll be able to walk and run
by yourself," he said, knowing that the cat was already pretty active
even with the casts. The cat nodded and calmly watched the doctor get
out the rotary saw. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to the way you
seem to understand me, my little snow baby." He scratched the cat behind
her ears and then rubbed the cat's stomach, causing the cat to purr.
"I'm almost glad no one has claimed you, I'd miss you," he said, then
started up the saw. The cat spooked at the sudden noise, but then calmed
and lay still. Carefully and with obvious skill, the man cut each of the
casts off of the little cat's legs, calming her with soft words the
whole time.

     When he was finished, he dumped the remains of the casts into the
trash, and pulled out some cool water and rinsed the dirty legs off.
"They look good, should be good as new. Let's see if you can stand on
them," he said. He helped the cat stand up and supported her body with
his large hands and then he carefully let the cat go. The cat wobbled at
first, but soon was standing upright. It took an unsteady step forward
and another. Soon it was walking quite normally across the steel table.
With a sudden burst of speed, it leapt at the man, who instinctively put
his hands up to defend himself. He'd been on the receiving end of claws
belonging to terrified cats once too often not to be cautious in
situations like this.

     The cat didn't extend her claws, but just leapt between his arms
and onto his shoulder. Surprised, he reached up and stroked the cat as
it nuzzled his neck. "You surprised me there for a second," he sighed,
then continued, "Looks like you're in great shape. Let's give you a nice
bath and get you all nice and clean." The cat purred and jumped down
into his extended arms as he made his way to the large tub in the back
of the hospital.

     He drew a hot bath, carefully checking the temperature. After so
long without a real bath the cat's fur was really a mess, this was going
to be a hard job. He made sure that he had all the grooming tools handy
and then reached back for the cat. "Ready for your bath?" he asked. The
cat nodded and jumped into his hands. <Looks like most of that purple
dye has worn off,> he thought as he rubbed a large mass of matted fur
and pulled it apart.

     He checked the water again and then gently lowered the cat into the
water. The cat was half immersed when the man felt her grow heavy.
Suddenly, he found himself holding a very beautiful woman, who was also
very naked and looking at him lovingly. "Yukiko!" he yelled. He lifted
the woman up and looked frantically around for the cat. "Damn, where did
the cat go! And where did you come from!" he screamed in panic.

     "Yukiko right here, kind man," the beautiful woman said and looked
into his eyes.

     "You... you're Yukiko?" the man asked, just barely registering the
fact that the woman had a Chinese accent.

     "Yes. How come you understand Yukiko now?" the woman asked,
confused.

     "Well, you're speaking Japanese and you're also a woman now instead
of a cat," the man said, still very confused. He knew he was holding a
woman in his arms, but he had still not registered that she was naked in
his shock over the sudden transformation.

     "No... Yukiko cat, you always call me cat," 'Yukiko' said, then
looked down at herself and screamed, "Aiyaaa!! What happen to Yukiko
body and fur?!?!?"

     "I don't know, this is very strange. Err...  ulp...  " the man
said, then stopped speaking suddenly as his brain finally realized she
was naked. Mostly because in her panic Yukiko had wrapped her arms
around the man's face and was pressing her ample breasts into his face.
He pulled her off his face and gently put her down on a bench nearby. He
grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body.

     "I thought you give Yukiko bath?" Yukiko asked, confused.

     "Well you do still need one," he said, then ran his hand through
her long, matted, black hair. He examined some of the purple splotches
in the hair, then noticed that while most of her hair was very long
there was a patch on her left temple that was noticeably shorter.
Nervously he felt for something he didn't want to believe was there. "My
god, you are the cat," he said as he found the scar on her head.

     "You rub Yukiko's tummy?"

     "I guess all those times I thought you knew what I was saying you
really did," he said, remembering.

     "Why nice man not wash Yukiko?"

     "Well you're not a cat anymore, it's really not right for me to
wash you."

     "Why?"

     "I'm a man and you're a woman."

     "Yukiko remember taking baths with other man like you, look
different, but still man."

     "Do you have a name?"

     "Yukiko. You give after I come to heaven."

     "This isn't heaven, it's a animal hospital. And I meant a human
name."

     "What human?"

     "Well I'm a human, and you're a human... now."

     "Yukiko thought Yukiko was cat?"

     "I did too. Do you remember anything before you came here?"

     "Little things. Faces, places, lots of water."

     "This man you mentioned, does he have a name."

     "Yukiko doesn't remember name."

     "Some kind of amnesia, probably from your accident," the man
theorized. "But how did you suddenly become human?"

     "Yukiko not know. Nice man have name?"

     "Hmmm, guess I never thought to introduce myself to you. My name is
Shinuma. Doctor Shinuma Dobutsu."

     "Yukiko love Shinuma."

     Blushing, Shinuma said, "Well that's nice. I guess I'll have to
clean you up. I just wish my assistant hadn't quit on me, they didn't
quite cover this situation in veterinary school."

     "Goody! You wash Yukiko, then rub my belly!" Yukiko exclaimed, then
threw off her towel and jumped into the tub.

     Shinuma sighed, blushed, and then filled the tub up more in order
to wash a full-grown woman instead of a little cat. A thought occurred
to him and he ran back to his room, bringing back a bucket.

     "What is that?" Yukiko said, playing in the hot water.

     "This is some human soap and shampoo. To clean you up with."

     "Shampoo? Strange word," Yukiko said, a strange look crossing her
face.

     Noticing her look, he asked, "Does it remind you of anything."

     "Not really, Yukiko just remember hearing it before Yukiko came
here."

     "We'll have to try and sort out your memories later."

     Awkwardly, Shinuma washed and shampooed the young woman in front of
him, letting Yukiko wash her more private parts herself. <She's so
beautiful,> he thought, then slapped himself mentally, and started
repeating internally, <She's a patient, just a patient, nothing wrong
with this.> Since his patients usually had four legs and fur, he didn't
quite convince himself. Once again, he realized that they didn't cover
this particular situation in veterinary school.

     It took him a long time to get Yukiko's hair cleaned and unsnarled,
but it finally was straight and completely black. He emptied the dirty
water out of the tub. "Okay, lets rinse you off. He reached over,
grabbed a showerhead, and turned on the water. He raised it over her
head and let the cool water flow over her body. Before his very eyes,
Yukiko transformed into a little cat again, only a lot cleaner than
before. "What the..." he gasped.

     The cat looked around the bottom of the tub, confused. She started
to meow repeatedly.

     "Yukiko? Was that all just my imagination?" Shinuma asked himself.
Then remembering the breasts that were pressed into his face, he
answered his own question, "No, not my imagination...  my imagination
isn't that good." He looked down at the cat dripping with water. The cat
sneezed. "Cold water," he said thoughtfully. He looked at the knobs on
the wall and adjusted the temperature of the water. He tested the
temperature again, then sprayed the cat with the hot water. The buxom
young woman appeared in front of him again.

     "What happened? Yukiko was small again."

     "You were a cat again. Cold water causes you to transform into a
cat and hot water transforms you back into a woman," he explained, as he
figured out the cause of her transformations. With a slip of the tongue
he added, "A beautiful woman."

     "Thank you," she blushed.

     "Well, let's finish up and then we'll have to talk and see if we
can find out who you are," the man said, then added to himself, <Or
what.>

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Later in Shinuma's apartment located above the animal hospital,
Yukiko was curled up in a tight ball on the sofa. She was wearing one of
Shinuma's robes. Shinuma brought out some tea for them and placed it on
the coffee table. Yukiko sensed him coming, rolled over, and stretched
her legs.

    "I've brought some tea for us," Shinuma said, and offered Yukiko a
cup.

     She took it, sniffed it, and finally sipped it. "It good!"

     "I'm glad you like it," Shinuma said. Then he thought about her
actions, <She does act like a cat sometimes, but she still knows some
human customs.>

     "Shinuma rub Yukiko's belly now?"

     Blushing, Shinuma finally relented to the repeated requests and
rubbed the woman's belly. To his surprise, Yukiko actually purred.
Shinuma smiled, but then blushed when the robe came open.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Ami, a short-haired college student who had just started as Doctor
Dobutsu's part-time assistant, walked into the animal hospital just in
time to see the doctor's pet cat, Koko, scurry off into the back. She
looked around, put her books on the reception desk. Then she walked over
to the fish tank and picked up the dress that was lying by the side of
the tank.

     "Yukiko is sure messy, why does she leave her dresses down in the
hospital all the time?" she asked no one in particular, then sighed and
folded the dress and put it in the usual place. <Only been here a week
and I'm already use to doing this. Figured I'd pickup after the animals
more than the Doctor's friend. Right... 'friend', I see the way those
two look at each other.> She smiled knowingly while grabbing some file
folders. She walked down to the cages to feed the animals.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma sat in his dinning room and pondered everything he knew
about his new houseguest. She had been sleeping by his bed, actually IN
his bed most nights, for the past two months. Actually, she had been
sleeping on a futon for the past two weeks once he discovered she was
human and not a cat. She had complained about this, but he insisted. He
knew that she was apparently human, at least some of the time, before he
first saw her transform. Most of her vague memories of people and places
seemed to be from a human perspective, so he suspected she was probably
born human.

     She remembered no names of people or places, just blurry images of
faces and events. Her strange way of talking, which he at first thought
might have been signs of brain damage, turned out to be just a lack of
knowledge of Japanese. She spoke fluent Chinese, but unfortunately, he
didn't.

     She was probably eighteen to twenty years old. She seemed to be in
good health, except for the recent broken legs--or broken arms and legs
when human--and head wound. He hoped the scar wouldn't be noticeable
once her hair grew back fully, since when he had put the stitches in he
had thought she was a cat.

     Then the white cat in question leaped into his lap and meowed.
After scratching the cat behind her ears and adjusting the red ribbon
around her neck, he picked her up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a
robe as he went.

     In the kitchen he repeated the procedure he had done many times for
the past two weeks: Fill the kettle with water, heat the water, pour it
over the cat, hold out the robe to the naked woman, blush as she thanked
him by hugging him.

     "Thank you Shinuma!" Yukiko explained, hugging him closely.

     "You have to learn to be more careful around water, Yukiko,"
Shinuma explained, blushing.

     "Yukiko know, Yukiko try harder."

     Shinuma examined her short black hair; the short cut she now
sported looked really good on her. Just about shoulder length, it bobbed
in the front and fell softly at her ears. He had hated to take her to
the hairdresser and have her long haircut, but with the shaved patch
around her head wound only partially grown out, she looked very
lopsided. It still wasn't perfect, but looked a lot better. Not that she
needed any help being pretty, he knew. The red ribbon that held her hair
up, and helped disguise the shorter hair around her scar, was a present
from him. Well technically, all of her clothes were presents from him.

     He had done some calling around, but still no reports of a woman or
cat matching her descriptions. He secretly worried about her finding out
who she was and leaving, but nonetheless he still tried to help her
remember who she was.

     "How did you get wet this time?" he finally asked.

     "Tried to catch fish in big bowl!" Yukiko exclaimed, then said
sadly, "They get away."

     Shinuma sighed. The fish bowl in the front office of his animal
hospital. "So you stuck your human hand in to catch the fish, then
became a cat?" Shinuma asked, then burst out laughing.

     Yukiko looked at the laughing man, then said sadly, "Yes. Yukiko
forgot."

     "You were living as a cat for so long after your injuries that you
really picked up some cat behaviors. I guess my treating you like a cat
didn't help matters."

     "No! You save Yukiko! Yukiko love you!" Yukiko said and gave him a
big kiss.

     "You really shouldn't do that. You think you love me because I
helped you get well," Shinuma tried to explain, for the umpteenth time.

     "No! I love you!"

     Shinuma blinked in surprise at her sudden change in speech. "Why
did you suddenly use *I*, Yukiko?"

     Yukiko frowned and thought for a second. "Yukiko not know... just
suddenly felt that was the proper way to express Yukiko's love for you.
Is honorable, yes?"

     "Honorable? Well, referring to yourself as I  and me is correct,
but I've never considered it particularly honorable." Shinuma wondered
if this was something from her past life reasserting itself as she
started getting used to being a human again.

     "Yukiko not use those words then." She frowned and looked at the
ground.

     He shook his head. "No, it's okay to use those words. In fact, it
may help you to remember if you learn to speak Japanese better."

     Yukiko looked up and at Shinuma's eyes, like a little lost girl.
"Shinuma teach Yuki... me how to speak Japanese better?"

     Unable to resist the look he gave her, he nodded and smiled. "Yes,
at least until we find out who you are and where you came from."

     Yukiko was happy and hugged Shinuma.

     "Well, go get dressed and we'll go down the police station and look
at those pictures I told you about, maybe even get some dinner." He was
thankful that she had quickly learned to dress herself. He can still
remember the first time he tried to get her into a bra. Since he had no
idea how to put a bra on in the first place, trying to show Yukiko how
to put it on turned into a very embarrassing and awkward experience for
him. After he hired his new assistant, Ami, she had helped teach Yukiko
the skills needed to dress and take care of herself.

     He had only told Ami that Yukiko was a friend who had an accident
and forgotten certain things. He felt it better that her ability to
transform not become common knowledge until he found out who she was.
After all, she was in pretty bad shape when he found her that dark
night, so long ago. Someone had to have caused those injuries;
intelligent cats don't just walk off tall buildings. Sadly, he had
treated many other normal cats and dogs that had done just that during
the year he'd owned the animal hospital.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     At the local Shinjuku police station, Shinuma and Yukiko paged
through some books of pictures of missing women and girls. "All these
girls are missing?" Yukiko asked.

     "Yes, I'm afraid so. They go back a number of years, we have no
idea if you were reported missing two months ago or two years ago,"
Shinuma explained. He knew he probably should let the police do the
search and handle this matter, but he felt so protective about her and
worried that someone might try and exploit her ability to transform into
a cat. He never considered the possibility that he might be falling in
love with her and didn't want her to leave him.

     As Yukiko looked at each picture in the book she didn't even pause
on the page that had the picture of the young woman with the elaborately
styled, long, purple hair and fancy make up. After all, she had black
hair and the face she saw in the mirror wasn't made up like that. She
put the book down and grabbed another.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     They ate dinner at a little Chinese restaurant, since Shinuma knew
she was Chinese and hoped it might remind her of something.

     "How's the ramen?" Shinuma asked.

     "Good, but a little too much salt in the seasoning, could have been
cooked a little longer too," Yukiko explained like an expert.

     Surprised, Shinuma said, "You sound like you know how to cook
ramen."

     Yukiko just shrugged. Then she said, "Yukiko just knew that."

     "Well, we'll have to see if you can remember anything about cooking
later."

     "Okay! Yukiko cook you dinner tomorrow!"

     "I'd like that," he replied. <I really would,> he admitted to
himself.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma and Yukiko were walking home after dinner when they saw
four teenage boys standing in their way. Shinuma was immediately
suspicious. The masks the four boys wore said they were up to no good.
The school uniforms with the Hawaiian pattern on them said they had no
sense of concealment. Or fashion sense, for that matter. Shinuma stepped
in front of Yukiko protectively and said, "I don't know what you want,
but I don't have much cash on me. You might as well not bother."

     One of the masked boys replied, "Ha! If I had a Yen for everyone
who ever told me that!"

     Another masked boy said, "We do. We always rob them anyway."

     The first masked boy said, "Oh... right. Give us your wallet and
the girl!"

     Shinuma reached for his wallet. "You can have the money, just leave
her alone!"

     The boys just grabbed the wallet and pushed Shinuma down as they
approached Yukiko. One of them grabbed her wrist.

     One of the more intelligent boys thought, <Haven't I seen this girl
before?> His thought was interrupted by a swift kick from the girl into
his solar plexus. He collapsed in pain.


     After the initial kick, Yukiko went into full action. Mostly by
instinct, she flipped the boy who had grabbed her wrist over her back
and sent him flying into a concrete wall. The other two boys tried to
flank her on each side, but Yukiko did a high flip when they both ran
towards her. They collided and sank dazed to the sidewalk. Her flip
landed her on top of the first boy, who was just getting up again. He
ended up on his back again, with a swift kick to his chin Yukiko
rendered him unconscious. She did a quick spin move on top of the
unconscious boy's groin and kicked the boy who was sneaking up behind
her. The boy went flying across the street and the knife he was carrying
imbedded itself in the wall right next to Shinuma's head.

     Shinuma blinked finally, after just staring in disbelief at the
fight that had unfolded in front of his eyes. He was amazed at Yukiko's
moves and decided that she must have trained as a martial artist for
most of her life to be able to react like that with barely any
hesitation.

     The boys hadn't given up yet, so Yukiko snapped two nearby parking
meters off near their heads and hefted the improvised bonbori in front
of her. The boys tried to flank her again, but Yukiko smashed one of the
parking meters over one boy's head and the other was thrust into the
other's gut. She followed with a blow to his face. Both boys collapsed.

     Yukiko relaxed her battle stance only when she was sure that all
four attackers were unconscious. She looked around, dropped the parking
meters, and helped Shinuma to his feet. She glanced at the knife in the
wall, paused, then pulled it out of the wall and put it into her
handbag. "Shinuma okay?" she finally asked.

     Shaken, Shinuma said, "Um, yeah. That was amazing. Where did you
learn moves like that?"

     Yukiko shrugged. "Yukiko not know. Just reacted."

     "Well nothing cat-like in those moves, that was the reaction of a
well trained martial artist."

     "Yukiko do good?"

     "Very good, I just wish I could have helped more."

     "Shinuma helped. Yukiko fought for her man," Yuki declared, then
smiled lovingly at him.

     Shinuma blushed. Then he collected his dropped wallet and they made
their way back home.

     When the four thugs regained consciousness they quickly ran back to
Nerima. One of the boys cried out, "Whose bright idea was it to come to
Shinjuku to avoid all the martial artists in Nerima?"

     One of the other boys, who was still rubbing his sore groin, said,
"It was your idea."

     "Oh... right."

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma awoke the next morning to find that Yukiko was sleeping
peacefully in his bed with him. He turned on the light and woke her up.
"Yukiko I've asked you not to sleep in my bed, it's not proper."

     The only response he got was a short "Meow". Since Yukiko was a
cat, he shouldn't have expected more.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     "Ami! Soichiro is licking his bandage again!" Yukiko's voice yelled
from the back of the animal hospital.

     Ami looked up from her textbook and sighed, then yelled back,
"Coming, Yukiko!" She marked her page, then got up from the
receptionist's desk and went to the back.

     Yukiko passed Ami on her way to the front, a small black cat was
cradled in Yukiko's arms. Yukiko called out, "Miss? Here is your cat.
She's just fine. Her leg is just sprained."

     The young girl put down the Manga she was reading, got up and
walked over to Yukiko. "Oh good," the girl said, then took the black cat
into her arms.

     "Try to keep her off her feet for a few days," Yukiko said, then
checked the cat's file and then added, "Looks like Ami took the payment
already, so you all set."

     "Thank you. And thank the cute doctor for me!"

     Yukiko scowled as the girl left.

     Yukiko was going to sit down at the desk, when Ami reappeared and
said, "Yukiko, the doctor needs your help in room five. Some cat is
giving him trouble."

     "Oh, okay!" Yukiko chimed and headed down the hall.

     Ami watched her go, then thought, <I wonder why he always needs
Yukiko for the troublesome cats?> She heard the door open and turned
around. "Can I help you?" Ami asked the couple who came in.

     "Yes, we are looking for this girl or this cat," the tall man
asked, and held out a flyer with pictures of a heavily made up Shampoo
and a pink cat with purple ears on it.

     Ami looked at the pictures briefly, then said, "Never seen the
woman before or the cat. I can tell you for sure that we don't have any
pink cats here."

     "She may be white if the dye has worn off," Mousse suggested.

     "Nope, no white cats in the hospital either. Well...  the Doctor's
own cat is white, but he's had it for a long time," Ami informed them.
Having been told that Koko was the doctor's cat, she had naturally
assumed he'd had her for a long time before she started working at the
hospital.

     "Thank you very much, can we put a flyer up on your bulletin
board?" Nabiki asked.

     "Sure," Ami replied.

     Nabiki tacked the flyer to the board, then she turned to leave.

     "Ami! Can you help us back here!" Shinuma's voice called out.

     "Sure, Doctor!" Ami replied, then rushed back to the exam rooms.

     As Nabiki and Mousse closed the door, the flyer fell off the board
and ended up behind a large bookcase. Yukiko rushed out at that moment
and grabbed a couple towels from under the reception desk. She noticed
two people walk past the front window before she took the towels back.


***********************************************************************
April 10, 1999 - Nerima, Japan


     "Wait a second... you were living at that animal hospital in
September?" Nabiki asked, interrupting Yukiko's story.

     "Yes."

     "Damn, Mousse and I almost found you then," Nabiki said, her mind
racing with the implications of what might have happened if they had.

     "Mousse is that Amazon guy that turns into a duck, right?" Yukiko
asked, trying to remember what they had already told her about her past.

     "Yes," Nabiki said simply, not wanting to go into details about
Mousse.

     "Excuse me, but did you say Ami Fujihara was working at your animal
hospital?" Kasumi asked.

     "Yes. She's my best friend!" Yukiko said, smiling.

     "She's one of my friends from medical school too," Kasumi
explained. "That means that Doctor Dobutsu is the one who diagnosed
Akane's pet pig's pregnancy."

     "Oh, the cute little pot-bellied piggy?" Yukiko asked. Kasumi
nodded. "Yes, she was such a good girl during the examination." She
glanced at Ryoga. "You the father?"

     Ryoga got to his feet and shouted, "No! I'm not!"

     Ukyo pulled him back down. "Relax, Pig-boy. She was just asking."

     "Looks like we've been unlucky never to find you before now," Ranma
mentioned.

     <Or lucky,> Nabiki thought to herself.


***********************************************************************
October-December 1998 - Shinjuku, Japan; Kitakyushu, Japan


     Yukiko brought out two bowls of hot ramen and knelt down at the
table.

     "Thanks for the help today, you're a real help with the cats,"
Shinuma said.

     "Oh. Yukiko know how they think," Yukiko said, smiling back at
Shinuma. "Just wish I could help with the dogs more, they seem to be
angry at me all the time."

     "Well dogs will be dogs," the young doctor said, with a smile.

     "Yukiko likes to help."

     "Yukiko, are you happy here?"

     "Yes, Yukiko very happy!"

     "I'm glad. Do you ever wonder what your life was like before your
accident?"

     "Sometimes, but Yukiko happy here with Shin!"

     "I'm happy you're here too," Shinuma said, smiling. Then after
working up his nerve, he asked, "This may not be fair of me to ask, what
with you not remembering anything before your accident and all, but
would you like to go to the movies with me tonight?"

     "Sure, but we go to movies before," Yukiko said, a little confused.

     "Well, this would be more like a date."

     "Like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

     "Yes."

     "Yukiko so happy!" Yukiko exclaimed, then jumped over and gave
Shinuma a big kiss. For the first time, he returned the offered kiss.

     They ate their ramen and then went over to the couch. Shinuma
reached for a book. "Want to study your Japanese some more?"

     "Okay, but would rather kiss you."

     Shinuma blushed. "We can do both."

     And they did.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Ranma swore. Then she looked around at the crowded department store
and swore softly again, "Damn that Happosai! He is really getting on my
nerves lately." Trying to hide her naked body, she stealthily made her
way to the clothing department. She used various displays, mannequins,
and customers as shields not to be seen. Normally she wouldn't mind
being seen naked as a girl, but the police officers that had chased her
into the store would probably end up arresting her if they caught her.
Suddenly, Ranma froze in the position she was in.

     Two police officers walked by her, looking around the store. "You
see her yet?" one of the officers asked, as he scanned the display of
mannequins. They were apparently having their clothes changed, since
they were all undressed. He didn't take any particular notice of the
redheaded mannequin in the back, but two pre-teen boys were taking their
time examining the 'mannequin'. They seemed to be fascinated by the
nipples and pubic hair on it, since they never saw that sort of thing in
anime shows on TV.

     "Nope, let's give it up," the other officer replied, then added,
"She was quite a looker, wasn't she?" The redheaded mannequin behind
them sneered.

     "Yup, wouldn't mind handcuffing that fine piece of ass," the first
officer replied. The redheaded mannequin showed remarkable restraint in
not blasting the two police officers into burnt husks.

     Once the two officers were out of sight, and the two pre-teen boys
stopped gawking at her, Ranma stepped down and found a dress to put on.
When she walked out of the department store, she saw a girl with short
dark blue hair over in the cosmetics department. <Akane?> she thought,
then started to walk towards the girl. She stopped when the girl turned
around and she realized it wasn't Akane.

     Ranma turned around and left, just when the girl next to the first
girl turned around and straightened her shoulder length black hair,
which was held in place with a red ribbon.

     "Ami, is this one nice?" Yukiko asked the shorthaired girl and held
out a tube of lipstick.

     Ami looked at Yukiko's selection, she said, "Yes, I think that
lipstick would look good on you."

     "Okay, now still have to get gift for Shinuma," Yukiko said, then
paid the clerk for her assorted cosmetic purchases.

     "You and the doctor have been getting pretty close lately."

     "Yes. Yukiko love Shin, want to get him something really nice!"
Yukiko exclaimed, as they wandered over to the men's department.

     "Well, I'm sure anything you get him he'll love. Something handmade
would be nice, but it may be too late to make something before
Christmas."

     "Well, I'm going to make him a big dinner for him, but want other
present for him, something special."

     "You sure do love each other. Well, let's see...  It rains pretty
often around here, an umbrella might be nice. Or maybe something for
your apartment. It's the thought that really counts."

     "So Yukiko have to think of something that shows how much I love
him?" Yukiko asked.

     "That's a good start."

     Yukiko thought as she looked at the shelves. Ami was looking at
something on the other side of the aisle when Yukiko missed seeing a
bucket of water on the floor. She stepped into it and fell to the
ground, the water splashing over her body.

     Ami looked back around at the noise and didn't see Yukiko anywhere,
she called out, "Yukiko? Where are you Yukiko?" She glanced down and
noticed Yukiko's clothing and bags. "Yukiko?" Ami picked up the clothing
and bags and continued to look around. Then she felt the clothing move
and a white cat poked its head out of the clothing. "Koko? What on Earth
are you doing here inside Yukiko's clothes?" Ami asked, using the name
that Yukiko and Shinuma used for Yukiko's cat form around other people.

     The cat looked around, then looked pleadingly up at Ami. The cat
emitted a short, "Meow."

     "Damn, where has Yukiko gone off to? I hope she didn't have one of
her streaking episodes again," Ami sighed, looking around for Yukiko.
She held the cat in her arms.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     "Doctor! Doctor, Yukiko disappeared at the store!" Ami called out,
as she ran into the hospital with the white cat in her arms.

     "What?!?!" Shinuma's shocked voice called out from the back. He
rushed out into the reception area, then stopped and visibly relaxed
when he saw Ami holding the cat.

     "We were at a store and she just disappeared, leaving behind her
clothes again. For some reason Koko was in her dress," Ami said. "She's
going to get arrested one of these days if she does stop streaking."

     Shinuma grinned. Then deciding that they could trust Ami, he said,
"I'm sure Yukiko is alright. If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll let
you in on a secret."

     "Secret?"

     "Yes, about Yukiko's accident and why I'm so protective of her,"
Shinuma said.

     "Well, I'll help Yukiko anyway I can. She's my best friend," Ami
declared. The cat in her arms looked up and meowed, then started to purr
when Ami scratched the cat's back.

     "Okay, let's go to the bathroom."

     Confused, Ami followed Shinuma to the bathroom.

     Shinuma took the cat from Ami and placed her on the floor, then
turned on the showerhead and adjusted the water to be hot enough. Ami
stood in the doorway and just looked on as Shinuma sprayed the cat with
the hot water. Yukiko appeared where the cat was.

     Ami gasped. "Yukiko is a cat?"

     "Sort of, she's human and a cat. Hot water turns her human, cold
water turns her into a cat," Shinuma explained, then sprayed Yukiko with
cold water to demonstrate. She meowed once, before being sprayed with
hot water again to transform back to a young woman.

     "Yukiko sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner, but Shin worry that
people not understand this," Yukiko explained, as she dried off. She
retrieved her clothes from Ami, who was still shocked.

     "Yes, someone must have caused her accident--if it was an
accident--so I just wanted to keep her safe," Shinuma explained.

     "So, every time I found Yukiko's clothes lying around, it was
because of her changing into a cat?" Ami finally asked. Shinuma and
Yukiko both nodded. "Weird. Well I won't tell anyone... I'm not even
sure I believe it yet. Of course I just saw it with my own eyes."

     "Thank you Ami, you're a good friend," Yukiko said, then hugged the
other woman.

     "Do you get hair balls?" Ami asked, since the question suddenly
popped into her head for some reason. Yukiko nodded, sadly.

     Shinuma laughed. "I found her as a cat and nursed her back to
health. I didn't even know she was human until almost two months later."

     "Wow. No wonder you're so good with the cats Yukiko, you speak
their language," Ami suggested.

     "Not exactly, most cats stupid. They just meow gibberish, but
Yukiko can somehow sense their feelings and help calm them down," Yukiko
informed Ami.

     "How did it happen this time, Yukiko?" Shinuma asked.

     "Yukiko stepped in bucket of water and became cat," Yukiko said,
then looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

     "That's okay Yukiko. No harm done," Shinuma said, looking down at
his girlfriend. "Well, did you have fun shopping otherwise?"

     "Yes, Ami helped me get nice lipstick and blush, and perfume so I
can look pretty for you!" Yukiko exclaimed.

     "Well, you save that for special occasions. You are always
beautiful," Shinuma said.

     "Thank you!" Yukiko cried, then leapt into Shinuma's arms and
kissed him deeply.

     "Um...  I'm still here, you guys," Ami said. The kissing couple
didn't seem to hear her, so she just walked up to the front of the
clinic, but not before she heard Yukiko start to purr. <That is so
freaky.>

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma, Yukiko, and Ami knelt at the dinner table. Yukiko had just
finished serving the elaborate Christmas dinner she had made.

     "Thank you for inviting me for dinner tonight, Doctor. I hope I'm
not intruding," Ami said.

     "You're more than welcome. You have been working hard in the
hospital and we both consider you our friend," Shinuma said.

     "Yukiko, these are great!" Ami declared, munching on a pork bun.

     "Thank you."

     "So, you're not going home for the break, Ami?" Shinuma asked.

     "Nope, I'm afraid that I'm broke. Poor college student and all."

     "I understand. It's been a couple years, but I remember trying to
make ends meet during my first couple of years as a college student. My
parents couldn't afford to send me much from what they made on their
farm."

     "Tell me about it. My parents were so happy about me getting into
medical school until they saw the bills." Ami smiled.

     Shinuma nodded. "Well, I'm happy you can help us out here."

     "Well, even treating animals is good experience for a future
doctor. Much better than working at McDonalds."

     "I can imagine... I worked at McDonalds during my Freshman year."

     Ami laughed. "Although I did have an embarrassing thing happen when
my professor asked me how to see if a patient was in shock."

     "How so?"

     Ami blushed a bit in embarrassment. "I told him that you felt their
paws to see if they were cold from lack of blood flow."

     Shinuma let out a laugh.

     Yukiko looked confused. "But that's true."

     "Not for humans, it isn't."

     "Oh, yeah."

     Ami finished slurping some ramen noodles into her mouth. "Yukiko,
what did you put in this ramen? I haven't tasted ramen this good for
ages, actually since last year when I was looking at colleges over in
Nerima."

     "Well, Yukiko... I just cooked it by instinct. Shin says I must
have been cook or something before the accident," Yukiko informed Ami,
correcting her speech. Her Japanese had been steadily getting better
over the past couple of months with Shinuma's help.

     "She can make a wide variety of dishes," Shinuma replied.

     "She'll make you a good wife, Doctor."

     Shinuma and Yukiko both blushed. Shinuma was so flustered he
dropped a pork bun on his shirt, causing a stain.

     "Oh my, let me get something to clean that up," Ami offered, then
got up and went over to the little kitchen. She came back with a towel
and glass of water. She tripped over a seam in the floor and spilled the
water over Yukiko. "Oh...Yukiko, I'm so-" was all she managed to say
before she saw Yukiko disappear. She blinked then looked down and saw
the cat walk out of Yukiko's dress. "Sorry about that, Yukiko."

     "You know the routine," Shinuma said, smiling.

     "Yup," Ami said. She picked up the cat and dress then followed
Shinuma to the bathroom. "I still can't believe you're in love with a
cat."

     "Well, I don't think of her as a cat. Well, maybe a little when she
insists that I rub her belly," Shinuma explained.

     "Kinky."

     Shinuma blushed.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     On a small farm just outside of Kitakyushu, a city in the southern
part of Japan, Shinuma leaned against a fence and watched Yukiko try to
chase down an errant pig. He smiled as she finally managed to catch the
little pig. Then he laughed softly when the pig squirmed out of her
hands and took off again. "That's okay, Yukiko, he'll come back
eventually."

    Yukiko was frowning as she returned to Shinuma's side. "I'm sorry...
I shouldn't have opened the gate."

    "That's okay." Shinuma pulled her into a hug.

    "Catch that rascal yet?" an older man asked as he walked up to the
couple.

    Yukiko shook her head. "No. He too fast."

    "That's okay, dear, the little runt always comes back when he gets
hungry. Not like that other pig I bought as a stud a few months back.
So, Yukiko, how do you like the little farm where Shinuma grew up?"

    Yukiko smiled broadly. "I love it. All the animals and the clean
air. Lots nicer than Tokyo."

     Shinuma's father smiled. "I keep trying to get Shinuma to come back
to take care of the farm, but he's such a city boy."

     "Father, please don't start that. I'm happy in Tokyo."

     His father huffed. "Should have bought the horse instead."

     Yukiko looked confused. "Horse?"

     "Well, we were planning on buying a new horse for the farm, but
then Mother had to have another child." He looked over at his son.
"That's why we called him Shinuma, because we could have afforded a 'new
horse' if he didn't show up." He started laughing.

     Shinuma sighed. "I bought you a horse last year for your
anniversary, Dad! Can't you let that old story rest now?"

     "As soon as you come home to take care of the farm, I will."

     Shinuma rolled his eyes.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma was sitting on the edge of a bed, nervously checking his
watch when Yukiko slipped out of the hotel bathroom in her kimono. She
did a quick spin to show it off.

     Shinuma gasped. "Yukiko, you look beautiful in that."

     "Thank you, Shin. You look great too!" Yukiko said, hugging
Shinuma.

     "Thanks. What did you think of my parents farm?"

     Yukiko beamed. "I loved all the animals and your mom and dad are
nice people, just like you!"

     "My parents seemed quite impressed with you too." He checked his
watch. "Are you ready for dinner?"

     She nodded, then looked out the window. "Yup! It's so different
from Tokyo down here."

     "Yes, but Tokyo has it's own charms."

     Shinuma and Yukiko left their room just as Ranma and Akane entered
the room next door and closed their door.

     "What are you hungry for?" Shinuma asked.

     "Something besides Chinese food. I make that all the time," Yukiko
said.

     "That's for the best, I doubt we could find someplace that makes
Chinese food better than you."

     "Thank you, Shin," Yukiko said then stood on her tiptoes and kissed
Shinuma.

     As the couple walked around a corner, a door opened and a nervous
Ranma looked out. "What is it?" Akane's voice called out from inside the
room.

     "I could have sworn I heard a voice I recognized," Ranma said, then
closed the door again, walked over, and sat down on a bench with Akane.

     "You're just nervous about spending tonight with me in a hotel
room," Akane suggested. On the mountain or in the forest at least they
were relativity safe from accidental discovery. Not quite true of a
hotel in a large city like Kitakyushu.

     "Yeah, that's probably it," Ranma agreed, then kissed Akane.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Shinuma and Yukiko found a very nice French restaurant and sat down
for a pleasant meal. "Yukiko, do you ever wish you knew who you were
before the accident?" Shinuma asked, halfway through the meal.

     "Sometimes, but I'm happy with Shin."

     "Could you be happy with me forever?"

     "Yukiko hope so. Of all the people I have met since the accident,
only Shinuma make me feel happy all over and all the time."

     "Yukiko, I want you to be happy. Would you like to get married?"
Shinuma asked. Yukiko looked at Shinuma then broke down crying.
Shinuma's face fell. He tried to comfort her, "Yukiko, I'm sorry. That
wasn't fair of me to ask you that without you knowing about your past."

     Wiping her eyes, Yukiko finally said, "Not sad. Tears of joy!
Yukiko'd love to marry you!" Then she jumped into Shinuma's lap and
kissed him. It took Shinuma several minutes to catch his breath after
the kisses for him to be able to give Yukiko her ring, but he did
eventually give it to her.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Ranma and Akane, both wearing kimonos, sat on the lawn in front of
the hotel. They held each other close and looked up at the fireworks.

     "Lovely," Akane commented.

     "Yes, both you and the fireworks."

     "Thank you, Ranma."

     They enjoyed the fireworks and held each other close. They didn't
notice Yukiko and Shinuma walk by them and go into the hotel; each
couple only had eyes for each other that night.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     That night Shinuma allowed Yukiko to sleep in his bed for the first
time since discovering she was human, although she had snuck into his
bed several times despite his protests. Shinuma slept soundly as the
little white cat slept on top of his chest.


***********************************************************************
April 10, 1999 - Nerima, Japan


     "You were staying at that hotel on New Years Eve too?" Ranma asked,
amazed. As were Sanma and Ranko, since they had all still been a single
Ranma at the time.

     "Yes, Shin proposed to me that night. That's why I was so upset
when I found out I was already married to Ranma. Or thinking I was,"
Yukiko explained.

     "Ranma, all three of you... what were YOU doing at an hotel on New
Year's Eve with my daughter?" Soun asked, his head seeming to grow to
ten times its normal size.

     The three Ranmas all backed away from Akane's angry father.
"Well... err... um..." Ranma stammered. Ranko and Sanma were just about
as coherent.

     Nabiki smirked. "Who had December in the pool?"

     Nodoka smiled. "I did."

     Nabiki pulled her organizer out and made a notation. "I'll get your
winnings for you later."

     "A day later and I would have won! How could you not wait for the
New Year!" Soun shouted. Apparently, he was more upset at losing the bet
than his daughter losing her virginity.

     Ms. Hinako tried to calm him down with a backrub. She was in her
adult form, thanks to her fighting fish, since she had discovered that
he was uncomfortable with her giving him backrubs while she was in her
child form for some reason.

     Ranma glared at all the assembled so-called friends and family.
"What the hell were you all betting on?"

     Nabiki just smirked and winked at Ranma, who grew very pale. As did
Ranko and Sanma.

     Yukiko just looked at the assembled people and tried to figure out
why they were so weird.


***********************************************************************
January-April 1999 - Shinjuku, Japan


     Ami had just finished feeding the animals and then sat down at the
front desk to study for her finals, when Yukiko burst into the animal
hospital and hugged Ami with all her might. Ami gasped, "Yukiko...
too... tight..."

     Yukiko released her, then sang, "Ami! Look what Shin gave me!"
Yukiko held out her hand and showed the engagement ring to Ami.

     "Wow, so he popped the question, huh?" Ami asked. Yukiko nodded
emphatically. Ami hugged Yukiko a little more gently.

     "Yup! I'm going to be Mrs. Shinuma Dobutsu in April!"

     "That soon? Well, I'm really glad for you Yukiko. You two are great
together."

     "You'll be my maid of honor, right?"

     "You know I will."

     Shinuma walked in with their bags, put them down, and then said, "I
see Yukiko has already told you."

     "Yup! Congrats, Doctor!" Ami gave him a hug. "So is this why you
wanted her to meet your folks?"

     "One of the reasons," Shinuma replied.

     "Okay, Japanese wedding, Western wedding, or Chinese wedding?" Ami
asked.

     Yukiko and Shinuma just looked at each other and shrugged.

     "Okay then, lets get our thinking caps on."

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     The weeks passed. Yukiko continued to learn Japanese, Ami continued
her studies at medical school, and Shinuma went to a weeklong veterinary
conference. Yukiko wanted to go with him, but Shinuma had insisted that
she would be bored. So, Yukiko spent most of her time taking care of the
animals boarded at the hospital and working out on the rooftop.

     One day while Shinuma was gone on his trip, Yukiko was on the roof
dressed in a black, skin-tight leotard that covered her whole body. Of
course, it didn't exactly hide the sensuous curves of her body, much to
the delight of men living in the nearby high rises. Sales of binoculars
in the surrounding area had risen dramatically since Yukiko had started
working out on the roof of the animal hospital.

     She held two bonbori in her hands and leapt around the rooftop,
striking at various practice dummies.

     She stopped after sending one of the makeshift dummies crashing to
the street below. She scurried over to the roof's edge and looked down
to make sure no one was hurt. "Oops.... sorry!" she called down.

     "That was quite a workout."

     Yukiko spun around at hearing the voice. "Shin!" She ran over and
gave him a tight embrace and kiss. "Welcome home! I missed you!"

     Shinuma smiled. "Me too, but I had to go to that conference to
learn new ways of treating the animals."

     "I know, but Yukiko still missed her man. So what did you bring
me?"

     "A date."

     Yukiko frowned. "We already have many dates. We engaged now."

     "A wedding date. I talked to my parents and they can get away from
the farm on April twenty-fourth."

     Yukiko smiled and broke into tears. "I'm so happy!" And so was
Shinuma after being kissed repeatedly by Yukiko.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     "Why do they want so many cats?" Shinuma asked Ami.

     "My friend Kasumi said that her sister needs them to rescue her
fiance from the clutches of a evil brother and sister," Ami explained,
not mentioning that Kasumi had said 'fiances'. Amy assumed that had just
been mistake.

     Yukiko walked out of the kitchen with a tray of steaming bowls in
her hands and started distributing them.

     "Sounds kind of weird, but I have heard some unusual stories about
Nerima so you never know. I'm not sure it's safe..." Shinuma trailed off
as he took the offered bowl from Yukiko.

     "She said they would be, but I'll go along to make sure," Ami said.

     "I guess it would be okay then."

     "I'll go too! I can go as a cat and make doubly sure nothing goes
wrong," Yukiko offered.

     Ami smiled. "I'll bring a bottle of hot water then."

     Yukiko smiled. "Good idea. If they try hurting a hair on the cats,
I'll transform and give them a big surprise."

     Shinuma nodded. "You'll be naked. That shocked me the first time it
happened." He smiled.

     "I'll bring an extra workout leotard for Yukiko, too," Ami said,
unable to hide the sly grin on her face.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     After the battle and the Ranmas were released from the Kunos' magic
pins at the zoo, Ami helped Ukyo, Kang, and Konatsu round up the cats.

     "Um, does this sort of thing happen often around here?" Ami asked,
while collecting the cats.

     Ukyo smiled. "Yes, it does."

     Kang let out a big laugh. "And I thought the outback was exciting."

     "This is just the tip of the iceberg, Sugar," Ukyo said, smiling at
Kang. Konatsu frowned when he saw the look they exchanged.

     Ami finished collecting cats and then held out her arms for the
last one. A small white cat with a red ribbon tied around its neck
obediently jumped into her arms.

     The cat seemed to be confused for some reason and stared at the
retreating group of people headed for Dr. Tofu's clinic with the
unconscious Akane in their arms. She seemed to be looking at the young
man with the pigtail in particular. A very disturbed look formed on her
furry face the more she looked at the retreating Ranma.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     "I love you, Husband!!" a girl with long purple hair called out and
jumped into a boy's arms. He had black hair, which was tied in a short
pigtail, and was wearing a red Chinese shirt.

     The world blurred and the same girl, naked this time, jumped into
the same boy's arms and started kissing him. "You good husband. Make
Shampoo all tingly and warm inside!"

     The world blurred again. "Wo ai ni," the purple-haired woman
slipped her tongue into the boy's mouth and kissed him deeply.

                    -C-           -M-           -D-

     Yukiko woke up, rose from her futon, and wiped the sweat off her
brow. She looked over to the bed where Shinuma slept and frowned. She
slipped her robe on and went to the kitchen.

     She started some tea brewing and sat down at the table. "Why Yukiko
having such dreams," she said to herself, letting her old speech
patterns slip in like she sometimes did when upset. "Ever since seeing
that man in the fight at the zoo I've had these dreams... why?"

     "Are you okay, Yukiko?" Shinuma asked, standing in the doorway.

     Yukiko started and looked over at Shinuma. She smiled, trying to
hide the worry she felt inside. "Yes, just couldn't sleep. Thinking
about wedding." She hated to fib, but she just couldn't bring herself to
tell Shinuma that she might be married already.

     Shinuma smiled and nodded. "I understand. I'm nervous as well. I
think it's natural." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek.

     Yukiko smiled to reassure him, but inwardly she was still worried
about that person called Ranma and why he had appeared to be her husband
for the last two or three years.


***********************************************************************
April 10, 1999 - Nerima, Japan


     "So you were one of those... cats... that snapped us out of the
magic the Kunos used?" Ranko asked, shuddering at the memory of that
experience.

     Yukiko nodded. "Yes, for the past week Yukiko have odd dreams where
it was clear I was your wife. Last night I remembered you living in this
area of Nerima, so I started asking around for you. What 'cross-dresser'
mean, anyway?"

     The Ranmas coughed nervously as the others tried not to laugh.

     Since no one else seemed to know what cross-dresser meant either,
Yukiko continued, "That's why I came over here to talk to you about a
divorce."

     "Well, that's not an issue anymore, since we're not really
married," Ranma said, relieved that she wasn't insisting that they get
married.

     "You really don't remember anything else about your life before the
accidents?" Nabiki asked, sounding concerned and, at the same time,
hopeful.

     "Only bits and pieces. Mostly things I recalled in the last two
weeks since that night at the zoo. I was so worried this morning about
being married to Ranma that I had to come over," Yukiko said.

     Nabiki visibly relaxed. "Yes, I imagine that thinking you were
married to Ranma would be very upsetting." She leaned back and smiled.

     "Hey!" Three voices called out in protest. Two female and one male
voice, to be exact.


***********************************************************************
>From the personal journal of James Davidson:


September 12, 2057

     "Sounds like Sham... Yukiko was relieved not to be married to
Ranma," I commented as Yukiko's daughter, Shashiki, finished her story.

     Shashiki smiled. "Yes, it hurt the three Ranmas' pride a bit, but
they got over it pretty fast. They had other things to worry about."

     I turned toward Akane. "Like you, Akane?"

     Akane nodded. "Yup, that interruption really made me angry. I
should have been happy at Shampoo coming back from the dead, but I lost
it. After so much had happened to me I just couldn't handle it any
more."

     "What did you do?"

     "Called off the wedding and ran away. Maybe if I didn't things
would have turned out differently, but in the end, two people I love
dearly gave up everything they knew and loved for my happiness."

     I didn't know exactly what happened after that last aborted
wedding, since Akane was so tight lipped about these things, but I
imaged it must have been very hard for Ranko and Sanma to give up Akane
so that Ranma could marry her. But then, I'm sure the Buyierfei attacks
at the turn of the millennium caused many peoples' lives to be
drastically changed. I know my parents' were. If not for those events,
my mother might have married her first love instead of my father. So,
you could say that my sister and me exist because of the 'Three
Harbingers of the Blackness', as the monoliths of 1999 came to be known.

     "Well, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow."

     "Not if my husband gets home tonight." Akane winked.

     I sighed. "You really should act your age, Akane."

     "And miss out on all the fun? Not a chance, James."

     "Okay, I'll check your schedule before I head over. Will it be
listed as 'having sex'?"

     "Probably." Akane grinned and gave me a cheek kiss. "Get home to
your wife, James. All work and no play makes our best pilot cranky."

     I realized I couldn't win this conversation, so Shashiki and me
made our good-byes and walked away together. "So why do they call you
Shampoo anyway?"

     Shashiki sighed. "You really want to know?"

     I nodded. "Yes, but if you don't want to talk about it..."

     "That's okay. It all goes back to my first love. Let's just say
that the laws of the Amazons can be very useful for a young girl in
love."

     I smiled. "Let me guess, you used the kiss of death law to hook
yourself a man?"

     She nodded. "Yes, but despite my love for him, it didn't work out."

     "I'm sorry."

     "Well, we can't all have fairytale romances like Akane."

     I almost choked on my tongue. "Um, I know Akane loved all three of
them, but I wouldn't call it a fairytale."

     Shashiki smiled. "What else could you call a love story involving
four people where the heroine has a chance to marry all three of her
loves?"

     Considering some of the other events that occurred I could call it
a nightmare, but Akane seemed to have adjusted to the mayhem of her
life. Of course, I didn't have the whole story yet. "I'll have to take
you word for it, since Akane won't let me in on the whole story."

     "Well, she has issued strict orders not to tell you about the
families' history."

     "Yeah, I know. I can't even get the system to give me even basic
information about the history and the family members."

     Shashiki smiled. "Try bribing the Reis sometime. They'll do almost
anything for a copy of old Star Trek episodes on Holo-Disc."

     "Star Trek?" The name did ring a bell; I'll have to look it up
later. "Well, that would be a little underhanded of me to go behind her
back."

     She giggled. "You should have seen the investigation report she had
done on you when you first asked to do the book."

     I suspected that she probably had a report done on me. Someone in
Akane's position doesn't give just anyone the type of access I had when
writing the first book. "I can imagine, but I can't blame her for being
careful about people from outside the family."

     "Did you ever get over that bladder control problem?"

     I blanched. Could the report have been that detailed? "Maybe I
should talk to the Reis after all."

     Shashiki chuckled. "You do that."

                    -E-           -V-           -A-

     Later that night, I was working on revisions to the early chapters
that I have already had a chance to write. I shut off my editing window
when Hanaki slid into the futon next to me.

     After giving me a kiss, she asked, "How's the book coming?"

     I smiled. "Pretty good, but it seems like there's more to her story
than I could have ever imagined."

     "Thinking of ending the book earlier than you planned?"

     "Not yet... but I might have too. I expected to be up the Three
Harbingers by now."

     "Well, my aunt has had a very full life."

     "Yes, I've come to realize that. Well with any luck, tomorrow I can
get her to describe the events leading up to the appearance of the
First."

     "Doubtful, I flew her husband in an hour ago."

     If Hanaki didn't start nibbling on my chest at that point, I might
have cried. Knowing Akane, having her husband home after being gone for
such a long time is likely to put my research behind for at least a
couple days, maybe more.


[End - Chapter 16]

Coming soon: Chapter 17: The Wedding in the Eye of the Storm
=======================================================================
The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings:


This chapter originally was written as the majority of chapter 4 with
some of the later Shampoo/Yukiko events spread out over the rest of the
series. As I plotted events out to Akane's next two attempted weddings I
discovered that the shifting of the story back to Yukiko's story would
be distracting, so I decided to wait until her reappearance. Plus this
gave me a GREAT way to shock my readers and break up Ranko and Akane's
wedding.

Just in case if you think I resurrected Shampoo out of the blue here,
look back at chapter 4 and you'll see two of the near misses were in
there from Nabiki/Mouse and Ranma/Akane's perspectives.

I almost put the department store scene on into chapter 4 as well, but
chapter 4 was already long enough. The final chapter 4 was actually
supposed to be two chapters, but with all the Yukiko events being
missing it worked better as a single part, plus that allowed me to bring
the split up a chapter.

Sorry to make you grieve for Shampoo (although I didn't get any
complaints for killing her) and then return her after a long absence. It
was necessary for the story line, not just because I like screwing with
my readers minds. Honest.

I'll admit it, my own cat is called Coco, so when it came time to name
Yukiko's cat form I choose Koko. So consider that a cat-insert
character.

I'd like to thank my pre-readers David Johnston, EBJ, Jyh-I Lu, Taler
Schilling, Jonathan Ng, and Thomas C Kinnen for their assistance in
making this story better. C&C given from FFML members Douglas MacDougall
and Michael A. Chase were also helpful in fine tuning this story. Thank
you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes and botched characters are
my fault.


Revision 0.0 - Rough draft of Chapter 4 (June 8, 1998)
Revision 0.2 - Revised draft of Chapter 16 (July 15, 1998)
Revision 0.3 - 1999/2057 events added to draft (January 18, 1999)
Revision 0.5 - Pre-reader draft (April 11, 1999)
Revision 0.7 - FFML draft (May 1, 1999)
Revision 1.0 - Final version (May 24, 1999)

-=-
Jim Lazar

E-Mail - mailto:jimlazar@earthlink.net
FanFiction - http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime