Chapter 9 - The Rules of Engagement

         If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not
         fear the result of a hundred battles.  If you know
         yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained
         you will also suffer a defeat.

                             Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

% Appropriate enough. Here's another quote he made that's not quite as
famous:

'Are you kidding? I was drunk when I wrote that crap. Don't tell me anyone
took it seriously.'

--Sun Tzu, after recovering from a month long drinking binge only to
discover the manuscript he wrote during that time had somehow found its
way to print.
%


see the clock
without his glasses.  He prayed that he could get another few hours of
sleep, and he wondered once again if he might not have made some sort of
miscalculation in coming home to his 'wife'.

% A bit late for recriminations, isn't it?

was content.  The love of her life had returned to her, changed by his
time on the road, matured into the man she always hoped he could be,

% porked out with an additional sixty pounds of weight.

but
fantasy, and he
would have to deal with this Nodoka, not his own wife.  A lump formed in
his throat as he worried about his own Nodoka.  She would not suspect
that a stranger now slept in their bed.

% Sort of like this Nodoka is doing now

That concern had been partly
responsible for his restless night, and the other part had been the
great temptation given him, to forget his own troubles for a time with
the obviously willing woman at his side.  He could still picture the
disappointed look on her face when he refused her as gently as he was
able to as they went to bed.


% Good luck on managing that a second time. She does have a katana in the
house, you know. ^_^

and Genma had found himself unable to relax.  Sooner or later, he would
have to give in to her ardorous demands, and that foregone conclusion
raised an interesting philosophical question: would that be considered
adultery?

% That's true. It's not like he is not sleeping with Nodoka Soatome, it's
just not 'his' Nodoka Saotome.

    Meanwhile, Ranma slept the sleep of the blessed.  His eyes had
closed the moment his head hit the pillow.  However, instead of being
awake and agitated like his father, the pig-tailed boy foundered in the
sea of someone else's dreams and memories.

% Or two 'someone's' in his case.

    Troubled by the disturbing images all night long, the young man's
dreams verged on nightmares.  Some were scenes that, almost, reflected
his own past, yet verged disturbingly at seemingly random points.  In
one, he and his father ran from Shampoo all the way from her home
village to the Tendou home.  The reason being that the young Amazon had
to kill the 'girl' that defeated her in front of her village.  But, in
yet another sequence, he defeated her while in male form in the Tendou
home, and she then declared that he was her husband.  It continued as
Shampoo, Akane, Ukyo, and even Kodachi all fought to be his bride.

    However, after a brief period of respite in his dreams, the images
changed in his slumbering mind.  Now Ranma found himself caught up in
vivid scenes of a very different type with Shampoo, beginning with the
two of them locked into a passionate embrace.  He felt both of her
callused hands caressing his body as he returned the favor upon her own,
a softly-whispered 'Airen' repeated into his ear as she nuzzled at his
neck.  The dream quickly turned far more erotic and intense, images
swiftly crossing his mind of another life with Shampoo, the two of them
married and loving each other with all of their being.

% Whoo boy. This guy is going to be having problems. ^_^

% I wonder if he'll try to build his own Nuku-Nuku as well.

darkness where he was, or
even who he was.  His breathing was hard and panting, as if having just
run a marathon, and his manhood was very solidly erect.

% Along with the wet spot on his sheets. ^_^

oddly distant, as if he was watching someone else doing them.  He could
see all of his actions and remember every event now, but that was all
that he could recall of them.  None of his thoughts or feelings were
available to him, like he had been some sort of a marionette on strings.

% An appropriate comparison, since that is basically what he was.


***** Earth  0.000,0.000

    Hikaru Gosunkugi

% Well now, we haven't seen him in a while.

walked quietly within that region of the Mobius
Institute known as 'The Stacks'.  This place was where many of the
various books and tomes on all things mysterious and magical were kept
for reference use by its agents, except for the powerful and dangerous
ones.

% The Necronomicon. The Darkhold. How to Become a Politician. Nothing but
pure evil.

Each of those codices were kept very securely locked up and
spell-warded in the vault, accessible only with permission of Director
Kasuga himself.

% And the janitor, of course. Janitors have the keys to everything.

    The smell of old paper and preservative agents permeated the air in
this section of the Institute, but Gosunkugi ignored the odd odors as he
poked among the various books, seeking some means for exacting revenge
upon that 'pure-bred' bitch that Ranma has

% had

on his leash, Kodachi Kunou.

% I didn't know Gos was aware of her attraction for Ranma.

If he could hurt the girl Ranma 'loves'

% 'loved' would be better, I think.

for hurting the woman of his
dreams, poetic justice would be served.

% Yeah, but Gos isn't much of a poet.
% I guess that also means he's targeting her instead of Ranma.
Interesting.

So the young esper had gotten
up well before dawn to have peace and quiet during his search.  The
population of magic-wielders working for the Institute was composed of
many notoriously late-risers who preferred to do their studying at
night,

% Naturally.

so he felt reasonably assured of solitude as he searched for the
instrument of his vengeance.  He was perusing an index when a finger
poked him in the back.

% An index finger? ^_^

    "Ahhh!" cried Gosunkugi, certain he had just lost a dozen years off
of his life.  The older cadets often told stories of the creatures that
were rumored to wander around loose through the lower halls (aside from
the elderly Director Kasuga), and he was certain that one of them had
just come for him.

% Yes. It was Beelzabubba, the Cabbage Demon. An evil side-order of
Lucifer's.

    "Gotcha," snickered a female voice behind him.

    Gosunkugi whirled around, clutching the index book to his chest like
a shield, to see a girl who was quite familiar to him standing there and
looking very smug.  She was currently dressed in the white and red robes
of a Shinto shrine maiden, and a somewhat thick pair of glasses perched
on her snub nose, giving her a more mature look.  Her lustrous, tawny
hair was tied back into a loose ponytail.

    "M-Minami-chan," stuttered Gosunkugi when he recognized the young
ghost sweeper

% Hey! I know her. ^_^

standing where he had been certain a fiend from the lower
pits of Hell would be.

% Given her temper, he might be better off with one. ^_^

"What's the big idea, scaring me like that?"

     "Oh, Gos-kun," said Minami sarcastically, "you are such an easy
target."  She smiled brightly at him, pushing a lock of loose hair back
behind one ear.  "What brings you down here this early in the morning?"

    "Research," mumbled Gosunkugi.

    "What was that?" asked Minami, wondering when he was going to ask
her about the changes to her appearance.  Feeling a little hurt and
annoyed by his lack of perception, she turned so that he could better
see her.


% A boob job?

    "Just some research," said Gosunkugi more clearly.  The small lie he
had worked out in advance came easily to his lips, so it was unfortunate
that she had a spell of Lie Detection on him.

% That's a bit awkward. How about something like.

'...lips. Unfortunately for him, she had cast a spell of Lie Detection on
him. He missed her eyebrows raise in curiosity at the lie as she wacthed
him even more closely.

% or something like that. That's all I could come up with for right now.

"I'm falling a bit behind
in one of my courses here at the Institute,

% It's called, 'Tenticle Demons: How Multiple Appendages Can Help You Make
Friends.'

so I'm looking for some more
reading material."  A brief fantasy of enchanting Akane Tendou into his
arms rose unbidden to his mind, so he failed to notice that the young
ghost sweeper was twirling a lock of her hair and now looking more
crossly at him.  "So, uhm, what brings you here this morning?  I thought
your first class wasn't until nine?"

% Dyed her hair?

    "I was doing some early reading before classes when I happened to
notice you back here," replied Minami, briefly wondering what his real
purpose here was, even as her finger tucked her hair back into place.
*For a telepath, he certainly doesn't make it easy on a girl,* she
thought, mildly exasperated with the thin boy.  *I spent over two hours
yesterday with that book on cosmetic sorcery, and the idiot hasn't even
noticed.*

% Heh. Facelifts without the stretchmarks. Is the effect permenant or
temporary?

any Institute resources for personal reasons was very much against the
rules, and it could result in severe penalties if it was learned that he
had done so.  He also felt wary due to the intense looks that she was
giving him, as if she expected him to do something, and he wasn't doing
it.

% Ghost sweeper or not, still a typical woman.

    "Hikaru Gosunkugi," said Minami finally in irritation, "aren't you
going to say anything about my appearance?  I'm trying out a new look,
and you have yet to say a single word about it."

    "Uh-uhm," stammered Gosunkugi, caught flat-footed by her accusation.
He was doing a good imitation of an animal surprised by the headlights
of an oncoming car.

% Appropriate, since if he doesn't get the message soon, she might conjure
one up and hit him with it.

    "You might be interested in knowing that I am going to be attending
the Academy alongside you and Kasuga-sempai,"

% Weee! Even more havoc and chaos on the way.


    *Girls,* thought Gosunkugi, confused by what had just happened to
him.  He liked Minami, but the young ghost sweeper was often an enigma
to him, and she wasn't nearly as interesting to him as Akane Tendou.

% Wouldn't be Ranma 1/2 if she was.

distance and paused for a moment.  Then, with a final surge, the book
leaped clear of the shelf, falling free of the volumes to either side of
it, and plummeted the short distance to whack Hikaru Gosunkugi squarely
on the top of his head.

% It was: 'How to Pick Up Chicks' by a Captain D'Amour. Truly no more evil
book existed.


    The sunken-eyed youth collapsed to the ground, stunned by the
unexpected impact.  After a moment, he shook his head, stared at the
book resting in his lap, and almost heard it purring there.

% Book: I'm just an innocent book. Really. Read me and your soul won't be
damned or anything.

    When Gosunkugi saw these words, he began to chuckle softly.  Then
the chuckles slowly became louder and more menacing, until he broke off
into a fit of coughing.

% Heh. Ruining the effect all right. Good ole' Gos.

After catching his breath, he whispered, "Soon,
Ranma Saotome, I shall destroy that bitch of a noblewoman, and then you.
Prepare to face the doom I shall prepare for you."  He could hardly wait
to start reading the book.

% The first words upon it were, 'I will not eat green eggs and ham.'

and quickly slipping
it on as he walked, Ranma left his room and quietly paced the distance
to his parent's room.  His ears detected some faint sounds as he drew
nearer to it

% Well, since his mother is downstairs, we know what sound it isn't. ^_^

even as a stray thought occurred to him as he paused
outside the door.

% Ranma: Would I look pretty in a red dress?

He would have to leave soon if he was going to make
his scheduled appointment for the duel with Nabiki.

    *I guess the old fool is learning the effects of an alcohol binge on
a body that isn't prepared for it,*

% Ah, so it is 'those' kind of sounds. There has been more than one
occasion when I was worshipping the porcelin god, so I can sympathsize.


    Inside the bedroom, Genma rolled over on his futon and sincerely
wished that he was dead.  The din caused by Nodoka's movements in the
room a short while ago had set off a pounding in his head worse than
anything that Happosai had ever caused him.

% I know that feeling. It's the elves in you head pounding on the inside
with their little pick-axes.


    The early morning sun caught Genma squarely in the face,

% turning him into ashes

affected him as
badly as it had.  For decades, he had rigorously conditioned his body to
consume very large quantities of liquor without suffering any lingering
effects.

% Genma: I am not a lush. A true martial artist must be prepared for when
enemies might force alcohol down his throat and try to inebriate him. It's
training, I'm telling you.

Now, he felt like his head was an anvil being used to forge
sword blades for an army, and he wished that he felt well enough to wipe
the smug expression from the boy's face.

% No. In order for him to do that, Ranma would have to be drunk and Genma
would have to be sober.


    "You aren't really my father, and you aren't really dying," said
Ranma coldly.  He reached down and hauled Genma up by his lapels.  "You
really don't want to test me, old man.  I know the troubles that you've
caused in the past, and you aren't going to do it here.

% Yeah, right. I'll take that bet. This is Genma. He can have you up to
your neck in crap within a week.


This is a whole
new world, and you don't know the rules.  I'm not the same sort of Ranma
that you're used to dealing with, and I'm far more intelligent than that
ignorant jock you raised."

% Oh, good one, Ranma. Why don't you just put the 'kick me' sign on your
back.

    Genma groaned as the room whirled, and his stomach made disturbing
noises.  It appeared that Ranma was already on to him, and he hastily
began to try and come up with some sort of backup plan,

% Try throwing up on his feet. That should make him leave and give you
some time.


    "How dare you speak to me this way, you lazy boy?" scolded Genma.
"You should be grateful to have me around now.  My example will make a
real man out of you, not some pathetic scribe like you've been so far,
and I can teach you many things that this other Genma never knew."


% You know, I almost feel sorry for the poor, deluded fool.

    "Like what?  How to dodge out of a bar bill?"

% Genma: Among other things.


    Genma kept talking without appearing to notice, "Face it!  You're
just a punk kid playing dress up in that outfit, but I can make you the
real thing.  I can make you into a real martial artist, even better than
that ungrateful boy I used to call my son.  How does that sound... son?"

% Heh. Actually a pretty good offer there. That's exactly what the other
two versions of him in his mind would think of him.



    "You aren't worth it," said Ranma in disgust, partially at his own
loss of control, partially in shame at feeling tempted by the offer.  He
turned to leave, pausing for a moment to say, "And don't you even think
about trying anything with my mother."

% Of course, she might try something with him. ^_^

    "Hello?  Fuyutsuki-san?  Genma Saotome here.  I have something I
wish to discuss with you...."


% This bodes ill.

    Nodoka sighed.  Genma had come home stinking drunk last night, and
it was the first time that she could recall ever seeing him in such a
condition.  Even at the celebration party after their marriage, he had
remained very sober, and his strong sense of self-control had always
been one of the things that had attracted her to him.

% Heh. Good luck. This one is pretty much a hedonist.

She set the tray
of tea down and knelt by his side.

    "Genma dearest," Nodoka said softly.  She heard him groan under the
covers while she poured some hot tea into a cup.  It was a special blend
that her mother had always used whenever her father was recuperating
from one of his occasional drinking bouts.

% Paprika, crushed jalepeno peppers, and gunpowder. It either sobered you
up or killed you. Either way the hangover would go away.


    When the herbal concoction hit his system, Genma sat straight up,
and his eyes went wide.  He blinked rapidly, and he felt like someone
had just stuck a firehose in his mouth and turned on the water full
force.  All of the remaining pains of his hangover were experienced in a
single, blinding instant, rather than gradually over a period of time.

% I assume she made certain there were no sharp objects within reach.


    Genma swallowed the tea, and his eyes only bulged a little at the
reaction it caused in his body this time.  Seeing Nodoka's unforgiving
eyes upon him, he meekly held out the cup for a refill.  He drank down
six more cups of tea before the pot was empty.  By the time he was done,
he felt almost normal.

% He will also feel like going to the bathroom. ^_^

    "Now, will you tell me whatever made you make such a disgusting
spectacle of yourself last night?" asked Nodoka calmly.  She took the
empty teacup from his hand, set it on the tray, then waited with folded
arms for his answer.

    Genma felt that lying would be a prudent course of action right now,

% He got that right.

    "Nodoka-chan?" said Genma, beginning to panic, visions of a sword
taking his head filling his mind for a moment.


% Heh. Wrong world.

    "I want you to listen to me well, Dearest," said Nodoka, her voice
sounding like plush velvet covering a steel gauntlet.  "I know that you
have not been happy with the thought of Ranma becoming engaged at his
age,

% Nonononono. That was the other Genma. This one will engage his son to
anything on two feet as long as he feels he can get something out of the
deal.


    Genma blinked in surprise, but the kiss was unexpectedly arousing.
It had been a very long time for him, and now that his headache was
gone, he felt up to other activities.  Ranma's recent warning was
already forgotten as he pulled Nodoka in for a deeper kiss, an act that
apparently surprised her.


% Oh dear.

    Tiger yawned much like her feline namesake, blinking sleepily as her
jade-green, slit-pupilled eyes adjusted to the early morning sunlight
streaming in through the window.  Her tapering, cat-like ears perked
forward as she smiled upwards at her 'Kinnousuke-sama'.  She was wearing
a sheer silk teddy in deep blue, because she knew that he liked seeing
that color on her.

% And that there were occasions when he liked to wear it instead.

preferring to focus
his mind on his plans for his conquering of Nabiki and her organization
to the exclusion of much else, but this morning was a different matter.
He had not played with any of his toys for a number of days now, and his
body was telling him that it had been long enough.

% Kinnosuke: Tiger, fetch me my building blocks. My body tells me it is
time to play with my toys.


    "Kinnousuke-sama," purred Tiger, her passions feeding on her love
for him and growing more and more intense.  Subliminal programs awoke in
the depths of her mind, and her hands began moving to touch certain
shiatsu pressure points on his body, those which would enhance sensual
excitement in the human male.  She felt his hands moving slowly about
her body, and a sigh of bliss escaped her lips.  Her ears rotated back
in pleasure as she sat up, her legs straddling his waist, and her hands
continued to probe around his torso.


% I see that they are programmed well. ^_^


    As he hovered on the brink of his own release, Kinnousuke lost
himself in the fantasies his mind conjured up by the motions of their
two joined bodies, and he passionately whispered, "Oh, Nabiki-chan...."

% Whoops! Someone isn't going to be too happy now.

    Anger soured the sweetness of the intense sensual pleasures once
again washing through Tiger's body a second time, but her programmed
responses judged that her master was at the right point to let her send
him off the edge into his own climax.

% Hmm. Can't turn off her programming even when angry, too bad for her.


    *Damn you to hell, Nabiki Tendou,* thought Tiger angrily, even as
she felt her beloved's body slowly calming beneath her.  *Tearing down
your precious organization will be a pleasure, and I swear I will see
you brought low before Kinnousuke-sama.  However, I do hope it is after
intense resistance on your part.*  A wicked smile crossed her lips as
she gently moved herself off of her master, gathering up her clothes in
an idle fashion and pulling on her yukata.  *Please resist me with all
your might, so that I can have the pleasure of shattering your will even
as my fists break your body.*

% That first confrontation with the cat-girls is going to be nasty.

    Unaware of the thoughts running through Tiger's mind as he absently
watched her dress, Kinnousuke was enjoying the pleasant afterglow of his
recent activities, endorphins now running strong throughout his body.
He studied Tiger, picturing Nabiki's face atop the catgirl's exquisitely
toned shape, and smiled.

% Yeesh. What a slimball.


    "Good morning, Kinnousuke-sama," said the two catgirls brightly in
two-part harmony.  They paused for a moment in the doorway, their noses
catching the scent of recent sexual activity in the room, and the duo
shot brief glares at Tiger.

% Yeah, but she's not all that hapoy either.


    *Soon, Nabiki,* Kinnousuke thought with glee, *you too will kneel
before me and take your proper place as a woman, serving me as is my
right as a man.  Soon.*

% Heh. He's even worse than Nabby is with Ranma.

but what she had once
taken for a near-solution to an anti-gravity device was something else
entirely.  She was contemplating that as she began serving breakfast to
her mother and father.

% She's serving? How ladylike.

 She did not notice the smile on Nodoka's face,
nor the troubled look that was on her father's.

% That's bad news.

    "Ranko-chan, I have good news," said Nodoka with a smile.

% No. I'm pretty sure it is what is referred to as 'bad news'.

    "Hmm?" mumbled Ranko, looking up from her rice bowl.  She met the
other woman's gaze and felt a quiver of worry.  "What is it, Mother?"

    "This week, I've arranged for you to meet with three nice boys and
their families to discuss a possible marriage between one of them and
yourself," said Nodoka very pleasantly, clearly expecting her daughter
to respond with joyous enthusiasm.

% Oh, so this version of Nodoka is as delusional as Kunou. That's nice.


    "I won't," said Ranko firmly through gritted teeth.

    "You will," responded Nodoka, her voice as sharp as the edge of a
drawn katana.

% Heh. Nice turn of the phrase.

of the one on her mother's face.  "Besides, I'm not old enough to get
married."  Then, a wry smile appeared on her face, and she said, "After
all, you didn't get married until you were nineteen."


% Like that would stop Nodoka now.

    "How old I was is not an issue here," said Nodoka crossly.  "You
need a young man in your life to calm you down and give you direction,
young lady.  Marriage will give that to you.

% Depends on the guy, actually.

 Kami-sama knows that I was
not nearly as wild and willful as you are when I was your age, Daughter.
I was a dutiful child, and I married your father out of obedience and
love for my family's wishes.  You are a little younger than I was, but
you will do the same and be a dutiful daughter."


% Not bloody likely.

    Genma continued to remain silent, but the paper barrier crumpled
ever so slightly in his grip.


% Heh. She did make it sound rather bad, didn't she.

    Realizing that the situation was not going to be changed with words,
Ranko muttered, "So who have you chosen for me to see?"

    Thinking she had won the battle,

% Sucker.

Nodoka smiled victoriously and
said, "Well, one of them you already know.  Kaneda Tendou.  I know he's
a little younger than you are, but he comes from a fine family."

% It was then Ranko grabbed a knife and tried slitting her wrists.
Unfortunately, it was a butter knife, and the cuts were ineffectual.

    Ranko's eyebrow twitched slightly.

    "The second boy comes from a fine family of rural samurai stock, and
they have an excellent reputation for loyalty and honor," said Nodoka
pleasantly.  "He is the heir to the Hibiki School of Martial Arts, and
his name is Ryouga."


% Wonder how late he'll be for that meeting.

    Ranko was mildly intrigued at that one, but she refused to give her
mother any positive responses.

    "Finally, the third boy comes from one of the Noble Families of the
Empire," said Nodoka quite happily.  "He is the heir to the name and
title of his clan, and his name is Tatewaki Kunou.

% Ranko tried cutting her wrists again with the butter knife. This time
there was some success as the idea of being married to Kunou made her try
even harder.

 If you marry him,
then you will become a Lady of the Empire.  Isn't that a wonderful
thought?"


% Ranko: Why, yes it it. It...it's almost as wonderful as me poking my eye
out with a pencil. Why don't I get one and you two can keep eating?

    *Wonderful,* thought Ranko sarcastically, trying hard not to twitch
a second time.  "If you think it's such a wonderful thing, why don't you
marry him?"  She paused to catch her breath, then said sarcastically,
"Of course, Mother, I will do as you ask.  After all, you were such a
good judge of men."  She rolled her eyes towards the man hiding behind
the shaking newspaper.

% Heh. Sorry, You're not going to get any help from him.

    "You could show a little more enthusiasm," said Nodoka, irritated.

% She could always hit Nodoka to show her said, 'enthusiasm'

"Whether you like it or not, one of these three boys is going to become
your future husband, so I want you to be on your best behavior when you
meet them.

% Ranko: Should I mention the fact that I have four different kinds of
STD's. (You have to admit, that would dim the interest of any prospective
groom. ^_^)

    Ranko had wondered about that, and she did have fun with her mother
picking out pretty clothes to wear.  Like most young women, she liked
shopping, and she knew her wardrobe was a little small for a girl her
age.  So any chances to expand it were always welcome.

% Nice to see her acting femineine.

to eat.  She watched Ranko eat very quickly, but still just below the
borders of good manners.  She decided to say nothing, content with the
small victory that this current exchange with her daughter had given to
her.


% 'Small victory'? I wonder what she would consider a major one then.


    Now, she had been given access to a doorway, a portal into these new
worlds.

    All she had to do now was build the key, and that doorway would be
hers to open.

% Heh. I have a feeling her fiance problem is about to be taken care of.


    "It's a private matter between him and me," said Nabiki as she did a
few more limbering-up exercises.  Her body felt supple and strong this
morning, and she knew that she was quickly drawing near the level of
conditioning that her counterpart enjoyed.

% Should pass it eventually since QD Nabiki is 'genetically perfect.'

and he was a bit stronger that she was, as well as being able to take a
little more punishment.  However, she was faster, and her counterpart's
skills seemed to be a little better than those that Ranma obtained from
his own counterpart.  She was certain that other Nabiki would be able to
take down that other Ranma in a one-on-one fight, so she was extremely
confident she would win here today.

% Except there is now another download in the mix.

  After all, she had already beaten
him once before, and going at each other in a real fight would only give
her the opportunity to prove her superior fighting skills to him even
more decisively.


% Someone is in for a rude awakening.

                   ******************************

    Akane paused at the gates to Furinkan Military Academy

% Ah. I've missed her.


    A commotion over by one of the cherry trees on campus drew her
attention, and Akane witnessed a fight between two cadets taking place.

% Akane: (to the fighters) Can I play too?

    "The winner is my little brother," said the older boy angrily, "and
I don't appreciate you mocking his skills.

% Akane: Fine. I'll mock yours instead.

 If you're so very good, then
perhaps you might put your fists where your mouth already is?

% Akane: Nah. I'd rather put it where your mouth is.

    "Do you think she might get invited to join the Combat Club?"

    Akane's eyes brightened at that last one, and she whirled to face
the male cadet who had just spoken and asked, "What did you just say?"

% Heh. I can see that catching her attention.


    "I'm Sakura Kasuganou," said the other girl neutrally.  "Seventh Dan
of the School of Holy Imperial Fighting."

% Holy Imperial Fighting?

    "I'm Akane Tendou.  I'm unranked but mostly use the same school as
yourself."

    "You fight well, Plebe," Sakura said with a friendly grin.  "It took
great speed and skill to defeat Yatagi-baka as quickly as you did.
Perhaps you might like to test your skills against me sometime soon."
She held out her hand.  "Would you like to be friends?"


% Akane: Sure let's head butt one another until we bleed as a gesture of
friendship.

                   ******************************
    Anji Kyuuzan and Soujirou Seta watched Ranma from one side of the
main building as he made his way past them.  Anji's eyes blazed with
hatred for Ranma, for making him look bad to his boss.  He knew that
today was going to be his last chance for redemption.

% Ah well, can't win them all.

 *Ranma Saotome,
soon I shall redeem myself, with your broken body as the coin,*

% I'd wager Ranma will be the one making change on Anji's twenty yen butt.


    Then the moment was gone.  Returning to himself, Ranma briefly shook
his head to clear it.  He paused in his approach to Nabiki, and he felt
that familiar tingling sensation starting up as he came near her.  He
ignored his feelings of attraction with some difficulty.  It did not
matter what he might or might not feel for Nabiki at this time; she was
only his opponent now.  In a sense, she represented the ultimate test of
his martial arts skills; a warrior who was trained to an equal degree as
himself, and an opponent who would know all the same tricks that he
knew.  Defeating her would be to ascend to the top of the final mountain
and embrace the new life he had found for himself, and he wanted to win
against her more intensely than he had ever wanted anything else in his
life.  This would be his test, and he would not fail.

    "Ready, Ranma-kun?" asked Nabiki pleasantly.  "You can always choose
to back down, you know, and take your place in my shadow.  Or, if you
think you can, you could show me how much of a man you are.  Not that I
think you have any chance of defeating me."

% Oh yeah! Poor gasoline on the fire.

    "Uh huh," muttered Yohko, her gaze locked on observing the almost
patternless motions that the two martial artists were using.  She caught
a brief glimpse of Kyousuke coming towards her, but she very purposely
ignored him as he slowly approached.  She had forgiven him over the
weekend, but she enjoyed having him feel the need to pursue her.

% Nice to see that sub-plot still around.

    *You're done for, Ranma-kun,* Nabiki thought confidently.  *I've
taken your full measure, and you're no match for me.

% I have a feeling she'll be eating crow soon.

    "Simple," said Ranma with a cocky grin.  He ran right at her, head
on.  "I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts,"
his voice rose as he loped at her, "and when I really need to win, I
NEVER LOSE!"

% I do believe this fight is almost over.

Nabiki's head snapped to one side, her body instinctively rolling
with the blow to minimize the damage, but a sharp cry of pain escaped
her lips anyway.  She had lost the initiative,

%That's what happens when you get those low rolls in RPG's. ^_^


garbed. *Today, Ranma,
I will tell you the truth about me,* she thought with a faint quiver of
nervousness in her stomach.

% Somehow, I doubt if he'll be feeling up to 'True Confessions' today.


    Waving at the car for the driver to take her brother to Whitehall
Academy, Kodachi smiled at seeing his unconscious form slumped in the
back seat.  Within moments after leaving Kunou Manor, Tatewaki had begun
another tirade against 'the vile Ranma Saotome'.  After listening to
this for almost five minutes, she had knocked him unconscious with a few
well-placed strikes from her fists

% Heh. Something else Kunou will blame on Ranma.

and spent the remainder of the trip
in blissful quiet.  Their driver had wisely said nothing about that.


% He was probably happy about it.

    "You're not... gonna... beat me," grunted a weakening Nabiki, and
she gathered her strength for one last effort.  Her body gathered itself
beneath him, but Ranma's next punch knocked her unconscious a moment
later.

% And we have a winner.

    Over on one side of the crowd, Anji narrowed his eyes as he watched
Ranma emerge victorious against Nabiki.  He turned to Soujirou and said,
"When he goes into the locker rooms to change, then we take him.  He's
injured and easy prey now."


% Now they might stand a chance. Nahh.

able to go clean himself up.  He was going to be late for his first
class, but it could not be helped.  He hoped Miss Kisaragi, his new
instructor, would not be too upset with him.

% The spy Hinako sicced on you? Nahh.


    Anji stepped forward, slowly cracking the knuckles of his hands as
he smiled coldly at Ranma and said, "So we meet again at last, Ranma
Saotome.  You can't know how much I've been looking forward to this."

Ranma; You're a masocist? Ewwww.

    Soujirou casually flicked a thumb along a stud on the haft of his
bokken, and the wooden blade suddenly split evenly down the middle along
its length, to reveal the gleaming steel of a katana.

% Neat.

His smile turned
much colder, and a glittering appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Ranma.
The footprint on his face did somewhat diminish the intimidation factor
a little though.

% Heh.


    "I'm going to teach you a new meaning of suffering, Saotome," said
Anji coldly.

% Only in the sense Anji will be the one suffering.

command that
arose from the depths of his hindbrain and was just as quickly forgotten
again a moment after he subvocalised it, *-boost-.*

% Ah, another genetic advancement.


Anji's chest, the sound of cracking ribs greeting his ears as the other
bully lazily flew back to crash into the wall.  And as quickly as that,
it was finished.

% And thus falls the last of the unintinidating Wolf Pack. Maybe they
should resort to wearing animal masks and ripping off people's precious
metals. ^_^


    "I-I'm fine, Sensei," said Ranma, standing up without any tremors in
his legs remaining.  He studied his two former attackers for a moment or
two.  "Am I in trouble, sir?"

    "No, Ranma," replied Fujinami, standing back up.  "Don't worry about
this.  Two on one strikes me as a case for self-defense,

% Combined with the fact that this is the sort of test run they wanted run
on the project children. Anything short of outright murder and Ranma will
get away with it.

and I'm aware
of the histories of these two troublemakers.

% So am I. They are losers. I think they were 0 and 4 in their fights
without coming close to victory. Gos could probably take them.

yet.  She had taken
great care to array herself in a casual pose that would allow her face
and figure to catch the morning light to best effect, and the way she
was seated would display a somewhat brazen amount of leg for his viewing
pleasures.

% Heh. How devious.

see Yuka setting down the textbook she was studying.  Nabiki smiled at
the other girl and asked, "Can I have some water, please?"


% Yuka: Actually, I think I saw some lemonade in one of those specimen
cups. It was yellow, anyway. I'll go get it for you.

    "Here you go, Nabiki-sempai," said Yuka, handing her a glass filled
with water.  "I'm glad to see you're all right."

    "How did we do at the gambling pools?" asked Nabiki,

% Yuka: Well, let's just say we should be expecting a visit from a couple
of guys named 'Guido' and 'Luigi' any minute now.

pigtailed boy to be
the instrument of opposition to him yet again.  *It would have all been
so much simpler if those two idiots had managed to defeat him.  Now I'll
have to put Tiger and my other two beauties to work.*

% Cool. Cat girl action soon. They should be more threatening than the
Wolf Pack.


    "I see that I now have your attention, Tendou-san," said Kodachi
with a slight grin, her eyes boring into Nabiki's.  A sizzle of some
sort of invisible energy seemed to pass between the two of them, even as
the aristocrat girl continued to speak cordially.  Yet there was a hint
of challenge in her voice that Nabiki could not miss.  "Forgive me, but
I thought it amusing to introduce myself to you this way."

% I had forgotten that they hadn't met each other yet here.


    "I'm not laughing," grumbled Nabiki.

% Kodachi: Well I'm not a stand up comedian, am I? So I don't have to
amuse you, just myself. OHHOHOHOHO!

 "What do you want, Kunou?"

    "What was the meaning of this fight I have heard tell of, between
you and Saotome-kun?" asked Kodachi, a glint of potential violence in
the violet of her eyes.  Unconsciously, she compared Nabiki's body to
her own, and she found herself a little jealous of the older girl's
build and muliebrity.

% Darn. Another word I must look up.


    "It was a private matter between us," said Nabiki, feeling even more
irritated at being interrogated like this,

% She's the one used to doing the interrogating.


    "It's personal," said Nabiki simply, "and I don't care to explain it
to you.  So be on your way... underclassman."

%Heh. Nice touch.


    "This isn't over between us, Nabiki Tendou," Kodachi called out over
her shoulder as she walked away.  With grace born of years of training
at being ladylike, she made her stalk from the locker room look very
regal.

% Heh, again.

Citizen in the
Empire, and he even participated in the remaining time of the class.
Today's topic was about the notion that "every Citizen was a soldier to
defend the Empire in time of need."

% Ah, the propaganda machine is in full swing.

Despite his abilities at recall,
all Ranma remembered of the class was how attractive Kisaragi-sensei
looked in her dress.

    However, the next couple of classes were exercises in boredom, and
Ranma almost fell asleep a couple of times.

% No cute teachers in class, eh?

Eventually he was released
from his scholastic purgatory, and went to his lab.  He slid his key
into the door, only noticing the new addition of a large padlock at the
last moment, one that did not open to his key.

    Ranma paused in the doorway, blinking in surprise at the new lock
and wondering what it meant.  An envelope lay against the base of the
steel door, and it caught his eye as he wondered at the addition of the
padlock.  He picked the envelope up and discovered a note addressed to
him within it.

    The note read, "Cadet Saotome, after reviewing the progress of your
efforts with your father, I have decided to terminate your research
subsidy, and your equipment will be packed up and returned to the
Ministry of Science for salvage and disposal.  Per your father's
request, this class period is to be added to your physical training
regimen with the singular goal of improving your conditioning to even
higher levels.  Sincerely, Kouzou Fuyutsuki, Presiding Dean of the
Imperial Academy."


% Guess what, Ranma. You've just been fu*ked again

% And now we know what the 'other' Genma was up to. Very devious, and
there isn't much Ranma can do. He can't conjure up the equipment and no
one will believe him if he claims his father's mind has been taken over by
another version of him. They'll think Ranma's crazy, maybe as a result of
using the machine. Nicely played on S 1/2 Genma's part.

    "I'm not going to be beaten by that fat, drunken fool," said Ranma
softly to the empty air.  "I'll figure a way out of this, I swear I
will."

% But it will take time.

                   ******************************

    Kodachi seated herself gracefully and said, "Yes, Dean Fuyutsuki, I
am acclimating myself well so far."  *Especially now that I no longer
have to contend with that annoying barbarian, Akane Tendou,*

% But now she must deal with the far more devious Nabiki.

    Kodachi blinked, feeling for a moment as if the temperature in the
room had risen several degrees.  She lowered her gaze and felt her blush
deepening.  The chance to spend time with Ranma would be worth any sort
of physical discomfort to her.  And she was curious to see how far she
could train herself as well.  It was a win-win situation.

% Until she finds out who the other person in the class is.

    "If Ranma is in it," said Kodachi with a bright smile as she looked
up, "then I accept."

    "Excellent," said the Dean, closing her dossier with a smile.  "The
other member of your soon-to-be-trio is an upperclassmen to you, Nabiki
Tendou.  They have only been at it for a few days, so I'm sure that you
won't have any difficulties catching up."

    Somewhere deep inside Kodachi, there was a faint cracking of glass
heard, and her smile turned somewhat brittle.  *So I have to compete
with that other Tendou girl?* she thought with mild bitterness.  *Very
well.  If it means spending time with Ranma Saotome, then I can even put
up with the presence of Nabiki Tendou and her damnably perfect figure.*

    "You may return to class now, Lady Kunou," said the Dean calmly, as
he folded his hands before him.  "I will be down to watch some of your
first class period, to see how the three of you get along."

    "Very well, sir," said Kodachi.  She stood up, bowed to him, and
exited the room.

                   ******************************

    Ranma had already been struggling at his training for an hour when
Nabiki came out dressed in a standard Academy training outfit for girls:
a T-shirt with 'Property of Imperial Academy Athletics Department'
emblazoned upon the front, shorts, white socks, and running shoes.  He
took a break from doing his pushups to watch her approach, grateful for
the opportunity to rest.  His bruises were making the pains of his
efforts far worse than normal, but he saw Sensei Takami eye him without
comment.

    However, he was surprised to see Kodachi Kunou come out of another
door of the locker room and follow Nabiki towards him.  He wiped some
sweat from his brow as he watched her hesitantly approach.  *What is
Kodachi doing out here with us?* he wondered.

    Nabiki was wondering the same thing, a slight frown on her face as
she settled herself down to begin warming up.  Her muscles were feeling
strained from the intensive efforts of this morning, so they were not
very appreciative of her activities.  Luckily, that went away as she
stretched them out.

    Kodachi presented herself to Sensei Takami and said, "First-year
cadet Kodachi Kunou reporting for special training, Takami-sensei.  I
hope to learn a great deal from all of this."  She smiled brightly for
Ranma's benefit, pausing to look over at him.  She then settled herself
a short distance away from Ranma and began to stretch, taking it slow
when she noticed him watching her, even as he tried not to look like he
was watching her.

    *Floozy,* thought Nabiki with a grumble as she worked out a kink in
her right calf.  She noticed the Dean come out and confer with Sensei
Takami about something or other, seeing the two men eyeing all three of
them.  When she turned to look at Ranma, she saw him giving Kodachi more
than a casual glance, and she frowned at that.

    "Hello, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi quietly.  Her resolve to tell him
the truth about herself seemed to vanish when her eyes met his, and a
small swallow rolled down her throat.  "I'm looking forward to training
with you.

    Nabiki grunted and looked away from the two of them, feeling a faint
burning in her eyes.  She resolved to use today's class to show Kodachi
Kunou that she was wrong in thinking Akane was her true competition for
Ranma.  Very wrong indeed.  No girl was going to take Ranma from her.

                   ******************************

    Ukyou stared sullenly out the window of the train, and her chin
rested in the palm of one hand as she leaned against the frame.  *I
wonder what sort of a guy this Ranma person is?* she wondered, her eyes
reflecting the sight of farms and country roads passing by outside the
train.  *Dad hasn't told me much about him other than that he's supposed
to be a brilliant scholar.*  One hand plucked glumly at the cloth of her
yukata, since her mother had strongly insisted that she show up dressed
in traditional garb.  As part of this, Ukyou was armed with only a few
shuriken and her war fan at the moment.  Her mother hadn't wanted to
shock the Saotome family, so she had purposely gone lighter than her
usual amount of weapons.  She felt naked without a sword, or even her
battle spatula, at her back.

    A quick glance at her mother only deepened Ukyou's depression.  She
was doing needlepoint as their train zipped across the countryside.  Her
skilled hands didn't miss a single stitch as they moved.  Ukyou's own
brief attempt at needlepoint sat in her lap, mostly unfinished, since
she had accidentally sewn it to her yukata twice now.  It wasn't very
much fun doing all these traditional feminine things.  She would much
rather have spent her time practicing her martial arts, and she found
herself hoping that nothing came of this meeting.  Perhaps then,
finally, her family would leave her alone about getting married.

    Her father was reading one of the financial newspapers.  Ukyou
hadn't seen him poke his head out from behind it ever since the train
had started moving.  He occasionally turned the page and hummed mildly
at something or other that he saw.

    *I can hardly wait until this is all over,* Ukyou thought as she
turned her face to look out the window once more.  *I doubt that this
Ranma guy will be very interesting.  How exciting could it be to be
married to some scholar?  He probably doesn't even know how to defend
himself.  This is going to just be a waste of time.*

                   ******************************

    Nodoka scurried all over the house to get everything ready for the
arrival of their guests, a bright smile of contentment on her face.  She
was still a little astonished at Genma's vigor and passion that morning,
although he had been a little quicker and rougher with her than was his
norm.  Still, despite its brevity, the activity had helped to take her
mind off of thoughts about her son and the upcoming meeting with the
Kuonjis.  At her insistence, Genma had left a few hours ago to attend to
his afternoon classes and would not be expected back until very shortly
before they arrived.  That left her the whole day to prepare food and
clean the house from top to bottom.  Still, she spared a little energy
to consider the changes in the men in her life.

    *First my son becomes all mysterious and a bit moody on me,* Nodoka
thought as she paused in her cleaning of the toilet, *and now my husband
is acting differently too.  It's enough to drive a woman to distraction.
Oh, I hope that this meeting tonight goes well.  I hope that Ranma and
the Kuonji girl get along.*

                   ******************************

    Dean Fuyutsuki studied the paperwork on his desk as he waited for
his computer to download and process the data and images that he had
recorded of Kodachi Kunou.  She had sparred with Nabiki while Ranma was
sent off to run, giving the Dean an excellent opportunity to gather good
data on her capabilities.  He could tell that the two girls seemed well
on their way to a healthy rivalry, and he was certain that would focus
the Kunou girl on improving herself.

    After a time, Dean Fuyutsuki heard the system beep, and he took a
look at the results on the monitor.  He punched up Kodachi's data and
watched as the screen cleared and a video sample taken from the fight
was displayed in one window.  In another box, the computer began running
down its preliminary calculations for each of the young noblewoman's
vital statistics.

*Name: Kodachi Kunou
*Age: 16
*Sex: Female
*Height: 1.65 meters
*Mass: 49 kilograms
*Physical Capabilities:
*    Structural Integrity:  77.29
*    Muscle Strength:  76.01
*    Lung Capacity:  80.16
*    Eyesight:  85.22
*    Auditon:  92.60
*    Dynamic Eyesight:  93.51
*    Metabolism:  91.67
*    Neuroreflex:  88.47
*Offensive Capability:  74.58
*Defensive Capability:  75.63
*Recoverability:  84.44
*Speed:  83.80
*Perseverance:  84.52
*Objectivity:  75.81
*Perception:  86.62
*Judgment:  82.01
*Adaptability:  83.72
*Estimated Current Fighting Capacity:  1416.06

    "A fair bit below Ranma and Nabiki's level of performance, but still
an acceptable beginning," murmured Dean Fuyutsuki as he studied a slow
motion replay of the sparring match.  Nabiki's injuries had obviously
hindered her somewhat, but she still managed to defeat Kodachi in less
than two minutes time.  He made notes as to areas where the instructors
should work to build up Kodachi's capabilities, then he leaned back in
his chair.

    "Everything is proceeding on schedule," the Dean said with a smile,
studying the setting sun moving down slowly in the sky.  "All is going
according to plan."

                   ******************************

    Akane fidgeted outside the gates to the Imperial Academy, waiting
for Ranma to emerge.  She checked her watch once again, noting that his
training class with Nabiki must be over with.  She hoped that her sister
had kept Kodachi away from Ranma today like she promised.  Losing him to
the nobly born, yet base girl was not going to happen, now that Akane
intended to make him hers.  She would do all in her power to keep Ranma
for her own, and no other girl was worthy of him but herself.  She
smiled brightly as she fantasized about the challenge she intended to
make to him, and she adjusted her new uniform with only a hint of
nervousness.

    Ranma walked towards the main gate like a man heading towards his
own execution.  He had defeated Nabiki, but that was really the only
good thing that happened to him today.  Now he had to face this meeting
with Ukyou, and he was not looking forward to it.  With a sigh, carrying
the remnants of his sloppily-repaired bookbag, he trudged out the main
gate.  He was half-expecting Nabiki to be there, but he was greeted by
one of the Tendou girls, at least.

    "Ranma Saotome, I challenge you!" said Akane firmly as she stepped
out from where she was standing against the wall.  Her finger stabbed
out in his direction, and Ranma only felt annoyance.

    *This is not happening,* Ranma thought with a groan, realizing that
this was going to be his third real fight in a single day.  His limbs
seemed to be radiating fatigue now, and he knew that Akane wasn't going
to let him past without fighting him.  Dropping his bookbag, Ranma made
his choice to end this once and for all by giving Akane what she wanted
from him.  Maybe then, he thought, she would leave him alone.  He
tiredly assumed a casual stance and waited.

    "Come and get me, Akane Tendou," said Ranma, hoping he would be able
to restrain himself from taking his frustrations out on the girl.

    With a savage grin, Akane charged Ranma.

    Less than five minutes later, Akane's battered form was face down on
the ground, and Ranma was feeling a little better about things.  He had
managed to force down the distractingly high level of sexual attraction
he felt for Akane as they fought, and he was pleased that he was able to
restrain himself from injuring her other than the few bumps and bruises
when he put her down.  With a rather cheerful look on his face, he
picked up his bookbag and walked off.

    Akane regained consciousness a short time later and saw that Ranma
was gone.  She held one hand to her face, feeling the bruise forming
there on one cheek, and smiled.  *I lost,* she thought dreamily.  *Now I
know I love you, Ranma Saotome.*

    Somewhere on his way home, a pigtailed scholar felt a shiver quite
suddenly run through him.

                   ******************************

    Ukyou followed her parents as they walked through Tokyo, casually
watching the sights of the Nerima Ward passing by.  Her meeting with
Ranma Saotome was drawing near, and she was surprised that she felt a
little bit nervous.  Her father had a smile on his face as he pointed
out some of the sights that he remembered from his boyhood.  Ukyou just
looked around with something akin to awe.

    Tokyo was a very large place, in Ukyou's opinion, and it made her
feel more than a little like some sort of country bumpkin.  She had
grown up surrounded by mountains and small villages with few people, so
the immense city that surrounded her now was like nothing that she had
ever experienced before.  It was actually rather intimidating.  *There
are so many people,* thought Ukyou with a little nervousness.

    "We're here," said her father calmly.

    Ukyou looked around.  The flow of people had faded off to a trickle
as they wandered away from the commercial district and the local train
depot, and the pleasant neighborhood that surrounded them now was almost
completely peaceful.  They were standing next to a high wall that must
have protected a good-sized yard, and a large wooden gate, with a simple
brass plaque bearing the kanji for Saotome upon it, stood before them.

    "Are you nervous, Ukyou-chan?" asked her mother as she began fussing
with Ukyou's outfit.

    "I'm not nervous, Mother," replied Ukyou, as she endured the fussing
stoically.  *I just want to get this over with,* she thought calmly to
herself.  She had been trying to imagine what Ranma Saotome was like,
based on the description and photo obtained from the matchmaker.  At the
present, she imagined Ranma to be a rather dull sort, the type of boy
that held no interest for her.  *I want a life of adventure, and I doubt
that Ranma Saotome has any interest in that sort of thing.*

                   ******************************

    Nodoka kept looking at the clock on the wall.  The Kuonji family was
going to arrive at any minute, and Ranma still wasn't home.  She stood
like a fretful statue in the doorway that led to the kitchen area, and
she only took her eyes off of the clock to briefly glare at Genma.  She
watched her husband sitting there in an unusually relaxed pose at his
usual place at the table, drinking tea, and the ease that he had in his
manner irritated Nodoka.  *Honestly,* she thought with some despair,
*that husband of mine has no sense of propriety.  Doesn't he realize how
important it is to find a good wife for Ranma?  He acts like he doesn't
care.*

    Genma was feeling very mellow.  A brief stop at one of the little
pubs in the region had relaxed him with the help of only a bottle or two
of sake.  He was determined to regain his old level of drinking ability,
and he knew that regular training was the key to success.  He was also
finding that he enjoyed the respect afforded to a tenured professor at
the Ministry of Science.  Spending a few hours a day lecturing about
high-level mathematics and other subjects that he knew surprisingly well
now (finding the information readily available in his memory) was about
the easiest job he could imagine having.  He anticipated a comfortable
'retirement' in this life, enjoying all that it had to offer, especially
since he still had Nodoka and Ranma with him, in a certain sense.  He
took another sip of tea and sighed with contentment.

    *I swear, if he does anything to ruin this...* Nodoka swore darkly,
glaring now at Genma and wondering at his acceptance of things.  She
wanted this night to go over perfectly, and Ranma was still not home.
She fretted for a moment over the location of her son.  *Where is that
boy?*

    Nodoka heard the jingling of the bell at the front of the house.
After giving her clothes one last inspection, she went to answer it.
Before opening the door, she paused with her hand on it, took a deep
breath, and let it out slowly.  She forced a cheerful smile on her face
to hide her nervousness and slid the door open.

                   ******************************

    Ukyou sat at the table with a neutral expression on her face.  The
introductions between the two families had been very formal and proper.
The only surprise for her had been that Ranma wasn't there.  She had
remained silent, and her face did not betray her feelings.  However,
underneath the table, one hand was clenched tightly into a fist.  It was
the only outward sign of her growing irritation.  She saw that the two
mothers were doing most of the talking, and the two fathers had seemed
to come to an unspoken agreement to let them do so.

    *What kind of a jerk is this Ranma Saotome guy, that he doesn't even
show up when his potential bride shows up?* thought Ukyou sourly.  She
and her family had been visiting with the Saotomes for almost thirty
minutes.  She confirmed her estimate of the time with a quick glance at
the clock.

    Finally, Ukyou decided she had endured long enough.

    "Excuse me," said Ukyou quietly.  The four adults looked at her.
"Where is Ranma?"

    "Ahh," said Nodoka with an embarrassed look.  "He appears to be
running a little late from his classes at the Academy."  She looked at
Genma helplessly.

    "My son is involved in a training class to improve his physical
conditioning," said Genma seriously.  "However, he should be arriving
home at any moment."

    "What?" asked Ukyou in surprise, a little louder than she had
intended.  Her mother frowned at her.  *I've traveled for most of the
day, dressed myself up in this frilly getup, and that... jackass...
isn't even here?  How dare he do this to me!*  Her neutral expression
had now been replaced by an angry frown.  She suddenly imagined Ranma as
some sort of frail weakling, based on what Genma had said, and her mood
darkened further.

    Quickly filling in the embarrassed silence, Nodoka said, "He was
selected for special training after we set our meeting time.  I did not
know how to contact you to change our appointment.  I am sorry."

    *An interesting reaction,* thought Genma with drunken detachment.
*I may be able to fend off Nodoka's plans yet, at least with this one.
The boy is too young to think about marriage yet, not until he attains a
level of ability that I deem sufficient to carry on the Anything-Goes
School of Martial Arts.*

    "Why is your son training, Saotome-san?" asked Akira Kuonji calmly.
He was curious about the boy now, whereas before he had only viewed
Ranma as a lifeline tossed to a drowning man.

    "The boy was selected for intensive training in martial arts at the
Imperial Academy," replied Genma in a diplomatic tone of voice.

    Ukyou blinked, surprised at this development.  She did not notice
the brief glance that her mother and father shared with each other.

    Genma continued on, "He shows great promise in his fighting skills,
and I know that he will be a great warrior, willing to give his life for
the Art.  That is how much it means to him."  Genma wiped a sudden false
tear from one eye, smiling inside at the eager looks he was being given
by Akira Kuonji.  "The boy has such promise.  He only needs the support
of a good woman now."

    Nodoka blinked, stunned.

    With a smile, Genma produced a bottle of sake and invited Mr. Kuonji
to sit with him and leave the women to talk.  The two men left the room
and went out onto the back porch region to chat.  Genma gave Nodoka a
wink and a nod before he went outside.

    At the same time, a tired Ranma returned home and slipped off his
shoes, with gratitude, in the front entryway, also setting his destroyed
bookbag down next to them.  "I'm home," he called out.

    *Ranma,* thought Nodoka gratefully.  She smiled at the two Kuonji
women and said, "My son is now home.  I know that he will make a good
impression on you."

    Ranma came into the dining area, spotted Ukyou, and impulsively
called out to her, "Hey, Ucchan."  He suddenly realized what he had just
done and felt like a total fool.  He immediately bowed to the three
women, hoping in vain that his gaffe might pass unnoticed, and seated
himself at the table across from Ukyou.

    Nodoka and Ukyou's mother looked at him, surprised.  They saw that
Ranma had a bandage across his nose and looked to have been in a recent
fight, a few fading bruises on his face.  He also moved with occasional
hesitancy from his injuries.

    Ukyou felt an almost electric shock run through her at her first
sight of Ranma, even as her thoughts went something like, *H-how dare he
speak to me so familiarly?*  She looked down and began blushing as he
sat, an unexpected surge of desire for the pigtailed boy affecting her,
and she suddenly felt extremely shy.

    Ranma gazed at Ukyou and felt a smile cross his face at the sight of
her.  *I guess I was worried over nothing,* he realized with relief,
thinking that he had been silly to be afraid of seeing Ukyou.  But a
tingling in his body made him wonder if friendship was all that he was
feeling for the girl.  He could not bring himself to tear his gaze away
from looking at her, and he thought that she looked so very appealing
dressed in traditional feminine garb as she was.

    Ukyou was unable to bring herself to meet Ranma's gaze, and she
could not figure out what was wrong with her.  Her fingers twiddled with
each other under cover of the table as she tried to understand what was
going on.  He wasn't anywhere near what she had been expecting, and his
easy movements were a sure sign of a well-trained fighter.  Each time
she tried to look at him, her stomach tied itself into such a knot that
she had to bend over again.  She found herself wondering what he looked
like underneath his clothes, and her blush deepened as she continued to
stare at her cup of tea before her.

    "Perhaps we should give the two of them a few minutes alone to get
to know each other a little," suggested Nodoka gently, after spending a
minute glancing from her son to Ukyou and back.  Receiving a nod from
Ukyou's mother, the two women withdrew to the kitchen to talk on their
own.

    For several minutes, the two teens seemed unable to speak to each
other.  After his initial, overly-familiar greeting, Ranma was not sure
what to say, so he contented himself with looking at Ukyou and thinking,
*She sure is cute.*  On the other side of the table, the ninja girl was
sitting and trying to sort out her very confused feelings.

    During this whole time, Genma Saotome and Akira Kuonji were talking
and drinking sake.  It was a companionable moment between the two men,
and Akira found himself unburdening his concerns to Genma.  Both of them
were well on their way to being drunk.

    "I tell you it's been terrible, Saotome-san," said Akira, slurring
his words slightly.  "I have been unable to secure a husband for my only
daughter.  W-what sort of a father am I to be unable to do that?"  A few
tears began to flow from his eyes.

    "I know the feeling, Kuonji-san," said Genma, feeling the effects of
the sake in his system giving a pleasant glow to everything.  "But I may
have the solution to your problems.  My son.  Ranma."

    "You agree to an engagement?" said Akira, his hopes growing.  When
he saw Genma nod once, he brought out the marriage contract.  "Ukyou
does bring a very... a very good dowry with her.  She is to inherit our
family shrine and all other family assets when she marries."  As he
looked down to find the suddenly misplaced contract in his robes, Akira
did not notice the brief glow of avarice shining in Genma's eyes.

    The contract was shortly signed and both men affixed their seals to
it.  Genma held out his hand and the two men clasped arms, securing the
deal with a pledge of honor between them.  That singular act brought a
happy smile to Akira's face.  They toasted the event with another cup of
sake.

    "We must keep this a secret though, Kuonji-san," said Genma with a
conspiratorial look.  *Especially since Ukyou will be Ranma's number two
wife.*

    "Why?" asked Akira, confused, even as he swiftly pocketed his copy
of the contract.

    "My son will honor this agreement," answered Genma, "but I wish to
make it a surprise for my wife.  You understand how it is."  He saw
Akira nodding drunkenly, grateful to agree to anything Genma said by
this point.  "For now, we will tell our children that Ukyou will be
staying in the area to allow them time to get to know each other."  He
felt extremely proud of this idea.  The two men then went back to
finishing off the large bottle of sake they had brought with them.

    The two fathers came back into the dining area, finding the two
teenagers discussing the merits and pitfalls of weaponless and armed
combat.  Hearing the commotion made by the two men, both mothers
returned as well.  Akira suddenly clapped Ranma smartly on the shoulder,
startling the pigtailed boy.

    "Your son certainly seems nothing like his portfolio, Saotome-san,"
said Ukyou's father with a slight twinkle in his eye.  "I came here with
expectations of someone more... scholarly... in nature, and now I find
him to be a young warrior as well.  He sounds like he might be just the
man for my little Ukyou."

    "What?" shouted Ukyou in irritation, temporarily forgetting her shy
feelings.  *He wants to go through with all of this?  Papa, what are you
thinking?*  Yet a glance at Ranma silenced her as her shyness returned
with a vengeance.  She went back to absently twiddling her fingers.

    "However," said Akira, ignoring his daughter as he nodded slightly
to Genma, "so as not to rush into anything foolishly, it has been agreed
that Ukyou will remain in the area to get to know Ranma better.  If
things go as well as I hope, then the marriage between our two families
will occur within the year."

    Both Ranma and Ukyou seemed to visibly tense at that announcement.

    *Genma has apparently taken my little speech to heart,* thought
Nodoka gratefully.  *I knew he would come through for me.*  She was now
secretly finding herself favoring the Kuonji girl to become Ranma's new
fiancee.  Ukyou reminded Nodoka of herself as a girl, for some reason,
and Ranma needed a strong woman to guide him, as she had tried to guide
Genma.

    "I think my wife and I would be proud to have Ranma become Ukyou's
husband," said Akira with a conspiratorial wink at Genma, "if the two of

them end up getting along, that is."  He moved over to his daughter and
clapped his hands down on her shoulders.  "A strong girl like Ukyou will
be able to provide many healthy children for the Empire, when, er, if he
marries her."  *And the girl needs someone strong enough to stand up to
her.  She does take after her mother that way,* he finished in his mind.

    "Papa!" exclaimed Ukyou, scandalized.  She glanced at Ranma and felt
shyness strike her once again, going quiet and staring at the tabletop.

    "Excellent," said Ukyou's mother.  "I've seen more than enough to be
satisfied.  I truly think Ranma will be a good match for my daughter,
especially since my husband feels so strongly about it."  She smiled at
the Saotomes.  *I've found a good husband for my daughter at last!  He
sounds like a strong fighter, as well as a brilliant scholar.  I just
know that he will father many exceptional children for the Clan.*

    Nodoka smiled as she nodded in agreement.  *This is all working out
so well.  If things don't go well with the Kunous or the Tendous, then I
just know that Ranma will marry Ukyou.*  She felt a pleasant glow fill
her at the thought of grandchildren.

    "Ukyou will be staying with some of our relatives in the area until
the wedding can take place," said Ukyou's father with a smile.  "Her
aunt runs an okonomiyaki shop, and I hear that it's quite popular in the
area.  Ukyou is a good cook, and the experience should do her well."

    "Okonomiyaki?" asked Genma with surprise.

    "Yes," replied Ukyou's mother proudly.  "My sister-in-law uses the
old Kuonji family recipes.  I don't believe that your son will ever
taste a finer okonomiyaki than the ones made by my little Ukyou, once
she learns the finer points of their creation from her aunt.  Ukyou
hasn't had much of an opportunity to learn them, what with her duties at
the shrine and her other training."

    *I can't believe this is happening,* thought Ranma as he stared at
the tabletop, trying to control himself from pounding on Genma in his
mother's presence.  He glanced over at Ukyou and was captivated by the
bright blush on her cheeks.  *Well, maybe this isn't going to be so
bad,* he conceded, *since it isn't as if there's any agreement between
the families.  She and I could just, uh, date.*  That thought created a
fountain of butterflies in his belly.

    Ukyou continued looking down at the table, her blush finally fading,
as she thought sourly, *Judging by my parents, it looks like I'm going
to be stuck with marrying this Ranma guy now.  My father is sure not
going to let this chance to marry me off get away, if I know him.  I
guess I'm going to have to explain to Ranma how things are going to be
between us, after I get settled in.  Maybe we can come to some sort of
an understanding.*  The thought of spending time with Ranma was oddly
pleasant to her, and she wondered if he might be interested in helping
her keep up her training.

    "Then, it's all settled," said Genma proudly.  He poured the last of
the sake into Akira's cup.  "Here's to the future."

    The two fathers toasted while the mothers looked on contentedly.
There were smiles all around, except from the two now-engaged children
seated at the table.

    Ranma and Ukyou finally met each other's gazes, and he tentatively
smiled at her.  That set off a fresh blush in Ukyou's cheeks, but she
did not lower her eyes, finally having mastered herself sufficiently to
look on it as a challenge of wills.  She met Ranma's look with her own
and answered his smile with a small one of her own.

    Both of them were now thinking almost exactly the same thing.

    *Maybe this won't be so bad.  What's the worst thing that could
happen?*

    "Would you like to be friends?" Ranma asked Ukyou.

    "I'd like that... Ranchan," said Ukyou, an impish smile on her face.
She enjoyed the startled look on his face.

    There was the distant rumble of thunder in the skies.



XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The boost is a concept borrowed from the "Deathstalker" novels written
by Simon R. Green, a terrific space-opera style story.


Ghost Sweeper Minami is a character created by D.B. Sommer in his story,
"Shampoo �", and is used with his permission.


Thanks to my pre-readers for all of their help and advice:

Michael Allen
Jim Bader
Donny Cheng
David Eddy
Jed Hagen
D.B. Sommer
Stardragon
T.H. Tiger