Hope this word wraps.  Thanks for all the response!  I couldn't have

fixed this without YOUR help.  Thankyouthankyouthankyou!



 Kyusaku was prone to working late at night.  So it wouldn't have
surprised
anyone to learn that Kyusaku was in one of the engineering labs of
Mishima Heavy
Industries at midnight, even though it was Christmas Eve.  Anyone would
have
guessed that he was working on yet another one of his inventions, and
they'd
have been right.
 One person, however, would have expressed considerably more interest.
The
president and owner of MHI had been paying very careful attention to his
son-in-
law's work.  Kyusaku was working on a very special project, the android
known as
NK-1124.
 Kyusaku was doing the finishing touches to his masterpiece.  The body
was
built, the power supplies installed; he'd even put in a little computer
brain
with a voice control system so that he didn't have to try carrying it.
 Kyusaku stepped back and examined it.  "It's too drab," he mused.  He
studied it for a few minutes and grinned slightly.  He knew that the
President
wanted the android for military purposes, but he wasn't going to let so
promising a tool be used for hurting people.  Oh no, he was more
principled than
that.
 That didn't stop him from fantasizing about it.
  A mad vision of a scantily clad warrior babe carrying a huge assault
rifle
filled his head as he walked over to a medium-sized container on one of
the
benches and opened it.  It was full of small pieces of fleshlike
material, each
about one to two inches thick.
 Flesh armor was one of his best inventions, and had greatly raised him
in
status.  It was a flexible plastic polymer, firm yet malleable, that
felt
remarkably like flesh.  It was also nearly indestructible once the form
had been
set.
 Unfortunately, it was also extremely hard to make.  He'd designed and
had
ordered this set of armor nearly two months ago and it had just been
completed.
All he needed to do was put it in place. A special glue would make the
edges
and inner surfaces of each piece flow into each other and through holes
in the
skeletal structure.  There they would harden and bond, forming a
seamless
covering.  Other than a few access ports, it was going to be nearly
impossible
to get to the inside of the android.
 He glanced over the contents to verify that all was there, even briefly

picking up and examining one of the two pieces that were substantially
thicker
than the others.  He looked up at the robot standing patently by.
 "NK-1124, pick this box up."
 It obediently walked over and lifted it into the air.
 Kyusaku paused to light up a cigarette.  After a few quick drags to
calm
himself, he felt ready to leave the relative safety of the labs.
"NK-1124,
follow me," he said, and walked out the door.
 After loading both the android and the box in the back of his Land
Rover
he went to get his son.
 That had been the hardest part of the whole operation; his son didn't
want
to go.  He didn't want to believe that they couldn't be one happy family

anymore.
 Still, he was leaving, and his son knew who he was supposed to stay
with.  Ryunosuke was packed and ready when he arrived to get him.
 Kyusaku had chosen to leave on a night that his wife, Akiko, was away
on
business, something that had been happening all to frequently of late.
One of
the reasons he was leaving was that she had been spending more and more
time
working, rather than with her family.
 They left without any trouble, or so they thought.  The video
surveillance
system in their private apartment had relayed the activity to guards
under
Akiko's employ, and they in turn had called her.
 Her reaction was swift and to the point.
 "Stop them.  Now."
 Arisa and Kyoko, her office ladies, ran to do her bidding.
      ****************
 Kyusaku had stopped by a restaurant and picked up a bucket of chicken
before continuing on to the apartment he had rented.  It took a long
time to
drive through Tokyo, especially the Nerima district of Tokyo.  Kyusaku
was
prepared however, having scouted out the area beforehand.  And his wife
had
wondered why he suddenly wanted a Land Rover.  He snickered as he
bounced over a
particularly large pothole where the road used to be, secure in the
knowledge
that his truck could handle it.
 He hadn't taken into account his son's reaction to being bounced around

though.
 "Dad?  I gotta go."
 "Son, we're already gone."
 "DAD!  I need to go to the bathroom!"
 "Well why didn't you say so?  You know you should have went before we
left."
 "I did!" Ryunosuke protested indignantly.  "But I have to again."
 "I don't see any store... Oh, here we go.  An alley."  Kyusaku pulled
off
to the side of the road casually.  There wasn't any traffic in the area.

 "An alley?" Ryunosuke said dubiously.
 Kyusaku gestured encouragingly. "Sure, let it all hang out."
 Ryunosuke shrugged and got out.  He walked into the alley and unzipped.

 A little bit later Kyusaku called out to him.  "Ryunosuke, haven't you
finished peeing yet?"
 Ryunosuke shook his head and sighed.  "He's got no shame," he mumbled
to
himself.
 Kyusaku made a little show of digging through the bucket of chicken.
"Let's see here, which one is the biggest?"
 "DAD!"
 "Okay, okay, just picking at you.  Look, see?  I'll give them all to
you.
I'm very open-minded."
 (THAT'S an understatement...) Ryunosuke thought.  A quiet meow
interrupted
him.  He looked into the alley and saw a small greyish cat step out of
the
shadows and look at him imploringly.  It had caught the scent when his
father
opened the bucket of chicken.
 Several miles away, a helicopter flew in an erratic pattern over the
city.
It's color was hard to determine because it blended in well with the
night sky.
Two women occupied the cockpit.  One was nervously eyeing a tracking
monitor and
the other appeared to be having an epileptic fit at the controls,
grinning
madly.
 The cat watched warily as Ryunosuke walked over to it.  Was this a mean

human or one with gentle hands?  It posed, ready to run as he leaned
down and
petted it.  It purred happily and leaned into the touch.
 Ryunosuke slowly picked it up and cradled it in his arms as he walked
back
to his dad.
 Kyusaku looked at it.  "What's this?"
 The copter was finally close enough to make out the parked form of the
jeep.  Arisa grinned just a little bit wider and flipped the weapons
button
safety cap off.
 Ryunosuke looked at him like he'd grown a second head.  "It's a cat,"
he
said, raising one eyebrow.
 The targeting box moved across the viewscreen and locked.  Arisa
reverently pressed the button.  A short missile dropped from the
underside and
accelerated toward the alley.
 "I know it's a cat, but, son, we're fugitives now.  Do you understand
that?"
 "Yeah."
 "So there's no space for a cat, okay?"  He snapped his head around as
the
missile slammed through the alley and smashed through a wall, sending
bricks
flying.  "Let's go, Ryunosuke!  Get in and hold on!"
 "But Dad!  What about the cat?" he protested as he was running to his
door, still holding the cat.
 "Later!"  Kyusaku started the engine and slammed it in gear, squealing
tires in his hurry to leave.
 The woman at the helicopter controls hit a comm button.  "We've located

them.  Following now."
 Kyusaku blessed the lack of traffic as he swerved madly from lane to
lane,
trying his best to avoid the holes in the road left by dummy missiles.
 Arisa knew better than to just blow up the truck like she wanted to, so

she tried to block its route and force it to stop.  Kyoko yelled at her
to watch
the buildings.
 Kyusaku randomly turned corners and drove through alleys to shake their

pursuers, nearly losing them in the maze of streets.  Ryunosuke put his
feet on
the dash and curled into a ball with his arms wrapped around the cat.
The cat
was mewling for all it was worth, it didn't like this situation one bit.

 Kyusaku cursed and sent the Land Rover into a short skid as a brief
burst
of gunfire tore through the roof of a parked car nearby.
 Arisa was getting mad.  Nothing she'd tried so far had got them to
stop,
maybe a little stronger show of force?  She swept the main cannon in an
arc over
the entrance to an alley that the truck was entering.
 Undeterred, it continued through the narrow gap and Arisa was forced to

take a different route.
 Kyusaku drove at speeds no one not in immediate fear for their life
would
drive at through an alley choked with garbage cans and empty boxes. He
noticed a
parked car blocking the other entrance.
 Everyone inside was threw forward against the seatbelts as Kyusaku
slammed
on the breaks, barely stopping in time to avoid a collision.  Unnoticed,
a small
magnetic cube was scraped off and bounced from the asphalt into a pile
of trash.
 He quickly put it in reverse and smoked his tires, revving the engine
nearly to the point of exploding as he drove back through the alley and
out into
the street from which it came.  Kyusaku looked around and spotted a
parking
garage. Not bothering to pay, he simply drove through the gate and
stopped in
the middle of the lane, safely out of sight of the assault helicopter.
 Inside the helicopter, Arisa and Kyoko scanned the street for their
prey.
Kyoko's scanner indicated that the Land Rover was there, but they didn't
see it.
Arisa pulled the trigger a few times in disgust.
 Kyoko glanced at the perforated remains of a small car, now pushed up
against the curb from the force of the impacts.  "Is this revenge for
them
getting away?"
 Arisa nodded enthusiastically.  "Yep!  Do you want to try it?"
 Kyoko shook her head.  "That's okay, I'm not aggressive like you."
 "Oh yeah, that's too bad.  It's really quite fun!"  she shot a
telephone
pole in two to illustrate her point.
 Kyoko grimaced and gestured at the radio.  Arisa nodded and hit the
button.
 "We're sorry Ma'am, we've lost them.  Please give us new orders!"
(Preferably to take the city apart to find them!) Arisa didn't say.
 "Okay, there will be future chances.  Come back for now."
 "Roger!"  Arisa turned and flew back to base.
 Kyusaku's first thought when he parked the truck was, (I want a
cigarette.)  Out loud he said, "Some Christmas present, eh boy?"  He
looked over
to see if his son was okay.
 "Ryunosuke!"
 His son was not okay.  An erratic line of bullet holes had stitched
their
way across the roof on the passenger side.  His son was still leaned
forward,
not moving, with the cat sticking its head out and looking around.
 The whole scene had such an unreal quality to it that at first he
didn't
believe what he saw.  He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but the
motionless
figure of his son didn't go away.
 Kyusaku looked at his son for a second and amended his first thought.
(
I REALLY want a cigarette.)
 "Damn."  He paused.
 "Damn."  He quickly lit up a cigarette.
 After a few calming puffs the solution came to him, brightening him
considerably.  Then he realized something.
 "Damn."


  All Purpose Culture-shocked Cyborg Girl Ryunosuke!
     Part one.
     Merry Christmas Son!  I got you a new body!


 Ryunosuke became awake like someone had thrown a switch.  The first
thing
he noticed was a slight weight sitting on his chest.  The first thing
his eyes
focused on was the source of the slight weight on his chest, a cute
furry cat
nestled between his breasts.
 (Hey!  I know that cat!  It's okay!)  He reached one slim, graceful
hand
up and gently petted it.  Then his brain overcame the processor lag.
The hand,
so unlike his, slowly moved a few inches to the side of the cat and
gently
prodded.
 "AIIIIIIIEEEEEE!   DAD!  WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" he screamed in a high
pitched female voice.  The cat freaked and immediately left the room.
"FIX IT!"
"Now, now, son, I saved your life.  You could at least say thanks for
your
present," Kyusaku said calmly from his position behind Ryunosuke.
 Ryunosuke spun around to face him.  "THANKS?  YOU WANT ME TO SAY
THANKS?
I'VE GOT BOOBS!"  He grabbed them and attempted to thrust them in
Kyusaku's
direction as proof.
 Kyusaku frowned disapprovingly at his son.  Daughter, whatever.
"Remember
what we told you about manners, Son.  Say thank you politely whether you
like it
or not.  Remember that thing your aunt gave you that we didn't know what
it was?
She was so upset when she found out that you didn't like it."
 Ryunosuke stood shakily and pulled his shorts away from his new body.
He looked down into the depths, then looked back at his father.  "Dad,"
he
said menacingly.  "I now have several things that I don't know what
are.  Thanks
to you."
 Kyusaku smiled happily.  "You're welcome, son.  Glad you like it."  He
stopped and frowned again.  "Now, son, you should leave your clothes
on.  You're
to young to be playing with a girl's body like that."
 Ryunosuke would have turned purple with rage if he'd been equipped to
do
so.  Instead, as a result of one of Kyusaku's quirky little ideas, he
blushed
cutely and tore two chunks out of the operating table he had been
leaning
against.  "Dad," he said dangerously, "I didn't hear that.  We will now
go to
different parts of the house and I will not hurt you no matter how much
I want
to."
 Kyusaku nodded nervously.  "Okay son, I understand that you're upset.
You
calm down, then I'll run a few diagnostics and we'll call it a night."
Kyusaku
backed away slowly.
 Ryunosuke ignored the retreating figure of his father and ran his hands

along his body, stunned at the strangeness of it all.  His eyes had the
strangest tendency to focus on things in microscopic detail, and the
wealth of
information his skin sensors provided nearly overloaded his brain.
 Kyusaku walked back in and looked around thoughtfully.
 "What Dad?" Ryunosuke said reflexively.
 With a little 'Ah' noise Kyusaku bent down under a bench and retrieved
an
ice cream scoop.  He turned to Ryunosuke.  "I want an ice cream cone, do
you
want one?"
 Mistaking the look that tried to surface on Ryunosuke's new face for
something else, he hastened to reassure him.  "Don't worry, your body
can eat,
you can even taste things.  It's indistinguishable from a normal girls
body
unless you look internally," he said with a suggestive wink.
 Kyusaku examined the scoop briefly.  "I'd better clean this off..."  He

trailed off as he left the room.
 (Dad has flipped his lid,) Ryunosuke thought angrily.  (He acted like
it
was no big deal.  I'll SHOW him why it is a big deal.  He will fix
this...)
Ryunosuke took a few deep breaths to calm himself like he'd been
taught.  It
didn't seem to help.  He could feel the pressure, he knew every chemical
that
was in the air, but it was in a cold, analytical way.  It didn't feel
right.
 Ryunosuke clenched his hands together on the table again, then he
peacefully slumped to the floor, fast asleep.
 Kyusaku stepped in from outside the door where he had been hitting
buttons
on a remote control and looked at his son thoughtfully.
     ****************
 Ryunosuke walked through the rooms of the building, or at least all of
them he could.  Several other people lived in the same building.
Kyusaku had
rented half of the second floor out of six, and several other people had
done
similar things.  Apparently, only one person rented the top floor; a
solitary
sort who had his food delivered and never came out himself.  A young
couple had
rented a room on the fourth floor, but their arguments could clearly be
heard on
the second floor.  No one seemed to complain, or indeed even notice.
Ryunosuke
had thought it was weird, until he realized that it was because of his
sensitive
hearing instruments.
 A young woman shared their floor with them, making two on that floor.
She
hadn't rented the other rooms, but no one else lived in them either.
Akemi was
pretty, often dressed in daring clothes, and frequently came home
drunk.  Still,
she was friendly enough, always having time to say hello and had even
invited
Ryunosuke and Kyusaku over for tea.  She was quite amused at Ryunosuke's

behavior, and seemed quite interested in the fact that Ryunosuke wore
shorts and
a T-shirt everywhere.
 Another tenant worthy of note was an old woman on the first floor.  She

was the reason for Ryunosuke's current ramble.  'He' had to think.
 Ryunosuke had actually adjusted fairly well, all things considered.
Kyusaku had unobtrusively toned down his violent impulses {which had
been
severely out of whack} during the diagnostics check, so Ryunosuke didn't
feel an
overwhelming desire to kill his dad.  Hurt him, yes.  Kill, no.  He
wasn't so
sure about his feelings to the old woman.  He rather suspected he wanted
to kill
her, or at least maim.  {Kyusaku was good, but not perfect.}
 Ryunosuke had taken to walking about the building, getting used to the
new
way of moving, the shifts in the center of gravity, and in general
getting used
to the feel of being a woman.  Kyusaku had hooked up every nerve he was
able,
and as Ryunosuke grew more accustomed to the body he started feeling
less like
some sort of pilot and started feeling more like he did normally.  Or,
at least
he thought he felt like he did before he was killed.  The memory was
very hazy
and indistinct.
 It must be pointed out that Ryunosuke was a boy.  He was in a female
body,
but he didn't have any female hormones, or really anything mental to
tell him he
was a girl.  So he acted like a boy.  He walked like a boy, talked like
a boy,
and dressed as a boy as much as possible.  Now to many people, this is
readily
obvious, but most people wouldn't say anything about it, or indeed
really even
care.
 The old woman on the first floor was not one of these people.  She
noticed, and disapproved.  She realized that the poor girl must not have
had
proper training, living alone with her father after all.  Fathers didn't
realize
that girls needed special attention.  Why, she could grow up to be like
that
horrid tramp on the same floor.  Mrs. Tanaka would not stand for
improper
behavior, at least not when she could do something about it.
 So Mrs. Tanaka strode forth {shuffled painfully} to carry out {bug
other
people with} her god given {self-imposed} duty {hobby} as judge and jury

{general annoyance} of the world {everything she saw enough times to
notice}.
She didn't think this in so many words of course, most of her thoughts
were
along the lines of, "Well I never!; Such behavior!; Why in my day...;
Someone
should do something...; I must as a responsible neighbor..."
 So she had gone and talked to Kyusaku.  Kyusaku wasn't exactly thrilled
at
the idea, but with a little incessant nagging and the thought that
Ryunosuke
could benefit from the training, he had agreed.  HE sure wasn't going to
show
his son how to be a girl.
 Ryunosuke triggered the mental playback feature.  It was one of the few

things he liked about being a cyborg, but his digital memory was
limited.
     ****************
 "Ryunosuke!  Come here, we have something to discuss!"
 Ryunosuke's head snapped up from where she'd been studying, external
sensors swiveling out into place.  "Yes Dad?"  She followed the sound of
his
voice, barely remembering to hide the ears.
 She arrived in the larger living section of the apartment to find her
father drinking tea with Mrs. Tanaka.  Ryunosuke had already met the
woman, and
knew she had came over, but she hadn't been paying attention to their
conversation.
 Kyusaku told her to sit down.  "Ryunosuke, Mrs. Tanaka has brought it
to
my attention that your education has been rather deficient in some
areas."
 "What do you mean, Dad?"
 Mrs. Tanaka spoke up.  "What your father means, dearie, is that there
are
things about your body that you don't seem to know about."
 Ryunosuke held up the book she'd been reading.  "Oh, I know that. I'm
studying so that I do know the body."
 Kyusaku looked at the book and groaned inwardly.  (Maybe I should have
served a better brand of tea; Mrs. Tanaka doesn't seem to have liked
it.)
 Indeed, she looked like she had just drank something very bitter.  "And

just what it that you're reading, dearie?"
 Ryunosuke lowered the book again.  "It's the owners manual," she said
reasonably.
 "Owner's manuo/~I'll go through flames, flood, weeds, forests The soil,

clouds, and under the skirt of the girl!o/~"
     ****************
 (WHAT!) Ryunosuke exclaimed, stopping the playback.  (Pokemon?  I saved

Pokemon over that?)
 Ryunosuke banged her palm against her head and walked back down the
hall.
 (Stupid old woman probably didn't even glance at the book, or she'd
have
known what it was.) Ryunosuke grumbled, returning to her original gripe,
as she
entered their apartment.  (Dad's probably off in la la land again,
instead of
making a new body like he's supposed to, GRRR!)  She looked down to see
that she
had just crushed the doorknob in her hand again.  "Third time this
week," she
said to herself ruefully.
 "Meow!"
 Ryunosuke looked up and spun, flashing her arms up at an incredible
speed
to gently catch the little cat that had just jumped at her.
 "Hi there kitty.  Have you been fed yet?" she asked as she scratched
behind the cat's ears.
 "Meow," the cat replied.
 "Okay, we'll get you something."
 Ryunosuke carried the cat to the kitchen and set it down.  The cat
watched
intently as she got a bag of cat food and poured some in a bowl.
 "Here you go," she said as she set the bowl down.  The cat dug in.
 Giving it on last pat on the head Ryunosuke stood and headed for her
room.
Kyusaku met her halfway.
 "Son, we have to talk."
 Ryunosuke was instantly wary.  "I'm not letting that meddling old woman

make me play dress up and play with dolls," she said defiantly.
 Kyusaku waved his hand in annoyance.  "No, no, this isn't about that.
Look son, you've got to go to school.  I've already found a job at a
local high
school as a teacher, and I enrolled you as one of the students.  I'll be
your
homeroom teacher."
  "Aww Dad, I can't go to school looking like this!  All the boys will
laugh
at me!"
 "No, Son, I don't think that they will.  After all, they don't know
that
you're really a boy."
 "You mean you're enrolling me as a girl?"  Horror filled her voice.
 Kyusaku lit up a cigarette.  "I'm afraid I have no choice, you have to
go
to school.  Look at it this way, you won't have to be in school as
long."  He
took a drag on his cigarette and pocketed the lighter.  "You're in high
school
now."
     ****************
 "High school, I'm in high school.  Wow."  Ryunosuke spun in a slow
circle,
taking in all of the sights.  She stopped and plucked at her clothes.
"Dad
didn't say anything about a dress though.  Damn him."
 To cover her mounting nervousness, she strode determinedly to the door
of
the school, totally oblivious to the admiring gazes of the males she
passed.
 She arrived at her designated classroom in time to hear the close of
her
father's introductory speech to the class.  Kyusaku turned to her, then
back to
the class.
 "Today we have a new student.  Class, this is Atsuko Natsume.  Say
hello
to the class Atsuko."
 Ryunosuke dutifully bowed and said hello, then she took a seat,
grateful
to be out of the spotlight.  She mentally reminded herself that Atsuko
was her
name, it having been agreed on soon after she woke up as a girl.
 Unfortunately for Ryunosuke, moving out of the spotlight only works
when
the person operating it doesn't move it to follow.
 Ryunosuke had always been an outgoing person, and had never had any
trouble making friends.  This was still a bit much for him, er, her.
 "What are your hobbies?"
 "Videogames, stuff like that..."
 "What's your favorite food?"
 "Junk food I guess..."
 "Is he your father?"
 "Yes..."
 Kyusaku finally broke in.  "Class!  Sit down and open your textbooks to

page 146!"
 Everyone reluctantly did so, but most of the boys still drooled in
Ryunosuke's direction.  Several girls directed glares her way as well,
but
Ryunosuke was too busy panicking over all the new things to learn to
notice.  It
was going to be hard to adjust from grammar school to high school with
no
classes in between.
 More than one boy was firmly convinced that they were in love.
Finally, a
hot girl in their class with the same interests as them!
 Other than a few drool-soaked textbooks and a few remarks about the new

girl's tendency to stare off into space {Ryunosuke was accessing
information},
the day went relatively smoothly.
 Ryunosuke took up the invitation to sit with the boys at lunch, which
caused several boys to have heart problems and caused most of the girls
to
dislike her even more.  None of the boys gave her any trouble, most were
too
stunned from the acceptance and the rest kept up a constant barrage of
questions.
 Ryunosuke was just beginning to think school wasn't going to be so bad
when it came time for gym class.  She walked right into the girl's
locker room
without a second thought.  Or even a first thought.  Then her mind
caught up
with her body.
 Girls.
 Girls undressing.  Slight mental grin here.  Ryunosuke had never went
through the 'girls are icky' stage of life.  His parents had seen to
that.
 He was supposed to undress with these girls.  The grin faded even more
quickly than it arrived.
 Ryunosuke barked a short scream and ran.  Homer Simpson would have been

proud.
     ****************
 Kyusaku was reviewing lesson plans in his office when his son, err,
daughter ran in.  A slight implosion marked the air's rush to fill the
gap left
by the door during its brief opening.
 "DadyougottahelpmeIgottaundressinfronnagirls!
WhatamIgonnadohuhwhatamIgonnado?"
 Kyusaku took a moment to process this information.  "So?"
 Ryunosuke was just starting to calm down a bit, but confronted by her
father's uncaring attitude set her off again.  "SO?!" she screeched.
"Whaddayamean, SO?!  It's embarrassing!"
 Kyusaku raised an eyebrow.  "You're a girl.  Girls get undressed in
front
of each other all the time.  It's no big deal; you'll get used to it.
Now, get
your gym clothes and go change."
 "Oh yeah..." Ryunosuke mentally sighed and nodded agreement.  She
walked
slowly out the door.
 Kyusaku shrugged and turned back to his work.  Suddenly, a pencil,
thrown
with great force, sliced through the door and stuck, quivering, into his
desk an
inch from his hand.
Ryunosuke stuck her head back in.  "I'm a boy and you know it!"  She
pulled
back, leaving a shaken Kyusaku.
     ****************
 After a quick change in the locker room, made easier by the fact that
most
of the girls had already changed and entered the gym, Ryunosuke joined
the
girls.  The gym coach was running them through a series of athletics
drills and
exercises.
 Ryunosuke accidentally tore up the weight machine in the first fifteen
minutes so the rest of the class was spent on gymnastics.  Ryunosuke was
good,
raw strength and faster than human reflexes allowed her to perform some
amazing
feats on the uneven bars and balance beam, but one girl consistently
outperformed everyone else on style.
 Ryunosuke was in awe when she walked up to the other girl, having just
watched her mat routine.  "Wow!  You're incredible!  How did you do
that?"
 "Lots of practice."  She examined Ryunosuke.  "You're not bad yourself.

I'm Yoshimi."  She was about medium height, with black hair and a
slender build.
 "I'm, err, Atsuko.  Nice to meet you."  Ryunosuke greeted in return.
They returned to the routines, Ryunosuke doing her best to copy the
other girls
movements.
 The class was soon over.  Ryunosuke was still nervous about showering
with
the girls.  She had explained that she hadn't brought her clothes with
her when
she first walked in, that was why she had run back out.  Really.
Ryunosuke was
able to overcome her shyness over getting undressed but had a bit more
trouble
with her tendency to stare.
 Suddenly, the obvious answer came to her.  Another mental grin was born
as
Ryunosuke triggered the memory to record visual input.  She was just
glad it was
impossible to get a nosebleed without blood vessels.
 After getting dressed again Yoshimi walked up to Ryunosuke.  "Hey, some
of
us are going to the mall after school.  Do you want to go?"
   Ryunosuke paused.  "Um, let me think about it for a min...  Sure.
I'd
love to."
 The other girl blinked.  "Err, okay."
     ****************
 Ryunosuke walked happily up the steps to the apartment building.
(School
is great!  So many people, and most of them are friendly!)  She opened
the door
and walked down the hall to the stairs, preferring them to the
elevator.  She
knew from the slight sounds coming from behind her door that Mrs. Tanaka
was
looking out her peephole.
 Grinning slightly, she added a little bounce to her steps, enough to
make
it apparent that she wasn't wearing a bra and to make her very short
shorts ride
up a bit higher.
 Ryunosuke had removed the hated dress as soon as she was able, and at
the
mall the other girls had found the perfect person to make try on outfits
of all
kinds.  Ryunosuke found to her dismay that she had a terrible time
trying to say
no to a girl, and the others exploited this to the fullest.
 (At least they didn't get me to wear a bra,) she mused to herself as
she
climbed the stairs in a series of short jumps.  As she got close to the
top she
decided to try a variation on one of the moves she'd seen Yoshimi
perform.
 Pausing on the flight below, she turned facing back the way she had
came.
Ryunosuke ran over the moves mentally, then started quickly backflipping
up the
stairs without using her arms.
 A startled gasp from above alerted Ryunosuke to an obstacle in her
path.
In mid-flip she quickly snapped her arms down and grabbed a step,
stopping
herself from crashing into the woman coming down the stairs.  She looked
up to
see Akemi as her shirt dropped around her head.
 Akemi had held her arms in front of her in a desperate attempt to stop
a
collision, but dropped them down to her side after realizing she was
okay.
 She bent down to Ryunosuke.  "What was that all about?"
 Ryunosuke flexed her arms and flipped a few steps down to land on her
feet.
 "Oh, err, I was just practicing..." she laughed nervously, pulling her
shirt down.  (Idiot!  Pay more attention!)
 "Practicing?" she asked incredulously.  "By jumping up the stairs?
Just
what are you practicing for?  Are you trying to keep in shape?"
 Ryunosuke shrugged.  "Gym class, I guess.  Staying fit."
 "Yes, you should take care of your body.  It's the only one you've
got."
 Ryunosuke frowned.  (Yeah, thanks for the reminder...)
 "After all, how else are you going to marry a handsome man if you don't

show off your looks?"  Akemi raised one eyebrow.
 Ryunosuke shook her head and looked disgusted.  "Eww!  Why'd I wanna
marry
a guy?  That's sick!"
 Akemi raised the other.  "Well, who else are you going to marry?  A
girl?"
 Ryunosuke froze.  (Oops...)  "Well its been fun talking to you but I
really have schoolwork to do classes are hard and stuff gotta go have a
nice day
bye."  Ryunosuke brushed past and walked very quickly to the apartment.
     ****************
 The next day Ryunosuke was a lot less inclined to sit with the boys
during
lunch, having realized why they were so friendly.  She may be a bit slow
to
figure things out at times, but she wasn't stupid.  Besides, the girls
were more
fun, as long as she tried to stay out of the direct conversation.
 As she got better and better at using her new mental capacity, school
became easier.  Homework was a breeze now.
 Gym class was as fun as the day before, but they played softball this
time.
 *CRACK*  Everyone watched, stunned, as half the ball bounced off of the

edge of the catcher's glove and rolled around on the ground.  The other
half was
embedded in the aluminum bat Ryunosuke held in one hand.
 The coach walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder.  "That's very
good, but you don't seem to understand." She paused.  "Hit the ball,
don't kill
it."
 Ryunosuke shrugged and smiled.  "Sorry."
     ****************
 "Dad?"
 "Yes, son?"
 "When are you going to make me a new body?"
 *sigh*  "Son, I'm working on it.  It's a slow process.  I've got to
reconfigure everything, and design it for long term use.  I'm sure
you're sick
of the diagnostics and maintenance."
 "Yes, it'd be great if I didn't have to do that every night, or at
least
if you could make it where I can actually use the food I eat, but I
don't like
being a girl.  I'm a boy!"
 And so it went.  Ryunosuke would ask her father, but was repeatedly put

off.  She had about as much luck with the lessons Mrs. Tanaka wanted to
teach
her.
 Ryunosuke's head snapped up from Kyusaku's computer as she heard the
all
too familiar step-wait-step of the elderly woman.  She quickly got up
and ran to
the door.  Waiting until the last second, she snatched the door open and

exclaimed, "Hello Mrs. Tanaka!  So good to see you today!"
 The old woman staggered back with her hand over her heart.  "Goodness
child!  Don't scare me like that!"
 "Oh, I'm so sorry!  Dad!  Mrs. Tanaka is here!"  Turning back to her
she
said, "Please come in."  (What now?)
 Mrs. Tanaka walked in behind Ryunosuke, holding a small wrapped package

under her arm.
 Kyusaku walked in from his lab where he was grading papers.  Or, more
accurately, he was inventing a whole new machine to grade the papers for
him.
He didn't like the models currently available to him, they required that
he
actually pick up the papers and run them through.  At least, that was
what he
would have told his son.
 "Why, hello Mrs. Tanaka.  Good to see you.  Can I get you some tea?"
 The old woman shifted and smiled.  "Thank you, but I'm afraid I don't
have
time right now.  I just came to give Atsuko a present."
 Every mental alarm in Ryunosuke's head went off.  (Oh, hell.)
 Out loud she said, "A present for me?  You shouldn't have!  Really!"
 Shaking her head, Mrs. Tanaka replied, "Oh, it's no trouble.  No
trouble
at all!  Here."  She handed the package to Ryunosuke.
 (Oh, but I bet it is trouble, you old ghoul.)  Ryunosuke took the
package
with all the enthusiasm of someone accepting a dead mouse.
 "Go on, open it Dear."
 Ryunosuke was tempted to fake enthusiasm and rip whatever it was to
shreds
as she opened the package, but dismissed that as too petty.  She tore
off the
paper to reveal a box.  Opening the box, she found a bra.  A
conservative, pale
blue cotton bra.
 Kyusaku raised one eyebrow.  (I wonder if I could install a combination

coffee maker and foot massager in my office...)
 "I hope you like it, I was shopping to day and it just caught my eye.
I
said to myself, 'That would just be perfect for dear Atsuko,' so I
decided to
just grab it and surprise you."  She shifted her weight slightly.
 (A bra.  A freaking BRA.)  She looked Mrs. Tanaka in the eye and said
in a
cheerful voice, "You know, talking to yourself is a sign of poor mental
health."
 Mrs. Tanaka blinked.
 With a sideways glance at her dad, Ryunosuke thanked her for the ever
so
kind gift.  "Oh, I just love it!  I'm sure it'll be a perfect fit!"  She
bared
her fangs at the old woman.  Unfortunately for her, this was an
incredibly cute
gesture and totally failed to convey any threat.
 Smiling, Mrs. Tanaka said, "You're welcome Dear.  You didn't seem to
have
any, so I felt it was only appropriate."  She looked around for a
second, then
back to the two residents.  "I'm sorry to be in such a rush, but I
simply must
be going now.  Good day!"
 Kyusaku let her out.  "Come see us again!"
 "Thank you again..."
 Kyusaku closed the door and walked back to his lab.
 Ryunosuke stood there a minute longer, examining the bra.  (You know, I

bet this would be a perfect fit...)  She grinned.
     ****************
 Arisa and her partner Kyoko were slightly nervous as they stepped into
their boss's office.  Lady Akiko had always had a reputation of being
slightly
eccentric, much like her husband, but she'd had a short fuse since her
husband
left her.
 They found her strangely quiet, not watching the video her husband left
as
a goodbye letter.  She was just sitting at her desk with her hands
folded before
her, staring off into space.  She glanced up at them.
 Kyoko took the lead.  "We're sorry Ma'am, but no leads yet.  The
authorities are very uncooperative.  We're still trying though."
 Akiko seemed to deflate slightly.  "No leads.  My poor boy, this must
be
so tough on him.  Suddenly she perked up.  "Have you checked all of the
school
records?  My husband had mentioned that he was taking Ryunosuke for
educational
purposes."
 Arisa and Kyoko shook their heads.  "No Ma'am, we haven't looked there
yet."
 "Then do so!  And report back as soon as you find something!"
 "Yes Ma'am!" they chorused.
 As they left Akiko was already reaching for the videodisk she kept on
the
edge of her desk.
     ****************
 Two weeks went by, and still they found nothing.  No records of
Ryunosuke
could be found in the country, and even out of country checks were
turning up
fruitless.  Until Kyoko thought to look for Kyusaku Natsume
specifically.
Within a few hours they had him pinpointed, living in an apartment
building in
Tokyo and working at one of the local schools.
 Akiko swiveled her chair around as the door to her office burst open.
She
franticly dabbed at her eyes and hit the stop button on the video.
 "Lady Akiko!  Lady Akiko!  We found him!"
 Her eyes lit up and she broke out into a wide smile.  "My baby!
Where?"
 Arisa edged ahead of Kyoko.  "I'm afraid we still haven't found
Ryunosuke,
but we have found your husband Kyusaku.  He's living in Tokyo and
working at a
local high school."
 Akiko frowned.  "But where is Ryunosuke?"
 Kyoko stepped up.  "We don't know.  The only other Natsume listed is
one
Atsuko, a 16 year old girl.  It says that Kyusaku is her father."
 Visions of Kyusaku having an affair with another woman filled her head
and
shattered her hopes of finding her son.  (He left me.  He had a daughter
with
another woman and he left me to go live with her!  THAT BASTARD!)  She
screamed.
"I'LL KILL HIM!"
 Kyoko stepped back involuntarily, but Arisa cheered her boss on.
"YEAH!
Teach him a lesson!  I'll help!"  She mentally pictured all the fun she
could
have blowing things up while going after Kyusaku.  (All right!)
 Akiko recovered and glared at Arisa.  This time even she backed up.
 "Get Poison One ready," she said low and dangerously.  "We're going
out."
 Arisa smiled.



--
  Ragun P. Moody
  AKA Kichigai

  ICQ# 37606443
  Visit my site!
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/clockwork/416/index.html

     I'm just another monkey with a word processor, trying to write
Shakespeare.