Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Jurai Knight (sthesken@earthlink.net)

(continued from part one of chapter ten)

   Ukyou stood on the flat roof of her aunt's restaurant, her eyes
closed as she meditated after finishing up a rigorous morning exercise.
Her clothing was slightly dampened, feeling cool and snug on her frame
from the sweat of her heavy exertions.  She was dressed in one of her
okonomiyaki seller outfits, her usual garb for training other than the
traditional ninja night suit, and her breasts were bound down out of
habit.  A soft nimbus of bluish chi flowed around her body like St.
Elmo's fire, totally invisible except to those who were highly-trained
in the martial arts themselves.  She was attempting to attune herself to
the many odd energies of the city, so different to her from those of her
former home in the mountains.

   Tokyo, and especially Nerima, seemed filled with a chaotic power
that was completely unlike anything she had ever experienced, yet she
was confident that she would master its essence.  Her grandfather had
always told her, "A true ninja can blend into any environment, for we
are the masters of the Way of Shadow, and the myths of the past that
still walk among ordinary men."  And with that proud thought in mind,
Ukyou focussed her awareness upon the seven energy centers of the human
body, feeling her breath smoothly flowing in and out.  As the moments
passed, she felt her frame revitalizing itself after her recent efforts,
each breath swiftly returning her closer to her full endurance.  The
young ninja felt her mind calming to a stillness, the sounds of the
awakening city washing over her without arousing her.

   Ukyou did not sense the presence of another person until it was
almost too late.  Her body instinctively dodged to one side without a
single conscious thought as a foot blurred past where her head had been
a moment earlier.  She swiftly rolled over on one shoulder and snapped
up into a combat stance, and her opponent continued on with the assault
without pausing, throwing several more vicious punches and kicks in the
space of only a few seconds before finally stopping.  Ukyou blocked or
dodged each strike with an almost effortless grace and speed.

   "Pretty good, Ukyou-chan," said Yumi with a grin, relaxing from her
assault upon her niece.  "You sensed my approach despite all my efforts
at cloaking my presence, and your reflexes are excellent.  That's quite
a rare level of ability in one so young, so that old man trained you
pretty well.  I imagine it takes a pretty exceptional fighter to defeat
you in single combat.  Still, I might have a few pointers I can offer
you that I've picked up in my travels, so just think of me as your new
teacher."

   "Thanks, Aunt Yumi," said Ukyou with a grin.  "I'm looking forward
to learning whatever you can teach me."  She quickly picked up her
things.  *And I'm sure she won't try any of the crazy training methods
that Gramps used.  That old man can sure be a sadist when he wants to
be.*

   With a parting wink, Yumi walked across the roof of the restaurant.
"Come on downstairs, and I'll put you to work.  I have a task in mind
for the first step in your training."  She walked over to the door to
the stairs and headed down.

   Ukyou followed her aunt, curious as to what she would be asked to
do.  She was not long in learning the answer to that question.

   Yumi turned on the grill and allowed it to heat up, a smile on her
face as she pulled out a batter mixture.  She looked at Ukyou and said,
"I thought you might be hungry.  I know I always am after a good, hard
workout."

   Ukyou's stomach chose that moment to make its presence known with a
loud grumble of hunger.  A good meal was one of her favorite things in
the world, something her grandfather had often teased her about when she
was growing up under his care.  Still, whatever she might think about
the old man's brutal training methods, or his strange insistence that
she was a boy and should always act like one, he had never let her go
hungry.  He had even told her many times that she had a very 'manly'
appetite.  And ever since puberty began, her body's metabolism had
seemed to be in constant high gear, requiring a steady supply of food to
keep her trim body's insatiable furnaces well-stoked.

   The okonomiyaki her aunt fixed her vanished down Ukyou's gullet
almost as quickly as it had been made.  The young ninja had always
thought that her grandfather's skill at cooking the Kuonji family's
signature dish was the best, but now she realized that she had just met
a true master of the grill.  The teenaged girl ravenously consumed a
second and then a third okonomiyaki before the edge was finally taken
off of her hunger.

   "Feeding you is going to be more work that I thought," teased Yumi.
"You eat more than even any of the teenaged boys that come in here."

   Ukyou chuckled nervously at the comment, feeling a bit embarrassed.

   "Now you will show me what you can do," said Yumi, a semi-serious
look on her face.  "I have a special task that will require your utmost
performance today.  Are you ready?"

   "Yes, Auntie," said Ukyou gravely, as if she had just accepted a
challenge to mortal combat.  "What do you want me to do?"

   "A delicate task," said Yumi, pausing for a moment dramatically,
before spoiling the drama completely when an impish smile crossed her
face.  "You're going to stay at this grill and practice hard until you
can cook your new boyfriend the best okonomiyaki he's ever had, since I
have it on good authority that he's going to be coming by tonight."  She
briefly recalled the pleasant phone conversation with Nodoka while Ukyou
was on the roof training.

   Ukyou half-slumped at the counter with surprise, a faint blush now
crossing her cheeks.

   "The best way to earn a guy's attention is by cooking for him," said
Yumi sagely, grinning broadly at Ukyou discomfiture.  "Since I don't
usually open until the lunch hour, we have the entire morning for me to
start refining your techniques.  We may not get your abilities perfected
today, but I intend to turn you into the finest okonomiyaki chef of your
generation, given time."

   Ukyou grinned.

   Yumi picked up a small spatula in each hand, her grip on them firm
and steady.  She gazed at her niece with a twinkle in her eyes and said
in a passable imitation of the solemn tones of the eldest of their Clan,
Grandfather Kuonji, "And now, my young apprentice, we shall begin your
training."

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

   Nodoka watched in growing irritation as Genma and Ranma waged a
fierce battle over the food she had served for breakfast, a battle that
Ranma appeared to be easily winning.  She saw him fending off Genma's
attempts at stealing bits and pieces of food from him with skill and
speed, but an increasingly annoyed look was visible on her son's face.
Neither of them came near her own food bowl as they dueled with their
chopsticks, even as she sat in not-quite-stunned immobility.  It was a
far worse sight than the poor manners that they had demonstrated on
their first day back.  Her eyes narrowed slightly.

   "Cut it out, old man!" cried Ranma, blocking another one of Genma's
attempts to steal some of his breakfast.  A moment later, he managed to
swipe a fried egg away from the older man.  He grinned at the annoyed
look on Genma's face.  "Hah!  Serves you right!"

   "How dare you show me such lack of respect, boy!" roared Genma,
managing to get a bit of extra rice and some fish through his efforts.
It was taking all of his skills at distraction tactics and insults to
get Ranma to lower his defenses enough to get through at all.  "Obey
your father and give me back that egg!"

   Ranma swallowed the egg in question with a single gulp, a smirk on
his face.

   Nodoka's eyebrow began to twitch.

   Genma redoubled his efforts, admittedly somewhat hindered by his
recent injuries.  But he knew that this too was part of training, the
struggle to obtain enough sustenance to keep the body nourished.  Yet he
was so intent on goading Ranma (and trying to get as much of breakfast
for himself as he could), that he failed to notice the increasingly
wrathful expression on Nodoka's face.

   "Genma," spoke Nodoka grimly, but she was ignored by the object of
her growing anger.

   Ranma glanced at his mother, briefly distracted by the sensations of
danger appearing from her direction and impinging on his trained senses.
He noticed Genma swipe the last two fried eggs from the serving plate
while his attention was elsewhere.

   "Genma!" snapped Nodoka sharply.  "Stop this childish play with our
son and just eat your breakfast!"  For a moment, she forgot her normal
ways of acting around her family and husband, and the Nodoka she once
was as a teenager appeared briefly in her mannerisms.  The urge to get a
bokken and smack her husband around for acting like an idiot tempted her
for a brief time.

   Genma froze, sincerely surprised that all of her anger appeared to
be directed at him.  He noticed Ranma looking at him guilelessly, and he
quickly realized that he had mis-played his hand this round, mis-played
it quite badly indeed.  He quickly went to work upon soothing Nodoka's
ruffled temper, placating her with gentle words and a very obsequious
attitude.  He was rewarded with her slowly appearing to be mollified.

   *Idiot,* thought Ranma, as he gulped down the last of his breakfast
in relative peace.  *The sooner you're gone and my own father is back,
the better.*

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

   Akane's hands were firm on her opponent's back and neck, forcefully
holding him bent over as she drove her right knee upwards into his
stomach and lower ribcage several times in rapid succession.  After her
first such blow elicited a cough of pain from the larger boy as the air
was promptly driven from his lungs, she heard nothing more as she struck
again and again, the blows preventing him from drawing enough breath to
even grunt.  The initial strain on her arms from forcibly holding him in
such a position eased as his resistance ebbed away.  Akane then agilely
moved aside with the grace of a dancer.  Then, before the stricken boy
could even begin his struggle to draw a breath, her heel flew upwards in
a mule kick that slammed hard into the underside of his jaw.  The force
delivered in the kick was sufficient to knock the boy out and send him
swiftly flying backwards in a short, ballistic arc to crash down onto
his back.

   While the dust slowly settled around him, Akane silently watched the
fallen boy with glittering eyes, her chest heaving a little.  Her guard
remained raised as she warily moved over towards her opponent.  A small
cut welled up a little blood upon her cheek, and she was favoring one
leg due to a deep bruising strike that hit her hip, two relatively minor
injuries being ignored for the moment as she felt a momentary sense of
satisfaction at her apparent victory.

   Sakura Kasuganou separated herself from the crowd and casually knelt
to examine Akane's downed foe, peeling back an eyelid and feeling for
his pulse.  After a few moments, she nodded and gestured for some of the
other watchers in the crowd to help the stricken boy back to his feet.
The muscular youth now lying deeply unconscious was a first-year cadet
and one of the more extremely chauvinistic members of the Combat Club.
He was someone that Sakura never got tired of seeing being taken down by
one of the few female fighters on campus able to do so, and she was glad
to add another girl to that short list of worthies.  She watched the
'volunteers' scrambling to obey her unspoken order with a slight grin on
her face, acknowledging their respect for her position as a member of
Furinkan Academy's toughest group of cadets, despite her own first-year
status.

   As Sakura stood back up, she shook her head slightly, a little bit
envious at Akane's win.  The new plebe was only beginning her second day
on campus, and she had already racked up her first victory towards the
three that she needed for membership in the Combat Club.  The young
cadet sergeant was pleased, but a little surprised as well at Akane's
impressive abilities, seeing a girl who was possibly even more driven to
fight and test her martial arts skills than she herself was.  It had
taken Sakura over a week at the beginning of the semester to get her
three victories, mainly since she had been the only girl among the new
crop of first-year cadets to express any sort of interest in joining.
The club membership was almost exclusively male by tradition, and the
boys had not taken her challenges seriously at first.

   "Are you well, Tendou-san?" asked Sakura casually.

   "I'm fine, Kasuganou-san," replied Akane, feeling the pain from the
hard blow to her hip already beginning to fade.  The battle today was a
much tougher fight than the quick victory she obtained yesterday, but
this boy was one of the members of the Combat Club.  Other than Ranma,
he had been a much tougher opponent than any boy she had ever faced at
the Imperial Academy.  Akane had shrugged off several hard blows taken
during the fight, but she never lost confidence in her eventual victory
over the boy being helped away.  She smiled slightly as she recalled
something from one of her mother's earliest lessons to her and her two
sisters.

   *Strike fast, strike hard, and strike without mercy,* were the three
basic tenets Akane had taken to heart from her mother's teachings, and
she had always sought to live her life by them when it came to combat.
Challenging the arrogant boy had been a rather pleasant way to begin
another day of following in her mother's footsteps.  She could hardly
wait until she became a full member of the Combat Club, testing herself
daily against the best warriors, and their family schools, that the
Empire had to send here.  *With such opponents as these to train with, I
will surely become a worthy companion for Ranma,* she thought with a
dreamy smile.  *And I know I'll finally become the best fighter in the
family, even better than Nabiki's new skills.*

   "You're bleeding," observed Sakura calmly, interrupting Akane's
musings.  "I think we should visit the infirmary before we go to our
first class.  You wouldn't want to get bloodstains on your uniform,
after all.  You wouldn't want the demerits it would bring."  She smiled
slightly, then turned and began walking off.

   "All right," said Akane, following the slightly shorter girl into
the main building.

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

   Hikaru Gosunkugi followed along behind Ranma, a look of malevolent
anticipation on his face.  He had stayed up late last night, the first
of many nights he anticipated doing, preparing for his vengeance against
the pigtailed scholar.  However, anyone who happened to look at him at
the moment would not notice any differences in his usual, sunken-eyed
appearance.  The thin boy snickered, this action briefly breaking the
aura of non-detection his esper powers wove about him.

   Ranma turned around, suddenly noticing for a moment that he was
being followed.  He glanced back up the street leading to his home, but
saw nothing.  Shrugging, he turned back to heading towards the Academy,
even as he wondered how he was going to deal with his mother's eagerness
for him to pursue Ukyou.  The thought of a date with the ninja girl made
him nervous.  The way his life was heading now, he honestly did not know
what to expect if he did ask her out.

   "Your father and I will be attending a function at the Ministry this
evening," his mother had told him with a smile at the door, "so it's a
perfect time for you to spend some time with that nice Ukyou girl and
take her out on a date.  Now I want you to ask her out, and I expect you
to show her a good time.  She's staying at her aunt's place of business,
so here's some money to eat there tonight."  She quickly handed him
several thousand-yen notes and told him the directions.  He was oddly
not surprised to learn that it was within walking distance of his home.

   The name of Ukyou's aunt's place had been a mild shock, and an eerie
feeling had fallen upon him and stayed with him since then.  So it could
be understood why he was not at his most observant right now.  Still, he
didn't think anyone would be attacking him since there weren't any girls
really pursuing him like that one other Ranma had.

   When his target of vengeance continued onwards towards the Academy,
Gosunkugi fell into place a short distance behind him, cloaking his
presence with skill.  He smiled at the thought of the spell he would be
casting soon, actually the only one contained in the tome he had managed
to sneak out of the Institute.  *Soon, Saotome, I shall have my revenge
on you and that noblewoman bitch you dangle on your leash,* the thin boy
thought with a grin.

   The brief cackle of glee that emerged from his lips forced him to
hide in an alleyway once again to avoid Ranma's eye.

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

   Nabiki walked along at a moderately fast pace, her footsteps even
and sure.  The morning was pleasantly cool, and the sky was clear of any
clouds.  She was trying a new route to the Academy from home, one that
passed through a small park with a fountain a few blocks from her home.
She stopped at the fountain and watched the waters dance for a few quiet
moments of peace.

   "The element of life and change," said a voice to her right and a
little bit behind her.

   Startled that someone had snuck up upon her so easily without being
detected, Nabiki whirled around to see a small figure dressed in the
robes of a wandering Buddhist monk, a straw hat hiding his face, and a
tall staff in one hand.  The wooden staff was metal-shod at both ends
and was topped by three jingling rings of brass attached to a circle of
metal at the upright end.  She was doubly startled that someone carrying
such a thing could have approached so closely without a sound warning
her.

   When Nabiki said nothing, the small figure tipped his head up to
reveal the face of an ugly little gnome of a monk beneath the broad hat,
one that reminded her a little bit of Happosai.  The two figures gazed
at each other, but the old man spoke first.

   "Greetings, young warrior," said the small figure.  "I am Cherry."
He bowed slightly.

   Nabiki bowed back, but she did not remove her eyes from the strange
apparition as she asked, "Why did you call me a warrior?"  As far as she
could tell, she looked like a fairly ordinary girl in her gray uniform,
like any one of many that attended the Academy.

   Cherry smiled.  It made him look even uglier somehow.  "You carry
the impression of a martial artist in your stance and your manner, young
warrior.  By the way, you would not happen to have any extra food on
you, by some chance?"  When Nabiki only frowned and did not reply, he
shrugged and looked a bit disappointed, then pointed at her with the
head of his staff, the rings jingling slightly.  "Rarely have I ever
encountered someone with such a powerful destiny written in their being,
and now I have met two in such a short time."  He studied Nabiki rather
intently.  "Like the other, you have begun walking a new path, one that
was never meant for you to follow.  How curious."

   *Could he mean Ranma?* wondered Nabiki, even as she quickly schooled
her features to hide any sort of reaction from appearing.  She simply
stood with a neutral expression and let the old man speak as he would,
but she studied him as she did so.  She studied him quite closely.  Some
of his words were hitting uncomfortably close to home.

   "It is interesting that you paused to study the water, young
warrior," said Cherry solemnly, dropping his gaze to look at the
fountain.  "It is the element symbolic of life, ever moving and ever
changing.  But I sense strong ties between the water and yourself.
Perhaps you drowned in a past life?"

   Nabiki could not stop herself from glancing at the wizened, little
figure.  Could he sense a lingering trace of Jusenkyou in her, somehow?
"I have no idea, old man," she said, a little brusquely.

   Cherry did not appear offended, but amused.  He tapped the end of
his staff against the fountain once.  "You remind me of someone I once
knew.  She had a sharp tongue on her, too, and clever eyes."  He smiled
at her, a truly horrifying thing to see.  "Yes, you remind me of her a
great deal."  With that, the old monk turned and leisurely walked away
from a puzzled-looking Nabiki, pausing only long enough to say, "If the
Fates are kind, we shall speak again, but I sense that this passion play
is only beginning and should be quite entertaining for an old man when
all the players are finally in place.  For now, consider the water, for
you and it are linked."

   *Linked with water?* thought Nabiki, taking her eyes off the small
monk to study the cool liquid flowing out of the fountain.  When she
turned back to ask him a question, he was already entering the forest
nearby.  Trailing along behind him was the faint, lingering ringing
sound of his staff as he vanished back into the trees.

   "Hey, old man!" Nabiki shouted.  "Old man?  Cherry?"  She repeated
the call several times, but there was no reply, only a slight breeze
seen ruffling the leaves of the nearby trees.  *Weird,* Nabiki thought,
feeling an uncomfortable amount of the strangeness in her counterpart's
life beginning to impinge on hers.  Glancing at her watch, she cursed
the delay in getting started on her business for the day.  Then, still
wondering about the odd, little monk, she turned and headed for the
Academy.

   After a short walk, Nabiki drew near the campus, and the sight that
greeted her caused the corners of her mouth to curl upwards into a lazy
sort of half-smile.  She could smell potential profit in the air, and
she patted a pocket absently, feeling a lump there.  Her eyes beheld the
young Lord Kunou being helped back up to his feet, his weapon currently
lying broken cleanly in two at his feet.  Her eyes narrowed a bit as she
witnessed Kodachi standing far too close to Ranma than she cared for,
apparently scolding her brother while the pigtailed boy stood quietly a
little ways behind her.  Ranma seemed uncertain what to do with himself.
As Nabiki came within earshot of the trio, she saw Kunou suddenly pull
himself up into a standing position and wave off the chauffeur's aid.

   "Leave me be!" Kunou thundered at the man, before raising his eyes
to glare at the man his sister stood next to, the one he had so quickly
grown to despise.  The two young men eyed each other, Kunou's face a
vision of intense struggle to maintain his calm, to hide the raging
torrent of emotions that all but consumed him at the sight of Ranma
Saotome.  How the nobleman loathed the sight of that face.  The face of
his rival for the affections of Akane Tendou, the woman he cherished
more than any other in the world.  The face of the man who had seduced
his innocent and naive, younger sister.

   "Brother dear, this is really such unseemly behavior for one of our
family," Kodachi gently berated Kunou, sounding a bit exasperated with
him.  "Please leave us and go to Whitehall now, all right?"

   "Yeah, Kunou," said Ranma with irritation, "just leave me alone and
stop attacking me, okay?  You're never going to be good enough to beat
me, so why even try?"  Admittedly, it had taken a little more effort to
put the other boy down this time, but Ranma was feeling pretty cocky
about his fighting skills this morning.

   *Oh, good one, Ranma-baka,* thought Nabiki with a sigh, feeling a
bit exasperated with her nominal rival.  *Why not just paint a sign on
your forehead saying 'Attack me' and taunt the guy some more?  Honestly,
you'd think you would have learned some tact at your age.  You'd never
see me getting into pointless fights with someone like Kunou.*  Before
Ranma could get the other boy revved up and wanting to fight him again,
she slid in between the two and pulled the young nobleman aside with
only slight resistance on his part, still being somewhat dazed.  She
ignored the very pleasant feelings that began coursing through her when
she took hold of Kunou's arm, but she wondered for a moment why it
seemed to have gotten warmer when it was such a cool morning.

   "Walk with me to class, Saotome-kun?" asked Kodachi sweetly, quickly
taking advantage of Nabiki's appearance.  Before moving over closer to
Ranma, she exchanged a brief look with the older girl that was far from
friendly, and a momentary sizzle of invisible energy cracked through the
air like heat lightning between them.  Then, a faint twitch suddenly
appeared upon Kodachi's lips as she gazed at Nabiki's hand resting upon
her brother's arm, and an idea for how to get rid of the obnoxious
annoyance to her that was Nabiki Tendou began germinating in her mind.

   "Huh?" Ranma blurted out, quite oblivious to what had just occurred
between the two girls.  "Oh, uh, sure."  He looked a little bit nervous
as he fell into place at Kodachi's side and began escorting her over the
modest distance from the gate to the main building.  He glanced back
briefly at Nabiki, but she was apparently occupied with Kunou, the two
of them disappearing around the corner.  In a hidden corner in the back
of his mind, it bothered Ranma to see her spending time with Kunou, but
he would have been hard pressed to say why.  However, hearing a question
from Kodachi a moment later, he snapped his gaze back to the front and
responded to her query.  He then continued marching alongside her while
listening to her cheerily chatting with him.  A whiff of her delicate
perfume brushed by his nose now and then, and he tried to ignore the
feelings they generated.

   Behind them, Nabiki pretended disinterest in Ranma's companion, but
it rankled her to see him spending time with another woman, especially a
stuck-up girl like Kodachi.  *That Kunou girl is going to be trouble for
me, I can just feel it," she thought with a frown.

   Kunou had finally managed to recover his senses enough to feel a
strong quivering of desire for the girl tugging on his arm, penetrating
through even the shell of arrogance and bushido honor he wove about
himself.  Regret for this weakness in his feelings for Akane consumed
him for several agonizing moments as he sought to master himself.  He
quickly stepped back to a much more appropriate range for one of his
social rank as he then addressed Nabiki as he felt befitted their
respective stations.  "I do not require thy aid further, Nabiki Tendou."

   "As you wish, Kunou-kun," said Nabiki casually with a smirk on her
face, calmly fishing out a small packet from a pocket of her uniform.
She thanked her ancestors for all-night film developing operations, as a
dozen pictures of Akane filled the packet.  Along with the candid photos
of her younger sister was an item that had required some trickery on
Nabiki's part to obtain, a small lock of Akane's hair.  She was certain
that she would be able to milk quite a few yen from the pompous young
lordling for it.

   "I do not remember giving thee leave to address me so familiarly,
Miss Tendou," said Kunou grumpily.  He drew himself up to his full
height and glared at her imperiously for several moments.  A twinge of
disappointment filled him when she did not react one iota to what he
thought was a commanding presence.

   "Look, Kunou," said Nabiki seriously, drawing him away from the flow
of cadets entering the campus to speak more privately.  "I'm not one of
your family's vassals, so don't treat me like the hired help.  I happen
to have a few items that you requested a few days ago, if you're still
interested in them.  However, if you want to play 'Lord of the Manor',
then go play somewhere else.  I happen to be a very busy woman, and I'm
sure that I could find someone else interested in buying these photos of
my little sister."  For emphasis, she waved the packet of photos in the
air.

   "Photos?" said Kunou, an almost hungry look coming over his face
before he contained himself, glancing around quickly to ensure than no
one had witnessed his outburst.  He started to draw nearer to the very
annoying girl with him, but that odd quivering of desire once again
began to fill him.  So he chose to remain at his current distance.
Despite her very impertinent demeanor towards him, there was something
distinctly attractive about Nabiki Tendou.  When he had more time, he
decided he would consider the matter at greater length.  However, for
now, he was far more interested in seeing the pictures she was so very
casually waving about.  He coughed once to cover his brief lapse.  "Yes,
I recall the matter now.  You will show them to me."

   Nabiki opened the packet and fanned out the twelve photos she had
selected for this initial sale, the middle one clearly showing Akane in
the midst of a high jumping kick.  The gray-uniformed girl smirked
slightly as she held them up for Kunou to see more clearly.  She pulled
them out of his reach when he started to grasp for them.

   "Two thousand yen each seems a fair price," said Nabiki pleasantly.
"And I also have a lock of my sister's hair that you requested.  I'm
willing to let you have it along with the pictures for an even fifty
thousand yen."  She was betting that a traditional-minded sort like
Kunou would not think anything of the price, since samurai of old were
trained to think of the value of money as being the province of women
and lesser men.

   "Hmmm," murmured Kunou, apparently contemplating the offer.

   "Of course, if you're not interested, perhaps I can interest Ranma
in these rare items," said Nabiki teasingly.  That statement decided the
matter for the young nobleman.

   "I shall buy them, Miss Tendou," said Kunou, with more than a touch
of eagerness in his voice.  He quickly slapped a small wad of yen notes
into her hand that was more than sufficient to cover her asking price.
No one witnessed the exchange between them, standing as they were in a
quiet area well out of sight of the cadets entering campus.

   "Pleasure doing business with you, Kunou," said Nabiki with a smile.
Having such a windfall of yen made her whole day look brighter, until
she recalled Ranma spending time with a certain young noblewoman.  She
made a mental note to bruise the girl up a little during practice today,
to show Kodachi Kunou that it was very unwise to make a play for a boy
that Nabiki considered as her property.  Even if the boy in question did
not know it yet.

   Kunou nodded to himself as he strode the distance to his waiting
limousine, gazing raptly at pictures of Akane.  But thoughts of her
feelings for Ranma came to darken his visage, and he spent the trip to
Whitehall in a foul mood.

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

   After walking with Kodachi to class, all Ranma could recall of their
conversation was her excited anticipation for the marriage meeting to
take place between their two families tomorrow evening.  One or two of
the girls standing near enough to them in the hall to hear about that
seemed to frown in response, but Ranma was certain he was just imagining
things.  He had been at the Academy for almost two months, so why would
the girls suddenly start showing him any interest now?  He chuckled to
himself, quite sure that it was only his stress talking.

   Ranma was now somewhat nervously waiting outside the Dean's office,
since a summons to appear before the man had been waiting in his locker.
The pigtailed boy occupied himself during the wait with composing some
of the arguments he would make in favor of continuing his work.  He was
confident that he could present a sufficiently strong case.  While he
was in there he also planned to mention his willingness to forego any
more of the sparring matches between himself and Nabiki, the ones to
'prove' her capabilities at keeping up with him.

   *After yesterday's fight, I have no doubts as to Nabiki's physical
abilities,* Ranma thought with a slight smile.  He was confident that
keeping her around as a training partner to sharpen his abilities with
would be a wise move in the long run.  But he knew he would simply have
to remind her now and then as to who the better fighter between them
really was, despite whatever she might think on the subject.  *Still, it
promises to be fun responding to the challenge she represents.  I know
she's going to keep trying to get better than me, and I honestly don't
think I'd have it any other way.*

   Sometime later that hour, after he emerged from the Dean's office,
Ranma was frowning.  What he thought were brilliant appeals to Dean
Fuyutsuki's sense of logic and fairness had simply fallen on deaf ears,
save for the request to discontinue the necessity of continuing the
sparring matches between Nabiki and himself.  That one had received a
slight smile from the man, but it was the only thing to receive any
positive response.

   Then, to add even more salt in his wounds, the Dean had informed him
that his equipment was to be removed from his lab space in a few days
for dismantling and salvage, and he should count himself fortunate that
his physical training was not going to be increased even further than it
was already to be extended.  His 'father' had apparently made a request
that Ranma's training be increased to cover the entire day, since he was
already so far ahead of his peers in his scholastic studies.  The entire
experience had left a sour taste in Ranma's mouth.

   "Stupid old man," Ranma muttered under his breath.  As to which old
man he was referring to, even he wasn't quite sure.

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

   "And I've taken the liberty of having a delicious lunch made just
for the two of us, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi, smiling at Ranma as her
gaze noted several of the Kunou family servants setting up a table and
two chairs in a shady spot under one of the trees.  Food began to appear
from covered dishes as the pair drew closer.

   Ranma glanced over to where Kodachi was leading them, seeing a table
that was growing more laden with food by the minute.  His nose caught a
whiff of the waiting meal, and he briefly inhaled the scents of rice,
chicken, and steamed vegetables.  A grin appeared on his face, and he
thought, *Ya know, with food like this to come home to, marriage to
Kodachi wouldn't be half-bad.  She seems really nice, and at least this
one doesn't do that psycho laugh.*  A moment later, he shook his head as
if to clear the wayward thought from it.

   *Ha!* Kodachi thought triumphantly.  *I doubt that either of those
two Tendou tramps would be able to feed Saotome-kun in such fine style.*
A brief fantasy of future meals spent with Ranma danced in her mind.
The fantasy was quickly replaced by a more risque one, and Kodachi
blushed prettily while murmuring soft protests at how bold Ranma was
acting towards her in her daydream.

   Watching Kodachi standing in one spot with her hands slowly tearing
her handkerchief apart, Ranma raised one eyebrow and suddenly felt a
little bit nervous being around the young noblewoman.  *But it's still
better than the laugh,* he eventually decided, and he actually thought
it made her seem more attractively feminine in an odd way.  When he saw
her finally return to her senses a few moments later, he gave her a
reassuring smile and let her escort him to their waiting table.

   "I hope you enjoy the food, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi shyly.  She
gave Ranma a smile as they sat down and readied themselves to eat.  She
nodded her head at the servants, and they withdrew a short distance away
to allow the couple some privacy.  It was then that the young noblewoman
realized her position, that she was about to share her first meal with a
young man that she was very much attracted to.  A faint blush appeared
on her cheeks as she took a sip of her tea, and then she began eating
with dainty manners to hide her sudden bout of nervousness.

   Ranma found himself to be famished, and he began wolfing down food
as quickly as he could without devolving into the typical table manners
of his martial artist counterparts.  Ever since he had begun training at
the Academy, and enduring the grueling physical regimen the coaches put
him through, his appetite had grown much greater.  With a brief shrug,
he went back to working on putting as much of the delicious meal before
him into his stomach as he could manage.

   Standing over by her main assistants, Nabiki not-quite-glared at
Ranma being so friendly with Kodachi.  As she watched him dig into his
lunch with gusto, a hint of a frown appeared on her face.

   Yohko eyed Nabiki and wondered why the other girl seemed to be
growing more and more obsessed with Ranma Saotome of late.  She waved
the other girls away while Nabiki's attention was distracted, briefly
watching them fan out to contact their own small groups of followers and
conduct business.  When the Devil Hunter was reasonably assured that
they would not be overheard, she casually ground her foot down onto the
top of Nabiki's quite firmly, eliciting a yelp of surprise and a glare
from her companion.

   "What's the big idea?" demanded Nabiki in a hiss.

   "I just wanted to get your attention, Nabiki," said Yohko with a
grin.  "You were staring at Saotome-san again.  Jealous of his new
girlfriend?"

   "I will only say this once, Yohko," said Nabiki in low tones, an icy
calm reminiscent of the old Nabiki in her voice.  "I am not jealous, and
Kodachi Kunou is _not_ his girlfriend.  I am simply keeping an eye on my
sister's interests."  The lies came easily to her lips.

   "Uh huh," grunted Yohko, clearly less than convinced.  "I only said
something since I'm worried you might be obsessing about the guy.  Are
you upset that you lost the fight with him?"

   "I don't want to talk about that," Nabiki stated with a hint of a
growl.

   "Fair enough," said Yohko, noting Nabiki's attention drifting back
to look at Ranma still eating like a starving man.  "So when are you
going to have a rematch with him?"

   *As soon as I've mastered my new technique,* thought Nabiki as she
turned back to Yohko.  "Sometime soon," she said with a smirk.  "Is
there anything else?"

   "No, not really," said Yohko.  "I guess I just needed a little bit
of reassurance that it's business as usual again.  I have my eye on a
new skirt, you see.  My allowance is a pittance that not even a monk
could survive on, so I'm depending on you to keep the money coming in."

   "Trust me, Yohko," said Nabiki with a nod.  "I fully intend to keep
my enterprises running for many months yet to come.  I still have a long
time to go until graduation, after all."

   With that, the two of them began discussing the various parts of
Nabiki's small syndicate and how well each part was doing profit-wise.
Despite her recent distractions, Nabiki was gratified to learn that her
organization was still pulling in a tidy profit daily from the various
endeavors, and that news was sufficient to keep her distracted from
watching Ranma and Kodachi.

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

   Hiroshi swallowed nervously as he gazed down into the steel-gray,
cat-like eyes of the tall, black-garbed and masked girl holding him
easily against the wall, his feet dangling almost a foot above the
ground.  She looked quite capable of breaking him in two if she desired,
judging by the muscles displayed beneath her snug-fitting clothes, not
to mention her ability to hold him suspended with only one of her arms.

   Behind her mask, Panther smiled.  An almost sexual thrill went
through her as she enjoyed the obvious fear being shown by the little
gray mouse she had trapped.  The cloth on her head covered her rather
distinctive ears, only leaving her eyes to show her non-human origins.
She slowly tightened her fingers into the front of Hiroshi's uniform,
glad for having a task to perform for her beloved master.  Idleness made
her edgy.  But she could tell that this one's will was broken without
her having to do anything more than threaten a bit, and she was somewhat
disappointed by that.  Still, the young man was another piece out of
Nabiki's organization, and the three catgirls were looking forward to
the day they pulled out the final piece and let the whole thing fall
apart irretrievably.

   That would be the day that Nabiki Tendou would find herself alone,
without any allies to come to her aid.  On that day, she would fall to
the might of the three catgirls, to be beaten and broken for the eyes of
all to see.  Then, and only then, would the trio bring Nabiki into the
presence of her new master.  Panther smiled at the thought.  The Tendou
girl would come to know her place, given time.  Personally, Panther
still was not so sure why Kinnousuke even wanted her, but hers was not
the sort to question why.

   "The choice is quite simple, Hiroshi-kun," purred Panther in sultry
tones, returning her attention to the task at hand.  "My master offers
you a place in his organization, since he is able to recognize useful
talent when he sees it.  Refuse his generosity, and I have been given
permission to break both of your legs in as many places as I see fit.
As I said, it is a simple choice.  But be aware that acceptance also
brings rewards."

   "W-what sort of rewards?" asked Hiroshi nervously, already quite
willing to hear of any extra perks that leaving Nabiki's side would
offer him.  His answer was to feel her free hand caressing up his thigh
to just below his groin.  She lowered him down so that his feet once
more touched the ground, towering over him by several centimeters.

   "Do you accept my master's leadership?" asked Panther, leaving her
hand where it was and moving it in a caressing motion.  Her fingers
casually touched certain nerve clusters in the boy's upper thigh region.
The response was as she had expected when she heard him shudder and
gasp.

   "I-I accept his leadership," gasped Hiroshi, sensations other than
fear washing over his awareness.  All he wanted was for her to keep
touching his thigh where she was.  Her hand felt so good.

   "A wise decision, Hiroshi-kun," said Panther sensually.  She tapped
a few more nerve clusters on his thigh, then she tapped a single spot on
his neck.  She felt his body go limp as he slipped into unconsciousness.
With a smirk hidden behind her mask, the blonde catgirl lowered him to
the ground and left him there, a blissful smile on his face.  "And now
Nabiki's forces begin to grow weaker," she muttered.

   A moment later, Panther bounded away.  When Yuka and Sayuri came
around the corner seconds later, they never even saw the catgirl.

   Sayuri stopped and glared down at the sleeping Hiroshi, before she
kicked him awake.

   "You should consider yourself lucky that none of the instructors
caught you sleeping here, you jerk," growled Sayuri, irritated that he
had managed to forget a lunch date with her.  Again.  She was tempted to
kick him again.

   "Yeah, and where's that idiot friend of yours, Daisuke?" said Yuka.
The fact that a secret fan club had formed for Kodachi within a single
day of her arrival had been good business for Nabiki's group, selling
the few candid pictures they were able to get of her, but it was also an
annoyance to a great many of the girls whose boyfriends were all smitten
by the young noblewoman.  Daisuke was even rumored to be the president.

   Suddenly wondering if the whole experience had been a dream, Hiroshi
stood up and endured the chastisements of the two girls.  But his memory
of the gray-eyed girl in black refused to leave him, and he was certain
that the experience had been real.

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

   "Thank you for a most lovely time, Saotome-kun," Kodachi said with a
bow as they stood outside her classroom.  Feeling bold, she asked "Would
you be interested in having lunch with me again tomorrow?"

   "Of course, Kodachi," said Ranma, deciding that he did not mind
hearing her call him 'Saotome-kun' instead of just 'Ranma.'  It was
oddly pleasant to hear her say his name with that slight formality to
it.

   After saying his good-byes to Kodachi and leaving her classroom,
Ranma wandered down the halls and into the empty room of the infirmary,
having decided to take a brief rest before his training class.  It would
give him some time to digest his meal and relax.  Despite a frustrating
situation at home, the day was going fairly well.  He even found himself
looking forward to visiting with Ukyou tonight.  Without an engagement
hanging over his head, the two of them could spend time together like
normal dating couples did.

   With a grateful sigh, Ranma stretched out on one of the cots and
closed his eyes.  He patted his distended stomach and burped once,
feeling more than a little overfull.  He drifted off into a pleasant
doze.

   "Enjoy your lunch with your little groupie, Ranma-kun?" asked a wry
voice, interrupting his brief nap.  It was a voice that he immediately
recognized as Nabiki's.

   Ranma snapped his eyes open and looked around, quickly locking in on
the sight of Nabiki casually leaning her shoulder against the doorframe
of the infirmary.  Her expression was neutral as she looked at him, her
arms folded across her chest.  He could still feel his stomach digesting
the rich food, but it would still be a little while before he would be
able to move very well.  He hoped that she wasn't here to cause him any
trouble.

   "Aw, lay off, Nabiki," Ranma grumbled.  "Shouldn't you be in class?"

   "I could ask the same thing of you," replied Nabiki with one of her
usual smirks.  "But it seems that my schedule is undergoing revision.
Apparently, since I'm far enough ahead of my peers in my more scholastic
studies to handle the change, I'm to be given the same training schedule
that you are.  The Dean called me into his office a few minutes ago and
told me the news, as well as what you did this morning.  Thanks."

   "Well, it is kind of nice to have a training partner who keeps me
challenged," admitted Ranma grudgingly.  Then, with a sudden grin, he
added jokingly, "Even if you aren't quite as good a fighter as me."

   Nabiki did not reply or change her expression, but she walked into
the infirmary and sat down on the edge of the cot Ranma was lying down
on, causing a faint squeak of bedsprings.  She then thumped a fist down
on his full belly rather hard, apparently testing it like a melon.  She
was rewarded with a yelp from Ranma and a glare.

   "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" asked Ranma, a little irritated.

   "I suppose I did," answered Nabiki with another smirk.  "Don't get
too cocky though, Ranma-kun.  Granted, you won that fight, but there's
always next time."

   "Anytime you wanna give it a try, Nabiki," said Ranma, scooting back
and sitting up on the cot.  Her nearness was making him feel a little
edgy as he eyed his attractive martial arts rival.  Luckily, his stomach
was feeling somewhat less overfull now, so he was able to move easier.

   "I'll let you know, Ranma-kun," said Nabiki playfully.  "I'll beat
you next time for sure."

   "Heh, whatever you say, Nabiki," said Ranma with a snort.  Taking
his eyes off her, he put his arms behind his head and looked up at the
ceiling.  A gloom seemed to settle over him as he thought about his
father again.

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

   Just outside the infirmary, Kodachi stepped off the stairs onto the
landing.  She had been released from her class a few minutes after Ranma
had departed, with instructions to visit the Dean.  While there, she and
Nabiki had both managed to politely ignore each other's presence in the
waiting area.  Each of them had been called in to speak to the Dean
privately.

   Kodachi was thrilled at the news the Dean had for her, the thought
of spending four hours each day training alongside Ranma was a pleasant
one.  The time would be a good opportunity for her to improve herself as
well, and she was quite certain that one of her noble bloodline would
eventually surpass a plebian little annoyance like Nabiki Tendou, let
alone her brutish sister, given time.  The memory of her humiliating
loss at the hands of the older girl when they had sparred still burned
clearly in her memory.  A brief fantasy of pummeling the other girl to
within an inch of her life in the near future had crossed her mind
during her talk with the Dean.

   After leaving the Dean's office, she then went to visit Ranma in his
lab, but he did not answer her calls and a strange lock was upon the
door.  She suspected that he wasn't in the lab.  A bit disappointed at
that, she took advantage of her current freedom to see if she could
locate him.  She was just about ready to give up when she heard two
familiar voices nearby.  She took up station outside the door, listening
intently to the conversation going on a few feet from her.

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

   "A yen for your thoughts?" said Nabiki suddenly.  She crossed her
legs and rested her arms on her knee.

   "They locked up my equipment, Nabiki," said Ranma without preamble,
looking over at her with an unreadable expression.  He dropped his arms
to rest his hands on the blanket beneath him.

   "Yeah, I might have heard something about that," said Nabiki, taking
her ease and leaning forward a little.  "I was looking forward to trying
out your little toy again."  Her eyes seemed to trace his body all on
their own, before she regained control of them and focussed her gaze on
his face.  *After all, who knows what new techniques I could pick up
with the thing?* she wondered.

   "They're going to destroy it for salvage," said Ranma glumly.  "My
'father' convinced the Dean that my research was a waste of money and
time.  I can't let that happen.  The resonator may be my only way to
rescue my real father from that other world."

   Standing in the hall, Kodachi sucked in a breath at the sorrow she
heard in Ranma's voice as she leaned against the doorframe.  She felt a
little guilty about spying on him, but this would give her a perfect
opportunity to prove her usefulness to him.  She waited for the proper
moment to make her appearance.

   "So why tell me?" asked Nabiki coyly, uncrossing and recrossing her
legs the opposite way as she watched his responses.  She noted his eyes
following her body's movements.  Oddly, it seemed to be getting a little
warmer in the infirmary.  She ignored that distracting sensation and
asked with a smirk, "Do you possibly need my... help?"  She enjoyed the
sudden look of discomfiture that appeared on his face.

   "I need a good thief," Ranma began, quickly waving his hands when he
saw the frown that suddenly appeared on her face.  "No!  No, I mean I
need someone who can open locks, someone skilled in dealing with them.
I also need someone who can help me create some sort of alibi or set up
a false lead to keep me in the clear."  He breathed a quick sigh of
relief when she appeared mollified.

   "I have some skills in those areas," admitted Nabiki.  "But, what's
in it for me?"

   "Huh?" Ranma blurted out.  "What do you mean?"

   Nabiki slowly leaned towards him gracefully and smiled coyly, her
face halting only inches away from his.  She saw him swallow nervously,
even as she felt that familiar, pleasant tingling he caused within her
by his mere presence growing quite a bit stronger.  It was becoming
easier for her to ignore the worst of its distracting effects, if she
focussed her will on doing so.  Feeling playful, Nabiki reached over and
gently ran her right index finger along his jawline as she locked gazes
with him.  She murmured softly, "What's in it for me?  It's a simple
question, Ranma-kun."

   *Why, that poisonous snake!* Kodachi growled in her thoughts as she
peeked in on the pair, both hands closing into tight fists.  *Taking
advantage of poor Saotome-kun in his hour of need.*  She felt a familiar
urge to protect Ranma from what she saw as a predatory female trying to
take advantage of him.  Nabiki was yet another unworthy girl seeking to
involve herself with Ranma, one that Kodachi truly felt the pigtailed
boy would be better off without, and one that the noblewoman would drive
away from Ranma for his own good.  *He desperately needs a virtuous
woman like myself to protect him from such base sorts.*  After all, she
saw it as her sacred duty to defend him, the man she loved, from such
'threats' to his well-being.

   Kodachi was certain that her perfect moment was near at hand, the
moment when she would reveal her presence to a grateful Ranma.  When she
did so, he would send the little would-be gangster packing.  She was
sure of it.

   Ranma felt a soft fire seem to trace after the passage of Nabiki's
finger across his face, scattering his thoughts quite effectively.  He
found himself drowning in her eyes, seeing a faint sparkle of amusement
and desire ignite in them.  Her gaze remained locked with his own for
several moments, and now it was Ranma's turn to feel the room to be
suddenly getting warmer.  It was a very different sort of battle they
were now waging with each other, still a form of struggle for dominance,
but one fought with different and much more subtle weapons.  Ranma felt
he was losing before he even had a chance to counter her 'attack', and
his hands helplessly moved to grip the blankets beneath his body as he
struggled to bring his mind under control.

   "So what do you have to offer me?" Nabiki asked teasingly, almost
breathing the words into Ranma's face.  "Why should I risk my future
career to help you?"  She drew imperceptibly closer, greatly enjoying
the sense of control she had over the present encounter.  The thrill of
the chase filled her, and the bright smile on her face shifted to one of
anticipation of her imminent 'victory'.  She half-closed her eyes and
moved a little closer, her hand stroking back along his jawline slowly.

   Ranma suddenly grabbed Nabiki's hand and pulled it away from his
face as he felt a fire of defiance blaze to life within himself.  He was
rewarded with seeing her look a little surprised at his resistance, and
it helped him focus his thoughts a bit more.  He said the first thing to
come into his mind, "Quit playing games, Nabiki.  If it's a matter of
paying ya, I don't have much money."  Unconsciously, he continued to
hold onto her hand.

   Nabiki frowned in thought for a moment as she sat back upright, a
little annoyed that Ranma thought she was only interested in money.  He
had managed to surprise her a bit by his last-second resistance, but she
was actually quite pleased to know that the little game being played out
between them could continue on for a little while longer.  Still, she
was certain that it was only a matter of time before he fell before her,
one way or another.  And once she mastered the Amaguriken technique and
showed him that she was his clear superior in the martial arts, then her
case for being the one who was in charge of their relationship would be
airtight.  *His hand does feel nice holding mine though,* she thought
absently.

   "That's all right, Ranma-kun," said Nabiki pleasantly.  "We'll just
agree that you owe me a large favor and leave it at that."  Unnoticed by
either of them, her hand moved a little until it was resting on top of
Ranma's and holding his in a gentle grip.

   "I could live with that," said Ranma after thinking about it for a
moment, when his heartrate finally calmed down a bit.  He noticed that
Nabiki was now holding his hand, and he found it to be a comfortable
feeling.  "The Dean told me that they won't be moving my stuff until the
weekend, so we have time to come up with a plan."

   "You leave everything to me, Ranma-kun," said Nabiki, gently rubbing
her thumb against his palm, feeling the growing calluses there.  She
stopped when she realized what she was doing, but she did not release
her gentle grip on his hand.  "I'll come up with a perfect plan.  After
all, this sort of thing is what I do best."

   It was at that moment that Kodachi stormed into the room, finally
unable to stand it any longer.  She glared at a startled Nabiki, and
briefly turned a softer look towards a shocked Ranma.  She took in their
position, Nabiki's hand holding Ranma's, and her eyes narrowed as she
turned her gaze to glare at the older girl with a far more venomous
look.

   "K-Kodachi," stammered Ranma, quickly pulling free of Nabiki's hold
on his hand with a faint sense of regret felt in the back of his mind.
He impulsively cried, "This isn't what it looks like!"  *Why the hell
did I just say that?  This is all perfectly innocent.*

   Nabiki looked at him like he had just sprouted another head, and
then her gaze quickly turned unfriendly.  *Ranma, you jerk,* she thought
with a frown.  *I'm going to make you pay for treating me like some sort
of a leper just because the little princess decided to drop in.*  Her
palm still seemed to retain some of the heat from Ranma's hand, a rather
pleasant feeling now soured by Kodachi's unexpected arrival.  Nabiki
glanced down and felt her cheeks blush for a moment as she realized that
the two of them had been sitting on a perfectly serviceable bed, and
then she wondered where such a thought would have come from.  *And why
am I having them about Ranma?* she growled mentally, not liking how out
of control she felt.

   Kodachi felt her thoughts scatter for several moments as she looked
at Ranma.  She knew he was not at fault, that blame fell squarely upon
Nabiki's shoulders, the other girl clearly trying to force herself upon
him as payment for her questionable aid.  The young noblewoman knew in
her heart that a true gentleman, like she was quite certain Ranma was,
would never be attracted to such a truly base and common sort of girl as
Nabiki.  Still, it was quite understandable to Kodachi how a crafty sort
like the Tendou girl was might come to desire the pigtailed scholar for
herself.

   However, now was not the time to pick a fight, especially since
Kodachi knew quite well how skilled Nabiki was.  She calmed herself, a
somewhat difficult task with as close to Ranma as the other girl was
seated, but she would show him that she was a lady.  She looked at him
with a serious expression, ignoring Nabiki completely for the moment.

   "Saotome-kun, I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just going to
tell you straight out," said Kodachi.  "I know what it is that you're
working on."

   Ranma, caught off-guard by that, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

   Kodachi went over and closed the door leading to the hall, after
quickly checking to make sure no one was watching.  When she was finally
satisfied, she walked back and sat down on the cot across from Nabiki.
She leaned closer to Ranma and lowered her voice to say, "Unless I have
somehow managed to misjudge the equipment in your lab, then you appear
to be working on a method of crossing to alternate quantum realities."

   Nabiki's gaze revealed nothing as she studied the noblewoman.

   Ranma laughed nervously.  "Uhh, that's quite an interesting theory,
Kodachi.  What makes you think I'm doing something like that?"

   "Before I tell you how I know, I have to know something" said
Kodachi seriously.  She locked gazes with Nabiki, even as she continued
to speak to Ranma.  "Do you trust her to keep what I say secret?"

   "What's the matter, Lady Kunou?" asked Nabiki with a smirk.  "Don't
you trust me?"  Receiving no answer, Nabiki continued.  "I already know
quite well what Ranma-kun is working on."  She broke eye contact with
Kodachi to look at him with a warm sort of smile, almost seductive in
nature.  "Let us say that I know _intimately_ well what Ranma is working
on."

   "Do you trust her, Saotome-kun?" asked Kodachi again, turning to
face Ranma.  She had not missed the tone in Nabiki's voice, but chose to
ignore it.

   "Yes," said Ranma with sudden certainty, looking over at Nabiki to
meet her gaze.  "I think I could trust Nabiki Tendou with my life."

   Nabiki felt an odd feeling run through her, a sort of warmth that
rushed from her head to her toes.  She smiled at Ranma and nodded, the
two martial artists experiencing a brief, unspoken communication between
themselves.  They might be the fiercest of rivals in the Art, but there
was also a bond that was growing between them, one that both of them
were just starting to notice.  She then punched him lightly on the
shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie, breaking the tension a little.

   "Very well," said Kodachi, sparing one last, cold glance at Nabiki.
"The reason why I know what you are working on is quite simple.  I was
involved with a very similar experiment along those lines on another
timeline thread."  She briefly glanced at Nabiki with a subtle look of
warning before returning her gaze to the pigtailed scholar.  "Ranma, I'm
a quantum traveler, and my personality was downloaded into this life
through an accident."

   "You're a WH...mph?!" yelped Ranma before Kodachi clamped her hand
over his mouth.  The pigtailed boy quickly realized that she was a bit
stronger than she looked.  *Th-this is amazing,* he thought, quickly
realizing the possible implications.  Kodachi represented a possible
link in finding the solution that would let him bring his father home.
He saw her smiling at him and regained control of himself.  He noticed
Nabiki watching him with a subtle sort of intensity.

   *Terrific,* Nabiki thought disgustedly, yet her expression showed
nothing.  *Now the little floozy will be getting underfoot even more.*
She pulled Kodachi's hand away from Ranma's mouth a little roughly.
"That's some story, Lady Kunou," she said wryly.

   "It is the complete truth, Miss Tendou," said Kodachi with a slight
sneer in her voice.  *How dare this common trash question the word of a
Kunou?*

   "I believe you, Kodachi," said Ranma with a smile, his desires to
rescue his father seeming a little less out of reach now.  "But how did
such a thing occur?"

   After basking for several long moments in the warmth of that smile,
Kodachi proceeded to tell a slightly edited version of her story, only
describing the accident during the late night experiment in that Ranma's
lab.  She went on to claim that her next memory was of waking up in the
body and bedroom of the Kodachi of this world.  She entirely left out of
her tale any description of the Earth where the Empire was at war.  *I
will spare him that pain,* she decided.  *Let the death of his analog on
that world from a betrayal by the cold-blooded reptile named Nabiki
Tendou remain my secret.*  She turned a solemn look at the older girl
sitting across from her.  *But it will not happen here, Tendou.  If I
perceive you betraying this Ranma, I will kill you myself.*

   "Amazing," murmured Ranma, looking at her with wide eyes.  From his
close call during the power failure, he could only imagine what he might
have done if such a thing had happened to him permanently.  Thoughts of
his father pained him for a moment.

   "Five months ago, your analog and I began working together on his
experiment," said Kodachi warmly.  She patted Ranma's hand gently.  "I
was so honored to work as his lab assistant, and he made sure I was
fully aware of the potential risks before allowing me to make my first
jump."  Kodachi leaned a little closer, feeling a strong urge to snuggle
up against him.  Her eyes glowed as she described those early days of
experimentation.  "It was wonderful, Saotome-kun.  In the first world I
visited, I was a rich foreign exchange student in a country known as the
United States of America.  It was sort of embarrassing though, since I
jumped into that Kodachi while she was in the middle of a rather, umm,
passionate session of kissing with her boyfriend."  The noblewoman
blushed a little at the memory.  "I did learn a lot though," she said
quite softly.

   Ranma blushed as well.  He thought about mentioning his own little
excursion into such activities with the Earth he found himself on where
he was married to Shampoo, but he wisely kept silent.

   *I'll bet you did, you little tramp,* thought Nabiki with a mental
sneer.  Getting this pretentious noblewoman to stay away from Ranma
would be for his own good.  The more she was learning about Kodachi
Kunou, the more she was coming to see that she was just like the rest of
her overbred peers, hedonists without any real sense of what were the
truly important things in the world.  *Figures her first jump would be
into something so sordid.*

   "I had many little adventures, but we kept running into some sort of
interference that prevented either of us from connecting to a large
number of regions of superspace," said Kodachi with a thoughtful look.

   "Superspace?" asked Nabiki, her curiosity overpowering her desire to
appear well-versed in all aspects of Ranma's experiment.

   "Its how you can visualize all these different worlds co-existing,
Nabiki," answered Ranma.  "Picture a potentially infinite number of
threads all suspended side by side in a sort of braided pattern.  Each
of those individual threads is a single timeline, and all of them taken
together fill a region that my father described as 'superspace' in his
theories."

   "I see," said Nabiki, contemplating the matter.  *Then the world
where I got my skills from could be 'next door' to the Earth where Ranma
got his skills from.  Heh.  Imagine if those two ever met.*  She glanced
at Ranma, who was listening to some more of Kodachi's descriptions of
her other adventures.  *Although, in a sense, they have, through us.*
She thought about that other Nabiki's life, and she wondered about what
the other Ranma must have been like to grow up under Genma's care in her
place.  Lost in her thoughts, she missed some of the descriptions.

   "I think it wasn't until I visited my sixth world that the first
problem happened," said Kodachi in a thoughtful tone.

   "First problem?"  Ranma looked at Kodachi.  "What do you mean?"

   "It was on a somewhat distant timeline from my own," replied Kodachi
as she tried to recall exactly what had happened.  "I jumped into the
life of an analog who was a champion-level fighter, on an Earth where
our nation was filled with delinquent youths.  There was a shadow war
going on, gangs fighting over turf everyday, and the schools were brutal
battlegrounds.  My other self was the unquestioned leader of a group of
quite formidable young women, and she called herself "The Black Rose" of
all things."

   Nabiki narrowed her gaze fractionally.

   Ranma looked a little startled.

   "When I jumped in, she was talking with some of her lieutenants,"
Kodachi continued, wondering at the looks she was getting from the other
two.  "I think I knew one or two of the girls at Blackhall, but in this
world they were much tougher sorts.  Anyway, when I returned back to my
own life, her skills had become mine, as well as a large number of her
memories."  Even now, Kodachi knew she could close her eyes and remember
each of the many fights her counterpart had fought in, mostly single
duels fought against other gang leaders.  Other than her skills with
wielding her fists and feet as weapons, her counterpart was armed only
with her favorite weapon, a yo-yo.  However, any memories beyond
fighting were vague though.

   "When I came back and showed what I knew, your counterpart studied
the data and learned that there was some sort of feedback effect that
caused the transfer," said Kodachi, continuing after a brief pause to
quell the memories that had rushed forward.  "He was never able to find
a solution for what was causing them, but they did not seem to cause any
lasting problems.  Other than picking up the occasional new skill, most
memories seemed to fade into the background."  She shivered a little,
her self-control fraying a bit as unshed tears shimmered in her eyes.
"But that's in the past.  I would like to help you, if you will let me."

   Ranma moved closer to Kodachi on a sudden impulse, putting a
companionable arm around her, and the noblewoman slumped against him as
the last of her strength seemed to desert her.  She clutched tightly at
him, and she sniffled softly against his shoulder.  Ranma stroked her
hair as if she were a young child, and made gentle sounds in an attempt
to comfort her.  "You're not alone anymore, Kodachi," he said in soft
and soothing tones.  "I'll do my best to be your friend."

   *Just great,* thought Nabiki sullenly, glaring slightly at the girl
being held awkwardly in Ranma's arms.  Jealous feelings seethed within
her, but she held them in check.  However, the urge to toss Kodachi out
the window to see how high she might bounce brought a brief smile to her
face.

   After a time, fortunately before Nabiki's patience ran out, Kodachi
appeared to cry herself out.  She ended with a few shuddering sighs as
she held herself against Ranma.  "Thank you, Saotome-kun," she said
softly.  "I've felt so alone in all this until now."

   "You're not alone, Kodachi," said Ranma softly.  "Nabiki and I have
experienced the same thing when we used my device."

   "You have?" asked Kodachi, sitting back reluctantly.  It had felt so
nice to be held in Ranma's arms like that, so warm and safe.  She felt
her sorrow dwindle at the sight of his kind face, and was more certain
than ever that she would be the happiest of women as his future wife.
*Of course,* she thought with a subtle glance at Nabiki, *all I have to
do is to keep any greedy females like those two Tendou harridans from
snatching him up before I make him mine.*

   "Yes," said Ranma with a nod.  "That's how Nabiki and I are able to
fight as well as we do now."

   "Ranma," said Nabiki with a slight warning tone to her voice.  She
did not feel right about him sharing secrets with the Kunou girl so
easily.

   "I won't tell anyone, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi sincerely.  "I want
to help you in any way that I can."

   "Then I guess we're now three," said Ranma, feeling more confident
than ever now.  He looked at Nabiki, who was watching him with a neutral
expression on her face.

   "I suppose," said Nabiki.  *But only until I can figure out what
sort of game is going on inside the Kunou girl's mind.  She's up to
something, I just know it.  She's not telling everything she knows.*

   Ranma held out his hand, thinking he might end up regretting this
decision, but he somehow doubted he would.  "Partners?"

   Nabiki gripped his hand with her own, feeling his hand squeezing
back.  She nodded as they matched grips.  "Partners."

   Kodachi laid her hand atop Ranma's, gently squeezing his.  She
smiled at him, feeling a warm electric current seeming to pass between
them.  "Partners."

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

   As dusk fell across the city, Ranma stood a short ways down the
block from the dark blue awning proudly displaying the name "Yu-chan's"
upon it.  He absently rubbed one of the deeper bruises Nabiki had given
him during sparring today.  He suspected the reason she was upset with
him was about him trusting Kodachi with his secret so easily, when she
had to break into his lab to find out the truth.  He truthfully did not
read anything more into her actions than that.  She had just been a bit
more energetic in their sparring, and he was secretly grateful for the
opportunity to take his skills to the edge.  Even if it had just been
sparring.

   *Get a grip on yourself, Saotome,* the pigtailed boy thought.  *I
can't believe that I sound like I'm enjoying all this fighting I keep
getting involved in.  I'm a scientist, not a warrior, and I just need to
keep telling myself that.  I don't need a bunch of challengers rolling
into town every other day looking to beat on me.  I never went on any
training journey, and I never upset anyone enough to come hunting me
down as far as I know.  Sure, Kunou is a pain, but that's just because
he's upset about Kodachi liking me.  Like I really care what 'Bokken
Boy' thinks of me.*

   Ranma paused in his stream of introspection.  He felt nervous about
walking the short distance to the restaurant run by Ukyou's aunt, but he
was ardently denying it even to himself.  *Ranma Saotome ain't scared of
nothing,* he heard roll around in his head once or twice.  He smoothed
the cloth of his shirt, a new one in green that his mother had bought
for him.  She had found a shop that carried the style and picked up a
dozen of them for him, in various colors.  The one he wore was in the
same style as the red one Nabiki had given him, and it felt more and
more comfortable to dress like this every time he did.  He took a deep
breath and eyed the small restaurant.

   *Showtime,* thought Ranma.  He strolled the distance to the entrance
to the shop and slid open the door.

   Ukyou looked up at the sound of the shop's door opening up.  Her
aunt was in the back getting some more batter.  With a bright smile, she
chirped out what had become familiar words of greeting for customers to
the shop, "Welcome to Yu-chan's."  Then she blinked at the sight of the
young man standing in the door, dressed in more casual clothes than the
uniform she had seen him in last.  Her heart seemed to skip a beat.

   "Uh, hey, Ukyou," said Ranma, letting the curtain in the doorway
fall back behind him as he walked in.  The interior of the shop was well
appointed and had a homey feel to it, with enough tables and chairs to
seat maybe thirty people if they were friendly.

   "R-Ranma honey, how was your day?" said Ukyou, suddenly feeling more
than a little like a dork.  Luckily, there was only a single customer in
the shop, a kindly, old man who was one of the regulars.  He was minding
his own business at one of the corner tables, reading the newspaper.

   "Huh?  Oh, it was fine," said Ranma, suddenly feeling uncertain
about this whole thing.  Just what did someone do on a date?  Ranma now
realized that he did not have a single idea how to proceed from here,
and his memories from his other counterparts were no help.  He also did
not think it would be wise to ask Ukyou why she was cross-dressing at
the moment, but he goggled a bit at the sight of the feminine girl he
had met just last night now looking like one of the guys.  "Uh, you look
like you're getting settled in here pretty good."  Ranma walked over and
sat down in one of the seats at the counter.

   "Oh, Aunt Yumi is great," said Ukyou.  "She's teaching me how to
make much better okonomiyaki than I ever did before.  Wanna try one?"

   "Sure," said Ranma, feeling more at ease as they slid into a sort of
camaraderie-like manner with each other.  "Gimme one of your specials."

   "Coming right up," said Ukyou with a grin, her hands moving into
full cooking mode.  She felt happy to be cooking for Ranma like this,
looking forward to getting to know him a little better.

   As the okonomiyaki sizzled to a golden brown on the hot grill, the
curtain at the back of the shop opened up and Yumi came walking out with
a container of pre-made batter in hand.  She spied a teenaged boy seated
at the counter, and she smiled as she recognized him from the picture
that Yukiyou had shown her last night.  *So that's Ranma Saotome, eh?*
she thought, studying him casually.  *Quite a nice-looking boy Ukyou's
found for herself.  He carries himself well, and with the grace of a
skilled martial artist.  The two of them should do well together.*

   "Aunt Yumi!" cried Ukyou, almost forgetting her cooking chores in
her excitement to introduce the two to each other.  She gestured at
Ranma with a hand armed with a small spatula.  "This is Ranma Saotome."
She pointed back the other way.  "Ranma, this is my Aunt Yumi."

   Ranma stood up and bowed, saying, "A pleasure meeting you, ma'am."
He studied the woman for a moment as he stood up straight again.  She
was a tall woman, Ranma quickly realized, taller by several centimeters
than he himself was.  He took quick inventory of her physical features,
wondering if Ukyou would come to look something like the square-jawed,
athletic-looking older woman standing before him.

   *Fairly well-mannered for a teenaged boy, too,* thought Yumi.  She
took a quick sniff of the air and said, "Careful Ukyou.  A few more
seconds and it's going to burn."

   "Ack!"  Ukyou quickly flipped it off the grill onto a plate, and
stood watching (and she assured herself that she was not nervous) as
Ranma took a bite.  When he began devouring it ravenously, she beamed
with happiness.  *He likes it!*

   Ranma was in heaven.  There were some subtle differences in flavor
and texture, but this was undoubtedly an Ukyou-made okonomiyaki that was
a near rival to any in his memories.  The thought of having a girlfriend
like her around (without any arranged marriage hanging over their heads)
was a pretty fine idea to him, especially with delicious food like this
to eat.  The pigtailed scholar gobbled it down, the heavy workout over
the course of the afternoon having burned off all of the lunch that
Kodachi had fed him, and a bit more.  After the first bite was past his
lips, he found his hunger taking control, and he quickly wolfed the rest
of it down in true Saotome fashion.

   *Well done, Ukyou,* thought Yumi, smiling.  She watched as her niece
made Ranma a second one that was just as quickly devoured as the first.
*The boy's got a bit of a good appetite on him.*  She smiled a little
more broadly when Ranma consumed a third before seeming satisfied.  *And
it looks like he could give Ukyou a good run for her money in an eating
contest though.*

   "So Ukyou tells me you study the martial arts, Ranma," said Yumi as
she studied him again.  "How good are you?"

   Ranma started to say "I'm the best!" but he managed to restrain the
impulse.  He coughed once and said more modestly, "I'm pretty good."

   "Well, perhaps you could show me sometime," said Yumi pleasantly.
"If you're good enough, I'm sure Ukyou could use a sparring partner."

   "Uh, okay," said Ranma, glancing at Ukyou.  He saw the male-dressed
Ukyou blush a little at his gaze upon her.  He grinned at her in an
easy-going way.  "That might be fun."  *I guess another sparring partner
wouldn't hurt anything.  Yeah, having Ukyou as both a girlfriend and a
regular sparring partner would be great.  Something we could share.*  As
he looked at her, a brief flash of a memory rolled across Ranma's mind,
of a sweat-sheened Ukyou floating in zero-gravity, her legs locked tight
around his waist as their bodies moved together in free fall.  His wife
on another timeline.  He shook his head a little, amazed at having such
a reaction to a girl he had known for less than twenty-four hours.

   Ukyou had been feeling more and more nervous each time Ranma had
looked at her.  Beneath the counter, the small, stainless steel spatula
in her hands was twisting into a shape not seen outside of a text on
origami.  She suddenly realized that Ranma had probably come to ask her
on a date, and she felt fear since she did not really know what to do.
*At least I don't have to ask him, since he's the guy,* she thought with
some relief.  *All he has to do is ask.*

   "Um, Ukyou," Ranma began.

   "Yes!" Ukyou responded quickly.  She immediately realized what she
had done and looked embarrassed, the spatula going through several more
contortions of its form in her hands.  She wasn't sure why she felt so
shy around Ranma.  After all, he was just a guy, and she was practically
one of the boys herself, thanks to her upbringing.  *This isn't as easy
as I thought it would be.*

   "Heh, I, uh, thought you might want to go to the movies with me,"
said Ranma finally.  *It's Ucchan,* he thought, trying to quell his
nervousness.  *She fell in love with you on more than one timeline, so
don't be so scared of her here.*  With his courage laid out on the line
like that, he lifted his gaze from where it had fallen to study the
countertop, meeting her eyes.  "They're showing a new martial arts film,
and I thought you might like to see it with me."

   Ukyou nodded, a bit more in control of herself.  "Sure, Ranma.  That
sounds like fun.  Let me just clean up a bit, and we can go."

   Yumi caught a hold of Ukyou on her way upstairs.  She pulled her
niece out of sight and whispered, "You might want to let the fact that
you're a girl be a bit more visible, Ukyou honey."  When she saw the
young ninja look puzzled, she pointed at Ukyou's chest.

   Feeling embarrassed, Ukyou continued upstairs, smacking herself in
the head with her palm occasionally.

   A few minutes later, far less time than Ranma was expecting to wait
for his date to get ready, a somewhat different Ukyou appeared.  The
pigtailed boy blinked at the sight of the attractive girl before him,
most definitely not quite "one of the guys" at that moment.  He smiled
and nodded approvingly, feeling more relaxed now.

   Ukyou stepped off the bottom step of the stairs, feeling a little
bit uncomfortable looking more feminine.  She was still uncomfortable
with traditional female underwear, so a sports bra had now replaced the
chest bindings she was much more used to wearing.  She had decided to
let Ranma get to know her as she was, preferred clothing style and all,
so if he didn't like it, tough.  Besides, Ukyou far preferred clothes
that she could fight in, if it was necessary.  So she was wearing yet
another set of her okonomiyaki seller's outfits and a white bow in her
hair.  The harness for her battle spatula was strapped on, but she had
left the spatula itself behind the counter with her aunt's.  Unasked,
Yumi tossed it to her before coming over to Ukyou.  Noticing Ranma's
smile, Ukyou smiled back as she sheathed her weapon.

   "You two kids have fun, and don't keep her out too late tonight,
Saotome-kun," said Yumi, quickly hustling the couple out the door with a
grin.

   The door to the restaurant slid shut, and the two of them were alone
on the street.

   "Your aunt is an interesting lady," said Ranma, turning to face
Ukyou.  He eyed the spatula with a wry glance but did not comment on its
presence.  It felt oddly 'right' for her to have it, even when they were
on a date.  That was when it hit him, this was going to be his first
real date.  Another flash of Ukyou from another life crossed his mind,
her battle spatula raised as he fought with her on an oversized griddle.
*How things can change,* he thought with a sudden grin.

   "Yeah, Gramps has told me stories about her as a kid," said Ukyou
with a smile.  "She was the best warrior in the valley when she was our
age, the best my clan had ever seen in over a generation."

   "Really?"

   Ukyou nodded.  She gestured in the direction of the theater.  "We
should probably get going though, if we don't want to miss the movie."

   The two young martial artists headed down the street.  Ranma kept
glancing at Ukyou, finding the sight of her pleasing to him.  As they
walked along, Ranma kept finding himself remembering things about other
Ukyous, and enjoying the pleasant chat with the Ukyou now at his side.
Perhaps inevitably, they fell to discussing martial arts.  The two of
them traded anecdotes about their training, Ranma editing his so that it
would not appear to be too wild.  Some of Ukyou's stories from her days
of training were fairly amazing though.

   Before they knew it, they were in front of the theater.  One large
poster proclaimed the virtues of the film, "The Hidden Fortress - The
Special Edition."  Ranma paid for a pair of tickets, and the two of them
went into the theater.  None of the attendants appeared to pay too much
attention to the fact that Ukyou was armed, for which Ranma was secretly
grateful.

   While they watched the movie, sharing an extra large popcorn between
them, Ranma was pleased to see Ukyou staring raptly at the screen.  He
settled back to enjoy the film, feeling truly relaxed for the first time
in a long while.  His two martial artist counterparts would never have
been able to do such a thing, trouble seemed to follow them everywhere
they went.  *This is the life,* he thought with a grin, forgetting his
troubles at home in the presence of the pretty girl at his side.  *No
enemies after me, no crazy fiancees following me around, just me and
Ucchan out on our first date.*  He glanced at her again as the action on
the screen heated up.  This Ukyou was relatively normal (aside from the
cross-dressing tendencies) when he compared her to the odder versions
that populated some of the worlds he had seen so far.  Thoughts of the
future faded for now, and Ranma let himself dwell in the moment.

   Ranma was quite certain that the worst of his problems were now
behind him, or being dealt with.  With that thought in mind, he relaxed
and enjoyed the rest of his evening.

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

   Ryouga Hibiki stared at the small campfire before him, watching a
small camp rice cooker bubbling and steaming away over the flames.  He
had never felt so hungry in his life, salivating slightly as he smelled
the aroma of cooking rice.  He let loose a low growl of anger and stared
up at the stars.  His stomach gave off a deep growl of its own.

   "Damn you, Ukyou Kuonji," muttered Ryouga darkly.  He closed his
eyes and felt the anger bubbling away inside him, a deep-felt passion
urging him to commit violence upon the object of his wrath.  These
feelings had been building up steadily with every mile that had passed
beneath his feet.  He had spent the last few days wandering around
totally lost, truly experiencing for the first time the Hibiki's
infamous lack of any sort of sense of direction.  That experience had
only added to his dark mood and fueled his determination to have it out
with Ukyou, once and for all, to crush his long-time rival at long last.
Ryouga would prove that he was the better fighter between them, with
Ukyou's broken body as the clear evidence of his superior skill.  He
also hoped in a quiet corner of his heart that the victory would finally
purge him of his unwanted and uncomfortable desires for the 'boy' he had
battled against and trained alongside of for so many years.

   The smell of rice drifting his way inflamed his hunger, and Ryouga
found himself missing his mother's home-cooked meals wistfully.  If he
had been at home, he knew that he would be enjoying some of her culinary
wonders.  The thought of the dishes she had lovingly made for him over
the years, brought new pangs of hunger from his gut.  Opening his eyes
to see nothing but plain rice and some wild vegetables he had managed to
gather for his dinner darkened his mood even further.  His hand slowly
tightened into a fist, before he rammed it into the palm of his other
hand with a loud smacking sound.

   "Damn you, Ukyou Kuonji," muttered Ryouga grimly.  "This is all your
fault!  When I catch up to you, I'm going to kill you!"



XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


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

Michael Allen
Jim Bader
Donny Cheng
David Eddy
Jed Hagen
Jason Liao
Kevin Patterson
D.B. Sommer
Stardragon
T.H. Tiger
Wade Tritschler