(continued from 11A)

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

Kyouko sighed softly, and she could tell that she was developing a
headache as she continued listening to her mother on the telephone.  If
there was one subject that Ritsuko Chigasi never grew tired of, it was
lecturing her only daughter.

"I don't know where you got this stubborn streak from, Kyuko," her
mother grumbled.  "It's been almost two years since Soichiro finally
passed away, and I think it's time you moved on.  Isn't it about time
you stopped mourning?  You're still a young woman."

Kyouko felt sorrow wash through her at her mother's careless words,
remembering her last few years with her beloved husband.  Soichiro had
gotten sick only two years after they were married, spending time in and
out of hospitals while the best care that medical science had to offer
barely kept him alive.  She had been forced to watch him fade away from
her, slowly eaten away by cancers that the doctors could only hold so
far at bay.

Sometimes Kyouko wondered if it might have been better if he had passed
away sooner, especially since his treatments had eaten away their money
until there had been nothing left.  But she felt guilty for even
wondering that.  Would she have been more open to remarrying by now if
he had passed away while she was twenty and he first became ill?  She
was quickly coming up on being twenty-seven, still a young woman, but
what man would want to marry a widow her age?  Her mother's constant
harping on it for the last year had finally driven her from home, unable
to take being forced into doing something before she was ready.

"What about your new employer, Kyouko?" her mother asked, having finally
had enough of Kyouko's silence.  "I hear that he's a widower himself,
and not too much older than Soichiro was."

"I don't want to have this conversation today, Mother," said Kyouko
softly.  "I'm still settling into my life here.  Please, give me a
little more time."

"Perhaps a younger man might be better?" ventured Ritsuko as a last
attempt before leaving the field of battle.  "I can contact a matchmaker
and see-"

"Not yet, Mother," Kyouko blurted out.  "I have to go now.  I'm falling
behind on my chores."

"All right, Dear," said Ritsuko.  "I'll check up on you next week.  Take
care of yourself."

"Goodbye, Mother."

Kyouko stared at the telephone in her hands after she hung up.  A
matchmaker?, she thought.  Maybe I'll see how things settle down here
before I make any plans.  She still had a lot to do to get ready for the
upcoming omiai, or marriage meeting, between Nabiki and Ranma.

"Bowf?" came a questioning bark from Soichiro in the backyard, the large
white dog lifting his head to watch the girl who was walking past his
doghouse.  He cocked his head to one side when she did not respond to
him, and then he settled back down to watch what she did, his head
resting on his paws.

Kyouko watched out through the kitchen window as Nabiki carried her
small bundle of supplies to one spot in the backyard.  She began wiping
off a dish from the sink and set it into the drying rack.  Whatever is
that girl up to?  Some sort of special training, like they do in those
kung fu movies Soichiro used to like?

The middle Tendou daughter set down several little bags of sweet
chestnuts with a solemn look on her face as she went about building a
small fire.  She fashioned a tower of twigs, sticks, and larger pieces
of wood on a flat piece of bare ground, far enough away from any of the
buildings so that there wasn't any risk of the fire spreading.  In a few
minutes, it was done.  Nabiki knelt down next to it and smiled.  She was
confident that it would only take her only a few tries at most to get
the technique down.  After all, her other self had already done it, so
it was undoubtedly already written into her motor skills.  All she had
to do was call it forth.

Pulling out a small box of matches, Nabiki removed one from within.
Here we go, she thought, quickly striking the match along the light
sandpaper running down one side of the box.  The match flared to life
with a small, bright flame and Nabiki tossed it into the center of the
small tower of twigs and wood that she had constructed.  Flames began to
lick outwards as the material caught fire.  She fed a few more pieces of
wood to the blaze, stoking it up to a higher level of flame.  It had to
be the right size and temperature for the training.

When the flames were casting a yellowish glow across her face, Nabiki
picked up the small bag of sweet chestnuts and swiftly cast the contents
into the flame.  A few seconds passed as they heated and cooked within
the flames, and Nabiki readied herself.  Time slowed as she felt the
glow of her chi rise around her.  She knew she would be able to do it on
the first try.  She just knew it.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" she cried, her hands darting into the flames
in an attempt to gather up the sweet chestnuts as fast as she could.  I
can do this!  I know I can!  Then I'll show Ranma who the better martial
artist is!

Seconds later, Nabiki sat blowing on her hands, seeing them both
beginning to redden from the heat, grateful that she had thought ahead
to wear one of her sleeveless tunics.  "Ow!  Ow!  Ow!" she cried out in
pain, glaring at the small fire.  She scooted over to the koi pond and
dunked her hands into the water, feeling blessed relief wash over them.
She had not managed to rescue a single chestnut from the flames, hearing
them crack and pop within it.

"Okay, fine, so I didn't get it right on the first try," Nabiki
grumbled, grabbing another bag of chestnuts and moving back over to the
small fire to try it again.  "Just you wait, Ranma.  We'll see who the
better martial artist is.  Just you wait."

Kyouko shut the open window, shaking her head in wonder at what the
middle Tendou daughter thought she was trying to accomplish.  A stream
of unladylike cursing drifted in through the window a moment before it
was closed, and she saw Nabiki rush to the small koi pond to cool her
hands off once again.

Leaning outwards slightly on the sill of her bedroom window, Akane
watched what Nabiki was doing with extreme fascination.  She loved to
watch any sort of thing that had to do with martial arts, her single
greatest passion in life.  It looks like some sort of speed training,
she thought with a smile, taking note of everything that Nabiki was
doing.

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

Nodoka gazed in wide-eyed wonder at the enormous mansion finally coming
into view through the taxi's windows, thrilled at the opportunity to
visit the home of one of the upper nobility like this.  I'm certain that
things will go well tonight, she thought, turning to look at her son and
her husband.  Ranma looks so handsome in his new clothes.

Here we go again, Ranma thought to himself, seeing the happy look on his
mother's face when she leaned back from looking out the window.  It had
been a bit of a long day for him, and he felt too keyed up to enjoy
dinner tonight.  He glanced at Genma, wondering what the man had in
mind.  Ranma wouldn't put anything past him.

"Aren’t you excited, Ranma?" Nodoka asked pleasantly.

"Thrilled," Ranma replied with false enthusiasm, forcing a smile onto
his face.  He just hoped that he could get through this evening without
getting into a fight with Tatewaki, who he was sure would not welcome
him with open arms, or getting Kodachi upset by openly refusing to marry
her if things progressed that quickly tonight.  He did not wish to get
married to anyone at this point in his life, and the thought of what
could begin if he got engaged to any of the girls now orbiting his life
was enough to give him a headache.

Genma dozed in his seat.  He had taken some alcohol neutralizer tablets
before leaving the bar, but they had worn off, leaving him feeling a
little sleepy as the day rolled into evening.  He had used the car ride
as an opportunity to nap a little.

The taxi pulled up outside the front door of Kunou Manor, and Nodoka got
out first when one of the servants opened the car door.  It was an
impressive sight for her, and she wondered in the back of her mind how
difficult it must be to keep clean.  She took a deep breath, smelling
the sweet scent of cherry blossoms in the air.  She simply knew that
tonight was going to be a night that she would never forget.

Inside the house, Kensaiko was giving a last-minute pep talk to a
nervous Kodachi.  She wanted tonight to go well for her daughter, and it
was quite obvious that Kodachi was quite taken with the young man in
question.  She fussed with Kodachi's obi and yukata, adjusting the fit
around her daughter's torso, checking that the wooden pins holding her
hair up were just right.  Presentation was everything.

"Remember to be somewhat submissive when meeting your prospective
groom's mother," said Kensaiko.  "She is the one that you should strive
to impress the most.  Be aware of her impression of you."

"Yes, Mother."

"And sit with your back straight.  A lady always has good posture.  Not
to mention it accentuates your femininity.  So sit up tall, but remember
to be demure."  She struck Kodachi lightly across the small of her back
with a hairbrush.

"Yes, Mother."

"And don't forget to smile, but not too insipidly mind you.  You don't
want to give the impression of being frivolous.  Smile with a hint of
seriousness on your face."

"Yes, Mother."

Kodachi half-heartedly listened to her mother spouting off more words of
advice on how to be properly ladylike tonight.  There was currently a
fountain of butterflies in her belly, and she kept feeling that she
might faint from nervousness at any moment.  But then she realized that
Ranma must be surely feeling as nervous as she was, and that helped her
keep herself under control.

"They're here," said Kensaiko, looking down from the window of the
dressing room at the rented taxicab.  Her gaze narrowed as she studied
the woman who had emerged from the car first.  There was something oddly
familiar about her, but Kensaiko simply shook her head a moment later.
Whatever it was, it could not have been that important.  She hustled
Kodachi to the door, eager to be there to play the part of the gracious
hostess that she was when the Saotomes entered her home.

Meanwhile, outside....

"Stand up straight, Ranma," commanded Nodoka, her voice in full mother-
mode.  "I want to make a good impression tonight.  You have an excellent
chance to marry a young lady from a noble family, and I don't want you
to do anything to spoil it."

"Yes, Mother."  Ranma let her straighten his kimono with a resigned
expression on his face.  I wish something, _anything_ would happen to
get her to stop fussing over me tonight, he mused.

Genma swayed very slightly as he stood at the place Nodoka wanted him to
stand at the doorway, but said nothing.

At that moment, the door swung open, and they were allowed into the main
entry hall.  Nodoka ushered Ranma into leading the way, even as she
towed Genma in behind her.  Somehow she managed to make everything look
graceful and organized.  She caught sight of the Kunous standing there
waiting for them, and her eyes paused on the woman standing next to what
must have been Lord Kunou.  There was something familiar about her face,
but Nodoka was sure it would come to her in a moment.

Standing in the main hallway, dressed in one of her finest yukata and
obi, Kensaiko Kunou stood proudly behind her daughter, her husband and
son standing at her side.  Tonight was going to be perfect, she just
knew it.  Nothing could spoil how proud she felt at this moment.  She
just wished that she could recall why the woman coming into her home
looked so familiar.

"Remember, son," stage-whispered Lord Kunou to Tatewaki.  "I want you to
remain on your best behavior tonight."

"Of course, Father," Tatewaki replied in low tones, his face a mask
without any emotional content.  Inside, he was still contemplating his
sister's words, his mind slowly deciding what to do about Nabiki Tendou.

Kodachi and Ranma caught sight of the other and each managed a shy
smile.  Kodachi lowered her eyes demurely, feeling a blush suffuse her
cheeks at the sight of Ranma dressed so finely.  He looked every inch
the part of a young lord of the Empire.  Ranma felt his nervousness
crank up a few notches at the sight of the beautiful girl standing
before him, and for a moment it was as if they were the only two people
in the world.

Nodoka narrowed her eyes.  It couldn't be, she thought.

Kensaiko blinked and hardened her gaze.  It's impossible, she thought.

"Milord Daishou Kunou.  Milady Kensaiko Kunou," intoned the servant.
"May I present Genma and Nodoka Saotome, and their son, Ranma."

Kodachi and Ranma were both startled by an unexpected reaction to the
announcement of the names.

"You!" exclaimed Nodoka, pointing at Kensaiko with a look of extreme
shock on her face.  After all these years, she did not believe what she
was seeing.

"You!" exclaimed Kensaiko, her eyes wide as she stared at her old arch-
rival.  She had all but forgotten how much she hated Nodoka.

"Mother, do you two know each other?" asked Kodachi tentatively.

That timid question shocked Kensaiko out of her brief reverie, out of
remembering the many indignities done to her by her nemesis, all of the
victories stolen from her grasp when Nodoka had proven to be just a
little luckier (NEVER more skilled) in combat.  She blinked and restored
the pleasant look that had previously been upon her face with the
consummate skills of a politician's wife.

Nodoka took half a moment longer to restore her composure, and to rebury
the unexpected feelings unearthed at the sight of the other woman now
standing once again before her.  She put a smile on her face, for her
son's sake.  The settling of old grievances could take place at another
time, but it _would_ happen.  She had a lot of repressed anger to work
out against the other woman, but today she was here for her son.

"Nodoka," said Kensaiko pleasantly.  "Why, it's been simply ages."  She
walked forward and held her arms open wide, a mere glimmering of her
true feelings showing in her eyes.

"Kensaiko," said Nodoka with false charm in her voice.  "I simply had no
idea you were so close all these years.  If I had, then I surely would
have visited a long time ago to pay my respects."  She stepped forward
and embraced Kensaiko, both of them acting like the oldest of best
friends.

"Tonight we will pretend to be friends, you sword-swinging she-devil,"
whispered Kensaiko without removing the smile from her face.  "But after
tonight, you had best hope that your combat skills are sharp.  Agreed?"

"I couldn't agree more, you blue-blooded bitch," whispered Nodoka
pleasantly.  "It will be good to see if you're still as hopeless in a
fight as you used to be."

The two mothers stepped apart, still smiling at each other.  Each of
them was lost in a pleasant fantasy involving beating the other into a
bloody pulp.  Each of them saw a chance to finally redress a great many
old grievances, but that would wait for another day.

"I had no idea that you knew Ranma's mother, my dear wife," chortled
Lord Kunou.  That would make things all the easier when he and Genma
made their little announcement.

"Oh, I haven't seen Nodoka since we were both teenagers, dear," said
Kensaiko with a smile.  "Of course, I'd be happy to rip the heart out of
that little...I mean, I'd love to have Nodoka-sama as a fellow in-law.
She's aged surprisingly well for her years, I must say.  Perhaps later,
she and I will sit and catch up on old times.  It is so very good to see
her, I must say."  Her thoughts wandered for a few moments.  I wonder if
I can still fit into any of my old fighting outfits?  She made a mental
note to have them pulled out of mothballs and tailored to fit, grateful
that she had kept to her rigorous training for all these years.  Still,
bearing two children had caused changes that no amount of exercise could
restore.

The two families followed the servants into the dining room, where a
long table rested, laden with the finest silverware, as well as fragile
cups and bowls of porcelain.  There was even a little name card at each
place, so that each person would know their proper seating arrangement.

Dinner began quickly after a brief speech by Lord Kunou, welcoming the
Saotome family to his home.  He exchanged a brief grin with Genma that
went unnoticed by the others.  The two mothers kept their eyes on each
other, Tatewaki glared at Ranma, and Kodachi watched Ranma with loving
eyes.

Ranma was almost too distracted by the looks that the two Kunou siblings
were giving him that he almost missed seeing the exchange between Genma
and Lord Kunou.  They're up to something, I can just feel it, he
thought.

I can taste my victory over thee, Ranma Saotome, Tatewaki thought as he
sipped at his soup.  When my father finally shows me how to perform that
technique, then thou shalt surely fall.  No mortal man could possess the
speed or skill to defy me then.  A brief image of both Akane and Nabiki
crossed his mind's eye.  Then I shall enjoy the fruits of my victory.

Ranma looks so nervous, thought Kodachi with a smile as she began
eating.  Perhaps after the formalities are over, he might like to go for
a moonlit stroll with me in the gardens.

I feel naked without a weapon, thought Nodoka as she ate, glaring at
Kensaiko while trying not to look like she was glaring.  I just knew
there was something familiar about that Kodachi girl from the picture I
saw, but I certainly wasn't expecting this.  Still, she seems a darling
child, well-mannered and quite properly demure, much like I was as a
young girl.  She also appears to have escaped having her mother's worst
aspects, and I can see that she cares for Ranma a great deal.  Still,
the thought of having the woman she was currently engaged in a glaring
contest with as an in-law was rather unsettling to her.

The boy must take after his father, thought Kensaiko as she ate, even as
she tried to bore a hole through Nodoka with her gaze alone, without
looking like she was trying to do so.  It was a skill mastered at many
court functions, where the art of verbal repartee and the subtle glance
was as important as combat skill on the battlefield.  She found it very
hard to believe that such a well-mannered and polite boy could be
Nodoka's child.  Still, taking him away from that she-devil and making
him a Kunou would be a delightsome revenge, she mused.

Ah, children grow up so fast, thought Lord Kunou as he slowly ate,
sparing his only daughter fond glances.  Dachi-chan seems so taken with
Genma's son.  I'm glad.  Not only will I be gaining control of another
one of the Project's children, but I'm also giving my daughter the man
she obviously desires.  And the next generation of Kunous will be gifted
warriors without a doubt.

Genma contented himself with eating.  Deep thought was not required for
that.

Eventually, the meal finally ended and Lord Kunou cleared his throat in
order to gain everyone's attention.  Nodoka gently elbowed Genma in the
ribs to get him to look up from devouring a fine pastry.

"I want to thank the Saotomes for coming to Kunou Manor this eve, for
the announcement of a momentous agreement between our two families,"
said Lord Kunou grandly.  "Years ago, Genma Saotome and I were comrades
in arms together."

Ranma glanced at Genma and felt himself go pale.  They didn't, he
quailed.

"It was a time of foolish and glorious youth, but it was also a time
when a friendship was forged," continued Lord Kunou.  "Earlier today,
Genma and I met to discuss between ourselves the possibility of seeing
the culmination of that friendship, by the joining together of our two
children, my beloved Kodachi and Genma's son, Ranma.  Towards that end,
we agreed that it would be imprudent to push forward an engagement so
quickly, so instead we have agreed to give our children six months to
decide if they would wish this of their own free will."

The lie flowed easily from Lord Kunou's lips, the result of years spent
dealing with his fellow nobles at court.  What went unspoken was the
fact that both fathers would begin pushing for the engagement to be
'freely' chosen by the two children, calling upon their sense of family
honor and duty.  At least that was how Lord Kunou was looking at things
as he went on to extol the virtues of marriage, and his sincere hopes
that Ranma would make his little girl happy.

Reactions were mixed.

Kodachi felt her heart skip a beat.  She had been expecting tonight to
be only the first of several meetings before an engagement might have
been formalized.  Now, she did not know what to think.  She knew she had
no real claim on Ranma as of yet, but she also knew that she would have
to begin subtly encouraging him to choose her over the others, all far
less worthy girls, that were trying to work their way into his life.
Kodachi felt herself to be more than capable of handling the challenge.

I'm doomed, Ranma thought.  He suspected that there was more going on
than met the eye, but he did not see anything to avoid the trap now laid
out for him.  Even so, he made a mental note to beat up Genma in the
very near future.

Tatewaki came near to yelling out a denial for such a thing to occur,
but one glance from his father stilled that notion.  His sense of honor
finished what that glance began.  You will never become a Kunou, Ranma
Saotome, he vowed in silence.  NEVER!

"This is truly a proud day for my family," said Genma, lurching to his
feet.  He held up a cup of sake.  "Let us drink to the couple's future
happiness, old friend."

The two fathers toasted each other and drank innumerable cups of sake.
The two mothers went back to glaring at each other.  Ranma was invited
by Kodachi for a walk in the gardens, but his thoughts were distracted
by the recent revelation, and also by the plan that Nabiki had finally
come up with to get what he needed to retrieve out of his lab.  A solemn
Tatewaki followed the couple openly, appearing like a grim angel of
death whenever he managed to catch Ranma's eye.  Needless to say,
nothing much happened between the couple, to Kodachi's mild
disappointment.

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

***** Earth  +1.612,+1.509

I am in Hell.

Professor Saotome stared at the pretty girl standing before him as that
thought went through his head.

"Genma Saotome," the girl intoned, her hands dropping to rest on a small
satchel she wore resting against her right thigh.  "Years ago you
promised your son in marriage to me, in a most sacred agreement with my
father.  And now you are denying my claim?  How dare you break your word
on such a thing?!"

"Now see here, young lady," he began again, his voice rapidly losing the
reasonable tone he had started the conversation with.  He glanced over
at an annoyed-looking Ranma and Shampoo, both currently in their normal
forms, before returning his gaze to the girl.  The two teenagers had
brought this new annoyance to see him when she had arrived at the
Saotome household and demanded to meet her promised future husband.  He
still wasn't sure how she had found them so quickly after their recent
move from the Tendou household.  "I am simply trying to explain..."

Genma found himself staring at a wickedly sharp-looking katana made up
entirely of folded paper.  He blinked at the unexpected sight.

"As the heir to the Okami School of Origami Martial Arts," she growled
slowly, "I demand that you honor your pledge to my beloved father to wed
me to your son.  Now, will you or won't you?"

As tempting as it might have been to point the girl at Ranma to get her
to stop waving her paper weapon at him, Genma did not.  It was only
paper, after all.  How dangerous could that be?

"You are not going to marry my son, young lady," said Genma firmly.  "I
am sure you have traveled a long way, but Tokyo is full of eligible
young men...urk!"  He swallowed involuntarily as the girl quite casually
and quickly chopped a nearby stone statue into quartered chunks with her
paper weapon, before she brought it back into position.  He saw the cold
gleam in her eyes and felt an odd urge to 'run for the hills and let the
boy deal with this' fill him.  He was extremely grateful that Nodoka was
not home right now.  Explaining this would not be easy.

Ranma, Genma thought desperately.  What the hell is keeping you?

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

***** Earth  0.000,0.000

"This is going to be bad if we're caught."

"Relax, Ranma.  I've done this at least a hundred times with my eyes
closed.  Trust me, I have very talented hands."

"Nothing much seems to be happening.  I feel kind of exposed like this.
Have I told you recently that I don't want to get caught doing this?"

"Another thirty seconds and you'll be thanking me.  We're almost there.
This baby is just a little more difficult to work with than most of
those I've practiced on.  I'm actually impressed that it's taking me
this long.  Besides, you don't see Lady Kunou getting down on her knees
like this for you, do you?"

"I'll leave such tasks to one more suited for it, Miss Tendou."

"I thought you might say that, Lady Kunou.  Get ready.  We're almost
there."

There was a sharp clicking sound, and the padlock on Ranma's lab snapped
open.

Nabiki folded her lockpicks away with a satisfied smirk upon her face,
and said, "I told you I could get it open, oh ye of little faith.  Now,
we have a little over forty-five minutes left for lunch, so we need to
be out of your lab and ready for training class in that amount of time
to keep anybody from getting suspicious.  The janitor comes down this
hallway in the next fifteen minutes, so I need to get this locked up
before he does.  Lady Kunou will wait out here with me-"

"I think it would be better to have Kodachi wait in the lab with me,
Nabiki," Ranma interrupted.  "She knows something about how my other
self's equipment worked, so I'd feel better having her watch over me
while I'm away.  You're the only one who can let us back out, so you
can't come into the lab with me."

Nabiki glanced at Kodachi, just managing to catch the victorious look
that flashed brightly across the noblewoman's face.  Shrugging her
shoulders, she let that pass this time.  It's a logical idea, but I hate
the thought of her alone in there with him.

"Fine," said Nabiki in a neutral tone of agreement.  She stood aside and
let Ranma open up the door to his lab.  Her face then fell into a frown
when the two of them had closed the door behind them.  She hastily
clicked the padlock shut and concealed herself nearby, just in case the
pair in the lab needed her for something.

Inside the room that Ranma could no longer officially claim as his lab,
the pigtailed scholar turned on the lights.  The fluorescent tubes
illuminated quickly, scattering light across the room for what Ranma was
certain would be the last time that he ever saw it like this.  Even for
as short a time as he had used it, he knew he would miss it.

"Let's get started," said Ranma, removing the dustcovers from off of his
equipment.  He flipped on the main power bar and let the various devices
begin to warm up.  While it did so, he began rooting around in the trash
bin.

Kodachi settled herself on the couch, watching Ranma search through the
trash.  After several moments, she saw him grab hold of something in the
waste bin and hold it up with a grin of triumph.  She knew what it was
instantly, a quantum flux coil, obviously one of Ranma's previous
attempts at finding the proper mixture of rare earths for it to function
properly.

"I'm glad I didn't throw this away," said Ranma, cradling the small
object in his hands like it was the most precious of gemstones.  "After
we get through, I just substitute this for the working flux coil, as
well as replacing the software with this modified version."  He patted a
pocket containing a datadisk with the important pieces of control code
removed.  "Then we can get out of here."

The quantum flux coil was the only piece of the equipment that Ranma
knew would have given him the most trouble to replicate, only due to the
time involved in formulating the alloy it was made from and forming it
into the proper shape.  Removing it from his old machine would save
weeks of effort to create a new resonator, especially with Kodachi's
help in obtaining the remainder of the components that he would need.

There was a soft beep, indicating that the system was ready.  Ranma
handed the defective flux coil to Kodachi and sat down on the couch.  He
picked up the keyboard and scanned the information on the screen.  When
he built his next resonator, he made a mental note to improve the coding
and ease of use for the software interface.  It would help if the girls
should feel a need to use it if he wasn't available.  His fingers flew
across the keyboard, quickly setting everything up.

*QUANTUM COORDINATE FILE #0000013 LOADING INTO ACTIVE MATRIX... PLEASE
STAND BY...

*MATRIX LOADED... FILE #0000013.  DETAILS?  NO

*SET CYCLE INTO ACTIVE MODE:  YES

*SET TIME DURATION FOR TEST:  30.00 MINUTES

*WAITING FOR SIGNAL FROM NEURAL HEADSET

"Be careful, Saotome-kun," said Kodachi with concern evident in her
voice.

"I'll be fine," Ranma replied, grinning.  "I just need to find my
father, appraise him of what's going on, and ask him for any advice.
It'll be all right."

"I wish I could go instead of you," said Kodachi.  She blushed and
looked down at the floor.  "I’d feel safe knowing that you were watching
over me."

"It's just as well that you don't, Kodachi," said Ranma sincerely.  "I
don't think you'd like your counterpart very much.  She's not my friend
on that timeline, not like you are here."  He smiled at her a moment,
before clearing his throat suddenly.  "Anyway, uh, I should get going.
We don't have much time."

Kodachi helped Ranma fit the neural headset on his skull.  He laid back
and closed his eyes, not seeing the look of concern that deepened on
Kodachi's face.

Be safe, my love, thought Kodachi as she stood quietly at his side,
alternating between watching him and the computer monitor.

The computer suddenly spoke, "Activating cycle."

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

***** Earth  +1.612,+1.509

Ranma felt the brief nonexistence of self wash across his awareness as
the resonator took hold, what he had decided to call the "null zone."
His eyes cleared a moment or two later, just in time for him to receive
a fist impacting hard into his face.  He fell down and took several long
moments to regather his thoughts.  The unexpected blow seemed to have
scattered his analog's most recent memories, since they weren't flooding
across his awareness.

Genma winced at the boy's plight, even as he put a bandage on yet
another one of the multitude of thin cuts on his body.  None of them had
been very deep, but he was grateful that Shampoo had finally stepped in
to deal with the irate young girl.  He told himself that he had just
needed a moment to gather himself, then that paper-wielding maniac would
have been sorry for attacking him.  He had just been resting his eyes
for a moment to prepare for his counter-assault.

"Ranma leave self wide open," teased Shampoo.  "Not good idea when
facing Amazon warrior, even when just sparring."

"Uh, yeah," said Ranma, standing up and dusting himself off.  He blinked
at the sight of Genma, swathed in bandages.  What the hell happened to
him? the boy scientist wondered, annoyed that new memories still weren't
seeping into his awareness.  "Give me a sec, would ya, Shampoo?  I need
to talk to my Pop."

"Okay, but not take too long," said Shampoo, smiling at him.  She began
working through a kata as Ranma trudged the short distance to Genma.

"Something I can do for you, Ranma?" asked Genma, setting aside his
first aid work for the moment.

"<Hello, Father,>" said Ranma in Russian.  "<I'm sorry it took me so
long to get back.>"

"Ranma," said Genma, his voice hoarse with sudden emotion, happy to have
his real son back with him.  He quickly restrained himself from leaping
up and embracing his son.  It would cause unwanted questions, and he
also did not wish to risk reopening his cuts.  "<I'm glad that you're
back, my son.>"

"<I don't have much time, I'm afraid,>" said Ranma, sitting down beside
his father.  "<The resonator is only set for thirty minutes.>"

"<Then just tell me what's been happening back home, Ranma,>" said Genma
gently.  "<How are you progressing at finding a way to get me back into
my proper timeline?>"

Ranma began telling his father everything that had happened, leaving
nothing out.  He told of the other Genma's treachery, at his success in
preventing the use of the lab, save for this last desperate ploy.  The
fight with Nabiki was briefly glossed over, but he spoke in more detail
about the alliance with the two girls.  And lastly, he told his father
about how the engagement meetings had gone so far.

When Ranma finished bringing him up to date, Genma sighed once and
adjusted his glasses.  He turned to look at the sky, watching a flock of
birds wending their way eastward.  Concern was written on his face.  He
wanted to give some great words of advice, but they would not appear for
him.  For a moment, he wondered if this was to be his fate, to live out
his life in the body of a martial artist master with a reputation for
gluttony and stupidity.  It was not a pleasant thought.

"<You haven't mentioned much about your mother to me,>" said Genma
quietly.  "<How is she?  Has she noticed that I'm not the same?>"

"<Mom's fine,>" said Ranma hesitantly.  "<As far as I can tell, she
doesn't seem to have noticed anything, but Mom can be remarkably
unobservant sometimes.>"

Genma wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at that.  The woman he
loved with all of his heart and soul did not seem to notice that he
wasn't the same man.  He closed his eyes and sighed once again.

"<I haven't given up, Father,>" said Ranma, trying to encourage the
older man.  "<I will get you home, one way or another.>"

"<I know you'll get me home, boy,>" said Genma seriously, looking Ranma
in the eyes.  "<Every problem has a solution, and I don't want you to
ever lose sight of that fact.  Believe me when I say I have faith in
you, Ranma.  I taught you everything I could, and you were the best
student that a father could ever wish for.>"

Guys don't cry, thought Ranma, feeling a hint of moisture in his eyes.
It ain't manly.  He blinked and smiled at that echo of macho blustering
coming up from the mind of his analog, but it was good advice in this
case.  He had to be strong now, if only for his father's sake.

"<Just hang in there, Father,>" said Ranma solemnly.  "<I'll get you
home if it's the last thing I ever do.>"  He glanced at the clock on the
wall nearby, seeing his time was nearly up.  He stood back up and bowed
to his father, unable to tell him how much he missed him.  But when he
looked his father in the eyes, he could tell that he knew.

Without another word being exchanged between the two Saotome men, Ranma
walked back over to Shampoo.  He saw her looking at him with a question
in her eyes.  "Promise me you won't ever mention what just happened
between me and my father to me again, okay Shampoo?"

The Amazon still looked puzzled, but nodded.  "Shampoo promise."

"Then let's spar," said Ranma with a grin, seeing the Amazon return the
look.  The last thing he experienced was the gray nothingness of recall
bringing him back to his own world.

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

***** Earth  0.000,0.000

Kodachi glanced at Ranma's comatose form lying on the worn couch and
sighed, her new addition to her outfit idly dropping down her sleeve and
into her hand.  It was a white yo-yo with the symbol of the Kunou Family
on either side.  She gripped it tightly for a moment, feeling the warmed
ceramic composite alloy against her palm.  The rugged material of its
construction, like the long polymer line that connected it to the small
metal ring on her middle finger, was said to be unbreakable.  It had
rested in a drawer until very recently, an impulse purchase she had made
shortly after arriving in this world.  With the list of her enemies and
rivals growing longer, Kodachi had felt it prudent to add a ranged
attack to her repertoire, so she had started carrying it up one sleeve.

And so is reborn the Black Rose, the young noblewoman thought with a
smile, feeling a little silly about taking up the nom de guerre of her
combative counterpart.  She had tested her abilities with it late one
night, and she was pleased to know that a strike from the yo-yo could
almost remove the head from a training dummy with a single flick of her
wrist.  It made her feel a little better to have the hidden weapon on
her person.  Distracted by her thoughts, she jumped a little when she
suddenly heard a voice.

"Recall complete," spoke the computer.

Kodachi quickly replaced the yo-yo back up her sleeve and rushed to
Ranma's side.  She knelt down next to him and slipped the neural headset
from off of his skull.  Her hand lingered for a moment on his cheek as
she set the headset down on the worktable, before she snatched it away
guiltily, hoping Ranma hadn't noticed how forward she had been with him.
After all, they had not even had a first date yet.

"Well, that's it," Ranma said quietly, looking a little depressed.  "I
told my father everything that's happened."  He got up off the couch and
powered down the resonator.  He glanced over at Kodachi and smiled.
"Thanks for staying with me."

"I was glad to help, even if I did very little," admitted Kodachi
modestly.  She was trying to keep her thoughts in line and away from
glancing at the soft couch, feeling risqué at being alone with a boy
like this.  Soft tingles ran across her skin as her mind wandered away
into a brief fantasy of her and Ranma doing this and that together on
that same couch.  A light blush appeared on her cheeks, and she was
grateful that all of Ranma's attention was being devoted to pulling the
flux coil from his system.

"That's that," said Ranma after several minutes, startling Kodachi out
of her fantasy.  He turned to her and asked, "Are you all right?  You
look a little flushed or something."

"I'm fine," Kodachi said in a slightly unsteady tone of voice.  She had
never felt like this around any other boy before, but she covered it
with a shy smile.  "I'm just feeling nervous."

"I don't think we're in any danger of getting caught now," said Ranma.
"It looks like Nabiki's plan is going to work out fine."  In truth,
Ranma was a little irked with himself at not thinking up a similar sort
of plan himself.  He knew that he was smarter than Nabiki was, after
all.

They heard the sounds of the door being unlocked.  Ranma took the
opportunity to recover his now useless equipment and turned off the
light, just in case it wasn't Nabiki.  However, the light from the
hallway revealed the middle Tendou daughter's face, causing both Ranma
and Kodachi to relax.

"Time to go," said Nabiki, glancing at Kodachi.  She didn't like the
look of the other girl's face and wondered if the noblewoman had dared
to try something with Ranma.  Perhaps I should remind her again who the
top fighter is between you and me, Lady Kunou, she thought, briefly
standing aside as the pair in the lab filed out.  She quickly locked the
door back up.  Just like it's going to be Ranma's turn, soon enough.

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

"You mean it?  It's really for me?"

Nabiki smiled as she held out the ticket to tonight's fights at the
Imperial Arena.  Getting Akane out of the house while Ranma and his
family came over for the engagement meeting only required the middle
Tendou daughter to take advantage of Akane's passion for fighting.  She
handed her sister the ticket, front row center, and one that had cost
Nabiki only a few favors from one of her contacts.

"Just a little thank you gift for all the help you've given me at the
Academy for the past couple of months," said Nabiki dismissively.  "I
know how much you enjoy it, so I thought I'd treat you to something
special."

"Thanks, Nabiki," said Akane brightly, almost glowing now with her
happiness.  "Please tell Father that I won't be home for dinner tonight,
all right?  I'm going to have to go straight downtown after classes in
order to catch all the preliminary bouts."  She hurried off to get ready
for school, eager to see if any of the Combat Club would be waiting with
a challenge for her this morning.  She wanted so badly to join, eager to
test her martial arts skill against other strong opponents.

And that takes care of that worry, thought Nabiki with a smirk.  She
cared for Akane as only sisters could for each other, but it was still a
relief to have her sometimes overly-violent sibling absent when Ranma
and his parents dropped by.  Nabiki knew she would have to think of some
way that she could break the news to Akane about her and Ranma in the
very near future, without Akane wanting to try and cave her skull in.
But right now she knew she should focus on her morning training.

A little while later, Soun Tendou paused in the entryway to the training
hall behind the family home, watching his middle daughter training.
Akane had already left for Furinkan, desiring to get there a little
while before classes began.  Why that was, she had chosen not to inform
him of.  He was grateful that she was apparently settling easily into
her new school.  Her early departure gave him an opportunity to speak
with Nabiki about Ranma.  Yet he now stood and watched his daughter do
battle with phantom opponents, her attention directed as much inward as
outward.

Within the training hall, Nabiki let her body swiftly flow through the
movements of her kata, one arising from out of a multitude of forms.
This was perhaps the true strength of the Anything-Goes School, a style
of martial arts that embraced all others into itself, adding to and
building upon what was already there, constantly striving to forge the
body, mind, and soul into an ever more perfect weapon.  She grunted when
her flow of motion was disrupted for a brief moment when her leg refused
to rise to the proper height, stopping short by two full centimeters.
Nabiki quickly continued on, but the limitations still present in her
body irritated her.  She knew she lacked the full measure of the power
and flexibility of her other self, but her body was getting closer and
closer each day.  Her failure to master the Chestnut Fist over the past
few nights was an added disappointment, but she knew it would come to
her eventually.  Without Cologne to guide her, remastering her special
techniques would be more difficult it seemed.

Nabiki continued on in her freestyle fighting kata, a form of meditation
done to the movements of battle, but the peace she sought escaped her.
She felt certain that it would be like this until she finally defeated
Ranma Saotome and proved herself worthy of being the true Heir of the
Anything-Goes School in this timeline.  She was better than he was.  She
knew it.

Soun stood and marveled at what he saw, the graceful and powerful
movements of his middle daughter.  Yet it was in a style that he was
completely unfamiliar with, even after all the martial arts tournaments
he had attended over the years with Kimiko during their marriage.  The
thought of his wife struck him with how much Nabiki reminded him of
Kimiko at that moment.  Each of his daughters had something of his wife
in them: Kasumi had her height, build, and strength; Akane had her hair
and eyes, but also her temperament; and Nabiki wore Kimiko's face, as
well as possessing the same natural insight and innate skill.

For a moment, despite the differences in physical appearance and
fighting style between mother and daughter, it was Kimiko before him.
Soun came near to weeping at the sight of his wife as he preferred
remembering her, lost within the never-ending quest for perfection of
her beloved martial arts skills.  They were the lover that he had never
begrudged her having, and he saw them reflected in Nabiki now.  Still,
despite the iron control he maintained over his emotions, a single tear
glistened at the edge of his eye.

"Good morning, Daddy," said Nabiki cheerfully when she noticed her
father standing there.  "What can I do for you today?"

Recovering his composure with a speed born from years of practice, Soun
gazed at Nabiki and said, "I trust that you are looking forward to the
engagement meeting with the Saotomes tonight?"

"Yes, Daddy."  Nabiki smiled as the memory of her brief meeting with
Nodoka flashed through her mind.  Ranma's mother already approves of me,
I can tell, she thought.  And the version of Genma Saotome that was
running through Ranma's father's head right now was probably dead set on
his son marrying a Tendou.  Tonight would see Ranma become hers for
sure.  She could almost feel fate pulling them together once again in
this timeline, and this time she knew that there wouldn't be any other
girls engaged to Ranma, complicating matters.  The only difficulty would
be in explaining things to Akane without it erupting into a fight.  She
just needed to get her interested in someone else.  It was a shame that
there did not seem to be any chance of running across Ryouga in this
timeline.  He would have been simply perfect for Akane if he was
anything like his other self.

"That is good," said Soun pleasantly.  After many years of waiting, his
beloved daughter would finally have the husband that Soun had spent a
large amount of his resources and time in secret to find, another child
of Project Phoenix, and the future for his family was looking much
brighter.  It was a mild irritant to him that the father of the boy was
Genma Saotome, but the troubles that man had caused him so many years
ago were perhaps better left forgotten.

"Was there anything else, Daddy?" Nabiki asked, looking at the clock and
seeing that she would only have time for a quick wash before heading off
to classes.

"No, I just wanted you to know that I feel so very proud of you,
Nabiki," said Soun with the barest hint of a smile.  "I'm certain that
Ranma's engagement to you will go off without a single difficulty.  I
know that his parents will feel you to be the best match for their son,
when you are formally and properly introduced to them tonight."  He
hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I just wish your mother was
still with us to see this."

"Thank you, Daddy," Nabiki said sincerely.  "I miss her, too."  It was
odd to see her father like this, through the memories of her other self.
However, that other Soun was a tragically warped reflection of her own
beloved father, almost a shell of a man who was broken somehow inside by
his experiences.  Her own father could be a little distant at times, but
he was always a tower of strength for his family.

"You should get ready for classes," said Soun gruffly after looking at
her for several moments.  Ah Kimiko, if you could have only been here
tonight to see this, he thought.  He nodded once to his middle daughter
and headed back towards the house to make sure that all would be in
readiness for tonight.

Left behind, Nabiki smiled at the retreating back of her father.

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

Later that day, Ranma stood with his family outside the gates to the
Tendou demesne, feeling very odd at the thought of a formal marriage
meeting to take place within its walls.  He glanced at the idiot now
posing as his father, not liking the vague hint of a smile that hovered
on the man's lips.  He's probably lost in some stupid dream of teaching
Nabiki about the Anything-Goes School if an engagement agreement does
take place, the pigtailed boy thought with a mental chuckle.  Won't he
be surprised if he ever learns the truth?  Although if he does, I can
just hear the words 'the two Schools will be joined now' coming out of
his mouth.  Whatever.  At least tonight is the last of these things, and
if I can get through this one without a formal agreement taking place,
then I can finally relax.  No fiancées this time around means less
stress for the handsome boy genius.  He smiled wryly.

Ranma looks less nervous tonight, observed Nodoka with a smile.  He must
be looking forward to tonight's meeting with that nice girl, Nabiki.  I
never would have thought his tastes might run towards older women
though.

Nabiki Tendou, Genma thought with a smile, looking around the walls of
the compound before him.  It stood on the very same lot that it did in
that other world, and it looked very much the same.  The training hall
was a little small for teaching the students that would surely come,
once he got this body into proper shape and Ranma firmly under control.
I wonder if it isn't too late to consider Akane though?  Now _there_ was
a girl full of spirit, Genma mused happily.  She would have kept this
disrespectful whelp in line with a few good whacks upside his head.  He
remembered fondly the 'training' in pain resistance that his son had
received at the youngest Tendou's hands.

At that moment, the gate to the compound opened, revealing Kyouko
standing there in formal yukata and obi.  She bowed to Ranma and his
family, saying, "Welcome to this humble household.  The master and his
daughter await you within."  She stepped aside and let the trio enter.

Genma walked in first, Nodoka following quickly behind, and Ranma came
in last.  The pigtailed boy glanced around the compound, seeing it for
the first time with his own eyes, amazed at the strong similarity to the
ones in those other worlds.  The only difference that seemed most
obvious was that the training hall was smaller, designed only for the
use of the family it seemed.

Lurking at the wall of the Tendou household compound, a lone figure
crouched, hidden from view, taking advantage of the natural cover being
provided by one of the trees.  The position offered the intruder a clear
view of the events now taking place, as Ranma and his family were made
welcome at the Tendou home.  Dressed in the dark garb favored by ninja,
her head covered by cloth save for two holes through which protruded her
cat-like ears, Tiger watched the home of her enemy and frowned.  Her
ears swiveled forward, but she was still too far away to hear what was
going on.  She gathered herself to move to a new position, curious as to
what all the activity and formal clothing signified.

Soon, Nabiki Tendou, thought Tiger grimly, even as she studied the
distance she would have to leap.  Soon I shall be given permission to
engage you in combat.  Soon I shall have the pleasure of breaking you
before you are to be brought before my beloved Kinnousuke-sama.  She
waited until the four were inside the house before making her move,
watching coldly with slit-pupilled green eyes.  Soon.

With a blur of motion and a surge of strength from her long legs,
Tiger's trim body swiftly covered the distance from the wall to the roof
of the house.  She landed noiselessly and began making her way to a
better position to hear things going on below her more clearly.  Her
stealthy movements went unheard by all within the house.

Almost directly beneath Tiger's initial landing spot, Nabiki finished
her preparations for the engagement meeting and smiled at the results.
Dressed in a brand new yukata and obi of the finest materials, her body
freshly bathed with scented oils, her hair brushed to a glossy shine,
the middle Tendou daughter was certain that Ranma's heart would be
caught by her tonight.  Nabiki Tendou, you are one beautiful girl, she
thought as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

Standing in for their mother, Kasumi sat on Nabiki's bed and watched her
younger sister admiring herself with an amused smile.  She was looking
forward to the events tonight, and a chance to see the boy that had
apparently caught the jaded-seeming attentions of her sister.  She
coughed delicately into one fist to get Nabiki's attention.

"Mother would be so proud of you tonight," said Kasumi, when Nabiki
turned to face her.  "I'm proud of you too, little sister."

"Thanks, Kasumi," said Nabiki, getting up from her dressing table and
padding over to the door in her tabi-style socks.  "I'm glad that you
could come tonight.  It means a lot to me, really."

"It's no problem," said Kasumi, moving up behind Nabiki as the sounds of
people arriving was heard from below.  "My husband had to work late
again tonight, so I far prefer spending my time here with my family than
being alone right now."  Distracted by her own sudden nervousness,
Nabiki did not notice that her sister sounded less than perfectly happy.

Down below, after removing her shoes, Nodoka paused in the entryway as
she noticed the family shrine and decided to pay her respects to the
kami and the ancestors of this household with a brief prayer for some
good fortune tonight.  Her son had not been formally engaged to be
married so far, but she was hopeful that the third time would be the
charm signaling success.  As Ranma and her husband removed their shoes
and came in behind her, she padded over to the small shrine and put her
hands together solemnly, saying a brief prayer in her mind.  When she
was done, she noticed the small photograph that rested in a place of
honor within the shrine.

'Kimiko?' thought Nodoka with startled shock, feeling odd to see the
face of another old rival staring back at her.  She felt faint for a
moment, but managed to shrug it off quickly before anyone else noticed.
She studied the small photograph of her former rival and felt an odd
sense of loss, remembering the many battles she had once fought with the
other woman, battles that she recalled with pride.  Although they had
never spoken of it as such, and both would have violently denied that it
had been true, towards the end of their youthful days the two of them
had become friends of sorts.  It was a relationship born out of a fierce
rivalry, but Nodoka could now recall times when the two of them had
stood shoulder to shoulder as allies.

I will miss you... old friend, thought Nodoka wistfully.

"What is it, Mother?" Ranma asked, coming up next to her to briefly pay
his respects at the house shrine.  The interior decorations were very
different from his memories of this place.

"Nothing," said Nodoka with a smile, turning to look at him.  "I was
just reminded of something that I hadn't thought about for a long time."

"Ranma, come and meet Soun Tendou," said Genma gruffly, dragging him
away from Nodoka quickly.

"Hello, Ranma," said Soun pleasantly when the boy had been brought
before him by Genma.  "It's good to see you in my home.  I feel like we
have known each other for a long time already, what with studying your
file from the matchmaker."

"Uh, yes," said Ranma, uncertain what to say.  He bowed politely to the
man, taking in Soun's bearing and stoic demeanor.  The sense of déjà vu
filling him was intense, even though the man before him was not what he
would ever have expected from someone named Soun Tendou.  How so very
different he is from his analogs, he observed absently.

After making small talk for a while, the group made their way to the
dining area, now arranged with the traditional settings for a formal
marriage meeting.  Ranma and his family were directed to spots to sit,
and then he spent a few moments waiting for Nabiki and her sister to
arrive.

When Nabiki demurely walked in, trailed closely by her older sister,
Ranma was astonished at the sight of her.  Dressed as she was in
traditional garb, her hair brushed to a glossy perfection, her face made
up with a light hint of cosmetics and bearing a look of serenity at
seeing him, the pigtailed scholar felt his mouth go dry.  He watched
her, mesmerized, as she padded over to her designated place and knelt
down gracefully.

"My daughter, Nabiki," said Soun formally, indicating the demure figure
of the girl next to him.  The three members of the Tendou family bowed
to the Saotomes, a bow that was quickly returned, Ranma being only a
little slow due to his recovering from shock.  "I welcome you into our
home for this meeting to discuss an engagement between my daughter and
your son."

Hidden in the rafters outside nearby, Tiger cocked one ear slightly to
listen more closely, her hearing picking up everything quite clearly.
Engagement meeting with the Saotomes?  What's going on? she wondered.

Ranma was still trying to balance the image of the beautiful and quiet
girl kneeling across from him with the memory of the same girl trying to
beat him up only a few days before.  The equation refused to compute, so
he remained in a mild fugue state.  Most of what was going on passed by
him without his notice, as Nodoka and Kasumi discussed the pros and cons
of a marriage, and the two fathers remained silent.

He keeps staring at me, Nabiki thought, feeling a light blush work its
way across her face as she glanced at Ranma now and then.  She was
working hard to project the proper image for Nodoka's sake, having been
advised by Kasumi on this subject.  Even though it made her feel oddly
nervous, a feeling she clamped down on hard, she also enjoyed it that he
seemed to like looking at her.  She smiled slightly at him.

After a time, Kasumi nodded to her father that she was satisfied with
the answers that Nodoka had given.  Across from her, Nodoka gave a
similar look towards Genma.  There was a brief moment of hesitation as
the four adults turned to look at the two youngest people in the room.

Genma spoke first, having worked out his little speech well in advance.
"I wish to begin by thanking you, Tendou-san, for having my family over
to your home for such an auspicious evening.  I can see that my son and
your daughter will make a fine couple, and their engagement has my
blessing."

Soun nodded, pleased at how well things were working out.

"However, I do not feel it would be wise to rush our children into
something," continued Genma without missing a beat.  "So I propose a
period that they can get to know each other, one not longer than six
months, before a more formal engagement will be had between my son and
your lovely daughter."

"I agree," said Soun, nodding solemnly.  He had spoken with Genma for a
few moments before the other man had brought his son before him.  Ranma
was apparently quite leery and resistant to being forced into an
engagement by his parents, so Genma proposed this bit of subterfuge to
give the boy time to get used to Nabiki in a more casual agreement.  The
two fathers knew otherwise, and Soun had confidence that Nabiki would be
able to bring Ranma under control soon enough.

Tiger blinked.  This was startling news, and she was uncertain how
Kinnousuke would take it.  Still, she entertained hopes that her love
would lose interest in Nabiki Tendou, now that she appeared to be soon
claimed by another man.

Satisfied that she had observed something that would need to be
reported, Tiger flipped back up to the roof of the house and then leaped
across the space to the wall.  Before anyone realized she had ever been
there eavesdropping, the catgirl was several rooftops away and running
hard for her home.

Nabiki found herself feeling a little disappointed.  She had been
hopeful that a formal engagement would take place, but she would settle
for this for now.  At least it gives me more of a claim to Ranma than
that little floozy Kodachi has, she thought with a mental grin.  She
would have Ranma for her own, and no other girl was going to take him
away from her.

Ranma blinked and felt nervous at the looks that Nabiki was giving him,
but he felt relieved that he had apparently managed to dodge the threat
of an arranged marriage.  Although the present setup meant his mother
would be pushing him to decide on one of the girls before too much
longer.

Still, at least I'm not engaged to them all, Ranma thought with relief.

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

A short time later, Tiger stood at attention in her snug-fitting black
garb, only the cloth that had covered her head removed.  Her ears
swiveled forward to listen closely to every word that her beloved
Kinnousuke-sama uttered.  Every now and then, her eyes would flicker to
glare at Lynx, who was casually primping and looking quite smug with
herself as she sat at the edge of their master's bed.  The smell of an
apparently lengthy session of sexual activity permeated the room, a
cloying scent of musk and sweat.  It set Tiger's teeth on edge to see
another woman, even one of the other two catgirls, with him.  She
sniffed softly in disdain at the leggy, dark-haired Lynx.

Apparently I must teach Lynx her proper place in this household once
again, thought Tiger, a savage grin briefly appearing.  She was looking
entirely too self-satisfied.  That little bitch could never be as good
as I am with Kinnousuke-sama.  I was his first, and I will always be
first in his heart out of all of us for that reason.

Lynx smiled lazily at Tiger as she ran her hands back through her hair
to straighten it a bit, enjoying the irritated look that appeared on her
sister catgirl's face.  Ah, Tiger, Lynx thought with amusement.  A few
more sessions like his last one with me, and Kinnousuke-sama will surely
choose to take me as his preferred bedmate over you.  Her facial
expression was smug as she turned to gaze at Tiger, idly licking her
lips.  She coolly locked eyes with an annoyed Tiger.

"So the Tendous and the Saotomes are looking likely to be setting an
engagement between the two families you say, Tiger?" said Kinnousuke
softly, currently watching a videotape of the fight between Ranma and
Nabiki with the sound turned low.  The boom mike on the camera had
managed to catch almost every grunt and cry of pain given off by the
couple, providing a soft background noise to the room of the sounds of
fierce combat.  "You are absolutely certain of this?"

"Yes, Kinnousuke-sama."

"Leave me, both of you," said Kinnousuke brusquely.  "I need to be alone
now, to think."

"Yes, Kinnousuke-sama," said the two catgirls, both of them walking out
together.  Their rivalry over their master's bed was forgotten for the
moment.

When the door closed behind them, the sounds of shattering glass and
other items breaking began to be heard.

"What will we do, Tiger?" asked Lynx, looking at the other catgirl.

"What we always do," said Tiger grimly.  "We wait for his orders, then
we act."

"This news of Nabiki Tendou and Ranma Saotome has hurt him deeply," said
Lynx, her ears folded flat against her head.  It was obvious how she
felt about anyone who would cause her beloved hurt.  Although what she
was about to say pained all of the catgirls deeply, Lynx felt it was
necessary to say, "He wanted her for himself.  This agreement between
the Saotomes and the Tendous would likely frustrate that.  Both Ranma
and Nabiki should pay for that."

"Yes," growled Tiger softly.  She looked at Lynx solemnly.  "Both of
them will pay dearly for Kinnousuke-sama's pain.  Come, Lynx, I wish to
include Panther in our plans.  I think she'll like what I have in mind
to do."  An evil smile appeared on Tiger's face.

"What's that?"

"We make them suffer," said Tiger coldly.  "And then we make them suffer
some more."

"Yes, Tiger," said Lynx softly, her eyes glittering.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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

Michael Allen
Jim Bader
Donny Cheng
Fabian
Jed Hagen
Kevin McHorney
D.B. Sommer
Stephen Sparrow
Stardragon
Doug Whiddon