***

 Ranma-chan watched the back of his wife as she went and turned to his family, "Why do I suddenly feel bad about that?"

 Nabiki-kun looked at him incredulously with a hint of exasperation, "Don't tell me you're actually sorry for her, Ranma. She deserves even worse than that."

 "Besides you know she won't be admitted anywhere, amnesia or not." Nodoka put in, trying to comfort her son --- currently daughter.

 "Do I need to remind you everything she's done?" Nabiki-kun asked, a little worried at her brother's show of emotion towards his wife, as little as it may be. Little things tend to blow up to large ones.

 "No." Ranma-chan said in a controlled voice, "I know enough already." But Nabiki noticed that her brother's eyes were drawn back to the stairs Kodachi had walked on.

 "Which reminds me..." Nodoka said as she looked at the twins, "Will you please tell me what is *really* going on here?"

 Nodoka watched her daughter stare out to the bay, watching the calm of the night, and the stillness of the house. Before, that had been a sure sign that Kodachi had not been home... the silence... today had been different. Very different.
 There were traces of worry on Ranma's face when they had left, it had not been apparent but showing enough for both women to pick up on it. On they way home Nabiki heard him mutter that he hoped Kodachi had already gone to their Nerima residence.

 Kodachi had been home, opened their doors and smiled for them. She had even asked them about how the evening went. Not your typical Kodachi behavior, and Nabiki was starting to doubt Kodachi's moves. Whereas before Nabiki was always one step ahead of her sister-in-law, now she was second-guessing her, and that probably scared her more than anything else.

 "Nabiki, aren't you going to sleep?" Nodoka asked as she joined her daughter on the roof, she sat down beside her, her old bones were not up to the task of taking care of her children.

 "I can't sleep." Nabiki grumbled at the dark, swinging her feet in time with the waves. She had already checked Sei five times and her mother was sensing another trip.

 "What is it?" She asked, concerned, it had been the first restless night Nabiki had since she was three. And Nabiki usually didn't go out of character.

 There was a long pause before Nabiki answered, "It's Kodachi. I don't trust her."

 "What else is new? Have you thought about her actions, then?" Nodoka looked out to the bay.

 "Not much." Nabiki answered distractedly.

 "Are you going to tell me or are you going to let me keep guessing?" She asked patiently. Sitting closer to her daughter. She was robbed of the chance to see them grow up... all mothers were robbed of the chance to see their children grow up. Their duty was to their husbands... the children were for the foster mothers... in their case... foster father.

 "She's actually trying to win the children over, and she has never done that! She tried to be *polite*, and when did you ever she Kodachi being polite? This amnesia thing, it's new, it's unpredictable and it's unpredictability is its greatest danger -- and we don't even know if she really *has* amnesia. She's being spontaneous! I've never seen her spontaneous! She has this twisted mind that manipulates everything she says! She's actually dropped her laugh--"

 "Haven't thought about it, huh?" Nodoka joked a little interrupting her line of thoughts. "Nabiki, you think too much. And though you think Kodachi's this little puzzle you have to decipher, she won't go away for the night."

 "No, we're not that lucky." Nabiki muttered closing her eyes to feel the soft breeze against her face. Something she once heard from Ranma. "Let's just hope that we learned something from seven years ago."



 Akane paced around in her room fidgeting, it had been a restless night for her. She had been hurt that she had not been invited to dinner but she could take that.

 She had also been hurt since Ranko's nature in the house was more obvious to her now, still she was satisfied that Ranma and Ranko kept their... nightly intimacies quiet. 'At least the pervert isn't forcing himself on me.' She thought indignantly.

 She understood that they would not understand easily, but it was hard. She needed patience, and that had never been one of her best assets.

 She could only ask how many questions before she became too overwhelmed by it. How long until everyone treated her with respect? How long until the people realized that she was not Kodachi? How long until they knew that she was trying so very hard to be a part of everyone?

 But it was no use to ask questions that no one really had answers to. She looked around the room worriedly, but nothing in the room gave her comfort, in fact it added to her sense of dread, for every bit of accessory there was plainly Kodachi's. Her hand stamped across every tapestry, her smell pungently strong in the room -- and her face -- the face that stared back at her that told her about the wrongness of everything.

 For every turn she faced the mocking picture of either Kodachi's mirror, or the portrait of eyes looking out in the dark towards her. Accusing eyes they were, that she could take it no longer. She pulled a black shawl from the drawer and threw it over the weird portrait and across the full-length mirror.

 "Oh, Akane, How long until you go insane, huh?" She asked herself, rubbing her shoulders. Another question, this time, she didn't want an answer. She sighed again and left the unfamiliar room to roam around the house. As usual it was just before dawn. Usually at this time she trained, but since Ranma's family is here she was confined to her own room. She muttered a curse under her breath as she went out to drink some tea. Trying to tread lightly across the tatami.

 When she reached the kitchen she saw Sei was up and moving about, surprised at seeing her. He was hovering over a boiling kettle. Akane frowned, 'What is with these people and hot water anyway? They don't use it for tea, or I would have seen them take cups...but this is ridiculous!' She thought as for the second time she was greeted by someone who was boiling water.

 By the sound of her steps, Sei's head shot to her. This surprised her, she hadn't been that noisy at all, yet the child had sensed her.

 "Ohayou, Oba -- Aunt Kodachi," The boy greeted tentatively, "Sumimasen, I did not mean to wake you."

 At this Akane's automatic reply was the vigorous waving of hands in front of her, negating the thought. "Oh, no, no Sei. I'm always up this early." She assured him. Then looked at him before jumping happily, "Nabiki has taught you some martial arts?"

 "Oh no... that's Uncle Ranma's work. Okaasan wants some of the family's knowledge passed down to me." He trailed off after a while, "She wants us to keep other things too..."

 "Well then, you're in a well off pace now aren't you, Sei?" Akane asked as she sat down bringing a mug with her and the cocoa and sugar, Sei seemed to be boiling a lot of water. She hoped he wouldn't mind if he shared it with her.

 "Okaasan says I learn almost as quickly as Nae-chan." Sei answered he almost seemed proud, yet it was well hidden. She sensed a few more years to that child and that proud shine in his eyes would disappear in a thick emotionless face. Saotomes seemed eager to hide their emotions. Too eager.

 "You're a morning person too, Sei aren't you, would you like to watch the sunrise with me?" She asked, the house had seemed much too lonely for her tastes, and though sunrises were good to watch alone, it is always better when you have a memory shared with someone in return.

 The child hesitated a moment then looked at her straight at the eyes, they stood there for a moment each looking at each other ... questions left unsaid and unanswered. The whistling of the kettle drew him out of it. "My uncle needs the water."

 He had strong loyalties to his uncle, it seemed, stronger than to an aunt he hardly ever sees. She wondered again at how long it would be before he would watch the sunrise with her willingly. She smiled faintly then looked up at the rustle of noise behind her.

 "Good Morning, Nabiki." She greeted her sister-in-law, smile wavering in her face, she didn't know how it looked now. "Sei and I were just ... talking."

 The boy nodded at his mother while he took the kettle off the brazier. Akane just sat there, she was just now fully aware of how deep her sister-in-law's hatred was for her.

 "Sei, your uncle needs that hot water, quickly now." Nabiki said ignoring Akane, patting her son's brown hair. How she could look so kind to her son and so fierce to her was such a big mystery. The boy nodded in acquiescence and ran trhough the garden towards the house, hot water in tow. "Careful, Sei, that water can burn!"

 After her son's footsteps disappeared through the main house her gaze turned to Akane, she almost wished she wasn't under that fierce look. "I know what you're doing Kodachi. I'm warning you stay away from my son."

 "He shouldn't fear you Nabiki," Akane offered quietly, "That isn't any way to raise a child."

 "When have you known everything about raising children? Have you ever even tried to raise Hanae?" Nabiki shot back, her gaze was just as scorching as before. "As much as you think you do, you don't know how to raise children, Kodachi. You don't associate with my son you don't talk to him, and now that you have decided to do so I am forbidding it."

 Similar words, Akane's ire rose, "What gives you the right to forbid me - to actually forbid me to do anything with whom I please?"

 "When the subject of talk is my son!" Nabiki's voice never rose from that of which she started with, it made Akane furious how she could argue like that and make her seem so inferior.

 "He is my nephew."

 "You lost the right to call them that after you caused me my first child." Nabiki answered as she turned her back to Akane, "You will never refer to him as that again."



  "Thank you, Sei." Ranma-chan said gratefully as she poured the water over herself, while the child watched in fascination. "I could've gone down there myself you know."

  "Nabiki is right, if Kodachi tells everyone your girl-form is your -- " Hanae chose her words carefully, "you know what, then you shouldn't very well show everybody 'Ranko' in your clothes."

  Nodoka made a negating sound, "You should have stopped that by showing everybody the curse. It would make less complications that way."

  "I don't go telling any person about my weird curse you know." Ranma defended himself crossing his arms in front of his chest, and succeeding in looking very much like a spoiled brat. "Besides, what the *Lord Happosai* orders, we must obey... and the curse is something he has ordered to the 'strict confidences of only the most trusted of all people'. The fact that Kodachi found out makes him simmer in rage already... the only reason he hasn't taken it out on us is because it was his fault."

  That was the scene Nabiki saw when she opened the shoji towards the room they were all gathered in. She hardly paid attention to it though, "Oh GOD! That woman infuriates me!"

  "Calm down Nabiki, don't give her the satisfaction of seeing you like this." Nodoka said in a soothing voice. Everyone knew that her son's wife left a lot to be desired. "Sei, Hanae, go about your morning training so you can take a bath before breakfast."

  With the dismissal from their grandmother, the children scurried out of the library. "And do remember to use a door this time!" Nodoka called out worriedly, she still did not approve of the manner they went about hopping from place to place. Training or no, it made her worry a lot more than she should.

  When the children disappeared, Nabiki settled on the silk cushion Ranma led her to. "Let's talk of pleasanter things." He smiled as he looked at her, "How are the preparations coming through?"

  Having her attention diverted from the topic of Kodachi, Nabiki eased her back. She almost sighed, and wished fervently that even though Kodachi was here, everything would go on well enough.

  She would be let down... hard.

======================================================================

Author's notes (I think this is seriously longer than the fic... don't you??)

(1) Sewa: means to help or charge



(2) Before the prisons were instigated, men were often killed when they were found at fault, no questions asked. The prisons, which came in the late 1500s were a temporary resting place before you got killed off. Getting killed after all is the almost punishment. It's very rare that people ever come out of those cells.

(3) Ikkasei:  'Family Reason' (what I used although it could
            sound like 'Below reason... how much does one
            letter change the sound of this
            anyway... a byplay of words if you wish... :)

    Ika  -- less than, under, below
    Ikka -- (A) Family
    -sei -- results, influence, reason

(4) I'm not entirely sure if they *really* branded them back then... but it's for the story... what? You don't believe me?

(5) Kintaro: 'Golden Wax Rice Field' (wonder what
           kind of rice this produces,
           doesn't sound like a samurai name...
           but... live with it. :)

    kin -- gold or money
    ta  -- rice field
    ro  -- fireplace
         wax

(6) Buying the contract of a courtesan, means you particularly own that courtesan. Renting a contract usually is a night... buying a courtesan would probably cost around a thousand koku depending on the level. Kyoto First Class is the best. The wives are the ones who negotiate for the contract for their husbands. Weird, huh?

(7) Of course there still aren't any bras in Japan at 1600s, I had to improvise! I'm not certain what an under-kimono is actually... but it's under the category of underwear. Happosai has to settle for that until he reaches the 20th century.

(8) Silk is reserved for the more wealthy of the people :), China produces silk which they trade with the Portuguese for some Japanese products... they didn't trade directly because they can't understand each other and needed the priests as translators (who traded the products with outrageous prices). Japanese students sometimes were sent to China to learn there... why they never picked up the language I would never know.

(9) Ko-uma: pony. (He's the stable boy okay!)

(10) Is this legal? Well yes... anything your liege lord says is legal to you... of course if it isn't legal to somebody else... you may get your head cut off...

(11) Measure of time -- well it is measured by: um I'll copy the exact paragraph
   from Shogun:

The day and the night are each split into six equal parts, the day began with the hour of the Hare (5 am-7am)  Dragon (7am-9am), snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog, boar,  rat and ox. The cycle ended with the hour of the tiger (3am-5am)

Ranma, Ranko and Nabiki... Nabiki in her cursed form will be referred to as Nabiki-kun in scenes that show the perspective of people who know about the Jusenkyo curse. (Ranma-chan in Ranma's case). When this is shown in Akane's point-of view, Ranma will be called Ranko and Nabiki will be called Ranma. I hope this doesn't cause confusion.


Reminder: DO NOT MAIL ME IN THIS ADDRESS,
please mail me at ysis@hotmail.com where I can recieve your messages!!!

C&C adored... and if you send some I'll worship the ground you walk on!!!!

======================================================================

For those who missed chapters 3&4 I'm so lazy I don't
have a web page (hint, hint ;) So I'm relying on the FFML Mini Archive (you'll also need to know I stuck with the Japanese thingie instead of the one in 1800s Newport!!!)

Anyone who wants prologue to chapter two can just drop me a line or something.

~~~

Chapter 3a
http://24.31.125.242/cgi-bin/RetrieveStory.exe?StoryID=149874
Chapter 3b
http://24.31.125.242/cgi-bin/RetrieveStory.exe?StoryID=149875

Chapter 4a
http://24.31.125.242/cgi-bin/RetrieveStory.exe?StoryID=150168
Chapter 4b
http://24.31.125.242/cgi-bin/RetrieveStory.exe?StoryID=150169

~~~

So that means thanks to all those very nice people who provide people as lazy as I am places to you know store the work :)

~~~

I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves every day
                                                   ~~~ unknown
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