Okay. This is my first post to the FFML... please be gentle? :)



    It's also my first attempt at an epic... we'll see how it goes. Wish

me luck!





The Unbroken Circle: Chapter one



Standard Takahashi disclamer



This is a fic based on Ranma and the gang that takes place in the middle

of the series. It's more of an altaverse fic than anything else, but

there you go. Here�s the run-down: Ryugenzawa happened, but Herb has

not. Nodoka does not know that Ranma and Ranko are the same person, but

she has visited the Tendo�s and met Ranko. Kumon Ryu has not yet shown

up. Otherwise... it�s sticking pretty closely to manga events. Except...

I�m keeping the anime hair colors. I love dem hair colors.



Brief key, trying to stay simple.



<> frame thoughts.

�� frame speech

�{}� frame speech in chinese





It was a stormy night in Nerima, and the rain pounded on the roof of the

Tendo home fiercely. The wind slashed the rain about, howling and

whipping tree branches to and fro. Ranma sat in the dojo, the only

source of light in the yard, and stared out into the rain.



 He meditated on the rain. Ever since Jusenkyou, water always seemed to

have some strange, mystical attraction to him. No normal person had

gotten wet that much. He sighed, thinking about it. Perhaps the storm

was trying to punish him for avoiding his curse for almost two weeks.



 His meditations were interrupted by a thump. The dojo sign to the Tendo

dojo slid across the floor and came to a rest in front of him. He looked

down at it, confused. He raised his head to the darkness, and a figure

emerged from the rain.



He scowled to himself, idly wondering who it was, but saying nothing

yet. The figure halted briefly under the dry awning leading to the door,

removing its shoes, and setting aside a long staff. Ranma stared,

gauging. The figure was bowed low, so he couldn't make out a face, yet.

Red hair. A pair of braids.



The figure stood up, and glanced at him appraisingly. He did the same.

She had a face that seemed vaguely familiar, similar to Ranma's own girl

form, and similar shade of hair color. The pair of braids reached midway

down her back. She was wearing a soaked, red, karate gi. She dropped a

large backpack next to her shoes, and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Ranma observed that she was smaller than his girl form, as well.

Probably barely four foot nine inches tall.



Ranma cleared his throat and glanced at the sign at his feet, "I suppose

this is a challenge?"



The girl shook her head, "Broke off in the wind. Mind if I come in?"



Ranma nodded, and she entered, bowing briefly to the shrine. He stared

at her for a moment, "What are you doing here at this hour?"



She glanced back at him, calculating, then shrugged, "Just passing

through. Found the sign and wondered if I could challenge someone for a

place to stay the night, maybe some warm food."



Ranma considered this briefly, "Alright. I'll see to it that Kasumi gets

you something to eat, and I guess the Tendo's probably won't mind you

staying in the dojo tonight."



She shook her head irritably, "No, I will challenge someone for it. Do

you accept?"



Ranma grinned, "I don't fight girls."



She stared at him, irritation showing, "I'm a woman. Not a girl."



Ranma rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I won't fight you."



She smiled slowly, "I understand then. I accept your offering, and your

forfeit."



Ranma frowned, getting angry, "I didn't forfeit!"



"Then you'll fight me?"



Ranma scowled, sulking, "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."



She smiled, and retrieved the staff she had been using previously. "Do

you use a weapon?"



Ranma scoffed, "Weapons are a crutch. I'll fight you bare handed, but

I'll let you use your weapon. Won't help you much."



Her smile faded, "So be it. Are you ready?"



Ranma walked to a position a short distance away, and bowed, almost

mockingly. She returned the bow, and the fight began.



He decided to start out on the offensive, and lead in with a series of

rapid strikes towards the woman's torso. When he reached her, he

stumbled as he noticed she simply wasn't there. He spun around, to see

her standing in a relaxed stance, staff over one shoulder.



He grimaced, "I don't have to marry you if you win, do I?"



She looked somewhat amused, "No. Why?"



He sighed, "Ah... never mind. I'll tell you later." He shrugged,

resolving to stop holding himself back as much. He rushed again, but she

disappeared as he reached her again. This time, she was a few steps away

to his left. He frowned. <Speed is my strongest point, how can she be

this much faster than me?>



She cocked a head at him, "Stop holding back."



He raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to hurt you."



She scowled at him, "I've had about enough of that attitude."



Ranma took a defensive stance, but the woman was again behind him. He

staggered at a blow from behind, and whirled around. The woman was there

waiting for him, staff at the ready. He glared, "Alright then. Lets go."

He unleashed a flurry of blows again, not quite as fierce at the tenshin

amaguri-ken, but almost. The woman deflected each one with a casual

detachment.



Ranma edged back a step, wincing at his hands. The staff she carried was

_hard_.



He stepped around, warily. This woman was more skilled than he would

have suspected. Much more skilled. <If I can get that staff away from

her, then maybe I can win.>



She shifted from one defensive stance to another. Instead of being held

along her body, she held the staff out at a low angle. "Is that it?"



He glared again, and leapt towards her, expecting to pass over her range

before she could ready her staff. She dropped the staff before Ranma

reached her, and pivoted on one foot, extending the other to catch Ranma

full in the chest. He staggered again, and fell to the ground. As he

rolled away, he made a swipe at the staff, and knocked it across the

dojo floor.



Mid somersault, he used a handspring to escape away from the woman.

<What's going on here? She's even smaller than my girl form? How is she

strong enough to do that?> His chest was bruised, but he'd had worse. He

analyzed his options. She simply stood in another defensive form not

moving towards the discarded staff, and Ranma paused, <Maybe I should

use a Ki attack... She's fighting defensively. No, I don�t need to go

all out against her, the tenshin amaguri-ken should get through.>



He nodded to himself, and charged again, crying out, "Tenshin

amaguri-ken!!" She danced back through the rain of blows, deflecting,

blocking, or dodging them all. He stepped back, gasping, "How...?"



She just smiled, "Clever. I've faced the Joketsuzoku before. They don't

part with their techniques easily."



He backed off a little further. She was still in a defensive stance,

while he considered, <She knows of Joketsuzoku techniques. She's not

going to let me use a hiryuu shouten-ha, and I'd thrash the dojo

anyway.> He shook his head, <What am I thinking? Hiryuu shouten-ha, in a

sparring match? That's not right. Maybe a mouko takabisha...?> He nodded

to himself, <A weak one. Just enough to get her attention.>



He took a deep breath, gathering himself and his ki, and unleashed a

bolt at her, "Mouko takabisha!"



The bolt of force flew out towards the woman, who raised her arms,

crying out something Ranma didn't recognize, and then everything turned

black.



***



Ranma opened his eyes, groaning and blinking groggily, "What... What

happened?"



The woman was peering down at him, "Sorry. I thought you were being

serious. Guess I over reacted."



He sat up slowly, noting that his Chinese clothing was singed and torn,

"What did you do?"



She shrugged, "A kind of deflector. I sent the attack back at you,

redoubled."



He shook his head again, "You beat me?"



She nodded, ��fraid so."



Ranma blinked, mouth wide open, "But... how?!?"



She looked irate, and helped him to his feet, "I already told you. Now

that I won, I want some warm food. We'll talk about it over dinner."



Ranma sighed, and headed towards the house, "Come along, then. Follow

me." He led her into the house, motioning her to pick up her pack and

shoes before entering. He noticed that she had already retrieved her

staff before they reach the house. He sighed and looked into the yard.

The wind had lessened, a little, but the rain seemed to intensify, if

anything. He silently thanked whoever thought it was a good idea to

install a covered walkway between the house and the dojo as he entered

the living room.



He pointed at the table, after turning on a light and closing the door,

"Have a seat. Um... do you mind leftover miso soup?"



She grinned, "I mostly live on the road, sounds great."



He nodded, and headed into the kitchen, "It'll only take a minute or

two, then." Ranma retrieved some leftover miso soup from the fridge, and

put a large bowl of it in the microwave. <Normally it's a breakfast

food, but...> He stared at the microwave for a long moment, trying to

remember how long it would take. He sighed, and turned a dial on the

microwave to 3 minutes.



He leaned on the counter, staring at the dial and thinking back onto the

match, <How the heck did I lose? She's fast, that's for sure. I guess

using the mouko takabisha was a bit much, but nothing else was getting

through. Hmm... I have to ask her.> The microwave made a piercing wail

until he opened it's door. He paused after opening it, hearing a soft

thump from the living room.



Shaking his head, he brought the bowl to the table. The girl was holding

her head in her hands, wincing and rubbing her temples. Ranma set the

bowl and a spoon in front of her, "You okay?"



She nodded, "Yeah... I don't like certain tones, that's all."



Ranma blinked, "Uh... huh. Anyway, dig in."



The woman ate the soup with a grace that spoke of years of coordination

training. Ranma looked away, feeling rude. After an uncomfortable

minute, Ranma turned on the TV. Almost nothing was on at this hour. He

glanced at the clock, it was already 11:12. After a few more awkward

minutes, the woman pushed the bowl away, sighing contentedly.



Ranma turned back to her, "Erm. Sorry, I didn't ask you yet, what's your

name?"



She regarded him levelly for a moment, "You can call me Chame."



Ranma blinked, "No last name?" She said nothing. Ranma cleared his

throat, "Right. I'm Ranma. Saotome Ranma."



She nodded, "I see. Pleased to meet you. You have a lot more potential

than most fighters I come across."



Ranma frowned, "Right... I'm not much used to losing. How long have you

been practicing, anyway?"



She stared at him guardedly, "All my life."



Ranma nodded slowly, "Ah, I've been training since I was about 4, so

that's been the last 13 years."



She nodded, "You're pretty good for someone that new to the art."



Ranma stared, wide-eyed, "What do you mean, 'that-new'?"



Chame frowned, thinking, "I'll tell you. But you must respect my privacy

in this and not tell anyone else."



Ranma blinked again, <Who would know you? You don't even have a last

name!>, "Alright, I give you my word of honor as a martial artist."



She nodded, a slight smile forming on her lips, "I've been facing

martial artists for some time. You are still young, but I've fought

people with decades of experience. Lets just say I�m a little older than

I look."



Ranma shrugged, "Happosai says he's over a hundred, and Cologne says so

too. I've fought with them."



Chame frowned, "Happosai, eh? I wonder what he's been up to. Cologne,

too? I've been away too long. I've fought both of them before."



Ranma blinked, "I... see. How old are you, anyway?"



Chame glanced up at him sharply, "It's rude to ask a lady her age."



Ranma shook his head, "Right. Sorry."



Chame frowned, "Well, can you do me a favor, then?"



He eyed her warily, "Depends."



"Tell me about yourself?"



Ranma blinked, taken aback, "Ah, right. Let's see, then... I've been

practicing martial arts for the last 13 years, and except for the year

in this house, I spend most of my time on the road. Dad traveled a lot.

Learned a lot of techniques. Ah, lets see... I spent a couple months

training in China, recently. For the most part, my life was actually

pretty dull. Not too much excitement."



She stared at him for a minute, "You've fought both Cologne and

Happosai, and you say it isn't exciting?"



He frowned, "Well, you're right. Things got a lot more interesting after

those two showed up."



Chame smiled, "You said you don't lose much. You won against them?"



Ranma frowned, "Well... yes. The old ghoul is dangerous, though.

Happosai's not normally as big a threat, though. He's got an exploitable

weakness."



Chame nodded, "That's true. How did you learn the tenshin amaguri-ken?"



Ranma grinned, "Well, I learned it from the old ghoul. Only way she'd

let me have, ah, something I needed at the time."



She nodded slowly, "How did you beat her?"



He frowned, "Well... Are you familiar with nekko-ken?""



Chame sighed, "I suppose that might work. Yes, I'm familiar with it."



Ranma blinked, "That's a surprise, it's not a common thing to know."



"You learn a lot when you travel."



"I guess so... when you fought them, how did you win?"



Chame shrugged, "I fought Cologne once. Only once, and that was after...

well. It was over fifty years ago. That's another story. Shiatsu

paralysis points. Happosai was much more dangerous. I fought him a few

times. Most fights were draws, but the times I beat him were usually

just by deflecting the bombs he threw around."



Ranma nodded slowly, "Yeah, that works..." <How old _is_ she?>



Chame shook her head, "I'm letting myself be distracted, though. What

was that about marrying me?"



Ranma blushed slightly, "Ah, well... I have these problems with my

fianc�es..."



Chame raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You have more than one?"



He colored, angrily, "Well... I have three, really. First, I have Akane.

Pop said that it was arranged to have me married to her family first,

before I was born. But he engaged me to another girl before I met Akane.

He accepted her dowry, though. And he... he lost it." Ranma sighed,

troubled, "But he accepted the dowry, so she expects me to marry her,

too."



She interrupted him, "What's her name?"



"Kounji Ukyou. The other fiancee is Shampoo."



"Joketsuzoku?" She asked. He nodded glumly in response, "Beat her in a

fight, eh?"



Ranma nodded again, "Yep. It's an accident, really. Pop and I kind of...

ate the prize at a tournament, and she won, so I fought her. I figured

if I beat her, then the prize would be ours, and then it would be no

harm done." He sighed again, "And then there's Kodachi. She's just a

psycho that wants me. Really scary woman." He shivered.



Chame paused thoughtfully, "That's a lot of trouble. Which one do you

want to marry?"



Ranma frowned, considering, "Well... I like Akane, but we don't always

get along so well. I like Ukyou, too, but really, I'm not sure I like

her as more than a friend. Shampoo, well... she's cute, and a decent

fighter, but I'm not sure that I care for her that way. Kodachi's just

not worth considering." Ranma shook his head, <Why am I telling her

this? I hardly even know her!>



Chame smiled sympathetically, "Well, things could be worse. I have a

question for you, though. If your name is Saotome, why does the dojo

sign say Tendo?"



Ranma started, "This is the Tendo's house."



Chame frowned, "Who are they?"



"Akane's family."



"Ahhh... I see. You have to live with a fiancee you aren't sure you want

to marry."



Ranma nodded, "Yeah... Pop and Mr. Tendo are trying to push us together

a lot."



Chame frowned, "Who else lives here?"



Ranma paused for a moment, "Ah, well, Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, and Mr.

Tendo. Me and Pop are sharing a guest bedroom. Oh yeah, Happosai's got a

room upstairs, too."



"You live with Happosai?" Ranma nodded, and Chame looked troubled, "I

see. Do you have a history textbook?"



He blinked, "Uh, I guess... hold on a minute." Ranma scrambled up the

stairs, and crept into his room. Pop was gone. <Probably out drinking

with Mr. Tendo. Now, the history book.> He searched through his

schoolbag, <Why am I doing this? I hardly even know her! And what does

she want with a history book?> Despite his reluctance, he found himself

searching for the book, and bringing it back downstairs.



When he returned to the living room, the woman was studying a trophy on

a bookshelf. The TV had been turned off, and the dishes cleared. He

shook his head, "Uh, here's the book."



She smiled at him, and took the book, flipping through it, "You go to

Furinkan High?"



Ranma nodded, "Yeah, me, Akane, and Nabiki. She's graduating soon."



Chame murmured something, and began flipping through the pages. After a

few moments, she closed the book, and set it on the table. She shook her

head, and sat back down. Ranma joined her, "So... What did you need the

history book for?"



She shrugged, "Just wanted to see something. You'd be surprised how much

things change, no matter how much you try to keep them from it."



Ranma frowned, "What are you talking about?"



She sighed, "You know the saying 'history repeats itself?'"



Ranma furrowed his brows in thought, "Uh, yeah, something like that.

Sure, why?"



Chame shrugged, "Well, it does. I've tried everything to change it, but

it's very hard. Some things changed easily, but almost never the way I

wanted."



He shook his head slowly, "I don't think I understand what you're

talking about."



She sighed, "Well, that doesn't matter right now. What does matter, is

your training. Do you think you can get away with a training mission for

a month?"



Ranma paused, "Probably, but I don't know if Pop will want you along."



She smirked, "No Ranma, you'd be traveling with me. I doubt your father

has much left to teach you."



He balked at the prospect, "Well, I don't think my other fianc�es would

approve of that. I mean, I don't want �em angrier at me than they need

to be..."



She pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Okay, then try this. We have to leave

in the morning, two days from now. You have tomorrow to tie up any loose

ends, and then we'll leave the morning of the next day."



He shook his head, "I don't know..."



"Wouldn't you like to learn to move as fast as I do?"



He considered, "Yeah, actually, I would like that. But I'm still not so

sure about this... I mean, at least one of my fianc�es is going to

insist on coming with me."



"Then don't let them know."



"Yeah, but... uh... I guess that would work, actually. I don't know,

though..."



She frowned, "What could I do to convince you?"



He eyed her speculatively, "Well... you gotta promise me that you aren't

going to try and marry me."



She rolled her eyes, "That was painless. Okay, I promise. Now, I'll go

ahead and sleep in the dojo. Tomorrow, I'll tell your family I was

another fiancee abandoned by the side of the road when you were younger.

I'll tell them my family has collapsed, and isn't interested in forming

a marriage, and I was just hoping for some shelter before I moved

through to my grandmother."



Ranma blinked, "Uh... right. That might work."



She nodded, smiling, "Right. I'll see you in the morning."



He returned the nod, and went upstairs, to his room, trying to puzzle

over events, <No matter how this works out, they're going to know that I

left about the same time as her. They'll suspect I'm with her. Akane

will never forgive me. Damn it. I'll ask Chame in the morning, maybe

she'll have an idea.> And with that, Ranma let himself drift to sleep.

The last thought he had before it claimed him was, <Why do I trust her

so much?>



Chame smiled to herself as Ranma walked up the stairs. She wasn�t

planning on getting much sleep tonight. She had a lot of work ahead of

her. She had probed Ranma�s mind gently, and gotten a bit of

information, but the other minds in the house weren�t as protected,

already in dream. She could glean a bit more information from them

before morning. Enough to formulate a plan, at least.



***



Kasumi woke early the next morning. She yawned, and stretched. Her alarm

had not gone off. She studied it for a moment. It was only 2 minutes

after it should have gone off anyway. She glanced around the room.

Everything was in place. She retrieved a spare robe and towel from the

closet, and headed towards the bathroom. Shaking her head, she muttered,

�I thought I turned the alarm on last night...�



Kasumi knocked at the door, not expecting a reply, and an unfamiliar

voice called back, "Just a minute!" Chame probed the mind at the door

briefly, <Oops, you weren't supposed to wake up yet... I can still

cover.>



Kasumi paused for a moment. Was that voice... "Ranma-chan?"



"No, one moment." The shower turned off, and Kasumi considered. It was a

feminine voice, certainly. She heard rustling behind the door for a

moment, and then it opened, revealing a diminutive redhead with her hair

down, still wet. She was wearing a brown skirt with a white blouse,

"Sorry about that, uh... Akane?"



Kasumi blinked, and shook her head slowly, "No... I'm Kasumi. Who are

you?"



She smiled, and Kasumi felt her worries begin to fade, "I'm Chame!"



Kasumi nodded, "Are you one of Ranma's fianc�es?"



Chame nodded back, "Well, kind of... it's a long story."



Kasumi smiled, "That's nice! I'll just make you something to eat after I

wash, is that okay?"



She beamed at the taller woman, "Sure! What are you making?"



Kasumi paused, studying, <How old is this girl? She looks kind of

young...> "I haven't decided yet, maybe you can help me."



"Sure! But for now, your bath is waiting."



Kasumi nodded, and let herself be herded into the bathroom. She thought

about this as she washed her hair. <Another fiancee. Oh Ranma, your

father is so bad about that. If only he had been more responsible.> Her

hair done, she climbed into the furo.



She sighed wistfully, letting the hot water soak her, <Of course, with

all of those girls, I just don't stand a chance.> She paused,

considering, <Maybe I never really had a chance. I'm not so certain that

Akane does anymore, either. Then again, I'm not certain he'd be that

great for me. If only Dr. Tofu could talk to me...>



After toweling herself off, she returned to her room, dressed, and

prepared for another day in the kitchen, cleaning, and so forth.



She stopped in the entrance to the kitchen, blinked, and turned around.

The living room was the same as it was yesterday. It was definitely the

same house. She blinked once more, turned around, and looked into the

kitchen again.



It was clean. No, that was an understatement. It was shining, almost

glowing. Some rice was cooking on the stove, and a fresh pot of miso

soup was heating. Six bento boxes were stacked near the sink. Kasumi

checked the cooking meal, everything seemed to be in order.



She checked again. Nothing was out of place, and everything seemed

clean. She put a finger to her lips, thinking, but couldn't think of

anything to say. No, actually she could think of a few things to say,

but the only one she would _let_ herself say, was, "Oh."



Chame walked into the room, arms burdened with grocery bags, "Hello,

Kasumi. Sorry about taking so long to get back."



Kasumi paused, "Did you go shopping?"



Chame nodded, and began putting groceries away, "Yep."



Kasumi nodded, <How long was I in the bath?> She looked at the stack of

bento boxes, "Ah, who are all the bentos for?"



Chame looked surprised briefly, "Oh, right. Um, one each for Ranma,

Akane, Nabiki, me, you and... Dr. Tofu."



Kasumi looked askance at Chame, "Dr. Tofu?"



Chame nodded, "Ranma said you were going to be having lunch with him

today, something about talking about medicine. I thought I could make

the two of you a lunch, so you could spend more time worrying about, um,

whatever you're talking to him about."



Kasumi nodded slowly, as Chame began preparing breakfast, "Oh. I see."

Kasumi shook her head, "Wait, I don't have time to visit Dr. Tofu today.

I have to go to the grocer."



Chame blinked at her, "Already taken care of."



Kasumi paused, "Oh. Right. Um, I need to make lunch for Mr. Saotome and

Father, though."



Chame shook her head, "Ranma said they were out drinking VERY late last

night. They shouldn't be up for a while, and I doubt that they will be

in the mood for anything to eat until later."



The taller girl paused, "But-"



Chame put a finger to Kasumi's lips, "No buts. Ranma tells me that you

don't spend enough time worrying about yourself." Kasumi flushed

slightly, but Chame continued, "He says he thinks that if you wanted to,

you could become a doctor, and you shouldn't have to put your dreams on

hold for your family. It was his idea, to get you a surprise date with

Dr. Tofu. He's not a very open person, but he does care about you."



Kasumi nodded, practically on the verge of tears, "Right. I'll just-"



"Take a day to relax, and think about what you want to do with your

life? That's a good idea. I'll take care of the cleaning before I go to

school. I'll give you a word of advice with Dr. Tofu. When you see him,

tell him you already know, and acting silly won't help."



Kasumi looked startled, "You mean, he's not normally that way?"



Chame looked evasive, "Ah... no. He's not. He's actually much nicer. It

might take a minute or two of keeping him from eating the lunchbox, but

he'll listen. It you're interested, he can also tell you a lot about

medical schools. Ranma seems to think that you might be, since you read

so many medical journals."



Kasumi froze, thinking about it, while Chame led her to the table.

Family members began shuffling down the stairs in short order. Sighing,

she whispered, �I never realized Ranma could be so thoughtful...�



The first one down was Nabiki. She sat at the table, dishes already set,

food ready to be served, and Kasumi looking like she was still asleep. A

huge grin was plastered on her face, and she idly twirled designs on her

plate with one finger. She looked off into the distance, at nothing in

particular.



Nabiki raised an eyebrow, but served herself anyway. She didn't normally

get up this early, but she was busy today, <Can't be late for that

business deal, if this works, I might just be able to keep the dojo

afloat for a whole year. Then I won't have to sell pictures to Kuno.>

She didn't _dislike_ selling pictures of Akane or Ranma�s girl form, but

really wanted more from her life than that. She had greater aspirations.



She paused in her eating, as a perky redhead in a skirt swept into the

room, and set a bento box in front of her. Nabiki glanced at the box,

then up at the girl, "Who are you?"



Chame shrugged, "I'm Chame. You must be Akane!"



Nabiki shook her head, "No, I'm Nabiki. Akane's probably still asleep."



Chame shrugged again, "Oh, I'm sorry. Well, nice to meet you!" She stuck

a hand out to shake with Nabiki. Nabiki eyed the hand warily for a

moment, the same way she might regard a venomous snake, but accepted and

shook after a moment.



"Uh, right. Well, I guess you're another fiancee, right?"



Chame shook her head, "I was, but he's got a prior claim, so I'll be

leaving tomorrow."



Nabiki blinked, <One of Ranma's fianc�e�s giving up that easily? That's

not normal. I need info on this girl.>, "So, ah, Chame. What's your last

name, and where do you live?"



Chame simpered cutely, and Nabiki felt her heart of ice begin to melt,

"Oh, you know, around." Then she looked into Nabiki's eyes, her own blue

eyes big and round, like a puppy's, "But, I have no last name, now." She

sniffled, "For you see, when I was abandoned by the side of the road by

my fiancee as a child, my family stripped me of my name. Now I live

wandering from relative to relative, hoping to survive long enough to

find someone willing to marry a girl with no name." She sniffled again,

eyes watering. Internally, Chame rolled her eyes, <This is too damn

easy. I expected it to be a lot harder to charm this one.>, "But I heard

from Ranma that he already has a fiancee. Well, more than one, actually.

I can't add to his burden, and I have nothing to offer him that they

don't." She sniffled again for good measure, then sank to her knees,

hiding her face in her hands to cover her smile, and pretending to sob.



Nabiki blinked, taken aback. <This is not normal at _all_>.



Kasumi moved swiftly around the table and embraced the small girl,

"There, there, Chame... It's not that bad."



Chame bawled, face now hidden in Kasumi's shoulder, "But I don't have a

last name! How can I go on!"



Kasumi racked her mind, "Well, you could stay with us, right Nabiki?"



Nabiki blinked, "Well, I suppose-"



Kasumi cut her off, "See then? You can stay with us!"



Chame brought the sniffling and sobbing to a dramatic end, and sighed,

looking into Kasumi's eyes wistfully, "I wish I could. But I can't.

Ranma's already told me about everything else you've been through, and I

can't add to the burden. But maybe, for just one day, I can be a part of

your family."



Kasumi brightened, "See? It won't be that bad. And maybe you can come

visit us!"



Chame nodded, <Ah... no. Not if I can help it. Guess I might have played

that point a little too well.>, "You mean it!? Really??"



Kasumi shot Nabiki a look, and Nabiki�s expression cracked momentarily,

"Sure! We'd love it!"



Chame scampered away to a place at the table, as the next casualty of

the morning stomped down the stairs. Akane came down, looking clean and

well dressed, if displeased. She glanced around, eyes settling on Chame.

She blinked, considering, then asked, "Who are you?"



Chame repeated her tragic story, hoping to inspire compassion in the

youngest Tendo daughter. She just looked angry, "Damn that Ranma!

Abandoning you like that!"



Ranma chose that moment to come down the stairs, not hearing anything

but what Akane had said. He replied with an intelligent, "Huh?", before

Akane reached behind her to seize the table.



Chame reacted swiftly, interposing herself between Akane and the table,

so that Akane grabbed her arm tightly. Chame screamed in feigned pain,

then pretended to faint.



She was aware of the people around her, even though she couldn't see

them. Kasumi spoke with somewhat less than her normal endearing calm,

�Akane, that wasn't very kind to our guest."



Akane sputtered something, but couldn't say anything comprehensible.

Nabiki just observed, though it sounded like she was slowly edging away

from Akane.



Ranma sighed, "Jeez Akane, what did you go and do that for?"



Chame moaned softly, <No good. Better head things off at the pass.>,

"R-Ranma? Is that you?" The room temperature lowered from Akane's gaze,

as Chame slowly opened her eyes. <Okay, bad move. Let�s try this again.>

She sat up, looking around in feigned confusion, "What happened?"



Akane's face bore a combination of anger and guilt, "Uh, sorry. I guess

I wasn't being careful."



Chame shook her head, "Huh?"



Ranma sighed again, "Sorry Chame, guess the violent tomboy was thinking

of me and attacked you instead."



Akane lunged towards Ranma with malicious intent, but found her

movements hampered by the girl clinging to her. She settled for glaring,

"At least I'm not a pervert!"



Chame sighed internally <That boy is not helping matters any>, "What do

you mean?"



Akane snorted, "Ranma's a pervert. A sick and twisted pervert. You can

marry him, for all I care."



Chame sighed, externally this time, "No, I can't. My family will never

accept me back in, and I have no name of my own."



Akane paused at this, and softened a little, "Well... Uh..."



Chame took advantage of the momentary lapse, "It doesn't matter. You

shouldn't worry about me. But we should be getting ready to go to

school, shouldn't we?"



Akane blinked, and glanced at the clock, "Uh, well, I guess." She

sighed, grabbed a bento box from the stack in the kitchen and walked

through the door. Ranma scratched his head and shrugged. Nabiki got up

and left for school as well.



Chame shrugged, "Sorry about that, Ranma."



He shrugged, gulping down breakfast, "I didn't get hit this time, so no

problem." He eyed the clock, "They left a little early..."



Chame frowned thoughtfully, "Probably just want to be on time. I guess

things aren't working out too well with her, eh?"



He sighed, retrieving another of the bento boxes, "I don't know. I

should probably try and catch up with her."



Kasumi and Chame watched for a moment, as Ranma jogged out the door.

Chame shrugged, and went to the bathroom to change again. This time, she

retrieved a high school uniform from her backpack, and donned it. She

sighed wistfully, and fled out the door. She'd tossed her backpack into

Ranma's room; for now, the panda wouldn't pay attention to it.



She paused at the front gate, and ran back into the house, "Kasumi!" She

shouted, in a commanding tone. Kasumi flinched, and shied away from the

plates she was about to collect, "Don't do that! Call Dr. Tofu. I'll

clean for you later." Kasumi blinked, noticing that Chame was wearing a

Furinkan high uniform, and nodded obediently. Chame flashed Kasumi her

most winning smile, and dashed out the door at top speed.



Chame's top speed was actually quite fast. She avoided rooftops and the

long arcing leaps that Ranma enjoyed, knowing that being closer to the

ground would give her an advantage in speed, lower wind resistance, and

traction, <Lets see... an alley about... here?>



Chame slid to a halt, and peeked into the alley. It was empty. She moved

to the next one, and peeked again. Nabiki was conferring with some

smartly dressed gentlemen in low tones not far from her. Chame scowled,

<Too late again? Maybe not.> She listened closely.



Nabiki's voice stood out from the rumblings of the men, "Well, that's

the offer. If you think that it's... agreeable, I'll see what I can do."



One of the men spoke then, "You're asking a lot of money. If he can't do

it, we can't promise... a pleasant ending."



Nabiki's voice again, "I know him. He's good for it."



Chame swore under her breath, <Damn it. I'm going to be forced back onto

my contingency plan anyway. I hate that.> One of the suits shifted

something, <Probably a briefcase.> A moment later, clinking sounds, and

a soft 'whoosh', <Yep, it's a briefcase.>



Chame didn't need to hear the rest. She vaulted up onto an awning, and

waited for the suits to leave. They did. Black sedan. Looked American.

Then again, so did they. Nabiki came out a moment later, and shoved the

briefcase into a nearby trashcan. Chame sighed, guessing that the money

was already in her book bag.



She leapt down onto the ground, pacing Nabiki from about 2 steps behind

her.



Nabiki turned around and blinked three times. Chame glared at her. On

anyone else, Nabiki's reaction was the equivalent of wetting oneself.

Nabiki regained her composure, and quirked an eyebrow at Chame, "Ah,

what's up? Nice uniform."



Chame removed her scowl, and smiled at Nabiki cheerfully, "Not much. We

have to hurry, I've got another appointment. That's why you're not going

to scream."



Before Nabiki could say anything, Chame swept her off her feet, and

began running again. Chame spoke to Nabiki, her voice somehow not being

blown away by the wind, "Nabiki, you will back out of that deal

tomorrow. If you don't, then you will die."



Nabiki stared, trying not to be frightened, "Are you threatening me?"



Chame didn't even blink, "Nope. I'm not the one who's going to be doing

it. The suits are. There's a limit to how far someone can be pushed, and

you're about to cross it. He's going to back down, they'll get mad, and

someone's going to die. I've got an obligation to him, and I am going to

do everything in my power to protect him. You can return the money,

apologize, and go after another project. Otherwise, the one person who

_might_ have been able to protect you from them will be gone, and you

will belong to them. I'm not talking about owing favors, I'm talking

about living the rest of your life chained to a bed, running one of

their spy outposts. Don't screw this up."



Nabiki had turned white as a sheet. Chame dropped her at a cafe a block

from the school, and tossed someone a few bills to see that she had

coffee and would be pushed towards school before the bell.



Chame idly wondered if the warning would work, but had to rush to her

next stop. She reached the school gates about a minute before Akane and

Ranma. She had waited for him, apparently. Chame smirked, maybe things

_weren't_ that hopeless.



She glanced at the �art deco� monstrosity that was Furinkan high, before

turning to her next task. Sighing, as she entered the gates; she knew

what was going to happen next.



A large man carrying a bokken slung over one shoulder spied her, "Oh, it

is my pig-tailed goddess- But wait! Who are you? You are not my

goddess."



Chame smiled weakly, tossing her braids behind her shoulders, and

blushing, "Oh no, what man such as this towers before me, a giant among

men, that makes a maiden�s heart beat all the quicker. How great a man,

wielding such a mighty weapon, to bring thoughts of love, of sharing an

embrace, a life of passion, oh, but how sweet-" Kuno was swelling with

each word, his ego building up more and more intensely. She paused.

Akane and Ranma would be entering earshot about... now. "Uh, you have a

really big booger hanging out of your nose." Kuno's raging ego flared

brightly for a moment, then guttered out, and he ran screaming, weeping,

and wiping his face furiously until he slammed into the side of school

building. Then he collapsed into a sitting position and wept, sobbing

loudly about how this new goddess despised him.



Ranma blinked, and Akane's jaw dropped. Chame smiled at them, "Better

get to class. I'll see you guys at lunch, got a few loose ends to tie

up."



Ranma nodded slowly, turning to Akane, "Did you see that? That was

amazing!" He thought to himself, <Whatever she can teach me on this

training trip is going to be worth it!>



Chame smiled weakly, a sick feeling in her stomach. Nabiki staggered

onto the grounds at that point, holding a coffee cup in one hand. Chame

took her hand, and led her to her class, "Look," Chame whispered to her,

"Keep up the front. Today, you can't afford to be seen as weak. I'll

talk about this with you later. Start taking bets about Kuno giving up

his sword. He will in a few days. And he'll turn to something else for a

week or two, but he'll go back. Make what you can off of that."



The businesswoman in Nabiki snapped to attention, and left the rest of

her to agonize over what she had been told before. Chame shook her head,

<This is going to get very ugly soon.>



She trudged into the school's registrar. Everyone was bustling around,

but soon, the majority of them would clear out and head to their

classes.



She loitered for a moment, unnoticed, until the bell rang. Three

teachers were still left, chatting idly.



Chame sighed, <Nothing for it.>, "I'm GONE!" The teachers looked up, but

Chame was not there. She shook her head. While invisible, she collected

all of the records concerning Ranma, and removed them. There was no

computer to worry about, only the papers. There would be more in the

classroom, or course, but those could be dealt with later today.



She took the papers and returned to visibility. Time to visit the old

woman. The teachers in the room didn't notice as she left.



***



The Nekkohanten wasn't open yet. Chame considered, then decided that

this should be dealt with politely. She sighed, and banged on the door a

few times, loudly.



A myopic boy answered the door, and peered out at her from behind some

giant lenses, "I'm sorry, we're not open yet."



Chame nodded, "Thanks." She pushed past him into the restaurant�s

interior. The old woman and a younger purple haired woman stared at her

from a table covered with herbs and baubles.



Mousse blinked a few times, "I just told you, we aren't open yet!"



Chame sidestepped, bowing gracefully to the old woman as a number of

chains flew past her.



The old woman deflected them with her staff, "Mousse, clean the back."

Mousse glared, and mumbled something, but obliged, after closing the

door.



Once he was gone, the purple haired woman peered at her, "What you

want?"



The old woman hopped towards her on her staff, "I could ask the same.

You move with a grace few people possess."



Chame fought back the urge to attack the woman. Barely. If the young

woman hadn't been with her, she might not have, "Honored Elder, I need

to talk to you about a few things."



Cologne blinked a few times at this, then shook her head, "Why should I

help you?"



Chame sighed, "{Because if you don't, then Ranma will die.}"



Before Cologne could say anything, Shampoo had readied a pair of

bonbori, "{Who would dare to try and hurt my husband?}"



Cologne nodded, "Yes, who?"



Chame sighed, "Right now, quite a few people that I know of."



Cologne motioned to a seat at the table, forgetting the herbs and

trinkets littering the surface, "Let�s talk about this, then. Mousse,

I've already warned you about eavesdropping. Make yourself useful and

make some ramen for us."



Chame smiled, and took a seat. Shampoo sat to her right, and Cologne to

her left, "I'm not sure I can finish a whole bowl, but thanks. What I

know of so far, ah... Each of the Tendo sisters is a risk to him right

now. He's got someone in American organized crime after him, though they

don't know it yet, Kuno is becoming less stable day by day, and Ryouga

has been given something dangerous. The next time they fight, Ranma will

almost definitely die."



Shampoo shook her head, "How Tendo sisters dangerous?"



Chame nodded slightly, "Well, first off, Akane is violent. Carelessly

so. Ranma is entering a vulnerable period where an otherwise 'normal'

attack could permanently injure him. That's the biggest threat."



Shampoo glared, "Violent girl no good for airen."



Chame shrugged, but went on, "Of course, if that happens, the next thing

to do would be to have Kasumi take him to see Dr. Tofu. Tofu would mean

well, but probably botch the job and either make any injury permanent,

or kill Ranma outright."



Cologne nodded thoughtfully, "I could see that being a problem."



Chame continued, "Nabiki got Ranma in a deal over her head. Remember the

American crime people? She's made a deal with them to use Ranma. If

Ranma's injured, he won't perform well enough. They'll kill him. Even if

he wasn't injured, I doubt he'd go along with their plans."



Cologne nodded again, "And the rest?"



"Well, Ryouga's gotten a tool. I'm not familiar with it, but it makes

the Shishi Houkodan pale in comparison. I know that it's dangerous. Too

much use makes it bond with the user in an unhealthy fashion. The

resulting backlash is not much, but it's enough to kill him, and anyone

close."



Shampoo handed Chame a glass of water, and she smiled gratefully,

"Thanks Shampoo. Kuno is seeing Akane and Ranma get as little closer

together, and he's seeing his 'Pig-tailed goddess' a lot less. Soon,

he'll snap, and attack Ranma outright. Normally this wouldn't be a

problem, but Kuno's got a knack for attacking at just the wrong time.

Ryouga herding Ranma into an angry Kuno, or Kuno and a group of crime

lords. On his own, he's not _that_ dangerous, but with the others..."



She took a sip from the glass, "Happosai is probably the least

dangerous, right now, but he could surprise us. He's been quiet for a

while, and that's not like him." The other two nodded, and Mousse came

out with several bowls of ramen. He set one in front of everyone, and

then returned to the kitchen. Chame waited until he was gone to

continue, "I don't think Mousse is dangerous right now, since he doesn't

want Ranma dead, just out of the way."



Shampoo looked after the departing boy thoughtfully.



Chame swirled the water around in the glass idly, "Kodachi is a slight

danger. If she gets to Ranma, she could kill him with an overdose before

anyone can save him. I don't see that as a huge problem, but Akane might

misunderstand, even if he escapes, and hurt him badly. Am I forgetting

anyone?"



Cologne was quiet for a moment, then, "His father?"



Chame frowned, "He's stupid, but he's not a huge danger to Ranma."



Shampoo nodded, "Spatula girl."



Chame sighed, "I should have started sooner. I know I can trust you

somewhat, because you want him alive and able to breed. Ukyou's

trustworthy, too; but she's not nearly as powerful as you. Look, I want

to meet you here later, with Ukyou and tell you what I've managed so

far. I want to get back and keep an eye on Ranma. I've done what I can,

so far. Dr. Tofu should no longer be a danger to Ranma after this

afternoon. I�ll have Kasumi take care of that. Nabiki's American

business partners are probably not going to change their minds at this

point, though I think she's going to give them back their money and try

and talk them down. Kuno should be distracted for, eh, a while."



Shampoo spoke after Chame finally gave in, and started eating the ramen,

"What you want with Airen?"



She just shrugged, "He's too important to loose. I don't have any

involvement or attachment to which of you he chooses. All I can say for

certain is that I don't think Akane is good for him right now, and

Kodachi's dangerous. You or Ukyou would probably be the best choices."



Cologne spoke while Shampoo was quiet, "How do you know so much about

everything? I've not heard of you before."



Chame sighed, and pushed her bowl away, "You may not remember, but we�ve

fought before, earlier this century. More importantly, is the fact that

your tribe, in its younger days, attacked a land rich with magic."



Cologne narrowed her eyes, "And what do you know about our history?"



Chame glared, "That your people wiped mine out. I've struggled for all

that time, one of the last survivors of an unrighteous massacre, and now

that I've found someone with enough blood to continue the line, I don't

intend to let him die."



Shampoo just looked confused, while Cologne stared, "You mean, you are

of the Machin?"



Chame nodded, "Yes. It is the blood of my people slaughtered by amazons.

Our people�s blood flowed into a valley. Our villages removed to ruin,

our people destroyed. The valley became cursed. The few that survived

swore someday we'd see you humbled, but time has done that better than

we ever could have."



Shampoo boggled, and Cologne bowed her head, "I was not proud of all of

our ancestors actions."



The Machin woman shook her head, "It doesn't matter any more. My people

are three thousand years gone and more. I'm not the only survivor. There

were a few others. Of course, none ever tried to reestablish our great

land, but now, I've found someone who does have that potential. Ranma

can bring the strength of our blood back. I don't care who he chooses,

as long as he lives. And I intend to train him in our ways. Now, If

you'll excuse me, I need to remove his existence from certain records,

and make sure nothing happens to him."



Shampoo turned to Cologne, as Chame stormed out the door,

"Great-grandmother, what that about?"



Cologne sighed, and began putting the collection of herbs and trinkets

away, "Something more dangerous than you might think. And someone we owe

a lot to."



Shampoo narrowed her eyes, calculating, "How much? Owe Airen?"



Cologne nodded, "If she asked, then we would have to give him. She's

older than any of our laws, and we owe her people everything. Without

them..." The old woman sighed, �Never mind about that now. Let�s get

this put away, and prepare for the meeting later.�



***



Chame stormed off across the street, breathing hard, and barely

containing her anger. She needed an outlet. She sighed, and sank to her

feet, <Where can I go now?> She searched, trying to remember something

close by, and then she recalled, <Kasumi! If I catch her before lunch,

then I can talk to her. Yes.>



Resolute, she began walking, until someone called out to her, "Saotome!

Prepare to die!"



Chame froze, calculating. When he got closer he would realize his

mistake, <If I hide, for a moment, I can disguise myself...> She darted

into an alley, and quickly re-braided her hair into a single tail. She

focused herself for a moment, drawing on her resources, to appear a tad

taller, and as an afterthought, reached... _somewhere_ and pulled her

staff out of it.



She darted back out of the alley, prepared to face Ryouga. He was there

looking around for Ranma. He saw her, then paused, "Ranma? Wearing a

dress again, I see."



She nodded grimly, searching the carefully collected memories, "Yeah,

pig-boy? What�s it to ya? You wish your other form was human, too?"



Ryouga's face contorted with rage, but he restrained himself, "Ranma.

You will die today."



Chame blinked, "Why?"



He glowed at her, "For your crimes against Akane!"



Chame frowned, <That's the best reason? Either this guy is challenged,

or totally driven by rage. Maybe angering him isn�t the best idea. I�ll

try a different tact.>, "So, ah, you want to talk this out?"



Ryouga paused, taken aback, "What?"



Chame shrugged, "You got a crush on Akane, right?" His face turned red

from a combination of anger and embarrassment, "Okay, then this is

pretty simple. You want to date Akane, and I see her more like a little

sister."



Ryouga stared, "You're stalling. No more!" He pulled something from his

belt. It looked like a handle for a Spanish sword, with no blade. A

small steel basket covered his hand, and he gestured menacingly.



Chame studied him and the weapon, <What the hell is this? I can't tell

if he's honestly that unbalanced, or something's doing it to him.>, "Uh,

right. What doctor do you want me to drop you off at when we're done?"



Ryouga's face darkened, embarrassment gone. There was nothing but rage

there now. "Now you die, Saotome."



He charged, swinging a haymaker with the fist holding the artifact. She

dove underneath him, sliding between his legs, and spinning over onto

her back. She raised her staff for a vicious strike to his groin, then

pulled her staff against her and rolled back, using the staff to vault

to a standing position behind him. Or at least, that was her intent.

After the strike to his groin, Ryouga had doubled over, and drove his

fist into the ground. The explosion knocked both of them flying.



Chame raised herself to her feet, unbalanced and wary, <What the hell

_is_ that?> She cursed her sources for not being able to telling her

more. Well, there were a few options. She hadn't been hit yet, though

she suspected her blow didn't do much aside from angering him.



She charged him as he was recovering, and spun the staff around in a

wicked arc. There was a brief crack, as it struck his head and knocked

him across the street into a construction site. The workers milled

around, shouting, and Chame decided that would be a good time to leave.



***



She arrived at the Tendo home, and dropped her illusion. She paused to

fix her hair, and staggered in. Kasumi was lounging in the living room,

watching TV, while the two old men played their game and traded nervous

glances between Kasumi and the table.



The plates were still there. Chame smiled a little, and tossed the staff

into a corner, "I'm back."



Kasumi looked up from her show, "Hello Chame! Are you okay?"



Chame looked down. Her uniform was a bit tattered from the explosion.

She imagined she was probably a little scuffed and bruised, as well,

"Ah, I'm fine." She glanced at the two men, and grinned, "Nice to meet

you two."



They smiled guardedly, and the thin one asked, "Kasumi, who is this?"



Kasumi waved a negligent hand at him as she walked over to Chame, "A

friend of mine, another of Ranma's fianc�es."



The fat old man ran into the yard, and was replaced a moment later by a

panda. The panda sat unobtrusively in a corner, watching her.



Kasumi fretted over Chame, "Lets get you into the bath, shall we? Do you

have an extra uniform?"



Chame let herself be fretted over. Being three thousand years old and

not looking it had advantages, and being fretted over was almost always

enjoyable, <Thank god for Kasumi. After I get cleaned up, I'll take her

to Sir Ono's for her lunch, and get back to school.>, �Um, sorry, I�m

afraid this is the only one I have.�



Chame soaked in the tub, while Kasumi busied herself finding another

uniform. Maybe Akane had a spare. The woman sighed, and climbed out of

the tub. <A splash of cold water, a towel, and...>



She smiled brightly as Kasumi entered the room. Kasumi smiled

apologetically, "I'm sorry, I hope this fits you..."



Chame put on the outfit. The hem of the uniform was low, since she was

shorter than Akane, but it could work. She nodded, "Sure. Do you have

any safety pins? I can use a few to bring the hem up to a level I won't

trip over."



Kasumi nodded, and within a few minutes, it was more acceptable. Not

perfect, but it should suffice. Chame nodded to herself, "Well, lets get

you ready for your lunch with Dr. Tofu."



Kasumi smiled dreamily, as Chame led her into her own room, and pawed

through the closet. She glanced at the clock. Chame had eaten some ramen

from the Nekkohanten earlier, and it was only eleven A.M. She found

something she decided was appropriate, "Here, try this on."



Kasumi blushed at it. It was a simple knee-length skirt and a creme

colored blouse. It wasn't daring, but it was a far cry from her normal

outfits. Finally, she agreed to put it on, and Chame watched critically

while she showed it off.



Kasumi giggled, "Do you think he'll like it?"



Chame shrugged, "Well, I think he'll like you no matter what, but it's a

reasonable outfit. It's not one that says anything other than 'I am in

control of my life', but that's good! Anyway, we should probably get

ready. Did you already call him?"



The taller girl grinned, dreamy smile returning, "Yes, he's expecting us

at twelve thirty." Chame checked the clock again, "Well, why don't you

watch TV? I'll feed the men, er... your father, I suppose, and clear off

the dishes."



Kasumi frowned, "Are you sure you don't want any help?"



Chame turned to face her, "Kasumi, you've already helped me clean up and

adjust this uniform. You've done all the work I'm going to let you do

today."



Kasumi smiled, "I won't fight you. It's actually kind of nice."



Chame returned the smile, and led her down the stairs, <I need Sir Ono,

and she's too important to the plan to loose. He'd be a powerful ally.>

She shook her head, chastising herself as she cleared the table. <Bah.

She's more than just a tool. It makes people happy, and helps me keep

Ranma alive.>



Soun blinked, as Chame resumed Kasumi's normal duties, clearing away

dishes and a newspaper. The panda was playing Shogi with him. Finally,

he got enough nerve to speak, "Shouldn't you be in school?"



She shrugged, "Yeah, but I had to come home and get a clean uniform."



He nodded, "Another fiancee attacked you?"



Chame paused, considering, <What would be the best way to answer this?

Oh yes, this will work.>, "Yes, but I told her I didn't want to marry

Ranma, and she left me alone after that. I'll be leaving tomorrow or

later today."



The panda perked up at this. Chame felt sick, <He actually thinks that I

am one of his son�s fianc�es? That means that there�s enough out there

for him to not be certain. I had hoped that was only...>



Chame retreated to the kitchen and whipped up a quick lunch. A simple

ramen using the leftover miso as soup base. She made enough for one

person, and cleaned up the kitchen. When she returned, she gave the bowl

and a drink to Soun, "Here's your lunch, Mr. Tendo."



He ate it swiftly, defending it from the panda, "So, ah, why are you

leaving so soon?"



Chame shrugged, and nonchalantly twirled her staff, "I have to find

Ranma's father."



The panda stopped trying to grab the bowl away from Soun, and paid

attention. Soun swallowed,  "Ah, why is that?"



Chame shrugged, "Well, you see, Ranma's father abandoned me as a child.

My family was trusting that he would take care of me. When I was

abandoned, they disowned me. So, I lost my name, and the only way my

family will accept me back in is if I marry Ranma, or kill his father."



Soun blinked, slurping some soup, "And if you don't?"



She sighed, bringing the staff to a ready position. The panda was slowly

wilting, and trying to slip away unobtrusively, "Then there�s no life

for me. I can't marry Ranma because he already told me that he has

fianc�es. I'll accede to their claims. He said that I could kill his

father, but that he was on a training trip for a while. I'll be moving

into a house in the neighborhood in a month or so to keep an eye out for

him. By the way, who was the man who was playing with you earlier?"



Soun glanced at the panda, setting the soup bowl on the table, "Uh, just

a friend."



She nodded, "Well, let�s go, Kasumi."



Kasumi rose from her seat and followed Chame to the door. After

collecting their bento boxes, they waved to Soun. As they were walking

down the path, Kasumi spoke, "Chame."



Chame sighed inwardly, <Damn.>, "Yes, Kasumi?"



Kasumi shot her a stern glance, "It's not nice to lie."



Chame considered this for a moment, "I'm sorry, but I think he deserves

that considering some of the things he's done to poor Ranma."



Kasumi shook her head, but didn't say anything for a while, "Chame, who

are you really?"



Chame sighed, not disguising it this time, "A three thousand year old

woman who's planning on kidnapping Ranma and not marrying him."



Kasumi giggled, "That's funny, but who are you really?"



Chame pondered for a moment, "Sometimes, I don't know that myself. Dr.

Tofu will know more, and I should be there for this. Damn it! I didn't

want this to happen." She scowled, frustrated.



Kasumi's step faltered for a moment, at the expletive, "What do you

mean?"



She just shook her head, "In a few minutes, Kasumi."



A few minutes later, they reached the doctor's office. Chame repressed a

shudder, and entered behind Kasumi.



Dr. Tofu's glasses fogged over as soon as he saw Kasumi,

"Ka-ka-kasumi??" He grinned from ear to ear. Luckily, the office was

empty. Chame closed the door and flipped the sign to 'closed'.



The doctor made a spectacle of himself for a bit, then Kasumi spoke,

remembering Chame�s words from earlier, �Dr. Tofu, I already know, you

can stop acting silly.�



Kasumi winced, as his smile faded, and he lowered his head. His glasses

were no longer fogged, and he sighed, �Well, I guess that�s that, eh?

What now?�



The tall woman had no idea what was going on, but tried to play it by

ear, �We could have lunch.� She offered one of the bentos to him.



His face lit up again, as he stared into her glowing visage, �You mean

it? Really?�



Chame interrupted, �Sir Ono?� Tofu looked at her, and froze, his face a

mask of confusion and fear, �Now that we�ve got you roughly back to

normal, I�d like a few brief words with you.�



He nodded slowly, confusion giving way to fear, �Of course. Whatever you

command.�



She rolled her eyes, �There�s no time for that now. Ranma is in critical

danger, and I need you on your best behavior. I�m sorry about this. I�m

not planning on seeking retribution, but I need you to watch out for the

Tendos for a while.�



Tofu nodded slowly, while Kasumi simply looked bewildered. �Yes, Chame,

I can do that. Are you sure you don�t want retribution after-�



Chame sighed, closing her eyes. She could feel tears coming, and this

wasn�t the time for them, �No. I don�t want to talk about that. Talk

about it with Kasumi, enjoy yourself, and have fun.� Chame turned to

Kasumi, and opened her eyes, �Kasumi, take good care of Dr. Tofu, you

two can help each other a lot more than you think, and you�re going to

need that soon. I�m really sorry for pushing you two like this, but I

have to run. Ryouga�s on the loose, and might hurt Ranma. Akane could be

in danger too.�



Kasumi finally spoke, �What are you going to do?�



Chame shook her head, �Right now, I have to go back to school. When

school lets out, I�ll be meeting Ukyou at the Nekkohanten. Sir Ono, I�d

like it if you could meet us there as well. Kasumi, I know you�d like to

come, but I�d rather you stayed home and kept Akane and Ranma apart as

much as possible. Ask Ranma for help with a chore, send Akane shopping

for something you don�t need, do whatever. Make sure there�s no violence

between the two of them. Hopefully this is needless worrying. I�ll see

you both later tonight. Why don�t you invite Sir Ono to dinner?�



Kasumi nodded, �Okay. Good luck, then.�



Chame smiled, �Sir Ono, please answer any questions that she might have.

I�ll leave the two of you the extra bento, I�m not hungry. Later.�



Dr. Tofu smiled, �Good luck!�



Chame ran out the door.



Kasumi turned to Dr. Tofu, �Now, then. Can you tell me what�s going on?

Why is Ranma in danger? Who is Chame, and how does she know so much?�



Tofu smiled slightly, remembering, �Well, I can answer some things. I

don�t know _why_ Ranma is in danger, but if she says so, I believe her.

Chame was a good friend of mine when I was younger. She taught me a lot,

and we were friends when�� Dr. Tofu frowned, plucking at the cloth

wrapping his lunch, �Well. This is going to be hard to believe. I�m much

older than you probably think.�



Kasumi smiled encouragingly, �Three thousand years?�



Tofu looked up sharply, �How did you know?�



Kasumi shrugged, �I thought she was joking.�



He laughed, �We were children together. We were to be married, at one

point. But, in the last days of our village� we were attacked.�



Kasumi held his hand reassuringly, and he smiled weakly at her, �You can

tell me about it, Dr. Tofu.�



He nodded, �Well� as far as that goes, we were attacked by the

Joketsuzoku. Chinese amazons. Actually, that�s not entirely true. It was

the ancestry of the current tribe, but they bore the same name, and

upheld the same ideals. I remember, I was living in what�s now India at

the time the original tribe fell. I cheered, and celebrated. They

reformed very quickly right after that, of course, but that�s not what�s

important.



�We were a fairly secluded people. Very magical in nature. We aged

slowly, lived long lives, and avoided the most of the outside world. We

were afraid that people would covet our powers. So we hid.



�I remember dancing with Chame in the moonlight. It was beautiful, like

the night was made just for us. The flowers were in a circle around us,

glowing, and we laughed, twirled.� Tofu sighed, removing his glasses and

rubbing his eyes, �We hadn�t before, but I suspected that we would have

our first kiss that night. Maybe we would have. Chame drew near me, and

my heart nearly stopped.



�I had never been so happy before in my life. We were young, I was 78

years old. She was only 57, though she looks the same now as she did

that day. We drew ever closer together, then we heard a cry from the

side of the hill. Chame, ever the wary one, went to investigate. I

followed, worrying about leaving her alone.



�We found Chame�s younger sister. She was only a child, but they� they

tore her apart. She crawled to where she knew Chame was, she hoped that

Chame was okay. Or maybe she was trying to warn us, and wanted us to

flee.



�Chame wrapped her in her arms, and held her sister, and sang her to

sleep while she bled to death. I didn�t know anything about healing,

then.� Tofu�s eyes squeezed shut, and a tear trickled out, �Chame was

the most beautiful singer of our generation. I still cry when I remember

her song. Even the Joketsuzoku that followed her sister were swept away

in the beauty of that song. As her sister died, and the song ended, I

took Chame, I grabbed her in my arms, and I ran.



�I ran to the village, Chame screamed at me to take her back, but the

Joketsuzoku were already chasing after us. I couldn�t, I knew if I did,

she would fall to them too. I did the only thing I could do well. I

ran.� Tofu let out a ragged breath, trying to restrain the emotion, �The

village� when we got there, our small and peaceful village was overrun.

Our family, our friends, everyone we knew. The ground was thick with

blood.



�I don�t exaggerate about this, either. We lived in a small valley, and

the bottom was pooled with blood. I saw an amazon grab a friend and

drown him in the blood of his family. I saw them commit every atrocity

that a man can commit to another. They held a sword to my father�s neck,

and-� His voice turned hoarse. He stared at the backs of his hands for a

moment, collecting himself, �They gave him a knife. They told him they

would kill him if he didn�t kill my mother with it.�



Kasumi gasped in response to the story. She carefully pushed the bento

boxes aside, and grabbed Dr. Tofu in an embrace, �Dr. Tofu... let it all

out.� Kasumi gave him a shoulder to cry on, and for a moment, he did.



He sighed, not letting go of Kasumi, not moving, before he began again.

He raised his head to stare into Kasumi�s eyes, �My father took the

knife, and did the only thing he could think of in that situation. He

knew what would happen. He took his own life. But in the few seconds it

took for his life to completely ebb away, he looked at me. Standing

there with Chame in my arms, somehow untouched by the chaos. He looked

at me, and he looked into my eyes from across the village, and he looked

_triumphant_. His gaze looked _proud_. And then it was over. They didn�t

stop there, and I didn�t stay any longer. Joketsuzoku were all around,

Chame still fought me, and-�



Dr. Tofu swallowed, �And I dropped her. I left her there. And ran.� He

cried again, �I abandoned her, leaving her there to die.



�I didn�t see her for two hundred years. When I did, she carried a staff

from our village. You�ve seen it. The red is the blood of all our slain

people... When she saw me, I died and was reborn again. I hoped that she

would forgive me, and feared that she wouldn�t.



�I surrendered myself to her. She didn�t recognize me. She had lost her

memory.� Dr. Tofu laughed sardonically, �I helped her get it back. It

took a long time. When she had her memory back, she looked at me, a look

that saw deep into my soul, and she told me-� He swallowed again, trying

to collect himself, �She told me �I never sang again. And I don�t think

I ever will.�



�And then she left. Taking her staff with her. I saw her occasionally,

after that. In the Americas when they were new, and a few times before

that. I stayed out of her way. I never imagined that she would forgive

me. She�s not the only survivor I�ve run into; there are a few. But not

many.�



Kasumi sniffled, feeling sorry for him, �Oh, Dr. Tofu... I wish I knew,

I�m so sorry.�



He enjoyed the comforting embrace for a moment, then straightened up,

�And now you know why I act so silly around you.� She looked up at him,

uncomprehending. He smiled at her, �Well, after Chame, I had a lot of

fear of the same thing happening. I make a fool out of myself around

women I like, to scare them away and to avoid getting close. Chame saw

through it, but she didn�t want me anymore. I can�t blame her. Even

after three thousand years, the memory of that night still haunts me.�



Kasumi patted Dr. Tofu on the head consolingly, �There, there, it�s

okay. I�m here, and I want to be with you.�



He smiled into her eyes, his gratitude practically overflowing, �Thank

you, Kasumi. Thank you.�



Kasumi smiled at him, �Where was your village?�



Dr. Tofu frowned, �It�s Jusenkyou, now. The curse of our people.�



Kasumi nodded slowly, �That�s amazing... Is there anything else you want

to talk about?�



The doctor let himself relax a little, �Well, actually, yes...�



***



Chame rushed through the streets of Nerima, they left early, but she had

stayed talking to Tofu longer than she had meant to. There wouldn�t be

much time left for lunch. Hopefully nothing had happened to Ranma while

she was away.



She reached the school. Lunch was halfway over. She looked around,

trying to find out where Ranma was. Her search was interrupted by a

call, louder than the normal bustle of students chatting at lunch, �Ah,

my beloved goddess!�



Chame smiled sweetly, inwardly ready to lay down some serious pain,

�Why, it is none other than the Adonis of my dreams! That man who shines

a shining example of all that men can aspire to be! Please good sir,

tell me thy name, that my heart can tie a name to the one who has

claimed it!� She batted her eyelashes at him, holding her staff in front

of her, parallel to the ground.



Kuno blinked, taken aback, �Of course, fair maiden! I am Kuno,

upperclassmen. My associates call me-� Kuno drew up to his full height,

as lightning crackled in the distance, �The Blue Thunder, of Furinkan

High!�



Chame stared for a moment, <Lightning, eh? Nice trick.>, �Oh no. What�s

your first name, then?�



Kuno paused, confused, �My first name is Tatewaki, fair maiden-�



Chame interrupted him, �No more. Allow me to introduce myself.� A crowd

was gathering, normally the scenes were all in the morning, long before

lunch, �I am Chame. Grandmaster 7 times in the annual combat

championships of my village.� The skies turned red instantly, and the

sound of primal drum beatings were heard in the distance, �Born of a

noble family, lost in the jungle and raised by savages, I�ve come to

claim vengeance on the fiancee that never searched for me! Tatewaki

Kuno! Prepare to die!� The red skies let out a horrendous roar, as

lightning bolts blasted the city in the distance. The primal drumbeats

rose to an intense crescendo and thunderous volume.



Kuno stared for a moment, as Chame held her staff in a combat ready

position. Then he ran, screaming. This time, he made it to the front

door and disappeared. Chame flourished the staff and bowed to the

collected students. A moment later, the skies were normal, and the drums

stopped.



There was a smattering of applause as she walked over to where Ranma was

eating his lunch Ranma and Akane were staring at her, Akane�s mallet

held mid-swing between them.



Chame smiled innocently, and took the mallet from Akane, �Is this a

trophy? Thanks!�



Ranma blinked, �Ah, what was that?�



Chame shrugged, �If you know how to play someone, you can turn them

against themselves. It�s not hard. Play on a mix of emotions. He�s

pretty easy to read.� The mallet she held behind her popped out of

existence, as the creator�s focus vanished.



Akane shook her head, �That was... interesting.�



Chame bobbed her head, �Thanks. By the way... do you know someone named

Ryouga?�



Akane nodded, and Ranma just rolled his eyes. Akane spoke first, �Yes,

he�s a friend of Ranma�s. Why?�



Chame paused, <How to play this off?>, �Oh, he saw me in the street,

screamed that I was Ranma, and that he was going to kill me. He tried

pretty hard, too. I got away but my uniform was ruined. I had to stop by

and borrow one of yours. I hope you don�t mind.�



Akane seemed stunned, while Ranma shrugged, �Nothing new about him

trying to kill me.�



She rounded on Ranma, �Ranma! You�re always starting things with him!

You�re the one who makes him so mad!�



Ranma �hmph�ed, and looked away. Chame rolled her eyes, �Well, maybe

he�s in a bad mood. Try and keep him and Ranma apart. I wouldn�t like to

see them hurt.� She scanned the yard, searching for someone.



�Nihao!� Shampoo landed her bike in the yard near Ranma.



Chame seethed internally, <Of course>, and grabbed Shampoo by the arm.

Shampoo blinked in surprise, and then allowed herself to be hauled away

by an angry Chame. As soon as they were somewhere private, Chame faced

Shampoo, �What are you doing here?�



Shampoo tried to look haughty, but failed under the intense gaze, �Want

to keep violent girl from hurting Ranma.�



Chame pursed her lips, �What did you put in the lunch you brought him?�



Shampoo�s feigned innocence lasted even less than her haughtiness, �Love

potion.�



Chame rolled her eyes, �Which one?�



The purple haired girl�s eyes began to tear slightly, �Only weak one!

One day.�



Chame pursed her lips thoughtfully, �Okay. Let�s go out there. We�ll try

and slip it to Akane. Maybe it will overcome her violent aspects long

enough... I intend to-� She broke off as she saw someone out of the

corner of her eye, �Damn it. Again. Okay, try and get Akane to eat it. I

know you can be clever, so do what you have to without using force. I�ll

see you later.� Chame dashed of to pursue what she had seen, and turned

Shampoo loose.



Shampoo sat near a suspicious looking Akane and a wary Ranma. She turned

to Akane, �Shampoo sorry. Short girl tell Shampoo give violent- uh,

Akane lunch to apologize.� She smiled to herself, Chame was right,

though. She was cleverer than she let on.



***



Chame cornered her quarry, �Excuse me!�



The girl turned to face her, looking irate and rushed, �Yes? I have to

hurry.�



She sighed, facing the new girl, �My name is Chame. I need your help to

protect someone.�



The girl eyed her for a few minutes, �Who?�



She smiled up into the new girl�s eyes hopefully, �His name is Ranma, do

you know him?�



Chame suddenly found herself pinned against a wall, held there by an

angry Ukyou, �What do you want with him?�



�I need help to protect him. He�s in danger.� She felt herself being

lowered to the ground, �I don�t want to steal him from you, I swear

that... but I could use your help.�



Ukyou nodded slowly, �What do you need me to do?�



Chame sighed in relief, and brushed the hands away from the collar of

her borrowed uniform, �I need you to go to Ranma. Akane and Shampoo are

there. Akane just took a bit of love potion, so Shampoo�s going to be

busy keeping Akane off of Ranma.�



Ukyou�s eyes lit up thoughtfully, �I see...�



Chame scowled, �You can�t take advantage of that to steal him. He needs

you as a friend for now.� Ukyou glared at her, �Besides, after it�s

over, won�t he respect you more for not taking advantage of the

situation? Look, hurry and keep an eye on him, stay a friend, and help

him avoid Shampoo, Akane, and Kodachi. If they used the love potion I

think they did, Akane will only hesitate a moment to offer to share

Ranma with Shampoo, and then there�s going to be _real_ trouble.�



Ukyou nodded, �Anything else?�



Chame grinned, �Escort Ranma and Akane home. If you see Ryouga, or

anyone else who wants to hurt Ranma, keep them away from him. After

that, Kasumi will take care of the rest. Meet with me at the

Nekkohanten. There will be a few others there, and I�ll explain the

rest. Now hurry!�



Ukyou eagerly trotted off, not even questioning the orders.



Chame sighed, <Okay. I�ll watch from the roof for a bit. This shouldn�t

be too much of a problem.>



She leaned against the railing on the roof, and looked down into the

yard. Shampoo was holding Akane down, and Ranma was edging away

nervously. Ukyou looked like she was behaving herself.



A slight noise behind her. She didn�t look up, �Yes?�



Someone cleared a throat, �Uh, Chame?�



Chame blinked, <Nabiki?>, She turned around, to face her, �Yes, Nabiki?�



Nabiki frowned, �What�s going on? You make me nervous, and my spies

can�t find anything about you. You don�t seem dangerous to us, but I

need to know what�s going on.�



Chame stared at her for a moment, �You don�t like being in the dark on

anything, do you?�



Nabiki shook her head, <I hardly know this girl, why am I telling her

this?>, �I�ll admit to that. I was also impressed by what you did with

Kuno.�



Chame grinned, and slumped to the ground, �I have my vices. Okay then...

Go home with Ranma and Akane. Help Ukyou out. When you get home, Ukyou

will leave for a meeting with me. I�d like it if you can come up with

something to keep Akane and Ranma apart for the rest of the day. Try and

avoid any of Ranma�s enemies. Once you do that, there�s a pack in

Ranma�s room. Looks like his, but it�s got a dress on the top.�



Nabiki nodded, �Okay. You want me to take it somewhere?�



�Take that pack, and meet me at the Nekkohanten. I�ll explain the rest

there. Don�t look through my stuff, please. I know that today is going

to get really weird, but we�ll talk about the rest later.� She smiled at

Nabiki encouragingly, �Good luck. I hope the bets I gave you help you

out.�



Nabiki nodded, �Right. I�ll see you later.� Chame just nodded back, as

Nabiki entered the stairwell and the bell rang.



Chame sighed, �So tired. Soon now, I can rest. Soon.�



She glanced over the side of the building again, at the students heading

back in, and managed a weak, but sincere smile.



***



Ranma reflected on the day as he headed back to class, <Good thing that

Ucchan is in this class too.> He sighed, <Akane is behaving more, now.

Maybe we can get through the day without too much trouble.> His glance

settled on Ukyou, considering, <I�m so glad she�s not trying to get me

right now. It�s a good thing that I�m going on a training trip tomorrow,

too. I don�t think I could handle much more of this, and some of the

things I�ve seen Chame do are awesome. What she did to Kuno... amazing!

I can�t wait to learn that.>



He smiled at Ukyou, and she smiled back. He barely avoided a piece of

flung chalk from the teacher, �Sorry, Hinako Sensei.� The teacher glared

at him, and he focused on the board, <I can�t afford to be sent to the

hall now, who knows what will happen.> He repressed a shudder at the

idea of Akane getting sent out with him, and all that would entail.



Hinako shook her head at him. She was already in her woman form, and had

been for the entire day. She was draining almost everyone on sight, and

seemed to be in a bad mood.



The rest of the class passed without event, and it was time to go home.

Ranma sighed, and collected his things. Akane was giggling, and latched

onto his arm. Ukyou pried her away, but not before Akane slipped a note

into Ranma�s bag. He decided to ignore it for now, �Ah, thanks Ukyou.

C�mon Akane, we should head home.�



She nodded, and waited for him in the hall. He turned to Ukyou, �Um,

thanks for your help today. I�m just not sure where I would be without a

friend like you.�



Ukyou�s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to hug him, but remembered the

advice from earlier, �Think nothing of it, Ranchan! We should get you

home though. I�ll escort you and Akane.� She smiled, inwardly cursing

herself, <Why, Ranchan? Why can�t you like _me_?>



Ranma grinned, �Great!�



The trio bumped into Nabiki on the way out of the school, and she

grabbed Ranma�s shoulder, �Hey you guys, wait up for me.�



Ranma paused, <What�s going on here?>, �Ah, sure.�



Nabiki grabbed her sister�s hand, and generally kept herself between

Akane and Ranma. Ukyou walked by Ranma�s side, not reaching for his

hand, and helping Nabiki run interference. Ranma frowned, �I guess you

heard about it, huh?�



Nabiki looked up, �Heard about what?�



Ranma sighed, �Shampoo tried to slip me some love potion. For some

reason, she gave it to Akane instead of me.�



Nabiki nodded, �That�s interesting. Hey Akane?�



Akane blinked herself out of her daydreams, �Huh?�



Nabiki rolled her eyes, �Can you help me with something?� Akane frowned,

and Nabiki leaned in close, whispering to her, �You think you want to

get a new dress? I�ve got a suspicion Ranma�s going to ask you out on a

date soon, and you�ll want to look the part.�



Akane nodded eagerly, �Yes! That would be great!�



Nabiki glanced around. Ranma and Ukyou were eyeing her suspiciously,

�Once we get home, change, and I�ll give you some money. I�ll get Ranma

to stay home, so he won�t see you, and we�ll hide it from everyone else.

That way, Father and Mr. Saotome won�t be able to mess things up.�



Akane nodded again, her eyes bright with anticipation. Nabiki grinned

reassuringly, thinking to herself, <This love potion may make things

easier than I thought.>



Ranma looked about ready to bolt, but no one said anything until they

reached the house. Ukyou shrugged, �Well, I�ll see you later, Ranchan. I

have to go.�



Akane sauntered into the house without saying anything. Nabiki handed

Ukyou a note while Ranma was going into the house. Then the middle Tendo

sister followed Ranma in.



Ukyou paused, and unfolded the note. It was covered in Nabiki�s

business-like hand:





Ukyou,



Wait for me, I have to go to the Nekkohanten as well.



-Nabiki





She nodded, folded the note away, and waited just out of sight. A moment

later, she heard a familiar voice, �Ranma�s going to love _this_!� Akane

fled out into the street giggling and running like mad.



Ukyou cringed, <I don�t like the looks of this.> After a minute, she

heard another familiar voice from down the street. The color slowly

drained from her face, <Oh no. Not-> She glanced around the corner <It

is. Oh damn.>



Ryouga rounded the corner, his face a mask of barely restrained rage. He

turned to Ukyou, who was trying to look inconspicuous, �Ukyou?�



Ukyou glanced around, standing in front of the Tendo Dojo sign. Someone

had polished it recently, and it gleamed in the sunlight, �Yeah?�



�Can you direct me to the Tendo dojo?�



Ukyou breathed a sigh of relief, �Sure, follow me.� She seized his arm

and began forcefully leading him away. Nabiki chose that moment to

emerge from the house, carrying a large backpack. Ukyou glanced back,

and saw her, struggling to drag the confused Ryouga away.



Nabiki paused, considering, <What can I do here? Damn it. I can�t think

of anything that will help matters.> Nabiki sighed, and tailed the

couple.



After a few blocks, Ukyou dropped Ryouga off at a train, and made sure

he was on it when it left.



Nabiki met up with her, and the two jogged for the Nekkohanten. Ukyou

noticed Nabiki flagging, and took the pack from her. Nabiki smiled

gratefully, �Thanks, Ukyou. Where did you send him?�



Ukyou grinned, �I told him that Ranma and his father were in Okinawa.

With his luck, he�ll end up back at the Tendo place within a week,

though.�



Nabiki nodded, thoughtful, but didn�t say anything until they reached

the restaurant.



She knocked on the door. The sign said that it would be closed for the

day. Mousse answered the door, peered at the pair, and motioned them in.

After the two were in, Ukyou set the pack on a table, �Uh, Nabiki?

What�s the bag for, anyway?�



Nabiki shrugged, scanning the room, �It�s Chame�s. She asked me to bring

it here.�



Ukyou nodded, Mousse was the only other person in the room, and he

busied himself with some sweeping. Ukyou took a seat, and Nabiki sat

next to her, �So, Nabiki. What do you know about that girl? I hardly

even know her, and I�m going out of my way to help her.�



Nabiki frowned, �I don�t know much more than you, I�m afraid.�



Mousse answered another knock at the door, and a taller gentleman

entered the room. He glanced around, smiling at the girls, �Hello there,

Nabiki.�



She blinked, �Ah, hi Dr. Tofu. What brings you here?�



He smiled, and sat down opposite her, �Chame.�



Nabiki nodded slowly, �What can you tell me about her?�



The doctor shook his head, �I�m sorry, I respect her privacy too much to

talk about that.� His face brightened, �How is your older sister doing?�



The middle Tendo sister paused, �Uh, kind of, odd, actually. She was

watching TV and not doing her chores. She looked like she was in a

dream, or something. She mentioned you were stopping by for dinner

later, though.�



The doctor smiled, �Yes. Yes I am.�



There was another knock at the door, and Mousse let Chame in, not

disguising the daggers he was glaring at her. She ignored him, and

slumped to a seat between Ukyou and the doctor. The uniform she was

wearing looked disheveled, �Sorry I�m late. Is everyone here yet?�



Doctor Tofu shook his head, �Not yet.�



She shrugged, �Nabiki? Did you bring my stuff?� Nabiki nodded, and

pointed to the pack. Chame rifled through the pack for a moment, grabbed

a bundle, and headed towards the restroom, �Thanks. I�ll be right back.�



The people at the table exchanged a three-way shrug. Chame emerged from

the bathroom a few minutes later wearing a pair of loose black pants and

a silk shirt with a pair of dragon embroidered into it. She sat at the

table, �Ugh. I am so tired. Mousse, get Shampoo and Cologne down here.�



Mousse grumbled something, but retreated upstairs. A few minutes later,

Cologne and her great granddaughter emerged from the stairway, and

joined the group at the table.



Chame cleared her throat and jerked her head at Mousse. Cologne nodded,

�Mousse, why don�t you come here for a minute.� Mousse approached,

confused, and Cologne paralyzed him with quick jabs at his shiatsu

paralysis points, �Shampoo, take him to the back room. He won�t hear us

there, and it won�t wear off for a few hours.� He may not have been able

to speak, but his venomous glare said all it needed to.



Chame pursed her lips, �We can try to avoid making him any angrier than

we need.�



Cologne shrugged, �I�ll deal with him. In the meantime, there are a lot

of questions we need to ask.�



Ukyou nodded, �Who are you, and how do you know Ranma is in danger?�



Nabiki added her own two cents, �How do you know so much about us?�



Shampoo asked, �What you going to do with Airen?�



Dr. Tofu said nothing, glancing at Cologne uneasily. Chame sighed,

�Well, why don�t we just say I can read minds, and see a little into the

future.� The younger women at the table gasped, but Chame raised a hand,

�Anyway. Right now, Ranma is in danger. I need to keep him safe. I need

all of your help to do this.�



She furrowed her brow in thought, �There are a few things we can do to

make things easier. First of all, Sir Ono, I want you to start spending

as much time with the Tendos as you can. No buts, taking care of them

where you failed with me will absolve you, so do your best.



�Nabiki, you�re the second biggest threat right now. Those friends of

yours aren�t likely to accept the change in plans, even if you give the

money back. Lay low, keep the family as together as possible. I�ll be

using you as a secondary contact.



�Cologne, I want you and your great granddaughter to go back to China.

Spread rumors that Ranma ran away with you, your village can defend

itself from about any attack that tries to follow those rumors.�



The old woman shook her head, �Why not take him with us? He would be

safe, and could marry Shampoo-�



Surprisingly, it was not Chame who interrupted, it was the doctor. He

slammed a fist on the table, �No! I don�t know why Chame says it should

be done this way, but she�s right. Your tribe owes us this.�



Cologne gasped at the doctor, �You- you are Machin, as well?�



The doctor nodded, �Yes, I am. Chame and I were both there for the

massacre, shall I take you into my mind, and make you relive my memories

of that night?�



Chame shuddered, and put a hand on Dr. Tofu�s fist, �No, I don�t think

that will be necessary. Cologne, just accept it. Maybe Ranma will choose

on his own to come back to you, and maybe he won�t. It�s his choice. For

now, I want you to go back to China as soon as possible. Spread rumors.�



Cologne nodded obediently, �And if Ryouga shows up looking for him? He�s

probably dangerous enough to kill a few of us if what you say is true.�



Chame frowned, �That shouldn�t be a problem. It�s right next to

Jusenkyou. Lead him to the spring of drowned man, and half of his hatred

for Ranma will be gone. There might be other problems, though. His anger

doesn�t seem... natural.�



Ukyou interjected, �Ryouga has a Jusenkyou curse?� Nabiki looked curious

as well.



Chame shrugged, �I recognize the mark of my people�s curse. I see it on

him, Ranma, Mousse, and her.� She said as she pointed at Shampoo.



Nabiki asked, �What does he turn into?�



Chame shrugged, �I couldn�t look too closely; his mind was clouded.

Ranma knew, but those memories were locked away. Based on what he

remembers saying to Ryouga, I think it�s a pig.�



Ukyou blinked, and stared at Nabiki. Nabiki�s eyes just widened, and the

two spoke in unison, �P-chan.�



Cologne nodded, �Yes. The little black piglet.�



Nabiki sighed, �Well I�ll be damned. Next time I see him as a pig, I�m

showing that to Akane.�



Chame shrugged again, �I�m not so sure about that. If it�s something

he�s been hiding from her, it could get ugly. If Akane strikes him, or

hurts him enough, he might blame it on Ranma and shishi houkodan the

whole house as soon as he�s human again. Like I said, something seems

odd about him.�



Nabiki nodded thoughtfully, �He�s more dangerous than I realized.�



Ukyou shook her head, �What do you want me to do?�



Chame regarded her thoughtfully, �Ranma�s leaving with me on a training

trip. Things are heating up, and it�d be best if we could make ourselves

scarce.� The assembled people at the table nodded, �With Ranma gone with

me, the rumors about him leaving with Cologne for China will be more

believable. With Cologne and Shampoo gone, the only way to verify will

be to ask them.�



Ukyou frowned, �But that still doesn�t tell me-�



�Patience, child. Cologne, I�ll be using you as a primary contact. I�ll

send you packages, letters, and anything else that needs to be sent.

You�ll repackage what I specify, and send it to Nabiki. She�ll

distribute it as necessary, either to Sir Ono, Akane, or whoever. The

biggest problem here is Mousse. He could give things away.�



Cologne nodded, �What do you suggest?�



Chame paused, �I�m not certain what the best thing to do is. Bringing

him to the spring of drowned man would probably be a good way to keep

him quiet for a while. Threatening to take him to another spring might

help the rest of the time.�



Cologne nodded again, �I�ll come up with something. In the meantime,

that should work. What else?�



Chame turned to Ukyou, �Ukyou, your role in this is important too. Just

a little more patience.� She flashed Ukyou her most winning smile, one

that had seen a lot of use already that day, �Nabiki. I�d like you to

keep these papers safe, they�re going to be important for a bit.�



She handed a manila folder full of papers to Nabiki. Nabiki looked at it

without opening it, �What is it?�



Chame shrugged, �All of the official paperwork concerning Ranma. School

transcripts, birth certificates, medical records, everything.� She shot

a meaningful glance at Dr. Tofu, �Almost all of them.�



He nodded, �I�ll bring all of the papers I have on him over when I come

for dinner tonight.�



The redhead frowned again, �I can�t remove his records from computers,

I�ll admit I�m not familiar with those. Since this is his birth city,

the majority of the paperwork is here. There�s other schools he attended

that I can�t reach, I suspect that it�s a little beyond our power to

deal with that right now, but this will slow down anyone who tries to

use those records. Nabiki�s American friends, and the government, for

example. When he returns, he might need these things, so keep them

safe.�



Nabiki lowered her head, feeling ashamed. Dr. Tofu reassured her,

�What�s done is done. Worry more about setting things straight.�



Shampoo spoke, �Shampoo want to stay with Airen.�



Chame shook her head, �Sorry. I�d like to bring someone with us, but it

should be someone used to being subtle. Someone who knows disguises. And

I need you with your great grandmother to help spread rumors. If they

follow the rumors, and then find the truth, they�ll have lost time, and

Cologne can contact us to tell us who�s been looking. Nabiki can tell

her whoever has been poking around for us here.�



Ukyou flushed slightly, already guessing her role, �You want me to come

with you, don�t you?�



Chame nodded, �Yes.� Shampoo glared, and looked ready to attack, �Ranma

will need a friend, since this is likely to take a lot longer than a

month. Stay home from school tomorrow. Ranma and I will stop by early in

the morning, probably about five or so. We�ll hide there while I explain

things. After we�ve been there a day or two, Akane will probably stop

by. Nabiki can help encourage that... When she does, she�ll tell you

that Ranma�s left for China. You�ll have to act shocked, and close down

the restaurant. After that, you can join us. Of course, if you don�t

want to, you don�t have to. This is just what I think would work best.�



Ukyou nodded eagerly, �Yes, I�ll do it.�



Chame looked her in the eye, �This is going to be dangerous. Are you

sure?�



The girl nodded again, �Very much so!�



Chame sighed, �Okay. We�ve all got our roles, then. Sir Ono, please

escort Nabiki home, Cologne, get Mousse and start packing. Shampoo can

start spreading rumors while you�re doing that. Can you be out of here

by tomorrow?�



Cologne nodded, �Easily. And we will be. Great granddaughter, get to

work.�



Shampoo took off, ready (and eager) to start spreading rumors. Cologne

walked towards the back room to rouse Mousse.



Chame sighed again, �I am so tired. Ukyou, mind if I accompany you?�

Ukyou nodded, and Chame shouldered her pack, �Nabiki, Sir Ono, I�ll see

you later today.� Nabiki and the doctor left.



Ukyou offered to take Chame�s pack, and she was too tired to refuse,

�I�m so excited! I�m going to travel with Ranchan!�



Chame nodded, leaning on her staff, �Well, don�t get too eager. You know

how important it is that we keep it a secret.�



***



After a short walk, the two arrived at Ucchan�s. Ukyou let the two of

them in. Chame sighed wearily, �Do you mind if we stay with you? Is that

alright?�



Ukyou paused, considering, �No problem. I�ve got an empty room you can

use.�



Chame frowned, �I�d rather share a room with you. Ranma might like a

little privacy.�



Ukyou blushed, �Well, ah, I was hoping...�



Chame rolled her eyes, �Patience, child. He needs a little time. He

doesn�t even know half of what we�re doing right now. He�s going to need

you as a friend. Be his friend. If anything is going to happen, let it

happen, but don�t push too hard, or you�ll scare him, and leave him

short of the one friend he could have talked to.�



Ukyou nodded slowly, letting it sink in, <She�s right. I want Ranchan,

but he�s going to be very alone soon.> She sighed, �I need to get ready

for work.�



Chame shrugged, and hefted her pack, �Is it okay for me to put this in

your room?� Ukyou nodded, �Thanks. I�d help you out, but I need to be at

the Tendos house for dinner tonight. I�ll try to help you out tomorrow,

okay?�



Ukyou smiled, �Thanks, that�d be great!�



Chame smiled again, and allowed herself a short nap upstairs before

heading to the Tendo household.



***



Chame arrived at the house, tired, carrying the bundled uniform she had

borrowed. She knocked on the door, and Kasumi answered, �Oh! Chame! I

was worried about you.�



She grinned, �Nothing to worry about. Let me start dinner. Do you know

when the doctor will be here?�



Kasumi put a finger to her lips, �Not for another hour.�



The redhead sighed in relief, �Oh good. I have enough time then. By the

way, have you seen Ranma�s father around?� There was a distant splash

from the backyard.



Kasumi tried to keep a straight face, but couldn�t hide the laughter in

her eyes, �I�m afraid I haven�t seen him.�



Chame�s grin widened, �Guess I won�t be cooking for him then.� An

agonized panda wail rang out from the back yard, �Is your panda sick?

Maybe it needs to see a vet.� The noise cut off, �Well, I�m going to

start on the dinner, then.�



Soun was in the living room, playing another game of Shogi with the

panda. The panda cast mournful glances towards the kitchen.



Chame let her mind wander as she worked in the kitchen. She had worked

in many kitchens throughout her life, and could cook without thinking.

She paused, remembering the ingredients she had purchased earlier, and

set to work.



As the allotted time drew to a close, she finished the last of her

preparations, and slumped against a counter. She shook her head, <Not as

young as I used to be. Oh well. Maybe I can get some real sleep

tonight.>



She smiled cheerfully, gathered up the dishes and served them to the

assembled family. Akane was staring at Ranma with wide eyes, a slight

blush coloring her face. Nabiki sat between them, trying to be subtle.

Soun beamed at Akane and Ranma, and Kasumi and Tofu were lost in each

other�s eyes. The panda sat at the table as well, it�s mouth watering.

Ranma eyed Akane warily.



Chame set the dishes down, �Okay, here we go... Wait! Pandas shouldn�t

eat things like this.� Chame herded the panda outside, and closed the

door.



Chame smiled politely, and nodded throughout the meal whenever someone

spoke to her, which wasn�t often. Nabiki was practically the only one

able to speak, and there wasn�t much they could talk about in front of

Akane. Akane just stared at Ranma longingly. Soun seemed oblivious to

Ranma�s obvious discomfort, and Dr. Tofu and Kasumi were too busy

staring at each other.



Ranma finally broke the silence, �That was really good Chame. Thanks.�



She smiled, nodding, �No problem. I�m glad to cook.�



Ranma edged away from Akane, �Um, can I talk to you for a moment?�



Chame nodded, �Sure, just let put this away and clean up.� She gathered

up the leftovers and the dirty dishes, and whisked them into the

kitchen. It took her less than a minute to package everything away and

clean all of the dishes.



She walked back into the living room. Akane was standing about a foot

away from Ranma, the same dreamy expression on her face, �Ranma?�



Ranma backed away, nervously, �Uh, yeah?�



Akane stepped closer him, breathing on his neck, �Is there... something

you want to ask me?�



Ranma gulped nervously, and looked around, Nabiki seemed at a loss, and

Soun wasn�t about to interfere. The panda wasn�t likely to be much

assistance either. Chame intervened, �Akane?�



Akane blinked, and looked at Chame, �Yes?�



Chame smiled, and led her up the stairs, �I need to talk to you for a

moment or two.�



Akane allowed herself to be led up to her room, �What�s so important? I

have to get back down to Ranma, he�s waiting for me.�



Chame nodded, �Uh, right. One quick thing, though.�



Akane glanced at her expectantly, �Yes?�



Chame smiled, �Do you know what a shiatsu paralysis point is?�



A few minutes later, Chame descended the stairs, alone. Ranma looked at

her quizzically, �She�s asleep.�



He nodded, �Oh good. I was getting kind of nervous about that.�



She smiled at him, �Don�t worry. Now, what did you want to talk about?�



�Uh, things have been getting kind of weird today, do you know anything

about it?�



Chame looked him over, �A little. I�ll tell you the rest later. Do you

think you can have your things packed and ready to go tonight?�



He nodded, �Yeah, after Akane acting like that, I could sure use a

break. This is confusing me.�



She shrugged, �Okay. About an hour after everyone else is asleep. Meet

me by the dojo with your things. Can you see to it that the panda is

asleep then?�



Ranma�s eyes widened, alarmed, �Uh, yeah. I can do that.�



She smiled at him, and said nothing as she walked back to join the rest

of the family.



***



Dr. Tofu and Chame left together. Chame bowed deeply to Soun, �I�m sorry

I have to leave, but I can�t impose on you any longer. Thank you for

your hospitality.�



Soun nodded politely, �Of course. I suppose we�ll be seeing you more

soon as well?�



Chame smiled, �Well, I do have to keep an eye out for Ranma�s father.

I�m still honor-bound to kill him to reclaim my name.�



Ranma blinked at this, a smile slowly spreading across his face. Kasumi

said nothing, and hid her own smile, while Nabiki did the same. Chame

was certain that Akane wouldn�t be awake for a few hours, and they would

be gone by then.



As Chame stood on the doorstep, Kasumi gave Dr. Tofu a hug. Soun froze,

watching. Kasumi smiled wickedly, and leaned in to kiss the doctor. He

didn�t resist. Chame turned her back and admired the stars for a while,

until the telltale gasp for breath signified the doctor�s release.



He smiled, though it was harder to guess which of the two had a bigger

grin plastered across their faces. Chame gently led the doctor away, as

he waved goodbye.



After they were out of sight of the house, the doctor exhaled again,

sighing. Chame smirked at his expression, �So. Is she the one for you

Sir Ono?�



He smiled, �Chame, I stopped being Sir Ono the day I left the village.

Just call me Tofu.�



She nodded, �Okay. I hate to bother you, but I�ve got a premonition that

something will happen tonight. Something bad. Meditate when you get

home, and if you hear me, I need your help.�



The doctor sobered at this, �Very well. Should I be ready to summon

assistance?�



Chame was quiet for a moment as they walked, considering, �No. We have

no real allies this close.�



He nodded again, �Very well. Do you know anything more?�



She shook her head, �Blood. A lot of it. That�s all. There�s going to be

some violence tonight.� She twirled her staff, �I�d rather make sure

that Ranma is not on the receiving end of it.�



Dr. Tofu nodded, �Okay. Good luck to you then. I hope I don�t see you

again tonight.�



Chame laughed, �So do I, Dr. Tofu. Good luck to you as well, you need to

protect the Tendos.�



He nodded, and they parted ways.



Chame reached Ucchan�s shortly after. It was busy, and Ukyou was

glowing. Chame paused for a moment, then went behind the counter and

upstairs. She had debated helping Ukyou, but decided to allow herself to

continue the nap from earlier. All too soon, she slipped into the

embrace of sleep.



***



She was woken by someone moving, <A door opening?> Chame remained in her

position, not moving, <Where am I? Oh yes.> She sat up, wearily, and

looked around.



Ukyou hummed to herself as she put on some pajamas. Chame yawned,

�Ukyou?�



The girl looked at her, smiling, �Yes?�



Chame shook her head to clear it, �What time is it?�



She paused, �A little after eleven. Why?�



Chame stood up, and stretched, �Okay. Why don�t we go pick up Ranma?�



Ukyou blinked, and scurried to get re-dressed, �Sure! Just give me a

moment.�



Chame headed downstairs, and helped herself to a glass of water. Ukyou

came down shortly, dressed in her standard battle garb. Chame smiled

approvingly, �Okay. Let�s be on our way.�



The two headed through the streets. It was about eleven thirty when they

reached the Tendo household. Chame shushed Ukyou, and motioned for her

to wait outside. A few minutes later, Nabiki and Ranma followed her out.

Chame whispered something to Nabiki, who nodded, and went back to the

house.



Ranma looked very nervous, but Ukyou flashed him a reassuring smile.

Chame glanced at the two briefly, and they set out together.



They were quiet for the most part, wary of making noise this late at

night. As they were passing through a street of abandoned buildings and

empty lots, Chame froze. Ranma and Ukyou did the same. After a moment,

Chame shuddered, and motioned for them to resume.



Ranma listened, but could only hear a train moving in the distance. He

shook his head, and moved on. Suddenly, he froze. Chame had already

stopped, and Ukyou halted when she saw the two of them. A low, almost

feral laugh taunted them, from behind him.



He spun around, suspecting who was there, but wanting to see. A figure

emerged from the darkness, laughing. Ranma swallowed. He knew that

laugh. And that outline. It could only be Ryouga.



He stepped out of the shadow of a derelict building, and into the

moonlight. He paused there, and laughed again. A dry, hollow sound.

Ranma swallowed. Ryouga wasn�t looking at him, he was looking at Ukyou.



Ranma blinked, �Ucchan? What�s going on here?�



Ukyou shivered nervously, but readied her giant spatula, �I uh, sent him

to Okinawa and said that�s where you were.�



Ryouga just stared at her, his expression completely feral, �You

lieeeeed to me, Ukyou.� Ryouga snapped his umbrella into his hand, and

giggled hysterically, �Oh yes. You lied.� His eyes shot to Chame,

darting across Ranma briefly, �You.� His eyes narrowed, and his feral

expression became even more fearsome, �You struck me. Twice. And you

lied as well. Which one first, hmm? Which one?�



He gazed between the two of them, calculating, and Ranma stepped between

them, �Ryouga! I don�t know what�s going on here, but you aren�t getting

in my way any more. You aren�t going to hurt either of them if I can

help it!�



Ryouga tore his attention from the women, and stared into Ranma�s eyes,

he laughed again, voice filled with contempt, �You aren�t dangerous to

me. You can�t even slow me down.� He giggled again, and held his

umbrella in a ready stance.



Chame leapt between the two of them, twirling her staff around her

forearm. It spun in a cone shape, one end pointed towards Ryouga, Chame

looked grim. �Ranma. Get ready to run, this isn�t the Ryouga you know.�



Ryouga laughed again, �You! You shall be the first to die!�



Chame focused her ki for a moment, �Gust of Wind!� The air moved by the

staff formed a jet, knocking Ryouga back at least thirty feet. He fell

onto his back. Chame spun towards Ranma, then her eyes widened.



Ranma opened his mouth to say something, then he heard it. The train. It

was braking, somewhere. The faint, piercing wail sounded clearly through

the night. Chame clung to her staff, and sunk to one knee. Her face was

a mask of pain, �R-Ranma! R-run!�



Ranma froze, unable to move, remembering what had happened, only one

night before. The microwave. It made a piercing noise like that, and

Chame had said, �Oh no, Chame-�



A sickening squishing noise covered the wail, and Ranma stared, eyes

widening. Chame looked down, dumbfounded. Ryouga had gotten up behind

her, and took advantage of her weakness. Chame gasped as Ryouga forced

the umbrella further, and in erupted from her abdomen. She pawed at it,

uncomprehending. The black, dull tip protruded, dripping blood onto the

ground, and she stared at it, blinking.



Then Ranma heard it again. That hollow, dry laugh, �Ranma. She was the

most dangerous one. And now,� He laughed again, �It�s over! So fragile��



Ukyou gasped as she saw Ryouga�s next move. He slid one hand to the base

of the umbrella, grabbed firmly, and� Ukyou covered her eyes, �Oh,

please god no!�



Ranma didn�t think, he had no time for that. He knew what was going to

happen. In a single, fluid movement, he dashed forward, and snapped a

kick into the umbrella�s tip. Ryouga grunted, as it flew free of Chame�s

body before he could open it. Chame slumped into Ranma�s arm, shivering,

and Ryouga fell backwards. The umbrella opened, and obscured his vision.



Ranma didn�t waste any more time. He leapt up onto one of the derelict

buildings and ran like hell. Chame clung to him weakly, mumbling. He

tried not to pay attention to the warm wetness spreading from where his

hand supported her, under her back. He just ran.



Ukyou followed him, �Ranchan! Stop! Down there!�



Ranma jumped down obediently, and set Chame down. Ukyou grabbed Chame�s

hand, �Chame! Are you going to be okay?�



Chame shook her head slowly, and fumbled at Ukyou�s chest, �B-binding.

Sir Ono.� She collapsed.



Ukyou tore her shirt off, and removed the bindings across her chest as

quickly as possible. Ranma nodded, and grabbed an extra shirt from his

pack. After a moment, they had a makeshift compress, and Ukyou bound it

to the prone woman tightly. Ranma touched the cloth gently, and it

instantly reddened beneath his hand.



He looked up into Ukyou�s eyes, fearful, �This, this isn�t supposed to

happen.�



Ukyou shook her head, shrugging back into the tatters of her shirt, �We

need to get her to a doctor.�



Ranma nodded, numb, �Right.� There was a movement, nearby. He spun to

face it, fearful that it was the Lost Boy. It wasn�t.



Dr. Tofu landed next to them, and hurriedly examined Chame, �Damn it!

Chame? Chame! Okay. Ranma, tell me what happened.�



Ranma babbled the story briefly, while Tofu considered the wound. He

sighed, �Okay Ranma, I might be able to slow this down, but she�s lost a

lot of blood.�



He stared into the doctor�s eyes, �Please, Dr. Tofu.�



He carefully removed the bandages, and lay his hands against Chame�s

wound. His hands began to glow gently, as he mumbled softly to himself.

After a moment, the wound sealed, leaving a pink scar. He nodded, and

rolled Chame carefully onto her side to do the same to her back.



He drew breath in, as he looked at the other side of the wound, the

umbrella was quite large, and Chame was a small woman. He shook his

head, and covered the gaping wound with both hands. A glow suffused them

as he chanted in a thick, alien tongue. After a few minutes of chanting,

the blood stopped, and he pulled his hands away. This time, there was no

scar, only a nasty looking bruise.



Ukyou sighed, �So, she�s going to be okay, right?



Tofu wrapped her carefully back up in her tattered clothing, �No. Where

are you staying?�



Ukyou shook her head, �Take her to my place.� The doctor nodded, and

picked up the limp redhead. Ranma and Ukyou followed in a mad rooftop

course to Ucchan�s. Ukyou fumbled with the door before it opened, and

led the three up the stairs to her room.



Dr. Tofu lay Chame gently on Ukyou�s bed. He closed all the windows,

�She�s going to need a lot of warmth. Ranma, go downstairs and heat some

water.� After Ranma was gone, Tofu stripped Chame�s clothes off, and

slid the covers over her.



Ukyou fretted, �Well?�



Dr. Tofu sighed, �She lost too much blood. It�s only a matter of time. I

can fix the damage, and repair the tissue, but I can�t make her more

blood. I could give her some of mine, but I might end up killing both of

us.�



Ukyou didn�t hesitate, �Take some of mine!� She offered a wrist to the

doctor.



He shook his head, �It wouldn�t work. She needs Machin blood. And Chame

and I are the only Machin I know of right now.� He bit his lip,

comprehension dawning, �Ranma!�



Ranma scurried up the stairs, �Yeah? The water�s not ready yet.�



Tofu shook his head, �Not important. Chame needs blood, are you willing

to help her?�



Ranma nodded eagerly, �Yes! If that will save her, yes!�



Tofu nodded, �Okay. Ukyou, do you have a thick piece of cloth?



She nodded, and gave the doctor the sash to a robe. After that, she

shucked the torn remnants of her shirt, and slipped on a new one. The

men were too intent on Chame, and this was no time for real modesty.



Tofu folded the cloth a few times, �Ranma, put this in your mouth and

bite down hard. This is going to hurt, a lot.�



Ranma nodded, and did as told. Tofu closed his eyes, and placed a hand

against Chame�s chest. He grabbed Ranma�s hand in the other, and began

chanting something softly. A warm red glow formed, first, between Chame

and the doctor, then between Ranma and Tofu. Ranma�s eyes widened, and

he made a muffled choking noise through the cloth in his mouth.



Ukyou grabbed his other hand reassuringly, and he clenched it tightly.

He made a sobbing noise, and sank to his knees. Tears streamed down his

face, but he didn�t pull back the hand that the doctor held.



After a length of time that Ranma couldn�t specify, it was over. He

sighed, and passed out on the floor. The doctor looked a little

unsteady, and shook his head, �Ukyou? Could you please get me a rag? The

water Ranma was heating should be done now.�



Ukyou ran down the stairs, and turned the stove off. The water in the

kettle was already boiling, now. She gambled that it would be too hot,

poured some out, and added some cold water.



She hauled the kettle upstairs and the doctor thanked her. He wet the

rag, and scrubbed at his hands with it. Then he cleaned Ranma�s hand,

and gave the rag to Ukyou, �I�m going to set Ranma in the next room. Do

you mind if I stay here with him tonight?�



Ukyou shook her head, �No, that�s fine.� The doctor smiled, and carried

Ranma away. She looked at the cloth in her hands, and noticed the stains

on it. Red. Blood stains. She shook her head, and wiped the blood off of

Chame�s chest and back gently



After a moment, The doctor returned. He turned the heater up, and

sighed, �Ukyou, this is going to be a close thing. Are you still willing

to help?�



Ukyou nodded again, �Of course!�



The doctor smiled, �Okay, you might not like this part. I�m going to

close the door so no heat escapes. I need you to share your body heat

with Chame.� Ukyou nodded, �It will work better if you take your clothes

off.�



Ukyou blushed, but nodded, �I can do that. Now go, you�re letting heat

out.�



The doctor smiled, and let himself out. Ukyou stared at Chame for a

moment, then shook her head, <Nothing for it.> She stripped down to her

underwear, sighed, and discarded that too. She climbed into the bed near

Chame nervously.



The smaller woman stirred weakly, and Ukyou nervously edged towards her.

After a moment Ukyou touched her. She gasped, and drew away, <So cold!>

She sighed, gathering her confidence, and slid towards Chame.



The diminutive redhead stirred again, as their legs touched, and Ukyou

suddenly realized why. She smiled, and embraced the small girl,

adjusting the blankets to cover everything but their faces.



Ukyou shivered, but noticed Chame slowly warming. The doctor knew best.

She sighed again, and let herself drift to sleep, wondering what it

would be like to share a bed with Ranma.



------

Author�s note: Okay, the fic is well under way! This is the draft that I

will subject my designated pre-readers to. My biggest concern right now

is that Chame detracts from the original cast, but I�m planning on

moving her to a more background role in the next couple of chapters. C&C

appreciated, flames will be sent regardless. :)



------

Rev 2: Okay, a few changes, a number of confused verb tenses were

corrected. A number of instances of Chame refering to Tofu as Dr. Tofu

instead of Sir Ono were corrected (she means to say Dr. Tofu when she

speaks to Kasumi in the kitchen). Fixed mistakes where Shampoo was

referred to as daughter instead of great granddaughter (thanks Carlos).

General polishing. Chame�s umbrella injury was given a little more

attention, and some verbs were interchanged. No vowels were harmed in

the writing of this fic.



------

Rev 3: Okay, not a whole lot of changed, just general polishing. This is

a tentative final. Fixed instanced where Nekkohanten wasn�t capitalized.



------

Rev 4: Fic is considered FFML worthy, and launched. C&C still

appreciated.





--

Forgive my spelling,

my U.S. education,

is the thing to blame.









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