My apologies to all and sundry for fumbling these posts. I am having trouble
understanding why MS Outlook Express will not handle a text file attachment
in the expected manner. Also, I have been informed by several FFML
participants that my second attempt to post this part of the yarn resulted
in a truncated message. In hopes of eliminating that problem, I have broken
the ninth part of the yarn down into sections "a" and "b." What follows this
note is section "a."
 
Thank you for your patience,
 
Don Granberry.
 
Well, if first you do not succeed...
 
====================================
 
Part X is in the process of being written. I am now thinking that _Comes the
Cold Dragon_ will be completed in under fifteen parts. _Spreading Wings_
will begin immediately upon the completion of _Comes the Cold Dragon_,
although it is likely that the sequel will be somewhat slower in coming out.
I have other writing to do.
 
This other writing will be fiction, but original and in no way related to
anime, so I will be looking for a separate group of pre-readers for it. If
you are interested in participating, please drop me a line. Because this
other wirting  will not be related in any way to anime or manga, the story
will not be posted to FFML.
 
 
Thank you kindly for your attention,
 

 
Don Granberry.
 
 
       Many extra special thanks go to my pre-readers for
helping to improve this piece.
 
       Most of the characters in this piece and the setting
for it were conceived of by Rumiko Takahashi for her Ranma
1/2 series of Manga. All such characters and the setting are
the property of Takahashi-sensei and her licensees. All other
characters, except those noted below, are purely fictional
and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental.



                     ------------------
        Comes the Cold Dragon: Part IX Revision 3
                     ------------------

Prince Haabu, Lord of the Musk, wrapped the fingers of his
right hand around the ship captain's neck, then lifted the
man with one arm until his feet were half of a meter off the
deck.
 
       "You and I have an agreement, Captain," Haabu said in
a calm, quiet voice. As he watched the man's face turn blue,
Haabu's eyes burned with cold fury. "An agreement I intend to
hold you to. Do you understand?"
 
       The captain, unable to speak, did his desperate best
to signal agreement.
 
       "Then get these other people off this ship, if you
value your life!" Haabu said, grinding his words out between
clinched teeth, then dropped the smaller man upon the deck.
The captain collapsed to his knees and put his hand to his
throat.
 
       "I was told you were fairly reliable," Haabu said,
looking down upon the man as though he was a particularly
disgusting species of leech. "But I can see that you are
greedy to the point of foolishness."
 
       The captain shook his head, then choked out the single
word, "Owner."
 
       "Oh, really?" A great many things suddenly became
clear in Haabu's mind.
 
       The captain nodded his head.
 
       "Kiima!"
 
       "Yes, Lord Haabu?"
 
       "Have our people take over the engineering spaces,"
Haabu said in grim tones. "I must have a talk with our agent
and this vessel's owner."
 
       "Yes, Lord Haabu."
 
       "And see to it that the crew removes these other
people from the ship."
 
       "Yes, Lord Haabu"
 
       "And have them clean out our quarters before I
return."
 
       "Yes, M'Lord."
 
       "Be sure the First Mate understands that I will be
most upset if I find any filth there."
 
       Kiima grinned unpleasantly.
 
       "I shall make certain he understands the gravity of
the situation, Lord Haabu."
 
       "Good," Haabu said, with a smile for his second in
command. She had proven herself to be a great asset during
the long, tedious trip. "I will return as soon as I can. Have
word sent to Shan Wa. Tell her to meet me at the house of Wan
Li."
 
       Kiima bowed in Haabu's direction as he turned and
stamped down the gangway. The crew began herding almost two
hundred protesting Chinese down the gangway. They had good
reason to protest. They had paid exorbitant sums to be
smuggled into Japan. Now they were being forced to leave the
ship. None of them had any money left to live on while they
waited for the _Rodriquez_ to return.
 
       Less than an hour had gone by when Haabu arrived at
Wan Li's offices. Shan Wa was already waiting for him,
sitting at a table in the little outdoor cafe across the
street.
 
       "Kiima informs me that this fool attempted to modify
our agreement without consultation, Lord Haabu."
 
       "Yes, he did," Haabu said, gritting his teeth. "He
decided there was no difference between us and the poor,
stinking Han paying him for his services. He tried to pack
two-hundred or so of them aboard the ship with us."
 
       "I see."
 
       "While that might have been acceptable for the
purposes of this mission, it would never do for him to
attempt such a thing with Revered Grandmother and her party."
 
       "I quite agree," Shan Wa said, nodding gravely. "Shall
we terminate him as well as our agreement with him?"
 
       "No, I think not," Haabu said. "Unless you happen to
know a more reliable piece of scum with whom we may deal."
 
       Shan Wa shook her head.
 
       "I am afraid not, Lord Haabu. This sly fellow is about
the best of the lot."
 
       "Then we need to teach him a lesson about the sanctity
of agreements--especially agreements made with the
Joketsuzoku, yes?"
 
       Shan Wa grinned. The last person to see such a grin on
her face had died miserably.
 
       "You are quite correct, of course, Lord Haabu," Shan
Wa said. "Shall we go in and see him now?"
 
       "It is a thing best done quickly," Haabu said. "The
tides will not wait."
 
       Shan Wa nodded her head, then led the way across the
street. Once inside they found themselves being greeted by
Wan Li's male secretary. He was a big, beefy and irascible
sort of fellow. Wan Li had chosen him for the job because he
could intimidate most people.
 
       "Wan Li is too busy to see you now," the man said in a
growling voice. "Come back in two hours."
 
       "I am afraid that such an arrangement would be most
unsuitable in these circumstances," Shan Wa said in a mild
voice, while her body language suggested the forthcoming fall
of hell-fire and brimstone.
 
       Wan Li's secretary stared at the regally silent Haabu
then glanced nervously at Shan Wa. He licked his lips before
speaking.
 
       "He is too busy, I tell you! Go away! Come back in two
hours."
 
       Haabu formed a small ki-blade off the tips of his
fingers on his right hand, then sliced a narrow strip of wood
off the two-inch thick piece of oak forming the counter-top
between them and the secretary. Haabu caught the strip before
it could fall to the floor and began to examine it closely.
 
       Wan Li's secretary gulped, then said, "Right this way,
please." He opened the half-door in the counter and invited
them in with a wave of his hand. Haabu handed him the strip
of oak with a chilly smile. The secretary gulped again.
 
       "Thank you, my good fellow," Haabu said, then grinned
again as the man's knees began to knock together. As Shan Wa
opened the door to Wan Li's office, the secretary scrambled
out a side door.
 
       Wan Li's office was crowded with several of his
associates. They were busily counting their way through large
stacks of yuan and weighing the jade with which the
Joketsuzoku had paid for the ship. There was enough value in
the jade alone to make the man a multi-millionaire in the
United States. Gram for gram, jade is worth more than
diamonds and the Joketsuzoku had paid him with the deep
green, fine-grained variety of jade called "Imperial Jade."
Diamonds of the first water are mere trash alongside such
stone, especially in China.
 
       "Would you gentlemen excuse us for a moment, please?"
Shan Wa asked in her driest voice. "We need to have a word
with Wan Li."
 
       The other men took one look at Haabu's face and
decided that discretion was definitely the better part of
valor. Wan Li made the mistake of trying to bluster,  "How
dare you enter my offices without invitation! I should ... "
 
       "Shut up before your greed and atrocious manners cost
you your life, Wan Li," Shan Wa said in a cold voice, cutting
his tirade short.
 
       Wan Li took one look at the irate Haabu, floating a
half-meter above the floor, and decided that perhaps it might
be wise to hear what the tall young man had to say.
 
       "You have failed to live up to the terms of our
agreement, Wan Li," Haabu said. His voice put one in mind of
a saber sliding out of its scabbard.
 
       "Terms?" Wan Li asked, then gulped at the hard, dry
knot forming in his throat. "Which terms?"
 
       "We paid you quite well for passage to the Land of the
Wa," Haabu said, each word slicing into Wan Li's already
frayed nerves like so much sharp-edged glass. "We were to
have exclusive use of the ship and the services of its crew
for the period of one month."
 
       "Well ... yes ... but ..." Wan Li stammered, "that did
not exclude me from shipping cargo in the vessel."
 
       "Two-hundred poor, unwashed Han trying to escape this
miserable country do not fall into my definition of cargo,
Wan Li," Haabu said, his eyes now burning with murderous
intent.
 
       "I told the captain to quarter them in the cargo
hold!" Wan Li wailed. "Did he not follow my instructions?"
 
       "There is no room in the holds, you cursed fool!"
Haabu said with a hiss in his cold, quiet voice. "There is
the additional problem of attracting the attention of the
authorities upon our arrival in the Land of the Wa, or had
you not considered that?"
 
       "Ah, remember that we agreed that the authorities
there would be your pro ... " Wan Li stopped speaking when he
felt a warm trickle slide down his neck, then mingle with the
nervous sweat beneath his collar. The skin just below his
left jaw began to sting. It was then that he realized that
Haabu had formed a ki-blade and was holding its incredibly
sharp edge against his neck.
 
       "Enough of your obfuscation and circumlocution, Wan
Li," Shan Wa said in a very calm voice. "You agreed to
provide us with the exclusive use of a ship for the price we
paid. You have received your payment and it was a rather
handsome one at that.  We expect full use of the vessel and
the services of its crew, as per our agreement."
 
       "Of course, of course!" Wan Li said, with a very
nervous smile. "We made a little mistake, that's all. The
ship is yours for the next month, just as you say."
 
       Shan Wa gave Wan Li a warm smile, but Haabu did not
remove the one-molecule thick ki-blade from his neck.
 
       "Thank you, Wan Li," Shan Wa said, "I must say you
have proven most gracious under trying circumstances."
 
       "You're welcome?" Wan Li squeaked out.
 
       "What of the Han you sent aboard my ship?" Haabu asked
coldly.
 
       "Oh, they can wait for the _Rodriquez_ to return," Wan
Li said, sounding as cheerful as he could. "They are just
another bunch of malcontents searching for greener pastures."
 
       A dangerous tic appeared in Haabu's face. Wan Li
gasped as the ki-blade bit a little deeper into his flesh and
the trickle of blood became a steady rivulet. The front of
his shirt began turning bright red as the increased flow of
blood ran down into his collar and began soaking into his
clothing.
 
       "Your treatment of them makes you appear most
unreliable," Haabu said.
 
       Wan Li was now at a complete loss.
 
       "While they are not any part of our business, strictly
speaking," Shan Wa interjected, "your treatment of them
alarms us. Putting them aboard the same ship as our people
invited risks we have no wish to take."
 
       "And leaving them here unattended invites trouble as
well," Haabu said, his eyes narrowing. "It would be
operationally sloppy."
 
       Wan Li gulped, then tried to take a deep breath before
speaking. The feel of a sharp edge sliding further into his
flesh made him cut his breathing short.  "I have powerful
friends, you know."
 
       "Oh, we know who your partners are, Wan Li," Shan Wa
said. "We also understand that your little empire lasts only
so long as their anonymity is safe. Perhaps we should discuss
this matter with them?"
 
       "No!" Wan Li cried out. "No, I think we can find a way
to handle this situation without that."
 
       "Then you will find an out of the way place for the
Han to stay until they can catch another ship?" Haabu asked.
 
       Wan Li looked surprised.
 
       "And of course you will see to it that they are
properly fed and receive any medical care they might need,
correct?" Shan Wa asked.
 
       Wan Li looked outraged.
 
       "Why should I?"
 
       "Because we do not want two-hundred or more loose ends
in the form of desperate Han seeking redress in Shanghai,
while we try to take care of business!" Haabu said. His voice
had picked up a faint rumble, like distant thunder. Wan Li
paled as Haabu's ki-blade bit a little deeper.
 
       "I hadn't considered any of that," Wan Li said, his
face very pale and his voice shaking. "You should have
mentioned it."
 
       "A man in your business should not need such
reminders, Wan Li," Haabu said with heartfelt disgust in his
voice. "You have grown fat and complacent."
 
       Wan Li wet his pants as tears began streaming down his
face.
 
       "Think of it this way, Wan Li," Shan Wa said with a
warm smile and cold eyes. "You have already benefited greatly
by doing business with us in the past. You will benefit a
good deal more now and in the future, provided things do not
go awry."
 
       Hope began to faintly light Wan Li's face.
 
       "Should things go awry however," Shan Wa said in a
calm, even voice as she kept her cold eyes and ingratiating
smile fixed upon Wan Li's face, "it would be most unfortunate
for many people. Sadly, it would be very unfortunate for you
and your silent partners."
 
       "I ... I ... understand," Wan Li managed to stammer
out. Much to his relief, the ki-blade disappeared. It was not
withdrawn. It simply disappeared.
 
       "I am most gratified to hear that you do," Shan Wa
said, allowing her smile to grow wider as her eyes grew
colder. "You will also understand that it will be necessary
for me to work closely with you on some of these matters."
 
       Wan Li looked rather nonplussed at this, but a glance
at Haabu's merciless face convinced him to maintain his
silence. He simply nodded his head in response.
 
       "I will leave three of my men here with you, Shan Wa,"
Haabu said without removing his gaze from the long-suffering
Wan Li. "They lack subtlety, but they are most formidable
warriors, being Joketsu trained."
 
       "Thank you, Lord Haabu."
 
       Wan Li collapsed into his chair, obviously resigned to
the fact that he would now be closely watched by Shan Wa and
her fellow tribesmen. He began dabbing at the cut on his neck
with a clean towel.
 
       "I will remain here and make certain that Wan Li's
associates do not cheat him," Shan Wa said to Haabu. "After
the money is counted out, we will see after the Han."
 
       "Farewell, Shan Wa," Haabu said with his lips. His
face said, "Watch your back!"
 
       "May the wind be at your back, Lord Haabu," Shan Wa
said in answer, "and the seas calm."
 
       "Hmmph!" Haabu snorted. "I think I shall avoid
standing at the forepeak on this trip. The seas around The
Middle Kingdom are ever restless."
 
       Shan Wa chuckled, then nodded her head in agreement.
Haabu hurriedly made his way back to the _Rodriquez. She
looked around the room at the piles of money and other
valuables, then sighed.
 
       "Well," she said aloud to no one in particular, "a
Sunday afternoon spent counting money can't be all bad."

 
 
                   -------------------

 

 
       "Just one more blast and we'll be out of here, Jack!"
Ryouga said over his shoulder, then returned to examining
rock in front of him. They had not meant to break out of jail
on Sunday afternoon. Ryouga had simply gotten them lost on
their way to the prison cafeteria. It had been an accident.
Now, a week later, they were still trying to find their way
back to the jail in hopes of straightening things out with
Japanese authorities. Only three days had passed as time is
counted in Tokyo, but the pair had no way of knowing this.
 
       "Yeah, okay, Hibiki, but wait a second and  ... "
 
       "Bakusaitenketsu!"

       The solid granite wall in front Ryouga erupted into
thousands of sharp pieces that whizzed about the cavern
amidst vast clouds of swirling dust. Lacking Ryouga's
phenomenal durability, Jack Burton did his best to shelter
behind a boulder. The dust clogged his nostrils and made him
cough violently, something he definitely did not need, given
the number of wounds from which he already suffered. Ryouga
had been right about this most current blast being the last
one they needed. Sunlight began streaming through a large
hole in the stone wall.
 
        "OW! Ya did it to me again, Hibiki! I keep tellin'
ya! Ya gotta give me time ta ..."
 
       "Come on, Jack!" Ryouga cried out as he seized Burton
by the collar and began dragging the badly weakened American
towards the newly formed exit. "Let's get the hell out of
here!"
 
       "Dammit, Hibiki!" Burton cried out as he felt his
already battered body bounce and scrape over a countless
number of rocks and other debris. "Take it easy, will ya?
That hurts!"
 
       "Sorry, Jack," Ryouga said, sounding only slightly
contrite, "but I had to get us out of there."
 
       "Yeah, okay!" Jack said irritably. "Just try to
remember that I haven't had the training you've had, okay?"
 
       Ryouga nodded his head then looked around at their new
surroundings, as did Burton. They were in a forest of some
sort, that was for certain sure, but numerous little cues,
the smell of the leaf-litter, the shape of the leaves, the
texture of the bark, and the peculiar blue of the sky told
them that they were in yet another strange place.
 
       "Where the hell are we now?" the bedraggled pair
chorused.
 
       " ... are we now?"
 
       " ... we now?"
 
       " ... now?"
 
       "Please tell me we are NOT back in Oz again, Ryouga!"
 
       "Nah," Ryouga said as he scratched the back of his
head. "The echoes are way too sharp for this to be Oz."
 
       "Well it for damned sure isn't Kansas anymore, P-
Chan!"
 
       "Will you not call me that?" Ryouga shouted.
 
       " ... call me that?'
 
       " ... me that?"
 
       " ... that?"
 
       "Do you recognize anything about this place, Hibiki?"
 
       "Well," Ryouga said, again scratching the back of his
head. "I think I was here once before, but it was a long time
ago. It's a really weird place."
 
       Burton boggled at this statement.
 
       "Weirder than Oz, you mean?"
 
       "Oh, there's lots of places stranger than Oz," Ryouga
said, "Ever been to San Francisco?"
 
       "Okay, okay," Burton said, sounding defeated. "You
gotta point there, Hibiki. How weird exactly is the place,
that is assuming you really have been here before."
 
       "It's a lot weirder than San Francisco."
 
       "Oh, joy!" Burton replied.
 
       "A lot more dangerous, too."
 
       "More dangerous than Barsoom?"
 
       "Nah, 'bout the same as Barsoom, I think," Ryouga
said. "The trouble with this place is that we're not near as
light here as we were in Barsoom. I guess you might say it's
about like the East Side of Houston, or parts of New York
maybe."
 
       Burton began to look very glum.
 
       "Geez, Jack!" Ryouga exclaimed upon examining
companion for the first time in several hours. "You're a
mess!"
 
       Burton, who was now seated upon an ottoman-sized
boulder, looked disgusted as well as pained.
 
       "Oh, well thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, Doctor
Hibiki!" Burton said in sarcastic tones. "How long do you
think I have to live?"
 
       "A long time if we can get those cuts treated," Ryouga
said without so much as a blink of an eye, "but only thirty
days or so if we don't. They will turn septic on you."
 
       "I don't suppose you know the way to the nearest
clinic, do you Hibiki?"
 
       Ryouga suddenly looked very flustered.
 
       "Somehow, I didn't think so," Burton said with a heavy
sigh.
 
       "It is possible that I might be of some small
assistance, gentle sirs," a voice said from just out of sight
in the dark forest.
 
       Ryouga and Burton were still swiveling their heads in
a panicked effort to find the owner of it, when he stepped
out into the open. He was a tall old man, perhaps as tall as
two meters, with harsh blue eyes that somehow also held a
merry twinkle. He had a long, flowing white beard that
reached nearly to his knees and a wild shock of white hair
which poured out all around the rim of his conical hat. He
was leading one of the best horses Burton had ever seen.
 
       "Man! That is one helluva horse!" Burton exclaimed.
 
       The horse walked over to Burton and nuzzled him on the
cheek.
 
       "Easy, big fellow!" Burton said, with a chuckle. "You
belong to somebody else!"
 
       "No," the old man said, sounding amused, "he belongs
to no one but himself and he seldom takes a liking to
strangers. From whence do you fine gentlemen hail?"
 
       "My confused looking pal here is from Tokyo, Japan,"
Burton answered. "I'm from a little town in the Southern
United States."
 
       "How interesting!" the old man said, sounding
genuinely intrigued. "I've never heard of either place, and I
am very well traveled."
 
       "Well, Ryouga, old buddy," Burton said with the usual
sneer in his voice. "I guess that means we are thoroughly
lost -- Again!"
 


 
 
                      -------------------

 
          
       Half the week disappeared in flash for Nabiki Tendo,
yet in another way; the three days seemed to have lasted at
least a year. Even without the presence of Ranma and Akane,
Nerima's favorite source of excitement, things had not slowed
a bit. There was, as always, more than enough weirdness. On
top of the normal, background level of chaos, Nabiki had
found herself up to her eyebrows in business concerning
Kodachi Kuno and one French bicycle maker, who quickly proved
himself to be, well, idiosyncratic. The guy definitely had a
winner in his bicycle design, but seemed unwilling, or
perhaps he was simply unable, to take full advantage of it.
 
       The Frenchman's reluctance was not, as it turned out,
strictly a matter of laziness. Patent protection in Japan is,
in most ways, superior to that of other countries. On the
other hand, acquiring a Japanese patent is an expensive
process. Nabiki quickly discovered, much to her dismay, that
simply securing patent protection for Thibbideaux's design
would consume most of the capital she and her allied
investors could put into the venture. That would leave the
enterprise without the resources it needed to lease a larger
shop, hire craftsman and buy materials. Oh, and let's not
forget the new tooling and the design for same.
 
       Nabiki would have taken a pass on the whole thing had
it not been for a bit of Nerimaen weirdness stepping in at
the very last second. Kodachi Kuno, it turned out, spoke
almost perfect French. Not only did Kodachi speak French; she
knew the recipes for several of Thibbideaux's favorite
dishes. By Tuesday afternoon, Kodachi had the man literally
eating out of her hand. By Wednesday, he seemed to actually
enjoy hearing her laughter echo in his shop and was more than
willing to let Nabiki take a shot at securing a patent for
his design. Wednesday night thus found Nabiki Tendo hard at
work over a fresh set of ledgers, working out a business
plan. Actually, she was working out more than one business
plan. 
 
       The primary problem, of course, was money. There were
people Nabiki knew from whom she could get the money they
needed, but that presented a special set of problems of its
own. She had learned about it the hard way the year before
Ranma and his father arrived on their doorstep. She and her
investors had gotten into a deal that was simply too big for
them to see all the way through. She had been lucky in
finding Ichiro Kobayashi, rather than falling afoul of some
of the other sharks cruising around Tokyo. He had seen to it
that she and her investors got their money back. While her
associates had been more than happy with this outcome, Nabiki
had not been at all happy with it. The idea had been to turn
a profit on the affair, not settle for a mere break-even. She
had worked herself into the ground putting it all together
and Kobayashi swooped in with his mountains of cash, making
all the real money. She thought she had heard the last of
him, but was surprised a few days later when the older man
called and invited her out to lunch on a Saturday.
 
       Nabiki gave her younger-self a smirk in remembering
these events. She had accepted Kobayashi's invitation simply
because she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. Much to
her surprise, she never got the chance. Kobayashi gave her a
piece of his mind--a very valuable one. He first annoyed the
hell out of her by ordering for both of them without asking
her what she would like to have, then let her stew in black
silence until their tea had been served.
 
       "So, are you still upset with me?" Kobayashi had
asked.
 
       Nabiki had expected any number of things, from a
marriage proposal to a job offer as junior clerk in the
Kobayashi offices, or perhaps the man had invited her out
simply to gloat. She had not expected him to ask this
question.
 
       "Yes," Nabiki had said, working hard to keep a tremor
out of her voice. "I am! I worked my ass off putting that
deal together and never made a single yen from it."
 
       Kobayashi's answering smile had been as cold as the
dark side of the moon, but his eyes remained merry.
 
       "You and your partners got your money back, did you
not?"
 
       Nabiki had not been able to restrain a frustrated sigh
before answering.
 
       "Yes, but that was not why I did all of that work."
 
       Kobayashi seemed to look inwards and then chuckled.
 
       "I know the feeling," he had said. "I had the same
thing happen to me when I was your age."
 
       Nabiki was taken back considerably by this revelation.
While life in Japan had always been easier for men, no one
paid serious attention to a male until he was at least forty-
-especially just after World War Two. Kobayashi should not
have been able to get into the fix Nabiki and her cohorts had
found themselves in. Money and credibility would have been
much harder for Kobayashi to come by back in those days. Then
again, she should not have been able to get into the fix she
and her cohorts had gotten into.
 
       "You remind me very much of my younger self."
 
       "Who bailed you out?" Nabiki had asked. She remembered
biting her tongue after asking that question because she
immediately realized that she had done more than ask an
impertinent question. She had made an admission. An admission
that Kobayashi did not fail to notice. He laughed out loud
before answering.
 
       "My father," he had told her.
 
       Nabiki must have given him an "I thought so" kind of
stare, because Kobayashi's smile broadened even further, even
as he waved his hand to put off what he saw as an incoming
protest.
 
       "He was not nearly so kind to my friends and me, as I
was to you and yours," Kobayashi had told her. "He broke our
asses, then threw me out of the house for two years."
 
       Nabiki thought this one over. Had she failed
completely, Soun Tendo would not have thrown her out of his
house. The bankers would have thrown them all out. What her
excitable father might have done after that was not something
Nabiki had liked thinking about.
 
       "Perhaps your father did the right thing, Kobayashi-
san," Nabiki had said in a contrite voice. "My entire family
had not been that far from the same fate when you came
along."
 
       "I know," Kobayashi had said with a smirk. "I never
invest until I have all the details. Have you come to
understand what you did wrong?"
 
       Nabiki began rattling off facts and figures. What
those figures had boiled down to was that she and her
associates had lacked the capital to see the thing through.
What was more, they had never had a hope of acquiring such
sums; thus they had been forced to turn to Kobayashi for
help. He could have simply cut a deal with their principles
and left Nabiki and her partners completely out in the cold.
Kobayashi had gone to the trouble of buying them out instead.
 
       "Stupid girl!" Kobayashi had all but shouted. "You are
not seeing the forest for the trees!"
 
       Nabiki remembered being on the verge of tears and
willing her eyes to remain dry with all her might. Kobayashi
had stared at her for a long, silent moment, letting her
suffer before continuing.
 
       "You are a very courageous young woman. You are very
smart. You have an excellent nose for sniffing out potential
profits and you are a brilliant tactician," Kobayashi had
said in gentler tones. "You made no mistakes in those areas."
 
       "So where did I go wrong."
 
       "Your strategy was in error," Kobayashi had said.
Enthusiasm had begun to fill his voice as he continued to
expound, "This caused you to put the deal together in the
wrong order."
 
       "The wrong order?"
 
       "Yes!" Kobayashi said. He had begun to sound like a
ten-year-old who had just been given a brand new, toy truck.
"What was the single, most essential part of the whole
thing?"
 
       Nabiki had rolled this over in her mind. Everything
had seemed important to her when she had begun, but one thing
had turned out to be crippling.
 
       "The docks down on the south end," Nabiki had said.
"There was no way to get enough lumber in or finished pallets
out by truck. In the end, we were no better than our
competition. Sometimes we were not as good. They had been
dealing with the trucking companies a lot longer than we
had."
 
       "Are you beginning to understand now how you 'found'
me?"
 
       Nabiki remembered feeling outraged. The Kobayashi clan
had been in the tug and barge business long before the war.
Of course Kobayashi would have realized early on that their
little company was in dire straits. He must have known they
were going to lose before they themselves had realized it.
 
       "How come you didn't step in an wipe us out early on?"
Nabiki had asked. "You could have done that and made more
money."
 
       Kobayashi had chuckled at this question.
 
       "It took me quite a while to figure out that Soun
Tendo's sole connection to the pallet business was you, his
under-aged daughter. You hid your tracks very well, Tendo-
san. That was some of the best footwork I ever encountered.
Once I discovered that it was a minor who had put this whole
thing together, I was fascinated. Watching you struggle
turned out to be much more entertaining than making the
money."
 
       Nabiki remembered, now much to her embarrassment, that
her mouth had fallen open in shock.
 
       "You put up a magnificent fight!" Kobayashi had said,
beaming at her.
 
       Nabiki had put her hand over her mouth and blushed
furiously. She had turned her face away from Kobayashi in
shame. Kobayashi then reached across the table and placed a
hand on her arm.
 
       "Courage and drive such as yours are a very rare
thing, Tendo-san," he had said to her in gentle tones. "You
have nothing of which you need be ashamed. There isn't a
businessman in Nerima who was not impressed by what you did.
Hell, quite a few of the boys downtown know about you. They
ask about you nearly every time they see me."
 
       The tears had begun to flow despite Nabiki's best
efforts to control them, but she looked Kobayashi in the eyes
anyway.
 
       "They haven't heard the last of me, you know."
 
       Kobayashi had laughed and slapped the table at this.
 
       "Good!" he had cried out with a hoot. "We need more
youngsters like you."
 
       Nabiki's formal lesson then being over, Kobayashi
proceeded to spend the rest of their leisurely meal regaling
her with stories about the deals he and put together, large
and small, money-makers and losers. She had learned more from
that one encounter than she had learned from any and every
book about money she had ever found and read. Yet of all the
things she had learned that day, the "Kobayashi Principle"
was the one that had burned into her very soul. Never again
would she fail to take care of what mattered most, first.
 
       The key to this bicycle deal was a secure patent. With
that in hand, she could go to Kobayashi and his friends and
still be relatively well assured that she and her friends
would get a decent return on their investment. Without the
key part of the deal however, they would be far better off if
she simply picked up the phone and handed the entire thing to
Kobayashi on a platter. He had proven generous with his
commissions when she had done that sort of thing in the past.
Nabiki had little doubt that he would be ruthless with her
though, if she made the same mistake twice. If she could find
enough capital however, enough to actually get the bicycles
into production, she and her associates stood to make even
more money out of the deal, even if Kobayashi and his friends
took over the entire show. The trick was to find the capital
they needed to get that far. She needed a large sum of money
with a minimum number of strings attached in order to pull
that off. If she could, she would earn the respect of more
than a few financial powerhouses around town, not to mention
shocking a Kuno or two speechless. Of course, shocking a Kuno
speechless was only slightly more difficult than finding
fifty million yen with no strings attached, especially given
that she was determined to find it without swindling a Kuno.
 
       Nabiki's ruminations and calculations were interrupted
by a knock at her door.
 
       "Nabiki-oneechan?"
 
       "Yes, Kasumi?"
 
       "I'm serving dinner now."
 
       "I'll be right there, Sis!"
 
       "All right."
 
       Nabiki stretched the kinks out of her back as she
stood up. One day soon she would be a rich Sybarite. Once
that goal was achieved, she would see to it that Kasumi never
wanted for anything. In the meantime though, it was time to
eat. She made her way downstairs, only to find that they had
company. An ugly little man she had never seen before.
 
       Clearly the man was ancient. His face had the
appearance of statue left exposed to the elements for a
thousand years, yet he was muscled in a way that would have
made Arnold Schwarznegger envious. Much to Nabiki's surprise,
the old man walked with a very pronounced limp, seeming to
have only slight control over his right foot. His skin seemed
dirty, even though she could tell he had recently bathed and
his thick, grey hair made him look as though he were wearing
a cap made of ashes.
 
       "Sensei," Soun said to the powerfully built old man,
"this is my second daughter, Nabiki."
 
       "She is quite lovely, Tendo-san," the old man said as
he smiled and bowed in Nabiki's direction.
 
       "Nabiki, this is Sensei Ichiro Tetsugo," Soun said.
"Among other things, he is a master blacksmith."
 
       Well, Nabiki thought to herself. That explains his
appearance. I wonder why he limps. Belatedly remembering her
manners, she bowed to the older man in return.
 
       "The pleasure is mine, Tetsugo-sensei," Nabiki said.
"Welcome to Tendo-ke."
 
       "Thank you, Tendo-chan," Tetsugo said with a smile.
"It is a pleasure to visit. You were quite young the last
time I was here."
 
       "Shall we eat?" Kasumi asked cheerfully.
 
       Everyone gratefully sat down and dug into the evening
repast with gusto. Genma, Nabiki noted with interest, seemed
to be on his best behavior and was actually displaying some
rudimentary knowledge of basic manners. She found this
puzzling, given that their guest was merely a blacksmith. The
conversation over their after-dinner tea offered a dim clue,
but only a dim one.
 
       "So, do you have the blood we need?" Tetsugo asked
Soun. "We have done as much as we may without it."
 
       The Tendo patriarch closed his eyes and slapped his
forehead with the palm of his hand. Genma followed suit.
 
       "Blood?" Nabiki asked, sounding vaguely alarmed. "What
sort of blood?"
 
       "This sort," a disembodied voice from above the table
answered as two brassieres fluttered down through the air,
only to settle noiselessly upon the table. The errant
lingerie, Nabiki noticed, did bear some rather sizeable
stains of a brownish red color. One of them was two cup-sizes
larger than the other. No sooner had she taken all this in,
than Happosai, whose voice Nabiki had already recognized,
gently settled feet first onto the middle of the dining
table. 
 
       "I thought you were going on a trip, Gramps," Nabiki
said.
 
       "I am," Happosai said, sounding irritated, "but I
decided to stop by here and check up on things first. Looks
like it's a good thing I did."
 
       Both Soun and Genma blanched while Tetsugo merely
looked amused by the entire thing.
 
       "Here's the blood you need, Tetsugo," Happosai said as
he held up the larger of the two brassieres "How the hell
have you been, anyway? Long time no see!"
 
       "I have been quite well, all things considered, Master
Happosai," Tetsugo answered as he accepted the proffered item
of lingerie. "You are still as spry as ever, I see."
 
       "Oh, well! I do get a catch in my get-along once in
while," Happosai said with fake wince as he offered Tetsugo
the smaller brassiere. "The big one is the boy's, this one is
his student's."
 
       Tetsugo dangled the larger brassiere by one strap,
then cocked an eyebrow at Genma. "This is your son's?"
 
       "Urgh! ... Uh ... Ah, well ..."  Genma choked,
blushed, then glanced around the room as though checking to
see if Nodoka were around.
 
       "Of course it's his!" Happosai said with a laugh.
 
       "He must lead a very interesting life, Saotome-san,"
Tetsugo said. "Would that I could have been comforted so
whenever I was made to bleed."
 
       "Oh, you're too right about that, Tetsugo!" Happosai
said with a cackle. "The boy certainly does lead an
interesting life!"
 
       "So how, pray tell," Tetsugo asked with a grin, "did
this happen."
 
       Soun leapt into the fray.
 
       "Ah, well ... ah ... you see, Sensei it was a ... aaah
..."
 
       "Unusual accident!" Genma interjected.
 
       Happosai guffawed while Kasumi giggled and Nabiki
smirked.
 
       "Yes! A series of unusual accidents, actually!" Soun
added.
 
       "Say," Happosai interjected, "isn't it about time for
the moon to rise?"
 
       "Yes, it certainly is, Master Happosai," Tetsugo said.
"Perhaps we had best get started, gentlemen."
 
       Soun and Genma nodded in unison, then the pair of them
hastened towards the open shogi of the engawa.
 
       "Don't let these two old slackers fool you now,
Tetsugo!" Happosai said in a gleeful tone. "They are both
plenty strong, but they are lazy and stupid! Ya have to watch
'em all the time!"
 
       Soun and Genma winced in unison as Tetsugo smiled at
the diminutive founder of the Anything Goes School. "I'm sure
they'll do just fine, Master Happosai."
 
       "You'll have to see that they do, Tetsugo!"
 
       Soun and Genma beat a hasty exit off the engawa.
Tetsugo followed them, giving Happosai and nonchalant wave of
the hand as he departed.
 
       Nabiki stood up and stretched her back muscles again.
Happosai watched appreciatively as she did so.
 
       "Why don't you go ahead and go now, Kasumi?" Nabiki
asked. "I'll take care of the dishes."
 
       "Are you sure, Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi asked, sounding
concerned. "You look awfully tired."
        
       "She looks and smells like shark-bait to me!" Happosai
interjected, looking as though he might yield unto temptation
and bite.  Nabiki gave him her level one glare before
answering her sister's question.
 
       "I'm fine, Sis! Go on and get out of here."
 
       "Thank you, Nabiki-chan."
 
       "You're welcome, Sis. Give Tofu a hug for me."
 
       "I will," Kasumi said with a smile as she removed her
apron and bounded up the stairs.
 
       Happosai watched Kasumi until she disappeared up the
stairs, then said in a low voice, "Free at last! Free at
last. Thank God all mighty! Free at last."
 
       Nabiki gave the old man a questioning look, then began
gathering up the dishes. "As if you really cared one way or
the other, Gramps."
 
       "You might be surprised, Nabiki-chan."
 
       "I doubt it," Nabiki said. "You've been going over my
books, haven't you?" Nabiki asked as she carried a load of
dishes towards the kitchen.
 
       "You knew I would," Happosai answered as he followed
her into the hallowed space.
 
       "Sure, I knew. Did you find the right books?"
 
       "Yes," Happosai said, "And I found the ones that tell
me you are thinking of taking another swim with the sharks."
 
       "You underestimate me, Gramps."
 
       "Do I now?" Happosai asked, sounding amused. "I hear
you've founded your own school of capitalism."
 
       "Do tell!" Nabiki said with a sneer in her voice.
 
       "They say that you have even taken on a Kuno as your
first student." 
 
       "It's just a swindle to keep Kodachi away from Ranma,
Gramps."
 
       "Oh, really?" Happosai asked with a skeptical note in
his voice. "Is that why your entertaining the notion winging
a deal with fifty-million put to the touch?"
 
       "I worked that out just for drill, Gramps," Nabiki
answered with a cold smile. "Think of it as kata."
 
       "Pretty tough kata, if you ask me."
 
       "What we really hope to do is to secure the patents
for this new type of bicycle," Nabiki said, pausing so that
she could look down at Happosai and not run into anything.
"Then we can get a decent cut from the big boys when they
move in."   
 
       "But you'd get a much bigger cut if you had that
fifty-million, right?"
 
       "Sure, but what are the odds? Anyone with fifty-
million doesn't need me or my partners."
 
       "How long before you have the patents?"
 
       "Six weeks or so, I think. We're investing enough to
expedite the process. Why?"
 
       "Well the timing might work then."
 
       "What timing?" Nabiki asked, now truly puzzled.
 
       "Wait a week or so, then go talk to Ko Lon," Happosai
said, looking very serious. "You might just get your fifty-
million in risk capital."
 
       "Ko Lon?" Nabiki asked. "Where the hell would she get
that kind of money?"
 
       "Oh, it's available to her, or will be soon."
 
       "In a couple of weeks, huh?"
 
       "A little longer, maybe."
 
       "So what do I do? Wait until she suddenly closes her
restaurant and buys a mansion?"
 
       "Oh, you'll know it when the time comes," Happosai
said.
 
       "Oh, really? How would I know anything about what goes
on in Little Amazonia?"
 
       "Because what's important is going on in Big Amazonia
and I have forewarned you about it, Nabiki-chan."
 
       Nabiki placed her hands on her hips, then stared down
at Happosai.
 
       "Whatever you say, Gramps."
 
       "Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll realize I'm
telling you like it is, Nabiki."
 
       "Okay, Gramps. I will. Anything else you want to give
me notice about?"
 
       "Nope. I already told you when I'd be back," Happosai
said as he made for the outer door of the engawa.
 
       "Gramps?"
 
       "Mmm?"
 
       "What's the story on this Tetsugo guy?
 
       "Too much to tell right now, Nabiki-chan," Happosai
said, "but you've probably read about him in class."
 
       "Which class?" Nabiki asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Ancient History?"
 
       Happosai gave Nabiki an enigmatic smile. "If you were
to be real, real nice to him," Happosai said as his smile
became a lascivious grin, "he might make you a pretty or two.
He does beautiful work, you know."
 
       "I think I'll pass, Gramps," Nabiki said.
 
       "Suit yourself, then."
 
       "I always do."
   
       "Be seeing you, Nabiki."
 
       "See ya, Gramps."
 
       After Nabiki finished with the dishes, she returned to
her room only to find a thick envelope lying atop the open
ledgers on her desk. Inside were a million-yen in crisp, new
bills and a note from Happosai, which read simply, "I want
in." Nabiki could not help but feel flattered.



 
 
                      -------------------

END PART IXA.

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