Ranma cursed quietly to herself as she walked out of
the restroom.  She had planned to try and wind down
from speaking.  Getting a strip of flesh verbally
peeled from her back by that girl did not fit in well
with that.

	"Why does she think I'm lying anyway?" Ranma asked
the air around her.  She leaned against the wall and
caught her breath before going back inside that room. 
She had been on edge before, dealing with those
strangers, publicly admitting to her weakness. 
"Akane."  

Akane was probably still testifying while she was
cowering out here.  Ranma took a deep breath and
slipped into the Soul of Ice again.  She opened the
doors and quietly entered the audience chamber again
and walked softly up the aisle, focusing on where
Akane was standing at that table and talking.

	"You think the principal is dangerous because he
wanted to give you a bowl cut?" somebody asked.

	"No," Akane said angrily.  "I think he's dangerous
because he tosses around bombs on a daily basis."  He
felt someone squeeze his hand and turned around to see
Ranma sitting down in the chair he had used for
Ranma's turn.  His eyes narrowed and he gave Ranma a
concerned look, leaning over and whispering, "Are you
okay?" 

	"Yeah," Ranma said, giving a shaky smile to assure
her.  ~I must look messed up,~ Ranma thought, wiping
at her face with her sleeve.

	"Saotome-san," one of the board members said.  "Could
you return your attention to the matter at hand?"  The
man continued apologetically as Akane leveled a
restrained glare in their direction.  "The sooner we
get through this, the sooner all of us can have it
over with."

	"I suppose so," Akane admitted, releasing a breath. 
He glanced at Ranma cautiously and then back to them. 
"Listen, he personally is dangerous, even if you
forget everything else, you can't ignore that."

	"Your school has a number of these martial artists
attending, correct?"  It was that same cynic.	"It
would seem extreme measures would have to be taken."

	"There were six on campus," Akane said.  "Six.  Two
of them staff.  Most of the students are just normal
kids.  And we only ever fight on campus when we have
to or it�s a school sporting event.  Hell, aside from
sparring, we only ever fight in formal matches or when
we have to!"

	"So you're saying that there is no need for the
Principal's behavior," someone summarized.  Ranma and
Akane's necks cricked.

	"That about covers it," Akane said irritably, eyes
narrowed.  "As if there is a purpose to trying a make
the students tardy so that you can punish them."

	"Excuse me?" One of the board asked.

	"It's something he did one time," Akane said. 
"Locked the gates, set up booby traps along our path
to school.  Tried to fight people away from getting in
the school.  Is there a practical reason for that?" 
There was silence for quite a few moments.  "Didn't
think so."

	Akane waited patiently until they formally dismissed
her, but it was quite obvious that he came out ahead
in the exchange.  He bowed in acknowledgment to the
board and turned to Ranma.

	"I don't need help standing up," Ranma said with a
slight smile in response to Akane's outstretched hand.

	"I know," Akane said, a little embarrassed.  Ranma
took the hand anyway and stood up, leaning into Akane.
 She concentrated on holding that hand and her feet as
they walked back to their seats by everyone else.

	"The morning is almost done," some one said.  "I
propose we adjourn for lunch until two o'clock."

	"Agreed," was the answer, and people began filing out
of the room.  Nabiki looked up as one of her
associates broke way towards them.  

"Excuse me a moment," she said, narrowing her eyes as
she stood up to meet the girl halfway to the others.

	"It's only eleven o'clock," Akane said.  He paused as
he thought about that.  "Umm, how'd it get so late?" 
She watched Nabiki and her friend talking quietly,
noting the worried expression on the other girl's
face.  This was the first time Nabiki had been out of
the house since Ryouga had gotten lost, and she was
worried about her sister.

	"Well, Hinako-san and some of the other teachers
spoke first," Kasumi reminded her, also watching
Nabiki.  "Should we be leaving?"

	"No, Ucchan was gonna meet us here," Ranma reminded
them.  "She should be by any time now."  

A large envelope passed from the girl to Nabiki and
the middle Tendo opened it and started sorting through
the material, without taking it completely out.  Her
face started out mildly annoyed and suddenly turned
ashen gray before she let the materials fall back into
the envelope and closed it again.

Kodachi, watching Nabiki like everyone else, glanced
at her smiling father as he passed them and frowned. 
She turned to face Akane, obviously angry.

	"Would you like some hot water, Akane," she asked
politely.

	"Yeah, sure," Akane answered, blinking at the
non-sequitur.  Kodachi nodded and stood up to head out
of the room.	

	"What was that about?" Akane asked as Nabiki came
back to them, letting Kodachi past her.

	"Nothing," Nabiki said.  Akane glanced at the other
girl's worried glance over her shoulder as she joined
the other people leaving the area.

	"Are you okay, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.  Nabiki's face
still looked somewhat gray as she forced a smile in
Ranma's direction.

	"I can handle it," Nabiki said.  "You're going to
wait outside for Ukyou I take it."

	"You don't want to wait with us?" Kasumi asked. 
Nabiki shook her head.

	"I've...got to think about something," she said. 
"I'm going to go get some ice cream."  She waved and
started to walk away.

	"Nabiki," Ranma said standing up.  The other girl
passed into the exiting crowd before she could reach
her.  And then Hinako was in front of her.

	"You did great Saotome-san!  Are you...um...feeling
okay?" Hinako asked.

	"Thanks teach," Ranma said quietly, wincing at the
reminder of her own recent testimony.  Akane stood up
behind her, rubbing her shoulders and looking toward
where Nabiki had left.

	"We appreciate the concern, Hinako-san," Kasumi said.
 "But we're sort of in a hurry."  The eldest sister
was also standing up and anxious to follow Nabiki.

"Oh?"  Hinako looked around.  "Wasn't Nabiki just
here?"

	"She left," Ranma said.

	"She is going to testify, isn't she?" Hinako asked,
looking at the suddenly cold looks she was getting. 
"I don't talk well like this."  Complained the
child-formed teacher.  "I don't wanna be mean, but
umm..." she looked at her feet and continued softly. 
"They'll say what happened to you was just..."

	"I get it yeah," Ranma said, shivering.  "Just
something that happens to Ranma, right?"  Hinako
flushed and nodded.

	"Sorry, Saotome-san," Hinako said.

	"Ranma, Akane," Kasumi said.  "Why don't you see if
you can catch up with Nabiki.  I'll wait here for
Ukyou-san."

Ranma snapped a look at her and flushed as she
realized she had forgotten Nabiki in dwelling on
herself.  She glanced up at Akane's face, anxiously
split between comforting Ranma and going after his
sister.

	"Hai," Ranma said.

	"We'll make sure she's all right," Akane promised. 
Then both martial artists leaped over Hinako and went
after the last traces of the exiting onlookers.

	"I'm really, reallyreallyreallyreally, REALLY sorry,
Kasumi-san," Hinako said.

	"That's okay, Hinako-san," Kasumi said patiently. 
"You're not to blame for your condition."

*********

	Ryouga winced as he recognized where he had wandered
into.  The last time he had been on this particular
farm he had given the resident some information that
she had not taken kindly.  There was the chance that
she might have calmed down since then.  At least she
might let him use her phone.  He managed to acquire
what he believed was the front door and hesitantly
knocked on the door.

	"May I..." Akari's tone turned a little apologetic. 
"Oh...Ryouga-Kun."

	"Uh, hi, Akari-san," Ryouga said, embarrassed.  "I
know you probably don't want to see me, after last
time, but...umm..."

	"No, no," she said.  "I was just a little upset, a
girl does not like to be told that she was the rebound
girlfriend.  Or that he tried to use magic to make
some other girl fall in love with him, or that he's
been posing as a pet to get into that girl's bed." 
Akari's voice turned shades more hostile as she
continued, but she shook her head clear and replaced
the pleasant expression.  "I apologize again, perhaps
I am still a little upset.  Those were the acts of an
adolescent boy, I should not further punish the grown
man who admitted and repented of his actions."

	"Yeah, well," Ryouga said, scratching the back of his
head.  Akari smiled, amused.  "Umm, can I use your
phone?"

	"Certainly," Akari said, opening the door wide and
stepping out of the way.  "And perhaps you can stay
for tea and we can discuss...things?"

	"Umm, yeah," Ryouga said.  He walked into the house
cautiously, still expecting Akari to go back to being
hostile to him.  "Where's your grandfather?"

	"He is out on the grounds," Akari said.  She watched
him nervously make his way to the phone.  The farm
girl demurely sat down in a chair to watch and talk. 
"So how are things in Nerima?  I do not get much
chance to go down to town of late."

	"Yeah," Ryouga said.  He picked up the phone and
dialed.  "You haven't been around much, but it must be
quiet a walk from here to Nerima."

	"Oh, we're just a few miles out of town," Akari said,
wondering how he missed her reference to "going to
town."

	"Really," Ryouga said, surprised.  He turned his
attention back to the phone and sighed irritably as it
kept ringing.

	"Yes," Akari said.  She paused a moment.  "How are
Ranma and Akane?  You mentioned they had settled
down."  He had almost moaned about it in fact.  He
mentioned some "horrid atrocity" but he hadn't made
himself very clear.  It had not been a good build up
for him to tell her about his past actions.

	"She's doing a lot better," Ryouga said.  Akari was
taken aback.  "Acts more normal at times."

	"Did something happen to Akane?" Akari asked.

	"No, Ranma," Ryouga said, confused.  He hung the
phone up and picked it up again.  He looked at her
nervously and guiltily.  "Didn't I already say
something about that?"

	"You might have," Akari admitted.  "But I don't
remember it clearly.  Why did you refer to Ranma as
'she'?"  She decided not to comment on how relieved he
was that she didn't remember.

	"I didn't," Ryouga said.  Akari blinked, she supposed
it was possible that she misheard.  He turned back to
the phone.  "Kodachi this is...an answering machine,
great."  He hung up and started dialling again.

	"What did happen to Ranma?" Akari asked.  She did not
know them too well, but they her friends.  Even if one
of them had unwittingly been her rival.  Besides Akane
and Ranma were together now, Akane held no threat to
her.

	"I don't know that I should be saying anything,"
Ryouga said, pausing in picking up the phone.

	"Please, if there's anything I can do to help them,"
Akari suggested, letting the phrase trail off.  Ryouga
held the phone and took a deep breath, then started
dialing again.

	"I shouldn't have said anything last time," Ryouga
said simply.

*********

	Ukyou was in the process of running the final check
over the restaurant before leaving it in Konatsu's
hands when the phone rang next to her.

	"Ucchan's Okonomiyaki," she said cheerfully.  Then
her demeanor changed to one of irritation, and she
hung the phone up.

*********

	"Okay," Ryouga said.  "She's still mad at me."

	"Who's Ukyou?" Akari asked warily as Ryouga dialed
again.

	"Wait, Ukyou!  Don't hang up!" Ryouga insisted when
the phone was picked up again.  "What's with you
recently?  You're going around acting like everyone's
dark avenger.  I thought you gave up fighting."

*********

	"I did," Ukyou said, taking a deep breath.  "Stop
getting into the lecturing, I got to get out of here
like five minutes ago."  She listened for a moment. 
"The school board hearing is today you dimwit!  I'm
already late because I had to carry Konatsu through
breakfast rush.  Oh, you were gone before that got
announced, I forgot."  

She paused and listened to Ryouga ask how he was
supposed to get to there before it ended.  

"You should have thought of that before you wandered
off, jerk!"  She slammed the phone down and walked out
the door.

*********

	"School Board Hearing?" Akari repeated, thinking
back.  

She stood up and moved out of the room.  There was a
pile of old papers in the back that they used for
starting fires when it started getting colder, among
other purposes.  She had found the paper she was
looking for, she had noticed it before, but hadn't
thought to read it seriously.  Maybe she hadn't wanted
to.

	Akari turned to the bulk of the story after scanning
the first page.  The paragraphs that had convinced her
it was just one of those plots the principal
apparently produced from time to time.  She finally
reached the part about an unnamed student accusing a
member of the kendo team of "improper advances"

	~Horrid atrocity.~ ~She's doing a lot better.  Acts
more normal at times.~ ~What did happen to Ranma?~ 
Akari gasped, put a hand to her mouth and dropped the
paper back in the stacks.  "Oh Kami."

	"Wait, Ukyou, how am I supposed to do Nabiki any good
out here!?" Ryouga shouted.  Akari froze.  "Damn it! 
Ukyou's really getting creepy lately.  It's not like I
was pretending to be her pet."  Akari came back into
the room and watched him as he sat down dejected.

	"Nabiki too?" Akari asked quietly.  She didn't know
Akane's sister well at all.  Not more than what she
had heard.

	"She shouldn't have to be afraid like that," Ryouga
said morosely, thinking of Nabiki's breakdown.  Akari
closed her eyes and sighed.  "Wait, you said you
didn't remember."

	"When you mentioned the school board," she explained.
 "It reminded me of something."

	"I REALLY shouldn't have said anything," he said.

	"Ryouga-kun," Akari said hesitantly.  Ryouga looked
up at her.  "Do you need a ride into town?"  He looked
confused for a moment and then his face brightened
immediately.

	"Oh, thank you, Akari-san," he said.  "Do you know
the address?"

	"Perhaps you can get it from that Ukyou-person?"
Akari suggested.  Ryouga's face dropped again, and
Akari felt a pain in her chest at the obvious concern
he was showing.  For someone else.  "There's no harm
in trying."

She shouldn't have lost her temper last time.  It was
just, after so many years of being calm and then
getting told she was the rebound.  And all
those...questionable things Ryouga had confessed to. 
She found herself unable to take it.

	"Yeah," Ryouga agreed.  "I guess not."  He started
dialing again.  "Konatsu?  Oh, thank the kami it's
you, do you know the address to the hearing?"  Akari
felt her own hope drying up, but she had to see to be
sure.

*********

	Jin walked out of the bathroom after finally pulling
herself together.  In the hallway that Kuno girl was
at the pay phone and virtually yelling into it.

	"I don't care how difficult it was," Kodachi snapped.
 "You assured me that you would have the materials
here by now!  If you can not deliver do not make the
promises!"  Kodachi paused a moment.  "Of course I'm
upset, my father is over here making a further mockery
of the clan.  If that's even possible.  Now tell me,
do you have the files?  Good.  Please bring them here
with all dispatch."  She hung up the phone and turned
toward the restroom to see Jin, she instantly frowned.

	Jin flinched at the look.  After the display Ranma
had just given her, it was hard to forget what the
possibilities of being alone with a martial artist
were.  She was comforted to note the light bandaging
around Kodachi's arms.  As she remembered that
Kodachi's bandages had first gone on more than a week
ago she became nervous again.

	"You're that rabid little commoner from before,"
Kodachi said with a sneer.  Jin bridled at the
commoner comment, recovering some courage. 

"What do you mean by commoner?" Jin asked, a little
warily.

"Never mind." Kodachi glanced toward the hearing room
and then back towards Jin.  "Was Ranma-san's rather
distressed appearance your doing?"

	"She's distressed?" Jin asked.  "She was just
terrorizing me in the restroom."

	"That 'little piece of fluff' was terrorizing you?"
Kodachi asked, pointing out the discrepancies in Jin's
descriptions of Ranma.  "How interesting."

	"What are you doing here?" Jin demanded, ignoring the
comment.

	"Dealing with my father," Kodachi said simply.

	"You're siding with that pervert against your
family?" Jin said shocked.  Kodachi narrowed her eyes.
 "Why?"

	"Little girl," Kodachi growled.  "Who do you think it
was that pulled that...person off of her?  How many
people live at the Kuno estate?"  Jin swallowed
nervously.  She hmphed.  "Such a coward."  She walked
away from the girl towards the restroom to get Akane's
hot water.

	~Ranma's not lying about the rape,~ Jin thought.  She
had pretty much been decided by Ranma's behavior in
the restroom, but she didn't really want to admit it
to herself.  ~Oh shit.~

	Jin moved out of the way as the doors opened and
people started filtering out.  She moved far out of
the way as a group of five boys started walking by. 
She watched them angrily, and took note of the cast on
one of them with a mixture of satisfaction and guilt. 
Then she saw Nabiki gliding past her.

	"Excuse me," she said.  Nabiki turned to face her and
glared angrily.  Before she could respond to the girl,
Jin continued weakly.  "I...wanted to ask about
Ranma."  Nabiki looked her up and down and continued
walking along.  Jin matched pace with her.

	"Ask her," Nabiki said sharply.  Jin looked at her
feet a moment.

	"I can't yet," she said.  Nabiki let out a frustrated
sigh.

	"Are you going to follow me until I talk to you?"
Nabiki asked angrily as they turned onto the sidewalk
and parted away from the crowds.

	"I thought it was a scam," Jin admitted.  She mumbled
under her breath.  "I wonder if Kuno had a camera
ready."  Nabiki froze.  "I'm sorry about what I did
before.  I just want you to let Ranma know that
I'm..."

	"What did you say?" Nabiki asked.

	"I wanted you to let Ranma know that I apologized,"
she said, confused.  Nabiki shook her head.

	"No, the other thing," she said.  "About the camera. 
What was that?"  Jin bit her lip and paled.  Nabiki
fingered the envelope in her hands.  No, she didn't
want to open up to this girl, even on the chance that
they shared that thing in common.  Nabiki remembered
the scene in the theater too clearly.  "I'll tell
Ranma what you said."

	"Thank you," Jin said quietly, looking sick.

	"I take it you'll be around for later," Nabiki said. 
Jin looked at her, pale.

	"Maybe," she said.  "I don't know."  Nabiki nodded
and shrugged before walking down the street.  Jin
watched leave and took a deep breath, before walking
to a phone.

	"Mom," she said quietly after dialing.  "I'm not
looking for another job.  I'm at that hearing. 
Y...yes.  I...think I need you to..."  She leaned into
the phone.  "Could you please come down here?"

*********

	Kodachi walked out of the restroom carrying a paper
cup full of hot water and caught the tail end of the
crowd leaving.  This was followed shortly by Ranma and
Akane appearing in something of a hurry.

	"Ranma, Akane," she called out.  They stopped and
looked at her and then appeared somewhat disappointed.
 "Is something wrong?"  She asked, confused and
handing Akane the hot water.

	"What's th...oh," Akane nodded and poured the water
over his head.  "You didn't see Nabiki did you?"

	"No, I just barely saw the masses leaving the
building," she said.  "Why?"

	"They stopped for chow," Ranma said quietly.  She
still looked fairly pale, but the initiative in the
redhead's eyes was much more like what Kodachi
expected from Ranma.  "Look, Kodachi, can you keep an
eye on Kasumi for us.  We gotta try to catch up with
Nabiki."

	"Certainly," she said, confused.  Ranma nodded and
started for the door, Kodachi turned to Akane before
she could follow Ranma.  "What is wrong with your
sister?"

	"We don't know," Akane said.  "She just left."  Then
Akane was gone as well.  Kodachi walked into the
mostly empty hearing room as Kasumi and Hinako were
heading out.

	"Ah, Kodachi-chan," Kasumi said.  "Are you going to
wait for Ukyou with us as well?"

	"I have messengers of my own on the way here as
well," Kodachi said, not saying that Ranma and Akane
had left her as a guard.  "What was in that envelope
given to Nabiki?"

	"Something that upset her," Kasumi said.  "She didn't
say what."

	"I see," Kodachi said, thinking about her father and
wondering if he had anything to do with Nabiki's
distress.

*********

	"She's already outta sight," Ranma said irritably. 
She kicked at a stone angrily.

	"She said she was getting some ice cream," Akane
said.  "You know where she usually goes, right?"

	"She won't be there," Ranma said.  "It's too far
away, but there ain't that many places around here."

	"And I'll bet you know them all right?" Akane asked
with a smirk.  Ranma responded with a fluttering smile
and then glanced back at her feet.  Akane bent down to
look in her eyes and brush back her bangs.  "Are you
okay?"

	"Let's find Nabiki first," Ranma said.  "I'm fine,
really.  It's just...today"  Akane nodded in
acceptance.

	"Okay," Akane said.  "You're the ice cream
aficionado, where to first?"

	"I am not addicted to ice cream," Ranma protested. 
Akane rolled her eyes.

	"It means expert, Ranma," Akane said.

	"Oh," Ranma said, embarrassed.

	"So where would someone like you go to get ice cream
around here," Akane asked.

	"Umm, that way," Ranma said, pointing.  "That's got
the best stuff.  That I can afford anyway."

	"What about Nabiki's price range?" Akane asked. 
Ranma shrugged.

	"There's a really expensive place down that way,"
Ranma said.

	"Well, let's start there and work down," Akane said. 
Ranma nodded quietly, not particularly looking forward
to returning to her old haunts, even the rarely
visited ones this far from the dojo.  She sort of
expected they'd find Nabiki before that but it was
still making her nervous.

*********

	"Hey, where is everybody?" Ukyou asked as she walked
up to where Kodachi and Kasumi were sitting on the
steps to the building.

	"They're looking for Nabiki," Kasumi said simply.

	"Okay," Ukyou said, shrugging and sitting down
herself.  "So is the Hawaiian dork finished making an
jackass of himself yet?"

	"Ukyou-san," Kasumi said reproachfully, Kodachi
merely fumed.

	"Hey the whole family seems to like sticking their
heads in a mousetrap or something," Ukyou said.  "With
the exception of Kodachi here, of course."

	"Thank you for the consideration," Kodachi said
grimly.  Ukyou shrugged again as she took out her
portable grill and started cooking.

	"No problem," Ukyou said.  "I guess I can't blame you
for your family, can I?"  Kodachi turned deliberately
away from her.

	"You have been acting quite...oddly, of late, Ukyou,"
Kasumi said.  "Are you certain you are doing okay?" 
Ukyou sighed for a moment and then returned to
cooking.  "Perhaps you should talk to someone."

	"By the way," Ukyou said.  "Ryouga called just before
I left.  I told him about the hearing, but I really
don't think we'll be seeing anything of that jerk for
the next few days."

	"That is unfortunate," Kasumi said.  "I think Nabiki
would be more comfortable if he were here."  Ukyou
shrugged noncommittally.  "I am serious, though,
Ukyou-san.  You should try to talk to someone about
what happened in the restaurant.  You don't seem to be
dealing with it well."

	"I'm handling myself just fine," Ukyou retorted. 
"The closest I've gotten to a fight since then is that
maniac tossing bombs at me."

	"That is good," Kasumi admitted.  "But there seem to
be other problems."

	"I'm doing all right," Ukyou muttered softly, trying
to pay attention to her cooking.  "Talk to Konatsu if
you don't believe me."

	"I think I will," Kasumi assured her.  Ukyou ignored
that and looked towards Kodachi.

	"Any luck on the family search?" Ukyou asked. 
Kodachi narrowed her eyes until she realized what
Ukyou was talking about.

	"Not yet, I'm afraid," she said.  "You saw my
advertisement."  Ukyou nodded.

	"Cheer up, Sugar," Ukyou said.  "I'm sure there are
tons of people that would love to get a chance to hang
around your place."

	"I'd rather not admit just anyone, thank you,"
Kodachi grumbled.

*********

	"Excuse me," Ranma said cautiously.

	"Yes," the vendor asked.  "What would you like to
buy?"  He narrowed his eyes and scratched his chin as
he looked at Ranma.

	"Sorry, not here to buy," Ranma said.  "Have you seen
a tall girl with..."

	"Nabiki isn't tall Ranma," Akane put in.

	"That's right," Ranma said.  "I guess I've just
gotten...used to..." Ranma grimaced and her words
faded off.  Akane watched her worriedly for a moment
and gripped her hand before turning back to the ice
cream vendor.

	"We're looking for my sister," Akane said.  "She's a
little taller than me with brown hair, kind of in a
helmet cut?  She said she was going to get to some ice
cream."

	"No, sorry," the vendor said.  He was still watching
Ranma and suddenly snapped his fingers.  "I didn't
recognize you with the new look.  Haven't seen you in
a while."  Ranma did look quite different, especially
since she started letting her hair hang loose.

	"Yeah, well haven't had the money," Ranma said
quietly.  The man laughed a little.

	"You always seemed to find someone to pay for you,"
the man said.  He looked at Akane.  "Your friend here
really knows how to play a guy."

	"I don't do that any more," Ranma said.

	"You're certain you haven't seen my sister?" Akane
asked, eager to get off the subject for several
reasons.

	"Sorry," the man said, a little confused at Ranma's
subdued attitude.

	"That's fine," Akane said, shrugging.  "So where's
the next place?"  Ranma thought about it as they
started walking away.

	"You know Ranma?" somebody asked as he took Akane and
Ranma's place.

	"Is that her name?" the vendor asked.  "Is she a
friend of yours?"

	"No," the man explained.  "H...She's a local
celebrity of sorts."

	"Ahh.  She generally comes by when I'm in this part
of the city," the vendor explained.  "Always seemed a
rather cheerful girl, I wonder what's eating her."

	"You don't know?" the customer asked.  The vendor
shook his head.  The customer sighed, and gave in to
the human desire to trade gossip.  Everybody likes to
be the first person to tell someone something. 
"Somebody slipped a drug in one of those freebies she
was always getting.  She was raped."

	"What?" the vendor gasped, then looked off to where
Akane and Ranma had already vanished.  "I wish I had
known that before I brought it up.  Did they catch the
guy?"

	"I heard he got killed," the customer said.  ~Just
what he deserved.~

	"Poor girl," the vendor said shaking his head.  After
a moment's introspection he looked back up to the
customer.  "What did you want to order?"

	"Just a simple cone," the customer said.  And the
world rolled on.

*********

	Nabiki sat in the back of the booth idly playing with
the straw for her fruit smoothie.  The manila envelope
sat on the booth table, looking to her about the same
as a large scorpion.  The contents inside brought back
memories, and not good ones.

*********

	Nabiki squinted her eyes against the sudden flashes. 
She instinctively glanced to where they were coming
from in time to see the camera flash twice more. 
Immediately she turned her face away from the camera
and continued dressing.

	She tried not to think about it, tuning out Haseo's
comments about her good and bad qualities as a lay. 
All she had to do was behave for a little bit longer
and then she could go home.  She focused on that,
trying to keep a blank mind and stone face.  

It was bad enough that the guy had...coerced her into
sex.  She said yes, so at least it wasn't rape. 
Right?  She wouldn't answer that question for a few
more months.  Did he have to insult her and take
trophies too?  Did he actually think she wanted to do
this, that because she said yes that the knife hadn't
been a factor?

	"I really scored today," he said at one point, under
his breath.  Nabiki doubted she was supposed to hear
that, and risked a glare at the back of his head.  She
looked back down at her blouse and finished buttoning
it up before he turned back around.

	"I think I'll walk home," Nabiki said.

	"Are you sure that's safe?" Haseo asked.  He moved
out of the doorway and leaned against the desk where
the knife lay, watching as Nabiki gave him as wide a
berth as she could while still getting past him. 
"Lots of freaks out there."  Nabiki winced at that and
walked on by, afraid that he'd be coming behind her
with that knife at any time.

*********

	Nabiki sighed and stared at the envelope again.  She
had looked for those photos, eventually having to
settle on taking her own trophy.  Meaning the knife,
of course.  She had always hoped that the photos and
the negatives were somewhere in a secure hiding place
that nobody had managed to find yet.  Apparently she
had been wrong.

	There was something else in there, not nearly as
disturbing, unless you included the implications.  A
little bit of ancient history from her first year in
Furinkan, before she learned how to cover her tracks
decently.  It wasn't a major incident at all, but it
would give some credence to the falsified records of
her activities that were included.

	Kimi had identified who had given her the envelope to
deliver, and Nabiki had recognized him as one of that
group that had been harassing Ranma.  The mask gang. 
They never had responded to her attention the way most
people had.  She had never thought there was a reason
to push them though, they were mostly outside of her
interests.  She shivered at the thought of what might
have happened if she had pushed them, considering what
the envelope held.

	Now they were sending her this envelope, including
information only the school authorities would have
about her.  The bomb hadn't gone off in her face, it
had been delivered to her.  It was the damn knife
again.  They showing her what they had and standing in
the doorway.  Only this time they were threatening her
on her own turf.

	"Brilliant," she said quietly.  "The Kunos aren't." 
She picked up the envelope gingerly, like it was
steaming hot, and stood up taking her bill to the
counter.  

A few minutes later she was walking down the street,
not thinking about the contents of the envelope.  She
was trying to only think about how it could hurt the
people that had sent it to her.  The thudding and
sound of mild panic behind her got some additional
attention, and she turned to see a large pig barreling
down the road in the same direction she was heading.

	~Akari?~ Nabiki thought, as she noticed the girl on
top of the pig.  And then she saw the rider behind
Akari as the pig passed her.  "Ryouga?!"  Nabiki could
have cursed herself as Ryouga turned to see her and
tapped on Akari's shoulder.  The monster pig stopped
and sat down, letting Akari and Ryouga off easily.

	"Nabiki," Ryouga called out as he came toward her,
stopping a few feet from her and recoiling for a
moment.  "Are you okay?"

	"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked.  She
looked past his shoulder at Akari.  "You've gotten
back in touch with Akari, I see."  Ryouga flinched and
felt a little guilty for some reason.

	"Nabiki!" Akari gasped as she walked up next to
Ryouga.  "You look terrible!"  

The girl drew out a handkerchief and reached out to
jab at Nabiki's mouth.  The Tendo flinched back and
put a hand to her mouth, that and a brief taste told
her that at some point she had bitten into her lip,
and it was bleeding.

	"I'm fine," Nabiki said, waving it aside.  She
glanced at Akari's pitying face and felt a chill run
down her spine as she realized about what the girl
would next say.

	"Are you sure you're fine?" Akari asked.  "After..." 
She didn't finish as Nabiki's eyes flared wide and the
girl whirled to glare at Ryouga.

	"You told her," she said icily.

	"Uhh," Ryouga started, mind freezing at the most
inopportune moment.

	"You TOLD her?!" Nabiki virtually screeched.

	"I didn't..." Ryouga started.  Nabiki gave an
enraged, incoherent shout, slapped him and started
running off down the street.  "Nabiki wait!"

	"Katsunishiki, sit!" Akari commanded, and Ryouga
found himself buried under the monster pig.  "I'm
sorry, Ryouga-san, this is my fault."  Then she went
running off after Nabiki.

	"I knew I shouldn't have said anything," Ryouga said
morosely.  On top of him, the giant pig snorted, maybe
in agreement.

*********

	Akari caught up to Nabiki quickly.  A physical life
spent training sumo pigs giving her the advantage. 
She grabbed at Nabiki's sleeve without thinking and
was shocked to see Nabiki whirl on her with a
half-panicked look before the other girl recognized
her.

	"Leave me alone," Nabiki said evenly, angrily.

	"He didn't tell me what happened," Akari said.

	"You expect me to believe that you just figured it
out?" Nabiki asked, slowing to a fast walk.  Akari
moved around in front of her.  "I don't need help, and
I don't need pity."

	"I...heard about Ranma, from papers and such," Akari
said.  "And Ryouga was mostly concerned about you. 
How hard is it to figure out?"  Nabiki stopped cold
and fixed Akari with a glare.

	"You think," she said quietly, "that the only way
someone would be concerned about me is if I were..."
she glanced around to see if anyone was listening 
"...if I were...hurt?"  Her voice dropped from a
whisper to almost inaudible as she finished.

	"I think the only way someone would be more concerned
about one person than another friend who is about to
go through a very painful experience," Akari said
quietly, stepping forward.  "Is if that first person
is in the same situation and they care a lot about
that person."  Nabiki was silent for a moment and then
released a breath.

	"You're an incurable romantic, Akari," Nabiki said
with a bitter laugh.  "Ryouga would care more about
the mold on his bread than he does about Ranma."

	"Maybe before," Akari said.  "But I don't think so
any more.  And neither do you."  Nabiki shook her head
deliberately.

	"So you're saying he didn't tell you about what
happened?" Nabiki asked.

	"He actually refused to say anything," Akari said. 
Nabiki rolled her eyes and sighed.  Akari was glad to
see some of the girl's normal attitude coming back.

	"So that's what happened," Nabiki said, mostly to
herself.  "First rule of hiding something is not to
let people know you're hiding something.  Baka."

	"Well, let's go get him," Akari suggested, a forced
smile on her face.  "And you can tell him that
yourself."

	"You're strangely calm about this," Nabiki said,
noting Akari's mixed emotions as her own came under
control.

	"I am not like Ranma-san's suitors," Akari said
simply.  "I will not force my att...excuse me, I will
not become a stalker."

	"I'm not seeing Ryouga," Nabiki said as she and Akari
started walking back to Ryouga.

	"I didn't think you were," Akari said quietly, a
small melancholy smile on her face.  "I think
everything will come out right eventually, though it
might take a while."

Nabiki frowned at the wording, but didn't say
anything.  The girl was trying to be nice after all,
no need to take her head off for not being good at it.

*********

	"Hey, isn't that Katsu...Kuni...Cassie...err�Isn't
that Akari's pig?" Ranma asked, pointing out the
massive creature sitting on the sidewalk.  Pedestrians
were gawking at him as they cautiously circled around
the monstrous thing.

	"I think so," Akane said.  "I wonder where Akari is
though.  It's sitting on someone."

	"I guess we should help them out," Ranma said. 
Walking around to the other side it became easy to
identify the unfortunate individual.

	"Hey, Charlotte," Akane said bending down.  "What are
you doing here?"  Ryouga twitched, it seemed like as
soon as Ranma had stopped teasing him about that, that
everybody else started.

	"I think this is Akari's way to make sure I don't get
lost," Ryouga said.

	"Why did she need to leave ya here?" Ranma asked. 
Ryouga turned his head to look at Ranma and decided
that she didn't look much happier, if at all, than
Nabiki had.

	"Because Nabiki's a little...urk!" Ryouga was pulled,
not too comfortably, out from under the pig.

	"You've seen Nabiki?!" Akane demanded.

	"We've been looking everywhere for her," Ranma added.

	"I'm right here," Nabiki said coming around the pig
with Akari.  She glanced at Ryouga who looked
decidedly scared, to Nabiki's amusement.  "Akari
explained you were just being incompetent."

	"Are you okay?" Akane asked.  Nabiki was getting
tired of that phrase, she suspected Ranma was too. 
"Whatever was in that envelope seemed to shake you up
a little."  Akane took a good look at Nabiki's
bleeding lip.

	"I'm fine," Nabiki said, gripping that mentioned
envelope.  "I just had to think about some things on
my own."

	"Hello, Ranma," Akari said cautiously.  Ranma looked
at her in confusion at the tone.  "I read the story
about you in the paper."  Ranma nodded, slumping.

	"Please don't look at me like that," Ranma said.

	"I think we need to get going," Nabiki suggested. 
"Doesn't the hearing reconvene in the next fifteen
minutes or so?"  Ranma gave her a thankful glance.

	"Are you sure you want to say anything?" Ranma asked.
 Nabiki glanced at the envelope in her hand.

	"I have to," Nabiki said.  She glanced at Ryouga and
grimaced before starting to walk down the street. 
~Cares about me, huh?~

*********

	"You look like you're getting anxious, Kodachi,"
Ukyou said.

	"I'm supposed to be getting some information,"
Kodachi explained.  "I had my lawyer doing some
research."

	"What kind of research?" Kasumi asked, politely. 
Kodachi opened her mouth after a moment to answer and
then closed it again pointing at the odd sight of four
people walking alongside a giant pig carrying a fifth
person.

	"Ryouga got here after all," Ukyou said, sounding of
mixed mind about that.  "With Akari."  Kasumi stood up
to meet Nabiki and the others.

*********

	"That's her," Jin said quietly as Ranma and the
others walked in.  Her mother glanced over and picked
out the depressed redhead leaning against the taller
girl next to her.  She grimaced a little at the sight
of two girls in such an intimate pose.

	"Let's worry about that later," she said sharply, but
not unkindly.  "Right now we are going to get through
this hearing, and then you and I are going to the
police station."

	"Okay, mom," Jin said quietly.  She glanced
cautiously at the boy in the cast and was relieved to
note that his and his friend's attention was focused
on Nabiki.

*********

	The room was a little more crowded as things began to
start again.  That detective was there, probably to
discuss the accusation that one of them killed Kuno. 
There were witnesses and family who couldn't get off
work for the morning taking the empty seats up. 
Nabiki shivered nervously as she considered that.

	"You don't have to," Ranma said quietly.  "Just talk
about the bombs and stuff, that should be plenty."

	"I have to do this," Nabiki said.  She glanced behind
her at Ryouga briefly, he really did seem to be
racking himself over her situation.  Then she looked
back forward.  ~It's the least threatening option at
this point.~  She was somewhat comforted by the fact
that apparently some people didn't know what she was
capable of given ammunition like this.

	"We're here for you," Kasumi said.  "Whatever you
decide."  Kasumi looked at the envelope that she
refused to let anyone else look in.

	"Yeah, I know," Nabiki said.  She looked back at
Ryouga and smirked a little to reassure him.  "They
aren't going to shoot me, Ryouga."

	"I guess not," Ryouga said, nervously.  

Akari sat next to Ryouga in the seats behind the rest
of them.  She looked somewhat lost and overlooked
herself.  Nabiki didn't want to look at her, she still
had that damn pitying expression in her face whenever
she looked at Nabiki or Ranma.  If it were just
concern she could accept it, but pity implied a
superiority that Nabiki just would not accept from
anybody.  And certainly not Akari.

	Nabiki stood up as her name was called and walked up
to the table carrying the envelope in her hands.  She
cleared her throat and bent forward slightly,
maintaining a dignified posture at all times.

	"I assume you're expecting me to further comment on
the principal's unorthodox methods of what he calls
discipline," Nabiki said, voice steady.  "I think
you've already heard enough about that."  She moved
around the table and handed the manila envelope to one
of the board members and then returned to her table.

	"Would you mind explaining what is in this envelope?"
the board asked.

	"That was given to me just before the lunch break,"
Nabiki said.  "It contains some old school records of
mine, some falsified documents regarding some alleged
activities of mine, and..."  Nabiki took a deep
breath.  "A collection of photographs taken of me
almost two years ago."  There was some shuffling in
the room behind her at the mention of pictures.

	"And what does this have to do with..." the question
faded off as the speaker got a look at one of the
photos.  It would have taken a blind man to not see
that the girl in the picture was far from happy.

	"Those pictures were taken," Nabiki said icily,
trying to keep her cool.  "After the photographer
had...raped me."  She squinted her eyes closed at the
ripple of whispering she heard behind her.  They were
looking at her.  She knew they were staring at her.

	She didn't turn around, and so didn't see Jin and her
mother trading looks.

	It would still be shock more than anything else.  In
one day, two of the strongest girls at school had
admitted to being victims.  When the shock died down,
however, then there would be pity and ridicule.

	"My condolences Tendo-san," someone asked.  "Does
this bear on the situation at hand?  Is it not likely
that they were delivered to you by your attacker?"

	"He's in prison," Nabiki said.  "On another charge. 
I hadn't come forward."

	"Obviously, and you think this is further proof of
the Principal's lack of concern for the safety of the
students?"

	"The school records," Nabiki said, grimly.  "They
were sealed, so it had to be administration to release
the information."

	"So it's impossible that a student could get that
information?" someone asked.

	"Why?" Nabiki asked.  She paused a moment.  "Torture
me, they could have done that at any time.  Why now?" 
Her expression was distinctly angry and pained for a
moment.

	"With the atmosphere of these rumors?" someone asked.
 "Seems an ideal time for that."

	Nabiki looked down at the table and took a moment to
catch her breath and hide a few escaping tears.  She
glanced back behind her to see Ryouga starting to
stand up.  She reached back a hand to wave him back
down and took a deep breath, straightening up again.

"I've tried, and failed, to get to that information
myself," Nabiki said quietly.  "Legally," she
qualified, "I wanted to know what my record said.  I
was told that the principal was the only one who could
access that."  Her voice had an undertone of growling.
 Nabiki did not like being toyed with.

	"I don't see any bruising or injuries on these
photos."  Nabiki didn't favor the man with even a
glare.  She was staring down at the table top instead.
 "Didn't you try to fight back?"  Nabiki's eyes
scrunched closed as the man asked the same question
she had used to accuse herself.

	"Hey, leave her alone!" Ryouga shouted behind. 
Nabiki looked back and saw Ryouga standing and giving
the board a look that he used to reserve for Ranma. 
She smiled and shook her head, amused.

	"I can handle this," she said back, keeping her face
straight.  "Just calm down, okay?"

	"This isn't fair!" Ryouga insisted.  "They're acting
like you're lying."

	"Ryouga," Nabiki said.  "Please, okay?"  Ryouga and
Nabiki shared a look and he reluctantly sat down,
glaring.  Akari glanced between him and Nabiki,
especially at that look and her expression grew a
little more dejected.

	"Are there going to be any more interruptions?" 
Nabiki had to glance back at Ryouga before he stood up
again.

	"I don't think so," Nabiki said.

	"So you didn't try to fight back?" The speaker
received some disgusted glances from his fellows.

	"That has no bearing on the matter at hand," Nabiki
said tightly.

	"If you weren't forced..." he left the rest dangling.
 Nabiki gritted her teeth and glanced back at her
family and Ryouga.  Almost all of them looked ready to
jump now.  About the same as Nabiki had felt when the
same man had said to Ranma: "Okay!  Assume the rape
did happen." 

	"I just ripped my reputation to shreds," Nabiki said
quietly.  "Just why would I do that?"

	"Do you have anything else to say, Tendo-san?"
Someone asked after a moment of silence.

	"No," Nabiki said.  "Not really."

	"You can sit down then."  Nabiki nodded and turned
away from the board, glaring at the frowning image of
the principal.  At least two of the mask group, the
one in the cast and one other, seemed more than a
little irritated as well.

	~Don't play games with me,~ Nabiki thought darkly,
trying to ignore the possibility of another form of
retribution.  She wasn't succeeding too well.  She
worked to her seat and sat down, glancing back at
Ryouga.  "Thanks a lot, Charlotte.  I needed that
little rescue."

	"Uh sure," Ryouga said uncertainly.  "Are you okay?"

	"Do you need to go to the restroom?" Ranma asked
quietly next to her.  Nabiki looked to her and then
past, to Akane's concerned face.

	"I'm fine for now," she said finally, turning back to
Ryouga.  Her hand quietly found Kasumi's and gripped
it tightly.

	"That was very brave of you," Kasumi said soothingly.
 Nabiki wearily shook her head and then leaned back in
her seat.  The board members shuffled around some
papers around before the called the next person.

	"Akada Jin?" they called.

Nabiki glanced back over her shoulder at the girl
nervously standing up.  Ranma followed Nabiki's gaze
and cringed.

	"Aww man," Ranma said under her breath, cringing.  If
that girl was speaking, then Ranma thought she knew
what was coming.  There wasn't anything she could do
to stop it either, and after that display in the
restroom.  She squinted her eyes closed tightly.

	Akane circled an arm around Ranma's shoulders and
frowned back at the girl walking to the table. 
Kodachi and Ryouga saw the girl and glared as well.

	"Is there something wrong?" Akari asked.

	"That girl does not approve of Ranma," Kodachi said
spitefully.

	"What did she do?" Ukyou asked, eyes narrowed.

	"She..." Akane stopped and looked down at Ranma. 
"Said things."  Ukyou only had to look at Ranma to
know what kind of "things" were said.

	"She apologized," Nabiki said.  Ranma blinked and
looked up.

	"When did she do that?" Kodachi asked.  "She was
still spitting venom at me before they broke for the
afternoon repast."

	"You must have said something to her," Nabiki said. 
She took a breath and turned to Ranma.  "She asked me
to tell you she's sorry."

	"She may have just been afraid of me," Ranma said
quietly.  "I got...mad at her in the restroom."

	"She is a coward," Kodachi affirmed bitterly.

	"I don't think she's looking to get back at you,"
Nabiki said.

	"I hope not," Ranma said uncertainly.

*********

	"Now, Akada-san," someone asked.  "What are you
adding to this hearing?"

	Jin glanced over her shoulder to look at Ranma
cringing and staring at her fearfully.  The short
glance produced a visible flinch in the redhead. 
There was a brief surge of satisfaction that she could
terrify Saotome Ranma so easily, but it vanished in
less than a moment by the shame associated with the
same fact.  Jin swallowed and quickly looked back at
the board nervously.

	~Maybe Nabiki forgot to tell her,~ Jin thought.  ~Or
she doesn't believe it.~  She certainly wouldn't blame
Nabiki for forgetting considering what she had just
heard the older girl say.

	"Akada-san, do you have any testimony on this
matter?"

	"Uhhh, yes," Jin said finally.  "I do."

	"What is it then?"

	"That story about the photographs..." Jin said,
fidgeting.  "That happened to me too."

	Behind her, Akane blinked in surprise and immediately
turned to Ranma and squeezed her shoulder softly. 
Ranma was staring in surprise, but relaxing,
nonetheless.

	"Did she just say...?"  Ranma asked quietly.

	"She must be one of the other girls," Akane said
holding Ranma.

	"So why did she say those things?" Ranma asked
confused, and a little angry.  Nabiki merely bit her
lip and paid attention to the front of the room,
looking grim.

	"I don't know who it was!" Jin snapped angrily.  "He
wore a mask, one of those creeps that is always around
school."  She felt a hostile gaze on her back, but
didn't turn around.  No she couldn't look back to see
who was staring at her.

	~I should have guessed this earlier,~ Nabiki rebuked
herself.  ~Why didn't I think of this?~  She knew the
answer, of course.  She didn't want to believe anybody
else knew about her.  She probably had guessed and
just shuffled the thought to the back so she wouldn't
have to deal with it.

	Nabiki glanced over the pack of thugs, not all of
whom looked so certain any more.  She noticed that she
wasn't the only one looking in that direction, either.
 Ranma, Akane, pretty much their entire group was
virtually glaring at the small group of thugs.

	"You don't have any idea of who it is?" the board
asked.

	"I...I know he's one of the jocks," she nearly spat. 
If she could stay angry she wouldn't be afraid, she
repeated that to herself as she answered the
questions.

	"And how do you know this?" The question was serious,
though there was a snort from further down the table. 
Jin gripped the table in front of her hard and twisted
her eyes closed.

	"I didn't respect them enough," Jin said in a hollow,
angry growl that was on the verge of breaking into a
sob.  "I insulted them, I didn't know my place.  He
said things like that.  Then he took my picture, after
he was done."

	"I see, have you spoken to the police?"

	"My mother is taking me today," Jin said angrily.

	"And why did you wait until now?"  The voice was
still somewhat snide and disbelieving.

	"Why do you think!?" she demanded, shouting and
crying.  "I don't know who did it! Do you think I want
people to know I'm...impure?"  She looked down
shoulders shaking frantically.  "I..." She collapsed,
sobbing uncontrollably, to her knees.

	The action did not attract much positive reaction
from the board.  Ranma and Nabiki had been fairly
stoic, even considering the total loss of face.  That
had been received with a fair amount of very silent
approval, as had the implications and admissions of
handling their own battles.  Akane had been
righteously angered and maintained that.  By
comparison Jin's uncontrolled mood swings were not
accepted.

	"Do you have anything substantive to the matter at
hand?"

	"What do you think I just said!" Jin screeched
angrily.  "The Principal sits in his office plotting
how to give us haircuts while he should be punishing
th...th...these freaks!"

	"That nobody seems to tell him about."

	A hand on Jin's shoulder distracted her from making a
retort and she flinched away from it.  Turning she
half-expected to see an animal mask, or maybe Ranma,
demanding to know why she hadn't known all along. 
What she saw was her mother.  After a moment
confirming what she had seen, Jin leaned into her
mother and broke down.

	Ranma looked on with mixed feelings.  Mostly,
however, she felt sympathy for the other girl.  The
same way shame at her own behavior overcame Jin's
satisfaction at seeing Ranma squirm.  The redhead
gripped tighter at Akane's hand and shifted in her
seat.

	"Why the hell did she say those things?" Ranma asked
quietly.

	"Denial," Nabiki answered.

*********

	"If that is the extent of the testimony on the
offense."  

One other girl had testified to something that sounded
similar to Nabiki and Jin's stories.  Apparently the
fifth girl hadn't even shown up.  Other than that it
was just hearing from teachers and students without
such extreme stories.

	"I suppose it is time to hear the Principal's
response to the charges."

	The Principal stood up trying to look solemn and
serious as he approached the board.  He was marginally
successful.  The man's usual over-dramatic nature was
muted a great deal.

	"What do you have to say about the charges against
you, Principal Kuno?"

	"I think it ees a matter of de lack o respect thees
generation has for authority," the principal said with
some mock sadness, his normal accent toned down as
well.  "Obviously if someteen happens it has to be the
Principal's fault.  They get a little upset and blow
all sorts o tings out of proportion."

	"So you don't think there is a problem in your
school?"

	"These keiki," he said shaking his head.  "Who knows
what they do, get a leetle drunk and..." he shrugged.

*********

	"He's still going to pull that?" Ranma growled
clutching tightly at Akane's hand and shaking angrily.
 Nabiki held tight and focused ahead of her without
looking at anybody directly.

	"There's no way they're going to let him get away
with this," Akane growled.

	"He can't..." Ryouga started to say.  Nabiki whirled
back to stare at him, in the process of standing up.  

	"Sit down," Nabiki said quietly.  "If we can stay
still you can!"

	"I don't have to like it though," Ryouga said,
sitting down.

	"I'm sure everything will be fine," Akari said.  

Nabiki frowned a little at Akari's comment.  It was
thing for Kasumi to treat her like that, and Kasumi
did without sounding condescending.  Nabiki refrained
from commenting though and just turned back to facing
front, sparing a glance to look between Akari and
Ryouga.

*********

	"Five counts of..."

	"Four claims of rape," another speaker corrected.  He
received a few glares in response.

	"...Several reports of harassment to some degree or
another," the first person continued ignoring the
correction.  "Muggings, absolutely insane rules,
assaults by you and other staff on the students.  You
attribute all this to rebellious teenagers making
false reports?"

	"I never see any such tings," the Principal said. 
"Perhaps some of the boys acting up a little, but that
is what boys do.  De only real troublemakers are dat
Ranma and eez friends."

	"You don't believe the testimony so far?"

	"My Tatchi not need to rape anyone," he said.  "And
the rest just be hysterical girls."

	"That is a lot of hysteria."

	"You yell shark in a crowded beach?" the Principal
asked.  "Everybody run everywhere.  People get hurt."

	"So your testimony is that Ranma yelled rape."  

The named girl grit her teeth and clinched her eyes
shut.  Akane was glaring hard at the Principal and
holding Ranma.  She looked as ready to jump as Ranma. 
The other martial artists held similar expressions.

	Nabiki maintained a steady, expressionless glare,
with an occasional look back at Ryouga.  It hurt, but
she was satisfied that the Principal was digging his
own grave.  She wouldn't do anything to strengthen his
case by reacting.

	"Well, maybe she drugged," the Principal conceded. 
"But how my son know that?  But she handle on her own
don she?"  He sounded distinctly angry at that.

	"You are referring to your son's death?  The police
report puts the blame for that on a Chinese boy.  The
same boy apparently spread this information in the
first place, ransacked your family home and tried to
kill some of your other students."

	"I don know about the police thinkin.  They not know
place anywhere," the Principal said.

	"And these rules and punishments?"

	"I say they have to have haircuts and can no be
tardy," the Principal said.  "How dose insane rules?"

	"The required haircuts are humiliating and beyond
anything reasonable."

"And the tardy rule shouldn't be accompanied by locked
gates that have to be fought past."

	"Then there are the sharks in swimming class."

	"It is an exaggeration," the Principal shrugged. 
"Was only one shark."  It was not taken well.

	"Your next witness is a Goto Saru?  I think we should
talk to him now.

*********

	"Hey, I was just talking to her and she broke my
arm," Saru insisted, pointing at his cast.  "I'll be
out of action for the rest of the season."

	"Out of action?  Are you on one of the athletic
teams?"

	"Yeah, the baseball team," he said.  "You'd think the
girl would have a better mind than to take another of
our best players off.  We're already down one."

	"And what happened to the other player?"

	"Uhh...he had to leave school," Saru said.  There was
a pause.

	"I see.  Do you have anything to say about these
rumors about your athletes?"

	"That we're raping people?" Saru asked.  "That's
bogus.  Like the man said.  Why?  We got girls all
over the place.  It's only right, I mean, we're the
only thing this school has going for it."

	The doors opened in the back and a man in a suit
attracted Kodachi's attention.  She sat up and moved
to the back quietly under a number of curious eyes.

	"You're entitled to girls because of your athletic
skills?"  At that question Saru hesitated.

	"Of course not," he said after a moment.  "But that's
what happens anyway.  Everywhere right?  Girls just
like us."

	"I suppose so, that will be enough, thank you."  Saru
frowned, confused as to the reception, then took his
seat.  Attention was briefly on Kodachi thumbing
through papers and talking quietly and animatedly with
the man who had brought them.  Then they called up
another witness.

	"I really don't think Haseo would do what she said,"
the new witness said when they asked about the past
testimony.

	"Which girl are you talking about?"

	"Umm...Nabiki," he said, uncertain.  "I mean she went
out with him and everything."

	"And what does that mean?"

	"That's what happens on dates, everybody knows that,"
the boy said.  He perfectly unaware of how deep a hole
he was digging.  "He showed us the pictures..." He
froze there, finally realizing he had said something
wrong.  The eyes of most of the crowd were boring into
his back, and at the same time he had the board
suddenly very interested.

	"Those pictures of Tendo-san.  I assume that you or
your associates delivered them to her."

	"I don't know about that," the boy insisted.  "I
just, you know, saw them before.  I did the same thing
with my girl friend, traded pictures you know.  He and
Saru thought it was cool I guess."

	"Trading suggestive photos is something of a fad
then?"

	"Well, yeah," he said.  "Man we were all like shocked
that he actually got Nabiki go out with him."  He was
getting himself into trouble again.

	"How so?"

	"We're talking Ice Queen here," he said momentarily
forgetting that Nabiki was currently in the room.  Of
course, that was temporarily a good thing.  Had she
not been there Ryouga might have done something
rather...vocal.

"She can be cold, especially since Ranma got to town. 
I mean did you see those pictures?  Her expression
looks like she just went through the garbage or
something.  Cold, man."

	"You're saying that Tendo-san did not want to do
anything then?"

	"Huh, yeah, like it was disgusting or something," he
said, confused.

	"Like she'd been raped?"

	"That only happens with perverts and strangers,
right?" he asked.  "This was a date."

	"Does Principal Kuno provide sexual education
classes?"

	"There are classes for how to have sex?" the boy
asked surprised.

	"Thank you, that will be all."

	"Excuse me," Kodachi said, stepping forward.  "Might
I be allowed to testify?"

	"And you are?" 

	"Kuno Kodachi," the girl said.  She held the
delivered papers in her hand as she walked forward. 
"I am the official head of the Kuno clan."

	"Pay no attention to her," the Principal said
standing up.  "She a little touched in the head, gets
a leetle dramatic at times."  Several eyebrows were
raised.

	"I can have my lawyer present the proper papers if
you wish for proof," Kodachi said coolly.  Her father
simply glared at her.

	"I assume that your testimony will not be favorable
to your father?"

	"Most likely not," Kodachi said.

	"We already closed the witnesses against your
father."

	"I am aware of this," Kodachi said.  "But I thought
perhaps to do you the courtesy of providing this
information before the American Embassy gets
involved."  Her father blanched behind her while most
people just looked confused.

	"Excuse me, I don't understand why the Americans
would be interested here."

	"Why the fact that my father seems to be a wanted man
in the United States," she said.  The room was treated
to series of startled gasps and rustling.

	"I should have thought of that," Nabiki said, mildly
impressed.  She consoled herself with the fact that
she lacked Kodachi's financial resources.

	"Perhaps you could explain?"

	"Certainly," Kodachi said stepping forward and
handing over the papers she had been delivered.  "My
father left Japan for Hawaii three years ago for, I
believe, the fourth time.  While there he instituted
the creation of a privately funded center of learning
such as our own school.  The American authorities were
shutting him down and seeking to arrest him on charges
of assault and child abuse just before he returned to
Japan."

	"We had no information on this..."

	"Of course you wouldn't," Kodachi said.  "He used an
assumed name, of sorts."

	"What do you mean, of sorts?"

"Koucho Kuno, or Kuno Koucho in the American fashion,"
Kodachi said with a hint of irritation at the
stupidity of it.  "A rather simplistic method.  It is
on the papers there."  The Principal was edging out of
his seat.

	"Oh...I see it.  How did you get these?"

	"My father," she cricked her neck as she spoke. 
"Used Kuno money to fund his enterprise."  She turned
back to face her father.  "Incidentally, I've had your
access to those funds removed, and shall proceed to
remove you from the clan lists."

	"But you can no do that," the Principal snapped back.
 "Is not yor place to repreemand yo fadder." Kodachi
ignored him and turned back to the board.

	"I think we should handle this end of the
embarrassment before we turn him over to the
Americans," she said.  "Don't you think?"  There was
some hesitation from the board and Kodachi frowned. 
She found one person in particular and glared.  "In
case you missed the fact the first time it was
presented, my father does not sign the checks of those
companies owned by the Kuno family."

	The bare threat produced some reaction from the
individual she was glaring at.  A fact that escaped
virtually nobody.

	"We shall take this into consideration."  The board
began to adjourn for the back room to discuss the
case.  Kodachi straightened her dress out before
turning about to return to her seat.

	"I had hoped to have that information sooner,"
Kodachi said as she sat down.  "If my investigators
had bothered to check the Kuno finances first..."

	"You did good," Nabiki said, cutting her off.  She
unclenched her fists as she said it, catching her
breath.  ~It's almost over, when they come back I can
go home and...It's almost over.~

	"Yeah.  Thanks, Kodachi," Ranma added quietly.

	~I could have added something,~ Kodachi thought to
herself, a chill running up her spine.

*********

	The board filed in and settled themselves quietly
into their seats as the crowd of students, teachers
and parents looked on.  The whispering, chattering
and, in some places, sobbing, died down as they
prepared to answer.

	"It has been decided by unanimous decision to remove
the Principal from his position."  The board said.

	"NOOO!!" The former Principal yelled loudly standing
up.  "It is my school and my rools and I say that I am
not going!"

	"Ryouga," Nabiki said tightly.  The last boy glanced
at her.  "Wait and ye shall receive."  His answer was
a feral smile.

	"I'm afraid that is not your choice."  The speaker
was very concerned about the man's behavior and
looking for an escape.

	"I be staying to deespline dee keiki just like
always!" was the answer, with a wide grin.  He held up
a pineapple and started laughing crazily.  The area
around him was cleared by those that knew about his
strange variation on the tropical fruit.

	Then a large and heavy red umbrella crashed into his
face.  The Hawaiian nut crashed to the ground solidly,
seeing hula girls dancing around his head.  Which was
about the time that the pineapple he had been about to
throw landed on his face and exploded to the sound of
scattered applause.

	"Nice shot, Charlotte," Akane said appreciatively. 
Ranma smiled quietly in her seat watching the now
thoroughly unconscious loon.

	"Why do call Ryouga, Charlotte?" Akari asked as the
situation winded down.

	"Oh, didn't you tell Akari about the figure skating
match, Hibiki-san?" Kasumi asked.  Ryouga winced.

*********

	They waited for the crowd to filter out before they
exited the room.  There had been some talk of a
celebration, but none of them felt like attending. 
For many of the students this was a great triumph over
a tyrant.  For Ranma, Nabiki and others, it was
something exhausting.  Something they needed to
recover from.

	~They were probably just being polite anyway,~ Ranma
thought as they walked out of the room.  She glanced
to the side and caught sight of Jin and her mother
coming out of the restroom.  "Akane, can you wait for
me for a moment?"

	"What are you..." she looked up and saw Jin,
realizing what Ranma was talking about.  "Are you sure
about that?"

	"Yeah," Ranma said.  "Could you tell them I'll catch
up?"  Ranma asked pointing to their family and
friends.

	"Sure," Akane said.  Ranma took a deep breath and
hesitantly stepped away from Akane to head for Jin. 
Of course, she could tell that Akane didn't follow the
rest of their group, but let it go

	"You all right?" Ranma asked uncertainly, stopping
about ten feet from them.  They turned to face her,
and the elder Akada frowned.

	"Young lady," she said.  "Now is not the time." 
Ranma winced, but firmed her jaw in some reproach.

	"I just wanted to say sorry 'bout the bathroom," she
said.

	"You want to say sorry?" Jin repeated, surprised.

"You just...ya know," Ranma shuffled uncomfortably.

	"I told you that now is not the time," Jin's mother
said.  She stepped in front of Jin, towards Ranma. 
The redhead took a step back and tensed.  "I am not
going to hit you, unless you continue to threaten my
daughter."  Ranma calmed down, marginally, and laughed
a little bitterly.

	"I'm a little jumpy," Ranma admitted.  She reached
into her pocket and pulled out a card, looking at it
hesitantly.  "Uhh...here."  He held out the card at
the end of her reach.

	"What is this?" Jin's mother asked.  She took the
card and read over it.  "A support group?  That is one
of those American ideas, isn't it?"

	"Hey, it works," Ranma said, shrugging.  She glanced
at Jin and then away.  "I didn't want to go either."

	"You start all this and presume to give us advice?"
the mother said.

	"Start all..." Ranma repeated, she crossed her arms
tightly and stepped back.

	"It's...not her fault," Jin said reluctantly.

	"And will we see you at the police station?" the
mother asked.

	"Why?" Ranma asked, stepping away again.  Before the
woman could answer she went on.  "He's dead.  And the
girl that was trying ta drug me for herself is a cat
for life."

	"A girl drugged you?" the mother said.  She ignored
the comment about the girl being a cat.  "Perhaps you
should consider changing your...preferences.  Your
current attitude seems to bring you trouble."  Ranma
frowned.

	"You think this happened because I like girls? 
Shampoo wanted my guy form," Ranma said.  He looked
back at Akane and glanced at Jin.  "I hope you're
okay."  She hurriedly fell back to meet Akane.

	"They didn't look happy," Akane said.  "How about
you?"

	"She doesn't like me being with another girl," Ranma
said bitterly.  Akane shook her head and kissed
Ranma's forehead, running her fingers through Ranma's
hair.

	"I only count one girl here," Akane said, smiling
softly.

	"I guess," Ranma said.  "That we'd better catch up."

	"Did I say something?" Akane asked.  Ranma shook her
head and started walking.  Akane looked at her in
concern before following.

*********

	"There's your stuff," Nabiki said, pointing into a
corner of her room.  She walked to her desk and sat
down.

	"Are you going to be okay?" Ryouga asked.

	"How's Akari?" Nabiki asked.

	"What?" Ryouga asked, surprised.

	"Akari," Nabiki said.  "The pretty farm girl with the
over-large pig.  How is she?"

	"Fine, I guess," Ryouga said.  "You saw that."

	"Have you seen the way she looks at me and Ranma?"
Nabiki asked.  "It's like we're charity cases."

	"You don't need charity," Ryouga said.  "Just
some..."

	"I don't need you to tell me that!" Nabiki snapped,
leaning forward in her chair.  She leaned back, sighed
and quietly added another comment.  "She's allowing me
to be with you."

	"What?" Ryouga asked.  He shifted on his feet and
watched her in confusion.

	"She's playing it to the hilt," Nabiki said.  "The
sad smiles, the 'everything will be okay' speeches,
but she thinks I'm competition.  Well, she doesn't,
really, but she thinks I want to be."

	"Competition?" Ryouga asked.  "Over me?"  Nabiki
didn't seem to be listening.

	"Girls used to worry about me," she whispered,
staring down at her lap.  "If the Ice Queen ever
deigned to favor one of their boyfriends...but
now...they are going to be...kind."  She twisted her
lip a little at that word.

	"What's wrong with kind?" Ryouga asked.  Nabiki
glared at him.

	"How do you like it when Akane used to tell Ranma to
stop picking on you?" Nabiki asked sharply.

	"Oh, yeah," Ryouga said, embarrassed.  Nabiki turned
about in her desk chair and leaned her good arm on the
desk.

	"I don't know why I'm telling you this," Nabiki said.
 "You apparently can't keep a secret."  Ryouga looked
decently embarrassed before he continued.

	"Are you sure that..."

	"I'll be fine," she said, cutting him off.  Ryouga
watched her for a few moments, staring forward, before
picking up his stuff.  He started to turn to leave and
then stopped, snapping his fingers.  Nabiki arched an
eyebrow at the sound.

	"That's right, forgot," Ryouga said.  "Hey...uh,
Nabiki."

	"What?" she asked impatiently.

	"Here you go," Ryouga said and tossed something on
her desk.  She scooped up the miniature palm tree and
blinked.  "I...thought you might want that."

	"Thank you," she said, turning to face him.  She
looked back at the trophy and felt odd.  

It was certainly strange that she hadn't picked up
anything for herself, perhaps his shears.  In fact she
had been planning on it.  Taking the knife and the
other trophies had always given her a little
reassurance, but this time.

	"Not that I like the idea of that box," he said,
scratching the back of his head nervously.  Nabiki
favored him with a weak smirk before standing up and
walking to her closet.

	"I don't see why you should," Nabiki said, forcing a
light tone.  She kneeled down and started to open her
little box of trophies.  She started to lay the
miniature tree inside and froze.

	The trophy box was supposed to represent her eventual
triumph over those that had hurt her and her family. 
It was never supposed to have gotten so full.

	"Nabiki?" Ryouga asked, seeing her freeze.

Nabiki brushed the split mask she had gotten from
Ranma.  After hearing Jin's and that other girl's
stories the mask took new significance, where before
it had been only a minor trophy of hers.  Something
that had happened to fall into her hands but that she
wouldn't have gone out for.

	Below that was a shock of black hair that she'd
stuffed in her pockets before being taken to the
hospital for her shoulder.  She remembered being
slammed against that wall and Mousse
implying...things.

	Then came the shards of wood and a lock of ornamented
purple hair.  An image of Ranma, beaten and broken,
came to her mind.  Ranma walking the edge of life and
suicide with pretty much only Akane keeping the
redhead among them.

	Nabiki didn't see the last item in the box.  She
reached down absently, mind reeling from the images
the trophies were calling up.  Then she snapped her
hand back and looked at the fingers bleeding freely,
eyes wide and more frantic.  

She was remembering, again, that day long ago when
reflected light gave that old broken knife a semblance
of morbid and malevolent vitality.  As if the knife's
only purpose in existence was to terrify and destroy. 
An unnatural extension of her attacker's body.

~How many more will I have?~ she asked herself.

	"Damn!" someone said and then a hand was softly
holding hers and brushing at the sliced fingers with a
smooth cloth.  Nabiki's first reaction was to jerk her
hand back and run, but she didn't.

	"Ryouga?" she asked, remembering who was in the room
with her.

	"Uhh...what is it?" he asked, not realizing she was
asking for identification.  He concentrated on
bandaging the cuts, trying not realize the position he
was in.  The cuts were not deep, and he'd have them
bandaged well soon enough.  

Nabiki glanced at the box again and shivered.  She
turned her face away from the box and leaned into
Ryouga, nearly sending him into a coronary.  The boy's
flinch jarred her shoulder a little, but she hardly
noticed.

	"Umm...Nabiki I can do this easier if you're..."
Ryouga cut himself off this time, as he felt the girl
shaking against him.  He cautiously patted her good
shoulder and let her cry quietly. 

*********

	"Excuse me," Akari said quietly.  "Do you need any
help, Kasumi-san?"

	"Why thank you," the elder Tendo said.  "That would
be nice."

	"There always seems to be so much work to maintaining
this house," Akari said.  "How do you manage it on
your own?"

	"It is quite difficult at times," Kasumi admitted. 
"Ranma and Akane have been helping lately."

	"Well, that is nice," Akari said.  "Where did they
vanish to anyway?"

	"I suppose they are either in the furo or the dojo,"
Kasumi said.

	"In the furo?  Together?" Akari asked surprised. 
"Isn't that rather compromising?"

	"Why not, they are married after all," Kasumi said,
confused.

	"They went through with the marriage," Akari said,
surprised.  "Even after that?"  Kasumi paused in her
activities and released her breath.  She turned to
look at Akari.

	"Why shouldn't they?" Kasumi asked.  "They love each
other."

	"But Ranma isn't...acceptable any longer," Akari
said.  Kasumi shook her head, disappointed.

	"You are usually a very nice girl, Akari," Kasumi
said.  "But you seem a little too mired in tradition.
You do not abandon people in their time of need just
because it is socially unacceptable to associate with
them.  Nor is it any longer necessary to sacrifice
one's heart to society."

	"I suppose that neither of them ever cared much for
tradition either," Akari said reluctantly.  "Your
father did not object?"

	"No, they did not," Kasumi said.  "Nor did Ranma's
mother, nor I or Nabiki.  And please keep your own
opinions to yourself.  They shall get enough of that
as it is."

	"I shall try not to," Akari said, sounding ashamed
and confused.

*********

	"Hey, 'Natsu," Ukyou said coming in.  "Has it been
busy?"  She looked around, seeing only a sparse number
of customers.  She expected that at this time of day,
however.

	"Not too much, Ukyou-san," Konatsu said.  "Not more
than I could handle.  Did the trial proceed okay?"

	"It wasn't a trial Konatsu," she corrected him. 
"Just a hearing."

	"Oh," Konatsu blinked at the comment.  "Well, how did
the hearing go?"

	"It went just fine," Ukyou said.  "The lunatic is
out."  She walked around the counter and paused before
heading into the back of the room.

	"Is something wrong, Ukyou-san?" Konatsu asked.

	"You don't think I'm losing control," she asked.  "Do
you?"  Konatsu didn't answer right away.  "Well?"

	"Perhaps now is not the best time to discuss that,
Ukyou-san," Konatsu said quietly, glancing at towards
the two occupied tables.  They probably couldn't hear
the conversation, but they were trying.  It was quite
enough for Ukyou at the moment.

	"Yeah, bad idea," Ukyou agreed.  "Thanks 'Natsu-chan.
 After closing then."  She continued to the back to
get ready for work again.

*********

	Akane glanced down at Ranma after the other girl had
quieted down.  She wasn't too surprised to find the
redhead asleep.  Ranma was still going to sleep late,
sleeping fitfully, and waking up early.  Akane was
often surprised that Ranma didn't fall asleep in
middle of the day more often than she did.

	Akane took a face cloth and softly washed away the
tear tracks from Ranma's face.  Ranma didn't stir
except to turn about and bury her face in the crook of
Akane's neck.  

The motion surprised the dark haired girl.  She had
been expecting Ranma to either cringe or do nothing. 
She hadn't been expecting the pleasant sensation of
Ranma's chest pressed against hers.

"He really trusts me," Akane said, quietly smiling. 
She leaned back and held Ranma, letting her sleep. 
She thought about that statement for a moment and
Ranma's attitude earlier.

	It certainly was getting harder to think of Ranma as
male.  There were several things eroding that image,
but it wasn't so much the obvious changes that Akane
was noticing so much though.  The irony of it was
painfully obvious to her, but the thing that was
really hammering in Ranma's feminine state was just
how...fragile Ranma was.

	"I'm such a hypocrite," Akane whispered.  "Fragility
equals female, some attitude that is for a woman."  

Scarier than that realization was the thought that
followed.  If Ranma stayed like this, she'd always
need Akane.  Akane shivered at that thought.

	"No way," Akane said firmly.  "I don't care if you
stay a woman, Ranma, but I'm not going to let you stay
afraid."  Ranma slept on in her arms.

*********

	Kodachi watched them escort her father to the
interview window and then waited for them to back off.
 The American written constitution they lived under
might provide for some level of privacy, but she
trusted her samurai blood to insure that privacy far
more than she trusted that paper.  She frowned as she
wondered if that was a sign that she was still living
in a somewhat bygone age.

	"I be having no wish to speak to you wahine," her
father said crossly.

	"How long has this been happening in our family?"
Kodachi asked coolly.

	"Deese?" the man asked.  "What be deese?"

	"I am in no mood for your affectations," Kodachi
snapped.  "You know what I am talking about."

	"No I don," he responded.  "And I don care to answer
a traitor keike."

	"Then I shall spell it out for you," Kodachi nearly
growled.  "Starting with about six months ago, when
you had me discharged early from the hospital."

	"You no need to stay there," he insisted.  "Perfectly
healthy."

	"I had tried to kill myself, father," Kodachi
snapped.  "I was starting therapy and suddenly my
doctor is transferred, the hospital is virtually
tossing me on the street and I am given to understand
that I should be more careful with plants I might be
allergic too."

	"No Kuno kill themselves that way," he insisted. 
"Just an accident."

	"I certainly couldn't be allowed to embarrass the
family," Kodachi growled.  The former Principal
shrugged, maintaining his rather petulant attitude. 
"And you wonder why I arranged to take over the clan."

	"You can't be clan head, no woman..."

	"The paperwork would seem to disagree with you,"
Kodachi said coolly.  Her father crossed his arms and
frowned.  "Let me ask you another question?  Why did
we pay Mother's doctor?"

	"For services of course."  He rolled his eyes as if
talking to a child.

	"The incompetent whose malpractice killed her?"
Kodachi demanded.

	"We did not..."

	"He is still listed as an employee!!" Kodachi
snapped.  "Did you not think I would recognize that
name?"  She calmed down a moment.  "I've already
checked and it IS him.  I vaguely remember spending
more time with mother's family.  Was she going to
'embarrass' the family father?"

	"You tink da bid kahuna would keel his own wife? 
I..."

	"...loved her?" Kodachi finished.  "She had a
restraining order against you up until the week before
you married.  How did you convince her to marry you? 
Blackmail?  Or was that freak of a brother practicing
a family trick?  Some behaviors are learned after
all."

	Her father stared at her, not speaking.  She glared
back at him for a long moment, letting her disgust
show.  After nearly a minute of silence she broke the
deadlock again.

	"After the Americans get through with you," Kodachi
said.  "You are coming back to face the Japanese
courts.  As a ronin.  You should be able to guess the
charge."  Kodachi stood up, sneering and left the
room.

*********

	"Excuse me," Doctor Inohara said.  "Am I speaking to
a Doctor Ono Tofu?  Good.  I am treating one of your
patients in Nerima and am looking for her medical
history.  Saotome Ranma."

*********

	"Her?" Tofu said surprised.  He waited for a long
moment before continuing.  "Are you a general
practitioner?  Gyneco...are you treating Ranma for
anything specific?  Before you answer, you have
Ranma's permission?  Okay then, go ahead."

	As the doctor on the other end of the line told him
the situation, Tofu had to sit down.  He took a long
steadying breath before answering.

	"I'd rather give you Ranma's information face to
face," Tofu said.  "After I have spoken with the
patient.  I'll be over as soon as I can arrange
things."


=====
"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" - 
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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