hello everyone.

I have completed the tenth chapter and I would be glad
if you would send me comments and stuff. 

Read and enjoy. :)

Author's notes:

	Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I had my
semester exams to worry about and did not find the
time to write. I hope all of you forgive me for the
delay. :)

	This chapter is about revelations, discoveries, and
other blabber... :) Some of the scenes are not as good
as would have liked them to be... really, so, bear
with me.

	And most important of all, hope you guys like this
chapter. AND PLEASE, SEND ME YOUR COMMENTS OR
SUGGESTIONS! I WILL LISTEN TO THEM, I SWEAR. :)

Dedication:

	I dedicate this chapter to the best teacher in the
whole wide world - Mr. Solomon Pushparaj. He has made
a difference in many lives and hopefully, he will
continue to do so for many years to come.

	We, your students, love you, dear sir!

	Now, on with the story... :)

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

"Yawn!"

	"Good morning, Usagi."

	"Morning, Luna," Usagi mumbled back and got up.

	"You are up early," the Moon cat said, walking up to
Usagi.

	Usagi spared a glance at the alarm clock. It was near
to five thirty and there was plenty of time left to
prepare for school.

	When Usagi did not answer, Luna continued.

	"Why don't you try and get a nap? I will wake you up
at six."

	Usagi extricated herself from the blanket and
stretched in an un-girly manner. Luna balked. Usagi
never did such things.

	"It's okay, Luna. I have got some homework to do,"
the blonde replied and turned on the lights; where
upon, she assumed her place at her desk and went to
work.

	"Huh?" was all the surprised Luna could manage.

	The Moon cat jumped onto the desk and gazed at Usagi
as though she had grown a horn. It was most
disconcerting to see Usagi work.

	"Why are you looking at me like that, Luna?" Usagi
asked, lifting her head from her book.

	"Ummm... Nothing... hehehe..."

	"Don't lie to me, Luna," Usagi said without a hint of
doubt in her voice. "You are not very good at that."

	"Well... I am a little surprised to see you working."

	Usagi's lips curved upwards in a gentle smile.
"People change, Luna."

	"Oh..."

	"How am I going to be a good ruler if I do not have
the knowledge? I want..."

	Luna patted Usagi's arm gently with a paw, her face
filled with consideration.

	"I understand, Usagi-sama."

	Usagi raised an eyebrow at being referred to as Sama,
but did not comment, rather opting to return to her
work.

	*Now, how do I solve this problem again?*

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

	"Attack me, damnit!"

	Ryuu snarled and adopted the cat stance. If his
sensei wanted him to get attack then he would do so,
gladly.

	"Here I come," he said and attacked.

	Ranma was not there when he punched, however. Ryuu
spun around and to the ground to evade that swivel,
kick he knew would be aimed at his back, but it never
came. Rather Ranma executed a perfect football kick
and smiled as his student hit the girder on the dojo
roof.

	"Anything Goes, Ryuu... It means you have to be
prepared for anything and I mean anything. That duck
you executed now was pathetic in the sense I could
have seen it coming from miles away."

	Ryuu shook his head to rid himself of the annoying
buzz in his head and assumed a stance.

	Ranma looked impressed.

	"Ready for another go, I am impressed, though I think
you are quite foolish. You need to rest to recover
from that blow, Ryuu and I need to spar with Akane and
the others too.

	"Hai, sensei," Ryuu said and bowed.

	Ranma bowed in return.

	"Akane."

	Akane took her place facing Ranma.

	"Ready for a ass kicking?" Ranma asked coolly.

	Akane just smiled. She was not going to get angry and
get herself pounded into kingdom come.

	"In your dreams."

	Ranma feigned shock.

	"Now I have seen everything. Seriously, get ready to
kiss dirt, tomboy."

	"At least, I am not a member of the opposite sex,
unlike someone I know of," Akane said pointedly. It
was clear whom she was referring to as the woman in
the group.

	"Point, Akane-chan. Now, defend yourself."

	Ranma moved, as quick as the wind and as silent as
the feather. He begun with a feigned punch to her jaw,
followed by a leg sweep. Amazingly enough, Akane bent
back and evaded the punch while simultaneously jumping
over the attempted sweep.

	She smiled cockily at her sensei in the middle of the
jump, daring him to attack her once more. Ranma smiled
evilly in return, leaned back to gain some balance,
and changed his trajectory to hit her in her rump.

	Thump!

	"You should not get cocky, Akane-chan," Ranma said
cockily. "You might get hurt or something."

	Akane stood up, painfully rubbing her sore behind.

	"Ow!"

	"See what I mean," Ranma added with mirth.

	Akane gritted her teeth. *C'mon girl, you cannot lose
your anger here.* She had learnt her lesson and did
not ever want to lose her temper or get beat up in her
life ever again if she could help it.

	And then she smiled.

	"Oh, Ranma-chan, you are so cute..."

	"Huh?" Ranma said intelligently.

	Akane took the opportunity and attacked with a pile
driver to his head.

	Ranma jumped back at the last instant and smiled.

	"You are getting better, Akane. Your speed has
increased and there is more power behind your blows.
And most important of all, you have gained control of
your anger."

	Akane blinked.

	Bham!

	"Try to distract me, will you, Akane-chan?" Ranma
said with a huge grin plastered all over his face.

	"Ow!" Akane moaned painfully as she extricated her
body from the floor. The blow did not have much
strength behind it, but the speed with which it had
been delivered more than made up for the lack of
application of strength on Ranma's part.

	"Ready for another go?" Ranma asked.

	Akane did the only wise thing... in her view that is.
She stood up and took her stance once again.

	"Oh, the young upstart pup is trying to prove that it
too can fight, huh? Well, bring it on, Akane-chan.
Let's see what you are made of."

	*Yeah, right. I attack you and get clobbered. What a
wonderful idea? I will just wait and let you make the
first move,* Akane thought and curved her lips
challengingly at Ranma.

	Ranma took up the challenge. He moved at close to her
normal speed, disgusting slow compared to the speeds
he was capable of reaching and probed her defense with
a kick aimed at her kidneys.

	Akane brought down her hand in a block and twisted
her waist around to provide the least possible area
for him to hit. Even as his legs sped towards her, she
was making her counter move to exploit the most
glaring weakness she would see in his defense - his
utter lack of protection on his right side.

	The kick hit her hands with a meaty thud and dropped
to a halt for a mere fraction of a second. Ranma
immediately pulled back his leg and Akane swiveled her
left leg around to nail in his guts.

	Ranma seemed to sense her move and brought his arm
down to cushion the blow.

	Thud!

	*My poor legs... What is he made of?*

	"You should extract your legs as soon as you have
made contact, Akane-chan. If you do not, this
happens," Ranma said and with a swift motion, moved
back and pulled her leg along with him.

	Akane ended up doing a split on the dojo floor even
before she realized what was happening.

	"Owww!"

	"Don't worry, Akane, your body would toughen up and
the pain would go away once you become more
experienced and your strength builds up."

	Akane looked up and saw Ranma extending his hands to
her. She grabbed hold of it and got up. She was
thankful he helped for she did not know whether she
could have gotten up after that last stunt.

	She shot him a secret 'thank you' gaze and he
returned it knowingly, pressing shiatsu points on her
back to alleviate the pain.

	Akane shot him another 'thank you' gaze, this time
openly and he returned it with a pleasant smile.

	*He is not such a jerk, after all.*

	Ranma led her to the corner where she could rest and
shot a glance towards the gathered martial artists.

	"Who wants to go next?" he asked.

	"Ranma-sensei, I would be most honored if you would
spar with me," announced a new voice.

	Everyone turned towards the door and saw Soun Tendo
dressed in his gi.

	"Daddy?" Kasumi said in genuine surprise.

	"Hello, honey. Enjoying yourself?"

	"Yes, daddy." He turned towards Ranma. "Will you spar
with me, Ranma-sensei?"

	"I don't know," Ranma said doubtfully. "You haven't
been practicing for many years and I think you need to
loosen your muscles a little before you take part in a
serious spar, sensei."

	"Nonsense, Ranma-sensei. I am not stupid enough to
think that I can spar as you and the others do. I
still have a way to go before my muscles and tendons
become as strong and supple as they once were.
However, I would like to push hands with you for the
time being."

	Ranma did not even think about it. "Great. It has
been a long time, though since I last pushed hands
with someone and I might be a little rusty around the
edges."

	Soun took his position in the center of the dojo with
Ranma sitting directly before him.

	"Shall we begin, Ranma-sensei?"

	Ranma nodded and the battle began.

	By the corner, Happousai watched the proceedings with
a thoughtful look on his face. *There he went again
about his age. How old is he?*

	He knew Ranma was many things and he could not get
over the feeling that Ranma was much more. There was
something about the boy, if he could be called that,
that made him special in some way and Happousai,
grandmaster of Matsubetu Katuto Ryuu meant to find
what it was even if it killed him.

	The group gathered around in a tight circle and
observed the two men, one a master of the art and
another a man searching for his true self, fought with
their ki's and finely honed mind's for control in a
test of skill and will-power.

	While the others watched the match, Happousai slipped
into a meditative trance. He had much to think about
and he had always found that he would think better
while meditating.

	Today was different however, and he found his
thoughts wandering. Bits of information, a female
voice, a sense of belonging and peace invaded his mind
and no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on the
subject at hand, they did not go away.

	Finally, after a couple of minutes of trying, he gave
up and concentrated on the images. And slowly, the
memories came back to him. When it was all done, he
almost swore at the immensity of the revelation.

	He had a lot to think about and experiment with.
Without a sound, Happousai got up and exited the dojo.
He needed privacy for what he was about to try.

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

	"What are we going to do?" Michiru asked fearfully.

	Now that they had found and let go of Setsuna AKA
Pluto, she was afraid more than ever more. Fear and
uncertainty, never far off in her mind were striking
at the very center of her being and she did not know
how to respond. Before, they always had someone to
depend upon in the past before and everything was
predetermined, but now, there was only uncertainty and
with it came the fear of the unknown.

	Perhaps they were going to end up losing this war for
the future. Michiru looked into Haruka's eyes for
support with a pleading look.

	Haruka patted the soft down on Michiru's head and
took her hand in her own. She brought it to her face
and kissed it. Then she pressed Michiru's hands
against her chest and begun.

	"When I was young and my parents died... I was
distraught and heartbroken. There was no one in the
world to support me and the only companions I had were
pain and fear.

	"Everything seemed so hopeless... there I was, a ten
year old girl, all alone in the world with no one near
to cry and hold on to in my hour of need. I could have
given up hope then, Michiru, but then, if I had, I
would not be here with you right now.

	"It was all so hopeless then; just as it is now, but
I did not give up then and I am not going to give up
now. Too much depends on it. I will fight and maybe I
will die, but even if I do, I will die knowing that I
had done the utmost to protect you and Hotaru..."

	Haruka paused to give Michiru time to comprehend what
she was saying and then continued.

	"We cannot give up hope, Michiru. I know, I never
shall. Things might look bad right now, but surely
they will improve."

	Michiru nodded once snuggled closer to Haruka. The
first rays of sunlight filtered through the window and
fell on them.

	"Have we been awake all night long?" she asked.

	Haruka smiled and patted her back.

	"Yes, it appears so."

	"I can't believe we stayed awake for a whole night,"
Michiru repeated in wonder. It was as if time had
ceased its flow inside the room the whole night.

	"Me too. Come on, we have got to get Hotaru ready for
school."

	"Unn... Do we have to?"

	"Yes, we do," Haruka said with amusement.

	"But I want to sleep in and..."

	"Maybe later, Michiru. Now, we have to get Hotaru
ready for school."

	Michiru pouted. "I guess you are right."

	"Ain't I always?" Haruka replied with a confident
smirk.

	"Show off."

	"Yep, I am," Haruka replied grinning broadly.

	"One of these days, I am gonna wipe that grin of your
face," Michiru mock threatened.

	"I will be ready when you try, honey-buns."

	Michiru burst out laughing spontaneously at the pose
Haruka struck when she spoke.

	"Grrr..."

	"Ah, poor baby, c'mon honey-buns will make it all
better."

	Haruka grinned at the obvious invitation and leaned
in for the kiss. Michiru, in a show of aggression,
pulled Haruka to her lips and kissed her for all she
was worth. Haruka was caught off-guard to say the
least.

	Just then, the door opened.

	"Momma... Oops! Sorry!" Hotaru apologized and closed
the door. She had not expected her adopted parents to
be so feisty so early in the morning.

	Michiru broke the kiss and giggled.

	"Looks like our little girl is growing up. Did you
see the blush on her face when she entered the room?"
she asked.

	Haruka nodded.

	"Come on, let's get up and start the day on a
positive note."

	"Oh, alright," Michiru pouted and threw the blankets
off her.

	Haruka turned and was about to exit the room when
Michiru grabbed hold of her arm. She turned around and
looked at Michiru questioningly.

	"Do you think we should tell Hotaru? I mean..."

	Haruka moved to the bed and sat by Michiru's side.

	"No, I do not think we should tell her now. It would
ruin her day... We can tell her this evening when she
will be spending time with us and we can be there to
console her."

	Michiru nodded in approval. She had been thinking
along the same lines too.

	"Good. Now, let's get our angel ready for school and
please, Michiru, act as though everything is normal.
Your face is always so easy to read whenever you are
upset or depressed about something."

	Michiru put on a happy expression.

	"There, is this enough?" she asked.

	"Yeah, I guess so. Now, come on, we got a lot of work
to do and so little time to do it."

	Michiru arched her eyebrow at the 'we' part.
Normally, it was she who did most of the housework.

	"Don't you mean 'I've got a lot of work to do'."

	"No... I mean 'we'," Haruka said and walked out of
the room.

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

	Bee-boop! Bee-boop!

	{{Tendo!}}

	{{It's Hiroshi, Tendo-san.}}

	{{Hello, Hiroshi-san, have you got the information?}}
Nabiki asked going straight to the point. Like she
reminded people, time was money!

	{{Hai, Oyabun.}}

	{{Wonderful. Tell me where can I meet you?}}

	{{I am afraid there are no records, Oyabun. They were
marked OOO and our contact did not dare copy them,}}
Hiroshi said.

	{{What?}} Nabiki asked stupefied. What was so special
about Ranma Qin that his files had the highest levels
of classification: 'For eyes only'?

	{{Oyabun?}} Hiroshi asked uncertainly. He had never
seen Nabiki Tendo, the bitch, react this way to
anything before and he did not know how to respond to
her.

	{{I don't believe it,}} Nabiki muttered to herself
and said aloud. {{What did he say then, if he could
not copy the records...}}

	{{Umm...}}

	{{Spill it,}} Nabiki almost barked. Her thin veil of
patience concerning Ranma had already ran out and she
did not want to wait a single second more. The man had
more mysteries surrounding him than he she had though
possible and she meant to unravel every last one of
them. He would rue the day, he crossed my path, she
repeated to herself. {{He did say what was in them,
didn't he?}} she asked almost as an after thought.

	{{He did, Oyabun... It's just that I found it very
hard to believe and...}}

	{{I don't have time for your stupid games,}} Nabiki
interrupted rudely. Who asked for his opinion anyway?

	{{...}}

	{{Well? I am waiting.}}

	Hiroshi swore under his breath on the other side of
the line. He would get even with the bitch someday for
treating him in such a manner.

	{{Hai, Oyabun, I understand. Our contact said that
the records for one Ranma Qin stretch back for fifty
years, when he landed in the port of Kobe soon after
the World War.

	{{From what he told me, it seems that Ranma Qin was
instrumental in rebuilding Japanese economy... The
records said he invested heavily in all sectors of
business during the rebuilding.}}

	{{I think you are mistaken. You must have got the
wrong man,}} Nabiki said. Ranma did not look a day
over twenty-five and the one Hiroshi was speaking
about had to be near ninety or something like that.

	{{I said the same, Oyabun, but he kept on insisting
that this Ranma Qin has got to be our man. He showed a
photo he had been able to extract, at great risk to
himself, from the file, Oyabun, and this Ranma Qin and
ours are undoubtedly the same. They have the same
facial structure, which was clearly identifiable even
though the photo had faded a little.}}

	{{Go on,}} Nabiki said, her hands glued to the cell
phone. Her search for investigation had just gotten a
little more exciting.

	{{There is more, Oyabun. Our contact had tried to
trace the origins of this Ranma Qin not satisfied with
the little information, he had found in the records...
He says he did a multinational search - I am inclined
to believe him, and he came up with several Ranma
Qin's in England, America and India through the last
two hundred years. He is not sure about India... As
you know, the English, while meticulous in their job,
could not keep accurate records of a country that big,
but he is sure about the other two... Your Ranma Qin
has deep roots, it seems, disappearing in one country
and reappearing in the next. He said Ranma Qin could
be thousands of years old for all he knew...}}

	{{Impossible!}} Nabiki said calmly, though her mind
was churning with the revelation. That explained
everything queer about Ranma and she was inclined to
believe it. After all, there were two, three hundred
plus mummies living under the same roof as her.

	{{But given the evidence on our hands...}}

	{{I know,}} Nabiki murmured. {{Did you try DNA
matching?}}

	{{Hai, we did. And guess what, that lead to another
closed end. It seems there was a match for Ranma Qin,
only the boy was called Ranma Saotome and died nearly
a decade ago.}}

	{{Saotome?}} Nabiki asked. *What the hell is going on
here?*

	{{Hai. His parents were a Genma Saotome and a Nodoka
Saotome. There are three surviving relatives: His
father, mother and younger brother, a Ryuuken Saotome.
You want me to question them, Oyabun?}}

	{{No,}} Nabiki said after a pause. {{There is no need
to.}} Now, more than ever, she was inclined to believe
everything she had heard. The job Ranma had got for
Genma, his generosity towards her family, the zeal
with which he taught Ryuu and all the personality
quirks fell into place. It was a Saotome she had on
her hands, she was sure. Now, all she had to was
verify the information and she knew just the way to do
it.

	{{Is there anything else, Hiroshi-san?}} she asked.

	{{No, I don't believe so, Oyabun.}}

	{{Alright then... About the payments... I suppose,
our contact wants a little more this time?}}

	{{Hai, Oyabun.}}

	{{How much did he ask?}}

	{{Fifty per cent over the usual, Oyabun.}}

	{{Fifty per cent, you say. Well, give him sixty per
cent as a thank you gesture on our part. I want to
keep him happy and ready to take risks on our behalf
in the future.}}

	{{Hai, Oyabun.}}

	{{Is that all?}}

	{[Hai, Oyabun.}}

	Click!

	Nabiki pocketed her cell phone and gazed at her
laptop screen. It looked like she wasn't going to get
any work done on the machine. There were too many
thoughts on her mind and she needed to order them
first.

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

	It was a day of miracles. Ami Mizuno, the most
perfect student in the history of Juuban high was
late. Perhaps it was a sign of the imminent end of the
world.

	As she hustled through the streets of Juuban, Ami
could not help but wonder how busted she really was.
She was missing one of Ranma-sensei's classes and he
sure did not seem like the kind of person who would
forgive the same mistake twice. Oh yes, Ami was going
to suffer today and she did not look forward to it.
Her body was not the most fit around and she was
horror struck wondering how many laps she would have
to do today.

	Just then, the communicator buzzed.

	Ami swore under her breath using words that even
marines would have blushed on hearing. It was at times
like these that she hated her job as a sailor senshi.
Why did things always happen at the most importune of
times?

	She ducked into an alley and addressed her caller.
She was expecting it to be Rei or Usagi, but was
surprised to find Haruka's familiar face.

	"Haruka? Is it you?" No sooner had she said those
words, Ami felt exceedingly foolish. Of course, it was
Haruka.

	"No, it's Santa Claus," Haruka replied sarcastically.

	"Ummm... Sorry."

	The woman arched an eyebrow at the other end.

	"So... To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Ami
asked putting as much ice into her voice as she
possibly could. Now that the surprise was gone, the
anger that had been shimmering under the carpet was
brought to the fore. She still remembered the way the
bitches had acted that day.

	"Cut the crap, Ami."

	Ami scowled. What right did the bitch have to butt
into her life and speak in such a manner to her?

	"Then get to the point, dimwit," she retorted with a
smile. She had never realized that a verbal
confrontation could be so much fun, especially if you
have one with a person you loved to hate.

	Haruka's scowl actually increased by a factor of ten.

	"Bitch," she muttered to herself.

	"Glad to know that you finally realized you are one,
Haruka."

	Haruka had to visibly compose herself.

	"I do not have time for such trivial things as this.
Tell the princess and the others to meet us at the
shrine. We have an important piece of information to
share."

	Ami nodded once.

	"Good. Now, goodbye and good riddance," Haruka said
and closed the line.

	"I love you too... Bitch!"

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

	Ryuu looked at his big brother with wide eyes.

	"So tell me again, why we are not attending school
today?" he asked.

	Ranma shifted his stance a little and crossed his
hands in front of his chest. He had thought that he
had taught Ryuu better. Didn't the boy know that one
should never question his superiors?

	"'Cause I say so. Do you need any other reason,
kohai?"

	"Ummm... No."

	"That's what I thought. Now, stop wasting my time,
and go and see whether Kasumi is ready or not."

	Ryuu nodded and dashed up the stairs. There were a
lot of things he did not understand about his brother
and this was one of them. There was no real reason for
them to be cutting classes and yet, here was Ranma
making them do the very thing. Such a thing was
uncommon in Japan to say the least where children of
school going age attended school almost the whole year
round.

	He stopped in front of the girl's bedroom and knocked
her door. The door opened momentarily and Kasumi
smiled at him.

	"Umm... Hi, Kasumi, sensei asked me to check whether
you are ready or not."

	"Thank you, Ryuu-kun. Tell Ranma-kun that I will be
down in a minute."

	"Okay, Kasumi," Ryuu said and turned towards the
stairs. *She will be ready within the next half an
hour, I think.*

	He bounded down the stairs to report to Ranma.

	Ranma nodded. "It will take another hour, probably
then," he muttered to himself. "Ryuu, elder Cologne
and grandmaster Happousai were looking for you."

	"Why, sensei?"

	Ranma shrugged.

	"How would I know? They want to teach you a kata or
something probably, though if I were you, I'd ask them
myself to be on the safe side."

	"Hai, sensei," Ryuu said without moving an inch.

	"Well, what are you waiting for? An open invitation,"
Ranma said in exasperation. "Get going. I think they
are in the dojo."

	"Hai, sensei," Ryuu said and bowed.

	As soon as Ryuu was gone, Ranma shook his head and
sighed. *Kids these days! They are so clueless.*

	"Hey, Akane-chan, would you be kind enough to run an
errand for me?" he asked as he spotted the youngest
Tendo coming down the stairs.

	The girl looked at him stupidly for a second, then
nodded.

	"Sure, sensei. What do you want me to do?"

	Ranma grinned. He was going to get the job done and
Akane was going to get her exercise. He was such a
genius really.

	"Well, we have run short on groceries and Kasumi
wanted me to get them, but you know me... I am an old
guy. It would hurt my legs, and I am not sure whether
my poor body can take such a demanding task.
Therefore, I am asking you, as your sensei, to run the
errand for me."

	"Ummm... Okay," Akane said eyeing Ranma suspiciously.
He had something planned for her, she just knew it.

	"Great," Ranma said and patted his student on her
back. The strength behind the blow made her stumble.
"Here's the list. The whole thing should not weigh
more than a couple of dozen kilos. The time is eight
thirty now, and I am guessing you do not need more
than an hour to get all the things in the list,
right?"

	Akane nodded dumbly. How the hell was she going to
buy all these things and get them back in an hour?

	"Wonderful. Now get going, Akane-chan. I will see you
in an hour," Ranma said flashing her his most winning
smile. He was going to make a martial artist out of
the girl even if she had to lose her life in the
process.

	Grin.

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

	The days were boring and the nights even more so. It
had been ten years... ten years since she had last
seen her husband and youngest son. Perhaps she had
made a mistake in letting Genma take her youngest
away, she thought worriedly.

	She had always thought that Genma was perfect.

	Now, she was not so sure.

	The swash buckling, panty thieving, girl-groping
student of the grandmaster of Matsubetu Katuto Ryuu
was a distant memory with frayed edges.

	She had met Genma during one of his panty thieving
forays into the women's bathhouse. She was sixteen and
was only then beginning to explore her own sexuality.
Therefore, the image of a panty thieving, super
powered martial artist had struck to her head. Genma
had worn a nylon stocking over his head that day and
he had a huge bagful of panties and other
unmentionables in a bag slung over his back.

	It was the look of utter wonder on his face as he
gave her very naked body a once over that had did it
for her. She had fallen in love with him then and she
had never fallen out of it.

	Now, she wished she had made a better choice.

	The path of a true martial artist's wife was filled
with peril and duty, but for once, she wanted to be a
loving mother and a kind wife. Of course, that was not
possible since the two most important requisites for
that role were missing - her husband and her son.

	Everything had been going so well. Ranma had been
such a dear and she had lost him. He had died
heroically, fighting the forces of evil, but that did
not decrease her pain any less. He was her firstborn
and she had lost him.

	Genma had been so heartbroken about the whole mess.
He had wanted to commit seppuku after he had narrated
the last battle that her son had fought to the
minutest detail. Honor had demanded that he commit
seppuku, but love and common sense had won in the end.
Ranma was gone and there was nothing they could do
about it. Little Ryuuken was very much alive and
kicking however, and he needed a father to raise him
up and show him the way of the world.

	She had begged and pleaded with Genma and he had
acquiesced in the end. When Genma had asked her
permission to let him train Ryuu, she had jumped at
it.

	She had very much wanted her youngest son to follow
in Ranma's footsteps and become a man amongst men. It
had been foolish of her to let him go, knowing full
well, as she did, of the dangers involved. After all,
she had learnt first hand, the dangers involved in the
life of a martial artist.

	Still she had let him go and for all she knew, her
dearest husband and son were dead in some dark
forbidding corner of the world, having met their
horrible end while on their quest for perfection in
the arts and in life.

	Nodoka sighed, her demeanor hinting at the pain that
she was suffering. A woman definitely did not have a
life without her husband and son when all she had was
them.

	*I miss you, Ryuu-chan and I miss you, my dear
husband.*

	She glanced at the watch and got up. She had to
prepare breakfast and take care of the garden. It had
been only a few weeks since she had weeded it and she
could tell that they were already in need of another
one.

	Sigh.

	Bee-boop! Bee-boop! Bee-boop!

	*Who could it be?* Nodoka thought tiredly as she got
up and moved towards the phone. She seldom received
phone calls at the house and most of the time, it was
the grocer or some other insignificant person.

	{{Hello.}}

	{{Is this the Saotome residence?}} asked an
unfamiliar feminine voice.

	{{Yes, it is.}}

	{{Can I speak with Mrs. Saotome, please?}}

	{{This is she speaking.}}

	{{Hello, Saotome-san, my name is Nabiki Tendo
and...}}

	Nodoka interrupted her excitedly.

	{{As in daughter of Soun Tendo?}} she asked.

	{{Yes, Saotome-san. I am his second daughter, in
fact.}}

	{{It has been such a long time,}} Nodoka said
happily. {{Tell me dear, how is everyone in the
family?}}

	{{They are all healthy and as well as can be,
Saotome-san.}}

	{{Good, good. So... How is Soun? He hasn't married
again, has he?}}

	{{He has not, Saotome-san...}} Nabiki said before
Nodoka interrupted her.

	{{And how is Kasumi-chan and Akane-chan?}}

	{{They are fine, Saotome-san.}}

	{{Wonderful, Nabiki-chan.}}

	{{Thank you, Saotome-san.}}

	{{You are welcome, Nabiki-chan.}}

	{{Saotome-san...}}

	{{Yes, Nabiki-chan,}} Nodoka said, recognizing the
pensive tone in the girl's speech. {{Is there
something wrong?}}

	{{No, no, no, Saotome-san, everything is perfectly
fine... It's just... I don't know how to begin this,}}
Nabiki said and smiled. Now, the woman's curiosity was
piqued. She would, no doubt, ask questions and Nabiki
was going to give her the answers. She had conducted a
more thorough search of his past and had found some
really interesting things, which she was going to
share with anyone and everyone who asked for it. Ranma
Saotome would rue the day he meddled in her affairs.

	{{You can tell me, dear.}}

	{{Well, I was wondering about your son and...}}

	{{My son?}} Nodoka said with a gasp and clutched the
receiver tighter. *Has something bad happened to
Ryuu-chan?* {{Is he alright, Nabiki-chan?}}

	{{He is, Saotome-san.}}

	{{Please call me auntie, dear.}}

	{{Okay, auntie.}}

	{{Do you know anything about my son, dear?}}

	{{Yes, I do, auntie.}}

	{{Is he alright? How is his father?}}

	{{They are both well, auntie.}}

	{{Thank God,}} Nodoka managed unable to stop the
tears that were running down her face.

	{{Auntie...}}

	Sniffle. {{Yes, dear.}}

	{{Why don't you come and visit us sometime, auntie?
They are staying at our house, and I am sure, Ryuu-kun
and uncle would be glad to see you.}}

	{{Thank you, dear.}}

	{{I also have some information related your first
son, Auntie. I am sure you would love to have it.}}

	{{Ranma...}} Nodoka breathed.

	{{Yes, Auntie, Ranma. I have reason to believe he is
alive and well.}}

	{{...}}

	{{Auntie...}}

	{{Thank you, dear. Thank you so much.}}

	{{You are welcome, auntie.}}

	{{I should be the one thanking you, dear. You have
brought back happiness into my life.}}

	{{How about you visit us today, auntie, say
twelvish?}}

	{{That would be wonderful, Nabiki-chan,}} Nodoka said
with affection.

	{{Great, auntie. We will be looking forward to it
then.}}

	{{Goodbye, dear.}}

	{{Oh, I almost forgot. We are not in Nerima anymore,
auntie... The house was destroyed in an accident a
week back.}}

	{{I am sorry to hear that, dear.}}

	{{It's no problem, auntie. We are now living for the
time being in Juuban. The instructions should be
fairly easy to follow...}}

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

	"Ummm... Where is Ranma-sensei?" Ami asked Makoto.
She had been surprised to see a new coach putting the
students through the paces when she had arrived at
school, though she was thankful for it, as the new
coach had not punished her for being late.

	"He took today off. Tanaka-sensei is his substitute
for today."

	"Oh!"

	"Why were you late today, anyways?"

	"I have not been getting any sleep lately and I woke
up late today. I almost did not want to come to
school, but decided against it at the last second."

	"I suppose... Who could get any sleep with everything
that had happened so far?"

	Ami nodded. She knew everyone among the senshi was
affected by Mamoru's death. It did not take a
psychologist to figure that out.

	"Hey, Ami-chan," Makoto said suddenly.

	"Yes, Mako-chan, you want something."

	"Nope. I just wanted to tell you something amazing.
Usagi was early for class."

	"She was?" Ami asked in wonder. This was turning out
to be a very strange day indeed.

	"Yeah, and you know what, she had done all her
homework too," Minako added.

	"That's wonderful, Mina-chan."

	Minako nodded. "And it is pretty strange too. I mean,
have you ever known Usagi to do her work on time. I
know I never have."

	"There is a time for everything," Makoto suggested.

	"Yeah. You know what they say: Cook the food while
the sun shines," Minako explained.

	Ami groaned. Some things never seem to change.

	"That's 'Make hay while the sun shines', Mina-chan,"
Makoto corrected.

	"Whatever... I don't know what the big deal is... I
mean, they are all the same, right?"

	"No, they aren't," Makoto said.

	"Yes, they are."

	"No, they aren't."

	"Yes, they are."

	"Aren't."

	"Are too."

	"Aren't."

	"Are too."

	"Miss. Aino, Miss. Kino and Miss. Mizuno, in the hall
please," Tanaka-sensei said.

	"Hai, sensei," the three said in unison and walked
out into the hall.

	"It is all your fault," Minako said.

	"How is it mine? It was you who couldn't say a
proverb properly," Makoto accused.

	"Did too."

	"Did not."

	"Too."

	"Not."

	"Alright, will you two shut it up," Ami said.

	"But Ami-chan..." the two begun.

	"But nothing. You two are acting like brats and you
know it."

	Both the girls hung their heads.

	"I am sorry for shouting at you guys," Ami said. "But
I had to make you see reason."

	"It's alright, Ami-chan. We deserved it," Minako
said.

	"Yeah. I am sorry, Mina-chan."

	"I am sorry too, Mako-chan."

	Ami smiled. This was how friends were supposed to be.

	"Now that you two have kissed and made up, I want to
tell you something."

	The two girls immediately became all ears. It paid to
listen when Ami spoke since she was the wisest and
most level headed among the sailors.

	"I got a call from the outers' this morning. They
wanted us to meet them at Rei's shrine in the evening.
Haruka said they had something important to tell us."

	"I wonder why they called us," Minako wondered aloud.

	"Probably to talk about the new threat... the
Ashura's or whatever they are."

	"Probably," Ami agreed. "Though I could not shake the
distinct feeling that something was wrong."

	"Huh?"

	"It's most probably nothing. But still, I have this
gut feeling something horrible has happened."

	"Something horrible has happened, Ami-chan," Makoto
said. "Endmyion and Chibi-Usa are dead."

	Ami shook her head.

	"No, that's not it, Mako-chan. There's something
more. I can feel it. Haruka looked pretty shook up
when she spoke with me this morning," she said.

	"His death could be affecting them too, Ami-chan,"
Minako said.

	"They were never that close to him to be so shook up,
Mina-chan. It was as if she had given up hope or
something... I mean, she was really gloomy and..."

	"We understand, Ami-chan," Makoto said and grabbed
Ami in a hug.

	"Thanks, guys," Ami sniffled. She felt like having a
good cry and she did, on Makoto's shoulders with two
of her closest friends around to comfort her.

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

	Ryuu walked into the dojo, humming a tune to himself.

	"Come in, Ryuu. We have been expecting you," Cologne
said.

	Ryuu glanced around the hall and saw Cologne,
Happousai and his father sitting in the center in a
lose triangle.

	"What's up?" he asked.

	Cologne did not answer. Rather she pointed to a spot
on the tatami mat and he sat down.

	"What's up?" Ryuu asked again.

	"Ryuu, did you have a strange dream a couple of days
back?" the aging grandmaster of Matsubetu Katuto Ryuu
asked.

	"Dream? What dream?" Ryuu asked. Why were they here
talking about his dreams? *Couldn't a boy have some
privacy in this house?*

	"You know, the dream," Genma said sagely.

	*Oh, God, they know about the dream I had about
Shampoo. Oh, God, what I am going to do!* Ryuu
thought. His face reddened and his eyes darted around
guiltily.

	Somehow, Cologne had found out and she was going to
kill him. *Oh God! I am too young to die.*

	"Well, boy, do you remember the dream?" Genma asked.

	"I am sorry. I am sorry, I did it with her," Ryuu
blabbed, waving his arms around in a warding sign.

	"Huh?" the other three in the hall said
intelligently.

	Ryuu realized his mistake. Apparently, the others
were talking about a different dream.

	"Hehehe... I was just kidding."

	Cologne looked at him strangely.

	"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" Ryuu
asked defensively.

	"We will talk about the girl who came in your dreams
later," she said in a voice that brooked no argument.

	"Hai, sensei," Ryuu said lamely. *Boy, I am in a lot
of trouble.*

	Cologne nodded.

	"Well, boy, do you remember the dream?" Genma asked
once again.

	Thunk!

	Genma rubbed the sore spot on his head and glared at
Happousai. "Why did you hit me, master?"

	"Because you were behaving like a dimwit, that's
why," Happousai said and chuckled. Genma's head was as
hard as it had ever been and still produced that
metallic thunk he so loved to hear in his students, on
being struck. *No wonder the boy was never bright.*

	Genma cowed down at that. Any further words from his
mouth would lead to another beating.

	"Hai, master."

	Happousai smiled and turned towards Ryuu. "What your
idiotic father meant was: Did you have any dreams a
couple of days back in which your father, elder
Cologne and I were present?" he asked.

	Ryuu tapped his fingers a couple of times. Finally,
he nodded.

	"Yeah, I had this weird dream a couple of days back.
You, elder Cologne and pops were all there... The
details are a bit hazy though."

	"Just like I thought," Happousai announced. "All four
of us has had the same dream at the same time."

	"What do you mean?" Ryuu asked.

	Thwap!

	Ryuu rubbed the spot on his head where the pipe had
struck and glared.

	"Like father, like son. Honestly, Genma, stupidity
must be a hereditary trait in your family."

	 "Oh, thank you, master," Genma growled and
prostrated himself on the floor. He had learnt the
hard way that it was always better for his health to
kiss up to the master and what he learnt, Genma never
forgot.

	Happousai snorted in disgust and turned towards Ryuu.

	"I meant what I said. All four of us had shared the
same dream that night."

	"Oh!" *What's so great about sharing a dream?*

	"Recount what you remember about the dream, Ryuu,"
Cologne said.

	"Well, I was in this forest when this girl... she
said she was a Kami, came and took me somewhere.

	"I do not know what happened after that, but I guess
I sorta lost consciousness. When I came to, I was in
this strange place and I did not remember how I got
there.

	"There I met all three of you, except... Ah! I
remember now, the two of you," he pointed at Cologne
and Happousai, "Were younger... you looked about
Ranma-sensei's age and then this guy came.

	"I don't know what it was, but there was something
about him that was unexplainable... An aura of purity,
I suppose. Well, this guy, who I think was Kami-sama,
said some really corny things about saving the world
and stuff and then he granted us power... Waita
minute! It is about those braces, isn't it?"

	"Yes, it is," Cologne said.

	"Why? It was a dream... Oh, man! It was real, wasn't
it?"

	Cologne nodded once again.

	"Oh, man!"

	"So why did we have this dream?" Ryuu asked.

	"Well..." Happousai begun. "I was watching the match
between Soun and Ranma this morning when I remembered
the dream. I found it hard to believe and yet, it was
so real that I had to try it..."

	"What happened?"

	Thwap!

	"Do not interrupt your elders when they are speaking,
boy," Cologne said returning her staff to its position
on her lap with a flourish.

	Ryuu's eyes glared daggers at Cologne for a second or
two, but the elder did not seem to notice it. Finally,
he decided to keep his peace.

	"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,"
Happousai said and shot an irritated glance at Ryuu.
"I just had to try it and when I thought about the
brace this happened."

	The other three watched in amazement as Happousai
reverse aged and became his younger self again. He was
dressed in a silken gi and the brace shined brightly
in his hands.

	"I do not believe it and yet, I see it," Cologne
said.

	Genma nodded in silence.

	"That means... I, too, am a superhero," Ryuu said and
summoned his battle costume. He rose a few inches in
height and became clothed in a gi similar to the one
the transformed Happousai was wearing. There was a
golden dragon on both their gi and it seemed almost
alive. His face became less distinctive and more
mysterious looking at the same time.

	Likewise, the other two transformed and examined
themselves. All four looked the same as they had done
in the dream and all four had similar dragons on their
gi. Genma was perhaps the most affected... He lost all
his fat, potbelly and gained his hair. Happousai and
Cologne were the same as they were roughly three
hundred years ago. The change in them was great, but
they still had the same shape and looks as they had
all those years ago. Therefore, their changes did not
look as great as Genma, whose appearance gave a whole
new meaning to the term, a new man.

	"Well, we better change back," Cologne said at
length. "We do not want the others to know of this."

	Everyone acquiesced and changed back. No one dared to
speak about what had transpired and they remained
silent, thinking things over in their mind.

	Finally, the silence became too much for Ryuu and he
broke it.

	"So what are we going to do with this gift?" he
asked.

	Happousai looked at him as though he were the dumbest
fool in the world or something.

	"Duh! We are supposed to protect the weapon with our
lives."

	"And you call me a fool, old perv!" Ryuu seethed.
"Have you asked yourself what is this weapon and where
are we supposed to find it?"

	Happousai had the sense to look embarrassed.

	"I don't know, boy," he said meekly.

	Ryuu snorted in disgust. "You are all words and no
brain, old perv."

	"Boy..." Happousai warned. The kid was going too far
with the whole 'bash-the-idiot-of-the-day' thing.

	Ryuu waved his arms around and moved a few steps
back. The grandmaster of Matsubetu Katuto Ryuu was
unpredictable at the best of times and he did not want
to tango with the old man if he could help it.

	"Will you two quit it," Cologne said and tapped her
staff annoyed on the floor. "We have more important
things to worry about now."

	Ryuu and Happousai calmed down at this and returned
to their former positions.

	"The elder is right," Genma said. "We have more
important things to talk about."

	Ryuu looked at his father as though he had grown a
horn and then suddenly hit the floor with an 'I got
it' expression on his face.

	"Boy, what is it?" Genma asked.

	"I think I may have the answer... Do you remember
'Father's' words? He said we will have to protect the
weapon and looked at Cologne strangely. Cologne became
surprised and very nearly jumped out of her shoes when
he gave her the look."

	"So?"

	"So... I think she knew about the weapon or at the
very least, she has an idea of what or who it is.
Isn't that so, elder Cologne?" Ryuu asked.

	"Ummm... I think I might know his identity, though I
am not sure."

	"What were you waiting for then? A sign from the
heavens maybe? Tell us, woman," Happousai said and
leaned forward.

	Cologne cleared her throat and placed her hands on
opposite ends of the staff.

	"I am not sure whether I should tell you or not. If I
am wrong, I would have revealed one of the most
ancient and revered secrets of my people..."

	"But what if you are right?" Happousai said.

	"Oh, alright! I will tell you what I know, though I
will not go into details until I know for sure whether
I am right or wrong in my assumptions. Is that
acceptable?"

	"Verily," Ryuu said quickly before realizing what he
was saying. His eyes widened and he closed his mouth
with his hands. *I must have spent too much time with
Kuno.*

	The other three looked at him strangely.

	"Hehehehe," Ryuu laughed nervously.

	"Do you know anything about this, boy?" Genma asked.

	Ryuu shook his head.

	Genma looked into his eyes for an eternity before
finally looking away.

	"Please, continue, elder."

	"A long time ago, when the Amazon nation was still
being built, a stranger - a dragon, came to us. This
dragon lived with us and taught us some of our more
powerful techniques.

	"There are legends which say that the dragon even
defeated Saffron, God-king of the phoenix in
battle..."

	"Hey, even I would have been able to defeat your
God-king if Ranma-sensei hadn't interfered," Ryuu
said.

	"The Saffron you fought was dying and had little
control over his powers... Anyways, it is said that
the dragon married within the tribe and had children.
Then one day, his wife died and he left the nation...
It is a pretty long shot, but I think the dragon is
our weapon."

	"Why would this dragon still be alive?" Happousai
asked. The dragon might have died of old age or might
have been killed in battle for all they knew.

	"Think what you may, but I believe this dragon to be
our weapon."

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

	"We are home," Ranma said as he entered the compound.

	Kasumi followed by his side. She had a happy grin on
her grin on her face and he had his hand full of stuff
that she had brought in the morning. *The horror! The
horror!*

	Cologne was the first to greet them.

	"Welcome back," she said.

	Kasumi smiled in reply.

	"Thank you, grandmother Cologne."

	"You are welcome, child. So, how was your shopping
expedition?"

	Kasumi's face assumed a dreamy expression.

	"There were so many cute things, grandmother.
Ranma-kun let me buy whatever I wanted and he even got
into some of the dresses I wanted him to wear," Kasumi
said, her eyes filled with untold joy.

	Cologne smiled at her and turned to Ranma.

	"I am sure he did, dear. Now, why don't you go into
the house? I have something to discuss with sensei."

	"Okay, grandmother Cologne," Kasumi smiled
cheerfully. She went up to Ranma and kissed him on his
cheeks. "Thank you, Ranma-kun, for the wonderful
date."

	"You are welcome, Kas-chan. And thank you for making
it wonderful for me," he said.

	Kasumi giggled and went inside.

	"Is there anything you want to talk to me about,
great granddaughter?" Ranma asked.

	"Yes," Cologne answered. "Though I think it would be
advisable for us to talk about it in private."

	Ranma nodded.

	"Where do you want to go then?" he asked.

	"There is a quite little restaurant across the
street. I think we ought to be safe there."

	"Good. You go first. I have a few things to do and I
will be with you shortly."

	"Hai."

	Cologne bounded off with her staff. Ranma stood there
looking at her back until she had disappeared and then
walked into the door, pausing once to adjust the stuff
he was carrying.

	He dodged Ryuu and Genma, who were arguing about
something, on the way inside and got onto the stairs.
He bounded up the stairs, a couple of steps at a time,
and juggled the goodies on his hands once again. *The
damn things keep sliding away,* he cursed silently and
finally freed an arm.

	He juggled the weight precariously with one arm and
opened the door to Kasumi's room without pausing to
knock.

	"Kas-chan... Oops! I am sorry," Ranma said quickly
seeing the state of undress she was in. He turned
around and closed the door behind him.

	He placed the goodies on the floor and spent the next
minute twiddling his fingers, trying to come up with
an excuse or something.

	Finally, the door opened and a very embarrassed
Kasumi struck her face out.

	"Hey, Kas-chan, I am sorry for... you know, coming
into your room without knocking or anything," Ranma
said, his face turning several shades of red during
the course of the sentence.

	"It's alright, Ranma-kun. It was my mistake too, I
should have locked the door," Kasumi replied with a
very red blush on her cheeks.

	"Anyways, I wanted to give you the stuff you bought
today."

	"Thank you, Ranma-kun."

	Ranma flashed her his famous, all-winning smile and
bowed in as exaggerated a manner as he possibly could.

	"It was my pleasure, m'lady," he said.

	Kasumi giggled at his antics.

	"You are so funny, Ranma-kun."

	"Yeah, I guess I am," Ranma replied proudly.

	This elicited more giggles from Kasumi.

	"I will see you later, then," Ranma said.

	"I guess so."

	"Kas-chan..."

	"Yes, Ranma-kun?"

	"Would you wear that red dress, you know, the one
with the flowers and all for tomorrow's date?"

	"Of course, I will, Ranma-kun."

	"Okay. I had better be going then. Elder Cologne
wanted to speak with me about something."

	"Goodbye, Ranma-kun."

	Ranma turned to go and stopped in mid-step. "Oh! And
Kas-chan, I almost forgot. If Akane comes with a huge
amount of groceries and stuff, tell her to put them by
the refrigerator and to do thousand and five hundred
push-ups for being late."

	Kasumi nodded.

	"Bye, Kas-chan, see you later."

	"Bye, Ranma-kun," she replied from where she stood.

	Ranma turned around at the top of the stairs to look
at her and was gone.

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

	"I am telling you, old man, I want to go and visit
mom."

	"Are you mad, boy? She would kill you," replied
Genma.

	"And why would she do that?" Ryuu shouted. "Oh, wait,
I know. It was all because of your stupid seppuku
pledge, isn't it? Well, I have had it with you. Either
you move aside or I remove you from my path. Either
way, it is fine by me."

	"Don't act like a stupid animal, boy," Genma said.

	Wham!

	Splash!

	"Who's the stupid animal now, pops?" Ryuu taunted.

	A very angry and very wet panda got up from the wet
puddle in the garden.

	"Growf!" [I am going to teach you a lesson you are
never going to forget, boy.]

	"What is it, pops?" Ryuu teased. "I can't understand
ya."

	+I am gonna beat you up, to within an inch of your
life, punk!+ Flip. +How does that sound?+

	"You gotta catch me, pops. The way I see it, your
threats aren't worth a shit."

	The panda started towards Ryuu, but before he could
reach his son to serve some righteous punishment,
Ranma got hold of Ryuu by the scurf of his neck and
turned him around.

	"Young man, no kohai of mine will speak to his father
in such a manner. Is that understood?"

	"Hai, sensei."

	"Good, now, apologize to your father."

	"I beg forgiveness, father," Ryuu said to the panda,
his eyes promising lots of pain to the old man later.

	+Apology accepted, son.+

	"Now, what were you two arguing about?" Ranma asked.
He had caught something about his mother, but he was
not sure whether he had heard right or not.

	"I was just saying I wanted to visit my mother,
sensei and my _father_ here says I should not," Ryuu
explained, glaring at Genma.

	"And why would you want to do that, Saotome-sensei?"

	+Err...+

	"Oh, it is because of a stupid contract he made a
long time ago," Ryuu filled in, smiling evilly at
panda-man. "It seems that my dear father promised my
mom he would make a man out of me or the two of us
would commit seppuku."

	"Isn't that rather stupid, Saotome-sensei?" Ranma
asked acidly.

	+Err...+

	"You tell him, sensei. Now, because I gotta curse and
all, he says I cannot visit mom. He says she would
hold me to the pledge and make me commit seppuku."

	"Would she do that, Saotome-sensei?" Ranma asked.

	+Hai. Nodoka has some weird notions of honor and
manliness.+

	"Weird? In what way, Saotome-sensei?"

	+Her idea of a true man is a voyeuristic pervert.+
Flip. +That is why I made the stupid pledge in the
first place.+ Flip. +If she had been there with me
while Ryuu was growing up, he would have become a
panty-thieving pervert by now.+ Flip. +I'd never let
my boy become like the master.+

	"Hmmm..."

	+I swear, Ranma-sensei, I telling the truth.+ Flip.
+I might have gone overboard with my stupid training
methods,+ Flip. +But the reason I took Ranma and then
Ryuu away was to isolate them from Nodoka.+

	"Who is this Ranma, Saotome-sensei?" Ranma asked. He
wanted to know how his father felt about losing him
all those years ago.

	+Ranma was my first born,+ Genma-panda signed. Tears
were streaming down his face by now. Flip. +I took him
on a training voyage and I put him through a lot worse
than anything Ryuu went through.+ Flip.

	+I wanted to teach him the Nekoken and he died while
learning it.+ Flip. "Growf! Rorf!" [I am so sorry,
Ranma.]

	+I killed my son.+ "Grrawf!" Genma-panda wailed. [I
am so sorry!]

	"Saotome-sensei, restrain yourself. A man should not
cry in public," Ranma said sternly.

	Flip. +I killed my son... I am not a man.+

	"Saotome-sensei, calm yourself. Ryuu, get your father
into the house. We will discuss this later. I have a
meeting to attend to now."

	"Hai, sensei," Ryuu said and pulled Genma-panda into
the house.

	Ranma looked at their retreating figures for a second
or two before starting towards the restaurant. He had
not walked a couple of dozen steps past the house when
someone pulled his hands. He looked behind and saw
Ryuu.

	"Brother, what are you doing here?" Ranma asked and
begun to walk once again. Why was Ryuu not with
father?

	"I can ask you the same question, big brother. What
are you doing here?" Ryuu asked in reply stressing the
'you' in the last sentence and keeping pace with his
elder brother.

	Ranma did not answer.

	"Answer me, big brother."

	Ranma continued walking.

	"Answer me, goddamnit," Ryuu exploded.

	"What do you want me to say, brother?" Ranma asked.
"What do you want me to say?"

	"For one thing, you could start by telling him the
truth about who you really are."

	"I... I don't know."

	"What do you mean, you don't know? He is your father,
goddamnit."

	"Watch your tongue, brother."

	"So you are threatening me now, is that it?" Ryuu
shouted.

	Ranma shook his head.

	"No, I am not threatening you. A martial artist
should not lose control of his emotions, brother, I
was trying to remind you of that," Ranma said.

	"Oh, forgive me for being human," Ryuu replied
angrily.

	"Ryuu..."

	"Ryuu what?"

	"Give me some time to think. I... It is not easy for
me, this decision," Ranma said.

	Ryuu cast his eyes on his brother and gave him a long
look.

	"Alright! I will give you a whole week. If you are
not ready to tell father by then, make no mistake, I
will."

	Ranma nodded. "Sounds good enough to me."

	The two walked the next couple of meters in awkward
silence.

	"Where are you going, anyway?" Ryuu asked, breaking
the uneasy silence.

	"Elder Cologne wanted me to meet her in yonder
restaurant."

	"Oh! I'd better be going then, huh?"

	"Yeah, I think you better."

	"Bye, big brother."

	"Bye, little one."

	Ryuu shot Ranma one last glance and turned towards
the house. Ranma drew a big breath and crossed the
road.

	The restaurant was free as always, with only a couple
of people dining or making conversation. He spotted
Cologne in the far off corner and waved at her whence
upon she waved back.

	"And how is my favorite granddaughter?" Ranma asked
merrily trying to start a conversation.

	"I am well, great grandfather," she replied.

	Ranma summoned the waiter and ordered from the menu.
He took a sip of water and began.

	"What is bothering you, granddaughter?" he asked.

	Cologne for her part sat observing the fish tank
placed by the wall for nearly a minute before
answering.

	"Honorable great grandfather, I think it best that
you tell the others, the truth about yourself."

	Ranma was surprised, to say the least. It was as if
everyone who knew him were intent on making him tell
his secret.

	"And what brought this on, granddaughter?" he asked.

	"I... We had a dream a couple of days ago and I think
it is best you tell everyone the truth."

	"We? Dream? You do not make sense, granddaughter.
Order you thoughts and then tell me what is in your
mind."

	Cologne nodded and sat there, silently, for a minute.
Then she took a deep breath and begun.

	"Great grandfather, on the night those things
attacked, we... your brother, father, Happousai and I,
all shared a dream. We were visited by Kami-sama in it
and he appointed as guardians for a weapon. I... I
think that weapon we were ordered to protect is you."

	"Hmmm... Are you sure about that, granddaughter?"
Ranma asked. *What is going on here?*

	"Yes, honorable grandfather. This very morning, we...
Happousai and I, called the other two to the dojo and
we checked ourselves to make sure."

	"Why did you not tell me about this dream before?"

	"I did not remember about it, until this morning,
great grandfather. Even then, it was Happi who
remembered it while meditating and it was he who
brought it to my attention."

	"Oh! Go on..."

	"He and the others know they have to protect someone,
but they do not know who they are supposed to protect.
Your brother came close to figuring it out, but he did
not have all the information to fit the pieces of the
puzzle together.

	"He also realized I knew more than I let on and now,
the others know about the legend of the dragon, though
they do not know that you are the dragon."

	"Hmmm... I am supposing that you wanted to tell them,
but you did not, granddaughter. Why?" Ranma said
thoughtfully.

	Cologne nodded emphatically.

	"It was neither my secret nor my duty to tell them,
grandfather. Therefore, I did not."

	"But still, you did not want to keep them in the
dark."

	"Yes, honorable grandfather. I did not want to hide
it from them, though I had to."

	"And now, you want me to tell them," Ranma asked.

	"I feel it is the best the thing to do, honorable
grandfather."

	"Tell me, granddaughter, what did Kami-sama tell
you?"

	The waiter came with the orders and placed the food
on the table. Ranma excused him and he went off to
attend to another couple at the far end of the
restaurant.

	Cologne took a bite of the chicken and begun.

	"Our memory is not very clear on that point,
grandfather." Cologne said.

	Ranma helped himself to the excellent Chinese prawn
dumpling.

	"Tell me what you remember, child," he said.

	Cologne nodded between bites.

	"He said it was our sworn duty to protect the weapon
in the oncoming fight against the evil. I... I am
sorry, honorable grandfather, I do not remember much
other than that."

	Ranma nodded and continued to eat.

	"It's alright, granddaughter. The information is not
that important." Ranma paused to chew a half bitten
dumpling. "Why is all of this relevant to me?"

	"I think, honorable grandfather, that you are the
weapon. The legends about your arrival, your skills
and your powers all seem to point in that direction
and I thought..."

	"Very true, granddaughter. I have been thinking the
same myself."

	"Huh?"

	"I too, was rescued by Kami-sama that night,
granddaughter," Ranma said in an offhand manner.

	"Rescued?" Cologne repeated. *Who could be powerful
enough to beat my grandfather in a fight?*

	"Yes, granddaughter, rescued. One of the sailors did
not take my interference in the battle too well and
imprisoned me with a time manipulation spell. It was
Kami-sama who rescued me from the prison."

	"Then this lends further credit to my theory,
honorable grandfather. My assumptions must be
correct."

	"Indeed, I believe it is," Ranma acknowledged.

	"Then you will tell them, won't you, honorable
grandfather?" Cologne asked.

	"There is much to think about, child."

	"Why can't you tell them, honorable grandfather?"
Cologne asked. "After all, they are your kith and
kin."

	Ranma smiled at Cologne.

	"Did you know, child, you are the second one to ask
me that very question today?"

	"Grandfather?"

	"It was my dear younger brother, who asked the same
question just before I crossed the road to this
restaurant. He wanted me to tell my father that I am
his son."

	"Will you tell him then, honorable grandfather?"
asked Cologne.

	"Yes, child, I believe I will."

	"Thank you, grandfather."

	"You are welcome, child. Now, eat your lunch and go
to the house. Gather everyone in the dojo and wait for
me. I will come there soon enough and tell them. Is
that good enough for you?"

	"Yes, grandfather," Cologne said smiling from ear to
ear.

	"Good, now, eat."

	And they ate like a man and his granddaughter,
spending some quality time together, sharing lunch.

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

	Nodoka walked, dressed in her finest kimono, proudly
through the streets of Juuban. *This is the happiest
day of my life,* she told herself again and again as
she walked... no, inched one step closer to her son
and husband.

	The day had seemed to crawl for her as she had
bristled through the errands that needed to be run and
the things that needed to be done around the house.
She had not stopped smiling since the phone call and
her whole life felt rejuvenated.

	After all, who wouldn't be if they knew they were
going to see their husband and son for the first time
in nearly a decade.

	Her son and husband, whom she had not seen for the
better part of a decade, were in Juuban and she was
about to meet them. It wounded her heart a little to
know they had not stopped by to see her first, but she
did not care.

	What mattered was the chance she had to see them once
again and she did not want to goof it up, by letting
her anger take control. She had prayed to the kami for
this very chance for a long time and she was not going
to mess it all up due to petty anger.

	"Excuse me, kind sir?" she asked a passing gentleman.

	The man stopped in his tracks and gave her a once
over.

	"Did you call me, madam?" he asked.

	"Yes, I did. I was on my way to see my son and
husband at a friend's house, and I got lost. Would you
be kind enough to give me directions?"

	"Sure, Mrs..."

	"Saotome."

	"Sure, Mrs. Saotome."

	"Thank you, kind sir," Nodoka said and handed him the
piece of paper on which she had written the directions
and the address to the house Nabiki had given her.

	The man turned and pointed towards the end of the
street.

	"It's that way, Mrs. Saotome. You turn right at the
second turn on that side of the street and you should
be able to see it from there."

	"Thank you, kind sir."

	"You are most welcome," the man said and continued on
his way.

	Nodoka hummed a time old tune to herself and
continued on the way. She was going to be reunited
with her husband and son in a little while.

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

	"Sakura, sakura, yayoino sorowa!
	"Miwatasu kagiri. Kasumika? Kumoka?
	"Nio..."

	Before Soun could continue any further, Happousai
interrupted.

	"Will you shut your mouth? People are trying to think
here," he said.

	"Yes, master."

	Happousai nodded and went back to brooding mode.

	"Grandfather Happousai..."

	"Yes, Kasumi-chan?" Happousai asked. He liked the
eldest of the Tendo daughters, the most in the family
and normally went out of his way to be sweet to the
poor dear. She had many problems to worry about with
him adding to it.

	"Will you please put out the pipe?" Kasumi said in
her sweet voice, with her angelic smile on her face.

	"Of course, Kasumi-chan," Happousai replied and
tapped the pipe. Ash and embers fell together, which
he put out. Normally, he would not have put out the
pipe, but this was Kasumi and one never turned her
down.

	"Thank you, grandfather Happousai."

	"No problem, dear."

	"So, why are we here?" Nabiki, who had been silent
until then, asked Cologne. Mrs. Saotome was about to
arrive and she wanted to prepare for the look on
Ranma's face when she told the woman, the truth.

	"Great grandmother, Shampoo ask why we here?" Shampoo
asked.

	"It is not mine to reveal, children. Wait and you
will hear."

	"Unlike some of you, I happen to feel that my time is
precious and I do not want to waste it sitting on the
floor, waiting for some dumb jock," Nabiki said.

	Cologne and Ryuu were about to retort when Ranma
entered.

	"The dumb jock is here, Nabiki-chan and if you feel
that I am wasting your time, you are free to leave,"
Ranma said crossing his arms.

	"Hmph!"

	"Well, then. Shall we continue?"

	Everyone nodded.

	"I called all of you here because I have something
very important to tell you..."

	Before Ranma could continue, someone opened the front
gate and entered into the lawn.

	"Who is it?" Ranma hollered and stepped out of the
dojo. Kasumi, who was intent on playing the part of
the gracious hostess, followed him.

	"Excuse me, I am looking for the Qin residence," the
woman at the door said.

	Ranma looked closely at her. The woman did look
somewhat familiar, though he could not place his hands
on where he had seen her.

	"This is it and I am Ranma Qin. Please come in."

	"Thank you," the woman said. "My name is Nodoka
Saotome and I was informed that my son and husband
were living here."

	"Yes, they are Saotome-san. As a matter of fact, they
are in the dojo right now," Ranma said masking his
surprise quite nicely.

	Nodoka's eyes widened at that. She was finally going
to be reunited with her family.

	"Welcome, Saotome-san," Kasumi said.

	"Thank you..."

	"I am Kasumi Tendo, Saotome-san."

	Nodoka closed the distance between the two of them
and grabbed the eldest of the Tendo daughters in a
hug.

	"Call me auntie, dear. My, you have grown into a
beautiful young lady."

	"Thank you, auntie," Kasumi said with a small blush
on her face and released the hug.

	The two women walked into the dojo, flanked by Ranma.

	"Father, look who has come," Kasumi said.

	Soun and the others looked closely. Genma paled
whilst Soun's face broadened into a grin.

	"Is that you, Nodoka?" Soun asked.

	"Yes, it is, Tendo-san," Nodoka replied. Then she
turned towards Genma. "Is that you, Genma?"

	Scarcely had the words escaped her mouth, she was
gathered in a bear hug by a boy, who thus prevented
any further communication with Genma for sometime to
come.

	"Mom!"

	"Ryuu, is that you?" she asked, tears of joy
streaming down her face.

	"Yes, it is me, mom."

	"Oh, my poor child, how I missed you?"

	"I missed you too, mom."

	"Nodoka..." Genma said, getting up to meet his wife.

	"Yes, husband."

	"I have failed you."

	"Huh?"

	Sensing that the situation was about to get out of
control, Ranma intervened.

	"Nodoka-san."

	Nodoka turned at him and looked at him questioningly.

	"Will you take a seat next to your husband, please? I
have something important to say and it concerns
everyone in the room."

	Nodoka found herself compelled to obey. There was
something about the young man that made her want to
reach out to him. And the way, in which he carried
himself and spoke, brooked no argument.

	"Thank you," Ranma said as everyone assumed his or
her seats. "Now, as I was saying, I have something
important to tell all of you," he announced and turned
to Genma.

	"Saotome-sensei, is it not true that you lost your
first born while training him in the Nekoken?"

	"Yes, I did."

	"Can you tell us what happened?" Ranma asked.

	Genma hesitated, but just for a moment. He clutched
his knuckles as though he was debating whether he
should speak or not and then relaxed his muscles. He
rose up and moved towards the front of the group.

	"It was over a decade ago, near the shores of the
Agano River that it happened. I had taken Ranma, my
first born, on a training journey to make him into a
martial artist of world caliber... the best in the
world as I put it.

	"Ranma was everything that a teacher could hope for
in a student. He was smart, skilled, learned
techniques at an amazing speed and he did not object
to whatever training regimen I put him through.

	"I had always wanted my son to be the best...
something I could never be and seeing the skill the
boy possessed, I drove him hard... Harder than the
master ever drove me."

	Soun gasped at this and Happousai looked horrified by
what his student was saying. He had put the boys
through the hell he called training because they were
grown up and were physically capable of taking it. But
to put a child through such demanding training
regimens? What had Genma been thinking?

	In the corner, Nabiki sat almost fuming. It looked
like Ranma was going to spoil all her plans and tell
the truth himself. *How dare he do this to me?* she
fumed inside.

	"Then I got my hands on the most accursed thing, I
had ever the ill-luck of touching in my life: The
Nekoken manual. I knew what it would do to my son and
yet, I did not care. So blinded was I in my quest to
transform my son into the perfect martial artist.

	"I did what the manual said I should do... I dug a
hole and starved cats into it until they were
half-crazed with hunger. Then... Then I bound my son,
my innocent son, in a string tied with fish and cat
food and threw him into the pit.

	"The boy suffered... Oh, how he suffered," Genma said
and his face took on a horror filled expression. "Yet,
I did not let him be. He begged me for mercy; my son,
my flesh and blood, begged for mercy and I did not
give it to him. I threw him into the pits daily.

	"Then one day, just as the boy was about to learn the
technique, something I have never been able to explain
happened.

	"That day, I threw him into the pit and went to my
normal hiding place as I knew the devastating effects,
the technique would have on my son. Soon enough, the
yowling and the screaming stopped and I thought my son
had mastered the technique.

	"Being the coward that I am, I did not dare to look
outside because I wanted to save my own hide. When I
did, it was too late..."

	Nodoka, who had been following the whole confession
with increasing anger, stood up and removed her katana
from the scabbard. Her husband had lied to her and she
suspected, had even killed her son. She was going to
slice up her husband for killing her poor boy and for
lying to her. She was going to have her vengeance.

	"Please, Saotome-san," Ranma's obviously moved voice
interrupted. "Take your seat and keep your peace until
your husband and I are done with what we have to say."

	Nodoka seethed and cast a furious look at her
husband, but sat down once again. She was a guest in
the room and it would do to act rudely.

	"I am sorry, No-chan," Genma said crying openly. "For
lying to you and for killing our son."

	"Please, Saotome-sensei, continue," Ranma nudged.

	Genma made a visible effort to control himself and
begun his narration once again.

	"There was a glow around my little boy and he was
suspended a couple of feet from the ground. His mouth
was opened in a silent scream of agony," sob, "And he
looked at me with wide open eyes. The cats... they
were all there inside the pit and they were all afraid
of whatever was happening to my boy.

	"They were so afraid that they were arching their
bodies with their backs to the wall. I could not find
the courage to jump into the pit and save my boy...
Instead, I just stood there and watched.

	"And then, the glow faded... only to flash once and
my son disappeared. I searched for him, but I knew in
the bottom of my heart that I would never see my son
again," sob.

	"Thank you, Saotome-sensei," Ranma said. Then he
turned to the others. "What Saotome-sensei told you
was the truth except for one minor detail... You see,
his son survived."

	Genma looked shocked and Nodoka looked grateful. The
others, except Ryuu, Nabiki and Cologne, gaped. This
was the most amazing story they had ever heard in
their entire life.

	"However, Ranma was transported to a time in the
past, when civilization had not yet extended its grasp
to Japan. He got cursed in the springs of Jusenkyo and
he was adopted into the Musk Empire.

	"There he grew up and until one day, he was banished
for disobeying the emperor's orders to fight for the
throne with his adopted brother. Heartbroken, Ranma
sought shelter amongst the Amazons. There he lived and
taught amongst them.

	"He married a wonderful woman and he had a child...
Then one day, his wife died and for the second time in
his life, he left his home, a heartbroken man. He
traveled around the world for centuries and now, he
stands in front of all of you as Ranma Qin, former
heir to the Musk throne, a legend amongst the Amazons
and grandfather to Kho Lon, matriarch of the
Joketsuzoku Amazons."

	It took nearly a minute before the stunned looks on
their faces diminished. Slowly, the looks were
replaced by disbelief on some faces and admiration on
others.

	"I don't believe you," Happousai said incredulously.
"You look like a young man. There is no way you could
have hidden your age so well."

	Ranma laughed humorously, shook his head and gave the
grandmaster of Matsubetu Katuto Ryuu, a look a
consternation.

	"Funny, you should say that, grandmaster. Haven't you
ever heard about what effects true mastery of the art
would have on one's body?" Ranma asked.

	Happousai, Genma and Soun gawked while Cologne's face
was filled with pride. They had all heard legends
about the effects true mastery of the art would have,
but they had never thought them to be true. Now, they
were having the truth shoved into their throats and
they found themselves overcome by it.

	"You have got to be lying," Happousai persisted.
There was no way the boy could be a true master,
though it would explain many things, which he was at a
loss to explain before.

	"The matriarch would say otherwise, grandmaster.
After all, she had seen life size statues of me in the
tribe archives and she is my granddaughter."

	"Is it true, Cologne?" Happousai asked.

	"Yes, it is," Cologne verified and nodded.

	"How?"

	"I am sure you have heard the legends about the
dragon's fight with the phoenix, grandmaster. Have
you?"

	"Yes," Happousai nodded dumbly.

	"Well, I am the dragon and the phoenix was the
God-king of the Phoenix tribe. In fact, I attained
true mastery of the art towards the end of that
particular battle."

	Again, Happousai glanced questioningly at Cologne.
And again, she nodded.

	"The statue stored in my tribes archives is over two
thousand years old," she verified.

	"Then you are..." he asked uncertainly.

	"Yes, I am," Ranma said and signaled Happousai with
his right hand to keep quiet and ask his questions
later.

	"Oh!" Happousai said.

	Ryuu and Genma looked at Cologne and Happousai to
clear their doubts and the two nodded. Ranma was the
dragon and if they were lucky, he was also the weapon.

	"Now, I am done. Mother you can speak what you wish,"
Ranma said and sat down.

	Nodoka did not rise up from her seat. She sat there,
her eyes glistening with tears of joy. Her family was
whole at last. She could forgive her husbands lies and
errors in judgment now. He had been instrumental in
transforming her son into a true master, whatever that
was.

	"Mom..." Ryuu said.

	"Yes, Ryuu-chan?" Nodoka said, giddy with joy.

	"I have something important to tell you."

	"Go ahead, Ryuu-chan," Nodoka said, her face and
demeanor immediately adopting a more serious
expression.

	"It's about the pledge that father made..."

	"What of it, Ryuu-chan?"

	"Well, you see, father and I were cursed while
training..."

	Nodoka interrupted.

	"Cursed? What is this, husband?"

	"Well..."

	"Let me tell her, pops," Ryuu interrupted.

	Genma nodded his approval.

	"You see, mom, there are a bunch of springs in China.
Anyone who falls into these springs turns into the
last thing that drowned in it. We sorta fell into the
springs..."

	"What springs did the two of you fall into?" Nodoka
asked, her hand gripping the scabbard of the family
katana in a vice-like grip. *Again, Genma had failed
in his duty,* Nodoka told herself. If the damage was
very bad then, she would have her revenge on him even
if she had to travel to the ends of the Earth to
obtain it.

	"I fell into the spring of the drowned wolf and pops
fell into the spring of the drowned panda," Ryuu
confessed.

	"I see," Nodoka said in a steely voice. "Your father
has failed to fulfill the terms of the contract then."

	"Yes, mom."

	"Then you will have to commit seppuku to redeem the
Saotome honor," Nodoka said, her rage gaining the
better of her. She was too angry to see straight and
the quirks in her personality did not help matters
any. It looked like her husband had failed repeatedly
bringing great dishonor to the Saotome name, which
could only by redeemed by executing the contract.

	"Mom!" Ryuu said in shock.

	"Nodoka-san..." Soun said.

	The others just looked on in shock unable to believe
what was happening right before their very eyes.

	"I will be your second, of course," Nodoka continued
in the same tone as before, lost in her own private
world.

	"Mom!" Ryuu repeated again.

	It was as if Nodoka did not hear him. She just
withdrew her katana and brought out the family tanto,
which she handed over to Ryuu.

	"Mother, that is enough," Ranma said.

	"Huh?"

	"I said that is enough," Ranma repeated.

	"Your father has failed to honor the contract, Ranma.
He and your younger brother must therefore die to
redeem the family honor."

	"They will not die. Not if I can help it," Ranma all
but screamed in anger. *What the hell is wrong with
her? She is willing to kill her own husband and child
just because they were cursed!*

	"Ranma, you must not interfere."

	"You are wrong, mom. I can and I will interfere. As
the oldest member of the clan Saotome, I Ranma Qin,
son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome, adopted son of Qin
Shi, emperor of the Musk dynasty declare the seppuku
contract made between Genma and Nodoka of the clan
Saotome, null and void," Ranma said angrily.

	"You cannot do that," Nodoka replied.

	"Wrong, mother, I can and I will do it."

	"But..."

	"Damnit, mother. Are you willing to kill your son and
husband based on a contract your son signed or rather,
painted at so young an age that he could not possibly
have known what he was signing?" Ranma said waving the
contract, he had grabbed from Nodoka's hands.

	"Ranma..." Genma begun with the intent of defending
his wife.

	"Stop it, father. I do not want to hear anything in
defense of her. I did not want to believe you when you
told me about your wife this morning, though I knew
you had no reason to lie about her. I was hoping you
were wrong, but she just proved my hopes false," Ranma
shouted.

	"Nodoka Saotome," he continued turning to face his
mother. "I do not want to see you ever again in my
life."

	"Ranma..." Nodoka whispered shocked. The words her
son was using against her filtered through the anger
that had been clouding her brain and she was horrified
by what she had done.

	"A mother who is willing to kill her husband and son
just because of a curse is no mother of mine," Ranma
announced angrily.

	"Ranma..." Nodoka whispered again. She was very close
to tears now.

	Slap!

	"That's enough, young man," Genma said, letting his
hand drop to his side. "I will not tolerate you
talking in such disrespectful tones to your mother."

	"See that..." Ranma continued calmly. "You wanted to
kill him for a stupid curse a minute ago and yet, he
defends you. You could learn a lot from father,
mother," Ranma said and walked out of the dojo without
looking back.

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

	Ranma sat on the roof of the house, thinking things
over. He had not meant to blow up in his mother's
face, though now that he thought about it, he realized
it was inevitable. Accepting that contract and then
trying to go through with it was stupid and he would
have acted in much the same way against anyone else.

	Though the end result had been a good one, he
realized, he had probably lost all chance of
rebuilding the lost relationship with his mother.

	He shook his head in disappointment. He had
thought... no, he had hoped that his mother would be
some kind of angel, but she was just another human
with her own drawbacks and gains.

	"I shouldn't have blown up in her face," he muttered
to himself.

	The look on her face had shown her pain, not to
mention her horror, but he had been unable to stop. He
knew he had wounded her and he did not know whether he
would be able to make amends, if ever.

	"Ranma-kun..."

	Ranma turned his gaze downwards and saw Kasumi
getting up on a ladder.

	"Yes, Kas-chan?" Ranma said and helped her onto the
roof.

	Kasumi remained silent the whole time and took a seat
besides him.

	"Are you alright?" she asked finally.

	"Yes, I am... No, I am not."

	"Still mad at your mother, Ranma-kun?" she asked.

	"No, not really. I just lost my temper then... Seeing
her willing to kill father and brother made me lose my
temper."

	"She's sorry, you know."

	"Yeah, I know, Kas-chan."

	"Then why don't you go and talk with her?"

	"I... I don't know. Will she accept me back? I was,
after all, pretty rude to her."

	Kasumi shook her head.

	"What is it, Kas-chan?" Ranma asked.

	"You say you are hundreds of years old and yet, you
do not know the power of a mother's heart."

	"Huh?"

	"She will forgive you, Ranma-kun. Just as you have
forgiven her. Why did you shout at her anyway?"

	Ranma sighed.

	"I had always thought that my mother would be an
perfect angel... Seeing her today was a rude
awakening. I wasn't ready for it. The woman I saw
today and the woman I had always imagined she would be
were too different. I reacted badly to the fact that
she was just like another human being capable of
making mistakes."

	Kasumi listened patiently and then spoke. "Go and
talk with her, Ranma-kun. She needs you."

	Ranma nodded, but did not get up.

	"Kas-chan..."

	"Yes, Ranma-kun?"

	"I am sorry I lied to you..."

	"Huh?"

	"About myself," Ranma supplied.

	"Oh!"

	"I did not mean to lie to you, Kas-chan. It's just
that..."

	"I understand, Ranma-kun."

	"Thank you, Kas-chan," Ranma said and leaned in
close.

	Without realizing what he was doing, he kissed her.
Kasumi was initially surprised, but got over her
surprise almost immediately. She began returning the
kiss with the same vigor as Ranma. Her arms circled
around him and...

	Suddenly, Ranma opened his eyes and pulled away.
There was a look of horror on his face.

	"I am sorry, I am so sorry," he said and jumped off
the roof and ran away.

	Kasumi looked at his retreating form, a single line
of silver trailing down her cheeks. She lowered her
head for a minute and when she raised it back again,
it had assumed its normal happy expression, though the
sparkle she had been in her eyes of late was missing. 

	She had been disappointed so many times in her life
that most things scarcely pained her anymore. However,
this one hurt more than any of the other things ever
had. She loved him so, though it seemed he did not
love her or want to be with her.

	Thinking about it brought another unconscious tear to
her eyes. The drop slid down her cheeks and fell to
the floor with a splat she thought she could hear.

	Her mother, her father, her sisters... everyone had
abandoned her in one way or another and this latest
disappointment was added just another one to the long
list of disappointments she had suffered in her life.
*Why?* she asked the kami.

	As usual, they did not reply.

	Slowly, the tears died away and the mask took
prominence once again. Where once there had been
innocence now there was the mask of wisdom. She needed
to be strong for those around her and she would not
let her pain show, she promised herself.

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

	"I am sorry."

	"There is nothing to be sorry about, No-chan," Genma
said.

	"I wanted to kill you, Genma-kun. I am sorry," Nodoka
said and wept into his shoulders.

	They were presently in the guestroom Ranma had
provided for him and Ryuu, and were sitting on the
bed. Nodoka had been crying for the past ten minutes
and no matter what he tried, Genma could not console
her.

	"Please, No-chan, stop crying."

	Sniffle. "He hates me! My son hates me."

	"No, he does not hate you, No-chan. He is not that
kind of a man."

	"But he said, he did not want to see me ever again
himself."

	"He was just angry, No-chan. When his anger is gone,
he will return to you."

	"Are you sure?" Nodoka asked Genma with pleading
eyes.

	"Yes, I am sure. He did forgive me, after all. And
what I did can never be forgiven," Genma replied. "Our
son is a wonderful man, No-chan, he will forgive you
in no time at all."

	"Thank you, Genma-kun."

	"Now, try to get some rest. You need it," Genma said
and laid Nodoka on the bed. He covered her with a
blanket and left the room in search of Ranma and Ryuu.
He thought it would make her better if she rebuilt her
relationship with her children.

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

	*What have I done?* Ranma's shocked mind asked itself
over and over again, as he bounded across the roof
tops.

	In a moment of spur, he had kissed her. No... he had
done the unthinkable... he had betrayed Xas Min's
memory. For two thousand years, he had controlled
himself as a way of honoring her memory and a girl who
had yet to reach the prime of her life had destroyed
it all in a single moment.

	*I am sorry, Xas Min.*

	He had not meant things between him and Kasumi to get
this far, but somehow, they had. Sure, he had been
attracted to her, but he had asked the girl out on a
date because she had looked so lonely in the house
worrying about everyone and having no one to worry
about her in return. He had meant to keep the
relationship strictly platonic like all the others he
had had during the course of his wanderings.

	He had taken women out on date before, but only
because he wanted them to experience some freedom in
their constricted lives and not because he was
interested in them or anything. It had been his own
special way of paying tribute to his undying love for
Xas Min... Right from the very first woman, Li Yeoh to
the last one, Tanaka Amatersu. There had never been
any feelings involved on his part, though women had
fallen for him plenty along the line.

	Now, for the first time ever, he was starting to get
interested in a girl and try as he might, he could not
help it. 

	The kiss had come naturally and it had felt the
natural thing to do at that second, but he knew it was
wrong. He was over two thousand years old, for God's
sake and she was just entering her twenties. She had a
long life ahead of her and he did not want to mess it
up.

	But the truth was, he had messed up things with her.
And now, he did not know what to feel worse about.
Breaking Kasumi's heart, for the girl was obviously
reciprocating his feelings, or betraying his wife's
memories. Therefore, he bounded across the roofs,
intent on finding some place quiet where he could
think.

	*Perhaps, I can sort out this whole mess if I give it
some thought.*

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

	The shrine...

	"So, what do you think, the outers' want to talk to
us about?" Rei asked Ami.

	"I don't know," Ami replied for the hundredth time.
Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Did they not
know that if she knew the reasons for the meeting she
would have told them?

	"Hey, Mako-chan, you know why the outers' called this
meeting?" Rei asked.

	Makoto sighed in frustration. What was wrong with Rei
anyway?

	On the corner, Luna and Artemis sat, discussing
things among themselves with Usagi listening silently.

	"Rei, what is wrong with you?" Ami asked.

	Rei slumped her shoulders and sat down by Ami.

	"I don't know. I mean, I am upset and everything, but
it's nothing I cannot deal with. Though, I am having
trouble adapting to this new Usagi. I miss the old one
and the fights we had, already."

	"She will become her normal self once she has dealt
with Mamoru's death and is ready to move on," Ami
said.

	Sigh!

	"I know and I feel sorry for her. I can see how
heartbroken she is, Ami and I do not know how to help
her. I feel worthless, not even able to help my friend
through the worst time in her life."

	"I know, Rei. I feel the same way too. But this is
something, I feel, Usagi should get through on her own
and I bet she feels the same way too. Perhaps, that is
why she is sitting there all alone by herself. Perhaps
she wants to be left alone while she deals with this
mess."

	"I suppose..."

	The conversation died off and the two sat side by
side in silence.

	"So, how did school go?" Ami asked intent on breaking
the silence.

	On hearing the question, Rei almost burst into
laughter. She would have, had she not known that Usagi
was in the same room. Somehow, it felt wrong to laugh
with her best friend and leader in the house so soon
after the tragedy.

	"It was okay, I guess."

	"What do you mean, okay? Did you meet any cute boys?"

	Rei blushed crimson. How could Ami ask such a
question at a time like this? Minako and Makoto, she
could understand, but Ami?

	"Ami-chan!"

	However, the damage was done. Minako and Makoto were
by her side even before she knew realized what was
happening.

	"Was he cute?" Minako asked.

	"I bet he was like my old sempai or Ranma-sensei!"
Makoto added.

	Rei continued blushing, Ami, and Minako looked at
Makoto queerly.

	"Hey! What are you looking at?" Makoto defended
herself. "He is cute, after all."

	"Yeah, I bet," Ami added.

	"Hey! I am only telling the truth... Besides..."
Makoto murmured something inaudible.

	Rei and the others leaned in, but could not make out
what she was saying.

	"What did you say?" Minako asked.

	Makoto blushed.

	"C'mon, Mako-chan, you would not keep secrets from
your best friends, would you, now?" Rei said.

	Again, Makoto murmured something.

	"We can't hear you," the three girls chorused
together.

	Makoto blushed even more.

	"C'mon, Mako-chan, tell us, please?" Minako said and
did her best impression of a whipped puppy in Makoto's
face.

	And somehow, that did it for Makoto. She pushed
Minako away and confessed.

	"I said, he has a cute butt too."

	"Mako-chan!" Rei and Minako said in righteous
indignation.

	"Oh, my!" Ami gasped, looking shocked and yet, not in
the least surprised. Somehow, it seemed like a very
Makoto thing to do!

	*Could it be that Mako-chan has the hots for
Ranma-sensei?* they all asked themselves.

	The three were about to tease her when they heard the
familiar sound of Haruka's sports car.

	Ami immediately became sober and the other three
became tense, seeing the angry expression on Ami's
face. It was so unlike the Ami they had known that
they inched a couple of steps away from her. The act
was subconscious on their part. It was as if their
brains realized that this new Ami was someone with
whom they were better off not messing around with.
They also realized that something major was about to
happen yet again in their lives.

	Haruka and Michiru came in, together as usual with
Hotaru tottering behind. Haruka was dressed in men's
clothes, as usual and Michiru, well, she was dressed
in formal attire. Hotaru was still in her school dress
and had lines of concern in her face.

	Ami openly glared at the two elder outers' and
Michiru flinched at the cold look Ami was giving them
before she averted her eyes.

	The two Moon cats looked at the brewing confrontation
with wide eyes. Things had never been this bad between
the inners' and the outers' even at the height of the
falling out they had during the Pharaoh 90 and the
Witches 5 mess.

	Haruka glared back with equal venom and crossed her
arms under her chest. Ami was only glad, it seemed, to
return the gesture and both of them had a look of
utter contempt for the other in their eyes. When a
minute passed and neither showed signs of backing
down, Michiru pulled Haruka away, while Luna and
Artemis tried to get Ami to cool down.

	"C'mon, Ami, I think you have made your point," Luna
said from under the girl's legs in desperation.

	Ami did not budge, nor did she show any signs of
backing down. Makoto and Minako had to pull her down
to the couch and make her sit between the two of them.
They did this to restrain her from trying to inflict
physical damage upon the outers'.

	"Okay," Luna said finally, breathing a little bit
easier. "What did you want to tell us, Haruka?"

	Haruka whipped her head around angrily before
controlling herself. She was still angry at the
treatment she and Michiru were receiving at the hands
of Ami. *How dare that snot-nosed bitch look at me
like that?*

	Luna flinched at the anger she saw in Haruka's eyes.

	"Well?" Luna managed after she had composed herself.
It looked like everyone was in a bad mood and she did
not want to add to the atmosphere by reciprocating
Haruka's rude behavior.

	Haruka took a deep breath to calm herself down and
begun. This was not going to be easy, she realized
looking at angry look Ami was giving her as well as
the odd looks the rest of the inners' bar Usagi were
giving her. The Moon princess sat in the same place
she had been sitting when they had arrived and had a
thoughtful look on her face. She had not moved a
single inch through the whole affair and Haruka
doubted whether the girl would be of any help for
quite sometime to come.

	"Michiru and I found something important yesterday
and..."

	"I am willing to bet you did," Ami murmured icily. "
Yeah, I am fairly sure you found something yesterday
and I am willing to bet it has something to do with
killing us all or getting us killed, the next time
around."

	Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru reacted as though they had
been knifed in the back. They had expected the anger,
but were unprepared for the pure venom in Ami's words.

	"What did you say?" Michiru whispered. *Why is Ami so
mean all of a sudden?* she asked herself.

	"Ami!" the inners' and the Moon cats gasped. Was this
the soft-spoken girl they knew?

	"How could you say that, Ami?" Michiru asked, unable
to believe what the girl had said.

	"Because I can! I have seen the way the
'holier-than-thou' outers' go about their business the
last time we met and it appeared to me they had not
changed at all. They are still so intent on getting to
the goal that they willingly sacrifice any bystander
for the sake of that killing shot, that's why!" Ami
said defiantly.

	"Now look here, young lady..." Haruka begun in
Michiru's defense and placed her hands on Ami's
shoulders. She definitely did not want to quarrel with
the girl, though Ami had clearly crossed the limits on
the last one and the one before that. The sailors
needed to be together to have any chance of winning
the battles to come.

	Ami brushed the offending arms away with a wave of
her arms.

	"Don't you dare... Don't you dare touch me, bitch!
Keep your hands the hell away," she shouted angrily.

	"Ami, I am sure that things can be worked out..."
Luna tried.

	Ami shot the Moon cat a death stare.

	"Like hell, they can." She paused and continued in a
calmer voice. "You did not see them, Luna. They
attacked the man who helped us and they took a shot at
him through me."

	"What?" Rei asked shocked. *Would the outers' really
do that?* she asked herself and she shuddered because
she knew the answer. They would. She had seen them in
action enough times to know they would if they were
given half a chance.

	"Is this true, Haruka?" Makoto asked. It was a mere
formality though, as she knew the outers' were fully
capable of doing it.

	"You don't know anything about that thing," Haruka
countered angrily. *Stupid girls... Ready to trust
anyone at the drop of a pin.*

	"Oh, I know about it alright! It saved our lives and
you tried to kill it and kill me with it," Ami shot
back.

	"..."

	"You didn't even try to help the others... No, you
were too busy shooting at innocents to satisfy your
trigger hungry fetishes."

	"That's enough!" Haruka said.

	"Hah! Like hell, it is. I could have forgiven that,
bitch, but then you had to go and try to kill a friend
who was trying to save the lives of _your_ princess
and my friends. It makes me wonder whether you are
really on our side or not."

	"Shut the fuck up! You don't know what you are
talking about, girl. For all I know, your friend and
that... that thing could have been trying to kill
Usagi for all we knew," Haruka roared. The last
vestiges of self-control were gone. Now, there was
only anger and a sense of betrayal.

	"I say he is a friend because he is. He studies in
the same class as us and he and his sensei saved Rei's
life just that evening, sluttish bitch!"

	"Who are you calling sluttish, slut?"

	"Why, you and your sluttish girlfriend, of course,"
Ami said with the darkest venom anyone in the room had
ever heard, in her voice. "If only you two stop to
listen before shooting, but no! You are holier than
the others and therefore, you sentence them without
evidence. Who made you judge, jury and executioner,
your sluttish highness?"

	"Cunt!"

	"Snatch!"

	"Whore!"

	"What do you do in your spare time? Spread your legs
wide open for the dogs to drink from?"

	Slap!

	"Keep your mouth shut, whore. Like you are any better
than us, pronouncing your high and mighty judgment on
us! Who gave you the fucking right to judge us,
anyway? The bastards you no doubt whore around with!"
Haruka said standing at the spot where Ami had stood,
her arms raised above to deliver another slap should
Ami open her mouth again.

	"Why you?" Ami begun and this time she was backed by
Rei, Minako and Makoto.

	Haruka let her arm drop and glared at all of them.
They glared back in return and she glared at them with
increased intensity.

	"C'mon, Haruka, let's go," Michiru said, pulling
Haruka by her hands. She had tears on her eyes and
looked shocked by what she had seen and heard.

	Haruka let Michiru drag her while glaring at the
inners' the whole time. Finally, at the door, she
shook free of Michiru's grip and spoke.

	"Luna, you asked me what I came here to say. Well, I
will say it and then I will be off. Setsuna is no
longer Sailor Pluto! She had gone missing and we
searched for her and found her yesterday. Someone has
stolen her powers and she does not remember who took
it.

	"Hotaru, come, we have no business here."

	Hotaru, who had been sitting by Usagi through the
entire exchange with wide open eyes, looked at her
family and her friends before making her decision. She
could mend relations with her friends, but she did not
want to betray her family.

	"I am sorry everyone, but I have got to go," she said
and looked apologetically at the inners'.

	The inners' did not reply and there was no need for
them too, for Hotaru knew they would have done the
same thing if they were put in the same position as
her. Only Luna nodded her approval of Hotaru's
decision and that was enough for Hotaru for today.

	She stood up, walked up to her adopted parents and
took their arms in hers. She turned just before they
exited the door and looke at the inners' with sadness
in her eyes. With that, Haruka and the outers' left,
leaving the inners' at a loss for words.

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

	There is a thin line that separates what we call
reality and the spirit plane...

	The strength and thus, the power needed to destroy
this line vary, day after day, week after week in an
endless cycle that has continued through the eons.

	This line, a barrier that keeps the planes separated
varies in strength according to its position relative
to the lines of power. The more powerful a lung mei
line in an area, the easier it is to break the
barrier. Moreover, the strength of the lines varied
according to a 13-year cycle at the end of which, the
barriers are at their weakest at any given location.

	Tokyo does not have many lung mei lines running
through it, per se. But it is situated right in the
center of the densest concentration of lung mei lines,
some of them powerful and some of them not so
powerful, on the planet.

	Therefore, Tokyo had always had a large number of
attacks from malevolent members of the spiritual kind,
especially in the Juuban area where one of the most
powerful lines on the planet was active at all times.

	This day was like any other that comes once every
thirteen years...

	The barriers were at their weakest and the lung mei
lines at their strongest. Only a small amount of
energy was needed to destroy the barrier and some of
the more powerful daemons of the Negaverse had energy
more than plenty to tear through the barrier.

	In a dark alley, the air shimmered and slowly begun
to glow in an eerie green color as three of the most
powerful daemons focused their energy and tore the
fabric of space time as well as the barrier to gain
entrance into the real world.

	Being as they were, creatures of nature, the barrier
did not resist strongly, the attempts on their part to
break out of their cage. The cage's walls, the barrier
gave away with one final push and the daemons stepped
through into the alley, free after eons of
imprisonment.

	The hunt had begun...

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

	Meanwhile, at Rei's shrine...

	Ami and the Moon cats were discussing the effects the
loss of Setsuna would have on their chances of winning
the battles to come, when suddenly the computer
beeped.

	Ami had to take only one look at it to know what was
wrong and where. She looked at the sailors and spoke.

	"Daemons are lose in the city..."

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

Rants:

	I am sure most of you know about lung mei lines...
They are lines of anomalous magnetic activity on the
Earth's crust. Where did I get the idea for the nexus
from? Well, I got it from two sources. (1) You may
find it hard to believe, but the first source is the
stonehenge and all the other really weird megaliths in
England are built in these nexus points. (2) The
second one is Jamie Wilde's 'Chasing the Wind', which
I must say is an excellent piece of work.

	These lung mei lines are most active in areas where
there are geological faults. If you remember the
'Chasing the Wind' plot, you will realize that the
'events' Ranma, Akane, Fergusson and co chase are in
fact, lung mei lines.

	Lung mei means 'Dragon paths' in Chinese and is the
inspiration for Paul Devereux's 'Dragon project',
which studied the magnetic anomalies at the megalith
sites. Lung mei lines are supposed to have healing
properties and their western counterparts are called
ley lines. [Source: The unexplained by Dr. Karl N.
Shuker. Article: Secrets of Stonehenge, pg 30-31.]

	

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