Okay, since I got quite a few complaints about the formatting
(and one or two about my computer's date which should now be fixed)
I'm gonna try posting this again. Hopefully, the format should be much
better.

	Knight Writer
Spider-Man is property of Marvel Comics
Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi
Neither is used with permission

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	Hikaru Gosunkugi: The Amazing Spiderman Issue Sixteen:
	Slaves of Greed

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	Raizo Yamata glowered at the lengthening patch of sunlight which fell =
across the deep
carpet of his corporate office - merely a mask for his real business - =
and pondered what the best
course of action would be.
	Tatsu had betrayed him. That alone brought death in the Yakuza, not to =
mention every
other organized crime syndicate in the world. But what so galled Yamata =
was that the bastard
had almost succeeded. Had he not so sorely underestimated Wu Long, then =
he would have had
control of a weapons system unlike any the world had ever seen. Raizo had=
 made sure that the
men sent with Long were his own, not loyal to Ishikawa, yet the act had =
still proven futile.
	He had known, of course, from the first moment Pao Leung's chief torpedo=
 had set foot
into Tatsu Ishikawa's office. Raizo kept his friends close and his =
enemies closer. Ishikawa's trade
had earned him - and by extension Yamata himself - a few international =
contacts, especially in
Russia and the Arab world. Flesh was the man's stock and trade, and many =
a wealthy mogul
wanted a nubile young slave at his beck and call. Men were sometimes real=
 pigs. To think what
some of those loony bastards would do with the Black Widow?
	At least, Raizo thought with a strange sense of relief, that genie will =
never be free of its
bottle. So far as he knew, the entire system went up with the Yamaguchi =
Complex four days
ago. He had precious little information about the actual events, save =
that Spiderman and a few
unnamed civilians were involved.
	Ah, he thought, there's another issue.
	Spiderman was the walking definition of unpredictable, especially since =
nobody had a
clue as to his true identity. His presence at the complex was easily =
deduced; Leung had a definite
grudge against Spiderman - why still remained a mystery - as did Wu Long.=
 Perhaps those girls
had been taken as bait? If so, perhaps he could use them for the same =
ends? Raizo filed that
away for later. Besides, Spiderman was not the issue at hand.

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	Though he didn't know it, Pao Leung's thoughts were on a very similar =
track to Raizo
Yamata's. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his office, his body =
completely relaxed in the light
of the sun. He drew a deep breath in through his nose - filling first his=
 stomach and then his chest
with oxygen - and released it slowly through parted lips. The meditative =
practice helped little, as
his thoughts kept drifting back to Wu Long's treachery and what it had =
cost.
	Years of money and work down the drain, Leung thought. I truly was a =
fool for not
seeing this coming.
	The Black Widows would have practically ensured the Triad's entire =
takeover of Japan's
crime network, maybe even the government. Now it was all gone. And =
Spiderman was still
alive. Something inside told him this, that his adversary was not dead.
	Breathe in... hold... breathe out...
	Pao Leung knew whom Long had kidnapped. That they had seen the Black =
Widow's
maintenance bay was a moot point. The entire place was destroyed. Nothing=
 they said would
make any difference without tangible proof. He would let them live. The =
time for pettiness was
long past. As for Spiderman, perhaps the wall-crawler had done him a =
favor.
	The only matter left was to find a way to deal with the detestable thug =
who had helped
Wu Long execute the operation.=20

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	The pain from his injuries had faded over the past three days, a fact =
for which Hikaru
Gosunkugi was very grateful. Walking to school and enduring the seemingly=
 endless hours had
been pure hell with his body still complaining about the fight with the =
Black Widows. It wasn't
completely gone, but it was far more bearable than it had been that first=
 day. Maybe by Friday
he would be good to go webslinging again. After homework tonight, he =
would put the finishing
touches on his replacement costume. His old one had taken a worse beating=
 in that place than he
had.
	Gosunkugi pretended to take notes as the teacher droned on and on about =
some dead
guys in England, feeling rather pleased with himself. Nobody would have =
to worry about those
robot spiders again - especially him - and three lives had been saved. In=
 fact, Nabiki hadn't once
even tried to harass him at all since. Maybe she had finally taken the =
hint and let the whole
Spiderman thing drop? Hikaru certainly hoped so.
	He looked ahead to Miku Tachibana's back, and a dark cloud came to rain =
on his
parade. She hadn't spoken to him at all since their last meeting in the =
school yard. He had tried,
of course, yet she would toss her head and walk away. Hikaru found =
himself wondering just
how long a girl could stay angry at someone.
	Hikaru then thought about the girl he had saved recently, about her =
missing friend, and
his parade finally gave up to run for cover. How was he going to look for=
 this Yuka person?
Where would he look? He couldn't just swing around the city and pray for =
a clue to fall in his
lap.
	Oh, well, Gosunkugi thought with a trace of bitterness, it felt good to =
congratulate myself
at least for a few minutes.

	Lunchtime came with its usual rush of students crowding the serving line=
 for some bread.
Others carried their own boxed meals, preferring not to try their luck =
against the horde. Hikaru
was one of them. He stood beneath the leaves of what had become his =
favorite tree, eating
slowly despite his voracious appetite. Swinging on webs and saving lives =
was certainly hungry
work.
	The sky was overcast that day, dull grey clouds muting the sun's light =
and promising rain
before long. Gosunkugi hoped it would pass soon. Swinging in the rain =
didn't appeal to him one
bit.
	He glanced up just as Miku began to walk by, her dark waterfall of hair =
billowing slightly
in the mild breeze. She didn't even look at him as she passed, clearly =
unwilling to speak. Hikaru's
chest began to ache, knowing that it was his fault, but what could he do?=
 She wasn't interested in
his apologies, wouldn't even acknowledge his presence when he tried to =
talk, and there was no
way he could ever reveal his secret to her.=20
	As Gosunkugi watched Miku walk away, he couldn't help thinking that if =
he'd ever had a
chance with her he had blown it superbly. That thought startled him =
briefly. He actually had a
chance with a girl? A pretty and intelligent, girl?
	Yep, Gos-man. You *are* a moron, he thought as he turned back to his =
lunch. Your
one shot at actually getting a girlfriend is officially ruined, and it's =
your fault.
	Hikaru found himself wishing that school was over, so that he could =
finish his costume
and start swinging again. He needed some air, and some high places. Maybe=
 that would help
ease his troubled mind. It wasn't as if he had anyone to talk to, after =
all.

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	William Pate looked over the case file Odaiba Koban had compiled on =
Yukio Segawa.
She would have been twenty in a few weeks, he noted with a slight =
grimace. Another life ended
before it had truly begun. Just one more statistic, another victim of =
supremely rotten luck and
bad choices. Pate pushed his emotions aside, a thing which had become =
rather easy over his
time in law enforcement, and studied the pathology report and Yukio's =
record with a
professional eye.
	By the time she had turned sixteen, Yukio Segawa had left home for =
reasons Pate didn't
know but could easily guess. American and Japanese teenagers weren't all =
that far removed,
after all. The records showed she had gained employment in a brothel - =
the proper Japanese
name escaped him - and had left after hardly two months. Whorehouses in =
Japan were, more
often than not, controlled by the Yakuza. The Koban usually didn't bother=
 with them too much.
Just so long as nobody caused any trouble and the money stayed quiet, =
then everyone got along
fine.
	After her first stint in that brothel, she had taken to the streets. =
Unable to find work aside
from menial employment, she had turned back to her old profession to earn=
 rent money. A few
arrests later - street prostitution wasn't smiled upon by the Koban - she=
 had more or less
vanished from the radar until just a couple nights ago when a late jogger=
 had found her body.
	"Yeah," he muttered to the crime scene photos, "these bastards had some =
fun with you."
This was a lesson, obviously, and William Pate was hungry to find out who=
 the teachers were. A
runaway hooker, nothing more than garbage to these motherfuckers, a thing=
 to be used and
discarded when no longer profitable. It was enough to make him sick.
	Sachiko Tanemura, Pate thought, I've got to get her to talk. Where the =
hell did she go?
Ever since being released from the police station that night, she had =
been impossible to find.
William had a very bad feeling about that.

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	Keiko Megumi waited for him, concealed in the shadows of the cherry =
tree. Her pager
had gone off only an hour before, bearing the numerical message 45788. It=
 wasn't a phone
number, but a message. Her contact had something.
	They always met in the park, surrounded by businessmen on lunch breaks =
and mothers
watching over their children at play. Places like this made the ugly =
reality of the city seem so far
away, as if it were another world. That reality, ironically, was the only=
 reason she ever came
here. It wasn't often when this man contacted her, but when he did the =
information was always
good. Keiko hoped he stayed careful. Informants to the police were =
harshly dealt with by the
Yakuza.
	"Been a while, eh?"
	Keiko started as he walked up from behind, the image of a consummate =
businessman.
He looked just like anyone else in the park.
	"Yes, Clark-san." It wasn't his real name, and she didn't want to know =
what that was.
=46inding an informant like Clark - one whose information was always good=
 and who knew how
to be discreet - was next to impossible. As for what he did in the =
Yakuza, that was none of her
business. They stood near enough to each other to be heard, but not too =
close. This was a
careful dance.
	"I'll get right to the point," Clark said as he set his briefcase down. =
"That hooker who
was murdered last night."
	"What do you have for me?" She knew better than to ask how he knew she =
was
working that case. Keiko doubted she wanted to know that, anyway.
	"It seems she had gotten involved with a well-known Yakuza figure."
	"Tatsu Ishikawa."
	"Right," Clark replied. "She and the girl you recovered were two of =
his."
	"Why would he leave her body like that?" Keiko asked. "Was it a =
message?"
	"Not a message. A lesson."
	"To the other girls?" Sachiko Tanemura was in serious trouble...
	"Exactly."
	Keiko suddenly felt ill. "Leaving her in a dumpster like that..."
	"It was as good a place as any." Clark took another look around.
	"How can you be so cold?"
	"I have something else on Ishikawa. You definitely want to hear this."
	"What?"
	A frisbee flew in front of her, two giggling children in pursuit.
	"I've recently come across some information that he has just recently =
attempted a rather
major power play. However, it failed."
	"What did he try?"
	"It appears that he was approached by a Triad man, a rather high up one,=
 and the two
struck a deal."
	"The Traid's involved in this, too?"
	"No. This man was acting alone. I don't have any concrete details, but I=
 do know that
this failed attempt resulted in the destruction of the Yamaguchi =
Industrial Complex, and that
Spiderman was involved."
	Yakuza, Triads, and Spiderman, Keiko thought. Oh, my...
	"My time's up, Keiko. I'll be in touch." With that, Clark picked up his =
briefcase and
walked silently away.

	Twenty minutes later, the man who called himself Clark - a name he took =
from one of
his favorite books - flipped open his cell phone and hit the speed dial.
	"Yes?"
	"The information has been delivered, Yamata-san."
	"Good."=20
	The connection ended, and Clark continued about his business.

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	Raizo Yamata leaned back in the luxury car's spacious back seat, feeling=
 rather
unsatisfied. He so wanted to kill Ishikawa himself - it had been a while =
since he had dirtied his
hands - but there were even more important matters at hand, such as =
Anthony Stark.
	Tatsu's betrayal couldn't have come at a worse time. While it had =
eliminated what was
possibly the most powerful card in Pao Leung's deck, the man still had to=
 be dealt with. His own
time and resources were too wrapped up in the imminent arrival of Stark =
Enterprises, not to
mention in upholding his other interests. Nor could he simply let Pao =
Leung handle the matter.
No one else in the Yakuza knew - though it was certain that many were =
guessing - at what had
taken place. If Yamata let Leung kill Ishikawa, then he would be forced =
to retaliate to preserve
his own standing. Raizo knew he could ill afford to fight Pao Leung, not =
now.
	As such, he had called the informant. It was Clark's job to leak =
information to the
Koban, particularly regarding rivals and enemies. However, it also served=
 as a means to cleanly
sever loose ties in his own organization.
	At the very least, it would assuage the chief of Odaiba Koban and assure=
 that he
selectively assigned cases so that nobody got too close. The price was =
the same, a good and
tasty case. Raizo, from time to time, threw him a bone and the Koban =
stayed out of his way. Just
so long as the matter was resolved quickly. Once in custody, then Yamata =
would worry about
eliminating him. Chief Toju could arrange something along those lines.

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	Tatsu could feel the proverbial noose tightening around his neck. He =
stared out at the
city as if he could somehow see the retribution coming through the =
window. Tatsu had risked a
great deal on this gamble, yet somehow the thought of losing hadn't =
crossed his mind. How
could he have been so stupid? Yamata had to know, and had likely already =
given the order. And
what about Pao Leung?
	Think, Tatsu, think! You can get out of this.
	Leung would definitely move against him and very soon. Even if the Triad=
 and the
Yakuza's goals were the same - his messy and painful departure from this =
world - Raizo
wouldn't let Leung's action go unanswered. A turf war between the two =
would get very ugly
indeed.
	The most obvious choice was to simply cut his losses and run, but even =
that was a slim
hope. He needed a diversion, something to set Yamata and Leung at each =
other's throats before
either reached him, but what?
	An idea struck him. A very crazy, overly ballsy idea. It was insane, =
utterly foolish.
	And it just might work.
	Tatsu raced to his desk and picked up the phone. There was much to do =
and precious
little time to do it in.=20

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	Miku Tachibana's bedroom was little different from the bedroom of any =
other girl in
Japan. A vanity, a bed, a desk, posters on the wall, and a few stuffed =
animals lying about. Miku
sat at the desk, a poetry book open and a decidedly empty sheet of =
notebook paper beneath a
crystal paperweight.
	She looked at the characters - Japanese on one page and English on the =
other - and
tried again to read them. That night, her mind refused to focus on the =
collected translated works
of Hiene. Miku growled in frustration, fingers knotted in her recently =
washed hair. This report on
the meaning of Hiene's work was a very weighty influence on her =
literature grade for the
semester, and for the life of her she couldn't damnit read the thing!
	Miku pushed the rolling chair away from the desk. Her mind, for some odd=
 reason,
seemed stuck on Hikaru Gosunkugi.
	She leaned back, attempting to relax her mind and body. Over the past =
few days, she
had found herself thinking of him. He certainly was strange - of that =
other girls at school had
been right - but Miku doubted they really knew anything beyond that.
	She had been tempted to accept his attempts at making an apology, but =
every time their
last real conversation would come back and she'd let anger and hurt rule =
the day. What he had
said had wounded her, but was it really worth ignoring him forever over?
	But was it really only over his words? That thought brought Miku up =
short. Was what he
said really all? No. Whatever had been in those photos he and Nabiki =
Tendo had argued about,
Hikaru had clammed up the moment she had mentioned them. There was =
definitely a lot more to
Hikaru Gosunkugi than most people appreciated. Like his connection to the=
 mysterious
Spiderman, for example.
	Miku's mind drifted back to that night when Spiderman had saved her from=
 Shigeru
Katsuo's knife. A masked stranger, possessed of abilities that seemed =
almost unreal, and who
had searched Juuban Ward solely for her sake. Who was he? And how did =
Hikaru know him?
Gosunkugi was the only one to whom she had even mentioned enlisting =
Spiderman's help against
her psychotic ex-boyfriend, therefore he was the only person who could =
have contacted him.
But how did they know each other?
	Wait a second. Was it... Could it be...
	No way. That idea was just *too* stupid. However, the thought of Hikaru =
in those tights
was strangely amusing.
	Hikaru Gosunkugi was definitely an enigma, more than other people at =
Furinkan
probably realized. But, if he hadn't convinced Spiderman to help her, =
then by all odds she would
be dead by now.
	"Hikaru, I just don't know about you," she muttered to the walls. But =
she wouldn't find
out anything if she kept stonewalling him. Tomorrow, she would talk. =
Maybe.
	Miku returned to her desk, unaware that an out-of-place shadow had just =
moved on a
rooftop across the street from her window.

	Hikaru crawled down the side of the building, inwardly furious with =
himself. What the
hell was he doing, spying on Miku like that?!=20
	Oh, come on, a familiar voice said, it wasn't like you *meant* to, after=
 all.
	That much was true. He had put on the costume to get some exercise and =
that was it. All
he had set out to do was swing around the city and get the ol' blood =
pumping again. No heroics
if he could help it, just a good workout. Stopping in sight of Miku's =
window had been a
coincidence, nothing more.
	Careful, Gosunkugi, he thought as he leapt into space and shot out a =
web. You know
what happened the last time you took up voyeurism. Hikaru winced at the =
thought while he
swung out over the street and readied another stream of webbing.
	He still felt a little guilty about his former obsession with Akane =
Tendo - an obsession
thoroughly broken once he had discovered Shigeru's sick fascination. All =
those photos of Miku
had driven home the lesson of what could happen when one simply refused =
to let go of an
impossible dream.
	You know you would never...
	Hikaru stopped that thought dead in its tracks as another swing took him=
 a couple
stories higher above the street which bustled with noise and light. He =
had always used those
thoughts to justify spying on Akane. He had learned just what kind of =
madness lay in wait down
that particular road.
	"Never again," Gosunkugi whispered. A horn far below blared out, a muted=
 shout
reaching upward to his ears.

	An hour later, Hikaru found himself crouched atop a three-story office =
building toward
the suburbs of Nerima Ward. The streets were far quieter out here, away =
from the noise of the
city proper. Cars were few and far between in the wee hours of the =
morning. The only sounds
which reached him were the barks of dogs spooked by things that likely =
weren't even there. It
was odd, really, to think of Nerima as peaceful, yet this time it =
actually was. Hell, even Ranma
had to sleep sometime, right? Hikaru chuckled.
	"I wonder how they're doing?" Gosunkugi whispered into the night air. He=
 had heard
that renovations were already underway on the Tendo Dojo. If all went =
well - and it seldom did
- then the Tendos and Saotomes could be out of that motel by the end of =
the month. Maybe he
should check in on them? No, even if he went as Hikaru Gosunkugi, it =
would draw suspicion
from Nabiki. If she truly had given up the chase, he didn't want to risk =
her taking it up again.
	"I can't even follow up on the people I help," Hikaru muttered bitterly.=
 "Screw it. I
should be used to this whole misunderstood loner routine by now... Huh?"
	Gosunkugi looked down just as four men ran into the light of a =
streetlamp from a
doorway across the street. The four were identical in dress; black pants =
and sweaters with full
face masks over their heads. And they all looked to be in an all-fired =
hurry.
	"I don't think they're here to read the meter... oh, shit..." The spider=
 sense came to life
just before a ball of flame roared from out of the now-demolished doorway=
 with a wave of
intense heat and sound that shattered windows from surrounding buildings.=
 "WHOA!" The light
blinded him as the displaced air slammed into his body and numbed his =
ears.
	"Wha... what the hell?!" Hikaru blinked his eyes to clear them. The =
glare of the rapidly
spreading fire washed everything with its erratic light. After a few =
seconds his eyes righted
themselves enough to find the four clambering into a dark blue sedan.
	"Time to do that hero thing again." And it had been such a quiet night, =
too...

	"Holy shit!"
	"We did it! We fuckin' did it, man!"
	The car sped off with the screaming protest of tires fighting to gain =
traction on the dew-
slickened asphalt.=20
	"C'mon, Yuya!" one of the men shouted. "Step on it! Get us the hell =
outta here!"
	"I'm workin' on it!"
	They were all high-strung after setting the bomb. None of them had a =
single clue as to
why they had been told to blow up that office, but none were stupid =
enough to ask questions
either. They had been given a job by the boss, and they had done it. Now =
they just had to worry
about escape. That shouldn't be too hard...
	*THUMP*
	"What was that?"=20
	"Debris?"
	"I don't think so..." Just then, a red-and-blue mask appeared upside =
down in front of the
driver.
	"Wash your windshield, sir?"
	"Oh, Christ..."
	"It's him!" Spiderman! It was really him! Why now?!
	"Awright, pull over!" they heard Spiderman shout.
	"Kazu!" the driver yelled. "You've got a gun! Use it!"

	Gosunkugi knew even before the spider sense hit. He scooted back, =
ignoring the wind
that ripped at his body. It wouldn't break his grip of the roof, and the =
mask kept it from forcing
his eyes shut. He glanced back as the hand emerged, followed by a masked =
head and black-
clad shoulders.
	"Don't you know that those are illegal?!" A backward kick that slammed =
into the man's
face punctuated the shouted question. Hikaru watched as the gun fell from=
 his limp grasp and the
bomber was pulled back into the car.
	I gotta stop this! Hikaru rose to a kneeling position and liberally =
sprayed the speeding
car's windshield with webbing. These guys couldn't drive if they couldn't=
 see, right?

	"DAMNIT! I can't see!"
	"Shake him, man! Do it!"

	"HEY!" Hikaru yelled as the car began to violently swerve. Why in the =
hell were these
morons trying to shake him off when they couldn't even see... where...
	"Oh, fuck ME!" The lights burned into his eyes from the front grille of =
the panel truck
that was speeding their way. Its horn bellowed as the two sped closer to =
an almost inevitable
collision.
	Desperate, Hikaru punched through the thin roof of the speeding sedan =
and grasped the
steering wheel. With a prayer, he jerked the wheel to the left and out of=
 the truck's way.
	Right toward a parked car.
	"Uh-oh..." It was too close! Gosunkugi removed his arm from the hole he =
had made in
the roof and leapt away. The sedan slammed into the parked truck with =
horrendous force, the
latter moving upward slightly at the front from the impact with the =
screech of crunching metal.
Hikaru sailed forward and flipped in time to land hard on the sidewalk.
	He looked at the smoke wafting from the front end of the now-stopped =
sedan, at its
ruined frame, and feared for the men inside. What if he had killed them? =
One of the doors flew
open and a black-clad man stumbled out.
	"Hey! You okay?!" The man simply looked at him before falling to his =
knees and raising
his hands. "Guess so." Hikaru walked over toward him, pausing to check on=
 the other
occupants. The two in front were unconscious against rapidly deflating =
airbags, still breathing.
On one's hand was a ring. A black onyx rested in a cradle of what had to =
be high-karat gold, a
strange kanji carved into its center. Hikaru passed by and glanced at the=
 left hand of the keeling
man to find the same ring.
	"Please, Spiderman," the man blubbered, "don't kill me!"
	"Kill you?"
	"Don't eat me, man! C'mon!" He was obviously panicking. "I taste =
terrible! The guys in
the car! They taste a lot better than me!"
	"I don't know," Hikaru sang. Maybe he could use this. "I haven't eaten =
since
breakfast..." And who the hell was spreading rumors that he *ate* people,=
 anyway?! Oh, well, if
it made this guy talk then he might as well capitalize on it.
	"C'mon, man!" The guy was practically crying, now.
	Jeez, what a wuss. "Look, tell me who you work for and why you blew that=
 building,
and..."
	"I can't! He'll kill me!"
	Go figure, Gosunkugi thought. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing =
rapidly closer.
Bending down, Hikaru grabbed a fistful of wool sweater and yanked the man=
 off his knees.
	"Gah, when's the last time you brushed?"
	"Listen, man, let me go!"
	"Who do you work for?" Hikaru asked as he removed the ring from the =
man's left hand.
"What's this kanji mean?"
	"I don't know what the hell it means!"
	"Hey, it's Spiderman!"
	Hikaru nearly cursed as other voices joined the one that had just =
shouted his presence.
Of all the times for him to finally draw a crowd of gawkers, why did it =
have to be *now*?!
Worse yet, the cops were closing in...
	The screech of locked brakes announced the presence of the police and =
the end of his
time. Hikaru dropped the still-yammering bomber and turned to face two =
very bewildered
policemen.
	"Stay where you are, Spiderman!" one shouted, likely wishing he had been=
 given
permission to carry a gun that night.
	"Um, gee, let me think. No!" A standing leap carried him up enough to =
springboard off
the building behind him. Hikaru tucked into a roll, coming out in time to=
 rebound off the roof of
the next structure and out into the night.
	He aimed toward the light of the merrily burning building, a fierce =
orange glow
accompanied by shouts and sirens of emergency services personnel. Might =
as well get a few
pictures to sell. The rent was due this week.

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	"And in the news this morning," the disgustingly cheerful newswoman said=
 from the
television speakers, "Nerima Ward was rocked by a massive explosion at =
the offices of Masaki,
Ritsuko, and Tsukino at about two-thirty a.m. The financial firm..."
	"Yeah, yeah," Gosunkugi mumbled over his fourth bowl of cereal. Why did =
those guys
blow up the building, anyway? What had been the point?
	"Police have the four bombers in custody, however all of them claim that=
 Spiderman was
the cause of the accident which halted their escape.
	"Oh, boy, here it comes..."
	"Nerima Koban is unwilling to speculate on Spiderman's possible =
involvement in the
bombing, yet have stated that he is wanted for questioning."
	"Wonderful," Hikaru groused.
	"I saw him!" said a man Gosunkugi had never met before as the news story=
 shifted to
pre-recorded footage. "He walked up to one of those guys, all menacing =
like. The dude was
screaming his head off..."
	Hikaru turned the TV off. He was getting very sick of the news. Wanted =
for questioning!
Jeez. He'd *stopped* those guys from getting away!=20
	Oh, well, he thought as he pulled the ring out of his pocket. At least =
he had a lead on
who those guys were. All he had to do was find out what that kanji meant.

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	Tatsu Ishikawa resisted the urge to smash the television, but barely. He=
 had intended for
that attack to make the news, but he hadn't figured Spiderman to show up.=
 As far as he had
known, the freak was dead!
	No matter now, he thought. Spiderman's still alive, and he just involved=
 himself in my
operations. Again. Had it just been strange coincidence? Or had it been =
more?
	This was something he hadn't counted on. Ample evidence was left to =
implicate Pao
Leung, as he had planned, but with Spiderman involved, it was unknown =
whether Raizo Yamata
would bite the hook.
	Tatsu shook his head. He didn't know if it would work anyway. Why should=
 Spiderman
complicate something that was already convoluted? The wallcrawler had =
just shown up at the
wrong time, that was all. So, the four men he'd sent on that job were in =
poice custody. Who
cared? They wouldn't talk, so long as they believed that he'd spring =
them. By the time they
realized that he would leave them to rot, he would be long since out of =
the country.=20

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	Pao Leung could only stare at the newscast that morning. Ordinarily, he =
wouldn't have
cared overly much if someone had taken out a front business of Raizo =
Yamata, save for the fact
that an insignia had been left behind. Several, in fact.
	The character was the symbol of the Black Lotus Society, of which he was=
 a part.
	This was just impossible. He had *not* ordered such an act. Nor would he=
 have left
such a calling card. No one, at least in his branch of the Triads, was =
that careless.
	Someone was trying to frame him, but who? Why? And how good were they?
	Why the hell would they leave his own mark at the site? What was the =
connection?
	Pao Leung picked up the phone and started issuing orders. He had to know=
 all the
Koban did. At the same time, he had to prepare for the reprisal from =
Raizo Yamata. This could
get very messy, very fast.

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	"It was Pao Leung," the voice on the other end of the telephone =
connection said, "there
is no doubt about it."
	"Very well."
	Raizo hung up the phone, fury burning in his chest. So, Leung had =
managed to strike
first. He wouldn't just be satisfied with Tatsu Ishikawa, but wanted to =
take Raizo down as well.
Did that lunatic think that Ishikawa's actions had been sanctioned by =
him?
	Like it matters now?
	The phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. It was his direct =
line, the one not
screened by his secretary. Just what he didn't need, one of his backers =
calling with concerns...
	"Yamata."
	"Good morning, Yamata-san."
	"Leung!" Raizo's blood set to boiling. "First you attack me, and then =
you insult me by
calling my office! I'll..."
	"I did not order that bombing, Yamata."
	"Is this some kind of a joke?!" Yamata roared. "Don't lie to me! I know =
you were
behind it!"
	"Calm yourself," that cool Chinese voice said. "I have no intentions =
of..."
	"I don't care! First you kidnap my wife for that case, and now this! Pao=
 Leung, I *will*
kill you!"

	Leung snorted before hanging up. He knew that trying to reason with that=
 rancid Jap
would be a waste of time. At least he had tried to explore that option. =
Leung knew that Yamata
still wanted to even the score for that job several months ago, where he =
had kidnapped the
Oyabun's wife in order to gain the second case of components the man had =
held. Of course,
Leung still wanted to take vengeance for Yamata's kidnapping of Pao Lan, =
Leung's daughter.
	But that wasn't the issue.
	Yamata firmly believed that Leung was behind the bombing. Yamata would =
stop at
nothing to avenge that - however false it may be - and for the kidnapping=
 of his wife.
	I was wondering when that would come to a head, Leung thought with a =
bitter laugh.
	Pao Leung cleared his mind. The truth was somewhere in this rapidly =
spreading mess.
He just had to find it. Someone had blown up a front business belonging =
to Yamata, and had left
Leung holding the blame. Who would want to do that? Pao Leung could think=
 of several.
	Now, who would have the wherewithal to actually pull it off? None of his=
 immediate
Triad rivals came to mind. They all knew how severely he punished anyone =
who slighted him, for
any reason.
	Had Wu Long's betrayal already reached them? Did they see that as =
weakness? It was
certainly possible. But why the subterfuge?
	That clinched it. The other Triad warlords would have come for him =
directly rather than
setting him and Yamata against each other. Was this some kind of a power =
play? Someone
hoping that they would take each other out? But then, who would even =
attempt it? The answer
seemed so elusive, but instinct told Pao Leung that said solution was =
closer than he thought.

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	Aw, man. This is gonna take years! Hikaru Gosunkugi rested his head in =
his right hand
as his eyes scanned the book on kanji characters. None of the two hundred=
 he'd seen so far
matched the design on the ring. How many kanji were there, again? Three =
thousand? Yeesh...
	Hikaru slammed the book shut before eyestrain could set in. He had =
thought that finding
such a book in Furinkan's library was a stroke of luck, and all it had =
done was stymie him. With
authority. He didn't have time to look through all those characters. He =
needed another way...
	Wait a second, he thought. What if this wasn't kanji? What if it was =
actually a Chinese
character? But why would Japanese men wear a ring with a Chinese =
character on it if it *wasn't*
kanji? It just didn't make sense.
	Regardless, it was a new angle on his only lead. Hikaru had to follow =
it, and he had an
idea how.

	School ended with its usual rush of students eager to re-enter the world=
 and resume their
own individual lives. Miku Tachibana walked among them, wondering where =
Hikaru had gotten
off to. He hadn't been in his usual spot at lunch, beneath the tree under=
 which she had first
introduced herself to him. In class, she hadn't been able to even send a =
note. She hoped to catch
him out here. Miku looked around, unable to spot him... There!
	"Hikaru!"

	Gosunkugi almost froze at Miku's shout. Of all the times for her to want=
 to talk, why did
it have to be now?
	Hikaru kept moving through the crowd of students. Maybe if he pretended =
not to hear
her...

	Miku watched as Hikaru Gosunkugi vanished into the sea of students =
determined to
rejoin the free world. Had he heard her?
	Maybe he didn't, Miku thought as she drew near Furinkan's main gate. Oh,=
 well, she
could find his phone number. She'd call him later.

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

	Thirty minutes later, Gosunkugi found himself inside the Nekohanten =
restaurant. He had
seated himself at one of the ten vacant tables in the establishment - =
perhaps their dinner rush
started late? - and picked up a menu.=20
	"Welcome! How Shampoo help?"
	"Hi, I'd like the um... chicken ramen supreme, please."
	"Coming up!" Shampoo enthused as she bounced away, shouting something in
Cantonese.
	Hikaru had to force himself not to look at the shapely rump that =
Shampoo's capri-style
pants so effectively showed off. Seeing her run toward the kitchen to =
retrieve his drink showed
him that the great food wasn't the main reason why the Nekohanten had so =
many patrons. Was
Mousse out on a delivery? Nah, more likely just out cold...
	"Here tea, sir," Shampoo almost sang. Gah, she was a knockout! "What =
Shampoo get
next?"
	Here goes nothing... "Hi. Shannn pooo, right?"

	Shan Pu didn't allow her surprise to show. After all this time, a patron=
 was making an
attempt at properly pronouncing her name? Okay, so it wasn't a very =
*good* attempt, but this
boy certainly gave it the old college try. Shan Pu allowed herself a =
small smile. If nothing else,
this could be one bright spot in an otherwise boring day.
	"Name is Shan Pu."
	"Shampoo?"
	"Ah, close enough. You really try." She gave him one of her best smiles =
for the effort. In
return, maybe this guy would leave a good tip. Shampoo knew that her =
shapely body and tight
clothes were what drew so many customers, great food notwithstanding, and=
 tips more or less
made up her wages in this place. A little pocket money never hurt.
	"Yeah. Listen, Shampoo-san..."
	Shampoo-san? she thought. Usually, the only ones who called her that =
were the ones
she had to open up a can of whup-ass on after they had pinched her butt.
	"Yes? How Shampoo help?"
	"You're Chinese, right?"
	"Yes." Well, *duh*! she had the good grace not to say.
	"Yeah. Well, I have something I want you to look at."
	Shampoo tensed as the guy reached into his pants pocket. If he...
	"What do you make of this?" he asked as he pulled the ring out of his =
pocket.
	Shampoo squelched the sudden urge to kick this guy's ass when he pulled =
out the ring.
The band was solid gold, with a black onyx set inside. On the stone was =
carved a symbol. One
she had seen before.
	Can this be? she thought as she beheld the symbol.
	"Hmmm... is interesting...." Bloody hell... "Wait here. Shampoo show to =
Great-
grandmother."
	"Um.... Okay..."

	Cologne stopped stirring the noodles when Shampoo bounded in.
	"Yes, child?" she said at the look on Shampoo's face.
	"Great-grandmother," Shampoo said as she held out a ring, "look at =
this."
	"Well, what can it... oh, my..." This could not be! "Who gave this to =
you?"
	"Some strange guy out in the dining room did. He wanted to know what it =
meant."
	"Did he?" Cologne twisted the gold ring around the stone. "Tell him to =
come out back.
Take him yourself. Afterward, prepare his meal and watch the front. This =
won't take long."
	"Yes."

	Hikaru looked up as Shampoo came bounding back, the epitome of =
cheerfulness. He
had to force himself not to stare at her bouncing breasts, even though =
the Chinese woman had to
be used to it by now.
	"Please, sir, follow Shampoo."
	"Huh?" That was weird. At least his spider sense wasn't raising hell. =
Yet...
	"Follow Shampoo. Great Grandmother want speak to you about weird ring."
	"Okay." Hikaru rose from his seat and fell into step behind Shampoo. And=
 speaking of a
behind...
	Damnit, stop staring! Hikaru shouted at himself. He followed the Chinese=
 woman
through the cramped kitchen, where she opened a door for him.
	"Great Grandmother out here. Shampoo finish customer's food."
	"Yeah." Hikaru stepped out into the shadowed alley, waiting for the =
spider sense to hit.
The door clicked shut behind him just as he caught sight of a diminutive =
woman on a stafft just to
his right.
	"So, you're the one who brought this ring," the woman said.
	"Yeah. You're Cologne-san, right?"
	"That I am, son."

	Cologne stared at the boy before her, feeling as if she had seen him =
somewhere before.
His face was awfully familiar. She could see spots where dark circles and=
 sunken cheeks had
recently filled in. The uniform seemed a half-size too small for him, as =
if his body had suddenly
started to fill out on him. No, the muscle tone she could discern meant =
the boy was working out,
and the posture indicated confidence. Where had she seen him...
	"May I ask your name?"
	"Hikaru Gosunkugi."
	"Oh." The information came to her brain. This boy had certainly done =
some improving
since the first and only other time she had seen him, when he had asked =
about Chinese love
potions, a thing which had completely slipped her mind until now. She had=
 told him the same
thing that she ad later told Ranma. "Do you still practice the mystic =
arts, my boy?"
	"Nah. I guess I just don't have that magic touch."
	"I see. Not everyone is cut out for magic." His attitude had changed as =
well. Something
wasn't quite right, though. "Tell me. Where did you get this ring?"
	"Ah, well, it's... I took some pictures of that bombing last night, and =
one of the guys
dropped that ring."
	"All right, then." His aura... could it be? Cologne decided to test her =
idea. "How do you
know these people?" she hissed, reaching into her sleeve for the dagger =
she always kept
concealed.
	"What?!"
	There! Cologne felt it lock dead on her as Hikaru Gosunkugi's body =
shifted from relaxed
to tense to battle-ready all in the space of a half-second. It was the =
strange feel which had
almost found her out at the Tendo Dojo merely five days before.
	"How did you truly get this ring?"
	"I told you!"
	Cologne paused for a few moments. The boy seemed confused, as was =
expected.
Probably trying to decide if he could use those abilities of his without =
being found out later. As
far as how he had gotten the ring, she could easily deduce that. She had =
read the newspapers,
after all.
	"Very well," Cologne said after a few moments. Hikaru still stared at =
her, the strange
feeling focused on her like a gunsight. Martial artists - competent ones,=
 anyway - developed a
sense to warn of an oncoming attack. But none she had seen compared to =
what she felt from
Hikaru Gosunkugi. It was instant, powerful. What else could it do? A =
question for another time.
	"You seem tense, Hikaru." Better to try and ease this situation.
	"Just nervous."
	"I won't harm you, boy, rest assured. I was merely testing you. I =
haven't seen this ring in
a long time, and I never thought to see anything like it in Japan." Like =
all good lies, it had a grain
of truth to it. It had been almost ten years since she had last lain eyes=
 on the symbol carved in the
ring's stone.
	"You know what it means?"
	"Of course." Cologne released the hilt of the small concealed dagger, =
and the sensation
against her aura lessened considerably. It faded even further when she =
brought the hand out in
the open, but she could still feel it against her as if being scanned by =
a radar. "This ring bears the
symbol of the Black Lotus Society."
	"The Black what?"
	"The Black Lotus Society is a secret organization in China, one of the =
many groups of
the Triads. You do know of the Triads, don't you?"
	"Not much."
	"The Triads are criminal organizations, much like the Yakuza in some =
ways," Cologne
explained. "Their antecedents can be traced back to ancient groups in =
China's imperial times."
	"Okay," Hikaru said. "Now, what about this Black Lotus?"
	"Ah, they are among the most ruthless. Black Lotus members are feared =
throughout the
Triads, from Beijing to Mongolia."
	"What're they doing in Japan?"
	"To be perfectly honest, they may not be here at all."
	"Um... come again?"
	"This ring you found is a forgery."
	"You're kidding me, right?"
	"It is a rather good counterfeit, except for one small thing," Cologne =
said as she twisted
the gold band around the onyx. "True Black Lotus rings contain a small =
needle embedded
between the stone and the gold band. The tip is coated with a lethal =
poison, usually cyanide or
arsenic."	"Pass someone by you don't like, poke them with the ring, and =
walk away.
Slick." Gosunkugi was surprised to find himself actually impressed.
	"Actually, no. When the Triads mark someone for death, they do it - =
what's the term...?
- creatively."
	"C... creatively?" Hikaru asked weakly.
	"You don't want me to elaborate on that."
	"Yeah. So, what's the poisoned needle for, then?"
	"Members of the Black Lotus often use the rings not only as a symbol, =
but to take their
own lives in the event of capture."
	"You're kidding me!"
	"This way, they cannot be made to give over any information. The Triads =
in general -
and the Black Lotus Society in particular - have rather severe =
punishments for that. A quick
death by poison is far preferable to what they would suffer if they were =
to talk."
	"Oh, jeez..." these people were nuts! "But, they have to be in Japan. I =
mean, why go
through the trouble of framing them if they're not even here? That =
doesn't make any sense."
	Very good, Gosunkugi, Cologne thought. "Yes, that is true." The boy was =
more
observant than she had first thought.
	"Anything else you know about them?"
	"Nothing that you would find useful."
	"A name? Anything?"
	"I did not stutter, did I?" Cologne asked, becoming visibly irritated.
	"Okay."
	"Tell me, young man, what will you do with what I have told you?"
	"Huh? Well..." Why don't I like that question? "Maybe submit it later, =
get a sidebar or
something..."
	Bullshit, Cologne thought with an inward smile. Outside, however, her =
expression
remained as neutral as ever.
	"Listen, Hikaru Gosunkugi. Tread carefully. The Black Lotus Society is =
not an
organization to be trifled with. I would hate to see anything unfortunate=
 happen to you."
	"Uh... yeah... listen, I gotta go, now. I'll just take that ramen to go,=
 thanks."
	"Of course."
	Cologne watched as Gosunkugi walked back inside the Nekohanten's rear =
door. She
had learned something rather interesting today, and could begin to deduce=
 several others. She
allowed herself a good chuckle at that, and at how it had fallen into her=
 lap. It really was the last
person one would ever expect, wasn't it?
	Do not underestimate these people, Hikaru. Or should I say, Spiderman? =
Cologne had a
good idea of just how tough the boy truly was - he could likely be able =
to hang with Ranma and
Ryoga in terms of agility and strength - but the Black Lotus Society was =
notorious for crushing
opposition.
	They were in Japan, that much was certain, but who was running the show =
in the Land
of the Rising Sun? Cologne had a few names of their higher-ups, all of =
them with a reputation for
intelligence and ruthless brutality. Whomever had tried to frame them =
wasn't afraid to grab the
tiger by the balls, were they?
	Cologne hopped over to the door. That matter was of no import to her, at=
 least not yet.
Besides, wouldn't Ranma just *love* to know the real name of who had =
saved him, Akane, and Nabiki that night?
	Heh, heh, heh... She was almost sad that she had to keep that knowledge =
to herself. For now, anyway.

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

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