Long time coming.

'Ranma 1/2' is copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan,
Inc. and Viz Communications, Inc.  Its characters are 
used without permission but with all the love and respect 
I can offer their creator and copyright holders.
The story and original characters are copyrighted by 
G.L. Sandborn and are for the enjoyment of its readers only.

This story is not to be posted on any other Internet web site
without permission of the copyright holder.




Email:  sandborn@kc.rr.com

Web:  http://home.kc.rr.com/sandborn




-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: N_NH_28f.TXT

                     Nabiki - New Horizons
             Chapter 28 - Life Stinks, Then You Die
                       By: G.L. Sandborn



     "Just got the final toxicology report."  In the dim light of 
University Memorial Hospital's ICU ward, two doctors were interrupted
in their deliberations by the arrival of a third.  He looked as 
frustrated as they felt.  Slamming the folder containing the report
on the nurses station counter, he slumped forward and ran his hands
through his hair.  
     "I give up," he said with a deep sigh.  "In the past week, we 
have run every test known to medical science on Jeffrey Lawrence.
All come back negative.  Outside of a mild allergy to cats, we know
nothing more than we did when they brought him in."
     "What are we missing here?" another doctor asked his colleagues.
     "Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  We've had Mayo Clinic, UCLA Med,
and the Center For Disease Control running parallel tests. Our 
results match; there's no way that man is in a coma because of 
something in his blood or organs."
     "Perhaps it is a toxin like those used by the old KGB."
     The other doctors shook their heads.  "No, we can test for those
now.  We've eliminated all known poisons, East or West."
     Silence surrounded the three as they each tried to think of what
they were missing.
     "His family is from Japan.  I understand there are several
traditional poisons available that are totally untraceable."
     "You mean like ninja stuff?"
     "Well, yeah."
     "You watch too much television.  Ninjas are long gone and their
untraceable poisons went with them."  The doctor paused and looked
towards the glass-enclosed room containing Jeff Lawrence. "In any 
case, if we don't crack this soon, he'll be on complete life support.
After that, it's only a matter of time."
     The doctor's colleagues mumbled their agreement.

**********

     Deep in the heart of the Realm of Outcasts, the spirit of 
Jeffrey Lawrence sat on a boulder, his head in his hands.
     "Think, Jeffrey," he mumbled.  "Picture her face and 
concentrate."  His concern was over the sudden realization that he 
couldn't remember his wife's name.  Other aspects of his life were
likewise missing.  He could hear his mother's voice but couldn't
put a face to that voice.  His father or if he even had a father,
was simply a void.
     "You look troubled, my young friend."  Shimazu Nariakira,
dressed in a simple peasant's yukata and pants entered the chamber
and crossed to his oddly carved rock 'throne'.
     "Is this supposed to happen?" Jeff asked, not willing to break
his concentration enough to even look at his new-found benefactor.
     "Your memory loss?  I understand that is quite common among 
newcomer spirits.  Something to do with this realm's punishment,
I believe."
     Jeff held up his left hand.  "I think I should be married but I 
don't recognize this ring," he said, indicating a simple wedding
band gracing his ring finger.  "I can't even remember her name.  If I
lose my memory entirely, what reason do I have of going back to my 
own realm?"
     "I sympathize with your problem," the old man said.  "I have no
way of knowing if your memory loss is permanent or confined to your
stay in this realm.  That's all the more reason to open a portal
as soon as possible.  The only chance you have to regain your memory
is by escaping this realm."
     "Don't you think I've been trying," Jeff moaned with a grimace.
"If I can't even remember my wife, how can I remember what I did to 
open a portal?"
     "Sometimes it takes the right conditions to jog a memory. 
Perhaps I can find a way of helping you find the proper 'condition'."
     Jeff wasn't sure he like the way the old man said that.  It 
sounded almost like a threat.  Okay, maybe not a threat.  After all,
the man was just as anxious as he was to escape this realm. Perhaps
it was the man's frustration showing.  He certainly had reason for 
that.  Jeff hadn't been very helpful in return for all the kindness
the old man had shown him.
     Like someone who was feeling his age, the old man slowly stood
and started for one of the tunnels.  "Let me think on this further."

*****

     "That's the last of it," Rachel said, placing the sauce pan back
on the stove.  "I hope it's enough."
     Jade plugged the filler hole on the last squirt gun and shook
the weapon a couple of times.  Holding it up to the light, she 
frowned.  "It better.  No time to make more."
     Rachel ran her hands under a stream of water in the sink, trying
to rid herself of the potion's odor.  "I just don't understand
why these creatures want Sodoshi."
     "Perhaps have to do with father.  Maybe father not cooperate
and demons need hostage."
     Rachel nodded.  That certainly made sense.  Jeffrey loved his 
daughter and would do anything for her.  If whoever had abducted
his spirit thought something might be gained by also abducting
the child, little Sodoshi would be in great danger. Being without
her guardian spirit, Sodoshi Tanaka, only increased the child's
vulnerability.
     "The room is arranged like you asked," Troy Tomita said, as he 
walked into the kitchen.  "You have a 'kill zone' in the exact center
of the living room."
     Jim Bateman paused when he overheard while walking past the 
kitchen.  "This is supposing the threat attacks by way of the front
door," he said.
     "Agreed," Rachel replied.  "Hopefully, they cannot walk through
walls and such.  If we can control their access to our fields of 
fire, we can hold them off.  Daddy taught me that."
     Her final pronouncement was punctuated by a loud rumble and 
crash of thunder that seemed to rock the house.  All eyes turned
to the front picture window.  The sun was no longer shining on the 
Lawrence front lawn.  The entire neighborhood appeared to be engulfed
in a mysterious twilight, punctuated only by flashed of lightning
and rolling rumbles of thunder.
     "Were we expecting rain today?" Rachel asked.
     Jim and Troy stood staring slack-jawed at the TV tuned to the 
local weather channel.
     "And the afternoon should be a typical sunny Hawaiian day full
of nothing but sunshine," the weatherman said.
     Crossing his arms, Jim turned to Rachel.  "Well, I guess that
rules out natural phenomena."
     "Mean they coming," Jade said with a serious frown at the scene
outside.
     "Check the back rooms," Rachel ordered Jim and Troy.  "Make sure
everything is locked."
     "What if they can go through walls?" Troy asked.
     "No, spirits must become solid to attack," Jade replied with a 
shake of her head.  "They want child.  Cannot take if ghosts."
     "Sounds reasonable," Jim said, heading towards the exercise
room.
     Impossible as it seemed, the sky outside darkened even more.
Street lights switched on and dogs began to howl.  The mood inside
the Lawrence residence darkened as well.  They were trapped with no 
way out.

     Jim listened at the closed door to the exercise room before
turning the knob and allowing it to swing open.  Troy stood behind
him, one of his paper prayer charms held at the ready.
     The darkened room appeared empty.  Cautiously, they crept 
inside.  Movement over at the glass doors facing the swimming pool
dropped both men into defensive crouches.  Jim gripped Troy's 
shoulder as three ghostly figures with glowing blue eyes floated
up to the glass.  They could see it trembling as the figures tried
to get the door open.
     Troy pried himself free from Jim's grip and stepped closer.
"Amazing," he gasped.  "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen
it with my own eyes."
     "Get back here," Jim hissed.
     Ignoring his friend, Troy stepped even closer until he was 
almost nose to nose with one of the glowing spirits.  "A free 
floating ectoplasmic entity," he said in a hushed voice.  "I've only
read about these."
     "If you don't get back here, you're going to see a lot more than
you bargained for."
     Troy flinched as one of the spirits hammered the glass with a 
semi-solid fist.  "I see what you mean."  Holding the paper prayer
charm in front of him, he began to pray.  That only caused the three
creatures to flow back and forth faster, their eyes glowing brighter.
     With a final shout, Troy slammed the piece of paper against
the glass.  Glowing bright red, it stuck to the transparent
surface.  Its effect on the spirits was nothing short of electric.
     Like they were facing a bright light, the three faded back 
towards the pool.  Their howls of anguish and frustration barely
audible inside the room.
     "Come on, Troy!  Before they find another way in."  Jim grabbed
at his friend and practically pulled him out of the room.
     Slamming shut the door behind him, he faced the calm Troy 
Tomita.  The man looked like a scientist who was faced with a 
fascinating new discovery.
     "I wish I had time to study them," Troy said, resting his 
fingers lightly against the wood door.
     "If they get in, maybe you'll get that chance."  Jim pushed
past his friend and headed for the back bedrooms.  "Of course, you'll
have to work fast.  They'll probably eat you if you don't."
     Troy chuckled.  "Jim, they don't eat people."
     "Tell that to Mr. Lawrence."

     "I don't like this," Sister Angelica said, hugging little 
Sodoshi to her.  "This storm is unnatural."
     "Agreed."  Jade looked down at the round-eyed Sodoshi.  "We must
protect child."
     Sodoshi looked between the three women with wide eyes. Despite
the frightening situation, she said nothing.
     "Don't worry, Doshi.  With all the help you have, there is no 
way those evil spirits will get you."  Reaching into her pocket.
Sister Angelica pulled out a tiny silver necklace with a simple 
silver cross attached.  Kneeling down, she placed the chain around
Sodoshi's neck, allowing the little cross to come to rest on the 
girl's chest.  "This will protect you.  It's been blessed by the 
Bishop himself."
     Gently pulling the chain away from her body enough to look at 
the cross, she frowned at the dangling icon.  "Is it magic?" she 
asked.
     "No, but if you believe hard enough, you will be surprised
at how well it will protect you," the Sister replied.  "I gave one 
just like it to your mother last month."
     "Oh."  The little girl sounded disappointed.  "That's the one 
Mother put in her jewelry box.  She said she was Shin... Shinto.
What's that?"
     Sister Angelica glanced between Jade and Rachel before returning
to Sodoshi with an almost pained expression.  "Your mother will have
to explain that to you."
     A loud 'thump' on the front door caused everyone in the room to
freeze and stare its way.
     "What was that?" Sister Angelica asked, instinctively
pulling Sodoshi closer as if to protect her.
     "Demons?"  Rachel held her Super Soaker at the ready.
     Jade voiced her agreement, raising her own weapon towards the 
door.  "Take child into kitchen.  Safe there."
     Jim and Troy came running back into the living room.  Jim was 
now 'armed' with one of Jeff's golf clubs.
     "We heard a noise," Jim said in a hushed voice.
     "From door."  As if to prove Jade's response, something struck
the door again.
     "They're trying to get in," Rachel said, a slight quaver in her
voice.
     "Should we take up our positions?" Troy asked, pulling out 
another prayer charm.
     Jade considered their tactics for a moment.  "Always strike
opponent where least expected."
     "At the door?" Rachel asked, her look of surprise obvious.
     Jade nodded.  "We take positions and someone open door very 
fast.  We shoot and slam door shut again."
     The others exchanged looks.  It sounded like a plausible
plan.  At least, it was something the demons were unlikely to expect.
It also wouldn't give away their main defenses.
     "Mr. Bateman?  You open the door when we give you the word and
duck behind it," Rachel said.  "You'll be safe there."
     "You might even get in a few licks with that weapon of yours,"
Troy said, patting Jim on the shoulder.
     "Thanks a lot," Jim replied with a sick expression.
     "I'll back you up from here."  Troy held up a second prayer
charm and grinned.
     Drawing a deep breath, Jim nodded and crept carefully up to the
door.  Another 'thump', this one louder, caused him to flinch but 
didn't stop him from getting to the door.
     "You ready?" Jade asked in a hushed voice.
     Jim nodded, one hand gripping the door knob.
     Rachel and Jade aimed waist-high at the center of the door.
     Jade yelled 'GO' just as the door bell rang.  Jim yanked open
the door and dived into the dining room, coming up with his golf club
at the ready.  Two streams of potion drenched the figure hunched
over as if to attack.  A ear-splitting scream filled the house and 
echoed off the neighboring buildings.
     The streams abruptly stopped.  Jim cautiously crept forward.
Something wasn't right.
     As he peered around the door's edge, his eyes went wide. "Uh...
Hi, dear."
     Kei Bateman stood in the doorway, one shoe in hand, her eye 
twitching in anger as she dripped foul-smelling potion on the 
'welcome' mat.
     "YOU IDIOT!"

*****

     Ranma finished cleaning the dojo after his last class.  It was
late and he had that pleasant feeling of satisfied exhaustion
that made his new career so rewarding.
     Folding the last mat in the dojo's tiny storage closet, he 
smiled at how things were going so well now that he'd come to accept
Akane's pregnancy.  The prospect of his own child to teach had caused
him to reexamine his life and what it really meant to be an adult.
No more would he be able to just skip out on one crazy crusade after
another, trying to prove his skills against increasingly powerful
opponents only to savor the satisfaction of final victory.  Such 
ventures would have to fall to younger martial artists.  He had 
responsibilities now.
     Closing the dojo's double doors behind him, he sampled the cool
evening air with a deep breath.  This wasn't such a bad place to grow
old and watch his children and maybe even his grandchildren
as they too faced the challenges of growing up.
     He chuckled to himself at the thought of becoming a grandfather.
Such a concept was so distant it barely registered with him.  He 
never knew his own grandfather.  He didn't even know much about his
own family.  His father saw to that. Dragging him away from his 
mother at an early age, subjecting him to the rigors of the road,
his father never spoke of family. Whenever he tried to bring the 
subject up, he father would grow quiet before talking about something
else.
     Ranma yawned and stretched in the moonlight.  That was all in 
the past now.  His mother had reclaimed her husband, hauling him back
home for heaven only knew what.  He was at least grateful that she no
longer relentlessly hunted them.  He was especially grateful she 
declined to extract the penalty they all expected when she found out
the truth about what Genma had done to her son.
     Walking back to the house, his thoughts were interrupted
by something darting across the walk.  He jerked to a halt, his eyes
catching on a small red and white creature disappearing around the 
side of the Tendo's storage shed.
     "Couldn't be," she mumbled.  "What would a fox be doing here in
the city?"
     Shaking his head at the thought of such a secretive and elusive
creature roaming the streets of Nerima, he dismissed the incident.
It had to be a cat or something like that.
     Wiping his face with a towel he had draped over his shoulders,
he chuckled to himself.  It was just his imagination, he surmised
as he entered the well-lit Tendo home.  All he needed was a hot bath
and a good night's sleep.

     "That was close," Fumi gasped as she wiggled into her improvised
home under the shed.
     "What was close?" Kumi asked.  In her almost human fox form,
she stretched on her bed of soft moss and leaves, wiggling her 
humanoid toes.
     "I think one of the humans saw me."  Fumi tossed the small bag
she'd retrieved from the house at Yumi who was reclining on her own
bed opposite the entrance.
     Yumi snagged the bag in one furry hand and ripped it open with
her sharp canine-like teeth.  Her large, round eyes never left the TV
screen.  She didn't want to miss her nature show.
     The TV was one of their improvements to the little home. Ever
since they'd found a large dumpster out behind one of the local 
apartment buildings, their time had been spent identifying and 
dragging home items the humans had thrown out. Yumi especially
was determined to have all the neat things that Kasumi enjoyed.
Even if they didn't fully understand what all of them were for yet.
     This meant their new home was an eclectic collection of the 
primitive mixed with the modern.  Beds of moss and leaves lay side
by side with a CD player and mini-refrigerator where they kept fresh
a collection of grubs and worms, for those times when they wanted
a light snack, and the seemingly endless supply of Coke.  To the 
average fox-creature, this was as close to heaven as they could get.
They didn't even have to pay for all the electricity they were using
- so long as no one discovered the single extension cord they'd 
plugged into the only electrical outlet in the shed above.
     "What was so important that you had to chance getting caught?"
Kumi asked, sitting up to brush her fluffy tail with a hair brush.
     "Corn Nuts," Fumi replied with a shrug.  "Yumi can't watch 
'Flipper' without her Corn Nuts."
     "They go great with a Coke," Yumi added, exposing the mashed
contents in her mouth.
     "We really need to find some way of repaying Kasumi for being
so nice to us," Fumi noted.
     Kumi paused her brushing and nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, let's
think of something we can give her."
     "We can catch a couple of mice.  Mice are a perfect all-around
gift."  Fumi pulled out a couple of cold Cokes from the little frig
and tossed one to Kumi.  Instead of popping the tab open, she bit 
down through the top, causing the can to hiss and spurt some Coke 
onto the dirt wall.
     "I don't know," Yumi said, looking at her two companions.  
     "What if we put them in a gift envelope?"
     "I don't think humans like mice."  Kumi emptied her can and 
crushed it in her humanoid fingers.  "I can just imagine Kasumi's
reaction to finding our gift on her front step."
     "Okay, how about we gather her some flowers," Yumi said, 
chancing a glance their way since her show just ended.  "She had 
flowers in her house the last time we were there."
     "Great idea!"  Fumi gulped down her drink, belching afterwards.
"There's lots of flowers in the park."
     They agreed to go pick flowers, in their human forms, of course
- right after 'Flipper'.

*****#*****

     Nabiki awoke to a splitting headache.  Whatever or whoever
had hit her did so with such force she could feel it all the way down
her neck.  She was going to need Tofu's attention, if she lived long
enough.
     She fought the urge to retch as an overpowering stench attacked
her nostrils.  A dull pain in her wrists and shoulders told her she
was chained to a wall, suspended by her wrists such that only the 
balls of her feet were in contact with the cave's dirt floor.  Her 
ribs ached where she'd been kicked or struck while unconscious.
At least she wasn't dead - yet.
     Without opening her eyes enough to be seen, she carefully
looked to her right.  Sodoshi, minus her sword, was suspended
in the same manner only a foot or two away.  She looked like she was
dead but it was hard to tell.  Since going through her spirit phase,
she never appeared to breathe.  From the look of her, it was obvious
she'd undergone rough handling.
     Slowly, Nabiki peeked at her surroundings.  She was in a large
chamber, lit by a number of flaming pots.  In the middle of the room
crouched a half dozen rotting samurai still in their equally rotting
battle armor.  Huddled around a glowing blue crystal that emitted
a blue haze as it pulsated over an open fire, they appeared to be in
some sort of silent argument. Occasionally, one would reach out and
shove one of the others before gesturing in an angry manner.  
     Further beyond the crouching horrors was a tunnel that 
disappeared into darkness.  She could see no other exits from where
she was chained.
     As if it were a great imposition, one stood and gestured once
more at his companions before heading directly towards Nabiki.
     Making herself as limp as possible, she fought the urge to hold
her breath as the foul-smelling horror approached.  If she could 
convince him she was still unconscious, it might buy her enough time
to think of a plan.
     That thought just depressed her more.  Here she was, chained
to a wall with no apparent way to escape, much less rescue Jeffrey.
Only her strong will to survive kept her from giving up.
     The rotting samurai grabbed her face.  His fingers felt like 
slimy leather as he lifted her chin.  The smell was overpowering
but she forced herself not to react.
     He held her face like that for several seconds before releasing
her.  She let her head flop forward as if still unconscious.
Breathing through her slack mouth in an effort to avoid raising
suspicion, she could taste the creature's stench.
     The sound of his shuffling feet on the dirt floor told her he 
was going to examine Sodoshi next.  Not daring to chance a peek, she
listened carefully.
     A few anxious moments passed before she heard the rotting 
samurai shuffle away, back towards his companions around the crystal.
It left her little consolation.  She was still trapped in the 
clutches of the evil warlord's minions and she was still without
a plan.  It looked hopeless.

*****#*****

     Kei Bateman changed into one of Nabiki's sweat outfits after
her shower.  It took three soapings to get the smell of Jade's evil
concoction out of her hair.
     Grumbling about how 'all that crap' ruined her own outfit,
she felt justified in borrowing from that crazy housekeeper's
employer.
     She was still toweling off her wet hair in the master bath when
she got the feeling she wasn't alone.  Irritated, she leaned over to
see into the bedroom, peeking out from under the towel. Standing
at the foot of the bed, his hands in his pockets, stood her husband.
     The sight of him just standing there watching her only increased
her irritation.  "I hope you're satisfied," she said. "I told you 
hanging out with that nut-case Jeffrey Lawrence would be nothing
but trouble.  But did you listen?  Noooo, you kept saying how Mr. 
Lawrence was just a kid with a lot of money who needed your 'adult'
guidance.  Is this your idea of guidance?"
     When Jim failed to respond, she paused.  What was the matter
with him?  He never took her abuse so easily before.  With a heavy
sigh, she stepped out of the bathroom, still rubbing her flame-red
hair with the towel.
     "I drive all the way over here because that's where your 
secretary said you'd be only to break the heel of my shoe on their
step and then be ambushed by a bunch of juvenile delinquents
spraying some smelly concoction on whomever came to the door.  I 
can't believe you left your cell-phone in your car again.  I mean,
I can understand if you left it on so I could at least get messages
to you but turning it off like that is just plain nuts.  What if 
Della had to call you about something important?  You still have a 
job, ya know."
     She paused again as Jim continued to stand silently.  Why didn't
he say something?
     With a growl of indignation, she snapped the towel onto the bed
and regarded her husband with her best angry expression; her hands
on her hips and her eyes narrowed.
     When she noticed Jim's glowing blue eyes, her jaw dropped.
"You... you're not my Jimmy," she gasped, backing slowly away from
the strange man who's eyes seemed to burn right through her.
     As the man's arms rose, his fingers reaching towards her, she 
stumbled backwards until coming up against the closed closet door.
His face remained dispassionate and his movements were slow and 
deliberate as he silently advanced.
     Faced with nowhere to go, she did the only thing her terrified
mind would allow; she screamed.

     Rachel and Jade were discussing strategy when Kei's scream 
echoed from the master bedroom.  Glancing at each other for only a 
moment, Rachel broke away and charged down the hall.  Seeing the 
bedroom door open, she dashed inside just in time to see what looked
like Jim Bateman slowly stalking his wife.  Only it couldn't have 
been Mr. Bateman.  She just saw him in the kitchen with Sister 
Angelica and little Sodoshi.
     With a shout of warning, she hosed the man with her squirt gun.
The figure spun around, emitting an unearthly howl as it trembled
violently.  An instant later, it seemed to explode like a cheap 
boiler with too much pressure inside.  Rachel staggered back as a 
cloud of foul-smelling blue smoke enveloped her.  Only the door frame
kept her from collapsing from the stench.
     Kei's reaction was almost as vivid.  With wide eyes and 
trembling jaw, she stared transfixed at the spot where the creature
disappeared.
     "I don't know how that one got inside," Rachel said, between
gasps for cleaner air.  "You better come back to the living room with
the rest of us."
     Kei shifted her stare to Rachel.  Only this time, she appeared
more wild-eyed than scared.  "That's IT!" she screamed.
     Before Rachel could ask what she was talking about, Kei bolted
down the hall, past the living room, only to disappear around the 
last corner towards the home offices.  Rachel tried to follow, but 
Jade's shout from the living room detoured her.
     "They coming!" Jade yelled.
     It took only a moment for Rachel to run back to her position
in the living room.  Jade and Troy were already behind the sofa which
had been flipped over and turned to face the front picture window.
Both looked ready as they watched the storm rage outside.  The whole
house shook from the strange storm's fury.
     Ducking behind the loveseat on the opposite side of the room and
closest to the kitchen where Jim and Sister Angelica had taken refuge
with little Sodoshi, Rachel pumped her weapon a couple more times
to make sure there was enough pressure.

     "Paper no good," Jade said in a loud voice when she noticed
Troy holding a couple of his prayer charms.
     "Never judge the power of a weapon by its appearance,"
he replied with only a brief glance and wink her way.
     Jade frowned at his flirtation.  It was so improper, so forward.
She couldn't understand why it made her tingle all over.  The 
pressure of his arm against her shoulder felt so exciting she fought
the urge to purr and press back like a cat being stroked.  A quick
glance at his face almost caused her heart to melt.  His smile was so
perfect and his eyes...  Oh, how she wanted to get lost in those 
eyes.  Her late mother had told her the only way to tell if a man 
truly loved her was in his eyes.  The urge to drop her weapon, take
him in her arms and satisfy her needs was overwhelming.
     Her increasingly erotic thoughts about the well-built Troy was
broken by the picture window suddenly exploding inward.  All ducked
the flying shards of glass but only for a second.  When they chanced
a look, three towering fox creatures leaped through the open window,
snarling and lashing out with claws that looked deadly.  These were
no ordinary demons.
     Two streams of potion simultaneously hit the three creatures,
causing them to dissolve with hideous howls that hurt everyone's
ears.  Another followed, skirting his dying comrades closer to Jade
and Troy.  Caught in mid-pump on her super soaker, she ducked to 
avoid sharp claws that tore a hunk out of the overturned sofa.  Troy,
however, called out something in Japanese, causing his prayer charm
to glow bright red.  As if throwing a shuriken, he flung the glowing
piece of paper at the creature.  Like a miniature buzz saw, it cut 
its way into the howling demon before exploding.  All in the room 
were showered with foul-smelling chunks of fox creature.  The pieces
sizzled and dissolved into tiny puddles.
     "Now Jade have to clean carpet," the Chinese girl snarled.
     Troy just blinked and shrugged.  "Would you prefer demon claws?"
     "That not point!"
     "Hey, I just saved your cute little ass!" he insisted, a bit 
peeved at her lack of appreciation.
     Before she could respond Rachel's shout preceded another 
creature leaping through the window.  This one was smarter than his
companions.  Holding a steel front door like a shield, he bounded
across the living room heading straight for the kitchen. Two streams
of potion splashed against the creature's improvised shield but 
failed to affect him in any way.  Even Troy, distracted by the 
momentary dispute with Jade, was caught without a prayer charm ready.
     In desperation, Rachel changed the angle of her attack. Bouncing
her stream off the ceiling, enough struck the hidden creature to stop
his reckless charge.  Dropping the door and howling in pain, he was
finished off by Jade.
     Outside, the storm seemed to increase in intensity.  The whole
house trembled from its violence.
     "How much you got left," Rachel called over the storm's fury.
     "Two shots.  Maybe three," Jade shouted back.
     "Great," Rachel mumbled to herself.  "What happens when we run
out?"
     From somewhere in the back of the house came the sound of 
braking glass.  The creatures had found another way in. Outflanked,
Rachel looked across to Jade in panic.  All the Chinese girl could
do was shake her head.  It took both of them to guard the front.
Well, both of them and Troy.  They had no one to spare for a second
front.   
     As if in response to their desperation, two shotgun blasts 
echoed down the hall.  Creatures howled in pain and were answered
by Kei Bateman's cry of victory.
     "Bring it on, ya miserable chunks of slime!" she yelled, between
shots and more howls.
     "Sounds like our back door is covered," Rachel called with a 
'thumbs up'.
     Jade nodded and turned to the window again.  The lack of more
immediate frontal attacks suggested the creatures were up to 
something.
     That something came in a sudden mad rush of demons.  Almost
a dozen creatures bounded through the window, overwhelming
the pitiful defenses.  Potion quickly ran out.  Troy couldn't cast
his prayer charms fast enough.  Even the arrival of Kei, her red hair
died up with one of Jeffrey's ties and wearing a bandoleer of shells,
blasting away at anything that moved, was not enough to stop them 
all.
     One broke through, slapping Rachel aside as it headed for the 
kitchen and little Sodoshi.
     Springing into the kitchen, it paused only an instant, long 
enough to locate the trio hiding behind an overturned table, before
charging forward.  Jim grabbed a chair and tried to use it as a 
weapon but the demon just blocked the blow with his arm and swatted
him across the kitchen.  Sliding on the smooth floor, he slammed
into the stove with enough force to dent its side and pop open the 
oven door.
     Sister Angelica desperately tried to shelter Sodoshi with her 
own body, curling herself around the child, clutching her simple
silver cross and mumbling a frantic prayer.  The creature snarled
and slapped her aside with the back of his hand.  Bruised and 
battered, she tried to crawl back and protect Sodoshi again. That 
only resulted in another blow, this one hard enough to slam her 
against the kitchen wall, denting the drywall.  Her limp body slid
to the floor.
     As the creature reached for Sodoshi, the little girl jumped
to her feet and assumed her Shinobi fighting stance.  Her face showed
no fear, only determination.  Fight with respect but no fear, her 
father always told her.  If the demon was after her, she wasn't going
to give up without a fight, whatever the odds.

     Jim shook his head to clear it.  Sitting up against the stove,
he blinked through a painful headache at the scene before him.  He 
saw the nun's desperate last stand and little Sodoshi's brave 
defiance.  Even when the creature grabbed the child by her throat,
she continued to strike at his arm with every part of her body that
could reach.
     Desperate for a weapon, any weapon, he reached up and felt 
around for something to use.  When his fingers touched something
that felt like a weapon, he snatched it up and sprang to his feet.
     The demon snarled what sounded like laughter as Jim Bateman
faced it holding a plastic spatula like a pathetically short sword.
Jim's eyes went wide when he noticed.  He glanced at the fox creature
who snarled in return.  With a embarrassed little chuckle, he raised
his miniature weapon in a threatening manner. "Back off, ugly.  I'm
not afraid to use this."
     When the demon roared with laughter, Jim threw the spatula
at the creature's head.  Watching it harmlessly bounce off did 
nothing to detour the demon and even less for Jim's confidence.
When the fox creature turned again to the little girl, Jim 
frantically searched for something else to use.  He snatched another
spatula off the stove and threw it as well.  It missed high and to 
the right, bouncing off the wall and clattering to the floor.  In 
desperation, he grabbed a pan off the stove and threw it at the 
demon.  This time his aim was good.  The pan slammed into the back
of the creature's head.  To his surprise, it howled and dropped
Sodoshi.  When it turned to face its attacker, he could see why his
attack was so successful.  As luck would have it, he had thrown the
same pan Jade had used to mix her potion.  There must have been just
enough left in the pan to injure the demon.
     Despite its pain, the creature was still a threat.  Its arms 
flailed about, endangering all in the kitchen.  Jim glanced around
desperately for another weapon.  It came when the kitchen broom fell
from its storage rack and struck him on the head.  It wasn't much of
a weapon but it was something.
     Picking it up and holding it like a lance, he charged the 
steaming creature with a long yell that he had no idea where he got.
He felt his weapon penetrate the demon's body.  Still he kept pushing
and yelling.  When the tip broke through the creature's back, he slid
forward, his face slamming into its chest.  Claws raked his back but
the pain only spurred him to push harder.
     His wild charge ended when they crashed into the wall, the broom
handle burying itself deep in the drywall and effectively pinning
the struggling creature.  In a moment, its howls faded as the demon
dissolved, filling the kitchen with a stench that rivaled anything
Jade could cook up.
     Gasping for breath, Jim rolled over, his back against the wall
and slid to the floor.  He looked up just in time to see Kei standing
in the kitchen entrance, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.  The 
muzzle of her shotgun dropped to the floor with a 'thunk'.
     "Wow," she said, as she switched to blinking. 
     Jim forced a smile and chuckled like he always did when his wife
caught him doing something foolish.  With a painful shrug, he passed
out.

     "Is everyone okay in there?" Rachel called as Troy helped her to
her feet.
     "They're fine.  Sodoshi's safe."  Kei's voice sounded tired.
     Jade stood up behind her barrier and stared at the open picture
window.  Rachel followed her gaze and noticed the storm was ending.
Darkness slowly gave way to shafts of sunlight. Neighbors across
the street cautiously stepped outside and stared at the sky.
     "This is going to be hell to explain," she said with a tired
shake of her head.
     "I wonder why they gave up."  Troy put his arm around Rachel
to keep her from falling as she tried to walk towards the window.
     He was right to be concerned.  Either the demons had retreated
to think of something else or had given up altogether. Either way,
the battle was over for now.  She could hear sirens off in the 
distance, probably heading towards their neighborhood.

     Kei helped her husband to his feet.  "You poor baby," she 
purred.  "Are you okay?"
     Jim winced as her hand brushed one of the spots where the 
creature's claws had torn his skin.  "Is Sodoshi all right?"
     "She's fine," Kei answered.  "Thanks to you."
     Hugging his wife, Jim drew a deep breath.  It looked like they'd
won.

     "I wonder why they gave up," Rachel said, glancing between
Troy and Jade.  It was obvious by the way he eyed the Chinese girl
that it would take more than a few demons to scare him off.
     "Not know," Jade replied.
     Everyone jumped when the phone rang.  All seem to sigh at the 
same time.  Rachel dug for the ringing phone under the cushions
of the overturned sofa she had used to hide behind.
     "Hello?" she said once she'd found it.  "Oh, Doctor Friedman.
Is something wrong?"
     "Is that you, Miss Magnum?  Have you located Mrs. Lawrence
yet?" came the doctor's voice through the phone.
     "No, we haven't," she admitted.  "We just went through a..."
She paused trying to think of how to explain what just happened
without telling the truth.
     "Yes, we heard there was some sort of meteorological
phenomena in that part of the city.  They're calling it a freak 
tornado on the TV."
     "Of course, that's exactly what it was - a tornado."  Rachel
sighed in relief.  "We're all okay here."
     "We MUST locate Mrs. Lawrence right away.  Mr. Lawrence has just
gone on full life support.  His vital signs are fading.  We fear he 
won't last much longer."
     "I understand," Rachel said slowly.  "We'll find her."
     She hung up the phone and looked at the anxious faces around
her.
     "How bad," Troy asked.
     "Jeffrey is dying.  They want to speak to Nabiki."
     "Probably to ask how long to keep him on life support before
pulling the plug," Jim noted with a shake of his head.  Kei jabbed
him in the ribs.  When he looked at her in astonishment, he saw her
jerk her head towards Sodoshi.  He sagged at the realization
of what he said in front of the child.
     "I've been thinking about why those creatures were after 
Sodoshi," Troy said with a frown.  "When Jim told me that Mr. 
Lawrence had a blue glow about him when he fell ill, I was certain
it had something to do with the spirit world.  Seeing these demons
and how they dissolve into blue smoke when 'killed' just confirmed
it.  I believe they are responsible for all that has happened.
Somehow, they grabbed Jeffrey's spirit.  For what reason, I can't
say.  In any case, they're back again and apparently after his 
daughter."
     "Perhaps they are holding his spirit but have been unsuccessful
getting from him what they want.  Getting the child might force him
to cooperate."  It was Kei's turn to get a jab in the ribs from her
husband.  "Oh, yeah, the kid," she mumbled.
     "Knowing how much Sodoshi means to him, she would have been a 
powerful incentive," Rachel noted with a detached nod.
     "Apparently, since they failed to abduct his daughter, they're
switching tactics."  Troy pulled out a small book from his bag.  
"They might be so desperate they are willing to press him to the 
point of death in order to get what they want."
     "They intend on keeping his spirit permanently," Sister Angelica
said with a gasp.  "Can they do that?"
     "I would guess they can.  At least, the part that makes Jeffrey
who he is.  What they appear to be doing now is draining the last of
his spirit energy.  If he's as strong-willed as I've heard, he'll
die before giving in."
     "Can't we do something?" Sister Angelica gasped, hugging 
Sodoshi.
     Jade shook her head.
     "There may be one way," Troy said, holding up his little book.
"If I can get close enough to his body, I think I can bind his spirit
to it - for a little while, anyway.  At least, it will give us some
time to think of something else."
     "What are we waiting for?" Rachel said.  "We need to get to the
hospital.  Nabiki left her van in the garage.  The spare key is on 
hook in the kitchen."
     Everyone headed for the garage.  Rachel detoured through the 
kitchen for the key.  Jade, despite the broken living room picture
window, carefully locked the door.
     As they piled into the domestic mini-van, Kei stopped her 
husband from climbing behind the wheel.
     "What's wrong?" he asked, one hand on the door handle.
     "I'm driving," Kei growled, snatching the key from Rachel.
     "Why?"
     "Because you drive like an old lady."  Kei shoved Jim towards
the van's open sliding door.  "You ride back with everyone else."
     Jim was about to ask about riding up front with his wife when
he noticed Sister Angelica settling into the front passenger seat.
With a sigh, he climbed into the van's middle seat and slid shut the
door.
     Waiting only long enough for the garage door to open, Kei gunned
the engine and backed into the street, narrowly missing a couple
of arriving fire trucks.  With squealing wheels, the van shot off 
down the street with everyone holding on for dear life.

     Just off the main street, two police officers sat quietly in 
their squad car listening to the radio and scanning an occasional
passing vehicle with radar.
     "Man, this is boring," the younger officer moaned.
     Honolulu Police Sergeant Ralph See shifted his position and 
sighed as he concentrated on his cross word puzzle book.  "Not all 
assignments are exciting."  
     "I can't believe I spent four years in college and six years
as an MP in the Army just to sit in a funeral home parking lot 
zapping SUV's with an antiquated radar gun."  The young man pouted.
     Ralph shook his head.  Only six months to retirement and he 
could turn the whole business over to eager young pups like his 
current partner.  He sighed again thinking how nice it would be not
having to babysit all the new kids they were hiring.
     He was just considering a particularly difficult word when 
something screamed past their position so fast it made the squad car
rock. 
     "What was that?" he yelled, glancing up from his puzzle.
     "Silver mini-van, two known occupants, a red-headed Asian driver
and a nun," the young officer answered, the excitement in his voice
obvious.  "Wow!  They were going seventy-five in a thirty-five
zone."
     Flipping on the siren, Sergeant See tossed his puzzle book in 
the back seat.  "Did you get the licence number?"
     "Sure did.  I'm entering it now."
     Satisfied everything was progressing properly, Ralph shoved
the squad car into 'drive' and launched into pursuit.  Something
about what the young officer said bothered him.  This all felt eerily
familiar.  "Did you say a nun?"
     "Couldn't miss it," his partner called back.  "Saw her habit
flapping in the breeze."
     What was a nun doing in a speeding mini-van?  He couldn't
ever recall stopping one.  When they drove at all, they were usually
the picture of proper driving etiquette.  Maybe it had something
to do with the red-headed driver.
     "They're heading towards the university hospital.  Let's get a 
perimeter set up so we can contain them."  Ralph skidded through
a busy intersection, narrowly missing a couple of cars. "Do we have
an ID on the tag?"
     "Coming now," the young officer yelled.  "Got it! Registered
to Nabiki Tendo-Lawrence."
     Ralph almost lost control of his vehicle.  "WHO?"
     "Nabiki Tendo-Lawrence.  Does that mean something?"
     Ralph groaned.  "Not again!" 

*****#####*****

     "It's true," Yumi insisted.  "We heard it from our friends
back in the spirit world."
     Kasumi leaned against her kitchen counter, clutching her apron
to her chest.  She didn't know Nabiki was even in Japan, much less
crawling around in her clan's spirit realm.  How did she get there?
It's unlikely she was invited.  Nabiki's presence left Kasumi with
a particularly vexing problem; she was certain her sister had done
something on her own again and was probably up to her panties in 
trouble.
     "It's worse," Fumi whined.  "The mean spirits that used to pick
on us abducted some mortal's spirit and won't give it back."
     "That's horrible," Kasumi gasped before blinking and wondering
just what that had to do with her sister.
     "Not really.  It's just some gaijin named... uh... Rawrence."
     "Lawrence?  Jeffrey Lawrence?"
     "Could be," Fumi admitted defensively.
     So that's why her sister was here.  If her husband's spirit
had been abducted, nothing could have kept Nabiki from trying to save
him.  She remembered how her sister reacted when little Sodoshi
was abducted.  Nabiki could be quite rash and single-minded
where her family was concerned.
     "We also heard who was behind it.  That mean warlord's army that
the spirits trapped in their realm four hundred years ago. We heard
the General was quietly waiting for the arrival of a portal-user."
     "And the rise of a cold moon," added Yumi.  "They need both to 
escape."
     "Yes, there will be a cold moon this very evening.  If the 
warlord escapes with his spirit army, it will be really, really bad."
     "Then we have to keep them from escaping."
     Everyone turned toward the voice to see Ranma approaching.
     "Do you really think you can, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked.
     Ranma eyed the three normal-looking young ladies in Kasumi's
kitchen.  They seemed familiar for some reason.  "I can try.  Can you
take me there?"
     "Uh... as in guide?" Fumi asked.
     "Yes.  We can take the train if it's too far to walk." Ranma's
reply left no doubt he didn't have a clue.
     The three fox creatures exchanged worried looks.  Kasumi just
shook her head.  "It doesn't work that way, Ranma.  You have to cross
over through the land of the dead to a specific realm in the spirit
world."
     Ranma's expression was priceless.  Blinking a couple of times,
trying to wrap his mind around the concept of a realm within a realm
where the spirits of the dead lived, his face went from surprised
to curious to totally lost.
     Kasumi finally tired of watching all of Ranma's facial 
transformations.  "She means that only spirits can go there."
     "Well, not exactly," Kumi corrected.  "Nabiki's not a spirit
and she went there."
     "Can you help us?" Kasumi asked.
     "I guess," Yumi replied.  "Each of us can transport one mortal
to the spirit realm."
     "Yeah, but it drains us so much we can't help once we're there,"
Fumi added.
     "Not that we're fighters or anything."  Yumi frowned at the 
floor with her admission.
     "If we both go..."  Kasumi's suggestion caused everyone in the
room to frown her way.  None more so than Ranma.
     "You're not a fighter either," he noted.
     "I can help," Kasumi insisted, not totally certain she was 
suggesting the right thing.  "... a little."
     The three fox creatures exchanged worried looks.
     "Well, two of us can transport the two of you and the one of us
not transporting can act as a guide," Fumi said, the hesitancy
in her voice obvious.
     "If we only had one more fighter," Kasumi said almost in 
passing.
     "There IS one other person I could get," Ranma said, rubbing
his head like the idea wasn't one of his best.  "If we can find him."
     "That will take too long."  Akane's voice from the hall drew 
everyone's attention.  "Take me.  I can fight almost as good as 
Ranma."  Akane took Ranma's hand and glanced at his face once before
returning to regard the three with a determined expression.
"Besides, I am of the clan.  If it involves Nabiki and the Cold Moon
Clan, I want to be there."
     "Well..."  Yumi looked between her companions for support.
"I suppose we could transport the three of you--"
     "NO!"  Ranma's sudden exclamation froze everyone.  "You're
pregnant.  I don't want anything to happen to either you or the 
baby."
     "Okay, then we will transport Kasumi instead," Fumi said with
a shrug.
     Akane's eyes lowered as she pursed her lips.  "You can't do 
that.  She's pregnant, too."
     "WHAT?"  Ranma practically collapsed at the news. 
     Kasumi reacted with stunned surprise.  "How do you know that?"
     A painful smile graced Akane's lips as she spoke.  "There are 
usually two people who know about such things first; the woman and 
her doctor."
     Clutching her hands to her chest, Kasumi turned away.  "I see.
Tofu told you."  She tried not to sound accusatory but it wasn't
easy considering how she felt.
     "I understand now why you acted the way you did," Akane said,
her voice soft and pleading.  "I'm sorry, Oneechan.  I should have
said something to you before announcing but I was so excited."
She paused before bowing waist deep.  "I was selfish. I'm sorry for
causing you so much pain."
     Akane wanted to say more - to apologize again and again - but 
none of the words she had seemed to fit.  All she could do was stand
and fidget, occasional beginnings of her thoughts derailed before
they could be uttered.
     The seconds ticked off, Akane still trying to think of something
to say, Kasumi staring at the wall, and Ranma gasping at the thought
of both sisters being pregnant at the same time.
     "I suppose...," Kasumi began before halting to swallow.  "I 
suppose it is I who should apologize for the way I acted.  I'm sorry,
Akane.  It's just I wanted to be special, if only for one day.  When
you robbed me of that, I was insanely jealous.  YOU are the heir to 
our family legacy.  YOU are the one who everyone notices.  I'm just
plain old Kasumi.  I'm always here and always cooking, cleaning,
and doing the shopping.  No one ever looks at me as something
special."
     "That's not true, Oneechan.  I think you're special.  You've
always been special to me and Nabiki."  Akane glanced at her husband.
"Even Ranma thinks you're special.  Don't you, Ranma?"
     "Yeah, sure.  You've... well, you've been the older sister I 
never had."  Such a personal admission in front of so many people,
some strangers, caused him to fumble with his fingers. His eyes 
darted from the floor to each of the assembled.
     Yumi sighed heavily.  "I can't transport Akane AND her baby.
It would kill one or the other."
     Ranma turned to his wife.  "Then it's settled.  You're not 
going."
     "You can't do it alone, baka!"
     "I'll... I'll find Ryouga."
     "When?  Where?  He's not always at Akari's farm, ya know."
     "I'll find him," Ranma insisted.
     "And waste precious time doing it."  Akane folded her arms and
glared at her husband.  "You heard what they said.  It's getting
dark out now.  The moon will be rising soon.  We have to do this 
NOW."
     "What about the baby - OUR baby?"
     Akane looked at the three fox creatures.  "Can two of you 
transport me and my baby?"
     "Well..."  Kumi glanced at her two companions.  "I suppose
it would work.  We've never tried it before.  Of course you wouldn't
have a guide.  The spirit realm is full of dangers to those who don't
know their way around."
     Ranma continued to argue that Ryouga was the only answer. 
Turning his back to Akane and Kasumi, he forcefully presented
his case to the three fox creatures, his arms waving as he talked.
     With a soft sigh, Kasumi shook her head.  "He's not going to 
give up," she said in a quiet voice that only Akane could hear.
     "I know.  He can be so stubborn sometimes," Akane replied.
     Without a sound, Kasumi reached behind her and pulled a large
frying pan from its place on the kitchen wall.  Handing it Akane,
she acknowledged her sister's nod of thanks and stepped back.
     Demonstrating her years of practice, Akane swung the pan in a 
perfect arc until it impacted her husband's head with a loud 'bong'.
Ranma stopped in mid-sentence and his eyes crossed before he 
bonelessly collapsed to the floor.
     "There, problem solved," Akane said, handing the pan back to her
sister.  Turning to the fox creatures, who were still staring in 
shock at the comatose Ranma, she smiled.  "Now, you three will 
transport Ranma and myself.  We'll just do the best we can once we're
there."
     Yumi shook her head like she was trying to clear it. "Kasumi,
you certainly have a strange family."
     With a sigh, Kasumi nodded.  "Yes, but I've gotten used to 
them."

*****

     A silver mini-van roared through a busy Honolulu intersection
pursued by half a dozen screaming police cars.  The red-haired
woman at the wheel never slowed down as she guided it around traffic,
threading impossibly small openings between vehicles while honking
the van's horn.  Everyone in the van's back seats hung on for dear
life.  The nun sitting in the front seat, hummed a merry tune from
'Sound Of Music', her head rocking back and forth in time with the 
music.  Her peaceful smile and calm demeanor suggested she did this
every day.
     Two more wide, skidding turns and the little van found itself
on an access road leading to University Hospital.  Two police cars
weren't as lucky or skillful in making the last turn. Bouncing
off one another, one spun circles across four lanes of traffic while
the other ricocheted over the curb, became airborne, and cleared
a hedge before slamming into a large fountain, coming to rest in two
feet of fountain water.
     Struggling with the deflated air bag, the passenger slammed
what was left of the dash with his hand.  "Now THAT's what I'm 
talking about!  What a rush!"
     Sergeant Ralph See, holding a hand over his bleeding nose, 
scowled at the rookie.  "Kid, you and I need to have a looooong
talk."

     Kei stomped on the brakes with both feet, skidding the van to a 
halt directly in front of the lobby.  Doors on the vehicle exploded
open, discharging its occupants in a frantic rush for the hospital.
Approaching sirens could be heard as Jim ushered everyone inside.
Everyone, that is, except Sister Angelica. With a noble sense of 
calm, she closed each of the van doors before brushing off her habit
and sedately following the others.
     "That was most exhilarating," she said to a staring orderly.
"Most exhilarating indeed."
     Little Sodoshi took the nun's hand.  "Weren't you scared, 
Sister?"
     "Not at all.  I was always in good hands," Sister Angelica
said with a satisfied smile.
     Sodoshi wrinkled her nose and shot a look at Kei as the woman
disappeared around a corner of the hallway.  "I was scared. Aunt Kei
is nuts."
     "That isn't who I was referring to."  The nun hastened her pace
when she noticed the police arriving in a fender-bending
manner out front.  "And you shouldn't speak of your crazy Aunt Kei 
like that.  It's not her fault she's an out-of-control maniac."
     "If you say so, Sister."  Sodoshi began trotting to keep with
the fleeing nun.

     "Come on, you guys!"  Kei wasn't in any mood for slow-moving
nuns today.  Standing in the hallway leading to the ICU, she gestured
wildly with her hands.
     As Sister Angelica and Sodoshi passed, Kei and Jim swung the 
heavy fire doors shut.  Jim snatched a pair of aluminum-handled
mops from a nearby cleaning cart and jammed them through the looped
door handles, effectively sealing the doors shut.  As an 
afterthought, Kei reached over and pulled the fire alarm.
     The loudest, most irritating warning buzzer they'd ever heard
went off directly over their head.  Holding his ears, Jim frowned
at his wife.  "What did you do that for?" he yelled.
     "It causes all the other fire doors to close.  It'll slow the 
police," Kei shouted back.

     Entering the ICU like a SWAT team, Jade and Troy led the way,
shoving aside all who tried to stop them.  Rachel followed along with
Sister Angelica and Sodoshi.
     "What's the meaning of this?  Did you set off the fire alarm?"
one doctor demanded while giving way to the headlong rush towards
Jeffrey's room.
     When Jade and Troy continued on without answering, the doctor
ordered a nurse to call security.
     A second doctor tried to stop Rachel but hesitated when he saw
a nun following.
     "Sister, do you know what's going on?" he asked almost as if he
suspected this was some sort of terrorist attack.
     "Please step aside, doctor," Sister Angelica said, holding
her crucifix as if she were warding off vampires.  "These people
are here to save Mr. Lawrence."
     "This is most irregular," the doctor stammered.  "Are they 
physicians?"
     "Of sorts.  They're specialists in the only medicine that can 
help him now.  Please don't interfere."
     The doctor hesitated before looking down at the pensive little
girl holding the nun's hand.
     "Please?" Sodoshi said in a tiny voice.
     As the fire alarm abruptly ended, the doctor nodded and motioned
for the others to let the strange invaders through.
     "You're most kind," Sister Angelica said with a polite bow.
     "I don't suppose they could do any worse than we have."  The 
doctor forced a humble smile at the little girl.
     "All you need is a little faith," Sister Angelica replied as she
started again towards the glass enclosed room holding the comatose
Jeffrey Lawrence.

*****

     Jeffrey sat brooding in the dimly-lit cave.  He could feel more
and more pieces of his memory slipping away.  About all he could do 
was cling to a dim concept of who he was and what this place 
represented.  It wasn't much.  Bits of his memory flittered in and 
out of recognition.  Often, the memories were little more than 
unrelated and confusing images or emotions.
     Leaning back against the cave wall, a few random concepts
shaped themselves into a cohesive remembrance.  The image of a little
girl with long dark hair and big brown eyes.  The way she smiled
and the sound of her laughter beckoned him to remember more.  Her 
name...  Her name was Doshi, or something like that. There was also
a woman's image at the fringes of that image.  An attractive
woman with almost shoulder-length brown hair that tugged at a 
stronger memory, one just out of reach.
     "I have given some thought to your condition," the old man said
as he entered the chamber, interrupting Jeff's efforts. "However,
I cannot help you unless you help me in turn."
     "If it will get my memory back, I'll do almost anything,"
Jeff replied, shaking his head to clear a series of random images
that appeared with the interruption and refused to fit themselves
into any semblance of rational thought.
     "Then you will open the portal?"
     Jeff sighed heavily and hung his head with a grimace.  "I've
tried to remember how but I just can't."
     The old man stared at him for several seconds.  "Then perhaps
you need something that will give you... incentive."
     Jeff regarded the man with suspicion.  What did he mean by 
'incentive'?
     Turning towards another tunnel, the old man's face wore a hard
expression.  "Come with me."
     With some reluctance, Jeff followed his guide down a long 
tunnel.  Intermittent flaming pots lit the way, casting the tunnel
in an eerie golden light.
     They emerged into a larger chamber than the one they left. In 
the middle was a small fire, its flames caressing a blue crystal
that hovered a foot or so above.  Its sickly sweet odor filled the 
room and burned Jeff's eyes.
     The room was empty except for two figures that were chained
upright to the far wall.  They appeared to be female.  Jeff's unease
grew as the old man shuffled past the blue crystal and approached
the chained woman on the right.
     Grabbing a handful of hair, the old man yanked the woman's
head up so Jeff could see her face.  "Do you know this woman?"
     Jeff studied the woman's face carefully.  Even with her eyes 
closed, he could tell she wasn't really unconscious.  He wondered
if the old man knew as well.
     "No," he finally said, shaking his head.  There was something
about her that he couldn't identify right away.  She seemed familiar.
Like a butterfly in the wind, recognition danced close to his 
awareness before disappearing into the fog of his remaining memory.
     "What if she was somebody important to you?  Say, your wife,
perhaps?"  The old man's voice turned hard and demanding.
     Jeff examined the woman's face again.  As he did, the 
familiarity about her grew.  Wife?  Possibly.  The woman's hair color
and length seemed familiar to that of the mysterious woman he saw 
when he remembered the little girl.  He was almost convinced.
There was something about her that he felt deep inside - but then it
could just have been a normal reaction to a pretty girl.
     When he looked at her clothes, he shook his head.  No, she 
couldn't be his wife.  The one memory that sprang to the fore when
he tried to think of her was how she despised ninjas.  This woman
was wearing a Shinobi shozoku.  There was no way it could be his 
wife.  Perhaps she was a acquaintance or something.
     With a flick of his wrist, the old man produced a wicked-looking
tanto.  Its blade flashed in the dim light.  "Then it would mean 
nothing to you if I slit her throat," he growled, bringing the sharp
edge up to the announced target.
     Jeff's first reaction was indifference.  Let the old man do what
he liked.  But something inside him argued against it. "Whoever
she is - whatever she is - she doesn't deserve to butchered for 
nothing.  That would be wrong."
     "Oh, but there is a very good reason, my young friend," the old
man said with a snarl.  "She will die if I don't get what I want."
     "Meaning?"  Jeff's uneasiness grew the longer he looked at the
woman.
     "If you don't open the portal now, YOU will be the cause of this
woman's death."
     The woman suddenly gasped and opened her eyes.  "Don't help him,
Jeffrey.  He's the warlord my ancestors trapped here four hundred
years ago.  If you --"
     Her words were cut off as the old man slapped her face hard 
enough to snap her body sideways.  Blood splattered on the chamber
wall.
     Stunned at both the woman's words and the old man's actions,
Jeff gasped aloud.  "That's... that's not possible.  He's Shimazu
Nariakira, the outcast from the Cold Moon Clan.  He stopped the fox
creatures from attacking.  He's kept me safe from the warlord and his
army."
     A loud moan rolled through the chamber, the ground beneath
his feet undulating like a water bed.
     "Jeffrey!  He IS the warlord," the woman insisted through 
bleeding lips.
     Instead of slapping the woman again, the old man began to glow.
His blue aura growing rapidly until it shone around his body like a 
halo.
     Jeff stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with fear.  This couldn't
be happening.  He's NOT evil.  He just couldn't be.
     His thoughts ended when the old man shimmered and reformed
into a vigorous-looking middle-aged man dressed in full samurai
armor fit for a general.  With a hearty roar of laughter, echoed
by a mournful moan from the cave walls, the man sprang at Jeff, 
pinning him to the wall with a hand about his throat.
     "She's quite right, my young fool.  I AM General Shibata 
Katsuie, commander of my lord Oda Nobunaga's elite forces.  The cold
moon has risen.  If you won't willingly help me, I'll rip the secret
out of you."
     Struggling against the sudden incredible strength of General
Katsuie, Jeff could feel his energy slipping away.  Clutching
the General's hands with one of his own, he repeatedly pounded on the
man's arms with his other hand.  All to no avail.  The General just
laughed and glowed brighter with the energy he was stealing.
     To the accompaniment of moans of despair that seemed to come 
from all directions, the room quickly filled with dozens of rotting
samurai, their swords drawn and their stench making it hard to 
breathe.  Jeff had to break free soon or there would be no hope of 
ever escaping.
     "Once I've drained you of your ability to resist, I'll turn your
own memories against you and open the portal myself," the General
crowed.  "In the mortal realm I will have the power of a god.  And 
with that power, I will declare myself Emperor.  After all, is not 
the Emperor of Japan a living god?"
     "You're mad!" Jeff managed to gasp before the General's grip 
made even that impossible.
     Pinned to the wall, feeling his life draining away, Jeff 
squeezed his eyes shut with a painful grimace.  Evil laughter from
the General grew in volume until it echoed off the cavern walls.

*****#####*****

     "Ow," Ranma said with a grimace as he rolled over and sat up.  
     Akane only glanced his way as she repeatedly shook her head 
trying to get her eyes to focus.  In the cave's semi-darkness
it was difficult to judge depth or focus on specific objects.
     "You didn't have to hit me so hard," he complained, rubbing
his head and blinking at his surroundings.  It was obvious he was 
having a little trouble focusing as well.
     "If you weren't such a hard-headed goof sometimes, I wouldn't
have to," she replied, still shaking her head.  "Where are we?"
     "How should I know?  Somewhere in the spirit realm, I guess."
Ranma unsteadily got to his feet, still rubbing his head.  "That is,
if those fox creatures were telling the truth."
     "Ewwww, what's that smell?" Akane asked as she used the wall to
help her stand up.
     When Ranma didn't answer, she turned to confront him.  But when
she noticed he wasn't listening but staring with an odd expression
down the tunnel, she followed his gaze.  Her eyes went wide at what
was standing not more than ten feet from them.
     A seventeenth century samurai in full battle armor stood with
his sword drawn.
     "That's not possible," she gasped.
     "Maybe not but it sure stinks!" Ranma replied, fanning his face
like he was trying to ward off the odor.
     A rumble rolled through their tunnel, causing the samurai to 
shift his position into an even more threatening stance.
     "Let's go this way," Akane said, pulling Ranma's arm, trying
to urge him away from the rotting horror that blocked their path.
     "Yeah, good idea."
     But when they turned to escape, the rumbling grew louder. They
stumbled over a floor that bucked and heaved like an intestine
trying to digest a wad of food.  Their retreat ended when the ceiling
began to cave in, dumping tons of rock into the tunnel ahead.
     With no other option, they turned back towards the samurai
who stood waiting for them.
     Ranma, not one to pause and plan, took the initiative and 
attacked.  With a feint towards the samurai's head, he dropped low 
and aimed a kick at its leg, barely avoiding the sword that swished
only millimeters from his head.
     His aim was good - too good.  There came a sound like rotting
wood as Ranma's foot struck the samurai's knee.  To his surprise,
the leg snapped off and flopped to the far wall.  Ranma rolled 
backwards, avoiding the samurai's back-swing.             
     Instead of falling, the samurai remained standing, balanced
on one leg.  His sword resumed its ready position.
     "What's holding him up?" Akane gasped.  "He acts as if losing
a leg means nothing."
     "Probably not alive," Ranma said as he sprang to his feet. "That
would account for the smell."
     "Now what?" Akane asked as the tunnel bucked and heaved, 
showering everyone with dislodged rocks.
     "One thing's for sure, we can't stay here."  Ranma launched
another attack, this time at the samurai's remaining leg.
     His solid kick gave the same result.  With a loud 'snap', the 
leg broke cleanly, dropping the samurai to the floor.  The horror's
sword swished through Ranma's hair, cutting a section as clean as a 
barber.
     To his surprise, instead of flopping on its side, the samurai
remained upright, his sword resuming its ready position.
     "I don't believe this," Akane yelled.
     "Looks like we have to attack his arms now."  Ranma didn't like
the odds.  Before, he was able to attack away from the samurai's
deadly blade.  Even then, the creature had come close to slicing
his head off.  Attacking closer to the sword gave the advantage
to the samurai.
     Before he could attack, there came a particularly strong tremor
that swept the tunnel.  Ranma and Akane were thrown to opposite
walls where they huddled amidst a shower of rocks and dirt.  As the
tremors grew in intensity, a large section of roof detached itself.
The samurai never uttered a sound as it crushed him flat.
     When the tremors died away, Ranma looked at what was left of the
horror that blocked their way.  Only two arms could be seen, still
quivering and twitching, one still holding the sword and waving it in
small circles.
     "It's still alive?" Akane gasped, her eyes wide as she continued
to stare at the moving arms.  "How?"
     "Beats me," Ranma replied, edging his way to the side away from
the still moving sword.  "I don't think it was alive to begin with."
     More rocks suddenly fell behind them.  Their only escape was 
forward, towards the smashed samurai.  Avoiding the arm without
the sword, they hopped over what remained of the creature and 
scurried further along the tunnel.
     They ran in partial darkness, tripping over loose rocks. Ranma's
progress was tempered by constantly slowing to help Akane.  He 
avoided making comments about her clumsiness, choosing to concentrate
on keeping rocks that were still detaching themselves from the 
ceiling from striking her.  His instinct to allow her to suffer the
results of her own clumsiness tempered by the knowledge that she was
still carrying his child - the most helpless of the helpless.
     Stumbling on, they found their way dimly lit by an occasional
flaming pot on the floor.  They didn't know where they were going
but anywhere away from that undead horror was good enough for them.
     Stopping to catch their breath, Ranma looked at his wife. "You
okay?" he asked.
     Akane nodded as she gasped for air.  When she tried to speak,
there came a scream from further up the tunnel.
     "JEFFREY!"
     "It's Nabiki."  Not waiting for her husband, Akane bolted 
towards her sister's voice.

*****#####*****

     Troy Tomita finished mumbling his incantation, placing a prayer
charm on Jeffrey's cool forehead and holding it in place with the 
fingers of one hand.  Blinking back some sweat from his effort,
he chanced a look at Jade.  The girl stood across the bed from him,
fidgeting as she watched him work.  She appeared to lack confidence
in his efforts.
     "If I did it right and we're not too late, it should keep his 
spirit from draining completely," Troy said, trying as much to 
convince himself as Jade.
     Grunting her agreement, she slowly ran her open hands less than
an inch over Jeffrey's body like twin sensors searching for spirit
energy.  When they reached his middle, she paused and frowned.
"Not working," she said.  "Spirit energy still draining."
     "What?" Troy gasped.  "I thought..."  He quickly duplicated
her path with his own hands, flexing his fingers to feel the changes
in spirit intensity as he went.  She was right.  The energy was still
draining from Jeff, like water from an unplugged tub.  "There's
only one thing that could be causing this. Someone or something
must be sucking the life force from him."
     "What's the meaning of this?" came an angry voice from the ICU
doorway.  "Get these people out of here!"
     Troy regarded the newcomer with a frown.  Dressed in a business
suit, the man looked important.  Still, neither he nor Jade made any
move to leave.
     "I'm Doctor Long, the head of Intensive Care.  I demand you 
people leave this instant," the man said.
     Rachel stepped in front of him, her hands on her hips and glared
up at the imposing figure.  "These," she began, indicating Troy and
Jade, "are the only people who can help Mr. Lawrence now.  Please
don't interfere."
     The man's face turned purple as he sputtered and turned to his
staff who were making no effort to intervene.  "I said GET THESE 
PEOPLE OUT OF HERE!"
     When the staff only looked at each other, he growled something
about worthless people and snatched up the phone. Stabbing a button
with his index finger, he yelled into the receiver: "Security
to the ICU, STAT!  I repeat, security --"
     He never finished.  Rachel slammed her fist down on the phone,
cutting his communication.
     "That does it," he growled, dropping the handset and reaching
for her with both hands.
     Without warning she stepped back and delivered a sharp kick to 
the man's groin.  The man jerked into a standing fetal position,
his fingers drawn into agonized little bunches while his eyes 
crossed.  Slowly, he sagged to the floor.
     "Daddy always told me the best way to silence an asshole is to 
introduce him to his balls," she said, stepping away from the 
twitching figure on the floor.
     Some of the doctors voiced loud protests, a couple of the nurses
disappeared as the room descended into bedlam.  Jeff's body flared
bright blue and quickly began to fade.  The heart monitor went flat
and an alarm screeched its warning.
     Confusion reigned as doctors and the remaining nurses tried to 
grab the crash cart with its heart defibulator and drugs while Troy
and Jade moved to stop them.  Rachel was yelling at everyone to calm
down as other phones rang and the PA system crackled to life calling
security to the ICU.

     Jim and Kei, still leaning against the barricaded doors, felt
a strong shove from the other side.
     Kei spun around on her seat and kicked the doors back into 
place.  She could feel bodies on the far side being repelled.
"That ought to keep them out," she said with a grin.
     "I don't know, Kei."  Jim looked around for something he could
use to further block the door.  When his eyes fell on another crash
cart, he got an idea.
     Abandoning his wife for a moment, he crawled to the cart and 
pushed it towards the door.
     "That's not going to stop them," Kei complained as she kicked
the doors again.  Those on the other side were increasing their 
efforts to breach the obstruction.  "We need something heavy."
     "Watch," Jim said, snatching the twin paddles from their tray.
He paused only a moment to figure out which buttons to push before
adjusting the machine on its highest setting.  "Get back."
     Kei had only a heartbeat to get out of her husband's way before
he slapped the paddles against the steel doors and released the 
machine's energy.
     Screams came from the other side, indicating his success.
However, as he was improperly grounded, the charge also shot back 
through his own body.  Still pressing the paddles against the door,
his body jerked and his head vibrated from the electric charge.
     Kei groaned before kicking the cart away, breaking the contact.
Jim twitched in place for only a moment before collapsing on the 
floor.  There was no further effort by those on the other side to 
push their way through.  Obviously, his little electric eel act had
convinced them of the foolishness of such efforts.
     Still twitching on the floor, he looked up into his wife's 
concerned face.
     "If this kills you, do I get to keep the Mercedes?" she asked.
     His twitching hands flew to her throat and the two rolled around
on the floor, Kei yelling and Jim growling.

     Sister Angelica watched with morbid fascination as her 
companions argued with the medical staff and blocked their access
to Mr. Lawrence.  She was so involved that she forgot all about 
little Sodoshi.  By the time she looked for her, she saw the child
had crawled up onto the bed and was straddling her father's chest.
What caused the nun to gasp aloud was what the child was doing.
     "LOOK!" she called, pointing to the bed.
     The room fell silent as everyone turned to see Sodoshi laying
on her father's chest, her little body glowing bright amber.
     "Fight him, Daddy!" Sodoshi cried.  "Don't give up!  Fight him!"
Her body's glow increased until it was almost painful to watch.
     Monitoring instruments in the room began to smoke before 
exploding, showering the ICU room with showers of sparks.  The lights
dimmed before the fluorescent bulbs began exploding one at a time.
Arcs of power jumped from the destroyed equipment to the girl's body,
making her tears glow even brighter than her body.
     Sister Angelica held her prayer beads in balled fists in front
of her face and prayed. 


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