Hopefully I did not cut anybody's editing.... and the shifting tenses and 
punctuation marks are better.

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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: rend11.txt

Special Thanks to:
Roja Cyd
Maurice Phillip
Dream and Angel
Jourdan Bickham
Byooki Desu
Don Granberry
Acetylene
Negai


And to the person reading this.

If little labor, little are your gains,
Man's fortune is measured by his pains.
				~ Herrick
				Unknown

                      ~ Chapter 11 ~


_I thought we'd finally understand each other but... well...
this isn't a fairytale. It didn't last for long._


	The sun hadn't risen yet, but the Saotome household was already
alive. The servants were bustling about and the children were already by
the gates.

	Nabiki was wearing her usual red Chinese outfit, backpack
already strapped on. Her foot tapping impatiently against the ground was
the only thing that showed her discomfort with the affection that he
gave them. A smile plastered itself across her face as she watched Ranma
say goodbye to the children. It was a touching scene, and although
Nabiki rarely gave more than the occasional hug, the children knew how
much she really did care.

	"We'll be back by next week," Ranma said as he ruffled Hanae's
hair and patted Sei's shoulder. "You be good under Cologne and Shampoo,
okay?"

	They nodded and Ranma took the pack Hanae offered him. Nabiki
turned to the children. "Be sure to have that oath memorized before we
get back home, your induction is in three weeks."

	"Shall we go then?" Nabiki asked Ranma. The morning was still a
bit cold and the little warmth their silk clothes gave did nothing to
lessen Nabiki's shivers. She really wanted to start moving and warm her
muscles. If the day wasn't going to turn out hot and the hakama a bit
lighter, she would have preferred the traditional garments.

	The walk towards Yokohama would take her three days. Ranma's jog
for Nerima would take twelve hours. She just really wanted to get to
Yokohama, fix the problem and get back to sewing the family crest for
the children... Sewing was not one of her better skills and she needed
more time to perfect it.

	"I didn't notice Kodachi by the gates this morning, Ranma,"
Nabiki commented hoping to get a reaction from her brother. "Shampoo
wasn't there either."

	"Neither was Cologne. They're tired from Yuigahama. I asked the
samurai not to wake 'em up." Ranma shrugged, his mind obviously on
something else. "They're already going to put up with Hanae and Sei.
They need all the energy they can muster."

	Nabiki raised an eyebrow at that, noting that he avoided talking
about his wife. She was surprised by that, usually he would just
bluster. Nabiki resolved to try and remedy that. "Hmmm... and Kodachi?"
She really didn't expect an answer. She was surprised when he provided
one.

	"She's resting."

	Nabiki didn't try to raise the topic again. According to Ifuku,
Kodachi had not slept in her bed last night. Then again, Nabiki did not
want to jump to conclusions. It always made things messier than they
should be.

	"I'll check Nerima to see if they know anything, and if mother
has anything on who attacked.  I doubt there will be." Ranma clenched
his fist. Nabiki sensed that the attacks were getting to him. "Yokohama
is in lesser danger than Nerima... it's surrounded by Happosai's hans.
It's a surprise we actually have problems this far north. If everything
goes as planned, I'll probably see you in Yokohama... otherwise... I'll
send for you by pigeon."

	Sending letters by pigeon was not the best option during times
like these, but all trusted men were out fighting at the border or at
both attacked places.  A man simply could not be spared merely for
message delivery. "Refrain from using letters too much." Nabiki reminded
Ranma.

	He nodded.  At least they had already arranged a code when they
were younger. Any intercepted letter would not bring them danger ... he
hoped.

	"I don't get the motive. Nerima I could understand..." Nabiki
trailed off. Nerima was their main land. All their people, samurai, koku
went into Nerima to be evenly distributed; it was logical to attack the
central city. "But Yokohama? It's practically a poorly drained mud
field!"

	"To anyone else it is... but to us..." Ranma looked at her
thoughtfully as he left the statement hanging. "What worries me is that
they attacked the Kannai... the inner city. They didn't manage to do
much damage to Kangai. For them to get past the outer city..."

	"Kannai... that's the residential area... by the hills. The
farms are a bit in Kangai." Nabiki paused. That meant that the damned
koku produce for the past month had just gone down in ashes and some of
the silk would have been destroyed. The fields were probably a mess, and
most of all they were bound to have lost people. "Whoever did this knew
enough of our layouts to have broken into the cities just when there are
*no* samurai around and taken down our major producer and our major
city."

	"That means we'll have to lessen everybody's koku intake. I
don't even know how we're going to account for all of the dead." Ranma
took a deep breath as he tried to clear his head. "I'll asses the damage
in Nerima, but I'm sure Nerima can hold its own after some days. Just as
soon as I finish, I'm heading towards you. Try to keep their morale up."

	They stopped just as soon as the fork in the road greeted them.
Ranma turned to Nabiki. "What path are you taking?"

	"The Tokai road. I might as well check the samurai on my way and
gather a few helping hands if I can. Yokohama is going to be a *big*
deal." Nabiki frowned then, finally decided she could do nothing about
it while she was still in Rose Brier. Her frown melted to a smile when
she remembered that Ranma would probably see their mother and she gave a
small uncharacteristically impish wave. "Say hi to mother for me."

	"Then I guess this is where we say goodbye, I promise I'll
finish up with Nerima as soon as I can. I'll meet you in Yokohama."
Ranma said as he considered the distance that they were going to travel.
If she had a horse Nabiki would probably reach Yokohama in two days. As
it was, maybe three.

	She hated the reasons why people could not use a horse,
especially when their town was named 'Trainer of horses'. Horses were a
sign of privilege and not wealth. Happosai did not even grant his own
*heir* the right to ride horses. Often times she wondered why the
emperor granted Happosai that privilege.

	Nabiki frowned at the long walk ahead of her. It was possible
that the people would have half of their houses rebuilt by the time she
got there. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. See if you can get horses too." With
that they both took to the trees.


~~~


	Akane woke up with a smile on her lips. She didn't mind that her
husband was gone for the day. She didn't mind that he was away for the
week. All that mattered was that she knew he loved her.

	She was happy. It was the happiest she'd been in days. As last
night played repeatedly in her head, she happily turned to get one of
her clean day kimonos and practically skipped for the rest of the day.
Her husband loved her.

	He couldn't deny that fact because he had shown her affection
through that single kiss. She really couldn't say that there was some
kind of clear evidence other than that one instance, though.

	In that single moment of courage, she had expected her husband
to protest, leave her without proving what she had asked, but he had
stayed and talked with her, something they had not done without the
shouting matches they both had to endure. It had been his agreement to
her favor that had boosted her courage to what she had wanted to do.

	What she had set out to prove failed her, but had shown her
something more than she had wanted: that her husband loved her. It was
this single revelation that made her walk in a perpetual state of
exhilaration.

	At the moment, few *could* actually put a dent on her happy
mood. Even the thought that she still wasn't given permission to teach
Hanae hardly made a difference.

	She was setting her heart on training the girl and whenever she
could she put in hours sparring with Ifuku and training herself for the
fight that would give her the right to teach the girl.

	Through the days, Akane had discovered that Ifuku had great
potential. She was stronger than most women were, and she had a great
deal of endurance. She knew the basics, so when sparring matches came,
Ifuku, although mostly on the defensive, knew how to take a good hit,
and could give a nasty punch from time to time. She was also very
nimble, and although Akane had every advantage over her maid, she found
herself losing occasionally.

	"How do you do that, Ifuku?" Akane asked as she took the
proffered hand, from the dojo floor. "How do you manage to beat me after
a few rounds?"

	"Well, as Lady Nabiki said, you have a pattern, my lady. You
really are very skilled, but skill comes down to nothing if you don't
fix all of your bad habits," Ifuku answered, then went to get a towel.
"It took me a few times to get your pattern, but Lady Nabiki caught on
to it in your first fight. Lord Ranma can do so too."

	"Well, I know of the pattern, but I really don't know how to
take it out." Akane sighed as she rubbed her sore arms, "I've never
really paid any attention to all of that. I can teach it, but it's
really *different* when you try it."

	The main reason for Akane's problem was that she relied entirely
on her strength to win a fight. In doing so, she would manage to knock
out an opponent before her fighting pattern emerged. With the Saotomes,
however, since their main skill was speed, fights with them generally
tended to be drawn out endurance matches.

	Ifuku nodded. "Well, you should do so now. But then... how were
you last night, Lady? Did you sleep well?"

	Akane blushed a little. "Why do you ask?"

	"If Lord Ranma doesn't wish to continue with the fight, this
might not be necessary at all." Ifuku looked at Akane, waiting for her
answer, but it didn't come. "I'm sorry to pry, but I didn't find you in
your quarters last night, and Lord Ranma did take a little time to
sleep."

	Akane didn't mind the question, it just surprised her. "I slept
in one of the other rooms, actually. Someone shifted my room around and
I couldn't find it. I was terribly tired and..." The rooms had been
shifted because of the attacks at Nerima, it was the usual arrangement
when there was trouble and she didn't think that sleeping in another
room would have worried Ifuku so much. "Ranma and I talked last night...
we mended our differences. He gave me my goodbye, Ifuku."

	A smile played on Ifuku's face as she handed Akane the towel she
had fetched from the benches. "Your goodbye? The one that you sought to
get when you lost my outer kimono? It sounds like we really don't need
all of this after all, my lady."

	"Ifuku!" Akane said, a little bit embarrassed, gathering the
meaning of Ifuku's probing questions. "Nothing happened, it was a
goodbye, what happens in goodbyes anyway?"

	"Oh, I don't know..." Ifuku left her statement hanging, leaving
Akane to guess what she meant. "Do you need assistance in your bath, my
lady?"

	"No, but thank you for the offer, Ifuku. Could you please just
get me a clean kimono?" Akane asked. Ifuku bowed and went to fetch the
garments. Akane wiped her face with the towel and headed to the bath
house only to find Shampoo by the halls.

	Shampoo had stopped in her tracks the moment she had seen Akane
across the hall. It was obvious that the woman was avoiding Akane, and
Akane didn't have a clue to the reason for her behavior.

	She offered the girl a warm smile. "Shampoo, good morning. How
is the children's training coming along?" She was a bit annoyed by the
fact that Nabiki and Ranma had given someone consent for children's
training over her, but shrugged it away. In a week, she would know if
Ranma was bullheaded enough to keep her from teaching the children or
not.

	She nodded and was about to continue on her way when Shampoo
turned around and rammed Akane against the wall. In one swift movement
Shampoo had a dagger against Akane's throat and Akane firmly pinned
against the wall. It surprised Akane, for Shampoo had shown no outward
hostility since they met.

	"Uh... Shampoo?"

	"I... know that you've been chosen. Your amnesia is possible to
believe, and Shampoo grateful for the warm welcome you have given my
Grandmother and Shampoo, in Rose Brier." Akane didn't think it was the
wisest time to make a wisecrack about her grammar, or ask if this was
the way Amazon women showed their thanks.

	"But Ranma and Nabiki are both of the Amazon tribe and the
Amazons don't let go of their own. Promise Shampoo that you will not
harm them. Swear it on your life." She said the words with such dead
sincerity, that all Akane felt she could do was to give the woman what
she asked for.

	"Take care of Ranma, Akane." It was the first time Akane heard
Shampoo refer to her by her real name. "If you don't, someone might just
steal him. I don't think I can take it if another one does."

	Shampoo let her go slowly, putting the small dagger she had
pressed against Akane's neck back into her hair, a mere hair ornament
once again. "You keep your promise, Saotome Kodachi, because the twins
deserve far more."

	Shampoo did not let Akane see the tears that streaked her face
as she ran. She had loved Ranma unconditionally, and he had loved her
like a sister. When things like that happened, it was painful and
difficult to let go.

	Shampoo loved the almost physical pain that came with saying
goodbye, for that was what she had come to Japan for really... to tie up
something that she had not been able to when the twins married.

	She loathed herself for not being courageous enough to do it in
person, but Ranma had Akane now. She fervently hoped that Akane would
take care of Ranma, the way she had envisioned she herself would.

	Akane watched the girl retreat back into the house, her eyes
still remained fixed on the door even though Shampoo was already long
gone. She rubbed her hand against her neck where the dagger had managed
to break her skin, a small line going across the flesh.

	She looked at the blood and rubbed her fingers slowly. Kodachi
had probably done something wrong against Shampoo, too. But then, with
Kodachi's attitude, she was willing to bet there were few whom the woman
had not yet insulted.

	Entering the bathhouse, she sighed. Shampoo would certainly
follow up on that threat that she had given her, at least she knew that
she wouldn't incur the wrath of the girl. She had no plans of going
against her word.


	Cologne raised her eyebrows as Shampoo ran in from the hallway,
dark lavender locks trailing behind her. She followed her
great-granddaughter in and found her rocking back and forth in the
corner, hugging herself.

	"Shampoo?" Cologne asked, trying to get the girl's attention.
She stood on top of her cane while looking down at the girl. She had
never seen Shampoo break down before, but since their arrival in Japan,
she had done so twice, in two days. It was unnatural and overdue.
Sometimes, Shampoo needed to release the feelings she had long kept
hidden.

	"<I threatened Kodachi in her own house, great-grandmamma,>"
Shampoo murmured, staring off into the space, taking comfort in her
great-grandmother's presence, but speaking as if she was talking to no
one in particular. "<Does it make me into such a bad person?>"

	Amazons were devoted to their laws, and laws were usually
ingrained into its people. One of those laws was common decorum inside
someone else's house. Laws also tended to punish severely. "<No, it
makes you human.>"

	Shampoo's head shot up, "<Does it? I shouldn't have done that.
She had welcomed me into her home. I have received nothing but kindness
here, even though there has been bad blood.>"

	"<You're making this bigger than it should be. People are
allowed to lose their temper once in a while.>" Cologne put down her
staff as she gathered Shampoo into her arms, something she had not done
in years. It was a strange sight to come upon, Shampoo's purple hair
falling forward as she leaned closer her head resting on Cologne's lap.

	"<Great-grandmother... I'm just...>" Dark splotches spread
through the red silk Cologne wore. Her child was crying. "<I've loved
him for so long.>"

	Cologne stroked the girl's hair. "<I know, Shampoo, I know. But
you must realize that Ranma Saotome is a closed book in your life. I
thought you understood that. Your cousin realized this, and in time, you
will too.>"

	"<I do, I do.>" Shampoo's voice carried over to her ears
faintly, "<Ohh, great-grandmamma, it was just that... everything has
already fallen apart. Everything I had ever believed in. Rian, laws...
Ranma...>"

	"<Shampoo, stop being sorry for yourself.>" Cologne said
sternly, her hand slapping the side of the woman's shoulders lightly.
"<You're an Amazon warrior, do not think of Ranma's choice as a defeat,
but an opening of doors. You are now a free woman.>"

	Shampoo shook her head at her grandmother. Sometimes people
refused to understand what had already been plainly said. Her love for
Ranma was something that could not be snuffed out in a moment's time.
She had given her heart to him, and she had not thought that he would
reject her... it had taken her seven years to get used to the idea. It
would take more for her to move on.

	"<Great-grandmamma -- I'm so scared, what if we're making the
wrong decision, Kodachi has never been a good woman... much less a
wife.> Shampoo almost whispered as she looked up to Cologne, "<How can
we be sure?>"

	"<Shampoo...> The older woman lifted the girl's chin so that she
would look her in the eye. She offered a comforting smile to her
great-granddaughter and sighed, "<There are no assurances in the
physical world. That's why we stumble and fall, because if we all see
into the future... well... I doubt we'll ever fall in love. It's the way
things are, but he's obviously in love.>"

	"<He said he's never needed love.>"

	"<He's only human, Shampoo.>" Cologne answered as she tried to
comfort her great-granddaughter. Ranma had come too early in their
lives, and Shampoo had been but a girl when he had defeated her. He had
been so much a part of the girl's life that even now, when he obviously
did not want her, she desperately clung to the small strands he left
behind. "<He needs it just as much as you.>"

	"<I know...> Shampoo whispered sadly, "<But did it have to be
someone else?>"

	There was nothing left to say. It was everything Shampoo had
kept inside for the long years and Shampoo had been hurting for a while
now. It had been seven years... Cologne had always thought that she had
lived and let live. Apparently she had been wrong.

	Shampoo was not the child she had comforted in her bed when she
was young, she was already a grown woman, and the sickness of the heart
was wasting her away right now. Cologne didn't know what she could do
for her, except to give the comfort she had sought.


~~~


	Nodoka looked at the current state of Nerima, brushing a stray
lock away from her face. The damages were more than enough to keep the
whole town busy. As the acrid smell of smoke touched her nostrils, she
nearly coughed. It wasn't a pleasant smell... a fusion of burnt wood and
flesh.

	The smell of burnt flesh stung her most of all. Many had died
the night of the fire, and she had been lucky to sustain only minor
burns. She sighed as she looked at the house she had formerly occupied.

	There were five samurai dead, fifteen injured. The peasants had
the worst of it, *their* body count was still rising. The report was
fifty dead, forty injured, and more to be dug out of the fires. It had
been nighttime and the fire had taken them all by surprise, even her.

	They shouldn't have had such a problem since there were ample
samurai guarding the gates for any suspicious-looking person to go about
torching the place. The problem was, with Ranma and Nabiki trying to
extract more of the men from each city, it left them weakened from such
inside attacks.

	It was even more suspicious, because it had happened *just* at
the night of the Yuigihama meeting, when all of the best fighters of the
Saotome Clan were out of their stations and reporting the findings of
the past year to Happosai. Either it was a coincidence, or the
torchbearer had waited for the Yuigahama meeting just to set the fire.
She was inclined to believe the latter.

	'Why burn Nerima in the first place? Rose Brier is far easier to
access if they want to get Ranma or Nabiki. Nerima brings unnecessary
risk and added detection.'

	'The only reason that makes sense is that Rose Brier is near
Yuigahama, any blaze would bring ten of the best Saotome warriors
bearing down on them.' Nodoka frowned at the implications of that
thought.

	Few knew of the Yuigahama meeting, to strike at the appropriate
moment meant that the person who orchestrated all of this knew the
Saotomes' plans inside and out. It worried her.

	Nodoka wiped the sweat from her face as the samurai rebuilt the
structure of the house. 'I'm getting too old for political wars.' She
rubbed the long gash in her sword arm that she had incurred that morning
by fighting with several of the ninja. It was beginning to itch. Her
maid, noticing her discomfort, offered a small white handkerchief for
her. She refused, and the maid bowed and continued to shield her with
the small parasol she held in her hands.

	"Are all the ninja dead?" She asked one of the nearby samurai.

	He stopped to put down the dismantled shoji and looked at her.
"All we could get our hands on, my lady. Still, I would advice you to be
cautious tonight. Ninja are tricky enemies."

	She nodded absentmindedly. She had some respect for the Silent
Ones. Ninja were always something of a taboo among the samurai, but she
taught her children the same respect she felt, for without respect for
your enemy, you could never win. "Is there no one left to question?"

	"I doubt they would say anything *when* questioned, Lady
Saotome." The samurai looked thoughtful, but shook his head, "They are
well trained, my lady, most of them had killed themselves before they
had been captured."

	She thought as much. Ninja hated loose ends. That's why they
were usually the assassins. She dismissed the samurai and went on to
look at what she could help, but there was nothing she could lend her
hand to. Nerima was a well-oiled machine... even in a crisis.

	"Mother!"

	Nodoka turned around to smile at her son, "Ranma, you're here.
Thank goodness." She turned to her maid. "Please see to getting us a
room."

	The maid bowed again, left her the parasol that she had been
holding and ran towards the less devastated part of the city. Nodoka
turned to study her son again. "Son, I hope we did not interrupt you at
a bad time. How was Yuigahama?"

	"Well enough I suppose..." Ranma trailed off as he looked at his
mother. "Happosai has accepted an alliance with the Amazons. That's to
be expected, I guess. Some of the daimyo want him out of his seat, but
then they don't want him knowing *that*, though I think he senses their
unrest. He's setting up Edo as a gift to Tokugawa, so we'd best prepare
for someone higher up ordering us around."

	She had always had an interest in the Saotome affairs. Having a
son with a title of daimyo tended to do that. Her father had also taught
her the benefits of knowing what was going on around her. Nodoka was an
astute woman, and she could handle herself if the circumstance presented
itself. "I thought Happosai formed an alliance with Tokugawa?"

	Ranma snorted in disbelief. "The old man? The way he sucks up to
the regent you'd think he's the Emperor. This time next year, we'll have
a liege lord *to* our liege lord. The other things are from the other
Saotome lands. None of them are interested in Sagami, thank the gods.
There's still trouble at the border... and Yokohama was set on fire."

	A lot of bad news, but then, Yuigahama was *usually* bad news.
That was the reason why Happosai had set up the sparring matches in the
first place, to keep them out of the bad news. She couldn't see why
Hanae was eager to go to it, it seemed extremely dull. A thought sprung
to her mind, 'Protect me from my friends, I can protect myself from my
enemies.' "Was there any good news?"

	"Well... Nabiki sends her love..." That earned a smile from her.
"And... I don't know if you take this as either good *or* bad. I'm
hoping you'd think it's good."

	Nodoka raised her eyebrow at her son's fidgeting. "What is it,
son?"

	"Well... It's about Akane..." He trailed off, watching her.
Nodoka raised her hand to her mouth and shook her head, eyes wide in
disbelief. "You think it's bad..."

	He hadn't even said what it was, and yet Nodoka knew what her
son was going to tell her. The mere *tone* that he had pronounced
Kodachi's newly baptized name spoke volumes. He loved her. She only
hoped that he wasn't making a mistake.

	"Mother, that is... I--" He stopped unsure of himself, where to
begin, whether Nodoka would accept a proclamation that he himself was
unsure of.

	Nodoka raised her hand to his arm. "You do not need to tell me
something if you are not ready to say it. I have a feeling that you're
going to tell me--" She shook her head, "I fear that this is not the
time for secrets. Let us just arrange what you have to do in Nerima so
you could join your sister. I think Yokohama needs you more than Nerima
does."


~~~


	The Tokai road was extremely busy, and extremely hot. It was one
of the reasons why Nabiki had taken to the trees. Since there was no
formal public transportation, and the only way to get from place to
place if you weren't a special retainer of some liege lord was by foot,
people tended to walk together. The bigger the group, the better.

	That worked fine for Nabiki, except that she preferred to be
with people with a faster pace, maybe someone as fast as Ranma. Even her
foster father would do. So when she traveled on busy roads, Nabiki
tended to take to the trees more than the paths.

	Then again, it all really depended on the situation. Nabiki
looked behind her, sure that for a while now someone was tailing her.
Her tail was not using the conventional methods either. He had also
taken to the trees as she had.

	Jumping off the tree, she landed in the middle of the Tokai, the
people's steady movement immediately hiding her from view. She hoped
that was enough to keep the person following her off her trail, because
she certainly didn't want a fight in her hands so close to one of the
seki, the military checkpoints. Although she could probably bluff her
way because she was samurai, she didn't like delays.

	She kept close to a group of six women, who carried with infants
some days old. Nabiki smiled. 'They're probably going to the Shinto
shrine, to name them and record the day of birth.'

	One of the mothers smiled at her noticing her proximity, and
showed her the oldest, which looked about four months old. "What's his
name?" Nabiki asked as she looked the boy over glancing sideways towards
the path she had come from to try and sense if her tail was still
following.

	"Hideki." The young mother smiled, oblivious of Nabiki's other
worries, her mind centered on her son. "He's having his first eating
ceremony."

	Something constricted in Nabiki's heart. The first eating
ceremony was something done when a child was four months old, where a
mother would sit with him holding a small rice bowl and help the baby
eat with chopsticks.

	The others were probably going because when a boy was thirty-two
days old or a girl thirty-three days, the child was taken to a Shinto
shrine. There a priest recorded the name and date of birth and the child
formally became a member of the community.

	She had missed out on Sei's. It had been his foster mother who
had taken him. "You must be terribly excited."

	The woman nodded. "Oh, yes. I am. Pardon me, but are you
traveling alone? You could come with us if, you like." It was not
unusual to be offered companionship because women, generally, didn't
travel unaccompanied.

	Nabiki opened her mouth to decline, when she felt a dagger point
across her back. "There you are, my dear, I was looking for you. You're
terribly hard to catch." The soft words were spoken loud enough for the
woman in front of Nabiki to hear, but soft enough for Nabiki to
understand its true meaning. This man was the one following her earlier.

	"That was the point." Nabiki answered. By the grip the man was
holding her, she was sure she couldn't get the knife before anyone got
hurt. She would have to play it out for a while.

	"Ahh, I wouldn't think that a lovely lady like you would travel
alone, pardon me if I have insulted you," The woman traveler bowed once
to Nabiki, then once again to whoever was sticking the dagger at her
back. She then gave a small wave, going back to the group she had been
with.

	"No trouble at all." muttered Nabiki as she watched the woman
get away. She would have insisted to stay with her if not for the child
she had carried. But then, Nabiki could take care of herself. "Do you
mind?"

	"Let's step over behind the food vendors, and we'll talk." He
whispered to her, "I promise I won't do anything untoward to you."

	Nabiki gave out a very unladylike snort, but complied. Just as
soon as they were behind the stall with no one looking, she whipped
around, pushed him off her back, disentangled her backpack and threw it
at the ground so that its weight would not be an added burden to her if
she needed to fight. "What is it you want?"

	"Ifuku's description holds you no justice, Lady Nabiki." The man
smiled as he slowly laid his dagger into the ground. "You are more than
'slightly skilled'."

	"You know Ifuku?" Nabiki asked uncertainly as she adopted a more
casual stance although her guard was not lowered. "Who are you?"

	"I'm Ifuku's husband."

	Nabiki blinked at him. She had been tracked and called 'more
than slightly skilled'. By a peasant! She'd die if Ranma heard about it.
'I lost to a peasant? It didn't have to be an assassin, maybe samurai.
But a peasant!' From the worn out blue cloth he wore, she could also
tell he was a particularly poor peasant. 'I would have felt better if I
had lost to pops!' Her pride stung making her completely forget that she
hadn't asked for his name. "That's impossible! Ifuku has worn no marital
comb, has had no ceremony that I have heard of."

	"You don't expect us peasants to take you away from your duties,
just because we were *married*, do you?" He said sarcastically.
"Besides, she doesn't wear her comb because Lady Kodachi refuses to wear
hers, and Ifuku claims it won't be polite for her to try and do
something that her mistress has refused to do."

	"Of COURSE you should have told me! Ifuku's my vassal. If I
don't know what's happening inside my house, then I'm not going to be
able to handle what goes outside of it." Nabiki answered, frustrated.
Still, he knew Kodachi, he knew Ifuku. It must signify he knew enough of
them to be Ifuku's husband... or a spy.

	"I'm sorry if I have in any way offended my lady. In the future,
any marriages performed will have my lady's permission." His sarcasm
rankled on her nerves. "But if you really doubt me..."

	He took something out of the folds of his kimono. Nabiki tensed
up, but only found that he was showing her a plain lacquered comb. "This
is my marital comb. I gave this to Ifuku when we were married and she
has asked me to keep it until her mistress wears hers."

	She still had her suspicions... Nabiki sighed, the comb really
proved nothing than that the man had a few coins to buy himself a nice
trinket, or that he was a skilled wood carver, but she didn't voice all
this. "Why are you following me?"

	He smiled charmingly at her, which deepened her frown even more.
If he thought he was going to charm her through this entire ordeal, he
was going to find out that Nabiki was made of ice. Finally, he said,
"Ifuku sent me to tell you about the Tendos."

	"Let us not talk about them in the open." Genma had always
taught them that conversations about anything important should never be
held in public. And the Tendos seemed important enough for secrecy. The
Tendos.

	Nabiki stared at him for a long time. Questions plaguing her
mind. What could a maid have to do with a clan so far down south, so
small that virtually nobody was interested in their territory and so
inactive that no one knew them?

	She was intrigued nonetheless. Especially at the apparent skill
that Ifuku's husband was showing her. She knew she should have just sent
him to Rose Brier rather than let him accompany her, but she found
herself saying, "I don't have any other choice but to trust you. So
we'll have to keep strict rules."

	The man nodded. The man seemed more amused than compliant, and
that irritated Nabiki to no end. "So we shall, my lady."

	"Don't do anything stupid, and we'll get along just fine,"
Nabiki said as she dipped her foot towards the knife the man had left on
the ground throwing it up in the air with her foot and catching it in
her hand.

	She examined it closely then dropped between her breasts. It had
been small enough to fit within the bindings she had placed there. When
she looked up, the man was looking everywhere but *at* her. Nabiki
raised her eyebrows at his prudishness. Most men in their age would not
turn away.

	Still looking away, the man asked, "What constitutes as stupid,
then?"

	"Oh, that's simple," Nabiki answered as she slung her backpack
again. She turned back to him to give the sweetest smile she could
muster. "Anything *I* don't like."


~~~


	Kodachi watched from the shadows of the house that had once been
hers and smirked. Running her hands against the wall of stone near the
beach, Kodachi smiled as it reached the small lever, finally finding
what she was looking for. She pushed the rock-like switch and it
revealed a small cleverly concealed doorway  in place of the wall she
had been looking at which opened into a spacious room.

	She lit up the small lamp she had been holding and closed the
wall behind her. Faintly, she could hear the grinding of the stone door
as it shut and smiled as she saw her lab. It was something she had taken
pride in, her lab.

	She looked at the fine amount of dust that had accumulated in
the half year she had been gone. She ran her hands against her
worktable. A small brazier in the middle, some glass containers, and a
good amount of ingredients were still left.

	"Sorry, loves, I'm here for only a short while," Kodachi
murmured passing her hands against the small bottles, taking a few,
blowing the dust off the liquid filled containers then hiding them in
her kimono's sleeves. Her hands trembled at the rows of potions that had
lain dormant for the past months, eager for her use again. "I'll be back
soon, my loves. Soon."

	Nothing had changed much in her work area, so it meant that
someone had yet to find it. That was lucky. At least no one had been
tampering with her things while she had been out playing dead. There
were still some things that Akane Hibiki had to learn about this place.

	When her father had acquired Rose Brier for her, she had been
given a huge allowance to 'redecorate' it. Her parents had been eager to
please and too loose with their money. She had managed to pull strings
to have it built, and she had made magic with it ever since. Other than
changing the d�cor of her room, and adding her secret lab, she had
stashed the money away for further use. Now was as good a time as any.

	She went up to a bookcase and pushed it away, revealing a long
staircase that led up towards the halls of Rose Brier. She unlatched it
and peeked over the wooden floor, pushing the shoji away. There was no
one around.

	She remembered the fool Gosunkugi's plea for her to stay by his
side tonight, but she couldn't... not when her plans were at their
critical stages. Ranma and Nabiki weren't home tonight, from her
observations of the house earlier Cologne and Shampoo were distracted
teaching the children, and no one would sense her discreet entrance.

	'But why go to the house? You have nothing to get there. You
have all you ever wanted here.' Gosunkugi protested when he learned
where she was going. 'You can execute your plans here.'

	She had laughed in his face and left without a word of
explanation. Gosunkugi was at best a pawn that she could either break or
use. She did not need to explain things to him.

	How could a simpleton like him understand that what she was
doing was an important part of her plan as any of the schemes she had
ordered to bring the Saotome House to chaos? No. A simpleton could not
understand the grand plans she had.

	Pulling herself up from the hole, she sealed the place quickly,
covering the hollow floor with the tatami once more. Straightening
herself, she dusted her kimono and tried to get her bearings, frowning a
bit. The arrangement of the house had changed. It only meant that they
had perceived some amount of danger. It was good for her plan but
terribly disconcerting for her.

	Kodachi set out to find her room, and smiled at her luck, she
had found it in a matter of seconds. She had recognized her room, not by
the way it looked but by the materials that were set around it. The
maids had prepared the room for a young woman's rest. Since Shampoo and
Cologne were staying in one room, it was logical to conclude that the
room that held a single tatami with a woman's night kimono was Akane's.

	Hanging the lamp in one of the pegs, her eyes strained at the
sight as she fumed silently. The woman had changed her wonderful shoji
and beautiful furniture to the drab pastel colors. She had changed it
into sunny themes that conveyed happiness that thoroughly revolted
Kodachi.

	She shuddered lightly then turned towards the alcove where her
clothes were kept. As she leafed towards her clothes she sighed again,
all of them had the drab colors of yellow, blue and purple. She neatly
placed them in the tatami, the key to all cloak and dagger games was not
being found out. Leaving the room in a mess was a gong waiting to be
struck.

	She pushed her hand back into alcove and found what she was
looking for: a small scroll, a bag of coins and her marital comb. It was
still as good as the day Ranma had presented it to her.

	Carved from something similar to ivory, the workmanship was
exquisite. The arch was made out into a dragon entwined in a rose and
the eyes studded with two small blue gems that sparkled when the moon
touched it. It was simple and elegant, yet no one had ever seen her wear
it. Only Ranma, Ifuku some of the upper liege lords and possibly Nabiki
knew what it was. Now she needed it as proof of her identity.

	Her benefactor would probably kill her if she went up to him in
this body. Without him, she would not get the resources to keep all of
those bushi

	foot soldiers, and warriors not born Samurai, sohei or temple
warriors, and

	the occasional Kensai the wandering weapon masters, paid to
attack the borders. How could her plans to pry Ranma's fingers on his
fief work if she had no manpower?

	She set the comb into her hair, just above the small band that
tied her ponytail together and kept the scroll and the bag inside the
sleeves of her kimono. It was good Ifuku still moved the items with her
dresses. It took less time to find it.

	Standing up, she returned the things carefully. It wouldn't do
for them to find something amiss this early. Still, no one would sense
her presence in the house. And they wouldn't really *know* who she was,
now would they?

	Turning to leave through the window, she passed by her full
length mirror before she leapt out into the night, it had managed to
catch a ray of the moon's light and had caught her eye. She stopped to
look at it again. It was probably the only fixture that had not been
changed in the room. She touched the smooth glass and looked at her face
for the first time.

	Mirrors were an expensive thing of luxury, the more you had, the
more wealthy you were. They also tended to be smaller, which is why
Kodachi had sought out this particular piece. It was also the reason
Kodachi had never seen the face she now possessed.

	Kodachi trailed her finger across the short bluish black hair,
the small nose and the large brown eyes. The face was softer, subtler
than what she was used to. The eyes were bigger, more expressive, the
hair straight and had the slightest tinge of blue when the light hit it.
A beautiful face all in all, but looked far less than her own.

	Then she frowned, angry at what stared back at her. She wanted
to punch the face that stared back but knew that it would be an unwise
decision as it might bring the household's attention to her. She was
still an outsider in that home, and she would be persecuted the moment
she got caught intruding.

	A small gleam of wickedness flashed through her eyes as she
whipped a black rose from her sleeves, the black rose she had picked
from the arches of Rose Brier. She had terribly missed her roses. She
drew her hand back and threw the rose at the mirror deeply imbedding
itself on the frame.

	There was a small cracking sound, but the mirror didn't fall
apart. Not a single piece fell from its frame. Her rose struck clear in
the middle of the web of glass she had made.

	'You'll be sorry you have chosen me for an enemy Akane Hibiki. I
*will* see to your death,' And as the multiplied images of the peasant
she now possessed stared back at her, this time, she couldn't suppress
the urge to laugh.


	Ifuku's head shot up as she heard it, the unmistakable sound of
Kodachi's laughter through the air. She gave a shudder, then pushed the
tray she had been about to deliver to her mistress to Sara's hands, then
wiped her own against a clean towel, a determined look set across her
face as she set to see to her mistress. Lady Kodachi was back.

	"Ifuku, no..." Sara whispered wide-eyed, while holding the tray
and insistently pulling on Ifuku's sleeve. "Don't do this."

	"We have all prepared for the moment of Lady Kodachi's arrival,
and I'm going to do her service. Just as is my duty, Sara." Ifuku gave
the young girl a reassuring smile. She talked as if Lady Kodachi had
been on a vacation. "Please, let me go or we might all be in trouble."

	Sara nodded as she released Ifuku's sleeve. Ifuku wasted no time
in running towards Kodachi's current quarters. She found Kodachi
standing and staring at the cracked mirror. The rose that protruded from
the said device left no doubt as to who could have done it.

	"Do you need me, my lady?" Ifuku asked in a light voice.

	Akane turned around slowly, fear laden in her eyes. "Oh...
Ifuku, No. Thank you, but it frightened me." She motioned towards the
mirror and smiled trying to cover up most of that fear.

	"It's all right, my lady. You need not be scared of who you
are." Ifuku said in the most comforting voice she could muster. "Your
memory is just resurfacing."

	"My memory?" Akane asked bewildered. She looked at the rose then
at Ifuku. "You mean Kodachi? Kodachi is back? But... how?"

	"If memory serves me correct, child, you *are* Kodachi." Ifuku
turned to see the Elder Cologne enter the house, the two children and
Shampoo closely behind her.

	"But-- but!" Akane protested as she pointed to the mirror. "I
didn't *do* that, you have *got* to believe me. I can't even handle a
dart, much less a projectile that *big*. Not with that much accuracy
anyway. I couldn't have struck the mirror to crack it, it's impossible."

	Cologne raised an eyebrow. It was difficult to believe an
impossibility that has been proved otherwise. Especially since the proof
was right before their eyes. "Hand me the rose, child."

	There was a moment's hesitation before Akane reached out for the
rose and extracted it from the mirror. Its withdrawal upset the precious
balance that the glass had created temporarily when the rose had been
imbedded on it. The shards all fell to the floor breaking into smaller
pieces. Ifuku winced at the mess, wishing that Kodachi had not been
insistent on buying the Portuguese glass mirror and choosing a normal
silvered bronze one instead, as Akane handed the flower over to Cologne.

	Cologne studied the rose for a moment. "This is -- has always
been your favored means of attack, Kodachi. As I recall, you are rather
skilled at it." Cologne threw the rose up, just as she would a dagger,
balancing it in her fingertip and doing so again. None of the petals
fell off as Cologne tested its balance against her fingers. Akane
watched with mild curiosity.

	"It was before my amnesia. I assure you. I've forgotten."

	"You've forgotten a lot it seems." Finally Cologne snapped it up
into the air and flicked it towards Akane's direction. Akane caught it
with her right hand just as it went past her ear, her cheek grazed by a
thorn.

	"An excellent catch, Lady Akane." Cologne bowed then turned
towards the children, as if nothing had happened. "Go to bed children,
the night is done. I'm sure Akane needs her rest."

	They scampered away. Ifuku took note of it and wondered at
Cologne's actions, then turned back to her mistress, not knowing whether
to address her as the Akane she respected or Kodachi whom she feared.


~~~



	Nabiki hated inns. They made her squeamish, they were
impersonal, and the next person who checked in could be her next
assassin. But then, she had already said she'd rather face an assassin
than her current companion.

	It was also because of her current companion that she had chosen
an inn to sleep in. She would rather sleep in the ground with the stars
as her roof, with an obnoxiously loud panda and her twin in the cold
night.

	It was irrational compared to the comforts offered at a local
inn, but no one had ever said Nabiki was a purely rational being.
Besides, the benefits outweighed the detriments. Still, she needed a
neutral ground that would separate her from Ifuku's husband. The inn
seemed to be a good enough place to stay.

	She could've just kicked a stupid vassal out of his house, but
then she was too tired to talk to the incompetent baka that was their
vassal in this town. Even the waki-honjin, the official lodgings, were
unusable to her because some other noble had gotten to it first, and
since waki-honjin were designed only to accommodate one party, she found
no other choice. Even if she could get to a waki-honjin or a honjin,
she'd be explaining half of the time because travelers usually sent word
and reserve accommodations in advance. Besides, it hardly would've been
'neutral ground'.

	A cheaper kichin-yado would have sufficed, but it was more
dangerous there even if she could save coin for people there shared
rooms. And there was the matter of the meals. They had to cook it on
their own if they had stayed in a cheap hotel, and Nabiki simply had no
energy to cook tonight nor did she trust Ifuku's husband to cook food
for her.

	So here she was in a hatago, paying more money than she would
like.

	At least the mistress of the inn didn't have chance to put up
her name over the door, she was in enough trouble as it was without
letting half of the world know she was in the area.

	The landlord was a little irked by the late arrival but promptly
called all of the servants with the landlady. They rubbed their knees
and hissed their welcome and respect through their teeth.

	The landlady's head touched the small tatami while telling
Nabiki in a reassuring manner of one who doesn't want to lose a customer
that she would lodge Nabiki in one of the larger rooms. Two of the maids
liberated them of their shoes while two others led the way to their
rooms.

	Nabiki dropped her belongings on the tatami and sat down on the
open space, although the wooden boards were already up blocking the
outsiders' view of what was happening inside the house. The maids
brought in the hibachi, which did not promise much warmth for the night,
followed by other maids who were bowing while delivering the trays of
food.

	She thanked the maid for bringing the trays out. The maid was
still groggy from her roused sleep but she put on a mask of pleased
deference. The maids brought in a small dining table before Nabiki
decided that she liked her privacy for the night more than a few serving
girls pouring sake every ten minutes.

	"Thank you but I'll serve the sake." Nabiki said curtly, trying
to add a pleasant tone to her voice but failing completely. "I'll summon
you when we are ready to retire."

	The maids bowed in respect and were promptly gone.

	She sighed as she placed her hands on her hips. She could use a
good bath, a good soak in the furo, but then she didn't want to trouble
their host more than what was necessary.

	Damn the man for making her late. She raised her eyebrows as the
maid shut the shoji leaving them to their dinner. "This is hardly fair."

	"And why is that Lady Nabiki?" Ifuku's husband asked taking his
seat before one of the trays that were set on the table.

	"You seem to know everything about me, and I know nothing about
you." Nabiki muttered sitting across him. "Who are you? What is your
connection to Ifuku--"

	"Wait, one question at a time!" He made a warding gesture that
was not lost on her. "I'm Sohin." Small gift. His parents must have
waited very long for a child. Or he sold small gifts. "I told you before
that Ifuku sent for me because she said you wanted to find out about the
Tendos."

	"And why would she send for you?" Nabiki asked suspiciously as
she took the chopsticks from the pockets of her Chinese drawstring pants
while watching him take out his own.

	"Because I know the Tendos." He shrugged looking at her. "Ifuku
almost got into trouble because she sent word for me. She was almost
killed by a samurai named Omokage, just so that I would be here to tell
you what I know."

	"And what do you know, Sohin-san?" Nabiki asked, curious as to
what someone like him could know of a samurai. Samurai were exceedingly
careful in their talks around men.

	"What do you want to know?" He asked, taking a piece of
everything that was set before them, not waiting for Nabiki to eat.

	Nabiki snorted at his disrespect but let it go, she was too
focused on her questioning for that to matter. "The heir. Who is the
heir of the Tendos?"

	There was a pained expression in his eyes that was gone in an
instant. Nabiki almost thought she imagined it. "The Tendo patriarch had
only three children. All were from different consorts, none from his
legal wife. The eldest was a boy that would be thirty about now. The
middle child and the youngest were both born within one month of each
other. If I am not mistaken they would be around twenty-five years old,
they were both girls."

	"Were?" Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You speak as if they're
dead."

	"We don't really know that... but they most probably are." Sohin
answered, he stopped eating for a moment then looked at Nabiki. "They
were banished when their father died, and that was twenty years ago. The
Tendo matriarch, Chisei(1) wanted them dead because her husband had
pronounced that they would be his heirs."

	"But the three children are still alive?" Nabiki demanded, her
dinner long forgotten.

	There was a long pause before Sohin put his bowl of rice down to
answer her, "I don't know."

	"Lady Tendo banished them because they were the children of
consorts? She sounds extremely jealous." Nabiki rubbed her forehead with
her fingertips as she processed the information. "Did she order them
killed?"

	"Yes." He answered, pushing the bowl out of his way and drinking
some of the tea that the maids had served.

	Chisei seemed to be an extremely imbalanced woman. Nabiki leaned
closer as Sohin said something else. "But they escaped before they were
caught."

	"Ever hear of Snow White?" It was a Portuguese tale that had
been brought to her by one of the priests. She waved her hand at his
blank stare, it still sounded pretty much the same. "It doesn't matter.
Your answer doesn't answer my question. Who's the heir now? More
appropriately, who holds the title now?"

	"A seven year old boy." Sohin looked up to see Nabiki's
expression clearly.

	"They were ordered killed before there was replacement?" At
seven years old, the boy would not have been born before the Tendo
children were banished. Nabiki was surprised at such an order. With no
heirs therefore no rulers, how could a house stand on its own? No wonder
the Tendo House has a low profile. "I guess Lady Chisei holds the Clan's
strings for now. Who had been 'heir' before the boy was born?"

	"Lord Tendo's brother. He was ill from a lung disease. He died
five years ago. It's his son that holds the Clan now, and Lady Chisei
acts as 'regent' until he comes of age."

	Nabiki's head started to hurt, if that boy didn't get ample
protection, he was going to end up dead as well... or being controlled
by Chisei. It didn't make any sense. All it told her was that Kodachi
stole the title of a seven year old boy. 'Could be that she and this
Chisei person has formed an alliance? It's highly unlikely due to
Chisei's jealous nature. She would want to rule for herself, get up by
herself... unless she double crosses her supposed partner.' Then again,
Kodachi had an extremely jealous nature as well. "The Children who
escaped, what are their names?"

	"Eruchii, Shori," Earned Place and Victory. Did the names mean
anything? Should they mean anything at all? She looked expectantly at
Sohin for the final name, he had closed his eyes in a moment of thought,
when he opened them again he had her answer, "and Akane."

	Akane Tendo. Something bothered her about the name, as if there
was something she should know about it, but escaped her grasp, but
somehow, it seemed perfect. It glided over her mind's eye easily. "Akane
Tendo."

	Her eyes snapped open. Why had Kodachi chosen this name out of
all the names that she could have made up? Why choose an identity of a
real person when it would have made her life more difficult? "Where is
Akane Tendo?"

	"I -- I don't know." Sohin stammered, surprised at her sudden
demand.

	"Why do you know this Sohin?" Nabiki asked suspiciously, her
eyes watching his every move. "And why come when Ifuku summoned you.
What are you to the Tendos?"

	"I know things because I do, Lady Nabiki." Sohin answered
evasively. "You would not reveal your sources, and neither shall I."

	"I was not the one who *volunteered* information. You'll be
accompanying me until I go home and Ifuku confirms that you are who you
say you are." Nabiki stood up abruptly, understanding why he refused her
and hating his principles for it. "Goodnight, Sohin-san."

	He inclined his head but continued eating.

	She slipped the unused chopsticks into its case and clapped
three times. Two maids appeared and instructed them to split the room
into two, although it could have easily been five. She could've gone for
a smaller one, but decided that it was too late and she was too tired to
be talking to their hosts.

	When the maids finally finished preparing their beds and the
rooms Nabiki entered the other side of the room effectively separating
her from Sohin. Nabiki took her backpack and rooted for the night kimono
her maid had packed for her. Nabiki smiled at the unnecessary
thoughtfulness. Inns lent out free summer robes for the guests to use
while they stayed, and if worse came to worst, she could always drop
cold water and sleep naked. But it was a nice thought.

	She lay on the futon the maid had prepared for her, from the
other side of the room she could hear Sohin retiring, too. Even though
she had announced her intent to sleep, sleep was long in coming.

	She lay awake, thinking of Kodachi. Kodachi had taken the name
Akane, she had also taken the name Tendo... and there exists one Akane
Tendo. Is that coincidence? Could she have kidnapped the three children
so she could take a new name? Or perhaps she had an agreement with the
children, protecting them if they gave her service.

	But what would three samurai children know? They had been far
too young when they were left. Five and Ten. That would mean Eruchii had
taken both of them on his shoulders to survive.

	She closed her eyes for some well earned sleep. They'll just
have to continue this tomorrow.


	Sohin roused again after hours of trying to sleep then went
towards the balcony, a letter for Ifuku in his hands. He did not know
how she would receive it, and there were exactly no pigeons in the area
to give it to her, but he had written it anyway. He did not know what
they had started when they did this, but it seemed like they were in
deeper trouble now than before.

	'Why did she single out Akane's name?' He wondered. Ifuku's
letter had arrived barely in time, and in the few hastily written words
she had said that he must go to Nabiki Saotome. The samurai that
delivered had explained the rest, but not the reasons why the Saotomes
were intent on learning about the Tendos now.

	He had carried nothing when he went to seek out Nabiki, nothing
but the clothes on his back and a few koban, strung just enough to fit
his wrist(2). Ifuku's request had taken him by surprise, and the urgency
of the note had startled him.

	For the Saotomes to seek out the Tendos... well, it might prove
bad for both of them... the last time a major house had sought the
Tendos, it had managed to get Lady Chisei time to track the three heirs
down. He hoped that this time, he was close enough to prevent any such
disaster.

	His head snapped up as he heard the soft moan of anguish coming
from Nabiki's room. Thinking that she had been attacked, he opened the
shoji divider that separated them to find her thrashing in her futon. A
bad dream. According to what Ifuku told him every year, Nabiki did tend
to have bad dreams ever since she had returned from her husband.

	He didn't know what else to do but try to stir her from the
nightmare that had taken her thoughts for the night. He touched her
shoulder lightly, and she woke up almost immediately. For such a light
sleeper, Nabiki did not wake from her dreams as easily as she would have
from an outside touch.

	"Ranma, It's that dream again. Damn it." Her kimono was soaked
through with sweat but it had not transformed her. She also seemed to
have forgotten where she was. "I thought I got over that."

	"Maybe it's trying to tell you something." Sohin suggested.

	Nabiki's head snapped towards his direction, then suddenly, as
if realizing for the first time who he was, sat straight from her futon.
"Sohin-san, dreams about your own sword sticking through your
brother-in-law's back is hardly informative." She pulled the evening
kimono that had slightly exposed her shoulder closer.

	"Well then, it must have been a traumatic event."

	Nabiki's eyes narrowed down to slits. "You think?" She pulled a
small hair that seemed to hold all her hair together, then carefully set
it beside her, raking her hands through her waist-length hair. "Thank
you for your concern, Sohin-san, but I would rather sleep now."

	"Are you sure? Should I get you--"

	"Thank you Sohin-*san*," She answered her voice a little
strained. "I am merely tired, which is probably the reason my dreams
trouble me. Please leave me. I wish to be alone."

	"But--"

	Nabiki's eyes flashed in anger and irritation. She did not deal
with insubordination well. "Is there something in what I said that you
did not understand?"

	"I understand, Lady Nabiki," Sohin said as he turned to go
murmuring, "You're just too afraid to tell anyone what you feel."

	"I would prefer if you keep your comments to yourself, Sohin.
You know nothing about what you are talking of and less about me."
Nabiki got up and took her backpack, a small flask of water peeking out.
"You cannot second guess someone you barely know."

   "You're just upset someone is better at psychoanalyzing yourself."
Sohin shot back at her.

	In an instant she was beside him, her hand against his throat,
the backpack forgotten on the tatami, its contents spilling out. "If you
really want us to continue to Yokohama with you in one piece, I suggest
that you do as I order. I don't care if you're Ifuku's husband, but you
will learn how to respect me. Understand?"

	"Perfectly." His answer came out as a whisper, Nabiki's hand
hampering the wind from escaping his throat. She released him. For
someone who was roused from a nightmare, Nabiki knew how to immediately
get to her wits. He turned his back to return to his side of the
divided.

	After a few minutes, he could hear Nabiki's soft weeping,
muffled by what he thought was her blanket.

------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes:

(1) Chisei: intelligence

(2) The money then had holes in the middle so merchants and
	peasants when carrying them strung them together (well
	they had no wallets, okay?)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ICQ: 51376120 -- (:)  (You have better chances of reaching me
at Yahoo Messenger.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 and the book I based it from Which is
When there is Hope, and if you sue me you can't possibly get money from
me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Author's Notes:

I have a couple of questions and I would appreciate your
opinion on the matter either on a review or a personal
e-mail. :)

a) Do you think Akane cries too much?
b) Do you think there are too many parties?
c) What's your opinion on Kodachi's reappearance?
d) What's your opinion on the new characters?
e) Hehe... give a nice estimate on what chapter this
     is going to end. (I just want to guage how much
     you think needs to be written out)
f) Do you think the chapters are too long, too short
     you don't really care or just right?

If you're still unsure of the heirarchy I'm using, I copied
one history book down at

http://iCe.esmartdesign.com/resources_1.htm

Actually, try to pass by my webpage some time, there's fan
art there too. :) it's http://iCe.esmartdesign.com/

On another note, they haven't asked a shinto priest to
determine Kodachi's possession because a) they're supposed
to Christians now remember and b) I can't
have a shinto priest spoiling the whole story :) Although
the lack of acceptance is only on Ranma's part because
he was the only person Akane told the dying and living
again bit. Her supposed 'possession' now is amnesia,
which everyone is doubting. Besides, Kodachi's personality
has always lead me to believe that she won't be believed
for a drastic change. (I mean everyone thinks she's crazy
and all).

I think that's all for this chapter folks. Thanks for
patiently waiting.


See 'ya
~~ iCe ~~

                     ||-----------^_^-----------||

PS. I hate Calculus. I blame Calculus (specifically
integration) for the lateness of this. (Ahhh, now I feel
better)


                     ||-----------^_^-----------||

Please be reminded send mail to me at: iCe_an6el@yahoo.com

Packrat's Page http://members.tripod.com/the_packrat/anime.html
My page is at http://iCe.esmartdesign.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||-----------^_^-----------||~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves every day.
									~~ unknown




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