Here's the second half of 11.

You could find previous copies of previous chapters of the fic in:

http://iCe.esmartdesign.com/
fanfiction.net

I forgot to put the disclaimer last time. Gaah. It is found at the BOTTOM of 
the fic.

do NOTmail me at angelysis@hotmail.com. I will NOT get it.

C&C is appreciated, reviews on FF.N are welcomed and a personal e-mail is 
great. All three would be perfect. :)

I cut 11 at an akward position so some of the end of 11a is included in 11b.

I guess that's it,
iCe

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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

Disclaimer is at the bottom.

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._

	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.


                                   ~~~


	Kodachi's breath came in small gasps as she leaned against the
shoji of Ifuku's room. She had not been able to escape outside because
Akane had come almost immediately. Had she gone outside for safety,
Akane would have probably spotted her. Maybe even Cologne. The old hag
had a remarkable reaction time. She was there in seconds, considering
the location of the dojo and the second story of the house.

	She placed the scroll away, her ear shamelessly pressed against
the shoji, waiting for them to take their leave. She sighed when she
heard Cologne leave as well. She was the only potentially dangerous
person there.

	She turned to exit when a tap on her shoulder stopped her. She
turned around slowly to find no one. "Down here." She almost groaned
then, looked down at Cologne. 'There goes a good plan.'

	"Tell me young lady... what exactly are you doing in Ifuku's
quarters?" Cologne asked. It really was suspicious when a commotion had
just happened on the other side of the room.

	"I'm cleaning, elder." The younger woman answered.

	"In the dead of the night?" Cologne asked.

	"Lady Nabiki," It took pains to say the words for she had never
shown any kind of respect for the woman, "would be disappointed if I
left what I was supposed to do today for tomorrow, yes?"

	"It's a nice ornament you have there."

	Kodachi's hands flew to the comb, the only thing on her person
that was remotely close to an ornament, "It is, elder. It's a gift."

	"Ahh, you've chosen a nice young man for one to give you such a
wonderful betrothal gift." Cologne said. Kodachi didn't know if the
questions were leading to somewhere, only that she mustn't anger the old
woman. "May I see it?"

	Kodachi took a step back, "It's personal, elder, I don't really
want to jinx my marriage by showing off my comb when the vows have not
been said."

	"Superstitious..." Cologne chuckled, but made no move towards
Kodachi. The old woman shifted her staff. "I haven't seen you here
before, have I?"

	"No, elder." Another lie. Kodachi frowned imperceptibly. The
more she told the greater her chances of getting caught. "I work the
night shift."

	"There's a night shift with the servants?" Cologne cackled,
amused at her answer. "I didn't know the koku intake of the Saotomes
were high enough to let their servants have *shifts*."

	Kodachi bowed. "Could I take my leave, elder? I need to work
now, and I am sure they are already looking for me."

	Cologne watched her try to leave with steely eyes. "Girl, what
is your name?"

	Kodachi's eyes almost crossed, she was not the most inventive of
persons when it came to names. She called her alligator Mr. Turtle if
that was any proof of her creativity. "Murasaki."

	"Murasaki?" Cologne repeated slowly as if turning the name over
in her head, "I thought servants had the names of their jobs? Of course
I may just be an old Chinese woman who can't remember anything
straight."

	There was little chance that Cologne could get her facts wrong
once she remembered them, and this one was dead in its accuracy. Kodachi
almost cursed having forgotten such a simple thing. "Yes, which is the
reason why my mother was beheaded." Now she hoped the woman would stop
asking questions and leave her to her escape.

	"You know that comb you wear reminds me of something, Murasaki."
Cologne nodded towards the object in question, as she rubbed her thumb
against the top of her cane.

	"It's a common bought comb, elder." Kodachi answered in the most
subversive tone she could use. Knowing that when Cologne focused her
attention on something, she would not let it go. "It serves no end."

	"Ah, but my child, it's not as common as you think." In one
quick motion, Cologne plucked out the comb from her hair. Kodachi could
only whirl around to where Cologne landed and face her squarely. "This
is my student's gift to Kodachi when they were betrothed. Nabiki has one
of similar design. Both were carved at the same time, some seven years
ago by one of Ranma's vassals as a gift for their lord's marriage."

	She didn't need to know the story, she had been told of it when
it was presented to her. She could almost laugh at the irony. She had
never been caught at anything, and here she was, caught *stealing* what
already belonged to her. "You are a suspicious one, Murasaki,"

	"Am I?" Kodachi asked running a hand through her ponytail.

	"You do not look like a common thief and you have stolen nothing
else of importance." Cologne looked at her up and down. "Go back to your
duties."

	"Thank you, elder." Kodachi answered as she towards the inner
rooms, feeling Cologne's eyes on her back, cursing that she had worn the
comb instead of keeping it in her sleeves.

	Cologne didn't stop and watch the girl as she left though the
doors, jumped out of the window to find Shampoo, who had been by the
dojo with her. "<Shampoo, there is a girl about this high, not hard on
the eyes, wearing peasant's garb. She is probably exiting the vicinity
as we speak. I placed something in her hair that would glow to you who
are of my blood. Be quick or you would loose her soon.>"

	"<What do you want me to do with her, great-grandmamma?>"

	"<Spy on her.>" Cologne frowned, it would be good training
experience for the girl and Murasaki did not seem to be too much of a
threat for Cologne herself to follow her. "<I have a bad feeling about
her... Report to me alone in Chinese. And even that Coded. Go.>"

	Shampoo nodded as she jumped to a high tree just in time to spot
the woman leaving Rose Brier. Shampoo then jumped to another tree as
discreetly as possible while trying to keep her prey in sight. As
Cologne watched her great-granddaughter go, she sighed, there was
something about the woman she could not pinpoint. Something was amiss.

	Her withered hand grasped the old staff she held, 'What could be
going on in the Saotome house?' She smiled, 'Well at least extracting
the secrets from a hidden weapons specialist has become of some use.'
Cologne thought, while fingering the now empty bottle she had used on
Murasaki moments ago.


                                   ~~~


	It had been an entire day's run that lead them out of the city's
seki. It would probably be another five hours or so before they reached
the next juku, a small lodging town. Since it was already too dark to
continue, Nabiki decided it would be best to stop and rest at the road.

	Usually travelers get to the next juku before the day ends, so
that they could get a room and some food, but since Nabiki and Sohin
were heading to Yokohama, a small city, the juku's were farther apart
and smaller than what they would have gotten rather than if they had
been traveling towards Edo.

	Taking out a water flask, Nabiki was dismayed to find it empty.
Tipping the flask to the ground she glared at Sohin. "If you drank less
of our water, we'd have more right now. What the hell were you thinking
when you went to find me without *provisions*?"

	"Speed." Sohin muttered then turned towards a nearby well, which
he had spotted down the road. "Don't worry, my lady, we can have more
water."

	Nabiki glared at him then followed towards the well he had
pointed out. She threw the flask at him, which he surprisingly caught.
That only added to Nabiki's irritation as she watched him pull up water
and then drink. She tapped her foot impatiently. "Go ahead, dry up the
damned well."

	Sohin flashed his cocky smile at Nabiki. "There's more than
enough water for both of us, my lady."

	Nabiki frowned. Sohin's gaze challenged her as he rolled back
the sleeves from his muscled forearms and proceeded to draw water from
the well. 'The man had too much arrogance for a peasant.' Nabiki mused.

	Rummaging around her pack, she found some of the rice she had
bought from the rice merchant residing next to the inn that they had
stayed at. She had packed it neatly into two bento boxes she had bought
before they left the town. At least it was more than the dried fruit and
fish she'd been eating before. It was a refreshing change. Still, that
kind of food would only last a day, and she had only bought enough for
until tonight.

	Dropping her bag on the grass she moved towards Sohin, who was
finishing up with the water. "Dinner." Nabiki said tartly handing the
black bento over to him.

	He hesitated before accepting and then turned sat down
cross-legged, motioning for her to do so as well. Nabiki fumed at his
egotism, he smiled at her annoyance. She moved towards her pack before
she sat down, well away from him.

	He shrugged then opened the small bento box, then proceeded to
eat with the chopsticks that were wedged between the rice and the
vegetables. "I never knew that the rice merchants sold a complete set
meal."

	Nabiki snorted. "They don't." He raised an eyebrow in question
and Nabiki answered, "I arranged the provisions. It was something to do
when I was young and when we approached an inn. Oyaji stressed the need
to be prepared to be a good wife."

	"You'd probably make a good one then." Sohin answered as he
paused to look at her. The preparation of the dinners had been extremely
sophisticated for a mere dinner outing and the presentation had been too
attractive for someone who she attempted to kill once every hour.
"But... you're too insubordinate for a wife."

	"And you're too insubordinate for a peasant." She opened her
bento box to eat. Then to pass time, she started to ask the questions
that she had formulated while they were traveling. "I thought you
guarded a small boy. Where did you leave him for protection?"

	"You're terribly inquisitive, Lady Saotome." Sohin answered as
he took ate up another piece of rice. "What does the boy mean to you?
Why ask of things that you don't really need."

	"You're just being evasive." Nabiki muttered, and then
impolitely pointed her chopsticks at him. "You don't know what I'll need
in the future. Answer the question."

	"I don't know what you'll do in the future, so I better not."
The challenge in his voice was blatant. "What makes you look for the
Tendos, Lady Saotome? Don't tell me you wish to access more lands
through the heirs."

	Giving out a short laugh, Nabiki waved her free hand at the
land. "Don't you see all of this Sohin? Why would I want more land when
Sagami is already enough trouble as it is? I'm not ambitious enough to
go for Tendo land. Besides, it's too far, too ill-prepared, too
ill-managed to be of use to me."

	"Not interested, huh?" He asked as she ranted off the flaws.

	"I merely do my research." Nabiki answered then turned back to
her bento. "Lady Chisei is not a fit ruler for that small land. She
mishandles the koku, squanders the koban... and the people don't even
like her. She keeps the people through fear, a string too fragile to
hold for too long."

	"Tell me, Lady Saotome, how do you suppose she got her samurai?"
Sohin asked, and Nabiki could see the interest in his eyes.

	"From what I heard, she promised majority of the samurai a good
part of the land. Those who were faithful to the original Tendo
patriarch's wishes were banished or killed." Nabiki placed her bento
down and shook her head. "Since most of the samurai that were bought
were no good scoundrels, the people under her suffered a lot. It's a
wrong judgment and then the next for her. Most of the resources of the
Tendos go to finding the heirs that they loose track of the real reason
for being liege lord... protecting the people themselves."

	Sohin nodded, and Nabiki was glad that most of her presumptions
were accurate. At least it meant she read Chisei's character pretty
well. Closing the bento box, Sohin stood up and handed her the flask of
water. "If you were Chisei, what would you do if you found the Tendo
heirs?"

	Accepting the flask, Nabiki shrugged. "That depends if I want to
keep the land or not. In either ways I'll grant the heirs asylum,
provide an alliance, test their capability and hand them the land.
Provided I become their liege."

	"Why?"

	"They've been hiding most of their lives." Nabiki muttered
running a hand through her hair and then looking up at him. "They
probably lived worse than peasants seeing that nobody would take three
children off the street. This way, I'll win the people's favor, I get
the lands, and the people who have power to usurp me stays under me."

	"What if they refuse?" He tidied up the place with her, but with
her initial anger at his help, he stopped and then watched her.

	"That's pretty simple." Nabiki took the bento boxes and cleaned
it depositing the two in her bag. "I'll kill them. Although I doubt that
they'll refuse, this is a chance to free people from their suffering.
Suffering that only they can take away. But I'm not Chisei, am I?"

	"And what would you do, Lady Saotome?"

	"That depends on what I find out from you." Nabiki answered
sharply. She turned around so suddenly, that she startled Sohin who had
been watching her idly from a few steps away. "You've gotten enough
answers from me. I want to know to whom and where you left your charge."

	"How did you know I was taking care of a boy?" The way he asked
a question for one of her own hindered her from finding out more about
him. Nabiki resisted the urge to give him a pounding.

	"The juku had a pigeon from a samurai in the house, sending word
for your arrival. He said that you were in charge of a small boy."
Nabiki answered reluctantly. Although that confirms his presence, it
still didn't say if he really was who he claimed to be. Someone might
have killed the real Sohin down the road to give her an assassin
instead. It would explain some of his skill. "Will you stop asking
questions and answer mine?"

	"Will you stop being impatient and listen?" He asked wearily.
Nabiki glared at him when he finally answered, "He's with the monks at
one of the temples I usually visit with him. He'll be safe there. He's
my nephew."

	"That wasn't too hard, was it?" Nabiki asked sweetly as she
moved around one of the trees lining the road while taking her pack with
her. Since she thought she wouldn't be getting any more answers from him
she said. "I'm sleeping. Good night, Sohin-san. Keep to your side of the
road."

	He stared at her before he made himself comfortable. "Women." He
muttered.

	It was the last thing Nabiki heard from him before she fell
asleep.


                                   ~~~


	Nabiki walked past the seki signaling their entrance in the
inner Yokohama, she winced at the sight. Three days after the fire and
it still looked like a charcoal field.

	Outer Yokohama was a plain bordered by two rivers, which was the
reason why the fire had not spread down there. The fire did take its
toll on the inner city though. A young woman walked past her, a baby
strapped to her back, a small tray of food and calling out to the
workers for their lunch.

	The small boys were pulling out whatever they could scavenge
from the fire and the young girls were helping out in handing out the
food while keeping the babies quiet. The samurai and men were busy
trying to clear the fields and rebuild.

	Nabiki dropped her backpack to the ground. They had not noticed
her because important samurai usually had an entourage when they entered
the city. She had none. She brought her hands to her lips and whistled.

	Everyone stopped working, looked at her and bowed in respect.
She winced... now she remembered why she didn't whistle when she arrived
at a crisis area. She got the royal treatment. Most of the men knew her,
after all, Yokohama was one of the important cities. She motioned for
them to stand. "I need to talk to everyone in the city. Starting with
the samurai. We'll do this in alphabetical order. Is the inn still
standing?"

	There was a chorus of yes and she nodded, "I'll stay there,
after the first round of questioning, I'll talk to the merchants,
peasants and then eta. I'll need a list of the city's inhabitants. Is
the Shinto temple still standing?"

	There was another chorus of yes. Nabiki nodded again. The Shinto
temple was where all registry was at. It was unusual to ask for the eta,
but she needed to talk to anybody who might know anything and the eta
knew a lot more than they let on. "Good, get me a copy of that list.
Who's the head of the samurai?"

	A man stepped forward, she nodded to him. "I'll talk to you
first then to the rest of the samurai stationed here. Any other
questions?"

	"Lady Saotome..." There was no question of what house she was
from, all the peasants knew who their daimyo was. "There's a samurai
here... a Lord Tatewaki Kuno."

	Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Kuno? What the hell is *he* doing
here?"

	The samurai could only shrug. Nabiki's eyes widened as she
turned to Sohin. "That man that's walking over here, no, don't look now,
damn you. That pompous looking arrogant... anyway, the one on the blue
hakama, can you see him?"

	"Well..." Sohin trailed off as he shifted his eyes towards the
villagers discreetly. "Yes..."

	"Okay, if he comes over here and talks to me... don't counter
anything I say, even though it sounds outrageously stupid." Nabiki gave
him a long stare that brooked no argument. Her voice hardened, "I trust
even you can follow that order?"

	"I can follow reasonable requests, yes." Sohin answered.

	Nabiki resisted the urge to do him bodily harm. She wasn't the
violent type, but Ifuku's husband always angered her, in the three days
that they had traveled, she had almost hit him five times and started a
fight two times. His answers always seemed like he was mocking her.
"Just do as I--"

	"Lady Saotome, I didn't know you'd be in such a desolate place."
Kuno had not changed since the last time she saw him, he still needed a
translator for a commoner to understand half of what he was saying.
"Your beauty radiates in this blackness that seeps through your land."

	"Why thank you Lord Kuno," Nabiki said in a tone that clearly
meant she was anything but thanking him. "I appreciate your flattery,
but what brings you here so deep in Saotome territory. I hope you
weren't the one who set this fire?"

	"Lady Saotome! For you to insinuate that I have done such a
dastardly crime shows your fraught attempts to catch the arsonist have
been all for naught." He turned towards his samurai and dismissed them.
"I am here merely for the fact that a certain rumor has reached my ears,
and I am here to ascertain the veracity of such a claim."

	"Rumor tends to be false, Kuno." Nabiki said in a dry voice.
"But pray, do tell, what's this rumor that you want to know?"

	"Ah... my Lady Nabiki, Rumor is the voice of the people!" He
said triumphantly quoting something she had read through her studies. "I
am here to gather information on my love."

	Figures. It was the only thing Kuno would risk his life and limb
for. She envied Ranko in that sense; she had the undying love of a
man... however neurotic he may be. Still... there were a lot more
disadvantages to Kuno's advances than good. For one thing, he didn't
listen to reason. He still didn't believe in the curse and orders
prevented Ranma from saying anything to him. Having a half-crazed man
declaring his love for you every single day tended to give headaches,
especially since Ranko wasn't really a girl. "Ahh, Kuno, your *love*, I
don't think she's here at the moment."

	"Hmm... highly unfortunate, but I will await her arrival a few
more days." Kuno answered in his most irritating voice. Nabiki's nerves
were raw from listening to him, but she kept a half smile on her face.
"I'm to be betrothed you see and I wish to tell her things...."

	"Married? You're getting married?" Nabiki hid her surprise
quickly but the words were already said. If Ranma had not married
Kodachi, she would have been stuck with Kuno for the alliance. According
to Happosai though, it was more profitable if Ranma was the one who was
tied down.

	There had been a bet of sorts issued about their marriage. She
could not remember the specifics, but she knew it had something to do
abut her having a husband when Kuno found a wife. It had been done
shortly after her banishment at the Ikkaseis.

	"Will you wish me well on my finding a wife?" Kuno's voice was
mildly searching.

	"Congratulations, Lord Kuno." Nabiki answered trying to save her
face, hoping that Kuno didn't particularly remember anything about the
bet they had started on...

	"It may appear that I have won our little wager, Lady Saotome."
Kuno broke out into a smile. Nabiki almost let out a curse. "I do look
forward into seeing you dance for my wedding."

	'So *that's* my end of the bargain! I had completely forgotten!
But the fool Kuno...' Nabiki's half-smile almost cracked. "You haven't
won yet, Kuno. You see... I'm engaged too."

	"Engaged?" Kuno asked the surprise in his face was evident. He
didn't even bother to cover up for it. "I do not see a comb, nor have I
heard any news of your wedding."

	It was a nice time for him to break out of the haze that was his
mind, a fine time. Nabiki wished she could strangle him. "I haven't told
my brother yet. It isn't formal, but I hope it would be."

	"Impossible, I do not see it. The clause of my sister's marriage
includes the Kunos having all information about you, Lady Saotome."
Nabiki had momentarily forgotten about *that* piece, it looks like she
couldn't bluff her way unless she shows Kuno a husband. "My sister's
life is closely related to yours that the Kunos take pains in seeing to
what you do, exactly the way you do it."

	"I have hundreds of fianc�s, Lord Kuno," All of them gone after
she married. The Ikkaseis held to their end of the bargain. "Don't you
think that one of them would pursue me?"

	"Not after all the time that you spent away." It looked like
Kuno would get her to dance on his wedding night after all.

	"I am engaged to a perfectly good man who--"

	"Well... dear," It had been Sohin who interrupted her, Nabiki's
smile cracked another centimeter. This was not good at all. "I really
don't know why you should keep it a secret..." He pulled her braid,
coiled it around and put Ifuku's comb to hold it. "After all we *are*
going to be married."


	"This is *not* good!" Nabiki fumed as Sohin looked at her from
the rock he was sitting on, watching her wear down the riverbed. "You
*are* aware that my brother is coming here tomorrow, aren't you?"

	"Well, yes... but..." Sohin didn't seem to have anything to say.
Nabiki plucked the comb out of her hair and threw it at his feet. If she
had been married to him, it would have signified her want for a divorce.

	"You *are* aware that I spend most of the time with you trying
to kill you, right?" Nabiki asked. It was an exaggeration, but something
not far from the truth. "For us to *pretend* to be engaged is one thing,
that's a nice enough plan because I could say that it was omiai. But to
pretend with this bet on our heads? It means that I was the one who
chose you."

	Walking around in circles was not helping her get her temper
down. She *could* tell Kuno the truth about Sohin, but then, that would
make her even *more* embarrassed. She should have just consented to
dancing for Kuno and his wife. What had she been *thinking* when she set
the whole damned bet up? Dancing was not one of her strongest suites,
dancing with only a few pieces of garments...

	"You're welcome." Sohin answered as he picked the comb up from
the small rocks, flicking the soil that it had managed to acquire,
cleaning it gently. He handled the piece as though it were made from
glass.

	Nabiki stopped walking and turned to face him. "Did you *hear*
any thank you's in my statement, Sohin-san?"

	"No, but given enough time, you would've." Sohin shrugged as he
met her gaze. "I know pride runs strong among samurai, and it might have
taken a while, so I just acknowledged it."

	"Do you realize who *you* are? *What* you are?" Nabiki demanded,
her voice soft enough so that it would not carry over to the people, but
loud enough for him to hear the threat. "You are *married*. You are
married to the maid of my sister-in-law. Married to the sister of the
man that you had just lied to. *Married*."

	Sohin flicked the comb up in the air and caught it in his hands
several times before answering. "What irritates you more, Lady Nabiki?
The fact that I am married, or the fact of *what* I do for a living?"

	Nabiki steeled, if she had been close enough she would have
slapped him for the insult. She settled for another glare instead. "I do
not think of social *status* Sohin-san. I do not think that people are
born below me. If you ask your wife, you will realize that I treat her
as I would a samurai who works for me."

	He smiled at her then slowly said, "Then it must be because I'm
married."

	"Are you suggesting, Sohin-*san*, that I am attracted to you?"
Her eyes had narrowed down into dangerous slits. Nabiki was clearly more
than angry. Her hands were balled into a fist and her head tilted, eyes
promising hell if he answered wrongly.

	"*You* said that."

	Nabiki wanted to know where he got his subversive attitude.
Peasants rarely stood up against samurai. Hatamoto even. He had the gall
to rile her. She who was known for her wrath as well as her skill in
battle.

	"I asked a question, I did not state it as fact. You have not
answered it." Nabiki waved her hand. She didn't want it answered
anymore. "When I meet my brother we will have a *long* talk."

	Straightening herself up, Nabiki tried to wipe away the tension
that Sohin had managed to place there in the small amount of time that
he had claimed to be her fianc�. She put on a fake smile and opened her
palm, as if asking for something. "Now hand me that damned comb." He
tossed it at her, and she caught it with her outstretched hand. "And
Sohin?" She waited until he looked at her before she said in the
sweetest tone she could muster under the circumstance, "This constitutes
as STUPID in my book."


                                   ~~~


	The moment Kuno stepped onto his room at the inn; it was obvious
that he was not in a good mood, so the samurai shied away from him. He
nodded to them in a dismissive act then went straight to confine
himself. He was not left alone however, and his eyes rose to greet the
lone samurai that had stayed.

	He threw his two swords down the tatami and raised his eyebrows
at him, "Is there something you'd like to tell me? Something like Lady
Nabiki's *engagement* perhaps?"

	"Lady Saotome is engaged?" He seemed just as surprised as he was
when he heard of it. Spies at the Saotome territory were very few, most
of them on Nabiki, but Nabiki was a very elusive target. It was as if
she winked in and out of existence.

	Kuno glared at him. "I pay you to get my information for me, so
that I would not look like a fool in such cases, *not* to be equally
flabbergasted when I tell you something of significance."

	"I am sorry, Lord Kuno." He bowed, but Kuno sighed. There was no
way for them to have known anyway. Nabiki keeps her secrets close, after
all, when it came to it, Nabiki was also one of the best spies in the
Saotome Clan, no one could beat her in her own game. "Perhaps if you
offered her marriage, then? It would cancel the wager equally."

	"Are you daft? I told her I was marrying in the fortnight!"

	"If I may ask, just who *is* going to play the bride, Lord
Kuno?" The man asked, surprised again at the particular announcement,
but had better preparation for it than the first. "I have heard no
orders from your father..."

	"That's because she was supposed to be Lady Nabiki."

	The man was taken aback. It was obvious that the man was
infatuated with the Lady Saotome for him to keep close tabs on her
whereabouts. But Kuno had guarded his secret well by playing for the
pigtailed one. He didn't know why his lord kept it a secret, but he did.
"I didn't know you planned to ask her. Why didn't you just do it the
old-fashioned way?"

	"Because I knew no other way," He was irritated by the man's
questions, questions that he couldn't answer correctly. He had been
playing the game so much that he had forgotten how to break away from
it, because he knew if he chased Nabiki she would never come to him.
Just as she never accepted her multiple engagements. Just as she never
accepted her marriage. "Get me information on this Sohin character."


                                   ~~~



	Nabiki was not someone who was usually startled. She knew
everything one step before everyone else, but she had to be honest; the
fire had completely taken her by surprise.

	She had known that there might be an attack from their enemies,
and Nerima was something she had half-expected, but Yokohama was a
complete shock. It was too deep in Saotome property to be bothered by
*anybody* and it looked like an isolated village without any use at all.

	She cleaned the quill and placed it beside the small plate of
ink the villagers had kindly provided for her. Every report looked the
same, the samurai knew nothing. Ninja had attacked, they had set the
fire, they were out instantly. It had been a simultaneous event when
most of the villagers were already fast asleep. No one had been able to
spot the fire until it had been too late to save anything.

	Most of the samurai had been put to death by the ninja and the
few that were left had been alive only because it had not been their
time to watch. The crime was clean, and there was no evidence of the
ninja's presence except for the fact that samurai would have been
sloppier. Other than that pure assumption, there was no evidence at all.

	It matched everything that had happened before... but at a
larger scale. Their enemy was getting desperate... or careless. 'But
why? And to what end?' They were as close to this as it was a year ago,
and whatever her brother said, she could only think of one person...
'Yet, she seems to have no motives, and she seems to be secluded. Am I
wrong in thinking of Kodachi?'

	She thumbed the small paper she had placed Sohin's testimony on,
wondering what was the connection between the Tendos and the fires. She
could find nothing, except for the missing link. Akane Tendo. 'Where
will I find Akane Tendo?'

	The soft hiss of the shoji brought her back from reality, she
shuffled the papers together. "Sohin, what have I said about knocking?"
She asked in a stern voice, not bothering to look up.

	"Well *you* don't knock when you enter my room."

	Nabiki's face broke out into a smile as she recognized the voice
of her brother. She stood up immediately and went to greet him. "Ranma!
You're early."

	"You don't like it?" He teased lightly, dropping his backpack
carelessly on the floor looking around the room for something to eat. "I
hurried over. Nerima is a very efficient town. They hardly need me to
look over their backs."

	That was true. Their father had set up Nerima to be like that so
that they would have no trouble when they came to power. Nerima could
handle a few more assassination attempts and mercenaries. She pointed at
the papers on the working table the inn had managed to salvage. "It's
all there."

	They had long since agreed that they should take down notes so
that there would be a second look on the matter, whether if it was
Nabiki or Ranma who was gathering information. "Thanks, sis."

	He didn't look at the papers, but looked at her thoughtfully.
After a long pause he asked, "When did you get engaged, Nabiki?"

	It took a while for her to answer that one. "How did you hear
about that?"

	"You make a habit to wear a marital comb recently?" He asked
lightly, and Nabiki's hand shot up to her hair. She sighed as she pulled
it out then tossed it over to Ranma, her long brown locks falling.

	Catching the comb deftly, Ranma examined it, noting the dragon
whisker curled around the last two teeth of the comb. The dragon
whisker, as a rule, had no effect on women but made trouble for Nabiki
when she was a guy. She usually kept it close to her person, but usually
took it off when she had fair chances of not becoming a guy. "It's
beautifully made, Nabiki. Simple but worked hard upon."

	"Is that supposed to cheer me up?" Nabiki frowned then dismissed
it with a wave, remembering that he didn't know it was just an act.
"Never mind, <it was a ruse to get me out of that dancing bet from
Kuno.>"

	"Oh, *that* bet." Ranma resisted the urge to chuckle, having
been there when the bet was made between her and Kuno. "What's so bad
about dancing with a geta?"

	"Nothing." Nabiki dead-panned, crossing her arms in front of
her. "But then if it's the only thing you're wearing, it does tend to
give a draft." She had thought that Kuno had been joking when he
accepted the bet, She had miscalculated the extent he would go to
humiliate her.

	This time, Ranma hadn't managed to hold back his laugh. Nabiki
glared at him, and he managed to stop it before she could threaten
bodily harm. "So, who's the lucky guy?" He teased lightly.

	"Sohin." Nabiki looked at the ground trying to hide her
uneasiness, which bewildered Ranma. Nabiki was used to pretending --
maybe not complete lies, but she loved the game of half-truths.
Pretending to be engaged shouldn't have been much of a problem. She had
hundreds of fianc�s.

	"Small gift." He noted wryly, noticing the exact same thing
Nabiki had. It *was* a curious name. He moved towards her arranged her
hair in a simple ponytail with the dragon whisker and finished it off
with the marital comb. He waited expectantly bringing his hands on her
shoulders, "And?"

	"He's..." Nabiki's voice gradually dropped so much that even
though Ranma was just behind her, he could not clearly understand what
she had said.

	"Nabiki!" He said exasperated, then moved in front of her so
that he could look at her eyes. She quickly averted her gaze by scanning
the papers in front of her. "What's with your fianc� anyway? You don't
have to be ashamed or anything. I mean, I'd be surprised if it's someone
with a Jusenkyo curse, but by this time, surprises tend to run old."

	"Really," Nabiki asked sarcastically, looking up to him. She
scowled when she saw he was still holding a lopsided smile. "<Even if I
tell you I hooked up with Ifuku's husband?>"

	He was silent for a moment, then his forehead creased in
concentration in the most childish way. Nabiki couldn't stand it when he
tried to adopt *that* thinking pose. Taking a deep breath she steeled
herself. "Okay, you can laugh now." He obliged her with a loud raucous
laugh.

	Nabiki hit Ranma's head with the palm of her hand playfully. She
scowled again. "What's so funny?"

	Ranma stopped laughing and smiled at her. "I never really knew
Ifuku had a husband." Nabiki resisted the urge to face-fault at him.
Here she was having a crisis on her supposed fianc� all he could do is
look at it jokingly. "What's Kuno doing here anyway?"

	"He's looking for you." Nabiki shrugged as she sat again at the
small cushion calling for the maid to bring another one. When the
servant left, she looked at Ranma. "It's the usual."

	"What, he wants to kill me because I took his sister away, or
his small infatuation?" Ranma asked. Kuno never really went so deep into
Saotome territory. He wasn't stupid enough to make false moves in
neutral territory. Still the fact he was there without say so meant he
was desperate on finding the pigtailed girl. Infatuation was a sad
thing.

	"His small infatuation."

	Something clicked inside Ranma's brain. Something about the bet
Nabiki made with Kuno. "With him getting married? He's looking for Ranko
when he's getting married? What's that guy up to?"

	"I think he wants to say good-bye." Nabiki shrugged. It was
really hard to second-guess someone who's crazy. Sometimes, she thought
that Kuno was just as crazy as his sister, maybe even worse. "Or maybe
he wants to kidnap you."

	"Heh, I think it's more of the kidnapping than the goodbye." The
maid came in with the cushion, and Ranma sat down facing his sister,
opposite of the small table she had set-up. He rearranged the pieces of
papers across the table.

	"I'm inclined to agree." Nabiki muttered folding her hands in
front of her and resting her head on it, watching Ranma sift through the
papers. "He's always been such an idiot. Who knew he was the type who
wanted harems?"

	"Uh... that was kind of obvious when he refused to stop chasing
some other girl in the lower corners of Japan when he saw his pigtailed
goddess you know."

	Tatewaki Kuno had held Rose Brier along with his sister for the
sixteen years that had been assigned to him by his father. It was the
reason why there was an abundance of roses in the vicinity, though it
was not indigenous to the parts. Kodachi's love for black roses was
equal to her brother's obsession to the red ones.

	"Who knows what his motives are? I bet the idiot doesn't know
either." She shifted uncomfortably, not liking the topic of their
conversation. "I couldn't get rid of him and I needed your help."

	Ranma stopped looking at the papers and stared straight at
Nabiki. "Don't tell me he managed to beat you?"

	"Don't be silly." Nabiki answered tartly, "I couldn't manage to
kick him out of sight. He's my brother-in-law. It's one of those inane
clauses in your marriage with Kodachi. You should look at your marriage
contract more often. What other things should we look into before this
turns into Kuno-bashing day?"

	"We also have a problem with the large cat infestation in
Sagami." Ranma growled as he looked back the way he came. "It's getting
worse. Sagami isn't supposed to be a 'cat' place."

	They didn't get to answer as the shoji slid open again, Nabiki
didn't turn to look up, peering at the papers along with Ranma, even if
she was looking at it upside down. "We'll have lunch here, Shinko-san,
and please hurry with the cushion." Nabiki said, naming the maid who was
serving them.

	"Will you have soup with the regular course?"

	Nabiki and Ranma looked up from the papers they were looking
over, both of them standing up immediately at the unusual question. The
village being on fire left no choice on the food, Shinko would have just
brought what was available inside. "Ranma, Sohin, Sohin, Ranma. And
*why* are you still wearing your clothes?"

	Sohin patted the tattered cloth that he had worn since he had
caught up with Nabiki. He had no change of clothes so Nabiki had
provided for him from the spare hakama the samurai had offered her.
"This works for me."

	"When I said *change*, I meant change your clothes, not your
hairstyle." Nabiki said this in a controlled voice that instantly
signified she was extremely angry. His once almost shoulder length hair,
which could have been put in queue just as most of the samurai, was now
extremely short. She promised herself that after this experience she was
going to pound him to the ground.

	"With what? The people here are already having trouble with what
they have. They don't need to give things to me." It was a noble
thought, but one that would put their so called engagement on the rocks.

	"You don't seem to understand, Sohin-*san*." Nabiki said walking
towards him, driving her finger at his shirt. "You are supposedly my
iinazuke. Being that, people are giving us *wedding presents*. If you
don't wear them, people are going to take it as an insult."

	Ranma took interest in Sohin, it was rare that he saw someone
who could ignite such anger from Nabiki. She was rarely angry and not so
much so that she snapped, which made Sohin an interesting person to look
into.

	"But --"

	"No buts, you wear every single cloth they goddamn give you and
you better do it with a smile on your face." She turned her back at him
to see Ranma biting back another round of laughter. She glared at him,
then turned back to Sohin and glared back at him as well. "You started
this, Sohin-san, so you better live up to what Yokohama expects you to
be."

	When he left to change, Ranma finally let out a laugh, Nabiki
sent him another irritated look. "Stop laughing, you can't possibly find
everything amusing."

	It took him a moment to catch his breath and answer her.
"Nabiki, you shouldn't have been too hard on him. He was obviously
trying hard."

	"Easy for *you* to say." Nabiki pouted, and seemed almost like a
ten-year-old child having a tantrum when she went back to her seat.
"You're not the one engaged to him."

	"Are you sure being 'engaged' to Sohin is a bright idea,
Nabiki?" Ranma asked concerned, not only did they have a pseudo-wedding
to pseudo-plan for Kuno, but they also had to explain to Ifuku.

	"He's not a pervert if that's what you're getting at." Nabiki
muttered, and Ranma sat down again. "He's been the perfect gentleman the
whole trip."

	"I wasn't thinking about that." Ranma muttered deep in thought.
"You're required to stay close to Sohin the entire stay at Yokohama..."

	Nabiki frowned, not knowing where Ranma's thoughts were taking
him. Ranma looked at her suddenly. "Just make sure you don't fall in
love with him, Nabiki. If it's a game, it's a dangerous one you're
playing."

	Snorting, Nabiki laughed, leaning forward, her hands pressing on
the table. "Oh, so that's what you were worried about... Ranma, don't
concern yourself over me. I've had a lot of practice with Genma giving
me fianc�s as I recall and I've always managed to pretend in enemy
ranks. What makes this so different?"

	"I don't know. You might just be the one who gets hurt." Ranma
sighed, then imitated her pose. "Why don't you just tell Kuno that you
broke the engagement?"

	Nabiki's eyes flared. "You know the answer to that! You have
just as much pride as I do, Saotome Ranma, and this is one thing I'm not
going to loose. Sohin started this and I'm going to finish it. It's too
late to back out now. Kuno is going to laugh at me for the rest of my
life!" She leaned back, regretting that she had lost her temper, but it
was too late to take back the words.

	Nodding, Ranma piled all the papers up. When Nabiki sets her
mind to do something there was no turning back. It was a matter of
pride. Both of them knew that. They were similar in that aspect, and he
understood her perfectly. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

	"I know." Nabiki whispered as he picked up his backpack to go to
the adjoining room the maid had prepared for him, not intending him to
hear. "Why can't you see that's what I'm trying to do with you and
Kodachi too?"


                                   ~~~


	Ranma looked over the destruction that had wrecked Yokohama. The
samurai who were supposed to guard the night was changing shifts. The
few whose houses had been left untouched by the fire hosted those people
who had none. There were no signs that there would be trouble and yet
something disturbed him. It was a feeling that had started long ago.

	"Sometimes, Sagami isn't worth having," Ranma grumbled as he
turned around to face Sohin, who had been staring out at the destruction
as well. Ranma had been surprised to find him there, and this was the
first time they had ever really *met*.

	Sohin turned to him slowly. "A lot of people would willingly
take it out of your hands."

	Ranma nodded. There was something different about Ifuku's
husband. It was a feeling that he didn't know if he could trust. "Sagami
is not mine to give," Few of those who keep their fiefs think like him.

	"Then who can give it if not the ones who control it?" There was
an education behind his words, something rare in a peasant. There was
wisdom behind his thoughts, something rare in a man.

	Smiling Ranma answered. "No one can give her away. We inherited
Sagami to protect her. By giving her, we turn our back to a duty that we
were born into, and when we loose her grasp, we hope that she clings to
someone who can hold her."

	Pausing for a moment to digest his words, Sohin moved his head
to look at Ranma with more respect. "You speak as if the land lives."

	"Do I?" Ranma shook his head, not really wanting to talk about
what had been ingrained into both he and Nabiki when they were children.
He tried to change the subject. "Thanks for saving Nabiki like that.
When she's angry, she speaks before she could think. It's something we
both have in common."

	He was surprised at Ranma's words. No samurai has ever thanked a
peasant for doing what was supposed to be done. He could see why Ifuku
liked working for them. He could see why she didn't want to break away.
"You're welcome." He paused for a moment, uncertain whether the samurai
would take is question the wrong way, but asked it anyway, "Are you
close? Your sister and you?"

	"She's my twin." Ranma stated it as if it answered everything.
"We grew up together. When we were young Lord Happosai took a woman from
the village, she looked into our destiny. She said we would die
together."

	"She is a peculiar person..." Sohin trailed off as he looked at
the inn where they were staying. It had two floors one below for eating
and the upper for the rooms of the guests. It was on a cliff that
overlooked most of Yokohama.

	Ranma watched him. "Nabiki is very... I don't know...
different."

	"She is that..." He turned back to face him again.

	Ranma would have said something more when he heard his sister's
scream, his head snapped to her direction. "Nabiki..." He ran towards
the inn and jumped up towards his floor, his ears registering the sound
Sohin was making across the field. He was running as well.

	Ranma landed lightly on the roof and opened the window to their
room. Stepping inside, he was by her side in an instant. Nabiki had sat
up straight and was clutching the small blanket that had protected her.
"Nabiki, what's wrong?"

	"I stopped having my nightmare a long time ago, Ranma," She took
a deep breath as she leaned her head against his shoulder, giving her
some of the comfort she had sought. "I don't know why he's come back to
haunt me."

	"It was different, this time it was my husband..." Nabiki looked
at Ranma through the little moonlight that filtered through the shoji.
"I've been having it since I arrived here."

	Ranma took out the small comb that she had carelessly worn in
her sleep. Her hair was damp with sweat and she was still breathing
hard. Taking her hand he handed her the small comb. "You're tired. Maybe
it's because of all of *this*."

	"No, not all of this..." Nabiki sighed, not knowing what
troubled her, and yet not wanting to talk about it. She was far more
comfortable about someone else's problems. Just as long as they weren't
her own. Having calmed down visibly, she sighed as she looked at him.
"Tell me, what troubles your thoughts that you have not slept yet."

	"Who's supposed to be comforting who here?" Ranma asked with his
trademark smirk, but she gave him a serious gaze that meant she wasn't
giving up. "Akane, mother, you... everything."

	"Akane..." She frowned as she repeated the name then tightened
her fist around the comb. "It's the second time I've heard you call her
that. I can't believe you've fallen in love with her."

	Because he has never been comfortable around love, it was very
difficult for Ranma to admit to such emotion. Nabiki reached out her
hand to touch his face, and she stared into his troubled eyes. "Yes, I
think you do love her."

	"Why ask? It seems like you've already made up your mind on the
answer." He frowned at her as she stared at him, and he knew instantly
that he couldn't back out of this one. "You've always poked your nose
where it didn't belong."

	"A trait you find valuable." She put her hand down from his face
and embraced him. "It's because you'd have never admitted it to me. I've
feared for this day."

	"That I'd find someone to love?" It seemed harsh to anyone's
ears but Nabiki didn't mind, knowing that Ranma only meant to clear it.
Yet, through that answer she learned that she had been right.

	"That you'd love someone who's incapable of returning it. I've
been obsessing too much with your love life haven't I?" She had known
for a long time that Kodachi was not someone that could easily be
dismissed. Now that she had her brother's heart, she hoped she would
never be able to command it. She pushed herself away. "Thank you for
coming to me."

	"I always do." He hesitated a bit before speaking again, "You
should sleep."

	She shook her head, not wanting to return to the world that she
didn't understand, to the dreams that she couldn't decipher. Not
understanding frightened her. "I don't want to sleep yet, for there is
no solace in sleeping for people like me. I take your time, Ranma,
sleep, for there is work to be done tomorrow."

	He didn't sleep until she had finally surrendered to the
weariness that the day had brought upon her.


	Sohin leaned back from the shoji, having been assured that there
were no assassins, kidnappers or imminent danger; he had resigned
himself to go to his room to sleep.

	'I can't afford to fall in love...' Sohin thought as he
retreated to his quarters, 'And especially not to Saotome Nabiki.'


                                   ~~~


	The next morning found Ranma and Nabiki hard at work rebuilding
Yokohama, not minding the mud that caked their Chinese slippers, the
sweat that stuck to their hair and the charcoal that smeared their
faces.

	Downtown Yokohama occupies a triangular plain bordered by narrow
streams on two sides and by the bay on the other side. It was probably
the reason why the fire hadn't spread on that part; the problem lay on
the more residential areas among the hills where water was hard to flow.

	True, Yokohama was little more than seashore with sparsely
spaced houses, but there must have been a reason for the arsonist to
burn the place, just as there had to be a reason for the arsonist to
burn Nerima.

	Since the city was far from civilization, the task of rebuilding
took longer than necessary. The wood needed to rebuild was taken from
afar, but they were starting to have progress. Workers from the
adjoining cities had already started to come and help rebuild Yokohama.
Everyone was busy, and you could see everyone working on the street, at
the fields, by the river. There was no place that wasn't occupied by
people who were bent on renewing the city.

	Nabiki could see a stonecutter in the distance working on the
immaculate white stones found in the river bank for the steps of the
house. There were sawyers using bamboo-handled saws to separate planks
from the bigger blocks of wood. Some women dipped a string in ink and
touched it to the boards that the men were sawing so that the wood was
cut straight.

	There were even braziers that had been scavenged on the houses,
some samurai carried new ones by a bamboo pole slung across their
shoulders with the braziers attached with rope on either edges. By the
river, a few men had started making the big buckets that were needed as
silos for the rice and other materials, some of the finished ones were
sent to the ladies who were washing the men's clothes and dying the
cloth. There were even women starching newly bought cloth over to make
as kimonos or shoji.

	A few of the younger girls were holding a rice basket for
winnowing; some of the older girls were cooking. Most of the boys were
out in the field trying to harvest what was left while the others
planted what they could; a few of them had gone out on the river to
fish.

	Nabiki had taken it upon herself to check up on the supplies,
managing who would do what, and that all were fed properly and were
rested. She had a haori, a shawl specially designed to hold a baby on
the back, which was holding an already soot-faced baby for one of the
ladies.

	Ranma was currently trying to help the men build the foundations
of the houses. Nabiki nodded, everything was coming out slowly, but it
was to be expected. She turned towards the women to check on their
progress. All of them had been divided into groups, washing, dying,
starching and sewing some of the cloth that would stretch over the
frames to make the walls.

	They smiled at her as she squatted beside two ladies who were
sitting around a large wooden pail, to help them wash the dirt stained
cloth that they had salvaged from the fire. The women made some space
for her but protested at her presence.

	"You should be dying the pastels on the cloth, my lady," One of
the women said shyly as she plunged the cloth into the already gray
colored waters of the vat. "Not with the dirtied linen." They thought
anything dirty was something that was reserved for peasantry, they
didn't know how much dirtier it was with the nobles. Nabiki wanted to
curse the caste system, but kept her thoughts to herself.

	"Nonsense." Nabiki said plunging her hands into the cold water,
scrubbing the cloth right along with them. It was harder to scrub than
to sew or dye. "You need help more than those women do."

	"But you're to be married!" The other one protested, not really
trying to keep her away from the task, but putting up enough fight so as
not to insult Nabiki. Not that Nabiki saw any logic why being engaged
should prevent her from household chores. If that was the way she
thought, she'd have starved when she was sixteen with Genma and Ranma.

	Still, she had almost forgotten about that. She almost sighed,
and the child she carried on her back began to cry. She had almost
forgotten what it was to have a child crying. She took the straps off
her back, wiping her hands on her pant legs and smiled at the
one-year-old toddler gathering him in her arms, "Come now. Don't cry on
me."

	The two women watched what she did in silence. Somehow, Nabiki
knew that what she did here would be important to how these women would
see her. Yokohama was a faraway town, and though most of these women
knew her by name, they didn't know *who* she really was. "Hush now," She
began to rock the child lightly back and forth. "We don't have much
food, so we have to sacrifice a bit."

	"Here," Nabiki looked up to find Kuno standing over her. She
stood up immediately, knocking the basket over, holding the boy close to
her chest. "The child can have all of my provisions."

	Nabiki looked at his offered hand. A small bowl of rice and a
few pieces of fish that she had not noticed earlier was on it. Nabiki
started, "You won't get any food from the village Lord Kuno, there's
nothing much in the village. We're drinking watered soup to fill our
stomachs."

	"All the more reason to accept my most gracious offer." Kuno
answered, Nabiki shifted the toddler so one of her hands was free and
took the bowl from his hands. He had been probably out to eat.

	"Thank you," Nabiki would have bowed if she could, but with her
charge she could only let out a small forced smile. She didn't like
concern from a person she was duping.

	"Shall I feed the child, my lady?" One of the ladies offered,
wiping her hands at a nearby rag that was kept close to the dirtied
linens. "My lord might want to speak with you."

	Nabiki didn't have time to decline as the baby was taken out of
her arms and the bowl quickly taken from her to feed the child. Seeing
that the woman had everything under control, Nabiki turned back to her
gracious benefactor. "How unlike you, Lord Kuno, giving up something
that you needed for a child you do not know."

	Kuno opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it,
nodded and turned away. Somehow, Nabiki felt guilty about *that*
particular jibe. She took hold of his shoulder. "Don't tell me you're
hurt."

	"Shouldn't one be when an obvious insult has been laid in front
of him?" Kuno asked then turned to go again. Nabiki had always thought
of Kuno as no more than an idiot savant, but she had to admit, she had
overstepped her boundaries.

	He had walked a good distance when she tried to catch up with
him. "Hey, I didn't mean it to come out *quite* as it did." There was a
hint of apology in her voice, and Kuno knew she wouldn't give him more.

	There was a significant pause while they walked towards the inn
where Kuno was currently staying. In an attempt to keep talking with
her, Kuno asked, "How has my sister been?" There was obvious concern in
his voice. Kuno protected his own, even if they were deranged little
maniacs like his sister. "I hope she has been well."

	"She's recovering," Nabiki answered, then quipped, "I think
sickness rests well with Kodachi. She's been livable these past few
months."

	That got his attention. He stopped walking and turned to her.
Nabiki almost crashed against him at his abrupt halt. "Define livable,
Lady Saotome."

	She looked at him, bewildered at his question, but it seemed
like he valued the answer she was going to give so she humored him.
"Livable, she's being *nice*. She's never been nice before."

	The transformation from deep concentration to profound amazement
rippled across Kuno's face slowly, beginning with his eyes down to his
mouth. He stared at her not believing the news she brought. "I can not
believe she listened to me."

	A growing suspicion nagging her mind, and a pain spreading from
her heart began to engulf Nabiki when she heard the words. She was
filled with dread over what he was going to tell her. "Listened to you?"
she repeated.

	"I told her I'd make her commit seppuku if she continued
mistreating your family." The admission shattered everything. Every
possibility for a future.  They had been partly right, Kodachi had been
pretending, but whereas before Nabiki knew no motive, now it was clear
as glass. Kodachi did it so she could continue living. If Nabiki felt so
betrayed...

	She had not realized that she would be this upset over Kodachi's
betrayal. No... she wasn't upset too much about the betrayal, she had
expected that. She was more troubled by the repercussions. She closed
her eyes and thought about her brother. 'Imagine how Ranma would feel.'

	She shook her head involuntarily trying to deny it, more because
she wanted her brother to find love rather than trust in Kodachi. Kuno
was starting to look at her oddly, so Nabiki tried to clear things up a
little. "You *threatened* her to be nice?"

	"I would not say threaten, Lady Saotome--"

	She closed her eyes at the explanation, not wanting to hear the
highfaluting words that he was spouting, and the long roundabout way he
had of talking to people. She shut everything out and breathed hard. At
least Ranma doesn't know about it yet. "Every emotion charged towards us
was *staged*?"

	He paused in his explanation, then frowned. "Why would that be
so? Should emotion be staged when you are merely trying to be civil?" He
did not understand anything, did he?

	"*Civil* if you're Kodachi Kuno, I'd be expecting damned
civility." Nabiki shouted. "That wasn't civility that she had shown, it
was outright niceness."

	By now, Kuno was extremely puzzled at what Nabiki was telling
him. "Then why be so angry?"

	"Because everything was a *game*!" Nabiki answered furiously,
Kodachi had played with everybody's damned emotions. There was nothing
real behind the smile, the loving words that she was trying to coax. She
was willing to change her life so that she would live. "Don't you
understand?"

	When she looked at him, she knew he didn't. "Don't tell anybody.
*Anybody* that we talked about this." She turned around to find Ranma, a
frozen smile across his face, carrying a small folded kimono across his
arms. She froze when she saw him. "Ranma."

	"Lord Kuno, Nabiki." He acknowledged them both with a nod, the
smile now more of a grimace. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to congratulate
you on your marriage, Kuno. Nabiki, I brought one of your wedding
gifts."

	He thrust the kimono into her hands and nodded to Kuno again,
then turned to walk away. Nabiki stared at the kimono her brother had
given her, a light blue one embroidered with clouds. "Oh, Ranma."



------------------------------------------------------------

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?)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes:

These are the questions posted in 11a if you answered them
Then you don't need to answer them again.

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/

I'm already working on how to end this although gaah,
there's a big chapter coming up with some fight scenes
in it and that's giving me a head ahce, mainly because
I don't do martial arts. (Actually I don't do sports)
And gaah, I'm having a hard time describing it.

Anyway, here's hoping I can make THAT work out.


See 'ya
~~ iCe ~~

��������||-----------^_^-----------||

ICQ: 51376120 -- Although I doubt if you'll reach me there.
��������Try Yahoo Messenger instead.

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.

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


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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