Happy New Year!! :)

You know the first part I sent before? Well this is heavily revised, 
especially with Ranma's attitude towards the entire ordeal.

I'm sending the complete thing instead of by parts since I already sent out 
the first part before and sending it again kind of constitutes as a 
repost...

previous parts could be found at::

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

I extremely, extremely dislike the pop ups that's on the site, so I'm 
putting up a link that leads to a popup killer.

iCe

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: Rend12.txt

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

And to the person reading this.

Some implied adult themes.

Little note before you start anything:

Ranma, Ranko and Nabiki... Nabiki in her cursed form will be
referred to as Nabiki-kun in scenes that show the perspective
of people who know about the Jusenkyo curse. (Ranma-chan in
Ranma's case). When this is shown in Akane's point-of view,
Ranma will be called Ranko and Nabiki will be called Ranma.
I hope this doesn't cause confusion.

I also switch from gender to gender in the middle. (Arghh sorry,
sometimes Ranma gets referred to as he when in cursed form and
Nabiki gets referred to as she in cursed form.)

Are women Saints?
No Saints, and yet no Devils,
Such Needful Evils,
That few can be without.
		~~ Wit's Recreation
		 John Ashmore

				~ Chapter 12 ~

_... I didn't know what happened. I didn't know what I was
					going to do..._



   The moment Ranma had heard the assessment of Kodachi's
actions out of Nabiki's lips, he felt the sinking feeling he
was accustomed to whenever he had learned about one of
Kodachi's little 'errands'.

   Had he wanted to believe her so much that he had been
blinded to *everything*, even to a very sordid history he
had with her deceiving them every step of the way.

   Kodachi never did have the qualms to pretend as long as
it was for her own benefit.

   But she had put up with Nabiki's ridiculous idea of
Martial Arts in Good Graces.

   Kodachi was a consummate actor.

   She had been willing to teach Hanae and was determined to
prove she was worthy.

   She had also threatened to kill Hanae countless of times
before.

   Ranma raked his hand through his disheveled hair jumping
from one tree to the other. Had they been all played for
fools? "Who do I believe, Kodachi who I've lived with most
of my life or Akane who I've only seen for the past year?"

   He remembered what Nabiki had told him the day before he
left for Rose Brier.


                     ||-------------------------||


   Nabiki disturbed his thoughts by opening the shoji and
bringing him a cup with warm tea. She knelt down beside his
futon as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I
thought you'd be awake."

   He rested his head against his knee as he watched her
pour the green tea into one cup then offered it to him. It
was unusual that she'd come into his room in the evening,
but her presence was comforting. "And which do you believe
Nabiki, Kodachi or Akane?"

   Nabiki stopped at the cup that Ranma had taken and
frowned deeply. "You're asking the wrong question Ranma.
It's not a choice between Kodachi nor Akane. There is no
choice, there is only one: your wife."

   He had run through the finishing touches to Yokohama
blindly, the two extended weeks passed through dully, and
Yokohama was finished. Nabiki was worrying about her
so-called wedding with Sohin and Kuno postponing his wedding
for hers. Which was quite odd, especially since there was a
bet looming on their heads. Nabiki dismissed it as 'being
Kuno' but Ranma doubted it.

   Still, there were other things on his mind, and Nabiki's
farce was the least of them.

   Nabiki shifted uncomfortably looking at Ranma. She had
not wanted to tell him about her suspicions because she had
been afraid of his reaction. "I asked Cologne to bring the
children to Nerima. I do not think it's still safe for them
to remain there without us."

   Ranma frowned but nodded. He did not want the children
under the same roof with Kodachi, nor did he want them
around when he did deal with her. "If you were in my place,
what would you do with her?"

   Nabiki took a deep breath weighing Ranma's question
carefully. On one hand she had never actually believed that
Kodachi was telling them the truth, on the other she had not
wanted the truth she presented to be a lie. "Lock her up
*somewhere*, but I have overly suggested that to you,
Ranma."

   The words Nabiki spoke did not reassure him. The
consequences of Kodachi's death were rather large. "Do you
really think that this merits her seclusion? Playing us for
fools has always been her game. This is just milder than
whatever she had done before."

   "Yes, this is mild compared to the others." Nabiki said
softly, she had her own share of Kodachi's stories, and most
of them were not pleasant. "But do you not think this should
be the last? I worry to the extent she would go, there are
questions that are left to be answered, why the
determination to teach Hanae, why remain in Rose Brier?"

   "You really think that this is a lie then?" Ranma asked,
as though asking the question over and over again would
convince him otherwise, or would get a different reaction
from his sister.

   "Even as the border troubles commenced, I was suspicious
of her presence in the house wondering if the border attacks
were because she was there." Nabiki had been distrustful of
Kodachi before, and she had mentioned that Kodachi might be
the source of their troubles. He had wanted to be sure. "I
was not willing to tell you anything before I had tangible
proof for fear that I might be wrong, but this has forced my
hand. Every time the trouble brewed around the borders
Kodachi was home, maybe not recently but this seems like the
calm before the storm."

   "And the fire in both Yokohama and Nerima?" Ranma asked
Nabiki quietly. "Is that my wife's doing as well?"

   "Only a Saotome would know when all the samurai would be
pulled out from the towns for Happosai's little gathering."
Nabiki reminded him. "And we have forces to keep people from
going in our cities, and little for restraining those from
within. I feel strongly that the border troubles were a
diversion for the fires. You have given me the mission of
finding out what troubles the borders. I am almost at the
end of my task..."

   Ranma looked at his sister, her unfinished sentence
troubled as much as her conclusions have. "You wonder if I'm
up to *my* task."

   "No, Ranma, I didn't mean it that way." Nabiki said
harshly. "I would never question your abilities. I do not
want to deal her a fate she does not deserve."

   "And if we make a mistake?" Ranma asked slowly, knowing
that he had to leave some room for error.

   Nabiki knew the question would come. She had asked it of
herself as well, but she had to have the interests of Sagami
first. "We're not allowed to make mistakes."

   Ranma knew that action was needed from him. But why now?
Why now after more than nine years of living with Kodachi
and turning a blind eye to all her misdeeds. Was this
pretense enough to merit certain action? "Excuse me, Nabiki,
but I'd rather keep to myself tonight."

   Nodding, Nabiki cleaned up the tea set she had brought.
"Good night, Ranma." She said before leaving him to his
thoughts.


   Ranma had not slept all that much in the evening, the
thoughts of what to do about his wife plaguing him. In the
end, there was only one decision to be made and that had
been to go home.

   Nabiki leaned at the door watching Ranma pack all of his
things with mild interest, she had never seen him in a hurry
to go home, *ever*. Apparently, there really are such things
as firsts. "You can't leave here and because of that, I'm
the one going home to deal with this situation."

   Nabiki winced at the way he said the words. She had never
seen Ranma as livid as he had been at the moment, he had
been almost emotionless the night before. She was truly
scared at the show of anger, not for herself, but for the
person who was at the receiving end. Ranma's anger had been
slow in coming, but she was hardly happy with it manifesting
now. She wanted Kodachi dealt with, but not with Ranma
overly emotional. "I don't think it's wise to confront
Kodachi now, Ranma. You're angry at her."

   "There's no other perfect time to deal with her, other
than *when* I'm angry at her." Ranma ground out, he picked
up his bag and began to walk out his pace beginning to speed
up. "She has been the perfect little wife, hasn't she? I'm
hurt. It had taken an explicit order against her life for
her to pretend to be nice."

   Nabiki had to run to keep up with her brother's larger
stride. "Ranma, please be reasonable. Let's go to mother
first. Just to cool off your head. You might do something
you'll regret. Come to mother's house and we'll work up
something for Kodachi." Nabiki argued, pulling on Ranma's
sleeve. He brushed her hand away rather violently. He
stopped walking and turned to her.

   "I'm an idiot. A goddamned idiot. You can tell me now."

   "What?" Although it wasn't something to be happy about,
Nabiki resisted the urge to smile. There was something
extremely boyish in the way he said that.

   "You're itching to tell me that you told me so." He
accused crossing his arms in front of his chest and then
tapping his foot against the soft earth, impatiently waiting
for what he knew was inevitable.

   "I'd rather not rub salt to your injury." Nabiki smiled a
bit then sighed as Ranma deepened his frown. "Oh, all right.
I can't believe I'm letting you go." It had never been her
choice. He would go even if she didn't want him to. "Promise
me you won't do anything irrational."

   He gave her an indignant look. "When have I been
irrational?"

   "All the time." Nabiki deadpanned. She then held his arm,
preventing him from moving away from her. "Come on, I won't
let you go without your promise." There was a hesitant pause
before he gave her his word. "I'll rejoin you in Rose Brier
soon. Before the children need to swear in."

   The townspeople had already gathered amidst the
semi-revived town, wanting to bid goodbye to their lord. He
gave out a forced smile and thanked the gods that Kuno was
not out. He did not know what he would have done if he had
been.

   "Oh... and Nabiki? I'm giving you the rest of the week to
stay at Yokohama. You really don't need to come with me."
Nabiki's jaw dropped open as she started to protest, she
couldn't be left alone in Yokohama with Sohin and Kuno and
the bet looming over their heads with -- "You have a wedding
to plan."

   She was stunned, good, that would give him time to leave.
Nabiki snagged his sleeve, a fake smile plastered across her
face as she whispered, "I can't believe you're doing this,
Ranma! Damn you."

   "You don't want it?" He knew she wouldn't turn the offer
down because the people would wonder why she would pass such
a gift from her brother. Time was something rarely given and
the people -- especially Kuno -- would ask why she had
refused the offer.

   She bowed. "My lord is gracious." She then leaned closer,
and to the people who were watching, it seemed like she was
giving him an affectionate hug. She leaned towards his ear
and whispered, "I'll get you for this, Ranma."

   He gave her a smile and when she stepped back and looked
up to him, his smile widened. "I know."


                     ||-------------------------||


   No one will be home when he confronts Akane -- Kodachi.
He wondered if it was wise but dismissed the idea as soon as
it had entered his thoughts. He had to go home sometime, and
the best time to deal with Kodachi was when she didn't know
what to expect.

   He landed gracefully in front of the Rose Brier.  As he
entered through the arches, one of the samurai bowed to him
and offered to carry his pack for him.  He continued towards
the house, giving no indication that he either saw or heard
him.

   Akane was out in a second. At first a smile lit her face,
but as she drew closer and slowed into a halt, it turned
into a frown. "Ranko, where have you been? I've been looking
for you. Hanae and Sei were called to Nerima and..."

   Whatever she said barely registered in Ranma's brain as
he noticed that he was indeed female. He had not even been
aware when or how he had managed to become wet, but he -- or
rather she was.

   "Well? Have you been listening?" A flash of worry showed
through Akane's face as she walked towards Ranma-chan
slightly tilting her head. "Ifuku said that you were with
Nabiki and Ranma. Aren't they coming home?"

   'Tell me it isn't true.' He had wanted to say that the
moment he heard the words out of her mouth, yet the pain
that had numbed his heart when he heard Nabiki's assessment
still weighed heavily against him. "Don't you dare pretend
with me, Kodachi." Inside he winced at the steel he heard in
his own voice. "You know who I am. I talked to your brother.
I'm sure you'll understand what he's told us."

   Technically, that wasn't true either. But they weren't
basing it on the technicality here, were they? He didn't
talk to Kodachi's brother, and she might have not known what
Tatewaki would tell... but then, he wasn't thinking straight
either.

   "What am I supposed to understand..." Akane asked,
bewildered at the sudden hostility that the girl had shown.
She shook her head and brought her hand up to touch
Ranma-chan's shoulder. Ranma-chan glared at her then walked
past Akane. Akane put her hand down. "I thought..."

   Ranma-chan stopped moving towards the house, Akane's
words of denial, the final straw. She whirled around to face
Kodachi, looked up to her, took her hand and pulled her
towards the house. "Come with me."

   "But..." It was the only thing Akane could get past her
lips as she was dragged towards the house by Ranma-chan's
strong hands. She only noticed that they were in the kitchen
when they stopped. "What are we doing here, Ranko?"

   "Putting an end to the 'Ranko' business." Ranma-chan
answered as she turned to the servants that cluttered the
kitchen, the sounds of talk immediately stopped as they
bowed low and waited for someone to relieve them. "I'd like
you all to retreat to your quarters for the day. I'll send
Ifuku when you can return."

   There was no protest as the ten or so servants that
cluttered the room left. Everything that they had been doing
left at the small tables. "Why do that Ranko? And why here?"

   "Because this isn't something that concerns them."
Ranma-chan took a kettle of hot water from the brazier that
the maids had all surrounded earlier. "I'm doing this only
once. Don't you want to guess what will happen next?"

   Akane bit her lip hesitantly. She was nervous. It was not
a good sign for her innocence regarding the matter. 'Good,
let the strain get to her nerves for once.' Ranma-chan
thought as she swung the kettle lightly on her fingertips.
She really didn't need to do this, but she wanted to make
her admit everything to stop the pretense. 'At least give me
that much.'

   "Make tea?" Akane offered up helplessly, and Ranma-chan
was once again reminded of how good an actress his wife
really was. She looked clearly dumbfounded.

   "Funny. I never knew you had a sense of humor." But
Ranma-chan didn't want the confrontation to last more than
it should, and so, she unceremoniously dumped the remains of
the kettle on her head. The change came over him, muscles
expanding, height growing, breasts diminishing, until his
body reached its full proportions.

   Akane took this all in with wide eyes. She dazedly went
forward and raised her hand to touch his chest. It angered
him more that she was still willing to wear the fa�ade of
innocence. When she had satisfied herself that there were
*no* breasts, she looked up to him.

   There was hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and Ranma
wondered again if he was somehow making a mistake, that she
*had* been telling the truth and he's over-reacting. "How
*could* you?" She slapped him hard on the face and ran out
of the kitchen. Ranma just looked at the door where she had
exited, then raised his hand to his cheek.

   He mentally shook his head. No, he didn't want to believe
another lie. He believed in Nabiki's capability to assess
people's motives, and she had said that Kodachi had played
them. Kodachi had always been the perfect actress, fit for
any role, hurt and betrayal did not suit her, but she used
them well.

   "Ifuku!" He called out. It took three calls for the maid
to hear him, as she scurried towards the kitchen and bowed
low. "Go get Yuka and the rest of the staff at their
quarters. Tell them I won't be eating for the night. I'll be
at the dojo and I do *not* want to be disturbed."

   "Yes, Lord Saotome." Ifuku rose from her bow and scurried
to perform the orders.

   Ranma watched her go then turned towards the dojo, his
resolve against his wife strengthened. Opening the large
double doors, he sighed. Without the children, the dojo was
pretty much useless to him. But since he didn't want to be
seen, the dojo was the next best option the other was
camping outdoors on a training trip. He had enough of
camping from Yokohama, thank you very much.

   He took a deep breath, didn't bother with stretching his
muscles and started to do a long complex kata that he hadn't
performed since the last time he was this angry.

   As he moved along the hard and forceful blows, he
wondered if peace was ever going to come to Rose Brier.


   "You mean you *knew* of this all along?" Akane asked,
incredulously at her maid, furious at the sudden surprise
that her husband had landed at her. "You *knew* Ranko was
Ranma?"

   In a way, it made sense, the way Ranko wore the same
things Ranma did, or the peculiar room arrangements... and
why Ranko looked so much like he did. But it was all the
more unclear because she *has* seen the two of them
together. Everything didn't make sense. But then, ever since
she had landed in the past when did *anything* make sense?

   "Yes, Lady Saotome, I am one of the very few privileged
to know about Jusenkyo." Ifuku was taking all of it in
stride. The fact that her *maid* knew more than she did
irked her all the more. She was made out for a fool and
Ranma was getting away with it. Ifuku continued gently, "I
would suggest not taking up Lord Saotome on the battlefield
right now. He is most assuredly angry at you, my lady."

   "Angry? What the hell is he supposed to be angry about?"
Akane fumed, and in all truths, Ifuku could not see any
reason why Ranma should be angry at Akane either. There was
no point in all of this when they had been so much in love
when he left.

   Something had happened and it had changed Ranma's outlook
on his wife. "We are never given the easiest road in life,
my lady. Maybe Lord Ranma has chanced upon one of her
ladyship's past 'misdeeds'?"

   What Ifuku meant by misdeeds, Akane would never know.
Kodachi did too many 'misdeeds' for her to pinpoint on one
particular thing. Everything that Kodachi could have done in
the past would have been erased by her claim of amnesia. It
just didn't make sense that Ranma could completely turn
around his perception of her.

   Akane wished she could go home. Home was when her life
was dull, but relatively safe. 'I wish I was never sent
here. I wish I've never had this fight with Ranma.' But then
that's the problem with Ranma... he always sets Akane's
temper. It was like the reason he stepped in the house was
solely to flare her temper up.

   With the way Ifuku was hovering over her, she knew the
woman was trying to think of someway to make her feel
better, but there was nothing she could do. In the end,
Akane wanted more to be alone than to be comforted,
especially since the only comfort she could accept was
Ranma's. "Please leave me."

   A flash of uncertainty went past Ifuku's eyes, as she
thought of whether she should obey and leave or take into
consideration what Akane needed and stay. Eventually,
compliance won, so she bowed and silently left the room.
Whatever argument Ranma and Akane had, it was up to them to
solve it.

   This had to happen when everything was going well...
'Karma,' Ifuku thought, 'The Gods of Fate have always been
playfully sadistic...'


~~~


   Nabiki did *not* like it when her own brother tricked
her. Not one bit. Not at all. She threw her hands up in
frustration as half of the inn room was piled up with gifts
for her supposed wedding.

   She had already received things ranging from a nice fan
to the more provocative _Pillow Book_ and the 'toys' that
came with it. She was going to strangle Ranma. But before
she strangled Ranma... she was going to kill that good for
nothing bastard... "Where *is* he?"

   "Looking for your future husband, Lady Nabiki?" Nabiki
spun around to find Kuno leaning against the door, with that
weird little smile of his. She put a mental note to herself
that she should strangle him as well.

   She glared at him, and he ignored her as he continued to
walk by the clutter of her room, raising an eyebrow at the
articles here and there. Ever since Ranma had left her, she
had become more irritable, raised her voice to Kuno and
Sohin constantly and generally became bossier. "Are you
being pesky Lord Kuno? Do you really wish an answer to that
particularly *stupid* question of yours?" This wasn't good,
she wasn't supposed to be *provoking* Kuno.

   "He is outside." He answered nonchalantly, as if it was
the most obvious answer in the world and Nabiki had failed
to see it. Nabiki's temper rose a notch higher. Not only was
Kuno the reason why she was stuck here in the first place,
he was also the reason why Ranma was not here stuck with
her.

   "Bravo. How may I ask did you come with that conclusion?"
Nabiki asked in feigned awe, something that she had mastered
since childhood. She glared at him and then waved her hand
at the room. "Maybe because he's not *in* the room?" She
drew out the last words with a level tone.

   "Oh... not really. I merely saw him stroll out." Nabiki's
mouth opened to retort then she shut it again. What was the
use when you were talking to an idiotic blockhead like Kuno
Tatewaki in the first place?

   She took out a big sack and started packing some of the
small items that had been given to her which she could take
to Rose Brier for her 'marriage' while the rest she would
ask the owner of the inn to store for the moment. She didn't
care that Ranma gave her a week off, she didn't care that
she was going to dance with only a geta on Kuno's wedding
night. She was sick and tired of Yokohama. Not Yokohama,
particularly, for she enjoyed running her shared han with
Ranma, but of the people surrounding her. She should be
spending a quiet time at home getting irritated by Kodachi
than spending her entire week in Yokohama getting harassed
by both Kuno and Sohin.

   "I've changed my mind. I'm going after my stupid
brother." Nabiki muttered as she dumped a beautiful white
furoshiki unceremoniously into the sack, followed by
whatever materials she could grasp. "I've decided that I
*really* don't want Kodachi to die, even if she deserves it,
and my marriage can wait."

   Kuno looked at all this with a smile on his face. "Really
Lady Saotome? If I marry next week, you're going to be
forced to dance for my bride and I."

   "However did *you* of all people manage to make me bet on
something as stupid as *dancing* in geta?" Nabiki asked as
she threw everything, not bothering to see where it was
landing anymore. "I mean don't you think your wife would
find something unethical about it?"

   Kuno started to answer but Nabiki whirled around and made
a warding gesture with a loud sound of frustration. "Arghhh
-- don't answer that! If wives arrange courtesans then
*obviously* wives can permit their husbands viewing naked
women in getas."

   Kuno looked at this all with mild amusement. She picked
up her backpack and slung the enormous sack over her
shoulder. She took offence at his smile. She took offence at
his mere presence. "Not one word, Kuno. Not one word.
Regards to your future wife, but I'm going home."

   He couldn't help it, he spoke up. "Perhaps this has
something to do with you dying when my sister dies?" The
clause in Ranma's marriage usually got Nabiki's hackles up,
especially since she was the one who was going to get the
brunt of it.

   Nabiki turned back and glared at him. "At least *that's*
better than dancing in a *stupid* geta for a *stupid*
wedding, wherein I haven't seen a *stupid* bride yet."  She
was close to a shout when she ended that sentence.

   Her tirade was interrupted by Sohin as he walked
nonchalantly into the room. He looked at her, at the pack,
and back at her before asking.  "Uh... What are you doing?"

   "Sohin, darling," She almost cringed as she said the
endearment. What she really had wanted to say was: 'Isn't it
obvious, moron?' or something along those lines. Fortunately
for Sohin, Nabiki had most of her temper in check. Kuno
didn't seem to notice the tension between the two of them.
"I've decided that my brother has been temporarily touched
by the kami... he's not fit to be in Rose Brier ALONE!" She
smiled as sweetly as she could while carrying an enormously
heavy pack, and trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice,
being the nice and dutiful and *in-love* fianc�e that she
was supposed to be. "Be a dear and help me get to Rose Brier
in time."

   Sohin looked genuinely confused. That's good, at least
she'd confuse *him* for once. Besides, that he's not voicing
that pesky opinion of his. At least he's learning to play
his part in this whole fianc� fiasco. Now if she could get
her life back. "I just decided that I'd rather get married
in Nerima, with family." She glared daggers at him, the
first sign that her irritation was breaking through. "Now
let's get to Nerima, darling."

   "You know Lady Saotome, with your sudden mood swings..."
Kuno hid a small smile behind his hand, he took his time and
waited until he had both Sohin and Nabiki's attention before
asking, "Are you perhaps carrying child?"

   Nabiki glared at Kuno again, her ire fully showing this
time. "Now *that* is the stupidest thing I have heard from
you. Do I look like a woman with *child* Lord Kuno?" With
that she stomped down the stairs with the big bag in tow.

   "I think..." Sohin sighed as he looked at the path Nabiki
took. "I better go and help her." He quickly took his own
things and dashed after Nabiki. When he reached her, she was
already standing in front of two neat rows of samurai, the
sack containing their 'gifts' were at her feet. "Nabiki..."

   She turned around to glare at him, so he kept his
distance. When she was satisfied he wouldn't interfere she
turned to the samurai. She had visibly calmed down and was
talking to them in an almost light manner, as if she had
forgotten her previous enraged attitude. "In the light of
the recent events, I'm going to follow my brother. Yokohama
is whole now and I'm not needed anymore."

   "Koku intake is going to be cut in half until we regain
the production that we have lost." That was going to be
hard... their region was primarily upland and irrigation was
hard upon them, even with the abundant field. That meant
there were very few lands where rice could grow. Most of
their crops were fruits and vegetables... and in a land
where rice was literally money, a loss such as Yokohama's
was hard. "That goes for every samurai in the entire
Sagami."

   Nabiki shook her head. "Sagami is under trial right now.
The enemy is closer than both my brother and I realized.
Guard your backs well. Get to your duties." The samurai
bowed and one by one left her, Nabiki sighed, the first show
of weakness since she arrived at the city. "Let us not lose
Sagami too soon..."

   One of the samurai who had been at the last of the ranks
approached her, she smiled at him. "Yes, what is it?" He had
approached shyly and given her a bundle wrapped in red
furoshiki with imprints of a fan.

   "My wife wanted to give your husband a sword, my lady. It
was her father's, and since we would never have a son, and
she will not fight again, she wanted to give it to you." He
bowed as he offered the bundle to her. She looked at the
sword indecisively. It was obvious from the vibrant colors
that his wife had just made it a day or two ago. The cloth
was probably from one of the remaining good cloths they
have.

   She also knew his wife was lying in her deathbed with a
wasting sickness that they knew no cure of. She made it a
point to know the samurai in her hans. She could not recall
each and every one of their names though and asked softly,
"What's your name? And your wife's?"

   "Maria and Michael, my lady." Nabiki looked at him
thoughtfully. Christian names. It was highly unusual for a
samurai to give Christian names, but Happosai had made sure
that everybody knew his orders. Michael probably knew she
was ordered to be a Christian.

   'I probably should re-baptize myself into Buddhism...
just to spite the old man.' Nabiki shook her head as she
placed her hand on his stooped shoulders. Michael was old,
probably near the death bed as well, but he was a loyal
samurai and Nabiki regarded all of the samurai under her
with respect. "Thank you for the gift, but I'd rather if you
offer it directly to Sohin... after all you're giving it to
him."

   The man nodded and turned to Sohin, Nabiki watched as the
man ambled over to her pseudo-fianc� and present him the
family heirloom. She watched in morbid curiosity over what
Sohin would do with it.

   It was rare that swords a few generations old be given
away because the most coveted ones are those that had tasted
blood so often. These swords were heirlooms passed from
generation to generation and since they were so rare, many
young samurai were forced to accept newly forged blades. And
here was a three-generation katana wasted on a peasant.

   She had wanted to tell him to take the sword back, or at
least, wait for someone worth its blade, but she dared not
insult her 'fianc�' nor the man that stood proudly in front
of her. In some way, she had sent him to Sohin as a test, a
test to see how her fianc� would react to such a precious
gift. That and because she did not know how to refuse such a
gift.

   At least no one asked why Sohin did not have a sword. It
was widely believed that for a samurai to part with his
sword is to lose his honor. But these men were in Saotome
territory, and in the whole of Happosai's lands, men were
taught that the Saotome fist could do so much more than a
single blade. Nabiki rarely carried hers when she expected
no fight from samurai outside the Saotome sect. It was a
dishonor to have it stolen... but they found nothing wrong
with it being left alone. At least, not for long periods of
time, and the blade was well taken care off.

   Her curiosity was even more piqued when they started
walking towards the stables where the horses were kept.
Sohin turned to look at her and motioned her to follow them.
Outraged that he summoned her as he did, yet interested in
what they were going to do, she grudgingly followed. She
sighed as she picked up the sack and lifted it with a grunt.
"Come here, he says..." She muttered all the way to the
stables where exactly one horse was kept. She stayed at the
door, where she could watch all of them idly.   No one was
going to use the horse because Happosai had not given any
permission. The solitary horse they kept in each city was
used for emergency purposes. Even though there was a
scarcity of the animal in Sagami, the stables were always
packed with straw... it was an essential part of living.

   Currently, a couple of women were sitting on the haystack
matting the rice straw together. When this was done, another
group of women covered this with a smooth surface of their
woven reeds and bound the edges together with cloth tape.
They were making the tatami, the final touches to their
houses.

   Nabiki just raised her eyebrows when Sohin and Michael
started to gather straw, binding it together with ropes
until it became twice as big as she was. Then, Michael
stepped back and gave Sohin the sword.

   Sohin smiled as he gently unwrapped it. Nabiki noted that
he looked exactly like Hanae or Sei when they were opening
presents on special occasions. He took the sheath and the
sword and fixed it on his belt, his hand resting lightly on
the sword hilt. All of a sudden, it dawned on Nabiki what
they were doing.

   They were testing the sword.

   "Oh... damn." Nabiki muttered, as she raised her hand to
stop Sohin from striking the haystack, berating herself for
not realizing their intent sooner. Just because Sohin was a
peasant it did not mean that he did not know he was supposed
to test the sword. She just hadn't drawn that conclusion,
and she didn't think Sohin would do it in front of an
audience.

   Usually swords were tested on criminals except murderers,
priests, tattooed individuals and eta. When there was a lack
of subjects to test the sword upon, what were left were
haystacks. Just as what Sohin was trying to do right now.

   Between the ten women, most of whom were samurai, and
Michael who was a few meters away from Sohin, one of them
was bound to realize Sohin had never handled a sword before.
'A sword meant for a samurai, goddamnit!' Nabiki thought. A
peasant did not usually engage in *testing* swords. If that
didn't put and end to their game, nothing would. "Sohin!"

   But it was too late, for he had already gone through the
motions swiftly... And she watched as the haystack stood
there in a single piece, 'He *missed*. It was right in front
of him and he *missed*. I'm doomed.' Nabiki thought as she
ran towards them, in a moment she was beside Sohin... "What
do you think--"

   Sohin sheathed the sword and smiled as he looked at
Nabiki then turned to Michael. "Thanks. It's a great sword."
And in that instant the straw pile disintegrated.

   Nabiki's jaw slacked. She turned towards the straw, which
had been whole a few minutes ago. She looked down on herself
and found that her clothes were already sticking with the
small particles. She had not expected him to be swift. He
was probably only slower than Ranma, possibly even faster
than herself since she had barely seen his sixteen swipes...
she would have to check on that.

   Usually, swords tested with the haystack were regarded as
lesser swords than those who were tested with real bodies,
but this was not a new sword, Sohin was just testing it for
formality. It told her more about Sohin than about the
quality of the blade that had just been handed down to him.
She turned towards Sohin and gave him a glare. "That was an
excellent show. I never knew you could do the sixteen stroke
test."

   The test was preformed with much difficulty. Samurai
usually did it with one stroke at a time, but most Saotomes
did all of it in the way Sohin had. Some had a great deal of
difficulty. Nabiki had mastered it at a young age... but for
a peasant to do it... it was a remarkable statement of his
skill alone. She gave him a guarded look. She had long
suspected Sohin was hiding something from her. This feat
just made her more suspicious.

   "You never asked." He gave her a smile, then took the
sword from his belt and handed it over to Michael. Nabiki
noticed the tsuba, the hilt-guard of the katana, had an
extremely intricate design decorated with the engraving of a
crab and had several inlays. Both the twins had dragons in
theirs... Sohin shook his head and did something Nabiki had
not expected. "I can't accept this. It's too good a sword
for me."

   He had refused a good sword. A sword that was worth a
hell of a lot more than every small gift he could sell from
now to the day of his last breath. She had known Sohin for
only a few days and as a merchant, catalogued him as
mercenary. His refusal of the gift made Nabiki think back to
what other miscalculations she had made of the man.

   The samurai smiled at her 'iinazuke' and shook his head.
"And I can't take it back because it was never mine in the
first place. Please accept it Sohin-san. It's the least we
could do for the husband of Lady Saotome, for someone of
great skill. You have not tested it against the human flesh
yet, my lord."

   "Well... okay then, thank you." Sohin answered not even
glancing at Nabiki. He took out ivory chopsticks carved
intricately with flowers at the thicker side from his
belongings and presented it to Michael. "I wouldn't accept
such a good gift without something for you to remember me
by."

   The samurai nodded and accepted. Nabiki watched all of
this with mild frustration. She made a mental note to have a
long talk with Sohin and then a longer talk with Ifuku after
this ordeal.

   She watched as Michael walked away, then turned to watch
as Sohin wrapped the sword slowly with the furoshiki. Yes,
she was going to have that long talk.


   Kuno smiled then looked outside, where one of his men had
waited patiently for him. "You. Come here. Prepare our
things, we're leaving."

   The samurai bowed, then asked, "The destination sir?"

   "Kamakura."


~~~


   Shampoo was getting bored following the crazy lady circle
half of Nerima before she finally stopped in front of the
shabbier place of the eta village. It was highly unlikely
that one person who was going to literally rob the Saotome
household was eta. They were the classless... and a
classless society does not challenge one higher in ranks. It
could mean only two things. It was either this eta was
extremely stupid... or she wasn't eta at all.

   Shampoo was willing to bet on the latter rather than the
former. She had been following this woman for days, and she
has not yet seemed to be suspicious of her presence. Shampoo
didn't want to return empty handed to her grandmother. Not
when this had been her first assignment without the
matriarch ever since she had left China.

   Her bones ached for a good fight, not the spars that she
had with the twins... but a real fight. She'd missed that...
this might be her last for a very long time if Cologne
continued to train her so far away from civilization. The
woman she followed turned her head back and stared at the
night, and for a moment, Shampoo thought that she had
spotted her, but she continued towards the house slipping
into the small shanty as if she owned it.

   In a moment, a small light from her lantern lit the small
house up and from what the shadows could tell her, the girl
was sitting down complacently doing whatever Japanese girls
did at that time of the evening.

   She was tempted to get up and leave, nothing was
happening of importance, and she wondered why her
great-grandmother would take an interest on such a boring
specimen.

   After an hour of staring into the house, Shampoo
stretched her coiled muscles, wondering how the girl could
sit there staring into nothing at all. Probably one of the
idiosyncrasies of Japan? Perhaps a bit of meditative silence
that her great-grandmother was trying to teach her. She
frowned at the thought, or maybe the woman was on to her --

   A branch snapped in the distance and she stood up
alertly, moving silently through the night, making sure that
she kept to the shadows for cover. A quick glance around
revealed no one lurking in the dark, but Shampoo kept her
stance ready, a quick peek at the house told her that her
prey was still staring at the wall. She was nervous though,
something did not feel right. She looked at the moon and
calculated how long she'd been looking at the house, and
decided she'd best retreat before she was discovered.

   She heard a distinct rasp of metal, which she was sure
could only be a sword, she tried to whirled around, but an
object dug on persistently at her back, "Ah, my dear
Shampoo, does your great-grandmother send you to do her
dirty work for her now?"

   Shampoo's mind whirled, who *was* this woman? She
apparently knew them... but she had no recollection of
seeing her. Ever. And Shampoo had an impeccable memory. She
tried to turn her head, but the sword against her back was
firm. "Uh uh, we don't want you to make a scene."

   "What am I going to do with you?" The woman sighed
loudly, and Shampoo could almost hear the staged effect from
her ears. "I can't just send you yelping to your
great-grandmother. She is after all... a very formidable
foe. It's tragic that I found out about you only now. I
could have cut the strings earlier on... but... no matter.
Come my dear pussy cat, we need to keep you chained."

   After a moment she was splashed with cold water, and she
was a cat. It would have proven to be her advantage being
small and nimbler but before she had the chance to run, the
woman's hands caught her by the neck, and lifted her up,
"Now, now, no running my kitty cat, I still have need of
you. Your great-grandmother will not know of me. I see my
drug is working."

   As a cat, Shampoo's eyes were flawless, and she looked at
her prey turned hunter. She was beautiful... Shampoo would
give her that. Her looks reminded Shampoo of someone she
couldn't pinpoint. The eyes... the mouth, the shape of the
face, the curve of the cheek... there was something eerily
familiar about the girl that she couldn't place. Yet, she
was sure that she had never seen this woman before.

   "You want to know who I am little cat?" The woman laughed
out loud, then brought Shampoo closer to her face, by now,
Shampoo was almost paralyzed by whatever drug that had been
induced to her through the small blade. Powerful stuff to
have affected her so quickly. "I will tell you, but you
might not believe me."

   Her voice dropped down to the smallest of whispers, an
evil glint placed in her eyes, a small smile starting to
form on her face, "I am Kuno Kodachi."

   If Shampoo had not been sure if Kodachi had been telling
the truth the first time, the loud laugh that followed
confirmed it. She was at the hands of Kodachi Kuno.

   Her eyes widened as much as the drug would let her. If
Kodachi Kuno is in the body of this peasant... then who was
in Kodachi Kuno's body? It was the last coherent thought of
Shampoo before she succumbed to oblivion.


~~~


   After the third day of being secluded in the dojo, most
of the household was already wondering about Ranma. He had
not eaten and apparently through the sound of flesh against
the dummy, he did not sleep. For three days Ranma Saotome
had closed himself to the world. It spoke volumes of his
anger, for Ranma had never done such a drastic thing before.

   When he summoned for food, one of the younger maids
offered to do it, Ifuku tapped her and volunteered for the
duty. The girl eagerly complied to do so, no one in the
household was thrilled to face Ranma at the moment, and so
it had been easy to persuade the young girl.

   She tapped lightly on the shoji of the dojo. "Your food,
Lord Ranma."

   "Come in." the voice was haggard -- and female. She
didn't know when Ranma had the chance to turn female, but it
was obvious she had been in that state for at least a day...
and Lord Ranma never let the opportunity for change pass --
especially if there was no need to be female at the moment.

   When she entered she found Ranma-chan staring at
something only she could see. Her eyes were sunken from lack
of sleep and from the three days that she had spent without
food. It looked like she had lost a bit of weight.

   She moved towards her setting the small tray down and
bowed. "Would you like hot water for your curse, my lord?"
Ifuku asked in the most humble voice she could muster.

   It took a while before he -- she answered, as if Ifuku's
words had only become clear now. Then, she gave a startled
looked over herself and finally realized why the woman had
asked for the water. "No... I'll manage."

   "Yes, my lord." She paused for a moment, not leaving the
area where she had initially knelt on. "Is there any thing
else you want, my lord?"

   "Stop calling me my lord, for one." Ranma-chan quipped.
"You're going to let the whole house get suspicious."

   "Yes, my lady, I'm so sorry, my lady," Ifuku said, when
she was young, it was always ingrained to her that there was
no such thing as too much scraping, bowing and flattering
when it came to appeasing your lord. "Is there anything
else, my lady?"

   Realizing that Ifuku had not moved from her prone
position, Ranma-chan tapped her shoulder and knelt beside
her. She turned up to face Ranma-chan, a bit uncomfortable
to be sitting beside her lord. "Were you sent here Ifuku?
Are my own vassals afraid of me now?"

   "No, my lady." Half a lie, but if Ranma noticed, she
didn't say. "What if it wasn't me, or Yuka-san? Another
servant would learn of your secret then."

   "How is Kodachi?" It was the first she's asked of her
condition, it proves that he cares, at least, even if it was
just a cover.

   "Heart sick, my lady," Ifuku answered tentatively, she
closed her eyes, waiting for any indication of what
Ranma-chan felt -- nothing obvious was forthcoming so she
continued, "She hasn't been out of her room much and she's
barely talked to anyone. I think you broke her heart." The
last comment was not something she had planned on saying,
especially since she was talking to an employer that could
very well order her killed for meddling. Luckily, Ranma
wasn't that kind of man.

   "She has one?" Ranma-chan shot back readily. Ifuku winced
at that comment. This wasn't like any of their fights
before. This time, Ranma was the one who started, and Akane
was on the verge of giving up... but *why*? "Did *she* send
you?"

   "No my lady, I volunteered to go." From all the members
of the household, it was Ifuku who was closest to Akane, and
it was she who was far more able to defend her if the need
arose. But they were talking about their liege lord here.
"There has been worry for the both of you."

   "Were you here when Nabiki and I had our numerous
engagements, Ifuku?" Ranma asked in a low voice, almost a
whisper. The past was not something talked about in the
house. Why look back when the present contains so many
problems and the future still out there to build? "Were you
here when I married her?"

   "I was, my lady," She had practically grown up in Saotome
territory. When she had started to serve the house of
Saotome, she had been three and ten. She was older than
most, younger than some. She had learned from the previous
owner of the Twin Dragons, and she had continued under
Nabiki-sama when the twins had trained in the household
under Genma's tutelage.

   Children were very hard to find in samurai territory, it
was as if they were locked by key to keep away from the
world, or they were in some sort of training trip or the
other. Nabiki and Ranma were the only children remotely
close to her age, and even in the five-year gap, the twins
had treated her very kindly. "My mother always thought my
first work would be for Kunos, for she worked there, she has
seen Rose Brier change from one hand to the other... but I
was your sister's maid before I was Kodachi's."

   Ranma had a short memory span concerning people, even
those who had been very close to him. It wasn't a surprise
he didn't remember when she started. When he inclined his
head in agreement, Ifuku knew he had finally recalled.
"Nabiki-chan needed a chaperone for her numerous fianc�es,
and mother picked you because you seemed so out of place
with the servants..."

   "I was very old when I started to learn, my lady, my
training wasn't well... I was a very spoiled child..." Ifuku
smiled a bit. At least, the twins were very forgiving
masters.

   "Did your parents die when you were young, Ifuku?"
Ranma-chan asked, the meal in front of her forgotten. It was
rare for samurai to question a peasant's past after being
taken in, and though Nabiki and she had been a bit close
before Ranma married -- she had never had more than a
pleasant hi from Ranma.

   She paused for a moment, as if considering what she was
going to say, but finally spoke, "... I was taken in by a
woman, my lady, the only mother I had ever known... I was
too young to remember her face, the face of my real mother,
I mean. Sometimes... sometimes..." She smiled, it was a sad
one. "We regret a lot of things in life, my lady. Not
knowing my mother was one of them."

   "We never knew our father too." Ranma-chan said. "Then
again, we've both been lucky, I had Genma -- even though
sometimes I wish I hadn't -- and you've had your own
surrogate mother."

   "I suppose." Ifuku sighed again.

   "Your husband then. At least you have your husband."
Ranma-chan answered.

   For a moment Ifuku looked confused then smiled eagerly at
Ranma-chan's words. "I forgot that Sohin would meet up with
you. Sohin, yes, how is Sohin? I take it he managed to catch
up with Lady Nabiki and my lady?"

   It took a while for Ranma-chan to say anything about
*that* particular topic. She chose her words carefully,
wondering how Nabiki would explain the whole mess to the
maid. "Yes... he did. You'd better talk to Nabiki about your
husband though. I have a feeling that they did not start on
the right foot."

   "Sohin and Lady Nabiki?" There was a puzzled look in
Ifuku's face. "But... Sohin and my lady are...! I should
think that they would get along. I mean no offence, but
Sohin is a very good man and --"

   "I did not mean anything bad in his character, Ifuku."
Ranma-chan shook her head as she remembered Nabiki's
treatment of the man. "I understand that he's your husband.
It's just that... well he and Nabiki don't really see eye to
eye on matters."

   "Did he do anything terrible?" Ifuku asked curious as to
why Nabiki and Sohin would not work well together when...
"I'm sorry I sent him, but I thought that it would have been
for the best, and I didn't think... I'm very sorry."

   "It's okay." Ranma-chan looked outside and noticed that
it was considerably darker than when she had finished the
kata. "I must be keeping you from your duties, you may go
Ifuku."

   "Yes, my lady."

   Ifuku bowed and started to leave, when Ranma-chan called
her out again, "Do you think I've been terrible to my wife,
Ifuku?"

   Ifuku frowned not knowing what to say. On one hand, this
was the most depressed she's seen Akane in months, on the
other, this was her lord she was talking to. She opted for
the truth. "My lady has done nothing to offend you Lady
Ranko. She's been terribly hurt from your deceit... will you
not tell her what you have found offending?"

   "One last thing, Ifuku," Ranma-chan said ignoring the
question the Ifuku had asked, knowing that he could give no
sufficient answer, nor was it her right to know. "Tell her
I'll fight her tomorrow morning."

   Ifuku nodded then left. Her lord was skilled -- even when
angry... was it wise to make Lady Akane fight him now that
*she* was the sole focus of her lord's anger?


   Ifuku stopped tentatively at Akane's door, one hand
raised to knock on the shoji, but not quite reaching it, the
other holding another tray of food. Akane has been depressed
for days, and though she came out of her doors to eat, sleep
and fulfill any necessities unlike Ranma, she was like a
ghost, making the motions, but not once thinking what she
was doing.

   Ranma had hurt Akane... and yet, Akane had hurt Ranma
just as well. Both had far deeper wounds than they were
willing to let on, and with Nabiki out of the house, there
was no one to mend things... no one to mediate except...
her... and it wasn't the easiest of jobs when you knew only
half of the story.

   'Best that I finish this soon...' Ifuku took a deep
breath and then tapped the shoji lightly, although she was
sure her silhouette had been distinct from the other side of
the paper doors. "Lady Akane, I have some food for you."

   There was shuffling from the room, and the soft yellow
light from one of the lanterns started to flicker from it.
Ifuku opened the door as soon as she heard Akane's call.

   Akane had not cried, she had been indignant, angry and
locked herself up in the room, but she had not broken down
into tears. Ifuku took that as a good sign, for at least the
girl wasn't near hysterics. A pseudo-smile lit up her face
almost immediately as Ifuku entered, Ifuku being the only
servant Akane ever sees the past few days.

   "How is my lady?" Ifuku asked as she prepared the table,
careful not to lay her breath on the food, as she had been
taught when she was a child. A small breath on what Akane
was going to eat would sully it and she would have to go
down and take more food. "I trust my lady has been well?"

   "I'm fine, really," Akane answered as she sat down from
the tatami, facing Ifuku calmly. "I could've eaten
downstairs, you know."

   "My lady needs a little extra treatment from time to
time." Ifuku answered as she handed her the ivory
chopsticks, long black ones with roses at the end and
Kodachi's name carved intricately amongst its thorns. "This
house is too lonely for someone like you, Lady Akane.
Perhaps if we take a walk?"

   "Maybe tomorrow, Ifuku, I'm not really up for it
tonight,"

   "I guess so..." Ifuku trailed off then finally thinking
that there was no other time to tell Ranma's message, and no
other way to tell it she proceeded to inform her, "Lord
Ranma has finally set the date of your 'spar', Lady Akane.
He wishes for you to be ready tomorrow morning."

   Akane stopped eating for a moment, turned to look at
Ifuku, then back at her plate. "I thought he'd never ask."

   Ifuku looked at Akane worriedly. There were too many
factors that engaged this fight that she didn't particularly
like. Far too many. There was something about two people
angry at each other brawling on the dojo. There would be no
limits... no guarantees. Anything Goes. It scared her. "As
my lady wishes."

   "You can leave now, Ifuku-san."

   Ifuku bowed as she left to retire towards her own
quarters.


~~~


   There was something happening in the Saotome household
beyond Kodachi's sudden amnesia that Cologne did not know.
Now, Nabiki was asking her to keep the children at their
grandmother at Nerima.

   It was a queer request since Nerima was in trouble right
now, but she trusted her student's judgment in such matters.
There was a specific request not to tell Akane where they
were going and if she must know something, only the fact
that they were leaving.

   Sei's foster mother was to be taken along and Hanae had
been assigned a new foster mother that Nabiki had arranged
for in Nerima. She was also 'to continue teaching them what
she saw fit', for which Nabiki had asked for forgiveness.

   She had been surprised to hear from Nabiki, and even more
so to hear the favor that she had been asking. Then again,
the twins, aside from her heir, were her favorite students.
With Shampoo gone on that errand, she had nothing better to
do.

   Cologne looked at Nodoka silently, wondering what a woman
like her felt whenever situations like this arose because of
her children. She really didn't know much about the woman.
The twins were not the type to talk about their past. When
she had pursued the two at their arrival in Japan after
their training in China, Nodoka had not been informed of
their arrival because of that seppuku pledge Genma had
ranted on and on about. Eleven years after she first heard
about the ritual suicide, she still knew nothing about the
woman who had brought the twins to the world...

   "Thank you for bringing my grandchildren over, Matriarch
Cologne." Not having the same grasp of Chinese as her two
children, Nodoka still manages to fuse her name together. "I
hope the trip was not tiring."

   "No, no, the children were very cooperative." Cologne
answered, being as old as she was, Cologne tended to know
how to deal with nasty situations dealing with nasty
children... not that Hanae and Sei gave her any trouble.
They were much more... sedate than the twins had been in
their youth.

   Nodoka led the elderly matriarch towards the backyard
where Sei and Hanae were talking on the steps, their
transfer from Rose Brier to Nerima unquestioned.

   Without their two main teachers -- namely, Ranma and
Nabiki -- Hanae and Sei were left to their own devices,
something rare with the barrage of lessons imposed upon them
daily. That was going to change now that Cologne was given a
free rein on the lessons.

   Today though, both were sitting on the steps of the newly
polished dojo and sipping some tea Sei's foster mother had
made for them, watching the small koi after taking a
breather from running from Rose Brier to Nerima. Cologne was
as much a taskmaster as their parents.

   "You're busy these days aren't you?" Sei asked as he
looked at Hanae's tired expression. "I've barely seen you
the past months other than our sessions together."

   Hanae made a face as she took a sip from the tea and set
it down on the tray, "'nt Nabiki has asked me to find out
about Aunt Akane's 'illness'." Sei made a face when he heard
the name Hanae had used to refer to their aunt. "Yes, I've
missed you too, Sei. What do you say we pick some shells by
the sea?"

   Sei's eyes lighted up for a moment, but it went out just
as quickly. He was the more cautious of the two and the more
practical in matters. "I don't think so. Last time, I heard
you practically drowned. No one has tried to get you near
the waters... and that was a year ago."

   "Well the water was choppy!" Hanae pouted as she brought
up her knees towards her chin and hugged it, thankful that
she had chosen one of the hakama they trained in for the
day. "Have you mastered that last move father taught us?"

   "It's okay I guess, not perfect, but well enough."

   Hanae clapped her hands gaily. "Show me Sei-san! Come on,
I wanna see how it's performed. Mine seems too wobbly and
stiff."

   "How about you show it to me? I'll just correct your form
from time to time..." Sei suggested, not too eager to stand
from his comfortable position on the steps just to show his
cousin something that she could do well on her own.

   Jumping up from her position by the steps, Hanae landed
gracefully upon the soft earth in front of the dojo. Sei
just raised an eyebrow at her performance. "Well the least
you could do is tell me how well I executed my jump." Hanae
said pretending to be hurt from her cousin's lack of
expression.

   "It was perfect, Hanae." Sei answered in a dull monotone
that bordered on boredom. But although he showed
disinterest, Hanae knew that he did mean what he was saying.
"As always. Now show me the move."

   Bowing to her cousin, Hanae complied, moving with the
swift kicks and spins that her father had gone over with her
the last time he was able to teach. She executed the moves
gracefully, but Sei found that she lacked some of the
precision and balance that should go along with it.

   She danced but she missed the rhythm.

   Cologne frowned and found that she needed to correct
that, but Nodoka smiled at the children's antics. "They are
having fun, are they not? What I would not give to be as
carefree as they are now. Youth and its ignorance --"

   "Sometimes they see more than what we 'wisened old ones'
do." Cologne chuckled as she turned to see Nodoka. Maybe she
was more alike to Nodoka than she would admit.

   She had been forced to give up her children at a young
age, learned to deal with life suddenly and fate had dealt
with her roughly. 'Whatever reasons Nabiki had for leaving
the children here, it would do Nodoka good.'

   She watched the woman smile at the children wistfully.
Yes, the children would do Nodoka good.


~~~


   Nabiki arrived at Kamakura early that morning. She had
run the entire length of the Tokkai, shortening her supposed
three day trip into two and a half. Sohin was none the worse
for wear and she was a bit irritated by that fact. He was
slower than she was while they had been running, but he had
his brute strength to compensate... the man carried all
their 'gifts' the entire trip. She frowned at the thought
for she had seen his true speed when he had tested the newly
acquired sword. Sohin concealed his skills well.

   She nimbly dropped down the upper branches of the tree as
a gymnast would with double bars. Sohin raised his eyebrow
at her presentation, she merely smiled.

   At least she'd be getting rid of Sohin now, and the whole
fianc� business would be over. A fake wedding for Kuno could
be arranged, after all she was in the 'false identity'
business herself. It would just require a lot of forged
documents. Then again -- why forge the documents when she
could just steal the old man's hanko stamp. That'd be as
good as any signature...

   "Rose Brier is up on that cliff --" Nabiki pointed
towards the beach where Rose Brier obscured by the tall
trees in the path.

   Sohin smirked again, and in a tone that said he didn't
like to be treated like an idiot he replied. "I know. Ifuku
happens to be there."

   "I can't believe your Ifuku-san tolerates your loud
mouth, Sohin-san." Nabiki quipped as she leaned against one
of the trees, flipping a small stone that she had acquired
along the way.

   Sohin just stared at her with a bemused expression in his
face, as if he knew what she was going to say, and what her
intentions were. It was already unnerving to have him
pretend to be her fianc�, Kami-sama knows she has enough of
those already, but it was another thing entirely when he
started taking the damned part seriously.

   "I believe she just has more patience than my l--"
Whatever he was going to say was stopped by the small rock
that hit his head, from the way Nabiki was holding out her
hand and the light scowl across her face, there was no
question about *where* the rock had come from.

   "Don't insult me Sohin-san," She wiped her hands from the
dirt and then continued walking. "You're about to realize I
don't like to get insulted."

   He rubbed his head where the pebble had struck and
scowled at her. He had not been about to say anything that
would jeopardize their little 'play', but she was edgy. "If
my fianc�e gets manners maybe I'd think about shutting my
loud mouth."

   "Now I realize why Ranma and you get along so well."
Nabiki gave him a meaningful stare and walked towards
Kamakura's larger streets. Kamakura was just like any normal
city with its checkpoints, but the seki that barricaded the
way let her pass without qualm, after all she *was* Nabiki
Saotome.

   The streets were busy even in the morning, and a lot of
people were already busy milling about, most of the servants
already going out to buy some fresh fish by the sea, some
buying seasoning. Nabiki smelled in the salty air...
Kamakura always smelled of salt water and fish in the
morning.

   She had missed that in Yokohama, since Yokohama was
mainly an agricultural city, with just enough fishermen to
keep the city well fed. The local people bowed their heads
when they saw her. She gave all of them a warm smile and a
small bow when she could. Most of the people here knew her
by name already. She made it a point to know the locale she
was governing, and the best place to start was with the
people.

   She noticed the last girl she walked past stared at her
then whispered excitedly towards her friend. By the fifth
person, she was already curious what exactly they had found
so amusing. She stopped walking, she was sure it was not the
clothes... she and her brother have been walking pass the
city for fourteen years wearing them. She had no dirt on her
face, or the guards at the checkpoint would have told her,
and the villagers were already used to her walk by without a
sunscreen or an umbrella.

   Finally, she sighed and bluntly asked the next person
that happened to do so, "What's funny?" She didn't mean it
to come out so harshly and the girl shied away a bit,
fanning herself lightly. "That didn't come out right,
really. I just want to know what everybody seems to be
amused at."

   The girl, not wanting to disappoint her mistress bowed,
bringing her fan closer to her face. "Lady Saotome,
congratulations on your betrothal." she bowed again.

   Nabiki's hand flew up to the only outward indication of
her supposed betrothal and frowned. 'The *comb*! I thought I
took it off!' She smiled weakly at the girl. "No... you're
mistaken... I'm not --"

   "Prepared to tell the whole city... yet." Sohin quickly
interrupted as he took the comb out of her hair, and placed
it on her hand. He had not set the bag down and the girl was
looking at him rather oddly.

   "Sohin!" Nabiki bit out whirling around to face him, she
continued in a harsh whisper. "Kamakura is quite different
from Yokohama! Someone is *bound* to notice that you're
Ifuku's husband here. Kamakura is not as large a city as you
think!"

   He shrugged then turned around as if he had not heard
her, calling out. "Hey, Lord Kuno, I didn't know you were
due for Kamakura at this time. I thought you had a wedding
to plan?"

   "Are you *crazy*?" Nabiki reprimanded, the girl she had
interrogated forgotten, her mind all set on the irritations
of life now. "We left Kuno two days ago."

   "Tell that to *him*." Sohin inclined his head towards
Nabiki's back, not too much to be obvious, but enough for
Nabiki to note the direction which he was apparently
pointing.

   Nabiki whirled around to face Kuno, flanked by two other
samurai of his house. She changed her irritated frown into a
forced smile. "My, Lord Kuno, meeting like this gets really
old, really fast." He had been far enough not to see, but
close enough to hear whatever she was saying. Especially if
he had a spy with him somewhere.

   "Ahhh... Lady Nabiki, it seems your fianc� has a sharp
ear." Quick eyes, nice reflexes, good timing. Nabiki
wondered what exactly her fianc� *didn't* have. *Nobody* was
supposed to be better than Nabiki Saotome. Especially not in
martial arts.

   The day was starting to turn uglier by the minute. She
had not expected Kuno to actually follow her to Rose Brier,
although in retrospect, it was a logical conclusion. Rose
Brier was closest to Kuno's land than Yokohama. He had not
seen his pigtailed girl yet... and if there was one thing
Kuno was known for -- it was blind persistence.

   She was displeased, Kuno sneaking up to her *this* long
without her noticing was something she wouldn't live down.
It was also quite possible he had taken another route and
just converged at Kamakura... he was carrying more men than
she was, and while Sohin could adapt to the trees like she
did, most of Kuno's men didn't. "One of the things I merit
in him, Lord Kuno."

   "Yes, your fianc� is every bit worthy of your intellect,
Lady Saotome." Kuno complimented Sohin. Sohin gave a small
nod in acquiescence. For someone who ranked nothing at all,
Sohin knew enough to pretend nobility. Nabiki sensed an
education, although how he could have acquired one was still
a mystery to her. "And my Lady Saotome seems to be worthy
enough of his skill."

   A small cough escaped Nabiki's throat. *That* had to be
the worst blow to her pride yet, she smiled through her
teeth. For a *Saotome* to be decreed worthy by *Kuno* for a
*peasant's* skill. If Ranma had heard the compliment she
would have killed Kuno. "Sohin-san has enough skills in his
own rights."

   "He seems to be a man of little words, ne?" Nabiki could
only wish *that* was true. Kuno looked at Sohin over then
shrugged. "And your last name, Sohin-san? Something so that
I would engrave it in the wedding present of Lady Saotome?"

   Right then Nabiki panicked, peasants have no last names.
The had no lineage so they could not trace it. A man without
a past... damn it. They could not simply invent one out of
the blue without arousing anymore suspicion, and she could
*not* admit that he was a peasant of all things. Kuno was
going to laugh at her for the rest of his miserable life --
and if there was one thing Nabiki kept close, it was her
pride.

   "Tendo. My last name is Tendo, Lord Kuno." Sohin bowed in
introduction. At that moment when Sohin acknowledged Kuno,
he stood straighter, his chin lifted, Nabiki could almost
feel the confidence exuding from him. All his manners that
screamed peasant was lost. It was as if he suddenly became
the samurai he was pretending to be. "I am not of direct
lineage... so I'm far from home."

   Kuno nodded again, Nabiki tried her best not to slack her
jaw open. It was either Sohin being unimaginative, just had
no other name to say, or maybe he was just being a total
*bastard* that he would choose the name which she did *not*
want to bring attention to themselves at the moment. She
promised herself he was getting it after this whole stunt he
pulled. Tendo.

   "I think you should retire to an inn, Lord Kuno." Nabiki
suggested, with just a hint of threat in her voice, she
signaled for one of the servants, easily identified because
they only wore their loincloths, milling about the market.
"Escort Lord Kuno to the Dragon's Chambers, tell them it's
under Lady Nabiki's orders." Dragon's Chambers was the best
in the vicinity and their vassal who owned the place would
not make Kuno feel unwelcome.

   She pressed some coins on his palms. "Tell your master
that I borrowed you and I would pay for the time that I am
taking you away from your duties." She signaled for another
servant to take the load off Sohin's shoulders to be
delivered at Rose Brier.

   Kuno looked at all of this with mild amusement. "Trying
to get rid of me Lady Saotome?" It was a rare moment of
intelligence in Kuno's part, a rare moment where he actually
used his head and said something true.

   "Merely looking out for your welfare, Lord Kuno." Nabiki
answered then bowed towards him, in her humblest gestures.
She did not want him to think that she really was trying to
get rid of him. "I must tell my brother I am home."

   Kuno waved his hand, and then he followed the servant
Nabiki had paid. Nabiki watched him go then turned to look
at Sohin. She picked him by the sleeve and began dragging
him towards the path that led to the archways towards Rose
Brier.

   "You *never* learn do you?" Nabiki asked in frustration
as she walked towards the steps, finally showing all the
anger she had hidden when Kuno was present. "Of all damned
names in the world, did you have to pick Tendo? If word gets
around what do you think the real Tendo Clan would do to
your scrawny hide?"

   Sohin stared at her without answering, Nabiki shook her
head. "Oh sure, the Tendos are a small house, and sure their
damned liege lord is a Lady Chisei that I've never heard
before, but don't bet your life that we can get out of this
fix easily."

   He didn't speak, it was highly unusual. Normally, when
she started ranting, he had this irritating habit of arguing
the technicalities at her. She was getting no such thing
right now. She spared him a glance, and was satisfied when
she found a deep frown on his face. "Thinking about the
consequences of your loud mouth?"

   For a while he didn't answer... then he looked straight
at her. "Actually, thinking about the consequences of *your*
loud mouth. We aren't exactly in a secluded place, Lady
Nabiki."

   Nabiki turned to look at the three or four people who had
stopped to look at the odd picture she was making. She
glared at them, she was their goddamned liege. It was rude
to stare. "Don't pay attention to us, we're fighting." All
of them stopped to look at each other then continued on
their respective tasks.

   "Never mind *them*." Nabiki whispered as she dragged him
up the one hundred or so steps that lead to the arches of
Rose Brier. "Worry about what *I'm* going to do to you. Pray
that Ifuku is good at bailing you out, Sohin-san."


~~~


   Ifuku trailed behind Akane, she had picked a small white
gi that they had found around the house and fit her snugly.
It was probably one of Kodachi's older ones, when she had
been actively training in the art, something that the
mistress had kept out of sentimentality. Then again, Ifuku
still had a hard time picturing Kodachi as anything but the
cynic that she was. But... her mother had always said cynics
were sentimentalists at heart.

   Ranma-chan, she had not chosen to return to her true
form, was already waiting by the koi pond, and it seemed
like she was tossing a small pebble into the water,
startling the poor fish into jumping up.

   "Lord Ranma, may I present the Lady Akane." She had
introduced her less formally than she would have a new
challenger but more formally than what a household challenge
merited. It looked serious, but duels of honor usually are.
This was something more than a duel of honor. It was for
Hanae, and Hanae meant more than any honor debt.

   Ranma-chan didn't look up from the pond, and Ifuku sensed
that Akane was getting irritated by this. When Akane's
patience had already stretched to its limit, Ranma-chan, as
if she had sensed it, and maybe she *had*, stood up to face
her. Ranma's eyes bore an aura of seriousness that told
Ifuku this wasn't something like their daily spar.

   Akane had some skills, but she had been dormant for the
past months, Ifuku was not sure whether she could rough it
out. Their daily 'training' had been cut short three days
before the fight, and even then, Ifuku wasn't so sure if
Akane could take Ranma.

   At least she wouldn't be severely damaged. Ifuku didn't
think that Ranma would out and out kill Akane. There were
some things that he didn't do. Killing his wife was one of
them.

   Ranma-chan squared her shoulders and adopted an easy
stance that looked to the world like she had let her guard
down. It told Ifuku that she was more than ready for an
attack at any moment. "I see you took me up on my offer."

   "Let's get this over with." Akane answered, then eyed him
-- her wearily. "Aren't we going in the dojo?"

   "You want to train Hanae in martial arts?" Ranma-chan
asked, although it didn't need an answer, he already knew
what she wanted. "Then we fight where I choose, I stay here.
Anything Goes Martial Arts literally means anything goes. If
you can't train Hanae out here, then you can't train her at
all."

   "Fine." Akane answered as she started the offensive,
knowing that any pre-amble was useless. Based from her fight
with Nabiki, the twins didn't go offensive until the last
moment, and that was what she should watch out for, because
it was when he would deliver the last blow.

   She was right, Ranma-chan danced around her in an almost
dizzying pattern whenever she tried to hit the girl. If she
had thought Nabiki was fast, Ranma-chan was twice her speed
in girl-form. The distinct difference between was that:
although Nabiki threw a few blows in between -- Ranma-chan
did not even try to land a blow against her.

   For some reason, that angered her even more, she tried to
deliver several more punches and kicks. She tried everything
that she had been taught, but everything simply missed. It
was like punching water.

   Ifuku winced as Akane almost fell forward at the extra
power she had put in that last punch. At least she wasn't
going about a pattern. That was good.

   Ranma-chan was giving Akane far more time than she
normally would, and from what Ifuku could see, it was going
to be a fight in endurance. Ranma-chan didn't seem to have
any inclination of trying to hit Akane and Akane was simply
missing. If that was the case, then Akane was going to lose.
She was tired, and had less than the average training. She
would not last long.

   Akane broke away from Ranma-chan her hands positioned in
front of her in one of those basic karate stances that she
had learned from her father, altered just so, bringing out
its advantage and stripping some of its weakness by joining
it with another defensive stance. From the look of
recognition on Ranma's face, Ifuku was guessing this was
from Anything Goes Martial Arts as well.

   'Don't get clumsy, Lady Akane.' Ifuku thought as she
watched the fight carefully. Akane was winded but was more
or less fit for keeping up for a few more seconds. The only
remote possibility of Akane winning was by trying a special
move.

   Ifuku took her eyes off the fight when someone sighed
behind her. She found Nabiki looking at the fight with a
frown on her face. "He just couldn't wait can he?" Nabiki
sighed as Akane started the attack again, with Ranma-chan
doing all the dodging. Akane was getting frustrated. There
had been no progress to the fight other than Akane getting
breathless. From what Ranma-chan was showing, Ifuku wagered
she could continue fighting the whole day, and it was
obvious Akane couldn't.

   Akane knew of only one special move in her entire life,
and if it was the only thing that would give her a good hit
she was willing to risk it. She was contented to land even
one blow against Ranma-chan's body. It was obvious that she
wasn't going to win. It was a fight she was never meant to
win.

   'But I need to get closer to him, damnit,' Akane thought
as she punched towards his shoulder, she missed, that wasn't
unusual. 'The only way to go about this is close combat, and
he's keeping his distance.'

   The proximity wasn't Akane's only problem however, Ranma
was moving faster than she could deck out punches. In fact,
he was moving so fast that he seemed to blur entirely out of
place, only to reappear at a different angle. If she had
been truthful, she knew that this fight would have been over
a *long* time ago.

   She had only one shot in making him stay still for at
least one second to make her attack employ damage. From what
she knew about his improvision, she knew she could only hit
him by taking him by surprise. Nothing would work twice.
'But how to keep him still?' "You're not taking me
seriously."

   "I am." Ranma-chan answered, it was the first time she
had spoken in the fight, and it was unusual. Ranma liked
conversations -- or taunts -- in sparring matches. He wasn't
normally a fan of silence.

   "Then stay still!" She had managed to summon her mallet
again, it would be useless in a fight like this, a weapon
like that would only hinder her, with a person who dodges
*punches* much less the slower mallet.

   She threw the mallet out, he evaded, in that single move
where she had managed to predict where he was going to
dodge, she had tried to put everything in one final blow as
she tried to ram her body against the red head's. "YAMA
ARASHI!"

   Nabiki's eyes narrowed down to slits as she watched Akane
run towards Ranma in a sacrifice blow. "Mountain Storm?
Did you know of this Ifuku?" Her eyes never left Akane as
she moved towards Ranma... and missed falling down to the
koi pond instead and gurgling out of the three feet water.

   "No, my lady, she did not mention it to me." Nabiki waved
her hand, signaling that she may go towards her mistress,
and Ifuku ran towards Akane, who by now, was coughing out
water as soon as she swallowed it and was being fished out
by Ranma-chan.

   When Ranma-chan finally snagged her kimono, she lifted
her up from the pond and promptly deposited her to the
ground. "Escort her to her room."

   "That really wasn't so bad." Nabiki said as she clapped
slowly taunting Ranma. "That big explosion I was expecting
from you didn't happen, at least nothing worse than before.
Getting soft in your old age, Ranma?"

   "I had three days to think about it." Ranma-chan quipped
straightening herself from the crouched position. "I don't
do husband beating very well. You're early."

    Ranma never did anything that was against his
principles. She had never even seen him hold a grudge,
extremely angry, yes, but not for long periods of time, and
never after a sincere apology has been offered.  "You don't
like it?" Nabiki had the habit of using Ranma's words
against him. She gave him a small smile. "She was better
than the last time I saw her fight. Ifuku must have been
good for her."

   "It looks like she knows a lot of Anything Goes. Most of
what she knew was advanced material, although modified to
take out the kill in some areas. She has a low-level grasp
of aerial combat though. She tried to compensate by keeping
me locked to the ground. Looks like she didn't train for
that one, most of her moves were based on brute strength,
something that she has a lot of. Slower than the children,
definitely, can be taken out easily but could probably
handle her own in a non-fatal challenge. The chi potential
is there, though it's untapped." Ranma-chan shook her head,
moving towards the house wanting some of that hot water she
had not touched in days. "The martial arts was an
unconscious thing, so I know she's been training on this
particular style for a long time. No... she didn't pick it
up out of the blue, someone trained her."

   "Her father then?"

   "But she claims Tendo School of Anything Goes, not Kuno.
Her brother doesn't seem to know anything from the school
either. A new branch that Happosai has forgotten to tell us?
It would not be unusual, Happosai easily forgets students
he's trained because he's taken a liking to them. What about
that real Akane Tendo?" Ranma-chan asked. It was possible.
Happosai was an extremely forgetful man. But one thing
nagged her. "At least she was... good."

   "I'll admit she isn't the best, but she does seem to know
what she's doing." Nabiki frowned. Below than mediocre, yes,
but a lot of potential waiting to be tapped if that last
offence meant anything. "She would have been a fine student
if we got our hands on her when she was five."

   "We would have been ten when she was five. I doubt we
could have trained her." Ranma-chan pointed out and Nabiki
scowled at her. "Her last attack surprised me... she has chi
potential, but cannot tap it consciously. It was almost as
if she needs to physically pull it out."

   "That puts her just a little bit above some of the low
bred samurai, Ranma-kun." Nabiki pointed out as she leaned
against the shoji watching her ask Yuka-san for what she
needed. "Still, she *is* a practitioner of anything goes,
and Happosai absolutely *hates* strays."

   Ranma-chan sighed as she waited for Yuka to boil it. "Are
you thinking what I'm thinking?"

   "It depends." Nabiki smiled as she tilted her head to one
side as she watched Ranma-chan. She looked like she had
finished a long run, but was not breathing heavily. "What
are you thinking?"

   "Sei and Hanae will be inaugurated to the Clan this
week..." She trailed off.

   It *was* an option, and something she had thought about,
but it wasn't one of their better ones. Happosai would
demand answers and when they gave him none... damn. "I
wonder exactly if she's young enough to be inaugurated."

   "She better be." Ranma-chan quipped.

   In all truths, the being a Saotome and a samurai were
birthrights that didn't need to be proven, but Happosai
reveled in taking them in *only* when they have become the
best. He said that birthright is an excuse to be lazy and so
arranged all the ceremonies. "She's going to be proclaimed a
Saotome Samurai when the children are going to get their
surnames legally. I can't believe we're going to do this."

   Nabiki's eyes glinted in mischievousness. "I'm not sewing
the family crest on black silk for her, Ranma." Ranma didn't
get it at first, so she smiled again. "How's your sewing
skills?"

   He paused for a minute as he looked at her, wondering
what the hell she was talking about when she pointed at his
shirt, and remembered it was usually the mother's task to do
so... and since Kodachi had no one... "Damn."


~~~~


   It was mid-afternoon when Akane woke up. She didn't rise
from the futon as her eyes adjusted from the near blackness
to the soft ray of the setting sun. She couldn't even
remember what her last coherent thought was.

   There were only feelings. Anger, resentment, agitation.
There was nothing else, and in the dim room, she also
acknowledged that she had been hurt... 'And you only hurt
when you're in love.' As the events reconstructed in her
mind, she sighed, not even a final hit. Not a single hit had
connected. Ranma was as good as everybody had given him
credit for, and he had not even used tenth of that power to
fight her. She was a child in comparison.

   She tried to sit up, and her muscles screamed in protest,
Kodachi's body had not been used to the early morning
calisthenics but had gradually been broken in... Apparently,
she was also not used to Ranma's fast pace.

   Her muscles were sore, not because of bruises he would
have inflicted, for he had not touched her, not a single
time in the whole fight did he attempt to touch her. He had
dodged and jumped, but he never tried to be on the offense.
Every small movement shot pain up her body and she sighed
when she was finally in an upright position.

   At least she was sure she wasn't dead, yet.

   Ifuku, who had been waiting at the shadows for her to
wake up, was immediately by her side offering a hand for
help. She offered everything, a meal, a bath, clothes... she
declined them all.

   The shoji slid open, the almost silent whisper when it
moved told her it was either Ranma or Nabiki. It was
Nabiki-kun, in his male form wearing the red Chinese clothes
he favored, he nodded towards Ifuku, and she left them.

   Akane watched her go, not having enough strength despite
her half day sleep to call her back in. "Come here to
gloat?"

   "I have nothing to gloat about," He said, sitting beside
her, deciding that it would not do to play with the emotions
of an already broken woman. "I'm not Ranma."

   "Stop playing with me. This isn't funny." Akane spat out,
as she turned towards him violently, her muscles protesting
all the way. "This isn't some game where you can just go up
and leave, this is me we're talking about. You. Us."

   "As I said, I'm not Ranma." Nabiki-kun shrugged, he
didn't really need her to believe him. "But I'm not here to
talk about that. We all make mistakes, Akane-san. Some
people are prone to it more than others. You're going to
need to take this to heart."   An old scroll was handed down
to her, it had what she now recognized as the twin's crest
on the top, two dragons entwined to form a circle that
closely resembled the yin-yang. At the bottom of the page,
Happosai's Lotus and Eye symbol was stamped in red ink.

   "It's the oath. You're going to be pledged in as a
Saotome."

   She looked at it bewildered, then at Nabiki-kun she
protested, "But I'm already a Saotome."

   "You aren't a Saotome Samurai, not until you fight in
Happosai's little tournament and he approves." Nabiki-kun
shook her head. "My brother believes that you will make it.
He seems to believe in your skills." Not that Nabiki-kun
doesn't, he just wanted to intimidate the girl.

   "Your brother?" Again there was confusion. "Ranma? But I
thought only he and Nabiki... Impossible."

   Nabiki-kun sighed, at least Happosai can't blame him on
this one. This was going to be put down on 'Ranma's little
error' tally book. "I take it my brother didn't explain
Jusenkyo. What did he do, dump the water in his head and
smiled?"

   From what Akane's reaction was, he understood that his
guess had been close. "When you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever left, though improbable, must be true.
Then if I'm not Ranma, I'm Ranma's twin and Ranma has only
one twin, who am I?"

   "Nabiki..." Akane whispered disbelievingly, lifting her
hand to Nabiki's face, as if trying to assure herself that
the image before her was real and not an illusion.
Nabiki-kun evaded the hand and glared at it.

   "Give the woman a prize. The woman can learn." Nabiki-kun
said sarcastically, almost as if talking to a child,
Nabiki-kun gave her a pat on the head then stood up. "Why
he's giving you a chance, I would not know. I have always
said... Never mind."

   He stared at Akane before going. "If you're going to be
Saotome Samurai, then I am going to be forced to be civil to
you." From the way he said it, Akane was sure Nabiki didn't
particularly like the concept.

   She would learn that Nabiki was brutally honest, if not
agonizingly sarcastic. "I've never trusted you, Kodachi. Now
that you've shown you know Indiscriminate Grappling, I am
forced to give you some, regardless of my dislike. Earn our
trust, Kodachi and we might just give you some."

   Akane opened her voice to speak but nothing came out.

   With those final words, Nabiki-kun disappeared just as
suddenly as he had come.


   At the door, Nabiki-kun motioned at Ifuku to follow her
outside. Content that they were out of Akane's hearing
range, Nabiki turned to Ifuku. Clasping the woman's shoulder
with one hand Nabiki-kun took out the comb he had been
wearing the past week and showed it to Ifuku. "Do you
recognize this, Ifuku?"

   Ifuku took the comb with her hands. She thumbed the
exterior varnish of the wooden comb and the small carvings
towards its bended side. She rubbed her thumb against the
simple design then handed the comb back to Nabiki-kun
carefully. "Yes. It's Sohin's betrothal comb."

   Nabiki-kun nodded at the comb, then dismissing Ifuku's
answer she handed the comb back to the maid. "Isn't this
yours? You should keep it. I just kept it on loan." The
woman shook her head as she stared at the ornament at
Nabiki-kun's hands.

   "No, my lord." Ifuku protested backing away from
Nabiki-kun's intimidating stare. "Sohin has given it to you,
and it is he who must take it from you. It's not mine to
take."

   Nabiki-kun shook her head at the pride Ifuku was showing.
Not understanding her refusal towards what was hers to begin
with. "But the comb is yours."

   "Not until he gives it to me." Ifuku protested, and
although she could not turn her back on Nabiki-kun, he could
see the determination in Ifuku's eyes. "It is yours until
you give it back to him, my lord."

   Nodding, Nabiki-kun kept the comb at the pocket of the
Chinese pants. "I find your husband extremely insubordinate,
Ifuku. Where has he learned such manners?" He demanded,
wanting to know the answers that he had made up his mind to
ask.

   "He grew up harshly, my lord." Ifuku answered, although
the question made her visibly uncomfortable. "Sohin had a
rough time learning how to live. How to be. His defiance
comes from a long history of abusive overseers and his
courage comes from his need to protect."

   Frowning, Nabiki let go of the woman's shoulders. "To
protect whom?"

   "His family. His friends." Ifuku shook her head, as she
trailed off, unsure at the point that Nabiki had wanted her
to prove. Although Nabiki made it a point to know everything
that went on within the household, she rarely voiced it out
in the open.

   "You." Nabiki-kun ended, but whether Ifuku agreed or not,
the maid did not voice her opinion. Ifuku's lack of response
towards the word troubled Nabiki-kun, because he was sure
that he should have elicited *some* response from the girl.

   "You must not take these traits against him, my lord."
Ifuku continued in a pleading tone, as if Nabiki-kun had the
power to break the bonds that held the two of them together
by not wanting the union. "It was brought about by time and
environment. There is little time to trust what he cannot
understand and for him, there had been nothing to trust at
all."

   Curiosity made Nabiki want to learn more about the two of
them. Maybe it was because it had been so long since she had
known about this particular union, or because of the fact
that they had tried to hide it in the first place. "How did
you come to know him, Ifuku?"

   "I met him at a garden, my lord. He had recently stolen
apples from my mother." She closed her eyes at the long
forgotten memory. "I had thrown him the apples he had
attempted to steal."

   "Did you love him then?" Nabiki-kun asked softly.

   Opening her eyes, the memory shattered, Ifuku gazed at
Nabiki-kun with such sadness that Nabiki-kun could not
comprehend. "I have loved him since forever, my lord, and I
will love him for another eternity."

   Nabiki-kun could not understand how a strong feeling of
love could evoke an equally strong feeling of remorse.
Especially with two people who seemed to have the simplest
of lives that she could only dream of. "Why?"

   "Because of who he is." Ifuku whispered, and then
shrugged. Nabiki-kun could almost feel the sadness that
laced the words she spoke of. "Because of who I am. Because
of what we did--"

   Nabiki-kun nodded, cutting the girl off. She didn't want
to hear any more of what she was saying. "You may go,
Ifuku."

   The maid bowed and disappeared inside Akane's room.
Nabiki-kun could only stare at the door, long after she
closed it. Sighing he moved away from Kodachi's room towards
his own.

   Nabiki-kun rounded the corner only to bump into his twin,
he raised an eyebrow at him. He had already changed and was
wearing a new set of Chinese clothes, and from the looks of
it, he'd been waiting for Nabiki-kun.

   "You know, pacing around isn't going to help our problem
any." Nabiki-kun quipped as he threw Ranma a bundle that he
had picked up when he left Akane's room. It held the cloth
was going to be used for the ceremonial garb. "Now all you
have to do is learn how to sew and how to fast talk Happosai
out of punishing you and we're all set."

   "You don't like her much do you?" Ranma answered as he
opened the package gingerly, unfurling the smooth black silk
that was hidden in it. More than enough for one shirt, at
least there was some room for error.

   Nabiki-kun snorted as he folded his arms across his chest
looking at Ranma wearily. "If I recall, the whole reason
we're in this mess in the first place is that *you* don't
like her either." Nabiki-kun pointed out.

   Shrugging, Ranma swiftly folded the material again. "Hey,
at least I try to be nice from time to time." Then, before
Nabiki-kun could answer him, he was gone. Nabiki-kun
narrowed his eyes at him. He was using the Forbidden
Techniques again. He was going to strangle him when this was
all over. He almost sighed... that was the eighth time that
day he made the promise.

   "Coward." At least he wasn't the one who was going to sew
this time. "You'll need this!" He held up a needle and a
roll of black thread in the air, in a manner that was
clearly taunting.

   In a split second, the thread and needle had both
disappeared. Nabiki-kun shook his head. Saotome women had
always been trained before hand of their duties when time
came, of ceremonies, of social status, of what to do.

   The ceremonial garb was more than a piece of black cloth
with fancy needlework, it was something that had always been
a show of how a mother loved her child... because after the
sword was given, their meetings would be rare, if not never
again.

   It was the tangible link between mother and child and the
symbolism that the child will always be loved. It was the
reason why Nabiki couldn't bring herself to do Kodachi's.
Maybe Kodachi didn't know what that cloth meant, but Nabiki
did, and she would never be able to give that to *her*.

   "Ranma!" Nabiki-kun called out, "I know you can hear me,
you have to talk to your wife. Happosai's little test isn't
*easy*, you know."

   "Is that... *worry* in your voice Lady Nabiki?" Ranma
asked from the shadows he had disappeared to. Nabiki-kun
didn't even try to pinpoint his location. His mastery of the
Umisenken is unparalleled, even with the Umisenken's own
creator. "Why thank you, but I believe the Lady Saotome can
do well with this challenge."

   Nabiki-kun didn't say anything for a while, letting Ranma
think what he wanted. Let him do what he want, but he cannot
just leave Kodachi memorizing the oath without any
preparation for what Happosai has in store for her.

   "I'm just thinking what Happosai is going to say when he
finds out that his best hatamoto was bested by his worst
vassal." It was ironic really, Ranma really wasn't bested...
he had just been a bit impressed. Her words worked against
her. It still stung her pride to know about Sohin sneaking
up to her. No one would ever find out, but *she* knew, and
that was all that mattered.


~~~


   Sohin had been left at the gates of Rose Brier, with
Nabiki's explicit instructions not to come in when they had
reached its arches. Only when the fight between Ranma and
Akane had stopped and the night had deepened, had she
allowed Ifuku to go and fetch him.

   Food had been sent, he was not overly hungry, but he was
tired and he needed a bath. Her proclamation of engagement
to the whole household was a surprise, but she had taken
pains to *try* to explain it to Ifuku. Ifuku had been mildly
amused, but had not understood because Nabiki kept running
up into walls.

   Finally, Nabiki decided to let Sohin explain and told the
woman to ask her husband about it. Because of their supposed
engagement, and Nabiki's embarrassment at borrowing Sohin,
she had permitted Ifuku to leave for the night, lending
Kodachi her own maid. All trysts between the two had been
forgiven with a minor scolding that she should be informed
of marriages and such things in the future.

   Still she gave a suspicious look at the Ifuku before she
the maid go. Although she could trust her life with Ifuku,
she didn't know if Sohin could buy Ifuku's loyalties.

   Ifuku excused herself early from her chores, the
household almost normal again. With Nabiki around to talk to
Ranma and Akane, they could almost pretend that everything
was fine.

   There had been nothing to do at the house, and she would
only hamper the sewing that the twins were doing and
whatever preparation Akane had put herself onto. The reason
to why Ranma was still angry at Akane was unknown and she
did not ask, fearing that it was a sore spot.

   Still, when she stepped out of the house, it was already
evening and the air was cool. She brought a small shawl of
sorts to place around her shoulders for protection against
the cold winds.

   As Nabiki had said, Sohin was waiting by the gates, and
rather impatiently because he had been alone longer than
necessary, but his face lit up immediately when he saw Ifuku
walk up to him.

   When she herself spotted Sohin, Ifuku ran up to him and
hugged him. "Have you been well, Sohin? The boy... how is
the boy? What is this I hear about you and Lady Nabiki not
getting along?"

   Sohin chuckled as he disentangled himself from her fierce
hug. "Let's walk by the shore, Ifuku. Will you be missed?"

   She shook her head, her duties done for the day, Akane
had already expected her gone, and Nabiki knows where she
is. As they neared the water's edge Ifuku bent her head low.
"Lady Nabiki has your marital comb, Sohin. Is there
something you wish to tell me? Has our secret been passed on
to another ear?"

   Sohin laughed at her, Ifuku merely looked at him with a
small frown. "This isn't a joke, Sohin. I told you to find
Lady Nabiki because I thought you would be the best to tell
her what she needs to know. Not offer her a betrothal!"

   "You sound just like my mother, Ifuku-chan." Sohin smiled
as he offered his hand to her, something that he had always
gallantly offered when they were together. "Trust me." Words
that he had always told her when she doubted his intentions,
and she always has given her trust to him willingly.

   She shook her head at his words. Still not letting the
issue drop, because who had brought it up. "Do not jest with
me, Sohin. I don't think I can take such a joke from you.
Lady Nabiki asked me questions of you, of us. What did you
tell her?"

   Sohin frowned at the way Ifuku glared at him. As usual,
he tried to divert her attention before she peered into
something that he wasn't ready to answer yet. "Do you wish
to argue on a beautiful night, or are you going to trust me
on something as minor as Lady Saotome?"

   Ifuku's mouth hung open with indignation at his words.
"Minor?" She shook her head again, her worry escalating. "I
would not call Lady Saotome 'minor', especially not when
your marital comb is with her. Especially not if you gave it
to her because you're in --"

   "Do you trust me, Ifuku?" Sohin asked softly as he pulled
her closer to him, effectively silencing her. She didn't
answer immediately so he prodded her again, wanting to hear
the reassurance that he had always had with her. "Don't you
trust me?"

   Ifuku's gaze softened and she sighed. She gave a resigned
nod. "Of course I trust you. It's just that -- your marital
comb? You provoked her, Sohin. I could see it in the way she
asked about you."

   "Leave Lady Saotome to me, Ifuku." He whispered then
kissed her softly on the forehead. "You should learn to
trust me more."

   "I already trust you too much. I wish I could bring a
parasol for the two of us, Sohin," Ifuku sighed and then
whispered as she drew close, letting the unexplained
engagement go. "But peasants are not allowed to such
luxury."

   He gave her a soft smile in return, happy that she had
dropped the subject to move on to the more mundane things in
life. "How has the year been for you, Ifuku?"

   "As well as one might, Sohin," She brought her finger
upon her cheek wiping away the signs of what seemed to be
tears, but it was gone in an instant replaced by another
smile. She brought up her earlier questions, "And you? How
is the boy?"

   He frowned at her question. "Well."

   She took his hand and followed his lead. As usual, he
picked the best place to talk, near the waves. They always
talked by the shore, it was private and the waves lulled you
into a false sense of security she missed. It was through
practicality that Sohin chose the venue.

   With the waves crashing against the sand, their
conversation was muted to prying ears. They have long since
learned that the night has eyes that pry, and the wind has
ears that listen.

   As Ifuku took her straw slippers in one hand while she
stepped on the soft sand of the shoreline she sighed while
Sohin supported her. "How long has it been, Sohin? Have you
visited her grave?"

   "No, I've always waited for you." Taking her slippers in
his hand they walked in companionable silence in the night,
with only the wind, and the lull of the waves breaking their
thought.

   How long they walked, they did not know. They did not
stop until they reached the cliff that broke off Kamakura
from the other cities. It had been quite distance from Rose
Brier.

   Sohin looked up from the cliff and climbed a little
before offering Ifuku a hand, setting her slippers down for
her to use, she smiled up at him, but adeptly followed, his
offer not needed. The cliff was high, but they didn't climb
further than what would have been a normal person's height.

   When Sohin pulled Ifuku up the final distance, they
stumbled through the small cave that had been the object of
their long walk. There was a lantern at the side. Ifuku had
left it there a year ago when the storm had broken out.

   While Sohin lighted the lamp, Ifuku went into the cave
and knelt down in front of a small circlet of stones, done
so that it would mark the soft ground of the cave. It had
been their sanctuary long ago. "I'm sorry, we did not bring
flowers for you."

   The pale yellow light from Sohin's lantern slowly filled
the crevice as he walked towards her, Ifuku brushed the
small stones as if in contemplation. "I'm sorry we had no
burial, no food. I'm very sorry."

   Sohin touched Ifuku's shoulder lightly. Still feeling a
large amount of guilt coming from Ifuku he tried to reassure
her. "She understands. We don't have money, Ifuku, much less
something to bury her in... or cremate her..."

   "She deserves better." Ifuku whispered then finally she
stood up and dusted her kimono off, some of the soil
clinging on to her, the scent of the cave of mixed soil and
grass. "Do you blame me for what happened to her, Sohin?"

   He shook his head vehemently as he held her shoulders for
comfort. "We already talked about this Ifuku. It had always
been a sacrificial blow. She knew what happened. It was her
choice as much as your own."

   "Is it?" Ifuku shook her head as she patted his hands. "I
can't keep this up anymore Sohin. How long can we remain as
we are? I cannot train in what seems to be a useless dream
to some while masking what I know most of the time."

   "You tire of who we are?" Sohin asked softly as he
embraced her comfortingly.

   "I tire of who we are not. Is it not tiring to constantly
pretend to be someone else?" Ifuku gave a long sigh. "But I
fear that the more I lose myself towards what I am now that
I forget who I really am."

   "That if you look into the mirror the person you see is
the person who you made and not you?" Sohin snorted as he
looked at her. "How clich�. It's practical to forget who we
are -- who we were."

   Ifuku shoved Sohin aside as she frowned. "And you are
entirely too boring. Do you ever think of going back to
Sanuki, Sohin?"

   "I would never think of going without you." He assured
her as he walked past her to bend down and pay his respects.
A small thin silver that glinted when the light flickered
across it caught his eye. He picked the thin link up and
lifted it against the light.

    Curious, Ifuku peered at what Sohin was holding and
recognized it almost immediately. "That's her ear piece."
Ifuku said as she got a good look at it. "It was something
that she had since her birth."

    Ifuku looked at Sohin questioningly as he handed her the
ornament. He turned back towards the grave, took away his
top shirt and handed that to Ifuku as well. That done he
knelt near the grave and began digging at the soil
frantically with his hands. "There's something..."

   "Sohin! Don't --" But Ifuku stood back and let him
finish, knowing that there must be a good reason for his
sudden want to dig a year old body from its grave. She
looked over his shoulder awaiting the body.

   After an hour of working at the soil, and it having a
considerable dent on it, Ifuku stared at the empty hole
backing away slightly. "No... It can't be... this is high
enough to..."

   "She's missing." Sohin said thunderstruck, he looked at
Ifuku, his eyes wild with anger and worry, not knowing what
to do with the sudden revelation.

   Ifuku shook her head as if clearing it, trying to will
that the hole had a grotesque decomposing body with worms
and maggots, not of the empty hole that sat there. "Maybe
the marker was wrong..."

   "Ifuku! The marker was buried into the ground, a circle
of them, untouched..." Sohin stepped out of the hole that he
made, the sweat mixing with the earth forming a brownish
tint against his arms, feet and face. He took his shirt from
Ifuku and hastily put it on. "I don't think wild animals
could have gotten this far. No, the body was moved."

   "Moved!" Ifuku was close to tears as she sank towards the
ground. She moved her hands against the ground as if willing
the body to return. "But who would want a dead body? Surely
it's of no use to anyone..."

   "Let's get out of here," Sohin suddenly answered blowing
the light out of the lantern, pulling Ifuku up, supporting
half of her weight against his body. Although it was a
useless act in itself, because the enemy was long gone, it
made him feel safer. "I have a bad feeling about this."

   "Who would want her body?" Ifuku wailed. Not really
caring that she sounded like a child or that her voice was
loud enough to carry across the walls.

   "Think, Ifuku, Think!" Sohin whispered urgently,
cautiously looking out of the cave before going out himself,
with Ifuku in tow. "Who do we know is dreadfully demented,
doesn't give up and badly wants her dead or alive?"

   "Lady Chisei..." Ifuku whispered, realization dawning on
her. She looked up to Sohin in fright, and realized that he
too was as pale as ash. The news was not good.  Smart as
well as dreadfully demented, a very dangerous combination.
And Chisei has always been dangerous.

   "We're not safe in Kamakura anymore." Sohin murmured,
rain was starting to fall and the air smelled of the earth.
"Faster, before the tide rises and we get stuck."

   Finally shaken out of her stupor, Ifuku regained the use
of her limbs. "Then where are we safe?" She did not want to
leave the only place that had made her feel secure since her
father died. "I can't let Chisei take her body!"

   "We have no choice in the matter, Ifuku!" Sohin almost
sounded like a father scolding his child. He shook her
slightly as they went down to emphasize his words, trying to
rattle her enough to bring common sense to her. "We can't go
up and knock on her door. She controls the Sanuki, damn it.
Listen to me."

   "Control doesn't mean ownership." Ifuku whispered as she
jumped down the final rock face on her own. "Ownership
doesn't mean loyalty. How long will the people of Sanuki
follow her?"

   "As long as it takes for her to die."


~~~


   The house was eerily silent that evening, and Ranma
fidgeted under the flickering light that the lantern was
giving off. He adjusted the light a bit before continuing
the staring match with the black cloth and the sewing
materials he had snatched from Nabiki.

   Sighing, he folded them all and neatly tucked it away at
the alcove where he kept all his clothes and stood up. He
wasn't going to get any work done if he just *stared* at a
piece of cloth all day.

   Jumping up from his position, he decided to take a walk
at the village. The streets usually calmed his nerves.
Kamakura was a silent city at night where the children
usually helped mend their father's fishing net or sew by the
evening firelight, and the semblance of normalcy, of
peacefulness -- of home would do him good.

   He stepped out his usual doorway -- the window and jumped
down from the house. Rather than employing his usual break
neck run, he took a leisurely pace from the gardens of Rose
Brier that led to the residential area of the city.

   "Hey," Someone called from behind him. He swiveled around
slowly to find Akane leaning out of her window. She was
almost unnoticeable through her dark room, but at the
distance, he could see her. He was just a few feet away from
the house. "We need to talk."

   "What's there to talk about?" Ranma answered coolly,
bringing his hands up to his neck and leaning against them,
as if he had nothing better to do with his time. "Let me
remind you that you're the one who ran out on me."

   "I was wrong, I'm sorry, you shocked me." A small wisp of
hair fell from her face as she leaned forward to see him
better. She would have missed him in the night if not for
his white shirt and for the fact that the cliff elevated the
house. She could see the whole garden and the bay from her
window. "Can't we talk about this whole inauguration thing?"

   He shrugged. "It's something all samurai go through, I'm
sure Nabiki has talked you through it. You know anything
goes, Saotome samurai who know of its style must be known to
the clan. It's protectionism. But that's not what you want
to talk about is it?"

   Akane hesitated then nodded, there was no use in going
about in circles. This was the only chance she'd get of
finding out anything from him. "Why the sudden change of
mood? I thought we've worked things out?"

   "Things changed. I talked to your brother. You don't have
to pretend anymore." Ranma looked up at her. He gave her a
smile that Akane decided was out of spite rather than one
meant to reassure her. "I should have seen this coming
Kodachi. It's no one else's fault but mine."

   "Don't turn this around!" Akane answered angrily, she
slammed her fist against the window sill as she glared at
him. "You were the one who deceived me. Ranko? Why didn't
you tell me?"

   "Because you knew of it already." Ranma shook his head as
his smile dropped back to the neutral expression she was
used to seeing. Jusenkyo was an unwritten pledge he and
Nabiki had. Jusenkyo was also an order from Happosai...
Jusenkyo was a clan secret. "Besides even if you didn't
know, it would have been easier than having to explain
Jusenkyo to you. You wouldn't really understand anyway."

   Akane closed her eyes. She was close to giving up. "I
would have at least tried to understand." She had said it so
softly, that Ranma almost didn't hear her.

   "But would you have believed?" Ranma asked. It was an
irrational fight. He knew that she had known of Jusenkyo
from the start of their marriage, that she had known of
'Ranko', but she insisted on fighting about it.

   She shook her head, wishing that she could find out where
Kodachi's brother was... just so she could find out what he
had said, why he had changed. "Perhaps you don't trust me
because you don't understand me."

   "Yes, I don't understand you, and I think I never will."
Ranma shook his head as he dropped his hands to his sides,
he looked at her straight in the eyes, "Trust is earned,
Kodachi... The inauguration is in five days. Memorize the
oath, and prepare yourself. Anything goes competitors don't
hold back in *this* fight."

   He turned to go when she called out again. "Wait!"

   He didn't turn back but almost unwillingly stopped in his
tracks, when she was assured he wouldn't move she asked,
"What about us?"

   "There never was anything of the sort." Ranma closed his
eyes, to try to forget, to block out the painful feelings
that came with the memories of her words. "That was a plan
on your part and a mistake on mine. Think of it as a dream.
I promise I won't tell your parents."

   With that he disappeared. Akane stared at the spot he had
stayed at for a very long time.


~~~


   Nabiki raised an eyebrow when she noticed Akane staring
out the window and sighed. Ifuku has not yet turned in for
the night since she had given her time with her husband.
Because of this, the duties of taking care of Akane fell
onto her hands. A job she particularly disliked.

   If she wasn't the reason why Ifuku was having a tryst
with her husband, she would have gladly passed this job to
her maid, whom she had sworn in not to tell Ifuku of the
arrangement, but as it was she would just have to hold her
breath and endure.

   Entering Akane's spacious room, Nabiki skillfully set
down the porcelain bowl that Akane used to wash her face, a
small wash cloth and some of the oils that Kodachi favored.
She pulled a small night kimono from Akane's dresser and
pulled the one with soft lilies and swans on it, laying it
all down in a pleasing manner... 'The things I do to keep
this house quiet.' Nabiki thought as she turned to Akane.

   "My lady, your wash," It was only then that Akane had
realized her entrance, and she had been surprised at who had
brought her things, equally so because of Nabiki's position
in the house, and the way she had addressed her.

   "Nabiki, is Ifuku ill? Shouldn't she be..."

   "Ifuku is with her husband, Lady Kodachi, I'm paying off
a debt." Nabiki answered in the sweetest tone she had ever
used towards Akane. She had gone through pains to remove the
malice that usually dripped from her sarcastic tone and it
actually sounded sincere.

   If Akane had any more objections, she kept her mouth
wisely shut as she washed her face from the water and then
her hands, wiping it delicately against the small towel that
Nabiki offered, then, Nabiki started to undo the laces on
her hair and combed it down.

   "Nabiki, do you know why Ranma is mad at me?" Akane asked
tentatively, not knowing who to address anymore. Not knowing
*how* to address them.

   "I'm not in liberty to say." Nabiki answered as she
continued to brush Akane's long black locks. "Do you love my
brother, Lady Kodachi?"

   There was a deep intake of breath, and a small tentative
nod, as if she was unsure of her answer. The strings were
weak and yet it was there. "I have never liked you, my lady,
and to tell you the truth, I don't think I ever will. I've
been forced civility to you before, but none as close as
this." Nabiki brushed Akane's hair and swept it up to the
high ponytail that she was accustomed to.

   Nabiki traced the long scar that she had made across
Kodachi's throat. It was something that had healed a long
time ago. "Do you remember where this came from Lady
Kodachi?"

   "What?" Akane asked not knowing what Nabiki was referring
to for she has never seen the scar.

   Nabiki shook her head, as if convincing herself of the
truth. "I was admiring an old scar of yours, Lady Kodachi."
Nabiki stood up as she helped Akane to her evening kimono.
"You forget easily, my lady, yet I wonder if you truly have
forgotten or maybe selectively remembered. I'm at a loss
whether to believe you or be weary of you."

   She has always seen Akane, or maybe it was Kodachi, even
she was confused. She didn't know if it was all a big
mistake. Maybe this woman that stood before her was telling
the truth, that she was Akane, she knows anything goes, and
yet her moves lack the grace of the gymnast that she had
been trained in. Fighting skills were something that was so
hard to differ, so hard to change. Kodachi fought with
grace, this one fought with strength.

   'Sometimes the truth is hard to take... but it's still
the truth.' Nabiki thought as she stared at Akane. If
Jusenkyo taught her anything, that was one of them. If this
is truly who she was, then had they all made a mistake in
judging her, just as she had made the mistake of judging
them?

   "Be weary then, because if you believe, you might blame
me if I'm not the person who you think I am." Akane sighed
as she looked out. "Does your brother make it a habit to
move out so late at night?"

   "You've noticed." Nabiki smirked as she followed Akane's
gaze towards the window. "And Sasuke gave the signal that
he's asleep already, he escapes so easily... he misses the
freedom of his youth, when he was not lord to a land. We
were brought up differently, Ranma and I, and I guess it
makes it hard upon him."

   Hard upon the both of them, but she wasn't about to
reveal that to her brother's wife. She saw Akane sigh once
again, and Nabiki, as she had been accustomed to most of her
life, found herself psychoanalyzing Ranma's wife. "Don't
worry about it too much."

   Akane looked back at her startled. "You mean Ranma? I
thought you were against the very idea of us being together.
I don't think I've ever heard anything kind from you."

   "You misjudge me," Nabiki bowed gracefully. "I am but a
sister who cares deeply for her older brother, I want the
best for him, but that's not what I was referring to."

   "Then what?" Akane asked puzzled not knowing what else
Nabiki could see.

   Nabiki tilted her head to the side as if assessing her,
then whispered urgently to her, as if her life depended on
the answer. "The pain."

   "What hurts?" Akane asked genuinely confused at this
point.

   "Knowing that the reason you want to avoid my brother is
because you want to be with him so much and the reason you
have tried to hate him is because you love him." Nabiki blew
the light off the lantern to help Akane sleep, picking up
all the things that she had brought with her. "You're
confusing yourself. But it's normal."

   "I can't be *ab*normal to in the first place, because
there is no situation to act abnormally *on*." Akane
answered irritably, having lost Nabiki completely.

   Nabiki shook her head, she didn't know why she found so
much fun in trying to get to her brother's love interests,
but she found that they were so much fun to tease. But there
was some grain of truth in what she said. She could not
outright lie to them... not about this. "Then this isn't
abnormal? Pining away for someone who steals one fleeting
moment then turns around completely for another? For someone
who looks out the window hoping for a stolen glance that
would never reach you? Then perhaps you are normal, my dear
Akane, perhaps I am mistaken."

   She opened the shoji and some of the soft light from the
hall spilled down the almost dark room, and Nabiki looked
back. "For your sake, hope that I am not wrong, because if
not, then you are the woman that I have sworn to kill, my
lady. Pray to whatever gods you believe in that you truly
love my brother and not the power he will have or the land
he owns. This may be the last time I will talk to you in
such a manner, but now more so than ever, I distrust you and
yet I find myself doubting my mistrust."

   "I am torn between the two personalities you have
presented me, my lady, torn between two truths that even I
cannot sift through." Nabiki shook her head in disdain and
then stared back at Akane again. "I am tired, my lady, and I
hope that what you have shown me tonight is who you are, not
who you want us to believe you are."

   "But... that's just the same thing..." Akane protested.

   "Not to us." Nabiki whispered, then continued, "You are
to become part of our school, and that holds more than your
claim to be Ranma's wife." Nabiki shook her head. "I hope
you understand the meaning of that oath, the meaning of why
you have been taken in."

   With that Nabiki shut the door and left Akane pondering
on what she had said.


~~~


   Ifuku and Sohin arrived barely in time for the sun to
rise and Ifuku was so tired Sohin was half carrying her
through the halls. As Sohin moved towards the house
Ranma-chan met him at one of the higher halls. She raised
her eyebrow at his charge then at him. "If you're trying to
sneak up on the house, I suggest some quiet. I thought the
house was under siege." She quipped at him as she grumbled.
"What are you doing up this early?"

   Sohin didn't know why he was being questioned so boldly
by someone who didn't own the house. He didn't know how to
react with her question so he settled on giving her a
puzzled look. "Uh... taking a stroll?"

   Ranma-chan gave him a sidelong glance then turned to
Ifuku. "Hey Ifuku, I know you're married and all, but you
should know by now that being out up 'til the first hour of
the day would do wonders for your head when you're trying to
please Kodachi." She sighed as Ifuku just raised her bleary
eyes at Ranma. "Dead tired eh? Well she's out. What did you
do to her? Wait... I *really* don't want to know. Here give
her to me."

   Sohin obliged, the woman seemed to know what she was
doing, and he had to get out of the house to see what Chisei
was up to anyway. "If Ifuku asks she could always meet me at
the temple." He told Ranma-chan. Sohin was surprised when he
found out what Ranma-chan meant by giving Ifuku to her. He
had been expecting her to assist Ifuku to bed, not to
continue carrying her. She nodded.

   "So, you're leaving without any say so." Ranma-chan
smiled a little at the thought and then proceeded to tease
him. "That's going to be hard on your 'engagement' with
Nabiki. She needs her groom you know."

   At that moment, an equally disoriented Nabiki got out of
her room glaring daggers at Ranma-chan. "Ranma!" Sohin took
a step back, as he took in Ranma-chan's features again. It
had taken him a while to connect the name with the person
since he had not seen the effects of Jusenkyo before. 'How
could I have been so dense? Ifuku told me about Jusenkyo.'

   Nabiki ran a hand through her hair, with the braid
replaced by a loose ponytail it hung below her waistline the
brown locks curled at the ends reaching her knees as she
tried to support herself with her left hand while heavily
leaning against the shoji. If there was something Sohin
learned about their month long stay together, it was that
Nabiki was definitely *not* a morning person.

   "I know you're alive and well in this hour... and I know
I'm supposed to be awake when you are... but I really need
another stick of sleep today. So I was wondering if you
could please keep your tone down?" Nabiki always said things
in a manner that brooked no argument. It looked like she had
been up all night and morning and had gone to bed wearing
what she had worn the day before. Ranma-chan noticed that
she did take the time to take her hair out of its usual
braid to put it in a simple loose ponytail the comb firmly
wedged between the bindings.

   She just gave her a small smile then turned towards Sohin
and nodded to him before she went to Ifuku's room. "Sure,
Nabiki." Ranma-chan called out with a smile. "<However
you've just blown the entire Jusenkyo thing with Sohin and I
really hope you have a replacement groom 'cuz this one's
leaving!>" With that Ranma disappeared into Ifuku's room.

   Sohin just stared, although he had not understood a word
that she had said, he had a feeling that leaving fast seemed
to be a good idea. When he moved to depart, he noticed that
his shirt was caught on something.  When he turned around in
an attempt to free it, he noticed that it was connected to
Nabiki's finger.

   She released his shirt with distaste. "Figures. You're
*just* the type to give me problems so early in the
morning." She crossed her arms in front of her suddenly
lucid. And if Sohin hadn't been with her for the past week,
he would have never guessed that Nabiki Saotome was not a
morning person. At that moment, it looked like she was never
frazzled.

   "Uh... I really need to go, Lady Saotome." It sounded
weak, even to his ears, but he could give no reason for the
sudden departure, just as he could give no concrete reason
for his sudden arrival.

   Although he had been expecting a fight, Nabiki didn't
seem like she was going to give one. She nodded. "You have
your own life, and I had been expecting you to leave
sooner." She took out the comb she had worn in her hair,
taking a while to detangle it from the bindings. He had been
so used to seeing on her, that he had not noticed its
presence until she had touched it. "Although..." She shook
her head. "Thank you, Sohin-san." She took off a coiled
strand of hair from the comb and handed the comb back to
him.

   He looked at the comb uneasily. It was his custom to
trade one gift for another, and he had been planning to
leave the house without the comb with him. Now that it was
presented to him, Nabiki's suspicion would be roused by a
refusal. Especially since it was supposedly Ifuku's. He
nodded as he took the comb and put it away in the pack that
he always carried.

   He turned to go when Nabiki's amused voice stopped him.
"What, no good-bye?" There was no mistaking the small laugh
in her voice. "I know I've been hard to live with, but even
I deserve a decent farewell."

   "Does that *decent* farewell include a kiss?" He asked
moving his head sideways to see her response to his quip.

   She shifted lightly leaning against the shoji the grin
leaving her face. "Surely, Sohin-san, you know that kisses
come from courtesans in the futon and wives in the marriage
bed. Since I am neither your wife nor your whore, I am not
in a position to give you what you ask for. I would rouse
Ifuku for your request but since she's just been put to bed,
I find that venture a waste."

   "You're mistaken, my lady," Sohin said mildly, still not
turning towards Nabiki and the silent outrage that was still
lingering in her eyes. "It was not my request. It had been
yours."

   He continued out of the hall towards the staircase, at
the last minute, he raised his hand for a half-hearted wave,
although it seemed out of place because he had not turned
back to look.

   A thought came unbidden to his mind, 'I didn't even say
goodbye to Ifuku.'


~~~


   Kodachi slapped her new captive to rouse him from the
potion she had used on him. The mild tranquilizer she had
painstakingly created in her labs, she used sparingly for
she had only stolen a few from Rose Brier. She had to save
what she had for her plans, with its quantity decreasing
rapidly and her sources only at Rose Brier, she had to be
frugal.

   Her impatience for him to wake up was urged by the fact
that she hated delays in her plans, and he was most
certainly a delay in hers. He was fair, samurai from the way
he held himself... surely not a ronin with his clothes, and
it looks like he was not far from the main lines... His
family must want whoever was supposed to be in this body --
or her.

   He blinked in his dazed state, as he was slowly brought
back to reality, only to find himself skillfully rendered
paralyzed by Kodachi's drugs and by the ropes that bound
him. "You're awake. Good. I don't like wasting time, why
have you been following me?"

   From the looks of it, he wasn't going to answer her. That
was all right, after the sleep toxin wears off the truth
serum will kick in, but that would take some time. Samurai
were extremely dull, they didn't respond to torture and
aren't afraid to die. "Since you don't like to talk, and
you're not a Saotome samurai, I'm guessing you're after the
previous owner of my body."

   He was confused, Kodachi's smile grew wider. "I don't
normally talk to strangers, but I'll make an exception for
you, because, my dearest boy, I am not the woman you are
looking for." She gave him a small pat on the cheek for
emphasis, then took the sword that she had separated from
him from her waist. "A fine sword you have here, light...
and very sharp... you're not from the south are you?"

   "Yes?" Kodachi gave out a small leisurely smile as he
watched him try to combat the drug, but to know avail... she
knew her potions well. "What's my name?"

   "Still mute?" Kodachi shrugged. "No matter, let's see...
you're from the south from the looks of your sword and your
clothes. You're from a very minor house since I don't
recognize the insignia on your sheath or your kimono. You
were shocked to see me. I'd wager it's because I'm supposed
to be dead."

   From the way he looked at her, Kodachi knew she hit not
far from the mark. She may have ignored a large part of her
schooling, but her teachers always grudgingly admitted that
she's smarter than most. "I wonder what your liege lord
would say if they found me alive and your head on a platter?
Still not willing to talk?"

   Kodachi stretched her muscles as she eyed him then leaned
back at the shoji. Still, it was good she was hunted down.
It was a clue to her body's past. Something that would tell
her what she was looking for. A few minutes after Kodachi
tried again. "Is the potion working already? Are you willing
to talk?" She didn't wait for an answer because she knew the
drug had already taken him fully. "My name, if you please."

   "Tendo Akane."

   Kodachi let out a small smile, yes, the gods do enjoy the
little games they play on their mortals don't they. Her
smile evolved to a full-blown laugh. To be in the body of
Hibiki Akane's *namesake* was a novelty, but to be in the
body of her ancestor? "Why do you hunt me?"

   And the long story was weaved out of the samurai. Before
the daylight faded into night, Kodachi was making plans on
how to use the Tendo Clan to her advantage.


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

Disclaimer: Ranma and co. were borrowed from the brilliant mind of
Rumiko Takahashi. Book that the story was based from was 'When there
was Hope.'


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

Author's Ramblings:

Happy New Year! :)

Some parts are still *very* rough. :/

Sanuki is the Kagawa prefecture. It was renamed to Kagawa later on in
life, when I'm not really sure (much like Edo turning into Tokyo and such).

Regarding Akane's move, Yama Arashi or Mountain Storm: This is
something I picked up at The HEAP: Ranma 1/2 RPG: Ki-based powers.
I don't know how it looks like and I don't even know what it is. I was just
looking for a move that was Akane's and you'll find that there are *very*
few Akane moves. :) (I would play Ranma RPG but it being in Japanese is
a major hindrance... :) Whether or not it is in the Anime/Manga I don't
know, but it most probably isn't.

Writing is coming along... slowly, as I have a Quantum Chemistry exam this
January. Anyway, I'm still stuck on the fight scene, someone has suggested
I look for ghost writers... but I'm working on finding someone to help me
with it first... if you want to help I could be reached at
iCe_an6el@yahoo.com.

Comments are welcome, especially at Ranma's attitude, suggestions are even
better especially with the fight scene. I suck at writing fight scenes and 
my
sister told me after reading this one that:: a) her head hurt from reading 
it
b) she thought Ranma was doing a Kouga (in InuYasha in case you haven't seen
it yet).

Fan art for the fanfic could be found at my homepage as well as they 
heirarchy of the daimyo etc.
If you wanna add more fan art, I'm amenable to that too. :)


~~iCe~~


PS.
My e-mail adress is iCe_an6el@yahoo.com
Feedback is Fuel

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


Homepage: http://iCe.esmartdesign.com/
Packrat's: http://members.tripod.com/the_packrat/anime.html
Fanfiction.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/~ice


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

ICQ: 51376120 - I hardly use ICQ anymore, but go ahead and try
			YM! iCe_an6el

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

I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves everyday  :)

										~~Unknown

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