True embarrassment is realizing you have been sitting on a chapter draft
for months, having been distracted by real life so you forget to release
it.  ^^;;;

Wheel of Anime:  Book 2 - The Hunt Is On
Chapter 2:  The Road to Tar Valon

By John Biles

http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/Jordan/


**********

	It seemed more an army than a procession when the Amyrlin's party
finally departed from Fal Dara.  The weather was comfortably warm, but not
hot, for only at the height of summer would the Borderlands become very
hot.  It was a good two and a half months or so since the abnormally long
winter had ended; it seemed almost an eternity to Ryouga since they had
left the Two Rivers.  He wondered how long it would be before they saw it
again.

	Shienarian lancers formed squadrons around the long line, which
further escorted by squadrons of pikemen wearing the livery of Tar Valon,
the white flame on a field of blue.  He wondered a moment why those two
colors got to be on the flag out of the nine colors of the Ajahs.

	Aes Sedai rode along, interspersed in knots, some all of one Ajah,
some more mixed.  Ranma-chan and Ukyou and Hinako all rode with Setsuna,
who was lecturing them on something or another.  He rode near them, with
Soun leading his horse.  He hated the necessity of that.

	Kurz and Nanami rode with him, which helped some.  They might be a
lord and a lady now, but they still treated him the same, for which he was
glad.  Umino rode with them as well, half listening in on the Aes Sedai
with those sensitive ears of his, and scribbling in his notebook.

	"They're going to get mad if they think you're spying," Ryouga
said.

	"Spying?" Umino said.  "They're talking in public.  Anyone could
overhear."

	"You should be writing down our witty conversation," Kurz said.

	"Oh, I am," Umino said, pointing to his incomprehensible scrawls
on the leftmost of the two open pages of his notebook.  "See, right
there."

	"It looks like Ranma's handwriting to me," Kurz said.

	"This is Master Milton's System of Rapid Notation of
Conversations," Umino said a little proudly.  "He was very pleased with
how quickly I can use it."

	"It's what?" Kurz asked.

	"Master Milton, one of my teachers at Stedding Shangtai, invented
a system for the quick notation of conversations.  It was carefully
designed after years of inviting humans to come over and talk, so that
Ogier could record conversations with humans without still being working
on the first sentence when the humans reach the last one.  I understand
the Illuminator's Guild found the idea so brilliant that they paid him a
huge amount of money for the right to use it themselves.  Now, his wife
thinks he ought to take that money and use it to finally have the Dorsine
collection rebound, but..."

	"Rambling," Kurz said.

	"Oh, right, right."  Scribble, scribble.  "Basically, it involves
memorizing a simple character for the most commonly used words.  Most
people only use about six hundred to a thousand words in daily
conversation, so with those characters, you can quickly note down human
conversations."

	"You memorized hundreds of characters, one per word?" Kurz asked
in disbelief.

	"Hmm?  Oh, it wasn't half as difficult as trying to memorize
Peerva's Guide to Ogier-Compatible Inns.  The worst part of which was
learning that Peerva hasn't bothered to update it in a century.  Half
those inns don't even exist any more."  He shook his head.  "The human
world is so strangely transient."

	Ryouga sighed.  "We've found that out the hard way.  I'm just glad
none of us are dead."

	"So am I," Umino said.  "You are all very fine humans, and I hope
we will have many decades to get to know each other."  He paused.  "You do
live for decades, right?"

	Ryouga stared at him for a moment, then laughed hard enough he
almost fell off his horse.  Setsuna, Ranma-chan, Ukyou, and Hinako all
turned and stared at him a moment, then Kurz and Nanami began laughing as
well.  Ryouga said, "As many as eight or nine of them if we're lucky."

	"That few," Umino said a little sadly, then said, "Well, if our
lives stay as exciting as they have been, I expect those decades will feel
like centuries."

	"It seems like centuries since we left home," Kurz said.  "Da's
never going to believe half the stories."

	"Probably a good thing," Ryouga said.  "He won't punish you for
anything he thinks didn't really happen."

	"Hardehar," Kurz said.  He stared off across the gently rolling
land.  "So how far is it to Tar Valon?"

	"Eleven days by boat and horse," Umino said.  "I expect the river
fleet will be quite magnificent, to carry this many people."

	"I wonder how much of the Tower's army this is," Kurz said,
looking up and down the marching ranks of pikemen.  "There must be a good
five hundred men here.  Not counting the lancers."

	"The Tower Guard is several thousand men in peacetime," Umino
said.  "I think."

	"Three thousand men," Soun said, breaking his silence and
startling them.  They'd half forgotten he was there.  "Tar Valon maintains
a thousand man permanent guard and can call out ten thousand men to defend
the city who are reasonably well-drilled as weekend soldiers go.  In a
true crisis, the city could put a hundred thousand men on its walls, if
they could find enough weapons for all of them."

	Kurz stared.  "A hundred THOUSAND?"

	"Tar Valon is eight miles long and anywhere from two to four miles
wide at various points," Soun said.  "At the height of the trading season,
it is home to over a million people."

	Nanami, Ryouga, and Kurz all stared at Soun.  Even Umino seemed a
little awed.  "Wow, it must be as magnificent as even...a city of the Age
of Legends," Kurz said.

	"There is no finer city in all the world," Soun said.  "It is not
perfect; nothing is.  But there you will be as safe as you can be
anywhere."

	"Do you think they'll..." Nanami began.

	"Some things are best not discussed where there are ears to
overhear," Soun said.

	Umino looked a little embarrassed.

	"Have you heard if they found the runaway Saldean Princess yet?"
Ryouga asked.

	"No," Soun said.  "I take it this is Himeko Bashere who ran away?"

	"I guess," Ryouga said.  "I didn't think to ask."

	"She is a wilful and stubborn child," Soun said.  "But then, most
Saldean women are.  You need not worry about her; I'm sure she's fine."

	Ryouga hoped Soun was right, but he just had a feeling that
wouldn't be resolved so simply.

*********

	"The most important aspect of being Aes Sedai is not the Power,"
Afura Mann said as she sat cross-legged near the fire.  "The most
important thing is learning to think clearly, so that you use that power
wisely, and learning to think ethically, so that you use it for good ends,
not evil."

	She glanced over at Ukyou, who was watching the kettle hanging
over the fire, waiting for it to boil.  Ukyou had the feeling she was
supposed to say something, but had no clue whatsoever as to what it might
be.  Finally, she asked, "Is that why we're making the tea without the
Power?"

	Afura nodded, seeming pleased.  "Yes.  Using the Power for
everyday things can be good practice and is often convenient, but we have
to ask ourselves, when we do such things, whether it is the wisest way to
do it.  Otherwise, we can get in the habit of using it all the time, which
can be catastrophic if, for example, one is trying to avoid advertising
one is Aes Sedai."  She shifted slightly, then glanced out across the huge
campsite at the many fires around which soldiers or Aes Sedai huddled.

	Ukyou followed her gaze and saw Kurz and Nanami and Ryouga with
some of their friends from Fal Dara, in the depths of a card game.  For a
moment, she wished she could be with them, relaxing and having fun.  It
must be nice being noble, she thought.

	"See if you can tell how many people are using the Power," Afura
said.

	Ukyou began gazing about the campsites and trying to use her new
senses.  She could see Ranma-chan and Hinako gawking about as well.
"Seventy five."

	"Seventy eight," Ranma-chan said.

	"Seventy three," Hinako said.

	"Too much channeling encourages one to use the bluntest solution,
to use a sledgehammer where a claw hammer will do.  If I teach you one
thing, it will be to think before you act, and to act with precision, in
accordance with ethical guidelines," Afura said.  "The right thing is not
always clear, but you must learn how to find it.  Otherwise, you will be
seduced by the temptation of power.  That is the road the Grateful
Deadlords walked during the Trolloc Wars, and the Forsaken before them."

	Hinako stared off into the darkness, towards a cluster of women
with blue shawls.  "Some Aes Sedai seem to think that having the Power
means they can do whatever they want."

	"Like dragging young villagers out of their home, hauling them
hundreds of miles to the Borderlands, then pushing some of them into the
Tower?" Afura asked.  "I had heard you spoke plainly, but I see you can
dance around a subject as well as many I have known."

	Ranma-chan laughed, then shut up quickly when Afura stared coolly
at her.  Ukyou managed to avoid laughing, though she found it pretty funny
that Afura had cut to the heart of things so quickly.

	"I'm not dancing around...bloody ashes," Hinako half-shouted, then
tried to get hold of herself.  "My...my apologies, Sedai.  I shouldn't
swear."

	"No, you shouldn't," Afura said.  "But I will answer your
question.  There are, of course, many systems of ethical thought among the
Aes Sedai; so long as my own Ajah continues to debate such questions we
can hardly expect the other Ajahs to accept any one teaching of ours as
the true path.  But that is another question."  She paused.  "I ramble
like an Ogier, my apologies."

	"We're used to it from Umino," Ranma-chan said.

	"Anyway, to continue," Afura said, with perhaps a hint of
embarrassment, "Are you familiar with the concepts of deontology and
utilitarianism?"

	"It sounds like something a Tinker would say, just before the
chimney exploded," Ranma-chan said.

	Afura sighed.  "Most Aes Sedai, to a greater or lesser extent,
hold to the idea that the goal for which you do something is more
important than what you do to achieve it, in terms of determining if an
action is moral.  The greater good outweighs the good or desires of
individuals.  This is utilitarianism.  Deontologists, by contrast, say
that individuals have rights and duties, and those rights may outweigh the
benefit which might be derived from violating them, and those duties
cannot be denied.  This is all too brief and simplified, but I'm afraid we
don't have time tonight for you to read any of the standard texts."

	There was a silence as they tried to parse that into their own
understanding.  Finally, Ranma-chan said, "So, you're saying that most Aes
Sedai think that you can do anything at all, as long as it's for a good
goal?"

	"That's to put it in highly over-simplified terms," Afura said.
"For example, the Three Oaths remove certain courses of action from moral
consideration at all, by making them impossible to us.  Esmaraude may be
right, and we may need a large stock of power-wrought weapons when Tarmon
Gai'don comes, but the Three Oaths make that impossible, since we can't
make them ourselves.  And as a general rule, most sisters are reluctant to
engage in criminal activities, however good the cause.  But in general, we
are willing to trample on what others see as their rights, in order to
promote a greater good."

	"But how does that make us any better than the Shadow?" Hinako
said.  "It sounds ruthless to me."

	"Our goals are good and noble," Afura said.  "And ideally, we go
only so far as we must.  And we police each other; the Ajahs, the Hall,
and the Amyrlin reins in and punishes those of who go too far for good
reasons or bad.  It is not a perfect system, but if we are to fulfill the
duties inherent in our power, it is what we must work with, I think."

	Hinako frowned.  "Yes, but you can talk yourself around to justify
almost any action with a good enough goal."

	"It is a danger," Afura said, staring off into the darkness.  "But
the world is full of stubborn people who cannot see what is good for them,
of nations who squabble endlessly and people who let in the Shadow while
they fight for a place in the light.  I agree with the Blues.  We have to
meddle sometimes, for to do otherwise is to waste the Power the Creator
has given us.  We keep each other honest, as best we can."

	She turned and looked at Ukyou.  "Are you unhappy about what has
happened to you?  To me, you seem interested in becoming Aes Sedai."

	"I am, Sedai," Ukyou said.  "I never hoped to be anything more
than maybe the Wisdom one day, but now...it's terrifying, but it's
exciting too.  I want to be Aes Sedai."

	"And you, Ranma?" Afura asked.

	Ranma-chan stared at her, trying to read her emotions, but he
couldn't.  She might have been a statue for all she showed them.  "I gotta
learn or die," Ranma-chan said.  "I dunno if I'll stick around for the
whole thing."  She looked off at the knots of Aes Sedai.  "Though I have
the impression they may not let me wiggle out of it."

	"The three of you will have a level of Power unmatched by any
living Aes Sedai," Afura said.  "So yes, we will be reluctant to let any
of you leave.  The Tower needs you."

	"So what we want doesn't matter at all," Ranma-chan said bitterly.

	"We too make sacrifices, for all the world sees us as demanding
leeches sometimes," Afura said.  "The Creator gave us this Power so we
could use it to make the world a better place.  To do otherwise is to
begin to walk into the Shadow.  We may not always agree on what should be
done, but we have to give things up for what we have been given.  And some
of our potential freedom is part of that."

	Hinako frowned.  "I am with Ranma on this.  I do not want to be
used.  Or to become someone who uses people."

	"In the end, whatever I teach you, however I or others may try to
persuade you or manipulate you, it is up to you to decide what to do.  It
has been..."  She paused, her gaze unfocusing a moment.  "Many years since
I last had any Kohais willing to challenge my moral authority.  It is not
something I can claim to be entirely comfortable with, but I know in my
mind, if not in my heart, that even the wisest of us needs to be
challenged, and that if I cannot defend my positions, I should not hold
them."

	Hinako started to reply, then fell silent and waited.

	"Let us pose a problem," Afura said.  "My own Ajah, I will
confess, often lets itself get tied up in abstractions, but I try to avoid
that.  This is the problem.  Imagine that the three of you have been sent
to Tarabon to investigate reports of activity in the royal palace which
sounds like a man is beginning to channel there.  After some
investigation, you determine the King of Tarabon is, in fact, the
channeler you are looking for.  What do you do?"

	Ranma-chan shuddered at the question and stared at the fire.
Ukyou began trying to think of a plan, wishing she knew more about
Tarabon.  Hinako said, "I arrest him for Channeling and take him back to
Tar Valon to be gentled."

	"How do you propose to arrest the King of Tarabon when he is, in
fact, the King, and cannot be legally deposed under Tarabonese law?  The
Panarch can be, but since she is always a woman, she is unlikely to go mad
from channeling Dubin."

	Hinako frowned.  "And the Panarch can't do it?"

	"The Panarch cannot remove the King from office any more than the
King can remove the Panarch.  The Assembly of Notables elects her.  But
his office is hereditary."

	"I suppose appealing to his sense of duty to his people wouldn't
work."

	"He thinks he can do them more good with his channeling powers and
is determined not to lose his abilities," Afura said calmly.

	Hinako began to pace, thinking.  Ranma-chan continued to stare
into the fire.  Ukyou suddenly realized the tea had not just boiled, but
boiled away.  She sighed and put more water over the fire, trying to
think.

	Ranma-chan finally said, "Wouldn't the Assembly and the Panarch
want to do something about it, when they know he's going to go mad?"

	"They fear he will blow them apart, and by law, there is nothing
they can do to make him abdicate or leave the country with you.  Of
course, Kings have been overthrown before.  But not legally," Afura said.

	"I'm going to have to think on this one," Hinako said, tugging her
braid irritatedly.

	Ukyou watched the teapot carefully.  "What's the odds of a King
becoming a male channeler, though?"

	"It happens to nobles every so often, and the King of Tarabon
earlier this century became a channeler and had to be removed, by Kanrinin
Sedai."

	"How did she do it?" Ranma-chan asked.

	"She kidnapped him with the help of some disgruntled nobles,"
Afura said.  "A flagrant violation of his rights and Tarabonese
sovereignty.  In theory, the penalty for kidnapping the King is death.  As
you can guess, Kanrinin Sedai is not very dead."

	"But he was a channeler," Ukyou said.  "A danger to everyone
around him."  Ranma-chan winced at that.  "I can't..."  She sounded
frustrated.  "I can't think of a better solution."

	"Neither could she," Afura said.  "There are times when the end is
sufficiently necessary that you may have to do things you don't like in
order to achieve it.  One should not rush to such things likely, but
ultimately, to do what we must do for the world, we often cannot recognize
the rights of nations or cities or individuals.  I wish we could square
the circle, but in this world, one does what one can and must."

	The tea boiled and Ukyou took it off the fire and began preparing
cups for everyone.  "That's just depressing," she said.

	"Ethical philosophy is as much the art of the possible as it is an
abstract and rigorous system of thought.  We must apply it to what is, not
what we wish was the state of affairs.  My Ajah, and I myself at times,
fall into those traps at times."  Afura shook her head, then accepted the
cup of tea Ukyou passed her, blowing on it gently, then sipping it.  "Is
this raspberry tea?" she asked.

	Ukyou nodded.  "Do you like it?"  She passed Hinako a cup, then
went back to pour herself and Ranma a glass.

	"Yes, it's very good," Afura said.  She sat and sipped her tea in
silence for a while, letting the gentle waves of conversation from other
fires drift over them.

	Ukyou sat down by Ranma-chan, watching her as she drank her tea.
She looks so melancholy, Ukyou thought.  "You bored, Ranchan?"

	"It's all so complicated," Ranma-chan said, shivering a little.
"I'm not good at complicated."

	"You will have to learn to be complicated, if you want to be
anything besides a pawn to be pushed around the board by others," Afura
said.  "If you do not think, others will do your thinking for you, and you
may not like their conclusions."

	"I can't argue with that," Ranma-chan mumbled.  "I haven't been
liking many conclusions lately."

	"Then you must strengthen your mind so that you can make your
own," Afura said.  She sipped her tea.  "Unfortunately, I did not think to
bring the appropriate books for you to read, as I expected combat, rather
than teaching.  I will make sure that is rectified at the Tower."

	"Thank you, Sedai," Ukyou said.

	"I simply do my duty, that one day you will be able to do yours.
Now, let us turn to another problem..."

*********

	Ryouga frowned.  "I don't like fighting women."

	"A noble sentiment," Soun said.  "But one which can get you
killed."

	Nanami grinned, a wooden knife in each hand.  "You're just afraid
you're going to lose."

	Several warders sat nearby, watching the training and whispering
among themselves.  Kurz hadn't learned most of them's names yet; only a
few came and watched every night.  Jean, a young looking, short redhead
from Cairhien was one of those few.  His Sedai, Nadia, was one of the
Purple Ajah; rumor had it that the two of them were trying to build some
sort of flying machine.  Certainly he spent a lot of time running about
with complex diagrams on paper and whittling wooden models.

 	Another was Drake, who would sit and work on pottery and make the
occasional snarky remark.  "A woman can kill you as dead as a man," he
said.

	Ryouga frowned.  "Alright, alright."  He advanced, umbrella ready.
Nanami danced to his left and he lunged at her with a series of powerful
thrusts and swings which forced her back.  She darted under one thrust and
'stabbed' him in the gut and leg.  Unfortunately, he was then able to
bring his umbrella down on her, knocking her to the ground.

	"Well, that would likely have done very serious damage with real
knives," Soun said, "but likely at the cost of your own death," he
continued.  "Unless you have no choice, such moves are best avoided."

	"I hope I didn't hurt you," Ryouga said, helping her up.

	"I'm fine," she said, rubbing her head.  "I thought I could slip
out before he retaliated."

	"Ryouga is faster than he looks," Soun said.  "Your speed can make
up for your lack of reach, but I still say that fighting with knives is a
risky proposition unless one is blindingly quick."

	"Well, I'm unlikely to ever have the strength advantage," Nanami
said.

	"You might look into getting the highest quality knives you can,"
Jean suggested.  "The Tairens and Mayeners make some very high quality
knife blades, although the Altarans are the best.  The Tairens are less
likely to knife you during the deal, though."

	"I like a good quarterstaff myself," Kurz said.

	"A quarterstaff can be a good weapon against unarmored foes," Soun
said.  "Not so useful for getting through armor."

	"I...I can make you some knives.  Once we stop somewhere with a
forge," Ryouga said to Nanami.  "I've made lots of knives for people;
Master Ayabara used to put us to work making them whenever he had no other
work for us."

	Nanami smiled in a manner that made Ryouga wonder if she was
flirting with him.  "I'd be _really_ appreciative," Nanami said.

	"Like Misato Sedai was?" Kurz asked, smirking.

	"She just wanted me to make her some jewelry!" Ryouga protested.

	"Uh huh."

	"She did!" Ryouga repeated.

	"Just a little hammering to her forge..." Kurz said, grinning.

	"KURZ!"  He charged at Kurz; Ryouga hated to be teased.

	Kurz tried to sidestep, but Ryouga spun, pressing him.  Ryouga
half-expected Soun to intervene, but he just watched.  Ryouga kept up the
pressure, and finally knocked Kurz's staff out of his hands, then knocked
him down.  "We didn't do ANYTHING," Ryouga bellowed.

	"Okay, okay, I was just teasing!" Kurz said.  "Most guys wouldn't
mind people thinking they scored with a hot chick like her."

	"I'm not most guys," Ryouga said, stepping back.

	"Calling one of the Red Sitters a 'hot chick' is a good way to end
up singing soprano," Drake said.  "Just a friendly warning."

	"So, would you, if she had wanted you to, hmm?" Kurz asked Ryouga.

	Ryouga blushed.  "She...me..."  Smoke came out of his ears and he
fell down.

	"I think that answers that," Kurz said, then turned to Nanami.
"Ready for a whipping?"

	"Well, if you really want to be whipped..." Nanami said.

	Drake laughed loudly.  Jean said, "Whips make poor weapons for
close combat."

	"Depends on the kind of combat," Drake said, smirking.

	Kurz snickered.  "Okay, Nanami, let's do it."

	"With everyone watching?" she said.

	Kurz began to laugh.

	Ryouga scratched his head.  "You didn't mind everyone watching us
do it."

	Kurz and Drake and Nanami began to laugh hysterically.

	"What?  What's so funny?" Ryouga asked.

	"Nothing at all," Soun said.  "I think we're going to do some
weapons drill now.  If you're all done laughing like hyenas."

	The rest of their evening was consumed by weapons drills.

********

	Karaberas Sedai was a severe-looking woman, with her brown hair
pulled back tightly and tied off with a yellow bow which did little to
make her look more pleasant.  While many Aes Sedai seemed determined to
color code themself by Ajah, she violated that custom by wearing a yellow
dress of sturdy wool despite being of the Purple Ajah.  She wore sensible
boots in contrast to the expensive and fancy shoes worn by many Aes Sedai
present.  "I expect the others have been coddling you in hopes of swaying
you to join their Ajahs eventually, due to your strength in the Power,"
she said.  "I will not.  You have much potential, but right now, you are
Kohais.  You may or may not become Aes Sedai, and until you do, I will not
pretend familiarity with you, nor will I treat you with gloves on.  As
Kohais, you must learn discipline.  You must learn when to shut up and
listen.  And you must learn to obey your superiors.  One day, you will be
my equal, but as of now, you are not, in any way, my equal.  Do you
understand?" she said, her gaze boring into their eyes.

	"I understand, Sedai," Ukyou said a little nervously.

	"I understand, Sedai," Ranma-chan said, though she stared back in
a way that had little of meekness in it.

	Ukyou glanced over at the ominously silent Hinako.  Ukyou could
almost smell the Delinquent Punishing Attack about to take place.  So much
anger looked strange on Hinako's too-young face.

	"Well, Hinako?" Karaberas demanded.

	"I am far better than you in every way that counts," Hinako said.
"I will not grovel before you just because you're a stuck-up bitch."  Her
fists were clenched and she was visibly shaking.

	"A warped little runt like you, who is going to be a child
forever, thinks she is better than me?" Karaberas laughed scornfully.
"I've seen you chasing around after the Dai Shain.  And how little luck
you've had.  Probably because he isn't into sex with little kids."

	Hinako's lips flapped soundlessly.

	Ranma-chan and Ukyou glanced at each other, then Ukyou said,
"Sedai, we..."

	"Silence," Karaberas said to Ranma-chan and Ukyou.  "Do not speak
until I speak to you."  She turned back to Hinako.  "I expect he gets all
he needs from real women, anyway.  Not little warped runts like you."

	"I am not a warped little runt!  You think I asked to be stuck
like this?" Hinako shouted.

	"No, I just think you're a little freak with no self-control,"
Karaberas said.  "No taste in clothing either.  What an UGLY dress."

	Ukyou licked her lips nervously.  This was going to be an utter
disaster.  Especially since Ranma-chan was starting to get mad; Ukyou was
mad herself, but she struggled to rein her temper in.  She opened her
mouth, then realized saying something would just get her shut up again.

	"At least I don't show off my body like a brazen hussy," Hinako
said, probably referring to how Karaberas' dress left her shoulders and
upper chest bare.  Ukyou wondered if Karaberas was using the Power to hold
her dress up, as there seemed no obvious reason why it didn't just fall
off.

	Hinako was vibrating; Ukyou could scarcely believe that she hadn't
attacked yet.

	"Says the woman who wears the same dress as an adult as she does
as a ten year old child.  I'm sure all the men appreciate the view of your
panties," Karaberas said.  "Every time you move.  But enough of this; in a
battle of wit, you are definitely unarmed.  Now, are you going to
acknowledge my authority or am I going to hand you over to be
disciplined?"

	"I'd rather strangle in my own vomit than accept your authority,"
Hinako said.  "You're a stuck-up little snotty bitch, and if we were back
home, I'd give you a spanking."

	"You are not back home.  The authority your insignificant village
gave you means less than nothing here, 'Wisdom'.  Since the Mistress of
Kohais is still in the Tower, you'll have to report to the Keeper, I
suppose.  Tell her you need to be punished for being rude to an Aes Sedai
and for insubordination."

	Hinako marched off stiffly as if it was her own idea.

	Karaberas turned back to the others.  "Well?"

	Ukyou stood and watched her warily, not sure what she wanted.

	Ranma-chan said, "Well, what?"

	Karaberas stood and watched them for a minute, then said, "Good.
I understand neither of you had never been more than ten miles from home
until this year."

	"We've both been to Watch Hill, that's about twenty miles, I
think," Ukyou said.  "I've studied a lot of maps my father owns, though.
Unfortunately, my map got blown up."

	"This is our first time to leave the Two Rivers, yes, Sedai,"
Ranma-chan said.

	Karaberas now extracted several maps from her pack.  "If you
damage these, I will make you wish you had never been born."  She
carefully extracted several pieces of wood from her pack and assembled
them into a small table, then laid out the first map on the table.  "This
is a map I acquired at great price from the Sea Folk.  Very great price.
It shows our entire continent, so much as they know of it."

	Ranma-chan and Ukyou hovered over the map, which glimmered
faintly.  "It's glowing," Ranma-chan said softly.

	"I have tied a weave in place to keep it clean and to preserve its
flexibility," Karaberas said.  "As you can see, it even shows Shaolin,
though as you can also see, they don't know much of it.  These dots are
the cities the Cairhienin used to trade with."  She pointed with her left
hand at a line of dots along the edge of the Waste.  "And these cities are
the ones the Sea Folk trade in."  Her right hand swept along the southern
and eastern coast of Shaolin.

	"Wow, it's huge," Ukyou said.

	"So Shaolin really is a real place?" Ranma-chan asked, a little
excited.

	"Yes, it is, though many of the stories you've heard of it are
probably not true.  Very little is known of it for sure, for the Shaolinin
delight in deceiving outsiders.  Many a member of the Purple Ajah has
perished trying to find out their secrets."  She shook her head sadly.
"Still, we know a few things for sure."

	Ukyou looked up expectantly at Karaberas, while Ranma-chan
continued to study the map, using her fingers and the map scale to measure
distances on it.

	"They seem to be ruled by a Emperor, who is chosen by a being they
claim is a servant of the Creator himself, the Kirin.  The Emperor rules
'so long as he pleases Heaven', then becomes sick and dies when he ceases
to do so, and then the Kirin chooses a new Emperor.  Or Empress, they have
had both.  The Empire seems to be divided into twelve kingdoms, each of
which has its own King, who is chosen by that kingdom's Kirin.  The same
seems to apply to the governors of the provinces of each Kingdom.  This
is, as with so many things in Shaolin, a lie."

	"Are the Kirin actually some kind of Shadowspawn?" Ukyou asked
nervously.

	"Assuming the investigations of Marcia Pala Sedai were correct,
the Kirin are actually channelers who pose as messengers from Heaven,"
Karabaras said.  "Though that was a very good guess, Ukyou."

	"So the Emperors and Kings and Governors are all just puppets?"
Ranma-chan asked, now studying part of the map intently.

	"The Two Rivers is too small for a map of this scale to show it
very well, although you can see the symbol for Tabac right there,"
Karaberas said.  Ranma-chan started and looked a little embarrassed.  "As
it's the main interest the Sea Folk take in your homeland.  To return to
Shaolin, you are correct, Ranma.  They are but puppets.  It remains
unclear whether the Kirin are a conspiracy of channelers, or whether they
are but the public face which a conspiracy puts forward.  They may
themselves merely be pawns as well."

	"Why do Shaolinins lie so much?" Ukyou asked.

	"We don't know.  It's like asking why Domani women learn to seduce
men, while Saldean women merely wish they were able to seduce men.
Despite both having once been part of Jaramide long ago."  Karaberas
shrugged.  "There is some reason to believe that Shaolin arose out of one
of the areas controlled by the Shadow during the War of Power, but the
maps have changed so much that it is almost impossible to be sure."

	"It's just so big," Ranma-chan said.

	Karaberas nodded.  "It is huge.  And powerful.  But the Shaolinin
seem to largely keep to themselves.  Though the fact that endless ocean
and the Waste form their borders may be a major factor in that."

	She now folded the map and placed it in her pack, extracting
another one, which showed only the Westlands.  "Alright.  We must start by
removing your delusions about various countries, of which I expect you
have many.  We'll start with Andor."  Her finger stabbed down at the
centrally placed country.  "Let us begin..."

**********

	Kasumi shook her head sadly.  "You've been naughty, Hinako.  I
don't like to punish people, but since you've been sent to me, I will have
to do it.  You understand, don't you?"

	"No," Hinako said, arms folded across her chest.  "She was rude to
me and horribly insulting.  I should have blasted her."

	"Now, now, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," Kasumi
chided Hinako.  "Aes Sedai try to avoid violence, and they never should
get mad and attack each other.  Getting angry over words is for children."

	Hinako winced at that.

	"We would like to be able to make you a Sempai, Hinako.  But we
can't do it until you learn to act like one."  She looked thoughtful.
"Unbraid your hair."

	"What?" Hinako said, eyes widening.

	"You will have to unbraid your hair," Kasumi said.  "If you act
like a child, then you will have to look like one."

	"But...my braid..."

	"Your old life is over," Kasumi said.  "If you intend to stay with
us.  You are not in charge any more, and until you earn authority and
respect, you can't expect to get it.  I suppose, if you prefer, I can
spank you."

	Hinako winced and then reached back and pulled loose the ribbon
that tied off her braid, then began to unravel it.  Kasumi watched her
quietly.  Once she was done, she stared at the ground.  "Now what?"

	"I will take you and give you the standard lecture on what is
expected of a Kohai, as that is what you are, until the Tower says
otherwise.  And then I will send you to bed.  Should you be sent to me
again, you can expect to go be a servant to the cooks until I tell you to
stop."

	Hinako nodded.  "Yes, Sedai."

	"Good.  Now, come inside my tent and sit down, and I will give you
the lecture."

	It seemed to go on forever, and Hinako summed it up in her head as
'you are the groveling slave of any Aes Sedai who happens by'.  But she
made sure to remember it all.  She didn't want to end up a cooking
servant, to be mocked further by the Aes Sedai.

	I hate them, she thought, storming through the camp back to her
tent.  What a bunch of egotistical snobs.  This just isn't worth it.

	Ukyou and Ranma-chan were studying a map when she got back to the
tent the three of them shared.  There was something odd about it, but she
wasn't quite sure what.  "What's that?" she asked.

	Ranma-chan's head turned and her braid flopped about.  Hinako felt
a surge of jealousy, but stomped on it.  Ranma-chan said, "It's a copy we
made of a map Karaberas Sedai showed us."

	"She was impressed we were able to make such a clean copy with the
Power," Ukyou said proudly.

	"Then she yelled at us for channeling without permission,"
Ranma-chan said, frowning.

	"Well, it is part of the rules," Ukyou said.

	"The rules are often stupid," Ranma-chan said.

	"Because stupid people made them," Hinako said fiercely.

	"You unbraided your hair," Ukyou said, now noticing it.

	"My head was cold," Hinako said.

	"In this weather?" Ranma-chan asked in disbelief.

	"Yes," Hinako said firmly.  She couldn't bring herself to admit
the truth, though she felt guilty about lying.

	"If you say so," Ranma-chan said dubiously.

	"Part of your punishment?" Ukyou asked.

	Hinako sighed.  "Yes."

	"You've got to learn to ignore people who say mean things," Ukyou
said.

	"She was horribly rude.  The Women's Circle would have ripped her
apart."

	"We're not in the Two Rivers anymore," Ukyou said.  "And I don't
know when we'll ever be able to go back.  You just have to get used to it,
Hinako."

	Hinako winced a little at the absence of her title and settled
down to baste in her own self-pity.  "I'm going to bed," she said.  "Try
not to be too loud."

	"We should sleep too," Ukyou said.  "Goodnight, Ranchan."

	"Goodnight, Ucchan," Ranma-chan said, laying down in her pile of
blankets and wrapping herself up in them.

	Hinako waited until she was sure they were asleep before she let
herself cry.

********

	"She did not attack me," Karaberas said to Nabiki.

	"Good," Nabiki said.  "She can control her temper enough to avoid
violence when provoked.  It had to be tested."

	"I could have handled her," Karaberas said confidently.

	"Perhaps.  I would not want to lay bets on my ability to handle
her, untrained as she is.  Best that the issue not arise at all."

	"She is exactly the reason why we do not take older Kohais,"
Karaberas said.  "The woman has no discipline, and I think she is too old
to make her learn any."

	"Perhaps.  I think the problem is more one of her being used to
administering discipline instead of taking it," Nabiki said.  "But she
restrained herself from violence despite your provocations.  With time,
she will be a great Aes Sedai, I think."

	"Maybe." Karaberas sounded doubtful.  "The other two have
potential, but I think she will wash out."

	"We shall see," Nabiki said.  "We shall see."

********

	"Lunches for sale!  Get them hot and fresh!" Nanami shouted.

	"Do you really think you will sell very many when there is free
food to be had?" Umino asked as he loped along, boxes in hand.

	One of the warders, a tall, short-haired brunet waved Nanami over.
"How much?"  His nose sniffed the air, and it was clear he liked what he
smelled.

	"Five rods," she said.

	He passed her the five copper coins and took one of the boxes from
Umino.  "Good day to you, Builder, Nanami."

	She smiled.  "Good day to you," then moved on through the camp.
"Free food which may not be what they WANT.  That's the key.  Find out
what people want, and it's easy to make money off them."

	He nodded.  "I suppose so.  You seem to have a knack for
business."

	"Sarasa Sedai tried to test me for the Power, because she was
hoping to recruit me for the Silver Ajah.  Didn't work out,
unfortunately."  She sighed.

	"You want to be Aes Sedai?" Umino asked.

	"I want...I don't want anything to come between me and my friends
who will be Aes Sedai," Nanami said, ceasing to walk and staring off
across the camp.  "Aes Sedai don't associate with normal people a lot."

	"You have a special gift," Umino pointed out.  "I am sure they
will still want to be your friend, as you are."

	"I hope so," she said, looking around the camp at the knots of
Warders and Aes Sedai.  "Have you heard some of the crazier rumors
floating about?"

	Umino's ears twitched.  "I hear all the rumors.  Humans often
don't seem to realize how far their voices carry.  I have twenty or so
pages of notes on the rumors."

	"..."

	"A lot of them are more on the level of 'who is sleeping with
who', but yes, I hear many things," Umino said.  "What would you like to
know?"

	"Are there any...rumors about me?" Nanami asked, a little
nervously.

	Umino pulled out his notebook and paged through it with one hand,
tucking the lunch boxes he carried under one arm.  "Ahh, yes.  Let's see.
A fair number of people think you're one of the Two Rivers Wilders.
Several others thought you were the Amyrlin's lovechild.  It's also
speculated that you are Kurz's sister, lover, or wife.  That you're
sleeping with Ryouga or possibly Sitter Misato.  Or both."

	"Say WHAT?" Nanami asked in disbelief.

	"There's also rumors that you are a lovechild of Lord Parn or Lady
Deedlit, that you are an eyes and ears for the Silver Ajah, and that you
are Drake and Yomiko's secret child."

	"..."

	"The diversity of human rumormongering is truly fascinating, how
tiny little details can be quickly blown completely out of proportion,"
Umino said.  "You can hardly imagine how many people think Ranma and Ukyou
and Hinako are having sex every night."

	"..."

	"All because Hinako rolls around in her sleep and knocked the tent
down one night."  He shook his head.  "It's fascinating."

	Nanami laughed, then sighed.  "We'd better get moving while the
food is still warm."

	He put his notebook away.  "Lead me on."

********

	"Amazing," Umino said.

	"What is...that is amazing," Kurz said, staring.

	The rest of the group crested the top of the ridge and gazed down
at a substantial village.  That would not have impressed them if there had
not been dozens of boats docked there or floating at anchor in the river.

	"They must have paid an arm and a leg to get this many boats to
wait for them," Nanami said.

	"I expect that the Amyrlin has deep pockets," Gim said.  "And that
she probably got the assistance of the King in getting them to wait."

	"This should be fun," Kurz said.  "We had a good time on the
Soyokaze."

	"Sailors love poker too," Woodchuck said, grinning.  "This should
be a lot of fun."

*******

	Groggy, Ryouga woke up in the middle of the night, needing to go
to the bathroom.  He managed to find his way to the privy and take care of
his business, but much to his annoyance, on his way back, the ship
mysteriously vanished.

	The river also vanished, replaced by another river.  One dousing
later he was bereft of clothing and floating downstream through a
wilderness, stuck as a little pig.  He found a floating log to cling to
and hung on, trying to get some sleep so he could try to swim for shore in
the morning.

	Morning came, and a ship came into sight, a small river trading
vessel.  He tried to call for help, but all he could say was 'Bweee!'.
However, that somehow sufficed, as a young woman leaning on one of the
railings spotted him and jumped overboard.  "Hold on, little piggie!" she
shouted at him.

	The boat's crew watched in amusement as she swam over to him,
picked up Ryouga, and carried him back to the ship, clambering up a rope
ladder they lowered for her.  She was beautiful to him, with short
blue-black hair and dark eyes full of kindness.  "What a cute little pig
you are," she said, smiling at him.  "Someone must have been really mean
to leave you floating down a river like that."

	"Bweee!"  He wished desperately that he could speak.

	"Well, let me get you some breakfast, little piggie."  She tugged
his bandana, which had fallen down around his piggie neck.  "That's so
cute," she said, carrying him off to the ship's kitchen to get him some
scraps.  "I hope you don't mind if I keep you," she said to him as she set
out the food for him.  "This trip has been lonelier than I thought."

	He ate as best he could; any food was good food and his pig taste
buds had different opinions of things than his human ones.  I wish I could
ask you your name, he thought.  That I could actually speak.

	He contemplated his options.  Trying to explain how he had ended
up on the ship, why he turned into a pig... they'd almost certainly think
he was either Shadowspawn or some kind of channeler.  Best to just wait;
he'd end up back with his friends in a few hours or days, and they'd know
what to do.

	Plus, he found himself liking this young lady, and wanting to
spend some time with her.  If only I could talk, he thought.

	Once he finished eating, she took him out on the deck.  "That your
pet now, Akane?" one of the sailors asked.

	She nodded.  "If he doesn't mind," she said.

	"Bwee!" Ryouga said.

	"Pets cost extra, you know."

	"I have money," she said.  "I'm sure he won't be any trouble."

	"Best you talk to the Captain, just to make sure."

	She nodded and rose.  "Let's go take care of that, then."

*********

	"Still no sign of him?" Setsuna asked Kurz.

	Kurz shook his head.  "No sign of him.  He left his stuff here, so
I expect he must have gotten really lost while sleep walking or
something."

	Setsuna frowned.  "If he's willing, we may have to have someone
bond him just so we can make sure if he's lost or hurt or otherwise in
trouble when this happens."

	"I'm sure he's okay," Kurz said.  "He's got to be okay, right?
This must be the will of the Pattern or something."  He frowned.  "That's
what Etoh thinks, anyway."

	"Perhaps, but it could also mean he fell overboard in the night or
someone has killed him," Setsuna said.  "I do not wish to see him hurt.
Though you are probably right."

	"I..."  Kurz tried to figure out how to say it.  "He'd be glad you
were concerned."

	"I do not wish to see any of you hurt," Setsuna said.  "I did not
bring any of you out of the Two Rivers to do you harm, but rather to save
your lives so you could fulfill your role in the Pattern.  There are
things which may be necessary which will not be pleasant, but I wish you
all well."

	"It's hard for me to imagine me having a high and important role
in the Pattern."

	"Says the man who outwitted Aginor," Setsuna said, with more
respect than she usually gave him.  "What you did was very risky, but it
worked and it saved us and I thank you for it."

	"Well, yeah, Balthamel might have become a woman and then they
could use the Eye.  But I was counting on him being so messed up it would
probably cause him to drown or to blow himself up using the Power the
wrong way, since I remember you saying men and women use it differently,"
Kurz said.  "I got lucky."

	"Ta'veren bend the Pattern.  Do not count on it to always save
you, but luck will generally be on your side."

	"Yeah.  It seems to get Ranma and Ryouga all the hot chicks,
though."

	Setsuna smiled slightly.  "I had not realized you all did not know
about Nuriko."

	"About all I knew about Andor was that it had a Queen, was east of
us, and that the Queen had some kids.  That was about it," Kurz said.
"I've learned a lot these last few weeks."

	"And become a lord."

	"Da will freak.  Ma will likely beat me for lying."  He shook his
head.  "I hope Ryouga doesn't feel left out.  Wherever he is."

	"I suspect Ryouga will find himself rising in the world soon
enough."  Setsuna stared off down the river at the rest of the flotilla of
ships.

	"Ranma's going to be okay, right?" Kurz asked softly.  "I
mean...what he's doing, it just...I couldn't do that."

	"We often find we can exceed our limits when we must.  If we
can't, the world destroys us," Setsuna said.  "I will guide and protect
Ranma, and he learns quickly, if he wants to.  I hope that he will be
fine, and if we stand by him...he will need you and Ryouga before the end.
And Ukyou and Hinako and Nanami as well.  We have all been woven together,
though we cannot see all the ends to which we have been woven."

	"Do you think we'll meet Basara again?" Kurz asked.  "He was great
to have on a trip."

	Setsuna started.  "Why do you ask about him?"  She sounded
nervous, which surprised Kurz.

	"Well, he came out of the Two Rivers with us as well.  And I feel
kinda bad we left him behind even though he told us to."  Kurz stared at
the passing farms, where crops were just now starting to grow.

	"We will see him again," Setsuna said.  "I do not know where, but
I am sure we will see him again."

	"I hope so," Kurz said.  "I just want to be sure he's okay."

	"He is a clever man," Setsuna said with respect.  "I am sure he's
just fine."

***********

	There are times in one's life where one knows one shouldn't do
something, but you find yourself doing it anyway.  This is why Basara was
in Caemlyn singing a song making fun of Prince of the Sword Megane's love
affair with the Queen of Andor despite the risk of ending up dead for
doing so.  Andorans loved Queen Lum, but not all Andorans loved Megane,
especially not Basara.

	"Sleeping with the Queen -- I will undress you.   Sleeping with
the Queen -- I will caress you.  Making love on the Lion Throne," he sang,
performing a pretty good imitation of Megane's voice, if he did say so
himself.

	The crowd roared with laughter; he'd been careful to pick a
suitable inn to avoid a lynching.  There were a few too many SubNazis in
the crowd for his taste; they seemed to be flocking about Caemlyn,
apparently looking for something.  He hoped it wasn't him.

	And then the doors were kicked in and a squad of Queen's Guardsmen
burst through the door.  "Halt that song!  You're wanted for sedition and
libel against First Prince Megane!" one of them said, pointing at Basara.

	"LISTEN TO MY SONG!" he shouted, then blew his emergency trumpet
as loudly as he could.  While the men staggered from the volume of it, he
quickly fled for the kitchens with the men in hot pursuit.

	Avoid protest songs in the future, he made a mental note to
himself.  And Caemlyn.

*********

	"Hmm," Hotaru said for what Hinako was pretty sure was roughly the
millionth time as she studied Hinako with the Power.

	"Should I ask?" Hinako asked.

	"Well, I can offer you some good news.  Or at least semi-good
news."

	"Go on," Hinako said.

	"I will have to double check our records again, but if I am
understanding what I am seeing, your condition matches that of an Aes
Sedai from the time of the Trolloc Wars, Minky Sedai of Safer.  Minky also
was able to transform between a child and adult form."

	"Did she find a cure?" Hinako asked hopefully.

	"Not exactly.  Rather, over time, it became apparent that her
child form was slowly aging as did her adult form.  When her child form
eventually aged to adulthood, she was able to channel freely both ways,"
Hotaru said, turning to take her glass of tea and take a sip.

	"How long did that take?"

	"About forty years."

	Hinako winced.

	"Unfortunately, at the height of her career, she was apparently
crushed by something called a 'truck'.  It remains unclear what it was,
other than perhaps some rare sort of Shadowspawn," Hotaru said, shaking
her head sadly.  "She was a very kind and gentle Blue, according to the
records."  She sat back in her chair.  "I think I can see ways to charge
you up with the Power, but I am not seeing a cure.  But I will keep
working on it.  I want to help you."

	"Thank you," Hinako said.  "A lot of the Aes Sedai don't try to be
nice to me at all."

	"Well, you generally aren't very nice to them," Hotaru said.  "I
think most of us can tell when someone doesn't like us."

	Hinako frowned.  "I don't start anything."

	"I've seen the way you look at some Aes Sedai like they're
Shadowspawn," Hotaru said.  "Just remember, you catch more flies with
honey than vinegar."

	Hinako sighed.  "It's not easy to be nice to people who don't like
you."

	"Just do your best," Hotaru said.  "I think you'll see a
difference."

	"I hope so," Hinako said.  "Or else I may go crazy."

	"You're not a man, so you're safe from that," Hotaru said.

	Hinako thought about Ranma and sighed.  "It's hard for me to
imagine how the insanity could be incurable.  It seems like there's so
much you can do with the Power."

	Hotaru said, "There is much, but also limits," she said.  "I can
not make you an inch taller with the Power, though I could disguise you as
such.  Even the mightiest Healer cannot heal herself.  No more than
thirteen women can link together.  If there is a way to fly, we have not
figured it out in thousands of years.  It is easy for us to think we are
invincible, but we have Warders for a reason.  We're less invincible than
we often think."

	"I just want...there has to be a way," Hinako said.  "To cure the
madness.  Surely the Dark One's power can't be unstoppable while he is
still bound."

	"Perhaps you will find a way," Hotaru said.  "Try not to set your
hopes on it too firmly."

	Hinako nodded, but she thought that there had to be some way.  And
she was going to find it.  Somehow.

*********

	"I'm gonna have to wear a dress?" Ranma-chan exploded.

	Sarasa Sedai wilted a moment at that, then stared in shock.
"What, you don't like dresses?"  She was wearing an extremely expensive
silken dress from Arad Doman, dyed a deep purple with many yellow flowers
on it, slit high up the sides and clinging to her tightly.  She took a
moment to fan herself with her lacquered fan, which showed the sun rising
off Toman Head.  Ranma-chan and Ukyou found her to be the spitting image
of a Domani noblewoman of the kind in the stories they had heard.  Except
for the long hair braid, anyway.

	"On women!"

	Sarasa Sedai leaned over and gently poked Ranma-chan's right
breast with her fan.

	Ukyou laughed.  "She's got you there, Ranchan."

	Ranma-chan fumed.  "Kohai wear white dresses all the time?"

	"Yes, which always struck me as strange," Sarasa said.  "It's not
as if they're all in training for the White Ajah.  And they're the ugliest
dresses ever.  They look rather like linen sacks."  She shivered.  "I just
wanted to die every time I looked in a mirror."

	"Ugly dresses.  I'm going to be wearing ugly dresses for years."

	"They probably won't fit you very well, either.  Whoever made them
assumed all women are flat chested, unlike such bountifully blessed women
as yourself or myself," Sarasa said.

	"It's probably not too late to jump overboard," Ranma-chan
muttered.

	Sarasa sighed.  "It's a pity your friend Nanami didn't test
positive.  She would make an excellent Silver.  But the Weave Wills as the
Wheel Weaves."  She paused.  "You know what I mean."

	"Yes," Ukyou said, trying hard to not laugh.

	"Damn Wheel needs a kick in the face," Ranma-chan muttered.

	"So, what is our lesson today?" Ukyou asked, trying to get things
back on topic.

	"Well, despite my request to be assigned the class on using your
sex appeal to make men do things for you, I have been assigned to teach
fundamentals of accounting, so I will be teaching you the basics of
bookkeeping," Sarasa said.  "Unless, perhaps, you'd like to request a
special lesson in the former."  She sounded hopeful.

	"Well, we're probably behind on accounting, so we'd better bust
out the ledgers," Ranma-chan said quickly.  "They are called ledgers,
right?"

	Sarasa sighed.  "Ledgers it is."

*********

	Ryouga the pig sat on a blanket and watched Akane drill with her
hammers.  She spun and twirled through an impressive series of maneuvers;
just watching made his head spin.  She was pretty clearly a trained
fighter; he still wasn't sure where he was or where she was going.

	"You're such a cute piggie," she said once she was done.  "You've
been watching me so intently, just like if you knew what I was doing."

	She picked him up and hugged him and he blushed.  "Now, you get to
sleep on the blanket, while I get to curl up in this bed."  She flopped
down on the bed, then got back up and said, "Just squeal if you get cold.
I'd wrap you up now, but I know it's hard for little piggies to cool off,
since you don't sweat."

	She then began stripping for bed.  He was easily able to go to
sleep, as he passed out from his nosebleed and associated excitement.

*********

	"My brain is full," Ranma-chan said as she lay in bed, trying to
go to sleep.

	She and Ukyou shared a tiny little bedroom on the boat, which
contained a bunk bed, a small wardrobe for clothing, and a mirror.  Hinako
was bunking in the next room with Nanami.

	Ukyou rolled onto her stomach; she'd taken the top bunk.  "I hope
the lessons at the Tower aren't this scattershot.  It's like they're
flinging a little of everything at us at high speed in the hopes maybe
half of it will stick."

	"I'm gonna dream about Shaolinin in dresses doing accounting in
books they copied with the Power," Ranma-chan said.

	Ukyou laughed.  "Don't forget to work the existential
ramifications of neo-antidisestablishmentarianism into it."

	"And blowing things up."

	"And healing the people you blew up."

	Ranma-chan laughed.  "And counting invisible beer bottles."

	Ukyou shook her head.  "I STILL can't figure out the beer bottle
thing."

	"Yeah, I know," Ranma-chan said.  "I mean, how often are you going
to need to be able to count a lot of little moving things you can't..."
Her voice trailed off.

	"Can't?"

	"Damn," Ranma-chan said.  "That's less stupid than I thought."

	"What?"

	"Men channeling.  Women can't see the threads of their power, so
you have to be able to feel for them and to find and fight things you
can't see."

	"..."

	"She is Red, after all."

	"Well...you're right," Ukyou said, leaning her head over the side.
"Absolutely right.  That has to be it."

	Ranma-chan nodded, feeling a little satisfied.  "Pretty slick."

	"Yeah.  I guess she's smarter than she looks," Ukyou said.

	"They wouldn't make her Sitter just because she can drink a lot."

	"A whole lot."

	"I think her breasts are large because they're hollow and she uses
them to store beer," Ranma-chan said.

	Ukyou laughed.  "Better not say that around her."

	"I'm not suicidal," Ranma-chan said, then yawned.  "Goodnight,
Ucchan."

	"Goodnight, Ranchan."  Ukyou dropped off to sleep, and Ranma-chan
did shortly afterwards.

**********

	Ranma-chan walked through the town, feeling somewhat confused.
All the buildings were so huge, made of crystal and gold and steel.
Strange metal wagons wooshed by on the street, and every so often, a metal
bird would pass across the sky, high above.

	People walked hither and fro, dressed in strange clothing; she was
wearing strange clothing, a sort of blue tunic and black pants with a
black belt that had several small boxes, wands, and other objects clipped
to it.  There was a hat on her head; she took it off and looked at it; it
was a bowl with a protruding brim in front with the words 'Paaran Disen
Owls' embroidered into the front.  Whatever that meant.

	And there was a woman, staring at her.  She was somewhat
attractive, medium in height and build, with long black hair in a
ponytail. She wore a long black dress, simple in style but expensive in
materials.  She wore a little too much makeup and her eyes glittered in a
way that made him nervous.  "You are not Godai," she said.

	"Uh, what?" Ranma-chan said.

	She frowned.  "I do not understand," she said.  "This should have
worked."

	"Uh, where are we?" Ranma-chan asked.

	"I will have to try again."  She waved her hand and Ranma-chan
felt a massive shove.

	She somehow found herself in the bathtub at the Winespring Inn.
Then Kurz threw cats in the bath, and she had other things to worry about.

*********

	Life was indeed good for Kurz.  He had a woman on each arm and the
cards were coming his way.  Usagi leaned against him on the left as he
checked his cards.  The King, Queen, Warder, Ten, and Nine of Flames.  On
the first draw, too.  He looked over at Nanami, who was on his right.
"You think I should toss the low card and hope for the best?  I feel like
taking risks."

	Nanami studied the cards, then said, "I foresee that would be very
bad."

	"Hey!  Getting your girlfriend to predict the future is cheating!"
Woodchuck protested.

	Usagi waggled a finger.  "As Daughter-Heir of Andor, I proclaim it
is acceptable."

	Woodchuck grumbled, but simply asked Etoh to pass him three more
cards, then frowned at them.

	"Hmm, what to do, what to do," Ryouga muttered.  "Should I throw
these three or just these two..."

	A woman Kurz hadn't seen before leaned over Ryouga's shoulder.
She had long purple hair pinned up in a bun; she wore a nice white blouse
and a long wool skirt, brown with a matching brown jacket.  Glasses
half-concealed her violet eyes.  "Toss those two," she said.

	"But if I get these three..."

	She shook her head.  "The risk is bigger.  And when Kurz's
girlfriend is cheating for him, you don't want to take any risks."

	"Hey, I said it isn't cheating!" Usagi protested.

	Kurz stared at the woman.  "Do I know you?" he asked.

	"Nancy Sedai, of the Brown Ajah.  You must be Kurz," she said.
"I've heard quite a bit about you.  She had a very pleasant smile.

	"Nancy.  That's a nice name."

	"I understand you're from the Two Rivers and have been travelling
with Setsuna Sedai."

	He nodded.  "Yes, I have.  Had quite a time of it.  AND I tricked
Aginor into killing Balthamel."  He sounded quite proud of himself.

	For a moment, her eyes flashed utter shock.  "You did?  I hadn't
heard that."

	"Yeah.  If all of the Forsaken are as stupid as they were, I
expect we'll beat them all pretty easily."

	She pulled up a chair and sat down, getting out a notebook.  "So
how did you trick him?"

	"I got him to throw Balthamel into the pool that turns people into
women.  Then Balthamel blew himself to bits trying to channel Subin.  I
think.  Anyway, he blew up in the pool."

	She began scribbling notes; it reminded Kurz of Umino.  "Did you
kill Aginor too?"

	"No, Hinako and Setsuna did all the work on that, after he turned
into a fire-lizard."

	Scribble, scribble.  "Fascinating.  Hinako is the little girl who
transforms into an adult by taking people's life force, right?"

	"Right," Kurz said.  He glanced at his cards and waited for
everyone to finish getting new cards so they could bet.

	"I heard there was a third boy your age from your homeland as
well," Nancy said.  "Did he die?"

	"No, you see, he..."  And then there was a yank.

	Kurz found himself in a strange town.  All the buildings were so
huge, made of crystal and gold and steel.  Strange metal wagons wooshed by
on the street, and every so often, a metal bird would pass across the sky,
high above.

	People walked hither and fro, dressed in strange clothing; he was
wearing strange clothing, a sort of blue tunic and black pants with a
black belt that had several small boxes, wands, and other objects clipped
to it.  There was a hat on his head; he took it off and looked at it; it
was a bowl with a protruding brim in front with the words 'Paaran Disen
Owls' embroidered into the front.

	And there was a woman, staring at him.  She was somewhat
attractive, medium in height and build, with long black hair in a
ponytail.  She wore a long black dress, simple in style but expensive in
materials.  Her eyes shone as she looked at him, and then she smiled.
"Godai!  You made it on time!"

	Kurz tried to decide whether to play along or to admit he had no
idea what was going on.  Might as well play along, he decided.  "Hey, I'm
not late ALL the time," he said.

	She came over and took his arm.  "I've been waiting a very long
time for this."

	"I'm sorry to make you wait," he said.  "Shall we go?"

	"Let's go," she said.

	They ended up going to the theatre, which was showing something
called 'The Exciting Adventures of Lenn on the Moon'.  When it came time
to show tickets, she flashed a small white card which identified her as
'Kodachi Eronaile Sedai'.  He fished around in the small box on his hip
and found a card which had the name 'Yusaku Godai Telemon  Sedai' on it,
which he flashed to the doorguard.

	Expecting a gleeman performance, Kurz was quite surprised when
people began to come out and pretend to be the various characters in the
story.  It was really fascinating, and it looked fun as well.  Kodachi
clung to his arm while he intently watched the play, which he found to be
very funny.

	"You always loved this play," she said softly.

	"I haven't laughed this hard in forever," he said softly in
return.

	"Kiss me," she said softly, with a mixture of hope and fear.

	What the hell, he thought.  I must be dreaming or else I'm very
amnesiac.  He leaned over and kissed her very firmly.  She blushed
afterwards.  "You can't imagine..."  She took a deep breath.  "How long
I've waited for this."

	"You kiss very well," he said quite honestly.  He was starting to
feel a little guilty.  Something weird had to be going on.  "But I have to
tell you..."

	She put a finger to his lips.  "I know.  You don't remember any of
this yet.  You just knew, in your soul, I was the one for you.  I will
help you remember, Godai."  She kissed him again, then said.  "But for
now, I have places to go and people to see.  Until later, my love."  And
then she vanished in a spray of black roses.

	Kurz found himself outside the window of the Winespring Inn bath
window.  He was holding a sack of cats.  He stared at the cats, then at
the open window, then shrugged and dumped the cats in through the window
into the baths.

	Had to be done.

********

	Ryouga was hard at work in the forge, trying to get the gold to
cooperate with him.  He was trying to make Akane a heart-shaped locket,
but it kept coming out warped and having to be melted down.  Maybe I
should try using a mold, he thought.

	Something was knocking at the door.  He sighed and went to the
door.  A large war-boar was standing there, staring at him.  'I am
Deerslayer.  A Dark Hunter is coming', it said.

	He wondered what that was.  "What, here to my forge?"

	'You would seem her intended prey,' he said.  'You should fear
her, Little Pig, for she is a She who Throws Fire'.

	An Aes Sedai, he thought.  Great, I'll never get this heart locket
finished.  He went and got a few brands from the forge fire.  "I'll show
her a few things about throwing fire," he said.

	'I have called more of our brethren, but I do not know if they
will get here in time.'

	"We'll have to see," Ryouga said.

	A woman walked in the door. She was tall and dark-skinned, lushly
built and dressed in expensive clothing in the Domani style, wearing a
pure white that off-set her dark hair and eyes and skin.  "So, you are a
blacksmith," she said.  "I have work for a blacksmith."

	Ryouga looked down at Deerslayer, who said 'She is the one.'  "I'm
always looking for work," he said warily.

	Then Deerslayer threw himself at her, knocking her down.

	So much for stealth or diplomacy, Ryouga thought.  "You can't fool
us!  You're a Dark Hunter!"

	"Stupid Boar!  I will destroy you!" she shouted, and her hands
began to glow.

	Until Ryouga threw the burning brands onto her and her clothing
went up in flames.  She screamed and ran out of the building.  He could
hear the sound of charging boars, and then there was silence.

	'She has fled,' a boar said.

	'She is not so skillful in this place as we are,' a second said.

	'She isn't very tasty,' Deerslayer said.

	"I hope she doesn't come back."

	'She'll think twice about that,' Deerslayer said.  'We will watch
for her.'

	"Thank you," Ryouga said, and went back to his forgework.  Then he
heard screaming from the Winespring Inn.  There goes Kurz and the cats
again, he thought, and put down his hammer and went to investigate.

********

	Kurz rubbed his head at breakfast, yawning.  "What a weird night,"
he said.

	"Weird night?" Umino asked.  "It seemed very normal to me."

	"I had this...hey, you'd know this, Umino.  Ever heard of some guy
called 'Yusaku Godai Telemon'?  I feel like I ought to remember it,
but..."

	"That's the Ronin's name," Umino said.  "Well, his name in the
Second Age."

	"..."

	Nanami looked at Kurz curiously.  "Did you dream about the Ronin?"

	"Some woman thought I was the Ronin.  And wanted to go out with
me."

	"..."

	Umino laughed.  "Kyoko Moerelle Daishar, perhaps?  That was his
wife."

	"No, she was named Kodachi something or another," Kurz said.

	"Hmm, not familiar with that name," Umino said.

	"Never heard it," Ukyou said.

	"Wait, was it in this funky city?  And she wore too much makeup?"
Ranma-chan asked.

	"Yeah," Kurz said.  "She kisses good, though."

	"Huh," Ranma-chan said.  "She said I wasn't the one."

	"I think she was looking for a guy," Kurz said.

	Ranma-chan paused.  "Kurz, did you throw cats on me after that?"

	"I...uh...ahahaha."  Kurz tried to look for somewhere to run.

	It was time for the beatings to commence.

*********

	After several days of being Akane's pet, Ryouga was wishing very
much that he wasn't stuck as a pig, although being cared for by a kind,
beautiful woman was very nice.  But it meant he couldn't talk to her,
though he wanted to get to know her better.

	Finally, however, one morning he woke up back on the riverboat,
back in his own room.  Kurz was up in the upper bunk, asleep.  He sighed
and waited for Kurz to wake up.

	After a while, it seemed likely Kurz was going to sleep in, so he
began trying to headbutt the bed and shake it.  This just gave him a
headache.

	Kurz finally woke up and saw him.  "Oh, hey, Ryouga."

	He went and got Ryouga some hot water.  "So, how was your trip?"
he asked.

	"I ended up in another river and spent days as a pig."

	"That's too bad," Kurz said.  "Must have been pretty boring."

	"I met the most beautiful woman in the world," Ryouga said.
"But...she thinks I'm a pig."  He sighed and started getting dry with a
towel.

	"Did you dream of a weird city, by any chance?" Kurz asked.

	"Nope," Ryouga said.  "Pretty normal dreams," he said.

	"So what was this girl's name?"

	"Akane.  She was on her way to Illian."

	"Hmm, maybe you'll see her again when we take the horn to Illian."

	Ryouga smiled.  "That would be nice."

	"You going to play poker with us tonight?"

	Ryouga checked his pack.  "My money's still here, so sure."

	"Good.  We're supposed to hit Tar Valon soon, so I don't know how
many more games we'll get in."

	"I suppose it won't be as impressive as Caemlyn."

	"If every city we visit is bigger than the last one, I'm going to
be surprised," Kurz said.

*********

	They'd been on the river for a week when there was a glint on the
horizon.  It was the White Tower, gleaming in the sun.  Tar Valon soon
became visible as well, buildings rising up above the level of the huge
walls which surrounded the entire city despite it being on an island.

	Northharbor now rose up before them, a great artificial bay on the
northern side of the island; the flotilla of ships filled it; it took
hours to get all the boats to the docks and unload them.

	Ryouga stared.  "Bigger than Caemlyn."

	"I didn't think anything could be bigger than Caemlyn," Kurz said.

	"This is the greatest city of man," Soun said.

	"And woman," Setsuna said, smiling a little.

	"We were always pleased with the work we did here," Umino said.
"Especially the White Tower."

	Setsuna guided them into their place in the great throng, which
was forming up to move together through the city.  The long line finally
got in motion and the populace turned out to stare at them, not sure if
they should cheer or not.

	The Gates of the Tower rose up before them and dozens of Aes Sedai
were nervously assembled in the courtyard, milling about behind a line of
eighteen Aes Sedai who stood with attitudes of authority.

	The Amyrlin rode up to them, with nine women close by her.  Formal
greetings and replies followed.

"The Hall must sit," Nabiki then said.  "I have much news to share."

	The waiting women nodded and the eighteen of them joined Nabiki,
Kasumi, and their nine followers, and headed into the Tower.  The rest of
the group began to disperse.  Soun took charge of Nanami, Kurz, and
Ryouga, taking them off into the Tower, while Setsuna took Ukyou,
Ranma-chan, and Hinako over to a tall, beautiful woman with long brown
hair who wore an elaborate brown and white dress with a blue-fringed
shawl.

	"Belldandy, this Ranma al'Thor, Ukyou al'Vere, and Hinako
al'Meara.  They have come to become Kohai, though the Amyrlin has approved
for Hinako to take the Sempai test soon."

	Belldandy stared at Hinako.  "She has?"

	"I'm older than I look, Sedai," Hinako said.  "I'm twenty six."

	"..."

	"It's a long story," Setsuna said.  "But I can tell you on the way
to sign them into the Kohai book."

	Belldandy studied them.  "My goodness, they..."

	"They will be very strong," Setsuna said.

	"Alright, then, let's get you all moving," Belldandy said.  "Just
follow me."

**********

	"This is your room," Belldandy said, passing keys to Ukyou and
Hinako.  "And you'll be in this room with another one of our Kohais," she
said to Ranma-chan and pointing to the next room down.  "She was our
newest Kohai, until you all arrived."

	"Can't we get a room together?" Ukyou asked.

	Belldandy shook her heads.  "We don't have any Kohai rooms
designed for three.  I'm sorry."

	"Who's my roommate?" Ranma-chan asked nervously.

	"Her name is Usagi," Belldandy said.  "She is very nice, so I'm
sure you'll get along."

	"Usagi?  As in Princess Usagi?  Of Andor?" Ranma-chan asked in
surprise.

	"Yes," Belldandy said.  "Oh, yes, you're from Andor.  Don't worry,
she's not snobbish at all."

	Ukyou frowned.  "Hrm."

	"She is," Belldandy said firmly.  "She's very strong like you
three, so I hope you'll all be good friends."

	Ukyou grumbled to herself, but went into her new room and began
stashing her few possessions.  The room contained a bunk bed, a table,
several chairs, a wardrobe, and a dresser drawers.  Hinako followed her in
and began to stash her own possessions as well.

	Ranma-chan unlocked the door to her room, which was fairly similar
to Ukyou's, except clearly already occupied.  A small, elaborately carven
box of rosewood sat on the dresser drawers, and the flag of Andor hung on
one wall.  Half a dozen stuffed animals were living on the bottom bunk,
and several dresses hung in the wardrobe next to several white Kohai
dresses.  Ranma-chan hung up the ones she'd been given.

	From the hallway, Belldandy said, "I will give you a quick tour
today, and then tomorrow, your lessons will begin."

	Ranma-chan stared at the flag.  "Huh."

	"We should get Two Rivers flags, Ranchan," Ukyou said when she
came to look into the room."

	"The Two Rivers doesn't really have a flag," Hinako said.

	"There has to be something," Ukyou said.

	"Well, maybe the Browns would know," Ranma-chan suggested.

	"Good idea," Ukyou said.

	"Alright, let's go."

**********

	Nabiki sat calmly behind her desk and smiled and nodded at Sitter
Chirakaba of the Blue and Sitters Sako of the Blue and Yuko of the Green.
Chirakaba was a tall, loud-mouthed Arafellin from a noble family with a
rather inflated sense of self-worth, perhaps because Sako and Yuko,
dark-haired twin sisters from Tarabon, tended to follow her everywhere and
hang on her every word.

	Nabiki tried to focus to actually pay attention to what Chirakaba
was saying, which wasn't easy as she tended to speak a mile a minute when
she was excited, which was frequently.  "I think Nephrenia is going to try
something tomorrow to get back at you."  She paused for breath.

	"The Reds would NEVER disrupt a trial of a man accused of
channeling," Nabiki said.  "But I suppose that she may try something after
the trial is over."

	"She's angry she didn't get the reception she thought she
deserved," Chirakaba said.

	"I know.  I think the Hall will understand why it was important.
Most of them approved the expedition, after all."

	"The report has them worried, Mother," Chirakaba said.

	"Exactly," Yuko said.

	"People are afraid this is a sign of the Forsaken.  Or the Ronin.
Or both," Sako said.

	"It cannot be the Forsaken, unless they have repented," Nabiki
said.  "And one would expect the Ronin to proclaim himself after such a
spectacular feat.  Yet, no Ronin has appeared to claim responsibility.  It
seems we can only conclude some sort of miracle from the Creator," Nabiki
said.

	"There are rumors floating about," Chirakaba said.  "Dangerous
rumors."

	"Find their sources and I will discipline them," Nabiki said.
"Aes Sedai cannot lie, but we can be wrong, and it is unwise for us to put
credence in rumors."

	"So what will you tell the Hall?" Chirakaba demanded.

	"Tell us!" Yuko said.

	"We need to know," Sako said.

	"Yes," Miyuki Miyazawa said.

	Everyone else suddenly started, wondering if she'd been there all
along, reading obsessively as usual.  She was a dark-haired, thick glasses
wearing sitter for the Brown, who usually followed Chirakaba's lead for
reasons Nabiki had never understood.  She didn't talk much.

	"There is no danger from whatever it was, and it seems clearly to
have been benevolent," Nabiki said.  "We left an investigatory committee
to continue looking into it, as you know.  So, I will simply table the
issue until that committee makes its report."

	"Which won't be for weeks or months," Chirakaba said.

	"Exactly," Nabiki said.  "As for Nephrenia, we will have to see
what she tries to do.  I am grateful for your continued support, you know.
Your backing is crucial to the smooth functioning of the Hall."

	Chirakaba smiled broadly.  "Thank you, Mother."

	"So what do you think of our new Kohais?" Nabiki asked.

	"The runty one is rather rude, but she learns quickly.  The
redhead lacks focus.  The brunette has potential, as she actually listens.
She is not as strong as the other two or as nimble with the Power as they
are."

	"'Not as strong'," Nabiki said.  "She will be stronger than any of
us, even than Kanrinin Sedai, one day."

	"I think, perhaps, it might be wise to quietly send a recruiting
party to the Two Rivers," Chirakaba said.

	"Yes, that would be a great idea," Yuko said.

	"An excellent idea," Sako said.

	Miyuki said nothing and kept reading.

	Nabiki restrained the urge to laugh, especially since it was
actually a good idea.  "Yes.  I think that would be wise.  I will look
into putting together a good group.  If you could submit me a list of
sisters you find suitable, I would be grateful."  She could pick a few off
that list to go with her own choices; it would earn Chirakaba's gratitude
at little cost to herself.

	"Of course, of course," Chirakaba said.  "I live to serve."

	"I had best not keep you longer," Nabiki said.  "We must all sleep
so that we are well rested for the trial tomorrow."

	"Good night."

	Chirakaba swept out with her flunkies.  Politics makes strange
bedfellows, Nabiki thought.   Chirakaba's faction had backed Nabiki in the
Hall from the start, but it required constant massaging of Chirakaba's ego
and being willing to play up the importance of the Blues.  Which had the
great flaw of antagonizing the Reds.  Since the Reds were already angry
because they'd made a big push to elect Nephrenia in the last election,
but Nabiki had ended up Amyrlin instead, that wasn't as big a loss as it
might have been.

	Nabiki sat and tried to think of what the Reds might do in
response to the perceived 'snub' of Nephrenia.  There were, unfortunately,
too many possibilities.  Best I deliver a speech of congratulations and
thanks; that should steal her thunder, Nabiki hoped.

	She took out the piece she'd written on the boat ride and began
puffing it up.

*********

	"Warder, hmm?" Master Yupa said thoughtfully, looking Nanami up
and down.  He was an old man, dressed in white, with a Panda Blade at his
hip.  His speed of movement belied his age.

	"She is quite skillful with knives," Soun said.  "And has good
business sense."

	"Hmm, the Silvers like their warders to have good business sense,"
Master Yupa said.  "And sometimes we give one like that to the Browns, so
they don't bankrupt themselves buying books."  He shook his head.  "Well,
if Soun says you're qualified for training, I'll accept that.  The housing
may be a little tricky."

	"Chloe Sedai offered to house her in one of the spare rooms in her
suite," Soun said.  "Since she currently has only two Warders, but has
room for four."

	"Oh, well, she'll be in good hands, then," Master Yupa said.
"Breakfast is at First Bells, then report to my office and I'll see about
testing your skills," he said to Nanami.

	She nodded.

	"You two will get to room together," Master Yupa said to Kurz and
Ryouga.  "You'll need to come by my office after breakfast as well."

	Kurz nodded.  "So there's bells?"

	"First Bells rings for getting out of bed and going to breakfast,
Second Bells rings for lunch, Third Bells rings for dinner.  Fourth Bells
is lights-out for Kohai and Warder Trainees," Master Yupa said.  He looked
at Ryouga again.  "Why are you on a leash?"

	"He gets lost very easily," Soun said.

	"As in, he breathes air, he gets lost," Kurz said.

	"Hrmph," Ryouga said.

	"Well, let's see about getting you all set up in your rooms, and
then I'll see you tomorrow."

********

	Ranma-chan fumbled with the needle.  "Dammit, I stuck myself
again."

	"Just let us handle this," Hinako said to Ranma-chan.

	"We won't get all the flags ready tonight while we still have free
time if I don't help," Ranma-chan said.

	Ukyou smiled.  "We're grateful for the help, Ranchan."

	Hinako looked at the cutout of red cloth Ranma-chan was trying to
attach to the blue square flag.  "That looks like the 'Red Dying Chicken
of Tomobiki' instead of a 'Red Eagle'."

	"Well, yours is more of a Red Dove," Ukyou pointed out.

	"Hey, I followed the picture from the book exactly!"

	"Which the artist messed up, I think."

	"Hey, there's voices in your room," a woman's voice said from the
hallway.

	"Yeah, it sounds like a lot of people.  I hope we're not lost
again," a second woman, more familiar, said.

	"Hey, Usagi, is that you?" Ranma-chan asked.

	Usagi stuck her head in the door.  "Ranma!" She dashed in and
hug-tackled her.  "Oh wow, what are you doing here?"

	Ranma-chan said, "We're here to be trained as Aes Sedai."

	"That's great!" she said.  "Did Kurz come with you?"

	"And Ryouga and Nanami too," Ukyou said.  "You're going to crush
Ranma, you know."

	"Oh, sorry!"  She got off Ranma-chan.  "Naru-chan, come in!"

	Naru was short with wavy red hair, wearing a white Kohai dress.
"Hello," she said, a little shyly.

	"Naru, these are friends of mine from Andor, Ranma and..."  She
paused a moment.  "Ukyou and Hinako."

	"You were the one who was half-naked with Nanami in Ranma's bed,"
Hinako said.

	Usagi looked embarrassed.  Naru stared.  "We got drunk and passed
out!" Usagi said.

	"Yeah, we didn't know what we were doing."

	"You'd better not have known," Ukyou muttered.

	"Oh dear, you don't all have to room with me, do you?" Usagi
asked.  "It's going to be really crowded."

	"Just me," Ranma-chan said nervously.  "Ukyou and Hinako are next
door."

	Usagi gave a sigh of relief.  "Good.  These rooms only really hold
two well."  She stared at the flags.  "Is that a chicken?"

	"..."

	Hinako began to laugh.

	Naru knelt down by the flag.  "Hmm, if we trim here and here..."
She quickly and neatly snipped away at the cloth.  "It's a little small,
but it looks more like an eagle now."

	Ranma-chan blinked.  "Yeah, it does.  Thanks.  How'd you know it
was supposed to be an eagle?"

	"I could tell from this one over here."  She pointed.

	Ukyou grinned.  "Hah!"

	Usagi clapped her hands cheerfully.  "We're going to have so much
fun," she said.  "You picked a good time to come; we all get tomorrow off
so we can watch the trial."

	"Trial?" Ranma-chan asked.  "Oh, you mean of Chiba?"

	Usagi nodded.  "It should be very interesting.  Please make sure I
don't oversleep; Asuka Sedai will kill me if I'm late."

	"Alright," Ranma-chan said.  "We're supposed to go see Belldandy
Sedai in the morning."

	Naru's eyes widened.  "You're not in trouble already, are you?"

	Hinako said, "Not yet.  We're just supposed to see her, I suppose
to get told about being Kohai and so forth."

	Naru looked at Hinako carefully, then said, "You must be the
youngest Kohai ever."

	Hinako sighed.  "I'm twenty six."

	Naru stared at her.  "That's not possible."

	"It's true," Ranma-chan said.  "She has to absorb energy from
people to grow to her true age.  Usually when they've been bad."

	"I'm going to be made a Sempai soon," Hinako said.  "Though I
heard there's some sort of test."

	"Yeah," Naru said.  "There's a lot of rumors about it.  All we
know for sure is that four Aes Sedai come to test you, and you get three
chances to take it.  You can refuse the first two times, but if you refuse
a third time, they kick you out of the Tower and you can't come back.
But...  some people never come back from the test."

	"They die?" Hinako asked, a little nervously.

	"No one knows.  They don't come back.  Even as a body."

	"Geez," Ranma-chan said.  "It sounds dangerous."

	"Most people who don't make it to Sempai flunk out in other ways,
but I've heard it happens pretty often," Naru said.  "To those who do take
the test."

	"Well, I'll have to see what it is, when the time comes," Hinako
said, hiding her fear.  "I'm sure I can handle it."

	"Good luck," Naru said.

	Hinako hoped she wouldn't need it.  She calmed her nerves, and
went back to her sewing.





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