The Things We Wish For...
Chapter 12


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sommer@3rdm.net

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Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Ranma 1/2 characters. They
belong to Takahashi and whomever she sold the rights to.

Preface: What's happened before: Akane got her hands on a wish and used it
to wish her mother had never been in a car accident and was alive in the
present. Well, her mother wasn't in an accident, and is with them in the
present. There's only a slight complication; Kachiko had been in two
accidents, the first occurring when she was the ripe old age of seventeen.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma stared across the expanse of dojo floor at his opponent, who was
tensed and ready for action. It was what he wanted. What he needed. After
much cajoling, bargaining, and borderline pleading, he had finally gotten
his way and forced Kachiko into sparring with him one more time. More
importantly, he convinced his cagey opponent into relenting on her 'one
mandatory date to fight' stance.

"Remember, I don't have to date you if I win," Ranma said in case she tried
to change the terms of the agreement or claim they were something other than
what had been decided upon before the contest began.

"And if you lose, I get to go out with you three times." Kachiko adjusted
her plain white gi once more. There was a spring in her step as she prepared
for action.

Ranma watched the tricky girl carefully. The prospect of having to date her
three times would have made him sick to his stomach, if it wasn't for the
fact there was no way he would lose to her this time. He was ready for
anything. He had taken the measure of her fighting prowess. Even if there
was some trick move left in her repertoire, it couldn't overcome his
advantage.

"Don't hold back, Ranma!" Akane, the only other occupant in the dojo, called
out.

Like that would happen, Ranma thought to himself. While he was taking
Kachiko seriously, he was still handcuffed by being unable to strike her. He
was uncomfortable with the idea of punching her out, and then there was the
fact he'd be tossed out on his rear end by the rest of the Tendous (other
than Akane, evidently) if he hurt Kachiko in any way. The handicap would
make things competitive, but there was no doubt that with his ability to
evade any attack from her, his own impressive inventory of grappling
techniques, combined with superior strength, that he would come out on top.
There was nothing she could do to stop him.

"Are you ready?" Ranma asked.

Kachiko closed her eyes and pointed her face up toward the ceiling. She
remained that way, motionless and silent.

"Well?" Ranma asked impatiently.

Kachiko held a single finger up, indicating silence from Ranma as well. He
scowled, impatient at the delay. No doubt she was trying to get him off his
game by making him wait. She could stall all she wanted; it would do no
good.

A full minute passed, then two. Silence dominated things so thoroughly that
Ranma heard a door slam from the house next to the dojo.

Kachiko turned back to Ranma and opened her eyes. She shifted into a combat
stance. "Ready."

Ranma smirked. He'd have her pinned to the ground in under five minutes.

For the third time in three sparring matches between the two, he moved
first, intent on ending things quickly.

In response, Kachiko fell to her knees, ripped open her gi so that it fell
off her shoulders, barely covering the upper half of her breasts, and
screamed at the top of her lungs.

Ranma leaped back for a second at the unexpected action, though remained
ready to counter anything she might follow up with. Instead she remained on
the ground, sniffling as a cascade of tears flowed down her face.

Ranma felt pity toward her if she thought anything that blatant was going to
work. "Forget it. I ain't falling for whatever you have plann-"

The rest was cut off as the door to the dojo flew open and Soun entered.
Panic stricken, he shouted, "What's going on?! I heard Kachi scream!" He
took in the sight before him and began trembling in rage.

Kachiko pointed weakly at Ranma, barely managing through sobs, "Ruh, Ranma.
He tried to... me," she broke down and began outright bawling.

"But I didn't-" was the only defense Ranma could muster. It was in vain as a
Demon Head attack, five times worse than any unleashed at him before,
rendered him insensate with terror.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kachiko looked up through her tears and winced as Soun began slamming the
inert Ranma's head into the dojo floor repeatedly, unleashing a litany of
foul language that made even Kachiko blanch.

"There's no way you can say you won," Akane said bitterly.

Kachiko stuck her tongue out as she adjusted her gi so that it covered her
body again. "You're right, but it doesn't matter. I didn't have to win.
Ranma just had to lose. I'd say that qualifies." She pointed at the
onslaught taking place at the far side of the dojo.

Akane simmered in rage. "I can't believe you're low enough to come up with a
plan using Dad to do your dirty work."

Nabiki entered the dojo, surveying the scene. She strolled nonchalantly
toward Kachiko and held out her hand. "I told you it would work. Now cough
up the cash."

Kachiko pulled a small wad of bills from inside her gi and handed it to
Nabiki.

Akane stared at her sister, aghast. "How could you sell out Ranma like
that?"

Nabiki stared at her curiously, as though not quite grasping the question.
"Kachi asked me to do a favor for her. I could hardly pick Ranma over my own
dear, sweet, mother, now could I?"

"Oh, if it was a favor, then you'll give back the money?" Kachiko asked with
her hand held out.

"Not a chance." Nabiki waved the bills back and forth. "This makes us even
after the bad run of luck I had playing cards with you."

"Want to play some more to get back at me and come out ahead?" Kachiko
asked.

Nabiki begged off. "I think not. Unlike Ranma, I am fully willing to admit
when I'm outclassed in something. We'll come up with some other recreational
activity to wager on. In the meantime, you'd better calm Daddy down or there
won't be enough left of Ranma to take out."

"Oops." Kachiko rushed over to calm Soun down.

Nabiki began counting the bills. She had only gotten to five thousand yen
when they were smacked out of her hand and into the air. They began
fluttering down like a paper snowfall.

The sisters matched each other with their equally cold stares.

"How dare you side with her," Akane hissed.

"Don't get high and mighty with me, Little Sister," Nabiki spat. "She's
family, no matter how hard you try to deny it. And it just so happens we
have something in common, which is more than you or I have, so don't make it
sound like I owe you something, or am betraying you when doing it to her
would be no different." She bent down and began gathering the bills.

"Ranma's my fianc�!" Akane snapped.

"On the contrary, Ranma's engagement is on hiatus, with his eager consent."
Nabiki smirked at her sister. "Besides, Ranma wasn't going to let the
rematch thing go anymore than Mom is going to give up on him without dating
him once. They have to get this out of their system before things can return
to any semblance of normality."

"Don't make it sound like you're doing this for their own good. You did it
for the money, like the greedy witch you've always been."

"My needs happened to coincide with the best course of action for all
involved," Nabiki said icily as she finished gathering the money. She wasted
no time in heading out, but before she exited the dojo, she turned around
one last time. "Besides, you're the one that wished for all of this."

Nabiki had exited by the time Akane muttered under her breath, "No, this
wasn't what I wished for. Not at all."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kachiko was lounging around on her bed, reading a book, when the door to her
room burst open. Startled, she turned to confront the intruder. "The old
geezer better have broken both your hands and that was the reason you didn't
knock."

"I didn't lose!" Ranma declared.

"Don't try to back out of the deal now," Kachiko warned. "I didn't have to
win. You just had to lose, and you did. I get three dates out of you."

"The fight wasn't over," Ranma insisted.

"Of course it was. I had to keep the creepy old guy from bouncing your skull
around as a basketball."

"I wasn't unconscious."

"You were lying there, completely motionless."

"Paralyzed by his demon head attack is not the same thing as being beaten.
It just meant I could have been easily defeated. But you didn't defeat me.
You just let me lay there until I recovered," Ranma said satisfactorily.

"That's a defeat."

"No, it isn't. It's an oversight on your part. It's what happens when you
get cocky."

"Like you're one to talk! And you did lose!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

The two exchanged the accusations back and forth for the better part of
fifteen minutes. Their voices were hoarse by the time Ranma held his hand up
for a truce.

"What?" Kachiko said, voice cracking from the unrelenting strain placed on
her vocal cords.

Ranma's voice was equally rasping. "Look, we both have our points of view,
and maybe we're both right and wrong."

Kachiko wanted to argue but her voice was too strained from the argument.
"Compromise?"

"Might be for the best."

"You go out on two dates with me then."

Ranma shook his head. "One date. And you have to give me something in
return."

Kachiko appeared ready to argue the point, then seemed to reconsider. "What
is it you want?"

Ranma told her.

Kachiko rolled her eyes. "And you'll agree to go out on a date with me
without trying to worm your way out of it?"

With a great deal of reluctance, Ranma forced his mouth to say, "Yes."

"And it has to be my definition of a date, not yours. And you have to
sincerely try to have a good time instead of acting like a jerk and trying
to make me end it early."

The strain became more evident, but Ranma managed a "Fine, but you can't try
to make me do anything perverted with you."

Kachiko shot him a cold look. "This is our first date. Let me assure you
when it comes to me, no one makes it past first base with their initial
at-bat, if that."

"And you can't make me go out on another date if something happens to mess
it up, since that happens to me all the time."

"As long as you aren't the one getting others to mess it up for you,"
Kachiko warned. "Besides, you're jumping to conclusions. You might be so bad
at dating I won't want to go out with you a second time."

The accusation offended Ranma to very core of his being. "Don't be stupid.
I'm a great guy to go out with. Why do you think I have so many girls after
me all the time?"

Kachiko crossed her arms defiantly. "I am not like other girls. I have
higher standards. And I have lots of other guys interested in me, like
Tachi-kun, who currently has the inside line on you since he goes out of his
way to treat me nice."

"I'm a way better guy than that jerk, Kunou," Ranma swore.

"You do have some intangible quality that makes you interesting. If you
turned on some actual charm to go with it, you might pull ahead," Kachiko
conceded.

Ranma was in full competitive mode. "I will pull ahead of him. You just
watch. I'll take you on best date you've ever been on."

"Set realistic goals. Just make it one I'll enjoy and I'll be satisfied,"
Kachiko said.

"You just wait. I'll impress you so much, you'll forget any other guy
exists," Ranma promised as he exited the room.

Once Ranma was out of earshot, Kachiko said to herself, "Now, he's making me
uneasy." She wondered how to go about ensuring Ranma didn't mess things up
by going overboard.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma hummed an upbeat tune as he headed toward his room. "Kachi's going to
have the time of her life. I'll show her. I'll show them all. Ranma Saotome
knows how to date the ladies."

Kasumi, who had been standing in the hall, overheard Ranma's vow. A troubled
expression crossed her brow. "Oh dear. I'd better tell Father about this."
Thought was the same as motion. It only took a minute to locate her father,
who was with Genma, playing a game of shogi on the back porch.

"Father, I have terrible news," Kasumi said.

"You've been out carousing again, dressing like a tramp and drinking like a
lush!" Soun wailed.

A vexed expression crossed Kasumi's features. "No, that's not it at all.
Ranma is going out on a date with Mother."

Soun's fist struck the table, making it bounce. "And after he already tried
to molest my darling wife once today! This time I'll kill him!"

Genma cleared his throat. "Ah, didn't Kachi explain it as a big joke and
Ranma hadn't laid a finger on her, and that if you were to attack the boy
again, she'd never forgive you?"

Soun calmed down. "Oh, right. I forgot about that."

"But you can't just let Ranma date Mother," Kasumi insisted.

Genma nodded in agreement. "You need to be a man with that girl and tell it
to her like it is."

"Do you think so?" Soun asked the duo.

"Mother wants to be loved by you, I'm certain."

"Women like a take charge kind of guy," Genma concurred. "In fact, if it was
me, and Nodoka was behaving that way, I'd kick down the girl's door and
demand she go out with me."

Soun considered the statements. There was some wisdom in them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The noise from the others caught someone else's attention. Right outside the
kitchen, Akane wasn't able to make out the words and was left wondering what
the commotion coming from the back porch was about. Before she had a chance
to investigate, she heard a knock from the front door.

Akane answered it, and was surprised to find an adult Miss Hinako standing
there. She wore one of her more mundane yellow 'school dresses', one that
could handle her size changing  and look acceptable in either of her forms.
Or almost acceptable, as a good bit of leg was showing in her current state.

"Hello, Miss Hinako," Akane said.

"Greetings, Miss Tendou. I am here to see that awful, scrawny, delinquent
tramp and put her in her place."

Even a week ago, Akane would have attempted to dissuade the woman from
starting a fight, especially in the house, but after the events of the
afternoon, there was really no choice at all. "She's in her bedroom. Go
upstairs, second room on the right. Let yourself in, and don't hold back."

"Thank you." Hinako eagerly rushed into the house, following Akane's
directions.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

With Ranma gone and with her date assured, Kachiko allowed herself to relax
and return to reading her book. She was just getting to a good part, when
the door to her room was thrown upon once again.

"Did knocking suddenly become a lost art?!" Kachiko threw the book aside and
stood up to confront the intruder: Hinako. "Oh, it's you. Well, I can see
why someone like you would get confused and mistake 'knockers' as being the
same thing as 'knocking'. I have yet to meet someone with a huge chest whose
IQ exceeded her bust size."

Hinako cleared her throat and began speaking in a lecturing tone. "I was
going to engage in a civil discussion with you regarding the impropriety of
your behavior and the wisdom in annulling your marriage to Soun-chan, but
rather than waste the oxygen, I think I'll cut to the inevitable conclusion
of the debate."

"The part where I tell you to kiss my ass?" Kachiko asked.

"And then I drain you." Hinako held up her coin.

Kachiko tried to evade the attack by fleeing out her open window. She had
just cleared the window's ledge when the Happo-gojuuen Setsu struck her,
withering her form as the chi was sucked out of her body. Now much lighter,
Kachiko floated down to the ground as light as a feather.

Hinako remained in the room, admiring her handiwork, when Soun barged in and
shouted, "I have had enough of this running around! I demand that you go out
with me tonight!" Declaration made, Soun finally took a moment to focus upon
whom he was speaking to. His jaw nearly hit the floor.

Hinako bounded over to the man and embraced him, rubbing her body against
him in a very familiar way. "Oh, Soun-chan, I can't believe you've actually
asked me out. You've made me the happiest woman in the world. Of course I
accept."

Soun was unable to manage the difficult task of moving, and remained
unresisting in her grasp, babbling incoherently.

Hidden around the corner, Kasumi and Genma, who had followed Soun up the
stairs, shook their heads sadly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ensconced in a secret chamber located in a warehouse along the docks of
Tokyo Bay, a clandestine meeting was taking place. The warehouse was dank
and held hint of danger, as though it was a locale where many an illicit
gathering birthed foul plans. Currently it was filled with over three dozen
people, milling about the room as individuals and in large clusters. A
buffet sat in the center, brightly lit and offering a wide variety of food.

One corner of the building was dominated by a number of rough-looking women,
all of them healthy specimens of womanhood. Many of them were on the beefy
side, though their mass was composed of solid muscle. They were dressed in a
variety of high school uniforms, the majority of outfits altered in such a
way as to give them a seedy appearance. Most of the women were smoking,
drinking from small flasks, or otherwise radiated an aura of toughness and a
desire to be left to their own devices.

A second group, larger than the women, stationed themselves near the main
garage door to the warehouse. All of them were men, just as rough-looking
and physically fit as the women. To a man they sat astride an assortment of
motorcycles bearing distinctive red and black striped flags, with a skull in
the center of the field, hanging from the bikes. Occasionally one of the men
would gun his engine, the reverberations echoing through the enclosed area
and drowning out the ability to think.

An older man with gray hair and a worn face that showed years of a hard
life, sat by himself. He was dressed in green coveralls and held a mop
affectionately in his hands as he glared beneath his worn cap.

A rail-thin, nerdy-looking man wearing glasses that reflected the light so
totally that his eyes were obscured behind the glare --despite the low
lighting-- sat by himself, typing away on an open lap top.

To the left, one of the shadows moved independently of the dim lighting in
the warehouse.

A group of bizarrely shaped creatures, most of them seeming to resemble
demonic household appliances, kept to themselves toward the back of the
chamber.

An inconspicuous man dressed in a business suit helped himself to the
buffet.

As the various groups spoke among themselves, a spotlight suddenly shined
upon the floor in the center of the warehouse. A rumbling erupted from
below, and a portion of the floor retracted. From the opening, a dais
emerged with a solitary figure perched on an elaborate throne in the center.
He wore flowing red robes adorned with arcane symbols along a yellow border.
A plain steel mask with black eye slits and a hole for a mouth covered the
face, hiding the identity of the newcomer. The hood of the figure rose above
his head, nearly two feet in height, and ended in a tapered point.

The figure spoke, in quiet lethal tones, "I have gathered-"

"I can't hear you!" one of the bikers toward the back shouted.

The strange figure stopped, letting out a sigh of frustration. He flipped up
a compartment on the arm of his chair, revealing a panel with a number of
buttons and switches on it. Muttering to himself, he flicked one of the
switches.

The dais began to descend.

"Shit! That's not it!" The figure flipped the switch so that the dais rose
again. Once at its former position, he set the switch back in its original
position. He then pushed a green button.

The air was suddenly filled with loud feedback, making everyone cover their
ears and howl in pain. The figure adjusted a dial, and the feedback stopped.
Once everyone's hearing recovered, the figure spoke again, this time his
voice reverberating throughout the warehouse. "Can you hear me now?"

The biker in the back nodded.

The figure cleared his throat again. "I have summoned all of you here today
for a purpose."

One of the women asked, "Who are you, anyway?"

The figure posed menacingly before the gathering. "My real name is
unimportant. You may address me as... the Gargoyle!"

"You don't look a thing like a gargoyle," one of the demonic appliances
pointed out.

"It's an alias," the Gargoyle answered.

"You look like a giant conehead," one of the bikers said.

"It's just a disguise."

"It looks silly," the small man with the laptop said.

"I'll have you know it's based on the style of one of the most dangerous
criminal organizations back in the nineteenth century."

"They didn't make many public appearances, did they?" one of the women
asked.

"Well, no," the Gargoyle reluctantly admitted.

The woman continued. "There might be a reason for that. Besides, there's a
reason people don't wear fashions that are two centuries out of date."

"Just bear with it!" The Gargoyle demanded. "We have not gathered here to
comment on  my choice of raiment. Rather we are here because of a common
past we share."

"Daddy?" one of the creatures asked, hope filling its voice.

"Not that sort of shared past," the Gargoyle said coldly. "It is that of a
common foe. You see, all of us have the distinction of being wronged in our
youth. During a time when we needed a helping hand to assist us in
understanding our needs and problems, we were instead ignored, then harassed
and physically abused under the guise of 'discipline'. Our behavior, which
was nothing more than our attempt to reach out and find our niche in the
world, was labeled 'delinquency' and our individuality crushed by a foul
witch that derives perverse enjoyment in squashing those that don't fit in
her narrow-minded view of the world."

One of the bikers scratched his head. "That's funny. All I remember doing
when I was a kid was kicking the shit out of guys that I found annoying."

The Gargoyle said, "That's a sign of the system that's brainwashed you into
thinking yourself the perpetrator of wrongdoing when you are in fact the
victim, If you were not a casualty of society's callousness and disregard
for your well-being, when instead it should have been nurturing the soul
within you, you would never have engaged in such behaviors in the first
place. Obviously you are blameless for your actions."

The biker's eyes goggled. "Wow! I never thought of it that way. Now my
conscience, what little of it remains, feels a lot less guilty."

"It is the system that is guilty, a system of oppression personified in this
person!" The Gargoyle flipped another switch, activating a slide projector.
On the far side of the room, an image of a woman appeared.

"Britney Spears?" the man with the lap top asked.

The Gargoyle began pounding the panel. "Goddamn piece of crap rental! Why
don't they put symbols to indicate which button is which?" He flicked the
button several times, going through the various slides, until the desired
image appeared.

A growl of recognition emanated from some of the people in the warehouse.

"That's right, Hinako Ninomiya." Satisfaction filled the Gargoyle's voice.
"That is why I have gathered you all together today, to seek vengeance upon
this woman who wrecked all-"

"Ahem! Excuse me!" An odd creature, one with the form of a toaster with
legs, spoke up, attracting the Gargoyle's attention.

"What?" he asked irritably.

"Is that one of the Sailor Senshi in their true form?"

"Of course not. That's a high school disciplinarian."

"Isn't this the 'Youmas Against Mass Murdering Sailor Senshi' meeting?"

"No, this is the 'Miss Hinako Revenge Squad' meeting."

The youma flicked one of his buttons. From the slot on the top of his head,
a sheaf of papers sprang out, just like a piece of toast would. The paper
was lightly done, and crinkled as the youma unfurled it. "This is Warehouse
Secret Lair #255, Dockside District, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then this should be the Youmas Against Mass Murdering Sailor Senshi
meeting."

The Gargoyle pulled out a paper of his own from within the confines of his
robe. "Impossible. Here is my rental contract. We have full use of the
facility until 8:50. I even paid the extra fifteen thousand yen for the
buffet option."

The youma reread his paper. "Oh, I'm sorry. The meeting isn't until 9:00. I
really must read the fine print more carefully." The toaster youma bowed as
he and his comrades exited the warehouse.

The Gargoyle muttered a string of expletives under his breath. "Now, as I
was saying, Miss Hinako has wronged each of us in some way." He pointed at
the pack of girls, specifically at one of the more attractive members whose
long black hair was done up in a ponytail. She looked bored as she played
with a yo-yo that dangled from one of her fingers. "Miss Keiko Hayabusa, you
organized a band of fellow girls and formed the 'Crimson Yo-Yo's, a bunch of
sukeban that rightfully earned the respect and admiration of their peers at
Shotokan Reform School. However, the powers that be feared an organization
that encouraged women to be strong and independent minded, preferring you to
act like submissive sheep. When you refused to cave in to their craven
demands, they called in Miss Hinako, and with her energy draining abilities,
broke up your gang and the influence you had over your so called higher
learning institution."

Keiko spat out her cigarette. "Yeah, that bitch drained us every day for a
month until we were too tired to fight against all of them jerks in the
school that had a grudge against us. Even the Astronomy Club kicked our
asses. We had to break up the gang, or we would never have had a moment's
peace. I'd love to get my hands on that bitch and break her in half." She
hurled the yo-yo at a vacant chair. The round part of the toy struck the
chair, shattering the wood and turning it into kindling. The yo-yo coiled
back into the palm of her hand where she effortlessly caught it. Once again
she let it move up and down as though it was no more dangerous than a
child's toy.

The Gargoyle pointed to the figure at the head of the biker gang. He was a
huge man, towering over six and a half feet in height. He wore an open
leather jacket that was little more than a vest with the sleeves torn away,
revealing massive biceps and a set of abdominals and pectorals that would
have turned a professional body builder green with envy. His face was
shrouded in a hockey mask, though a shock of blond hair stuck out from the
back.

The Gargoyle spoke again. "You are the man known as the Road Ronin. You and
your Biking Club's so-called offense was nothing more than engaging in a
series of extracurricular activities."

"We beat up the teachers, extorted money from the other students, sold
drugs, opened a prostitution ring that specialized in high school girls, and
ran a fansub bootleg cartel. We were the envy of every other biker gang in
Japan," Road Ronin boasted.

"Yes, and for these paltry things, Miss Hinako was once again set upon poor,
victimized students when all you needed was encouragement to seek other
means of releasing your anger."

"Actually, I wasn't angry. I was greedy, self-centered, and sociopathic."

"In other words, a typical teenager," the Gargoyle said.

"Pretty much," the Road Ronin agreed.

"And for the crime of being a teenager, you were drained repeatedly until
you repented your acts and were expelled from school. Don't you see the
injustice in it? Doesn't it make your heart long for revenge?"

The Road Ronin shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"And you Kyosuke Takiawa!" the Gargoyle pointed to the shadows. "You were a
ninja cadet of unparalleled skill. A shadow among shadows. You already knew
what you wanted to be when it came to entering the job market, and isn't
school meant to train us to enter society by becoming a productive member of
it? You were destined for a greatness that few could know. But then it was
all cut short by our common foe when she caught you sneaking into the
principal's office late at night, trying to alter your grades."

A figure dressed in the familiar black garb of a ninja emerged from the
shadows. "I should have had a higher grade. It wasn't my fault that when
they took attendance the teachers didn't see me."

"And you met the same fate as the others. So tragic. So sad." the Gargoyle
turned to the old man cradling his mop. "And you Tatsumi Kimura, were a
simple downtrodden janitor-"

"Waste management technician," the man growled.

"Waste management technician," the Gargoyle corrected. "You, who do the
necessary, if unsightly, work that others won't do, despite the fact it
needs to be done. You, who are the true backbone of society, were also
wronged by Hinako when that callous bitch punished you for just trying to
make ends meet."

The janitor's voice was full of a bitterness that could never be mopped up
no matter how hard he tried. "I was minding my own business, selling
textbooks on the black market from the basement of the school I was employed
at for a little side cash. I kept everyone away pretending the school was
haunted by the spirit of a Zimbabwean witch doctor. And I would have gotten
away with it too if it wasn't for those nosy kids and their interfering
mutt."

The Gargoyle cleared his throat and pointed meaningfully at the slide of
Hinako.

"Oh, right, and if it wasn't for that energy draining bitch, too," the
janitor added.

"And like us, you desire revenge," the Gargoyle said.

The man nodded, stroking his mop affectionately.

One of the bikers looked incredulously at the older man. "Get real, you're
just a lousy janitor. What can you do?"

In a flash, the man closed the distance between the two, mop held like a
lethal weapon. He thrust forward with it, jamming the entire head of the mop
into the biker's mouth. He then spun around, the biker still attached to the
mop, and jammed him into the floor, rubbing him vigorously back and forth
before throwing him clear of the mop with a flick of the wrist. The biker's
body collided with his motorcycle, knocking it over and leaving him lying in
a motionless heap.

The janitor pet his mop affectionately. "Me and Clementine can take on a
dozen snot-nosed punks like you and wipe the floor with them. But then I'd
have to go over it again since snot-nosed punks aren't good for cleaning the
floor. They always leave streaks behind. And that's 'Waste Management
Technician' to you."

The Gargoyle turned away from the men, and pointed to the man with the lap
top. "And you, Fujiki Genzo, a student with a mind like a steel trap. A
computer programmer born before his time. More interested in code and
consoles rather than the more esoteric classes, you were given low marks in
those classes that held little interest for you. When you tried to hack into
the system to alter those grades, Hinako discovered you, draining you dry,
and taking away your computer, making you do all of your classes with
nothing more complex than a pencil and a slide rule. Can any act be more
cruel than to take away from you your precious lap top? Don't you long for
revenge against she who wronged you so terribly?"

The man adjusted his glasses, allowing the light to glimmer off them
maniacally. "Get real. That was back in high school. Since then, I went to a
prestigious college, graduated with top honors, and founded my own
successful computer company. I have nearly a billion yen, several houses
around the world, and one of the most beautiful trophy wives money can buy."

"But what about your all-consuming lust for revenge?" the Gargoyle stammered
out.

"Oh please. That happened years ago. It wasn't that big a deal then, and I'm
certainly over it now. I can't believe none of you losers aren't also."

"Over it?! You demented sicko! Get the hell out of here!" the Gargoyle
raged, pointing to the door to the warehouse.

Genzo closed the laptop and departed.

"Some people have no comprehension of how they've been wronged," the
Gargoyle muttered. He pointed to the ordinary looking man standing next to
the buffet, helping himself to another plate of General Tso's Chicken. "And
you, you poor, poor man, who were... say, who are you anyway?"

"Chuck." The man waved a piece of chicken at the coneheaded leader.

"Chuck...?"

"Just Chuck."

"Ah yes, Chuck. Chuck, whom Hinako... Hinako.... Umm, what did Miss Hinako
do to you anyway?"

Chuck shrugged. "Nothing. I've never met her before in my life." He bit into
the chicken piece.

"Then what are you doing here?"

Chuck spoke through a mouth full of food. "I heard there was an open buffet
and dropped by. But hey, if it's a revenge thing, go ahead and count me in.
I'm always up for revenge, even if its against people I've never met."

The Gargoyle considered it. "What is it you do?"

"I'm a lawyer," Chuck beamed.

The Gargoyle recoiled. "Look, I might be willing to allow thieves, thugs,
pushers, pimps, prostitutes, janitors-"

"Waste management technician."

"--Waste management technicians, and even a ninja or two to join my squad,
but there's no way I'm allowing a lawyer in the group. It's not like Miss
Hinako did anything bad enough to merit that."

The lawyer's features seemed to change, as though he was a shark that had
been swimming peacefully until someone dropped five hundred pounds of fish
guts on top of him. He stared hungrily at the Gargoyle. "Why, that sounds
like a discrimination lawsuit to me."

Before the lawyer could turn on him, the Gargoyle grabbed a nearby rope pull
cord that conveniently dangled within his reach. In response, a trap door
gave way beneath the lawyer, dropping him out of sight. A cry of, "I
objecttttttt," drifted off into the distance.

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god I added the 'trapdoor with adjoining tank filled with man-eating
piranha at the bottom' option at the last minute," the Gargoyle said.

"I bet you don't have an exotic animals permit for these!" a voice in the
distance shouted out. Cries of pain were hot in the heels of it.

The Gargoyle tried wiping at the sweat that had formed at his brow, however
his mask prevented him from doing it. No matter how he tried, he couldn't
wipe it away. "Damn thing's stuffy. Next time I get an in-built power
supply, cooling device, and a removable faceplate."

"What did Miss Hinako do to you?" Keiko asked.

"That is a secret. Suffice to say, it was ten times worse than anything she
did to you. Now, I have gathered you all here for a purpose. It is my
intention that Miss Hinako's punishment for a lifetime of wrongdoing is long
overdue. Individually, we are all formidable opponents she barely defeated.
With our power and resources combined, we are nigh unbeatable."

"Only nigh unbeatable?" the Road Ronin asked.

"Yes. We could be beaten, but not by very many people. Therefore we only
qualify as nigh unbeatable, not absolutely unbeatable. But it's all right,
because we are unbeatable when it comes to seeking revenge on Hinako, and
that's all that matters."

"What if she has friends that'll come to her defense?" Keiko asked, her
yo-yo a blur as she swung it back and forth in eagerness.

The Gargoyle laughed. "I've had her under surveillance for some time. Due to
her job, as well as her freakish nature, she has no friends, loved ones, or
even confidants. She's a solitary individual that will be easy prey for our
combined talents. She might be able to deal with one or two of us, but not
all of us. Now let us laugh evilly together everyone. And do it with real
emotion."

The warehouse reverberated from the cacophony of sinister laughter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Why were the gods so cruel?

Soun stared at the image in the mirror, a sight so depressing it would have
laid even a lottery winner's euphoric high low. He couldn't believe his
misfortune, and he had more than a passing experience with runs of bad luck.
There were times when he felt his entire life was nothing but one unlucky
experience after another. Once again what should have been a joyous occasion
had instead turned into one of ruin and desolation.

It wasn't fair! He had taken a stand. He had demanded Kachiko go out with
him. Seeing his forceful, manly nature, she should have melted in his arms
and accepted his invitation. After she had a wonderful time with him (like
she had in his past) she would accept more dates. After a three month
courtship, they would have sex, and then she would make him propose to her,
exactly like last time. It was all a matter of taking that first step, her
going out on a date with him, that needed to be taken. Once she got to know
his inner self, which had not changed as his exterior had over the years, it
would grow rapidly from there, the two would fall in love, and all would be
right with the world.

But his plan had backfired as horribly as possible. Akane's teacher had
somehow been substituted for Kachiko, and ended up the recipient of his
demand. Worse, she had accepted it with a wholehearted enthusiasm that no
woman had ever showered upon him, not even Kachiko in the early days of
their courtship. He couldn't honorably back out. He had to date Hinako at
least once. Which was why Soun found himself staring mournfully at the
mirror as he prepared to go out on the first date he'd had in years.

There was a knock on the door. With all the enthusiasm of a man marching to
the gallows, Soun made a weak offer of, "Enter."

Kachiko burst into the room, broad smile beaming at Soun.

Hope griped Soun's heart. She had heard of his dilemma and came to help.
Deep down inside he knew she could never stand to have another woman date
him. "Just say the word and I'll cancel the date, Kachi." Honor be damned.
He would be with his wife no matter what. All she had to do was ask.

Kachiko lifted one eyebrow in surprise. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm here to
help you pick out what you 're going to wear so you can impress her."

"But I don't want to go out with her. I want to date you!" Soun wailed.

Kachiko slapped him hard across the face, shocking him back to his senses.
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear. You are going out with this woman,
and you are going to sincerely try to have a good time as well as making her
have a good time. She has bared her heart and soul to go out with you when
YOU asked HER out. You can't know what it means when a woman leaves herself
open for a man she adores and he accepts. The most evil thing a man can do
is reject them right afterwards. So let me give you a warning right now. If
I catch even a hint of you trying to ruin the evening or copping out, I will
never speak to you again."

The sincerity of the threat was unquestionable. That, combined with the fact
she was correct, settled the matter with Soun. Only the lowest of men would
reject Hinako under these conditions. He bowed his head meekly in deference
to his wife's wisdom.

Seeing his acquiescence. Kachiko's mood brightened. "Now, let's see what we
can pick out that will knock her off her feet." The girl reevaluated the man
with a critical eye. "Or at least shove her off balance. You are a creepy
old guy, and we don't have a whole lot to work with. Though for some
inexplicable reason, she does have the hots for you. I think we can manage
something workable."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time the doorbell ran for the tenth time, Ranma decided he had
enough. He would have answered it earlier, but he swore Kasumi had shouted
that she would "Take care of the door." Nine rings later, it was evident
something had gone wrong. After getting the door, he'd have to check things
out and make sure Kasumi was all right. As long as she didn't try to kiss
him in gratitude. The one time she had was way too weird to deal with. He
had never thought of Kasumi in those terms, and had no intention of starting
now.

Ranma hurried down the corridor to the front hall, shouting out an
impatient, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Upon arriving, he was taken aback by
the sight of Kasumi bracing a set of thick boards against the door to
prevent  it from being opened.

Afraid to ask, but knowing he had to, Ranma said, "What's going on?"

"Miss Hinako's here, so I'm taking care of the door," Kasumi offered in
explanation.

"Um, shouldn't you be letting her in."

"She cannot date Father. He already has Mother."

Ranma forced the attempted headache away. "You can't keep her out. She's
just going to blast her way in through the door or a wall or something." It
was a miracle she hadn't already. He suspected she wanted to keep the
destruction to a minimum so as to make a good impression, but even her
patience would have limits. Besides, once she fired off her blast, she'd be
in her younger state, and then seek out a source of life energy to
reinvigorate her. Ranma tended to be one of her more popular targets.

Reluctantly, Kasumi accepted his reasoning and allowed Ranma to remove the
boards. He threw open the door just as an irate Hinako had her arms held up,
forming a circle with her fingers, and prepared to blast her way in. She
lowered her hands as she was finally allowed entry to the house.

Even Ranma was a touch taken aback by the sight before him. Hinako was
dressed in a stunning off the shoulder red dress and long, white elbow
length gloves. The cut to the outfit was low, showing off a great deal of
impressive cleavage, and the cut was such that it showed off her very
womanly curves. She wore a light shade of make-up that accentuated her
already attractive features without overdoing it. She was simply stunning..

Hinako's irritation at being forced to wait disappeared with the open door.
She bowed before the pair. "Is Soun in?"

"He's dead," Kasumi answered.

"She's kidding," Ranma said quickly before Hinako could react to the
statement. "Come on in."

Hinako entered the home. "Thank you for having me over."

Kasumi followed up with, "You don't want to date Father. He beats women up."

"If I was married to that little brat, I'd beat her up, too." Hinako's
eyebrow twitched and slight hint of anger entered her voice. It left just as
quickly and she turned pleasant again. "Would one of you kindly inform Soun
I am here?"

"I'll get him." Ranma hurried off.

"Father's impotent," Kasumi told Hinako.

"When the times comes, I think I can take care of that," she said, adding a
meaningful wink, posing slightly for Kasumi's benefit.

Ranma appeared, dragging a reluctant Soun in tow and with Kachiko pushing
him from behind.

Once Soun was shoved before Hinako, he was forced to actually look at her.
For a moment, his vision fogged over as the undeniable beauty of the woman
affected him. He gulped slightly.

"It's so wonderful to see you, Soun," Hinako cooed.

Kachiko prodded him with an elbow.

"Yes, it's wonderful to see you, too," he answered.

Kachiko tried her best to be civil to the house guest. "That dress hides
your sag well."

"A problem you'll never have, since there's nothing for gravity to effect.
And I don't have sag."

The girls shared a mutual glare at one another, neither blinking as the
tension between them rose.

Surprisingly, it was Soun who defused the situation. He offered his arm to
Hinako. "Perhaps we should go now."

That shook Hinako out of her anger. She accepted the arm as she genuflected
in Soun's presence. "Yes, it would be wonderful to go out with you. It's
like a dream come true."

With a visible effort, Kachiko said, "You two should get going. Have a good
time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"If you're certain," Soun said, an unspoken reminder of Kachiko's ability to
end things with a word.

She waved her hand at the pair, face twitching and a light sheen of sweat
breaking out on her brow. "Shoo. Go on now."

Soun sighed in defeat and escorted Hinako out the door.

Once the pair were out of earshot and the door closed behind them, Kachiko
slumped against a wall, visibly drained of energy.

Mystified, Ranma said, "You seemed pretty choked up about them going out."

"It's Mother's feelings for Father coming through," Kasumi said.

Kachiko snorted. "Get real. The only reason I had a problem with the
situation is because I don't want to see that size changing witch happy. But
unloading the geriatric pervert on someone else is more important. Besides,
getting stuck with that old guy is punishment enough for any woman."

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "That's taken care of. Hinako's gone, and I
didn't get drained."

"I'm the one she's been draining," Kachiko pointed out.

"That's true. Thanks for helping out." He slapped Kachiko affectionately on
the back. Not being drained was fun. Sort of like not having a hundred paper
cuts all over one's body.

"You can show your appreciation by helping me tag along with those two,"
Kachiko said.

Ranma showed his interest in the suggestion by backing away. "Why would I
want to do something like that? Why would you want to, for that matter? You
don't even like either of them."

Kachiko stared at the closed door. "I have to make sure everything goes
right and they hit it off really well, or all of this is nothing more than a
night away from the old guy hitting on me. Besides, I got a bad feeling
about this date. I want to be there for damage control if it's necessary."

"Heck, I get those feelings all the time. I'm always right, too." Ranma
became mournful.

"All the more reason to go along and try to see things safely through. Now
help me out here."

"If I do, will it count as a date?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"No, but I'll compromise. When we do go out to eat on our official date, I
won't order the most expensive thing on the menu and just pick at it and
make you feel like you completely wasted your money."

Ranma considered the proposition. From what other guys said when they went
out on dates, girls always did that to them. It sounded like a decent
concession. "Okay, deal." Besides, Ranma had something of an interest in the
matter. Soun Tendou had given him a roof to live under for a while, and if
Hinako was dating him, she was happy and less likely to drain Ranma. He
would come out ahead if the two hit it off.

Besides, it was just a date --one not involving him or one of his romantic
interests-- what could possibly go wrong?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

End part 1




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