[FFML] Quantum Destinies - Chapter 24

[Jurai Knight]

*** Earth 0.000, 0.000

Home.

The word carried with it a winsome sweetness for most, especially when one
had been away from it for a long time. That sweetness became even more
poignant when one had willingly walked away from it, leaving it behind as a
sacrifice upon the altar of necessity in order to attain a more valued
prize. So it was with the individual that appeared on one of the cliffs
overlooking the valley of Jusenkyo, a young man named Mu Tse (or Mousse as
the conquerors of his people pronounced his name).

Darkness had already fallen as Mousse, dressed in worn white robes over
dark blue pants, paused to consider the scene before him, adjusting the
travelling pack he wore on his back. Thick glasses set in black frames
rested on his face, and he pushed them slightly upwards with a single
finger, letting them sit a bit higher on the bridge of his nose. The weight
of his pack seemed to lighten as he took a breath of the air, and he
imagined he could already smell the cooking fires of Joketsuzoku Village in
it. He was looking forward to the end of his long journey and the treasure
he had prepared himself for years to claim.

For Mousse, that treasure, that one thing he prized above all else in the
world, was Shan Pu (or Shampoo as he had once heard an Imperial magistrate
visiting the village pronounce her name), the girl he had adored and
worshipped for as long as he could remember. For her sake alone, he had
left years ago, leaving behind his family and his place in the village,
such as it was being a male with poor eyesight that was not a very good
fighter who lived among a group of indomitable warrior women. To finally
win her love, he had chosen to walk the “Path of the Outsider,” a rather
obscure rite of passage described in the village laws that would divorce
him from all connections to his past, allowing him to return after two
years away and challenge any Amazon freely for her hand in marriage, just
as if he was any other outsider male.

His glasses fogged over slightly as he tried to imagine her and what she
might be like now, his one, true beloved. For two years he had carefully
crafted and sculpted that mental image, imagining Shampoo as she would
surely be when he finally returned home, a girl who was both beautiful and
strong. When his own body’s strength flagged from the hardships of his
training or his resolve weakened in the face of his trials, he had used
that precious image to continue on, pushing himself farther and harder than
would have been possible for him on his own.

“<Ah, Shan Pu,>” he murmured reverently. “<How I’ve missed you.>” He sighed
longingly for her as he became lost in his imaginings. He gazed out across
the valley without seeing it, feeling its ancient ambiance settle upon him
like a gossamer shroud. The tranquility of the scene put him in a
reflective mood, and he thought about the path he had followed and the
irascible old man who had taught him so much, Master Yin.

At a thought, shadows briefly congealed into a single blade appearing
between his fingers and then vanished again. Mousse smiled at the ease with
which he performed such a petty trick now, feeling the tattoo on his lower
back seem to ripple slightly. Master Yin had been one of the last of the
Lin Kuei, an ancient order of spies and assassins dating back to the first
emperors of China, before they had been hunted down and all but
exterminated by the Empire of Japan. Under his tutelage, Mousse had
replaced the hidden weapon technique he once used with a far superior one.
So now, like his master before him, Mousse could conjure forth from the
shadows an infinite arsenal, no longer needing to hide weaponry on his
person. So long as there was darkness or even merely shadows around him, he
had weapons available to him.

Shampoo was certain to fall before him now and then she would become his
bride. He could feel the winds of destiny flowing around him and guiding
him on. He snapped his arm out straight and concentrated, a sword of solid
shadow appearing in his grip. He shrugged his shoulder, and it vanished
again. A smile lit his face. Yes, Shampoo was certain to become his now.
This time she would not be facing the same pathetic, weak boy using
conjurer’s tricks he once was, but a skilled warrior with real power, one
tested in battle many times during his training, the person he had forced
himself to become for her sake. It was their destiny to be together.

Yes, Mousse mused, destiny. And no one could change the destiny they were
given at birth. No, one simply fulfilled the role fate cast for them. So it
would be with him. He would take Shampoo as his bride, for that was his
destined place in the universe. She was meant to be his.

Far below him, a road followed an expansive fence which blocked off the
area of the valley where the legendary springs of Jusenkyo lay. Signs in
Japanese and several of the local dialects were posted on the fence at
regular intervals, each one promising harsh penalties for attempting
entrance. However, it was oddly quiet, and no movement could be seen within.

Mousse’s reverie was abruptly cut short as a rabbit burst into view near
him and ran for all it was worth past him. He tracked it with his eyes
absently, his thoughts still filled with memories, especially ones of his
beloved Shampoo. Only moments later, a human figure appeared just as
suddenly, charging after the animal at full speed, a beautiful girl with
white hair. Even as quick as his reflexes had become, Mousse was helpless
to avoid her use of him as a springboard, as she planted her feet on his
forehead, bounced off and then continued her furious chase after her prey,
never even once looking back at him.

Suddenly blown back off the edge of the cliff by her actions, Mousse found
himself tumbling end over end as he angled downwards in a long arc. His
glasses and pack flew free as he plunged through the light mists towards
the pools of water waiting far below. A single cry of surprise was the only
sound he made before he vanished from sight into the darkness. A few
moments later, the sound of a distant splash could be heard.

In the gloom surrounding the pools of Jusenkyo, Mousse pulled himself free
from the waters that had broken his fall, his body feeling a bit strange.
He had lost his glasses, so he could not even see his own hands clearly as
they grasped the grass and soil at the edge of the pool he had fallen into.
He hauled himself out and lay there, gasping.

What had happened? Why did he feel so odd? He pulled out a spare pair of
his glasses from the tatters of his robe and fumbled them on with some
difficulty, allowing him to finally see himself.

No! Horror gripped him by the throat. This wasn’t possible! This wasn’t
fair! Not when he was so close to finally winning Shampoo’s love!

Mousse’s roar of rage suddenly resounded through the valley.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Herb lifted her head when she heard an animal of some kind bellowing and
looked around briefly as she walked back to camp with the rabbit she had
been chasing in her hand. The hunt had focused her, and the chase had been
very invigorating. While her and her companions had liberated enough in the
way of supplies to last a while, there was nothing quite like hunting and
living off the land to toughen the body and strengthen the spirit. A few
more weeks of this, and the trio would be in proper fighting trim to face
anything that this world could offer in the way of adversaries.

Well, whatever it was, it was no concern of hers. She had much bigger game
to hunt than some beast, namely locating the source point of the resonator
signal that had come from this world. Then she could contact the Dragon
Claw and her other self. And when she finally found Sage and rescued him,
then this world could burn to cinders for all she cared.

The Musk would finally have the means to break through the Solnoid
Matriarchy’s jamming of the relay stations. They would no longer be
required, allowing them to take world after world by simply creating
legions of agents using analogs of loyal Musk soldiers. With the new
resonator technology in hand, countless new potential conquests would be
within reach, like this one. The Matriarchy would never suspect a thing
until it was too late, and there wasn’t anything they could do to try to
stop it.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By S. Thesken aka Jurai Knight (qd_author at hotmail.com)

Ranma 1/2 and its characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This story is
inspired by her works and the stories from some of my fellow fanfic
authors. Among these are D.B. Sommer's “Shampoo 1/2”, Jim Bader's “A Very
Scary Thought -aka- Nabiki 1/2”, and John Biles' Elseworlds series. All C&C
is welcome.


The list of worlds reoccurring in this chapter:
Earth 0.000, 0.000 - The world of Scholar Ranma (Baseline cluster)
Earth +4.612, +4.509 - The world of Shampoo 1/2 (Shampoo 1/2 cluster)


What has gone before in this story (or at least what will help you
understand what is going on):

On a parallel Earth that diverged from the standard Ranma timeline over
five hundred years ago, the Empire of Japan rules almost half the world and
has done so for almost a century. Theorizing that one could travel to
alternate timelines by possessing counterparts in them, a young scientist
named Ranma Saotome, through use of a device of his own invention,
accidentally obtained the skills and memories of a martial artist version
of himself. Ranko arrived on Ranma’s Earth, and her appearance was part of
a chain of events leading to Ranma gaining a Jusenkyo curse. Kodachi
enjoyed her newfound pet, and another familiar face joined the cast as
Konatsu appeared. Ranma and Yumi shared a secret and Nabiki had a talk with
Cherry. There were rumblings heard from the village of Joketsuzoku as
Shampoo's success in the Arena has prompted a plan against her. Ranma
finally returned home and now must begin dealing with his curse and the
other changes done to him.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 24 – Rhythms Of The Heart

     History does not always repeat itself. Sometimes it just
     yells “Can't you remember anything I told you?” and lets
     fly with a club.

                              - John W. Campbell

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Nabiki woke up when her alarm went off, and she yawned and stretched as her
body twinged slightly from yesterday's injuries. She reached over and
slapped the palm of her hand down on the clock on the second try, promptly
knocking it off the table where it fell to land with a single bounce on the
floor, still ringing loudly. She suddenly remembered it was Sunday and
groaned. She’d forgotten to turn the alarm off last night. Her day was not
looking promising.

“Damn that little bimbo,” she swore under her breath, an ache coming from
her injured ribs as she reached for the alarm clock beside her bed, seeking
to stop its incessant ringing. “When I see her again, she's dead meat.”

Her questing hand finally found her noisy nemesis and switched it off, and
blessed silence reigned once more. She left it laying there as she
clambered from her bed like the newly risen dead, dressed only in a large,
loose T-shirt. She went over to her closet and started pulling out clothes,
tossing them on the bed.

Her outfit chosen for the day, she headed out of her room, casually
scratching at an itch on her side and yawning broadly again. A bracing wash
with cold water followed up by a quick soak in another hot bath this
morning was calling to her, and she had just enough time before breakfast
to have one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Breakfast was a quiet affair at the Saotome household. It was just Ranma
and Nodoka seated at the table this morning, apparently the false Genma
having had a bit too much to drink last night with the fake Soun.

Ranma paused in eating his food as a chill ran down his spine. He wondered
what those two idiots could be plotting together and then he realized it
was likely some stupid scheme to get him to marry one of the Tendo girls,
probably Nabiki. He would have to be watchful.

“How are things going with the girls, Ranma?” Nodoka suddenly asked as she
handed him another full bowl of rice and admired his appearance. He had
changed so much from what he had been like when he first came home just a
few short months ago. His hands had grown callused and strong from his
training, and all of the intensive exercise he was getting had filled out
his shoulders and arms very nicely, giving him quite a manly physique. She
was grateful for her foresight in buying his current wardrobe a bit large
for his frame. The clothes were fitting him well now. “I mean, have you
bedded any of them yet?”

Ranma came very close to spewing out the juice he had been chugging down to
wash down a big bite of food. He managed to swallow it down, but it was a
near thing. He coughed a few times and thumped his chest with his fist.

“Mom, that's kinda personal,” he croaked out when he finally got his breath
back. He hunted for a quick excuse and said the first thing to come to
mind. “I'm still getting to know them.”

Nodoka looked at him, concerned. “Oh, Ranma. You didn't seem to have any
hesitancy when you brought home that nice Utena girl you met a few weeks
ago. Whatever happened to her? A young man your age has all those urges and
desires frothing up inside to deal with. It's just not healthy for you to
keep them bottled up within you. Have you even called her lately?”

“Yeah, I have,” Ranma admitted, suddenly realizing he hadn't ordered a tux
yet for the dance. Things had just been so crazy around him the past few
days, it had slipped his mind. He shifted his position a bit. Her comments
about male needs were particularly disconcerting, with the different
memories mixed into his own, and the knowledge that even with the soap a
long enough soaking with cold water would turn him into a girl now. In
fact, the direction this entire conversation had taken was making him feel
distinctly uncomfortable on a number of levels, as well as reminding him of
the wrong impression his mother had of what had happened that night that
Utena stayed over.

Nodoka smiled. “That's nice to hear, Ranma. Will you be seeing her again?”

“Yes, I will,” Ranma quickly declared. “I've been so busy, I forgot to
mention it to you.” He hastily added, “I've been spending more time with
Ukyo lately.”

She smiled and finished handing him his bowl of rice. “Ukyo's a nice girl,
Ranma, and I like her. But you're a healthy young man with normal physical
needs. If she's not aware of them, you should talk to her. I'm sure if
you're up front and honest with her about it, she'd be willing to help you
out. The same goes for Nabiki and Kodachi as well. I could talk with them,
if you'd like.”

Ranma shook his head quickly. “No! Uh, no, that's quite all right, Mother.”
Visions of himself being savagely beaten into a mangled hulk for being a
womanizing pervert, likely with all three girls taking turns at the task,
suddenly refused to leave him alone. He shivered intensely a bit, his
pigtail sticking out straight.

“You shouldn't focus too much on any one girl so early on,” Nodoka
continued, not noticing the look of fear that crossed his face. “They
should all have a chance to enjoy your manly company. It's only fair, and
it will help you make a proper choice when the time comes. I'm sure you
want to pick the one that you're most compatible with, and such activities
forge a powerful bond between two people, especially when you're with the
right person, the one you are meant to be with.”

Her gaze grew wistful. “Then it's like touching the face of eternity.”

There was a pause as Ranma watched his mother become caught up with some
memory. The sight only increased his level of discomfort. He said nothing.

Nodoka's gaze eventually shifted back and focused on him again, her cheeks
looking a little flushed. “Um, anyway, until you find that special person,
you should spend more time with other girls and enjoy being with them, not
just be with Ukyo.”

“I guess so.” He started in on the bowl of rice held in his hand then
paused. Ukyo was a lot like her counterparts, so it had been easy for him
to fall into a buddy mode with her. It was comfortable talking with her,
but was that all he wanted? Did he have feelings for her? Did he lo- lo-
like her a lot?

Waitasec. Why was he even thinking like this, about relationships and love?
No, he had to stay focused on rescuing his father and getting ready for the
dance at Ohtori, not get caught up in romantic fantasies-

-like a girl would, he suddenly realized, feeling a mounting sense of
horror come over him. His female analog had possessed such desires to find
love, even though publicly she would have snorted and denied it loudly and
vehemently if ever asked about it. She may not have been delicately
feminine, but she had thought about such things sometimes, certainly more
often than he ever had. He hastily pushed his thoughts away from such
disturbing notions and schooled his features into an expression of mild
interest for whatever his mother was saying now, hopefully before she
noticed anything odd.

Nodoka smiled, watching Ranma squirm a bit. Her son was so typically male
in that respect, when talk was about feelings. “Just so you don't make any
plans in the meantime, sometime in the next few days your father and I will
be taking you to go see a friend of mine, Achika Masaki. She has a son
about your age attending your school, named Tenchi. I've wanted you to meet
him for some time, but he's out on a survival training class in the
Australian outback right now. She also has a daughter, too. Her name is
Ryoko.”

Ryoko Masaki. The name didn't immediately ring a bell with him. Then he
blinked. That was the name of the girl who had come to the Academy with
Ryoga. He groaned inwardly.

“Uh, Mom?” Ranma asked hesitantly. “Is Ryoko about so tall, with sort of
greenish hair?” He stood up briefly and held his hand at a level
approximating the Masaki girl's height. “Pretty in a kind of rough and
tough way?”

“Why, yes, Ranma,” she replied, smiling. “That sounds exactly like her.
Although I'd describe her hair as more of a blue-green tone. Why? Have you
met her already?”

“Uh, kind of. It was really brief.” He didn't think it was a good idea to
say that he had literally run into her at the Academy, or that his face had
ended up planted in between the girl's breasts in the process. His mother
was already operating under more than enough false notions about him. There
was no need to add any others. “Why are we going to see your friend?” he
asked, a sinking feeling coming over him that he wasn't going to like the
answer.

“Oh, Achika is my oldest and dearest friend, so I thought it would be nice
for you to meet her daughter,” she replied, smiling at him gently. “She's
started staying nearby at a shrine her grandfather and brother are taking
care of, and both of her children have been training in the martial arts
for a very long time. They are both very skilled, and Achika brags about
this... a lot. Her son, Tenchi, is on a training trip in the Australian
Outback right now.” Nodoka's eyes glittered briefly. “Perhaps you and
Achika’s daughter could have a match.”

Ranma shrugged. “Sure, that sounds okay.” He relaxed, feeling silly that he
had been worried over nothing. Even though he was certain he would win, he
should go easy on her so as not to embarrass the poor girl. He picked up
his glass of juice and began draining it.

“And then we can discuss your engagement to Ryoko.”

Ranma felt his orange juice go down the wrong way, burning his throat, and
he coughed again. “E-engagement?” he croaked. “W-what about the other
girls? Kodachi? Nabiki? Ukyo? You were just talking about them.”

“Oh, there hasn't been anything formalized with any of those girls that I'm
aware of, so you're still free to consider other options,” she replied with
a bright smile. “I confess I hadn't really thought about Ryoko as a
potential bridal candidate for you before, since she's over a year older
than you are and rather independent. But you seem to be getting along very
well with Nabiki, so I'm sure you can handle Ryoko. She's really a very
nice girl, just a bit high-spirited.”

Ranma stared at his mother, her words sounding eerily familiar to him.

“It would make me very happy if you married Ryoko, Ranma,” Nodoka said with
a hopeful smile at him. “To unite our two families like this would be
wonderful and very honorable. And I'm just sure you two would have several
strong and attractive children together. Ryoko has very good hips for
childbearing, just like her mother.” A hint of maliciousness appeared in
her smile.

“I see,” Ranma said slowly, that eerie feeling coming again, a cold drop of
sweat suddenly snaking down his neck. He was starting to feel like a prize
racehorse that everyone wanted to put out to stud. His mother in particular
seemed pretty anxious about his prospects for fatherhood, but he found it
impossible to refuse her outright. “I guess I could meet her,” he finally
said. He hoped Ryoko didn't say anything about their first meeting.

Nodoka smiled even more broadly. “Oh, Ranma, you've made me so happy.”  She
reached out and held his hand. “But I don't want you to feel any obligation
to only consider Ryoko. You should spend time with the other girls, too.
And also Utena. Who knows? Perhaps you'll want to marry more than one of
them. The Yamada family down the block have a son who got married to two
fine girls just last year and one of them is already pregnant. After you
get to know all the girls a bit better, you should ask them their feelings
on polygamy.”

Visions of being beaten into a horribly mangled, bloody pulp by several
furious girls floated across Ranma's mind again, a scene even more brutal
than his last imagining had been. He shivered involuntarily, his pigtail
sticking out straight once more. That other version of him that was engaged
to Nabiki, who was cursed to turn male in that world, had something like
that going on. But he was pretty certain his version of Nabiki would break
every single bone in his body for even suggesting he was interested in
having some sort of harem, and the part of him that was Ranko couldn't
blame her. He had no idea how Kodachi or Ukyo would respond to the notion,
or Utena for that matter, but he had a strong feeling it would not bode
well for his continued good health either. And this Ryoko girl his mother
wanted him to meet was almost a total unknown, but she seemed to have a
temper and physical might worthy of a Hibiki.

“I think I'd prefer to take things one step at a time,” Ranma said, trying
to be tactful, seeing his mother nodding sagely in reply. He tried to
redirect the subject to something marginally safer. “I should date the
girls for a good long while first before I even think about something like
marriage. Take Kodachi for example. We haven't been out on a real date yet.
I was thinking of asking her to go skating.”

Nodoka looked pleased. “Why, that's just a marvelous idea for a date,
Ranma. She's probably been waiting for you to take some initiative with
her.”

Ranma's mind briefly flashed back to his near-intimate encounter with
Kodachi on the floor of her bedchamber, and how really good it had felt to
be so close to her. He blushed a bit. Luckily, his mother didn't seem to
notice.

“But, do you know how to skate?” she continued. “I didn't know you'd ever
learned how. Your father never mentioned it to me in any of his letters
while you were growing up.”

“Oh, sure,” he said with a sudden grin. “I like skating. Me and-” He
quickly froze, having almost said, “Me and Shampoo go skating a lot.” But
that was another world, not this one. He saw his mother looking at him in
puzzlement. “Uh, me and my friends go skating sometimes.”

“You've been making friends?” she said with a smile. “Why that's wonderful
news. I didn't know. You should bring them over sometime. I was so worried
about you having no social skills whatsoever, after growing up with your
father the way you did, spending your days in laboratories and libraries
pursuing your studies. And yet here you are making friends at school and
having girls chasing after you.” She looked at him, her gaze warm and
loving. “I'm so very proud of you.”

Ranma suddenly felt his throat tighten up, hearing her say those words. A
surge of emotions from the part of him that was Ranko almost caused him to
burst into tears, her memories of seeing that same face looking so
disappointed at her lack of proper femininity. The part of him that was his
martial artist analog helped him hold back the tears, since guys didn't
cry, despite the feelings of missing his own mother for so many years that
were present in those memories.

“I-I love you, Mother,” said Ranma suddenly, his voice hoarse with emotion,
the words coming with deep feeling from his gestalted psyche.

“And I love you, too, Ranma.” Nodoka gave her son a hug, smiling with joy
as she felt tears welling up in her eyes as she held him, feeling like she
was going to burst open with maternal pride. How manly her son had become.
He was going to make some very lucky young woman such a wonderful husband,
not to mention being a good father to many children. Nodoka was looking
forward to having several grandchildren, and her own child as well, to have
the house alive with the sounds of family after it just being her for such
a long time. She patted his back a few times while holding him, and then
she released him. Her eyes remained filled with unshed tears of joy.

She suddenly remembered the card in her pocket. “Oh, before I forget,
someone from the Security Directorate came by to see you.”

Ranma felt himself stiffen slightly. Had they figured out his hacking? Had
the fake Genma done something stupid? Or the false Soun?

“Someone from Security?” he asked, trying to be cool about it. “Who?”

Nodoka pulled out a card and handed it to him. “Her name was Hinako
Ninomiya. She left her card with me and asked me to have you give her a
call or drop by and visit sometime, to talk about your future.”

“My future?” He flipped the card over and read the name on the front:
Assistant Director Hinako Ninomiya. That was the woman who had saved him
and Nabiki from likely being arrested by the peaceforcers the other night.
Why was she so interested in helping him?

Wait. Could she have been the one who had sent him that flash drive about
Project Phoenix? There was a certain intuitive logic to that, but Ranma was
starting to wonder if he was just being paranoid. It could have been anyone
who sent it. Remembering that reminded him that there were things he needed
to learn, but he wondered what price he might have to pay to do so.

“Yes,” said Nodoka. “She was most persuasive in talking with me last night
about how she wanted to help further your career. She felt you needed an
advisor on dealing with politics and such, because of the jealousy others
might have of your brilliance.”

Ranma pocketed the card and calmed himself. “Uh, I guess I'll have to give
her a call sometime then,” he said noncommittally.

“You should, Ranma,” she said. “She seemed very interested in your career
and welfare, and I believe she wants to help you go far in the Empire.” She
paused and looked more serious. “But if your relationship with this woman
ever becomes something other than professional, please be discrete.”

“Huh?” He looked bewildered at that.

“She's a very attractive woman, Ranma,” Nodoka warned him. “And you're a
handsome, virile young man. While I don't expect anything to happen, it
might, and so you should be mindful of that possibility. Besides, an older,
more experienced woman can teach you certain things that girls your own age
wouldn't know about physical intimacy, and that's very valuable knowledge
for a young man your age to have when looking for a bride and wanting to be
able to satisfy her needs as a woman. So, I want you to know that you have
my permission to learn such things from Ninomiya-san, if anything should
happen. Just don't get carried away. You have several very good prospects
for marriage now, girls from fine families, and I really wouldn't want you
to put any of them at jeopardy for any reason. Do you understand?”

Ranma blushed bright red and nodded, unsure what else to do.

She gave him another hug. “You go enjoy your day now now,” she said with a
smile.

Ranma nodded and got up. While the whole conversation had been pretty
jarring, her hugs had made him feel better. He knew his mother was proud of
him and that she loved him. It was a very good feeling.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A little later that morning, Kyoko Otonashi was sweeping the front walk of
the Tendo home, enjoying the fresh air, when a van pulled up to the front.
A man dressed in the uniform of a personal courier service exited the
vehicle, a package tucked under his arm.

He walked up to Kyoko. “Is this the residence of Nabiki Tendo?”

“Yes, she's inside now,” Kyoko answered.

“I have a delivery for her.” He held out a monocular retinal scanner.

That was a bit of a surprise. Only the most prestigious, and expensive,
courier services used those. Kyoko accepted it and looked into the lens.
There was a brief flash of red, signifying it had recorded her identity and
then she handed it back to the man.

He gave her the package, bowed low, gave a smile that was more than
casually friendly and departed.

Kyoko was much more interested in the package than the deliveryman's
flirtations. She placed her broom on the porch and entered the house.

“Package for you, Nabiki!” she called out, not worrying about the middle
Tendo daughter being irritated by Kyoko's not searching the house until she
could hand Nabiki the package personally. Soun and Kasumi were the
sticklers for propriety. Nabiki was fairly relaxed and wanted things done
efficiently, rather than formally, and Akane simply didn't care at all. The
youngest daughter was direct, and if she wanted something, tended to get it
herself rather than have someone do it for her.

Kasumi, who had been visiting Nabiki today, arrived first, obviously
curious as the cause of the disturbance. Nabiki came down from her room a
moment later. She looked curiously at the large package. “I didn't order
anything like that.”

Kyoko said, “It was from a fairly expensive personal courier service. The
kind that doesn't deliver things to the wrong address.”

Accepting the package, Nabiki placed it on a table rather than tearing it
open. She carefully examined the packaging. “No return address,” she said
mostly to herself.

“Why not just open it and find out what's inside?” Kasumi suggested.
“Perhaps that will tell you who it's from.”

“I like knowing what's going on with a situation before entering it,”
Nabiki said, eyes still poring over the box.

“Will knowing its origin make you not open the box?” Kasumi asked.

“No, I don't think so.”

“Then you would probably find the answer you seek much more quickly by
doing something you intend to do anyway first.”

Nabiki's suspicious mind had trouble using the direct approach like that.
But what Kasumi said made sense. Still, Nabiki doubted Kasumi would ever go
very far in the Security Directorate with that kind of thinking.

Tearing open the package, Nabiki saw that it was encased in a box made of
Ralcon, a lightweight, durable metal. Denting it would take a sledgehammer.
It was also prohibitively expensive compared to somewhat heavier, but much
cheaper, alternatives. Only people with money to burn ever used it.

Nabiki undid the latches on the sides and opened the lid. Several sheets of
soft wrapping paper protected the contents. She moved the paper aside and
saw a folded over section of black cloth. She went to pick it up. The
instant she touched it, she knew this was silk of the most expensive kind.

She pulled the garment out. It seemed to unfold of its own accord. Before
her was an elegant black dress that took even her breath away. Amazingly,
the material was flat, lacking a wrinkle everywhere despite having been
folded over in the box.

Kyoko's jaw nearly dropped at the sight.

Kasumi gave a tiny clap with her hands. “It looks beautiful, Nabiki. You
should try it on. I'd like to see you in it.”

Ordinarily, Nabiki was not much for dresses, that was more her older
sister's forte, and doubted she owned more than a dozen. But this one took
her breath away. Her body was moving on automatic as she grabbed the box
and went upstairs to change.

When Nabiki returned, she was almost tentative as she approached the living
room. She asked the two women that had waited patiently for her return,
“How do I look?”

She spun once for them to show off the whole ensemble for them. It was a
one piece dress that had made her skin tingle as it slid down her body with
its gentle caress. The upper part came most of the way across her
shoulders, with only the very top of her breasts shown off. The bottom
ended midway to her calves. It fit perfectly, molding to her body and
accentuating her curves. It made her look more womanly than she had ever
felt. Long white gloves made of the same material slid past her elbows, and
the high-heeled shoes rounded out the outfit perfectly.

“It's... impressive,” Kyoko admitted with just a hint of envy.

“I think it looks lovely.” Kasumi's admission lacked anything other than
sincerity. “Oh, what's that in your hand?”

Nabiki stared at the envelope. “I don't know. I haven't read it yet. I
assume it's from whoever sent it. I was too-” She stopped herself from
saying impressed. “I was admiring how well the dress fit.” It fit
perfectly, as though it had been created specifically for her.

Kasumi's casual question stoked the fires of Nabiki's curiosity. She tore
open the envelope and was assailed with a smell of roses. That only
confirmed the suspicion that had been fermenting in her mind as to the
identity of her benefactor.

In flowing handwritten kanji that was as much artwork as a message, Nabiki
read the letter aloud, “I had Muramaki whip up a little something for our
date. I thought black would be a good color for you. I hope it meets with
your approval.”

Kyoko gasped. “Muramaki? Wataru Muramaki? That's a Maki?”

Kasumi nodded. “I thought I recognized his hand in this.” The man was one
of the most famous clothing designers in all of Japan. Only the elite ever
got to wear his clothing. “He certainly does do impressive work,” she said
in admiration. “The dress still holds the love he has for his creations.”

“Oh.” Kyoko wasn't sure how to respond to that odd statement. Kasumi spoke
like that now and then.

Nabiki tuned the conversation out, examining the letter closely. It was not
as though she failed to appreciate the dress; it was easily the most
beautiful thing she had ever owned. No, what bothered her was that in
sending such an extravagant gift, Touga essentially held an advantage over
her. She would be beholden to him in a manner of speaking. Oh, there
were... things she could do to repay him, she'd wager plenty of other girls
had recompensed him in such a manner, but she wasn't about to go that far
on a first date, even with such a very handsome, sophisticated, and
disgustingly wealthy noble scion. No, she'd have to give back as well as
she got. It might take a lot of money, but as intriguing as she found him,
she was no more willing to allow him the upper hand in a potential
relationship than she would Ranma.

Steps would have to be taken. Nabiki let her mind wander as to how to take
the first one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Chinese Girl? A moment of your time?”

Shenhua turned to observe Mina Li approaching her, flanked by a pair of
associates from her clique. The trio was dressed in casual but still very
fashionable clothing, and they were probably going out on the town today.
The two girls with Mina had an unmistakable look of subordinates about
them, based on their body language. Their eyes scanned the area around Mina
while the Korean girl focused on her.

“Yes?” The Taiwanese girl stood casually, her gaze wary. The arena in
Shanghai had taught her to be suspicious of others, especially other women.
Men had little understanding of how vicious women could be to each other.

“I was wondering if you had considered my offer,” Mina said in a calm tone.
She stopped a small distance from the Taiwanese girl. “Coming from
Shanghai, you should know the value of friends, and my friendship is a very
valued asset here.”

The Taiwanese girl eyed the Korean girl. Her gaze shifted briefly to the
two subordinates with her. “You want Shenhua be like them?”

The pair started to bristle, but a gesture from Mina calmed them. A smile
appeared on the Korean girl’s face as she spoke, her infamous temper
restrained at the other girl’s disrespectful attitude, but a pleasant
fantasy of beating her to a bloody pulp danced in the back of her mind. The
fantasy was aided by the fact that the other girl’s singsong speech pattern
had an annoying similarity to Shampoo’s.

“Your showing against the barbarian impressed me, Chinese Girl, and I’m not
one who is easily impressed. That is why I approached you. It isn’t good to
be alone, not in here. Allies are important, even for one who survived
three Shanghai death matches against the opponents you faced.”

The mention of the tall Apache girl caused Shenhua to clench her teeth a
little. Losing her debut match in Tokyo was irritating, especially when it
was to an uncultured savage like that. Her speed was greater than the other
girl’s, so Running Deer must have gotten lucky. One punch was all it had
taken, catching her at the right spot on her chin. She had taken strong
punches before and shrugged them off, but that one had hit just right,
jarring her brain.

“I consider it,” she finally replied. “I accept.”

“Excellent, Chinese Girl,” Mina said with a sparkle in her eyes. She was
startled when a hand seemed to suddenly appear at her throat, Shenhua’s
hand, already squeezing lightly on Mina’s trachea. Her subordinates were
astonished at the girl’s speed, it being rare that someone was even faster
than Mina.

“I not Chinese,” Shenhua declared calmly. “I pure-bred Taiwanese, bitch.
Much better than common Chinese trash.”

The two held the tableau for several moments, taking each other’s measure,
and then Mina smiled. Shenhua smiled as well, withdrawing her hand from the
Korean girl’s throat. An unspoken communication passed between them.

“I think I like you, Shenhua,” said Mina sincerely. She held out her hand.
“No, you’re not like them,” she said, indicating her associates a bit
derisively with a tip of her head. “I think we could really be friends.”

The Taiwanese girl considered the outstretched hand for a moment and then
gazed into Mina’s eyes. She nodded and took the hand firmly in hers,
shaking it once.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

*** Earth +4.612, +4.509

Ranma had his skates in hand as he headed out with Shampoo, who was
carrying her own pair, the two of them on their way out to go over and
investigate the skating park in the neighborhood that Ranma had heard some
of their classmates talking about in class the other day. His father walked
with them as they left the yard.

“Don't get into any trouble you two,” said Genma with a grin, watching as
the two teenagers walked off, not hand in hand but standing rather
comfortably close to each other. He saw Ranma turn and wave a hand at him
just before he and Shampoo took off, both of them looking like they didn't
have a care in the world.

“Genma, m'boy,” suddenly said a familiar voice behind him. “You don't call.
You don't write. I'm not feeling much respect as your master here.”

Slowly, Genma turned around, and he saw Happosai seated on a fire hydrant,
smoking his pipe, calm as could be, except for the evil look he suddenly
pierced Genma with. He was about to say something more, when a shape seemed
to swoop down out of a nearby tree.

“Now I've got you, old man!” shouted a battered-looking Pantyhose Tarou, an
instant before Happosai leaped clear and let him slam into the fire
hydrant. He settled back down and perched on Tarou's dazed form, sitting
cross-legged on the boy's back.

“Where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?” remarked the ancient
pervert as he calmly relit his pipe.

Genma just started walking away. With Soun's assistance, they had already
obtained the entire list of components required for the transponder unit
Ranma had told him how to construct. Besides, the two teenagers must have
heard the commotion. The boy could handle this.

Happosai blinked and stood, not used to simply being dismissed so casually,
especially by his fat-assed former disciple. “Hey! I was talking here!” The
old man took a step towards Genma and then dodged aside, when Ranma
suddenly came down where he had just been standing, but having no more
success at his sneak attack than Tarou did as he slammed face-first into
the concrete, aided by a sweep of the old pervert's arm. Happosai was about
to take a puff from his pipe when he was forced to dodge aside from
Shampoo's kick.

“You kids sure are feeling peppy this morning,” Happosai said with a grin,
glad to have some playmates around again. It had been pretty boring for him
lately. He tamped out a bit of burning tobacco from his pipe on Tarou's
head, and a smell of scorched hair briefly filled the air.

“Ahh!” shouted the Chinese boy as he sprang up, slapping at his scalp.
“Damn you!” He wavered on his feet, looking like he hadn't slept for
several days.

“Friend of yours, you old freak?” Ranma snarled, eyeing the other boy,
noting the silk stockings he wore about his person. Happosai blew a puff of
smoke into his face in reply.

“Yeah, he's a punk, kind of like someone else I could name.” He then caught
sight of Shampoo, suddenly toying with her top, parting it open a little.
His eyes filled with joy. “Sweeto!”

Shampoo swiftly slammed him to the ground with a single punch. She then
followed that up with a brutal stomping strike to Happosai's skull,
half-burying the ancient freak into the now shattered concrete. She hit him
solidly a few more times for good measure and then studied the smoldering
remains with mild interest.

“Old pervert never learn,” the Amazon declared, sounding quite pleased with
herself.

“So buddy, what's your story?” Ranma studied the Chinese boy in front of
him, wondering what was up with all the hosiery, and why he wore earrings
like a girl. “You got some kind of thing for pantyhose?”

“What's it to you?” Tarou snarled. Seeing the fallen Happosai, he lunged
past Ranma and grabbed the ancient pervert. His voice was a growl. “I have
you now.”

Happosai blinked his eyes open as Nodoka came out of the house. “What is
all the commotion going on?” she asked.

The next thing anyone realized, Happosai was attached to her chest like a
limpet. “Oh, Nodoka-chan! It's been so many years!” He rubbed his face
happily against her bosom as she blanched.

“Hey, ya old freak! That's my mom!” Ranma tried to clobber Happosai, who
was now fully restored. Pantyhose lunged at him and missed. The old master
bounded away, cackling. “Catch me if you can, Pantyhose, m'boy!”

“Pantyhose?” asked Nodoka, looking at the suddenly red-faced Chinese boy.

“I knew he was a pervert the moment I laid eyes on him.” Ranma glared at
the other boy. “And what kind of stupid name is Pantyhose for a guy anyway?”

“Shut up, you!” the Chinese boy yelled, his gaze dark and malevolent as he
glared at Ranma. “My name is Tarou, if you must know. Pantyhose Tarou,
thanks to that old freak. Now get out of my way! I have to catch him!” He
shoved the pigtailed boy aside roughly and leaped away.

Ranma picked himself up off the ground and looked at his mother with
concern, intending to chase after Happosai and the Chinese boy after he
made sure she was all right. “You okay, Mom?”

Nodoka nodded. Ranma looked relieved. Things had been nice and quiet for a
while. He hoped this didn't mean that all the crazies were about to descend
on his mother's house now.

“We go skating now, yes?” asked Shampoo, standing there with her own skates
slung over her shoulder. “Ranma promised.”

As much as he wanted to chase after the old freak for molesting his mother,
Ranma picked up his discarded skates and nodded. He'd get him later. “Sure.
Let's go.”

Nodoka smiled as she watched the two walk off. Her son didn't seem to
realize it, but Shampoo was showing a deft hand when it came to her ability
to manage him. Maybe they would be good together after all, even if the
girl was Chinese instead of being a proper Japanese woman.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Genma sipped at his iced tea, enjoying the cool feel as it slipped down his
throat. He gazed across the Go board at Soun, who was sitting back a little
right now and looking over the layout. Both of them were seated in a small
salon, off in a quiet corner, so they could talk in privacy.

“It's been going well completing your son’s device, Saotome-kun,” said
Soun, spotting a possible line of attack. He set a black stone on the board.

Genma frowned, having not expected Soun to try a ploy like that. “I know,”
he replied, leaning forward, picking up a white stone. “It’s been much
easier getting the most critical components than I feared it would be.” He
slapped down a white stone to begin his counter to Soun's apparent
strategy. “It was certainly a surprise when the two of us found that
electronics shop having a ‘Going Out Of Business’ sale. I have to say, for
an Englishman, the proprietor spoke flawless Japanese. And pretty much
everything we needed was right there. Most amazing.”

Soun smiled coolly and set down another stone. “I've opened the dojo up
again to the public. While there aren't many students now, word is starting
to spread through the ward that I'm teaching again. More people should
start coming in the next few days.” He looked up at Genma. “The extra money
will be helpful, in case we need it.”

“Have you heard anything from Akane?” Genma set down another white stone.

Soun frowned and considered his next placement, the board in a place of
balance right now. “Yes, Nabiki told me that Akane was almost done with her
training trip and would be back soon. I think she received a letter from
the girl the other day.” He sighed. “I don't know when though.” He set down
a stone.

“We'd better keep an eye on the boy,” Genma replied, picking up a white
stone. He smirked. “With things the way they are here, he'll probably run
into her first.” He set the stone down on the board with a sharp click.
“I'm curious about something, Tendo-kun. Why did you want my son to marry
one of your daughters in our world, anyway?”

“What?” Soun had picked up a black stone and was about to set it on the
board. He looked at Genma, surprised at the change in subject.

Genma looked up from studying the board. “You heard me.” His tone was
neutral. “I was just wondering. We didn't have the best relationship when
we were classmates, weren’t close friends like our counterparts here, so it
seems odd that you would want my son anywhere near one of your daughters.”

“I prefer not to think of those days, Saotome-kun,” Soun said, his voice
harsher. “Before your father's death, you ran with a pretty rough crowd
then. You were a swaggering bully, and I was the one who always seemed to
suffer from your abuse.”

Genma looked away, feeling ashamed. “I'm sorry about that, Tendo-kun. I was
a much different person back then. If my father hadn't died, I would have
probably turned out more like the Genma of this world. He didn't have the
best relationship with his father either, but his father wasn't a great war
hero like my own was.” He took a drink of his tea, and his voice took on a
sarcastic tone. “Yes, such a great hero, except to those of his own family.
We knew what he was really like.”

Soun said nothing, but he was startled at the bitterness in the other man’s
voice. His own father had been a hard, disciplined man, but he loved his
family and his only son when he was alive. It seemed that Genma's father
was not like the biographies portrayed him.

“Anyway,” Genma continued, “when he died, it was like I woke up to what I
had been doing with my life, and there was no longer a need to fight anyone
anymore. Without my father pushing me to transfer to Furinkan, to become a
soldier like him, I could finally concentrate on my own life and be the man
I wanted to be.” He took a sip of his tea. “I even made a vow as I stood
over his grave, that I would raise my own son to take life on his own
terms, and to be the kind of father that I always wanted my own to be. When
I compare myself to the Genma of this life, I think I've done pretty well
for myself.”

“I know the feeling, Saotome-kun.” Soun took a drink of his tea. “I was
raised to be disciplined, to live my life as a loyal servant of the
Emperor. When my wife died-” He paused, his emotions heavy until he could
push them back. “I died somewhere inside, too. Emotions were a distraction,
so I cast them aside, relying on my discipline to try and replace them. I
threw myself into my career, and it nearly destroyed my family. Nabiki
tried to emulate the man I turned into, becoming colder, harder and more
ruthless with each passing year. I shudder now to think what she might have
become if she hadn't used your son's device, if she had not seen a
different way that life could have gone for her.”

He sat back and studied Genma. “I don't know what sort of person that other
Nabiki Tendo is or what kind of life she led, but it really doesn't matter.
I can't recall when I last saw my daughter looking as vital as she’s been
lately, as if something broken in her had been fixed. There was a sort of
freedom in her stride when I saw her going out to the dojo that first time,
after her exposure to your son's device. I'm grateful to him for that, more
than you can possibly ever know. I imagine Kimiko is pleased with Nabiki as
well, for the girl embracing a warrior's life once again, with all her
might.”

Genma looked down and examined the board for a while before speaking. “You
never really answered my question. Why do you want Ranma to marry Nabiki?”

“If you must know, it was because of my wife.”

Genma looked puzzled. “I don't understand.”

“When I went through her things after she was reported dead, I found her
private journals,” said Soun, his gaze falling to study the board again.
“She used my mark to approve the papers enrolling Akane and Nabiki in
Project Phoenix, without ever telling me about it.” He shook his head.
“Typical Kimiko.”

Genma blinked. “You didn't even know anything at all until then?”

“I'm afraid so,” Soun admitted. “It was difficult to believe that a man
like me could have such a secret going on right under my own nose. My wife
was extremely interested in the Project for our daughters' sake, wanting
them to have every advantage, since she planned to have them all follow in
her footsteps. Her writings talk about how disappointed she was that Kasumi
was already past the age to accept the Eucharist symbiote when the military
approached her about enrolling our daughters in the program.”

“Yes, I recall something about that.” Genma picked up his tea and drank
from it. “The military reserved a number of slots, wanting to give them to
the children of distinguished veterans. Your wife must have been quite a
formidable woman to be in that group.”

Soun chuckled. “Yes. Yes, she was. A most excellent way to describe her,
Saotome-kun. Combat was her greatest passion in life, and she excelled at
it. Sometimes I think she loved it more than me. Maybe because she had such
high hopes for our daughters becoming warriors, she was so hard on them
when they were growing up, especially Kasumi and Nabiki.”

He could recall more than once coming home to find his two eldest children
sometimes sporting broken bones, or more often livid bruises and black
eyes, but neither one of them ever said a word of complaint. The girls all
loved their mother deeply, and Kasumi practically worshipped Kimiko,
striving to be exactly like her when she was younger.

“But after she died, things changed.” Soun paused. “I changed.”

“And that was when you found out about the Project.”

Soun took a sip of his tea before answering. “Yes. I read through her
journals, and I learned about your boy in them, since Kimiko had gone to
quite an effort to strong-arm one of the scientists into looking for the
best genome matches for Akane and Nabiki. Ranma's name was right at the
very top of the list, one of the highest-rated Adams in the entire testing
group.”

Genma grinned. “That's my boy.” His expression turned serious. “But it was
touch and go there for a while. Ranma became very sick after the Eucharist
was first injected into his body. For almost two days, the doctors thought
his physiology was ultimately going to reject it and die of anaphylactic
shock. They didn't know why, and still don’t, since his pre-screening tests
had all given good results. But he pulled through eventually, and ever
since then he's been a model Adam, with intellectual and physical
capacities that astonish me sometimes.”

“Kimiko's journals said much the same thing about Nabiki's reaction to the
serum,” Soun said, finally setting his Go stone on the board. “I think
that's part of what intrigued her about your boy, beyond their genetic
compatibility, that both of them experienced such a similar sort of
reaction. Akane was actually a slightly better match, which seems ironic
given the situation we've found ourselves in. So I began keeping tabs on
your son at that point, watching his development over the years. It started
out as a kind of hobby for me, but it evolved into an obsession.” He
paused. “Do you really think this idea of his will work?”

Genma set down a stone. “I have faith in Ranma. He's never given up
whenever a problem has resisted his first solution. He just starts
attacking it from a different angle. It's a quality he shares with his
analog here.” He smiled. “Perhaps that mule-headed stubbornness is a
genetic trait in him. Kami-sama knows his mother certainly has it.”

“Hah!” Soun laughed. “Your boy hasn't seen stubborn until he's dealt with
one of Kimiko's daughters. They all took after her like that, each in their
own way.”

“Which brings us back to the matter at hand,” said Genma, contemplating the
board. “Akane.”

“I'll have a talk with the girl when I see her, Saotome-kun.” Soun set down
a stone near the center of the board. “Hopefully that will be before she
finds him. We need this Ranma in one piece for the next time your boy wants
to communicate with us. I only hope she's in a state of mind to be reasoned
with.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

*** Earth 0.000, 0.000

Ranma kicked his motorcycle into life and revved the throttle a bit,
letting the engine warm up as he listened to the sound. It was a mild day
weather-wise. He idly mused that he should pick up a helmet this morning
while he was out doing his other errands. He stuffed a small paper in his
pocket containing the address of his main destination and put on a pair of
sunglasses to protect his eyes from the wind.

Taking a look out into the street, he rolled out of the driveway and roared
off. Traffic was light in Nerima this morning, most people walking or
biking rather than driving. After a couple of minutes, Ranma pulled up to a
red light and waited for it to change.

A sleek blue motorcycle pulled up next to him, the rider dressed in dark
orange leather garb, with black boots and helmet. The faceplate of the
helmet turned towards him as one booted foot came to rest on the ground for
support. The rider revved the engine with a gloved hand and turned to look
at him briefly once more before facing the light.

Ranma recognized the signs of a challenge. He glanced around, not seeing
any peaceforcer vehicles. He revved his engine in reply and grinned. The
other rider nodded at him, and they both waited for the light. The
anticipation was quickly over.

The light turned green, and the pair rocketed off, quickly gaining speed.
The pigtailed boy felt a surprisingly visceral exhilaration as he
experienced the power of the vehicle he was riding upon, suddenly
understanding a little better the attraction it held for Lord Kuno. He kept
neck and neck with his opponent.

The engines of both motorcycles roared strongly as they raced down the
street, startling people of the street. The wind generated by their passage
flipped up the skirt of one woman as they barreled around a corner. Ranma
glanced at the other rider as they kept pace with each other.

Inevitably, the race came to an end when they came up on another red light
and a few cars already waiting. The leather-clad rider gave him a friendly
thumb up gesture, and Ranma responded in kind. When the light turned green,
the pigtailed boy turned down a street on the right as the other rider kept
on going straight.

A few minutes later, Ranma stopped at a motorcycle shop in the downtown
region and pulled in to park. A rough-looking crowd around his age was
hanging around the side smoking cigarettes, even more in back. A few of
them eyed him as he dismounted and shut off the engine.

“Nice bike, punk,” one of them said, a burly-looking youth maybe a year
older than the pigtailed boy with a cigarette dangling from his lips. The
other teen had a wicked-looking scar on one cheek. “Your mommy buy it for
you?”

“I don’t want any trouble,” Ranma replied, pocketing the keys. He tried
walking around the group to get into the store, but a few of them moved to
block his way. He sighed, reminded of the Wolf Pack.

The bullies grinned at him, more of them moving to flank him.

“That’s too nice a bike for a girly-looking punk like you,” said the leader
of the group. “Maybe if you give it to us, you can walk out of here without
any trouble.” The other delinquents chuckled.

Ranma sighed again, feeling irritation kindle within him at the comment on
his manliness. He assumed a casual pose and glanced around as the group
arrayed themselves around him. After a moment, he turned back to face the
speaker in front of him. On a whim, he grinned and tossed his sunglasses
high into the air.

Inside the store, the man seated behind the counter heard a sudden series
of muffled thuds, surprised shouts and brief cries of pain, all only
lasting for a few seconds. He glanced up to see several bodies flying
upwards and outwards in different directions, one of them slamming
face-first into the bulletproof glass on the side of the store. The
thuggish teen slowly slid down, leaving a thin trail of drool and blood. As
he dropped, the man saw Ranma snag his sunglasses as they fell from the air
and pocket them.

Seeing what had happened to their fellows and responding as if the
pigtailed boy had just poked an anthill, the rest of the young toughs came
boiling out from behind the store, a number of them producing makeshift
weapons like chains and tire irons and others wielding blades and other
martial weapons. Ranma had a brief moment to grumble and then he went into
motion, suddenly charging forward. He wove and ducked through the crowd,
lashing out with punches and kicks as the group surged at him.

When it was over a couple of minutes later, there were small piles of
delinquent youths lying about in various states of injury, none seriously
hurt though. While dusting his hands and briefly looking himself over for
any wounds, Ranma sensed someone observing him and turned to look over at
the street. The helmeted figure in dark orange leather was paused there,
watching him. Uncertain how to respond, Ranma put one hand behind his head
and looked embarrassed. He saw the figure turn away and zoom off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hinako was spending Sunday morning in her office at the Directorate, trying
to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that seemed to eternally fill her
inbox. She felt both discouraged and more than a little edgy by the fact
that Ranma had yet to contact her. She had been fending off requests from
Colonel Rokubungi for a few days and allowing her need to build a bit in
anticipation of his dropping by, but that had not yet happened. Paperwork
was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.

She came across a report from a research facility in China towards the
middle of her current stack. Three prototype replicants, a lilith and two
samaels, had managed to make their escape together, killing a few guards
and injuring several others in the process. She sighed.

Wonderful. Just what she needed to find out on a weekend. The trio was
apparently still on the loose, having managed to evade armed search parties
for well over a week and disappear into the wilderness. She studied the
file pictures of the three, each one having a single name designation:
Herb, Lime and Mint. The girl called Herb, listed as a pleasure model, was
the apparent leader.

That was surprising. Hinako had met several replicants in the course of her
dealings with the wealthy and powerful. While a pleasure model lilith or
samael could hold up their end of a conversation very well, the better to
please their owner's need for companionship, advanced tactical knowledge
was a bit out of their range. Yet this girl, Herb, had led her two male
followers into a successful jailbreak and even participated in the fighting.

Two of the Jusenkyo facility’s security personnel, Priss Asagiri and Linna
Yamazaki, had joined the military’s pursuit of the trio when the initial
patrols had failed to locate any of them. She took a look at their
personnel files on her computer screen. Asagiri was a reformed gang member
who had joined the Security Directorate after serving a sentence in a
juvenile detention facility, and the Yamazaki girl was a fifth-generation
member of the Directorate. Their backgrounds seemed to mesh surprisingly
well, the two of them apparently friends, and before being assigned to the
Jusenkyo facility, they had numerous replicant “retirements” on their
records.

Both of them were part of the Blade Runner unit in the Directorate, a group
tasked with the capture and termination of rogue replicants in the Empire.
After the escape, the duo were the only ones left at the facility with the
right training to deal with the three renegade replicants. Every other
Blade Runner at the facility was dead.

If the trio managed to make it to a major population center and blend in
with the locals, finding them was going to be nearly impossible.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elsewhere, Kodachi knelt next to her mother and bowed her head, her hands
clasped together in solemn prayer as the priest bestowed his blessing upon
the congregation.

Her father and brother were not there, not normally attending such
gatherings. Instead, they were at home having another training session
together. Lord Kuno had not been very pleased at his son's quick loss to
Nabiki, after putting so much time into his training.

As she quietly but fervently repeating the priest's words, his powerful
voice rang out, bringing the prayer to its conclusion with the phrase that
never failed to give her a thrill within to hear.

“May the blessings of Our Lord, the Holy Warrior of Heaven, always be upon
you, that your sword arm may never weaken, your courage in battle remains
unyielding and your victories are never-ending, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

“Amen,” Kodachi murmured reverently alongside her mother. She arose from
her knees gracefully, feeling spiritually refreshed, having enjoyed the
ceremony as always. While Sukeban-Kodachi had never had much use for or
interest in religion, and Scholar-Kodachi considered herself to be an
agnostic, the Kodachi born into this world had grown up surrounded by her
mother's great faith in the teachings of the Church of Christ the Warrior.

Founded in the wake of the numerous decisive victories won during the
so-called “Christian Rebellion” led by Shiro Amakusa over four hundred
years ago, the Church had grown and evolved, becoming a rather curious
blending of traditional bushido ethics combined with the trappings of more
traditional Christianity. In the centuries since its birth, the Church had
grown to eventually come to stand alongside Shinto practices and the
teachings of the Buddha. Together, they formed a triad of faith that
supported the Empire among the people, and its teachings portrayed the
Emperor as God's divine emissary upon the Earth.

Many families among the nobility only paid it lip service, but some
individuals, like Kodachi and her mother, were far more faithful adherents
to its teachings. Over the years, younger sons without any prospects for
inheritance joined its ranks, pledging what little wealth and lands they
had in order to gain entry into the Church's hierarchy, which nowadays had
no small amount of political muscle. And so the coffers of the Church had
swollen accordingly over centuries of time. In addition, one of the few
avenues for citizenship outside victory in the Arena or military service
was sufficient rank in the hierarchy, although citizenship gained in the
latter two ways was not inheritable.

As Kodachi stood next to her mother, a black and red robed and hooded
figure came over to them, flanked by two solemn yet fierce-looking Jesuit
samurai wearing pure black robes and body armor, their hands remaining near
their paired swords at all times. They were trailed by another trio, an
older teenaged boy of Chinese origins and two teenaged girls, both of them
about Kodachi’s age, one Chinese and the other Caucasian. The two girls
walked exactly three paces behind the two Jesuits and were in turn trailed
a single pace by the boy. All three youths were dressed in the dark gray
robes of novitiates over similarly-shaded body armor and armed with katanas
only.

The boy was well-built and carried himself confidently yet without
arrogance, with short hair framing a handsome face. The Chinese girl’s face
was lovely, but there was coldness to it as her gaze prowled the room like
a predator. The other girl was fine-featured as well, her Latin heritage
evident in her nose and cheekbones as well as the dark hair she wore in
long, twin braids that trailed down a bit past her shoulders. She was two
centimeters taller than the Chinese girl, a bit shorter than the boy, and
she wore black-rimmed glasses that glinted with reflected light as she
moved her head.

Unlike the others in his retinue, the leading figure's face was totally
concealed, wearing a ceramic-looking face plate over his features, and he
was more richly dressed in his robes over his dark red body armor. He
paused near them, one hand resting casually on the hilt of one of his
swords. The others stopped, the Chinese girl studying Kodachi briefly
before looking elsewhere in apparent disinterest. The boy gave Kodachi an
appreciative look, judging by the brief flicker of warmth in his gaze.

Kenseiko turned to the figure and smiled. “Cardinal Synn, this is a most
pleasant surprise. I did not realize you would be with us again so soon.”
She bowed to him, an action duplicated by Kodachi.

“The honor is mine, My Lady,” the man replied in a quiet but powerful
voice, bowing to her as an equal, his cadence having an air of culture and
refinement to it behind his mask. His head turned slightly to one side to
regard Kodachi. “Is this your daughter? It has been some time since I last
saw her. She has grown into the very image of her mother.”

“You are very kind, Your Grace,” Kenseiko replied proudly. “She was still
in Europe when you visited last, winning a gold medal for the Empire in
Paris at the World Gymnastics Competition. But I see you have new faces in
your retinue. Might we be introduced? Who are they?”

“A few of my acolytes,” the man replied, gesturing for the trio to come
forward and approach them. He placed a fatherly hand on the girls’
shoulders when they did so. He turned his head first towards the Chinese
girl. “This is Sister Rebecca. She has recently arrived from the North
American Prefectures and has proven herself to be an apt pupil in our
training program. I have great hopes for her future service. Her skill in
battle is impressive, and I feel she will make a fine addition to the nuns
of the Tetragrammaton Order. She currently attends our local training
facility at St. Hebereke, a first-year student.”

He then turned his face to the other girl. “And this is Sister Roberta, who
comes to us from Europe. Even though she too is only a first-year student
at St. Hebereke, she has progressed very far in her mastery of combat as
well. Her instructors all speak very highly of her skills.” The girl in
question reached up and casually adjusted her glasses slightly, a
dangerous-looking glint flashing briefly off them. Behind the frames, her
gaze was as cold as the Chinese girl’s, possibly even colder.

Rebecca bowed respectfully to the two noblewomen but said nothing, her gaze
remaining solemn. She then stepped back. Roberta bowed with a politely
murmured “It is my honor to meet you.” She then stepped back as well.

The Cardinal gestured for the boy to step forward. “And this is Bai, a
third-year student at St. Hebereke and my most promising male trainee.” The
young man bowed respectfully to Kodachi and Lady Kuno. “He draws near the
completion of his studies. When he takes his final vows next spring, he
will take his place as a worthy member of the Brethren of Battle as a
Tetragrammaton Cleric. His training has prepared him well to purge the
unholy and the wicked from this world.”

“It is an honor and a pleasure, My Ladies,” Bai said mildly. He bowed once
more, glancing up briefly and meeting Kodachi’s eyes before he stood back
up straight. The Kuno girl felt an unexpected thrill run through her at his
regard and excellent manners. She had never met a Tetragrammaton Cleric
trainee before. Now that she was closer, she noted that he was armed with a
pair of pistols in shoulder holsters in addition to his katana. The two
girls were armed similarly as well, she now realized.

Bai noted where she was looking and smiled. “Yes, Milady Kuno?”

“You’re armed with guns. This is a church. Holy ground. I thought guns were
banned on holy ground.”

“Due to a special dispensation issued to the Tetragrammaton Order, our
clerics and nuns are able to be armed so, even here,” Bai replied with a
slight smile. He drew one pistol out to show her the weapon more closely.
It appeared to be a near-exact replica of a Beretta 76, only with a larger
magazine protruding below the end of the handle. There was only a mild
flicker of attentiveness from the two Jesuits. “This is only a trainee
weapon, non-lethal in design, utilizing compressed gases and water-filled
paintball rounds instead of standard projectiles. It is rated at roughly a
little over triple the impact power allowed for such weapons by civilians
though. Sister Rebecca and Sister Roberta use such weapons as well. They
are both quite capable.”

Turning briefly to look at the pair of novitiate nuns, Kodachi found the
Chinese girl’s quiet intensity more than a little unnerving. Her expression
must have betrayed her thoughts. Mention of St. Hebereke had also caught
her by surprise. Some of her other analogs attended there on their worlds.
She could hear them whispering in the back of her mind about this, as if
discussing the matter.

“Rebecca has taken a temporary vow of silence, in case you are wondering
why she does not speak,” said Synn suddenly. “It is a geas she imposes upon
herself upon holy grounds in penance for her tendency to speak in a manner
unbecoming of a prospective Tetragrammaton Nun.” He leaned in closer to the
pair of noblewomen, as if conspiring with them. “She has a very foul mouth.
I am endeavoring to improve her manners to a level equal to her skills in
combat. It has been a trying task.”

Kenseiko smiled. “I see. But with you as her teacher, how can she fail?”

“Indeed,” Synn replied with a nod. He turned his head to look back at the
trio of youths. “I have spent much time preparing them to face their
individual destinies. None of them will falter or fail at it. Their sense
of purpose is clear.”

Meanwhile, while the Chinese boy maintained a state of watchfulness without
appearing threatening, the eyes of the two female novitiates continued to
coldly survey the room, looking like huntresses seeking prey. Kodachi hoped
their eyes never regarded her as such.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Far to the west, dawn arose upon the village of Joketsuzoku and life
started for the day. Unlike other places in China, the morning cooking
fires here were tended by the males of the village. The women and girls
were involved in activities other than tending a household.

Peh Fum was one such girl. She had been up before the dawn, training. She
was always training, driven to perfect her technique a little bit more each
day. Today’s location for her efforts was a distance away from the village,
below waterfalls that threw off sparkling diamonds of light from the
splashing water as the sun rose. She had always enjoyed this spot, as the
fresh smell of flowing water was invigorating.

Her fists and feet flashed through the air as she danced the dance of
combat against imaginary foes around her. She secretly enjoyed her time
practicing her skills because she loved the martial arts, loved the
graceful fluidity and power she felt as her chi flowed through her. It was
something she had once shared with Shampoo when they were young children,
before things changed between them.

“<You move well,>” said a mild voice behind her in Mandarin.

Peh Fun was surprised to see a figure seated on a boulder when she turned
around, a man in faded yellow robes. Somehow, he had gotten so close
without her noticing. She was about to grab up her sword when the figure
displayed open hands in a gesture of peace.

“<I am unarmed,>” said the man as he flipped back his hood, revealing a
weathered face of indeterminate years, the skin darkened by the sun over
time. Removing the hood also revealed milky whiteness where pupils should
be. “<And as you can see, quite blind.>”

Peh Fum approached the figure warily. “<How can you tell I move well?>”

“<I can hear the whisper of your clothing as you strike and move,>” said
the man. “<They make a good snap when you strike. I may not be able to see
you, but I can hear you just fine.>”

Peh Fum grunted at that. She began gathering up her things, keeping the
stranger in her peripheral vision. Her sword in its sheath was the last
item, slipping the strap over her shoulder.

The Seer sat quietly, his eyes unable to view her, as they had been unable
to view anything for centuries. He opened his Sight, looking only a moment
into the future, watching her gather her things with efficiency. He felt
the rising sun warm his face.

“<It must be frustrating sometimes,>” said the Seer. “<Not knowing if
you’re truly as good as you think you are, lacking a rival to challenge you
and see.>”

“<I have rivals,>” Peh Fum said in gruff reply. “<An entire village of
heroic women.>”

“<Ah, but there is truly only one you see as your rival, don’t you, Peh
Fum?>”

The young Amazon whirled to face him. “<How did you-?>”

“<Shan Pu,>” was all he said in reply. “<She is the only one you have ever
truly seen as your rival.>”

Peh Fum only glowered at him, his statement silencing her.

“<Where she is now, she moves beyond your reach, Peh Fum. Doesn’t she?>”

“<She fights for the amusement of the barbaric Japanese.>” She stalked
closer to the figure on the boulder and sat down before him. She could tell
somehow that he meant her no harm. “<She is not moving beyond me.>”

“<That is where you are wrong, Peh Fum. Her current place is only a
temporary one. Soon she will face a young man in the Arena, one she has
known in... other lives. If he defeats her, he will become hers by law.
Because of his valor, her name shall become legend. Long after you and she
are both dust, she will still be remembered. The name Shan Pu will never be
forgotten by the Joketsuzoku.>”

Peh Fum felt her teeth grind. “<You speak nonsense, old man. There are only
a handful of Joketsuzoku in our entire three thousand years of history who
can claim such a thing. How can merely losing to a man bring Shan Pu to
such rarefied heights of glory?>”

“<This one is no ordinary young man,>” the Seer replied. “<Because of him,
because of what he will do, the Joketsuzoku shall become free in a single
stroke, all shall become citizens of the Empire. And for that deed, Shan
Pu’s name shall become legend.>”

“<Then I will kill this man,>” Peh Fum stated simply. “<That will end the
matter.>” The thought of Shan Pu’s name continuing on, her story being
remembered long after the name Peh Fum was forgotten, was simply
intolerable. “<How will I know him?>”

“<He will present himself to win Shan Pu’s hand in the Arena, and he will
fight her using a school of martial arts that has not existed in this world
for over four-score years, a school he brought back from oblivion. That is
how you will know him, that he uses this forgotten school of martial arts.
He has re-written his own destiny as well as others, and he will re-write
hers as well.>”

“<Re-write?>” Peh Fum looked puzzled. “<How can one re-write destiny?>”

“<If one possesses a strong enough will and sufficient courage, even
destiny will yield. This young man possesses such a will and courage, and
he is changing the world with each and every step he now takes.>”

Peh Fum’s eyes glittered as she considered the possibilities. “<Such a
man... would make for a most worthy husband. That would be a far better
fate for him than to die on my sword.>”

“<Assuming you are strong enough to defeat such a one>,” replied the Seer
with a smile. “<He will be strong.>”

“<So much the better.>” Peh Fum smiled back wolfishly. “<A strong male for
my husband, and if I can find him first, then Shan Pu will end up
forgotten, her story faded to oblivion. Perhaps mine will be the one that
goes on forever. What is the name of this fabled school of martial arts he
uses?>”

The Seer stood up. “<The Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts.>”

Feeling almost giddy at the possibilities, Peh Fum rose to her feet and
headed back to the village. She would need to sneak out under cover of
night, but that would be no problem for one of her skill. Behind her, the
Seer watched her depart.

When the young Amazon was gone, a figure suddenly shimmered into being next
to him.

“Hello, Bernkastel,” the Seer said quietly, turning to face the woman
dressed in a kimono. “It’s been a while.”

The woman smiled. “What is time to one who dwells outside it? Why did you
do that?”

“Because it improved our chances,” the Seer replied. It was one of the rare
splits in the paths of the future. Which path was taken dictated what
destinies solidified after that branch was chosen. Until another break
came. Paths that led to an end were to be avoided.

“At best you’ve only raised the chance of success slightly.” The woman
looked in the direction Peh Fum went. “This may still be a dead-end world.”

“Unlike you, I only have one gameboard to play on, so I’m playing to win.”

“My only concern is that my games can go on, nothing more, Seer. This world
and everyone on it can all die, for all I care. You and I both know that
the outcome remains in doubt. The Shogun’s will to succeed has grown
stronger with each of his failures, and I am running out of pieces to use
to oppose him. This boy may be your last hope. I warn you. I will see this
entire world die in nuclear fire before I let the Shogun achieve apotheosis
and destroy all my amusing games.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I’ll continue to monitor the scenario.” The woman shimmered and vanished.

“Of course,” the Seer replied to the empty air. He turned and continued on
his way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“I’m bored. Let’s go find something to do.”

Shampoo sighed and turned away from the computer terminal to look at
Running Deer, currently leaning back on the couch and looking at her. The
young Amazon’s day was not feeling very productive so far. As it was
Sunday, she had a break from her usual routine of training or preparing for
a match. The fights on Sunday nights were for the “fresh meat” to start
establishing their reps, focusing on them exclusively, leaving the more
experienced fighters a day to relax.

After getting up this morning, she had been using the terminal in her room
to get herself more familiar with the world outside Tokyo’s vast
Battledome, not really knowing much of the city other than a few of the
restaurants and nightclubs that Running Deer had visited with her. It was
kind of claustrophobic to realize how much of her existence was wrapped up
within the walls of this place, spent eating, sleeping, training and
fighting. Even the occasional shopping trips for new outfits with the
Apache girl could be handled in the mall outside the sizable base of the
Battledome. She had made notes on some places she would like to see.

She had also been very carefully researching published scholarly papers on
anything possibly related to quantum resonation, making sure to avoid
tripping any security traps that might be monitoring searches for such
information. The results of her efforts were encouraging. The most
promising leads she found were a few rather esoteric papers written on
superstring theory and cosmology by an ‘R. Saotome’ she had found in some
of the public databases. Working through the math symbology had taken her
some effort, but whoever this ‘R. Saotome’ was, he or she seemed to be on
the right track. The writing was clear and detailed, the sign of an orderly
mind. Unfortunately, the last published paper was from over a year ago.

However, tracking down more information on this individual through the
Ministry of Information had been a very frustrating experience as the
family name ‘Saotome’ was relatively common in the Empire, much like how
the name ‘Smith’ or ‘Jones’ was in Europe or the North American Prefectures
of the Empire. Sighing, Shampoo shut down the terminal after saving her
work. The machine was a little dusty, since up until recently a
technological device like this had been outside her areas of interest. She
knew she hadn’t been technologically sophisticated before, but Ensign
Shan’s memories were making her feel positively primitive.

It was while she was working on her searches that her best friend came in
to her apartment, having a key to it, like the Amazon had one to hers. The
Apache girl had looked at what she was doing, fortunately working on sights
to see at that moment, shrugged and sat down on the couch. Only a few
minutes went by before she had made her announcement of boredom.

“What Running Deer want to do?” the Amazon asked, actually grateful for the
chance to take a break. Sitting at a terminal for this long was already
giving her a neck ache. She wasn’t used to sitting still like this. She
moved her neck a little, hearing a series of light pops. Yes, she had been
sitting still too long staring at a computer screen.

Bouncing to her feet, Running Deer stuck her thumbs in the front belt loops
of her cutoff bluejeans and eyed the Amazon. “I sure don’t want to be
cooped up in here watching you do whatever it is that you’re doing. I
didn’t even know you knew how to use it.”

The Amazon suddenly smiled and looked innocent. “Shampoo just full of
surprises, yes?”

“Let’s go out and get something to eat first,” said Running Deer. “Not the
cafeteria’s stuff today, or our usual places. I’m feeling like trying that
steak place I saw advertising. A kilo or two of prime rib cut from a Kobe
cow is calling out to me. After that, we’ll go find something fun to do. I
just need to get out of here for a while, or I’ll go nuts.”

Shampoo’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She realized she had not
eaten much that morning, just some snack foods she had stocked away in her
cabinets. Some fighters cooked in their apartments, but she never had,
preferring the convenience of the cafeteria.

She nodded and went to change clothes. “Two minutes and Shampoo ready.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ikuto was bored manning the phones for his employer. While he might have
been only a secretary in Shinzaki Designs, he should have been making more
money. They were one of the most prominent suit designers in the Empire,
and possibly the world.

“Cheap bastards,” Ikuto was mumbling when the phone rang. He picked it up
and answered in a musical voice that did not come anywhere near matching
his mood, “Hello, Shinzaki Designs. How may I help you?”

The voice was that of a woman's, somewhat deep, but aside from that
unremarkable in any way. “I need a new suit made up for Touga Kiryuu. I
assume you have his account information?”

“Hold on.” Ikuto went to his computer and looked up the file. “Yes, we have
it.”

“Well, this is going to be charged to a different credit number. It'll be
for delivery to the Kiryuu estate, and I'll need a card with a message
included.”

“Certainly. Give me the information, and I'll get right on it.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nabiki hung up the telephone and smirked at it. She was feeling very clever
in turning back Touga’s ploy. Admittedly, he had eliminated her need to buy
an outfit suitable for the dance at Ohtori, but she still needed to find
some earrings appropriate for it and have her hair and nails done. That
would not be cheap, but fortunately her funding was building back up again
now that the situation with the Kashuoh heir was done with for the time
being.

Within the hour, Yohko would be arriving for their shopping excursion, and
that would be fun. Going shopping had always made her feel happy before,
and that hadn’t changed a bit now that she was possessed of memories of her
martial artist counterpart. She was looking forward to spending some of her
hard-earned cash on herself.

She still wasn’t sure how to talk with Akane concerning the matter of
Ranma’s engagement to herself. Whenever she considered her sister’s
possible reaction, every response she could formulate came down to either
an ugly argument or, more likely, a brutal fight. She didn’t want to fight
with her little sister, not really, but she was not going to surrender the
pigtailed boy either, not to anyone. Akane was just going to have to deal
with the situation and find someone else.

Someone else, Nabiki mused. The image of a familiar boy with a bandana
suddenly came to mind. Yes, Ryoga Hibiki would be perfect for Akane.

She made a mental note to approach Ryoga about dating her sister the next
time she saw him. She suspected the Lost Boy would be returning eventually,
since Ukyo had managed to evade him the last time. He was last seen chasing
Ranma off somewhere.

Nabiki frowned. According to her sources, the pigtailed boy had been
witnessed mocking Ryoga before taking off. Several other people had
followed after the pair: that over-endowed green-haired girl, Ryoko
something or other, the Sanzenin pervert and also that annoying little
bitch who knew the Anything-Goes style, Ranko Kuonji. The last one was the
most perplexing to her. Nabiki had researched the Anything-Goes School over
the past few weeks, wondering who might be a practitioner she should be
watching out for, and it didn’t exist at all, anywhere, not anymore.
Happosai was long dead and buried according to Security Directorate
records, executed for crimes against the Empire many decades ago, and his
teachings were never passed on to anyone.

So who was Ranko Kuonji? How did she know the Anything-Goes style? And why
was she seen following Ranma?

A sudden suspicion appeared in Nabiki’s mind. The redhead must have somehow
heard about Ranma’s abilities at the Anything-Goes School and come to
investigate him, possibly learning about him from a certain cross-dressing
annoyance named Ukyo. Even worse, she might be seeking to get close to him.
That was an even more troubling thought. One Kuonji girl was already bad
enough. Two would be double the trouble.

According to what she knew so far, Ukyo and Ranko were cousins. The
pigtailed girl was the daughter of Yumi Kuonji, who owned a restaurant in
the area. That much Nabiki had managed to find out from her source in the
government archives. A more complete dossier on Yumi Kuonji and her family
was coming to her in the next few days.

Nabiki glared at the photo on her desk, a candid shot taken by her agents
in Kodachi’s class. She gazed at her new nemesis, an image of her happily
chatting away with Kodachi’s classmates, even apparently bragging about
beating her. The Tendo girl’s jawline and fists clenched tightly at the
sight. Seared into her memory was seeing the shorter girl beating her best
friend Yohko unconscious. And even with the speed gained from the
Amaguriken training Nabiki had completed, the annoying little redhead had
been even faster. She rubbed her ribs, still aching a little bit from
yesterday, remembering the girl’s knee slamming into her guts and ribcage
with incredible force and then driving into her face, the last blow she
remembered.

How did that girl know the Anything-Goes style? She had been told that Yumi
Kuonji’s file in the Ministry of Information’s archives was very heavily
redacted in a large number of places by the Mobius Institute, so it was
possible she somehow knew the Anything-Goes style and then passed it along
to her daughter. That fit the information Nabiki had available to her.
Perhaps one or more old scrolls survived Happosai’s execution, and the
Mobius Institute trained Yumi with them.

Her contact had also informed her that Ranko had an older brother of
eighteen, named Yu. Nabiki mused that perhaps she could get information on
the girl by working through the brother. After all, he was only a little
older than she was. A smile, some flirting, maybe a wiggle of her figure at
the boy, and he’d likely be willing to tell her anything she wanted to know.

Yu Kuonji wouldn’t be able to resist her. She was certain of it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma settled back in his seat and gave an appreciative burp for the meal
after sipping the last of his tea. Ordinarily, on Sundays he ate all three
meals with his family, but today he needed to get out of the house and away
from the fake Genma. His new friend Kyosuke had talked about this little
place called ‘Café ABCB’ when they were chatting the other day, saying they
had great Kobe beef for reasonable prices and an excellent tea and coffee
selection. The other boy hadn’t been wrong on either count. He signaled the
waitress as he pulled out his wallet.

“That’s the guy,” said a delinquent teen outside the restaurant, tossing
down his cigarette and crushing the butt underneath his shoe. He glanced
over at his companions, a boy with dark brown hair named Yusaku Hino and a
girl with lighter brown hair named Hikaru Kiyama. “He took out twenty all
by himself, just this morning, in the alley outside the Bike Post. It took
him only a couple of minutes. I saw it happen with my own eyes.”

“Yeah, right,” said Hikaru dismissively. She watched Ranma leave the
restaurant and head off down the street, while she casually sipped from the
juice box she held in her hand. “Nobody’s that good.”

Yusaku grunted. “He doesn’t belong to any of the gangs in the area. I’ve
never seen that face before, but he sure must think he’s pretty tough,
walking around in that Chinese-style shirt like some kind of Arena fighter.”

“You think he’s looking for Ayukawa-senpai?” asked Hikaru. “Could he be
someone moving in on her territory?”

“If he is, he’s got a death wish,” said Yusaku with a grin. “She’ll rip him
a new one. She’s got her rep to protect, after all.”

“Excuse us,” suddenly said a new voice behind them. “We’re looking to get
inside.”

The trio turned around and Hikaru got stars in her eyes when she saw two
girls standing there, the shorter one of the pair looking a little bit
impatient (and hungry).

“I-it’s Shampoo and Running Deer,” Hikaru said almost worshipfully. She
quickly realized that the duo was looking to get past them, and she drove a
quick elbow into Yusaku’s gut, hit the other boy with an uppercut that
lifted him off his feet and then shoved both of them away into the planters
to give the pair room to walk. She even opened the door for them.

“Uh, thanks.” Running Deer gave a nod to the smiling girl before turning
back to address Shampoo. “Anyway, in addition to the beef, I’ve heard they
also have a terrific tea selection. Since the lunch crowd is almost done,
we should be able to get a table pretty easily.”

The Amazon nodded, feeling like she was getting hungrier by the minute. She
had spent the trip to the restaurant wondering how she was going to find
this ‘R. Saotome’ person, not even knowing if it was a man or a woman. She
wondered if they were even in Tokyo.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nabiki examined her reflection in the mirror as she held up the earring
next to her ear. It was a small square-cut diamond stud on a gold post.

“What do you think, Yohko?” she asked her companion.

The Devil Hunter moved closer and examined Nabiki’s selection with a
critical eye. She made a long ‘hmmm’ sound before stepping back. The Tendo
girl took that as a signal to look for another one.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea, Nabiki?” Yohko picked up a bracelet
that caught her eye in the display and tried it on.

“What do you mean?”

“Dating another guy behind Ranma’s back like this.” Yohko set the first
bracelet down and picked up another one. “I just think you’re setting
yourself up for big trouble. I wouldn’t do anything like this with Kyosuke.”

“I’m not dating another guy behind his back,” Nabiki said firmly. “That
isn’t what I’m doing at all. I’m just planning to make Ranma-kun a bit
jealous, that’s all. He’s going to know because I plan to tell him. He is
my fiancé, after all. He just needs some competition to motivate him a bit.”

“You don’t watch many romance dramas, do you?” Yohko’s tone was dry. “This
is the sort of plan that tends to blow up in someone’s face, and it’s never
pretty. Not to mention you’re going to use a guy like Touga Kiryuu for your
little scheme. From what I’ve heard, the man’s some kind of a womanizing
legend. What if Ranma decides to drop you and go for the Kuno girl instead?”

“The little debutante is going to the dance at Ohtori with Miki Kaoru,”
Nabiki replied with a smirk. “She mentioned it in her class the other day,
and one of my spies heard. She’s not going to have the moral high ground on
this one.”

Yohko made a strangling sound.

“What’s wrong?” Nabiki turned to look at her.

Yohko just stared at her for several moments before speaking. “Your rival
for Ranma’s affections is going to a society affair at Ohtori. Instead of
using this to your own advantage, you’re going to try and make him jealous
by going with another guy? A guy like Touga Kiryuu? Are you insane?!”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Nabiki replied, a little irritated,
picking up another pair of earrings. “I tell Ranma-kun about the little
debutante going around behind his back with her “childhood friend” and then
I show him that he needs to pay more attention to me or some other guy will
take me away from him. Trust me, I have a good idea how he thinks now.
He’ll take it as a challenge, and Ranma Saotome doesn’t like to lose when
challenged.”

Yohko made another strangling sound.

“Honestly, Yohko,” Nabiki said with a grin. “I’ve got everything under
control.”

“Uh huh.” The other girl did not sound convinced. “And what about Ukyo?
He’s been spending a lot of time with her. Yuka and Sayuri say they’re
spending their lunches together. I really think you and the Kuno girl are
both about to blow yourselves out of the water with this Ohtori dance
situation, and Ukyo is going to be the one to clean up. The one and only
thing that _might_ save you is if Ranma went to the dance too, like maybe
with that pink-haired bimbo you were gnashing your teeth about a while
back. That would put the three of you back on an even level with each
other.”

“Ranma-kun wouldn’t dare,” Nabiki said flatly. “I laid down the law to him
about the Tenjou girl after his rematch. After I beat him in our duel, he
wouldn’t dare defy me. And as for that backwoods ninja bimbo, I’ve got that
one covered too.”

Yohko wondered again what sort of a playbook Nabiki was using for her
schemes. This had all the makings of something out of a romantic comedy
manga, and those never resolved well for the people involved. She was
certain this wasn’t going to end up as neat or tidy as Nabiki thought, but
she had done her part as a friend and pointed out the potential problems.

She sincerely hoped Ranma _was_ going to the dance at Ohtori, to save
Nabiki from her own ego, if nothing else.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“One, please.”

“First time here?” asked the attendant, looking at Ranma as he accepted the
pigtailed boy’s money. “I notice you don’t have any skates with you.
Rentals are two hundred yen extra.”

Ranma nodded and handed over a couple of extra coins. “I saw your sign that
you were having a discount special and thought I’d check it out.”

“That’s because afternoons are pretty quiet on Sundays, so you’ll have the
rink pretty much to yourself for at least the next hour or two. It gets a
lot busier towards the evening.” The attendant handed over a pair of ice
skates in Ranma’s size. “Have a good time.”

Ranma headed into the rink area with the skates slung over his shoulder and
eyed the area. Flashes of memory overlaid the scene, being at this rink,
memories of other worlds. A few people were skating, but the rink was
mostly empty right now. After grabbing a locker, he sat down and changed
his shoes for the skates, lacing them up quickly.

Stepping out on the ice for the first time aroused more memories from other
lives. Pushing off with one foot, he glided down the rink, his thoughts
filled with multiple sets of memories. Seeing no one around, he closed his
eyes for a moment as he came back to the straightaway, lost in memories
from lives he never actually lived.

WHAM!

Ranma fell on his behind, having collided unexpectedly with another person.
He got back to his feet, his mouth already forming an apology, and then he
saw who he had collided with and his mouth wouldn’t form the words.

It was Akane Tendo.

“Hey, buddy,” growled a voice on his right. “You should watch where you’re
going!”

“Sorry about this, I-,” Ranma started to say as he looked at the person
with Akane. At the sight of Sakura Kasugano’s angry-looking face, his brain
went into a fugue state for a moment. Memories from the movie actor version
of himself suddenly bubbled up in his mind from where they had previously
laid dormant. He knew the girl with Akane very well, even intimately so.

Memories of that other world’s Sakura Kasugano filled his mind: the touch
of her lips to his; the feel of her warm body in bed next to him; the fact
that she liked strawberries mixed with chocolate ice cream. As he stood, he
hastily backed away from such thoughts and reflexively gave Akane his hand
to help her up. After a moment, she took it.

“Ranma?” Akane asked, surprised to see him here. “What are you doing here?”
She felt a familiar pleasant sensation run through her from the feel of his
bare hand in hers. That hand was much more callused now, a sign of his
intensive training, she noted in a corner of her awareness.

“I felt like going skating,” he replied simply, shrugging his shoulders a
bit. Being near Akane was making him feel tingly again, but he wasn’t sure
why the other girl had triggered similar feelings. He thought it was
perhaps due to the memories of the intense relationship that other Ranma
had with that world’s Sakura. He was also wondering why Akane was being so
nice to him and not challenging him to another stupid fight again. She was
not acting as much like ‘The Thug’ as before.

“Waitasec,” Sakura blurted out. “This is Ranma? The guy you’ve been talking
about since we first met? The guy you lo- err, like a lot?” She blushed and
gave the pigtailed boy the once over, curious to see the guy that Akane had
been talking about so passionately. Being near him, she felt whispers of
sensation flow along her nerves, a quiver of desire that confused her.
There was something about the pigtailed boy that reminded her of her
Ryu-senpai, the same sort of sensations.

“There he is!” said a male voice suddenly.

The three of them looked over to see what appeared to be about fifty
delinquent youths on skates coming out on to the ice, both males and
females, most of them armed with one weapon or another. Ranma goggled a bit
at the sight. Next to him, Akane and Sakura eyed the crowd in puzzlement.

“That’s a lot of delinquents,” Sakura murmured after giving out a low
whistle. She glanced over at Ranma and Akane.

“Get behind me, you two,” Ranma said suddenly. “I’ll take care of this.”

“You’re going to fight? On ice skates?” Akane looked at him in shock.

“Do ya wanna watch, or do ya wanna give me a hand?” Ranma said with a
sudden grin in her direction. The whole situation was insane, but he had
decided to just go with it, letting the memories of another Ranma guide
him. He held out his hand to her. The small army at the other end of the
rink began moving towards them menacingly. He looked at her and wiggled the
fingers of his extended hand. “Trust me.”

“This is crazy.” Akane looked at his hand and then met his gaze. There was
something there, as if he really did know what he was doing. She put her
hand in his. “This is crazy!”

To Sakura’s amazement, with Ranma taking the lead, the pair headed down the
ice. She skated over to the side and just watched the show. She felt like
she should have some popcorn.

Akane felt like laughing as she rocketed down the ice with Ranma, the two
of them picking up speed. It was like they were on a date, a date with a
fight included. The whole thing was so insane. But she couldn’t seem to
stop smiling.

The next several minutes were spent with the two of them partnered together
against the small army of delinquent youths. Ranma led Akane in a dance of
battle on the ice, and she followed his lead without a single complaint.
Punches, knee strikes and slashes of their skates were their primary
weapons. Once Ranma even hurled her into the air over a cluster of toughs
and drove into their midst, catching her on the other side after he
scattered them.

Akane was having the time of her life. She’d never before imagined using
martial arts on skates before. Every time she looked at Ranma, she could
tell he was enjoying himself too. Fighting by his side was almost better
than fighting against him one-on-one in a duel.

Sakura watched the whole display with amazement, seeing the pair do things
on skates that, while it was unquestionably a kind of martial arts, was
nothing like any sort of martial arts she’d ever seen done before. She felt
a little envious of Akane, maybe even jealous, finding such an interesting
boy.

He was also an incredible fighter, maybe even better than her beloved
Ryu-senpai. She took mental notes of some of his techniques and wondered if
he was interested in taking on students. Sparring with him might teach her
a lot too. She smiled at the thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“What do you mean, you’re closed for repairs?”

“We had some kind of gang war take place inside a little while ago,” said
the manager, pausing from explaining the matter to a pair of
incredulous-looking peaceforcers. Crews were assisting battered teens off
the rink and beginning to repair damaged sections of ice and other things.
Some of the delinquents had to be removed from impact sites in walls.

Running Deer looked disappointed and turned to face Shampoo. She shrugged
her shoulders. The Amazon hadn’t really been interested in ice skating
today, but the Apache girl had suggested it after seeing the sign outside
advertising a Sunday discount while they walked down the street.

“It okay,” Shampoo said with a smile. “Shampoo no mind.”

“Well, _I_ mind.” Running Deer felt grumpy. She had really wanted to do
some skating.

What kind of idiots fought in a skating rink?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma checked the address on the slip of paper he was holding against the
number on the building. They matched, he noted with relief. After dealing
with the horde of idiots at the skating rink, he had managed to slip away
from Akane and the Kasugano girl shortly after.

Finished locking up his motorcycle next to a blue one, he shoved the paper
back into his pocket and walked into the building. It was very quiet, most
of the businesses closed. The only one with a light on was his destination:
Kimagure Dance Studio.

Inside the studio, Madoka Ayukawa was alone, dancing. Dressed in a blue
leotard and yellow legwarmers, she glided through the intricate steps as
classical music played in the background. While she appeared outwardly
calm, inside she was troubled. Her cohorts had reported to her that someone
was making a move on her territory. He was someone very strong, maybe even
stronger than she was.

The only description she had so far was that he wore Chinese-style clothes
and had his hair in a pigtail. He apparently moved like a cyclone through
enemies, but none of her people had been seriously hurt. Perhaps he was
preserving his strength. She should have been training, preparing herself
to face him, but dance made her feel more relaxed.

Ranma entered the studio to find a girl about his age there, dancing alone.
The bell on the door rang at his entry, but she appeared lost in her
efforts, moving with great skill to the music. He listened to the melody,
recognizing it as a piece from Tchaikovsky's “Swan Lake” ballet.

Sensing a presence in the studio, Madoka suddenly opened her eyes to see
Ranma standing there by the door listening to the music. His Chinese-style
clothing and pigtail were a match for the description she had been given.
After dealing with her people, he had finally come for her. She realized it
was the same boy she had seen while riding her motorcycle that morning. He
must have been stalking her all day, biding his time.

She tensed, awaiting his challenge. She felt loose and limber, ready to
fight. He noticed her looking at him and then he smiled.

“I saw in the paper that your studio is offering dance lessons at a weekly
rate,” Ranma said, feeling oddly that he knew this girl from somewhere.
“I’ve come to sign up for lessons. I have a formal dance to get ready for.”
He pulled out some money taken from his savings. “I can pay cash.”

Madoka blinked, not expecting that at all. He wasn’t here to fight with
her? Then why had he been beating up her friends and associates all day?
Was this some sort of misunderstanding? Had he just been defending himself?

“Uh, yes,” Madoka said with a confused smile. “We’re always looking for new
students. The Master is out right now, but I can help you.”

“Great! I really want to get started right away.” He waited as the girl got
out the paperwork. “My name is Ranma Saotome.”

“I’m Madoka Ayukawa.” She set the form explaining the pricing down in front
of him for his mark and gave him a bow. “It’s nice to meet you.” She felt
relief flow through her, but she made a mental note to pound on her
subordinates later for making her worry like this.

A few minutes later, they were on the dance floor and the music was
playing. Madoka stepped up to him. “We’ll start with the most basic
ballroom maneuvers for a waltz.” She held out one hand to him. “Put one
hand on my hip and take my hand with your other one.”

Taking her hand and putting his other on her hip, Ranma felt an odd ghost
of memory kindle. Seeing her face up close like this, he felt like he
should know her. She was model pretty in her features, but that wasn’t it.

They began to move slowly to the music in a basic step. Ranma struggled at
first, feeling clumsy as the first half hour passed. Her face was set in a
professional gaze, but then she smiled at him encouragingly.

Something seemed to suddenly click into place inside him when he saw her
smile.

Madoka was startled when Ranma suddenly began to dance with her, not the
rather faltering movements of before, but smoothly flowing ones now. She
saw him smile at her. “I think I’m getting it.”

The next few hours were spent with her and Ranma dancing. She only had to
show him a step once, and he was immediately a master of it as if he had
been practicing dance for years. She felt her heart seem to sing within her
with him as her partner. She had danced with many men before, but never one
her own age who was so skilled and graceful.

“You’re a natural talent,” she said after a time. The studio’s owner had
returned while she was showing Ranma a more advanced waltz maneuver and had
remained quiet ever since, watching them. She saw Master smile at them now
and then as they maneuvered around the room.

At the end, she was left tired but happy. She smiled at Ranma.

“You have all the basics down perfectly now,” she said. “You could go to
the dance now and not have any problems. Anything more we could do together
this week would just be advanced steps that most partners probably wouldn’t
be able to do with you.” Inside, she found herself hoping he returned for
the rest of his lessons anyway.

“Can I treat you to some dinner in payment for your efforts?” Ranma asked
suddenly, smiling at her warmly. She heard Master cough behind her and
spill a little of his tea. She looked at Ranma, seeing a look other men had
given her, one she knew well, but softened and less threatening somehow.

“O-okay,” she said, feeling her heart stuttering a bit inside her. It was
an impulsive thing for her to accept such an invitation, she knew that. But
somehow she didn’t seem to care. When they had been moving together in the
dance, she could feel something from him, something no other boy had ever
made her feel.

After changing clothes, Madoka joined Ranma for dinner at a place near the
studio. The two of them talked, and he told her about himself, how he had
done some acting and hoped to be in the movies someday. With his looks and
physical talents, she could believe it.

At the end of the date, he asked her for her telephone number, and she gave
it to him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nabiki stood across the street from the Yu-chan and debated her entry into
what was nominally enemy territory. It would have to appear unintentional,
as if she had not known this was Ukyo’s base of operations. According to
her sources, the backwoods bimbo was inside doing “waitering” duties in
male guise while her cousin worked the grill. Her personal information
network already had put together an approximation of Yu’s work schedule,
and several brief views when the front door was open had confirmed that
fact.

Two figures passed behind her on the street as she studied the door of the
Yu-chan.

“It should be someplace around here,” said one of them. “The food is
supposed to be really good.”

“Shampoo tired of walking.”

Startled hearing that voice, Nabiki half-turned around to see a very
familiar Amazon and some girl she didn’t recognize standing on her side of
the street. Memories of other version of the Chinese girl flowed across her
mind. She briefly shivered involuntarily at some of them, her analog
apparently a bit more “open” to being with girls than she felt comfortable
with, even sharing the memories of such intimacies. She recalled Ranma
saying that his analogs had encountered Shampoo when the two of them had
traded stories weeks ago.

She knew the Amazon was fighting in the Arena, a fact that was hard to miss
with the life-size posters Akane had in her room of the girl. But even with
her analog’s memories, that was not a very important thing to her. There
had been more important things to deal with. Now Shampoo was standing right
in front of her, and it felt strange.

While looking around at the signs, Shampoo noticed that one of the local
girls was staring at her rather intently. It was making her feel a bit
uncomfortable. She turned to face Nabiki.

“Short-haired girl want something?” she asked with mild irritation. She
wasn’t sure why she felt that way, just that she did. “Staring is rude.”

“I wasn’t staring!” Nabiki snapped back, feeling defensive from her
intimate memories and realizing that the Amazon was giving off a vibe like
Kodachi or Ukyo gave her.

Running Deer stepped between them before something serious happened. She
steered the lavender-haired girl across the street. “No worries, Shampoo. I
see the place now.” And the two of them went into the front of the Yu-chan.

Relaxing the hands she suddenly realized had balled into fists, Nabiki
decided to head home. Trying to work her wiles on Yu with the Chinese
wonder in there was not a promising scenario. If he was like any other boy,
he would likely be staring at Shampoo’s chest. The Amazon’s figure was even
more impressive than her own, and that was irritating.

She felt relieved though, that Ranma was not involved with the Chinese
girl. She would really have to come down on him hard if that somehow
happened. Having to compete with the likes of a mannish cross-dresser like
Ukyo and a stuck-up floozy like Kodachi was already bad enough. Adding a
primitive barbarian like Shampoo to the mix would be the icing on the cake.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kodachi slumped to her knees; sweat beading upon her body as she felt her
reserves running low. Her muscles trembled with exhaustion as she panted,
her lungs on fire from the intensive workout. Not even when she had
prepared for the toughest gymnastics tournaments had she ever made herself
train so hard.

At least the exertions helped quiet the voices in her mind and their
concerns over Ranma and her current irritation with him, especially his
cowardly withdrawal after almost kissing her. She rolled into a sitting
position as she rested her arms on her knees, still catching her breath.
She knew she had to get herself in better condition, and the only way to do
that was hard work, pushing past her limits and reaching out even further.
That damned Nabiki Tendo was making her look like a fool every day during
their sparring matches, and she was far past being tired of it.

Kenseiko stood outside one of the doors to the training hall, watching her
daughter rise to her feet again and begin practicing some more. She felt so
proud of the girl. A smile lit her face as she saw the fierce determination
in Kodachi’s eyes, and the fire that was there. She was startled when a
hand fell upon her shoulder.

“It’s good to see you taking such a serious interest in our daughter again,
Kenseiko,” she heard her husband say. “How is her training going?”

Kenseiko patted his hand on her shoulder, feeling comforted by his
presence. “It goes very well. She does the Kuno name proud.” Her gaze moved
to look at him, a slight smile appearing on her face. “The servants tell me
that Tatewaki is showing improvement as well.”

Lord Kuno grunted and nodded. “He is very determined to defeat young
Saotome.” What he left unsaid to his wife was that Tatewaki’s desires for
the Tendo girls were undiminished as well, especially for Nabiki. Beating
her was just as strong a desire for his son as his desire to win against
Ranma, only for very different reasons. “How go your preparations for
meeting this potential bride for our son? If we could wed him to an
Arisugawa girl, it will strengthen the positions of both families greatly
in the Empire.”

“They go well,” Kenseiko replied, closing the door and leaving Kodachi to
continue her late-night practice on her own. “We agreed to hold it in a few
days. Lady Arisugawa seemed most eager to have her daughter meet Tatewaki.”

“Good.” His arm slipped down around her waist as he began drawing her away
from the door to the training hall and heading in the direction of their
bedchamber. “I’ve heard the girl fancies herself a duelist. She and
Tatewaki should have something in common then.”

Kenseiko smiled at him as she let herself be led, looking forward to
exchanging intimacies with her husband.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hinako heard the doorbell ring as she finished drying her hair. Putting a
robe around herself, she padded to the front door of her apartment and took
a look at the monitor to see who was there. She was startled to see Ranma
Saotome standing at the entrance to her building.

“Saotome-san?” she said through the intercom. “This is a surprise. Did you
get the message I left with your mother?”

“Yes,” Ranma said with a smile at the camera lens. “I was in the area and
heading home, and I thought I’d drop by and have some tea and talk with
you. If this is an inconvenient time, I could come back another day.”

“Not at all.” She buzzed him into the building and hurried to change into
something more appropriate than a cotton robe.

Ranma headed towards the door to Hinako’s apartment and absently hummed the
love theme from the “Young Master” movie series. He checked his appearance
in the hallway mirror for a moment and popped in a breath mint from a
package he had picked up after his dinner date with Madoka. He stopped in
front of the door to the apartment and rang the bell once. His thoughts
were on how nice it was to have seen Sakura-chan and Madoka-chan today, but
he was feeling a little vague as to why they didn’t seem to know him.

No matter. He would “re-acquaint” himself with them again and clear up the
confusion in his memories. After all, his mother said he shouldn’t let his
urges and desires build up too much inside, that it was healthy for a young
man to let them out. While he waited, he contemplated the other young women
he knew.

Take that Akane Tendo girl. She had certainly been giving him all the right
signals of interest, even if she was a little crazy. But a little crazy
made a girl fun. He was certain it wouldn’t take too much effort to bed
her. As passionate as she was about fighting, she was probably a lot of
fun, he mused.

Then there was Nabiki Tendo. Ah, sweet Nabiki-chan. Such an incredible
figure that girl had, with nicely-firm breasts and a shapely physique. She
just needed a firm hand to lay down the law with her, to show her just who
the man was in their relationship. Now that summer was almost here, he’d
love to see her in a bikini.

The Masaki girl had an equally impressive figure to Nabiki’s, solid of
build but padded nicely with all the right sort of cushions, especially on
her chest. Green hair was a turn-on for him, and wrestling with her in bed
would probably really get that one’s motor going. Yes, that one was worth
pursuing.

Sweet, tomboyish Ukyo was clearly in need of some tender loving, he mused
as he considered the ninja next. He could sense a volcanic level of passion
waiting to be unleashed in that one. He looked forward to bedding her
regularly.

Ukyo reminded him of the Tenjou girl, another tomboyish one he was looking
forward to spending more time with in a week at the Ohtori dance. Maybe
after the dance the two of them could have a more private party. The
thought of her long, coltish legs wrapped around him was arousing. While
she was not as well-endowed as some of the other girls, her face and figure
was very attractive to him.

However, he could not neglect sweet Kodachi-chan. That pervert Sanzenin had
it right when he listed off her charms: the legs, the thighs and those
delectable breasts. She was a banquet of sensuality just waiting for him to
consume.

It was a shame Shampoo wasn’t around. She was back in China, probably being
chased by that pathetic loser, Mousse. She had certainly been appreciative
of his manliness. He smiled at the thought of the Amazon, occupying his
wait with memories of her impressive physique, easily the best of all the
girls he knew.

He wasn’t long in waiting. Hinako opened the door, dressed in a casual
outfit of a blue silk blouse with the top button unbuttoned and a black
knee-length skirt. She smiled at him, and he let his gaze traverse her
figure briefly, pausing momentarily on her shapely legs and full bosom
before returning his regard to her face.

“Saotome-san,” she said with a slight bow. “It is a pleasant surprise to
have you come and visit me tonight. You wanted to talk?”

Ranma bowed more deeply in reply. “It is an honor to have been invited by
you, Ninomiya-san.” He came in and shut the door behind himself. “I was
informed you wished to... instruct me.”

“That’s right, Saotome-san.” She strolled into the main room of her
apartment, a subtle sway to her walk, just enough to attract male attention
without being obvious about it. “You haven’t dealt much with politics, and
I thought a woman of my experience could assist you with your future at the
Ministry of Science.”

Ranma recognized the subtle signals that Hinako was giving off as he
listened to her talk, but most of his attention was locked on to her
shapely derriere and what he could see of her legs as she walked away from
him. His mother was right yet again, an older woman like Hinako could
doubtless teach him things that girls his own age would not be able to. His
smile turned roguish.

“Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll prepare tea,” Hinako said with a
smile, going into the kitchen.

Ranma seated himself on the couch and looked around. It was a very nice
setup she had, with a majestic view of the region. While the couch was nice
and would do for certain activities, he wondered how long it would take him
to get her into the bedroom for some “special” instruction by her.

He knew that she wanted him. All women did.

At that moment, the front door opened, and Colonel Gendo Rokubungi came
into the apartment. He was holding a dozen red roses. “Hina-chan, are you
home? You haven’t been returning my calls.”

Ranma smirked at the sight of him. “I think you have the wrong place, old
man. Tonight, she’s going to be Hinako-sensei for me.”

“Who the hell are you?” Gendo asked, staring at Ranma.

Ranma stood up and cracked his knuckles. “I’m Hinako-sensei’s new student.
I’ll make sure she gets the flowers.”

There was a sudden furious commotion, the sound of several solid strikes
into a body and then Gendo came sailing out Hinako’s open balcony door.
Ranma closed the glass and curtains as Gendo’s scream faded into the
distance during the fall into the pool many stories below. He was seating
himself back down on Hinako’s couch and wondering what to do with the
flowers when Hinako returned with the tea.

“Did I hear someone at the door?” She set the tray down. Seeing the roses
in his hands, she looked at him in puzzlement. “Saotome-san, did you have
flowers delivered to me? They look beautiful.” Underneath her cynical
exterior, she felt a flicker of genuine appreciation. “I’ll go put these in
some water.”

While she was in the kitchen getting a vase and some water, the door opened
up and a battered and drenched Gendo appeared, his gun drawn.

“You just don’t learn, do you, old man?” said Ranma, having moved to stand
behind the door. He reached out and flipped the safety back on, remembering
how to handle a gun from some of his movie work and then swiftly twisted
the pistol around in Gendo’s hand. There was a pop as the trigger finger
dislocated, and Ranma clamped his free hand down on the man’s mouth to
prevent any screams being heard.

A few moments later, Gendo came sailing off the balcony for a second time,
his trajectory aimed at the pool far below. Ranma watched as he belly
flopped into the water and lay face down. The pigtailed boy continued to
watch for movement for a minute and then sighed.

“Ah well, guess it can’t be helped.” He hopped up on to the railing and
eyed the pool below. He dove off into a swan dive, free falling ten stories
to the water below.

A minute or so later, Ranma-chan hauled Gendo’s unconscious body from the
pool. She wasn’t sure where she was. The last few hours were a blur. Before
finding herself in the pool, she had been taking some dance lessons.

After making sure that the unknown man in uniform was breathing, she ran
off to find her motorcycle and leave. Luckily, the air was warmer tonight,
the weather beginning to segue into summer. She squeezed the water out of
her clothes and decided to drive slowly to avoid getting a chill.

Back in her apartment, Hinako came back out of the kitchen to find Ranma
gone. She wondered in puzzlement why there were puddles of water on the
floor leading to the balcony. She got some towels to clean them up.

As she was cleaning, Gendo suddenly opened her door, looking pretty wild
around the eyes and sopping wet, holding his injured hand.

“Where’s that little punk!” he roared, seeing her. “He threw me out the
window into the pool! Twice!”

Hinako glowered at him, now understanding what had happened to Ranma. Gendo
must have scared him off. Her opportunity to seduce the boy had been ruined.

There was a sudden furious commotion, the sound of several very solid
strikes into a body and then Gendo came sailing through Hinako’s closed
balcony door in a brief shattering of glass. She listened with mild
pleasure as Gendo’s scream faded into the distance during the fall into the
pool many stories below.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few days later, Touga was just putting the finishing touches on his tie
when he heard a tired knock on the door.

“Enter, Laughlin.”

The butler did so, bearing a gift wrapped garment bag in his arms. “This
just came for you, sir.”

Touga accepted the bag, looking at it curiously. “What is it?”

The butler was already heading out the door. “I couldn't say, sir, though I
doubt if it's what you really need. After all, how does one gift wrap a
personality?”

The door closed behind the butler with an audible click.

Touga could not help smiling. “Amusing.” He opened the garment bag and saw
the white suit it contained within. He recognized the familiar handiwork of
a Shinzaki, since he purchased nearly all of his clothing from there.
However, he hadn't ordered anything from them in months. His first
suspicion was that someone had made a mistake until he spotted the envelope
sticking out of one of the pockets. He lifted it out and read the letter
within.

“I find that white goes best with black.”

Touga's smile broadened. He knew it would fit without even trying it on.
Very clever of the girl. But then, if she hadn't been that inventive,
pursuing her wouldn't be so enjoyable. “Touché,” he said in deference to
his opponent who was there in spirit, if not in body.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


The scenes involving Touga's gift to Nabiki and her response were provided
by the writing abilities of DB Sommer, who has contributed so much to QD's
world.
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