[FFML] Quantum Destinies 35 - Prereader Draft (1/2)

[Jurai Knight]

Hi,

My muse has finally returned after another long creative dry spell, so I’ve started writing again. The chapter is long, so I’ve broken it into two parts.

Please be gentle in criticism. Constructive comments are always welcome. 😊

Steven

Here is part 1 of 2

*** Earth 0.000, 0.000 (-11.34127 Years)

“Hello.”

Ranma looked up from the tattered copy of “Lone Wolf and Cub” he was browsing through to see a boy about his age standing before him in the waiting area. His father had gone off to talk with a few of the doctors he knew here at the Ministry of Science and left him on his own, but he didn’t mind, not really. After all, he was almost five years old now and could take care of himself for a few minutes without one of his parents around.

There were only two other people waiting in the room, both appearing to also be about Ranma’s age: a boy and a girl. They were each dressed in expensive-looking clothes, the boy wearing a blue kimono of very fine fabrics and the girl a pretty dress. Ranma figured they were either aristocrats or just had a lot of money. The duo kept to themselves over on the far side of the room, sitting very closely together and speaking softly to each other. The girl seemed nervous and scared, her brother appearing to be trying to comfort her.

Ranma found himself envying the pair’s intimacy with each other, not having any siblings himself. Seeing them act so close and familiar with each other, he wanted to have a sister too. Although having a twin sister would probably be an even better notion, he mused, being the same age, they could play together as equals.

The manga he held was one of only two available on the waiting room table. He didn’t really have much interest in reading the other one. It was called “Cutie Honey” and displayed a buxom redhead with her clothes exploding off her body on the cover. He assumed it was one meant for girls because he wasn’t sure why a boy would ever want to read it.

“Hi,” Ranma replied back to the other boy’s greeting. “Uh, are you here to get a special shot too?” His father had been a bit vague about what was going to happen and why they were here, but he loved and trusted the man. If Genma Saotome said doing this was a good thing, then that was enough of a reason for Ranma to obey.

The sturdy-looking youth with a thick mop of unruly hair nodded back at his question. “Yeah,” the other boy affirmed and then said, “My name’s Ryoga.” He made a fist with his right hand and pointed at himself with his thumb. “Ryoga Hibiki.”

“I’m Ranma Saotome.” He gave Ryoga a friendly smile back.

Grunting in acknowledgement, Ryoga plopped down into the seat next to Ranma and eyed the selection of magazines, quickly realizing with some irritation that the other boy had already claimed the best one. He grumbled in a bit of annoyance before asking, “You like martial arts?”

“I guess,” Ranma replied with a shrug. While he did have some interest, about as much as any boy his age did, all he really knew about the martial arts was what he saw on TV or read in manga and that it was something his mother went off to practice doing with a friend of hers every week. Sometimes she would return home bearing very scary-looking bruises and sometimes even a few cuts and wounds, so it seemed like it must be a pretty painful thing to do.

When he once asked about learning, his father had forbidden him, explaining that fighting only invited trouble. Seeing his mother’s injured condition when she returned home from training some weeks, he chose to heed his father’s counsel. His interest in martial arts was now limited to the adventures of imaginary heroes.

“My great-grandpa’s teaching me.” Ryoga leaned back in the chair and looked glum. “But I don’t like it all that much. The training is really, _really_ boring. It’s nothing like the stuff you see in the movies or TV.”

Ranma looked at him, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah. All I do is jump around on these little poles stuck into the ground and hit sandbags. Great-Grandpa says he’s teaching me to be strong, and the old geezer keeps muttering about someone named ‘Kuonji’ sometimes, all scary like. I asked my Pop, the last time he was home on leave, and all he would tell me was that there’s a family with that name living in another valley near our home. He didn’t seem to like talking about it though.”

Ryoga shrugged. “Maybe martial arts would be more fun if I had someone to spar with. That’s actually pretty fun, but there’s nobody my age near my house that’s learning this stuff, except my cousins.” He began frowning.

“They’re both girls though. It’s just not right to fight a girl, so it’s not a lot of fun for me.” He rested his chin in his hand, looking a bit disgruntled, and then said, “I’ve been thinking when I’m older I could go looking for a Kuonji, to see what has Great-Grandpa all peeved about ‘em.”

“My mom does martial arts,” Ranma ventured. “But I don’t know if she’s ever fought a guy. Probably not. Mom just trains with this friend of hers she’s known since high school. She’s a nice lady with two kids about our age. Tenchi’s okay, but his big sister Ryoko’s kind of mean. I hear she likes getting into fights. She’s really strong.” He grimaced at the thought of the tomboyish older girl and then asked, “You here with your dad?”

“Uh huh, with some help from one of our neighbors waiting outside. I think Pop’s off looking for a bathroom, so it might be a while before he gets back.” Ryoga eyed the “Cutie Honey” manga on the table with the near-naked redhead on the cover but didn’t pick it up. Girls all had cooties, after all, and a girly-looking magazine like that one might also be able to infect him with that most dreaded of all illnesses for young boys. He shivered at the prospect of getting cooties, remembering his solemn vow to himself to avoid icky girls as much as he possibly could.

Well, except for his two cousins, Inoko and Yoiko Hibiki, but he wasn’t given much choice there. They were okay, he supposed, even if they were girls. What was weird to him was that he heard his uncle used to have a different last name before getting married. His parents had once tried explaining it all to him, but he still didn’t quite understand how this family name stuff worked.

Since they lived right next door to him, it was easy to avoid getting lost going over to their house to play as he was still learning how the guide ropes worked in their village. Their parents ran the only bakery in town, with their home built right over their store, so it always smelled really good there on cake-making days. His younger cousin Inoko was the more annoyingly girly of the pair, so he tended to play more with Yoiko, who was a definite tomboy. He once mistakenly said she was one, thinking it was a compliment, and she immediately decked him for it.

Fortunately, neither of them ever seemed much bothered by getting themselves dirty like most other girls he knew seemed to be. That made it easier to play with them. They mostly just ran around and explored their yards, keeping within sight of their houses. Yoiko really seemed to enjoy a good roughhouse with him too, which was fun as he did as well.

Other kids didn’t much like being around any of the three of them, probably because they were Hibikis. Since they were stronger than every other kid their age in town, they usually ended up playing with each other. He absolutely refused to play house with Inoko, but sparring and wrestling with Yoiko was fun, even though she would somehow beat him about half the time. He suspected she was cheating somehow, since girls shouldn’t be able to win against boys at that sort of stuff.

Ranma noticed Ryoga eyeing the manga in his hand, seeming too shy to ask him for it. “Here,” he said impulsively, handing it over. “You can have it, if you want.”

“Thanks.” Ryoga smiled, feeling grateful at the other boy’s sudden generosity. He eyed Ranma. “Hey, y’wanna be friends?”

Ranma grinned. “Sure!”

The young Hibiki grinned back, each youth confident in the way that all young boys their age were that they had just made a friend for life.


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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.

Other chapters of this story may be found at this website, or you can email the author for them:

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3764932/

NOTE: Before reading this chapter, please read the side story “Weekend Trip” that can be found among my other writings.


The list of worlds reoccurring in this chapter:
Earth 0.000, 0.000 - The world of Scholar Ranma (Baseline 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.

Bernkastel made personality adjustments to Soun Tendo, rendering him temporarily back to the way he was before switching identities with the Soun Tendo of the “Shampoo 1/2” Earth in order to get him past his telepathic scan at the Mobius Institute. Rika Furude of Imperial Earth was introduced, a girl mentally linked to the time-traveling witch, Bernkastel, showing glimpses of several of the cast of “Higurashi: When They Cry” and how they fared on Imperial Earth. The truth behind Yui Ikari and her friends was shown and how they came together. Ryoko and Perfume fought each other fiercely, but the fight’s conclusion was interrupted by Cologne. Shishio, Revy and Roberta encountered Shenhua, and the Taiwanese girl was invited to attend St. Hebereke. Mikado Sanzenin and Asuka Saginomiya were engaged to each other, and they were not very happy about it. Mai Shiranui and the Seer spoke together briefly, revealing more of his role in things and his goals.


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Chapter 35 – A Woman’s Heart

     The Heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care.

                              -Emily Dickinson

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*** Earth 0.000, 0.000

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

Dean Fuyutsuki quickly pulled the telephone away from his ear as Professor Hiro Fuji, the director of Ohtori Academy and his friend, began venting his extreme displeasure at him, at the top of his lungs.

It couldn’t be that he was still upset over the Tenjou girl’s loss to Ranma, since that happened many weeks ago. As Fuyutsuki knew the man wasn’t that petty, it had to be something new. He waited until the screaming died down, which took a while.

“Hiro-kun, what has you so upset?” he ventured when it seemed safe.

“Miki Kaoru,” the other man finally replied. “One of _my_ Adams has decided to leave Ohtori to come to the Imperial Academy. I didn’t find this out until just a few minutes ago. I thought it might be your doing, poaching him from right under my nose.”

“I was out of town all weekend, visiting Hakone,” Fuyutsuki replied sincerely, mildly surprised by the Kaoru boy’s action but pleased as well. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

There was a pause. “Oh, I see. Um, how is Naoko-chan and her daughter doing?”

“They’re both fine.”

There was another pause before the other man spoke again, his tone friendlier now. “So, when are you finally going to bed Naoko-chan? All that belligerent sexual tension you two have for each other can’t be healthy.”

Fuyutsuki blinked, suddenly feeling flustered. “Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

“The way you two always argue with each other so fiercely whenever you’re together.” Hiro chuckled. “I’ve never seen that woman get quite so worked up by any other man as she does with you, except maybe when she was studying under Ikari-hakase before his tragic death a few years ago. Now that I think about it, this same sort of thing keeps coming up in the testing group reports, especially when the attraction factors get really high between an Adam and an Eve in competition with each other. I know you’ve been seeing it with young Saotome and the two Tendo girls. It’s in your reports.”

“Fuyutsuki-kun, what I’m about to say is advice from a friend and colleague. You and Naoko-chan really need to call a truce, send Ritsuko-chan to visit relatives or something, and then the two of you should bed each other until one of you passes out. It would do you both a world of good.”

“I... see.” Fuyutsuki realized a bit wryly that his efforts at keeping his romantic relationship with Dr. Akagi a secret was causing the wrong sort of gossip about them among their colleagues. He quickly tried to change the subject. “She was close with Ikari-hakase?”

Fuyutsuki only vaguely recalled the circumstances of the man’s death, a fiery car crash down a mountainside about five or so years ago, killing both him and his wife. Dr. Ikari had been a significant contributor to the early research efforts at the Artificial Evolution Laboratories, working closely with Dr. Kashuoh before his departure to found Genom Corporation. However, there had been some rather persistent rumors that Dr. Ikari might be involved with SEELE, which could also explain the tragic circumstances of his death.

“Well, from the stories I’ve heard, there’s speculation he might have been Ritusko-chan’s father, but Ikari-hakase always seemed very loyal to his wife. I only mentioned him because he’s the only other man I’ve ever seen get under her skin like you do.” There was another pause. “Unless you’d like to confess something to me?”

“We’re getting off track here, Hiro-kun. I had no idea that the Kaoru boy would be coming here. It’s nothing I did.”

There was a sigh on the other end. “It must be due to the Kuno girl then. Ever since Kaoru-san was reunited with her, he’s been acting like a lovesick fool. They attended Ohtori’s Spring Formal together, you know.”

“Yes, that I knew,” Fuyutsuki replied. “Several of my students were there. The Saotome boy escorted Tenjou-san, I understand.”

“Don’t even go there,” suddenly huffed the other man. “Losing Kaoru-san is far less upsetting to me than Utena-chan’s departure would be. She’s my Alpha. You. Can’t. Have. Her.”

Fuyutsuki smirked. “Well, she seems to be quite smitten with young Saotome, ever since their first meeting. There are rumors going around that they even slept together. It wouldn’t surprise me. He’s becoming quite a man among men when it comes to getting attention from girls, from what I’ve seen.”

“Yes, the boy may have started off rather slow after returning from Russia, but he’s since proven himself to be his father’s son and just as adept at charming the ladies as Saotome-hakase was in his youth before he met his wife, based on what I’ve been reading of Ranma in your reports. However, the boy had better watch himself or Kaoru-san will steal the Kuno girl’s heart away from him before he realizes it. While he’s far from being the Casanova that Kiryuu-san is, the Kaoru boy can be quite charismatic under the right circumstances, like if you let him near a piano. He’s also a very dangerous fighter when he’s motivated. Your little prodigy better watch his back.”

Fuyutsuki chuckled. “Well, that sounds excellent then. Young Saotome needs some competition from some more strong males, so it seems like dealing with Kaoru-san will be a very good experience for him. Where’s the boy going to be staying?”

“I wasn’t informed,” Hiro gruffed. “Anyway, I understand he’s chosen Science as his path of study, likely to be as close to the Kuno girl as he can.”

“Then I’ll make sure he’s placed into her class.” Fuyutsuki mused that putting Miki in closer proximity to Kodachi should inspire Ranma to try a bit harder to stay in the beautiful young noblewoman’s good graces. While that would doubtless cause conflict between the two boys, they could then begin the process of establishing who was dominant between them.

The two men exchanged some final small talk before hanging up. After taking a few moments to instruct his secretary about where to place Miki Kaoru when he arrived on campus, Fuyutsuki then swiveled his chair around and gazed out the window. Things were becoming more interesting of late, especially now that two more Adams would soon be joining the Imperial Academy. The additions of Ryoga Hibiki and Miki Kaoru to the student body should shake Ranma up a bit, and maybe the girls in the program as well.

Turning back around from his window, Fuyutsuki’s gaze fell to the test papers currently spread out across his desk, and he regarded them carefully. Before he was distracted by Professor Fuji’s call, the pages had revealed a seemingly impossible thing to him. 

Ranko Kuonji had somehow managed to answer every question correctly, something that only one other person was able to achieve since the Imperial Academy was first founded. Rubbing his chin in thought, he began reconsidering the implications that he came up with before the phone call, trying to apply Occam’s Razor to them.

The Saotome boy had traveled the world with his father and attended a multitude of esteemed educational institutions. He also possessed various mental enhancements from his participation in Project Phoenix. That combination had yielded a prodigious intellect, the kind that came about perhaps once every few generations.

However, this girl, with an unremarkable education record from some average school and unenhanced genetics, had matched him. At first, he thought Ranko was an undiscovered genius of immense ability, but that supposition didn’t sync up at all with her scholastic history, unless she was one of the most unmotivated students on Earth. But if that was so, she wouldn’t have had the slightest interest in the type of rigorous schooling offered at the Imperial Academy, so something very strange was going on. He decided to delve deeper into the matter.

Pulling out a copy of Ranma’s entrance exam papers from the boy’s file, he began his investigation by laying them out next to Ranko’s pages for comparison, and he was astonished anew. While he could see there were differences in their handwriting styles, the girl’s writing a neater, more precise style, everything else was almost a perfect match. Even her essay answers corresponded with Ranma’s, almost word for word. And when Fuyutsuki reviewed the methodologies the girl chose to prove out her math calculations, they were identical to the ones that Ranma had used. Even if the girl had somehow cheated, she would have needed to keep a copy of the test with Ranma’s answers on them with her, and that was a highly unlikely scenario given the precautions used to administer the exams.

No, it was as if Ranma Saotome himself had sat in that seat and taken the test again, only as a girl this time. Even after a careful review of the recordings from the security cameras that monitored the testing room, Fuyutsuki could find no signs of Ranko cheating. She had simply sat down and worked her way through the exam questions, not once doing anything remotely suspicious.

He was clearly missing something, but what? Unless the boy was somehow able to transform himself into a girl, it was like there was some sort of mental connection existing between Ranma Saotome and Ranko Kuonji. Having eliminated the more mundane ways she could have done it, those were the only two explanations he had left. He needed more information, so he was just about to pick up the phone and call an acquaintance of his at the Mobius Institute when his secretary buzzed him.

“Sir? Lee-sensei, Sakuranbo-san and a woman named Yumi Kuonji are here to see you.”

“That’s all right. Show them in.” He wondered what the three wanted to talk with him about, and he was actually very interested in speaking with the Kuonji woman. There were some rather pointed questions he wanted to ask about her daughter.

Yumi came in first, her broken nose still bandaged after her fight to the death with Golgo. A few good nights of sleep had left her feeling quite a bit better, but her stab wound and other injuries were still only just beginning their healing process. When she was younger, such injuries would have faded from her body far more quickly than this, a depressing sign to her that she was getting older. 

Fortunately, shifting to her male form and staying that way for a day or so would accelerate her healing back to its old level and allow her to fully recover much sooner. She had only held off on doing so due to her stitches, as she knew from experience they might break when her form shifted. After she got back to her restaurant later today, she planned to have Yumi go away for a bit and allow her ‘son’ to cover things.

Walking in right behind her was Jun Fan Lee and the Academy’s new nurse, Sakura Sakuranbo. Fuyutsuki stood politely to receive them into his office. He bowed to them.

“Kuonji-san. Lee-sensei. Sakuranbo-san.” Fuyutsuki came out from behind his desk, noting Yumi’s bandaged nose with curiosity but deciding to say nothing about her injury, respecting her privacy. “This is a pleasant surprise. Have you come here to discuss Ranma and Ranko’s training schedule with me?”

“You haven’t heard?” Lee replied with astonishment. He exchanged a look with Yumi and Sakura. The two of them look surprised as well.

“Heard what?” Fuyutsuki looked from one to the other. “Is something the matter?”

“Ranma was in a match a few days ago in the Battledome with a Chinese girl named Shampoo,” Yumi answered him with a steady look. “It was a near thing at times, but he won the match in the end, knocking Shampoo out. However, someone hired a man named Golgo to drug him, apparently wanting to fix the fight so the boy would lose. Ranma passed out maybe only a second or two after the girl lost consciousness.”

“You didn’t overhear anything about this from the students?” Sakura asked. She had been noting a fair number of cadets talking about it in the hallways and out in front of the school. The most common topic of speculation was how someone called “The Iron Bitch” was taking this, and there was also a strong undercurrent of support being expressed by cadets for Ranma to win the rematch. Many them had already bought tickets, which were apparently selling out quickly.

Unknown to Ranma, although Nabiki had been noticing it with a bit of irritation, his escapades in recent months had been gradually winning him a contingent of admirers and fans among his fellow cadets, the battle with the Joketsuzoku girl easily being his most famous to date. Sakura had even heard a few students discussing plans to organize a cheering section for Ranma at the Battledome. They felt he was carrying the honor of the Imperial Academy on his shoulders and wanted to show him their support.

The girls populating the “Ranma Saotome Fan Club” were seen walking around this morning in a state approaching shellshock as the news of his recent battle with Shampoo spread like wildfire throughout the student body. Some rather ugly sentiments could be heard coming from their ranks, a definite impression that no foreign girls should be poaching him, especially not some ‘backwoods barbarian bitch’ from China. Girls in the club were skipping classes en masse and holding a special meeting today to discuss their plans for dealing with Shampoo, apparently no longer concerned about keeping their club’s presence a secret from Nabiki Tendo and her organization.

“I came in rather early today to catch up on paperwork and haven’t left my office since,” answered Fuyutsuki, now looking concerned. “Is the boy all right? I’m afraid I don’t normally follow the Arena fights, so I’m not familiar with this Shampoo girl.” He did vaguely recall his secretary mentioning something about members of the press wanting to speak with him when she arrived at her desk earlier, but he had just waved her off, wanting to concentrate on reviewing Ranko’s exam.

Yumi answered him. “Ranma’s fine, but there were some complications.” She sat down gingerly in one of the chairs in front of Fuyutsuki’s desk, sitting almost like a man would with her knees together. Lee and Sakura took the other ones, the latter crossing her legs after she sat. “Because of the scandal over someone trying to fix the fight, Ranma has to remain in the Battledome for a week to prepare himself and then fight Shampoo again this weekend.”

“But if he defeated her, why bother with a rematch?” Fuyutsuki looked puzzled. “He was the one drugged but still won, you said.”

“The Emperor is apparently a huge fan of Shampoo’s and was there at the Battledome to watch her fight that night,” answered Lee. “I’ve heard this was a personal request coming from His Majesty, so that the entire Empire could witness a clean battle between them, although I suppose it could be a propaganda effort of some kind. Shampoo has legions of fans around the world, and Ranma’s name is rapidly becoming a household word because of what happened.”

Lee smiled. “He saved the girl’s life, leaping to shove her out of the way before Golgo’s falling body impacted right where she was standing. If the boy had hesitated for an instant longer, she’d likely be either dead or critically injured now. There are many calling him a hero after seeing him in action that night, selflessly risking his own life to save a beautiful girl.”

Fuyutsuki was shocked by what he was hearing, and it took him a few moments before he could respond. “The Emperor?!” he finally blurted out. “His Majesty requested it?”

“That’s right,” said Yumi with a nod. “So Ranma will stay in the Battledome for a week, and their rematch will be held this Saturday night.”

Lee spoke up. “I’ve already begun working with the boy while he’s in there, and I promise you his training will be especially rigorous in the days I have left, to prepare him for anything the girl might throw at him. Now that Shampoo’s taken his measure and seen his capabilities, she’ll be an even tougher opponent for him to overcome. And since he’s now publicly announced the existence of the “Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts,” the press has started to ask me about it, if it was my creation. Ranma is my disciple, after all.”

“The Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts?” Fuyutsuki looked a bit thoughtful, and he rubbed his chin with his hand. He recalled his research into that name months ago, finding only a lost school, the founder executed by the Empire many decades ago.

“Yes, Ranma told me the whole story a while ago,” Lee replied, nodding. “About this resonator invention of his and using it to mentally visit alternate worlds. He said he acquired his martial arts skills from a different version of himself. It all still sounds like science fiction to me, even now, but I could tell he wasn’t lying.”

Nobody else in the room spoke for several moments. Lee saw shocked looks suddenly appearing on every other face.

“Wait, what?” said Yumi, the first to break the silence.

Fuyutsuki suddenly had an epiphany, realizing what the connection was with the strange things he had been seeing around the Academy over the past several months. This explained how Nabiki and Ranma could both suddenly manifest knowledge of the same dead school of martial arts. The girl must have used the device too. It all made perfect sense now.

Then he frowned. Genma Saotome had lied to him, straight to his face, telling him that the boy’s device didn’t work and that no more resources should be wasted on it. Why would the boy’s father do such a peculiar thing? He thought they were friends. It wasn’t like him at-

No. Fuyutsuki suddenly felt horrified. It _wasn’t_ like Genma, not like the Genma Saotome he knew. What if his friend had used the device as well but was somehow far more affected by it than Ranma and Nabiki had been? Why didn’t young Saotome tell him anything?

He needed to speak with Soun Tendo at the Security Directorate about this as it involved the new Director’s daughter. A full inquiry would need to happen as soon as possible. If Genma Saotome wasn’t the man he used to know anymore, who else might have been altered by the stranger wearing his face?

Sitting quietly in her seat while this was all going on, Sakura knew she had to consult with her uncle about this. As they were keeping Ranma’s curse a secret for now, she could not involve the Mobius Institute in this yet. Fortunately, the boy didn’t seem dangerous, but she didn’t know Ranma well and would need to watch him more closely.

At that moment, Bernkastel materialized in the room, shimmering into sudden being. Her magics lashed out at everyone present, freezing them all into place as another of her spells sealed the room, keeping anyone outside from noticing anything unusual. But before she could make any further moves, what she thought was Yumi suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a small log in her place to land with a bounce in the chair where she had been seated.

A solid kick into the witch’s upper spine a second or two later caught her by surprise, and she flew across the room, almost crashing headlong into the wall. With a swift wave of one hand as her other made a sharp gesture, she halted her flight an instant from impact, simultaneously shielding herself before the ninja could attack her again. Five of Yumi’s thrown mini-spatulas buried their blades almost to their handles into the barrier less than a moment later, each of them halted only a foot away from the witch’s head.

“Hello, Yumi-chan,” Bernkastel said mildly, slowly turning to face the ninja. “It’s been a while.”

“Who are you?” Yumi eyed the strange woman in the blue kimono as she kept herself moving about the room, not stopping once, searching for a weak spot. She hated dealing with magic users.

The witch smiled, tracking the Kuonji woman with her eyes. “Oh, that’s right. You and I have never actually met. Not in this world, that is.” She paused to smooth out her clothes a bit before curtsying. “My name is Bernkastel.”

“What do you want here?” The ninja regretted not having her large spatula with her right now, but she hadn’t expected to be in a fight. She pulled out a couple of flour bombs from inside her jacket and hurled them down to the ground, concealing her in a sudden cloud of white.

It dissipated a few moments later at a gesture from the witch, but Yumi was still moving fast, trying to ignore the sharp pains of her recent wounds. She sprang from wall to wall, flashing around the room, then finally bounced down from off the ceiling. The witch’s shield appeared weaker on top. Her foot was aimed at the intruder’s head.

Looking up, Bernkastel suddenly grinned broadly, her eyes widening with delight. As Yumi’s foot struck the witch’s shield, cracks appeared in it, radiating outwards from the point of impact, but it held firm, the crazing beginning to heal almost immediately. The witch clapped as if watching a show, looking gleeful.

“Yes, that’s it! That’s the heroine I remember!” She gestured and one of Yumi’s feet was abruptly caught by a tendril of her power before she could evade it, wrapping tightly around the cursed woman’s ankle.

Yumi was only able to curse out a single word before her body was abruptly slammed down, impacting hard on her back, the hardwood flooring buckling underneath her. She felt her stitches popping at the bone-crushing collision, and the world suddenly went woozy around her. The next thing she knew, more of the witch’s glowing tendrils of magic quickly took hold of her, wrapping themselves around her limbs before lifting her up to face the woman in the blue kimono. Her feet were held bound together, but her arms were kept straight out from her sides as if she was about to be crucified. Blood started dampening her clothing where her stab wound was, the dark stain slowly spreading.

“Now then, before you so rudely interrupted me, I recall you asked me a question.” The witch approached calmly, noting Yumi’s limbs straining against the tendrils holding her fast, the ninja’s hands clenched into fists. “You asked me, what do I want here, right?”

Yumi thought furiously. Her present situation reminded her all too familiarly of how things would often go for her on her missions for the Mobius Institute. She could not count the number of times when she was captured by some crazed megalomaniac and either tied up or chained up, then, instead of her captor immediately killing her like a sensible villain, they would take time grandly outlining to her their scheme before either leaving her to be killed by their minions or putting her into some sort of supposedly inescapable deathtrap and then leaving for some other business. Keel Lorentz had been one of the worst, as the man seemed to love hearing himself talk.

As the witch stalked around the cursed woman, inspecting her body like she was a prize animal, Yumi continued working on a plan for escape. Unfortunately, the glowing tendrils on her arms and legs would not budge, no matter how much pressure she applied. She eyed the other woman when she finally came back into view.

“I’m playing a game,” Bernkastel announced suddenly, leaning into Yumi’s face, a bit too closely for the ninja’s comfort. “You’ve heard of the Shogun of the Dark, right?”

“I’m familiar with the name.” Yumi pulled her face back from the witch’s as far as she could manage. “Shadowlaw’s bigwigs talk about him, but no one outside their organization’s ever seen him. Some think he’s just a myth.”

The other woman grinned. “Au contraire, ma chérie. The Shogun is quite real, and it is he who I’m playing against, although he doesn’t know it and hopefully never will.”

Yumi continued testing her bonds as the witch talked. She grunted and then glared at the other woman when Bernkastel suddenly pressed into her stab wound with her fingers. The tendrils holding her refused to budge even a millimeter, no matter how hard she tried.

“Ranma Saotome is my weapon against the Shogun,” the witch said with another wild-eyed leer. “He’s my champion, although he wasn’t my first choice. I actually had others in mind to be the hero for this scenario, but things just didn’t pan out. So, I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to revise my plots a bit and give him the tools he’ll need to win. I can’t let the four of you blab to anyone else what you just figured out. It would cause me too many problems in the future and derail the narrative I’m trying to create.”

“You’re going to kill us?” Yumi kept her voice calm as she met the other woman’s gaze. It wasn’t the first time she had been threatened with death, after all.

“If I must,” the witch replied impishly, pulling her face back from Yumi’s and walking over to look at the other three. “It would make for quite the interesting locked room mystery, wouldn’t it? Other than Lee, all of you are secondary characters to my plans, but I’m sure I could find someone to replace him too, if I needed to.”

Yumi grimaced. “You have something else in mind, it seems.”

“Oh my, yes!” Bernkastel grinned again. She pranced over to Sakura, who sat unmoving and unblinking, apparently unaware of anything going on. The witch materialized a razor-sharp blade in her hand and held it up against the priestess’ throat before looking at Yumi again. “I want you on Ranma’s team, ma chérie.”

“What?” Yumi looked puzzledly at the other woman, glancing occasionally at the blade still resting on the shrine priestess’ throat.

“Oh, you’re just going to love this little plot twist.” The witch pulled the blade away. “He’s Nodoka’s little boy, you see. You remember her, right? That redheaded delinquent girl you used to hang out with?” The witch grinned. “The one you deflowered all those years ago?”

Yumi glared. Her hands tightened into fists again.

“I can’t recall which one you did first though,” Bernkastel mused. “Was it her or the crazy girl from Blackhall? I know you did both, since you could never manage to choose between them. That’s why they almost killed each other in their last fight with each other, you know, dueling over who would get you, never knowing that you were really a girl behind your Jusenkyo-given mask.” She shrugged. “Ah well, that’s all in the past now.” The witch giggled.

“Anyway, here’s how this is going to go.” Bernkastel took the blade away from Sakura’s throat again and began gesturing theatrically with it. “You have to make a choice here, Yumi-chan. On the one hand, there’s your niece Ukyo’s life and on the other hand is yours. So, who do you choose to accompany Ranma when it’s finally time for him to face the Shogun and his deadly pack of thralls?” She replaced the blade at the priestess’ throat. “Tick-tock. Think fast now. This offer won’t stay on the table for long. Unless you decide quickly, I’ll slit this pretty lady’s throat and let you watch her bleed out.”

Horrified, Yumi relented in her efforts to free herself and slumped in her bonds, but her glare at the witch didn’t relent. “I’ll help him,” she replied grimly. “You have my word. You leave Ukyo out of this.”

“An excellent choice, ma chérie. You are truly a heroine.” The blade vanished from the witch’s hand, and she walked back to stand in front of Yumi. She reached into her kimono and pulled out what looked like a small golden flame, burning without fuel, and she touched the ninja’s stomach with it, seemingly pushing it into her.

An inferno suddenly flared up inside Yumi, like her guts were melting and twisting inside her. The agonizing sensations quickly spread out as she bit down on her lower lip hard enough that it started to bleed, trying to keep from crying out in pain. It flowed up through her chest and down into her limbs like magma. At the end, it surged up into her skull, a volcanic plume of pain. Unable to hold back any longer, Yumi screamed.

Meanwhile, Bernkastel just stood there, lit by the orange glow as it flamed across Yumi’s entire body without affecting her clothing. She bobbed her head in time to the music as she hummed a sprightly tune and inspected her manicure. Once she was done here, she was considering having some lunch.

When Yumi’s agonies were finally over, the orange glow flickering out like a dying flame before vanishing completely, she hung limply in her bonds, her strength gone. Slowly raising her head, sweat dripped from her face. Her breath was ragged, as if she had just run a marathon. “W-what d’ya do to me?”

“Oh, nothing much. Call it a little upgrade. You’ll figure it out soon enough though.” The witch lifted the bloody clothing covering Yumi’s stomach, noting that the stab wound was fully healed now, leaving only a faint scar. She nodded. “Let’s get you tidied up now, ma chérie.”

Gesturing, Bernkastel’s power flared again. Yumi’s outfit was swiftly cleansed of blood and sweat, the dirt and stains lifting out and then vanishing into fading particles of light. The rents in the cloth healed as if they never happened.

Still breathing deeply, Yumi felt her depleted strength gradually restoring itself. She began straining again at her bonds, but they still refused to budge. Glaring at the witch, she said, “Now what?”

“My favorite part,” Bernkastel answered. A lance of light pierced into Yumi’s skull. “However, before I rewrite the last several minutes of everyone’s memories and refashion your mind just a bit, I’m going to erase some things you really don’t need to remember anymore. You’ve been punished quite enough by them, I think.”

“Wha-?” Yumi started to answer. A cavalcade of memories suddenly raced across her mind, ending with two final images she could hold on to for just a few precious moments before they too were ripped away from her.

...Nodoka Himura, standing tall in her St. Hebereke uniform, smiling in Yumi’s direction, her red hair blowing gently in the breeze, holding a bokken in one hand, its wooden blade resting on her shoulder.

...Kenseiko Idomo, wearing a yellow summer dress, carrying a picnic basket in her arms as dappled sunlight fell across her smiling face and cherry blossoms drifted down slowly around her.

After the memories faded away, Yumi found herself crying, but she could no longer recall why, no matter how hard she tried to remember. What memory had the witch taken from her? She lifted her eyes slowly to meet Bernkastel’s, her gaze as cold as the grave.

“This isn’t over,” the ninja vowed. “You and I will have a reckoning someday. I swear it.”

Bernkastel smiled unconcernedly. Her hand flared with power again, a tendril of magic spiking again into the side of Yumi’s skull. “Now let’s see what’s up here I can work with.”

Yumi suddenly found herself back in the moment when Sakura said, “He’s very attractive in female form. Is he as handsome in male form too?”

Her observations were cutting a little too close for Yumi’s comfort.

“Oh, yes, this will do quite nicely,” the witch’s voice was suddenly heard. “You’ve hidden it well. Buried it deep. So noble of you.”

Yumi grimaced when the real world appeared to her senses again, the memory fragment dissolving away. “It was just a moment of weakness,” she muttered. “I would never act on it.” Her voice went even quieter. “He’s too young, and I’m too old.”

“Hmm, it’s not the only time you’ve felt something for him though, is it?” The witch began probing, examining other memories Yumi had of the pigtailed boy. “Oh, I see. You actually kind of liked him from the very beginning, when your niece first introduced Ranma to you. But you like him much more now, now that he’s cursed like you are.”

“That’s not true,” Yumi muttered. She looked away from the witch.

“Oh, I think it is, ma chérie.” Bernkastel smiled at her. “You’ve been alone for so long, having no one who could fully understand you and your curse, and now here is this handsome young man with a beautiful female alter ego. He could be your soulmate.”

“Ranma’s engaged to my niece,” Yumi protested.

The witch regarded her solemnly. “Yes, but the letter she received from your grandfather changes things. You read it too, so you know I’m not lying.”

“Yeah,” Yumi replied, grimacing. “Stupid old man,” she muttered.

The witch grinned, her hand flaring with power again. “Feel honored, Yumi Kuonji. You are one of the very few who have ever met me and remained among the living. I give you this solemn charge to go along with the great gift I’ve already bestowed upon you, even though you won’t remember any of this: protect Ranma Saotome, even though it might cost you your life. Help him. Teach him. Love him. He will need you and the strength of the others in the days to come.” The witch’s finger touched Yumi’s forehead, and the universe dissolved into light.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yumi blinked and then chided herself for getting momentarily lost in a reverie. If she wasn’t being kept so busy managing her restaurant, she would be able to help more with Ranma’s training. She made a mental note to speak with Ukyo about taking over running things now and then, so she could begin teaching the boy the secrets of the Kuonji. She was really looking forward to spending time with Ranma, teaching him and talking with him.

Lee said, “I have to leave soon to pick up a surprise for Ranma at the airport and take care of some things. He’ll be coming over to your restaurant for training today, Yumi-chan.” He saw the ninja nod.

“I can handle things here,” answered Fuyutsuki. “It sounds like I’ll have the easy part though.”

The trio in front of the professor eyed each other for several moments and then Yumi nodded. Lee turned to Fuyutsuki and said, “There’s something else we feel you need to know, concerning Ranma. Yumi can explain it best.”

“What is it?” He turned to look at her.

Yumi returned his gaze levelly. “Fuyutsuki-kun, I checked your security clearance through some contacts of mine. What I’m about to tell you must never leave this room, not even to the boy’s family or any of the girls involved with him. Not even my niece. They aren’t cleared for this information, and that also includes Ranma’s father.”

Fuyutsuki leaned forward and nodded, interested. “Very well.”

As a precaution, Sakura got up and swept the room quickly for any listening devices. She crushed two that she found, likely planted by some of the upperclassmen security cadets as practice. When she was satisfied, she nodded to Yumi.

“In China, there is a place, ancient and magical, called Jusenkyo,” the Kuonji woman began. “It has numerous pools of enchanted water, and each one carries its own, unique curse. Waters from Jusenkyo were being held in vats at a Mobius Institute storage facility near here, and Ranma fell into one of them.” She went on to explain in more detail what she knew about Jusenkyo and its magic.

When Yumi finished, Fuyutsuki had many questions, but he only asked one. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer though. “So, what is it that Ranma turns into?”

“A girl,” Lee replied, his expression solemn and serious, but there was an amused twinkle in his eye.

Fuyutsuki nodded. “Ah, I see where this is going.” He turned to look at Yumi. “Your daughter?”

“Yes, Ranko Kuonji is really Ranma Saotome, in his cursed form.” Yumi shrugged. “We’d hoped to keep it a more closely-guarded secret, but with recent events, Jun-kun and I felt it would be better if there was a staff member at the Academy who knew, other than Sakura-chan. You were the most logical choice.”

“I understand,” Fuyutsuki said with a nod, his mind already considering the possibilities, trying hard to maintain a serious look on his face when inside he felt gleeful, like a young boy on Christmas morning. “I’ll do whatever I can to help Ranma maintain his cover. You have my word.”

The professor mused that the boy’s curse raised numerous, fascinating opportunities for study in conjunction with Project Phoenix. Ranma was a model Adam before, but a test subject who could be either an Adam or an Eve was of immense value. It would be extremely interesting to see how the boy’s magical gender changing affected his interactions with the other youths from the Project, especially since he was keeping it a closely-guarded secret that he could do so.

Yumi smiled. “Thank you, Fuyutsuki-kun.” The trio stood up. “We’ll keep in touch. You let one of us know if you should need any help here at the Academy with anything. While Ranko isn’t really my daughter, I am growing quite fond of her. And him too, of course.”

“Of course,” the professor replied with a smile. There was a pause, and he suddenly realized who Yumi’s ‘old flame’ was. “Well, I can see now why you refused my offer of a date. You and Lee-sensei do make a nice couple.”

Sakura looked very startled at his comment and wasn’t sure what to say. She then gave Yumi a suspicious look, jealousy written all over her face. The cursed woman had been at the Battledome that night with Lee, but she didn’t think anything about it at the time as she knew they were old friends. Maybe she should have.

“What?” Lee looked stunned and then immediately shook his head. “Oh no. No, we’re just friends. Yumi-chan and me? We wouldn’t make a very good couple. Not at all.”

Yumi felt somewhat offended at the vehemence of his denial. “Setting aside the fact that we _aren’t_ a couple,” she said coolly, looking at Lee in annoyance, “you needn’t be quite so emphatic about it, Jun-kun. I can be a lot of fun on a date with the right person.”

“So, go out on a real date with me,” he replied casually. “If you think you can make it interesting for me, Yumi-chan.” There was a clear note of challenge in his voice.

Sakura immediately grimaced, realizing that Yumi was likely being baited. Her own relationship with the cursed woman was already thorny enough without a love triangle entering the picture. She still wasn’t sure what to say though.

“W-wait,” Yumi blurted out, blinking in surprise. “Y-you’re asking me out? Just like that? H-here? Now?” Her facial expressions quickly cycled between confusion, shyness and shock.

“Well, if you don’t think you can handle a date with me,” Lee replied with a regretful smile and a shrug.

Standing to one side, Sakura glowered. The cursed woman _was_ being baited. Her right hand tightened into a fist. The urge to hit someone was growing in her now.

Yumi glared at him. He was daring her? A challenge? She debated the wisdom of accepting, especially with Sakura starting to fume, but framing it as a contest made it unbearable for her to refuse. She could never seem to turn down a direct challenge of her abilities, and it had gotten her into deep trouble in the past.

Her mind quickly made up, she stepped closer and poked him in the chest with one finger. “Fine. Name the place and time, and I’ll be there.”

“WHAT?!” Sakura blurted out in shock and dismay.

Lee and Yumi stood eyeing each other intently. “I’ll call you with the details,” he eventually said with a solemn expression. “Just make sure you wear something pretty.”

“Oh, I’ll be wearing something better than pretty, Jun-kun.” Yumi laid a companionable hand on his shoulder and gave him a wolfish grin as she looked him in the eyes. “I’m going to show you a night you will never forget.”

Lee raised an eyebrow and contemplated her, suddenly feeling wary. He wondered what she had in mind. Despite her curse giving her a masculine form that seemed to reflect her oftentimes mannish personality, she was still an attractive, albeit formidable, woman.

Sakura glared at Yumi, her emotions seething inside her. She briefly contemplated immediately pummeling the cursed woman for being so faithless a boyfriend right then and there. 

No, that wasn’t right, since Yumi was female now. Sakura pondered her feelings for a few moments, confused.

Girlfriend? No, that didn’t feel quite right either, since Sakura knew she was only physically attracted to men (and Yumi’s male form).

Amused by the intense glances the members of the trio were passing around, Fuyutsuki concluded that Sakura must be interested in Lee as well. Due to some work the man had done for the Security Directorate in the past shortly after gaining his citizenship, he had a rather high clearance level for a civilian, one of the reasons he could work with the children of Project Phoenix as their trainer. Perhaps his past labors for the Directorate explained the link between them all.

After casually knocking Yumi’s hand from his shoulder, Lee smiled at her, then nodded to them all and walked out. The other two bid the professor farewell and left. It was impossible to miss the rage that Sakura seemed to be barely containing.

As Fuyutsuki went back to his desk, the mystery of Ranko Kuonji solved, he finally let himself start grinning. Studying the social dynamics of his test group was going to yield amazing results soon, and he wondered how Nabiki Tendo would respond to her new female competition. There was a strong possibility that the new ‘Eve’ could surpass the current top student in the Academy’s Security Directorate program. That would cause quite a stir among the cadets and those in the test group.

He stamped the exam ‘PASSED’ and placed it in Ranko’s file folder. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While walking along towards the Imperial Academy with Nabiki, Ryoga tugged absently at his olive-green uniform, finding it a bit snug. It was the one from his old school, his mother having brought it along with her. After all the days he spent trudging across Japan chasing after Ukyo, he was much more used to wearing casual clothes, so the uniform’s jacket was bothering him a bit. It felt a bit tighter around his shoulders than he recalled it ever being, wondering if his training had added some muscle to his frame since last wearing it.

“Yo, Nabiki! Wait up!”

Ryoga turned and saw an attractive girl coming towards them at a jog, a slice of toasted bread in her hand and her hair worn in twin braids done up in loops atop her head. She came skidding to a halt near them and took a sizable bite of her bread. An embarrassed-looking grin appeared on her face.

Yohko was silently praying that Nabiki didn’t notice any changes in her demeanor since they were last together. She was a woman now and a bit worried that her best friend would quickly figure it out. But those concerns kept getting shoved aside by memories of that wonderful night spent with her loving boyfriend, Kyosuke. They kept occupying her thoughts, making her want to grin like an idiot, finding it difficult to hide her girlish bliss.

She wondered if it would be too soon to invite him over to her house again today for some more fun in her bed. Now that they had gone all the way together, how often should they do it? Every week? Every day? She didn’t want to seem too easy to him, not that she was worried he’d ever take her for granted. Still, maybe she would wait a day or two to build up his anticipation a bit, and her own as well.

“Oversleep?” Nabiki teased her.

Dragged back to reality by the comment, Yohko nodded and chuckled a little nervously before finishing off her bread in a few more quick bites. She then noticed the newcomer. Immediately, she dragged Nabiki over to one side, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

“Uh, isn’t that the boy that came to our school and attacked Ranma’s classroom a while back? Ryo-something-or-other?”

“Yes, it is,” Nabiki replied casually. “Ryoga Hibiki. He’s living with us now.”

“Oh, really? Have you given up on Ranma?”

Nabiki grimaced. “That’s not one bit funny. My father is marrying his mother.” Her back teeth began grinding together at the thought of the intruding woman who was going to take her mother’s place in their household.

“Oh. Sorry, Nabiki. Getting a stepmother and a stepbrother must be a big shock.” She paused. “How’s Ranma doing?”

“I’m sure he’s busy training,” Nabiki replied, more grimly now. “He’s getting ready to show the whole Empire what he can do.” Recalling his public announcement of being the heir to the Anything-Goes School was almost as annoying to her right now as the thought of Shampoo being after him.

“You don’t sound at all happy about that,” Yohko said sympathetically. “Is he really going to have to marry that Chinese girl if he wins?”

“Yes.” Nabiki ground her back teeth again, her gaze becoming lethal. She wasn’t sure who she was madder at between Shampoo and Ranma.

“Uh, okay then.” The young Devil Hunter went over to Ryoga. “Hi there. My name is Yohko Mano.” She gave him a smile and a brief bow. “We were never properly introduced before.”

“H-hello,” Ryoga replied shyly, giving her a quick bow in reply. “I’m Ryoga Hibiki. I-it’s nice to meet you.” He then looked away, feeling his old fears at talking to girls come roaring back.

“Nice to meet you too, Hibiki-kun.” Yohko then noted the pair was being watched by a couple of serious-looking female peaceforcers, the two eyeing them, one of them a bit more intently than the other. “Uh, I guess we should get going to school.” As they started walking, the pair followed along behind them, keeping pace.

Noting that, the Devil Hunter asked, “Uh, why are you being shadowed by a couple of peaceforcers, Nabiki? Is it because of your dad’s promotion or something?”

“They’re watching me,” Ryoga replied quietly, feeling embarrassed. “I-I get lost easily, so they’re making sure I get to school okay.”

Before Yohko could ask more about that, a car suddenly passed them on the street, and a gout of water from a small pothole hit Ryoga in the face and upper chest, instantly transforming him into a panda. He growled at the receding vehicle.

“H-he’s a-“ murmured Yohko, staring at the cursed boy.

“PANDA!” yelled the two peaceforcers. That was why they had so much trouble finding him, not knowing their target was a shapeshifter. The two glared at him.

Fortunately, Nabiki was prepared for this. She slipped a thermos and a small towel from her bag and poured some hot water on Ryoga’s head, transforming him back into a boy. One of the peaceforcers immediately charged over and grabbed him by the front of his jacket, looking furious.

“I bet you think you’re pretty damn clever, Ryoga Hibiki!” Natsumi yelled at him. “Fooling us with that panda shape while we were chasing you through half of Japan! I ought to-!” She cocked one arm back, her hand forming into a tightly-clenched fist.

The limb was immediately restrained by her partner, Miyuki. “Whoa! Simmer down, Natsumi! Take it easy!” She managed to pull the other woman away from Ryoga and began calming her down.

“Huh,” mused Yohko into the awkward silence. “You sure know some interesting people, Nabiki.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” the Tendo girl grumbled.

Nabiki spent the rest of their walk to school explaining what she knew about Jusenkyo to Yohko, a glowering Natsumi and thoughtful Miyuki trailing along behind them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yumi escorted Sakura into the nurse’s office, since it was on her way out. When they were alone, Sakura closed the door behind her and turned around. The sudden slap she gave Yumi rattled the cursed woman’s teeth and left her cheek aching, a red imprint of a hand there now.

Working her jaw a little to make sure it was still attached to her face, Yumi glared at Sakura while holding one hand to her cheek. “What the hell was that for?!”

“You’re going out on a date!”

Yumi nodded, confused.

“With someone other than me!”

“So what?” The cursed woman snorted confidently. “I’m just going to show Jun-kun that challenging me to anything is a mistake. I’m not going to lose to him on this dating competition of his.”

Sakura just stared at her for several seconds, appalled. She tried slapping Yumi again, harder this time, but her wrist was caught before her hand made contact. There was a brief struggle, Sakura finding she couldn’t free herself from the cursed woman’s strong grip, and then Yumi suddenly let her hand go.

“You stupid, arrogant...” growled Sakura, glaring.

The ninja sighed. “You know what I’m like when stuff like this happens, Sakura-chan. I’m just answering his challenge. It’s just me going out on one date with him to prove he’s wrong about me.” There was a pause. “I’m not going to sleep with Jun-kun, so don’t worry about that. I don’t feel that way about him at all.”

“Are you attracted to men, Yumi?” Sakura’s voice was suddenly low. She had never dared ask this before, afraid of what the ninja would say.

There was a long pause. “Yeah, I am,” admitted the cursed woman, nodding. She looked uneasy, not liking the direction their talk was going. “I also like women. Sometimes. When they aren’t acting all crazy. Sakura-chan, just what’s this about?”

Sakura muttered something under her breath, her expression grim.

“Huh?” Yumi stepped a little closer, wary of another slap. “What?”

Irritated at having to say it again, Sakura murmured, “You haven’t tried to sleep with me yet, not once since we got back together.” Her hands closed into fists at her sides, angry at being forced to admit out loud what she said next. “I miss being with you like that, so much. I want that again from you.”

“Oh.” Yumi looked thoughtful. “You miss... him.” Memories of their old arguments came back to her, recalling all the anger and bitterness at the end. She had hoped a year apart would have changed things more between them.

“Is that so wrong?!” Sakura demanded. “I’m sorry I only like men! That I’m attracted to men! Your male form is very handsome, and I like you, when you aren’t being an a-” Her voice paused, searching for a more ladylike word than the one she was about to blurt out. “A jerk.”

“And there it is.” Yumi sighed. “I’m sorry I’m hurting you again, Sakura-chan.” She looked away. “I knew it was a mistake to get back together with you, but-“

“But what?” Sakura asked, still angry but softening a little.

“When we kissed that night in my restaurant, I was in male form, and you were wearing that dress.” Yumi closed her eyes, knowing she was leaving herself open to another slap but not caring. “When I’m that way, I’m far more easily aroused, maybe because my cursed form is that of a teenaged boy. I don’t know. It’s been too long since I was last kissed like that, so passionately. Feeling someone in my arms again, the way you wrapped yourself around me, and seeing how you looked in that dress was all really exciting to me.”

She opened her eyes and gazed at Sakura. “You don’t know what it’s like for me when I’m together with a woman while in that form. There’s no one who can understand.”

As soon as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true, and Sakura didn’t call her on it. There _was_ one person who could understand. Yumi thought of Ranma and immediately felt the now familiar awkwardness regarding him. He was only a teenager, barely into manhood and undoubtedly going through his own gender confusion issues because of his curse. Thinking of that, her heart ached to help him through his troubles. She fought down a fantasy of what it might be like to be together with him as a couple.

She could not deny that he tantalized her. Ranma was a handsome young man about her height, nicely muscular and clean-limbed, and his buxom girl form was extremely alluring as well. She could not recall another time that she had ever felt so drawn to someone like this.

As she kept thinking about Ranma, Yumi felt the familiar discomfort arising within her again, finding herself regarding him that way, as a potential romantic partner for her. She was old enough to be his mother, and he was also engaged to marry her niece. The strength of her feelings for him had to be due to their inverted curses, her foolish heart yearning to be with someone, anyone, who could truly understand her, having never found that in her life before now.

Even as recent as his own cursing was, she strongly believed Ranma would be able to do that, and it felt so unfair that he was forbidden to her. She ached inside to hold him and be held by him, to comfort him and be comforted by him. Such feelings had been gradually building up within her along with her angst, ever since that first night viewing his cursed form and realizing he was so much like her.

There was also Ukyo to consider. Her niece liked him, was maybe even starting to love him, but would she still feel that way about him after learning she had been lied to, that Ranko and Yu Kuonji did not really exist? It was a mess, and there was also the recent letter from her grandfather to consider, another conflict of honor.

Sakura put a gentle hand on Yumi’s arm, unawaredly distracting the other woman away from her guilty desires and concerns. “Yumi-kun, tell me what you’re thinking.”

The ninja slowly met her gaze and began to speak. “You know what it’s like for a woman, the feelings you get when you’re with a man, kissing with him, being aroused by him, feeling his hands and lips on your body and those incredible sensations when he’s finally one with you. While I haven’t been with too many men in my life, I know.” Yumi continued looking Sakura in the eyes, recalling her miniscule list of past lovers with regret, and one of them with mourning. She took a sudden breath and sighed.

“But _being_ a man in that kind of situation is different. It’s more intense, intoxicating and exhilarating. While it’s enjoyable for men, they don’t really need much foreplay to get aroused, not like we women do.”

“And when it’s time for the main event, the urges of the male body are almost overpowering. It’s a deeply primal thing, the intense yearnings a man suffers in that moment before his union with a woman, his craving to possess her, to experience the lustful sensations he instinctively knows her body can give him. The male libido is far more powerful than any woman can possibly understand.”

“You felt that way with me?” Sakura asked softly.

Yumi smiled. “Yes, Sakura-chan. You’re very beautiful. Of course I felt that way with you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, blushing a bit.

“But what I’m trying to say is that lust isn’t love, Sakura-chan.” Yumi looked down, feeling like she wanted to cry. “I value you as a friend, and you know I’m attracted to you physically when I’m a man. But-“

“But you don’t love me,” Sakura said softly, feeling her heart seem to break inside her as she said it. “N-not like I w-want you to.”

“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan.” Tears began rolling down Yumi’s cheeks. “You deserve far more than I can ever give you. Despite my curse, I’m still a woman inside, mostly, and I want to be with a man someday.”

Sakura started to cry, making soft blubbing sounds. When Yumi put her arms around her to try and comfort her, the shrine priestess’ sobbing began in earnest, her tumultuous emotions racking her. She felt angry at Yumi, sad for herself and very jealous of her old partner, that the drunken slut had stumbled into a far better romantic life than she had. So here she was, desperately flinging herself at an old flame for the past few weeks in the vain hopes of recapturing something that apparently never was. It wasn’t fair.

Yumi stroked her hand down Sakura’s back, feeling intense guilt at her pain. She was several years older than the shrine priestess and should have known better that it would end up this way. Impulsively giving in to her loneliness had brought them here, a good friend ending up hurt.

After several minutes, Sakura slowly pushed her away. “Y-you should go, Yumi-kun. I-I mean, Yumi-chan. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Sakura sniffled and nodded. “I realize I’m at fault here too. Ever since we broke up over a year ago, I haven’t been very smart in my choices in men to take your place. So, when I saw the chance, I forced you to take me back, blackmailing you into it because you needed my help. That was wrong of me. I just- I miss being with someone, having someone who cares about me holding me.” There was a long pause, and she blushed. “S-since we’re both being so honest with each other right now, I-I also very much miss- you know.”

Yumi scratched the back of her head, her eyes suddenly widening in understanding. “Ohhh! Uhm, just so you know, even after all we’ve said, I’m still your friend, Sakura-chan.” She paused. “And while I far prefer it as a woman, I also like, also miss, well, being the man sometimes.”

An image of Ranma, his male and female forms standing back to back together, suddenly appeared in Yumi’s mind, and her yearnings for the cursed boy returned with a vengeance. She asked herself, was it so wrong of her to want someone who mirrored her like he did? She felt her foolish heart pining for Ranma again and chided herself for being an idiot, for wanting something that would never happen.

Unaware of her friend’s angst, Sakura smiled and took Yumi’s hand shyly, not looking at the other woman’s face. “M-maybe you could come over some night this week? Just as my friend? A-as him? If you’re well enough for the two of us to do, um, ‘that’ together, I mean. I know you’re injured.”

“I-I guess I could,” replied Yumi, mentally cataloging her injuries but not feeling any pain from them right now. “So, you’re saying you’re okay if we’re just friends, not a couple, but sometimes doing ‘that’ too?”

Feeling a little bit better knowing she had not destroyed their friendship after all, Sakura nodded shyly, still not able to meet Yumi’s gaze. In the back of her mind, she recalled the taunting words spoken about her simmering desires and suppressed yearnings by the demoness Mara, the hateful creature still locked away beneath the Mobius Institute the last time she checked. The young priestess felt her affection for Yumi rekindle in her heart, replacing the dark, angry feelings from before. They would be friends and sometimes lovers when they felt the urge and weren’t involved with anyone else, and maybe that was all she really deserved right now in her life.

Yumi felt her heart lightening as well. She was glad she still had Sakura as a friend, as there were too few of those in her life. They would leave behind the stresses of trying to be in a relationship with each other, but they could also ease each other’s loneliness a bit now and then. And maybe indulging the desires of her male libido with Sakura’s help would help her stop longing so much for Ranma and his cursed form. They were never going to be a couple.

“I can bring dinner,” Yumi suggested.

“Yes.” Sakura let go of the ninja’s hand and nodded, stepping back and grabbing a few tissues to wipe her tears away. She belatedly realized that she must look an awful mess now, grateful that none of the students could see her. “Would seven tomorrow night be all right?”

“That’s fine with me. I can have Ukyo watch the shop until closing.”

“Then I’ll see you then.”

After one last hug, Yumi left. Sakura washed her face in the basin and fixed her makeup, readying herself for the rest of her day. She felt the ache in her heart fading a bit. It was time for her to move forward again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When she saw Ryoga through the window of their classroom, she started to get up and wave to him. Then she saw Nabiki appear, taking the Hibiki boy by the hand and guiding him to the classroom door. Her eyebrow twitched at the sight of the Tendo girl being so friendly with him, and her rage at Nabiki seethed inside her. When he kept smiling at her as she walked away, some of that wrath transferred to him.

Just who does she think she is? Wasn’t chasing after Ran-chan enough for the greedy girl? And what’s with that goofy look on your face, Ryoga-kun? How dare you be so nice to that horrid Tendo bitch?!

When Ryoga finally came in and introduced himself to the class, Ukyo pointedly ignored him and radiated hostility whenever he tried to approach her, and he eventually got the hint. When a few of the girls started whispering amongst themselves about him, looking at Ryoga and smiling, the Kuonji girl’s mood became even fouler. She never suspected he was such a womanizer. The embarrassed smiles he gave to any girls looking at him somehow made his inability to detect her true gender after all the time they had known each other even more infuriating to Ukyo.

Just you wait, Nabiki Tendo, Ukyo mused darkly. And you’re going to get yours too, Ryoga-kun.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(end 1 of 2)
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