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[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] Quantum Destinies 20 (Part 2 of 2)
Hi all, Here is the conclusion to chapter 20. Steve (continued from part 1 of 2) ****************************** Ranma suddenly sneezed as he closed the door behind him, the lights flickering on quickly in the room. As he absently rubbed his nose, he mused how much better his life would be if it could be dealt with as easily as a lab experiment. He studied the chair that was over by the equipment and then sat down heavily in it. He flipped on the main power switch, hearing the hum of electricity beginning to flow through its circuits when it engaged. As the equipment warmed up, he leaned back in the chair and tried to relax. He had kissed Kodachi, and if Kuno hadn't interfered, he would have gone a lot further than that. But the kiss raised questions in his mind that he had been trying his best so far to avoid. Did he want to be intimate with Kodachi, to do the sorts of things with her that he had heard other guys talking about doing with their girlfriends? For that matter, what about Nabiki, Ukyo, or even Utena? His adolescent libido was saying 'yes' pretty loudly. But he also wanted to be sure of his feelings before he took such bold steps with any of the girls. After all, despite a few romantic interludes he had experienced through the resonator so far, what had happened between him and Kodachi had been the first real intimacy he had ever experienced in his own life with a girl, other than Utena kissing his cheek. Remembering the aftermath of Utena's visit, Ranma then recalled again his mother's words, telling him to try out all the girls, in order to help him make his choice from among them. While his adolescent libido cheered at the notion, the thought also caused a shiver of fear to run up his spine, and his pigtail stood out stiffly for a few moments. He was pretty certain that extremely unpleasant things would happen to him if the girls thought he was actively trying to be some kind of a playboy with them. Maybe he should take a page from the lives of his two Jusenkyo-cursed analogs and just ignore the whole situation, hoping that it somehow resolved itself. He decided to give that solution some serious consideration. With a sigh over his predicament, Ranma picked up the headset unit and settled it on his skull, moving his head slightly to one side and then the other, hearing a satisfying cracking sound from his neck vertebrae as they realigned back into their proper places. Feeling much more comfortable, he turned to the console and set up the program for an hour run, and activating the new buffering algorithms that Kodachi had programmed. An hour would give him enough time before he had to head off to class, to share the schematics with his father for the beacon and talk to him a bit about his concerns over what he had learned recently about himself and his past. Laying back, Ranma heard the computer speak when it was finished with its calculations. "Initiating upload cycle." ****************************** *** Earth +1.612,+1.509 Ranma's first sensation was a brief ringing sensation in his ears, like tintinitis. It faded quickly, and he opened his eyes to see a ceiling over his head, the ceiling of his other self's room. He blinked, and he took a moment to acclimate himself to his surroundings, waiting for the rush of memories to assail him. He was not long in waiting. A dizzying array of images and experiences passed across his awareness, making him feel slightly nauseous. He sat up and took a deep breath when it was over, reviewing what had been going on around here. School, training, and homework dominated most of the new memories, and he was pleased to see that his father had been helping his other self with his studies at night, efforts that had been causing a slow but steady improvement in his grades. This timeline's version of Shampoo dominated a good portion of his other self's memories. He and the amazon had been spending quite a lot of their time together since leaving the Tendo's: improving their martial arts skills through innumerable sparring matches against each other, studying for school, going skating, and even just goofing off and having fun. Neither of them called such activities dates, but that was what they were essentially doing. Ranma actually felt jealous of his other self for a moment, of his easy friendship with this timeline's Shampoo. The two were slowly beginning to grow closer, a side-effect of much calmer surroundings and far fewer distractions away from spending time with each other. This particular analog's life had quieted down, even as his own life was turning into a romantic maelstrom of emotionally-charged girls all competing for his attention, each of them with significant martial arts skills. For a moment, he found himself wishing that he had an analog of Shampoo in his own life, to be able to enjoy the same, easy sort of camaraderie that this Ranma was enjoying with this version of the amazon. But that was never going to happen, he realized, feeling a slight emptiness in his heart at the thought. Shampoo, if she existed on his world, lived far away from him in the backwoods of China, and the odds of his ever meeting her were too small to even contemplate, he mused with a wistful look. Ranma stood up and stretched, and then he pulled on a shirt and some pants and very quietly opened the door to his room. The house was quiet as he made his way to the master bedroom. He took a slow breath to center himself before opening the door. Two figures lay intimately entwined together in sleep on futon mats that had been pushed together, and Ranma goggled a bit at the sight of his mother's counterpart snuggled up against his father's slumbering form so closely, even though were dressed in nightwear. Quietly, he approached the couple and knelt down next to his father. Genma was snoring loudly, laying on his back, and his analog's mother murmured softly in her sleep, clutching herself rather intimately to him and looking contented in repose. "<Father,>" Ranma whispered in Russian. "<Wake up. We need to talk.>" Genma opened his eyes, unsure if he was still dreaming. He felt Nodoka lying next to him, and then he saw Ranma kneeling nearby. Struggling free of his slumbers, he blinked his eyes owlishly. "<Is that you, son?>" "<It's me. Meet me out in the hall. I have some good news for you.>" Ranma got up and stealthily walked to the door and outside, leaving it open behind him. Nodoka stirred next to him when he moved, and she sleepily said, "Take me again, Dearest. Last night was so good." She then fell back asleep and snuggled up against him. Ranma's eyes went a little wide as he stood out there in the hall. He hadn't just heard what he thought he had, had he? Genma slowly disentangled himself from Nodoka and got up, before he quietly stood up and slipped on his robe. He pulled his glasses from the robe's pocket and put them on before sneaking out of the room to join Ranma in the hall. When he got there, Ranma had an odd expression on his face. "<Pop- uh, I mean Father, is there anything you'd like to tell me about what I saw in there?>" "<She's been a lonely woman for too many years, because of my analog's idiocy, son. Let's leave it at that.>" Genma shut the door quietly behind him. "<Uh, okay.>" Ranma shrugged his shoulders, deciding to set that topic aside for later discussion when there was more time. There were more important matters to deal with for now. "<Anyway, I've figured out a way to get you back home.>" Genma relaxed a bit. That was good news, but he had to warn the boy about what had happened in the meantime since his last visit. "<That's wonderful, son. Unfortunately, it seems that my counterpart has been busy too. Come into the den, where we can talk a bit more privately.>" "<What kind of problem?>" Ranma asked as he stepped into the room, his mind wondering what the other Genma could possibly have been up to. He looked around, seeing numerous scientific books and papers strewn about the floor. There were also a number of history books as well, causing him to raise an eyebrow in brief curiosity. Genma closed the door behind them and he began speaking without any sort of preamble. "<Soun Tendo is here, the one from our world. But it wasn't by his choice.>" He then took off his glasses and polished them with a handkerchief briefly before putting them back on. Ranma blinked as a memory suddenly made itself known to him. "<I'm afraid it's even more complicated than you think, Father. My analog saw you meeting with Tendo-san yesterday. He thinks you're both up to something about re-instating the engagement.>" Inside, Ranma had a brief panic attack at the thought of both idiot fathers from this world loose on his own, especially when one of them was able to draw on the resources of the Security Directorate. "<Wonderful,>" Genma sighed, sliding into the deep-cushioned chair at the desk. "<I thought I was making progress with the boy, repairing the damage my other self had caused in their relationship. Now it looks like I may be back to square one. Well, tell me what you have in mind.>" "<Yes, Father.>" Ranma pulled out several sheets of paper and began sketching circuit diagrams and writing down lists of components that would be needed. "<I've discovered a way that should allow me to physically transport you back home, bypassing the risks of using the resonator and trying to reverse the accident. One of my analogs was using a device that can open up a quantum tunnel between different realities, like a kind of molehole. Combining it with my resonator technology, I've come up with a way to set up a beacon of sorts, both here and at home, allowing me to safely navigate from our world to this one and back.>" For most of the hour, Ranma explained the technologies involved in fair detail, making sure that his father understood all that he needed to acquire, and how to assemble it to make it work. When he was done, he glanced up at the clock, seeing that his time was almost up. As much as he wanted to know what might have been happening between his father and this timeline's version of his mother, there was still the matter of Project Phoenix to ask his father about. While Ranma considered the matter, Genma pondered the papers before him. He could find nothing wrong in the equations or schematics, but much of it was over even his head. He decided to trust his son that this would work. "<It will take me some time to find all the components, but I'm fairly certain I can do it with this world's technology,>" Genma said finally, nodding at his son. He noticed the boy's troubled look. "<What is it, Ranma?>" Ranma looked his father steadily in the eye. "<Mother is pregnant. I found out the other day.>" "<Well, that- that puts a certain sense of urgency to things,>" Genma replied, caught offguard for a moment. He looked at his son, his expression unreadable. "<Thank you for telling me, Ranma.>" He noted that the boy still looked like he had something important to say. "<Is she all right?>" "<She's fine.>" Ranma looked away from his father's gaze. "<But there's something else.>" He looked back, meeting Genma's eyes. "<I know about Project Phoenix.>" "<Oh. I see.>" On top of learning of Nodoka's pregnancy, Ranma's flat statement about the Project broke his composure, and he removed his glasses and began polishing them for a few moments while he regathered his thoughts. He wasn't surprised that Ranma had finally become aware of the Project, but it was a definite shock when heard within moments of hearing the news of his wife's new condition. For a moment, his mind turned to thoughts of the other Nodoka upstairs. Truthfully, he had never meant to keep the Project a secret from Ranma for so long, but he had never managed to find the right words to tell him about it. There always seemed to be something else more important to do. And just how did you tell a mere boy that he was superhuman? No matter how intelligent Ranma was, he still only had the emotional experience of a teenaged boy on the verge of manhood. After several moments spent polishing the lenses, he put his glasses back on and met Ranma's gaze. "<I meant to tell you about it some time ago. How much do you know about it?>" Ranma's gaze did not soften. "<A fair amount. Someone sent me a disc with my file from the Project on it, with a note daring me to figure out the encryption it was protected by. But it didn't tell me why, or who it was from. It was a pretty tough code, but I broke it."> Ranma suddenly clenched his fists at his sides. "<I was part of an experiment, Pop! And you and Mom both knew about it and didn't ever tell me!>" He turned his gaze away from his father's face, lowering his voice. "<It makes me wonder what else you haven't told me about.>" "<Relax, Ranma,>" said Genma solemnly, still considering how to explain the matter before speaking. Unlike how it had been between their two counterparts here, theirs had been far and away a more open and honest relationship, except for this one thing. "<Remember that I'm not the same as this other Genma. I didn't engage you to random girls around the world in exchange for food or money, and I certainly didn't subject you to anything like this Genma did to this Ranma. And as for Project Phoenix, there's really nothing sinister going on.>" Ranma relaxed his hands, looking away to one side. "<Father, I really want to believe you. But after seeing what some of your counterparts are like->" "<Son.>" Genma abruptly took Ranma by the shoulders. "<I'm not like them, and we've always been truthful with each other. So let me be honest with you now.>" When his son turned his face back and met his gaze, he continued. "<Project Phoenix is to be the rebirth of humanity, Ranma. A rebirth for those whose bodies can tolerate the symbiote you bear, into a life freed of disease, infirmity, and possibly even the ravages of aging.>" Genma paused for a moment, feeling the same sense of wonder come over him at all the myriad possibilities for the future his son would enjoy that he had when Fuyutsuki had first invited him to make Ranma a part of it. He looked at his son, and his expression was filled with fatherly pride. "<Think about it, Ranma. Men have sought for such things for countless millennia. Because of that symbiote placed inside you, you've never been sick, and you've always healed quickly. It purified your gene code, enhancing your basic traits, leaving you with the potential to be faster, stronger, and smarter than your natural capabilities would have allowed you to be. There's even a strong likelihood that you'll live for decades longer than other men, possibly even for centuries more than you would have lived otherwise, remaining strong, healthy, and in your physical prime, instead of withering with age and dying after only a few score of years.>" Genma paused again and his gaze was serious. "<As your father, I saw it as my duty to give you that life before the window of opportunity closed forever, before you were too old to undergo the treatment, and I did so. I'm sorry I kept it a secret from you for so long, and I'm not proud of having kept it from you. I should have told you a long time ago. And I would have, eventually. But I could just never seem to find the right words or an appropriate time.>" There was another pause, and he bowed his head. "<Forgive me.>" His tone was sincere. "<Father.>" Ranma looked at Genma and felt the anger drain from him. He started to say something more, but then suddenly his vision blurred, and then the world went dark. Ranma blinked, wavering on his feet and nearly falling until Genma caught him and held him up. He was uncertain what was going on and where he was. He looked at Genma. "Pop? What happened?" "Looks like you were sleepwalking, Ranma," Genma said, after a brief hesitation. "Why don't you go wake Shampoo and the two of you do some training in the backyard before breakfast? I'm sure it will make you feel better. I'll be along in a bit." He began carefully gathering up the scattered papers on his desk and storing them safely in a drawer. "Uh, sure thing, Pop." Ranma headed out of the room, holding a hand to his head. He could not shake the feeling that he was missing something important. He glanced at Genma from the doorway, wanting to ask for an explanation for what he had seen the previous day. Then he shook his head and left, mumbling to himself for a moment, trying to order his thoughts. Maybe the old man was right. Practice always helped him to focus, and he needed some focus right now to cut through the confusion of his thoughts. Genma sat back down in the chair heavily after Ranma was gone, and a deep sigh escaped him. With a little luck, he would be able to return home to his own wife and son. And he had to get back, especially with Nodoka now pregnant. But how could he just leave this family back in the hands of a man like he knew his counterpart to be? That thought weighed heavily on him. This wasn't his life, but he felt responsible for it anyway. Maybe that was the difference between him and his analog from this timeline, he mused, that sense of responsibility. It was certainly something that bore thinking about. ****************************** *** Earth 0.000,0.000 "Retrieval cycle complete." Ranma opened his eyes, finding tears in them, and he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. When he had confronted him, his father had been candid about Project Phoenix, without attempting any of the lies or evasiveness that his analog would have tried, and that was comforting. He slipped off the neural interlink headset and stretched his arms out until his spine popped lightly. Bracing one hand against the edge of the couch, Ranma flipped himself off of it with unconscious grace and landed on his feet. Enhancing your basic traits, he mused, thinking over his father's last words. That would mean, in a sense, that the enzyme the symbiote used to edit his DNA had left him as more of what he was already inclined to be. He had always possessed curiosity in abundance and an insatiable desire to learn, which his analogs had channeled into their martial arts skills, whereas he had focussed it on scholastic achievement. That reminded him of something. Classes would be starting pretty soon for the day. After shutting down the power to the equipment, he very briefly debated getting a ride to the Academy with Kodachi. Then he remembered that a ride would also likely mean sharing the car with Kuno, an unpleasant prospect at best. It was only a few miles to the grounds of the Academy. He could run it easily now; something he would not have been able to say only a few months ago. Ranma shut off the lights and was in the process of locking the door when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He came within an instant of decking Lord Kuno before he realized that the man wasn't attacking him. "Good reflexes, boy!" said Lord Kuno approvingly, noting Ranma's brief change in posture to a more combative stance before it reverted back to a more neutral one. "You certainly remind me of your father when he was younger. He was always ready for a fight." "Uh, good morning, Kuno-sama," Ranma replied, relieved that he had kept enough presence of mind to avoid punching the man. That would have been awkward, to say the least. And it was odd that Lord Kuno didn't seem startled to see Ranma in his home so early in the morning, but he wasn't going to bring it up. "I was just on my way to classes." Lord Kuno put an arm around Ranma's shoulders and guided him away from the lab. "Then you're fortunate we ran into each other. Come with me, Ranma. It's time we had a little talk." "Uh, sure." He let himself be led, wondering if he was going to miss classes entirely or just be late. Lord Kuno took him out one of the back doors, ignoring the bows of the servants as they passed them in the hallways. The early morning storm had dwindled to a stop for the time being, but dark clouds promised more rain before long. The older man was quiet during the walk, leaving Ranma to wonder what he was getting into. The pair headed out into the garage, where Lord Kuno produced a key and let them in by one of the side doors. A smile lit his face as he flipped on the lights, his expression practically beatific. Several rows of motorcycles greeted their eyes. "So tell me, Ranma," said Lord Kuno, finally releasing his hold on him. "Did your father ever teach you how to ride a motorcycle during your time out in the world?" "Uh, kind of." Ranma was a bit bewildered. "When we were in Moscow, I used a scooter to get around." He was startled when Lord Kuno made a derisive sound. "A scooter is a child's toy, Ranma," Lord Kuno said disdainfully. He walked over to one of the newer model motorcycles and ran a hand along the gleaming red paint on the gas tank. "But a motorcycle is a man's vehicle, a modern horse for a modern samurai." His tone grew a little wistful, almost rapturous. "No, not a samurai, but a ronin. A ronin of the open roads, answering to no man, freed of the stifling demands of our society." Memories of past glories resonated in his voice. He turned back to face Ranma and smiled. "It will be my honor to give you one from my own collection, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." "Huh?" Ranma looked around at the well-kept assemblage of motorcycles, brought together from manufacturers from around the globe. "Why me?" Lord Kuno turned back to study the ranks of motorcycles. "While it is my sincere hope that you'll marry my precious daughter, any prospective son-in-law of mine has to possess certain qualities." He stood a bit taller when he turned around, suddenly appearing more imposing. "One of these I demand is skill with a motorcycle. Choose any one you see here. It is my gift to you, and a charge that you will master the skills in riding it." Ranma gaped a bit. He looked around, a brief flash of memory appearing from the depths of his mind at the sight of all the motorcycles, and a name: the Road Ronin. It took him a moment to place it, the timeline tangent where one of Nabiki's analogs had taken the fateful training trip with Genma instead of the Ranma of that world. After several moments, he heard Lord Kuno step up behind him and pause, and then a hand came down on his shoulder. "Choose," said Lord Kuno insistently. Ranma's gaze was caught by one of the motorcycles, painted black and red. It was a much more current model, one of the Katana-series from Mendo Motors, as opposed to the majority of more classical styles that dominated the room. He slowly approached the vehicle and briefly ran his hand along its chrome and steel skin. A smile suddenly lit his face, and he turned to Lord Kuno and nodded. There was a momentary pause, and then the older man smiled as well. "A good choice." Lord Kuno walked over to a wall cabinet and opened it, revealing sets of hanging keys. He pulled one set down and tossed them to Ranma, still smiling. "Now you'd better hurry. You don't want to be late for classes, boy." ****************************** Belldandy stepped into the interior of the temple and looked around, hearing the rain start up again outside. Rain seemed to be leaking in through holes in the roof, adding to the melancholy feel. There was a sadness born of long neglect to this place, and the spirits within it carried it within themselves with a quiet resignation. Her heart ached at the feeling, and she set her cloak and carrybag down, a determined expression settling across her lovely features. Tenchi came in, loaded down with his grandfather's luggage, and saw Belldandy suddenly cast her arms wide apart, as a glow of holy power coruscated through her frame and her outfit swirled around her. She began loudly incanting words in a foreign language, and he could only stand there, awestruck, as the building began healing around him, for lack of any better term to describe the experience. Broken pieces of wood rose into the air and settled back into their former places as Belldandy slowly turned about in place, feeding her divine power into the building's structure. Cracks vanished, and the wood and mortar took on a renewed appearance. When it was finally done, a quiet contentment seemed to be felt in the building, and Tenchi looked about, his eyes filled with wonder. His gaze finally settled back on Belldandy, and he felt an unfamiliar feeling suddenly come over him at the sight of her, standing there and looking so beautiful and radiant with inner peace and holy power. He swallowed down a suddenly dry throat. Belldandy walked over to a support beam and ran a hand along it. "So much time has passed since this building last felt useful, Masaki-san," she said to him, having learned his name during the brief car ride over from the Tendo household. Then she staggered, and Tenchi hustled over to catch her before she fell. "S-sorry," she muttered, blinking for a few moments as she rested in his arms. "That took more out of me than I expected. There was such need for healing in the spirits here." "Uh, that's all right," said Tenchi, swallowing nervously again. He helped her back to her feet. Belldandy was certainly different from any girl his age, he mused, watching her gracefully step away from him and pick up her things. There was a serene maturity to her, but then he realized that she could be thousands of years old, since she was supposedly a goddess descended from the heavens. He suddenly felt very plain, ordinary, and young next to her. "There you two are," said Katsuhito jovially, stepping into the room and setting the rest of his luggage down. Rei Hino came in a moment behind him, looking around curiously, and Sakura Sakuranbo brought up the rear. He looked around at the temple's interior, before bringing his gaze back to his grandson. "So what are you standing around for, Tenchi? Get home and get ready for school," he said gruffly. "Yes, sir!" Tenchi scurried to head home, which was luckily only a few blocks away, when Rei suddenly stopped him by taking a quick grip on his sleeve. There was a light blush on her cheeks as he saw her shyly hold out a cloth-wrapped package to him, her gaze lowered demurely. "I-I made you a lunch," Rei said, feeling her heart fluttering in her chest like the wings of a hummingbird as she kept her eyes lowered from meeting his gaze. Looking at him always made her feel so timid inside, and she loved him so much that sometimes her heart seemed to ache with the strength of her passions for him. Sometimes she even had rather vivid dreams about him, with Tenchi as a prince and her as a princess, usually set on some alien world and filled with watching his swordplay as he fought some enemy to rescue her. Occasionally, there were also rather naughty romantic interludes between them. She blamed those dreams on the large number of romance comics she read, and she felt her blush deepen a bit as she continued gazing at the ground. "Thank you, Rei-chan," said Tenchi in a gentle tone, taking a moment to take the small package from her hands and giving her a smile. He then waved at her as he dashed out. Sakura cleared her throat, and Rei jumped a bit. She turned, wondering what she could have possibly done wrong to be assigned such a scary lady as a mentor. "Y-yes, Sakuranbo-sensei?" "Find a broom and start sweeping this place out, Hino-san," Sakura said gruffly, looking around the room and nodding. There was a good feel to this place, she noted. It would make an adequate place for training her young protege, passing on to the girl all the mental and spiritual discipline she would need to become a proper shrine priestess. "Yes, ma'am!" Rei hurried to obey, rushing out of the room to start her search for a broom. Off to one side, Katsuhito studied Belldandy and Sakura, thinking about what the days ahead could hold. Then he shrugged. It should prove to be interesting at least. ****************************** Ranma drove his new motorcycle through the rain-slicked streets, the wind in his hair making him feel more alive. He grinned, realizing that taking Lord Kuno's gift was proof that he was still his own man, that the new memories he had obtained through the resonator had not overwritten his personality with those other selves, only enhanced the person he had always been. As he parked his motorcycle in the small parking area by the Academy, he put one foot down on the ground to balance it as he knocked the kickstand down. The troubles he had experienced with Kodachi could be dealt with, and his injuries were already healing. Finally having had a chance to clear things up with his real father had made him feel much better about things, and starting today he would be learning from the legendary Bruce Lee himself. Given that, his loss to Nabiki was only a temporary aberration, to be corrected after he had some time to train. After all, Nabiki wasn't better than he was. She had simply caught him offguard by using the Chestnut Fist. Looking forward to his day, Ranma ran for the main building with a few minutes left to spare before the first bell rang. But he stopped short when a small crowd of girls suddenly emerged from the building, many of them armed. They streamed at him, declaring their feelings for him even as he charged through them, doing his best not to hurt any of them, even as they ganged up on him and tried to subdue him. Other cadets watched his progress through the windows with interest and amusement. He still had no idea why they kept doing this, and he made a mental note to find out in the near future. He just managed to make it under cover before the skies opened up with more rain, leaving semi-conscious girls scattered in his wake, and a few more bruises on his body as a reminder of their group attack. He felt a bit guilty about the girls outside, but they were the ones who kept attacking him. It was a lot like what Shampoo-kun had endured a while back. Ranma shook his head, banishing the stray thought from another world's events. A few of the girls were from his class, so maybe if he was circumspect about it, he could get one of them to explain why they kept attacking him. He went to his locker to change his shoes, and he found a small note inside. He pulled it out and opened it. It read, 'Ranma-kun, please meet me over by the old dormitory after classes are over. Don't mention this to anyone. Nabiki' Ranma considered the note. It looked like Nabiki wanted to keep their date tonight a secret from the other girls. Thinking about it for a few moments, especially after what he had just been through, he decided that was probably for the best. He pocketed the note and headed off to class. Peeking from around the corner, Lynx watched Ranma depart and smiled. It appeared that the first of the targets had taken the bait. She hurried off to report to Tiger. ****************************** "This is ridiculous. We're not getting anywhere at this rate." Ryoga looked over at his green-haired companion, both of them shielded from the pouring rain by umbrellas they each held. Ryoko did not look very happy to his eyes, and he suddenly felt guilty at needing her help to find his way around such a big city. Compared to the small village of his home, Tokyo felt like an alien planet. It would have taken him days just to walk a few blocks, or weeks to try and navigate the whole city, if he even knew where he was supposed to go. The sooner he dealt with Ukyo and went back home, the better it would be for him. "I'm sorry," Ryoga mumbled, looking away from her and feeling the shame of his situation clutching at him. The miserable feeling was quickly rechannelled back into his rage towards Ukyo, and his mood darkened as he suddenly railed to the skies. "Damn you, Ukyo! This is all your fault!" Ryoko sighed as a few passerby eyed them curiously. "Let's stop for a minute and wait for the rain to let up a little," she suggested. It would have been nice to hole up in a cozy cafe somewhere, she mused, and then she suddenly recognized where they were. Yumi-sensei's place was nearby. And wasn't her last name Kuonji as well? Maybe she knew where this Ukyo guy was staying at. Without another word, she bodily dragged Ryoga across the street to stand under the awning in front of the restaurant, where she was a bit disappointed to find it closed up. Yumi-sensei was probably out shopping for fresh ingredients, or maybe she was indulging her passion for Go at one of the neighborhood parlors until the lunch hour rolled around. "That's just the way my luck is going today," she muttered, glancing over at Ryoga, who appeared to be plotting his revenge again in his head. She sighed, realizing that it was going to take days, if not weeks, to find this Ukyo guy, unless they caught some sort of a lucky break and Yumi-sensei knew where they could find this Ukyo person. Besides, it would be nice to do some catching up with the woman as well and show her teacher how much she had improved on her recent training trip, maybe with a sparring match. Oh well, she mused, trying to look on the bright side, at least they were out of the house. Her mother had been eyeing Ryoga quite darkly all through dinner and again through breakfast this morning, and she would swear she could have heard the wheels turning in the woman's mind. Just because a girl helped out a guy did not mean they were dating or something like that. Ryoko hung her head. It was far easier beating people up than dealing with her mother. At least Ryoga's quest got them out of the house and away from any of the woman's inquiries, as if she and Ryoga were a couple or something, not that she would mind it very much if they were. She sighed again. Standing to her right, Ryoga kept himself warm from the occasional gust of wind by picturing his eventual vengeance upon Ukyo. You smirk-faced jerk, he thought darkly. Just you wait, Ukyo Kuonji. Just you wait. ****************************** At lunch, Nabiki was given a note by one of the minor associates in her organization, who bowed to her and then departed. She unfolded it. It read, 'Nabiki, please meet me over by the old dormitory after classes are over. Don't mention this to anyone. Ranma' She was pleased to see that Ranma was making an effort to keep their date a secret from her rivals for his attentions, and the covert aspect appealed to her as well. She folded the note back up and pocketed it, and then she felt a sudden cold shiver run up and down her spine. She glanced around quickly for the source of danger, expecting some sort of an imminent attack. When it didn't materialize, she shook her head and headed over to sit with Yoko, chatting with the Devil Hunter as they ate lunch together. ****************************** Through binoculars, Tiger watched Nabiki eating and smiled grimly. It was going to feel so good to finally deal with her, and Tiger could hardly wait until the Tendo girl felt her wrath. She would have to be careful though, to avoid losing control of herself and doing permanent damage to her nemesis. As much as she would wish otherwise, she had been given very strict and explicit orders on the matter. Lowering the binoculars from her face, Tiger whispered, "Soon, Nabiki Tendo. Soon." ****************************** "Well? What do you think?" asked Ukyo, gazing at Ranma expectantly as he ate the lunch she had prepared for him. Ranma swallowed. "It's good," he said with a grin. Ukyo grinned back, pleased to see Ranma enjoying her cooking. She had been making a sincere effort to improve her okonomiyaki skills with her aunt's assistance, and it looked like her efforts were paying off. She started grilling him up another one on her portable unit. At the start of lunch, she had commandeered a seat near his desk to share mealtime with him, since it was too cold and rainy to eat outside. Ranma ate the next one that Ukyo made him just as quickly as he had consumed the first, his body needing to refuel after the grueling morning he had undergone with Master Lee. So far the man had been a solemn figure, offering very few words, and they had spent the entire morning doing nothing but sparring, as his new teacher tested his abilities to see what his limits were. It had been difficult and yet exhilarating trying to keep up with the older man, an intense test of his capabilities, but he had kept at it and persevered to the end. When it was over, Master Lee had told him that the next few days would be spent in more of the same, so he could fully gauge Ranma's current abilities and weak points, before the real training began. Truthfully, Ranma looked forward to it, discovering new strength in himself with each passing day, ever since his accident with the resonator had gifted him with his fighting skills. He wanted to see just how far he could take those abilities. He had taken a shortcut in training by what he had received through the resonator, but how far could he take himself from here? How strong could he become? He wanted to see the answer to that, to see what his genetically-enhanced limits were, if he even had any now. Kodachi had not joined them for lunch, and Ranma was feeling a bit guilty over being able to enjoy a peaceful lunch with Ukyo without the girls arguing over him. He wondered how long Kodachi might stay mad at him over what had happened, and he had been thinking over what he might do to smooth things over between them. An answer had been quick in coming, that the logical thing to do would be to ask her out on a date. It was only fair, after all, since he had gone out with Ukyo, and he was spending this evening with Nabiki. He owed Kodachi a date, at the very least. In the back of the room, Gosunkugi ate his meager meal of rice and vegetables while he absently heard Minami grumbling under her breath next to him. His attention was focussed on Ranma as he ate, his eyes filled with dark menace. Now and then, he would spare a glance or two at Ukyo, letting the ninja boy feel the full weight of his glare as well, hoping something particularly nasty happened to both of them. Next to him, Minami glared at Ranma too, her emotions seething within her, watching him eat lunch with Ukyo. She had flaunted herself at the handsome ninja boy, practically throwing herself at him, only to see the object of her desires and newfound passions choose to spend time with her pigtailed nemesis. It seemed that girls were not enough for Ranma, she mused grumpily, since he was poaching on the cutest boy in their class with his wiles as well. She grimly watched Ukyo and Ranma as they talked and ate lunch together. It just wasn't fair. Their other classmates had chosen to clear the pair some space during lunch, since a malevolent cloud of angry menace and evil spirits seemed to hover around them. ****************************** The early afternoon sun shone down on a solemn fortress that stood at one end of a peaceful, mist-shrouded valley. Beyond it lay a vast wall that encircled a multitude of still pools of water, scattered all over the length and width of the valley. All of them were clearly marked with metal signs on posts, but the many bamboo poles that once stood upright within them had been removed a long time ago. Scattered guard towers monitored the perimeter around the outside of the wall, normally alert to any trespassers that may come from beyond, but they were oddly empty now. Inside the fortress, a scene of battle had finally ended. The bodies of a few scattered guards lay face down. Many of their bodies were contorted in directions that were normally quite impossible for the human skeleton to do, their limbs dislocated and broken. Scores of bullet holes had shattered consoles and damaged walls, and smoke still drifted up from some of them, as well as the crackle of sparks. One elderly scientist had fallen within inches of the alarm button that would have locked down the entire facility. His unconscious form was nudged away from the button by a bare female foot. "<Weaklings,>" Herb spat in Mandarin in the direction of her piled foes. Every soldier in the facility had come against her, only to end up falling by her hand. But, despite that, the battle had lacked true glory. All of these men had been taken by surprise, obviously never expecting such an act from one of their docile charges. At least when some of them had begun shooting at her, that had been more interesting, but now it was already over, leaving her naked body spattered with splashes of her enemies blood as she contemplated the aftermath of her efforts. Calmly ignoring the numerous drying splotches of vital fluids on her frame, she casually appropriated a cloak from the unconscious remains of the guard commander and swept it around herself with a dramatic flourish. She had felt an odd reluctance to kill any of them during the battle, but many were likely permanently disabled and might never walk again. She shrugged, dismissing the matter as a necessary act. The guard she had enticed into her cell had only been the first of them to fall, and his keys had enabled her to remove the inhibitor collar that had been fastened around her neck, as well as open her cell door. Idly, she kicked aside one of the fallen guards, rather disappointed at their poor showing against a small wisp of a girl like herself. She muttered under her breath, "<Such pathetic weaklings. If idiots like these are the current crop of warriors that this world can muster, then my path to find Sage will be an easy one.>" Herb turned and stalked through the chamber with an arrogance worthy of nobility, stepping over several battered and bleeding guards. She scanned the cells in turn, finding most to be empty, until she finally found the ones she sought. The lock on the first door opened quickly when she swiped the cardkey through the lock. The figure within stirred at her entrance, the inhibitor collar on his neck blurring his thoughts with random pulses of electricity. She undid the locking mechanism with the key that had unfastened hers, and it clicked open. Leaving the young man to regain his senses, Herb went to the other cell that interested her. She opened the lock barring her entry, and then she stepped inside to see another young man. This one was not quite as muscular as the first, but his skills would be useful to her and his loyalty was unquestionable. She quickly removed his inhibitor and went back outside the cell. The two figures emerged from their respective cells after a time and stood before her. At a stern glare from her, they knelt down and bowed their heads. "<Milord Herb,>" said the smaller one in a slurred voice, knowing her name from the memories in his new body, and that his sworn master was within the fierce beauty that stood before him. He looked up at her, devotion appearing in his eyes. If his gaze hadn't stopped a foot below her face, then she would not have had cause to grow cross with him. She hurriedly shut the front of her cloak and kicked him hard across the jaw for his impudence, almost knocking loose a few of his teeth. Quickly, he prostrated himself low before her when he finally regained his senses. The other one had not lifted his eyes yet. "<That I should suffer such indignities,>" Herb muttered. She whirled to face the other way. The cloak gave a brief glimpse of finely toned legs as it swirled up. After a moment spent in thought, she whirled back to face her minions. Herb was furious to think that the three of them were all that remained of the mighty Musk Dynasty on this misbegotten tangent's version of history. Both young men looked up at her, awaiting her orders. She was not long in giving them. "<Lime. Mint.>" She spoke in commanding tones, wisely keeping her cloak shut tightly in front of her so as not to distract them. "<We will gather some supplies for our journey, then we are leaving this place to find my lost brother and his resonator technology.>" She then laughed deeply. "<After we call our brethren using it, I will have them visit so much blood and terror upon this world that our ancestors' disgrace in this misbegotten timeline will finally be blotted out.>" Both men clapped their right fists against their chests and bowed to her deeply. "<By your command, my lord Herb.>" Herb paused briefly in thought. "<Lime, I want you to see if you can get some information out of these consoles while Mint and I seek out supplies, such as where we are, how we came to be here, and anything else that might be of interest to me.>" "<At once, my lord Herb.>" He bowed deeply to her once again. "<Excellent. Mint, strip these fools of anything that resembles this world's currency. I will investigate the storerooms myself.>" With that, the three separated to their tasks. When Herb was far out of earshot, Lime and Mint looked at each other. "<What do you make of Lord Herb's condition, Mint?>" The other sighed slightly. "<It was a shock to hear his commanding tones coming from the lips of that beautiful girl, but I will obey his orders, no matter what his outward form might be.>" He cocked his head slightly to one side, thinking. "<Despite being handicapped by that tempting female body, he is still Lord Herb inside. He has not changed where it matters.>" Lime nodded his agreement. His fingers began dancing across the keys of the console, counting himself fortunate that one of the scientists had been logged in when Herb had staged her escape. He was grateful that he knew the language of his analog's captors, since his analog would not have been able to read the displays. He paused when he came across something interesting. "<Hmmm.>" "<What is it?>" asked Mint, currently riffling through the pockets of one of the unconscious guards. The man started to wake up, and Mint calmly snapped his neck with a quick, brutal twist. None of the men he had searched so far appeared to be dead, but that was likely due to Lord Herb's weaker new form. Being female, perhaps she was unable to generate enough power in her blows to kill a man. Mint could conceive of no other reason why a warrior of Herb's great skill in battle would fail to take an enemy's life. For that was the way of the Musk Dynasty, that the strong lived to breed and improve the next generation, and the weak perished to make room for their betters. It was natural selection, a fierce embrace of the natural order that most timelines had abandoned out of some senseless weakness, until they were indoctrinated back into the true way by Musk conquest. The few survivors of the brutal purges of those deemed genetically unfit by the Musk would then be allowed to have their world serve the Musk Dynasty as a vassal state. The foolish women of the Matriarchy were the only ones the Musk had ever encountered that stubbornly refused to bow down and take their natural place in the universe as brood mares and pleasure companions. But they would be ground into the dust in due time. On his own world, the ancestors of the Matriarchy had been defeated long ago, their strength subsumed into the Musk's genetic heritage, so it was the height of irony that on some misbegotten timeline they had emerged as the dominant group. But their days were numbered. After all, the news services had reported nothing but an endless series of victories over the enemy for months now. Mint was looking forward to personally breaking one of the proud amazons to the yoke of servitude. He smiled lecherously at the thought. "<This is a biological research facility,>" Lime said after a moment, as he scanned the flowing lines of text, interrupting Mint's musings. "<Among other things, they are studying some local phenomenon they refer to as the Jusenkyo Effect. Waters from some springs nearby cause living things to transform into other living things when splashed with cold water, and one version turns men into women. Sound familiar?>" "<The holy waters?>" Mint's eyes widened a bit, remembering the legend telling of the founding of the Musk Dynasty many centuries ago, before an earthquake had destroyed the springs, burying them forever. "<Yes, apparently it still exists on this world, and these barbarians used it to reshape Lord Herb's true form into that delectable one we saw,>" said Lime, anger tinting his voice. "<She is really a he.>" He continued to read. "<It appears that they then used an artifact stolen from the Musk when they were conquered on this world, the Chiisui-ton (Stopping Water Bucket), to lock Lord Herb's analog into that frail girl's body he now has. Since they lacked a breeding age female among their subjects, they chose Lord Herb to become one, even performing some sort of telepathic brainwashing at someplace called the Mobius Institute to domesticate 'her' into accepting that role as natural.>" "<Then we must find a way to reverse it! We must return Lord Herb to his true form!>" "<Agreed. We'll need to take some of the Jusenkyo water with us when we leave and use it after we unlock his present transformation. There are too many potential bad side effects for us to try it in his present condition, unfortunately.>" "<Do they have the Kaisui-fuu (Opening Water Pot)? Is it here?>" "<No, for that we'll need to travel to Japan, to the heart of their empire. It is held by this Mobius Institute organization, it seems.>" Lime paused for a moment. "<Hello. What's this?>" He tapped at a few keys, quickly scrolling through some text. "<What have you found?>" "<The name of our people's original jailer: Colonel Hisato Tendo. Hold on. I'm checking family registries.>" After a few moments, Lime said with a wolfish grin, "<Well, it appears that there are several direct descendants of the good Colonel living in Tokyo, and one of those is even a high-ranking officer in their Empire's Security Directorate. I think we should pay the man and his family a brief visit, to express our displeasure at the captivity his ancestor put our ancestors in.>" "<After we restore Lord Herb to his proper form, of course.>" "<Agreed. But let's keep this a secret from Lord Herb for now. He has enough on his mind as it is, being trapped in that frail female body.>" Both men shuddered in misogynistic horror at the notion. They nodded in agreement to remain silent on the matter for Lord Herb's sake, and then each of them continued with their assigned tasks without any need for further speech to the other. ****************************** After classes were over for the day, Ranma said his good-byes to Ukyo, who had given him a friendly punch to the shoulder and hinted pretty strongly that she wanted to go out on another date with him soon. As she walked past them, Kodachi had given him a rather terse goodbye, her nose in the air. She had then gotten into her waiting limousine and departed without any further words. While the scene was better in some ways than having the girls fighting with each other, it still wasn't very pleasant. The old dormitory building was scheduled to be torn down during the upcoming quarter break. The students that had been living there had moved to the newer and larger facility on the other side of the campus, where Ranma had suffered through a week of hell to prepare for his rematch against Utena. As he headed over to the abandoned structure, it began to rain again, and the occasional arc of lightning gave the scene a rather spooky look. None of the lights were on at first, but then a single bulb suddenly flickered into life as he approached. He saw Nabiki go into the building, and he made his way over to the door she had used. "Nabiki?" he called, stepping into the darkened building and setting down his umbrella into the stand. "Are you in here?" "Over here, Ranma-kun," he heard her say in reply, hearing the sound of her voice coming from further down one of the halls. "Come this way." Ranma tried the hall light switch a couple of times, but there was no response. He shrugged and followed after the sound of Nabiki's voice leading him on, eventually ending up in an auditorium area. It was dimly lit by a single bulb holding back the darkness, and he saw Nabiki standing on the stage with her back towards him. He paused briefly, admiring the rather enticing view of her shapely backside and her long, coltish legs. He quickly shook his head, dispelling the lecherous thoughts that had shot through his mind in those moments, certain that Nabiki would have pounded him into a pulp if she had been aware of them. "Come up on to the stage. I have something special to show you." Dressed in a regulation girl's Security cadet uniform, her hair and catlike ears covered up with a wig that resembled Nabiki's hairstyle, Tiger quietly waited for Ranma to enter their trap. She kept her face hidden by remaining in the shadows, but her voice was now an identical match for Nabiki's, courtesy of an electronic modulator she wore up against her throat. "So what's with all the secrecy, Nabiki?" asked Ranma as he hopped up on the stage and walked towards her, looking puzzled. "Why'd you want to meet here?" "Like I said," Tiger replied in Nabiki's voice, turning around suddenly and pulling off her wig. "I have something special to show you." She grinned malevolently at a shocked Ranma as Lynx pulled a lever over on one wing of the stage. A trap door opened up beneath his feet, and he vanished into the darkness with a brief cry of surprise, the opening closing behind him. "Now we have fun," said Lynx, smiling like a predator as she emerged from the shadows a few moments later. Tiger smiled back. "Yes, now we can finally deal with Nabiki Tendo to our hearts content, at least until Kinnosuke-sama summons us to his side for the grand finale to this little spectacle." ****************************** Nabiki made her way to the old dormitory building for her rendezvous with Ranma, having spent a little longer chatting with Yoko after class than she had originally been planning to. Rain sluiced down from the skies in heavy sheets and bright bolts of lightning ripped across the heavens, punctuated by loud rumbles of thunder. She saw one light lit over on one side of the building, and she made her way towards it. The door opened easily at her touch, and she saw a single umbrella in the stand, still wet from the rain. "Ranma-kun?" she called out into the dark building, trying the light switch a few times as she set her umbrella down next to the other one. Her eyes began adjusting to the dimness. "Where are you at?" "Over here," she heard Ranma's voice, coming from farther down one of the hallways. "Follow my voice." A little suspicious due to her training and inherent nature, Nabiki paused. "Come on out where I can see you, Saotome." "Uh, it's a little embarrassing," came the reply after a moment. "I was looking around while I waited for you and got my foot stuck in a hole in the flooring. Could you come help me out?" Nabiki shook her head, grinning. Leave it to Ranma to get in trouble with something silly like that. He really did need her around to take care of him. She walked down the hallway, following the sound of his voice. "Keep talking, so I can find you." "I'm in here," came Ranma's voice through one of the doors. "Hey! Can you hurry it up? My foot's starting to itch." "Yeah, yeah," said Nabiki, still grinning at his plight. She put her hand on the knob of the partly open door and opened it. Within the gloom of the room's interior, she saw a figure crouched on the floor near the middle. Shaking her head, she stepped into the room. "I just can't believe how stupid you are sometimes, Saotome." "Yeah, well, that makes two of us," she heard Ranma say. Then the door behind her suddenly slammed shut, and all the lights came up. Nabiki recoiled at the sight laid out before her, taking in the scene in an instant. The room was filled with cats, and they were all looking right at her. Tiger presided over the scene, dressed once again in her usual uniform and seated in a chair over by one wall. Her legs were crossed at the knees in a demurely seductive pose as she gently petted one of the cats, and she idly bobbed one booted foot. Lynx stood up from where she had been crouched in the middle of the room, and she pulled a voice modulator away from her throat and let it dangle from her hand by its strap, a very nasty smile on her face. To Nabiki's suddenly terrified perceptions, the two catgirls were like demon queens from hell. Nabiki whirled around, her mind jabbering in terror. She had to get out of here! She had to get out! Panther stood there like an immovable wall, her sleekly muscular arms crossed beneath her full breasts. She smiled evilly at Nabiki, her catlike ears pricking forward. Nabiki hastily backed up a step, and then another, her mind yammering with mounting panic. When Panther lowered her arms to her sides and stepped forward, her hands closing into tight fists, Nabiki hastily backed away again. But after a few steps she bumped up against the other two catgirls who had quietly come up behind her. All three now hemmed her in as they surrounded her, smiling like predators. "We must insist that you stay awhile, Nabiki Tendo," said Tiger in a malevolent tone of voice. "After all, we've prepared such a special experience for you, and it simply wouldn't do for you to leave without enjoying it fully." Her voice chilled in tone and increased in menace as she spoke, even as she gently stroked the stray cat she held cuddled in her arms. She leaned in closer to Nabiki, who had begun to tremble from the presence of the many cats in the room, not to mention that of the three catgirls themselves. Tiger smiled menacingly. "Welcome to hell, Nabiki Tendo." ****************************** Ranma shook his head as he rose to his feet, his body's few remaining aches from his fight with Kodachi and his would-be paramours that morning having gained some new friends from his uncontrolled tumble into the darkness. As he stood there, a sound came whispering across his awareness that caused an involuntary shiver to wash over him. It was a cat's meow. One soon joined by others. Many others. The wails raised a sudden, atavistic terror within him that nearly unhinged his mind in that moment, almost masking his notice of the sound of a single human footstep. "Wh-who's there?" quavered Ranma's voice, latching on to the sound to focus himself away from his mounting horror. He quickly shook his head and demanded more forcefully, "Show yourself!" "As you wish, Ranma Saotome," came a male voice as the lights in the room came up. As the gloom in the room dispelled, Ranma saw a single male figure dressed in a blue uniform like his own, his hand still on the wall switch. "It is good that we can finally meet at last. It has been delayed long enough." Ranma blinked when he saw the other boy standing there, fighting to keep his attention away from the small horde of cats that filled the room, surrounding them both. There were so many of them! Countless slit-pupilled eyes gazed at him, and he could feel a quivering of raw terror run through his body when several of them gave out meows. He had to get out of there! But, for the moment, he forced himself to face the stranger, when he suddenly realized that he had no knowledge as to who the other boy was. "Uh, do I know you?" Ranma inquired. He was startled when the other boy suddenly crashed to the ground in a heap, before springing back up. "It's Kinnosuke Kashuoh, you idiot!" shouted Kinnosuke, incensed with Ranma for causing him to lose his temper and ruin his planned dramatic entrance. But he quickly smoothed his appearance and picked up one of the cats, cradling it gently in his arms and petting it. It obligingly began to purr for him, and he smiled coldly as he observed the tic that crossed Ranma's face at the sound. "I'm the one that's going to crush you, Ranma Saotome, for all the trouble you've caused me." Ranma blinked. "Me? What the hell did I ever do to you? I've never even talked to you before, Kashuoh." "Ah, but you have frustrated several of my plans and caused me many difficulties, Saotome," said Kinnosuke as he slowly approached, still slowly stroking the silky fur of the cat held in his arms. It yawned sleepily. He saw another nervous tic flit across Ranma's face as his gaze kept slipping nervously to watch the cat. Kinnosuke smiled coldly at the sight. "The first time was when I sent my Wolf Pack to deal with Akane Tendo," he began. "They had been ordered to brutalize the girl, to work her over to send a message to Nabiki Tendo that her days spent controlling this campus were over. But you stopped them. I gave them one chance to redeem themselves, and you beat them again, ending up costing me their services when they were expelled. Then, after that utterly pathetic showing you gave against Utena Tenjou, I loaned Tiger to the Academy to assist in your training, costing me her valuable services for a week while you built up your strength for your rematch at Ohtori Academy." Kinnosuke paused, still stroking the cat in his arms. "But your most heinous crime against me was your engagement to the very beautiful and intelligent Nabiki Tendo, against whom I have so enjoyed scheming for many months now, maneuvering amidst the shadows as I slowly eroded her network away from her, learning how her mind works as she struggled to find me. For it was while doing so that I came to realize her to be the only girl in the world worthy of me, and so I mean to have her as my own." He paused, standing in front of Ranma, his glaring gaze filled with brooding menace. "I'm taking Nabiki away from you, Ranma Saotome, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me. And once I have her, I intend to bend her to my will, to make her mine, body and soul." He laughed chillingly. "You're nuts!" Ranma shouted, his anger now overcoming his fear. He had to keep this psycho away from Nabiki, no matter what the cost to himself. He had to protect her, since that was what a true man did for someone he cared about. Kinnosuke suddenly surged forward before Ranma could analyze that last thought more deeply, brusquely tossing the cat he had been cuddling off to one side and grabbed Ranma by the front of his outfit. He hauled the pigtailed boy in close, his face now filled with a cold rage. "You will _never_ address me in such a disrespectful fashion again, Ranma Saotome," he commanded, an icy calm in his voice. "L-let go of me," Ranma warned, after a moment of surprise, his gaze now locked with Kinnosuke's. "I'm warning you right now. You'd better stay away from me and Nabiki. You don't know who you're messing with." "I am not used to being addressed in such a cavalier manner, Ranma Saotome," said Kinnosuke calmly, releasing his grip on the pigtailed boy. "Apparently you require some instruction in how to speak to your betters." Then, in a blindingly fast move, he snapped an uppercut into Ranma's jaw, his fist moving in a blur. Pain exploded across Ranma's awareness as his head popped upwards and a spray of spittle blew from his mouth as he came close to biting his tongue. He stumbled back a couple of steps and sat down heavily as his knees suddenly gave way beneath him. It had happened so fast! He had just barely sensed it coming, and he had been too slow to respond in time to dodge or block it. Kinnosuke stepped over to the still stunned Ranma, then reached down and hauled him up by the collar. A wicked smile rested on his face. "I was just going to pummel you unconscious, Saotome." He punched Ranma solidly in the gut, blowing the air from the pigtailed boy's lungs. "But now you've really angered me." He then hurled Ranma across the room to land with a crash after bouncing off one of the walls. Screeching cats scattered away. The Kashuoh heir smirked coldly as he began stalking across the room towards the fallen Ranma, who had already begun painfully struggling to rise, and he began cracking his knuckles coolly. "Now I'm going to make you really suffer." ****************************** "G-get out of my way," commanded Nabiki, her will forcing her fear back for the moment. Her father had never let his emotions rule over him, even when her mother had died. So it shamed her that she would do any less than her sire, the man she had admired for so long in her mother's absence. She was able to hold it back for now, and she would continue holding it back for as long as it took to deal with this situation, she fumed, feeling a fury at the trio building within her. She was Nabiki Tendo, after all, the true heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts! "Or what, Nabiki Tendo?" whispered Lynx in a sultry timbre from behind her, her voice holding a purring undertone to it. "How about this for starters?" growled Nabiki, suddenly elbowing Lynx sharply in the ribs as hard as she could and then springing clear of the trio during the brief confusion, narrowly evading them grabbing at her. Several fearfully yowling cats scattered at her landing point, and she instinctively recoiled from them. It took her a moment to force down her fears again. Lynx glanced once at Tiger, angry with herself for being overconfident and allowing Nabiki to actually strike her. It would not happen again. "Let me be the first, Tiger. I know I can take her." Tiger nodded once, curtly. "Very well. But save some for the rest of us, Lynx, if you can." Lynx leaped at Nabiki, her eyes scanning the girl's defensive posture as she cleared the distance between them in a single bound. Landing right in front of Nabiki, she began dueling with her, the two of them exchanging a rapid series of blocks and blows. Her senses were alert to detect the slightest weak spots in the middle Tendo daughter's defenses, her subconscious compiling every response Nabiki made and scrutinously analyzing them for vulnerabilities to exploit. When she felt Lynx's fist slam hard against her lower ribs for the first time, Nabiki grunted once in surprise, even as her own punch was deflected away from Lynx's jaw. The catgirl was fast! Even with the Chestnut Fist training under her belt, she was having a difficult time keeping up with Lynx's sheer speed. A punch cracked solidly across her chin, driving her back a step, but she rallied again quickly. It was as if the leggy catgirl was able to tell where her defenses would be weak a moment before it happened. A cat meowed behind her, and Nabiki quivered as the fear threatened to explode past her control, distracting her for a moment. Lynx was quick to pounce on the opening and laid into her savagely. Several punches drove into her body, and then a solid kick impacted into her ribcage, blowing the air from her lungs as it lifted her off her feet to fly back and slam hard into the wall. She fell to her hands and knees, stunned, struggling to take in a breath, even as cats scattered away from her. Lynx sighed as she lowered her extended leg and relaxed her posture. She had barely even broken a sweat so far. "Somehow, I was expecting much more of a challenge from you," she observed in a mocking tone. "The great Nabiki Tendo. Or should I call you the Iron Bitch as the other cadets call you? Either way, this is just... sad." Tiger strolled over and grabbed Nabiki by the hair, lifting her head back. "This isn't going to be very fun for us if you collapse so quickly, Tendo," she said with a smirk, feeling joyous inside at the other girl's plight. "The rest of us still want a turn with you." "G-go to h-hell, you b-biomechanical love doll bitch," Nabiki groaned out, glaring back at Tiger. Nothing felt broken, but she was sure she would have some colorful bruises in the morning. "I-it's not over yet." Tiger's eyes flashed as her ears cocked forward. She grabbed Nabiki by the throat in an iron grip, lifted her up with one arm, and slammed the other girl back into the wall once again. She held her battered foe suspended there, Nabiki's toes hanging just above the ground. "Now that wasn't a very nice thing for you to say," Tiger growled out. "And it also wasn't very smart." Nabiki felt her vision swimming as she fought for breath. Tiger's grip was like a vice upon her throat, and she grabbed at the arm the catgirl was using to hold her up. Her breath refused to come as her trachea threatened to collapse under the pressure from Tiger's hold on her. Then a fist suddenly hit her hard in the belly once, and then again. Tears of pain leaked from Nabiki's eyes. "It seems your abilities were far overrated, Nabiki Tendo," sneered Tiger, allowing her prey to drop from her hand to collapse on the floor and roll on to her back. "To think that our beloved master would want such a pathetic weakling of a creature like you at his side is simply incon- urk!" Now it was Tiger's turn to suddenly lift up and fly backwards as Nabiki planted her hands on the floor before launching a double-footed kick with all the strength she could muster, impacting into Tiger's upper body and coming close to cracking several ribs. Lynx was caught upside the head by one of Tiger's flailing arms as she flew backwards, giving Nabiki a brief moment of surprise to spring back to her feet and make a staggering dash for the door, pushing her battered body as hard as she could. She charged across the room as she gained speed with every step, as Lynx staggered after her in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Tiger struggled to free herself from some old chairs that had shattered under her body when she impacted into them. Nabiki's fear was leaking at the edges of her iron control even as she tried to catch her breath and keep moving. She had to get out of this room! She had to flee and make a stand someplace better, not this place filled with monsters from out of her nightmares. ****************************** Kinnosuke paused when he heard the crash in the distance, and he hoped that the three weren't treating Nabiki too harshly. Then he shrugged and smiled. They had their orders, and his lethal beauties would never disobey any command he gave them. They were designed to be that way, after all. He would let them have their fun, just so long as Nabiki wasn't permanently damaged in the process. Ranma groaned from the pain of his mounting injuries, tasting blood in his mouth, even as he struggled to rise to his feet. The siren call of the boost danced at the back of his mind, promising a fury to lay his enemy low, if only he unleashed it, embraced it. Now that he knew what it was, he feared it even more than he had before, feared becoming addicted to its effects like a drug. But he needed its power now, and so, without any hesitation, he released it and boosted. He felt its power come roaring upwards from the most primitive and atavistic depths of his hindbrain. He had to win this fight, both to protect himself and to protect Nabiki. Kinnosuke saw Ranma, who was still on his hands and knees, suddenly seem to quiver as the pigtailed boy boosted. That would make things a bit more interesting, he thought with pleasure, finding the fight so far with Ranma to be an utter disappointment. He reached into the depths of his own hindbrain and released the beast waiting there, as his own boost took hold. He felt its rapture and knew joy, looking forward to savagely beating his foe down, avenging himself on Ranma for all the many frustrations that the pigtailed boy had caused him. Then, once he was done breaking Ranma's body, done with proving his physical superiority over his chosen nemesis, tomorrow he would show the Academy the bright star that had been in their midst all along. No longer would he force mediocrity upon himself, holding himself back among the pack of his lessers to suit his grandfather's wishes. When the other cadets spoke of the most brilliant and capable one among them, it would be him that they praised, not Ranma Saotome, which was as it should have been all along. After all, he was greater in every respect. His was the superior intellect, not this base pretender now pathetically kneeling before him. The pigtailed boy would never be his better. Ranma's head snapped up as a furious light seemed to ignite within his eyes. Everything had shifted into slow motion around him as the boost took hold of him, and the intense fear that the cats had caused him was abruptly gone, washed away by the chemical stew now loosed within his system. He spat to one side as he stood up, seeing Kinnosuke standing there and watching him with an odd smile on his face. It was time to show this guy who he was dealing with. He was Ranma Saotome, the heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts! Charging across the distance that separated them, Ranma's lips split into a feral grin. He threw a punch with all the speed and power his boosted frame could muster, but he was startled when Kinnosuke's hand suddenly snapped up and grabbed it before it struck him. They stood there in a brief tableau, gazing at each other. "Was that your best shot, Ranma Saotome?" sneered Kinnosuke suddenly. "I haven't even begun," Ranma snarled back. Without hesitation, he unleashed the full measure of his martial arts skills upon the other boy, bringing everything he had within him to bear against his foe. Wrenching his hand free, the pigtailed boy battered away at Kinnosuke's defenses furiously, determined to break through them and finish this quickly. His mind was now cleared of all doubts and fears, and his thoughts attained a crystalline focus. His only desire was to put Kinnosuke down hard, to end this and to dominate his enemy utterly. They dueled about the room, each of them moving at incredible speed, as Kinnosuke played a waiting game. He had trained his body to tolerate the serums the boost utilized for many months, so he was confident that he could outlast his opponent. In the meantime, he would enjoy their battle. However, he was astonished to discover during the match that a few of Ranma's blows were actually managing to connect with him. Not many did, but one was a fairly solid hit. Blood dribbled down his chin from his nose where Ranma had driven his fist into it, but the flow dwindled quickly as the boost's serums supercharged its clotting and his healing factor by several-fold. He revised his initial assessment of the other boy's abilities upwards a notch as he continued fending him off, as he waited for his foe's boosted speed and strength to run out. When it did, then it would all be over, and he would be the victor this day, as it was always meant to be. After all, even as capable as Ranma Saotome was showing himself to be, he was still nothing next to his own power and skill, and the Kashuoh heir was looking forward to crushing his nemesis. But it was so difficult to wait. Even so, he would endure to the end, until his moment of victory arrived, savoring the savage journey along the way. Then nothing would stop him from claiming the fierce and proud Nabiki Tendo as his own, forever. ****************************** Nabiki's hand was about to grasp the door handle and make her escape from this chamber of horrors when Panther's knee slammed into her back, right between her shoulderblades. In all the chaos and confusion, she had lost track of the third catgirl. Pain exploded all through her body as she was driven into the wall next to the door from the impact, and she slumped to the ground again, her vision dancing with spots as she struggled to remain conscious. "Looks like I get to have some fun with you after all, Tendo," snarled Panther with savage glee. She grabbed Nabiki by the back of her skull and drove her stunned foe face first into the wall again, scraping Nabiki's forehead and leaving behind a thin smear of blood. Her lips quirked into a grin. "And here I thought I was going to be left out." Nabiki's only response was a moan of pain. Flashes of memories fired at random in her brain. She tried to regather herself together, even as her battered body screamed at the abuses it was suffering. She could not remember ever being beaten this badly before, in either life. "To think you were brought down by this," sneered Panther, snatching up a large cat that moved too slowly to evade her grasp. It yowled in fear and frizzed out its fur as she held it up by the scruff of its neck. She brought the animal closer to Nabiki, and the middle Tendo daughter cringed away from it as best she could while held in Panther's steel grip. "Aw, what's the matter? Afraid of a kittycat?" "N-no. D-don't." Nabiki's voice was a whisper, memories of Genma putting her in the pit suddenly surfacing in her mind, vivid and clear. She could suddenly smell the scent of fish cakes and cat urine in her nostrils, hear the yowls of hunger and fear the animals made, feel their claws and teeth ravaging her young body even as she screamed and begged for Genma to come pull her out. But he never came. He left her there, alone in the dark, with a pack of starving cats biting and clawing at her, in an endless torment of fear. When the first attempt failed, he did it again and again, until her young mind finally broke. "What's there to be afraid of?" Panther taunted, and she shoved the cat into contact with Nabiki's face. Battered, bleeding, exhausted, Nabiki trembled uncontrollably when she felt the cat's fur come into contact with her skin. Her fear finally exploded beyond her tentative control like a wild thing. When the cat clawed at her face in its own terror, she willingly yielded herself up to the embrace of warm, numbing darkness. Her last conscious thoughts, before that oblivion washed over her mind, was to curse Genma Saotome, even though she knew she was about to unleash the most powerful weapon in her arsenal. Panther tossed the cat aside and grasped Nabiki from behind in a choke hold, her muscular arm tightly wrapped around the other girl's neck. It was over. Nabiki Tendo was defeated and would soon be unconscious. She idly noted that all she had to do was flex her arm a little more tightly, and the object of her hated would be dead. The desire to snap the girl's neck like a dry branch warred against the orders she had been given. The muscles in her arm bunched and tightened as Panther struggled with herself, her programmed need to obey matched against the sheer hatred she felt towards Nabiki for stealing away the heart of her beloved Kinnosuke-sama. Then her ears suddenly twitched forward, picking up a stray sound. Her captive seemed to be trying to say something, and she relaxed her grip a bit, curious to hear what it was. "Mrowr," growled Nabiki-neko. "What?" Panther blurted out in confusion. Nabiki-neko, in an incredible surge of strength, hurled Panther away from her. Whirling around, she glared as she crouched down and a growl filled her throat again. Every cat in the room suddenly scattered away from her presence, hiding in the corners as best they could, trembling with fear, sensing something that the trio of catgirls were just barely becoming aware of. "What's with her?" Lynx said in confusion. She could not get a reading on Nabiki now. She was acting totally differently. The Tendo girl was moving like a stalking cat now, like her mind had somehow transformed into a beast. It made no sense! Standing next to her, Tiger had a sudden flash of memory. This was how Ranma had defeated her. The stance was identical. And after he had defeated her... After he had defeated her... Tiger could not remember what happened. Why could she not remember? Why could she not remember what happened next? The redheaded catgirl suddenly clutched at her skull as a blinding headache surged to life within her, forcing her down to her knees as her personality governors fought to assert their control over her sudden resistance. Why could she not remember? "Lynx! Tiger! Snap out of it!" Panther shouted, getting back to her feet. She was eyeing Nabiki, puzzled by the feral look in the girl's gaze, but she immediately discounted it. "She's beaten. That was just a desperation move. Now let's finish her off!" Nabiki-neko's gaze narrowed in her wrath as she focused her gaze on the trio of catgirls in front of her. These three had hurt her. These three had dared to challenge her. It was time to teach them all a lesson, a harsh one. With a snarl of rage, Nabiki-neko hurled herself at her three foes. ****************************** Ranma was beyond fear now as he dueled with Kinnosuke, both of them moving and striking within the span of an eyeblink. A savage joy was within him as he felt an epiphany come over him, fueled by the stew of endorphins and serums flooding his brain. This was what he was meant to be, a warrior, and he embraced that feeling, savoring its seductive sweetness as he hurled blow after blow into Kinnosuke's defenses. What did his studies have to compare to this? What did books give him that could replace the fierce pleasure of driving your fist into an enemy's gut, to breaking down their defenses, to finally gaining the upper hand in battle and then savagely exploiting it? Even the pains caused by Kinnosuke's blows added to the experience for him. They were gone in moments, wiped away by the heady brew of serums and endorphins filling his system. But each one was a punctuation to the symphony of battle that raged between them. His head snapped to one side as Kinnosuke caught him with a punch, even as he drove a knee upwards into the other boy's gut. On and on it went, as Ranma felt himself fading away slowly into the savage beast he had unleashed from the most primitive cells of his hindbrain and given his skills to. It was like he took a step back away from himself, freeing his body from any conscious thoughts or doubts that could hinder his responses. Kinnosuke was quickly growing tired of waiting for Ranma's limiter to kick in, finding it increasingly difficult to restrain his desires to unleash himself fully in brutal battle. Why didn't Saotome fall? Both of them had wracked up bruises and other injuries, and Ranma had taken the worst of it by far. Yet the pigtailed boy was still boosting, and still fighting him hard at every turn. He was better than Kinnosuke had expected, pulling out techniques that came from no combat style he had ever seen before, and the struggle between them was the most brutal and intense he had ever faced. It was glorious. This was what he had wanted! This was an enemy he could sink his teeth into! Unbidden, he loosed the small bit of control he had retained over himself, and he put everything he had into the fight. Things began moving even faster and fiercer between them, as their feet danced over the floor, and Kinnosuke began gaining the upper hand. Ranma suddenly felt his clarity shatter, as the boost reached the wall of what his body could withstand, and his subliminal limiter kicked in. His muscles, pushed to their limits by the sustained adrenaline surge, suddenly weakened as the accumulated fatigue poisons hit him all at once. He missed a block, and Kinnosuke's full power punch caught him squarely in the stomach, just below his sternum. He folded over the blow as his knees buckled, unable to get his body to roll with it and lessen the damage. Sensing his imminent victory, Kinnosuke did not hesitate, and he laid into Ranma with a savage fury before the pigtailed boy could even fall to the ground. Brutal blow after brutal blow pounded into Ranma's head and body before the Kashuoh heir finally managed to regain control over himself, only after several moments of beating a helpless Ranma. He panted deeply as the pigtailed boy was finally allowed to slump down to the floor into unconsciousness. And he felt godlike as he gazed upon Ranma, seeing a small trickle of blood leaking from the other boy's face and pooling upon the floor. "And so you fall, Ranma Saotome," Kinnosuke whispered, feeling himself slump to his knees as the accumulated fatigue poisons caught up to him in a rush. His belly roiled within him, hunger gnawing at his guts. But none of his discomforts could erase the joy he felt inside. He had beaten his chosen nemesis. He was victorious. Now all that remained was to claim his prize: the infinitely desirable Nabiki Tendo. ****************************** "Hold her!" "I've got her!" A cacophony of battle raged behind the door as Kinnosuke paused outside in the hallway. Behind him he dragged Ranma, still unconscious, his hand gripping the back of the pigtailed boy's shirt collar as he hauled him along. Somewhere along the line Ranma had lost his shoes, and a sticky matting of blood stained the front of his Chinese-style shirt. That it sounded like Nabiki was still resisting impressed Kinnosuke, but he was also surprised that the trio sounded like they had their hands full with the Tendo girl. After all, she was only one and there were three of them. "Aiyee!" came a sudden howled cry of female fear, quickly drawing closer. Kinnosuke was startled when a body abruptly came hurtling upside down through the closed door just in front of him, blowing it completely off its hinges with a loud shattering of wood and rending hinges, where it ended up slamming against the far wall of the hallway. Lynx, the rather unwilling missile, collapsed heavily to the ground in front of him, badly battered and bleeding a bit, her uniform scored by numerous slashes. An animalistic growl of rage resounded from within the room, and the Kashuoh heir cautiously peeked his head around the edge of the opening, wondering what could have possibly done something like that to Lynx. And what he saw caused his eyes to widen. He blinked, but the image did not change. Nabiki-neko stood facing off with Panther, her body crouched and ready to spring. Off to one side, Tiger was struggling to return to her feet, not quite as badly beaten-looking as Lynx was, but it was obvious she had been in a fight. Blood dripped from the fingertips of one of her hands, and her jacket was ripped in several spots, but she did not seem to be very seriously injured. Panther, on the other hand, had one eye swollen shut, was sporting three thin slashes along her jawline, and her clothing was rent in several places, as if from some kind of knife. Tiger noticed him out of the corner of her eye, and she shouted, "No! Stay back, Kinnosuke-sama!" She forced herself to her feet, and she hastened to stand between Nabiki and the Kashuoh heir. "There's something wrong with her! She's gone mad!" While Tiger had been distracted, Panther had leaped to the attack, driven by her own rage and combat programming to render the Tendo girl unconscious as best she could, especially now that her beloved master was in the danger zone. Punches that would have shattered concrete blurred past Nabiki-neko's head, the girl evading the blows by the thinnest of margins. On one of Panther's attacks, her fist crashed through the floor, and then Nabiki-neko first backhanded her, before her other hand raked downwards quickly, clawing Panther's shoulder and then her chest and spattering a few droplets of her blood across the floor, as invisible claws of chi energy ripped through her flesh. Tiger was about to leap back into the fray when she was startled to find Kinnosuke suddenly step in front of her and place an arm before her. Her eyes shimmered for a moment with tears at the gesture, one obviously meant to protect her, and that he would do such a thing for her filled her heart with joy. She started to speak. "I'm disappointed in you, Tiger," said Kinnosuke coldly. "I'm most disappointed in all three of you, that you could not deal with Nabiki more effectively than this." He watched, his gaze icy, even as Panther was brutally batted around by Nabiki-neko's fists. He turned his gaze to Tiger once again. "I'll deal with this." Kinnosuke boosted, feeling the rush surge through him. He would pay a steep price for boosting again so soon after the last time, but it was necessary. Before Tiger could say anything, feeling as if her heart had been crushed within her chest, he then shoved her back behind him. "Stay out of my way for now. Tend to Lynx and Panther while I subdue Nabiki." Nabiki-neko paused in her battle with Panther, holding the now almost unconscious catgirl up by one paw. Her hair suddenly stood up a bit as she sensed a new enemy approach, and she let Panther fall limply to the floor, no longer interested in her. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat as she sniffed the air, like a puzzled growl. Her gaze narrowed as she glared at Kinnosuke. "I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to this day, Tendo-san," he said to her arrogantly. "I plan to remember this battle well." Then he charged at her. Nabiki-neko dodged her head swiftly to one side and then the other as the unfamiliar boy tried to hit her. She growled low in her throat as he laid into her defenses, forcing her to give some ground even as she blocked and evaded his strikes. She slipped her body away from his attacks, but she found him to be a more capable foe than the three catgirls. Her lips split into a feral snarl. "Mrowr!" she growled as a warning to him that he should back off, if he knew what was good for him. Kinnosuke pressed his attack, his mind caught up in the lust for battle that the boost caused him. He ducked low and threw an uppercut that grazed across Nabiki-neko's face, and then Nabiki-neko lashed out at him with one hand, swiping at his chest. He backed off in surprise, and a strip of cloth from his uniform fluttered to the ground between them. Nabiki-neko was annoyed. The strange boy was standing between her and the remaining catgirl, preventing her from finishing her off. She glared at him, and her throat rumbled with another growl, her back arching as she suddenly hissed her rage. Kinnosuke pressed a pair of fingers to his chest, and when he pulled them away, he saw his own blood. Then he raised his eyes to gaze at Nabiki with a look burning with sudden passion. He charged her, caught up in the desire to conquer her, to take her to the floor and embrace her. A savage lust filled him, mixed with rage at her defiance. Nabiki-neko hurled herself at the strange boy when he came rushing at her, and the two became enmeshed in a vicious exchange. Kinnosuke struck his elbow across Nabiki-neko's face, and the brutal blow only seemed to irritate her. He kneed her in the gut, and it barely seemed to register on her awareness. Meanwhile, her return strikes were savaging him in return. Some he managed to turn aside or dodge, but there were others that impacted hard into him, and more of his blood spattered on the floor. Kinnosuke slowly began to experience a sensation like he was burning up inside, and discomfort began to penetrate through the fog of endorphins masking his body's pains. Quite suddenly he realized that he was losing, that the Tendo girl was rapidly gaining the upper hand, and it galled him. The fight with Ranma must have taken too much out of him, and he knew that he would have to retreat for now, that Nabiki had won the day here due to his overconfidence. The boost ebbed away at his will, and Kinnosuke felt himself fall to his knees on the floor, then over on to his side. He felt sick and weak, and every muscle in his body seemed to be trembling all at once. Hunger was like a ravaging beast raging inside his guts, and he wavered on the edge of consciousness. In the haze of that moment, he now knew how close to his limits he had gone. "KINNOSUKE-SAMA!" came a simultaneous cry from three throats, and only the fierce growl of Nabiki-neko kept them from his side. The trio eyed the Tendo girl, an unspoken communication passing between them. Nabiki-neko backed away from her fallen foe, never taking her eyes off of the trio of catgirls as they slowly came forward and picked him up gently, making sounds of concern over his state. Each of them glared at her with hate-filled eyes for several moments, and a growl rumbled deep in her throat, a warning that she was more than ready to continue if they so desired. Each of them looked away from her eventually, but the one with red hair kept a wary eye in her general direction as the other two half-dragged the male human away. When they were gone, she sighed once and hunkered down on the floor to rest a bit, her body's exhaustion like a dull ache. A faint groan came from the hallway, and Nabiki-neko lifted her head warily. She padded over to the doorframe, and her senses were alert for an attack. When she peeked her face around the corner, she saw Ranma laying where he had been abandoned, his bruised and battered form still where Kinnosuke had left him. The face was familiar to her, and she sniffed the air delicately. Her nose caught a whiff of a faintly musky scent, and then she recognized him at last. Unlike the other male with the strange scent, this one smelled right, and her instincts identified him as a highly desirable mate. But the male had been injured, and a feeling of intense sadness filled Nabiki-neko's chest. Quietly, she lay down next to the pigtailed male, uncertain what else to do. And as they lay there together, face to face, she gave his lips a gentle sort of cat kiss. She then nuzzled softly at his face, and a soft, questioning sound arose in her throat. But he made no reply and remained unconscious. "Mrowr," Nabiki-neko called in a low and mournful tone, before settling herself down to sleep. She would stay with him and protect him until he was better. Closing her eyes, she fell into a doze, ready to wake up if any danger threatened. She snuggled up against him a bit, softly purring. ****************************** "How do you think it's going, Saotome-kun?" asked Soun as he lifted his sake cup to take another sip. "I'm sure it's going fine, Tendo-kun," replied Genma happily, feeling the warmth of a couple of bottles of sake already inside him. "Here's to the joining together of our two families, and the future of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts." He raised his cup, and the two men clinked their cups together. Over at another table, the man known as Nanashi paused suddenly in the midst of taking a drink from his cup. He turned his head slightly in the direction of the two fathers, studying them with interest, the gaze in his brown-gold eyes intent. When the redheaded waitress passed by, he grabbed at her sleeve. She turned to look at him. "Can I get you something else, sir?" Akemi Roppongi said with a saucily professional smile. Inside, she held her breath. She had passed by the handsome foreigner's table a few more times than was necessary, hoping he would notice her. He smiled at her and nodded in the direction of the two father. "Do you know those two men?" "Sure," Akemi replied with a grin. She sat down at his table. "Buy me some sake, and I'll be glad to tell you all about them." She rested her elbow on the table, and she rested her chin on her palm. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him. She moved her other hand and rested it on his thigh. "I'll be happy to tell you everything I know. And if I do, maybe later you could do something to make me happy?" Glancing down at her hand caressing his thigh, Nanashi nodded. "I'm sure something mutually beneficial could be arranged," he said with a smile, studying the woman's appearance for a moment, his gaze briefly dipping down to the cleavage of her dress. He ordered her a bottle of sake and another one for himself from another one of the waitresses. When it arrived, he poured for her. "Now, tell me what you know about those two gentleman. And please don't leave anything out." He smiled at Akemi charmingly, but his gaze was intense. "I want to know everything about them, my dear woman." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Well, a milestone has been reached, as this marks the twentieth chapter of this story. Thanks to everyone who commented on the first part of this chapter when it was released, and to all the readers who still follow Quantum Destinies as I slowly release more material. I'm sorry it took so long to get the rest of this chapter done. The last ten pages had me blocked when I was expecting to get them done in a few days. Until next time, tentatively entitled "Yin and Yang" .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----' |