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Old 22nd December 2003, 06:00 AM
Steve Thesken
 
Posts: n/a
[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] Quantum Destinies 22 (Part 1 of 2)


*** Heaven 0.000,0.000

Skuld frowned as she sat at her usual terminal in Yggdrasil's datacore,
waiting for the system to respond to her request for a status update.
The two small dolls that looked like super-deformed versions of her
sisters watched sightlessly as she tapped at the keyboard made of solid
light in front of her. She raised her hand and pulled aside a second
processing window from the main one, and the scrolling text within it
faintly reflected from her eyes. The display suddenly paused and
briefly cleared itself, before presenting several more lines of text.

* MIDGARD REALITY PARADIGM ADJUSTMENT: 42% COMPLETE.

* ERROR: ANOMALOUS DATA IN SYSTEM.

* ERROR: MISSING PARAMETERS IN EQUATION.

* SEARCHING FOR SOLUTION FOR MISSING PARAMETERS. PLEASE STAND BY.

It had been like that for the past several days, and Skuld was growing
concerned. As Yggdrasil's datacore hummed in the background, she could
somehow detect a faint difference in its tonal harmonics, as if the
crystalline matrix was developing some kind of strain, but there was
nothing she could find wrong when she called up her various analysis
algorithms. Everything was operating right within its normal working
parameters, if perhaps a little higher than she had ever seen.

The young goddess wished Belldandy was back, but her older sister was
on an extended mission to the Earth realm. There was Urd, of course,
but Skuld was not about to take her rather vague concerns to her oldest
sister, since the only way she could explain why she was bothered would
be to admit she had been poking around the datafile containing the list
of Probability Nodes for the system, not to mention messing around with
the Destiny Protocols, which was a definite no-no.

Something was missing that needed to be present, some element that was
being referenced from the supporting datafiles. But what?

She called up the master index to take another look at the Class One
Probability Nodes, and she was startled to see that another person had
been recently upgraded from Class Three to Class Two and then to Class
One status in rapid succession. And this one was near the other two.
Multiple spontaneous upgrades within close proximity to each other was
a rare event, to say the least, and usually preceded a major adjustment
to the reality matrix.

A few other people that were cross-indexed with the new Class One Node
had risen in status as well, to Class Two and Three, and all of the
proper authentications were present as with the first two, but there
was still something that felt a bit off about the whole thing. Skuld
glanced over at Yggdrasil's datacore, puzzled. What was going on?

The young goddess nibbled her lower lip, worried about her dreams
again. Events were beginning to unfold in them that had their birth
here in the present, scary things. She could sense a sort of pressure
looming in the future, like something leaning against a screen door,
trying to get inside. Changes needed to be instituted soon into the
system, or it might be too late to affect whatever was coming, to try
and stop that future from becoming reality.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Steven Thesken (sthesken@earthlink.net)

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

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

The Quantum Destinies Homepage
http://home.earthlink.net/~sthesken/fanfics/qd.html


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


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

On a parallel Earth that diverged from the standard Ranma timeline over
five hundred years ago, the Empire of Japan rules almost half the world
and has done so for almost a century. A young scientist named Ranma
Saotome, through a device of his invention, is now possessed of the
skills and memories of a martial artist version of himself. Mousse had
finally made his way home after several years away from the Joketsuzoku
village when he ran into some difficulties. Meanwhile, Shampoo did
some thinking about her life, now that she had the new perspective that
memories of being Ensign Shan offered her. Nabiki and Ranma made their
way home after the fight with Kinnosuke and the three catgirls, and the
Kashuoh heir made new plans. Nodoka and Kenseiko had a talk about the
engagement between their children, and their plans for the future.
Ryoga and Ryoko arrived at the Imperial Academy, but Ryoga's revenge
against Ukyo was left incomplete. Finally, Toga Kiryu began his first
moves for his seduction of Nabiki Tendo.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 22 - Yin and Yang, Part II

Yin - n. - The feminine passive principle in nature that in
Chinese cosmology is exhibited in darkness, cold, or wetness
and that combines with yang to produce all that comes to be.

Yang - n. - the masculine active principle in nature that in
Chinese cosmology is exhibited in light, heat, or dryness and
that combines with yin to produce all that comes to be.

- Merriam-Webster Dictionary

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


*** Earth 0.000,0.000

"Dear, I'm concerned about Manami-chan."

Maho Minami grunted once at his wife's words, and Kunami was relieved
to know he was awake and listening as she sat there in bed next to him.

"She's been dating an awful lot of boys lately. Why, just last week
alone she went out with four different boys. And now she's friends
with that Mano girl, Yohko."

She sniffed disdainfully. "I knew her mother when I was younger, the
little man-stealing tramp." Her gaze hardened as she spoke. "She went
through boys like they were tissue paper or something, so it was no
surprise she had a child out of wedlock. Why, I've heard that this
Yohko girl is just like her, and she's already had several boyfriends
herself. Now she's even involved with Manami-chan's senpai, Kyosuke.
He always seemed like such a nice boy, certainly not the type to take
up with a loose girl like that. His poor mother."

She sniffed again. "To think our sweet, little Manami-chan is friends
with such a person like that dreadful Mano girl. Frankly, dear, I'm
worried."

He grunted once, shifting his position in the darkness.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten the recent changes in her appearance. It's
obvious that she's finally inherited my good looks and blossomed into
quite a beautiful young woman. But she's now at that age where she
should start planning out her future. Don't you agree?"

There was another guttural grunt from his side of the bed and a faint
rustling of sheets.

Kunami gave out a relieved sigh. "I'm so glad you agree, dear. Now,
I've been giving it a lot of thought, and there's just one thing to do
at this point, before our daughter throws away her future with this
libidinous lifestyle she's pursuing." She paused a moment, gazing
fondly at her husband as he appeared to sleep while they talked. They
always seemed to communicate best at such times, especially after
making up in bed from one of their frequent fights. She knew it kept
their marriage fresh that they could express their passions so well
with each other.

She smiled and said, "I think we should find Manami-chan a husband."

She nodded at his grunt. "Yes, I know we've discussed it before, and
you always felt she was too young. But now she's also become involved
with that Kisaragi woman as her mentor, still unmarried at her age.
Why, in only a few years, she'll be thirty. It's shameful! No, you
can't talk me out of it this time." She looked out the window. "But
decent matchmakers are so expensive, so how will we find Manami-chan a
proper young man?"

Maho made a questioning grumble in his throat, and he laid his arm
across his face. Kunami smiled brightly as she looked back at him.

"Why, that's just a perfect idea, dear. He's always been well-mannered
whenever he's been over here for study sessions with Manami-chan, and
they've known each other for so many years. And I'm sure his mother
would be pleased to make a match as well, since I'm sure his prospects
are not the best. After all, you married me and look how well our own
marriage has turned out. Oh, I'm sure our little Manami-chan will be
simply thrilled!" She smiled and laid back down next to him.

"I'm so glad we had this talk. You've put my mind at ease, dear."

Maho began to snore. Kunami cuddled up to him, happy to have such a
good husband at her side, and one who listened to her so well too, even
after sex. She drifted off into a contented sleep as she thought about
her daughter's future happiness as a married woman.

******************************

Kasumi Ono lay on her side in the bed she shared with her husband,
facing away from him, a part of her attention listening to his slow and
steady breathing as he slept. The house was otherwise very quiet and
peaceful around them, but she could not seem to fall asleep.

Where had it all gone wrong in her marriage to Tofu? Or had it ever
been right? Kasumi pondered those questions, nibbling lightly on her
lower lip. She had been so certain that she would come to love him,
the handsome doctor that the matchmaker had introduced to her. After
all, her own parents had been an arranged marriage, and they had been
happy together. So why wasn't she happy?

The marriage ceremony had been beautiful. Her father had been so stoic
in appearance, but she knew he was contented to see her married, and to
a doctor with a fine career ahead of him. Her sisters had been envious
of her, especially Nabiki, but they were also openly pleased to see her
married. It had been a wonderful, magical day.

Their honeymoon in Kyoto had been quite romantic, and Tofu was gentle
with her that first night, treating her like the most precious thing in
his world. Still, while that night had been a pleasurable experience,
something had seemed to be missing, something intangible. But she had
convinced herself that she was just being a nervous new bride. After a
few weeks, she was certain she would settle down and then discover the
contentment from being a married woman.

However, several weeks passed, and then a few months, but the vague
feelings of wrongness continued. The contentment her mother had once
told her to expect as a wife never appeared. She was married to a good
man who provided a nice home for her, but she wasn't happy. What had
gone wrong? She had done everything that was expected of a young woman
by getting married. Perhaps a child would help, she finally decided,
so she had her birth control implant removed in a simple procedure.

The months continued to roll on, and pregnancy eluded her. Tofu began
drifting away from her, a little bit more with each failed attempt. He
never yelled at her or struck her, not like some of the other husbands
in their neighborhood would do with their wives, and he never cheated
on her that she could tell. Instead, he simply began to spend more
time away at work, and the two of them settled into a sort of quiet
desperation as the passion between them gradually faded away to
nothing, if it had ever really existed at all.

Kasumi felt a few tears roll down her cheeks and stain her pillow. It
wasn't fair. She had done everything properly, playing the role of the
dutiful daughter and then the honorable bride. She had turned in her
uniform to be a housewife instead, ending a promising career in the
Security Directorate. Even in the one thing she had always secretly
taken pride in, her skills as a martial artist, she had been surpassed
by Nabiki. When had her little sister grown so skilled? To lose to
her had been humbling. This wasn't how her story was supposed to end
up, not like this.

As she thought about her life, depression roiling within her, something
suddenly occurred to her. She rolled over a bit and glanced over her
shoulder at her sleeping husband for a moment before laying back down.
Actually, there was nothing stopping her from simply reactivating her
commission again, to take up the uniform of a Security Directorate
agent once more. Her husband was hardly ever home as it was, and it
would give her something useful to do with her time, other than cooking
and cleaning in a house where she was by herself most of the time.

A new excitement seemed to fill her, having made the decision. She
felt she had to tell somebody about it, and the first person she
thought of was Lt. Yusaku Godai, startling her a bit. She blushed.

Kasumi had never felt so attracted to someone else before, like she was
to Lt. Godai, and she would be lying to herself if she tried to deny
it. She smiled wistfully as she thought about the young soldier, only
a few years older than herself. She had met him by chance at her
father's house, and the feelings he had awoken within her when she
first laid eyes upon him were as unexpected as they were pleasant.

She had been quite startled by those feelings at first, and she still
felt a bit guilty over having them, but she could no longer deny their
existence. Not that she intended to act upon them, since that would
just not be proper. No matter how she felt, she was a married woman
after all. However, if she had never met him, she might never have
made her decision to rejoin the Security Directorate. So she wanted to
thank him for that, and perhaps he would even be willing to have dinner
with her sometime. As a friend, of course, she hastily amended in her
thoughts.

In the morning, she would go down to the Directorate and fill out the
necessary paperwork and request to be an active agent again. She made
a mental note to pull her uniform out of the back of her closet and
check to make sure it still fit her all right. It had been many months
since she last wore it, but she was looking forward to putting it on
again. Perhaps she would even visit her father while she was there, or
see if any of her old classmates were still around.

As if a burden had been lifted from her, Kasumi finally drifted off
into a contented sleep, feeling that her future was now a much brighter
place than it once had been. And as her mind fell to slumber, images
of herself and a certain young soldier of the Empire floated across her
thoughts, and a number of her imaginings were quite scandalous.

******************************

The thrumming sounds of a military helicopter approaching disturbed the
stillness of the night air. Dawn was still a little ways off, but the
arrival was expected, due to the recent misfortune that had befallen
the facility. Losing three prized subjects, the result of years of
effort at eugenics and genetic manipulation, had been enough to bring
to this place the man who pioneered both Project Phoenix as well as the
Empire's decades-long study of the so-called Jusenkyo Effect. It was
also one of the few times he had ever left his private laboratory on
Togenkyo Island in almost a decade.

Two armed soldiers flanked the portly figure of the facility's current
director, Doctor Taiko Gaido. He appeared Chinese, but he was actually
a third-generation Imperial Citizen, his grandfather having earned the
honor many years ago as a fighter in the Arena. He sweated nervously
as he waited near the helicopter pad, occasionally mopping his face
with a white cotton handkerchief. One of his hands was bandaged, from
injuries he sustained during the escape of the three young fugitives.

The helicopter settled down and came to a rest, and a soldier hopped
out of the front area, hurried to the side, and rolled open the door of
the vehicle there. A dark shape loomed for a moment in the interior,
lit by the helicopter's cabin lights, and then it emerged, a rotund
figure dressed in a trenchcoat, holding a hat down over its head and
concealing its features.

Gaido stepped forward. "Moreau-sensei, Director Saito informed me of
your arrival. While I am extremely distressed at the circumstances
necessitating your visit, let me start by saying what an honor it is-"

He abruptly stopped as the figure raised one gloved hand and waved it
once sharply, abruptly cutting off his welcoming speech. A female
figure emerged from the vehicle behind the trenchcoated figure, coming
into the illumination provided by the spotlights pointed towards the
tarmac. She was an attractive Japanese woman with her hair worn long
and pulled into a single loose braid that fell to the middle of her
back, dressed in a finely-tailored business suit with a modest skirt
and carrying a thin, metal briefcase. A professional look of disdain
was seemingly permanently etched upon her otherwise lovely features.

"Moreau-sensei has not come here to exchange pleasantries with you,
Gaido-san," said the woman grimly, with a faint accent he could not
quite place. "He is here on business."

"And you are?" Gaido turned to face the woman. He was not used to
being spoken to in such a way.

"I am Moreau-sensei's attaché. You will call me Silk. Now, the doctor
has had a long journey, so I expect you have prepared a room for him to
refresh himself in before we conduct our investigation." It was not
phrased as a question, but a command.

Gaido glared at the woman briefly, but then he saw something quite
dangerous in the gaze she directed back at him and quickly backed down.
He bowed to them and gestured with his arm to one side. "Right this
way, Moreau-sensei, Silk-san." He then led the way, Moreau stepping up
next to him and matching his pace with his own lumbering gate, still
holding his hat down over his face with a heavy, gloved hand.

As Gaido led them towards the main building, Silk fell into place a
single pace behind them, her eyes scanning their surroundings as she
walked, alert for any sort of threat. She moved gracefully but with an
almost predatory power in her step. The two guards fell in at the
rear, their automatic weapons held in a ready position.

"Have you made any progress in retrieving the subjects?" Silk inquired
after a few moments.

"I have my men out scouring the area," Gaido assured them, his comments
more directed at Moreau. "They may have had a day's lead, but it's
only a matter of time before they're found and brought back. They've
never been outside the walls of this facility, so they can't possibly
know the terrain."

"The doctor has invested a great deal of time and effort into those
three. They must be returned alive and in good condition. If they
aren't..." She left the statement hanging, an unspoken threat.

Gaido sweated some more and suddenly swallowed. "I-I am doing
everything I can. There was no reason for them to do this. They have
always been compliant to their captivity, especially Herb. But she
fought with such skill, such great ferocity, it was amazing. I don't
know how it was possible. They have never received any such combat
training."

"The doctor is aware of their physical capabilities," Silk commented
calmly. "But you are right on one thing. How could they know how to
fight without training? Someone must have taught them in secret, so I
will be reviewing the security recordings after we've settled in. It's
possible that something could be discovered there." She noted from a
change in his posture that Gaido suddenly seemed to be even more
nervous, and her eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem?"

"W-well," he began, mopping his forehead with his handkerchief again,
glancing over at Moreau. "It's just that the security recordings were
somehow damaged during their escape. I'm not sure how it happened. It
appears that the trio somehow accessed the main computer, or perhaps
someone on the staff was coerced into helping them. Our chief of
security was one of those killed during their escape, his neck broken,
but I have his assistant, Asagiri, working on the matter."

Moreau growled, an animal sort of sound. Gaido cringed a bit at the
unexpected noise, and he was extremely grateful when they entered the
main building. The two guards made no appearance that they were even
listening to the conversation, but they kept a wary eye on everything.

After a brief walk and an elevator ride, Gaido led them into the staff
housing region of the building. He paused outside a door just down the
hall from his own quarters and slid a magnetic keycard into the lock.
When the lock's light turned green, Silk calmly stepped up and took the
card from his hand.

"Thank you for your welcome, Gaido-san," she said smoothly, opening the
door and letting Moreau walk past her. "The doctor and I will let you
know what we'll need. For now, continue your search, and also inform
Director Saito of our safe arrival."

She left a startled Gaido behind her as she shut the door. The look on
his face went from surprised to angry after several moments. Who did
that woman think she was, addressing him in such a fashion? With a
grim look at the two guards, who immediately snapped to attention, he
stalked off down the hallway, still mopping his sweating forehead.

Once inside, Moreau finally pulled off his hat, and the furred face of
an Asian gorilla was revealed, more commonly known as a yeti, a beast
thought to be extinct, and his legacy from his early work on Jusenkyo's
secrets. He grumbled a bit as he clumsily pulled off his heavy gloves,
revealing powerful, fur-covered hands. With a deep sigh, he pulled off
his long trenchcoat and sank down on the comfortable bed, dressed in a
loose tunic and pants. As he relaxed, Silk proceeded into the bathroom
to investigate the facilities. After several moments, the sound of
running water was heard.

"I thought a hot bath would be in order for you, sir," said Silk as she
came back into the bedroom. "Moreau-sensei?"

Hearing a rumbling snore, she sighed. The man was one of the most
brilliant geneticists on the planet, second only to that megalomaniacal
madman, Keel Lorenz (now hopefully dead, although it was the fifth time
the Security Directorate had declared him so). While remaining in his
cursed form extended his life, he seemed to enjoy the lazy nature of a
gorilla far too much.

Silk shivered a moment, recalling Keel. She shook her head. No, that
monster had to be dead this time. There was simply no way he could
have survived the destruction of his base in Antarctica over six years
ago. Keel had vaporized it and whatever he had been working on rather
than being taken by Imperial special forces, and over four hundred of
the Empire's best soldiers had lost their lives in an instant.

It was for the best. Both he and the products of the Germans own
attempt at eugenics, their Human Instrumentality Project, were better
off dead and buried. They just had to be, for the world should never
have been subjected to Keel's creations, his 'ubermenschen', powerful,
intelligent, and physically attractive boys and girls, born to rule
over ordinary humans, but without a single shred of morality in the
lot. The future better belonged to the results of Moreau-sensei's
labors, the children of Project Phoenix, not to that madman Keel's
twisted vision of what the ultimate human should be.

Wandering over to the window, Silk looked out at the fading night as
Moreau napped. She casually unbuttoned her jacket, revealing more of
the plain white silk blouse she wore underneath it and pulled out a
silver cigarette case and matching lighter from an inner pocket. She
lit the thin cigarette with a practiced move and held it to her lips,
before setting the lighter and case down on the sill. The tip's golden
glow reflected on the glass in front of her, even as she gazed at her
image dimly shown there, a pensive look on her face, lost in thought.

Somewhere out there, wandering in that darkness were the prototypes for
Moreau's greatest creation, the Mark-II Newtypes, the next stage in the
evolution of humanity. But where were they now? Why had they escaped?
And what were they doing?

******************************

Mint could not seem to remove his gaze from Herb's chest as she slept
there in the moonlit darkness in front of him, her cloak having fallen
open. Lime stood guard a short distance away. He should have been
asleep as well, but he was unable to. Intellectually, one part of him
knew that the two soft mounds of flesh beneath her tunic were merely
glands that women had for feeding newborn young. But there was another
part of him that yearned to touch them, that felt oddly fascinated by
the mere sight of them, concealed from his view by thin cloth, and he
could not deny that he felt very attracted to Herb's female body.

Swallowing once, Mint stared at those breasts. The way they rose and
fell slightly with Herb's gentle breathing was mesmerizing in a way
that he could not explain. He could not seem to stop himself as his
fingers moved of their own accord, reaching out to touch them.

A hand seized his wrist, suddenly and painfully.

"<What do you think you're doing, you idiot?>" came Herb's voice, her
eyes now open and glaring at him.

Mint sat up quickly and then fell to his knees. "<A thousand pardons,
Milord Herb.>" He all but buried his face in the soft loam of the
forest floor. "<Forgive me.>"

"<If I didn't need you for this mission, I would break your spine and
leave you for those soldiers to find.>" Herb increased the pressure of
her grip on Mint's wrist, the bones grinding a bit beneath her fingers,
feeling unfamiliar emotions at his halted attempt to molest her. Other
sensations caused by his nearness did not bear even thinking about, and
they only made her angrier. "<Do not forget that I am Herb, your lord,
not some pretty plaything for you to amuse yourself with, no matter how
I may appear. I will never be any man's woman. Now, I hope I don't
have to tell you this ever again.>"

She suddenly released her grip on his wrist and wrapped her cloak more
tightly around her, glaring at her companion for another moment before
closing her eyes again. "<Get some rest, idiot. We move at first
light.>"

Lime, his senses alert, kept watch on the forest around them for any
movement, but he spared a glance in Mint's direction. He hoped the
other boy took Herb's warning to heart. It would damage their chances
of success to indulge in such things.

His own gaze then drifted over to linger on Herb's face, noting how
beautiful it was, but he quickly looked away, his face blushing. Such
feelings were counter-productive. Lord Herb was female in body only,
and that would be rectified when they reached Japan and found the tools
they needed to restore him to his proper form. Then they could begin
their search for this resonator source Lord Herb sought.

It was probably a fool's errand, Lime mused, but he would not allow
such thoughts to take root. Lord Herb had commanded they would find
the source of that signal, so find it they would. He was a Musk, as
were they all, so failure was not an option.

That decided, Lime turned his gaze outwards again, his ears alert for
any signs of pursuit while the others rested.

******************************

Mousse settled himself on the cliff and listened for patrols. He had
been fortunate in being able to retrieve his pack from where it had
fallen, and it rested in a crack in the rocks near him while he took a
rest. Fortunately, his grandmother had told him stories of Jusenkyo's
magic when he was young, so he knew that hot water would restore his
human form.

A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of what had happened to him,
that a simple dash of cold water would now turn him into something
other than human. Unfortunately, with so many soldiers guarding the
pools, he would have to find a cure for his condition elsewhere. He
was only half a man now, and he laid the blame for delaying his cure on
the Empire. An intense hatred for all Japanese simmered within him.

However, after several moments, he turned his thoughts to his true
goal. Not even an army of soldiers would keep him from that one, the
only thing that mattered to him: Shampoo. Once he returned to the
village, he would win her for himself, and he chafed at the present
delay.

For several days now, he had been dodging the clumsy soldiers stomping
around the terrain. Not wanting to bring any suspicion on the village
of Joketsuzoku, he had held off returning to it until the Empire's
search efforts cooled. It wasn't so difficult to stay hidden from
them, but he did have to keep moving. Still, there was one benefit,
being hunted was proving to be good training for his stealth skills.

He decided it was time for a quick nap. There had been no sign of any
pursuit today, so perhaps the soldiers had found their targets. Either
way, it was no concern of his. His only reason for being right now was
to return to the village and face Shampoo, to face his destiny. But it
was so hard to wait, knowing how close she was. It had been far too
long since he had last seen his beloved.

Mousse closed his eyes to sleep, and his dreams were of Shampoo, of
finally becoming her husband. He had been told what he must do to
claim her, the path he must walk, and now, some two years later, it was
time for him to return and fight for what was rightfully his.

******************************

Director Kasuga looked up from reading through the morning pile of
papers currently looming over his desk when the intercom buzzed for his
attention. Setting down his pen, he reached over and tapped at it.

"Yes?" His voice sounded tired, even to himself. The long days were
really starting to catch up to him. He resolved to only work until
lunch today.

"Frost is here to see you, sir."

"Good. Send her in." He shuffled the papers in front of him back into
a rough semblance of order as the door opened.

Frost came in quietly and bowed slightly to the agent holding open the
door for her. Her pale hair was held back in a loose ponytail by a
jade hairpiece, her feet covered in soft silk slippers, and she was
wearing a silvery silken robe with embroideries of pale gold thread
depicting a stylized Phoenix, the Chinese symbol of femininity. The
outfit made her albino coloring even more otherworldly.

After taking a seat in front of him without speaking or waiting to be
offered a chair, she sat quietly for several moments. She fidgeted
slightly as he studied her, bouncing her heels a little. When he still
said nothing after several more moments, she finally looked up at him.
Her gaze had a glimmering of emotion in it, an unusual sight to see in
the normally placid girl.

Director Kasuga folded his hands in front of him and tried his best to
smile reassuringly. After all, the Chinese sorceress was one of his
personal pet projects, and he had been her legal guardian for many
years, ever since the unfortunate death of her parents in an incident
in China that had first brought her to his attention. "What can I do
for you, Frost?"

"I-it's about what happened to me that night," said the girl, but her
usual cool and confident tones were absent. She looked uncertain of
herself as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "Th-there was a boy, a
trainee of the Institute. H-he defeated me." Her voice fell almost to
a whisper as she blushed slightly. "I-I would like to see him again."

Director Kasuga blinked. Frost had been involved in dozens of arcane
duels, almost since her arrival years ago. When she was only ten years
old, one of her classmates, no doubt jealous of the foreign girl's much
greater talent, had learned of her people's Amazon code and had spread
it around the Institute as a way of mocking the pale-skinned girl and
her aloofness. With typical male pride, one boy had challenged Frost
to a duel that same week, a top-ranked student two years older than the
Amazon sorceress.

Frost defeated him within moments, knocking him unconscious with a
blast of cold magefire. Within a single week, a score of the Mobius
Institute's most promising young mages had joined the boy in defeat,
and her legend began. Someone began calling her the Wizardslayer, and
the nickname stuck. Her natural magical talents, already vast in their
potential, appeared to thrive on each new challenge, and her power and
skill grew with every victory. So it was with every young wizard and
esper who dared to challenge her. Not one proved able to defeat her.

Until now.

"So, who is this young man who has caught your eye?" asked Director
Kasuga with keen interest as he studied Frost. He was curious to know
what young prodigy had finally taken down the undefeated legend, and he
noted idly that the girl was showing more emotion now than he could
ever remember her displaying before, though they were still only brief
flashes. Even in the midst of a battle, Frost's countenance would
always remain utterly composed and as cool as her namesake, which had
earned her a less respectful nickname from her female peers: 'Robot
Girl.' It was possible that her defeat had rattled her self-control a
bit.

Frost whispered a name too softly for him to hear, and a slight blush
appeared on her cheeks.

"I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that, Frost. Could you repeat his
name a little louder?" He leaned forward, his curiosity tantalized.

"I-it's Hikaru. Hikaru Gosunkugi." And Frost smiled, a tiny wisp of a
smile, as she said his name, her gaze looking down at the floor as she
sat demurely.

"I don't believe it," Director Kasuga remarked, sitting back heavily in
his chair with an astonished look on his face. That name was the
absolute last one he would have ever expected the pale-skinned girl to
utter in answer to his question. He noted that Frost was once again
fidgeting slightly in her seat, her slender hands resting on her knees
as they bounced up and down a tiny amount.

"I-it's true." Frost looked at the floor demurely as she spoke softly.
"He defeated me in single combat. By the laws of my people, he is my
'Airen.' He is the man I must marry." Frost blushed again slightly,
and the crimson flush showed up rather starkly against the paleness of
her skin. She fidgeted some more.

Director Kasuga studied the young Amazon sorceress for several moments
before smiling. "Then I am happy for you, Frost," he said sincerely.
"So, what are your plans now?"

"I've thought a great deal about this, and I would like to go live with
him, in his mother's home," Frost replied, still looking demurely at
the floor. "Even though it is not true under the Empire's laws, in the
eyes of my people, he is my husband. I should be with him. I-I wish
to be with him."

Director Kasuga sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. Frost
was indirectly asking his permission to move out of the small dormitory
room she had lived in since she was nine. He then said, "Well, the
Empire has recognized the Amazon laws in this regard as an engagement,
legally binding as a contract, so you are now technically his fiancée,
assuming he fulfilled all the requirements involved. Are you sure this
is what you want?"

"Yes," she replied softly, nodding her head once without lifting her
gaze.

"Then you have my permission, Frost-chan," he said, slipping for a
moment into more familiar tones. While she was a valuable asset of the
Mobius Institute, he had come to look on her as another daughter over
the years. And he trusted her judgment that this would not interfere
with her duties at the Institute. "I will telephone his mother and
inform her of your arrival, and the circumstances surrounding it."

Frost looked up at that point, and a quiet smile was on her face. She
stood and bowed to him. "Thank you, sir. I have already packed, so I
will go change clothes and go see him."

Director Kasuga watched her as she left his office. When she was gone,
he turned around in his chair and faced out the armored glass of his
window. He shook his head slightly.

"Hikaru Gosunkugi," he said with a bemused shake of his head. "Will
wonders never cease?"

After a time, he turned back to the intercom on his desk and buzzed his
aide. "Bring me Hikaru Gosunkugi's file and schedule the boy for a
full battery of tests. It seems we have some revising to do on his
capabilities."

"Yes, sir."

Director Kasuga shook his head. Another name that was associated with
Nabiki Tendo had turned up in a most surprising way. Although he had
given his word to Cherry to keep the Institute at a distance from the
girl, he resolved to talk with his friend Soun sometime in the near
future about his middle daughter.

After a few moments, there was a knock and the door opened, revealing
his aide. Director Kasuga blinked.

"That was faster than I expected."

"It's not that, sir. We've received the report from the postcognitives
that you requested. We're still getting weird echoes and distortions
from the past, almost as bad as the static we're still getting from the
future, but we did get something. I thought you should hear about it."

"Come in then, and shut the door behind you." He closed the folder on
his desk as his aide did as ordered, taking a seat in front of him. He
folded his hands and looked expectantly at the young man. "So, what
can you tell me?"

"Well, most of it you already know, sir. A few weeks ago someone
managed to penetrate our database's security and downloaded numerous
files concerning a location in China known as Jusenkyo and the effects
of the waters from its many pools, and our standard tracing methods
proved to be less than adequate. However, the postcognitives you
requested did succeed."

"Stop trying to build the suspense," Director Kasuga said a bit tartly,
waving his hand slightly. "A name. Give me a name."

His aide immediately replied, "It was Ranma Saotome, sir."

"Now why would-" Director Kasuga started to ask, then he paused and
thought. What interest would the Saotome boy have in Jusenkyo? For
that matter, how did he even know about it? Ranma had spent most of
his youth in Europe and the American Prefectures, far from the pools of
Jusenkyo. Why would he want to know about them? Perhaps he should
have the boy brought in for questioning, or maybe even a telepathic
inquiry.

Director Kasuga abruptly paused. Cherry had told him specifically that
he was not to do anything to hinder the path that both Ranma and Nabiki
walked. Was this a part of it? Was this why he was warned? He could
not afford to take a chance, not with the dangers Cherry hinted at, so
he chose to trust the old monk and played a hunch instead.

He leaned forward. "There's a storage depot the Institute maintains in
Nerima, isn't there? What are its contents?"

His aide pulled out his datapad and performed a quick search. As he
scrolled through the inventory and saw what was listed there, he looked
up, startled. "Why, there are several vats of Jusenkyo water there,
sir. Multiple varieties, in fact. They were just delivered yesterday
from the research station near Jusenkyo. Shall I alert the guards to
increase security?" He started to stand up.

"No!" the older man said sharply, waving him to sit down. "No, don't
do anything of the kind. In fact, I want you to remove the guards from
the premises until I say otherwise. All of them. And leave every vat
uncovered."

"Sir?" His aide looked at him, startled.

"You heard me," said Director Kasuga. "This is going to be designated
a Level Indigo situation, and no records will be made of this order.
Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." The aide snapped to attention and saluted. Level Indigo
was one of the highest security ratings the Institute had. "But what
do we do if someone is affected by some of the Jusenkyo water?"

"Nothing," Director Kasuga replied, casually leaning back in his chair
and thinking about the possible outcomes. "We do absolutely nothing.
As far as the Institute is concerned, we let whatever happens happen."

"All right, sir. I'll take care of getting the guards pulled from the
facility." The man saluted again and then left.

Director Kasuga turned to face the window, watching the falling rain
outside. "Such an interesting day today has become," he mused.

******************************

Minami put the finishing touches on herself for the day, then incanted
the words that had by now become second nature to her, sealing the
spell of cosmetic sorcery in place until the next sunrise. She then
spent several moments admiring herself in the mirror. A smile lit her
face at what she saw, her bustline looking nicely firm and well-rounded
today. She first turned to one side and then the other as she struck a
few poses, some quite demure and others more sultry and suggestive in
nature. She then nodded at the effect, her face turning serious.

"Perfect," she murmured. "Now let Kuonji-kun try and ignore me." She
felt a new determination fill her. She had begun to doubt the power of
her femininity to attract his attention, but today was a new day. She
was confident that he would notice her now, hopefully even ask her out
on a date.

And if Hikaru Gosunkugi knew what was good for him, he would take more
notice of her as well when she showed up at his door to walk with him
to the Academy. Grabbing up her schoolbag, she exited her bedroom and
headed downstairs.

Today was going to be a good day for her, she was confident of that.

******************************

"Where is that idiot?" Ryoko grumbled to herself as she stood outside
the public bath in the rain, holding a dark blue umbrella over her
head, angry with herself for having let Ryoga out of her sight so she
could clean up a bit. After taking nearly two full days to find the
Hibiki boy, using what little money she had with her to sleep in cheap
hotels and eat fast food, getting more and more irritated and frantic
with each hour spent searching for him, she had finally came across him
camped out in a city park, calmly boiling some water for soup. After a
few minutes spent pummeling him to ease her stress levels, she joined
him at his camp.

She was currently wearing some of his spare clothing right now, since
her own were not fit for use right now after being worn for two days
straight without a washing. She dearly wished she had thought to bring
a change of underwear with her though. The bath had helped her mood,
until now.

Ryoko glanced at her watch again as the rain poured down around her.
It had only been thirty minutes. How could a guy get lost from inside
a public bath in so short a time? He wasn't illiterate, so was reading
a sign too much to ask for? She growled again.

At least sharing his sleeping bag in his tent last night had shown her
one thing. Ryoga Hibiki might have been a total idiot, as well as
inexplicably dyslexic with directions, but he was a trustworthy guy.
He didn't try a single thing with her all night, keeping his back to
her the whole time and going right to sleep.

Ryoko growled again and set off hunting for Ryoga, her free hand
twitching at her side. He was probably on his way to find that Ukyo
guy again, she quickly decided, so she headed off in the general
direction of the Imperial Academy. She was just as eager to return
there herself anyway. After two days spent brooding about it, a habit
she had picked up from spending time with Ryoga on the way to Tokyo,
she was yearning to pound some respect into Nabiki Tendo for her
remarks. Calling her 'Goblin Girl' had been, well, just plain rude.

"Just you wait, Nabiki Tendo," Ryoko murmured grimly, as she stomped
down the street. "Once I catch up to that idiot Ryoga and tie a bell
around his neck, you're getting yours. Just you wait."

******************************

Hitomi Gosunkugi was nervous as she fixed her son's breakfast. Today
was the day when she would finally be hearing back from Genom on her
application for a loan to purchase a Lilith. Unfortunately, the best
she could afford on their limited budget was one of Genom's factory
seconds with minimal training packages installed. Still, she (since
Hitomi didn't like thinking of a Lilith as an 'it') would be able to
help maintain the household and be a companion for her little Hikaru,
and that was all that really mattered to her.

Visiting Genom's new showroom in Nerima's commercial district had
actually been quite a pleasant experience, and she had seen a great
many variety of models of the female Liliths and the male Samaels on
display for potential customers. It reminded her a bit of how shopping
for a car had been like when she had gone with her husband, back when
he was still alive, but a car could not talk with an interested buyer
about available options and pricing plans like a Genom replicant could.

In fact, the only real human being there had been the general manager.
Everyone else on staff had been produced in one of Genom's production
facilities, from the demonstration models and salespeople right down to
the cleaning staff. And all of them had been so nice to her, it had
made her feel so much at ease.

One of the Samaels, a handsome and muscular young man named Jun had
seemed quite happy to take her around the showroom and introduce her to
the various models on display. She had not known that there was such a
variety available. Jun had also happily explained about Genom's new
sales drive this year, to make replicants more commonly available to
the average family by offering cash rebates and very low-interest
payment plans.

She had left her information, and Jun had promised to look around for a
bargain for her. She hoped he was successful in his search. The wait
was starting to fray her nerves. If a Lilith did arrive, she hoped
Hikaru would be happy with his new companion.

******************************

Frost materialized in the hallway outside the apartment where Hikaru
lived with his mother, startling one of the neighbors on his way to
work. Instead of her usual loose robes, she was wearing a pale blue
Chinese-style dress, slit up one side to just below her hip, with dark
blue shoes and a small matching pocketbook. After shrinking her staff
down to the size of a pencil, she put it inside her purse and snapped
it shut. She then cast a simple charm spell on the man, who was still
staring at her, causing him to forget her sudden appearance and even
ignore her current presence. She watched him as he walked down the
hall, muttering to himself.

When she was finally alone in the hallway, Frost pulled out a small
compact and did one last check on her appearance in its tiny mirror,
wanting to make a good first impression on her future mother-in-law.
She smoothed back her pale hair with one hand and adjusted her jade
hairpiece, fussing with it until it was just right. When she was
finally satisfied, she put the compact away and took a deep breath to
calm herself, letting it out as she rang the bell. Her expression
became placid once again, especially since a smile might have made her
appear frivolous. Besides, she was unused to smiling, or even showing
any emotions actually.

Then she waited.

******************************

"Mother, why are you walking with me to Gosunkugi-kun's place?" Minami
asked in irritation, turning around briefly. Rain dripped off of their
umbrellas. The woman had been walking with her for several minutes
now, making typical mother-daughter small talk with her. It was really
getting on Minami's nerves, this rare attempt by her mother at familial
closeness.

"I just have something to discuss with Gosunkugi-kun's mother, and her
telephone wasn't working," Kunami said cryptically. "Besides, we don't
spend much time together anymore, Manami-chan, so I thought I'd walk
with you and we could talk a bit about how things are going with you."

"Great," Minami muttered, pasting a smile on her face. The day could
not get any worse now, as far as she was concerned.

******************************

Director Kasuga set down the telephone when the Gosunkugi household's
number came up busy again. His aide came in at that point with some
new crisis threatening the Empire, so he decided he would just have to
try again later. Hopefully, a slight delay would not cause Frost any
problems.

******************************

Hitomi jumped a bit when she heard the doorbell ring. She hurried out
of the kitchen and opened the front door. She blinked at the sight
that greeted her eyes, seeing the calm, pale-skinned girl standing on
her doorstep. Then she smiled. With coloring like that, Genom must
have made her, and she was an adorable little Lilith.

"Come in, dear," Hitomi said pleasantly, standing aside to allow the
girl in and gesturing for her to come inside. "Come right in. I've
been expecting you. I wasn't told your name, I'm afraid."

"I am Frost." Although her expression did not change, the sorceress
was relieved that she had not arrived before Director Kasuga had been
able to make his telephone call. She bowed slightly and then stepped
into the small apartment, looking around with interest. She noted that
Hikaru's mother was studying her as she walked past.

Hitomi watched as Frost slipped off her shoes, and she looked the girl
up and down. Such an exotic name the Lilith had, but it seemed to suit
her. The albino coloring and pale hair had been a bit of a shock at
first, as well as the girl's Chinese features, but she had a certain
ethereal beauty that was pleasing to the eye. Her figure was slender
but nicely proportioned, with an adequate enough bustline to attract a
boy's attention without being overdone like someone Hitomi could name,
and the silk dress she was wearing showed that she possessed slim but
shapely legs. She was sure Hikaru would love his new companion.

"Oh, let me go get my son," she said, gushing with excitement. She
shut the door and hurried to Hikaru's room. "Oh, he's just going to
adore you!"

Frost made her way to the main room and settled herself at the main
table to wait for Hikaru's mother to deliver him to her. Although her
face had an appearance of wintry disinterest upon it, inside she felt
quite pleased that things seemed to be going so well, especially that
her future mother-in-law accepted her so readily. She was looking
forward to announcing her formal claim upon Hikaru and setting a date
for the wedding. She then wondered what their future children would be
like and started considering what she would name them.

******************************

He was falling. The streets of a vast, sprawling city lay spread
before his vision as he plummeted down towards the paving stones of
Rome far below. Terror gripped him as the scene blurred in his gaze as
tears filled his eyes, the ground rushing up at him as he rolled and
tumbled helplessly.

Air roaring past him stole his voice. He could not breathe. He could
not scream. His life was about to end, and his own pride had killed
him, for dueling one of the Nazarene's followers with magic. How could
that simpleton Peter have defeated him? He was Simon Magus, damn it!
He was the greatest sorcerer in the entire Roman Empire, the Lord of
Illusions, and yet he was about to die on the cobblestones of the Holy
Way of Rome below him within moments, bested by a mere fisherman.

His thoughts spiraled into regret, that he would never see his beloved
Helen again, never be able to feel the touch of her hand or taste her
lips anymore. Tears flowed from his eyes, and his soul screamed in
defiance of his fate. He would cheat it. He would cheat death. He
would not let it end this way!

The cobblestones zoomed upwards at him-

-and Hikaru Gosunkugi came awake with a gasp, his heart pounding. For
a moment, he didn't know where he was, and he looked around wildly, yet
his mind was blank as to why he felt such blind terror, the reasons
already faded.

After a few moments, the familiar sights of his small room finally
registered on him. With a shuddering sigh, he buried his face in his
hands and tried to calm his labored breathing, to still the nameless
fears that had already begun to fade. As he did so, he heard someone
knocking on his door.

"Hikaru-chan?" Hitomi called through the door, and then she knocked
once more. Her precious son was sometimes slow to wake in the morning.
"Hikaru-chan? There's someone here to see you." There was another
pause. "It's a surprise I have for you."

"A-all right, Mother," he called back, his voice still a little shaky.
"I'll be right out." He slowly got out of bed and then began putting
on his uniform, wondering what was going on.

******************************

Minami rang the doorbell and waited for Hikaru or his mother to come
and answer the door. Behind her, her mother was humming cheerfully, a
suspicious thing in itself. The whole experience was beginning to
seriously grate on her. She shot her mother a glance, wondering what
was going on in the woman's head. Impatiently, she rang again, leaning
on the button a bit this time. What was taking them so long?

******************************

Hearing the doorbell ring a couple of times, and knowing that Hikaru's
mother was busy, Frost got up from the table and took it upon herself
to answer it. Her bare feet padded softly on the tatami mats laid out
neatly on the floor. She rested her hand on the door handle, and she
suddenly realized that she was acting just like a proper Japanese wife
would. With a faint smile on her face at the thought, she opened the
door.

"Welcome to-" and then Frost stopped, seeing who was at the door. Her
wisp of a smile vanished as she stared at Minami, wondering what the
Ghost Sweeper trainee was doing here. And who was that slightly
heavyset woman with her? She appeared much like the redhead standing
before her might look in a few years.

The two girls briefly gawked at each other.

Breaking the brief staring contest, Minami blinked at the unexpected
sight of the pale-skinned sorceress in a Chinese-style dress. What was
Robot Girl doing in that outfit? And, far more importantly, just what
the hell was she doing there in _her_ Hikaru-kun's apartment answering
the door?

"Um." For a moment, Minami actually found herself at a loss for words.

Frost's gaze narrowed slightly, and then she simply shut the door in
Minami's face and headed back to the main table to sit down.

"Hikaru will be out shortly, dear," said Hitomi as she came back into
the room. "Who was that at the door?"

"No one of consequence," Frost remarked calmly as she sat back down.

There was a sudden loud banging on the door. Hitomi glanced at Frost
and then answered it herself.

"Where is she?!" a seething Minami demanded. "WHERE'S FROST?!"

"Um." Now it was Hitomi's turn to find herself at a loss for words.
She noticed Minami's mother behind the girl before the young Ghost
Sweeper quickly pushed past her.

"Such a lively household you have in the mornings, Gosunkugi-san," said
Kunami critically, with a frown on her face. "Do you mind if I come in
for a little bit?"

Hitomi shook her head automatically and stood aside to let the other
woman past, still a little shocked at all the excitement suddenly going
on. Behind her, she heard Minami's loud voice and Frost's quieter one
as the two girls began arguing.

"What's the big idea of shutting the door in my face?" Minami demanded,
her glasses glinting menacingly as she loomed over Frost. "And what
the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

Frost looked up, her gaze serene. "Your presence here is not required,
Manami Minami," she said simply. "Please leave." She then went back
to ignoring the seething redhead while she quietly waited for Hikaru to
arrive, so that she could formally state her acceptance of his victory
over her and bestow upon him a proper Kiss of Marriage, then they could
begin making plans for the wedding.

"Not required?" Minami felt one eyebrow twitch a bit at the use of her
full name, and her glasses fogged up some. She hated the alliterative
sound of it, which was why she only used her family name. "Look, Robot
Girl, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I want
you out of this apartment! Go back to the Mobius Institute and study a
spellbook, or whatever it is you usually do."

"No." Frost glanced only briefly at Minami, wondering when the noisy
intruder upon the peace of this household was going to leave. She then
went back to considering what names she would be giving to her future
children with Gosunkugi, finding that to be a more pleasant activity
than dealing with the fuming redhead still looming over her.

Minami's right eyebrow twitched again, and her glasses glinted. She
was about to utter a scathing tirade upon Frost when Hikaru made his
appearance. She glanced at him, and her gaze was fierce and accusing.

"Um, what's going on?" he asked somewhat timidly, shying back a little
from Minami's angry glare at him as he set his bookbag down. "W-what's
all the shouting about?"

Frost stood up from the table when he came into the room. "Airen," she
said calmly, and then she strode over to him and laid her arms over his
shoulders. "Wo da airen." And then she kissed him firmly on the lips,
bestowing upon him the Kiss of Marriage. She did find it to be so much
more pleasant kissing him when he was awake and aware, although she
still wasn't quite sure if she was doing it right, never having kissed
anyone before. So, after a moment, she began putting more effort into
it, finding the resulting sensations enjoyable.

Reactions were mixed.

Hikaru blinked when Frost's lips first made contact with his, and he
felt her arms reach around his neck and gently hug him to her. He just
stood there, shocked to the core of his being, uncertain what to do. A
girl, a _pretty_ girl, was kissing him! Wait, not just any girl. She
was Frost, the Wizardslayer.

His eyes went very wide as he stood there in a state of near panic, the
initial kiss beginning to deepen as the young sorceress started putting
quite a bit more of herself into it. He twitched with uncertainty,
unable to decide whether he should embrace her back or shove her away
from him, but the desire to do the former was quickly winning.

Minami stared, utterly aghast, wondering what was going on and why her
Hikaru-kun was being molested by this pale-skinned Chinese floozy. Why
was Robot Girl kissing him? And how dare he look like he was enjoying
it so much? That stunned expression on his face didn't fool her a bit.

Hitomi was startled. Her son's new Lilith was certainly an aggressive
girl, but it was probably the right approach to take with her shy son.
Her little Hikaru was apparently enjoying her gift to him, and she was
secretly pleased by the effect the scene was having on Minami. Maybe
this would finally allow her to be rid of the girl from their lives.

Kunami stood there, shocked and aghast, and then she glanced from her
daughter to Hikaru. Why wasn't the Gosunkugi boy pushing that little
Chinese tramp away from him? How could he kiss some foreign bimbo in a
tight dress right there in front of her precious Manami-chan like he
was doing? Did the boy have no shame at all? And what of his mother?
What proper mother would ever want their son involved with a foreign
girl? It just wasn't proper.

"H-Hikaru-kun!" Minami finally managed to stammer out, and then she
stomped over to the couple and pulled them apart quite forcefully, her
breath coming in heaving gasps. She immediately put herself between
them and then glared at the stupefied look on Hikaru's face. "Snap out
of it!" she commanded him, and then she slapped him, quite hard.

Kunami whirled to face Hitomi. "What kind of a boy are you raising
here, Gosunkugi-san?" She pointed at Frost. "And who is this- this-"

"I am Frost," the Amazon sorceress said calmly. "By defeating me in
arcane combat, Hikaru Gosunkugi is now my Airen, my intended husband."

"Th-that's ridiculous!" Minami blustered, keeping her position between
Frost and Hikaru. "Y-you're the Wizardslayer! No boy has ever been
able to defeat you, not even the upperclassmen! How could Hikaru-kun
of all people ever beat you?"

"I was undefeated, until now." Frost laid a hand on Minami's shoulder.
"Stand aside, please. He is mine now."

"Like hell," Minami muttered angrily. Who did this albino freak think
she was dealing with? She was Ghost Sweeper Minami! She was the most
powerful Ghost Sweeper of her generation! There was no way she was
just going to back down from some emotionless mannequin of a girl, no
matter what her rep was. Fueled by her surging passions, she began
summoning up her powers, feeling them flowing quite easily within her,
a red-gold aura beginning to rise from the floor and surround her.

Sensing an imminent arcane attack from the overly emotional girl, Frost
began raising her own powers to defend herself. While the young Ghost
Sweeper was a capable enough spellcaster in her own right, Frost knew
she clearly outmatched the other girl, and the pale-skinned sorceress
was confident she would quickly prevail if it came down to a fight
between them. Even so, she was a bit uncertain how to minimize the
collateral damage that would occur if she and the Ghost Sweeper fought
each other here. A blue-white aura began to coruscate up around her.

When both girls began powering up in front of him, Hikaru abruptly came
out of his kiss-induced paralysis and quickly grabbed hold of Minami's
shoulder before things went too far. "P-please d-don't do this. N-not
in my Mom's apartment!"

"W-what?" Minami replied, a bit startled, looking back at him as her
own energies began dissipating. She quickly glanced at Frost and then
to him once more. Then she whirled on Hikaru, her temper flaring up
again. "Oh, I see how it is now! Fine! Go ahead and play house with
Robot Girl! You can't handle a real woman, Hikaru Gosunkugi, so you
want to play with this emotionless doll instead! You couldn't handle
something like this!"

She suddenly grabbed him and kissed him, pouring into the embrace all
of the passions for him she had held back for so long, feeling tears
stinging her eyes and misting her glasses. It was far more intense
than their first kiss had been, the one where he had called her by
another girl's name. Well, she would show him her measure as a woman
in this kiss, as she put her entire being into it.

For the second time this morning, Hikaru's eyes went wide as he felt
his vision glazing over. What was Minami doing? Why was she kissing
him? Was that her tongue? She felt so warm against him as her body
pressed up against his. He belatedly realized it felt pretty good, now
that he thought about it. He felt a sudden heat run through him like a
flashfire as the kiss deepened and became even more passionate, and he
began instinctively putting his arms around her to return the embrace.

"That's enough," Frost's cold voice suddenly announced, grabbing one of
Minami's arms and quickly muscling her away from Hikaru. The two girls
began exchanging withering looks at each other again, Minami's eyes
flashing with fire and Frost's holding an icy chill within them as they
regarded one another grimly. Invisible sparks suddenly clashed within
the air between them as they briefly attempted to glare each other to
death.

Gosunkugi took that opportunity, while the two young sorceresses were
distracted with each other, to beat a hasty retreat before they could
blow up the apartment, or him for that matter. He quickly snatched up
his jacket and bookbag, only pausing at the door to slip on his shoes
before he bolted from the apartment as fast as he could run. Once
clear of the door, he unconsciously muttered a spell of invisibility,
enhancing his own esper abilities at concealment, and he kept running.

Several moments later, both girls suddenly realized he was gone.

"Coward!" Minami roared, charging out the door after him. How dare he
run out on her like that after she'd declared her true feeling for him?
A blush burned her cheeks as she thought about the kiss.

Kunami spared a pointed look at Hitomi, and then she too left. Her
poor daughter. Well, it was obvious how strongly her precious little
Manami-chan felt for the boy, and it would deal with two big problems
at once, since it seemed both her daughter and the Gosunkugi boy were
running wild with the opposite sex. Engaging them to each other would
at least give them an acceptable outlet for their hormonally-driven
passions. As she walked down the hallway, she began considering plans.

After everyone else had left, Frost turned to her future mother-in-law
and looked at her calmly. "So, where will I be sleeping?"

Hitomi, still a bit shell-shocked by everything that had just happened,
chuckled slightly. Did other mothers have such difficulties with their
sons?

******************************

"An engagement?"

Nodoka set down her teacup and began refilling it from the pot on the
table as she considered the somewhat startling offer she had just
heard. As she did so, Achika sipped at her tea, trying to hide her
nervousness, feeling worried that Nodoka might not grant her request.
She was near to her wit's end. She had not heard from Ryoko for a
couple of days after that brief phone call, and all sorts of very
worrisome thoughts had been filling her mind during that time,
wondering about her wayward daughter and what was going on between her
and that Hibiki boy. After all, he seemed to be a healthy young man,
and Ryoko was a healthy young woman. Both of them were filled with the
passions and hormones of youth. She glanced at Nodoka again.

"I know we never really discussed it much," Achika began, setting down
her own teacup. "But now that Ranma is back and settled in at home, we
should talk about it. Having our children marry would please me very
much, Nodoka." She bowed deeply. "Please consider it."

Nodoka put her hand gently on Achika's shoulder as her best friend
looked up from her bow, and she asked, "Why this sudden interest?"

"Oh, Nodoka, having a daughter is so troublesome sometimes," Achika
sighed. "When Ryoko's only contact with boys was beating them up, I
never felt this concerned, but she's brought a young man home with her
from her last training trip. His name is Ryoga Hibiki." She picked up
her teacup and drank from it briefly. "You're lucky you only have a
son to raise. Boys are much less worrisome, like my Tenchi is. He
never gives me cause for concern."

"Well, I might be having a daughter this time, so I will rely on your
advice in raising her," she said with a smile. The thought that she
might have a little girl around the house pleased her as she briefly
stroked her belly. If she had one, she teach her how to be a proper
Japanese woman, and that made her happy. And she would never quarrel
with her daughter, she was quite sure of that. Theirs would be a
relationship of mutual and sincere respect, Nodoka mused, unlike how
she had gotten along with her own mother. "When Ranma first came home,
I did consider talking with you about such a thing, but Ryoko seemed a
bit much for my son to handle." She smiled as she thought about the
girl, so active and filled with life, so much like Achika was at that
age. It was like looking back in time, in a way.

Achika nodded. "Yes, Ryoko-chan can be a handful, which is why Ranma
would be good for her. He could be a stabilizing influence on her."
She paused a moment, then asked a bit tentatively, "How is his martial
arts training going?"

"Oh, Ranma is becoming such a fine young warrior," Nodoka said with a
proud smile. "He trains so hard now, and Genma and I are both deeply
honored that a living legend like Master Jun Fan Lee has taken him on
as a student. Ranma's even been getting into fights lately, but I'm
sure he's winning them. I was a little worried about how quiet he was
when he first came home, but he's become so manly nowadays." She took
a sip of her tea.

"Yes, that's why I feel more confident about approaching you like this
now. We've been best friends for so many years, Nodoka, that I can't
think of another woman I would want to have as an in-law instead of
you. Tell me, of the girls you were looking at to marry Ranma, have
any agreements been signed yet? Is there still a chance that Ryoko
could become Ranma's fiancée?"

"Well," Nodoka said with a brief pause. "Unless Genma signed one of
them without consulting me, there aren't any official agreements." She
chuckled at that then looked thoughtful. "However, there is now a
tentative verbal agreement between myself and Kenseiko Kuno, concerning
her daughter, Kodachi. That's the only agreement that I'm aware of,
but it's nothing formal."

"Kenseiko?" Achika exclaimed, surprised. "But you hate her. You two
were the worst of enemies. Why would you agree to engage your own son
to a daughter of that psychotic bitch?"

Nodoka sipped her tea for a moment. "Oh, we had a talk the other day,
and while she's still a little shaky mentally, she's not quite as bad
as she used to be years ago. We cleared the air a bit between us, and
I actually had what turned out to be an enjoyable visit. I suspect
Kenseiko is actually a bit lonely, so I was even thinking of inviting
her to join our workouts. After all, you'll need a sparring partner
for when I get too heavy to move around well."

"I'd love to," Achika said with a wolfish smile, savoring the thought.
Kenseiko and Nodoka had mostly clashed with each other as enemies, much
like she herself had often fought more with Kimiko, but she had been
involved in her own share of run-ins with the crazy young noblewoman.

Nodoka set down her tea. "I also secured her promise to hold off on
challenging me until after my baby is born. However, if it's a boy and
Ranma does marry Kodachi, he is to become a Kuno. If it's a girl, then
Kodachi will become a Saotome. But nothing is definite or official
yet. Kenseiko and I agreed to wait and see how Ranma and Kodachi's
relationship develops. But it might become problematic for me if
things don't work out between them."

"Don't worry," Achika said, laying her hand on Nodoka's. "If Kenseiko
does challenge you before you're ready, I will stand in as your second.
Nothing would please me more than to have another chance to pound that
annoying woman into the dirt. Gods, how I hated her laugh." She
shuddered.

The two women held hands. "Thank you, Achika. When Ryoko returns
home, we will have an omiai and introduce our children to each other."
She smiled. "And you're right. It would be pleasing to wed our two
children together, to seal our friendship in such a way. I'll talk it
over with Genma. I'm sure he won't object." Visions of grandchildren,
black-haired little boys and green-haired little girls, danced in the
back of her mind, and she wondered if Achika would mind if Ranma showed
Ryoko how manly he was, like he had with the Tenjou girl.

******************************

The heavy rain spilled down outside the walls of Yu-chan's, briefly
punctuated by occasional loud rumbles of thunder rolling across the
skies. It had been raining like this for several days.

Yumi sighed, eyeing her empty restaurant, the last of the lunch crowd
having already left for work or other business, leaving her alone again
amidst the solitude of her own thoughts. She bent her spine back a bit
and twisted her shoulders from left to right, hearing a few crackling
pops from her back as the bones realigned back into place, causing her
to sigh with relief.

She and Ukyo had enjoyed another strenuous workout on the roof just
after dawn, during a brief lull in the rain. It had become their habit
to do so, and those first few days had quickly shown Yumi that she had
definitely been letting herself slide over the past few years of softer
living, far too much for her tastes. The rigorous training sessions
with Ukyo were gradually knocking the rust off her skills, bringing her
back again to being the powerful fighter she once was.

It seemed like just yesterday to Yumi that she was Ukyo's age, a proud
young martial artist, ready to take on the world. Looking at her niece
now, filled with the passions and strength of youth, it was a reminder
to Yumi that she was getting older. The fiery-tempered girl she had
once been was now matured into an adult woman, still relatively young,
but she was most definitely not a teenager anymore. Where had all the
time gone?

Ukyo had left for school in really good spirits again this morning. A
little bit of friendly persuasion (which included an admittedly rather
painful joint lock applied to the girl) had loosened Ukyo's tongue as
to the cause, a second date with Ranma coming up. Yumi was pleased
that things were going so well for her niece, and that the business the
Hibiki boy had with Ukyo the other day must have concluded quietly,
since the girl had not talked about it.

Still, Ukyo's eventful social life reminded Yumi of the doldrums her
own was in. She had been throwing hints of interest at the few men she
had been noticing eyeing her, like Kozo Fuyutsuki, the Dean of Ukyo's
new school, but so far none of them had asked her out yet. She sighed
a bit wistfully, eyeing the rain coming down outside. She considered
heading over to the local Go salon and relaxing with a game or two
before the lunch crowd was due. At least she wouldn't be alone, even
though everyone there this time of day was her senior by at least some
twenty years.

A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky almost directly overhead,
lighting up the front of her restaurant. It illuminated a figure on
the other side of the front door, just before it was slid to one side.
Yumi put on her best professional smile, with just the proper twinkle
in her eyes to put a customer at ease. When she saw who it was, her
eyebrow raised slightly and her expression darkened a bit.

"Welcome to Yu-chan's," she said neutrally, gazing at the figure in her
doorway as he tipped his head back, eventually revealing a familiar
face under the broad-brimmed straw hat. The expression on Yumi's face
became inscrutable, and she said a bit grimly, "I was wondering if I'd
ever see you again, Cherry."

She paused for a moment and frowned deeply. "You're late."

"On the contrary," Cherry replied a bit stiffly, as the elderly monk
lifted his hat from his head and casually tossed it up to land on the
stand by the door. "A true follower of the Buddha's teachings is never
late. Neither is he ever early." He removed his rain slicker and hung
it up, then he rested his seven-ring staff against the wall with a soft
jingle and turned to face Yumi. She could see a small, tightly-wrapped
bundle in his hands. "He always arrives anywhere precisely on time,
for such is his fate."

For a few moments, the two stared at each other. Then Yumi's grim look
faded into a grin, one quickly matched by Cherry.

"It's good to see you again, old friend," said Yumi with a mirthful
chuckle. "So, where have you been hiding yourself these past few
months?"

Cherry hopped up on one of the stools in front of the griddle. "Oh,
here and there. I try to keep my hand in things as I can." He dropped
the small bundle on top of the counter and gave her a wry grin. "I
don't suppose you might have anything vaguely edible in this place for
a tired old man, cold and wet from the rain?"

"I'll see what I can do," said Yumi with false solemnity, even as she
was already mixing together several items into the batter before
skillfully pouring it on to the griddle. She smiled at the blissful
look that appeared on Cherry's face at the scent of fresh okonomiyaki
cooking in front of him. She briefly eyed the package he had brought
with him.

Cherry seemed content to inhale the delicate odor as he felt his body
warm in the heated interior of the restaurant. After a while he said
quietly, "Three months goes by fast."

"That it does," agreed Yumi, flipping the okonomiyaki over, where it
sizzled slightly and steamed a bit as it cooked. She reached over and
picked up the bundle from where it sat, placing it behind the counter.
"Although things have been getting livelier around here lately."

"Oh?" Cherry licked his lips briefly, the delicious smell of the food
enticing him. "Business picking up, or is it something else?" He
glanced up at Yumi's face.

"My niece is staying with me," Yumi replied, listening to the sizzling
sounds as a gauge to judge the optimal moment to serve it. Her left
hand snagged up a sauce dispenser, and she began writing wishes of good
fortune on the top of it in kanji, in a loose-handed script. Ukyo had
been delighted at seeing her do such things for special customers, and
she had begun practicing writing Ranma's name in sauce and drawing a
heart around it. It had been rather cute to watch.

Cherry licked his lips again. Eating good food was the one weakness he
allowed himself as a man, but it was a struggle sometimes to hold it in
moderation. The smell of Yumi's cooking was distracting him quite a
bit, but he forced himself to look at her again. "Your niece?"

Yumi grunted once in affirmation. "Her name's Ukyo."

"That must make things more difficult for you."

Yumi served the piping hot okonomiyaki to Cherry, putting it on a plate
in front of him. "Nothing I can't handle. I've had a lot of practice
in hiding it over the years." She wiped her hands on a towel and then
poured him some tea. "It's not like the old days."

"True," Cherry acknowledged. "It's not like the old days." He raised
his cup of tea to her in salute. "Do you ever miss it?"

"You mean all the hairbreadth escapes and life and death fights?" Yumi
paused, shrugged, and then grinned conspiratorially. "Sometimes. But
at other times I'm glad I got out when I did. A person can only have
so many victories in life. Sooner or later, you push your luck too far
and buy the farm, or maybe just a piece of it. I saw it happening to
too many of my peers, but it wasn't going to happen to me. Still,
while doing my part for king and country cost me my chance at marriage
and a normal existence as a woman, I don't have many regrets about what
I've done with my life."

Cherry nodded. "You were the best agent I ever had, Kuonji-kun. I'm
glad things are going well for you." Cherry began consuming the meal
in front of him, savoring it fully. "So, what brings your niece into
town? Cooking training? Combat training?"

Yumi grinned. "Nothing like that. She's engaged to a local boy named
Ranma Saotome. She's staying with me while they get to know each other
a bit better."

His meal already half-eaten despite his best efforts at holding back,
Cherry suddenly paused and glanced at Yumi. "I see," he said, and then
he went back to eating, this time a bit more slowly.

"He's a nice kid," said Yumi with a smile, looking down at Cherry. "I
like him a lot. And I think he'll make Ukyo a pretty good husband."

She then thought back to the somewhat furtive conversation she had
observed yesterday between the two men in her restaurant, one of them a
high-ranked officer in the Security Directorate. It nagged at the back
of her mind that they might have been talking about Ranma marrying some
girl other than Ukyo, but Saotome was a fairly common last name in
Tokyo. She was sure her concerns over Ukyo's future happiness would
ease after meeting the boy's parents. The girl had practically been
floating on air ever since her first date with Ranma.

Cherry slowly finished his meal, looking thoughtful. Yumi could tell
that something was bothering him. She studied the elderly monk.

"What is it, Cherry?" She started cleaning the grill.

When he was done eating, Cherry hopped down off the stool and headed
for the door. But he turned to face her before opening the door. "The
past always seems to have a way of catching up to us whenever we least
expect it, Kuonji-kun. I suppose it's fate." He put on his rain
slicker and hat, before picking up his staff. Then he left without
another word.

"Uh, yeah," Yumi replied after several moments, mystified at Cherry's
enigmatic words. Then she shrugged her shoulders. After he was gone,
she pulled down the banner outside and locked up. The weather was
still storming pretty heavily outside. Passing the counter, she picked
up the small bundle behind it and carried it upstairs, humming softly.

******************************

(to be continued in Part 2 of 2)


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