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Old 22nd March 2004, 03:00 PM
Steve Thesken
 
Posts: n/a
[FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] Quantum Destinies 23 (2 of 2)


(continued from part 1)

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

Nabiki sighed as she walked home alone in the darkened streets. It was
a quiet night, the streets slick with rain. After helping Yohko home,
all she wanted to do was get home herself, take a long soak in a hot
tub and then curl up in bed and go to sleep. She wasn't far from home
now, and she was walking past a vacant lot when she noticed Cherry
camped out there. The rain had stopped a little while ago, but there
were still cold gusts blowing, with the promise of more rain to come
from the dark skies.

She walked over and noticed he was cooking dinner, a small rice cooker
sitting close to the flames of his small fire. The smell was enticing,
and so was its warmth on such a cold night. It reminded her that she
was late for dinner at home.

"Hello, Cherry," she said, kneeling down next to him, her eyes on the
flickering flames. They reminded her of what she had undergone in
training for the Amaguriken. "It's been a while, old man."

"And how are you this evening, young warrior?" Cherry responded with a
solemn nod, looking over at her and pulling the end of the long pipe
from his lips. The smell of tobacco smoke it gave off reminded her a
bit of the blend Cologne always smoked, a stray memory coming from her
analog's life.

"Hurt. Tired." Nabiki's tone of voice was a touch sarcastic as she
knelt down. "How about yourself?"

"I am well," he replied, his eyes occasionally studying her as he
puffed on his pipe. "It has been a most interesting day."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she grumbled, touching a spot on her ribs
where one of Ranko's fists had connected. "I'm glad it's about over."

Cherry pulled his pipe from his lips again. "Would you care to talk
about it? It appears we both have some free time."

"Damn, but you're a strange one, Cherry," Nabiki chuckled, looking at
him. "What makes you think I'd want to talk about what's going on in
my life with a total stranger?"

"I'm a priest. Helping people is part of what I do." He gave her a
smile, a truly ugly sight. "After listening to the words of the kami
in the winds, the water, and the movement of the trees, listening to
people becomes far easier." He studied her. "I sense great anger in
you tonight."

"Anger, huh?" She shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. I was in a fight
today."

"Did you win?"

"It was just a setback today," she grumbled, not quite answering him.
"The fight's not over yet." She curled her hand into a fist. "Next
time, I'll win," she swore. While she had dropped a few fights to
Ranma, the losses had not been important. She had won the fight that
mattered though, and now she was the best. And she would beat that
redhead when she saw her again. "I don't lose."

Cherry laughed. "Such a fierce attitude you have, young warrior. It
is gratifying to see in one so young."

"My name is Nabiki Tendo," she said, calming herself.

Cherry gave her a nod. "Nice to meet you, Tendo-san. Do you happen to
know a young man in the area named Ranma Saotome? He's a warrior like
yourself, with the same pride. Perhaps you've met."

"I know him," Nabiki grunted, her gaze solemn as she looked into the
fire. "He's sort of my fiancé."

Cherry looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. "It must be a bit
difficult for you, with both of you being warriors."

"Ranma's not a problem," she said. "He and I have come to a sort of
understanding together."

"Have you two ever fought each other?" He took a puff on his pipe, his
gaze far away.

"A few times," she said with a shrug. "I've beaten him."

"I see. And how did he take that? Losing to you, I mean."

"Probably about as well as I would," she said, shrugging again. "But
he's going to have to get used to it." She curled her hand into a fist
and held it up in front of her. "He's never going to beat me now."

Cherry grinned. "So certain of that are you?" He looked away from her
and into the fire. "Well, perhaps he'll surprise you. It is the way
of a martial artist to strive for victory over rivals."

"What do you know of the martial arts, old man?" Nabiki asked with a
chuckle. "You some kind of ancient master?" she teased him.

Cherry gazed at her. "I know a little something about the martial
arts, Tendo-san. I wasn't always a monk, you know."

"Well, even if you are some kind of master," she said, standing back
up. "You're not like the one Ranma's got now." Her eyes glittered
with envy as she looked at the old monk. "He's become the student of
Master Jun Fan Li, the Dragon."

"A powerful warrior, I am told," Cherry acknowledged. "He was quite
the sensation when he arrived upon the Arena scene."

"Yeah, he's Ranma's new master," she said, a bit bitterly. "And even
though I beat Ranma squarely, Master Li didn't pick me as his student.
He said I had too much of an attitude." She snorted. "That's a laugh.
My attitude's fine."

Cherry stood up and grinned at her, nodding. "I'm sure you will be a
great warrior, Tendo-san. Your future shines brightly before you. If
you ever need any advice, feel free to look for me."

"Thanks, Cherry," Nabiki replied, grinning back. "You're no Happosai
or Cologne though. I need a great master to teach me, even a pervert
like he was. But I'm glad we talked."

"As am I, Tendo-san." He looked up at the clouds. "But you had best
get home now. There is a storm coming."

"See you later, Cherry." Nabiki gave him a quick bow and ran off in
the direction of home, her step feeling oddly lighter.

The elderly monk watched her leave, his expression troubled as rain
began to pour from the skies again. He picked up his rice cooker and
left his fire to be extinguished by the rain, ducking into his small
tent. He set it down on a towel and relaxed, taking another puff of
his pipe.

"Yes, Nabiki Tendo," he said softly. "Your future does shine brightly
before you, as it does for young Saotome, but I fear it leads to a very
dark place for you both. A great storm looms in the distance."

Rain began slashing wetly at the outside of his tent. He listened to
it and frowned, feeling the agitation of the elements.

"Yes, the storm comes. But there are still players yet to appear. Who
will be the one to gather them? And how do you know of Happosai, let
alone Cologne? I wonder."

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

"<Look at her go! She's going to win again for sure.>"

"<Of course she's going to win. She's too strong. None of those
weaklings they put up against her will ever defeat her.>"

"<Oh! That was brutal! Wherever did she learn _that_ combination?>"

The twilight air was cool and rather still as a figure emerged from the
council chambers of the Joketsuzoku, the sounds of a fierce combat
almost drowned out by the comments made by those watching a television
set that could briefly be seen past the figure in the doorway, sitting
in the center of the main hall. The door closed, shutting off the
light and sounds trailing after the figure, who stepped out into the
dim illumination of the sun now fallen behind the mountains and sighed.

"<Shan Pu>," murmured the girl. She ran a hand back through pink hair
woven at the back into a loose braid that fell between her shoulders
and down to the small of her back. Her athletic figure was clad in a
snug silk blouse and pants that showed off her femininity without being
obvious, the cloth dyed to match the color of her hair. It was a
simple but sturdy outfit, and variations of it were worn by most women
in the village. Tough but flexible shoes covered her feet as she began
walking away from the building, still muttering to herself. "<How
strong you've grown these past months.>"

Her name was Peh Fum (although the outsiders that visited their village
would always mangle her name into Perfume), and she was a Joketsuzoku
Amazon.

A second figure emerged from the council chambers a few moments after
Perfume, the door closing quickly once again.

"<That should be you in Japan, Peh Fum,>" said the new arrival, dressed
in a similar sort of outfit to Perfume, the woman's face and figure
almost identical to hers. "<That should have been you.>"

Her name was Peh Yin, a Joketsuzoku Amazon and Perfume's mother.

The words were the refrain to an old and familiar song, one that
Perfume had grown more than a little tired of hearing. "<I know,
Mother. I know.>" Her feet continued making their way towards home,
her mother's step keeping pace easily with hers.

"<You won the village's tournament this year, soundly defeating every
opponent, but it's still her they watch,>" Peh Yin grumbled. "<Shan
Pu's nothing special, not like you, my dear daughter. Yes, she's a
talented warrior. But talent in wielding one's fists and feet against
barbaric outsiders in that brutal spectacle back there does not equate
to leadership potential. Despite your abilities, they would relegate
you to becoming Shan Pu's advisor. Her advisor!>" She hastily calmed
herself.

Peh Yin studied her daughter and lowered her voice. "<We've both seen
the revealing clothes she wears, the pictures of her in those lurid
magazines, the way she prances about and basks in the roars of the
crowds - of _men_. Ko Lon refuses to see it, but the outside world has
corrupted Shan Pu, rendered her unfit to ever lead us. You would never
have fallen so, my dear daughter.>"

The two continued on, and Peh Yin kept on speaking to Perfume in low
tones. "<You must destroy her, Peh Fum, for the good of our people.
If she isn't dealt with, her corruption will eventually obliterate us
and our way of life. I have raised you up and trained you to be at
least her equal in skill, and your brilliance far, far outshines her
feeble mind. Yet the talk in the council chamber nowadays is always of
Shan Pu, and bleated praises for Ko Lon, for her 'vision' in embracing
the Japanese barbarians in this way. How neatly that old woman managed
to maneuver things, sacrificing all of our traditions to further her
own ambitions for Shan Pu.>"

The cool air of the fading day brushed across Perfume's face, and her
flesh ached a bit on one side. She brushed back the hair which
artfully covered half her face, her flawless features fully unveiled
for a moment. Talk of Shampoo always seemed to awaken an ache there
that she felt at times like this. Her teeth clenched slightly as she
paused in her walking.

It wasn't fair! She had spent months preparing to face Shampoo again,
and she had overcome so many trials that would have broken a lesser
woman. But now, after finally returning to the village of her birth,
more powerful than she had ever been before, she had learned that
Shampoo had been gone for months. It was beyond frustrating.

"<What would you have me do, Mother? Matriarch Ko Lon has forbidden
any of us unmarried women to leave the village until Shan Pu returns to
us.>" Bitterness laced her words.

"<There are fewer and fewer of those left,>" Peh Yin replied, a tinge
of bitterness in her own tones as well. That was one of the few good
things to come out of Shampoo's ascension to the elite in the Arena,
through her seamless string of victories that had yet to see a single
defeat mar its length. A fair number of outsider men from far and wide
had sought out their humble village, after seeing Shampoo fighting on
television or in one of the lesser arenas on her path to Tokyo. Some
were simply curious about the amazons, but others were eager to test
themselves against the legendary martial arts prowess of the women of
Shampoo's birthplace.

Many of them failed, the strength of a Joketsuzoku woman proving to be
too much for them to overcome, but a growing number of couples had
begun swelling the ranks of the village, due to a flow of men who were
strong enough to win brides. That was increasing Shampoo's favor with
the tribal elders even more, something Cologne must have certainly
foreseen. And such new blood was already strengthening their people.
A few of the newly married girls, even several that were Perfume and
Shampoo's peers in age, were already pregnant with the next generation
of Joketsuzoku.

Peh Yin welcomed such new strength being added to the bloodlines. But
at what price? Shampoo's career in the Arena had awakened the world to
the Joketsuzoku, but the outside world only saw them as quaint relics
and a source of single women, as if each warrior of their tribe was
just waiting around to be conquered by some man, ignoring the three
thousand years of history that had forged the Joketsuzoku into a nation
of heroic women.

The girl was far too much like her mother, Ko Em (which outsiders like
the other woman's husband wrongly pronounced as Comb). Comb was a very
talented warrior, a former champion herself. For years, she had been
tasked to be the Enforcer, the one who carried out the collective will
of the Council of Elders. It was a position of prestige among the
Joketsuzoku that Peh Yin had long desired for herself, but politics had
given it to Comb, not victory in battle. It was infuriating.

However, despite Comb's prowess as a warrior, the lavender-haired woman
had failed in her role as an Amazon, refusing to subjugate her husband
into becoming a proper Joketsuzoku male. For that reason alone, she
should have been disqualified to be the Enforcer. She had even let him
pass his family name to their daughter, calling her Shan Pu instead of
Ko Pu, as a sign of the love she had for her husband.

Peh Yin shook her head. That wasn't love. It was weakness. Men were
only good for three things: taking care of a household, companionship
and providing strong seed to father healthy daughters. While she loved
her own husband fiercely, enjoyed the pleasures of their shared bed
with great relish, and deeply treasured him as her prize possession,
her will was the law of their household, not his. She had instilled
that value into her own daughter as a dutiful mother should, even as
her own mother had once taught her, so that Perfume would understand
the proper roles for women and men.

However, after her defeat by her new husband, Comb had followed a
different path with her man. While she had gone to her marriage bed
with him the same night that Peh Yin had gone to hers with her new
husband, she had failed to begin instructing him as to what his proper
place was now to be as the husband of an Amazon. Defeating a woman of
the Joketsuzoku did not subjugate her to him, only proved his seed
worthy of her. Most outsider men did not understand this, at first.

Peh Yin smiled at the thought of how fiercely her own husband had
resisted her, not understanding his new role. His victory over her had
given him a false impression of how their life together would be lived.
Like a proud stallion, he had bucked and fought her at every turn. It
had taken her both tender coaxings as well as numerous painful and even
brutal beatings given him by her and by her aunts and female cousins
before her husband had been properly broken in, the carrot and the
stick. But nowadays he was like a trained warhorse, still strong and
worthy of her love, only now obedient to her will.

Those were the proper roles for men and women, not the perversions of
the outside world, where women submitted themselves to men like
chattel. Comb actually believed herself to be her man's equal, an
attitude she had passed on to her daughters, but that only demeaned
her. Women were not the equals of men, but their superiors. After
all, three thousand years of history had forged the Joketsuzoku into
steel, beautiful, strong and quite capable of besting any man in
battle.

However, Shampoo had rendered her people's cultural heritage and pride
into mere commodities that she then bartered to the ignorant masses in
order to fuel her own popularity and aggrandize herself, and Peh Yin
hated the girl for that with a fierce passion, almost as much as she
had long hated Comb. The old ways that had shaped their people into
proud warriors were in danger of being swept away on a rising tide of
regard for the new way of life Shampoo exemplified, one out amidst the
Empire and its patriarchal order. That could never be allowed to
happen, not ever. Fortunately, her dear daughter would end that threat
when she broke Shampoo before the eyes of the council and their people,
ending the danger the girl's example posed to their very way of life.

It helped that Perfume had her own reasons for hating Shampoo. As the
number of single girls who were of marriageable age began dwindling,
Perfume found herself being challenged by more and more men visiting
their village, men who had such confidence in their skill to think
their strength sufficient to best hers. Even though she was built much
like her nemesis was, with a bosomy, athletic figure, the fact that men
saw her as some kind of substitute for Shampoo was aggravating, filling
her with a growing resentment of her nemesis' popularity. She had
nearly killed the last man she fought, who had unwisely told her she
was 'just like Shampoo.' The village healers said he might someday
walk again, but Perfume had finished him as a fighter.

"<The numbers that remain have grown stronger,>" Perfume finally said
in observation, her tone of voice calm once more. All of the weaker
single girls were now married. "<I've grown stronger. Far stronger
than I was before.>"

"<Strong enough to defeat Shan Pu when she returns to us, covered in
glory and fully steeped in her corruption by outsider men?>" Peh Yin
asked acidly. "<Her stupid cow of a mother will likely pass to her the
title of Enforcer, with the full blessings of the council. But that
honor should be yours, as it should have been mine. You deserve it,
not Shan Pu. You've trained far too long and hard for it to be given
to one like her.>"

"<I _will_ defeat Shan Pu, Mother,>" Perfume declared. "<A repeat of
our last battle will not happen.>" Shame and anger at her rival burned
within her. The memories of holding her face and screaming in agony as
Shampoo calmly walked away from her at Cologne's side were still vivid.
She could still feel her own life's blood pouring out from between her
fingers, flowing from the wound that had nearly taken her eye and could
have easily disfigured her for life. It hadn't, luckily for her.

She had left the village that same night, taking to the road on a long
training journey, her only goal to return and defeat Shampoo. While
away from the village for those many months, the injury had eventually
healed without leaving even a hint of a scar, as her body had always
healed, just like both her father and mother did whenever they were
injured. But the memory of it remained, driving her onwards to train
and keep training until she was satisfied she was ready. It was a
wound inside her soul that would never be soothed, not until Shampoo
lay twisted and broken like a rag doll, and dead at her feet.

As her mother kept saying of late, it had to be done, for the future
good of their people. Shampoo had betrayed them all. She had to pay
for her crime, and her sins could only be washed away in blood.

Perfume gazed solemnly at her mother. "<When my opportunity arrives, I
will show everyone in the village Shan Pu's weakness, that she has been
corrupted and is no longer a true Joketsuzoku. I will show them all
that she is not the one who is destined to lead us.>"

The pink-haired girl turned her gaze upwards towards the heavens, an
almost religious fervor filling her. "<I am.>"

Off to one side, Peh Yin smiled. How proud she was of her daughter.

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

Asuka felt her body fold over the fist slamming into her gut, and then
her world spun as a follow-up punch snapped her head to one side. She
lost her balance and sat down with a heavy thump. Her eyes glazed over
for a moment.

"Get up," Nanashi, her master, said calmly. "We're only just getting
started, Saginomiya-san."

Growling, Asuka felt her vision steady. The blows had not been at full
power, or she would not still be conscious. She glared at Nanashi.

"Very well." She bounced to her feet and stalked towards him, even as
he unfolded his arms and waited for her. Her gi-clad body leaped into
an attack.

The next thing she knew she slammed face down into the mat that covered
the floor. Had she hit him that time? She could not recall. The
impact did not hurt much, but it knocked the wind out of her a bit.
Even so, she rolled over to one side and came to her feet once again.

"Good." Nanashi waited a moment for her to regain her bearings, and
then he launched into a series of attacks on his student, forcing her
to defend while still off-balance. One of his strikes sailed past her
face, missing by millimeters. "Very good."

Asuka grabbed the limb before he could retract it, and she stepped in
to drive her fist into his ribcage. She was disappointed when his free
hand stopped the blow, his palm interposing and capturing the fist for
a moment. She sprang back before he could respond, without thinking.

Nanashi stopped and nodded. "You felt it, didn't you? The moment of
no thought. I could sense it."

"I-I think so." Asuka wiped her nose on the sleeve of her gi, and it
came away flecked with some of the blood oozing from her nose. She
glanced at it and shrugged. "I just let it happen."

"That is one of the key tenets of the Anything-Goes School of Martial
Arts, Asuka," he said solemnly. "Acting without thought." He smiled
grimly. "Some students of the School have based their entire lives
around that principal, existing in the moment and responding without a
single thought about consequences. Thought creates hesitation, and
hesitation can lose a fight. But in that moment of no thought, the
body is free to respond in an instant, guided by instinct alone."

"Instinct, huh." Asuka considered the notion.

"Where is your boyfriend?" Nanashi suddenly asked. "He should be here
for this lesson. He is not usually so late."

Asuka's gaze narrowed. "Mikado Sanzenin is _not_ my boyfriend," she
huffed. "As if I would have anything to do with such a womanizer."

"How odd," he said in reply, his gaze a bit mocking. "I could have
sworn I heard his voice when I passed by your room the other night."
He dipped his head down for a brief moment. "My mistake."

Asuka's cheeks flushed for a moment. "That is no concern of yours!"

Nanashi started to reply, but then he felt a familiar pain surge up
from within his skull. He felt pressure building within it, and he
groaned, caught off-guard. He dropped to one knee, his fingers already
pressing hard at pressure points on his skull and upper body.

Asuka did not move closer, only watched with a certain fascination as
her master's face bulged out slightly on one side, a vein in his temple
throbbing. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. What was wrong with him?

"Nanashi-sensei?" she asked, when the worst of it seemed to have
passed.

Nanashi stood. "It is nothing," he grunted, feeling the swelling of
his face receding, the sound of blood that had thundered in his ears
fading back to nothing. "A reminder of something I must take care of
someday."

"You looked to be suffering some kind of attack," Asuka observed. She
knelt down in front of him. "Are you well enough to continue with the
lesson?"

"Continue with your practice, and I will return shortly. I just need
some fresh air and a few moments alone to compose myself." Without
another word, he left the dojo area.

Asuka silently watched him leave, wondering what had just happened to
him. She then shrugged. He would tell her, or he would not. Men were
like that. However, so long as his teachings gave her the power to
crush her rival, Kodachi Kuno, he could be as mysterious and enigmatic
as he cared to be.

Speaking of mysteries, where the hell had that womanizing idiot gone
off to? Where was Mikado Sanzenin? Her hands curled into fists at her
sides. And why did she even care?

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

Nanashi stepped out into the cool night air as he emerged from the
mansion on to a balcony, sliding the door shut behind him. He walked a
short distance, feeling the trembling in his muscles gradually fading.
He jabbed at a few pressure points on himself and groaned with relief
as the pain finally faded.

"This is a nice setup you've picked out for yourself," drawled a female
voice from above, speaking Japanese with an accent.

Nanashi turned around as a figure dropped down quietly next to him. It
was a girl, wearing a plain, brown Chinese outfit, and a broad-brimmed
hat on her head that was tipped down, hiding her face above her nose.
Blonde tresses could be seen flowing down to her shoulders. When she
suddenly tilted it up, beautiful, Caucasian features were revealed,
with deep blue eyes which held a hint of venom in them. She was very
well-built in a leggy sort of way, with an ample bustline swelling the
confines of her shirt, in her early twenties, if not late teens.

"What are you doing here, Colt?" he asked, frowning.

"Is that any way to speak to me?" she replied, looking up at him, the
venom in her eyes fading slightly, replaced by a playfully malicious
glint. "You should treat girls with more kindness." She rose up on
her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Nanashi snorted. "Did my father send you?"

"No," Colt replied, stepping back to look him in the eyes. "I was
simply in the area, and I had heard you were, too. I don't think your
father particularly cares one way or the other what happens to you."
Her tone was matter of fact, as if commenting about the weather.

Nanashi turned away. "So much for the favored son," he growled. "I
see you still do his bidding."

"After a fashion," she said after a moment. "He knows better than to
try and control me." She looked around at the Saginomiya grounds laid
out in front of the balcony they stood upon. "But I see you've bounced
back after your fall from grace. I heard about it only recently. But,
as I said before, this is a nice setup you've got here."

He shrugged. "It will do for now."

"You're just like your father, Ha-" She was startled when he clamped
his hand down on her mouth.

"That is not my name anymore," he hissed, releasing her. "I am Nanashi
now."

Colt ran a hand down her jawline, looking thoughtful. "I see. You
have changed." She laid a hand on his arm. "There is a new strength
in you now. It's quite appealing," she said in rather sultry tones.
Her gaze slid over to look towards the dojo where Asuka continued with
her practice. "I'm sure that girl has noticed it too." She slid her
hand up and down his arm and smiled. "Yes, you are quite strong." She
continued to feel his arm.

"Stop that." Nanashi pulled away from her grasp. "I must get back to
my student."

Colt nodded. "I'll be in touch." With a powerful flex of her leg
muscles, she leaped up to land on the roof. She turned around and
grinned down at him. "So long, my son."

"Goodbye," he said softly. "Mother." They exchanged a rather intimate
look, and then she vanished off into the night.

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

"I'm sorry that my husband is not here right now," said Nodoka as she
set down a cup of tea on a small coaster. "He went out with one of his
friends after teaching his last class for the day."

"That's quite all right, Saotome-san," said Hinako, smiling at her as
she sat comfortably at the main table, her legs folded beneath her. "I
think this will give us an opportunity to discuss your son's future,
woman to woman."

Nodoka bowed slightly. "I am honored that the Security Directorate
feels that my son has such great value that they would assign you to
assist him in furthering himself in the Empire, Ninomiya-san. But I'm
still a little uncertain as to what that entails." She saw the other
woman cross her long legs and was grateful that Genma was not around,
as her unexpected guest was quite beautiful.

"It's quite simple, Saotome-san," said Hinako as she picked up her
teacup. She inhaled the vapors and took a brief sip, finding it to be
quite flavorful. She looked at Nodoka. "Your son is an asset to the
Empire, his mind one that comes along only once in a generation, maybe
even longer. I would be remiss in my own duties to the Empire if I did
not do all in my power to foster his growth, to safeguard him, and
teach him how to avoid the pitfalls his inexperience would put him at
risk of."

"Pitfalls?" Nodoka sipped at her own tea.

"Despite its high-mindedness, even the Ministry of Science has politics
to contend with. Who better to assist your son in navigating through
the perils facing him than someone who has been through them herself?
I offer myself as your son's instructor in politics, having survived
one of the sternest places to learn such things myself."

"I don't know," Nodoka said thoughtfully, setting down her tea. "There
is a strong possibility that Ranma will be engaged to someone who can
assist him in that way, as his wife. Actually, there are two such
young women in his life right now."

"You speak of Kodachi Kuno and Nabiki Tendo?"

"Why, yes. But how did you know of their names?"

Hinako smiled. "It's my job to learn such things, but it's my pleasure
to do so when it involves a personal interest in a subject."

"A personal interest?" Nodoka studied Hinako.

Hinako waved a hand in negation, chuckling. "No, it's nothing sordid,"
she lied smoothly. "I came across your son's file, and what I saw of
his future potential intrigued me. I want to be involved with him, to
help him as a teacher, and a mentor."

"And what do you get out of this, Ninomiya-san, assuming I approve of
this arrangement?" She picked up her tea and sipped it.

"Well, I get the satisfaction of passing on my own knowledge as his
teacher. I plan to instruct Ranma to the best of my abilities, and I
will teach him all that he must learn to succeed. He has not spent
much time around his peers, has he?"

"Well, no," Nodoka said, studying her guest. "Ranma spent most of his
time growing up around older men, scientists of various disciplines who
had something to teach him. He hasn't been around people his own age
very much."

Hinako nodded. "So he's never experienced the petty rivalries and
jealousies of his peer group."

"No, I imagine not," she said, suddenly wondering at the fights he had
been getting into. "Do you think you could help him?"

Hinako smiled, showing teeth. "I'm sure I can." She handed Nodoka a
card with an address and telephone number on it. "Have Ranma contact
me or come visit me at my home some evening. He and I will talk, and
he can decide for himself if I have anything of value to offer him."

"I understand," said Nodoka, bowing slightly as she took the proffered
card. She suddenly felt silly at her earlier concerns, that the woman
seemed to have a predatory interest in Ranma, rather than a genuine
concern for his welfare. "I'll have him visit you, for your advice."

Hinako bowed low. "I promise to do my best to help your son." She
lifted her face. "Until Ranma decides, why not keep this a secret from
your husband? Your son should not feel pressured in any way as to
whether or not to accept my offer, and I'm sure he would seek out his
father's opinion. The choice should be Ranma's alone, as it involves
his life and his future. Consider it a first lesson in what I shall
teach him."

"I suppose that will be all right," Nodoka replied. She stood when
Hinako did. "Thank you for offering to assist my son."

Hinako smiled again and bowed low. "It will be a pleasure to teach
him, Saotome-san."

Hinako left, her smile not fading until well after Nodoka had closed
the door behind her, becoming something more predatory. She walked to
her car with a graceful step, her high heels clicking on the cement.
She got into her car and then permitted a sultry laugh to escape her
throat as she started it up and drove away.

"Yes, Saotome-san, it will indeed be a pleasure to teach your son."

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

Kodachi sat on the edge of her bed and tried without much success to
quiet the surge of butterflies in her stomach as she gazed down at the
telephone receiver in her hand. She was dressed in a white silk robe
covering a black, sleek negligee. It was almost time for Kaoru-kun to
call her, and feelings of nervousness quivered within her. She looked
over at P-chan, resting on the pillow she had given him and watching
her.

"I shouldn't be worried about going out on a date with Kaoru-kun,
should I?" she said with a smile.

P-chan blinked. Date? Kaoru-kun? There was another rival for the
love of his angel in his way?

"Oh, I know I'm being silly," she continued, reaching over and giving
her new pet a scratch on the head. "It's only a dance at Ohtori, and
Kaoru-kun is an old friend. I shouldn't read more into it than that.
He just wants to renew our friendship."

The telephone rang on her private line, and Kodachi swallowed once as
she pulled her hand from P-chan, gathering her courage. She picked it
up, activating the cordless telephone's handset and holding it to her
ear. "Hello?"

P-chan watched with narrowed eyes as Kodachi chatted with this
mysterious boy on the other end of the line. He heard her call him
nothing but 'Kaoru-kun' throughout the whole conversation, a name that
showed a great fondness for him and a closeness that bespoke of them
being very dear friends. The warmth of her tones, and the occasional
sparkling laughter she bubbled with, made his feelings of jealousy grow
ever more intense.

"Until then, Kaoru-kun," Kodachi said at the end, setting the receiver
back in its cradle and looking at P-chan with a smile. The sight of it
took his breath away, she was so beautiful to him.

"Bwee?" the small pig inquired.

"Oh, that was Miki Kaoru, a dear old friend," she said with happiness,
reaching over to give him a pat on the head before turning down her
covers. Memories of another world filled her, pleasant memories of
Sukeban-Kodachi within her, of deep and passionate kisses as well as
more pleasurably intimate things she had shared with the Miki Kaoru of
her world. "I'm going to a dance with him at Ohtori Academy."

P-chan grunted. He was just going to have to spoil that date now. As
she continued to scratch his head, he pondered the matter. Being her
pet pig was already proving useful. As time went on, he was certain he
would learn everything necessary to win her heart. But his immediate
concern was figuring out a way to be there at that dance somehow, to
keep a watchful eye on Kodachi.

Oh, yes.

A name suddenly dredged itself up from his memories: Nanami Kiryu. She
attended Ohtori and was another one of the well-bred young daughters of
nobility his family insisted on trying to match him up with. She was
indeed attractive enough for his tastes, and she would do most nicely
for this, even on such short notice. His family and hers would bend
over backwards to arrange it, so eager were they for him to marry a
girl of the peerage. Perhaps he would even reward Nanami by bedding
her sometime, after he reached his goal of a hundred seductions. But,
in order to do that, first he would enjoy the considerable charms of
the older of the two Tendo girls his friend Tatewaki was so enamored
with, and finally those of sweet, angelic Kodachi.

After the young noblewoman removed her robe and laid it on the bed, she
picked him up and got under the covers of her sheets. She reached over
briefly to shut off her lamp and then rolled back on to her side, her
warm hands snuggling him to her bosom.

Held pressed up quite comfortably against her breasts, P-chan grinned a
piggish sort of grin and settled down to sleep. Life was pretty good.

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

Tenchi lay on the roof of the shrine and watched the stars overhead.
It was quiet in Nerima this time of night, and he liked being able to
relax and think. He was leaving in the morning for his survival course
in the Australian outback, but he could not seem to sleep yet. So he
had come out to look at the stars instead. Everyone else in the shrine
had gone to sleep by now, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He studied the patterns of stars overhead, wondering if any of those
distant points of light had worlds like his own around them. He liked
to imagine so. Sometimes he even fantasized about some beautiful alien
princess coming down from one of them and falling in love with him,
bringing adventure to his rather dull life, like in one of the manga
stories he sometimes read. Other times, he imagined himself as a great
samurai, as in days of old, serving the Emperor with honor and slaying
the enemies of the Empire, his sword bright with blood in his hand.

However, he knew in his heart that he was an ordinary young man, albeit
one training to be an Imperial Bodyguard like his sister was, and that
alien princesses falling in love with humans was a fantasy. Still, he
enjoyed dreaming about such things, even though he never mentioned any
of his imaginings to his fiancée, Rei Hino. She was princess enough
for him in all the ways that counted, and he was happy to have her.

Lately he had started fantasizing about Belldandy, a goddess that lived
here now, watched over by his aged grandfather and a shrine priestess
assigned by the Mobius Institute. He knew it was a foolish, one-sided
attraction, but she was so sweet and kind it was difficult to ignore
the tender feelings she awoke in him. She was a creature of spirit,
and he was a being of flesh and blood so a romance was out of the
question, especially since he was already engaged to a wonderful girl.
Still, he could enjoy the fantasies.

Ryoko was staying there now as well, for reasons she had not explained.
She had just shown up after dinnertime, looking a little wild about the
eyes. He shivered a bit, remembering that look, like she wanted to
kill someone, and do it with extreme prejudice.

It was while he lay there thinking about the day's events that he
spotted a stealthy figure moving from rooftop to rooftop in long, low
bounds. He watched in wonder for several moments, thinking he had
spotted a ninja operating in the middle of Nerima. He then chastised
himself for his vivid imagination.

Ninja? In a quiet suburb of Tokyo like this? That was ridiculous.
The shadow warriors served the various noble families, spying on each
other and sometimes assassinating people. But the only ninjas in the
area belonged to the few noble families dwelling in Nerima, like the
Kunos, and he could not imagine why one of them would be prowling
around this neighborhood of all places.

Even so, he took out his binoculars, the ones that he used to help him
in stargazing, and he focused in on the figure when it paused on a
nearby rooftop. He was startled when he saw that it was a girl, and a
really cute one at that. She agilely clambered down the roof of the
house she was on, one just on the other side of the wall separating the
shrine from that property, where the Saotome's lived.

Tenchi had met his mother's best friend only a few times over the
years, usually being too busy with his studies and his training. He
had heard his mother say that her friend's husband and son had returned
from travelling overseas several months ago. He wondered who the girl
was. She was heading for Ranma's bedroom. A girlfriend perhaps? A
late night rendezvous?

He blushed at the thought and decided to keep what he had seen to
himself for now, enjoying the notion of a little mystery for him to try
solving on his own. Still, she had been really cute, something he
could tell even from the brief look he had gotten. After she finally
disappeared inside the window, he set down his binoculars, then he put
his hands behind his head as he laid back and considered the matter.

His mother had suggested some time ago that he strike up a friendship
with Ranma, but the guy was supposed to be some kind of genius. What
were they going to talk about? Other than his training in martial arts
and other skills necessary for a prospective member of the Imperial
Bodyguards, and his duties tending the shrine and helping out his
grandfather, he didn't have many other interests.

Still, it would be nice to make a new friend.

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

Ranma-chan quietly clambered in through the window to her room, the
house dark and still. Luckily, it had been unlocked, one of the few
small blessings on an otherwise horrific day. She moved into the room,
her feet coming down silently on the floor. She sighed with relief at
making it home without incident.

Sparring with Ukyo after the shop was closed for the evening had been
interesting, the memories of other lives superimposing over the whole
experience. This world's Ukyo was good, really good, and the friendly
match had become quite intense. In the end, Ranma-chan had won, but it
was a somewhat closer contest than she had been expecting. It had also
been quite a lot of fun too, reminding the boy turned girl of sparring
matches against the Shampoo of another Earth, one where that version of
the Amazon had a curse like Yumi's. And even though she had lost, Ukyo
was a really good sport about it, treating Ranma-chan like a new friend
and inviting her to come back anytime for a rematch.

Yumi-kun had left long before then, going off somewhere with that woman
who had come by the restaurant. Ranma-chan was curious about who she
was, but she suspected Yumi would tell her eventually. She and Ukyo
had minded the restaurant on their own, and it had been fun to hang out
with her like that. It was pretty fortunate that she could draw on the
experiences of another Ranma, one who had done some waitressing at the
Nekohanten on that world, giving her a more polished performance.

However, it was now time to return to her male form, and Ranma-chan
slid the cake of soap from the small box she had brought with her. She
slipped quietly into the hallway, her step light, ears alert for any
sounds of movement from the master bedroom. Fortunately, nothing
happened, and she was able to enter the bath without any problem.

Ranma-chan sighed with relief as she turned on the light and began
removing her clothing. The okonomiyaki seller's dark outfit she was
still wearing had blended into the shadows quite nicely. She set the
bundle of her now dry male clothing on the floor by the door, intending
to put on the underwear from it before going to bed.

It was at that moment that she caught sight of herself in the mirror,
after reaching behind herself and undoing the somewhat snug sports bra,
another loaner from Ukyo, which had proven to be a bit too small for
her. She removed it with a soft groan of relief, and then she saw
herself barechested. A blush covered her cheeks as she hastily looked
away from staring at the sight of her half-naked body, feeling perverse
to be turned on like she was by her own reflection, seeing it through a
boy's perceptions. The experience reminded her of that first encounter
with Ranko, through the resonator.

"I'm a guy," she muttered as the world quickly steadied. "I'm really a
guy." She only wished she could sound more certain of that, memories
of Ranko's life as clear and real as any other. It was actually very
difficult not to think of herself as Ranko when she was like this, when
the image that stared back at her from the mirror was female. Being
Ranma was what seemed less real somehow at that moment. She felt a
brief bout of vertigo, and she shook her head to clear it.

Ranma-chan hastily pulled off the rest of her clothing and laid them in
the hamper. She went into the main bath area, seated herself on one of
the two stools in the room and began filling a bucket with hot water,
eager to return to male form. When it was nearly full, she swiftly
upended it over herself, and felt a slight tremor run through her as
Ranma-chan transformed back into Ranma. He sighed softly with relief,
knowing he was male once again.

"That's better," Ranma muttered, setting down the now empty bucket and
reaching for the soap. He began lathering himself up with it from head
to foot, his hands moving automatically even as his mind dwelled upon
Yumi-kun's words earlier that evening. His life had changed, and he
was going to have to deal with it as best he could. The thought of
spending time as a girl willingly was disturbing, especially since it
was more than a little intriguing to his curiosity. But he had to face
facts that Ranko was an equal part of him, not only her memories but
her body now as well.

He poured a second bucketful of hot water over himself when he was
finished, still pondering things. After standing up, he decided to
skip a soak in the furo. It was already late, and he had to get some
sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday, only a half-day for classes, but he
still needed to be on his guard and not strain the limited protection
of the soap by getting splashed too much.

Ranma carefully picked up the wet bar of soap, noting a slightly fresh
scent coming off it. Whoever was making it had made it more like a
regular bar of soap one would find in a store, and the smell of it was
even rather nice. He carefully patted it dry with an unused washcloth
and emerged from the main bath to grab a towel, starting to dry himself
with it. But when he saw his masculine image in the mirror, he paused.

"Wow," he said softly. He studied his reflection with a borderline
narcissistic interest, almost as if seeing himself for the first time.
His gaze roved over the image, taking it all in as he turned his face
from one side to the other. He stepped back a bit from the mirror, and
his gaze dropped downward along his torso, past his belly and heading
even lower. When his gaze finally reached his groin area, he suddenly
realized what he was doing and felt perverse again, blushing furiously.
He had just been checking himself out, seeing himself through Ranko's
perceptions instead of his own, those perceptions deeming him to be a
handsome boy. He shivered and hastily grabbed up his clothes.

"I'm a guy," he muttered, hastily pulling on his underwear. "Guys
don't look at themselves like that. And guys don't get turned on
looking at themselves like that." He felt aroused by the sight of his
own reflection for the second time that day, and he was disturbed that
it had been as if Ranko was the one looking out through his eyes for
that moment and not himself.

Ranma paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that something seemed a
bit different and out of place. Steeling his resolve, he took another
look at his reflection in the mirror. What was different?

At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then he noticed that his
body appeared to be a few kilos heavier than it had been before, the
extra mass composed of solid, sculpted muscle. He held out his arm and
felt one of his biceps as he flexed it, noting its increased swell.
Then he turned and looked behind himself over one shoulder, seeing a
similar change to his back and shoulder muscles as he flexed them and
posed a bit. Testing the range of motion in his limbs, he discovered
himself to be much more limber now, with his strength smooth along the
entire arc of movement. It was a level of performance that would have
taken him months to achieve.

Ranma grinned, distracted now from his worries moments ago, realizing
that the merger with Ranko had done something beneficial to his male
form, somehow rendering it into a masculine equivalent of Ranko's
physical conditioning, which had been superior to that of his own prior
self's. His injuries from his brutal fight with Kinnosuke Kashuoh were
faded as well, but he had picked up more recent bruises in their place,
from Ranko's fight with Nabiki earlier that day. He was still hurt,
but much less so than before and should be fine come morning.

Nabiki. Ranma stopped studying himself in the mirror and leaned on the
countertop with both hands, suddenly remembering all that had happened
between Ranko and the Tendo girl earlier that evening. He closed his
fist and looked at it as he stood back up straight. Ranko had beaten
up both Nabiki and her friend, Yohko Mano, and that was likely going to
cause trouble for him.

However, another thought occurred to him. Nabiki had mastered the
Amaguriken technique, but Ranko had still won, something he was not
sure he would have, even using the boost. If his own body had changed
with the infusion (for lack of a better term) of Ranko into it, perhaps
he was fast enough now to succeed in mastering it too. He snapped out
a few punches. While slower than his female form's speed, there did
seem to be an improvement. Perhaps the Amaguriken technique was closer
to his reach than he had thought.

He picked up the towel and finished drying himself, feeling tempted
again to indulge in looking at himself but resisting. For now, 'Ranko'
would continue on as Ukyo's cousin, a valuable disguise he was grateful
for now. It would allow him to get to know Ukyo on a more neutral
basis, without the engagement to clutter up the scenery, and maybe it
could work just as well with the other girls in his life. Nabiki would
likely be quite hostile to his female form, unless he could somehow
make amends and become friends, and Kodachi's response to Ranko was an
unknown variable. Keeping such a secret would be difficult. However,
until he knew better who to trust, none of the girls could know he and
Ranko were one and the same person.

When he was dry, Ranma slipped on his undershirt and picked up the
bundle of clothing from the hamper, wondering how he was going to get
them cleaned. Giving them to his mother to wash was simply out of the
question. And if he was going to be spending periods of time in female
form, he would have to shop for some more clothes, and even feminine
undergarments too. He would have to be careful where he stored them
though. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to find them.

Also, he could not let Genma see 'Ranko' at all. The old man knew his
cursed form's appearance, so it would be impossible to pretend to be
someone else. No, Genma could not come into contact with his female
form for any reason. It was going to be tough enough to maintain the
ruse of being Ranko as it was. Complications needed to be kept to a
minimum.

Rescuing his father had taken on a new urgency. He planned to pick up
Ranko's device and fix it. Hopefully, the damage was not too severe.
It would shorten the time he had expected to take in building it from
scratch, but he still had to set up a transponder unit.

The absolute last thing he wanted to do was lose his own world, as
Ranko had lost hers. He felt an ache of sadness within himself, and a
dread at the thought of facing the morning breakfast table tomorrow.

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

"Oh, that feels wonderful. Could you move just a little to your left
and keep going like that? Uhn- Maybe push a little harder?"

"No problem. Hmm- Like that? You feel so tight. I guess you've been
needing this for a while. You should have just said something earlier.
Uhn- I think I've got the spot. How's it feel now? Better?"

"Ohhhh- Oh, yeah- Just keep going right there. Don't stop. You can
keep doing that to me all night long. Uhn- That's good."

Yumi-kun grinned as he slowly worked his strong hands against the tense
muscles in Sakura's shoulders, kneading and massaging them. Gradually,
he felt them beginning to loosen, their hoarded tensions releasing. He
stood behind her as she sat in a chair, her head bowed. Every now and
then, she made soft grunts of enjoyment.

Off to one side, a printer was spitting out sheets of paper. After
several hours of work, they had finally finished creating the identity
of 'Ranko Kuonji.' While they waited for their creation to finish in
its filtering out across the Imperial Datanet and into the proper
archives, he had decided to thank her for her efforts in this by giving
her a backrub. Even he had been impressed at the level of detail that
Sakura had put into it.

"Congratulations, Kuonji-kun," Sakura grunted with a smile as the last
of the pages printed out and dropped into the tray. The printer then
whirred to a stop. "You're now the proud parent of a daughter."

"Thanks," he replied dryly. "I always wanted one, especially without
having to go through changing diapers." He rubbed her shoulders with
his palm, then began digging his thumbs harder into another tight knot
of tension he came across in his explorations, even as Sakura groaned
deeply. A grunt escaped her lips as the knot seemed to dissolve, the
tightness loosening.

There was a ding, and a blank plastic card emerged from a small device
on her desk. It sat there for several moments, gleaming dully.

"The card's done," said Sakura absently, her eyes closed now as she
reveled in what Yumi-kun was doing to her. She had certainly missed
this all right, feeling what seemed like a year's worth of tensions
flowing out of her. A sigh escaped her lips as he stopped his efforts,
and she slumped a bit in relaxation. "Be careful to only touch it on
the edges when you pick it up. It's ready to key. There's a carrying
case on the desk."

"Gotcha." Yumi-kun moved away even as Sakura relaxed, looking a bit
boneless after his ministrations. He reached out and picked up the
plastic card by its edges and slipped it carefully into the small black
case. "Done."

"Good," said Sakura, opening her eyes and looking up. "I've imprinted
all the data and both pictures you gave me into the plastic. Simply
have Saotome-san take a firm grasp of it in either of his two forms,
and it will key itself to his akashic pattern."

"Thanks, Sakura." Yumi-kun slipped the prepared ID card into a pocket.
"I really owe you one."

She turned from the small computer desk she sat at in her apartment and
smiled. "And I intend to collect on that debt." She stood up. "Would
you care for a drink?"

"Just one, and then I've got to get back." He sat down on the small
couch that was against one wall of the apartment. "I've never left
Ukyo in charge of the restaurant for so long before. It would be just
my luck that those two kids end up burning it down or something."

Sakura returned with a beer in each hand. "I think you worry too much.
I'm sure they're fine." She handed him a beer and sat down next to
him, before opening hers and taking a shallow sip from the can.

"Well, it's my livelihood we're talking about," Yumi-kun said as he
popped open the top and took a deep drink before leaning back and
sighing. "Ahh, that's good. Thanks for the beer. It's just what I
needed." He rested one arm along the back of the couch and held the
beer in his other hand, smiling at her.

Sakura smiled back and moved closer to relax against him, leaning on
him slightly, her legs moving to curl underneath her. "I've missed
you, Kuonji-kun," she said suddenly, her voice softer.

Yumi-kun moved his arm to rest it on her shoulders, feeling her sigh
and relax a bit more against him. "I missed you too, Sakura-chan. I
guess I didn't realize how much until you walked into my restaurant."

"When you left me, I was so furious with you," she said, before taking
another drink of her beer. "But I couldn't tell my uncle or anyone
else what was wrong. A week later, I accepted an assignment to Europe,
copying some old records in the Vatican's archives for the Institute,
but mostly just enjoying the sights. It gave me plenty of time to
think."

Yumi-kun took another sip of his beer. "Come to any conclusions?"

"Well, for the first three months, I thought you were a jerk," she
replied, smiling slightly. She held her can of beer against her lips
and took another drink.

Yumi-kun chuckled. "I won't deny it." He felt Sakura lean her head
against his chest and snuggle up against him. He suddenly felt a bit
nervous. "Uh, I think I really should probably be getting going."

"When will I see you again?" she asked softly. She sipped her beer
some more, almost spilling it on him.

"Why don't we have dinner together tomorrow night?" He looked down at
her head nestled against his chest, feeling her warm body against his.

"I'd like that," Sakura replied. She looked up at him. "But come as
Yumi, not Yu."

"Are you sure?" Yumi-kun met her gaze.

Sakura nodded. "We can make it a girl's night out sort of thing." She
settled her head against his chest again and listened to his heart
beating. "We haven't done that in a long while."

"All right," he said with a smile. "It sounds like fun." She moved
away from him then, so he could stand. She remained sitting, her legs
curled under her as she sat on the couch. On a whim, he bent down and
gave her a kiss on the forehead as he set down his almost empty can of
beer on the coffee table in front of it. "I'll see you then."

After he left, Sakura stared at the discarded can, watching droplets of
dew accumulate on the bottom few centimeters or so. She set her own
can down next to it, still mostly full. Suddenly, she sprawled out on
the couch, laying out along its entire length. She draped her arm over
her eyes.

"I must be an idiot," she muttered ruefully.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Thanks to DB Sommer for his help in tightening up several scenes.

Stay tuned for the next chapter, tentatively titled "Dirty Dancing With
Destiny"


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