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[FFML] [Fanfic][R1/2] Quantum Destinies 21 (Part 2 of 2)
Hi all, A little later in delivery than I thought it would be done. Please email me if you need the first half I released a while back. Steve (continued from part 1 of 2) ****************************** "I'm home," Ranma called out tiredly as he kicked off his shoes in the entryway area, closing the front door behind him. Even after being treated by Dr. Tofu and being assured that nothing was broken, he still felt like he wanted to sleep for a week. Luckily, the man was as skilled as the ones that Ranma knew from those other lives. After showing up at the house he and Kasumi lived in together and explaining the situation, he had let them in with a professional smile. Dr. Tofu had worked on him first, since he was worse off. The man had flipped him around, adjusting wrenched joints and popping everything back into place, all in under thirty seconds, even poking pressure points that would speed healing. Then, as he recovered on the couch and drank some orange juice that Kasumi had kindly offered him, Tofu had repeated the process with Nabiki. Hearing Nabiki yelp a bit as she was getting fixed up had certainly made him feel a little better about her beating up on him earlier. It was nice to see Kasumi married and living a more normal life, but it was also weird to see her anywhere else other than taking care of the Tendos. And there had also been something that felt a little false about the smile she gave him, as if she was tense about something, but it was probably just his imagination. Kasumi was one of the happiest people he knew, in any world he was familiar with so far, so he was sure he had just been seeing things due to his exhaustion. Besides, Nabiki didn't seem to notice anything out of place, so nothing could have been wrong. He decided to chalk it up to a minor variance between worlds and leave it at that. After dropping Nabiki off at her house, he had come straight home. All he wanted to do was fall down and sleep. He started to walk towards the stairs. After classes were over tomorrow, he needed to begin constructing a copy of Ranko's device, but incorporating within it the ability to home in on transponder units like the one he had instructed his father how to create. Of course, once it was built, he would then have to test it, trusting in his own technical expertise that he would be able to return to this world, to the transponder unit he would leave in his lab. If the test failed- No, he couldn't think like that, shaking his head. Nothing would go wrong, and he would return to his lab on the Kuno estate. Nodoka came out of the kitchen, smiling as she wiped her hands on a towel. "Hello, Ranma. How was your eve-" she began, then stopped, staring at his battered appearance. "Ranma! What happened?" "Hmm?" said Genma, coming into the room. "Something happen on your date with Nabiki, boy?" "I don't really wanna talk about it," Ranma muttered, walking past them both and heading towards his room. Nodoka was worried. She turned to Genma. "Perhaps you should talk to him, Dearest. I think this is one of those times when a boy needs his father more than his mother." Genma nodded and grunted, and then he headed off to Ranma's room. He knocked once at the door and then walked in without waiting for any response. He saw Ranma in the midst of pulling his shirt off, and he noted the bruises the boy had. Shutting the door behind him, he said, "So, what happened, Ranma?" Ranma wadded up his shirt and tossed it into a corner of his room. He glared at Genma and said, "Look, Pop, I've had a really bad day. The last thing I need right now is you." "Nabiki beat you up on your date?" Genma ventured, grinning a bit. He shook his head. "I swear, you're an even bigger loser with the girls than my own son is. If it was all left up to you, you and Nabiki will never get married." Ranma hung his head and tried to repress the urge to kill Genma. "Luckily, you've got me in your corner, boy. It looks like the first thing we need to work on is your conditioning. It just won't do to have you getting beaten up by your own fiancée. Don't you have any pride at all? What kind of a man loses to a woman?" Ranma's temper finally snapped, and his eyes flashed as he glared at Genma and sprang to attack. "DIE, OLD MAN!" There was a brief commotion heard from within Ranma's room, and then Genma's body went flying out the window. Luckily, the opening was just sizable enough to fit his bulk through, although Ranma still had to aim pretty carefully. After Genma slammed into the ground out in the yard, Ranma shut the window, drew the curtains closed, and then turned off his lights and went to bed. He fell asleep within moments. Genma rested upside down on the lawn briefly before falling over, unconscious. Nodoka sighed as she went out to pick her husband up and assist him back into the house. If only she knew what the trouble was between them, then maybe she could help them sort it out. Still, it had been a very good throw on Ranma's part, she noted with no small amount of pride in him, pleased at the high level of his fighting skills. She hoped that things were working out as well for him with the girls in his life now as his training was going. Other than that nice Utena girl, he hadn't brought any of the others home yet. Well, she was probably worrying over nothing. They all seemed like such nice girls, even Kenseiko's daughter, Kodachi, and she was glad he was enjoying an active social life now. It hadn't been good for a boy his age to spend all his time cooped up inside some lab. And he was acting much more manly lately, so there was likely nothing for her to worry about. ****************************** Kodachi slumped to her knees, sweat beading upon her body as she felt her reserves running low. Her muscles trembled with exhaustion as she panted, her lungs on fire from the intensive workout. Not even when she had prepared for the toughest gymnastics tournaments had she made herself train so hard. At least the exertions helped quiet the voices in her mind and their concern over Ranma and her current irritation with him, especially that he was acting as if their kiss had never happened. She rolled into a sitting position as she rested her arms on her knees, still catching her breath. She knew she had to get herself in better condition, and the only way to do that was hard work, pushing past her limits and reaching out for more. That damned Nabiki Tendo was making her look like a fool every day during their sparring matches, and she was far past being tired of it. Kenseiko stood outside one of the doors to the training hall, watching her daughter rise to her feet again and begin practicing some more. She felt so proud of the girl, and a smile lit her face as she saw the determination in Kodachi's eyes, and the fire that was there. She was startled when a hand fell upon her shoulder. "It's good to see you taking such a serious interest in our daughter again, Kenseiko," she heard her husband say. "How is her training going?" Kenseiko patted his hand on her shoulder, feeling comforted by his presence. "It goes very well. She does the Kuno name proud." Her gaze moved to look at him, a slight smile appearing on her face. "The servants tell me that Tatewaki is showing improvement as well." Lord Kuno grunted and nodded. "He is very determined to defeat young Ranma Saotome." What he left unsaid to his wife was that Tatewaki's desires for the Tendo girls were undiminished as well, especially for Nabiki. Beating her was just as strong a desire for his son as his desire to win against Ranma, only for very different reasons. "How go the preparations for meeting this potential bride for our son? If we could wed him to an Arisugawa girl, it will strengthen the positions of both families greatly in the Empire." "They go well," Kenseiko replied, closing the door and leaving Kodachi to continue her late-night practice on her own. "We agreed to hold it in a few days. Lady Arisugawa seemed most eager to have her daughter meet Tatewaki." "Good." His arm slipped down around her waist as he began drawing her away from the door to the training hall and heading in the direction of their bedchamber. "I've heard the girl fancies herself a duelist. She and Tatewaki should have something in common then." Kenseiko smiled at him as she let herself be led, looking forward to exchanging intimacies with her husband, but inwardly she was in a more pensive state. Nodoka had called earlier in the evening and asked for a meeting tomorrow. What could her old enemy want to say to her that could not have been said over the phone? ****************************** Defeat. Failure. Kinnosuke Kashuoh lay in his bed, his wounds wrapped in gauze, and considered both words, finding a strong distaste for them. He rested in between a bandaged Lynx and Panther, and both catgirls were now sleeping. Tiger had been banished from his bed for her part in the fiasco, for leading him to believe victory was within his reach. He should be enjoying that victory now, but he held only ashes. The other two had narrowly escaped sharing Tiger's fate, but they were on notice that he would not tolerate any further mistakes. However, the truth of the matter was that it was all Ranma Saotome's fault. He had stacked the deck in his favor against the other boy, chosen his terrain carefully for their duel by exploiting a known weakness in his enemy, and then was victorious over Ranma, savagely beating him unconscious. But he had won the battle only to lose the campaign to claim Nabiki Tendo. In turn, she had defeated him in single combat and forced him to abandon the field of battle and retreat to consider his loss. However, he could not bring himself to hate Nabiki. No, her victory over him had only strengthened his desires for her, to have her at his side as his mate. Her power and skill were undeniable, and defeating her at the height of her abilities would make his inevitable conquest of her all the sweeter. This was only a minor setback for him. He would let Nabiki have back the pieces of her organization. It no longer interested him, and pawns were meant to be sacrificed after all, as he had sacrificed the Wolf Pack when they proved too weak for his uses. No, his only interest was for the queen now. He had let himself get distracted from that goal, playing petty games with pawns. But, once the queen was taken, the game was all but won. That left the matter of Ranma Saotome, the enemy king. Kinnosuke felt his anger swell again within him at the mere thought of the pigtailed boy. Time after time, Ranma had disrupted his plans and cost him allies. He closed his eyes and reviewed what he knew of the other boy. Where had Ranma learned how to fight so well? Until several weeks ago, he had been Akane Tendo's favorite target for bullying, displaying no talent whatsoever for martial arts, apparently unable to fight back even as the youngest Tendo gleefully tyrannized him. But that had obviously been a clever disguise of the pigtailed boy's true skill. It was obvious now that he was always much more than he had let himself appear, and now he was even the new apprentice to the Arena legend, Jun Fan Lee, also known as the Dragon. No, no one suddenly woke up one day and manifested fighting skills like Ranma's. Ability like that took years of training, so Ranma must have had them all along. He had simply kept them hidden until the youngest Tendo must have just pushed him too far one day. Kinnosuke frowned. How he hated Ranma Saotome now, with a clarity of passion that was almost liberating in an odd way. The next time they faced each other, there would be no clever tricks or traps. It would just be the two of them in single combat, doing battle in a Darwinian test of fitness, and Ranma would fall before him, leaving the field clear for him to claim Nabiki Tendo for his own as a mate. Kinnosuke sighed, his injuries still paining him a bit. He knew he needed some time away from this situation, time to heal and prepare. Grandfather had suggested Whitehall, and it would be a simple enough matter for him to transfer there. Money and influence helped in such things. He closed his eyes and snuggled down with a warm body on either side of him, and he let himself sleep and dream of conquest over his enemies. ****************************** In her bedroom, Tiger sat on her bed with her knees drawn up, dressed in a sheer nightgown in pink her master had once given her as a gift. She had worn it hoping to cheer herself up, but it wasn't working. Her face was wan with sadness. Kinnosuke-sama was angry with her. After returning to the manor, he had called her useless and upbraided her as a failure. She sniffled at the memory of him yelling at her, blaming her for what had happened with Ranma and Nabiki, while Lynx and Panther watched her fall from grace with glittering eyes. She lowered her face to rest between her knees and let herself cry. How had it all gone so wrong? Tiger felt miserable as she desperately tried to think of some way to return to her master's side. There had to be something she could do. At this point, she would do anything to escape this sadness filling her. The night felt so lonely without being near him. Even though her master had defeated Ranma Saotome, she received no credit for bringing him the information on the pigtailed boy's fears. While Kinnosuke-sama certainly had not needed it, didn't she deserve a little leniency for finding out such a thing about Ranma? Perhaps this really was her fault. Why did she not remember until it was too late what had happened when his fear had overcome him? Nabiki Tendo had done as Ranma had that final day they had fought each other, becoming this fearsome fighting machine. Why could she not remember what had happened? Just what had occurred between her and Ranma during that fight? There was this vagueness in her memories from the point Ranma changed into that bestial mode, and then her first clear memory was of waking up cuddled next to him in his cot, both of them naked. She suddenly felt confusion as she explored these thoughts, and her personality governors redirected them away from Ranma. She sighed, feeling lonely for her Kinnsouke-sama, for the time being having already forgotten her musings about Ranma. She went back to hugging her knees, her catlike ears flat on her head as she began softly sobbing. ****************************** The next morning was rainy as Ranma walked along with his bookbag slung over his shoulder, a black umbrella shielding him from the light rain. He yawned. A good night's sleep after Dr. Tofu fixed him up had left him feeling a bit better, but he was still pretty stiff and tired. He shifted his bag to the hand holding the umbrella and rotated his now free arm, trying to work out a bit of stiffness in his shoulder. As he was doing so, he felt a tap on his arm. "Mornin', Ranchan," said Ukyo when Ranma turned around, standing there with a bright smile on her face, holding an umbrella of her own. She studied him for a moment, noting the bandage on his cheek. "You okay? Looks like you ran into some trouble. Was it that group of girls I saw going up against you yesterday?" "Nah, they're not so bad," he replied, bragging a little, shifting his bag back to his other hand as they started walking along together. "I just wish I knew what was going on with that." "Well, maybe I could do something about that." Ukyo's smile turned into a playful grin. "I can be pretty sneaky. Maybe I could find out what's up." Ranma laughed. "I'll bet you could. No, thanks anyway though. This is my problem." Ukyo shrugged. Even though Ranma didn't want her help, she was curious about the matter herself. She walked alongside him in a companionable silence for a while, enjoying the warm feelings he awoke inside her just by his nearness. She wondered if what she was feeling was love, and she blushed at that, a shy smile appearing on her face. Even though it was raining, nothing seemed able to spoil her day now. ****************************** The Saotome household was quiet as Nodoka came into the bedroom. Now that Genma and Ranma were safely off, she could prepare for her own activities for the day. She slid open the door to the walk-in closet in the master bedroom and stepped inside, her hand reaching up to tug on a slender chain. A single bulb hanging from the ceiling lit up in response. Kneeling down, Nodoka reached into her kimono and produced a key on a thin silver chain she wore around her neck. She slipped it off over her head and used it to unlock the small trunk she kept in the back of the closet. Mementos of her past days of youth were reflected in the items and photo albums that could be seen carefully stacked within it as she opened the lid. She began carefully removing them from the trunk one by one, but she paused at one photo album in particular. With a wistful smile on her face, she flipped it open and began paging through it, remembering what once was. Various pictures of herself and Achika as teenage girls filled most of the pages, and she stopped on one of her younger self, shown flashing a victory sign at the camera while she hugged Achika with one arm and grinned. How long ago it all seemed sometimes. Turning the page, Nodoka felt her heart flutter at the sight of the photo on the next page, of a roguishly handsome young man with a lithe build, dressed in casual clothing. He was perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old, smiling at the camera as he held a naginata in a martial pose. He stood next to her younger self in the picture, who was posing with a bokken in hand and looking both fierce and happy. Tears swelled within Nodoka's eyes as she gazed at the treasured photograph, and her fingers gently brushed the edges of it. No matter how hard she tried, she could not remember his name, and she did not know who he was. She could not even remember this picture ever being taken. But looking at it always awoke something within her, something deeper than conscious memories. She had discovered the photograph in a box of her old things years ago, while her husband and son were off on their trip. She had kept it in this album ever since, the only picture she had of this boy, whoever he was. She had never shown it to anyone else, not even her best friend Achika, for reasons she wasn't even sure of. After several moments spent gazing at it, Nodoka shut the album. She had more urgent things to do right now than wallow in memories and mysteries from her youth. Setting the album aside, she reached into the bottom of the chest and pulled out a small lacquered box. Opening it, she saw a single book inside the box, no more than two or three centimeters thick. It was plainly bound, without title, and it was wrapped on the outside with what once had been a white ribbon, now grayed with age, the ends sealed with red wax. Her family mon was imprinted into the wax. She carefully put all the other items back into the chest before shutting the lid. After picking up the small box, she stood up and turned off the light as she exited the closet and closed the door. There was a possibility, albeit a rather small one, that she would not be returning from her task today, and she had to make sure the book remained in safe hands. Nodoka sat at the desk in the bedroom, setting the box down near her right hand. She pulled out some paper and a pen, and she began to write, a letter that she hoped Ranma would never have to read. ****************************** Ryoko was surprised to see her mother in the small training hall behind the Masaki household when she arrived there for her usual morning workout. Rain spattered against the windows, and dark clouds hid the sun as she watched Achika going through a swordfighting exercise at a blur, her every motion as clean and precise as it was lightning-fast. She set her towel down and waited while her mother flowed through the movements of the Masaki family's sword style. "You're training pretty early, Mom," she said in a conversational tone of voice when her mother had concluded the exercise. "Normally, you don't get in here until the afternoon." Achika bowed once to the small shrine and turned to face her daughter, briefly bending over to pick up a water bottle near the edge of the mat. "Ryoko-chan, come over here and sit down. I think it's time we had a little talk, mother to daughter." She took a drink from the water bottle and picked up a towel to dab at the perspiration on her face. Uh-oh, Ryoko thought. But she did as she was told and knelt down in front of her mother, looking a little nervous. "Uh, so what did you want to talk about?" "Ryoko-chan, I've been doing some thinking ever since you came home." Achika paused and studied her wayward daughter, briefly overlaying the tough little girl she had once been over the beautiful and strong young woman now before her, and she wondered where she had gone wrong as a mother. She had tossed and turned for two nights now, her mind caught up in all kinds of fearsome imaginings about her daughter and this boy she had brought to their home. "Is there something you'd like to tell me about that Ryoga boy? Are you and he... involved?" "Mom!" Ryoko yelped, suddenly blushing. "There's nothing going on between me and Ryoga-kun." "I'm not stupid, Ryoko-chan," Achika said a little crossly. "You go off on one of your training trips, I don't hear from you for a couple of weeks, and then you show up on our doorstep with some strange boy in tow. What am I supposed to think, knowing my daughter has been alone with some teenaged boy out on the road? I was a girl your age once myself. I know what it's like when youthful hormones get going." Ryoko's blush deepened. This was not the sort of thing any teenaged daughter wanted to hear from her mother. "Nothing happened, Mom! We just did some sparring while we traveled together, and we talked a bit. That's all!" "All right," said Achika, relenting her tone a little. "But I've come to a conclusion from this event. As your mother, who only has your best interests at heart, I've come to realize it's high time I arranged a husband for you. After all, your brother has a fiancée, and he's a full year younger than you are." Ryoko gaped. She started to sputter a denial when Achika held up her hand. "Save it," Achika commanded, motherly steel reappearing in her voice. "My mind is made up. Now, I've spoken with your father, and he agrees with me that a girl your age should start planning for her future, and part of that is having an arranged marriage to look forward to." "But-" She didn't want a fiancé. "I've given it a lot of thought about who would be a good candidate for you, and my best friend Nodoka has a boy who's only a little younger than you." "But-" He sounded too young. "He has a fine future ahead of him in the Science Ministry, and he's at the top of his class at the Imperial Academy." "But-" He sounded like a weakling. "Nodoka has also been telling me all about his abilities as a martial artist too. Why, just recently, Master Jun Fan Lee himself even took him on as an apprentice. Even you should appreciate what that says about his skills as a fighter." The last statement caught Ryoko off-guard. She blinked, unable to even think of a single rebuttal, not that she had been able to get a word in edgewise yet. Achika smiled and pressed her advantage. "Now I know this is quite a shock to you, Ryoko-chan. I remember how surprised I was when my own mother told me that I was going to marry your father, but everything worked out for the best. Marriage is far too important a decision to be entrusted to youthful lusts and desires, but you needn't worry. Nodoka's son is very handsome and well-mannered, and I'm just positive you'll come to love him in time, as he will you." "Now, there are a few other girls already pursuing him, or so Nodoka confided in me, and she's told me there aren't any formal arrangements yet. I'm confident that you could turn the boy's head, if you set your mind to it." She smiled proudly. "Besides, nothing would please me more than to see you marrying my oldest and dearest friend's only son, uniting our two families together in an honorable marriage." Ryoko sighed, realizing she was beaten for the moment, now that her mother had played the honor card. "So, what's his name?" "Ranma. His name is Ranma Saotome." Achika beamed to see that Ryoko actually seemed to be considering it. She had been anticipating more resistance, possibly even a physical confrontation with her oftentimes willful daughter to get her to accept her decision. Achika wasn't sure where Ryoko had gotten her stubbornness from, but she was glad that she didn't have to deal with it today. "Well, as soon as I talk to Nodoka, we can arrange for you to meet him." She strolled out of the training hall and headed for the house, intending to call her best friend later that morning and invite her out to lunch to discuss the matter. "Great," Ryoko muttered dispiritedly at her mother's departing back. Left alone now, Ryoko grumbled and gnashed her teeth a bit as she sat in the middle of the room and realized her mother had gone off the deep end over her bringing Ryoga home with her. She thought with a grimace that it was going to be no use trying to talk her out of it now, as stubborn as the woman was. She would have left Ryoga by the side of the road somewhere, if she knew things would turn out like this. Now look what she had to put up with, being forced to meet (and likely marry) some boy she didn't know, with her mother waving the family honor card in her face if she even tried to balk. Ryoko rested her chin on her hand, her elbow resting on her bent knee, mulling gloomily over this latest development in her life, when a stray thought suddenly occurred to her. She sat up. There was an easy way out of this, she realized. All she had to do was go find this Ranma guy and threaten him a bit to get _him_ to be the one to break it off, thereby preserving the Masaki's honor. She decided to take Ryoga with her, which might add to her intimidation factor, on the pretext that she was helping him find this Ukyo guy he was hunting for. They could spend the morning on that task, and she could hunt down Ranma before lunch. At the very least, it would get them both out of the house and far away from any possible interrogation attempts by her mother. Luckily, Ryoga still seemed unaware of how the woman felt about his presence. Her fist cracked solidly into her other palm, and then Ryoko slowly rubbed the knuckles. No way was she getting engaged to some guy she didn't even know, let alone love. Luckily, all it should take was a little bit of bullying to scare Ranma off, maybe even some applied force if he really was good enough to study with a teacher of Master Lee's high caliber. Ryoko wasn't concerned, if it actually came to violence. She had never met a boy yet she couldn't beat into the ground in a fight. It seemed a good, workable plan, nicely simple and straightforward, practically guaranteed to work. Ryoko stood up and started her training, already feeling better. ****************************** Out in the hallway, a figure silently emerged from the shadows. Ryoga had been looking for the bathroom when he had gotten lost in the house, wandering through seemingly endless corridors before ending up in the downstairs hallway that led to the training hall in the back. When he had heard Achika coming, he had quickly hidden himself, using a stealth technique that Ukyo had once taught him when they were younger. He was pretty pleased with himself that he had finally gotten it to work when he really needed it to. While eating meals with the Masaki's for the past couple of days, Ryoga had gotten the impression that Ryoko's mother was bothered by his presence, although she hadn't said anything to him. Now he knew why. While he had been unable to hear the whole conversation between mother and daughter, having somehow found himself in a broom closet when he had thought he was drawing nearer to the door to the training hall, he had heard enough. Poor Ryoko was obviously being forced by her mother into a marriage that she didn't want. As her friend, it was up to him to do something about it. Turning around, Ryoga began wending his way through the enormous house, while he thought about how he would help poor Ryoko. Maybe he could offer to pretend to be her boyfriend? Then again, maybe it didn't have to be pretend. She was the first girl he had ever spent so much time with, and she was really beautiful too. A glazed look came over his face, and he drifted off into a pleasant fantasy about the older girl. In the midst of this fantasy, Ukyo inexplicably appeared in Ryoko's place, and Ryoga snapped out of his fantasy with a cold shudder, his heart suddenly pounding with horror. His hand balled into a tight fist at the thought of the boy ninja, and he trembled with a sudden rage, smashing his fist into a nearby oaken wall post, almost shattering it. Even within the privacy of his own fantasies, that damned Ukyo still haunted him. The unwanted feelings of intense attraction he felt for the ninja, and the dark stain they left on his soul, would only be expunged when he faced Ukyo in combat and defeated him. Maybe when the other boy's shattered body was laid out broken and bleeding in front of him, then Ukyo's spell over him would finally be ended. He would finally be freed of this dark torment he felt inside, and the intense shame of feeling attracted to another boy. Then he would be free to love Ryoko, if she would have him. In his trek to find the bathroom, Ryoga tramped up and down innumerable stairs, counting at least six floors in the building, his rage slowly building to a heavy boil. Luckily, Ryoko's little brother, Tenchi, he absently recalled as his name, came across him before he finally lost his temper at finding himself back at the guest room for the ninth time and started breaking walls in his frustration. He was certain that the house was somehow mocking him by shifting its innards around and hiding the bathroom from him. A proper Hibiki house was only a single floor with few rooms, one easy to navigate around in, not this multi-level monstrosity. How did anyone ever find anything in this place? "Um, can I help you, Hibiki-san?" Tenchi asked uncertainly. This was the first time his sister had ever brought a boy home, and he was uncertain how to act around Ryoga. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even sure how he felt about his sister having a boyfriend. Ryoko had never dated, as far as he was aware, so this was totally unknown territory. Ryoga turned to face him, a pained look on his face from his bladder feeling like it was going to burst. He struggled to remain calm. "Uh, I'm having trouble finding the bathroom. Can you help me?" "Huh?" Tenchi blinked. He pointed to a door directly across the hall from the guest room Ryoga was staying in. "Uh, it's in there." "Argh!" Ryoga stomped across the hallway and flung the door open, before he quickly disappeared inside and shut it behind him. There were a few more bangs and crashes, and then Tenchi saw light come out from underneath the door. He raised an eyebrow and wondered if Ryoko's new boyfriend was slow in the head or something. He shrugged his shoulders. At least Ryoga's idiosyncrasy with directions gave him something to tease his sister about when it came to her relationship with the guy. After all, she had certainly tormented him enough about his engagement to Rei Hino, constantly teasing him about when he would finally have the guts to kiss Rei and asking him when he was going to start doing this and that with his fiancée. None of which he had done yet. He blushed at the thought, knowing he wasn't anywhere near being ready yet to take such bold steps with Rei, even if they were promised to each other in marriage. As he headed to get his things for school, Tenchi idly wondered if his sister was still a virgin, not that he was about to risk life and limb just to satisfy that curiosity. Ryoko had always been, and still was, archetypically tomboyish in her attitudes, disdaining activities that most other girls seemed to like. Until she had shown up with Ryoga, he could not recall his sister ever spending any time with any boy, outside of fighting with them, and she had left a very long trail of defeated foes behind her, ever since he could remember. Nowadays, she mostly fought with the local gang types, where she had earned her nickname as 'The Demon Ryoko' from them. Tenchi was looking forward to teasing his sister about her love life. It was about time she gave him some ammunition like this. ****************************** Yumi eyed her empty restaurant, the last of the morning crowd having already left for work or other business, leaving her alone to enjoy the quiet. She bent back and twisted her shoulders from left to right, hearing a few crackling pops softly reverberating up from her spine. She sighed with relief. Working out with Ukyo each morning was proving to be just what she had been needing. In her prime, she had been undefeatable, but years of easier living had seriously dulled her fighting edge, which was a dangerous thing. However, sparring with her young niece was gradually honing that faded edge back to its old level, restoring her back to the powerful warrior she had once been. That was good. A rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, just before the front door 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. "Welcome to Yu-chan's," she said pleasantly, gazing at the two figures standing in her doorway. "It's been a while, Ryoko. Who's your young friend?" She smiled archly at the girl. Ryoko came in with Ryoga in her wake, wondering about the expression on the older woman's face. "G'morning, Yumi-sensei." She glanced back and frowned. "Hey! Close the door, Ryoga." "Oh! Right. Sorry." Ryoga hastily slid the door closed, shutting out the rain. There was a pleasant scent of okonomiyaki permeating the air he could smell. It reminded him of the times Ukyo had fixed him lunch during his weekly visits to her grandfather's place in the mountains. Reminded of Ukyo, he felt the old rage kindle within him. Drying her hands on a cloth, Yumi watched the girl. "So, what can I do for you, Ryoko? How was your training trip?" She slid her gaze over to the boy with her. He looked angry about something, she noted. "That's why I came here this morning, Yumi-sensei." Ryoko pointed at her companion. "This is Ryoga Hibiki. He's looking for a boy that might be related to you. Maybe a nephew?" "Do you know where Ukyo Kuonji is?" Ryoga demanded, stomping up to the bar. "I have to find him!" He was almost choked with equal measures of eagerness and rage, now that his quest was nearing its end. Yumi's gaze narrowed. A typical Hibiki, she mused. She was about to deny knowing anything about Ukyo when their words finally sank in. They both thought Ukyo was a boy? This could be entertaining. "Sure, I know Ukyo," Yumi said with a smirk, setting her towel down. "He's a fine young man. He's staying with me while he's in town." "Is he here?!" Ryoga's gaze somehow became even more manic. Yumi casually picked up her battle spatula from underneath the bar and whacked him over the head wit it. "Calm down, Hibiki-kun," she said in a mild tone as he stood there, looking a bit stunned. While her battle was looking a little dented, at least the blow seemed to calm him a bit. To the shocked girl she said, "Ukyo isn't here right now, Ryoko, but I know where he is. Both of you make yourselves useful and help me clean up, and I'll tell you where you could find him when you're done. Ukyo's not too far." When Ryoga started to bluster out another demand to know where Ukyo was, Ryoko promptly decked him. While Ryoga picked himself up off the floor, she bowed to the older woman and said, "Okay, Yumi-sensei." She then bent down and whispered to him. "Let's get to it, Ryoga. The sooner we do this, the sooner you can find Ukyo." Grumbling all the while, Ryoga did as he was bid. But he blamed this latest indignity on Ukyo. The ninja was going to pay when Ryoga Hibiki finally caught up to him. Oh yes, how he would pay. ****************************** In the Saotome household, the sound of a telephone ringing broke the silence. After four rings, the answering machine picked up. "Hello, you have reached the Saotome household," came Nodoka's voice in a pleasant tone. "There's no one here to take your call right now, so please leave us a message. Have a nice day." There was a pause, and then a beep. "Nodoka? This is Achika. Please pick up the phone if you're there. I wanted to talk to you about something." There was a pause. "Okay, I guess you aren't home. Please call me when you can. Bye." There was a click heard from the other end as the call ended. ****************************** The rain started letting up while Nodoka waited in one of the sitting rooms of Kuno Manor. The chair she sat in was comfortable and the surroundings were pleasant, but they could not seem to ease any of the disquiet she was feeling in her spirit. It galled her, coming here to the home of her oldest enemy like some kind of supplicant. Then her hand gently stroked her belly for a moment, imagining she could feel the child growing within her, and a soft sigh escaped her. It was for her future child's sake that she was doing this, she reminded herself. After a time, the door opened, and Kenseiko Kuno entered the room in her typically grand fashion, looking every inch the noblewoman in her manner. She was dressed in a magnificent kimono in light green, one obviously made of the finest silks and laced throughout with heavy gold thread. Her hair was braided in back and reached down to rest between her shoulderblades, a white ribbon wound into the braid. Elegantly coifed hair spears framed her face in front. "Saotome-san, it's so wonderful of you to visit," Kenseiko said with a bright smile, but there was a touch of gloating in her gaze and voice. She sauntered across the short distance that separated them as Nodoka stood, then she bowed in greeting, taking care to remind Nodoka of their relative social stations by the brevity of her bow. It pleased her greatly to see the slight tic that crossed Nodoka's face at the gesture. "Thank you for seeing me, Kuno-sama," said Nodoka, bowing back more deeply in reply out of politeness, the honorific almost choking her to say. Kenseiko seated herself gracefully, gesturing for Nodoka to sit as well. "Please, we can forego the proper formalities when we're alone. After all, you and I have known each other for a long time. Tea?" She snapped her fingers imperiously and a house servant scuttled in with a tray. "Uh, thank you," Nodoka said, bowing again slightly. She doubted that Kenseiko had poisoned it, but old habits died hard. The servant poured the tea quickly and withdrew from the room, leaving the two women alone. The storm occasionally tossed a burst of rain at the glass, but the earlier fury was dying down. Kenseiko sipped at her tea in a ladylike fashion. "It's not poisoned, Nodoka," Kenseiko said with an arched eyebrow when she saw that her guest was not drinking and guessing her thoughts. She chuckled somewhat throatily. Nodoka took a cautious sip of her tea, realizing she was probably being a bit silly. There was an odd citrus sweetness to it, and she looked at the cup suspiciously. Then she glanced at Kenseiko. "What's in it?" "It's flavored with a few drops of condensed pineapple juice," said Kenseiko with a sly smile. "Odd, I know. It's a taste that my husband acquired when he visited one of our plantations in Hawaii, but I've gotten to like it myself over the past few years." She continued to sip her tea calmly. Nodoka drank her tea, occasionally glancing at the dwindling power of the storm outside. A Swiss-made grandfather clock sitting in one of the corners gave off a deep tick-tock sound as the two women sat in silence. She felt decidedly odd, sitting and drinking tea with a woman she had fought with in countless brutal battles when she had been a girl. At times, when it was cold, she still felt a twinge in her left shoulder from the time that Kenseiko had snapped her collarbone and savagely dislocated that limb. "So why have you come to see me, Nodoka?" asked Kenseiko finally, as she set down her teacup. She studied her old enemy warily, wondering what sort of devious trick Nodoka had up her sleeve this time. She rested her hands in her lap, briefly touching her right leg, the one that Nodoka had broken in two places many years ago, in the last fight they had with each other. It had been their fiercest, their most savage, and perhaps their most glorious fight together. Kenseiko flashed back to battles past with the woman seated before her. Nodoka had been the one foe in her life who had forced her to stretch her combat skills farther than she would have ever done on her own, and she could admit to feeling a grudging sort of gratitude over that. Their mutual enmity towards each other had somehow forged an abiding bond between them. Thinking on it further, Kenseiko was startled to suddenly realize that she felt much closer to Nodoka because of that bond than she did with any of her peers among the nobility, as if she and her hated nemesis shared a perverse form of deep friendship. But that was a ridiculous thought. Nodoka set her teacup down, steeling herself inside as she locked gazes with Kenseiko. "I have come to ask for-" Then she paused, looking for the right word, feeling the weight of her samurai ancestry upon her, calling out to her to engage her enemy once again in glorious combat and crush her. "I have come to ask you for a reprieve from fighting with you." Nodoka nibbled her lower lip for a moment, pained at her vulnerability as she saw Kenseiko studying her with a rather malicious glint in her eyes. "I see," Kenseiko said finally. Then she sighed, losing some of her usual imperious attitude and feeling an unfamiliar concern towards her old nemesis that surprised her greatly. "What did that doctor tell you?" "That I'm pregnant." Nodoka did not take her eyes off of Kenseiko, as the two women gazed at each other warily. "You're certain?" "Yes." "Damn you, Nodoka," Kenseiko suddenly whispered, looking away, feeling an odd mixture of emotions swirling inside her. "I finally receive the chance to pay you back, to deal to you the first of many such defeats I had planned for you, and then you pull something like this." "Pull something?" growled Nodoka, standing up suddenly. "How dare you say that to me! You think I planned this?" Kenseiko sprang to her feet, grabbing Nodoka roughly by the front of her kimono. "This is exactly the sort of underhanded surprise you used to pull on me when we were younger, whenever I managed to obtain any kind of advantage over you!" "Like you ever really had any chance to beat me," sneered Nodoka, her hands grabbing the front of Kenseiko's kimono in reply. "The only time you ever came close was when you made me fight that stupid duel with you when I was three days sick with the flu! And I still won!" Kenseiko growled back, "You bitch." She tightened her grip in Nodoka's clothing, her fingers whitening. A blazing fury began filling her. "Same to you!" Nodoka snapped, finally losing her ladylike demeanor in the sudden rage which possessed her. How could she have ever thought to try and make peace with this creature? "You were a bane to me then, and you're a bane to me now! I've never hated anyone more than I hate you! Thank the gods your daughter is nothing like you!" Kenseiko immediately retorted, "You leave Kodachi out of this! She's a far better girl than that whelp you call a son deserves!" She pulled Nodoka in closer, until they were nearly touching nose to nose. "He should count himself fortunate to be marrying her. Once he becomes a Kuno, I'll teach him how to be a proper nobleman, despite the handicap he has of having _your_ blood in his veins." "You think I'm going to give up my only son to you?" Nodoka's eyes narrowed in her wrath. "If your daughter's anything like the spoiled brat you were at that age, my son would be better off without her!" Clothing began to tear as the two women suddenly started struggling fiercely with each other, both of them far too angry now to employ any proper combat techniques. With a sudden shift of weight, the snarling pair went tumbling over one of the couches and knocking it over in a flurry of flailing limbs. Nodoka's kimono-covered elbow was briefly seen over the couch as she cocked her fist back for the first punch. For the next several minutes, the only sounds in the room were those of fists striking hard against flesh and loudly-grunted curses as the two women grappled and pummeled at each other in their savage fury, rolling around the floor of the room. The pair exchanged blow after blow as they raged against each other, struggling with each other fiercely. But, after a time, it slowly began winding down as their emotional frenzies finally expended themselves against each other, and then it abruptly stopped. A hand slowly rose up over the back of one couch, and then a rather disheveled-looking Nodoka appeared, a thin trickle of blood trailing from her mouth, and her nose looking somewhat swollen and maybe a bit crooked. One of the arms of her kimono had been torn clean off. She swallowed the coppery taste that was welling up in her mouth from her split lip and probed gingerly at her teeth with her tongue. A few moments later, an almost equally disheveled-looking Kenseiko slowly arose next to her, her right hand cautiously rubbing at her jaw as if to make sure it was still connected. The area around her right eye was pretty severely bruised, promising a very colorful result, and her once-fine kimono was tattered and torn. She looked at her old enemy, her battered face neutral in its expression. "You still throw a pretty good punch for a woman your age, Nodoka," Kenseiko admitted with a grudging look. She tongued at her teeth, grimacing when she found a molar that seemed a little loose. She grinned suddenly. "Seemed like old times, didn't it?" "Yes, it did," Nodoka replied thoughtfully. "You still have a pretty solid right yourself, Kenseiko." There was a pause as Nodoka looked at the other woman. "So, do I get that reprieve until I have my baby, or do we go another few rounds with each other first?" Both women suddenly started to laugh, beginning with a chuckle, and then finally exploding into full-blown laughter. "OH HOHOHOHO!" Kenseiko's ringing, demented-sounding laughter mixed with Nodoka's more demure ones, and the two of them kept laughing for a brief time. Kenseiko was the first to stop, feeling pain flaring up from a deep bruise on her ribs, courtesy of Nodoka's fist early on in their struggle. She suddenly put a companionable arm around the other woman for a moment. "You can't imagine how long it's been since I could cut loose like that, Nodoka," said Kenseiko with a conspiratorial look. "I missed it so much." "I know what you mean." Nodoka dabbed at her face with a handkerchief, grimacing when it came away bloody. "After getting married and having our own families, we both turned into our mothers, didn't we?" "Now _that_ is a frightening thought." Kenseiko looked a bit pensive, remembering what her own mother had been like. Very gingerly, she moved away from Nodoka and headed to the front of the couch they had ended up behind. She plopped down into it, sighing with relief. "But I suppose you're right." She waved a hand grandly. "I'm going to give you that reprieve you asked for, Nodoka, but only on one condition." "Condition?" Nodoka asked suspiciously, still leaning over the back of the couch as she continued trying to catch her breath. "What sort of condition?" "If you have a son, then Ranma will join the Kuno family register. But if you have a daughter, he'll stay a Saotome and Kodachi will join the Saotome family register." Kenseiko filled her teacup and took a large drink, swishing the liquid around in her mouth a bit before swallowing it. It helped dull the pain in her jaw a little. "I also hope that you'll continue to visit me from time to time. I promise a much less strenuous encounter next time." Nodoka blinked in surprise. "Did I miss something somewhere?" Kenseiko chuckled and said, "Believe it or not, I realized something while the two of us were down there on the floor trading blows, that I missed those carefree days of our youth, Nodoka. With you, I can just be Kenseiko again, instead of Lady Kuno." She studied the leaves in her teacup, and her gaze hardened. "Anyway, that's the deal. Take it or leave it." Nodoka laid her hand on Kenseiko's shoulder, and she wasn't sure who was more shocked of the two of them. "I accept." Kenseiko turned her head and met Nodoka's gaze levelly. "Excellent. Mind you, I'm only giving you this reprieve until you've given birth and had some time to recover and prepare yourself. Don't take this as an offer of friendship. It's not. And I won't go so easy on you in our next fight." "I wouldn't have it any other way," said Nodoka with a wolfish smile, her hand moving to gently stroke at her belly. Everything is going to be all right now, little one, she thought. Kenseiko chuckled, and then both women started to laugh out loud again. ****************************** "I don't suppose you're willing to tell me how you got those bruises?" Ranma remained silent as Master Lee studied him. The two of them were on one side of the gymnasium area, as it was raining outside. He could see Nabiki and Kodachi sparring on the other side of the room, under the watchful guidance of Coach Fujinami. They looked like they were going at it with their usual vigor, although Nabiki seemed a little slower today, possibly due to lingering effects of her injuries from last night. As much as he wished to, Ranma could not meet the man's gaze. He still felt shame over losing to Kinnosuke on top of losing to Nabiki. He heard a sigh from the older man. "Well, since you appear a bit too injured to spar today," Master Lee said, sitting down in front of the pigtailed boy on the mat. "We will talk instead." There was a pause. "Ranma, look at me." Ranma looked up. If this had been Genma, not his real father but the other one, he would have seen disappointment on the man's face over his losing to Nabiki. Thinking on it with regret, he was depressed at how his counterparts in those other two worlds always seemed to find a way to win their fights in the end. But he had lost two important fights in only a few days. However, when he looked up, he saw that Master Lee did not seem to be disappointed. Instead, the man appeared thoughtful. "Ranma, let's start with a basic question, from master to apprentice. Do you know why I chose to train you instead of Nabiki Tendo?" Master Lee looked solemnly at the pigtailed boy and waited for an answer. Ranma was a bit taken aback by the question. He shook his head. "Not really, Lee-sensei. Why did you?" "I'm the one asking the questions here," the older man said, still looking at him thoughtfully. "Do you consider me a true martial arts master?" "Of course!" "Then tell me what you define as mastery of the martial arts." Ranma instinctively stated the answer Pop had taught him a long time ago. Actually, to one of his analogs. "A martial artist is someone who knows how to fight well, who has trained his body and spirit for combat and proves it by defeating all foes." Master Lee shook his head. "That's not mastering the martial arts, Ranma. That answer means someone is a great fighter, yes. But to perfect the forms, to memorize the lore, or even to be the best fighter around, none of that shows a mastery of the martial arts. No, to truly master the martial arts is to master oneself. Everything else is just window dressing." "But you fought in the Arena," Ranma interjected. He paused for a moment, regretting his outburst. He looked at Master Lee. "I mean, you showed the world that your martial arts skills were the strongest, that you were the best." Master Lee smiled and chuckled slightly. "Yes, I fought in the Arena. I was young like you once, and eager to prove myself. I faced many great fighters in that crucible of combat, and I learned a great many techniques. But simply defeating others does not make one a martial arts master, Ranma. A true master of the martial arts is determined by what's in here." He poked Ranma in the chest with a forefinger. "And in here." He tapped Ranma's forehead. "It's not by how skillfully one wields their fists or feet, or even what special techniques they know." "This is why I chose you over Nabiki, Ranma," Master Lee said calmly. "You are both surprisingly similar in many ways, as if somehow cut from the same mold, but there is an arrogance in Nabiki Tendo you don't seem to share, at least not to the same degree. While I have no doubts at all that her physical skills are currently superior to yours, and may continue to remain that way if she is diligent in her training, I find myself wondering if she truly has the potential to be anything more than merely a great fighter, like I think you can." Ranma tried not to, but he winced a bit at Master Lee's comparison of his fighting skills to Nabiki's. It took him a moment to pick up on the rest of what the man had said. "As to your bruises, you don't have to tell me how you received them." Master Lee paused and glanced over at Nabiki and Kodachi's sparring match, noting how Nabiki was dominating the contest, a confident smirk on her face. He frowned at the sight. Someday he would ask Ranma how he and Nabiki knew the Anything-Goes style, but for now he would leave the matter alone. "I imagine Nabiki wasn't too happy with you over my choice," he said mildly. "Nabiki didn't do this to me," Ranma stated emphatically, looking up, honestly surprised at the suggestion. Master Lee looked back at him, meeting his gaze. "I believe you, Ranma. However, as your master, it doesn't look good upon me to see you all beaten up like this." He leaned forward. "So I'll make you this promise. I'll train your physical skills as far as you're willing to take them, so that few, if any, would be able to do something like this to you again." There was a pause. "But the rest of it will be up to you." "I can make you a great fighter, Ranma, if that is all you wish to be. However, I believe you can be more, to someday truly master the martial arts, and I can help you. But only you can make that choice. No one else can. And the road will not be easy." "I understand, Lee-sensei," Ranma said sincerely. He was suddenly aware that he was in for a much different experience than his analogs had learning from the likes of Happosai, Cologne, or Pop. He bowed to the man. "Thank you." Master Lee grunted and nodded, an inscrutable look on his face. "Don't thank me yet. Let's see how far you can walk the path first, my young apprentice." ****************************** "Well? What do you think?" asked Ukyo, gazing at Ranma expectantly as he ate the lunch she had prepared for him. Ranma swallowed. "It's good," he said with a grin. Ukyo grinned back, pleased to see Ranma enjoying her cooking. She had been making a sincere effort to improve her okonomiyaki skills with her aunt's assistance, and it looked like her efforts were paying off. She started grilling him up another one on her portable unit. She had commandeered a seat near Ranma's desk to share lunch with him, since it was too cold and rainy to eat outside. Ranma ate the next one that Ukyo made him as quickly as he had consumed the first, his body needing to refuel. He was still recovering his strength, and Ukyo's delicious cooking helped a lot. After yesterday's ordeal, not to mention the one he faced that morning when he arrived on campus, he felt worn. His morning training session with Master Lee had ended up as another grueling affair as well, and there was still the afternoon left to face. He had barely made it through the gauntlet of girls today, and using the boost had been very tempting. They might have taken him down, but Ukyo had interfered before he was forced to unleash it. While he was grateful to her for her assistance, it bothered his pride that she had helped him. He didn't feel he should need anyone else's help where a fight was involved, but he really needed to deal with that particular situation before it turned into something more dangerous. After all, they could start showing up at his house or something. In the back of the class, Minami and Gosunkugi repeated their glaring at Ranma and Ukyo from yesterday. Minami was growing convinced that she was going to have to do something drastic to save Ukyo from Ranma's perverted interest in the ninja, unable to miss the signs of attraction between the two boys. Sitting next to her, Gosunkugi was simply making plans for the pigtailed boy's destruction. Ukyo was a lesser bother to him, but Minami's growing interest in the other boy still irritated him, although he would be hard pressed to say why. Many of the other girls in the class also eyed the pair, an occasional sigh heard. Yuka was one of those girls, as she watched Ranma and Ukyo having lunch together. Sitting in the desk next to her, Sayuri sipped at her juice and occasionally rolled her eyes. Yuka had been like this for the past few days, ever since Ukyo started attending classes at the Academy. "Isn't he wonderful?" Yuka sighed, gazing at Ukyo. "Yeah, wonderful." Sayuri's tone was matter of fact. She eyed the lunch in front of her companion, seeing it was barely touched. "You going to eat that omelet?" Yuka absently slid the box over to her friend and sighed again, gazing raptly at Ukyo. Sayuri just shook her head and started eating from both lunches. First Tendo-senpai, her idol among the upperclassmen, started losing her previously unshakable cool over Ranma Saotome weeks ago, and now even her best friend Yuka was practically drooling over the newest addition to the campus. With Yuka uncommunicative, it was looking like another boring lunch period. ****************************** Standing on the grounds of the Imperial Academy next to Ryoko, Ryoga gazed up at the windows of the main building. After spending the morning cleaning the Yu-chan, his quest was finally drawing to an end. The rain came to a stop while they stood there, so he folded up his reinforced bamboo umbrella and was about to slip it back into the straps on his pack when he saw a familiar visage through one of the upper windows. Rage contorted his features when he saw that laughing face, and he charged in the direction of the building and then leaped high into the air, his fury propelling him across the distance that separated him from his target. Ryoko blinked when Ryoga suddenly sprinted off and then leaped, taking his umbrella in both hands, his mouth opening to scream. ****************************** Ranma was about to take another bite when he heard a voice coming through the window, one that he had never expected to hear in this life. "UKYO KUONJI! PREPARE TO DIE!" Time seemed to slow for Ranma as he took a single glance at the human missile heading straight for them. Without thinking, he grabbed hold of Ukyo and leaped for safety. An instant later, it was like a bomb went off as the window and that section of wall shattered inward, the concrete and steel ripping aside as an enraged Ryoga Hibiki plowed through it, his red parasol umbrella in hand and leading the way. ****************************** Kodachi paused in eating her lunch, feeling the entire room suddenly shake and hearing a nearby rumble. She had chosen to avoid Ranma today, still feeling miffed at him over his recent actions towards her. So she had been enjoying a quiet lunch with some of her new classmates, in the classroom right next door to the one that Ranma was in. Several cadets immediately rushed for the windows, trying to see outside. A flurry of conjectures began being quickly exchanged. One of the girls who had stuck her head out one open window suddenly said, "Hey, some kind of martial artist guy just attacked the next class. I can just see him standing there in this big hole in the wall." "But we're on the third floor!" another girl said in disbelief. Kodachi was the first one out the door, leading the charge to see what was happening in the next classroom. ****************************** Nabiki paused in eating her lunch when the building suddenly shook, interrupting her discussion with Yohko on the matter of the Kashuoh heir, as well as the shopping excursion they would be doing that weekend. She glanced at the young Devil Hunter, and both of them looked around. It had sounded like an explosion of some kind had just occurred, coming from the floor above them. Several cadets were now rushing to the windows, to try and see what was wrong. "Hey, some girl dressed like a martial artist of some kind just leaped up to a big hole in one of the upstairs classrooms," one of the male cadets suddenly said. "And she's a babe." Nabiki's first thought was of Ranma. She hastened out of her seat and leaped out the window past a startled Kyosuke, grabbing hold of the upper frame and agilely swinging herself up to the next level while her fellow classmates gaped at the casually acrobatic move. ****************************** Ryoga Hibiki paused as bits and pieces of glass and concrete continued to rain down behind him, his umbrella resting in the center of a wide, rounded depression in the concrete floor of the room. Fortunately for the class, no one had been sitting right where he made his entrance. He stood up and looked around for Ukyo, catching sight of the ninja boy held by some guy with a pigtail who was wearing a blue uniform. His gaze narrowed darkly at the protective way the boy was holding Ukyo. In the back of the classroom, Minami and Gosunkugi watched the tableau with interest, both of them secretly hoping that Ranma was about to be beaten up by the intruder but unaware that they shared the same desire on that front. Like the other cadets, they both began moving away from what was looking like a fight about to begin. There was an odd feeling of importance to the scene that Minami could sense, like a momentary concentration of those strange energies she had been sensing on campus since arriving for her first day. Heedless of Ryoga's attention falling on him, Ranma quickly asked Ukyo, "Are you all right, Ucchan?" "I-I'm fine," she replied. "I just had the wind knocked out of me a bit when you grabbed me." She smiled at him. "Nice save, Ranchan." "Wow!" said an unfamiliar voice from the window, followed up by a brief whistle, as Ryoko made her appearance, having leaped up to the new opening in the wall. "I gotta say, you really know how to make an entrance, Hibiki-kun." Ranma glanced back at Ryoga and back at Ukyo. "You two, uh, know each other?" "He's a friend of mine, sort of," Ukyo replied, looking confused. "But I don't know why he's so angry." Ranma glanced back at Ryoga again and wondered why his life was turning into some twisted reflection of the life his analogs lived. Now Ryoga had shown up. But why was he hunting Ukyo? It had better not be over some stupid bread, he thought. This was all getting too weird and too coincidental for him. He started to move when Ryoga suddenly gave out a growl and charged to the attack. "How dare you ruin my life, Kuonji! Die!" He leaped at Ukyo, and the two on the ground rolled apart as Ryoga brought his umbrella down on the area they had just occupied, deeply cracking the concrete floor. The boy with the pigtail came leaping at him, and Ryoga batted him aside without a second thought and continued charging towards Ukyo, his current focus. "I'm going to kill you!" Whoa! He's fast! Even though he knew he wasn't in his best shape at the moment, after what had happened last night and this morning, he couldn't stand by and let Ryoga beat Ukyo to a pulp. But he had been caught offguard by Ryoga's speed, and the umbrella slammed him in a solid blow across his midsection. His trajectory carried him towards the new opening in the wall, but he came to an abrupt stop when he suddenly impacted headfirst into Ryoko's chest, burying his face in between her breasts. The sheer force of the collision stunned him and actually knocked her back half a step. Ukyo met Ryoga's charge head on as cadets started evacuating from the classroom, and the two came together as his umbrella strike was blocked between her crossed and upraised arms. While she was shoved back a ways from Ryoga's momentum, her feet skidding on the floor, she managed to keep herself upright. The two of them then began a dazzling display of fighting skill as they clashed, her opponent having a murderous look on his face. "What the hell's your problem, Ryoga? What are you doing here? What did I ever do to you to make you so mad? Is this about that money I owe you?" She knew she was at a bit of a disadvantage here, with her battle spatula currently in her locker, since the Academy had a strict policy against students coming to class armed. "I'll tell you," Ryoga replied, thrusting his umbrella against past Ukyo's evading body, narrowly missing her. She grabbed hold of the umbrella, trying to wrest it away from him, and both combatants leaned into the brief test of strength. Ryoga shouted into her face, "You made me gay!" Ukyo blinked and looked startled, and so did the few cadets who still remained in the room. Even those who had been desperately trying to get out through the door came to an abrupt halt to stare at Ryoga. It was very quiet for a moment. Just then, Kodachi appeared in the doorway, having struggled to get in past the flow of cadets streaming out of the impromptu battle zone. She gaped at the new opening in the wall, and the strange boy glaring at Ukyo, but her only concern right now was Ranma. Hurriedly, she scanned the rest of the room looking for him, deeply concerned for his well-being. When she saw him with his face buried in the bosom of some strange girl with weird hair, her concern for him abruptly vanished, and she turned away with a feminine harrumph. She trudged back to her own classroom, a frown on her face. He obviously didn't need her, and she hoped that Ukyo wretch was severely beaten by that unruly boy, whoever he was. Ryoko paused for several moments, startled by the boy who had impacted into her as well as Ryoga's revelation. She glanced down at the guy with his face currently stuck between her breasts, and a vein suddenly sprang up in her forehead. She grabbed him by his uniform and hauled him up to her face, his head coming free from her bosom with a slight popping sound. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she raged at her still somewhat insensate assailant. "That sounds like a question I should be asking you," said Nabiki's voice suddenly from her right and just behind her, a hint of menace in it. "Let Ranma go." "Ranma?" Ryoko glanced once at Nabiki and then back to the pigtailed boy she was holding. "Are you Ranma Saotome?" Ranma blinked, startled by the question as he dangled in the strange girl's grasp. "Uh, yes." Ryoko paused, ignoring the furious melee currently going on over on the far side of the room. She studied him for a moment, and she suddenly realized he was pretty cute. She smiled, for the moment forgetting her original reason for coming here was to frighten him off, baring her fangs a little in the process. "Hey! I told you to let him go!" demanded Nabiki, interrupting the brief tableau when she grabbed Ryoko by the wrist, feeling the muscles bunched in the other girl's forearm. She must be another Hibiki, she decided, noting the fangs. "Let him go _now_, Goblin Girl!" Ryoko paused, but she did not release her grip on Ranma. "What did you call me?" she asked, her tone turning dangerous. She shot Nabiki a very sharp look. "What the hell did you just call me?" "With those fangs and that weird hair color, I called you a goblin, Goblin Girl," Nabiki replied with a fierce grin. "Now let Ranma go. If you want a fight, face me." Even though she was still injured, she knew she was in better shape for a battle than he was. "Um, girls?" Ranma ventured, but both of them were now ignoring him, their attention focused on each other. Ryoko absently released Ranma, and he decided to get out of the way and let Nabiki handle this one herself. "What's your name?" Ryoko asked, taking a moment to crack her knuckles dramatically before assuming an easy stance, ready for anything. She was looking forward to utterly pulverizing the annoying girl who had dared to mouth off to her like that. She quickly estimated that it would take maybe five seconds at most, but that was probably being pretty generous. "Nabiki Tendo. What's yours?" Nabiki assumed a more nonchalant pose, visibly unimpressed by the other girl, even if she was a Hibiki. It was a common ploy of an Anything-Goes stylist, used to distract an enemy and make them lose focus by insulting them while waiting for them to make the first move. "Ryoko. Ryoko Masaki." She gave Nabiki a nasty grin. "Maybe you've heard of me? They call me Ryoko the Demon." Nabiki seemed to consider it, then she shook her head. "Hmm. Can't say that I have." Although the name Masaki was familiar to her for some reason. It would likely come to her in time. "Then let me show you why I'm called that," Ryoko growled, her fury at Nabiki growing by leaps and bounds from the other girl's arrogance. She started to take a step forward. Meanwhile, Ukyo managed to catch Ryoga in a solid blow across his chest with a roundhouse kick, and he flew towards the window, blasting aside a few desks in his path and narrowly missing Ranma. Ryoga impacted hard into Ryoko, and the pair went sailing out the window. She took that opportunity to leap out the door, intent on retrieving her spatula from her locker. Nabiki spotted Ukyo's abrupt departure, and she went after the other girl, looking for answers. Just what trouble had Ukyo brought with her? Ranma took a moment to catch his breath. His ribs were aching, and he knew he was pushing his still healing body too hard. He tried to focus past the pain as he looked around for Ukyo. He didn't see her, and Nabiki was gone as well. As he fell, Ryoga flipped himself into a landing position and absorbed the impact in his knees. Next to him, Ryoko did the same. He sprang back immediately, landing lightly amidst the debris of his initial arrival. Ukyo wasn't around, but the pigtailed boy was, the one who had tried to stop him from taking his righteous revenge on the ninja. "You!" Ryoga snarled, catching Ranma by the front of his school uniform and hauling him close. "Where's Ukyo?" He shook him to emphasize his point, rattling the pigtailed boy's teeth a bit. "Tell me!" "Hey, let Ranma go, Ryoga." Ryoko laid her hand on his arm. "I don't want you to hurt him. He doesn't have anything to do with your feud with Ukyo." Several emotions went through Ryoga at that moment: surprise and joy that Ryoko was touching him, but then ending with misery and jealousy as her words sank in. With an effort, he released his grip on Ranma's uniform jacket. Ryoga glared menacingly at the pigtailed boy, his emotions seething darkly within him. Ranma was startled by the look, but familiar responses within him took over. He met Ryoga's gaze, and the two locked glares. Tension filled the air between them, like heat lightning. ****************************** "Hold it, Kuonji!" Nabiki commanded, grabbing the other girl when she caught up to her in the hall. "What was all that about back there?" Ukyo managed to slip free of the grip and straightened the jacket of her uniform. "I really don't know, Tendo-senpai" she said, adding the honorific a bit grudgingly. "But I need to get my spatula, if you don't mind." Without waiting for a response, she headed towards the stairs. "I think I do mind." Nabiki leaped in front of Ukyo. "Just what is Ryoga's problem with you?" She then blinked, noting the masculine look that Ukyo was sporting, wearing male clothing and with her breasts bound down, and suddenly remembering Ryoga's words. "Oh, so that's it." She then started to chuckle. "You're such an idiot, Kuonji." "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ukyo faced the Tendo girl, her hands balling into fists. "If you want a fight, you're going to have to wait your turn. I've gotta deal with Ryoga first, then you're more than welcome to take a shot. I've got no problem with knocking you on your ass once I'm finished with him." She brushed past the other girl and continued stomping towards the stairs, her look grim. Nabiki suddenly smirked behind Ukyo and shook her head, already considering possible angles to turn this situation to her advantage. ****************************** "I've got no time for this," Ryoga suddenly announced, breaking off his staring contest with Ranma, trying to focus past the anger he felt at Ryoko's sudden change of heart. "I don't know who you are, and I don't really care. I'm just looking to finish things with Ukyo." He shoved Ranma aside abruptly and charged out of the room. "Where the hell are you, Kuonji, you coward? I'm going to kill you!" Ryoko sighed. She gave Ranma a shrug and headed out after Ryoga. Left behind, Ranma looked around at the partially demolished classroom and wondered aloud. "What the hell just happened?" ****************************** After finally retrieving her battle spatula, Ukyo looked around the building for Ryoga. With his usual bellowing that shouldn't have taken her very long, but it had been a little while since she last heard his voice in the halls. Where could he have disappeared to? ****************************** "WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW?" Ryoga stood on a street corner somewhere in the Nerima area and looked around for some sign that was even vaguely familiar. Passerbys eyed him, and his rage just seemed to intensify at the interest they paid him. With a growl, after putting his fist through a nearby stone wall, he began stomping down the street, certain that the campus was around here somewhere. "DAMN YOU, KUONJI! JUST WAIT UNTIL I FIND YOU!" ****************************** Ryoko called her house from a payphone and left a brief message on the answering machine before starting her search for Ryoga. He had left a pretty clear path of destruction after leaving Ranma's classroom, such as holes in walls and other such destruction of property. But she had lost the trail when he left the main building for some reason. Could he really have gotten lost that easily? Well, it shouldn't take her too long to find him. After hanging up the telephone, she headed off, looking for the wayward Hibiki boy. In the back of her mind, Nabiki's taunting voice was heard, and she frowned, feeling anger simmering within her. "Nabiki Tendo," she muttered, her hand tightening into a fist. "When I see you again, I'll show you why nobody gets away with talking to me like that. Nobody calls me names." With that, she began her search for Ryoga Hibiki. ****************************** After classes were over for the day, Ranma walked Ukyo home. "Crazy day, huh?" Ranma glanced at Ukyo, walking along with her battle spatula slung over her shoulder. He nodded and said, "Yeah, but I'm kinda getting used to them." "Oh?" Ukyo looked over at him and smiled. Ranma shrugged. "So how long have you know Ry- uh, that Hibiki guy?" "Since we were both little kids," Ukyo said as they continued walking alongside each other. Her look was thoughtful, and maybe a little bit sad. "I thought we were pretty good friends, but I guess I must've done something to make him hate girls." Ranma blinked, realizing he had been just about to put his foot in his mouth. Of course Ryoga must know Ukyo was really a girl. A guy would have to be really stupid to not notice, not after so many years, even if she did dress and act like a guy. He filed that piece of info away. "Friends don't usually try to beat each other up," he observed. "Well, not seriously, at least. Sparring can be fun." "Yeah." Ukyo grinned at him. "You wanna spar with me sometime?" "Sure," he said, grinning back. "Sounds like fun. How about in a few days? I ran into some trouble last night, and I need to heal up a bit first. But once I do, I'd love to spar. How about this Friday, after classes? We could grab dinner and do something afterwards. It'll be my treat." Ukyo's grin grew wider. "It's a date, Ranchan." She sidled up to him and said, "Mind you, I won't go easy on you. Hope that doesn't bother you." "Nah," Ranma said, shaking his head, feeling glad that things were so comfortable with Ukyo, unlike how it was with Nabiki and Kodachi. "I'm looking forward to it." They arrived in front of the Yu-chan, and the early dinner crowd was already going in. Ukyo waved goodbye to Ranma and ran in to help her aunt out. Ranma watched her go, then he turned around and headed home. The day had started out kind of rough, but it ended on a pretty good note. His step was light, and he hoped that this meant he was turning a corner, and that things would finally start getting better for him. ****************************** Toga Kiryu leaned back, allowing his head to rest against the side of the hot bath as his tense muscles unwound. Of all his personal rooms in the Kiryu Estate (his wing of the mansion being larger than most commoners' houses) the bath was his second favorite. The first was his bedroom, since over the course of the last few years he had spent more time there than anywhere else. His eyes scanned the room, enjoying the texture of the place. He had never cared much for Japanese style baths, and had instead opted for something more grand in an ancient Grecian style. Fluted columns and marble were everywhere. The tub was built flush with the floor, like a pool, and closer in size to one rather than a standard bathtub. A number of hand-sculpted statues of exquisite nude men and woman rounded out the decor. Like most things Toga Kiryu owned, it defined the term opulent. But when one was due to inherit control of the fifth largest zaibatsu, there were certain expectations to uphold. Doing everything in extravagant style was one of them. "Hard day, sir? I know how difficult it must be doing nothing." The statement was issued in crisp, clear, and very dry, tones. Toga idly lolled his head to look in the direction of the only other occupant of the chamber. He was a gaijin, English, specifically. Dry and wrinkled, as befitted his ninety years, he looked like a piece of leather than had been left out in the sun to long. Still he retained a full head of immaculately groomed hair, and stood with posture so stiff Toga wagered one could have set a greased rubber ball atop his head and it wouldn't move a millimeter. His tailored suit was fitting that of his position in the Kiryu household: Butler. Not a post used often in the Empire, it was seen as too foreign and there were other jobs that filled the same requirements and whose names were native to the land. But that was the title Laughlin insisted upon when he was introduced to others. It had been the name of the job when he had been hired; it would remain so until the day he died. And despite the man's advanced years, Toga would not be surprised if the wizened butler outlived at least another generation of Kiryus'. "I was thinking, actually, Laughlin," Toga answered. "I need the measurements of a woman." "Shall I take them while she's riding your baloney pony, sir, or would you like me to wait until you're done with her?" "Actually, she hasn't shared my bed yet." "A girl you haven't slept with? I didn't think there were any of those left." The corners of Toga's mouth curled upward slightly. "You're being exceptionally impudent today." "Indeed. Perhaps it would be best if I was released from my position." The withered face betrayed no emotion. Only the voice held its distinguished tone, despite the sarcasm of the words. "What would you do with all that time on your hands?" "Find peace of mind? Allow these ancient bones to have some rest? Not have to put up with impudent, decadent people that won't even wash their own back?" He paused for a moment, then continued. "You're right, there is nothing for me, is there?" Toga laughed slightly. Laughlin's sharp tongue was one of the reasons he liked the man whose origins were shrouded in mystery. All anyone really knew was that when Toga's legendary grandfather (legendary in both his business dealings as well as decadence), Maasaki, was a young man, he had gone to England to strike some sort of huge business deal with the monarchy there. Rumor had it that just when the deal was about to be finalized, Maasaki left abruptly, the deal falling through and with only a young man he had taken on as his butler to show for the journey. Since then the Kiryus never had any dealings with England, and the English wanted nothing to do with the Kiryus. No one knew exactly what happened, and no one spoke about it save in hushed tones when they believed none of the Kiryus were about. As to Laughlin, he was an enigma. It was common knowledge around the house that he was Maasaki's personal manservant, going everywhere with him and being so perpetually at his side that people commented something was missing when he wasn't present. Toga was also convinced the butler was every bit as impudent then as he was now, which was probably why his grandfather had favored him above all others, including most of the family. From what Toga understood, Laughlin was probably the only man his grandfather would have called a friend. Certainly the butler had been treated far better than any servant Toga had ever heard of. His salary was the equivalent of a highly paid CEO of their zaibatsu, and upon Maasaki's death, Laughlin inherited an enormous quantity of stock as well as a home and lands in the Hawaiian islands. The salary and inheritance had been a cause of consternation among the Kiryus but Maasaki was a force no one ever crossed, even in death. Those that tried never lasted long. He had made the Kiryus into the second most powerful zaibatsu in the Empire when he was alive, and had personally held the Emperor's ear. Having no proper successor was why the Kiryu fortunes and prominence had slid slowly over the last decade. No one had ever replaced the old man. However, Toga would change all that, once he was given control of the family. Everyone agreed he inherited Maasaki's wits (and rather decadent tastes when it came to women), and it had been decided internally that he would be groomed to be the successor of the family. Such unanimity in a succession was nearly unheard of. There were always power struggles within the nobility for the right to control the family fortunes when there was no heir apparent, but the Kiryus agreed something had to be done to prevent the downward spiral which hurt all, and it was likewise decided Toga would be their best chance for salvation. Oh, the members of the family would court his personal favor, but none would challenge his rule. Shortly after the matter had been settled, Toga decided he wanted Laughlin to fulfill the same position he had when Maasaki had been alive. No other member of the family could stand the man's scathing tongue, and he had been left to run the household instead of personally taking care of anyone. Despite his age and surly nature, he ran the vast Kiryu Estate like no other. Toga once tested Laughlin's skill by giving him a list of a hundred things he wanted done by the end of the day. Within an hour everything had been completed. It was after accomplishing that remarkable feat, and far exceeding Toga's expectations, that he informed Laughlin he wanted him as his personal butler. The old man simply gave a flat, "Oh, goody," and promoted his second-in-command to take over the house. Kazuya was a good man, but never managed things as well as Laughlin could. Oh, Laughlin could retire at any time, but Toga was fairly certain he enjoyed being scathing to those that were supposedly his betters far more than any enjoyment retirement could give. "I find I fancy this girl," Toga explained at last. All secrets were safe with Laughlin. He wouldn't even betray any of Maasaki's to Toga, no matter how hard he tried to cajole the butler about some of the secrets only he knew regarding Toga's grandfather. "I mean I really like her. There's something intangible about Nabiki that draws me to her like no other I've ever met." "Ah, a flavor of the month, then. I see. Given up on the Tenjou and Arisugawa girls, have you? Or are you planning on inviting them in a four-way?" Toga laughed at the imagery. "I think not. Juri is... let's just say she's beyond even my impressive means. As to Utena, well, she would be a rather pleasant girl, but not really someone I would want to keep around for very long. Nabiki's different, though. Very different. She's intelligent and clever, I could tell from the first time I laid eyes on her. She's someone with a quick wit, and not lacking courage, even in the face of danger. I did a background check. She's not nobility, but her family is well connected. A very interesting girl indeed." It was while he was marking some of Nabiki's more intriguing aspects that Toga espied something odd about his butler. A rarely seen reaction in a man that wouldn't react to a gunshot wound. "What is it?" "What is what, sir?" Laughlin asked. "Your eyebrow shot up. You only do that when something catches your interest. Something that you think shouldn't catch your interest, but did anyway. On you, it qualifies as an emotional outburst." For a moment, it appeared Laughlin would dismiss the accusation. Instead he said, "For the first time in your vapid little life, you've mentioned a woman's intelligence before her appearance. It's quite shocking." Toga was about to argue that --he had noted women's intelligence before mentioning their looks-- then realized he only did so in the company of others. When he thought of Nabiki, though, it was her mind, not her looks, that came to the forefront. How very... interesting. The junior security cadet was affecting him in ways he wasn't fully aware of. And they had only met twice, neither being a particularly remarkable experience. Of course, Nabiki was quite attractive as well. Not with model gorgeous features, like Juri, but definitely visually appealing. However, it was that mind that excited him. Even now he was trying to maneuver things before the dance so that he had the upper hand against his newest romantic interest. He wondered how she'd react to his present. It was something of an unusual approach to courtship, this scheming for an advantage, but they were exceptional people, and needed to do things in exceptional ways. In a tired voice, Laughlin said, "I see your periscope has surfaced, sir. Shall I send one of the bath girls to scrub it free of barnacles while I acquire the information you desire?" Toga looked down at the part of his anatomy Laughlin was referring to. Thoughts of Nabiki had made him feel frisky. "Yes. Send that new girl, Natsuki." With her short, almost pageboy haircut, she looked a bit like Nabiki. If Toga tried hard enough, he could probably envision it was his true interest that would be taking care of his physical needs. Something that, with a little skillful manipulating, would become a reality before overlong. ****************************** Laughlin instructed the head of the servants to send the requested girl to Toga. Natsuki knew what was expected of her, it was one of the reasons she was hired in the first place. He then continued on to the basement and the cellars below. It took him but a moment to locate his target. A man in his late thirties was stocking shelves for some of the more exotic foods that were needed for the cooks. The Kiryus' frequently entertained guests and prided themselves on being able to serve any dish a person could request. Laughlin said, "You there, the nameless stockboy we pay half as much as myself. The young master wishes to know the measurements of a Nabiki Tendo. If I need to tell you more than that, you're not doing your job, and will be released from your duties." He bowed and left. The 'nameless stockboy' growled under his breath. As head of the Kiryus' ninjas, it was his job to ferret out secrets almost before they became secrets. He knew of Toga's recent interest in Nabiki Tendo. He knew all the names in Toga's little black book, having made certain every girl was who she was supposed to be and not someone trying to get close and discover some of the secrets the Kiryus held. All the truly notable families tried to spy on one another. But that damned butler was an enigma that no one had ever figured out, no matter how hard the Kiryu (and other families' spies) had tried. That he seemed to know everything before even the ninja did was even more annoying. He was no danger, betrayal would have come long before now and any been intended. He was more like an itch that couldn't be scratched. He put Laughlin in the back of his mind and decided to personally acquire the Tendo's measurements. Toga was the future, and while he was not wont for emotional decisions, too many failures would result in demotion and possible firing. The task would be simple enough, and it would be a break from his cover of being a simple stockboy. It would be a simple enough matter to sneak into the school and go through the medical files on her. He had just the right costume. No one ever questioned a janitor, after all. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Thanks go out to D.B. Sommer for the last couple of sections, one of his many contributions to the Quantum Destinies storyline. Stay tuned for Part II of Yin and Yang. Coming soon (as fast as I can write it). .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----' |