Knights and Warriors

by The Altered Destinies

A promise made, a promise unfulfilled, and the Goddess Amaterasu decides to rectify this oversight by entering the Bet and making a *slight* alteration to Ranma's timeline, bringing him into early contact with the Kunos.

1. Chapter 1

"The Bet"

Knights and Warriors

A Kodachi Story

By Jim Robert Bader

(Standard Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi created these people, I just borrowed them for a bit of fun)

Inspired by Gregg Sharp's "The Bet" series.

Part One.

Feud.

Amaterasu Omikami, Goddess of the Sun and Queen of the Japanese Heaven, looked with annoyance at her two brother gods, Susanowo and Tsukiyomi. They were playing games with the mortals, like always, but this time they were engaged in an intense competition with the other Gods of rival pantheons to see which of them could create a stable universe by altering the past of one particular timeline.

By itself there was nothing at all unusual about this, but the timeline in question revolved around a certain Nexus of probabilities named Saotome Ranma. Amatarasu had more than a passing familiar with the young man and his rather unique situation, it anything she had been amused by reviewing his past history and seeing the foibles he got into on more than a few occasions.

She knew, for example, that Susanowo had a personal interest in the boy, being that he had once touched paths with one of his daughters during her brief sojourn upon the Earth, and indeed that was the problem with these Nexus characters and the way they tended to affect the probability lines of their home dimensions. Ranma was like a magnet for trouble and every thing he did caused problems and complications to the larger surroundings of his environs. The boy was clueless as to the nature of his peculiar problem, having no one on hand to explain why his life seemed to revolve in such interesting circles. He was also very charismatic when it came to women of a violent persuasion, hence his attraction of four powerful combat fianc es, each vying for his attention...

Well, make that three fianc es and one problem child who had developed an obsessive interest in the boy. Amatarasu frowned as she thought on this for a moment, a nagging element centering on the one named Kuno Kodachi that struck a bell in her mind as she sat back upon her throne chair surveying the planet.

Kodachi...where had that name been countered before? She turned her attention towards the wall-sized mirror that was positioned to her left, swiveled her chair about and called up the Akashik Memory Storage Files from the Yggdrasil 2000 Computer Network that managed such things in the Japanese Heaven.

The device was a wonderful innovation of her brother's, combining the ancient arts of the Gods with the technological wonders of the modern age to save so much time and energy that used to be expended whenever a Goddess wanted to know something about a particular mortal. She found the file she needed and mentally clicked on it, then waited for the full download, thinking to herself that there were still a lot of bugs in the Yggdrasil '98 Windows program. She made a mental note to speak with her niece Skuld about this sometime...

All at once the file was opened up before her, and with the speed of thought Amatarasu scanned though the long forgotten ledger detailing a person's life, finding what she wanted in a matter of nanoseconds.

"Oh my," she commented aloud, sitting back in her chair in belated realization.

No wonder that name had sounded so familiar! It had been invoked in a dying prayer issued by a desperate woman in her last few seconds of life. The woman had committed Seppuku in the ancient ways, but without a second to help speed things along she had made rather much of a mess of it and wound up taking as long as a quarter of an hour to finally die. That had given her children time enough to see her laying in a pool of her own blood while still partly living, and the effect it had upon them had scarred them both for life. Such a horrible tragedy...no wonder the Old Ways were no longer as fervently practiced!

If not for her dignity as the supreme goddess of Heaven, Amatarasu would have given herself a swift kick in the rear (which is possible for gods but very difficult for mortals). Nearly ten years had elapsed without the prayer being fulfilled, and being a death prayer meant that it was very significant. Such a terrible screw-up, just the kind of thing that kept piling up with the tremendous backlog they had been suffering lately. There were simply too many prayers by too many worshippers to keep up with, and with Susanowo's daughters presently on earth they were terribly shorthanded in Heaven...

Amatarasu paused, thinking for a moment of what an embarrassment it was for her that her name had been invoked in the death prayer. It was certainly a poor reflection on her abilities as supreme Kami to let such a prayer go unanswered, and so simple a request: "Look after my Daughter..."

If the other Queens of Heaven should ever discover that she had slipped up this badly...

She smiled, glancing back at her two brothers, who were engrossed in their game of the Timelines. Boys with their toys...well, the girls could play this game just as well, and she had an idea of just what sort of change she could affect in a certain timeline. She made a mental note to summon up Toltiir, the cat deity behind it all, and was ready when he appeared to make her entry, then she would sit back and watch as it all happened...

-
-

"Bend, stretch, reach out, now leap high!" her mother commanded, and little Kodachi tried very hard to perform up to the exacting standards of her parent. It was not easy, being all of eight years old and extremely limber for her size and age, yet somehow never able to do it just right. She executed another backflip, caught her balance on the narrow beam then continue her motion into a roll with her feet curling under her as she straightened up again and extended her arms as though posing before an audience.

"Again!" her mother snapped, "Do it gracefully, with style, flowing. You must become one with the rhythm and never permit yourself to become distracted!"

"Yes mother," Kodachi replied, wincing slightly as she expected to be hit with the cane again as a reminder of good performance. When the blow did not arrive she licked her lips and awaited the command to repeat the routine all over. This time she performed it flawlessly with each little nuance in place, along with the pasted smile that she was supposed to wear to signify that she was a happy child, gay and carefree.

"Much better," her mother replied, and Kodachi breathed just a bit more easily while trying to relax and ready herself for her mother's next commandment.

"You must understand why I do this, child," her mother began to pace in what Kodachi knew to be the pattern for one of her standard lectures, "You are being groomed to fulfill a dream, a dream that I could not fulfill, and if some sacrificed must be made to achieve this dream, then believe that they are necessary. You will become the star that I should have been when I was so much younger, to represent your country in the Olympics and achieve the glory that I could not achieve. That is why I am so hard with you, and why you must listen to my instructions and do exactly as I tell you to the letter!"

She rapped her cane on the floor to emphasize her point, and with each rap Kodachi winced a little, half expecting to feel the cane against her bottom. Her mother seemed to content herself with just a verbal reprimand this time, but Kodachi knew she would not be so fortunate for long if she made another mistake and further aggravated her mother.

"Momma!" a voice suddenly intruded on their private session, and both mother and daughter turned to see her older brother, Tatewaki, stagger in holding one arm as he fought back against the tears he might otherwise have been shedding.

"What is it, my darling Tachi!" their mother said, at once reverting to the protective parent that she sometimes was to both of them, leaving Kodachi to breathe a sigh of relief as she watched her mother go to her brother and examine his latest injury.

"I was practicing and I fell down," Tatewaki said as he held his wrist out, "I think I sprained it."

"You should be more careful!" their mother hissed, "You didn't do this working out with your sword in the dojo, how did this happen?"

Tatewaki immediately had that guilty look on his face that as much as said that he had been doing something he was not supposed to be doing. When he did not answer their mother grabbed him by the arms and shook him.

"Tell me what you did!" she all but shouted in his face, "How did you hurt yourself, Tachi? I'm your mother, I demand that you answer!"

"I fell off a wall storming the enemy citadel!" Tatewaki replied, "The enemy was fierce and unstoppable, but I prevailed against their tide and nearly won the day through..."

"Oh, did you now?" their mother's tone changed abruptly as she played with her son's cheek, her mercurial temper shifting from one mode to the other as she once again became the adoring mother, "That's my little Samurai, such a brave, handsome, fearless little man. Your father will be very proud to hear how strong and heroic you are becoming. But you must remember to be careful while you are playing these games, it still hurts when you fall. Lucky this time it was just a light sprain, the next time you might very well break it."

She squeezed his wrist for emphasis and Tatewaki's face contorted in pain. She let it go again and hugged him to her body, then straightened up and said, "Never forget that you are a son of nobility, the descendant of a long and noble line of warriors who defended our land against its enemies. Your great grandfather died in the Great War, and you will honor his memory by never forgetting that you are a part of a long tradition."

"I will remember, mother," Tatewaki said, "But...didn't grandmother also say that grandpa lived beyond the war and died in bed with a..."

Their mother cuffed her son on the ear and said, "Don't talk that way about your great grandfather! My Grandfather was a great man and a fine warrior who taught my father to be proud of our heritage, and he taught me in turn to be proud of our long and illustrious history. Never mind those silly rumors that my mother sometimes tells to make him seem less great, like any common peasant."

"Now hey now," said another familiar voice, causing them all to turn once again to see the man in the business suit come through the door of the gymnasium with a broad grin on his face as he surveyed them in return, "You're all here together! That's just the way a family should be. I just closed another deal and I felt like taking the rest of the day off to celebrate with my favorite people in the whole wide world."

Daddy!" Kodachi said with enthusiasm as she leaped off the balance beam and ran up with arms spread wide to embrace her father.

"Father, you've come home," Tatewaki said with somewhat more reserve as their mother straightened up and immediately assumed the pose of a dutiful wife smiling at her husband.

"Welcome home, dear," she said, "What a rare and unexpected pleasure it is to greet you while it's still day out."

"Can't a man come home to his loving wife and children?" their father said somewhat defensively, but his smile never wavered, "Come on, everyone get dressed, we're going out on the town! I thought we might visit the zoo, take in the park, do all kinds of stuff like normal people."

"Since when are we normal people, father?" Tatewaki asked, "We are special, not like the common herd..."

"You've been listening too much to your mother," the senior Kuno replied, "Hey, put on your Sunday best, my little Samurai, and let your old father show you a real good time. You too, little sunflower, show your daddy what a fine little lady you're becoming."

"Yes, father!" Kodachi said brightly, feeling genuine excitement now that the thought of going outside had been mentioned. It had been so long since their father had done anything with either her or Tatewaki, and most of the time all their parents seemed to do was argue very loudly. The chance to do anything even halfway normal seemed like heaven compared to the daily grind of training. She ran into the house to get dressed, wanting to try out the new dress her mother had bought her for her birthday, the one she had never gotten the chance to wear, even if she was only dressing to show herself off before the common people.

Better to be common on a day like today than to be a captive princess in a tower waiting for her shining hero to stage a heroic rescue...a hero who never seemed to appear outside of her dreams of a life where she was loved and protected and never had to fear for another beating or the ever-present shadow of a parent...

"I'm hungry, Dad," said little Ranma as he felt his growling stomach once again, "When are we gonna eat?"

"Be patient, son," replied Genma, "Your father is working on it, and just as soon as I've figured it out we're both going to eat. Just think of it as another part of your training."

Ranma silently fumed as he sat back on the bench and shot daggers at his father. His Dad always said something like that to cover up for the fact that they were always running out of money and nearly always hungry. The few bucks he managed to find never lasted very long, so a lot of the time when they were supposedly "in-training" they were sitting around like this looking for ways of getting enough food to fill their bellies.

"We could go check out some restaurants," he half-heartedly suggested, disgusted that he would even think about dumpster diving, even if some of the stuff those places threw away was good enough to feed a family.

"Already thought of that, son," Genma remarked, "But the best time to hunt for scraps is after hours when no one can see you."

"How 'bout we both get jobs and earn some stuff?" Ranma asked, "That's what normal people do..."

"We're not normal people, son," Genma reminded him, "We're Martial Artists."

Ranma huffed at that, wondering what his mother would be cooking for dinner right now, and why did they never stop home to check up on her? It had been more than two years and he missed her terribly. It was getting harder every day to even remember what she looked like!

Genma suddenly sat up and said, "Well, well...maybe there is something we can do to change our fortunes?"

Ranma shot a look at his father, then turned to follow his gaze and felt a sinking sensation in his belly that was all too familiar and sometimes even replaced the hunger. There was a family strolling through the park, a man and woman with two kids about his age. He knew without asking what his father was going to suggest and said, "Pop..." in a low tone of warning.

"I'm not going to steal anything, son," his father replied in a tone of voice that made Ranma know that he was lying, "I'm just going to ask the gentleman a simple question, nothing to get too alarmed about. Besides, I can tell he's a fellow Martial Artist."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "You can? How?"

"From the way he moves, of course," Genma said as he got to his feet and started walking, "You get far enough along in the arts, boy, and you'll be able to spot them yourself. Notice the glide to his step? I'll bet he hardly makes a sound, very smooth and catlike."

Ranma followed his father like a dutiful son, but mostly to keep him out of trouble, like the last time this had happened. They had almost been nailed by that Cop and if Ranma hadn't run interference he might have wound up in one of those child custody homes while his father was sent up the river.

"Now just watch your old man and learn," Genma said casually, his sandals hardly scuffing the ground as he walked up to the fellow and casually called out, "Hello, sir, can I possibly trouble you for some directions to..."

To Ranma's surprise and Genma's amazement the man in the fine suit glanced in annoyance their way and started to give a sharp brush-off when his face froze in a look of shocked recognition. He halted, forcing the rest of his family to do likewise, and then the man turned fully towards them and said, "Genma? Saotome Genma? Is that you?"

"What...?" Genma halted as if his entire scripted thought processes had been derailed, then he, too, showed signs of clear recognition, "Godai-san? Kuno Godai? Is that really you and...Hitome?"

"Genma-san," replied the woman at the side of the well-dressed man, "It has been a while...over ten years, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well," Genma remarked with a broad grin, "I can see you two have been doing well together. Are these your children?"

"Hai," said the man, who Ranma now noticed had a very strong accent to his Japanese, implying that he was actually foreign, "My son, Tatewaki, who's nine years old, and this is my daughter, Kodachi, who is eight. And the boy?" he nodded towards Ranma.

"My son," Genma said proudly, clapping Ranma on the back, "Ranma, who's also just turned eight this year. I've been taking him with me on a training mission..."

"Oh?" the man said, "You mean like the ones you used to go on with that grandfather of yours, the pervert?"

"The Master...is no longer with us," Genma said with a solemn bow of his head, yet something in his tone implied that he did not actually mean it, "There's just me and Tendo now and our children..."

"So Tendo-san is doing well," replied the woman, looking oddly at Ranma before saying, "So...this is the son of Nodoka. What a handsome boy he is...you must be very proud."

Ranma wondered why the woman was giving him the funny stare, but he was more interested in exchanging looks with the boy and the girl. His first impression of the boy was that the kid was snooty, looking down his nose at him as if he were some kind of insect. The girl, on the other hand, was giving him the oddest kind of study, and Ranma was studying her back, thinking to himself that she was kind of pretty...for a girl, that is.

"So," the man said casually, "What have you been doing for yourself since you graduated from High School?"

"Oh, I travel mostly," Genma replied, "The boy is my life, you see, and raising him is enough of a job for any man..."

"In other words you're broke like always," the woman said snootily, "Same old Genma. I guess Nodoka-san wasn't enough of a woman to tame you after all. I always thought what you needed was stronger maternal guidance."

"Now dear, be nice," the man said before turning back to Genma, "Tell you what, Saotome-san, why don't you come with us for a while and I'll buy you and your son dinner at a local restaurant I know. It will be just like old times between us."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble you," Genma replied, causing Ranma to look at his father as if he had just been replaced by an imposter, "But it's very generous of your to offer..."

"We insist," the woman said with an odd gleam in her expression, "We seldom get to talk with people from the old days, and High School was such a long time ago. Besides, you were just saying that our children should get to meet more of the common people, weren't you darling?"

"I did at that," the well dressed man smiled, "Then it's settled! I know this place that serves Sushi, and the service is excellent. I'll hear no more talk of modesty from you, Saotome. You're our guests, and you'll be treated like one for the remainder of the evening."

"Well," Genma smiled, "If you insist...what do you say, boy?"

"Sushi?" Ranma's mouth began to water.

"You even drool like a peasant," the little boy suddenly spoke up, "I'll bet you haven't any more manners than a common street urchin."

"Tatewaki," the girl whined, clearly annoyed at her brother's rude behavior.

"Who are you calling a peasant?" Ranma suddenly spoke up, "I got just as much manners as you, I'll bet!"

"Someone should teach you manners first," the boy said, reaching into his shirt and pulling out his two-foot long practice sword.

"Boys," the man said in a jovial tone, "No fighting before dinner. If you want to show off how good you both are you can wait after we've filled our bellies."

"No, dear," his wife suddenly spoke up, "Let them fight. If Genma-san has been training him then the boy ought to provide an excellent test of Tachi's skills. Just be careful not to ruffle up your clothing."

"Mom," Tatewaki growled in a tone that had to be a universal constant between sons and mothers.

"Take your best shot," said Ranma as he eased away from his father's side to stand on the grass with enough room to maneuver, "I'm ready for you."

"We'll see about that, varlet!" the boy cried out, "Have at you!"

Tatewaki lunged forward with a sweeping thrust attack, but Ranma just vaulted over him and landed on top of the other boy's head, knocking him into the grass before sitting down there with his arms and legs folded.

"Told ya!" Ranma said matter-of-factly.

Kodachi covered her mouth in a vain attempt at stifling a chuckle, knowing that it was not properly lady-like to laugh at her older brother's discomfort. The way this peasant boy had taken Tachi down had been so casual and easy that she could not help herself. Tatewaki deserved to have some of the hot air let out of his sails, and this Saotome Ranma was so obviously a much better fighter.

"Well now," said her father, "The boy does have some skill in the arts. Not everybody gets the drop on my son like that."

"Father!" Tatewaki complained before growling at Ranma, "Get off of my back!"

"That's enough, boy," Genma said firmly, "I didn't raise you to be a bully, Ranma. You two bow to each other and apologize, then agree that you'll both be good friends from now on."

"Never," Tatewaki growled as Ranma got off of him and allowed him to regain his footing, "You didn't win, you cheated! I tripped and fell down, but next time I'll be ready!"

"Yeah, right," Ranma huffed, "What's the matter with you? Can't admit you lost fair and square?"

"He's right, boy," Genma said to the other child, "There's no dishonor in admitting that you've been bested by a superior fighter..."

"Superior?" Tatewaki said, "Him?"

"You lost, Tachi!" Kodachi growled, "Why don't you just come out and admit it?"

"A Samurai never concedes victory to his opponent!" Tatewaki declared, "I will never yield to defeat from anyone! Some day I will be the greatest Samurai Japan has ever seen..."

"Now son," their father said, "There's a difference between being a great fighter and being the best in the world. Take it from your old man, losing isn't the end of a battle, it's just a phase you go through on the way to getting even better. Genma here and I used to fight a lot when we were kids, but we got over it, just as you will...although I wouldn't mind a chance for a rematch," the man smiled with a gleam in his eye.

"If you brought your scissors then you're going to find yourself disappointed," Genma replied as he smiled back and did not bother to point out the fact that he was bald beneath his bandana.

"I don't need scissors to show you what I've learned," the other man grinned, "Then it's settled, after dinner?"

"Since you're buying, far be it from me to refuse the entertainment," Genma agreed, and the two men stretched out their hands to shake on it in the Western fashion.

"Nothing ever really changes," sighed Hitome as she eyed the two men, but there was something about the way she said it...and the gleam in her eyes as she looked towards his father, that made Ranma feel uneasy, though he could in no way say what exactly it was that made him feel most uneasy...

The fight between the fathers was brief since both had drunk more than their share of Saki, and instead it wound up with the two men slouched over their table swapping old stories while Hitome looked bored and instead turned her focus towards the children.

She could not help noticing that Kodachi was hanging very close to the side of little Ranma, enjoying the sight of the good looking boy while Tatewaki fumed and tried to act pompous. Hitome could not help but share her daughter's interest in the son of Genma, but for very different reasons. She was haunted by a memory, a time long past when she had been but a girl herself and not yet resolved to marry Godai. She recalled what Genma had been like in those days, and looking on him now she saw the shadows of that younger man. Then she remembered Nodoka and something in her belly knotted tightly.

The Saotome charm, they had called it, that mysterious ability Genma had of attracting the attention of various and unusual women, like the Amazon and that half-demoness, Atsuko. Nodoka had been far from the only rival in those days, but what it was that gave her the edge always puzzled Hitome, for Musakai Nodoka had seemed a plain and ordinary young thing, even if she were nobility descended from the house of a great Daimyo.

The boy was plainly a little charmer, and far more handsome than his father. It tormented Hitome inside to think of what might have been had she not married Godai for his money. She had thought that love would be an element in their marriage, and Godai did sometimes make an effort at being loving, but...he was too self-absorbed in his work, too compulsive and career oriented. A sharp dresser, to be sure, and immaculately groomed, but starting to give out a little around the waist, and his eyesight was failing slightly. He'd taken to carrying around a pair of sunshades whenever he went outdoors, and the man was so scatter-brained at times that he often forgot and left things unattended...like birthdays and holidays, not to mention the tenth anniversary of their marriage...

She continued staring at the boy while her husband drunk himself into a stupor with Genma. How might those old days have turned out if she had fought harder for Genma's attention? True the field was at times very crowded, but she thought herself beautiful enough that she might have competed with her rivals for charm. She had been in excellent physical condition and could hold her own in a fight, Captain of the Gymnastics and Cheerleader teams simultaneously, not to mention the Kendo and Archery clubs. Indeed, what did she have to fear from the likes of a Samurai, an Amazon or a half-Demon?

So what if Genma was as poor as dirt and generally uncultured...he was a MAN, and that was all that she had truly been after. The fact that he was a little stupid actually would have worked to her advantage as she could have manipulated him into the fortune that would otherwise have eluded him. Nodoka had obviously not worked any such influence or else why did he abandon her to live on the streets like a vagabond? He must have tired of her conservative nature and decided that a life of freedom was worth the poverty that came with such an existence...

She started as she heard her name being called, turning to find a soused Genma smiling at her while Godai was already nearly passed out on the table.

"You sure look good, Hitome-chan," Genma smiled, "And such a wonderful mother you are, having kids like that...yeah...you sure are a swell lady..."

That was all he said before joining her husband in recumbent inebriation.

Hitome felt a strange kind of thrill as she unconsciously primped her hair and felt herself flush like a schoolgirl. The compliment, coming from him, brought back old memories and made her wonder why he could not have noticed the kind of woman she was back then, when it would have mattered? Why were men so cruel to ignore great beauty for the sake of women they would later ignore once they had their way with them in marriage? It was so unfair, her life was such a tragedy, and the injury that had robbed her of her graceful stride and left her this crippled wreck of a housewife...it was more than any human being could endure! If not for her two beautiful children she was certain that she would go mad, for they were now the entire sum of her existence!

"What's wrong with father?" she heard Tachi asked, disturbing her from her distraught meditations and causing her to focus on the two men slumped over their table.

"Too much to drink, just like with my Pop," Ranma snorted, "Stupid old man, shouldn't drink more than he can handle."

"My father isn't a stupid old man," Kodachi said defensively.

"I didn't mean your Pop," Ranma said, pointing at Genma, "I mean him. Stupid, worthless old man..."

Something in the attitude of the boy made Hitome smile, and then she turned to a disapproving waiter and requested the use of a cab. An idea was forming in her mind and her husband's current state was fortuitous in that it allowed her a certain latitude of direction...

"Explain this again?" asked Godai while nursing a cup of hot Cha to ease the hangover he was feeling.

"It's quite simple, darling," Hitome replied, "You invited Saotome-san and his son to spend the night in our mansion. We certainly have room enough to accommodate a few houseguests..."

"Maybe so," Godai replied, "But I don't remember feeling that generous last night. You sure they're still sleeping it off?"

"Positive," Hitome replied, "Why, with the amount of Saki Genma-san imbibed I doubt if he's in much better condition than you..."

"Hold on a moment," Godai said, touching his wife's shoulder as he paused to listen carefully, then said, "What is that sound?"

Hitome blinked, then cocked her own ears before saying, "It sounds like...someone is fighting."

"It's coming from the gym," Godai remarked, already turning and heading off that way with his wife in close pursuit.

Moments later the two of them stood at the doorway to the Kuno Mansion gymnasium watching a fight that was in progress with Saotome Genma very much awake and sober, squaring off against his fast-moving son, who was doing a good impression of someone trying to pound is old man into hamburger.

"Stupid old man!" Ranma was growling, "How dare you embarrass me like that in front of other people! Can't you for once hold back on your drinking?"

"What do you know about it, Boy?" Genma replied as he fought back with equal energy, playing with his son as if to encourage his anger while fighting mostly defensive with a few attacks to prod his son into maintaining his defenses, "Strong drink can humble any man, but what's the point of life if we can't enjoy the rare moments of happiness it affords us?"

"Happiness?" Ranma snarled, "I'll show you happiness!" and with that he launched a new assault that actually pushed his father to the edge warding against numerous attacks from the miniature whirlwind.

To one side sat Kodachi and Tatewaki, each watching the father and son altercation with very impressed expressions. Kodachi's eyes were shining with admiration for the boy while her brother was sulking less resentfully than on the previous evening. At last he murmured aloud, "Well...maybe he is a bit skilled, but I still say he cheated against me."

Hitome was more than impressed as she watched Genma taunt his boy to attack with full fury. Such exceptional training methods...why had she never thought of inspiring such emotions in her son and daughter to make them practice with more vigor? Genma was encouraging his son to fight all out without holding back and thus forced the boy to draw on reserves of energy few children his age ever learned to tap into. It was an amazing display, and it caused her more than a little bit of envy.

That should be my son, she thought to herself, my boy who is training with his father. It could have been me who gave him such an exceptional fighter, rather than Godai's weak and pathetic genes leaving her offspring unable to perform up to their ideal peak standards. A dark cloud appeared behind her eyes as she thought of all the lonely nights she had spent crying herself to sleep over her useless, pathetic husband...

While she was thinking this to herself her husband was murmuring to himself, "What amazing recuperative powers, throwing off a hangover to perform at such high standards. I think there must be more to Saotome-san than I ever suspected back in high school."

There came a pause in the action between father and son, and Kodachi saw her chance to leap up and approach them smiling brightly as she said, "You're very good Ranma-san. And you practice like this every day?"

"Oh sure," Ranma said as he brushed his brow of sweat and smiled at the dark haired girl approaching him, "Pop and me do this all the time. It's no big deal, even if he does mess up a lot and make me look bad in front of people."

"You're very lucky, you know," Kodachi mused, "Not everybody has a father who takes so much time to train with you. My father is a busy man who spends all his time earning money so that we can live a life of luxury and privilege."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma asked, "Wanna trade?"

Kodachi laughed at that and said, "You're so funny!"

"You're not done with practice yet, boy," Genma remarked, "Another hour of training or you're going to get soft..."

"Excuse me, honored Saotome-san," Kodachi urged, taking Ranma's hand while the boy looked at her oddly, "But can I borrow your son for a few minutes. I want to show him some of my training in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics."

"Martial Arts what?" Ranma blinked his eyes.

"It's what my mother is training me in," Kodachi grinned at his confused expression, and then fell backwards as she reached out to catch the floor with both hands and tumbled back several paces before righting herself again with arms raised like a ballerina.

"Go ahead, boy," Genma smiled affably, "I'll allow you a few minutes of break time, but after that I'll expect you to make up with harder training."

"Your pardon again, honored sir," Kodachi smiled again with all the charm that she could muster, "But while I'm showing Ranma-san my moves perhaps you could give Tatewaki a few pointers. He needs to work on his hand-to-hand skills..."

"I do not!" Tatewaki protested, but Genma turned a friendly eye his way and said, "I'll see what I can do for the boy...that is if Godai-san doesn't object?"

"Be my guest," Godai replied, "I'd like to see what you could teach my boy since I haven't had enough time lately to coach him in his swordwork, which reminds me...SASUKE!"

At the senior Kuno's command a teenaged boy came scurrying into the room dressed in the ceremonial attire of a Ninja, "Coming, Master! Your faithful servant will attend-ooofff!"

The latter part was spoken because the little man tripped over his own feet coming onto the practice mat and barely managed to catch himself in a roll that ended abruptly with him sitting on his own face with a slightly dazed expression.

"Man," Ranma sniffed, "Is that guy pathetic or what...ow! What did you do that for?"

"Don't make fun of Sasuke," Kodachi chided, "His family has been in our service for nine generations. He's only recently taken up the duties that used to belong to his father."

"It's all right, 'Dachi-chan," Godai smiled at her before turning a sad look Sasuke's way, "You're lucky your father isn't here to see you like this, Sasuke. Now pick yourself up and tell us what we are having for breakfast this morning."

"As you wish, Master," the teenaged boy replied, sitting upright before bowing down to Godai with a very contrite expression.

"This way," Kodachi urged Ranma, guiding him across the space of the huge gymnasium to where a set of uneven parallel bars were set, then with a happy smile she leaped into the bars and began to execute a nearly flawless performance worthy of an Olympic gymnast.

"Wow!" Ranma said as Kodachi executed a nearly perfect dismount, "Awesome! You're very good, but you kinda overextended yourself at the end there. Maybe if you put more effort when you bend your knees for the dismount..."

Kodachi's joy at receiving his praise turned to outrage at the very idea of being corrected, "More...are you saying I'm not good enough?"

"Huh?" Ranma was surprised at the anger in her voice, "No, what I meant was you could do even better..."

"Like I suppose you can?" Kodachi huffed, "I'd like to see you try it!"

"Well, okay," Ranma shrugged, "Since you asked..."

Ranma hopped up onto the bars and began to duplicate Kodachi's efforts, flawlessly executing a series of vaults and somersaults on the bars until the time came for the final dismount, and then he soared much higher than Kodachi had gone and came down with a one-point landing on his feet, looking matter-of-
fact pleased with himself as he said, "You see? You get much better height on the leap which gives you more time to do more tumbles."

Kodachi managed to close her mouth after several seconds of effort then said, "How...I didn't know you knew Gymnastics..."

"It's Kenpo," Ranma replied, "Kind of like all sorts of stuff rolled together. Pops been teaching me to do stuff like that as long as I can remember. I don't wanna make you look bad or nothing, Kodachi, it's just I think you're great and I know you got it in you to be even better."

"You...really think so?" Kodachi faintly murmured.

"Sure!" Ranma said as he patted her on the shoulder, "You're a real champ, I can tell! Like you said, most kids aren't as lucky as we are having our folks personally train us, and you even get to do it with your mother..."

"Ah..." Kodachi's good mood dissipated a little at the mention of her mother, who would have thrown a fit at anything less than a perfect performance, "Well...I try hard to do good, but sometimes I...have a little trouble keeping my focus..."

"Then don't think about it," Ranma said, "Just let your body do what comes natural to you. The less you have to think about performing, the easier it is to do it, or so Pop always tells me."

"Why do you...talk the way you do to your father?" Kodachi hesitated, having secretly admired the boy's strong assertiveness in the face of a parent.

"Ah, Pop doesn't mind, and it helps me blow off steam," Ranma replied, "He's always doing stuff to make me mad, but I guess it's because he's a little stupid and slow at times. I gotta put up with a lot because he don't know any better, not that I let him get away with that much around me."

Kodachi's eyes shone with emotion as she took in the confident way that Ranma matter-of-factly stated his independence. She tried to imagine herself talking back like that to her mother and...cringed inside, knowing she would never have such courage.

"Here, let me show you something," Ranma said, walking over to the balance beam and hopping onto it before turning around and saying, "Come up here and try it with me."

"Try what, Ranma?" Kodachi asked as she walked up to the balance beam, set one hand on it, then rolled into a one-handed standing posture before arching her back and setting her small feet on the beam in front of Ranma, giving him a very kawaii look with their faces apart by only inches.

"Hey," Ranma backed away in surprise, "That's not too bad. I mean...here, try this with me, will ya?"

Kodachi eyed the boy curiously as Ranma held out his right hand towards her, and after only a little hesitation she took it with her left. Ranma smiled, then turned to face in a direction off to the left side of the beam, forcing Kodachi to turn with him and face in the same direction. Once they were only an arms length apart, he smiled and said, "Okay, don't do nothing, just let me do the work here."

Kodachi was about to ask what he was up to when Ranma vaulted up from a standing position and sailed cleanly over Kodachi's head while releasing her left hand, only to land on her opposite side as he grabbed her right hand, still facing in the same direction.

"See?" Ranma smiled, "This stuff ain't so hard if you practice enough, and I'll bet you could even be almost as good as me some day."

Kodachi was thrilled, but also more than a little vexed at being shown up once again by her cocky house guest. That Ranma was obviously a talented young student of the martial arts was confirmed beyond doubt in Kodachi's mind, and yet she both resented and admired him for his agility and daring.

"Could you..." she hesitated, but after a long, tense moment of thinking about the implications she finally concluded her statement as a question, "...Could you teach me how to do that?"

"No problem," Ranma grinned her way, "It's not hard at all, you just gotta work on your reflexes. You've got plenty of talent, as Pop likes to say, ya just need to work on bringing it out."

"You make it sound so...uncomplicated," Kodachi said brightly.

"No more complicated than standing on your head," Ranma grinned at her with a wink that caused her to laugh at his clown-like behavior.

Unknown to the two children, who were starting to have a good time together, Hitome was watching it all from the shadows of the entrance, feeling the intensity of her resentment as it began to burn into a blazing inferno...

"So..." Godai smiled across the table at his companion, "What do you think of my proposal, Saotome? You could stay with us for a while and train my children the way you have your boy. I think both Tachi and 'Dachi-chan could profit to learn from your son's excellent example."

"Hmm," Genma seemed to be seriously thinking it over, "I don't know, Godai-
kun...I've been training my boy on the road for a couple of years now, and it is the best way for him to become the Man among Men that I promised his mother he would be."

"I understand that," Godai nodded approvingly, "And I wasn't saying you should make your stay with us a permanent one, but you could stay here and accomplish a lot in, say, a few months time. I can make it worth your while, and you wouldn't have to worry about food and shelter. Your boy can even attend classes with my children at an exclusive school, the best that money can afford."

Genma stroked his chin, though the mention of food brought a gleam to his eyes that the other man could hardly have missed. What Godai was promising sounded like an easy life, and after two years of living like a mendicant he was ready for such a transition. It was hard taking care of both himself and Ranma, the boy eating twice as much as a healthy lad his age would, which was still only a fraction of the daily caloric intake of his father. It was an enormously tempting offer, and it prompted him to ask, "How much compensation are we talking about here?"

Godai quoted a figure and Genma nearly fainted. The senior Kuno tried to make light of his gesture by adding, "Of course that's only a flat salary for, say, six months of training. If you'd rather be paid on a weekly or monthly basis I could break it down into an hourly wage figure..."

"Ah, no, that's quite...sufficient," Genma swallowed, the Yen signs all but dancing before his eyes.

Six months of living in luxury with the Kunos...he tried to think of what the down side would be but could not. After all, his old friends had made well for themselves, and they seemed generous enough to be willing to offer even a tiny portion of their wealth in exchange for a few lessons. What would the harm be in staying for that length of time, he wondered, thinking he could easily return to life on the open road a much wealthier man better able to provide for his son, and the free food did a lot to sweeten the package.

After all, what sort of father would he be to turn this down? He was only thinking of the boy, of course, and the prospect of a full belly with three square meals prepared to the excellent standards of their breakfast did not seem to be that great a burden. He smiled at Godai and the two men shook hands in their agreement. Six months would pass quickly, Genma was assured, and afterwards...well...maybe Godai-kun would consider an extension, or be open to negotiations...

Two weeks had past and a routine had begun with Genma waking the children up every morning to start their day doing warm-up exercises and practice katas while Hitome looked on and admired the way Genma was managing the children. Tatewaki and Kodachi looked up to their "Uncle Genma," for he was stern but fair in lavishing both praise and criticism, using Ranma as both an example and a foil to motivate his other students into doing their best, and then exceeding their best efforts.

Hitome still trained with Kodachi to insure she did not lost her edge in gymnastics, but to Hitome's surprise and dismay her daughter began to pick up new techniques and display even more surprising skill, speed and dexterity as she not only grasped the fundamental basics of Hitome's more advanced maneuvers but began to invent new ones. On the one hand Hitome was pleased to see her daughter making such phenomenal progress, but on the other hand it made her feel as though her training methods were vastly inferior to those of Saotome Genma. Her admiration for the man warred with smoldering resentment at the implied slight to her abilities as a parent, adding to her growing rage, which she kept deep inside rather than let out for all to notice.

Hitome no longer had to threaten Kodachi with punishment for the girl to work extra hard at self-improvement. Already Kodachi was showing signs of being far better than her mother ever was at either form of gymnastics: Olympic and Combat oriented. She would be a promising star before she reached puberty and the Olympic world would tremble before her prowess, which was all that Hitome had ever dreamed of for her daughter. The only sour note was that Hitome felt less responsible for Kodachi's progress than Genma, with her role being reduced to a mere assistant coach, which stung her pride very deeply.

Moreover, Kodachi was demonstrating a growing fondness for the son of Nodoka, a thing that Hitome found more objectionable even than losing her status as a parent. Ranma was obviously enjoying the free time where he and Kodachi would play games like "tag" together, performing dangerous feats of athletic prowess as they chased each other around the house, frightening Sasuke, who had the unenviable task of supervising their free time. Ranma was also providing a perfect sparring partner for Tatewaki, who seemed to thrive on trying to improve himself so that he could finally defeat Ranma in combat, and when using a bokken proved insufficient, Tatewaki consented to be taught unarmed martial arts by Genma.

In two weeks time the children had all done very well indeed, though Ranma remained superior in every way to either of Hitome's children, a fact that was now at the core of her whole world of angry resentment. At last she could endure it no more and so requested to spend time alone with the boy, intending to rid herself of this constant reminder of her inadequacies, and of the mistake she had made in choosing Godai for a husband.

Her husband was rarely home these days, barely spend any time with Hitome, using what free time he had to indulge in drinking bouts with Genma, whose capacity for liquor was truly to be remarked upon. Hitome waited until both men were roaring drunk and about to pass out before excusing herself to check on the children upstairs. She didn't bother to add that she knew that Ranma would not be in his room at that hour, having studied the boy's habits enough to know that he preferred the roof on cloudless nights as it allowed him to gaze at the stars in solitary reflection.

Hitome's eyes gleamed like a hungry predator as she crept out into the night, surprising the boy only when a roof tile creaked, betraying her presence. Hitome was not alarmed though, having already rehearsed in her mind what she would say to defray his suspicions, careful not to give away the fact that she carried a knife in concealment on her person.

"It's just me, Ranma-kun," she said, walking slowly up alongside him as the boy settled down to resume his study of the moonlight.

"Oh, Auntie Kuno," he smiled, "Sorry, I didn't know it was you. I thought for a minute there..."

When he paused, Hitome chose to sat down beside him, patiently biding her time until the moment was right. In a deceptively calm voice she asked, "You thought for a moment...what?"

"Ah, it's nothing," Ranma gazed off into the shadows, "It's just...ever since I was little I've had this...feeling that there was something out there, an Oni or something like that."

"An...Oni?" Hitome's eyebrows climbed by a fraction, though it was too dark for the boy to see this particular detail.

"Yeah, Pop tells me I'm just imaginin' stuff," Ranma huffed, "There's no such things as Onis, right? That's just a buncha hogwash, like I keep tellin' Tachi."

"Has Tachi seen an Oni?" Hitome asked with genuine curiosity.

"Naw, but he talks a lot about fightin' monsters'n demons," Ranma said, "Thinks he wants ta be a Knight in shining armor more than a Samurai. I keep tellin' him there's no such stuff as dragons..."

"I've seen a dragon...once," Hitome revealed very softly, "And I fought against an Oni."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked his eyes and looked at her shadowy outline, "You have?"

"Oh yes," Hitome revealed, "Her name was Atsuko, and she...was a friend of your father's. This was well before you were born, of course, but she was a lot of trouble, as I remember anyway."

"You knew an Oni?" Ranma gasped, his boyish enthusiasm replacing his earlier skepticism.

"Her father s half-Oni," Hitome revealed, "Her mother was a demon sorceress, and she had fangs, a tail and a pair of bat-wings. Her skin was very red and she was as strong as any monster, but also very tricky. She could cast illusions that were so real that you would never know they were illusions. Eventually your father made her go away, but I've always wondered if she is still out there, watching, biding her time until maybe she could strike at us again, the ones she hated, who stood between her and your father."

"Wow," Ranma glanced off into the darkness, then unconsciously moved back a bit as if suspecting the shadows would have eyes gleaming in hunger.

Hitome smiled, reaching for her hidden tanto. The boy was not on his guard against her and was now distracted by her story. It would be quick and he would suffer much less than any child of Nodoka might deserve, and then she could shove the body off the roof and make it look like an accident. With a little help, and a bribe to the coroner, it could be made to seem as if the boy had slipped and fallen by himself with no one noticing the dagger cut to the carotid artery as she was skilled enough to make it seem as if created by something other than a razor-sharp object.

"Mother?" Kodachi's voice intruded into the darkness, startling Hitome so that she almost lost her grip upon the tanto.

Kodachi had not been sleeping very well that night, and she knew that Ranma liked to spend time in the dark staring at the stars by himself, so she had decided to follow his example, though she preferred a location that was far enough from his that he might not see her. She had seen her mother walk out onto the roof, overheard her story and started to relax a little when she saw the gleam of moonlight reflect the blade of the Tanto. She had gasped out the word without thinking, thereby catching both Ranma and mer mother by surprise, though Kodachi knew in an instant that her mother was not out here to enjoy any nocturnal bonding.

"Dachi-chan?" Ranma asked, "What are you doing out...?"

Hitome's mind suddenly snapped, fear of discovery being replaced by her outrage at hearing the affectionate tone Nodoka's child was directing towards her daughter. In a flash she whipped out the Tanto to stab at Ranma, but the boy reacted much more instinctively than she would have imagined and darted back out of the way, rolling to his feet in a flash before turning to confront her with a look of confusion and horror.

"Mother-don't!" Kodachi cried, suddenly on her feet as she saw her mother rise to menace her Ranma.

"Stay out of this, Kodachi," Hitome's voice was unnaturally calm, but way she held the knife was clearly a demonstration of her intentions to use it, "He has to die! He is Nodoka's!"

"What...what have you got against my mother?" Ranma asked, wondering if an Oni had somehow impersonated or possessed the wife of his uncle Godai.

Hitome did not answer, but instead she charged at Ranma, ignoring the pain in her knees that had robbed her of Olympic glory, forcing Ranma to dart away from her rather than risk being slashed as he recognized that Hitome's knife-style was professionally polished.

But Hitome's forward lunge was interrupted by Kodachi, who launched herself in a tackle at her mother, striking at her legs since she knew this was her chief weak point. Both Hitome and Kodachi staggered forward, not seeing the skylight until they were almost on top of it. Ranma saw, however, and cried out a warning, too late to prevent them falling through, but not too late to make a desperate grab for Kodachi.

The skylight, as it turned out, was located directly over the gymnasium, so though the fall was high it was easy for Hitome to break her momentum by grabbing hold of a steel rafter, swinging herself into a lateral direction by which she could aim for one of the ropes, snagging it with the skill of her younger days, not even losing her grip on the Tanto in passing.

Ranma had also managed break his fall, one hand on Kodachi's wrist as he used his legs to kick against a beam so that they both could go tumbling into the trampoline that was off to one side and thirty feet below them. Kodachi was shaken, but Ranma helped her to recover as they made it to the floor in the darkened room. Unfortunately they were not alone there, for a figure came hurtling towards them in the dark, forcing the two children to part company as Hitome slashed blindly in the direction of Ranma.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" Hitome cried as she hit the floor with both feet, ignoring the pain that shot up through her legs as she saw the terrified look Ranma gave her in that moment. In a flash she was on top of him, bearing down with her superior weight as she brought the Tanto to within several inches of his face, only to have her arm be grabbed by Kodachi, who used all the childish strength within her body to try and deflect her mother's efforts.

"Mother-stop!" Kodachi pleaded, tears rolling down her eyes as fear for her playmate overcame her terror of her mother.

"Obey me!" Hitome snarled, changing the direction of her arm to shake off Kodachi in what she meant to be a slap, forgetting the sharp object in her hand as it slashed Kodachi across the cheek, cutting her deeply. Hitome did not hear Kodachi's startled cry of pain as she brought the knife up again and cried, "SHI NEI!"

"Mistress?" a voice called out from the shadows, and suddenly Sasuke was there, but too far away to offer any assistance.

Ranma managed to turn his head at the last instant so that the knife merely cut his earlobe by a light graze, but it left his neck exposed as Hitome brought the knife back with the intent of aiming another blow at a vital center. Before the blow could land, however, something connected against the back of her head and she lost her grip on the Tanto, collapsing on top of Ranma as consciousness momentarily fled her.

Ranma grunted as he fought to free himself from his attacker, only to find Sasuke and another offering him assistance, that other being none other than young Tatewaki Kuno. The older boy had a look on his face that seemed even more frightened than Ranma's, and the bokken in his hand was not his usual practice sword but the heavier version that was meant to resemble a katana.

"Sister?" Tatewaki turned away from Ranma as he heard Kodachi sobbing in the darkness.

"Kodachi," Ranma scrambled to his feet and joined Tatewaki in offering consolation to the young girl, who had a hand pressed to her cheek and was bleeding quite profusely.

"Sasuke!" Tatewaki snapped, "Call a doctor, Dachi needs medical attention!"

"Yes Master," Sasuke hesitated, glancing down at Hitome, "But...what of the Mistress?"

"Bind her wrists, but be gentle," Tatewaki gulped, his efforts at being brave beginning to falter as the realization finally sunk in that he had done violence against his own mother.

"Wake up Pop and Uncle Kuno," Ranma urged, "If they ain't too drunk to be of any use here!."

"As you wish it, young Masters," Sasuke responded, himself too numb with the shock of what had just occurred to react in anything less than a mechanical manner, being certain that he made Hitome's bonds as strong as he could lest he face her wrath when she recovered...

Hours later a much-sobered Godai and Genma sat together in the waiting room nursing hot cups of tea and a mutual sense of uneasy depression. The shock had not gone away of the discovery of Hitome's insane behavior, and it left both men feeling horrified with mutual guilt and disbelief at the revelation.

"Genma-kun," Godai softly murmured after a long silence, "What have I done? What have I done to deserve this? Why did Hitome seek your son's life? Why? It makes no sense! It just does not make any sense..."

"I don't know, Godai-kun," Genma admitted, "I never saw it coming either. I thought...Hitome-san was over this sort of thing. We both know what she was like in the old days..."

"True," Godai said, "But...I had hoped...but with her injuries, the loss of her dreams...I had thought motherhood would give her life a purpose. I was wrong...so very wrong...and now my poor Tachi, Kodachi..." he shook his head in disbelief, unable to fully grasp what had happened.

"At least the doctors were able to stitch the wound closed," Genma noted in a low, numb tone of voice, "She didn't suffer too much blood loss, and she should recover soon enough..."

"But her looks, Saotome...her beauty..." Godai's voice faltered.

"Easy, Godai-kun," Genma said softly, as he might to a child, "I understand that they can work miracles with plastic surgery these days, so they might be able to repair her face so that no one will ever see the scar. I know the burden this may place upon her, but she is a strong young lady, a warrior who can overcome anything..."

"It was your son who saved her," Godai looked down, "His quick wits in summoning help have given Kodachi a chance for restoring her beauty. I am forever in your debt, Saotome, as much as I can never be rid the dishonor of my wife's actions."

"Forget about it, Godai-kun," Genma replied, "Ranma's a strong boy, just like I raised him. It's not your fault Hitome was having problems, these things just happen and we never see them..."

"But they never happen to me," Godai lifted his eyes and looked directly at Genma, "I've been a fool thinking that wealth and property could buy my family happiness. I've been neglecting her, and I've been an unworthy husband. I don't know if I can change my ways, if it's not too late to change, but somehow...I will make it better. I swear this!"

Genma was not certainly he liked the way his friend had stated this and tried to mollify things by saying, "Let's just take it one day at a time, Godai-kun. Hitome needs medical attention even more than Kodachi, and your son needs to come to terms with what he did to save my son's life. From where I sit we're even, so there's no reason to make any life-altering decisions..."

"But I have made a decision," Godai said, "And when the time is right you will know my judgement."

Genma looked into the face of his friend, seeing the quiet determination there, and he realized that to say anything more at that point would dishonor Godai beyond recall, so he kept his own silent council, but inwardly worried as he knew this decision would have a direct impact upon his own son's future...

Another week had passed and Genma was starting to worry. He'd done everything he knew how to do to offer consolation to the children, believing that training would be the best way to help them get past the institutionalization of their mother. Kodachi wore the bandage over her cheek that covered the shame of her injury, while Tatewaki carried his own wounds deep inside him, becoming withdrawn and morose as he focused upon training, while spending much of his free time reading books from his father's literary collection. Ranma was much the same as always and did what he did best in these situations, which was to live for the moment, teasing both Kunos in an attempt to draw them out from their shells and achieving moderate success with Kodachi, who began to smile once again after several days of intense effort.

Kodachi not only recovered from her injury but was improving herself in Combat Gymnastics by combining elements of the Saotome Ryu as fast as Genma could teach her. The older man was amazed at the girl's ability to soak in knowledge and incorporate it into her own distinctive style as she bloomed like one of the black roses that Godai was growing in his garden. Her interests in plant pharmacology was similarly drawing her away in her spare time so that Ranma would often be left to himself, wandering the halls of the Kuno mansion looking for something to do to relieve his boredom. He seemed to come the most alive when spending time around Kodachi.

Finally, the second week after the incident with Hitome, Godai summoned Genma and his son and in a formal ceremony revealed what he had decided upon the night of the attach. The children sat nervously studying the passive face of the older Kuno, who had shaved his head bald overnight and was now wearing the robe of a Buddhist priest, while Sasuke sat to one side in the place of an ancient Samurai retainer.

"My son," Godai addressed Tatewaki first, "You are to be a man who will inherit the fortune that I will leave to you, but Japanese Law will take much of our property away unless I make it a dowry for whatever woman you will marry. I have decided to divide our property evenly between you and Kodachi, who will also have a dowry that I give freely to the man who will be her husband."

"Father," Tatewaki said, "What's wrong? You're not ill in any way, why speak at all of our inheritance?"

"My son," Godai said, "You are wrong, I am sick, deeply so, and I find the only way to heal myself is to remove my soul and body from the source of my illness. I am renouncing the ownership of property and entering a Buddhist temple as a novice so that I may pray for the swift recovery of your mother. I will leave everything that I can to the both of you, but as gifts that will be yours when you marry. The rest will be left in a trust fund to be supervised by men whom I have chosen to manage this estate. You will both continue to live here and have your every need seen to, and Sasuke will insure that you do not suffer in my absence. However, I do not leave you totally without support as Saotome here will remain as your teacher. He will give you the counseling and guidance that I have failed to provide you..."

"Godai-kun," Genma said in dismay, "What you ask is impossible! I cannot bind myself here on a permanent basis...it would impede the boy's training."

"So?" Godai asked, "You can take my children with you when you train. I will make certain that they have an allowance that will ensure that they never go hungry. You don't have to live like a peasant anymore, Genma-kun, and it's the least that I can do to redeem the shame against my honor."

"But...father..." Kodachi asked, "Why must you leave us? What can you find at a temple that you cannot find here?"

"Salvation," Godai said simply, then turned to regard Ranma and asked, "What do you think of our young Saotome, daughter? Are you fond of him as a playmate and a companion?"

Kodachi could not help blushing like a different kind of rose while Ranma was confused by it all. After a few seconds Kodachi replied, "Yes, father...I enjoy being with Ranma very much..."

"And you, young Master," Godai said, "What do you think of my daughter?"

"Kodachi?" Ranma was even more confused as he saw the girl turned almost-violet eyes in his direction and look at him with adoration. For some reason he was vaguely reminded of Ukyo, though why Kodachi would remind him of a boy was something his young mind could not make sense of.

"Ah..." he shrugged, "She's all right, and she's gettin' better on the parallel bars. She's gonna be great in a little while..."

"Then it is decided," Godai turned to Genma, "You and I will discuss the details when we are alone, but I expect that you will agree to my terms in exchange for half of my inheritance."

"In exchange...?" now Genma definitely had an idea of where this was headed, having been at this sort of bargaining place before, and with no doubt at all as to the outcome...

Genma knew that he was a weak man, that he lacked in courage and intelligence the sort of qualities that he sought to instill upon Ranma. He even, on rare moments, confessed in the privacy of his heart that he was a bit of a coward with very poor negotiating sense and was prone to rash moments of poor judgement. All of this had been brought home to him time and again during his years serving The Master.

But now he was being asked to do something that in his heart of hearts he knew he could not do. Godai had been most generous in laying out his terms, and Genma had been unable to refuse the offer, and as a consequence Ranma's fate had been sealed once again. He was now officially Kodachi's iinazuke, just like with Ukyo before then, and many other young girls scattered through the length of the Japanese main Islands.

But Genma could not allow it to be so, much though he yearned to sit back and enjoy the fruits that Godai had offered. Training the Kuno children to become better martial artists he could handle, even coaching them past their grief to provide a good role model of what it meant to be a superior martial artist, but not to make it a permanent affair. That he could not do to either himself or to Ranma. His son had to learn the hard lessons of the road, just as Genma had learned from the Master, and there was the sacred promise made to the Tendos that came before all other considerations...

Genma stared at the ceiling over his head, torn up inside at the sacrifice that he was making. To live in wealth and comfort was all that he had ever dreamed about, (beyond beating the living tar out of the Master) and to have it all within his grasp but to turn his back on it...it was more than he could stomach.

But he had to do it, and soon, after Godai-kun had finished making his arrangements. Genma had already prepared the note that he would leave behind when he took Ranma with him in the dead of night. The boy would adjust to losing his new play mates, just as Genma felt certain that the Kuno children would get along without his teaching, having already made excellent progress. Genma regretted that he had to depart like a thief in the night, but he doubted it would be any easier by the light of day, and to stay any longer would become such a strong temptation that he might never escape from the good life. He had to leave now while he still could manage the willpower.

"Ranma, my boy," Genma thought in the privacy of his heart, "Has any father loved his son more than I who must sacrifice everything for you, to make you the Man among Men that I promised your mother?"

That being said, Genma waited until Ranma had fallen asleep before pressing the nerves that would keep him unconscious for several hours, then he gathered up his things, and the money he had acquired honestly and fairly (or so he insisted) from Godai and made his escape, so silent that even Sasuke never saw him passing. In a few hours they would awake and find him gone while Ranma would resume his interrupted training under the loving care of his self-
sacrificing father...

"Master," Sasuke looked up at Godai with the note still in his hand, "What does this mean? Why would he do this?"

"It's my fault," Godai reasoned, "I asked too much of him, and he has given me his answer. I should have expected no less from a true disciple of the Art, but once again I was blinded by my own desires, one of many sins that I must purge myself of in the temple."

"Should we hire a private detective to hunt him down?" Tatewaki asked, his anger at the betrayal of a teacher being so great that it made him shake with outrage.

"No need, my son," Godai replied, "Genma will find that he does not escape so easily from our pledge together. One day he will return to our lives, and his son with him, and then the promise that he made to me will be fulfilled. I swear this to you, Kodachi, you will one day have your Ranma."

"Father," Kodachi said morosely, wondering why her playmate would have abandoned her without a word in passing. Was everything that had gone between them a lie? Did he spurn her now that she had a mark upon her beauty?

Kodachi vowed that she would train herself, to become the best that she could be, to one day face Ranma down in challenge and determine the answer. Either he would give her satisfaction one way...or pay for it in another. Either way the Black Rose would indeed have her answer...

Eight Years Later.

"Saotome?" Kuno Tatewaki said in disbelief, "Saotome Ranma? It is you...after all this time?"

"Eh?" Ranma regarded the boy wearing the Samurai gear and wondered why he seemed so familiar, "Do you know me, friend?"

"I am no friend of yours, nor shall I ever be!" Tatewaki cried as he lifted his bokken, "Prepare to taste the fury of my vengeance for the humiliation that you visited upon my family and sister?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked his eyes while Tendo Akane looked from him to Kuno, then Ranma gasped, "Tachi?"

"You two know each other?" Akane asked in disbelief, her unwanted iinazuke and best friend facing off like mortal enemies in some Samurai-based movie.

"Sure," a slow smile crept upon Ranma's handsome features, "Kuno Tatewaki! How's it going? It's been years..."

"Don't patronize me, Saotome!" Tatewaki cried, rushing forward, "Prepare to taste my wrath at dishonoring my sister!"

Kuno made a mighty strike that passed through the space where Ranma had been standing, leaving a shock wave that went right through the wall behind Ranma, shattering brick and mortar as though they were cardboard and plaster props from a movie.

Much to Kuno's surprise Ranma was standing right behind him, ready to block the next strike as he effortlessly parted Tatewaki from his weapon.

"Mind running that one by me again, Kuno-san," Ranma asked as he twirled the bokken between his fingers, "The part about me dishonoring your sister?"

"Cretin!" Tatewaki made a fist and attacked Ranma, who flowed around the strike as if it had been telegraphed by express mail.

"Whoah," Ranma said, "Good roundhouse you got there, Tachi, but you need to work a little on your speed. You're almost as slow as you were in the old days."

"What is going on here?" Akane demanded, "Why are you two fighting?"

"Stay out of this, Akane-chan," Kuno said forcefully, "This is between me and Saotome! I will have my revenge for you did to Kodachi..."

"I never did nothing to Kodachi," Ranma frowned, "What's this all about Kuno-
san? It's been eight years, but I thought we were still friends."

"Friends!" Tatewaki cried, rearing back for a blow that carried more than just physical power, and might have done real damage had it connected with Ranma instead of the tree behind him. As it was the shock-wave of the punch alone gouged a deep pit in the bark, which much surprised Ranma.

"Wow, how did you do that?" he asked, nodding, "You have done some improvement. Now, about Kodachi..."

Tatewaki struck again, but this time Ranma did not dodge but blocked the strike and stepped into Tatewaki's guard to deliver a stinging back-fist punch that put Kuno temporarily out of commission.

"Kuno-san!" Akane cried.

"You will address me as...Sempai..." Tatewaki groaned before losing consciousness.

Akane elbowed her way past Ranma and knelt down to examine the older boy, seeing the bruise to his chin that would take some time healing. Ranma frowned as he saw the care which she lavished upon Tatewaki, which same she had not displayed to any of the two-score boys that had attacker her in the beginning. It began to dawn on him that Kuno Tatewaki was the sole exception his iinazuke made to her general disdain for the male of the species.

"You two are buddies, huh?" he asked, making light of the subject.

"He's my friend!" Akane glared hatefully up at Ranma, "Why did you have to knock him out?"

"Didn't seem like he was going to be reasonable about answering my question,"
Ranma said, "And it's not like I wanted to hit him. After all, he saved my life once."

"He did?" Akane blinked.

"Yeah, I thought we were buddies," Ranma frowned, "I'll bet even money Pop had something to do with this. Somehow the Old Man's always screwing around with my life, getting me into trouble for the crimes he commits."

"I wouldn't take that bet for anything, Saotome," said Tendo Nabiki, who seemed to manifest at his side with her usual sly look of a shark sensing dinner, "So...what's this about you and Kuno-chan being former friends and now best enemies?"

"I don't know," Ranma said, "But he said it involved his sister, Kodachi. You know where I can find her, Nabiki-san?"

"I might," the middle Tendo girl smiled, "For a price."

Ranma heaved a sigh and said, "How about I owe you a favor? I don't got much money...Pop never could manage to keep hold on anything we'd earn."

"Perhaps you should consider trading him in for a better role model," Nabiki said, "But I'll take that marker. She's enrolled at a private school, Saint Hebereke, which is several kilometers away from here at the other end of town. I can sell you a map if you're willing to up that marker."

Ranma rolled his eyes, realizing that life with the Tendos was bound to be a very expensive prospect, especially if he hung around with Nabiki. Things could be worse, though, if she'd been the one they decided to engage him to. Just once he wanted to meet a woman who could appreciate him for himself and not look at him as a source of opportunity. Nonetheless he decided to skip classes for the day, not wanting to be around with Tatewaki regained consciousness, at least until he had found out why his former friend regarded him as a betrayer...

Kuno Kodachi was not pleased and made her displeasure well known to the members of her Gymnastics team. She tried to be stern but fair to them, but there were limits to what she would tolerate, and slackening in training for the big match with Kolhotz at the end of the week was not even close to acceptable in her judgement.

"Try it again, Nanami!" she scolded in a low tone that most people who knew Kodachi dreaded hearing, "You're supposed to be fighting with Maya, not choreographing a dance together!"

"But it's too hard!" Nanami complained, "And we're tired, 'Dachi! Can't we take a break We've been at this for two hours!"

"Two hours," Kodachi scoffed, "Exercise period lasts for three hours on this team. That's the length of time that I am permitted to force you clods into behaving like Gymnasts, but obviously that is not what you are. You are like selfish, whining children who never can do anything without holding the hands of your mothers!"

"That's not fair!" Nanami winced, stung by the barbed attack of their slave-
driving team captain.

"Fair?" Kodachi mocked the word, then casually ran the tip of her finger across the slight discoloration that marked where a faint scar had been for many years, marking the otherwise perfect profile of her right cheek, "Do not talk to me about fairness. Life is not fair, it is often cruel and bitter to those of you who expect it to be otherwise. Do not mistake fairness for even-handedness, Nanami. You train to represent our school, and I had thought you more than passing good, but now I learn that you are like a child who wants everything to be fair. Well, I am sorry, but if I petitioned the Bright Lady she might perhaps consider making everything fair in your match against Shiratori of Kolhotz!"

Nanami's expression darkened and in a low tone she growled, "I'm not afraid of Shiratori! That little creep still owes me for the Ice Skating match, and there's no way I'll lose to her...ever!"

"Do my ears deceive me," Kodachi smiled, "Or does that sound like a Warrior talking? Is this the real you, Nanami, or am I wasting my time here?"

Nanami's eyes blazed with a glare and she turned back to face her opponent. Maya suddenly gulped as she held her ribbon at the ready, thinking to herself that it was very likely that she was in for a severe beating.

"Man, you're tough," a voice commented from just over Kodachi's head, causing her to shoot her gaze upward and see the figure dangling by a climbing rope above her head, a petite looking redhead.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "This is a closed training session!"

"Me?" the redhead asked as she alighted on the wooden floor, "I'm nobody special. I just came over to see how you trained, Kuno-san. The name's Saotome Ranma."

"Saotome...Ranma?" Kodachi said in disbelief.

"Yeah," the redhead looked up at Kodachi with a strangely cocky expression, "I hear tell there's a guy by that name that you've got a thing against. Kuno Tatewaki-he's your brother, I suppose-said you were dishonored, or something, and I got curious, so I thought I'd come find out what the deal is about that."

"You...are Saotome Ranma?" Kodachi tried to grasp the concept.

"Yeah," the redhead shrugged, "It's a common enough name. You got a problem with that?"

Kodachi's eyes narrowed, "No, but I do with you. You are not a student in my class..."

"Bingo," Ranma replied, "What was your first clue?"

Kodachi noticed something else about the stranger and said, "You are also dripping wet."

Ranma looked down at herself in disgust and said, "Yeah, well...it rained on the way here, so go figure. Sorry if I'm messing up your floor, but I want to know what the deal is with you and this guy, the other Ranma?"

"The deal, as you so put it?" Kodachi suddenly produced her own ribbon and began twirling it, "Is that I don't like interlopers interrupting my training regimen..."

She snapped the ribbon, but quick as a blur Ranma caught it, surprising Kodachi as few people could even see the ribbon when it moved, let alone intercept it.

"Touched a nerve, huh?" Ranma asked, "Whatever this guy did must be pretty bad, huh?"

"You...are formidable," Kodachi withdrew the ribbon and studied the redhead, "Perhaps you might care to indulge me in a little match to test how formidable you are."

"If you like," Ranma shrugged, "But if I win, how about you promise to tell me what you've got against the other Ranma."

"And what will you offer in return should you lose?" Kodachi asked.

"Lose?" the redhead cocked both eyebrows, "I never lose, so why even bother?"

"You are arrogant and boastful," Kodachi mused, "Perhaps this will be interesting after all. Have you ever competed in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics?"

"No," Ranma replied, "I studied it, but I never formally competed."

"Interesting," Kodachi smiled, "Then why don't I pose you this challenge: should you lose, you will tell me why you are so interested in my quarrel with Saotome Ranma."

"Fair enough," Ranma said, "But I may tell you that any way after I win, if you tell me about the problem."

"Good enough," Kodachi nodded, feeling a strange sensation passing through her as she prepared herself for the challenge. There was something indeed formidable about the cocky redhead, and something familiar as well, giving her a warm sensation that she had not felt in some time as she silently prayed that the redhead would prove to be everything that she hoped for...

Continued.

Comments/Criticism/Continuum Glitches: shadowmane

I began this series some time ago in exploration of the question of whether or not it would ever be possible for Ranma to choose Kodachi as his iinazuke. This chapter merely set up the premise, in the next chapter I more fully explore how the changes made to this timeline have cause a rippling affect that will be felt by the other major players of the Ranma universe. Let me know what you think of this exercise, and feel free to guess why Akane is being so nice to Kuno, or how this will affect Ranma's relationships with Ukyo and Shampoo.

Later!

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