Nerima, the Nekohanten . . .

"Are you alright, Kělún?"

Shampoo and Mousse were both comforting a dazed Cologne. "Oh, my . . . " the Nǚjiézú elder breathed out, shaking her head to clear her mind from the tidal wave of dark ki that had just radiated from the east. "I haven't felt that since . . . "

"Since when?" Indiana, who was holding a cup of tea for her, asked.

Another shake of the head. "Since the 1920s, when I was last in Japan during the time the Steel Angels were up and about," Cologne confessed. "I had been asked by the government of President Sūn to accompany the Ladies Sùshuāng and Qīngniǎo to the so-called 'Steel Angel Wars' organized by Professor Ayanokōji in his capacity as the leader of the Academy of Advanced Sciences. I remember encountering a man who was observing the battles between our delegation and the Japanese delegation under the Lady Aoi. The most frightful creature you ever could meet. Pale - almost white skin - with some sort of tiger-striping on the surface that I don't think was a tattoo . . . "

"I may know what that is."

Eyes locked on the American in the room. "Who, Master Jones?" Shampoo asked.

"A being called the Saikō Jinseijutsu. In your language, Zuìgāo Rénshēng." As the two younger Nǚjiézú both gasped and Cologne's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, Indiana added, "From what I've heard of this thing, it might actually be our planet's first true artificial intelligence. I only know of it from rumours I picked up from martial arts masters and shrine priests on various visits to Japan over the years; that's where you all heard of this thing too, right?" As his hosts nodded, he then said, "A being supposedly created in part by Master Hosan a thousand years ago as a sort of mental storage database of fighting knowledge that somehow became a living being back in the early 1800s . . . " He paused before sighing. "If it's all true, it would be known to Dean. I recall her mentioning to me about something concerning a 'bodiless warrior' that ultimately had to be used to put down the militarists who refused to accept the call of surrender the Shōwa Emperor made in the summer of '45."

"But why would Dean unleash such a being now?" Cologne asked.

"To help train my great-granddaughter, I believe."

The Nǚjiézú elder considered that, and then nodded in understanding . . .


The Tendō dōjō, that moment . . .

"You're free . . . "

Seated in the middle of the seldom-used training hall, Happōsai was trying to fight back his tears as he concentrated on mastering his own wildly-rampant ki and get control over himself, something that had become almost impossible for him to do in recent decades. But much that he was becoming more inclined day after day to simply give up and give in to his own personal lusts and desires, he still tried. What he had created over the years depended on a strong master to ensure it would be passed on to the next generations. He couldn't hope for his school, Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū, to live on if he didn't take the time NOW to prepare a proper and worthy successor.

Who now he saw in the person of Genma's son Ranma.

And the boy had unbounded potential. He lived, breathed, ate and slept the Art every second of his life. Even if he had suffered for it - especially when Genma forced him to endure the Cat Fist training, not to mention the whole matter with Jusenkyō - Ranma had improved himself by leaps and bounds ever since he had left the cradle of his parents' home with his father for their decade-long training trip. Even now that he was living practically full-time at the Saotome home - which wasn't too far from the Tendō home, easy for both him and Akane to travel every day after school so they could take supper with her family here - Ranma still worked to improve his Art, taking challenges from all comers and even going forth to help tutor Akane as she strove to improve herself and be a worthy wife to him. And while both Sōun and Genma complained that Akane was certainly not fit to be a martial artist and Nodoka would prefer her future daughter-in-law to be a proper lady - A lady of what? With the way that stupid woman thinks, poor Akane-chan is only fit to be part of her 'manly' son's own harem of concubines so she can finally get some grandbabies to spoil because she missed out on so much of Ranma's upbringing! the aged grandmaster fumed - Akane was giving in to her own drive to learn, now that she didn't really have to worry about rivals like Kuonji Ukyō, Nǚ Shānpú and Kunō Kodachi from getting in the way; Nodoka had firmly put her foot down when it came to unwelcome visits and vowed that if such kept up, whatever honour claims the woman had on Ranma would be renounced forever. Give her time and constant practice, Akane could easily become Ranma's true equal in the Art.

Deep down, Happōsai hoped she would eventually seize it.

That means I have to make sure that there's no serious threat against either of them, he mentally noted as the image of a pretty redhead flashed in his mind. Much that it personally hurt me to drive you away, Kanami-chan, it was for the best. You still love Akane-chan - not that I don't blame you, given how much your other-self loves her - and your resentment at how your father and 'uncle' treated you after you were born was growing to the point where you would become a very serious threat to the Art's future. No matter how much you were hurt by it, I just couldn't have that!

Still, Kanami was fortunate. While Happōsai had been surprised by the stunning swiftness of the intervention of the Imperial Throne when it came to Ranma's sister - and quite shocked that they turned to Major Raeburn to become Kanami's new master - it was ultimately for the best. Kanami, who was as skilled and as knowledgeable as her brother, could have made as worthy of an heir to the grandmaster-ship of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū as Ranma. If I wasn't cursed like I was, I might have actually made her my heir as much as her brother was; the competition between the two would have done the Art even greater favours in the long term, he cursed to himself, shaking his head.

And now, Kanami was in the hands of Dean Raeburn of all people. Remembering the investor's daughter-turned-air cavalry pilot and metahuman specialised warfare officer, Happōsai tried not to grin too much. She had been quite the Rock of Gibraltar when it came to him and his need to absorb female ki to stay alive. During her time studying with Hosan Hirosuke in the 1920s and 1930s - around the same time Happōsai had gone to Watari-shima to finally get his mastery in the Tensei-ryū, thus allowing him to go forth and properly establish Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū as its own separate school - she had been the only person the aged grandmaster simply just couldn't touch, much less try to steal lingerie from. Try as he might to get past her guard, he ultimately couldn't do it; she would always intercept him with a bokken or another handy object to keep her skin clear of his touch, then bash him away when he got too rough.

Only when World War Two had come along and he learned of the War Hawks - the 1st Canadian Specialised Warfare Unit that Dean had established with three other metahumans to serve as a special strike group that became a nightmare for Axis metas to deal with - did Happōsai learn of Dean's secret: the Power Jewel. The little alien necklace, which was over three billion years old, having been deposited on Earth well before the first complex life forms had arisen there, had slowly drawn in life energy from the surrounding planet and accumulated it to a degree that by the time Dean herself bonded with the device in the 1890s, she was gifted the equivalent power of a major god! And she put that power to use, especially after 1941 and the War Hawks' formation, normally in defence of Axis metahuman raids on North America, but also gladly striking deep into the heart of Nazi Germany to deal with beings that were truly beyond the scope of nightmares of the most prolific of modern-day horror writers.

And while it annoyed him at a professional level that Dean had such a weapon at her beck and call - a weapon that couldn't be realistically used against her as Power Jewels were only meant for women - Happōsai couldn't begrudge her such an advantage, especially after he had learned about beings like the Übermenschen, the War Hawks' direct opposite numbers serving the Nazis during World War Two. While he hadn't killed a single woman due to his ki-absorption powers, the potential to do that was there and Dean - especially after Master Hosan had died and she became the Grandmaster of the Tensei - was a particularly large source of ki energy for him to tap into. Atop that, she was a skilled fighter - and kept up her skills even given the potential strength she could use thanks to the Jewel, which would make her a living nightmare for beings at the same power levels as Superman, Captain Marvel and the Incredible Hulk - though she had spent the majority of the past sixty years off-planet, mostly training other Jewel Warriors, females just like her so they could stand as their own homeworlds' local "protectors of all life" against all sorts of threats both large and small.

And now she may do the same thing with Hayashi Kanami . . .

Happōsai sighed. He personally would understand if Kanami said "yes" in case Dean gave her that offer; the major had confessed to Master Hosan back in the early 1930s that there were spare Power Jewels available that hadn't been bound to a specific life-bearing world which could be used by others standing in her place. She had been effectively abandoned by her family. Thanks to Genma's harsh training when it came to his son, she certainly had endured emotional and physical abuse in growing up. And she was a woman thanks to Jusenkyō and the incense burner Genma and Sôun used to free her "brother" of his Nyanniichuan curse. With that, plus whatever additional training Dean - and the Saikō Jinseijutsu as well, Happōsai reminded himself - gave her, Kanami would achieve a level of fighting competence that Ranma would NEVER be able to equal.

Wait . . .

The aged grandmaster's eyes then narrowed.

There was something he could do . . .


Taitō, the Hayashi home, after school . . .

"So even if Kanami-san's free of her curse, if she becomes a Jewel Warrior, there's a strong possibility that Ranma-san would be cursed again, right?"

"That is correct, Chiyo," Ataru/Negako stated as s/he continued to probe Kanami's meridians with his/her fingertips. "The standard cure for a curse acquired at Zhòuquán-xiāng - 'Jusenkyō' as you would address it here in Japan - is to father or mother children, thus completing the cycle of death-to-life the springs actually represent." S/he made a circle with one hand to demonstrate her/his point. "All life works on a pattern. Birth, adolescence, maturity, seniority and death, thus allowing new life to take its place. Zhòuquán-xiāng follows this same pattern. Remember, the spring Ranma fell into to ultimately create Kanami is known as the 'Niángnìquán.' The Spring of Drowned Young Lady. Someone died in that spring fifteen centuries ago, so Ranma - and now Kanami - is haunted by the aura of death. To remove the aura, one simply must engage in the act of procreation to bring new life to the world."

"What would have happened if Ranma-kun and Kanami-chan weren't split apart in the first place, Negako?" Tanizaki Yukari then asked. She and Kurosawa Minamo had come down with the Gang of Six and their new friends to the Hayashi home so they could witness what the possessed Tomobiki High sophomore would do to their friend.

"Given Ranma's current relationship with Tendō Akane, Yukari, once he finally impregnated her and she became pregnant with his children, the curse's transformation effect would wear off and he would remain as a man for the remainder of his life," Ataru/Negako answered. "As the curse came from the Niángnìquán, one of the children - any children born of a parent cursed by Zhòuquán-xiāng are always a set of twins - would eventually develop into what Kanami appears like at this time."

The others all nodded. "That's what you mean by the possibility of Ranma-kun not being affected if Kanami takes up a Power Jewel," Mizuhara Koyomi noted.

"Yes, that is one possibility, Koyomi."

"But what about those people who have animal curses?" Sakaki Kiyomi asked.

"They will not become 'therianthropes,'" s/he answered. "Not in the same manner the Màshǐké go forth and seek potential female mates by finding strong animals, dipping them into the Niángnìquán and then locking their transformation into place with the use of the Zhǐshuǐtǒng." As the others in the room all gaped at him/her, s/he added, "No, those with animal-transformation curses would give birth to children who would acquire the most positive behavioural attribute the parent's alter-ego possessed. In the matter of Hibiki Ryōga, his son could become obsessed with neatness. Nǚ Shānpú's daughter would possess great balancing and acrobatic skills. Liào Mùsī's son would have the potential to become a champion swimmer." The others in the room didn't notice the slight shiver that ran through the possessed teen's body on his/her mentioning that. "As for Saotome Genma's future son - should he desire it - . . . "

Takino Tomo laughed. "He'd be even lazier than his father!"

"Indeed." And with that, Ataru/Negako pressed a point at the back of Kanami's head. "There you are, Kanami," s/he stated as the redhead's eyes slowly opened. "The treatment was quite successful, but you will have to endure additional treatments over the following several days to ensure whatever potential weakness Happy's incense burner could unleash on you are negated. Deannette has yet to return . . . "

"I'm back!"

The possessed teen lightly smiled. "Correction. She has returned."

Everyone then jolted on hearing a heavy thump! echo through the house, the floorboards quaking slightly as something massive was placed down somewhere in the living room. "What the hell is that?" Kanami asked as she picked herself up, slipping on her muscle shirt - she had been topless while undergoing treatment from her possessed friend from Tomobiki - and then she got up to go take a look.

The others followed her out of the bedroom into the living room, where Dean Raeburn now stood beside a tube somewhat larger than the average coffin, cylindrical and currently filled with a reddish-brown fluid. Contained within the tube was a quasi-humanoid being, clearly female though lacking anything like hair or the like, wearing a skin-tight black suit that went up to her neck, covering everything save hands and head. Said tube was a part of a storage unit with portable power generators and control mechanisms located at the 'foot' of the tube. A quick glance to the control panel revealed that something was turned on, though the language that was used to mark the controls was a strange alien scribble looking akin to a mixture of kanji and Korean han'gŭl. As the others all gathered around the alien device, Chiyo looked inside to gaze on the sleeping - was she sleeping? - figure inside. "What is this, Raeburn-shōsa?" the young prodigy asked as she looked up at the Canadian air cavalry officer.

"A bioroid, believe it or not," Dean answered.

The others all blinked. "You mean like in Appleseed?" Yukari asked.

"With some differences," Dean stated. "According to the Jewel Warrior on a planet locally called 'Phentax Five,' this being is fully organic and very close to Earth-standard humanoid, but also possesses considerable psionic potential as well."

"Yes, I can sense that," Ataru/Negako stated as s/he peered at the being with his/her own metasenses. "Though I doubt this, as is, is considered complete."

"No. It requires a blood sample - if you want, from your current host - that will allow the DNA inside the body to totally rebuild itself into a 'sister' for Ataru. Even more so, the body could be adjusted age-wise to make someone from as young as six to as old as twenty-five years old, Earth equivalent." Dean gazed at the possessed teen. "You told me that Ataru's parents aren't the nicest sort when it comes to him because of his dead twin brother; his body disappeared just after he passed away in the hospital and no one had any idea what happened to it." As Ataru/Negako nodded, the Canadian smirked. "Well, if you want, once we get your soul inside your new body, I can talk to the Emperor and see to it you're given citizenship status as an adult. Once you do that, you can make Ataru's parents give up their rights towards him . . . "

"And he can come to our school instead!"

Eyes locked on Kasuga Ayumu. "Would you desire that, Ayumu?" Ataru/Negako asked. "I am aware of the fact that Ataru does consider you quite pretty."

Instantly, the former Ōsaka native began to blush. "Aw, isn't that cute, Kagura?" Tomo said as she grinned at Kagura Michiko. "Ōsaka's got a boyfriend!"

"You guys!" Chiyo screamed out.

The others laughed as Ayumu simply smiled, her cheeks as red as cherries . . .


Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, that moment . . .

KK-KRACK!

A shocked gasp escaped both Moroboshi Kinshō and Miyake Shinobu as they watched the small kamidana in the kitchen crash to the floor. Silence then fell as both gazed on the wrecked mini-chapel, and then they exchanged confused looks . . .


Taitō, the Hayashi home, sometime later . . .

"Wh-where am I . . .?"

"Ataru-san, are you alright?"

Brown eyes fluttered open as Moroboshi Ataru found himself gazing at an unfamiliar ceiling. A second later, an image that was utterly too cute for words then appeared in his field of vision. He blinked, and then sighed. "Chiyo-chan . . . "

"Are you alright?" the younger girl asked.

A moan. "Felt like someone tapped the Charleston inside my . . . "

His voice then trailed off as a torrent of memories then began pouring into his head, his eyes going VERY wide as experiences that he hadn't known he had endured played back with the relentless force of a tidal wave inside his head. Chiyo's breath caught in her throat as she watched this happen, and then - almost at the point where the older man looked ready to pass out from the shock, which would have made the young prodigy scream out in fright - Ataru seemed to relax before a moan escaped him.

"The Promise . . .!" he breathed out. "What happened . . .?"

"It has been fulfilled, Ataru," a strange and cold yet comforting voice then echoed from nearby as his ears picked up footfalls. "Two hundred-and-two years after I became sentient, I have achieved what I desired. And you survived to see it happen."

He turned . . . and then gaped on seeing an older female version of himself - albeit with a much fuller and more stylised head of brown hair than the shaggy mess he normally possessed - came into view, dressed now in a plain black martial arts uniform with a black belt wrapped around her waist, the flapping ends of the belt touched with the gold kanji chi for Earth. In her hands was a tray with a tea service on it. Setting that aside as she knelt beside him, she then helped him sit up before she moved to prepare the tea. "Drink it all down," she then stated before handing the cup to him. "Your body endured the removal of my soul from your mind, but you will need to take time to recover from what has happened. Sip it slowly and ignore the taste if you can; it is somewhat bitter, but it will have to do for the time being."

He slowly nodded before sipping the tea, immediately making a face as the horrid taste swamped his tongue. "Damn! Can't you do something about this . . .?"

"Unfortunately, for the first while, I cannot," Negako stated as she proceeded to press several points on the back of Ataru's neck and head, forcing ki into his body. "Your cerebral tissue requires the nutrients in the tea to help heal it from the damage carrying two souls within it for ten years has unleashed. Chiyo will prepare a full meal for you in an hour to allow you to wash the tea's aftertaste down, but you must have the tea if you do not wish to endure any sort of permanent neurological damage."

Ataru took that in, and then he nodded before taking a deep breath and then sipping the tea once more. This time, he didn't visibly react as such. By then, Dean had walked into the room to kneel beside Chiyo. "How's he coming?" the Canadian asked.

"During the decade we shared one cerebrum, I did everything I could to ensure Ataru will be able to withstand levels of damage that would even incapacitate people such as Steven Rogers, Bruce Wayne and James Howlett," Negako stated. At Chiyo's confused look, the spiritual grandmaster of Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū added, "I mean Captain America, the Batman and Wolverine, Chiyo. Those are their birth names."

Silence.

"EH?" Chiyo gasped, and then she breathed out. "Sugoi! How did you know that? Did you tell her, Raeburn-shōsa?" she then asked Dean.

"No, that's just the way Negako is," Dean stated. "But you have to keep in mind one thing, young lady: You must NEVER speak of Bruce's alter ego to ANYONE, alright!"

A rapid nod. "HAI!"

"Good girl. Now, with Steve and Jim, it's not so bad; Steve's always been public about his identity and Jim pretty much lives these days under the name 'Logan,' which is what he pretty much began using before the Great War. Bruce, on the other hand, uses his civilian I.D. as a sort of 'mask' so he can do his work as Batman in protecting Gotham. You have heard of all the Rogues he has to deal with."

Another rapid nod. "H-h-hai . . . " Chiyo sputtered.

"You want to deal with someone like the Riddler or Killer Croc?"

A rapid shake of the head. "N-n-no . . . "

"Then you'll keep quiet about this, won't you?"

"Hai!"

"Isn't the Joker more dangerous?" Ataru then asked before sipping his tea.

"In many ways, yes. However, concerning this particular situation, no. John would not desire to have Bruce's identity publicly revealed."

Eyes locked on Negako. "Is that his name?" Dean asked.

"Yes. He was born John Napier, though he normally allowed people to address him as 'Jack' in lieu of 'John.' Due to the considerable level of psychological damage he endured when he fell into the pit of chemicals that bleached his skin to the shade it currently possesses, he has very much forgotten his past life as John Napier, much less his late wife Jeannette and unborn son, who died sometime before his accident."

Chiyo blinked; almost everyone on Earth who had links to public media had heard of the Clown Prince of Crime, the chief arch-nemesis of the Dark Knight of Gotham City. "That poor man," she then sobbed as her eyes instantly teared up.

"Yeah, but there's little that can be done for the guy," Dean noted as she gave the young girl a squeeze on the shoulder. "Unlike Ataru here, what Napier went through happened so long ago, any treatments tried now wouldn't work at all. Mercy-killing would be the best way to permanently deal with the guy, though Bruce wouldn't like that." At Chiyo's and Ataru's confused looks, the major winked. "It would remind him too much of how his own parents died when he was a kid. Shot down by some crook in the middle of a back street after they got out of the theatre; botched robbery."

"Indeed," Negako stated. "There, Ataru. You may finish your tea, then rest for a while. If you desire to meditate, do so; call for assistance if required."

A nod. "Okay."

Negako then gazed on Dean. "I suggest you contact the Kōkyo. The sooner Ataru is removed from Tomobiki and Muchi's and Kinshō's influence, the better."

"Let's get some food into you first," the Canadian advised.

The grandmaster of Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū blinked, actually taken aback by the fact that she had not felt the desire to eat anything, and then nodded . . .


Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, the next morning . . .

"Oh, where IS that stupid boy? I wish I never had him . . .!"

The doorbell then pealed. Kinshō, who had been preparing breakfast for herself and her husband, headed to the main door to open it, revealing a strange girl in a black martial arts gi with a black belt around her waist, that with a gold chi kanji at the end of the belts. Gazing on her, Kinshō was quick to sense something very familiar concerning this woman, especially given her remarkable strong resemblance to her own missing son. "Um, yes . . .?" she began. "Who are you?" she then asked.

"Greetings, Kinshō," the stranger then said. "I bear news from the Imperial Palace Agency concerning your legal status vis-à-vis Ataru."

Silence.

"I wish I never had him . . .!" Kinshō instantly moaned.

"That is the 1,932nd time you have stated that since he was six, including the three times you have stated that same statement since he was made to depart Tomobiki High yesterday around noon thanks to Miyake Shinobu," the stranger then stated, making Ataru's mother gasp in shock on her saying something so exact. And so potentially embarrassing if it ever went public. "I will ensure Ataru is informed of same so that he may properly update his current 'How much Baka Okā-san hates me' tracker in his personal journal." A light smile then appeared on her face, one that made Kinshō quake at its lack of any true humour. "His real personal journal stored in his private safety deposit box at the local branch of the Inshin Bank. Not the falsified one he kept in his bedroom to deceive yourself and Shinobu as to his real thoughts."

More silence.

"Wh-where is he . . .?"

"That is no longer any of your affair. As of six o'clock yesterday evening, he was removed from the koseki for the Moroboshi family here in Nishitōkyō and placed in a new koseki for the Moroboshi family in his current place of residence. All parental rights either yourself or Muchi possessed concerning Ataru have been removed from you by direct order of the Tōkyō Family Court on suspicion of child abuse."

Still more silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAACK . . .!"

Noting that Kinshō was literally frozen as a statue - with cracks developing in the stone all over her body - Negako then shrugged before she passed by her, slipping off her shoes before heading upstairs to Ataru's bedroom. Once inside, she drew out a large carrying bag from a personal stuff-space pocket - using her own ki to manipulate the air to do that was one of the most basic lessons a student in Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū learned - and then she proceeded to collect all of her last host's/adopted brother's personal belongings into it. The false diary she kept on the work table, though she opened it on the first unmarked page and wrote something in a perfect mimicry of Ataru's handwriting. Once done, she placed the pen there so the page could be marked, sealed the bag and stored it in stuff-space, and then she proceeded back downstairs.

Noting Kinshō was still frozen at the doorway, she walked into the living room. Drawing out an envelope full of legal papers from under her jersey top, Negako placed that on the living room table. Noting that Muchi had not reacted to her presence at all - he was engrossed in the morning edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun - the ninjutsu grandmaster shrugged as she knelt and pulled out one of the photo albums. Working at speeds greater than normal humans could equal - Negako was beginning to discover all the many interesting aspects of her new body - she stripped the album of every picture of Ataru that was in there right from childbirth. Taking all of them, she dumped them into a nearby garbage can, and then with a burst of ki, set it alight. Without further adieu, she walked out of the house, ignoring the still-frozen Kinshō as she headed off towards Tomobiki High School to get Ataru's school records shifted to Azuma High.

After a minute, Muchi then asked, "Honey, is there something burning?"

Kinshō still remained frozen in place . . .


Azuma High School, a little later . . .

"So Ataru-kun and Negako-chan are staying at your place until she can get a place of her own set up somewhere closer to school, right?" Kasuga Ayumu asked.

Kanami nodded. Everyone in Class 2-3 was enjoying morning recess. "Yeah. He was still asleep when I left the house this morning; Negako's working in getting his ki reserves and his brain processes all straightened around now that she's no longer sharing his brain. She even taught me a nice meditation exercise I could use." She sipped her fruit juice. "She may be as cold as a computer, but she's a more thorough trainer than the old ghoul or the old freak could ever be. And she's light-years ahead of idiots like Oyaji. Explains everything in detail, makes me understand how the ki flows would be improved by doing the exercise . . . " A giggle. "I can guess why Sensei went to get her. She's one of the best martial arts teachers available."

"Really?" Kagura Michiko asked.

A nod. "Yeah. Too many of them are of the line of thinking that it's the student's responsibility to discover the real purpose behind the training exercise on their own," Kanami confessed. "You won't see Negako pull any stunts like Jijii did when those idiots from Qǐnkūnlún came by looking for that special recipe scroll."

The others nodded; during their past meetings with Kanami - and Ranma beforehand when he and his "sister" were still one person with one soul - the "gang of six" had heard of all the adventures the wandering martial artist had been on from even before his arrival in Nerima. "That was the place whose martial arts masters named themselves after the Shichi Fukujin, right?" Mizuhara Koyomi then asked.

Another nod. "The same. You know, in the last month or so as I've been forced to sit on the sidelines, I've taken time to re-evaluate a lot of what I learned when I was still Ranma." Kanami made a face as she shook her head. "Waste of time."

"That bad, Kanami-san?" Mihama Chiyo asked.

"A lot of it. All the weird and stupid forms I was made to learn. Especially useless stuff like Martial Arts Dining." As the others all laughed on hearing of that one, Kanami then shrugged. "You know, Ranma doesn't realise it, but the Tendō family owes him some serious honour-debts. If he chose, he could totally destroy the Tendō-ryū and have those idiots booted out of their family house for all the things he did to keep them safe and happy. Not to mention put Nabiki and her father into jail."

"All those pictures she took and all that, you mean," Michiko mused.

"The same. And given how much Tendō's lied about Jijii, he could easily get his ass kicked off the Nerima ward council for deceiving them into thinking that the 'panty thief' problem is being dealt with when he's been actually hiding the panty thief in his very own home." A smirk. "Both Sensei and Negako think Jijii might try to provoke something to get Ranma to fight me. Pity I won't go along with it."

"Why?" Sakaki Kiyomi asked.

A smirk. "Because it makes the old fool happy, Kiyomi-chan. It lets him feel in control of the situation. He can't stand the fact that I'm now out of his grasp and - if I agree to Sensei's offer to take up a Jewel - I will then become untouchable to him. And I could use my Jewel's power to make every girl in close range to me just as untouchable. That's a DEATH THREAT to the old geezer, Kiyomi-chan." Kanami smirked as she finished the rest of the juice. "Let's see how he likes to face something like that after all the shit he's put on my head even before I became my own girl."

"Kanami-san! Don't swear!" Chiyo instantly scolded.

Laughter filled the space, and then people perked as footsteps heralded the arrival of their homeroom teacher. "Ah, Kanami-chan! There you are!"

"Something up, Yukari-chan?" Kanami asked; she had caught onto Takino Tomo's addressing the older woman without the "sensei" title and learned that Yukari - who was, in many ways, still pretty much a high school student at heart - didn't mind.

"You're wanted down in the teacher's lounge," Yukari said, an amused smile on her face. "Your great-granddad's here; he says he'll stay here to meet all your friends. So's the old prune from that Chinese restaurant back in Nerima. Ditto with her great-grandkid and that four-eyed idiot that chases her skirt all the time."

Kanami blinked, and then she moaned. "Am I excused?"

"Sure, but try not to wreck the place, huh?"

"Hai!"

With that, Kanami flashed her friends a look before heading out. The others watched them go, and then Ayumu moaned. "It's a 'bleh' day for her."

"You said it, Ōsaka," Tomo mused . . .


Minutes later . . .

"Hiijii-chan!"

"Hey, kiddo!"

Watching Kanami physically meet her maternal great-grandfather at last, Cologne could only smile to herself as she nodded in approval. Much that she was very worried about this current situation concerning her future great-grandson-in-law's magically-created replica and what could happen if she took up Dean Raeburn's offer to become a Jewel Warrior, she was quite pleased to learn that this young warrior was a lot healthier and happier than what Mousse and Shampoo - not to mention Ranma and the Tendō sisters - had told her she had been while she was still living in Nerima. While she did suspect that Kanami would not accept any sort of apology from Shampoo for her past behaviour - short of Shampoo totally renouncing all claims concerning Kanami's brother and returning to the village - the Nǚjiézú elder was determined to do anything to keep the peace between her tribe and Hayashi Kanami. After all, while being given a Power Jewel was seen amongst her countrywomen as a mark of true womanhood, said device could give Kanami the power to retaliate for her sufferings on anyone who angered her. And do so from a position of such strength, any attempted retaliation against Kanami would be an act of suicide.

And unfortunately, Shampoo had gone out of her way to anger Kanami.

That could not be allowed.

Cologne wanted her village and family intact.

Hopefully, Kanami would understand that.

Cologne canted her head as she listened to Indiana and Kanami speak away in quite acceptable American English - the Nǚjiézú elder had learned the language from an Englishman based in Hong Kong the previous century, thus she found some of the pronunciations their New World cousins used quite odd to her ears - she then nodded as she began to realise the sheer scale of the retired archaeologist's task concerning his Japanese relations. While Indiana could claim kinship to two other great-grandchildren living in Japan - Ranma's and Kanami's maternal cousins, Asagaya Rikako and Asagaya Seiko, both of whom lived in Musashino west of Nerima and currently attended a posh private Catholic all girl's school, the Lillian Girl's Academy - he wanted to ensure that his great-grandson would know of his American relations as well. Given what Cologne knew of Saotome Nodoka's reticence to accept anything that clashed with her Tokugawa-era worldview, that would be quite the task for Indiana to accomplish. While the American archaeologist had run into his fair share of odd and cursed objects over his career, there was no specific one that could clearly reveal itself as the source of this odd "curse" that had been striking down his Japanese relatives since after the Second World War. There were some potential candidates, but no exact proof.

For Ranma's sake, it would have to be investigated.

Finally, Kanami and Indiana moved to take a seat across the coffee table from the three visitors from the Nǚjiézú village. Watching her, Cologne was quick to see the joyous look on Kanami's face melt into a cold neutrality that reminded her too much of someone fresh from the Soul of Ice training. As she took a seat, she then focused directly on the elder, purposefully not looking at Shampoo and Mousse, which made the former wince and the latter shiver in outrage. A warning glance from Indiana quickly made the weapons-master freeze, and then meekly back down; even if he was willing to lay down his life for his beloved Shampoo, the special laws concerning the Great Teacher Father from America were set in stone and could not be ignored. It would be even worse if the Protector of All Life was moderating this meeting; the Great Teacher Mother from Canada had a rather sharp temper and when it flared, lives were at stake.

"So Elder," Kanami then said in a very formal voice, though there was a touch of mocking derision in it. "What brings you about this part of Tōkyō to bother me? Your great-granddaughter's true target is Saotome Ranma. I have nothing to do with that family anymore, nor do I wish to have anything to do with them in the future."

"As I have come to understand it, young meteor," Cologne responded in turn, addressing Kanami by the popular nickname given to students of the Tensei-ryū. "Given what I have learned about how you were treated after you were separated from that young warrior, I cannot blame you for feeling as if the whole world has turned against you. I understand that even the young chef from Kansai found it quite difficult to accept you as a friend while you were still living in Nerima, is that correct?"

"That is correct. Fortunately, when I was allowed to claim my life truly as my own thanks to the actions of my late grandparents, my lawyers immediately sent both her and her lunatic of a father legal writs forbidding them from coming to my home in Taitō or to my school here to harass me. If they do, then we will spread broadside the fact that the Kuonji Clan of Nijō should be considered no different than burakumin because of their continued dishonourable actions trying to claim a yatai that was never theirs in the first place thanks to the daughter's actions with the Gambling King."

Cologne blinked. "You would go that far?"

"Yes, I would. You can understand that the Saotome Clan of Bubaigawara and the Tendō Clan of Naka'arai - along with the Miyamoto Clan of Shakujii as it was their late daughter who married the dishonourable braggart and student of the so-called "grandmaster" of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū, Tendō Sōun - have been given similar warnings. The actions of the braggart's middle daughter, the would-be Yakuza Tendō Nabiki, against me are known to you. Atop that, the braggart himself shelters the so-called 'panty thief' in his own home while he lies to the honourable ward council of Nerima, promising them that he is moving to deal with the problem while he cowers like the spineless fool he is whenever the old fossil threatens him. And there are the actions of those two wastes of flesh I now look on as my parents only by genetics. Fortunately, one of them won't be long for this life given this 'curse' I've been told about by my aunt Hisayo, so she won't be lording it over your would-be great-grandson-in-law for long. As for the panda, he has a lot of petty thievery charges to answer for; it's just the laziness of the Nerima police division that has allowed him to remain free for all this time." A sigh. "So again, why are you here?"

Shampoo and Mousse shuddered at the cold breath escaping Kanami on her asking that; even if the former's command of Nihon-go was still spotty in places, she had fully interpreted what Kanami had expressed concerning her feelings towards all those she had interacted with until a week ago. "As you know, my great-granddaughter came to this land pursuing young Ranma in retribution for the shame she felt when he defeated her - while wearing the body you now possess - back at the village," Cologne stated. "Much that she still feels the shame of that defeat even now that she is married to him by our laws, she had no right to take out that shame on you after you were separated from Ranma and given the chance to live your own life. She has come to apologise."

"Your explanation, I accept. Her apology, I will not."

Shampoo jolted as Mousse exploded. "HOW DARE YOU . . .?"

PHHUTT!

The weapons-master cried out in shock and pain as he folded in on himself just as the rather sharp stench of cordite filled the air. "I was not talking to a worthless sack of flesh like you," Kanami said as she pulled back the Israeli Weapons Industries Jericho 941 "Baby Eagle" automatic pistol - with tubular sound-suppressor attached to the muzzle - she had just drawn from stuff-space to nail him in the right shoulder.

As Shampoo gaped at the sight of her Àirén's sister (even if she didn't acknowledge that relationship now) making use of a gun of all things on her would-be husband, Cologne took a deep breath as she moved to calm things down. "I take it Dean has already started you on firearms training," she said after a quick ki-check of Mousse; the bullet - no doubt a .22 training round as the wound in the right shoulder hadn't really penetrated the shoulder blade - hadn't done much damage.

"She has. Sensei is upset at me for not accepting a revolver, but I do like the idea of having as many rounds with me whenever I need to do a quick kill," Kanami said as she made the Jericho disappear from visible view. "Control the idiot, Elder. The next time he interrupts, I shoot out both his eyes and render him permanently blind. Same with your great-granddaughter. I will speak to you. Not to them."

Cologne nodded, and then lashed out with her staff to hit a shiatsu point to cut off the bleeding. "Shān, take the fool and clean up his wound. Don't make a mess."

Shampoo shakily nodded her head as she helped the moaning Mousse to his feet and out of the teacher's lounge. As soon as they were gone and the door had closed behind them, the elder then relaxed. "I am sorry about that, young lady," she then said.

"Do you blame me, Elder?" Kanami then said as she allowed the Soul of Ice to crack and tears to appear in her eyes. "You know, for all the trouble you, Shan, Mousse and your tribe have caused me, there's still a part of me that looks upon you as friends. You are far above both Jijii and Oyaji when it comes to being a martial arts teacher. Shan - when she's not in her stupid 'let's go on a date, Àirén' moods, is actually a sweet and nice person. The type of person I'd want at my back if I was in a fight. Mousse - when he's not being an ass - is pretty much the same way." She then wiped her eyes clear. "But right now, all I feel from them is betrayal! Just like I feel from the Tendō sisters, from U-chan, from Oyaji, Ofukuro, old man Tendō and Jijii . . . and most of all, from Ranma himself. How am I supposed to feel after being made to think that everything my life was structured around was being ripped away from me just because I was something unexpected? And unwanted! Tell me this, old ghoul: HOW IN THE NAME OF THE GODS AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL AT THIS TIME, HUH? TELL ME!"

"Hey! That's enough!"

She jolted, and then she smiled in embarrassment as Indiana squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. Taking a deep breath, Kanami then gazed on Cologne, the mask of the Soul of Ice back in place. "Elder, I say this and I will not repeat myself again. I accept your explanations about your great-granddaughter's actions. I will NOT accept an apology from either her or the stalker who wants to crawl into her panties that works for you right now. Not now, not ever. As she looks on me as a mere nobody, so shall I treat her, not to mention her would-be husband. But I can assure you this: I will not interfere in your quest to obtain Saotome Ranma as a part of your tribe. I will not allow him to take up the Hayashi name; as far as I'm concerned, since he still cares for his parents, he has no right to that sort of protection. Whatever sort of honour problems he has with the Tendō Clan and the Kuonji Clan - not to mention whoever else out there that might have been hurt by Oyaji's scams - are his problems to deal with, not mine. I wash my hands of it, totally. What you do from this point on is not my concern. My destiny lies in the service of the Son of Heaven and this nation. My destiny lies with the Tensei-ryū, not a minor art like Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū. Be assured that I will honour your training of me in your tribe's martial arts and will not transmit same to anyone else without leave from you. But given how much my sensei, the Grandmaster Deannette Raeburn of the Tensei-ryū - as well as her friend, the Grandmaster Moroboshi Negako of the Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū - intend to train me in their schools' ways, I believe that over time, I will find different means other than what you have shown me in the past to deal with certain situations." She then stood up. "Be well, Elder. May your Goddess watch over your people. Good day."

She then bowed before walking out of the room, heading in the other direction than Shampoo and Mousse had gone to get his shoulder looked at to return to her classroom on the second floor. Indiana watched her go, and then he sighed, turning to offer a handkerchief to a wet-eyed Cologne. "I'm really sorry about that."

"No, Indy, don't apologise," the Nǚjiézú elder stated. "We are an arrogant people in the end. What happened here was proof of it. She's within a hair's breadth of taking Dean's offer and making herself as safe as safe can be from any possible known threat. And in many ways, I can't blame her." She gazed at him as she gave him back the handkerchief. "These Seekers that created those Jewels were quite wise to make them so powerful and make them focus their attention on orphaned girls. Your great-granddaughter was abandoned in the worst way possible by people who simply didn't have the energy and the patience to take the time to understand her needs and help her. She wants to lash out; look how fast she was in dealing with Mùsī. And if Happy is going to be his normally obstinate self, she's going to lash back hard on him through her brother. And I fear he will suffer for it greatly. Indeed I do."

He nodded. "Then I think it's time I spoke to my great-grandson."

She nodded in approval. "May I speak to him first? To prepare him?"

"I would be very grateful, Elder."

Cologne smiled . . .

To be continued . . .