"Our position is extremely perilous; if we do not earnestly promote nationalism and weld our peoples into a strong nation, we face a tragedy–the loss of our country and the destruction of our race. To ward this danger off, we must espouse nationalism and employ the national spirit to save the country."

Shampoo considered these words nearly every day. The twenty-one year old heiress to the eldership of the Nujiezu tribe had grown up in a world in which the Communist Party of China flanked their society on every side, nestled deep in the heart of the Kensei Valley. Shampoo had been brought up by her great-grandmother in the mould of Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, which Great-Grandmother had considered to be the best policy to modernize the Nujiezu.

However, the Communist Party's brief period of liberalization and tolerance of things heterodox seemed to be coming to a steady decline and an inevitable end, and so their control over the valley was increasingly tenuous.

Things, however, seemed to fit to change during the annual festival season. Shampoo had entered, as was expected for the heiress, and had defeated all of her opponents in physical combat, being once more declared the finest warrior in the tribe. However, her victory prize had been devoured by two outsiders–no doubt Jusenkyō victims.

The arrest of the two outsider women was swift, but justice was a delayed measure. The Elder's typically unforgiving attitudes towards outsiders lessened after questioning the young girl about her circumstances. Shampoo knew very little about the proceedings, but having seen the girl accompanying the Elder, she could tell that perhaps her grudge had been a little harsh. Emaciated, haunted and shy; the girl seemed to be devoid of happiness.

After the Elder interrogated the two outsiders, who had turned out to be father and child, she determined the father would be punished for his cowardice in refusing to defend his honour. The father had loudly proclaimed his opinions about the value of women, so as a fitting punishment, the Elder chose to lock him in his Nyannichuan form before escorting him and his child out of the valley and back into the Maoist lands. This done, she summoned Shampoo to give her a new assignment.

She was to follow the girl back to their home land of Japan. She was not to engage them in combat; she was to observe and gather information. The look in her Great-Grandmother's eye gave her some indication as to her intent; curiosity, concern, and perhaps a little bit of opportunism.

It pained Shampoo to leave her village, but duty came before personal feelings. Saying goodbye to her friends, comrades in arms, and avoiding her annoying frenemy Mousse, she set off for Japan on her mission.

Arriving in Tokyo, she didn't know where to begin. She supposed the first stop to take was one of the koban.

The officer had very little for her to go on– public directory listings for Saotome were devoid of any mention of that surname, other than a listing for a woman named Nodoka who lived in a neighborhood named Yōga. Acquiring a map from the same officer, she decided to go on her first intelligence gathering. Maybe this Nodoka woman could lead her to Ranma Saotome.

A short train ride later, Shampoo was walking down the street in the reasonably dense Yōga. Looking around, she stopped a pedestrian as they passed by.

"Excuse me, do you know where I find Nodoka Saotome?"

"She lives right down the road there, but be warned, she's a bit crazy." The young woman said, gesturing to one of the sizable houses nearby.

"How so?" Shampoo asked, eyeing the house with interest.

"She's one of those right-winger types. Supports State Shinto and hakkou ichiu, believes that His Majesty betrayed the Japanese nation by not taking his life at the end of the war, that war crimes weren't a thing, so on and so forth."

Shampoo's face darkened a bit. Even if her tribe barely tolerated Beijing, members of her tribe had served with distinction in joint service with the Kuomintang and Communist forces during the War of Japanese Aggression.

"I see," she finally said, bowing to the woman. "I thank you for your cooperation."

"No problem," the woman said, casting an eye back to the building. "But like I said, be careful. She had a son and husband but nobody's seen 'em for 12 years."

"Twelve years?" Shampoo asked, frowning.

"Yeah, some say she killed the two."

"No, not possible– I fight Ranma Saotome in China. Big fight. They come back here to Tokyo. I look for them here."

"I see," The salaryman said. He shrugged and said, "There's some government offices that could help you… but you'd have to go to one of the more… flexible wards. Nerima's not a bad place to start."

"Nerima? Where is this?"

"Just north of here, past Suginami. They're a little loose with regulations, it's sort of an open secret. They'll help you."

"Thank you." She bowed swiftly, and with a single leap, bounded over the roof of the small shop they stood in front of.

…

Municipal councils played the role of government guardians, helping administer individual neighborhoods and wards across Tokyo. As a member of the Nerima council, Kaori had an important role of hearing grievances, proposing ideas, debating those ideas, and voting on them with the council to decide the best method to move forward.

As she looked through a recent proposal to renovate one of the older streets in Furinkan, a knock came on her office door.

"Come in," she said, chewing on a pen cap.

The door opened, and Kaori looked up. "Ah, yes, can I help you, Hiromi?" she said, looking at her aide.

The young aide bowed and said, "Tendou-san, there's some documents here for you about the theatre opening. It's a guest list, along with some notes."

"Wonderful, thank you," she said with a smile, taking the envelope from Hiromi.

As Kaori opened the envelope, she perused the contents.

There were some biographical pieces on some of the people of the troupe, an itinerary of their performance for the night, along with some notes about who would be "guests" of honor.

Along with the Governor of Tokyo, Shunichi Suzuki and family; there would be her and guests, along with some other low-rung LDP functionaries. As she looked at the guest list, annoyance crept into her chest thinking about the fact that her love had been long denied the right to be part of her own family.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. Picking up the receiver, she pressed it to her ear and spoke. "Hello, this is Kaori Tendou. Yes. I see. Well- okay. Not a problem, I guess. I have those accesses. Fine, goodbye."

"Hiromi!" She shouted out of her door, and the young girl appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, ma'am?" Hiromi asked, standing primly and respectfully.

"We're going to have someone dropping by. They say she's got indigo hair and doesn't speak stellar Japanese. You'll know her when you see her. When she arrives, have her escorted to me directly."

A few minutes later, there came a knock on the door. Opening it revealed the indigo-haired inquirer and her aide. The visitor stepped into the door, and her aide closed the door behind her.

"Please, take a seat. Can I get you some tea or something?" She asked, and the woman shook her head, declining the offer.

"My name is Kaori Tendou. What is yours?" Kaori said, smiling at the woman.

"Shampoo, of the Nujiezu tribe."

"Wonderful," Kaori said. "Now, I understand you're in the market for some information. I can endeavor to help you to the best of my ability."

"Shampoo has been told you can give information regarding Ranma Saotome."

…

Shampoo's well-trained eye caught only the slightest twitch in the Tendou woman's face, before she settled back into her serene diplomatic stance. She knew then that she was dealing with someone well-trained in the arts of diplomacy and intrigue.

"I should tread lightly… this is dangerous territory," Shampoo thought to herself.

"May I ask why you're seeking information on this person?" The woman said, her voice barely above a whisper, eyes unmoving from Shampoo's.

"Is manner of honor to self and tribe… and is my mission." Shampoo replied smoothly, feeling uncertain at the woman's neutral expression as she considered her words carefully.

"I understand such a concept. It is very fortunate that I do know to whom you are referring to, but I warn you of the consequences should you try to inflict bodily harm-"

"No," Shampoo said hastily, drawing herself up. "No intent to kill."

The woman seemed to relax only slightly before nodding. "I have been told the story, you know… how you have been hunting Ranma across China."

"It is only a smokescreen. Allow Shampoo to explain," Shampoo said with a deep breath, before beginning the story. She described how initially, the expectation was for the outsider to be killed or at the very least exiled with the intent of hunting her down and fulfilling the contract that was the Kiss of Death.

However, she explained, her mission had changed at her great-grandmother's behest, instead emphasizing the need to contact the young martial artist and ensure their safety.

"A dark evil, my great-grandmother described. An old lecherous force that my great-grandmother encountered many centuries ago, and great-grandmother has a great concern for anyone who she sees following the dark path he forged."

"Happousai," Kaori breathed quietly.

Shampoo nodded somberly.

"The Master is dead," Kaori said, waving her hand dismissively. "Yumiko and I made sure of that."

"Even if he dead, spirits are very strong and… strange entities. Something may tie him back to Earth, even in proxy," Shampoo said, idly staring into her hands. "Even if spirit of no concern, Shampoo tasked to ensure the welfare of Ranma Saotome."

"I see, well…" Kaori said with a sigh. "In that case, please. It would be my honor to have you as a house guest, so that you may meet them directly. Would you be willing to wait a few days? We're going to be a little busy."

Shampoo considered things and then nodded. "That sounds fine," the Chinese woman said, giving Kaori a soft smile.

"Wonderful, let me write down my address…"

…

Yumiko idly wondered if she was beginning to lose her mind. In the incredibly brief amount of time she and her child had spent at the Tendou family home, it felt like years had passed, years of growth and healing. Her memories seemed to regain hue and sharpness, and everything seemed to stop being so confusing. For the first time in many years, she liked who she was. She wondered if it was the fact she was getting a chance to live the dreams she had once had as a teenager, or if it was something else.

She still couldn't understand why she blindly fell into the lap of Nodoka. Not a single thing about the entire experience made sense, which was made worse by the fact that all that time of marriage and the training trip she had dragged Ranma on remained quite hazy to her. She found she could barely remember events that had been only a scant few weeks prior, and the thought was quite haunting. Even the Cat Fist technique, which she had clear memory of reading and believing in as a valid method of training, now seemed like an unbelievably stupid concept– who would throw their child into a pit of cats?

Someone who marries an ultranationalist like Nodoka, unfortunately, Yumiko thought glumly, idly wondering how she'd cross that bridge when it reared its ugly head.

A familiar, and very gentle hand on her shoulder startled her from her reverie. Looking over at Kaori's concerned face, Yumiko permitted herself a gentle smile to her girlfriend.

"I'm okay, Kaori," she said as she turned her head back out of the car window. The government-issued sedan was filled with the Tendou-Saotome household, as it made its way to the theatre. She was filled with an unending melancholy, and silently cursed herself for being a thespian. The art of performance, combined with the atrocities of the Grandmaster and her good-for-nothing father, had left her with an unending well of emotion, but with little ability to excise the demons rattling the cage.

Sighing briefly, she sat up straighter, and looked around the interior of the vehicle.

Ranma and Akane were in an animated conversation about something, the two debating the finer points of whatever it may be with smiles on their faces and joy in their eyes.

It warmed Yumiko's heart that her child was finding some modicum of progress and normality here– it was all she could have wanted for her offspring. Ranma was in boy mode for once, but his affable effeminacy was persistent, tightly walking the line between two sexes, much as Yumiko had done in her youth once she was free of her bondage. Memories of fishnets and terrible wigs trickled up from the past, soliciting a quiet laugh.

She only hoped that Ranma had already found a good place, and could stay there forever.

The other Tendou daughters were having a casual conversation, with Kaori occasionally chiming in for some reason or another. The car began to slow down, and Kaori perked up with a smile.

"Ah, I believe we're here."

Yumiko was the first to step out of the cab, the finely-dressed driver keeping his straight-edge, neutral expression of service. She bowed to him and thanked him, and walked up the steps to the theatre. Kaori soon joined her flank, with the rest of the party following.

As they entered the foyer of the beautiful theatre, Yumiko was swiftly assaulted by a myriad of misty memories of her childhood, performing in some of the finest theatres in Kyoto. It was like coming home after a very long exile.

The owner of the theatre, an elderly gentleman with a wry smile, seemed to be even more jovial at the sight of Kaori.

"Kaori, my dear! It is so wonderful to have you. The doors open to the public soon, and we're awaiting the other honored guests! Who are all these wonderful people you have in your company this evening?"

Kaori smiled serenely, gave a bow and spoke. "This is my family, Hayashi-san. This is my partner, Saotome Yumiko."

"I'm sorry, did you say Saotome?" he said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes, that is correct," Yumiko said, bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"No, it is definitely mine," he said, bowing back. "Hayashi Takahiro is my name."

He turned back to Kaori and said, "Kaori, dear, you must come over for dinner some night. Saburo and I are dying to catch up with you after all this time. We've hardly seen you since Mariko's passing."

The mention of Tendou Mariko seemed to deflate Kaori slightly. She sighed and took Takahiro's hand.

"Takahiro, I know it has been far too long. It only just recently I have found myself parting from the dark clouds that have blinded me for far too long, and this woman is the reason," Kaori said, dropping towards a whisper, and bowing her head to the older man.

Takahiro nodded and said, "Well, I am certainly glad that is the case. Now come, enough talk of the dark things in life, today is a night of celebration!"

"I agree," Yumiko said with a smile. "Tell me, Hayashi-san, what is on the bill tonight?"

"Please, dear, you're dating someone who is very near and dear to my heart. Call me Takahiro. As for tonight's play, well, we wanted to do something domestic. The Kikugumi Kagekidan is renowned for their spectacular performance and pagentry. I… do not mean to be presumptious, Miss Saotome but… your last name, you wouldn't happen to be…?" Takahiro let the question trail off, unable to complete his sentence.

Yumiko took a deep breath and gave a brief nod. "Yes," she said quietly, "I was once part of that troupe, when I was a very young child."

"Oh, how splendid! I suppose fate has ordained us all be here. How mischievous, just like the gods themselves!"

"I suppose it would be within the sense of humor of the kami to do such things," Kaori said idly, before wrapping an arm around Yumiko's waist.

"Takahiro," she said with her same serene smile, "It's been very good seeing you again."

"Likewise, Kaori," Takahiro said, before turning to Yumiko.

"And it has been an incredible honor meeting you, Miss Saotome. All the best," he said as he gave her a deep bow of respect.

The slight sickness in the pit of her stomach receded once she was alone with Kaori and the family in the top box. She felt a firm hand on her arm, and looked to see Ranma staring up at her in concern. She gently moved her hand to her child's shoulder and gave them a quick wink. "I'll be alright," she murmured to them.

She retreated into her head to take inventory. Acting was a fire that had refused to go out and being here once more had only engorged the flame, sending it towering higher than any other in the world. She didn't hate martial arts, merely resented what she had to go through to get where she was now.

Closing her eyes, she felt, very briefly, that she could still hear and smell the backstage, where the magic seemed to leak from every inch of every corner.

…

The play was nothing less than spectacular.

Yumiko had nearly suffered a heart attack when the performance had opened much in the same way her first performance. A young onnagata, acting the part of a young imperial princess, entered into the same scene as a couple others.

The lines of the play were long forgotten, but the warm, almost saccharine memories of childhood came tearing back into her heart like the typhoon that had sunk it all.

She concentrated on nothing but the play, noticing very briefly that she was leaning forward, her hands gripping the railing to the box. Her knuckles had gone snow white from how hard she was gripping the railing. Letting go and slipping back into her seat, Yumiko found the slight nausea and discomfort she had felt earlier were now amplified.

It was only made worse at the intermission, when one of the ushers had invited them backstage after the show to meet with the troupe itself. The prospect of meeting her family on unfamiliar terms, in the form she was in, filled her with a level of horrified indignation she hadn't felt in years.

Ever the dutiful companion, and refusing to invoke her father's "secret technique", Yumiko stood firm and agreed when Kaori quietly looked for her response. At the end of the play, rapturous applause shook the walls of the house, as the enthusiastic attendees lauded praise upon one of Japan's most famous acting troupes.

Descending from their box and being ushered into the back by some of the low-level functionaries, Yumiko quietly walked alongside Kaori through the backstage area, her wistful feelings and deep-rooted nostalgia welling back up from the darkness.

Yumiko's feet failed her when she caught the sight of Takahiro conversing with two people of a similar age: a balding man in a western-style tuxedo, his mustache finely trimmed and his spectacles perched cleanly upon his nose; and the man's companion, whose gray hair mixed with silver, wrapped tightly in a bun. She was wearing a finely made kimono, one Yumiko recognized.

"Jiji, obaasan," Yumiko murmured quietly, panic evident in her voice.

Kaori gently locked arms with Yumiko and spoke quietly. "We're all here with you, dear."

Yumiko found a little burst of will to carry on, and fearfully ventured her way across the backstage area to where the three were conversing.

"Ah, here they are! Kaori, I'd like to introduce you to Saotome Atsuko and Saotome Hiro. Hiro is the former patriarch of the troupe, but has since retired," Takahiro said, gesturing to the two other older people in the group.

"Hiro-san, Atsuko-san, this is Tendou Kaori," he said, craning his neck in the direction of the elderly couple.

"Pleasure," Kaori said, bowing in respect. "Allow me to introduce you to my partner."

Yumiko hesitated, panic welling up in her chest.

"S-Saotome Yumiko."

There was an awkward silence before Hiro said, "I've never seen you at the family reunions. Um… which part of the family are you from?"

The panic had flooded over the highwater mark, and Yumiko began to feel a distinct numbness traveling up her appendages. With the last gasp of energy, she turned on her heel and made to sprint for the backdoor.

She didn't manage it as Kaori's arms wrapped around her waist and yanked her close, causing her to sag against her girlfriend for support. The feeling in her legs was beginning to give out as the numbness spread.

"Hiro-san, Atsuko-san… perhaps this would be better explained over dinner? Would you be interested?"

Atsuko quietly eyed the woman leaning on Kaori, before giving a nod. "I think that'd be the best solution," she said.

Kaori nodded and said, "Ranma, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," the dark-haired martial artist said, coming up to the other side of Yumiko.

"Please take your mother and help her back to the car, if you'd please." Kaori said, gently moving Yumiko over to Ranma, who gave a dutiful nod.

"Come on, Ma… let's get you somewhere quiet," Ranma murmured quietly into her ear. The two departed the backstage area, as Kaori jotted down her address.

"Here you go. Is tomorrow okay for you both?"

"Certainly," Atsuko said, nodding and accepting the leaf of paper from Kaori.

…

Back in the car, Ranma mused on the strangeness of the situation. The woman sobbing into their shoulder was a far cry from the man who had marched Ranma across Japan and China, who had thrown them into a pit of cats and a Jusenkyō spring.

Ranma felt a sorrowful sympathy as they gently held their mother close. They felt a sharp determination to see all this misery and suffering end. Nobody deserved to feel this terrible. It just wasn't right.

Yumiko eventually quieted down, and pulled herself off of Ranma. Her eyes were bright red and her makeup ruined. "What's happened to me," Yumiko said quietly, partially to herself, partially to Ranma, and partially to nobody in particular. "I used to not let it hurt me so much, but now it's all I ever think about… I used to not be so weak and helpless."

"You're discovering yourself again, Mom. It's not a bad thing," Ranma said, trying to comfort her.

Yumiko didn't respond, and simply stared off into the void.