*WHAT* INSERTION?

by Curtis Wildcat

Chapter Seventeen, Part A

Unorthodox

"Is he a duck, or is he a speck? When he's underwater, does he get wet?"

/-/-/-/-/

(Cue theme)

/-/-/-/-/-/

Location: Cerulean Gym, Cerulean City

Time: 1:24pm, March 30, 1996

Ever since she was reunited with Phibrizzo, Dolphin had been keeping tabs on him.

The mazoku that had displayed an extreme hatred for humans was all but gone. If she understood it correctly he was now half-human himself, and the hatred had been dimmed down to annoyance. A huge chunk of his power had been lost upon arrival on this world, which she now knew as Earth. His major goals- - -basically, destruction and chaos- - -had been foiled. Two actual people were sitting in what passed for his skull, and one of them gave every indication of being human. You couldn't get much lower than that. Freely associating with a human, and not showing any hatred of him or her, was taboo as far as all mazoku were concerned.

So, what does that say of me?

Dolphin still considered herself a mazoku, despite her mostly human form and the appearance of gills. Yet, here she was, spending most of her free time cooped up inside the Gym and living a human's life. Is it something about this world? I still feel powerful, but not in the way I was before... I've tried time and time again to live off of the human race's misery since I came here; but each time I start to, I feel as if there's a voice inside me, telling me that what I'm doing is wrong. The one time I ignored it and went ahead anyway, I felt extremely woozy... as if I was experiencing what humans call 'the dry heaves'. I've never felt that way before... it's very disquieting.

That being said, why am I no longer bothered by feelings of joy and happiness? What has happened to me? Have I become so dependent on Misty and Jetsam that I've set aside my wariness of the human race... or is it something else?

Well, I'll say this for humanity: whoever invented coffee must've been a genius. Maybe being a human has its good points, after all.

Dolphin sat in the stands, sipping from a cup of coffee. Down below, Misty was in the middle of a Pokémon battle against an acquaintance of hers from a neighboring region. Misty's Corsola was good, but the opposing trainer's Espeon was better. Within minutes, the battle was over.

Dolphin remained where she was, looking contemplative. Any minute now, Phibrizzo and Flareon would be returning from another intense training session. She'd tried trailing them several times to see what the sessions consisted of, but both times they heard her coming and abruptly sat down, staring into the sky until she left. After the second time, she just shrugged and remained at the gym. If he wanted to keep Flareon's progress a secret, fine.

During her first few days here, it occured to her that if she was going to stay in the Kanto region for a while, she'd need to keep her skills in top condition. She'd heard that there was plenty of competition involving the Pokémon, so she'd decided to learn as much about them as possible. After going through several books and testing her newly-acquired knowledge with Jetsam and several other water-types that Misty permitted her to care for, she'd taken what she'd learned two steps further. In the process, she'd learned what some trainers go most of their lives without figuring out:

Be in sync with your Pokémon. Think like it thinks. Adapt your skills to those of the opponent's. Be prepared for anything.

This was the edge Dolphin maintained in a Pokémon battle.

And if Phibrizzo discovers that same edge, good.

"Excuse me? Lauren, could you get down here, please?"

Dolphin smiled and set her coffee aside as Misty's voice brought her out of her musings. Pushing off the chair in front of her, she flipped through the air and landed gracefully on the tiled floor bordering the pool, eliciting an amazed cry from Misty's acquaintance. Not having her notepad on her, she instead signed: 'What is it?'

"After I say good-bye to Sakura, I'm going to run by the store and pick up a few things. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Dolphin thought for a moment, then signed: 'Everything's fine.'

Misty accepted it. Turning to the trainer she'd battled earlier, she presented her with a freshly-made Cascade Badge and led her out of the building.

Dolphin, though, turned away and strolled along the edge of the pool. Manuevering the diving board back into its normal spot, she clambered up to the top and walked across the board. As she neared the edge, she stretched across the length of the board and stared out across the room. It was an odd habit, but it was her means of unwinding.

Let me see... there's another performance scheduled two weeks down the line. It should hold us over until the officials at that Indigo Plateau place get around to reading that letter we sent. There'll be time to practice some new tricks and arrange for an exhibition match later...

I'd always wondered what boredom felt like. Now that I'm experiencing it, I hate it. She yelled silently: Do you hear me!? I hate you, boredom! You've got something funny to say?! Say it to my face!

"Hey, Dolphin. Looking vacant again?" Phibrizzo's voice asked her from the stands.

Dolphin's eyes flicked in his direction before staring out again. On second thought, boredom, stay as long as you want! After a few seconds, she turned her head and shook it.

"Call it whatever you like," Phibrizzo said, just loud enough for her to hear. Picking up his voice, he continued: "Sunburst and I are just about done for now; I'll be back again tomorrow, same time. For now, I'm just going to hang around here until it's time for me to leave."

Dolphin didn't answer him, instead resting her chin on one arm and letting the other hand hang below the board.

"So, you want anything for lunch? Thought about grabbing a taco and spicing it up Phibrizzo-style...want to have one, too?"

Dolphin didn't answer him out loud. What do I look like...a fire-breather? After that experience, I'm just glad that I still have my sense of taste... and that the cold water nozzle in the bathtub still worked after it was wound all the way!

Frowning, Phibrizzo removed his shoes and set them aside before ducking out of view. "I was at a sporting goods store recently," he was heard saying as he rummaged around. "Someone I know there was able to give me some good deals on stuff."

I should've gone with Misty. Whether he's a true sibling or not, Phibby's still as annoying as one.

About a minute or so later, Dolphin heard the familiar snap-hiss that signalled Phibrizzo's teleportation... to a spot somewhere above her. She was able to scramble away in time just as Phibrizzo landed on the board and started to jump on it. Glancing once at him, just long enough to see the lime green-banded black swimshorts he'd donned, the mazoku/superhuman backed towards the steps.

"I'm thinking about warping over to Nerima tomorrow after our next training session," Phibrizzo was saying as he repeatedly jumped on the board, each jump taking him closer to the ceiling. "There's a group of wackos over there that I visit."

Dolphin paused.

"Misguided martial artists, insane rich people, crossdressers...the works," Phibrizzo continued. "Unless you have a high tolerance for 'weird', you won't last long there."

After a few seconds, Dolphin went down the steps and walked over to the stands, seeking out her coffee.

"You're welcome to come along, if you want," Phibrizzo called as she climbed into the stands. "Just make sure you're coated in pepper spray before you teleport in. And keep your Vaporeon at home."

Right when he finished speaking, Phibrizzo made one more jump that propelled him towards the ceiling. Reaching up with one hand, his fingertips were able to brush the ceiling before gravity sent him plunging into the pool, splashing water everywhere.

Dolphin shrugged, then gazed into her coffee cup- - -and froze.

The cup was empty.

/-/-/-/-/

Location: Nerima ward, Furinkan High School's roof

Time: Morning, two days later

Clad once more in her normal performance outfit and equipped with a small duffel bag stock-full of supplies, Dolphin teleported from Cerulean City onto Furinkan's roof. Having asked for a few photos of the area from Phibrizzo, she'd zeroed in on what seemed a safe place to appear.

Dolphin gazed out over the edge of the building she'd appeared on. Down below, a man armed with a wooden sword was regaling two girls- - -one with striking red hair- - -with a long-winded speech. Deciding that it was time to go, she jumped off the roof and descended straight down, landing lightly with her usual grace behind the raving man. He didn't seem to have noticed.

The two girls, however, did. "Ranma, who is that?" one of the girls asked.

Dolphin walked past, not giving the man a second look. From the sound of things, though, he was immediately enraptured. The man stuttered for a few seconds, then started going on about such things as grace, form, and someone called "Triton's daughter". Dolphin shook her head. Phibrizzo wasn't kidding.

Hearing someone run towards her- - -most likely the lunatic- - -Dolphin reached into her bag and pulled out a magic marker. Before the man could catch her, she pivoted on one foot and did a complete 360, bringing her behind the man as she dodged out of the way. As the man's head turned, she unscrewed the marker's cap and scribbled on his face. Dumbfounded, the two spectators- - -plus who knows how many more were watching from the windows- - -could do nothing but watch.

Fifteen seconds later, having finished what she wanted to write, Dolphin put the marker back in her bag and continued on her way. Just before she exited the grounds she stopped, reconsidered, and turned to enter the school instead.

/-/-/-/-/-/

On the outside, Nabiki was as calm as could be. On the inside, she was as surprised as everyone else. Looks like Nerima's gotten itself another oddball. Who is she?

/-/-/-/-/-/

Ranma swallowed, a bit unnerved by what the long-haired woman had just done. Man, talk about grace under fire!

"That was awesome," Akane murmured. "She acted like nothing was happening!"

The two of them turned away from the gate to see Kuno's reaction. The kendoist was staring towards the school doors, the marks on his face not yet registering in his mind. "Like rushing water she appears, and like a mist she drifts away," he intoned. "Marvelous..."

He was still there when Akane and Ranma edged past him into the school. It wasn't until the bell rang that it occured to him that he shouldn't be standing out here.

And it wasn't until he next saw his reflection that he discovered what the woman had written on his face: "Out of order".

Not that it mattered to him or anything.

/-/-/-/-/-/

In the principal's office, Dolphin glared at the second nut she'd seen in the past five minutes. She deliberately ignored the pineapples, coconuts, and paper-mache palm trees scattered around. 'I want to sit in on one of your classes. What part of "sit in" do you not understand- - -the "sit", or the "in"?'

"Da big kahuna wasn't expecting any visitors today," Principal Kuno told her. "Rules are rules. No sitting around da building without a prior appointment, wahine."

Dolphin watched the palm tree on the man's head as she answered: 'It's only for the morning, and besides, it's not like I'll be disturbing anything. From what I've heard, this place is disturbing enough.'

"Hmmm...if da pretty wahine follows one condition," the principal said, taking one of the pineapples on the desk and handing it to her. "Keep dis with you at all times. It's proof of my permission!"

Dolphin tried not to blink, but was unsuccessful. And people think I'm weird. Not bothering to write a response, she pocketed the notepad and pen before taking the pineapple.

"I have one more thing to ask you...it's a memento of your visit to Furinkan!" Principal Kuno said, getting her attention. From out of nowhere, he grabbed a pair of clippers and a giant comb, lunging over the desk. "Long-lasting haircut! Only the best!"

/-/-/-/

Dolphin walked out of the office a minute later, fuming silently. In her left arm was the 'permission pineapple'. Her ponytailed hair, which nearly brushed the floor, was left untouched. With each step she took away from the office, some hair came off her shoes: hair that was previously on the principal's head. He should be thankful I left that decal on his head behind! That miserable macademy nut, or whatever it is you call them! Say, I'd probably be a good barber...

But that's a thought for another time. Which class should I sit in on?

As if I didn't already know...

/-/-/-/

Miss Hinako was just finishing attendance when someone knocked at the door. Mentally sighing, she jumped off her chair and went over to answer the door.

Ranma perked up when he saw who it was, and Akane leaned forward curiously. "It's that strange woman from earlier," the third Tendo child remarked aloud.

Hinako gazed up at Dolphin, who towered over her by several feet easily. The woman seemed a little ill at ease, but got over it quickly when she saw the teacher. Arching an eyebrow as she entered, she got out her notepad, balanced the pineapple on her head, and wrote: 'You're the teacher? I was expecting someone... taller.'

Ukyo tried to see what Dolphin was writing. "What's she saying?"

"Are you a new student here?" Hinako asked. "You look- - -"

Dolphin slashed the air with her hand, then wrote another message. 'I dare you to finish that sentence.'

Ukyo spoke up. "Excuse me, miss, but if you're going to write something, could you at least use the board?"

"And what's with the pineapple?" Ranma asked. "Are you related to the principal or something?"

Before Akane could object to his straightforwardness, Dolphin's shoulders shook with quiet laughter. Putting the notepad away, she began scribbling a message on the board. As she did this, Hinako stood back on her chair in order to read it better:

"'My name's Lauren Aqua, but you can call me Dolphin. I'm in Nerima on my day off, and I decided to sit in on your morning classes before I left to see the sights. As for the pineapple, apparently your principal has never heard of "permission slips"... anyway, if you have any questions, speak up now so that the teacher can get started'."

Dolphin put down the chalk and turned to face the class, glancing at each student questioningly.

Akane was the first to raise her hand, and Dolphin nodded her head towards her. "Miss Dolphin, how'd you sneak up on Kuno like that?"

"She snuck up on Master Kuno?" one of the students whispered.

Smiling, Dolphin teleported a few feet to her right, snatching the pineapple as it fell. She then threw the fruit across the room, then warped again in time to catch it. Finally she warped right outside the window, waited until everyone saw her, then waved and teleported back inside. Taking up the chalk again, she wrote: 'Does that answer your question?'

Some of the students blinked and muttered to themselves, but the class as a whole accepted her teleportation ability. They'd seen stranger things, after all. Personally, Ranma was rather uneasy with it, but he didn't let it bother him for long.

Before Dolphin placed the pineapple back on her head, she nodded at the student who'd whispered earlier and motioned for him to speak. "Why haven't you said anything out loud?"

She frowned; she'd expected that question and had been prepared for it, but it was starting to bug her. She wrote: 'Because I can't. I can't talk... not normally, anyway.' Almost immediately several faces softened, and her eyes narrowed a fraction. I don't think I'll ever get used to being pitied.

The third hand, surprisingly enough, belonged to Miss Hinako. "You're not here to encourage delinquent behavior, are you?"

Dolphin's frown was replaced by a wide, shut-eyed grin. 'I used to be insane. Now I'm just crazy.'

Several students facefaulted; everyone else sweatdropped. "That's not really what you're supposed to say," Akane stated, recovering.

'You people can't take a joke, can you?' Dolphin asked, this time smiling normally. 'I won't disrupt class or anything like that. Now, I think I've taken up enough time. Can I borrow one of your chairs?' she finished, taking a bite out of the pineapple she'd previously been storing on her cranium.

/-/-/-/

As Dolphin found an empty desk and sat behind it, placing the pineapple and her duffel bag on the floor, different thoughts were running through everyone's heads.

Hinako was considering what she'd been told. She looks smart enough. Why's she in school? She'd better not cause any trouble. Oh, well. On with the class!

Ukyo was wondering at first if Dolphin had any sort of claim on Ranma, courtesy of Genma. After seeing the woman's total lack of interest, though, she guessed that maybe she was already married and that her reasons for coming to Furinkan were the truth. Why else would she ignore him unless she was already devoted to someone else?

Akane was hoping that Dolphin was only a visitor, as the woman claimed she was. The last thing I need is her on top of everyone else. She did say she used to be insane, after all. And why'd she grow her hair that long? I'll bet she's clumsy and hiding it.

Ranma's thoughts were along different lines...at first. That wasn't just speed; she was going too fast to be in and out of the school that quickly. How'd she do that? And that expression... it's like some sort of cross between Shampoo and Nabiki! That's a bad combination!

One minute into Hinako's lecture, the door was busted open. Kuno, his face free of writing, almost literally flew into the room. In one hand was a bokken; in the other, a rose bouquet. "Aqua-haired belle, surely Triton himself has granted me the privilege of witnessing your presence. The foul sorcerer Saotome could not have enslaved you, for the lord of oceans' power is vast, indeed!" He marched past the students, the bouquet held out in front of him. "Please, accept this token of my esteem!"

Dolphin calmly eyed the kendoist as everyone waited with baited breath. Finally, she smiled. Everyone who saw this- - -save Kuno, of course- - -felt shivers go up their spines. The worst villains in history could not have looked so sinister and maniacal as this aqua-themed woman; it looked like she had it down to an art form. If only they knew.

The moment was ruined when the neglected 'permission pineapple' (or the large chunk that was uneaten) suddenly detonated. The explosion blasted the desk into the wall, blew all the petals off the flowers, and turned everyone in the vicinity a dark, sooty shade of gray. The duffel bag it was sitting on somehow took only minor damage.

When the smoke started to clear, Kuno and Dolphin- - -who had taken the brunt of the explosion- - -were the most surprised. Dolphin was utterly flabbergasted, staring at the chunks of pineapple that were left. I had no idea fruit could explode like that! She gazed up at the class questioningly; her appearance and expression were so comical that some students couldn't help but chuckle.

"You got gipped," Ranma finally said, fighting to keep from laughing himself. "The principal likes to put bombs in those things."

"Are you okay?" Akane asked, being one of those who hadn't been mirthful.

Dolphin forced a nod, then stood and shook herself violently. All the soot that had gathered on her was thrown off. She looked up at Kuno, who was waiting for a response despite the fact that the flowers were ruined, and accepted the bouquet. Before the swordsman could react, though, a blast of water- - -similar in appearance to Jetsam's Water Gun- - -literally flowed out of the mazoku's right hand and washed him out the window. She kept up the stream for a few more seconds, washing some leftover soot from the damaged flowers.

The entire class- - -including the now-female Ranma- - -stared at her, agape. "How- - -how did you do that?" someone wanted to know.

Dolphin shrugged as she sat back down. She hadn't used that ability too much since she moved in. She'd kept the water, teleportation, and floating skills under wraps for the most part; she only teleported when she wanted to get to Tokyo or some other distant locale, and she'd only floated once (just a few minutes ago). She hadn't been about to let the world know that she was more dangerous than she looked; she instead learned to use her newfound strength, agility, and grace to their greatest effects. No need to freak out the populace with abilities that were normally attributed to Pokémon.

At least the bizarre is acceptable in Nerima.

As things gradually calmed down and everyone got over their surprise, Dolphin- - -no longer having a desk to sit at- - -sat back in her chair. Not having any real respect for romance and wishing she'd brought a snack from home, she instead nibbled on the flowers Kuno had given her.

/-/-/-/-/

Time: That afternoon, after school

Location: Ukyo's restaurant

Ukyo diverted her attention from the grill long enough to note that Phibrizzo had just teleported on in. About on schedule, she thought. "Hello, Phibrizzo. The usual?" she called.

Phibrizzo shook his head as he seated himself at the counter. "I think I'll try the shrimp okonomiyaki this time. And a glass of water, please."

A few minutes later, Ukyo delivered his meal. "Here you go, sugar. Cooked to perfection, as always."

"Appreciate it. By the way," Phibrizzo asked, "has anything unusual happened recently... besides the norm, I mean?"

"Actually," Ukyo said, "something new has happened. This blue-haired woman showed up at Furinkan and sat in on our classes. I thought at first that she was after Ranma, but she completely ignored him. She later blasted Kuno out the window by shooting water out her hand."

Ukyo didn't like the look Phibrizzo gave her. "You're talking about Deep Sea Dolphin, aren't you?"

"Well, she did say to call her 'Dolphin', but I thought she said her real name was Lauren Aqua."

"It's Deep Sea Dolphin," Phibrizzo muttered. "She told me yesterday she wasn't going to go to Nerima. She must've changed her mind somewhere along the way."

"You're acting like you know this woman..."

"I do. She's my sister. She uses 'Lauren Aqua' as a stage name." Phibrizzo took a bite of his meal, then spoke again after he'd swallowed it. "So, what kind of damage did she do?"

She's his sister, huh? I should've guessed. "Well, Kuno charged into the classroom a few times, and each time she made it clear she wasn't interested. As you can guess, the dope ignored her. The last time he barged on in, Miss Hinako drained his energy and let Dolphin toss him into the school's swimming pool. He didn't show up the rest of the morning, and your sister left at lunchtime. I haven't seen her since."

"Dolphin's always been one for mischief," Phibrizzo grumbled. "She has an odd sense of humor, like her namesake. If there's trouble, she'll either find it or be the cause of it. As soon as I'm done here, I'm gonna go to the Nekohanten and see if the Amazons have seen her at all." He added in a lower tone: "I told that walking fish to bring pepper spray..."

"Let me know how it turns out," Ukyo said dryly as she returned to her grill. No way that I'm getting involved in this. If those two really are siblings, I'd hate to see what they're like when they're under the same roof.

Hold on a second... 'walking fish'?

/-/-/-/-/

Time: Twenty minutes later

"Yes. Shampoo saw long-haired woman outside Tendo Dojo," Shampoo explained as she and Phibrizzo stood outside the Cat Cafe. "Thought woman was after airen, but wanted to see no-good Panda-man instead. Don't know what for, except for collecting on debt."

"Actually, this is the first time Dolphin's ever met Genma," Phibrizzo said just loud enough for Shampoo to hear. "I don't think she's here to collect anything from him. Anyhow, you didn't try to attack her, did you?"

Shampoo shook her head. "Woman no claim to airen. No obstacle to Shampoo. Is safe."

Phibrizzo nodded. "Right. Just so I have this right, Miss Shampoo, who did you mean by 'is safe'?"

"Not obvious to small boy?" Shampoo asked curiously, smiling a little. "Long-haired woman is safe. Much better not to fight."

"Yeah," Phibrizzo agreed. "For your health, anyway."

Shampoo's smile faded. "Shampoo don't like what that means."

"You don't have to like it," Phibrizzo said, frowning. "Dolphin's no fighter- - -at least, not in the same sense that you and the others are- - -but she's much worse than an Amazon's worst nightmare."

"How so?"

"Let's see... how to explain this..." Phibrizzo tapped his foot against the ground for a few seconds before an explanation occurred to him. "Okay, I think I've got it. Imagine a large housecat with claws and teeth. It's sure of itself and is able to defend its territory. With me on this?"

Shampoo nodded. "Go on."

"Okay. Imagine that this housecat meets up with a large fish. It's been a few hours since its last meal, so it decides to go for it. A few problems, though. One: this fish can walk on land. Two: this fish has the playfulness and intelligence of a dolphin, the bite of a barracuda, and all the ferocity of a school of piranha...and that's if it's had a good day. On a bad day, the cat'll scamper indoors and hide in a blanket until dinnertime. You see what I'm getting at?"

Shampoo pondered this for a few seconds. "Dolphin more dangerous than she appears. Doesn't practice fighting, but retaliates in other ways... much like mercenary girl."

"Minus the reference to Nabiki, that's close enough," Phibrizzo said after a moment's thought. "Trust me. When she's truly angry, she'll let you know in every way possible."

A line of subsequent thoughts ran through Shampoo's head. So, Dolphin- - -if that's the woman's name- - -is no fighter. That means if any of us try to attack her if they feel slighted somehow, she's liable to call the authorities or find some alternate means of settling matters. But if I heard Phibrizzo right, there's more to Dolphin than meets the eye. Maybe great-grandmother would like to meet this woman.

Phibrizzo, not getting a reaction out of the Amazon, shrugged and waved good-bye. "Later, Shampoo." Stretching his arms and grabbing a nearby roof, he pulled his feet off the ground and Rocketed down the street.

A few minutes later, after handing out a few more orders of ramen, Shampoo grabbed her bicycle- - -already prepared with some food for her 'airen' should he turn up- - -and began pedalling at full steam towards the Tendo dojo.

/-/-/-/-/

Location: Tendo dojo

"You mean she's just been sitting there for the past hour?" Akane asked, disbelieving as she looked outside.

Kasumi nodded. "She listened and communicated with Ranma's father for a while, then went out to watch the koi. She hasn't even twitched."

Akane knew what she meant by 'communicated', having learned of Dolphin's verbal infirmity first-hand. She was a bit surprised to find that the woman had no interest in Ranma, but she wasn't complaining.

Nabiki folded her arms. "So, she just came by to see Genma...and then, without getting angry at him or anything, she just goes out and watches the fish. I was right; Nerima's gotten itself another oddball. What did she want to talk to Genma for?"

"She didn't say," Kasumi said, smiling.

Akane sweatdropped. "Kasumi..."

"What I mean to say is that she didn't let us know. She had me leave the room beforehand," Kasumi explained. "I overheard Mister Saotome say something about keeping a marker handy, but that was about it."

The room was silent for several moments as everyone harbored their own thoughts. "You realize, of course," Nabiki stated, "that if there's a woman anywhere on the property, there's bound to be a disaster."

"Oh, right," Akane growled venomously. "Him. Well, let's hope he doesn't show up."

"You shouldn't have said that, Akane" Nabiki deadpanned, pointing out the window.

The three of them saw Happosai bounding towards Dolphin like a caffeinated cricket. It was too late, of course, to do anything about it; but as they rushed towards the door, they could at least see how the aqua-haired woman responded to Nerima's greatest danger- - -...

"Swee- - -...GWAH!"

CRASH!

A tremendous cloud of dust and dirt exploded from where Happosai had been, blowing past the Tendo sisters as they ran outside. Shielding their faces from the dust, they heard:

"Ha-ha-ha-ha...ha-ha-ha...ka-boom! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

As a brief breeze blew the grit away, the trio saw a familiar shape propped up on his elbows, laughing like he'd just heard the world's funniest joke. Beneath him was Happosai, temporarily knocked cuckoo by the figure's arrival method.

Nabiki shook her head. "Phibrizzo, you probably couldn't have picked a better time to drop in."

Phibrizzo grinned, brushing himself off. "I guess I rocketed a little too high back there. Oh, well." His grin dropped to a calm smile. "So, have you seen my sister anywhere?"

"Sister?" the Tendo sisters asked in unison.

"Yeah. Blue hair long enough to qualify as a walking hazard... that should identify her by itself."

"That woman," Akane almost shouted, "is your sister?"

"Yes," Phibrizzo said uncertainly. "What's the fuss about..." He paused for a few seconds before asking: "And what's that I'm sitting on?" He looked down, finally noticing that he'd landed directly on top of Happosai. "Oh. It's you. Well, whatever it is, you probably deserved it."

During the explosion and the conversation, Dolphin still hadn't moved. Finally deciding to make herself known, she strolled on over...and sat down on Phibrizzo's stomach before he could get up. This had the added effect of pushing Happosai into the ground.

Phibrizzo grunted and strained a little bit. "I was looking around for you," he complained. "You told me you weren't going to come to Nerima!"

Pondering for a moment, Dolphin reached into her hair and pulled out a sign that read: 'I changed my mind'. Phibrizzo's mouth dropped open when he saw this. "Terrific. You'll imprint upon anyone, won't you? You've been taking lessons from Genma, haven't you? That's not a good sign!"

"Phibrizzo," Nabiki said, stopping what could've dissolved into an argument, "in case you forgot, you're sitting on top of a lech."

Remembering who he'd landed on, Phibrizzo's next complaint died on his lips. Instead, he offered Dolphin a smile. "On second thought, sit as long as you'd like! So, uh... I didn't know you had a subspace pocket in your hair."

'There's a lot of things you don't know about me,' Dolphin said, then flipped the sign around. 'For that matter, what's this about a lech?'

Phibrizzo hissed something that the Tendos couldn't hear, although they guessed that he was telling Dolphin about Happosai. To their surprise, the woman remained composed... mostly. The only sign that she was ticked off was the ocean-blue glow that surrounded her. 'I see...anything else?'

"No. Why?"

'Because he's about to take an unscheduled vacation.'

Dolphin put the sign away, touched Happosai's head, and teleported out. Phibrizzo pushed himself onto his feet, brushing off some of the dust that lingered on his clothes...and then a sudden weight on his head almost made him topple. "Dolphin," Phibrizzo growled, glaring upwards, "get off my head."

Akane and the others stared in wonder. What weren't those two capable of? "If they think that's normal," Nabiki commented out loud, "maybe we should be thankful that Ranma's not any worse."

"Dolphin, I said get off!" Phibrizzo shouted, patience running low.

His only response was a quiet 'tsk-tsk-tsk', one of the few noises Dolphin was capable of making in her present state. Incensed, Phibrizzo's body started glowing violet as his temperature skyrocketed.

Dolphin was forced to jump off to keep the heat from burning clear through her shoes. She glared at her brother, outwardly calm but inwardly seething for several reasons (having learned of Happosai, she'd fought hard to keep her fury under control). She pulled out another sign. 'You know, brother, despite the battles you've fought against those Team Rocket people...' She paused to flip the sign over. '...it still isn't entirely clear what you've become. Judging from recent behavior...' She flipped the sign again. '...I'd say you're getting soft.'

"Me? Soft?" Phibrizzo scoffed, his temperature decreasing. "You're the one who sleeps on top of a diving board when there's nothing going on. Don't accuse me of doing stuff when you're not any better."

Flip. 'It's not an accusation. It's the truth. Don't confuse the two.'

"Hmph." Phibrizzo's stare didn't waver, and he seemed to have forgotten that there were others watching him. "Tell me something, and tell me honestly. Do you enjoy it when people around you get depressed, angry, or both?"

Dolphin didn't respond.

"I don't know about you, but simmering in a pot of my own depression just doesn't cut it for me anymore. There are people out there that care about me. I don't know yet how I feel about them, but until I come to grips with this, I can't let anything push me off course. Ever since I came to Tokyo, I felt as if a string's been cut. It took a little while, but I feel as if I can let old issues and grudges fade into the background, and focus on the here and now. If you're here, I know the same thing's happened to you!"

Dolphin remained where she was, staring into her brother's eyes. Finally, she flipped the sign around again. 'I was right...you have gotten soft. In the past, you would never...' Another flip. '...even consider such a subject. Your time here is turning your...' '...own thoughts against you.'

"If that's true," Phibrizzo challenged, "why am I still here? Why am I standing here, the picture of the excellent physical and mental health- - -if you count out Curtis and Inuyasha- - -and totally unaffected by joy? I'll ask you again: do you take pleasure in others' anger?"

Again, Dolphin didn't respond, instead putting the sign away.

"...Four, five...six. She flipped that same sign around six times!" Akane murmured, amazed. "She must've taken what Genma told her seriously."

Nabiki was more concerned with what Phibrizzo and Dolphin were arguing about. If she guessed correctly, the two siblings had an immense disliking for other people in the past. What she didn't get was why Phibrizzo would start changing his ways after coming to Tokyo, as opposed to anyplace else.

The middle Tendo sister glanced momentarily at Kasumi. Despite her innate cheer and helpfulness, it was hard to tell what the eldest sibling was thinking sometimes. If I had to guess, she's probably hoping that they settle this discussion peacefully. Judging from these two, I don't blame her.

/-/-/-/-/

Dolphin was a master at hiding her true emotions, being able to conceal even the most extreme feelings behind a silent poker face. Externally, she was looking at Phibrizzo passively. On the inside, a torrent of anger at her brother's insinuations was raging. He's calling me soft! Me! I almost feel like decking him so that he could see how soft I really am!

Wait...'almost'? Shouldn't that be 'definitely'? I know how angry I'm getting... but my thoughts aren't cooperating with me! My life here is messing me up!

"You haven't answered my question, Dolphin," Phibrizzo said, tapping his foot impatiently.

Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes, you little flaming housefly! What proof is there that humanity's worth anything? My beliefs haven't changed a bit!

And yet why...

Why do I feel so frustrated? Why do I keep from answering his question?

Crash!

"Nihao small boy, fish woman!"

The entire group, excluding Kasumi, collapsed. Upon pulling her face from the ground, Dolphin groaned mentally. And why can't I have any dramatic moments around here? I'd even settle for one of those segues!

/-/-/-/-/-/

To be continued