Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma in any way, shape, or form.

IMPORTANT: Read author's notes at the end of the chapter for important
information.




File 05: Past and Present



The secret to success.

Quite possibly the greatest goal anyone hopes to achieve. It's a hard learned
lesson and not many are able to grasp its meaning. However, a chosen few have,
and they are the ones who rank among the power elite of the entire business
world.

Soun Tendo is one of those people. In an era where technology has reached a
level no one could hope to anticipate, in a world where looking over your
shoulder was no longer considered being paranoid, and in a time where the only
choices you have are to stand and fight or be ground to dust under the might of
a competitor; Soun Tendo had built the greatest corporate empire the world had
ever seen. He found the secret to success...and it was right under his nose the
entire time...

"Good morning Mr. Tendo." Dr. Tofu greeted the company owner as he and a guest
entered the upper-most floor of the Heaven's Star Bio-Technology division
headquarters. The nerve center of one of Star's most highly funded divisions
was once located in the central headquarters itself, however large-scale
expansion had since relocated it to a privately owned island off the northern
coast of Shikoku.

"Greetings Dr. Tofu. I take it preparations have already been completed?"

"We just finished prepping the equipment ten minutes ago. I see you've brought a
guest this time."

"Yes I have. I would like you to meet Mr. Kinnosuke Kashuoh, head of our network
maintenance and security division." Soun indicated the somewhat nervous former
hacker standing next to him.

"Uhhhh, h...hi." He waved to the entire staff present. His presence here was
sudden to say the least. He was going about his morning schedule when all of a
sudden he had been called into the president's office; the next thing he knew he
was boarding a chopper headed for this very location. He still had no idea why.

"Welcome Mr. Kashuoh."

"Great to be here...I think..."

They were actually standing on a balcony running along the southern wall and
overlooking an extremely large laboratory. Down below them lay two large,
shallow, circular pits, each one surrounded by a dizzying array of
processing and computing equipment. One pit contained a cylindrical submersion
tank; large cables and wires ran directly from the bottom of the tank and into
the ground. The second pit was lined with several dozen small lenses running in
a cross pattern along the ground.

"I am sure your wondering why I have brought you here." Soun grinned as the trio
descended the stairs just to the left of them.

"Yeah, that question has crossed my mind." Kinnosuke sweatdropped.

"You have been a loyal and dedicated employee for several years now. When we
came to you you were an ex-con with amazing talent but with no outlet with which
to use it. You have since worked your way through the ranks and have become the
head of the very department you used to work for." Soun recounted his employment
history. "That is why I am granting you access to knowledge known by only a
select few department heads."

"I'm...honored."

"Do you recognize this Mr. Kashuoh?" Tofu held up a very small disk as they
approached one of the many workstations around the lens pit.

"Yeah...isn't that the disk that got nabbed a couple of weeks ago? I had heard
we
had gotten it back, but I never did find out why it was so important."

"That's good to hear. If you had then I would have had to reconsider this entire
proposal, as well as your employment and freedom." Soun responded. Kinnosuke
inwardly thanked the stars that ignorance was indeed bliss in this case.

"We're all set. Ready to begin at anytime." A specialist said. There were only
seven other specialists present since it was only a demonstration. Usually a
full-scale operation would require a staff number in the realm of fifteen to
twenty.

"Pay close attention Mr. Kashuoh." Tofu inserted the disk into an equally small
drive as the lights in the area went dim. There were familiar sounds of
computers powering on and/or booting up.

"Loading OS."

"Running partition check."

"Running node check."

"Connection continuity is nominal. Not that we need it right now..."

"Got nothing in the error log. Haven't had a system crash in the past ten
months, maybe we're actually doing something right this time."

The multiple staff members each ran through the multiple phases of the equipment
start-up. Kinnosuke could feel the heat being given off by the multi-dozen-
processor system.

"Loading S-Protocols." One of the technicians finally declared and that's where
everything started. The room went completely dark and the pit was lit up by the
rows of holo-projectors. Raw encrypted code appeared in mid-air for all to see
and it began to scroll down at an extremely fast rate.

"What do you see Kinnosuke?" Soun asked.

"The cipher, its like nothing I've ever seen before..." His followed at the same
speed as the scrolling. "It would take a team of mathematicians decades to
decode something like this..."

"Exactly. When the disk was stolen, the thieves neglected to take the key." Soun
explained.

"I see. That's why you weren't freaking out when it vanished. It's useless
without the key..."

"Load the key." Tofu ordered. "What you're going to see Mr. Kashuoh, is the very
thing that will light the way to the future for all mankind," Tofu smiled.

The code stopped and vanished. Several seconds later another code sped by only
to vanish seconds later itself.

"Keycode loaded. Reloading S-Protocols..." Someone whispered.

This time instead of an indecipherable jumble, a featureless wire-frame image of
a man appeared. It rotated slowly in 360 degrees and text began running slowly
on either side of it.

"Bring up files 8021 and 8022." Tofu ordered.

This time two very recognizable images appeared next to the wire-frame. They all
rotated in synch and message boxes began appearing at various areas between the
frame and the images; as if comparing the two to the frame.

"What...is this..." Kinnosuke murmured.

"This, Kinnosuke, is the secret to my success. They are the sole reason this
company has survived for as long as it has. This is how I knew in the
beginning..." Soun explained.

"I'm bringing up the newly compiled bio-file. File 8023." Tofu said as he looked
from the holograms to the workstation screen. Eventually a third image appeared
and under the same conditions as the first two. "As you can see her statistics
are rapidly approaching that of the base as she grows older. Total compatibility
with the Protocols will be inevitable within the year. It is amazing that all
three of them were capable of this, it goes against all known probability."

"Kinnosuke, what the doctor is about to explain to you WILL NOT leave this room.
Is that understood?" Soun turned to him, his statement was deadly serious.

"Y...Yes sir. My lips are completely sealed."

"Good. Dr. Tofu if you will..."

"Mr. Kashuoh, what I am about to explain might take some time so I do suggest
you pay very close attention to everything I tell you. I will only explain this
once..." Tofu turned to him. "I am going to explain what the S-Protocols are,
who created them, how we came to possess them, what they are used for, and what
we have discovered by using them..."

Kinno stared in wonder at the images floating before him as Tofu explained their
full meaning to him. Unbeknownst to him Soun had a prideful gleam in his eyes.
They said it was impossible, especially in ones so close in generation, for all
three to possess the same ability. They said the odds of it happening were
incalculable, they said the fact that it happened to one of them was in itself a
fluke in the laws of nature.

Then, when it did happen, they called it a mistake. They said that radiation in
the atmosphere, or trace amounts of nuclear fallout from World War II was the
cause of it. They stood by the fact that such an occurrence could NEVER happen
naturally. Soun took no shame in believing that it could have been an act of
God. Perhaps Kimiko and himself had been blessed in some way, shape, or form.

All he knew was that Kasumi was the first, and she wasn't the last...



~**~


"NABIKI! AKANE! HURRY OR YOU WILL BE LATE!" Kasumi called. She was wiping her
hands after cleaning the dishes as she stared at the nearby clock.
"6...5...4..."

"HI! BYE!" The two blurs raced down the stairs, grabbed there bags and were out
the door in record time.

"Oh my, they're early." She watched as they sped down the street. "So young, so
vigorous." She laughed, mostly at the fact that she wasn't that much older than
them.

The home was overtaken by total stillness when she noticed something rather odd
about the typical morning's events. Ranma and Ryoga had been nowhere to be seen,
they did not even put on an appearance at breakfast.

"Ranma! Ryoga!" She called up the stairs and she received only silence in
response. "They couldn't still be asleep...could they...?" She wondered.

She slowly stalked up the steps and came before their closed room door.

"Ranma...Ryoga..." She knocked several times as she tried once again to gain
some response. She was once again greeted by nothing. She carefully brought her
ear to the door, but heard nothing the other side save for a strange humming
noise.

Her hand involuntarily moved to the doorknob. The door was unlocked surprisingly
enough; it would just be a simple matter of pushing it open. She knew so little
about the duo, she had already given Nabiki the go ahead to find as much as she
could about them. She could only imagine what information could be gleaned if
she just stepped inside.

"But...I promised that I would treat them as part of the family...and that means
respecting their privacy...at least at home." She murmured as she let go of the
knob.

A sudden knocking at the front door roused her attention. A twist on the saying
of being saved by the bell, but it worked either way.

"Yes, how can I..." Kasumi's usual cheery expression when greeting someone
disappeared when she realized who it was paying a visit. "Oh...Ken..."

"Kasumi..." Kensuke Odagirii, the blonde-haired son of Akira Odagirii, and the
person who not too long ago led a small mob to try and forcibly 'restrain' her.
"We...need to talk..."


***


A calm and peaceful atmosphere blanketed Nerima in the morning. For some it was
still early in the morning and they had yet to rise from the nightly slumber.
Others were going about their sunrise routines; going to work, opening up shop,
cleansing the outside of their homes, or even walking the occasional pet.

"Hey Nabiki, what's got you? You look tense." Akane asked as they ran.

Said sister's face was currently a mask of contemplation. She was having a lot
to think about, mainly on the subject of two fiancées whom she was determined to
learn everything about. In her eyes, information was the greatest power in the
world. She liked having a lot of it at any given time and having a lack of it
in a certain subject never boded well for her. It was this drive that caused
her to wind up in her current occupation for Star, but that is another story all
together...

"Naah, it's nothing." She waved it off.

"Are you still suspicious about those two?" Nabiki could only guess that her
talent of reading people was rubbing off on her younger sister.

"Suspicious? Of course not." To depict her only growing mistrust with such a
general description would not do it justice. Of course she kept that little fact
to herself.

"Good. I mean if I can learn to live with it, anyone can."

"Why do you care so much? I thought you were against the marriage at first, that
and the fact that you've said yourself that you have no interest in boys."
Nabiki pointed out.

"I don't, at least not in that way, and I still don't have a good feeling about
this whole marriage thing. It's just that it has been a long time since anyone
has given me a fight that good, except for Kasumi and you. I guess that's why he
has me so interested." Akane explained. Nabiki simply shrugged in response.

Furinkan High School began to come into view. It was one of the crown jewels of
Nerima. It was most well known for its wide variety of extra-curricular
activities, some more...unique...than others. In the end a student would be
hard-pressed not to find something that did not interest him or her.

As the two entered school grounds they were greeted by a bevy of activities
going on at once. The track team ran their loops around the school, the tea
ceremony club performed their morning rituals, and even the kendo club practiced
their daily drills.

"See ya after class!" Akane waved as they parted ways.

Nabiki did not walk alone for very long before another female student
discretely began walking beside her.

"Morning Miyo. What do you have for me..."

The long brown haired girl at her side was Miyo Heita, known around the school
for her interest in the occult and for being an overall freak. To Nabiki
however she served a far greater purpose.

"Word on the vine is that we're going to be getting two new students today."
Miyo spoke in a low-pitched whisper. Some people claimed it was because she
chanted evil spells so many times that her voice stuck that way. It was no
wonder Nabiki rarely paid attention to rumors unless they had hard evidence to
back them up.

"The year just started. We're still getting new students by the day, what's so
special about that?"

"I was thinking the same thing. The reason they're so special is because no one
knows who they are or even where they came from."

"Is that so..." This was beginning to sound all too familiar to Nabiki for her
own liking.

"Yeah, a...friend...of mine was able to tap into school records. He couldn't
find a thing on either of them. No record of having attended another school
before this one, no prior grades or test scores, and there's not even an
indication of what grade there in or how old they are," Miyo shrugged in
complete exacerbation. "It's like they don't exist."

"Odd. How did they get into the school without a previous record?" Nabiki
wondered.

"No one has been able to figure that one out. They must have some pretty high-up
connections if they got the entire school board to look the other way."

"When were they first seen?"

"A student spotted them scoping out the school grounds early this morning."

That explained to Nabiki why she had not seen hide nor hair of them all this
morning herself. The only questions that remained were when they left and why no
one noticed them leave.

The had both since gone through the school and had just entered their classroom.
The place was abuzz with conversation both meaningless and interesting. All grew
silent, however, and sat at attention as the teacher entered the classroom.

"Alright class. Before we begin today I once again have the honor of introducing
two new students to our class." Their teacher was Higuma Torajiro, a male
teacher who was still relatively new to Furinkan. He had so far won over his
students do to his overall nice-guy attitude, which was in sharp contrast to the
usual tough-as-nails teachers that Furinkan employed. "I would like to welcome
Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki."

"Hey...that's them..." Miyo whispered from behind Nabiki.

At the teacher's announcement the two teenagers entered the classroom. They were
both in a somewhat dark colored version of the male uniform. They both stood at
attention at the head of the classroom as Higuma continued the usual welcoming
procedures.

"Both are age 17 and are just starting there junior year at our institution.
Pleas make them feel welcome."

"Wow, there both hot."

"Look at his eyes..."

"Ooohh the mysterious type, I like that."

"Don't you have a boyfriend already?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes at the throng of comments and accompanying giggles being
whispered by the female population of the class. The males were content to aim
their murderous glares in their direction and make a mental note to keep a
closer eye on their respective soulmates. Through all that Nabiki could not help
but wonder at the fact that they all conveniently had the same class.

"Ranma you can take the seat behind Taichi. Ryoga you can have the desk next to
Koushirou." Higuma indicated the respective students. "Alright, now if you will
all open to page 121 in your Calculus books..."

"Why do I get the feeling," Nabiki's eyes followed Ranma as he walked past. In a
split-second that no one could register, their eyes met, only to break off just
as quickly. "that this is no coincidence..."


***


"First off I want to apologize, on behalf of my father and our entire dojo. We
had no right or provocation in attacking you like we did." Kensuke began as he
and Kasumi walked down the quiet neighborhood street.

Kasumi was never one to hold a grudge except for most dire of circumstances.
However that did not abate her urge to know the answer of...

"Why? What would make you think that I would ever be your enemy?"

"It...wasn't you. It was never you." Kensuke seemed to be wrestling with
something deep inside before he started again. "Two months ago, my father was
approached by representatives of Silver Sword."

"I..see." She could already guess where this was going to head.

"As you know my father's firm as been heavily tied with Star for as long as
anyone can remember. Now with this contract with the military that Mr. Tendo is
trying to get, the bond has only grown stronger." Kensuke explained. "Certain
competitors have not taken a liking to this arrangement. Sword is quite
obviously the most powerful and...influential of these individuals."

"Ken, what have they done? Have they been threatening you?"

Kensuke took a minute before explaining the initial incident.

"My younger sister, Catherine, you remember her right?"

"Of course." She also knew the little red-head meant the world to Kensuke.

"About a week and a half before you came...she was kidnapped."

"Oh my God..."

"It was...early morning, she was taken while everyone was sleeping." He
painfully thought back to that morning. It was more like a living nightmare than
anything else. "She was returned...four hours later, bound, gagged, and still
asleep. She never even woke-up."

"At least she wasn't hurt..."

"Thankfully no. They did it to prove a point. If we didn't do exactly as we
said, they could just as easily take her again. Only next time we have no idea
what those monsters will do." Ken held back his growing rage. "That's why we
couldn't come to you. That's why we were forced to attack you. Those bastards
have forced us to stain our honor...I can understand if you want nothing to do
with us anymore."

"Ken." She put her hand his shoulder to stop him. "I could never hate you for
something that isn't your fault. At least now we know what's going on, and my
offer to protect you still stands."

"No...I'm sorry but I agree with my father on one thing. I will not agree to
anything that would put our family in the most remote danger." He was quite
adamant in his desicion. "After what happened to Catherine...I just don't think
we could bear losing her."

"As unfortunate as that is...I understand." Kasumi sighed.

"There is another reason I've come to see you though." Ken turned to her. "Ever
since this whole ordeal began my father's firm has been forced to take more and
more exclusive contracts from Sword. Because of that we have gained a good
knowledge of their dealings and activities."

"Ken...if this is true they are most likely tracking your every move. You're
taking a great risk by telling me this."

"I realize that. Don't worry, I've taken precautions to ensure that I'm not
being bugged or followed. I just want to do something to put those assholes at
Sword in there place."

"Alright..."

"Recently, and I'm sure you've noticed this as well, there's been a lull in
Sword's activities with no explanation why," Ken crossed his arms in
contemplation. "According to records there's been a large amount of layoffs in
Sword's Field Operation and Security divisions. On top of that there's been a
noticeable rerouting of monetary and techological resources to their
Intelligence division as well as some new unnamed project division."

"We have noticed that Sword has been relatively quiet as of late. You said
they've terminated a good portion of their Field Operation and Security
divisions?" Kasumi thought to herself for a moment. "That would leave them all
but defenseless. If you thought of them as a country, they have essentially
disbanded there entire military force. Why would they do something like that?"

"No idea. Details are still sketchy and Sword is becoming more careful in what
information they allow to pass by our eyes. There is however, one other thing we
have uncovered," Ken still had a hard time grasping exactly what this next bit
could mean. "A short time ago we uncovered what looked to be a dossier. It was a
compilation of certain people and places around the world, most of these
locations are very discrete with little in the realm of possible overseas
interests. Sword has recently taken on several new employees whose names match
that of what we found on the dossier."

"It...sounds like there rebuilding, but what exa..." A strange feeling, akin to
a static shock across her entire body, suddenly interrupted Kasumi.

"Miss Tendo? Are you there?" A voice spoke into her very mind.

"Who is this?" She responded mentally. She turned away from Ken and scanned
their surroundings, there was no one in her sight.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you Miss Tendo but we have to request that you report
to Heaven's Star H.Q. ASAP."

"How did you get this frequency?" Kasumi was not the questioning type, but
receiving a sudden communiqué out of the blue on a channel that should be
private was enough to get her questioning everything.

"From your father. Don't worry; he left explicit instructions only to use it in
extreme emergency. I'm the assistant to the head of Security."

"Kasumi? Is something wrong?" Ken asked. Her sudden silence and furrowing of
brow caused him to wonder what brought this change in the middle of the
conversation.

"I see. What is the problem?" She raised a finger as she thought to signal to
Ken to remain silent.

"I can't explain over R.F., all I can say is that situation requires a
representative from Star and from what we've been told it would be best to call
you."

"Alright. I'm on my way." She could feel the connection breaking off.

"Kasumi, is something the matter?" Ken tried again.

"I've...just recieved a call. I have to go." Kasumi sighed. "We're going to have
to continue this some other time. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I just want to say one thing." Ken put his hands on her
shoulders. "Something very big is happening within Sword. My father and I just
want you and Soun to be very careful. You're like family to us, and we wouldn't
anything to happen to you like we wouldn't want anything happening to
Catherine."

"We will. I promise. And...thank you." She smiled before running back into the
direction of her home.

In the midst of it all Kensuke was left wondering only one thing...

"Recieved a call...how?" She had not used a cell phone or beeper. She also did
not have a Cybercom or any other visible enhancement. "Huh, strange..."


***


Lunchtime had since rolled around in a certain classroom in Furinkan. A portion
of the students had gone outside to enjoy the fresh air while others had opted
to stay in class and converse with each other. Nabiki was currently carrying on
a conversation with Miyo while keeping an eye on two particular individuals who
were keeping to themselves on one side of the classroom. So far she had not
found anything incriminating in their actions since they arrived. The only thing
of true peculiarity that she could see was the fact that Ryoga wore black gloves
over his hands.

"Accessorizing? Doesn't seem the type..." She murmured to herself.

"Nabiki? Have you heard anything I've said?" Miyo broke into her train of
thought yet again. She had noticed Nabiki's eyes averting elsewhere several
times during their supposed to be conversation over goings on in the school and
everywhere else.

"Oh...yeah...sorry." Nabiki shook her head to get her thoughts straight.

"What's with you? I've never seen you so distracted."

"I wish I could tell you..." She muttered. "I...gotta take care of something.
I'll talk to you a little later." Without another word given or allowed she left
Miyo and walked toward the duo. She knew she was not going to get anything by
simply standing on the sidelines and watching from a distance. If anything, she
was going to get into their faces, though more discretely than described, and
try to probe as much info as she could out of them.

The two had been holding some sort of conversation between them. However at the
sight of her oncoming approach, it was quickly killed and a veil of silence rose
between them.

"Hi," she smiled as she sat on a desk across from them.

"Can we help you?" Ryoga smirked while asking.

"No, of course not. I just thought I'd come over and say hi, see how you're
doing, maybe talk a little," Nabiki said in as friendly a tone as she could
muster.

"Right...Never pegged you for one who likes idle chit-chat," Ranma raised an
eyebrow.

"I don't, but since you two are going to be part of my family it seems logical
that we get to know each other better. Right?"

"Good point. So...what do ya wanna know?" Ranma conceded.

Nabiki thought for a moment before answering.

"Okay, how about...how you two first met?"

Ranma and Ryoga both exchanged glances before turning their gaze back to her.

"Oh c'mon. It's not THAT big a question. I mean, you weren't born knowing each
other," Nabiki coaxed them. "Dad went into it a little, but he didn't give many
details."

"Fair enough," Ryoga started. "We met...how many years has it been?"

"Eleven years," Ranma answered.

"Yup, seems like yesterday still. It was all the way back in 2nd grade. In a
nice little all-boys school called Odaiba Elementary..."


~**~


It was the calm before the storm. A deep rumbling could be heard on just the
other side of the doors. It was like an approaching hurricane, a force of nature
that could only be predicted but never stopped, a destructive force that could
only be abated for so long before its fury had to unleashed.

"We can't keep 'em back for long!" A cafeteria staff member as well as several
others pushed against the door with all there might. The sheer combined strength
of their opposition on the other side however was proving to be far too powerful
for them contain for long.

The kitchen staff worked feverishly to make preparations for the lunch-time
rush. Everything had to be perfect, if not then they themselves would be
consumed by the coming storm, never to be heard from again...

"We're ready on this end! LET 'EM LOOSE!" The kitchen head yelled.

"On 3..." The member alerted everyone with him.

"1" They all said in unison.

"2"

"3!!"

They ceased their resistance and immediately dove for cover. The ravenous mob
was finally unleashed. Over one hundred hungry elementary school boys charged
straight through the doors, tearing them off there hinges. A miniature
earthquake over came the area as they stampeded in unison toward the serving
area.

"OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

The through this chaos a lone figure charged headlong through the masses. Like a
bull he tore through the wall of adolescents, determined that nothing would
deter him from his goal; the fabled last loaf of sweet bread. Anyone who dared
get in his way was thrown to the wind, all others were simply trampled under his
unstoppable charge.

"The last one!" The kitchen yelled as he threw the last loaf into the air. Over
a dozen greedy hands reached for it, all wanted it, but only one would gain the
prize.

"It's mine!!" Ryoga yelled as he leapt for it. He gained impressive height, it
was because of this that he always succeeded.

"Whoa! Excuse me!"

"Next time don't keep your mouth open!"

"Watch your heads!"

"Eh?" Ryoga looked back while in mid-flight to discern the source of the voice.
When he turned he found a pig-tailed boy leaping quite nimbly from head to head
of the boys beneath him.

"Coming through!!" The boy yelled as he leapt at Ryoga.

He did not have time react before Ranma used his face as a spring board and
catching the last bread in his mouth. He promptly devoured it in one gulp while
giving a victory sign in response to the collective groans from the defeated
masses below. Ryoga, in the meantime, was sent crashing to the ground rather
ungracefully.

"Ranma....Saotome...." Ryoga snarled like some great beast as he pulled himself
from his own crater-like impression on the floor.

"Oh, Ryoga. Forgot you were there for a second." Ranma laughed as he noticed his
very pissed off lunchtime rival.

"YOU!!" Ryoga's voice boomed across the cafeteria catching the attention of
every last person present. "This is last time you deny me what is rightfully
mine Saotome!!"

"Oh? What are you gonna do about it?" Ranma could smell a challenge from a mile
away, and this seemed particularly ripe.

"I challenge you to a duel! I will reclaim my lost honor by defeating you!!" The
six-year old jabbed his finger menacingly.

"When and where..." Ranma smirked, this would be another win notch to add to his
belt so to speak.

"In the empty lot, after school! You know where it is!" Ryoga grinned himself.
"Be prepared for your come-down Saotome!!"



"Uhhh, I don't know what significance it had to you but... it was just a piece
of bread...." Nabiki sweatdropped at what she just heard.

"Well...at a school like that, hunger dictated our actions." Ranma explained.
"As he just described, lunchtime was more of a matter of survival and
determination than just getting something in your stomach. Though that's what it
boiled down to in the end."

"Yeah, in the beginning...we didn't like each other much. In fact..." Ryoga
glanced to Ranma. "I hated his guts somethin fierce."

"What changed? You two seem to be more like brothers now than anything," Nabiki
wondered.

"I was just about to get to that." Ryoga started up again...



The time had finally arrived. Ryoga stepped onto the lot, he was determined to
exact his revenge this day. Once that was accomplished he would once again
relish in the delicacy that was the sweet bread.

"Hey...what the..." Ryoga muttered.

The only thing he found was two sleeping bags, one was particularly larger than
the other, and two backpacks. He slowly walked over to them and noticed that
Ranma, his hated rival, was sleeping rather soundly. A small saliva bubble was
slowly contracting and expanding from his nose as he slept.

"Wake up." Ryoga demanded as he kicked the bag rather hard.

"Jus a coupa more minutes momma..." Ranma slurred as he rolled to find a more
comfortable position.

"I SAID WAKE UP!!!" Ryoga screamed with all his might, and right into the ear of
Ranma.

"AHHHH!!!" Ranma jumped out of his bag instantly. His larger companion was also
aroused by the sudden noise and sat up straight, his eyebrow twitched showing
his irritation at having his slumber disrupted.

"The time for our duel has arrived Saotome!!" Ryoga yelled to Ranma who was
still in mid-jump.

"RYOGA!! What the heck took you so long?!" Ranma yelled in response.

"I...had a little trouble finding the lot..." Ryoga muttered.

"Say what?! You're the one who chose this place! Do you realize how long I've
been waiting?!" Ranma yelled again after he landed.

"Enough talk! It is time for your defeat Saotome!!"



"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second..." Nabiki interjected. "I thought you said the
duel was for that same afternoon."

"Yeah...that was the plan..." Ryoga scratched the back of his head.

"Then why did Ranma ask what took you so long? It couldn't have been that long
since school let out."

"The reason why is because I wound up waiting four days for him to get there,"
Ranma clarified.

"Four...days?" Nabiki said totally bewildered.

"...and three nights..." Ryoga added reluctantly.

"Yeah, the thing is I was supposed to be gone on the third night. My dad was
pretty adamant in keeping our schedule, but I was able to convince him to stay
just one more day. I said it would be a great opportunity for training," Ranma
shrugged. "I wouldn't have blamed him if he still decided to leave, but...then I
don't think Ryoga would've been too happy about that."

"Wait...schedule? Dad? What are you talking about?" Nabiki pressed for details.

"Allow me to continue and I think I clarify a few things..." Once again Ryoga
took up the tale.



Ryoga eyed his enemies of the day. Ranma was wearing some sort of red and black
chinese outfit. The larger man behind him was in a worn-in white gi with a
bandanna covering his head.

"This is boy that challenged you?" Genma asked his son.

"Yup. Says he's gonna make me pay for humiliating him," Ranma grinned as he
cracked his knuckles.

"YOU BET I AM!!" Rygoa screamed in righteous fury. "You have denied me the
sanctity of the sweet bread for the last time! I alone am the only one worthy
enough to dine of its heavenly flavor, yet time and again you have sought to rob
me of the one thing that brings me unbridled joy in the hard day of school!"

Ranma simply raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that asked if his opponent
was actually sane or not.

"I have kept my wrath in check for this very day Saotome! Now I shall unleash my
growing torment over your existence! AND YOU SHALL TASTE NOT OF THE SWEET BREAD,
BUT THE BITTER STING OF DEFEAT!!!"



Ryoga gave an expressionless glare at the snickers he was recieving from his two
listeners. He tried to keep a straight face, but he only found himself
succumbing to the laughter as well.

"Alright I admit, all of that coming from a 2nd grader is pretty hilarious."
Ryoga admitted. "Campy samurai movies were all the rage back then. I guess I let
it get to me..."

"Well it did help in one area." Ranma explained. "Ryoga was a pretty smart kid,
his vocabulary was several years ahead of everyone else there."

"What do you mean 'was'?"

"Okay, okay. What happened next?" Nabiki jumped in.

"Well, the fight I'd always wanted finally started..." Ryoga jumped back into
memory.



"Do you understand now?" Ryoga rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Yeah, you wanna beat me up for taking your bread everyday." Ranma said it like
it was the easiest thing in the world to understand. "Why didn't you just say
that in the beginning?"

A vein bulged out of Ryoga's forehead at the sheer audacity of his opponent.

"Alright you two. If this will settle things between you then we will conduct
this like any other match between rivals." Genma walked in between them.
"Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah lets just get this started." Ranma said eagerly.

"Are you that anxious to recieve your just due Saotome?" Ryoga grinned evily.

"This match will be the deciding factor in this little spat between you. After
this, neither one will dispute the other in possession of the...sweet bread."
Genma still could not believe that bread was the source of the rivalry. "Though
remember Ranma, we are leaving right after this is through, we must resume your
training immediately!"

"Yes sir..." Ranma rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to worry about that. BECAUSE YOU'LL BE LEAVING HERE IN A FULL
BODY CAST!!!" Ryoga threatened.

"Whichever the outcome. This is the end of it." Genma made sure to get that
particular point across. "BEGIN!"

Ryoga rushed his opponent in a flurry of wild punches. Despite having only
trained for a year thus far, Genma was quite impressed with his son's aptitude
for the Art. He seemed to absorb everything he taught him like water to a
sponge, he could only hope that he could draw out his training for such a long
period of time.

"Your never gonna get your venbench at this rate!" Ranma laughed as he weaved
effortlessly through each blow. He simply sweep of his foot sent Ryoga crashing
face-first into the ground.

"VenGEANCE you idiot!!" Ryoga jumped back up instantly and once again made
another unfocused and fruitless attack. "Will you stand still!!"

"You're just too slow for me Ryoga!" Ranma side-stepped a grab. A simple knudge
and help from Ryoga's momentum caused him to completely lose balance and once
again taste the dirt ground.

"You think this is funny?! You won't be laughing for long!" Ryoga fist slammed
into ground in frustration.

"HAHAHA!! Ya know I thought you'd be lot more fun than this! I guess I'm just
too..." Ranma never finished his sentence. Genma's eyes widened at what he had
just seen.

Ranma's head was bent back at the impact of a fist smashing into his nose. Total
shock was overriden by pain as he clutched his now bleeding olfactory appendage.

"You...hit...me..." Ranma stumbled back a few steps.

"Of course I hit you! This is a fight remember!" Ryoga reered back. "Prepare to
get hit again!!"

His fist collided with Ranma's stomach. All the air that was in his lungs was
forced out in a rush and he collapsed to his knees.

"HA! So how does it feel Saotome!?" Ryoga laughed in triumph. "All your kung-fu
tricks won't work on me!"

Genma was still trying to discern how the fight had suddenly turned against his
son. From what he could see Ryoga had probably been in a few scraps before this,
but other than that he possessed no martial training whatsoever. Logically he
should not have been able to touch Ranma, let alone score two direct hits.

"I've trained Ranma to be much tougher than this. A single punch should not have
been able to make him bleed like that..." Genma watched Ryoga carefully. "I
wonder...perhaps it was not a mistake staying the extra day after all..."

"Get up Saotome! I'm not through with you yet!"

"You...little..." Ranma's vision was becoming overshadowed by a red haze.

"Awww is the baby gonna start crying?" Ryoga taunted his fallen adversary.

"SCREW THIS!!" Ranma let out feral scream and tackled Ryoga with all his
strength.

What was supposed an honorable duel between gentlemen, as much as you could get
with six-year-olds, now degenerated into a backyard brawl. Complete with rolling
in the dirt, hair-grabbing, eye-poking, and even the occasional biting.

"Where did I go wrong..." Genma shook his head in shame. He had not expected for
one so young to be able to keep his composure in the midst of battle, but he at
least expected a little more control than this. "ENOUGH!!"

Even after the declaration the two refused to separate themselves, it was
apparent they would not stop until one of them had ripped the other to shreds.
Genma stomped over and quite easily picked the two of them up by there collars,
even in his grasp they continued to claw and swing at each other.

"I SAID ENOUGH!!" Genma said even more forcifully than before. The two
immediately fell silent this time. "This has gone far enough. It's obvious that
this fight is not going to prove anything."

"Oh yeah! Give me five more minutes with this bastard!!" Ryoga yelled, his eyes
still flickering with fury.

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH!!" Genma yelled, Ryoga did not even squeak another word.

"Nyaaah." Ranma stuck out his tongue.

"RANMA!" Genma chided once again, Ranma was quieted as well. "Alright then. I
said that this was going to be settled today and it will be. Ranma, I want you
to apologize to Ryoga for taking his bread."

"But I...!"

"DO IT!"

"I'm sorry for taking your stupid bread..." Ranma pouted.

"And you Ryoga. You apologize for being four days late for a duel you created!"
Genma ordered.

"You're not my dad! I don't have to do anything you say!" Ryoga crossed his arms
and looked away defiantly.

Genma hoisted him up and forced him to look him in the face. The glare Ryoga
recieved told him that Genma would have no qualms about giving him the spanking
he deserved if he did not show some respect for his elders.

"I'm...sorry...for being so late..." Ryoga finally said defeatedly.

"That's better. Now I wish to speak with your parents over something." Genma
sighed. "Where do you live?"

"Right there." Ryoga blinked and pointed to the house directly next to them.



"Wait...you mean to tell me the empty lot was actually your backyard?" Nabiki
asked wide eyed and in disbelief.

"Uhhh....yeah it was..." Ryoga coughed.

"And it took you FOUR DAYS to get there?"

"The Hibiki bloodline is not known for its directional prowess," Ranma
interceded.

"So...whats to keep you from getting lost now?" Nabiki wondered.

They both chuckled slightly at the question.

"I'm sure you noticed at some point..," Ryoga pointed to the back of his neck.
"...the plugs?"

"Yes, actually I did notice you had coms. M-2 to be precise," Nabiki then took
notice of the fact that the plug ports in their necks were nowhere to be seen,
quite possibly through the use of artificial skin. The same method she employed.

"Good eye." Ranma complimented.

"Internal GPS. Standard feature on all plugs nowadays." Ryoga explained and then
tapped his forehead. "Heh, and a godsend for me."

"So what happened next? What did he need to talk to your parents about?" Nabiki
asked.

"Actually, dad never got the chance..." Ranma told her.

Nabiki noticed his emphasis and use of the word 'dad'. She suspected that he
held this Genma person in pretty high regard. That only made her wonder even
more as to his mysterious absence in lieu of recent events.

"Yeah, just like Ranma said, my parents weren't exactly there to be talked
to..." Ryoga once again took up the tale.



After Ryoga unlocked the front door, the trio stepped inside the modest two-
story home. It was the typical middle-class house, not too big and not too
small.

"Now behave! Or else..." Genma ordered as he dropped the two on opposite ends of
the family room couch. The two continued aiming glares at each other all the
while. "Where are your parents?"

"They're...not here." Ryoga answered reluctantly.

"Well, when will they be back?"

"I don't know..."

Genma raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Where do they work?"

"I don't know okay,...I haven't seen 'em in a couple of months..."

Ranma hateful expression then softened at the news. He could not imagine having
to live without parents. Even though he lived on the road himself he still had
his father to look after him.

"So...you've been living by yourself this entire time?" Genma knelt down to the
boys level.

"Yeah. So what? I can take care of myself." Ryoga looked away from Genma's gaze.

"I would think so." Genma thought for a moment. "So...that would make you the
man of the house?"

"Yeah...yeah it would." Ryoga seemed to puff up slightly at that.

"I thought so. Therefore this question is for you to answer." Genma smiled and
stood up.

"What is it?"

"During the fight between yourself and my son I could not help but notice the
potential for the Art that you have within you." Genma explained. "It could very
well be the match for Ranma."

The two boys glanced at each other. Ranma's nose had since stopped bleeding and
his stomach did not lurch anymore. Ryoga was still dirt smudged from his two
trips into the ground.

"You want me to do all that kung-fu stuff that he does?"

"Well...if you must put it like that...yes." Genma rolled his eyes.

"It's not kung-fu ya idiot. It's Anything-Goes! Get it right!" Ranma yelled.

"I don't care what it is! I don't need it to beat you!" Ryoga got up and the two
prepared to lay into each other again.

"SILENCE!!" Genma bellowed.

The two immediately halted that particular train of thought.

"Now, as I was saying. Ryoga, I'm sure you have noticed that your particularly
strong for your age." Genma pointed out. "Wouldn't you like to become even
stronger than you are now?"

"Yeah...I guess so..."

"You watch movies don't you?" Genma tried another tactic.

"Yeah...sometimes."

"I can tell your a fan of all those martial arts movies that have been coming
out?"

"So what...I like 'em, doesn't mean anything." Ryoga, for some reason, was
making it to be an insult.

"How would you like to be able to everything they do? Run up walls, jump fifty
feet into the air, lift giant boulders over your head..."

"I could do that?" Stars began appearing in Ryoga's eyes.

"That, and alot more. That is...if you come with me and my son."

Ryoga thought for all of five seconds. There was no way he could pass up the
chance to become one of his big-screen heroes. They could do just about
anything, even walk on fire and beat up a hundred guys all at once.

"Count me in!"

"Excellent," Genma laughed. "Ranma, say hello to your new sparring partner. Now
shake hands..." He said that last part with a bit of menace in his voice, for
them to be precise if they did not comply.

"Hmph. You still won't be a match for me." Ranma absently extended his hand.

"I can beat you any day of the week." Ryoga did the same.

And so, this was the beginning of history. Little could Nabiki imagine, just how
twisted that history would become...



"That's it," Ryoga finished.

"We've been 'rivals' ever since." Ranma added.

"Interesting. Of course...it does raise a couple of more questions..." Nabiki
feigned thinking.

"Like what?" Ranma asked.

"What happened to Genma? And most importantly, what happened after Ryoga joined
you?"

The sound of students beginning to re-enter the classroom caught their ears.
Nabiki sighed at the fact that she had to end her 'interrogation', at least for
the moment...

"Oops, looks like chat time is over." Ryoga shrugged. "Besides, I get the
feeling you're gonna be pretty busy answering questions yourself."

"What?" Nabiki looked over her shoulder to where Ryoga was pointing. There was a
large huddle of girls, all staring at her. The stink of envy was quite heavy
among the mass of the class's female population. "Oh..."

"See ya later," Ranma and Ryoga both broke off and returned to their respective
seats. Nabiki quite reluctantly did the same, knowing full well what she had
gotten herself into.

"You never said you knew them!"

"Did they say anything about me?"

"What do they like in a girl?"

"I saw you laughing, what jokes do they like?"

"Why me...?" Nabiki hung her head as the questions continued raining down.
"Odaiba Elementary...its a good a place as any to start." She thought to
herself. She was going to find everything she could on them. Nabiki Tendo always
got what she wanted, no matter what.


***


The five story office complex was completely under siege. Police barricades had
been set up everywhere and officers swarmed like a bee to a hive. Sniper teams
had been set-up on three other adjacent buildings and negotiators, S.W.A.T
teams, and riot police were on the bottom dicussing possible plans of action to
defuse the volatile situation.

"GET ME A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH SNIPER TEAM ONE!" The head officer of the
proceedings yelled to an underling. "How the hell did they pull this off to
begin with." He muttered as he looked at a layout of the building for quite
possibly the hundredth time.

"Excuse me." A new voice and tapping on his shoulder interrupted his thought
processes.

He turned around to find a very attractive young woman in a black leather jacket
and pants of the same type. This was actually the woman's usual dress when out
on field assignments.

"Uhhh...excuse me. This is a restricted zone, I don't know how you got past the
barricades but I'm going to have ask you to clear the area." He ordered.

"I'm the representative from Heaven's Star that the perpetrators have
requested," She explained politely

"You're the one the one they were sending from their headquarters?" The
policeman asked, believing her to be awfully young for such a task. "Can I see
some I.D. please?"

"Oh yes, of course," she presented him with her employee identification.

"Kasumi...Tendo?" His eyes widened slightly. "Wouldn't that make you Soun
Tendo's daughter?"

"Yes, it would."

"Alright..." He wondered why such an influential man would send his own daughter
into a situation like this.

"If you could, I would appreciate it if you could possibly clarify the current
situation?"

"Of course. About eight hours ago a small team of men took the entire office
complex hostage. If I understand correctly this building belongs to your
father?"

"Yes, its one of our branch offices."

"That would explain their current demand. They're stating that they want the one
responsible for assassinating one of their leaders. From what we can discern
these men are directly linked to the Yakuza, that explains why they're armed."

"Assassinating their leader? My father would never order something like that..."
She murmured as her eyes moved to the roof. "How well armed are they?"

"There are seven in total. Each is lightly armed, nothing more than 9mm
automatics. THEY'RE not the problem," The captain clarified. "The danger is in
the fact they have rigged each floor with a high-yield explosive device."

"I see. Are their people still inside?"

"No, they allowed us to evacuate the building. These guys are beyond pros,
probably ex-military, they rigged the bombs so that if they explode at once the
entire building will collapse on itself. The damage to the surrounding property
would be astronomical. We can't allow that to happen," he then pointed up to the
fourth floor. The windows were blown out and smoke was billowing from the
inside. "One of our bomb squads attempted to defuse one of them, it did not go
as planned."

"How do they expect to escape if they detonate the devices?"

"They came in by a small chopper which they will most likely use to make their
escape should their demands not be met." He turned his eyes to the adjacent
buildings. "We have three sniper teams setup on buildings to the north, west and
east. However, all of the perpetrators have brainplugs, and the bombs have been
programmed so that should a certain one of their plugs go offline; they
automatically detonate. Therefore, we cannot risk taking a shot at any of them."

"I understand. Their only demand was for a Star representative, so it would be
best if we complied," She advised. "I'll deal with this myself. Tell your men to
not approach the building or fire for any reason." Those were her final words
before she began walked toward the besieged structure.

"Everyone out of the way! Let her through!" He yelled to the confused officers
present.

"Sir, I have the link to the Sniper Team #001 ready," A lower ranking officer
handed him a headset.

"I just hope she knows what she's doing..." He muttered as he fitted the device
over his head.

She could feel the ominousness of the structure as she approached the front
doors. A feeling of dread permeated the entire building all due to the events
unfolding inside. As she entered and the glass doors closed behind her she was
greeted by two pistol barrels aimed at either temple of her head.

"Hands up. Anything stupid and we blow your brains out now." One of the two team
members ordered.

She complied without question and the trio began their short trip to the
rooftop.


Two individuals were perced on top of the eastern building. The two-man police
sniper team had so far been given no orders other than to observe the perps.

"Blast it, I can't believe these bastards are mocking us like this. Standing in
plain sight knowing full well we can't take a crack at 'em." The sniper snarled.

"Until we figure out a way of blocking the signal from the com to the bombs,
we're stuck here," his spotter told him.

The sniper was laying in a standard prone position. A small thin needlepoint
fiber-op cable ran straight from the scopeless rifle and into his right eye
which is actually a Hawkeye implant. A Hawkeye implant is a Cyclops implant
which has been specially and specifically modified for use by military and
police snipers. This system allowed the shooter to see through the gun's eyes,
so to speak, and allowed for far greater precision accuracy than could be
reached through normal human eyes looking through a scope. The spotter was
connected to the shooter via a direct peer-to-peer connection between their
corresponding plugs, which allowed for instanteneous relay of changing wind
patterns and weather conditions directly from the spotter, who had direct access
to a weather satellite, to the shooter.

"Sniper Team 1, this is captain Shingure, what is your current status?" the
familiar voice spoke into the sniper's ear.

"No change yet sir, they've just been standing around shooting the breeze."

"Wait a minute. I've got movement from the roof elevator. Someone's coming up,"
The spotter reported while looking through binoculars.

Sure enough three individuals stepped out from the elevator, one with her hands
up and the other two with pistols to her head and back.

"One female and two perps." He specified.

"The woman is the Star rep they wanted to see. Do not attempt to take out any of
the perps, we still don't know which one of them is connected to the bombs." The
captain ordered.

"We got that already. Just pray my trigger finger doesn't think differently."
The sniper magnified his vision to get a closer look.

"Well tell your finger that if it screws up it can pay the multi-billion yen
bill that'll come if those bombs go off because of it!" The captain yelled into
his ear.


Kasumi scanned the perpetrators as she was led to the center of the building
rooftop. They were all dressed the same way, sleeveless shirts, camoflauge
pants, and a pistol in a shoulder holster.

"She the one?" a man in a moustache and shades, and who was also the leader,
asked another team member to his left.

"No, the survivor said it was a guy who iced Sankichi," The member responded.

"I assure you that whatever happened to your superior, it was not the fault of
Heaven's Star or any of its employees," Kasumi explained.

The leader simply grinned and walked closer to her. He gave her a rather lurid
once over before speaking again.

"I recognize you. Your Tendo's daughter aren't you?"

"Yes I am. I was sent to try and determine why the Yakuza have taken such an
aggressive stance against my father's company. You've made five other attempts,
including this one, over the past week alone." Those other attempts that Kasumi
stated were all thwarted by the well-manned and armed Star security teams with
little to no property damage or loss of human life. This bombing attempt had so
far been the only successful try at disrupting company operations.

"You heard the man. Your dad had one of our top men taken out," The leader
explained. "Plowed straight through his security, murdered him, and blew his
entire estate to shreds."

"Guy is good, we already sent a hit-team after him, they were sent back in body
bags." The member to the leader's left said.

"The Yakuza do not take the death of its own lightly. We will take revenge for
Sankichi and the men your guy killed, one way or another," The leader's eyes,
though covered, moved to her left slightly.

"Once again, I can speak for my father when I say he would never order an
assassination attempt. Such practices are never considered by Heaven's Star,"
Kasumi slowly lowered her hands. Despite being in the midst of seven armed, and
apparently well-trained Yakuza men she was very calm and showed no outward signs
of fear. Something that a good portion of them took notice of.

"Then how do you explain the only survivor having witnessed the assassin stating
that he was from Star?"

"I can't explain that. Perhaps he misheard...or he was misled..." a sudden
clarification hit her sharply. The lull in Sword's activity was directly in line
with the Yakuza's sudden call to war against Star, it could not have been a
coincidence.

"Right. Well it seems the authorities have not taken our threat seriously
enough," the leader backed away slightly. "We told them that we wanted the
person responsible for Sankichi's death, instead they sent you."

"Because there is no one from Star responsible."

"Nonetheless, we are going to have to make an example now won't we?" He nodded
to someone to her left. One of the men raised his pistol and took aim at her
head. "Unfortunately it's going to have to be you. Its a shame, someone as
gorgeous as yourself, it's quite a waste." He smiled.

He fired, and everyone present expected to see a gray substance explode from the
side of her head and onto the cement. Instead the bullet came to an impromptu
stop when her hand, moving at a speed they had no hope of registering, shot up
and caught the still smoking round between two fingers.

"W...what the fuck....?" The shooter stammered in complete shock. Everyone else
followed his example.

"I was hoping...," She moved the bullet from her left hand to her right. "That
this could be resolved without resorting to violence."

"What are you? A pacifist? Sorry but this business has no room for people like
that," The leader of the Yakuza hit-squad informed her.

The same man took aim again. Only this time he began emptying the entire clip in
her direction. To everyone gathered, her arm was motionless, in reality it was
moving at far past blurring speed. Each bullet was snatched out of mid-air as if
they were not moving at all. All of the men could do stand there in horror at
the fact that she was not being hit at all, and wondered if either the shooter
had incredibly sloppy aim or there guns were loaded with blanks. After several
seconds the firing stopped, his gun now devoid of ammunition.

"I believe your friend dropped these." She threw the collective shells at the
leader's feet.

He could only stand there as dumbfounded as his colleagues.

"You." Kasumi suddenly pointed to a man slight behind the leader and to his
right. He looked left and right and then wondered why she was staring at him.
"You're the one connected to the explosives."

"What..." The leader whirled around to confirm that Kasumi had indeed implicated
the right person. "How the hell did you..."



"Sniper Team One! Report! I've just gotten an alert of shots fired up there!
What is going on?!" The captain screamed.

"I...have no goddamned idea sir..." the sniper reported back bewilderedly.

"How...in the name of God...was she NOT blown away?" the spotter wondered just
as confused.

"What do you mean? What is happening up there? ANSWER ME!" The captain's
impatience was apparent.

"I swear...it looked like...she caught the bullet..."

"What the hell is your spotter talking about?!" the captain yelled into the
sniper's ear.

"Their was a weapon's discharge sir...but...the rep was unharmed," the sniper
tried explaining in as clear and sane way as he could. "Then...multiple
discharges...and...the rep...was still unharmed..."

"You are not making any sense! Are you saying the perps took a shot at the rep?"
the captain tried to clarify things for himself.

"That's what I'm saying sir. It was practically point-blank range...and she's
still standing..." the sniper suddenly felt his partner hitting him rather hard
in the shoulder repeatedly. "What is it?!"

"Get your sights back on the roof! Something is up..." the spotter told him as
he looked through his binoculars.

The sniper did as was told and moved his reticle back to the roof and magnified.
What caught his eye caused another blink of surprise.

"What is she pointing at..." He murmured.

"I don't know. She did it a couple of seconds ago..." A realization hit the
spotter suddenly as he followed the finger to its target. "You don't think...is
he the trigger?!"

"I don't know...there's a good chance, I mean look at the way the leader is
freakin out.... Get a connection to the other teams..."



"I don't know how the hell you did that..." the leader and everyone else present
pulled their pistols and immediately took aim at Kasumi. "But no way are you
getting the chance to tell the cops."

"This isn't needed. Just surrender and be done with it. I assure that you will
not be harmed." Kasumi tried negotiating.

"You don't get it. This isn't about being harmed! This is about getting the job
done, lady, and unfortunately," He cocked the pistol. "That means giving you a
few dozen more holes to breath through!"

His finger came upon the trigger, but just as he was about to fire, his target
was no longer where she should have been.

"What the...where did she go!!" He searched frantically for the woman while his
men did the same.

There was a grunting sound. They all turned their vision to the east edge of the
building. One of their men was currently falling over, completely of devoid
consciousness, after having his nose nearly crushed by the back of Kasumi's
fist.

"What is she...?" Was the last thing the leader uttered before she vanished
again...



"Holy...How can she move so fast..." the spotter was moving frantically moving
his scope around.

"I don't know..." the sniper whispered. "Damnit, I can't keep up..."

Everytime he brought his reticle to where she was she was already gone. The
precision his Hawkeye provided made it all but impossible for him to miss a
target. Yet if this woman were to be his prey for some reason, he would have no
chance in even coming close to making the mark.

"Report! What's going on now?!" the captain blared into his ear again.

"By the looks of it...all hostiles are being rendered neutralized sir." The
sniper reported back.

"What? How? I thought I ordered all teams not to take a shot!"

"None did. The rep is taken out 'em out by herself!"

"Repeat that? What have I told you about drinking on the job?!"

"I'm completely lucid and sober sir. I'm telling she is wiping the floor with
all of them by herself."



The last man dropped unpoetically to the floor after Kasumi removed her fist
from his stomach. She searched for any other hostile threats and found none.
That was when a sudden flicker of movement alerted her senses. She whirled
around to find the leader, still conscious somehow, aiming at straight at her.

"Stupid...stinkin...bitch..." he forced himself to sit up using an arm and used
the other to aim his gun.

Kasumi was about to make another attempt to incapacitate him when a glint of
light flashed out of the corner of her eye. She turned her gaze east and then
all at once remembered the snipers positioned on three sides.

"NO! DON'T MOVE!!" She screamed to him.

It was too late. His temple exploded in a grisly display of gore that forced her
to turn her eyes away. The sniper's bullet buried itself deep into his brain,
destroying any and all of Kasumi's hopes that the situation could be resolved
without a single loss of life, or at the very least without a drop of blood
spilled.

"If you just surrendered..." She whispered to herself.

Her attention suddenly turned to the last man still standing, the trigger. He
was standing frozen, shaking, and proverbially pissing his pants.



"Nailed him." The sniper wiped his brow.

"That was too close," The spotter checked out the situation yet again. "We got
one man still up."

"One man still up and running. He's gotta be the trigger without a doubt." The
sniper spoke directly to the other two teams to the north and west. "So don't
even think of taking a shot at him, no matter what he does."



"Calm down. I won't hurt you." Kasumi tried calming the man. This must have been
his first mission, it was beyond cruel in her eyes to make the trigger a man who
had probably never even fired a gun before.

"Y...you stay away from me you freak!" His hands were shaking so much as he
aimed his gun that even if he did fire the bullet would fly a mile away from
her.

"You have to understand that there is nothing you can do." She pleaded. "There
are snipers all around you. They know you're the trigger, but all that means is
that they won't kill you. Please, put the gun down."

His eyes turned to his fallen leader, his brain was now nothing more than a
splatter on the cement. This caused his anxiety to increase even more.

"I...I..."

In the instant his eyes were averted, she struck. In an eye blink her hand had
grasped the wrist of his gun hand and the other tapped a certain spot on the
back of his head. He instantly fell into a peaceful slumber, Kasumi caught him
before he fell over and gently lowered him to the ground.

"Thank God..." She breathed a sigh of relief.

She slowly turned him on his stomach and placed a hand over his brainplug ports.
Her eyes closed and the final threat came into the process of being removed.



"Damnit... what in the Devil's name is happening up there?" the captain paced,
awaiting word from the sniper teams as to just what was occuring on the roof.

"Sir...I'm getting a report from the bomb squads inside..." his lower ranking
assistant once again appeared by his side. A comset was to his ear along with a
confused expression.

"What is it?"

"The bombs...have been deactivated..."

"How?!"

"I don't know sir, the squads aren't responsible. They are reporting one-by-one
however that the explosives on each floor have been rendered inactive."

"Miracles never cease do they?" the captain brought the microphone of his head
to his ear. "All Sniper Teams, report. What's the situation up top?"

"The threat has been contained sir. One casualty, the rest are unconscious," the
Team One shooter reported.

"Well now, this went a shitload better than even I imagined," he murmured to
himself. "All teams pull out. Have the bomb squads extract the explosives and
send the S.W.A.T team in to confirm containment of the threat."

His eyes moved forward and he saw Kasumi exiting the building. Her eyes gazed
downward and she had a weary expression on her face.

"I don't know what you did up there, but on behalf of our entire department..."
he started as she approached him.

"I told you not to fire..." She interrupted suddenly. She stopped in front of
him but her eyes were looking elsewhere.

"Uhhh, excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, especially after what you just did,
but you don't give the orders. By what I understand that sniper saved your
life."

"You are right about one thing...I don't give the orders..." She whispered
before leaving the entire scene behind.

"What's with her?" the captain's assistant wondered.

"No idea..."



***



In a dark, dreaded, undisclosed location eight men sat at a large rectangular
table. One could sense the power the authority radiating from each one. These
were the leaders of the Yakuza crime syndicate, each one an extremely wealthy
and powerful individual in their own right, as well as an influential leader.

"This cannot go on anymore! We have made five attempts to cripple Heaven's Star
and all have met with failure!" One of the men slammed his fist into the table.
"At this rate Hung's death will never be avenged." He aimed his finger at a
chair that was ceremoniously left empty.

"I agree. Star has humiliated us at every turn. If do not do something now our
name will be forever stained and our enemies will laugh instead of fear us."
another one added on.

"Star's personnel are far too well-trained and skilled for use of simple foot-
soldiers. One must call on our elites if we are to win this war."

One man sat at the head of the table. His hands were clapsed together and his
brow was furrowed in extreme thought. He gather everything his allies were
telling him and contemplated a plan of action.

"What is your desicion? We must act quickly, we've no time to waste," Another
one of the crime lords added.

After several minutes of careful personal deliberation the Yakuza leader finally
came to a choice.

"Summon the Nightfall. We will show Heaven's Star the terror of the full might
of the Yakuza..."





To Be Continued......









Author's Notes:

1). It's amazing the kind of inspiration that comes to you in your dreams. For
example, the entire plot and layout of this chapter, as well as another I am
currently working on, came to me in a single dream. If there's anykind of advice
I can give to writers out there it's this, listen to your dreams; they'll never
steer you wrong.

2). Your probably wondering when I am going to get to the curses for god's sake.
Trust me, they'll come sooner than you think.

3). I have NO idea if my interpretation of the Yakuza comes even CLOSE to how
they operate in real-life. They most likely have no correlation whatsoever. So
if their are any Yakuza out there reading this, please don't be pissed, I can
honestly place the blame on ignorance.

4). Same thing with the Japanese police force. I most likely got there normal
procedures all wrong, despite the fact that I read the recent post on FFML as to
there operating procedures. Hell I don't even know if they have an equivalent to
a S.W.A.T team or even if it goes by the same name, most likely not.

5). As always, C&C is highly valued and archived for later reference. Good and
bad.