Guest Ki: Chapter 52

Rite of Passage

He slid into the gym, quickly locating the source of the explosion. That shock had shaken the entire building. In the center of the gym, in the middle of a blackened section of floor stood a tall, lean, broad-shouldered figure. It was garbed in tight black pants and a gold bedecked, crimson short coat with massive double epaulets. Adorned with gold chains, rings and earrings, his clothes were edged with braid and complicated fasteners. The sun-bleached hair and the tan were the type one only finds in a salon. Barry wondered why, of all the supernatural beings he met in Japan, not a single one appeared Japanese?

Were its origins Caribbean? Santeria, perhaps? Gos might be at risk, then, because of his Voodoo. Or was this merely the outfit one would expect on some magnified super-hustler, out to do you out of your soul?

On the figure's face glowed a red and black spiral. Barry supposed this was this clown's 'demon-mark', similar to the twin red 'eyebrows' Marller had sported. The demon lounged in place as Urd and Beldandy glided out to meet him. Everyone else seemed frozen in mid-step or mid-word and the gym had become a strange and silent place.

"HAAA-hahahahaha!" The stranger laughed as the goddesses confronted him. "Poor Marller! She in so-o-o big trouble! De Boss of Bosses call on Senbei, God of Poverty and Disaster, to pick up de slack!"

Urd snorted and muttered. "God, huh? I don't recall you being on the invitation list at the last office party."

"An' dees lovely ladies? You be sure de be my fine assistants," Senbei said, ignoring her. "Dis here is Urayami, and she be Urami. Dey mighty fine, mighty talented assistants, dey are."

'Envy and Spite respectively. Wonderful!' thought Barry.

"Assistants? Is that what they're calling them now?" Urd's tone spoke volumes. The two females with Senbei were spectacularly built, with lush full figures, long hair and almost identical designer clothing. Urayami's eyes assessed everything in the room, as if cataloging bits and pieces for future acquisition. Urami watched Urayami and smirked secretively. You had the feeling she, too, was cataloging the contents of the room and planned to get there just ahead of her associate. As beautiful as they were, you were left with a decidedly uncomfortable feeling around them.

"Hey, now… De up-and-coming executive must have his perks," Senbei smirked himself.

"And just bursting with the new-found power of an upgraded demon!" So far Urd had been doing all the talking. Her sister stood very still, only watching.

"Hah, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Senbei smirked and toyed with the curls of his long bleached hair. "Yes indeedy! For twenty-four hours, Senbei, as de bran' new first-class demon, be stronger dan anyt'in' dat walk de earth." He raised his arms and let hot flames curl up to his hands. "In fact, I look to be stronger than ever. Poverty take you unaware. Disaster strike swiftly, before you can react or prepare." Senbei gloated. "Did you little girls recharge your batteries lately? See if you can match my power!"

Here and there in the audience, various martial artists were waking up to the idea that this bleach-blond cretin was threatening their favorite teacher. They decided it was time to step up. Suddenly, around the demon and his assistants stood two vampires, a space pirate and an alien imperial princess.

"Barry!" screamed Akane-Ayeka, "Form up! We need one more for the hexagram!" She spaced herself across from Beldandy and Urd, while Ukyo-vampiress and Shampoo-Ryoko formed up between Akane and Urd and Akane and Beldandy, respectively.

Barry was already moving. He had not considered the hexagram, but approved of Akane's plan. A splash of cold liquid and the second feminine triad was complete. This had sent Marller packing with only one goddess in the matrix.

Senbei waited until the matrix was active, and then linked arms with his associates. An explosion rocked out from their counter-matrix and everyone was sent flying. The remainder of the audience made room and watched avidly. This was Nerima after all.

Ryoga, left out of the initial attempt, pointed to the floor and struck with his open hand.

"Kokoro Chikyuu!" 'Heart of the Earth', it was one of Ryoga's revised ki moves; one that risked little damage to spectators. The floor rippled in the direction of the hell spawn. Light spewed up from the floor like lava from the cone of a volcano. It enveloped the trio and surged with a roar to the very roof. Ryoga's eyes narrowed as no holes resulted in the ceiling.

Silver glinted and Ryoga reacted instinctively, using his cape as a shield to trap the whirling projectiles that sang out from the center of the flame. Ripping sounds shocked him even before the pain registered. He dropped to one knee and clenched his side. His iron-cloth technique had been perfect! How had bladed weapons cut through his reinforced cloak?

Senbei stepped out of the dying flames as the spinning glinting projectiles returned to be fielded by the demon's hands. He smiled, brandished them and suddenly Urayami and Urami lounged beside their master once more. "Nice move, little man!" the refugee from Hell's Mardi Gras said. "But not dis day." He turned and stalked toward Beldandy and Keiichi who had run to her side after the hexagram blew up.

Ukyo snarled as she threw a table off of her. That bastard had hurt Ryoga! She hadn't developed ki-vision, yet, but they had found her a natural for one particular projective ki-technique. Everyone commented that Ukyo had a real talent for launching her okonomiyaki, sometimes the length of a room, (and once, on a dare, the width of the soccer field) with uncanny accuracy. Okonomiyaki was never wasted between chef and customer.

"Oko…nomi…yaki…" she growled, focusing on the need to do this exactly right, "…SOGU!" (Okonomiyaki Cleaver) She finished on a rising scream, her side arm throw, launching the fruits of her ki-technique toward its target. Anyone familiar with Dragonball Z would have recognized it as Kurrilan's Destructo Disc. Ukyo's version had a few options, however; a variation inspired by her okonomiyaki with special gunpowder paste. If she wanted it to, as it sliced through an object, it could dump ki explosively into the cells it slashed.

It whizzed through at hip level, slicing from Spite to Envy and on through Disaster twisting as it went. It ricocheted off a support beam at 70 degrees from its original attitude and off a high placed steel brace in the ceiling before whining back at the staggering chief demon to slice down from breastbone to hip. Then it blew up.

Barry had just staggered back in through the hole she had made in the concrete wall when Ukyo let fly. "Jeez! Ukyo!" she exclaimed. For some reason, Ukyo's penchant for lethality always shocked her. She shielded herself from the explosion and the expected shower of body parts.

Except there weren't any.

As Ukyo stood, shocked and totally off balance by her failure, the roof beam her disc had weakened gave way, helped along by the gesture and chanting of a totally unharmed Senbei. It fractured and swung by a strip of riveted steel to strike like a huge hammer at the girl. Her eyes widened and she tried to get out of the way, but slipped and skidded, her feet losing purchase on the floor, now strewn with spilled punch and food.

Then Ryoga was there, his shields forming between them and the swinging steel, taking the brunt of the impact, which hurled them both the length of the gym.

"That hurt a mite, little girl," Senbei commented, brushing himself off. His assistants weren't quite as fortunate. Though apparently physically unharmed, their clothing was badly damaged by the cuts and explosion. They started toward the unconscious pair, obviously intent on mayhem.

"Don't get distracted!" Senbei snapped. They returned like kicked dogs, fawning on the master they feared. He advanced on Beldandy and Keiichi once more. Face hardening, Keiichi stood up and blocked the path to Beldandy. Only mortal, with no martial training, he could only bar the way as best he could. Senbei smiled. He negligently snapped his fingers and Akane and Shampoo, taking their stances before the remains of the bleachers where they had been thrown, were suddenly buried by the collapsing structures.

"Hey, Keiichi! You one brave mortal. I be very impressed." He smirked, and Urayami and Urami smirked with him. "But I don' want you' girlfriend. No I don'!" He laughed again. "I want… you!"

Keiichi didn't back down, but did look confused. "Why?"

"Because you are de key, Keiichi. You da man!" At his target's continued confusion, the demon added, "De t'ree sisters be a very strong force, but dey alla time outa step wit each udder. You mediate and get dem past de petty arguments. You a good soul and you make dem stronger. If Keiichi be gone, den de sisters, dey be weaker." Senbei smiled almost sadly and raised a glowing palm. "De pah-tey's over, Keiichi."

"Not yet, sucker!"

Barry had slid along the wall listening and looking for weaknesses in the demon's defenses. They weren't martial artists, but they had a superb awareness and defense that negated most ki attacks. She didn't think it would work, but she had one ki attack that had proved at least partially effective in the past; what she had privately begun calling the Aikiharaken, the Strike of Spiritual Awareness.

"Ki-YAH!" The exquisitely painful blows were sent in at Amiguriken speed. Senbei screamed and flew back, and Barry screamed with him. The astonished assistants went left and right from crescent kicks enhanced by the same method. Shuddering, Barry dropped to her knees, tears streaming. There was always a sense of horror in using the technique, as it peeled back all of your self-denials and excuses and laid bare your soul. You were fortunate after using it, if regret was all you felt.

Smoking, face a mask of rage, Senbei staggered to his feet and advanced again, stopping about three meters away. "You wanna try dat again, little girl?" he spat.

"I'm a guy, jerk!" Barry snarled. Mimicking Ranma was sometimes an unconscious act.

Senbei's eyebrow went up. "R-r-r-ri-i-ght!"

At the other end of the hall, Hinako suddenly appeared in the doorway. Delayed by the debris from the initial action, she saw the wreck that had been the gym. She saw Ranma facing off against a stranger. She recognized the fallen figures of Urd and Beldandy, her colleagues, and for once recognized the fact that Ranma was not at fault. She raised her coin. That delinquent in the monkey suit was about to get drained.

Senbei smirked. "You tink you can stop me?" He snapped his fingers.

Soun charged out of the doorway. "Miya, I'll protect you!" He lurched into Hinako.

"Happo-go-ju-en-satsu! Urk!" Then Hinako screamed as her child form exploded into adulthood. It wasn't the demon she drained, however. Barry's eyes widened as she felt her strength desert her. As she hit the floor, she heard Senbei cluck in amusement.

"Maybe you know me by de udder moniker; Murphy?" he chuckled. He stepped over her twitching body. Urayami glided past on his heels, but Urami kicked her viciously in the stomach.

Barry's hands crept in to cradle the pain and brushed the imitation sword hilt. To her surprise, power pulsed in the wood. It was intensely alive, despite Hinako's draining blast. As her fingers caressed the wood, energy returned to her. It spoke to her, probing, seeking its purpose, as gentle as a baby's hand and as powerful as a tsunami.

"Der be plenty o' Murphies in de islands…" Barry heard Senbei drawl.

Barry staggered to her feet and oriented on the trio of demons. Beyond them stood Keiichi, face determined, unyielding even in the face of a force that had swept aside five top martial artists as if they were merely inconvenient.

"…but none like me, no!" the demon wagged a finger. "Yo is de weakest link, bro…"

Barry heard its whisper and knew if she yielded to the artifact's urging, she could go home, almost in an instant. It was neither good nor evil, but responded to her wants, revealing and cajoling her to action.

"I cut yo thread, boy, the tapestry… She jus' unravel like rotten cloth."

Ranma could be returned… but only in Barry's body. Such a decision would bind her to this body and its duality. Barry could go home, but would watch his wife grow old and pass on, then his children and their children.

Senbei gloated and tapped a tooth, daring Keiichi to strike, to do something foolish. "You got grits, boy. Not that it do you any good. You act, disaster strikes. You stay still, why, my associates can handle one power-drained little goddess!"

For a mortal to accept what this offered, his love would have to be…

Mortal man faced off against supernatural evil for her sake. His… goddess…

"Keiichi!" She threw the hilt as the demons crouched, surprised at the threat behind them. "Catch! This is yours, Keiichi Morisato!"Her heart lurched as Keiichi almost fumbled the catch. He grasped the wooden hilt then and froze as the object whispered to him in sudden eagerness. Keiichi nodded in understanding.

Senbei glanced back and forth between the redhead and the goddess's husband. He stared at the object that Keiichi held before him, comically, in the manner of a cross, held to ward off a theater vampire. "What dat supposed to be?" he snapped. Then he cringed away as the 'hilt' began to glow like an arc lamp. Akane and Shampoo, breaking through the structure of the ruined bleachers froze, shielding their eyes from the glare. Ukyo and Ryoga, startled awake by this event, held each other and winced under the new assault on their senses. Senbei straightened as the glow faded. He swallowed. He had never heard of the balance being restored quite so… abruptly.

Keiichi stood straighter, somehow taller, though he hadn't grown a physical inch. Of the wooden object, there was now no sign, but jewel-like marks of red gleamed at cheek and forehead. Even as they watched, these points swiftly changed to blue, marking Keiichi with the mantle of new-minted immortality. His forehead symbol slowly shaped itself into a divided oval. Keiichi took a deep breath as awareness rocked him to his toes. His gaze caught Senbei like a bug in a jar. "Senbei, remember how you said things were swinging your way?" Keiichi said quietly. "I believe the balance has been restored. Will you leave now, peacefully? Or do I simply wait till your twenty-four hours are up, and mine are not yet over?" His voice was like steel.

Senbei swallowed, then laughed. "Sheesh! You one stiff character, hey? Can't take a joke. Well, we see how everyt'in' go when waiting time is over. Should be fun! Make a big pah-tey!" Laughing as falsely as his blond locks, Senbei and his two assistants were gone in a burst of brimstone. Keiichi looked elsewhere as if he could track their progress. With a shimmer then, he lost his blue marks and the hilt once more rested in his hands. He glanced at the carved prop and the three, now blue stones with a sense of wonder and turned to his wife.

"Are you all right, Bel?" he asked, cradling her a little awkwardly with the hilt in the other hand. He absently tucked it in his belt.

Beldandy blinked. Overuse of power was so draining. She jerked, trying to sit up. She had recognized the threat to Keiichi from the moment Senbei had arrived. Her limiters! If she could just… Keiichi was… She stared and reached out to touch invisible marks below his eyes and on his brow. "Kei?" Her voice trembled. The look in her eyes disbelieved his presence before her. He kissed her then. A simple thing of immense tenderness and hope and of promises kept. His forever; hers forever. There was a titanic wrench at the senses.

Barry staggered. She was… They had… She looked around the gym taking stock. There had been a fight. Senbei? Then she remembered everything. Akane and Shampoo picked their way toward her.

"What just happened?" Shampoo asked.

"We just fought Marller's replacement, Amazon." Barry looked around. Ukyo was supporting Ryoga and Barry could see with ki-vision the deep gashes in his side. Anyone else would be in the hospital. Still, it was amazing that even his flinty hide could be damaged that way. Urd rose groggily to her feet.

"Miss Kamiko? What happened to your date?" Barry asked. She started scanning with ki to look for trapped individuals.

"He had to leave earlier," she said absently. She stared intently at Keiichi. "No way!" Urd exclaimed. She focused on the long shape stuck in his belt and started grinning. She pointed and looked at Barry. "Did you make that?"

Barry looked embarrassed. "I tried to get your attention, Urd." She stopped. "Oh, shit! Over there!" she pointed.

They circled the weeping Soun who cradled Hinako protectively. "Miya won't wake up," he wailed. Hinako had now been in adult form longer than Ranma's memories had ever noted, and was approaching what Hinako herself claimed was her absolute time limit. Barry scanned, got a puzzled look and scanned again, comparing her to Akane and Shampoo.

She whispered to the goddesses, "There's something wrong with her blood. She tried to drain the demons but caught me and…" she indicated the wooden hilt in Keiichi's belt.

Beldandy felt Hinako's brow. It was cold and getting colder. She shook her head. "What one of us has done can only be undone by that individual," she whispered back. "The… artifact returned her to her normal state. She would have died long ago without Happosai's treatment. It won't be long now."

"Can't we…" Barry and Keiichi spoke in unison then blinked at one another. "I mean you made this. It's really yours," Keiichi added, taking the hilt from his belt and looking at it regretfully. Barry grabbed with both hands… but only to make sure Keiichi didn't let it go.

"No!" Then more softly, "No, I made it, but I knew for whom it was destined the minute it started talking to me. There are no accidents, Keiichi! And if I'm right, this is merely a key to open the door to… certain opportunities. You must keep it."

Keiichi was looking at the hilt or key, or whatever it was. Suddenly he smiled and chuckled. "Keep your hands on the key," he said. He reached out and touched Hinako's forehead in imitation of Beldandy. Barry felt in the contact a hint of the aching drain she had experienced earlier. Then it changed and grew warm rather than the cold she had felt before. Yet not even with ki-vision did she observe anything overtly happening. But Hinako's blood, so lifeless and insufficient was growing stronger. Her heart, so weak, began to beat more quickly, more energetically. Her bones altered subtly and the blood surged with energy as each breath brought new life into the woman's body.

Keiichi sagged, gasping and dizzy. Urd suddenly was helping Beldandy to support him. "Now you know how Bel feels when she pulls your chestnuts out of the fire," she whispered. Barry made sure Keiichi remained in contact with the key until he could tuck it back into his belt.

Keiichi laughed shakily. "That's something I couldn't do before."

Soun continued to wail his misery. Akane had been hugging her father, trying to reassure him and puzzled by his stammering words about Miss Hinako. Shampoo was focused on Akane. Ukyo was focused on stopping Ryoga from bleeding all over the gymnasium. She got the wounds in his side bound up, but all the action had disintegrated her netting and the suit didn't quite fit right without it. Ryoga groaned. His nose was never gonna be the same.

"Oooh…!"

Soun's wailing stopped. "Miya?" Miya!" He almost started to shake her, but caught himself.

"Oh, Soun… What happened?" She blinked and tried to focus. "How long have I been out?" she asked with more energy.

"Well, you tried to ki-drain a supernatural creature, Miss Hinako," Barry injected. "Not the smartest thing ya ever done."

"Ranma? Remind me to ki-drain you later. Much later." She took another couple of deep breaths. "Then again, I do feel surprisingly good."

"Hinako-sensei sound different, too," offered Shampoo. "Usually sound like Amazon drill instructor when you like this."

"How long was I out?" she asked again, stronger. Soun scooped her up over her perfunctory protests.

Barry looked at the clock. It was busted at 9:25. Does anybody really know what time it is? she sang out in English. Everyone groaned.

Urd touched her wristwatch. "It's 9:58," she informed them. Hinako stared.

"I make it at least twenty-five minutes since ya went down, Miss H," Barry offered. "A new record, based on what ya told me. I don't see ya goin' chibi, again. Think it might last?" She rolled her eyes toward Keiichi, who was getting some color back. He nodded imperceptibly.

Hinako bit her lip and gazed possessively at Soun. "I think I'd like to find out." She planted a warm kiss on Soun's lips.

Barry shook her head. 'Who'd a thought. Them, for heaven's sake!'

"Okay, people!" Hinako said, releasing and sliding down, her long-legged adult form almost indecent in the now short dress. "Let's have the voting for Best Costume and get this place cleaned up!"

Barry smacked her forehead. She had forgotten about the contest completely in all the excitement. She looked at Keiichi, Shampoo and Akane and got a sudden smile. "Hey, Keiichi, anyone ever tell ya how much ya look like Tenchi in that get up?"

"Who?" Keiichi said. It seemed he didn't watch much animé, either.

Beldandy and Urd thought Keiichi looked cute surrounded by a fawning Ayeka and Ryoko, with maniacal Washu nattering away around them.

"Very natural, don't you think?" Urd asked her sister.

But Ryoga and Ukyo stole the show. As Ukyo stood on the platform to accept congratulations, many of the young men began to call out, asking the name of the 'babe' and her phone number. Ukyo's eyes narrowed. This was particularly galling because she wasn't even masked. The remains of her suit were held together with safety pins. She stepped up to the microphone. "Prices just went up at Ucchan's," she drawled. There was dead silence.

"Ukyo?"

She winced at the universal expression of surprise and the bulging eyes. Maybe she should have remained anonymous.

"Barry? Are you comfortable?"

Cologne's raspy voice sounded loud in the kitchen of the Nekohanten. It was Saturday. They were using the combined advice and research of a displaced horse trainer, a cross-dressing ninja, a Joketsuzoku Matriarch, three kami and four top-level martial artists to return Ranma Saotome to the body he was born with. It might have been five kami had Keiichi the experience of his wife and sisters-in-law. Only the horse trainer knew of their influence, however, and he would be taking that knowledge with him.

Barry relaxed as best he could on the thin mattress that covered the top of a stainless steel table normally used for food preparation. On the floor, radiating away from the makeshift operating table was chalked a curious design of loosely braided lines. It vaguely resembled Celtic art or an attempt to depict the legendary Gordian knot. The two lines began and ended beneath the body of the young man on the table and represented the tangled lines of the astral body. Too bad you couldn't deal with this knot the way the original had been dealt with.

Cologne sidled up to the table then hopped up to perch on its edge. Barry winked at her. As she had when they had released Shampoo and her sisters from the demon blocking their projective ki, Cologne would act as warden, advisor and anchor for the ritual to come. The marks on her face signified the kami Urd, Norn of the Past. "Perhaps I can have Mousse get a pillow. You're going to be lying there, for a while."

"Thanks, but that isn't necessary, Granny," Barry said. She tapped him almost gently on the head in rebuke. He smirked and watched as Akane and Shampoo consulted and added lines to the pattern on the floor. Shampoo replaced Akane as the scout; the egg-shaped blue marks around a golden center were the emblem of Skuld, Norn of the Future. As Akane had before, she would observe the results of the operator's actions and advise them on the options available. Her new ki-vision was sharp, and she had taken to training almost alarmingly well.

The two girls rose and stretched, working the kinks out. They'd been at the preparations since 4:00 A.M. Akane glanced around at the intricacy of the pattern she and Shampoo had drawn and shuddered. "I… I can't do this!" she whined. "I don't have the patience." Akane was going to be the operator this time around. The blue paint on her cheeks and forehead glistened. She did not much resemble Beldandy in her serenity or confidence, yet.

"What you have is better," Barry told her. "You have determination."

"You mean, pig-headed stubbornness," Nabiki offered, wandering past. True to her word, she had returned from the university to watch the procedure and support her sister. Now she tried to hide her anticipation and concern by circling their diagram and offering mild verbal barbs at all available targets.

"No, that's Ryoga," Akane snickered, refusing to rise to her shot.

"Hey!" objected Ukyo, from her seat against the wall. "Ryoga's nice." Her mouth snapped shut as a slender hand touched her lightly on the arm. The chef glanced at Nodoka sitting next to her then subsided.

"Just remember that advice is a resource, like a bibliography or a text book," Barry reminded Akane. "You make the final decision, so consider everything carefully and make use of your teammates' abilities."

Nabiki leaned on the table. "Any other last words, Barry?"

"Don't make it sound like an execution, Nabs," he replied crossly. He eyed Akane. Soon she would be under tremendous pressure. She was already strung as tight as a bow. They needed to change that, before she got started. He thought a moment before his eyes widened. "Okay…" He pointed at Akane. "Remember that discussion we had about acting?" Akane made a face. "Oh, no! I saw your face when our two mad perverts of Furinken announced the audition for Nutcracker Suite."

"What?" Akane exclaimed. "What does that have to do with…?"

"She always did have the acting bug, Barry. Pitiful, isn't it?" Nabiki chuckled, picking up on his lead. 'Way to go, Nabiki!'

Her cycle of brooding was broken by a subject she and Barry had argued over for the last few days once they had determined that a return was possible. He had avoided it before, but had finally made a few biting comments that had brought their opinions into conflict. "Everyone knows the tabloids and scandal sheets are a pack of lies!"

Barry turned back to Nabiki. "So sad," he said.

"Yes; terminal brain damage," Nabiki suggested. "I have to admit I only caught her trying to break concrete with her forehead a few times, but…"

"Excuse me?" Akane's eyebrows came down.

"Poor Ranma," sighed Barry. He 't'ched'.

"W-w-what?" Akane paled then purpled. "I can't believe you said that! I would never…"

"I know what you mean, Barry-san," Nabiki smirked, "and after a few serious maimings, poor Ranma will have to learn martial arts legal briefs just to keep up!"

"I… what?" Akane blinked.

"Naah! That's what big sisters are for, Nabs," Barry said glibly, shifting course midstream.

"Huh?" Nabiki said intelligently. Her eyes narrowed.

"That's also what I meant about using your teammates' abilities, Akane," Barry switched directions and changed subjects now that she was distracted. "Ranma tackling million-yen per hour lawyers because of the perverts you pulverize is ridiculous. That's more Nabiki's line of work. If ya want tips on being a model housewife and mother, ask Kasumi." He reached out and patted Akane's hand. "Now you've been well seasoned in ki techniques and you've been in one of these rituals before. Listen to Cologne. Take advice from Shampoo. Do your best." He smiled easily at her. "I'll miss you, you know. I hope I have a daughter like you some day."

"I hope you're independently wealthy," muttered Nabiki, frowning. The idea of taking on million yen per hour lawyers didn't appeal to her…yet.

"Would you mind having a daughter like me, Barry?" Shampoo asked suddenly. She had been circling them and double checking their blueprint on the floor. This was the end of the preparation.

"Before or after you decided to stop being a bimbo?"

"Whatever Barry mean?" Shampoo ducked close and purred into his ear. "I no change."

"Ack!" He shivered away from her and rubbed the short hairs on his neck, glaring reproachfully. Akane and Nabiki laughed. "When the IQ of a son or daughter exceeds that of the parents by more than thirty points, the parents are in trouble," he grumbled.

"How do you calculate that, Barry," inquired Cologne.

"Experience," he said shortly. "My son, in fact." His eyes glowed. "Are we ready yet? I have all these reasons to get going and everyone is standing around! The sooner Ranma's back, the sooner I can go home!"

"Ranma," breathed Nodoka. Like Nabiki, she was a spectator here. She had left her sword at Ucchan's, fairly certain that Genma would not take it from there. Besides, it was possible that Ukyo might be Ranma's sister soon. It was agreed by all that she was his best friend. Who better to entrust the sword to, till Ranma returned? Briefly, she thought of Genma, Natsume and Kurumi. She hoped he wasn't getting his daughters into trouble while this procedure was going on. She glanced at her latest prospective daughter-to-be.

Ukyo was jittering in her seat. She would have been pacing, but Cologne had threatened to charge her for the ruts in the floor. She thought back over the last few days and winced. Friday at Ucchan's it had been a mad house. Young men, mostly fellow Furinken students and a few from nearby schools who had heard by grapevine had all come to buy her okonomiyaki and hit on her. Hmmph! Well, they could just be disappointed today! Ukyo was thankful that she wasn't really part of this. She didn't envy Akane her expertise in ki manipulations at all! No siree! If Ranma got back, she would cheer like everyone else. If, Kamisama forbid, Ranma didn't make it, she could grieve and get on with her life. Shampoo would probably get on with her life. Akane… Ukyo had almost choked when Barry and Nabiki began provoking her. The chef just wished this were all over, one way or the other. She glanced at the table where Ranma's body lay, catching the eye of the current occupant.

Barry glanced at her, winked, then pursed his lips and looked toward the ceiling. Dammit! Was he looking for a fight? He'd done the same thing when her costume ambushed her Thursday night. After Hinako came to, they'd gone on with the Halloween dance despite the damages. She hunched her shoulders as a twitch shivered across her breasts. If anybody had harbored doubts about her gender, they were history now! The safety pins had done a rather inadequate job repairing her costume before the judging. She still remembered the 'ping' of the one that let go as she stood before the entire school on the stage. Damn that Gosunkugi anyway, with his brand new camera. He's gotten a good shot of her just as it happened.

Barry chuckled. He couldn't help himself. He was nervous as hell and he'd been turned into an adrenaline junkie by events here in Nerima. Twitting Ukyo was just a continuation of it. When in doubt, start a fight! This past week, he had been impressed by Akane's control. She had been getting much better at keeping her cool. As it had grown closer to this day, he had teased her unmercifully. He excused himself by claiming it was training to benefit Ranma. But in fact, only Nodoka and the kami had been spared his wit, or lack thereof. Poor Miss Hinako had been one of his latest victims.

The woman had gone thirteen hours and twenty-three minutes as an adult, the longest she ever had in her life, when Barry began teasing her during lunch on Friday. It had been pretty childish, he had to admit: the old 'Miya and Soun, sittin' inna tree…' She had turned beet red and whipped out her coin by reflex. He had been drained. She had reverted to her ten-year-old form and nearly had a conniption. He had, groggily, as she stammered in horror, suggested releasing the ki to revert and it had worked! Careful experimentation had revealed Hinako reverted to her youthful state as a consequence of her technique, losing it again in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Hinako was relieved. Principal Kuno was exhausted. He had made a good test subject after he suggested that Hinako couldn't 'discipline de delinquents no more'.

Barry was puzzled by Soun's sudden interest. It had obviously predated the transformation, if only by hours. Had the senior Tendo been so nervous previously, for fear of somehow harming the memory of his dead wife? Or had it merely been that Hinako's youthful appearance raised forbidden subjects? Barry shrugged thoughtfully. He would probably never know now. He hoped it would work out. His thoughts ceased their wandering as finally, Cologne called them to order.

"All right, everyone, this is going to be a very involved procedure," Cologne stated. "Based on Barry-san's observations and confirmed by every test I could perform, the astral lines have become tangled. I'm not certain how this occurred, but an analogy could be two fishing lines cast and crossing, that become entangled. In the initial attempts to correct this…No, don't interrupt, Barry… the problem became worse, because the attempts were done in ignorance. We now essentially have a ball of twine that, if it was merely fishing line, you would simply cut away and get back to your fishing. There are, unfortunately, two additional problems: First, our two fishermen, in trying to solve their problem, have traded poles back and forth, and now have trouble identifying their own rods."

"Hey! That sounds pretty rude ya know!" (WACK!) "Ow!"

Cologne's glare at Barry turned into a smirk and a chuckle. "Scamp!" The ladle in her hand had worked well in place of her staff. "Second," she continued, "the fishing lines are elastic, malleable, fragile and under stress. If we are not very careful, we can weaken or break those lines. If we do, we will probably lose both Barry and Ranma. The shock of breaking one will almost certainly destroy the other." She nodded at the stillness in the room. "We are also running out of time," the Matriarch added. "The interaction between the two strands is damaging them both. The longer we delay, the more dangerous the procedure will be. We must reduce the strain now, or lose them both in no more than a week."

Akane took in a shuddering breath, eyes huge. She trembled perceptibly. Cologne nodded understandingly at her. Suddenly, everything was in perspective. It was no longer about what she might do to Ranma and Barry. If she failed to act, they would die. Her breathing deepened and she began to gather her focus.

Barry gulped, suddenly cold in his place on the table. He forced himself to turn his head to Akane, catch her eyes and smile confidently. His head tilted and eyebrows raised and fell. 'Watcha waitin' for, tomboy?' went unspoken between them. He found himself reassured by what he saw in return.

Nodoka turned to Ukyo. "Why didn't they discover this condition before?" she asked. The fishingline analogy had been vivid and simple. Unfortunately, it made the problem seem likewise.

"Auntie..." Ukyo sought for reference. "I don't think there is a human in the world who can actually use ki vision right. There's too much information." She chewed on her lip. In a way, you have to be able to at least imagine it before you can see it. It's so different from the physical world. It's like moving through a room of thickly packed glass sculptures of different shapes, sizes, colors - you can look through things and never notice them, while odd things sometimes stand out if the 'light' hits them right." She looked apologetic. "I can't really explain it."

Nodoka patted her hand. "You did fine dear," she comforted. She shook her head. these children were practically living in an entirely different world. She prayed they could walk its paths well enough to bring her son back.

Four hours later, Akane took a brief respite while Mousse served them beverages to help restore them. They took no food. They could not leave their positions for anything, until they were finished. Mousse murmured words of encouragement, which she nodded to, too tired to speak unless required. Shampoo croaked thanks when Mousse served her, earning her a glare from Cologne. The ancient woman seemed like a rock; Impassive and enduring, but Akane could see that her reserves were as depleted as everyone else's.

"How's it going, tomboy?" whispered Barry. The operation reminded him of a televised brain surgery he had seen once. The patient had remained awake to tell the surgeon what he felt during parts of the procedure.

"I've cleared some of the tangle, Barry, but it's so bad! And some of the strands are trying to merge… or something. They stick together like glue! I hate the way they stretch when I pull them apart."

Barry frowned. "Damn!" he exclaimed. Then, "Sorry, sorry. This isn't a time for cursing. I almost wish you knew the Nekoken. Those ki-claws don't have to cut. There's a way of rounding them into probes..."

"I can try that!" Akane interrupted him as she worked out some kinks. "I picked up the Nekoken when Kodachi almost drowned you. I was in Ranma-form from the pool and had to get those chains and tape off so we could save you." She was taken aback at the look he gave her.

"You… picked it up?"

She nodded. "Yes. That's how I broke your chains," she explained.

"Ranma is gonna kill me!" Barry groaned. His eyes focused on her like twin lasers. "You have no idea what you've let yerself in for. I left an explanation in my journal for Ranma. Neko doesn't just give you ki claws and reflexes. Nekoken enhances taste, smell and hearing. It also makes ya…" his voice became uneasy as he strove for the right words to explain the circumstances, "more sensitive to certain odors and more aware of yer body."

"I've sort of noticed that," Akane admitted. "But why does it worry you so?"

Shampoo, who had caught part their quick exchange, broke in. "Akane! When Barry teach you Nekoken! How?" Cologne and Mousse gasped at this statement. On the sidelines, Nodoka, Nabiki and Ukyo paled.

Akane jerked and spun half around. "He didn't teach me! When Hiroshi and Daisuke pulled Barry out of the pool, we couldn't start resuscitating him until we got the chains off. I needed to do it, so I did, and doing it showed me how it would work with my ki."

"Oh, joy!" the ancient woman muttered. "That means you may have it…" she almost glared at Shampoo, "and the people who drained the Furinken pool may, inadvertently, now have a way of training people on how to learn and use the technique." She stamped her foot, having discarded her staff before the ritual had begun. "Wonderful!"

Barry's eyes rolled. "Don't forget about Satsuke and Kodachi," he reminded them.

Akane's face went pale. "Omigod! Kodachi in neko?"

"The Black Rose with the sensibilities of a cat in heat," Barry confirmed. They all shuddered. "Ranma's really gonna kill me!"

"If someone has Satsuke's number, I'll call him," offered Ukyo, jumping to her feet. "He's the one who's handling business for the Kuno's these days."

"It's in my wallet," Barry informed her, nodding to Nodoka. Ranma's mother pulled the item out of her sash and rummaged through it.

"Here you are, dear." She handed the slip of paper to the chef and Ukyo leaped over to the phone to call, Cologne grating suggestions after her on how this should be handled.

With Cologne listening for relayed messages from Ukyo and the others distracted, Barry whispered to Akane. "Tell Ranma when he gets back, that my journal is 'where his hopes are'. If nothin' else, make sure he reads the Nekoken section to you."After that, Barry closed his eyes and pondered the ramifications of this latest development.

"All right, now!" Half an hour later, Cologne clapped her hands to gain their attention. The Kunos had been warned and Nabiki had put the word out to try to find out what had happened to the water from the pool. "The excitement is over! Let's see if we can't finish this up! Akane dear, how much further do you think we have to go?"

Akane sighed. "Maybe twice as long as we've gone so far." She brightened. "But it may go faster with the neko enhancement." She glanced expectantly at Barry.

"I said I wished you knew neko… Before this started, I mean," he said.

"You don't think I can learn how to do this?" Akane demanded, frowning.

"No! It's just that it'll take too long to learn it well enough to safely use it! I've been messing with it almost constantly since I got stuck here. We don't have time!"

"How about using Direct Impression?" Akane tossed out.

"Akane!" Barry was flustered to say the least. Since they began the ki training, no one had been able to endure the sensation of what they had chosen to call Direct Impression long enough to learn anything useful. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it was such an invasion of privacy that all their subsequent training had been done through observation on the part of an individual followed by self-experiment and guesswork. Direct Impression had been relegated to the dustbin of their training concepts. In theory it could work, but…

"I want Ranma back, Barry," Akane growled. "If neko offers a way…"

"Of course it offers a way!" he snapped. "I could never have dislodged that demon from Shampoo and the girls without it. But, Akane… You've done pretty well, so far. Can't you try to keep going without it? We've never actually confirmed you can pick up techniques that way." Barry looked pained.

"I thought you picked up Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu through Direct Impression?" Akane eyed him, lips thin. The irritation was obvious.

"Not that way. I ended up observing from very close range." He sighed. "What you're asking for is essentially an overlapping of our ki so that you… 'shadow-box' my techniques at every level. Do you really want to try something like that in the middle of this much stress?"

Akane wasn't backing down. "What if I decide down the road, that I need it?"

"We'll see. Let's not borrow trouble."

Five hours later, Akane stepped back with a growl of frustration. "Barry, I'm going to need those neko-techniques," Akane told him. He stared at her a bit resentfully. "You want to get back to Gwen, right?" she added, the tension and frustration of the past sixteen hours or so of preparation and ki-manipulation showing through in an almost bitter comment.

"I'd like to be certain you're not too tired to keep going, Akane." Barry shifted on the table. Amazing how horribly stiff you could feel after ten hours on your back.

"Quit making excuses, Barry."

"Let's do an overall assessment, shall we?" Cologne injected. "What you're doing, child, may be necessary, but it may also be rash to attempt under the circumstances." She remained calm even though Akane half-turned toward her, her lips coming back in a snarl.

"Akane?" Shampoo caught her attention. "Please listen to them."

Akane heard Shampoo's hoarse voice and met her eyes before slumping slightly. She finally nodded. "You're right. When I'm wound up like this, I poison people with my cooking and send Ranma through the roof for no good reason at all." Akane clenched her fists, then relaxed them, stretching her fingers out straight and shaking them. "Shampoo, please check Barry over carefully. You, too, Mousse. Then I want you to explain what you see to Cologne." Akane took a deep calming breath, releasing it smoothly. "I'll try to keep quiet till you're done. Then we'll see how we go on."

"What about me?" Barry asked.

"You shut up," Akane told him shortly. "I'm sorry," she added almost tearfully, "but I want to hear from everyone else first. If I decide to go on, then you and I can scream at each other till we agree on what to do." She turned as Nabiki sauntered over. As she was not part of the ritual her presence did not help or hinder what they did, provided she didn't damage or alter the symbols drawn on the floor. She leaned on the edge of the table and gazed thoughtfully at Ranma's guest while the Amazon contingent conferred.

"So, it's boiled down to an all or nothing proposition?" she asked. Barry sighed and nodded. "That's about par for the course. Don't worry, Barry," she added. "I've seen this time after time and it always works out somehow."

"Everything always works out," he said glibly, "…till it doesn't."

"At least you don't have to worry about my backup plans now."

"Ahhh. The silver lining in the cloud!" Barry tried to smirk as if in appreciation of his narrow escape. It was pretty ghastly. "Watcha think of Miss H?" he asked to distract himself.

"I'm glad I'm out of the house," Nabiki said darkly. "Though if she'd been around, maybe the dojo wouldn't have taken so much damage from you over-powered idiots."

"Silver linings…" they said together. The snickers were more honest, this time.

"Could you imagine? Shampoo crashes through the wall: "Nihau, Airen—ZZZZZZzzzzzz!" Nabiki mock-snored.

"Or Ryoga? " Barry countered. "Ranma prepare to—ZZZZzzzzz!"

"Will you two be serious over there?" snapped Akane. Barry sighed. Akane needed to relax or she'd be of no use to anyone.

"Try to relax, Akane!" Barry suggested. "Sing or something. You have a sweet voice."

"H-h-h…?" Akane gulped and turned eyes huge. "Where did that come from?"

"I always liked your voice when you were singing out in the woods. So did Ranma. I never could get him to admit it, but then, Ranma's like that."

"Come on, Akane," Nabiki added encouragingly. "Why not sing? I'd like to hear you two, myself."

Akane finally let them talk her into it. They started with some of Akane's bubblegum music and Akane was forced to correct him, frequently, on the lyrics. He switched to American show tunes. Akane knew most of Oklahoma and some of Guys and Dolls. She also knew 'Where Do I Begin…' from the movie Romeo and Juliet, but they didn't sing that — too personal. He asked if she knew 'Memories' from Weber's Cats and got a shock. Apparently, in that universe, Andrew Lloyd Weber had never produced his many musicals. "You poor benighted heathens," he teased affectionately. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nabiki get her tape recorder.

He taught Akane the lyrics for pieces from Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom and finally 'Memories' from Cats. Afterwards he glanced at Nabiki with her tape recorder and whispered "softie," at her. Nabiki was trying to wipe away tears from her cheeks unnoticed. Across the room, Nodoka and Ukyo were similarly shaken.

Cologne interrupted. "That's very beautiful, Barry, and nicely done to calm Akane after such a trying period." She nodded to them both. "I understand your reservations, Barry, but our consensus is that Akane will have a much greater chance of success if she has the technique."

Barry and Akane's eyes met. "Let's get this over with, then," the former said, acknowledging that he was outvoted. The technique required some degree of physical contact. Their right hands met and meshed. After a moment to balance, they merged their auras. It was not comfortable. It was not tantalizing. It was as brutal as the avalanche on the mountain, or drowning in the pool, or meeting the gaki with their unshielded bodies.

Barry immediately suspected that they were too deep, but there was no second chance in this. Quickly, he began running through the neko-techniques, feeling Akane match him. It was so different from working with Ranma's girl-type. Akane had been a girl all her life and had a certain innate 'feminine modesty'. Besides that, she was a little afraid of him, especially with respect to the Nekoken. There was also an issue of dominance involved, headstrong Akane matching Barry's years and self-confidence. Then there was the matter of shared consciousness, the undercurrent of things they wished to keep concealed.

When it was over, Akane stepped back, stressed from the interaction. She released his hand suddenly and swallowed hard. She picked up a lot more than Nekoken, whether Barry knew it or not, but she had no intention of letting him know that.

Barry was in similar straights. The technique was entirely too personal. He knew Akane had gotten something from him. His own acquisition of many of Akane's fears, wants, desires and habits were more than even any husband had a right to know and some had surprised him. The sooner he was out of here, the better. "Let's get this over with, sweetheart," he told her shakily. "I think I've overstayed my welcome."

She nodded in agreement and, after Shampoo and Cologne were prepared, began.

Ranma sighed. Gwen served a special dinner for two at a small round table in their living room. Candlelight made him nervous, but Gwen was her friendly, smiling self, a sight Ranma was beginning to appreciate. He would love to have Akane acting like this around him. Gwen understood teasing, for one thing, and gave as good as she got. Like Akane, she was thoughtful and tried to help him whenever she saw a need.

"Happy birthday, dear," Gwen said. After clearing off the dinner dishes, she placed a small cake on the table before him. It had a candle on top, waiting for him to blow out. He did.

He was a little stunned. Why hadn't he remembered that Barry's birthday fell so quickly after his son's? He grinned in minor anticipation. "Do I get presents?"

"Remember? We're celebrating your birthday on Sunday, at your mother's." She took in the sigh and smiled. "Don't worry. I have something special for you a little later."

He was still wondering what she meant when he was getting ready for bed. He had taken a shower earlier before 'dressing for dinner' and now was stretched back in the bed, comfortable and beginning to doze off. There was a nightlight near the entry to the bedroom so that Gwen could find her way back from the bathroom without stubbing her toes.

He felt really bad still being here through Barry's birthday and not having told Gwen what was really happening. There had been some awful close calls with her and he didn't think he could hold her off much longer without harming Barry's marriage. She wanted, needed and deserved her husband's full attention. Resolutely, he decided to tell her tonight. He was still safe and, if he could convince her quickly, she might even forgive his silence on the subject the last few days. Yes! He'd tell her tonight!

"Hello, darling." Sultry tones caressed his eardrums and woke up a libido that begged to be released. He looked up.

Gwen stood, backlit by the nightlight, in a lacy gauzy bit of mist that might barely fit the requirements of being called cloth. It fell off her shoulders from two spaghetti straps and fit loosely (easy access, some part of him said) to mid thigh. It didn't hide a single thing. She inhaled impressively.

"You… you… you…" he said intelligently.

"Me… me… me…" she sang back at him mockingly.

"You're almost naked!" he accused. Suddenly, he was catching on. His little present, later… He froze as she glided over to the bed and pounced on him, bringing salient features within easy reach of lips, hands and other things. All he had to do was sacrifice his principles.

"You noticed," she smiled seductively, "What are you going to do about it?"

She didn't wait for his answer, but embraced him and began a methodical and knowledgeable attack on all his senses. Her hands ripped at the T-shirt and boxers he wore, then she squirmed and her feet came into play, attacking the elastic band of the shorts as she straddled him, pinning him to the bed. He tried to push her off, but Barry's body was betraying him, its movements not matching his intent, instead drawing her into closer, more intimate contact.

"G-gh-gh-ghk!" he managed, trying to inform her that she really didn't want to do this. "G-g-gwen!" Kamisama! If he did this, Barry would never forgive him. Akane would never, never forgive him, and Ranma would be really… screwed. Oh, MAN! He tried to get some space to tell her but she was having none of it this night!

"Please," he heard her murmur, "…please, don't stop, Barry! I need you!"

What the hell was he going to do? 'Akane!' he screamed silently. 'Get me outa here!'

Akane probed, her lips now a thin line on her face. It was nearly 9:00 P.M. and she had been manipulating the astral strands for more than twelve hours now. The probes had been particularly helpful when disentangling strands that were elastically merging. Had she used force instead of leverage, she believed they would have snapped and ended everything. She worked diligently on this tangle caught by another loop of the astral lines. It resisted before suddenly slipping free, energy spilling off it like water from a plucked harp-string.

"Akane!" Shampoo screamed. "Dampen vibration! Strands too weak!"

Akane's aura blazed as she reached fingers of ki to absorb and counter the energy that sang through the threads. Those same fingers stroked, trying to heal and strengthen weak points even as Barry had healed her damaged ki after the demon had attacked weeks before. Slowly, the strands responded, healing and relaxing. She looked at the result, blinked and looked again. What the hell?

The lines were no longer knotted. Instead, there were two lines of astral force wrapped firmly around one another. She remembered Barry's string analogy and Cologne's fishermen. The lines went out, looped about twice and continued on their merry ways. How did that happen?

"Good job, Akane!" Shampoo enthused. "Lines much stronger now."

"Yes, but…" She gave it another once over. "How can we untangle this?"

They informed Cologne what they'd observed. "That's very interesting," she said finally. "We just don't know enough. We don't even know why the lines became so entangled in the first place." She scanned the recumbent figure, sighed and rubbed out a line on the diagram, effectively breaking the wards. "I think it's time to step back and evaluate. At least you've bought them more time, Akane."

"I'm so sorry, Ranma," Akane tearfully whispered to her absent love. She looked at the familiar face worn by another, and noticed Barry was out cold.

"That snap at the end there must have been rough on him," Cologne observed. "I'm going to rest up and think on this. Why don't you young people go do something frivolous to unwind?" She glared then. "And I don't mean more ki-techniques. Give it a rest! Find one of your silly animé and watch a couple of hours of brain fluff! Keep it light."

They looked at one another, nonplussed. What to do?

"Leave it to me," suggested Nabiki. She smiled easily. "I know just the thing…"