Ki Cutters: 2

The Portents

It was the false light just before dawn. Birds were just beginning to wake and move about. Within the high fences of a vacant lot not far from the Nekohanten, Cologne stood in a dark-hued robe with her great-granddaughter at her side. The ceremonial robe designed specifically for envoys was deep crimson silk lavishly decorated with fine needlework. Shampoo was also dressed in crimson, a loose silk pants suit that allowed great freedom of movement while still managing to project a heavy dose of feminine charm. Neither was openly armed. They were there to parley and possibly return a certain item to neighbors of theirs. The fact that the neighbors were often enemies didn't help. They sought regional stability around the sacred mountains and hoped this would help achieve it. Though the day promised to be lovely for early November, the signs were not entirely auspicious.

The soft swift flutter of the wings of local birds was suddenly overshadowed by the powerful strokes of larger pinions. Three figures soared in and back-winged to a landing nearly fifty meters away. In some ways, they could be said to be oddly human. Their tight muscled bodies betrayed the results of hardship and vigorous training. They spread out, alert and prepared for conflict. They were well armed with straight, almost hilt-less swords and those damnable will-sucking egg-traps.

Cologne grimaced. That would make things difficult.

""Where is it, old crone?"" snarled the male on the right insultingly. He was immediately silenced by a swift straight-armed strike that knocked him to the ground. The winged figure in the center addressed him without turning.

""Do not forget who is leader here, worm, least you feed them!"" The central figure nodded to Cologne and Shampoo in a much more restrained manner than the first speaker. ""Honored Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, Warrior… I have been informed you wish to return something to us.""

""Regent and honored foster-mother of Lord Saffron,"" Cologne nodded at Kiima. ""It is good to see you. To be blunt though, I had expected you sooner and unarmed, as such meetings normally are.""

Kiima shrugged her shoulder, a bit stiff in movement. ""We are far from home… and perhaps you have heard of the incident at the Blessed Temple?""

""Indeed,"" Cologne kept a straight face. Shampoo had informed her in great detail. ""I heard your shoulder suffered some injury."" Inwardly, she wondered why Kiima called that temple 'Blessed'. Surely a Japanese Shinto shrine, especially one long abandoned and recently converted to a domicile, didn't rate that no matter how nice Baradandya Morisato was.

""Perhaps."" Kiima neither confirmed nor denied the observation. Had the Temple guardian decided not to heal her, she would still be out of commission. ""I had to be certain I would not inadvertently delay our return."" She swept her arms out to encompass their surroundings. ""Now, where is our property?""

""What about your weapons, Kiima?"" Cologne asked. ""We are unarmed, as required in parlays such as this.""

Kiima snorted. ""There has never before been a parlay such as this!""

""Why not simply command, Captain?"" the birdman she had felled demanded, rising.

Shampoo laughed at the aggressive male. He embodied everything a Joketsuzoku loathed. ""I am no longer hers, feathered one,"" she sneered insultingly, ""A good friend freed me from your bonds. Try that trick again and you will regret it.""

""Surely the Saotome, again,"" growled the birdman in reply. ""He strikes down our Lord and dares to challenge us…"" (BAM!) He hit the ground again, eyes crossed.

""Where is it, Cologne?"" Kiima growled as she eyed her associate. ""We must return the treasure to its proper place. We don't have time for games.""

""Our purpose is to return Kinjakan to you, even as it is yours to obtain it,"" Cologne graveled.

""And Gekkaja?""

""I don't believe Gekkaja is part of the paraphernalia of the Phoenix Lord."" The old woman smiled slightly. ""It is also a dangerous object and one that, with Kinjakan, creates a new danger to us all."" Cologne's eyes narrowed. ""I would think, considering its characteristics, it would belong to the Dark Warrior.""

Kiima frowned at her then darted a look at her companions. ""Kinjakan and Gekkaja are part of the old imperial regalia of the Great Emperor, He who once ruled us all."" She folded her arms and her voice revealed her pride. ""Only Lord Saffron descends directly from that time.""

""Herb of the Musk might disagree with you,"" Cologne said easily.

""Herb has nothing to do with the Phoenix or the Dark Warrior,"" Kiima retorted. ""He is merely a dim shadow of the Dragon Lord.""

Cologne assumed a calculating look. ""Water might find you along the way home. You all have Jusenkyo curses and Kinjakan is quite dangerous in contact with water.""

One of the birdmen nodded and seemed to swirl as he brought out a metal box over two meters long and half a meter wide. He laid it on the ground, snapped it open and removed a set of tongs. Both were of an intricate craftsmanship that matched Kinjakan. ""The case is waterproof.""

""You were prepared for this possibility."" Cologne looked with interest at the box and tongs. ""Have you ever used it before?""

The trio from Phoenix Mountain scowled and the grounded male with the big mouth rose to his feet again. He started to growl a reply but subsided at a sharp look from Kiima. ""Only the Phoenix Lord or his heirs may touch Kinjakan,"" Kiima said edgily.

The Master of Hidden Weapons walked around the corner of the building, Kinjakan held in a shimmering blue fabric that seemed made of scales. As they realized what he bore, they gasped and jumped back out of the way of possible contact. Mousse examined the box, then gently placed Kinjakan within it and withdrew to a flanking position beside Cologne. He handed the scaled fabric to the Matriarch and a pair of bonbori to Shampoo, to help even the odds if their visitors got aggressive.

""What of Gekkaja?"" asked Kiima suspiciously.

Kiima's more aggressive companion snarled, ""And how did the thief manage to survive holding both? That should have killed…"" Kiima booted him into the fence.

""As for the thief's invulnerability to the staff's influence…? We believe the material it is made from, not only protected its wearer, but allowed him to join the staffs and wield them in battle."" She shook out the cloth and revealed the scaly vest.

""A Dragon Skein!"" exclaimed Bigmouth.

""I thought it might be,"" Cologne admitted, letting the scales rustle in the morning breeze. ""And it would have had to belong to the Master Dragon or his heir. Otherwise the thief would have died when he touched both Kinjakan and Gekkaja, don't you think?"" The old woman watched their guests carefully and smirked at what she saw. Kiima turned and pummeled her offensive compatriot, finishing him off with a very familiar overhand mallet-strike. The Amazons barely restrained reactions of mirth.

""Is the Akaneiichuan affecting your temper, bird-woman?"" Shampoo asked innocently.

Kiima turned back and frowned. ""I don't know what you're talking about."" She glanced at the twitching body beside her. "Honestly!"

At that, Mousse couldn't restrain a manic grin. Cologne glared at him until he subsided.

The two parties stared across the intervening space. Then Kiima withdrew something from a pouch and held it down to lightly touch the shaft of the weapon/water heater. There was a flash and she jerked her hands away, shaking them.

""We accept that this is, indeed, Kinjakan,"" Kiima said. She frowned at the cloth in Cologne's hands. ""As regent for Saffron, the only remaining member of the ancient Imperial Court, I demand Gekkaja and the Dragon's Skein."" Kiima stepped forward and held out her hand.

""You've admitted this is a skein of the Dragon Lords,"" Cologne said, looking it over carefully. ""And Gekkaja is of the regalia of the Dark Warrior. I don't believe these objects are part of the treasury of Saffron, Kiima.""

""Nor are they treasures of you Joketsuzoku newcomers!"" Kiima snapped. ""The Musk might have some claim to the Skein, but if you think we will tolerate some power-hungry mud-man attempting to steal Kinjakan…!""

""If the Saotome comes into their possession, he might be fool enough to attempt to replace Saffron,"" snarled Bigmouth, once again on his feet. The two birdmen stepped forward, to flank Kiima. Privately, the Amazons were beginning to wonder at his almost Ranma-esque recovery time.

Cologne grinned. ""Gekkaja is already on its way back to Jusendo, Kiima. The guide has assured me he will restore it to its rightful place in the mountain there.""

Kiima glared and half-turned to punish the offending being again when she gasped.

The forms of a man and a woman had faded into view almost before her eyes. Ranma winked at her and released his hold on Akane as he dropped the concealing technique of Umisen. "Man! You guys are somethin' else." The other two winged warriors halted in their advance and whirled. Ranma Saotome stood between them and the box containing Kinjakan. Beside him, Akane Tendo, battle-aura already flaring, set herself in a loose, easy stance. "You think I'd want to give up martial arts to be somebody's power plant?"

"So, you were the thief!" snarled Bigmouth, beginning to charge forward.

Kiima tripped him. "Are you really that stupid?" the leader of the Phoenix Mountain contingent inquired. "This man defeated Saffron and you're going to attack him?" She glared at Ranma, however.

"Ranma is responsible for regaining Kinjakan, Kiima," Cologne informed them. "He nearly lost his life in the process."

"You look remarkably healthy for so near an escape," Kiima remarked suspiciously. "And the thief?"

"He's alive," admitted Ranma. "I wouldn't go lookin' for him if I was you. He's nearly as good as I am."

"Ranma Saotome," Kiima snarled, frustrated," when are you going to learn that you can't be so damn forgiving of your enemies?"

Ranma glanced at Akane who continued to watch the bird-folk. "By that standard I shoulda killed Saffron a couple more times, Kiima." At her worried frown, he waved negligently. "The thief is outa your league. Let it go," he remarked casually. Akane spared him a scowl.

Eggs suddenly shot toward the pair. Ranma crouched, his hands moving rapidly as he concentrated. The hurtling objects were suddenly buffeted by a gust of wind and tossed back at his two attackers who had drawn their swords. They danced away from the spheroids as they hit, desperate to avoid their own weaponry. Kiima grabbed them both by the backs of their necks and shook them. "This is a parley, not a police action!" she screamed. Both offenders were treated to an Akane-style beating. Ranma winced in sympathy. "And what made you think you could leave Kinjakan unguarded?" she added as they twitched, groaning on the ground.

"Forgive me for asking," Cologne said smoothly. "But why did you pick these two idiots as envoys?"

Kiima gave one of the offending escorts a solid kick and sighed. "They were the two guards who saw the escaping thief and failed to stop him. Since they are from influential families, it was decided that they should participate in recovering the Treasure." She glared. "It was that, or face clipping and banishment." She grunted, applying a few more well-deserved thumps.

Akane continued to observe, eyes narrowed, her body ready to act if Ranma needed help. This did not prevent her from offering some advice to their opponent. "If you set your left foot about ten centimeters further forward, you won't lose your balance on the follow-through," Akane remarked clinically.

"Thank you, I think," Kiima panted, her rage abated for now. She turned back to Ranma. "The criminal, Saotome. What is his name?"

"Watcha plannin' on doin' to him?" Ranma inquired innocently.

"He has earned death," mumbled Bigmouth. "No one handles the Kinjakan and lives, save members of the royal family alone!" His voice grew more strident. "We will not suffer from the foul lust for power…" He continued his rant.

Akane huffed. What an ass this creature was! Kinjakan was an instant ki sink (just add water), a sort of artificial Miss Hinako, but of far greater power. Of course, no one knowingly picked it up! Who would be stupid enough to try? All you would need to do was get it wet and…

"Really?" Ranma remarked picking the deadly staff up and twirling it like a baton. "I've handled it before. Even learned how ta use it, after a fashion." His voice developed an almost lazy drawl as he focused on the insolent birdman. "I suppose if I needed transportation, I could use it in motorcycle mode, but I prefer roof-hoppin'. Of course, I could use it like this…" With a flick of his wrist, Kinjakan's hoop went spinning away, glinting in the early sun. Ranma's audience went still. The birdman went green under his feathers as the spinning disc whipped past him. After describing a wide lazy arc, the hoop snapped back to the top of Kinjakan's staff. "But my school don't go in much for weapons," he said by way of explanation. He held it out at arms-length with the hoop at about head level and focused. Flame seemed to dance along the golden surfaces, rushing up the shaft to coalesce within the ring. When the ball of flame had grown to fill the hoop, he again flicked his wrist, and this time the flame darted away to impact and roar against some debris at the other end of the lot. "It's a good ki focus, but…" He called a similar ball of flame to dance on his hand. He made it look easy. "I can already focus my ki." His demonstration finished, he replaced Kinjakan in the box. Ranma gazed at the gaping collection of feathers that was Bigmouth. "Now, should I be worried that you're gonna try to kill me or my friends because they've touched your hot-water faucet, jerk?"

"If he does, feel free to obliterate him," Kiima said grimly. She licked her lips, nervously as her eyes passed over Ranma to glance at Akane, before turning back to the Amazons. "Cologne, if you please. We would feel much more secure if at least the Dragon Skein were in our hands."

Cologne shrugged and proffered it.

"Thank you." Kiima held out the vest and looked it over. "And yes, without this, the thief would have died the moment he touched both Treasures."

"I had my suspicions about that," Cologne offered. "It was why I had Mousse separate the two weapons using the Skein as a barrier."

Mousse frowned. "Hey! Does that mean you thought I might get toasted?" he yelped.

Everyone, except Ranma and Akane, stiffened as a lone man hopped over the fence and paced up to them.

"Pantyhose Taro!" Shampoo spat.

"Hello to you, too, Miau-san," Taro mocked. He nodded at the vest. "I'm here for my property."

Kiima scowled. "You are the thief? The one who stole Kinjakan?"

Taro made a face. "Yeah, I guess I am. Feh!" He looked disgusted. "Damn that Happosai!"

"For those not of royal blood, the penalty for touching Kinjakan is death," Bigmouth began to rant again.

"You talk big, feather-head," Taro said quietly. "Care to try me?" They glared at him. "Maybe all three of you would like to try?"

"Taro," Ranma said quietly, "don't do this. It's just some clothes."

"Tell me that if it was your stuff in their hands, fem-boy," Taro replied, keeping his eyes on the Phoenix Mountain folk. "I don't want Kinjakan, just my vest and bracers." He smirked. "I knew I couldn't just force the Amazons give them to me, so I waited till they brought them out in the open."

There was a long, tense silence as nine people of intensely violent potential watched one another, ready for just one wrong move by someone, anyone, to be provoked into action. There was no clarity, even, on who would side with whom and what the result would be.

Almost nonchalantly Ranma stepped into the focus, apparently intent on the ground. Tensions rose higher, but at the same time became more controlled. No one wanted to start something with Ranma.

"Ya know, this is really stupid," Ranma said, looking up. "I mean, you guys are all ready to kill one another over some clothes!"

"Our security is paramount, Saotome," Kiima said grimly. "We must safeguard Kinjakan until Lord Saffron is prepared to ascend once more."

Taro growled. "They're mine! I'm not going to let some idiot girls who were cheer-leading on the side-lines while we fought, decide who gets them!"

"Ranma," wheezed Cologne, "you have no idea how dangerous this situation is! You have to see the larger picture…"

"Jeez! Will ya get offa that 'Big Picture' gag?" Ranma scowled at Cologne. "Ya can't force me." He spared a glance at Taro and looked back. "He has a point, you know. I won that fight. I should be disposing of the prize."

"You know," Cologne said so softly his sharp ears had to strain to catch it. "You didn't… Not really."

Ranma flushed angrily and started to retort, but surprisingly gained support from an unexpected source.

"I agree," Kiima said suddenly. "Let Saotome dispose of the armor. He has shown he has no need of the powers Kinjakan, Gekkaja or the Skein would grant, so he is a neutral party." She glared at her followers. "I will trust his decision."

"Sounds good to me," remarked Taro, straightening. "Good for a rematch, if nothing else."

Cologne frowned, then nodded. Kiima returned the vest to her and she, in turn, handed it to Ranma.

"The bracers too, old ghoul!" Ranma said with a smirk.

Mousse jerked back to reality from the contemplation of being a shrunken doll, blushed and started searching around in his robes. After pulling out and dumping a small pile of weaponry, he tossed the bracers to Taro by mistake. There was an in drawn breath from the birdmen.

Taro looked at the bracers, nodded and fielded them to Ranma. "They're mine, all right." He grinned nastily at the birdmen as they let out a whoosh of held breath.

Ranma gazed pointedly at Mousse. "I'm gonna assume for the moment, that holdin' back the bracers was an oversight."

Mousse flushed and nodded. Shampoo sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Mousse!" The Phoenix Mountain folk glared at them in suspicion.

"If I understand it, Cologne," Ranma summarized. "Ya didn't call Kiima to give Kinjakan back because yer best buddies. Yer tryin' ta keep the lid on all this crap so Beijing doesn't hear about it."

"Very good, Ranma," Cologne graveled. "That's it in a nutshell."

Ranma turned to the bird-folk. "And you guys wanna make sure nothin' ever happens to Kinjakan again," continued the pigtailed martial artist. "If someone else steals Kinjakan, ya might not get it back, or maybe they could figure out how to make something more dangerous?"

"Mostly the first," Kiima agreed slowly. "Kinjakan was made, however, so I suppose someone could learn how to make another, or might damage it irrevocably if they tried…" She stood up straighter. In her bird form she was tall, very tall. "The Skein, too, has properties. More subtle perhaps than Kinjakan or Gekkaja but they are there. They, too, must be protected."

Ranma turned back to Taro. "Ya won these, o' course. Ya probably got the shit beat outa ya to do it," he added wistfully.

"You wish!" Taro smiled wryly. "I got 'em more by accident than anything else. I want 'em back though." He barely got his hands up in time to catch the three items and stood there foolishly for a moment, shocked at what Ranma had just done.

"I don't loot my opponents. I was in the fight because of Kinjakan and Akane. Fine! Kinjakan is Phoenix Mountain's again." There was the beginning of an outraged babble from the Amazons and the birdmen, which was silenced with a glance. Ranma turned back to Taro who was looking over his returned clothing. "Now… Watcha ya goin' ta do with them, Taro?"

"Huh?" Taro started and frowned. "I'm goin' to wear them, of course."

"What about Quing Hai province?" Ranma asked in a very frank tone of voice. "What about your home? What about the people who live in those mountains?"

Taro looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What about them?"

"If Beijing puts out a few snipers with elephant guns and a bounty on yer head, soon enough they'll get yer vest and arm bands. They'll steal Gekkaja from Jusendo and Kinjakan from Phoenix Mountain – or send an army in to get them. They'll wanna test their find, maybe locally, and a lot of people are gonna get killed unless… But of course, you'd be dead by then."

"So! You want to fight me for it, after all?" Taro grinned again, battle light in his eyes.

"Nope. I just gave them to ya, after all. The Phoenix Mountain folk agreed to abide by my decision. Didn't ya?" He glared at Kiima who nodded tightly. A hint of objection from Bigmouth was driven into the ground. "You Amazons gonna trust me on this?"

Slowly, Cologne nodded.

"Trust you on what?" Taro asked weakly. They were all looking at him.

"I just want ya to realize what's ridin' on this. All of the people here and yer folks back home, are countin' on ya to protect them. I mean, since yer gonna be wearin' clothes that let ya use a magical weapon, ya have greater responsibilities," Ranma shrugged.

"Dammit, they're mine!" Taro shouted, purpling. "If anyone wants them, they have to beat me!" Ranma shrugged.

"I know. Yer tough in either form, and yer almost as good a martial artist as me."

"Almost?" Taro asked snidely.

"Who beat who, despite thisTao-thingy, the other day?" Ranma retorted softly. "But governments and organized crime ain't gonna challenge ya or give ya a fair shot…"

"Arrgh!" Taro removed a packet from some inner pocket of the vest and stomped over to the Phoenix Mountain crowd. As the two males sprang back, fluttering in alarm, he threw the clothes into Kiima's arms. He stomped past Ranma. "I hate you, Saotome," he said in passing.

A light touch drew his attention to Akane. "Thank you, Taro." She smiled, sadly and understandingly. Her eyes widened as the muscles clenched all along Taro's jaw and she thought she caught the glisten of tears. He turned without another word and stomped away, muttering. Seconds after he jumped the fence, there was a shriek of panic as a winged minotaur rose up and ascended the skies. It vanished southward.

Kiima stared at the burden in her arms. She looked at Ranma. "How did you…?"

Ranma shrugged. "He's a lot like me but he has more sense, except for his name."

"We will take our leave, then," announced Kiima. "I apologize again for what we forced on you all, before."

With Kiima leading, the Phoenix Mountain folk took to the air, the box suspended from chains to allow them freedom to flap their wings. As they moved off, Akane turned to Ranma and looked puzzled.

"Ranma?"

"Uh-huh."

"I thought you said you couldn't remember much of the fight with Taro," Akane said slowly. "How did you get Kinjakan to launch a fireball like that?"

Ranma smirked. "I winged it. Gekkaja is yin and Kinjakan is yang." Akane and the listening Amazons looked blank. "I figured if I could send a trickle of ki into Kinjakan it might light up like one of those bulbs in science class." He grimaced. "I hafta admit that was pretty stupid! By itself, Kinjakan don't wanna shut down. Sorta like Saffron was when we screwed up his bath." He didn't notice Akane go white at what that implied. "Ya know, Akane… I think Kinjakan didn't dehydrate ya at Jusendo, I think it sucked out most of yer ki. Maybe Gekkaja steals heat and turns it into ki and Kinjakan steals ki and converts it to heat." He nodded thoughtfully. "They'd feed one another when hooked together and maybe somethin' about Gekkaja acts as a control on Kinjakan…"

"Kinjakan doesn't want to… You mean you nearly…! Baka! You could have been killed! " Akane bellowed. Ranma flinched at her expression. His fiancée shivered in reflection. Ranma's mother had told Akane about his leg, the reflecting pool and the pool's kami. "You…you… Read that damn manual before you get killed!" Akane began to emulate the departed Kiima.

The Amazons sweated as the little dark-haired girl worked over her fiancé. "Ummm… Akane?" Shampoo inquired. "Does this mean you and Ranma make up?"

"Something like that," the shorthaired girl replied, drumming on Ranma's head. "It was the usual misunderstanding, I think." She suddenly stopped beating and started hugging Ranma, really freaking him out. "The jerk actually admitted he loved me yesterday."

"Yes!" Shampoo pumped an arm in the air. "Finally!" She threw herself forward and knelt, glomping them both, to Akane's embarrassment and Ranma's…

Ranma boggled at Shampoo, boggled some more at Akane, who wasn't getting angry, then at Mousse who seemed, at worst, neutral in expression. His eyes went back to Akane. "Are you sure I got back to the right universe?"

"Ah?" Shampoo released them and looked puzzled.

"He hasn't finished reading Barry's journal," Akane explained.

"So he still not know what happen four months he was gone?" Shampoo smirked and looked evilly at the pigtailed martial artist. "This might be fun."

Behave yourself, dear," Cologne grumbled. "Let Ranma get oriented again." She blew him a kiss. "After all, it may come as a shock to find out we're married."

"What!" Ranma shrieked.

Cologne sighed. "That was a joke, sonny.

"Don't do that!"

Mousse laughed out loud at Ranma's shock. As he huffed at the mirth and tried to still his pounding heart, Shampoo and Akane joined in. Cologne feigned disappointment. "Hmph! I hardly think being married to me should cause such a panic." She relented then and chuckled herself. "Too bad Nabiki wasn't around with a camera." Ranma shuddered. "Come on in, 'Airen'. I'm sure you're still hungry. And I want to know what you went through in Barry's world."

oOo

They entered the Nekohanten. Ranma stopped at the sight of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung getting the restaurant ready for opening. "What are you two doing here?" he exclaimed.

The pair leaned forward and glanced at him, then nodded to each other. "Is Ranma. Welcome back, Ranma!" they exclaimed in eerie unison before returning to their work.

"Much happen while you gone," explained Ling-Ling.

Lung-Lung nodded and added, "Very much. Akane and Shampoo are heart-sister, now." The two got right in his face. "You better not make nice-nice with gaijin-guest wife!" They growled, high pitched, but baleful sounds. They jerked away as Cologne clapped her hands.

"Get to work you two!" she graveled.

Ranma shrugged nervously and answered their question, anyway. "I was only there a week. Mostly it was recoverin' from Barry's fall off a horse…" He frowned. "What is a Heart-Sister, anyhow?"

"That's right. Barry-san said he was a riding instructor," Mousse commented ignoring his question.

"Was Gwen really like Ukyo?" Shampoo asked. As they sat down, she took the chair on the opposite side of Ranma from Akane.

"A little, I guess," Ranma admitted. "There were times I woulda said she was more like you," he added reflectively. Then he blanched and waved his hands toward the Amazon. "Now about this Heart-Sister business…"

"Like me? How interesting," Shampoo drawled in perfect Japanese. Ranma gulped then sighed in relief as Akane jumped in and told them about his problems dealing with a married woman's libido.

As Ranma calmed down, he entered the conversation more often, until finally, he began to probe back. "Now, about you and Akane bein' some kinda sisters…"

"Read the journal," they chorused at him. "Honestly, Ranma," Akane added, "You already said his warnings on the Nekoken brought back memories."

"Yeah, but…" Ranma fidgeted. "Can I trust them?" He sounded like a little boy with last minute worries about his first all-night stay at a friend's house.

"That's what we're here for, dear," Akane smiled.

Ranma grinned goofily, then shot a worried glance at Shampoo as she slid her chair closer. Showing his feelings for Akane in front of them couldn't be a good thing, could it? Yet Shampoo was smiling happily. Cologne seemed unconcerned. Mousse looked pensive, but that was normal with Shampoo around. He frowned. He really wished he knew what was going on. He opened his mouth and all four of them said calmly, "Read the journal."

"Hey! That's not what I was gonna say!" They stared at him, obvious disbelief written on their faces. I was gonna ask…" He thought furiously. "What was all that business about dragon skins and dark warriors and stuff, you were talkin' ta Kiima about?" He smirked at the Amazons bemused expressions. ""You think I no Chinese understand, old ghoul?"" Ranma added the 'old ghoul' in part because he was grumpy about the 'read the journal' bit everyone was spouting at him. (Bop!) "Ow!"

Cologne smirked as she withdrew her staff. "You don't imagine I've related every bit of my three thousand years of Amazon experience, do you?"

"No." Ranma rubbed his head. "So what's it all about?"

Cologne raised a withered finger and seemed prepared to relate the mysteries of the universe. "I'm not certain."

Everyone face-faulted into the floor.

"Then what were you doin'?" Ranma growled.

Cologne chuckled. "I was collecting information, son-in-law. Nabiki would have been impressed, I'm sure." She grinned, a disquieting sight at any time. "I merely inferred some connection to the old tales of the Emperors of the Five Mountains. Kiima confirmed it, believing I was speaking from knowledge."

"You scammed her?" Ranma looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he frowned. "And cut the 'son-in-law' crap."

"Just because I know three thousand years of Amazon history, son-in-law," Cologne said archly, "Doesn't mean I know everything."

"Yeah, but you actually admitted it, for a change."

"It's only that outside of Amazon history, there's not much worth knowing," Cologne added with a straight face.

Ranma and Akane held her gaze for several long seconds. "Uhhh… right," Akane said finally. "So, what is it about?"

"Supposedly, before the Shang and Hsia Dynasties, all of China was ruled by the Supreme Emperor, Huang Ti. Under him were the Emperors of the Cardinal points. The five emperors and their cardinal mountain palaces are part of the mythology of old China," Cologne said as she turned and began to test the food the twins had prepared for their breakfast. "One of the cardinal emperors was called the Phoenix-Lord, whose element, by tradition, is fire." She stirred a pot. "The others were the Dark Warrior of the North, representing water; the Dragon Master of the East, representing wood; and the White Tiger of the West, whose element is steel."

"That's four," Ranma pointed out. He dodged her staff.

"Dolt," grumbled Cologne. "In the center, between the cardinal mountains was the mountain of the Supreme Emperor, ruler under heaven of the other emperors of China. His element was earth."

"So?" Ranma prodded.

"If Phoenix Mountain is the seat of the Phoenix Emperor, then Jusendo could be the mountain for the Dark Warrior. Location wise, its connection with the springs of Jusenkyo, and the presence of Gekkaja, in place before you all arrived, are strong indications of such a link."

"And…?" Ranma asked impatiently.

Cologne shrugged. "It's a datum. The Musk dynasty is situated east and almost equidistant between those two locations. Though the Musk are latecomers to the region, Herb has claimed his ancestors were dragons. The Musk could have intermarried with the heirs of the East Emperor. The locking ladle and the unlocking kettle are powerful implements of magic and might be part of their old regalia." She cackled, a chilling sound and leaping to a tabletop, held her staff overhead, victoriously. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Beijing little knows that remnants of the oldest imperial lines still dwell in the mountains of the west…"

"Great-grandmother?" Ling-Ling broke in.

"What?" Cologne glanced over, still with her maniacal grin.

"You standing on chicken I just de-bone for lunch crowd."

"Oops!" Cologne hopped off the table onto her staff. "Don't leave the chicken around where someone might step on it, great-granddaughter," she chided, blushing.

"But…" Ling-Ling sighed. "Yes, great-grandmother."

"Are you going to turn them into the Chinese government?" asked Akane, horrified.

Cologne shook her head. "I wouldn't sell a stray dog to Beijing," she snorted. "But the fact that I could is a powerful onus. Now those groups will owe me and through me, the Joketsuzoku." Her eyes gleamed.

"I see…" Ranma said wryly.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Akane. "But all those places are nearly in Tibet! Isn't Mt. Thai where the emperors of China traditionally made their sacrifices to the Eastern Emperor?"

Cologne grinned and stirred her broth. "Very good, Akane."

Shampoo nodded. "It very good politics to move date or place to own convenience. Besides, making obnoxious self-serving requests of spiritual emperor said to be very bad luck. Maybe dynasties play it safe?"

"If Jusendo is the Palace of the Dark Warrior," Ranma said slowly, "then why didn't you people know about it? The Joketsuzoku are settled all through the valley at the base of Jusendo and White Mountain…" He suddenly stopped. "And White Mountain is named for the White Tiger of the West…"

"White Mountain is not a place to brave unprepared," Cologne commented. "Understand, son-in-law, we Amazons didn't arrive in the area near Jusendo until just before the Chhin Dynasty began its book-burning, during the period of the Warring States. We weren't terribly popular at first since we brought our own battles with us. We also weren't much concerned about anything but our own survival."

"Uhhh…" Ranma flinched, distracted. Shampoo had leaned over and was rubbing against his shoulder, purring. Then he noticed that Akane began frowning so he flinched again, away from her. His instinctive retreat from Akane toward Shampoo sat ill with another party.

"I had thought that you were past your villainy, Saotome," snarled Mousse. Up to this point he had not realized how much stress had been absent with Saotome these past weeks. "…but I see that you still pursue other women even at the expense of one whose heart is offered to you!"

"I what?" Ranma exclaimed. Mousse seemed much more focused than he remembered. Not any smarter, but more focused.

"Pooh!" Shampoo purred in his ear. "Mousse just jealous because Akane is Shampoo Sister-of-Heart."

There's that word again," Ranma complained, eyeing Mousse, nervously. "What does it mean? And if somebody says 'read the journal'…"

"Sister of Heart is sister in spirit, like twin," Shampoo said brightly. "Shampoo twin die in childbirth. It Amazon tradition that twin spirit may rejoin the living as Sister of Heart." She smiled mischievously. "Is also Amazon tradition that if one twin find good husband then sometimes both marry."

"Excuse me?" Ranma croaked, his eyes darting back and forth between the girls.

"Meantime, Shampoo and Akane fight to death. Okay?"

"Excuse me!" Ranma exclaimed, now focused entirely on Shampoo. He leaned toward her. "That is not okay!"

"So! You plan to pursue Shampoo once more!" shouted Mousse. His sleeves sprouted blunt and bladed weaponry.

Ranma pushed the two girls aside as Mousse attacked. He quickly noted that despite Mousse's glasses being up on his forehead, his aim was much better than Ranma remembered. The hidden weapons master's aim was precise, creating tighter, more sophisticated patterns that he had to work to dodge. As he avoided certain death, he realized that some things hadn't changed.

"All right! This is more like it!" He swept Mousse's attack aside and glided backward, grinning expectantly. Mousse was using his chains and ropes to limit the area Ranma could move into, a big improvement. He glided through the obstacles like smoke but was forced to deflect far more of Mousse's weaponry than normal. He borrowed a chair from near the door and caught a pair of hook-headed spears as they searched for his tripes. Then he was out the door and leaping to the top of a fence.

"Mousse!" Shampoo yelled, furious at his attack on Ranma. She hesitated as Ranma 'Biida'ed her countryman.

"Jeez, Mousse! Yer aim is a lot better. Howdja manage to find contact lenses thin enough to close yer eyelids?" Ranma shouted. "Oops! Speed's up, too. Yer almost holdin' yer own."

"Grrr! Pelican scoops minnow!" snarled Mousse, unleashing a set of spinning, weighted and hooked nets. Ranma kicked at the leading net, stopping its spin and sending it to tangle its brother. He spread-eagled and twisted to avoid the handful of darts that spun past the mesh of the nets to probe the space he occupied.

"Damn!" Ranma said excitedly. "Bring it on, duck-boy!"

Shampoo boggled as Mousse bracketed Ranma's position with more lethal projectiles. Then Akane's hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Leave them go, Shampoo. Let the boys play," she advised. "It doesn't get any easier."

oOo

Later that night, a young man stared at a faded photograph of a pretty young woman, so like Akane they could have been sisters. Beside her, a little boy stood solemnly, his tunic scruffy, his belt a triple wrap of nylon stockings. Slowly he compared it to the photo he had borrowed, courtesy of Kasumi, of another young woman, a smiling woman playing with a cat while holding a baby in her arms.

His hand shook slightly before he regained control. He wondered if Kasumi suspected? Was that why they had let him stay in the dojo, even though he had destroyed Ranma's house? Was that why she gave him this photo?

'Happosai, where the hell are you?' he thought. He had planned to stick around for a while. With Ranma around, the old freak was sure to show up eventually. Taro had long sought Happosai for the purpose of changing his name. Now, there was something new. What if Mrs. Tendo's sister was his mother? He had to discover the truth. 'The truth shall set you free…' advised a book from his old friend Citrus. The trouble was finding the truth.

Ranma walked toward the dojo, a towel across his shoulders. His workout with Mousse had been long and violent, and a lot of fun. It had been surprising how well Mousse had done once he ran out of weapons. When Mousse finally wound down, they had been far from the Nekohanten and Shampoo. Panting, they had leaned against opposite sides of an alley and talked. Ranma had learned how the martial artists had banded together to bring him back using ki techniques and the ki vision they had developed at the lake. Ranma reflected he really had to read the journal. There were over forty techniques and variations of techniques in use and he had to be up to speed on all of them.

As he entered the training hall, he noticed that Taro was back. Shifting uneasily, he hoped monster-boy didn't hold a grudge about his vest. If Taro was sticking around, Ranma would be spending the night in the dojo. It wouldn't do to let Taro find out how close Akane and he had become. "Wondered where you were," he commented, yawning. "Watcha lookin' at?"

Taro grimaced and put the photos away before Ranma could get a good look. "Just finding a new purpose in life, fem-boy. I had to grow up sometime."

"…?" Ranma fell back on his futon and shrugged. "If you say so," he replied. "I think Mom's gonna talk to ya tomorrow," he added, closing his eyes. Taro was staying apparently.

Taro winced. "I'm good for it."

Ranma opened an eye and peered at him. "You?" Taro nodded. "Where did ya…?" Ranma considered where Taro might have come across valuables and got worried. "Oh, crap! Are these jewels an' stuff from the same place ya got that dragon-skin vest?"

"Yeah," Taro admitted. At Ranma's angry look, he asked, "Why?"

"Yer gonna sell to a broker and pay her in cash," Ranma said severely. "Ain't no way I'm lettin' my momma deal with some stupid curse, or a possessin' spirit, or…"

"They're just jewels," Taro protested.

"Sure they are," Ranma glared from his propped position.

"You're being paranoid," Taro insisted

"Ya know the answer to that one!"

"Who's after you then?"

There was a scratching sound at the dojo shoji.

"R-r-r-ranma Saotommmme! Prepare to mmmmeet your fate!"

The martial artists exchanged glances before getting up and walking together to the sliding screen. They thrust the shoji aside. Before them postured and leered an enormous white cat with yellow eyes. As they exchanged glances again, it reared up higher and opened its mouth impossibly wide, laughing maniacally. Ranma flinched, then controlled himself and sighed. This idiot was such a dork that even its nature didn't affect him as much as it should.

"Mwah, ha, ha, ha, haah…" it giggled, "I have you now, Ranmmma Saotommmme! Soon, your girl-side will be miyi bri-ide!"

"That… is really sick," commented Taro in a low voice. He gave Ranma a pitying glance. "I had no idea."

Ranma sighed and looked heavenward for guidance. "Mao Mu Lin. What are you doing here?" Ranma demanded. The big cat shrank a little in puzzlement. Didn't Ranma always yell and scream and act weird when cats were around?

"Ummm… The nice lady at the house said you were out here."

"That ain't what I meant."

"Ummm… I'mmmm here to win a bri-ide?"

"That still ain't what I meant."

"Ummm… There was word of a (shudder) 'dog-pile on Ranma' put out last week and I…"

"It took you this long to get here?" Ranma had, from Mousse, heard of but had not yet read about, the very bad day spell a certain demon had cast on Barry during his occupancy of Ranma's body.

"I cyan't help it!" the cat wailed. "Miyi direction sense is still all fouled up from when I possessed that Ryoga boy!" The cat poked him in the chest and peered at him through tearing eyes. "Aren't you at least a little scared of me?"

"Nope! Got over it." And if the damn cat had any idea how hard it was to keep his knees from knocking-!

The Ghost Cat slumped. "I'm never going to find a bride!" it suddenly wailed, drenching its surroundings ala' Soun.

"Pitiful," Taro commented. Ranma nodded in agreement. The cat continued to sob.

"At least let my-e look one last timmme on your feminine beauty!" it cried out suddenly. A bucket lashed out, drenching both Taro and Ranma. The Ghost Cat, Mao Mu Lin, gulped and stared. Girl-type Ranma seemed snuggled in against the throat of a huge yak-headed, tentacled monstrosity. It took a step back, its hair standing out in horror.

"Fur-balls and fishtails! I didn't know you already had a boyfriend," it shrieked. Taro's huff of disbelief and annoyance blew it halfway across the yard. There, it contracted into a large gold bell.

"What did you say?" screamed an annoyed Ranma. She squeezed past Taro's jaw and took an aggressive stance in the yard. "You take that back!"

"It'ss okay! I promise I won't tell anyone," the cat-spirit said fawningly, apparently not believing the protests.

Ranma snarled and pounced. The ghostly bell fled screaming over the fence. Ranma bounced to the top of the wall and into the night. "Damn right you ain't tellin' anyone! He ain't my boyfriend! Mao Mu Lin, you are so dead!"

'Isn't a ghost already dead?' thought Taro as he sighed and scratched his head reflectively with a tentacle. He was really jammed in here. If he moved, he'd probably bring half the dojo down. Ranma paid a huge price for a home and family. He considered the small treasure of jewels and gold he had stashed away and its origin. Maybe he'd better do what Ranma asked… just to be on the safe side.