"Okaaaay... Now I'm confused," Ryu thought as she stared at the all-too-familiar two story building.
"Ranma..." she began.
"Yeah?" the pigtailed girl replied.
"... this is your house."
As Ryu bluntly pointed out, Ranma had led them from the mall straight back to the Tendo residence. The pigtailed girl chuckled nervously, scratching her head.
"Boy, this is awkward..." Ranma thought as a sweatdrop rolled down her face. "Oh, well. Just concentrate on the money you'll be saving, and it'll all be worth it."
"You better not be plannin' some kind of raid on those girls' closets," Ryu grumbled sarcastically, "'cause if that's your plan, then you can count me out!"
"No, no; you've got me all wrong!" Ranma insisted. After cautiously glancing left and right, Ranma cupped her hands and whispered into Ryu's ear, "Okay, listen up 'cause I don't want to repeat this twice. There's an tiny old man named Happosai that lives in the attic of our house. He trained Pop and Mr. Tendo; some say he's the strongest martial arts master in the world. Whether that's true or not, he's definitely the world's biggest pervert! That little fart is a freak of nature, and his hobby is collectin' (or rather stealing) women's panties! He's got enough in there to start a chain of lingerie stores if he wanted to."
Ryu let out a gasp of surprise. Like most in the greater Tokyo area, she had heard rumors of a legendary, pint-sized thief who prowled the night in search of undies. Could this old man really be Nerima's legendary "Bra Bandito"?
"Anyway, I think you catch my drift," Ranma concluded. "You can take as many bras from the freak's stash as you want and not have to pay a single yen for them. After all, it ain't really stealing because they weren't his to begin with."
A confident smirk played across Ryu's lips as she nodded in agreement. "Kind of like 'robbing a robber', huh? Fine by me! Let's put the hurt on that lecher!"
"I'm afraid it ain't that simple," Ranma told her, frowning. "Like I said a minute ago, the freak is unbelievably strong and fast, and nothing gets him madder than someone threatening his precious 'collection'. If he's not home, then there's no problem; we can just waltz right in there and take what we need. But if he is home, then we're gonna have to use strategy..."
Ranma stared at the house for a moment in thought. As her eyes darted from the roof to the window, the proverbial "lightbulb above the head" came on.
"Ryu..." she said slowly. "I think I've got a plan..."
-------------------
"Please don't let him be home, please don't let him be home, please don't let him be home..." Ranma thought over and over again as she scaled the steps leading toward the attic.
Upon reaching the end of the stairs, she nervously gripped the doorhandle. "I really don't wanna deal with his crap today. Just get in, get out, and everything will be all r--"
"Ranma, m'dear! What brings you here?"
"Urk!" Ranma choked as she felt the lecherous midget attach himself to her posterior.
"GET OFF ME!" she roared, whirling around and pounding Happosai into the floor. Sadly, the bizarre old cretin quickly recovered.
"Now, is that any way to treat a helpless old man?" he whimpered, stepping out of the tiny crater. An evil gleam suddenly appeared in his eye. "Someone ought to teach you some manners..."
"Uh, oh!" Ranma thought nervously. "Looks like it's time to initiate Plan B!"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ranma cooed, catching Happosai off-guard. "After all, you always said you wanted to see me in a bra."
"W-WHAT?" Happosai blurted, unable to believe his ears. Had his most rebellious pupil finally seen the light?
"And I soooo wanted one," Ranma sighed. "I always feel so sore after running or fighting, and I thought that maybe you might... But, since you don't seem inclined to share..."
Ranma turned to leave but quickly found her path blocked by a much happier Happy. Wringing his hands excitedly, he exclaimed, "Now who said anything about not sharing? Why, I'd be glad to help you find a bra... on one condition."
"And that is?" Ranma queried, already having a sneaking suspicion of what the answer would be.
"Would you... model it for me?" Happosai begged, his teary eyes filled with anticipation.
Biting back the urge to puke, Ranma sweetly replied, "Why, of course! It's the least I can do!"
"HOOOOOOOOOOORRRRAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!" Happosai bellowed, springing a full seven feet upward. He began running circles around Ranma, screaming, "Oh, happy day! For joy! For joy!"
Finally coming to a halt, he smiled up at Ranma with a perverted grin that made her hair stand on end. He opened the attic door for her, politely bowing. "Ladies first!"
Once Ranma and Happy were both inside, he shut and locked the door. Noticing the look of panic on Ranma's face, he explained, "Oh, don't worry about that. I just don't want any prying eyes to learn the location of my secret stash."
"Your... what?" Ranma asked, bewildered. Pointing at the piles of underwear lining the room, she blurted, "You mean that there's more than this?"
"Heh, heh. Feast your eyes on this!" Happosai exclaimed, pulling what looked like a garage door opener out of his pocket. The moment he pressed the button, Ranma heard a whirring sound coming from behind her. Turning around, she was shocked to see a section of the back wall slide to the left, revealing a hidden door.
"W-what the... How long has that been there?" she breathed, her jaw dropping in astonishment.
Happosai beamed proudly as she walked over to inspect the cleverly concealed portal. He replied, "Two months; I had it installed while you were all on vacation. I wanted to make sure that my collection was safe from thieves."
"Like you?" Ranma thought, giving him an annoyed glance. Remembering her mission, she quickly switched back to her "nice" persona. "Well, Gramps, let's see what you have in there!"
"Sure thing, m'dear! You're in for a treat; this is where I keep 'the best of the best' of my collection," he informed her as he opened the door. Stepping inside, Ranma sweatdropped as she surveyed the room. It was full of treasure chests labeled in letters from "A" to "F", all lined up in rows. She also noticed a large, square window on the eastern wall which was bathing the room in sunlight.
"Aha! There it is!" Ranma thought, relieved. "No wonder I never noticed that window from the inside before... Now if I can just ditch the freak..."
Smiling sweetly at Happosai, she said, "Gramps, would you mind stepping out for a minute while I look around?"
"Well, I suppose..." he muttered, looking disappointed. "Just don't forget to model it for me, all right?"
"Oh, sure, sure!" she assured him. "As soon as I find one that suits me, I'll be sure to strut my stuff for you."
"Fine, then!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands greedily. "As you can see, they're all labeled by cup size, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding what you want. I'll be waiting right outside, so don't take long, okay?"
"Okay!" Ranma said, smiling as he walked out the door. As soon as he was gone, Ranma developed a noticeable twitch in her left eye. Muttering under her breath, she growled, "Over my dead body, you old pervert..."
She dashed over to the chest marked "C", opened it, and began rifling through the contents. Ranma knew that time was of the essence; with Happosai waiting eagerly outside, she didn't have a moment to lose.
"Okay, the size chart said that Ryu needs a C-cup..." she thought as she looked through the pile of silky garments. After about four minutes of searching, she had found a small bundle of bras that were the correct size. Placing them next to the treasure chest, she was about to look for more when she heard a voice that made her hair stand on end.
"Ranma! How much longer are you going to look?" Happosai called out impatiently through the door. As a hopeful sidenote, he added, "Do you want me to help you find something?"
"N-no, old man, that's okay!" Ranma nervously stammered. "I'm almost done; just give me one more minute."
"Man, I hope Ryu doesn't mess this up!" Ranma nervously thought as she made a beeline for the window. Sliding it open, she hissed, "Hey, Ryu! Ryu!"
All of the sudden the afore-mentioned girl appeared at the window, hanging upside down. As planned, she had waited on the roof for Ranma to give the signal. Once she heard it, she had swung downward, still hanging on to the edge of the roof by her feet.
"Did you find it? Well?" Ryu asked hurriedly.
"Yeah, several of 'em!" Ranma said, holding up the brassieres. "Now let's get out of here!"
"What's going on in there? Who are you talking to?" Happosai demanded. "That's it; I'm coming in!"
"No, don't!" Ranma shouted, panicked. "I'm not decent!"
Too late, Ranma realized that she had said the WRONG thing. Luckily, Ryu had already set their escape in motion. She hastily grabbed Ranma by the arms, pulled her out the window, and, with a mighty heave, swung both of them back up to the roof. It wasn't a moment too soon, as Happosai (in a moment of perverted fervor) knocked the door off its hinges and rushed inside.
"I'm sorry; didn't hear that last part!" he lied, his eyes still closed. When he opened them, instead of seeing the vision of (topless) beauty he had been hoping for, he found the room totally empty.
"Wha--? Where?" he whimpered, horribly disappointed. Seeing the open window, he realized with a sinking feeling that his caged bird had flown the coop. Happosai then noticed a folded piece of paper lying on the floor.
"Eh? What's this?" he asked, picking it up. Unfolding it, he saw a crudely drawn picture of a Ranma in a bra and these words:
"SORRY I COULDN'T STAY, FREAK, BUT PUTTING ON A PEEP SHOW FOR YOU WASN'T HIGH ON MY LIST OF PRIORITIES. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!"
"Grr... How dare he? Not only does he go and break his promise, but then he taunts me with bad puns!" Happosai fumed. "Why, when I catch him, I'll--! Wait just a second..."
A thoughtful expression on his face, Happosai walked over to where the "C" and "D" treasure chests lay. He immediately noticed that the "D" chest hadn't been tampered with at all, but the "C" chest had been left partially open. Opening the "C" chest, he quickly inventoried it with a precision born of years of practised perversion. (Say that ten times fast!)
"Looks like I'm missing three..." he muttered, closing the lid. Leaning against the chest, he muttered, "Now, I'm almost sure that Ranma would take a D-cup. That lovely bosom of hers would find even a high 'C' a tight fit, so why would she take those?"
A spark of realization suddenly appeared in Happosai's eye. "Unless, of course, he was getting them for someone else. Ranma, m'boy, what ARE you up to?"
Chuckling evilly, he thought, "This warrants some investigating. If I play my cards right, I might be able to pull off a revenge for the history books."
"BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The old fart's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the house, giving everyone (especially Genma and Soun) cold chills.
-------------------
Meanwhile, Ranma and Ryuunosuke were catching their breath on the roof.
"Whew!" Ryu panted. "We really cut it close in there, didn't we?"
"Yeah, but we got what we came for," Ranma said, managing a weak smile. Handing Ryu the bras, she said, "These are for you."
Ryu reached slowly for the undergarments, almost as if she was afraid they would bite, but once they were in her hands a smile the likes of which Ranma had rarely seen came over her face.
"Heh... The way she's smiling, you'd think I handed her a pile of diamonds," Ranma thought, unable to resist smiling in turn. "I haven't seen anyone that happy since... heck, since I looked in a mirror after finally getting the Phoenix Pill. It pretty much makes that close shave with the old freak worth it..."
At that moment, the teenaged gender-bender noticed that Ryu's eyes were moist. "Hey, Ryu... you okay?"
Hurriedly wiping the tear on her sleeve, Ryu softly chuckled and said, "Never better, man. I just... Ranma, I want to thank you. You have no idea how long I..."
"Sixteen years, right?" Ranma quipped, interrupting her. "By the way, you're welcome."
"Hahaha! Yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a broken record on this subject. Sorry 'bout that!" Ryu said sheepishly.
"Hey, no biggie," Ranma replied, waving it off. "I'm glad to help; besides, it's about time that freak got a taste of his own medicine. Now, you wanna change into your new clothes now, or..."
As if he even needed to ask...
-------------------
"Here we are. This is Akane's room," Ranma informed her as they stepped inside. "As you know, she's gone for a while, so you can change in here. I doubt that she'd mind, regardless."
Ryu glanced around the room approvingly. The room wasn't all that unusual, consisting mainly of a bed, a desk, a dresser, a window with a view of the back yard, and a bulletin board with pictures of Akane's friends and family on it. This was exactly the kind of room Ryu herself had always wanted if her dad ever moved into a house that was big enough. Just then, a framed photo sitting on the desk caught her attention. It showed a smiling girl with short hair standing next to the other two Tendo sister who Ryu had already met.
"This must be Akane," she mumbled, picking up the photo for a closer look. After staring thoughtfully at it for a moment, she asked, "Say, Ranma... if you don't mind my asking, what's your relation to the Tendos, anyway?"
The question seemed to catch Ranma off-guard. Twiddling her thumbs, she murmured, "Uh... whaddya mean?"
"It's just that I was wondering why you're living here," Ryu replied, placing the picture back on the desk. "I mean, you have a different last name and all. Are they your cousins or somethin'?"
"Well," Ranma began, a hint of frustration in her voice, "to tell the truth, I'm engaged to one of the Tendo girls. Akane, actually..."
"Hahaha! No kidding? Ranma, you sly dog! I heard you were a hit with the ladies!" she joked, elbowing him/her in the ribs. "So, how long did you two date?"
"We didn't!" Ranma shouted (a little louder than she meant to). Embarassed, she quietly explained, "Our parents decided. Both the Tendos and the Saotomes practice a style of the martial arts called the 'Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling', and our dads decided that the two families oughtta be joined. So here I am, stuck with that uncute tomboy for a future bride."
"Uncute?" Ryu asked, surprised. Taking another look at the photo, she said, "I dunno. She looks pretty to me. Then again..."
Her thoughts turned to a number of the gorgeous alien girls Ataru always seemed to attract, and she remembered how loud, obnoxious, and gratuitiously violent they could become when angered.
"Then again, you never know," Ryu concluded. "What's the matter with her, anyhoo?"
"Feh. You want I should make a list?" Ranma grumbled. "If you want one single thing, though, it's that she has a really nasty temper, and when she gets mad, I get hurt."
"Huh. That's too bad. Well, you have my sympathy, man," Ryu said, shrugging her shoulders.
For a minute, the two just stood there. Finally, Ranma stretched and grunted, "Well, I'm sure you want to try on those clothes, right? I'm gonna go downstairs for some hot water; I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Sure; come back when you get done," Ryuunosuke said. "It'll only take me a second to get dressed."
After watching Ranma go out the door, she walked over and locked it. Turning around, she leaned against the door, took a deep breath, and screamed, "FINALLY! IN YOUR FACE, OLD MAN!"
Without further ado, she quickly shed her masculine garb and began trying on her new (and decidedly more feminine) clothes.
-------------------
"Knock, knock! You decent?" Ranma asked, standing outside the door to Akane's room. Ever since that morning, he had become nearly phobic about forgetting to announce himself before entering.
"Yeah, all dressed up and ready to rock!" came the excited reply.
As Ranma gripped the door handle and slowly began to open it, he thought, "Man, I hope those clothes did the trick. I mean, I know she's good looking, but so far only girls have noticed. If she can pass for a guy, then... Wow!"
Ranma instantly recognized the girl before him as Ryuunosuke, but he could still barely believe what he was seeing. Instead of the boyishly-handsome "man" he had left 3 minutes ago, he found himself face to face with a gorgeous woman! Ranma quickly decided that he had done a damned good job picking out wardrobe. The blouse and jeans Ryu wore outlined nicely outlined her hitherto-invisible curves even better than he had hoped. He couldn't help but be struck by how big a difference her masculine clothes and chest wrap had made in making this girl seem "handsome" rather than "beautful."
"I leave a he-man and come back to a bombshell! Damn... I guess clothes really do make the woman..." he thought, fighting the desire to rub his eyes and pull a double-take.
"Uh... well... whaddya think?" Ryu nervously asked. From that wide-eyed, jaw-agape look on Ranma's face, she knew that the verdict was either really good or really bad.
"I think... that we have a winner!" Ranma exclaimed, giving her a big thumbs-up.
"Y-you really mean it?" Ryu asked, overjoyed. "Yes! I didn't know how all this stuff was supposed to fit, so I wasn't sure if it looked good on me or not."
"Are you kidding?" Ranma laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're a real babe! Cute, even!"
"C-c-cute?" Ryu stammered, shocked. "You're talking about me?"
"Sure!" Ranma replied. "Real cute! With that getup, you'll be breakin' hearts in no time!"
Ryu's face turned beet red at that last statement. "W-what? Quit bein' nasty!"
POW!!!
Ranma never even saw the punch coming. One moment he was watching Ryu get flustered, and the next he was staring at her upside down from a crater in the opposite wall.
"Oh, shit..." Ryu gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry, dude. I didn't mean to paste you like that; you just got me embarassed. You okay?"
"I'll live..." he rasped, falling out of the crater and onto the floor.
It just hit Ranma, both literally and figureatively, that (despite her more womanly appearance) Ryuunosuke Fujinami still had a loooooong way to go before she could be considered a lady.
-------------------
That afternoon in Tomobiki...
"Well, Ms. Tendo, what do you think of my garden? And you, Ms. Shinobu... I trust it is still to your liking?"
"Oh, of course, Shuutaro!" Shinobu quickly replied. "It gets prettier each time I visit!"
"It's... it's gorgeous!" Akane murmured, awed by the beautiful scenery. Stretching out for at least a half-kilometer in every direction, the garden of the Mendo family was something the likes of which Akane had previously seen only in magazines. There were groves of cherry trees, rock gardens arranged in the Zen style, meticulously tended banzai trees, numerous koi ponds of all sizes dotting the landscape, and every spare inch not taken up by the preceding plants and decorations was covered in lush grass that looked like it had never heard of the word "drought".
"Just beautiful... and to think that I almost passed this up!" Akane thought, marvelling the ancient cedar the three were taking a picnic under.
In fact, when Shuutaro Mendo invited her to visit his home after school, her first instinct was to give a very firm "no". All of the girls in her class were crazy about Mendo, sure, but... there was something indefinable about him that she didn't like. Maybe it was the slicked-back hair, maybe it was the fact that he always said just the right thing to make a girl's heart thump, maybe it was her general aversion to sword-wielding rich guys... Regardless, Akane had a gut feeling that underneath all of his wealth and breeding, Mendo was just as much a pervert as that weirdo Moroboshi.
Luckily for her, she didn't even get the chance to answer. The moment Mendo gave the invitation, Shinobu had popped up right behind her with a cry of "Sure, we'd love to!" Akane intended to object, but the death-glare from her friend made the words die on her lips. She then remembered spotting a picture of Mendo lying on Shinobu's dresser last night, and a smile of understanding crossed her lips. Shinobu must have a crush on this guy! For her sake, Akane decided to agree to the excursion, but she soon found herself enjoying the picnic just as much as her friend.
"Maybe I was wrong about this guy," Akane thought, taking a bite from her sandwich. "He seems nice enough. In fact, he's been nothing but a gentleman so far."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves, ladies," Mendo said, flashing a flawless smile. "This garden takes quite a bit to upkeep, but I believe that it's worth the money. After all, you can put no price on beauty."
"Still, it must cost a fortune," Akane said, watching as several servants began trimming hedges in the distance. "I mean, with all of these servants, and watering, and..."
"Heh. 'Tis a mere trifle for the wealth of the Mendo family," the young heir remarked proudly.
"He really isn't kidding. The Mendos are the wealthiest family in all of Japan," Shinobu added, sipping her tea.
"You don't say?" Akane replied, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes. "In that case, you might know a friend of mine. He belongs to one of Japan's wealthiest families, too."
"I would probably know him, then. After all, I must keep track of all of my family's potential rivals. Tell me, what is your friend's name?" Mendo asked, intrigued.
"Kuno; Tatewaki Kuno," she answered. "Ring any bells?"
To her surprise, Mendo's hand went straight for the samurai sword at his side! Both girls gave a scream and jumped back as the young multi-billionaire drew his sword, his face contorting with rage.
"Did... you... say... Tatewaki Kuno?" he thundered, obviously trying to control himself.
After taking a nervous gulp, Akane squeaked, "Uh... y-yeah. That's him."
"Wow! Normally, only Ataru can get Shuutaro this worked up, and that's only on bad days!" Shinobu thought as she watched her would-be-beau shake with rage.
Straightening her posture, she demanded, "Shuutaro, what's wrong? What did this 'Kuno' guy do to get you so angry?"
Mendo's eyes widened as a look of surprise came over his face. Acting as if he had just awoken from a dream, he muttered, "I... I'm terribly sorry, ladies. It's just that... Tatewaki and I have a long, strained history."
Mendo sheathed his sword and sat back down, prompting his female companions to draw closer. Sighing, he explained, "Ms. Shinobu, as you are well-aware, the Mendo and Mizunokoji families have a long-standing rivalry which I carry on with Tobimaro to this day. However, my rivalry with Ton-chan is a friendly one; despite our constant struggle for superiority, we are actually good friends. My family's relationship with the Kunos, however, is quite different."
"For starters, the Mendos and Mizunokojis, the number one and two in Japan, are of noble lineage. My family is descended from the samurai caste, and the Mizunokojis trace their ancestry to Japan's nobility. The Kunos, currently number three, were originally a band of shinobi, or ninjas, who rose to power during the Meji era. They took advantage of the tumultous times to seize the land and wealth of much of the nobility in Kanto. Dirty rotten thieves..."
"Look, could you get to the point?" Akane snapped with more than a hint of irritation. "This is all very interesting, but what makes you hate the particular Kuno I know so much?"
"Erm... I was getting to that," Mendo mumbled apologetically. "As I was saying, our families have intensely disliked one another for years. Therefore, when I heard that the current heir to the Kuno fortune was entering a local kendo competition, I felt that it would be a great opportunity to show off... er... to uphold the family honor by defeating him."
"Let me guess..." Akane chuckled, smirking mischeviously. "You entered and he mowed you down like an overgrown lawn, right?"
"Akane!" Shinobu hissed, scowling at her friend.
"No, don't be angry with her," Mendo muttered, hanging his head in shame. "It is exactly as she described. He humiliated me in front of my family, my rivals, and the public at large."
The young swordsman looked up, a mix of anger and frustration written all over his face. "I still can't believe that such a bufoon could have such amazing prowess with the sword! Losing to such a braggart is shameful in the extreme!"
"Don't let it bother you," Akane advised him. "Trust me, Kuno might be an idiot, but you're hardly the first good swordsman that he's managed to defeat. My advice is just forget the whole thing, and look on the bright side: at least you're a lot smarter than he is!"
"Yes... yes, you are entirely right, Ms. Tendo," he replied, smiling softly at her. "I shall not let it bother me anymore."
Before anyone could utter another word, however, the sound of someone running with wooden sandals reached their ears, followed shortly by an old man's voice.
"You there! Yes, you! Girl! I must speak with you!"
"That annoying voice..." Shinobu said with a shudder. "Please tell me it isn't..."
Sure enough, the form of a wizened little man in a priest's uniform was seen coming down the path, running just as fast as his stubby legs would carry him. To Akane's confusion, Shinobu paled considerably and a look of disgust crossed Mendo's face.
"Cherry? Curse that abomination of a monk!" Mendo growled. "I'll not have him ruin our rendevous. Men, dispose of him!"
Akane gasped involuntarily as a horde of men in black suits and shades swarmed from every tree, bush, and crevice in the general area. They quickly tackled the strange little man and began hauling him away.
He struggled vainly against them, shrieking, "But I tell you I must speak with that young girl! She is in terrible danger! Can't you see how ominous--"
"Shut up, old man!" one shouted, bonking him on the head. "You heard the young master; get out!"
As Cherry was dragged away, Akane stared after him. Once he was finally out of sight, she turned and asked her companions, "What was that all about? Why are you both so scared of that little man? Your guards treated him pretty rough..."
"Akane, sweety, you don't know what you're saying," Shinobu said, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "If you'd only known him as long as we have..."
"She speaks the truth, Ms. Tendo," Mendo assured her. "That old man is nothing but trouble, a sorrow to all who know him. If you are wise, you'll steer clear of him."
"O-okay..." she muttered. Akane decided to take their word for it. After all, in her experience, tiny bald men could be a real pain.
-------------------
Crawling out of the dumpster where the guards had tossed him, Cherry mumbled under his breath, "Such angry young men. At this rate, they will never escape the cycle of reincarnation. Ah, well. May Buddha have mercy upon them."
"All the same, it will take more than that to deter me. She must be warned, before it's too late..."
END OF CHAPTER 4
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Okay, another chapter down! I hope you enjoyed it; be sure to leave a review and let me know your comments, complaints, random utterances, and so forth.
ALSO: Folks, I need your help on an aspect of this story that's starting to give me a headache. I have most of the story figured out, but I'm drawing a near-blank on the type of training Ranma should use to use to train Ryu on how to be a lady. I do have a few ideas, but I need more that what I have right now (and better ideas wouldn't hurt either, haha). So, if any of you have some good ideas, please PM me and let me know. I'd really prefer it if you'd message me rather than leave it in a review so it can be a surprise to other readers. Thanks in advance!