Chapter 8: Endgame

Jakaro's image left Mausu's head. Mausu mumbled "Damn" and stopped running.

"Gotcha" a woman cried out in triumph as she threw her arms around his neck from behind. He reached up and gave the arms a squeeze.

"So, do you want another round in the dojo before I have to go?" he asked her.

"I've got another idea if you're willing – an hour should be enough time," she whispered. He nodded his head and she grabbed his hand and led him away.

Jakaro's image left Noa's head. "Damn, damn, damn! I need to find him quickly!" she thought. She followed Ranko's trail into the main ballroom and stopped cold. The blue glowing footprints continued into the room all right, but they left the room again and entered again and left again…

The whole ballroom was covered in glowing footprints: the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Trails crossed everywhere. Every single door had at least four trails either going out or coming in. The center of the room had an elaborate seven meter square maze made of footprints. She looked up at the ceiling eight meters up – it was nearly as bad as the floor. "How the hell did he do that?" She sank to the floor in astonishment. "I am so out-classed," she thought.

Ranma appeared kneeling on one knee next to her in his male form. She asked bitterly: "Did the technique even work on you?"

"The sex appeal projection?" Ranma asked. At her nod, he continued: "Oh yeah. It hit both my Yin and Yang sides hard, but I've had women trying to vamp me for a while now. I'm not immune, but I've developed two time-honored means of dealing with it: I either run away or get defensive while trying to run away. I found that works pretty well, especially since no one can keep up with me." Noa sighed while looking around at the room.

"You're very pretty, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm in love with Akane," he said gently. "She's the reason I get up in the morning and I can't betray her. Without her, I'd have nothing."

"I'm willing to share…" Noa said wistfully.

"But I'm not willing to share Akane, she's not willing to share me, and we don't want to be shared. The only sharing that will going on is when we have kids and we need – or rather 'want' – to share our time with them," he answered.

She tried one last time: "You're not married yet you know…"

"Actually, in many ways I am," he replied. "Akane and I have already Bound ourselves together. Our marriage is a done deal except for one thing – we are waiting for the clock to time out so we can stand before a judge as legal adults. We want to be able to say no one pushed us into this – just us."

"Oh, all right," she said pouting. "The Game's over."

"Good. Come on then," he said standing up and holding out his hand.

"Huh? Where to?" she asked.

"Well, if you can find a real gi, I'll give you a proper martial arts lesson. Akane said I wasn't allowed to touch, but I'm pretty sure she didn't mean sparring," he answered.

"You'll actually throw a punch?" she said taking his hand and standing up.

"Provided you can find a sports bra," he smirked as he led the way out.

"Deal!" she called running past him.

Jakaro's image left Hina's head – as well as all the minds of the kitchen staff she had rounded up. "Ah, hell," she mumbled out loud. "It's over. I'm never going to sort everything out in time and he's just going to steal more and more shapes." In a clearer voice, she said out loud: "All right, return to your duties. I'm sorry I delayed you." The apprentices shrugged at each other and went back to their jobs.

Hina went up several flights of stairs to her room. Because she was one of the younger Adepts, her room was one of the furthest away. She plopped down on her bed and reviewed the Game. She also thought about how her Sisters had done – not very well overall.

After about ten minutes, there was a knock on the door. "May I come in?" Lady Hoshi asked.

Hina immediately ran to the door and pulled it open. "Of course, Mistress!" Hina answered.

Lady Hoshi entered the room and seated herself in an armchair. She motioned for Hina to sit down. Hina sat on the edge of the bed. "So, what did you think of the Game?" Lady Hoshi asked.

"May I speak freely?" Hina requested.

"Within reason," Hoshi replied.

"I think you …" Hina started and then stopped. This was the Head of the House after all. "I think the Game was rigged."

"Why would you think that?" Hoshi asked.

"The failure rate is awful high. I may be a First Level, but Fifth Level's were no more successful," Hina answered. "It seems that if any of the mercenaries resisted, they succeeded."

"And yet, many of your superiors swore that the Technique was irresistible," Hoshi commented.

"But it wasn't – and I don't know why," HIna admitted.

"I see…Would you like to know why?" Lady Hoshi asked.

Hina looked sharply at Lady Hoshi. Lady Hoshi would never give a straight answer – she always wanted her students to learn for themselves. A shiver went down Hina's spine as she yelled out: "YOU! You stole Lady Hoshi's shape?!"

Lady Hoshi's shape smiled at her and replied: "Copied – she still has her shape, just like you kept yours. She also made me promise that I'd only use it once. Now, would you like to know why?"

"YES!" Hina burst out.

"Give up the Game first," the disguised mercenary requested.

"Fine! You've already beat me!"

Lady Hoshi's shape touched an ornament on her head. Then the shape shimmered, darkened, and grew until Daran Hawk now sat in the chair. He assumed a scholarly pose. "Tell me about the men who usually fall victim to the Technique," he prompted.

Hina glared at her adversary. "They are usually just your typical men on the street. They come to a hostess club or a bordello looking for a good time."

"So every 'typical man' on the street stops in a club or bordello frequently?" Daran asked. "Do you know how often I went to one before today?" Hina's brain stopped for a second. Daran noticed her expression and continued: "Do you know how often a typical married man goes to one? Or a teenager?"

Hina sat there for a minute and then said: "Our victims are already open to us…"

Daran nodded. "Now my friends and I came here expecting to meet female ninjas – i.e. warriors just like us. We expected to be challenged – and we were. Warriors can't help finding out who is the best; it's just in our nature. There had been a lot of challenges tonight before here; this was just the latest. Most of us were ready for a fight. There were a few who decided they rather accept the benefits of 'losing', and that's their right and they'll have their own reasons to gloat. But the rest of us just can't resist a challenge – and Lady Hoshi knew this when she set up the Game."

"So, you weren't open to us," Hina concluded.

"I'm afraid so. So, the grand question is: 'Why did Lady Hoshi set everything up?'" he asked her.

Hina thought about that and sighed. "Because many of us were neglecting our other lessons in favor of the Technique." Daran just nodded.

Hina sat there for a bit, lost in thought. Finally she asked: "Are you a teacher?"

"Sometimes," Daran admitted. "I prefer the word 'scholar'. I like to work with small groups, and honestly, I'd rather do research. I'm good with weapons though – I can hold my own in a fight," he added a little pompously.

Hina chuckled a little and then looked speculatively at Daran. "What else can you hold your own in?" she asked archly.

"Oh no," he laughed. "You have two strikes against you. First, you attacked me with the Technique. Second, you're young enough to be my daughter. I forgive you for the first, but the second I can't overlook. You're very cute and I'll admit you're appealing, but I prefer my playmates to be a little older."

Hina sighed and then brightened. "Appealling?" she asked.

"Very," he answered with a smile. Then he stood up and said: "Now, I'd like to take a good look around before I have to go back to the Tea Room."

She stood up as well. "How about a trade?" she asked.

"Such as?"

"I'll give you the grand tour – but you have to tell me about how you got that hat," Hina stated.

"Deal," he replied with another smile.

Jakaro's image left Ryoga's head. "Damn! I need a proper way to end this without hurting her," he thought as he ran.

As he turned a corner, he saw his teacher, Hideo, up ahead. Next to Hideo was Anna, the woman who had met them at the gate. She looked rather resigned. Hideo beckoned Ryoga to him. "You'll find what you need in there," Hideo said while pointing to a large door.

Ryoga ran in and found himself in an extremely large greenhouse. "All right!" he grinned.

Jakaro's image left Rika's head. "Damn! I'm not losing this Game!" she thought. She rounded a turn and saw Anna standing with one of the men from the party. Anna didn't look happy. "She lost – that doesn't bode well for me," Rika thought.

The man held a door open for Rika and said: "Endgame, ma'am." Anna averted her eyes.

"It's a trap," Rika thought. "But that's the greenhouse. How can it be a trap?" She hesitated at the door.

"Ryoga is in there, I promise," the man said. "You either need to go forward, or concede. It's just him in there. He will not come out until the Game is over."

Rika looked at Anna. Anna was wearing a wreath of flowering vines about her neck. Anna just shrugged at her. "I've already lost," Rika thought. "The only question is do I go down fighting or just concede." Rika took a deep breath and started forward. The man closed the door behind her.

She walked through the greenhouse and its lush vegetation until she finally found Ryoga sitting on a bench in an alcove with his eyes closed. Plants surrounded him on all sides. She didn't rush him though. It was obvious he was waiting for her. When he opened his eyes, she dropped her robe and tried to look coy, but his expression was unnerving her. It was almost as if he wasn't home.

He just shook his head. "Sorry, you have enough plants here that I'm in my place of Power now. That won't work."

"Your body will still respond to me, even if your mind won't," Rika said.

"That won't work either," he told her. "The Game is over – it's time to give up."

She looked at him and sighed. "I believe you, Ryoga. You're too sure of yourself and I'm wise enough to know I've been dealt a losing hand. I know you won't physically harm me, but there's something off. Unfortunately, conceding gets me nothing – I need to learn. I will show you some respect though." She picked up her robe, put it on, and tied it. "Let's get this over with," she said starting forward.

Ryoga nodded and vines shot out of the underbrush and twined up her legs. She started to fall, but others shot from the trees and caught her arms. She felt more and more vines wrap around her and hold her tight. Finally, she did something unexpected: she burst out laughing. "Really!" she cried as the vines covered her eyes.

"You tried to capture me with your attributes, so I'll capture you with mine," he said smugly.

"All right, all right! At least uncover my eyes!" she said still laughing. The plants parted around her eyes. "Holy crap! Why didn't you just have the wood in the house wrap around me?"

"Too much effort to shape, and it would take too long – you would be able to step out of any shape I tried to make. If I'm standing on soil or rock like now, I could open a crack under you and have you fall in, but you might get hurt," he said. "Shaping something like this tree works better, but it still takes time. On the other hand, making vines move – and even grow – is much easier." He stretched out his hand and a vine rose from the underbrush to touch it. He then had the vine move back and forth as if he was a snake charmer. With a flourish, he sent the vine back.

"I'd clap, but my hands are busy," Rika laughed.

"Do you give up?" he asked.

"I'm bound and tied up. Yes! I concede," she said with some exasperation.

"Good." Ryoga made a gesture and the vines let go. At least most of them did anyway – there were still a few holding her robe closed.

"I did tie it!" she protested.

"Just making sure," he said innocently. With another gesture, the vines about her waist detached from the ground and wove themselves into a girdle. The girdle then burst out in bright pretty flowers.

"You jerk!" she laughed. "It's too pretty to pull off now." She walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. "Fine, you won. Name something and I'll give it to you. I know you don't want me – I assume you want food then."

"I'd like a nice roast beef sandwich and a cola minus the poison, thank you very much!" he said. She just laughed and led him out of the garden.

Jakaro's image left Ume's and Aimi's head. The two Kunoichi women sat soaking in a large steaming floor tub. The tub was large enough to hold ten people. "As if the time limit matters to us – I can't believe I got taken out by a rotten egg to the forehead," Aimi groused.

"You have to admit, it was a damn good throw despite the darkness," Ume added. "And he did it twice."

"How could he have two rotten eggs on him? What? He carried them around, just for this occasion? What the hell?"

"My target was a Kitsune. He probably just conjured them up," Ume said with disgust.

The door to the tub room opened and two men with towels about their waists walked in. "I did. That's why it was so easy to clean up – the eggs only lasted for a brief period of time," Yul said as he closed the door behind Othan.

"Mind if we join you?" Othan asked.

Aimi shrugged. "Ah, what the hell…hop in."

Yul looked like a normal man except for the single fox tail attached to his backside. "I thought you were a five-tailed?" Ume asked.

"I am," Yul replied getting in. "But it's a little awkward to carry them around constantly. Even Lord Jakaro only displays his nine on special occasions."

"Well, at least we rank in that way," Ume sighed.

"Eh," Othan dismissed as he settled in. "So you lost the challenge. At least it wasn't a battle. I lost my own challenge earlier today to a young pup."

"Complain, complain, complain," Yul said busting his chops while also sitting down. "At least Mousse is just short of being a legal adult in Japan. I got the wool pulled over my eyes by a young Kitsune boy – about the equivalent of a twelve year old Human."

Aimi laughed a little at the exchange. "You know," she said slyly. "The Game is still going on for another hour and we have both of you naked in a hot tub…" Despite her words, she made no gestures toward them. In fact, she settled in a little more. Ume just smiled, but it was a very easy-going smile. Othan smirked and held out his hand toward Yul. Yul placed two eggs in Othan's hand with great aplomb.

"Uncle!" Aimi cried out laughing and sinking a little into the water. Othan's smirk changed to a friendly grin as the eggs popped like soap bubbles.

Ume laughed again and added: "I'm done too – I've had enough." Yul winked at her.

Othan leaned forward and extended his hand. "Thomas Othan," he said by way of introduction.

Aimi shook his hand and replied: "Aimi Nakamura."

"Ume Kawano," Ume said as she did likewise.

Yul shook both the women's hand as he said: "It would take me five minutes to give you my full name. Let's just stick with my first name - 'Yul'." His companions smiled affably.

Aimi seemed struck by a thought and said to Othan: "Wait, you're a Weapons Master too." At his nod and the raising of his eyebrows, she practically purred: "You and I have a lot to talk about…"

Yul commented: "That's good for me too. I'm a Master Mage but I'm only a Weapons Adept."

"Sounds like a good conversation," Ume agreed.

Jakaro's image left Mousse's head. His duck form hopped off the light fixture that Ayaka was trying to reach with a net and dropped to the ground. Ayaka looked at him from the top of a ladder for a long moment and dropped the net away from him. He reached among his feathers and pulled out a thermos, then poured the water on himself. It was still hot enough to trigger the change. He made the thermos vanish and sat down heavily on the floor. Ayaka came quietly down the ladder and stood behind him, silently waiting.

"You win," he said. "I want you."

"All right," the Kunoichi said. "I accept the win. Game's over. Now tell me what you really want from me, because I know it's not that simple, but I'm not concerned that it's not that simple. Game's over. Don't get me wrong: I'm happy that I won, but it's done and buried now. It's no longer important. You're still here though and you are important." She sat down next to him and said: "But we only have an hour, so don't waste it."

"Do you know I spent almost all my life in pursuit of one woman? One woman I thought was perfect?" he said. Ayaka just shook her head. "But she would never give me the time of day unless she needed something from me. Then one day, she needed something from me, and it was literally my soul."

"You hang around with mages and Kitsunes. Are you saying…?" Ayaka couldn't even complete the sentence.

"I almost ended up in Hell," Mousse finished. "She thought that it was an outside possibility, but worth the risk. She thought she could manage it. Unfortunately, it was very close. If it wasn't for my friends, including some here tonight…" He shuddered at the thought.

"Oh my god!" Ayaka gasped. "There are no words for her…"

"No, there are not…" he agreed.

"And we dragged you into our little mind game…" she said. "I'm sorry, Mousse."

He shook his head. "No, no. Gods, this was nothing. No offense, but of all the crazy things that ever happened to me, this doesn't make the top one hundred. We knew things would be off-the-wall when we came here. Besides, I dropped a chandelier on you, and you're apologizing to me?"

"You didn't miss," she shrugged.

"No, I didn't. Admittedly, I had it all planned out with several fail-safes because I didn't want you hurt." He snorted a little laugh and said: "The advantage of being a stage magician is that you learn to cover all the angles. And I can be very fast."

"I noticed," Ayaka smirked.

"Anyway, I suppose I've been somewhat depressed since my reason for living went away. My friends and new family have kept me busy, forcing me to keep one foot in front of the other and not reflect on things too much. And then I came on this Bachelor Party. God, what a ride. I had my first beer and was taught how to drink by experts," he chuckled. Ayaka did too. "I received my first real kiss on the lips from a Hostess who promptly dropped me on my head to make a point." Another small laugh from Ayaka. "Then I got a more sincere lip kiss from a waitress I managed to impress. I even got threatened by my brothers because they were afraid I didn't realize how significant that was. A girl actually impressed enough to give me her phone number."

"O.K. Now I'm jealous," Ayaka (mock) pouted.

Mousse just looked at her and said: "Even now, I'm sitting here with a gorgeous woman who has already gotten what she wants from me, and is still hanging around. And what did she want from me? Just to want her…" he shook his head. "Even now, you tell me you're jealous, and I know that you're not really, but you said that just to make me laugh and feel good."

"I'm trying to follow you Mousse, but you're losing me a little. Having a good time is not a problem," Ayaka told him. "Neither is people being nice to you."

"I am not use to it," he admitted. "I'm use to being the bottom of the barrel. And suddenly, I'm forced on a new path, and everything starts coming up roses for me. What the hell? Do I hate myself that much that I originally chose such a horrible path? Then others come along and make decisions for me and things start getting better?"

"Ah, I'm starting to get there," Ayaka told him. "Then it hits you that there's a pretty woman trying to drag you off to bed, and someone warns you that time is running out. So you start wondering what the hell is wrong with you again."

"Pretty much," Mousse admitted. "There's no Akane or Akari waiting for me at home. What's stopping me?"

"Oh, that's easy," Akaya told him. "You're hoping for something better. You want love, my friend."

"Doesn't everyone?" he asked.

"Of course they do. Even me, a trained assassin," Akaya admitted. "But often people want to dictate the love they receive, and you can't do that. You have to accept what people are willing to give, and if it's not enough, you either have to look to see if your expectations are reasonable or move on. I think you also have to see what's really on the table."

She thought for a minute and continued: "I think part of your problem with the first girl is you never saw what was really on the table. Then things collapsed and you're sort of worn out. Thing is, you're too tired to reject the love being offered right now by your friends and family, so it's flowing into you. Guess what? It's still love and it makes you happy, and when you are happy, things look up for you."

"Sounds like I should stay tired then." Mousse grumbled.

"If that's what it takes to accept the available love, then 'Yes'. Hopefully you can do better than that. I've noticed love works better with give and take. Don't shut out the people who care. Gather them and treasure them. Open your heart. I think you'll find that the more you do that, the more things will grow. One day, you will find yourself in that relationship you were originally looking for, but it might surprise you where it comes from."

"So how did a 'trained assassin' become so wise?" Mousse said with a raised eyebrow.

"All right, 'assassin' may be overstating it. How about 'professional spy.' But, hey, I'm a Kunoichi, we spend a lifetime studying this stuff," she said with a smile.

"All right, Wise One, so what do I do now?" he groused.

Akaya punched him in the stomach. The jab didn't really hurt but it caught him off guard. Then she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder while standing up. She was surprisingly strong. "Were you born in Nerima?" he asked somewhat winded.

"Nope, but I've had a lot of training," she told him. "As for you, you're going to accept what's offered. The good news is so am I. There's not a lot of time left, but I should be able to get a few backrubs into you and teach you how to kiss properly. Teaching you some touches might be a good idea too. That's probably all we will have time for, but that's all you're ready for anyway. I won't be using that sex appeal technique."

"You don't need it," he said from where he hung.

"You say the sweetest things!" Akaya laughed." You see, Mousse, I do really like you – enough that I want you comfortable with what we are doing. Keep that happy thought in mind when we hit my bedroom."

"Right. Thinking happy thoughts. Thinking happy thoughts…" he repeated as Akaya laughed again and ran for the stairs.

Jakaro's image left Akio's head. He sighed and looked at his bedmate, the Kunoichi Hana. She shrugged and said "We still have another hour. There's time for another round."

"In a second," he said. "First come here." He pulled her over and held her for a few moments.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm a jackass, that's what's wrong," the Kitsune said. "I was all set to sabotage the wedding of a friend because I was annoyed with him."

"Something tells me that you didn't though," Hana replied.

"No, I didn't. Do you know why?" he said. She shook her head, so he continued: "At first, because he brought along his three human brothers, and I was forbidden by my Lord to do any magic in front of them. Then I actually grew to like the humans I was traveling with – they were rough, but watched out for the young men and each other. That included me. Finally, I accidently got caught by a real Siren, and the friend I was annoyed with pulled me out of the mess. I looked at my friend, looked at myself, and wished I was more like him. That's when I realized that I was jealous of him. I was jealous of a half-human. He seemed to have his whole life together and was loved and respected – I would trade my pure blood for his half blood and limited lifetime in a second. That goes down a little hard for a so-called immortal."

Hana raised her head and looked at Akio. "I don't think being human grants you happiness," she said with a raised eyebrow.

He laughed. "No, it doesn't" he agreed. "And Tofu's had his share of hardships – more than his share. I met him because he was given a task that required my expertise – you can think of me as a University professor. He came to me full of questions. I wanted to ignore the little half-breed, but he was persistent and bright. He picked up concepts that my regular students could not get. So I helped him out. He got the job done, and made sure to thank me. I thought at the time: 'O.K. I did my bit of charity.' But I kept bumping into him and eventually started watching him. His teachers kept treating him like crap and giving him nasty impossible jobs, enough so that I felt sorry for him despite my prejudices. But he kept pushing until he succeeded. It's hard not to like someone like that."

He paused, caught in remembrance for a moment, and then went on: "In time, I started to get angry on his behalf and became vocal. Eventually, he found out. I'll never forget the day he announced I was his friend. I was so in shock, I couldn't deny it and soon I didn't want to. And then the most amazing thing began to happen…" He looked at Hana and said: "I began to rise in Kitsune society."

"I think I see why," Hana said.

Akio sighed and said: "And you're probably right. For a hundred years I had never really advanced, and suddenly I was making headway. And it wasn't due to my efforts – it was due to a human." He paused to scratch his chin. "I guess that made me a little resentful."

"Why?" she asked.

"I guess because I had always thought that I was special just because I was a Kitsune," he answered. "I thought I was above humans, and apparently I wasn't." He sighed again. "You know, I watched Shiran, who is much higher in Kitsune society than me – even if he doesn't rub my nose in it – almost get beat by an 18 year-old human boy. They tied. Do you know what my superior did when he tied?"

Hana shook her head again, and Akio answered: "He laughed and basically expressed kinship and admiration for the kit. I nearly collapsed in shock. I am such a jackass." He let his head rest against the headboard.

Hana placed her hands on his chest and rested her head on her hands, looking at him. "So if you thought you were higher than I was, why did you come with me?" she asked.

Akio snorted a little: "Because I stopped believing that and I no longer knew what to believe. So, I thought I'd try what it felt like to be a human and just act like a mortal for a while – it seemed to work for my friend. It doesn't get more personal than coupling, does it?"

She shook her head. "This is the first time you've been with a mortal?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't really make a difference I just found out. Sharing is sharing, isn't it?" Akio replied.

"Well, you're the first Kitsune I've coupled with, but I'd have to agree. It really doesn't matter in the heat of the moment – especially if you're wearing human skin," Hana commented.

"I can put on a layer of fur if you like," he said with a smile.

"Could be interesting," she grinned back. "But you're nearing a conclusion, and I'd like to hear it."

"It's not that much an earth-shattering conclusion. You'll find it in many children's books," he said.

"Still, it's important that you say it," she responded.

"Fine, over a hundred years of pride down the drain: People are people regardless of shape, size, ability, sex – or species," Akio stated.

"That's a good boy," she cooed mockingly. Akio just laughed. "So what will you do now?" she asked.

"Traveling seemed to do well for Tofu and Shiran," Akio commented. "I think it's time I got out of my little ivory tower and do some. I'm going to talk with both of them and see if they can recommend a beginner's tour. I think I'll also spend a little more time in this world – both my parents were born in this one, and they are very fond of it despite its hardships."

"I like it, and travel is very good for the soul," Hana agreed.

"Do you mind if I stop by here from time to time?" he asked. "I can be discrete about it and not cause any complications for you."

She reached up and tapped him on the forehead. "Friends are not a complication."

He reached down and pulled her further to him. "I really, really like that word – friends."

Hana shifted around until she was on top of him and gave him a very serious kiss. "Actions speak louder than words," she whispered to him.

Akio grinned at her.

Next up - Tofu passes out some advice on the bus ride home and Ranma tells Akane about the night's events. It's time for "The Reckoning". See you then!