Ryouga stirred. He started to roll over, stopped himself to avoid disturbing whoever was sharing his bed with him, then realized that there was no one.

He opened his eyes slowly. He could see the ceiling of the Tendo's guest room through the gloom - the room that Ranma and Genma had lived in, and that he had slept in himself many times. It seemed he had it all to himself for once. It felt so empty.

I haven't been alone when I slept for a whole week, he realized. He shivered. It reminded him too much of endless nights alone in that beat up old tent, without anyone around for a hundred miles. The Link just made that reminder of being alone more acute. Perhaps one day solitude would be something he would crave again, but for right now, having finally had a break in the loneliness… of simply having someone else there… just being alone in a room at night felt depressing.

He stared another few minutes. It was late… or early… most likely the point where the two intersected. Dark. And probably pointless to try and sleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted but the emptiness of being alone in his own dreams echoed.

I would give anything to be a piglet in Akane's bed again, he thought with a hint of dark mirth. I'm right back where I started. All that bravado about how I'd rather be alone than live a lie anymore? Didn't even last a single night. You're PATHETIC, Hibiki.

He heard a soft groan and abruptly discovered that he wasn't alone after all.

To his left was a shape under the covers of another futon set close to his, but not touching it. He blinked, knowing he had been alone when he went to sleep. He carefully got on all fours and crept over to get a better look. The mass was far too small to be that of Genma Saotome, so who…?

Gingerly, he peeled back the covers, revealing familiar short brown hair.

Nabiki stirred and turned her head, blinking blearily. "Mnnn?"

"Ahh! S-sorry!" Ryouga threw himself backwards, wondering how he was going to explain being in Nabiki's room at night while she was sleeping, looming over her and pulling back her bedspread, before his brain caught up and pointed out that she was in his room. "W-wait… Nabiki? Why are you here?"

She groaned again and sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes. She was wearing a light T-shirt and boxers, and looked a little rough. "Couldn't sleep alone." She gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry for disturbing you. I know I didn't ask, but…" She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I guess I just got too used to not being alone at night."

"Yeah, you and me both," Ryouga muttered without thinking.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow, the old smirk coming back. "Well, if you needed a bed buddy, Ryo, you only had to ask…"

Ryouga stiffened, eyes widening. Then, he wasn't sure if it was the fatigue or something else but, something else managed to push past the initial mental short circuit; Annoyance.

"You know, I really wish you wouldn't do that," he muttered.

Nabiki blinked. "Do what?"

"The come ons!" Ryouga shot back. "Where… where you turn stuff around on me like that!"

Nabiki shrugged expressively. "I'm not teasing, Ryouga, I'm dead serious."

"Are you?" He scowled. "Then why do you always say it in a way that you know will make me lock up? It's that same sly come-on you use to put people off-balance." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I like the other Nabiki better."

"The… other Nabiki?" Nabiki repeated, confused.

"The Nabiki who likes photography. Who's earnest and enthusiastic and enjoys sharing something that interests her. The one you are when you're not trying to control things or stressing out because you're not in control of things. The one you were a minute ago when you said you came in here because you couldn't sleep, but you didn't just crawl into my futon because you respected my space."

Ryouga turned away for a moment, his voice dropping lower. "Besides… you know how Ranma feels about all this! You remember how twisted up she got when Shampoo kissed me! She's just barely okay with all of you being together because she knows how she feels about you and how you feel about her. She and I… aren't there right now. She's not ready, and I'm certainly not!" He noticed her stricken expression and closed his eyes. Well, that's it. I've wrecked things with her. Good job, Hibiki.

Nabiki was silent. She wet her lips as she seemed to be weighing his words. Finally, softly, she said, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, I'm… I'm tired and I-wait, what?" Ryouga said, head snapping up to give her an astonished look.

Nabiki shook her head and chuckled sadly. "When I take a second to think about it, you're right. I know damn well that you'll lock up when I do that. I know because I do stuff like that to make boys lock up." She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "I shut Shampoo down because I knew it was wrong and that Ranma wasn't ready… then I go and do it myself when she's not looking, because, somehow, that does make it okay. I keep pushing because… because I want it. And I keep using come ons because I won't actually take that step and be wrong… I keep trying to push you into doing it. I came in here promising myself I was going to be respectful and just try and sleep and it was okay as long as I gave you your space. And then, as soon as you showed some vulnerability, I turned it into a come on."

Ryouga swallowed, then carefully scooted over onto her futon, moving in a bit closer and kneeling. "L-look… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean… I do messed up stuff like that when things get uncomfortable too. I just… usually resort to… well… violence…" He winced at that. Great, I just compared her flirting to me screaming 'Prepare to die!' and smashing things!

Nabiki gave him a shy smile. "I know. That's a little of what I like about you. We're… really very different, but under it all… a lot of who you are makes sense to me." She studied her hands a minute. "I… do like you, Ryouga. Not just as an extension of my relationship with Ranma. I'm just a mess at actually showing it."

"Yeah… well…" Ryouga looked away self-consciously. "I… haven't got room to talk there." He took a deep breath. "When Ranma comes home we should probably… y'know… talk about all this. Assuming I haven't screwed things up with her, too."

She reached out and put a hand on his arm. "You haven't," she said earnestly. "Trust me. There's something wrong… but that wasn't a rejection."

"I still need to hear it from her," Ryouga said.

Nabiki nodded. "I know."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments.

"We… uh… should get back to bed," Ryouga said, struggling to suppress a yawn.

"Can… I stay?" Nabiki asked. She waved her hands quickly. "Not a come on. In my own futon, I swear, I just…" she looked away, "I don't like being alone." She laughed softly. "That's so weird for me to say. The Ice Queen can't sleep on her own anymore."

Ryouga nodded. "Yeah… Please do. I'd like it if you did. I'm the same way." He crawled back over to his own futon, sparing a glance to her before he slipped back under the covers.

She smiled over at him. "Hey, Ryouga?"

"Yeah?" He settled down himself.

"I like that you like 'other' Nabiki," she said. "I'm always afraid that no one will."

"Well… I can't speak of 'other people'. Just me," Ryouga replied. He closed his eyes. The sense of loneliness wasn't pressing in on him anymore, even without the Link. He was pretty sure he could sleep now.

"Hey, Ryouga?" Nabiki asked again.

"Mmmm?" Ryouga replied.

"Keep reminding me?"

"Of what?"

"To be… better, I guess?"

He was quiet for a time, then smiled to himself. "As long as you keep teaching me photography."

"Deal."

000

The door to Ucchan's slid open and three figures trudged tiredly inside.

"That was everywhere I could think of," Akane said, settling heavily into a seat in one of the booths. "Even the old campsite where Ranma trained to face off against Ryouga and the bakusai tenketsu."

"I'll make us some coffee then we can head back out," Ukyou said as she dragged herself behind the counter and pulled out her kettle and french press.

"Why we not check at school?" Shampoo asked, sitting down across from Akane.

"The school is bugged and watched all the time, and being on school grounds this late would give Himura a perfect excuse to come down on us," Akane muttered. "We went around the outside, but I didn't see anything on the grounds. We'll have to wait until morning so the groundskeeper can let us in to look."

"Until then… well, the Tendo Dojo and the Nekohanten are covered," Ukyou said. "I was expecting Konatsu to be back by now…" She sighed heavily.

"You mean he hasn't been?" Akane asked, curious.

"He left a note saying he was going out a few days ago. I don't normally press him. I think he's started spending time with someone and I didn't want to get in the way of that," Ukyou said, unconsciously busying herself with checking the supplies. "Things have been awkward between him and me since… well… Akane started coming home with me."

"Ooooohhhh…" Akane said, blushing and sinking down in her seat. "I… I should have realized! Poor Konatsu…"

"He's taken time off to go train before, which is fine. I can't really afford to pay him a proper wage so I tell him he can come and go as he pleases as long as he lets me know in advance." Ukyou set the kettle on the burner after filling it with water and started to load the French press. "He's usually only gone for a day or two."

"Ninja waitress strong," Shampoo said. "Can take care of own self. Have to trust strength for now until Airen safe."

"Ranma is even stronger and yet we're out searching for her," Akane retorted. "I mean… what could have set off the Neko-ken like that?"

"Ryouga mentioned something buried. Something behind the Neko-ken," Ukyou said thoughtfully. "We all know Genma Saotome is a piece of crap… what if the Neko-ken training wasn't the worst of it and Ranma just doesn't remember because it was before the Neko-ken happened?"

Akane shook her head. "I think it's related. Nabiki and I went through Genma's pack. We found some letters… just fragments of stuff, but they made it sound like he used the Neko-ken training on Ranma quite a bit. What if he was doing more than just trying to teach Ranma the Cat Fist?"

"Trying to sort out what idiot Panda skin rug-in-law thinking when do anything make Shampoo's head hurt," Shampoo muttered. She yawned and slumped back in the booth.

Ukyou slid in next to Akane with a tray with three mugs. "Well, we might as well relax for a bit. Since Konatsu isn't here to man the fort, we can wait here for a while to see if Ranma shows up. Then when it's morning we'll head to the school." She passed out steaming mugs to the other two and took the last for herself. "Just don't fall asleep on me. Morning isn't that far away, and we want to be ready to move in case Nabiki or Cologne call."

000

Nabiki stirred as she felt a buzzing under her ear.

She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning, but some part of her brain wouldn't let her block it out. Her hand was already reaching under the pillow, fishing for her phone. She rolled onto her back and tapped the answer key on the screen. "Mnnnn… hello, Ukyou? Did you find anything?"

"Not quite, boss," Daisuke's familiar voice came through instead of Ukyou's.

"Daisuke?" Nabiki's eyes opened fully. She sat up and cupped the phone to her ear. "Did you find something? Tell me you found something!"

"Oh, we found something," Daisuke replied. "We're… uhhh… not entirely sure just WHAT we found, but there is definitely weirdness in the Saotome Family Register. And we're not entirely sure that Himura was the one who caused it."

Nabiki blinked. "What do you mean?"

Daisuke could be heard audibly sighing on the other end of the line. "We're kinda hoping to get the documents to you and that you could figure it out, because it doesn't make a lot of sense to us. But… we've got a bit of a snag. The hall of records is still closed."

"And it doesn't open until Monday," Nabiki concluded. "Did you ask Alibaba for help?"

"We can't. I'm talking to you on one of the office phones here in the basement. We've got no cell phone signal and the guard is upstairs by the elevators so we can't get up and out," Daisuke replied.

Crap! I didn't think of that! Nabiki glanced at her phone. I didn't confirm the incoming number before answering, either. I'm getting sloppy. "All right, sit tight and I'll come get you. I'll just need to come up with an idea of how to do that." She glanced over to her right where Ryouga was sleeping. An brief image of Ryouga poking a wall and making it explode flitted through her mind before she firmly tamped it down. Brilliant, Nabiki. Have Ryo destroy part of a government building, in full view of who knows how many cameras. I'm sure Ranma would be overjoyed to learn you got him landed in prison for five to ten.

"Actually, boss, I've got an idea for that," Daisuke cut in. "We just need some outside help. Have you ever seen the American movie 'Ghostbusters'?"

000

Weekend shifts were pretty sweet.

The security guard lounged at the desk with his feet propped up, flipping through the newspaper as the small TV on the desk blared some mindless game show. Every so often he'd take a walk around the building, then go back to his reading. He had a couple of manga to go through once he was done with the newspaper.

Of course, his bosses would be a bit miffed if they learned that's what he was doing, so he fudged the patrol logs a little - particularly when it came to patrolling the basement levels.

No one patrolled those.

Well, there was Reo, but that old fool was crazy and what did he know? He only worked during business hours, when the lights were all on and there were people and noise.

The desk guard had been down there when it was quiet - when there was no one about. He had seen things… heard things. All of the guards had, especially the night crews and weekend crews. Reo had told them that it was nothing more than old noisy pipes, but the desk guard, he had heard stories.

This weekend had been particularly bad. He had been hearing faint voices - indistinct whispers - floating through the vents all weekend. He had heard from another guard that the building had been built atop an old shrine and that no priest would even come near the place because of the angry spirits the desecration had released. It was said that the ground had been broken for the foundation during World War II, and the very next day? Hiroshima.

There was nobody down there. He knew there was nobody down there. All of the records down there were a minimum of ten years out of date and had long since been digitized. Nobody had any reason to go down there.

He certainly wasn't going to go down there!

He rustled his paper and did his best to ignore the fact that the phone switchboard kept lighting up as if someone were making outgoing calls, or that he could hear, ever so faintly through the floor, some kind of machinery running from time to time.

He had heard the stories about the last guard who went down there alone.

He started so badly he almost fell backwards in his chair as someone hit the door buzzer for the main entrance. The desk guard frowned and took his feet off the counter. It was Sunday - there were no deliveries scheduled for today. He hit the intercom. "Front Desk Security."

"Hello. I'm from the Paranormal Investigation and Elimination Service. I was scheduled to come out today today to do an evaluation on this building?"

"Para-whatsis?" The desk guard frowned. "Wait, do you mean ghosts and stuff?"

There was a long sigh from the intercom. "Yes, if you MUST use the vernacular. Though that is a terrible oversimplification of the situation. There have been reports of disruptions at this location up to and including sightings of focuses and free-floating apparitions of class IV or greater, so my organization has been contracted by the government to ensure the location is suitably cleansed…"

The desk guard shook his head. "Okay, okay, woah, I'm coming to the front door, hang on." He got up, snagged his keyring from the wall hook and walked over to the front door.

The woman he saw through the glass door was not what he expected from the usual kooks who buzzed in. She was wearing a very smart looking brown miniskirt and blazer over a white dress blouse that was unbuttoned just enough for a glimpse of cleavage, and the outfit was tailored just snugly enough to show that she had some rather interesting curves under her businesslike facade. Long black hair framed a face dominated by a pair of shaded spectacles and she presented the general demeanor of a lawyer or government official. He unconsciously quickened his stride.

He unlocked the door and cracked it open. "How might I help you, Miss…?"

She tipped her shades down slightly. "I represent the firm of Venkman, Spengler, Stanz and Zeddemore. I was told this site was going to be prepared for me?" She pushed past him and strode with a frustrated sigh. "I can see the message wasn't passed down the chain. Not surprising when you're dealing with government work."

"Ummm… I… excuse me miss, but…" the desk guard stammered. He was momentarily distracted by the view as she walked smartly down the main reception hall.

She tugged on a pair of light gloves and pulled out a phone and a funny looking gizmo that she attached to it and started holding it up, frowning at the screen. "Hmmm. PKE readings are already spiking. I understand that the majority of the sightings or other incidents have been in the basement?"

"I… ummm… yes ma'am," the desk guard said. "I… uhh… I hate to be a bother, but if I could just get you to sign in…"

"I'll need to see the area of greatest concentration, of course. We'll need to do at least a preliminary survey of the site before we can begin to consider extraction, even if it's not properly prepared." She paused and looked at him. "Did they happen to at least set up the thermal imaging equipment?"

"Thermal… what…?" the guard parroted, confused. There was a thumping coming from downstairs, like those worrisome noises that had been happening all weekend, but now it was louder.

She sighed heavily, then walked back towards him, heels clacking on the tile. "You have been properly briefed, yes? And you've taken the proper precautions? Unprotected exposure to the site could be dangerous at this unstable stage."

"D-dangerous?" the guard stammered. "W-what… from ghosts?" He could hear a metallic tapping noise now, in addition to the thumping.

"What we are dealing with is a build-up of stagnant psychic residue that has been allowed to fester for far too long - leading to a structural deformation of the local space-time which has allowed a continual ectoplasmic feedback loop that could very well lead to a Class V Full Torso Repeater, so unless you are looking forward to being challenged to a death-duel by Miyamoto Mushashi nightly, then yes, you are in danger from ghosts." She resumed scanning with her phone. "Now, to your knowledge, was this building constructed on any sort of consecrated soil? A graveyard, perhaps, or a temple…?"

"I… uhh… I heard rumours of a shrine…?" the guard said nervously. He kept eying the elevators. They were starting to go up and down the floors on their own, starting from, of course, the basement.

"Mnnnh… that could be very bad… There is obviously significant agitation going on. Is it usually this bad?" She looked around.

"Umm… n-no, this is as bad as it's ever been. Usually the ghosts are pretty quiet…" the guard whimpered.

"Living Impaired, please. Most sentient and quasi-sentient apparitions find the appellation 'ghost' insulting. Especially if you're dealing with a kitsune or some other small kami who was never alive to begin with. Is there anyone else in the building?" She fixed him with a hard look.

"I… no, it's just me!" There were sounds of doors slamming downstairs and he found his knees were trembling slightly.

"Good. This site is growing increasingly unstable. Since they haven't properly briefed you on the situation, I strongly recommend you vacate the building until we can get an emergency containment team on site." She frowned at her phone. "This is actually very, very bad."

"B-but… if I leave the site without permission, I could lose my job!" he protested. There was a loud bang from the basement. "You know what? Nevermind! Screw this job! I'm just a part-timer anyway!" He turned and ran towards the door, pushed it open and sprinted into the street.

A few hours later he wondered if he had been scammed.

000

Nabiki walked from the building, twirling a ring of keys around her finger. She tossed them into a nearby mailbox (after making sure that it wasn't Tsubasa), then pulled off her wig and her gloves. The clamor of the building's fire alarm could be heard in the distance as the group walked.

"I have to admit, that was pretty awesome," Yuka said. "Do you… talk your way into places like that often?"

Nabiki smirked. "That's probably information you're better off not knowing." She pulled the bit of techno-junk off her phone and tucked it into her pocket. It was just a circuit board with some LEDs that plugged into the phone's power port and blinked at random, with some greebles glued on. It was amazing how much credibility a bit of custom-looking gadgetry with blinky lights could give to things. She tapped the dial button and brought the phone to her ear. "How are we doing?"

"The fire department is on their way," Alibaba's filtered voice replied. "Security camera footage for the last half hour has mysteriously ended up corrupted, both the originals and the backups uploaded to the archive site. I added some fun ghostly audio to it. The security guard will probably still lose his job, but with the fire alarm they can't penalize him for evacuating the building. He'll get the full two weeks severance and in another week he'll astonishingly get a job offer from ANOTHER security company he doesn't remember applying with."

"Awful lot of work just to get us back out," Hiroshi muttered.

"But it also saves us the trouble of cleaning up the mess in the basement," Daisuke replied.

"You wiped down everything you touched?" Nabiki asked.

"Everything," Yuka reassured her. "It wasn't hard. Anywhere the dust was disturbed we gave a once-over. That place probably hasn't been that clean in years."

"I'll keep an eye on it, but enough weird things have happened in that building over the years that it'll probably be written off, since no records are actually missing." Alibaba said. "Anything else I can do to help?"

"Not for right now. Thanks for the assist," Nabiki replied.

"If you're ever interested in this line of work beyond our arrangement, we could use skills like yours," Alibaba suggested. "Just… putting that out there."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "I'll… keep it under advisement." She tapped the phone screen to end the call and tucked it away. Industrial espionage as a career? Well… not like it's an option I haven't considered…

"So… about what we found…" Daisuke said.

"Not here," Nabiki said. "C'mon… let's go have a cup of tea. I know a place where we won't be bothered."

000

Ryouga awoke to find a note pinned to his blanket.

Gone out to get Daisuke, Yuka and Hiroshi out of a situation. If Ranma shows up, call me. Don't get lost. If you need anything, ask Kasumi. Back soon.

Love,

Nabiki

'Love', huh? he thought as he dressed and left the dojo. He knew not to read too much into the tagline, but it did make him think. There was certainly something between him and Nabiki. As it had been with Shampoo, there was this dawning realization that he had truly not been paying attention to the people around him.

He had decided to take a walk - an easy enough thing, except… it was the first time he had ever been able to do so, without ending up in Osaka or Oslo, or Omsk, or Oklahoma. It was a new sensation to be able to walk along a street and trust that he could turn around and it would take him back the way he had come.

I need to stay focused on Ranma before I worry about any of that, he decided. Maybe I should go looking for her myself? He still felt nervous about the idea of ranging too far afield. The route between his house and the Tendo Dojo was fresh in his mind and well-known, but the idea of going beyond that still worried him. He had been able to find his way without problem so far, but what if his directional problems came back while he was out searching?

Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo can find her, he thought finally after a brief internal struggle. I need to stay somewhere THEY can find ME.

He looked up and realized that in his reverie he had found his way to the vacant lot behind his house. He looked across it to see the windows of his own house on the far side. How on earth could I get lost going from there to here? he wondered, bewildered. He knew it made some kind of sense at the time, that everything had been twisted and confused and turned around; but now he could see why his inability to find his way was so maddening for other people.

I guess that's what having a demon in your brain will do to you, he thought, shuddering a bit at the memory. He narrowed his eyes a bit but couldn't tell if his mother was around the house or not. I hope the doctors figure out how to help Mom without having to go through THAT again.

His gaze passed over the empty lot, mysteriously unoccupied for many years, and finally fell on the retaining wall.

He frowned. I wonder… He walked over to a certain spot at the wall and started to tug at the bricks.

At first he thought someone had re-mortared the loose bricks but, after a bit of wiggling, the ancient masonry started to come free. He put the brick aside and reached into the hollow behind it. His fingers brushed something and he carefully pulled it out.

It was a sandwich bag, the kind that had the sealable top, and inside was a sloppily folded piece of paper. The bag was filthy and still damp, covered with years of slime and gunk, but it was still sealed.

Ranma really did leave me a note, he thought with some amazement. He opened the bag carefully, the plastic brittle and yellowed with age. He pulled the paper out and unfolded it. It was one of the lined sheets from an old school notebook, torn out and covered with a familiar, nearly illegible scrawl.

He felt a pang of regret as he read the first line. He turned and leaned against the wall and sighed. I hated him for so long. He knew… He knew I wanted to do it on my own. He kept reading, feeling a nostalgic ache as Ranma mentioned their times together. I miss him. Why does it feel like I'm thinking about a friend who's died? he wondered. I guess… our relationship is so different now.

The next line gave him pause, though. He frowned and re-read the paragraph to make sure he was interpreting Ranma's terrible handwriting right. The next paragraph was no better. Something wrong with his body? What…?

Then he finished the last paragraph. He flipped over the sheet to find the last line Ranma had written.

All the blood drained from his face.

That's not possible, he thought. He turned and looked at the wall that he had pried the brick from; the moss on the grout had grown to cover even the loose brick, partially cementing it in place. That's why it had been so tough to remove. No one had opened this hidden spot for three years.

How can Ranma have written this two years before ever reaching Jusenkyo?! He stared at the letter again.

Hastily, he folded the letter, stuffed it into his pocket and stood up. I have to find her… I have to find her NOW!

000

Nabiki scowled at the set of photocopied documents.

She liked her ledgers balanced. She liked it when things added up. Most of the time she could look at a situation and figure out what was going on, so much so that it was often frustrating how oblivious other people could be to what was utterly obvious. Things always added up.

What she had in front of her? It didn't add up.

They were all seated around a table at the Clara's Leaf tea shop. Daisuke, Yuka and Hiroshi had been distracted by Jiro's tea-guessing ritual, which left Nabiki a few moments to peruse the material they'd uncovered.

One was official-looking, standard government-issue, filled out by someone who filled out such forms on a daily basis. She didn't know enough about medical jargon to decipher a lot of it, but the gist was clear: Nodoka was admitted to Nerima General in labor, the decision was made to perform a Cesarean Section because of complications, and a baby girl was delivered at 4:13 AM.

The other was the standard form filled out by midwives who conducted the more traditional births, which made sense for someone like Nodoka. It was filled out competently, even if the handwriting was a little shaky, and listed Nodoka as the mother, Genma as the father, and outlined the birth of a baby boy at 4:13 AM. Birth weight and other specifics were the same; the only differences were hair color and, obviously, gender.

"So… it's pretty obvious one of these sheets was cribbed from the other," Nabiki said with a scowl. She had a bad feeling and she didn't like it.

"My money is that whomever Himura hired to forge the Nerima General document got too fancy for their own good." Hiroshi said, sipping his tea.

"Yeah, but look at the midwife certificate," Daisuke pointed at it with his spoon. "See how the handwriting changes? It's like someone else filled out the rest of it afterwards."

"That's not unusual," Yuka said. "They pre-fill most of the fields before the birth even takes place, so they just have to record the specifics after. I have a cousin who works as a midwife."

"Well, we know Ranma is a guy, right Nabiki?" Hiroshi said, looking to her for confirmation. "Just from how the curses work, right?"

Nabiki set her jaw. Things were falling into place in her head and the picture they were forming was one she didn't like. "I used to think that before. Then some crazy prince from China came along with a ladle." She pushed her chair out and stood, fishing her phone from her pocket. "There's only one person who can answer this question. Come on, we're going to have a chat with Nodoka Saotome."

"But… we've not finished our tea…" Hiroshi said, glancing at his cup mournfully.

"Next one is on me," Nabiki replied as she strode out the door. For some reason she didn't get very good cell reception in the Tea Shop. She suspected Jiro had some sort of signal jammer to avoid distractions to his customers. She dialled home.

"Hello, Tendo Residence!"

"Kasumi, is Ryouga there?" Nabiki asked. She mentally started plotting a route to the Saotome residence as she walked.

"Oh, hello Nabiki. Ryouga went out for a walk. Is something wrong?"

Nabiki slowed to a stop and stared at her phone. She brought it back to her ear. "He went for a walk!? Kasumi…!"

"I DID ask him to stop, but he was already halfway out the door," Kasumi replied, seeming to sense her concern. "He appeared to be managing a straight line, and was walking towards his house. You DID say you had a cure for his directional issues, didn't you? I thought it wasn't a problem any longer?"

"It doesn't seem like it's a problem anymore, but we don't know for sure. But that's only part of the problem. When he gets back, tell him I need him at the Saotome residence. Bring him there yourself if you have to."

"Why? What's happened?" Kasumi asked, a note of worry creeping into her voice.

"Hopefully? Nothing. But I want him there anyway. I'll explain later, sis. Gotta go." She ended the call then started dialing again.

"Hello, Ucchan's…" a tired-sounding Ukyou picked up the call after too many rings.

"Ukyou, are Akane and Shampoo still with you?" Nabiki asked.

"Nabiki? Yeah, yeah they are. Uhhh… we kinda fell asleep trying to… not fall asleep. What time is it?"

"About midday. I'm assuming you didn't find Ranma?" Nabiki said, quickening her stride once more.

"No, but we narrowed it down. We think she's at the school. Or… WAS at the school, anyway. We couldn't check without breaking a mess of rules. We were gonna go this morning, but…"

Nabiki blew out a breath in frustration. "I get it, Ukyou. Just go now, quickly, and then meet me at the Saotome residence whether you find Ranma or not. I've got a potential bomb on my hands."

"… a LITERAL bomb, or…" Ukyou's tone was more worried than joking.

"Metaphorical, but potentially worse than actual explosives would be," Nabiki replied. "Just hurry."

"We'll be there. And… sorry sugar. For letting you down."

Nabiki took a deep breath, calmed herself and reminded herself she was dealing with family, not employees. "It's all right. You're human and you've had a very long night, and I spent it in a soft bed, so I don't get to judge. Just hurry."

"Will do, sugar."

Nabiki ended the call and put her phone away. She was regretting the heels that came with her disguise now. Damnit, please, for once let me be totally off base about this!

000

Ranma woke up with an awful taste in his mouth. The instant he moved, the abused muscles of his neck screamed in protest as his spine finally shifted out of its unnatural bent. He groaned and took a few quick, short breaths. His chest felt constricted.

Where am I? He slowly, painfully worked himself up to a sitting position. Wherever he was was dark, what light there was filtering in from an open door.

He shifted and realized he was in his male form, but still wearing his girl's uniform. He grunted, reached back and popped the clasp on the bra, which immediately reduced the pressure on his chest. Ugh… why am I a guy in girl's clothes? He got up carefully and walked to the door, mindful of anyone seeing him as he was.

There was a bundle of clothing by the door. He knelt to examine it: a set of boxers and a Furinkan Boy's uniform. He checked the tags and they seemed to be in his size. Who would leave this here? he wondered. He didn't own a Furinkan school uniform, so why would there be one in his size just sitting here?

He nudged the door closed, deciding to get properly dressed before facing whatever was waiting for him outside. He changed clothes rapidly, using the quick-swap technique he had mastered. He folded the girl's uniform and underthings and set them aside, planning to retrieve them later.

This is the schoolyard shed, Ranma thought, recognizing it from when he and Nabiki had taken refuge inside it. That means I'm on school grounds as a guy. I should change back. He glanced back at the tap but felt a sudden surge of apprehension. There was something bad connected with being a girl right now - something far too close to the surface. No, you know what? It's Sunday. There's no school and no teachers to bust me, and it wouldn't even be legit if they did! I already got changed… I'll just stay this way. I've been spending too much time as a girl anyway.

Something itched at the back of his mind. Not so much something he had forgotten, but something he was very deliberately trying to avoid remembering at the moment. He opened the door again and peeked outside.

There was a figure standing outside the door, hands clasped behind her back. Tall, blonde, wearing a nondescript white blouse and a blue skirt, with a large designer purse slung over her shoulder. She wore a mirthless smile that didn't reach her eyes which reminded him of a doll's mask.

"Himura," he said, stepping out of the shed. "I guess you got me, huh?"

"Hmmm?" Himura raised an eyebrow. "Oh! Being on school grounds as a boy! I think we both know that since school isn't in session that would be a flimsy premise. Although…" she leaned a bit to the side to peer at the door behind him. "It does look like you've done a number on that door. Still, hardly the worst damage you've caused to school property."

"I'm sure you could spin it if you really wanted to." Ranma replied carefully. "So what do you want? If you were gonna bust me over this you'd pull me inta the Principal's office on Monday with a couple of photos. You hardly ever say 'boo' to me - you've got your minions to do that."

Himura laughed lightly. "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma… You silly goose! I've been respecting your space!"

"Uh huh. Respect," Ranma replied dryly. "Care to try again?"

Himura sighed dramatically and started to pace. "Ranma, I know we got off on the wrong foot, you and I. I had simply mistaken you for another dumb jock who was causing an undue amount of chaos and damage to my precious school. I admit… I came on strong and I was very confrontational."

"You threatened to get me charged with sexual assault," Ranma shot back in a low growl.

"As a martial artist you use what weapons you have, yes? That was what I had. You'll forgive me if I was somewhat inelegant in my approach." She turned to face him. "But as I learned more about you… as I looked into your past… I learned that you were so much more than what I thought. I found there are secrets there that even you aren't aware of."

Ranma blinked then a look of horror passed across his face. "Please tell me we're not engaged…" he moaned softly.

Himura broke out laughing. Much to Ranma's surprise it was actual, genuine laughter, not the scornful, manufactured titter in which she normally indulged. He actually found his guard dropping a bit.

"No… no… absolutely not!" she chuckled, regaining her composure as she wiped away a tear. "Though, learning about your father's activities I can see why that's a legitimate fear for you and not just the chauvinism I originally felt you were guilty of." She took a few steps closer, eyes locked onto his. "But even if we were engaged it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be legal. None of your engagements are legal… save one."

Ranma blinked, wanting to step back but realizing his back was to the shed. "Uhhh… you mean to the Tendos?"

Himura smirked. "No." She opened her purse and pulled out what looked like a very old scroll. "Perhaps we should go sit down? I could have my driver take us to that local ice cream shop you frequent?"

Ranma's eyes narrowed. He folded his arms. "Honestly? I'd rather you just get to the point."

Himura shrugged. "All right. Though I think you'll really rather have sat down first. Here, catch." She tossed the scroll to him.

He caught it by reflex. For a moment he was worried it was some sort of spell trap meant to ensnare him, but there was no crackle of energy nor the tingle of a spell taking effect. He examined it suspiciously.

"I'm no Amazon. My family deals in pharmaceuticals, not magic," Himura said. "Open it. Take a look. The translation is rough and, regrettably, defaces the original document, but your father has little respect for such things I understand."

"Pops?" Ranma unfurled the scroll. The bottom third of the scroll looked like it had been mended, as though that section had been torn away and re-attached, but most of it was clear, if a bit faded. It was in Mandarin with notes and translations scrawled in his father's recognizable handwriting.

"Evidently he reads Chinese better than he lets on. Or he had someone do the translations for him. But I've had them checked and they're competent enough to get the meaning across," Himura said as Ranma read. "I found it quite by chance while researching your path from China to Nerima. He pawned it at a curio shop shortly after you landed. Thankfully it was still there when I arrived. Seems there's not much market for defaced ancient chinese scrolls."

Ranma's eyes widened as he read. He recognized some of the words without needing the translations. Jusenkyo. Spring of Drowned Man. "What is this…?"

"Approximately eighteen hundred years ago, during the time of the Three Kingdoms, a nobleman with aspirations to the… Shu throne I think it was? There was so much intrigue going on then it was hard to tell… Anyway, he had aspirations but needed a male heir. Sadly, he had only daughters. Back then, Jusenkyo was already old, and Jusendo was powerful. Few dared to travel there. But he dared and, with water from the cursed springs, an alchemist who served him created a special potion. A simple Jusenkyo curse would not suffice, for in those days there were those skilled in Chi reading who would be able to spot such things. He needed more - a complete shift of mind and body." She sighed. "He never got to test his concoction, for the noble and his entire family were assassinated a few days after the formula was completed. Something about it being unhealthy to be obviously and publically vying for someone else's throne."

"So… then this is a cure?" Ranma asked, frowning.

"Oh, it could certainly be used as such. From what I've gathered, it bypasses the whole messy issue of curses mixing. But I wouldn't recommend it for you." She took another few steps forward while he was distracted.

"Why not?" Ranma frowned. "If it's not a cure then what's it got to do with me?"

"Before I tell you… just remember everything you've gone through," Himura intoned, her eyes intent on his. "Remember how I forced you to attend school as a girl. Remember how I arranged matters so you would have a circle of female friends, so you could evolve and develop as a woman. Remember how I have looked the other way while you have breached our agreement a dozen times over. I did all of these things for your benefit, so that you would be ready for this moment."

Ranma felt a cold knot forming in the pit of his stomach. "L-look… whatever you're trying to say, whatever it is you're trying to pull… I'm not buying it, okay? After everything you've done… you're a Yakuza Princess!"

"And you're the child of a thief and a liar," Himura replied softly. "Perhaps more. Child trafficker, certainly, with as many times as he sold you. I don't expect you to believe I did the things I did out of the goodness of my heart. I just need you to believe what I tell you next to be true. This potion will not cure you, Ranma… because you have already taken it."

Ranma blinked. He realized that she was far too close for comfort. "What?" he hissed harshly.

"Look at the scroll. Look at the list of ingredients. Remember your path through Japan. The ingredients listed there grow in very specific places in Asia and Genma's path over those fourteen years covers all of that ground. Your 'training journey' was a quest to gather rare and difficult to obtain components, many of which grew in Japan… but… not all. Have your Amazon friends verify that, if you wish, I'm sure they know of most of these items." Her voice was low, intense and hard to ignore.

"No…" Ranma backed up against the door of the shed, pushing it closed. He shook his head. "No!"

"The start of this trail is in your own Family Register. On it are two Ranma Saotomes; one male and one female. Both were born at the exact same time, to the exact same woman, but in two completely different places. Two years later, your father left home with one child and your mother was left alone. There is no death certificate for the 'lost sibling'. Genma already had the scroll at that point. His path took him all over Japan, gathering ingredients, until, finally, he travelled to China to gather the last few…"

"No! I'd remember!" Ranma shouted, staring at her in horror.

"Would you? Some of these ingredients are powerful hypnotics. They make the memory plastic; they help the mind adapt. Memories can be changed, reshaped or pushed away entirely," Himura pressed on. "That Korean businessman who your father sold you to? He bought a girl from Genma Saotome. I acquired documentation of that transaction from my Triad contacts."

"That's… that's just… Pops just lied to him is al!" Ranma protested desperately. "I've got a curse! Cold water cursed form, hot water real form! I'm a guy!"

"And you've never encountered anything that altered the curses or how they worked?" Himura asked sweetly. "Why would a third-rate martial artist from Japan travel all the way to China, to a legendary training ground, without knowing anything about what made it legendary? Why not take the scroll and ask him yourself?"

Ranma's eyes flicked down to the scroll in his hands, then back up to her. "This is a trick. I know it is!" he snarled.

Himura's smile showed far too many teeth. "How does the line go? 'Search your feelings, you know it to be true'!" She chuckled dryly. "You'll discover the truth soon enough. When you do, come find me. We have much to discuss."

He glared at her for a moment longer then shouldered past, sprinting in the direction of the Saotome home.

Himura watched him go with a smile on her lips. Finally, she pulled a phone from her purse and brought it to her ear.

"Hello, Sanae. I have a job for you and Omi. Tell our new friends… 'Game On'."

000

Nabiki hesitated at the front door of the Saotome residence.

"Something wrong, boss?" Daisuke asked. He, Yuka and Hiroshi were watching her expectantly.

"I was hoping Ryouga or the girls would be here," Nabiki admitted. "I… don't get along well with Nodoka Saotome."

"I don't think I've ever met her," Daisuke commented. "She anything like Ranma's Dad?"

"Ranma's Dad is just lazy, selfish and criminally neglectful," Yuka muttered. "Nodoka Saotome is crazy."

Nabiki took a deep breath then rapped smartly on the door.

She waited for three breaths. Then ten.

She knocked again. Nothing.

"Is… she not home?" Hiroshi asked, peering at the door.

"I thought I heard voices from the yard…" Yuka said with a nod toward the fence.

Nabiki frowned. If I push, I'm going to blow any chance to resolve the Omiai. But… my gut tells me that's not going to happen anyway. She took a breath and nodded. When it doubt, always go with your gut. She reached out and tried the door.

It opened without issue; unlocked.

"Boss…?" Daisuke said nervously. "Should we be…?"

"Nope," Nabiki replied. "Doing it anyway. Stay out there." She walked inside, ears perked for any sounds.

She could hear voices from the living room. Nodoka Saotome for certain, and…

No…! Nabiki's steps quickened as she threw caution and stealth to the wind and barged into the living room.

Nodoka looked up from where she was sitting on her couch. Seated across from her was the other voice she had heard - Kodachi Kuno, dressed in a formal kimono. On the coffee table between them was a sheaf of papers - what looked very much like a contract.

"Nabiki! I didn't hear you knock," Nodoka said, the flicker of annoyance on her face quickly covered by a mask of forced pleasantry. "You know, you really shouldn't barge into other people's houses, dear…"

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "That's a marriage contract, isn't it?" she nodded towards the sheaf of papers. For the moment, the Family Registry inconsistencies were washed aside under a wave of fresh outrage as she realized what had almost happened behind her back.

Nodoka drew in a deep breath through her nose, straightened and picked up her teacup. She took a sip and sighed. "I had hoped to break the news to you and the other girls in a more relaxed environment once all the arrangements were out of the way…"

"You mean after Ranma is safely married and we don't have a say anymore?" Nabiki shot back.

Nodoka levelled a cold glare at her. "You mean as opposed to the immoral arrangement you suggested to me?" She turned her gaze to Kodachi and smiled. "Ko-chan, can you believe Nabiki proposed a group marriage to me?" She laughed lightly then returned her gaze to Nabiki. "Did you think I would accept your taking my son with you to China to live in some… some hedonistic cult commune!? I did not wish to mention it out of respect to your father, but I can see that perhaps he and I should have a chat about the obvious emotional problems you and Akane seem to have." She set her teacup down. "In the meantime, I think it's best if you leave. I will be by the Dojo shortly to collect my son and his things. I'll see you out now."

Kodachi turned to look at Nabiki. Nabiki noticed that her usual haughty expression was absent. Instead her gaze was intense, as if trying to communicate something. "Nabiki Tendo, this is for the best. I will ensure my darling Ranma is well looked after. We can settle this matter later." She put special emphasis on the last part.

Nabiki furrowed her brow. Maybe Kodachi isn't totally taken in by this, but I can't afford to risk that. Sorry Kodachi… She looked over at Nodoka, who had picked up her cloth-wrapped katana and was walking towards her. "I would like one last request before I go, as Ranma's former fiancee?"

Nodoka sighed impatiently. "I cannot promise anything, young lady, but… very well. What is it? Ko-chan and I are very busy. I haven't time for foolish-"

"Let me see your cesarean scar," Nabiki said coldly.

The sudden draining of color from Nodoka's face was all the confirmation Nabiki needed.

"It's there, isn't it," Nabiki continued softly. She took a step forward, forcing Nodoka back a pace.

"It's… You should leave now," Nodoka said, regaining some composure.

Nabiki tossed the folder she had been holding onto the coffee table, on top of the contract. "In that folder is a copy of the Saotome Family register, as well as the birth records for one 'Ranma Saotome'. Or, should I say two Ranma Saotomes? One, a boy, born to Nodoka Saotome at home in a midwife-assisted birth. The other, a girl, born at Nerima General Hospital at exactly the same time, by cesarean section. Two Ranma Saotomes on the Family Register, one male, one female." Nabiki took another step forward, forcing the older woman back further. "So… let's see that bellybutton, Mrs. Saotome. Prove me wrong. Prove me crazy."

"I… I don't have to show you anything, you disturbed child!" Nodoka glared at her but her composure had cracked. "Leave now before I call the authorities!"

"What is this…?" Kodachi asked, eyes wide as she flipped through the contents of the folder.

"They're just clever forgeries by a clever girl who is desperate and knew she was about to lose, Ko-chan!" Nodoka hurried towards her, trying to snatch the folder and its contents away.

Kodachi held them back, out of reach, staring at Nodoka like she had grown a second head. "This has to do with Ran, doesn't it? What have you done? What are you plotting?!" Her gaze narrowed into a glare.

"I… have no idea what you're talking about!" Nodoka said, laughing nervously. "My dear, you mustn't believe these silly fantasies!"

"How did you do it?" Nabiki demanded. "Jusenkyo had something to do with it, didn't it? What did you do!?"

"Why don't you tell them?"

Nodoka froze. Her eyes widened in fear and she spun.

Nabiki turned to see Ranma standing there. He was wearing a Furinkan boy's uniform and in one hand he held a scroll - a very old scroll. He appeared calm on the surface, but the familiarity Nabiki had developed with him allowed her to see the tremors that betrayed just how close to the edge he really was.

Ranma tossed the scroll onto the floor, where it unrolled. Nodoka's eyes widened further and she recoiled from it physically.

"Where… where did you get that?" she whispered in hushed horror.

"It's all true, isn't it?" Ranma said softly. "You and Pops. You've lied to me my whole life. Brainwashed me. Used magic to change what I was." His jaw trembled. "Why?!"

Nodoka glanced from Nabiki to Kodachi to Ranma. A hundred different emotions passed across her face. It was disturbing, like an animatronic that had malfunctioned. Finally, slowly, they all drained away. The fear in her eyes faded until there was only contempt left in its place.

"It pains me, Ranma, the disrespect you show by intruding into affairs that are none of your concern." Nodoka turned to face her son, her expression cold and unforgiving.

"Not my concern?" Ranma echoed incredulously. "How can it not…"

"Must a parent account to their child for correcting a birth defect?" she said softly, though there was an undertone of menace to her words.

"Birth defect?!" Ranma yelped, his own composure slipping. "I was born a girl! You knew Pops was doing this! That's why you let him take me!"

"He didn't take 'you'!" Nodoka snarled. She took a step forward, kicking the scroll aside. Something about her demeanor made her seem taller, more menacing. "I have tolerated quite enough disobedience from you, Ranma. After all your father and I have done for you!" Making a visible effort to calm herself, she continued more softly, though the ice in her tone persisted, "Congratulations. You and your little friends have managed to uncover parts of the truth. Truths your father and I have kept hidden for your own good! Truths you are going to be sorry for knowing!" She shook her head. "I had wanted to spare you this, my son, and to let you live your life in happy ignorance. I was willing to accept you!"

Ranma narrowed his eyes. "What?! Accept me? Accept me? You and Pops changed me!"

"You will not raise your voice to me in my own house!" Nodoka roared with enough force to momentarily silence everyone else in the room. "You simply don't understand, do you? Of course you don't! You were never meant to!" She waved at him. "All of this… It's all a delusion of yours! Your father did not take you when you were two years old because you were only born two years ago!"

Ranma blinked and took a step back. "What are you talking about…?"

"Before that creature was born, I made a vow to your Grandfather. To secure his blessing to marry Genma, I vowed that I would produce a male heir to carry on the family legacy. I swore, Ranma. I swore on my honor, and I did everything right!" Her voice trembled with barely suppressed fury. "I prayed! I followed all the rules of motherhood to ensure a strong male heir… kept warm, bound my belly tightly, ate only the proper foods… and then that… that wretched red-haired thing not only usurped my son's rightful place, but she tore my womb when they sought to remove her like the parasitic tick that she was! I was robbed of my son!"

She swallowed and took a moment to regain her center, her expression becoming a mask of steely indifference. "I wanted to simply choke her in the crib. No one would have blamed me… she was such a hateful thing… but Genma pled for her life. For that, at least, you should be grateful as otherwise you wouldn't even be here! Thankfully… thankfully, some years earlier, Soun had gifted your father that scroll. I'm sure he meant it as a joke at the time, but… it offered us hope. So my sweet Genma took the changeling that had taken your place on a long journey - to bring you back."

"What do you mean… what did you…" Ranma stammered, eyes wide with horror.

"The girl who once bore your name died when your father used that potion," Nodoka said. "The potion was meant to bring you into the world, my son, the child I was meant to have. And it was to banish that terrible girl into the abyss, where she belonged. Her sacrifice was to undo the mistake of her birth… perhaps even bring her tormented soul some peace and purge her of her sins. But your father botched it, of course. Her spirit lingered. She infected you. Corrupted you. She's haunted you with her form and the delusion that she is you. And being what you are, you were so easily influenced by her lies. Don't you see? She is trying to steal back the life that we reclaimed from her to make you!"

Ranma shook his head. "No, that doesn't make sense… What…?"

"Ranma… you're a homunculus." Nodoka said. There was a cruelty in her even tone and gentle smile. "You're not human. You have no soul. You have no memories, no feelings, no desires of your own. You're a thing of magic, made to fulfil the destiny of the Saotome clan. You only think that you're real."

"No!" Ranma shouted in horrified defiance. "I'm human! I'm a person!"

"Tch." Nodoka clucked her tongue sadly. "All of these obsessive girls surrounding you… I fear they've confused you, my son. Your father and I must also accept some of the blame. We loved you as our son. We gave you your memories. We treated you with respect and with kindness. We gave you freedom, and we allowed you to believe you were a person. I see now that wasn't what you needed from us." She took another step forward. "Go to your room and wait for your father to get home, so we can decide what we are going to do about this."

Ranma backed away. "N-no… No! I'm not doing what you tell me to anymore!"

"Obey me, Ranma," Nodoka said, her voice tight and cold as she advanced on him further. "After all that we have done for you… after all that we have sacrificed for you… how dare you refuse this simple request? We will need to discuss how best to teach you gratitude."

"Leave him alone!" Nabiki shouted. She could feel a buzzing in her head. It started as a low growl, but swelled rapidly into a high pitched wail that rattled around in her skull. It was making it hard to focus. She grimaced... too much emotion…

Ranma tripped and lost his balance, stumbled back and knocked a flower vase off the shelf behind him. The water spilled over his head, triggering the curse and, now female, Ranma fell to sprawl gracelessly on the floor.

"And there she is," Nodoka said softly as her face twisted into a sneer. "'Ranko', the little thief who isn't done stealing from me, even in death. So you retreat into the fantasy? You take on that haunted, wretched form? What makes you think that if some of your memories are false that they all aren't? What do you remember clearly before you came out of that pool? Nothing. You didn't even remember me."

Nabiki glanced over as she heard Kodachi scream and saw her wide-eyed look of shock. Of course… NOW she gets the curse! Nabiki thought, though it was a struggle to do so. She knew she needed to do something, to stop this, but the screaming in her head…

"Did you think that girl whose body you stole was some kind of victim? That she was some poor, abused waif, unloved by her cruel parents?" Nodoka growled, advancing as Ranma scrabbled back, unable to get her feet under her. "She was a heartless little monster from birth! I could see it in her eyes! She was always glaring at me, with nothing but ice in her soul! She would never laugh, was always crying, always struggling and fighting me in even the smallest of things! She took from me and took from me and took, and would never give anything back until we forced her to! Is that what you wish to be?"

Nodoka put her hands on her hips and glared at the girl cowering before her. "She stole her life from me… the life that rightfully belonged to my son! And now that I've given it to you, you think that you can repeat her crime!?" She started tugging at the wrappings of her katana. "That life of yours is stolen twice over! I demand you return it to me. If you won't accept the duty of a son of the Saotome line, then pick up your tanto and return it to the earth!"

"NO!" Ranma whimpered, scooting back. "Nooo…" But her spirit was broken, her defiance replaced by the anguish of a terrified young girl. "Please…!"

Nabiki clutched her head and sank to her knees as the keening in her skull got too loud to bear. And behind that keening she could hear something else… something that sounded like… cats?

"I hope you're happy. You'll be ending your father's life as well. He, at least, has some honor. He understands duty!" she hissed. "When have you ever shown even the slightest regard for it? Maybe it's for the best that you die wearing that face. You're just like her!"

Ranma scrambled to her feet, backing through the door and into the yard, eyes wide and wild. She was hyperventilating and a soft mewling escaped her lips.

"So you are going to run away?" Nodoka sniffed scornfully. "Do you think people will ever accept you like we have? You're a thing, Ranma! People will be able to tell! They'll know. You'll know! You'll never have a normal life, male or female!" She folded her arms, katana tucked between them as she glowered. "Go on then. Run. Prove that you're no better than she was! Be the selfish little bitch she was always destined to be! But don't think that the Tendos will accept you now, knowing what you are!"

Slowly and deliberately, Nodoka turned her back on Ranma. "I hope you're happy with your choices, Ranma. I honestly do."

There was a gulping sob and a flurry of motion as Ranma disappeared over the fence. Nodoka closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, then started to methodically rewrap her katana.

"Well… that was unpleasant," Nodoka said airily. She readjusted her hair as she set the katana down against the wall. "I am sorry you had to see that, Ko-chan. Nabiki, I hope that you are happy, and I expect both of you to keep this to yourselves. This is private Saotome family business and not something to be spread about! Not that anyone would believe you, since…"

Nodoka was cut off as Nabiki slapped her hard across the face and knocked her to the floor.

The older woman stared up at the middle Tendo in shock, her mouth opening and closing, though no sound came out.

"You are very fortunate that I am not my younger sister," Nabiki snarled. Her eyes glinted with hatred. Her head had cleared the moment Ranma had run away. In her free hand she clutched the scroll and the folder of documents. "And you are very unfortunate as well. I am going to make sure you pay for this, and I am far more creative than my sister is."

Nabiki glanced at the spot where Kodachi had been huddled, but the Kuno girl was gone. Likely she'd fled during the storm of Nodoka's displeasure. Nabiki turned and walked out without another word, only pausing at the door as she heard Nodoka's voice.

"He'll never forgive you for this, you know." Nodoka's voice dripped like venom from behind her. "He would never have known if it hadn't been for your meddling. He could have lived a normal life. It is your selfishness that has ruined him, not mine."

Nabiki didn't answer. She simply opened the door and stalked out. She ignored Hiroshi, Daisuke and Yuka's demands to know what had happened as she strode past them and down the street.

Thankfully, she managed to get around the corner and out of sight before she collapsed against a nearby tree and nearly passed out.

000

Ukyou paused a bit in her roof hopping, came to a stop and leaned against a chimney as she felt a brief wave of vertigo.

"Qina de okay?" Shampoo asked as she landed next to her, then stumbled a bit. "Oooh… dizzy…"

"I feel it too," Akane added, coming up behind them.

The three of them exchanged a glance.

"The Link?" Ukyou asked. "Did something happen, do you think?"

"Nabiki said that when Ryouga was getting depressed she could feel it without touching him," Akane said. "But I don't see him anywhere."

"Is linked to ki," Shampoo said. "Shagua or Airen have too too much. Would be one of them."

"So… given what happened last night, probably Ranchan then," Ukyou said, looking around. "Anyone got a sense which way it came from?"

"'Dizzy' doesn't exactly have a direction. That's kind of the point," Akane muttered. She looked around carefully. "Ummm… maybe that way?"

As she gestured, something silvery nicked her arm and embedded itself in the chimney - a polished throwing dagger.

"What the hell!?" Ukyou darted back and drew her battle spatula, eyes searching the rooftops as Akane and Shampoo did the same.

Their assailants weren't hard to spot. There were six of them in colorful chinese martial arts garb. One, whose long silvery hair hung down her back in twintails, was idly flipping another dagger, identical to the one that had just been thrown.

"Su Tzu!" Shampoo growled, recognizing the silver-haired girl.

"[Hello 'sister',]" The Amazon identified as Su Tzu said. "[Tan Pohn sends her regards.]"

"[Why did you attack us!?]" Shampoo demanded.

"[Oh, that wasn't an attack. If it had been, your pet there would be missing her head,]" Su Tzu said. "[You've gotten lax in your training with these weak Outsiders. I'm just trying to get your attention. We need you to stay clear of the Godslayer.]"

"[What? Why would I stay away from Airen?!]" Shampoo snarled.

"[Oh, that little thing has been annulled. He's not your 'Airen' anymore. He belongs to the Joketsuzoku now. You failed to claim him too many times. Lo Shan has come to claim him for the village.]" She sighed, sounding bored. "[I've been told that, in light of your former status as Heir, I'm to extend amnesty to you should you agree to not interfere.]"

"[You're planning a coup against Great Grandmother?!]" Shampoo was incredulous.

"[You've been gone a year, sister,]" Su Tzu said, giggling. "[The Council of Elders removed Khu Long from her position of authority six months ago! Provisionally, of course, but I imagine that once Lo Shan returns with the Godslayer… among others… that will become permanent.]"

"[You are insane if you think we're going to sit by and let you take him!]" Shampoo said with another growl.

Ukyou narrowed her eyes. "Heads up Akane, I think we're fighting."

Su Tzu's grin widened. She caught the blade. "[Perfect. I was hoping for a chance at payback after you cheated in the last match we had.]"

"[Why not challenge me again, and see how much of a 'cheat' it was?]" Shampoo called out, raising her voice so the other Amazons were sure to hear. "[Loser backs down?]"

Su Tzu laughed. "[Don't be ridiculous, sister. All Rules of Challenge have been suspended for the duration. This is a War Party.]" She gestured and more Amazons began to pop up on nearby rooftops. Seven… eight… ten… twelve. "[You lost your right to a fair fight ages ago. Now I'm going to get my satisfaction just beating your face in.]"

"Shampoo?!" Akane said nervously, noticing the reinforcements. "What are we doing?"

Ukyou looked around. A dozen opponents. Most of them armed. Couple of archers at least, knife throwers already for sure… "We need to run," She said, keeping her tone low and even so hopefully it wouldn't carry to the other roof.

"Shampoo not abandon Airen!" Shampoo said, though from how her eyes were darting from opponent to opponent, she was obviously nervous.

"What are we up against? Do you think we can win?" Ukyou pressed.

Shampoo swallowed, looking desperate. "Shampoo fight most of these. Beat them one-on-one, but… rivals all."

"So a dozen Amazons who are almost as good as Shampoo?" Akane muttered. "I agree with Ukyou. We need to get out of here!"

Shampoo grit her teeth. "Joketsuzoku unfamiliar with terrain. Not know lay of the land," she said finally. "Wait until they start. Always ranged first. Charge Su Tzu, then scatter."

"Where should we meet?" Ukyou asked. "The Nekohanten? So we can ask Cologne what the hell is going on?"

"No. Meet at Tendo Dojo. Airen, Pintou and Shagua more likely go there." Shampoo narrowed her eyes. "Get ready."

Things held quietly for a momentas the tension built. Ukyou narrowed her eyes, making sure she had the Amazons on her side covered.

She saw the glint of the steel before anything else and gave Akane a slight shove to get her out of the way as the throwing daggers whizzed past them, dangerously close. No more words were wasted as the three charged towards Su Tzu and the Amazons with her.

From how Su Tzu's eyes widened, it was obvious that she hadn't expected them to charge straight into her teeth. She drew back to throw, but hesitated. Ukyou also noticed that all of the Amazon's had fixed their attention on Shampoo, not on her or on Akane.

BIG mistake, girls, Ukyou thought. She sped up, touching Shampoo's shoulder. At her signal, Shampoo laced her hands into a basket behind her back, and as she leapt toward the roof Su Tzu had claimed, Ukyou put her foot into Shampoo's hands and used the added thrust to boost herself higher.

Su Tzu's daggers missed, having been thrown to intersect Shampoo's expected trajectory. They whizzed over Shampoo's head as the purple-haired Amazon landed far short of the projected mark. Likewise, Ukyou went far higher than anticipated, throwing off the other projectiles as she readied a brace of minispats from her own bandolier. She flung them for effect, drawing their attention away from Shampoo and towards herself, even as it seemed that her arc of travel was going to carry her clear over them and to the far side of the roof.

Their attention was split and they had forgotten about Akane entirely.

Akane was a few paces behind. With the knife throwers and archers distracted by Ukyou, and not seeing Shampoo as a threat for a few breaths, they weren't even looking when Akane plowed full into them. Akane knocked Su Tzu aside hard, intent on something she had spotted from the other roof.

One of the Amazons wielded a Chinese Warhammer, and it had given Akane an idea. As she flipped over the startled Amazon, she grabbed the hammer and wrenched it free from her grasp.

She landed and, with a shout, raised the hammer over her head and brought it down, not on the Amazon, but on the roof - specifically the major support joist.

Ukyou winced at the cracking and groaning of wood as Akane fatally compromised the structure with that single blow. With the weight of six people plus Akane, it wasn't going to last. Akane jumped clear just as the section of roof collapsed and dropped the Amazons into the attic below.

"Good job, Akane!" Ukyou cheered. She immediately regretted drawing attention as she narrowly dodged an arrow from another rooftop. "Keep going!" She turned, batted another projectile away with her battle spatula and leapt towards another roof, sprinting as fast as she could. She plotted as twisting route as possible in order to lose her pursuers before she doubled back to the dojo. Good luck, you two!

000

Down on the street, Young Mi watched the conflict on the roofs. She stroked the flank of her liger gently as she watched.

The three girls recovered quickly and made a break for it. To be expected… their odds are four to one at best. She had to admit, the instinctive teamwork that they displayed was impressive. They had obviously fought together before, and there was a flow to their coordination that was more than simply rehearsed.

If I had confronted Xian Pu with those two at her back, I would have lost, she realized. There was no shame in admitting that. It was important for a performer to know her limitations even as she pushed them, and those three together were beyond her, even with Samson's help.

She smiled when she saw the three shapes suddenly split up, further scattering their attackers as they began leading them on a winding, confusing chase through territory the Chinese girls barely knew.

But they aren't together now, are they? Her eyes followed her target, the one with lavender hair. The Amazons would run her a decent distance away, then leave her for Young Mi, as per their agreement.

She hopped up onto Samson's back, spurring the huge liger into a run. Her hand drifted to a pouch on her belt - another gift from her mysterious benefactor.

I feel as if I am playing a part in another's drama with this, she thought as she rode. No matter. Dancing on another's strings is not a new thing for me. Such strings are easily cut and if getting what I want merely requires a puppet show, then who am I to miss my cue?

000

By the time she was conscious of the fact she was running, she had no idea where she was. Perhaps on the outskirts of town - There weren't as many buildings. All she knew was that she could not stop - she dared not.

Not a man.

The words kept running through her head, in her mother's voice, over and over.

Not a person.

A thing.

No soul.

She stumbled and dropped to her knees on the grass. The student's uniform she wore was so big that even tightening the belt could not keep it from slipping and falling off.

Can't stop… she panted, digging her fingers into the earth. She could feel the press of the pit all around her, lurking just beyond the edges of her vision.

Only boys get out of the pit.

She struggled to her feet, intending to continue her flight, before she noticed there were other figures gathering around her.

A girl in chinese garb, with long green hair tied back in a ponytail, strode forward. "Ranma Saotome," she said. She had that self-confident smirk that was a familiar part of someone issuing a challenge. "I am Tan Pohn of Joketsuzoku. You hard to catch. But no impossible."

"Leave me alone…" Ranma growled. There was a note of a harsh yowl in her voice and her fingers curled into claws.

"No can, sorry," Tan Pohn replied. She was flanked by two more Amazons bearing polearms. "You, Ranma Saotome, honor bound to accept any challenge, yes?"

"[Tan Pohn, what are you…?]" the girl next to her asked in Mandarin.

"I challenge you," Tan Pohn said. "If I win, you renounce Xian Pu. Belong to Tan Pohn."

Ranma shuddered. The old game. Over and over and over. "And if I win… you leave me alone?"

Tan Pohn smirked. "No. Not be stupid. Not how Saotome school works, yes? Must accept all challenges. All terms." She chuckled. "Stupid creed, but school teachings clear. You win, you accept next challenge. Win all challenges, we take back to Jusendo, others challenge. Eventually one win and claim you. Easier just lose now. I treat well." She pulled out a curved sword and slapped it against her palm.

"No," Ranma said softly, her body starting to shake. Her lips pulled back, showing her teeth. Her words were distorted by a low growl. "Leave… me… alone…"

Tan Pohn stopped. "Pardon?" She raised an eyebrow. "Ranma Saotome afraid, maybe? Forget own honor?" She levelled her sword at Ranma. "Not have choice! Heir to Saotome School must accept all challenges!"

"I'm… Not a Saotome…" Ranma ground out. Red was creeping into the edges of her vision now, overriding the blackness lurking there. "Leave me alone!"

Tan Pohn frowned. "Hit head, maybe?" She shrugged. "Very well. Then simply beat until Godslayer go quietly." She motioned for the others to close up around Ranma. "Maybe Godslayer not all that rumors say, hmm? Maybe…"

She never got the chance to finish. Ranma exploded forward in a surge of motion. She dropped to all fours, fingers digging into the dirt as she used her arms to add extra bursts of speed before rising up and slashing across Tan Pohn's sword with her fingers. The tempered steel blade fell apart into five clean cut pieces as Ranma darted by. Ranma was already well past the startled Amazon, leaping for the nearby trees and into the foliage before she could react or the archers could even raise their bows.

Ranma could hear them chasing her, but they couldn't keep up. Ranma had barely managed to restrain the urge to slash more than just the sword. She could feel the Neko-ken singing in her blood, calling to her and coaxing her to lash out - to draw blood and hurt back those who were hurting her. It would be so easy to just give in to it… to just let go and be a cat forever. Not to have to think painful thoughts anymore. But she knew… if she went into the pit now she would never come back out.

She landed again and stumbled as her attempt at another leap failed. Her leg muscles simply couldn't push off anymore. She didn't feel the fatigue or the pain of a thousand cuts and scrapes from the tree branches… everything was numb. Her muscles simply couldn't do what she was demanding of them anymore.

She stumbled a few more paces then dropped to her knees, unable to make her legs move any further. After a moment, she stopped trying.

What does it matter? she thought, looking up at the sky. They want Ranma Saotome. I'm not him. I'm not a person. Whether they catch me or not, it won't matter. She could feel wetness on her cheeks from drying tears, but no more were coming. The fear and despair and pain were all steadily being replaced by a growing numbness, like a burn that had finally seared away all sensation. A soft blue glow suffused the area all around her, though there didn't seem to be a source.

It all makes sense now, she thought. Why I never felt 'right' as a boy OR a girl. Why I was always afraid. Why I always had to try so hard to prove myself. I knew. She studied the sky, the clouds passing as the light gradually shifted from afternoon into evening. She must have been running for hours. That's why I could never find a cure. Why I could never stop when I started insulting Akane. Why I kept freeloading off Ukyou and Shampoo when I knew it was wrong. Why I kept messing with Ryouga. Why nothing I ever did was ever good enough for Pops. Why Mom hates me. Why I couldn't… couldn't tell any of them how I felt. I AM the curse. There IS no Ranma. Just the curse.

They'll hate me, she thought, feeling a pang before the numbness swallowed it. The aura around her pulsed and grew. They all loved someone that didn't exist - someone I was just pretending to be. They all gave up so much for him. She coughed, her breathing unsteady as she felt the thrumming, building energy her body was struggling to contain. She already knew where this was going.

It'll be better if I'm gone - if I just disappear, she thought. She was so cold now. The Soul of Ice had caused the grass to freeze and become brittle in a rapidly growing circle around her, but she was certain that without it the pain of trying to hold back so much heavy ki would be unendurable. But she knew she needed a lot to do this right.

They have each other. They were SUPPOSED to have each other, Ranma thought. It was comforting, in a way. Another pang. Except Ryo. But… maybe he'll find Akari again. Or… the girls will take care of him until he's okay. She bit her lip until it bled, the coppery taste filling her mouth. It's my fault. He was fine without me. I did this. For years and years. Their lives were fine before me, all of them, and I ruined them. That's why I have to go, before I make it worse.

She convulsed, feeling her heart skip and struggle. It wasn't healthy to hold onto this much Ki. It would probably be enough to kill her on its own, but she wanted… she needed to do this properly - to do one thing right. Couldn't… just slit my own belly open, huh? Gotta be flashy and selfish one last time. At least this way… it's ME doing it. Not because of the contract. Not because I'm pretending to be Ranma. This is the curse curing itself.

"Akane…" she breathed. "Ukyou… Shampoo… Nabiki…" She wanted their names to be the last words she spoke. "Ryouga…" she added finally. I'm sorry… I couldn't say it back. I wanted to. She felt her last tear fall as she released all of the built up ki. All of the misery and self-hatred and guilt, all of it, she released and flung to the heavens. A brilliant pillar of lambent blue-white energy roared into the sky, lighting the surroundings like a second sun and throwing long shadows as she became the base of the pillar of light.

But such emotions are not meant for heaven, and the pillar slowed, the energy gathering and swelling as it lost momentum. The pillar would fall. Normally the one who performed this technique would be emptied of all the emotions that fuelled it, allowing the surge to pass through them harmlessly.

But Ranma would not relinquish that one, final regret. She held it tight in her heart, so that all of her other emotions might crush her into the earth.

She watched as the pillar swelled, and began to fall, incandescent power rushing back to earth to end her life and bury her remains in a single act. Not bad… part of her thought with a flicker of the old pride. Ryo would be impressed. She closed her eyes and waited, wondering if it would hurt much.

"HISHO KORYU HA!"

Her eyes snapped open. There was someone standing over her, his form silhouetted in red, his hands thrust skyward. A deep red light was now corrupting the blue, meeting in a blinding, twisting maelstrom a hundred feet above their heads.

"Ry… ou… ga...?" she murmured.

His feet sank into the earth on either side of her as the weight of her Shi Shi Hokodan started to bear down on him.

Ryouga grunted through gritted teeth. "Ranma! You have to get up!" he groaned as he strained against the force.

"Can't…" Ranma said, her voice soft and sad. She could smell the ozone as the two forces warred in mid air. Ryouga was slowly but steadily losing. "Please run…"

"You know I won't do that!" Ryouga snarled. His legs buckled as the tremendous weight bore down on him. She could hear his joints pop as he strained.

Ranma tried to get her legs to obey but they refused. She felt weak and sick as she tried so hard to move, but everything was too heavy. "I can't… Ryouga… please… It's better if you let me go… you don't understand… you don't need me…! I'm not… I'm not who you think…!"

"I decide who and what I need," Ryouga growled. "And I know exactly who you are!" He groaned, crying out as he increased his effort, though the weight continued to hammer down on them, more and more.

Ranma squeezed her eyes shut. The force was starting to crush her down, making it hard for her to breathe. No… please… I don't want to take him with me…!

"Ranma… just… for once…" Ryouga grunted. "Let… someone… rescue… you!" With a final massive effort, he threw his arms wide. Suddenly it became apparent what he had been doing, as the wedge of ki he had formed with his own blast diverted the Shi Shi Hokodan to either side.

He dropped and covered her, pressing her flat to the ground while the world quite literally exploded around them as the ki she had released slammed into the ground in a ring and blasted outwards in a shockwave that flattened trees and tore up the landscape. Ryouga's countering blast muffled some of the roar but it was still deafening, the forces buffeting them from all sides.

It took several minutes for the rumbling to subside while Ranma struggled to breathe, smothered by Ryouga's mass on top of her. Finally he groaned and started to move. Her ears were ringing like cathedral bells and the world felt like it was tilted sideways. She gazed blearily up to see him looking down at her with concern. She could feel a dampness on her cheeks. I thought I was out of tears? Shakily, she touched her cheek and saw her fingertips come away red. Oh… That's blood. The sense of detachment she felt was oddly disorienting and she wondered, in a disinterested way, if it was Ryouga's blood or her own.

He was trying to say something to her but she couldn't hear it over the ringing. I'm sorry, Ryo… I'm sorry I wasn't a real girl. I… wanted to be… for you… I wanted to be real…

Ryouga suddenly turned to the left, then winced as something struck him on the side. At the same time, Ranma felt a sharp sting in her neck. She reached up and pulled away the dart that had struck her.

Then, with amazing speed, everything went black.

000

"[I think I'm glad she didn't decide to accept your challenge, Tan Pohn, and you should be as well,]" an Amazon with close-cropped dark hair said, scowling as she surveyed the aftermath.

The blast had obliterated the field and all of the trees around within a radius of more than a hundred meters. Save for one small area at the epicenter of the event, everything around had been devastated, the terrain cratered and broken as though a massive object had slammed into the ground with the force of a meteorite.

Tan Pohn scowled as she checked for a pulse on each of the bodies. They seemed strong, so the darts appeared to have worked. She examined the dark haired boy curiously. "[So… he deflected all of that, hmmm?]" She sat back on her haunches, rubbing her chin.

"[From what I hear, he was the Godslayer's rival,]" one of the other Amazons said.

"['Was'?]"

"[I think she finally accepted him as her mate. You know, the Godslayer.]"

"[I thought the Godslayer was male?]"

"[Haven't you been paying attention to what's been going on at all?! With the scroll and that potion?]"

"[You mean…? But why would anyone want to make themselves male?!]"

"[I think it was her parents, actually. Messed up Outsider values.]"

"[Too bad they won't get to stay together. They look kinda cute like that.]"

Tan Pohn sighed in exasperation and stood. "[Will you all shut up?! We need to think about how to get them back to Lo Shan before they wake up. I don't think either of them is strong enough to handle a second dose if we're not quick enough.]" She motioned for one of the girls carrying the Outsider weapons to come over. She took the rifle from the girl and checked it like Himura's servants had shown her.

I could simply put a second dart into each of them right now. Or at least another into the Godslayer, Tan Pohn thought, fingering the safety on the airsoft rifle. If the Godslayer is truly a woman, how could I compete with her? She'd be destined for leadership. If I thought Xian Pu was an obstacle…

There are different kinds of strength. Strength of Arms and Strength of Leadership are often very different. Many great generals and conquerors in history were hardly imposing as individual warriors…

Tan Pohn sighed, remembering Himura's words. The 'Princess' has a point. Being the strongest leader isn't necessarily about being the strongest fighter. I'll bide my time and see what the Elder has planned. Maybe, if need be, I can make a side deal with Himura for a little… what was the term she used? 'Extra Insurance'.

"[Bind them,]" Tan Pohn said. She tossed the rifle back to the warrior. "[Find some branches or saplings to make sturdy poles. We'll…]"

There was a rustle, and something arced over the worst of the destruction to land amongst a group of the Amazons. It was a satchel that exploded and filled the air with a cloud of fine powder. Those within its boundary immediately started to cough and then quickly collapsed.

"[Ambush!]" Tan Pohn started searching the tree line beyond the perimeter of the crater. She could hear rustling and movement…

More satchels came sailing out from different directions. More than one? Or one moving very quickly? Several more of Tan Pohn's squad dropped. Whatever was in those satchels was potent.

"I see her!" one of the Amazons cried. In a lapse of training and judgement, she darted forward alone with her polearm, stabbing into the darkness of the tangle of broken trees.

Something shot out from that darkness, a long tendril of ribbon that wrapped the girl up and bound her. Then a figure leapt from the shadows, effortlessly yanking the Amazon off of her feet to send her tumbling into a pair of her sisters.

Tan Pohn narrowed her eyes. She reached for her sword before she remembered that the Godslayer had destroyed it. "Who you!?" she asked the intruder.

The girl appeared to be their age. She wore a green gymnastics leotard with a large red rose embroidered over the left shoulder and breast and her dark hair was tied in a ponytail off to the side. She was perched on her toes on the very tip of a broken tree bough that seemed far too slender to support her, giving her a few feet in height over the rest of them.

And then she laughed.

Tan Pohn had fought the Musk and the Phoenix tribe, hunted monsters and tackled spirits and the undead. Nothing she had ever heard before chilled her as did that laugh. A shiver ran up her spine and she took a step back in spite of herself.

The girl casually twirled another ribbon and glared down at her with eyes like dark coals. Someone fired an arrow at her but, with a flick of her wrist, the intruder batted away the projectile with the ribbon, almost as an afterthought. Her gaze never wavered.

"I am the Black Rose of Furinkan, Kodachi Kuno," she said in a voice like ice. "I have been wronged this day. I shall not suffer to be wronged further. Those two are mine by right. You will leave, or you will suffer."

"Bold words for one who is outnumbered," Tan Pohn said, recovering her composure. As… unsettling as this girl was, and as skillful as she seemed to be, there was only one of her, against herself and a half dozen of her sisters still standing.

Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "Did you not think it odd there was a forest so far inside the limits of a city as large as this one? A concession from the Emperor for our agreement to lease much of the land that is modern-day Nerima to the government. This forest is my family's refuge and training ground… and you have trespassed and defiled it!"

"I not care about spoiled outsider's history lesson or about bloated unimportant city on tiny, unimportant island," Tan Pohn sniffed haughtily. "Not change the point you outnumbered. Let us take Godslayer and Consort and leave. Have no interest in irrelevant challenges. Not let us, and… well, at least you be buried on family land, yes?"

Kodachi laughed again. Tan Pohn wasn't able to suppress the shudder.

"Oh you poor, deluded savages," Kodachi replied disdainfully. "Did you not hear what I said? This is a training ground. Not only for the Kuno family, but for our servants. Sasuke!"

Suddenly more satchels launched from the shattered trees. Tan Pohn dodged as billowing clouds suddenly obscured everything. Thankfully, this was not the paralysis powder used before, but she immediately realized her mistake when she lost sight of Ranma and Ryouga.

"[No! Don't let them escape!]" Tan Pohn cried as she heard multiple shapes moving swiftly through the cloud. There were a few wild shots into the cloud from outside as her sisters loosed arrows and darts but, as the dust cleared, Tan Pohn knew that their quarry was already gone.

In the one untouched area in the middle of the blasted out clearing, all that remained of their quarry was a single black rose.

000

Kasumi heard a thump at the front door. It made her jump, as she had been listening intently for the phone for hours now. Not long before, she had heard some kind of rumbling in the distance, not unlike thunder, and she feared the worst.

She hurried to the front door and slid it open to see Nabiki slumped against Daisuke, who was trying to support her with help from Hiroshi and Yuka. Her sister's eyes were closed and she was twitching slightly.

"Oh my God, what happened?!" Kasumi hurried out to help them bring Nabiki in. The middle Tendo groaned as they laid her out on the living room floor.

"We don't know," Yuka said. "Something happened at the Saotome residence. Nabiki went in to confront Nodoka about some weirdness in the family register. She went inside and there was some arguing. Then Ranma showed up and there was some shouting. That was followed by some screaming, then Ranma and that nut Kodachi came flying out and took off. Nabiki stumbled out a few minutes later, holding onto this like her life depended on it." Yuka held up the scroll.

"She was kind of out of it. Said she needed to get back to the Dojo," Hiroshi continued. "We'd almost gotten here she just… kinda had a seizure and collapsed."

"There was some kinda thunderclap at the same time, way off in the forest," Daisuke said. "We think they're connected somehow."

"I'll call Dr. Tofu," Kasumi said and turned to leave, but a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked back to see Nabiki, now awake and looking up at her, though it appeared to be a struggle for her to do so.

"Doc Tofu can't help…" Nabiki said weakly. "It's the Link." She shuddered. "It's Ranma… Kasumi… what they did to him… to her…" She shuddered again.

Kasumi stopped and knelt next to her sister, taking her hand. "Tell me."

"The scroll," Nabiki managed. "It's… it's for a potion, one that uses Jusenkyo water as an ingredient, but makes the change permanent and changes memories to match. The Saotomes… Daddy gave it to them. Before any of us were born. They… they used it..." Nabiki swallowed. "Kasumi, Ranma was born a girl."

"What?" Kasumi whispered, eyes wide.

"The… the training journey… it was a sham, all of it. A trip to gather the ingredients, and to convince Ranma she was actually a boy while keeping her away from people so she never figured out she wasn't." Nabiki fought to sit up as some of her strength returned. "But… but Genma botched the potion… ended up with a male Ranma with a girl curse…" Nabiki shuddered. "God, Nodoka is insane, Kasumi. She called Ranma a 'homunculus'. A thing. They don't even see him as human." She paused to take a deep breath. "Are Akane or any of the others back? We have to find Ranma! We have to stop her before…" She winced and held her head. "Ugh… She was broadcasting despair! If we just leave her…!"

"You aren't going anywhere," Kasumi gripped her shoulder firmly. "Not so long as you can barely sit up."

Nabiki opened her mouth to protest, then closed it and sighed. "Fine… then give me my phone. I need to call Cologne."

000

Cologne prided herself on being old enough to foresee most eventualities. Even when something unexpected happened, she usually knew something was afoot, and almost immediately knew the course of action to take to remedy it.

So when she sensed the massive eruption of heavy ki to the north and found herself having no idea what was going on, she was understandably cross with herself. That she had to wait for a phone call from Nabiki Tendo to have an idea where to even start rankled her further.

I am getting old and sloppy, she chided herself as she made her way to the dojo. She had been content to sit back and let the children play out this fascinating dance of theirs and she had allowed that contentment to slip into complacency. On the trip over, she mentally reviewed what might have gone wrong and possible methods of damage control.

All of that went out the window as soon as she saw the scroll in Nabiki Tendo's hand.

She made a show of going over it to give weight to her assessment of its authenticity, but it wasn't needed. The miasma of the blighted thing was palpable.

"It's authentic," Cologne said heavily. "Authentic and a wretched abomination besides."

"So… the scroll makes Jusenkyo curses permanent?" Daisuke asked, leaning forward and peering at it.

Cologne scoffed and sadly shook her head. "No, son. This… this is far more heinous than just that." She pointed to various entries. "These herbs are powerful hypnotics. They are used in the Xi Fa Xiang Gao to alter the subject's memory, to delete certain details. It is notable that they establish blocks that make it painful or even impossible for the mind to access the 'forbidden' knowledge, even when presented with it anew. However, without the pressure points to place the mind in a relaxed and suggestible state to allow the memories to be easily relinquished, it would be difficult to get the effect to take hold. It would require something to make the mind willing to give up the knowledge. Coercion, seduction… trauma."

"Ryouga mentioned when they were first learning how the Link worked, Ranma got hit with an overflow of emotions and almost went into the Neko Ken because something got churned up in her mind," Nabiki said. "Then… when Ryouga confessed to her last night she went into the Neko Ken again and fled." She gave Cologne a pleading look, her voice dropping into a whisper. "Please tell me that's a coincidence."

Cologne closed her eyes. "The… psychological trauma the Neko Ken would cause would work. Almost ideally so if you could link the knowledge you wish to expunge to the trauma."

"He did it on purpose!" Nabiki slammed her fist onto the table, trembling with rage. "'Didn't read the last page' my ass! That's why he used it! He used it to make her forget she was a girl!"

"That is… outlined in the methodology of the scroll," Cologne said quietly. "The identity of the subject must be weakened so that it might align with the form chosen."

"But… why does Ranma change with water, then?" Yuka asked. "And why is it inverted from a normal curse?"

"It isn't," Cologne said. "When properly prepared and administered, the potion uses the magic of Jusenkyo, particularly the magical waters of Jusendo and their tendency to accept a template. It… causes the water to take the subject's true form as its template while the cursed form is bonded to the subject as their new true form. And then… the subject will purge the cursed water bearing their original form, purging the magic as well." Cologne traced her finger down to the mend. "Since this section is lacking Genma's atrocious penmanship, I presume he did not have it originally and it was restored later by whomever gave it to Ranma. He would not have known. Likely Ranma vomited on herself during the purge, afflicting herself with her own original form as a curse."

"So… the potion makes them literally barf up a Jusenkyo curse?" Hiroshi asked, wide-eyed.

"Contrary to belief, the cursed pools do not actually require the victim to die. Akane Tendo is proof of that," Cologne explained. "They merely need to ingest the magical waters of Jusendo and then expel them at the point where the soul's connection to the physical form is tenuous. Near-death is sufficient. Their form is then imprinted on the water. This potion is a manipulation of that property."

"When the soul's connection is tenuous…" Nabiki said. "Nodoka called Ranma a homunculus. She said that he didn't have a soul and that the real Ranma's soul was sacrificed to make him."

Cologne snorted. "One of the reasons the potion is considered heresy among the Joketsuzoku. These herbs here are potent toxins of the spirit. In the proportions of the potion, they are not quite fatal… but enough to weaken the soul to the point of expiring, to facilitate the transfer of the imprint. I did not realize Ranma's parents were mad enough to see that as a preferable outcome."

"But… I mean… Ranma does have a soul… right?" Daisuke asked nervously.

Cologne raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Nabiki. "Well? As one who is linked irrevocably to Ranma, mind and spirit, what do you say Nabiki Tendo?"

Nabiki blinked, then seemed to relax a little, "Thank god…"

"A higher power had very little to do with this, I fear," Cologne grumbled. "I already knew Ranma's father was an idiot, but I had hoped his…" she sighed and cleared her throat, "her mother had more sense!"

There was a loud *thump* from outside in the yard. Kasumi got up and quickly opened the door.

Ukyou was there, in the depression she had make during an obviously rough landing and struggling to get up. Nabiki rushed over quickly to help her. She was battered and scraped, and had several cleaner cuts that suggested close calls versus a bladed weapon of some sort. Her clothes were tattered like she had been tossed about.

"Help… Akane…!" Ukyou croaked.

There was a shout from the rooftops, and they all looked up in time to see a figure recognizable as Akane dart out of the path of a huge tornado blast.

"Is that the Hiryu Shoten Ha?" Nabiki asked, staring.

"It is," Cologne said, eyes narrowing. "But not Ranma's variant."

Two more figures hopped up onto the roof and attacked Akane, who was defending herself with what looked like a large two-handed hammer. She seemed hard pressed.

Cologne's eyes widened as she recognized the garb. "What are they doing here?!" She got that awful sense that she'd been out of the loop once more. She hopped up onto the yard wall, then up to the nearest rooftop, quickly closing in on the battle before alighting casually between the combatants once they broke apart once more.

"[E-Elder Khu Long!]" one of the girls Cologne recognized as being named Su Tzu gasped.

"Cologne!" Akane said, with an understandable note of suspicion in her voice. "Why are warriors from your village attacking us?"

"That is an excellent question, child. One I intend to ask myself," Cologne replied, sparing her a glance before she fixed her gaze on Su Tzu. "[Well? Speak!]"

Su Tzu seemed nervous. Her eyes flicked to Akane, then back to Cologne. "[With all due respect, Elder… We are operating under orders of the Council and Elder Lo Shan. She wishes these girls to be apprehended for crimes against the Joketsuzoku.]"

"[Crimes. Really,]" Cologne replied, a note of menace entering her voice. "[And no one saw fit to appraise me of these crimes, or the desire of the Council to capture my pupils?]"

Su Tzu swallowed. "[I… am sorry Elder, I wasn't aware. But… Lo Shan's orders were very specific!]"

"[And since when do Lo Shan's orders countermand my own?]" Cologne demanded, though she already had a sneaking suspicion as to the answer.

"[Since… the Council…]" the girl swallowed nervously, "[elected to remove you from your position due to dereliction of duty.]"

Cologne snorted. "[Almost three centuries of service without a break and as soon as I elect to take a vacation…]" She sighed. "[Very well, go back and tell Lo Shan I will meet with her shortly to discuss the matter. You may go.]"

The fact the girl didn't budge gave Cologne an inkling to just how serious the situation was.

"[I… am sorry, Elder. But… you no longer have authority here,]" Su Tzu said, refocusing on Akane. "[We are on a War Footing now and Lo Shan's orders are to be obeyed as our War Leader. If your 'Pupils' come quietly, I can…]"

Cologne doubted they saw her move. She had slowed down quite a bit in the last century or so but she was still fast enough to give the youngsters a fright. She saw the expected widening of fear in the eyes that came far too late as her staff had already hit the last of the three pressure points needed, on both her and the other Amazon with her.

"[War Footing?]" Cologne scoffed. "[With Japan? Have the Council lost their tiny minds?]"

Su Tzu twitched but was unable to respond.

"[No, they haven't, this is merely a way to invoke the old covenants to allow them to do as they please!]" Cologne thumped her staff. "[So, it seems it will fall to me to remind them of why I have been on the Council for so long.]" She hopped closer to the girl and looked her in the eye. "[They have invoked the old covenants, have they? Then I invoke one of my own. Tell Lo Shan that as a Joketsuzoku Elder I invoke the Covenant of Contested Ground. I retain that right at least, no matter what they feel they may strip from me.]"

Su Tzu's eyes widened in a most satisfying manner.

Cologne grinned, her leathery lips peeling back in a toothy smirk. "[Good… you know that one. Lo Shan has not neglected your education in Joketsuzoku law at least.]" She leaned closer. "[I further invoke my right to declare a Sanctuary, which I name to be the Tendo Dojo. None may harass its caretakers nor those who seek sanctuary inside upon pain of forfeiture of their lives to me. I name this caretaker to be Kasumi Tendo. Now you relay that message to your sisters and Lo Shan now, and you will not return with fewer warriors than you left with. Am I clear?]"

The girl managed a slight nod.

Cologne blurred again, tapping the pressure points to reverse the paralysis locks on each of them. They both stumbled as their limbs resumed obeying their wills.

"[Good. I will expect Lo Shan shortly. Do remind her to use the door, since she seems to be merrily reviving other follies of her youth.]" She tapped the girl on the forehead, turned, and hopped over to Akane.

"What was that all about?" Akane asked, still holding her hammer warily.

"I will explain inside the dojo, child," Cologne said. "I fear one of my peers has gone and done something very foolish, and we shall have to be very careful how we proceed or my great granddaughter and son-in… and Ranma may well pay the price."

000

Shampoo awoke to a pounding headache. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, thinking she was somewhere dark before she realized that there was something over her head obscuring her vision. A cloth bag?

She tried to move to remove it and realized her wrists were bound. In fact, the aching of her muscles quickly informed her she had been trussed up like a cornish game hen, and none-too-gently at that.

"Well… awake now, are you?"

The voice was unfamiliar. Accented but not Japanese or Chinese. It had a playful lilt that covered a scornful note… and maybe something deeper? There was a tremor to it, like someone trying to keep their voice even and calm in the presence of something enraging.

"Why Joketsuzoku attack Shampoo? Why take prisoner?" Shampoo asked. She knew this person was no Amazon but she wanted to see what information she could glean and playing dumb usually worked well for that.

"Oh you silly, pathetic, stupid girl…" the voice laughed. Shampoo's head was suddenly pulled back sharply. "Do you really think I know or care what your ridiculous sisterhood is up to?"

The pull on Shampoo's head eased, and the hood was roughly pulled away, leaving Shampoo blinking in the light. Her visioned resolved on the image of a smiling face, though the smile was warped, a mask of happiness over eyes that glittered with hatred.

"Though… I must admit they do earn points from me for turning on you." The woman stood and tapped her chin. She was wearing a circus ringmaster's outfit, though cut close, with fishnet stockings and high heels, as well as a flamboyant cape and a top hat perched on the curls of her cotton candy pink hair. "Though… they were still wretched to my Darling all his life, so I honestly don't care much if they burn or not." She smirked at Shampoo once more and reach over to lift her chin with the coiled whip in her hand. "But you? Ahhh my sweetling… I have so many wondrous sufferings to visit upon you!"

"Young Mi. You mad at Shampoo for stealing Mousse away, yes?" Shampoo said. She started to work on the ropes that bound her wrists. Unfortunately, this circus girl seemed to know what she was doing when it came to knots and tying someone up. Shampoo tried to remember how she had ended up in this situation. She had been running from her Amazon sisters, and then… a flash… a surge of overwhelming despair… she had missed a jump… then darkness. Until now.

"Oh, no, not at all!" Young Mi giggled. "I've been watching you. You're actually quite cold and dismissive of him, aren't you?" She tapped her whip against her chin. "Which is exactly how he described you, too. I'd be hard pressed to think of a way for you to more effectively convey your contempt to him."

Shampoo winced. She makes it sound like I HATE him. I… don't, do I?

"No, you've done absolutely nothing to entice him. I no longer have a quarrel with you." She sighed. "Perhaps in other circumstances we could have been friends. Unfortunately, my Darling is obsessed and I doubt there is anything you could have done to dissuade him."

"Then why!?" Shampoo demanded.

"Shhhh…"Young Mi put a finger to Shampoo's lips. "It's not always about you, sweetling. This is about me and Darling and our future together. You're just…" she waved her hand searching for the word then smiled, "a prop." She straightened and began to pace. In the dim light Shampoo could see that they were in some sort of large building, like a hangar or a warehouse. "You see… when Darling left, he hurt me. But… more than that, he cost me." She paused. "The shock of his betrayal caused my father's health to take a turn for the worse. My father had placed his faith in Darling's reassurances, that he would work with me to continue father's life's work… to keep his beloved family, his circus, alive. He was prepared to retire, to leave things in our hands. He knew that there was prejudice among our backers, and that they would not support the circus under me alone. But with Darling at my side, we could endure."

She stared off into the distance. "When Darling left… our creditors became nervous. It was all father could do to prevent them calling in our debts all at once. He was forced back into the ring. More shows. More travel. He was unable to properly treat his illness. What should have been ten more good years ended up barely being one. With father gone, our debts were called in. My family… the only family I'd known my entire life… was scattered to the wind." She sighed.

Shampoo stared. Well… that explains some of her rage, then. "So… you hate Mousse then?"

Young Mi smiled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But even after all of that… I believed he would come back to me. He is all I have left in the world now. He has to come back." She turned and swept her hand. "And now I understand what I need to do to achieve that. A relationship is built upon equity. Fairness. We must be on common ground. So… as he wounded me, so I must wound him. So he understands." She walked up to Shampoo and cupped her chin. "Despite it all, Darling cares about you. Losing you would go a long way toward evening the scales. Losing you would make him understand me."

Shampoo glared back defiance. She pulled at her bonds, but she couldn't get the leverage she needed to get slack. "Then do it," she growled.

"No, no, no… Not like that!" Young Mi tittered. "Two things first. One. Naturally Darling must be here to witness it." She twirled away and spread her arms wide as if addressing a large crowd.

"And second…" she looked over her shoulder at Shampo and smirked, "I'm not entirely sure where Darling's heart lies anymore. He seems to have some interest in another. Rin Ito is her name, I think?"

"You leave Rin alone!" Shampoo growled. "She not have anything to do with this!"

Young Mi laughed. "Oh, I'm quite sure she's innocent. I've watched her, too." Young Mi sighed. "Oh she dotes on him and gives him those big doe-eyes of hers… and it's all so innocent and pure that it makes me want to retch." She chuckled then shrugged. "But… Darling looks at her. You do know how significant that is, don't you? Darling tends to look through people so much. The glasses hide it, but I can tell. There are very few people he truly sees. I realized that the day when I noticed he finally was looking at me. He sees you, of course… and he sees her."

"And you want him to see only you," Shampoo said bitterly. "So… you kill Shampoo and Rin in front of Mousse. Think it make him love you?"

Young Mi shook her head. "Not quite that simple, my dear. It really depends on Darling. All I know is… he must be made to understand the loss I feel. There are obvious ways that can play out, of course," Young Mi's face seemed to soften, "and… less obvious ways. You have someone you love, yes?"

"Yes…" Shampoo admitted reluctantly.

"Then… for their sake… I hope this ends up being one of the less obvious ways."

000

Nabiki watched as Cologne examined Ukyou carefully. Fortunately, neither she nor Akane had suffered major injury, but apparently it was not due to a lack of trying on the Amazons' part.

"I don't know what happened," Ukyou said. "There was this… this flash in the distance and suddenly…" She shook her head. "It was like all my worst nightmares and feelings were piled on top of me all at once. Every bad memory - every bit of doubt or despair. I felt… heavy."

"Heavy ki. Ki fueled by negative emotions," Cologne said. "From what Nabiki has revealed to me about what happened, it is safe to presume Son-in-l… Ranma had more than enough such emotions to cause this. Particularly…"

"Particularly if it was used to fuel a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan," Akane finished for her. "But… why didn't it affect me the same way? Is my link with Ranma not as strong?" She gave Cologne a worried look.

"Tell me, child. What did you feel?" Cologne asked.

"I… well, like Ukyou said, there was a surge… and… and a lot of awful feelings, but… but then I just felt angry," Akane replied. "It… it kinda felt… almost like it made me stronger." She shuddered.

"Your reliance on anger to fuel your own ki stems in part from your own pain," Cologne said softly, patting her arm. "Unlike Ukyou, you are accustomed to such emotions and, by instinct, convert them to anger. For Ukyou such an influx of heavy ki was debilitating, but for you it was like fuel thrown on a fire."

"But… isn't that… bad?" Akane asked quietly. "I remember all the warnings on the scroll for the Shi Shi Hokodan about it."

"It isn't bad, necessarily. It can be difficult, yes, but no more than any other way of being, so long as you manage it appropriately." Cologne gripped her hand gently. "It's a flame, child. And like any flame, it must be controlled lest it burn you as well. It means that as your skills develop, you will have to strive to understand your own feelings - where they come from, why you have them and what they are trying to tell you."

"I'm… not really very good at that…" Akane said in a subdued tone. "But… but if Ranma was doing this…?"

"For Ranma it is undoubtedly unnatural - a symptom of extreme emotional stress. Ranma Saotome is someone who should never be able to generate a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan." Cologne shook her head sadly. "I… fear the worst."

"Ranma isn't dead." Akane shook her head, clenching her fist. "She can't be!"

"Even presuming she endured the release of that much heavy ki, Ranma would have been stripped of the very confidence that empowers her. Assuming the Joketsuzoku are hunting her as well…" Cologne sighed. "We should presume that she and my Great granddaughter have been taken."

"Why are the Amazons attacking us?" Ukyou demanded. "I thought we were good with them! Didn't Ranma kill a god and save, like, their entire region for them?"

Cologne looked pained. "That is precisely why they are attacking us. Or… at the very least, attacking Ranma. A martial artist of his calibre appears once in a hundred generations. The Joketsuzoku have sought to add him to our ranks since they learned of him. It is why I accompanied my Great Granddaughter to Japan to evaluate him." She pulled out her pipe, tapped it out and then stuffed it with tobacco in an old, familiar ritual. "I have managed to keep them at bay thus far by promising that my Great Granddaughter would win him. I had thought that my report of your marital arrangement would end the matter. It seems the fools prefer to do things the hard way."

"But why?" Nabiki asked. "What's the profit for them?"

"On the surface? Racial purity. Inviting so many outsider females into the tribe is… contentious, regardless of their skill." Cologne lit her pipe and took a puff. "But, in reality? To discredit me. Apparently, while I've been gone, Lo Shan has staged a bit of a coup. If she can succeed where I have so far failed, and without the compromises I have made, well… That will cement her position as de facto ruler and destroy my influence and power forever."

"And so… that's it?" Nabiki's tone sharpened as she felt her ire rise. "Our lives are forfeit because we're inconvenient to them?"

"I am somewhat surprised that you are so shocked, Nabiki Tendo. Is this not a common attitude of those with great power and little regard for those who don't have it? You made an agreement and those with power have elected to change it."

Nabiki glowered at her. "If you think for one second that agreement between us still stands…"

Cologne held up a hand. "Peace, child. You are not the only one who has been betrayed this day. I am on your side in this, not theirs."

"Are you?" Nabiki asked. "Are you sure? Because after today I'm pretty sure I'm not letting this go with an apology and a promise to never do it again. Are you willing to stick with this all the way?"

Cologne raised an eyebrow and puffed her pipe. "Are you, child? It is easy to demand vengeance now, but a few days hence, when you hold the life of a Joketsuzoku warrior in your hands and you must opt to end it? You are right - we are well past the point of reconciliation. No, there will need to be bloodshed before my idiot kin will be ready to talk once more." She sighed. "Know that what I have done today is invoke Covenants which are tantamount to civil war. They are intended to provide structure and rules to the conflict in order to reduce needless loss of life but, make no mistake, I have little choice but to be committed."

"So now… what, we're supposed to fight to win back your position as top Amazon?" Ukyou asked. "Just so we can get them to lay off and stop trying to kill us and enslave Ranma?"

Cologne chuckled. "I would hope you all would have more ambition than that." She levelled her pipe at the Okonomiyaki Chef. "If we somehow come out of this victorious… and I fear the chances are not good… it will be by forcing the Joketsuzoku to surrender to us. That would make all of you essentially the conquerors of the Joketsuzoku. It is far easier to convince someone not to enslave you if you are in charge, yes?"

"So your plan is for us to take over the Amazons?!" Akane yelped incredulously.

"Presuming we survive. Which, currently, seems extremely unlikely," Cologne replied. "I assumed you would all prefer a fighting chance over immediately annihilation, though, so I opted to make things interesting at least. I am hoping that you impress me with what you come up with."

"So… that's it, eh? If we want out of this we have to win a war?" Nabiki said, setting her jaw. "This wasn't what I had in mind when you said you'd have a challenge for me."

"If you accomplish this, there are none who would be able to contest your position or standing. The rules and laws would, in fact, be of little import, as you would be the one setting them from that point forward," Cologne pointed out.

"What I don't understand is… what set all of this off?" Ukyou asked. "Why would Ranma be upset enough to generate that much heavy ki in the first place, and why would the Amazons elect to basically invade Nerima to get him now?"

Nabiki pulled out the scroll and set it on the table, then pulled out the folder and put it down beside it. "Because, about fifteen years ago, Nodoka and Genma Saotome set in motion something awful… and I think Himura found out about it and used it to set all this up." She quickly gave Akane and Ukyou a recap of the day's events, taking particular care to detail to the encounter with Nodoka and what she had gleaned about the plans of the Saotome family. When she was done, Ukyou and Akane were both staring at her with expressions of unfiltered horror.

Ukyou recovered first, eyes darting back and forth as she tried to process and digest what she had heard. "I can't… I can't believe… How could anyone do that to their own child?!"

"I think… I think I'm going to be sick…" Akane murmured.

Ukyou dropped her head to the table. "I can't believe I was telling Ranma stories about how much my Dad sucked."

"It isn't a competition, Ukyou," Kasumi said gently, patting her back. "Your own struggle is not invalidated because Mr. Saotome found a way to be worse."

"Ranma didn't even know," Nabiki said softly. "It's all locked up behind the Neko-ken. Or it was."

"What I still don't get is… why two Ranmas on the Family Register?" Hiroshi asked. "Why go to all the trouble of faking a second birth record and entry? Why not simply… change it? They can do that, right?"

"Not before 2003," Ukyou said. "And there has to be an official diagnosis by two different psychiatrists supporting gender dysphoria and…" Ukyou trailed off. "It's a subject I know something about, okay? It's not an easy thing to get changed, trust me."

"A lot easier to convince some poor midwife who really needs the money to quietly forge a birth record for you," Nabiki replied. "Probably not even all that uncommon, now that I think about it. Great way to make a nearly airtight fake identity, if you plan far enough ahead."

"We should call Sayuri, Riko, and Rin," Yuka said suddenly. "You said the dojo was a sanctuary now, right? Maybe we should get them here."

"Your friends are not martial artists and will be of little interest to the Joketsuzoku," Cologne said. "They are in little danger from them."

"Yes, but without us to protect them, who knows what Himura might do?" Akane said. "Besides… besides I'd rather have my friends here right now. Maybe they can help us figure out what to do."

"Sounds good to me," Yuka said, standing as she pulled out her phone and walked out into the yard to start making calls.

As the door to the back yard opened again, Nabiki caught the sounds of singing. Male voices, terribly off-key and sounding very drunk. Familiar voices.

"Akane…!" she cried as she saw her sister's eyes widen - but it was already too late. Akane had started moving and it was very clear that nothing had better get in her way. Ukyou was barely a half step behind her as the two of them raced for the front door.

"Wha…?!" Kasumi said, startled by the sudden blur of movement.

"Cologne, don't let them kill him!" Nabiki leapt to her feet to run after the pair. As much as he deserves it I can't deal with a murder case right now!

Nabiki could hear her father's drunken drawl as she rounded the corner. "Don' worry Shaotome… *hic*... It'll all… all… Akane! Howsh my baby girl…?"

She rounded the corner to the hall just in time to see Akane spin and hurl the chinese war hammer at Genma.

To the older man's credit, his instincts were good. Even highly inebriated, he had the presence of mind to duck the flying hammer. But that left him open to a flying drop kick to the gut from Ukyou that sent him stumbling backwards.

"Wh-what ish the meaning of thish!?" Soun demanded, very quickly sobering up as the two girls attacked his friend.

Genma seemed to know when someone was out to kill him. He stumbled back a few paces, then dropped into a ready stance, dodging a side kick from Akane, and then a flurry of minispatulas.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Genma roared. He parried a few more of Akane's blows, but ducking a kick from Ukyou opened him up to a savage double palm strike to the gut. He stumbled back, eyes wide as he realized the girls were out for blood. "Tendo! Help me!"

"Daddy, don't you dare!" Nabiki said sharply, startling Soun out of intervening.

Soun turned to give her a confused look, still a bit wobbly on his feet. "Nabiki, wha…?" His attention was drawn back to the battle as there was a crash when Genma impacted one of the walls.

Nabiki walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We know about the scroll, Daddy."

Soun glanced back at her, a confused look on his face. "Scroll…? What…?"

She held up the old chinese scroll in one hand. She watched as confusion was gradually replaced with haunted recognition.

"Wait… but that…" He looked back at Genma, then the scroll. "How did you get that…?"

"You need to come inside and talk, Father," Kasumi said from just behind Nabiki.

000

Genma Saotome was no stranger to being attacked by outraged females. It tended to happen to him a lot, in fact. Usually it was outrage over some misunderstanding (or sometimes just an understanding. A man had to eat, after all, and sometimes food was more plentiful than the funds to purchase it). But usually he either just had to take a few lumps, or roll with the hit enough to carry him clear and the problem was solved.

Not this time. He had never seen either of them fight like this. They were going after vitals. Killing blows. They wanted him dead or maimed, and for once he couldn't think of a good reason why. He tried to grapple Akane, to get the hammer away from her until he could talk some sense into the two of them.

Akane used the hammer to counter his superior reach and weight, forcing him back. She used it to force him to choose between taking a hammer blow, or suffering her follow up. He always elected to avoid the hammer hit but her strikes were getting wearying. I never should have trained her so much!

"Akane, Ukyou, what are you doing!?" Genma shouted as adrenaline took the edge off his buzz and cleared his head.

"We know what you did," Ukyou said coldly. "Fooled my old man pretty good, didn'tcha? You'd think he'd be able to tell when it's a six year old girl pretending to be a boy."

"What are you talking about?!" Genma demanded. He got a sinking feeling in his gut when she'd said that, though.

"We found the scroll," Akane growled. "We found the hair dye, and the letters to your wife, and the birth records. We know what you did to Ranma!" She took another swing, forcing him back as the impact cracked the fence wall.

Genma's eyes widened as he felt a surge of panic. For a few feverish moments he pondered a way to spin things, to convince them it was a mistake. But he could see in their eyes they were past platitudes and pleading. He switched gears, opting to take a more aggressive stance. "I did what I did for the sake of the Saotome School and for my art. My son will understand!"

"Your 'son' just blew up a sizeable chunk of Tokyo parkland with her feelings on the matter. I really wouldn't count on that," Ukyou snarled.

Genma glanced around. Soun had vanished, as had any reasonable chance of defusing things. I'll have to dip into the forbidden techniques to get away cleanly. A little Yamasenken to show them they're out of their league and get them to back off. I'll have to be careful not to hurt Akane or Tendo will be pissed.

He dropped back, and then when Ukyou threw another volley of minispats he responded with the Kijin-Gun Dai Ranbu, the vacuum blades, and knocked the projectiles aside. He focused his attacks on Ukyou, striking her in the chest with the Geimon Tessen Shi strike to send her flying back as he made for the gate then stopped and turned back to glare at them. With his path to freedom clear, he felt a little more comfortable.

"That's the Yamasenken!" Akane said, kneeling next to Ukyou as she coughed and tried to recover her breath. "I thought you swore never to use those techniques again?!"

"I swear a lot of things, Akane. But pragmatism wins out every time. It's called 'Anything Goes' for a reason." He grinned. "Not so eager to knock me around now that i'm serious, are you? Afraid of getting hurt, maybe? A lot of the techniques of the Yamasenken are deadly, after all. A true martial artist isn't afraid to die for his art, but then… Well, I suppose that doesn't apply to you two, does it?"

Akane's eyes narrowed. Ukyou stood next to her, but Akane held up a hand to keep her back.

"This is mine," Akane said softly. She gripped the handle of her hammer more tightly.

Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Akane, this probably isn't the time to get fancy. You haven't been able to get the advanced stuff you were working on with Ryouga to work."

"I know," Akane said. "I don't need it for him."

"That's a bold statement, girl," Genma said with a chuckle. "Think that hammer will make the difference? Weapons are a crutch!"

"That's where the Tendo and Saotome schools disagree," Akane said, shouldering the hammer and taking a stance.

"And how will you beat me without the techniques of the Umisenken?" Genma asked, though the girl's confidence and calm gaze were starting to worry him.

"I don't need them," Akane said. "Just what Ranma and Ryouga taught me."

I'll end this quickly, Genma thought. He narrowed his eyes, then nodded imperceptibly. "If that's the way you want it… Kinshi Kinbaku Sho!" his hand snapped out, flinging a rope towards Akane which wrapped around her in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, Akane was ready. He realized his mistake the instant she started to charge into the rope. Shit! She saw this fighting that Kurumi girl! She knows to charge in to keep the rope slack! He pulled back frantically, but she was moving far too fast for him to compensate and the rope fell slack around her as she reared back and swung. He tried to dodge, but the rope had now coiled around his own feet, and avoiding getting tangled made him slow, allowing her to clip him in the side.

He rolled with the hit as best he could, but he had heard the crunch and felt the flare of pain that indicated at least a fractured rib. He tasted blood in his mouth and spit it to the side as he rolled to his feet. He swept his hands forward, no longer concerned about hurting Akane as he sent a vacuum blade directly at her, hoping to cut the head off her war hammer.

Akane smashed the hammer into the asphalt, sending a spray of debris into the air, then darted forward into Genma's attack. However, she passed through unharmed, and Genma realized she had used the chunks of asphalt she had smashed into the air to steal the vacuum of Genma's technique, blunting the attack.

She doesn't know the Umisenken, but she understands the theory behind its counters to the Yamasenken, Genma realized, backing up a step. He ducked down to avoid a sweeping strike and darted forward, intent on tackling Akane and taking her to the ground.

Akane dropped the hammer, letting it dig into the asphalt as she swung around the handle to abruptly change her trajectory. She used the handle like a pole to spin across to his left side and strike his already injured ribs with a reverse side-kick.

He managed to grab ahold of her ankle and use his weight to pivot and spin her around, tossing her away from him. She used the shaft of the hammer to catch herself and drop lightly to her feet a few feet away.

Genma clenched his fist and prepared to use the Dokuja Tanketsu Sho. Sorry Tendo, but I have to put her down! He knew the heart-rending strike could be fatal and would almost certainly hurt Akane, but he needed to put her down quickly. He darted towards her, hand outstretched in a strike to the center of her chest. Akane was already moving herself, hammer raised for an overhead blow.

A small form hopped between them and, with an extended finger of each hand, stopped both the descending war hammer and his hand.

"Much as I am enjoying seeing how Akane has progressed and seeing her do so by injuring you, you fat, pathetic excuse for a panda, Nabiki does not yet believe your life should be forfeit - despite your crimes," Cologne said, glaring up at him.

Genma hopped back, eyes wide. There was no way he could take on the old ghoul! He pulled out a star cloth and wrapped it around himself, masking his presence from them as he hastily prepared to withdraw.

"He's gone! That coward!" Akane snarled.

"Listen to me, Genma Saotome," Cologne called out, looking right in his direction. "I will allow you to withdraw from this but once. If you stay and answer for your wrongs, if you give the ones you have wronged the answers they need to find closure… I will be merciful. But if you run away now... when next your are confronted you will not be allowed to retreat and it will cost you everything. Choose wisely."

Genma ducked his head and ran as fast as the ache in his side allowed. As if I'd trust that crazy old woman! he thought as he ran. I need to find the boy FAST if I'm going to find a way to fix this!

000

"The scroll was a gift from the Master," Soun said, staring at the unfurled parchment. "He made it quite clear that he expected a male heir to the Anything Goes School. I… believe he intended it as a joke… he said he found it in an old trunk."

"Funny joke," Nabiki said coldly.

"You have to believe me when I say I never thought it would be used!" Soun said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I… I agreed to take it at first, but when I heard Nodoka was certain she was having a boy… I thought it'd be a funny joke! Nabiki, you and Kasumi had already been born, and we already knew Akane was a girl. It was… it was my way of letting him know I was okay with his family name carrying on the schools. I never… I never meant… I was sure they had a boy!"

"So sure that you never once contacted them after that, for sixteen years?" Nabiki asked. "Even though you had an arrangement for your children to marry?"

"I… lost track. You know how it is! Things were busy around here, with you girls and then… and then your mother…" he trailed off.

"And then Genma Saotome walks back into your life, dragging his teenage son with him. Except… it isn't a son," Nabiki said, glaring at him. "But it's not that bad! A little hot water fixes that right up! You took the news of the curse like a champ, Daddy."

"Nabiki, please!" Soun cried. "I would never lie about something so…"

"Father," Kasumi said softly, cutting him off. Her voice was quiet, but there was a hard edge to it Nabiki had never heard before.

"Ka-Kasumi?" Soun turned his attention to her.

"We never told you what the scroll did, Father," Kasumi said softly. "You already knew. You and Mr. Saotome translated it together, didn't you?"

"I… well… I mean I knew the gist of it…" Soun stammered.

"Then you knew what the curses were. You knew what Jusenkyo was," Kasumi continued. "Mr. Saotome took you aside to talk while Ranma sparred with Akane and then took his first bath here, and we learned of the curses. You had to have known by then."

"It… I… thought it was a coincidence…" Soun whimpered. "I didn't even remember the scroll until…!"

"Stop," Kasumi said and shook her head. "What would mother say?"

"Did Mom know about the scroll?" Nabiki asked. "If you didn't foist it off on the Saotomes, was it going to be one of us? Kasumi? Me? Akane, maybe?"

"The truth, father," Kasumi said.

Soun deflated. His tears were gone now. "The… the Master was adamant that he wanted a male heir. He left it up to us to decide who would use the scroll if none were produced naturally. I already knew that Genma and Nodoka were hoping for a boy, so I gave the scroll to them, hoping it would never be an issue. I… thought it wasn't." He closed his eyes. "Saotome and I drifted apart… we stopped talking shortly after his boy… his child was born. I never realized why until he showed up here sixteen years later and I heard the name Jusenkyo." He folded his hands on the table. "You have to understand… by then I thought it was already too late. The damage had been done and… and the best thing for all concerned would be to simply accept the situation as it was… accept the boy as he was. Especially with young Akane's… tendencies…"

"Oh no no no, do not make this about Akane!" Nabiki growled.

Soun winced. "I… what was I supposed to do? No one would have believed me. I would have just alienated my oldest friend, and for what? I had no scroll, no proof. And there was the matter of the inheritance… No, nevermind, that's not important."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She folded her arms and sat back. "No, no, do go on, Daddy. Please."

"He means the fact that the Tendo Dojo is not his," Kasumi replied when Soun remained silent.

"Kasumi!? H-how do you know about that?!" Soun asked, eyes widening.

"I found mother's will when cleaning one day," Kasumi said. She turned her attention to Nabiki. "Mother owned the dojo. When she died, rather than ceding it to father, she placed it in a trust for us - to be passed to me on my 21st birthday, or to one of my sisters should they be married first." Kasumi raised her teacup to take a sip. "That's why you were always so anxious to have Ranma and Akane wed right away, wasn't it?"

"Kasumi was supposed to inherit the dojo?!" Nabiki blinked and glared at her father. "And you were trying to cheat her out of it?!"

"I just felt the dojo should pass to the one who would make use of it to carry on the school!" Soun insisted. "Akane and Ranma would have been able to use it to make a living while doing just that! I just thought it best to settle the matter quietly so there would be no hurt feelings!"

"And I agreed, which is why I didn't say anything," Kasumi replied, glaring at him. "But you did so much damage to those two in trying to force them together when they weren't ready. Were you so afraid that I wouldn't hand the dojo over to them if they took their time to come together naturally?"

"All of this for the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, huh?" Nabiki scoffed.

"Carrying on the school's traditions is more important than you can possibly…" Soun started, but Nabiki slammed her hand onto the table.

"What traditions?! Panty thievery? Lechery? We know who the Grand Master is, Daddy!" Nabiki stared daggers at him. "Do you realize what you've done for that legacy? To Ranma? To us?!" Nabiki crossed her arms. "That's why Mom put the dojo into a trust, isn't it? She was trying to keep you from doing something dumb with it."

Soun turned to Kasumi. "Kasumi, please! Talk some sense into your sister!"

"How many years…?" Kasumi mused softly, seeming to ignore him as she ran her finger around the rim of her teacup in contemplation.

"Kasumi…?" Soun asked.

Kasumi took a deep breath, a sad smile crossing her face. "How many years have I been Mother's replacement, Father? I've kept your house, raised your children, taken care of every detail so that you would never miss her. All because I believed I was doing the right thing and supporting my family - supporting the 'Tendo Legacy'." She sighed. "I think you should leave for a while, Father."

"L-leave?" Soun said. "W-what do you mean, Kasumi?"

"Go on a training journey for a few weeks." Kasumi said. "Or months. I can have your things packed by nightfall and you can leave in the morning."

"Kasumi! How can you kick your own father out in the…!?" Soun wailed.

"Father, it is best if you are not here for the near future," Kasumi said tightly, giving Soun a look that caused his mouth to snap shut. Kasumi put down her teacup and Nabiki could see that her hand was trembling. "I don't want to hate you for what you've done, Father. For what you've made me an accessory to. I think I can forgive you if you give me enough time, and I want to. But, right now, this family is facing a crisis and the crimes that you and the Saotomes have committed against Ranma have pushed her to the breaking point. I need this house to be the safe place I promised her - and it can't be that with you in it. I'm sorry. Please… just go."

Soun set his jaw. "Kasumi… You may be in line to inherit this dojo in a few months, but until then I am still head of this household, and…"

Nabiki reached over and grabbed his head, forcing him to look at her. "Let me phrase this differently for you then, Daddy. We… Akane, Ukyou, myself, everyone… are going to be doing everything we can to bring Ranma home. And when we do, we are going to tell Ranma everything. Not that it matters because Nodoka already told Ranma that you gave them the scroll. Ranma will be coming here and she knows what you did. And if you are still here when she comes home… nobody in this household… no one… is going to lift a finger to stop her, no matter what she decides to do with you."

The color drained from Soun's face. "P-perhaps a good long training journey wouldn't be sucha bad thing for me after all…"

"Perhaps," Nabiki replied archly and sat back down.

Soun glanced to her, then to Kasumi. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then stared at the table for a long moment as if the patterns in the wood grain could give him answers. Finally, in a quiet voice he said, "I'll… I'll go pack." He stood and shuffled off to his room.

Nabiki waited until he was gone then scooted over next to Kasumi. She could see that her older sister was struggling to hold herself together.

"Thank you, sis," Nabiki said, putting her arms around her.

"It's… it's for the best… isn't it?" Kasumi asked, somewhat shakily.

Nabiki swallowed. "With everything that's happening right now, I can't deal with Daddy and his role in all of this. I think… getting him out of all this craziness means we can deal with him without all this other madness cluttering it up." Nabiki sighed. "Assuming, of course, we do get through this."

"Do you hate him?" Kasumi asked softly.

Nabiki looked up to make sure her father was out of earshot, then considered. "I'm… angry right now. Angry at too many people for too many reasons. Maybe… ask me again when that's over with."

"Do you hate me?" Kasumi asked again, staring into her teacup.

Nabiki shook her head and hugged her sister tighter. "Never."

000

The trek back to Kuno Manor was a more tiring hike than Kodachi had anticipated. It was also worrisome, as her burden had not so much as stirred since they began their trip. She hefted the redhead on her back a bit more securely and continued, hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

Finally she stopped to rest and survey the area. Another figure landed on the rooftop next to her.

"Whoever they are, they do not seem to be giving pursuit," Tatewaki said, glancing about. He had Ryouga slung over his shoulders and was trying not breathe too heavily and mask his fatigue - likely as a matter of pride.

"Rest assured, they are out there, even if we don't see them," Kodachi replied, eyes narrowing.

"Let us hope they remain wary until we get home," Tatewaki said. "We could call for the limo..."

"I'd rather not stay in one place long enough to wait for it," Kodachi answered. She didn't mention the fact that the exertion was helping her avoid dwelling on the morning's events or what she had seen happen with the girl she was currently carrying.

"A shame. I was hoping you could use the time to explain to me what, exactly, happened this morning, and the reasons for your frantic call-to-arms of nearly the entire Kuno family staff," Tatewaki said.

Kodachi winced. "If you are regretting answering my call, brother dear…"

She felt his hand on her shoulder and glanced at him in surprise.

"I offered my help unconditionally, did I not? My sword is yours, as promised, regardless of the circumstances Dachi. I merely would like to know who I am fighting and why."

"I wish I could tell you, brother. Aside from their being foreigners and apparently Chinese, I know no more about these assailants than do you, nor do I know what their interest is in… these two." Kodachi sighed. "As for the rest of what I have to tell… let us get home. I wish to tend to these two before telling you a tale which may convince you that I am as mad as people say I am."

000

Yuka sat back down at the living room table. Kasumi was tending to Ukyou and Akane's injuries from their scuffle with Genma, Nabiki was fruitlessly scrolling through contacts on her phone and Hiroshi and Daisuke were quietly picking at some fruit Kasumi had set out.

"Sayuri and Riko are on their way over," she said. "I wasn't able to get through to Rin. I left a message, but I had to keep it low-key to avoid freaking out her parents. I didn't get anything from her mobile. She must have it turned off."

"She's probably out with her family," Hiroshi replied. "Movie night or something."

"People do stuff with their families?" Daisuke asked, frowning.

"Yeah, when you're wholesome and functional and stuff I suppose," Hiroshi answered.

"Huh… must be nice. My parents are working all the time."

"Should… should we be having our families come out too? Are they at risk?" Yuka asked nervously.

She felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see Cologne there. She had to resist the urge to recoil from the wizened visage.

"Do not fret, child. You and your families are of little concern to Lo Shan or Himura and their goals. They are in no more danger than anyone else in this neighborhood." She smiled in what Yuka presumed was supposed to be a reassuring way and patted her arm gently.

"Which is to say, a lot of danger," Daisuke muttered.

"So why are we calling everyone in then?" Yuka asked.

Daisuke leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Look at 'em, Yuka. Ranma's run off and she may be dead… but even if she's not… well, things are pretty screwed up with that whole birth record thing. Shampoo is missing. Ryouga is nowhere to be found. They're kicking their Dad out of the house. Every adult they know has betrayed them… err, present company excluded of course," he nodded nervously towards Cologne.

Cologne chuckled dryly. "No offense taken, sonny. There are times I sincerely regret growing up myself. I don't recommend it."

"Uhh… yeah… anyway… we're moral support," He popped a grape in his mouth.

"I'd feel better if it didn't seem like half of this was our fault," Hiroshi said, propping his head up on his fist.

"To be fair, Ranma found out the truth on his own when he got a hold of that scroll," Daisuke said. "At best we just provided supporting evidence.

"Her own," Yuka corrected them stiffly.

"Hey, last I heard Ranma was pretty flexible about pronouns," Daisuke shot back. "It's not like Ranma's suddenly a different person just 'cuz we found all this stuff out, so I don't think we should be changing the rules."

Yuka frowned. "What are the rules?"

"Last form we see him in determines the pronoun, unless otherwise indicated," Hiroshi said, reaching for an apple. "Basic Jusenkyo etiquette."

"Well, actually…" Daisuke said thoughtfully. "Is it? Ranma's the only one with a gender changing curse, right?"

"There was that Prince Herb guy…" Hiroshi reminded him.

"Oh yeah… but he had his own pronoun rule, according to Ranma," Daisuke replied.

"Oh? What pronoun are we supposed to use for this Prince Herb?" Yuka asked.

"'Bitch,'" Hiroshi and Daisuke replied in unison.

"Works for either gender with him," Daisuke added.

Nabiki snorted and looked up from her phone. "There is no way that either of you would ever have the balls to call Herb 'Bitch'."

"Not to his face, no," Daisuke said.

"But his face is in China," Hiroshi added.

"But Bitch's face is in China," Daisuke corrected.

Nabiki chuckled and shook her head. She looked thoughtful for a moment then got up and walked over to join Akane and Ukyou, kneeling next to them to take Akane's hand.

"See?" Daisuke said, casually fistbumping Hiroshi. "Tutu Detectives and Moral Support to the rescue again." He paused, gave Yuka a searching look, then extended his fist to her across the table. Hiroshi added his own in offer to her.

Yuka regarded the proffered fists skeptically. "I… Don't have to wear a tutu, do I?"

"We've considered adding a branch specializing in bow ties, if you're interested," Hiroshi said with a smirk.

Yuka grinned and bumped their fists with her own. "Deal. Bow ties are cool."

000

Kodachi would never describe Kuno Manor as 'welcoming', but no one could deny it was Kuno territory and arriving at the front gates was a relief. For the last half of the trip she had been seeing movement out of the corners of her eyes as their shadows had grown bolder, despite the best efforts of Sasuke and the other retainers.

At the gates one of the butlers and two maids were present with the pair of stretchers she had requested. With a grateful sigh, Kodachi lay her burden down on the gurney. Next to her, Tatewaki laid down his own and the maids set about wheeling them into the manor while Kodachi walked between them and looked the over. Her medical training was informal, but Kodachi had realized at an early age that it was in her best interests to educate herself in the symptomatology of overdose and poison.

The two of them were still unresponsive. Their breathing was shallower than she liked, but not labored. Their color was somewhat paler than she was happy with and their skin was clammy and cold. Whatever they dosed them with, those idiots very nearly stopped their hearts! She grit her teeth but forced herself to remain calm; Righteous anger would wait until she had a suitable target upon which to vent it.

"Take them to the old infirmary. Have the nurse… Kikue? Yes, have Kikue monitor their blood pressures and take samples if it's not too low. I'll be trying to determine what they used on them." She rattled the darts she had pulled out of their necks in her hand. "They should be monitored until they wake up. I want to be notified the instant they do."

"Yes, ma'am," the maids said smartly as they passed through the double doors into the mansion.

"Will you be needing the bath, mum?" the butler said. He had a stout English accent that Kodachi strongly suspected was an affectation, as the man was as Japanese as she was. He insisted that he had picked it up while at University in Wales.

"In a few hours. I want to get started on this first, before the compounds decay," Kodachi said. She was already pondering how best to determine what she was dealing with. She had a few ideas about what might cause such an effect.

"I have rarely seen you so focused, sister," Tatewaki said. She realized he had fallen into step next to her. "Might I offer some assistance?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You've hardly displayed any interest in chemistry before, brother dear."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. "That is true, but I was thinking, perhaps, that you might like to talk."

Kodachi's walk slowed. She glanced down at the two darts in her hand. "Brother… Tachi… Do you… have you ever seen anything that would cause you to believe in magic?"

Tatewaki chuckled. "I believe that I have been known to spout off about sorcerers and foul dark magicks in the past. If you fear that I still cling to such superstitions…"

She shook her head. "Brother… I saw something today… something that I struggle to comprehend. But I saw it clearly, and in the presence of two others who also saw it. What's more, they treated the event as though it were no new thing to them… That nothing were out of the ordinary. I… worry that my own sanity is not as solid as I once believed," She took a breath. "I am… reluctant to tell you, for fear… you will think me mad."

Tatewaki blinked then folded his arms. "I am hardly one to lay such judgements, Dachi. But… I promise to keep an open mind. I know how the mind can play tricks, and I know something of madness. And to mine eyes, you have been saner of late than I have ever seen you."

"Which is why I am loathe to change that opinion of me. I… appreciate your faith in me. I miss the days when it was not such a rare gift." She took a deep breath. "Nabiki Tendo confronted Nodoka while she and I were finalizing the details of the marriage contract today."

"There was an altercation?" Tatewaki asked.

"Yes, but not between Nabiki and me." Kodachi found herself fidgeting and held her hands stiffly at her sides to mask her impatience - determined not to play the part of the flustered child in this. "I had thought initially that she had come to contest the marriage, but it quickly became clear she had some other purpose… some anomaly with regards to my Darling Ranma's birth. The way she carried on I would have deemed her mad, but…" She shook her head. "You are correct. I have seen madness, and Nabiki Tendo was as clear as day. She produced copies of birth records for two Ranma Saotomes. One male, one female."

"That is hardly a shock," Tatewaki frowned, "We already know this to be fact. We are well acquainted with both Ranma and his sister Ran."

Kodachi shook her head. "No… Ran claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of Genma Saotome, but these documents clearly showed both children being born to the same mother, at the same date and time… in different places."

Tatewaki frowned and rubbed his chin. "One was false? Do you suspect the male sibling to be the illegitimate one, then? With documentation falsified to give him primacy over his unwanted sister?"

"For a moment I did. Then… Ranma himself arrived and joined the conflict. He himself bore a scroll… and the conversation turned towards something done to him when he was a child, and his mother…" She paused to choose her words with care. "I had thought our mother could spit venom, but the things she said to him… She implied that he was in some way manufactured to replace his sister. And then… Then he stumbled and dumped a vase of water on himself, and… changed."

"Changed? Changed how?" Tatewaki asked. "His behaviour?"

"No! Physically!" Kodachi looked up imploringly. "Dear Brother, this is why I fear you will think me mad - but I swear to you that from the moment he arrived at his mother's home to just now as the maid wheeled them off, I have not taken my eyes off of Ranma Saotome. He became his sister."

Tatewaki's brow furrowed. "Like… as in makeup washed away? Ran was impersonating Ranma?"

Kodachi shook her head. "Brother, Ran is nearly a head shorter than Ranma. Her build is utterly different. Her voice is different! This was not hair dye and artfully padded clothing!" She shuddered. "And… and both of them… Nodoka and Nabiki… they accepted it without question… as though this was routine. Ranma's mother disapproved of him changing. She claimed he was possessed by the spirit of his deceased sister!"

"A… spirit?" Tatewaki shook his head. "This… I wish to believe you, sister, but this… all of this is the stuff of fairy tales and myth."

"I know! I know…" Kodachi sighed. "I had hoped that one or both of them would awaken so they might explain things to me." She closed her eyes. "They mentioned a place called 'Jusenkyo'. Perhaps… ask the librarian if he might search the archives, see if we can find some veracity to all of this? Some… explanation that is not that I have lost my mind?"

Tatewaki glanced down the hall. "I… felt something beyond natural about that girl… No, no, I mustn't confuse my own addled ramblings with this." He shook his head to clear it. "We could simply see…? You said water appeared to be the trigger?"

"I would not want to risk it in their state. I don't know what it would do with the paralysis toxin still in their systems," Kodachi said.

"Then better we research what we can and do that one thing for which our family has never been terribly renowned… we wait," Tatewaki finished grimly.

000

"So… explain that to me one more time… slowly," Sayuri said, eyes wide.

Nabiki took a deep breath. "Ranma was born a girl. When she was born, her parents lost their minds and decided to fake birth records for a boy and to raise her as a boy. But more than that, they decided to use a scroll that our father gifted them before Ranma was born that described a method to permanently change someone's gender, including altering their mind. Genma took Ranma when she was two years old and, for 14 years, convinced her she was a boy, possibly using mind control drugs and neko-ken induced psychological trauma to reinforce it. Then, when they got to Jusenkyo and he was able to complete the potion, he messed something up and Ranma ended up half and half, but inverted from a regular curse. Ranma found out today - and, because Nodoka Saotome is an evil bitch, Ranma snapped and ran off. Then there was a big explosion on the outskirts of Nerima that we think was a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan, but we can't check - because for some reason the Amazons are here in force and trying to kill us. Now Shampoo, Ryouga and Ranma are all missing and we're waiting for whoever is leading the Amazons to come parlay because we're apparently in the midst of a civil war."

Sayuri nodded all the way through, then was silent for a while after Nabiki finished.

"Nope," Sayuri said finally.

"'Nope'?" Nabiki repeated, confused.

"Nope." Sayuri shook her head. "I've officially exceeded my threshold for this. This is obviously a dream and any minute Dad will wake me up for breakfast. I'll be going to a normal, ordinary, boring school with normal, ordinary, boring people where nothing at all exciting ever happens and this was just a dream that got out of hand because I did a stupid, like eat a lamb curry pizza or something."

"Do… do you want me to pinch you?" Riko, sitting next to her, asked nervously.

"No," Sayuri said then buried her face in her hands. "This is insane, Nabiki. I'm not the only one who thinks that, right? Please tell me I'm not the only sane girl in the room right now."

"I think you might just be, Sayuri," Nabiki said sadly. "I'm in way over my head. I keep thinking I'm getting on top of it and then…" She looked down. "I'm… still processing all of this."

"But Ranma… Ranma is all right, isn't she?" Riko asked hopefully.

Nabiki remained silent.

"Doesn't Ranma have a cell phone for exactly this reason?!" Sayuri asked.

"I've been calling it pretty much continually every half hour. Ranma either has it turned off, the battery is dead, or…" Nabiki shrugged eloquently. "It's probably just turned off."

"Now that you mention it, I don't think anyone's actually told her that you have to charge those things…" Riko added sheepishly.

"So… what do we do now? Do we just go to school tomorrow like everything is normal?" Sayuri demanded.

"Unless you can think of something better? Yeah," Nabiki said. "Us non martial artists, anyway. Cologne is pretty sure the Amazons have no interest in us and it's the best first place to start gathering info to try and figure out what's going on."

"She's 'pretty sure'?" Sayuri said skeptically. "You'll forgive me if that doesn't fill me with confidence. You know Himura is behind all of this somehow, right?"

"Of course I know!" Nabiki shot back testily. "But I can't prove any direct connection, nor do I have any indication that her making a deal with the Joketsuzoku would breach the terms of our competition. I don't know anything right now." She took a deep breath. "If you're not on board, that's fine, you can stay at the dojo until this blows over, or head back home."

"I think we should all probably calm down," Riko said, glancing between the two of them.

Sayuri took a second to compose herself. "We're on board, Nabiki," she said finally. "Ranma is my friend too. And, more than that, I'm her Team Captain. Even if that doesn't mean much when she's leaping tall buildings and being indestructible, it still means I have a responsibility, even if I am scared. So… don't worry about me. I just want to know that there aren't any other surprises you aren't telling us about - like Ryouga is an alien, or the Kuno family is growing a crop of sentient carnivorous tomatoes to try and take over the world or that we're all actually nothing more than a simulation running on someone's desktop PC or something."

"Well… for most of those I'm as in the dark as you are. But I can say with some certainty that Ryouga's not an alien," Nabiki said, the ghost of a smile passing across her lips. "Although he might have a bit of demon in his ancestry…"

000

Outsider civilization was an odd thing. On the surface, it seemed a mighty thing - all towering edifices of steel and concrete and lights that ensures no corner of their realm ever knew darkness so the brilliance of their cities dulled the very presence of the stars themselves.

And yet, individually, they were pathetic - weak, subservient and out of shape; content to go about meaningless lives like drones in a hive, unaware or uncaring of the movement of history around them and contributing little to nothing to it. New construction sprang up even as forgotten corners rotted and decayed.

This land is overdue for a good Mongol horde invasion, Lo Shan thought as she looked out the window of the penthouse suite their benefactor had so generously provided them.

"[Honored Elder.]" One of the warriors she had retained as a personal retainer walked up and knelt. "[The Outsider Himura wishes to speak with you. She seems agitated.]"

"[I imagine she is,]" Lo Shan said and sighed. "[Send the girl in.]"

The warrior nodded and stepped out. Lo Shan remained at the window until she heard the snappy footsteps of the girl's heeled shoes.

"I expect you are upset?" Lo Shan said. She turned to see Himura standing there. The girl's posture was rigid, her eyes hard and her expression unreadable.

Ah. The look of a youngster who has just been 'betrayed' by a foolish adult, Lo Shan thought with some amusement. She had to admit that Himura did interest her. The girl had potential as a contact, but she found herself a bit disappointed that she apparently had expected Lo Shan to jump quietly through her hoops.

"'Disappointed' would be a better word," Himura said. Her tone was measured and careful.

"It is normal for children to be disappointed by their elders until such time as they grow and learn why things are the way they are," Lo Shan replied. "To your credit, I had expected screaming and carrying on."

"We had an agreement," Himura replied, not rising to Lo Shan's bait.

"We did." Lo Shan began to walk around her, hands folded behind her back. "And… I have altered it, as circumstances have demanded." She sighed heavily. "You feel betrayed, of course. But I do not do this in bad faith. You are young and naive and, while your schemes might seem perfect and ideal to you at your tender age, you must understand the real world…"

"With all due respect, honored Elder, before I deign to be lectured about the 'real world' of modern Japan by the leader of a small village in the Chinese hinterlands, perhaps you should ask for an update from your subordinates on the successes of the day," Himura said tightly.

Lo Shan stopped. She frowned at the girl. Part of her wanted to deal with the disrespect she had shown harshly and quickly, to ensure the girl did not think it wise to speak out of turn with her in the future, but what she said gave her enough pause to follow that advice. She walked to the door and signaled her retainer.

"[A-actually, honored Elder, Tan Pohn and Su Tzu are… waiting to speak with you,]" the retainer said nervously.

"[And why did you not tell me this sooner?]" Lo Shan asked, feeling her ire rise.

"[They… opted to allow the Outsider girl to speak with you first.]"

Idiots! Lo Shan turned back and glared at Himura. The girl's face was still inscrutable, but Lo Shan realized that Himura was intentionally making her look foolish. She wondered if the girl understood the dangerous game she was so casually playing. "[Send them in!]"

As soon as she saw them, Lo Shan knew they had failed. Both were dirty and their clothes were ragged. Tan Pohn was missing her sword and Su Tzu looked like she had a house collapse on her. Both were hesitant, with eyes downcast.

"[Well…?]" Lo Shan asked. "[Where is the Godslayer?]"

"[Escaped,]" Tan Pohn said. "[We are tracking…]"

"[Tracking was not your task!]" Lo Shan cut her off sharply. She turned to Su Tzu. "[And you? You outnumbered Xian Pu and the Outsiders. What happened!?]"

"[We… lost track of Xian Pu,]" Su Tzu said. "[Before we could apprehend the other two… Elder Cologne intervened on their behalf.]"

"[Tch,]" Lo Shan snorted. "[You informed her she had no authority, yes? Does she intend to defy the wishes of the Council even now?]"

"[S-she… she has invoked the Covenant of Contested Ground, honored Elder,]" Su Tzu said.

Lo Shan winced. "[This was why you were to secure her Great Granddaughter before she became aware of our activities!]" she ground out tightly.

She made at least a token effort to contain her irritation then, with two quick palm strikes, flung the two young warriors across the room, sending them crashing into the lavish decorations adorning the walls.

"[Idiots! Do you have any idea how much your failure has jeopardized our position here!?]" She stalked up to Tan Pohn and grabbed the girl by the throat as she lay on the floor, coughing and trying to convinced bruised lungs to draw air. "[I should kill you for this failure and spare you the punishment the council will place upon you.]"

"Spare her," Himura's voice cut through her rage.

Lo Shan turned to glare at the outsider girl. "Do not presume to…!"

"Spare her or I withdraw all support for you and your warriors effective immediately," Himura continued. Her eyes were still that same cold, inscrutable ice.

Lo Shan dropped Tan Pohn and turned to stalk over to Himura. "Do you believe that because I have suffered a setback you may now dictate terms to me, little girl?"

Himura raised her chin and looked Lo Shan in the eyes. "No, honored Elder," she said softly. "I believe I have been able to dictate terms to you since the moment you set foot in Japan. I merely think you may now be ready to listen."

Lo Shan's eyes widened. She reached out and casually took hold of the girl's chin. "Tell me… do you understand what I could do to you with the simple pressure of my thumb, child?"

There was no accompanying fear in the girl's eyes. Just dead emptiness. The mask she wore was gone. "Quite a lot I imagine," Himura said, her voice somewhat strained as she felt the tingle of the pressure point Lo Shan was brushing. "Tell me, Elder… what do you imagine would happen after?"

"We would complete our mission and return to China," Lo Shan said. "With or without your support."

The corner of Himura's mouth tugged up in a grin. "Do you? Really?"

Lo Shan's jaw tightened. She did not like the gleam that had entered the girl's eyes.

"You are in the heart of a foreign land, far from the support of your own and in territory claimed by forces you know well enough not to anger. You plan to kill or maim your only contact and ally in this territory, complete your mission without support despite already having failed once, and then somehow return home with no transport?" Himura's tone was quietly mocking.

"I don't need to kill you, child," Lo Shan said.

"Perhaps hold me ransom, then? See how benevolent my Grandfather is? Or perhaps you wish to see if there is some torment you can visit upon me that my father had not already dreamed up by the time I was twelve?" Himura reached up and pulled Lo Shan's hand away. "Choose carefully, honored Elder. Do you swallow your pride or do you spark a war with the Yakuza?"

Lo Shan set her jaw, grinding her teeth. "You are on unsteady ground and you are not so clever as you believe, girl," she spat as she stepped back.

Himura raised an eyebrow. "I was not the one who got impatient. You agreed to wait. If you had done so I could have delivered a willing Ranma to you."

"I still don't believe you can deliver on that promise," Lo Shan scoffed.

"Well, you had best hope you're wrong, because that is now your singular hope." Himura straightened her shirt. "I am disappointed because, although I anticipated you doing this, I had hoped for more trust. It would have made all of this far easier." She walked over to the window and looked out. "As it stands, Ranma is now in the custody of House Kuno, which even I dare not cross. Khu Long has made the Tendo Dojo neutral territory and… I believe has begun the process of challenging the legitimacy of your current administration? And now that she has the scroll, she is aware of what has been done and likely will quickly derive your own scheme from that knowledge."

"How did Khu Long get the scroll!?" Lo Shan demanded.

"Because I gave it to her," Himura said casually. "Or, more accurately, I gave it to Ranma, who left it for Nabiki, who I imagine is in the process of giving it to her."

Lo Shan was next to Himura in a heartbeat. She gripped her upper arm and forced her to turn to face her. She was rewarded with a momentary flicker of uncertainty in Himura's eyes. "Why? Why!? Why would you do such a foolish thing!? Why would you do such a treacherous thing!? You may have undone all our plans!"

Himura's eyes narrowed. "Your plans are as of little concern to me as mine were to you a moment ago, honored Elder," she said. The quiet, dead tone had returned to her voice. "I allowed Ranma to have the scroll because it was always my intent for her to have it, and for Khu Long to verify its authenticity. Because it was necessary for Ranma to know and believe the truth of what her parents had done to her beyond any shadow of a doubt." She sighed. "Also… you may wish to release my arm. Paivio is patient, but he may mistake your intentions."

Lo Shan frowned then saw, in the corner of her eye, a faint glint from the rooftop of the building across from hers. She realized that her own anger had blinded her to the sense of danger she was now feeling. A gunman who had a clear field of fire..

"I am not allowed by the rules of my Grandfather's test to use such methods against Nabiki Tendo… but her contest and mine was never one of violence in the first place. But you are not Nabiki Tendo. I have made sure that I am prepared at all times in dealing with you," Himura said quietly.

Lo shan released Himura's arm and glared at her. "Do not presume your toys are so fearsome to me, child."

"It is said that to train an archer to use the longbow, it is best to start teaching his father before he is born," Himura said quietly. "For a martial artist such as yourself, generations of breeding and decades of training. For a gunman who can shoot with basic competency? A few hours every week after work in the video arcade. You are in a land where quantity has a quality of its own, honored Elder."

"Is that a threat?" Lo Shan asked tightly.

"Merely information to consider," Himura replied. "Which I recommend you do consider before making your next move. I will be proceeding with my own plans regardless. My offer to you and yours stands unchanged, but I require commitment this time."

"Which means you wish for us to be your underlings," Lo Shan said angrily.

"If it helps you to adhere to your role in the plan, then yes," Himura replied coldly. "We have passed the point where I require your assistance, Elder. My grandfather's challenge is moot now. I am willing to assist you in accomplishing your goals, but only because doing so facilitates my own. And if there is a repeat of today, where that ceases to be true, then our relationship will be terminated and I will make sure my Grandfather is aware of your unwelcome presence."

"And what evidence do I have that your plans will end better than this?" Lo Shan said.

Himura shrugged. "Faith, I suppose." A smirk slowly crossed her face. "That… and I have Xian Pu."

"What," Lo Shan said.

"Oh, does that interest you? The Granddaughter of your political rival?" Himura asked. "One of my assets picked her up after your warriors failed to secure her. She is safe and available for you to use as a bargaining chip if you wish. She's most certainly not going anywhere, and if you need proof I could arrange for an ear or a finger be provided to you to present to Khu Long? Or is that too gauche for your sensibilities?" Himura folded her hands behind her back. The artificial mask of cheerful pleasantry had returned as it became clear, even to Lo Shan, that Himura had the upper hand.

"No… no harm to her. Not yet," Lo Shan grated. Her jaw twitched and finally, she forced herself to bow. "I… apologize for my haste. My warriors are at your disposal. For now."

"Excellent. For the present we'll have to wait a bit until Ranma pokes her head out of Castle Kuno." Himura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It would be best if you could get your warriors to back off for now and negotiate a cease-fire with Khu Long, perhaps."

"You honestly expect the mansion of a pair of rich children to be able to keep us out?" Lo Shan asked. "Why not simply take them unawares in their beds?"

Himura's smirk widened. "If you wish to try, be my guest. It will add authenticity to the whole thing after all." She glanced over at Tan Pohn and Su Tzu. "But don't send either of these two. I'd like to have them work with me. As a… gesture of trust and cooperation."

Lo Shan narrowed her eyes. "And if your estimation is wrong and we succeed?"

Himura shrugged. "Then Ranma is yours to do with as you will, so long as I am allowed to credit our partnership for it to my Grandfather."

Lo Shan sniffed. Her pride had been prickled and so she intended to see to the matter personally. "Very well. Take them then. They have failed in their tasks. Being errand girls for an outsider seems as fitting a punishment as any."

Tan Pohn and Su Tzu both winced visibly.

Himura inclined her head. "I appreciate it. I shall wait to hear of your success with Castle Kuno, then?"

"You will not wait long," Lo Shan replied.

000

Thanks for sticking with me so far. Whew!

Those curious about the letter Ranma wrote? It will be shown in its entirety later on.

I know many of you don't like Himura as a character. I want you to know I appreciate all the feedback you've given me, and I will try and use it in future writings. But Himura's plans always had a very tight arc mapped out that haven't allowed me much wiggle room in this story. So… again, thank you for sticking with this story with all of its flaws. I hope to make the eventual resolution worthwhile.

But we've got a ways to go yet.