(11 years ago)

"No! Please, Daddy! I don't want to do it again! I can't learn it! I can't!" she cried out, struggling against the ropes. She could hear the cats in the pit, yowling. They smelled the fish strapped to her. Some were already jumping up and trying to get at her. She could see their glowing yellow eyes and the glint of the light off their claws as they leapt and swiped. She knew the burn and itch and pain that would come once she was lowered into the pit and they began to scratch and fight to get at the food.

"You've been lying to me, boy," Genma said. His voice was heavy and slow. He sounded tired. "When that girl in town asked if you were a boy, I heard the hesitation. You know how important this is."

"Please! I'm sorry! I-I got confused!" Ranma begged.

Genma sighed and gripped Ranma's chin, forcing her to face him. "Why do you lie to me, boy? You know a girl can't grow up to carry on the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Girls are only good for flower arranging and… and tea ceremonies! Is that what you want?!"

Ranma didn't actually know what flower arranging or tea ceremonies were but she knew she had to avoid them at all costs. "No! No I don't!"

"I don't believe you," he said gruffly. "You've been slacking on the hair dye, you've been playing with girls… It was that Ukyou girl, wasn't it? What did she tell you? Tell me or it'll be worse, boy!"

"What… B-but… Ucchan is a boy…" Ranma said, momentarily confused. "A-and you told me to forget…"

"I know what I told you!" Genma snarled. "Listen to what I am telling you now, boy, or I'll put you in the pit right this instant! What did you and Ukyou get up to?"

"H-he…" Ranma sniffed. "He wanted to make an Okonomiyaki sauce… a special one… H-he said I could try it in ten years when it was ready, i-if I promised…" She trailed off, not wanting to betray that secret oath.

"Promise what, boy!? Out with it!" Genma jerked the rope a few times for emphasis.

"I promised to take care of him for the rest of his life if the sauce was good!" Ranma blurted out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Genma's expression hardened. "That sounds like something a wife would do, Ranma. Is that what you were telling him? That you wanted to be his wife?!"

"No! I just… I… I just wanted to try th-the sauce, and-and-and…" she hiccuped. "I-I-I-I spilled it! B-but I tried to fix it and-and-and…"

"So you were making sauce now!?" Genma growled.

Ranma snapped her mouth shut and whimpered.

Genma's eyes narrowed. "You haven't taken your pills either, have you? Have you!?"

"Th-they make me dizzy! It… it makes it hard to concentrate…" Ranma whimpered.

Genma turned away and stormed back over to the tent, pulled out his pack and rummaged around inside it. He pulled out a small, cloth bag and picked out two round, homemade tablets. He walked back over to her and grasped her jaw roughly, squeezing until she was forced to open her mouth. He shoved the pills so far down her throat that she nearly gagged, but after a bit of struggle she managed to swallow them.

"There. Now listen to me, and listen well, boy," Genma said, holding her head as he looked her in the eyes. "You are going into that pit, and you are going to learn that technique, or you are going to be left to die in there, am I clear?"

She whimpered softly.

"Only men come out of that pit. Little girls die in there. If you're a little girl, even a little bit, you are going to die, do you understand me?" Genma said, his voice was grave, stern and serious.

She whimpered and nodded.

"Good," Genma said. "You might not understand this now, but you will when you're older, Ranma. I'm doing this for your own good. One day you'll thank me for this." He released her and then walked over to the tree where the other end of the rope was tied. He undid it and started lowering her down as she sniffled.

She could hear the cats' yowls getting louder. She knew he was wrong. She had seen it. The cats sometimes found a way out. Not all of them, but when they did, they ran far away and wouldn't let Genma catch them again.

She yelped in pain as the first cat latched onto her leg, clawing and straining as it tried to get at the food, then kicking off with its mouthful. She knew that was going to continue for hours until they got it all, then they would start biting and scratching trying to get more. Maybe, if she was a cat, they would leave her alone. Maybe, if she was a cat, she could run away and not go into the pit again. Boys came out of the pit but Genma always found an excuse to put her back.

Her vision blurred as the medicine started to kick in. It didn't dull the pain, but it made it hard to react. Hard to think. Cats probably didn't have to take the pills.

Maybe she'd try being a cat next time…

000

Ranma woke up to a few terrifying moments of sleep paralysis. Her breath hitched in her throat until she managed to remember how drawing a breath worked and she gasped in a deep lungful of air. She curled onto her side and started to cough, fighting to beat back the surge of asphyxia induced panic.

When the spasms finally passed, she took a moment to look around. Her mind wasn't totally awake yet, so she was a bit confused to find that her arms weren't covered in scratches and bites as they usually were when she got out of the pit.

No… not the pit… I was somewhere else… she thought as the fog of the dream slipped away. She tried to cling to it as a sickly dread started to seep in around it, one that made the dream about the pit of starving cats seem preferable. At least with the cats she knew how to get out. She closed her eyes and shuddered. I don't want to remember! I don't WANT to remember! I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!

You're a THING, Ranma! People will be able to tell! They'll KNOW. YOU'LL know! You'll never lead a normal life, male OR female!

"Nnnnh!" she whimpered, clutching her hands to her temples. Please let it have been a dream! Please tell me that it was only a dream! PLEASE! Just let me be in the pit again! I'll do better this time, I swear!

"Ranma? Ranma, you're awake!"

Her eyes snapped open. The voice was familiar. Male. Not her father's, but familiar, even comforting? She uncurled just enough to roll over a bit and peek. "R-ryo?"

Ryouga was sitting on a cot across from her. He had bandages on his hands and around his temples. His shirt had been replaced with an ill-fitting but clean plain white T shirt. He stood up and reached for her. "Ranma!"

Before she knew what she was doing, she shrank back from him. The movement was an instinctive one - she didn't want him to touch her. She didn't want him to see. "H-hey, Ryo…" she said nervously.

He scowled. "Don't 'Hey Ryo' me! Ranma, what the hell is going on!? You nearly killed yourself yesterday!"

That's right… Ranma thought miserably. I screwed that up, too. I got him hurt… almost got him killed. "I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry, okay!?" she said, perhaps a little more sharply than she intended. "You shouldn't have been there… You… you should have let me die."

"I should have let… Ranma, what the hell are you talking about?!" He stepped forward and reached for her again.

And again, she scooted back until her back was literally against the wall. "Don't touch me!"

Ryouga took a step back, his eyes wide.

"Y-you… you shouldn't touch me…" Ranma shook her head. He brain felt like it was on fire as she struggled to process everything that had happened - everything that had changed. "I'm not… I'm not real."

Ryouga frowned. "Ranma, if this is about not being a real girl again…"

"No! I'm not real! I'm not real!" she shouted at him. She squeezed her eyes shut as she started to hyperventilate again, the old panic rising. "Please… Just… don't touch me. I don't want you to hate me."

Ryouga glanced around the room as if he expected to see someone, but they were alone. It was a small room, something like a nurse's office, but it was otherwise empty at the moment. He moved carefully, slowly, as though he was trying not to startle a frightened animal, and sat down on the bed. "Take it easy, Ranma. What… what happened? I can feel it coming off you in waves, even at this range."

Ranma opened her eyes to look at him and swallowed. I just want it to go away. I just want it to go away! She trembled with the certainty that he was going to start hating her too. "I'm not a person, Ryouga. T-two years ago at Jusenkyo… my Dad… he made me. He made me outta magic - to replace the real Ranma Saotome."

"What?" Ryouga looked confused.

Ranma took a shaky breath. "The real Ranma… she was born a girl. And… and… Mom and Pop… they didn't want her. They wanted a boy… so… so that was what the training journey was all about. The whole trip was to get the ingredients for this potion or spell or whatever. And then… and then…" She squeezed her eyes shut as a flash of memory bubbled up from the darkness. She remembered being held down, struggling vainly as something hot and acrid-tasting was poured down her throat - something that burned and kept burning as it started to eat her from the inside. "They made her drink it, and… it killed her, so that the Nannichuan curse could inhabit her body or something… Me."

"Ranma…" Ryouga's eyes were wide with horror.

"B-but Pop cocked it up… like he does everything… and… and some small part of her got trapped. Now I've got some of her memories, but they're all mixed up and she's stuck being my curse and…" She shuddered. "I shouldn't even exist."

"You're not real…?" Ryouga asked.

"Mom… Mom called me a 'homunculus'," Ranma said softly. "I guess that… that's like a zombie or… or a shinigami or something, right?" She curled into a ball. "All my memories are fakes that they programmed into me. That's why I can't remember stuff, or why I get the details wrong when I do remember, and… and why I don't know how regular human stuff works. Cuz I'm not. Human I guess. I'm not even really feeling what I think I feel. You shoulda… it would have been easier if you had just…!"

"Ranma…"

Ranma laughed bitterly. "You always wanted to get revenge on me, right? For the Jusenkyo curse? Well, good for you because that's all I am! It ain't even murder! Plus… plus I fooled you, right? I made you think I cared! I made you fall in love with a thing. I made you think I l-l-lov… loved you back. S-so… Go for it, man! Take your time with it!"

"Ranma!"

She started, then looked up at him with wide eyes. He had his hand outstretched.

"Take my hand," Ryouga said. His voice was stern. Was he angry? Did she want him to be angry? She had said some awful things… she wanted him to be angry, right?

"N-no…" she retreated from his hand. Please just let it end before he sees… I don't want him to touch me and see there's nothing there!

"Ranma, take my hand," Ryouga repeated.

"There's nothing there, Ryouga!" she shouted. Tears were running down her cheeks. "There never was! It was never real, okay? None of it! Why do you have ta see it for yourself? Why…"

"Take. My. Hand."

She swallowed. Hesitantly, she extended her hand towards his. She expected him to snatch her hand, pull her off the bed - use it to hurt her. That'd be all right. Physical pain she could deal with right now. She stretched a bit more. Maybe it would even be a relief…

He leaned over and took her hand, firmly but not roughly, and held it. She whimpered as the Link blazed to life. She tried to jerk her hand back, but he wasn't letting go. She could see his concern, his worry and that mass of red warmth, the name of which terrified her more than anything else at the moment.

"L-let go…" she whimpered. "I don't want to see what's in your head right now!"

"Listen to me," Ryouga said without budging. "This is the Link. Our Link. The original Link. This is the Link that I made with you - without any trickery or science or drugs. I can only do that once in my life, Ranma. Only once. And I did it before you went to Jusenkyo."

"S-so?!" she demanded.

"I didn't make the Link with a homunculus, or a zombie, or a thing. I made the Link with Ranma Saotome." He scooted a bit closer. "Do you understand what I'm saying? I made this link with you. Only you. And I've followed this link for the last three years of my life and it's always done what it's supposed to do; It's led me to Ranma Saotome."

Ranma's eyes widened as realization hit. "I… I'm…"

"You are Ranma Saotome, No matter what your parents or some scroll might say." He took her hand between his and squeezed. "Ranma, your parents have lied to you for your entire life. This is just more of the same - more of what they were doing to you back in middle school."

"I'm…" She looked at her hand, clasped in his, then back up at him. He was telling her the truth - the absolute truth. WIth the link, he could not lie. She started to shake as waves of emotion started to war within her; fury and despair, confusion and hopelessness, fear and loneliness. Her vision blurred as the tears started to come more forcefully now, rapidly overwhelming what little remained of her control. She began to shudder and sob under the full impact of the lies that ran under everything she had ever known or believed.

Gently, Ryouga pulled her towards him and this time she didn't resist. She started bawling like she hadn't… in fact, she had no memory of ever crying like this, though she had dreamt of it. She felt his arms go around her and for the first time in her life she just let go and wept.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way. It felt like ages. She would try and wrestle back control, to stem the surges of emotion, only to have a fresh surge inundate her. It was as though she was trying to purge seventeen years worth of misery all in one go.

By the time her sobbing eased, it was more from sheer exhaustion than having reached any sort of bottom to it all. Her head throbbed with a skull-splitting migraine, her eyes burned and her cheeks stung. Every muscle ached from exhaustion and fatigue. Ryouga's shirt was soaked with tears and snot and she realized that her nose was running and she must be an awful mess.

"Here." Ryouga handed her a strip of cloth - one of his bandannas. She took it gratefully blew her nose and did her best to clean herself up. She trembled, feeling unsteady, like she was teetering on the brink of another crying jag. She felt a little bit like she had when she'd been sick, and had only stopped vomiting because there was simply nothing left to bring up.

She felt simultaneously guilty for clinging to him the way she was, and desperate for him to stay. She was certain that his reassuring presence through the Link was the only thing keeping her sane and she shivered at the thought of being alone in the vast, empty echo chamber of her own mind.

"Why?" she found herself asking softly, even though she didn't really understand herself what the question truly was.

"Why what?" he asked gently.

"I…" she trailed off, "Just… why? Why would my parents… why any of it?" She shook her head. "I don't… why didn't they want me? Why go through all of this? Was… was I really so horrible?"

"No." Ryouga said. His arms tightened around her and she felt a flare of anger in him, but it was not directed at her. "No one… no one could ever deserve this, and you least of all. You're the person who catches everyone else when they fall. Never you."

"Then… why?" she mumbled.

"Because they're broken people."

Ranma and Ryouga looked toward the door for the source of the voice. Kodachi Kuno stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe as if she had been watching for a while.

Ranma felt Ryouga's arms slacken around her, as though preparing to move away, but she wasn't ready to face the world without him yet. She whimpered a bit and clung to him tightly while she peered at Kodachi.

"If I had to hazard a guess, anyway. I'm afraid I don't know your parents well enough to properly judge. But… as a broken person myself, I found something very familiar in your mother's gaze," Kodachi continued. "Hello Ran… or should I say Ranma Saotome?" Her voice dropped slightly, a dangerous note entering it. "Or perhaps you would prefer 'My Darling Ranma'?"

Ranma squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Ryouga turn her away slightly, protectively.

"What do you want, Kodachi?" he grated.

"Not a fight, if that's what you're fearing," Kodachi replied. "Not so long as I get the truth, anyway. I believe, after what my brother and I had to go through to get you away from those foreigners, I am entitled to that much at least."

"And if you don't like the truth?" Ryouga asked. "What then?"

Kodachi's eyes narrowed. "Given the events of yesterday, I think it is fair to say that I am guaranteed not to like the truth, Ryouga Hibiki. I have been lied to and had my emotions toyed with for a very long time by all of you, yourself included. What happens next is my decision, and nothing is on the table until after I am given the truth I am owed!" She started pacing. "Shall I start off? The boy I knew as Ranma Saotome, whom I was engaged to marry, is also, somehow, his own sister, Ran, to whom I have poured out my heart as a friend and confidante. This duality is apparently common knowledge, yet it has been kept from me. I also understand that there is some question as to which identity is even valid, though given your obvious affection for and protectiveness of her - as well as the nature of the confrontation with Nodoka yesterday - I begin to suspect which. Now… Have I or have I not been lied to about the boy I loved for the entirety of our relationship?"

Ranma twitched, feeling a sharp stab of guilt. My fault… my fault…

"She didn't know," Ryouga said. "Her parents brainwashed her for her entire life to believe that she was male, even before they transformed her physically."

"And how do you know?" Kodachi asked archly. "Nabiki Tendo I can believe having verified this independently, but you hardly seem the detective sort."

Ryouga too a deep breath. "I knew her in Middle School. Before any of you ever met her."

Kodachi's expression darkened. "So you knew this whole time?!"

"No! I… she was attending as a boy!" Ryouga said. "It was an all boy's school. It's just…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of old, yellowed paper. "She wrote me a note before she left for China. I only just found it yesterday, but…" he looked down at Ranma, "Is… is it okay if I show her?"

"I… don't know," Ranma said softly. "I don't even remember what I wrote… Just that I wrote it." She glanced at it, then looked away. She didn't want to know.

Ryouga paused, then reluctantly passed it to the Kuno girl. "This is… sensitive stuff, Kodachi. I'd appreciate if…"

"You seek discretion?" Kodachi asked archly as she plucked it from his grasp. "I think I am safe in saying there has been far too little of that all around. Rest assured I will…" She trailed off as she started to read. Her eyes widened and she looked back at Ranma, then back at the letter. She finally shot a questioning look at Ryouga.

"There are… other factors. I don't know if you'll believe me about them, but I'll tell you. For now though, please trust me when I say that the letter you are holding makes everything else make sense," Ryouga said before reclaiming the document and tucking it away.

Kodachi's rancor seemed to have drained away after having read the letter. She hesitated, then sat down on the cot across from them and folded her hands in her lap.

"The first time my mother tried to poison me, I was eight," she said. "It might well have been the accident she claimed it was that first time but, at the very least, it's where she got the idea. I remember… being unable to breathe… retching and struggling and pleading as the world went dark. She took me to the hospital herself… an ambulance would have been too embarrassing, I suppose. According to my father, she stormed into the emergency and demanded I be attended at once and that she be allowed to be present for all of it. Then she insisted on staying overnight at the hospital until I awoke and managing the nurses responsible for my care personally. It was all very motherly and selfless and impressive… at least until the third of fourth time it happened. Munchausen by Proxy her psychologist called it."

Kodachi took a deep breath. "It took them a while to catch her. She would encourage my interest in chemistry and botany, buying me all sorts of exotic, poisonous plants and toxic chemicals that no child should have access to, just so there would always be an excuse - always some reason that it would be my fault and not hers. She used to joke about how I would poison myself just to get her attention, as if what was happening were no more serious than the cute antics of a disturbed child."

She snorted. "I was already making my own antidotes by the age of ten. I remember how it used to frustrate her to watch me eat the 'special' meals she would make for me, then fail to get sick. Tatewaki never saw any of it, of course. It wasn't until her desperation to get me ill enough for another one of her beloved hospital circuses caused her to slip up and was caught. She nearly killed me. Her marriage to father was already a loveless one, but that was the nail in the coffin. Tachi… I don't think he's ever forgiven me. He had been mother's favorite while he bore the brunt of father's madness."

She looked up at them. "I believe you. I recognize that look in your eyes… Ran?" She tried out the name, but the implication was the decision would be left to Ranma.

"I… think… that name makes more sense right now," Ranma said quietly. "I don't… really know who I am anymore. But… I'm not the Ranma Saotome I'm supposed to be."

It felt like Ryouga wanted to protest that, but he kept quiet.

"So… tell me the tale, then? If you can," Kodachi said gently. "I already know… I've seen the magic with my own eyes, and I heard what was said at your mother's home, but… Tell me your tale. In your own words. Was my Darling Ranma ever real?"

"I… I thought he was," Ranma said softly. "You have to believe me, I really thought I was him. That… that I was a man amongst men, that I was…" she trailed off…

"It started to fade, didn't it?" Kodachi asked. "That certainty of your place."

"Everything used to be so clear and simple." Ranma said. "But I… I knew something was wrong. I knew I wasn't what I was supposed to be. I thought… I thought…" She drew a shuddering breath. "When… when I wasn't sure… or when he thought I wasn't sure… that's when Pops would put me in the pit."

"The 'pit'?" Kodachi echoed. "Like… solitary confinement?"

"No," Ryouga said tightly. "A literal pit. Full of starving, feral cats. Genma thought of it as training. To learn the Neko-ken."

"I've heard of this - the source of your fear of cats, yes?" Kodachi asked. "My brother attempted once to exploit it."

"The only ones who got out of the pit and stayed out of it were the cats. The ones that survived," Ranma said in a haunted voice. "H-he… would tie me up and… wrap me in fish sausages, or raw meat, or… or something the cats would like. He said that only men came out of the pit, but… but he would always put me back in, no matter how hard I tried to be a man. But the cats could escape, and he'd leave them alone, find different cats. So… I… I became a cat." Ranma shuddered. "I… I don't want to remember that anymore, please…"

"No… of course…" Kodachi said. "So… your… change was recent?"

"It's a curse, from a place called Jusenkyo," Ryouga said. "It's a legendary training ground with hundreds of pools interspersed with bamboo poles. For every pool there is a 'very tragic story' of some animal or person that drowned in it. If you fall into that pool, you take the form of whatever drowned there. Hot water changes you back… but only until you get splashed with cold water again."

"But… cold water turns you female," Kodachi objected, immediately seeing the wrinkle.

"There was… a potion," Ranma said. She closed her eyes as another flash of memory washed over her - feeling the change, but it was slow and very painful. Joints popped, bone cracked and shifted. "It was… it was supposed to make the change permanent - to make me male mentally and physically. It was… s-supposed to kill who I was, I guess, and replace her with what they wanted. But Pops screwed it up, of course. In the end, it just inverted the curse."

"That was the scroll, wasn't it?" Kodachi said. "Where did you get that?"

"Himura gave it to me," Ranma said. But… I recognize the handwriting. Pops had scrawled notes all over it." She felt a sudden surge of uncertainty. Could it have been a fake? But… then why would Mom…?

"I don't doubt its veracity. But why would Himura, of all people, have it?" Kodachi asked.

"Pops pawned it when we got back to Japan. She said she found it when she was looking into me," Ranma replied.

"And she just happened to deliver it to you on the day our Omiai was to be decided, and on that same day, a group of foreigners decided to try and capture you?" Kodachi scoffed. "I imagine the New Money thinks that passes for clever, doesn't she?"

"'New Money'?" Ryouga asked, confused.

"Her family are peasants, all of them. Her grandfather made his money by cornering the market on cancer treatments. Barely three generations of wealth and power and it shows. That lot always mistakes money for nobility." Kodachi tossed her head in a scornful gesture. "Father, with his western sensibilities, got along well with with them, but they're hardly more than merchants with delusions of grandeur."

"But… why would she do all that?" Ranma asked.

"If I had to guess? To make sure things were are bad as possible so that it would be more amusing for her," Kodachi replied. "She has always been fascinated with the concept of breaking people. You would have presented a challenge."

"Nabiki," Ranma said suddenly. "I need to call Nabiki." She started to pull away from Ryouga. "I need a phone! If Himura sent the Amazons after me, then they'll be after Nabiki too!"

"Relax," Kodachi said. "You shouldn't be up and about yet. I will have a servant bring a telephone for you." She sighed. "If it makes you feel any better - though I don't believe it will - what must be the majority of these 'Amazons' have been surrounding Kuno Manor since we brought you home last night. I imagine that you remain their priority."

"They're outside? Why haven't they attacked yet?" Ryouga asked nervously.

"They… had a few encounters with our security measures. You remember those, yes?" Kodachi smirked. "We've improved them since your last time through them. I suspect they are scouting, looking for weaknesses and waiting for further instructions."

"So… we're trapped here," Ryouga said.

"I would think there are worse things when in a conflict against a superior foe than to be safe and secure in a well-fortified, supplied and defended castle, but then my dear brother is more the tactician than I," Kodachi said airily.

A butler entered the room with a tray bearing a rather expensive looking smartphone, which Kodachi plucked from it and waved him off.

"But… wait… You never even sent for the phone. How did he know to…?" Ryouga asked, dumbfounded.

The butler turned and bowed slightly. "We are very good at our jobs, sir," he said before he continued on his way out of the room.

000

On the first ring of the phone, Nabiki awoke with a gasp, going from a deep and dreamless slumber to a panicked flailing in a scant fraction of a second. She immediately became entangled in her blanket, struggling and thrashing to free herself before whomever it was gave up.

She needn't have panicked. She heard the click and Kasumi saying 'Hello?' before the third ring.

Nabiki sighed and flopped back on the futon as her moment of panic passed. She set about untangling herself, wincing as she sat up. Her back, used to her soft mattress, was protesting. She had elected to camp out in the living room in case a call came in or Ranma returned home.

It's not like it would be that simple anyway, she thought as she freed her feet from the duvet. It's NEVER that easy.

"Nabiki!" Kasumi called from the hallway. "It's Ranma! On the phone!"

Nabiki's frantic flailing resumed as she scrambled to her feet, slipped and almost fell before she stumbled into the hall and all but snatched the receiver from Kasumi's hands. "Ranma!"

"Hi Nabiki…" Ranma's voice was uncharacteristically meek and subdued. "I'm sorry…"

"No, no, no, God no, don't apologize! You aren't the one who should be apologizing." Nabiki sagged against the wall, cradling the handset to her ear as she was overcome with a sense of relief. "I'm just… you're okay. That's all that matters. After that explosion, I was afraid…"

"I… I really am sorry," Ranma continued. "I… after what Mom said… All of it… finding out I was born a girl, Mom telling me that I'm not a person…"

"Ranma, please… you can't listen to all that nonsense!" Nabiki started. "You are not a homunculus!"

"I-It's okay, Nabiki. Really. Ryouga found me," Ranma said, sounding embarrassed. "He… he reminded me about the Link. I was just being an overly dramatic idiot. I'm sorry…"

"No… no you weren't," Nabiki said. She bit her lower lip and tried to keep her voice from wavering. "That was more than enough to push anyone over the edge, Ranma. Are you okay now? Where are you? Is Ryouga with you? Is he okay?"

"Me'n Ryo are at the Kuno Estate. Apparently a bunch o' psycho Amazons showed up and tranqued us both, but Kodachi and Tatewaki got us out. All those crazy traps they got here seem to be holding 'em off - for now."

Tranquilizers. That's probably why she sounds so tired. I hope, Nabiki thought. "I never thought I'd say this, but… Thank God for Kodachi Kuno. Is she okay? I can't imagine she's happy with what happened."

"She's… taking it pretty well, all things considered. She believes me, anyway. Turns out she… uhh… she knows something about crazy parents." Ranma made a sound that was like an attempt at a laugh that didn't quite work. "Is everyone else okay?"

Nabiki thought quickly. "First put Ryouga on. I want to talk to him."

"Huh? Oh… sure…" Nabiki winced at how disheartened Ranma sounded. She didn't want to think about what was going through the redhead's mind at the moment.

There was a shuffle and another voice came on the line. "Nabiki?" Ryouga's tone came through, by contrast, sounding clear and strong.

Nabiki took a deep breath. "First off, before I say anything else, Ryouga, are you the only one who can hear this? You're not on speakerphone or anything?"

"Uh… yeah," Ryouga said.

"Good." Nabiki took a deep breath. "What kind of shape is Ranma in? Honest opinion. Describe it to me like you're talking about property damage."

There was a pause. "Wrecked," Ryouga finally said. "Massive crater, blasted landscape, flattened trees… probably some stuff on fire…"

Yeah, that's what I figured. "All right… and in your opinion is she in any shape to fend off a bunch of Amazons who want to drug her, brainwash her and drag her off to China?" Nabiki asked.

"No… not for a while, anyway," Ryouga replied. That answer was immediate and sure.

Nabiki closed her eyes. We're on our own, then. Better not worry them with news about Shampoo. "Okay. That's what I figured. Keep Ranma there for now and keep her safe. Even if she wants to come back here - at least until Cologne gives the all clear."

"Cologne's on our side?" Ryouga replied, sounding surprised.

"Yeah. We're in the middle of some kind of Amazon civil war and Ranma is apparently the prize. We just need to lay low until Cologne can arrange a parlay." She winced as she had a thought. "Don't let Ranma pull some stupid self-sacrifice over this. If she turns herself over to the Amazons, it won't fix it."

"Yeah, don't worry I won't," Ryouga said. "Nabiki? Are YOU okay?"

Nabiki took a deep breath in an attempt to get control of herself. "Yeah… I mean, I'm not a combatant or anything. The Amazons won't bother with me and the terms of the contest with Himura forbid her from going after me that way."

"That's not what I asked," Ryouga repeated. "Are you okay?"

Nabiki closed her eyes. I'm fine. I'm fine. Just say 'I'm fine'. Just… She grit her teeth as she felt her composure start to crack. "I'm…"

"Nabiki… It's okay to not be okay," Ryouga said softly.

The breath Nabiki had taken to assert all was well escaped in a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. "You're trying to play therapist for me now, Hibiki?" she said, sniffling a bit as the tears she had been trying to hold back started to roll.

"My turn to be pushy, I guess," he said. "I know it's not the sort of thing you'd want to discuss within earshot of a 'disaster area'…"

Nabiki giggled a little between the sniffles. "Oh, slick, Ryouga. I am so gonna tell her you called her that when this is all over." She hiccuped and started to slide down the wall, curling around the handset. Everything that had happened over the past few days was starting to crash in on her, along with the notion that it might not have happened if she hadn't gotten the nifty idea in her head to start fixing everyone's lives. "I'm… not okay. Everything has fallen apart and I don't know what happened. The Amazons took Shampoo prisoner, Daddy's an accessory to a plot to brainwash and re-gender my fiance, I've got a Yakuza Princess gunning for everything I care about… and everything I've done to try and fix things has only made it that much worse. I've got to do something to fix it but all I can do is sit on the hall floor blubbering into the phone because I don't know what to do…" She pulled her knees up to her chest. "I wish that when I had that urge to grab Ranma and a couple of plane tickets and just run away that I had just done it."

"I'm not so sure," Ryouga replied after a few minutes. "Running away isn't your style. Besides… I think a lot of people are a lot happier that you DID tough it out. Not just because they're after Ranma, either. Let's face it… I was a mess before all of this. I don't think I'd choose to go back to how things were before. Maybe I'm just being selfish, but… I'm happy you tried to fix my life, Nabiki."

Nabiki sniffed again, but a bit of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Thank you. I… needed to hear that."

"I… sorta needed to say it. I wanted to since… Y'know, Saturday night," Ryouga replied, sounding suddenly shy. "I'm… just not real good with thinking of what I really want to say until a couple of days later."

Was it only Saturday? Nabiki chuckled a little, a more genuine sound. "I think you got it just right this time." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Promise me that, when we clear things up, you'll come home. Home here, I mean. I want… we need to talk things out. All of us. I want you and Ranma here."

"I promise, Nabiki," Ryouga said solemnly. "Ranma wants to talk to you again."

"Wait… before you go, let me give you my cell number. Keep in touch, okay? I'm serious. Call every day." Nabiki rattled off the number, repeating it a couple of times as she heard him scratching it down. "Okay, now put her on," Nabiki said. "but don't go far."

"Are you okay, Nabiki?" Ranma's voice came over the line again.

"I'm better now," Nabiki replied. "I… things have kinda rattled me."

"It's just… you asked for Ryouga kinda quick…"

Nabiki winced. "I… needed to know what the situation was from someone who… wasn't coming from a place of having their entire worldview inverted," Nabiki said tentatively.

"It's okay. This… kinda changes things between us, doesn't it?" Ranma said softly. "I can understand it being weird for you…"

"Wha…? No! Ranma…!" Nabiki yelped, her eyes going wide.

"I'm not… who you thought I was when you fell in love with me. I'm not who I thought I was. I… don't know WHO I am right now," Ranma continued. "I… I don't think… I can be that boy on the beach for you anymore…"

"Ranma, we talked about this. I told you that even if you got stuck as a girl nothing was going to change, remember?" Nabiki said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"But… I'd be a guy stuck as a girl then. This is… different. This isn't just a gender thing… It doesn't even matter if I'm a homunculus or not, 'Ranma Saotome' doesn't really exist. The engagements are all a sham… there's not gonna be any school to inherit…" Ranma said. "I… don't even know how much of what I think or feel is real."

The upswing in spirits Nabiki had felt thanks to her conversation with Ryouga immediately crashed back down again. "Ranma…"

Ranma's tone was uncharacteristically quiet. "This whole time I've… I've been struggling with this feeling that… You guys didn't really need me - not as much as you think you do, and that… I'm in the way. Not cuz' of anything you guys said or did… you've all worked so hard, but… Even before this started I've had the feeling that… I don't really belong. Even when I did… It didn't last. I-I know you're gonna say different, but…"

"You're damn right I'm going to say different!" Nabiki nearly yelled into the handset. She took a second, forcing herself to calm down. "Ranma… Don't. Don't decide anything while you're feeling this way. Just… please… promise me that you'll come home? So we can talk about it?"

"I… Yeah… Okay. I'm sorry… for all of this." Ranma's voice was distressingly quiet, as though she was far away. The mental image of Ranma receding from her was impossible for Nabiki to shake. "I… I'm gonna take some time to think. Take care of Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo for me. I love you."

"I love you, too," Nabiki replied, choking up again. It sounded entirely too much like a final farewell. There was a click as the call ended and Nabiki let the handset fall from her nerveless fingers as she curled up in a tight ball and cried.

000

Sayuri looked back at the Tendo Dojo and sighed, adjusting the straps on her schoolbag as she slung it over her shoulder.

"This sucks," Yuka said next to her.

After consulting with Cologne, it was decided it was safe enough for herself, Yuka, Riko, Daisuke and Hiroshi to go to school as the Amazons wouldn't see them as legitimate targets. Akane and Ukyou were kept behind to train, and Nabiki…

Sayuri scuffed her shoe on the ground sadly. "This is what Himura does. She finds someone's weak spot and then she hammers at it until they break. I guess with Nabiki and Ranma it was a two-for-one."

"This feels like our fault," Hiroshi said, walking next to Riko.

"The way Himura timed giving the scroll to Ranma, I think you guys finding things out when you did was coincidence," Riko reassured him.

"No… I think Hiroshi is right," Daisuke said glumly. "Himura's plan was for Ranma to find out by herself. I don't think Himura counted on us figuring it out. We were there. We had a chance to defuse things. But instead, we ended up waiting outside."

"But… what could we have done?" Yuka asked.

"Maybe just said Ranma's Mom was wrong about her," Riko said quietly. "Maybe just be there to say 'It doesn't matter to us what she says about you'... you know?"

They were all silent a moment as they walked, lost in thought.

"Hey guys!" They all looked up to see the familiar form of the diminutive striker jogging to join them.

"Hey, my sister told me you guys left a message to come over to the Tendo Dojo last night. I'm so sorry! It was movie night," Rin said, pausing to catch her breath. "So… what's up?"

Sayuri glanced at the group, then back at Rin. She walked over and put an arm around Rin's shoulders. "It's kind of a long story. We'll talk on the way."

000

"Wait… Senpai is a girl!?" Rin said, eyes wide.

"No… no, no no," Yuka clapped a hand on Rin's shoulder. "Rin, that's not the part you get to be shocked about!"

"Why not?" Rin asked, blinking innocently.

"You're the one who was first to say 'Senpai is a girl'!" Yuka retorted hotly.

"Well, yes… But, that was Senpai being a girl. Not senpai being a girl!" Rin said.

"My head hurts…" Yuka whimpered, rubbing her temples.

"I mean… I know senpai is a girl. I'm shocked senpai was born a girl," Rin clarified. "I mean… don't people usually know what they're born as?"

"Ranma's father dosed her with these mind control drugs pretty much her whole life," Sayuri said softly.

"Not to mention the Neko-ken," Daisuke added. "Nothing like some extreme psychological trauma to make a young mind malleable."

"Then the Jusenkyo potion they used changes memories to fit the form," Hiroshi finished.

"B-but… but why?" Rin asked. "Did… did they think Senpai would be happier as a boy?"

"Well, Ranma's Mom called him a 'homunculus', so… no, probably not. I don't think Ranma's happiness was on the table," Yuka said. "Ranma was supposed to carry on the name, be awesome at martial arts, and make lots of babies to give to his Mom to raise while he supported them with prize money from tournaments or proceeds from teaching. Apparently Ranma screwed up this grand design by being born the wrong gender, so Nodoka, in her own words, 'Corrected the birth defect'."

Rin's eyes were wide. "But… why…?"

"Because they thought doing all of that would get them what they wanted," Sayuri said.

Rin stared at the sidewalk. She shook her head, then slumped. She looked so dejected that Sayuri put an arm around her shoulders.

"Dad used to tell me that a parent's job is to make sure their kids miss their childhood when they grow up. I-it was his little joke, I think. But… he also used to say that he worried a lot of people didn't agree with him. He got sad whenever he saw some of the parents yelling at their kids at track meets and stuff." Rin stared straight ahead. "I thought Mr. Saotome was like that when he yelled at Ranma and made fun of him. I-I didn't really think he could be worse…"

"Heads up," Yuka said, nodding towards the school gate.

Himura was standing there, along with Umeko, Mineko and another girl with long dark hair. They were greeting students cordially and handing out flyers.

"Umm…" Riko said nervously.

"Not like there's another gate," Sayuri replied and strode up purposefully. She hoped Himura would just ignore her, but she was already fairly certain that wasn't going to happen.

"Ah! Ms. Kamei!" Himura said brightly. "How wonderful to see you this morning! I was actually hoping to catch you and your team before you arrived. I have some wonderful news!"

"What are you up to, Ms. Tanaka?" Sayuri asked, folding her arms.

Himura feigned shock. "Why… I'm not sure what you mean! Here!" She handed Sayuri a flyer.

Sayuri glanced at it and her eyes widened.

"I wanted to better try and support your team. Even though we're rivals, we're both representing Furinkan, after all, and I wanted to try and raise your profile a little more. So I got the Principal's permission… well, acting Principal, since Headmaster Kuno is still indisposed, to make your next game a mandatory assembly! The entire school will be there! Isn't that wonderful?"

Sayuri crumpled the flyer slightly in her hand. She's expecting us to fold without Ranma! She forced herself to relax and return the faux pleasant smile. "Of course. I'm sure the team will be ecstatic to be able to play for such a large crowd." Sayuri jammed the flyer into her bag and moved to step past.

Himura sidestepped slightly to stop her. "I noticed Ranma isn't with you," she said, still smiling. "Or your 'manager', Nabiki Tendo. Or… well, a lot of your 'special' friends. Not even Akane. Isn't that odd?"

Sayuri's smile was gone. "Himura, don't push me," she growled.

"Or?" Umeko asked, stepping up beside Himura and cracking her knuckles. "No martial artist bodyguards today, Sayuri-chan. You might want to modulate your tone."

"Feel free to throw the first punch, Umeko," Yuka said, coming up beside Sayuri.

"Not talking to the mascot," Umeko replied, eyes still on Sayuri. "You had a good thing, Sayuri. You were already on the team. You just didn't take criticism well, so you left. Heck, we were happy to let it go with that, you know? But then you had to go and get cute. Publicly embarrass Himura. Start slandering her behind her back. She never did anything to deserve that and you know it."

"Do I?" Sayuri replied coldly. "You and I went to very different practise sessions then."

"Yeah, we did," Umeko said. "I went to practise where I was a team player. I didn't go to the ones where everyone was out for themselves."

"Now, now, Umeko. I think that's enough," Himura said, patting Umeko on the shoulder. "We should let my co-captain get to class. I'm sure she wants to focus on her schoolwork now that… well… You know how priorities change."

"I'm not going anywhere, Himura, and neither is my team," Sayuri said.

"Oh, perish the thought!" Himura replied. "I'm looking forward to your game on Wednesday. Though it's a shame Ranma doesn't seem to share your dedication." Himura shrugged. "I suppose I can smooth things over with the office in regards to the attendance rules, but I really can't keep covering for her. Please do let her know that for me?"

Sayuri clenched her jaw. "I'll be sure to pass that on."

Himura beamed. "Wonderful! Now, is there anything else?"

Rin walked up next to Sayuri, cocking her head. "Konatsu?"

Sayuri glanced at Rin, then followed her gaze to the dark haired girl standing near the back of Himura's gaggle. She was wearing a Furinkan uniform and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. Sayuri's eyes widened as she recognized the waitress. "What…?!"

"Oh! Yes, didn't I mention?" Himura said, motioning for Konatsu to step forward. Mineko came with her, standing protectively next to the ninja. "While you've all been busy with Ranma's family drama, I've been helping Konatsu here with her application to Furinkan. She's very keen to improve herself and her education. Which was a bit of a challenge with her former responsibilities at Ucchan's. Oh, if you could let Ms. Kuonji know Konatsu's resignation has been tendered, I'd appreciate it…"

"What the hell, Konatsu?!" Yuka asked, incensed. "Why are you hanging around with Himura?! She's the one screwing with Ranma and your Ukyou!"

"Konatsu is under no obligation to explain herself…" Himura began.

"Ms. Tanaka, please. Allow me," Konatsu said, stepping forward. "You want an explanation, Ms. Toshima?"

Yuka folded her arms. "I think we all deserve one! We've been busting our asses supporting Ranma in this. Ukyou has been relying on you. The least you could have done is to have told her if you weren't on board!"

Konatsu bowed deeply. "In that you are correct. I apologize deeply. I did not intend deception but leaving my assigned duties was taken out of my hands when I collapsed a few days ago from malnourishment and exhaustion."

Yuka's eyes widened. "Wait… what?"

Konatsu straightened. Her eyes were hard. "Is that surprising to you? You were aware of how little Ms. Kuonji paid me, correct? And how many hours I was relied upon to make up so that she could pursue her own education, as well as her… romantic entanglements? Did any of you even notice I was missing?"

"I… well…" Yuka stammered.

"Ukyou told us that sometimes you would disappear for a day or two," Sayuri said. "She said she trusted you to let her know if anything was wrong."

Konatsu's eyebrow twitched. "Is that so? I… do not wish to speak ill of Ms. Kuonji in mixed company and behind her back. Let me leave it that… things were not as well as she might have thought. Perhaps I could believe that was simply a matter of ignorance and not willful malice, but… I could not remain in that situation any longer. Mineko and Ms. Tanaka have helped me see that I need to attend to my own needs and my own life… and I cannot do that while facilitating Ms. Kuonji's."

"Then go talk to Ukyou, at least!" Yuka said hotly. "She's at the Tendo Dojo right now! She's had a really bad time lately, and…"

"I won't allow that," Mineko said suddenly, stepping forward. "Ukyou has taken advantage of Konatsu almost since she met her! There's no way Konatsu is going to go alone onto Ukyou's home turf so she can twist the truth and confuse her again!"

Himura held up a hand. "I would be happy to provide a neutral space for Konatsu and Ms. Kuonji to discuss their relationship problems here at the school… provided Ms. Kuonji can be bothered to attend… But I think it's best for all concerned that any meetings be supervised." She smirked. "It would be so unfortunate to have to involve the authorities regarding domestic abuse. I believe we can resolve this amicably without resorting to such measures."

"Domestic… you can't be serious?!" Yuka yelped.

"Ukyou kept Konatsu as a slave!" Mineko shouted. "She kept her poor and ignorant, and all of you watched her treat Konatsu like a servant and you did nothing!"

"Mineko! This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion!" Himura said sharply. She sighed and turned back to Sayuri. "I apologize, Ms. Kamei. Sincerely. Despite our own differences, this is a matter that is not your responsibility to answer for. I would simply ask… as a favor… to pass the offer for a meeting on to Ms. Kuonji." She motioned to the others of her group. "Come, we should escort Konatsu to her first new class. It's been a while since she's been in school, so I'm sure she needs all the moral support she can get." She turned to walk as the others began filtering through the gate and looked back at Sayuri. "I'd reconsider the people you associate with, Ms. Kamei. The wrong sort can warp your perception of reality and your place in it." She then continued walking towards the school.

"I can't believe Himura got to Konatsu of all people," Yuka said, shaking her head. "I figured Konatsu was pretty solidly loyal to Ukyou."

"I dunno… They do kinda have a point…" Riko said sheepishly. "I mean… Ukyou paid Konatsu practically nothing…"

Sayuri was about to comment when she noticed Rin was shaking slightly. The girl was staring at Konatsu's retreating form.

"What's wrong, Rin?" Sayuri asked.

"Probably just rattled at the betrayal," Yuka muttered. "Rin was always pretty close to Konatsu."

Rin shook her head. "No… no, they changed her."

Sayuri sighed and took Rin by the shoulders and turned her to look her her. "Rin… I know it's hard to accept… Sometimes people make wrong choices, and while I'd like to blame Himura for talking Konatsu into it… I mean, I can see the point. Ukyou was being pretty callous about Konatsu's feelings with everything that's gone on between her and Ranma, or her and Akane… or her and Shampoo. I mean, if I had feelings for someone and they kept bringing people home like that… I know it's not that simple, but still…"

Rin's eyes narrowed. "Did Himura talk Konatsu into narrower shoulders?"

Sayuri blinked. "What…?"

"I'm not stupid, Sayuri! I know people change!" Rin pulled away. "I mean they changed her! She's half an inch shorter. Her shoulders are narrower. Her center of gravity is different. They changed her like Senpai changes!"

Sayuri's eyes widened. "They… they gave her a Jusenkyo curse?"

"Well… Konatsu was born a male, right?" Riko said. "I mean, if Himura has access to water from Jusenkyo… for someone like Konatsu…"

Rin shook her head. "Konatsu wouldn't have betrayed Ukyou for that! If Konatsu had wanted a curse she's had a whole year to try and get one for herself! Something is different! Something is wrong! They changed her!" She clenched her fists in frustration. "It's… body language! Something changed, I just can't explain what. There aren't words for it!"

"Guys…" Yuka said softly, a haunted look crossing her features. "Himura is the one who gave the scroll for that potion to Ranma, right? The one that Ranma's parents used to try and change her and brainwash her? If Himura has Jusenkyo water…"

Sayuri felt the blood drain from her face as she realized what Yuka was implying. "Oh… God… no…"

"Things just got worse, didn't they?" Yuka asked.

000

Ryouga was still feeling a bit 'off' from whatever they had used to tranquilize him, but bedrest had never suited him well and restlessness, combined with his stomach's near constant reminders that it hadn't been fed since lunch the previous day, eventually coaxed him into asking Kodachi to let himself and Ranma have breakfast.

After that phone call, he figured any sort of distraction would be a good thing for Ranma. He was still mad at himself for not doing something more to divert the conversation from those darker paths… not that he had any idea what he could have done. But he was sure there must have been something.

I gotta try and keep calm and level, he told himself as they walked. They had dressed in light pajamas with fluffy bathrobes overtop. Ranma was still holding onto his arm, like he was a lifeline… and from what he could sense through the Link he was. She was stewing in a perpetual vortex of awful sticky black emotions that seemed to be constrained by little more than sheer exhaustion. Ryouga recognized it - the autopilot that kicked in when you were somewhere dark - that kept you walking and breathing and going through the motions when you were in that space where you didn't really have the motivation to live, yet lacked the will to die.

Right now, he could sense that the Link was pretty much the only thing keeping her from spiralling further down. As much as he wanted to confront her about what happened with Nabiki, he knew the line was fragile, and could snap under the strain of strong emotions. He figured it was best to be calm and reassuring as best he could, even though he also knew it wasn't something he had ever been any good at in the past.

He glanced down at her, studying her curiously. So… she was a girl all along, and neither of us knew it? he thought. It was a bizarre concept but, in retrospect, there were so many little things that made much more sense in that context.

Kodachi led them into the dining hall. Ryouga was surprised to find Tatewaki standing there and slightly more surprised when he moved to block them going further.

"Brother?" Kodachi asked, confused.

"I beg forgiveness, Dachi. But I needs must verify things with mine own eyes if I am to be certain of our involvement in these matters." He stepped forward and levelled his gaze at Ranma. "Ranma Saotome."

Ranma snorted in brief, bitter amusement. "Not anymore. Whatcha want, sword-boy?"

Tatewaki frowned. "Show me?"

Ranma blinked. "Show you what?"

"Show me the change," Tatewaki said. "Show me how you become a man, the change my sister said she witnessed."

Ranma shrank back a bit, half hiding behind Ryouga. "W-what?!"

Tatewaki sighed. "I… am sorry, but I must insist. Mine own grasp of reality is but newly rewoven, and I fear it is fragile and prone to fraying. And now you and my sister ask me to believe in the existence of magic… of true, transformative magic of a profound sort that reason states must be impossible. For the sake of my sanity, and to ensure my ability to protect my sister, I must have this proof."

Ranma swallowed. "I… I can't…" She gripped her robe closed over her chest.

Ryouga could feel her starting to panic through the Link. He stepped a little to the side to shield her. "There has to be something else you can ask for," Ryouga stated.

Tatewaki frowned. "I was led to believe this was a simple process triggered by water?" He turned to the table and held up a glass. "And if true, you must have done it dozens of times for my memories of both the Pig-tailed girl and Ranma Saotome to make sense. Please… I do not make this request lightly, but…"

"I can't!" Ranma shouted. "Don't you understand?! I remember now! I… I remember…" She shuddered. "I remember how it felt. When Pops gave me the potion. I remember feeling my bones crack… feeling my muscles and tendons tear as everything pulled and bent the wrong ways. I remember how much it hurt… how wrong it felt! I…" She squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please, Kuno-senpai…"

"I'll do it," Ryouga said quickly and snatched the glass of water from Tatewaki.

"Wait… I would not force her if this is a matter of such distress!" Tatewaki said, reaching for the glass.

"I'm not," Ryouga replied. "She's not the only one with a curse." And with that he dumped the glass over his own head.

The change in perspective was always disorienting, as suddenly the world expanded to ten times its normal size and he found himself entangled in a pile of clothing. He struggled his way free, shook himself off and looked up defiantly at Tatewaki, grunting. There. Happy now, Kuno? You should have seen this happen enough times to have figured it out LONG before now! Now leave her alone!

Tatewaki stared, dumbstruck. Slowly he lowered himself to one knee, reached out and poked gently at the piglet. Ryouga resisted the urge to snap at his finger.

"How is this possible?" Tatewaki said softly. "The floor beneath you is solid marble. There are neither trapdoors nor places for trickery; I have made certain of that. There is no place for Ryouga to have gone. Are you… are you truly him?"

Ryouga grunted and nodded.

Tatewaki blinked. "You retain your faculties?! But… how? The cognition of a man could never reside inside such a tiny brain…" He tapped Ryouga's skull lightly, and this time Ryouga did snap at him.

"Forgive me, I meant no offence. It is merely biological fact," Tatewaki said, withdrawing his hand quickly.

Ryouga felt someone pick him up. He turned his head to see Ranma holding him, cradling him against her chest.

"It's magic, Senpai," Ranma said quietly. "That's kind of the point. I think you're supposed to be aware. It's a curse after all… and if you fell in a pool and there wasn't anyone around with hot water to reverse it, you could be trapped for the rest of your life as an animal." Out of habit, she started to scritch behind his ears, which caused a flush of heat to Ryouga's cheeks when it occurred to him how casually affectionate she was being without even realizing it.

"I… see," Tatewaki said, still looking a bit gobsmacked. "And… your parents inflicted such a curse upon you in order to produce a male heir?"

"It wasn't just a curse. It was a potion made from the cursed water," Ranma said. "It was supposed to make the change permanent… brainwash me to make me think I was always that way. Pops… got it wrong. I think it almost killed me, which is probably the only reason he didn't try it again."

"Perhaps, brother dear, we should save further questions until both our guests are fit to speak?" Kodachi stepped forward, glaring at her sibling. "And perhaps we can later discuss your own lack of faith in my account of things, hmmm?" She glanced at Ryouga then frowned. "Wait… isn't that…?"

"Akane's pet pig, P-chan," Ranma said, chuckling weakly. Ryouga whimpered and tried to hide his face, burrowing down into Ranma's arms in embarrassment.

"I see. I was not aware they had that sort of… relationship," Kodachi said. "You said hot water reverses the curse? How hot?"

"It doesn't have to be too hot. Anything more than ten or fifteen degrees above body temperature is usually good enough," Ranma replied. "And they didn't, really. Not any more than Senpai and I had anything more than a misunderstanding." She glanced at Tatewaki, who's cheeks colored a little as he looked away. Ryouga felt a slight surge of jealous possessiveness. "Akane had always wanted a pet, and Ryouga didn't want to disappoint her with the truth."

Kodachi turned back to the table as Ranma set Ryouga back into the pile of clothes. He wriggled back into them and waited until the hot water hit his head. He felt a moment of satisfaction as he stood up, fully clothed, and saw Tatewaki's look of astonishment.

"When you have a Jusenkyo curse, you get good at that," he said, smirking at Tatewaki.

"There are others with these curses?!" Tatewaki said, aghast.

"A few. Shampoo and Mousse," Ranma said. "My father. Occasionally there are others that show up; people who have been to Jusenkyo."

"This… is…" Tatewaki sat down heavily in a chair. "I… hope that you may forgive me. I am already laboring to rebuild my understanding of reality and this… this deals it something of a blow."

"I kinda know what that's like…" Ranma said softly. Ryouga reflexively stepped closer and took her hand. She didn't protest but squeezed his hand in return.

"I imagine you do," Tatewaki acknowledged. "I apologize for my insistence… and I hope you will forgive me if I say I do not envy you. Either of you. Such a burden on one's sense of self seems… unthinkable." He closed his eyes, collected himself and straightened. "My sister was correct in her decisions regarding this matter, I see that now. I offer you the full support of the Kuno family, and whatever aid we might be able to render."

"You wouldn't be able to get someone named Himura Tanaka off my back, would you?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"Trust me, I had already been looking into that matter long before this," Kodachi said, smoothly taking her seat next to her brother. She motioned for them to sit. "Himura's grandfather is powerful… well connected… and a good friend of Father's."

"More to the point, their family is more influential than ours. Especially with regards to their connections to powerful politicians and the Yakuza," Tatewaki continued. "I suspect that befriending Nobu Tanaka was a scheme of my Father's from his saner days to protect and secure our own influence in Nerima."

Ryouga felt a surge of anger at that. "So… that would be a 'no'," he said flatly. "Even the great Kuno clan is too afraid to stand up to her."

"Do not mistake caution for cowardice, Hibiki!" Kodachi retorted sharply. "To bull in blindly and confront them would accomplish nothing but the destruction of our family and all we hold dear… which is currently all that is protecting you."

"My sister is right, though I… sympathize with your sentiments. I am finding myself chafing at having to deal with some of my father's commitments," Tatewaki added. He had a small, orange pill bottle in his hand and was rubbing his thumb over it, something that struck Ryouga as a new nervous habit for Kuno. "We will support you. But… We must be careful and measured in our responses for them to be effective. You must understand there is more than one path to the top of the mountain."

"So what do we do?" Ryouga asked, frustrated. "Hide out here for the rest of our lives?"

"Much as it is… out of character for me to suggest it… I think patience is called for. At least until we know what these 'Amazons' intend to do next," Kodachi said. "Though I assure you, it rankles me as sorely as it does you."

Servants began to enter the room pushing trolleys laden with food. Ryouga's stomach growled to remind him just how hungry he actually was. All right… worry about the big picture later. Breakfast now. That's what Ranma would do, right?

He glanced over at her but she was just staring listlessly at the dishes as they were laid out. He leaned over and nudged her with his elbow.

"Come on. You've got to be starving after all that you've been through," he said, giving her a concerned look.

"You'd think…" she said softly. She poked at the omelette on her plate with her chopsticks.

He scowled. "Ranma…"

"It's fine," she said, giving him a wan smile. "I don't need much. Been overeating a lot lately anyway, right?" She chuckled weakly. "A girl… has to watch her figure after all…"

Ryouga frowned, but wasn't able to ignore the rumblings of his own stomach any longer. Guiltily, he dug into the meal, shooting glances at her every so often. She picked at her food, but he didn't see her eating any of it, which only heightened his worry. By the time he was finished, his own greedily devoured breakfast was sitting like lead in his stomach.

Ranma's lack of appetite did not go unnoticed by the Kunos, either.

"If your appetite returns, any of our servants will be happy to fetch you something to eat whenever you wish," Kodachi said. "Perhaps a hot bath will make you feel better?"

Ranma shuddered and shook her head. "No… no hot water please." She glanced at Ryouga sheepishly. "Unless… I don't suppose you've been carrying around that waterproof soap all this time?"

Ryouga shook his head sadly. "Sorry…"

Kodachi cocked her head. "Waterproof soap?"

"'Jusenkyo Springs Beauty Bath Bar,'" Ranma said, chuckling dryly. "It keeps hot or cold water from changing you for a couple of days. The Amazons developed it for Jusenkyo sufferers, but apparently they sell it as some kinda exotic health and beauty soap now. Not exactly something you get at the corner store."

Kodachi frowned, as if trying to remember something. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "Come with me. I might have something for you in the supply closet."

000

The Kuno concept of a 'supply closet' was somewhat closer to what most would call a storeroom, an entire chamber dedicated to nothing but bathing and beauty supplies; Bathrobes, towels, soaps, shampoos and lotions - beauty products of all descriptions. Ryouga honestly doubted most salons were as well stocked.

"I detest stagnation. I have Genevieve occasionally bring home interesting finds from the various import beauty stores. Maintaining appearances is important, after all. Though I test each product carefully before using it… you would be astounded at what some charlatans pass off as 'skin care' these days… and there is a bit of a backlog. But I think I remember Genevieve bringing back something with that name…" She started searching through the shelves, filled with bars of soap of many different kinds. The mix of scents from the various soaps and lotions was almost overpowering. "Pfagh! So many are just common soaps overloaded with cheap perfume… Aha!" She reached up to pull out a small box and opened it to reveal a number of bars in plastic containers, all of which bore a familiar symbol. "Might these be what you're looking for?"

"Yes!" Ranma yelped and darted forward to snatch one up. Her expression the closest to joy Ryouga had seen for days. She hesitated. "Is… is this okay? I mean… Nabiki told me how expensive these things are…"

Kodachi rolled her eyes. "'Expensive' is relative, my dear Ran. These are but a pittance. I will have Genevieve order a flat of them for you." She glanced at Ryouga. "Feel free to take one yourself, if you wish? I imagine your curse must be inconvenient as well."

Ryouga needed no further prompting, and picked up one of the plastic cases. "At one point I had hoped this was a cure for the curse." he said with a sigh. "But it's only a temporary fix."

"A treatment, perhaps?" Kodachi suggested.

"It's hard enough to get when you do have the money to afford it," Ryouga replied glumly.

Kodachi considered him a moment, then glanced at Ran. "Consider it a gift, then. A gesture of House Kuno's commitment to aiding you both." She closed the box and put it back on the shelf, then hesitated. "I… forgive me for being so bold, but… the last time you were both here, you implied… rather strongly… that there was a relationship between you. Given the circumstances you can understand if I am left somewhat uncertain… what your relationship with each other might be?"

Ryouga swallowed, feeling a sudden rise of panic. What do I even say to that?! he thought as he realized he had no idea what answer was correct or even safe. He had confessed his feelings to Ranma… they had even kissed… but since then her entire world had been blown apart. And there remained the fact that she had run away in tears afterwards…

"It's…" Ryouga said weakly. "We…" He glanced at Ranma, hoping to gain insight into an answer.

The redhead's eyes were on the ground, her shoulders slumped. Her unbound hair had fallen across her face slightly.

She doesn't know either. Of course she doesn't. She hardly even knows who she IS anymore! Ryouga thought. Okay… okay… make a stand, then. But what do I say that isn't presumptuous?

"I'm…" Ryouga said weakly.

"He's my boyfriend," Ranma said suddenly.

Ryouga stopped short and stared at Ranma. She had raised her head and there was a flicker of something defiant in her eye, something more like the old Ranma he knew. To his further shock, she took his hand and gripped it firmly.

"I see…" Kodachi said softly. "And… Akane Tendo? Nabiki? The others?"

The look of pain that passed over Ranma's face was profound. She clenched her fists and looked away. "They… they all fell in love with a boy, the same as you. But that boy doesn't actually exist, does he? So… s-so…" She closed her eyes tightly and it was apparent that she was struggling not to cry. "They… they'll all be better off without me."

Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "Truly? Even Akane?"

Ranma winced. She leaned against Ryouga's side and Ryouga got the sense she was struggling. He moved slightly to put himself between her and Kodachi.

"It's complicated," Ryouga said. "All of it."

Kodachi frowned. "For her to truly consider you her boyfriend, your relationship would have had to have begun before this revelation, would it not?"

"Yeah? So?" Ryouga said defensively. "Like I said, it's complicated."

Kodachi's expression darkened. "Then you and I will need to have words sooner rather than later, Hibiki." Her expression softened and she glanced back at Ranma. "You know the way back to the room you stayed in last time? The staff has stocked the bathing area with everything else you should need." She glared at Ryouga. "And I trust that you will behave yourselves?"

"Yeah… yeah, we're fine, thank you," Ranma said. She tugged on Ryouga's arm and he got the sense that she wanted to get away from Kodachi for the moment.

Not that he was objecting. That look had made him shudder. He wasn't sure what he did to earn that bit of ire, but he was sure he'd find out sooner than later.

He let Ranma lead him into the hall. He realized, to his pleasure, that he actually knew the way. In fact, he seemed to have a pretty good idea of the layout of this part of the castle now. But he didn't say anything for the moment. He got the feeling that wasn't the reason Ranma was holding his hand.

They walked in silence until they reached the room. It was unchanged since their last visit, right down to the spare pajamas the servants had laid out for them. There was, as well, another set of clothes for each of them that appeared to be about the right size.

"You should go first," Ryouga said, motioning towards the bathroom with his free hand.

Ranma seemed to lean a bit more heavily against him. He felt a spike of… fear? Apprehension?

"We… could just go together," she said.

It wasn't a suggestive invitation. It felt more like it was… fearful. Not a fear of anything in particular; just of being alone.

That being said, it was a step he was entirely sure he wasn't quite ready to take yet. He swallowed. Hard. "I… uhh… I'm pretty sure that's… not really appropriate…"

She scowled at him. "Why not? It's not like you haven't seen me naked before. Heck, we've shared the furo plenty! Even while I was a girl sometimes!"

"Yeah, but… I was preoccupied at the time, and it wasn't like it was intentional!" Ryouga protested. "Usually that was just to get hot water to change back! A-and besides, we were rivals back then! I was trying to beat the crap out of you, not… not…!"

"Not sleep with me?" Ranma asked softly.

"I didn't say that!" Ryouga finished desperately. "Besides, you were the one who called me her 'boyfriend'! I mean, even if that was just to throw off Kodachi…!"

"It wasn't!" Ranma said hotly. She released his hand and turned to glare at him. "Why are you getting all bent out of shape about this!? You kissed me, remember? I thought this was what you wanted!"

There was fire in her eyes but he could also detect a slight tremor in her lower lip. He remembered the sense of fear, the worry about being alone. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. "It is." he said finally. "But… Not like this. Not because you're afraid of being alone."

"Why not?!" Ranma demanded. "Isn't… isn't that why you've wanted a girlfriend so badly all this time?! Isn't that why people get together in the first place?! I just wanted…" She trailed off, and then spun and stomped towards the bathroom. "Forget it! Nevermind! It's not perfect, I get it! Sorry I brought it up!"

"Wait, Ranma…!" Ryouga tried to follow after her, but she slammed the door in his face.

He sighed, turned to lean against the door and slid slowly down to the floor. He dropped his face into his hands. Hibiki, you are a complete and total moron, he thought glumly.

000

Ranma intentionally made sure the water was a cold as possible as she doused herself and lathered up with the soap. She checked several times to be sure she was holding the right soap, and she made certain that every inch of her body got thoroughly lathered and scrubbed. She was shivering and chilled to the bone by the time she finally rinsed herself off.

She hugged herself for warmth and gazed apprehensively at the furo. The water was so warm it was steaming. It looked so inviting - just what the aches and bruises all over her cried for, but…

Another flash of memory washed over her. Agony. Bones cracking… shattering and slowly reforming, muscles tearing and rebinding, pain wracking every inch of her as her body was forcibly reshaped, as though the hands of some giant were smashing her and reworking her like clay.

She closed her eyes and hugged herself tighter.

She swallowed. "C'mon, Saotome… just a little hot water… you've used the soap before. G-gotta… gotta test it…"

She took a deep breath then stepped impulsively forward and into the water.

She held her breath, braced for that tingling sensation that signalled the change. But there was nothing. She froze like that for a few more minutes before cautiously climbing the rest of the way into the tub and sinking down into the hot water.

She sighed in relief and closed her eyes. Thank God… I didn't want to have to give up hot baths… she thought as she back against the side of the tub and started to relax. She repressed another shudder as the notion of changing again flitted through her mind and brought with it the memory, but she was able to tamp that down.

With the immediate crisis past, though, darker thoughts crept back into the forefront. She opened her eyes again, blinking as her vision was obstructed by a lock of her hair. She reached up to brush it away, but instead stopped, grasped it and examined it. For the longest time she had wondered if the curse was responsible for the change in her hair color. A Japanese girl with naturally red hair, much less the intense shade of crimson she had, was basically impossible.

How do I know any of this is really any more 'me' than my male side? she thought, looking down at herself. She felt… uncomfortable. It wasn't the old sense of wrongness that she used to have. That came from knowing what her proper form was. This was an odd sense of disconnection… as though she wore someone else's body entirely.

She shuddered again and sank deeper into the water. She crossed her arms and dug her nails into the flesh of her upper arms - the dull sting helped to keep her anchored.

"Ryouga?" she called out hopefully.

There was a brief pause. "Yeah?" a voice drifted in from the other side of the door.

This is stupid. I'M stupid. I don't know what I'm doing! "Could you… Could you just come in here?" She sank down a bit further.

"What?!" Ryouga squeaked. She heard him clear his throat and try again. "Uhh… Yeah. Just… I'll close my eyes, okay?"

She felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. He's cute. I think I see why Nabiki tries to get him flustered all the time. It's… it's okay for me to think that now, isn't it? I'm a girl, right? "It's okay, Ryo. Nothing you haven't seen before. Besides, I'm in the bath." Still, she unconsciously crossed an arm over her chest.

The door clicked open and Ryouga came into the room, being careful not to look in her direction. He pulled a stool over and set it next to the tub, then sat down to face the wall. "O-okay. I'm here. You okay?"

She scooted over, closer to his side of the tub. "Yeah. I just… needed someone to talk to, okay? I kinda… feel like my brain is on fire right now."

He placed his forearm on the edge of the tub, though he still wouldn't look at her. She guessed it was probably an attempt to subtly offer the support of the Link though it was naturally as unsubtle as anything else he did. But it was at least perceptive.

She rested her hand on top of his and sighed. After a minute, she got tired of looking at the side of his head. "Oi… You can look at me, you know. I'm not going to flash you or anything."

"Uhh… right… Yeah…" With visible effort, he turned his head. His eyes were closed, but he did manage to crack one open. "Urk…"

"Need a tissue?" Ranma asked, smiling in spite of herself.

"No… I think…" He swallowed. He pinched his nose experimentally. "I think my tolerance has gotten higher over the last couple weeks."

Ranma almost went back on her word and flashed him, just as a matter of pride, but she suppressed the urge. She didn't want to drive him off or reduce him to a gibbering idiot. She wanted him there. "Good. I'll… try and avoid letting that pick my pride."

A look of terror flickered across Ryouga's face. "Please don't," he croaked in a low, pleading tone.

"I guess it's not really fair…" Ranma said softly. "I mean… I don't even know if this is what I would really look like, y'know? Even if… even assuming this is really me… I really doubt the red hair or the figure are what I'd have if I had… y'know… grown up regularly."

"What do you mean?" Ryouga asked, frowning in confusion.

"Look at Herb, for instance. From what I've seen, everyone who takes a dunk in a spring comes out… y'know, pretty. I know it was Nannichuan I got dosed with, but… everything got reversed, right? Mousse is pretty handsome as far as duck's go. Shampoo is like one of those pedigree show cats, and you ended up as the most adorable piglet… so… Just saying there's probably some magical 'enhancements' going on…" She felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks as she spoke, though she didn't know why.

Ryouga frowned, then leaned over and lightly ran a finger along her cheek.

She blinked and stared at him, unsure how to respond, or even what he was doing.

"Freckles," Ryouga said. "You had those in middle school. I remember them because I thought they were dirt smudges since you didn't wash your face properly, and you got all indignant." He straightened. "I… uhh… don't know about the other stuff, but… I can see how you look like your Mom… your Mom's hair is kinda coppery too…. Isn't that why your Dad made you use the hair dye? To cover up the red hair? So… I'm pretty sure this is you Ranma. Is it that hard to believe that you're just attractive all on your own?"

"I…" Ranma considered. "I used to take it for granted, actually. I'm just… questioning all sorts of assumptions lately. I'm kinda… struggling to figure out what's real." She squeezed his hand a bit, needing the reassurance of his presence. At least I know HE'S real - all the stuff that happened in Middle School.

"I guess that makes sense…" Ryouga said, his words slow, tentative, as though he were choosing them with some care. "But… I think it may be that you're going overboard with some of it."

Ranma blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean don't you think you're being way too hard on Nabiki and the rest of the girls?" Ryouga put his hand over hers as if he was afraid she'd pull away.

Ranma looked away, but she didn't try to move her hand. "I'm… not what they fell in love with. Why would they feel anything but betrayed?" she murmured.

"I didn't feel betrayed," Ryouga said reassuringly.

Ranma felt the heat rise to her cheeks again and ducked her head. "Th-that's because you fell in love with me as a girl already, jackass!"

"Wrong," Ryouga said, leaning over and poking her forehead. "I fell in love with you. And yeah, that means I'm saying I fell in love with someone I thought was a guy. And that was weird for me, you know? But I dealt with it because I realized I cared about a person. And whatever your parents did seventeen years ago or fifteen years ago, or two years ago or whatever, you're still that person. And I know the girls feel the same way because we're all linked and it's obvious whenever they look at you." He leaned back against the side of the tub and shrugged. "I think you oughta give 'em more credit."

Ranma folded her arms on the side of the tub and rested her chin on them to consider that. He's right. Why am I still debating this? I KNOW he's right… isn't he? Why can't I believe it? "I guess… I don't understand why though."

"Why what?"

"Why would they love me, if… if I'm not the thing they thought I was? If I'm not the boy they got engaged to; the male outsider who defeated 'em; the boy for whom their parent traded a yattai? I mean… I can't really marry any of 'em now, can I?"

"Actually, I dunno what the law is on same sex couples any more. The last time I read a newspaper it was in Spanish," He frowned. "Not sure if I was in Spain or Mexico, though. Or how I might have gotten there. I thought it was just really unseasonably warm in Honshu."

Ranma had to snicker despite the darkness of her mood. She glanced at him suspiciously. "Are you serious, or are you just making that up to make me feel better?"

"I'll let you know if we're ever in Honshu. Or Spain," Ryouga winked. "But… the point is… none of that is why they love you. Why we love you. It wasn't because of Amazon laws or joining the schools or regaining their honor… they were more than willing to throw all that away for you."

"It's… still kinda weird to hear you say that to me," Ranma said softly. "That you love me, I mean."

"Still kinda weird for me, too," Ryouga replied. "Probably not as much, though, what with all of the stuff going on." He squeezed her hand. "I do, though… I know I used that word a lot before I really knew what it meant, but… I do now, and I mean it."

"I know. It's just…" Ranma trailed off, looking away again. She felt a surge of shame.

"It's okay if you can't say it back. It's okay if you don't feel that way, or you're not sure," Ryouga said gently. "I can wait for you to figure it out. You've got much bigger problems at the moment. And I'm not going anywhere regardless, so don't worry."

"That's not it!" Ranma said. "I… It's not fair to you. And… And I don't even know why I can't say it. I… still feel like I'm forgetting something. Something important."

"Forget about me for the moment. What about Nabiki, Akane, Shampoo and Ukyou?" Ryouga said. "Are you just going to leave things as they are after that phone call?"

"I dunno how to face them yet," Ranma said miserably. "Especially since my parents might be there. Or Mr. Tendo… Oh, God, he was in on it…!" She shuddered under a wave of anger and grief that caused her vision to blur with tears. Impatiently, she scrubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Damnit, I'm sick of crying already. Why won't it stop?"

"Hey, hey, stop that…" Ryouga said. He scooped up a washcloth, carefully soaked it in the warm water, took hold of her chin and started to gently wash her face. "You're gonna end up with an eyelash in your eye or something if you keep rubbing them like that."

Normally Ranma would have strenuously protested such treatment, but she found herself submitting meekly. A small part of her noted it felt kind of nice to let someone else care for her like this, like it was something that had been missing. It was kinda like this when Ucchan did my makeup, too.

"You… don't gotta take care of me like a little kid, y'know," Ranma mumbled in a weak protest.

Ryouga paused and arched an eyebrow. "Yeah… yeah, I do," he replied gruffly. "Someone has to… because you don't know when to ask for help. You were always like that… even back in Middle School."

Memories... of warm meals… simple things, like noodles… idle banter… warm baths and, most of all, a sense safety drifted through her mind. It occured to Ranma that she was letting him fuss because it was familiar. He's right… he used to do this before. He'd make up some pretense, but he'd always find one. Funny… I always thought it was me that was taking care of him.

"You've been taking care of me for the past few weeks," Ryouga said, as though he'd read her mind. "Just seems fair is all." He pulled the cloth away. "How's that? Better?"

She blinked. She knew she was blushing but, for the moment, she was okay with that. "Y-yeah. How bad does it look? I must be a real mess, right?"

Ryouga looked her over carefully. "No, you're fine. You're… you're…" He trailed off as their gazes locked and the moment stretched out.

He shook his head suddenly and broke the spell, but Ranma noticed that his face had moved considerably closer to hers own. "Uhhh… I should… I… should do the thing… Let you finish up! Yeah… I'll… I'm gonna go do that… elsewhere. Y'know, just outside. In the other room I mean." He got up awkwardly and headed for the door.

"Ryouga?" Ranma said. He stopped and turned back to look at her.

She smiled. "Thank you. I feel… better now."

"Aheh…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Y-yeah. Anytime."

"You're actually not too bad at this 'boyfriend' thing," Ranma added.

Ryouga stammered but couldn't manage anything like coherent speech. He bumped into the door as he tried to walk through before he'd opened it, then finally managed to put together the right order of operations to open the door, step out, and close it behind him.

000

Nabiki had her knees pulled up, her arms folded across them and her forehead resting on her arms as she tried desperately to think of some way to make things better.

Ukyou was in the kitchen washing dishes. Nabiki was pretty sure they were the same dishes she had just washed, and that every inch of the kitchen had been scrubbed at least twice now, but it was the place Ukyou felt most comfortable. Kasumi had gone out to do the shopping, once Cologne had reassured her that she was safe from any Amazon reprisals, and Akane had gone to the dojo to break bricks. It'd almost seem normal if it weren't for the angry sobs Nabiki could occasionally hear amid the sounds of shattering cinder blocks.

She had told them about the phone call, of course. They deserved to know that Ranma was alive and reasonably safe, even if her mental state was far from comforting.

She wants to run away. And I can't blame her. Everybody wants their piece and some of them are starting to get violent now that she's can't meet everyone's unreasonable demands anymore. And all I've done is anchor her here, in the worst place in the world for her to be! She groaned softly and clenched her fists.

"Giving up already, child?" Cologne's familiar rasp cut into Nabiki's ruminations. Nabiki raised her head and glared at the Joketsuzoku elder.

"That's hardly a fair accusation, don't you think?" Nabiki growled. "Or do you always expect your protege to be able to take on both the Yakuza and the best warriors of the Amazons after a couple of weeks of training in the dodging and catching of dishes?"

"You think this one of my tests, then?" Cologne raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly imagine that I am even capable of such machiavellian cruelty?"

"No, tempting at it is," Nabiki's glare remained unabated. "But I do hold you responsible! Those aren't Yakuza keeping me holed up in my own home and away from my fiance when she needs me the most!"

Cologne sighed. "I agree that I bear the burden of responsibility in this for my sister's actions, and I accept that. But assigning blame, however cathartic, is not going to correct the situation!" She thumped her staff on the ground. "I am willing to aid you however I can, Nabiki Tendo, but I must know you have the wherewithal to see this through to the end!"

"Why is this on me, huh?!" Nabiki all but shouted. "These are your people who are working for Himura! This is all some martial arts idiocy mixed up with some criminal underworld idiocy of which I never wanted any part, and have done my dead level best to avoid, so why is it suddenly on me?!"

"This is your world, Nabiki Tendo," Cologne replied. "For all my centuries of experience, I do not know or understand it like you do. For all your insistence of having nothing to do with any of this, you are the only one who has a foot in both worlds. You are the only one who has enough understanding of it to see the big picture. The burden is unfair, I grant you. But… there is no one else. Not Shampoo, not Ranma, not even myself."

"What… all by my lonesome?" Nabiki muttered. "Just… whip up some Nabiki version of the Hiryu Shoten Ha and make all the bad guys go away?"

Cologne walked over next to her and patted her arm. "No, child. Not alone. I am still here to help, as are the others. As will Ranma, when the shock of her discovery has faded. And there are others you have acquired on your own. I believe you have all the pieces you require to be victorious. You merely need to play them wisely."

"You've got far more confidence in my abilities than I do," Nabiki groused. "And I have a lot of confidence in my abilities. Too much, it turns out. All of this started because I thought I could 'fix' Ranma Saotome's life."

"And do you honestly think you have not made progress? Or that you would encounter no setbacks or resistance?" Cologne chuckled. "That is overconfidence indeed! Destiny is loathe to change, Nabiki Tendo, yet you have dragged it kicking and screaming thus far, seemingly without effort. But it will not submit without a fight. You should have expected a final conflict before you gained mastery over it."

"You make it sound like I'm slaying some sort of monster," Nabiki said skeptically.

"Aren't you?" Cologne settled down next to her, easing herself down stiffly. As spry as the old woman was, it was easy to forget that she was ancient, but for that brief moment she dropped her guard and Nabiki could see how much the years weighed on her. "I sought to defy destiny once myself. I had been raised my entire life to fulfill my mother's wishes - to become a great warrior and to lead our people. I trod the well-worn path of destiny without question." She pulled out her pipe and started packing it. "Until I met Happi, that is."

"Let me guess; You fell in love and were tempted to run away with him?" Nabiki asked.

"Heavens no, child!" Cologne chuckled. "Oh, I was infatuated with him to a degree, to be sure. He was different - bold, brash and capable. He was clumsy, but unafraid to make mistakes. He'd pick himself up, dust himself off and try again in pursuit of what he wanted. He was hardly different from what he is now, but he was unlike anyone I had ever met. But he was also a lecherous idiot who sought only to sate his baser desires and would never see me as more than an object of those desires… much as I might have wished it to be different." She sighed. "Yet… he did plant the seeds of rebellion - the notion that there was an outside world; places full of people and adventures. He made me realize that there was more to life than our little village in our small corner of China, and that these places might be worth exploring."

"You wanted to run away. See the world," Nabiki said, finding herself struggling to attribute such a rebellious notion to the conservative elder.

"I did run away," Cologne replied as she lit her pipe and took a puff. "For a time. I had naively assumed that my mother would allow me to simply walk away from it all, and that she would respect my decision. I was wrong. She pursued me and dragged me back home, three times, in fact, before I managed to get away cleanly. Each time she would remind me of my duty and of the people who would come to depend on me - of my destiny. I was having none of it, of course."

Cologne sighed. "And then I found out very quickly that the world outside of Jusendo cared nothing for a girl who knew nothing of its ways. I could defend myself, of course; but I was hardly the only martial artist wandering China, and I was arguably the most naive. Within days I found myself destitute, swindled out of my few meagre possessions with naught but a handful of coins and the tattered clothes on my back. I found myself stumbling through a rainstorm… freezing rain, the sort that soaks through you straight to the bone. And I was left staring at a tea shop, wondering if I should spend the last of my coin on something so frivolous as a cup of tea, if only to get some sort of respite from the cold and wet."

"A tea shop, huh?" Nabiki said softly.

"Yes. And an odd one at that. All manner of whirly things and chimes outside, and a name that made no sense to me. In the middle of nowhere by the road. Odder still was the man inside who ran the place. He wore women's clothes and too much makeup, but made no attempt to disguise what he was. He never took my coin. He merely asked to guess my preferred type of tea." Cologne chuckled. "I didn't even know I had a preference until then. But it was a quiet place to think. I don't know how long I spent there, but by the time I stepped outside, I discovered my Mother had caught up to me. She gave me an ultimatum: return home with her willingly, to face punishment for my obstinacy, or challenge her for my freedom then and there."

"You fought her and lost?" Nabiki asked.

Cologne shook her head. "No. I bowed my head and meekly accepted defeat. My mother had not needed to lay a hand on me. The outside world had done so more than enough. To her credit, she did not raise a hand against me and accepted me back, pleased that I had 'learned my lesson'. Oh there was token punishment… chores and training… but she did not wish to drive me away again, thinking it was some onerousness of home life that had caused me to flee. If only!" Cologne snorted. "It was no oppressive authority which had crushed me. I gave up because I was faced with the possibility that I might fail."

Cologne blew a smoke ring, silent for a moment. "After that, when I left the village, it was only in duly sanctioned capacities… but it was not the same. I had forever tethered myself to home and to my destiny. All of it was in service to that." She fixed Nabiki with a stern look. "You are now that girl, standing in the rain in threadbare clothes with barely a coin to her name, stripped of her arrogance and pride and discovering that her dream is not what she once thought. I see much of myself… as I was in that moment at least… in you, Nabiki Tendo. I foresaw this day coming, but what comes next?" She took another puff. "Well… I am curious to peer down that path not taken. But the choice to take it remains always with you."

"So… give up on my hopes and dreams, or win a fight way out of my weight class?" Nabiki scowled. "That's a hell of a choice."

"Life is often not fair in the choices if provides. Yet it is a challenge that Ranma has risen to meet time and again, is it not? But this arena is far more complex. Ranma is a warrior… one without peer, I dare to say. But this contest is one of generals and rulers," Cologne replied gravely. "I will not lie, Nabiki Tendo. If you wish to be assured of saving something, it would be best to surrender now."

"And give up on Ranma?!" Nabiki shot her a horrified look.

"On Ranma, on my Great-Granddaughter and quite likely the Hibiki boy as well. I suspect that if you appear sufficiently cowed, however, both Himura and Lo Shan will be satisfied with that. You would likely need to leave Nerima and start over… but you and your sisters would be able to resume more normal lives." Cologne gave her a searching look. "But if you seek to hold onto more than that, you will lose everything… unless you have the cunning and will to see this through to the end." She hopped to her feet and started hobbling away. "If you want the prudent course of action? Give up now."

Nabiki remained silent for a few moments until, slowly, her clenched fists relaxed.

Cologne sighed. "You have some time to decide, child. I can give you that much at least. For now we must wait for Lo Shan to make the next move. Take that time to consider."

000

Lo Shan had to admit the Kuno Manor was impressive, at least in its size. It was built on the base of an Edo period castle and, despite the 'softening' that had been wrought by modern conveniences and sensibilities, she could see that it was still a bastion of war at its core. Though she preferred mobility and left fortresses of stone and steel to emperors and kings, it was at least a sign that this land had not always been pudgey, soft and weak.

I suppose Himura thought such defences would be enough to stymie us. Smug child, Lo Shan thought, though the instincts that had kept her alive for so long warned her that it was more than that. She lowered her spyglass and turned to the warrior next to her. "How many defenders inside?"

"[It is difficult to tell,]" the woman said. "[They conceal their movements and either walk in amongst the staff or pose as staff themselves to get from place to place within the castle. They are aware of us, but have made no moves on our positions.]"

"[Of course not. A castle like that would be stocked for months. They know we can hardly lay siege for any period of time without drawing the attention of the local authorities. What of access points? There must be dozens in such an old structure.]"

The warrior seemed nervous. "[You… would think. I have sent scouting teams to explore drainage lines, the foundations, the inside of the courtyard. There… have been injuries.]"

"[Injuries?]" Lo Shan frowned.

"[The grounds are heavily laced with booby traps. Most appear to be nonlethal, but are of maniacal design. Encounters so far have resulted in our teams being ejected violently from the castle. Those teams that have managed to make it onto the grounds were forced to retreat, reporting… some manner of beast.]"

"['Some manner of beast'...]" Lo Shan parroted. "[Not even a description? Have the women who fled in so cowardly a manner that they failed to even see the eyes of their enemy report to me after the Godslayer is ours. I can see that many of you are in dire need of retraining.]"

The warrior swallowed nervously. "[Yes, Honored Elder.]"

"[Call your scouts back. If the surreptitious routes are impassable, then we will simply go over the wall and deal with what resistance they might raise. Make sure to have some of those dart guns that Himura provided.]" She sighed and folded her arms. Only a few days in this hedonistic land and already my warriors grow soft. You made a grievous error in coming here, Khu Long. Perhaps you will still see reason once this is done.

The trees around them rustled as a half dozen Amazon warriors who were already present readied themselves. Lo Shan smiled to herself. This will hardly be an evening's worth of entertainment.

000

Ranma winced as her fist hit the post at the wrong angle. She felt the shock of pain through her wrist and up along her arm and into the shoulder, and instinctively hopped back, shaking her hand. She was in the Kuno mansion's dojo (One of them, anyway), wearing a borrowed white training gi. She had been trying to do some basic punching exercises on a rope-wrapped post, but she was finding her body refusing to obey her.

"You seem to be having some trouble, Ran," Tatewaki commented. He was sitting lotus style on the floor of the kendo dojo, eyes closed. He had been in silent meditation since she had come in and she hadn't realized he was aware of her presence until he spoke.

"I'm just a little off balance," Ranma said, massaging her wrist. She decided to try for a kick instead and spun for what she intended to be a strong roundhouse to the side of the rope-wrapped post.

Instead, her foot slipped on the polished floor and she spun gracelessly, tumbled and would have hit her head if someone hadn't caught her.

She looked up, eyes wide, to find herself staring into Tatewaki Kuno's face. Suddenly she had a horrible flashback. The sense of having no control, of slipping, careening, someone catching her, then stale breath and lips forcibly pressed to hers…

"L-lemme go!" She squirmed, struggling to free herself from his grasp. "Lemme go!"

Tatewaki released her immediately and held his hands up as he stepped back. "Please, accept my apologies! I did not mean any offense, I merely… you were falling and I reacted without thinking…!"

Ranma dropped to her knees, feeling the tears threatening to well up again. That feeling of helplessness was back - vulnerability. The fear - knowing that someone could do whatever they wanted and she wouldn't be able to stop them. She pulled the front of her borrowed gi tightly closed as she tried to get her breathing under control. "It's… it's… it's okay…"

Tatewaki regarded her, then knelt a respectful distance away. "I did something to you. Didn't I?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She glanced up at him and was taken aback by the look of horror and disgust on his face. His hands on his knees were shaking and she watched as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the small orange bottle. His eyes were lowered, hooded in the shadow of his bangs.

Ranma closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. "No. Not you," she said, glad that at least this time she could say that. "Someone named Mikado Sanzenin. He grabbed me at the skating rink when Akane was trying to teach me how to skate and…" She swallowed. "I didn't expect my first kiss to go to an ice skating letcher I had never met before."

Tatewaki seemed to tremble and relax, slumping in relief. "I… am sorry. I should not find such a thing reassuring, but…" he took a deep breath, "I know I have been guilty of much."

Ranma smiled weakly. "Actually, you were just kind of into overly enthusiastic hugs. You got over excited, sure, but… Sanzenin…" She shuddered. "He made me feel… unclean."

"Ah," Tatewaki sighed. "I had feared… I had what I thought was a memory when you mentioned a kiss, but…" he chuckled, "I believe I was… some sort of samurai in it, and you were… Juliet?"

Ranma cocked her head. "Oh, no, that actually happened."

Tatewaki's eyes widened. "What…?"

"It was a stage play of Romeo and Juliet. Or it was supposed to be. Akane was playing Juliet, and somehow it got screwed up into a competition for who got to be Romeo." Ranma sat down on the floor cross-legged. "All for a trip to see 'China'... which turned out to be some sorta famous actor, not the place."

Tatewaki frowned. "But… you were Juliet. And…"

Ranma rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, that… well… I've got a bit of a problem with being over-competitive… and I put on the costume to distract Happosai, who was being a pest, and then Akane was acting like she was okay with kissing you 'cuz it was the scene and Juliet was s'posed to kiss Romeo, and we started fighting and… I guess it just made more sense in my head, that I'd rather kiss you myself than let you kiss her."

"We… kissed?" Tatewaki said, looking dumbfounded.

"Oh, no, it didn't count," Ranma said, blushing. "We… we used tape…" She pantomimed putting a piece of tape across her own lips. "You know… It sounds even weaker now than it did then…" She sighed. "But… I mean, I kissed you. So… you didn't do anything wrong."

"I… see…" Tatewaki said, seemingly a bit confused. He frowned. "There was a date sometime later… with a wish-granting sword?"

"Yeah, that happened too. I thought I could use it to cure myself," Ranma said ruefully. "Guess it's probably a good thing that didn't work out, huh?"

"And… a very fat bird on my head that gave me super powers?"

"Ahh… oh yeah! The Phoenix! That was a major pain…"

Tatewaki rubbed his eyes. "You'll forgive me, but… I am beginning to wonder if I am either overly medicated, or not taking enough. How much of what I thought was merely madness was real?"

Ranma scooted over and patted his shoulder companionably. "I kinda know how you feel, Senpai." She rubbed her wrist again and sighed. "Mebbe more than I'd really like."

"You are having trouble with your art," Tatewaki observed, seemingly eager to change the subject. "You are having difficulty moving?"

"It's like… you know how you've got a word on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't think of it, and it's driving you crazy? It's like that, but… but with the Art." She clenched her fist. "I grew up living and breathing the Art. I shouldn't even have to think about it. But…" Her fist relaxed. "I can't seem to move right. I keep… second-guessing myself, I guess. I can't even get through a basic kata without screwing up the order of the moves."

"You are unable to find your focus?" Tatewaki asked.

Ranma shook her head. "It's not that. I mean… I useta do this stuff like it was as natural as breathing. I didn't have to think unless it was something really challenging. But… After yesterday? After the last few weeks and all that's happened in that time?" She twitched. "All of it was Pops… drilling it into me over and over and over… punishing me if I got it wrong. Drugging me too, apparently. And that was before… before Jusenkyo. The Art used to make me feel safe… and now all it does is remind me of all of that. Each time I do a move in a kata, I get this… flash of memory, of what he used to do when I got it wrong. And I hesitate and I do get it wrong, and then I panic, and…" She closed her eyes and forced herself to take a calming breath. "All of my Martial Arts are based on the Anything Goes style. All of my techniques, even the stuff I've learned from others builds on it. It's a huge part of who I am." She looked at her hand. "But… but if everything my parents was doing was wrong… If everything I learned was wrong…"

Tatewaki listened to her and considered. He closed his eyes in thought. After a moment he opened them again. "My father used to take me and my sister out for ice cream."

Ranma blinked and cocked her head. "Uhh… okay?"

Tatewaki held up a finger. "Allow me to finish and, hopefully, this will make sense. My father used to take me and my sister out for ice cream. She was likely too young to remember, but I did. It was a reward at the end of the week. This was when he was… saner, though he still had his problems. He spent all week working, and this was one of the few times we had with him. He had taken an interest in my fascination with the philosophy of Miyamoto Musashi, and he and I would play a little game, where we would argue the philosophical implications of ice cream toppings, myself drawing on Musashi's writings, whilst he would draw from his beloved Hawaiian culture. It was nonsensical and silly, but it often led into deeper discussions and I find to this day that much of my personal philosophy can be traced back to those 'ice cream arguments' we had. Of all of my memories of him, these are the fondest, and the ones from which I draw much wisdom."

Kuno's expression darkened. "But he also neglected his family, indulged in his madness, refused proper treatment, and actively blocked mine. He became a tyrannical monster who terrorized the students who were his charges, with little regard for safety or sanity. He tormented me with his obsessions and ignored my mother's abuse of my sister, and, in the end, he simply left." He folded his hands. "So… the conundrum; Do I overlook all of his transgressions because of a few fleeting happy memories and useful lessons, or do I stand my ground and thusly discard major foundational elements of my own beliefs because, regardless of how wise they have proven, they originated from a flawed source?"

Ranma considered. "Well… I guess it'd make sense to keep the stuff that works, even if the one who taught it to you was lousy, right? I mean… I can see that making sense. I learned tricks from the old letch all the time, and he's basically the worst human being I've ever met."

"That's the most reasonable course, naturally," Tatewaki agreed. "But if it were that easy, I'd not be here meditating half the day. After all, this 'old letch' you learned from… you knew he was untrustworthy when you began your lessons, correct? Regardless of what you learned, there were no false pretenses. What you learned was carefully weighed against what you knew about him." He looked up at the evening sky, visible over the compound wall. "It's the betrayal that poisons it, I think. You accept a lesson because you trust the source… you incorporate it… then discover the source is untrustworthy."

"So… what do you do?" Ranma asked.

"I'm still working on that," Tatewaki admitted. He gave her a smile. "If you should happen upon an answer before I do, be sure to let me know, would you?"

Ranma smiled in spite of herself. "You know… I didn't think that would actually make me feel better…"

"There is comfort in knowing your experience is shared by another, no matter how painful or maddening," Tatewaki replied, slowly rising to his feet. He walked over to the wall and selected two shinai from the rack. "Perhaps a different approach to your problem. Your training was primarily in unarmed kempo, correct?"

"Yeah. Occasionally some staff fighting, but Pops mostly felt weapons were a crutch," Ranma replied.

"Then might I suggest I start training you in Kendo?" Tatewaki asked. "If you are willing, of course." He held out one of the training swords. "It would be a style that you have had no training in, so you would not be fighting old reflexes. A stopgap to maintain your form until you have resolved our mutual conundrum?"

Ranma stared at the offered sword, then slowly got to her feet, walked over and took it from him. It felt… odd in her hand. Too light, for one, oddly balanced to her inexperienced grasp. He was right in that there was nothing overly familiar about it. Ranma had always shared Genma's distaste for weapons, eschewing them unless in the midst of a battle that required improvisation, or as a modified form of weight training. There was a sense of almost being forbidden.

She tightened her grip on it. "Yeah…" She swung the sword experimentally. "Definitely not my style… so you're right, it's perfect. Uhh… If you're willing, Senpai. I dunno how good a student I'll be at this."

"And I cannot promise to be a great instructor. I have been distressingly lax in my duties as Kendo Club Captain in recent years," Tatewaki replied. "But perhaps this can be a learning opportunity for us both? As well as a chance to learn more about you than the tragedies of your past and your choice of hair styles."

Ranma nodded then hesitated. "Uhhh… No offense Senpai, but… I should probably run this past my b… past Ryo first. To… uhh… avoid any misconceptions."

Tatewaki's eyebrows shot up and he held up his hands. "I promise you, I mean nothing untoward!"

"I know, I know, it's just… I have a history of a lot of misunderstandings with the people who… y'know… like me. They see me doing something totally innocent, but walk in after I trip and accidentally grope someone or something, or vice versa… And Nabiki…" Ranma stopped, wincing as she felt a stab of pain from that. "A-and Nabiki always told me that if I communicated better I could avoid a lot of it. So… I gotta tell Ryouga what I'm doing first."

Tatewaki shouldered the shinai and nodded. "Fair enough. Where is your erstwhile suitor, anyway? He has been quite protective of you since coming here. I admit to some surprise that he has allowed you to be out of his sight for so long a time."

"He… uhh… kind of fell asleep waiting for me to get out of the bath," Ranma said. "I didn't wanna wake him. He's had a bit of a rough month because of me."

"I suspect this 'rough month' is a shared experience between you," Tatewaki replied. A smile crossed his face. "Well then, best you go fetch him. I could use a good sparring partner and, as unorthodox as his fighting style is, I do recall him being a formidable swordsman… even if he did insist on using an umbrella. A sparring partner would be as welcome as a chance to freshen my skills as an instructor!"

Before Ranma could reply there was an explosion on the far side of the compound.

"Wha…?!" Ranma stared as a cloud of dust rose from the base of the wall.

Tatewaki merely narrowed his eyes. "Sasuke."

The Ninja was beside him, kneeling, though he had been nowhere to be seen a moment before. "Yes, Master Kuno."

"It seems our foreign visitors are no longer content merely to probe our defenses. What is our status?" Tatewaki said, his eyes on the cloud of dust rising from the perimeter as he walked over to the wall of the dojo and swapped the shinai for his more traditional bokken.

"Mistress Kodachi was investigating what seemed like an attempt to penetrate our security at the south wall, along with much of the staff," Sasuke replied. "We hadn't seen any other movement and presumed they had concentrated their forces."

"A feint, then, to draw off the defenders and allow a team to infiltrate." He switched his gaze to the large artificial river running through the compound which led to a pond with a small footbridge arching over it. "Tell me, has my sister's reptilian monstrosity been fed yet today?"

"No, Master Kuno," Sasuke replied.

"Good," Tatewaki smiled grimly. "Bring me the bell she uses to summon him for feedings and be quick. I suspect we are short of time." He turned to face what appeared to be an open and empty garden.

"Y-yes, Master Kuno, but shouldn't I go alert Mistress…?" Sasuke began.

Three knives erupted from the bushes. Tatewaki deflected the two aimed for Sasuke, then stopped the third targeted for his face, the sharp steel blade biting and sticking into the polished wood of his bokken.

"We do not have time. Go. Quickly!" Tatewaki replied.

The Ninja was already gone.

Ranma stepped back. She considered dropping into a fighting stance or fleeing and stumbled as her legs tried to do both. She leaned heavily against the wall and cursed.

"Stay back. You are their objective," Tatewaki said, eyes on the foliage as he moved to interpose himself between Ranma and the invaders. "And you are in no condition to defend yourself."

"I'm…!" Ranma started to protest, then trailed off. I almost said 'I'm a martial artist too!', just like Akane… Except… She clenched her fist. He's right. I can't! It's just like when I was tripping over myself trying to play volleyball…

"My name is Tatewaki Kuno, Scion of the Kuno Family. I know not the land from whence you hail, but here it is customary to introduce oneself when entering the home of another. Particularly uninvited as you are," Tatewaki called out.

After a moment of silence, a single figure emerged from the brush. She was middle aged, her raven black hair shot through with silver and tied back into a severe ponytail. Her face was lined with age and bore many scars, making her appear even older than she likely was. She wore green Chinese-style robes, trimmed with gold.

"I am Lo Shan," she called out. Her dark eyes fixed on Tatewaki, then shifted to Ranma. She snorted. "Ranma Saotome, slayer of gods, the warrior who humbled the Prince of the Musk tribe, undefeated in countless battles… cowering behind his inferior. Pathetic. How truly male of you."

"She is not your concern at the moment," Tatewaki said sharply, before Ranma could even respond. "This is my home you have invaded, and you will answer to me for the transgression."

"You are irrelevant, boy," Lo Shan said. "I have come for Ranma Saotome, regardless of this pathetic display. You may stand aside or you may die. The choice is yours."

"I'm not male!" Ranma shouted. "Did Himura tell you that? I can't imagine a cursed girl is of much use to the Amazons!"

Lo Shan raised an eyebrow. "Feh. You were raised male. The specifics of your curse are of little consequence. Your will mate with a strong Amazon bloodline and produce a fierce next generation. Khu Long's failure will be addressed and this matter will be put behind us. That is all that concerns me."

"Yeah? And I've already agreed to marry Shampoo, so what's the problem!?" Ranma retorted.

Lo Shan smirked. "That bloodline is no longer considered viable and Xian Pu has been adjudged to be a failure and a disgrace. We will select another. Perhaps several. You should consider yourself honored." She started to walk forward. "Now cease your resistance. I do not wish to cause you permanent harm, but any damage you suffer that does not affect your ability to sire children is also of no consequence, so do not…"

She trailed off as Kuno stepped to block her path, bokken levelled.

Lo Shan chuckled. "This must be a joke, yes? Outsider humor perhaps?" She sighed and snapped her fingers. "Very well. My patience wears thin, but I suppose my warriors deserve a little entertainment."

A half dozen Amazons emerged from various points of cover around the compound, each garbed in colorful chinese martial arts gear, some carrying curved swords or spears.

"[Xiao Rin?]" Lo Shan said to one warrior with pale blue hair. "[Make an example of him.]"

Xiao Rin smirked. She looked Tatewaki over. "[A male who thinks he can fight, hmm?]" She levelled her sword at him. "[With a stick no less. This will be interesting… but short.]"

Tatewaki shifted his glance to Xiao Rin as Lo Shan stepped back. "I would have your name, if we are to fight."

"Name is for warriors. You boy with stick. Live thirty seconds, maybe take pity and give," Xiao Rin replied. She seemed amused by his stance as she slipped into one of her own. She flexed her legs, watching for his reaction but he kept his stance neutral and did not take the bait.

Having reached a decision to just end it, the Amazon warrior dashed forward. She made a last minute change of direction, pivoting nimbly on the balls of her feet and spun to slash at Tatewaki's unprotected side.

Tatewaki moved with a surprising economy of motion, turning almost casually as the blade of his bokken seemed to teleport to meet the flat of her blade and turn it, forcing her off balance and making her stumble. He stepped to the side and away without haste as she skidded to a stop.

"You will need to be quite a bit faster to catch me like that," he said.

Xiao Rin looking shocked, as though she wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. She glared at him then took a more cautious stance. "Is trick, yes?"

"I would think a true warrior could tell the difference easily enough," Tatewaki replied.

She growled and continued to circle around him, but warily this time. He did not turn to follow her movements, but held his stance, which only served to make her more cautious.

"[Xiao Rin, stop embarrassing yourself and me!]" Lo Shan barked. "[This is not a challenge match, this is the elimination of an obstacle!]"

Xiao Rin winced then snarled and darted towards Tatewaki's unprotected back. He swung the bokken behind his head to catch her blade once again and bind it as he turned in one smooth motion, pulling her off balance once more and, with and forceful sweep of his weapon, sent her sprawling.

"I have sparred many times with Ranma Saotome and, while I am by no means her equal, I think you will find that I have some skills of my own," Tatewaki said, turning his gaze to Lo Shan. "If this is the best you mean to bring to bear, this will be a very long afternoon."

Xiao Rin got to her feet and, before Lo Shan could respond, barked something in Mandarin. The other five Amazons drew their weapons and began to advance on him.

"What's this?" Tatewaki eyed them warily then shot Xiao Rin a glance. "I thought this was between us?"

"Not fight. Not challenge," Xiao Rin said, though her cheeks held a flush of shame. "Is extermination. Is war. Obstacles are for killing, any means possible. You tricky, but need die now."

Tatewaki narrowed his eyes. "Come, then."

Xiao Rin actually hesitated, but the others didn't and rushed in. The first came at him with a spear. He deflected the point to his left side, grabbed it and pulled, sweeping her legs out from under her with his bokken. He used the spear to tangle up the second attacker's sword, catching it with the tines, then smashing down on the spear with his own bokken to drive both weapons to the ground. He stepped in and made a slashing strike to the side of her head to send her tumbling off in a boneless heap.

The other three, one wielding a pair of chúi and the other two unarmed, hesitated. They nodded at each other, and while the first one darted in to feint at Tatewaki, the other two began to dance around him in opposite directions.

Ranma recognized it as a modification of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. The Amazons on the outside were weaving hot and cold ki into a more complex pattern than called for in the basic technique, and the girl sparring with Tatewaki was exerting some sort of stabilizing force to contain it all. Ranma realized that the Amazons probably had more than a few tricks up their sleeves like this that they hadn't yet shared. "Kuno Senpai!"

Tatewaki turned his head and, for a brief instant, he locked eyes with her. Then he winked.

It took Ranma a second to decide if she had actually seen it, such a gesture being so far out of character for him. He knows? But then why is he standing right in the center of the double spiral like a dumbass?!

Tatewaki grinned as he locked weapons with the chúi-wielder. "You know, this odd sensation in the air seems awfully familiar…"

She smirked then leapt suddenly backwards as the two other girls finished crossing each other's paths at a run. As the three paths intersected, it appeared to spark things off, the hot and cold spirals collapsing in on each other to generate a crushing vortex centered on the Kendoist.

"Senpū-Ken!" Tatewaki raised his sword with both hands, using a technique Ranma hadn't seen for nearly a year.

Wait, he can still do that? But what…? Ranma's eyes widened with realization and she dove for cover just in the nick of time.

Whirlwind Sword - a technique where the sword is spun in a tight arc to create small but intense whirlwinds, which Tatewaki drove right up into the heart of the spiral. And Ranma knew enough about the Hiryu Shoten Ha to know what it would do; destabilize it.

What was supposed to be a brief, controlled but intense tornado became instead a sudden uncontrolled and violent explosion. The blast of air flung the three Amazons back out into the garden to flop on the grass like fish out of water, groaning.

Tatewaki himself staggered for a second as the sudden low pressure dragged the breath from his lungs - but he remained standing and straightened.

"You were right," he said, fixing his gaze on Xiao Rin. "This was not a fight." He turned his scrutiny to Lo Shan. "I have honed my blade against your vaunted godslayer himself, day after day, for more than a year. I am well acquainted with your Amazon techniques."

Lo shan sighed, shook her head and folded her arms. "[I should have brought the seniors. Xiao Rin, step aside. I will deal with this.]"

Xiao Rin narrowed her eyes, her attention still fixed on Tatewaki. "No."

Lo Shan's eyes widened, the whites showing as her face twisted with outrage at the act of defiance. "[Xiao Rin!]"

Xiao Rin ignored her. She locked eyes with Tatewaki. "Xiao Rin."

Tatewaki blinked. "Your name is 'Showering'?"

"Close enough," Xiao Rin said. "You say exchange names for challenge, yes? So exchange names. Names for warriors."

"I thought this wasn't a challenge?" Tatewaki said, though he shifted back into his neutral stance.

"Outsider good fighter. Better than told Outsiders could be. Want to see how good," Xiao Rin said. "No tricks, yes?"

A smile crossed Tatewaki's face. "Agreed."

"No," Lo Shan stepped forward and, with a wave of her hand that barely seemed to brush the girl, sent Xiao Rin flying off to the side. She stepped forward to thrust her palm in Tatewaki's direction. Though she was many feet away, a massive wall of force slammed into the kendoist and flung him back into a rack of training equipment like a ragdoll.

"Kuno-Senpai!" Ranma leapt from her cover and ran over to check on him. He coughed and struggled to extricate himself.

"I have had quite enough of this farce." Lo Shan stalked forward. "Ranma Saotome, you will come with…"

Lo Shan paused and looked up, then darted back as a black and yellow blur slammed into the ground from above, right where she had been standing. There was an explosion, sending dirt and stone everywhere. Ranma shielded herself and Tatewaki as best she could, then peered back into the cloud, already recognizing the entrance.

Ryouga was crouched in the crater, finger still on the ground where he had hit the breaking point. He was peering out of the cloud. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Lo Shan was only a few feet away. Her arms were crossed and, despite having a few fragments of stone and concrete in her hair and clothes, she seemed utterly unimpressed. "Did Khu Long teach you that ridiculous trick?" She shook her head as she picked a shard of stone from her hair. "It's not even a particularly good method of toughness training."

Ryouga straightened. "It worked pretty well for me."

"I imagine it did, with such a limited repertoire of techniques. Even broken and useless Joketsuzoku techniques must seem powerful." She smirked at him. "Perhaps I can show you a few?"

She made a gesture and her image suddenly shimmered and split, and then there were a dozen of her surrounding him.

"What, Ninja tricks now?" Ryouga said. He put on a confident front, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Lo Shan's calmly smug expression twisted into rage. "Ninja Tricks. Do you know how much of your vaunted 'Ninja Heritage' was stolen from us?!"

Without warning, one of the images darted forward and struck Ryouga in the side faster than he could react, then melted back into place with the rest. The others started to run in a circle around him, making it impossible to tell if a strike was from the real Lo Shan, or if each image was actually solid somehow. Another strike to his back, then one to the gut. Ryouga lashed out with a spinning roundhouse kick, but his foot passed through nothing.

His eyes darted between them, but with so many it was impossible to predict which would attack, or keep track. He wiped a little blood from the corner of his mouth. "It'll take more than a few pokes to put me down!"

"Don't boast, boy, I know the limits of the Bakusai Tenketsu training. I could put you down with a single blow if I wished," Lo Shan replied, voice echoing oddly.

"Think so, huh?" Ryouga replied. "Then this shouldn't be a surprise at all. Go hon' yubi Bakusai Tenketsu!" He then held up his hand, fingers splayed. For the span of a breath or two, each of his fingertips seemed to glow, then he thrust his hand down into the ground.

After a momentary rumble the ground all around Ryouga erupted in a series of explosions. Dirt and rock shattered and burst as though the area all around him were being shelled by artillery, yet the small circle of earth he crouched on was untouched. The decoy images were ripped apart by the shockwaves and Lo Shan was sent stumbling back, covering her face, eyes wide.

She recovered quickly, scowling. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that perversion of the breaking point is?!"

Ryouga's confident look was more genuine now. "Pretty sure, yeah. How often have you actually used the breaking point, huh? Because I've been using it almost every day for a year. Can you hit the breaking point of a pile of sand? I could after my first month."

Lo Shan's eyes narrowed. "I'll acknowledge you're a prodigy, boy. You would probably be a challenge for one with ten years of experience and training on you. But… I have far more than that." She drew in a breath, and then exhaled forcefully.

Ranma felt the ripple of ki, the same slight electric tingle to the air that she had felt when Cologne started to pull out multiple techniques at once. She shouted at Ryouga, but it was already too late.

Lo Shan started shedding afterimages like water as she moved forward at terrifying speed, changing direction with a perfect duplicate taking the other path, branching off and making it impossible to tell which was real. Ryouga threw up his hands to protect himself which, unfortunately, left her target exposed.

Five finger strikes hit Ryouga's chest - savage impacts that were more than just force - penetrating flesh and bone and biting deep.

Ryouga spasmed, coughed up blood and crumpled like a rag doll over Lo Shan's arm.

She grinned as her afterimages faded and pushed Ryouga off her, letting him fall to land in a broken heap. "It has many names, many variations and permutations. But the end result is the same, as I'm sure you understood the moment your heart stopped." She clucked her tongue. "Shame. You had some potential in you."

A tortured scream ripped itself from Ranma's throat as she felt Ryouga's presence flicker and dim. She abandoned her protective stance over Tatewaki and lurched forward, half running, half crawling as she scrambled over to him, heedless of the martial arts master standing over his body. She turned him over, panic gripping her heart. No no no no no no no NO!

"Oh, did that finally spark some life in you, Godslayer?" Lo Shan asked. "Perhaps I should have started off killing a few of your allies for effect."

Ranma ignored her for the moment. Now that she was in contact with Ryouga, she could feel his Ki ebbing away, feel the horrible, ice-cold blocks that were keeping his body from responding. She gripped his hand tightly and willed them to thaw, willed the pulse of life to flow again.

Ryouga's eyes shot open as he gasped and started coughing.

Ranma felt a wave of relief when she sensed his ki start to stabilize, his pulse weak, but steady. And as the immediate sense of panic ebbed, she could feel something else rising to take its place.

000

Lo Shan stared, as she saw the boys chest begin to rise and fall again. This is troubling. These Outsiders… they are meddling with forces they don't understand. And none of this should even be possible. Those ki blocks should have ensured his death! "I'm not entirely sure how you did that, child. That technique is supposed to be fatal. But… You are far far too dangerous to allow you roam free with the knowledge you have. Now… Are you done hiding behind others, or is there someone else I must kill today? I can promise you that whatever it is you did here, it will not avail you for my next victim." She glanced around to mark any further targets. The boy with the stick was still sprawled out on some training dummies, and there seemed to be no sign of the household servants.

"No more," The redhead murmured softly.

"Are you going to be reasonable and surrender yourself then, Godslayer?" Lo Shan replied with some surprise. "Without even trying your own hand? So… Himura was right. You are broken." Though I loathe to give that arrogant girl that much credit. She narrowed her eyes but she could sense nothing from the girl before her - no intent to attack - no movement - nothing. Not a trap, then? Or do you have another trick up your sleeve? No matter, a quick jab to the pressure points on the back of the neck and… Her left hand darted towards the girl's neck with unnatural speed, faster than the eye could follow or the average person would even be able to react.

Lo Shan was able to sense the shift, though just barely. The girl did not appear to move, but her position had suddenly changed.

And then… Lo Shan's hand fell off.

Lo Shan caught her breath and flung herself back twenty feet, her right hand coming up to the stump where her left wrist and forearm had been a scant second before, grasping it tightly as blood spurted around her fingers. It was cleanly severed a ways above the wrist, but there had been no blade. The wound burned, the flesh around the edges frostbitten, as though whatever had slashed her was unbelievably cold.

The redhead stood and turned. There were no visible aura effects but Lo Shan could just perceive a flicker. Something was very wrong; The girl was not emitting anything that Lo Shan could recognize as a perceptible threat, yet she knew it had been this girl that had cut her. She grit her teeth and focused her ki in an effort to staunch the bleeding.

Ranma opened her eyes. Normally blue, they now had an odd glint to them, almost as though the light was reflecting from them in the same manner as the eyes of a cat.

"The Neko ken," Lo Shan breathed. I forgot that his idiot father had subjected him to that. At least I know what I'm dealing with. She glanced around, looking warily for something to distract the girl. A simple animal's mind can be…

"No. More," Ranma repeated, snapping Lo Shan's attention back to her. Her fingers curled into facsimiles of claws.

Lo Shan stared at her. For a moment, all of her thoughts and schemes deserted her.

"How is it that you can speak?" she finally asked. She gripped her severed stump tighter, as if to remind herself of what just happened. "The Neko ken requires that you surrender your human consciousness! It requires a total and complete conviction that you are the animal! How can you be talking!?" She took a reflexive step back, eyes wide as she tried to comprehend what might have led to a mind capable of such a duality.

Ranma took a step forward in response. There was an edge of a growl in her voice, from deep in her chest. "You won't take any morre frrom me…" she ground out, her lips drawing back to bare her teeth. "Nobody… Nobody is going to take away anything else!"

Lo Shan moved purely on an instinct beyond her normal senses, and it was all that kept her head on her shoulders when the redhead suddenly blurred and flashed past her. She wasn't entirely fast enough though. She felt a sting at her right shoulder and the silk fabric of her robes started to soak through with red. She hopped back and was forced to parry another few savage strikes as the feral girl managed to change direction faster than she thought possible.

I can't read her movements! Lo Shan thought, dancing backwards a few more steps as she fended off the strikes one-handed. She winced as even turning away the attacks left her with gashes on her forearm.

The other Amazons around her were starting to stir. Lo Shan glanced around, caught the eyes of one and, in that moment of connection, communicated all she needed. The warrior nodded and pulled the Outsider weapon from her back; the modified airsoft rifle.

Lo Shan rallied her ki to harden her defense, enduring a few more slashes to hold the girl in position. You are formidable, Godslayer, but in the end…

The rifle was almost completely silent, the dart swifter than any blowgun with nearly the velocity of a bullet at this range. Dodging would be difficult, even for Lo Shan herself.

Ranma swatted the air, changing targets instantly. At first Lo Shan thought she had slashed the dart with those air pressure claws, but she caught a flash of color between the redhead's fingers as she turned her attention back to Lo Shan with a backhanded flick of her wrist. NO!

Lo Shan slapped the dart away as soon as it struck, but she had felt the prick and could already feel the burning chill of the paralysis toxin seeping through her body. She grit her teeth and marshalled what was left of her ki to hold back the effects, but she knew that she could not fight the poison and a weidler of the Neko ken. However, other warriors rose and drew their own rifles. She reasoned that if she could hold out but a moment more, there was a chance.

It took a second for her to realize the ringing in her ears wasn't from the drug. Her eyes snapped over to the side to where the sword user had been. His manservant was next to him and, though he still seemed winded, he was ringing what looked like a simple brass bell. What…?

The roar was deafening. The water of the pond in the middle of the compound erupted, and a gigantic creature emerged. It looked like a crocodile but it was many times larger than any she had ever seen before. Several Amazons scattered but one was slow and Lo Shan watched with horror as the creature swallowed her whole.

The surprise caused Lo Shan to lose some ground in holding back the poison and she dropped to one knee as her legs went numb.

In a panic, the other Amazons opened fire, some at the giant reptile, the others at Ranma. Ranma leapt into the air and pivoted, like a cat snatching birds out of the air, intercepting the darts and flinging them back towards their owners. The ones that found their mark on the reptile simply bounced off its scaley hide as it pounced on another warrior, snapping her neck with a vicious shake of its head before gulping her down as well.

Lo Shan's head spun with the toxin and she could see Ranma glaring at her with those not-quite-human eyes. One did not get to her age or become an elder of the Joketsuzoku by refusing to acknowledge defeat, as bitter a pill as it might be.

"[Retreat!]" Lo Shan called sharply, forcing herself to her feet and dashing back, keeping her eyes on Ranma. The girl did not move to pursue but watched warily as Lo Shan made for the hole in the compound wall.

As Lo Shan turned she could hear another scream from behind her as yet one more of her warriors moved too slowly and fell victim to the creature. There will be an accounting for this, Godslayer! I swear it!

000

Ranma watched Lo Shan retreat, holding her menacing stance until she was sure that the old master had truly fled. It was important that she make herself look big, some corner of her mind told her, and she realized she was growling in a low tone as well. She felt like her ears should be folded back against her skull, despite a different part of her mind that told her with absolute certainty that her ears didn't work that way. She kept her watch on the breach in the wall for long moments after the Amazons were gone.

Then Ranma dropped to her hands and knees and was violently ill.

Mr. Green Turtle drug himself slowly back into his pond. He had learned from his past experiences that the redhead was rather too spicy to be worth the trouble, and none of the other bodies were moving enough to attract his interest. Besides… he had already eaten well. He slipped into the deceptively deep water and disappeared, sinking to the bottom to digest his meal.

Ranma heard someone calling her name. It sounded far away, but then she felt the hand on her shoulder and realized her ears were just ringing. She gasped and shivered as she felt the Link flicker to life.

"Ranma?" Ryouga asked. He brushed strands of her unbound hair from her face as he steadied her. "Are you…?"

She didn't reply, she simply turned and tackled him in a tight hug, and sent him sprawling back on the grass.

"Augh… easy… still sore…" Ryouga wheezed as she burrowed in against his bruised ribs. But he returned the embrace and, for a few minutes, just held her, tucking her head under his chin and stroking her hair. It was one of those comforting gestures that she would never have conceived of accepting before, but it dawned on her that it was something she had been missing for a very long time.

After a few minutes she wiped her mouth. She found there was blood on her fingers and nearly threw up again. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the spectre of the things that she had just done.

"Are you both unhurt?" Another voice… Tatewaki, though it took a second because his new, calmer tone was still unfamiliar to her. She didn't bother to release her grip on Ryouga or reply.

"I… don't think we're the ones to worry about," Ryouga said quietly. "Are we gonna be okay here with that… thing?"

"He typically sleeps for several days after a large meal," Tatewaki said. "This was… larger than most. My sister has also been careful to train him to recognize the difference between guests and intruders, though he has never…" He was quiet a moment. "We should return you to your rooms until the castle is fully secure."

"What about the survivors?" Ryouga asked. Ranma could feel him shifting as he looked around. "They… they are alive, right?"

"Sasuke is seeing to them. He and the rest of the staff will see them secured. One of the advantages of owning a centuries-old castle is that we have our own dungeon. It should be sufficient." She could sense Tatewaki crouching next to them. "Can you move? We should not linger here with the wall breached thus."

"Yeah, I'll… I'll just…" Ryouga shifted, trying to get to his feet, but he was struggling a bit with Ranma lampreyed onto him. He finally stopped and sighed.

"Can… can you give us a few minutes?" he asked.

"Of course," Tatewaki replied and moved away.

"Is… is the hand there?" Ranma asked once Tatewaki was far enough away. She still refused to open her eyes.

"I don't… wait… yeah… yeah, it's there," Ryouga replied. "About twenty feet from us."

Ranma shuddered. An image flashed through her mind of Saffron's face, smiling even as the razor sharp, ice cold winds sliced his body to pieces.

"I don't want to do this anymore," she whimpered, balling up her fists in his shirt. She could still feel the blood on her fingers. "I don't want to kill anyone anymore. Why won't they stop?"

"Shhh… you didn't kill anyone today, Ranma…" Ryouga said, holding her a bit tighter and rocking slowly.

"I should have stopped her sooner… I couldn't… couldn't move right… She hurt Kuno and I couldn't move… she hurt you and I couldn't move… S-she…" She shuddered again. "I can't… I can't lose you, Ryo…"

"I'm sorry," he replied. She felt a surge of guilt from him.

She succumbed to a burst of annoyance. She had the odd sensation that she should have a tail, and that it should be thrashing from side to side right now to express her frustration. She pulled back and glared at him. "Don't be sorry! Be alive! You and Akane both take way too many stupid risks! What were you thinking, taking on an Amazon Elder like that?!"

"Probably the same thing you were thinking!" Ryouga shot back. "What the hell was all of that, anyway? I didn't recognize any of those moves!"

"I… I don't know…" Ranma trailed off. "I haven't even been able to get through a basic kata all day, and then… and then she tried to kill you and…" She shook her head. "I wouldn't have had to do that if you had been more careful! You were wide open! She's not that much faster than me!"

Ryouga flicked her on the forehead. "Uh huh. I don't think you get to lecture me on being careful just yet, Ranma. Or did you forget who made that crater the Kunos pulled us out of?"

"That just proves my point! You should have let me die! None of this would be happening if it wasn't for me!" Ranma felt her eyes sting; felt the tears and struggled to fight them down. "Why would you do something so stupid!? You didn't even think, did you? How were you gonna deflect that, or how were you gonna beat an Amazon Grandmaster?! Why don't you think things through?!"

Ryouga just looked at her. Ranma found herself dropping her gaze and looking away, feeling uncomfortable with the intensity she saw in his eyes.

"When you dove after Akane when she fell, did you ever think about the landing?" he asked.

"I… you…" Ranma shut her eyes tight. "S-stop looking at me like that, Ryouga! I… I don't… I don't know…" She started to fidget. "I don't know how to deal with it when you look at me like that!"

"Look, I'll make you a promise I can keep, okay?" Ryouga said. He took her hand, startling her into meeting his gaze again. "The next time we jump off somewhere without any clue of how to land? We'll do it together."

Ranma wanted to say something to cut the tension. Something like the things she had said when that same tension surrounded her and Akane. Something casually insulting or perhaps intentionally provocative. But she couldn't bring herself to do it anymore, not knowing how much those comments hurt. All she was able to do was mumble something noncommittal, look away and blush furiously. And to give his hand a grateful squeeze to try and convey all the things she still couldn't bring herself to say.

That ended up being better anyway.

000

Sayuri realized very quickly that her estimation of the situation that morning had been severely understated.

The first things she noticed were the posters. Posters were nothing unusual at any high school, and Furinkan was no different, but Yuka noticed that something seemed off about them; There were a lot more than usual for one, and for clubs that usually didn't have events or recruitment drives, like the chemistry club. They were also professionally done and printed on heavy, expensive stock. A lot of the usual, more homemade posters were missing as well.

After a few hours or checking these posters, Sayuri was starting to see a pattern; there were a lot of 'fundraisers' going on. There was the 'Girls and Boys of Furinkan' calendar preorder advertisement, which ostensibly was to fund further student council sponsored student activities. Then there was the 'Sports Raffle', which had you guess the winners of each game, point spread… it was basically sports gambling that was barely bothering to disguise itself. There were also tickets being sold to several different 'Martial Arts Exhibitions'. All approved by the student council, and all managed by one Hana Yoshimitsu.

Legitimate, Student Council approved versions of Nabiki's typical moneymakers. Sayuri thought. Betcha that student assembly tomorrow is going to be about a crackdown on unauthorized photography, violence, and student gambling. Way to kick her while she's down.

There were others, too, encouraging students to attend away games for their volleyball team with free chartered bus transportation, giveaways, and other contests. No mention about the home team aside from a very dry notice that attendance to Wednesday's game was mandatory.

There was muttering in the halls, too. Students and even a few teachers who suddenly got quiet when she passed. Friends who were reluctant to chat or spend time around her or the others in their group. Even the seating was rearranged for 'efficiency', splitting them all up further. She also noticed that every one of her classes had someone she recognized from the volleyball team in it. Umeko had been moved to her homeroom, and when she caught her looking flashed her a nasty grin. Then her eyes flicked over towards Rin meaningfully, and she mouthed the words 'She's next'.

Sayuri looked away, gritting her teeth to control her reaction as she seethed internally. She's doing it AGAIN! Damn Himura!

She glanced at Rin's back. The girl was oblivious, and Sayuri felt a pang of guilt. Himura knows the game. She knows I can take it. She'll go after Rin and Riko and Hiroshi and Daisuke and Yuka before she gets to me. Her eyes moved over to a group of empty desks. And we can't expect any backup, with those Amazons keeping Akane and Ukyou trapped in the dojo. And who knows if Ranma or Shampoo are even ALIVE at this point. I don't know HOW Himura can keep up with this stupid school vendetta bullshit after all of this!

Sayuri found herself having trouble focusing on schoolwork. It seemed so pointless with everything going on. She noticed Rin was focused on another newcomer to the class; Konatsu Kurenai.

Another pretty girl to the class, naturally nearly every student was clustered around her desk during breaks. And Konatsu naturally knew how to turn on the demure charm, which kept them hooked most of the day, which made it impossible to get the ninja alone.

Okay… Prioritize, Sayuri. Sayuri thought. Your star player is a molten mess because her parents used a potion on her to change her. Everything else is just the same old same old just… to the Nth. The usual players are out of commission, but probably not forever. YOU can't do martial arts or be a super-smart strategist playing mind-chess with gangsters. But you ARE here. You've got another person here who just got a fresh dose of that same potion, so… best angle of attack is to get info for Nabiki and the rest for when they DO get back in the game.

She glanced around. Mineko was in the seat next to Konatsu. She was watching her, but not participating in the group. Looks like Mineko is Konatsu's keeper. We'll need to distract her to separate them. Sayuri glanced at Rin again. If this potion has done something weird to Konatsu's brain, Rin is probably the best chance to get through to her, since she's perceptive and nonthreatening. Her eyes flicked to the side where Hiroshi and Daisuke were sitting. And those two are the most distracting students in class now that Ranma, Akane and Ukyou are gone. Tap Yuka and Riko as lookouts, and buy as much time as possible for Rin to get some info. AND… gotta plan all of this without someone like Hana sniffing it out. Where in the school WOULDN'T be bugged, though?

000

To Sayuri's surprise, an answer had already been prepared.

She had pulled Hiroshi and Daisuke aside and broached the question to them, to which they had replied by shushing her and handing her a slip of paper directing her to the old wing of the school near where the second school store had been, and instructions to meet there at lunch. The instructions had been brief, but very specific about the route. She quickly realized they were meant to confuse anyone following her.

After taking enough twists and turns to confuse even herself, Sayuri ended up descending an old staircase to some unused section of the cellar.

"Hello?" she called out into the gloom.

A hand reached out, covering her mouth and muffling the scream. She was pulled back into an even darker side passage, which was blacked out as whatever had been covering it was moved back into place. She growled and stomped hard on the foot of whomever was dragging her.

"Ow!" a familiar male voice cried out. "Sayuri, that hurts!"

She whirled on the brown-haired youth. "Daisuke, what the hell?!"

"Easy! We didn't want to let on to anyone following you," Hiroshi said from where he had moved an old shelving unit back into place.

Sayuri glared at him and then at Daisuke behind her. "I'm sure you could have come up with a plan for that that didn't involve getting handsy." She looked around. "So… do you have any lights in here?"

As an answer, a match was struck by someone a few feet away, and used to light a candle, revealing a pale face with sunken, sullen eyes and gaunt, hollow cheeks. Sayuri recoiled a moment, as the flickering candlelight just accentuated the ghoulish qualities of the familiar countenance of Hikaru Gosunkugi.

"Kogane prefers candlelight," he said quietly. He shook the match to put it out then motioned for them to follow. "Keeping the light low also helps to prevent anyone spotting this place. The others are this way."

"What is this?" Sayuri asked as they walked down the hallway.

"It leads to an old coal room that dates back to a time when the original school building was heated using a coal furnace," Daisuke said. "It looks like they emptied it out and cleaned it up back in the 70's or something and then just forgot about it."

Gosunkugi led them into a room with a sink and a counter, and what looked like benches. There was another door, but it appeared to be boarded up. Yuka, Riko and Rin were already sitting on the bench. Light was provided by a number of candles all around. "I used to use this as a darkroom to develop my pictures before I started using a digital camera," Gosunkugi said by way of explanation. He gestured at several pictures on a corkboard of Akane Tendo, and a few of a girl with long brown hair wearing a vintage school uniform that Sayuri didn't recognize.

"Hana doesn't know about this place?" Sayuri asked, looking about. She noticed a duffle bag, as well as an expensive-looking camera and other various photographic accessories.

"No. Nobody does," Gosunkugi said. "Everyone thinks this area is haunted."

"Why is that?" Rin asked.

"Because it's haunted," Daisuke replied.

"Like, literally, actually haunted," Hiroshi added.

"It was haunted," Gosunki corrected them, though Sayuri noticed a note of sadness in his voice. "Now it's just dark and creepy."

"Like someone else I could name…" Yuka muttered under her breath.

"Yuka," Sayuri said sharply.

"It's alright. Everyone thinks I'm creepy," Gosunkugi said. "Even Akane…"

"Look, Gos, we really appreciate the help though," Daisuke said.

"I'm not doing it for you," Gosunkugi replied. "I hated Himura long before any of this started."

"Oh yeah? What did she do to you?" Yuka asked.

"Gos here tried to start his own club," Daisuke said. "Got together the required four members, filled out all the forms, everything. It was supposed to be an Occult Club… though I think the other members were just hoping to play 'Dungeons and Dragons' or something."

"'Vampire the Masquerade,'" Gosunkugi corrected him. "And that doesn't matter. Himura blocked our application then convinced the rugby team to come hang us from the fence by our underwear."

"I think the underwear hanging was their own idea. She just convinced them to run you guys off," Hiroshi said. "Dai and I did some digging; Turns out Himura funneled the funds that would have gone to Gos' club into the Rugby Team and the Rugby Team made sure to keep the pressure on so Gosunkugi and his friends didn't try and reform the club later."

"Apparently she thought the idea was creepy when it came across her desk as Treasurer and decided to shut it down," Daisuke added. "She'd never even met Gos, no grudge or anything. Just didn't like his club idea. Two of the kids transferred out because of the bullying."

"Just in case you're running short of reasons for thinking Himura is an awful person," Yuka muttered.

"So… you work for Nabiki too, Gosunkugi?" Riko asked.

"Not directly," Gosunkugi replied.

"Nabiki sort of lets us handle the details to keep Gos out of Himura's crosshairs," Hiroshi said.

"Gos' big advantage is that no one bothers to take notice of him," Daisuke added. "Not even Hana. Means we can still get intel even when the eyes are all on the rest of us."

"Speaking of which, if we're all missing it'll be suspicious, so we should get to business quickly," Sayuri said. "We need to get Konatsu alone for a few minutes."

"Maybe we should start with something easier to achieve, like building our own rocket to Mars," Yuka replied dryly.

"I'm serious, Yuka," Sayuri put her hands on her hips. "If Rin is right, and I'm pretty sure she is, Konatsu has been dosed with the same potion that Ranma's parents used on her. Which means Himura has it. So the more we can find out about it, the better."

"Okay, but how!?" Yuka threw up her hands. "I don't know if you noticed, but Konatsu is the new hot thing at school! Pretty much everything with a Y chromosome is hanging all over her and she's just as bad for playing into it as Ranma was! Add into that Mineko hovering over her like a hawk, Umeko looking for an excuse to play the big bad martial artist now that the genuine articles are all absent, and who knows what else Himura has cooked up. There's just no way!"

"I've been thinking about that, actually," Sayuri said. "All together you're right, there's no way. But maybe if we break it down a bit? Umeko has mostly got her mad on for me, so I'm pretty sure that I can draw her off using myself as bait."

"Yeah, and get yourself pounded!" Yuka protested.

"She's smart enough not to do anything that'll leave marks," Sayuri replied. "And, if this works, it'll be worth a few bruises. So that leaves Mineko and the Hentai Horde to divert."

"We've got an angle on Mineko," Daisuke said. "Not all of Hana's agents are as loyal as Himura would like to think, and we've got one willing to help us out."

"Not much, of course, but she's reliable enough that she can whisper a few words into the right ears and be trusted," Hiroshi added. "Himura's team has a practise session today, so we slip rumors about a Talent Scout being present. How much you willing to bet a certain girl with Olympic colors streaked in her hair will be falling over herself to be at practise?"

"Nice. That just leaves The Hentai Horde," Sayuri said.

"I… have an idea for that," Riko said nervously. "But… I'll need Yuka's help and… And you're not going to like it."

"What, is it worse than being a petty nobody's punching bag?" Yuka asked, frowning.

"You're really not gonna like it…" Riko repeated sheepishly.

000

"You're right. I hate this." Yuka said, arms crossed over her chest and face flushed.

Both she and Riko were wearing bunny-girl outfits they'd swiped from the drama club. Why the drama club at a high school had playboy bunny outfits was probably a question best not asked and not made any better by the fact that they had a variety.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't think of anything else!" Riko said. She was wearing a standard black bunny-girl one-piece with white ears and a tail. She had pink hose and black high heels to complete the outfit.

"And I hate that you couldn't think of anything else and I'm strongly considering hating you!" Yuka growled. She was wearing a red two-piece halter and bikini bottom combo that had been the only one that fit her properly, despite her distaste for it. She picked at the fishnet stockings and shuddered. "God, this just leaves nothing to the imagination, does it? Parading all my flaws out in front of the male lechers of the school isn't exactly what I'd call a good plan, Riko!"

"Don't be so hard on her, Yuka," Hiroshi said. "I mean, this plan works for Ranma all the time, right?"

"Ranma is also insanely hot, as I'm sure you've noticed!" Yuka replied. "I can't pull this off!" She gestured at herself in exasperation then huffed and folded her arms. "Well? Come on, Daisuke, I'm waiting! Get it over with! Make some crack about my stick legs or something!"

She glanced at Daisuke. Rather than reply, the boy seemed a bit flushed and was blinking rapidly and swallowing. Perhaps he was even sweating a little.

When he noticed her turning her gaze to him, he looked away quickly, the flush deepening as he clenched his fists. "I-I-I…! Y-you… you look fine! I mean… I mean you look good. As good as Ranma did…" he stammered.

Yuka blinked, feeling suddenly and uncharacteristically self-conscious. She dropped her own gaze and adjusted the halter nervously. "I… y-you think so?"

Hiroshi glanced back and forth between them, eyes widening. "What…? Now!? You're finally doing this now!? Are you kidding me!?"

"What?" Daisuke and Yuka replied in unison, confused.

Hiroshi threw his hands in the air. "Arrgh! You two are…! Okay, I can't deal with this. You two are adorable. You'll have like five kids, I'm sure, but we've got a timetable to clear the perverts before Mineko gets suspicious so… keep the bunny suit for private time later or something! We need Yuka outraged and sassy."

"Private time!?" Yuka yelped in outrage.

"Yes! That! Exactly! Be sassy out there," Hiroshi turned her around and pushed her out of the classroom before she could react properly. He then turned to Riko. "Okay, time to go get 'em, Riko."

"A-are you sure I look okay?" Riko asked nervously.

Hiroshi grinned. "I think I said so the last time you wore that, didn't I?" He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Go knock 'em dead, babe."

She smiled, seeming much relieved, and bounced out the door after Yuka.

Daisuke stared after her, mouth hanging open. "What… I don't…?" He looked at Hiroshi then back towards the door. "What?"

"What?" Hiroshi replied.

"What was that!?" Daisuke demanded.

"It was you and Yuka having a breakthrough in your ridiculously tsundere facade and admitting that you find each other attractive," Hiroshi replied matter-of-factly.

"No, not that… what?! I don't…! I mean… What was that with Riko!?" Daisuke demanded.

Hiroshi gave him a confused look. "We've been dating since that movie night thing at the Tendo dojo. Didn't you know?"

"No!"

000

"Mineko?"

Mineko looked up from the sports magazine she had been reading. It was a free period, which she would normally use to go practise, but this week she had other concerns. She had seated herself out of the way to avoid drawing attention while she kept an eye on Konatsu.

The ninja girl was certainly popular among the boys, which had been expected, but she seemed quite able to handle the situation with her usual demure charm, so Mineko had been content to leave her to deal with them in her own way. She could always step in if someone crossed a line.

So she was a bit surprised when one of the girls in the class went out of their way to speak to her. The girl had long dark hair which fell partially obscuring one eye. She was one of those quiet, detached girls who asked odd questions that Mineko recognized as hanging around with Hana. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"My name is Megumi. I'm an… associate of Hana's," she said in a quiet voice. "She told me… all of us… that we should keep an eye out for things that might be important to the members of the Volleyball team?"

Mineko's eyes narrowed. "Is Ranma up to something? Or Nabiki?" Her eyes flicked to Konatsu, who was still being hounded by the various lovestruck boys in the class. "Kuonji, maybe?"

"Oh… no, nothing like that," Megumi replied. "There's a suspicious man in a suit on the school grounds watching the volleyball team practise. Hana thinks he may be a 'scout' or something?"

"A scout!?" Mineko squeaked. She got up and scuttled quickly over to the window to peer outside at the field. Sure enough, there was someone in dark glasses and a three piece suit watching the girls on the practise pitch, occasionally scribbling something on a bulky clipboard. "Arrrgh! Why today!?" She glanced back at Konatsu. I can't leave Konatsu by herself like this, but… She looked back out the window. Is it fair to drag her along to this, just for my own needs? She hesitated, feeling that pang of guilt and uncertainty that had been plaguing her since she had watched Konatsu's transformation. She's getting along with people… even smiling! This is how she should be… right? Just a normal girl.

"I can let your friend know where you went once she's free," Megumi supplied helpfully. "If this is something you need to attend to, I mean."

Mineko glanced back at the window, then back at Konatsu, then made a snap decision. "Yeah. Just… don't let the boys pester her too much. And if anything weird happens, come find me on the practise field, and don't ask too many questions, okay?"

Megumi cocked her head. "Something weird? Like what?"

"Just… anything weird," Mineko replied. She grabbed her bag and moved quickly to the back door of the classroom, sparing Konatsu a last glance before slipping through.

000

Sayuri was watching as Mineko slipped out the back door of the classroom. "So far, so good," she breathed. Now it was her turn.

Outside the front door of the classroom Umeko loitered with a few other girls from the Martial Arts Club. They had been acting as gatekeepers to make sure that any students they didn't feel should be associating with their group got in. Sayuri and the others had been informed, in no uncertain terms, that they were unwelcome. But for the plan to work, they needed to abandon their post.

She took a deep breath to steel herself, stepped out around the corner and strode forward. She headed towards the classroom door and moved to open it and go inside.

A hand grasped her wrist roughly as she reached for the handle.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Umeko asked, leaning in close and glaring at her.

"I left my pencil case at my desk," Sayuri said nonchalantly, pulling her wrist away.

"Get it next period then! We're using this room now. Just piss off," Umeko retorted.

"The room is for free study. Anyone can use it," Sayuri replied.

"Not. You," Umeko stated firmly.

Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "So… answer a question for me… how much does Himura pay you to be her bitch, anyway? Or is it just some kind of weird fetish thing for you? Got a bit of a 'bottom' thing going on?"

Umeko reached out and grabbed the front of Sayuri's blouse. "Now look here, you useless, stuck up little dropout…"

"You think I'm afraid of you just because Ranma and Akane aren't here?" Sayuri asked, lowering her voice. "You're not a martial artist. You're a poser who does the same Tai Chi moves my Grandma does and speeds them up to impress the rubes."

She saw Umeko's pupils dilate and, in her peripheral vision, she could see the fist cock back. She knew she had a fraction of a second to shift the venue.

All it took was a smile.

Umeko's eyes widened and she hesitated. Then they narrowed as realization dawned. "Why, you little bitch…" She lowered her fist.

"Too bad there's no place on the school grounds that your boss hasn't got eyes," Sayuri inclined her chin towards one of the hallway cameras that were a leftover from Principal Kuno's constant attempts to catch Ranma out of uniform. "But… you could always do it anyway. I'm sure she wouldn't toss you in the trash like she did Tomoko."

Umeko grit her teeth. "You're all talk now, aren'tcha? Wouldn't talk so big without some technicality to hide behind, would you?"

Gotcha. Sayuri didn't bother to hide the smug look. After all, it simply fed the fire at this point. "Got some spot where your Big Sister can't babysit you? I'm game if you are."

000

Rin watched Sayuri walk away with Umeko and her small gang of thugs. She didn't like the idea of Sayuri heading off alone with them and she hoped that Sayuri knew what she was doing.

She took a deep breath. Dad always said the time to doubt your Team Captain ISN'T in the middle of a game. Gotta focus on my part.

She glanced at Daisuke next to her, who was watching intently. He waited until Sayuri and the group of bullies were well around the corner before he turned to her.

"Alright, wait until the classroom clears," Daisuke told her. "Stay out of sight until then."

"O-okay," Rin said nervously. "Um… Mr. Yuka's Boyfriend-san?"

Daisuke paused, a pained expression crossing his face. He took a breath. "Yes, Rin?"

"W-what if I can't convince Konatsu to talk to us?" Rin fidgeted nervously. "What if I mess this up?"

He gave her a confident grin and a thumbs up. "You'll do fine. She's probably not gonna agree to come meet with us or suddenly see that she's been messed with. That's fine. Just find out what you can. Listen and remember everything she says so we can pick through it later. Just keep her talking as long as possible, okay?"

"I-I'll try. But I wish you had gotten someone else to do this…" Rin mumbled.

"Hey… you're the person that actually got Mousse to say ten words in a row that didn't include 'Die, Saotome!' or 'Shampoo, I love you!'. I'm pretty sure you're the best one for this job." Daisuke gave her a wink then stood and made for the classroom. He threw open the door and sauntered toward the the far window to peer out across the athletic fields.

With an exaggerated pause for dramatic effect, he cried out, "Hey look! There are two cute girls out there wearing skimpy bunnygirl costumes!"

The collective snap of male heads turning to see was like the crack of a whip, followed by a deep rumble… the sound of dozens of feet shuffling and stomping. Daisuke ducked back and flattened himself against the wall as both doors were suddenly slammed aside and a herd of Furinkan's most hormonal male students practically climbed over each other to get out, pelting down the hallways towards the exits.

As he darted out in pursuit, Daisuke gave her a final thumbs up charged off after the crowd.

Rin took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked nervously up to the classroom door. She stepped inside and slid the panel closed behind her.

Konatsu was still seated at her desk in the hastily emptied classroom, flipping through her textbook. She even didn't look up as Rin came in.

"Ms. Konatsu?" Rin said timidly as she stepped forward.

Konatsu still didn't look up. "If you've come to admonish or interrogate me on behalf of Ukyou Kuonji or the others…"

"N-no!" Rin said quickly. She hurried over to the empty desk next to Konatsu's and slipped into the chair. "I-I just…"

Konatsu raised her head and fixed her with an icy glare. "I have spent most of my life being used and abused by my family, and then used and abused by my supposed 'saviors'. I don't feel the need to account for my actions to either."

"I-I'm not either of those things, Ms. Konatsu…" Rin said sheepishly. "I'm… I'm just the girl who comes in sometimes for a deluxe okonomiyaki, remember?"

Konatsu's expression flickered slightly. "And to talk about Mousse or Ranma Saotome. They put you up to this because they knew I wouldn't speak with them."

Rin shook her head. "They're not here, Ms. Konatsu. They don't even know you're here. It's just us… just the volleyball team, and Hiroshi and Daisuke. We… we just are worried about you because you're our friend."

Konatsu snorted. "We hardly know one another."

"I don't have to know a lot to be worried about someone," Rin said. "A-and… And Ms. Himura worries me. S-so… I just want to know what happened."

Konatsu regarded her a moment. Her expression thawed, softening a bit. She sighed and turned back to her textbook. "You've been misled about Ms. Himura. She is not the ogress that Ranma or Ukyou make her out to be."

"She isn't?" Rin asked. "I-I mean, I've heard things, but that isn't why…"

"She helped me. She and Mineko. When no one else did." Konatsu turned to glare at her again but her expression softened almost immediately. "My parents were retainers to the Tanaka family for a very long time. Generations. All true shinobi need a lord to serve and Oda Tanaka was ours. I… forgot this during my long time with my stepmother and stepsisters. They had no interest in upholding our clan's obligations." Konatsu gripped the edges of the textbook. "And then… Ukyou seemed to wish to take the role of lord for herself. She took advantage of my feelings for her…" After a moment she relaxed slightly. "I think I would still be there if it weren't for Mineko."

"You were friends with Ms. Mineko?" Rin asked. "I guess… she must have come by at different times than I did. I never saw her there."

"She often came by during the lunch rush, when you and the others were at school," Konatsu said. "She and I talked a lot. As much or more than you and I did, though I opened up to her more." She sat back in her chair. "I know you want to understand why I left, but… This is not easy for me. There are… a lot of emotions to process, and it is sometimes difficult for me to maintain my composure."

"Why?" Rin asked. "I mean… not 'why is it hard', that's obvious, but… why maintain your composure?" She cocked her head. "That's part of what worried me. If… If I had to uproot my life like you have I'd be bawling my eyes out!"

Konatsu took a deep breath and straightened herself. "A shinobi must conduct herself with a certain decorum. I still have duties… long neglected duties in fact." She glanced at Rin. "Duties that will likely put me at odds with your friends from the dojo, so long as they insist on their unjust war against Ms. Himura."

"But… Ms. Himura was the one to challenge Senpai…" Rin said, confused.

"Because it was the only way to stop the predations of a dangerously perverse individual!" Konatsu said. "Ranma Saotome's life is full of unhealthy relationships, manipulation and exploitation of those weaker than him. Perhaps… perhaps that is what led Ms. Ukyou to such things, but… but she made her own choices with that. I can no longer, in good conscience, be part of such… depraved behaviour." She leaned forward and put a hand on Rin's shoulder. "Doesn't it bother you? Their 'harem'? That they all worship the ground Ranma walks on, or how they twist their own desires to be more pleasing to him? Even resorting to… to…" Konatsu shuddered, "no, nevermind. I am speaking ill of those who cannot speak for themselves. But… Rin… You should rethink who you associate with."

Rin was silent for a moment. She looked down at the ground. Then, finally she spoke.

"Ms. Himura's father knew my Dad," she said quietly. "They were both hoping to get into Olympic Volleyball. Her Dad inspired her to play the game, same as mine did for me. Except her Dad got caught cheating, so he didn't get to go. Himura knows all of that… but she still blames my Dad and blames me. Just because my Dad got to go, and hers didn't."

She looked up, looking Konatsu in the eyes. "I don't know who she is around you. I don't know what she's like to Ranma, or to Nabiki, or Mineko or anyone else. But I know what she's like to me. I've tried to ignore it. I've tried to pretend it wasn't happening. I've tried to be friends and I've tried to prove myself by working hard. But nothing works because of something that happened before I was even born. Who I am doesn't matter to her. That's who Himura Tanaka is to me. Whatever I think about Senpai or her relationships, who I am at least always mattered to her."

Konatsu narrowed her eyes. "Who I was didn't! Ukyou was always trying to make me dress and act like a boy. Like her."

Rin was silent for another moment. "I don't… I don't know how to tell you this…" Rin took a deep breath. "A-and I don't think you'd believe me if I did, so I won't even try. All I can say is that If Ukyou-senpai made you feel that way, I'm sorry. B-but… She isn't the one who changed you. Ask Mineko about the potion."

Konatsu blinked. "What potion?"

"Just ask her. About the potion made from Jusenkyo water," Rin said.

"Why would Mineko know anything about a potion made from Jusenkyo? She's never even been to China," Konatsu said. She held up a hand. "Yes, yes, I'll ask her. On the condition that you don't discuss any of this with Ukyou or Ranma. Or with anyone likely to relay it to them."

Rin nodded.

"I don't want any contact with them, nor do I want them finding me and trying to convince me of the errors of my ways. I am not angry with you, Rin, but you are very close to people with whom I am angry. I would ask you allow me to deal with it."

"I-I will," Rin said. "I promise not to talk to them about anything we talk about, unless you tell me differently. But… can we still talk sometimes? I know Mineko doesn't like me, and she's your best friend, so…" She pulled out her phone and slid it forward, already on the screen to add a contact.

Konatsu hesitated, then reached into her pocket and drew out a brand new candy red flip phone. "You… will have to do it for me. I still don't understand such modern devices." She handed the phone over to Rin. "How did you know I would even have one?"

"I… just kind of assumed?" Rin said sheepishly, as she took both phones and swapped numbers with practised ease. "Even Senpai has one. You didn't have one before?"

"Mineko insisted," Konatsu took the phone back. "Ms. Himura is very kindly paying for it. She calls me on occasion to check up on me, which is very thoughtful, given her busy schedule. She has already used it to give me several tasks as her family retainer."

"Retainer? You work for her now?" Rin asked.

"I always have, I just wasn't aware of it. As I said, family obligations. I have much work to do to repair the stain on my family's honor for being unaware of my obligations for so long." Konatsu gave Rin a reassuring smile. "Do not fret. Whatever you fear, they have been small tasks - fetching a drink or delivering a package. They are things to make me feel useful, I believe. Nothing of the nefarious sort you and your friends would imagine."

Rin shrugged. "I don't really imagine Himura doing things. I only know what she has done." She glanced out the window, seeing Daisuke gesturing in her direction. Riko and Yuka were sprinting across the field, being closely pursued by a large crowd of boys. "I… should get going. I think my friends need me." She put her hand on Konatsu's. "Thank you for being willing to talk, Ms. Konatsu. I'll keep my word, I promise."

Konatsu nodded. "I know I will never change the minds of most of your friends… but I have some hope I can show you at least that Himura and the others are not so bad."

Rin sighed. "I'll… try to keep an open mind."

000

"This was a terrible idea!" Riko panted as they ran, nearly sobbing as they did their best to keep ahead of the horde. Her arms were crossed over her chest in an effort to avoid having anything flop out, as the bunny-suit did not make a particularly effective sports bra.

"This was your idea!" Yuka shot back, sprinting alongside her. Part of her was silently resenting the fact that she wasn't having any issues with bouncing out of her equally skimpy outfit. The decision not to wear the high heels that came with the costumes and to stick with their regular school shoes was turning out to have been a wise one, however.

"Yes, I know! Why didn't you stop me!" Riko wailed.

They had severely underestimated just how starved the local population had gotten for a spectacle. With Akane's daily horde battles done and as the challenges and chaos around Ranma receded as Ranma worked out the issues with fiancees and friends. Even the usual melange of antagonists was absent or otherwise occupied, so reports of a couple of girls in skimpy bunny costumes had drawn a far larger crowd than expected and things had gotten swiftly out of hand.

"We have to focus on getting away!" Yuka gasped. "If they get a clear look at our faces, our reputations are done!"

"I… I can't!" Riko wheezed as she started to fall behind. "I can't keep on running!"

Yuka looked over her shoulder and realized that their pursuers were far closer than she had expected. Apparently a lot of the Hentai Horde had been keeping in shape despite no longer pursuing Akane. She whimpered and for one distracted moment she didn't look where she was going.

So when she bumped into someone, she was convinced that they had caught her. She swung without thinking, crying out as she threw a blind punch.

Her fist was caught easily. She blinked as the fear induced fog cleared a bit and she found herself looking at a familiar white-robed figure. "Mousse!"

Mousse frowned and adjusted his glasses. "Ranma, why did you change your hair color?" His eyes flicked down to the top of her bustier. "Oh, I beg your pardon. You're not Ranma." He released her fist.

Yuka resisted the powerful urge to throw another punch. Pragmatism took over. "Mousse, save us!" she cried and grabbed Riko to drag her behind the Chinese martial artist.

"Wha…? I'm really just here to see Rin…" Mousse said, confused, then looked up and saw the approaching horde. "Oh. I see."

"Hey! You! Glasses-nerd!" one of the jocks from the Rugby team stomped up to Mousse. He was nearly a head taller than the already tall Chinese boy, and glared down at him, snorting like a bull. "We see those girls behind you. Outta the way!"

Mousse frowned. "'Out of the way'? Why? Do you have some business with my friends?"

The jock snorted. Most of the rest of the team was crowding up behind him, seeing an opportunity for a fight. Those of the crowd who were smarter, or who at least had longer memories and remembered Mousse's previous fights on campus were backing away with varying degrees of haste.

"You? Friends with a coupla cute girls like that? Nah." He chuckled and put his hand on Mousse's shoulder with the intent to shove him away. "Now, out of the way. Your betters need to introduce…"

*SNIKT*

The Jock didn't get any further as there were now three razor-sharp claws being held just beneath his chin. He yelped and threw himself backwards, away from Mousse.

"What the hell are you doing, you freak!?" he screeched in a voice that was a few octaves too high.

Mousse glared at him, then regarded the claws. He sighed and shook his head. "No, you're right. Rin would be disappointed in me." With a snap, the blades were gone, disappearing back into his sleeve.

Seeing that he was rapidly losing face, and needing to distract from the slight puddle he had made, the Jock bounced to his feet. "Y-you're gonna pay for that, beanpole!" He cocked his fist back, stepping in to punch Mousse in the oversized spectacles.

"Pole?" Mouse brightened slightly. "Oh, yes, that should be okay." His arm snapped out again and he held up what appeared to be a length of a bo staff, blocked the punch and pushed the jock back before he drew forth the rest of the weapon… which turned out to be a flat headed push broom. "Ah! I was wondering where I had left that."

The rest of the rugby team stared in bewilderment as the Chinese teen pulled the five foot broom from his sleeve, which clearly should never have been able to fit.

Mousse shouldered the broom then glanced back at the girls cowering behind him. "You're Rin's friends, right? Is Rin about? I'll be done with this in a minute."

"Uh… sure?" Yuka replied nervously.

"Excellent." Mousse turned back to the Rugby team. "I believe you were about to make me pay for something?" he said to the lead Jock.

"G-get him!" the jock yelled,

The entire team charged as one, moving to form a blocking line to try and bear him down with sheer weight and numbers.

Mousse twirled the large broom as though it were light as a feather, using it to poke a few in the gut or groin, or to clock a couple of others upside the head with the flat broom head. And always, he kept the broom spinning. The solid, meaty thwacks that signalled contact between wood, bone and flesh rang out repeatedly as the members of the rugby team were quickly scattered and sent sprawling.

Before they could recover, Mousse darted into the middle of the group, broom still whirling as he knocked each one back off his feet when they tried to regroup. He was quick to punish any that dared to try and get back into the fight. For the next twenty seconds or so, he was a blur of motion, each step of the dance punctuated with the dull clunk of wood striking a body as a counterpoint to the groans or yelps of pain. When the dust cleared, the entire team was laid flat out on the ground, unable or unwilling to try getting up again.

Mousse shouldered the broom again, looked over the group and sighed. "This may sound a bit hypocritical coming from me, but… you guys should really learn to tell when a girl isn't interested."

Despite it being quite obviously impossible, he tucked the broom back into his sleeve and walked back over to Yuka and Riko. "Are you two all right?"

Yuka crossed her arms self-consciously over her chest. "Yes, uh… thank you, Mousse. I'm kind of surprised that you came to our rescue, honestly…"

"It is considered a point of honor for martial artists to aid those in need," Mousse replied. "Besides, you are Rin's friends, and I also know something about being bullied. Any one of those factors alone would have been more than enough reason."

"Ah… yeah… well… it's just… I was kind of a jerk last time you saw me…" Yuka said awkwardly. "I… guess I owe you an apology."

Mousse cocked his head then nodded slightly. "Accepted. Rin explained the situation to me afterwards. I can understand your perception of me as… 'hostile'. I also accept that I bear responsibility for Young Mi's dangerous actions here."

"Speaking of which… I thought you were going to steer clear of the school to avoid leading her here?" Yuka said. "Not that I don't appreciate the save!" she added quickly.

"Since Young Mi knows Shampoo attends this school, I felt it was necessary to keep an eye on it. Though I have tried to do so discreetly so as to avoid drawing her here with my presence. Turning into a duck has advantages," Mousse said. "Besides, it makes it easier to walk Rin home."

"You mean you've been walking Rin home every day!?" Yuka yelped.

Mousse nodded and folded his hands into his sleeves. "Yes. Rin is very insightful. She and I have talked about a number of things. She's helped me understand Japanese culture and the mindsets of those around me much more clearly, and even pointed out a few ways that I might better approach my own… issues." He sighed. "I would try to return the favor, but… interpersonal relationships aren't my strong suit - much less those dealing with multiple elder siblings, which seems to provide the bulk of the strife in Rin's life."

"So you have no clue about what's going on right now?" Riko asked nervously.

"No. Why? What trouble has Ranma Saotome gotten into this time?" Mousse asked.

Yuka grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the school. "Oh you have no idea! We'll get Sayuri to explain things to you. She's got the best handle on what's going on."

"Where is Sayuri?" Riko asked, following behind.

"I'm sure she's fine," Yuka replied. "Sayuri's pretty level-headed. I don't think she'd get herself into a situation she didn't know how to get out of."

000

As Sayuri hit the concrete floor of the equipment room for the third time, she realized she had no idea how to get out of this situation.

She coughed in an attempt to get her bruised diaphragm to draw in air again. Umeko had been focusing a lot on body blows and, while Sayuri had already retched up most of her breakfast, it was clear Umeko wasn't satisfied yet.

"Get up, bitch," Umeko sneered as she paced a few feet away, always between Sayuri and the door. "No… no, on second thought? Stay down. On the floor, at my feet, where you belong!"

Sayuri groaned and forced herself to her hands and knees, raising her head to glare at Umeko as she got slowly to her feet.

Umeko growled softly and cracked her knuckles. "Okay then…"

The roundhouse kick was surprisingly fast, though not nearly as fast as Ranma or one of the other high-end martial artists. Sayuri managed to react fast enough to twist away from it, but it still clipped the side of her head and sent her sprawling again.

"Umeko! You're not supposed to leave marks!" one of the other girls said in a worried tone.

"She came at me first. You all saw it," Umeko replied, taking a step towards Sayuri. "I'm sick of her stuck-up attitude! Trying to sneak in and take everything we spent three years building, after she didn't have what it took to stick with it! She deserves to lose a few teeth for that at least. Himura will understand."

Sayuri felt an odd sensation, deep in her gut. She knew, in a detached sort of way, that she should be afraid - but she wasn't. Not really. She was angry. A seething storm raged inside her - it kept pushing her - pushing her to get up again each time Umeko knocked her down. But at its center was also a calm, cool core, like the eye of a hurricane. She wasn't beaten yet. With an icy, crystalline certainty, she knew what she needed to do, even if she wasn't sure yet how to do it.

Her hand landed on something smooth, round and rubbery. A volleyball. For a moment she considered it ironic, but this was where the volleyball team equipment was kept. It seemed the other teams had been pushed to other storage rooms entirely.

Still, the ball sparked something. A dim memory. Something that had happened during a game. She could feel the ball, feel that spiral of white hot anger and icy calm flow into it, swirl and mix, start to spin. She had never been clear what was happening before, but the haze of pain and the dizziness from the kick to her head had left her feeling somewhat detached, and that oddly objective viewpoint made it easier to see. Slowly she pushed herself up, while at the same time she experimentally fed the storm inside the ball. She could feel it start to vibrate in her hand as it began to twist and quiver like there was a gyroscope inside of it.

"Still not staying down, huh?" Umeko growled. "I was gonna be content just to kick you around a bit, but if you're still not gonna learn…"

Sayuri turned. She recognized Umeko as the source of her anger, at least for now, and she could feel the ball start to pull. She didn't care anymore about mitigating things, or surviving until Umeko got tired, or finding a way to escape. She just wanted the girl to shut up. She flung the ball at the martial artist as she turned.

It wasn't the best throw. It didn't even look like it would have hit, and even if it had, it was a volleyball, and she was no Rin. In the normal world, where normal people lived, the ball would hit the wall behind Umeko to her left. The girl would become enraged and she and her cronies would descend on Sayuri and give her the beating they had been promising.

But this was Nerima.

As soon as the ball left her fingers, Sayuri knew something was off. She could still feel it, as though dozens of little threads were connecting it to her fingertips. It was also starting to spin, accelerating as it left her hand. She was fairly certain that violated several laws of physics. It was still off course, but she could feel the slight tug at her fingers, and felt like maybe, somehow, she could change that. She closed her hand and pulled back sharply.

The threads snapped. What had already been a rapid spin became absurdly so, actually causing the ball to flatten slightly and bulge out in the middle as the forces within it were unleashed. It also changed course at the last moment, redirected by that final tug.

The ball slammed into Umeko's side with enough force to throw her all the way across the room where she crashed into several racks loaded with equipment. Because that's what happened in Nerima.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, Sayuri included.

The odd, calm detachment had evaporated now, replaced with a building sense of panic. What the hell did I just do!? she wondered. Umeko was coughing and struggling to get her wind back while two of her cronies knelt next to her to help disentangle her from the piles of netting and stands.

While they were distracted, Sayuri picked up two more volleyballs. That 'bottled storm' feeling might be gone, but she gambled that her tormentors didn't know that. "Okay, who's next?" she snarled, though a little wheezily owing to the beating she had taken. She held up the volleyballs in what she hoped was a menacing fashion.

The remaining thugs eyed her nervously, then retreated towards Umeko to heft her up. The blow from the ball had been enough to knock the sense out of the wannabe martial artist and her head was lolling to the side as they shouldered her arms and carried her out of the room. The last one out turned back and, somewhat nervously, said, "Himura will hear of this!" then she beat a hasty retreat before any divine volleyball retribution could be delivered.

Sayuri dropped the volleyballs and leaned heavily against the wall, panting both from the exertion and from relief. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and flipped it open to check on something. She closed it again and grinned to herself. "Yeah… You bet she will," she muttered.

000

"The Joketsuzoku INVADED!?" Mousse yelped incredulously. His glasses were pushed up on his forehead and his eyes were wide and frightened.

"Yeah… They're after Ranma, though they've gone after Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo too," Yuka said. They had retreated to Gosunkugi's little hidey hole and were still waiting for Sayuri to return, so she had taken it upon herself to give Mousse the rundown. "Cologne negotiated some kind of cease-fire, but they're all holed up at the Tendo Dojo."

"Umm… Not all of them…" Riko said sheepishly. "Shampoo is still kinda… sorta… missing…"

"And all we don't know where Ranma or Ryouga are. Just that they're probably connected to that big explosion," Yuka added.

Mousse slumped back in his seat. His eyes looked haunted. "What could have possessed the Elders to do such a thing?"

"We… were kinda hoping you could tell us?" Riko asked.

"I have not had contact with the village in a long time," Mousse said. "I am an exile, after all."

"A-are you going to be okay?" Rin asked nervously. She sat down next to him and put a hand on his arm.

Mousse shook his head. "I am a Joketsuzoku male who practises martial arts. It is a violation of our laws. This is fine so long as I stay out of Joketsuzoku territory, but… you are sure Khu Long used the term 'Contested Ground'?"

"Pretty sure, yeah," Yuka replied.

Mousse took a deep, shaking breath. "Then… they consider this territory annexed, or in the process of it. Which means if I am found here, they will kill me. Or worse." He folded his hands in his lap.

"Kill you?!" Yuka yelped. "Isn't that a little extreme?! I mean, I thought they wanted strong male martial artists!"

"They want strong Outsider male martial artists," Mousse replied. "Inbreeding is a problem which we must constantly combat and adding worthy outsiders is the preferred method. But they see no value in a Joketsuzoku-born male who learns martial arts. It is a distraction from our proper duties as healers, caregivers, husbands and fathers and wasted effort that could have been put towards training a woman."

"I always sorta figured Ranma was gonna go back there to be a king or something, the way Shampoo fawned over him," Yuka muttered.

"Far from it," Mousse said. "There are… allowances given for their lack of knowledge about Joketsuzoku laws and customs, but Ranma would be expected to learn our customs and assimilate eventually. He would have been tasked with passing on his martial arts skills to a new generation of his daughters, but he would not be allowed to fight as a warrior himself. Though… I suspect both Shampoo and Khu Long would bend the rules for him quite a bit," He paused a moment, considering. "I wonder if that's what sparked this? Elder Khu Long was always considered more progressive than the Council liked, especially when it came to the matter of male's rights or acceptance of Outsider women. It is possible they feared she would use the addition of a powerful male warrior to the village as a rallying point."

"So instead they want to get Ranma and make him into a good, meek little Amazon man," Yuka muttered.

"Except… he isn't a man…" a voice said from the door. They all looked up to see a very battered-looking Sayuri leaning heavily against the door frame.

"Sayuri!" Yuka reacted first, yelping her friend's name and rushing to her side to support her. "Oh, holy crap… What did she do to you!?"

"She… beat the hell out of me… What did you expect?" Sayuri replied. She chuckled then winced and grabbed her side. "Ow… don't do that… laughing bad…"

Yuka lifted the other girl's shirt, seeing the redness of her abdomen, and the ugly yellow and purple bruising already starting to rise. "Ooookay, that's enough of that, we're going to go see the nurse!"

"No!" Sayuri said sharply. "Umeko's fangirls already… nnnh… carried her off in that direction. Probably best I steered clear for a bit."

"Carried her off? Why? Did you get a lucky hit in or something?" Yuka asked.

"Sayuri, you know there's a no fighting rule!" Riko groused. "If you hit her and her cronies vouch for it, Himura will kick you out of the team!"

Sayuri smirked. "Don't worry… got it covered, trust me," She looked up and blinked. "Oh… hi, Mousse." She let Yuka guide her over to a chair and eased herself down into it.

"I think your friends are correct, you should see a healer," Mousse replied, lowering his glasses to get a better look.

"I'll go see Doc Tofu after school. He gives a discount for martial arts related injuries, right?" Sayuri joked. She winced a bit, holding her side.

Mousse frowned. "What did you mean, 'Ranma isn't a man'?"

"I… uhh… I was saving that part of last," Yuka said. "See, we were expecting the High School Sports Commission to ban Ranma from playing because… well, regardless of how he looks, he's a guy, right? They'd check his records and find out he's a boy."

"Except that didn't happen," Sayuri added.

"Yeah… so we… Me, Daisuke and Hiroshi… snuck into the government records building with Nabiki's help and did some research. Turns out Ranma has two sets of birth records. One for a boy, one for a girl. One is fake," Yuka continued.

"We didn't know which one until Himura dropped the other half on Ranma himself… herself… Ranmaself?" Daisuke said, earning an annoyed glare from Yuka. "Some kinda old chinese potion using Jusenkyo water that used to belong to one Genma Saotome before he hawked it… after returning to China from a 14 year long training trip with his 'son'."

Mousse pushed his glasses back up, eyes widening. "Do you mean to say…?"

"The potion was supposed to make someone who was born female permanently male… including altering their memories," Sayuri said. "Except Genma botched it, and so when he used it on his daughter…"

"You get the recipe for one Ranma Saotome," Yuka finished. "Take two helpings of insane parents, one isolated and confused girl, stir for fourteen years on a training journey, mix in Jusenkyo water and a whole mess of mind-altering drugs, add psychological trauma to taste."

"Yuka, that's pretty crass even for you," Sayuri admonished her.

"Ranma Saotome is female by birth?" Mousse said. His eyes flicked back and forth as he processed the new information. "Khu Long… did she know?"

"She said she suspected," Sayuri said. "She's at the Tendo Dojo now if you want to ask her."

"If she suspected… Then everything she's done so far with regards to Ranma makes so much more sense!" Mousse replied. "She could have overpowered him, drugged him and dragged him back to China at any time; But if he was, in reality, a female then the marriage law wouldn't apply and the Kiss of Death would take effect. Ranma would be killed on the spot and Shampoo would have been dishonored twice over for falling for it, extenuating circumstances or not. But by training Ranma and indoctrinating her, she could make a case for the Kiss of Sisterhood, and…" He slumped back in his chair, massaging his temples. "That sneaky old mummy!"

"I'm surprised your first reaction wasn't to realize that the marriage between Ranma and Shampoo is effectively null and void," Yuka commented dryly.

Mousse blinked, then glanced at Rin. His eyes fell. "That… might have been my reaction until the recent past. But… I am of the opinion it would make no difference. Not as far as Shampoo's feelings are concerned, anyway." He looked up. "Speaking of… you said she was missing?"

"Cologne thinks the other Amazons took her hostage. They were trying to capture Akane and Ukyou too," Sayuri replied.

"That doesn't make sense. If they have Shampoo they could force Khu Long to surrender to them as well." Mousse rubbed his chin. "I need to find her."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Yuka said. "Didn't you just say the Amazons would kill you if they caught you?"

"Yeah, they're already on the lookout for martial artists while they're trying to catch Ranma. They'd spot you," Hiroshi said.

"If I was human at the time," Mousse gave them a confident smile. "I doubt any of them can fly, though."

"They know about your curse," Sayuri pointed out. "You should still be careful."

"I know my people," Mousse said gruffly. Then he paused. "I… thank you for your concern. I will try."

"Mu Tsu," Rin said. She wasn't able to meet his eyes, looking away at the floor instead. "I-I know that you have to do this… b-but… but…"

"I'll come back," Mousse said. "I'll still come by the school every day to check on you."

Everyone else in the room exchanged a glance.

"Y'know… I should be getting back to class…" Sayuri said, standing up stiffly.

"And we… uh… need to carry her to class," Yuka said as she and Riko stood.

"We've… uhh… we've got… ummm… a thing," Daisuke said.

"Yeah, a thing," Hiroshi added. "And so do you, Gos."

"W-wait, what thing? I don't have a thing!" Gosunkugi, who had been silent in the corner so far started, looking around nervously.

"Yeah, you've definitely got a thing," Daisuke said, hooking Gosunkugi's arm. "Come on."

"No, wait! I swear I don't have a thing! I gave my thing to the bullies last week!" Gosunkugi said in a panicked voice.

"Gos, not that… wait, what thing are you talking about?" Hiroshi asked, then hooked Gosunkugi's other arm. "Nevermind, let's just go."

"N-no! You don't have to…!" Rin looked around in a panic, but everyone was slipping out of the little room and heading back down the dark corridor. "It's not… It's not…" she trailed off as Riko gave her a wink and closed the door. "like that…" She sighed, letting her hand fall to her lap as she looked at the floor.

"Your friends are strange," Mousse commented. "Nice… but strange."

000

Sayuri wasn't shocked when the call came over the PA for her to report to the Vice-Principal's Office. The whole class was hushed. The bruise on her temple as already coming in nicely, so they knew something was up. Yuka stood to go with her, but Sayuri waved her down.

She walked down the hallway, her heels clicking on the floor, echoing almost unbearably loudly. Each classroom she passed seemed quiet. The walk seemed far longer than she remembered it being.

She raised her hand to knock at the door, but before she could a voice from within called out, "Come in."

She opened the door and stepped inside. Unlike Principal Kuno's Hawaiian-theme fantasy, the Vice Principal's office was utilitarian and relatively professional (Which made sense as the man functionally had all the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the school, just without the authority). However, the balding, middle aged man was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Himura was sitting behind his desk, with Umeko standing next to it, arms crossed. Umeko looked rather battered, her face covered in bruises, scrapes and contusions, like she had… well, exactly like she had been thrown bodily into an equipment rack. Behind the desk and to Himura's right was a girl Sayuri didn't recognize, with long green hair tied back in a ponytail and a severe expression.

"So you're Vice Principal now too?" Sayuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Vice-Principal Chinen and I agreed that, as acting Student council President and Captain of the volleyball Team, I should handle this myself and with his blessing." Himura said with her typical empty smile. "I understand there was an… 'altercation' between you and Umeko. Is this true?"

"I won't deny that there was an altercation, no," Sayuri said, brushing her hair back from her forehead casually.

"I see. And you do remember the rule about such things, correct?" Himura asked.

"I remember a provision about being able to defend yourself if attacked," Sayuri replied.

"You attacked me!" Umeko said, pointing to her own face. "D'ya think I did this to myself?!"

Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "So you're suggesting someone with no training beat up a martial artist with… what, a volleyball?"

"That's exactly what you did, don't play games!" Umeko shouted. "Don't think you can lie your way out of this one, Sayuri!"

"Well, it seems we're at an impasse," Himura said. "Each of you claims that the other was the instigator, which leaves the decision in my hands." Himura leaned forward, steepling her fingers on the desk. "Given the circumstances, I'm inclined…"

"Get up, bitch… No… on second thought? Stay down. On the floor, at my feet, where you belong!"... Okay then."

"Umeko! You're not supposed to leave marks!"

"She came at me first. You all saw it. I'm sick of her stuck-up attitude! Tryin' to sneak in and take everything we spent three years building, after she didn't have what it took to stick with it! She deserves to lose a few teeth for that at least. Himura will understand."

Sayuri tapped the 'stop' on the playback on her phone and gave Himura a questioning look. "Well, Himura? Do you understand, like she said?"

Himura's smile didn't even flicker. In fact, it seemed almost to widen. "Well, well," she said. "Someone has been spending some time with Ms. Tendo, hasn't she?" She sat up straight. "Anyway, as I was about to say, given the circumstances, I'm inclined to believe your story, Ms. Kamei."

"WHAT!?" Umeko whirled, staring at Himura with shocked disbelief.

Himura leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow at Umeko. "Umeko… Umeko, Umeko, Umeko… You honestly can't tell me that you're surprised? After putting me in this position?"

"Putting you…!?" Umeko croaked.

Himura stood up smoothly, linked her fingers and stretched her arms over her head. "Ahhh… Umeko… you've been talking about doing this to Ms. Kamei since that little skit they did during the school barbecue! There are plenty of witnesses and camera footage of you leading Ms. Kamei to that storage room… even without her recording this could rattle confidence in the student council." She sighed and reached out, straightening Umeko's collar. "Umeko, dear… this is not how we do things."

"Like hell…" Umeko muttered under her breath, but Sayuri caught it.

"Now, perhaps if Ms. Kamei is willing to be charitable and put this whole matter behind us…?" Himura asked, turning to Sayuri.

"Oh no. I think I'd prefer to insist the bylaw be upheld," Sayuri replied, shooting Umeko a nasty look.

"Well, then that's that," Himura said with a sigh and a shrug. "I am sorry, Umeko, but you are free to try out again next semester."

"WHAT!?" Umeko howled. "Wha… you can't do this! Himura, I've been with you from the start! You can't!"

Himura's smile dropped. Her voice became dangerous. "Did you honestly think I would protect you this time? Now? Did you think I would accept the risk when I'm so close?" She took a step forward, actually causing Umeko to draw back. "All you needed to do was what you were told, Umeko. You never wanted to work for power and you didn't have to, as long as you stayed inside the lines. But even that was too much for you." She sighed. "I'm disappointed, Umeko. And I'm sorry. I gave you too much too fast maybe. Perhaps a few months of having to do things for yourself will make you more mindful of what you had." She turned and walked back to the desk, sitting down and not sparing her another look. "You may go now."

"I… You can't," Umeko said, her jaw trembling. "You can't! I know stuff, Himura! You can't just throw me away…"

The girl with the green hair was on her in an instant, pinning her up against the wall.

"I'm not throwing you away, Umeko. If I were, we never would have had this conversation," Himura said, sorting the papers on the desk. "In fact, I am going to keep a very close eye on you. You and the things you know. And… I do hope you understand the value in making sure you are the only one who knows those things. Because I know things too, don't forget."

The green haired girl said something in chinese that made Himura chuckle.

"If the burden of that knowledge becomes too much, Tan Pohn has reminded me that she has a fix for that as well." She finally looked up, giving Umeko a smile. "See that it doesn't. I'll overlook the obvious threats this time. Behave and I might have a way for you to redeem yourself in the future. Now… Tan Pohn, if you would please see her out, I'd like to have a word with Ms. Kamei."

The girl with the green hair frog marched the stunned Umeko out of the office, the door clicking shut behind Sayuri as they left. Sayuri got the feeling that whomever this new girl was, she was someone a lot more dangerous than Umeko. And chances were, Umeko would be dangerous enough with the grudge she'd be nursing over this.

She'd still rather have gone with them.

Himura walked back around the desk and motioned to one of the two chairs in front of it. "Come, Ms. Kamei. Sit."

"Is there something else you need?" Sayuri asked, folding her arms again and staying put.

Himura sighed. "Yes. I need an end to this childishness." For just a moment, the mask dropped, the fake smile faded away and Himura flopped back into the chair looking distressingly ordinary. "Look, Sayuri… Might I call you that? Sayuri… While I admire your fighting spirit - and I do! - at this point? It's misdirected. The challenge is over. Ranma isn't coming back to school and you know it."

"Because you set her up!" Sayuri snarled.

"I didn't dose her with the potion, did I?" Himura asked. "I didn't falsify her birth records. I didn't drag her across half of Asia for fourteen years to avoid her figuring out she wasn't a boy. And I didn't stuff her in a pit full of starving feral cats when she did!" She stabbed the desk with her finger on that last point, making Sayuri jump a little.

Himura took a breath, as if startled by her own vehemence, then settled back in her chair. "No… What I did do is find out about it. I found out about it, and you know what I did? I waited. I waited until Ranma had made friends, spent time as a girl… acclimated to the idea! You know as well as I do that all that supermale ego nonsense was already starting to crumble, thanks to the lot of you." She leaned back and spun her chair around slowly. "I could have told Ranma about all of this right at the height of his male pride… but I didn't. I waited until Ranma had the kind of connections that would help her survive. I saw an environment that would foster that and I made sure it flourished."

"You stacked the deck against us in volleyball and otherwise didn't do anything," Sayuri replied.

"Do you think your bond with Ranma would be nearly as strong if you hadn't struggled? Do you think she would have been as invested in it if it wasn't such a challenge?" Himura replied. She put her feet up on the desk. "I had a father that was a lot like Ranma's. So, believe it or not, I empathized."

"You honestly want me to believe you weren't doing all of this for your own benefit?" Sayuri asked. She walked over and sat down in one of the chairs.

"No, of course not, that would be idiotic," Himura laughed. "But there's room for both, isn't there? And besides, in the course of all of this, I found a much better prize than some silly contest between me and the local alpha male." Himura swivelled her gaze to Sayuri. "That's why I had already decided to take your side in this. This contest… doesn't suit me anymore. I'd like to wrap it up so I can focus on bigger things, and I think we'd all like to get on with our lives. So… I made a peace offering to get you here, so I can offer you a way out."

"A way out?" Sayuri asked. "You mean, throw Ranma and the others under the bus?"

Himura laughed again. "No, silly girl!" She sat up and put her hands on the desk. "You'd never accept that and we both know it, so that would be a colossal waste, wouldn't it? No, no, this is a way out for all of you. You, Ranma, your friends, Nabiki Tendo… all of them. I'm giving you an opportunity to walk away. And with what I've heard? Your friends have bigger problems."

"Yeah. I'm guessing you're going to claim you had nothing to do with that?" Sayuri asked.

Himura shrugged. "I won't deny I invited them here. The scroll is theirs, after all. But I've got little control over them otherwise. I had some side business with them which is no concern of yours. And I mean that; My business with them is in regards to some contacts I have in China. It won't affect you or your life or the lives of your friends." She leaned forward. "I'm more interested right now in settling our business. So… let me put my cards on the table. If you agree to end the contest… I'm afraid it would have to be a forfeiture on your part, but you're looking at that anyway with how things are… I would be willing to give you the volleyball team captaincy. Your friends would be welcome on the team… Yes, even Ms. Ito, and even Ranma, should she decide to return to us… And my only requirement of any of you would be to do what I suspect you're inclined to do anyway; Play volleyball."

"You're going to give me the volleyball team?" Sayuri asked. "Your volleyball team. The one you were going to use to take a shot at getting into the Olympics?"

"Once the new Student Council elections are done in two weeks, yes, of course." Himura beamed. "I have to maintain some authority around here, after all. But… I find the urgency I originally had for that goal has waned. I've found a much more interesting project. So… in order to pursue it, I am willing to offer you a very generous deal."

"And if I refuse?" Sayuri asked.

Himura shrugged, and the fake smile was back. "Well, you go out on the court again on Wednesday. And I suppose if you're certain your team is ready, you can absolutely do that. But… if they're not? You'll forfeit. You need five players, and you're not allowed substitutions. And then when my team has won two more easy games, your team will lose the challenge anyway. So the real question isn't if you should give up… because you've already lost. The question is if you're willing to put aside your pride, let things be in the past and spare yourself and your friends all the humiliation."

Sayuri sighed and leaned back in the chair. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "'Let things be in the past', huh?"

"Well, I know there were some rough spots…" Himura replied cheerfully.

"I didn't play a single round of volleyball when I was on the team. Not even in training," Sayuri said. "I carried equipment, I fetched water, I set up and broke down the courts, and I got blamed when someone was having a bad day."

"Well, obviously that will change…" Himura said, her smile starting to fade.

"Do you know the first day you actually remembered my name?" Sayuri asked. "The day I'd had enough and walked out. You had to ask someone what my name was so you could mock me for it. Afterwards, of course, the rumors about me started flying. Suddenly Umeko hates my guts. I became the girl who quit - who couldn't make the cut - who didn't even try."

Himura sighed. "I… misjudged you."

"No," Sayuri said sharply. "You didn't judge me in the first place. You didn't notice me. Like how many others on your team?" She stood. "Do you know why you deal with me now? Do you know why you even know my name to ask if you can call me by my given name? Because I became a threat." She leaned over the desk. "And if you're wanting to deal with me now? It's because I'm still a threat."

"Is that what you want to be to me, Sayuri?" Himura asked, her voice low and dangerous. "A threat? Because I don't long suffer threats. It isn't a choice between being my enemy or being nothing, you know. I'm offering you a third option. I'm offering you friendship."

Sayuri straightened. "Umeko was your friend," she said, and then turned and walked towards the door. She paused as Himura spoke once more.

"I'll give you some time to reconsider, Sayuri. We can talk after Wednesday's game. You'll see that I'm right," Himura said. "But… that will be your last chance. Think about it."

Sayuri sniffed, opened the door and stepped through it without another backward glance.

000

"The hole in the wall is secure and should be bricked up again by tomorrow morning, Mistress," Sasuke said. "Your Uncle has been contacted and is sending additional servants to assist, but he cautions it will be several days before they arrive."

Kodachi grit her teeth, pacing back and forth on the grass. She was still wearing her green leotard, which was dirtied and a little battered from fending off the Amazons. She tapped the handle of her ribbon on her chin. "Unacceptable."

"I… I beg your pardon, Mistress?" Sasuke said nervously. "Which part? If there is something amiss, I would be happy to see if additional personnel can speed…"

"All of this!" Kodachi whirled on him, glowering. Her eyes flashed with a barely contained fury.

The small ninja shrank back timidly in the face of her wrath.

"That these… these foreigners could simply walk onto our lands uncontested, attack my family and those we have taken as wards…!" She clenched her fist. "And that they could do such things with such impunity and walk away…!"

"Peace, dear sister," Tatewaki's voice called out from the doorway. He had changed into a loose robe and sported a few bandages to mark his injuries, as well as several visible bruises, but seemed much better than she had found him. "While I do not dispute these things were outrageous, poor Sasuke does not deserve to be the outlet of your wrath."

Kodachi blinked, then glanced down at the cowering Ninja. She sighed and lowered her ribbon, which she only just realized she had raised to strike. "You… are right brother dear. Sasuke, please forgive me my momentary outburst."

"I… I…" Sasuke's eyes widened as he received what was his first apology in memory from his Mistress. He immediately bowed in a humble grovel. "Y-yes, of course, Mistress! The matter is forgotten!"

Kodachi watched as her brother strode closer. "Do your wounds yet pain you, brother?" she asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "Minor aches. I took the least of it, and at that it was little enough to be worthy of no mind now. Yourself?"

"The attack was a feint. They never met us directly. What scrapes and bruises I have are from incaution and haste on my part," Kodachi muttered. "And what of our 'guests'?"

"If you mean Ranma and Ryouga, they are in their room resting. I asked the servants to give them something to help them sleep. I fear both of them were greatly shaken by their experience with the leader of the assault." He smirked a bit. "If you mean our other guests? They are also resting in their rooms… though those accommodations are somewhat more secure and decidedly less comfortable."

"And here I had thought you mad when you had the dungeons put in," Kodachi said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I was. That will not make me even slightly reluctant to take advantage of the fruits of that madness should they be useful, however." He sighed, looking out over the pond. "We need to alert the authorities about what happened here. There have been fatalities."

"Unavoidable ones," Kodachi reminded him. "And you know they will do nothing but cordon off Nerima and wait for the matter to play out. Nerima has long been our family's responsibility for a reason, brother. Calling for aid at this early juncture will only discredit us."

Tatewaki sighed. "Perhaps all the more reason to inform them, so they do stay clear." He motioned towards the detached hand still sitting on the grass in the middle of a pool of blood.

Kodachi walked over to it and casually kicked it into the pond. "I have little interest in coddling authorities that refuse to exercise that authority out of fear." She folded her arms, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Ran… Sasuke told me of the Neko-ken, but… Do you suppose this has happened before?"

"I have seen this 'Neko-ken' before," Tatewaki said. "I even intentionally provoked it, if my recollection is right. Ranma shredded my best bokken almost casually. But it was not like this. It was a mindless state… and, for the most part, harmless and instinctual. This… she was in control." His eyes fell to the remaining bloodstains on the grass. "It may have been easier for her if she hadn't been. She is no killer. I know deep in my heart that she is not ever meant to be."

"Agreed," Kodachi said, with an odd note of fierceness in her voice that surprised even herself. She paused a moment, chewing on that protective feeling. Odd… I had for so long waited for my Darling Ranma to be my white knight and save me… And now I am seeking that same role for myself for the abused girl I find exists in his place? She took a breath. Yes. Yes, I suppose that I am. "I will take that burden myself, if needs be."

"I would prefer if no one needs bear that burden," Tatewaki said gruffly, then glanced at the pond. "Any more than it has already been borne, at least."

"So then what do we do?" Kodachi asked. "I doubt they will give up so easily."

"I don't know," Tatewaki replied. "But I think it is long past time that I return to Furinkan High."

000

Sayuri sighed as she walked towards the gates. They had all agreed to meet there before heading home but, after the meeting with Himura, she knew she was going to be the last one there.

Sure enough, she could see them all standing around waiting for her. It made her feel a little better knowing they were waiting for her. But at the same time, they stuck out terribly.

"So, what happened?" Yuka asked as she came up. "We heard some rumours of a fight? Umeko was pissed when she came out. I thought she was going to start something, but when she saw us, she just kinda hunkered down and went on her way. Don't tell me you actually took her?"

"The didn't give you detention, did they?" Riko asked, looking worried. "Or-or-or… kick you off the volleyball team!?"

"Or suspend her," Hiroshi added.

"Or expel her," Daisuke chipped in.

Sayuri held up a hand, eyes scanning across the group to the person she wanted to hear from first. She fixed her gaze on Rin. "Rin, what did you find out?"

Rin fidgeted, unable to meet her gaze. "Th-that… that she really is a girl now. Ph-physically, I mean."

Sayuri paused, waiting for more. When no more was forthcoming, she prodded. "And?"

Rin whimpered. "A-and… and… andandand IPromisedNotToTalkAboutTheOtherStuffOrSheWon'tTalkToMeEverAgain!"

Sayuri's shoulders sagged, and she rubbed her eyes. "Rin…"

"Rin, that was the whole point!" Yuka said. "Sayuri got beat up and she might have gotten Dententionspendexpelled! Daisuke had to skip class to run interference so Riko and I could get away from the Hentai Horde! I had to wear a playboy bunny outfit!"

"I didn't get Detention. Or expelled," Sayuri said.

"B-but… I got her cell phone number," Rin said.

Yuka paused, mouth open as she was ready to launch into another rant. She closed her mouth, a wide grin forming as she clapped her hands. "I take it all back! A little bunnygirl sprint is worth something like that! Hand it over, Rin!"

Rin shook her head. "I-I can't! I promised! She t-trusts me a little bit, and she might talk to me more, and she might e-even listen, s-so…"

Yuka's expression soured. She clapped a hand over her eyes. "Rin… She's been brainwashed by Himura. With a magic potion. That changes people's gender. I don't think you're really honor bound to keep any promises. I'm pretty sure we can list this under 'It's for her own good', y'know?"

Sayuri's breath caught a moment as she remembered her conversation with Himura. Doing things for her own good, huh?

"Rin… Do what you feel is best," Sayuri said.

Everyone's eyes snapped to her.

"Are you… feeling okay, boss?" Daisuke asked.

"I'm serious," Sayuri replied. She took a deep breath. "Do you know what Himura called me in to talk about? About how all of this… everything she's done… was for Ranma's own good."

"You can't be serious," Yuka scoffed.

"She was," Sayuri replied. "I think she honestly, truly believes on some level that… that all of this… that tearing apart Ranma's life like this… was for Ranma's 'own good'. Because she found out about the scroll. Because she knew the truth, so that justified all of this."

"You don't think we're like that, though?" Riko asked nervously.

Sayuri shook her head. "I don't want to risk it. Just the thought of thinking the same way she does give me the creeps." She looked at Rin. "Rin… you've usually got a pretty good read on people, so… I'm going to trust you with this. Keep Konatsu talking as much as you can, even if you can't tell us what you're talking about. Just… be careful what you tell her, okay?

"Shouldn't we ask Nabiki what to do?" Daisuke asked. He held up his hands quickly as Sayuri glared at him. "I mean… I honestly think you're right, both you and Rin, but that's just my gut feeling. Nabiki's usually pretty particular about what she leaves for us to make a call on, and what she wants to know about, and this seems like a Nabiki-call situation."

"Nabiki has her plate full and I don't think she needs to know about Himura screwing with me on top of it all," Sayuri said. "As for Konatsu… we'll tell her tomorrow if we don't find out anything else shareable but for now," she took a breath, "maybe we should keep the Rin angle quiet?"

"I just wanna go on record as stating I hate this plan. But… I've hated most of our plans lately, and you're team captain, so I'll follow your lead," Yuka said. "But that reminds me… what exactly did happen in that meeting? Why aren't you toast?"

Sayuri paused for effect. "Himura kicked Umeko off the team for fighting."

"WHAT?!" the others yelped in unison. Even Rin got in on it this time.

"She's got some new girl. Green hair, Chinese accent. Was across the room before I even saw her move. Neither did Umeko, so I'm guessing Umeko's outlived her value." Sayuri folded her arms, suddenly feeling cold. "She… she offered me a truce. She said that if I would forfeit the rest of the matches that she'd back off… she would even give me the Captaincy of the Volleyball team once the student elections were done. She was… uh… pretty confident that she'd win those."

"What, seriously?" Yuka said.

"Yeah… She seemed pretty serious." Sayuri said. "She seems to want to wrap this whole thing up. She even said you all could play… even Rin… She'd stay out of it as long as she got her forfeit."

"And you believed that?" Yuka asked incredulously.

Sayuri nodded. "I do, actually. If only because it feels like she's… impatient. Like she's found something bigger, better and shinier and wants to move on, so she wants to wrap all this up."

"Wow… I think Himura must be the first person I've met who's managed to get bored with Ranma," Daisuke muttered. "Annoyed, exasperated, grievously injured, sure, but I'd never call him… her... boring."

"Y'know… her being bored with us might be a good thing," Yuka said quietly.

Daisuke turned and gave Yuka an incredulous look. "Not that I exactly enjoy being on Himura's list of people to screw with, but what makes you think being in her dustbin is any better?"

Yuka shrugged. "That's just it… We'd be out. She's done with us and, in my experience, that's your chance to sorta blend back into the background. Whatever she's chasing now, it's got nothing to do with us."

"So you just want to give up?!" Riko demanded.

"No, but I don't wanna get messed up, either!" Yuka shot back. "You know how I and every other 'normal' student gets by, with all these crazy martial artists and ghosts and so on? We're beneath their notice. The bug who gets squashed is the one who buzzes around and annoys the people who squash bugs. Himura? She's the sort who uses a magnifying glass on bugs. If we've got a chance to get our heads back down out of the fire…"

"W-W-What about S-Senpai? Or-or Nabiki-Senpai, or U-Ukyou-senpai, o-or…" Rin started stuttering badly from the emotion as she clenched her fists. "H-H-How can y-you just…!"

"Because I'm scared, okay?!" Yuka shouted, causing the shorter girl to step back in shock. "I'm scared and you all should be too! Whatever is going on is about changing who people are against their will! It's about Yakuza and people's lives being destroyed and people dying! And…" she shook her head, "and I just can't do it anymore, okay?"

"Yuka…" Riko said, taking a step towards her.

"Isn't that what you were saying, Captain?" Yuka said, ignoring Riko and looking Sayuri in the eye. "Isn't that why you brought it up? I mean, we're doomed anyway, right? Ranma is done, and without Ranma, there's no team, so… Let's take the out while we can, right?"

Sayuri dropped her gaze. "I… I don't know." She sighed. "Everything you're saying makes perfect sense, Yuka, but…"

Yuka's expression darkened. "But you needed me to be the bad guy about it, huh?"

Sayuri's head snapped up.

"Why'd you bring it up if you're not gonna go for it, huh? Waiting for that first person to cut and run so it'll make it okay for you to give up without it being your fault?" Yuka snapped, crossing her arms.

"Yuka, that's enough," Daisuke barked, startling them both.

They turned to see the brown haired boy was clenching his fists. "You know… I thought you got it, Yuka. I thought you understood. You're talking about us being bugs, well… well this was our shot to stop being bugs for once." He glared at her. "So now bad stuff might happen to you and you're out? You were only playing the game because you figured you'd get something without any risk?" He snorted and shook his head. "Fine. I'll give you until tomorrow, then I'm going to Nabiki with everything. C'mon, Hiro." He motioned to his friend as he jammed his hands in his pockets and started stalking away.

"Dai?" Yuka said, startled out of her anger by his sudden outburst. She reached out towards him, then dropped her arm and clenched her fist.

Hiroshi glanced at his friend's retreating back, then back at Riko. "I'll… uhhhh… I'll call you later, okay Riko?"

When Riko nodded, he jogged after his friend to catch up.

"Yeah… okay… sure. It's all on me again. That's just fine," Yuka muttered, head down. She started walking in the opposite direction.

"Yuka?" Sayuri said.

"It's over, Sayuri. Just… just let it go. Ranma will find a way to take care of herself. She always does," Yuka said as she trudged off.

Sayuri didn't try and stop her. She noticed Riko's apologetic look and nodded for her to go after Yuka. She wanted to go herself, but… she knew that wasn't her place anymore. Not right now.

"I'm not going anywhere, Captain," Rin said once the others were out of earshot.

Sayuri smiled and gave in to the urge to pat her head. "Thank you, Rin. I appreciate that."

000

"I'm hooome!"

Shampoo jerked awake at the singsong voice. She guiltily realized she had dozed off in her cage after several fruitless hours struggling with her bonds. Her head was still covered, so the best she could do was swivel to follow the sound. She could hear the big cat rumble as it shifted and padded over to greet the ringmaster girl.

"How long you planning to hold Shampoo?" Shampoo asked, sitting up. She hoped she could goad Young Mi to take off the hood again. The girl had been very careful to limit how much information Shampoo could get about her surroundings.

"Oh, my poor sweetling, were you lonely?" Young Mi asked, tittering. "Don't fret. Darling is being quite dutiful, and I haven't had a good opportunity to snatch the little athlete out from under him yet. Tomorrow, maybe."

"You don't need Rin," Shampoo said. "Have Shampoo. All you need to get Mousse's attention. Leave Rin alone." She focused on keeping her tone even, so as not to betray any emotion.

"Oh that will hardly do for what I have in mind, Sweetling." Something rapped against the cage bars, likely the handle of Young Mi's whip. "I want all the people Darling cares about here for this. Besides, my patron has asked me to keep you out of circulation for a while longer, so I'm inclined to take my time and do this properly."

"Patron," Shampoo repeated. "Who is Patron? Himura? Lo Shan?"

"Fishing for information, my little canary?" Young Mi asked. From the direction of her voice, Shampoo got the impression she was leaning closer. "I'm not inclined to say. Not that it really matters. I've not asked many questions, so honestly I doubt I could provide you anything useful. Discretion is an important skill for someone working for a circus." There was a clatter as the whip handle was dragged along the bars of the cage. "Suffice it to say that all I really know is they are someone who wants you kept in a cage for a while. Someone with an interest in your 'Airen', though there are no shortage of those, are there?" She chuckled.

"Just caged? Not dead?" Shampoo asked.

"They don't appear to care overmuch if I kill you, if you're hoping for that," Young Mi replied. "It simply seems they want you out of the way for a few days at least."

"Out of way for what?" Shampoo demanded. "Young Mi, you cause harm to innocent once before. Airen not part of this, not harm you, not harm Mousse, not block your way. Allow Airen be hurt now?"

Young Mi was silent a moment. "That red haired girl… The one I mistook for you. Her lover… the boy with the Jusenkyo curse… They are well?"

Shampoo opened her mouth to correct her, then shut it again, realizing Young Mi didn't know about Ranma's own curse, and it was probably better if she remained in the dark. Besides, it would be easier to stoke the fires of a guilty conscience if the situation was simpler. Something Shampoo and her Pintou shared was a talent for misdirection. "Have been to hospital couple of times since."

"I… see," Young Mi said, the manic energy draining from her voice. "I… regret what happened. And I mean no ill will towards your Airen. But that matter is between him and his enemies, and I can't let it sway me from my own." She tapped the bars again. "It's a matter of honor. Surely you understand that."

Shampoo winced. She knew full well the lengths someone could go for honor; She had gone to many of them herself. But at the same time… "Doing dishonorable deed not way to uphold honor.

Young Mi was quiet again. "I… suppose we shall see. Come, Samson," were her final words on the matter as her boots clicked against the concrete as she walked away.

000

Himura wasn't surprised to find that the Amazons had turned the flat she had provided them into an impromptu field hospital. Amused, yes, but not surprised.

She had been to the Kuno Estate before, after all.

Tan Pohn and Su Tzu were flanking her. Himura drew a note of satisfaction from their wide-eyed looks when they saw their sisters laid out being tended… and noticed that a number of them were missing. She hid her smugness, however, as they approached the one she had come to speak with.

"Honored Elder…" Tan Pohn choked out, a horrified look on her face.

Lo Shan was sitting on a stool. Her upper body was bare as Amazon healers fussed over her, treating several deep cuts. Her eyes were sunken, and she looked like she had aged significantly in the past day. But most shocking was the sight of her handless stump and the deep crimson of her blood seeping through the bandages the healer was wrapping tightly around it.

"You've come to gloat," Lo Shan said in a flat tone, eyes fixed on Himura.

"I've come to offer medical aid, Honored Elder," Himura replied, carefully keeping her tone and expression neutral. ""My grandfather's company has many contacts I can call upon discreetly. If you are in pain, we specialize in painkillers that will not dull your senses. And in Japan there have been many advances in prosthetics…"

"Spare me the patronizing sympathy, child!" Lo Shan cut her off with a snarl. She took a shuddering breath, waving off the healer as she examined the ruin of her arm where her hand had once been. "You knew this would happen."

"I suspected," Himura replied. "Though I did not expect such a dramatic turn of events. If I had, I would have been more strenuous in my warnings."

"No, you would not have," Lo Shan replied with a sigh. "And I would not have listened, and you knew that." She returned her gaze to Himura. Her eyes were hooded, dark circles under their sockets making her look old and tired. "You believe you have learned to anticipate me perfectly."

Because I HAVE, you old bag, Himura thought wryly. "I would not dream of such presumptive arrogance, Honored Elder."

Lo Shan chuckled. "Yes you would. I see it in your eyes. But… My old teacher once adored humiliating me for acting rashly, or out of hubris. I find myself humbled again, this time by circumstance and chance. If you wish to claim credit for that, so be it. Be it chance or clairvoyance beyond your years, you were right." She leaned forward, switching to Japanese. "So, Himura Tanaka… The one who calls Japan her territory… What is your counsel?"

Finally willing to listen? I suppose losing a limb will do that, Himura thought, though she found herself rubbing her own left wrist self-consciously. She forced herself to stop. "I believe direct confrontation right now is a mistake, Honored Elder. Even in her current state, Ranma Saotome cannot be taken by force."

"Anything can be taken by force, child. It's merely a matter of whether the prize is worth the force necessary," Lo Shan snorted. "I have already paid enough for this."

"As you say, Honored Elder." Himura inclined her head. "I have heard from Su Tzu that Khu Long has invoked several Joketsuzoku covenants. Might I ask what the specifics of those are?"

Lo Shan scoffed. "Khu Long is stalling for time. The Covenants were intended as a way to forestall civil war should Amazon leadership come under dispute. With no support from the Council, her position is laughable. Within two suns of the declaration, we must meet on Neutral Ground, which she has declared to be the Tendo Dojo, and discuss the matter in an attempt to prevent conflict."

"Good. Then might I suggest an approach?" Himura said. "Appear weaker than you actually are. Appear willing, in principal, to compromise, even as you avoid actually agreeing on anything of substance."

Lo Shan raised an eyebrow. "To what end would we take such an approach?"

"My Grandfather always taught me that there is a fine line between despair and desperation," Himura said, folding her hands behind her back and starting to pace. "Despair can rob an enemy of motivation to act, can cause them to see the situation as bleaker than it is and downplay their own resources and capabilities. But desperation can motivate them to exceed their own resources and limitations. The latter is to be avoided, and I fear we have pushed them too close to it too fast. Despair must be built gradually, like a slow-banked fire." She tapped her chin. "Give them breathing room, but only a little. A Cease-fire. They will be allowed to go about their lives but not to leave Nerima. The Tendo Dojo will be a haven… for now, they will be allowed to attend school, but their lives will be contained in a small area. Offer that part reluctantly, if they are to accept these shackles they must not realize how little power we have to place them upon them."

"And then?" Lo Shan asked.

"Watch them - and be obvious about it. Make sure they never feel that they have privacy, keep them always paranoid," Himura replied. "Sneak into their places, like the Dojo or Ms. Kuonji's shop and change things around, just enough so they get the sense someone has been there. Just enough so they are never sure. They will be unmolested, but not allowed to relax. Ranma needs to be kept away from the others as much as possible… require that she stay with the Kunos for now. She will be a separate matter."

"You expect them to agree to this?" Lo Shan seemed dubious.

"If you act quickly, while they are still huddled and unsure? Yes. Nabiki Tendo's is the loudest voice of the group, and with most of her emotional support devastated by recent events, this is as good a time as any." Himura put her hands on her hips. "We let them continue to struggle through the Volleyball challenge… say you want to allow Ranma to fulfill that last obligation of honor before he returns to China with you, or whatever other justification you feel Khu Long will believe. Give them a slender hope so that they will cling to that, rather than seek out more desperate action. Then they will fail, that hope will be snuffed out and they won't have the will to pursue it further."

Lo Shan snorted. "There is no honor or glory in winning by such means."

"No, but it is a win, and about the only way you can beat a group that refuses to acknowledge defeat," Himura argued. "Regardless, this will give me some time to work on Ranma to win him over."

"You expect to convince the Godslayer to return to China when all other methods of coercion have failed?" Lo Shan asked.

Himura smirked. She reached into her pocket and produced a small metal flask. "Not at all. Thanks to a successful test and your kind help perfecting the formula? All I need to do is convince him to take a sip."

000

"I'm… leaving."

The announcement was quiet… reluctant… mournful. For a moment, Kasumi felt a pang of regret and doubt. She exchanged a glance with Akane, who got up with her to walk to the front door. Nabiki simply pulled her knees up to her chest tighter.

They walked to the front door where Soun stood, worn backpack slung over his shoulder. Kasumi retrieved a bag that she had packed with a number of easy-to-prepare meals. It would be enough to see him through the first week at least. She handed it to him.

"Is… this really necessary, Kasumi?" Soun asked. "I swear to you, I did not mean for things to come to this…!"

"Are you prepared to say as much to Ranma?" Kasumi asked. "Are you prepared to face the consequences of doing that now?"

Soun shuddered. "Perhaps… perhaps if you explained things to her before she comes home…"

"I will do no such thing!" Kasumi said, more sharply than she intended. She stopped herself and took a steadying breath. "Father… you are a part of an… unfathomable wrong. One you did nothing to right. You always taught us that it was a martial artist's duty to protect the weak… and yet you participated in stripping a girl of her very form and identity. Everything you taught us about honor tells me you will need to face Ranma… to explain your actions, in your own words, and face her judgement like a man. I cannot… I will not make excuses or platitudes on your behalf in this." She reached over and straightened his gi a little, struggling to keep the tears from coming. "All I can do is… give you time and try to heal a little the wounds you've caused before you must face them. For the sake of our family's honor, Ranma must come first now. There is no escaping this debt."

"I… see," Soun said. He turned to Akane. "And you feel the same, Akane?"

"Ranma comes first," Akane said firmly.

"Nabiki does not even wish to see me off?" Soun asked weakly. It felt very much like he was grasping for any reason to delay. Kasumi also noticed his usual waterworks were absent. He did seem to understand the gravity of the situation, at least.

"Nabiki has a great many burdens of her own at the moment. She was the one who found the truth, father," Kasumi said sternly. "She might not have idolized you as we did, but she trusted you, and that is a rare and precious thing from Nabiki. That wound will take time to heal, father. Give her that much at least, and do not begrudge her her discourtesy."

He sighed, his shoulders slumped. "You… are right. You are always right, Kasumi. I… should go while there is still light." He turned and took a few steps, hesitated, then continued through the gates without a backward look.

Kasumi forced herself to watch him go, though she wanted nothing more than to turn and retreat inside, or to call him back and forgive him. She felt her newborn resolve wavering under its first real test. Then she remembered what he had done - what he had made possible - and the surge of anger and betrayal that came with that memory washed away any remaining hesitation. She turned and followed her youngest sister back into the house.

000 (End Chapter 33)

Thank you for sticking with me this long. I apologize for the delay between chapters, but this one took a lot of work to get into reasonable shape.

I hope to make your patience worthwhile!