Possibilities, Fragile Flower

A side-story to the fanfiction series "Possibilities".

A Fanfiction by Brian

Author's Ramblings:  I don't own these characters, I just write about 
them.

*-*-*-*


	Hinako Ninomiya stood at the front of her classroom, confronting a 
horde of students, the male half of which were leering at her.  Next to 
her stood a girl in the standard Furinkan high school uniform.  She was 
average height and would be considered pretty by most standards, and 
gorgeous by some.  She, as well, was being leered at by most of the 
boys in the class.
	"Class, I would like you to meet our new student, Kodachi Kuno.  
She just transferred here from St. Hebereke's Girl's Academy."
	The leering stopped quickly, almost insultingly so in Kodachi's 
opinion.  Her reputation as an insane maniac had apparently preceded her.
It was apparent that she would have to teach her fellow students a lesson
or two in respect.
	"Ms. Kuno, you may sit over there, behind Mr. Saotome."  Miss 
Hinako pointed over to some seats on the right side of the room.
	"Saotome-kun, could you raise your hand please?"
	Gentle snoring could be heard in response.
	"Oh..."  Miss Hinako muttered something under her breath about 
delinquents and not respecting their elders.  "He's sitting in between 
Ukyo and Akane, girls could you raise your hands please." They did so, 
albeit reluctantly.
	Kodachi took her seat with dramatic flair, taking far more time 
than a reasonable person would deem necessary.  She spared a loving 
glance to Ranma and blatantly ignored the girls sitting to either side 
of him.  When she finally did sit down Ukyo waited for Miss Hinako to resume 
her lecture before turning to the Black Rose.
	"What are You doing here, Kodachi?"
	"My father was rather... insistent, that I attend his school," she 
began.  Fortunately her hair was still intact after the long and drawn out 
confrontation.  "I would have resisted more, but then I remembered that my 
Ranma-sama attended here." Kodachi reached forward, an obvious attempt to 
try and stroke Ranma's hair, but was stopped by Ukyo's glare and a 
wall of slate-grey metal.
	"Since when is my Ranchan yours?"
	Kodachi resisted the urge to laugh.  "I would be freeing my 
Ranma-sama from you two right now, but I was always taught that knowledge 
came before revenge.  I guess you do not value your education very much."
Ukyo glared at the dark-haired girl, Akane sighed in annoyance, and Ranma 
continued to sleep.
	"Saotome!"
	"Present."  Ranma drowsily raised his head.
	"No sleeping in class, go stand in the hall."
	Kodachi watched the entire scene with a sort of suppressed 
amusement.    A crash was heard from the hall accompanied 
by screaming and the soft percussion of a violent confrontation.
	  Kodachi 
redirected her attention to the front of the class to catch the rest 
of the lecture.  But was surprised to find that Miss Hinako had been 
replaced by a twelve year-old girl.
	It took a moment for Kodachi to recall the battle with Ms. Hinako
 when the underage teacher had first arrived at Furinkan High.
	  Kodachi silently cursed her father for 
the eighth time that day.


*-*-*-*

	Lunchtime rolled around with all the subtlety of a freight train 
hitting a truck.  Furinkan's newest student was shocked to watch the entire 
population of the school tear through the halls towards wherever they were 
going to feed.  She had become used to the more subdued manner of the students 
at St. Hebereke.
	She patrolled the yard of the high school, using her ribbon to sling 
herself through the air and cover as large an area as she could, but was 
unable to locate Ranma.  Casting her eyes about for Akane Tendo revealed the 
short-haired girl under a tree behind the school, eating near Ukyo and the 
mysterious pig-tailed girl.  The thought brought 
the slightest of pouts to Kodachi's aristocratic features.
	Seeking out the nearest table, Kodachi descended into a seating 
position and produced her own bento.  As she stowed her ribbon, she noticed 
the peculiar and sudden silence that her arrival had produced.  Looking up 
she noticed that the girls were all staring at her.
	"What?"  Kodachi fidgeted nervously, checking her hair and attire.
	The girls all stood up and backed slowly away from the table.  
Leaving Kodachi poking at her rice.  
	"So, my twisted sister has decided to disgrace the wondrous halls 
of Furinkan High.  Those self-same corridors that are home to Akane Tendo, 
the pig-tailed goddess, and myself, The Blue Thunder."
	"Ah, brother dear, I cannot imagine a more lovely companion with 
whom to share my lunch, please... be silent."  Kodachi's voice was oozing 
sarcasm.
	"Were we not related by blood I would strike you down where you 
sit horrid woman.  But as such I will allow your affront to pass 
without retribution."
	"You are so kind, brother."
	"Ah, yes, 'tis true, I am far too forgiving for my own good.  Now 
I must seek out the villain Saotome and free the glorious pig-tailed 
girl and Akane Tendo."
	"Brother dear, I believe it would be in your best interest to 
leave my Ranma-sama alone."  Kodachi's voice continued to become more 
intense, Kuno remained unimpressed.  "So, it is a battle you seek.  Very 
well then, prepare yourself my twisted sister."  Kuno slipped into a 
battle stance, bokken at the ready, allowing himself a smirk.
	Kodachi smiled as she produced her ribbon from her blouse.  They 
had not sparred together in some time.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma, replete with breasts, was sitting under a tree as Ukyo 
attempted to forcefeed her a freshly prepared okonomiyaki.  Akane was 
sitting next to her, looking more bored than anything else.  Out of the 
corner of her eye, the pig-tailed girl spotted something hurtling toward 
Akane.  Reacting with lightning speed, Ranma managed to grab her 
short-haired fiancee and move her out of the path of a flying gymnast.  
Of course, the move pulled the angry young girl into the redhead's lap, 
which elicited a slap from the youngest Tendo.
	Kodachi sailed past, somersaulting through the air, and planted 
her feet on the wall surrounding Furinkan.  Kuno followed close behind, 
running past Ranma and two of her fiancees to slip into a guarded position, 
prepared to face his sister.
	Propelling herself from the wall, Kodachi reached into her blouse 
and removed a gymnastics ball, which she jammed into her brother's face 
as she flew by.  The kendo champion slipped bonelessly to the earth.
	Still distracted by Akane's hand hitting her cheek, Ranma didn't 
react until she felt something impact her head and saw Kodachi's flight 
pattern change from forward through the air to down into the ground.  
The gymnast rolled to a stop, her face buried in the dirt, as unconscious
as her older brother.
	Idly rubbing the part of his skull where Kodachi's foot had 
connected, Ranma walked over to where she was lying on the ground.
	"Well, what are you waiting for?  Pick her up, Ranma!"
	"Jeez, Akane, will you give it a rest?"
	Ukyo leaned in from the side, eyeing the fallen form of Kodachi.  
"Ranchan, don't you think we should take her to the nurse?  I mean, it 
is partly Akane's fault that she's unconscious."
	Sighing, Ranma leaned down and picked up the fallen gymnast, 
turning to Akane she made a mistake; She opened her mouth.  "Well?  Now 
what?"
	"Take her to the nurse, Ranma!"
	"Fine..."
	Ranma began trekking towards the nurse's station, Akane following 
close behind, there to make certain that she didn't do anything 
perverted to Kodachi while the gymnast was unconscious.  Ukyo had remained outside,
selling delicious okonomiyaki like a cute fiancée should.
	

*-*-*-*


	Kodachi rummaged through her backpack, standing in the middle of 
one of the hallways of Furinkan high, having recovered from her earlier 
unconscious state.   she thought.  
	Kodachi continued rummaging, glancing up at the clock every so often, 
until a piece of paper at the bottom of her bag caught her eye.  
Smiling to herself, she reached down and removed her class list from 
its hiding place.  She unfolded it to reveal that she was currently 
supposed to be in a Home Economics and cooking class.  A smile emerged 
upon her face, but was quickly dashed when she realized she had no idea where 
that was.
	For some inexplicable reason, attempts to ask nearby students failed.  
They were either in a hurry to get somewhere else or felt a sudden urge to hide 
inside their own lockers.    A pale ghost of a boy with candles on 
his head managed to mutely point her in the correct direction.
	With little fanfare, Kodachi arrived at the home economics room.  There 
was a brief pause in the conversation when she entered, but none seemed 
confident enough to comment on it.
	A trio of aprons hanging on the wall captured Kodachi's attention, and she 
selected one for herself, tying it loosely about her waist.  The next challenge, 
the teacher informed her, was to choose a cooking area.  This was only a 
challenge because when she arrived at her chosen destination, she noted that it 
had suddenly become abandoned, not a single girl was cooking there.   Kodachi thought.
	Mentally shrugging, Kodachi looked up at the blackboard where the current 
project could be found.  

*-*-*-*


	Kodachi's arrival into the same cooking class as Akane had caused 
her to become somewhat distracted during the process of mixing the 
ingredients.  Yuka and Sayuri had barely managed to stop her from 
adding some unpleasant flavors to the cookie dough.
	"Akane, why don't you let me and Sayuri finish up here, okay?"  Yuka gave 
Akane her best pleading look.  One of the boys had told her it resembled a cute 
little lost puppy, so she'd just run with it.
	"But Yuka, we've barely even started!"
	Sayuri had to give her credit, however many times Akane tried and 
failed.  She kept trying again and again.
	Looking into her friend's eyes, the short-haired girl relented.  
"Okay, Yuka, you and Sayuri can finish up."  Akane leaned back against a nearby 
counter as Sayuri and Yuka began furiously repairing the damage she had done.  
One of the bowls would have to be replaced, but it was nothing the 
school couldn't afford.
	Unconsciously, Akane began to watch Kodachi.  She didn't even 
notice it herself, but she was systematically storing everything that 
the raven-haired gymnast did.  Watching so as to be forewarned of any 
type of paralysis, sleeping, or love potion that the younger Kuno would 
attempt to slip into the mix.
	Akane watched as Kodachi zoomed through the recipe it had taken 
she herself days to even understand  Just as Yuka and Sayuri were putting 
their first batch into the oven, Kodachi was pulling hers out.  After 
the gymnast had set the tray on the counter, she looked up and locked 
eyes with Akane.  Several of the students noticed the pair, as well as the 
subtle aura surrounding the both of them, and did their level best to avoid 
crossing the invisible line that had formed between the two.  As the staring 
contest continued, Akane noticed that Kodachi had started smirking.
	

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi removed her first batch of cookies from the oven.  
Setting them on the counter to cool, she looked up momentarily and 
locked eyes with Akane from across the room.  She noted idly that the 
other students were doing their best to avoid crossing her line of 
sight.  The thought made her smile slightly, that such a small thing could garner 
this reaction.

*-*-*-*

	Sayuri screamed and started running around, apparently having 
burned her hand.  At her friend's yell, Akane looked up immediately and dumped 
baking soda on the small grease fire that had broken out.  At the same time she 
sent Yuka to fetch an icepack from the teacher.  Seeing that everything was in 
order, Akane turned back to Kodachi, only to find that she had vanished.  
Sayuri's voice broke through Akane's focus.
	"Wow, I forgot you're supposed to put out grease like that.  Way to go, 
Akane."  Sayuri was sucking on her fingers as she said this, giving the 
compliment a childlike sound.
	Akane blushed.  "Um, I actually meant to grab the jug of water."
	Sayuri laughed a little bit and waved her hand to distract from the pain.
	Scanning the classroom for her adversary, Akane was surprised to 
find her standing over by the teacher.  Who was reluctantly, but 
alertly, taste-testing some of Kodachi's cookies.  Akane scowled as the 
teacher's eyes brightened up and she complimented the gymnast.
	Sayuri and Yuka backed away very slowly from Akane, who was 
beginning to glow a most impressive shade of red.  They 
absently noted that the cookies they had left on the stove were now a 
tad overdone, and becoming blacker by the second.  They decided that it 
might be best to leave Akane alone for the day.
	Akane snatched the now burnt cookies from atop the range, not bothering 
with the protective oven mitts that were provided, and stormed over towards the 
teacher.  Slamming the tray down on the teacher's desk, Akane proceeded to glare 
at Kodachi.  Who did no more than give a condescending smirk.
	The teacher picked up one of the cookies from Akane's tray.  Or 
rather, she tried to pick up one of the cookies.  Reaching into her 
desk, Professor Ayumi removed a crowbar and proceeded to pry the cookie off 
of the tray.  The crowbar snapped in half and at the same time managed 
to free one of the lumps of burnt dough.
	The cookie flipped off the tray and into the teacher's hand, she 
examined it critically, and then bit down. The teacher blinked.  She had not 
managed to penetrate the outer crust.  Banging the confection on her desk, the 
teacher watched sadly as a piece of wood came loose and fell to the floor.
	Tapping Akane, who was still glaring at Kodachi, on the shoulder, 
Ms. Ayumi shook her head and pointed Akane back towards the stoves 
where she had been working.  Looking slightly crestfallen, Akane headed 
back towards Sayuri and Yuka, who were already starting another batch 
of cookies.  As Kodachi watched, Akane's shoulders slumped and she started 
dragging her feet.  Turning to the teacher, Kodachi waited expectantly for 
some form of critique.
	"These are excellent cookies, Kodachi-chan.  You should be very 
proud, if you keep cooking like this, you'll pass this class easily."  
Ms. Ayumi smiled as Kodachi headed back towards her stove.
	Noting the amount of time left in her class, Kodachi set about 
making another batch of cookies, for Ranma this time.  As she cracked eggs 
into a large mixing bowl, a small vial of white powder came unbidden into her 
hand.  The stopper had been removed, and she noted with some concern that she was
a mere flick of the wrist from emptying the contents into the batter she had already 
assembled.  The wealthy girl stared at the chemicals for a very long time, 
fighting with herself over whether or not to add them.  The addition was odorless,
had a rather pleasant flavor, and would render the unexpected consumer unable
to initiate any of those pesky motor functions like running away.
	A memory of the last time she had cooked anything for her beloved surfaced,
and Kodachi found herself pocketing the small vial, its contents undisturbed.
After all, Ranma wasn't her brother, or father, or any of the other 
people she disliked.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma strolled along the fence towards the dojo.  Akane was below 
him, making the occasional odd growling noise, and looking up at him 
like it was his fault.  
	Jumping down from the wall, Ranma proceeded to walk alongside 
Akane.  Both remained silent until they reached the front gate of the 
dojo, only Akane's occasional growls leaving any indication that either 
of them could speak.
	When they arrived in front of the gate, Ranma turned to Akane, 
"Okay, Akane, what'd I do?"
	Akane was shaken out of her angry stupor by his question.  "What 
do you mean, Ranma?"
	"Well, you didn't talk the whole way back from school.  You don't 
usually do anything like that unless you're really pissed at me, that's 
all."
	"No, Ranma, it's not your fault."
	"Well, that's a first."
	"Hey!"
	Ranma leapt the wall and ran into the house, laughing all the way.
Akane followed closely behind him, swinging her schoolbag at his retreating 
figure.

*-*-*-*


	Kodachi entered the gate of the Kuno household.  Opening the 
door, she walked down the main hall.  Tapestries of immense size and 
complexity adorned it.  She stopped briefly to admire her personal 
crest, she couldn't remember when she'd ordered that it be changed to its 
present form.  That of a short sword, her namesake, with two thorned vines 
wrapping upwards along the blade, topped with a black rose on either 
side of the hilt.  Sadly, she realized she couldn't remember what it 
had looked like before either.
	A voice from the hallway removed her from her daydream.  "So, my 
twisted sister shows herself once again.  I trust that Akane Tendo and 
the pig-tailed girl have put you in your place, given that you no doubt 
attempted to do them harm."
	Kodachi locked eyes with her brother.  "I did not see the red-
haired slut today, brother.  And Akane Tendo chose discretion as the 
better part of valor, rather than confront me."  A hint of anger passed 
through the older Kuno's eyes as Kodachi denounced the pig-tailed girl.  
Despite her tiredness, Kodachi still managed a slight smirk as she 
watched her brother's reaction.
	"You lie, the fair tigress Akane would not run from one such as 
you."
	"Believe what you will..."  She said as she turned down the 
hallway towards her room.
	"Halt, sister, when will dinner be prepared?"
	The slamming of her bedroom door echoed throughout the cavernous
halls of the Kuno estate.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma, nursing the lump on his head, graciously finished off the 
snack that Kasumi had prepared for him.  "Thanks Kasumi, that was just 
what I needed after today."
	"Oh, why?  Did something happen at school today, Ranma-kun?"
	"Kodachi's only attending Furinkan now.  As if my life wasn't bad 
enough already.  You know, I didn't think it could worse.  And then... 
boom!"  He mimed a small explosion with his hands.  "It did.  Oh well, 
at least you're here for me to talk to, Kasumi."  Ranma turned to see 
that Kasumi was busily dusting the table in front of him.
	"Don't worry, Ranma-kun."  She favored him with a bright smile.  
"I'm certain it will all turn out right in the end."  Taking the dishes 
from Ranma, Kasumi walked back into her kitchen.

*-*-*-*

	Dinner came and passed in eerie silence.  Akane glared at Ranma 
throughout the entire affair, still fuming over her experience with 
Kodachi this afternoon. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but that 
had dealt a huge blow to her self-confidence.  Ranma's comment earlier 
that afternoon had just made it worse.  Aside from the occasional munching 
noise from Genma no one made any sound at all.
	Unable to take the silence any longer, Akane slammed her 
chopsticks down on the table and stormed up to her room.  Nodoka 
followed her with her eyes, finally redirecting her gaze toward Ranma 
when the door to Akane's room was slammed shut.
	"Son, I think that you should speak with Akane-chan."
	"Mom!  I didn't do anything to her."
	Genma and Soun stared at Ranma.  "Boy..."  His father began.  
"You said that like it made a difference whether it was your fault or 
not."
	Nodoka fixed Genma with a dark-eyed glare, under which he 
immediately shrank back to his previous position.  "I'm sorry, No-chan.  
I didn't mean anything."
	After Nodoka had turned back to her son Genma emerged behind her 
holding a sign, upon which Ranma could read the phrase 'See what I 
mean?'
	

*-*-*-*

	Ranma slowly treaded up the stairs towards his doom.  Walking 
towards Akane's room, he noticed that the small duck with her name 
on it had fallen to the ground when she'd slammed the door.  Picking it 
up, he placed it back on the nail it was supposed to hang from.
	A gentle knock on the door, and all that remained was the waiting.
God how he hated the waiting.
	A muffled "Go away, Ranma"  came from the other side.
	"I need to talk to you."
	The door opened to reveal a still very upset Akane.  "What do you 
want, pervert?"
	"I just wanted to say that... that..."  Ranma trailed off, 
fidgeting with his hands as he looked down at the carpet.  "That I'm 
sorry... Akane."
	She stared at him for almost a full minute after that.  Ranma 
was blushing from head to toe as he continued staring at the floor.  
Akane smiled slightly at him, surprised to find herself blushing a 
bit as well.
	Gently, the youngest Tendo shut the door and walked back into her room.
	Hearing the soft click of the latch, Ranma looked up to see the duck with 
his fiancee's name painted on it staring him in the face.
	  Still more 
than a little miffed, the pig-tailed martial artist went to his room.
Maybe a little sleep would put things in perspective.

*-*-*-*

	Akane changed into her pajamas, still smiling as she thought of 
just how cute Ranma had looked blushing like that.  Sometimes he could 
just be so sweet it made her heart melt.  Akane fell deep into sleep, 
still thinking of how nice it had felt when Ranma had been standing 
outside her door.
	She sighed calmly, wrapped in some unknown dream. 

*-*-*-*

	The next day came in its usual burst of sound.  Ranma and Genma's 
daily sparring session was the most noticeable noise.  The two traded 
punches, kicks, and tricked each other.  After last night's display 
Genma had decided that Ranma needed a real training session for today.
	Nabiki watched the two leap at each other from across the pond, 
meet in mid-air, defy a couple different laws of physics, and then land at 
opposite sides.  "I swear, those two get up way too early for their own 
good."  She was fruitlessly attempting to mat down a clump of hair that was 
currently pointing towards the ceiling. She mumbled something else
unintelligible and made her way to the table.
	Kasumi walked out onto the patio.  "Ranma, Mr. Saotome!  
Breakfast."  A slight breeze disturbed Kasumi's hair as the two martial 
artists landed at the table.  They began their war anew, this time over 
the food that had been served.
	Nodoka shook her head and sighed.  "Even after months of living 
here I still can't believe they do this every day."
	Akane chewed on a piece of her fish.  "It could be worse, at 
least they didn't wind up in the pond again today."
	"That's just 'cause the old man's gettin' slow.  Touch of 
arthritis, eh pop?"  Ranma used the his father's flash of indignance to 
make a dive for his broiled fish.
	"Hah!  Foolish boy, such an elementary distraction technique 
would never work against a master of my level."
	"Look out, pop, Mom looks mad!"
	Genma cowered in the corner as Ranma hungrily devoured the older 
man's food.  "Please, No-chan, I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault."  He then 
noticed his error, but it was too late.  His food was gone.
	Nabiki mumbled something about having business before school and 
took off through the door.  Akane stood by the door with her and 
Ranma's schoolbags and two bentos.  "Come on, Ranma, I want to get 
there early for once."
	As Soun cried about how happy he was that they were speaking to 
each other again, Ranma rose from the table to follow Akane out the 
door.

*-*-*-*

	Nabiki had found her 'business', it would not be possible for 
Onnama to escape.  To even attempt it could mean a fate worse than 
death.  Her only remaining option was to try and plead her way out.  
Dropping to her knees, the terrified schoolgirl clasped her hands 
together in prayer.
	"Please, Nabiki.  I promise I'll pay you what I owe tomorrow.  
It's payday at my job.  I swear."
	 Nabiki 
looked down at the puppy-dog eyes confronting her, and couldn't help 
but burst out laughing.  It was just so pathetic, that humor in the situation
was such that even she couldn't ignore it.
	"Okay, Onnama," Nabiki began, seized by some indescribable impulse.
"I'll give you till tomorrow, but it's an extra 500 yen for making me wait.  
Okay?"
	Onnama nodded her head vigorously, getting an extension from the 
Ice Queen, even one with a little bit extra tacked on, was a rare 
thing.   And she wasn't about to spoil it by being disagreeable.  After 
Nabiki had left, she stood and ran off in the direction of her house.

*-*-*-*


	Kodachi rose early, taking a luxuriously long bath in her private 
tub.  She thought carefully upon her new life at Furinkan as she sat in 
the bubbles.  The teachers certainly seemed nice enough.  But the 
students all seemed distant somehow.  
	Kodachi rose from the water and undertook the ritual of preparing 
herself for school.  As today would be her second day, she chose her 
finest leotard to wear under her uniform.  Carefully straightening her 
jumper, and making certain her hair was properly kept, she stared at 
herself in the body-length mirror near her closet.  "I am Kodachi.  The 
Black Rose,"  She gathered her thoughts.  "The Black Rose of Furinkan High."
	She smiled to herself.  For some reason, the words just seemed to 
flow better.  The use of her school's name after her self-applied moniker had 
never seemed appropriate when attending St. Hebereke, even as prestigious as 
the Academy was.  Now she understood somewhat her brother's own fascination with 
the title he had granted himself.  

*-*-*-*

	Ranma shifted nervously in his seat.  In front was Ms. Hinako, to 
his left was Ukyo, to his right Akane, and directly behind him sat 
Kodachi.  It was going to be a long school year.  He idly wondered if, by the
time all this had passed, he'd be engaged to the school nurse.
	Ms. Hinako noticed Ranma's inability to remain still.  Noting the 
three girls surrounding Ranma, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her 
favorite student.  Not her best by any means, absolutely not, but definitely 
her favorite.
	"Saotome-kun!  Go stand in the hall."
	Hinako registered the look he gave her as one of unmitigated 
thanks as he headed towards the door.  She smiled in spite of herself 
at the almost infuriated looks on the faces of three of his potential wives.  
"Now then, where was I?"  She turned back to the blackboard.

*-*-*-*

	Lunchtime came once again to Furinkan high, and once again 
Kodachi watched as students of all shapes and sizes plowed through the 
halls at supersonic speeds.   Reaching into her backpack she retrieved 
a small sack containing the cookies from yesterday, the hunt for Ranma was
about to begin and it would not do if she were ill-prepared.  Food was the
way to win and woo the man, that much she had learned.
	She found him out in the schoolyard, in much the same situation 
he had been yesterday.  Ukyo was feeding him an okonomiyaki, and Akane 
was sulking on the other side of the tree, next to a spilled bowl of... 
something.  Kodachi ran towards him holding the bag of cookies.  
"Ranma-sama!"
	Ranma's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice, he was up 
and running in seconds.  He held on to the okonomiyaki and continued 
munching as he fled the gymnast.
	Ukyo slipped into a battle stance, holding her giant spatula in 
front of her.
	Kodachi leapt towards Ukyo, planting her feet into the spatula, 
and the spatula into Ukyo's face as a result.  "Out of my way, you 
filthy jezebel!" Flipping over the okonomiyaki chef, the wealthy girl tossed a 
gymnastics club at Ukyo's head for good measure.  The club impacted the 
chef's head and bounced into the air.
	"Hey!"  Ukyo rubbed the currently growing lump with one hand, 
absently tossing a few small utensils at the gymnast's retreating form.  
She turned around to see Kodachi lazily dodge the projectiles and continue 
sprinting after Ranma.  Looking towards Akane, Ukyo found the short-haired 
girl pointing at Ukyo's nose and biting her lip to keep from laughing.
	"It's not funny, Akane!" Feeling something on her face, Ukyo 
reached up, brushing a single black rose petal off and to the ground.
	Ukyo turned to look in the direction Ranma had run.   Turning back to Akane, the cook adopted a mock threatening pose at 
her sometimes friend, who looked like she was about to burst.  "It's 
not funny," Ukyo said through gritted teeth.
	Akane wiped a tear from her eye, giggling slightly.  "I thought 
it was."  The gymnastics club that Kodachi had bounced off Ukyo's head 
earlier came speeding down to meet the chef's skull a second time with 
a loud clacking noise.
	Both girls burst out laughing, some things were just too absurd 
to ignore.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi sprinted after Ranma, who was currently leaping from tree 
to tree.  "Go away, you nutcase!  I don't want your goddamned drugged cookies."
	"Ranma-sama!  I promise you, there are no potions in these 
cookies.  I swear."  Kodachi was rapidly running out of breath as she 
trailed after him.  She was, to say the least, slightly surprised when 
he landed right in front of her.  Kodachi skidded to a halt, her voice
having ceased to function, as Ranma spoke.
	"I don't believe you."  He said quietly.
	Kodachi froze, staring into his eyes, and looked down at the bag 
in her hands.   a voice in her mind said.    another 
shouted.    Memories of literally ensnaring the first 
boy she'd liked surfaced.
	Kodachi refused to meet his gaze as she continued to study the 
small green sack in her hand.  Ranma had never spoken to her that way 
before.  It hurt.  "I..."  she looked up briefly but quickly returned to 
staring at the cookies.  "I understand, Ranma-sama."
	Kodachi released the small sack and let it drop to the ground.  
Turning away from Ranma, she walked away, without looking back.  Ranma 
heaved a sigh of relief, dropping his aura of seriousness. It had been 
putting a strain on his face.
	
	Hiroshi and Daisuke stormed over toward Ranma after Kodachi had 
rounded the building.  "Damn, man.  What the hell's wrong with you?  If 
a total babe like Kodachi made cookies for me I'd eat 'em without 
thinking twice."
	Daisuke looked towards his friend.  "Probably without thinking 
once, either," he commented.  Hiroshi cut him off with a glare.
	Reaching down, Daisuke picked up the bag and the two of them 
began munching as they bugged Ranma.  The pig-tailed boy answered them with an 
occasional 'whatever' but continued to stare in the direction Kodachi 
had gone, making sure she wasn't heading back toward him.
	Dropping the bag, which had formerly contained almost two dozen 
cookies, Daisuke and Hiroshi walked off.  For the next few minutes, 
Ranma simply stared at the small sack lying on the ground, averting his eyes 
only to watch as his friends continued to function normally.  It had never
taken longer than a minute and a half before.
	
	Kneeling down, Ranma retrieved the last cookie from the bag and 
nibbled on it cautiously.  It tasted like a normal sugar cookie.  Actually,
it tasted better than the average sugar cookie.
	The pig-tailed looked in the direction Kodachi had wandered, feeling 
disturbingly guilty.
	

*-*-*-*

	Ranma situated himself in class as best he could while waiting 
for Ms. Hinako's english lesson to begin.  When she announced for the 
class to take out their books, he gave a sigh of relief and propped his 
up on his desk.  He lay his head down behind it, and had just began to 
snore when he felt something like a warm gust of wind enter his ear.
	Jolting awake, Ranma shifted his line of sight to Akane, who was 
engrossed in Ms. Hinako's lesson.  He looked at Ucchan, who was doing 
much the same thing, only having a more difficult time with the foreign 
words.  Neither showed any signs of being upset.  Shrugging slightly, 
Ranma lets his eyelids droop again, until he heard a soft whisper and 
felt the same hot wind.  "You really should study, Ranma-sama.  Do you 
want to build a reputation for not trying?"
	Ranma turned to glare at Kodachi, whose face was far to close for 
comfort.  "I try!"  A piece of chalk impacted the back of Ranma's head, and  
he turned to face Ms. Hinako who was smirking slightly.
	"You and Ms. Kuno can discuss that in the hall."
	Ranma grumbled as he walked towards the hall, Kodachi followed 
without a word, aware of Akane and Ukyo's eyes boring into the back of 
her head.


*-*-*-*

	"What'd you do that for?"
	"You weren't paying attention Ranma-sama.  It was the first thing 
that I thought of that would succeed in waking you."  Kodachi averted 
her eyes from Ranma as he glared at her.  "It would not do for one as
noble as yourself to fail because you were inattentive."
	Ranma's anger couldn't hold up against Kodachi's ashamed face,
and she'd hit him square in the ego with that nobility comment.  
"Look here you... I mean... I... aw hell, just don't do it again, 
okay?"  Ranma turned and resumed staring out the window, holding his 
buckets a fair distance from his body.
	"Very well, Ranma-sama."
	"You promise?"
	Kodachi looked him in the eye again.  "I swear, Ranma-sama. I... 
I know you do not trust me.  But..."  she looked back at the ground,
sniffling a little overdramatically.
	Ranma was fairly certain she was just acting, playing like he'd 
actually done something wrong.  Unwillingly, his experience from last 
night came to the forefront as he looked at Kodachi.  The haughty pride 
that usally adorned her face was absent.  She looked like she wanted to curl 
up and die.  Genma's voice from last night came back to him.   Well, those weren't his exact words, but the 
principle was the same.
	"I'm... sorry, Kodachi."
	"Ranma-sama?"
	Ranma locked his gaze with hers, and couldn't help but feel slightly 
guilty at the absolute adoration he saw there.  Unable to look into her 
eyes anymore, Ranma jerked his head back towards the window, continuing 
to wait in silence.
	"Thank you, Ranma-sama..."
	He flinched again.

*-*-*-*

	"So, did you an Kodachi have fun in the hall together, Ranma?"
	"Jeez, Akane, I told you already.  Nothing happened."
	"Of course, Ranma. Like I'm going to believe that."
	Ranma leapt onto the ground to stand next to Akane, "Why don't 
you ever believe me?  You'd think you would have learned to trust me by 
now."
	The sound of a bicycle hurtling through the sky alerted Ranma to 
an incoming Amazon.  This didn't stop Shampoo's tire from flattening 
him, however.  "Nihao, Ranma.  Shampoo come to see you, you happy?"
	Ranma would have responded, but as he was currently chewing on a 
mouthful of concrete, it was impossible.  All that emerged was an odd 
'mmphgha' sound.
	Akane shoved Shampoo to the side and kicked the bike off of 
Ranma.  "Shampoo! What do you think you're doing."
	Ranma held his aching head with one hand, "Jeez, Akane, tone it 
down."
	"Stupid violent-girl be more careful what she do next time.  Or 
Shampoo make you regret!"  Shampoo reached down into the box on the 
back of her fallen bicycle and retrieved a bowl of ramen, remarkably 
unspilled.  "Ranma! Shampoo bring ramen for you, you like?"
	Akane snagged the ramen from Shampoo's hands with uncharacteristic 
speed.  "Yeah, right, you probably drugged it or something.  And if Ranma 
wasn't willing to eat the lunch I made for him he probably isn't hungry anyway."
	"I never drug Airen's food!"
	"What about the mushrooms do you remember those?"
	Ranma decided to watch from a safe distance as the two began 
bickering.
	"That different!"
	“They made me hug Kuno of all people!”
	The two descended into unintelligible yelling while Ranma sulked 
against a wall waiting for them to stop.  First Akane would yell at 
Shampoo, then Shampoo would insult Akane, and then...
	"Having fun, Ranchan?"
	Sometimes it annoyed Ranma how often people were able to sneak up on him.
After he removed himself from the light post he was now attached to, Ranma 
crawled down to stand next to Ukyo, who was watching Shampoo and Akane scream 
at each other about the ramen.  "Not really, Ucchan."
	"Well, the Ucchan's right here, I could fix us something to eat 
while we wait for them to stop yelling."
	Ranma nodded and followed Ukyo into her restaurant.  He sat down 
at a stool, near a convenient window that framed Shampoo and Akane while Ukyo 
busied herself behind the grill.  It seemed to Ranma that Ukyo was somehow
 distracted as she prepared the okonomiyaki.  Ukyo looked up briefly as she 
poured some of the batter onto the griddle.  "Now that I think about it, do you 
think you should've left them alone like that, Ranchan?"
	Ranma glanced away from where he had been staring out the window.  
"I think that I can trust the both of them enough not to kill each 
other.  Shampoo and Akane have really toned down towards each other 
since the... incident a few months ago."
	Akane and Shampoo were now just gesticulating wildly, it looked like 
Shampoo was doing an impression of Akane directed at the smaller girl.  Akane 
turned away and picked up the bowl of ramen, quietly yelling at the Amazon as 
she did so.
	"Oh yeah... that."  Ukyo decided it would be wise to change the 
subject.  "What do you want in your okonomiyaki?"
	"The usual, Ucchan, a little bit of everything."
	"Sure."
	The next few minutes were spent in silence until a loud crashing 
sound came from outside, there was a scream in mandarin that was probably a 
complex string of curse words.
	Shampoo ran by the entrance.  The purple-haired amazon bolted out 
of sight, followed a few seconds later by Akane.
	"Shampoo!  Wait for me!  I love you!"
	Ranma watched, mouth agape, while Ukyo appeared to have missed 
the entire event.  She sighed, "Ranchan, I have to tal-"
	Ranma turned to his friend.  "Uh, Ucchan, I gotta run. Okay? 
Bye."  The pig-tailed boy was out the door before he finished speaking.
	"-k to you about something."
	Ukyo slammed her overly huge spatula into the grill.
	"Damnit..."

*-*-*-*

	Ranma trailed after the sprinting Akane, who was calling out some 
rather graphic and lewd suggestions, as she chased the amazon over the rooftops 
of Nerima.  He hadn't known that Akane could run so fast.  From where he was, Ranma 
could barely see Shampoo and could tell that Akane was rapidly catching up to 
her.  After she'd caught up to Shampoo, Ranma predicted that a glomp 
would follow and the two would slow down enough for him to catch up.
	True to belief, it happened just as he had thought; Akane glomped 
on to Shampoo, who began struggling to free herself.  Managing to get leverage 
somehow, Shampoo freed one hand and caught an object out of mid-air.  It was a 
vial filled with green liquid.  Uncorking it, Shampoo jammed the potion into 
Akane's mouth.  "Drink!"
	Akane complied, overjoyed that Shampoo had spoken to her, and after 
downing the full volume of the vial, collapsed like a house of cards onto 
the tile rooftop.
	"Shampoo! What're you doing?"
	"Akane accidentally eat ramen, fall in love with Shampoo."
	"I could see THAT.  What was that stuff you made her drink?"
	"Antidote," Shampoo said simply.
	"Oh..." Ranma kneeled down next to Akane, who was snoring peacefully, 
he shook his head sadly. "What do you think you were doing, Shampoo, trying to 
drug me into falling in love with you?  You should've known by now that it 
won't work!"  
	"Shampoo know that, drug not make Ranma love Shampoo, just make 
Ranma love Shampoo More."  Shampoo fluttered her eyelashes at Ranma. 
“Sort of,” she added.  "Not think Akane feeling that way for Shampoo though."
	He wanted to hit her, he wanted to do something, anything, that would 
drive home the insanity of what she'd so flippantly attempted."What are you talking 
about?" Ranma pointed at the girl sleeping near Shampoo's feet.  "Of course you 
were!  I can't believe you!"  
	Unable to take any more, Shampoo sprinted off towards the 
Nekohanten.
	It had looked to Ranma like the Amazon was beginning to cry.   he thought,   He ignored the brief surge of guilt over 
yelling at Shampoo.  He was pissed, yes, but for some strange reason he found
it hard to hold it against her when her sole motivation was that she wanted him.
He'd done worse things in his time, for dumber reasons, and they weren't as 
easy to undo as this apparently had been.
	
	Ranma sulked.
	
	Ranma sighed and looked at Akane's sleeping form.  There was a cute string 
of drool leaking from her lips.  The image of Shampoo's eyes came back to 
Ranma's mind.
	

*-*-*-*

	Shampoo entered through the back door of the Nekohanten, crying.  
Cologne was perched on her staff watching several pots of ramen. "I take 
it the plan did not come together as you wished, grand-daughter?"
	Shampoo nodded.
	"Well, there's nothing to be done just now, so put on an apron 
and dry your eyes.  You have work to do."
	“Stupid Mousse,” Shampoo muttered.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma walked through the gate of the Tendo household with Akane 
in his arms, silently praying neither of their fathers would see them.  
Entering the house, Kasumi was the first one to encounter the two.  "Oh my, 
what happened, Ranma-kun?"
	"Shampoo tried some weird love-potion trick.  It got Akane 
instead."
	"Does that mean that Akane is in love?"
	"No, Shampoo had an antidote on her.  Akane's okay, just 
sleeping.  Could you watch her for a little while, Kasumi?"
	"Well, I was about to go clean the dojo, but I guess I could.  
For a little while anyway."
	After depositing Akane in her room and leaving Kasumi to watch 
over her, Ranma headed out towards the dojo, his thoughts unconsciously 
drifting to the sleeping girl he'd left in the house.    He was slightly surprised 
when Nodoka and Soun exited the dojo just as he arrived.  Both gave him 
somewhat nervous glances as they walked past.
	Once inside the dojo, Ranma began a complex kata as he attempted 
to sort through the days events.  A slight rustling was all the warning 
he had as a rope dropped from the rafters.  Standing to the side, he 
watched warily as Nabiki descended the rope carrying a tape recorder in 
her teeth.  She turned and viewed him appraisingly, "Hello, Ranma-kun."  
She eyed him up and down for few seconds before turning and heading 
into the house proper.
	"This will be interesting to say the least," she said as she left.

*-*-*-*

	Throughout that night's meal, Ranma was aware of being watched by 
Nabiki, Soun, Akane, and his mother.  Nabiki appeared to be considering 
something, Soun and Nodoka appeared to be doing the same.  Akane 
kept stealing sidelong glances at him, but every time he attempted to catch
her at it, she merely turned away blushing.  Kind of irritating, that.
	Not being able to take the pressure for very long, the young 
martial artist inhaled his meal and ran to the dojo to try and sleep 
it off.  He lay awake for a long time trying to figure out what was going 
on in the Tendo household.  There was an aura of tension around the place, 
more intense than the usual.
	It was not exactly a pleasant night for him.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma awoke, soaking wet and female, with Akane standing at the 
foot of the futon.  "Wake up, Ranma!"  Dropping the bucket on the 
floor, Akane walked out of the dojo to let her change clothes.  
Ranma exited the dojo soon after, noting that Genma had not awoken
for their morning practice today.
	Entering the dining room found everyone eating peacefully.  
Except for her father, who was watching Nodoka, fear evident in his 
eyes.  Ranma also noted that there was no food in front of Genma, 
something odd in and of itself.  Genma reached out hesitantly and 
took a small helping of rice.  Ranma resisted the urge to laugh out 
loud as Genma strained to resist his normal gluttonous impulses.
	
	Looking under the table, Ranma found Nodoka's katana aimed at 
Genma's stomach, reinforcing her theory.
	As she inhaled her food, Ranma heard her mother speaking to Genma.  
"That's very good, dear.  You're improving immensely."  She turned to 
her son.  "You see, Ranma?  All it takes is proper motivation."
	Ranma looked away from her mother's cheery, yet slightly disturbing 
grin, and turned back to her food, doing her best to ignore the fact 
that there was a sword pointed at her father's stomach.
	After inhaling her food, Ranma waited for Akane to finish before 
heading out the door to school, making certain to detour to Dr. Tofu's 
clinic beforehand to get some hot water.  
	Once again male, Ranma headed on to school.  Akane, apparently, 
had not been in the mood to stand in the halls again, and had gone ahead 
without him, something which struck Ranma as unusual.  Entering the 
grounds, a loud chuckling was heard, accompanied by several pineapple 
bombs.  Principal Kuno emerged from the resulting dust like something 
out of a horror film.
	"Aloha Ranma!  You be late today!"  Several pineapple bombs flew 
at Ranma who leapt out of their path instantly.  The principal, on his 
skateboard, followed close behind as Ranma fled the explosives.  "You 
should stop stallin' Ranma.  You just gonna make dis worse den it has 
to be."
	Ranma jumped away, turning in midair to land facing the 
principal, slipping into a battle stance and preparing for the next 
salvo of grenades.  It turned out he didn't have to, as the principal's 
throwing arm reared back, a ribbon wrapped around it, stopping it in 
place.  The principal looked behind him through the dust cloud "Kotchi!  
You should no do this to your father!"
	The ribbon snapped taut and the principal flew from his 
skateboard to crash into the building, unconscious, a ghostly laugh 
floating through the schoolyard.  Kodachi, in a standard Furinkan 
girl's uniform, emerged from the cloud of dust, appearing beside Ranma 
and looking as impeccably kept as ever.  The spiraling motion of her
ribbon keeping the smoke from her father's explosives at bay.
	"Come, Ranma-sama, you mustn't be late for school."
	Ranma barely had time to register the ribbon wrapping around his 
midsection before he was flying through the air towards his homeroom.  
He felt, more than saw, Kodachi leap after him.  She retracted the 
ribbon hauling Ranma backwards into her arms as they sailed through the 
air together.
	"Wow, look at her jump," someone said as they passed a second floor window.
	Ranma looked up toward the classroom where they would be landing.  
The two of his fiancees who were already at their desks were also very aware 
of certain aspects of Kodachi's anatomy pressing into Ranma as he flew through 
the air, and judging from the large auras being generated by each girl, they 
obviously didn't like it.
	Ranma gulped audibly.  Neither of the two fiancees seemed to 
notice, Akane and Ukyo directed glares that promised intense pain 
toward Ranma.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi sat beside Ranma's unconscious form, nursing a black eye 
of her own.  Ukyo and Akane's little 'spree' had ended with both her 
and Ranma in the nurse's office and in rather bad shape.  The two 
fuming fiancees were currently in class, Ms. Hinako having had to 
resort to desperate measures to get Ukyo to calm down.  Seeing the irate
chef drained of her ki had alleviated Kodachi's immeasurable amount of 
physical agony somewhat.
	She had expected them to be upset, it was fun to tweak them, but she 
had expected their anger to be primarily directed at her. She knew that if she 
were endangered by one of the others, Ranma would defend her, which could only 
help her cause.  When Akane had started pounding on Ranma, and Ukyo had begun 
alternating between pounding on Ranma and pounding on Kodachi, it had come as a 
slight surprise.  After all, why would you strike out at the one you love?
Kodachi herself had never physically attacked him, and had gone to great lengths
to ensure that he suffered no harm when she resorted to her other methods of
persuasion.
	A light moan from the cot beside her drew Kodachi's attention to 
Ranma.  He stirred slightly and opened his eyes, locking them with one 
of Kodachi's.  Her other being covered by an ice-pack an the moment.
	"Did you have a good rest, Ranma-sama?"
	Ranma's stunned silence produced a slight pout from Kodachi. Or perhaps
'stunned silence' would not be as appropriate as 'frightened inability to speak
	"If you do not tell me, Ranma-sama, I will not know what is the matter."  
She gave a sultry smile.  "Then I cannot kiss it and make it better."
	"Uh..."  Ranma responded intelligently.  "Yeah, well, look at the 
time.  Gotta run!"  Bolting from his cot, Ranma was outside the nurse's office 
before Kodachi had a chance to respond.  Kodachi was left alone in the infirmary, 
staring in the direction the pig-tailed martial artist had gone.
	"Ranma-sama,"  she said quietly.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma bolted through the halls, the look in Kodachi's eyes 
haunting him as he ran.    He knew that the Black Rose would come after him again the second 
she saw him.  Glancing back and forth down the halls, Ranma spotted an 
upset student holding buckets and a thought occurred.  Kodachi would 
come after HIM.
	Running towards the student, Ranma paused to snatch one of his 
buckets of water and upend it over his head.  The student tried in vain 
to catch up with the now female martial artist.
	"Hey!  Come back here with my... hey...  Thanks Ranma!"
	Ranma ignored him and concentrated on getting back to class.  
  With that thought, Ranma tore 
back into the classroom in time to hear the lunch bell ring.  Akane 
stormed past her in a huff, heading out of the room with Yuka and 
Sayuri.  Ukyo, on the other hand, grasped Ranma's hand and dragged her 
out to the courtyard.  "Come on, Ranchan, we can eat lunch together."
	Absently, the pig-tailed girl noted that he opinion on the matter
seemed unimportant.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma, still in his female form, sat underneath a tree, absently 
devouring the okonomiyaki Ukyo was continuously preparing for him, 
nervously watching Akane from across the courtyard.  Ukyo was watching 
Ranma worriedly as the pig-tailed girl bit into her third okonomiyaki.  
Had Ranma been paying attention to her, she would have noticed just how 
nervous Ukyo was.
	"Um, Ranchan?"
	"Yeah, Ucchan?"  Ranma looked up at her.
	"I need to ask you something."  Ukyo was now fidgeting constantly 
with a tiny spatula that had appeared in her hands.
	Just as Ranma began to answer, she heard something odd.  She 
ducked and rolled away in time to avoid two spiked clubs, which 
imbedded themselves into the tree she had been leaning against.  Coming 
to a standing position, Ranma turned to find herself face-to-face with 
one very angry Black Rose.
	"Um, heh, hi Kodachi.  How're you?"
	If anything, Kodachi's glare intensified.  "Pig-tailed girl..." 
she said quietly.
	"Um, yeah?"
	"DIE!"  Kodachi lashed out with her ribbon, neatly carving up the 
tree behind Ranma.  Ranma ducked the slashing cloth and sprinted away. 
"Sorry Ucchan gotta run bye."
	As Kodachi chased Ranma away towards the Furinkan High Soccer 
Field, a bright blue aura developed around Ukyo.  Holding her giant 
spatula in front of her, Ukyo bent the utensil's handle at a right angle.
	"RANMA YOU JACKASS!"

*-*-*-*

	Ranma rounded the corner of the school, followed closely by 
Kodachi, who was snapping her ribbon in all directions attempting to do 
Ranma serious harm.  Two more gymnastics clubs, followed by a well-
sharpened hoop blazed near Ranma's head, forcing her to scramble out of 
the way.
	"What'd I do now, Kodachi?"
	Kodachi continued lashing out at Ranma with her ribbon, leaving 
gouges in the dirt as Ranma continued to dodge.  "It all YOUR fault!"
	Ranma looked at Kodachi, who had stopped trying to dismember him 
and had fallen to her knees.  "It's all your fault..."
	"What'd I do?"
	"If it weren't for you... Ranma-sama would... he would..."  
Kodachi placed her head in her hands and began to cry.
	"What?"
	Kodachi looked up sharply at Ranma.  "He would CARE!  He wouldn't 
hate me, or distrust me, or think me some sort of evil bitch!"  Kodachi 
trailed off as she continued to cry, leaving Ranma at a loss for what do.
	Unable to think of anything else, Ranma walked over and knelt 
beside Kodachi, doing what she had seen Kasumi do with Akane whenever 
she had been particularly upset.  She held her, drawing her into a hug 
and letting her cry into her shoulder.  Kodachi wrapped her arms around 
Ranma and continued to cry.  "Isn't it enough for you that he doesn't love
me?  Do you need so badly to possess him that you would have him hate me?
That you would turn his heart to stone in my presence?"  Anything else
the dark-haired girl would say was lost in the shuddering sobs that
wracked her frame.
	"I'm sorry, Kodachi.  I didn't mean to... I... I'm just... 
sorry."  Ranma sighed as she couldn't think of anything else to do. 
Kodachi simply continued to cry on her shoulder, and the pig-tailed girl 
gave a silent prayer that none of her other fiancees show up right now.
She wondered if Akane was still mad.
	Ranma remained with Kodachi until the latter had finally ceased 
crying.  Kodachi stood, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes and 
sniffling slightly.  "Thank you, pig-tailed girl.  I... apologize for 
my actions as they may have been uncalled for.  I was distraught 
and..."
	Ranma placed her hand behind her head and laughed nervously, 
trying not to look Kodachi in the eyes.  She wasn't sure what 'distraught'
meant "Ah, that's okay, I know you were just pissed at something."
	The conversation was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound.  The 
ground underneath Ranma's feet began vibrating as loud shouting became 
audible.
	"Pervert!"
	"Come back here with our underwear!"
	And one voice rang out above all the others, a voice Ranma knew 
all too well, laughing in the absorbing glee of the chase.  Or, more 
appropriately, the joy of the escape. Happosai.
	Ranma looked up in time to see the letch leaping over the school 
wall, careening towards her, arms outstretched in full preparation to 
glomp.  "Why, Ranma-chan, it's nice to know you care enough to splash 
yourself ahead of time."
	Happosai's face met Ranma's elbow, which sent the tiny pervert 
straight at Kodachi.  Time seemed to slow down for Ranma as he reached 
out to try and stop the diminutive martial-artist.  The little lech 
attached himself to Kodachi's front, knocking her over in the process.  
Happosai continued squeezing away, oblivious to both the clubs that had 
appeared in Kodachi's hands, and the approaching shadow of Ranma.
	"Get off me you horrid little creature!"
	Kodachi's clubs connected with Happosai's skull, not phasing him 
in the least.  Ranma's hands darted forward, prying the tiny hentai 
from Kodachi.
	The pig-tailed girl drop-kicked Happosai into the sky, ignoring the martial-
arts master's final words.  "You'll pay for this Ranmaaa...."
	Turning back to Kodachi, Ranma reached out a hand to help her up.  
"You okay, Kodachi?"
	Kodachi grasped Ranma's hand and got to her feet.  "Yes, I think 
so.  I find I must thank you again, pig-tailed girl.  For dealing with 
that... thing... so handily."  Kodachi turned to leave, turning to look 
back at Ranma before rounding the corner.  "However, pig-tailed 
girl..."
	The young woman in question looked up.
	"Come tomorrow we will once again be rivals for Ranma-sama's 
heart."  Kodachi punctuated her statement by raising her fist to the 
sky and laughing heartily.
	After the gymnast had left, amid a shower of black rose petals,
Ranma could think of only one word to summarize her current situation.
	

*-*-*-*

	Once lunch had ended, and he was male once again, Ranma had to 
sit through two more classes.  It was all he could do not to turn 
around and look at Kodachi.  The look of complete and utter helplessness 
on her face at lunch had affected his mood in a rather depressing fashion.  
Learning that it was apparently his fault had only made things worse.
	Ranma's head slumped lower as class dragged on, eventually 
reaching the point where it was resting on his desk.  A fist tapped his 
shoulder, and Ranma jolted awake turning towards the offending arm.
	"Pay attention."  Akane chided him.
	Ranma glared at her slightly, Akane having already turned back 
towards the front of the classroom, before looking up at Ms. Hinako.  
It took a few minutes for Ms. Hinako to revert back to her child form, 
but once she did Ranma had no trouble keeping himself awake, the high-
pitched sound of her voice threatening to bore a hole into his skull.  
Instead of paying attention however, he continued to fret over the 
problems in his life until the bell rang.
	With a sigh of relief, Ranma launched himself out of the 
classroom and headed straight for the boy’s locker room.  Gym would give 
him some time to relax and think by keeping him separated from the 
girls, who would be on the other field.
	Exiting the locker room found Ranma flanked on either side by 
Hiroshi and Daisuke once again.
	"So, Ranma, we heard you and Kodachi went off somewhere together 
at lunch.  Details man, details.  Was she a virgin?"
	"Damnit you two, I was a girl at the time."
	Hiroshi and Daisuke looked surprised at Ranma's outburst for a 
moment, before their faces once again split into lecherous grins.  "You 
mean, you and her... as girls?"  Daisuke paused to wipe a bit of drool 
off his lip.
	"NO!!!"

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi sloughed off the leotard she had worn to school under her 
uniform, ignoring the odd stares she received from her classmates.  
	Slipping into her required gym uniform, Kodachi stepped out towards the 
field.  A loud scream of "NO!!!" echoed through the air briefly, 
shocking the surrounding girls into a temporary silence.
	  Kodachi dismissed the thought, nothing would 
disturb Ranma-sama enough that he would exclaim so.
	Yuka and Sayuri were circling Akane and interrogating her.
	"So who are you gonna take to the dance, Akane?  Ranma, I'll bet."
	Akane blushed furiously, "Why would I want to go to any dance 
with THAT pervert?  Besides, I haven't even heard anything about a 
dance."
	Yuka and Sayuri looked at each other.  "Well... Our friend Manami 
works on the school paper.  And she said that the principle delivered a notice 
to them yesterday that there was going to be a dance this Saturday.  We thought 
everybody would know by now."
	Truth be told, Akane didn't read the school paper, nobody did, 
but that didn't stop Akane from acting like she knew what they were 
talking about.  "Of course I knew about that dance!  But I'm not taking 
Ranma."
	"Why not?  He's your fiancee, and he's got a killer body."
	Akane blushed again, but refused to comment further.

*-*-*-*

	"Oh come on, Ranma, you can't be serious.  You and Kodachi, alone 
all through lunch and you expect us to believe that NOTHING happened."  
Hiroshi made a few obscene gestures with his hands, indicated his 
personal beliefs on the subject.
	"You DO realize that Kodachi doesn't realize me and the 'pig-
tailed' girl are the same person right?"
	Hiroshi and Daisuke stared at him dumbly.
	"I'll take that as a no."  Ranma walked off, shaking his head.
	"Well, Hiroshi, that does put a damper on your day, doesn't it?"
	"Shut up, Dai..."
	Ranma looked across the exercise yard to the women's field in 
horror, the girls were going to be playing soccer.
	

*-*-*-*

	Akane kicked the soccer ball across the field towards Ukyo, who 
was playing striker.  Kodachi intercepted the ball and kicked it 
halfway down the field toward Akane and Ukyo's goal.
	"OHOHOHOHOHOHO, better luck next time, you two."
	Akane suppressed the urge to make Kodachi suffer and ran back 
down the field towards the ball.  Ukyo remained in position, doing her 
best to ignore Kodachi, who watched the activity at the other end of 
the field, feigning disinterest.
	The ball came hurtling downfield, headed straight for Ukyo, who 
headbutted it towards the goal.  Yuka, who had been chosen to be the 
goalie for Kodachi's team, shrieked and leapt out of the way.  Ukyo and 
Akane's team cheered before rotating positions.  Kodachi glared at Yuka 
for a few moments, causing the latter girl to shrink back in fear, 
before heading towards the center of the field.
	Ukyo gave Kodachi a thumbs up when they met in the center.  "Like 
you said, better luck next time."  Ukyo pulled down one eyelid an stuck 
her tongue out at Kodachi.  Kodachi, however, ignored her and kicked 
the ball through Ukyo's legs, past Sayuri, and right into the goal.
	Kodachi smirked, Ukyo growled, Akane glared, and Yuka shrieked 
again.
	The ball was sent into play, Akane playing forward again, and 
currently dribbling downfield.  Kodachi rushed her, attempting to steal 
the ball.  Akane's foot extended farther than it had to and clipped 
Kodachi's ankle.  The gymnast wound up face down in the dirt.  Ukyo had 
the misfortune the trip over Kodachi's prone form, after standing up 
she directed a powerful glare at Akane.
	"Sorry."  Akane said as she kicked the ball towards Yuka.  Yuka, 
still crouching, reached one hand up and deflected it into the top of 
the goal, it bounced back onto the field.  Yuka stared at her hand in 
shock.  "I did it!"
	While she was jumping for joy, Ukyo rushed forward and punted the 
ball into the goal.  The two teams rotated positions again, Kodachi 
taking over at goalie this time.
	Yuka stood chatting with Sayuri, the goalie, at the other end of 
the field while Akane and Ukyo passed the ball back and forth, waiting 
for an opening.  Unable to take it much longer, Akane tried to punt the 
ball past Kodachi.  Kodachi caught it.
	"You forget, Tendo, that I study rhythmic gymnastics, I have 
years of experience with these."  With that, Kodachi punted the ball 
downfield, bouncing it off Yuka's head and into the goal.  "Tie game."
	Ukyo looked at Akane briefly before turning back to the gymnast 
and saying something rather... improper.  Akane gave Ukyo high five 
before heading back downfield.
	 Kodachi 
swore to herself.  Mrs. Sakagami, seeing the look in Kodachi's eyes, 
decided that it would be best if she did not interfere with the local 
martial artists today.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma, Hiroshi and Daisuke sat on the sidelines of their own 
soccer game, along with every other boy, staring at the girl's field.  
Even coach Fujisawa had slowly become enthralled at the battle royale 
that was raging on the other field.
	Akane passed the ball to Ukyo, Kodachi intercepted and kicked it 
back at Akane, nearly hitting her in the stomach.  Akane flopped backward and 
brought her legs up, catching the ball between her ankles. Using muscles she 
wasn't sure were there, she catapulted it back toward Kodachi, the flying orb 
ricocheted off the gymnast's skull, and then proceeded to impact Ukyo in the 
head.  Ukyo stood up and glared at Akane before the three girls resumed kicking 
the ball at each other.
	Ukyo was the first to snap, followed by Akane, who launched two 
punches and a series of kicks at Kodachi.  The gymnast dodged out of 
the way and kicked the ball downfield.  Sayuri, who was goalie, had 
been so entranced watching the three battle, that she didn't even 
noticed the ball until it whizzed by her shoulder and into the net.
	Kodachi stopped to congratulate herself for a few seconds, 
leaving an opening.  Ukyo's unarmed skills were meager at best, so Kodachi had 
no difficulty weaving away from the chef, and right into Akane's incoming fist.  
Kodachi flew backwards and impacted the goal with her head.  Hard.
	The girl's gym coach looked at her watch, boggled briefly at how 
quickly time had passed, and blew her whistle signaling the girls to 
head for the showers.  Akane turned and stomped off, still fuming from 
the look on Kodachi's face.
	"Ukyo?"  Mrs. Sakagami, the girl's gym instructor, asked.
	"Hmm?"  Ukyo looked up from where she had been staring at 
Kodachi's crumpled form.  The dent in the goal post was rather 
pronounced, testifying to the injury Kodachi had suffered.
	"Could you carry Kodachi to the nurses office please?"
	"But I have cla-"
	"I've already spoken with Ms. Hinako."  Mrs. Sakagami held up a 
walkie-talkie.  "I've also had Mr. Fujisawa ask Ranma to keep you 
company."  Mrs. Sakagami winked at Ukyo and smiled, knowing that she had pushed 
just the right buttons.
	Ukyo slipped off into a private fantasy.    "Well then... 
Ukyo... I believe I shall take you up on your offer.  I am afraid I did 
not bring much in the way of food today.  My father was hunting me this 
morning, and I was unable to appropriate a balanced meal."
	"That's okay, I've got enough to make two okonomiyaki."
	
*-*-*-*

	A pineapple bomb exploded nearby.  Ranma and Akane stopped their 
argument to try and figure out what was going on.
	Through the dust, Ranma spotted principal Kuno headed toward 
Kodachi and Ukyo on a skateboard.  He was wielding a pair of shears 
menacingly as he spoke.
	"Yo, Kotchi, you should no be disgracin' you father like you did.  
Throwin' me 'round the other day was not very good thing to do.  Now 
you gonna be punished wit' a little haircut, but you me daughter, so I 
make you look nice, okay?"
	Kodachi ducked, so the first attack went over her head and the 
principal flew past her.  Standing, she glared at her opponent.  
"Honestly, Father, is this pointless exercise really necessary?"
	The principal snipped his scissors menacingly.  "You be gettin' a 
haircut today, Kotchi.  It been gettin' too long for a while now."
	"Very well, father, as you wish."  Kodachi assumed a battle 
stance, producing two clubs in her left hand, and her ribbon in her 
right.  As the principal sailed toward her, she launched her clubs at 
him... but he swerved between them on his skateboard.  The ribbon 
followed close behind, only to be sliced evenly up the middle by a straight 
razor.
	As he passed by Kodachi a second time, Principal Kuno anticipated her 
evasion and managed to come much closer with his shears, she sensed, rather 
than saw him come within a hairsbreadth of her horsetail.  Kodachi was aghast at 
his intended target.    Her 
eyes hardened as she produced a hoop in each of her hands.  
	Kodachi readied her hoops, preparing to lock them around the principal's 
arms as soon as he came within range.  A pineapple flew toward her, and Kodachi 
attempted to bat it away with the hoop, but it burst into shards on impact, 
shredding Kodachi's hoops to pieces.
	Kodachi was now weaponless.
	As the principal was bearing down on her, Kodachi braced for impact, and 
the draft which would follow, but instead there was a loud crashing sound, and 
she heard the skateboard roll between her legs.  She looked up to see Ranma 
standing in front of her, leg extended, and her father sailing off into the 
distance.
	Ranma turned toward her, smiling arrogantly.  "It's okay, you 
know, you don't have to thank me or nothing."  When Kodachi slapped 
him, however, the smile vanished.  Ranma reached a hand up to examine 
the red imprint on his face.    Suddenly it occured to him.
	Kodachi had never hit him before. Never.
	Not when she knew he was who he was at any rate.  Whenever he'd been a
girl, yes the risk had been there, but as a guy she'd never shown any animosity
toward him.  It was confusing, disturbing, and more than a little painful. Someone 
glomping onto his chest broke him from his train of thought.  Kodachi looked... 
angry? Hungry?  Ranma wasn't sure.
	"Ranma-sama, while it pleases me that you care enough to protect 
me from my father.  I feel I must inform you that I am capable of 
defending myself.  My battles are my own, whether they be with Asuka, Tachi, or 
my Father.  Aside from that, he is my father, and not worthy of your notice."
	"Hey, waitamin... who said I... but he was gonna cut your hair!"
	"Yes, Ranma-sama, and I would have hurt him for it later!"
	"BUT I LIKE YOUR HAIR THE WAY IT IS!"
	Kodachi just stared at him.
	"YOU'RE CUTE THE WAY YOU ARE AND I DON'T THINK HE SHOULD..."  It 
was then that Ranma's brain realized what he was saying, and his mouth 
snapped shut.  Unfortunately, he spotted two girls with blue battle 
auras out of the corner of his eye.
	"RANMA YOU JERK!"
	And then, he flew.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi continued staring as Ranma vanished into the distance, 
her mind attempting to rationalize the last few moments.    A soft blush crept across her face.  The sound of someone 
yelling managed to break through the rose-colored haze clouding 
Kodachi's thoughts.
	"..ever hit my Ranchan!  It wasn't his fault anyway, Kodachi or 
Shampoo or somebody probably snuck something into his food.  He would 
never say anything like that, not to Kodachi!"
	Kodachi felt the need to say something, but Akane spoke first.
	 "Don't try blaming them just because Ranma's a pervert.  You saw 
it with your own two eyes.  He was flirting, with Kodachi of all 
people, right in FRONT of us.  He deserved it!"
	Now Kodachi felt truly offended.
	"Akane, you remember what happened at the dance.  It wasn't Ran-
chan's fault!  Don't hit him, hit her!"  Ukyo finished her statement 
with a finger pointed at Kodachi, who decided that this conversation 
had taken an ugly turn.  When Ukyo swung her giant spatula at her, she 
was certain she should be somewhere else.  Ducking the spatula strike, 
Kodachi tucked and rolled backwards.  Narrowly avoiding a descending 
bonbori.  Coming out of the roll, she found herself face-to-face with 
Shampoo.
	"Kodachi, you try kiss Airen, I kill!"
	Leaping away, Kodachi considered her options as Furinkan's 
student population fled the scene.    She narrowed her 
eyes as Shampoo and Ukyo circled around her.  
	As Ukyo launched her next attack, Kodachi leapt away.
	"Wow, look at her jump," Yuka said.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma hit the water with a splash.    Kicking her legs, Ranma tried 
to orient herself, and found herself looking into a rather beady pair 
of eyes.
	
	The crocodile's first bite narrowly missed her, as Ranma 
desperately evaded.  Three more snaps followed, and Ranma swam out of 
reach, she hadn't taken a deep breath before her plunge, and her lungs were 
beginning to burn.  Looking for an escape, Ranma dropped herself to 
the bottom of the pond, with Midorigame following close behind.  A two-
fisted chop to the creature's snout gave Ranma the necessary position 
and, pushing off its back, she propelled herself out of the water and 
onto dry land.  
	Lying on her back, Ranma closed her eyes, and tried to make sense 
of what just happened.    Reaching a 
hand to her cheek, Ranma felt the red mark left by Kodachi's hand.  
	Feeling a slight pressure on her chest, Ranma opened her eyes, 
and found she was looking at rows, upon rows, upon rows, of very sharp 
teeth.    A shout from the house 
diverted the attention of the crocodile.
	"Midorigame, no!"
	Kodachi stalked over from the house to where Ranma was pinned by 
her pet.  Kicking the giant reptile in the ribs, Kodachi pointed toward the 
pond.
	Midorigame grumbled and turned back toward Ranma.
	Kodachi gestured again.  "Now!"
	The creature growled again, and slowly waddled into the pond.  
Extending a hand, Kodachi helped Ranma to her feet.
	"Uh, thanks..."
	Kodachi idly sniffed a rose as they walked toward the mansion.  
"You are welcome, pig-tailed girl, though we are both fortunate I 
happened along when I did.  As, somehow, I do not feel Ranma-sama would 
approve, were I even indirectly responsible for your death."
	Ranma almost chuckled.  
	Holding the flower in hand, Kodachi continued speaking.  "Oh, 
pig-tailed girl, this afternoon my Ranma-sama..."
	She feigned ignorance.  "What?  What'd he do?"
	"He.... complimented me."  Kodachi sighed dreamily, but a puzzled 
look crossed her features. "I do not believe he has ever done that 
before."
	Ranma blinked as she realized what Kodachi had said was true.
	A sliding door led into a large formal tearoom.  Two large 
couches on either side of a low table.  Kodachi took a seat on one, and 
gestured for Ranma to do the same.  Her gaze drifted across the red 
mark on Ranma's face.
	"Now then, pig-tailed girl, for what purpose have you come to my 
humble home?  Do you not attend school?"
	"Don't You?"
	Kodachi laughed, noting the redhead's slight flinch when she did 
so.  "Touche, pig-tailed girl.  There was an incident at Furinkan 
today, and I do not believe it would be safe for me to return there.  
Now, you answer my question." Her eyes narrowed.  "What are you doing 
here?"
	Ranma shifted uncomfortably.  "Nothin'... I just kinda dropped in."
	The gymnast shrugged.  "I do not suppose you will elaborate, will 
you?  Very well.  Now you may ask me a question."
	Ranma gawked at her.  "Huh?"
	Kodachi directed a level gaze at Ranma.  "Quid pro quo, pig-
tailed girl.  I tell you things, you tell me things.  Unless, of 
course, you'd rather leave."  Kodachi was eerily calm.  "There is 
something odd about you, pig-tailed girl, and I aim to discover what 
that is."
	Ranma considered her options, looking toward the door.    Her eyes wandered back to Kodachi.  
	"Fine.  A couple questions and then I'm gone."
	"Ah, excellent, I would like to get to know the young woman who 
has so effectively captured my brother's heart, or half of it anyway.  
Wait here a moment and I shall prepare some tea."
	Ranma grumbled as Kodachi left to heat water.  

*-*-*-*

	"..and then she crashed through the wall, tryin' to kill me.  
'Cause of that stupid law.  Screaming 'You I kill!' every time she saw 
me."  Ranma smiled at the memory, and glanced at the clock, surprised 
that almost three hours had passed.
	"And does the Amazon still wish you dead?"
	Distracted by Kodachi's voice, Ranma forgot about the clock.  
"Well, not rea... hey it's my turn."  Ranma's slight grin was matched 
by the gymnast.
	Kodachi bowed her head.  "Yes, pig-tailed girl, I broke the 
rules.  I am sorry."
	Ranma chuckled.  "You didn't seem to care much about the rules 
during that gymnastics match last year."  And then her mind caught up 
with her mouth.  
	Kodachi raised an eyebrow.  "Oh really? I seem to recall all the 
actions taken were ruled valid by the judges."
	
	"Even yours, pig-tailed girl.  So if you are assuming I purchased 
my past victories I would advise you think again, carefully.  You used a pig,
I used my brother, it is merely the way of combat.  Anything goes."
	The two girls matched stares.  "Look, Kodachi, you didn't break 
the rules. But that doesn't mean that what you did was right.  Okay?"
	"Of course, pig-tailed girl, you have your code, and I have 
mine."  She poured herself some more tea.
	"Yeah, I guess, so what is your code?"
	The dark-haired girl sipped from her cup.  "Win."
	Suddenly uncomfortable, Ranma assumed her best 'thinking' pose.  
"Uh, ah, yeah, next question..."
	Kodachi wagged a finger at her.  "Ah-ah-ah, I answered your 
question pig-tailed, now I believe you must answer mine."  She laughed 
again, that beautiful, horrible laugh.  "When I first arrived here this 
afternoon, I noticed a large red mark on your cheek, similar to a mark 
I gave my Ranma-sama earlier today."
	Ranma reflexively reached a hand to her cheek, she'd meant to ask
about that.  The pig-tailed girl didn't know Kodachi well, but hitting her
male form was definitely not par for the course.
	"I should not have done that," she whispered.  "I have never hit my 
Ranma-sama."  The pig-tailed girl across from her barely managed to hear the 
comment before Kodachi's voice took on a much harder edge.  "Tell me, what is 
your connection to my Ranma-sama.  You claim the same name as he, you 
dress as he does, you appear to pursue him... it is as if you are 
connected to him somehow.  Explain."  
	"I, uh, kinda wanted to talk to you about that, Kodachi.  How 
much of the tea is left?
	"I have recently replenished the kettle, so it is nearly full, and it is 
still quite hot if you wish yet another cup."
	"No, uh, nothin' like that, it's just... uh, okay, here goes..." 
Ranma sighed, and her mouth went on autopilot.  She covered all the 
important parts; the trip to China in the search for ancient training 
grounds, Genma's inability to read Chinese, and Jusenkyo.
	"A curse then?"
	Ranma nodded.
	"Well, I have heard more convincing lies than that before."  
Kodachi laughed again.  "So I am afraid I must ask you to prove this 
curse exists."
	Kodachi smirked as Ranma reached for the kettle, her smile 
changed to a questioning stare as the kettle was lifted above Ranma's 
head, and then to fascinated horror as the red-haired girl change into 
a taller, muscular man.
	"..kami-sama.."
	Ranma tried to hide his embarrassment at her reaction, so he 
chuckled a little uncomfortably... that didn't seem to calm her down.  
He scratched the back of his head nervously.  "Sorry about this."
	"Why didn't you tell me this long ago?"  Kodachi asked, the rules 
forgotten.  Her voice was a mixture of anger, shock, and betrayal that 
Ranma was not accustomed to hearing.
	"Well, you're kinda..." Ranma searched for an appropriate term.  
"...intense, Kodachi, I didn't how you would react okay?"
	"So you lied to me, for over a year?"
	"NO!" Ranma shouted.  "Well... kinda.  I just kinda thought you'd 
figure it out, like everybody else did."
	"Has anyone, ever, realized the truth without an explanation and 
a demonstration?"
	"Well, Ucchan, no... I had to explain it to her too."  Ranma 
sighed.  "I guess not."  Ranma slumped helplessly.
	"And does my brother know of this?"
	"Well, no, but that's different!  He's a moron."
	"My brother may be stupid, but he is not dumb!"  Kodachi's eyes narrowed.  
"I loved you, I hated you, I fought you, I fought FOR you..."  Tears were 
streaming down her face now.  "I worshipped you, and you let me... let me..."
	There was silence for a time as Kodachi just stared at him.
	"Leave," she barely whispered, pointing toward the exit.  Kodachi sank to 
the floor and began sobbing into her hands.  "I know you don't want to be here 
anyway.  If you're going to laugh at me, do it somewhere else."
	"It ain't like that," he whispered.
	"Just go, Ranma," she managed to mumble.
	And he did.


*-*-*-*

	
	It was so easy to think those words.
	
	The house was quiet when Ranma entered, except for the sound of a 
panda cheating at shogi.  Soun looked up briefly to acknowledge Ranma's 
presence, an opening which the panda across from him took full 
advantage of.  Ranma did his best to ignore them as he walked out to the 
dojo that had become his room.  Once inside, he assumed a meditative 
pose and thought about his conversation with Kodachi.

*-*-*-*
[Two Hours Ago]

	"He attacked you?"
	"Yeah."
	"I suppose it was to be expected, Father has not been the same 
since Mother passed away, but he is still my father."  She paused for a moment, 
staring vacantly out the window, before resuming her casual demeanor.
	"Your turn, pig-tailed girl."
	Ranma examined her hands.  "Kodachi... how did your mother die?"
	An uncomfortable silence filled the room.  The teacup in 
Kodachi's hand was emptied, refilled, and emptied again before she 
responded.
	"So it is now that our conversation takes its serious turn."  She 
paused again, and spoke, straining to keep emotion from her voice.  
"Mother was not strong enough.  This house... my father, my brother... 
and me.  They were a burden too great for her to bear, and so she chose 
to hide.  In her room, in her garden... but it was not enough.  
Eventually, even the bottle could not offer her solace, and so she 
elected to take the coward's way out.  Tachi says that it was I who found her, 
hanging by her neck in the greenhouse.  In truth, I do not remember that day... 
I do not wish to..."  She tried to laugh again, but it more resembled a half-
sob.
	Kodachi's features turned to stone.  "Mother could not cope, that is how 
she died.  Mother was weak."
	Abruptly she stood and a fake smile found its way to her face.  "I 
must refill the kettle, excuse me, please."

*-*-*-*

	The meditation abandoned, Ranma attempted to clear his mind with 
a practice kata.    Punches flowed into each other as Ranma lost himself in 
the forms.    A slight twinge 
in his hand let Ranma know he'd punched a hole in the dojo wall.
	"DAMNIT!"
	"Something wrong, Ranma-kun?"
	He turned to see Nabiki standing in the doorway.  "What do you want?"
	"Easy there, Ranma, I come in peace."  She held out her hands in 
a gesture of mock surrender.  "I just thought I'd warn you that Akane's 
still mad at you, something about running off at lunch.  Anyway, she 
should be here anytime for her daily destruction session."
	"No charge?"
	"Not this time, Ranma.  After all, you're my fiancee too."  She 
added the last with a smirk.
	Ranma groaned and ran for the door.

*-*-*-*

	From his perch atop the dojo, Ranma was able to hear Akane stomp 
inside, muttering under her breath.  A few seconds later, she began 
reducing perfectly useful cinder blocks to small piles of rubble.  
Punctuating each blow with a loud 'BAKA!'.
	Ranma could only assume that she was talking about him.
	
	Hopping down, Ranma did his best to remain silent as he crept 
toward the house.  
	"Hello, Ranma-kun."
	Ranma's shoulders drooped in defeat.  "Hi, Kasumi."
	"Is something wrong, Ranma-kun?"
	"Nah, I'm just tryin' to find a place to think."
	Kasumi finished tying the clothesline between two pieces of wood.  
"Don't you usually do things like that on the roof or in the dojo?"
	"Well, the roof is better at night, it's harder for people to see 
me then, you know?  And the dojo..."
	Another loud scream of 'BAKA!' rang out from within the nearby 
structure.
	"I think Akane's in there right now."
	"Perhaps the two of you could workout together then, you should 
be spending more time together.  After all, you are engaged."  Kasumi 
began placing laundry onto the clothesline.
	Ranma smirked a little.  "Yeah, well, it still don't seem like a 
good idea.  Besides, I'm engaged to you too, remember?"
	Kasumi blushed slightly and looked away.
	Seeing her face, Ranma tried to apologize.  "Uh, sorry 'bout that 
Kasumi, I was just kidding."  He scratched the back of his head and 
tried to laugh it off.  He didn't succeed.
	"It's alright, Ranma-kun.  I was merely surprised that you would 
say something like that.  That's all."
	"Yeah, well, I'm a surprising guy... heh."  He coughed nervously.
	"Yes you certainly are, Ranma-kun."
	For the next few minutes, the only sound was the clicking of 
clothespins, as Kasumi continued to hang the laundry.
	"Uh, say Kasumi, what do you think of my Mom engaging us like 
that?"
	"Why, what do you mean, Ranma-kun?"
	"Well, you know, it's kinda weird, my Mom just springing this on 
everybody, and Nabiki was acting strange a little while ago...  Do you 
know what's going on?"
	"It is my understanding that your mother had been considering 
this for quite a while Ranma-kun, and as for Nabiki... perhaps she is 
interested in marrying you."
	Ranma just looked at her.
	"It is entirely possible, Ranma-kun."  Kasumi chided him.  "After 
all, you were engaged to Nabiki once, and perhaps she took it more 
seriously than you first thought."
	"Are we talking about the same Nabiki?"
	Kasumi nodded.
	"This is nuts..."
	Kasumi nodded again, which caused Ranma to laugh a little.
	"Man, first Akane, then Kodachi..."
	"What about Kodachi, Ranma-kun?"
	"Oh, uh, nothin' Kasumi."
	Kasumi attempted to read Ranma's reaction, but the emotions 
crossed his face too quickly.  Anxiety and fear were standard whenever 
Kodachi was mentioned, and they were present, but so was something 
else.  
	Once again, silence settled over the two as Kasumi finished 
hanging laundry.  As Kasumi walked toward the house with the now empty 
basket, she felt something gently grasp her arm.  She turned to look at 
Ranma, who released her arm and put his hand to the back of his head.
	"Uh, Kasumi, thanks."
	Kasumi said nothing, but merely smiled at Ranma and walked into 
the house.
	Ranma couldn't be sure why, but he felt better for some reason.  
Still smirking, he turned and walked into the dojo.  When Akane stood 
up and glared at him, he remembered why he had been outside in the 
first place.
	"JERK!"

*-*-*-*

	When Ranma woke up, some time later, his mother was placing a 
damp washcloth on his forehead.
	"Amazing, Ranma-chan, you were unconscious for less than a half-
hour this time.  Akane-chan must be learning to control her temper.  
Now I know she'll make a wonderful wife for you."  Nodoka was glowing 
as she left for the kitchen.
	Ranma looked at Akane, who was sitting on the other side of the 
room.  Apparently, somewhere between the dojo and the house she'd 
picked up P-chan again.  For some reason, the pig was glaring at him so 
Ranma glared back.
	"Don't even think about picking on P-chan, Ranma."
	Adopting a slightly smug look, Akane waited for Ranma's response.  
She was still waiting when he sighed, stood, and stalked out of the 
room.  It took a few seconds before the event registered in her mind 
and her expression shifted.
	"Ranma?"

*-*-*-*

	"Ranma?"
	He felt, rather than heard her, as she landed on the roof.  The 
pig-tailed figure shifted in place as the girl walked up behind him.
	"What do you want?"
	"Ranma, Shampoo want talk."
	The purple-haired amazon sat down near him on the roof.  Ranma 
allowed himself a sarcastic smile as he stared off into space.
	"What do you want to talk about, Shampoo?"
	"Shampoo want apologize."
	Ranma did a double take, and then he did another one.
	"What for?"
	"Ramen. Shampoo not use potion again.  Shampoo not want Ranma 
that way."
	"The ramen?  I forgot about that already."
	"Shampoo figure, but sorry anyway.  Want say sorry to violent girl 
too."
	Something in her attitude seemed off, but Ranma wasn't quite sure 
what.  She seemed almost submissive, a trait that Ranma wouldn't expect 
from the Amazon.  He laughed softly, and Shampoo peered at him.
	"Something tells me Akane wouldn't be too happy to see you 
Shampoo, maybe you should've just called her or something.  What did 
you do to your hand, anyway?"
	Shampoo smirked at him, and brought her hand around into the 
light.  There was a bandage wrapped around her knuckles, small flecks 
of blood having soaked through to the surface.  "How you know, Ranma?"
	"You were hiding it when you sat down, just not very good."
	"It not hurt, Shampoo just cut."  She held her injured hand out 
for Ranma's inspection.  "Ranma kiss and make better?"  She purred at 
him.
	The sound of a ladder impacting the roof saved Ranma from having 
to respond.  "Shampoo, I think you'd better go.  That's Akane, maybe 
you can apologize to her now?"  Ranma gestured helplessly.  "You know, 
over there...?"
	Shampoo huffed.  "Ranma not know how have fun!"
	The purple-haired girl stood and stalked over the opposite side 
of the roof, just as Akane finished pulling herself over the edge.  The 
two exchanged a glare.  "What are you doing here, Shampoo?"
	"Shampoo come to apologize to ugly, violent, tomboy, pervert 
girl.  But I change mind."  She sighed as she looked across the roof at 
Ranma.  "Should stop you from talking to Ranma, but you hit Ranma 
before he talk anyway, so no problem."
	Akane just stuck her tongue out at Shampoo, who returned the 
gesture, and walked over to sit next to Ranma.  He didn't really 
acknowledge her but, to Shampoo's eyes, he seemed to relax.
	  Shampoo sighed heavily as she realized that she could never 
go through with it.
	  Shampoo shook her head.  Should've been, 
could've been, would've been... but wasn't.  So Shampoo left.


*-*-*-*

	Ranma heard Shampoo leap off the roof as Akane sat down next to him.
	"Ranma, are you okay?"
	He looked at her, the slightest bit of concern was etched on her face.
	"Yeah, I'm fine, Akane."  He poked her in the ribs.  "You weren't 
worried were you?"  He chuckled lightly.
	"Jerk."  Akane's wrinkled her nose at him, somehow making her 
seem cuter than normal.  "Maybe a little, we are friends, you know, kinda."
	The pig-tailed boy turned away again.  "Yeah, friends..."
	"Even P-chan was worried a little, you seem down."  She held the 
pig up for Ranma's inspection, he hadn't even noticed she'd brought him 
up to the roof with her.  The pint-sized porker glared at him and tried 
to bite his nose.
	"I think your pig's got it in for me, Akane."
	"Ranma, leave him alone.  He's not Ryoga."
	"Says you."
	Akane quirked an eyebrow at him, and leaned back to look at the 
sky.  The two of them just sat there for a while, staring at the stars, 
until Akane finally broke the silence.
	"Ranma?"
	He turned to look at her.  "Yeah?"
	"What were you and Shampoo doing up here?"
	A few seconds later, Ranma landed in the pond.

*-*-*-*

	When Ranma woke up in the morning, he was shocked to find that he 
was somehow back in the dojo, tucked into his bed.  Something about 
Shampoo tickled at the back of Ranma's mind, but he couldn't quite 
recall what it was.  The last thing he could remember was Akane 
punching him into the pond.
	  
Ranma sighed, and allowed his mind to drift, he didn't like where his 
thoughts were heading.    He tried to get 
a feel for the time of day.  The sound of Kasumi straightening up could 
be heard, but his nose could not yet detect breakfast, putting the time 
somewhere after six but before six-thirty.  Meaning, he had almost an 
hour before he had to leave for school.
	
	Ranma didn't see it at the time, but the way he was pounding the 
back of his head into the floor of the dojo was going to leave a 
noticeable dent.
	"Ranma?"
	The boy in question raised his head from the floor.  Kasumi stood 
in the doorway, concern evident in her face.
	"I heard the pounding and... are you alright, Ranma?"
	Sighing heavily, Ranma turned to face her.  "I'm fine, Kasumi."
	The door slid shut as Kasumi left the dojo, and then opened 
again.
	"Are you sure you are alright, Ranma?
	"Yeah, Kasumi.  I'm okay!"
	Again, the door closed, and opened a few moments later.
	"Kasumi, I said I'm fine!"
	"I am not Kasumi, Ranma-chan."
	Ranma would have glared at the intruder, but he recognized her 
voice, and opted to continue staring at the ceiling.  "Hello, Mother."
	He heard her sigh as she knelt beside him.  "Ranma-chan, you must 
realize that Kasumi was merely asking after your welfare.  There was 
no need for you to raise your voice."  A slight frown creased her 
features.  "After she helped you from the pond last night, I have come 
to believe she has developed a certain amount of concern for you."
	Ranma quirked an eyebrow at her.  "You're kidding."
	"Regardless, Ranma-chan, I believe you owe Kasumi an apology for 
raising your voice to her just now."  She paused.  "When you have done 
someone wrong you should apologize to them." Nodoka's mood brightened 
suddenly.  "It is the Manly thing to do, Ranma-chan."
	The emphasis was not lost on the young Saotome.
	

*-*-*-*

	The smell of breakfast had begun to fill the air when Ranma entered 
the kitchen.  Kasumi stood, stationed by the stove, preparing something 
Ranma didn't recognize.  A broken plate was evident in the trash, and 
Ranma thought he recognized the pattern on it, but wasn't sure.
	Ranma shook himself out of the observation, and tried to piece 
together a strategy.    The realization hit 
him like a tiny Happosai made of fear, and he wasn't sure why.  
	"Did you want something, Ranma-kun?"
	Kasumi's voice was monotone.
	Ranma sighed inaudibly, and he turned back to the task at hand.  
  
	"Kasumi, um, I'm sorry I got mad at you, I was just a little cranky."
	  Ranma smiled awkwardly, waiting 
for some sign of forgiveness from the eldest Tendo sister.
	He didn't get one.
	"...and, uh, thanks for pulling me out of the pond last night."  
He coughed nervously into his fist.
	Kasumi turned to face him, her usual beaming smile seemed a 
little brighter for some reason.  "That is alright, Ranma-kun, it would 
never do to have my fiancee drowning in our pond."
	A giggle nearly escaped her lips as Ranma turned a glorious shade 
of red and sputtered out the door.  
	
	Preparations for breakfast resumed uninterrupted, though the meal 
was quite possibly the farthest thing from Kasumi's thoughts.

*-*-*-*



	In the Kuno mansion however, no meal was being prepared, and only 
one of its occupants had risen and fled the mansion as the first bell 
of the school day drew near, leaving behind his two children and one 
ninja servant to prepare for the new day.
	"Sasuke!"
	Tatewaki Kuno stalked the halls of the Kuno mansion, surrounded 
by a vicious red battle aura.  Seeking the diminutive ninja, with 
intent to inflict severe bodily harm upon him.  When he entered the 
northern wing of the mansion, the soft sound of snoring drew his 
attention.  He was slightly surprised to find his loyal ninja servant 
buried nearly a foot into the wall, and soaking wet, opposite Kodachi's bedroom 
door.  The indentation created by the ninja was surrounded by spiked gymnastics 
clubs, broken sake bottles, and the occasional battle axe or other 
bladed weapon.  Sasuke was sleeping peacefully, inside the wall.
	Bringing his face near to Sasuke's, Kuno began to yell.
	"Sasuke!  You have failed in your duties to awaken me with the 
rising of the sun, now I am unable to achieve the required hours for training, 
and I blame you!"  That being said, Kuno rapped Sasuke on the head with his bokken. 
	The ninja's snoring continued unabated.
	Undeterred, Kuno turned toward his sister's room.  Perhaps she 
would be able to provide a reason for her behavior, and that of Sasuke.  
Upon opening the door, however, a stream of scalding tea washed over him.  He 
would've screamed if he hadn't been in so much pain.  Immediately afterward, a 
freezing stream of water washed over his burning form.
	"Tachi..." he heard his sister say.
	He was then set upon by a hail of sake bottles, gymnastics equipment, and 
an ear-piercing shriek.  As the door to Kodachi's room slammed shut, and he flew 
backward to crush Sasuke even further into the wall, Kuno found himself 
impressed that his sister was able to scream the simple phrase 'Get Out' for 
such an extended period of time.
	Peeling himself from the wall, Kuno considered his drenced clothing and 
made his way out of the mansion.  Pondering the events of the previous 
few moments.
	

*-*-*-*

	In her room, Kodachi removed an additional kettle from the hotplate on her 
bedside table.   she thought, as she upended the 
heated water over herself.  Her pale skin took on a slightly reddish tone as the 
water scalded her body.  Kodachi ignored the pain and doused herself with the 
nearby bucket of cold water, watching the mirror as she did so.
	
	Her mascara was running, she noticed.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Ms. Hinako droned on 
about something he didn't care enough to understand.  The empty seat 
behind him seemed to accuse him of something, and the image of Kodachi 
crying into her hands refused to be pushed to the back of his mind, 
though certainly not due to a lack of trying.  Yesterday's conversation 
replayed itself in Ranma's mind repeatedly, from his near death in the 
mouth of Midorigame, to Kodachi's pointed questions regarding his 
history, or rather that of the pig-tailed girl, and ending with her 
expression, and her tears, at the moment he shifted forms, and him 
running away.
	
	"Ranma?"
	
	"Ranma?"
	Ranma's train of thought continued unimpeded until Akane's fist 
impacted his cheek.  Caught off guard, Ranma was unable to brace 
himself and tipped over, taking his desk with him to the floor and 
knocking the remaining seats in the row over like dominoes.
	"Akane, what the hell was that for!"
	"You weren't paying attention, you jerk, look around."  Akane 
gestured to the classroom surrounding them.  Ranma noticed that save 
for himself, Akane, and Ukyo, there was no one else in the room.
	Apparently, it was lunchtime.

*-*-*-*

	"SAOTOME!"
	Ranma looked up from his bento to see Kuno charging toward him 
like an angry water buffalo.  Leaping into the air, Ranma aimed 
carefully, and bounced off Kuno's head, burying his face in the dirt.  
Returning to his lunch, Ranma resumed eating as Kuno struggled to his feet.
	"Saotome, why did you attack me?"
	Ranma looked at him quizzically.  "Why shouldn't I?"
	"I wish to speak with you, Saotome, in regards to a matter of 
some importance, will you follow me?"
	Ranma briefly glanced across the schoolyard, to where Akane and 
Ukyo were eating together and carefully ignoring him.  He nodded, and 
followed Kuno to a deserted area of the school grounds.
	"So what's this all about, Kuno?"
	Kuno turned his back to Ranma and assumed a dramatic pose.  "It 
is in regards to my sister, Kodachi, for I fear some strange illness 
has befallen her.  She has refused, quite forcefully, my attempts to 
aid her, and I feel that you would be the most advisable person to 
discover what ails her."
	The image of Kodachi sobbing came back to the forefront of 
Ranma's thoughts, along with a sharp stab of guilt, Ranma sighed 
deeply.  "Why me?"
	"Because," Kuno continued, "my sister and I are at best 
combative, and at worst the most bitter of enemies.  As for our 
father, he is... distant,"  Kuno paused for dramatic effect.
	"You are all that she has, Ranma Saotome."

*-*-*-*

	Ranma had only three thoughts going through his mind as he made 
his way toward the Kuno mansion.  The first was how depressingly easy 
it had been to convince Akane to go back to the dojo without him, the 
second was that he couldn't imagine himself willingly walking toward 
Kodachi's home, and the third was that the second wasn't true.  Two weeks 
ago he couldn't have imagined himself willingly walking toward the 
Kuno's home.  Today, not so much.
	A knock at the oversized wooden gate produced no results, and 
Ranma opted instead to leap over the wall.  The unnatural stillness of 
the large house unnerved him, and as Ranma moved through the yard and 
into the manor itself, he did his best to keep from shattering the 
silence.  Maneuvering through the myriad hallways, Ranma carefully 
made his way to where he remembered Kodachi's room to be.  Kuno had 
said that she was most likely still sealed inside.  When he entered 
that particular corridor, however, he was surprised to see Sasuke 
lodged into the ceiling, and a large hole in the wall.
	The door to Kodachi's room swung openly quietly, without so much 
as a squeak, but somehow Ranma knew she was expecting him.  When her 
voice rang out from the darkness, it had somehow transformed from a 
soft, melodic, almost kinda nice soprano, to a sound like someone 
sliding a knife from its sheath.
	"Ranma-sama..."
	The honorific surprised him, it had been noticeably absent the 
last time he'd spoken to her.  "Uh, yeah, Kodachi... it's me."
	A wave of cold water flew at him from the darkness, from roughly 
the same direction that her bed had been the other night.  The shift in 
form registered with Ranma... moreso than usual, given who she was in 
the room with at the time.  Kodachi's voice shot out from the darkness 
again, more intense than before.
	"Not Ranma-sama..."
	Ranma took a hesitant step forward, and winced as shattered glass 
from a sake bottle lacerated her shoe.  A second stream of water came 
from the surrounding blackness, this one nearly scalding in its 
temperature, and the change in gender occurred a second time.  Once 
again, accompanied by Kodachi's voice.
	"Ranma-sama..."
	Ranma's eyes had been uncooperative at first, but had slowly 
adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out the outline of a 
huddled form on Kodachi's bed.  A hazy motion from the shadow, and cold 
water flew at him again, but this time Ranma dodged, flowing to the 
side at the last second.
	"Which are you?  Really."
	The question surprised the young Saotome, and a shocked silence 
was his only response for a moment.  When Kodachi materialized in front 
of him, inches away, he found himself looking down into her eyes, and 
unable to speak.  Kodachi's arms encircled him, preventing him from 
moving away, and her fingernails dug lightly into his back, not hard 
enough to draw blood, but enough to get her message across.  Should he 
attempt to escape her question, there would be pain.
	"Well, Ranma?"
	The ten sharp points in his back began digging into his skin.
	Ranma was unfazed by the sudden pain, he'd had worse, and managed 
to croak out a response.  "I'm a guy..."  He sighed internally, he'd 
been trying to come across with more force than that.
	The nails digging into Ranma's back vanished, and Kodachi's arms 
enveloped him with a strength that belied her small frame.  Almost by 
reflex, Ranma returned the gesture, and found himself marveling at how 
tiny she seemed in his grip.  Smaller than even his own female body.
	
	"So, uh, you don't hate me now, Kodachi?  Um, you forgive me?"
	Kodachi glanced up at him.  "Forgive you for what, Ranma-sama?"
	"Uh, the lying about the curse thing."
	"Oh, that," Kodachi buried her face into his chest. "No."
	"What?  You mean I came all the way over here just to apologize 
to you and you don't even care?"
	Kodachi didn't even register the movement that put her at arms 
length from Ranma.  "But, Ranma-sama, you did not apologize."  She 
quirked her head at him to emphasize the point, and Ranma's jaw dropped 
open.
	Still holding Kodachi by the shoulders, Ranma's mind poured over 
the events of the past ten minutes.   The thought 
settled over Ranma like a little black rain cloud.  
	"Okay, okay, I apologize.  There.  Now do you forgive me?"
	"Why, no, Ranma-sama."
	"WHAT?"  The word tumbled from his mouth almost an octave higher 
than he intended.  
	Kodachi brought her face closer to his, to the point that he 
could feel her breath upon his face.  "I will not be placated so easily, Ranma-
sama.  Return here, to my home, tonight, and mean what you say.  Then I 
might forgive you, perhaps..."
	Ranma looked doubtful.  "What kind of game are you playing, Kodachi?"
	"No games, Ranma-sama.  No deceptions, and no lies... not anymore."
	Did he believe her?  She couldn't say for certain, she could only 
hope.  And as Ranma left her room, that was all she did.

*-*-*-*

	A frown creased Tatewaki Kuno's face as he witnessed Ranma 
leaping away from the Kuno compound.  Quelling a brief spike of 
emotion, he made his way toward Kodachi's room, where he discovered her 
alone and kneeling on her bed. Kuno did not enter, opting instead to 
remain in the doorway.  A safe distance but close enough to demonstrate 
sympathy.
	"I witnessed the knave's departure, sister.  Am I to assume that 
he has abandoned you?"
	"No, brother, I have asked that he return here.  Tonight.  And I 
believe that he shall."
	Kuno scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have gone 
before...  On the 'morrow, he will leave you, as your hopes have flown 
before."
	"I only wish, brother, that you are wrong."
	Kuno scowled.  


*-*-*-*

	Ranma sat quietly in thought in the dojo, in his standard upside-
down lotus position.  The events at the Kuno mansion had unnerved him, 
he wasn't sure why he'd done what he did, and still couldn't reconcile 
the Kodachi he'd been comforting in her bedroom a half-hour ago with 
the idea of Kodachi that he'd had established in his mind for the past 
year.
	From the gymnastics match to the failed wedding, he'd only rarely 
had reason to doubt his impression of Kodachi.  Those occasions, the 
date-off with Asuka, and the fight she'd gotten into with Kuno, had 
shown a slightly different side of the psychotic gymnast he'd come to 
know.  It was bizarre to think that he'd misjudged her the whole 
time that he'd known her.  Particularly unnerving was the fact that he 
was actively considering returning to her house tonight as she'd asked 
him to.  Ranma wasn't sure why, but for some reason the thought that 
Kodachi hated him didn't sit well.
	 Ranma told 
himself.  But the slight feeling of guilt in his stomach refused to go 
away.
	The dojo had been silent for a while when Nabiki entered.  Ranma 
Seemed to be standing on his head while sitting down, probably some weird 
meditation technique his father had taught him.  Quietly, so as not to 
disturb him, Nabiki considered her fiancee.  It seemed so strange to 
think of Ranma that way.   she mentally corrected herself.  
	"You want something, Nabiki?"
	"Oh, nothing Ranma-kun, I was just wondering something."
	"Can you make it quick, I got a lot of stuff on my mind."
	She smirked slightly  "That's because all the blood's rushing to 
your head, Saotome."
	Ranma glared at her, something that looked more ridiculous than 
intimidating since he was inverted at the time.  "Did you want to ask me 
something or not?"
	"Yes, I did," Nabiki sat down across from him.  "But that can 
wait.  I figured we could just talk for a while."
	Ranma lowered an eyebrow.  "About what?"
	"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that we're engaged?"
	"I had four fiancees before Mom made that dumb announcement, Nabiki, 
I don't need you and Kasumi to joke about it like that."  Ranma sighed.
	  Nabiki's mask of detachment slipped only slightly.
	"And who says we're joking, Ranma?"
	The pair locked eyes for a few moments, asking and answering 
unspoken questions.  "You're not joking," Ranma said.
	Nabiki shook her head.
	"Crap." Ranma said.
	"Well, you shouldn't be totally surprised that we're taking this 
seriously Saotome.  I mean, look around, the guys aren't exactly 
beating a path to our door."  Nabiki waited passively for Ranma to 
respond.
	"I don't want to be someone's backup plan, Nabiki, and I don't
need somebody who only wants me because they're supposed to."
	Sighing, the middle Tendo daughter rose to her feet and headed 
for the exit.  Ranma was in his stubborn mode, and wouldn't be open 
again anytime soon.  As Nabiki opened the door, Ranma's voice rang out 
from behind her.
	"Why would you want to be engaged to me anyway?"
	Turning around to face him, she did her best to remain detached.  
"Everyone needs a little insanity in their lives, Ranma, even me."
	Nabiki left Ranma alone to ponder that statement.

*-*-*-*

	"Where are you going, Ranma?"
	Somehow, Akane had managed to sneak up on him.  How did she 
manage to do that all the time?  "I'm not going anywhere."
	Akane sighed heavily, clutching a little black pig to her chest 
with one arm.  "Ranma, you're sneaking out a half hour before dinner, 
and you're trying really hard not to let anybody see you.  Where are 
you going?"
	"I just... I have something I gotta do, Akane, okay?"
	"NO, IT'S..." Akane paused, and steadied herself, obviously trying to 
control her temper.  She began clenching her free hand into a fist, something 
Ranma doubted she was consciously doing.  "No, Ranma, it's not okay.  You've 
been acting weird for the past few days... even for you.  I want to know what's 
going on."
	Ranma slumped.  "Look, Akane, there's some things I have to take 
care of.  Just me.  There's some stuff that I thought was true about 
somebody, and I'm not sure it was, or is... not anymore.  Things have 
changed somehow, and I'm not really sure what it was, okay, how's that?"
	His eyes opened, and Ranma saw that Akane's arm had cocked back 
while he was speaking.  She was telegraphing her attack like a novice, 
either that or she was waiting until she saw the whites of his eyes, 
but he knew he wouldn't dodge.  
	The punch wasn't as hard as her standard haymaker, in that it 
didn't lift him from his feet and send him hurtling into 
unconsciousness, but it wasn't what you could call a 'love tap' either.  
The burning welt left by her fist was still resonating in Ranma's 
cheek, and pulsed with the slamming of the door.
	Inside, idly rubbing her hand, Akane watched through the window 
as Ranma slinked out the gate.  Nabiki stood behind her, gazing over 
her shoulder.
	"He's going on a date with Shampoo, I just know it."
	Nabiki sighed.  "You know Akane, you'll have to trust him sooner 
or later."
	"I trust him about as far as I can throw him."
	"So you trust him as far as the Ucchan, then?"
	"Shut up, Nabiki."

*-*-*-*

	
	The Kuno mansion loomed ahead of Ranma, looking both regal and 
foreboding in the failing sunlight.  Leaping the wall, he found 
himself in the immense, well-kept garden of the Kuno estate.  The only 
comparison he could make was that it seemed to be a larger, more open, 
version of the Tendo garden, complete with a slightly larger pond.  The 
peaceful nature of the place was strangely comforting, and also 
disconcerting at the same time.
	"So, you have returned, Ranma-sama."
	Kodachi's voice shattered Ranma's brief reverie, and when he 
turned to face her, he noticed that she'd changed into a Kimono and 
fixed her hair.  For a brief moment, he wondered why he'd noticed that.  
"Uh, yeah, I came back... and, um, I'm sorry I lied about the curse.  
You forgive me now?"
	Her only response was to stare through him for a brief moment, 
and then turn and head back into the mansion.  "Follow me, Ranma-sama."
	And he did.

*-*-*-*

	The Kuno family dojo was, for lack of a better word, perfect.  An 
inscription within placed it as being easily two hundred years old, and 
at one end a katana was suspended above what appeared to be a family shrine.  
Ranma noted absently that the katana looked fairly plain, with no designs or 
engravings, he couldn't even find a mark that would signify the smith who'd 
crafted it.  He wondered, briefly, if that meant anything.
	Kuno stood at attention at one end of the dojo, watching warily 
as Ranma entered.  At his side his hand twitched slightly, searching for the 
bokken he didn't have.  Kodachi glided across the floor to where he 
stood, carefully placing herself between Ranma and Kuno.  Ranma was 
unable to hear the words exchanged by the two, but understood the basic 
meaning as Kuno's face grew livid, and Kodachi slipped a wooden bokken 
into his hand.
	When Kuno spoke, Ranma was surprised that the standard 
condescension had been replaced by a more conversational tone.
	"My sister has informed me, Saotome, that you have in some way 
shamed her, and that I am to smite you in order to restore her honor."
	Kodachi placed her face in her hands.  "You are merely to 
challenge him, brother, do not over dramatize this."
	Ranma arched an eyebrow at the younger Kuno.  "Uh, what's he 
talking about?"
	At Ranma's question, Kodachi's face took on a more intense 
attitude.  "It is relatively simple, Ranma-sama, your actions have 
dishonored me.  My brother shall challenge you in an attempt to regain 
that which I have lost."
	"And when I win?"
	"Then I shall forgive you Ranma-sama."
	Ranma stared at her incredulously.  "You're really gonna make me 
work for this aren't you?"
	Kodachi nodded.
	"And what shall occur, twisted sister, when I am victorious?"
	"Should you win, brother, I shall arrange for the pig-tailed girl 
to dine with us this evening."
	Ranma stared at Kodachi.
	Kodachi walked to where Ranma stood and whispered into his ear.  
"Do not fear, Ranma-sama, if you truly believe you have done nothing wrong, your 
victory should be both swift and definitive."
	Sighing heavily, Ranma relented.  "Fine, it's not like I'll lose 
anyway."
	As she walked away, Kodachi removed her kimono to reveal her 
battle leotard underneath, the ribbon she produced began twirling 
hypnotically as she went to stand beside her brother.  Assuming a 
battle stance, she tilted her head toward Ranma.
	"Are you ready to begin, Ranma-sama?"
	"Uh, Kodachi, what are you doing?"
	"I shall fight beside my brother, Ranma-sama."
	"You never said anything about having to fight you too."
	"I believe it was implied, Ranma-sama."
	As he and Kodachi engaged in a battle of wills, an internal 
struggle was raging inside Ranma.  Did he really want to fight Kodachi?  
Kuno, sure, but Kodachi was another matter entirely.  He didn't really 
feel like hurting her, after all she was a girl.  The memory of the 
gymnastics match from so long ago asserted itself, but was quickly 
squashed when an idea occurred to him.
	
	Ranma nodded his assent, and slipped into a nonchalant fighting 
stance.  A brief bolt of emotion flashed across Kodachi's face when he 
did this, but it occurred so quickly that Ranma was unable to decipher 
its meaning.
	Then the fight began.
	A swift kick directed at Kuno's head was Ranma's first move, but 
for some reason, despite its inhuman speed, Ranma's foot missed the 
target.  An unfamiliar sensation came when Ranma felt Kuno's bokken 
connect with his ribs.  A backhand launched toward Kuno's torso, and 
again Ranma missed, and a second jolt as the bokken connected.  
Adapting, Ranma rolled with the hit and experienced much less pain.  
Leaping backward, Ranma surveyed the situation.  Something had moved 
either Kuno or his foot.  Something was preventing him from making 
contact, and a brief glance at the pair on the opposite side of the dojo 
revealed the culprit.  Kodachi's ribbon, twirling menacingly as the 
pair waited patiently for Ranma's next attack, had managed to deflect 
Ranma's attacks.
	Analyzing his previous attacks, the pig-tailed boy developed what he hoped 
would be a successful strategy.  Leaping at Kuno, Ranma launched a two 
fisted assault.  Unfortunately, Kodachi's ribbon wrapped around both 
his wrists, sending his punches to Kuno's left, and a swipe from Kuno flung him 
into a wall.  Ranma noticed, as he was flying away, that Kuno's stance was 
extraordinarily aggressive for a kendoist, as it left him almost 
entirely open to attack, allowing him to focus on his offense.
	  An idea came to mind, and Ranma sprang 
toward the younger Kuno.
	  
Leaping toward the young gymnast, Ranma evaded two clubs aimed for his 
head, and a horizontal slash from Kuno's bokken.  Wrapping his arms 
around Kodachi, Ranma leaned in as if to kiss her, expecting her to swoon or 
otherwise drop her defense.  Unexpectedly, Kodachi remained focused as Ranma 
drew closer, and rapped him on the head with a club.  An instant later he 
bounded backward, holding one end of Kodachi's ribbon.  Ranma yanked
hard on the streamer in his hand, but the younger Kuno had a death grip on
the haft of the weapon.  Ranma's head hurt a little bit from the club that
she had used on him.
	
	Kuno charged, which brought a brief squawk of protest from Kodachi.
Apparently the young samurai was deviating from the plan.  Seeing the bokken 
descending, Ranma formed a plan.  He couldn't let Kodachi keep the ribbon,
and from the look in her eyes she'd die before letting go of the handle of 
the thing.  The obvious answer was to separate the two.
	Pulling hard, Ranma managed to unbalanced Kodachi and yank the taut 
streamer that tethered the two together into Kuno's path.  A soft snapping 
sound and the ribbon was neatly severed from its base, Ranma leapt away and 
wrapped the streamer in his fists.
	An unspoken communication passed between the Kuno siblings, and 
Ranma watched as they switched into oddly complementary stances.  Kodachi 
produced a ball from somewhere on her person, beginning to juggle it around 
her waistline as she moved away from her brother and Kuno stepped to his left.
	  Ranma began slowly backing up, doing his best 
to keep both Kunos in front of him and in his line of sight.  Seeing his rather 
obvious defensive maneuver, Tatewaki leapt forward and began his hundred-slash 
technique.  Ranma nimbly slid between the strikes, slipping in punches where he 
could, and doing his best to watch Kodachi for any sign of an offensive.  The 
first twinges were subtle, but Ranma's eyes narrowed as Kodachi's muscles 
tensed.  
	Ranma lashed out with his stolen ribbon and lassoed Kuno's bokken as it 
sped toward him, then he yanked backward with a slight tug on the wooden blade.  
Kuno flew forward, off balance, and directly into the path of the gymnast ball 
Kodachi had aimed at Ranma's face.  Rubbing the side of his jaw, Kuno stepped 
back alongside Kodachi, to reassess the situation.  That trick wasn't going to 
work again.
	"Now?"  He asked, assuming a ready position and not removing his eyes from 
Ranma, who stood tensed at the other end of the dojo.
	Kodachi shook her head.  "Not yet."
	Ranma wondered what the hell they were talking about.  He hated it when 
his opponents were prepared.
	Kuno rushed at Ranma, slashing toward the pigtailed-boy's chest.  Ranma 
leapt over the attack, using Kuno's head to springboard above and behind the 
kendoist.  Kodachi was leaping up over Kuno at the same time, and used the hoop 
she was now holding to hook Ranma around the neck, attempting to pull him 
backward and into a vulnerable position.
	Ranma twisted in mid-air, passing easily through the hoop.  Unfortunately, 
this forced him to land backward and upside-down, and a reverse thrust from 
Kuno's bokken tagged him in the shoulder before he'd finished his landing.  
Kodachi rolled as she hit the floor, she shifted her grip on the hoop, tossed it 
into the air and backflipped, kicking it backward at Ranma.
	Distracted by the hit to his shoulder, Ranma rolled up into a standing 
position and the hoop bounced off his face, temporarily distracting him.  The 
ribbon he'd been wielding fell to the ground.  The brief pause allowed Kuno to 
land another solid blow to Ranma, this one in the chest.  The martial artist 
flew backward, catching himself on the wall on the dojo, and forcing him to re-
evaluate his strategy again.
	
	"Now?"  Kuno asked his sister.
	"Not quite yet."  Kodachi replied, letting fly with a few concealed tools.
	Ranma cartwheeled away from a flying club and picked up the hoop that had 
bounced off him.  He held it in both hands and spun the circle, using it to 
deflect the objects being thrown by Kodachi.  After the hail of weapons slowed, 
Ranma assumed a defensive stance with the hoop, and waited at the opposite end 
of the dojo from Kodachi and her brother.
	"Your move," he said.
	"Now?"  Kuno asked again.
	Kodachi nodded, and stepped backward.
	Again, Kuno began his hundred slash technique, wildly flailing his sword 
in the air.  However, as far away as he was, even the powerful air pressure from 
the strikes served merely to stir Ranma's pigtail.  Ranma smirked slightly, 
mentally preparing his counter-offensive.
	Without warning or battle cry, Kodachi leapt into the air over her 
brother's head and flung her hand in a sweeping motion through the air in front 
of her, sending five black rose blossoms hurling at the ground.  The five roses 
spread out, spanning from one side of the dojo to other, and produced great 
plumes of an odd white smokescreen when they impacted the wooden floor.
	Noticing that the smoke, or gas, was merely heading straight up, Ranma 
tensed; expecting some sort of surprise attack to bolt out from behind the mist.  
 Then he heard it, the subtle grunting of 
Kuno's hundred slashes, and the wind they were creating.  The curtain of gas 
began to roll toward Ranma, fueled by Kuno's attack.  The wall of smoke overtook 
the young warrior.
	"Oh sh..."  Before he could finish, Ranma's muscles locked, and he fell to 
the ground with a great 'thud'.  <...it.>  As Kodachi and her brother stepped 
through the gas, Ranma noted with some concern that they weren't wearing 
gasmasks or any form of filter.  
	While Ranma watched, Kuno locked up and did a faceplant onto the ground.
	
	As she knelt beside him, her ponytail fell across his face, and Ranma 
noted that his sense of smell was still intact, but he couldn't place the rather 
pleasant scent of her shampoo.  Kodachi leaned over him, and locked her eyes to 
his.
	"I win, Ranma-sama."

*-*-*-*

	Ranma sulked as she attacked the bowl of food that was sitting in front of 
her.  The chicken was perfect, and the fried rice was as good as she could 
possibly have imagined.  If she discounted most of the Kasumi and Ukyo-cooked meals 
in her life, the dinner Kodachi had just prepared was probably one of the best 
things she'd ever tasted.  Engulfing as much of the feast as she could manage, Ranma 
somehow managed to ignore the fact that Kuno was sitting across the table spouting all 
manner of love poems and soliloquies toward her.
	The sound of a swinging door distracted Ranma's attention, but only 
briefly, as Kodachi entered carrying more food.  Taking a seat on Ranma's left, 
Kodachi placed the final dish in the center of the table.  To Ranma's eyes she 
seemed to positively glow with a sense of accomplishment because of the meal, 
the kind of accomplishment that came from trying as hard as you possibly can, 
and succeeding.  As she served herself, and poured tea for Ranma and Kuno, 
Kodachi leaned over and wrapped the pig-tailed girl in a light hug, quickly pausing 
to whisper into the redhead's ear.
	"I forgive you, Ranma-sama," she said.
	Suddenly, listening to Kuno rant for an hour or two didn't seem like such 
a large sacrifice.  Though Ranma found herself at a loss to explain why.  
Quietly, and for nearly two hours, Kuno pontificated, Ranma ate, and Kodachi 
smiled.  The candles on the tabletop burned steadily, and for the first time, in 
a very long time, there was peace in the Kuno mansion.

*-*-*-*

	It was much later than Ranma had expected when he finally made his return 
to the Tendo residence.  A single light shone from the window of the den, and 
Ranma was suddenly very aware of just how late he was.  As he opened the door 
and entered, he took brief notice of the condition of the living room.  Kasumi 
had cleaned to the best of her ability, but it was still obvious that Akane had 
not been in a good mood this evening.
	A soft rustling sound from the family room drew Ranma's attention, and he 
softly padded his way toward the noise.  In the center of the room, sat his 
mother, deftly working on a small piece of needlepoint.  A soft gasp escaped 
Nodoka's lips, and she briefly examined the tip of her index finger, where a 
small drop of blood had appeared.
	"I never did have the talent for these things, Ranma-chan."  Daintily, she 
scooped up a nearby handkerchief and wiped the scarlet drops away.  Multiple, 
similar, stains were visible on the small square of cloth.  Nodoka had 
apparently been sitting there for quite some time by now.  "You missed dinner, 
Ranma-chan.  Kasumi had worked so hard to prepare a special meal, I am quite 
certain there is still some left, did you manage to eat somewhere?"
	"Uh, yeah, but I'm still hungry.  Thanks Mom."
	Nodoka cleared her throat noisily.
	Ranma sighed, and rolled his eyes.  "Thank you, Mother."
	"Much better."  Nodoka bit off a loose piece of thread, and started again 
with a different color.  "Would you like to sit and talk, Ranma-chan?"
	The request caught the pig-tailed boy off guard, and he found himself 
sitting across from his mother before he registered his own movement.  A few 
brief, uncomfortable, moments passed as Nodoka silently continued with her 
craft.  "Would you like to tell me where you were tonight, Ranma-chan?"
	"Not really."  He responded.
	"Well, tough.  Were you with that Ukyou girl?"
	"No."
	"The nice young Amazon, with the purple hair and the accent?"
	"Good God, no."
	"The Kuno girl then?"
	"No."
	"You really should learn how to lie more convincingly, Ranma-chan, if 
you're going to lie at all, which you shouldn't."  Nodoka looked at him 
reprovingly.  "Now then, are you going to tell me what happened, or should I 
guess?  I wouldn't have thought you would willingly eat with Kodachi-chan."
	Ranma hesitated briefly, not quite sure how to proceed.  "Uh, I kinda made 
a bet with Kodachi, and then I lost, so I had to eat with them instead of here."  
Seeing a brief flash of panic cross his Mother's face, Ranma rushed to reassure 
her.  "They didn't try anything though."
	Nodding as she assimilated the information, Nodoka reevaluated her 
perceptions of her son, having anticipated a kidnapping or another attempt at 
drugging or seducing him.  "That is most strange, I would not have expected 
such..." Nodoka paused to avoid using the term 'normal' "...behavior from 
Kodachi-chan."
	"Heh, a couple of weeks ago I don't think I would've either."  Ranma 
chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.  Nodoka eyed her son 
critically, carefully noting his choice of words.  A thoughtful silence 
descended between the two, with only the hypnotic and repetitive motion of 
Nodoka's needlepoint stirring the night.  Another quiet intake of breath pierced 
the air as she pricked her finger once again.
	"Perhaps you should eat something and go to sleep, Ranma-chan."  Nodoka 
waited until Ranma entered the kitchen before completing her thought.  "And 
perhaps tomorrow I will pay a visit to young Kodachi-chan," she whispered 
quietly to herself.  A strangled yelping sound and a clattering of dishes from 
the kitchen indicated that she had not done so quietly enough.  Nodoka stifled a 
girlish giggle.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi flew in a circle around the central tower of Furinkan high school, 
gazing out over the crowd of students who were shuffling into class.  Attaching 
her ribbon to windowsills and flagpoles allowed her to scan the entire 
surrounding area very quickly.  Spotting her prey entering the grounds, Kodachi 
released her ribbon and leapt down toward the gate, perching atop it like a 
hawk.
	"Kuonji."
	Ukyo looked up in surprise at the sound of Kodachi's voice.  "What the..." 
the chef mumbled before a water balloon hit her in the face.  She shrieked and 
flung a small throwing spatula toward Kodachi, which was easily evaded.  
Producing a thermos from somewhere, the gymnast hurled a stream of hot water, 
which doused Ukyo from head to toe.  Kodachi watched in fascination as the chef 
sputtered out several obscenities.
	"...hell was THAT FOR?!" Ukyo screamed.
	"So you are in fact a woman," Kodachi said simply.  "I was beginning to 
wonder."
	Ukyo glared at Kodachi and unseated her large combat spatula.
	Kodachi leapt away, leaving a cloud of black rose petals in her wake.

*-*-*-*

	The marketplace of downtown Nerima was remarkably busy for a Wednesday 
afternoon, a large hustle and bustle of shoppers swarmed throughout the 
merchant-infested area, purchasing the daily necessities.  Amid this throng of 
commerce, two women glided past several carts oozing luxury items, intent on 
purchasing only the essentials.
	"It was kind of you to offer to join me today, Auntie Saotome."
	"Nonsense, Kasumi-chan, I am keenly aware of how much food my husband and 
son devour, and I wouldn't think you able to carry that much by yourself."  
Nodoka and Kasumi continued on through the marketplace, talking of inane things 
and occasionally buying discounted quantities of food, when Nodoka spotted a 
familiar figure at the other end of the crowd.
	"If you will excuse me, Kasumi-chan, I see someone that I must speak to."
	Kasumi absently nodded her assent, intently scrutinizing the wares of a 
fruit vendor, as Nodoka began to make her way through the crowds.

*-*-*-*

	As Kodachi aimlessly wandered the market, she greatly considered some of 
the garish baubles that were being pointed out by enthusiastic salesmen.  Today 
had not been a good day.  Idly, she rubbed at the new bruises she had received 
on her arms, the other bruises were in more conspicuous locations, and pondered.  
Perhaps she should not have sought to share her lunch with Ranma today, as 
neither Ukyo nor the Amazon had been entirely accepting of her goal.
	 she told herself.
	A flashing pendant from a nearby stall caught Kodachi's eye, and she 
leaned forward to examine it more closely.  The object was a simple rose, a 
common enough motif for such a decoration.  She tuned out the vendor, who was 
relating an obviously false history of this legendary diamond broach, and how he 
could not bear to part with it unless she paid untold amounts of money.  The 
vendor was, of course, willing to accept cash, check or charge.
	  Kodachi sighed, and began 
to move on, when a voice from the crowd stopped her cold.
	"Kodachi-chan?"  Nodoka called.
	From that first long afternoon, when she had finally realized the truth 
about Ranma's curse, Kodachi had known how much Ranma's mother meant to him.  
Nodoka Saotome was perhaps the only person whose opinion could truly affect 
Ranma's own.  This made her one of the only people that Kodachi truly feared, as 
with a few simple words any chance she may have at winning Ranma's heart could 
be obliterated.
	Kodachi turned to face Nodoka, her nervousness obvious to the Saotome 
matriarch.  "Good afternoon, Saotome-san," Kodachi said, bowing deeply as she 
did so.  The wrapped bundle in Nodoka's arms shifted subtly as she examined the 
younger Kuno, careful to prevent any obvious emotions from appearing on her 
face.    Truthfully, Nodoka had 
had little to no contact with Kodachi in the short time she had known of Ranma's 
curse, other than one eventful day when her house had been demolished.
	The memory of the destruction her home, even though it had been accidental, 
caught Nodoka by surprise, and anger began to slip into her face almost without 
her realizing it.  Her eyes lost none of their warmth and her smile slipped only 
slightly, but Kodachi could sense the change in attitude and nearly took a step 
back when her gaze locked with Nodoka's.  Instead, however, Kodachi's back 
straightened, and the battle of wills was joined.
	Even in Nerima, not all skirmishes are contests of strength or skill, or 
even luck.  There are some contests, such as this one, that are instead 
competitions of sheer focus, and neither of these participants was going to admit 
defeat.  Nodoka's gaze did not shift from the young teenager's eyes as she 
weighed Kodachi Kuno, and neither did Kodachi's fiery stare shy away from 
Nodoka's as she did the same to the Saotome matriarch.  Minutes passed... five, 
ten, neither woman could be certain nor did they notice.  A bubble of space had 
long ago cleared away as the crowd did its best to avoid seeing the two women 
and the barely visible auras surrounding each of them.
	After an unknown amount of time, much shorter than it had seemed to 
bystanders, and much longer than it had seemed to either participant, Nodoka 
nodded and the battle ceased.  If there had been a winner, she was obviously not 
going to say whom it was.  "Kodachi-chan," Nodoka tilted her head in the 
direction of a nearby cafe, "I was just about to have tea.  Why don't you join 
me."  Kodachi suddenly realized that her mouth had, at some point, gone dry, and 
fell into place behind Ranma's Mother.
	 Nodoka thought as they headed toward the small 
teahouse.  

*-*-*-*

	"So," Nodoka began, "my son."
	Kodachi gripped the edge of the table, in a vain attempt to steady her 
shaking hands.  "Yes... Ranma."
	Nodoka took a brief sip from her teacup, and leveled her gaze toward 
Kodachi.  "You are aware that my son is already engaged, are you not?"
	"To no fewer than three young women, if I am not mistaken."  Kodachi 
immediately regretted her aggressive words, but did her best to show no outward 
sign.  The gymnast sighed inwardly as Nodoka's left eye briefly twitched.
	"Yes, and none of those young women happens to be you; if I am not 
mistaken."  Seeing Kodachi cast her eyes to the table, Nodoka sighed audibly.  
"I apologize, Kodachi-chan, I did not intend to attack you.  I am merely 
concerned for my son."
	"I understand, Saotome-san, perhaps my remarks were ill-advised."
	Nodoka chuckled lightly, in an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere.  
"Do not worry, Kodachi-chan, I have no intention of removing you from the chase 
just yet.  All I wish is a civil conversation with a young Lady who hopes to 
someday be my daughter-in-law.  I believe that we can manage that, don't you?"
	"I believe we can, Saotome-san."  Kodachi's laughter joined Nodoka's, 
earning more than a few stares from the surrounding customers that went 
unnoticed by both women.
	"Now then, what did you wish to discuss, Saotome-san?"  The brief pause in 
conversation had allowed Kodachi time to visibly relax, and Nodoka beamed 
approvingly.  "My son, of course, and your feelings toward him."
	Kodachi nodded.  "What would you like to know?"  From her long 
conversation with him, Kodachi had come to know just how important it was to be 
straightforward with Ranma's mother.
	"Do you love him, Kodachi-chan?"
	"Yes."
	Nodoka examined the girl across from her more carefully.    "Why?"
	The gentle sigh that escaped Kodachi's lips was not the reaction Nodoka 
had expected, and the young gymnast spent several moments staring out the window 
before she produced an answer.  "He saved me," she said.
	"Yes," Nodoka nodded "I had already heard about that.  Apparently you had 
decided to 'visit' Akane-chan one night, and Ranma prevented you from taking a 
rather nasty fall off the roof of the Tendo's.  I understand there was paralysis 
involved."
	Kodachi's stared into the rippling surface of her tea.  "I had my 
reasons."
	 Nodoka thought.  Silence permeated the table for a 
while after, and small bowls of fried rice were served.  An explosion a few 
blocks a way caused the window near the two to shudder briefly, but the patrons 
of the cafe paid little heed.  Nodoka and Kodachi chewed thoughtfully, each 
sizing up the other as best they could.
	"Saotome-san, what I said earlier..."
	"Yes, Kodachi-chan?"
	"I did not mean it quite as it sounded, or solely in reference to the 
night Ranma-sama and I first met."
	Nodoka quirked an eyebrow at the honorific, but otherwise made no comment.
	"He saved me, yes, but there was more to it than that.  Certainly Ranma-
sama is far from perfect; he is boorish, rude, loud, uncultured, naive, and far 
too bashful... but there is something about him that I cannot quantify.  He 
is... noble in a way that other men lack, he is kind to those whom others would 
not pay a second glance, he would die for those close to him, and... I love him 
more than words can say, Saotome-san, I could not say why, merely that I do."  
Kodachi released a brief laugh.  "Of course, he is most definitely an enjoyable 
sight for the eyes to behold.  I suspect it is similar for the others as 
well, Ukyo and the Amazon."  
	"You would do well to learn Shampoo's name, Kodachi-chan.  While you girls 
may not like each other, I would hope you would at least respect one another, as 
when Ranma finally does decide to marry one of you I hope there will not be a 
repeat of that last 'incident'.  If I were to have my way I would see to it that 
all of you were able to be with my Ranma, after all, is he not manly enough to 
handle more than one young woman?"
	Kodachi colored slightly, under Nodoka's reproving gaze, but said nothing.
	"Now that we have discussed this, there is one more important question, 
Kodachi-chan.  I know that you are in love with my son, but answer me honestly; 
do you believe he is in love with you?"
	The youngest Kuno gazed out the window for a very long time before 
responding to Nodoka.  "I had hoped... for a very long time, but... no, he does 
not love me.  I have known that for some time now.  If Ranma-sama felt as I do, 
I do not believe he would have kept his curse from me for so very long."
	The slow drooping of Kodachi's spirits had not been Nodoka's intention, 
and she had already gleaned the information she needed.  It was relatively 
simple; Kodachi was unabashedly in love with Ranma.  With that thought secure 
Nodoka shifted the conversation to simpler things, and set to learning more 
about the fiancee none had ever really considered.
	"We have talked enough of my son.  I understand you study gymnastics, 
Kodachi-chan, but that is all I really know, tell me of yourself."  Nodoka 
smiled over the brim of her teacup as Kodachi began a condensed version of her 
own personal history, and her brother's, and, of course, the 'glorious Kuno 
ancestry' as she so aptly phrased it.

*-*-*-*

	Time had passed quickly, and Kodachi soon found herself running out of 
things to say, luckily Nodoka glanced toward a nearby clock and informed her 
that it was time for them to leave.  A quick gesture resulted in the delivery of 
their bill, which Kodachi promptly paid, and the two departed with the same 
dignity with which they had entered.  "Truly, Saotome-san, I have never taken to 
the practice of paying more than the price of a meal.  I do not understand why 
you insisted we 'tip' those people."
	"It is a gesture of respect toward the owner and his employees Kodachi-
chan, remember what we talked about?"  Nodoka clicked her tongue softly, as 
another explosion rumbled in the distance.
	Kodachi bowed deeply to Ranma's Mother.  "It has been an honor to speak 
with you, Saotome-san."  A brief flourish of Kodachi's hand, and a thornless 
black rose appeared in her outstretched palm, an obvious offering of friendship.
	Nodoka graciously accepted the present and, needing the use of both hands, 
tucked it delicately behind her ear.  "And an honor to talk with you as well, 
Kodachi-chan, but now I feel we must go our separate ways for a while.  I hope 
that we may do this again sometime."
	"Tonight, then," Kodachi suggested, a little too quickly.  "You must come 
to my home and dine with us."
	Before Nodoka could respond, an inhuman yowl a few blocks away caused both 
women to start.
	"Ranma?" They said simultaneously, and both began running toward the 
origin of the sound.  Kodachi, in her slightly more mobile school uniform, 
quickly outpaced Nodoka, and the sight that greeted her was not one for which 
she was readily prepared.
	Ranma was crouched on all fours in the middle of the street and a large 
group of combatants, including her brother, Mousse, and a small pink cat unconscious 
around him.  Kodachi amended to herself, having discovered more than one 
cursed individual during her experiments throughout the day.
	"Ranma!"  Kodachi didn't realize she wasn't the only one who'd 
screamed until she glanced across the street and met the eyes of Akane and Ukyo.  
Ranma looked up at the sound of the voices, and his head pivoted back and forth 
among the three girls.
	"What on Earth is going on, what has happened to him?"  Kodachi screamed.
	"He's gone into the Neko-ken," Akane screamed back.  "You have to get away 
or he'll attack you too.  I'm the only one who can calm him down when he's like 
this!"
	"Says you!"  Ukyo screamed at Akane.  "Ranchan, come here!"
	Kodachi ground her teeth in frustration.    She 
was startled from her train of thought when she noticed that Ranma was 
cautiously padding his way over toward Akane.  "Ranma-sama, come here at once!"
	His ears perking at the sound of Kodachi's voice, Ranma turned and began 
walking toward her.
	"Ranma!"  Akane shouted.
	Again, Ranma turned and began walking toward Akane.
	"Ranma-sama, heel!"
	"Ranchan!"
	Ranma stood between the three girls, glancing back and forth making faces 
only a cat should be able to make.  Akane and Kodachi were glaring at each 
other, rather than looking at Ranma, but it was fairly obvious from their 
posture that each expected him to come to them.  "Meow?"
	Suddenly, his nose twitching, Ranma began to blatantly sniff the air, 
after catching a scent Ranma turned and began padding in Kodachi's direction.  
An icy chill gripped Akane's chest as she watched Ranma head toward the slender 
Gymnast.  "Ranma..." she whispered.  "No, you can't..."
	Kodachi leaned down and scratched Ranma behind the ear as he drew closer.  
However, a puzzled expression crossed her features, and Akane's also, as he 
continued walking.  When a figure rounded the corner behind Kodachi, Ranma began 
to pick up speed, and performed an impressive running tackle into the surprised 
form of his mother.
	Steaming slightly, Kodachi stomped her way toward Nodoka, Ukyo followed, 
with Akane appearing at her side a second later, an odd blend of emotions 
appearing on her face.  Akane looked slightly relieved, somewhat afraid, and 
positively irate all at once, if such a thing were possible.  Nodoka, on the 
other hand, looked completely and totally bewildered by the events surrounding 
her.  Her only son, her man among men, was currently purring contentedly on her 
lap while she sat, stunned and splayed, on the sidewalk.
	"Akane-chan," Nodoka asked as Ranma briefly nuzzled against her, "would 
you kindly explain to me why my son is acting in this fashion?"
	Akane nodded, and with a brief glare toward the nearby Kodachi, began 
Ranma's tale.  As the story progressed, Nodoka's face grew darker, and Kodachi's 
did as well, a pale blue aura fading into existence around the both of them.

*-*-*-*

	There was a scream in the distance; and one Genma Saotome, presently 
cheating one Soun Tendo blind at a game of mancala, shuddered violently as his 
name reverberated across the sky.

*-*-*-*

	"Come; Akane, Kodachi, Ukyo, we are going to kill my husband."  Nodoka 
began walking toward the dojo at a brisk pace, Ranma trotting along behind her.
	"Of course, Saotome-san," Kodachi and Ukyo said at once, following closely 
behind Ranma's mother.
	"Wait!" said Akane, appearing before the three of them.  "You can't just 
go kill Uncle Saotome."
	"Why not?"  All three women asked simultaneously, mirroring each other 
almost perfectly.  For the first time Akane noticed the black rose tucked behind 
Nodoka's ear, and shook her head at the fairly creepy image.  She'd looked an awful
lot like Kodachi at that moment.  "Look, what he did was incredibly stupid, I'll admit..."
	"How very astute, Tendo."
	Akane glared at the gymnast.  "...but he's still Ranma's father.  Auntie, 
I'm sure you can find some other way to punish him besides killing him."  Akane 
wouldn't have treated this seriously, attributing Nodoka's reaction to simple 
maternal instinct, but Ranma and Genma had already been scant inches from 
seppuku; Akane wasn't taking any chances with the older woman.
	Nodoka did not release the death grip on her katana, but slowly sighed and 
nodded.  "Akane-chan, you are correct, I fear.  It would not be honorable for us 
to simply take my husband's life if he has not offered it."
	Kodachi released an outraged squawked.  "Saotome-san, look at what your 
husband did!"  The gymnast pointed a finger at Ranma, who had chased an 
invisible bug into a nearby wall producing a cloud of dust and rubble.
	"Hmm, you raise an excellent point, Kodachi-chan, and please call me 
Auntie, but I am afraid Akane-chan is correct; we cannot simply kill my husband.  
Now, let us make our way to the dojo, where we shall deal with Genma in a 
suitable manner." 
	Akane released a triumphant smile at Kodachi as the quartet made their way 
toward the Tendo home, but it quickly faded to a troubled frown as Ranma loped 
back and forth between the four of them.  Had Nodoka not been there, Ranma would 
have flown far away the first time he even came close to approaching Kodachi.  
Kodachi would probably fly some distance herself.
	"We get the pound the crap out of Ranchan's dad, right?"
	"Yes, Ukyo-chan," Nodoka said.
	The angry looks Akane and Kodachi had been sharing settled into an 
exchange of glares, to which Nodoka was decidedly oblivious, as the group made 
their way to the Tendo Dojo.  As the gate began to swing open Nodoka turned back 
toward the three girls.  "Akane-chan, Kodachi-chan, Ukyo-chan, would you give me 
a hand with Ranma's father, please?"
	"Yes, Auntie Saotome," all responded simultaneously.
	"Genma!" Nodoka screamed.
	"Mrow?" A sudden drop in the air temperature brought a quizzical look to 
Ranma's face.

*-*-*-*

	Half an hour later, Kodachi and Nodoka enjoyed a pot of tea and each 
other's company; while Akane stared wide-eyed at Genma, who had been thoroughly 
mummified and was now suspended from the ceiling by Kodachi's ribbon.  Ranma lay 
curled on his back gently batting his trussed up father back and forth, the 
action bringing about a subtle tic in Akane's left eye.  Ukyo had attempted some
simple roughhousing with Ranma, but after her giant spatula received a few playful 
gouges she had contented herself with simply watching him torture Genma.
	When Genma released a particularly loud yelp Akane produced a bucket of 
cold water from somewhere and doused the feline-minded Ranma, who sputtered a 
little as she returned to sanity.
	"Akane? Mom? Ucchan? Kodachi!"  Ranma paused to gasp for breath as she 
took in the scene surrounding her.  Nodoka and Kodachi were looking at her 
expectantly while Akane looked nearly as frazzled as Ranma felt.  "What's going 
on here?"  Silence descended over the room at Ranma's question, and persisted 
until Kodachi's ribbon gave out and Genma fell to the floor.  Luckily, he landed 
on his head.  Genma groaned loudly, before being silenced by Ukyo in a painful 
fashion.
	"When I happened upon you, Ranma-sama, you were crouching on all fours and 
behaving in a decidedly feline manner."
	Ranma attempted to match Kodachi's response with equal eloquence.  "Uh, 
what?"
	"You went cat, Ranma."
	"Oh, uh, thanks Akane."
	Kodachi frowned briefly.  "Yes, I suppose 'went cat' is an appropriate 
phrase.  Anyway, shortly after I came upon the scene you ran toward me rather 
energetically, and would have tackled me to the ground."
	"Maybe, if he hadn't passed you by completely in favor of his mom!"  Akane 
stood, arms crossed, glaring daggers at Kodachi.  The gymnast returned the gaze 
with equal fervor as Nodoka picked up the conversation.
	"Yes, Ranma-chan, you did run into me rather forcefully.  It was then that 
Akane informed us of your father's rather extreme 'training methods'.  Needless 
to say, Kodachi, Ukyo and myself were rather upset."
	Ranma scratched the nape of her neck nervously, trying to ignore the looks 
passing between Kodachi and Akane.  "I'm surprised you didn't kill him or 
something."
	"Oh, I was quite ready to," Nodoka said nonchalantly.
	"What!"
	"Yes, and Kodachi-chan heartily agreed with me, but Akane-chan convinced 
me that perhaps we were being a little rash."
	"You think?"  Ranma asked.
	"Ranma-sama," Kodachi broke off her staring contest with Akane.  "He 
wrapped you in fish and threw you into a pit full of starving cats."
	Ranma shuddered a little.  "He was just being stupid, like always, and 
don't say that word!"
	Kodachi stood and stared defiantly into the redhead's eyes.  "Starving. 
Cats. Ranma-sama."
	Ranma shuddered again, and glared at Genma.  "Stupid old man!"
	"Ranma-sama..." Kodachi began.
	"What?"
	"Look, a kitty."  The wealthy girl produced a small tabby cat.
	A cloud of dust became all that remained of Ranma as she exited the scene.
	"Ranchan!" Ukyo shouted and ran after the redhead.
	"Kodachi-chan, that was not nice."
	"I know, Auntie."  Kodachi released the kitten, which ran off to parts unknown.
	Akane's brain began working overtime as she tried to process new 
information.    The 
question persisted in Akane's mind as she watched Nodoka and Kodachi share tea 
and conversation.  
	"Kodachi," Akane began.
	The gymnast just looked at her. "Yes, Akane-san?"  The strain of 
attempting to remain civil in order to impress Ranma's mother was evident in her 
eyes and voice.
	"When did you find out?"
	Kodachi looked at Akane oddly for a moment.  "Find out what?"
	"About Ranma and the Pig-Tailed Girl."
	"Oh! That reminds me." Kodachi said, reaching into her uniform.  Without 
warning, she threw a small balloon full of hot water at Akane.  Caught flat-
footed, the youngest Tendo was drenched as the missile impacted her in the 
chest.
	"What the... my clothes!" Akane shrieked.  The water hadn't been scalding, 
but it was noticeably warm.
	"How odd," Kodachi said, looking thoughtful "I was so certain.  Perhaps 
the other way around?"  She produced another balloon and hurled it toward Akane.  
This time the short-haired girl was ready and intercepted the object with her 
fist.  This caused it to burst, however, and a wave of icy water splashed over 
her.  Akane screamed again.
	"Most unexpected," Kodachi said.
	Akane lunged at her, swinging wildly.  Kodachi, her eyes wide, evaded so 
narrowly she felt the rush of air from Akane's whiffed punch.  Weaving backward, 
Kodachi slid beneath a kick from the short-haired girl.  Akane became a tornado 
of elbows and knees, chasing Kodachi around the table.  Kodachi focused all her 
speed and agility on just getting out of Akane's way, and was barely managing to 
do that, when she sensed Nodoka behind her.  Vaulting upward, Kodachi performed 
a flawless backward flip over Ranma's mother.  Akane, caught up in her 
offensive, threw a punch toward Kodachi's previous location.
	"Akane-chan, Stop," Nodoka quietly commanded, still sipping her tea.  
Akane's fist halted mere inches from the elder Saotome's cheek.  Kodachi froze 
as she landed in a handstand, Nodoka's order having taken hold of her as well.  
Akane blushed as she realized what she had almost done.
	"I'm sorry, Auntie Saotome, I didn't mean to..." she stammered.
	"It's alright," Nodoka said serenely.  "No harm done."
	Kodachi's arms grew tired, and she tumbled to the ground.
	"Now then," Nodoka said, "Kodachi-chan, would you mind explaining why you 
threw those balloons at Akane-chan."  Kodachi rolled to a sitting position, her 
head still spinning slightly.
	"Of course, Saotome-san, merely grant me a moment to compose myself."
	"Akane-chan, please sit down," Nodoka said, "and I told you to call me 
Auntie, Kodachi-chan."
	Akane reclaimed her original seat at the table, mouth agape at the 
pleasant exchange between her rival and Ranma's mother.
	"My apologies, Auntie Saotome."  Kodachi took a deep breath as she 
recalled the events of the last few days.  "A few days ago, I came home from a 
particularly..." she searched for the correct term.  "...a particularly awkward 
incident at the school.  There I encountered the... Ranma, who had apparently 
been hit so hard that she flew from the school to my home."  Kodachi paused 
briefly.  "Was it really only three days ago?" She muttered to herself.
	"Continue please, Kodachi-chan."
	"Of course."  Kodachi reached into her bodice and removed a small balloon 
filled with water, placing it on the table in front of her.  It was cold to the 
touch.  A thermos, radiating heat, was produced in a similar fashion and joined 
the balloon on the table.  "Ranma demonstrated the curse at my insistence, 
though I did not know at the time what I was insisting upon.  Since then I have 
merely been..." she searched for the appropriate term.  "Testing, I suppose, 
those who surround my Ranma-sama.  The chinese girl who became a cat, the chef, 
the blind boy who I have found turns into a duck, and now the Tendo girl."
	Akane steamed.  "I'm sitting right here, you know."  The subtle red aura 
that surrounded her had managed to effectively dry her clothing, alleviating the 
clingy aftereffect of Kodachi's water balloon.
	"Of course you are," Kodachi said condescendingly before returning her 
focus to Nodoka.  "It is odd, if I may say so, to no longer be able to trust 
your eyes the way you once did.  I find I must question things that before I 
could accept without hesitation, such as the gender or species of my rivals and 
my beloved."
	Kodachi hefted the cold water balloon in her hand and threw it at Genma's 
unconscious form.  Her eyes widened as Ranma's father expanded before her very 
eyes, sprouted bristly black and white fur, and growled audibly.  Her left eye 
twitched somewhat as she took in the sight of the sleeping panda.
	"I have, throughout the last few days, discovered that this affliction 
runs rampant in many others aside from my Ranma-sama.  Some of the victims are 
unexpected," she glanced at Genma a second time, "while some I would assume to 
be cursed are not."  Kodachi looked meaningfully at Akane, who sat listening to 
Kodachi's story quietly.  "It is all quite astonishing, Saotome-san."
	Nodoka sipped her tea.  "Yes, it can be a lot to take in all at once, but 
it is easy to open your mind when those you love are involved." Nodoka grasped 
the thermos and emptied its contents over Genma's unconscious form.
	"Seems to me it's the other way around," Akane whispered.
	Kodachi nodded subtly.
	A voice from the floor nearby alerted the women that Genma was recovering.  
"Um, No-chan," he began, "where are my clothes?"
	The two teenage girls turned a brilliant shade of red as Nodoka hustled 
Genma upstairs to find a fresh gi.
	"And of course, there's that problem as well," Kodachi muttered.
	Akane nodded.  "Imagine what it's like for Shampoo."
	Both girls blushed even more.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma ran.
	She knew she shouldn't, of course, Kodachi's pathetic cat imitation hadn't 
been what really spurred her run anyway.  Seeing her mother, Akane, and Kodachi 
in the same room sharing tea had been stressful enough.  The little meow had 
only made matters worse.  So she ran.
	"Ranchan!  Wait up, damnit!"
	Ranma turned to look behind herself and briefly lost her footing.  
Tumbling to the ground with a thump she somersaulted along the ground and came 
to rest with her back against a tree.  "Ow."
	Ukyo stopped a few feet away, leaning on her spatula for support as she 
caught her breath.  She looked skeptically at Ranma.  "You aren't even breathing 
hard?"
	Ranma shrugged.  "You okay, Ucchan?"
	"I don't usually run halfway across the city."  She fell to her knees near 
Ranma.  "Much better."
	The two sat in silence for a moment.  Ranma leaned back and enjoyed the 
quiet, while Ukyo fidgeted and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.
	"So that was the Nekoken," she said, looking at her mangled spatula.
	Ranma shuddered a little.  "I guess, it's not like I know what it looks 
like or anything."
	"And your dad did that for training?"
	Ranma nodded.
	Again, there was a moment of silence.
	"Ucchan, I didn't, um, do anything stupid while I was in the Nekoken did 
I?"  Ranma looked worried as she shifted her gaze to Ukyo.
	"You didn't kiss anybody, if that's what you mean."  There was an emotion 
in her voice that Ranma had difficulty identifying.
	Ranma arched an eyebrow at her.  Ukyo matched his stare.  "I've heard 
about what happens when you're in the Nekoken, this is just the first time I've 
seen it."
	Ranma relaxed back into the tree again.
	"Shampoo might be a little pissed at you though, Ranchan."
	The pig-tailed girl sighed deeply as Ukyo continued talking.
	"After you became a cat, because of Shampoo I might add, Me, Akane, and 
even Kodachi of all people, were able to deal with you.  From what Akane told me 
about you and your cat mode, that doesn't bode well for Shampoo."  Ukyo strained 
a little as she forced her spatula back into something resembling its original 
shape.  "Of course, Shampoo was a cat at the time, so who knows...."
	Ranma's eyes widened.  "Kodachi was able to calm me down while I was in 
the Nekoken?"
	Ukyo nodded.  "Yeah, go figure.  Of course, you were heading toward me 
before your mom showed up."  The chef handed her still somewhat mangled giant 
spatula to Ranma.  "Can you straighten this out?"
	Taking the twisted and misshapen mass of metal, Ranma began working the 
object back to its original state.  "I'm not sure I can do anything except bend 
the handle back, you might need Ryoga for the rest.  What happened to this 
thing, Ucchan?"
	Ukyo produced a thermos full of hot water and dumped it over Ranma's head.  
"A naughty kitty did it."  Ranma winced at the words.
	"Sorry," he mumbled.
	"Don't worry about it, I've got dozens of 'em at home."
	Ukyo looked thoughtful for a moment.  "So Ranma, can I ask you something?"
	"Sure, Ucchan, anything, you know that," Ranma said.   he added internally.
	"What's the deal with you and Kodachi?"
	"What do you mean, deal?"  The pig-tailed boy looked wary.
	"She knows about your curse now, Ranchan, then there's the dance, and 
seeing her talking to your mom today.  Something's going on."  Ukyo's voice was 
flat, but there was a hint of nervousness beneath it.
	 "There's nothing going on between me and that psycho gymnast!"
	Ukyo just stared at him.
	"Ranchan, talk to me.  You're my fiancee, we're engaged, and something is 
going on.  I have a right to know."  The intensity in her voice was a little 
unnerving.
	Ranma sighed heavily.  "I know, Ucchan, it's just... I was sick of it, you 
know?  Her hating me and worshipping me at the same time.  It was, I don't know, 
sad or something.  It pissed me off, that's all.  She should know about it.  So, 
I had a chance to show her and I did.  Me and her had a nice long talk, you 
know, just like you and I do sometimes."
	Ukyo's eyes widened.  "You and her talked like... you and me?"
	"Yeah," Ranma continued unabated.  "It was weird, but that's what 
happened.  So now she's not trying to kill me half the times I see her, which is 
good... but I think she gonna try and marry me every time I see her, which is bad.  
I don't know what was up with her and my mom though.  I love my mom, but I 
wouldn't put much past her when it comes to me and women."
	"What about Kuno then?  He still thinks you're two people, doesn't he?"
	Ranma looked angry for a moment.  "I ain't a girl, and I ain't gay.  
I don't care what Kuno thinks."
	  Ukyo looked 
thoughtfully at her fiancee, contested though he might be, and remembered what 
she'd been trying to say to him for the last week and a half.  
	"Ranchan, can I ask you something?”
	“Huh?  Oh, sure, Ucchan.”
	Ukyo glanced around the meadow they were sitting in, a small sapling on 
the opposite side of the field was moving toward them.  “On second thought, 
maybe we should go to my restaurant first.”
	Taking her somewhat repaired spatula from Ranma, Ukyo placed it across a 
large rock lying on the ground.  Locking eyes with her fiancée, she placed a 
finger across her lips to silence him.  A creeping root from the suspicious 
sapling moved on to the flat end of her spatula and Ukyo leapt silently into the 
air.   she 
thought as she landed on one end of the impromptu catapult.
	A girlish scream trailed off into the distance as Tsubasa flew toward the 
center of Nerima.

*-*-*-*

	Tears of joy poured down the face of Ryoga Hibiki.  The large wooden gate 
of the Tendo Dojo loomed ahead of him, and the dilapidated structure had never 
looked so beautiful.  It almost seemed to glow in the failing light, or maybe 
Ryoga was just really, really tired.
	“At last,” he cried, “I’m back.  Again.”
	Knocking at the gate, Ryoga did the smartest thing he could think of, and 
didn’t move while he waited for someone to answer.  It was only a few short 
moments before Akane opened the large double doors.  Her eyes brightened when 
she saw Ryoga standing on the other side.
	“Hi Ryoga, Ranma’s not here right now.”
	“Actually, I came to see you, Akane-san.” Ryoga grinned sheepishly.
	 Akane thought.  Spouting a warm greeting, she grabbed 
the lost boy by his sleeve, and began dragging him into the house.
	“Ryoga, I wanted to apologize, for the other day at the dance.”  Akane 
strove to fill the awkward silence.  “I was just, seeing Ranma flirting with all 
those other girls, you know?”
	“I understand completely, Akane-san, that pervert just doesn’t appreciate 
you.”
	With Akane holding on to his shirt, Ryoga was able to follow her 
unerringly into the dining room, where Kodachi sat quietly sipping tea.
	“You!”  Ryoga gasped.  
	Kodachi quirked an eyebrow at him.  “Do I know you, peasant?”
	Akane bristled at the wealthy girl’s tone.  “Kodachi, you are a guest, but 
Ryoga’s my friend and you will treat him with respect.”
	There was a blur of motion as Kodachi reached into her blouse and flung 
something toward Ryoga.  Akane tracked the water balloon’s progress with her 
eyes, and sighed at Kodachi’s weird behavior.
	Time slowed to a crawl for Ryoga Hibiki as he saw the fluid-filled 
projectile sail toward him.  If he were Ranma, he could have dodged, or snatched 
the thing out of thin air, but Ryoga wasn’t Ranma.  As he felt the change splash 
over him, he wished many things, but more than anything else he prayed that 
somehow Akane wouldn’t see.
	“Aha!  Another one!”
	Akane turned toward Ryoga, prepared to apologize on Kodachi’s behalf, but 
no sound emerged when she realized the sleeve she was holding on to was attached 
to an empty set of clothing.  Kodachi was kneeling near the lost boy’s clothing, 
searching for the animal that she knew must be there, whatever it might be.  A 
small lump, about the size of a pickle jar, was working its way up one pant 
leg when Kodachi pounced upon it.
	Cursing slightly when she felt something bite her finger, Kodachi produced 
a club from somewhere on her person and rapped the thing soundly on the head.  
Reaching inside Ryoga’s pants, she produced a small black piglet, which she held 
daintily by its bandanna.  She gasped only slightly.
	“I recognize you,” she muttered.  “The pig from the gymnastics match, the 
one I chained to the pig-tailed girl.”   she mentally corrected 
herself.  She carefully measured the pig with her eyes.  “How very odd,” she 
observed.  “You seem to be the same size that you were so long ago, a side 
effect of the magic, perhaps?”  The pig was staring over her shoulder, eyes wide 
with fear.  “Do not ignore me, piggy,” she muttered darkly.
	A warm sensation tickling the back of her neck caused Kodachi’s gaze to 
follow that of the pig.  Akane stood behind her, eyes still blank with shock, 
but an aura had sprung up around the girl, and it was turning a dark crimson 
shade.
	“Why, Akane Tendo, I do believe you are on fire,” Kodachi chuckled.
	Akane slowly groped behind herself for the kettle on the living room 
table, her eyes never wavering from the tiny black piglet squirming in Kodachi’s 
hands.  Her fingers found purchase on the kettle’s handle and it flew inexorably 
toward Ryoga’s cursed form.
	Kodachi found herself holding a large naked man, and stumbled backward, 
landing gracelessly on her rear end.  “Oh my,” she blushed, as she covered her 
eyes with her hands.  She resisted the urge to peek between her fingers, but only
for a moment.
	“Akane-san,” Ryoga stammered, fumbling to cover himself with his clothes.  
“I can explain.”
	The intensity of Akane’s aura seemed to triple, as a red haze coated her 
eyes.  Ryoga succeeded in donning his shirt and pants in record time, evidence 
of a great deal of practice.  Kodachi looked back and forth between the two, 
confused at the reactions of both.    A large 
wooden mallet appeared in her hands as she considered the possibility.
	“Akane-san, please,” Ryoga pleaded.  “Please don’t hate me.”  He had 
fallen to his knees, prostrating himself before the youngest Tendo, unable to 
meet the eyes of the short-haired girl in front of him.
	The aura around Akane sputtered and died as Ryoga’s words penetrated the 
loud roaring that had filled her ears.  “Hate… you?”
	Ryoga’s heart of glass shattered, hearing only the words and not the 
meaning behind them.
	Memories flooded into Akane, of Ryoga asking her to say she hated him 
while learning the shi-shi hokodan, of P-chan at the ice-skating match, and 
countless other minor events.  The moment of realization come without warning or 
fanfare.   she thought.  
	Akane fell to her knees, too angry to cry and too hurt to yell.
	Kodachi fumed.  “I do not enjoy being ignored,” she cried as she brought 
her mallet down upon Ryoga’s head.  The lost boy looked at the Black Rose as 
fragments from her shattered weapon fell to the ground.  His eyes took in 
Akane’s emotional devastation and the small pieces of latex that had once been 
Kodachi’s water balloons.
	“You did this,” he growled, reaching slowly for the gymnast’s throat.  
Kodachi’s eyes widened in fear.
	“Ryoga,” Akane stated from her position on the floor.  The lost boy 
stopped at the coldness in Akane’s voice.  “Please leave,” she said simply.  
“Please, for me, just go.”
	Releasing his stranglehold on Kodachi, the lost boy gathered his 
belongings onto his back.  “Akane-san,” he began.  “I wanted you to know so many 
times, but not like this.”  Ryoga glared coldly at Kodachi.  “Not like this.”
	Ryoga left.
	Nodoka emerged from upstairs, Akane appeared to have collapsed near the 
table, and Kodachi was holding the stem of a broken hammer.
	“What happened?”
	Kodachi looked at the Saotome matriarch with a confused expression.  “I 
have absolutely no idea, Saotome-san.”

*-*-*-*

	Ranma and Ukyo walked slowly through the streets of Nerima, the pig-tailed 
boy strolling along the fence, with his cute fiancée on the sidewalk.  Their 
current destination was the Ucchan, and neither one felt like talking until they 
got there, content simply to remain in each other’s company.  Like friends.  The 
experience was rather relaxing for Ranma, but was making his cute fiancée 
nervous.
	A howl of rage shattered the silence around Ukyo and Ranma, both looked up 
to see Ryoga barreling toward them.  Ranma landed lightly on the sidewalk as the 
lost boy charged, tensing for combat.  Ryoga’s swing was wild and uncontrolled, 
his face a mask of unchecked rage, if Ranma didn’t know better he would’ve sworn 
the lost boy had been crying.  Weaving easily between the blows, Ranma debated 
attacking Ryoga.
	“What brought this on, P-chan?”
	At the mention of his cursed form, Ryoga’s rage doubled.  Ranma ducked 
under a wild kick that would’ve taken his head off if it had connected.
	“Akane knows!”  Ryoga screamed as he launched a haymaker at Ranma’s chest.
	Ranma didn’t need an explanation to know what Ryoga was talking about. The 
pig-tailed boy didn’t dodge.    Ranma flew backward, skidding a few 
meters along the pavement.
	Moving forward, Ryoga found himself blocked by Ukyo and her combat 
spatula.  “That’s enough, Hibiki, leave Ranchan alone.”
	Ryoga glared and pointed his finger at the chef. Ukyo’s spatula exploded 
in a hail of shrapnel, sending her reeling into unconsciousness.	 she thought as she slumped to the ground.
	Stalking over to the sprawled Saotome, Ryoga stood over his fallen form.
	“Why?”  He said.
	Ranma struggled to his feet, staring daggers at the lost boy.  “Why what?”
	“Why did you tell Kodachi about my curse?”  Ryoga launched a punch 
combination, which Ranma easily evaded.
	“I didn’t, I only told her about mine!”  Ranma dodged a kick from Ryoga, 
grabbed the lost boy’s leg, and used the momentum to fling him into a wall.  
Ryoga shook off the impact and threw four bandannas at Ranma, which didn’t find 
their mark, before leaping toward him again.
	“So she just threw a water balloon at me to see what would happen?”  Ryoga 
retrieved his umbrella from his backpack and thrust it toward Ranma.  Seeing his 
opponent leap into a standing position on the outstretched umbrella, Ryoga felt 
countless punches impact his face in the span a few seconds.
	“Probably, yeah, she’s been doing that to people all day.”
	Ryoga relaxed as Ranma’s words sank in.  “Really?”
	Ranma nodded.
	“You didn’t tell her, Ranma?”
	Again, a nod.
	“Fine, good,”  Ryoga replaced his umbrella in its standard position on his 
backpack.  “Alright then.”  Ryoga began walking away.
	“Wait, that’s it?”
	Ryoga continued walking.  “My fight isn’t with you this time, Ranma.  
Kodachi Kuno will pay for what she did to Akane today.”  Ryoga promptly turned a 
corner and left the Nerima city limits.  
	Ranma struggled with what had just happened.    
Looking around hurriedly, Ukyo’s still form leapt to his attention.
	“Ucchan!”
	Ukyo struggled to consciousness as Ranma knelt next to her.  “That stupid 
Hibiki,” she muttered.  “I’ll kill him.”
	“You okay, Ucchan?”
	“Yeah, I think so.  Think you could help me to my restaurant, Ranchan?”
	Ranma nervously glanced up and down the street, biting his lower lip.  “I 
kind of need to head back to the Tendo’s, mind going there instead?”  Ranma 
looked hopeful.
	Ukyo sighed.  “Okay, sure, as long as there’s tea and a futon I’ll 
be fine.  But Ranchan?”
	Ranma met her eyes.  “Yeah?”
	“You’ll have to carry me.”
	Sighing, the pig-tailed boy picked up Ukyo and slung her over his 
shoulder.
	 she thought.

*-*-*-*

	Akane hadn’t moved or spoken since Ryoga’s exit.  Nodoka was at a loss to 
comfort the poor girl and Kodachi was, well, Kodachi.
	“I must admit I was shocked upon first discovering my Ranma-sama’s curse 
and perhaps a bit despondent, but nothing so melodramatic as this, Tendo.  The 
Hibiki fool is obviously in love with you, it is nothing unusual.  After all, 
you ensnared my brother, did you not?”
	“Kodachi-chan, you aren’t really helping,” Nodoka sighed.
	The gymnast huffed and turned away.
	“Akane-chan, please tell me what happened.”
	“Ryoga’s a pig,” she muttered.
	“I’m not sure I understand, Akane-chan, which one is Ryoga?”
	“P-chan.”
	“Oh my, you mean your little pet piggy?  This does complicate things.”
	The slamming of the front gate startled all three women.  Ranma’s voice 
rang out, and the living room emptied as people ran toward the sound.  The wind 
was knocked out of the young martial artist as a blur grasped him in a 
strangling hug.  “Ranma-sama,” the blur muttered.  Ranma’s mind stopped for a 
moment.
	An odd sensation occurred as Kodachi was knocked from her hold on Ranma 
and a different girl took her place.  Akane sobbed into Ranma’s chest as he 
tried to process everything that was happening.  Ukyo sighed from her perch on 
his shoulder.
	“Ryoga’s P-chan,” was all Akane said.
	“We ran into him on the way here,” muttered Ukyo.  “Ranchan, can you let 
me down?”  The chef adjusted her outfit nervously as her feet touched the 
ground.  “Hello again, Auntie,” she said.
	Nodoka acknowledged the young woman.  “Ukyo-chan, I think we should go 
back into the house.  We should leave Akane-chan and Ranma alone for a while.”
	Ukyo considered raising a protest, but Nodoka just smiled at her and the 
chef felt herself walking into the living room.
	Ranma felt his arms go around Akane as she continued to mumble about 
Ryoga.  “Akane?”  The tale was related, and Ranma somehow managed to keep from 
revealing any of his own knowledge.
	“All those times,” Akane sobbed, “I thought he was my friend.  And you 
tried to protect me, always dropping hints…”  Akane slowed down her speech as 
realization set in.
	Ranma’s eyes widened, he knew where this was going.  On the far side of 
the garden, Kodachi extracted herself from the barrier wall of the dojo.
	“…always calling him P-chan.”  Akane stepped back from Ranma.  “You knew.”  
It was a statement, not a question.  Akane was starting to glow, she’d been 
doing that a lot recently.  
	“Akane, I can explain.”
	The majority of the windows nearby flexed, and those on the ground floor 
of the Tendo home shattered, when Akane punched Ranma.  Flying away from Akane’s 
fist, the pig-tailed boy found himself sailing through the air toward a wide-
eyed Kodachi.  Reacting, he grabbed Kodachi by the shoulders, which had the 
added effect of dragging her along on his flight.  Rotating in mid-air, he 
placed himself between the gymnast and the incoming wall of stone.  The 
reverberation of the impact was nauseating, and the crunch was sickening.
	“Ranma-sama?”  Kodachi asked, worried.
	“’Dachi… you… okay?”  Ranma’s eyed closed as unconsciousness claimed him.
	Fury filled Kodachi Kuno, and she felt herself turn to face Akane.  The 
gymnast launched herself across the yard, toward the youngest Tendo girl, a 
storm of black rose petals flowing behind her.
	Akane caught the wooden mallet that Kodachi had manifested, and used the 
girl’s momentum to send her flying past, wrenching the mallet out of the 
gymnast’s hands in the process.  Planting her feet on the approaching stone 
wall, Kodachi turned and flew at Akane, throwing a ball while producing a pair 
of clubs from her blouse.
	Kodachi’s own mallet was used to bat the ball away before Akane dropped 
the hammer.  Hitting the clubs away, Akane slipped into Kodachi’s guard and 
clotheslined the flying girl.  As Kodachi’s body pivoted in the air around 
Akane’s forearm, Akane kicked her in the back, again sending the pony-tailed 
girl flying toward the stone barrier.
	Using her momentum to her advantage, Kodachi stopped herself on the wall, 
continued to a standing position atop the stone barrier, and began running along 
the perimeter of the Tendo yard.  Akane remained still, adopting a defensive 
pose in the entryway of her home, awaiting Kodachi’s next move.
	Weaving through a salvo of clubs, Akane didn’t see the ribbon that pulled 
her foot out from underneath her until she stumbled backward onto her rear.  Now 
that Kodachi had the advantage and the high ground, she was not going to let up.  
The ribbon made small popping sounds as it sliced through the air, moving almost 
too quickly for its target to see.  Akane’s anger at Ranma depleted as she 
shielded herself with her arms, she was cornered and, other than a few of 
Kodachi’s clubs on the ground nearby, was unable to retaliate.
	The ribbon snaked out and wrapped itself around Akane’s wrist.  “Now I 
shall teach you not to treat my Ranma-sama so callously.”
	“Like hell,” Ukyo said.
	Kodachi pulled back and found herself off balance as there was nothing at 
the end of her ribbon.  In point of fact, her ribbon was now about a foot 
shorter than it had been.
	Ukyo readied another throwing spatula, placing herself between Akane and 
the gymnast, and gripped the bo staff she’d retrieved from the Dojo.  It wasn’t 
her spatula, and was oddly balanced, but it would have to do.  “Akane-chan, I 
think you should go inside with Ranchan’s mother.  I’ll take care of our little 
rose problem.”
	Akane stood, and entered a stance facing the gymnast on the wall.  “I can 
fight my own battles, Ukyo.”
	A throwing spatula flew, and Kodachi leaned lazily out of the way, sending 
her ribbon outward to remove the staff from Ukyo’s grip.  Ukyo pulled hard, 
drawing the gymnast through the air toward Akane.
	Akane’s foot met Kodachi’s face as she flew through the air, and her 
ribbon unwound itself from Ukyo's weapon.  She found herself arcing backward, 
forced to used the entryway to the Tendo home like a set of parallel bars to 
redirect herself back around into a flying kick toward Ukyo.
	The staff came up and intercepted both of Kodachi’s feet, then twisted 
rapidly to send the rich girl sprawling.  “The same trick won’t work twice, 
sugar.”  Akane and Ukyo leaned out of the way as a hoop flew between them, 
bouncing harmlessly off the ground behind them.
	“Kodachi,” Akane sighed sadly.  “You’re out of weapons.  You’ve lost, I 
think it would be best if you went home.”
	Stumbling to her feet, Kodachi adopted a proud pose as she addressed the 
two.  “I will not abandon my Ranma-sama to you two while he is injured.”  She 
began to charge at them.
	Ukyo brought the staff around, stunning Kodachi with a shot to her collarbone.
The bo came around again, clipping the rich girl’s kneecap, then her other leg, and
before finally slapping into her head with a nauseating sound, bringing the gymnast 
to her knees.  “I don’t think you have a choice, Kodachi.”
	Ukyo brought the staff up once more, but felt Akane’s hand on her 
shoulder. “I think that’s enough, Ukyo.”
	Kodachi moaned in pain and embarrassment.  Her head hurt, and it was a 
struggle to stay awake.  “Spare me your pity, Akane Tendo, I have no need of 
it.”
	Akane’s fist sent Kodachi the rest of the way into unconsciousness.

*-*-*-*

	Two small mats were now laid out in the living room.  On one lay a female 
Ranma, being enthusiastically, if not carefully, tended by Akane and Ukyo.  On 
the other lay Kodachi, whom Nodoka was nursing back to health.
	“You four are always so energetic, I hope Kodachi-chan is alright.”
	Ukyo looked at the elder Saotome oddly for a moment, before her gaze 
settled on Akane.  “We need to talk.”
	The door to Akane’s bedroom slammed shut behind them, the sound managing 
to stir Ranma from his slumber.
	“Not my fault… tomboy.”
	“Ranma-chan, would you tend Kodachi-chan for me?”
	Ranma nodded.  “What happened?”
	“Well, I’m sure I don’t know.  Ukyo-chan and myself were having tea when 
we heard a loud noise outside.  She ran outside and then, well, here we are.  I 
hope you and Akane-chan weren’t fighting again.”
	Ranma shook her head sadly.
	“Just be mindful of Kodachi-chan, alright.  I will help Kasumi with 
dinner.”
	Nodoka left the room, but remained within earshot, assuming a perch on the 
stairs where she had an excellent view of the living room.

*-*-*-*

	“Kodachi’s trying to get her hands on Ranchan.”
	Akane’s eyebrows raised in mock surprise.  “How is that different?  She’s 
always been trying to get him.”
	“It’s different, Akane.  He talks to her now, he didn’t used to do that.  
He doesn’t run from her anymore.  Ever since she came to Furinkan it’s just been 
weird.  We need to put a stop to it.”
	Akane’s eyes widened a little, then she laughed.  “I’m sorry Ukyo, but 
really, no matter how big a pervert Ranma may be, he’s not stupid.  I mean, he 
wouldn’t have even helped Kodachi with that boyfriend competition if I hadn’t 
told him it was okay.”
	“You. Did. What?”
	“Um, Ukyo, you’re glowing again.”

*-*-*-*

	The struggle toward consciousness is not an easy one, as Kodachi Kuno 
found out, but it can be hastened or slowed with the proper motivation.  In this 
case, the fact that Ranma was the one watching over her slowed her recovery.  At 
least, she made it seem that way.
	Ranma placed a fresh damp washcloth on the gymnast’s forehead.  “Kodachi 
you idiot.”
	Even though Kodachi’s eyes were closed, they still managed to widen in 
surprise.
	The redhead sighed.  “Of course, you would pick a fight with Akane and 
Ucchan.  And lose.  You always attack on sight and it just gets you into 
trouble.”  Anything else she might have said was cut off as Kodachi sat up and 
enveloped her in a fierce bear hug.
	“I didn’t lose!”
	Ranma struggled for breath as the wealthy girl squeezed the life out of 
her.  “You’re… awake…”
	Realizing her position, Kodachi released her grip, scooting backward into 
a sitting position.  “You’re a girl now, why are you a girl?”
	Ranma half-glared at the dark-haired girl.  “Easier to carry me inside.”  
Kodachi unhanding him so hurriedly was aggravating, and the reasoning behind it, 
well, kind of hurt.  “And you did lose.”
	“I did not, Kuonji interrupted Tendo and myself.  I was winning.”
	Ranma pointed a finger at her.  “Did too.”
	“Did not!”
	“Did too.”

*-*-*-*

	Nodoka, safely hidden, sighed to herself as she watched Ranma and Kodachi 
bicker.    She frowned a bit as Ranma prevented an attempt 
by Kodachi to change her to her male form.  

*-*-*-*

	Akane was worried, not that she wanted to admit it.  Ukyo made several 
compelling arguments, but she still couldn’t rationalize the idea of Kodachi 
seriously being in the running.
	“Think about it, Akane.  She knows about his curse now, and Ranchan’s mom 
seems to like her.”
	“What about Uncle Saotome, he wouldn’t stand for it.”
	“She’s got more money than God, Akane-chan.  The panda won’t stop it.”  
	“But she’s nuts,” Akane half-shouted.
	“So is Ranchan’s mom.”
	Akane slowly nodded her head as Ukyo’s points sank in.  “Okay, Ukyo, 
assume for the moment that I believe you, and I’m not saying I do.  Ranma 
wouldn’t do that, he just… he wouldn’t.”
	Ukyo bowed her head.  “I’m not going to ask why you believe that now but 
not when it’s Shampoo or me hanging onto him.  I’m just going to remind you that 
we basically left the two of them alone down there...”
	Akane’s eyes widened considerably.
	“…together.”

*-*-*-*

	“Turn back to a boy.”
	Ranma batted away the hot water balloon Kodachi had tossed at her, which 
remarkably did not shatter until hitting the wall.  “Not in the mood.”
	“I want you to be a boy.”
	“Look, I’ve been cursed for a long time now, and it doesn’t look like it’s 
going to change anytime soon.  I’m a girl right now, deal with it.”
	Kodachi scooted closer to the female Ranma, their knees were touching and 
they found it difficult to meet each other’s eyes.
	“Deal with it,” Kodachi muttered to herself.
	Ranma studied her hands, Kodachi was too close.
	“You are a girl, but you are Ranma-sama.”  The words were spoken and 
repeated as though they were a mantra.  Who the gymnast was trying to convince 
could be debated.
	Reaching out gingerly, Kodachi took the pig-tailed girl’s hand in one of 
her own, while with the other she placed one delicate finger under the redhead’s chin.
Kodachi tilted the smaller girl’s face up and leaned in, locking eyes with her.
	“I can deal with it, Ranma-sama, if you can.”

*-*-*-*

	Akane’s door exploded off its hinges as Ukyo and the youngest Tendo burst 
from the room and sprinted downstairs, only to be stopped by Nodoka’s gentle 
hush as they neared the bottom.
	“Wait just a moment,” the elder Saotome said.
	Ukyo and Akane peered around the older woman, and saw Kodachi leaning 
dangerously close to the female Ranma.  Nodoka’s hand gripped Akane’s shoulder, 
preventing the smaller girl from interfering.  All three of the women on the 
stairs held their breath. For Akane and Ukyo, time stood still.
	Kodachi and Ranma kissed.
	“My son is so manly,” Nodoka whispered excitedly to Ukyo and Akane.
	Kodachi's heart started pounding.
	Akane's heart stopped.
	Ukyo's blood boiled.
	Pulling away, Kodachi turned her gaze away from Ranma, who seemed almost catatonic.
A blush covered the gymnast's face, her thoughts were a jumble as she realized that she'd 
just kissed another girl.  Her arms went around the redhead.  "Please don't make me do that
again, Ranma-sama."
	Other girls at school had spoken of such things, but Kodachi had never
considered their opinions credible.  Even at St. Hebereke, where there were no male
students, a girl kissing another girl was... just not done.
	"I didn't make you do nothin'," Ranma muttered, unable to blink.   she thought.
	"They stopped," Nodoka said, bewildered.  "Why did they stop?  
Everything was going so well."
	Ukyo turned on the older woman.  "Whose side are you ON?"
	At the outburst, Ranma turned to glance at the stairwell.  She couldn't see 
everything in the entry hall, but she saw the most important thing.
	She saw Akane.
	Suddenly, she was impeccably aware of Kodachi's arms around her.  The look in
Akane's eyes hinted at an amount of pain that bordered on the unimaginable.  "Kodachi,
I need you to let go now."  Panic began to sink into Ranma's voice as she vaguely heard
Ukyo's rising soprano come from just out of sight.  "'Dachi, I really need you to let go."
The gymnast retreated from her thoughts, surprise on her face when she looked at Ranma.
Following her gaze, Kodachi's eyes alit on Akane as well, a soft gasp squeaking from her mouth.
Akane Tendo seemed to be on fire again, and there was steam rising off her cheeks.
	"Oh dear."  She released her iron grip on the redhead.   she thought,

	Akane had hit Ranma around two hundred and ninety-four separate times since 
she'd first arrived at the dojo.  Ranma was certain that number was going to increase fairly soon, 
but the icy calm that had suddenly developed around the short-haired girl scared the pig-tailed girl 
more than mindless rage would have.  Quietly, Akane walked over and stood in front of Kodachi,
leaning down so that the two were staring into each other's eyes.
	There was utter silence for a moment, before Akane spoke.
	"You're an even bigger pervert than Ranma."
	Ranma had seen Akane fight several times, and had been on the recieving end of her
anger more often than that, but she had never seen her punch anyone as hard as she did Kodachi
at that moment.  Kodachi, still red-faced with shame from being seen kissing another girl
did not even try to defend herself.  Ranma saw it happen, and felt herself begin to move,
but realized that doing so would mean choosing sides.  She didn't react, her own indecision 
freezing her in place as Kodachi soundlessly collapsed, a large purple bruise already beginning 
to form on her cheek.
	"Ranma, I think it would be best if you didn't stay here tonight."
	Stalking back toward her room, Akane paused in front of Ukyo.  The chef shrank back 
in fear, surprised to find herself being pulled upstairs rather forcefully.  Akane tossed 
the cute cook into her room and yelled down the hall at Nodoka. "Auntie, could you please 
call Kodachi's brother and make sure she gets home okay?"
	Nodoka nodded as Akane's door closed again, though it was still slightly off kilter.
	The Saotome Matriarch examined the scene.  Her son sat immobilized and one of her 
prospective daughters-in-law was now quite unconscious, and in considerable pain, while two of the 
others seemed to be emotionally distraught.
	"What just happened?"

*-*-*-*

	Ukyo asked herself the same question as she was tossed into a chair in Akane's 
room, the door slamming behind both of them.  She would've asked it aloud, but the sight of
Akane was enough to stop her.  The short-haired girl was slumped against the door crying.
	"Akane-chan..." her arms wrapped around the Tendo girl, comforting her as best
she was able.  Akane pressed her face into Ukyo's shoulder, staining her uniform with tears.
	"Ranma's never kissed me before, not like that."
	A heavy sigh came from above her.  "Me neither, Akane-chan."
	More sobbing.  "I know, but you're not his... I mean, he's not..."
	If there'd been a spatula handy, and she hadn't been crying, Akane would have 
had quite a headache.  "Gee, thanks a ton, Akane."
	"You know I didn't mean it like that."
	Ukyo patted her lightly on the back.  "I know..." she exhaled heavily again, Akane's tears were 
beginning to slow.  "So now what?  This is obviously some kind of true fiancee conference, even
if you did need a good cry.  What do we do about Kodachi?"
	The tears had stopped now, and Akane's eyes had hardened.  "We call in Shampoo."

*-*-*-*

	"Oh dear, this is embarassing, I don't know Kodachi-chan's telephone number.  
Ranma-chan, are you still out there?"  The sound of the front gate slamming shut echoed through 
the small japanese household.
	Ranma had left the Tendo Dojo.
	Nodoka blinked at his new development and poked her head into the living room.
Kodachi still lay unconscious, though she had been moved onto the same mat she'd been
resting on earlier, and a small washcloth now rested on her forehead.  A round bandage had
been placed over the fist-shaped bruise on her cheek as well.
	"Maybe Kasumi-chan knows."

*-*-*-*

	Outside of St. Hebereke's Girl's Academy, Ryoga Hibiki set up his campsite.
The lost boy had a very long memory, and if he was correct, this was where Kodachi Kuno
went to school.  He would not move from this spot until he'd had his vengeance.
	
	A bike messenger rode by the campsite, his tires causing a small stone in the 
middle of the road to fly through the air.  The pebble ricocheted off the school wall, and 
impacted a sprinkler, dislodging it just enough to send a spray of water over the 
surrounding area.
	A small black piglet sighed in frustration.

*-*-*-*

	Nodoka was not certain what to think of Tatewaki Kuno.  His command of poetry was certainly
commendable, and that a young man should take up the sword so fiercely was admirable.  However, when
she had opened the doors of the Tendo home to admit him, he had proclaimed his love for her.
	That she found odd.
	It was then revealed that Tatewaki was in love with Akane, and her son as well, and that 
she found very odd indeed.
	"I see, and you say that Akane-chan and this pig-tailed girl return your love?"
	"Ah so they do.  It is tiring to be so manly as I, and contend with the affections of even
two such lovely women.  Let alone the myriad damsels that become enamored of myself.  And you,
my matronly beauty?  Who are you that would play nursemaid to my twisted sister, yet remind me so of 
the pig-tailed goddess?  Truly, it is as though you were the same person, but whereas one teems
with youth and vitality, you exude the wisdom of experience and an ageless beauty that belies your
years."
	"I am Nodoka Saotome," she replied. 
	"Ranma-sama!"
	By force of habit, Kodachi blocked the incoming bokken with a gymnastics club, and slammed 
her brother in the face with a second one.  Where she got them, Nodoka couldn't say.  As Kuno slumped 
to the floor, the Black Rose turned to the elder Saotome.
	"Mother, where is Ranma-sama?"
	"Akane-chan asked him not to stay here tonight."  She would have continued speaking, but
Kodachi cut her off with a quiet command.
	"Then I must go to him."  A storm of rose petals followed the declaration, and Kodachi's exit, 
a fine layer of the blossoms now decorating the floor inside the Tendo home.  Nodoka sighed and 
subtly slid the now unconscious Blue Thunder onto the mat his sister had occupied only a moment ago.
	"Such an exciting day," she muttered.

*-*-*-*

	The campfire Ranma had crafted under the bridge, his usual spot when he'd been exiled
from the Tendo household, was not as warm as he would've liked it.  The whole of Nerima seemed colder
somehow.  
	The hair on his neck stood on end as he felt the presence of Black Rose behind him.  
she was suspending herself from her ribbon, upside-down.  The mental image he had briefly was of
one of those spiders on a nature documentary.
	
	"Ranma-sama."
	He didn't turn around.  "I don't think I wanna see you right now, Kodachi."
	"Then do not turn around."  She shrugged indifferently, an amusing sight when hanging 
upside-down.  Reaching around him, she dropped a small silver object onto the ground in front
of him.  "As you have no residence of your own, I have arranged accomodations for you at
the Kuno estate.  You may use any room you desire, and there are many to choose from, you may
even sleep in my room if you wish."
	"I wouldn't kick you out of your own room, Kodachi."
	The gymnast swayed quietly in the breeze as she held to her ribbon.  "Then I shall
stay here with you, Ranma-sama."  She haughtily exhaled the name onto the back of his neck,
drawing a nervous shiver from the pig-tailed boy.  He turned around and met her gaze, for a
moment finding himself unable to speak.
	"You should go home, 'Dachi."
	Kodachi just stared at him.  The scrutiny was unnerving, and Ranma found himself turning
back to the fire to avoid it.  He was blushing again, he hated it when that happened.
	"Why would a person do something they do not wish to do?"
	Ranma wasn't sure who the question was directed at.  
	"Sometime's you just gotta," he whispered.  A barely noticeable rustle of cloth and 
his senses told him the dark-haired girl was on her knees behind him.
	"I will not abandon you to the night, Ranma-sama."  The heat of her breath
against his ear caused him to shiver involuntarily once more.  "You need not be alone."
	  Unbidden, memories and
thoughts of different girls flew through his mind as Kodachi produced a backpack of her own
and sat across the fire from him.  He was engaged to so many girls. So why was it he kept finding 
himself with the only female around him who didn't have a legitimate claim?  
	"Would you like a Pork bun, Ranma-sama?"
	
	Ranma spoke with his mouth full.  "Kodachi, can I see your ribbon for a sec?"
He held out his hand expectantly, such a small request couldn't be denied, he just wondered
what the streamer was made out of.  It had suspended Genma from a ceiling, after all, and some
of the feats he'd seen her accomplish with it seemed impossible.
	"My... my ribbon?"  The Black Rose clutched the aforementioned tool protectively to
her chest.  "No, never!"
	If he had merely been curious before, now he was positively intrigued.  "I just 
wanted to see it.  What's with the reaction?"
	"It is my ribbon, Ranma-sama.  Mine.  Would you ask Tachi to give up his sword?  Or the
Kuonji girl her spatula?  Such a thing is not done."  Sighing at the look of confusion on his face, 
Kodachi scooted closer to him.  "Allow me to show you, Ranma-sama."
	The closeness would normally be unnerving, but Ranma was too interested to notice.
The streamer unfurled itself as Kodachi held her ribbon aloft.  The streamer itself seemed new,
probably replaced after the fight with her father, but the handle of the ribbon had yellowed
with age.  It was scarred and worn, but conveyed a sense of weight that he wouldn't have
associated with gymnastics equipment.  It was probably older than he was.
	"Is that bone?"
	"Ivory, actually.  It belonged to my mother."  Kodachi snapped the tool at the darkness
before retracting it back on itself.  As it curled up into a compact form, Ranma remembered
the low-quality equipment he'd been forced to use when he fought Kodachi.  He laid his hand on
the haft of the ribbon as she moved to hide the object.  He found Kodachi's fingers underneath
his own.
	"It's really nice."
	"I have never been without it, as long as I can remember."
	There was silence between the two for a long while, neither wanting to spoil the
quiet moment, yet both afraid it wouldn't last.
	"Ranma-sama?"
	He looked at her.  The firelight was dying, but he could still make out her face.
	"Would you turn into a girl, please?"
	"Why?"
	"I would feel more... controlled... that way."
	Ranma wasn't sure what she meant, but refrained from asking and reached out to the nearby river.

*-*-*-*

	Akane trudged through the darkness, clad in a scarf and whatever warm clothing she could
gather.  Ranma hadn't been at the vacant lot, which had been her first thought.  That meant he was
under the bridge over the canal.  As she leapt the fence, she regretted that it had taken her so
long to get there.  Meeting with Shampoo and Ukyo had taken longer than she'd planned, Ranma was 
probably starving.
	The backpack she carried had the usual supplies for whenever she and Ranma had a fight
like this.  Some food from Kasumi, a thermos of hot water, a warm blanket, and a few other
necessities.  Rolling to absorb the impact from the landing, Akane turned to where she knew
Ranma would be, and froze.
	Curled up against her petite, busty, redheaded fiance, was Kodachi Kuno.  Ranma's arm was
wrapped protectively around the gymnast as the two of them snored lightly.
	The last of the flames in the firepit disappeared.
	Reaching into the pack she carried, Akane removed the wool blanket and wrapped it around
the two sleeping forms.  She paused for a moment to wipe a tiny thread of drool from the redhead's chin.  
Pinning a small note to the outside of the knapsack, she climbed up and away from the terrifying 
sight, heading home without a word.
	She wanted to break something.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma turned his head at the sound of the kettle impacting on something, there was a girl 
falling from the roof of the Tendo's.  Ryoga would have to wait.  Planting his feet he propelled
himself downward, moving to catch the girl before she could hit the ground, but he just wasn't
fast enough.
	The wet cracking noise was sickening.
	 He came to rest, crouched next to her 
crumpled form, her eyes were open in an unnatural stare.    Despite his current gender, and having only met the girl 
on the ground only once, Ranma Saotome began to cry.
	Sunlight stabbed into Ranma's eyes as she awoke, the sting of saltwater only serving to
worsen the pain.  The dream had not faded from memory as such things usually did.  The feel of
weight on her shoulder drew the redhead's attention to Kodachi's quietly sleeping face.
	  Slipping 
out from under the other girl, Ranma gently moved the gymnast into a comfortable position, 
bunching up part of blanket under her head to serve as a pillow.
	Wait, where had the blanket come from?
	A brief survey of the area revealed the backpack Akane had dropped off the night before.
The note attached to the outside was nothing elaborate, just an apology and a request that she come
home.  Ranma turned to stone as she looked at the note in her hand.  Akane had been here during 
the night.  That meant Akane had seen... her eyes fell on the sleeping gymnast, there was a 
quiet, subdued smile on her face, she mumbled the redhead's name and shifted uncomfortably.
She was waking up, which filled Ranma with an uncontrollable urge to flee.
	This was Kodachi, the Black Rose, who'd attacked her the first time they'd met, and 
who had paralyzed him the second.  The pig-tailed girl's hand found purchase on the rock wall
under the bridge, and she began pulling herself up, dragging Akane's backpack behind her.  
Kodachi, the psychotic gymnast, who had fought her to a standstill using anything and everything
she could get her ribbon on, and nearly revealed the curse in the process.  Beneath her, Ranma
heard the tell-tale mumblings of a person rousing from their slumber.  Kodachi, the non-fiancee,
whose family hated her, whose peers despised her, and who had tried to mallet Ranma so she would 
paticipate in that idiotic competition with Asuka.  A few meters more and she'd be back on the 
street, ready to run straight back to the dojo.  Kodachi, Kuno's sister, who fought dirtier than 
Tarou and was more obsessed with winning than anyone but Ranma herself.
	A voice from below came to the pig-tailed girl.  "Ranma?"
	Kodachi, who fought tooth and nail to win him, with or without a legitimate claim.
	"Ranma-sama?"
	Kodachi, who never gave up, even when she knew her love wasn't returned.
	Ranma's feet alit on the pavement, the thermos found its way from the backpack 
to her hand, somehow still warm, and she became a he.
	  Unbidden, 
the dream returned, Kodachi's lifeless stare in his mind's eye making Ranma nauseous. If he 
didn't look back, if he wasn't there, what would happen?
	Kodachi, who had noone.
	Memories filtered through his mind; The crying girl who'd lost at Rhythmic Gymanstic, 
declaring her new passion for Ranma.  Kodachi, angry and hurt, demanding Kuno apologize, 
Ranma her only recourse when he refused.  The pained expression on her face as she
admitted Ranma did not love her.  The injury to his pride when both Kodachi and Akane declared
Asuka's boyfriend a better prize than him.  The tears flowing from her eyes, and the pain 
in her expression, when he demonstrated the curse.  <"You are all that she has, Ranma Saotome">
The mocking tone was still present in Kuno's voice, even in memory.  
	Kodachi, who needed him.
	The unmitigated joy in her eyes, and the blush on her face, when he'd called her cute, 
even if he didn't mean to say it.  The absurd black wedding dress she'd worn as they roofhopped 
to meet Asuka. The countless attempts to kiss him while he was paralyzed, the successful attempt 
after the dance in her room, when he wasn't.  The shamed look she adopted after kissing his 
girl form, after he goaded her into it, and the devotion in her eyes when she'd offered him 
sanctuary last night.
	Kodachi, who wanted him.
	"Ranma-sama, please...
	He hadn't moved since landing on top of the bridge, lost within the workings of his own 
mind. The gymnast had landed without a sound, and now the Black Rose pressed against his back, 
fear in her voice as her arms wrapped around him.
	"...please don't leave me."
	Kodachi, who loved him.

*-*-*-*

	The relentless pounding of flesh upon wood, and the rhythm contained therein, were of
great comfort to Akane Tendo.  She hadn't slept last night, consigning herself to the dojo,
to her practice, and to her Art.  Block, punch, evade, feint, counter, dodge, kick, block.
	Crack.
	The wooden form bent backward as her fist connected where the head met the shoulders. 
Without thinking, Akane replaced the practice dummy with one that was unbroken.  The image of 
Kodachi curled up against Ranma, both seeking warmth and protection from the cold, had burned 
itself into Akane's mind.  It should've been her, could've been her, if she'd been faster.
	Meeting with Ukyo and Shampoo had proven fruitless.  The latter had
been unable to craft a strategy beyond simple violence, while the former wanted so badly
for everyone to be happy that she'd been worse than useless, dismissing ideas she deemed
unfair to the gymnast.  In reality, Akane was fairly certain Ukyo just wanted things to 
come out favoring her above the rest, so that she would be the cute one and the others 
violent and possessive.  Akane herself had said very little, more concerned with why things
had changed rather than how to change them back.  In the end, they'd accomplished nothing,
except giving Kodachi more time alone with Ranma.
	Kodachi.  All she'd done was transfer to Furinkan and she was suddenly
transformed from an irregular annoyance to a rival on the same tier as Ukyo.  But maybe 
that was all there was to it.  Kodachi and Shampoo weren't serious threats because they
weren't around all that often, the Black Rose even less so since she went to an
entirely different school.  Shampoo at least had endless free time to pursue the 
pig-tailed boy, even if she hadn't been around as much lately. There had been moments, 
small ones that Akane noticed, where Kodachi had approached the female Ranma, but 
Akane had dismissed them.  Secure in the knowledge that Kodachi didn't know about the curse.
	  Several missed opportunities ran through Akane's mind.
Encounters between Kodachi and the pig-tailed girl.  Countless opportunities that Akane 
had missed to intercede and prevent the quickly forming friendship.  If it had been her 
with another boy, Ranma would've broken that up without a second thought, but Kodachi just
hadn't registered as a threat.  Not when he was a girl. Not when it came to Ranma.
	Ranma.  He should've been home by now, the Dojo was his home, with his mother
and father and rightful fiancee.  Ranma was hers, she belonged to him, they belonged to 
each other, and no half-baked Kuno was going to change that.
	
	Crack.

*-*-*-*

	Ukyo swung her oversized spatula at Shampoo, forcing her to the left, while 
her other hand tossed a salvo of smaller ones into the air around her.  The Amazon
caught the small projectiles, and continued to dance away from the chef's attacks.
	Another series of slashes with the oversized utensil missed their mark.
	"Quit moving!"
	Shampoo smirked and tossed a large rubber ball at the chef's head.
	"If stop moving, maybe get hit.  That not smart."
	Ukyo growled and tossed a large bundle to the ground.  An explosion of flour
temporarily hid her from the Amazon's eyes.  Shampoo held her breath, to prevent
the smokescreen from entering her lungs, and listened.
	Footsteps, to the left, stop, swing...   Leaping into the air, she 
avoided the incoming swipe and landed on the flat of Ukyo's large spatula.  The chef
was too caught up in her own adrenaline to notice the slight increase in weight, and
moved back to a ready position, waiting for the cloud to dissipate.  Shampoo smirked,
sitting on the large utensil, as Ukyo's head came into view.  Producing a pair of
clubs, she rapped the cook on the head with a loud clacking noise.
	Several minutes later, Ukyo struggled back to her feet, supporting her weight
on the business end of her weapon.  Shampoo sat nearby, enjoying a bowl of ramen.
	The chef glared at the Amazon.  "Kodachi doesn't fight like that."
	"Maybe should.  Might win."
	"Damnit, you know why we're doing this!"
	The two locked eyes, sparks flying through the air between them, the roof
of the Ucchan well lit by the tension.  "You ask Shampoo to use Rose Girl's weapons,
so Shampoo do.  But if you want me fight like Rose Girl, that different."
	"How is that different?"
	Without warning, Shampoo appeared before the cook, flinging a handful
of powder into her eyes.  Ukyo coughed lightly, glaring at the purple-haired
warrior and readying her spatula once again.  Suddenly, her muscles began to
lock up, and her spatula fell from now immobile fingers.  She could only rely on
her ears to tell her what had happened, as she could no longer turn her head to look.
	"That is how Rose Girl fight.  See difference now?  Blink twice mean yes."
	Ukyo blinked twice.
	"Shampoo send serving girl-boy up to help you.  You be fine in one half 
hour, then we practice more."
	Ukyo wanted to scream.  Unfortunately, her jaw was frozen shut and her
vocal chords were unresponsive.
	

*-*-*-*

	Ryoga stood at attention, the tent he had pitched was slowly attracting
a percentage of St. Hebereke's all-female population.  Some of them looked
feverish as they eyed the strange boy in the bandanna who stood sentry outside
their school.
	He waved at one of the girls heading into the building.  "Excuse me."
Several young women nearby fainted when he spoke.  The girl Ryoga had spoken to
turned to face him.
	 Ryoga thought.  "Is this St. Hebereke's Private School?"
	She nodded a little too quickly, her cheeks burning scarlet.
	Ryoga's excitement was getting the better of him, he didn't realize 
that his volume had increased, and he grabbed the girl roughly by the shoulders.  
He was practically screaming at the girl.  "And where is Kodachi Kuno?"
	At this, the girl fainted, and someone behind her spoke up.
	"Kodachi Kuno?  She transferred to Furinkan a few weeks ago."
	Other voices joined in.
	"Yeah, we held a party that lasted like four days."
	"The administration even let us bring boys!"
	Ryoga, crestfallen, gathered his belongings and trudged in a random
direction.  He knew where Furinkan was, but getting there would take time.
	In the days to come, many of St. Hebereke's student body would bemoan
 the disappearance of their handsome, wandering martial artist.

*-*-*-*

	Ranma held his breath and dove through the curtain of mist,
his foot colliding with Kuno's head as he passed through the smoke.
A few seconds later, and Kodachi found herself bound within her own ribbon,
hanging from the cieling of the Kuno family dojo.
	Kicking Kuno's unconscious form lightly in the ribs, Ranma
smirked at the fallen kendoist.  "I don't lose."
	"Of course not, Ranma-sama," Kodachi stated from her inverted
position.  "At least, you don't lose the second time."
	Standing in front of her suspended form, Ranma was a little
unnerved by Kodachi's calm demeanor.  "Do you yield?"
	The gymnast's head moved down and up to indicate an affirmative.
Ranma laughed a little too loudly, scratching the back of his head.  "Maybe
I should leave you like this, you're easier to deal with."
	Then she struck like a trapdoor spider, scissoring her legs 
and capturing his head between her thighs. Twisting on the axis provided 
by her ribbon, Kodachi reoriented herself to an upright position, with 
Ranma's head  underneath her.  The action of ensnaring her beloved caused 
the ribbon to wrap tighter around her body, and as a result the two were 
now suspended a few feet above the ground.  Ranma bent backward with 
his toes barely scraping the wooden floor.
	"Now, Ranma-sama, I must insist that you let me down from
this rather humiliating situation.  Do you concur?"
	The pig-tailed boy was in no position to respond, and in point
of fact did not want to think about what position he was in at the moment.
	"A simple manual indication would suffice," the gymnast muttered.
	Ranma's left hand made an 'okay' gesture and Kodachi relaxed
her hold, allowing gravity to roll her back into the upside-down
position.  Ranma's face was redder than his shirt as he stared at the
extraordinarily calm girl in front of him.
	"Ranma-sama. Now."  The tinge of iron in her voice promised pain
should he fail to comply.  Ranma quietly unwrapped her, noting that the 
haft of the ribbon, which he had locked behind her back, was still clutched
firmly in her fist.  She gently fell into his arms as he finished unbinding
her, and he found himself in a sitting position with the nubile young
gymnast reclining on his lap.
	Ranma's voice still refused to function, somehow Kodachi kept
putting him off balance, she kept getting the better of him. He hated how
much fun that was. She laughed at the look on his face, her beautiful, 
terrible laugh, the one that rippled through her entire body.
	"You are embarassed by my actions, Ranma-sama?"  Between giggles 
she managed to eke out the sentence. He nodded, still unable to speak or 
form a coherent train of thought.  "I must confess, Ranma-sama, that I 
found it both enjoyable and stimulating.  If this behavior continues I may 
call upon you to quell my rampaging libido."
	While he managed, with some difficulty, to find his voice, he still
stuttered during his response.  "Uh, Kodachi..."
	She leered at him.
	"...what's a libido?"

*-*-*-*

	"No, you idiot, THAT way!"

*-*-*-*

	"Oh, how nice."
	Nodoka carefully peeled back the small wax rose that had sealed the
envelope in her hands.  
	Kasumi stood nearby, having already repaired the wall and disposed of 
the arrow that had carried the message.
	"What is it, Auntie?"
	"Kodachi-chan has invited myself, Ranma, and Ranma's father to
dine at her home this evening with her family."
	"Oh, how nice."
	Nodoka nodded.
	"You aren't actually thinking about going, are you?"  The middle
Tendo daughter made her presence known.  "I mean, I deal with Kunos on a
regular basis, and even I'm a little leery of actually visiting their
home turf."  Nabiki stepped down from the stairs into Nodoka's line of sight.
"It's just not the safest place, and I have this allergy to physical pain.
Gives me hives."
	"Oh yes," Soun said from his seat at the table.  "The legendary
Kuno mansion, its true horror has always been shrouded in mystery.
It is said that endless fields of cunning and deadly traps crowd its
corridors, and that none who enter it are ever seen again." Smoke
billowed dramatically from his nostrils as he finished speaking.
	"But Kodachi-chan lives there, as does that young Tatewaki
boy, and they both seem to do very well."
	"Only those whose minds are as twisted as its fabled
halls can survive the Kuno mansion's insidious..."
	"Soun, that's enough."
	"Of course, Nodoka-san."
	A mental inventory of what she would be needing began to form in Nodoka's 
mind.  Formal kimonos, for herself, Ranma, and Genma, they would need to look
their best, and perhaps it would behoove them to bring some sort of gift
for the Kunos.
	"Kasumi, I may need your help in this.  I have never attended a 
marriage meeting before."  A spray of tea drenched Nodoka, who directed
a stony look at Soun to find the older man's face a ghastly mask of shock.  
The Saotome matriarch returned her gaze to Kasumi and continued her 
elaborate planning.

*-*-*-*

	"Genma, my old friend, we must put a stop to this."
	Nodoka had taken Kasumi and headed out to the market, while Nabiki
had finally decided on attending school that day.  This left the two disciples 
of Happosai alone in the house with their thoughts and each other.
	Plotting was destined to occur.
	"That young gymnast has the unmeasured wealth of the Kuno clan
behind her, and it would seem she has begun to curry favor with your wife.
If we are to secure the joining of the Tendo and Saotome schools we must put
a stop to this now while there is still time."
	The panda sitting across from him could only raise signs in response.
	'You have my full support, Tendo.'
	Soun nodded in understanding, and a plan began to form.
	'Unmeasured wealth, you say?'

*-*-*-*

	Flight, the freedom from gravity and the other laws of nature.
Kodachi Kuno felt it, as she and her ribbon slung their way above and through 
Nerima.  Today she would be free. No school, no learning, no duty, no fighting, 
and no limitations.  There had been a brief stop to deliver her message to 
Nodoka, but other than that there were no distractions, and no enemies, here.
	Enemies.  The Tendo girl was first among them.  How she had
ensnared Ranma so thoroughly was not understandable.  The mere thought of the 
girl seeing her with Ranma had nearly driven her beloved away.  Was it a 
question of proximity?  They shared the same house and were forced toward each 
other with reckless abandon by the ones they called father.  If it were only
that, then her transfer to Furinkan had surely been well advised, as she
could now see him at any moment, and had spent considerable time with him
since.  The Chef and the Amazon were a different matter, not as near to
him as the first, but still close.
	Bounding from roof to roof was fine and practical, but flying this way
was necessary from time to time, if only for the relaxation it provided.  She 
looped around a large broadcast antenna, using the motion of her body to 
build momentum until, with a shift of her grip, her ribbon released its 
hold on the metal frame.  She hurtled through the sky unchecked, somersaulting 
perfectly.  The seemingly infinite length of her streamer struck out like a
rattlesnake, ensnaring a flagpole.
	All three of her enemies had bonds of honor with which to hold him, 
whereas she had none.  None, that is, unless tonight went as planned.  Then 
again, perhaps enemies was not the proper term.  They had fought together 
more often than they had fought each other.  Rivals would be a better expression.  
She recalled Ukyo saying something similar long ago.  Nodoka did not seem to 
want them fighting each other at any rate, not physically.  Then again, 
Nodoka would have been happiest if they would all share Ranma equally.
	Running upright along the side of an apartment complex, she leapt
as she reached the building's corner and her weapon loosed its hold at the
same time.  Tumbling in freefall, using the latch on a nearby window to
change direction, she soared out over the park.  The Black Rose flew
low to the ground, using the trees and their branches as anchors to
keep her body aloft.
	No, sharing was not the way of a Kuno, she would have Ranma to herself 
or she would not have him at all.  Streaming black flower petals, and gathering 
speed with a kick of her feet, she took to the skies once again.  Her laughter 
filtering down through the air and into the streets of the city.

*-*-*-*

	Strolling across the yard of Furinkan, Akane approached her wayward
fiancee.  It had taken longer than she would've thought to work up the
courage to speak to him, but she felt it important that she not rush this.
If she did, she ran the risk of acting without thinking, and rushing to
judgement was part of what had gotten her here.
	"Ranma?"
	He looked up at the sound of her voice.  "Hey Akane."
	She sat next to him, under the same tree where he sat eating his 
lunch, and for a while only silence passed between the two.  They fidgeted, as 
nervous people often do, and each found themselves unable to look at the other.
	"Did you get my note?"
	"Yeah."
	"You didn't come home last night."
	"I didn't see it 'til I woke up."
	With a soft 'oh' Akane retreated into herself briefly, eyeing her 
fiancee with uncertainty.  She weighed her actions, attempting to determine
the safest among them.  Mentioning Kodachi wouuld just make her mad,
even thinking about her was doing so, and if she got mad who knew what
Ranma might do.
	"I'm sorry, Ranma, for telling you to leave like that."
	"It's okay, you were just pissed off."
	"So will you be coming home tonight?  Back to the Dojo?"  She tried,
oh how she tried, to keep that hopeful note out of her voice.  The word
please also attempted to work its way onto the end of her questions, but
she managed to keep the impulse in check.
	Ranma just looked at her.
	"I'll think about it."
	The remainder of lunch they spent in silence, Akane was pleasantly 
surprised that noone had shown up to ruin the moment.  Then again, the
Kunos and Ukyo were apparently not in class today.  It was amazing how much
easier their absence made a simple conversation.

*-*-*-*

	Nabiki's critical eye examined every inch of Akane's face as the two
walked home together.  It had been a long time since they had done so.  There
had never been a stated arrangement, of course, but it had always been understood
that Akane walked home with Ranma.  It was simply the way of things.
	"So, did you see him at lunch?"
	Akane didn't respond, she continued to stare straight ahead, even her 
pace remained unchanged.  The subject of Kodachi's invitation had not yet been
breached, and the internal debate Nabiki was having with herself was currently
leaning toward saying nothing at all.  Let Akane find out in her own time, and
at the very least Nabiki would not be at the center of the hurricane.
	"Is he coming home?"
	Still no response.  They both studiously avoided looking at the fence.
Nabiki didn't know what sort of emotions she would have to conceal if she did,
and Akane was fairly certain she would cry if she so much as glanced at it.

*-*-*-*

	Chaos reigned at the Tendo household, though for different reasons
than usual.  There was no savage combat to be waged, no challenges were
being answered, and no new fiancees had arrived for anyone.  This did not
change the fact that Nodoka Saotome was nervous.  Forcing her husband into
formal attire had proven pointless, as he tended to expand and rend his clothes 
to pieces with the application of a little cold water.  If she didn't know
better, she'd swear he was doing it on purpose.
	'It would seem we are unable to attend, I humbly extend my apologies 
to the noble and exceedingly wealthy Kuno family.'
	"You don't humbly do anything, Pop."
	In the entryway, Nabiki saw Akane's face light up with an
almost physical happiness.
	
	Knowing what her sister was about to discover, Nabiki left the room.
She would be there when Akane needed her later, but right now her only desire
was to reach minimum safe distance.
	The living room was a shambles when Akane entered, with small puddles
of water staining the floorboards.  Some from random spills, and the rest from
her father's tears.  A large panda in what had once resembled a formal kimono was 
sitting quietly sipping tea, while Ranma held his mother in his arms and
nimbly dodged away from an attempted splash by Soun.
	"Soun, this is most improper, we were invited to dine with them
and it would be rude of us to refuse."  Nodoka squawked and swung her legs
away from another torrent of water.
	"Ranma, if you do this, you break my daughter's heart."
	"Excuse me?"
	All eyes flowed toward Akane's surprised form in the doorway, except
for the panda who wasn't paying attention.  "What's going on?"
	Soun attached himself to his daughter's leg, his bawling starting
anew.  "Akane, Ranma and Nodoka are going to marry him off to that awful
Kodachi person.  Now the schools will never be joined."
	"Wait, what?"
	Ranma and his mother seemed as surprised as Akane at her father's
proclamation.  "I ain't marryin' nobody!"
	The pig-tailed boy's defensive response seemed to rouse Soun
from his tears.  the full force of his demon head was unleashed onto the
young man he wanted as a son-in-law.  "You will marry Akane and carry
on the school!"
	Ranma began to cower, as he had always done when confronted with
the surprisingly intimidating form of Soun's anger, but then something happened.
Something that neither Ranma, Akane, Genma, or Soun had anticipated.
	Nodoka stood her ground.
	Releasing herself from her son's grip, and settling lightly onto
her slippered feet.  Nodoka Saotome confronted the overbearing visage of
Soun Tendo and did not relent.
	"Tendo-san," she said simply. "Stop this at once."
	And he did.  More out of confusion at being so handily reprimanded,
than any sense of shame regarding his actions.  He was in the right,
and had every right to enforce his will in the matter.
	Nodoka turned to the youngest Tendo.  "Akane-chan, Ranma and I
will be having a formal dinner with the Kunos tonight.  Unfortunately,
it would seem that Genma does not desire to attend, so I would ask that
you make certain he and your father do not interfere in this. I would not
take kindly to such actions from anyone, let alone my husband."  She
emphasized the word 'anyone' as she locked her gaze to Akane's.
	The Saotome matriarch moved up the stairs to the room she shared 
with Genma. "Now, I must fetch Ranma's formal attire.  I hope your father
and my husband will have recovered themselves by the time I return."
	As Nodoka left the room, Akane attempted to reconcile her new 
information.  Approaching Ranma, she pulled him into the kitchen, ignoring 
the sobbing form of her father.  Leaning back against a counter, she eyed
her fiancee, and tried to find words.
	"You're going to eat with Kodachi and her family tonight?"
	Ranma nodded.  "Mom got an invitation, and she kind of wants to, so
I guess I have to."
	"Do You want to, Ranma?"
	He sighed, and to Akane's eyes he resembled Atlas, carrying the
weight of the sky for eternity.  "Since when did anybody care what I want?"
	"I care," she said, soft enough to be heard.
	He kind of half-smiled at her then, and she saw her reflection in
his eyes.  When she smiled back, the two shared a moment of peace, and
the insanity clouding the rest of the house was forgotten.
	"Ranma, will you come back home when its over?  Please?"  She didn't
try to keep the hope out of her voice this time.  The tears though, she
resisted.
	"I don't know, Akane."  He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully.  The
Tendo Dojo was his home at the moment, whether he felt wanted there or not.
At the same time, the last few weeks had completely altered the way he
felt about some of the people in his life.  If things could change that
quickly then who was to say they could keep changing?
	"If..." she choked on her voice a moment.  "If it means you'll come
back, I promise, I won't hit you anymore.  I promise."  She laughed
a little, her voice cracking.  "Except when you deserve it."
	Through the door, Nodoka's voice called for Ranma to get ready.
	Ranma locked eyes with his fiancee.  "I'd like that, Akane."

*-*-*-*

	Nodoka checked her appearance one final time, adjusting her
kimono and the ever-present bundle on her back.  On a whim, she grabbed
the small black rose that Kodachi had gifted her with at the marketplace.
	Tucking the flower into her hair, the Saotome matriarch
proceeded to gather her son and exit the Tendo home.  Soun's loud
sobbing was relegated to simple white noise, and Genma's loud dining
was ignored.
	Watching the mother and son depart, Akane found herself in the
company of her two older sisters, standing on the front porch as the
two Saotomes passed through the gate.
	"I wonder what they're going to talk about at dinner?"  Kasumi
didn't sound worried, merely curious.  The slightest note of prodding
was also there, directed at her sisters, and Akane caught it.
	"Nabiki," the youngest began.  "Can you call the Nekohanten?"
	"On it."

*-*-*-*

	Softly, her padded feet touched down onto the roof tiles,
the feline body made no sound upon landing.  The small pink cat that was 
Shampoo had only been to the Kuno mansion once, but a quick briefing from 
Nabiki had given her enough information that she was certain she could
safely navigate the cavernous estate.  Konatsu, her companion in stealth 
at Ukyo's behest, moved, if such a thing were possible, with less sound than 
the Amazon herself.
	"Remember Ukyo-sama's words, Shampoo-san.  No noise, stay to the
rooftops and rafters, and above all else, you must not be seen.  The
alarms in this place are sensitive enough to detect even me, not to mention 
Ranma-san's ability to sense my presence, so you must go alone.  I will 
return to this spot and retrieve you when Ranma-san and his family have gone, 
the cameras do not sweep here.  Do not touch the ground if it can be avoided."
	Konatsu's words met only empty air as the small feline bolted along
the spine of the rooftop.  A second later, both the kunoichi and the kitty
were no longer visible.

*-*-*-*

	Obtaining access to the wooden rafters of the mansion proved
simple, and now that she was there, Shampoo could tell she was able
to roam freely across the entire estate.
	
	She crouched, an odd sight for a cat, and waited for some 
indicator as to her destination.  Her first priority was to glean
as much knowledge of the meeting as possible.  Her second priority 
was sabotage.  There, the sound of the door opening, and Kuno spouting
his usual rhetoric.  From Akane's request, it had sounded as though
only Ranma and his mother would be joining the Kunos for the occasion.
As for the Kuno's father, there had been no word as to his whereabouts,
though it was assumed by most that he slept on the school grounds.
	Shampoo became a pink blur, her claws digging into the wooden
supports of the manor as she tore along in quest of Ranma.  In this form,
she could not approach him directly, but she would have some measure of 
influence on how his mother took this meeting.  Under normal circumstances, 
she would have broken a wall or six and disrupted things in a more
straightforward fashion, but Ukyo and Akane seemed convinced that
Kodachi had become a genuine threat.  Breaking down a load-bearing structure 
and latching onto Ranma would not serve to separate he or his mother from 
the gymnast, and that was her ultimate objective.  It was not an
issue of preventing feelings from emerging in the first place, it
was now a matter of removing or overwriting whatever feelings were 
already there.
	Or, if that proved impossible, crushing Kodachi's skull with a 
hammer and making it look like an accident.
	The wealthy girl appeared then, flowing along the carpet
underneath in a kimono that could be described as expensive if you 
possessed a gift for understatement.  Her brother stood nearby.  Whether 
he was angry or pensive Shampoo could not be certain, it looked more 
like he needed to go to the bathroom.
	Nodoka and Ranma appeared then, both looking dignified in their
formal attire.  Had Shampoo been human at that moment, the urge to leap 
down upon the pig-tailed boy and ravish him might have overwhelmed her.
He was just so cute when he was all dressed up.  Instead, however,
she followed along overhead.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi led Ranma soundlessly through the maze of corridors, the
silence almost comforting in a way.  Behind them, Nodoka followed with the
elder Kuno sibling.  Ranma could hear Kuno rambling on about whatever
delusion was currently occupying the kendoist's time, and he would've
been continue to rant all through dinner, if Nodoka hadn't brought up her
own skill level.
	"A vibrant and pulchritudinous madam such as yourself not versed
in the ways of combat and the sword?  I will not allow it!  To the dojo!"
	As Kuno ran past, dragging Nodoka by the hand, Kodachi gripped him 
fiercely by the shoulder.
	"Mother, if you would hold your breath for a moment?"
	Nodoka obliged, and a quiet poof of dust erupted into Tatewaki
Kuno's face, locking him in position.  The Saotome matriarch looked
somewhat bewildered by this turn of events.
	"Was that entirely necessary, Kodachi-chan?"
	"He will recover quickly enough, Mother.  The dining room is 
this way."  Kodachi bowed and waved her hand toward a large set of
double doors, which seemed to open of their own accord.
	High above, Shampoo watched the exchange with interest and 
no small amount of glee.  
	As the tiny pink cat made her way over the wall enclosing
the dining area, she silently thanked whatever idiot architect had
designed this place.  The dining room itself seemed to be cut from
a different cloth than the remainder of the mansion.  Whereas the 
majority of the estate could be described as very beautiful and very cold,
Kodachi seemed to have gone to great lengths to create a feeling
of warmth and welcome in the dining area.  Candles lined the table
and walls, placed to emit as much light as possible, granting the
entire room a warm amber glow.
	If it weren't for the vases with black roses in them, it
would have looked almost homey.
	Sneaking into a position high above the table, Shampoo
sat down and began to wait, patiently absorbing as much of the
conversation below as she was able.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi's manner was impeccable, and as she served and
produced the food they were all enjoying, she seemed every inch
the refined Japanese housewife.  Ranma looked across the exceptionally
long dinner table and was surprised to see how well his mother and his
would-be fiancee mirrored each other.  Kodachi was trying so hard
to be dainty and traditional in front of Nodoka that it was kind of
disturbing to him.  That wasn't who she was.
	"The meal is most impressive, Kodachi-chan, though I wonder
if your brother will be joining us soon.  It wouldn't do for him
to go hungry."
	Kodachi waved her hand dismissively, sipping from her teacup.  
"Do not worry Mother, he will be along shortly."
	As if on cue, the large doubledoors opened to admit one
Tatewaki Kuno, looking none the worse for wear after his paralytic
encounter in the hallway.  Silently glaring at both Ranma and Kodachi
he sat at the table, his expression unchanging as he began to eat.
	"Now then, brother dear, are you prepared to be civil to
our guests?  If not, Midorigame would certainly enjoy your company."
	Nodoka seemed to be intrigued by Kodachi's comment.  "Oh, 
you have a pet turtle?  I've always felt you can tell much about
a person from their choice of pet."
	Tatewaki looked at the elder Saotome.  "He bites."
	"Brother dear, do not make me fetch the watermelons."
	Kodachi's brother blanched in fear. Nodoka looked at her son 
quizzically.  Ranma met her eyes with his own level gaze as he
chewed on some sukiyaki.  "Don't ask, Mom.  It's a long story."
	"If you will excuse me," Kodachi said, rising from her 
seated position.  "I must bring in the next course."
	Shampoo saw an opportunity, and dashed along the rafters,
well above the walls that made up the individual rooms, and made
her way to the kitchen.  The polite dinner conversation had nearly
bored her to tears anyway.
	Dropping into the kitchen proper, the pink Amazon cat took
note of the remaining portions of the meal that had not yet been
served.  Kodachi would be entering through the large swinging door,
quite probably vulnerable, but what to use?  The large pot filled with
a simmering liquid seemed the obvious choice.  Using her paws as best
she was able, Shampoo turned off the heat on the range, making it a
reasonably safe area to tread while covered in fur.  If there was one
thing she never wanted to experience a second time it was having her
feline coat set ablaze.
	
	The footsteps and the sound of Kodachi's kimono on the
carpeting were drawing closer.  Hurriedly, Shampoo used a large
rubber scraper and several vegetables to form a rudimentary catapult.
After the first step of her plan, she would be able to land here,
keeping Kodachi occupied as long as possible.
	
	Next she needed a noise, something loud enough to distract
the gymnast so that she could escape unseen, but not so terrifying
as to summon help.  Screaming in her own animal voice would prevent 
Ranma from coming in, but the other two were a different matter entirely.  
The large collection of serving spoons and ladles suspended from a rack 
above the counter looked promising.
	
	The small pink cat crouched in eager anticipation, the large
crockpot between herself and Kodachi's entrance.
	
	The door began to swing open, and as Kodachi made her appearance
Shampoo leapt toward the crockpot, knocking it over and splashing a wave
of whatever it was into the gymnast's eyes and on her kimono.  The loud 
shriek that the Black Rose emitted startle Shampoo's delicate ears, and 
with a loud feline yowl she bounced backward onto her vegetable trebuchet, 
flinging a few potatoes and at least one cucumber at the wealthy girl's head.
	As Kodachi recovered, Shampoo scrambled up the wall and back into
the rafters, causing a loud clatter as several utensils and pots fell from
their hooks with her passing.  As she moved back toward the dining room,
giggling as only a cat could, she knew she hadn't been seen.  All told,
it had taken less than thirty seconds.

*-*-*-*

	A loud clattering noise, a screech from Kodachi, and the
inhuman shriek of an angry feline, were the noises which made
their way to the Kuno Mansion's dining room.  All activity ceased as
the three people dining waited for the cacophany of sound to die out,
Ranma's chopsticks fell from nerveless fingers as the yowl reverberated
through the dining hall.  Even Kuno's diatribe about becoming Nodoka's 
sensei ground to a halt.
	Daintily dabbing at her mouth, the Saotome matriach rose and 
headed in the direction of the kitchen."I believe I shall ask Kodachi-chan 
if she needs any help."
	Kuno's eyes followed Nodoka's retreating form.  "Truly, she is
like an angel of Heaven, her kindness matched only by the beauty of her shape."
	Ranma punched Kuno in the head.
	"Stop hitting on my Mom!"

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi crawled along the tile floor of her kitchen, her violet eyes
flickering to the corners and shadows and probable hiding places, a large
and well-sharpened butcher's knife held in one hand.
	"Here kitty..."
	The swinging door which led to the dining room, as well as the floor 
in front of it, most of Kodachi's face, and nearly half of her exquisite kimono, 
were now drenched in the milky white goop that had been the main course of her 
banquet tonight.  However, she knew of a few chinese dishes which could be 
prepared in under twenty minutes if she possessed the proper ingredients.  
Unfortunately one of those ingredients appeared to have vanished, causing 
untold chaos as it did so.
	The door opened slightly, revealing Nodoka's concerned face as 
the older woman peered into the cooking area.
	"Kodachi-chan, is everything alright?"
	"Everything is well, Mother, return to the dining room!"
	Nodoka pushed the door a little farther inward, taking in the
chaotic appearance of the kitchen.  "Are you certain you do not need an
extra hand?"
	The gymnast's head popped up from behind the countertop island
that dominated the center of the kitchen, and she saw Nodoka's slippered
foot descending into the gleaming puddle that had once been a culinary
masterpiece.  Kodachi wanted to cry.
	A squawk emerged from Ranma's mother as her feet flew from 
underneath her, kicking the fallen crockpot and sending Nodoka to an
undignified landing on her rump.  The crockpot itself sailed across 
the kitchen and impacted the far cupboard, causing the last of its 
contents to spray onto the morose Kodachi.
	Nodoka attempted to stand, failing spectacularly, and was distressed 
to discover that her formal kimono was now covered in a delicious soupy substance.  
Opting not to try and stand again, she used her hands and knees to move herself 
across the floor, coming to a stop near Kodachi's shocked form.
	Falling back to rest against a cabinet, Kodachi looked toward the 
Saotome Matriarch, the picture of abject misery.  "Dinner was going so well..."
Her voice trailed off as she began to sob.
	Nodoka gathered the girl into her arms and allowed her to cry, making
soft shushing noises until the wracking sobs slowed.  Reaching up over her head
and grabbing a small washcloth, Nodoka held Kodachi by the shoulder and proceeded
to wipe the stew from her face.
	The wealthy girl resisted the urge to begin crying again.  "I wanted 
everything to be perfect for Ranma-sama."
	"Hush, Kodachi-chan, you have carrots in your hair."  Nodoka plucked the 
offending vegetables from the young woman's head.  "You tried your best, and
my Ranma-chan could never ask more from anyone than that.  Nor should he.
Any man would be blessed to have you as his wife, and any mother lucky to have
you as her daughter. Here, you gave this to me, but I believe it suits you."
	Smiling, Nodoka plucked the black rose from where she had been keeping 
it tucked behind her ear, and delicately wove it into the young woman's
horsetail style.
	A nervous look appeared in Kodachi's eyes as she glanced around the
kitchen.  Her gaze fell upon a small serving tray, remarkably undisturbed by the
chaos that had taken the rest of her plans.  she turned back to Nodoka with
anxious glee.  "Mother, may I have your permission?"
	Nodoka had followed Kodachi's focus around the room, and she
smiled brightly as she realized the intention of prospective daughter-in-law.
	"Of course you may, Kodachi-chan."

*-*-*-*

	Shampoo was bored.  Incredibly so. Unbelieveably so. Ranma's mother
should have screamed in horror at the state of Kodachi's kitchen and declared 
the gymnast an unworthy prospect by now.  That's what Shampoo's mother would 
have done if faced with such a disorderly household and a warrior who had been 
humilated in such an unseemly fashion.  Instead, the elder Saotome had 
disappeared into the kitchen some time ago and had not been seen since.  Ranma 
had spent the intervening time repeatedly knocking Tatewaki Kuno unconscious, 
and while it had entertained the small pink cat the first few times, it was 
gradually becoming less than amusing.
	  Below the pondering Shampoo, Ranma jumped up and down 
on Kuno's head.
	The emergence of Kodachi and Nodoka from the kitchen startled the pig-tailed
boy, who leapt to his original position at the long dining table.
	Shampoo looked at the two women, the younger of them seeming
cleaner and more put together than she should have, and the older positively
beaming at her son.  The serving tray the gymnast was carrying looked
suspicious for some reason, but Shampoo couldn't put her paw on exactly
why it made her nervous.
	
	"Ranma-sama, if you would follow me please.  Your mother has requested
that I speak to you alone regarding this matter."
	The boy in question tossed a questioning glance toward Nodoka.
"Uh, what about..."
	"Tatewaki will be fine, Ranma-chan.  I will permit him to show
me the dojo he spoke of earlier while you visit with Kodachi-chan."
	  Glancing back only briefly,
Ranma followed Kodachi deeper into the house, not seeing the pink shadow
in the rafters overhead.

*-*-*-*

	With the serving tray held in front of her, Kodachi slid open
the entrance to a small wooden structure away from the rest of the house.
Leading Ranma inside, there was a pleasant creaking as the door closed
behind him.
	"Welcome to our teahouse, Ranma-sama."
	Shampoo scurried over a small wire connecting the dojo-like 
structure that Kodachi and Ranma had entered to the rest of the house.
A small clicking noise and whistling sound were her only warning
as she avoided a salvo of arrows, leaping onto the roof of the teahouse.
	With careful use of her claws, the tiny pink cat scrambled through
an opening in the building's wall and made her way up to a wooden beam
that ran the length of the hut.  She was perplexed as Kodachi set the
serving tray down and motioned Ranma to sit across from her.
	  The brief image of Ranma in the furo that flashed through her
mind turned the pink cat red.  If it came down to it, her orders to remain 
unseen would be cast away in an instant, and either Ranma or Kodachi, 
probably Kodachi, would wake up without eyes.  Placidly, she observed the 
tea ceremony beneath her, with its symbolism and meaning a mystery.
	Of course, Shampoo wasn't the only one who didn't see the point.
Ranma's own experience with the tea ceremony was limited to seeing Akane
fail horribly at it once and then fighting a monkey with a ladle and some
napkins.  Watching Kodachi go through the motions of it, however, gave him
a decidedly different interpretation of events.
	There was a grace and fluidity to Kodachi's actions that was
almost hypnotic.  With great reverence she took a small cloth and 
wiped clean the various pieces that made up the Kuno formal tea set.
The use of the whisk, the order in which she cleaned items, even which
hand was used when holding the bowl, kettle, or utensil, all were 
catalogued by Ranma's eyes.  It was a ritual, he knew, even if this was
his first attempt at the non-violent version.
	Carefully, Kodachi held the bowl in one hand and with the other 
turned it to face Ranma. She placed the brimming bowl in front of him..
and waited.  Picking up the bowl, the pig-tailed boy clasped it in both
hands, rotated it away from him, and ceremoniously drank its contents.
Placing the bowl down in the same place Kodachi had done so.
	She smiled at him then, a look of such serene happiness as he
had never seen on the gymnast's face.  It was like the sun coming out
for the first time.  Ranma blushed and just stared at Kodachi as she
began to ritually clean and replace the various pieces from the tea
service.  As she stood, with Ranma following suit a few moments later,
Kodachi leaned forward and kissed the pig-tailed boy on the cheek.  
	High above, and unseen by both of them, Shampoo gave Ranma 
a glare that could douse the sun. The glare she directed at Kodachi 
was only slightly colder.
	"Come, Ranma-sama, let us see how your Mother has fared under
Tatewaki's tutelage."
	Shampoo trailed the couple from above as they moved back
through the corridors of the mansion.
	  The conviction that Kodachi was absolutely wrong
for, and in no way deserving of, Ranma was reaffirmed in Shampoo's
mind.  Of course, the same was true of Akane and Ukyo, but as long 
as they were working with her to shatter whatever relationship he 
had formed with the gymnast she wasn't about to bring it up.

*-*-*-*

	As Ranma and Kodachi approached the Kuno dojo, they were
startled to see Tatewaki Kuno walk past them.  The stiffness of 
his stride, and the torn gi that he wore, betrayed his injured 
state.  He stopped next to Ranma, looking beyond the pig-tailed 
boy as he spoke.
	"Saotome, you have demonstrated consternation that I may,
in some way, be of a romantic bent toward your mother?"
	"I don't want you hitting on her, if that's what you mean."
	"You may rest assured that such a thing will never, ever
occur.  If you and my twisted sister will excuse me, I must see
to obtaining bandages."
	"Brother dear, are you well?"
	"Ever," he said, continuing to walk.
	"Kuno?"
	"Ever."

*-*-*-*

	Nodoka sat calmly in the center of the dojo, enjoying a small
cup of tea that she had procured somehow, when Ranma and Kodachi
entered.  The two women locked eyes and Kodachi nodded almost imperceptibly,
a large smile threatening to split her face in two.  Nodoka's grin
nearly matched it.
	The exchange between the two was lost on Ranma.  "Mom?  What
happened with Kuno?"
	Ranma's mother assumed a thoughtful pose.  "I am not entirely
sure, Ranma-chan."  Nodoka clapped her hands together as she moved toward 
the pair.  "But that's not important right now.  There's one more small 
ceremony left for tonight."  The older woman shooed the couple out of the 
dojo, silently shoving them back toward the dining room.
	Silently moving overhead, Shampoo followed along to the best of
her ability.  Unfortunately, as she moved across the rooftop of the dojo
another soft clicking noise came to her ears.  A heavy iron bolo flew
through the air toward the small pink cat. Leaping away from the flying
chain, Shampoo rolled her eyes as she heard another trap spring behind
her.  

*-*-*-*

	Following Nodoka into the dining room, Kodachi directed a
furtive glance up toward the rafters as she heard several of the mansion's
traps activate.  Perhaps that annoying feline that ruined dinner
would get what was coming to it after all.
	"Come, come, there is one more step to be taken."  Nodoka motioned
the two of them to the dining table.  Ranma, still somewhat dumbfounded,
did not react as his mother sat him at one side of the table.  Kodachi,
still somewhat distracted, behaved much the same way.
	Two small cups were placed on the table between the two, which
Nodoka proceeded to fill with rice wine.  She pushed one of the cups
toward Ranma, and the other to Kodachi, who grasped them and looked
expectantly at the Saotome matriarch.
	"Now, trade glasses, link arms, and drink."
	Ranma hesistated as the alcohol neared his lips, sparing a 
questioning glance toward his mother.
	"It is tradition, Ranma-chan."  Nodoka clapped her hands in
glee as the couple did as they were told.  Grasping each of them by
the shoulder, Nodoka bowed her head as she spoke the next sentence.
	"Ranma-chan, permit me to introduce Kodachi Kuno.  Your newest
official fiancee."
	With his mother erupting into joyous laughter strangely similar
to Kodachi's own, Ranma nearly choked on his sake.

*-*-*-*

	While Ranma and Kodachi were undergoing their engagement
ritual, under the watchful eyes of Nodoka, Shampoo was doing
everything in her considerable power to stay alive.  When she 
finally reached the dining room, she was soaking wet, slightly singed, 
more than a little angry at the family Kuno, and she had just missed 
Nodoka's declaration.
	Unaware of this latest development, she catalogued what
she saw on the dining table, along with Ranma's surprised and
stricken expression, and continued to observe.  The cat's eyes
narrowed at the apparent closeness of Kodachi and Nodoka, the
two were even starting to act alike.
	At least it looked like the Saotome's were preparing
to leave, which meant Shampoo's job was nearly done. 
	Shampoo's eyes widened at the simplicity of the notion,
all she had to figure out was how to spring a few of the mansion's
more elaborate devices without being seen herself.
	Following along overhead, the cat's eyes penetrated the 
darkness of the rafters and looked for switches and tripwires.
Setting off one of the simpler traps, Shampoo rolled away 
from the falling cage, using her head to knock it off target.
The tiny wooden box flew inexorably toward its purpose, the tiny
switch that would activate one of larger ground-based traps.
	Ranma directed a glare at the pony-tailed girl next to
him as he followed his mother toward the front gate.
	"You tricked me, 'Dachi."
	Meeting his gaze, the wealthy girl did her best to keep
her voice below Nodoka's awareness.  "I did no such thing, Ranma-sama,
this was entirely your mother's idea.  If I am to contend for your
affections she felt it best I do so as an official fiancee, rather
than run about like some love-starved strumpet."
	"You ain't a scone, and you still didn't tell me what was
going on until it already happened."
	"What would have changed had I done so?"
	"I mighta said no."
	Kodachi stopped walking.
	A few steps later, both Ranma and Nodoka turned to look at
the gymnast, questions in their eyes.
	"Ranma-sama, do you really mean that?"
	The pigtailed boy turned a brilliant shade of red, his
mouth opening and closing several times, but emitting no sound.
Behind him, Nodoka spoke up.
	"Kodachi-chan is something the matter?  Oh dear, Ranma-chan,
you don't regret this engagement do you?"  Worriedly, the matriarch
took a step toward her son, putting a hand on his shoulder.
	"That ain't it at all!"
	"Oh, excellent, I knew this was the right thing to do.  After
all, you are Manly enough to handle so many girls, aren't you?"
	A soft click reached Kodachi's ears, and she and Ranma stared
in amazement as a large broadsword swept the the space Nodoka had
previously occupied.  The elder Saotome glanced around, looking for the
source of the sudden gust of wind that had disturbed her hair. "How odd."
	Ranma looked at the horrified Kodachi.
	"I thought I had disabled all the traps in the main hall," she
whispered to him.  "Follow me, closely, I will need your help in case
something goes wrong."
	She raised her voice to normal volume as she stepped in front
of Nodoka, bowing low.  "Mother Saotome, if you would follow me, I believe 
it is my duty to escort you to the entrance.  I can also point out some
of the more significant facets of the Mansion itself, you may well
find them fascinating."
	As they walked through the corridor, the sound of another machine
activating reached Kodachi and Ranma simultaneously.  "Arrows, from behind,
be careful of the tips, Ranma-sama," the wealthy girl whispered to her 
companion.  Taking Nodoka's arm, Kodachi turned her away from the incoming
missiles, expounding on the tapestry on the wall which dated from the
Tokugawa period.  Mentally, Ranma swore as he caught and discarded the 
deadly bolts directed at Kodachi and his mother.
	The trio continued walking, until another activation alerted
Kodachi.  "Distract her," she muttered to her new fiancee.  Ranma called
out that he'd seen a hundred yen coin on the ground, causing Nodoka
to kneel down, and allowing the ballista ammunition to sail harmlessly
overhead.  Kodachi's ribbon, with judicious use of the object's own inertia
redirected the enormous missile through an open doorway and into the night sky.
When it finally fell to Earth, it punctured a water main, triggering Ryoga's
transformation and causing the lost boy to curse the names of Ranma Saotome
and Kodachi Kuno once again.
	"What was that?"  Nodoka asked as she straightened herself.
	"What was what?"
	Shampoo swore in her own feline voice as Kodachi defeated another
of the mansion's snares. Ahead of her, near the entrance, she spotted the last
available trap she could use before they reached the entrance.  The large
iron weight was suspended from the cieling by a thick cord of rope, and the
tiny pink cat leapt upon the strand, biting and clawing at the hemp.  By
not triggering the trap the normal way she might be able to get the drop
on Kodachi.  She gave a feline chuckle at her own internal pun.
	At the entrance to the mansion, Nodoka knelt down to examine the
planters filled with black roses that lined either side of the hall.  As
the large iron block began to fall, Ranma and Kodachi chanced to look up
and see it falling.  Both reacted, moving to catch the weight, and wound
up supporting it from either side, suspending its tonnage over Nodoka's
kneeling form.  The newly engaged couple felt their knees buckling under 
the density of the trap.
	Kodachi gestured with her head, indicating a direction.  "On three,
Ranma-sama?"  Her voice remained quiet so as not to alarm Nodoka.
	Ranma nodded.  "One."
	"Two," Kodachi mouthed.
	The pigtailed boy tensed for the final push.
	"Three," they said simultaneously, heaving the massive threat
away from Ranma's mother.  Unfortunately, their momentum carried them
into a tumble and the two wound up tangled together on the floor.  Trying
to maneuver, Ranma felt his arms go around Kodachi's feminine frame, and
her own searching hands lock behind his back.
	Nodoka cleared her throat.  "You should at least wait until
I am away from the room, Ranma-chan." She sighed heavily, "So manly."
	Blushing horridly, he extracted himself from Kodachi's grip and
stood at attention.  Shampoo just glared at the couple from her perch high
above though, as she moved back toward the spot where she was to meet Konatsu,
she mentally vowed that Ranma would pay for his actions tonight.

*-*-*-*

	Standing outside the gate, Nodoka and Ranma said their goodbyes,
with Nodoka offering a brief apology and hopes that Tatewaki would
feel better soon.
	Ranma scratched the back of his head, nervous at the intensity of 
Kodachi's gaze, and mindful of his mother being so nearby.  "Heh, I guess
we made a pretty good team back there, for a little bit anyway.  Living
in your house is probably better training than being on the road with 
pop."  He laughed, a little too loudly for his own good.
	Wrapping her arms around him, Kodachi sighed as she sank her
head against his shoulder.  Ranma's mind stopped functioning.
	"Thank you, Ranma-sama."
	His face burning, Ranma exchanged a glance with his mother,
who simply smiled brightly and made an encouraging motion.  A rather
graphic encouraging motion.  The pig-tailed boy turned would have 
turned a brighter shade of red if such a thing were possible.
	"C'mon, what're you thanking me for, I didn't do nothing."
	Releasing her grip, Kodachi smiled sweetly as she stepped
backward over the threshhold to her house.
	"You do not run from me anymore, Ranma-sama."
	The gate closed, hiding Kodachi from view, and as he walked back
to the Tendo Dojo with his mother, Ranma considered the wealthy girl's
words.
	Nearly skipping as she entered her home, Kodachi laughed and
laughed and laughed.

*-*-*-*

	Hot water cascaded down Shampoo's body as she turned human
again.  Ukyo threw a pile of clothes at the naked Amazon while Akane
looked away, embarassed by the purple-haired girl's lack of modesty.
	"So spill already," Ukyo demanded.  She and Akane had been 
sitting in the Tendo living room drinking tea for the better part of
two hours waiting for Shampoo to come back from the Kuno mansion.
Both were decidedly antsy, though only the chef really showed it.
	"Not much happen, really.  Rose girl make dinner, she and Ranma
drink tea while Ranma's mother beat up sword boy, they leave."  As she
related a more detailed account of what she had witnessed, Shampoo
conveniently omitted some of the more embarassing parts of her espionage
adventure, as well as any of her more direct attempts to intervene or
sabotage the evening.
	"Dinner and tea ceremony, hmm?  Doesn't sound too bad."  Nabiki
lounged against the doorframe.
	Akane looked pensive, Ranma and Nodoka should be coming through
the door at any moment.  
	The youngest Tendo turned to her companions.  "Shampoo, are you
sure you didn't forget anything?"
	The Amazon maiden seemed about to speak, but at that point the door
to the Tendo home burst inward, admitting Nodoka Saotome along with the 
confused and blushing form of her son.  Kasumi greeted them at the door 
with her usual cheerful manner, and was surprised that it was not returned 
by the young Saotome.  Ranma looked at the eldest Tendo daughter, and glanced 
at the four women currently occupying the living room, before shuddering 
slightly and stumbling off to the dojo.
	Kasumi spoke to Nodoka first.  "Is something wrong with Ranma?"
	The grin refused to leave Nodoka's face as she made her way up
the stairs to the room she shared with her husband.  "Ranma-chan has just
had an exciting night, I am sure.  After all, he and Kodachi-chan are now
officially engaged."  The door closed behind her, leaving only silence
in the Tendo household.
	"Oh my," Nabiki said, as Kasumi seemed to be at a loss for words.
	"Oh yes, forget that.  Airen and Rose Girl have ceremony with sake 
and Airen's mother. I not hear what Ranma mother say after that.  Too many 
traps at mansion.  Airen not look happy though."
	The blue glow around Ukyo and Akane threatened to set the dinner 
table aflame.
	"You..."
	"...Forgot?"
	Shampoo assumed a threatening stance.  "You two want fight Shampoo,
or get rid of Rose Girl?  No can do both."
	Akane relented, and fell to a sitting position next to the table.
"She's right, Ukyo, fighting will just make things worse.  We need to work
together if we're going to put a stop to this."
	Ukyo feinted a swing at Shampoo, but the Amazon didn't flinch.
"Fine, so we work together, but we need a plan.  What would Ranma do in a
situation like this?"
	Nabiki laughed harshly as she joined the conversation.  "Knowing
Saotome he'd put on some stupid disguise and act like a jilted fiancee."
	A laugh came from the gathered women as they remembered the multiple
instances where he had done precisely that.  Akane, however, was not
entirely convinced.  "But somehow I don't see that working on him, he has 
plenty of fiancees already, myself included, and finding a boy who would 
pretend to be Kodachi's fiancee is even more unlikely."
	Shampoo's eyes widened slightly, an idea forming. "What about 
someone who look like boy?"
	"Feh, who could possibly pull that off?"  Ukyo adjusted her
bandolier and the okonomiyaki vendor's outfit she was wearing.
	Nabiki looked at Ukyo.
	Akane looked at Ukyo.
	Shampoo looked at Ukyo.
	Realization came to the okonomiyaki chef.
	"Oh no.  Oh hell no.  Not in a million years."

*-*-*-*

	"Remind me again how you talked me into this?"  Ukyo tugged at
the uncomfortable tuxedo she was wrapped in, she would've reached for her
bandolier if she'd been wearing it.  Kasumi silently adjusted the outfit,
a small compliment of pins in her mouth, as the other fiancees looked on.
	Laughing lightly, the middle Tendo daughter shook her head.  
"Honestly, I'm not sure either, but it doesn't matter, let's go over it 
one more time."  Nabiki ticked off information on her fingers.
	"Name and martial art?"
	"Shima Konju, of the Konju school of Ditch-Digging Martial Arts.
Kodachi Kuno and I were engaged by our parents when we were eight and I've
spent the last nine years perfecting my art or some such crap."
	"Why ditch-digging?" Akane asked.
	"Let spatula girl use weapons if necessary, fight may start after
Airen dump Rose Girl."
	"A shovel is not the same as a spatula," the young crossdressing
woman protested.  "I won't have to fight Ranchan will I?"
	Nabiki tied a loose cloak around Ukyo's shoulders. "If you have 
to fight anybody, it will probably be Kuno and his dad, but that should 
be it, why?"
	"Because Ranchan has a tendency to fight for his fiancees, even
the ones he doesn't want, and to be perfectly honest he kicked the crap
out of me the last time."  She glanced at her attire, a look of disgust
coming to her face.  "Why am I wearing a cape?"
	Kasumi just shrugged, a happy little smile on her face.
	Akane produced a top hat from somewhere and placed it on Ukyo's 
head, hiding the cook's long brown hair.  "Kodachi has this thing for
capes and cloaks, near as we can figure.  It seemed like a nice touch."
	Reaching into a small bag at Ukyo's feet, Kasumi produced the
final accessory for the chef's new outfit;  A small pair of odd white
glasses, which were place on Ukyo's face.  Stepping back to admire her
handiwork, Kasumi sighed happily.  "I hope the glasses look alright."
	Ukyo turned to examine her altered appearance in the nearby
mirror.  What she saw disturbed her on a great many levels.
	"I look like Tuxedo Kamen.  From that cartoon."
	Kasumi nodded happily.  "I think he's so dashing."
	The other three young women were laughing too hard to respond.

*-*-*-*

	Ukyo walked toward her restaurant, arm linked with Shampoo's,
using an umbrella from the Tendo house to shield against the light
drizzle that had come to rest over the city.  It had been so long since 
she'd really pretended to be a boy that she was out of practice, and 
Nabiki had suggested a brief walk with Shampoo to get reacquainted 
with her masculine side.
	When the middle Tendo had used the term date, Ukyo had 
nearly swatted her, but she couldn't argue with the basic logic.
She was going to have to pretend to want Kodachi, which they all agreed 
was no easy task, and a brief walk with Shampoo would help in that 
regard.  It also gave the Amazon a way home without getting wet, which 
she was most certainly in favor of.
	Shampoo sighed, quiet desperation leaking into her voice.
"Ukyo, why we doing this?"
	"Huh?"  Startled from her reverie, the chef found herself
somewhat lost for words.  She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts
that she hadn't quite hear what Shampoo had said.  "That was weird, 
I could've sworn you just called me by my name."
	"Spatula Girl hearing things. Shampoo just wonder what you
do if Airen pick someone else."
	The chef scoffed at the notion. "Ranchan? Make a decision?
That won't happen any time soon, and when it does I plan to be
the only one worthy of consideration."
	"How you do that?"
	Ukyo stammered, her confidence shaken by the simplicity of
the question.  She'd never really had a solid strategy, she'd just
taken things as they'd come.  "I don't really know.  I just figured
if I could be the best that Ranchan would just come to me on his own.
You know, the best cook, the best fighter, the cutest, just the best
wife in general.  I kept meaning to ask him what he wanted, I tried
for almost a week actually, but in all the excitement over this 
Kodachi weirdness I kind of lost track of that idea."
	An uncomfortable silence settled between the two rivals.
	Coughing nervously into her hand, Ukyo returned the question.
"So, how about you Shampoo, how do you plan to win?"
	"Sometime I no think it possible."
	"Hey now, anything's possible, sugar."
	The amazon and the chef stopped walking, and Shampoo made Ukyo
look her in the eyes.  "Ukyo, why you keep Shampoo dry right now?"
	"Because... oh."  As the realization struck the chef, she
felt an appalling amount of sympathy for her rival.  Ranma thought of
Ukyo as just one of the guys, and she considered that an oppressive
obstacle, but to be cursed the way Shampoo was was simply insurmountable.
	Ukyo had never thought of it before.
	"Ranma never marry Shampoo, not this way.  So Shampoo use magic."
	"Like that ramen that Akane ate?"
	The purple-haired girl nodded.  "Stupid magic never work right.
Always do what supposed to, but something go wrong every time."  Fate, 
it seemed, had something against the Amazon.  "Ukyo, this what you need
do with Rose Girl.  Talk and listen.  Kodachi more like me than rest of
you."  As she spoke, Shampoo had removed her Chinese clothing, and now
stood nude, shivering slightly at the coldness of the air.  "Practice
day after tomorrow.  We fight Rose Girl soon, and need all training 
possible before do so."
	Stepping out from under the umbrella, Shampoo shrank and vanished
like the morning fog, speeding toward the Nekohanten.
	Ukyo, belatedly realizing that she was still in her tuxedo, looked
up to find the Ucchan staring at her.  Stepping into the restaurant, she 
found herself considering what Shampoo had said.  As Ukyo thought over
their conversation, she came to the startling conclusion that she'd spent so
much of her time the last few days conspiring to get rid of Kodachi
that she hadn't really spent any time with Ranma.
	Removing her costume, and taking a moment to bid Konatsu goodnight,
Ukyo crawled into bed.

*-*-*-*

	"Ranma?"  Sliding the door aside, Akane stepped lightly into
the dojo where her fiancee slept.  He had changed out of his formal
clothes and was now resting peacefully in the middle of the floor,
dressed in his everyday red shirt and black pants.
	"Oh, hey Akane."  From his upside-down lotus position, Ranma
eyeballed the short-haired girl as she sat down near him.  "What were
you guys doing in there all night?  It sounded like some kind of lame.
slumber party."
	"Jerk."
	"Tomboy."
	The insults were comforting, it made things seem the same as they
had ever been, and that helped.  "Mostly we just talked about you,
that's all, and wondered what was going on with you and your mom."
	He looked at her in a challenging way, already uncomfortable 
with the conversation.
	"And Kodachi," she amended.
	"Oh."  Silence descended upon the dojo, along with a palpable 
sense of tension.  Akane did her best to remain calm while she thought
of something to say.  After all, she'd promised not to hit him if he didn't
truly deserve it.
	"So what happened at the Kuno's?"  The short-haired girl sighed
heavily.  "You can tell me, Ranma, you know that."
	"Nothing much to tell, really."  He shrugged in his own peculiar
inverted way.  "We came in, I beat up Kuno, we had dinner, I beat up Kuno
again, now Kodachi and me are, well, you know.  Yesterday I was engaged to 
five women, today I'm engaged to six."
	"And you don't think that's something to tell?"
	"In my life?  No, not really."
	"What about Kodachi?  Do you even want to be engaged to her?"
	In his meditative pose, with Akane sitting next to him, Ranma 
thought long and hard about that question.  He was now officially
engaged to Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose, and oddly enough it didn't
feel like a death sentence.  Not at all what he'd expected.
	"Ranma, if you don't want to be engaged to someone, you should
tell them."  Her voice was soft, yet intense, and even the oblivious Ranma
could feel the weight and intent of the simple statement.
	"I don't know what I want," he answered lamely.
	"Do you even like her?"
	"Well, she's nice to me now, a damned good cook, a hell of a fighter, 
and really cute without even trying.  Then again, I could say that about all 
my fiancees, except for the cooking part."  He trailed off as a faint growling
sound penetrated his concentration.  It was Akane, and she didn't look happy.
	Through clenched teeth and a visible red glow, the short-haired girl 
spoke.  "Ranma, I'm going to hit you now."
	Thinking back over what he'd just said, Ranma nodded from his inverted
position, unknowingly imitating one of his father's facial expressions.
	"Fair enough."
	Akane's fist connected with his stomach, sending Ranma into the wall
a few feet away.  As she slid open the door, she heard the pig-tailed boy's
weak voice call out for her to stop.
	"Akane, I guess, maybe, I do kinda like her. Nowadays, anyway."
	The door nearly came off its track when it slammed shut
	"But I like you too..."
	He hoped she hadn't heard him.
	She hoped she'd heard him right.

*-*-*-*-*

	Nabiki lounged across the couch, daintily munching on something
sweet from the kitchen while mindless images paraded across the screen
in front of her.  Kasumi was knitting, sitting in a large swivel-chair.
Occasionally, she would spin around, giggling at her own foolishness, as 
the sweater in front of her gradually took form.
	"Kasumi, you aren't after Ranma, are you?"
	The eldest Tendo thought for a moment, adopting a far off look
and rested the needles on her lap.  "No, I don't think so."  The clicking
of her actions resumed without fanfare.  "I entertained the idea for a
while, after Mrs. Saotome suggested it, but no.  I don't believe Ranma-kun
would be happy with me."
	Nabiki nodded her understanding, attention drifting back to the
glowing television.
	"What about you, Nabiki?  Are you going to pursue Ranma-kun?"
	The slamming of the dojo's main door echoed through the living room.
The middle Tendo daughter craned her head up from its prone position and
glanced in the direction of the sound.  Patiently, she listened as Akane tromped
up the stairs and into her bedroom, waiting for the quiet click of the shutting
door before she responded.
	"Honestly Sis, I've thought about it too, but I'd rather not get caught
in the crossfire.  I think I might be allergic to physical pain."  The grunts
that Akane made while lifting weights in her room travelled down through the
floorboards.  "I also don't have the same tolerance for stupidity that our
younger sister does.  She may get mad from time to time, but I'm the kind of
person who would hold a grudge.  Ranma and I would probably kill each other."
	"Nabiki, that's not a very nice thing to say."
	Returning her attention to the television, the middle daughter shrugged.
Nice or not, in her opinion it was damn true.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi danced euphorically through the darkness of the Kuno mansion, 
the only accompaniment to her graceful movements the music of her laughter.
She was now engaged to the man she loved, with a claim endorsed by his mother,
holding equal standing to those of his other myriad suitors.  No longer could
she be dismissed by her rivals as an infatuated pariah with no claim save her
feelings.
	All in all, not bad for one night's work.
	Unbidden by the Black Rose, the lights in the corridor through which
she leapt suddenly exploded into brilliance.  Temporarily blinded by the 
brightness, she was unable to react as an explosive knocked her off balance,
coating the room in a haze of smoke. Kodachi's ribbon lashed out reflexively, 
impulsively, blindly seeking a target and finding none.  She felt the streamer
slacken as it was neatly trimmed near the center.
	"Come now Kotchi, you no wan' be doing that."  Dark laughter floated
through the smoke and descended to the gymnast's ears.  "Now what's dis I be
hearin' about you and that Saotome deliquent?  The boy wit' the bad haircut?"

*-*-*-*

	Ranma walked stoically along the fencetop, with Akane trailing below
him, as Furinkan high rose over the horizon.  Neither spoke, content for the
time being to silently enjoy each other's company.  Akane had always enjoyed
these moments without the fiancees and rivals, things were so much easier
when no one was trying to kill you.
	A voice from a sidestreet interrupted Akane's pleasant thoughts.
	"Look, Yuka, a Sailor Moon cosplayer!"
	 she thought with a tiny frown. That rather innocuous
exclamation meant Ukyo was probably out and about in her costume and headed 
for the school. A frustrated scream in chef's voice confirmed the fact.
	Thinking about the plan that had been concocted the previous night, Akane
suddenly felt a stab of regret at what they were attempting to do.  Ranma
had told her in the dojo that he liked her last night, though not to her face,
and that he liked Kodachi as well, at least a little bit.  What that really meant,
for Ranma to say it out loud, had already kept her from a decent night's sleep. Of 
all people, Akane knew how hard it had been for Ranma to admit that sort of thing, 
even to himself.  Was it really fair for her and the other girls to try and destroy 
his engagement to the Black rose the way they were planning to?
	A tiny voice, sounding suspiciously like Shampoo, cried out from the 
back of her mind that all was fair in love and war, but the youngest Tendo 
dismissed it.  She wouldn't interfere in the plan that had been devised, but
neither would she go out of her way to ensure its success.  She would focus
on Ranma, and if she were good enough, and patient enough, she would win.
All she needed to do was control her temper, really.
	As she cast a longing glance at the young man above her, a question she 
had never asked formed in her mind.  "Ranma?"
	He didn't look at her, but she knew she had his attention.
	"Why do you walk on the fence like that?"
	The pig-tailed boy gave nothing more than a shrug of his shoulders in 
response, not ignoring her but not answering the question either.
	"Come on, I really want to know, is it balance practice or something?"
	Ranma looked at her, he was smirking again.  "Honestly?"
	"Honestly."
	He lowered his voice and crouched down, whispering through his hand as though
confiding the great secrets of our time.  "You really want to know?"
	Akane nodded, stepping closer to the fence.  They weren't walking 
any longer.
	"Come closer," he whispered.
	She leaned in, her face inches from his own, her heart pounding loud enough
that she couldn't hear her own thoughts anymore.  It was such a tiny thing, a mere
morsel of information about him, why did it seem so important right now?
	"I have no idea," he confessed to her.
	She wanted to slap him.  With something blunt and heavy.
	He laughed then, and she found her anger draining from her fists before her 
blood had even begun to boil.
	"I never really thought about it, it's just something I do. You wanna try?"
	The last vestiges of her wrath were gone, replaced with a fluttering sense
of surprise.  "Me?"
	He held out his hand to her, a simple motion in every respect, but it
sent her through a whirlpool of thoughts and worries.  She ignored the maelstrom,
placed her bookbag around her shoulder, and grabbed hold of the offered hand.  Before she 
even registered his palm against hers she was flying up into the air and had landed 
atop the chainlink structure.
	Ranma, standing behind Akane on the fence, placed his hands on her waist
to steady her.  This seemingly simple action, combined with her already frazzled 
nerves, put her decidedly off balance.
	"It's easy," he said.  "Just put one foot in front of the other."
	Akane nodded, hoping he couldn't see the pinkish tint her face had taken.

Unconciously, she placed her own hands over his, leaning back against him as
she did so.  "One step at a time," she muttered to herself.
	"Just take it slow," he whispered into her ear.
	She turned to say something to him, and blushed a deeper scarlet when she
realized how close his face was to hers.
	If she tilted her head just a couple of inches...
	"Ranma-sama?"
	She felt Ranma's hands abandon her faster than she thought possible,
even with all the speed training he'd undergone, as he leapt a few feet away to
land atop a different area of the wall.  Windmilling her arms, she managed to 
prevent herself from falling off the fence in surprise.
	There stood Kodachi, looking tired, but still quite rich, in her
Furinkan uniform.
	"It wasn't what it looked like!"
	The gymnast raised a hand, silencing her fiancee's protest. "I believe 
you, Ranma-sama."
	The pig-tailed boy eyed his betrothed warily.  "You do?"
	She nodded, a sad smile playing across her face.  "I shall speak with you
at greater length when you reach school Ranma-sama.  There is something we must
discuss, and I feel it is vital that we have time to ourselves to do so."
	Akane didn't even feel the fence rattle as Ranma leapt off to stand next
to the young Kuno on the sidewalk.
	"Kodachi, you okay?"
	She grinned again, looking near tears.  "It would seem there might be
problems with our becoming engaged as we did, Ranma-sama, but we will converse
about such things later."  She hugged him for a moment, tightly gripping his
shoulders and burying her face in his chest.  "I must go."
	And she did.
	Akane, following along on atop the fence, stared down at the pig-tailed boy 
as he trailed after Kodachi's retreating form.  The moment the she had almost shared
with him was gone.  Suddenly, she didn't feel as bad about Ukyo's disguise and the 
plan that had spawned it.
	After all, all was fair in love and war.

*-*-*-*

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