Sorry for the wait. Real Life(tm) is pressing again. Revised and concatenated
with part D. C&C on any errors remaining, please.

Disclaimer: The playground is by Rumiko Takahashi, I'm only swinging on
the monkey bars.  Remember to leave the grounds cleaner than you found 
them and please don't feed the Troll.

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Ranma and Akane: A Love Story
Chapter 3: The Third Day
Part C: Exploiting the Breach: Telling Stories

   Kodachi had been attended to by a medical team and taken away in an
ambulance, only one of many that day. Now Nabiki and Yuka were assisting
the doctors that were dealing with the last of the students injured by 
flying debris. Both had done yeoman service in triaging the wounded and 
traumatized, and in running errands for the medical effort that had, by 
now, sucked in every available doctor or medtech in Nerima ward. Nabiki 
had been especially active in calming and restraining those who had 
been injured most severely while the medics tended to them; extracting
debris from their injuries, or hastily bandaging wounds and setting
limbs in preparation for their transportation to local hospitals.

   Currently, the two girls were aiding Dr. Tofu by handing him his 
supplies and tools while he aligned and set a number of broken ribs
belonging to a sophomore, who had been trampled and kicked into a corner
in class 1-D's mad scramble to quit the ground floor during the attack.

   Nabiki looked up from the last patient as that unfortunate  was loaded
onto a stretcher for transport. A very bedraggled looking Akane was dragging 
into Furinkan's yard, wobbling along behind Ranma, who herself appeared
less than entirely perky. The two martial artists came over to where
Nabiki was standing, Ranma greeting her wearily while Akane stopped
walking and leaned against Ranma's shoulder, closing her eyes. 

   "Nabiki-san," Ranma opened the conversation in a tired voice, "I see
that you've been helping with the wounded. Can you tell me what the
total casualty list was, please?"

    Nabiki rubbed her eyes with blood-stained hands. "I don't know the
full list yet, Ranma-san. The last I'd heard there were 17 confirmed
dead. I think the total of seriously injured is going to stop at 40. 
Minor injuries and trauma ...." Nabiki turned to where a clump of pale,
shaking students were huddling against the wall, seeking comfort in
numbers, and shrugged.

   Ranma nodded wearily. "You can add two more to the seriously wounded
list then. Asano-bodou was stabbed in the chest by Our Friend, but he 
seems to have missed the heart, and the medics said she has a fair 
chance. Sayuri-chan was strangled, and while she's still alive she 
seems to be in a deep coma, at the moment."

   Nabiki glanced sideways at Yuka, who was trembling and clenching
her hands together. Quietly, she asked, "Will she survive long term, do
you think?"

   Ranma rubbed her temples briefly. "There's no good reason why she
wouldn't, I think. The physical trauma doesn't seem to be too severe.
What mental trauma she may be suffering, and when she'll wake up...."
Ranma shrugged in her own turn.

   Yuka wailed and buried her face in Nabiki's shoulder. Nabiki awkwardly
attempted to comfort her and Ranma put a hand on Yuka's shoulder, 
saying, "Don't give up hope Yuka-chan. Sayuri-chan is very brave, and
the hospital hasn't even begun to care for her yet. And I'm not out of
resources myself, for that matter. But I think, for now, that it's better
to let the professionals handle things. And speaking of _things_,
Nabiki, do you know what happened to Jei's corpse and his spear?"

   "I just saw ..." Nabiki reflected, "Oh yes! A police van came, gathered
it all up and took it away. And I'm just as glad; even dead that thing
gave me a creepy feeling!"

   "I don't blame you at all Nabiki-san. I just wanted a closer look
at the spear, but I suppose that I can do that later." She turned her
hand under her gaze and considered the ichor crusted under the nails.
"I'd like to get clean first, at least. Do you think you're going to 
need Akane or I around here any more today?"

   "No, Ranma, I don't think so. Go on back to the Dojo and see if you
can get Akane-imouto to go to sleep."

   Akane snorted, weakly. "Sleep. Feh. _Bath_."

   Ranma grinned, "Indeed. _Bath_. I may even beg one from Kasumi-san
myself."

   Nabiki grinned over her shoulder as she ushered Yuka to where she could
sit down, and shook a fist at them. "Use up all the hot water and you
answer to me," she mock-threatened.

   Ranma's grin turned crooked, and she half-turned from her course to
sweep a bow. "We shall faithfully avoid the loosing of your wrath upon
us, Nabiki-san." She urged the wobbly Akane out the gate, and then was
gone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Tadaima!"

    "Oh, my, I hope that's...." Kasumi had been beside herself with worry.
Father had managed to tell her that _something_ bad had happened. From
context she had assumed that something was wrong with Akane or Nabiki,
but his tears had managed to short out both the TV and the radio, and
he simply was not coherent enough to tell her what was wrong. She dared
not leave him alone to seek out the neighbors, and Tofu-san seemed not
to be answering his phone, but if they were capable of calling out then
surely it couldn't be _that_ bad. Could it?

   Hurrying to the front room, she assessed the condition of Akane-chan
and that nice young Ranma-san and rapidly revised her opinion: it wasn't
that bad, it was worse. Only one comment seemed appropriate. "Oh, my!"

   Ranma looked up at Kasumi's entrance, steering Akane gently toward
the furo. "We're both mostly alright, Kasumi-san, but we badly need a
bath. Is the furo hot?"

   Kasumi nodded helplessly; they didn't _seem_ alright. Akane was a 
complete mess: dirty, scratched, her new clothes in complete ruination,
and was that dark substance half covering her arms, legs and back 
_blood_? Ranma hardly looked better, mainly a matter of fewer areas 
messed up, but some of the stains were a loathsome looking green that
made her head hurt just to _consider_ trying to get out. Nonetheless she
nodded affirmatively to Ranma's question, then, as Ranma moved Akane
along toward the bath, burst out, "Ranma-san, what happened?!" 

   Ranma turned around briefly and saw Soun hovering at the entrance to
the living room, then sent Akane on toward the bath and answered. "A
monster attacked the school, Kasumi-san. We killed it, but there were
a number of casualties. The authorities seemed to have the matter in 
hand, so I felt that Akane needed to get home immediately, and take a
bath, and probably a nap. With your permission?"

   Kasumi nodded and turned back to Father, who had burst out in fresh
tears. "Now, now, Father, you heard Ranma-san; both the girls are all 
right and...." She herded him back into his room to have a lie-down
and thought, 'A monster. Oh, my!'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Ranma ignored the clothes heaped untidily on the floor, and quickly
stripped. Picking up the water pail and soap, she spent several minutes
firmly scrubbing out the ichor and gore that encrusted several areas
of her arms and legs, then filled up the pail again and soaped the rest
of her body before dumping the pail of water over her head to rinse off.
Then she walked over to Akane, who was sitting on a stool, staring at
her blood-stained hands and feebly attempting to scrub the stains off.
Ranma took the soap and washcloth from Akane's unresisting hands and
used them to quickly rid her of her unwanted decorations, then rinsed 
her off and put her into the tub to soak, joining her soon thereafter.

   Ranma settled back into the steaming water and felt her muscles relax,
but she noted that Akane was not relaxing, and was, in fact, on the 
verge of tears. She let Akane have a minute of silence, then gently 
asked "Want to talk about it?"

   Akane sniffed and shook her head, "N-no, Ranchan, I'll be alright,
just ... could you sing for me, something ...."

   Ranma suddenly found her vision obscured, a gust of steam had no 
doubt chosen to make a wrong turn. "Sure, _Acchan_, I'll sing something.
You just relax, now. Maybe try to go to sleep." 

	That pair in the corner,
	They're here every Tuesday
	They come when the market 
	 first open its stalls.
	And it's got so that lately
	I'll wait just to see them
	Their heads bent together,
	As they come down the hall.

   And Akane felt herself, very slowly, begin to relax. Felt the pains
of the day roll away. Felt the horror, and the fear, and, what she felt
was worst of all -- the strange, singing joy -- begin to fade. Felt the 
aches and bruises and the tiredness which denied even sleep or rest 
begin to heal. 

	And her hair has grown whiter
	His has grown thinner,
	And their pace has slowed down
	As the years have grown long.
	But they keep step together
	'Mongst strangers who hurry,
	These two old companions,
	Walking slowly along.

   Washed away, so to speak, by steaming water. Soothed by safety and
kindness, and a place to relax. Eased by an easing of stress and fear.

	They always take the same table
	And they open their menus,
	And I watch as his hand 
	 reaches out to touch hers,
	And she, with the other, 
	 reaches under her chair,
	And fumbles her glasses 
	 from out of her purse.

   Healed and lulled to sleep by a glorious, contralto voice. A voice
that washed over her and swept through her. A voice that eased her 
sorrows without trivializing them. A voice that understood terror and
the bloodlust she had found herself fighting, but that had triumphed
over them.
	
	And she reads him the specials,
	He does the ordering,
	They joke with the waitress, 
	 about watching their weight,
	But the waitress says nothing, 
	 she just snaps her gum
	And then brings their dessert,
	That they'll share from one plate.

   She sat back, finally, and relaxed her muscles one by one. Met her 
fear and disgust head on, and found them to be less terrible than she
had earlier imagined; and, slowly, began to master them.

	Sometimes I watch them too closely,
	They notice me staring
	And they smile at me vaguely,
	Not really seeing my face.
	But they know I'm a stranger,
	Not one of their friends
	Who have died, or long since
	Moved away from this place.

   And settled back into a drifting haze, and let a golden voice sink
into her. And gave up her control over her emotions at last, and gently
began to weep.

	They keep to themselves,
	They're each other's shelter,
	Two hearts grown together,
	Two parts of a whole.
	And I smile at them shyly,
	I know I intrude, on this 
	 pair of old lovers,
	And I turn and I go.

   And, as she drifted further from consciousness and the cares of the 
day, seemed to see before her a vision.

	But, you know that I've seen them
	As they leave the cafe,
	He pulls out her chair,
	And he helps her to stand,
	And he holds out her coat,
	And he hugs it around her
	And together they leave,
	Holding each other's hand.

   A vision of herself, older, gray haired. Resting in another furo.
And placing a hand, scarred but still strong, lovingly on the back of
the head resting on her shoulder. A head in whose hair, also mostly
gray, could still be seen the occasional strand of flaming, sunset red.

	And there's a love beyond words
	In their every small gesture,
	As the two old companions 
	 make their way through the town
	There's a love beyond name, 
		beyond years, 
			beyond measure.
	And the days that they share
	Are the stars in their crown.

   And gently slipped into slumber, and dreamed of something unseen.
Something which she loved with all her heart, and which brought her
great joy. But what it was, when she woke up, she was unable to recall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Akane awoke slowly, to a background of humming and soft, mumbled 
curses. She was lying in her bed and clothed in her nightgown, but it
seemed to be daylight. For a moment she could not remember why she
might be asleep so late in the day, but then memory returned and she
realized that it must be later in the same day; by the angle of the 
light coming in the window she could see it was sometime just after 
noon.

   Akane sat up and perched on the edge of her matress, blinking around
her with still sleepy eyes. There were, she noticed, two things about
the room that were different from the way she had left it this morning.
The first was the tray-table by the side of her futon, loaded with
a tray carrying lunch. The second was Ranma, sitting at her desk, 
wearing one of her old overalls and a shirt slightly too small for her
-- and, she noticed, no bra -- and bent over a homework assignment in
math, which she appeared to be making heavy weather of.

   Akane absently ate her lunch while she tried to make some sense of
the events of the day. She finished just as Ranma hissed in frustration,
crumpled the scratch sheet of paper she was working with, and threw it
across the room. "Stupid thing," she pouted, "I don't think it even
_has_ a solution!" Turning around she grinned at Akane, "Awake at last!
Did you enjoy your lunch ... Acchan?"

   Akane blinkied, 'Acchan? What ... ohmigods ... the furo! What'll she
think of me?' Her hands flew to her face in dismay as she blushed a 
firey red.

   Ranma's grin moderated itself into a gentle smile. "No, Akane, I'm
not mad. In fact, the only other person who has ever called me that was
the very first friend I ever made. I am more honored than I can say that
you have chosen to be the second."

   This did not particularly seem to help Akane's blush, and she looked
down at her folded hands bashfully. "Ar-are you sure, Ranma?" She looked
up at the redhead where she sat at the desk. "I've never, that is ...."

   Ranma rose lithely to her feet, and crossed the room to where Akane
sat, hugging her fiercely. "I'm sure, Acchan. As long as you promise
to stay my friend."

   Akane told the sudden tears to go away and hugged her friend back, 
trying to place the sudden thumping in her chest. "I promise, Ranchan.
As long as you promise too."

   Ranma stepped back and extended a pinky, her grin almost splitting
her face. "I promise."

   Akane hooked her pinky through Ranma's and gripped, feeling a grin
taking over her face as well. "I promise too."

   Ranma held the pinky grip a moment, and then stepped back, crossing
her arms over her chest. "Which does _not_, however, get you off of
getting beaten on during training."

   Akane's grin turned crooked, "Wouldn't want it to." Then, jerking
her head at the desk, "What's got you so happy over there?"

   "Oh, you would remind me. Feh." Ranma blew her cheeks out and sighed.
She walked back to the desk and sat down, Akane following behind her,
and picked up her pencil. "It's a 'Problem of Multiple Variables in
Multiple Equations' if you please. Bah!"

   Akane leaned over Ranma's shoulder and looked at the problem. "This
one doesn't seem _that_ hard, Ranchan."

   "Hah! So you say, but look at this! These things don't even have the
same terms in them!"

   Akane chuckled and took the pencil from Ranma's hand. "You're trying
too hard, Ranchan. See, you take this equation here -- it reduces to
_this_ variable, see? So you replace the instances of that variable in
_this_ equation and then you ...."

   Fainter now, lower in tone "Oh, that's how... Neat, Acchan! But now 
how...."

   Fainter yet, "You just...."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Nabiki had come home soon after noon, and had eaten a sandwich
before even seeking the furo. Now, around two in the afternoon, she
had just come from a _long_ soak in the hot water, new clothes, and
another large meal, and was beginning to feel human again. She pushed
back her plate and turned to Kasumi, questioning, "Oneechan, where is
everybody else?"

   "Father is sleeping in his room, Nabiki-chan, he took the news very
hard. Ranma-san and Akane-chan are training, I believe." She turned
around and caught Nabiki's eyes, "I didn't get many details, imoutochan, 
how was it, really?"

   Nabiki shuddered violently, "If it hadn't been for Ranma-san we'd 
have all been killed, oneechan. And if Akane-chan hadn't _attacked_ the 
thing I don't know if even Ranma-san could have killed it. It just
wouldn't _die_, not even when she cut its head off!" She shuddered
again.
 
   Kasumi knelt by her and gathered her into a hug, "Akane-chan fighting
monsters. Who would have thought?"

   Nabiki pushed herself back from the hug, "You said they were training,
oneechan? Do you know where they are? I need to talk to Ranma-san."

   Kasumi frowned slightly, "Be careful, Nabiki-chan."

   Nabiki shook her head, "I will be, oneechan. I owe her my life, and
so does Akane-chan. But we need to know more about her. I think she 
_knew_ or recognized that thing today. What if there's more of them?"

   Kasumi nodded seriously, "I think Ranma-san and Akane-chan are in the
Dojo."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Ranma flowed out of the way of Akane's kick and thumped her on the
head, then called a halt. "Break, Acchan, I've got what I needed, and 
you're getting sloppy."

   She put her back to the dojo wall and placed one foot against it, 
crossed her arms, and looked at Akane consideringly, waiting for her to
regain her breath. "And besides, I think your sister wants something."

   Nabiki moved out from the entrance where she had been lurking just
out of view. "Looking good, Akane-chan, what were you doing just then?"

   Ranma answered, "Just general assessment work Nabiki-san. I want to
make sure that I know where Acchan is _now_, so I can figure where she
needs to go. It's the first time I've really had a student, and I want
to be sure I get it right."

   Nabiki raised an eyebrow, and Akane stopped panting long enough to
wheeze out, "You talk to Nabiki-oneechan, Ranchan, I'm gonna lie down
and pant for a while." She walked to the wall and sat down beside it,
then flopped down on her back and lay panting.

   Nabiki raised the other eyebrow, 'Acchan? Ranchan? Geeze, what went 
_on_ in that furo, anyway?', but allowed no other sign to cross her 
face; instead she sweetly inquired, "Should we get out of your way and 
let you take a nap, Akane-chan?"

   Akane turned half over and red-eyed her, "Biiiii-da!"

   Ranma smirked, "Was there something you wanted, Nabiki-san, or is
this just one of those sibling rivalry things?"

   Nabiki turned back to her, and turned serious at the same time. "Yes, 
Ranma-san, there was. It's about that monster this morning. You acted
as though you knew him."

   "That would be because I did know him, Nabiki-san." She pushed her
tongue into her cheek for a moment, "Mind you, the last time I saw him
there was nothing left but bones, which had just been buried under the
ruins of a stone tower, underneath which were several tons of gunpowder.
Which went off immediately thereafter. So I didn't really suspect that
I'd ever see him _again_, but...."

   She examined Nabiki's face consideringly for a moment, "But I suspect
that what you _actually_ want is the story, ne?"

   Nabiki buffed her nails for a moment, "Why, yes Ranma-san, I believe
it is. Unless," she added calmly, "you would prefer not to tell it?"

   "No, no, it's not secret. It is kind of long though. It might be a
good idea to have Kasumi-san make some snacks and tea. Since I suspect 
that she might wish to hear it too."

   "For some odd reason," Nabiki refrained from smirking, "she has, in 
fact, just finished making some."

   Ranma arched an eyebrow of her own. "Preplanning. The sure sign of a
conspiracy. Come, Acchan, we are summoned to Tea."

   Akane groaned, "What do you mean, 'We', barbarian?"

   "I mean _we_, shirker. As in _you_ and _I_. Because _I_ am summoned
by your sister, and _you_ are summoned by me."

   Akane groaned again, and rolled over, coming to her knees. "Ohhhh.
My sensei's a bully."

   "All senseis are bullies, Acchan." Ranma bopped her on the head, 
"It's the notable trait of the type." And Kasumi came through the door 
with a tray.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   The girls were seated in a circle around the tray, sitting in the
middle of the dojo floor. Ranma blew softly on a teacup to cool it, and
crooked a grin through the steam at the others. "So. The story. I should
start at the beginning, I guess. And the beginning ...." Her eyes were
focused on something far away, or perhaps long ago, then refocused on
the girls. "The beginning starts with my Dad. Oyaji. And the things you 
need to know about Oyaji number three. First, he's a Martial Artist. 
Second, he is of Low Moral Character. And third, he's an Idiot."

   Nabiki *snrrked* and Akane frowned, glaring at someone non-present.
Ranma grinned crookedly and continued. "Because he's a Martial Artist, he
wanted me to be one too. Because he's an Idiot, he just knew that this
noble goal could not possibly be attempted around my mother, so he took
the opportunity, when I was five, to take me away on a long training trip,
and never bring me back. And because he's of Low Moral Character we spent
the next six and a half years running from place to place. Generally, I
realize now, to escape some debt or other, or get away from the results
of some theft or scam.

   "Now, when I was eleven or so, Oyaji found, or bought, or stole, or
_something_, this book. These books, actually -- there were two of them.
The first was a Chinese ... guide to training grounds, I guess. It had
only been translated a little and most of the text was still in Chinese,
which Oyaji didn't know how to read, but he still got all excited about
'the marvelous possibilities to seek out strengthening struggle in the
service of our Art'." Ranma's voice went very pompous for a moment, then
returned to normal. 

   "Feh. Anyway, the _other_ book was a manual of 'Rare and Forbidden 
Training Techniques', one of which was for the 'Neko-ken', a supposed 
method for training a subject in an Invincible Martial Arts Technique."
Ranma's mouth twisted momentarily, and she sighed.

   "What you do, the book said, is you take the trainee, and the younger
the better, and you cover him or her with fish sausage. Then you find
yourself a pit, and put a bunch of starving ca-ca- ... cats into it. And
then you take the trainee, and you throw them in."

   Ranma's face was still and far away, Akane's and Kasumi's were nearly
identical masks of horror, and Nabiki's was as set and still as stone.
Ranma's eyes refocussed suddenly, and she continued, "Then, on the next
page of the book, it says that the _reason_ this technique is 'Rare and
Forbidden' is that, One: it doesn't work, and Two: only a complete idiot
would even try it in the first place. The trouble was, Oyaji _is_ an
Idiot, and he didn't _read_ that far." Ranma's mouth twisted again, and
she sighed.

   Nabiki's face was terrible in its stillness, but her voice was gentle,
"So what _does_ the training do Ranma-san?"

   Ranma's voice was equally gentle. "It makes you afraid of cats, 
Nabiki-san."

   Kasumi buried her face in her hands, and Akane's face began to
twist in anger, as Nabiki's control broke at last. "No! I never _would_
have guessed that!" she snarled, "So what did the _genius_ do then?"

   Ranma smiled sadly, and quirked an eyebrow. "Why he devoted the full
force of his Martial Intellect to the problem, of course. And quickly
determined the source of the error. It was quite clear; the author of 
the book had _hidden_ the critical detail! Oh, yes! It simply had to be 
a question of the _bait_ you used, you see. And he set out to resolve 
the detail in the finest scientific fashion. Oh, yes! He repeated the
experiment, only using fish cakes, instead. And then he tried dried 
bream. And then he tried salmon. And then he tried varied sushi. And
then he tried octopus and squid. And then he tried octopus _by itself_.
And then...."

   Akane broke, and hurled herself into Ranma's shoulder, wailing. Kasumi
turned her head, sobbing muffledly into her hands. Ranma gently massaged
the back of Akane's neck and *hssh*d. "Finally, it developed that, if you
pursue your course with unrelenting intensity, you will, in fact, teach
the trainee an Invincible Technique. The fact that the training will have
driven her psychotic by that point is surely a minor detail by
comparison, ne?"

   "So, what happened then?" Nabiki asked, soothing Kasumi.

   "Well, I managed to avoid killing him about three times in the next
week ...."

   "Damn!" Nabiki interjected.

   "... but I knew that I couldn't do it forever. The problem, you see,
is that the Invincible Technique works by turning part of your soul
into the soul of a cat. And it's the cat that controls the technique.
A cat that doesn't have a bunch of stuff it wants to have -- like fur, 
and a tail -- and does have a bunch of stuff it doesn't want to have --
like hands, and upright posture -- and which is trying to contend with
being half-human as well, and which is, therefore, Righteously Pissed
Off." 

   "So what did *snnf*, what did you do, Ranchan?"

   Ranma shrugged, "I beat him up, and told him that I was leaving. He'd
had six and a half years to train me and see what I'd gotten from it.
Then he wailed and whined until I said I'd come back in another six and
a half years and see which of us had done a better job. If I could beat
him, he'd acknowledge me as the head of the school, and go back to work
to help support it until I got it back on its feet. If I lost I'd go back 
to training under him at whatever he wanted.

   "He said he'd meet me at this training ground in China he'd just found
in the other book he'd got: a place in Qing-hai province up against the
Byankala range. Said it was named Jhusenkyou. I promised I'd be there 
and left. That was five years and eleven months ago."

   Ranma poured herself another cup of tea and blew on it, gazing at the
sisters through the steam until a measure of calm was restored. Then she
continued, "When I left Oyaji I went hunting something that could help
me with controlling the cat. I finally wound up at a Zen monastery in
northern Hokkaido, where I spent the next six months. When I left the
monastery, I had managed to stuff the cat down under deep control and
the Neko-ken with it; although I was still afraid of cats, I didn't go
berserk about it unless I couldn't get away.

   "Then I headed into China, and made my way north, to Jhusenkyou. The
idea I had, you see, was that -- if this place was the wonderful training
ground Oyaji was so fired up about -- then I could study there, and if
it wasn't I'd still have gotten an idea about the lay of the land, maybe
enough to give me an edge in case Oyaji actually managed to put up a
fight.

   "There isn't much to say about the trip ... well, actually that's not
true. There's a lot to say about the trip, but that's not the story I'm
telling, so I won't digress into it." 

   Ranma paused for a moment, and sipped her tea. "The only item of real
interest to _this_ story was when, one day, I was walking along a road
in Qing-hai itself, trying to find out where the bloody training ground
actually _was_. I came round the corner of a hill, and nearly walked into
this girl. She had purple hair, was wielding these silly-looking mace
thingies, and was trying to stare down a tiger.

   "Now, it's an interesting thing to say, but the 'training' Oyaji put
me through did seem to have _one_ good effect; I'm afraid of cats, yes,
but only _house_cats. Other kinds, like tigers, don't affect me at all.
Plus which, the phobia about cats seems to have sucked up all the fear
I have in me. On the one hand, that means that when the nekophobia hits
it hits _hard_; but on the other hand, I don't have much left for
anything _else_, so when I get into situations like that I don't panic.

   "Which was a good thing, at the time. Anyway, I remembered about some
animals making themselves look bigger and louder to frighten off an
attacker, and figured that I didn't have much to lose. So I jumped up
_way_ high and _yelled_ at the top of my lungs. And it must have worked,
'cause the tiger turned and ran off like his tail was on fire." Ranma 
gave another grin, and continued. "Anyway, that was how I met Shan Pu."

   "Shan turned out to be the champion-apparent of the village of the
Joketsuzoku -- who are a fairly fierce group of warriors that live 
thereabouts -- and by the time we got back to her village, she was the 
second friend I'd ever made. So I spent some time in the village, and
learned a few tricks, and it turned out that they _did_ know where
Jhusenkyou was, only they didn't want to tell _me_.

   "It seemed, they said, that the whole valley of Jhusenkyou was cursed,
and anyone who went there would probably get cursed too. Well, I reckoned
that I was too smart to fall for an obvious dodge like _that_, and one
night I snuck out of the village and traveled to the valley where
Jhusenkyou was."

   Ranma's eyes were far away again, and she sighed. "I've always wished
I'd listened to Cologne-obaasama; I might have spared myself a lot of
grief. She'd been right, you see, the valley of Jhusenkyou _is_ cursed,
and if you go there you probably _will_ end up cursed too. I don't know
what all the curses of Jhusenkyou do, but the one thing that they _all_
do is the one thing that really makes them curses: after you go there,
you live in interesting times."

   Ranma paused a moment and sipped more tea. "And I don't mean 'nice'
interesting either. _Not_ nice interesting is the order of the day, here.
If you stumble, you fall down a hill. And there's a dung-heap at the 
bottom, too. And you don't even get to break your fall, oh no, there's
a rock waiting under it, you can bet. If anything falls out of the sky,
it lands on your head; if you go through a bush, you find the thorns, 
and if it doesn't _have_ thorns there'll be a bramble growing there,
instead; if somebody shoots an arrow at you and ten other people, 
_you're_ the one standing in the way.

   "Well, I already knew that the Joketsuzoku didn't have any way to cure
the curses, and I was too embarrassed to go back after I ignored their
warnings anyway, so I wandered back south instead. I never did find a
cure for the curse in China, but I did finally end up in a place that
led to my eventually finding one elsewhere, and also to my meeting that
noble gentleman we entertained earlier today, and to a bunch of other
stuff as well.

   "The reason is this," she opened her shirt slightly, and took an
amulet of silver from around her neck, laying it in the center of the
circle, "and how and why I got it is a story in itself."

   Nabiki picked up the amulet and examined it, showing it to Akane and
Kasumi. It was made of fretted silver, about 3 inches across, chased with
interlocking dragons and spirits around the outside. Mounted so as to
entirely take up one face of the amulet was a small, cracked mirror.
Mounted on the other side was a triangular piece of pottery, perhaps two
inches on a side, covered with patterns that looked like stretched cords
or ropes. Nabiki turned it over and about in her hands as Ranma went on.

   "The place I ended up was Hong Kong, and in order to understand the
story I'm about to tell you have to know the one cardinal thing about
my character at the time: I was a barbarian."

   Nabiki raised an eyebrow and smirked, "_At the time_, Ranma-san?"

   "Of course, Nabiki-san. Now, I'm only _uncivilized_."

   "Ah. I see. Do go on."

   Ranma smirked, herself, and did so. "I hadn't been around people 
much at all, 'cause Oyaji'd moved around so much, and I was what you
might call 'sheltered' about a lot of things as a result. So, when,
just after I got to the city, I saw this girl who was wearing about
half of nothing -- and that mostly torn -- all _I_ thought was, 'isn't
that _cold_?'"

   Nabiki sniggered and both Akane and Kasumi blushed. Ranma's grin
turned crooked as she continued. "And when this guy came out of an alley
and pushed her up against a wall, all I thought was that he shouldn't use
that knife to make a girl cry like that. So I took the knife away from
him and broke his arms in a couple places and ran him off. Then I went
to see if the girl was alright. Her name turned out to be Masuda Kee,
and she was half japanese, a geisha, and, as far as I could see, badly
in need of someone to tell her to come in out of the rain. Now, at the
time, I didn't know the difference between a geisha and a fish-seller,
but I did know something about surviving on the road, and on the streets
as well. As it turned out later, Kee-'moutochan did not, being of that
temperament that fails to concentrate on business because
it gets too caught up in its work."

   Nabiki was keeping her face straight with an effort, and Akane and
Kasumi were reddening alarmingly, but Ranma merely grinned more
crookedly yet. "She had offended several of the local street trash by
being insufficiently grateful for their 'protection' and had attracted
far too much attention -- and customers -- for safety. So I appointed
myself as her 'older' sibling, and began trying to figure out where to 
go to hook up with someone who could keep track of business for her,
and put a roof over her head. In the process I managed to offend someone
myself. This led to my inadvertently eating a plate of mushrooms that
had been drenched in LSD and laced with about 20 grams of pure opium.

   "Fortunately I didn't eat the whole thing, but it was enough to addict 
me and trip me too, and I went down hard. Kee-chan put me to bed and
kept me off my feet when I was raving, long enough to work through the
trip. And it turned out to be the solution to her problem, because 
she rented a room from -- and explained her problem to -- someone on 
the shady side who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone, who
mentioned it to the okaasama of the Dream of the Jade Pagoda of the
Golden Door of Infinite Bliss."

   Nabiki choked briefly, "The Dream of Jade? That's the best pleasure
house in Hong Kong!"

   Ranma raised an eyebrow, "Why, yes it is Nabiki-san. And we're all
wondering how it is you came to know that."

   Nabiki blushed, but held her chin up. "I keep my ear to the ground,"
she said, attempting to retain what was left of her dignity.

   "Of course you do," Ranma said, straight-facedly, "that's perfectly
sound business practice."

   Nabiki disdained to reply, and Ranma grinned and continued. "Liang-
okaasama decided that Lee-chan should go to work for her, since the best 
-- or at least most enthusiastic -- geisha in Hong Kong should work 
for the best pleasure house anyway. So that fixed Lee-imoutochan's 
problem, and provided me, after I recovered, with an opportunity to
expand my education a bit." Ranma's eyes twinkled wickedly and Akane's
blush expanded visibly. Kasumi, on the other hand, had achieved the
determinedly unaffected countenance of one who Is Not Hearing This.

   Nabiki coughed, and squeaked "You mean...?"

   Ranma fixed her with a very speaking look, and asked, "What would
_you_ have done? Besides, can you think of a _better_ time or place?"

   Nabiki muttered something about "twelve", but did not seem otherwise
inclined to reply to this question. Akane was bravely fighting off 
unconsciousness from excessive blood drain to the face, but surprised
herself with a giggle. Kasumi was still in the land of the selectively
deaf, and therefore Ranma went on unhindered. "That aside, however, and 
continuing with my story, it was at the Golden Door that I met Oniichan
Kai. He was a genin for the Black Wave Yakuza," Nabiki started, "and he 
used to bring his wife and their daughter to the Golden Door's restaur-
ant for dinner. He sort of adopted me at the time, and I always looked 
on him as the big brother I'd never had, and I was friends with Oneesan 
Asako too. Imoutochan Kaiko was my little sister along with Kee-chan 
and for a while there I thought that I'd found a family and wouldn't 
need to go anywhere else while I waited to beat up on Oyaji. I'd made 
contact with the local Temple too, and I'd go to train there, or 
Kai-oniichan would use his contacts to get me some lessons with one of 
the wandering masters, or he'd train me himself, or Liang-okaasama 
would use her contacts or...."

   Ranma's eyes were fixed in time and space, looking at something far
away. She sighed and a suspicious glimmer began to gather at the corner
of her eye. "I suppose I should have known better. Liang-okaasama had
made the Golden Door a neutral ground in the Hong Kong underside and the
city's major underworld clans were sort of united around it, not so much
in coalition, as in a mutual understanding that violence and unrest was
bad for business. The Black Wave was the most powerful Yakuza clan in 
the city, along with the Silver Skull and the Golden Sword, and they
and the most powerful of the Triads enforced a sort of peace on the
more ... 'established' parts of the underworld, as it were.

   "Needless to say, some of the _less_ established parts were not too
happy about that, and one day we found out that this guy named Master Po
had organized a war. He had been a master in one of the older Triads,
and was some kind of sorcerer too, so he had a fairish amount of support
just on his own hook; and then he'd organized most of the little gangs 
and rings and such into an army, too. Alongside that, he'd made an 
alliance with the powers of Darkness, and he could command or bargain 
with the undead, so he had about 30 or 40 vampires as shock troops."

   Ranma put down her teacup and leaned forward, sighing again. "The
whole thing was very quiet, but it was also extremely ugly and for a
while there we were hard pressed. But Kai-oniichan organized the 
enforcers of the major organizations into a counter-army, and the temple
monks and priests made a bunch of peachwood swords and wards and things
that the vampires couldn't handle, and I got the street-folk organized
to use them and some basic weaponry and we killed all the vamps that
didn't run and we drove the upstarts back to the wall. Then we were
betrayed."

   Nabiki spoke up hesitantly, "Ranma-san, I'd heard some rumors about
a big shake-up in one of the major Hong Kong clans a while back, but
no one ever had any details. Could that have been...?"

   Ranma nodded, pricking tears. "Oyabun Mikoji died very suddenly. It
might have been natural, he was about 80, but I've always suspected
that Po got to him somehow. I _know_ he got to others, 'cause Mikoji-
dono's successor suddenly decided that Master Po had the secret to
'Eternal Life' and the Black Wave and the Fire Harmony Triad switched
sides. Maybe Master Po was a vampire himself, and he turned the leaders,
I don't know. What I do know is that suddenly the dead started rising
up around our feet, and vampires started coming out of the walls, and
half our soldiers were on the other side all of a sudden and knew our
plans to boot." 

   Ranma shivered for a moment, eyes again far off. "The only way out 
that I could see was to take Po out before he could consolidate, and 
hope that the shock dispelled all the zombies and things, or at least 
slowed them down. So I organized what I could get my hands on and we 
went through the front of their defenses. It helped that I'd gotten one 
of the zombies restrained, 'cause I showed the thing off to the Black 
Wave troops on that section and three fourths of them changed sides 
again. Anyway we broke the defense of Po's sanctum and I went in to get 
him, but I discovered that he'd called all his proteges in for a 
conference, and they'd brought their guards with them. So we plowed 
into them, and when it was over the only two left standing were me and
Kai-oniichan, who'd been commanding the guards."

   Akane gasped in sympathy, "Ranchan, why didn't he switch sides too?
Didn't you tell him ...?"

   Ranma looked at her through gathering tears. "Because he was a 
Samurai, Acchan, and wouldn't leave his Lord's side."

   Akane nodded, eyes also dimmed by tears, and Ranma continued. "So
I knew Po and the others were just beyond him, and I knew he wouldn't
get out of my way, and I knew I couldn't beat him. So I turned loose
the cat, and the last thing I remember before I woke up in the middle
of the pile of corpses that had used to be Master Po and his lieutenants
and the traitors was batting Kai-oniichan out of the way, and he went
through a wall trailing blood."

   Akane gathered Ranma to her, and the redhead nestled her face into
her friend's shoulder for a long minute, silently weeping. When she
regained control she sat back and wiped her eyes, and continued. "We 
never did recover Oniichan's body, but the place had been pretty badly 
damaged in the fight and the whole thing burned down and exploded right
after that, so that's not too surprising. Anyway I couldn't stay in the
city after that, so I made what arrangements I could for Asako-oneesan
and Kaiko-imoutochan, and got ready to leave. Then the Abbot of the 
temple took me aside and told me that the temple had been guarding 
something for a couple centuries now, but he felt I was worthy and he
wanted me to have it."

   Ranma gestured at the amulet in the center of the circle and kept on.
"Well, I didn't _feel_ worthy, but the Abbot said that it could help
me find what I needed so I took it anyway. What it was, was the mirror
set into that amulet there, and the Abbot said it was the, or maybe _a_,
Nanban Mirror, and it was a magic mirror of travel. So I put it in my
pack, and took some of the money I had, and came back to Tokyo at last.
I was deeply depressed, still in shock, and had no idea what I was going
to do with my life, or even if I should bother. I was thirteen years 
old. So, just after I got back, I took a trip to see Fuji-san. I was 
completely bummed out and seeing the happy people all around didn't 
help, and I had this stupid mirror in my pack and it wasn't doing
anything at all. So I found this little clearing and took it out and 
yelled at it. It didn't do anything, and finally I started crying, and 
that was how I found out how it works."

   Akane frowned, "You mean...?"

   Ranma nodded firmly. "Yep. Tears. Tears or blood. Drop them onto
the mirror and it'll take you away. _But_. You see that the Mirror is
cracked? So sometimes it takes you where you ask to go. And _sometimes_ 
it takes you where you _want_ to go. And sometimes it takes you where
you _need_ to go. And sometimes -- if you're unlucky -- it takes you
where you _deserve_ to go."

   Nabiki asked "Can anyone use it?" as Akane overrode her with, "So
where did it take you, Ranchan?"

   Ranma smirked and answered Nabiki first. "Maybe once, Nabiki-san, but
not any more. I've spilled too much blood on it, and it'll only work
for me until I die.

   "And as to where it took me.... Well. I knew as soon as it happened
that it had done _something_, but I didn't know  _what_. So I started
looking around, and I noticed that Fuji-san was smaller. Now I was
standing in the same place and hadn't moved as far as I could tell, but
still it wasn't the same place at all. So I started walking around, and
I noticed that I must have been in much the same place but some of the
landmarks weren't there, and others were changed, and there wasn't any
sign of people around at all. Eventually I found an open space in the
woods, and followed that to a stream. I followed the stream along for a
day or so, and finally broke out into a cleared field.

   "Now I'd been seeing the right trees and plants for the area all  
around me, and Fuji-san was still there so I knew I must still be in
Japan, but I also knew it wasn't _my_ Japan. So when I walked around
the outer edge of the field and came in sight of the village the field
was a part of and found that it was all in really ancient form houses
and stuff, and that the people in it were Ainu, I wasn't as surprised
as I might have been otherwise."

   Nabiki started and Kasumi gasped, "Ainu! Near Fuji-san? Kami, how
far back did you go?"

   Ranma smiled crookedly. "From research I did later, Kasumi-san, I 
figure about 2500 to 3000 years." Akane shook her head in shock and
Ranma grinned at her. "So I was walking along the edge of the field,
not looking at the ground, and I trod on something and it dug into my
foot. I picked it up, and took it into the village.

   "Now the village didn't know what to do with me at all, and it didn't
help that I was pissed off, but they figured that I must be a spirit or
something and sent for the shaman. The shaman was a smart old bugger,
and we figured out how to puzzle out a few concepts. I asked him what
the hell they thought they were doing to leave things like that out
where they could bite people, and he said that it wasn't theirs.

   "They just popped up, he said. They'd been made by somebody back at
the dawn of time, and then they'd all gotten broke and scattered about
when the world came to an end. Or something like that, anyway.

   "So I said that if they gave me a place to sleep and some food I
wouldn't be mad at them. So they shared what they had, which wasn't
much, and it was good that they did, 'cause that night some bandit
types came out of the forest and I had to run them off."

   Ranma poured herself another cup of tea. "I'd had to kill a couple 
of the bandits, and the next morning I tried to talk to the shaman 
again. It turned out that the village didn't actually have anything
to take except a little food, but the bandits would take anything they
could get. Later that night I looked at the pottery piece I'd stepped
on -- that's it on the back of the amulet -- and I noticed something.

   "The piece had been broken off its pot when somebody hit it with an
axe. If you look you can see the signs at the top. So I used the mirror
to go back to Tokyo, and went to a museum. The guy I talked to there
said it was a Jomon pot, and figured that it must be 5000 years old at
least.

   "And I sat down _that_ night and thought about it some more, and I 
realized that some poor guy had made this pot, and needed it for something.
And some other bastard had come along and broken it, and probably killed
the guy that made it too. And it had waited 2000 years in the ground so
it could come up and bite my foot, so I would stay in a little village
where little people lived who hardly had enough for their families to
eat. And then another group of bastards had come out of the forest to
break all _their_ stuff and kill _them_, but I'd stopped them instead.

   "And I'd just come from 3000 years ahead of those little people,
where I'd been living in a city with another group of little people
trying to get on with their lives, and yet _another_ set of bastards
had come out of the wilderness and tried to kill and mess up _them_,
just so they could steal what _they_ had.

   "And it came to me that, if I went wandering around living with groups
of little people trying to get on with their lives long enough, probably
any set of them that you cared to name was eventually going to have some
set of bastards or other come out of the wilderness and try to kill them
and break all their stuff so they could steal whatever they had. And if
I was there, then I could stop them from doing it. And that was about as
good a life plan as anyone like me was ever going to get.

   "So I took themirror and had it mounted in the amulet, and had the
guy put the potshard on the other side, to thank it for the lesson. And
then I asked the mirror to take me to somewhere I could learn to become
a protector, and cut my arm and bled on it, and I was off."

   Akane's eyes were bright and she leaned forward. "So where did you 
end up that time, Ranchan?"

   "Well I ended up on top of a hill, and when I tried to get my 
bearings I tripped and rolled down it and when I reached the bottom of
the hill I ended up at the feet of this tall, handsome, noble-looking
guy with a samurai's swords and topknot and the clothing of a wandering
ronin. Except he was a rabbit. And that was how I met Usagi."

   "W-wait just a minute, Ranchan. A rabbit?" Akane blinked in 
confusion.

   Ranma nodded. "Usagi's world is basically Japan in 1620 CE or so,
except most of the people are (what's the word?) ... Anthropomorphs!
That's it. You know, human-shaped animals, like in a manga. So there's
Bulls and Bears and Cats and Rabbits and Foxes .... Daimyo Noriyuki
is a _Panda_ of all things, for instance.

   "So, to continue, Usagi-dono, that's Miyamoto Usagi by the way, had
been a samurai in the service of the Daimyo Mifune. Mifune was the enemy
of Daimyo Hijiki, and about five or six years before I'd met them, in
the last part of the battles for the Shogunate, they'd come to blows.
Lord Mifune would probably have won, but Hijiki is a plotter, and he
plotted well. Two of Mifune's allies turned traitor, along with one of
his generals and the commander of his bodyguard. Usagi was away from
his side acting as a courier at the time and he got back too late;
Gunichi had run off and Lord Mifune was mortally injured. A samurai's
loyalty doesn't end just because his lord is dead, and so Usagi wanders
serving his master's cause as best he can as a ronin." 

   Akane sniffed and wiped her eyes and Ranma smiled wistfully. "It's 
all very sweet and touching and honorable, and Usagi-dono is handsome
and noble and kind, so I was more than willing to follow him around
and train with him."

   Nabiki grinned twistedly, "Get lucky?" Akane bopped her on the head.

   Ranma pouted. "No, darn it! There's such a thing as being _too_ 
noble. Although I see now that he was basicly already taken anyway. And
I did manage to retain _most_ of my dignity. But I learned a lot about
combat, and honor, and the sword; and traveling with Usagi is good
for putting polish on young warriors if it's good for nothing else. I
met a number of his friends and aquaintances, and managed to spend a
month or two with a few of them as well.

   "After, I left and used the mirror to go a few years later in our
own Japan for a while and then jumped back and forth to here and there
training in whatever Art was available wherever I went. But I would go
back to the wanderer's road to check on my friends from time to time."

   Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Just to check, hmmm?"

   Ranma shrugged. "You get better adventures with Usagi and company
around, and they _are_ my friends. Plus, to be honest, it's enormously
liberating to be so free that the only thing that you have to worry
about is if there's an inn in the direction you woke up facing, and
that only because it's the direction you're walking now. At least until
the first couple of times you spend a wet, cold, fireless night 'cause
there _wasn't_ one, anyway. And that takes a while."

   Kasumi and Nabiki had acquired far-off looks, and Akane looked
slightly wistful. "So what about Jei-san, Ranchan?"

   Ranma shrugged. "Jei's from Usagi's world of course. He used to be
a samurai or some such. I ran into him several times and didn't enjoy
any of the experiences, but they weren't like today. As for what he is?
The first couple of times I met him he seemed completely human, or wolf,
or whatever. Mad as a monk in a morass, mind you, but human. He's always
claimed to be the champion of the gods and such, but _which_ god he's
never said. If he knows. Generally he speaks of a 'sacred mission', 
which always involves mayhem and slaughter of some type, and says that
when he completes it he will be lifted up and granted divinity. He has
before been shown to be fast, strong, damn good with a sword, deadly
with a yari, tough, possessed of some kind of tracking sense if he's 
hunting you, and very hard to permanently kill -- he always seems to
come back."

   Ranma rubbed her chin for a moment and considered. "The first time
I met him, he just started ranting and attacked me. Since I was with
Usagi-dono and Tomoe-san -- Noriyuki-sama's chief retainer -- at the
time, that was a particularly stupid thing to do. It wasn't really
much of a fight and we left him by the roadside, dead, as we thought 
at the time.

   "He came back on us and kidnapped the son of the headmaster of Usagi's
old village to get Usagi to fight him. Usagi did, and sent him over a
cliff with his yari in his side. The third time that I met him was the
only time I ever managed to get close to Hijiki in a fight. Hijiki's
not nearly the fighter that he is a plotter, and I nearly had him, but
Jei came out of nowhere and saved the bastard. I cut Jei's heart in two
for it, but I didn't get to see what happened to him after that, because
Hijiki took advantage of my distraction and did this." Ranma indicated
her throat, and the scar she bore there.

   Ranma tapped her chin with her index finger for a moment. "The last
time that I saw Jei before this morning ... Was about a year ago in my
timeline. I had run into the little bugger unexpectedly, on the road,
and had dueled with him a little. Then he broke off and started moving.
I thought it was weird and pursued. It worked out that he'd been sent
or moved by his patron or something, because about twenty miles away or
so I ran into Usagi.

   "He was with Gennosuke-san and Zato-ino and about thirty or so Neko
clan Ninja. They were preparing to assault this castle, the fortress of
a moderately important lord named Tamakuro, and Jei had gone for the
fortress like he'd been pulled by a string. Tamakuro, according to Usagi
and the leader of the ninja -- a guy named Shingen -- had gathered
together a store of about three hundred arquebuses and a couple tons of
ammunition and was preparing to rebel against the Shogun. We found out
later that Hijiki was behind it in some way, but as usual he didn't
leave any evidence you could use.

   "Anyway we attacked the place and broke through the wall. Usagi went
off hunting for Tomoe-san, who was imprisoned there, and Gen and Zato-ino
got pinned down holding off about half the garrison near the main gate. 
This left it up to Shingen-san and I to lead the ninja against the 
armory. We did alright for a while, but then Jei stuck his nose in. He 
smashed into the side of our assault and killed Shingen-san and a dozen 
or so ninja, which threw the rest into confusion, but then I went after
him and  chased him up into the fortress proper.

   "Usagi had found Tomoe-san and he and she had rallied the ninja and
mounted another assault on the armory; but Tamakuro had gained enough
time to regroup and bring the rest of his guards to the central defense
and they were driven back. In the mean-time I had run into Jei and a
samurai I knew to be one of Hijiki's chief axes preparing to lead the
rest of the guards to trap the rest inside the castle.

   "I scattered the guards and got involved in a fight with Jei and
Akkhoto that damn near killed me, but I maneuvered them into one spot
in front of the central tower and called the dragon wind on them. _That_
time it worked -- it didn't this morning -- and Jei went down with the
tower falling on top of him. About that time I got a very strong impulse
to beat feet and did so, which turned out to be a good thing, 'cause
something had struck a spark or something in the ammunition room and
the whole damn place blew sky high.

   "Now that was the first time that I knew A) that Jei had not only
been mortally injured but had actually _died_, and, B) that the body
was destroyed and not lost track of."

   Ranma paused for a moment and sipped the last of her tea. "I don't
really know how he got out of that, but his showing up _here_ just 
confirms what you could get from the fact that he showed up at all;
which is that he has some _major_ supernatural backing.

   "That, combined with the abilities, weaknesses and immunity to damage
he showed this morning makes me think that he may have been turned into
a Chiang Shih. That would mean that someone had done something to his
higher 'hun' soul and then corrupted his 'po' soul ... or replaced it
altogether, now that I think of it. He was definitely slower and less
skilled than he should have been, which would fit, 'cause his 'body soul'
would be messed up and wouldn't have all the same skill and 'feel' he'd
be used to. He'd also be damn near impossible to permanently damage,
which definitely fits.

   "Normally you'd also expect him to be vulnerable to sunlight, but he
obviously wasn't. This is probably due to the power he was throwing
around - that green fire. It showed all the signs of being a serious
yin ch'i manifestation, and from the way it acted I'm betting it was the
main thing holding his body together."

   "Which would mean what?" Nabiki asked softly.

   Ranma's eyes were focused on the problem, rather than the girls. 
"Which would mean that he was something closer to a demon than a Chiang
Shih per se, Nabiki-san. He'd be using the body only as a means to
move his power around and not really be connected to it at all ...", 
her eyes narrowed and her voice went soft, "not connected ... now that 
I mention it I didn't see any sign of his 'hun' soul at all did I? I cut
out the 'po' soul and _it_ was in the heart instead of the lungs, but
I didn't see the 'hun' at all. Which could mean that he was using the
power to animate the body and the body to contain the power and the
'po' soul to control it all ... and that would explain why the body 
blew up like that when I took the soul out ... but the 'hun' soul had
to be _somewhere_, and if it wasn't _there_ ... then he must have been 
given a way to run the body 'long-distance', as it were ... which 
would mean ...."

   "Which would mean that he could come back, wouldn't it, Ranchan?",
asked Akane very quietly.

   Ranma frowned worriedly. "Yeah, it would."

   Nabiki was also very quiet. "If it does come back, what can we do,
Ranma-san?"

   Ranma's gaze was level. "You can hide, Nabiki-san. And if you can't
hide, then you can run." She transferred her gaze to Akane, who met it
levelly. "_You_, I'll work with, since I don't suppose I can convince
you to be sensible and keep out of it."

   "No, Ranchan, you can't. As long as you're fighting it, I will be
too."

   A quiet settled over Akane and Ranma, who were sitting with their
gazes locked on each other's eyes. Nabiki and Kasumi quietly stood up,
gathered up the tray and tea things and left the dojo. Eventually
Ranma leaned forward and ran her thumb in a circle around Akane's 
forehead. "Marked with the sign. Just like me." Standing up, "Come on,
Acchan, you haven't done anywhere near enough training yet."

   Akane moaned theatrically as she rose. "Ohhhh. My sensei's a bully."

   "All senseis are bullies, Acchan." Ranma bopped her on the head, 
"It's the notable trait of the type. Assume."

   "Oh, Kamis."

   "Kumite."

   "Help."

   *Hsssh*, *shrk*, *th-thmp* *shrk* *hssh*. *rtch-THUMP*. "Ite!"

   "Slacker."

   "Bully."

   "Shirker. Assume."

   "Baka. Friends?"

   "Friends forever, I promise. Kumite." *Hssh*, *rtch-thp*, *th-thmp* 
*shrk*, *thmp-thmp-SPLT* 

   "Ite!"

   "Which does not, however, get you out of getting beat on." *rtch-thp*,
*shrk-hshh-shrk-rtch*.

   "Wouldn't want it any other way." *th-thmp*, *shrk*, *thmp-thmp-THAP*
*whhsh-rtch-THMP!* "HA!" 

   "Good one." *THUMP-WHAP-WHAM* 

   "Ite!"

   "Just don't get cocky."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Whew. Well, that was about twice as long as I expected, and it isn't
over yet, either.

Next: Ranma and Akane train some more. Ranma talks to Akane about her
future. Assumptions about the Art are explicated. More background
gets filled in. And Ranma and Akane go shopping, again.

Ranma and Akane: A Love Story.
Chapter 3: The Third Day
Part D: Pursuit to Destruction: East Wind, Rain.

Coming as soon as I can write it, to a FFML near you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranma and Akane: A Love Story
Chapter 3: The Third Day
Part D: Pursuit to Destruction: East Wind, Rain.

   Tendo Akane circled, frustratedly. It wasn't so much that her sensei,
Ranma, was better than her. One _expects_ one's sensei to be better, 
after all. It wasn't that she could not come close to beating Ranma,
either. She had received a demonstration of just exactly how good Ranma
was earlier that day, in the terror and exhilaration of the attack by
the monster Ranma had called Jei. It wasn't even that she was getting
thumped. No, the reason was, she knew she could do better, but she
couldn't even make Ranma block her attacks. Frustrating.

   Akane narrowed her eyes and launched a series of feints, testing the
extent of Ranma's defense. She detected a pattern (she knew that Ranma
was purposefully allowing it, but that wasn't the point) and moved to 
engage it, only to find herself upended before her last feint had been 
launched. Akane *whuffed* as she hit the floor on her back and rolled
upright, then sagged as she saw Ranma's upraised hand.

   "Hold up, Acchan, this isn't working."

   Akane nodded glumly, "I'm sorry, Ranchan, I just can't seem ...."

   "No ... no, I don't think it's you. I think I'm trying to tell you to
do something that's wrong for your inherent style."

   "Inherent style, Ranchan? What's that?"

   "That's the ... the style of action, call it, that you are most 
capable of. The one you go back to if you're pushed, if you see what I
mean." Akane nodded and Ranma continued. "I was thinking that your
style was Water, and that you were Malleable; but now I think that you 
must be a Fire stylist instead, and Static besides."

   "Is that bad?" Akane asked worriedly.

   "No, the styles are equal if you know what you're doing. It's just
that _I'm_ a Malleable and I'm not absolutely sure what the priorities
are for a Static form."

   "Malleable? Static? I don't understand, Ranchan."

   Ranma appeared not to hear, pacing back and forth with her arms 
clasped behind her, looking at the ground, and muttering. She paced and
muttered for five minutes or so before Akane asked again, "Ranchan?"

   Ranma started. "Uh! I'm sorry, Acchan. Did you say something?"

   "What is Malleable, Ranchan? Or Static?"

   Ranma had the grace to blush. "Errr. Hehehe. Malleable is .... Umm.
Okay. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Ranma sank into seiza,
putting her back to the dojo wall and indicating that Akane should do
likewise.

   Akane chose a spot within arms reach of Ranma and likewise sat. Ranma
cleared her throat, and began to speak. "Okay, Acchan, let's
categorize fighting styles for a moment here. First, there are two
primary divisions between types of styles. Now a particular person's
style will rarely if ever fall absolutely into a single category, 
alright? But certain factors will predominate.

   "The first factor has to do with whether your style relies on
perfecting a certain set of moves, such that ... okay, let's say that
you can do a particular punch. Say that you can do an eagle-claw to the
upper body. Now, if you perform that move the same way against _every_
opponent you face, and only change the target you aim it at, say, then
you are being Static. If you vary the _way_ you perform the attack,
change it to fit your particular opponent with every fight -- sometimes
go in from underneath, say, or put power into the strike at a different
point each time -- then you are being Malleable. With me so far?"

   Akane nodded with the beginnings of understanding on her face.

   "Okay, now, there are four main classifications of methods; what are
called the Classical Styles. These are Earth, Air, Fire and Water. And
Void, but that's a special case. Each classical style is marked by
its own particular approach to opposition, and that implies that each
style moves in a particular way and chooses attacks and defenses by a
particular method.

   "Earth is unsubtle -- it relies on its power and resilience to either
put its opposition in an untenable position and smash it, or simply to
wear it down by attrition. Water is gradual --it takes its time and
flows through its opposition, finding weak points or creating them by
erosion, and then building strength to exploit them. Air is indirect --
it stays out of the way and draws its opposition into making a mistake,
or simply overextends it by forcing it to cover more than it has
resources for.

   "Fire, lastly, is focused -- it gathers all its strength into a single
burst that cannot be withstood. Now, most people, of course, don't follow
a single style alone, just as the differences between Malleable and
Static get a bit blurred in real life; but the differences are real,
regardless, and you need to respect them."

   Akane nodded again. "You're an Air stylist, aren't you."

   Ranma nodded in her turn. "Mostly, yes. Now the _other_ thing to 
remember is that, just as each style has its own methods and strengths,
each also has its own weakness. Earth bets it all that its opponent 
can't hit harder than _it_ can. Water bets that it _has_ time to spend;
Air bets that the attack _can_ be evaded, that the defense _does_ have
a hole somewhere, and so on. Fire, in particular, is an all-or-nothing
proposition. It concentrates its power, so if the attack hits, if the
defense blocks, it packs more power than anybody else; _but_, at the
same time, if it _doesn't_ work then the warrior is left overextended,
without any reserve. Also, it doesn't generally have a lot of endurance,
so it also has to win _quickly_, before it runs out."

   "Okay, I can see that. So what's the fix, Ranchan? What do we _do_
about it?"

   "There isn't a _fix_, Acchan, exactly. Nothing's _broken_, it's just
that we -- that is _you_ -- have to consider a different range of things
when you're training. Specifically, in your case, _control_ and 
_restraint_."

   "Saying that I'm uncontrolled, are you?" Akane quirked an eyebrow
teasingly.

   "It's nothing that anyone else wouldn't tell you, Acchan," Ranma 
patted her on the knee. "But, to return to being serious, what you need
to concentrate on is the _control_ of your strength. You need to hold
yourself in check until you _know_ that your attack will hit; until you
_know_ where the other guy's attack is coming. Then, you need to only
use the right _amount_ of strength; keep as much of yourself as you can
in reserve, centered, so you can move in any direction to match any
opportunity. Also, you need to concentrate on controlling the actual
strikes and defenses you use; on not letting them over-commit, and on
bringing them back into center as fast as you can."

   Ranma rubbed her upper lip consideringly. "And also, I think, I'd
better start your training on the paths of Breath and Spirit. I think,
for you, that _integration_ of all the paths you travel will be a key
thing." She frowned, looking down. "Which, come to think of it, I could
have deduced from how good you are at Void naturally, if I'd thought of
it. *Sigh* My fault."

   "It's not as if you've ever done it before, Ranchan."

   "What would _that_ have to do with it, Acchan?"

   "Umm, err." Quickly, "But, about control ... how am I supposed to 
use my strength if I have to _not_ use it all the time?"

   "You don't want to _not_ use it, Acchan. You want to use it _pre-
cisely_. After all --" Her hand shot out, suddenly appearing at Akane's
throat holding a knife just touching the skin. "-- you only need to use
enough strength to break the _defense_. After you get through, you've
got any number of options that don't need strength at all." The knife
vanished into jacketspace, and Ranma quirked an elegant eyebrow, "Ne?"

   Akane gulped. "Ahh. Yeah. That's right."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Akane was seated, in seiza, in the middle of the dojo floor, eyes
closed. Ranma knelt behind her with hands poised above her shoulders.
"What am I trying to feel, Ranchan?"

   "You aren't trying to feel anything, Acchan; you're just trying to
_feel_. If you try to anticipate _what_ to feel, you will feel falsely."

   "Now you sound like a koan," Akane said, crossly.

   "The master came to a yatai which was selling hot dogs. 'What do you
want on your hot dog?' he was asked. 'Nothing,' he replied. Then the
hot dog was enlightened." Her hands descended, slowly, to just outside
Akane's theoretical peripheral vision, had her eyes been open, and 
around them a faint glow began to form.

   Akane snorted a giggle, then gasped. Suddenly, she was aware of 
senses she had never before known she had. All around her she sensed
flows of energy; whirls and spirals and forms of intangible luminescence
coexisted in her sight with the simple, everyday visions of floor and
walls and dojo; and outside the dojo she could see/sense/hear/smell yet 
more. A flaming tidal wave of information and impressions seemed to pass 
over her, and she felt herself burn, as though every limb had been set 
afire. A wash of energy filled her; she could tell that it was her own,
that in some sense it was _her_, yet it rebelled against her, fought 
her tooth and nail. She frantically searched for control, sought to reduce
the tide of data to familiar forms and modes; in front of her she seemed
to see a shadow, like a blanket to protect her from the fire, and she
grasped at it desperately; it tore in her metaphorical hands and yet she
somehow knew that it would heal itself, would cover her eyes and ears,
would shelter them, if only she could open herself to it. 

   She yearned for the protection the shadow blanket might offer, but
how do you shelter under a blanket that tears if you touch it? Then she
realized: you _ask_ it. And the shadow rolled over her, warm and
enveloping. For a brief moment she welcomed the respite, and then the
shadow resolved itself into visions. Ghosts long gone and barely
remembered thronged her sight; some trailed behind her like beads of
light tracing out the necklace of her past; others swarmed throughout
the dojo, carrying out the many roles of decades of dojo life. She saw
her father's fading doppelgangers going through katas, her own following
and growing taller as they did so; saw her mother bringing snacks,
Kasumi playing about her feet; saw Nabiki strolling through in many
guises, growing from a toddler into herself; saw swiftly vanishing
traces which seemed to show the future, though how she could tell this
she could not say.

   The milling horde of ghosts was no better than the waves of energy,
overrunning her senses with too much input to survive. She tried to
cry out, to scream, but she sensed the weak and desperate energies of
the call smashed flat, drowned by the raging torrent of conflicting
energies that surrounded her and foamed through her; drowned, as she was
drowning; overcome, as she was overcome. 

   Then the raging sensations weakened, parted, blew aside; she emerged
into the prosaic world of normal sight and sound and touch like a
diver from deep water. Slowly and cautiously she extracted herself from
the sensations that had overwhelmed her, feeling them held back by a
metaphorical wind generated by Ranma's softly glowing hands. Finally,
she pulled the last of herself free with a sudden jerk; and wobbled
painfully to her feet, staggering to the wall, where she sank down with
a groan, putting her face in her hands. A soft footstep announced Ranma,
who knelt at her side, puting her hand on Akane's shoulder. Weakly,
Akane held up her head, turning her face to meet Ranma's gentle, sad
smile.

   "Second birth, Acchan, and Third. Welcome to the _real_ world."

   "It hurt, Ranchan." Weakly and somewhat petulant, like a child who
has been assured that a trip to the dentist involves candy.

   "Being born always does, in one sense or another. Rest awhile, and
I'll try to clue you in on what's going on."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   "Okay, I've talked about what we're going to be doing in the realm
of external training; strategy and tactics, and katas and moves, and 
such. Now it's time for me to tell you about the _internal_ part. 

   "Specifically, there are at least four major areas in which a warrior
must be accomplished. These are divided into Mind and Body along one
axis; and into External and Internal along another. External and Body
gives you the category of Martial Practice; that is, katas, the
maneuvers that make them up, and general training in physical capability.
External and Mind gives you the category of Strategy; which also
includes tactics and military theory, and also the mental exercises like
meditation.

  "Now _Internal_ and Body give you the category of Breath. This is Ki,
of course, but many people get confused by it, because the word itself
only refers to _one_ of the many types of energy that you have to learn
to use here. Finally, Internal and Mind creates the category of Spirit.
This path involves growth in several areas: moral inquiry, the worlds of
ghosts and spirits, the celestial courts and the supernatural balance,
death and why -- and why not -- to avoid it, alchemy, and magic.

   "The internal areas are the tough ones, because, by their nature,
just what's _happening_ in any given area of them is terribly obscure.
Normally, you would have to go through years and years of failure and
perseverance before you gained entrance to them, but we don't really
have the time, so I cheated, a bit."

   "Remind me to kill you for that, later. So how'd _you_ learn about
these things, anyway, if it takes 'years and years'?"

   "Oh ... I cheated. A bit." (Grin.)

   "Why does this not surprise me?"

   "It's because you've become old and cynical, Acchan. Anyway, to start
at the beginning, both the Internal Paths involve the manipulation of
energies. These energies exist throughout the world, and because all
the forms of these energies are pretty similar, it is possible to use
one kind of energy to affect another. For instance, you can use your
own energy of motion to grab onto and drag in the energy of motion in
your environment, thereby enhancing your own supplies."

   "You're confusing me, Ranchan."

   "Alright, take a look at my hand," Ranma held up her hand, and drew
power into it. "Now, carefully, look at, and then _into_ the hand. See
the energy fields, the glowing shapes?"

   Cautiously, Akane attempted to regain the distancing of perception
she had felt earlier. "Yeah ... kinda."

   "If you look closely, you'll see that there are two types of energy
there. First, there is the inherent energy that makes up the _reality_
of the physical structure of the hand itself. You should be able to see
it lurking _inside_ the skin."

   "Okay."

   "Next is the energy that allows the hand to live and move. It pools
and flows through and around the hand, depending on how the hand itself
moves. See it?" Ranma turned her hand around and about under Akane's 
gaze.

   "Ye-ees. Is it supposed to look sort of like a glowing liquid?"

   "Yep. Now the best explanation of what you're looking at comes from 
Chinese Classical Alchemy. Basically, the energy of any given object is
divided into Ch'i or 'stable energy' and Shih or 'motion energy'.
Now there's also another way to classify physical energies, and it 
doesn't help that one of the words you use for it got stolen from the 
Chinese and then had its meaning altered. Chi, of course, means 'earth' 
and refers to the energies of _everything but you_. Ki means 'breath' 
and refers to those energies that are specifically yours. And the 
reason that this is important is that _your_ energies are influenced by 
your spiritual and emotional state, so that what you can use your ki 
_for_ gets set by what kind of influences you've given it. And 
everything else's ki gets influenced by its spiritual balance too, 
of course."

   "What does that mean in plain Japanese, Ranchan?"

   "Hmmf. Unenlightened slacker. What it means is that you can use one
type of energy to manipulate another. You could use your own shih, for
instance, to pull in shih from the area around you. Then you could
transform that shih into ch'i which you could then move into, lets 
say, your hand. Watch how I do it here." And, indeed, Akane saw flowing
energy spread out from Ranma's hand to touch energy flows in the dojo
at large. These, then, flowed back into Ranma, gathering around her
upraised hand, to coalesce into a complex shape of rod-like structures,
glowing brightly to the inner sight.

   "Now you've got a power source. The ch'i here will stay in this shape
for some time without effort on my part, because it is _static_ energy.
Now, remember that I said that the Path of Spirit also affects this
process. This is because energy that you have made your own, that has
become your ki in other words, is affected by your _spiritual_ state."

   Ranma moved her hand to just in front of Akane's face, so that she
could see closely. "What I mean by that is that magic, which is what
you're doing when you use energies outside yourself, is absolutely
defined by the purity of soul of the person using it."

   "You mean, like, evil people can't use magic, then?"

   "No. I mean that _unfocused_ people can't use magic. Magic depends on
focus; focus not just in mind, but in soul. Your soul must be pure from
distractions to speak clearly enough to the universe for what you say to
be heard. This is what meditation and the like is for; to remove or
suppress pieces of your soul that don't fit what you are trying to say.
What is going on when you do magic, you see, is that you are taking an
amount of energy and speaking to the universe, telling it to treat that
energy as something else. The more pure your soul is, the more softly
you can 'speak' and still be heard. The more softly you can 'speak', the
more complex and precise a change you can create. Also, the more the
universe 'likes' you and so the more 'real' the changes you make are."

   "That doesn't really make sense, Ranchan."

   "Look at it like this: when you do magic, which is what this is, you
have to start with your ki. You use your ki to 'speak' to the ... to
the Tao, I guess, and the Tao responds. Okay?"

   "Okay ... I guess. Still sounds weird though."

   "Can't help that. It _is_ weird. But you see that your ki is in-
fluenced by what you're doing inside, right? That is, if your soul is
angry, your ki is angry."

   "O-Okay...."

   "Now, you're trying to use _your_ energy, your ki, to 'speak' to
_something else's_ energy. _Or_, you're trying to tell some _part_ of
your ki to do something it wouldn't do naturally."

   "This is where you're losing me."

   "Ahh. Ummm .... Okay! Start from the top, and look at the hand. Now,
_first_, I take some shih from my ki. See it?" A glowing fluid seemed,
to the inner sight, to gather itself in Ranma's hand.

   "Okay."

   "Now this shih is a part of my ki, which means it is attuned to the
state of my soul. Which means that if my soul is angry then the shih
will take on the characteristics of anger; that is, it will be aligned
towards anger or to things _like_ anger." The fluid changed color, and
seemed to begin to fizz, then calmed.

   "Okay."

   "And if the shih is 'angry', so to speak, it will affect what it can
do, and how it acts. Likewise if I have any other overriding emotion or
need in my soul when I gather it. Now, if my soul is _muddled_, that is,
if it's like _most_ people's souls, and concerned with many things at 
once, then it will not be able to do _anything_ easily. Whereas, if it
is _tranquil_ then it will be _responsive_; it will obey more easily 
and can do more."

   "Makes sense so far."

   "Now, even if I have a strong emotion, or a strong calmness, in the, 
the foreground, so to speak, of my soul, so that my shih gains the
influences I want, it doesn't mean that there's nothing else in my soul
at all. And this 'background' in my soul still has an effect on the 
shih; in a sense it creates static, like on a radio."

   "Still okay."

   "Furthermore, all the influences in your ki multiply themselves as
you express them. If your ki is angry, then what it affects will be 
angry too, or will be influenced towards anger. This, in turn, will 
rebound on you, and make you angrier yet, and so on. If your ki is 
staticky, that interference will show up in everything it influences, 
and will feed back into your soul and make it harder to retain concent-
ration ... you get the picture. So the more _pure_ and free from contra-
dictory impulses your soul is, the better you do."

   "Okay. I get it now."

   "Now this influence extends to all facets of your being, and it goes
both ways. That is, if your soul is troubled, it will rebound throughout
your body and mind. Likewise, if your body is damaged, or if your mind
is uneasy, it will rebound onto your soul. You can keep them separate,
of course, but it takes effort and energy; and even the best don't have 
an infinite amount of that. If you're using energy on maintaining your 
soul's tranquility, you can't be using it to get yourself out of jams. 
This is why honor is so important, and why the most successful people 
are simple."

   "Huh?"

   "Simple. Single, in a sense. Dedicated to one end, or one condition
of being. If one thing is most important to you, then that thing must 
be the center of your existence. Which is easy if you're only talking
about _one_ thing. _One_ thing you can handle. But if _two_ things, or
more, are most important, then inevitably some of them are going to
come into conflict. That is, to improve one thing you must sacrifice
another. This destroys tranquility. Again, honor implies singleness.
If you have honor, then you know _why_ you do things; you have a frame-
work to act on. But again, the best honor is the simple honor: the one
that has _one_, and only one, clear goal, and that sets how everything
else falls into place underneath that goal."

   "What if you make a mistake?" Akane leaned forward, concentrating. 
"What if you think that one thing is most important, but then you find 
out that something else is, instead?"

   "Then you need to adjust your thinking," Ranma replied. "If you dis-
cover that you have mistakenly attached your loyalties, or that you have
put something into a priority that it does not deserve, then you need 
to take the time to meditate and consider where your priorities rightly 
lie. Then you simply follow the correct way, since now you know what it 
is. Really, the only times you should have trouble are if you are 
acting on incorrect information or if you yourself are mistaken in what 
you think to be important. The first simply requires you to react to 
the correct information when you realize that the old was in error. The 
second is more difficult, because you have to know yourself well enough 
to know what you really value. This is a matter of sorting out what 
your soul values; which, of course, is easier if your soul is tranquil, 
so it all circles back on itself, really."

   "I was right," Akane grumbled, "it is Zen."

   "Getting back to the initial subject of discussion, from which, I 
note, we have digressed: using one kind of energy to influence another.
Also, the kinds of things you can do. The easiest things are to enhance
or degrade things that are already there; aiding someone's ch'i for
instance, to help them heal, or aiding your own shih so you can run
faster or hit harder. On the spiritual side this involves removing
unnecessary influences from your wa, or someone else's, and aiding 
tranquility. And damaging tranquility in other people too, of course."
Dryly, "Reducing your own tranquility is not something I recommend 
unless you're _trying_ to go berserker. Which is not something _you_,
in particular, _ever_ want to do."

   "I wouldn't be a good berserker, huh?"

   "No, you'd be a _much too_ good one. You'd be so good at it that I
doubt you'd ever stop. Which is not a fate I want for my best friend."
Ranma punctuated this statement with a very stern look.

   Akane looked down. "No. I don't want it either. I'll remember, Ran-
chan."

   "Particularly since _I'd_ probably get the job of taking you down."
Akane shuddered, and Ranma patted her on the shoulder. "Now, more 
complex manipulations involve things like _changing_ energy into 
something that's _not_ there, or calling things from nothingness. And
the better you get the more complicated the things you can do. But we'll
get to that later. The final goal of all this is to gain in skill in all
four categories at a balanced rate. Because, if you climb the ladder on
all four poles at once you go up faster, and farther too. And at the
top of the ladder lies zanshin."

   "Okay, _that_ I'm _really_ confused about."

   "Not surprising. Even the master couldn't speak about it easily. It's
a lot like making love in that regard, really. 'Those who speak do not
know. Those who know are silent.' ... Why _Acchan_, you're _blushing_."

   "You _hush_, you." Akane mock-threatened with a raised fist, and 
Ranma grinned.

   "But to make an attempt; you could say that zanshin is like the heart
of the Tao, it is a balanced melding of opposites, leading to a state
of higher wa. If you wanted to you could speak of three stages between
the lowest manifestation and the highest.

   "The first is called 'Attitude-no-attitude'. This stage reflects the
'attitudes' of combat, or the 'attitude' in which you hold a sword. What
it deals with is reaching the point at which you are always ready for
combat, and always ready _in_ combat, so that you never are made unready
or unprepared for any eventuality. You've already shown flashes of this
stage, by the way, so it shouldn't prove to be _too_ difficult.

   "The second stage is called 'Mind-no-mind' and involves expanding
your consciousness to such an extent that you don't need to think about
what you're doing in combat, instead you just _react_. Or, rather,
_act_; impressing the desires of the will directly onto the world
without the interference of conscious thought. You showed this one too,
that one time.

   "The last stage is the hardest and the most profound. It is called
'Will-no-will' or <Tao of Void>. When you reach this stage you will
achieve satori in combat. Instead of attempting to impress your will on
an opponent, who is also attempting to impress _her_ will on you, you
will simply _become_ your opponent's defeat and your own victory. Which
doesn't seem to mean much, I know, but it's the best that I can do, at
the moment."

   "I suppose I'll just have to see, then. Where do we start?"

   "Well, for your first exercise, I was thinking that you should ...."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Nabiki was speaking with Kasumi as Ranma left Akane in the furo. 
Akane had entered into the spirit of the training with alacrity, and
had become somewhat overheated as a result, thus returning to the bath 
as the light of late afternoon slanted in from the west, and was obscured
by gathering clouds. Ranma resumed her original clothing, which she
had washed with the assistance of some mild techniques of shih manip-
ulation and some minor magic, and returned to the hallway to speak to
Kasumi.

   "Oh! Ranma-san, did your training with Akane-imoutochan go well?" 
Kasumi asked calmly. She worried about the questions Nabiki had raised, 
of course, but she did so internally. It would never do to question a 
guest's truthfulness, but some kind of satisfaction must be gained.
Perhaps Nabiki could provide confirmation of some kind.

   "Very well, Kasumi-san. Exceedingly well, in fact. I retain the hope 
that Acchan will quickly rise to overtake my own skill level." (Nabiki
and Kasumi shared a single thought, 'Nani!?') "But I did want to 
consult with you and Nabiki on a number of matters. The first of which
involves her diet."

   "Oh, my! Will she be requiring special foods or drinks?" Kasumi was
vaguely worried about this; Ranma-san had provided a significant fund
towards household expenses, but if exotic foods were going to be
joining the menu ....

   "No. In fact, just the reverse. A balanced and varied diet is best,
but she _will_ be eating more than she has been; I would estimate about
twice what was normal before."

   "Thank you for the warning, Ranma-san; I will adjust the amount I 
make accordingly," Kasumi said gravely.

   "Secondly," Ranma continued, "I will be involving Acchan in some
activities that will be either odd-looking or even somewhat dangerous.
I mention this because I am aware that the two of you have no particular
reason to trust my judgement, nor any good way to acquire one. This is
a problem that I wish to resolve quickly, and I would value any thoughts
you might have on the matter."

   Kasumi winced, and Nabiki straightened. "I know," she said, "that we
have to take your word for the conditions of Akane-chan's training,
Ranma-san. I doubt if even Daddy has the experience to properly evaluate
you in that area. The only thing I am concerned with is that your story 
is _so_ strange ...."

   "That you don't have any way to verify it. I understand, Nabiki-san."
A pause as Ranma chewed her lip. "Tell me, Kasumi-san, have you begun
preparations for dinner yet?"

   "Err. No, not really, Ranma-san. We don't usually eat until later."

   "Ah. Well, the problem is solved, then. Acchan will be coming out
of the furo in a little while, and I've no doubt that she'll be hungry,
so we'll simply go shopping. Yes." Ranma rubbed her chin. "You might
want to change into kimonos, though."

   Nabiki and Kasumi blinked at the non-sequitur, 'Shopping?' but went
off and changed anyway. When they returned they found Ranma with the 
Mirror in her hand, looking into it seriously.

   "Ahh, good," Ranma muttered, "the way is clear. Nabiki-san, Kasumi-
san, I must be careful or you will over-shine me entirely."

   Kasumi blushed at the compliment, and Nabiki ahhed, "Ahh, Ranma-san,
aren't you going to change too?"

   "Oh, no, they're used to me."

   "Oh, my," Kasumi said, "where are we going, Ranma-san?"

   "Well, I know a number of places," Ranma replied, "but I've a mood
for Tai at the moment, so I thought we'd go to Okitsu."

   "Okitsu?" Nabiki queried, "That's a hundred miles away! Are you 
going to take a train just to get fish?"

   "Not a train, no," Ranma grinned, "and it's not miles we'll be trav-
eling." She raised the Mirror to chest height.

	"The past and future are the same,
	 The present's merely but a game,
	 A stage where players strut and stare,
	 Nanban Mirror, take us _there_!"

   A breeze blew softly through the suddenly empty hall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Akane stretched again, rubbing her hair dry with a towel. She had
stayed in the tub for an indulgently long time, soaking off the bruises.
Nonetheless, she could not remember a time when she had felt so good,
or been so happy. She whistled happily as she dressed in the new clothes
Ranma had gotten her, and indulged in a brief fantasy of training with
Ranchan forever, getting better and better as the years passed and
occasionally saving _her_ from some unspecified menace or other. In fact,
she felt _so_ good that ... yes, she felt that she _could_ do it this 
time. She would go see if Kasumi was in the kitchen, and then ... she'd
cook Ranchan a meal! And she'd get Kasumi to help, and _this_ time, 
damnit, it would _work_!

   She wandered out of the furo and went toward the kitchen. Then she
heard Kasumi calling "Tadaima!" and wondered where Oneechan had gone 
out to. She went to see and found Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ranma in the 
dining room, unloading an array of packages wrapped in rice paper or
in little boxes from which rose a whole raft of delicious aromas.
"Ohh! You went off and got dinner without me! I wanted to help cook.
Wait a second; Oneechan, why are you and Nabiki-oneechan in kimonos?"
Nabiki and Kasumi only gave her slightly shell-shocked looks as they
wobbled upstairs to change and Akane put her hands on her hips and 
turned to her friend. "Ranchan! What'd you do now?"

   "Well, after all, Acchan, you can't get good kuri-shioyaki or kuri-
kinton except from Seikenji chestnuts _I_ don't think. And you certainly
can't get fresh salt-steamed Tai except in Okitsu." Ranma placed the
browned, salted chestnuts next to their boiled cousins in their honey-
sweetened bath of yams as the centerpiece of a rapidly growing spread
of foods in which large plates of filleted Sea Bream, from which a 
truly mouth-watering smell was rising, figured prominently.

   Later, around the table, Akane leaned back and patted her stomach.
"I must admit, Ranchan, that you were right. I had no idea I could eat
a whole plate of that Tai, but ...." She gestured to her empty plate
indicatively. 

   Even Soun had been coaxed from his lair, and had praised the foods 
exhaustively. It was, he said, a clear example of the superiority of
the true Japanese spirit; as had been strong in ancient times. Kasumi
and Nabiki just shuddered faintly, Ranma merely grinned. And ate a great
deal of everything in sight too, of course. But that goes without
saying, for Ranma. And Kasumi nibbled at another slice of kamo-no-
kuwanamaki, licking the sweet sauce off the broiled duck. And Nabiki
munched another half-dozen boiled chestnuts. And Akane eyed a plate of
uzura-dango, wondering if the sweet quail patties could actually be 
made to fit in her stomach. And the clouds closed in above Nerima, as 
the sun went down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   "What are we out here for, anyway, Ranchan? More clothing?" Akane
leapt to another rooftop. The sky had darkened completely now, and the
moon was hidden behind the ominous clouds, but streetlights provided
adequate illumination.

   "No, no. We need to get some training supplies for the dojo though.
And rectify a couple of glaring lapses in the armory, too. Now, if you
were a criminal with a lot of money, where would you be? And if you
say 'In the government,' Acchan, I'm going to hit you."

   "Hmm. Well, there's _something_ happening over there."

   "Let's take a look. Oh yes. Oh my yes, Acchan. That's a nice _big_ 
one. And in its natural habitat too, you'll notice. Let's sneak up on
it, and see how it's doing, shall we?"

   "Oooh, oooh, can we lurk, instead, Ranchan? I've always wanted to 
lurk."

   "If you want, Acchan, we can even skulk."

   "Oooh, goody."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Akane vaulted over a leg sweep and kicked its perpetrator in the face
as she went. Ranma's lessons of the day seemed to flow through her as
she moved among the eight thugs she had chosen as her share, and bodies
flew through the air, describing limp and sad rainbows in their haste
to become one with the walls. A final slide sideways and twist, getting 
out of the way of a clumsy rush and intercepting it in the midriff with
a backwards spin kick and it was done. Ranma's thugs, she noted, had been
unconscious long enough to be half looted, already. 'Oh, well. Need to
get faster, I guess. I wonder if that's a ki technique, or if it's some
of her 'magic'? I suppose I should ask, at some point.'

   As they walked away from the heaps of unconscious bodies, Ranma
remarked, "One million, forty thousand yen; that's only fifty thousand
each. Pffff. Still, I guess you have to trade quality for quantity
sometimes."

   "I still don't believe that street trash has so much cash on it, or
such good stuff to fence, Ranchan."

   "It's the Ronin's Salvation, Acchan. Jobs may come, and patrons go,
but street thugs shall be with us always; and if you ask them right,
they're always willing to share."

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   		We are brief Summer lightning,
		We are swift as swallows' flight.
		We are sparks that spiral upwards,
		In the darkness of the night.
		We are frost upon the window,
		We won't pass this way again,
		In the end only love remains.

   They had fenced the loot, and spent some time finding the supplies
Ranma wanted. Then they had moved deeper into the warren of Nerima's 
Ginza, seeking for weapon sellers. They had laughed and sung snatches
of song; whistled and bought candy and snacks; ignored the gathering
clouds. Then they had sent the merchandise to the dojo by delivery,
and taken to the air.

	Well who scattered these diamonds, through the vault of Heaven?
	Who drew the curve of the magpie's wing?

   The wind questioned, and the flame responded. The bonfire summoned, 
and the breeze answered.

	Who shaped your face, and what made you love me?
	Where is the heart of every living thing?

   The rising wind commanded, and the snapping flame obeyed. The blaze 
flamed higher, and the wind grew with it, and fed it, and drove it on 
before.

	Well, I guess I don't know, and I don't care either.

   Wind roused flame to life, dancing from rooftop to walltop, leaping
empty air from power line to telephone pole; caroling across the sky,
feet dancing on nothing at all but air.

	I know you love me, how could it not be?

   Flame drew wind's reply, flickering along a ridged roof, alighting
a moment on the rooftip of a fake pagoda, before blazing across forty
yards of open air to set a warehouse roof alive and singing.

	And I am yours, now and forever,

   Feeding now from each other's power. Flinging melody and harmony one 
to the other. Changing and exchanging the lead, to join again in rising
triumph at the last ...

	'Till my lips fall silent, and my eyes can't see.

   And the wind blew the flame into a wildfire...

		We are brief Summer lightning,
		We are swift as swallows' flight.
		We are sparks that spiral upwards,
		In the darkness of the night.

   And the wildfire whipped the wind into a storm.

		We are frost upon the window,
		We won't pass this way again,
		In the end Dear, only love remains.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

   And later, in the hush after midnight, when both Ranma and Akane were
long asleep, the clouds over Nerima opened, and the quiet rain began to
fall. A still, silver curtain, walling off the near from the far; 
softening the silhouettes of wall and cornice; filling streams and
watering parks and hedges; sending small animals into hiding, and pets
into shelter; and cleansing the stains in the yard of Furinkan; and
washing the blood away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Next: We have a funeral, and Ranma and Akane visit people in the 
Hospital. Depressing, ne?

Ranma and Akane: A Love Story
Chapter 4: A Tapestry of Stars and Shadows
Part A: A Requiem for Solo Voice

Eric Hallstrom  hallcon@mindspring.com