Part 2: Nemesis Ascending-- The Death of Hope, the Death of Dreams

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."
						-- Aristotle

"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
						-- President Woodrow 							Wilson

"Honor and disgrace matter only to those without material desire."
						-- Chinese proverb

  "Brother," Kodachi said, serving Tatewaki a personally cooked
breakfast, "there is a decision you have to make."
  Snapping his chopsticks eagerly in anticipation of Kodachi's
food, Tatewaki replied, "Is that why you have served me a favorite
dish?"
  His sister pretended to ignore his comment. "Seeing you back
there... has made me think a bit. Of course, I still hate you for
making me think such things, but...."
  The two Kuno siblings were seated in the dining room, Tatewaki
taking his rightful place at the head of the table, Kodachi setting
down a plate before him, and one for herself. Neither wished to
include Taro in what was about to be discussed, as it was a matter
of family now.
  "Anyway, I digress," Kodachi interrupted herself. "I have come
to understand that you will no longer lay a hand on Ranma Saotome
any longer for favors past done, right?"
  Tatewaki nodded, busy chewing on breakfast.
  "However, this very morning, it has become quite clear to me
that you are in severe doubt to your obligations," she continued.
"And you are making Taro-sama quite upset!"
  "It matters not to me what such a ruffian as he thinks of me,"
Tatewaki replied calmly.
  "That is not it," Kodachi said, seating herself at the table by
her brother's side. "What I want you to do is this: make a
decision, and stick with it. What I want you to make a decision on
is this: if given the choice, what would you put first, family, or
honor?"
  For once Tatewaki could not think of a response. Setting down his
chopsticks carefully, the elder Kuno bowed his head, lost in thought.
  Kodachi broke the silence. "You do not have to make a decision
about it now, Brother-dear, but you must realize that you cannot put
off a decision for much longer." With that, the younger Kuno began
to eat her breakfast.
  Damn you, Sister! Tatewaki cursed in his thoughts. He had not
moved since Kodachi finished her speeches, consumed by thoughts in
conflict, oblivious to his steadily-cooling breakfast.
  Why the difficult decisions? he wondered. Who would it be, then?
Kodachi, or Ranma Saotome?

  "So this is where Nabiki works, hmm?" Ranma said casually, his
hands in his pockets, displaying an air of indifference.
  Together Ranma, Akane, Ukyo, Ryoga, Konatsu, and Shampoo entered
the newly-opened casino owned by the Gambling King. The casino was
not unlike the one the gambler set up when he took over the Tendo
dojo over a year ago-- an entire wall lined with slot machines,
several card tables set up here and there, a large craps table, and
a roulette table.
  Ranma had no doubts that the Gambling King won this off some
poor sap who didn't know any better.
  "I don't see Nabiki," Akane said, scanning the room.
  "Hey, where's Ukyo?" wondered Ranma, noticing for the first time
that his old friend was no longer with the group.
  "Over here, Ranma!" Ukyo called cheerily. Cradled in her arms
was a tray full of poker chips. Behind her, Konatsu carried a second
tray, itself filled with chips.
  "You aren't REALLY planning on doing that, are you?" asked Ranma.
  "Especially since we KNOW how the Gambling King wins!" added Akane.
  The okonomiyaki chef giggled. "Of COURSE I know! But I'm still a
better card player than anyone!"
  Ryoga scratched his head. "I don't know, but...."
  "Hey, Akane!" someone yelled.
  All heads turned in the direction of Nabiki, who stood behind a
poker table. She waved the five over to her.
  "Nabiki!" Akane exclaimed. "So there you are!"
  Straightening her tuxedo coat coolly, the elder Tendo girl replied,
"Ah, I had to take care of some business first."
  "Great!" Ukyo said, setting her chips down on the table. "Then I'm
SURE to get a good game in this one!"
  "Oh, really?" Nabiki purred slyly, reaching for a deck of cards.
"I'm the best in the house," she boasted, "...are you sure?"
  "Hey, Ucchan can take you on any day!" Ranma said.
  Shampoo shot a glance at the young Saotome. "I no see how this
help."
  "I think it's just to kill time," Ryoga suggested, shrugging.
Reaching for his purse, he added, "I think I'd better get a set of
chips for myself."
  Before the Eternally Lost Boy could walk off, Ranma grabbed his
arm. "Don't think about getting some without me!"
  "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma," Akane whispered to herself, shaking her
head. "Why do you have to do this?"
  "Stubborn male," Shampoo answered unexpectedly.

  Lady Kuno woke with heavy eyelids and a sore back. She found
herself lying on her back, on something that appeared to be hard and
cold. The ceiling was unimpressive; all she could see was dark stone
and more stone. Something illuminated the dark room from beyond her
field of vision. As the Lady attempted to raise her head, she found
that she could not. Nor could she raise her arms.
  "I hope the restraints aren't too tight," someone said.
  Her eyes perked up, her brain raced to think of the speaker. It
almost sounded like her stupid husband, but it wasn't quite his voice,
either.
  The principal of Furinkan's head blocked Lady Kuno's field of
vision. "I trust that you are unhurt," he said, speaking with his
own voice, and a voice that wasn't his own.
  Lady Kuno tried to speak, but the words would not come to her lips.
  "I had to incapacitate you to prevent you from alerting anyone
else of our task," the headmaster explained, his eyes glowing a
dark violet. "You see, Strand has been having trouble controlling
multiple bodies at once, so I had to intervene."
  The woman tried her best to remember what had happened to her but
could recall little. She remembered her husband, who dropped her
expensive luggage, trying to grab her. She remembered the man who
stood behind her husband-- well, if you could call him a man-- a
short, dwarf-like creature, the color drained from his face, his
hair a mess, and his nose smashed in. The dwarf's eyes were blood-
shot, though there was no blood to speak of, and he wore dark robes
that matched the color emanating from the headmaster's eyes.
  But, the dwarf's most distinguishing features were not his
grotesque face, nor his strange garb, but the thread-like wires
that were attached to each of his ten fingers.
  "Ah, I see," muttered the principal. "You are trying to remember
Strand, aren't you?"
  Lady Kuno stared at the man in surprise.
  "I can do far more than possess bodies, my dear," he explained.
"I do have a certain degree of psionic talent, but not as much as
I would have hoped for-- but that is another story, and you don't
need to know."
  He craned his head up and yelled to another beyond the woman's
view. "Prepare the ceremony, Shifter! And get your idiot brother
back here; we may need to restrain her again!"
  Another man yelled back. "I don't take orders from anyone!" The
dwarf, Lady Kuno thought.
  "Silence, toad!" spat the principal. "If it weren't for me, you
would be still dying on that slab! If we are successful, all of us
will be rewarded greatly!"
  The other man grumbled. "Very well, but NOT because ya said so!"
  What's going on? wondered Lady Kuno. And what do they want? And
where is that stupid son of mine when I need him?!

  "Ah, Mousse," Cologne said in greetings as he and Ling-ling and
Lung-lung entered the Nekohatten, defeated. "I trust Shampoo was
quite successful?"
  Mousse said nothing, choosing to ignore the old hag. Silently,
he headed toward his room, leaving the twins behind.
  The old matriarch's eyes followed Mousse until he disappeared
up the stairs. Turning to the twins, she said, "I'll assume that
everything is going according to my design. It is a terrible side
effect that Mousse should lose face in this manner, but it is very
necessary if we want to have a future."
  "Did you really believe Mousse would win?" wondered Ling-ling.
  "Is that why you send Shampoo?" asked Lung-lung.
  Cologne laughed, then shook her head. "Son-in-law is much too
powerful for the likes of Mousse. No, it was more to make sure that
our favorite martial artist and the others knew where we stood. It
won't do to make them enemies, not now."
  Lung-lung turned her attention to Shampoo's father, who shrugged.
"It no good to go home like this."
  "Perhaps," agreed Cologne, "but what has started today is far
from over."

  "Ah, Kasumi Tendo, welcome!" greeted the priest.
  "Why, hello, Mister Nakamura," returned Kasumi, giving the man her
respects.
  Kasumi and the priest stood in the priest's office at the Saint
Hebereke Church, one of the few Christian churches in Tokyo. Where
most churches built in a cross-shape, such as this particular church,
had its head facing east, this building's head was facing west, for in
the Far East, the Holy Land was westward.
  On a normal day Kasumi would not have dared to enter the priest's
office, but this time, she was invited.
  Nakamura offered Kasumi a seat. "Please, sit, we've much to
discuss."
  Kasumi gratefully took a seat, as did the priest.
  "What did you wish to see me for?" asked Kasumi. "Did I do something
wrong?"
  The priest laughed. "Of course not, my dear!" Nakamura assured
her. "I'm quite pleased, actually. It isn't you I'm here to talk
about, but one of your friends."
  "Oh, Dr. Tofu?" guessed Kasumi.
  "Yes, that's the one," confirmed the priest. "Since the beginning
of the year you've brought him to this establishment almost every
time you've come. I hear he is a skilled martial artist as well as a
masterful chiropractor." Taking a deep breath, Nakamura added, "Are
you two together?"
  "Dr. Tofu?" the eldest Tendo sister repeated in surprise. "No, he
and I are just friends."
  "Really," Nakamura replied, nodding slowly. "Despite that, I was
thinking about expanding the flock. What would you say about trying
to convert him?"
  "Is that what you asked me here for?" asked Kasumi.
  "Precisely," confirmed Nakamura. "He has come with you many times,
and I feel it prudent to welcome him to our flock. Will you talk to
him for me?"
  "Why, of course," Kasumi replied, nodding with a smile. "I'm sure
he will be agreeable!"
  "Yes, I'm counting on that...." Nakamura muttered under his breath.

  As soon as Kasumi left, Nakamura rapped twice against the wall
behind him with his bare knuckles. He had little time to wait as the
secret door next to his desk slid open, revealing two new figures: a
man dressed in a cold, black suit, and a woman in a flowing, white
dress.
  "I imagine this 'Tofu' will be a most promising warrior for our
cause," the black man said.
  "I fail to see why we need him," replied the priest. "I mean, the
others are fine warriors themselves; in fact, we really only need
Sakurai and Spencer...."
  "Those two's power combined are hardly a match for the number of
martial artists that could potentially rise against us in this little
burg," interrupted the black man.
  "Yes, about that," the white woman spoke up, raising a cup of tea
gently to her lips. "Was there a reason you did not consider the one
known as Ranma Saotome?"
  "Loose cannon," replied Nakamura. "Quite unpredictable, and no one
way to control him. As long as we have Kasumi on our side, however,
Tofu is under our thumb."
  "Is there a reason why you could not use her as leverage against
that boy?" asked the white lady. "She is his sister-in-law."
  "True," considered the black man, "but that still doesn't give us
reasonable control. If we had Akane, however...." He turned to the
priest. "Find any others that are 'willing' to 'convert' to our cause.
Quickly, because time is certainly what we don't have."
  Nakamura nodded, understanding the meaning under the words of the
man dressed in black. "I've already found another likely candidate,
within the grounds of our dominion, at that. Her name is Kodachi."
  The lady in white scoffed. "She will never join your cause."
  "You know that for a fact?" The black man raised an eyebrow.
  Setting down her teacup, the white lady smirked knowingly, adjusting
the brilliant flower pinned over her left breast. "They call her 'the
Black Rose' for a reason."
  Seemingly out of nowhere, the white lady produced an empty picture
frame, holding it steady around her profile with her gloved hands.
  "They call me 'the White Lily' for the same reason," Asuka finished.
"No, I have something MUCH worse in mind for her, which fits nicely
into your plans."

  "Dear Mother," Mousse wrote on a clean sheet of paper, dictating
his message aloud, "we will be seeing each other soon, but I am
sending this message ahead, for there is something you should know
before preparing my victorious return home."
  He adjusted his glasses, then continued. "Know that your son has
shamed himself in battle. Know that your son no longer wishes to
wed the warrior Shampoo. Know that your son has failed to avenge
himself before his imminent return home. Know that your son has
severely disappointed you. In most cases, it is the dreamer that
dies, but this time... it is the dream."
  Once again, Mousse paused to rub his eyes. "Within a week of
writing this letter, the restaurant will be closed down and sold,
and good riddance to it; it brings no happy memories. The matriarch
believes the man who wronged me is too important to die, therefore
I can no longer exact revenge against him without incurring her
wrath. I contemplated defying her order, but I fear that you and
may suffer the consequences, and I cannot live with that thought
in my mind, not with Father gone."
  "As I wrote you previously, I have made a good deal of allies
during my stay. Most will be staying behind here in Japan, and the
only ones to undertake this journey are the twins, Ling-ling and
Lung-lung. I'm sure you remember them. Well, they have gotten better
at fighting, although their young blood makes them too eager to
enter battle. When I learned of the troubles you were suffering, I
made sure to train the pair personally. I am sure you will be proud
of my work."
  Pausing for a moment, the Master of Hidden Weapons produced a
tissue from his sleeves, then blew his nose. Discarding the spent
tissue, he resumed writing. "I also told you about the Japanese
chef girl, Ukyo Kuonji. Today I decided that pursuing Shampoo was
futile, as I can no longer see any way to win her heart; however,
what I have done was spurn the heart of one who loved me. Well,
Mother, you always said love was no easy matter, and you were
right. Still, the time spent chasing after Shampoo was too much
time wasted on nothing."
  "As of right now, I have only three regrets: being unable to kill
the man who wronged me, Ranma Saotome. Chasing after Shampoo for
fifteen years of my life. And turning my back against true love.
Life is cruel, but I hope returning to battle will make me forget
it all-- a warrior must live and die on the field of battle.
Perhaps only then I can remove my shame."
  Pausing for a moment, he finished, "Dreams may die, but the
dreamers live on."

  Pantyhose Taro stared at the rippling pond in the middle of the
Kuno estate, watching the predator swimming lazily within, the giant
alligator Midorigame, Kodachi's pet 'turtle.' Basic animal instinct
ruled the creature, an instinct Taro knew only too well, as he had
relied upon it in the past to survive. After all, only the strong
survived.
  Predatorial instinct, however, failed the Chinese martial artist
when it came to Kodachi herself.
  Why she was parlaying to her traitorous brother was beyond Taro.
He never had siblings, nor parents, while growing up in the isolated
village in China that served as his home. No, the shame brought upon
him by Happosai prevented him from such pleasures-- well, then, what
WAS pleasure, anyway? Pleasure was something he found only in the
hunt, where everything was crystal-clear, black and white, the lines
drawn perfectly. Still, beyond that, there was the gray area, the
fuzzy view, the squiggles and incomplete lines. Kodachi and her
brother belonged to the latter group.
  Had it been my way, Taro thought, I would have gotten rid of that
pathetic swordsman long ago; he got in the way with his 'chivalry'
bullshit, his haughty airs, his arrogance! And, unlike many other
opponents, THIS one wasn't fazed by taunts and the questioning of
his parentage; rather, he behaved as if he didn't hear, which is
infuriating to no end. Damn poet; although he lacks the skill Femme-
boy had, he is a far-greater adversary than the hermaphrodite ever
was.
  Still, Femme-boy must be shown his place as well, for, unlike
Kodachi's worthless brother, the girly-man liked to play the same
games.
  Months ago, I was willing to save Akane from Femme-boy's little
stint, citing family as reason-- yet, today, I am striking that
down. Heh, so I lied to them and myself; perhaps family don't mean
a rat's ass to me, after all. Still, Akane needed help, and I gave
it to her-- too bad Femme-boy benefited as well.
  Today was a wash, but there's always tomorrow.

  The men Lady Kuno could not see labored and toiled about, doing
whatever the bound woman could imagine and then some. Staring at the
ceiling, resigned to the fate she expected, the street-raised Lady
heard only the crashes of dropped artifacts, and the barks of the
one using her husband's body (she'd figured as much).
  Every once in a while the disfigured dwarf would stare down at
her, with his terrible, blood-shot eyes, licking his tongue as if
ready to take the Lady as his own-- however, she... KNEW, that was
not what he was thinking. Had these weird men wanted to do that to
her, the Lady Kuno reasoned, they would have done so already. It was
the ceremony the three (she could detect no other beings in the
immediate area) men were preparing that scared her.
  What were they up to?
  Once more, the dwarf called Strand pressed his ugly mug into Lady
Kuno's face. She tried to lurch back, shying away from the saliva
that wasn't dropping from the little man's tongue. By all rights,
he should have been dead.
  "Get back over here, you pervert!!" ordered the man called Shifter,
whose face Lady Kuno had yet to see. He, at least, wasn't making a
nuisance of himself. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner you
can 'oogle and fondle' girls!"
  Strand fixed his eyes on the other. "But she won't be the same
after the transfusion!"
  Transfusion?
  "There are plenty of other women!" reasoned Shifter. "You can
have her daughter when this is all over!"
  Daughter? How do they know her?!
  "She looks just like the lady here!" continued the faceless man.
"Sure, she IS a bit younger, but that also means less... never mind."
  Wrinkles... come on, say it!
  Strand spared one more glance at Lady Kuno, then jumped out of
view. "Oh, very well! But only because we need the old bag for the
transfusion!"
  Old bag?! The word!
  "Are you two idiots done YET?!" bellowed the headmaster, still
using two voices at once. "We have a timetable! Shall I have to
revive the others?"
  "Of course not, sir!" replied Shifter confidently. "You doubt my
abilities? We will be finished shortly."
  Loud clomps against a stone floor echoed throughout the dark
chamber, telling Lady Kuno that her possessed husband was leaving.
A few heartbeats later, as the footsteps trailed off to nothingness,
she heard the sound of a spitting tongue.
  "Bastard," spat Strand. Soon his soft footsteps echoed and died in
Lady Kuno's hearing. Leaving just the third man.
  She heard his footsteps die as well, but he stopped. The footsteps
drew closer, and Lady Kuno felt her head restraint being released.
Raising her neck instinctively, the woman realized her arms and legs
were still restrained.
  "Put your head back down," ordered the man behind her head.
  Without much option, Lady Kuno prepared to rest her head back
against the cold stone, but what she found was something... LIGHTER.
  If the stone slab she were restrained to weren't so hard, Lady
Kuno would have thought she was lying in bed.
  A pillow?
  Her eyes tried to fix on the face of the third man, but he was
too far from her field of vision. She wanted to say something, but
the words still failed to reach her lips.
  "Forgive me, Lady, but I must restore the restraints," Shifter
apologized. "I will be back soon."
  With that, Shifter walked off, leaving Lady Kuno alone to
contemplate the recent developments.

----------------------------------------------------------
This has been yet another exercise in interpretation.
"Decepticons FOREVER!!" --Ravage, former Decepticon
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die." --Kosh, Babylon 5

"[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris Davies
"The FFML exists to judge the writing, not the writers."--Richard Lawson
"There was a recent case where a fanfic author put together his work with 
only another fanfic serving as his primary resource.  *I* started writing 
fanfiction that way, and consequently I never grew attached to this whole 
idea of remaining true to the original.  I call it "correction."--Reverend 
Prez

--Razorclaw X
Author: "Wheel of Fire", "The World's Worst Ranma Fanfic!", "The Geometry of 
Shattered Souls", "The Balance of Power".
"I sold my soul to buy a copy of the dubbed 'Ukyo Can Cook'"
"Pathetic authors beg for flames. Wait, that's me."


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