[FFML] [Ranma][Thy Outward Part] Faces

[Richard D LAWSON]

What the hell.  This idea has been bouncing around my head and I finally put 
it on paper.

I am, as always, open to any and all commentary and criticism, benevolent or 
otherwise.

>From the Department of Redundancy Department: A new story in my "Thy Outward 
Part" series of Ranma fanfics.  Previous installments can be found on my 
website:  http://www.sterman.org.

Flame away.

-Richard

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

We all have a face
That we hide away forever,
And we take them out and show ourselves
When everyone has gone.

Some are satin, some are steel,
Some are silk, and some are leather.
They're the faces of the stranger,
But we love to try them on

           "The Stranger"
           Billy Joel


Faces

by Richard Lawson

---

Okawara Chiyoko bowed slightly.  "I am honored to be here."

The older woman eyed her.  "You understand your duties?"

Yoko nodded, having studied the job posting carefully.  "I am to greet 
patients when they arrive, find out if they have an appointment, direct them 
to the appropriate office, and schedule future appointments."

The older woman nodded.  "You'll also process mail and make non-emergency 
pages.  Refer anyone who's coming in for emergency treatment to the 
emergency ward.  Are you prepared?"

Yoko nodded enthusiastically.  She had carefully selected her wardrobe to be 
professional, sympathetic, and appealing.  She'd also spent a great deal of 
time this morning apllying makeup, emphasizing the curves of her face, the 
propensity of her lips to be constantly smiling.  This was the perfect 
place, the perfect opportunity, and she wasn't going to waste it.  "I am 
ready to begin."

"Good."  The woman indicated that Yoko should sit at the desk.  "You know 
how to use a computer?"

Yoko very nearly rolled her eyes.  The other woman was betraying her age; 
everyone knew how to use a computer these days.  "Yes, I am very familiar 
with how a computer works."

"Good.  Here's your login information."  The woman thrust a sheaf of papers 
at Yoko.  "Look it over.  If you have any questions, ask Mary."

Yoko looked at where a middle-aged woman was talking to a patient, taking 
down insurance information.  Mary was clearly busy but took the time to 
smile at Yoko by way of greeting.

The older woman ended the conversation by walking away.  Yoko looked around 
in a mild panic, hoping no one would walk up to her right away.  She quickly 
logged into the computer and started poking around, finding the scheduling 
software and various office applications.  Satisfied, she logged into the 
switchboard and began familiarizing herself with the layout.

Thankfully it was all simple to figure out.  Yoko had not done much after 
high school for a couple of years until her mother had evicted her from the 
house.  Yoko had not much enjoyed that experience, nor the waitress job she 
had been forced to take for a while.  She'd eventually enrolled in a 
secretarial program and emerged with a certification.  After a couple of 
temp jobs filling in for vacationing people, she'd applied for and been 
accepted as a hospital receptionist.

The woman who had interviewed her had talked about the wonderful career 
opportunities that could be had at Nerima General.  Yoko had responded with 
the appropriate amount of eager zealousness, although privately she didn't 
intend to remain working here for long.

After contenting herself that she could use the phone system, she called up 
the directory of doctors on staff.  It was a satisfyingly long list.  Yoko 
nodded to herself, then opened up her purse and brought out her compact.  
Its mirror showed that nothing had changed.  Yoko was young, slim, and 
attractive.  All she had to do was catch the eye of the right person.

Yoko quickly put the mirror away; one musn't appear to be too vain.  Almost 
as soon as she did, a fiftyish man walked up to ask about meeting a Dr. 
Kunitomi.  Yoko greeted him warmly and checked the scheduling software.  She 
found that the man had an appointment, and called Dr. Kunitomi's extension.  
The voice on the other end was disappointly old, and directed Yoko to send 
the man back to his office.  Yoko found a map and discovered that the man 
already knew where Dr, Kunitomi's office was, and went along his way.  Yoko 
called out a pleasant goodbye as the man left.

"You did that very well."

Yoko turned to see that Mary had come up behind her.  Yoko smiled even as 
she quickly assessed Mary.  Not very slim, a bit frumpy.  A ring on her 
finger indicated she was married.  This was a great relief to Yoko; she 
wanted to make as many friends as possible amongst the staff here.

Yoko bowed her head and spoke in a friendly but deferential tone.  "Thank 
you.  My name is Yoko.  I'm pleased to meet you."  She quickly dug in her 
purse, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Mary.

Mary seemed greatly amused as she accepted the card.  "I'm afraid I don't 
have any cards with me.  I'll get one to you soon.  Have you worked long in 
the medical field?"

Yoko shook her head.  "No.  This is my first permanent job working in a 
hospital.  But I look forward to learning from you how best to help others."

Mary smiled.  "Well, from what I saw, you seem to be a natural.  I don't 
know that I have a lot to teach you.  I'll mostly be doing non-emergnecy 
admissions, but if you ever need to step away from the desk for a few 
minutes, I can cover for you."

"Thank you."  Yoko bowed her head again.  "I hope in time I can do the same 
for you."

"We'll see.  Do you have any questions?"

Yoko brightened.  "Do we deal with the doctors much?"

In Mary's expression, Yoko saw that she had made a mistake, revealed too 
much of her intentions with the clumsy question.  Mary shook her head.  
"Many of them come in through this entrance, and one or two may greet you, 
but mostly we're way too far down the food chain for them to even notice us. 
  Once in a while they'll tell you to bring them lunch or make copies, but 
that's about it."

So she'd have to make the most of any opportunities that presented 
themselves.  Yoko examined the hospital entrance, mentally replaying all the 
men she has seen walk through it and down the hallway.  Now that she thought 
about it, many of them fit the profile of being doctors.  She'd have to 
quickly put names to faces and try to get familiar with them.

Even as she was deciding this, she saw a man walk in and head directly 
towards her desk.  He was of average height, looked to be somewhere over 
thirty, and was slim and athletic.  More than athletic; as he approached, 
she saw that his entire body was pure muscle, not an ounce of fat anywhere, 
obvious even underneath his conservative, professional clothes.

He walked up and smiled at her.  His eyes were gorgeous, and Yoko fought to 
maintain her composure.  Please oh please let him be a doctor and not a 
patient.

"Hello.  You're new here, aren't you?"

Yoko exhilirated.  That would only be asked by someone who worked in the 
hospital.  "Yes, this is my first day.  I am Okawara Chiyoko.  Please call 
me Yoko."  She reached into her purse, produced another business card, and 
handed it to him.

"Yoko."  The man accepted her card with a slight bow of his head.  "A 
pleasure.  I am Dr. Marumoto.  I asked a patient of mine, Oshio Fumi, to 
come in this morning whenver she can make it.  Would you send her straight 
back to my office when she arrives, please?"

"Of course, Dr. Marumoto.  You can count on me."  Yoko quickly closed her 
mouth.  That, too, had been clumsy.  She needed to be a lot more 
circumspect.

"I never doubted that.  Welcome to Nerima General."  Dr. Marumoto smiled 
again, bowed, and turned to head down the corridor.

Almost afraid to look, Yoko glanced at his left hand.  To her dismay, he was 
wearing a wedding ring.

That didn't necessarily mean all hope was lost.  Yoko watched his retreating 
form, which was very pleasant to observe.  She'd have to make a point to 
greet him every day.  Perhaps learn if he drank coffee, what he ate for 
lunch, have those things available to him every day.  And perhaps she could 
learn if he was having any problems at home, offer a sympathetic ear.  It 
might be a long campaign, but Yoko could see that it would be one well worth 
fighting.

"He's a nice man, isn't he?"

Yoko almost jumped in her seat; she'd completely forgotten about Mary.  
"Yes, he seems very polite."

"He is very polite.  Dr. Marumoto is perhaps the nicest man I have ever met. 
  Most everyone here likes him a lot.  We're lucky to have him working 
here."

There was something in Mary's voice that Yoko couldn't quite identify.  Was 
she being warned against him?  If so, Yoko would have to work very hard at 
being discrete and subtle.  She smiled at Mary.  "Everyone I've met so far 
has been very nice.  I'm so looking forward to working here."

Mary seemed to study her.  Yoko kept her expression friendly, and eventually 
Mary smiled back.  "I'm looking forward to working with you as well."

The conversation was cut short by another older man approaching the desk.  
Mary went back to her station while Yoko sighed in satisfaction.  She had 
identified one possible target, and she was determined not to miss.

This was already shaping out to be a terrific job.

---

Yoko gave the patient his appointment card and then bowed her head as she 
murmurred a goodbye.  He grunted and left.  Yoko made certain to keep the 
smile on her face until he was well and truly off, then opened up the 
scheduling software again.

In the six weeks she'd been working here she'd already familiarized herself 
with all of the doctors on staff.  As Mary had warned, most ignored her 
daily greetings.  Still, the few who returned her greetings were growing in 
number.  Yoko was confident that in time she could get everyone to like and 
respond to her.

But perhaps she wouldn't need to spend too much time making those efforts.  
Yoko found herself opening up Dr. Marumoto's schedule, which was, as usual, 
quite full.  Dr. Marumoto was one of the busiest doctors on staff, but that 
didn't stop him from greeting her every morning.  She'd even managed to 
engage him in a couple of conversations, from which she'd learned he had two 
children.  A comment on how strong his arms looked had led to a conversation 
about martial arts.  Yoko knew almost nothing about that, and had done some 
research since then.  At the next opportunity, she planned to bring up a 
desire to learn martial arts, and perhaps use whichever sensei he used.

But that wouldn't be today.  He'd be seeing patients all throughout the day, 
well past when Yoko's shift ended.  Yoko sighed in regret and considered the 
possibility of asking for extended hours.  It would certainly look good to 
her bosses, the right kind of youthful dedication.  And it would give her a 
chance to say goodbye to Dr. Marumoto as he left.  Perhaps in time she might 
suggest an evening meal with him - or a cup of coffee if a meal seemed too 
forward.  She had to proceed carefully.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of two children who 
bounded through the doors, an older girl chasing a younger boy.  Yoko 
studied them warily.  Children were relatively rare in the hospital, which 
had no pediatrics ward.  They had to be here with someone, and as soon as 
Yoko thought that, a harried-looking woman walked in the entrance.  Her 
expression was one of annoyance bordering on anger, so Yoko immediately 
pegged her as a typical parent.

"Akio!  Kyoko!  Come here this instant!"  The woman's voice matched her 
expression, but the children did not seem inclined to listen.  The girl, who 
was perhaps twelve, was carefully stalking the boy, who couldn't be more 
than seven.  The boy was tracking the girl, smiling as she approached.

The woman growled, a strange sound Yoko had never heard from her own 
parents.  "If you two don't stop this instant, I will beat you both 
senseless.  Do you hear me?"

The children seemed to take the threat seriously.  They both stopped, 
although the girl did sigh petulantly.  The children flopped into chairs in 
the waiting area while the woman approached Yoko.

Yoko immediately put on her professional, friendly face.  "Welcome to Nerima 
General.  May I help you?"

The woman's voice was still full of irritation.  "Page Dr. Marumoto and tell 
him that his children are in the lobby and he needs to come get them right 
now."

Dr. Marumoto's children?  Yoko glanced over at them, doing a quick 
assessment.  There was no obvious feature marking them as being related to 
Dr. Marumoto, but then, Dr. Marumoto didn't have any distinctive features.  
Yoko looked over at the woman.  She was short and wearing pants and a simple 
shirt.  She was wearing no makeup and had her hair tied into a simple 
ponytail.  She was, like Dr. Marumoto, slim and athletic.  The woman could 
possibly be attractive if she put any effort into it at all.

But she hadn't, and Yoko decided that there was no way this woman could be 
Dr. Marumoto's wife.  Perhaps a babysitter.  Coming to herself, Yoko smiled. 
  "Of course.  One moment, please."

She dialed Dr. Marumoto's extension, and heard his warm voice immediately 
answer.  "Hello, Yoko."

Yoko felt warm inside.  Dr. Marumoto always greeted her personally, even on 
the phone.  "There's a woman here asking you to pick up your children."

"My children?  Are they here now?"

"Yes, they're in the lobby."

"All right.  I'll be right there.  Thank you, Yoko."

"You're welcome."  Yoko looked up at the woman.  "He's coming now."

The woman grunted and said no more.  She turned to glare at the children, 
who carefully avoided eye contact with her and looked pointedly bored.

Very soon Dr. Marumoto appeared.  He smiled at the children.  "Hello, Kyoko. 
  Hello, Akio."

"Dad!"  They both ran up to him.  The boy jumped up and grabbed Dr. 
Marumoto's shoulder, dangling his feet in the air as he held on.  The girl 
simply hugged him and beamed up into his face.

Yoko sighed softly.  The sight of Dr. Marumoto with his children was 
beautiful to see.  He clearly loved them, and they just as clearly adored 
him.  Yoko had no immediate plans to have children, and perhaps Dr. Marumoto 
wouldn't require any more for a long while.  She'd have to find out what he 
thought about that.

Her brief reverie was interrupted by the woman approaching the mass of 
Marumotos.  "Okay, they're yours.  I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"  Dr. Marumoto looked surprised.  "Where?"

"Business," the woman answered shortly.

"Business?"  Dr. Marumoto blinked at her. "What kind of business?"

"The kind of business that's none of yours.  I'll be back in a day or two."

"Two days?"  Dr. Marumoto looked distressed.  "I can't look after them now, 
I have patients to see."

"Oh, am I inconveniencing you?"  The woman spoke with a vicious, sarcastic 
bite.  "Considering the number of times I had to cancel classes because you 
were caught up in some medical emergency, I think it's only fair you get 
inconvenienced a time or two."

"Can't... can't one of your sisters look after them this afternoon?  Or your 
parents?"

"That's your problem, not mine.  I have to go."  The woman spun on her heel 
and walked towards the door.

"Wait!"  Dr. Marumoto spoke as sharply as Yoko had ever heard.  "Ranma, tell 
me what's going on."

The woman didn't even slow down.  "Later."

"You'll call me?"

"No, I won't be able to.  I'll talk to you when I get back.  Goodbye, 
children."

Akio released the hold on his father's shoulder and waved at the door.  
"Bye, Mom!"

Yoko looked in dismay at the woman's retreating form.  So that was Dr. 
Marumoto's wife.  It seemed impossible.  There was nothing at all enticing 
about the woman - she put no effort into her appearance, she was mean and 
acerbic, and didn't seem at all cooperative.  How had she managed to marry 
Dr. Marumoto was beyond Yoko.

Dr. Marumoto stood looking after the woman.  He drew a deep sigh and looked 
around.  He spied Yoko watching him and aproached, his children in his wake. 
  "Yoko, may I ask you a favor?"

Yoko smiled widely.  "Always, Dr. Marumoto."

"Can you keep an eye on my children for a while until I finish up with my 
current patient?"

Yoko forced herself to keep the smile on her face.  "Of course.  I'll look 
after them for as long as you need."

"Thank you."  Dr. Marumoto turned to face the children.  "Listen to Yoko.  
Do not be impolite to her.  I'm counting on you two to set a good example 
while you're here in the hospital."

"Yes, Dad," they answered in unison.

Yoko opened the door that let them into the area behind the reception desk.  
Dr. Marumoto thanked Yoko again and hurried away.

The children and Yoko studied each other carefully.  Yoko realized that this 
could be an important encounter.  If the children liked her, then Dr. 
Marumoto might come to like her more.  So it was vital that she win the 
children's trust and love.

The problem was that she had absolutely no idea how to do that.  Yoko had 
spent much of the past few years avoiding children whenever possible.  She 
tried to remember how her mother had treated her as a young child.  There 
didn't seem to be a lot of parenting knowledge to draw upon.

Yoko drew in a breath.  "Hello, children."

"Hello," they chorused.  The girl bowed slightly.

Yoko leaned forward in her chair.  "I'm Yoko.  You are Kyoko and Akio?"

"Yeah," the boy said with little interest.

Yoko studied him, looking for signs of bruises.  She didn't find any.  
Hesitantly, she volunteered a question.  "Your mother was being very mean to 
you; does she hit you much?"

Akio immediately brightened.  "Yeah!  She hits us all the time and throws us 
around and jumps on top of us and beats us up all the time and-"

"Akio!"  Kyoko frowned at her brother.  "Stop that."

Akio glared back at his sister.  "It's all true!"

"No it's not!  Not the way you're saying it."

"How am I supposed to say it?  Like a silly whiny moron?"

"Like something other than a stupid brat."

The children stared at each other.  Suddenly their bodies stiffened, and 
each dropped into what looked like a martial arts stance.  Warily they began 
circling each other.

Yoko was about to say something when a patient with an appointment 
approached.  After dealing with him as swifly as politeness allowed, Yoko 
turned back to see the children fighting in earnest, throwing punches and 
kicks with alarming speed and power.

"Children!"  Yoko stood and approached them.  "Stop that this instant, 
you'll hurt each other."  She tried to step between them.

She wasn't certain exactly which one of them punched her in the abdomen.  
All Yoko knew was that suddenly she couldn't breathe.  Pain radiated 
throughout her stomach and back.  Her eyes bulging, Yoko staggered and fell 
backwards into her chair.  She pressed her hands against her chest and 
forced herself to take a breath.  It hurt horribly, and it was only with 
tremendous effort that she managed to take another.  After four deep, 
shuddering breaths, the worst of the pain went away, and now she could 
breathe somewhat naturally, although her back was on fire.

Her sight was blurry from tears that hadn't yet spilled.  With a shaking arm 
Yoko reached over and grabbed a tissue from her desk.  Carefully she dabbed 
her eyes, trying to save her makeup, forcing herself to stillness.  That had 
hurt, like nothing else in her life ever had.  It was a struggle to get 
herself back under control.

Yoko tossed the tissue in the wastebasket and looked over at the children.  
They had stopped fighting and were both watching her carefully.

The girl tilted her head.  "Well, that was pretty stupid."

Yoko forced back an angry retort.  These were Dr. Marumoto's children.  She 
put a smile on her face.  "I guess it was."

Both of the children seemed to relax at this response.  The boy - Akio - 
came up to her.  "You shouldn't never try to get inbetween two people 
fighting.  Just grab their wrists.  Like this."

Akio took her arm and turned her hand palm up.  He wrapped his small hand 
around her wrist as best he could, applying pressure.  His grip was 
incredibly strong for such a young boy.  "See?"

Yoko experimentally tried to move her hand and found that her ability to 
rotate her wrist was greatly diminished.  "I see.  Very useful."

"Let me show you."  Kyoko took Yoko's other hand and positioned her fingers 
on Kyoko's wrist.  "Feel here?  Where the tendon is?"

"Yes.  Yes, I do."

"Apply pressure."

Gently, Yoko squeezed.

"Harder.  As hard as you can," Kyoko admonished.

Yoko triend increasing the pressure, carefully watching Kyoko's face for 
signs of pain.  She didn't show any, but instead shook her head.  "That's 
okay, but your hands are too weak."

"Are they?"

"Yeah."  Kyoko easily twisted her wrist out of Yoko's grasp.  "You should 
make them stronger.  Squeeze things, like this."  Kyoko reached into her 
pocket and pulled out a lump of something that looked like putty.

Gingerly, Yoko took it.  She wrapped her hand around it and squeezed.  The 
putty didn't seem to budge.

Akio took a similar lump out of his pocket and demonstrated.  "Squeeze, and 
release.  Squeeze, and release.  Over and over."

Yoko imitated Akio's technique.  "For how long?"

"Whenever you can," Kyoko responded.  "I do it whenever the teacher talks in 
school.  The more you do it, the stronger your hands will be."

"Oh."  That seemed like an awful lot of work for no appreciable gain.  
Still, she shouldn't dismiss the advice if she wanted to remain on their 
good side.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome.  You can keep that so you can use it here."

Yoko looked at the misshapen lump of putty and realized it was Kyoko's way 
of making amends.  "Thank you again."

"You're welcome again."  Kyoko reached over and grabbed the back of Akio's 
neck.  Akio protest loudly as he was dragged away from the desk.  Soon they 
were both sitting on the floor, supporting themselves with their hands as 
they tried to attack each other with their feet and legs.

Yoko decided that was as quiet as they were likely to get.  She looked again 
at the putty, then began squeezing it as Akio had showed her.  Already she 
was planning to mention the new habit she had acquired the next time she 
greeted Dr. Marumoto in the morning.

Her spirits began to brighten more and more.  She was making good progress.  
And from all appearances, things were not going so well between Dr. Marumoto 
and his wife.  All she had to do was be patient and wait.  The opportunity 
would soon present itself, of that Yoko was certain.

---

Yoko blew out a slightly frustrated breath as the latest patient left her 
desk and the hospital.  The past two days had been very busy, giving Yoko 
little time to talk with Dr. Marumoto.  After picking up his children to 
take them to their grandmother, Dr. Marumoto hadn't spoken to her, only 
smiled as he walked past the busy reception desk each morning.

Yoko had a dozen gambits ready to go, but so far hadn't had the chance to 
use any.  She flirted with and rejected the idea of stopping by his office; 
she had no legitimate excuse for doing so.  She just had to wait.

Waiting, though, was much more difficult than she'd supposed.  It was not 
the first time she'd found it much easier to make a plan than follow through 
with it, but this time it was especially frustrating.

Someone else was walking up to the desk, and stifling another sigh, Yoko put 
on her professional face.  To her surprise it was Dr. Marumoto's wife, still 
wearing the same clothes she'd been in two days ago.  She looked very tired. 
  "Hey.  Call Dr. Marumoto and tell him I'm here."

"Of course."  Yoko kept her voice warm and friendly; no need to alienate 
this woman too soon.  After a quick conversation, Yoko hung up and smiled.  
"He'll be here shortly."

"Thanks."  Dr. Marumoto's wife leaned against the counter-top, obviously 
weary.

Yoko tried to think of a good conversation starter, something to put the 
woman at her ease.  "I apologize.  Did Dr. Marumoto call you 'Ranma'?"

"Yes.  But that's okay, it only happens to be my name."

Even tired, the woman was acerbic.  Yoko tried to smile through it.  "It's 
an interesting name.  It suits you."

The women - Ranma - turned at this.  She looked Yoko up and down.  "My 
children say you take a punch well.  You got hit in the solar plexus but 
shrugged it off and didn't cry too much about it."

Only today had the ache from that hit gone away.  Yoko thought over Ranma's 
words and decided that they were phrased as a compliment.  "Thank you.  
They're very good martial artists.  Did-"  Yoko stopped abruptly.  She'd 
been about to ask if Dr. Marumoto had taught them how to fight.  Then the 
memory of Ranma talking about having to cancel classes flashed through her 
mind, as well as the children's talk about her hitting them and throwing 
them around.  Looking at how athletic this woman was, it suddenly became 
clear what exactly Ranma taught.  "Did you train them to be such excellent 
fighters?"

Ranma snorted.  "They're nowhere near excellent.  I'm sorry they caused you 
trouble."

"Oh, they were very little trouble.  I enjoyed spending time with them."

"Spend more than an hour with them and say that again."  Nevertheless, Ranma 
looked mildly pleased.

Yoko tilted her head, wondering exactly what she was trying to accomplish.  
Being pleasant to people had become such a practiced habit that she was 
doing it even to potential rivals.  Perhaps there was a benefit in trying to 
keep every relationship as cordial as possible.  Certainly her own parents 
had been very unpleasant to each other after the divorce.  Yoko certainly 
wouldn't want Dr. Marumoto's children to be exposed to anything like that.

As if in response to her thoughts, Dr. Marumoto walked up to the desk.  
"Ranma!  Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."  Ranma's face had sobered at the sight of her husband.

Dr. Marumoto didn't seem to know how to react.  "The children are with your 
parents."

"I know, I just came from there."  Ranma pushed herself away from the desk 
and stood straight.  "We need to talk."

Dr. Marumoto hesitated.  "All right.  Shall we go to my office?"

"Nah.  Come with me."  She headed towards the stairs.

After a moment, Dr. Marumoto followed her, looking very concerned.

Yoko sat, quivering with excitement.  This sounded very serious.  It could 
be exactly the opportunity she'd been waiting for.  Dr. Marumoto might need 
a sympathetic ear this very night.  It all depended on what his wife had to 
say.

Yoko looked around, saw that Mary didn't have anyone at the admissions desk 
at the moment.  Yoko ran over.  "Mary, I, I want to go to lunch early.  Can 
you cover the desk for me, please?"

Mary looked up, surprised.  "Sure.  What's this about?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing."  Yoko ran back to her desk, grabbed her purse for 
the sake of appearance, and walked briskly down the hallway.  She found 
another set of stairs and started quickly climbing them.

If Dr. Marumoto's wife wanted a private conversation, there was only one 
place other than his office she might go in this hospital.  Yoko took the 
stairs all the way to the roof.  She quietly opened the door and surveyed 
the scene.  She saw Dr. Marumoto and his wife standing side by side, looking 
out over Nerima.  Yoko slipped out the door and crept along the roof.  There 
was a piece of the building cooling system close to where Dr. Marumoto was 
standing, and Yoko positioned herself on the far side of it.

As far as she could tell, they weren't talking.  Yoko decided this was a 
good thing; people often needed time to reveal unpleasant things.  Indeed, 
it was ten more minutes before Dr. Marumoto's wife spoke.

"Sorry about dumping the children on you like that."

"Accepted.  What happened?"

"It's not that it happened, it's that it's been happening.  Been happening 
for a while."

"What?"

"It's... I... I think the curse is wearing off."

Silence for a while.  Yoko strained to make out any sound.  She didn't dare 
show her face, but she desperately wished she could see Dr. Marumoto, get an 
understanding from his expression what this 'curse' might be.

When he spoke, Dr. Marumoto's voice had taken on a kind of professional, 
diagnostic tone.  "Why do you say that?"

"It's... it's hard to describe.  It started a few months ago, when-"

"A few months ago!"

"Don't interrupt.  I was rinsing myself off after a shower, and found that I 
didn't change.  I thought maybe that I just didn't use cold enough water, 
and the second time it worked.  But every day, it's taken colder and colder 
water to make it work.  Now I practically have to use ice water, and even 
then..."

Ranma sighed, obviously under a great deal of stress.  "Even now, I feel 
like my skin is crawling.  Like it wants me to change back.  I hadn't taken 
a hot shower in the two weeks before I left.  I was afraid what would happen 
if I did."

After a moment, Dr. Marumoto spoke in his professional tone again, although 
more strain was beginning to show.  "Maybe we should take you to China, try 
going back to-"

"I just got back from there."

"From China?"

"Yeah.  Shampoo helped get me in and to Jusenkyo.  I tried the Nyannichuan, 
but I didn't feel any different afterwards.  I talked to the Guide and his 
daughter, and they couldn't give me any answers.  From every source they had 
access to, the curse is supposed to be permanent unless cured."

"Did... did they have any idea what can be done?"

"The Guide thought maybe I should use the Chisuiton again."

"The ladel?  But that would..."

"Would make the curse permanent again, yeah.  But I still have the kettle, 
so decided to give it a try again.  I snuck into Herb's palace and used the 
ladel.  I still didn't feel any different.  I got back to the Guide's place, 
poured hot water on myself... and changed.  It took several applications of 
very cold water before I changed back.  The curse is losing its power, and 
even the ladel can't affect it."

"Why... why didn't you talk to me?  This is too serious for you to be 
dealing with by yourself."

"Because it's my problem, and I wanted to deal with it my way.  But now I 
don't know what else to do, and I thought that you might want to help me 
instead of yelling at me.  Clearly I was wrong."

"Oh Ranma..."  There was the sound of movement, and when Dr. Marumoto spoke 
again, his voice was slightly muffled.  "I'm sorry."

Ranma's voice also sounded slightly muffled, as if the two of them were 
hugging.  She sounded sad and afraid.  "I wanted to spare you this.  I 
wanted it to be all better before I told you.  I never want to leave you."

"You won't.  No matter what, I'll be with you."

"No."  Ranma's voice became clearer, as if she was breaking the hug.  "If... 
if the curse wears off, we can't... stay married.  It just won't be 
possible.  Mom wouldn't put up with it."

"If it's your mother you're worried about-"

"It's more than that, and you know it."

"It... it doesn't have to be."

"Yes, it does.  Can you imagine what it would be like for Kyoko and Akio?  
They've always been too smart to fool, and they'd see through any facade 
we'd put up."

"Why would it be a facade?"

"You know perfectly well why.  Neither of use wants a marriage like that."

For the first time, Dr. Marumoto sounded a little angry.  "Don't tell me 
what kind of marriage I want.  I married you, Ranma, and I'll stay married 
to you no matter what."

"Kentaro... that's sweet and noble, really it is.  And I have no doubt that 
you mean it.  But I've already lived through something like this.  Don't 
forget, I was engaged to Akane when I got hit with the Kasuifuu.  I went 
through a year and a half of that hell, and I don't want to do it again to 
you, and I sure as hell don't want the children to go through it."

"Ranma..."  Dr. Marumoto's voice was tinged with despair.  "You don't have 
to go through this alone.  You can't make me go away."

"I... I know.  It... it feels good to hear you say it though."

There followed the unmistakable sounds of two people kissing with a fair 
amount of passion.  Yoko shrunk back a little, suddenly wishing she wasn't 
here.

"Hmm..."  Ranma's voice was mishievous now.  "Wasn't it here that we 
conceived Kyoko?"

"That was the other hospital.  I remember it very well."

"Well, don't get any ideas, bud.  We're way too old for such nonsense."

"I'm not entirely certain that's true."  Dr. Marumoto's voice sobered.  
"What are you going to do now?"

"I... I was hoping you had an idea."

"We should talk to the children."

"Already?"

"Yes.  We need to prepare them."

"Can't we wait-"

"No.  We should never hide anything from them.  You said it yourself; 
they're too smart for that."

"I know.  But..."  Ranma sighed.  "It seems like telling them would make it 
real."

"Telling them doesn't mean we don't stop trying to fix this.  Do you know 
who made the kettle and the ladel?"

"Uh... no, I don't."

"Whoever it was knew enough about the curse to control it.  Maybe we should 
approach Herb openly, rather than sneaking in.  Ask him what his people 
know."

"That's... not a good idea.  You have no idea how powerful he is, and how 
much he hates me."

"Then I'll talk to him.  It doesn't have to be a fight."

"We'll see."  Ranma sighed heavily.  "It's already starting, just like it 
did back then.  The wild plans, the false hope.  Funny how it's all come 
full circle."

"I'm here, Ranma.  I'll always be here."

"Let me get back to the children and bring them home.  I'll wait until you 
get home before talking to them."

"All right.  I've got appointments right up until five, but I'll head 
straight home after the last one."

"Okay.  See you then."

They began walking away.  Yoko drew herself in as tightly as she could, 
hugging her purse.  Neither of them looked back as they approached the 
doorway and went through it.

Even when they were gone, Kyoko didn't move at all, her mind in a whirl.  
What was wrong with Dr. Marumoto's wife?  She was talking as if she had a 
fatal disease, calling it a curse.  Certainly they were responding to it as 
if it were fatal.  But there lots of things she didn't understand - about 
ladels and kettles and changes and water.  And for some reason, if the fatal 
disease - the "curse" - wore off, Dr. Marumoto and his wife could not remain 
married.  They evidently wanted the curse to remain active.

The upshot of it all was that there was a very good chance Dr. Marumoto was 
going to be single in the near future.  Whatever was happeing to his wife, 
it spelled the end of his marriage and would leave a window of opportunity 
available for Yoko.  It was everything she could have hoped from this 
conversation.

Why, then, did she feel so wretched?

Slowly, Yoko stood upright and began walking to the far stairs, deep in 
thought.  Before she did anything, she had to understand what was going on.  
Dr. Marumoto and his wife had dropped a few names.  Kasuifuu.  Chisuiton.  
Nyannichuan.  Jusenkyo.  Herb.  From all those, she had to build a framework 
for what was wrong with Ranma.

What she was going to do with that information, she wasn't exactly certain.  
What she held on to most strongly from the conversation was they way they 
talked to each other when they'd briefly hugged.  It had been full of such 
love, such strong emotion.  Yoko wanted something like that, wanted someone 
to love her like that.  Perhaps in finding out what was happening to Ranma, 
she could discover what it was in her that Dr. Marumoto loved so much.

Perhaps Yoko could find a way to emulate those qualities enough to bring Dr. 
Marumoto into her life, bringing the same kind of love he'd shown Ranma.

It sounded like a good plan.  It sounded like a good goal to achieve.  All 
Yoko needed to do was to convince the part of her mind that was feeling so 
horrible right now that this was the right thing to do.

With a tremulous sigh, Yoko opened the doors and descended.

---

Yoko sent the woman to her appointment and picked up her notepad again.  She 
tabbed over to the window on her computer where the browser was open, and 
continued reading the article she'd found.  As with most of the others she'd 
found, it was distressingly short of useful details.

Of the Chisuiton and Kasuifuu she'd found almost nothing - only references 
to "Ladel of Preservation" and "Kettle of Liberation".  Those sounded like 
political phrases to Yoko, and had no bearing she could determine.

Herb was also impossible to pin down.  There was no correlation between 
anyone named Herb and China that she could determine.  It could refer to a 
poisonous snake; it could refer to herbs and medicines for which China was 
famous.  There was either too much or too little information for Yoko to 
make use of.

Nyannichuan she was able to get some more information about.  Strictly, it 
meant "Spring of Drowned Girl".  Likewise, Jusenkyo was "Cursed Springs 
Village".  The reference to a curse had excited Yoko tremendously, but she 
could find nothing more about why the springs were cursed.  Certainly 
"Spring of Drowned Girl" sounded ominous.

Beyond that, she'd found out that Jusenkyo was supposed to be somewhere in 
the Kunlun Mountains, and that the springs were very dangerous.  Again, 
exactly how and why they were dangerous, no one seemed to know.

Yoko had gone down many false trails trying to find the answer.  She'd 
researched all she could about the Yellow Emperor, who'd lived in the Jade 
Palace in the Kunlun mountains only to find nothing that seemed relevant.  
That had led her to try and study Taoism.  While there was quite a lot of 
material about that, again nothing seemed to correlate to curses or drowned 
girls.

Likewise, researching the Queen Mother of the West had gotten nowhere.  
There was also supposed to be a tribe of warrior women who lived somewhere 
in the mountains.  Research into all these mythologies was mildly 
interesting but ultimately pointless.

Yoko was now attempting to look up everything about the Yellow River that 
might refer to curses, since it started in the Kunlun Mountains and might 
tie into all that Ranma was talking about water.  There was much to curse 
about the Yellow River - which appeared to be commonly refered to as 
"China's Sorrow" -  and it appeared many times in mythology, but again she 
could find nothing that would account for what was happeing to Ranma.

Yoko scribbled a few more notes and shook her head.  This didn't appear to 
be getting her anywhere.  She flipped back through the pages she'd written.  
So far, the only hypothesis that seemed sustainable was that Ranma was in 
fact the ghost of a drowned girl that was somehow brought back to life.  
Whatever was keeping her alive appeared to be losing its power, and Ranma 
was worried that she'd soon return to ghost form, ending her ability to be a 
wife to Dr. Marumoto and a mother to her children.  The only problem that 
Yoko had with that hypothesis is why Ranma would consider being returned to 
life a "curse".

The other problem was that this was all cearly ridiculous, and that Yoko was 
wildly speculating with no information and inventing fantastic explanations 
to something that was almost certainly a lot more mundane.

Annoyed, Yoko closed her browser and tossed her notepad back onto the desk.  
She cupped her chin in one hand and rested her elbow on the desk.  With her 
other hand she picked up the lump of putty and began squeezing it.  Yoko 
thought back over the conversation between Dr. Marumoto and his wife.  There 
was something there, something she could make sense of, if she could only 
figure it out.

So absorbed was she in all this that she didn't even notice that someone had 
approached until a friendly voice said, "Well, I think this is the first 
time I've ever seen you not smiling.  Whatever you're thinking about must be 
very serious."

Yoko blinked several times and looked up at Dr. Marumoto.  Despite herself, 
she blushed furiously.  Quickly she dropped the putty onto the desk and sat 
upright, trying to put on her best pleasant face.  "Please forgive me, Dr. 
Marumoto.  How may I help you?"

Dr. Marumoto instead looked at what she had dropped.  "Working on your hand 
strength, I see."

Yoko's blush, which had begun to fade, returned in full force.  This was one 
of the opportunities she'd been hoping for, a way to engage Dr. Marumoto in 
an extended conversation, and she was completely unprepared.  "Kyoko gave it 
to me," was all she could think to say.

"Really?"  Dr. Marumoto picked it up, gave it a couple of squeezes.  "And 
she taught you how to use it?"

"Yes.  She and Akio both."

"Wow.  They must really like you; they don't often share their secrets, such 
as they are."  He handed the putty back to her with a smile.  "Are you 
interested in martial arts?"

Yoko had prepared for this question, and was able to recover enough of her 
wits to try and give one of her answers.  "I wasn't until I met your 
children.  They enjoy it so much, and they seem so enthusiastic about it, I 
thought that perhaps I'd like to learn more from them.  It would be so nice 
to share their love for the art."

Dr. Marumoto smiled.  "No one seems to enjoy it as much as they do, with the 
possible exception of their mother.  If you'd like, I can set up a personal 
appointment with her.  She does free evaluations, and you'd be able to find 
out from her whether this is something you want to try."

Yoko did the best to keep her smile from fading.  Learning from Dr. 
Marumoto's wife was not what she'd had in mind at all.  But it would put her 
in a position where she could possibly learn more about what was happening, 
and be in a better position to take advantage of it.  "Thank you, Dr. 
Marumoto.  I'd love that."

He smiled, a warm smile that almost made her melt on the spot.  "Wonderful.  
But please, why don't you call me Kentaro.  I'd hate to have anyone training 
in the dojo at my home calling me, 'Dr. Marumoto'."

Yoko felt her chest tighten.  In all her planning and scheming, somehow it 
hadn't occurred to her that she might actually succeed.  This level of 
familiarity with Dr. Marumoto... it was a signficant step forward.  Her 
heart began beating rapidly; if she could accomplish this, what more might 
she achieve with him?  "As you wish... Kentaro."

Dr. Marumoto's grin widened.  "If you would please, may I have a printed 
copy of my schedule?"

It was a common request from him.  Yoko quickly sent a copy to the printer 
and handed it to him.  He accepted it with a small bow.  "I'll let you know 
tomorrow what times my wife has available for an assessment.  You can choose 
whichever is convenient for you."

"Thank you.  I look forward to the oppotunity."

"Good."  Dr. Marumoto walked back towards his office.

Yoko leaned back, a little drained emotionally.  Everything was coming 
together, if she could only hold on.

And yet, it also felt like it was falling apart.  Yoko glanced back to her 
notepad.  There was still the problem of whatever was wrong with his wife.  
More than ever, she needed to find out what that was.  Yoko would have to 
keep her eyes open, learn what she could, try to discover the secret.  Once 
she did, everything else would follow.  Of that, she was certain.  Almost 
certain.

Yoko picked up the putty and began squeezing it with her other hand, trying 
to get as ready as possible.

---

The dojo was in Nerima, not terribly far from the hospital.  Yoko glanced up 
and saw the address that matched what she had entered into her cell phone.  
A sign over the gate indicated that the School of Indiscriminate Grappling 
was to be found within.  Yoko frowned slightly at the name, then opened the 
gate.

She found two paths on the other side.  One led to the front door of a very 
nice-looking house.  The other led behind the house to the dojo if the signs 
were to be believed.  Yoko followed the latter path, trying to take in as 
much as possible.  The house looked very nice, the surrounding landscape 
very tasefully arranged.  Yoko could very easily imagine herself living 
here.

The dojo was in the back yard, next to a pool.  Yoko stopped and looked into 
the pool, seeing several large koi swimming about.  That didn't exactly 
thrill her; living things were always messy to take care of.  She wondered 
what Dr. Marumoto thought of them.

"Hey!"

She turned to see Akio waving at her from the back porch of the house.  Yoko 
smiled and bowed to him.  "Hello, Akio."

He started to bow back, hesitated.  "What's your name?"

She smiled in a friendly fashion.  "Yoko."

"Welcome to our house, Yoko."  He bowed.  "You gonna try to learn from Mom?"

"I hope I am worthy to be instructed by her."

Akio scoffed at this.  "You just better hope she doesn't scare you away like 
she does everyone else.  She's mean."

"You have no idea how mean I can be."

Yoko turned to see Ranma glaring at her son from the door of the dojo.  She 
was wearing a simple white gi and an annoyed expression.  "Have you finished 
putting away the dishes?"

Akio sighed the sigh of the long-suffering.  "Yes, Mom."

"And done your homework?"

"What homework?  I don't got any."

"I see.  I believe your teacher gave me his home phone number.  Should I 
call him and check?"

Akio grimaced.  "Maybe I got some stuff to read."

"Then maybe you should read that stuff before I find some other use for 
those books."

Akio rolled his eyes and turned back into the house.  He paused, then turned 
to wave at Yoko.  Yoko hastily waved back, and then he disappeared into the 
house.

Yoko turned to meet Ranma's gaze.  Ranma was currently eyeing Yoko very 
closely.  "Do you have a gi?"

Yoko had chosen her normal workout clothes, which consisted chiefly of 
shorts and a sweatshirt.  "No, I don't."

"Well, if you're going to learn from me, you'll need to get one.  The 
clothes you're wearing are too restrictive."

"Restrictive?"  Yoko glanced down at herself, trying to figure out exactly 
where she was constricted.   "How?"

"If you train from me, you'll find out.  Why don't you come in."  Ranma 
turned without waiting for a response and entered the dojo.

Yoko followed behind her, feeling more than a little apprehensive.  The dojo 
was fairly plain, with mats on the floors, walls, and ceiling.  At one end a 
banner hung displaying a motto:  "Keep your mind open and your body ready, 
and there is no enemy that can overcome you."

Yoko saw Ranma standing in the center of the dojo.  Yoko began walking 
towards her when Ranma barked out, "Stop!"

Yoko froze.

"Whenever you enter a dojo, bow to show your respect for it and its 
teachings."

Yoko looked around, somehow expecting the dojo to be irritated at her.  She 
bowed deeply, then looked to Ranma for further direction.

Ranma nodded.  "Good.  Now, come here in front of me.  Stand still, arms at 
your sides."

Yoko stood nervously as Ranma walked around her.  Gently but firmly, Ranma 
moved Yoko's arms into a kind of akimbo position.  She widened Yoko's 
stance, then stood in front of her, looking into Yoko's eyes.  "Remember 
that position.  You will stand that way unless I tell you otherwise."

Yoko nodded.

Ranma frowned.  "The correct response is, Yes, Sensei."

"Y-yes, Sensei."

Ranma cocked her head.  "Did my husband explain the purpose of this 
meeting?"

"Uh... not exactly, Sensei."

"Its purpose is evaluation.  My name is Tendo Ranma.  I am here to evaluate 
you, to determine your willingness and ability to learn the art.  You are 
here to evaluate me, to determine if what I teach is what you want to learn. 
  I do not charge for this time so that your mind can be clear while you 
make this evaluation.  If you wish to continue, at the end of the hour we 
will discuss which classes I feel are appropriate for you, and what I charge 
for you to take them.  Any questions?"

Yoko had a million, starting with whether Ranma was a ghost come back to 
life.  She contented herself with, "Are you as mean as Akio says?"

Ranma narrowed her eyes, and Yoko wondered if she'd crossed a line.  Those 
were probably not the types of questions Ranma had intended to be asked, now 
that Yoko thought of it.  Ranma likely thought of Yoko as nothing more than 
a prospective martial arts student.  Yoko cautioned herself not to change 
that perception.

After a few seconds of frigid silence, Ranma answered with clear reluctance. 
  "Akio likes to tell people that I beat on him constantly and that I am the 
meanest mother in history.  It is true that I train him, and in training I 
show him how to protect himself from attacks.  What he doesn't tell people 
is that he almost never gets hurt when I train him, but is apt to hurt 
himself when he tries things alone."

Yoko put on a smile.  "He and his sister were practicing at the hospital.  I 
am no expert, but it seemed she was doing her best to get through those 
defenses."

"Kyoko is a good teacher, perhaps better than I am.  She has a knack for 
pushing Akio to the exact edge of his limits and no further, and inspiring 
him to move past those limits himself."  Ranma frowned.  "I am not my 
daughter.  I will push you quite hard beyond your current limits.  I do not 
teach gently.  If that doesn't suit you, there are many other dojos that 
would be more to your liking."

A hard woman, in many ways.  Again, Yoko marveled that Dr. Marumoto could 
love Ranma.  But he clearly did, and perhaps something like this hardness 
was what Yoko needed to learn.  She smiled encouraginly.  "I do not wish to 
learn from anyone else.  I would very much like to learn from you, Sensei."

Ranma furrowed her brow.  Then she shrugged one shoulder.  "Ready to begin?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Bow to me."

Yoko bowed.  Ranma bowed back.  Then she spent the next hour physcially 
abusing Yoko.  Yoko could not believe that this was what Ranma called an 
evaluation.  It seemed more like an ability to see how much pain and fatigue 
Yoko could bear.

Grimly, Yoko stuck with it.  Whatever this woman dished out, Yoko was 
determined that she could take it.  She fantasized that Dr. Marumoto was 
looking on through some remote hidden camera, and was admiring Yoko's grit 
and determination.  That actually helped quite a bit in getting through some 
of the more deamnding stretches that Ranma ordered.

At the end of the hour, Yoko was once again standing with arms slightly 
akimbo, smiling at Ranma.  Ranma was frowning back, looking more puzzled 
than anything.  "Well, you certainly have the willingness."

Yoko widened her smile.  "I enjoyed learning from you, Sensei."

Ranma grunted.  "You are, of course, no more than a beginner.  Less than a 
beginner.  I have several first-level classes you could attend.  If you 
want."

For the first time, Yoko thought about whether to continue.  She'd been 
hoping to learn something about Ranma, not learn martial arts.  "Do you 
offer personalized instruciton?"

"Not to rank beginners, no.  Stick with it for another ten years and we can 
talk."

Yoko had no intention of practicing martial arts nearly that long.  But 
perhaps for a little while, to see if she could glean anything about the 
Marumoto family.  "The beginning class, then.  What openings do you have?"

Ranma led Yoko over to the house and a first-floor office.  They discussed 
class schedules and fees, which seemed reasonable to Yoko.  She could 
temporarily cancel her health club membership while she trained, and it 
would all wash out.  They agreed upon a day, and Ranma entered Yoko's name 
into the schedule.

While this was happening, Yoko found her eyes roaming around the office.  
Rather asture; no pictures of her family, no real decorations.  Some 
certifications and a college diploma were hung on the walls, but that was 
it.  Yoko wondered if Ranma had any sentimentality at all.

What was clear that she'd find no answers here.  Yoko wistfully eyed the 
hallway, wishing she had free reign to roam and explore.  It was only 
because she was looking directly at the door that she saw Kyoko peek quickly 
into the room and then pull back.

Although Ranma was typing into her computer, she evidently hadn't missed it 
either.  "Kyoko!  I'm busy!"

Kyoko leaned into the room, staring earnestly at her mother.  "Can Yoko stay 
for dinner?"

Yoko blinked in complete surprise.  Neither Kyoko or Ranma even glanced at 
her as they looked at each other.  "She's a student," Ranma said in a 
carefully neutral voice.

"So?  You've had lots of students eat dinner."

"None of my beginning students.  She is a stranger to the family."

"She is not!"  Kyoko sounded indignant.  "She already knows me and Akio and 
Dad.  She'd've never come if it weren't for us!  Besides, she's nice."

Ranma stared evenly at her daughter.  Kyoko stared back, but Yoko was fairly 
certain who'd win this battle of wills.

To her mild shock, it was Ranma who looked away first.  She met Yoko's eyes. 
  "My daughter would like you to join us for dinner."

Yoko beamed.  Here, at last, was a chance to see the rest of the house, keep 
her eyes and ears open for any secrets.  "Forgive me for being too familiar, 
but I would love to spend more time with your children."

Ranma shook her head slightly, but stood up.  "Let me show you were you can 
clean up.  I can lend you some clothes, if you wish."

Only now did Yoko realize that she was in sweat-soaked clothes, not entirely 
appropriate for dinner.  "Thank you, Sensei."

"We're not in the dojo.  You may as well call me Ranma."  She indicated that 
Yoko should follow her out the door.

Yoko went into the bathroom, unsure how thorough a cleaning she should give 
herself.  She decided on washing her hands, arms, and face.  She kept her 
hair short, so there wasn't much she could do other than comb it out.

While she was doing this, someone slid open the door a fraction and placed 
some clothes on the floor.  Yoko eyed them, saw a pair of pants and a 
sweatshirt that were too big for the children and too small for Dr. 
Marumoto, so had to be Ranma's.  They were functional but not appealing.  
Which appeared to exactly describe Ranma, too.

There was evidently more than one bathroom in the house because Ranma looked 
liked she had cleaned herself as well.  The dinner she served was very 
simple - rice with fish and vegetables, nothing more.  The children dug in 
with gusto, sparing Yoko almost no attention at all.  Yoko took a small 
portion and cautiously nibbled it, finding that it was surprisingly 
palatable.

She looked around the table and saw that no other place was set.  "Will Dr. 
Marumoto be joining us?"

"No."  Ranma was eating with no great enthusiasm, and seemed to be spending 
most of her time critically eyeing her children.  "He's got a budget meeting 
that will likely go very late tonight."

"He's always late," Akio complained.  "He shows up once a month.  Maybe 
three times a year.  If that."

Yoko smiled.  "Forgive me for saying so, Akio, but I know that is not true.  
Very often he asks me to reschedule appointments so that he can make certain 
to leave in time to join you for dinner.  He loves being with you as much as 
possible, and makes joining your for dinner a priority."

"Akio enjoys playing the martyr."  Ranma glared at her son.  "Sooner or 
later he's going to learn exactly why that isn't the right thing to do."

Akio sighed and dug back into his rice.

Kyoko had her chopsticks pressed against her lips and was staring at Yoko.  
Yoko returned her gaze, smiling her most friendly smile.  Kyoko appeared to 
take this as permission to ask, "Are you dating anyone?"

Yoko blinked.  "Uh, no, I'm currently single.  I haven't had a boyfriend in 
a while."

Kyoko nodded.  "Waiting for the perfect man?"

She was narrowing in on subjects Yoko preferred not to air in front of 
Ranma.  "I have just started a new job, and I've just started taking lessons 
from your mother.  Once I feel comfortable with both of those things, I can 
consider trying to find a boyfriend.  Right now, though, I have enough 
concerns."

"You're pretty," Kyoko commented.  "Mom won't let me wear makeup.  Can you 
teach me?"

Yoko shook her head with a rueful smile.  "No, not without your parents' 
permission.  They feel now is not the time.  Perhaps later, when you're a 
little older."

Kyoko shook her head.  "I thought you would be different.  You're supposed 
to like me!"

"I do like you, Kyoko."  Yoko reached over and patted her hand.  "But I am 
not your mother.  She knows far better than I do what is best for you."

"Yes, she does."  Ranma's voice was hard and unyielding.  "And she doesn't 
think much of children who try to undercut their mother's authority in front 
of strangers."

"I told you, she's not a stranger!"  But Kyoko looked abashed, and subsided.

Ranma glared at Kyoko for a minute, then relaxed and shot Yoko a tired 
smile.  "I think they're auditioning you to replace me."

Yoko felt a strange mixture of exhiliration and dismay at this 
pronouncement, even knowing it was a joke.  She smiled back.  "My mother 
once said that anyone can appear wise during dinner; it's when you ask them 
to do the dishes that you find out who they really are."

Ranma chuckled.  "Sounds like your mother is a smart person."

"Smart, yes."  Yoko decided not to get into all her mother's failings.

"Speaking of dishes..."  Ranma stood up.

This seemed to be a signal.  The children exploded into activity.  Suddenly 
arms were everywhere, grabbing dishes, tossing them into the air, balancing 
them on various body parts, throwing them around.  Yoko froze, afraid to 
move.  The activity at first mostly centered on the dinner table, but it 
then seemed to shift focus to the kitchen, from which Yoko heard a lot of 
clinking and splashing.

A few minutes later the activity seemed to come to a half.  Kyoko came back 
into the room, carrying two cups.  "Would you like some tea?"

"Uh... yes, please.  Thank you."  She took the cup and carefully sipped the 
tea.  Hot and strong, but not unpleasantly so.  "This is very good.  Did you 
make it?"

Kyoko nodded.  "It's my favorite."

"It's about the only kind she allows us to drink."  Ranma came back into the 
room, holding her own cup of tea.  "Was there anything else you'd like to 
ask our guest?"

Kyoko studied Yoko thoughtfully as she sipped her tea.  Yoko tried smiling 
in a reassuring way, wondering what was going on in the girl's mind.  
Finally, Kyoko shook her head.  "No.  Thank you for staying, Yoko."

"My pleasure."  Yoko bowed her head.  Kyoko bowed back, then took her tea 
and went out into the hallway.

That left Yoko alone with Ranma.  They looked at each while Yoko tried to 
think of a graceful exit.  She temporized with, "That was quite energetic.  
Do you break many dishes?"

Ranma shrugged a shoulder.  "A couple a month.  It teaches the kids 
precision and control."

"And makes the chore a fun thing to do."  Yoko smiled.  "I am very fortunate 
to have you as my Sensei."

Ranma chuckled.  "Don't get the idea my dojo sessions are anything like 
that.  It's serious work we do there."

"But you enjoy it.  And I suspect your students do as well.  I look forward 
to experiencing that joy myself."

"Hmm."  Ranma looked into her tea, and for a brief moment Yoko thought that 
perhaps Ranma was about to reveal something.  But all Ranma said was, "Come 
back next week and we'll see if that's possible."

That was clearly the beginning of a dismissal, and Yoko took her cue.  She 
thanked Ranma for dinner and waved goodbye to the children.

As she made her way home in Ranma's borrowed clothes, Yoko thought back over 
the evening.  She'd made no progress in understanding what Ranma's curse 
was, or why Dr. Marumoto loved her so much.  But she'd made unexpected 
inroads into getting the children to know and like her.

And in getting Ranma to know and like her.

Yoko sighed heavily, for some reason disturbed by that thought.  She tried 
her best to shove it deeply into the background, and thought strongly of Dr. 
Marumoto.  He was getting closer.  She was getting closer to him.  No matter 
the cost, it would be worth it.

---

Yoko stood up as her replacement approached.  The evening shift receptionist 
doubled as a security guard, and was not at all interested in exchanging 
pleasantries.  Yoko never stopped trying but was pretty much resigned to the 
fact he'd never respond.

She took her purse and put on her coat.  It was cold out tonight, almost 
freezing, and Yoko almost regretted that this was not her night for the 
martial arts class.  The intense physical activity always made her feel glad 
for the cool evening air when she was done.

In the six weeks since she'd started taking classes, she had made no 
progress in understanding what was wrong with Ranma.  But, against all 
expectation, she found she actually enjoyed martial arts.  Ranma was a good 
sensei - hard but patient, uncompromising when it came to setting goals, yet 
letting Yoko determine how to achieve those goals.  Ranma never smiled and 
seldom praised, but her love for martial arts was infectious and her 
students responded enthusiastically.  Even Yoko.

Over time, she'd begun to understand a little of why a young Dr. Marumoto 
might have been attracted to Ranma.  There was something fierce in Ranma, 
something that was passionate beyond measure.  Yoko had seen how that 
passion extended to Ranma's children and to her students.  Yoko could only 
imagine what that passion felt like to Dr. Marumoto.

Yoko braced herself and went out the door.  The cold hit her face-first but 
was not unbearable.  Yoko closed her eyes and smiled as the wind hit her.  
Passion, she could learn passion from the wind.  Or from Ranma.  But Ranma 
would not be around for much longer, if the conversation on the roof was to 
be believed.  Yoko had been studying Ranma for signs of a curse.  Nothing 
obvious had been apparent.  Still, something would happen soon, and Yoko 
would be ready for it.

Strangely, the smile faded from Yoko's face.  She shook herself and opened 
her eyes, and immediately they fell upon a girl in a school uniform that was 
walking quickly towards her.  Kyoko, she realized.  And not heading into the 
hospital where her father worked, but walking deliberately towards Yoko.

Yoko brought herself to stillness and smiled a greeting.  "Good evening, 
Kyoko.  It is good to see you again."

"Hiya."  Kyoko came to a stop, looking up at Yoko with a serious expression.

Yoko knew that something was wrong.  Kyoko was not bubbly by any means, but 
she was usually cheerful.  She always stopped Yoko after lessons to chat for 
a few minutes.  There had been no more dinner invitations, but Kyoko had 
sensed that another was not too much longer in coming.  Kyoko seemed to 
genuinely like Yoko.

Today, there was no banter in Kyoko, no eager conversation.  Instead, she 
looked troubled.  Yoko tried to think how to react.  She experimented with 
reaching out and lightly clasping Kyoko's arm.  "What's wrong?"

Kyoko seemed to decide something then.  "Can you come to my home?  Mom needs 
your help."

Yoko blinked.  Ranma needing help from anyone seemed quite contrary to the 
image of the stern sensei that Yoko knew so well.  "Of course.  How can I 
help?"

Kyoko turned and started walking down the street.  Yoko quickly caught up to 
her and decided to wait her out.  It was several blocks before Kyoko 
answered.  "Mom is sad."

"Is she?"  Yoko paused, then carefully asked, "Why is she sad?"

Kyoko chewed her lip.  "I can't tell you."

Drat.  So close to an answer.  "Then... forgive me, but I must ask again: 
how can I help?"

Kyoko looked up at her as they continued down the street.  "You're always 
happy.  Even when we hit you, you were still smiling.  I never saw anyone 
get hit as hard as you and smile afterwards."

"Ah."  The smile had been a practiced thing, to try and keep Dr. Marumoto's 
children happy.  For someone else's children, she might not have been so 
forgiving.  Still, the attempt had made some sort of impression on Kyoko.  
"And?"

"And... Mom needs to learn that."  Kyoko sounded frustrated.  "She's sad all 
the time.  You gotta teach her.  You have to teach her how to smile no 
matter what."

"I..."  Yoko paused, somewhat confused by her own feelings.  "I'm not 
certain it would help your mother."

"You have to try."  Kyoko grabbed Yoko's hand.  "Please, Yoko.  I hate to 
see Mom so sad.  Make her happy again."

Yoko swallowed.  She'd certainly never been bothered by her mother's 
occasional crying fits.  Well, maybe a little.  Maybe more than a little.  
But certainly not with the intensity of this young girl.  "I... will try.  
It... I'm not a good teacher, not like your mother.  But I'll try, for you."

"Thank you."  Kyoko released her hand and pushed open the door in the wall.  
Yoko looked up, surprised.  They were already at Dr. Marumoto's home.  The 
Tendo home, technically.  Ranma's family name was Tendo, and she had 
evidently not changed it after getting married.  There was a story there, 
and Yoko couldn't help wondering again if it had soemthing to do with 
Ranma's curse.

It was to the dojo that Kyoko led Yoko.  The door was closed with a sign 
posted that said, "Keep Out".  Kyoko ignored it, sliding the door open 
defiantly.

What Yoko saw shocked her to the core of her being.  Ranma was in her gi and 
was crumpled on the ground.  She pushed herself up at the sound of the door 
opening and looked over at her daughter with eyes that were tired.  Tired, 
and haunted, and scared.  Mostly scared.  Yoko quailed at the sight.

Kyoko didn't flinch.  "Mom, I brought Yoko to see you."

Ranma furrowed her brows in a pale imitation of her normal scowl.  "Can't 
you read?"

"She can help, Mom.  You need help."

"How in hell do you think she can possibly help?"

"How do you know she can't?"

"There's no way she can know anything that will help me.  You know that."

"If I knew that, I wouldn't've brought her here."

"Kyoko, I'm sorry, she can't help."

"She can't if you won't let her."  Kyoko pointed at the banner hanging at 
one end of the dojo.  "Can't you read?"

Ranma looked over at the banner.  For a full minute she contemplated it 
before turning back.  "All right.  Let her come in, I guess it can't hurt 
anymore."

Kyoko nodded in triumph.  She turned towards Yoko and stared up at her with 
intense, imploring eyes.  Then she ran past her into the house.

Yoko swallowed in a mouth suddenly gone dry.  She had no clue what to do.  
Hesitantly, she approached the door, bowed, and entered, closing the door 
behind her.

Ranma followed her actions with a distinct lack of interest.  "So.  What do 
you have to say to me?"

"I... I'm not sure."  Yoko knelt, still a fair distance from Ranma.  "Kyoko 
wants me to teach you how to be happy."

Ranma grunted.  "Kyoko is still young.  Young and naive.  She trusts people 
too much.  She'll grow out of it."

Well, this was going to be pleasant.  Yoko stilled her thoughts and smiled.  
"Perhaps she'll learn to temper that trust with prudence.  But is it such a 
bad impulse to expect goodness from other people?"

Ranma glared at Kyoko.  "Remember when I gave you your evaluation?  You were 
smiling at the end.  No one's ever done that before."

"Not even your husband?"

Ranma laughed once.  "Especially not my husband.  His was the hardest I ever 
gave."

"But he endured it.  Is that why your married him?"

"That's none of your business."  Ranma's glare had not softened.  "I've 
known two other people who smiled all the time.  One was Kasumi.  The other 
was Kodachi.  One was the warmest person I've ever known.  The other was a 
manipulative beast that tried to destroy my life on several occasions."

Ranma stood up, walked over to where Yoko was kneeling, and bent forward at 
the waist, her eyes a few centimeters from Yoko's.  "You may have fooled my 
daughter, but you haven't fooled me yet.  I still haven't decided if you're 
Kasumi or Kodachi."

Yoko paled.  She desperately wanted to take her eyes away from Ranma's 
intense stare but instinctively knew that to do so would be a dangerous 
mistake.  Using the last reserves of her willpower, she responded in a 
surprisingly firm voice, "I'm sorry Sensei, I don't know who those people 
are.  But I know who I am.  I'm Okawara Chiyoko.  And I want to help."

Ranma sighed and turned away.  She went back to the middle of the dojo and 
collapsed back into a cross-legged position.  "I don't know anymore.  It 
really is like way back then, when I was so desperate.  Anyone who said they 
had a solution, I listened to them.  I trusted them.  And every time I got 
hurt.  Akane, too."

Ranma pivoted so that she was facing Yoko.  "My daughter is making the same 
mistake, thinking that a complete stranger who looks pretty when she smiles 
somehow knows all the answers.  If she gets hurt by this, I am going to 
blame you.  It's not fair, I know, but it's the way it is."

Yoko drew a deep breath.  She was walking a razor's edge here.  And yet, the 
opportunity was extraordinary.  "I am willing to take that risk, Sensei, if 
you would tell me what the problem is."

Ranma smiled without humor.  "Oh no.  I ain't gonna tell you that, not now, 
not ever.  First of all, it's a family secret, and second, you'd never 
believe me."

Yoko smiled.  "Try me."

For a moment Ranma seemed to consider it.  "I won't tell you the specifics.  
But... I'll try and speak around it."

Not exactly what she was hoping for, but there was still a chance something 
would slip, something that would help Yoko understand.  "Fair enough.  I'll 
listen."

Ranma seemed to deflate.  She looked down and spoke to the floor.  "I... I 
wasn't always the way you see me now.  I used to... to be someone else.  I 
grew up as that person.  And then, when I was sixteen, I suddenly... there 
were two parts to me, the person I grew up as, and... and a new person."

Yoko frowned.  This didn't sound like a ghost story.  Not yet anyway.  "Did 
you... like being that new person?"

"Hah.  I can't... it's too difficult to explain.  At first, being that other 
person was a shock, and I hated it.  But then I grew to sort of like it.  
I'd go back and forth, from my old self to my new self, and it was fun.  But 
it was only fun because I *could* go back to my old self.  It never, ever 
occurred to me that there'd come a time when I wouldn't be able to."

This sounded like some strange metaphor for adolescence.   Yoko tried to ask 
the right question.  "But as you grew older, you found that you couldn't go 
back?"

One corner of Ranma's mouth twitched.  "Not the way you mean it.  But yeah.  
Something... something happened, and suddenly I couldn't go back.  I wanted 
to, I really really wanted to.  But I couldn't.  And it hurt in a way you 
couldn't understand."

"I want to try and understand."

"Tough.  Anyway, after I tried for a couple of years to go back to my old 
self, I went to college.  Nobody knew the old me, only the new me, and... 
and I hated them for not knowing who I really was.  And I hated myself for 
not being able to accept who I really was now.  I was a real mess."

Something clicked in Yoko's mind.  "And then you met Dr. Marumoto?"

Ranma grunted again.  "Everyone thinks he saved me.  And that's not true.  
Not entirely true.  I would have saved myself.  But... he helped.  A lot."

"And you fell in love?"

"It wasn't that easy.  But... yeah, I did."  Ranma shifted in her seat.  "I 
don't want to go into all that.  Let's just say that I decided the new me 
was the person I wanted to be.  Even-"

Yoko waited, then prompted, "Even?"

Ranma sighed.  "Even when I found a way to be able to become the old me 
again, I decided to stay... to try and stay as the new me as much as 
possible.  So that's what I did.  I married Kentaro, I had a couple of kids, 
and I took over a dojo, all as the new me."

Yoko nodded.  This explained a little more.  Dr. Marumoto had evidently 
fallen into the venerable Nightingale Effect, helping a poor young woman get 
better, and developing an affection for her at the same time.  A plan to 
develop some fake disease began to form in her head and was just as quickly 
shoved aside; now was not the time.  "So, what's changed then?  Has 
something new happened?"

"Yeah.  The old me is coming back.  And... and the new me may not... I..."  
To Yoko's shock, Ranma's eyes began to water.  "You... you're the first 
woman I've ever been jealous of."

"Me?"  Yoko rocked back on her heels.  "Why?"

"Because... because you can be a woman so effortlessly."  Ranma held her 
breath for a few seconds in an evident attempt to keep from sobbing.  
"You're everything I'm not.  Young, pretty, nice, friendly.  And... and the 
more time passes, the less like you I'm going to become until... until I'm 
useless to my entire family."

Yoko's jaw dropped open.  "Sensei!  How can you say that?  Don't you see how 
much your children care for you?  You are the most important person in their 
lives, they need you!"

"Yeah, well... wait until the old me comes back.  Wait until-"  Ranma caught 
her breath again before continuing.  "When the person I've become, the 
person I've built my whole life around, when she's gone... then everything 
will collapse.  Just like it did before."

Yoko shook her head in denial but couldn't think of how to say it.

Ranma grunted.  "Maybe there is something you can do for me."

Yoko raised her eyebrows.  "Oh?"

"Yeah.  Marry Kentaro."

This time Yoko's jaw stayed dropped.  All she could do is gape at Ranma.

"The children like you.  He likes you.  I'm going to be worthless to him 
soon.  I... if I can do nothing else, I can make certain... that after I'm 
gone, Kentaro and the children are still happy."  Ranma wiped her yes on the 
sleeve of her gi, not able to look at Yoko.

"But... don't, don't you love your husband?"  The question was off her lips 
before she could stop it.

"Love?"  Ranma smiled shakily.  "What's love, do you think?"

"It's-"

"No, it's not."  Ranma's gaze turned inward.  "No matter what you think it 
is, it's not.  It's not a pleasant daze, where you run around with a stupid 
grin.  It's not your heart beating faster every time you see him.  It's not 
a melody that plays in your head when you think of him.  It's waking up one 
day and finding that you need to look at him, talk to him, be near him.  
It's finding that when you're with him, you feel calmer and stronger than 
when you're away from him.  It's finding that suddenly you'll do anything to 
keep him from feeling pain."

Ranma focused on Yoko again.  "The old me would never have fallen in love 
with Kentaro.  Never, not in a million years.  Even when I first became the 
new me, it never... having children was impossible, unthinkable.  I could 
never... be a wife.  A mother."

Something was coalescing in Yoko's mind.  "But after you met him, you found 
that, as the new you, you could do those things.  Because you loved him."

Ranma looked down and nodded.

"And if the old you comes back, you're afraid you... you won't be able to 
love him any more."

Ranma nodded again, fiercely, and then bit her lip.  She was trembling 
slightly.

The silence stretched.  After a few moments collecting her thoughts, Yoko 
smiled gently and began.  "Forgive me for saying so-"

Ranma looked up, and her expression froze Yoko momentarily.  There was such 
need there, a desperate desire for answers, and a belief that Yoko could 
provide them.  With an insight so strong that it was frightening, Yoko 
realized that, despite Ranma's protestations, she trusted Yoko's smile.  The 
smile she had spent years perfecting, using it to shield her intentions, to 
deflect the world in the direction she wanted it to go.  And here it was, 
her greatest weapon, used to greatest effect, and now everything she had 
dreamed about these past couple of months was hers for the taking.  What she 
said to Ranma here and now would decide the course of her life.  Of both 
their lives.

The magnitude of that power rendered her speechless.

Ranma spoke with a voice that shook with conflicting emotions.  "For saying 
what?"

Still Yoko couldn't speak.  She looked into Ranma's face, saw Dr. Marumoto 
welcoming Yoko to the hospital, his smile warm, his body perfect.  She saw a 
harried woman snapping at her children, threatening to hit them.  She saw a 
family throwing dishes through the air, heedless of the possible damage, 
taking joy in a simple chore.  Mostly, though, Yoko saw a twelve-year-old 
girl looking back at her, asking her to help her mother.

"Forgive me for saying so," Yoko found herself saying, "but I think the 
solution to your problem is obvious."

Ranma's eyes widened, then narrowed.  "All right, I'll bite."

Yoko drew a breath.  "When... when you first became your new self, you hated 
it.  And then, as you learned to go back and forth between your old self and 
your new self, you found happiness and contentment.  You had fun.  Then, you 
could no longer be your old self and you became unhappy again.  After a 
while you found you could go back to your old self, and found happiness 
again."

Yoko smiled.  "Don't you see?  You say you've built your whole life around 
the new you, and that's good.  But you can't suppress the old you.  From 
what you've told me, you're only truly miserable when there's only one of 
you."

Ranma's expression had turned numb as she stared at Yoko.

Yoko took this as a good sign.  "So, you say you can't keep the old you from 
coming out.  Good.  Don't try and fight it.  Let the old you come out and 
stay for a while.  Bring yourself back into balance.  After a while, I bet 
the old you and the new you can live in harmony again.  And they'll both 
still love your husband."

After a full minute of silence, Ranma shook her head.  "It can't be that 
simple.  It just can't."  Her voice was strange, as if she wanted to believe 
what she was trying to deny.

Yoko relaxed her voice and made the smile as easy and free as possible.  
"Maybe it can.  I've been reading a lot about Taoism lately.  It says that 
if you do nothing, take no action and allow yourself to come back into 
balance, you'll find yourself again.  That sounds like exactly what you need 
to do."

Ranma stared blankly at Yoko and seemed unable to form a reply.

Bowing, Yoko rose to her feet.  "I'll leave you to think that over.  I hope 
I've helped, Sensei."

With visible effort, Ranma got up and bowed.  "Maybe you have.  I don't 
know.  But... thanks."

Yoko smiled widely, turned, opened the door to the dojo, walked through it, 
slid it shut behind her, and threw her purse across the yard where it only 
narrowly missed falling into the pond.

What the hell had she just done?  Her best chance at Dr. Marumoto, an 
unexpected ally in Ranma herself, and instead of using that, she'd gone and 
decided to play the part of some stupid wise-sounding marriage counselor.

Maybe the smile had more power than she'd supposed.  Somehow the habit of 
being nice and friendly had become so ingrained that she couldn't help 
herself anymore.  Being nice was the only thing she knew how to do, no 
matter what the cost to herself.

With an effort, she walked slowly across the yard, stooped, picked up her 
purse, and quietly left the home.  She didn't want to run into Akio or 
Kyoko, not in her present mood.

Her route home took her past the hospital, and she looked up at it with 
despair.  Was that her whole future now?  To go in day after day, perform 
the same tasks over and over again, for years beyond measure?  Depression 
filled her whole being and her eyes grew wet.

Angrily she wiped them dry and stomped away from the hospital.

---

Yoko approached the dojo with something like dread.  Other students were 
streaming into it, showing no concern.  Of course, they had no idea.

The day after Yoko's previous meeting with Ranma in the dojo, she'd received 
an email from Dr. Marumoto, asking her to reschedule all of his appointments 
for the rest of the week.  The email had detailed which patients needed to 
see another doctor right away and which patients could wait until next week, 
but it had given no reasons why Dr. Marumoto had cleared his schedule.  Yoko 
had studied the email closely, trying to derive whatever meaning she could 
out of his polite but distant phrasing.

She'd received nothing from Ranma, and as her regularly schedule class 
approached, Yoko had gone back and forth over whether to attend.  In the 
end, simple curiosity won out.  She had to know what was happening, what 
Ranma had decided.

Steeling herself, Yoko entered the dojo.  She bowed, then smiled at a couple 
of the students who greeted her.  She didn't know any of them particularly 
well - Ranma's training sessions left little time for idle chat - but 
overall they seemed to be friendly.  The teachings of the dojo were not 
gentle, and Yoko had been surprised that there had been very little 
attrition so far.

Yoko decided to take a place near the front - early on the students had 
learned not to stand in the same place for every lesson; Sensei did not 
tolerate any habitual behavior in her students.  She scanned the room, but 
Ranma wasn't here.  Instead, a man in a gi stood in front of the classroom, 
eyeing the arriving students with something that looked a little like 
apprehension.

When everyone had arrived, the man bowed to the class.  "Good evening.  Your 
sensei has taken a leave of absence and may be gone for a few weeks.  In her 
absence, she has asked me to take over her classes.  I am your sensei's 
cousin.  My name is Saotome Ranma, and I will be your sensei."

Ranma.  What an odd family tradition.  Yoko kept her eyes on the man as she 
bowed to him.  He was, like Dr. Marumoto's wife, small but athletic.  His 
facial features were quite similar to hers, and he too had long hair, tied 
in a pigtail.

Dr. Marumoto, an average-looking man with a good build, was attractive.  
This man, with a handsome face on an even better build, was devastatingly 
handsome.  Yoko found her eyes wandering over his body more than was 
strictly polite.

The man continued speaking.  "I, too, was trained in the School of 
Indiscriminate Grappling.  Your sensei has given me extensive information 
about all of you, and I would be pleased to continue your instruction.  If 
anyone is uncomfortable continuing training under me, talk with me after 
class and we can discuss refunds."

As he talked, Ranma's eyes moved around the dojo, looking at each of the 
students.  Yoko was fairly certain that it was only her imagination that his 
eyes lingered a little on hers, but it was pleasing to think so.

The training session commenced.  This Saotome had a very similar instruction 
style: hard, unrelenting physical training that left Yoko feeling exhausted. 
  Yet, he too had a patient teaching style that was willing to listen and 
was not at all abusive as he showed the students how to stand and move.  If 
Yoko had felt any reservations over learning the art from this new 
instructor, they soon would have vanished.  This man was just as excellent 
as Dr. Marumoto's wife.

It was thoughts of her that sobered Yoko.  It sounded as if what she was 
afraid of - the "curse" wearing off - had finally happened.  What she and 
her children were going through made Yoko a little afraid.  She hoped 
everything was all right.

At the end of two hours, the new sensei called an end to the instruction.  
Yoko took her time toweling herself off, waiting for the other students to 
leave.  She snuck a look at the new sensei and saw him watching her.  She 
flushed slightly and draped her towel around her shoulders.  Slowly, Yoko 
walked up towards Saotome, uncertain what she was going to say.

As it was, he spoke first.  "Yo, Okawara."

"Yo, Sensei."  That seemed to be the standard form of greeting in this dojo. 
  "May I ask you a question about Sensei Tendo?"

He looked straight into her eyes.  "She wanted me to pass along a message."

Yoko was slightly taken aback by this.  "Oh?"

"Yeah.  She said she decided to follow your advice.  She's not certain if 
it's really going to work out, but she said it felt like the right thing to 
do.  She's going to allow her old self to manifest for a few weeks and see 
if that allows herself to come back into balance.  I... she's very hopeful.  
The more time passes, the more she thinks you may have been right."

"Oh."  Relief mixed with disappointment inside of her.  Ranma was going to 
be all right, but that also meant Dr. Marumoto's marriage was going to 
remain stable.

Ranma's cousin reached out, put his hand on her shoulder.  "She also wanted 
to thank you.  She thinks you may have saved her life."

Yoko shuddered in revulsion.  She rotated her shoulder, caused his hand to 
fall off.  "Don't say that!"

He looked shocked.  "What?  Why?"

"I... I'm tired of..."  Tired of feeling two ways about everything, tired of 
feeling hope and despair over every development.  She had no idea how to 
articulate it, and could only splutter.  "Tell her... tell her she shouldn't 
thank me.  I, I was Kodachi all along."

He seemed to understand the allusion.  His forehead furrowed.  "Why... why 
do you say that?"

"Isn't it obvious?  Can't everyone see?"  She was losing control of 
something but found she didn't much care.  "I was trying to steal her 
husband away from her!  That's why I was nice to her children, that's why I 
took classes from her, that's why I stayed for dinner.  I wanted to find out 
everything about her so I could take it all away!"

Complete surprise was on Saotome's face.  Surprise, and a building anger.  
"You were after Kentaro all along?"

"Of course!  He's only the nicest doctor in the hospital, why wouldn't 
anyone want him?  And I couldn't understand it.  I couldn't understand what 
he saw in her.  She doesn't dress well, doesn't try to look nice for him, 
doesn't treat him or her children with any respect.  She doesn't deserve a 
husband like Dr. Marumoto.  He deserves a woman like me!"

Saotome clenched his jaw and spoke tightly.  "So you tried to undermine her 
in front of her children?  And her husband?"

"Yes!  I mean-"  Yoko forced herself to slow down the tiniest bit.  "Not 
really.  I just wanted to understand her.  The more I tried, the harder it 
was.  And how could he love her?  It made no sense!  I needed to find out.  
That's why I talked to her children and her husband.  To try and understand 
Ranma."

Saotome seemed to be struggling with many different emotions.  After shaking 
his head a couple of times, he finally managed, "Why did you help her, then? 
  I mean, you coulda... she, she practically threw him at you, why-"

"Because she's better than me!"  Yoko swallowed and spoke in a tone that 
wasn't quite a shout.  "It took me a while, but I finally figured that out.  
She has passion.  Passion for the art, passion for her family.  The kind 
I've never had about anything.  And the more I saw of her passion, the 
more... the more I realized that I would never be able to match it.  That 
thinking I could steal Dr. Marumoto away from her was stupid, because I 
could never be for him what she was.  He'd expect me to be like her, to 
be... focused and energetic my whole life.  And I know... I *know*... I 
wasn't capable of that."

Despite his brow still being heavily furrowed, Saotome sounded a little less 
angry, a little more thoughtful.  "You still didn't have to help her.  I 
think... I think you're more like Kasumi than you know."

"No I'm not."  Yoko shook her head violently.  "I'm not a nice person."

"I disagree.  I think you're an extraordinarily nice person."

Yoko blanched.  She turned to see Dr. Marumoto standing in the doorway of 
the dojo, wearing a gi.  His beautiful brown eyes were locked on Yoko's, and 
she wanted to crawl under the floor and die.

"I, I, I'm sorry, Dr. Marumoto."  Her voice was coming out at a little 
higher register than she wanted.  "I... oh, I, I so didn't want... I..."

He waved it away.  "No harm done.  Quite the contrary, in fact.  You may 
have saved me and my wife considerable strain and anxiety.  I thank you for 
that."

Yoko blushed.  "Please don't thank me.  I, I'm not worthy."

"I don't want to hear one of my students talk like that."  Ranma walked over 
to stand next to Dr. Marumoto, all the while keeping her eyes on Yoko.  "You 
are as worthy as you make yourself.  And you've made yourself into a good 
person.  My... Dr. Marumoto told me that you're the best and nicest 
receptionist the hospital has ever had.  You keep people relaxed and 
comfortable, both patients and staff.  And I've seen you train.  Nothing 
fazes you.  Of all the students of the School of Indiscriminate Grappling, 
you're the only one that's never expressed discomfort or shown any signs of 
complaining.  That includes me, by the way."

"I..."  Yoko swallowed some more protestations.  Just because she'd learned 
to hide her true face from everyone didn't mean she was praiseworthy.  Far 
from it; she'd proven herself incompetent.  This entire campaign had been a 
fiasco.  She'd gotten nowhere with Dr. Marumoto and was still a poor single 
woman with no prospects.  She had no idea where to go from here.

Yoko turned away and faced the banner at the end of the dojo.  "Thank you 
for the kind words.  I, I want to think for a bit, if that's all right."

"Go ahead."  Dr. Marumoto's voice sounded warm and understanding.  "This 
dojo has always been my best place to find peace and happiness.  I hope it 
can be the same for you."

Yoko cringed slightly; it wasn't difficult to guess what Dr. Marumoto meant. 
  Ranma ran the dojo, and Dr. Marumoto loved her dearly.  If she'd 
accomplished nothing else tonight, Yoko had at least made absolutely certain 
that she would no longer be a threat to their relationship.  She could now 
put her feelings for Dr. Marumoto behind her and hope for something better 
in the future.  Something like the kind of life Dr. Marumoto had found with 
his wife.

Yoko bowed, turned away from the banner, took a step towards the dojo door, 
and stopped.  Dr. Marumoto was staring into Saotome's eyes.  His expression 
was one of tenderness, and he had his hand gently clasping the other man's 
forearm.  For his part, Saotome was looking back at him with a peculiar 
intensity, an expression that looked familiar.

And Yoko's brain exploded.

Both men suddenly blinked, and it took Yoko a second to realize that it was 
because she had just shouted something incoherent.  They looked over at her 
finger, which had somehow started pointing at one of the men.

"It's you!"  The words were coming out faster than her mouth could form 
them.  "You're her!  You're Ranma, you're his wife, that's what the curse 
was, that's what your other self was, that's why you were afraid you could 
never go back, you're *her*!"

If she'd had any doubts, they would have been extinguished by the 
expressions of surprise on their faces.  Neither of them knew how to 
respond.

Yoko plunged on.  "That's why Jusenkyo was dangerous!  Pool of Drowned 
Girl... that's what it did, that's what it meant, it was a curse that turned 
you into a woman!  You... somehow the curse grew more powerful, it locked 
you as a woman... oh!  You were jealous I could be a woman so effortlessly, 
that's why, because you were afraid the curse was wearing off!  It makes so 
much sense, now I understand everything!"

Dr. Marumoto looked pale.  "Yoko, how...?  I don't... did my children-"

"She was listening."  Ranma's eyes had narrowed.  "On the roof, she followed 
us and listened."

Yoko blushed furiously.  An irrational irritation washed briefly over her; 
no one else was supposed to make brilliant deductions.  She fell into a 
kneeling position and touched her forehead to the mat.  "I'm sorry Sensei, 
I'm so sorry.  I won't do it again.  I promise I won't tell anyone, not a 
soul."

Only now did she realize exactly who it was she'd just been confessing her 
secret plan to just now.  Yoko's shame increased severalfold and she stayed 
with her head to the floor, quivering slightly.

A hand grabbed her gi and pulled her roughly to her feet.  Yoko swallowed in 
a mouth gone dry and looked into Ranma's angry visage.  His voice was tight. 
  "You listen to me.  Don't you ever prostrate yourself to anyone.  No 
student of mine should ever humiliate herself like that.  Ever."

A new emotion percolated to the fore of Yoko's mind: puzzlement.  Of all the 
things Ranma should choose to get angry about, this seemed the least likely. 
  "Y-yes, Sensei."

Ranma nodded and released her gi.  "And I forgive you.  I mean, hell, you 
ended up helping me out a lot, I shouldn't really get mad at you for why you 
did it."

"She shouldn't get mad, but she will."  Dr. Marumoto's voice contained a 
hint of humor and relief.  "I'd be careful the next time she trains you."

Ranma turned his head and frowned.  "Why aren't you mad at her?"

Dr. Marumoto chuckled.  "Because she never stood a chance of taking me away 
from you.  And you know that too, that's why you're not really angry at her 
either."

Ranma rolled his eyes and turned back to Yoko.  "Be thankful you never 
married him.  I can't tell you how annoying the sappiness gets in an 
incredibly short amount of time."

Yoko found that she was still quite unstable emotionally.  Making the 
deduction about the curse and having Ranma and Dr. Marumoto talk about it as 
a well-understood fact were two entirely different things.  Her mind still 
balked at the concept that this man standing next to her was Dr. Marumoto's 
wife.  She turned back towards the banner, reading its message over and over 
again.

Ranma chuckled.  "Don't worry, you're doing a lot better than Kentaro did.  
Took him a couple of years before he believed me."

Yoko tried to respond.  "Back when you were... stuck as your new self.  As a 
woman."

"It's quite the tale."  Dr. Marumoto walked up to stand beside her.  "Would 
you do me a favor, Yoko?  Come to dinner tomorrow and let my children tell 
you the whole story.  My son especially resents having to keep his mother's 
secret, and often tells outlandish lies about us as a kind of punishment.  
He'd love to be able to share the secret with you."

The thought of being able to share something with Akio and Kyoko lifted 
Yoko's spirits.  Even if she was never going to be their stepmother, she 
could still be their friend.  And she found, a little unexpectedly, that she 
was looking forward to that.  "All right.  Thank you for inviting me, Dr. 
Marumoto."

He reached up and squeezed her shoulder.  "Please, call me Kentaro like I 
asked.  I don't want any of my friends calling me 'doctor'."

Yoko sighed, the regret at not being able to be with Dr. Marumoto still 
strong.  "As you wish.  If you'll both excuse me, I... I have a lot think 
about."

"Hey."  Ranma gripped Yoko's shoulder.  "Listen to me.  You're not Kodachi.  
You may have wanted to be, but I think the Kasumi in you kept it from 
happening.  Don't get depressed just because you discovered that you're a 
nice person after all."

Yoko smiled wryly.  "Someday you'll have to tell me who those people are."

"Someday I will."  Ranma squeezed Yoko's shoulder tightly, then released her 
grip.

Yoko looked once more at Dr. Marumoto and Ranma, then bowed.  They bowed 
back, then she turned and left Dr. Marumoto and his wife in peace.

---

Yoko finished entering the appointment, then saved it and checked her email. 
  No new requests had come in.  She glanced at the time; still fifteen 
minutes until the end of her shift.  It had been a slow day, which was good, 
because she'd spent a lot of it thinking.

She sat back in her chair and looked around the lobby.  Mary saw that she 
wasn't busy and came over from the admissions desk.  "So, do you want to 
hear the latest gossip about you?" she said with a smile.

Yoko smiled in return.  "I hope it's particularly wicked."

"It is."  Mary's eyes gleamed.  "They want to name you 'Employee of the 
Month'."

Yoko blinked.  "Me?  Really?"

"Yeah.  Personnel doesn't want to though, they say it shouldn't be given to 
a new employee.  The Chief of Staff is being insistent, however."

Yoko's eyebrows shot up her forehead.  The Chief of Staff was a dour old man 
who had never spoken to her despite her daily greetings.  She was certain he 
hadn't liked her at all.  "Who gets to decide?"

"Well, technically it's Personnel's decision, but in my experience the 
doctors here usually get what they want."  Mary beamed at her.  
"Congratulations."

Yoko felt strangely neutral.  The campaign of earnest friendliness had not 
been intended to win her any awards at work.  She was reaping unintended 
benefits, and wasn't certain how she felt about it.  But at the same time 
Mary was clearly pleased, and she shouldn't dampen her mood.

Yoko returned the wide smile.  "Thank you, Mary.  I want you to know that 
any success I've had here has only happened because of the help you've given 
me."

"Now, don't say that.  This was all you."  Mary looked up at the clock.  
"Day's over, want to go out for dinner?  My husband is taking the children 
out to a movie tonight."

"Oh, I'd love to, but another time.  I have another dinner apointment."

"All right, another time.  Congratulations again."  Mary walked back to her 
desk to collect her things.

Yoko's smile faded.  She was well on her way to actually having a career at 
this hospital.  Always on the outside looking in.  This was not supposed to 
be her life.

She looked back towards the lobby to make certain there were no last-minute 
patients approaching.  To her surprise, a young girl was standing right on 
the other side of the desk, staring at her with frank interest.  Yoko hadn't 
even heard her approach.

Yoko smiled.  Genuinely.  "Hello, Kyoko.  Are you here to walk me to your 
house."

Kyoko tilted her head.  "Your face looks prettier when you smile."

Yoko laughed.  "That's why I try to smile all the time."  She logged off her 
computer and began to gather her things.

"I think it's more than that," Kyoko insisted as they left the hospital 
together.  "I think you do something with your makeup."

The girl had a good eye.  Yoko nodded.  "There are ways to accentuate how 
you look.  You can be mean and grim."  Yoko scowled.  "You can be haughty 
and superior."  Yoko lifted her head and peered down her nose at Kyoko.  "Or 
you can be silly and a goof."  Yoko crossed her eyes.

Kyoko laughed.

Yoko grinned back at her.  "Whichever look you choose, you can make yourself 
up to emphasize that look."

Sobering, Kyoko looked back up at her.  "Can you show me?"

"Your parents-"

"Mom said it's okay to show me.  I can only wear a little bit, and Mom's 
gotta approve, but she said you'd be the best one to ask what and how much."

"She... she did?"

"Yeah.  Mom was never a girl like me so she doesn't understand, but she 
thought you would."

"Oh."  Almost she'd forgotten that tonight's dinner was about sharing the 
secret.  Yoko was still having trouble accepting the core premise.  "Well, 
we before we talk about that, we have to talk about who you want to be."

"But I want to be me."

"And who are you?"

"Marumoto Kyoko!  You know that."

"Who you are is much more than your name.  Who are is what you decide to do, 
how you choose to interact with the rest of the world.  Once you've decided 
that, then you can decide on which face you want to use."

"Oh."  Kyoko frowned uncertainly.  "What if you don't know who you are?"

What indeed.  That question had been looming in Yoko's mind all day.  She 
drew a deep breath and finally chose an answer.  "Then you try on a face and 
see if it fits.  If it does, you keep putting it on as long as it feels 
right."

Kyoko frowned.  "I didn't realize makeup was so complicated."

Yoko smiled slightly.  "There are many things about growing up that are 
complicated.  If I may give you one warning: don't wait too long to decide 
on who you are.  Your choices grow more limited the longer you wait."

"But..."  Kyoko sounded uncertain, as if afraid to contradict her.  "Dad 
says I should be patient, that if I take the time to think things over, I'll 
know what to do."

"As long as you use the time to think, that's true.  But... I wasted my time 
waiting for someone to tell me who I was.  After a while, I found that I was 
nobody, and I looked around for someone whose life I could take over."

Kyoko looked puzzled.  "Mom's?"

"You're very smart, Kyoko.  Yes, your mother's.  But I learned something 
very important about her.  She is so strong in who she is and what she wants 
to be that I can never replace her.  So if you're looking for advice on who 
you want to be, ask your mother."

"Not... not you?"

"No.  I'm only good at putting on faces."

Kyoko peered up at her.  "That's not true.  You're nice!"

"I put on a nice face."

"No!"  Kyoko sounded angry.  "You helped Mom.  Only a nice person would do 
that."

Yoko's eyes flickered.  "I did one nice thing.  That doesn't make me a nice 
person."

Kyoko seemed to think that over.  "Maybe not.  But it's a good start, don't 
you think?"

Yoko smiled, this time to herself.  Ranma had been forced to start her life 
all over after she was cursed.  Somehow Ranma had managed to overcome 
significant obstacles and build a brand new life that Yoko was envious of.  
Yoko was now in the exact same position: her plans for the future in ruins, 
and no clear idea where to go.

Starting over by accepting this face as her true self didn't seem so bad to 
Yoko anymore.  If people from Mary to Kyoko to the Chief of Staff liked her 
this way, perhaps she should keep on being nice and see where that got her.

It was so difficult to give up her dreams, though.  Perhaps they hadn't been 
the best kind of dreams, but they'd been all she had.  Now she had nothing.

Nothing but the friendship of a twelve-year-old girl.  And perhaps that was 
worth far more than her dreams had ever been.

Yoko tucked her purse under her arm.  "Did I ever tell you that when I was 
your age, I was the fastest girl in school?"

"Fastest at what?"

"Running.  And even though I'm twice your age, I bet I'm still faster than 
you."

"You are not!  Mom taught me-"

Yoko took off.  Kyoko gasped in indignation before she started running after 
her.

Yoko felt the footsteps behind her and slowed slightly to allow Kyoko to 
catch up.  They then ran together.

Yoko lifted her head and felt the wind in her face, knowing that her whole 
life had changed.  In time she'd feel cheerful again.  Tomorrow, or the next 
day, or maybe even right now.

The smile came, and it felt natural and good, and Yoko knew she'd never 
again use it as a face.

Laughing, Yoko increased her pace, and ran with Kyoko through the streets of 
Nerima.

---

You may never understand
How the stranger is inspired,
But he isn't always evil
And he isn't always wrong.

Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire.
You'll give in to your desire
When the stranger comes along.

~*~