[FFML] [fanfic][UY/Ranma/SisPri] "Lonely Souls" Part 2 (final draft)

[Frederick Herriot]

	"So.  We are ready?"

	The men sat around the low table.  All were smoking.  Given the nature of 
their mission, combating nervousness was a necessity.  They were devout.  
They were determined.  And they were human.  Fear -- of failure, of 
discovery by the infidels around them, of facing the ultimate unknown -- was 
a strong emotion.  To deny it meant being a fool in the eyes of God and 
dishonouring the memories of those whom had fallen in God's service in the 
past.

	To control it meant embracing martyrdom with an unfettered soul.

	One of the men nodded.  "We are."

	"What of contacts with our friends in Afghanistan?" another asked.

	Concerned looks were exchanged.  "None in the last six months," a third 
answered with a shake of his head.  "I've used all the established channels. 
  I even risked speaking to several of those whom I believe might have sold 
themselves to the Great Satan and its allies across the planet.  It's as if 
our brothers among the Base have all vanished from the face of the Earth."

	"How is that possible?" the first demanded.

	"I cannot say, my friend."

	They considered that.  One looked up.  "It is time.  Regardless of what 
might have happened to our friends -- and I pray to God they are safe and 
not in the hands of our enemies -- we have a mission to perform.  Shall we 
choose?"

	Another drew a deck of cards.  Shuffling it, he placed the deck in the 
middle of the table, face down.  "The highest card will lead the attack.  
The next two highest will be back up to the lead.  May God guide our hands."

	Everyone nodded.  People reached for the deck.  The choices were soon made. 
  For those with "winning" cards, fists of Antarctic-cold ice materialised 
in the pits of their stomachs.  The "losers" gazed on their companions with 
a mix of respect and sadness.  They all hailed from different lands in the 
Middle East, but the bonds of the Faith had made them brothers in a united 
cause.

	"May God guide your hands," one of the "losers" declared.  "And may all the 
martyrs who went before you welcome you to Paradise."

	"God willing, we will succeed," the lead attacker vowed, placing his card 
on the table.  "It is a pity that the devil-girl herself has died.  It would 
do us all so much better if we delivered her to God ourselves."

	"God HAS judged her, my friend," one of the back-up men reminded them.  
"Did you not read the story in the news?  He acted through another race that 
was oppressed by the devil-girl's people.  Never fear about that!  No doubt 
now, Lum is burning in Hell!  Along with all those who supported her from 
Uru!"

	"May God make it so," his fellow back-up attacker added.

	"Come, my friends."  One of those who would remain behind stabbed out his 
cigarette.  "It's time for morning prayers."

	The others nodded.

**** **** ****
"Lonely Souls"
By Fred Herriot
pyeknu at hotmail.com OR fherriot at yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Takahashi Rumiko; and 
"Sister Princess," created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako.
**** **** ****

NOTE:  The writer's notes are in a separate text file.

**** **** ****

THE SECOND PART - WALLS

	"Ohayou, Ranma-kun.  I saved some breakfast for you."

	"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma replied as she sat at the dinner table.  Outside 
the eldest Tendou daughter, the heir of the Saotome-ryuu was alone in the 
sitting room this beautiful morning.  "Where'd everyone else go off to 
today?"

	"Father and Uncle got themselves drunk last night while you were away.  
Your mother had to go retrieve them sometime after midnight.  I believe 
they're asleep in the doojou.  Your mother's still in bed, but she told me 
early this morning that she'd look in on repairs at your house.  I believe 
Ojii-san's on his rounds."  Kasumi's face twisted into a noticeable frown.  
Ranma understood that expression very well; no one really cared for what 
Happoosai did.  "Nabiki is with her friends, as is Akane.  How do you feel 
today, Ranma-kun?"

	"Better than average," Ranma admitted.  "Gonna meet Ataru and his sisters 
later on to help him move into his new house."

	Kasumi perked.  "He's coming to live here now?"

	"Just him and Negako.  His younger sisters are gonna stay on Promised 
Island."  With that, she dug into the miso soup.  Ranma then perked on 
tasting something that reminded her of a cooking contest she had judged 
yesterday.  "Hey, you using Shirayuki-chan's spices?!" she asked.

	"Hai.  When you see her, tell Shirayuki-chan that I really liked her mix.  
I DO want to meet Shirayuki-chan soon, Ranma-kun," Kasumi declared as she 
wagged her finger at her would-be sibling.  She then sighed.  "Ranma-kun?"

	"What is it?"

	"There's a problem with Akane-chan."

	Ranma sighed.  One didn't have to be a genius to figure out what the 
problem was.  "She's not taking well to what I'm doing?"

	"Not well," Kasumi confessed.  "She learned about Ataru-kun's sisters last 
night.  She then mentioned that if any of them turned out to be your 
fiancée, we should . . . " -- she frowned -- "Ask you to move out."

	"Did anyone try to tell her that wasn't the way it was?"

	Kasumi shrugged.  "We tried.  She didn't really listen, I think."

	Ranma shook her head.  "Damn."

	"You might have to talk to her about what you've been up to over the last 
month, Ranma-kun.  Try to make her understand where you're coming from.  Try 
to show her that you still care for her very much."

	Ranma's eyebrow arched.  "But will she listen to me then?  I've tried to 
talk to her.  I know I'm not the world's greatest when it comes to speaking 
my heart without making an ass of myself.  But even when I've tried, she's 
never allowed herself to listen to me, Kasumi.  And I'm not going to allow 
myself to become her personal punching bag again.  I'm VERY tired of that."

	"Akane-chan's not that bad, Ranma-kun . . . "

	"Kasumi!"  A sharp bite appeared in Ranma's voice, causing the elder Tendou 
daughter to jolt.  "Don't make excuses for her anymore.  I'm very tired of 
THAT, too."  With that, she rose to leave.  "Have a good day."

	She stepped out.  "Ranma-kun," Kasumi whispered, looking down.

*    *    *

	"Oh, damn!  I forgot to get Onee-chan to unlock your curse!"

	"Relax, Ataru, it's all right!" Ranma assured her host with a chuckle as 
she stepped into Tampopo's.  She then placed herself at the counter.  "How 
come you're working here today?  Couldn't you and Negako get a hotel room?"

	"No, Onee-chan and I were given the chance to stay in the guest room here." 
  Ataru nodded to the back of the restaurant.  "So I paid Tampopo-chan back 
by helping with the morning shift.  Want something to warm up?"

	"Please."

	"Hai, coming right up."

	A cup of cocoa sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with marshmallows was 
soon in Ranma's hands.  "Oh, that just hits the spot!"

	He smiled at her.  "Glad you liked it."

	"How soon will your sisters be here?  And where's Negako?"

	"Onee-chan's off somewhere.  Don't know where; she never tells me these 
things unless she feels I have to know about it."

	"Doesn't that bother you?"

	"Not really.  Given what she is, she doesn't fully appreciate what being 
with family is like.  I don't press her on that.  Heaven knows, when she was 
just the Saikoo Jinseijitsu, my family did their best to keep her 'dumb.'  
She's been improving, especially since we all came together, but it's been 
slow."  A pause.  "The girls left the Toranoseishin Tower sometime ago.  
They'll be here in about a half-hour, I think.  Tampopo-chan's gone off to 
talk to the real estate agent who's been keeping an eye on that shrine we'll 
use."

	"What's the story about that place?" Ranma asked.

	"Four years ago, the priest-in-residence killed himself inside the shrine.  
Reading his diary, the authorities learned the priest believed that the 
ghost of a boy who had been murdered on the site a century ago haunted the 
place.  The priest tried to exorcise the ghost, but he wouldn't leave.  It 
drove him crazy."

	Ranma sighed.  "Sad."

	"Excuse me, can someone . . . RANMA?!"

	Ranma looked left to see Hibiki Ryouga standing at the entranceway.  Ataru 
glanced at the wanderer, his own ki senses telling him much about the 
newcomer.  "I take it this is one of your playmates, Ranma?"

	"Unfortunately," Ranma muttered under her breath.

	Growling, Ryouga advanced on his rival.  "There you are, Ranma!  What are 
you doing here?!  If you've hurt Akane . . . *Bweep!*"

	Ranma jolted on seeing an empty glass, it dripping water, in Ataru's 
outstretched hand.  She then looked back to see a struggling P-chan trying 
to navigate his way out of Ryouga's clothing.  Before the piglet could 
escape, a hand yanked him up by his bandanna so he could gaze eye-to-eye 
with Ataru.  "Hibiki-san, I'm going to make this very clear!" the 
transplanted Tomobiki resident growled.  "If you even THINK of starting a 
fight with anyone in my friend's shop, I personally will see you frozen as a 
piglet for the REST of your life!"  He pulled the piglet right up to his 
face.  "Got me, buster?!"

	Ryouga shuddered as certain little facts formed a logic chain (or whatever 
passes for logic) inside his brain:

	He had just been publicly transformed into P-chan.

	The person holding him had just addressed him by name.

	Said person was clearly a new friend of Ranma's.

	Said person had just threatened to hurt Ryouga.

	Add it together.

	"***BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!***"

	Before the transformed wanderer could bite his nose, Ataru grabbed 
Tampopo's pizza-flipping super-spatula, and then dropped it HARD on P-chan.  
The piglet was send snout-first into the linoleum.  Ranma winced.  She had 
never done something like THAT to the guy, though she had been tempted.

	"Hibiki, I'm going to say this to you ONCE.  If it hasn't sunk into 
whatever serves as your brain, I'll NOT be responsible for what happens 
next," Ataru declared on sensing that Ryouga had recovered enough.  "One:  
Ranma did NOT tell me about your meeting with Jusenkyou.  That's as obvious 
as mud in a ballroom when it comes to your ki aura.  Two:  Ranma DID tell me 
about your long obsession with one Tendou Akane.  How much YOU'VE made 
Ranma's life hell because of it.  Three:  I am NOT bound by outdated codes 
of Bushido as you -- even if you HAVE no honour! -- which means that if you 
start a vendetta against me, you better have your papers in order first.  
Because if you attack me, I will use your curse against you and KILL YOU!  
GOT ME?!" he snapped as the spatula was spun around so that the sharpest 
edge pointed down.

	It then dropped like a guillotine blade straight for the hapless piglet's 
neck.  "BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE . . .!"

	The blade halted a centimetre from P-chan's neck.  Shivering, he looked up 
into Ataru's face.  On seeing that the transformed wanderer was staring at 
him, Ataru smiled.  It was not a friendly smile, P-chan realised.  This was 
the smile of someone contemplating how much pain he'd unleash before killing 
someone.

	NOT a good thing!

	"Now.  Get out."

	The spatula slammed P-chan in the skull, sending him out the open front 
door to disappear into the sky.  Ataru sighed before he took notice of 
Ryouga's clothes and backpack.  "What normally happens with his stuff?" he 
asked.

	"Just put it outside," Ranma recommended.  "He'll find it."

	Ataru shook his head.  Then picking everything up, he took it outside and 
dumped it by a lamppost before heading back in.

*    *    *

	"P-chan!  Sweetie, what happened to you?!"

	P-chan moaned as Akane swept him up.  He then relaxed as the cushion-like 
feeling of her bust pressed against his cheek.  "Who gave him THAT?!" Sayuri 
wondered, pointing at the VERY large lump on the side of P-chan's skull.

	"Probably Ranma!" Akane snapped.  They and Yuka had been out 
window-shopping when Akane saw her pet buried in a garbage pile.  "I'll deal 
with him later!  C'mon, P-chan.  Let's get you something for that nasty 
boo-boo!"

	"Bweep . . .!" P-chan crooned delightedly as Akane carried him in the 
direction of the doojou.  Though happy to be in the arms of the first person 
to treat him with kindness outside family, Ryouga's thoughts stormed.

	This time, they weren't focussed on Ranma, but someone else.

	Someone who knew his secret.

	Someone who would gladly EXPLOIT that secret.

	Therefore, someone who was as totally honourless as Ranma.

	There was only one solution to that, Ryouga knew.

	That someone would DIE!

*    *    *

	"You won't go?!"

	"Nope," the plain girl with the short raven hair replied.  She slurped her 
ramen noodles.  She was seated beside her sister at a yatai near the 
Tarouzakura hill in Tomobiki.  "I never cared for Lum, Nee-chan, so why on 
Earth should I go to her memorial?  Especially since Ataru-kun hasn't been 
seen around town for six weeks!  I doubt he'll be there, so why should I?"

	"Chigaiko-chan, the school called Tou-chan and Kaa-chan to tell them it was 
mandatory attendance for the memorial."

	"Do I care about what the morons running that place think?"  Inu Chigaiko 
glared intently at Fuchiko.  She then coughed.  *Damned flu!* she mentally 
cursed.  Why couldn't it leave her alone?  "Besides, I don't see any of them 
going head-over-heels to find out where Ataru-kun is!  So if they're not 
trying to track down Lum's 'husband,' why should they care about someone 
like me?"

	Fuchiko shook her head.  "Well, I dunno . . . "

	The yatai matron looked up.  "Oh, don't bother your sister about that, 
Fuchiko-san.  Personally, I agree with Chigaiko-san.  Good riddance, not 
only to Lum, but all those other alien monsters that came with her."

	Chigaiko chuckled.  "Like Rei, Oba-san?"

	A stormy look crossed the older woman's face.  "Hai, like that THING!  If 
it was a person, I certainly never saw it.  Personally, I don't understand 
why the United Nations didn't crack down on those Onis earlier."  With that, 
she took the Inu sisters' bowls back.  "You know, Chigaiko-san, if you're 
concerned about Ataru-san, you might want to go to Nerima and talk to 
Kamekichi Tampopo."

	"Why her?" Fuchiko wondered.

	"I doubt you'd know of this since you go to Butsumetsu High, Fuchiko-san, 
but ever since Lum came to live here on Earth, whenever Ataru-san wanted to 
be left alone, he went to Tampopo-san's shop in the Ginza," the matron 
explained.  "Even more so, Lum could NEVER get away with ANYTHING when she 
was close to Tampopo-san.  Even the HINT of her trying to zap Ataru-san 
resulted in that Oni getting brained by Tampopo-san's spatula."

	Chigaiko gaped.  "You're kidding!  I never knew that!"

	"I think it was kept quiet to pass on the illusion Lum was invincible.  But 
in the long term, she wasn't."  The matron walked over to her work shelf, 
drew out a piece of paper, and then she jotted down an address and telephone 
number.  "Here you go."  She handed the paper to Chigaiko.  "She's in 
Nerima, over in Kasuga-chou.  If anyone knows where Ataru-san is, 
Tampopo-san would."

	"I . . . "  Chigaiko smiled.  "Arigatou!"

	Fuchiko winked.  "Looks like you got a field trip ahead of you."

	Her sister nodded.  "Definitely."

*    *    *

	"Kinda run-down, ain't it?" Mamoru mused.

	Ataru, Ranma, Tampopo, Negako and the sisters gazed on the wooded property 
before them, attended by a real estate agent.  The shrine, a half-kilometre 
from Tampopo's, reminded Ataru somewhat of Sakurambou Sakura's temple in 
Tomobiki.  Since the place was considered desecrated, the torii and the 
shrine's name plaque were gone.  Leafless trees lined both sides and the 
rear of the property.  The building itself appeared in good shape; all it 
really needed was some paint and varnish, plus some new wall panelling.

	"Yeah, Mamoru-chan, it is, but it's fixable," Ataru replied before blinking 
on feeling someone hug him from the side.  "Hinako-chan!"

	"Hina doesn't like ghosts!" the youngest sister murmured.

	"Are there ghosts here?" Ranma asked.

	"There is one."

	Eyes locked on Negako.  "There IS?!" Ataru blurted.

	"Yes.  It appears the shrine priest who once worked here was correct on 
that regard," the grandmaster mused.  "Come, Chikage."

	She and Chikage stepped onto the grounds, heading for the temple itself.  
Ataru pulled Hinako away from him, and then he looked at Ranma.  "Keep an 
eye on 'em, okay?" he asked before racing off after his sisters.

	Hinako shuddered.  "Onii-tama!"  She then relaxed on feeling Ranma's hand 
fall on her shoulder.  Instinctively, she embraced the transformed martial 
artist.  "Onee-tama, is Onii-tama gonna be okay?" she asked.

	"I think your older sisters there know what they're doin'," she reassured 
the younger girl.  "Just relax, Hinako-chan."

	Hinako smiled.  Ataru, Negako and Chikage stepped into the shrine, all 
tense as they scoured the building.  "Something's here," Ataru whispered, 
curling his fingers as if he was grasping a sword.  "Where, Onee-chan?"

	"Do not draw it," Negako advised.  She then pointed to the centre of the 
meditation room.  "There.  Chikage, mark that place."

	"Hai."

	Chikage summoned spirit fire, projecting it in a circle around the place 
Negako indicated.  "Good," Negako mused.  "Rinrin!" she called outside.

	"What is it, Aneki?!" the teen inventor called back.

	"Summon the clan graves registration unit from Tomobiki!" the grandmaster 
ordered.  "We have a body buried here!"

	"Right!"

	"Who killed the boy, Onee-chan?" Ataru asked.

	"Most likely a thief or roonin warrior; the boy died in Emperor Mutsuhito's 
reign," Negako reported.  "There . . . "

	They watched as the spirit flame intensified to form a bonfire.  Within the 
flame, an image formed.  "The spirit is trapped," Chikage reported.  "The 
child cannot free himself from the trap and reunite with his parents."

	"That's probably why the priest killed himself.  He hoped to give up his 
spirit to let the boy be free," Ataru grunted.  "Onee-chan?"

	"Wait, Ataru," Negako cautioned.

	By then, the others had shuffled to the door.  Eyes went wide on seeing the 
spirit-flame, projecting the picture of a young boy in the clothes of a 
Meiji-era commoner, he being held fast to the floor by raven-black arms.  
The boy seemed to be struggling with all his might to pull away from those 
hands, but they were too strong for him.  "Onii-tama . . .?" Hinako burbled 
before hiding her face in the fabric of Ranma's shirt.

	"Now," Negako ordered as she concentrated.

	"***KONTOU!***"

	Everyone gasped as ki coalesced into Ataru and Negako's sword hands, 
forming blazing oodachi blades.  "Holy . . .!" Ranma gasped, her jaw hitting 
the floor as the soulsword wielders lunged at the trapped child-spirit.

	The blades ripped through the arms holding the boy.  An inhuman scream 
bellowed as he drifted away from the floor.  Chikage drew out her crystal 
ball and chanted an incantation.  "The creature is trying to reform itself!"

	Negako aimed her finger at the base of the spirit flame, focusing her ki.  
"***SEISHIN HASAI HI-KOOSEN!***"

	A bolt of pure white light lashed out to punch into the spirit flame.  
"*NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . .!*

	The flame exploded from the impact of Negako's Spirit-Breaker Fire-Light 
attack, engulfing the room in blinding light.  People screamed out as they 
covered their eyes for a moment.  Then when the light faded to normal, 
everyone slowly relaxed.  "What the . . . GODS!" Rinrin gasped.

	"What happened?!" Mamoru demanded.

	People watched as sparkles of light showered the old shrine.  A soft haze 
covered everything for a second.  Then when it faded, they were stunned to 
see that the building had been literally rejuvenated, restored to the way it 
had been years before.  Gasps and cries of awe escaped the sisters and the 
real-estate agent as their eyes took in all the changes.  Aria looked up 
before her eyes widened on seeing the boy-spirit rise into the air.  The boy 
looked at her, and then he waved, mouthing a farewell and his thanks for 
being set free.

	Aria waved back.  "Bye-bye."

	The others watched him vanish.  Chikage announced, "He will soon be with 
his parents again.  As he has wanted for so long."

	"Who was he, Chikage-chan?" Sakuya wondered.

	"That will take time to ascertain, but we can take the time, once we exhume 
the body and have it buried," the sorceress replied.

	Mamoru glanced outside.  "Hey!  The lawn looks good now!"

	The others looked.  "Guess we won't be doing as much work as we first 
expected," Rinrin noted with a chuckle.  "What now, Aniki?"

	"Let's wait for the graves people to get here and do their work, 
Rinrin-chan," Ataru said.  He then turned to Tampopo and the real estate 
agent.  "Well, Yamaji-san, shall we get to the paperwork and get everything 
settled?"

	"I . . . b-but of c-course, M-Moroboshi-san," the agent stuttered.

	The others chuckled.

*    *    *

	"The soulsword?"

	Cologne gazed into the sky, in the general direction of Fuurinkan High.  
There was NO mistaking that chilly feeling in her bones.  Among all the 
various martial arts techniques one could use on one's enemies, the 
soulsword -- the virtual expression of one's living spirit -- was the most 
deadly.  And, as far as the Nujiézú elder knew, there were scant few today 
who practised it.

	She closes her eyes.  *Could that mean . . . those two I sensed yesterday 
at the train station.  Could they have been of the . . .?*

	A frown turned her lips.  It had been so long since she saw Moroboshi 
Nagaiwakai alive.  The poor child had been dead for two years now and no one 
among Cologne's tribe, much less the McTavishes of the Killiecrankie Valley 
of Scotland, knew what happened to her, much less why.  And with the only 
possible successor to the poor woman being the child of her youngest son 
Muchi . . .!

	Wait!

	Could one of those two from yesterday . . .?

	The elder hummed.  She had heard the disparaging things about Moroboshi 
Ataru during the last year or so.  She had also heard of his relationship 
with the alien girl Lum.  That seemed normal; for as long as could be 
remembered, the Moroboshi Clan had always sought to strengthen their blood 
by bringing in the best from all around.  An abandoned child, especially an 
abandoned girl, never stayed abandoned long if one of the Tora-Seishin 
shadow warriors was close by.  That had been one of the reasons the Nujiézú 
and the Tora-Seishin had become allies in the days after the Second World 
War.  Another was the fact that the Moroboshi Clan WAS traditionally 
administered as a matriarchy, its leadership nominally passed on from 
grandmother to a worthy granddaughter.

	*And Ataru just happens to be Tampopo's friend.*

	Cologne's eyes narrowed.  Perhaps it was time to pay her a visit.

*    *    *

	"May you enjoy the next life in peace and happiness.  Sayonara."

	A rose was placed on the casket the grave registration unit just encased 
the boy's remains in.  Haruka bowed.  There had not been much left according 
to the Clan's private coroner.  Regardless of which, the child would be 
interred in the family's private plot near Sendai.  Before they had been 
sealed in the casket, Chikage had taken one of the bones into her possession 
so she could do a magical divination to ascertain the boy's name and 
history.  When that was done, he would be added to the Moroboshi Clan 
registry as an adopted orphan.

	At least in THAT respect, he would be remembered.

	The coroner and his helpers loaded the casket into the hearse.  As they 
departed, Tampopo and Ataru finished negotiations with the real estate 
agent.  "I'll be personally glad to be rid of this place, to be honest with 
you," Mr. Yamaji admitted as he slipped the papers into his briefcase.  
"Much that the problem HAS been solved, I fear this property won't earn a 
good price."

	"Property value isn't always measured in cash, Yamaji-san," Ataru noted.  
"'Sides, as soon as we get it properly spruced up -- and as soon as it fully 
serves its basic purpose for ourselves -- we'll contact you."

	"Fair enough."

	Mr. Yamaji handed him a business card before he departed.  As this was 
happening, some of the sisters were busy with rakes to clear up the fallen 
leaves.  When she had been asked, Ranma had gladly pitched in to help.  
"First time I ever did something like this; Kasumi handles things at the 
Tendous," she mused before looking at Marie, who was raking leaves into a 
container held in place by Michael.  "Is cleaning up around Welcome House 
this hard, Marie-chan?"

	The bespectacled teen smiled.  "No, not really.  We don't have as many 
trees around the House as Aniue-sama will have here.  I think he'll try to 
replace these ones with evergreens since they aren't as messy."

	"That would do, won't it?" Ranma mused as she swept her leaves into a tin.  
She then noticed Aria gazing at a small pattern of leaves.  "I'll get that!" 
  Ranma headed over to sweep the leaves into the tin.  "There we . . . "

	"Kusun!"

	The martial artist gargled on seeing a depressed look cross the young 
Parisian's face.  "A-a-Aria-chan, what's wrong?"

	"Kusun!"

	Ranma remembered what Aria was doing.  "Aria-chan, for heaven's sake, the 
leaves have to get raked!"  She took a breath.  "Willya quit crying about 
it?"

	"Kusun!"  Now there were tears.  BAD thing to happen, the sisters watching 
their big brother's new friend winced.

	Ranma then blinked as something came to her.  "Aria-chan, you remember your 
tree-spirit friend, don'tcha?" she asked.

	Aria blinked.  "Aria's friend . . .?"

	"Yeah.  When winter came, he shed his leaves, didn't he?"

	The young Parisian considered that, and then she nodded.  "Hai."

	"Well, why DO trees have leaves, Aria-chan?"

	Confusion.  "Aria doesn't know."

	"Well, your Nee-ya will tell you."  Ranma pointed towards the sun behind a 
cloudbank.  "It's because of Mister Sun.  Trees like your friend take in 
Mister Sun's light through their leaves to keep them healthy.  But leaves 
can't do that all the time.  They burn themselves out when fall comes.  
That's why trees shed leaves, Aria-chan.  It's so they can grow new ones for 
spring.  Okay?"

	Aria blinked.  "Leaves burn out?"

	"Yeah.  And when they burn out, they wind up on the ground.  But since 
trees can't clean up after themselves, we have to do it.  Okay?"  She leaned 
close, cupping a hand around her mouth as she pointed to the ground with her 
other hand.  "And trees don't know that grass needs Mister Sun's light, 
too."

	The younger girl's eyes widened.  "Ah!  Aria understands now!"

	"Right," Ranma said as Aria rose, heading off.

	Sakuya and Haruka walked up.  "Onee-sama, that was incredible!" the former 
declared.  "No one's been able to do that to Aria-chan, not even her 
governess or Onii-sama!  Instant she starts crying, everyone panics!"

	"She needed a chance to understand things," Ranma explained.  "Though if 
she's of the type that don't get out, someone better give her governess a 
kick in the ass to make sure Aria-chan doesn't suffer for it.  Believe me, I 
know what it's like to deal with social situations when I don't know 
anything about what's goin' on, much less why!"  She then sighed.  "Still . 
. . "

	"Is there something wrong, Anegimi-sama?" Haruka wondered.

	"It's amazing, that's all."

	"What is?" Sakuya asked.

	"That I was able to talk to her like that.  If this was six weeks ago or 
anytime before that, I probably wouldn't have been able to figure out what 
the heck ta do with her," Ranma replied with a shrug.  She headed back to 
raking.

	They exchanged a look before giggling.  "I think Tampopo-san was right 
about her needing friends," Sakuya whispered.

	"Agreed," Haruka said, covering her mouth.  "But is Chikage-chan right 
about what could happen to her?  I mean, it's so . . . "

	"I know.  But Onee-sama backs it up, so it HAS to be true."  Sakuya held up 
a finger.  "That's why she needs us.  She NEEDS to have friends support her. 
  It's only right.  Most of the blockheads she deals with . . . " -- she 
gazed on Ranma sweeping leaves near the gate -- "Wouldn't understand, much 
less accept, what's going to happen to her over the next while."

	The martial artist nodded.  "Agreed."

*    *    *

	The afternoon rolled on.

	A work crew arrived to do an inspection of the old shrine before carrying 
out the necessary renovations to transform it into a residence.  The 
shrine's bedrooms, much to everyone's surprise, were fitted with a modern 
ondol heating system.  Once set up, insulation was added to the walls to 
keep the heat in during winter nights.  The bathroom was in decent shape, it 
equipped with a furo.  It was discovered that the shrine's kitchen required 
a total equipment makeover.  Since that might take days to arrange, the 
mobile unit Shirayuki had used in her competition with Tampopo was wheeled 
onto the property.  With judicious use of canvas tent coverings, it was 
attached to the shrine building.  Once that was in place, Shirayuki got to 
work preparing a large supper.

	Ataru and Negako moved into two of the bedrooms.  The other rooms would be 
set aside for guest rooms.  The living room -- the old meditation room where 
the boy's spirit had been found -- would double as a bedroom for the sisters 
when they visited en masse.  Futons and blankets plus other appliances were 
brought in to make things comfortable.  Rinrin got the telephone and 
television lines checked out, and then she set up a home entertainment 
system modified with links to the Rinrin Viewer.  Mamoru cleaned out the 
other meditation room to serve as a gym.  All it needed were floor mats and 
equipment.

	By six o'clock, just as the sun was setting to the west, everyone stood 
before the old shrine, gazing at it to fully take in the amount of work they 
put into it this day.  "We should hang onto it, Onii-sama," Sakuya mused as 
she wrapped her arm around Ataru's.  "It'll be a great place to stay in if 
we ever wanted to come to the mainland from the Island to do some shopping."

	Ataru chuckled.  "Well, let's fix it up some more before we do that."

	Shirayuki stepped outside.  "Everyone, dinner's ready!"

	A cheer echoed through the neighbourhood.

*    *    *

	"So where is he?!"

	Kasumi sighed.  "Where is who, Akane-chan?"

	"Ranma, that's who!" the youngest daughter demanded.  She and Kasumi, plus 
Nabiki, Souun and Genma, were relaxing in the sitting room.  Akane was 
nursing P-chan with a cold compress on his lump.  "I need to talk to him!"

	"What about, Akane?"  Nabiki sipped her tea.  "P-chan?  What makes you 
think that Ranma-kun had anything to do with that?!"

	"He picks on P-chan all the time!" Akane retorted.  "It's so obvious!  How 
could someone hate a defenceless pig so much, Onee-chan?!"  She shook her 
head before turning to P-chan, a smile crossing her face.  "Don't you just 
hate it when that meanie hurts you, P-chan?!" she cooed into his ear.

	Nabiki shook her head before turning back to her tea.  Watching this, 
Kasumi suppressed the urge to scream out in frustration.  She had known the 
big secret behind Akane's pet pig for some time now, but Souun had expressly 
forbid her to speak out about it.  No doubt, the Tendou patriarch still 
hoped that Ranma would eventually become SO jealous of P-chan that he would 
openly admit his love to Akane.  Given what just happened to Ranma over the 
last few weeks, Kasumi doubted that Souun would EVER see Ranma do that 
outside his dreams.

	A glance to the fathers -- Nodoka would return soon from inspecting the 
day's work on the Saotome home -- revealed them exchanging a knowing grin.  
To Kasumi, it was as if Souun and Genma were saying, "Yes, when Ranma comes 
back, Akane will bash him down and everything will go back to normal!"  Then 
the eldest Tendou daughter remembered Ranma's warning that morning, how 
tired he had become of being Akane's punching bag.  Did that mean that if 
Akane decided to start a fight, Ranma would strike back?  Thinking that, 
Kasumi tried not to blanch as she headed into the kitchen to commence 
cleaning up.  Nothing would be surer to destroy what emotional links Ranma 
had to Akane than THAT!

	"Are you alright, dear?"

	Kasumi stopped, and then she looked at the window to see Cologne sitting on 
the windowsill.  "Oh, Elder," the younger woman breathed out, keeping her 
voice turned down VERY low.  "You surprised me!  What are you doing here?"

	"I sense Akane's mood isn't improving," the elder noted with a smile, she 
glancing towards the sitting room.  "If only Hibiki would stop pretending to 
be Akane's pet and settle down with Akari.  It might make things easier for 
all."

	Kasumi stared at her.  "You just called him 'Ranma.'"

	"Yes, I did.  I realised some time ago that the chances of his marrying 
Shampoo were nil.  I've been working as much as I can to help her return to 
the village with her honour intact.  There are ways around the Kiss of 
Marriage, but in a case like Ranma and Shampoo's, it needs the Council to 
agree to it.  It will take time, but I think I'll have them seeing my way 
soon enough."

	"That'll be a relief," Kasumi noted.  "Though I think Akane-chan might not 
stand much of a chance with Ranma-kun, either."

	"Too bad.  If she learned to control her temper and think things through, 
she'd go very far," the elder mused.  "I think it'll be best for both Akane 
and Ranma that he stays elsewhere for the next while.  I don't want to say 
anything more than that, but I've arranged through a friend to ensure Ranma 
has a comfortable place to live until things cool off."

	Kasumi's eyebrow arched, a smile crossing her face.  "Oh, my!  Would this 
friend be the one who helped Ranma-kun earn all that money?"

	"The very same.  You always were a perceptive one, weren't you?"  Cologne 
then cackled before her eyes narrowed.  "Ah, there she is."

	"Eh?!"

	*CRASH!*

	"Nihao!  Where's Airen?!  This one has a VERY good dinner ready for him!"

	"Hey!  What're you doing here, you hussy?!"

	As the fight started, echoed by Souun's wailing that Ranma would marry 
Akane, Kasumi grinned.  "You are EVIL, Elder!"

	Cologne nodded upstairs.  "Go get his things!  I'll take them over to 
Ranma.  I'll arrange for you to meet his friends tomorrow."

	"Fair enough."

*    *    *

	"And that does it!"

	Rinrin stared at the lot sign nailed to the gate.  The kanji making the 
name MOROBOSHI was scripted into the polished wood as if a master 
calligrapher had done it.  Then again, a master calligrapher HAD done it -- 
Negako.

	Sakuya nodded.  "Soon, we'll all have that name."

	"Yeah, it would be nice for the lawyers to hurry up and get it over with, 
ne?" Rinrin said.  She then blinked as she saw Tampopo come up, a pushcart 
in tow bearing a person's backpack and other items.  "Oh, Tampopo-san, 
something wrong?" she asked.  "Did Aniki leave that at the shop?"

	"Actually, Rinrin-chan, this belongs to Ranma-chan."  The chef placed the 
pushcart down.  "Is she still here, Sakuya-chan?"

	"I'm right here," Ranma announced as she walked up from the house, and then 
she noticed her stuff in the cart.  "Oh, no!  What happened now?"

	"I've a message from Tendou Kasumi through Kelun," Tampopo announced.  "It 
turns out that because of a certain someone who tried to start a fight in my 
restaurant, one of your fiancées seems to be spoiling to have a 'talk' with 
you about you abusing her 'pet.'  And by the looks of it, your father and 
Kasumi's father would welcome any chance for Akane to put you into your 
'place.'"

	Ranma took that in, and then she sighed.  "Onee-sama?" Sakuya probed.

	"I see."  The transformed martial artist shook her head.  "Damn!  If it 
isn't Akane, Ukyou, Shan or Kodachi stirring things up, it's Ryouga, Mousse 
or Kunou!" she growled.  "How am I supposed to get ANYWHERE with settling 
this mess with all of them trying to trip me up every step of the way?!"

	Rinrin snorted.  "I'd say dump 'em all and leave it be, Aneki."

	Ranma gazed on her.  "It's not that simple, Rinrin."

	"Something wrong?"

	Everyone turned as Ataru walked up.  "Oh, I just found out that I might be 
waltzing into a fight if I go back to the Tendou house tonight," Ranma 
reported as she gazed on him.  "Would you mind if I crashed out here for a 
bit, Ataru?"

	"Sure, no problem at all!"  He noticed the pushcart, an eyebrow rising.  
"And I see Tampopo-chan already anticipated that!"  He wagged his finger.

	The chef chuckled.  "Indeed, it would be very wise for you to remain here," 
Negako declared as she walked up.

	"What do you mean, Onee-sama?" Sakuya wondered.

	"If Ranma continues to remain at the Tendou home, she will not be doing 
either herself or Akane any good in the long run," the ninjitsu grandmaster 
reported as she waved them to follow her inside.

	Ataru pulled the pushcart inside as the others followed Negako into the 
living room.  There, the other sisters were relaxing, munching on some tarts 
Shirayuki had prepared as an after-dinner snack.  Mamoru was quick to notice 
Ranma's backpack.  "Anee, whatcha doin' with all your stuff here?"

	"Gonna stay here for a while, Mamoru-chan," Ranma announced.

	Hearing that, the sisters smiled.  "Yay!  Onee-tama's gonna stay with 
Onii-tama!" Hinako called out, waving her hands.

	Laughter echoed through the home as Ranma's belongings were taken into one 
of the guest rooms.  Soon enough, Tampopo headed back to her restaurant, and 
then everyone gathered in the living room.  More snacks were prepared for 
Ranma, and then everyone sat in a circle.  "What didja mean nothing good 
would come out of me staying any longer with the Tendous, Negako?" Ranma 
asked.

	"I took time to observe events at the Tendou home, just before a fight 
started between Akane and Shanpú, one Kelun arranged to mask the removal of 
your belongings from the house," Negako reported.  "There is nothing there 
for you to use to improve your own skill in martial arts, save for what 
Happy might be able to teach.  Further, because Souun failed to pass on his 
teachings to Akane, her skill level is laughable.  For one who is said to be 
the heir to her own school of Musabetsu Kakutou, she will not bring much to 
contribute to the founding of a 'unified' school as Souun and Genma 
envisioned.  One would think it a farce."

	"Disappointing," Haruka mused.

	"Makes Yotsuba think all they're doing is forcing Ane-chama to do all the 
work and enjoy none of the benefits," Yotsuba lamented.

	Negako nodded.  "Agreed."  She stared anew at Ranma.  "Akane has no 
self-discipline.  Her control over her emotions is nearly non-existent."  
She paused.  "In the end, she is lazy, Ranma.  And the overprotective 
attitude you, not to mention those others who care for her, have 
demonstrated towards her in the past has not helped matters.  I would 
conclude that the reason Akane still wishes to hang onto you is that she 
inwardly derives emotional enjoyment to see you protect her, the atypical 
damsel in distress, from whatever might threaten her."

	Yotsuba shook her head.  "They ARE using Ane-chama!"

	"Well, I've always believed that a martial artist's primary duty is to 
protect those who can't protect themselves," Ranma explained, a shrug 
rolling her shoulders.  "And yeah, I know Akane isn't as well-skilled as she 
likes to think she is.  That's even more tragic since she's got such great 
potential."

	"Yes, Ranma, she does," Negako agreed.  "But if she truly desires to gain a 
sufficient level of skill to deal with a normal run of potential opponents 
-- to become, in effect, the true heir to the Tendou-ryuu she desires to be 
-- she will have to drastically change ALL her habits."

	Ranma stared at Negako before nodding.  "Yeah, I suppose so.  But if I just 
upped and walked away without trying to help her . . . "

	Rinrin's eyebrow arched.  "Everyone and his dog -- no offence, Marie-chan! 
-- will be on your tail for 'abandoning' her, right?"

	Marie smiled, petting Michael.  "None taken."

	Ranma nodded.  "Yeah."

	"And you are presently uncomfortable about considering walking away from 
them once and for all," Negako added.

	Ranma jolted, and then she nodded.  "Yeah.  I mean, it's honour . . . "

	"Honour has no relevance in this case."

	Ranma blinked before staring at Negako.  The latter sipped tea Shirayuki 
made for her.  "There is a lament in our family:  'Honour is a sword 
shattered on a rock, a slip of paper burned in a fire, a gravestone eroded 
by the wind, a shrine brought down in an earthquake.'  In other words, when 
it comes to the BASIC facts of life, Bushido CANNOT survive.  Here you are, 
trapped in THREE engagements, made to adhere to a grossly outdated viewpoint 
on your manhood -- exacerbated more because of your curse and your father's 
misogynist attitudes -- AND find yourself the target of what Americans call 
'gunfighter syndrome.'"

	Mamoru blinked.  "'Gunfighter syndrome?!'  What's that?"

	Ataru chuckled.  "It's like this, Mamoru-chan:  Ranma IS, outside 
Onee-chan, one of the best martial artists in Japan, perhaps the world.  She 
happens to be in a part of the world that has an overflow of martial 
artists.  And because she's the best, these other dorks felt insecure, thus, 
they decided to challenge her in hopes of beating her and gaining a greater 
sense of security."

	"And by letting this continue totally unchecked due to her overdeveloped 
sense of pride, Ranma ultimately does nothing to put an end to it," Negako 
added before glancing at the martial artist in question.  "So what must it 
take, Ranma?  For someone to be permanently crippled?  Or killed?"

	Ranma jolted.  "I don't think it'll go that far . . . "

	"It already has.  Look what you did to Saffron."

	Silence.  Ranma felt a chill warp through her, and then she clutched a hand 
over her heart.  "Yeah, that's true . . . "

	"In that case, because of Saffron's self-regenerative ability, you didn't 
have to face the distress killing someone can force on one as -- innocent, 
shall I say? -- in certain ways as you are," Negako continued.  "But if 
matters are slowly reverting to 'normal,' the chances are strong that 
another fight on the scale of Mount Phoenix will occur.  Would you care to 
wager on the odds of your opponent THEN having the same regenerative ability 
Saffron is blessed with?"

	"You might not get a second chance next time, Ranma," Ataru mused.

	Ranma bit her lip.  "No, I guess not."

*    *    *

	"WHERE IS HE?!"

	The crowd around the table jolted as Akane's cry echoed through the house 
the next morning.  "Akane-chan, is there a problem?!" Nodoka called up.

	"Where's who?!" Nabiki wondered.

	Akane stormed into the sitting room, cradling P-chan as her fist quaked.  
"Ranma!  He didn't even come home last night, Auntie!" she declared as she 
sat beside Nabiki, and then she picked up her glass of juice to drink it.

	"Oh, dear me!  I forgot to tell you that he called sometime after Shampoo 
came by to visit last night," Kasumi reported.

	Eyes locked on the eldest Tendou daughter.  "And?" Souun asked.

	"He said he'd been invited to stay with a new friend he's made until such 
time as repairs on the Saotome home are done."  Kasumi serenely smiled, 
though inside, she was snickering on seeing stunned looks cross Souun and 
Genma's face.  "And since Ranma-kun had decided that he was going to move 
out of the house soon, he decided now would be the best time to leave."  She 
focused on Akane, who was likewise shocked.  Inwardly wishing she didn't 
have to do this, the elder daughter added, "And I should add that yesterday 
morning, Ranma-kun told me he has finally reached his limit when it came to 
you making assumptions about him, Akane-chan.  I told him about your 
accusations about him hurting P-chan.  He then decided he wasn't going to 
tolerate your accusations anymore."

	"So where did he go?" Nabiki wondered.

	"That, Nabiki-chan," -- Kasumi rose -- "Is a secret."

	The middle daughter's face slammed into the table as Kasumi headed into the 
kitchen.  Silence fell as that revelation sank in, and then Nodoka sighed.  
"Well, if my son feels he doesn't wish to put up with this animal, you 
should be rid of it immediately, Akane-chan."  She indicated P-chan with a 
finger.

	Akane said nothing as Ranma's mother headed upstairs.  Nabiki collected 
herself before marching into the kitchen.  Souun and Genma were silent.  
Both then jolted on hearing a sob escape Akane.  "Akane-chan, it's alright!" 
her father said as he moved to comfort her.  "We'll get Ranma-kun back here 
right away!  You'll see!  Everything will be all right!  You just wait . . 
.!"

	Akane shoved him away before racing upstairs.  "NO!"

	The fathers remained in place.  "Saotome-kun, why is that boy of yours not 
doing what he's SUPPOSED to be doing?!" Souun then demanded.  "How can we 
make him marry my daughter and unite the schools if he keeps vanishing like 
that?!"

	Genma shook his head.  "He can't do this!  He can't possibly begin to do 
this!  He's never been able to do it!  I made damn sure about that!" he said 
the last sentence in a whisper before speaking up, "We have to be patient, 
Tendou-kun!  It's obvious now!  Someone's trying to manipulate the boy 
against us!  The sooner we find out who it is, the sooner we can deal with 
it?!  Agreed?!"

	Souun nodded.  "Agreed!"

*    *    *

	"'He can't possibly begin to do this.  I made damn sure about that,'" 
Nabiki echoed Genma's words in a whisper as she crossed her arms, she 
standing with Kasumi beside the kitchen door.  "What did Uncle mean by 
that?!"

	"Do you think he did something to Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked in a whisper.

	"By the sounds of it.  And by the looks of it, he probably did it to make 
sure Ranma-kun stayed under his thumb.  So where exactly IS Ranma, 
Onee-chan?  I can understand you not wanting to say anything in front of the 
lunkheads . . . "

	Kasumi sighed.  "I don't know where Ranma-kun is exactly, Nabiki-chan.  I 
suspect I'll find out sometime later today since Elder Cologne is going to 
introduce me to the person who helped him earn all that money."

	"Oh, that's fair enough!  Can I tag along?"

	"No.  Much that I know you're concerned about how things with Ranma-kun 
might affect the house, you KNOW he doesn't trust you, Nabiki-chan.  I think 
it's best to keep it at that.  If he suspected you were trying to 
investigate what he's up to, that could give him the excuse to renounce the 
engagement once and for all.  You know that'll hurt Akane-chan badly despite 
what she says."

	"You're right.  And yeah, I do care for Akane even if she can be an idiot 
at times."  She took a deep breath.  "And I can see where Ranma-kun might be 
coming from.  But I do want to know what's going on, Onee-chan.  Okay?"

	"Alright."

*    *    *

	"It's not fair, P-chan . . . it's not fair . . .!"

	Akane gazed nowhere in particular, P-chan in her lap.  The transformed 
Ryouga tried to lick her tears away, do anything to bring comfort to her.  
As she felt his tongue lap up the dampness on her cheek, she cradled him.  
"It's not your fault," she gently whispered.  "I just don't understand why 
Ranma doesn't get along with you!  I don't understand why he's been acting 
this way since the wedding!  I've already apologised for the Nanniichuan!  I 
understand why he's so concerned about Ukyou and Shampoo!  But why does he 
want to leave?"

	P-chan squealed, his heart shuddering as his mind roiled through what he 
had seen since Akane had found him yesterday.  What the HELL was Ranma 
doing?  Yes, finding Ukyou's yatai was the right thing to do.  But what was 
with the payments to the household, much less the special cheques to Kasumi 
and Nabiki?  What was THAT about?  Hell, how did Ranma earn all that money 
in the first place?  And why was he giving Akane such a cold shoulder?  It 
wasn't Akane's fault that Ranma was such a jerk!  Why was SHE being made to 
suffer for it?

	"D-does he h-hate me, P-chan?"

	The transformed Ryouga squealed, shaking his head.  Giving that sort of 
answer seemed best.  When he confronted Ranma, he'd beat a confession out of 
him.  Seeing that, Akane sighed.  "You think he still likes me, P-chan?"  
She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her free hand.  As the piglet nodded, she 
sighed.  "I'm glad you agree with me!  But . . . what do I do, P-chan?  
What?"

	For once, the piglet had no real answer for her.

*    *    *

	"Irasshaimase!"

	"Arigatou!"  Inu Chigaiko, currently draped in her Tomobiki High seifuku 
since she hadn't told her parents about her plans, stepped into Tampopo's.  
A glance around revealed a slender man with an unruly mop of brown hair at 
the counter, he eating a large beefbowl without abandon.  Seeing this, 
Chigaiko grinned.  Even if he had grown a beard and moustache, not to 
mention let his hair go -- *Wait!  How did he grow all THAT in just six 
weeks?!* she wondered -- Ataru's love of food always was apparent whenever 
he was in a restaurant.

	"Ataru-kun!"

	Ataru jolted, looking left before his eyes widened with shocked 
recognition.  "Chigaiko-chan?!  What are you doing here?!" he blurted.

	She moved to sit with him.  She then gasped as a large spatula blocked her 
way.  "What are you doing away from school?" Tampopo asked.

	Chigaiko shuddered, sweating as she remembered what she had heard about 
this woman yesterday.  "Er . . .?!" she began as she gave Tampopo a wary 
stare.

	Ataru moved to intercede.  "Oh, geez!  Relax, Tampopo-chan!"  He shoved the 
spatula away from his former classmate's face.  "Chigaiko-chan was probably 
the only girl I DIDN'T have any trouble with back at school.  She's okay."  
He then glanced at her, an eyebrow arching.  "Though I suddenly find myself 
in agreement with Tampopo-chan here in wondering why you aren't at school, 
either."

	Tampopo withdrew her spatula, and then she headed behind the counter.  
"When the dorks decided to force mandatory attendance for Lum's memorial, I 
'voted with my feet' and stayed away."  She shook her head.  "The 
teachers're deluding themselves into believing everyone liked her.  Besides, 
I don't see any of them putting out the hounds to drag you down to attend, 
Ataru-kun."

	"Maybe because I withdrew from school when I left Tomobiki six weeks ago, 
so they had no real right in the long term to force anything on me anymore," 
Ataru replied with a smirk, waving her to sit in the chair beside him.

	He sat down to continue eating.  "What'll you have, dear?" Tampopo asked.

	Chigaiko smiled.  "Oh, squid beefbowl, please!"

	"Hai, right away."

	Chigaiko then turned to Ataru.  "So where've you been, anyway?  I mean, no 
one's really been asking about you because of Lum being kicked back home and 
all that, but I've been worried about you, Ataru-kun."

	Seeing her cute pout, Ataru smirked.  "Long story."

*    *    *

	"Welcome to Tomobiki High School.  We're pleased to have you here."

	A reception line of students spanning all three grades, mourning bands 
around their arms, bowed as dignitaries streamed up the front path.  Off to 
one side, a grove of cherry blossom trees had just been planted, forming a 
hollow circle around a statue.  Though covered in a tarp, it was easy for 
onlookers to tell who the statue had been sculpted in honour of.  Standing 
near that were several students from the lost Oni's homeroom class.  "Geez!  
Who the hell's gonna show up next?" Fujinami Ryuunosuke wondered, watching 
the head of the town council and some ward managers pass by.  "The Prime 
Minister?!"

	"Knowing Mendou, that just might actually be a possibility," Aisuru Satoshi 
mused, adjusting his glasses over his bloodshot eyes.

	Miyake Shinobu gazed at the leader of "Lum's Bodyguards."  The last several 
nights had been filled with echoes of wailing drifting through the streets 
of Tomobiki.  While not wanting to think ill of the dead, Shinobu wished Lum 
hadn't made such an emotional impact on her schoolmates.  School scuttlebutt 
had it that several students, including Megane's fellow Bodyguard, Urayamu 
Akira (also known as "Chibi"), had attempted to kill themselves.  
Fortunately, parents had been on their guard since the news of the Oni's 
demise got out.

	Ryuunosuke gazed at her best friend, pointing up.  "Yo, Shinobu!  Ya think 
Lum's pals from out there might be by?"

	Shinobu considered that before sighing.  "Hard to tell.  I mean, do people 
like Benten and Oyuki really care for us?  Way I've always seen them, all 
they cared about coming here was Lum and *maybe* Ataru-kun, not anyone 
else."

	The "son" and heir of the Fujinami Hamachaya Teashop considered that.  
"Yeah, I guess you're kinda right about that."

	Megane turned as two of the Mendou Clan's Kuromegane special agents 
approached.  "What news about Ataru?" he demanded.

	The Kuromegane bowed.  "Forgive us, Megane-sama, but our attempts to locate 
Moroboshi-sama have failed," one replied.  "Further, Mendou-sama's father 
ordained that we are not to continue the search for Moroboshi-sama."

	Shinobu gasped.  "What?!  Why?!"

	"That was not explained to us, Miyake-sama," the other replied as both 
bowed.  "Please accept our sincere apologies.  Excuse us."

	They left.  Shinobu and her classmates exchanged stunned looks.  Megane 
then quaked.  Before he could launch into another screaming tirade about 
Ataru's disloyalty to Lum, a hand snared his throat.  "Will ya fuckin' KNOCK 
IT OFF with your flippin' mouth, Megane?!" Ryuunosuke snarled as she started 
to shake Megane.  "Maybe the reason Moroboshi ain't coming is because he's 
sick and tired of you an' Mendou rantin' on all the time about Lum!  Got 
me?!"

	A weak croak escaped him as Ryuunosuke shoved him away.  The others flashed 
appreciative looks at her before Shinobu's gasp turned their attention 
toward the front gate.  "Moroboshi-san!  Mrs. Moroboshi!  Hi!"

	Ataru's ex-girlfriend waved before breaking from the others to approach his 
parents.  As she closed in, Shinobu's heart chilled as she took in the aged, 
pained looks on Moroboshi Muchi and Moroboshi Kinshou's faces.  Well, it was 
understandable; both did care very much for Lum.  But the level of pain, 
grief and even anger being projected from their eyes clearly had to come 
from more than Lum's loss.  "Moroboshi-san, Mrs. Moroboshi, are you two 
alright?" she asked, bowing respectfully to them before gently grasping 
Kinshou's hand.

	Kinshou blinked, staring quizzically at the girl who might have been her 
daughter-in-law before she looked away.  "Hello, Shinobu-chan," she weakly 
replied.  "Oh, yes.  We're quite fine.  Excuse us, please."

	They headed inside.  Shinobu watched them go, and then she felt an ominous 
chill run through her.  What in God's name had happened?

*    *    *

	Unnoticed by Shinobu, a young man, dressed in a jumpsuit emblazoned with 
the local Sanitation Service badge, walked through the gate.  Garbage cans 
were piled on the trolley he pushed onto the grounds.  His eyes, hooded by 
bushy eyebrows, nervously darted everywhere as he mentally separated the 
innocent from the guilty.  The day had come.  Paradise was beckoning Ibrahim 
Alhamzi with its call.  He knows God would bless his sacrifice as long as 
the devil-woman Lum's worshippers were delivered to their deserved place in 
the lowest pits of Hell!

	Ibrahim also knew God would not look favourably on his taking the lives of 
the innocent as he strove to punish the guilty.  This mission HAD to be done 
with precision.  Yes, the devil-woman and those who followed her in Tomobiki 
had enchanted many here.  But only a scant few were truly guilty of crimes 
against humanity.  This was not just jihad, the fight to protect and 
preserve the Faith from the wrath of unbelievers.  This was a war for 
humankind's liberation from the lies and false promises ALIENS of all things 
forced on them.

	He moved toward a pile of garbage bags by the front doors.  He had just 
seen one target.  "Megane," the leader of the group of monsters in human 
flesh who had slavishly followed the devil-woman's ways from the beginning.  
His many crimes against humanity, starting from the day he helped the 
devil-woman steal the black liquid gold from under the sands of Arabia, were 
just too many to count.  No matter what, Ibrahim vowed, this one would DIE.  
All he had to do was locate Megane's three co-conspirators, and then he 
would send them all to God.

	"Hey!  Hold up a moment, friend!"

	Ibrahim jolted as someone in a boy's uniform walked up to help load 
garbage.  But this was no boy, the native of Qatar knew.  Fujinami 
Ryuunosuke, an innocent victim of the madness that had shrouded Tomobiki 
since the devil-woman and her friends first came to Earth.  Many times, he 
had prayed for God to give Ryuunosuke strength to overcome her father.  Many 
times, he had seen that infidel -- no, PAGAN! -- beast abuse the poor child 
for not being a "manly man!"

	Madness!

	Utter madness!

	Ibrahim bowed as Ryuunosuke pitched in.  "Thank you, Fujinami-san!"

	Ryuunosuke waved at him.  "Eh!  No problem, Alhamzi-san!"

	She moved to head off once the last bag was stowed in the bins.  "A 
terrible thing to happen, eh, Fujinami-san?" Ibrahim asked.

	"Eh?!"  The tomboy blinked.  "Oh, 'bout Lum, ya mean?"  She sighed.  "Yeah, 
I guess so, I suppose.  Anyhow, I gotta go."

	She headed off.  Ibrahim watched her.  He then nodded, moving to head in.  
*Merciful God, watch over that one, please,* he prayed.

*    *    *

	"Splendid."

	Negako stood in the clock tower belfry, she watching as the native of Qatar 
headed inside to locate targets.  The ninjitsu grandmaster had no intention 
of getting in Ibrahim's way.  After all, she could sense two friends of the 
fellow approaching the school from different directions.  If Ibrahim failed 
to carry out his planned act, they would gladly swoop in and do it for him.  
And the grandmaster knew there were others worldwide ready to follow in 
Ibrahim's footsteps, even if many weren't of the same faith as he.

	So be it, then.

	If people were going to be killed because of Lum, her friends and what had 
happened in Tomobiki over the last two years, best to let it happen under 
controlled circumstances.  Of the fact that people would die because of 
those matters, the ninjutsu grandmaster was quite certain.  All Negako 
desired at this time was use Ibrahim to hers -- and her family's -- own 
ends.

	A glance near the statue of Lum revealed Megane heading to the main doors.  
Negako knew where Chibi, Shitto "Paama" Koosuke and Daremo "Kakugari" 
Hiroyuki -- Ibrahim's other primary targets -- were in the school's 
northwest wing.  Also there was Fujinami Ryuunosuke's father Fujimi, someone 
Negako sensed Ibrahim would kill if given a chance.  Strangely enough, 
Ibrahim did not see Mendou Shuutarou as a target.  Neither did Negako; the 
fellow could be an annoyance, but he was easily dealt with.  Now, all that 
was needed were two more.

	Negako slipped out of the tower.  Stepping gingerly along the roof of the 
central connecting wing, she stopped above the washrooms.  Flipping through 
a window into the third floor girls' washroom, she slid into a stall.  
Closing the door, she then concentrated, her clothes morphing from her 
normal black gi into a Tomobiki High seifuku.  Stepping out after flushing 
the toilet, Negako smoothed her skirt before entering the hallway.  Her eyes 
then narrowed as she located those she wanted.  Descending to the first 
floor, she spotted her targets chatting with Sakurambou Sakura.  Making a 
hand gesture, Negako sent a ki pulse into the earth, locking on a fault line 
under the southwest wing.

	The ground shook, causing everyone to jolt.  It was a brief tremor, lasting 
a second.  Silence fell as people glance around, and then, feeling as if 
this was an isolated incident, they resumed doing what they were doing.

	All save one.

	Sakura's eyes narrowed as she scanned around, though she did not stare 
directly at Negako.  Excusing herself from Ataru's parents, the 
nurse/priestess headed off.  Muchi and Kinshou turned to join the crowd 
filing through the wing to the back doors and on to the gymnasium.  Negako 
remained in place as Muchi and Kinshou fell into the queue.  On noting no 
one looking her way, she then slipped in behind the two.  Her fingers lashed 
out to tap a shiatsu point on their necks, one put there by Negako herself 
some years ago for this potential eventuality.  Ataru's parents seemed to 
falter for a second as Negako leaned up.

	"Head to the northwest wing science lab," she whispered.

	Stepping aside, Negako watched as the two turned, and then they casually 
walked into the northwest wing.  Her eyes narrowed as Negako sensed Megane 
meeting up with the other Bodyguards by the door to the science lab.  
Ibrahim was two metres away, he seeing that Fujinami Fujimi was within 
killing range.

*    *    *

	Oh, yes!  God WAS truly with him today.

	Here were the four monsters that had betrayed their friends, their nation, 
their very PLANET, to serve the devil-woman Lum.

	Even better, there was the pagan who had tortured his child, forced her to 
behave in a way God certainly did NOT intend by making her a woman.

	And . . .

	Wait!

	Ibrahim's eyes widened on seeing two people casually walk up behind Megane 
and his friends.  Why, were they not . . .?

	Moroboshi Muchi and his wife, Kinshou.

	The traitor parents of the devil-woman's most tragic victim.

	Ibrahim tried desperately not to grin as he thumbed the detonator attached 
to his bomb-vest.  Yes!  NOW was the time.

*    *    *

	"So who was that guy you knew, Ryuunosuke-kun?"

	Ryuunosuke felt her cheeks redden as Marubeya Momoe's questioning stare 
lanced into her.  "Wh-what guy, M-Momoe-san?!" she sputtered.

	"The garbage man," Momoe augmented.

	"Oh . . .?"  The tomboy was nonplussed for a moment.  "Him!  Shit, don't 
worry, Momoe-san!  He's some guy from Qat- . . . "

	A thunderous *CRACK!* shattered their ears.  Windows nearby exploded.  
Milliseconds later, the whole northwest side of the school bulged at its 
foundations.  Jets of flame ripped through the woodwork.  The blast 
shockwave came next, sending debris flying through the air.  The trees took 
the brunt of the shrapnel, though the pressure wave was able to knock 
everyone standing by Lum's statue onto their faces.  Ryuunosuke's martial 
arts experience kicked in automatically as she flung herself over Shinobu, 
protecting her friend as she covered her head from sharp glass fragments 
that could easily end their lives.

	The explosion's roar faded, it replaced with the ominous cracking sound of 
wood beams breaking.  Ryuunosuke looked behind her, her eyes widening on 
seeing a sea of flame where the first floor had been.  The upper floors then 
buckled as stanchions shattered.  The tomboy averted her eyes as the second 
floor collapsed onto the first, dust and dirt billowing to cover a lot of 
the front lawn.  As the second floor settled onto its new "foundation," the 
stanchions and walls holding the third floor up failed.  Like the sides of 
an accordion squeezed together, the outside walls exploded as the third 
floor dropped onto the second, burying whoever was there under tons of wood, 
plaster and concrete.  Not two seconds later, the beams holding the roof 
sections over the fallen third floor collapsed, repeating what just 
happened.  As more dust and dirt billowed into the air, Ryuunosuke rolled 
off Shinobu, allowing the latter to get up and see what just happened.  
Coughing, Ataru's former girlfriend stared at the destroyed northwest wing, 
gasping as tongues of hot flame leapt out from the wreckage to begin 
rendering the rest into ashes.  "Jesu Cristo!  What was THAT?!"

	"Bomb!" Ryuunosuke screamed out.  "C'mon!"

	With that, she grabbed Shinobu, pulling her toward the main gate.

*    *    *

	"What was THAT?!"

	Nabiki looked up as a faint, shotgun-like *crack!* echoed through her open 
bedroom window.  Rising, she looked outside.  Her bedroom gave her a good 
view of much of the surrounding territory.  Immediately, her eyes locked on 
a plume of smoke in the far distance, to the west-northwest.  Her mind 
quickly drew up a map of the local area as she tried to ascertain where that 
was.

	It came quickly enough.  "Tomobiki High . . .?"

*    *    *

	"So what're you going to do now, Ataru-kun?!"

	"Wel- . . . "

	Ataru's voice was cut off as a wave of disturbed ki energy warped through 
him.  His eyes narrowed as he slips out from behind the counter to step 
outside.  Being on ground level, he could not see much, so he leapt to the 
top of a nearby telephone pole.  Balancing himself on top of the pillar, he 
took another sweep around with his eyes.  They stopped on seeing the smoke 
rising from the west-northwest.  "The school?" he whispered before spitting 
out, "Oh, hell!"

	"Ataru!"

	Ataru glanced left to see Ranma bounding over rooftops toward him.  Seeing 
the telephone pole was taken, Ranma stopped herself on the nearest roof, 
within normal speaking distance.  He waved towards Tomobiki.  "I take it you 
noticed."

	"Something bad, I think."  Ranma looked herself.  Squaring her shoulders, 
she spun and bounded off towards the disaster scene.

	Ataru watched her go, and then shuddered before sighing.  "Well, can't run 
now," he muttered under his breath.

	"Ataru-kun!  Where are you going?!"

	He glanced down at Chigaiko.  "Someone just blew up the school!" he yelled 
down to her, he waving in the direction of Tomobiki.  "If you want to come 
help, hurry up!  If you don't, stay here!  We'll be back soon, okay?!"

	Without waiting for a reply, Ataru bounded off, using the string of 
telephone poles to act as a walkway.  Chigaiko blinked as the message sank 
in, and then she spat out, "Oh, hell!  What are those idiots up to now?!"

*    *    *

	"Hey, Kanami-chan!  You in here?!"

	Two bikers in their late teens, dressed like most boosoozoku in gakuran, 
peeked into the two-car garage of the Kurosu residence, a split-level 
bungalow located in a suburb of Yamanashi, a small city north of Fuji-san.  
Glancing around, they noted that their friend's Kawasaki mount was there, 
but there was no sign of the just-graduated senior from Yamanashi Central 
High School.

	One of the men looked around.  "Hey, Kanami-chan!  Where are you?!"

	"G-g-guys . . . "

	Both glanced to the door leading into the house.  "Kanami!" the other biker 
screamed on seeing a tall woman with shaggy-cropped black hair and dark eyes 
slumped on the floor.  The pained look on her face spoke volumes to the 
boosoozoku as she reached for them, the strength in her body failing.

	As they screamed her name, unconsciousness seized her.

*    *    *

	Unknown to the boosoozoku in Yamanashi, similar incidents simultaneously 
played out in three other locations near Tokyo.

	In Utsunomiya, north of Japan's capital, a motherly second-year high school 
student named Kashima Namie passed out in the kitchen.

	In Shimizu, south of Fuji-san, the one affected was a tomboyish first year 
named Momose Tamako, she then in a local video arcade.

	And in Chooshi, due east of Tokyo, Kodama Hiro, an elegant woman Tamako's 
age, passed out while waiting for a bus to do some shopping.

	As to *why* Kanami, Namie, Tamako and Hiro fainted, that would not become 
clear to their friends and relatives for some time to come.

	None of them could conceive of any connection between the four girls' 
sudden fainting spells and events in Tomobiki.

*    *    *

	"You okay, Momoe?!"

	"Y-yeah!  Just a couple scratches!" Momoe grunted, feeling her bleeding 
left arm; two bits of flying glass had left cuts in the skin.  "What 
happened?!"  She looked at the wall of fire and smoke which was one part of 
her school.

	"A bomb, I think . . . "  Ryuunosuke then blinked as a herd of Kuromegane 
escorted out a young man in a white school uniform.  "Mendou!"

	She and Shinobu ran over to help Mendou Shuutarou stay up.  His uniform was 
badly cut up and there was a gash over his eyes, blood draining from wounds 
on arms and legs.  Remarkably, he still held onto his personal katana.  
"Please stay back, Fujinami-sama, Miyake-sama!" one of the bodyguards 
warned, waving the girls away.  "We must see the Young Master off to medical 
aid!"

	"Hey, he's not the only one who needs it!" Ryuunosuke growled.  How could 
these lunkheads be so insensitive after THIS?!

	"Sh-she's . . . "  Mendou's eyes fluttered as he yanked an arm free to draw 
a cell-phone.  "Call . . . "  He spat blood.  "Rescue . . . "

	"Hai!"  Another bodyguard snatched the phone, and then he dialled the 
number for the Mendou Clan Emergency Disaster Rescue Brigade.

	Ryuunosuke smiled, exchanging a look with Shinobu.  Arrogant he may be most 
of the time, Mendou Shuutarou certainly had his heart in the right place at 
times like this.  Once the summons was made, Mendou was then laid down on 
the ground.  Momoe moved to help out as other people started to stream from 
the school.  "C'mon!"  Shinobu grabbed Ryuunosuke by the arm as they moved 
to help.

	She nodded.  "Uhn!"

	She then jolted on hearing someone fly through the air towards her.  
Spinning, she gaped as someone in a tang and workout pants landed a metre 
away.  Then, with another spring, she charged at the fire.  "Holy . . .!"

	"Who . . .?"  Shinobu's mind nearly blanked out before she screamed as 
someone else landed near her, charging into the disaster zone.

	This was a man.

	And not just ANY man, Shinobu instantly realised.

	"Ataru-kun?"

*    *    *

	"Oh, shit!  What do we do?!"

	Ataru stopped beside Ranma, both standing not three metres from the 
collapsed northwest wing.  "Stop the fires, first!" he declared with a grunt 
as he raised his hands, they glowing with ki.  "Stand back!"  Ranma fell 
back as Ataru created a ki ball between the palms of his hands.

	"***SENPUU NETSU-HI DABOKU!***"

	The air came alive as the ki ball of the Air-Whirlpool Heat-Fire Strike 
melted into a mini-cyclone.  Rising away from him, it grew in size and 
strength as Ataru tilted it onto its edge, shifting it over the flames.  As 
oxygen was sucked away from the wreckage, the flames sputtered, the released 
heat being drawn into the vortex like light pulled into a black hole.  "ALL 
RIGHT!" Ranma whooped as the last of the flames were drawn off, leaving only 
swirling dust.

	Ataru swung himself to the left.  "Stand clear!"

	The whirlpool moved with him, getting clear of the school into the front 
yard.  Ataru then cupped his hands together, another ki ball forming.  This 
one had a different purpose.  "***SEISHIN SHURIKEN ARASHI!***"

	Bolts of energy, similar to photon torpedoes fired from the Starship 
"Enterprise," punched through the whirlpool.  It instantly collapsed from 
the onslaught of the Psychic Shuriken Storm, the accumulated dust dropping 
into a heap on the grass.  "Yes!" Ataru hissed as he ceased the attack.  
"C'mon!"

	Ranma nodded.  "Un!"

*    *    *

	Ryuunosuke gaped.  "Holy shit!"

	"He . . .!" Gekasawa Kumiko, Momoe's best friend, sputtered as the 
unreality of it all hit.  "Is that Ataru-kun?!  OUR Ataru-kun?!"

	Momoe shook her head in denial.  "That CAN'T be . . .!"

	Shinobu absently felt her heart.  "Ataru-kun?  H-how?!"

	The sounds of sirens filled the air.

*    *    *

	Ranma grunted.  "Lotta stuff here!"

	"We have to break it up!"  Ataru cracked his knuckles to loosen them.  He 
then stared at his friend.  "You said the Nujiézú taught you a lot of their 
manoeuvres, right?!  You know their chestnut fist attack?!"

	"First thing they taught me!"

	"Okay!  I'll break the large pieces and pass them to you!  We're going 
fast, so watch out!"  Ataru moved in on the wreckage.

	"Right!" Ranma replied.

	Finding the first big piece, Ataru jabbed out with his fingers.  "***TAIFUN 
KAZE-TE KITEI!  SHINZOU BAKUHATSU SHOKU ARASHI!***"

	Using the modified Typhoon Wind-Fist/Heart Blast Touch Storm, his hands 
became living jackhammers as the roof section was shattered, the pieces 
flung towards Ranma.  Using the Chestnut Fist, Ranma tossed the wreckage 
into a pile beside Lum's statue.  In a minute, the uppermost sections of 
collapsed building were gone, allowing Ataru to dig clear a half-dozen 
people from the third floor who had nearly been crushed by the roof.  
"Someone, give us a hand!" he screamed to the crowd massing by the front 
gate.  "We've got people still alive!"

	Shinobu broke from the crowd.  Ryuunosuke was quick to follow, accompanied 
by Momoe, Kumiko and two Kuromegane who had just helped Mendou get clear.  
By then, sirens heralded the first arrivals of Tomobiki's bravest, not to 
mention teams from the Mendou estate.  Also to arrive was a camera crew from 
NHK.

*    *    *

In orbit, directly over Tomobiki High School . . .

	"Mister President, something has happened at the Holy Citadel."

*    *    *

	"Oh, MY!"

	"What is it, Onee-chan?"  A gasp.  "Holy shit!"

	Hearing Nabiki's outburst, people began to stream into the sitting room.  
"What's going on?!" Souun demanded.

	"What's this?!" Nodoka asked.

	"Terrorist bombing at Tomobiki High," Nabiki reported.  "That's at least 
what NHK's saying right now.  But look who's there!"

	Eyes locked on the image on the television screen.  A red-haired girl with 
a pigtail and Mandarin tang appeared, tossing aside wall and floor fragments 
so others could get survivors out of the sea of devastation.  Seeing his 
transformed son in the midst of helping innocents flee such a disaster, 
Genma beamed.  "That's my boy!" he crooned proudly, crossing his arms as he 
barked out a laugh.  "Nothing stops him from doing a martial artist's sworn 
duty!"

	Souun laughed.  "They'll probably give him a medal for it!"

	"Hai, you're right!" Nodoka added.  "My son is SO manly!"

	"Hey!  Who's that?!" Nabiki gasped.

	Everyone turned back to the screen.  The rescue workers had backed away as 
a slender man dressed in a black button shirt and track pants hefted a slice 
of wall.  Clearly, he was tired, but determined to see this through.  Ranma 
poised herself before the slice.  Using a storm of knife strikes, she 
shattered the section, tossing them clear.  "Wish they'd give a close up!" 
Nabiki muttered.

	As if in answer to the middle Tendou daughter's wish, the camera zoomed in. 
  Nabiki blinked.  Her eyes widened as she picked out the face under the 
beard and moustache.  "No!  That CAN'T be!" she whispered.  "Moroboshi 
Ataru?"

	Akane stared wide-eyed at her sister.  "What?!"

	Kasumi covered her mouth in shocked surprise.  "Oh, my!  Ranma-kun didn't 
say Ataru-kun was a martial artist too!"

	Everyone looked at her.  "WHAT?!"

	Events on the television quickly turned their attention back to the screen. 
  Ataru was hefting another shattered wall section from the wreckage.  He 
pointed at it, shouting something.  A beam of light from his fingertip 
cleaved the section in half before he tossed them aside to Ranma.  He then 
grabbed more wreckage.  After seeing that, whistles of awe and disbelief 
escaped Souun and Genma.  "Now THAT'S ki control!" the former declared.

	"But how on Earth's that possible?" the latter wondered.

	"What's the matter, boys?!  Never thought you'd ever see a practitioner of 
the Art that inspired our Art in action?!"

	Everyone gaped wide-eyed at Happoosai, he sitting on Genma's shoulder.  
"***SAY WHAT?!***" they cried out.

	"Shush!" the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu snapped.  "Pay close 
attention and you might all learn a little something!"

	The others fell silent, and then they turned back to the television.

*    *    *

	"Everyone!  Come see this!"

	Footsteps paced Shirayuki's cry as people raced into Welcome House's dining 
hall.  "Shirayuki-chan, what is it?!" Sakuya wondered.  Then noting where 
the young chef was looking, she gazed at the Rinrin Viewer.  "What . . .?"

	Marie gasped.  "Oh, dear!  What is this place?!"

	"It's Nii-sama's old school, Marie-chan!" Shirayuki reported as many 
crowded around the Viewer.  "NHK just reported that some bomb went off at 
the school when they were having that memorial to Lum-san!"

	"Was Onii-chan there?!" Karen gasped, she then inwardly cursing the fact 
that all the sisters had come back to Promised Island first thing that 
morning.  If they were still at the new house in Nerima, they'd know for 
sure.

	"Ah!  There's Onii-tama!"

	Everyone jolted on hearing Hinako's delighted cry, and then they looked at 
the Viewer.  "Onii-sama!  Thank the gods!" Sakuya whispered before gaping as 
she watched Ataru pick up a section of ceiling.  "Gods!  What's Onii-sama 
doing?!"

	"Helping with the rescue, I think!"  Rinrin's eyebrow then arched.  "Wait a 
sec' here!  Who's that with him?"

	Aria beamed.  "Ah!  Nee-ya!"

	Everyone then relaxed.  "Oh, thank the gods!" Karen whispered.  "With 
Onii-chan and Onee-chan there, they'll all get out!"

	"Not all of them."

	Eyes locked on Chikage, she seated at the dining room table, a tarot suite 
before her.  "What do you mean by that?" Sakuya wondered.

	The sorceress held up a card.

	Death.

*    *    *

	"There's the culprit.  What's left of him.  Looks like he got his clothes 
made at DuPont in the States or the Skoda works in the Czech Republic."

	Ataru pointed to a spot on the blackened first floor.  Ninety minutes had 
passed since the bomb went off.  Fortunately, the basement of Tomobiki High 
had been built under the central wing only.  Standing beside him, the chief 
of the Tomobiki fire brigade shook his head.  After seeing what Ataru had 
done today, he knew the opinions about him had to be tossed into the 
circular fire.  "How can you sense that, Moroboshi-san?!" he demanded.  "We 
need police . . . "

	"They'll just confirm what I've been trained to see," Ataru calmly cut the 
other man off with a raised finger.  "You can tell the senior inspector the 
final count will be eleven dead and forty-two requiring hospitalisation, six 
of which might not make it if the doctors and nurses are the least bit off 
the ball.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to rest up for a while.  Hey, 
Ranma!"

	Ranma was helping load the last of the wounded onto a stretcher for a trip 
to Tomobiki General.  As soon as the first-grader was on his way, she turned 
as Ataru jogged up.  "We did good," she declared, breathing out in relief.

	"As expected."  Ataru stared at the wreckage before he moved to guide Ranma 
off the property.  "C'mon, let's get the hell outta here."

	"Yeah, I'm hungry.  Any good places to eat around here?"

	"Nope.  Only *good* one that was here moved to Nerima."

	Ranma snorted.  "Gotcha."

	"Moroboshi-kun?"

	Both turned to see the Tomobiki High principal come up, along with two 
teachers Ataru was familiar with, vice-principal/English teacher Onsen Mark 
and boy's sports coach Hanawa Mitsu.  "Hai, Koochou-san, is there a 
problem?"

	"Problem?"  Hanawa walked up to pat Ataru's shoulder.  "Certainly not, 
Moroboshi-kun!  Such school spirit you demonstrated today!  Now, I know you 
might've had a disagreement or two with your parents . . . "

	A finger landed on his lips.  Ataru's eyes narrowed as he gazed into his 
old homeroom teacher's eyes.  Gods, hadn't this clueless jerk got it by 
NOW?!  "First of all, Sensei, I HAVE NO PARENTS!  Secondly, they're two of 
the dead in there!"  He nodded towards the school.  "You can pretty well 
assume I'm MORE THAN HAPPY to be rid of both of those jerks now!  Whoever 
arranged this little act -- much that I personally despise terrorism -- did 
me a favour!  So kindly do me another favour and get this through your head 
once and for all:  I will NOT be coming back to this ramen stand EVER again! 
  The sooner I put you clowns OUT of my head once and for ALL, the BETTER!"  
He turned away.  "Sayonara!"

	Ataru sprang to a telephone pole, and then he took off.  A woman's shout 
distracted Ranma's attention to a television camera crew, the reporter 
trying to get a statement from him.  Ranma moved to follow before she found 
herself facing a camera.  "Hello!  I'm Tensei Michiko of NHK News."  She 
smiled.  "You came to help with the rescue effort with Moroboshi Ataru, 
didn't you . . .?!"

	"Saotome Ranma," Ranma introduced herself.  "And no, I'm not interested in 
giving any interviews right now!  I'm really tired!  Excuse me . . .!"

	"Wait!" the reporter cried out as she instantly dodged before Ranma.  
"Please, Saotome-san!  You don't understand!  This is breaking news!  This 
is the first time Islamic terrorists have attacked non-American targets in 
Japan!  Please, we only want yours and Moroboshi-san's opinions of this!"

	Ranma paused, blinking as what Michiko said sank in before she sighed.  
"Look, lady.  I really can't say why folks from the Middle East would blow 
this place up," she then said.  "Though now that I think about it, given the 
garbage from two months ago with those oversized mushrooms and all that, 
these guys, whoever they were, might've had a pretty big beef with the folks 
livin' here!"

	Michiko blinked.  "You mean you support this sort of thing?!"

	"WHAT?!"  Ranma shuddered.  "Hell, no!  Look, lady, I'm really tired!  I 
just spent almost two hours helping clean this mess up, so all I wanna do is 
get some food inta me, then sleep this nightmare off!  If you'll excuse me . 
. .!"

	"Wait!  Just one more thing, please!" Michiko cut her off.  "What exactly 
*is* your relationship with Moroboshi Ataru?!  People here are saying that 
Moroboshi-san renounced Lum six weeks ago!  Are you his girlfriend?!"

	Ranma gagged.  "SAY WHAT?!"  She leaned right into the reporter's face, the 
glow of her battle aura making the camera crew take a step back.  "Look, I 
dunno who put THAT stupid idea inta your head, but get THIS straight:  I am 
NOT Ataru's girlfriend, okay?!  Shit, with the way Lum and some other chick 
named Miyake treated him, he don't wanna deal with girls now!  Personally, I 
don't blame him!  I'm just his friend, probably one of THREE people outside 
his family he can call his friend now!  Is that fair enough to you?!"

	Michiko stammered before she sensed a hand touch her shoulder.  She turned 
to see a man standing there.  "Excuse me, Tensei-san.  My name is Yumoa 
Reigi.  I'm the executor of the will of Moroboshi Ataru's late grandmother, 
Moroboshi Nagaiwakai.  I understand you're interested in what's happened to 
him concerning his 'relationship' . . . " -- his voice dripped with scorn -- 
"With the late Oni Lum and those two roonin who WERE his parents.  I'm sure 
given the incredible deeds she just performed, Saotome-san really needs a 
chance to rest."

	"I . . . "  Michiko then nodded.  "Certainly.  Um, just one more question, 
Saotome-san?"  She turned to Ranma.  "Why is it you became friends with 
Moroboshi Ataru of all people?  I mean, you must've heard about . . . "

	"Him chasin' girls?"  Ranma snorted, looking away before glancing over her 
shoulder.  "He told me about the crap he's lived through thanks to Lum and 
the nimrods here, not to mention the abuse he got from his parents . . . "

	"*Ex*-parents," Reigi cut in.

	"Whatever!" Ranma snapped.  "All his life, he's been treated like garbage 
by almost everyone who said they either liked him or loved him.  Well, let 
me tell you somethin'."  She glared at Michiko, her voice lowering into a 
growl.  "I know what it's like to be used, abused and BETRAYED by people who 
said they loved and cared for me!  Family and so-called 'friends' alike!  So 
don't tell me any of this crap about Ataru bein' the cause of the garbage 
that's hit this place since Lum came!  Far as I'm concerned, it ain't true!  
That's why I call him my friend, because he sure NEEDS *real* friends . . 
.!"  Her voice trailed off.  "Just like I need *real* friends," she finished 
in a whisper.  Her eyes then fell on the statue of Lum, it standing in the 
midst of the devastation.  "Matter of fact," Ranma muttered as she called up 
her ki and locked on target.

	"***MOOKO TAKABISHA!***"

	Everyone screamed as the bolt slammed into the statue, pulverizing it!  
Ranma relaxed before staring anew at Michiko, a smile curling her lips.  
"There!  I just did my friend a favour!  He says he don't want any memorials 
to Lum 'cause he don't want people treatin' her like a god.  Maybe that's 
not such a bad idea!  I hope that when this is all said and done with, 
they'll put a memorial here to all the folks who got killed today.  They 
deserve it more."

	With that, she sprang for a telephone pole and raced off for Nerima.

*    *    *

	"A-Ataru-kun . . .?"

	Miyake Shinobu stood several metres away from Reigi and Michiko, she 
pale-faced as her mind rolled over what had just been said.  To see someone 
whom she knew shied from violence perform martial arts feats like that 
gatling-gun punch, making tornadoes in mid-air or fire off energy beams . . 
.!  That was shocking enough to Shinobu.  But to hear his words after it was 
done . . .

	"First of all, Sensei, I HAVE NO PARENTS . . .!"

	"I'm MORE THAN HAPPY to be rid of both of those jerks . . .!"

	"Whoever arranged this little act -- in a way, did me a favour . . .!"

	And then:

	"I will NOT be coming back to this ramen stand EVER again!  The sooner I 
put you clowns OUT of my head once and for ALL, the BETTER!"

	And then what the girl just said to the reporter:

	"Some other chick named Miyake treated him, he don't wanna deal with girls 
now!  Personally, I don't blame him . . .!"

	"Probably one of THREE people he can call his friend now!"

	And then there was that man who said he was the executor of the estate of 
Ataru's grandmother, someone Shinobu didn't even know of:

	"Those two roonin who WERE his parents."

	Saw his parents as roonin . . .

	Said he had no friends here . . .

	Would never come back . . .

	Never wanted to even SEE them again . . .?

	"Ataru-kun."  Shinobu shuddered.  "W-w-why . . .?"

	"Shinobu?"

	She looked right to see Sakura gazing at her.  "S-s-Sakura-sensei," Shinobu 
stuttered before calming herself.  "Something wrong?"

	The nurse/priestess nodded.  "Hai.  It's about Ryuunosuke."

	Shinobu felt a chill warp through her.  "Wh-what?"

*    *    *

	"You feel okay, Momoe-chan?"

	"Y-yeah!  It just stings," Momoe assured Kumiko before nodding to the 
paramedic.  Both were relaxing by the fence near the front gate.  "You 
okay?"

	"My ears are still ringing," the other girl confessed.  "I can't believe 
some terrorist would blow up the school."

	"Is that what they're saying?"

	"That reporter from NHK thinks it was some Islamic group.  Why . . .?"

	Kumiko shook her head, helplessly shrugging.  "I'm sure they'll figure out 
what's up soon," Momoe asserted with a tired sigh.  "The more important 
thing now is to figure out what's happened to Ataru-kun!"

	A chill warped through Kumiko as her mind instantly replayed the images of 
the last two hours.  Of Moroboshi Ataru demonstrating fighting skills that 
could potentially help him defeat anyone Kumiko knew, even -- Gods!  The 
*horror* of it all! -- Rei-san and Mendou-san . . .?  Someone who, if the 
words he just said to the Principal, Onsen-sensei and Hanawa-sensei were 
true, now clearly didn't want ANYTHING to do with Tomobiki in spite of what 
he did today.

	Someone who just might have reason to HATE them?

	Especially given their response to his 'girl hunts' in the past.

	Her eyes widened at that last thought.  "I'm scared, Momoe-chan."

	"You're not the only one," Momoe admitted.

	"What do we do?"

	"Find where Ataru-kun is now.  Then try to find out how the HELL he turned 
from a pervert to Bruce Lee's adopted first cousin."  Momoe rose, dusting 
herself off.  "And for that, I have to put in a call to a friend in Nerima."

	Kumiko frowned.  She didn't like Tendou Nabiki.  "Why call *her?*"

	Momoe winked.  "Simplest reason of all, Kumiko-chan.  Nabiki-san knows that 
'girl' who was with Ataru-kun.  That was Saotome Ranma."

	The other girl's eyes went wide.  "Oh."

*    *    *

	"R-r-Ran-ch-chan!  Y-you c-can't m-mean th-that, c-can you?!"

	Kenzan Konatsu instantly moved to comfort Kuonji Ukyou.  "There, there, 
Ukyou-sama!" the male kunoichi soothed, touching several shiatsu points to 
help keep his employer calm and steady.  "Didn't you see?  Ranma-sama's just 
very tired right now!  That reporter had no right to press Ranma-sama right 
now, especially after what he just did!  Please, don't think such awful 
things!"

	Ukyou considered that for a moment before she shakily nodded.  "Y-yeah!"  
She rose, moving to stand behind her counter.  "Y-yeah!  Ran-chan's just 
tired, that's all!  Ju-just . . . "  Sobs then stole her voice as she 
collapsed back to the floor.  "R-r-Ran-ch-chan . . .!" she moaned.

	Konatsu moved to help her back up.  "Ukyou-sama!"

	The chef didn't refuse his embrace.  "Pl-please, Ran-chan, don't hate me . 
. . " she moaned.  "Please don't hate me, Ran-chan . . .!"

	"Ukyou-sama . . . "

*    *    *

	"SASUKE!"

	Kunou Tatewaki shuddered indignantly as his servant appeared by him.  "Hai, 
Master.  Is there a problem?" Sasuke asked with a bow.

	Kunou pointed with his bokken at the television, it replaying images from 
Tomobiki High.  "Find out where Moroboshi Ataru lives!  I have seen the 
beast in the company of the fair Osage-no-Onna at this horrid event at 
Tomobiki High School.  Though my fair pig-tailed goddess had doth proclaim 
the beast Moroboshi as a friend just now, I, the Blue Thunder, do know 
better!"

	"What, sir?!"  *Oh, dear!  Whatever's got into him now?*

	"It appears the beast doth have unholy designs on my flame-haired damsel!" 
Kunou declared.  "That she moves to defend the acts of one of such LOW 
character as he speaks volumes!  Mayhap, Moroboshi and the sorcerer Saotome 
are perhaps in alliance to break the free will of the pig-tailed one!  And 
if she of the flaming tresses is broken, what is to stop those two monsters 
from bending the beauteous Tendou Akane to their evil will?!  I WILL NOT 
HAVE IT!  Go, Sasuke!  Go find the monster, then tell me where he is so I 
can smite him with my blade!"

	"Y-yessir!"  Sasuke trembled.  When Kunou got into THIS state, there was NO 
reasoning with him.  *Why me?!  Why ME of all people?!*

*    *    *

	Nabiki whistled.  "That's an unbelievable story, Ojii-chan."

	"Yes, I know."  Happoosai puffed his pipe.  "Most likely, Ataru-kun there 
was the Saikoo Jinseijitsu's last host before it got free.  I'd say that 
happened five years ago or so, but I can't be sure . . . "

	"Oh, my!" Kasumi mused.  "That must be Ataru-kun's sister Negako, Ojii-san. 
  Ranma-kun did say she was a superb martial artist."

	"'Negako,' did you say?"  The old grandmaster perked before he nodded in 
approval.  "'Wish child.'  I like that!  I like it a lot!" he declared with 
a cackle, an admiring look crossing his face.  "Yes, you're right, 
Kasumi-chan.  Negako-chan IS a superb martial artist.  What would you expect 
from someone born from a THOUSAND years of preserved memories and motor 
skills?  So . . . "

	Genma snorted.  "So what?  My boy could beat this girl with ease . . .!"

	He screamed as he flew face-first into the cherry tree.  He then 
splash-landed in the koi pond.  "***WEREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME, IDIOT?!***" 
Happoosai roared as Genma-panda staggered out of the pond.  "*I* could 
barely beat Negako-chan!  And that would ONLY be if she was having a BAD 
day!  *Cologne-chan* could barely beat Negako-chan under the same 
circumstances!  What makes you think your son could beat her, especially 
given how much you've SCREWED UP his training?!"

	"Then maybe Ranma-kun could learn from Negako-san, Ojii-san."

	Happoosai perked on hearing that before he stared at Kasumi, and then he 
hummed as he considered her suggestion.  Souun and Genma stared wide-eyed at 
her, they wondering what just made Kasumi say something like THAT!  "Why, 
that's a WONDERFUL idea, Kasumi-chan!"  The grandmaster nodded.  "Very well, 
then!  When I see her, I'll tell Negako-chan that she can take over Ranma's 
training!"

	A sigh slapped him in the head.  Everyone turned to read.  [RANMA WILL 
TRAIN WITH NO ONE BUT ME!]  Genma-panda glared at Happoosai.

	Happoosai's eyes narrowed.  "I didn't recall giving you a choice in this 
matter, Genma," he warned, puffing on his pipe.

	Seeing THAT, Genma dove outside.  People watched him grab a beach ball as 
he waved a new sign.  [I'M JUST A SIMPLE PANDA!]

	"Fine!  If you're just a *simple* panda, you have NO say in the way MY 
heir's training will go!" Happoosai declared.  He then flipped his pipe to 
send Souun flying into Genma.  "I don't want to hear none of YOUR idiot 
plans, Souun," he frostily added.  "Neither of you have the brains for it!"

	"Well, if my son did say to that reporter that Ataru-kun has no friends, 
this will be for the best."  Nodoka sagely nodded.  She then smiled.  
"Besides, given how MANLY Ataru-kun looked today, Ranma might benefit from 
his example!"

	The Tendou sisters stared warily at her as Ranma's mother headed upstairs.  
Happoosai shook his head.  "That woman's got 'manliness' on the brain!" he 
muttered before he stretched himself.  "Anyhow, I'm off to my rounds!"

	He departed.  As soon as the aged grandmaster was out of sight, the fathers 
raced in confront Nabiki.  "Nabiki, you MUST find where Moroboshi lives!" 
Souun loudly ordained.  "We MUST get Ranma-kun away from there and bring him 
here so he can marry Akane and unite the schools . . . "

	Both panicked on sensing a HUGE battle aura behind them.  [UH-OH!] 
Genma-panda waved a sign as the sisters scrambled to safety.

	"***I DON'T RECALL ASKING FOR OBJECTIONS, YOU IDIOTS!***"

	Happoosai's students then prostrated themselves before the grandmaster of 
Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu, both of them wailing a storm of profuse apologies.  
As that went on, Nabiki waved Kasumi and Akane upstairs to her bedroom.  
Closing and locking the door to ensure the fathers didn't bother them, 
Nabiki sat at her desk.  "Well, isn't THIS a damned day of revelations?"

	"Hopefully, Father and Uncle won't make things worse, especially if 
Ranma-kun wishes to remain friends with Ataru-kun," Kasumi mused.

	"I still can't believe that was him!" Akane said with a shake of her head.  
"I mean, isn't Moroboshi Ataru supposed to be the guy who once vowed he'd 
have sex with ten thousand girls before he graduated high school?"

	"Yeah, that took ME by surprise.  I don't think Ojii-chan was lying about 
the Moroboshis and their ninja ancestors, much less this Negako woman, 
either," Nabiki said as she thoughtfully scratched her chin.  "Then again, 
if we want to confirm it, we could ask either Konatsu or Sasuke.  They'd 
probably know a few things."  She then took a deep breath.  "Right now, 
we've got a bigger problem."

	"What's that?" Akane asked.

	"How the folks in Tomobiki are going to take in what they just saw . . . " 
-- Nabiki gazed on them -- "And how will that reflect here."

	"What could be the problem?" Kasumi asked.

	"Biggest potential problem is Mendou Shuutarou," Nabiki reported.  "He's 
been rivals with Ataru-kun since Mendou started attending that school.  I 
often associate with a couple people at Tomobiki High, so I know much of 
what's gone on there.  Beforehand, Lum was there to keep some sort of lid on 
things.  None of the boys felt confident enough to take Ataru-kun out of the 
picture because they were afraid Lum would lash back at them.  Mendou's the 
same way.  Now, Lum's dead.  Even more so, Ataru-kun just demonstrated what 
he really thinks of the people in Tomobiki.  They can basically go to Hell 
in his eyes . . . "

	"So they might want to test him about that," Kasumi mused.

	Nabiki nodded.  "Yes.  Especially Mendou.  He's like Kunou.  The fact that 
a 'commoner' like Ataru-kun stood up to him CONSTANTLY when they were 
classmates hurt the boy's pride BIG time!  What's worse, unlike Kunou-chan, 
Mendou HAS a lot of firepower to back him up whenever he wants to show how 
tough he is.  And he's not afraid to use some underhanded tricks to get his 
way.  Tack THAT up against Ataru-kun and Negako-san.  Then add Ranma to the 
equation."

	"Oh, gods!  It'll be a slaughter!" Akane hissed.  "Ranma always sticks up 
for his friends.  Ataru's probably offering him a place to stay now, so it 
becomes an honour-debt.  And if this Negako's as powerful as Ojii-san said . 
. . "  A chill warped through her.  "I don't think even an army like 
Mendou's could last against ONE martial artist of Ranma's level, let alone 
THREE!"

	"And more," Nabiki noted.  "Ryouga-kun won't tolerate the idea of anyone 
trying to kill Ranma-kun.  You can bet the Amazons won't like it.  Cologne 
and Ojii-chan BOTH could deal with the Mendous' armed forces by themselves!  
Then we toss in Ukyou and Konatsu.  Kunou might want to join forces with 
Mendou out of general principles, but there's a chance Kodachi could put a 
monkey wrench into that, if not Mendou's own sister Ryooko getting involved 
. . . "

	Kasumi shook her head.  "It'll be total chaos."

	"Yeah.  And we've got loads of potential innocent bystanders all waiting to 
be snatched up and made instant hostages in case Mendou feels he's got no 
choice but to resort to those means to make Ataru submit.  Including us."

	"Hey!  I could beat this creep!" Akane asserted.

	Nabiki glared at her.  "Can you outrun bullets, Akane?"

	The youngest daughter jolted, her outrage melting instantly into shock.  
"So what can we do to prevent this from happening, Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi 
asked.

	"That, I'll start to work on today," the middle daughter declared.  "I'll 
bet that Marubeya Momoe -- she's one of Mendou's more ardent fans and a 
bookie for me in Tomobiki -- will give me a call asking about what Ranma-kun 
was doing helping Ataru-kun out, wondering if Ataru-kun's living in Nerima 
and where he might be.  I won't tell her anything, of course, since I don't 
know where Ataru-kun's living.  And I won't say anything to her about that 
in the future until we got a strong handle on Mendou.  There ARE ways to 
keep him in check, I think."

	"Couldn't you ask Momoe-san to be quiet about it?" Kasumi asked.

	Nabiki shook her head.  "No.  She's got a crush on him.  That seems to be a 
common affliction at ALL the schools in that town.  And he knows it, too.  
All Mendou has to do is turn on the charm and she's silly-putty in his 
hands.  I'm not sure if he knows of her connection to me, but I'm not taking 
chances."

	Akane sneered.  "What a bastard!  And I thought Kunou was bad?"

	Kasumi nodded understandingly.  "Oh, my!  And I doubt Ataru-kun would like 
the idea of Mendou-san trying to hurt his sisters."

	Akane blinked.  "'Sisters?!'  What sisters?!"

	Kasumi beamed.  "Why, they're the girls Ranma-kun met on Saturday, 
Akane-chan.  Including the one who sent those bentou boxes to us."

	"You can probably relax now about any of them being yet another fiancée 
Uncle forced on Ranma-kun, Akane-chan," Nabiki added.

	Akane sighed after considering that for a moment.

*    *    *

	"Feeling better now, Ranma?"

	Ranma breathed out before wiping her face of vomit.  She had just spent 
time worshipping at the altar of the porcelain goddess courtesy of the 
mangled bodies she and Ataru had dragged out of the wreckage of Tomobiki 
High.  Her host seemed more tolerant; he stood by the bathroom door as Ranma 
upchucked her breakfast.  "Somewhat."  She grunted.  "Damn!  How did YOU 
tolerate all that?!"

	"Let's just say I've seen it before and leave it at that for now."  He 
waved her into the furo room.  "Here.  Let me help you wash down.  Then you 
better get some sleep.  We both need it after what happened."

	Ranma nodded.  "Yeah, you're right about that."

	Entering the washing area, she peeled off her clothes before dumping them 
in a hamper.  He did the same.  After wrapping a towel around himself, he 
waved her to a stool.  Giving his body a detailed look-over, Ranma was quick 
to notice several healed scars and what seemed to be a bullet wound covering 
his arms and chest.  "Shit!  What sorta training did Negako put you 
through?!"

	"This . . . " -- he indicated the bullet wound, it between the deltoids and 
pectorals on the right shoulder -- "Didn't come from training."  He waved 
her to a chair.  "Here, let me wash your back.  Your hair needs it, too."

	"Thanks."  She sat, picking up a cloth to soap herself down.  "Don't lose 
the Dragon's Whisker I got in my hair, okay?"

	"Right.  I take it you had dragon hair soup once."

	"By accident."  Ranma smirked as she started to wash herself down.  "Don't 
need it now, but I hang onto it just in case."

	Ataru got to work on her back.  "I figured as much.  I had something 
similar when I was off training with Onee-chan.  That's why I've got the 
beard and moustache now; it also affected my facial hair."

	"Any way to cure it?  Or curb it, at least?"

	"Nope," he asserted.  "Fortunately, I took a look at the Fuurinkan High 
student's notebook when I decided I might want to go to school there.  The 
rules don't say anything about facial hair or hair length, so I'm okay."

	She stared at him.  "What?!  That's impossible!"

	"Why do you say that?"

	"Simple!" she asserted.  "The principal there's a nutcase who likes bowl 
cuts for girls and buzz cuts for guys!  He tries to enforce them on us every 
chance he gets!  I can't believe that's not in the handbook!"

	"Well, believe it, Ranma.  I've seen the handbook and I know for a fact 
that the Education Ministry states that what's in the handbook is the final 
say about school rules.  Your principal's been lying to you."

	She considered that before sighing.  "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me.  
Given what a moron he is, that doesn't surprise me at all . . . hey!"  She 
gasped as he sprayed her hair, and then she glared at him.  "Warn me, 
willya?!"

	"Sorry!" he replied with a chuckle as he moved to undo the Dragon's 
Whisker.  Finding no other place to put it without it being flushed down the 
drain, he undid the black jumper's cord he used to tie his hair, and then 
tied the Whisker around that.  Setting the cord aside, he got to work.  "Oh, 
man!  You've got real great hair!  That dragon's hair soup did you some 
good!"

	"Think so . . .?" Ranma wondered before she moaned as Ataru's fingers 
massaged her scalp.  "Oh, yeah!  That feels REAL good, Ataru . . . "

	"I take it Madame has not been pampered like this before?"

	"Not like the way you do it.  When I was off modelling, some of the people 
gave me a good shampooing.  I could never trust Shanpú to do that, 
especially with the special shampoos her tribe has.  But you do it . . . "  
She grunted as waves of pleasure began to radiate through her body.  
"Differently."

	"Well, I'm just following the shiatsu lines here . . . wait!"

	"What is it?"

	Ataru blinked, gently pressing a couple of points on Ranma's forehead.  
"Wait a sec' . . . " he muttered.  "Something's wrong."

	Ranma tensed.  "What?"

	He jostled a couple more points, he blinking confusedly as the odd feeling 
arced into his mind.  "I can't tell."  He shook his head, sighing.  "When 
she comes back, I'm gonna get Onee-chan to take a look at you, Ranma.  
Sounds okay?"

	"Sure thing."  She relaxed before she smirked.  "Hey, Ataru?"

	"What is it?"

	She gazed over her shoulder, winking.  "Aren't you the least bit bothered 
that you're sharing a bath with a gorgeous girl like me?"

	He wiggled his eyebrows.  "Would you care to test how bothered I am?"

	Her cheeks reddened.  He chuckled.  "Ranma, I know how you see yourself.  I 
was just razing you.  But you have to admit, you ARE very beautiful as a 
girl.  And . . . "  He held up a finger.  "One prime specimen as a man, 
too."

	Ranma gazed on him.  "Are you saying I should try to learn how to be both?  
I WAS born a boy, Ataru!  I can't deny that!"

	"I'm not saying to deny it, Ranma.  Look.  Call it Fate, Karma, 
what-have-you, but I think things like this . . . " -- he indicated her body 
-- "Don't happen to people without a damned good reason.  Hell, given the 
way I used to act, I'll bet you that if I ever went to Jusenkyou, I myself 
might've wound up falling into Nyanniichuan.  It's called a 'curse' for a 
reason, Ranma.  It's meant to teach you something in the long run.  The only 
way you can ever REALLY hope to be rid of this curse is to learn the lesson 
it teaches you."

	Ranma considered that before she sighed.  "I can understand that.  Oyaji 
always said girls were weak.  I believed that even after I took a dunk into 
the damned pool.  And . . . " -- she shook her head -- "Look where it got 
me."

	He nodded.  "Right.  Personally, Ranma, I don't think there's a real cure 
for you.  Hearing about that Nanniichuan cask that started the trouble with 
you and Akane recently sounded fishy.  I can't accept the idea that 
Jusenkyou will let you go THAT easily.  Uh-uh!  That's not the way things 
like that work."

	"What could've happened to me, then?"

	"I dunno.  Onee-chan and Chikage might help, but . . . "  He placed a hand 
on her shoulder.  "Ranma, the chances are there you might NEVER be rid of 
this."  He waved to her.  "So instead of moping about it and trying to 
ignore it, make it a part of your life.  You'll be a better person because 
of it."

	She stared at him.  "Can you be sure?"

	"Yeah, I'm sure.  Hey, look at me."  He waved to himself.  "Even after 
finding out what Onee-chan's presence in my mind could've potentially done 
to me, I didn't REALLY envision myself as a serious martial artist of all 
things until she started to train me.  And even now, I like to think of 
myself as someone who doesn't want to settle messes that way."

	She indicated the bullet wound on his shoulder.  "No, something tells me 
you might like more *direct* ways of dealing with problems."

	They gazed at each other.  Ataru sighed.  "I didn't enjoy that."

	She smiled.  "I didn't expect you would.  C'mon, finish me up so I can wash 
you down.  Then let's take a good long soak.  We need it."

	"Hai, hai, Ojou-sama," Ataru intoned in a mock Hindu Indian accent as he 
bowed his head towards her.  "Sahib is working as fast as he can!"

	She growled.  "Why, you . . .!"

	Both laughed.

*    *    *

	"So your brother wasn't badly hurt?"

	"No, he wasn't, but he'll remain in bed under supervision for a couple 
days."  Mendou Ryooko nodded her thanks as the secretary handed her a cup of 
tea.  She then gazed on her host.  "However, I suspect that along the way, 
taped replays of the news coverage of the bombing will be given to him."

	Yumoa Reigi sipped his own tea before he sighed.  They were meeting in his 
office at the summit of the Toranoseishin Finances Tower.  "Which means that 
once he sees Ataru-kun in action . . .?" he began.

	"Onii-san will be put off.  He's already frustrated enough because 
Moroboshi-sama was able to elude him so easily six weeks ago.  Add Lum's 
death, the bombing, Moroboshi-sama's newly-acquired martial arts skills to 
the matter and his supposed friendship with Saotome-sama . . .!"  The 
younger Mendou shook her head.  "He will not like that one bit.  Worse, 
he'll most likely be scared out of his mind.  Though he won't, of course, 
show any fear in public."

	"Natural," Toranoseishin's chief of operations concluded.  "I assume you do 
not desire to see something like that happen."

	"Personally, no," Ryooko admitted, she then inwardly surprised that she 
would actually say something like *that* to a total stranger.  "Which means 
that something quickly has to be done to convince Onii-san away from seeking 
'retribution' . . . " -- the scorn dripped in torrents from that word -- "On 
Moroboshi-sama.  Do you have an idea, Yumoa-san?  Perhaps contact your 
guardian and have him speak to my father?  Given also that there is soon to 
get underway a near-complete succession in the leadership of the Moroboshi 
Clan . . . "

	"You know of Ataru-kun's half-sisters now, I take it?"

	Ryooko nodded.  "I learned of them initially about a week after 
Moroboshi-sama and his adopted sister went to Oomure-jima.  I didn't realise 
their relationship to him until Saturday, however.  I assume that the 
eldest-born of that group -- Sakuya, was her name? -- will become the next 
Clan Matriarch?"

	"When she turns of age in three years."  Reigi nodded.  "Do you suspect 
your brother might, if and when he finds out how strong our clan really is, 
try to go after Sakuya-chan or any of the others as a way of striking at 
Ataru-kun?"

	A shrug twitched her shoulders.  "He might.  Again, it is hard to say.  
Perhaps he might finally realise that his battle with Moroboshi-sama no 
longer has any meaning.  Lum IS dead, after all.  And much that I rather did 
enjoy the amount of fun her presence here provoked, I shall not mourn her 
forever."

	"True.  Personally, I'm very happy that Oni is gone.  Hopefully, we will 
not see any of them again in our lifetimes . . . "

	A knock.  "I'm sorry to bother you, Reigi-san, but the coroner's office 
just called," another secretary announced after Reigi waved her in.  "They 
need someone to identify the bodies of Ataru-sama's ex-parents before 
issuing death certificates.  Given Ataru-sama's statements at the school -- 
and given his efforts to help save people there -- the authorities don't 
wish to bother him."

	Reigi sighed.  "Alright, I'll go down.  Maybe I might get a laugh on seeing 
that backstabbing 'city-slicker' one last time."  He wryly smirked, and then 
he gazed at Ryooko.  "Would you please excuse me, Mendou-sama?"

	Ryooko tittered.  "Of course, Yumoa-san.  I take it you and your co-workers 
DO bear a grudge against those two?"

	"After what they did to Ataru-kun, what do you think?"

	"I see."

*    *    *

	"Onii-chan, are you alright?!  How bad was it?!"

	Ataru gazed at the sisters -- save Hinako, Aria and Kaho -- from the Rinrin 
Viewer; he sat in his bedroom in Nerima.  "It was bad, Karen-chan," he 
announced with a grimace.  On seeing them tense, he then essayed a smile to 
make them relax.  "Hopefully, if Ranma and I were in time, those who were 
hurt by the bomber would've got to the hospital as quickly as possible to be 
healed."

	"How many died, Aniue-sama?" Marie asked.

	"Eleven, counting the bomber.  I . . . "  He paused as he considered if he 
should say this.  "Your birth-father and his wife were two of the dead."

	Silence fell as they considered that.  Chikage sighed.  "Justice does come 
to the guilty in one way or another, Ani-kun."

	Haruka nodded.  "Agreed.  It would have been better for them to suffer what 
you intended of them, Anigimi-sama, but now . . . "

	Sakuya sighed.  "I won't shed a tear for them.  How's Onee-sama?"

	"She's being looked over by Onee-chan now."  Ataru sighed.  "There was 
something wrong with some of her shiatsu lines when we bathed together after 
coming back home, so I asked Onee-chan to give it a closer look . . . "

	The sisters gasped.  "EH?!  YOU BATHED TOGETHER?!"

	Ataru gagged on his next words.  He then waved his hands to ward off their 
leering looks.  "Hey!  Hey!  HEY!  It's not like THAT . . .!"

	"Ani-chama has a girlfriend!" Yotsuba chimed.

	Marie swooned.  "Oh, Aniue-sama!  That's SO romantic!"

	Chikage held up the Lovers card.  "I clearly predict that Ani-kun and 
Ane-kun will have a long and healthy relationship."

	Shirayuki shuddered with anticipation.  "Hime should start baking 
Nii-sama's and Nee-sama's wedding cake right away!"

	Sakuya wagged her finger at Ataru.  "Onii-sama, you sly fox, you!"

	"GIRLS!" he whined before his head drooped.  "You're horrible . . .!"

	Laughter filled the dining room.  "Onii-chan, we're just joking!"  Karen 
covered her mouth in a polite giggle.  "Onii-chan, if Onee-chan was forced 
away from the Tendou house, why don't you both take some time and come here 
to the Island to relax for a while?  Give her a chance to not worry about 
those people in Nerima?  Onee-chan doesn't have to go to school until next 
Monday, does she?"

	Ataru stared at her, and then he nodded.  "All right.  I'll bounce it off 
Onee-chan and see if that'll be a good idea.  If it's okay, we'll come to 
the island on the late ferry tomorrow night, all right?  No offence, 
Chikage-chan, but I don't think Ranma's ready for the travelling rainbow."

	Chikage shook her head.  "That's no problem."

	"We can let Aneki use the room beside mine," Rinrin proposed.

	"Fair enough!  I'll call you girls tomorrow with news."

	"Hai!" the sisters chimed.

*    *    *

	"You should've told me you were hurt, Momoe-san."

	"It's not as bad as it looks."  Momoe shrugged as she sat beside Nabiki.  
The coffee shop where they were meeting was located beside a parking lot 
where buses from Tokyo and Hooya ended their runs.  Located on the border 
between Nerima and Tomobiki, this shop served as a transfer point for people 
wanting to travel from local suburbs to Tokyo.  "You saw what happened 
today, didn't you?"

	Nabiki smiled.  "That I did.  Quite an eye-opener."

	Momoe made an order with the shop's matron before she turned her attention 
back to her friend.  "How did Ranma-san meet Ataru-kun?"

	"Don't know where, but I think they met on Saturday.  That's when Ataru-kun 
got back from wherever he went to after Lum went home."

	"Can you find out where he lives?"

	"I could."

	Momoe blinked, quickly sensing Nabiki's mood.  "I'd think you of all people 
would understand why I need to have that information."

	"But do you comprehend what you having that information might end up doing 
to the people of Nerima, Momoe-san?" Nabiki countered.

	"I'd think you'd want Ataru-kun away from Ranma-san."

	"You don't know the whole story about Ataru-kun.  Then again, it may not be 
so surprising given how easily he's been able to catch Mendou's katana every 
time the guy tried to swipe his head off with it.  Now relax and listen."

	She explained.  It took twenty minutes.  By then, their coffee had gone 
cold.  Neither cared.  At the end, Momoe was as white as a sheet.  "That 
can't be true!"  She shook her head.  "I mean . . . ATARU of all people?!  
Heir to one of the most lethal martial arts schools that exists in Japan?!  
That's . . .!"

	Nabiki smirked.  "Crazy, isn't it?"

	"Insane!"

	She nodded.  "You got it.  Look.  I know you want to try your best to 
impress Mendou.  Remember when you told me on Saturday that you'd sit on 
information concerning the break between Ataru-kun and his parents and how 
it affected Lum?  This is the same thing, but now you know the potential 
consequences if you DO tell Mendou where Ataru-kun is.  Because I guarantee 
you this, Momoe-chan:  If he tries to pull his shit in Nerima, not only will 
Mendou have Ataru-kun to worry about, but Negako-san, Ranma-kun, most likely 
Ryouga-kun, the Amazons, Ukyou and maybe Kodachi.  And THIS time, there's no 
Lum around to try to moderate things.  I doubt Miyake Shinobu might be able 
to moderate things, either.  And I think Ataru-kun's made it pretty clear 
what he truly feels about you guys in Tomobiki this afternoon at the 
school."

	Momoe then sighed.  "That's true.  But, still . . . "

	Nabiki tried a new tact.  "Think of it this way:  You don't want to see 
Ataru-kun mutilate, much less KILL, Mendou, do you?"

	Momoe jolted.  "Of course not!"

	"Then keeping quiet about this protects him!  Understand now?"

	Momoe blinked as she considered that before nodding.  "You got a point."

	"Alright, then.  Look, the best way to avoid any disasters is to diffuse a 
potential fight in the first place.  I know that may not sound profitable, 
but lives can't be replaced.  You know that.  What happened today will hit a 
lot of people the wrong way.  Chances are there, Mendou might decide to 
leave it be and get on with his life.  If that's the way it goes, fine.  You 
got no worries.  But if he decides to press it on just because he can't let 
it go . . . "  Nabiki held up her finger.  "Just remember what might 
happen."

	Momoe considered that.  "Right."

*    *    *

	"How is she, Shinobu?"

	Shinobu sighed, sitting at the table as her mother Kimiki washed dishes.  
"Resting right now.  She didn't take well to the news."

	Kimiki nodded, intoning a prayer for Ryuunosuke's father and Shiowatari 
Nagisa.  Thanks to what Ataru and his lady friend did earlier that day, the 
police were able to quickly identify who died today.  Atop the suicide 
bomber himself, a native of Qatar who might have -- according to the rumours 
being circulated over the news -- possessed ties to radical Islamic 
fundamentalists, ten people were killed.  Megane and his friends, Moroboshi 
Muchi and his wife, two unidentified second-year students who had the ill 
luck to be in the hallway directly above where the blast occurred, Fujinami 
Fujimi and Nagisa.

	There would be no body for Nagisa, Ryuunosuke learned.  Sakura and Cherry 
told her why.  Since Nagisa died once and had been resurrected thanks to the 
Great Sea Urchin, if he died before he could have helped birth children, 
there would be no further chance of another resurrection.  Worse, the body 
created by the Great Urchin's magic would disintegrate, leaving no mortal 
remains behind.

	Even though their so-called "relationship" had been quite rocky since the 
day she had met Nagisa on a tiny island in the Sagami Sea, it had just been 
too much for Ryuunosuke.  Shinobu had to carry her dazed friend to the 
Miyake home, arranging with Sakura to have what belongings that survived the 
explosion brought over as soon as possible.  Shinobu's father Toshoba later 
contacted the family lawyer to begin making arrangements so that he and 
Kimiki could become Ryuunosuke's legal guardians.  It was the least the 
Miyakes can do for her at this time, Shinobu sighed before lightly smiling.

	Perhaps when he fully recovered, Mendou might be willing to help.

	"It's to be expected," Kimiki mused.  "Losing her mother when she was just 
a baby, forced to live as a boy her whole life, then forced into being 
engaged with Nagisa-san . . . "  Her voice trailed off before she shook her 
head.  "Your father told me he's going to have Ryuunosuke re-registered as a 
girl.  Turns out that her father had the poor girl legally registered as a 
boy all this time."

	"Idiot!"  Shinobu tried not to moan too much.  Typical, wasn't it?   She 
then shrugged.  "Well, at least now, she can learn what being a girl's all 
about without her father or some other stupid fool getting in the damned 
way."

	"True.  We'll have to be cautious about that," Kimiki warned, she gazing at 
Shinobu.  "She might need professional counselling, too."

	"Unn."  Shinobu rose, heading to her bedroom.  Looking inside, she blinked 
before stepping in.  "Ryuu-chan, what are you doing up?"

	Ryuunosuke sighed, gazing at the book in her lap.  "Can't sleep."  Shinobu 
was quick to notice which book it was.  The tomboy placed the book down.  
"Why have you never told me?" she wondered.  "That you're . . .?"

	"A Catholic?"  Shinobu chuckled as she sat beside her friend.  "Well, I . . 
. "  She sighed.  "I didn't want to tell people, Ryuunosuke."

	"Why?"

	Shinobu wryly smiled.  "Well, you know how much most people don't like 
those who don't fit into the mould.  Though in our school, that didn't 
matter too much in the long term.  I guess I was afraid, deep down."

	"Of what?"

	"Of having something happen to me.  Someone attacking me through my faith 
in God to weaken me for whatever reason.  You . . . "  A pause.  "You 
noticed what happened to me shortly after Lum was kicked off the planet."

	Ryuunosuke thought about that for a moment.  "Right."

	"Well, my pastor -- he's from Mexico -- once told me that my strength must 
come from my faith.  A gift from God to protect me from the craziness that 
was going on around us.  He . . . "  Another pause.  "I guess God decided 
that since Lum wasn't going to come back to Earth, I didn't nee