The Wheel of Fire, #16: Nemesis, part 1 

  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
  http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And 
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective 
properties and characters. The manga has precedence over material in 
the anime. 
  This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its 
complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for 
monetary gain without permission from the author (to which the answer 
is probably "no"). 

Fanart inspired by this story can be found at: 
  http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html 

  Author's note: This series takes place after the final manga story. 

Plot Points 
=========== 
1. Ranma and Akane are married. Ryoga and Akari are married. 
2. Nodoka insisted that Ukyo join her family to remove her past 
dishonor. While Ukyo accepted, she opted to retain her name for duty 
to her family as sole heir. 
3. Kodachi and Tatewaki hate their parents and Ranma. They know Ranma 
is the pig-tailed girl, and are quite unforgiving about that. 
4. Ling-ling, Lung-lung, and Shampoo's father work at the Nekohanten. 
5. Kodachi and Pantyhose Taro admit affection for each other. 
6. Ukyo discovers she can manipulate chi. With proper training she 
could become more powerful than Ranma. 

What has gone before:  
===================== 
1. The gang prepares for the battle they know will come soon. 

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

  He watched the great fireball descend in the horizon, bathing the 
sky in a fiery orange glow. 
  It, perhaps, would be the last he would ever see for a long while. 
  Slowly, he forced himself to walk down the mountain trail, all the 
while resisting the urge to continue staring at the setting sun. 
  Left foot. Right foot. 
  And soon, he was making a steady pace as darkness enveloped him. 
  "The time has come," he said in a grave tone, speaking to himself 
aloud. "The annihilation of Humanity is at hand; the Cleansing shall 
begin. The gods help us if we are wrong." 
  Only the one with eight sets of eyes truly knew the answer. 

					*  *  *  *  *
Opening: Don't Cry Any more (Ukyo)

(Ukyo) On a street corner, shining down is 
The lonely silhouette which is me
I just heard the line "goodbye" from you 
Without quite believing it

My heart beats as though they're drums 
Against my chest 
Which brings forth tears, 
A lullaby

Cheer up, don't cry anymore.
Once tomorrow's here, it'll all be different
Cheer up, don't cry anymore.
Set yourself against a new wind, and 
Smile again!

I had felt like 
I was totally cool.

In the car that's driving away,
I can see a lovely kiss scene.
You and your girlfriend--
It's no mistake!

Cheer up, don't cry anymore
Only bad things won't continue 
Cheer up, don't cry anymore.
I look up and embrace the sky.
Smile again!

Cheer up, don't cry anymore.
Once tomorrow's here, it'll all be different
Cheer up, don't cry anymore.
Set yourself against a new wind, and 
Smile again!
					*  *  *  *  *

Part 1: Phoenix Rising-- When Black Roses Bloom 

"What is wedlock forced but a hell, an age of discord and 
  continued strife? Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss?" 
						-- Shakespeare, Henry VI 

"Humans have a phrase: 'What is past is prologue.' Minbari also have 
  a phrase: 'What is past is also sometimes future.'"
						-- Delenn, Babylon 5

  Everything you know about life is wrong. 
  There was a time when Tatewaki Kuno cared for other women, but now 
he found he could not. Only one thought occupied his mind right now, 
standing alone that morning on the porch, staring at the rising sun, 
This thought prevented him from drifting to his beloved Ukyo Kuonji. 
  Kodachi had died. 
  Well, in a manner of speaking, of course. She hadn't physically- 
died, really. Actually, it was more of a mental death, if one could 
call it that. 
  Nearly a month ago Ukyo had asked for Kuno's help to rid Ranma of 
an evil possessing spirit. The only reason he had gone was because 
Ukyo had asked, and that Akane was in danger. He would later find 
that he was not the only one to aid in the battle; Ryoga, Mousse, 
Shampoo, and Kodachi were recruited as well, being part of the six 
that formed the circle around Ranma and Akane, whatever that meant. 
  Joining minds, the six had traveled to Ranma's mindscape, where 
Akane was being held against her will. Ranma, under the so-called 
'influences' of the evil phantom, had killed Mousse and Kodachi, 
and had almost done Ukyo and himself in as well before the others 
could stop him. As in a dream, when one dies, one wakes up, and that 
was the fate of Mousse and Kodachi. 
  While Mousse suffered no lasting trauma, Kodachi hadn't recovered. 
  Kuno had accepted the fact that Kodachi loved Ranma long ago. To 
be otherwise now was-- to say the least-- unsettling. He had always 
wished his twisted sister would give-up her affection for the foul 
sorcerer, but not in this way. Kodachi refused to come within sight 
of Ranma, being quite bitter about being one of those who he had 
targeted to kill. 
  The richman and head of House Kuno had no idea what was going on 
through his sister's mind. In fact, he had no idea what that girl 
was doing right now. Humph, probably cuddling with that Taro person, 
or feeding that alligator or something, Kuno guessed. At least she 
was taking care of SOMETHING. 
  Kuno had grudgingly-hired a gardener after Kodachi refused to 
touch the plants in the courtyard anymore, as if their presence made 
her sick. He had the idea that she wanted them to die, probably to 
experience what she had experienced: dying. 
  Dying. 
  Yes, he, too, had died once, during a duel against an assassin who 
wished to bring harm to Akane. It was the invincible Chinese Phoenix 
Sword that killed him, as it drained almost all of Kuno's soul power. 
Dying had opened his eyes, made new roads available to him, and it 
was there, in Heaven, that Kuno discovered that Ranma was the pig- 
tailed girl. That alone drove him back to Earth. Since then, Kuno 
steadily-increased his soul energies, so that he may never burn 
himself out again. 
  Dying wasn't such a bad thing. 
  Perhaps dying was a good thing for dear Kocchi, Kuno supposed. Of 
course, she cherished life and living over all else; perhaps she 
might not make it out of her problem alone. Perhaps it was time I 
did something besides stand around and wonder. 
  He was on the verge of collapse when, in the mindscape, Ranma had 
thrown his deadly energy lance through Kodachi's stomach, creating a 
clean-cut hole right through the center. The memory of what Kodachi 
had done still haunted him: she merely stared down at the hole, as 
if it were always there, then back at Ranma, and laughed. Then, she 
fell forward, falling flat on her face, and died. 
  She had laughed. Laughed, as if it were a joke. 
  That was what scared Tatewaki Kuno most. 
  After all, everything you know about life is wrong. 

  Cold air rushed past the solitary martial artist by the name of 
Saotome, given name Ranma. Teal wisps of smoke danced all about, 
kicked up like sand in a high wind. 
  He practiced his kicks against an imaginary opponent, keeping 
steady in each blow, simulating tae kwon do moves he had seen 
demonstrated to him once on television. None of it was particularly 
difficult, he thought. 
  It was then the imaginary opponent was replaced by a person. Ranma 
ceased his practice, not surprised that the newcomer arrived. 
  The newcomer wore a heavy, dark mantle, concealing the rest of the 
body. The sleeves of the mantle dangled loosely by the side; Ranma 
knew that this person had her arms folded in the drape-like cloth. 
  "Do you know who I am?" she asked. 
  "Of course I do," Ranma answered quickly, casually. 
  She shook her head. "Do you KNOW who I am?" 
  "What's THAT supposed to mean?" the martial artist asked. 
  Quickly, the woman was replaced by another figure... that of a 
man, dressed in long, plain white pants, and a scale-patterned shirt, 
the likes of which Ranma knew and despised. 
  "WHY are you here?!" Ranma yelled. 
  The man chuckled to himself. "You're missing something." 
  And, from behind Ranma, another voice said, "When the log falls, 
you will all die." 
  The martial artist turned to look over his shoulder, but found no 
one there. Turning back to face the man, Ranma was surprised to find 
him replaced by the woman from before. One eye glowed a ruby red, 
in a diamond-like shape, as if it were made of artificial substances. 
  "It's not too late," she said. "I'll always be there." 

  "It is time," announced Kodachi. 
  In the dark chamber that served as Kodachi Kuno's bedchambers 
she cackled madly, her only audience being Pantyhose Taro, her latest 
love of her life. The walls of the room that were once decorated with 
posters of Ranma were now bare; a single picture remained, posted at 
the center of a dart board, with three darts stuck through it. The 
room reeked of plant life, as Kodachi kept a vase of roses by her 
bedside, the buds emitting a powerful, yet pleasant, scent, only 
vaguely reminiscent of actual roses. She loved to chemically- 
enhance her plants whenever possible, and the roses represented one 
such specimen of many in the garden. 
  "We will hit him hard, and hit him fast," explained Kodachi, 
pacing around Taro, tapping a club in her palm. "After all, it is 
three against one, and certain advantages available to us alone!" 
  Taro nodded. The 'three' included himself, Kodachi, and Kodachi's 
idiotic brother, the Poet. The 'advantages' his love spoke of 
included several plans and contingencies, worked out by Taro and 
Kodachi together, each pointing-out each other's flaws and even 
more contingencies. The target, of course, was none other than 
Femme-boy, otherwise known as Ranma Saotome. 
  Kodachi wished to harm Ranma to the point of overhumiliation, if 
not to death. All of that suited Taro just fine, so long as Ranma 
got what he deserved. Of course, given Kodachi's rather sadistic 
attitude toward battle, he might have to restrain her attack a bit as 
well, especially if his cousin, Akane, were endangered. 
  He cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Finally, time for some 
long-deserved payback!" 
  Taro circled his arms around Kodachi lovingly. The couple stared 
into each other's eyes knowingly. 
  "Whatever happens," the Chinese man said, "we do it together." 
  "Yes, together," echoed Kodachi, whispering softly. Smiling gently, 
she pressed her lips onto Taro's, oblivious to the rest of the world, 
if only for a moment. 

  Not far from the Kuno estate, in Tokyo proper, a woman, who appeared 
to be in her late thirties or early forties, emerged from the airplane 
that had carried her home from Abu Dhabi. 
  She stepped out of the airplane's hatch and into the boarding ramp 
that lead to the terminal, careful not to let her carnation-adorned 
kimono brush against what she perceived as filthy walls. She clomped 
down the ramp, carrying an air of importance with her, with her chin 
up high, and a beautifully-patterned folding fan in hand, ever so 
slightly waving air toward the woman's delicate face. 
  The woman stepped into the terminal, standing there for a moment, 
as if to take in the air around her. With her free hand, the lady 
threw her pony tail over her shoulder, letting it dangle almost 
invitingly on the left side. She wrinkled her nose, suddenly 
remembering why she hated the city so much: it reminded her too much 
of home. 
  For the Lady Kuno, the mother of Tatewaki and Kodachi, was not 
born to wealth, but to poverty; however, marriage to the rich maniac 
Kuno had changed everything. 
  Speaking of which.... 
  "Service!" demanded the Lady, making herself heard over the noise 
of the occupants of the terminal. 
  No sooner had she cried out had the nearest airport employee came 
to her side. He bowed to the Lady respectfully. 
  "Get my package out of the baggage compartment, now!" she ordered. 
"My husband is no good to me dead!" 

  Ukyo, don't you think it is time to get up? 
  The okonomiyaki chef groaned, rolling to her side in her futon 
lazily. 
  "Go 'way," murmured Ukyo. "It's my day off...." 
  You know as well as I that I cannot do that. 
  It was then that Ukyo realized that nobody had spoken to her. She 
rolled onto her back, and maneuvered her hands to cushion her head. 
The chef cursed silently, remembering where the voice came from. 
  "I thought I told you I wanted to sleep in," she whispered to the 
air, running her fingers through her long, black hair. 
  I can feel it in the air. Echoing through space is the resonance 
of energy, energy that has the same signature as that the Warmage 
gathered from Ranma a while ago. It can only mean that Warmage has 
finally found a suitable host for Nemesis. 
  Sitting up, Ukyo said, "Now?" 
  Gather the others. Their help will be needed. 
  "Oh, all right," the chef said, shrugging. 
  The voice Ukyo heard in her head belonged to that of Seiryu, her 
future self, who traveled back in time to prevent Nemesis from 
destroying mankind. When she failed in her mission, she managed to 
transfer some of her memories into Ranma's mind, and, after joining 
minds with Ranma recently, Seiryu's memories leaped into Ukyo's mind. 
  The strangest part of it all was that Ukyo was, in effect, talking 
to herself. 
  Seiryu's mental voice was the same as Ukyo's; no surprise, since 
they are the same person. Seiryu's voice carried the weight of 
experience, of a certain weariness, yet, holding determination and 
hope at the same time. The future Ukyo continued to point out to the 
chef that her own voice was still filled with some innocence, but of 
what Ukyo couldn't determine. 
  It wasn't long before Ukyo realized that Seiryu's memories had the 
ability to teach her how to use her latent psychokinetic powers, 
powers in which Seiryu mastered in her time. By force of will Ukyo 
practiced creating chi daggers, a feat many martial artists couldn't 
hope to do. Yet, somehow, Ukyo knew that Seiryu was holding back on 
her lessons, as if there was something Ukyo wasn't supposed to use. 
  Ranma possessed as much potential, if not more, as Ukyo did in chi 
mastery. However, Seiryu had explained that Ranma's mastery comes 
not from within as Ukyo's did, but from others. For a time, Ranma 
had used those ultimate powers, but they were drawn from negative, 
dark emotions, rooted in evil born in his person. Only the power of 
faith surpassed that energy, and it was the only energy that could 
properly-fuel Ranma's ultimate powers. 
  Of course, the problem was, Ranma lacked faith. Careful study 
by Cologne revealed that Ranma must place faith in those closest to 
him, namely Akane, Ukyo, Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo, Kuno, and Kodachi, 
as all their lives were interconnected. All eight belong to a 
circle, old Cologne said, with Ranma and Akane in the center, and 
the other six around them in a circular pattern. 
  Only together would they defeat the evil Warmage was attempting to 
bring into the world. And unless something was done, the circle 
would collapse, and all hope with it. 
  So they said. 
  "It's time to correct my mistakes," Ukyo announced to nobody in 
particular. "ALL of them...." 

  "It's time to collect what's due to me," Mousse muttered to 
himself. 
  Sitting cross-legged, arms folded across his chest, head bent low, 
the Chinese acrobat took in a deep breath, then relaxed, savoring 
the flow of air in his lungs before exhaling. The only light that 
illuminated the attic of the Nekohanten came from a single window, 
the light unobstructed by the heavy curtains pulled to the side. 
Mousse had arranged his seating such that the light of the rising 
sun, as it traveled across the sky, would bathe him in greater 
radiance, sitting with his back against the window all the while. 
  The shadow he cast spanned to the door. This time of the morning 
was the perfect time. 
  Mousse reached to his right and pulled a box in front of him, 
which appeared a bit larger than a box containing a basketball. He 
opened the package he had received nearly two weeks ago, and 
stared at the contents inside. 
  Reaching into the box with both hands, the Chinese acrobat 
removed a pair of matching claw razors. Each razor appeared as 
the black, heavy gloves that one might find in a laboratory, fitting 
well over the wrists and halfway up to the elbows, but that was where 
the similarities ended; the 'fingers' of the gloves ended in four 
large, stainless steel edges, giving the appearance of a great claw 
from the most imposing of demons-- three fingers and a thumb, if one 
wished to look at the weapons in that manner. 
  Mousse put both gloves on his hands, flexing the 'fingers' 
experimentally. Although he had been practicing with these new 
weapons for the past two weeks, the acrobat could still feel awe. 
  Slipping off the gloves, Mousse stowed them away into their new 
resting place, up his sleeves. He reached back into the box and 
withdrew a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, the Chinese acrobat 
read the words he'd read so many times before: "To Mousse, I have 
fashioned these weapons for you since we last parted nearly a year 
ago. I have personally enchanted them with the most powerful Taoist 
sorceries available to me; think of me when you use them. May we 
meet again where no darkness falls, Mei-ling." 
  Silently, he folded the letter back up, and slipped it into his 
sleeves. 
  Leaping to his feet, Mousse turned to face the window. With 
graceful strides he made his way to the window, and, with his left 
hand, pushed it open, allowing the wind to rush into the attic. 
  Peering out the window, staring down at the street below, he 
whispered, "All that is left to do is to get revenge against Ranma 
Saotome!" 
  Only a pair of eyes bore witness to Mousse's flight from the open 
window, watching him race across the rooftops to his destination. 
Nodding to each other in understanding, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, 
polearms in hand, followed the Chinese acrobat. 
  Little did any of the three deserters know that Shampoo, her 
father, and old Cologne were watching them depart from the dining 
room inside. 
  "Follow them," the old woman ordered Shampoo. "Make sure they do 
not ruin my plans." 

  Ranma's eyes flew open like a spring returning to its natural 
state. 
  Damn, that was a weird dream.... 
  For a moment, while staring at the ceiling, he wondered why Akane 
didn't wake him up earlier. 
  Lying in his double futon on the floor, Ranma lay in bed, alone. 
Judging from the clock, it was almost ten in the morning. He could 
hear the faint chirping of the birds out in the Tendo yard through 
the open window, as well as smell whatever it was Kasumi had made 
for breakfast. 
  Oh yeah, Ranma thought, I told Akane I wanted to sleep-in today. 
Well, in part that had much to do with Ukyo's decisions; every 
morning for the past few months she and Ranma practiced in the dojo 
at dawn, just before Ukyo opened her shop. However, since today was 
one day she designated as a 'day off,' she decided to sleep-in, and 
Ranma did the same. After all, getting up at dawn wasn't Ranma's 
idea of a morning. 
  He almost expected to hear the voice of Ucchan in his mind, but 
there was only emptiness. 
  Ukyo, where are you? Ranma wondered. 
  No answer. 
  Her familiar, comforting, soothing voice was missing, as it has 
been for almost a month, even though he's seen her every morning. 
It was the voice that assured Ranma that everything would turn out 
right in the end, the voice of reason, the one that guided his 
actions like a loving parent. It was she, in his mind, which would 
always be there, but she was gone. 
  Ranma concluded that he missed her. 
  "Geez, I don't get it," Ranma said to himself. "Why in the world 
would I be thinking about Ukyo right now? I've never thought about 
her all that much before, so why am I now?" 
  Maybe it's time to pay her a visit, he decided. I've got to sort 
this thing out. 
  Pulling himself out from under the covers of the bed, Ranma shook 
those thoughts from his mind, and began to change his clothes. 

  "I knew I shouldn't have gone out by myself," Ryoga said, 
chastising himself for the umpteenth time. 
  It should have been a simple matter to travel to town and go to 
the store to buy a gift for Akari, but, as usual, Ryoga got lost. 
More than ever Ryoga hated getting lost, especially the fact that 
the time he spent lost was time without Akari. Still, this had to be 
done, otherwise Akari wouldn't have been surprised with the gift. 
  He had no idea what possessed him to get the gift; it was as if 
someone in the back of the Eternally Lost Boy's head told him it was 
necessary. That must have been yesterday, Ryoga decided. 
  Hiking in a familiar-looking urban community, a small, wrapped box 
in hand, Ryoga trudged on, hoping that the Fates would put him back 
on the right path. 
  Then again, the Fates usually put Ryoga in the right place at the 
right time, and that usually wasn't where he intended to go. 
  "I shouldn't have gone without you, Akari," he whispered. 

  "So, Nabiki, you've found a job?" Soun said. 
  Gathered in the Tendo living room were Soun and his three 
daughters, sitting around the table as if they were sharing a meal, 
which they were not, as breakfast was finished for quite some time. 
Nodoka and Genma went out to the market together, while Ranma was 
left alone in bed, leaving all four Tendo family members alone in the 
house for the first time in a long time. 
  Nabiki nodded in confirmation. "It's down at the new Casino King. 
I get to handle money." 
  "'Casino King?'" piped Akane. "Isn't that the Gambling King's 
place?" 
  The middle Tendo sister replied, "It sure is." 
  "He was such an interesting fellow," commented Kasumi. 
  Akane eyed Kasumi suspiciously. Why in the world was she behaving 
in such a manner toward a man who tried to take away the Tendo 
dojo? 
  Under normal circumstances, the idea of Nabiki getting a job 
would have been ludicrous. But, since her failure to pass the 
infamous college entrance exams, she has had a better glimpse at 
what kind of future she would have if she didn't get a job. Kasumi 
filled the role of a housekeeper, and Akane had the dojo, but Nabiki 
had nothing but herself to rely on. 
  And her only friend was money. It came to no surprise that Nabiki 
would choose a job that handled money, if indirectly. 
  "I'm starting out today," continued Nabiki. She pointed an 
accusing finger at Soun. "And don't you think about stopping-by at 
the casino, okay? You have no idea how embarrassing that would be." 
  "Nabiki, that wasn't very nice," Kasumi pointed out. 
  "That's okay, I understand," Soun assured his daughters, nodding. 
"I suppose there's some worlds in which your father cannot tread." 
  Nabiki shot a glance over at the clock. "Well, looks like I 
should be going. I don't want to be late for my first day, you 
know." 
  Kasumi nodded. "Speaking of which, I'd better get down to church. 
The priest wants to have a word with me." 
  "Just remember to get back in time before tonight's concert," 
reminded the younger sister, stepping out the door. 
  Soun turned to Akane. "Well, Akane, it looks like just you and 
me." 
  Akane shook her head. "Not quite, Dad; Ranma's still here," the 
youngest of the sisters pointed out. 
  The sound of thumping against the hardwood floor above the living 
room resonated throughout the house. 
  "Well, sounds like he won't be here for long," Nabiki corrected 
Akane dryly. 

  Ranma had barely made it out the front door before Akane called 
for his attention. 
  "Ranma!" Akane shouted, rushing to the front door, "where are you 
going?!" 
  Her husband turned around and shrugged. "I've got the urge to go 
see Ukyo right now. We'll talk later." 
  Before Ranma could make his break, Akane rushed to his side. "Why?" 
she asked. "You just got out of bed!" 
  Ranma turned to face Akane seriously. "Akane, you shouldn't have 
to know what's eating at me right now. It's between me and Ukyo." 
  "I'm your wife!" protested Akane. "What is it that you can tell 
Ukyo and not me?" 
  Holding his hands up defensively, the young Saotome stepped back 
several careful steps. "Hey, take it easy!" replied Ranma hastily. 
"It's nothing like you're thinking!" 
  "Oh, and what am I thinking?!" Akane demanded, shaking her fists 
in the air angrily. "You don't think I'm going to pound you into the 
ground, are you?" 
  "Well... no," lied Ranma, visibly sweating. Had he any real 
sense, the conversation would have ended there, but Ranma couldn't 
resist adding, "Still, it's not like I'm playing around with other 
girls...." 
  "RANMA!" his wife screamed, feeding Ranma a knuckle sandwich 
backed by terrible, jealous force before he could finish his sentence. 
  Ranma's back scraped against the ground, kicking up dust into the 
air. He sat up, rubbing his sore cheeks. 
  "One of these days," he told himself, "I'm going to have to learn 
to keep my mouth shut." 
  Had Seiryu's reassuring voice been there, she might have said, 
"You're starting to listen," Ranma thought. 
  "I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same," 
someone's voice echoed throughout the Tendo yard. 
  Ranma and Akane's eyes met those of the speaker: Mousse. Standing 
atop the gate, arms folded, glasses resting on his head, the 
Chinese acrobat seemed to stare down at Ranma, although his eyes 
were closed. Only the rustling of the wind made the couple certain 
that they were not looking at a still-life portrait. 
  "What do you want?!" cried Ranma, leaping to his feet. 
  "It may come to your pleasure that the old one has decided to 
return home," Mousse called back. "Within a week the Nekohanten will 
close down for good, and I yearn to return home." 
  "So, what?" replied Ranma. "I'm willing to bet you didn't come 
all this way to say 'good-bye.'" 
  Mousse's lips twisted into a malicious smile. "Shampoo's heart may 
no longer be yours, but that is not why I am here." 
  "Then, why are you here?" asked Akane. 
  "All that is left is revenge!" the acrobat declared, leaping from 
his position on the gate and into the air, sailing over Ranma in the 
sky. 
  Ranma threw himself away from the first chained spear, allowing 
the thrown weapon to bury itself into the ground. Rolling swiftly, 
he continued to leave a trail of spears behind him, escaping Mousse's 
initial attack completely. 
  The Chinese acrobat landed in the midst of the chained spears, 
throwing away the ends of the chains that were up his sleeves, 
unconcerned. 
  "You know," huffed the young Saotome, "I swear, if I had a yen for 
each time you've attacked me...." 
  "Shut up!" Mousse shot back, reaching his hands back into his 
large sleeves. Grabbing what he was searching for, the Chinese 
acrobat produced Mei-ling's gifts-- the razor gloves. 
  Ranma stepped back involuntarily. "Yow," he whistled, "never seen 
anything like THAT before!" 
  Akane stepped back as well. "They look... beautiful!" she 
exclaimed. 
  Mousse smiled. "These are the weapons forged by Chinese hands, 
tempered by the ancient sorceries of Taoism!" he proclaimed. Lifting 
the right glove, he said, "The Sleeping Dragon!" And, raising the 
left, proclaimed, "The Phoenix Fledgling! Right and left alike, 
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong served their master well. Now, as I am 
the master, they will aid me in this final battle, Ranma Saotome!" 
  Quickly, Mousse slipped-on the gloves, allowing the sunlight to 
reflect off each razor 'finger.' 
  Ranma shrugged. "I was wondering when you'd join the bandwagon." 
  The Chinese acrobat snarled angrily. "You won't be laughing when 
I'm through with you!" 
  Throwing his arms forward toward Ranma, Mousse's claws fired-off 
from the gloves, heavy chains trailing behind. 
  Ranma ducked, allowing the chained projectiles to collide with the 
wall behind him. 
  Getting up, he taunted, "Was THAT the best you could do?!" 
  Unexpectedly, the chains tugged backward against the claws that 
were buried in the walls. Ripping cracks into the wall, Mousse 
retracted the weapons, pulling away a huge chunk of wall with them. 
  The wall fragment ended its path where Ranma stood, allowing the 
claws to return to the Chinese acrobat's position. 
  "EVERYTHING can be used as a weapon!" declared Mousse, returning 
Ranma's taunt. 
  Ranma threw the wall fragment away from himself, then jumped back 
to his feet, facing Mousse. "I really don't get why you guys keep 
attacking me all the time!" 
  Mousse snorted. "It was a wise man who advised never to leave 
loose ends untied," he paraphrased. "I bring no shame by returning 
home without defeating you, but it is my pride I fight for!" 
  "Mousse, wait!" two voices shouted in unison. 
  Ranma, Akane, and Mousse turned to face the new arrivals, standing 
atop the wall, holding their polearms steady. Ling-ling and Lung-lung, 
the twin warriors, labored for breath, struggling to keep their 
balance in their awkward position. 
  "What are you two doing here?!" demanded Mousse. 
  "Here... to... help!" answered Ling-ling, taking breaths between 
each word. 
  "Fight... with... you!" Lung-lung added. 
  Akane shook her head disappointingly. "Ranma, how in the world did 
you get into this much trouble?" The Chinese twins were a force to 
be reckoned with, but their fighting style left much to be desired. 
However, with Mousse on their side, backed by a 'magic' weapon, the 
odds were being stacked against Ranma, if he wasn't careful. 
  "I want to do this myself!" protested Mousse, making his way to 
the wall, waving a razor 'finger' in the air. 
  "Out of the way, Poet!" someone shouted from the other side of 
the wall. 
  The voice boomed loud enough to catch the Chinese twins off-guard, 
and, in their jump of surprise, they fell forward, into the Tendo 
property lot, and toward an equally-surprised Mousse. 
  The gates burst open, each door slamming against the wall, the 
hinges protesting loudly. Pantyhose Taro stood where the double doors 
once stood, his arms forward, having just forced open the gate. 
Behind him, stood Kodachi and Tatewaki Kuno, to the left and right 
respectively. 
  Ranma wiped his hand down his face in disgust. "Here comes the 
Goon Squad." 
  "I'd be more serious if I were you, Femme-boy!" snarled Taro. 
  Kodachi stepped to Taro's side. "Was it not a wonderful gift you 
had bestowed upon me, Ranma?" she purred slyly, with a hint of 
malice in her voice. "To think, that Death was one to be feared by 
the living?! Ha-hah! Oh-hohohoho!" 
  Kuno shook his head. "If only Death were truly the end," he 
muttered under his breath. 
  "The end of existence, the end of our being, the fate in which 
all life is made equal!" continued Kodachi, circling Taro playfully. 
"Oh, Ranma, what a gift it was you had bestowed upon me! The gift 
of eternal sleep, the gift that gives the true meaning of life! To 
welcome Death, instead of fearing it! Ah-hah, to think, that I once 
cowered in the face of Death!" 
  Both Ranma and Akane stepped back. 
  "She's flipped," Akane noted. 
  "More so than usual," added Ranma. 
  The Kuno girl ceased her prancing, then glowered at Ranma, her 
tone of voice suddenly becoming serious. "It is this gift I wish to 
share with you, Ranma Saotome!" she cried, causing chill to run up 
her brother's spine. 
  "'Death, be not proud,'" Kuno told himself, raising his bokken. 
"Truly, if death were the end of our being, then I would have no 
regrets this day, yet, if death is truly not the end...." 
  "Shut up!" Taro snarled at him. "If the death of flesh is not 
enough, then it will be the death of his being!" Turning back to 
Ranma, he cried, "It is long passed the time I remedied my past 
humiliation at your hand!" 
  "No, wait!" protested Mousse, dragging himself from under the 
prone bodies of Ling-ling and Lung-lung. "He's mine!" 
  "He's MINE, Ducky!" Taro shot back. 
  "You and what army?!" the Chinese acrobat replied. 
  "Silence!" demanded Kodachi. 
  The bickering between Mousse and Taro ceased at the chilling, 
commanding tone borne from the Kuno's voice. 
  "It matters not WHO kills Ranma, but that he dies is what matters!" 
reasoned Kodachi. "We will fight together, or not at all!" 
  Both Ling-ling and Lung-lung got up to their feet, and took 
positions to either of Mousse's sides. 
  "She speak wisdom," noted Lung-lung. 
  "One man alone surely cannot defeat the six of us," added Kuno. 
"All our skill combined is more than a match for such evilness as 
Ranma Saotome!" 
  "What's the matter with all of you?!" Akane cried. 
  All heads turned to Ranma's wife. 
  "I thought you've all settled your differences a long time ago!" 
she continued. "There's no longer a reason why you all need to deal 
with Ranma anymore! Everything is over... OVER!" 
  To Kodachi, Akane said, "You've lost in your race to win Ranma 
to your side; why do you continue to pester us?!" 
  Kodachi feigned a look of innocence. "Oh, me?! I simply wish to 
share with him the gift of eternal sleep!" 
  "You've never loved Death!" Akane pointed out. "Why now?!" 
  "She speaks the truth, Sister!" insisted Kuno, reaching for her 
right arm. "In times before you never walked the path of death, but 
it was I who did! It was you who turned me from such a destructive 
path, Kocchi!" 
  "Fool," Kodachi replied. "I simply said such to dissuade you from 
something I perceived to be an object to be feared! Oh, to meet 
Death face-to-face is to change one's outlook on life! It is the 
sweetness Death caresses one with that I wish to share!" 
  "I don't care," Taro said. "Whatever end it takes to have your 
hand, I will follow!" 
  "Blind love doth cloud your judgement!" Kuno replied. "Why do you 
not listen to your cousin and understand the truth?" 
  Taro planted a foot in Kuno's face. "I've heard enough from you, 
Poet!" 
  Mousse stepped closer to Taro. "Ever since I tasted the blood of 
my first kill, at the age of five, I feared not death, but welcomed 
it with open arms!" Turning to Ranma and Akane, he added, "The way 
of the warrior is to accept death as a part of life. Surely, you, 
Ranma, fear the final sleep!" 
  Kuno nodded in agreement. "A samurai fears not death." 
  Ranma's wife flared in anger. "Whose side are you on?!" she cried 
at Kuno. 
  I don't want to die, Ranma admitted to himself. And this is 
certainly NOT the way I want to die. 
  "You not ready to die?" asked Ling-ling and Lung-lung in unison, 
guessing Ranma's thoughts. 
  Akane stepped forward defiantly. "That's enough!" she cried. "If 
anyone is going to kill my husband, he'll have to come through me 
first!" 
  "You would dare to accept the gift in your husband's stead?!" 
Kodachi cried mockingly. "You aren't worthy of such an honor! Death 
is too easy a fate for you!" 
  "Stand out of the way, Akane," warned Taro. "I don't want to hurt 
you, but I will if you force me!" 
  "Taro," Akane replied, "you just can't do that!" 
  "And why not?!" demanded Taro. "I've done it before, and I'll do 
it again! Nothing stands in the way of my goals, and that is to make 
my beloved happy!" 
  "But when will you satisfy her lust for death?" Akane asked 
honestly. "Would killing Ranma really satisfy her thirst to kill?" 
  The Chinese martial artist passed his look back to Kodachi, staring 
at her eyes. In the deep soul within, Taro could find only one thing, 
a look, though something he had never seen himself, was all-too 
familiar to him. 
  Bloodlust. 
  It was the same lust for killing that Taro felt when capturing 
livestock in the country, or stalking and hunting wild animals in 
China. It was the feeling that told him to kill or be killed, and 
Taro preferred to kill. 
  It was a look that was never present in the eyes of the woman 
he loved. The innocence, the joy of life that so contrasted his 
own lifestyle seemed to have disappeared. 
  "But," Taro said finally, "I know who did this to her!" 
  "Way to go, Akane!" Ranma said, throwing up his arms in total 
frustration. "He STILL thinks it's my fault, whatever it is he's 
mad about!" 
  "Ranma!" Akane yelled, turning to face her husband, back toward 
the six opponents. "I'm TRYING to help you!" 
  "Some help you've been!" her husband replied, snorting. 
  Anger burned within Akane's being. "Fine! Then maybe I SHOULD 
let them have you!" 
  Mousse looked at Lung-lung in confusion. "How did we get to this 
point?" 
  The Chinese girl merely shrugged. 
  Suddenly, the air above was pierced by the high speed path of a 
single, large projectile. Kicking up dirt about, the object landed 
between Ranma and Akane and the other six in the Tendo yard. The 
object turned out to be a giant spatula. 
  Ranma turned to where the projectile originated, on the Tendo 
roof. "Ukyo!" he exclaimed with joy. 
  Smashing Ranma over the head with the giant spatula, Akane shouted, 
"THERE is your beloved Ukyo, Ranma!" 
  "Hey, that's not fair!" protested Ranma. 
  Ukyo Kuonji leaped from the roof and landed by Ranma and Akane. 
She accepted the spatula from Akane's hands, then turned to help 
her get Ranma back to his feet. 
  "Well, Ranchan, looks like you're in a pot of hot water," the 
okonomiyaki chef noted dryly, watching Konatsu make his leap from 
the roof. 
  "I hope Ranma-sama would recover," the kunoichi said encouragingly. 
  Getting back to his feet, Ranma rubbed his sore head. "I'm trying 
to think of the number of times things like this happened to me in 
the past two years...." 
  "It's only going to get worse," Ukyo added. 
  "Swell," replied her friend. 

  This place certainly DOES look familiar, noted Ryoga. 
  Ah, yes, there was the park with the nice fountain in the middle 
of it. And there's the street vendors, as usual. There's the 
children, playing with a ball, rolling around in the grass. And 
there was Shampoo, riding her bicycle....
  "Shampoo!" shouted the Eternally Lost Boy, picking up the pace 
to catch the bicycle that was traveling away from him. "Wait up!" 
  Apparently, Shampoo had heard Ryoga's shouts, as she pulled to a 
complete stop at the mention of her voice. She looked behind herself, 
noticing the one who always got lost rushing toward her. 
  "Shampoo very busy now," the Chinese Amazon said flatly. 
  "Yeah, I know!" Ryoga said, coming to a stop from his mad dash at 
Shampoo's side. "I need your help to get to the Tendo household!" 
  "You very lucky," Shampoo replied, "because that where Shampoo go." 
  Carefully, Ryoga studied Shampoo's bicycle curiously. Pointing to 
the empty back where delivery boxes would have been, he asked, "Then, 
do you suppose I can have a ride?" 

  Twisting about in place, Kodachi whipped out a long, flowing white 
ribbon in one hand, and a blood-red ball in the other. Raising both 
to the sky, she shouted, "See these, Ranma?!" 
  "Big deal," replied Ranma, uninterested. "So what're ya going to do 
with those that I haven't seen before?" 
  "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" laughed Kodachi. Raising the ribbon, she 
declared, "Behold, the godly gymnastics apparatus, the Ribbon of 
Tears, containing the tears of gymnastics girls who could not find 
true love!" 
  Akane shook her head. "Oh, not THAT thing again!" she muttered, 
remembering the battle when a group of three male gymnastics 
martial artists sought to 'win back' gymnastics as a guy's sport 
with the three godly weapons. The Ribbon, as both Ranma and Kodachi 
can attest to, spat a sticky pink bubble gum-like liquid substance 
that bonded like super glue. 
  "I would've figured she'd think twice before touching THAT again," 
commented Ranma. 
  "Shut up, hermaphrodite!" snarled Taro. "Kodachi can use ANYTHING 
she wants in the name of revenge!" 
  Raising the red ball, the Kuno gymnast continued, "Here, the Ball 
of Anger, containing the frustration and belligerence of gymnastics 
girls!" Without wasting another word, Kodachi threw the ball straight 
toward Ranma. 
  Effortlessly, Ranma sidestepped, the ball flying past him. 
  Before he could get out a crack, something hit him in the back of 
his head. 
  "Ranma!" Akane yelled, too late to warn her husband of the ball's 
return flight. 
  Picking himself up, rubbing his sore head, Ranma watched the red 
gymnastics ball return to Kodachi, hovering under its own power 
before her. "I don't remember that thing doing that...." 
  Stretching her ribbon in her fingers, Kodachi smiled. "Oh, but 
Ranma-darling, that is only the beginning." Her smile transformed 
into a frown, the girl's eyes fixing on Ranma like a hunter to prey. 
Raising the ribbon high above, Kodachi snarled, "Oh, weep, Ribbon of 
Tears! Let thine feelings rush onto mine enemy!" 
  Lashing the ribbon against the ground, the magical ribbon produced 
three shots of pink goo, aimed straight for Ranma. 
  Pushing Akane aside, Ranma bolted, the sticky tears narrowly 
missing him by centimeters. He ducked and jumped over Kodachi's 
continued assault, careful not to touch the pink tears even when they 
had collided with the ground or a wall. 
  Taro folded his arms in amusement, leaning his back against the 
outside wall. "Well, this is somewhat entertaining!" he said, 
chuckling. 
  Kuno watched as well, but without the same amusement as his 
companion. His eyes darted from Kodachi to his sword, then to Ranma, 
as if unsure of what he was supposed to do. 
  Mousse shrugged, then buried his magic claws into the ground 
once more. 
  Ranma leaped away from another of Kodachi's attacks, but, as he 
made his descent toward the ground, a single, piercing blade 
stabbed through the earth. Screaming in panic, he aimed his feet 
toward the flat of Mousse's magical blade, using it as a spring 
board to escape from another of the Kuno girl's attacks. 
  "That's not fair!" Ranma complained at the top of his lungs. 
  Mousse smiled maliciously, his glasses glinting in the morning 
sunlight. "There's no way you can beat ALL of us, Ranma!" 
  "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" laughed Kodachi. "Why do you not accept your 
fate, darling?" she cried mockingly. "It would make this much easier 
on the both of us!" 
  "Sister, that's enough!" Kuno commanded, restraining Kodachi's arm 
to prevent her from creating more projectiles. 
  Ranma came to a halt when he realized what was happening. "Kuno...?" 
  "Sister," Kuno repeated, "you must cease!" 
  Struggling in her brother's hold, Kodachi shouted, "Why should I?! 
Is it not enough that I am carrying-out the revenge you sought so?" 
  Once again confusion washed over the elder Kuno's face. "I...." 
  "Let her go, Poet." 
  Without warning, Pantyhose Taro wrapped one arm around Kuno's 
waist, and his other around the neck, forcing Kuno to release Kodachi 
from his grasp. 
  "Traitor!" he spat. "Only flakes like you would turn on family!" 
  Just then, Taro tensed, feeling something cold against the back of 
his neck. 
  "It over," Shampoo said flatly, leveling a flamberge sword at the 
base of Pantyhose Taro's neck. Behind her, Ryoga stood ready with his 
umbrella for the slightest movement his adversary could make. 
  The others stood, dumbfounded, at what just happened in the past 
minute. 
  Taro chuckled softly. "So, this is how it's going to be, eh?" 
  "Shampoo!" Mousse cried, withdrawing his arms from the ground. 
"Help us get Ranma!" Behind him, Ling-ling and Lung-lung nodded in 
unison. 
  Shampoo shook her head. "You know I can no do that." 
  Raising his fists in anger, Mousse replied, "You...! Who's got you 
into this, anyhow? The old hag, or your wimpy boyfriend Saotome?!" 
  "He's married!" the twins pointed out, ever so quick to point out 
Amazon law. 
  "I do this not for Ranma, but for Shampoo alone!" replied the 
Chinese Amazon. "I do not care about marriage; it is with the wind. 
You not understand what is at stake here!" 
  "Leave now, and we won't hold it against you," Ryoga added. 
  "Shampoo, what the meaning of this?!" demanded Ling-ling. 
  Unwilling to remove her eyes from Taro's exposed neck, Shampoo 
replied, "You know very well what I mean! It over for you, too!" 
  "But...." 
  "Do you defend tribe, or not?!" she shouted, cutting off protests. 
  Lung-lung was the first to notice that Mousse was reaching for 
his claw weapons again, watching as his balled fists slowly retreated 
back into the dark folds of his robes. Fixing her eyes back on 
Shampoo, she cried, "Why you try to disgrace Mousse so?! Explain, 
Shampoo!" 
  "I not need to explain ANYTHING to you!" snapped Shampoo, refusing 
to budge. "Mousse can die if it help; why you not see the larger 
picture?!" 
  As if ready to whip out a copy of Amazon laws, the younger girl 
replied, "Defeat of warrior in formal challenge require death of 
challenger; Mousse gave formal challenge, you interfere!" 
  Without a word, Mousse backed down, his shoulders resting in a 
slump, as if in defeat. Turning to the two Amazon twins at his sides, 
he said, "Forget it. We're finished here." 
  "B...but...." stuttered the twins. 
  "You heard me, it's over," Mousse repeated. "What's done is done." 
  Nodding silently, the twins leaped over the outer Tendo wall, and 
Mousse followed soon thereafter. 
  Akane and Ukyo watched the three Chinese leave. 
  "What do you suppose this is all about?" asked Akane. 
  Ukyo shrugged. "Beats me, but I'm willing to bet that it's got 
something to do with just them." 
  "An internal struggle, perhaps?" suggested Konatsu. 
  Kodachi stepped closer to Shampoo, but Ryoga barred her way with 
his umbrella, preventing the gymnast to get very close. "Even if 
you do have the upper hand, I can still finish what I've started!" 
  "Let it go," Taro whispered. 
  "What?" asked Kodachi, as if she didn't hear his words. 
  "I said, let it go!" the Chinese man repeated, releasing his 
deadly hold on Kuno. 
  Taro turned around to face Shampoo. "For now, that is," he added. 
"Don't think for a moment that this is over." 
  Kodachi latched onto Taro's shoulder, and, with the magic ball 
trailing behind them, the couple walked out wordlessly, leaving Kuno 
and the others behind. 
  Watching his sister and her boyfriend, Kuno said to himself, "I 
have chosen my path. Let it be not the wrong one." 
  He felt a hand on his shoulder. "That was... brave of you." 
  Folding his arms, refusing to turn around, Kuno replied, "The cost 
of honor and loyalty is very high indeed, Ukyo Kuonji. I find that 
Kodachi and I have returned to the state it once was but a year ago. 
How easy it is to destroy a building built upon weak foundations." 
  "Keep an eye on her," the okonomiyaki chef suggested. "I think 
she needs you now more than ever." 
  Nodding silently, Kuno walked off, following his sister home. 
  Ranma stood next to Ukyo. "What was that all about?" 
  "Don't you see?" Ukyo replied. "He's honor-bound to you, ever 
since you saved his life a while back." 
  Turning to Shampoo, Ranma said, "Thanks... I think." 
  "You may not realize it, Ranma, but you are more important than 
you think in grand scheme of things," Shampoo replied, sheathing her 
flamberge over her back. 
  "Oh, why's that?" he asked. 
  "Because, Ranma," answered Ryoga, "you're the beginning, and the 
end, of us all." 

  Nabiki stepped out of the dressing room nervously, aware of what 
she was wearing, and how many people there were running around in 
the Gambling King's casino. 
  She was unfamiliar in wearing particularly feminine clothing, 
especially the extremities as a bunny suit-- it was nothing more 
than a leotard mocked-up in the facsimile of a tuxedo. 
  If anyone found out I landed serving as a job, I'd never hear the 
end of it, Nabiki thought to herself. Nobody had better recognize 
me.... 
  "Hey, Nabiki Tendo!" someone cried. "Is that you?" 
  Great. 
  Putting on her best smile, turning gracefully, Nabiki's eyes set 
on the last person she expected to meet. "Tsubasa...." 
  From the time she had known Tsubasa Kurenai, he usually dressed 
in girls' clothing, but the man she saw before her was dressed in a 
more masculine tuxedo, the men's uniform in the casino. His long, 
fair hair, which usually added to his girlish disguises, was tied 
back in a pony-tail. 
  "Well, well, well!" Tsubasa said. "Looks like you're hitting the 
big top!" 
  "Why are you here?!" Nabiki demanded. 
  Blowing his fingernails, he replied, "You know, school is out for 
a bit, and I thought I'd see some of my favorite girls...." 
  "In other words, you have free time again," concluded Nabiki. 
  The tuxedo-clad man nodded. "I've gotten my hands on a ticket for 
tonight's concert, too!" He waved a coupon in the air in excitement. 
"It was hard, getting it, too!" 
  "Especially since it is the LAST concert there will ever be," 
Nabiki pointed out. With Shampoo leaving to return home, the fivesome 
would become a foursome. However, after careful thought and discussion 
the five decided to disband completely. 
  "And what would you be doing here, Big-shot?" asked Tsubasa. 
Without waiting for a response, he reached into his coat and produced 
a rolled-up poster. Unfurling it gently, he showed it to Nabiki. "I 
would've thought you'd be too good for this! You're HERE!" 
  Nabiki needed only one glance to know it was a Doco poster. "What 
in the world are you doing walking around with this?!" But the middle 
Tendo sister already knew the answer to that one: Tsubasa was here to 
pick up pop singers. 
  Hmmm... is THAT your game? she wondered. 
  As soon as she finished her thought, Nabiki realized that Tsubasa 
was now holding a camera, ready to shoot. 
  "Hey!" she protested, yanking the camera free of the man's hands. 
"What do you think you're doing?!" 
  "Posterity shot," Tsubasa replied meekly. 
  Is that so.... 
  "Please be careful with that," he added, indicating the camera. 
"It's rented, and if you break it I won't be able to buy a ticket 
home!" 
  Ignoring Tsubasa's plight, Nabiki hit upon an idea. 
  "Sooooo," she purred, "you want a picture of me in this get-up," 
waving her free hand up and down her body, "but there's something I 
want from you as well." 
  "A trading deal?" guessed the other. 
  Nabiki nodded. "I'll let you take my picture, but first, you've 
got to give me your uniform." 
  The color drained from Tsubasa's eager face quickly. "A...and 
then what am I supposed to wear?!" 
  The middle Tendo girl tapped her chest lightly, which put Tsubasa 
into rage. "H... hey! I have my limits!" 
  Feigning demureness, Nabiki begged, "But don't you want Nabiki-poo 
on your wall forever?" 
  When she realized Tsubasa wouldn't change his position, another 
idea dawned on Nabiki. 
  "How about this?" she said, grabbing Tsubasa's hand. In short time 
Nabiki lead the man to an empty poker table. 
  "So, you want to make it a wager?" guessed Tsubasa. 
  "Best three out of five." 
  "And if I win, I get the picture." 
  "If I win, I get your clothes." 
  "Deal!" Tsubasa's lips curved into a devilish smile. Too bad for 
you, girl, but you're not dealing with just any ordinary dealer! 
  Too bad for you, Nabiki thought, as I've got skill that can wipe 
you across the street. 

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," Ranma said honestly. 
  "Think of it this way," explained Ryoga. "The only reason why 
we're all bothering you right now is because you brought us together. 
And the only way we're going to go away is if you get rid of us." 
  "Like you and Akari?" ventured the young Saotome. 
  "That makes a great deal of sense to me," admitted Akane. "I mean, 
look at what's been happening this past year: sure, we're probably 
as close as we're ever going to get, but everybody is drifting 
apart." 
  "Great-grandmother close restaurant for good," remarked Shampoo. 
"This time, we can no longer stay. There is trouble at home." 
  "But that's not the reason why you're all here?" asked Ranma. 
  Ukyo shook her head. "I'm not sure if any of you guys felt it, but 
I think something is about to happen." 
  "I'll say," agreed Ranma, recalling his sleep. 
  "What's that?" asked Konatsu. 
  "Nearly a month ago," Ukyo explained, "we prevented the Warmage 
from bringing Nemesis into this world. I think it is only just now 
that he has found a substitute to serve as the dark champion's host 
body." 
  "Who?" asked Ryoga. 
  "It couldn't be one of us," Ranma said. "Warmage's presence is 
very noticeable, you know." 
  "True," agreed Ukyo. "But the problem is, we don't know what kind 
of a host Warmage is looking for." 
  "And therefore we won't know what to look for," concluded Akane. 
  "In any case, if there's something we should all know," Ukyo 
continued, "is that Ranma attracts trouble like a magnet." 

  Following the rising sun back home, Tatewaki Kuno trailed behind 
Kodachi and Taro, walking in their shadow, seemingly oblivious to 
the rest of the world. Not once did either of the couple ahead of 
him bother to look back. 
  Silently, wordlessly, the three returned to the Kuno Estate; Taro 
and Kodachi departed for the kitchen, while Tatewaki went in the 
other direction. Walking several doors down the hallway, he reached 
the room where his destiny changed forever. 
  He pulled open the door, and stepped into the Phoenix Chamber. 
  Throwing himself on the red carpet before the enshrined Phoenix 
Egg, discarding his sword toward the unlit corners of the room, Kuno 
tried in vain to clear his mind of turbulent thoughts. 
  "Dammit," he cursed silently, throwing away all pretenses of 
control, "what have I done?" 
  After all, everything you know about life is wrong. 

  And, at the opposing end of the Kuno Estate, Kodachi Kuno set 
about wiping the blade of a cutting knife with a towel, staring 
down at the cool metal, lost in thought. She had not said a word to 
anyone since leaving the Tendo yard, especially not to her brother 
or her boyfriend. 
  "He's a traitor," Taro had said on the way home. 
  At that moment, Taro was out in the yard feeding Midorigame, the 
giant alligator, leaving Kodachi alone in the kitchen with her 
thoughts. 
  Why did he stop me? she wondered. 
  For all seventeen years of her life, Kodachi could not recall a 
single instance where Big Brother Tacchi laid a hand on her. Never. 
Kodachi had guessed that such behavior was considered 'below him,' 
but now, she had no idea what to think. 
  Sure, he got in the way at times, but who didn't? Tatewaki Kuno 
was the sort who was completely respectful to women, hiding among 
his eccentricity of samurai fantasies. Not to mention that, he also 
served as a sort of father while their real father was gone in 
Hawaii for who-knows what reason (she didn't quite believe the 
reasons either Father or Brother gave her). 
  So why did he have to change now? 
  Replacing the kitchen knife in its drawer, Kodachi marched out of 
the kitchen, and proceeded down the hallway. The first open door she 
found was the one, she knew. 
  Sure enough, lying on the floor in the Phoenix Chamber was Tatewaki 
Kuno, face down, as if dead and defeated. 
  Dead? 
  No, he wouldn't.... Would he? 
  "Tacchi..." she whispered, stepping inside. 
  No response. 
  "Tacchi!!" she repeated, this time with more worry than before. 
  Kodachi ran to where her brother lay, and bent down to her knees. 
Without bothering to wipe away the tears forming in her eyes, she 
shook Tatewaki's prone form. 
  "TAAAACCCHIIII!!!" she screamed, almost wailed. 
  At that instant Tatewaki's body sprung to life, startled. Sitting 
up, he looked into his sister's eyes, and snapped, "DON'T DO THAT!!" 
  Kodachi simply stared at her brother through teary eyes, unsure 
whether to kill him for making her think he was dead, or.... 
  "'Thou art a soul in bliss,'" Tatewaki recited. "'But I am bound 
upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears do scald like molten lead.' 
King Lear. Your tears are wasted upon me; shed them for your chosen 
man. Leave me to my oblivion." 
  The younger Kuno blinked. "You will not leave me alone, and just 
the same, I will not leave you alone. I got it from you." 
  She threw her arms around her brother, and buried her head on his 
shoulder. Kodachi truly cried for the very first time. 
  Surprised at his sister's unexpected behavior, Tatewaki could do 
nothing but stroke his little sister's hair. Perhaps there is hope 
after all. 
  "You have grown up a fine young woman," he whispered proudly. 
  "Shut up," Kodachi replied half-heartedly, choking on a sob. 
  Poking his head in the doorway, Sasuke, standing in the hallway, 
said, "Master?" 
  "Shut the door, Sasuke," commanded Tatewaki. 
  The diminutive man took one look at what his master and mistress 
were doing in the Phoenix Chamber, then understood completely. 
Silently, wordlessly, Sasuke slid the door shut. 

  "I don't understand," Ling-ling said plainly in Chinese. "What 
are we going to do now?" 
  Her sister, Lung-lung, shrugged. 
  The twins fixed their eyes on the defeated Mousse, walking quickly 
ahead of them that sometimes they had to raise their walking speed to 
keep up with him. Ever since Shampoo mentioned home, the Master of 
Hidden Weapons seemed to lose the determination that won the two 
girls over to his side many months before. 
  "It means my homecoming will be in defeat," Mousse answered over 
his shoulder. "It means I'm not the best, and Shampoo can never be 
mine." 
  "But Shampoo can no longer marry Ranma!" Lung-lung pointed out. 
  "That is beside the point!" snapped the elder tribesman. "Shampoo 
will always have a place for Ranma, no matter what! Just then, back 
at the Tendo place, I saw it plainly-- she sided with Ranma! She 
could care less about my code of honor. She'll never marry me." 
  "I don't see how you drew that conclusion," replied Ling-ling. 
  "Heh," chuckled Mousse mockingly. "I think I knew it for some time 
now; perhaps the very idea of sending Ranma to the grave was just 
the last string that needed to be cut. Illusions, bah! She doesn't 
care about what I feel; it's all about herself and Ranma!" 
  "But...." 
  "The last time I was home, I think I was a lot smarter! And you 
know what? Being the deluded fool that I was, I STILL loved Shampoo, 
even though she could've cared less! I passed over a beautiful young 
woman who was attracted to me for the dream!" He beat his fists 
against his head. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why am I so stupid?!" 
  "You mean the chef girl?" wondered Lung-lung. 
  Ignoring the girl's question, Mousse continued his rant. "What kind 
of a fool thinks he can win over the heart of someone who despises 
him?! How could a fool like me believe that Shampoo would side with 
us against Ranma? Dammit, WHY did it have to be HIM?!!" 
  Throwing his arms into the air in frustration, Mousse continued. 
"How could I have been so stupid to think I could change her?! Not 
Shampoo, the cold, cruel heir to the tribe's leadership! She doesn't 
care about the tribe's welfare; she cares about her own desires, her 
own lusts, her own benefit! She could care less about anyone, much 
less me! It's always Shampoo first!" Beating his fists against his 
head once more, he growled, "Shampoo! The very THOUGHT of her is 
revolting! Damn Shampoo!" 
  Upon speaking her name, Mousse spat on the pavement. Both Amazon 
girls stepped back in worry. 
  "I'm no expert of love," began Lung-lung, "but while we're walking 
around listening to you feel sorry for yourself, the girl that likes 
you is sitting back there with Ranma." 
  Those words made Mousse come to an abrupt stop, forcing the twins 
to run into his back. Turning around, waving his fists menacingly, 
he shouted, "Don't you get it?! I TOLD HER to stop loving me!!! It's 
too late!!" 
  "That may be so," continued the Amazon, "and it may be true that 
her heart may yet still lust for Ranma, unattainable though he is, 
but why are you accepting defeat before you tried?" 
  "True enough," agreed Ling-ling. "You shouldn't give up so easily." 
  Straightening up, Mousse forced himself to calm down. "Where'd you 
two learn something like that?" 
  Both girls looked at each other, then answered, "From you." 

  Since it was still early in the morning, very few people were out 
and about in the streets. Only two, a couple, could be seen for 
blocks on end. 
  The Lady Kuno, trailed by her husband, marched toward the Kuno 
estate on foot. The principal, however, was burdened by the luggage 
his wife purchased during their extended stay in Abu Dhabi. 
  "I wonder what I should do with those children first?" Lady Kuno 
asked herself, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "Well, perhaps 
first I should get that alligator turned into a handbag...." 
  The principal ignored his wife's ranting, keeping his eyes focused 
forward, the large luggage bag over his back, sweating profusely. 
The lady had long since forced him to remove his Hawaiian attire, 
so now he dressed in a more conservative business suit. The tree in 
his head was even gone. 
  Without warning, Kuno stopped in his tracks, a prick in the back of 
his neck prompting him so. As if he grew a backbone, he released his 
hold of the luggage bag, standing straight up. 
  Lady Kuno came to a halt, feeling that her husband was not 
following. Turning angrily, she shouted, "What are you waiting for?!" 
  Kuno did not reply in words, but in actions; with his great arms 
he grabbed his wife, holding her strongly. 
  "What are you doing?!" demanded the lady. 
  "He follows MY command now, not yers!" answered another voice. 
A low, grating voice, as if someone were speaking from the depths of 
the abyss. A hint of glee was not lost in the newcomer's tone. 
  Craning her head over her husband's shoulder, Lady Kuno's eyes 
fixed on the man standing behind the principal. 
  She screamed. 


"There is a storm coming... a storm of such magnitude, it is... 
  BEYOND IMAGINATION!" 
						-- Megatron, Beast Wars 

					*  *  *  *  *
It's Love (Don't You Know) (DUCK-- Mousse, Ranma, Ryoga, Kuno)
Translated by Trish Ledoux (Viz Music) 

(Mousse) The men who always surround you
In your presence, they're so nervous;
in a word, you're like a Venus
It's a miracle suddenly come true
A jewel discovered in the midst of a desert

I'll be there for you! whenever (you need me)
Even if you give me the run-around,
head to toe, I'm crazy for you

(All) I wanna believe in that invisible connection
Eye to eye
Sometimes, you wanna know it's real
Don't you know, know, know...
It's love

(Mousse) Your skin, the color of (sun-ripened) wheat
The reckless temptation; the too-high tension
On those nights we can't be together
Beneath my eyes, a black enigma paints a shadow

Without that familiarity, I just can't get it going
Style, smile; from A to Z, I'm mad about you

(All) Through the invisible connection, I wanna feel it
Heart to Heart
Sometimes, you gotta know it's real
Don't you know, know, know...
It's love

(Mousse) Once you've given up the pretense
and become "you" again
Once you've shown your weakness, shown
your tears just to me
I won't let you go; I won't go away
we'll stay like this forever
Let the days pass as they may
And then, someday, we'll come together

(All) I wanna believe in that invisible connection
Eye to eye
Sometimes, you gotta know it's real
Don't you know, know, know...

Through the invisible connection, I wanna feel it
Heart to heart
Sometimes, you gotta know it's real
Don't you know, know, know...
It's love.
					*  *  *  *  *

(continued in Part 2)