The door to the Nekohanten flew open and Spring rushed in.  *I'm 
home, Great-Great-Grandmother,* she called out.  There was no immediate 
response, though, except for some plaintive quacking coming from a 
closet.  Spring ignored Mousse and set Shampoo down; together mother and 
daughter quietly crossed the dining room, leaving puddles of rain water 
on the floor to mark their way.  *Great-Great-Grandmother?*
	Cologne's voice came floating from the living room.  *In here, 
little kitten.*
	Now that she was assured that everything was as it should be, 
Shampoo padded off to the kitchen in search of hot water.  Spring, on 
the other hand, followed the trail of the old crone's words, proudly 
carrying the battered silver charm by its broken chain.  *I have the 
locket, Great-Great-Grandmother.  And I have a husband!*
	*Do you, now?*  Cologne sat cross-legged in the center of the living 
room, her gnarled staff balanced across her lap.  She stared owl-eyed at 
an incense burner, carefully monitoring it as it filled the air with pungent 
smoke.  *Bring me the locket,* she commanded.  In a softer voice she 
added, *And tell me about this husband of yours.*
	Spring handed Cologne her locket.  *His name is Ryoga, and he's 
really cute.*  Spring blushed at her own enthusiasm.  *I mean, he is 
handsome, Great-Great-Grandmother, and very, very strong.*
	"Who would have thought that the old fool could have crafted 
something like this?" Cologne asked herself.  *Go on, little kitten.*
	*He is... untamed, like an animal.  And he has powerful Chi!*
	"The power to change worlds," Cologne muttered, "fashioned by the 
hands of a pervert.  What purpose could he have intended?"  She 
shivered.  "It is best not to dwell on such things."  *I know this Ryoga, 
little kitten.  He will make a fine husband for you.*
	*No!" Shampoo shouted.  She rushed into the living room, still 
only half-dressed after changing back to human form.  *I will not have 
Ryoga as a son-in-law!*
	*Be silent, Shampoo!* Cologne demanded.
	Shampoo opened her mouth to respond, but said nothing.  It didn't 
pay to defy Cologne.
	The only sound in the room was the continued drip of water coming 
from Spring's braid.  Then Cologne shattered the silence.  "You may come 
out now, Nabiki Tendo."
	The mercenary girl proudly strolled into the living room, acting 
as if she was an invited guest and not an eavesdropper.  She fanned the 
air in front of her face, trying to dispel the cloying scent of the 
incense.  "You wouldn't happen to have a towel, would you?  I left my 
umbrella at school today, an oversight, true, but today was a bit unusual."
	Cologne nodded, and Shampoo dashed over to the linen closet.  After a 
short fight with Mousse, she returned with a <what was the pattern on her 
towel in DSS/Curse 'o t' Contrary Jewel> towel.  "Thanks," Nabiki said.
	"What is your business here, Nabiki Tendo?" Cologne asked.
	Nabiki shrugged as she toweled her short hair dry.  "Everything 
is my business."
	"Do not waste my time with games, child."  Cologne locked eyes with 
Nabiki; for them it was as if the rest of the world had been set aside.  "I 
have little patience at the moment."
	"Having Ranma's daughter arrive from the future could be a bit 
inconvenient, yes," Nabiki agreed.  "My daughter and I had a disagreement 
that's left me confused all afternoon."
	"Your daughter?" Cologne tried to hide her surprise, but Nabiki 
had trained herself to spot any crack in an opponent's defenses.
	_That's an opening!_  "Yes, my daughter.  For the right price I'd be 
willing to tell you all about her; you know how parents are, always eager 
to brag about their children."
	"I am not Ranma, to fall for your extortions, Nabiki Tendo.  You 
will tell me about your daughter; be sure of it."
	Nabiki swallowed, but managed to hide her nervousness behind the 
towel.  "You'll want to know about the other time travelers, then, about 
Akane's daughter and Ukyou's son."
	"Yes, you will tell me about them, too."  Cologne's threat hung 
heavy in the air.

* * * * *

	Akane rummaged through her closet, looking for something pretty 
for her daughter to wear.  There was a large pile of discarded dresses on 
the floor; one landed on top of P-chan as he rushed into the room.  
"Squee!" he shouted.
	Akane bent down and picked him up.  "Oh, P-chan, isn't it 
exciting?" she asked as she held the pig close.  "I have a daughter!"
	P-chan's response to Akane's announcement was a brief surge of 
panic, followed by desperate anger and more panic.  He wriggled out of 
her grasp, then ran from the room.  "What's gotten into him?" Akane 
wondered.  Then, setting that thought aside for a moment, she went back 
to sorting trough dresses.
	Eventually she found one that would do; Akane bundled it up with 
a dry set of clothes for herself, then carried the whole package to the 
bathroom.  "I'm coming in," she called as she slid open the door.
	Ranko, wrapped in a towel, stared at the dress Akane had brought 
for her.  "A dress?  Mom, you've gotta be kidding.  How can I fight in a 
dress?"
	"You don't like it?"
	Genetic imperatives kicked in, causing Ranko to speak before she 
recognized the hurt in her mother's voice.  "Duh, Mom.  Like, when have I 
ever worn a dress?"
	"Oh."  Akane handed her the shorts and tee-shirt she'd picked out 
for herself.  "Will these do?"
	"They're better than nothing, I guess, unless you've got any of Pop's 
clothes."
	A shout of, "Ranma prepare to die!" drowned out any response 
Akane would have made.

* * * * *

	Ryo, soaked through, stood hunched over a pay phone as he searched 
through the directory.  _I've got to find Spring... and fast.  Now what 
was the name of the restaurant Shampoo used to work at?  Neko-something, 
I think..._  He flipped pages, trying his best to shield the phone book 
from the rain.  "Nekohanten!"
	Ryo turned to the appropriate spot, then choked back a very vulgar 
curse.  The page he needed had been torn out.

* * * * *

	"Whaddaya mean, dishonored?"  Ranma asked.  "I didn't do nothing."
	"Liar!" Soun croaked.  "You left us, Saotome."  The Tendo patriarch 
took an unsteady step down the stairs.  "You broke your engagement to 
Akane when you married that... that... Amazon."  Soun continued his 
wobbly descent.  "You shattered the pact that would have united our 
houses."  His eyes burned red, as if all the tears had been torn out of 
them.  "You have no honor, Saotome.  I should kill you where you stand."
	"Father, please," Kasumi said as she rushed up the stairs to 
steady him.  "You're not well.  You should be resting."
	"You bet he's sick," Ranma said.  "He's talking crazy."
	"Don't taunt him, Ranma," Kasumi all but begged.  "Can't you see 
your being here has made him worse?"
	"Huh?"  Ranma was never quick on the uptake, not unless there was 
a fight involved.  "Kasumi, I don't get it.  He was fine this morning."
	"Liar," Soun wheezed.  He tried to pull away from Kasumi, but his 
frail and wasted body had no strength.  It was all he could do to stay 
upright.
	Then Ryoga's shout of "Ranma, prepare to die," filled the house.

* * * * *

	Tachi took her time walking through Nerima.  She enjoyed playing   
tourist; the Twentieth century had been so charmingly archaic.  The full 
charge in her umbrella-field meant she could stay in the rain as long as 
she wanted, and it cleared the streets of pedestrians, leaving the 
short-haired kendoist alone with the sights, and her thoughts.
	She passed a building with a girl-shaped hole in it.  "Ha, that 
looks like something Ranko would have done.  I guess the acorn doesn't 
fall very far from the tree."  Then she frowned.  _But I am _not_ like my 
mother.  She's a cold, heartless, opportunist._
	The next building had a hole in it, too.  And the one after 
that.  Tachi started following the path they made.
	She ended up in front of a restaurant.  "Nekohanten," she read.  
_This is where the Chinese Amazons lived and worked while they were in 
Japan._  She peeked in a window, then froze.
	Nabiki was inside.
	_What's she up to?_  Tachi looked around for another way in; she 
spotted an unlocked window, pried it open, and slid inside.  _Thank you, 
Satsuke,_ she thought as she silently dropped to her feet.  _Father was 
wrong; ninja training does have its uses._
	Tachi could hear Nabiki's voice coming from another room, so she 
stealthily crept through the house in search of her mother.  Something in 
the air made her light-headed, but she fought it off by reciting the 
Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, backwards.
	"This house, this restaurant, now belong to another time," she 
heard an old, dry voice explain.  "You would not want to be left standing 
in an abandoned building, would you?"
	"I guess the incense stays," Nabiki agreed.  The voices were 
coming from the other side of a door; Tachi was out of high-tech tricks, 
so she resorted to the time-honored method of sticking her ear to the 
keyhole...
 ______
{B-{=__