The  characters  of the Ranma 1/2 universe  are  the
creation   and   possession  of  the  brilliant   Rumiko
Takahashi.  They  belong  to Rumiko  Takahashi  and  her
licensees   (Shogakukan   Inc.,   Kitty-Fuji   TV,   Viz
Communications   Inc.)  No  copyright  infringement   is
intended.

     I would like to thank my pre-readers, Angel-san,Jane-san and 
Megan-san. Without your dedicated and tireless efforts this fanfiction
would have been much poorer.  I can not thank you enough. So I wrote
you into the story.
     I would also like to add that they are talented
writers in their own right, and I hope that they will consent to a
MSTing of Friends. (Their C&C was better than the story. ^_^)
     Many thanks also to the readers who contributed C&C to the first
few chapters of Friends that I sent to the mailing list. Thank you for
your help.

 As always, any errors or omissions are mine.

C&C is appreciated and encouraged.
***********************************************************

      With Friends Like These . . .

      Chapter 1 of 8

     "Tendou Akane must die."
       Kuonji Ukyou stiffened on hearing the words. The calm reasonable
tone blew through her bones like a chill east wind. Striving to keep
her face blank Ukyou watched a figure detach itself from the shadows of
the warehouse and step into the dim half-light. Ukyou hated deserted
warehouses. They were always damp and dirty and full of crawling
things. She hated warehouses. Almost as much as she hated haunted
caves, or cursed hot springs or . . .Why couldn't she ever end up in a nice
restaurant. Maybe French?
     "Why kill Akane? She stupid violent pervert girl, but no
need kill.  Also no need help� if want dead."
       A sinister laugh seeped from the darkness on Ukyou's other side
as a second figure stepped forward.
     "Truly the barbarian speaks, just as a broken clock may
show the correct time twice daily. Yet, even should the vile man-
stealer ,whose name shall never pollute the lips of the Black Rose,
need killing, why should Kuno Kodachi need assistance from a
nameless assassin?"
        Deep within the recesses of the warehouse, a sullen darkness
stirred. Ukyou had the shivery feeling that it was a living shadow that
lurked in the darkness.
     Again the voice spoke in a voice that made the murder of a young
girl seem normal and reasonable.
     "Tendou Akane must die for you to find love.  Tendou
Akane must die for you to return home. Tendou Akane must die for
you to regain your honor. Tendou. Akane. Must. Die." The final
word echoed through the darkness, vanishing as the shadow
cloaked figure fell silent. It could have been speaking to any of them
or all of them.
     Ukyou's mouth opened in question, then hastily shut. She
wasn't sure she wanted to draw this _thing's_ attention. But she had
to know---
     "Who . . ."  Her voice cracked and she flushed in embarrassment
She moistened her mouth and tried again. "Who are you?  You send me a
note send all of us," Ukyou indicated the other two. "notes to meet
you, to hear something VITAL,  Ukyou stressed the word. " to our
futures. To solving our problems. And all you have to say is 'Tendou
Akane must die!'"
     Ukyou snorted in derision.. "We're not killers. And we have no
reason to help you kill Akane. What do you really want?"
     "Tendou Akane must die." The voice repeated, as if Ukyou
hadn't spoken. "She stands between you and happiness" Again the
voice was reasonable, as if discussing a dinner reservation
     "She stands between you and the way home. Between you and your
honor. Between you and Saotome Ranma."
     "HA!" A bark of genuine laughter came from Kodachi. "Between me
and my darling Ranmasama? You are ridiculous! Ranmasama will never
love that peasant. Ranmasama will come to me love me. Ranmasama
will---"
     "Crazy talking girl right." Shan Pu interrupted. "Pervert girl
no problem. Husband come for Shan Pu soon. We go home. Build
house. Husband learn Amazon ways. Learn cook, clean, satisfy wife.
Make strong daughters, great warriors.  Shan Pu  have many babies."
      The thought of all those pint-sized Amazons (and the details of
their production) caused a temporary endorphin overload.
      Ukyou resisted an impulse to wipe the drool off Shan Pu's chin with
her battle-spatula.
     Shan Pu shook herself back to reality and faced the deep shadows.
Before she could speak the voice came again, low and insulting.
     "Husband will come soon" The voice sneered. "Ranmasama will come
to me." The voice mimicked.  "And you cook? What do you have to say?
What flights of fancy will you spin?"
     Before Ukyou could answer the shadow loomed suddenly
upright, seeming to grow to an impossible size. Despite herself she
shrank back, as did the other two girls.
     Saotome Ranma--- Will.  Never. Come. To. You. Not while
Tendou Akane lives."
     Ukyou started to say that her love for Ranchan was strong, that he
WOULD come for her. But the words wouldn't come. Here, in this place,
she could no longer lie, not even to herself.
     Instead she remembered . . . Ranma at Christmas, wearing a
ridiculous scarf. Ranma at Togenkyou, destroying his cure.  Ranma on
Mt. Phoenix . . .crying.
     "So,"  Ukyou forced the words past a constricted throat. "what
do you have to do with with Ranma; and us?" She would draw this
maniac out. Find out what the 'voice'wanted. Ranma would be
grateful when she told him about this plot. He would see how brave, how
smart she was. Would see that she, Ukyou, would be a better wife.
     "Even if Ranma does lo . . .even if Ranma  . . .even if. What are
YOU going to do about it? Kill Akane?"
     "Yes."
     There was a surprised hiss from Shan Pu.
     "What need creepy voice for? Amazon woman no need help
for killing. If Shan Pu want, she kill pervert girl anytime. No need
help."
     " 'Pervert girl' may not be as easy to kill as you think. Many
have tried; Taro, the Demon Doll, Saffron. And yet she is here still."
The voice sounded disgusted. Ukyou wondered what Akane had done
to incur the wrath of this shadowy figure.
     "Should you succeed in removing Tendou Akane, you . . .all three
of you will be immediately suspect. And then, if you escaped the
police, you would still have Saotome Ranma to contend with. And beyond
him Hibiki Ryouga. And if they should fail . . . ? Shinnosuke and his
grandfather, Prince Toma, Prince Kirin and the Seven Lucky Gods,
Akane's sister's Natsume and Kurumi. And there are others. Tendou
Akane has a gift for making friends." The voice practically spit, as if
Akane's friends were a personal affront. As if the voice were jealous.
     Ukyou felt almost sick at the venom in the voice.
     "Who ARE you? Who would want Akane dead, who---"
Ukyou didn't realize she'd spoken aloud . . .until she felt eyes fasten
on her from the darkness.
     "Such curiosity is unseemly in children." The voice replied
coldly. "You should be more . . .restrained."
     Ukyou gathered her courage. "And if I'm not? What are you going to
do?"
     "All of your lives, your hopes, dreams, happiness" The voice
continued, ignoring Ukyou. " . . .all held hostage to the life of one
silly, selfish girl. A clumsy girl, who hits Ranma, calls him names.
A girl who hits him if he looks at another girl. Yet she still
calls on him when she needs help. Calls him into danger!
     Unconsciously, Ukyou nodded in agreement. She could sense the
others in like agreement with the voice. The soothing , reasonable
voice. It wasn't hard to agree with what the voice said. It wasn't anything
she hadn't thought to herself before. Thought in her empty room. All alone
at night. Always alone . . .because of that girl. 
     Anger and resentment built as the voice skillfully brought out
emotions she'd thought safely buried. Anger at Akane, selfish, stupid
Akane. Anger at Akane for abusing and neglecting Ranma. .  For having
to be rescued, coddled, cared for while other people had to work,
struggle, suffer.  Akane living easy at the expense of others. It wasn't
fair, it wasn't right . . .it wasn't necessary. Ukyou suddenly came to
herself.
     "Wha . . .what did you say?"
     "I said that it wasn't necessary for you , for any of you, to
endure this humiliation; this degradation to your pride, your honor
Simple justice demands a remedy."
     "That right." Shan Pu was flushed with emotion. Her war
hammers flashed into existence and a savage cry rang through the
building. "Obstacles  for killing. I go!!!"
     "Idiot." The sharply spoken word froze Shan Pu in her
tracks.
     "What you mean? Shan Pu kill Akane, take back honor. Take
back husband."
     "Shan Pu go to jail."
          Shan Pu growled at the vicious mimicry.
      Kodachi chose that moment to speak up.
     "You have yet to explain your purpose in summoning us here.
Why should you wish 'that person' dead? And what can you do for us
that we can not do for ourselves?"
     "My reasons are my own. It is sufficient for you to know that
I can help eliminate our mutual problem . . .for a price."
     Ukyou's hand flashed up in a defensive block as a small object
sped from the shadows toward her face. A small square of plastic smacked
into her hand. Startled, she glanced at it to see it was covered with neat
typewritten script. She could see the others examining similar small cards.
     "Eye of the moon, heart of the sun?  That greatest of Amazon
treasures. How you know ?"
     "Juzumaru. One of the Tenka Goken." Kodachi practically
growled glaring at the small card. "Who are you that you can demand a
national treasure like 'The Rosary', from 'The Five Swords Under the
Heavens'?"
     "My resturant? Ucchan's Okonomyaki! You want my
restaurant?" Ukyou couldn't believe it. This�� this�� shadow wanted
her restaurant. Her baby! She'd built it  with her sweat, her tears.
The one thing in life that truly belonged to her.  And this voice expected
her to give--- 
     "Problem solving is not cheap." The voice slithered out of the
shadows like a poisonous serpent. "And I must have surety of your
_commitment_"
     "So we just give you our lives?" The thought of losing Ucchans
left a great hole in her belly. "What guarantee do we have that you can do
anything�� you will do anything?"
     "My word. It's poor business to default on an agreement."
     "So  all we have to do is give you what you want. and you
kill Akane . Just like that?"
     "Not quite." There was faint amusement in the voice. "I will
provide the plan. A plan which will eliminate our problem with
no _untidiness_ . You must implement the plan, all three of
you. So no one is free to betray the others."
     "And just what does this great plan consist of? Some secret
technique? Or maybe a demon curse?" Ukyou asked sarcastically.
     "It would be imprudent to reveal my plan in advance of
payment. However I can tell you that you must first make friends with
Tendou Akane."
     "What!!"
     "What you saying! You crazy!?"
     "That's insane! Why would we . . ."
     "You and Tendou Akane are going to become fast friends.
Such good friends that, upon her untimely demise, you will be chief
mourners at her funeral. And entirely above suspicion."
     "Forget it!" Ukyou snapped. "You talk about regaining
honor? What honor is there in murder for money? Assassination! I'm out
of here."
There were murmurs of agreement from either side. As she turned to
leave the voice followed her.
     "Should you change your mind, leave the agreed upon
price here. You will get further instructions."

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

     "Tendou Akane must die." Ukyou muttered under her breath
as she worked on the pipe fittings beneath her grill. "How could
someone possibly think that we that _I _ would pay to murder Akane.
Ukyou was uncomfortably aware she had no idea who the voice was. She
didn't like there being this invisible someone who seemed to know all
about her.
     There was no way to even know if it were a man or woman. The
voice had been distorted, like a badly tuned radio. Unrecognizable.  But
there was still something familiar. Not the voice, so much, but the way it
spoke. The cadence . . .Ukyou felt a niggling sense of recognition as she
heard toneless voice again in her mind.
     "Problem solving is not cheap"
     Even distorted there was something familiar. The way the voice
caressed the words. The same  way . . .  Irritably Ukyou shook her head
as the thought refused to come.
     "A clumsy girl."
     The hatred in the voice . . .
     "Tendou Akane has a--gift!"
     Hatred . . .or jealousy? But was it possible for jealousy,
resentment, envy to become that bitter? To turn to hatred?  Killing hatred?
     Ukyou thought about a young girl-turned-boy fighting the raging
seas;  Picturing a pigtailed boy in every rock she smashed, every log
she crushed.
     If hatred could turn to love, could love turn��
     Shaking herself Ukyou attacked the frozen pipe again. As she
worked on the grill she remembered helping her father do the same thing
when she was a child. Thinking of family made Ukyou's  stomach cramp.
She hadn't seen her own family in years  . . .and she never would
again, unless she married Ranma. Regained her honor. Then she could go
home.
     But she wouldn't murder to go home. She would never . . . The bell
on the shop door jingled as someone entered. Before Ukyou could
disentangle herself from the plumbing she heard a voice.
      ". . .doesn't look like she's here. Do you want to wait? It's
really very good okonomyaki. The best in Japan."
     The best in the world! Ukyou thought flushing with
pleasure at the words.
     "No . . .she's probably out chasing that boy again. It's really
pathetic. And the way she dresses!" Both girls laughed.
     "Yeah, you're right. It's sad really, the way Ukyou pants after
Ranma, like a dog after her master. And all she ever gets is a pat on
the head. Just like a dog."
     "Actually . . ." The second girl giggled . "I think the technical
term is bitch."
     Ukyou remained under the counter as the two girls left, still
laughing.
As the shadows lengthened . . .as customers came and went  un-fed
from the restaurant . . .Ukyou stayed frozen in place. She was
 cold . . .so very cold. She didn't think she would ever get warm
again.

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

In the early morning dark , when cold neon washed the streets of
Tokyo in a sterile light  a shadow, darker than old sin stood in the
center of a deserted warehouse. At its feet lay a sword, a Chinese jade
carving . . .and the deed to a small okonomyaki restaurant.