Hi everybody. I want to say thanks for all the positive replies and encouragement that I received for the first two parts of this budding series. I really appreciate it. Especially to the one who took considerable time and  effort in his comments and criticism.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel.

To you, I dedicate this fic.

For without your careful nurturing and guidance, I would not be the writer that I am today.

Forever in your debt.

Peter Vela.



And without further babble, I present�
(NOTE: Thanks to a reader�s comments the story will now be told in past tense because writing in present tense often sounds awkward.)



The Test.
Part Three: Mr. Moderator
By: Peter Vela



*****************************
Click of a button
Sheer ecstasy in my loins
Delinquent vanquished
*****************************

From the private diary of Tatewaki �Blue Thunder/Musashi� Kuno

Kuno sat in class, waiting for the lesson to start. It was early in the morning and it did not go unnoticed by several of his wide-eyed classmates as they entered the room, that Kuno was actually conscious and apparently deep in thought so early in the day.

The master kendoist was indeed deep in contemplation. Last night�s events on the AFML left him extremely troubled. An unpleasant turn of events had taken place after Nabiki�s controversial posting to the mailing list. She had posted a sequel to the �The Test�, another obviously blatant, and poorly disguised test message. The council of moderators was clearly infuriated and had called out for her blood. They had wanted to enforce the most severe punishment, permanent ban from the mailing list.

Most of the moderators voiced their approval, but he had kept silent. Indeed, Nabiki�s aim was to provoke and to annoy� but did she really deserve to get permanently banned from the AFML? Kuno was not going to admit it in front of the others, but he did find Nabiki�s little story very amusing.

Things were getting out of hand in the meeting when the owner of the mailing list came forward and put a stop to the bickering.

�Nabiki Tendo used Musashi�s reply without his consent and for that she will receive a temporary ban for one week. End of discussion.�

The meeting was adjourned, but a new voice rang out.

�Incompetent! All of you are incompetent!�

Kuno winced inwardly. The one who had spoken was the moderator known only as Tripitaka. Over the years of moderating Tripitaka came to be known as the AFML's most feared and dreaded moderator. She ruled with an iron fist as the AFML�s chief enforcer, performing her duties with an alarming sadistic zeal that Kuno found frightening. He suspected that even the AFML owner had trouble reining in this agent of retribution.

Kuno was surprised that he found himself cringing. Even though the meeting was set to �voice only�, he had felt the malevolent gaze of Tripitaka bore through his head, through all the moderators� heads.

�The Tendo girl must be punished!�

The owner, amazed that someone had the gall to talk back to his orders, regained some of his courage and confronted the much-feared individual.

�Tripitaka! Stand down! And don�t act rashly in this matter concerning Nabiki Tendo!�

Tripitaka�s tone turned malevolent.

�It is too late. I have written back to her. My comments and criticism will break her spirit! Ayee-yah, her writing is shameful! Comparable to the dung of my village�s mongrel dog! She will be humiliated! Such a childish effort and a waste of time should never even be considered in the AFML, heya?�

The owner was shocked and horrified at Tripitaka�s open hostility.

�My God! What have you done? Tripitaka, we are supposed to guide the beginners and encourage them! To nurture their writing skills! She has received her rightful punishment! You have taken things too far!�

�Ayee-yah! She will be punished in the proper manner. You can be assured of that! The Tendo girl has little respect for the rules of the AFML! Then she writes a story expressing this disrespect and then takes cheap shots at you, the owner! And you just sit there and take it! Curse her, that lump of horse dung! May her jade gate shrivel up and run dry! She will pay!�

Kuno could clearly picture the owner�s face mottled with rage as he screamed his reply at Tripitaka. �By God, you will stand down! Stand down or I will hold you in contempt!�

Unable to stomach any more, Kuno had immediately logged out and shut his computer down.

And now, as he sat hunched over, staring at the chalkboard, he still could not take his mind off the hate filled words of the AFML chief enforcer.



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



Nabiki fumed. They had banned her for one week! And on top of that an over-zealous puritan moderator that went by the name of Tripitaka had verbally bashed her and her beautifully written piece of literature!

�Hmph! Childish, and a waste of time indeed!�

The moderator had even dared to accuse her of being petty and trying to get attention and gratifying her own ego by disturbing her shit�

�Or was it shit-disturbing? What was the term she used? Shit stirring! Yeah, that�s it!�

She had also accused her of being an inexperienced fanfiction author!

�Uh� well, that is true. But she didn�t have to sound like my old english teacher! ��settle on a narrative voice� omniscentient perspective�� I didn�t even know what she was talking about! This is japan. I don�t even talk English outside of the classroom!�

Nabiki, smirking and shaking her head, recalls the rest of Tripitaka�s email to her. She had used Musashi�s reply in her story but had hoped to keep his anonymity by changing the return address and his name� but Tripitaka, in the rant that she had posted publicly to the list, had unwittingly exposed to everyone that it was indeed Musashi�s reply that she used in her story!

Nabiki found herself smiling from ear to ear. Before Tripitaka�s outburst, she had been wondering how to let everyone know that it was Musashi�s actual reply in her story.

�But it looks like Tripitaka spilled the beans� hehehe.�



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


Mousse stumbled along the darkened corridor. He had lost his spectacles once again and he felt downright miserable.

�Godamnit! I can�t believe I lost my glasses in my robes! It could take days to find them!�

He tripped on the hem of his robe and fell through a doorway into the adjoining room. Extremely exasperated Mousse began digging through his voluminous sleeves.

�Rubber duck, ben-wa balls, Ming vase, twelve-inch fury, photo of Shan Pu, reversal jewel� ah, here it is!�

Satisfied with himself, he plucked out a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and happily wore them.

Still squinting, he glanced around recognising from the ancient artefacts and potions lying around that he was in Khu Lon�s room. His myopic eyes passed over everything, searching for anything that might be of help in his eternal quest to gain the hand of his beloved and to destroy the evil of Ranma Saotome.

His myopic eyes though, did not expect to see a laptop on Khu Lon�s desk complete with a modem hooked up to the phone line.

�Eh? What the hell is this?� His curiosity was deeply aroused from discovering such an item in Khu Lon�s possession.

�Looks like the old ghoul�s got a lot of pen pals.�

Indeed, the screen displayed an email account with at least two hundred entries made in the last couple of days.

All of which were sent to matriarch�s address, tripitaka@afml.com.




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

end The Test part 2: "Mr. Moderator"


Again, I wish to thank Tripitaka (I hope you know who you are) for HIS comments and criticism� for without it I would be lost and unable to continue this wonderful work of fanfiction. Even though your words were blunt and hard hitting, I took them in stride and strove to my best to write this instalment, to which, I know you will be proud of.


C+C are welcomed. And so are flames. The only thing that matters to me is that you read this� and it gives me such a wonderful feeling in my chest! Oh joy!



Stay tuned for:

The Test part 4: "Cheap Shot�




"I've had my fifteen minutes of fame... when're you gonna get yours?"
-Konfucius (bluezboy@hotmail.com)


Konfucius Says! The best Ranma and Eva fanfics are...
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/4901/index2.html


Damn� no more pre readers. My last one quit after a certain moderator personally attacked him.

But don�t hesitate to mail if you want to become one.



Ciao.
-Peter Vela

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