Ranma opened the front gate and walked briskly
towards the front door. Cologne and the others
followed him, keeping up with him while talking
amongst themselves. Ranma for one did not seem to be
interested in their little chitchat and they were
content to let him be, for the time being.

	Just as Ranma was about to open the door, the
doorknob turned and Kasumi appeared behind it.

	"Ranma-kun..." Kasumi said quietly with a trace of
longing in her voice. Her eyes were red and puffy and
it was clear that she had been crying, though the
small forced smile on her face was meant to hide it
from them.

	"Kas-chan..." Ranma stammered, unsure and feeling ill
at ease. He knew he was the reason behind her distress
and that made him loathe himself all the more.

	"Welcome back," Kasumi said. *Why can't you love me?*
she thought and it was reflected in her almost
glittering eyes.

	"Thank you, Kas-chan," Ranma replied. He caught the
look in her eyes and as much as it pained him to hurt
her, he made it clear that he would never be hers. *I
am sorry, I just can't.*

	Kasumi moved aside, feeling depressed and confused
all over again, and Ranma entered the house, feeling
much worse than before.

	"Is everything alright, dear?" Cologne asked, pogoing
up to Kasumi.

	"Yes, it is, grandmother," Kasumi lied deliberately.
What was happening in her life was hers alone and she
did not want anyone else interfering with it. No one
had helped her before, when she had really needed the
company of someone to deal with her troubles. They had
always abandoned her and left her to deal with her
pains on her own. And though she needed someone to
lean onto now, she did not want to. After all,
everyone, including her Ranma-kun, had abandoned her
in the end and she did not want to depend upon anyone
until the day she died.

	"Nonsense, child," Cologne said, brushing aside her
unspoken protest. She turned to Ryuu, "Ryuu, get Xian
Pu to help you in taking care of the kitchen. Kasumi
will not be available for the rest of the evening."

	"Hai, elder."

	"Now, gentlemen, if you would excuse us, we have some
important things to talk about," Cologne said to the
four men in the room. "Come dear, we will discuss this
in your room."

	"But there is work to be done, grandmother," Kasumi
protested.

	"I am sure there is, dear. There is no need to worry
about it though. Ryuu and Xian Pu are very
accomplished in the kitchen," Cologne said and pogoed
up the stairs.

	Happousai watched them go, until the two disappeared
behind the stairs and raised an eyebrow.

	"What was that all about?" he said aloud.

	"Nothing," Ranma answered in a queer tone. There was
a glint in his eyes that said further discussion on
the subject was forbidden.

	Happousai and the others noticed the glint and
gulped.

	"Whatever you say," Happousai replied. He turned
towards the other two and addressed them. "Come on,
you two, we are going to practice in the dojo."

	Ranma shook his head and went to his mother's room.
Perhaps he could clear up one of the messes he had
gotten himself into before the day was over.

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

	"Why are we here, master?" Genma whined, his voice
made as pathetic as he could muster, at the two-foot
troll standing in front of him.

	"Yeah, why are we here so late in the evening?"

	"Because I value my life and I think you two value
yours, morons," Happousai replied.

	"Huh?" the two Saotomes intelligently mouthed
simultaneously.

	"I think Kasumi and Ranma had a fight or something
and both of them are very upset," Happousai explained.

	"So?" Genma asked, his brain still working at top
speed, which was really not much, to find the
connection between the two.

	Thwack!

	"Moron," Happousai said, putting the pipe back on his
lips. "Your son, Ranma, does not want us to know. Did
you not see the look on his eyes?"

	"But, why would big brother not want us to know?"
Ryuu asked perplexed. Why should Ranma keep secrets
from his own family? They could help him deal with his
problems, after all.

	Happousai sighed in distress. The kami must be very
angry with him to have sicked not one, but two
Saotomes on him in his old age.

	"What would you do if you knew about the problem?"
Happousai asked Ryuu, trying to keep his exasperation
from showing by taking a puff from the pipe in the
middle of the question.

	"Why, I would try to help my brother, of course."

	"Precisely. Ranma does not want your help or anyone
else's. He wants to deal with this problem on his
own."

	Ryuu scratched his head. He still did not understand
it at all.

	"Then why is he willing to let the elder talk with
Kasumi?"

	"I don't know, boy, but remember this. Butt into this
business and the pain you must have endured while
training under your father or even Cologne will seem
like a walk in the park to the one your brother is
sure to deal to you."

	Ryuu and Genma gulped. They understood the last part
about pain all too well and did not want to endure it
ever again.

	"Okay."

	Happousai's eyes grew to the size of saucers. He
looked at the roof and thanked the kami silently. The
kami were not that angry with him, it appeared.

	"I must be getting better, or the kami must have
actually felt pity on me," he wondered aloud and took
another puff. "Now, come here, you two. I never did
teach you the Happousai Dimensional Warp technique,
did I?"

	"But I have to take care of the kitchen," Ryuu
complained.

	"Very well, you may go," Happousai said remembering
what Cologne would do if she found Ryuu shirking his
duties. "Genma will stay, however and he will learn
the technique even if kills him. Right, Genma?"

	Gulp. "Yes, master."

	"You may go, Ryuu."

	Ryuu bowed and went off to fetch Xian Pu, thankful he
had escaped a major beating.

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

	Cologne led Kasumi silently up the stairs and stopped
in front of the eldest of the Tendo sibling's room.

	"Grandmother, everything is alright, really," Kasumi
tried one last time at the doorstep, though by this
time her efforts were less than half-hearted in their
intensity. She really did need someone to lean on and
it would make her feel a whole lot better if she got
the things, which troubled her, out of her mind.

	"Nonsense, dear. You go inside and wait. I will be
back in just a minute. Forgot to tell Ryuu to fetch us
both a cup of tea," Cologne said and pogoed
downstairs.

	A few minutes later, Cologne returned with a smug
expression on her face. Her staff seemed to have been
bent slightly. Downstairs, Ryuu rubbed his sore head
and murmured curses on evil old women, who loved to
hit young people on their heads with their crooked
staffs.

	"Shall we continue, dear?"

	Kasumi nodded.

	"Tell me, dear, what is bothering you?"

	Kasumi twiddled her fingers and looked at an
interesting fluff on her apron, but did not answer.

	Cologne pogoed to the bed and sat beside Kasumi.

	"It is Ranma, isn't it?"

	Kasumi nodded.

	"What happened, child? I thought everything was going
well with you two."

	Kasumi did not answer immediately. Tears begun to
form in her eyes and she wiped them off her eyes with
the back of her hand and sniffled.

	"He does not love me, grandmother," she stated at
length.

	"Nonsense, dear. Who said such to you?"

	"But..."

	"But nothing, dear. I can tell he loves you as much
as you love him."

	"But he..."

	"What happened today, dear?" Cologne interrupted. It
was the best thing to do since Kasumi would obviously
get more depressed if she were to continue down the
line she was going.

	"It all began when I went to see Ranma-kun, who was
sitting on the roof after the fight with his mother. I
wanted to check whether he was alright." Sniffle.

	Kasumi continued, wiping her tears and her nose with
her apron and her hands as she did so.

	"He helped me up and we sat there on the roof. I told
him not to worry about his mother since she would
forgive him." Sniffle. "I think he was comforted by
it." Sniffle.

	"Anyways, Ranma-kun apologized to me for lying about
himself and I was saying it was alright when he kissed
me," Kasumi said and smiled childishly, briefly
forgetting all her troubles. "I was surprised,
grandmother, but it felt so natural and wonderful,
and... and I returned it. Then, all of a sudden, he
withdrew from me, mumbled an apology about something
and ran off." Sniffle. "That's what happened,
grandmother. I am afraid he does not love me..."
Sniffle.

	"Is that all, dear?" Cologne said, trying to downplay
the importance of what had happened. "Here, have a
hanky."

	"Thank you, grandmother," Kasumi said faintly.

	"Do you know why Ranma left my village all those
years ago, dear?"

	"I remember Ranma-kun saying he left his home because
his wife died."

	Cologne nodded.

	"There is your answer, dear."

	"I do not understand, grandmother."

	"Ranma loved his wife dearly. I think she's been dead
for over two thousand and a hundred years now.

	"He left the village because he was heartbroken, yes,
but did you know that he never married or courted
another woman again."

	"Grandmother, you can't be serious," Kasumi said
unbelievingly.

	"But I am, child. He faced a God in battle and killed
him without a shred of fear in his heart, dear, but he
could not bear to be reminded of his dead wife and
everything in the village reminded him of her. That is
why he left us."

	"But..."

	"I know, dear. He is that sort of man. There is a
legend about people who are soul mates, dear... Once
they meet, they will fall in love and never fall out
of it. Xas Min, my ancestor, was Ranma's soul mate.

	"I think he could not bear the thought of having been
responsible for her death."

	"Surely, grandmother, Ranma-kun would not have killed
his wife," Kasumi said.

	"You try telling him that, dear. You see, Xas Min
died while giving birth to his second child. Ranma
blamed himself for her death. I do not know the
precise reasons, but I do know he blamed himself for
it.

	"I am sure you have seen Ryouga throw chi blasts
based on depression around, dear. Have you not?"

	Kasumi nodded.

	"The legends say, and I believe them, that Ranma
created a hole in the ground big enough to be called a
lake when it filled with water, with only his
depression the day she died, dear. Can you imagine how
depressed he must have been then?"

	Kasumi nodded.

	"Anyway, he left us and he still cannot bear to step
into the village... Hell, this is the first time in
over two thousand years that anyone in the village has
even spoken with him.

	"And you know what, dear, he said, he still loved her
the day we met. Can you believe that?"

	"I am sorry, Ranma-kun," Kasumi whispered softly to
herself. She was beginning to understand Ranma better
now and she realized that things were not as hopeless
as they had seemed at first.

	"What was that, dear?" Cologne asked.

	"Nothing, grandmother. Do continue with your story."

	Cologne laughed. The sounds she made sounded like the
gates of hell were opening, but they were slightly
reminiscent of a laugh. Kasumi had to control an
involuntary shudder at the sounds lest the elder be
insulted by her behavior.

	"I am all done, dear. I am all done."

	Kasumi opened her mouth to reply when someone knocked
on the door.

	Knock! Knock!

	"Who is it?" Kasumi asked.

	"It's me," Ryuu said from behind the door.

	"Come in, Ryuu-kun."

	"Umm... Kasumi, My hands are a little full, right
now. So, can you, umm... please open the door," Ryuu's
muffled voice replied.

	"Please excuse me for a moment, grandmother," Kasumi
said and stood up. She went to the door and unlocked
it.

	Ryuu pushed the door wide-open with his back and
walked into the room. He had a tray on which a kettle,
cups, tongs and cubes of sugar were all present.

	"Here you go, elder. The tea you asked for is here,"
Ryuu said, placing the tray by the bed.

	"Thank you, Ryuu-kun," Kasumi said.

	"Your manners are improving, boy," Cologne said and
nodded her approval. The tea did look to be up to the
standards.

	"If there is nothing more I can do, elder and Miss.
Kasumi, then I would like to take my leave," Ryuu said
politely. His eyes were focused on Kasumi who was
trying very hard to not laugh at his odd behavior.

	"You are excused," Cologne replied.

	Ryuu bowed politely and left the room, closing the
door behind him politely with the least sound.

	As soon as Ryuu was gone, Kasumi begun to giggle like
a schoolgirl.

	"What's so funny, dear?"

	"Nothing... I have never seen Ryuu-kun so polite,
grandmother."

	"Well, obviously, he fell head over heels, for my
good looks and wanted to impress me, dear," Cologne
said with a straight face. "I do not think I would
give his advances serious consideration, though, he is
entirely too young for me."

	Kasumi could keep it in no longer and burst out
laughing, clutching her stomach with both hands as
wave after wave of laughter, so intense that it was
almost painful, hit her.

	Cologne sat patiently on the bed with a straight
face, the entire time, and waited for Kasumi to
recover from her laughing bout. Finally, when Kasumi
had quieted down, Cologne handed her a cup of tea and
motioned Kasumi to sit down beside her.

	"Seriously, child, you need to loosen up a little."

	Kasumi nodded and took a sip from the teacup. Her
eyes widened in surprise as she did.

	"Grandmother..."

	"Yes, dear."

	"This tea is perfect."

	"Of course, dear. Ryuu did not spend all his time in
my village learning how to fight, after all."

	"Oh!"

	"Now, dear, where was I before Ryuu interrupted us."

	"You were telling me the reason Ranma-kun left the
village, grandmother."

	"Yes, indeed, I was. Well, that is all in the past,
dear, but you do need to remember one thing. Ranma
does not hate you and he could never bring himself to
hate you.

	"I am sure he feels like he has betrayed his wife in
some way and he is coming to terms with how he feels
about you. So, I'd say there is no need to worry
about. Give my great great great grandfather sometime
and he would come to you naturally," Cologne said,
smiling at her own joke.

	Kasumi nodded and smiled. *Great great great
grandfather, indeed!*

	"Are you happy now, dear?" Cologne said, taking note
of the smile in Kasumi's face.

	Again, Kasumi nodded happily.

	"Thank you, grandmother," she said in a very grateful
voice.

	"You are welcome, dear. Now, let's enjoy the tea,
shall we?"

	Once again, another nod.

	"Well, dear, I was hoping you'd teach me how to make
those wonderful dumplings you..."

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

	Knock! Knock!

	"Who is it?" Nodoka asked, stirring from the bed. She
had been looking forward to a good night's sleep to
forget her worries, but it appeared that it was not
supposed to be.

	"It's me, mother."

	Nodoka's heart quickened at the voice. It was her son
and he wanted to talk to her. With shaky hands, she
got up and opened the door.

	Ranma stood there, his face vacant, though the storm
that was going on inside his mind was clearly visible
in his blue eyes to even the most unobservant of
observers. As Nodoka looked into those haunting eyes,
she knew that he had forgiven her without a shred of
doubt.

	"Come in, Ranma."

	Ranma nodded slightly and entered the room. He sat on
the lone chair by the bed and explored the room with
his eyes.

	"Did you redecorate it, mother?" he asked curiously.

	"Yes, I did," Nodoka answered, though she thought her
answer was very far from the truth. She had rearranged
a couple of paintings and photos as well as removed
the odd cow web or two, but she had not redecorated it
in the true sense of the word.

	"It's nice, mother."

	"Thank you, Ranma."

	"So..." Ranma said, uncomfortably.

	"So..." Nodoka replied. She too was uncomfortable and
did not know how best to proceed with the conversation
and her apology.

	The two sat facing each other for another couple of
minutes, entertaining themselves by playing with  in
complete silence. Both of them nervous about something
and fearful at some unconscious level.

	Finally, Nodoka broke the silence.

	"Tell me about yourself, Ranma."

	The question seemed to ease Ranma a bit. He leaned
back in his chair and let out a breath.

	"Are you sure you want to hear my story, mother?
There are a lot of things, after all, I mean, you
encounter a lot of things if you live for over two
thousand years."

	Nodoka smiled.

	"Well, you could begin by telling me about your
wife..." Nodoka said and drifted off as she saw the
sad look on Ranma's face.

	"Her name was Xas Min, mother. She was a healer in
the Amazon village... She was the most beautiful,
kindest and sweetest thing you ever saw in your life,"
Ranma said with a smile.

	"I am sure she was, Ranma."

	Ranma caught the hint of a smile in Nodoka's face and
smiled back.

	"Oh yes, mother, she was," Ranma assured her.

	"How did you meet her?"

	Ranma's cheeks reddened slightly.

	"Oh, c'mon, son, you can tell me. I am your mother,
after all," Nodoka nudged.

	"Well..."

	"Well..."

	"I walked in on her when she was dressing," Ranma
said, a little red around his cheeks.

	"Oh, my!"

	"That was the first time I ever saw a naked woman and
I fainted," Ranma continued.

	"Fainted?" Nodoka asked. How could her son faint at
such a wonderful sight? If she got her hands on the
fool who had raised him, there would be hell to pay.

	"Yeah. I was raised by the Musk, mother. Theirs was a
male dominated society, and men and women were
segregated in their society. I was not even completely
aware of the truth behind birds and the bees..."

	"Tell me, Ranma, how old were you then?" *Oh, my poor
son, what did you go through!* she lamented mentally.
Growing up without women to look upon was one of the
most horrible things that could ever happen to a
child.

	"Around twenty-five, I think," Ranma ventured
uncertainly.

	Nodoka could not hold it any longer and burst out
laughing, though she tried her very best not to.
Although it was disconcerting to know that her son had
lived such a horrible life, his experience was
definitely comical.

	"You certainly lived a strange life, Ranma," she said
between laughs.

	"Yeah, I suppose so."

	"Carry on with the story."

	"We fell in love then... We were soul mates, you see,
and we got married nearly a year later."

	"Go on."

	"We had a daughter... We named her Higashikaze..."

	"How did my granddaughter look like?"

	"She was beautiful... A princess in everyway. You
would have fallen in love with her, the second you
laid eyes on her."

	Nodoka sighed.

	"Wish I could have seen her."

	"Me too," Ranma said with a hint of regret in his
voice.

	"How did Xas Min..." Nodoka paused, unsure about how
she should ask the question.

	"You mean, how did she die?" Ranma asked.

	Nodoka nodded.

	"She died giving birth to our son, your grandson...
Both of them did not survive..."

	"Oh!"

	The silence that followed was heart wrenching. There
she was, a mother, unable to console her son in any
way even when it was clear that he was hurting.

	"So, tell me, mother, how was your life?" Ranma
asked.

	"After you and your father left, I found out I was
pregnant with your brother. I spent my time caring for
him and working in odd jobs - a receptionist or behind
the counter of a store to make ends meet... We had a
sizeable income even then, mind you, but I was
terribly bored and I wanted to live my life with the
money that I earned."

	Ranma nodded. He understood why she would want to do
live on her own money. Nothing could beat the feeling
of earning one's livelihood. In fact, if he had been
in her position, he would have done the same thing.

	"Then your father came back... without you and he
said you were dead. I was young and foolish then, and
I suppose, I am foolish now, but the fact is, I wanted
to very much believe your father... And I did. I let
his lies guide me.

	"Genma stayed in the house doing odd jobs in dojos,
but mostly, he spent his time with Soun. Ryuu grew up
into a wonderful little angel, and when he was your
age, Genma told me he wanted to make Ryuu into a
martial artist like you...

	"Again, I believed your father and I let him take
Ryuu away from me. I thought Genma would visit me once
in a while with Ryuu, but he did not. It was mostly my
fault... I should have learned my lesson from what
supposedly happened to you, but I did not.

	"I tried searching for him. The kami knows how I
tried. I hired private detectives, but they were
unable to keep track of him for long... Eventually,
after an year or two, most of the Saotome fortune was
gone and I gave up the dream of finding your brother
and your father.

	"I have spent the rest of the years hoping they had
survived and would come back to me someday," Nodoka
finished.

	Ranma sat silent for a couple of seconds, thinking
things over. Finally, he spoke.

	"Well, mother, you can move in here anytime you want.
And you need not work anymore. Father has a job now,
and I think he will be able to support you for many
years to come."

	"Thank you, Ranma, but I cannot leave the Saotome
ancestral home..."

	"I think you can, mother," Ranma interrupted before
Nodoka could continue any further. "Surely, this house
is much more spacious and father and brother will be
here. You need not sell the house or anything... Let
it remain where it is, but you must remain here where
you are truly needed by your husband and sons."

	Tears came to Nodoka's eyes when she heard the last
word. There was no doubt about it now, Ranma had
forgiven her and that was all that mattered in the
end.

	"As you wish, my son," Nodoka said overcome with joy
and hugged Ranma.

	"Thank you, mother," Ranma said and returned the hug
with equal vigor.

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

	Usagi was not pleased.

	And she was angry... No, she was beyond anger. She
felt betrayed by her friends. *How could they do
that?* she asked herself repeatedly.

	She was stomping on the street like she was a little
kid throwing a tantrum to get what he wanted. The
sailors followed her closely, eyeing each other
confusedly. All the time they had known Usagi, they
had never seen her throw a real tantrum and seeing her
throw one made them uneasy. 

	"Usagi," Rei said finally.

	"What?" Usagi barked at her.

	Rei flinched.

	Usagi did not even try to apologize. She shifted her
gaze at Ami and spoke.

	"What were you thinking there, Ami? You have caused
more damage to the sailor scouts, with your temper
tantrum, in one night, than all the enemies we have
finished till now, combined."

	"I am sorry, Usagi. But they crossed the limit today
and you know it," Ami replied meekly. For some reason,
she felt cowed down before this new Usagi.

	Usagi nodded her head slowly.

	"Still, I should have been the one to confront
them... Not you. You have seriously undermined my
authority and have done great damage to the team."

	"We can't let them do whatever they want, Usagi," Rei
stated in Ami's defense. "The outers have gone on too
long without a shred of self-control about them."

	"True, but it was not Ami's job and it is not yours.
It was my job to tell them that and you did not give
me a chance to carry out my job."

	"But..."

	"No buts, Rei. There is no excuse for what you and
the others pulled of today," Usagi almost shouted as
she lost her temper. "I lost Mamoru and I do not want
to lose any of you, do you hear me? I will not lose
any of you. And what you pulled of today most
certainly did just that," Usagi said to Ami.

	"C'mon, Usagi, give Ami a break," Makoto piped in.

	Usagi spun around bristling with anger.

	"And what about the next time we encounter something
dangerous like today or the week before? What would...
No, what can you do should the outers choose to not
help you when you are in trouble?" she barked.

	Makoto was taken aback by the fury in Usagi's eyes
and did not dare to answer.

	"Well, what would you do? We are facing an enemy far
more powerful than us and you choose this time to pick
fights with your teammates. I would have expected
something like that from Rei, but Ami, what's the
matter with her?" Usagi said with barely restrained
anger.

	"They attacked me, they attacked you and they almost
attacked Rei while trying to attack him..." Ami
murmured.

	"You should have complained about it to me, Ami..."
Usagi said sternly. "Look, I do not want to lose you
all and the only way I can make that happen is by
being strong and knowing I have all of you behind me.
How can we win this war if we fight among ourselves?"
Usagi continued in a much lower tone. Her eyes were
brimming with tears and her hands were clenched by her
sides in anger.

	Ami and the others noticed this.

	"Alright, Usagi, I promise I will apologize to them,"
Ami said grabbing Usagi in a hug. Much as she wanted
to split Haruka's and Michiru's skull, she could not
cause Usagi more pain. *Kami knows, she is in enough
pain as things stand without us adding to it,* she
told herself.

	"Thank you, Ami-chan," Usagi said. Tears that had
been restrained till then came freely and Usagi cried
into her friend's shoulders.

	Ami looked at the others with a pleading look in her
eyes.

	Makoto and the others noticed Ami's silent message.
And each of them understood and nodded. They all
gathered around and hugged Usagi.

	"I will apologize, Usagi."

	"Me too."

	"Yeah, me too."

	"Thank you, guys," Usagi said sobbing quietly into
their shoulders.

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

	"Ranma..."

	Ranma, who had been watching the news, turned the TV
off and looked at his father.

	"Yes, father?"

	"I... Why did you not tell me who you really were
earlier?" Genma asked.

	Ranma smiled and moved a little to make space for
Genma. The bald martial artist took the seat offered
to him and sat beside his son in silence.

	"I found out less than a week before, father and I
was angry at you then... You see, I found out about
your records with the police and..."

	"And you thought I was a dishonorable bastard," Genma
finished with a sigh. Almost every single complaint
people had filed with the police had been his fault
and he accepted it. The old Genma would have tried to
find a way out by lying and groveling, but the new
Genma believed in taking responsibility for his
actions.

	"I wouldn't put it that way, but yeah, you have got
the gist of it," Ranma replied.

	"What made you change your mind then?"

	"You did."

	"Huh?" Now, Genma was confused. What had he done to
make Ranma forgive him?

	"Remember the challenge for the right to be Ryuu's
master?"

	"Yeah," Genma said, the truth slowly dawning to him.

	"I knew about you even then."

	"Oh!"

	"I realized that I knew you from somewhere at Jusendo
itself. I had a couple of my friends search your
records and I learnt that I was your son."

	Genma nodded. Things were beginning to make sense to
him now.

	"I was angry on finding out about you..."

	"So, you came to take Ryuu away."

	Ranma shook his head.

	"No. Ryuu asked me to train him in ki manipulation in
Jusendo. I could not teach him then since I thought he
was not an Amazon. When I realized he was my brother,
I decided to take him in.

	"I wanted to beat the crap out of you for... you
know... And I would have, had I not seen the look in
your eyes. And the way you fought... that too
convinced me. So..."

	"So, you took us in and gave me a job."

	"Yeah. It would not do to let my old man's skills go
to waste, after all," Ranma said grinning.

	"Heh."

	"So, how was the dojo?"

	"Oh, it is fine. The priest blabbed about this and
that, but you know how they are."

	"Yeah, I do. What did he say needs to be done?"

	"Nothing much..."

	"Oh!"

	"Ranma..."

	"Have you spoken with your mother?"

	Ranma nodded.

	"Did it go well?"

	Again, a nod.

	"I suppose you can say that."

	"Are you on speaking terms again?"

	Ranma smiled at the concern showing on his father's
face.

	"Don't worry father. Everything is alright now. We
both had a long talk and I'd say it went great."

	Genma nodded.

	"Good. She has suffered too much because of me..."

	"Don't blame yourself, father. You meant the best for
your sons, though it did not end up quite that well.
I'd say you did fine, look how Ryuu has grown up."

	"And let's not forget about you... A true master of
the art..."

	Ranma grinned.

	"Now, I think you are trying to pull a fast one on
me."

	Genma grinned in reply.

	"So, want to go out for a drink or two with your
father and his friend?"

	"Why not? It sounds like fun."

	"Great. Come, let's get Soun. I know a great bar a
couple of blocks away."

	Ranma raised an eyebrow at the last statement.

	"You have been here for less than a week and you know
a great bar already?"

	"Hehehe. Well, I do not know it, exactly, though I
have heard about its reputation..."

	"Let me guess, free drinks..."

	Genma nodded, embarrassed about the whole thing.

	Ranma grinned and patted Genma on his back. Now, his
son was going to think he was some sort of cheap fool.

	"Don't worry, father. I, too, have always been a
sucker for free drinks."

	Genma smiled proudly. *Like father, like son,* Genma
thought proudly. It was nice to know that his son
followed in his footsteps.

	"Wait here, I will get Soun," Genma said and
disappeared up the stairs.

	He was back momentarily with Soun following close
behind.

	"Shall we leave then?" Genma asked.

	"Of course," Ranma said.

	"Kasumi," Soun hollered.

	Kasumi came down the steps to meet her father. She
flashed Ranma a smile when she saw him.

	"Yes, father?"

	"Genma, Ranma and I are going out to the parlor. We
will be late and I wanted to tell you to not wait for
us," Soun said. He had noticed the look Kasumi had
given Ranma and filed it away for later retrieval and
processing. He had an idea of what it meant, but did
not dare proceed further without further proof. He was
a guest in Ranma's house, after all.

	"Of course, father."

	"Bye, Kasumi," Soun said and the three men walked out
of the room.

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

	Meanwhile, in the Samesu subway station in Tokyo...

	Maikeru Shokkou cursed himself for being such an
idiot. He knew he should have caught the last train to
Fuchu-shi for the day. Now, he was struck in no man's
land and that made him fair game in the eyes of the
other Yakuza families.

	Even though Maikeru could not be called an important
player in the Yamaguchi family even in the most
liberal of assessments, his parentage made him
important in the eyes of the other Yakuza families.
Hence, he had always been on the guard for attacks and
such things. His luck had always stood him in good
stead before and he had never gotten into trouble.

	Now, his luck seemed to have run out at the most
importune moment and he was faced with seven of the
meanest looking thugs in this side of Tokyo.

	"Aw, c'mon, guys, you don't want to incite a clan
war, do you?" Maikeru asked.

	And felt foolish for having asked such a question. Of
course, they wanted a clan war. It would most
certainly decide which family was the most powerful,
which in turn would gain them greater power, and
control over the politicians and the money laundering
business.

	"Yeah, we do," one of the clowns threatening him, and
by all means the leader of the gang, said with a smile
that promised lots of pain before death.

	"We'll play it your way then," Maikeru said, dropping
into a karate stance. "But I swear, you will get your
share of pain tonight," he promised.

	Maikeru was not the least bit afraid of death. In
fact, he wished to die every other day, but he was not
going to stay put and let these bozos decide whether
he would live or die. He wanted that responsibility in
his hands and was prepared to fight to the death for
it.

	Several of the gang members actually flinched when
Maikeru took a stance. That action gave Maikeru a
small ray of hope. Maybe he could beat the crap out of
the fools and get out of the mess alive, after all.

	"Is that supposed to frighten me, punk?" the leader
asked, taking a stance of his own.

	It was then that Maikeru realized that he was
screwed. He may have a fourth dan in karate, but he
was definitely not capable of beating six gangsters,
plus their leader, who appeared to have a fifth dan in
karate.

	"No, but it is supposed to tell you that if I am
going down, I am going down fighting," Maikeru
replied. *And hopefully, I will take some of you down
with me,* Maikeru added mentally.

	"Oh, I am so frightened," the leader said
sarcastically and acting as though he was scared of
Maikeru.

	"Come and get it, bastard," Maikeru replied coldly.

	The leader's contours darkened at the insult. He took
a step forward and spoke.

	"You are going to regret saying that," he said to
Maikeru before turning to his subordinates. "He's
mine. So, stay out of this fight," he warned them with
a menacing look.

	The gangsters were quick to acquiesce, slowly edging
away from their leader, which only increased the sense
of foreboding in Maikeru's stomach.

	"I am Nobuyuki Hamura and I am your angel of death,
you samurai wannabe son of a bitch," the leader spat
with utter contempt in his eyes and voice, and took a
stance.

	"I am Maikeru Shokkou," Maikeru replied, trying to
sound unimpressed and failing miserably.

	The two opponents bowed to each other and took their
stances again.

	Minutes passed silently, as the two opponents circled
and eyed each other warily, each waiting for a tiny
let up on their opponents part to launch an attack.
Neither did.

	Finally, Nobuyuki, being the less patient of the two,
attacked. He closed the distance between Maikeru and
himself in a couple of medium size steps, and ducked
under the punch meant for his chin. He brought his
arms to block the knee that Maikeru drove at his face
as he did so and retreated a couple of steps.

	Maikeru, intent on using the advantage to its utmost,
stepped forward and spun around to deliver a
high-powered kick to Nobuyuki's exposed left flank.
Nobuyuki, turned sideways and brought his left arm
hard on Hamura's calf, killing precious momentum and
driving Maikeru slightly off-balance. Maikeru pulled
back his leg immediately and brought his right hand
down to block Nobuyuki's return kick. He moved
sideways to dampen the impact and to drive Nobuyuki
off-balance, and stepped forward into Nobuyuki's
guard. Nobuyuki's kick was rendered ineffective by the
move and as expected, left him completely off-balance.
Maikeru took the opportunity to hit Nobuyuki with an
open palm strike.

	Nobuyuki was pushed a couple of feet back by the
sheer force behind the blow, but he remained standing.
A thin line of blood trickled down his lips, which he
wiped away with the back of his hand.

	"You will pay for that," Nobuyuki said and rushed
forward.

	Maikeru, surprised that his opponent remained
standing after receiving his most powerful blow, did
not evade and Nobuyuki's punch connected with a meaty
'thunk' against his left cheekbone.

	The pain, if what Maikeru felt could be called that,
was mind numbing in its intensity. For a couple of
seconds, his mind blacked out and he lay unaware of
his surroundings on the floor.

	Nobuyuki spat in disgust and kicked Maikeru hard with
his boot. There was an audible crunch as several ribs
splintered in Maikeru's chest. Nobuyuki retracted the
foot back and delivered another devastating kick to
Maikeru, this time to his spleen. Having extracted his
revenge in such a terrible manner, Nobuyuki drew back,
waiting for his opponent to regain consciousness.

	Presently, Maikeru did, coughing and vomiting blood
onto the concrete floor when he did so. He groaned on
the floor, clutching his stomach and rolled around in
obvious pain.

	"You should not have insulted me," Nobuyuki said and
lifted Maikeru off the floor.

	He tightened his hold on Maikeru's collar and drew
back his hand to punch Maikeru repeatedly in his face.
This continued for several seconds before Nobuyuki
released Maikeru's collar. Maikeru collapsed onto the
floor like a sack of potatoes.

	"Stupid bastard," Nobuyuki cursed and spat on
Maikeru's bloodied face.

	Maikeru could only groan in agony and gasp for air as
the pain in his ribcage from a punctured lung and the
blood flowing into his nostrils made it difficult to
breathe.

	"You should never challenge your betters," Nobuyuki
advised and pulled back his leg for another savage
kick which would end Maikeru's life. His leg was at
its apex when someone spoke...

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

	Shankara watched from the shadows as the bait was
beaten to within an inch of its life.

	*Everything was going according to plan,* he thought
contentedly.

	As much as he hated using a bait, he had to this
time. He had never enjoyed this kind of dishonorable
behavior on his part or on his opponent's part and
normally, would not stoop so low, but his team was
sorely lacking in knowledge about the terrain and in
order to complete his mission successfully, he needed
that knowledge.

	He had isolated the 'threat' to their plans, earlier
in the morning and it was the ease with which he had
found his query that made his uneasy. Such ease could
only mean two things: 1. His query was completely
idiotic, weak and totally undeserving of the Lord's
attention, or 2. It was so powerful that it was
confident enough to not bother keeping its identity
under wraps.

	He was inclined to take option#2 as true and as such
was very wary. If it were indeed true, then there was
a good chance that a straight attack would be crushed.
Therefore, Shankara opted to take the less honorable
route of securing someone close to the query and using
him/her as an advantage in battle.

	He had also learnt that a local crime boss had
offered a sizeable reward for his query and he had
decided to use the street and terrain knowledge of the
organization for his own purpose. The resident
intelligence expert, Veeraraghavan, had provided him
with hard won info about the land and its ways, and
the planned course of action they had decided upon was
a direct result of that Intel.

	As per the plan, they had provided information about
the location of an important gang member - the bait -
to a rival gang and as expected, members of the rival
gang had attacked the bait. Now, all he had to do was
'rescue' the bait and the first phase of the plan
would be complete.

	Shankara watched the prey raise its leg to deliver
the final blow and walked out into the light.

	"Stop," he said.

	Nobuyuki and the gangsters turned in his direction
and their faces paled, for Shankara stood in all his
glory, his six hands extended outwards with a
murderous look on his face and an even more murderous
looking scimitar in one of his hands. Shankara did not
waste time spouting further warnings and threw the
scimitar at the leader.

	"What the..." was all Nobuyuki managed to say before
the thrown scimitar impaled his chest. Without a
sound, Nobuyuki collapsed lifelessly onto the cold
floor.

	Shankara did not stop there. Even before the other
gangsters could find their voices, he was upon them.

	The first gangster opened his mouth to shout, but
Shankara was vastly faster and with a backhanded blow,
crushed the man's windpipe, instantaneously shutting
him up and ensuring his death.

	The second gangster was faster by a tiny margin and
he took a gun, which he had, until then, kept in his
pants, but he too was not fast enough. Shankara moved,
a blur to the naked eye as his danger sense told him
to be wary of the metallic weapon, not that he knew
what it was. He killed his forward motion only when he
was in the goon's face. The gangster, startled by
Shankara's speed, jumped backwards. Shankara took this
chance and tapped the outstretched hand with the gun
on opposite sides with his hands, applying just enough
force to break them. There was an audible crack as the
bones were pulverized and the gangster let go off the
gun, screaming in agony. Shankara retracted his hands
and forming a straight palm with his right hand, hit
the gangster in the center of his ribcage at the base
of his chest. There were numerous snaps as most of the
bones in the ribcage collapsed and shattered into
smaller pieces and the gangster's eyes glazed
immediately, his heart having been punctured by
several of the rocketing bone fragments.

	Even as Shankara was dealing the second gangster the
fatal strike, a third one tried to attack him from
behind with a tire iron, but Shankara, sensing the
imminent attack, waited until the last possible second
before ducking to the front and side, and bringing his
leg at near supersonic speed to bear on the gangster's
nose. Again, there was a clearly audible snap as the
ligaments in the nose were crushed, along with most of
the bones in his face, killing the man
instantaneously.

	Having seen the fate that had befallen their friends,
the remaining three hoodlums decided to attack in
concert. The first one threw a punch, while the third
one spun around with a perfectly executed kick to
Shankara's kidneys. Shankara, saw that the kick,
though perfectly executed had little power behind it,
let it strike him and concentrated on the other two.
The second one had impossibly straight hair on his
head and Shankara pulled at it with one of his arms.
Another arm blocked the punch meant for his face,
while yet another arm went to the second gangster's
crotch. Shankara seized the second one's nuts and
crushed them without so much as a second thought. The
man's screams immediately went into the ultrasonic
region, but Shankara shut him up by pulling his head
down. The gangster's spine curved as he automatically
bent forwards, exposing the base of his neck to
attacks. Shankara raised one of his free hands in a
karate chop and dropped it with enough force to severe
the man's spinal cord, killing him right there.
Shankara released the dead man's hair and bent
sideways as his right foot shot forward in a bone
crushing blow to the third hoodlum's chest and face in
movements too rapid for the eye to follow. The last
gangster alive was only then pulling back his hand for
another go, but Shankara kicked him in his knee joint,
smiling at the audible crack as the bones dislocated.
His attacker screamed shrilly and fell to his knees, a
pale, thoroughly shocked expression on his face.
Shankara moved behind him and pulled him up by his
hair. He opened up one of his hands so that it was
facing the ground horizontally and struck at the point
where his renal artery was closest to his skin. His
hand easily pierced the skin and shredded his renal
artery, killing him in mere seconds. Shankara dropped
the lifeless corpse on the ground and went to Maikeru.

	He quickly conducted a surface examination of the boy
or rather, the bait and found to his relief that
Maikeru would survive to tell the tale. He pressed a
few healing shiatsu points just to be on the safe side
and checked Maikeru's pockets. There were a couple of
receipts, a plastic visiting card and a small notebook
- a pocket diary of sorts. Shankara quickly turned
through the pages and finally came at one, which was
written, in bold letters. He raised it into the air,
tapped his index finger once on the address he had
marked and threw it into the shadows. He knew it was
the address of the bait's all important relative, but
he was not sure and it would not hurt to double check
with his intelligence officer.

	A second Ashura came out of the shadows and caught
the notebook neatly between its thumb and index
fingers.

	Shankara raised an eyebrow questioningly and tapped
his foot impatiently on the floor. 'Where?' his whole
demeanor said.

	//Een-tha et-am, moon'd-ru kar-kal thaan-di
ul-la-thu.//

	//Nan-ri, Vee-ra-ragha-va,// Shankara replied. //Nee
an-tha et-a-thai unn oueir naa-di-yaal kuu-ri-thu vai,
naan un-gu sen-dru sae-ir-va-thar-ku-moun-dru
sae-thu-vai.//

	Again, Shankara knew by memory, the location of the
relative's house and could find it with his eyes
blindfolded and his hands tied behind his back. He did
not want to screw up this phase of the plan by some
silly mistake, however, and the order he had given to
Veeraraghavan was meant as a backup plan... An
exercise in redundancy. 

	Veeraraghavan nodded and retreated into the shadows.

	Shankara, having given his instructions, ran out of
the subway station and into the night in the
direction, Veeraraghavan had pointed to. Slowly, the
ki beacon grew brighter and he allowed himself to
smile.

	Everything was proceeding exactly as he had planned.

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

	The Qin residence, hours later...

	Ranma walked into the house, Genma on one shoulder
and Soun on the other. Both the men were drunk and
passed out.

	"Sheesh! And they call themselves master drinkers,"
Ranma murmured as she laid the two men on the couch.
He straightened his shirt and nearly decided to turn
in for the night when a thought hit him.

	Ranma bent over, loosened both their gi, and turned
Genma so that they were facing each other. Then he
placed Genma's right hand on Soun's hips and vice
versa.

	"There, that ought to take care of these two," Ranma
murmured gleefully. "Now, what shall I do? I am a
little hungry and I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a
bite or two of whatever that is left in the fridge."

	Having decided on this course of action, Ranma, for
the lack of a better word, glided over to the fridge
and opened it.

	"Hmmm... I think a sandwich ought to be enough...
Though a chicken sandwich would be great..."

	Ranma's hands blurred around the fridge, extracting
slices of bread, slices of chicken, pickles and
greens. *I may not be able to make a western sandwich
to save my life, but I sure as hell can make a
sandwich I like,* Ranma thought gleefully as he set
the contents of his midnight expedition on the table.

	"Now, to get the knife and I will be all set for a
wonderful snack made in heaven!"

	Ranma once again glided towards the kitchen and
fetched himself a knife and a carton of milk. He
turned to walk back to the table when a sound made him
pause. Ranma furrowed his eyes for a moment and
relaxed when he sensed Kasumi.

	"Hello, is anyone there?" Kasumi said from the
doorway to the hall.

	Ranma walked out of the kitchen and flicked on the
lights in the room.

	"Oh, hi, Kasumi."

	"Ranma-kun," Kasumi said happily.

	The happiness in her tone left Ranma wondering. *What
is up with the girl? Ever since she spoke with
Cologne... Of course, Cologne must have said something
to her. Well, I will kick my granddaughter's ass in
the morning then...*

	"Come in, Kas-ch... Kasumi. Why aren't you asleep
yet?" Ranma asked.

	"I ain't sleepy, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, catching
the slip and smiling inwardly at it.

	"Oh!"

	"What are you making, Ranma-kun?"

	"A chicken sandwich. Want some?"

	"I would like one, Ranma-kun," Kasumi replied. "Where
are father and uncle?"

	Ranma pointed at the couch with his knife.

	"They are over there. Why don't you see for
yourself?" Ranma said with a straight face.

	Kasumi raised an eyebrow at the last sentence.
Nevertheless, she got up, went to the couch, and
saw...

	"Oh, my!" Kasumi exclaimed, placing her hands over
her mouth. *What was father and uncle thinking?*

	Ranma sniggered.

	Kasumi caught the laughing tone and looked at Ranma.

	"Ranma-kun, you did not do this, did you?" Kasumi
asked, placing her hands on her hips.

	"Ummm... I could have," Ranma replied meekly.

	"It was mean, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said in her sternest
voice, which was not stern at all.

	Ranma blanched. *Can't she take a joke?*

	"But it is so funny, Kas-ch... Kasumi." *Damn! Why do
I keep forgetting?*

	Kasumi giggled a little.

	"Well, it is funny, though it is a mean thing to do."

	"Say, Kasumi, want to have some fun?"

	"Ranma-kun?" *Is he asking what I am think he is
asking?* Blush. It certainly would not be the proper
thing to do, though Kasumi did not mind doing it with
her Ranma-kun.

	"Why don't we set the alarm earlier in all the clocks
upstairs... That way, everyone would see our two
sleeping beauties." *Oops! I have to be more watchful
of the words I speak.*

	Kasumi giggled a little more.

	"Okay."

	Ranma immediately flashed her his most winning smile.

	"Thanks, Kasumi, you are a dear."

	Blush.

	"Come," Ranma said. "There is no need to stand over
there when you can sit over here... at the table,"
Ranma added hastily. *I can't believe I said that.*

	Kasumi nodded, blushed and sat down. *I can't believe
he said that.*

	"So, Ranma-kun, how was your men's night out?" Kasumi
asked.

	"Oh!" Ranma said, caught off-guard by this sudden
change of subject. *Not that we were talking about
anything earlier.* "It went well."

	"Well?"

	"Well, I suppose it was my mistake, expecting them to
keep up with me..." Ranma drifted.

	"How much did they drink, Ranma-kun?"

	"They drank a small fortune, Kas... Kasumi."

	"Oh!"

	"But I drank a lot more."

	"Huh? But, Ranma-kun, you do not look..."

	"Drunk?"

	Kasumi nodded.

	"Training, Kasumi," Ranma said sagely. "That is all
there is to it. Why in my days people used to drink a
lot more without even slurring their speech a little."

	Kasumi giggled.

	"Hey," Ranma protested. "I am telling the truth
here."

	"Of course you are, Ranma-kun."

	"Grrrr... Have it your way. See if I care," Ranma
said and crossed his hands in under his chest. He also
put on a hurt puppy dog look for more effect.

	Kasumi laughed into her hands, afraid that she would
wake the others up.

	"I am sorry, Ranma-kun."

	Ranma looked at her from underneath his eyelids and
smiled. *Damn! The puppy dog look does it every time.*

	"Apology accepted."

	Kasumi sniggered some more and Ranma grinned in
return.

	"Here, K... Kasumi, is your sandwich," Ranma said,
placing the sandwich on a plate and handing it over to
Kasumi.

	"Thanks, Ranma-kun."

	"Need a glass of milk?" Ranma asked.

	Kasumi nodded.

	"Okay," Ranma said, standing up and flashing a smile.
"I'll be back in a sec."

	Kasumi took a bite while Ranma was gone and wiped her
mouth with her hand. *His sandwich is much better than
mine...*

	"Here is your milk, Kasumi."

	"Thank you, Ranma-kun."

	"So," Ranma said, taking deep breath. "What did
Cologne and you talk about?"

	Kasumi almost choked at the sudden change of subject,
though she hid it well.

	"Nothing," she replied. *Oh, no, you don't! You are
not going to get anything from me.*

	"Nothing... C'mon, you were talking for like half an
hour or what... There has got to be something you
talked about," Ranma said, desperate for info, though
he did well to keep his desperation out of his voice.

	"We talked girl stuff," Kasumi answered with a face
quivering with suppressed laughter.

	"Oh!" *Damn!*

	"It is getting late, Ranma-kun, I better go and get
some sleep while I still can." *That way, you will not
press me anymore about the matter.*

	"Okay." *Damn, damn and triple damn.*

	"Good night, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, standing up
with the sandwich in her hands.

	"Good night, Kasumi."

	Ranma watched Kasumi's... err... Kasumi as she
sauntered out of the room and sighed. *This was bad,
very, very bad,* he decided.

	*Maybe I should meditate and... Yeah! That's what I
will do,* Ranma thought excitedly and finished his
sandwich in a whisker.

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

	"Let's see now, the shields are in place, the incense
is set and arranged according to Feng Shui," Ranma
said aloud, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Yep.
Everything is set and I can get on with the ritual
now."

	Ranma had spent the last half an hour setting the
stage ready for the ritual he was about to perform -
one, which he had learnt from the Indian mystics and
one, which was all but lost to the ages. It was called
'Calling the Lost Soul' and it was used for exactly
what its name said. The ritual was used for calling
upon the soul of loved ones after they had passed into
the other realm.

	Ranma sat in the center of the hexagon and carefully
released hold of his ki as he went into meditation.
Slowly, the air in the dojo became thicker with the
incense in the air and a white halo with tinges and
arcs of yellow begun to form around Ranma.

	He began levitating then, as the strength of his aura
pushed him off the ground and into the air. The
hexagon begun to glow and then flare with energy as
Ranma's ki was fed into it. Lines of power opened up
and glowed visible inside the dojo as Ranma's body
became a channel for the ki and mana flows in the
room. Arcs of raw energy flashed around these lines as
Ranma remained still, with his eyes closed and his
mind relaxed in meditation.

	None of this mattered to Ranma as he went deeper into
meditation, relaxing all the muscles in his body. His
heartbeat slowed down to just a couple of beats per
minute and his breathing rate plunged to near zero.
Slowly, as his six of the seven chakras in his body
expanded outwards and into the corners of the hexagon.
His sense of self disappeared and his soul was
released from the stifling confines of its physical
body.

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

	The spirit plane...

	Ranma opened his eyes and looked down upon himself.
The thin red line connecting his soul to his physical
body was there tied inseparably to his heart. It was
thicker than anyone else's on the planet. The reason
was simple really: Ki and mana were required to bond
the soul to the body, and since Ranma had huge
reserves of both, his line was thicker than anyone
else's was.

	He was hovering in the air, for the lack of a better
term, for there was no air around him. Yet, he could
smell the fragrance of the sweet flowers of spring,
which were drowned by an even more enticing smell -
the smell of sweet and beautiful jasmine, his favorite
flower.

	He willed his body to move forward and he did,
gliding through the air towards a groove of trees a
couple of hundred yards, or was it kilometers, in
front of him.

	In no time at all, for time had no relevance in the
spirit plane, he was there, standing at the edge of
the groove. The smell of jasmines was stronger than
ever, though there was not a single plant in eyesight.

	He entered the tree line, his soul calmer than it had
been in centuries and his mind filled with peace and
longing.

	"Xas Min," he called out. "Are you there?"

	A soft breeze flowed through the air, rustling the
leaves to produce a soft music calming to the soul.

	"Xas Min?"

	There was a rustle in the bushes to his left.

	Ranma turned around and...

	"Ranma-chan..." she said.

	Ranma felt like crying then. And he did, for there
stood Xas Min, as beautiful and graceful as the day he
had first laid eyes on her. Her dress, her eyes, her
hair, and her lips... everything was just as he
remembered the last time he had seen her.

	"Mi-chan..." Ranma said, his words a mere whisper
against the wind.

	And yet, the energy carried through the distance
between him and her. Her eyes glistened with unshed
tears as did his and she ran forward and hugged him as
tightly as she could, wanting him deep inside her very
soul.

	"I missed you," Ranma moaned into her hair.

	"And I missed you," she replied.

	"Oh, God," Ranma whispered, pulling her body close to
his. "Why did you ever leave me?"

	"Because it was my time and I had to, Ranma-chan,"
Xas Min replied, pulling out of the hug and looking
into his eyes. "I left you because it was my time."

	Ranma did not answer. Instead, he pulled her into his
chest once more and stroked her hair.

	"I love you," he whispered repeatedly and reverently
into her mane.

	"And I love you, too," Xas Min replied. "So, tell me,
what has changed in the past thirteen years?" she
said, releasing the hug and grabbing his hands in
hers.

	She led him to a tree and he sat, leaning his back
against the trunk. Xas Min lied down on his lap and
looked into his eyes, which were brimming with
immeasurable love for her.

	"Nothing much," he whispered.

	"Liar."

	"Mi-chan..."

	"I know, Ranma-chan, you are in love again. I can
feel your happiness, even though we are separated by
the planes."

	"I... Yes, Mi-chan, and I feel terrible about it,"
Ranma confessed.

	"Why?" she asked.

	"Because I feel like I am betraying you," Ranma
replied.

	"But you are not, my darling husband. I am dead and
it is long past time for you to move on."

	"I can't," Ranma stated.

	"Why?"

	"'Cause I'd be betraying you and you know, I will
never do that."

	"You are not betraying me, Ranma-chan. I know you
never did and you never shall."

	Ranma shook his head.

	"But I am," Ranma muttered.

	"Stop telling that, Ranma-chan," Xas Min said in a
slightly forceful voice. "You were a better husband
then I could have ever asked for. You gave up your
joys for my happiness, you were a wonderful father and
a loving husband. I am flattered that you have stayed
away from women because of me for two thousand years,
but it is time to move on."

	Ranma hushed Xas Min by pressing his finger on her
lips.

	"We have had this conversation before, Mi-chan,"
Ranma said.

	"Yes, we have, but still, you refuse to pay heed to
my words, Ranma-chan."

	"I... You know how I feel, Mi-chan. I just can't...
You are my soul mate... Nothing can ever replace you
in my heart and soul," Ranma said.

	Xas Min sighed. Perhaps all the Qin were just as
thickheaded as her Ranma-chan. *That would explain a
lot,* she thought to herself.

	"I never asked you to forget me, Ranma-chan. I never
did, I never will and I never could even if I wanted
to, because I love you so," Xas Min said.
"Nevertheless, it hurts me so to see you all alone
without anyone to care for you in the physical plane.
I see you hurting every time you see your friends die
around you... Look at me, Ranma-chan," Xas Min said.

	Ranma looked into her eyes.

	"I don't want to see you hurt..."

	"I know," Ranma whispered. "But..."

	"Please, Ranma-chan, please hear me this once," Xas
Min said.

	Ranma nodded.

	"I want you to try... give her a chance. She has made
you happy once again after two thousand years and I am
willing to share your heart with her if she makes you
happy," Xas Min pleaded.

	Ranma remained silent, thinking about what Xas Min
had said for several minutes. Finally, he nodded.

	"I will give her a chance, Mi-chan. For you, I will
give her a chance," he whispered.

	"Thank you, Ranma-chan," Xas Min said, cuddling even
closer to Ranma.

	Ranma stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

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

	Real world...

	The sense of oneness dissolved slowly at first, and
then rapidly and Ranma's soul returned to his body.
The coruscating aura of energy around his body was
drawn back into the body once more, as controls that
had been dormant were invoked. His chakras retreated
back into his body and the lines of power faded and
finally, disappeared.

	"Xas Min," Ranma murmured once and closed his eyes,
letting the tears, which had risen from their ducts to
slide and fall onto the floor.

	Ranma waved his arm around and the hexagon and the
shields disappeared. Normally, he would not bothered
with the shields, but this was the first time in over
a century he had attempted the ritual in an area where
there was a high density of human population and he
did not want to wake all those sleeping people up.
They would certainly kill him if he were to disturb
their peaceful slumber!

	He stepped out of the dojo and looked into the
heavens, firming up his mind as he did so.

	Having strengthened his resolve, Ranma walked into
the house and straight to Kasumi's room.

	Knock! Knock!

	"Who is it?" came the muffled reply to the knocks
from behind the door.

	"It's me, Ranma," Ranma replied and waited until
Kasumi opened the door.

	"What is it, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked, looking
bleary-eyed in her nightgown.

	"I have to talk with you, Kas-chan," Ranma replied.

	Kasumi noted the return of the 'Kas-chan', but was
too tired and too sleepy to care about it.

	"Can't it wait until morning?" she asked.

	Ranma shook his head. No, it could not.

	"No, I have to talk to you, now."

	"Yawn! Oh, alright! Come in, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said,
opening the door wide enough for Ranma to enter.

	Ranma entered the room, but did not sit down.

	"Take a seat," Kasumi said, rubbing her eyes and
trying to adjust to the bright light.

	Ranma shook his head.

	"No, we are not going to talk here," he stated.

	"Huh?"

	"Come," Ranma said and took her in his arms. "We are
going somewhere where we won't be disturbed."

	"Wha..." was all Kasumi managed to say, before there
was a flash and the two of them disappeared.

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

	The Yellow Mountains in China, on the border of Jiang
Xi and the Anhui province...

	The night was cold and silent, with vertical walls of
rock rising from the soft folds of mists and clouds.
Here and there, spindly pines lean out into the night
sky from unlikely toeholds on the ledges and clefts of
the rocks, defying Earth's gravity like silent
acrobats in a circus.

	The silence was golden, but it was not meant to last.
A shrill cry sounded through the cool night air.

	"Whaaaaaa..." a female voice cried out in outrage.

	The woman, who had voiced her outrage, was in her
early twenties and the reason for her anger was easily
identifiable - she was being held in midair by a young
man, in his mid-twenties. She was dressed in a thin
nightgown, which was totally inadequate for the cold
weather and her hair was ruffled... i.e., she was
presented in a position that no woman ever wants to be
seen in.

	"That was rude, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, frowning in
the way only she can. Her lips curved downwards very
slightly, but the effect on Ranma was instantaneous.

	"I am sorry, Kas-chan," he apologized.

	"So, where are we?" Kasumi asked, shivering slightly
in the cold.

	"We are in the Yellow Mountains of China. That peak,
if it could be called that, is Tiandu Feng, the
heavenly capital peak," Ranma replied and released a
started walking forward. His aura blossomed around him
and covered Kasumi, keeping her warm and comfortable.
"This is where my wife's shrine is located," Ranma
added as an after thought.

	"Oh!" Kasumi said, not knowing what to say to that.

	Ranma just smiled at her and walked.

	"How did we get here, Ranma-kun?"

	"I teleported us here. I wanted you to..."

	Kasumi nodded. She understood why he would want to
show her his wife's shrine.

	"Here we are," Ranma said at last.

	They stood at under a very old pine tree with a
number of rocks around, but nothing that could
indicate the presence of a shrine.

	"I don't see anything, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said.

	Ranma smiled in reply.

	"That can be easily rectified," Ranma replied and
placed her on her feet. He walked up to the tree and
placed his hands on it. For just the smallest of
instants, Ranma's hand glowed white. Immediately, the
entire clearing lit up with floating lights all
around.

	"Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked, slightly afraid of what
was taking place.

	"There is nothing to be afraid of, Kas-chan. I just
activated a few ki constructs that I created all those
years ago," Ranma assured.

	Kasumi nodded, though there was not completely
certain about its safety.

	"Come," Ranma said, raising his right hand and
extending it to her.

	Kasumi took the proffered hand and knelt beside
Ranma.

	"I created this place about thousand five hundred
years ago when I first learned of it... I came here
for a visit and this place captivated me very much...
Therefore, I decided to build a monument that would
stand the test of time for her. This place, this
little shrine would survive even if the entire planet
were to blow up into a million pieces. All these
plants, all these rocks would remain the same, a
hundred or a ten thousand years from now... This is my
tribute to her," Ranma said quietly.

	Kasumi nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders.

	Ranma looked at her, smiled and took her hand in his,
clasping it gently. That done, he turned and placed
his hand at the foot of the tree, his hand glowing
white once again.

	He had scarcely retrieved it, when the whole clearing
resonated with Xas Min's voice singing a very old and
very special song. Even as the song was being played,
Ranma stood up and extended his right hand to Kasumi.

	Kasumi, sensing that something important was about to
happen, took his hand in hers as graciously as she
could and stood up. Both of them remained silent as
the seconds ticked by, doing nothing, but looking into
each other's eyes and exploring the other's soul.

	"I love her," Ranma finally said.

	Kasumi begun to speak, but Ranma stopped her.

	"Let me finish what I want to say, first," he said.
"I will never stop loving her... I want you to know
that."

	Kasumi nodded.

	"I also want to say, I love you too."

	Kasumi's eyes lit up with joy.

	"I love you, too, Ranma-kun."

	"I know," Ranma murmured back.

	"So..." Kasumi begun.

	Ranma nodded.

	"Yes, I am willing to give our relationship a try,
but only if you are willing to love a old man like
me."

	"Ranma-kun," Kasumi whispered, resting head in his
chest. "I will always love you."

	"Always?"

	"Always."

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

	"Will he pull through, doc?"

	The man dressed in the doctor's apparel nodded.

	"Yes, oyabun, he will survive, though he will be out
of the streets for a couple of months, at least."

	Oyabun grimaced, but otherwise kept his features
calm.

	"Thank you, doc," he said finally.

	"If you want to thank someone, it has to be the man
who brought Maikeru in. He saved Maikeru's life," the
doctor replied and returned to his patient.

	Oyabun took a deep breath. Obviously, he owed a lot
to the gaijin stranger for saving his bastard-son's
life.

	"Akiruno," he hollered, once he was out earshot of
his son's room.

	"Yes, oyabun," one of the men standing in a corner of
the room said. The man was burly and was dressed in a
blue suit, just like all the others in the room.

	"I want you to bring Shankara-san to my study."

	Akiruno raised an eyebrow at the respect given to the
gaijin, but did not say anything. Who was he to
correct the oyabun, anyway?

	"As you wish, oyabun," he said and disappeared behind
one of the doors.

	Oyabun walked silently up the stair, his body
drooping at the heavy weight placed on his shoulders
by the events that had taken place earlier in the
evening, for the first time in many years and went
into his study. He let out a sigh and sat down in his
seat, fiddling with a cigar with his fingers. He
smelled its sweet fragrance and cut off its edge. All
his actions were slow and were 'heavy' compared to the
way he normally did them. Finally, he lit his cigar
and stretched against his chair, taking puffs once in
a while and thinking about his life.

	Finally, the door creaked open and in came Akiruno.
Shankara followed close behind and a half-dozen
'heavies' flanked him. These 'heavies' were some of
the most ruthless and cold-blooded killers and Japan
and oyabun was particularly proud of this bunch. Each
of the men acted like the perfect gentleman on the
outside, but would willingly kill a small child, if he
were to command them to do so, at a moment's notice.

	"Please, take a seat, Shankara-san," oyabun said.

	Shankara bowed slightly, thanking his host for his
gesture and took the seat proffered to him.

	"Thank you, oyabun," he said in a very thick foreign
accent.

	Oyabun nodded.

	"Would you like some cigars or liquor, Shankara-san?"

	"I must humbly decline your offer, oyabun. I do not
partake them."

	Oyabun chuckled.

	"A puritan, aye? You wouldn't mind if I smoked this,
would you?" he asked.

	Shankara shook his head.

	"I never offer objections when others smoke in my
company, oyabun."

	Oyabun chuckled some more.

	"You are truly a remarkable man, Shankara-san."

	"Thank you, oyabun, though I am not as remarkable as
you are."

	"So, tell me, Shankara-san, how did you come upon my
son, earlier today?"

	"I am a stranger to this land, though I have lived
upon it for five long years. Those five years, I have
spent traveling up and down the country, searching for
an old enemy of mine. During these five years, I have
learnt much from this country and its people...

	"Tonight, I was on my way to find a suitable resting
place for the night when I saw the boy I brought here.
He was being followed by seven gangsters and I decided
to trail them, just in case they wanted to do
something bad to the boy.

	"I followed them into the Samesu subway station. The
gangsters cornered the boy and I could tell they meant
to kill him. The boy refused to surrender and place
his life on their hands, rather opting to try to fight
his way out.

	"Their leader accepted the challenge and the two of
them fought. The boy managed to hold his own and was
doing well until the leader caught him in a vicious
punch. The leader took this opportunity to kick and
injure the boy even more. I was tempted to help, but I
could not... They were fighting a duel and if I had
jumped into the fight, I would have insulted and
irrevocably damaged both their honor and mine.

	"Then, one of the gangsters took a scimitar and went
for the boy... I could not allow such a cowardly act
and I intervened. I killed all seven of the boy's
attackers and then, I checked on him. He was beat up
pretty bad, but I thought he would survive... His ki
was strong, though his pulse was not. Sure that the
boy was not in immediate danger, I searched his
pockets to call his friends or family to notify them
and I found your name and address in his address book.

	"I recognized your address and therefore, I brought
the boy here, thinking he might be related to you or
something... It seems like I was not far off the
mark..." Shankara finished.

	Oyabun remained silent for a couple of minutes,
digesting the information Shankara had given him.

	"You are right, Shankara-san, Maikeru is my
relative... In fact, he is my son... I am deeply
indebted to you for saving his life."

	"It was only the right thing to do, oyabun.
Honor-less scum like those gangsters do not deserve to
live," Shankara replied.

	Oyabun nodded.

	"Quite so," he said. "Still, you saved my son's life
and if there is anything... anything I can help you
with, then please don't be shy about asking me for
help."

	Shankara nodded once in acknowledgment.

	"Well... There is one thing... I still have not
located the man, I was supposed to locate and..."

	"We'd be glad to help you in your quest,
Shankara-san. What is the name of this man you are
searching for?" oyabun asked.

	Shankara looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds,
acting as though he was considering whether he should
reveal his query's identity to oyabun.

	"I am not sure that is a good idea, oyabun... Not
that I do not want your help or anything, but any help
you give me could end up bringing you a lot of
trouble..."

	"Any, and I mean any trouble would be worth it,
Shankara-san. This is a matter of honor, after all,"
oyabun said, cutting him off.

	Shankara almost smiled. Bushido may be good and all,
but it could certainly be used to one's benefit should
one choose to use it and pulled just the right
strings.

	"Oyabun... Let me state this clearly... I intend to
kill this man... We have a blood feud and my honor
will remain tarnished as long as he is alive... Any
information you give would lead to his death... At
least part of the trail would lead to you and are you
sure, you want the police behind your back? I know for
sure that I wouldn't."

	Oyabun shook his head.

	"I will help you in your quest, Shankara-san. Even if
I have to walk into the gates of hell, I will help
you."

	Shankara nodded, taking a deep breath before
speaking.

	"Then, I would like to say welcome abroad, oyabun,"
he said.

	"Who is this man you are so intent on killing,
Shankara-san?" oyabun asked. He was curious about the
man who had a blood feud with a gaijin. Moreover, he
wanted to help his new friend as soon as he possibly
could... The sooner he had cancelled his debt, the
sooner he would be free once more.

	"Well..." Shankara paused. "He goes by the name of
Ranma of the Qin."

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

Translations:

	//Een-tha et-am, moon'd-ru kar-kal thaan-di
ul-la-thu.// - This place is three kilometers from
here.

//Nan-ri, Vee-ra-ragha-va. Nee an-tha et-a-thai unn
oueir naa-di-yaal kuu-ri-thu vai, naan un-gu sen-dru
sae-ir-va-thar-ku-moun-dru sae-thu-vai.// - Thank you,
Veeraraghava. I want you to light up that building
with your ki to guide me there.

Notes:

	If you are wondering where Yellow Mountains are, it
could mean only one thing... you are as geographically
challenged as Ryouga... just kidding. :)

	I got the description of Yellow Mountains from
Discovering the Wonders of Our World, by Reader's
Digest press. Most of the description was copied
straight from it to the word, with a few additions of
mine in the middle of the sentence, of course, and it
is my sincere hope that the Reader's Digest press does
not take offense at this. If they do take offense and
sue me, they would end up loosing a valuable customer,
:), and gain little or no money in return (I am
strictly penniless :)). The name of the article is
Yellow Mountain in the book [Pg. no #180-184.] and you
might want to read it to get a better sense of what I
am talking about as well as the scenery. :)

	The part about Hashimoto is based on a real life
story. I have little experience with the addictive
side-effects of certain precription drugs, but these
two are among the few, whose effects, I am well aware
of. Hashimoto is based partly on Gordon Weekly, a
pastor, a father turned addict and the path he has led
in his life. This story is meant in no way to be
disrespectful to him. In fact, he is one of the few
people I truly admire in life, for the courage he has
demonstrated in his life is exemplary. The good pastor
once worked and by the grace of God is still working
in the Rebound Christian Rehabilitation Center in
Charlotte. You might want to read his story. My source
is: 
Pastor, Father, Addict - Don Jeffries, Reader's
Digest, September, 1992. :) This particular article
was condensed from Balm in Gilead: A baptist
minister's personal journey through drug addiction,
copyrighted in 1992 by Don Jeffries and published by
August house publishers.

	Hope you found the Ranma and Xas Min scene useful...
I have had a number of complaints about the
unbelievability of that particular aspect of Ranma,
but now, hopefully, all doubts and confusion will be
cast aside.

	I would like to thank the guy who posted the links to
the Railway network in Tokyo as well the
administration stuff and such. Thank you, your efforts
have helped me a lot in this chapter.


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