Slippery When Wet
Ep. Nine of Cas of Blues Series
by Thom Keehn
zinyadel@hotmail.com

Ranma 1/2 characters and places belong to Rumiko Takahashi.  They are
used without permission throughout this work.  This is written without
the intent of monetary gain and shall not be distributed under such
pretenses.  This is meant for entertainment purposes only and shall
not be used in any way to harm animals.  This is and shall ever be the
last time I write a disclaimer of my own.  At least for this series.

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

Cas and Ryouga are back in Nerima.  Will there be peace in
Nerima?  Not likely.

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

Something struck Ryouga in his face.  He tried to ignore it, clinging
onto sleep even if for only a few more minutes.  A persistent, nagging
feeling would not let him rest.  Reluctantly his mind rose to
consciousness.  Lethargically he forced himself to move.

Ryouga rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other rested on the
softness of his bed.  He yawned, opening his eyes slowly.  He was in
his room, a familiar place for a change.  It had been a long time
since he had been home.  'I think I've only been here twice since that
time when both Akari and Akane....'

'Something isn't right,' he thought.  He was lying on a hard floor.
He looked over to his hand and instantly snatched it away from its
perch.  Cas was sleeping on the floor next to him, not facing him.
Ryouga let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't been awake to witness
his inadvertent transgression.

With immediate danger out of sight, Ryouga tried to piece together
what had happened last night.  They had found a map and phonebook as
Cas had expected and had taken Ranma to the Tendou residence.  Cas had
willingly stayed out of sight per his request to hand Ranma over to
Kasumi.  He wanted to have the honor of handing over a defeated Ranma.

"Finally, Ranma," Ryouga muttered, clenching his fist.  "I am the
better martial artist."

Cas stirred at the sound, rolling over.  Ryouga smiled at the peaceful
expression on her face.  'Beautiful,' he thought with a sigh.  He
brushed aside the long, blond lock of hair that usually hung down in
front of her ear.  He sighed again.

Her face wrinkled in annoyance.  Her blue eyes fluttered open as she
slowly sat up.  She yawned as she stretched her arms, one arm bumping
into him.  She looked over to him lazily.

"...you doing here?" she asked, yawning.

"It's my bedroom," Ryouga declared.

"Yea, but you were to sleep in the bed," Cas reminded him.  "If you
wanted to sleep on the floor you should have told me earlier.  I would
have traded you in a heart beat."  Cas rubbed her back to accentuate
the point.

Ryouga frowned.  "Did you hear something?" he asked, trying to focus
on something coming from downstairs.  Cas shook her head.  The
thumping sound continued only this time it was followed up with a soft
voice.

"Are you home, Ryouga-sama?"

Ryouga's heart nearly stopped beating.  "Who is that?" Cas asked.

"Akari..." Ryouga whispered.  He took one look at Cas and panicked.
Cas was dressed in cotton, red and green plaid pajamas.  It was a
two-piece set; the pants having a drawstring to tighten the waistline
while the long sleeved shirt buttoned up in the front.

"Akari?" Cas repeated.  "That's the other girl, right?"

"Hello?" the voice called again.  The sounds of footsteps coming up
the stairs deepened the sense of dread in Ryouga.  "Anybody home?"

'Can't let Akari see this.'

"Hey?!" Cas cried out, soaked from a glass of water that had been
standing on his nightstand only moments before.  "What did you do that
for?!"

Ryouga snatched up Cas's hand, staring at her, his eyes pleading.
"Please, understand," he said, frantically.  "Last time this happened
to me, I cursed myself to no end for not simply choosing Akari in the
beginning.  I don't want her to see me with another girl and draw the
wrong conclusions."

Cas could only offer a confused look as the door to the bedroom
opened.  "There you are, Ryouga-sama," a young woman declared.  "Oh.
Who's your friend?"

Akari was dressed in a simple, cream-colored sundress and sandals.
Cas, hair still dripping, stood up and offered a hand.  "Cas Keating,"
Cas introduced herself.

"Hi," Akari replied, bowing to Cas.  Cas quickly withdrew her hand and
bowed in return.  "Unryuu Akari.  You must be a friend of
Ryouga-sama."

"I am," Cas admitted.  "We've been traveling together for at least
three weeks."  Ryouga got to his feet, relieved that Cas wasn't
destroying him.  "What brings you here?"

"Ranma told me that Ryouga was back in town and staying at his home,"
Akari explained.  "He said if I hurried I might catch him at home this
morning."

"Ranma," Ryouga growled, clenching his fist.  Cas threw him a sideways
glance and nodded in agreement.  Akari seemed oblivious to the
exchange, studying something on his dresser.

"He must not be taking last night very well," Cas noted.

"These are lovely," Akari declared, holding up the set of Cas's
earrings.  "They're like my own."

"Um... those are a present," Ryouga declared, nervously.  Cas's jaw
dropped in disbelief.  She crossed her arms, glaring at him angrily.
Ryouga gulped.  "Um... a present from Cas."

"Really?" Akari asked, eyes shining at Cas.  Cas's anger faded into a
yielding sigh.

"Yea," Cas stated.  "Ryouga was a little short on cash in China so I
bought it for him."

"China?!" Akari repeated.  "Wow, you need to tell me all about it."

"Perhaps later," Cas declined, with a smile.  "Right now I want to
visit a 'real' friend of mine."  Cas shot him a look that could
shatter a mirror.  "I'm going downstairs to change into something more
comfortable so you two can catch up without me, okay?"

"Um... sure," Ryouga agreed.

"It was nice to meet you Keating-kun," Akari stated.

"Please, just Cas," Cas remarked, pausing at the door.  "Later."  Cas
disappeared out the door, quickly going down the stairs.

Akari turned to him, smiling expectantly.  Ryouga rubbed the back of
his head flustered, laughing softly.  "Um... how are you, Akari?"

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

Ranma watched over the Hibiki household from a high tree branch across
the street.  He cracked his knuckles in anticipation, waiting for the
yelling and screaming to begin.  He leaned low on the branch, pressing
the red, silk shirt against him.

'Let's see you get out of this one, Ryouga,' Ranma thought with a
smirk.  This plan had to work.  After last night's embarrassment, a
little hell in Ryouga's life was definitely in order.  Being dumped
unconscious by Ryouga in front of Kasumi was not something Ranma was
going to take lying down.

"What's this?" Genma asked, snatching a portion of his rice from his
bowl.  Ranma noticed but was too slow from his wounds to stop his old
man.  "You must be getting soft, Ranma, my boy, to be letting that
Ryouga beat you like that."

"I tell you he cheated!" Ranma declared.

"Honestly, Ranma," Akane huffed from across the table.  "Why does
Ryouga 'always' have to be cheating if he beats you?"

"There was this girl there," Ranma explained.  "Somehow she
interfered."

"Really, Ranma?" Nabiki drawled out in a seemingly bored voice.
"Shall we be expecting another entry into your fianc�e competition?"

Ranma cast an angry glance at his father.  "That all depends on my old
man," Ranma answered.  "I didn't ask for any of the fianc�es I have
now."

Akane glowered at him.  "Don't let me stop you from dating anyone you
want to," she stated.

"Akane..." Ranma said, frustrated.  "It's not like that.  I don't even
know this Keating girl."

"Keating?" Nabiki repeated.  "That's an unusual name."

"She came with Ryouga so she could be from anywhere," Ranma explained.

"Glad you're taking such an interest in this girl," Akane growled.

"I already said it's not like that, Akane," Ranma protested.  "Why do
you have to be so stupid?"

"Excuse me!" Akane shouted, getting to her feet.  "I'm not the one
chasing girls around."

"I'm being chased!" Ranma shot back, now also standing up.  "There is
a difference."

"It's not like you do anything to discourage them," Akane accused.

"Look who's talking!" Ranma returned.  "This coming from an uncute
girl that had most of the boys in the high school hounding her every
morning before school."

"Who you calling uncute!?" Akane demanded.

"You, you uncute tomboy!" Ranma shot back.  In an instant a fist
rushed up under his chin.  His feet left the ground as he soared out
the house and into the koi pond out back.  The change hardly
registered as he got up, soaked thoroughly.  "Is violence your answer
to everything?"

Soun stepped between the two.  "Ranma," Soun stated, "what do you
intend to do about this?"

"Yes, my boy," Genma spoke up.  "A true martial artist accepts defeat
from no one."

Ranma shook his head.  'As if he'd know what a true martial artist
is,' he thought to himself.  He lowered himself on the tree, sensing
movement in the front room of the residence.  Ranma frowned.
'Certainly Ryouga is in trouble for this.'

The door opened and a long, blond haired figure stepped out.  The
blond was wearing a long sleeved, blue dress shirt of silk like
material and khaki dress pants.  The shirt was unbuttoned with a
familiar, yellow tee shirt underneath.  Without a doubt this was the
girl Ryouga had been with the other night.  Ranma frowned despite his
certainty.  Something seemed different.  Somehow the girl appeared
taller than before.

The figure paused, staring up at the tree.  Ranma froze as those blue
eyes scrutinized his perch.  'Impossible,' he thought.  'The
umisen-ken should prevent her from seeing me.'  After a moment, the
blond gave up, though Ranma could tell by the way she moved down the
street that she wasn't convinced that something hadn't been there.

Ranma had to follow her slowly as the tenseness in her gait never
changed.  This intrigued him since he couldn't recall a time in which
someone had seen through his technique without making an effort to
break his concentration.  He wondered what it was about this girl and
how she came to be friends with Ryouga.

It didn't take long to figure out where the girl was going.  Ranma was
familiar with the area though he still was a bit surprised when the
blond disappeared into a place he was all too familiar with.  Ranma
waited across the street for her to come out after her meal at
Uuchan's.

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

Cas dashed into the restaurant with a shiver running through her.
There was no doubt in her mind that she was followed though she hadn't
seen anything.  She could only think of one person who probably had
the skills and the desire to follow her around.

"Hey, it's early, Cas," Ukyou called from behind the counter.

This brought Cas's attention to the restaurant.  "Yea," Cas agreed.
"I'm surprised you're up."  Cas glanced about the booths and tables
that decorated most of the space.  Customers were eating at some of
the tables, though the place was far from being crowded.  "Customers
already?"

Ukyou nodded.  "It's summer," Ukyou explained.

Cas walked over to the counter and took a seat across from the grill.
She could smell the inviting odor of pork and shrimp wafting up from
the food that was cooking on the open surface.  Cas watched in
fascination as Ukyou managed the grill with an ease that spoke volumes
of how long the veteran cook had been doing this.  For a moment, Cas
regretted not bothering to learn how to cook anything special.

"So what do you serve for breakfast around here?" Cas asked, her
stomach reminding her that food would be a welcome idea.

"Same thing I serve for lunch and dinner," Ukyou stated.
"Okonomiyaki, as you like it."

"What is okonomiyaki?" Cas asked.

Ukyou nearly fell onto her grill.  Ukyou regained composure and
offered Cas a smile.  "It's my specialty," Ukyou declared.  "I'll
serve you one up in a jiffy."

Cas nodded.  Ukyou poured a soupy, white substance onto the grill
forming a perfect circle.  Cas guessed it was batter.  "Hey Ukyou,"
Cas spoke up.  "How long have you been doing this?"

"For a long time," Ukyou answered.  "I was even practicing a little
before I met Ranma all the way back when I was six."

"Is that when you two got engaged?" Cas pried.

Ukyou added a thin layer of sauce to the fried circle.  "Yea, back
when I was six," Ukyou answered.  "It was all kind of strange.  Ranma
would come by and we would sort of fight a little now and then.  It
was all fun and stuff though I was a bit annoyed at how easily he
would beat me.  Still I really liked him and I was overwhelmed when my
father told me that he had engaged me to Ranma.  It was like a dream
come true I suppose for a six-year-old.  I could go to my friends and
say, 'I'm engaged to Ranma Saotome and when we grow up we will be
married.'  You don't know how relieving it was to have such a
storybook life planned out for you."

"I suppose that and the fact that you wouldn't have to continue the
fa�ade of being a boy," Cas added.  "I'm certain having to be a boy
when you're a girl at the age of six wasn't easy either."

Ukyou smiled serving up a dish to Cas.  "I'm surprised I was able to
keep it a secret," Ukyou stated.  "I'd always make a mistake in my
word choice or something.  It's a wonder Granddad never caught on.  I
sometimes think he knows but is playing along just to torture my
father."

"If he is, your Granddad is a good actor," Cas stated.  "He convinced
me that he doesn't know of your secret."  Cas took a bite of her food.
"This is good."

Ukyou beamed.  "It ought to be," Ukyou declared.  "That's the best
okonomiyaki you can get in all of Japan."

Cas smiled.  "I'll take your word for it," she said.  She took another
bite, letting her eyes wander the restaurant.  Cas noted that there
was a lovely, raven-haired girl bussing the tables and taking orders.
The young woman moved with a fluid grace that could put a professional
dancer to shame.

"So what was the incident that caused this?" Ukyou asked, gesturing to
Cas.  Cas frowned, not quite understanding.  "Your curse," Ukyou
added, helpfully.

"Oh, this," Cas said, brushing her flat chest in a single motion.
"Ryouga had unexpected company.  One of his girlfriends showed up and
I had been sleeping in the same room as him because he was worried
he'd got lost or some other nonsense like that."

"Last I knew, Ryouga didn't have any official girlfriends to speak
of," Ukyou said softly.  The waitress came over to the counter,
flashing a pleasant smile to Cas.

"I'll need a shrimp and onion okonomiyaki and a pork and mushroom
okonomiyaki," the woman stated in a pleasing voice.  Ukyou nodded and
the girl quietly went back to the customers.

Cas felt a pang of jealousy.  The waitress was beautiful and had such
a wonderful voice on top of that.  Even though her music instructor
had praised her singing voice, Cas had always wanted a higher, more
feminine voice.  When she had left London she clearly remembered phone
calls from creditors trying to reach her father about the latest scam
they wanted him to invest in.  Almost one out of every three of these
creditors mistook her for one of her brothers.

As Cas took more interest in the waitress, she became more aware of
the attention the waitress was secretly giving Ukyou.  It wasn't
anything blatant like open staring.  Rather the girl seemed to shoot
wistful glances in Ukyou's direction every now and then before
returning to whatever task was at hand.

Cas slowly finished her meal before saying anything more.  "Ukyou, I
think you're waitress likes you," Cas stated.  "She keeps looking over
here."

"That's Konatsu," Ukyou said, without looking up from the grill.  "I
guess he likes me but what am I supposed to do about it.  I'm promised
to Ranma and he understands that."

"Wow," Cas said, following it with a whistle.  "I remember you saying
something about him but I never expected him to be 'that' good at
passing as a girl.  Do you think he shaves his legs?"

Ukyou looked at Cas incredulously.  "How would I know?"

"Well, you said he lives here with you," Cas stated.  "I assume you
two share a bathroom so I'd figure you'd notice something."

Ukyou smiled.  "I try not to," she explained simply.  Ukyou took Cas's
plate and set it off to the side with the rest of the dirty dishes
that Konatsu had brought over earlier.

"Hmmm," Cas began.  "I believe we were talking about Ranma before
this."

"And?" Ukyou asked, trying to keep up with the new orders that Konatsu
was listing off.

"Ryouga defeated Ranma last night as I foresaw," Cas declared.  "I
don't know how it happened but we ran into Ranma on the way into
Nerima.  It was quite the stroke of luck because he knows where Ryouga
lives.  Ranma took us there and then we had a little wager and voila,
Ryuu's promise is null and void.  Pretty good for being in Nerima for
less than a day."

Ukyou was shocked.  "Is Ranchan ok?"

Cas frowned.  "Yea, nothing damaged but his ego I'm sure," Cas
answered.  "Ranma sent Akari this morning probably hoping to get
Ryouga in trouble or something.  Then I think Ranma followed me here.
I suppose he's still outside waiting for me to do something."

"Back up a little," Ukyou stated, gesturing at Cas with a small
spatula.  "You said Akari.  What happened?"

"Oh, well Ryouga freaked, splashed me and then gave my earrings away
as a present," Cas summarized.  "I'm a little put off but it looks
like Akari didn't get overly concerned about my presence.  I guess
I'll have to keep my curse secret from her for things to go over
smoothly."

"Nothing new," Ukyou stated.  "I'd suggest getting out the secret soon
though.  Akari is a real forgiving type from what I heard from Ranma
so I doubt she will mind much if you give an explanation.  I don't
know what Ranma was thinking when he sent her there.  If anything
Akari was probably thrilled to simply get to see Ryouga again."

"That was the impression I got," Cas agreed.  "I think Ranma did it
more to upset Ryouga."

Ukyou nodded.  "Yea, Ryouga gets nervous about a lot of things."

"So... why do you think Ranma followed me here?" Cas asked.

Ukyou shrugged.  "Maybe he's trying to figure out who you know to
determine whose promise you're going to revoke," Ukyou suggested.

Cas nodded, thoughtfully.  "That makes sense," she agreed.  "Other
than the promise to marry you are there any other promises that he had
you make?"

Ukyou shook her head.  "No, and besides it was an arrangement between
our fathers," Ukyou explained.  "Ranma didn't even know I was a girl,
or so he claims."

Cas frowned.  "So..." Cas started but a different thought struck her.
"Ukyou, did you want to be engaged to Ranma?  I mean you two were only
six at the time."

Ukyou laughed.  "Of course not," she answered.  "It was the farthest
thing from my mind.  I absolutely adored Ranma because he was so much
better than I was and he talked so openly with me unlike any of the
local kids.  Of course I have my father to blame for the way the local
kids treated me but it still hurt to not have any close friends
because of the secret I was to keep.  I couldn't have anybody over and
generally couldn't be with anyone if my family were around.  There was
always the fear of my secret getting leaked back to Granddad.  So when
Ranma came along it was a great relief."

"So your father engaged you?" Cas stated.  "I don't exactly see why he
would do that, as that would definitely get back to your Granddad."

"Ranma and his father were supposed to take me with them when they
left Osaka," Ukyou explained.  "My father was trying to get me out of
Osaka, I suppose, so I could have a chance for a normal life.  It was
all part of the arrangement.  They were to take my dowry, which
happened to be my father's okonomiyaki cart, and me wherever they were
going.  They took the cart and left me."

"Ouch," Cas commented.  "Sounds like Ranma's father is a natural jerk.
It is no surprise why Ranma is a jerk considering the role model he
had for a parent."

"My Ranchan is not a jerk," Ukyou growled.  "He is the best man I have
ever met."

Cas snorted.  "I somehow doubt that," Cas declared.  "Why are you
protecting him so strongly after what his father did to you?"

"Look," Ukyou began, "there was a time that I would have agreed with
you.  When I first came to Nerima, I had only revenge on my mind.  But
when Ranma found out I was a girl he did something nobody else had
ever done.  He said I was cute."

"So?"

"What do you mean so?" Ukyou demanded.  "Nobody ever says I'm cute
when my secret is revealed.  The response is always the same: the
freak, Ukyou."

"I tend to recall Ryuu's comments were quite different," Cas noted
offhandedly.

Ukyou blushed but quickly squelched it.  "Yea, well, consider the
source," Ukyou said dismissively.  "He didn't even have the sense to
get Kiten off his case."

"If Kiten came here and took a liking to Ranma, do you think Ranma
would put her off any easier?" Cas asked.  "From what I hear, I doubt
that."

Ukyou narrowed her eyes but didn't bother with a counter.  "I would
sooner date Konatsu," she declared.

In an instant, the waitress popped at Ukyou's side.  "Really,
Ukyou-sama?" Konatsu asked sweetly.  "I never thought you'd ask."
Konatsu rushed into the back of the restaurant humming a happy little
tune.  "I wonder what I should wear."

Ukyou balked.  "Now look what you've done?" she accused Cas.

Cas was at a loss.  "Me?" she started.  "I didn't do anything."  Ukyou
grumbled something and quickly went after Konatsu.  Cas looked about,
noting the customers were just as confused about the situation as she
was.  'How does she run a restaurant like this?'

Cas shook her head and decided it was time to make use of the bathroom
hot water and lose Ranma.  She slipped into the small room and
splashed herself back to normal once the water was warm enough from
the tap.  Out of pure reflex, Cas fixed her hair in the mirror.

Feeling ready to leave, Cas summoned up an image of a street she had
walked down earlier between the dojo and Ryouga's home.  She locked
the image into her mind and called out with her mind.  This spell was
much different from any she had previously attempted as the energy she
called to was from her own body and the clothing she wore.

As the spell neared completion, her body lost all weight.  Her senses
ceased responding as her body condensed into pure energy.  In moments
she materialized in the spot she had envisioned.  Cas quickly padded
herself, nervous about the results of the spell.  Everything seemed ok
though she'd need a mirror to be certain.

It was then that she noticed several people gaping at her.  Cas
offered them a weak smile before dashing off.  'Yep,' she thought,
'that was stupid.'

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

Gosunkugi wandered the streets of Nerima with an unusual worry.  For
the first time in his life, Gosunkugi was afraid to be noticed.  He
didn't know who this girl was that was accompanying Ryouga but somehow
she was able to see him when nobody else could.

He pulled the developed pictures from last night out of his back
pocket.  There were no answers in the frozen faces of Ryouga and this
girl named Cas.  He studied the girl, noting her unusual manner of
dress, her calm, blue eyes and her lovely blond hair.  He had so many
questions for her that he wanted answered, and yet he was terrified
that he might see her again.

'Maybe Nabiki knows,' he thought but quickly shook his head.  He
couldn't afford to be in more debt to Nabiki for any information she
might have about this newcomer and he doubted anybody else would have
any pictures of this girl other than him this early.  Ryouga's
whereabouts had never been a top priority to Nabiki and with that in
mind, none of his rival informants would have bothered to be in the
neighborhood that night unless they had been trailing Ranma without
Ranma noticing, a difficult task for most people.

He did know that it would be in his best interest to sell these
pictures to Nabiki as soon as word got around about this Cas.  These
shots could take a huge chunk of that debt out if he played his hand
carefully.  With Ranma defeated, Nabiki would certainly be interested
to know the how and who on the matter.  However, Gosunkugi knew that
a couple of pictures of the incident wouldn't satisfy Nabiki.  She
would want some valuable information about this girl and that scared
Gosunkugi to no end.  He didn't want anything to do with this girl
that could sense his presence.

An odd sensation swept through him, breaking his thoughts.
'Familiar,' he thought.  It was the same feeling he had got last
night.  Gosunkugi rushed towards the direction that he felt was the
source of the disturbance, a mixture of curiosity and dread washing
through him.

He arrived in an intersection of two streets.  He could tell something
unusual had occurred as the people nearby all wore expressions of
surprise and disbelief.  They were all looking down the street,
allowing Gosunkugi to safely assume that the cause of this shock had
gone that way.  He slowly trotted in the same direction, nobody taking
note of him.

He hadn't gone far before his fears were confirmed.  The blond from
last night was moving at a fast walk down the street.  This girl was
the cause of the disturbance, though once again there was no
indication of anything abnormal about the girl.  She seemed quite
intent on getting away from here quickly.

'Maybe,' he thought, grabbing his camera.  'She's distracted,' he
assured himself.  He sprinted ahead of her along the rooftops, a feat
that tired him before too long.  Thankfully she wasn't that far ahead
of him.  He was in position with his camera out.  'Just one more
shot,' he added, trying to boost his confidence.  'She won't see you
this time for sure.'

He looked through the camera only to see the blond smiling at him.
She waved and ran towards him.  Gosunkugi froze, though even if he
could run he doubted he had enough energy to get too far.

"Hey, you again," she stated once she was near.  "I'm a bit curious
as to what all the pictures are for.  Are you some kind of stalker
or something?"

The look on her face didn't show the slightest bit of concern over
how he would answer.  "Um... no," Gosunkugi managed.  'What do I
say?'  "How do you do this?"

The girl furrowed her brow, confused.  "Do what?"

"See me," he stated.  "Nobody ever notices me."

The girl shrugged her shoulders in a single, exaggerated gesture.
"You stick out like a sore thumb in my opinion," she remarked.  "It
looks like you haven't slept in days."

"Oh, I always look like this," he said dismissively.

"So... why the pictures?" she asked again.

'I can't say the truth,' he reasoned.  "You're new to town," he
explained.  "I'm sort of a scout, yea that's it, a scout."

"A scout for what?" she asked, curiosity clear on her face.

"A scout for..." he paused, grasping for anything that might make
sense. "Talent.  Yea.  I was especially interested as you seem to be
involved with a defeat of Ranma Saotome."

"You work for a rival of Ranma?" she ventured.

"Sometimes," he answered truthfully.  "I'm in the information business
so I try to remain neutral."

"Oh, I see," she said, her face brightening with a smile.  "You're a
spy."

"No, I'm not," he denied, flustered.

"Sounds like a spy."

"I'm not a spy!"

"So what's your name, oh master of espionage?" she asked.

"Gosunkugi Hikaru," he said with a polite bow.

"Keating Cassidy, though my friends call me Cas," Cas returned.

"So why are you against Ranma?" he asked.

"Why are you for him?" she shot back without a pause.

"I never said I was on his side," he said, his calm faltering.  "I
would consider myself a rival if I could fight him.  As is, this is
the best way I have of harming him."  He gestured to his camera.

"I see," Cas stated.  "Well, if you ever want to take pictures of me,
I'd be more than happy to pose for you.  I haven't had my pictures
taken in over a year.  What do you think of my outfit?"  She gestured
to herself as if presenting her body.

Gosunkugi sputtered over words, not sure what to say.  "It's
different," he managed.

"Yea, that's what all you guys say," she said dismissively.  "Well,
Hikaru, I think I've thrown Ranma on a loop.  If you could help me
find my way back to Uuchan's, I'd like to give him a surprise of my
own."

"Um... sure," Gosunkugi agreed.  'Did she just call me Hikaru?'  "What
do you plan on doing?"

Cas smirked.  "A little revenge for the trouble he caused me this
morning," she answered vaguely.  "If you want to, you can take
pictures."

Gosunkugi nervously offered her a smile.  For some reason, he felt
like this was going to be fun.

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

"... and we parted shortly after reaching Tokyo," Ukyou said finishing
her tale about Cas.  It wasn't exactly a complete tale, as she didn't
want Ranma knowing about any of the stuff they had talked about in
Kyoto.  She also didn't feel like telling Ranma about Cas's curse or
magic.  She doubted Ranma would believe in magic, and if she had said
a thing about the curse, Ranma would have gone into another one of
those crazy fits of possibly having a cure for his own curse.

She also felt the need to exclude any mention of Ryuu in her story.
This was partially because she didn't want to spoil whatever Cas had
planned and Ukyou was a bit embarrassed to talk about Ryuu.  She
didn't want Ranma asking any questions on how she felt about Ryuu,
as he had done when she talked about Gyosha the last time she had
returned from Osaka.

Ranma finished eating his specially made okonomiyaki and smiled up at
her.  Ukyou smiled back, melting underneath his gaze.  'Oh Ranchan,'
she sighed.  'Why won't you love me the way you love her?'

"Thanks Uuchan," he said enthusiastically.  "Nobody makes this stuff
better than you."

Ukyou blushed.  "You're just saying that."

Ranma glanced about the restaurant.  "Hey, where's Konatsu?" he asked.

Ukyou shook her head, showing her annoyance.  "Cas somehow got it in
his head that I was going to go on a date with him," she explained.
"I was in the process of stopping him when you came in."

Ranma frowned.  "If Cas was here then, why wasn't she here when I came
in?" he asked.  "I didn't see her leave."

"She probably snuck out while you were coming in," Ukyou suggested.
"Why are you following her anyways?"

Ranma gritted his teeth.  "She embarrassed me," Ranma stated simply.

The door swung open and an angry Cas stormed into the restaurant.
Ranma spun about to face the girl but hesitated.  The hesitation was
all Cas needed to reach out and pull out Ranma's chair from under him.
Ranma fell hard to the floor without a hint of grace.

"Embarrassed you?" Cas spat.  "You know what it's like to find
yourself in a compromising situation like I was in this morning.  And
after I told you straight forward yesterday that there was nothing
going on between Ryouga and me.  Who are you trying to hurt here?"

Ranma was on his feet in an instant, fists clenched as he faced the
girl.  Ranma towered over the blond though Cas didn't look the least
bit intimidated.  "I'm in compromising situations all the time!" Ranma
shot back.  "After what you two did to me last night, what I did was
mild."

"Really?" Cas drawled out, dripping with disdain.  "Who did we break
up last night?  Who's friendship did we compromise last night?  I did
nothing to damage your love life so what right do you have to mess
with Ryouga's?  Would it have made you happy if Akari walked out on
Ryouga?"

"You dishonored me," Ranma said in a low growl.  "You embarrassed me
as a martial artist."

"You dishonor yourself," Cas shot back.  "What you did today was low
for a human being."

Ukyou stepped between the two.  "Stop it, Cas," she demanded with a
snarl.  "I will not tolerate you badmouthing my fianc� like this."

Cas glared at Ukyou for a moment.  The blond returned her blue eyes to
Ranma.  "For her sake, I'm dropping the issue," Cas declared.  "I
don't know what she sees in you, but I don't think you deserve her
even as a friend."

"Stop it, Cas," Ukyou repeated.

All the anger faded from Cas's eyes in an instant.  "I'm sorry,
Ukyou," Cas apologized.  "Now if you'll both excuse me, Hikaru and I
will be off to find Ryouga."

"Hikaru?" both Ranma and Ukyou asked.  Gosunkugi waved to Ukyou from
his place by the door.  She could see the camera he was holding and
could only guess how Cas came to know this guy in less than a day's
time.

"You were taking pictures," Ranma stated, approaching Gosunkugi
menacingly.

"Eeep," Gosunkugi squeaked.  The small boy dashed out the door and
into the street.  Ranma didn't bother to pursue.

Cas smacked Ranma in the head.  "What did you do that for?" she
demanded.  "I wanted him to come with me to help me find my way about
in Nerima after I found Ryouga."

Ranma smirked.  "I can help you about Nerima but I doubt you'll be
able to find Ryouga," he declared.  "He's probably halfway to China by
now."

"We'll see," Cas said, stalking out the door.  Ranma followed quickly
on her heels.  Ukyou stared at them until they disappeared out of
sight.

'What else could go wrong?' she wondered, exasperated.

Konatsu came into the restaurant holding up too dresses, one that was
dangerously low cut, dark blue and smooth like satin while the other
was more conservative, royal purple and soft.  "Which do you think
would look better on me?" he asked holding them up to his body.

Ukyou face-faulted.

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

Ranma jogged alongside the blond without any effort.  He wasn't sure
how she was supposedly going to find Ryouga but he knew crazier things
had happened.  According to Ukyou, craziness seemed to go hand in hand
with this girl.

He noticed that the blond was clutching onto a lock of hair as she
jogged.  'Is that Ryouga's?' he wondered.  'And she claims there is
nothing going on between them.'

Something felt unnatural about the air around him.  He could barely
sense it but it was there.  It was a barely audible hum in the air.
It came in a pulsating rhythm like a heartbeat.  The strength and
volume of the pulse grew stronger as they ran.

Ranma was unable to contemplate further about this phenomenon as it
ceased abruptly.  He rounded the corner for a familiar sight.  Akane
was walking towards him wearing a pink blouse and long, white skirt.
His mood soured when he realized Akane was carrying 'P-Chan' in her
arms.

"There he is," Cas declared.  Cas stalked over to Akane and made a
move to take the pig from Akane.  Akane instantly was on the
defensive, holding her 'pet' away from the offender.

"What do you think you're doing?" Akane demanded.

Cas paused, uncertain.  Ranma decided to avoid getting in on the
argument that undoubtedly was about to begin.  "I'm here to take my
friend home," Cas declared.

"This is my pet pig, P-Chan," Akane proclaimed, holding the pig
protectively.

"Hey P-Chan," Ranma spoke up, unable to resist a chance for a good
jibe.  "You should go home with this nice lady.  Isn't there someone
at home you want to see?"

"Don't you start, Ranma," Akane warned him.  She hugged P-Chan.  "I
haven't seen P-Chan in months.  Of course he wants to see his mommy."

"Won't he have a better chance of seeing his mommy if I take him
home?" Cas queried, clearly confused.  Cas paused and then pointed at
Akane.  "Hey, you're Akane.  Ryouga told me a lot about you."

"Ryouga is in town?" Akane asked.  "It's been a long time since I've
seen him."

Cas's brow furrowed in confusion.  "Of course he's in town," she
remarked.  "Oh, I see."  A sly look crossed Cas's face.  "You are one
sly devil, Ryouga, claiming to be a confidant."

"Confidant?" Akane repeated, confused.  "What's she talking about
Ranma?"  Ranma shrugged his shoulders.  "Who are you?"

"Keating Cassidy," Cas answered.

"What are you doing with her, Ranma?" Akane demanded.  "I thought you
said you weren't interested in her."

"Hey... it's not like that... I'm just following her," he tried to
explain.

"Following her?" Akane repeated.  "It looks like you were quite
together when you got here."

Ranma began sputtering, his hands up to fend off any attacks that
might come from Akane.  He noted that Cas's face had become more
serious and slightly angry.

"Just give me the pig back and I'll let that remark slip," Cas stated
coldly.

"No," Akane said defiantly.  "This is my pet pig and he's coming home
to sleep with me," she declared.  She turned on Ranma.  "You aren't
going to do a thing about it, Ranma.  How dare you pit this girl
against me to separate me from my P-Chan!"

"Pet?  Sleep?" Cas echoed.  Cas's eyes narrowed slyly as she pointed
to the little pig.  "I never thought you were such a pervert."

"Who are you calling a pervert!?" Akane shouted, whirling on Cas.

"Ryouga," Cas answered simply.

"What did he ever do that is perverted?" Akane demanded.  "Ryouga is
the kindest, gentlest soul I have ever met.  It's a shame that he's
always lonely but at least I'm his friend like I thought you were
supposed to be."

Ranma simply let his eyes wander from girl to girl as they argued over
a little pig that was notably becoming more and more anxious by the
minute.  He couldn't think of a better way to torment Ryouga.
Obviously Cas had at first no idea that Akane didn't know about
Ryouga's curse.

"Well, he alienates young women for one thing," Cas stated.  "He sure
had me fooled into thinking he was the really nice guy.  I never
thought he'd be such a pervert though."

"Say what you want but I know Ryouga much better than you," Akane
declared.

"Whatever," Cas muttered.  "Just give me the pig."

"Never!" Akane shouted.

Ranma felt a surge of energy focus around Cas.  It was the same surge
of energy he had sensed with his fight with Ryouga only then it had
been subtly different.  The sensation didn't last long but he could
clearly see the results.  He watched in disbelief as the blond
snatched P-Chan out of Akane's arms at an inhuman speed.  The pig was
out of Akane's arms before his fianc�e even realized Cas had moved.

"How did you...?" Akane demanded.

Ranma watched as Cas's body resumed normal speed.  He suddenly
understood what had happened to him last night.  Ryouga had used this
ability against him last night.  With this in mind, Ranma was certain
that a rematch would find him the victor.

"I assure you, I know more about Ryouga than you," Cas declared.  "Now
if you'll excuse me, Ranma promised to take me home after I found
Ryouga."

"Give me back my pig!" Akane demanded.  "Ranma, this is your fault!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything," Ranma protested.  "All I said was that
I'd help her back to Ryouga's house after we found Ryouga."

"Then what does this dimwit need with my pig!"

"Excuse me!" Cas said icily.

"I challenge you to a fight!" Akane declared.

Cas's face was unreadable.  "Why?"

Akane huffed.  "Why?" she repeated.  "You insult my friend and steal
my pet and you think I need more reasons to fight you."

"Fine," Cas said coldly.  "Tomorrow afternoon.  If you don't mind,
I'll get myself home."

Ranma was about to protest when both Cas and the pig simply vanished.
There was a rush of wind that whistled into the place where the pair
had stood.  Ranma glanced over to Akane, worried.  Akane was gaping at
the spot where the two had been.  The surprise didn't last as Akane
soon was seething from the earlier exchange.  Ranma remembered what
had happened to him the night before and was growing more certain that
Cas was more than what she seemed.  'What trouble have we gotten into
now?'

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

Well that's a wrap.  Please email any comments to zinyadel@hotmail.com.
I don't mind flames.  Sometimes good ideas come from them.  I'll be sure
to torment all once again with the next addition.

Ciaow




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