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-- File: tk5.txt
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Thyself Known
Ch.5: Firefly
By Zorknot

Previous chapters available here:
http://www.geocities.com/zorukonotsu/TK.html
and on ff.net:
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=377434

DISCLAIMER: Ranma1/2 belongs to Rumiko 
Takahashi and her cohorts. 

WHAT HAS COME BEFORE: Nabiki just had an 
accident while being chased by the cops. 
Apparently she used a ki blast to deflect t 
a flying motorcycle before it hit a woman 
and her infant husband. She used too much ki, 
and now she�s ringing Death�s doorbell. 
Ranma is trying to save her by putting on 
some pretty earrings and pretending to be 
Nabiki so that he give Nabiki a complete ki 
transfusion without it being rejected. Seems 
farfetched, but Ranma and Nabiki have more 
in common than one might suspect...

~~~~~[BEGIN]~~~~~

�Boy,
I�ve seen through all your schemes.
Poor boy,
You�re just a bag of empty dreams.
Oh boy,
I�ve been nasty, you�ve been kind.
You�ve sold your soul, but I still got mine
And I got you covered.�
-Biff Rose fr. I Got You Covered.





  �So I�m really Ranma, and in order to save 
my real self I have to participate in this 
ki transfusion?� Nabiki asked. It was kind 
of hard to take, but seeing herself on the 
table as a police officer tried to 
resuscitate her... and the red pigtail she 
was sporting complete with black T-shirt and 
Chinese pants did a lot to convince her. 

  �Yes, we don�t have much time� Tofu said 
tersely.

  Nabiki nodded slowly. Whole swatches of 
her memory were gone. She knew for instance 
her mother was dead, but not how, or even 
what her name was. She knew she was Akane 
and Kasumi�s sister, but she couldn�t 
remember either of them younger than they 
were now. 

  Except Akane. She seemed to remember Akane 
at five or so, but the memory was indistinct. 
She thought of Ranma, of when she first saw 
him. Of all the times she helped him 
out...She never made it easy for him of 
course, but she respected him after a fact. 
Ranma had earned that respect. Nabiki had 
done a lot to harm Ranma too, but the boy 
survived it all and saved her little sister 
several times. Sometimes she had the feeling 
she respected Ranma more than anyone else in 
her family, which was odd because she didn�t 
even really like him all that much. He was 
just fun to tease. All her respect amounted 
to was that she rarely bet against him and 
enlisted his aid upon occasion. Compared to 
what Akane did to him this morning though...

  A jolt passed through Nabiki. She wasn�t 
sure what it was but she knew it was a 
memory. A memory of something terrible she 
did in the past that she tried desperately 
to forget...

  But if she was Ranma...Whose memory was 
it? How could she remember even what she 
did? How much of herself was real? Tofu said 
the other Nabiki had been driving a 
motorcycle after all and Nabiki couldn�t 
remember even owning one... An image flashed 
in her mind of eyes. Sad, angry, dark 
eyes...It was from this morning, but she 
couldn�t tell for a moment whether it was 
her eyes looking into Ranma�s, or Ranma�s 
looking into hers.

  Nabiki swallowed, �Okay...what do I have 
to do?�

  Tofu took Nabiki to a bed that he had 
moved right next to...the other Nabiki�s bed 
so that they touched end to end. �Lay down 
here, your cosmic consciousness centers need 
to be close together.� 

  Nabiki did as Doctor Tofu asked. If she 
looked up now, laying down, she could see 
the top of her own head. Thinking about it, 
it made sense. The crown chakra, located on 
the top of the head, was supposed to govern 
identity, of who a person is to themselves 
and the universe. Maybe that was what Tofu 
was talking about with the cosmic 
consciousness centers. Nabiki frowned. She 
should have known that already. She was a 
master yogi. 

  Nabiki mentally slapped herself. She was 
Ranma. Ranma had probably trained in yoga 
some time but then abandoned it for other 
things. And of course he knew about Nabiki 
because he had caught her in the dojo that 
one time, performing a difficult asana. But 
Nabiki couldn�t imagine abandoning yoga. 
Couldn�t imagine a life without meditation. 

  Or could she?

  Nabiki was perfectly willing to admit at 
this point that she was certifiably insane, 
but she was still Nabiki. She simply could 
not let go of that. And she would not. Not 
until this mess was cleared up anyway.

   �Okay now, reach up and touch Nabiki�s 
temples with your fingers.�

  Tofu could be so irritating at times...It 
was like he always said the wrong thing...on 
purpose. Letting it pass Nabiki closed her 
eyes, reached both hands up and after 
hitting ears and hairline she found the 
temples.

   �You can stop now, Kawagami-san. If this 
doesn�t work...it won�t matter.� Tofu 
addressed the police officer. Who then 
reluctantly left the other Nabiki�s side. 
�Okay...now I�m going to have to press a few 
pressure points to start the flow of ki. You 
will feel very disoriented for a bit, but 
you must not panic okay?�

   �I understand.�

   �And, Ranma, if you�re listening in 
there...I just want you to know that 
whatever happens...As far as I�m concerned 
this proves you are a man among men.�

  Nabiki smirked, yes she was definitely 
going to have to clear Ranma�s debts after 
he saved her life, but she was sure she 
could still find a way to milk him later. 
And of course since she really WAS Ranma, he 
must know it as well as her...Nabiki frowned. 
She hoped this would get settled soon. It 
was all just too strange. 

  Nabiki felt Tofu press a few spots on her 
arms and throat...and things started to get 
even stranger.

~~~~~*~~~~~

   �That irresponsible, inconsiderate, 
idiotic, no good, perverted JERK!� Akane 
slammed her fist down on her desk.

  It was lunchtime and Sayuri and Yuka were 
eating their lunches around Akane in the 
classroom. �What did he do this time?� Yuka 
asked politely while exchanging glances with 
Sayuri.

  It was an innocent question, but it was 
exactly what Akane had been trying to avoid 
all morning. What DID Ranma do? Why could 
she not spend five minutes with him without 
blowing up? �I don�t know,� she said in a 
small voice.

   �What?� Sayuri asked, surprised. �Come on 
he had to have done SOMETHING to get you 
this upset!�

   �It�s nothing...or maybe it�s everything. 
Damn it why isn�t he HERE!� 

   �Okay Akane, just tell us what happened, 
maybe that will help you feel better.� Yuka 
suggested, Sayuri nodding her on.

  Akane looked at her friends, �I�m sorry 
you guys, I know you have your own problems. 
It�s not right for me to unload on you all 
the time.�

   �Oh that�s alright, Akane I don�t mind.� 
Yuka said.

   �Heh yeah,� Sayuri smirked, �Besides your 
problems are MUCH more interesting.�

   �That�s right! Just yesterday I couldn�t 
find my book bag and I was so stressed! And 
then I thought �well at least I don�t have 
an aquatransexual babe magnet for a 
boyfriend� and you know what? I felt SO much 
better!� Yuka agreed.

   �He is NOT my boyfriend.�

   �Whatever!� Sayuri and Yuka said in 
chorus and then erupted into laughter.

  Akane couldn�t help smiling. 

   �Behold!� Yuka said as she stood up and 
gestured to Akane�s face, �Amateresu has 
come out of her cave! Let us rejoice!�

  Akane found herself giggling. �Yuka stop! 
You sound like Kuno!�

  Yuka pointed a finger at Akane in mock 
challenge. �You take that back right now, 
Tendo!� 

   � Akane, I think what Yuka is trying to 
say is �Forsooth! Speakest thou not this 
slander, woman!��

  They all started giggling at this. When 
they were through Akane sighed still smiling. 
�Thanks you guys...I needed a good laugh 
today.�

  Sayuri gave a concerned look, �Yeah, no 
problem, Akane...so why were you so upset at 
Ranma?�

  Akane sighed. �Its not really 
him...Ranma�s an idiot sometimes, but really 
he�s nice enough when he wants to be.�

   �Well than what is it?� Yuka asked. She 
had just finished her bento and now she 
folded her hand in front of her and sat up, 
her long brown hair framing a face of 
undivided attention. 

  Akane hated it when Yuka did that. �Its 
not him its...her.�

   �What?� Sayuri asked around a bite of 
rice before swallowing it.

   �Ranma�s girl side.� Akane took a drink 
of her soda. �Before...it wasn�t a big deal, 
but now his mother�s been coming over more 
often... sometimes for whole weeks 
and...well...it frustrates me.�

   �Is it just that he has to act like a 
girl?� Sayuri asked.

   �No...it�s not that really...�

   �Is it how he treats his mother?� Yuka 
asked.

  Akane hesitated. �Th- that�s part of it. 
But I understand that sort of. I mean...I 
would do almost anything to see Mom 
again...but I don�t think I could actually 
kill myself. Sometimes I wonder 
though...anyway I don�t think Auntie Saotome 
would make him do that, but Ranma�s father 
does. Ranma�s actually tried to tell his 
mother a few times and Uncle stopped 
him...Sometimes I forget how complicated it 
all is...Sometimes I wonder what I�d really 
do. I don�t really blame Ranma for acting 
like a girl when his mother�s 
around...but...it�s just...he�s too good at 
it!�

   �Honey, are you SURE he�s not gay?� 
Sayuri asked, �I mean let�s review here: he 
looks great, he doesn�t respond well to come 
ons, he worries about his clothes, he can�t 
stand a messy room AND he cross 
dresses...color me ignorant but that sounds 
like a fag to me.� Sayuri counted the points 
of on her fingers as she sat with her legs 
crossed in a laid back slouch that somehow 
came off as attractive. Not that Akane would 
think she was attractive...

  Akane shook her head free of the thought. 
�I told you, Sayuri, he�s not gay. We�ve 
had...moments.�

   �Moments.� Sayuri repeated.

   �Come on, I told you!�

   �All I remember is once he held your hand 
and a few times he ALMOST was going to kiss 
you. That hardly seems like clinching proof 
to me.�

   �He said I had a cute smile...�

   �Akane,� Sayuri patted Akane�s hand, 
�lots of gay guys say things like that.�

  Akane sighed, �I�m beginning to think 
maybe you�re right.�

   �Oh this is great!� Yuka laughed breaking 
out of her �proper� mode. �You two should 
start a gay boyfriend club, get shirts made 
up!�

   �Shut up, Yuka. Shiunji may have been gay, 
but he was much better boyfriend material 
than that slob you�re into now, what�s his 
name?  Haisetsubutsu?�

   �It�s Haisei Tsubasa, and he�s not a 
slob! He�s...rugged.� Yuka countered. �He�s 
really smart too...he�s just working as an 
auto mechanic now so he can get enough money 
for college.�

   �He sounds like fine boyfriend material 
to me, Yuka.� Akane assured.

   �Thank you, Akane,� Yuka smiled proudly 
giving Sayuri a �there, you see?� look.

   �Hmph. Probably just a line he fed you to 
get into your pants...� Sayuri grumbled.

   �Sayuri! That wasn�t very nice!� Akane 
admonished.

   �It�s okay, Akane. She�s just jealous is 
all.� Yuka stuck her tongue out at Sayuri.

   �So Akane, you were saying about Ranma?� 
Sayuri said, pointedly changing the subject.

   �He just makes me so angry...This 
morning...he cooked breakfast, so Kasumi 
could have a break...which would have been 
fine, but he was so happy about it. His 
father said it was okay and he was smiling 
and singing and carrying on...As if he 
actually liked cooking.�

   �Lots of men cook, Akane. Lots of women 
can�t. That�s not really anything to worry 
about.� Yuka asserted as some of her 
stiffness returned.

  Akane sighed. �I wish you were there today, 
Yuka, I might not of blown up like I did...�

   �Um...Akane, honey...there�s no stopping 
you when you blow up,� Sayuri said, � You�re 
like a typhoon, we all just have to board up 
the windows and hope for the best.�

   �I�m not that bad am I?� Akane asked.

   �Yes,� Yuka nodded, �Yes, you are.�

  Akane looked at her friends� earnest faces 
and sighed. �I guess you�re right. I went 
too far this time though.�

   �What did you do?� Yuka asked.

   �I called him a �girly girl� over and 
over. I even made up a haiku. And then later 
on, when he was acting like a cat I wouldn�t 
pet him or even let him walk with me.� Akane 
looked at her hands around the drink can 
sadly.

  Sayuri looked at Yuka. Yuka looked at 
Sayuri. Then the two girls burst into 
laughter.

   �It�s not funny!� Akane protested.

   �Yes it is!� Sayuri laughed.

   �You bet! I wish I HAD been there...just 
to see the look on Ranma�s face!� Yuka 
agreed. �What was the haiku? You HAVE to 
tell us.�

   �Um it was...you�re a girly girl, such a 
girly girly girl, even when you�re male.� 
Akane said smiling a little now.

   �That is SO inspired, Akane. You should 
be a poet!� Yuka quipped.

   �It�s about time you did something about 
that freaky cat problem of his too.� Sayuri 
added.

   �Okay, you guys, I see what you mean, but 
this is really serious! Ranma was really 
hurt by it!�

   �Oh come on, Akane, he can�t have taken 
it serious! Besides, so you used a weakness 
against him, isn�t that just like Anything 
Goes?� Sayuri asked.

   �All joking aside, Akane, Ranma does have 
some major problems,� Yuka said, �On top of 
that, you have the whole fianc�e thing 
hanging over your head...I think maybe what 
you really need is a break. Some time away 
from him to think things over. My family�s 
going to the beach this weekend, maybe you 
could come too. Sayuri is coming of course. 
She practically lives with us as it is!�

   �Hey, there�s nothing to do at my house!� 

   �Yeah yeah, my heart bleeds for you. 
Really.� Yuka waved off Sayuri, �So what do 
you say, Akane? You want to come? You know 
my father deals with this stuff all the time 
anyway.�

   �I don�t need a shrink,� Akane asserted.

   �Don�t be silly,� Yuka said, �EVERYBODY 
needs a shrink.�

   �Heh, well...I�ll think about it.� Akane 
said.

   �Okay. Tomorrow�s a half day, we leave 
right after school. Just let me know by 
then.�

   �Come on Akane! It�ll be fun! You 
probably won�t even SEE Yuka�s dodgy old 
dad.� Sayuri pushed.

  A little girl came in with a satchel and 
set it on the desk. Everyone hurried to 
their desks.

   �Hinako-sensei�s here, you guys... you�re 
not going to tell anybody anything I said 
about Ranma are you?� Akane stage whispered.

   �Oh Akane, it�s going to get out some 
time anyway,� Yuka said, �You can�t control 
rumor.�

   �Yeah and there isn�t anything to worry 
about.� Sayuri added, �I mean, it�s not like 
Ranma�s Nabiki!�

  Akane swallowed, but said nothing.

  Just then a voice came over the school 
intercom. �Tendo Akane, please meet with the 
assistant principal in the main 
office...Tendo Akane, please meet with the 
assistant principal in the main office.�

  Akane gathered her things, bowed to 
Hinako-sensei and left the class. She 
suddenly felt a sickening pang of 
guilt...like she had just stepped in a small 
puppy. As she walked, the feeling festered 
and mutated into a general feeling of 
impending doom. She hadn�t told her friends 
the whole story. She hadn�t really 
understood it all herself. Ranma was having 
trouble with his curse, and despite what her 
friends said, she knew deep down that she 
had messed up big time. 

~~~~~*~~~~~

  Tofu put down the receiver of the black 
radial telephone as Nabiki, the real Nabiki, 
walked unsteadily in the room. �I just 
finished phoning your father and your school. 
Your sister and the rest of your family 
should know the basics of what happened by 
now.�

   �Tell me, Doctor...What exactly are the 
basics of what happened?� Nabiki asked.

   �You got in a car accident...Ranma saved 
your life, and you are both now here at the 
clinic. Is that satisfactory?�

  Nabiki gave a small smile, �That�s fine. 
I�m mostly still trying to get my bearings, 
but I appreciate your discretion. I suppose 
no one�s come by about the bike?�

   �The bike?�

   �My motorcycle. I was driving a 
motorcycle. It�s rather important to me. I�d 
ask about the woman and the baby, but I 
already talked with them in the other room.� 
Nabiki paused as she recalled her 
conversation with them. �You have a lot of 
interesting cases, don�t you Tofu-sensei?�

   �Yes...I�ve gained something of a 
reputation among my colleagues. They�ve 
started to send special cases to me.�

   �So, you ought to be rich by the time you 
marry my sister huh?� Nabiki smirked, �You 
do plan on proposing soon, don�t you?�

   �Yes, w-well, she s-s-says she w-wants to 
w-wait...� Tofu replied, pulling at his 
collar and smiling nervously.

  Nabiki frowned. �I�m going to have to talk 
to her it seems. All she told me this 
morning was that you guys didn�t get 
back...till...late.� Nabiki stopped herself 
and shook her head. When had she talked to 
Kasumi?

   �I�m a little surprised to see you up 
already.� Tofu said, changing the subject. 
�How are you feeling?�

   �My arm aches a bit...and I could really 
use a change of clothes, but otherwise I�m 
fine...I think.� Feeling the cold wetness in 
her underpants, Nabiki wished she could 
emphasize the need to change more without 
risking embarrassment.

   �Here,� Tofu picked up a brown piece of 
clothing and handed it to Nabiki. �It�s just 
some gi pants that got a shrunk a little in 
the wash. You may want to ask Happosai for a 
pair of panties though.� Tofu smiled.

  This was precisely why Nabiki didn�t want 
to have a serious relationship with the man. 
Sure he was a hunk and a doctor, but for 
that comment alone, Nabiki figured Kasumi 
could have him. 

   �Is there something else?� Tofu asked 
still smiling after Nabiki took the pants.

  Nabiki sighed. �I don�t know whether this 
is important...but I thought it best to ask 
you. I�m seeing auras... all the time. I 
used to only be able to do that after an 
intense yoga session and only very faintly 
even then. Now...its very distinct.�

  Tofu nodded slowly his smile disappearing. 
�Nabiki, you were clinically dead for a 
short while there...it�s not unheard of to 
gain a greater psychic affinity after such a 
thing....but there�s something else...isn�t 
there.�

  Nabiki nodded. �Sometimes...my thoughts 
are a little...unclear. It�s like I�m 
thinking two things at once...I think I may 
have gotten some of Ranma�s memories 
somehow...but everything is very vague, so I 
can�t be sure if it�s that or...something 
else.�
	
  Now Tofu could be delivering a eulogy. 
�I�ll have to do some tests. I won�t lie to 
you, there�s a good chance there was 
some...damage, but my guess is it�s as you 
say. No one knows what the soul is exactly 
but we do know that ki has an awful lot to 
do with it. Most memories wouldn�t be 
transferred. Ranma didn�t download into you 
or anything. But certain key moments in his 
life that formed the facet of himself that 
was like you, some memories of things that 
you and he might have done similarly... as 
well as some things that are ingrained into 
his being...�

   �What sort of... things?�

   �It�s hard to say. Off hand I wouldn�t be 
surprised if you picked up some martial arts 
skill. That�s something I saw in all of his 
personalities. You must remember, Nabiki, 
you came very close. Some parts of you may 
be lost entirely...�

  Nabiki took a breath, not bothering to 
hide her fear. 

  Tofu put his hand on her shoulder, �Or 
maybe nothing was lost. All I�m saying is 
that you can�t take things for granted. Just 
be glad you�re alive, and that no one else 
was hurt.�	

  Nabiki looked up and gave Tofu a faint 
smile, �Thank you, Doctor. I don�t like to 
be in debt to anyone, and you�ve already 
helped us out...�

  Tofu lowered his eyes and put a hand up, 
silencing Nabiki, �You owe me nothing. Your 
family... I owe more to your family than I 
can ever repay.�

   �What are you talking about?�

  Tofu had a sad look on his face and for a 
moment he looked much older than his twenty-
five years of age. He stared blankly at a 
wall and said, �The migration...some say it 
never ends...� Looking back to Nabiki he 
smiled softly, �Enjoy yourself, Nabiki. 
Things are going to get a lot worse.�

   �Riiight,� Nabiki said warily as she 
tried to make some sense out of what Tofu 
had just said, �I�m still a little groggy I 
think...Whatever the case, you may have a 
debt to the family, but there are personal 
debts too...All I�m saying is if there�s 
anything I can do for you sometime, I�m your 
girl. And I won�t make you buy me things 
beforehand, I swear.�

   �Heh, I should hope not. My mother still 
talks about that little debacle.� Tofu 
seemed to go to a far away place again for 
awhile but he snapped back to reality with a 
smile. �Get some rest. Don�t try to leave 
though...there�s a young police officer 
who�s very keen on arresting you for some 
reason.�

   �I think I can handle him.� Nabiki smiled 
mischievously. �I�ll wait till my family 
gets here though. Oh...one other thing...a 
friend of mine, Tomo Hoko is feeling ill. 
Her mother is worried about her. It�s 
probably nothing serious, but if you get a 
chance you might call her.�

   �I will. Thank you, Nabiki.�

Nabiki nodded and left Tofu�s office, 
feeling a little better now. Actually she 
felt a lot better, refreshed almost. It was 
as if by surviving that crash she had passed 
some sort of test and now everything was 
going to be okay. 

  She went to the bathroom and changed out 
of her short shorts and underwear and into 
the worn out brown pants. She still wore her 
uniform dress. Looking in the mirror the 
pants under the dress looked almost stylish. 
Almost.

  She had to talk to Ranma. She had to find 
out somehow just how much her was different. 
And why Ranma was able to act so much like 
her that even her own body couldn�t tell the 
difference. Suddenly Nabiki remembered that 
moment earlier that morning when they had 
locked eyes, and instead of thinking of the 
gun...there was something else...

  A feeling of intense rage, of injustice, 
of animal bloodlust. Poised over a fallen 
man in a dingy white gi and deep red gashes 
in his side, five seconds away from 
separating the head from the body and 
perhaps sucking the blood for the protein. 
Knowing that all that needed to be done was 
stand up, regain humanity, but not being 
able to. A young child...far away but close 
enough to hear with heightened senses. Words 
of accusation, raised with a small arm and 
index finger to an older man. �That�s him! 
That�s the man who stole my kitty!� And 
suddenly the only thought is �Not in front 
of the child.� Because childhood is suddenly 
something just as small and far away. And 
then tears, and running no... bounding away. 
On all fours for hours, in the cold, 
bleeding naked from so many small cuts and 
scrapes. Finally collapsing in the arms of 
an elderly woman. Hoping that somehow what 
was done could be undone, that childhood 
could be restored, that all that happened 
could have happened to someone else, 
something else, and slowly... finding the 
strength to forget.

  Nabiki�s eyes went wide and she staggered 
back at the sudden vivid vision. She knew it 
was Ranma�s memory. It had to be. But it 
happened to her all the same. 

  Ranma had demons just as nasty, maybe even 
nastier than her own, and unlike her, he 
kept them tightly locked away for years. 
Nabiki felt the darkness, the cold darkness, 
and she knew what it wanted. 

  It wanted revenge. 

~~~~~*~~~~~

  Shampoo woke up in the grassy bank of the 
canal. For a few moments she didn�t know why 
she was there. And then she remembered.

  It was the Nekoken. 

  Shampoo had learned Ranma�s ultimate 
secret technique, the technique that even 
her great grandmother could not defeat. She 
was now, in effect, the strongest warrior 
not just of her generation, but of the 
entire village. She wouldn�t be jumping for 
glee anytime soon, though. 

  Something stank about it all. It reeked of 
Cologne. She had egged Shampoo on when she 
went after Ranma. When she had come back, 
she was the one who had cursed her. All 
through the time in Nerima, Cologne humored 
Shampoo in her endeavors with Ranma, but 
anything she suggested always ended up 
failing miserably. Furthermore all that time 
she was sticking Ranma in his girl form, 
training him, helping learn new techniques, 
as if Ranma was her newest acolyte, as if 
Ranma was a female warrior. Shampoo�s 
earlier assessment -- that Cologne was 
trying to make Ranma female -- had had one 
major flaw: why bring Shampoo at all if 
that�s what she wanted? 

  Now Shampoo knew. Cologne was at the 
tournament, she would have seen just as 
easily as Shampoo could now that Ranma knew 
the Nekoken. The fluidity with which he 
moved, the sensitivity of his senses, it was 
obvious for anyone who knew the signs. 
Cologne must have read the text concerning 
the technique and found a loophole, a way 
around the strict rules against teaching it, 
as well as a way to make it work for some 
one who wasn�t a child.

  Cologne must have known what the cat 
spring would do to Shampoo. She would have 
known that Shampoo would be attracted to the 
cat within Ranma. That eventually Shampoo 
would either have to force Ranma to have sex 
with her or have sex with another man. Ranma 
would then either be forced to accept the 
marriage or he would completely free of it, 
which would make him that much more likely 
to be lured in with Cologne�s Amazon 
techniques. 

  Shampoo stopped herself. It all seemed 
unbelievable. But why else was the elder 
here? Just to make a mockery of herself and 
Shampoo, failing every attempt to bring back 
Shampoo�s husband? The old hag was many 
things, but she was not a baffoon. And 
unlike Shampoo, she had experience. She had 
to know what she was doing. 

  Shampoo had to accept it. Either 
everything from getting the curse on had 
been meticulously planned out by Cologne, or 
the elder was a terribly strict and 
paradoxically intelligent idiot. The first 
one appealed to cold logic, while second 
seemed ridiculous.

  Cologne had planned it all.

  If Cologne�s plan had worked, it would 
have been perfect for her. She would return 
with two female warriors trained in the 
Nekoken with one, maybe even both, pregnant 
with strong children for the village. She�d 
be set for the rest of her old life.

  And who knows, if it had worked maybe 
Shampoo would have been happy. 

  But it hadn�t. Ranma�s curse changed 
somehow. And Shampoo knew now why she hadn�t 
been able to move on and forget Ranma after 
getting cursed as punishment. She knew why 
her infatuation had grown, mutated, festered 
into an obsession. It was lust. Animal lust. 

  Shampoo shook her head. She loved Ranma. 
Whatever the cause, she knew in her heart 
that was true. 

  The cause WAS important though. Ranma was 
at least partially a cat. That was why she 
had wanted him initially. Even now she 
wanted him like that. To come to her, claws 
outstretched...eyes glowing blue against the 
backlight. She needed it like the worst drug 
imaginable...  

  And that was why she could never be with 
him. Not now that she knew. She spent too 
long resisting those urges to succumb to 
them now. And if she did she�d be doing 
exactly what Cologne wanted her to do. And 
she never wanted to do anything for that hag 
ever again.

  But she couldn�t get away. She was an 
Amazon and as an Amazon she was bound to 
Ranma until either he or Shampoo died. As an 
Amazon she had to respect her elder, and 
follow her orders. As an Amazon she had to 
keep working at the cat caf� alongside a man 
that made her sick for as long as Cologne 
deemed it necessary.

  It was all a lie. All the pride she had 
was unfounded. All the respect she had 
gained an illusion to mollify her and mold 
her into what the elders deemed worthy. All 
that Shampoo had ever wanted was respect. 
But respect was just the carrot used to 
entice her forward. To make her travel 
across China and into Japan to kill the 
person she was growing to respect herself. 
She could have killed Ranma. She came so 
close, but she was not a killer.  There were 
times on the road beaten by monsoon weather 
and grueling hikes through unkempt trails 
that she had wanted to stop, even join the 
red-head and her panda by the fire. But she 
could not. Because of the Amazon law. When 
she got to Japan and Ranma lied to her and 
said he was a girl, something that happened 
all the time with Jusenkyo curses...Shampoo 
could have stayed. Could have tried to be 
friends, but she could not. Because of the 
Amazon law. There was no middle ground. She 
had to either be a wife or a killer, and 
since Ranma didn�t want either she had to go 
back. Cologne cursed her, they went back to 
Japan but things just kept getting worse and 
worse.

  Cologne had stopped teaching Shampoo new 
techniques after she had helped Ranma get 
the Phoenix pill. It was punishment for her 
rebellion against an elder. Just as the cat 
curse was a punishment for Shampoo�s 
inability to kill or capture Ranma. But it 
wasn�t just punishment. Shampoo knew now. 
Cologne knew Shampoo would help Ranma. She 
knew Ranma would use the Nekoken and would 
have to ask for Shampoo�s aid. And right 
after Ranma used the Nekoken, she gave him 
the Phoenix pill. Shampoo�s marriage was 
only a diversion to the woman. She wanted 
the Nekoken. 

  The energy that Shampoo felt as she dug 
her claws into Ranma�s back and the red-head 
became a cat...it was so powerful, so 
intoxicating... That was the beginning of 
the end it so many ways. A part of Shampoo 
had always suspected Cologne was using her, 
but she was an elder, and to disobey an 
elder was one of the highest crimes of the 
Amazons.

  Maybe Shampoo was oversimplifying. Maybe 
she was half-crazed from almost being raped 
by someone she loved because they had the 
mind of a feline. But it seemed so clear now. 
All this time she had taken such pride in 
being an Amazon, but it was being an Amazon 
that kept her from all the things she ever 
wanted.

  Shampoo suddenly felt sick. She wanted 
desperately to find some reason, any reason 
to believe what she was taught all her life. 
She tried to think of the good things, the 
training, the knowledge, the friends, but 
she never had any friends, Japan had so many 
more opportunities for learning, and she 
could train just as well in Japan maybe even 
better with out Cologne forcing her to make 
deliveries. There was Lin Lin and Ran 
Ran...but when was the last time she talked 
to them? Then there was Mousse, blind dumb, 
angry, Mousse. Why was he around in the 
first place?

  Redundancy. As much as she avoided it, if 
she had gotten desperate enough she would 
have gone to Mousse, who at least would 
stick around afterwards, who she at least 
knew. Shampoo fought back bile at the 
thought. That would be Hell. Still, even if 
Mousse was a back up stag, Shampoo would 
miss him. There were times when he wasn�t so 
bad and in a way he was like an extremely 
annoying kid brother...

  Shampoo took a shuddering breath as she 
realized that she had already made her 
decision.

   �Today,� Shampoo swore to the horizon, 
�Shampoo...no longer Amazon.� She reached to 
her side, to the small dagger she always 
kept there. She took a fist of her hair, 
held it over her head, and swiped through it. 
She threw the hair to the ground. It fell in 
a heap of shining purple like some beautiful 
creature now dead. Shampoo stared at it for 
a moment, and then threw her knife into it 
so that it quivered, stuck in the ground. 
�Bie Liao, Great Grandmother,� She sneered 
and headed off to enact a plan still forming 
in her head.

~~~~~*~~~~~

  Kuonji Ukyo sat in Hinako-sensei�s English 
class looking out the window and thinking. 
Hinako was coloring in a Walt-Disney book, 
and eating pocky, while most of the students 
diligently contemplated their American comic 
books. Any learning that went on in the 
class was purely accidental.

  Ukyo was tired and depressed.

  Ranma wasn�t there today. She had seen 
Akane talking to her friends. She seemed 
upset about something. Ukyo halfway 
considered asking the girl what it was, but 
she didn�t really feel like having the 
inevitable battle that would ensue. Just 
before class she was called to the office. 
Ukyo hoped she wouldn�t return for some time.

  She had only four hours of sleep, if that. 
She had spent a large part of her time in 
bed tossing and turning and trying to find 
out some way she could get Ranma to look at 
her as more than a friend...with out risking 
losing him as a friend. The truth of the 
matter was that she was woefully unprepared 
for love in her life right now. For half her 
life she lived as a boy. Planning her 
revenge, preparing her mind and body for her 
next meeting with Ranma and his father. Then 
all of a sudden...pow, love. He called her 
cute. He was still the same little boy she 
played with so long ago, and not at all the 
demon she imagined. 

  This was nothing new now of course. Still, 
she was clueless as to what to do. Before 
coming to Nerima the protocol as she 
understood it was to ask somebody out, see 
if you liked them and go on from there. But 
Ukyo already KNEW she liked Ranma and, being 
his fianc�e already, she was in the two most 
awkward moments in a relationship at the 
same time. She was at her wits end, trying 
anything that came to mind. She found 
herself following Akane�s and Shampoo�s lead, 
alternatively hanging on Ranma and beating 
him up. It wasn�t what she wanted. 

  All she wanted was what they had 
before...everything went wrong. She wanted 
to spar with him in the dojo every morning 
before he taught a class, and then fire up 
the grill so the students wouldn�t leave 
hungry. And then maybe Ranma would help her 
serve people in the restaurant after 
teaching. Maybe they�d challenge each other 
on who could cook the best and fastest 
Okonomiyaki, and of course Ranma would be 
faster, but Ukyou�s would be better and no 
one would really be able to decide. And 
they�d smile and kiss and say playfully 
�I�ll beat you next time!� 

  Sometimes Ukyo envisioned whole days of 
married life with Ranma, sometimes she 
thought of what she�d name the children, of 
what they would teach them. Sometimes she 
imagined old friends visiting. Sometimes she 
envisioned new adventures side by side with 
Ranma against terrible odds. 
Sometimes...sometimes she just thought of 
the glorious sex.

  But never in any of these visions did Ukyo 
ever figure out HOW to get there. Even 
without the other fianc�es it would be 
difficult, but with them...

  The thing Ukyo kept coming back to was 
that she should be patient. That she should 
just try to be the best friend she could be, 
and then things might just progress 
naturally. But it was so hard. Ukyo was so 
worried that if she didn�t do something, she 
would end up with nothing. That time was 
running out...That things weren�t falling 
into place, but falling apart. She hated 
what all this was doing to Ranma. She hated 
what it was doing to her. But she couldn�t 
see anyway around it. Not if she wanted any 
chance of being with the man she loved.

  In short, Ukyo was tired and depressed.

  Looking out of the window forlornly as she 
was, Ukyo was the first to see Shampoo 
running toward the school, sporting an awful 
haircut. She still was rather surprised 
however when Shampoo jumped through the 
window and the wall and into the classroom. 
Then she remembered. �Oh. It�s Shampoo. I 
forgot.�

   �How does she do that!� A student asked 
as the dust settled.

   �Yeah! This is the third floor!� remarked 
another.

   �UKYO!� Shampoo yelled pointing a bonbori 
at the girl in boy�s clothing. �You rival, 
yes? You fight now, yes?�

  Ukyo wasn�t sure what surprised her more, 
that Shampoo was picking a fight with her, 
apparently for the hell of it, or that she 
actually said her name and not �spatula 
girl� or �boy-girl� or �finger licker�

   �Hey!� Ukyo said finally, �you actually 
said my name!�

   �DELINQUENTS!� a figure rose from behind 
the rubble. Her eyes shown with the manic 
glare of one too many candy bars. The 
silhouette quivered with the petulance of 
all the terrible two�s condensed and trapped 
in the body of a ten-year-old. �HAPPO GO-EN 
SA-�

  Ukyo ran for the opening that Shampoo had 
made and made a break for it. The jump 
wasn�t anything for a roof hopper like 
herself. And while she didn�t feel like 
fighting, a fight sounded a whole lot better 
than having her chi sucked out of her. 

  She landed and kept running toward the 
baseball field. Looking behind her, she 
confirmed that Shampoo had followed her out 
of the school. �What do you want?� Ukyo 
yelled back at the purple-headed crazy girl.

   �First we fight, then we talk!� Shampoo 
yelled. �Is important. Find more secret 
place for fight yes?�

  Ukyo slowed down to an even trot sensing 
she was no longer in any immediate danger. 
Shampoo caught up to her quickly. �We�ll go 
to that abandoned lot by the canal okay?�

  Shampoo nodded. �Is good.�

   �What happened to your hair, Sugar? Did 
you get in a fight with Ryoga?�

  Shampoo shook her head. �Pig boy no get 
close if try.�

  Ukyo nodded. Ryoga�s bandannas were easy 
enough to dodge, usually. Even if he did get 
over the �don�t hit girls� shtick that he 
had worse than even Ranma. �Is this about 
Ranchan?� Ukyo asked as she ran at a steady 
pace beside the other girl. 

  Shampoo said nothing for a good minute, 
and then at the bend in the road right 
before the lot she said, �Is about Ranma, 
and no is about Ranma. Shampoo need to think. 
Need to fight too.�

  Another bit of strangeness: Shampoo said 
�Ranma� and not �Airen.� Ukyo had the 
distinct impression that once again, 
something major had happened and she was the 
last to know. �Why can�t you just tell, me 
what�s going on, Shampoo? You better not be 
trying some kind of �kiss of death� crap on 
me.� 

   �No kiss. Is fight between womans, not 
Amazon and outsider.� Shampoo assured and 
jumped over the chain link fence surrounding 
the lot.

  Ukyo followed and  made a cursory glance 
to get a hold on her situation. The lot was 
fairly typical. The grass was long, colored 
a dusty light brown-green, and fell on the 
ground in wispy tufts. There were some large 
stones in the ground and of course that 
meant pebbles. Looking down, Ukyo found that 
the ground still had some muddy patches from 
the rain yesterday. 

  Ukyo smiled. This was going to be fun.

   �We here,� Shampoo declared, �Now we 
fight.� She leaped into the air holding her 
twin bonbori wide while keeping a knee up to 
guard her torso. Ukyo watched her until she 
reached the height of her jump. Shampoo made 
herself into a ball bringing the bonbori to 
her chest and started a forward summersault. 
Ukyo stepped back a few steps.

  Shampoo spun faster, bringing the heads of 
her bonbori crashing down on the head of her 
opponent...only her opponent wasn�t there. 
Ukyo jumped, using Shampoos neck as a 
springboard and twisted in the air tossing 
some twenty spatula shuriken at purple-
haired girl.

  Shampoo had already turned around and 
dodged and batted away the spatulas easily 
then ran and jumped for a flying sidekick, 
hoping to catch Ukyo in the solar plexus. 
�Why you insult Shampoo with dumb spatula 
attack?� She yelled in midair.

  Ukyo took her giant spatula and slammed it 
down on Shampoo�s foot, sending the Chinese 
girl into a tumble. Ukyo then let the 
momentum send the spatula down to the ground 
where it stuck in the mud, almost halfway up 
the flat section. �That�s why,� Ukyo 
explained simply.

  Shampoo rolled into the fall and was back 
on her feet right away, still holding her 
bonbori. Ukyo could see that Shampoo now 
favored her left foot, but she knew it 
wasn�t a major injury. Shampoo nodded 
comprehension. The spatula-shuriken were 
mainly a diversionary tactic used to allow 
Ukyo to grab her larger weapon. Although 
there was always the chance Ukyo�d get lucky.

  Shampoo began to advance again...

  Ukyo focused. She gripped the handle of 
the giant spatula tightly feeling its nature, 
making it one with her body. She cleared her 
mind of all thought. There was only 
Okonomiyaki, and the customer she was to 
serve...

  Shampoo ran towards Ukyo, but her motion 
seemed much slower now. Ukyo sent her ki 
through the spatula into the soft muddy 
ground. First there was the batter...it must 
be the correct consistency or the 
Okonomiyaki would come out flawed. Ukyo 
coaxed the mud into being softer, more 
cohesive. more clay-like...

  Shampoo stepped into a spin, most likely a 
kick followed by a swing of the bonbori, 
Ukyo surmised. The customer would want 
something hard and constricting. Ukyo hefted 
the spatula and the mud stuck like taffy to 
its end. Just as the hook kick passed 
through the air Ukyo�s head occupied only 
moments before, Ukyo brought the taffy-like 
mud in an arc, covering Shampoos arms, torso 
and upper thigh. Just as it made contact the 
mud hardened into rock. Shampoo spun crazily 
and fell down rather jarringly.

  Another satisfied customer. 

  Ukyo smiled. She had been practicing with 
mud as a combat batter for some time now. 
That was the first time she was ever able to 
use it against an opponent in combat though. 
She still preferred real Okonomiyaki batter, 
but one point Ranma had driven home time and 
time again was the need for adaptability. 
Still, she had thought Shampoo would last 
longer than that.

   �Ow!� Shampoo exclaimed, �How Ukyo do 
that?�

   �I trained for years battling the waves 
of the ocean. I can deflect or attract 
anything that has water in it, as long as I 
use my spatula, and I concentrate deeply 
enough.�

  Shampoo nodded sadly. �Ukyo win this time. 
Is only because Shampoo not train serious 
for too too long. Shampoo COULD beat...�

   �Here, Sugar, I�ll let you out of there.� 
Ukyo concentrated and tapped the mass of 
rock around Shampoo with her spatula. The 
rock crumbled away from the Chinese girl. 
Shampoo sat up and rubbed her ankle 
pensively. �Now what is all this about? I 
thought you trained all the time with your 
great grandmother?�

  Shampoo snapped her eyes to Ukyo, and for 
a second, Ukyo wondered if Shampoo was going 
to attack again. Then Shampoo lowered her 
eyes to the ground. �Old Ghoul not train 
Shampoo. Only train Ranma and Pig Boy. Tell 
Shampoo �clean restaurant�, �make delivery� 
Tell Shampoo is punishment. Shampoo obey 
because is Elder and relative. Shampoo fool. 
Shampoo train herself in off times, but no 
is enough.�

  A growing excitement filled Ukyo. Maybe 
she had more of a chance with Ranma! If 
Shampoo was this weak...

   �Shampoo see Ukyo think of Ranma now. Is 
good. Shampoo like Ukyo more than violent 
girl. Ukyo be best match yes?�

  And now Ukyo was confused. �Is this some 
trick of yours? You trying to make me go 
against Akane maybe?�

  Shampoo shook her head. Ukyo had never 
seen the girl so down. �Shampoo have big 
problem with Ranma. Sha-...I...can�t love 
him. No can be Airen.�

   �I don�t understand...I thought your 
rules said you had to be...�

  Shampoo stood up. �I break rules! Shampoo 
no longer Amazon. Shampoo lied to all life, 
just find out. Need to fight to see if true 
what Sh...I think. I need help. I need 
training. I need learn Japanese more better. 
I need job... I need new life.�

   Ukyo couldn�t believe what she was 
hearing! This changed everything! She had a 
chance now! But Ukyo couldn�t be completely 
happy. It was true she�d drop Shampoo in a 
heartbeat if it meant she could be with 
Ranma, but now that she was out of the 
picture...Shampoo and she had always had an 
uneasy friendship of sorts. And now...there 
was still Akane to deal with, but it was as 
if Shampoo practically handed her Ranma! 
Before she even realized it, she found 
herself hugging the former Amazon tightly. 
�Don�t worry, Sugar. This will work out.�

  Shampoo stiffened, but gradually she 
returned the hug. �It long time...You very 
much like mans sometimes, but you strong 
warrior.�

  Ukyo released Shampoo. Ukyo was shocked to 
see moisture on the girl�s cheeks. This was 
serious shit she was getting herself into. 
�Shampoo, honey, I�m going to help you, but 
I need to know why you�re doing this. I mean 
for all I know you could be under some charm 
or something...�

  Shampoo wiped her tears away quickly and 
swallowed. �Old ghoul train, but not in way 
Shampoo think. Shampoo curse very bad. Have 
very much trouble during...blood time...�

   �Oh gods!� Ukyo had never put it 
together...cats go into heat! That would be 
terrible! 

  Shampoo nodded, �Many cats come. I fight 
off. Night after night.� 

   �But...why don�t you just use some of 
that waterproof soap of yours?�

   �Is very rare and expensive.� 

   �Yeah, but wouldn�t Cologne want to keep 
something like that from happening to you? 
She could find a way to get it.�

  Shampoo gritted her teeth. �Hag no care. 
Something happen she say is punishment. She 
here for Ranma.�

   �What do you mean, sugar?�

   �She want Ranma as Amazon. Make good 
babies.� Shampoo�s hands were shaking fists, 
her knuckles bone white. �Today Ranma become 
like cat. Just like other cats. He try 
to...� Shampoo shuddered. 

  Ukyo got the picture. �What did you do?�

   �Shampoo fight off...just like other cats. 
Shampoo become like cat to fight off... Old 
ghoul find way to teach Nekoken.�

  And here Ukyo was starting to think of 
Cologne as a nice old lady who knew martial 
arts. She must of chosen the spring Shampoo 
fell into. She must of planned the whole 
thing! And to her own great granddaughter no 
less! �So that�s why you�re not an Amazon 
anymore.� 

  Shampoo nodded. 

  Ukyo�s eyes drifted to Shampoo�s hair. It 
hung ragged along the nape of the neck. 
Shampoo�s long bangs on either side of her 
face still there. It looked terrible, like 
someone had just hacked through it with a 
knife...It all made dreadful sense now. 
Except for one thing... �What would you have 
done if you beat me?�

  Shampoo made eye contact for a moment and 
then stared off into the distance. �I need 
to train. You strongest womans here I know. 
I hear battle with Ranma much longer than 
Shampoo�s. No believe it before, now do. If 
I beat you, I probably go to someone else. 
Need to know level. Need to find good 
training partner. But even if beat, I still 
ask for help. You have restaurant, no 
delivery. I want see Cat Caf� go bye bye.�

  Ukyo shared an evil smile with her new 
ally. This was getting better and better. 
�What do you plan on doing about Cologne?�

   �First train. Train hard.�

   �Yeah, and then what, Sugar?�

  Shampoo clenched her fists again. Her eyes 
looked dead and risen...filled with cold 
darkness. 

   �After training,� Shampoo said, �I kill.�

~~~~~*~~~~~

  Nabiki found Ranma in the waiting room 
talking to the Yamashitas about their 
peculiar predicament. He was male and he 
sprawled languidly on the couch like seats 
as he talked to the woman in the plain brown 
kimono and her baby/husband. 

  She studied them for awhile from the 
doorway, marveling at how their auras shown 
now. Ranma�s was a deep aqua blue...Mrs. 
Yamashita was a warm yet orderly brown. Her 
baby/husband glowed a dark orange.  As 
distinct as the auras were, Nabiki could 
still see things through them without 
difficulty. The colors were really more of a 
suggestion than a reality. Nabiki returned 
her gaze to Ranma. Notably absent were the 
butterfly earrings he was supposed to be 
wearing...the Thyself Known? Nabiki winced 
mentally. Another Ranma memory. They were 
supposed to keep Ranma from going crazy or 
something.

  At first it seemed to be the same old 
Ranma, his trademark awkward casualness 
readily apparent. But then he started 
talking...
 
   �So, you�re telling me there�s an honest 
to goodness fountain of youth in a cave 
somewhere here in Japan?� Ranma�s grammar 
was definitely better.

   �Yeth.� The baby in the woman�s arms 
nodded, �Ith in Hokaido actually. I had to 
dig thlough a hot thpling to find it. Got a 
little too much on me. Doctol Tofu theemth 
to think he can acthelelate my ag�ing, but 
ith going to be difficult.� Mr. Yamashita, 
having no teeth and a somewhat 
underdeveloped tongue, had a lisp that was 
more of a gurgling wet sound and a 
ridiculously high voice. You could try not 
to laugh, but it was best to get it over 
with early on rather than let it burst out 
all at once. Nabiki had talked with the man 
before, but she still had to smile a bit.

   �But what�s stopping other people from 
falling in?� Ranma asked.

   �My men blew it up aftel 
I...tlang�ed...got youngel I mean. I would 
have liked to thtudy it mole but I didn�t 
have muth thay in the mattel.� The baby 
grimaced.

   �Come now, Ichiro, we wouldn�t want that 
sort of thing to get to the public would 
we?� Mrs. Yamashita chided.

   �Thtop patlonithing me woman! Jutht 
because I look like a baby doethn�t mean you 
can tleat me like one!�

   �Oh� Mrs. Yamashita said matter of factly, 
�I suppose you can feed yourself from now on 
then?�

   �Thatth not what I meant!�
  
   �Ahem.� Nabiki interrupted, smirking from 
the doorway.

   �Hey, Firefly!� Ranma called, �It�s good 
to see you up!�

  Nabiki stiffened. She hadn�t been called 
that for more than a decade... �Ranchan...we 
need to...talk.� The weirdness level just 
refused to go down. Nabiki hadn�t intended 
to say �Ranchan� it just...came out. She saw 
Ranma stiffen in much the same way she had. 

   �Right.� Ranma swallowed. 

  Mrs. Yamashita got up without further 
provocation and bowed to them both, �I�m 
glad to see you�re both well. I will see if 
Tofu sensei is ready for us.�

   �Thank you Yamashita-san� Ranma and 
Nabiki said at the same time. 

  When the Yamashita�s were gone, Nabiki 
waited a minute, and then asked, �The log of 
�a� plus the log of �b� equals what?�

   �The log of �a� times �b?�� Ranma 
answered.

   �That is SO unfair.� Nabiki commented.

  Ranma responded by throwing a punch to 
Nabiki�s midsection...which she easily 
dodged. �No...THAT is unfair.� Ranma 
countered.

  Nabiki sighed. She supposed she�d have to 
concede the point. Ten years of intense 
training and she got most of it in about an 
hour. 

   �This is too damn weird.� Ranma said.

  Nabiki nodded. �I think we need to figure 
out exactly how much we know about each 
other, before we both go nuts.�

   �Um...I know about the gun.� 

   �Yes...and I know you almost killed your 
father.�

   �What? What are you talking about? I 
never...� Nabiki saw Ranma�s aura darken and 
could see he was reliving the whole thing in 
his mind. Ranma�s fists clenched. �Damn. 
SHIT!�

   �Calm down. You didn�t kill him did you? 
You�re not a murderer. So you�re not going 
to kill my little sister either.�

  Ranma looked at the ground for a bit, with 
crazed eyes. �I still want to. I can�t get 
it out of my head. I want to wring her 
neck...tear her to pieces...�

   �It doesn�t look like the relationship is 
working out all that well,� Nabiki noted

   �Heh, yeah you could say that.� Ranma 
leaned back, sighing. �I just wish I could 
stop thinking about her.�

   �Freudian slip there, Ranchan?�

   �Yeah. I think I know what you mean. I 
kind of love her, and I kind of hate her at 
the same time.� Ranma said.

  Nabiki blinked. Ranma said he loved Akane! 
But the way he said it...it wasn�t the kind 
of love that you marry someone over. �I know 
how you feel, believe me.� Nabiki sat down 
on the sofa.

   �I believe it.� Ranma said sitting down 
himself.  �How did you get over it?�

   �I got even.�

   �What do you mean?�

  Before Nabiki knew it she answered him. 
�Any time I felt like killing someone I took 
a piece of paper and listed all the things 
they did to me, and I figured out ways to 
get them back. The trick is planning. The 
more planning you do the better you feel 
afterwards, no matter what it is you 
actually do to the person.�

   �I�ll have to try that.� Ranma smiled 
mischievously. �How did you get even with 
Akane?�

  Nabiki thinned her lips. �The gun pretty 
much did it for me. She was scared to go 
near me for months. I got some satisfaction 
from that I have to say. Still, it mostly 
just made me feel so lousy...�

   �Right.� Ranma smiled slightly, �My 
vote�s for plan B�

   �Speaking of psychotic behavior...aren�t 
you supposed to be wearing those earrings?�

  Ranma�s hand went to his ear reflexively. 
�I don�t know. They just fell out when I 
woke up. I think I�m actually less screwed 
up than I was this morning, believe it or 
not. Maybe I don�t need them any more. I got 
them in my pocket though, just in case.�

   �Have you tried just wearing them around 
your neck or something? Do they have to be 
in your ear?�

  Ranma shook his head, �I haven�t tried, 
but I don�t think that will work. I think 
they need to be in contact with my blood or 
something...Besides it�s not that big a deal. 
I�ve got this weird memory of going to the 
mall by myself to get my ears 
pierced...missing my mother.�

  Nabiki recalled the moment just as Ranma 
mentioned it. Juxtaposed with it was a scene 
of a tournament, of Genma yelling at her 
after she lost a battle and not having 
anyone say it was okay... �What do you 
remember about your mother?� She said 
suddenly. It had been in the back of her 
mind since he had called her Firefly. 

   �You mean growing up? Not much. Just 
recently I remember she used to call me 
Ranchan, just like Ukyo and well, just like 
you did a little while ago. I think I 
thought my name actually WAS Ranchan at one 
time. I don�t know...its all foggy. Is it 
the same with you and Firefly?�

   �Y-yes...�

   �It suits you, you know. When I tried to 
punch you just now, your aura flared up...it 
was bright green. Not like Ryoga�s puke 
green. It�s like you�re sad and happy all at 
the same time.�

   �Well that�s more or less how I feel most 
of the time I suppose. Once you accept the 
fact that the world isn�t going to give you 
exactly what you want, you can start to have 
fun with it.� Nabiki scratched her temple 
and sighed. �My mother...she used to call me 
that. Firefly.�

   �Why?� 

   �Well, there was this one night...It was 
in the summer and Mom and I were watching 
the fireflies from the porch. Akane was just 
a baby then. Kasumi was at a friends 
house...it was just me and Mom.� Nabiki 
glanced at Ranma. Why did she trust him so 
much?

   �So what happened?� Ranma asked.

  Nabiki shook her head free of the 
weirdness and continued her story. �We 
turned all the lights off in the house and 
we just watched the fireflies blinking on 
and off randomly. I remember I caught one 
and showed it to her. She wanted me to 
release it, but I didn�t want to. I wanted 
to keep it forever. Then she said she could 
get a jar and I could put as many as I could 
catch in it and keep it in my room. I was so 
excited, but then she raised her finger and 
said �But if you put them in a jar, they�ll 
die by the next day, and you won�t ever see 
them again.�

   � I was maybe three at the time, I 
couldn�t have known what she was talking 
about. But somehow I understood what she 
said and I let the firefly go. She hugged me 
then and asked why I wanted to keep the 
firefly. �Because it glows pretty� I said or 
something similar. 

   ��And you�d like to glow pretty too 
wouldn�t you?� she asked. I giggled and said 
yes. She went inside the house and came out 
with a flashlight. �I bet with this you�ll 
be the prettiest little firefly there is.� 
she said. And she told me to try talking to 
them and had me run out among them with the 
flashlight flicking it on and off at them. 

   �I was pretty sure Mom was joking and I 
got tired of it pretty quick. I sat down on 
the step next to mom just thinking about 
fireflies and if maybe I should get a jar 
after all. I was flicking the flashlight on 
and off out of boredom for awhile and then 
my Mom says �LOOK!� I didn�t see anything. I 
turned the flashlight on to see what she was 
talking about and I swear every single 
firefly glowed. I turned off the flashlight 
to see them better and they stopped. 

   �I kept turning the flashlight on and off 
and the kept glowing with the flashlight for 
almost five minutes before I tried leaving 
the light on and they went back to their own 
rhythms. It was like they were dancing with 
me or something...I don�t know to this day 
whether I actually made them blink like that 
or if it was some odd fluke. I was never 
able to make it happen again.�

   �Wow. So maybe you WERE talking to them 
huh?� Ranma enthused.

   �Sometimes I like to think I was,� Nabiki 
said still halfway in another time in place. 
�Other times I like to think that it was 
just something beautiful that happened for 
no reason. Either way I never forgot it. 
Sometimes I think some part of me is still 
shining flashlights at the fireflies, trying 
to get them to dance.�

  They were both silent for awhile. Nabiki 
couldn�t believe she had just told all of 
that...to Ranma! But he had already been in 
her head. He had already gone through all 
her defenses. And...it felt good. 

   �Nabiki?� Ranma�s deep blue eyes asked 
her.

   �What is it, Ranma?� Nabiki breathed.

  And suddenly she and Ranma were kissing. 
Nabiki was kissing Saotome Ranma!

  Her arms drifted up and down Ranma�s back 
over the hard muscles under the silk Chinese 
shirt. Ranma�s hands slid up her thigh, 
found her rear and squeezed. Nabiki moaned, 
breaking there kiss...Then suddenly her eyes 
went wide. She pushed Ranma away and sat 
slumped in her seat, her face flushed. �This 
can�t be happening...� she muttered.

   �Nabiki, I�ve never felt like this for 
anyone before. I�m sorry...I don�t know what 
came over me...�

  And suddenly Nabiki and Ranma were kissing 
again. Their tongues were battling each 
other...their hands went all over each 
others bodies. Soon Nabiki was on top of 
Ranma on the couch, her hands unconsciously 
trying to take the black t-shirt off of 
Ranma...

   �Ahem.�

  Nabiki jumped off Ranma and looked up, 
startled at the man standing above them.

  It was Officer 542, aka Kawagami Hiro. 

   �Ma�am, this is a public place. Please 
show some decorum.� Officer Kawagami said 
coldly. He shoved some papers under Nabiki�s 
nose. �You owe the city of Tokyo 55,682,842 
yen. Your driver�s license is revoked until 
the hearing which will be in three weeks. 
Have a nice day.� 

  Nabiki took the papers dumbly and Kawagami 
turned around and left the room. His aura 
betrayed his crisp manner though. Nabiki 
wondered how someone she didn�t even know 
all that well could be so jealous of her.

  Nabiki looked at the papers. �This is not 
good.� She was guilty of everything on the 
paper. The fine would put the Tendo family 
back in the red...and it was all her fault!

  Ranma�s arm went around her shoulder. �You 
don�t have to worry, Firefly, you�ve got me 
working for you now.� 

  Nabiki nodded. She didn�t completely like 
this feeling of not being in control, but 
there was something nice about it. 
Comforting. She leaned into Ranma, grabbing 
his hand with hers. �I don�t know how this 
is going to turn out, Ranchan. Something 
tells me this isn�t going to last...but 
right now I don�t care. Just...if you�re 
going to go insane again could you give me a 
few days?�

  Ranma was silent for a while. �Nabiki, 
it�s not over... Tofu called it a migration 
and at first I laughed at him...but now...I 
can feel it more. It�s like I�m not in the 
right place within myself, like things are 
shifting into place. But I know right now 
that at least this part of me wants to be 
with you. And that isn�t going to change.�

  Nabiki almost started kissing Ranma again. 
But she turned her head back away before it 
happened. �Still...we need to take things 
slow. If something unforeseen happens we 
might need to stop...�
  
   �So, casual sex is out of the question?� 
Ranma quipped.

  Nabiki smirked. �Now I KNOW that was me 
just then. There is no way you could have 
ever put �sex� and �casual� in the same 
sentence before.�

   �You�d be surprised...� Ranma said 
looking away.

  Nabiki nudged Ranma in the ribs. �You�re 
being enigmatic, stop it!�

  Ranma turned and smiled tiredly at Nabiki. 
�I tried to seduce doctor Tofu.�

   �Oh...you too huh? That man is one sexy 
bastard.�

  Ranma hugged Nabiki closer. �Heh one thing 
for sure, I�m definitely moving the 
engagement to you. I know neither of us 
wants an engagement, but I think we can keep 
our fathers from doing anything too stupid. 
Much better than I could with Akane anyway.�

   �Okay, Ranma, but just for the record, I 
don�t like it, and if this is some kind of 
spell and we both wake up, you�re going to 
owe me big time...� Nabiki smiled, �I just 
thought of something.�

   �What?�

   �Moving the engagement to me would be the 
perfect revenge to have on Akane.�

  Ranma slapped his fist against the palm of 
his other hand. �That�s right! The bitch�ll 
blow a gasket! And if she thinks I�ll let 
her hit me with a mallet when I�m not even 
engaged to her...�

  Nabiki put a finger to Ranma�s mouth. 
�Down, boy. Remember, she�s my little sister. 
You�re angry with her right now. That�s okay. 
We�ll get her back. She deserves it. But 
we�re not going to kill her... We�re just 
going to make her dance.�

~~~~~[END]~~~~~

It gets weirder.

Thanks go to Aondehafka and Edward, for the 
help, as well as to Me, whoever Me is.

Any mistakes are my own.

If you see any, let me know.

Feedback greatly appreciated.




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