Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ War Games ( Chapter 25 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

"Mister Tendo?" Ukyo said in surprise as she met Soun on the way to the dojo, "What are you doing here?"

"Just returning from the market," Soun said cheerfully, as always in his brown gi, which appeared to be his only garment, as far as Ukyo could determine without asking into personal details, "Out enjoying a stroll in the bright sun, the fresh air. It's good to be alive on a day like this, don't you agree?"

"Uh, sure," Ukyo said non-committally as she fell into stride with the taller man, "I guess so…"

"Come now," Soun said cheerfully, "A good looking young man such as yourself should view a day like this as a promising adventure. Just look at that sunset! There must be a thousand reasons for enjoying a moment such as this."

"Maybe I would," Ukyo sighed, "If I was with the right person…"

Soun eyed what he took to be a long-haired boy with sympathy before responding, "Haven't found the right girl for you yet, I take it? Well, don't worry, there's lots of time to find that certain someone who will give your life whatever meaning you may think it lacks, just be patient."

"Whatever," Ukyo said, "Uh…you wouldn't happen to know if Ranma's at your place right now, would you, Tendo-san?"

"I'm afraid Ranma is off on a training mission with his father," Soun said, "But he'll be back in a few days and I'm sure you two will have lots to talk about when he gets back."

"Oh," Ukyo replied, "Would you…happen to know where they went to get their training?"

"A little spot in the woods beyond the limits of town," Soun replied, "It's right in the foothills over that way, a place that has lots of happy memories for when Genma and I used to go for our own training missions together."

"Really?" Ukyo said with interest, "Then…um…what about Nabiki? Is your daughter around? I wanted to ask her something…it's kind of personal…"

Soun gave the boy a wary glance, "You're not thinking of trying anything with her while Ranma is away?"

"Huh?" Ukyo blinked, "What makes you say that?"

"I don't mind if Nabiki has other friends," Soun said a bit sternly, "But I would take it very unkindly if anyone else besides Ranma were to make…improper advances. You will forgive my saying so, but a good looking boy like you…"

"Oh…" Ukyo said nervously, "Well…you don't need to worry about that, Sir. I've no designs on Nabiki…we're just friends is all, besides…I wouldn't do something like that to Ranma."

The latter was said with a slightly depressed note, but Soun took it positively and beamed, "That's good to hear, but I'm afraid Nabiki is with Ranma right now helping maintain camp for Ranma and his father."

"She is?" Ukyo said in some surprise, "I didn't know she was an outdoor person. Forgive me for saying so, but she didn't strike me as the type."

"All the better for her to learn then," Soun smiled as they came up to the gates of his home, eyes misting a little as he said, "My daughter's been too much into herself since her mother died. It's good to get out in the world and have adventures while you're still young. Why, when I was a young man the world seemed like my oyster! I had lots of women courting me back then, almost literally throwing themselves at my feet…"

"Funny," a voice called out from above their heads, "That's not how I remember it."

Soun and Ukyo looked up to see a figure perched atop the gate with her legs dangling into space. At first glance Ukyo thought the woman was Shampoo, but when the stranger leaped down to alight beside them she knew at once that this was an entirely different person.

"C-C-Comb?" Soun took a step backwards as he stared at the tall woman with purple colored hair that had been done up in a very different style than the warrior Odangos that were always present with Shampoo. She was also about nine centimeters taller and had more mature, hardened features that-while youthful in appearance-conveyed that her age was well beyond her twenties.

She smiled at Soun and said, "Nihao, Tendo-san. Long time no see…and who is your friend here?"

"Ah…" Ukyo recovered herself and bowed slightly, "Kuonji Ukyo…I'm a friend of Saotome Ranma."

"A friend of Saotome's boy?" the woman replied with a curious examination of Ukyo that dressed her up and down before nodding faintly, "What kind of friend is that?"

"Comb," Soun said more forcefully, "It is…good to see you again…it has been so long. Your daughter much resembles you at her age…"

"So I've been told," the purple haired woman with crimson eyes replied, then bowed to Ukyo and said, "I am Ko-Hom of the Joketsuzoku, tribal healer and mother to one whom I believe you already have met, Xian-Pu…"

"I've met Shampoo," Ukyo said, "You look very much like her, but I was wondering…you don't share the same family name?"

"Amazons don't follow the usual Chinese tradition of passing along family names," Comb replied, "It's one of our quaint customs. Are you one of those who claims friendship with my daughter?"

"Uh…not exactly, no," Ukyo said honestly, "But we're not enemies either…"

"Indeed, that is good," Comb replied, "You seem a nice enough young…man…the sort who would raise a lot of eyebrows back in our village."

"You said you were a healer," Soun said in puzzlement, not catching Ukyo's uneasy wince at that last statement, "Have you given up your warrior status?"

"A long time ago, I'm afraid," Comb replied, "Not long after I returned to China. It's quite a long story, and I'm sure you'd much rather hear it in the security of your own household."

"Just so," Soun turned and opened the gates wide, then indicated the other two should follow, "I must say that your Japanese is excellent, much improved from when we were last together."

"I've made a point to broaden my education," Comb replied as she followed the man in, giving a sidelong glance towards Ukyo before smiling, "No sense repeating the mistakes of the past by being less than fully observant. I must say that you have grown more handsome with the years, Tendo-san…"

"Not at all," Soun smiled, "You flatter me…"

His tone suddenly drifted off as the sounds of a flute being played caught his attention. Ukyo heard the strangely melancholy-sweet trill emanating from the house and wondered who was playing with such surpassing skill, but when she turned to ask Soun she was shocked to see him grow pale as if seeing a ghost, or something even more disturbing.

"Did I forget to mention that I didn't come alone to Japan?" Comb remarked with a knowing smirk, "There is someone else here who is very anxious to see you again."

"It can't be…" Soun whispered before picking up the pace again, almost running into his house as Ukyo looked on in surprise, then reluctantly followed.

Inside she found Soun standing stock still at the sliding partition leading to the family dining area. There were two women sitting on the back porch, framed against the garden, one being Kasumi, who sat politely with her legs folded under her listening to the other woman's playing. The woman holding the long flute in both hands was deeply into the harmony of the beautiful song that she was playing and did not seem to notice that she had a new audience in attendance, but when she finished her song she turned at last with a smile and looked right in Soun's direction.

"Nihao," she purred in a friendly voice, but her eyes were bright with emotion.

"Father?" Kasumi looked up at him with a puzzled expression of her own, "These two women say that they know you. Father…why does she look so much like our late mother?"

"Silk?" Soun gasped, and then did what any ordinary man might do in his place and fainted, giving Ukyo barely sufficient time to catch him…

Nabiki's Journal Continues:

Bight and early the next morning (and by that I mean so damned early that I needed toothpicks to pry my eyes open) Lotion had us lined up in a row sitting down in a clearing while she started up her lecture on military strategy, which had Ranma more alert than either me or Shampoo.

"Consider the basics behind any martial art," she said gravely, "The goal is to stay alive by use of any and all means at your disposal. Your school is titled 'Anything Goes,' or 'Indiscriminate Grappling,' a fair description of an art where victory is sought by stressing ends before means, rather than vice versa."

"Yeah, so?" Ranma asked, "I know it don't sound very honorable, but Pop always said that staying alive's the most important part of any martial art…"

"Indeed," Lotion replied, "And I do not dispute this, but for the purposes of this lecture we will concentrate on methods and let the goals take care of themselves. Shampoo, you will demonstrate for me."

"Hai," Shampoo stood up and took a spot in the clearing a couple meters from us, turning to face us in an easy stance that conveyed that she was ready.

"Observe the following combat styles and tell me what you make of them," Lotion said, "Beginning with the basic Horse stance common to all martial arts."

She nodded and Shampoo at once fell into a "Riding Horse" crouch with hands tucked up at her sides in the "inverted-fist" position that I had learned when I was still a child. Somehow the Amazon seemed to become completely motionless and projected a solid air as if becoming a statue.

"Now," Lotion resumed, "From this position perform the 'Claws of the Dragon.'"

Shampoo went into motion forming her hands into raking talons as she swept the air with several swift motions while retaining her perfect broad-hipped crouch, continuing to stare straight ahead with an intensely focused expression.

"Now," Lotion said, "Shift from Dragon to Tiger."

Shampoo broke her stance and began to move with cat-like grace and perfect precision, raking the air with her fingers as though savaging an invisible opponent.

"From Tiger to Leopard," Lotion ordered.

Now Shampoo's motions became incredibly graceful, and she moved from one foot to the other as if gliding through tall grace with a svelte ease that was superhuman. Her hands were now more tightly closed with the palms used instead of the fingers to demolish the foes that were only there in principle, and her speed was incredible as she reverted from one kata to the other.

"Leopard to Snake," Lotion hissed, and this time Shampoo shifted with even greater speed and suppleness, flowing almost bonelessly from stance and attack to counter-offensive with an ease that left me utterly breathless.

"Snake to Crane!" Lotion barked, and now the shift in styles was more complete as Shampoo began a series of bird-like motions that involved a lot of complicated stances, moving even faster than before while remaining in perfect harmony and balance.

"Crane to Ascending Eagle!" Lotion snapped, and for the first time I saw Shampoo hesitate and look towards the Elder uncertainly before attempting a high jump with arms extended like the wings of an Eagle.

"Hold it!" Ranma jumped to his feet, "That isn't how you do it!"

"You wish to demonstrate for yourself, boy?" Lotion smiled at him while Shampoo alighted, looking somewhat curious and only slightly out of breath as she turned to regard Ranma.

Ranma met the old woman's stare and said, "Ascending Eagle's part of the Saotome School…Shampoo doesn't know that one because she's only seem me do it once."

"Then perhaps you might care to give us a correct demonstration of the technique?" Lotion smiled, inclining with her staff that Shampoo sit down and Ranma take her place in the clearing.

I glanced to see that Shampoo was hardly winded at all by her frantic display of technique, but that she was covered in a light sheen of perspiration that was like the morning dew at this early (and quite chilly) hour of the morning. She flashed a smile at me then turned her full attention towards Ranma, who dominated the scene by his very presence and made us both feel the tension that was created by his slow, even breaths and intense focus. I think we both regretted that he was not bare-chested so that we could enjoy the full sight of his powerful frame, but I know we must have shared a moment of admiration that somehow the three of us were in some fundamental sense connected.

Without warning Ranma launched into a series of hand-motions that were followed by the rapid movement of his arms, then he stood on one leg and performed a kata, more like a stretching-out exercise, limbering his joints as he rocked from one heal to the other, then all at once he exploded into motion.

I heard Shampoo's gasp and I must have done likewise, for Ranma was suddenly airborne, soaring high to near tree-top level, his arms at his sides in the same fashion Shampoo had attempted, and with a fluidity that I simply cannot put into words he came down again with hands extended like the claws of a bird of prey. He struck the ground and flowed instantly into motion, going from one form of attack to the other, flawlessly executing a spin that picked him off the ground once more, then landing again with the grace of a falcon.

"Well done," Lotion said as if she, too, had appreciated his performance, "The Ascending Eagle, foremost battle technique of the Saotome Ryu. A sincere pleasure to see it performed again, and far more expertly than when I saw it executed by your father."

"You know Pop that well?" Ranma sounded surprised.

"We…touched briefly in the same circles," Lotion said somewhat evasively, "I thought, at the time, that he was an exceptional fighter, whatever other qualities he may have lacked. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say that you have improved upon your father and will no doubt surpass him one day."

"Well…yeah, I sure hope so," Ranma said modestly, though I could tell that this praise had inflated his already considerable ego regarding his talents by about two sizes.

"Perhaps you might also care to share the spotlight with Shampoo here," Lotion turned to me and said, "Your turn will come in another minute, dear, so be patient."

"Uh, yeah," I murmured, wondering what I was even doing here next to a pair of fighters with this level of prowess.

"Shampoo," Lotion nodded, then waved her staff and said, "Give her a little room there, boy. No reason you can't both share the spotlight."

Ranma followed her advise, then stood next to Shampoo at about two or three meters distance, looking awkward and nervous when she smiled his way before turning her attention forward at the old woman's direction.

"Combat is more than about fighting," Lotion said, "It is a way of life, a means of survival. The body moves in accordance to the natural hum and flow of battle. Two opponents engage in a fierce competition to see which of them will be the victor. Sometimes the price of being second best is humility, and sometimes it is death, but in all situations and circumstances there is a fundamental way of viewing the matter in which victory goes not to the stronger but the more clever fighter. Observe and understand."

I had the oddest feeling she was directing her speech not just at me but at Ranma and Shampoo themselves, even if she was looking in my direction to make it seem like I was the one being coached here.

"Since time immemorial people have fought each other over one silly thing or the other," Lotion began, "Over time some people learned that there was an art to combat, a way of harmonizing with the spirit of battle to gain invincibility through movement or rhythm. That is the essential of the martial arts. However, when it comes to war itself there is strength and there is strategy. Some favor one over the other, but in combination they weave into a tapestry. Observe as these two perform together in ritual combat." She pitched her voice as she said, "Face each other, salute and fight!"

Ranma looked surprised, but Shampoo was quick to take advantage of his surprise, turning and making an arm motion like a salutation, then launching her attack before Ranma had completely recovered. Shampoo nearly clipped him with a series of punch-kick combinations that were delivered with devastating efficiency and would have probably knocked an ordinary fighter senseless within seconds.

Even though he was initially on the defensive, however, Ranma did recover from the initial onslaught of Shampoo's attack. Having neatly dodged her punches and kicks, he began to weave in and out of the way of her assault, always just centimeters away from her connecting with his chin or chest as he kept an even distance between them. He did not counter-attack, even though I'm sure he had plenty of openings that he could have taken. Some might have been false lures left by Shampoo in order to trick him, but Ranma had already shown that he was the superior fighter, so if he had fought aggressively he no doubt could have beaten her in the space of one minute.

Lotion called a halt after two or three minutes of Shampoo chasing Ranma all around the clearing and told them to take their place near the center again before turning to me and saying, "What do you make of that performance?"

I was surprised to be asked, but I've always been good at pop quizzes, so I said, "Shampoo was the attacker, Ranma was on the defensive. It's pretty much the same as every fight I've seen them get into, except maybe that one time…" I softly amended, thinking of the occasion when Shampoo had been attacking me and Ranma defended by knocking the bonbori out of her hand, effectively sealing their engagement.

"And was this the same strategy that you used when you faced Shampoo in Joketsuzoku, boy?" Lotion asked.

"Well…no," Ranma rubbed the back of his head with his fingers, "But that was different…"

"How so?" Lotion asked, "Shampoo described the occasion to me. She attacked, you ducked under her assault then kicked her off of the log with the same spinning motion."

"Ah…well, that log didn't give me much room to fight on," Ranma shrugged, "And I thought…you know…that I could knock her off without hurting her. I don't like to fight girls…it's just not manly."

"Hmph," Shampoo gave him a sour look, "You think you is better than when is girl? You no treat Amazon as equal. You no fight like that with Ryoga."

"Well, no," Ranma said, "But Ryoga's tough, he can take a punch and dish it out…"

"You think Shampoo fragile like China?" Shampoo turned to him with an indignant look, then stomped her foot and marched off from the center of the clearing. We watched her go a few meters, then reach down and pick up a rock the size of a bowling ball, returning a moment later, standing right before Ranma and locked her gaze with him. She hefted up the rock in both hands then-to our horror-smashed it against her forehead. It broke into several pieces, falling at her feet as Shampoo never batted an eyelash, then said simply, "You understand now? Shampoo no weak girl. You no treat like she bruise easy."

"You've made your point, child," Lotion said while Ranma stood there with his mouth hanging open, "Go sit next to your other Airen while I talk to the boy concerning this attitude of his regarding us 'weak' women."

Shampoo came and sat down next to me while Lotion began to speak to Ranma in a low tone of voice that did not carry all the way to us. I looked in concern as Shampoo winced a little, then said, "Ow," as she felt her forehead.

"Are you all right?" I asked as I leaned closer, afraid that she had split her skull with that fool stunt of hers.

"Shampoo no try that in a year," Shampoo winced, then smiled at me, "Is no serious, Nabiki. Bakusai Tenketsu teach more than how to break stone, it also teach how to harden body so no take injury. I see attack coming I know to harden area of head so rock break but no Shampoo. Still hurt a little," she winced, "Need more practice."

I'd heard of martial artists who could break bricks with the forehead so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, but it still appalled me that this girl would risk herself like that just to make a point with Ranma.

"Your turn," Lotion's voice called out, startling me as I had been about to ask Shampoo another question, only to see the old woman looking at me as if expecting my compliance, so naturally I got up off the log and came over to join her and Ranma.

"We'll keep this simple as you are a relative beginner," she said matter-of-factly, "Ranma will help out, so I expect you both to go slowly and listen carefully to my instructions. First stand and salute each other, then Nabiki take a step forward and try to punch your iinazuke."

"Oh yeah," I laughed, knowing full well that Ranma could break my arms off if he were the sort of guy who was into beating up on women. Ranma nodded to me to attack him, so I moved forward, throwing the sort of punch that I had barely mastered only days before beginning this training mission. I expected him to counter it easy, or to flow out of the way like he always had in the past.

To my astonishment Ranma blocked my punch and counter-attacked, moving slowly to give me plenty of time to see it coming. I know he meant to pull it short of connecting, but I was so surprised at seeing his fist coming right at me that I reacted without thinking.

The arm I had extended in a right-fist punch suddenly twisted as if it had a life of it's own and wound up around his blocking arm, and then my other hand shot ought and caught his arm by the wrist as I took a step backwards and to the side. It was Ranma's turn to be surprised as I yanked him off-balance, throwing him over onto his back while I moved in for a kick aimed at his chest…a motion I barely halted in time to avoid connecting!

I was just flat-out stunned at what I had just done. I know that Ranma wasn't expecting me to take his punch too seriously, and he couldn't have meant it in earnest or I'd never have seen it coming, but to throw him like I had done was just impossible! I'd never done anything like that in any of our practice sessions!

Ranma, of course, was not hurt by his fall, and he had no trouble getting back to his feet, but he was looking at me as if I had just grown five inches or something. I was simply unable to comprehend what I had done, and the only one who did not seem surprised was Lotion herself who was smiling and nodding as sagely as the Buddha.

Shampoo had come to investigate, and it was plain that she had not expected me to throw the great and powerful Saotome Ranma. She looked me up and down before turning a questioning look towards Lotion, who finally relented in letting us absorb the bloody obvious and said, "Now you understand…the most powerful fighter in the world can be felled by an amateur if he allows it to happen. Underestimating a foe can be fatal in a real battle. I trust you will remember that in the future?"

Ranma blew a faint laugh and said, "Yeah…you can count on it."

"How did I do that?" I asked very softly, turning a hard look at Lotion that warned her against giving me an evasive answer.

"You did it because your mind processed the data, analyzed how he moves and calculated a response based on your relative positions and body motions," Lotion replied, "You will never surpass him as a fighter, child, but you can match him and beat him by using his own strength against him. That, too, is all part of being a Lore Master. Remember this well, it could save your life in the future."

I stood there staring at the old woman, and then I think that was the point where I my knees turned to jelly and Shampoo caught me as I fainted…

"Hello, Ryoga? Where are you?" Akane called out as she searched around the area of their camp for the perpetually lost boy. She was afraid that he might have gone too far beyond the radius of any identifying markers. She knew by now what that could mean in terms of how long until she next saw him again and it was frightening her as she knew he was heartset on winning his promised battle against Ryoga.

She found Ryoga after only a moment of searching, but she was shocked to discover that he was presently tied about in a rope dangling from a high branch in a tree, and facing him was a huge boulder tied up with another rope dangling from the same branch. Ryoga was bound up in the ropes with only one arm extended, and his hand wound up in cloth so that a single index finger projected forward. Ryoga was staring at the rock intently while Cologne gave it a push with her staff, then stood back to watch as it came speeding towards Ryoga.

Akane was about to cry out when she saw that it would do nothing, and Ryoga smashed into the rock full-bodied and bounced off of it, looking stunned. Cologne just shook her head and said, "Ryoga, if you cannot master this, the simplest of Amazon techniques, then you can never hope to defeat Ranma!"

Ryoga shook his head and seemed to slough off his momentary daze, then growled, "I'll get it, old lady! Just give me a moment and we'll try it again."

"You have to concentrate, child," Cologne said with emphasis, "Feel the point with your mind, not with your eyes! Feel it and you can strike the Breaking Point to shatter the boulder! The power is within you, but you have to let go of everything else and let your instincts guide your finger!"

"I'm trying, old woman!" Ryoga growled, "But this isn't exactly easy…"

"It would help if you freed your mind of everything but the goal itself," Cologne said in a voice that strained at patience, "Holding on to other things is only going to confuse your senses and make it difficult to feel your way to the breaking point…"

"I am concentrating!" Ryoga said, "My mind is only filled with one thing-getting my revenge upon Ranma!"

"Is that so?" Cologne asked, turning the boulder around with its staff so that Akane could plainly view the punched-in letters written in kanji: "A-K-A-N-E."

Akane could not suppress a gasp, which same she was certain the old woman must have heard, but Ryoga was too embarrassed to pay attention and just laughed nervously before saying, "Ah…maybe I could work a little harder on it…"

"Don't work at all, it defeats the purpose," Cologne said, "Try and relax and allow your mind to empty. It should be simple enough for you to manifest without effort."

"Har-har," Ryoga snarled, then sighed, "Let's try it again, and this time I'll feel that breaking point if it kills me."

"Let's not go that far at this time, shall we?" Cologne asked while pretending not to notice Akane sneaking away back to camp. She pushed the boulder back and said, "Remember to allow the feeling to come to you on its own, and this time…empty your thoughts completely."

Ryoga prepared himself as the boulder rushed up at him. Cologne winced at the inevitable collision, knowing full well that with each new strike the boy was growing stronger and developing the toughness he would require to use the Breaking Point effectively.

"Young love," she sighed wearily, "You can have it…"

"Father, are you all right?" asked Kasumi, the first thing Soun was conscious of as he regained consciousness, aware that he was laying on his futon with a cold compress over his head.

"Kasumi," he murmured aloud, "What a relief! It was only just a nightmare…"

"You should be so lucky."

Soun sat bolt upright, then wished he had not. He turned to see Comb standing to one side of his bed looking down at him with some concern evident in her crimson eyes. He looked around reflexively but the other woman was no where to be seen.

"Where…?" he started to say when Comb answered for him, "She's in the kitchen making herbal tea. She thought it might help you get over the shock of your reunion."

Soun felt slightly miserable for his behavior, but he sighed and said, "How…why have the two of you returned to Nerima? I thought you swore you were never coming back here…"

"Well, I say a lot of things," Comb shrugged, "Sometimes I even live to regret them. My daughter takes after me like that, and in a lot of ways, or so I'm often told…not that I've had much chance to discover this first hand," she grumbled in under tone.

"Why is that?" he asked, "Shampoo seems like a perfectly fine young girl. I thought you'd be proud of the way that she's turned out. If anything she has reminded me of you every day since her first arrival."

"Is that why you never mentioned me to any of your children?" Comb asked, "Or Silk either for that matter?"

"Ah…well…" Soun shrugged helplessly and did not meet the Amazon's hard stare.

"Same old Soun," Comb remarked, "You never could face your problems directly, you always have to hide behind the fact that you're more a man than a warrior. I should have expected no better, but I had hoped that age had matured you."

"Why do you address my father like that?" Kasumi asked curiously, "If you are old friends…"

"In a manner of speaking," Soun replied, turning to look at his oldest child with an almost pleading expression, "Please understand, Kasumi, this all happened long before you were born. Some of it even happened…before I first met your mother. You wonder why the other woman resembles her so much…well, the truth is, I don't have an answer for that either."

"A jest of the Gods, no doubt," Comb remarked, "We used to kid each other about how Kimiko and Silk were twin sisters separated at birth, even thought there's zero chance that such a thing could have happened."

"Then you knew my mother?" Kasumi asked with an almost hopeful look.

"Yes," Comb smiled, "I knew her…even liked her a little. She had very good manners, and what a temper when you got on her bad side," she shook her head, "She could fight adequately, but her real strengths lay elsewhere. In a way I learned a lot from her, and when I…gave up my warrior status and began my training as a healer I sometimes thought of her and what she taught me about life…"

"<My, such flowery praise for my former rival,>" said Silk as she came into the room with a tray in her hands, "<And here I'd never guess you for such a sentimentalist.>"

"<Oh shut up,>" Comb growled back, "<The child deserves to know what sort of woman her mother was. Even you liked Kimiko sometimes, though your pride won't let you admit it.>"

"<Just as you tolerated Nodoka?>" Silk smiled as she sat down and set the tray before Soun, which contained more than just tea as she had somehow managed to cook up a good meal including ramen and ricecakes.

Comb's lovely face twitched a little before she replied, "<Let's not include her in this talk about old times, shall we? I'd rather keep this meeting civil…>"

"<Excuse me,>" Kasumi said politely, "<My father can't speak Mandarin, so I think it would be more polite if you spoke in Japanese since you both seem very fluent in our language.>"

Both Amazons turned to look at her with mutually non-plussed expressions, but Silk recovered first and said, "Of course you are right. We were just…discussing a personal jest between old companions. You understand, of course?"

"Of course," Kasumi smiled, "My sisters make jokes like that all the time between themselves. I know it's only natural between good friends."

Comb shook her head and murmured, "<If I hadn't heard it with my own ears…>"

Silk nudged her with her elbow and gave Comb a cross look, then smiled and said, "I'm sorry if our return has caused you any distress, Soun-chan, it was not our intent to disturb the harmony of your house."

"Quite all right," Soun said somewhat uneasily, looking the other woman over with uneasy familiarity, "It…is good to see you again after all of these years. I…hoped you were doing well…back in your homeland, that is."

"Of course," Silk said with a somewhat awkward pause before adding, "And I have wished the same. Your wife…I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make any difference now, but…I never really disliked her…" she glanced sourly at her companion, who had snorted derisively at that, so she shifted to Chinese again and said, "<And like you were any great fan of Nodoka?>"

"So," Soun said as the purple haired woman fumed a little, "Where are you two staying presently, and how long have you been back in Nerima?"

"We just arrived," Comb replied, "We'd heard rumors about my daughter, and then Silk's grandmother disappeared, and there were more rumors about a Lore Master…"

"Curious stories that we felt needed investigating," Silk elaborated, "And with the Matriarch also said to be involved…well, we thought if anyone might have a clue about what was going on around here it would be you and that fat-headed fool you used to hang around with…"

"<Hey!>" Comb reacted in protest.

"You mean Uncle Saotome?" Kasumi asked innocently, "He's off training Ranma and my sister, Nabiki, and Shampoo is with them, along with my other sister, Akane."

"Is he now?" Comb frowned, "His son…Ranma? The son of Nodoka?"

"And with your younger sisters no less," Silk remarked with a thoughtful expression, "Are they both warriors in training?"

"Akane is…perhaps," Kasumi lamely amended, "I'm not sure about Nabiki, but Elder Lotion seems to think my sister is something called a Lore Master, and she's engaged to Saotome Ranma, only I think Shampoo is also engaged to them both…it really is all quite confusing," she added with a pleasant little smile that suggested that she found it more of a source of amusement than confounding.

Silk and Comb exchanged glances, then the latter said, "A Lore Master? You're sure of this?"

"Elder Lotion seems to be," Kasumi replied, "I'm not so certain about Nabiki. She's doing the best she can to adjust but I can tell she's having a hard time coming to terms with all of these changes in her life..."

"<If what the child says is true…>" Comb began, but Silk made a motion that bid her to silence.

"<It would explain a great deal,>" Silk agreed tersely, then smiled at Kasumi and said, "This is all very interesting, child. Perhaps we'll wait around for the others to return so that we can question them directly."

"Then you have some place in mind to stay?" Soun asked with an odd reluctance in his expression.

"Father," Kasumi said brightly, "Why don't we let them stay here a few days? With everyone else gone off on training it would be nice to have someone to talk to in the afternoon, and your friends obviously would like to catch up on old times with you. I would very much enjoy hearing about the days when you and Uncle were in training together."

Soun had a look almost of panic while Comb looked pale. The only one who seemed perfectly calm about the idea was Silk, who smiled and said, "We wouldn't want to be a burden, child…"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Kasumi replied, "I know if Elder Cologne were here she would put you up in her restaurant, but since she also seems to be on a holiday…"

"<Grandmother…in a restaurant?>" Comb said in plain disbelief.

"<This gets better and better, doesn't it?>" Silk replied, then smiled, "Soun-san, it has been many years, and I know it must be awkward having people drop in on you like this…"

"Oh, not at all," Soun replied, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt, "If anything…I'm used to it by now…"

"Then it's settled," Kasumi beamed happily, rising to her feet before adding, "I'm glad your friends will be staying over, father. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to straighten out the kitchen."

"I didn't make a mess," Silk assured her.

"She's very tidy," Comb agreed, "Keeping house is something she's good at."

Silk gave her companion another sour look before murmuring, "<Says the one who couldn't keep house if her life depended on it. If it weren't for your husband you'd have drowned in your own…>"

"Ladies, please," Soun tried to stave off what he could sense from sheer tone to be a nasty altercation.

"I'm sure you've a very good housekeeper," Kasumi said as she left the room, "But the kitchen is my responsibility, and I do like to see to all the details myself."

Once she was safely out of earshot Comb shook her head and said, "<Definitely nothing like Amaguriken. They may look and sound a lot alike but she's nothing like your daughter.>"

"<But they are sisters nonetheless,>" Silk said with a soft sigh, "<If only my Ama were half as polite as that one…>"

Unable to follow their exchanges, Soun's mind instead registered a nagging sensation that something was missing, which prompted him to ask, "Where is Kuonji Ukyo? Did he go home while I was out?"

"Your little friend with the chestnut hair?" Comb asked, "She left some time ago saying something about looking for this Ranma…"

"She?" Soun blinked.

"Did I say 'She?'" Comb amended with a faint smile, ignoring the hard look Silk paid her, "Silly me, I must have made an error. My Japanese has improved somewhat from the old days, but I do make mistakes from time to time…"

"<If that statement isn't loaded…>" Silk rolled her eyes without finishing the sentence.

"Kuonji went looking for Ranma?" Soun frowned, "Doesn't that boy know that it's impolite to interrupt someone during a training mission? Kids these days, no respect for tradition."

"Right," Silk said primly, "Not like us, of course. We always behaved perfectly, with decorum."

"Decorum?" Comb raised both eyebrows, then heaved a sigh as she glanced towards the ceiling, thinking that either her Japanese really was badly impaired or that word meant something akin to panic, fear, utter madness and confusion…all typical elements of a day in Nerima…

Continued

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