Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Reliving the Past ( Chapter 27 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Silk found herself awakening to a pleasant sense of warm and familiar environs, and it took a few moments after beginning to regain consciousness for her to recall exactly why that was. She was in Japan, not China, and the floor she was sleeping upon was the wooden paneling of the dojo, and the padding was a tami mat on top of a futon, a manner of bedroll that she had not used in a great many years. There was nothing like it in China, therefore…

She rolled over slightly, seeing the familiar walls of a Japanese dojo, and not just any dojo…HIS! It was not a dream or a flashback, and that shrine at one end, the sacred words of the Musabetsu-kakuto, or Anything Goes school…all of it meant one thing…she was back in Nerima!

"Took you long enough to wake up," a familiar voice spoke to her in Japanese.

Silk turned to see the profile of her longtime friend and companion. Comb sat by the door to the dojo looking thoughtful as she stared out into the garden of the Tendo estate. Comb was dressed in her silk pajamas and was barefoot, and the expression that she wore was not a warrior's stern visage. If anything she looked unusually pensive.

"How long have you been awake?" Silk asked, choosing Japanese as Comb had clearly decided to speak in the language of the country.

"A few hours," Comb sighed, "In truth I barely slept at all. It's hard to get past the fact that my daughter could be arriving home at any time…"

"There's also Genma," Silk noted, and took small pleasure in the fact that she saw her friend's face twitch slightly.

"What about him?" Comb asked, "You think I'm that sentimental? I'm more concerned to find out about this son of his who has the Jusenkyo curse and has seduced my daughter."

"Well," Silk sat upright, "That's a first. Taking an interest in what Shampoo does, and after all this time of allowing your grandmother to make all the important decisions…"

Comb shot her a savage look and said, "Don't. Don't you dare try and upbraid me about my daughter! You know the bargain I made with the Matriarch, the only terms she would accept to release me from my Warrior vows. You think it was easy for me to do what you did when you took up the teachings of your grandmother? I had to fight for every inch of the freedom I now enjoy, and if it were possible I would fight for Shampoo's freedom too. Besides…you're hardly in a position to talk, considering how your daughter turned out."

"My," Silk remarked, "Aren't we touchy this morning? Get up on the wrong side of the futon?"

Comb was about to shoot an angry retort her way when they were surprised by a pleasant voice hailing them gently. They turned to see Kasumi approaching with a tray in hand and a beatific smile upon her lovely features.

"Good morning," she said to them as she set the tray down and then bowed to them in polite greeting, "I trust you both slept well last night? Father was concerned that you might be having trouble because of the time difference…"

"A bit of jet-lag, yes," Silk smiled, "Thank you very much for asking, dear. What a polite young lady you are, and so thoughtful."

"<Thoughtful but scary, >" Comb murmured in Chinese, forgetting that the girl before her understood the language.

"<Why is that, honored mother of my friend? >" Kasumi asked.

"Ah…never mind," Comb said, reverting back to Japanese, "It's just that you…remind us so much of your late mother, isn't that right, Silk?"

"More in manners than in looks," Silk replied, "You are a girl she could be very proud of were she here to say so herself. Indeed…any mother would be proud to claim you for her child," her tone sounded a bit wistful.

"Oh my, that's very nice of you to say, but it could not possibly be true," Kasumi said with an honestly modest expression, "Your own daughter must be someone you're very proud of, or else why did you come all this way looking for her?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Comb remarked, but Silk ignored her.

"We were wondering, child," Silk murmured softly, giving Comb a sly smile before continuing, "Would you happen to know if Saotome Nodoka is still around? We'd like to look her up, just for old time's sake, isn't that right, Comb-chan?"

Comb looked ready to say something nasty but held her peace as Kasumi said, "Oh my, I don't believe I even know. It has been so many years since I last saw Auntie Nodoka…I'm certain that Uncle Genma has yet to even mention her since his return from China."

"Really?" Silk replied with an arched eyebrow, "Isn't that interesting…"

Comb looked at her sharply, "You don't think…?"

"I would try not to, if I could help it," Silk replied, "But thoughts fly easily to conclusions that may as yet prove unfounded. My senses caution me that Nodoka is not yet with her ancestors, but neither is she present in Nerima. I'm very sure that I would sense her nearness."

Kasumi hesitated a moment while Comb pondered this message before voicing her next thought as she said softly, "Forgive me for asking this…but your daughter…what is she like?"

Both of the older women turned questioning looks her way before Silk finally managed to say, "Ah…she's very much like you, child, at least there is a strong resemblance between you, just as I seem to have resembled your mother somewhat…"

"I wonder why?" Comb sniffed, but Silk chose to ignore the interruption.

"Is she a great warrior, like Shampoo?" Kasumi asked in honest curiosity.

"My daughter is formidable fighter, yes," Silk replied, "But she follows a different path from the Warrior Arts. She was found, at an early age, to contain great spiritual power and was trained to be a hunter of all things dark and forbidden. She is a Devil Hunter, you see, a protector of humanity who combats supernatural threats that sometimes threaten our village. At least that has been her duty for the past several seasons, only…a few weeks ago she disappeared without warning."

"Why do you suppose she did that?" Kasumi asked, "Didn't she leave you a message to tell you where she was going?"

"She did," Comb replied, "Which is why we're here."

"It was only a terse message," Silk replied, "Didn't really make much sense at the time, something about seeking her own shadow, although she used a word that in our language means a 'fetch" or Doppelganger. She also said something about seeking out the source of her origins, and it was only later that we deduced that she meant to come here to Nerima."

"We?" Comb sniffed, "You were the one who had that hunch a few days ago, and then you got me all worked up by mentioning my daughter."

"It's wasn't precisely a hunch, per se," Silk waved a hand in a vague gesture, "More like a feeling that came along with a dream that predicted that Ka-Chu would appear near this dojo, and that Shampoo was somehow involved. As soon as we knew that we figured that it had to do something with the business that has drawn our Matriarch and my grandmother to this place, a converging of destinies, if you will, which is why we boarded the first vehicle passing near to our village and then caught a flight from China to here. I only hope that we have arrived in time before Ka-Chu herself reaches Nerima."

"Why is that?" Kasumi asked.

Comb snorted before answering, "Because Amaguriken tends to make a loud and splashy entrance everywhere she goes, not unlike Shampoo. If she was in Nerima, you can bet you'd hear about it."

"Well, there hasn't been any word about anyone who resembles me," Kasumi smiled, "But it would be nice to meet her. I'm not sure why, but I have the oddest feeling that we should know each other on sight."

"That's putting it mildly," Comb blew on a strand of purple hair that fell across her face.

"I'm certain that she is coming this way," Silk mused, "If anything I believe that this dojo is serving like a magnet, figuring prominently in her dreams and visions."

"Oh my," Kasumi blinked, "And why is that?"

"Ah…" Silk said evasively, "It's…where I knew your-ah-her father…"

"<Good one,>" Comb snorted, "<Real subtle, like in the Missionary Biblical sense.>"

"<Be quiet,>" Silk said tiredly, "I met her father some time before I knew him, but this is almost the very spot where Ka-Chu was conceived," she patted the mat beside her, "I loved her father very much, but…we chose not to marry, and I wanted to have some part of him to bring home with me, you see…"

"Like a souvenir of your adventures?" Kasumi asked innocently, causing both women to stare at her in stark disbelief.

"<She can't be serious,>" Comb murmured.

"<I sense that she is,>" Silk replied, "<No one is that good an actress.>"

"Oh my," Kasumi said as if a new thought had occurred to her, "If your daughter may be coming to this dojo, then I suppose I should make preparations for another guest. We do have spare futons, and I assume that she won't mind sleeping with you in the dojo, and this will give me the chance to try out some new recipes for Chinese dishes that I've been reading up on…"

"What a sweet child you are," Silk smiled, "So kind and thoughtful…"

"<It's scary,>" Comb remarked in undertone, earning a dour look from her childhood companion.

"By the way," Kasumi indicated the tray she had brought with her, "I thought I'd try one of those recipes out. I hope you like it, it's Shampoo's favorite breakfast."

"My…daughter told you what she likes?" Comb replied as she accepted one of the two bowls of steaming hot noodles that had a pleasing aroma of fish broth that made her almost feel like weeping like a man.

"Oh my," Silk said in genuine pleasure as she used her chopsticks to sample a bite-full, "This does taste like one of Shampoo's recipes, one she must have learned from your grandmother."

"<Very scary,> Comb whispered to herself as she finished chewing and swallowing her noodles, then in a tone of wonder she said, "It's delicious."

"Thank you," Kasumi said brightly before standing up again, "I'll come back for the bowls later. I've got to tend to the laundry and finish breakfast for father. I'd love to talk with you some more about your daughters. Shampoo is a wonderful person, and I'd really like to meet this Ka-Chu. Maybe after I get through straightening up inside you can tell me more about her."

As the chestnut haired girl left them to themselves, humming a happy tune that seemed to make everything look brighter in the day, she was unaware of the stares she was receiving from the two Amazons. Comb was the first to snap out of her daze and stare at the food she was holding, then murmur faintly, "<And it's not even toxic! >"

"<Maybe you were right about them being exchanged in their cradles,>" Silk remarked, "<No way can that be the daughter of Tsukino Kimiko!>"

"<I don't mind telling you…this is freaking me out,>" Comb replied, "<She's so nice and polite, it's almost inhuman!">

"<Perhaps there is more here than meets the eye,>" Silk smiled, "<This trip was definitely not so wasted as you feared. I must say that things are occurring all around us, and I for one am eager to see what happens next in this unfolding drama. >"

"<You may want to see it,>" Comb snorted, "<But if more surprises like this are in store for us, then I, for one, think we ought to be on the next flight back to China, at least while my nerves are still intact.>"

"Suit yourself," Silk replied, shifting back to Japanese, "But if you leave before the fun really starts you'll never get the chance to tell Genma of your undying affection, and without Nodoka around to distract him…well…" she grinned, "You get the picture."

Comb glared at her companion and silently reminded herself that it was bad Jos to kill one's best friend over such a trivial matter as Saotome Genma. Still her thoughts returned once more to Shampoo and what she must be going through at that moment courting the son of Genma and wondered why, all those years ago, she had ever given custody of her firstborn child to Cologne. As parental moves went it looked as sound to her as throwing her daughter into the springs of Jusenkyo. With her family's kind of luck it could just have well been Nannichuan, although the idea of Shampoo turning into a man was patently silly.

"And what do you plan to do?" she asked in low-voiced reply, "Seduce Soun under the same roof as Kimiko's daughters?"

"I'm sure that she never intended for him to live alone for the rest of his years," Silk replied pleasantly, "He's still young, and I'm sure her spirit will understand if I take up her burden."

Comb spared a moment of pity for Soun Tendo. Silk may have been as smooth as her name, but when it came to predatory instincts she was as tenacious as a ferret. She only wished that she were as certain about her own desires in these matters, or that she could have spoken with her husband once again to reassure him of her devotion. She wasn't sure how she would react to the sight of Genma after all these years, but knowing the way he behaved he was probably still bald, a lot fatter and just as stupid.

For the life of her she could not understand why merely thinking that was making her feel like butterflies were crawling in her belly. Probably nausea, she decided, and resolved to brew a stomach remedy for it after breakfast…

"Oh man," Ranma groaned, feeling the ache of the numerous wasp stingers still embedded in his skin, which thankfully were not as many as there had been the day before, "I'm gonna kill Pop one of these days, him and his stupid ideas for training…"

Ranma fell silent as a sound suddenly caught his attention, the sound of metal clanking against metal in a staccato rhythm that unmistakably signified combat. He quickened his pace and hurried back to camp as best he was able for all his soreness, only to find a battle royal had indeed broken out in his absence.

To his considerable amazement he saw Ukyo and Shampoo go at it, spatula to bonbori, clashing in a duel that looked more savage than any mere practice session. To one side was his father and the old woman, each sizing the two combatants up with professional scrutiny, while Nabiki sat on a log and watched the whole thing with wide-eyed attentiveness.

Ranma stood where he was and watched the exchanges between his childhood friend and the Amazon for several minutes, seeing the two fight to a virtual standoff before separating to size each other up from a distance of a few meters. As they slowly started to circle, looking for fresh openings in their respective defenses, Shampoo said in casual appraisal, "You fight well for outsider. You think you good enough for Airen?"

"Well enough," Ukyo replied while casually twirling her baker's peel as though it were a more conventional staff or broad-axe, "I've been training all my life, Sugar, in my family's combat style, and a little I've picked here and there in my travels."

"So you say, Spatula…" Shampoo caught herself, suddenly spotting Ranma as he came into her line of sight while they circled, and she hastily amended her next words, "Boy…but you no good enough to take Shampoo if you no fight with weapons."

"Boy?" Ukyo hesitated for a fraction of an instant as the Amazon suddenly darted in for an attack, catching Ukyo by surprise as she had not been prepared for the furious onslaught of those metal spheres attacking at near-Amaguriken speed, and within two seconds she disarmed Ukyo, sending her spatula tumbling out of her hands. As chance would have it the thing flew by Ranma, who snatched it out of the air one-handed.

"Hey, be careful with this thing," Ranma said, "You might have hurt somebody."

"Ranchan?" Ukyo whirled around, momentarily forgetting about her opponent.

"Shampoo's right," Ranma said as he approached his old friend, "Fighting with a weapon ain't necessarily the best way to train. I hope you also trained in unarmed combat or somebody like her could demolish you…and what's the idea anyway, picking a fight with one of my girlfriends?"

"One of your…?" Ukyo blinked while Nabiki looked non-plussed and Shampoo started to glow a little.

"I'm just kidding," Ranma clapped Ukyo on the arm and gave her a comradely smile, "But Shampoo's an Amazon and she's got these rules you ought to know about. If she beats you, she may wind up being your fiancée."

"My…fiancée?" Ukyo repeated blankly.

"Hey, it's better than when I first met her," Ranma continued, oblivious to the various looks he was getting from everyone present, "I wasn't even a guy at the time and I thought she was going to kill me. That's how it is, you know…if you're a girl she has to kill you, if you're a guy you have to get married."

"Oh," Shampoo suddenly spoke up, "But this only practice! No count if outsider girl…or boy spar with Shampoo. It same as when fight other Amazon, no count like official challenge by outsider."

"This is true, you know," Lotion said casually, "The rule only does apply in matters of challenge. It would be very hard to train warriors if they were always taking it so serious all of the time, and at Festivals we'd wind up losing more than half of them! This was just a friendly match and does not count as an actual challenge."

"The boy does have a point, though, Ukyo," Genma remarked, "I hope you've trained as hard in unarmed combat styles as you have with kitchen utensils."

"Shut up, old man," Ukyo snarled, "The last thing I need is to hear from you."

"Ah, you can beat up on him later," Ranma said dismissively, "Tell you what, why don't you spar with me for a bit without the weapons. I'll go easy on you so you won't get injured."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ukyo frowned, "You think I'm weak?"

"No, I never said that," Ranma fell into a fighting crouch, having tossed the baker's peel to one side as he forgot about his wasp stings, feeling the excitement of a challenge, "But suppose we find out? We never did finish that match we had in the schoolyard."

"Shampoo recall you winning," the Amazon sniffed, but turned her back on the pair and marched over to sit down next to Nabiki, her bonbori mysteriously vanishing mid-way to her second Airen.

Ranma wondered what was eating her, then decided that the last thing he needed was to distract himself trying to figure out women. Instead he concentrated his focus upon Ukyo, who was also assuming a fighting crouch, and the two of them began to circle as they looked for an opening. Ranma studied his opponent's posture and the shifting glide of the okonomiyaki chef's steps, then made a casual remark, "Shotokan Karate, am I right?"

"Yeah," Ukyo replied, "And a little bit of Kempo, which I started studying after the way you used to humiliate me in our fights."

"You're not going to let me up on that, are you?" Ranma smiled, feeling the old spark of childhood mischief take over as he felt nostalgia for those carefree, happy days.

"Not on your life!" Ukyo grinned before launching into an all-out offensive of punches and kicks that showed a masterful ability to blend the styles they had mentioned.

While they fought Nabiki gave Ukyo a studied look, then glanced at her companion and said, "You did know that there was never any danger of you fighting her and gaining a new Airen…or was it the kiss of death you were thinking about?"

"Shampoo no know what you talking about," Shampoo replied in a totally unconvincing tone of voice, but then she smiled and said, "Thought did cross Shampoo's mind that maybe she tease Spatula Girl if Shampoo lose, not that she think it likely."

"She is good," Nabiki said, watching Ranma spar with the disguised girl-chef, "But you're obviously better."

"Obvious," Shampoo sniffed, "Shampoo know some Amazons no mind she girl, they fight just to date her."

"I guess she would be quite a catch," Nabiki sniffed, remembering vividly how she had been taken in by Ukyo's androgynous good looks.

"Shampoo think she have more than enough Airen," Shampoo said after another long moment of mutual silence, "No need one more to make family, and Spatula Girl seem like Airen more than she like Shampoo or Nabiki."

"I think you're right about that," Nabiki agreed, "Three's enough of a crowd, but what do we do if Ukyo decides she likes Ranma enough to press her claim on him?"

Shampoo was unusually thoughtful as she chewed that one over, then softly said, "Then maybe she need find somebody else she like more."

"You have anyone in mind?" Nabiki asked.

"No," Shampoo replied, "But maybe we find somebody who like girl who dress like boy and fight like Amazon. Is much like you find boy you think good enough to maybe take Shampoo away from Airen."

Nabiki made a point to look up at the treetops and quietly sweat that part in silence, thinking privately to herself that she would probably never hear the end of that little escapade from her companion.

"Far be it from me to advise you two on your business," said Lotion as she appeared at their side and gently inserted herself into their conversation, "I would not be so quick to dismiss Kuonji-san as you two seem to be doing. Look again at what you see before you. Is there something of importance in this fight that the two of you may be missing?"

Both girls did as the Elder suggested and truly watched the match going on between Ranma and Ukyo. After a few moments Shampoo said, "Airen play with Spatula Girl, he no press her to win fight."

"Yeah," Nabiki agreed, "I've been wondering about that. Ranma isn't going all out, or he could have taken her by now, but it's not because of his usual reluctance about hitting women, either."

"So much for stating the obvious," Lotion sighed, "Now do you notice anything else that might be worthy of your mutual attention?"

"How you mean, Elder?" Shampoo frowned in puzzlement, the looked to Nabiki to see if she had a clue, only to catch the studied glance in her companion as Nabiki truly began to pay attention to the way Ranma was behaving around his former childhood companion.

"He looks…happy," she said in quiet dismay, now at last seeing what the old woman had wanted them both to see, as Ranma was all but chasing Ukyo around in an elaborate game of tag, keeping just a step behind her while avoiding closing the distance. The punches and kicks they did exchange, while powerful and precisely aimed, did not really connect with any genuine force as Ukyo was allowed to dart away in the end, clearly enjoying herself no less than was Ranma.

"You are witnessing a friendship rekindled," Lotion said, "This is a side of your fiancé that neither one of you has ever seen before. This is something that has been missing from his life, something he has not even known that he was missing, and can either of you hazard a guess what that is?"

Shampoo swallowed, not wanting to say aloud the thought that was crossing her mind unbidden, that Ranma looked happy because he had found a companion he could treat almost as an equal, someone who was not competing against him like herself or Ryoga but who was matching him for style and giving him the companionship he desperately longed for. Thinking this her hands reached down to grip the bark of the log that they were sitting upon and tear loose huge handfuls without even noticing that she had done so.

Nabiki was startled by the sound this made, but she, too, was noticing the way Ranma was carrying on with his former "best-buddy," and it was causing her to feel a surge of intense jealousy that he could open up with the chef as he would not open up around her, for all the quiet, understated feelings they had sometimes shared between them. Lotion was right, Ranma was playing with Ukyo as if the two were a couple of children rough housing like old times. Ukyo was just skilled enough to give Ranma a good chase but not fast enough to trigger his strong competitive streak and it was close to being torture just watching them get along like that. She felt an irrational desire to shout out the truth, to expose Ukyo for what she was, to lash out at them both in her feelings of betrayal and exclusion…

She stopped herself with considerable effort, taking a deep breath and saying, "Kuonji is a dead woman if she tries to take advantage of him like this…"

"Xi Fang Gao?" Shampoo asked softly.

"Not yet," Nabiki replied, but with less insistence than before, taking another deep breath before saying, "Ranma doesn't know she's a girl, he doesn't realize what he's doing, thinks he's just playing with a friend and can't be blamed for the fact that she's really his fiancée, like us."

"Nonetheless," Lotion said softly, "You both still want to punish him. And yet ask yourselves who is truly at fault here? Who chose not to tell Ranma the truth about Kuonji? You both have your reasons, but was it fair to exclude him from your initial decision?"

That made Nabiki quiet for several seconds, then she replied, "It wouldn't have been fair to Ranma making him know the real reason why Ukyo was after him. He'd feel responsible for her, and he might even want to do something about it."

"Yet it is his choice to make, you must admit," Lotion murmured, "How do you suppose he will feel when he finds out that you two have been keeping this secret from him? He might be angry with Kuonji-san, but he trusts the both of you, to a certain mixed degree. Who then is the real betrayer?"

Nabiki was sweating that one out as Shampoo turned to the old woman and said, "Elder, what about Shampoo right to keep Airen from other woman? Amazon no let outsider girl have way with husband…"

"And yet you made this exception with Nabiki," Lotion nodded to the Tendo girl, "Is it so far-fetched that you might at least consider making another?"

"What are you saying, Lotion-san?" Nabiki asked, "You think we ought to include Ukyo into our marriage? It's going to be a hard enough time selling the idea of Shampoo and me to my father, but adding one more without consulting Ranma…"

"Yes," Lotion sighed, "As you say it would take some effort. I would not advise you here to go one way or the other on this matter, simply to think carefully about your options. At present you hold one advantage over your prospective rival: she fears the boy's reaction to the truth, fears that he will consider her silence betrayal. As incredible as it might seem to you, he is being faithful in his heart to you both and would not understand your sudden resentment of his friend. He does not think himself to be the one in error, and from his perspective he is entirely correct. Therefore Kuonji might be amenable to persuasion should you suggest an alternative to pursuing her engagement."

"But sooner or later he's got to know the truth," Nabiki said, "I mean…how can he not know if he can pick up her fighting style at a glance? Can't he see from the way she moves that she's different?"

"To see is one thing," Lotion replied, "But to accept what you see without bias…that takes some effort. No doubt on some level the boy is troubled by nagging doubt and uncertainty caused by those little things he cannot help but notice, but he will continue to ignore these discrepancies and put them out of his mind as of no consequence since they would get in the way of his simple enjoyment of friendship. He wants desperately to know at least one warrior who thinks well of him and is not out to punish him for the sins of his father."

Nabiki subsided as she continued to think that one over, then said, "I guess I…should have given him more of the benefit of the doubt. I know Ranma cares for me…for us…and he wouldn't be cheating in front of our faces like that unless he had some kind of a death wish."

"Or he just very stupid," Shampoo added.

"That too," Nabiki nodded.

"You both are still quite young," Lotion remarked, "And the young tend to be somewhat obsessive. It is natural to feel encroached by an attractive woman courting the affections of your man, however indirectly. As for being less than fully observant, well…you are still in training as a Lore Master. It will be some time before you learn to accept the hidden messages your mind is telling you on a subconscious level, before you learn to trust your intuition and accept the truth when you see it. You must learn to think with your heart as well as hour head. That, too, is one of the valuable lessons I would share with you at such time as I judge that you are ready."

"Shampoo still think she pound Spatula Girl who take advantage of Airen," Shampoo sighed, "But no think it make any difference. Ranma like pervert girl because he treat like friend. Shampoo no have friend who play with her like that, no even Cousin or girl who betray her."

"And who is that?" Nabiki asked, wondering if they were even discussing someone who was still among the living, "This Ambergris you mentioned…?"

"Ambergris very powerful fighter," Shampoo said, "Use Naginata as weapon, approach Shampoo one year ago when she still grieving for…somebody she know who important."

Nabiki sensed that the one not being named had deep significance for her companion, which both intrigued and piqued her interest, but rather than pry she merely urged her to continue.

Shampoo took a deep sigh before resuming, "Ambergris girl who very smart, learn much from other girls by challenging them to combat. She study girl's technique before learn how to master it, so when they fight she already have advantage. She try same thing with Shampoo, only she no attack right away. Shampoo strongest girl in age group, already good reputation as fighter, she think she need more time to learn, so she pretend to be friend and make Shampoo relax a little. We train together, do things we no do with other girls, no even cousin. Cousin…Perfume…she no trust other girl, think she try get Shampoo off guard, warn Shampoo, but she no listen. Then Ambergris challenge Shampoo and she see at last that Ambergris only become friend to betray her."

"So what happened?" Nabiki asked, sensing a pensive sadness from the Amazon's expression.

Shampoo looked away as she answered, "Shampoo decide teach Ambergris lesson. We fight, but she no say anything, just stare hard at girl who betray trust, make her very nervous, start to lose edge as Ambergris see Shampoo control her anger. She become very careless, leave opening, and Shampoo take advantage with sword…" she paused, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes as the memory resurfaced with full potency in spite of a year having elapsed.

"Did you…" Nabiki hesitated before completing her question, "Kill her?"

Shampoo looked at her in surprise, then glanced away and said, "No kill girl who betray her. Shampoo no kill…no take easy way to punish girl. Shampoo instead give Ambergris cut along side of face…right here," she indicated her right cheek, "Deep enough to leave scar, then walk away and leave her. Ambergris leave village shortly after this and no hear from again. Shampoo sometime wonder what happen to her, if she still alive or maybe come looking for revenge against Shampoo."

"You scarred her," Nabiki said, "But you didn't kill her…in spite of the fact you know that she'll probably want to come after you again?"

Shampoo looked at Nabiki, then shot a nervous glance towards Lotion before looking out at the continuing battle between Ranma and Ukyo and sighed, "Perfume ask Shampoo same question, want to go after Amber and make certain she no return, but Shampoo forbid it, make cousin promise she no hunt down girl who betray trust. Perfume no like Ambergris, they always rivals. Shampoo no want to be excuse for one killing the other, no sure it no be cousin."

"There's no shame in admitting to the truth, child," Lotion gently murmured, "Tell her the rest of the matter. Your Great Grandmother may not know, but your wife deserves to know the truth that you have been hiding."

"What truth?" Nabiki looked from the old woman to Shampoo in confusion, "What have you been hiding?"

The Amazon heaved a sigh once again then said, "Shampoo no kill…never kill before, no find she want kill even when she angry. Shampoo try to kill Ranma when he girl…no find it easy, and no just because he very good fighter. Shampoo was faster than Ranma, much faster before he learn Amaguriken, and she many times come close to killing Ranma, always stop at last instant, or miss Ranma when she have easy target. Sometime miss by very small margin, other time miss by mile, and Shampoo never miss. You remember moment when Shampoo learn truth about Ranma?"

Nabiki slowly nodded, recalling vividly the look in Ranma's eyes when he had stumbled in girl form with Shampoo hovering over him about to deliver a crushing bonbori blow, only to hesitate at the last instant.

"Shampoo know she no can kill Ranma," Shampoo reply, "Same as when she think you betray trust and she mad enough to kill you. Shampoo so close, have no trouble breaking neck of Sneaky Girl…but Shampoo no can kill, even if she hurt from being deceived like she was in village."

"So…" Nabiki felt her mouth suddenly go dry, but she swallowed the dry lump forming there and said, "It wasn't just because you found out that you were in love with Ranma?"

The Amazon shook her head affirmatively, "Shampoo know she truly care for Ranma, no can hurt Ranma, even if she girl that law say she must kill. Why you think Great Grandmother so angry that she curse Shampoo at Jusenkyo? Think maybe have animal nature make Shampoo more aggressive, gain instinct for killing. It no work like that, of course, Shampoo still no want kill even Stupid Rose Girl for bothering Ranma. Maybe only kill if forced to, but no by choice…" she sighed, "This very bad for warrior of Joketsuzoku. Many enemies no stop unless kill. Shampoo think maybe she get angry enough she hurt enemy very bad, but no can kill them."

"You have too much of your mother in you, child," Lotion averred, "She made the same discovery long ago, before she even met your father. That's why she decided to give up her warrior vows and devote herself to her talent as a healer…"

"And why she promised Cologne her first born child as a substitute?" Nabiki said as she turned a hard stare at the older woman.

Shampoo looked at her sharply, "What you say, Nabiki?"

"That's it, isn't it?" Nabiki asked the Elder, ignoring her Amazon wife's puzzled expression, "Cologne was training Shampoo's mother to become her successor, only Comb decided she didn't want any part of it, so she made a deal with her grandmother to allow Cologne to have custody over her daughter. In other words, Shampoo's obligation to the Matriarch was the price her mother paid to retire from warrior service."

"Very good," Lotion remarked as Shampoo sat where she was with a dumbstruck expression, "You pieced that together from some rather broad clues, I'll admit, and it was no real challenge for one of your talents, but you are starting to develop one of the skills essential to being a Lore Master: the ability to divine secrets."

"Save it," Nabiki said, "You're essentially telling me that Shampoo was traded on a promise like a character out of Rumplestilskin, and she never really had any say in the matter because the deal was done before she was even a gleam in the eyes of her mother. Is that how you Amazons routinely do your business?"

"No," Lotion replied, "Shampoo's situation was…exceptional. Cologne had such great hopes for Comb, as she had for Soap before her. She wanted a daughter of her family line to carry on the tradition of being the leader of the Joketsuzoku, so she has been training Shampoo every day of her life to make her the finest warrior of our tribe. Unfortunately Cologne, in spite of being very wise in other matters, has always had a problem with her interpersonal skills, so while she always acts with the best of intentions, the net results of her actions are often quite different from what she has expected."

"Meaning that she feels free to mess around in people's lives without consideration for their feelings?" Nabiki asked, "What does Shampoo get out of the deal? Has anyone ever asked how she feels about being treated like a bargaining chip between her elders? Hey, Sham-chan, has anyone even asked you if you want to be the leader of the Joketsuzoku?"

Shampoo had been staring off into space with a shocked expression, but now she snapped back to reality as she turned a confused look towards Nabiki, then looked away again and whispered, "No…nobody ever ask Shampoo that question…"

"So there you have it," Nabiki turned back to Lotion, "And what are you going to do if she decides she doesn't even want to go back to Joketsuzoku? Force her to become leader anyway? That makes a lot of sense…make her loathe the job and detest her duties, then expect her to feel well motivated."

"I'm not the one doing this to her," Lotion gently reminded, "If it were up to me she would be free of all such obligations, and I quite agree that she can never become leader unless her motives for doing so came from the heart. Only Shampoo can determine if she is ready or not for such an awesome responsibility, to say nothing of the sacrifices she would be forced to suffer."

"Sacrifices?" Nabiki asked, looking and sounding somewhat puzzled.

"Think about it, child," Lotion replied, "You know how powerful even an average warrior of our village can be? Imagine entrusting a whole village of such warriors into the hands of someone not fit to lead our people. Would you trust someone who wanted this job or one who has the ability of a great leader? Well, the Matriarch wishes to personally shape the one who will come after her, only her mistake is in thinking the authority for that was ever in her hands to begin with."

"So, you know somebody else better suited for the job?" Nabiki asked before looking up to take notice of the fact that Ranma and Ukyo had stopped playing their game of Martial Arts Tag and were now headed in their direction.

"As a matter of fact I do have a very good idea of who will be our next Matriarch," Lotion replied, "And it is not Shampoo, even though I think that she would make a fine leader for our village."

"Then who?" Shampoo asked before turning to smile towards Ranma.

"You two have fun?" Nabiki asked casually, giving no indication of the serious conversation that had just been abbreviated.

"Oh yeah, lots of fun," Ranma grinned, "It's been a while since I could cut loose like that without all the stress and hassle that's been bugging me lately. You gave me a good run out there, Ukyo…"

"Liar," Ukyo grinned back, obviously enjoying herself in spite of a slightly guilty look that remained in her eyes when Ranma was not looking, "You were holding back, and I could tell. Now I'm gonna have to train real hard so that next time I can give you a legitimate challenge."

"Ah, forget about it," Ranma clapped her on the shoulder, "But you see what I was trying to tell you? You gotta work out more often without that huge spatula of yours. You may be pretty tough with it, but I could still beat you, and without it you're almost as pathetic as Ryoga."

"Ryoga," Ukyo paused, "He's that boy you're training to fight against, right? The one who's practicing breaking his head against a rock?"

Shampoo could not help snorting a laugh, "More like other way. He no need Breaking Point technique with head that hard!"

"So," Nabiki said with deceptive casualness, "You two enjoy sparring together like a couple of old school chums. Must be pretty exciting for you, having a friend who's that good who isn't out to either kill or marry you, right?"

Ukyo lost her smile while Ranma just kept on grinning, "Hey, it's just like old times when we used to play together as kids. Remember that guy who tried to rip you off once, Ucchan? What'd he call himself? The Poker King, something like that?"

"The Gambler King?" Ukyo replied, "Oh sure, how could I forget? He tried to cheat us at cards, even got the marker for my father's yatai…uh…" she lost her smile again as the rest of her memories resurfaced.

"Yeah, but we sure fixed him," Ranma turned back, "I feel pretty good after that last work out, but I hope you girls can get lunch started soon because I'm staring to get hungry."

"You're always hungry, boy," Genma clapped his son on the shoulder, only to elicit a wince that made the older man's eyes widen, "Oops…sorry about that, forgot about the wasps…"

"Shampoo," Lotion said, "Why don't you help your Airen by applying more of that healing solve that we brewed for his stings. You can do it over there where we girls won't be too badly affected by the sight of his manly frame uncovered."

"Hiyaa, Elder," Shampoo said happily as she got to her feet with her usual bouncy enthusiasm, "Ranma, you come right now and let Shampoo look at you for herself…"

"Ahem," Nabiki said but remained sitting, fixing Ukyo with her gaze, silently conveying her desire for a private talk, which the okonomiyaki chef understood implicitly. She waited until Ranma was led away a short distance before sitting down on the log beside Nabiki.

"Okay, say it," Ukyo growled in a somewhat gruff tone, "You two were looking daggers at me the whole time I was sparring with Ranchan. You think I'm trying to hit on him, is that it?"

"Not at all," Nabiki said smoothly, "It's just that Ranma seemed to be enjoying his time with you an awful lot, and it's obvious he's opening up to you like he never does with us. So what is there for us to be jealous about, I ask you? Just because you can rub our noses with the fact that Ranma treats you more like an equal…"

"Hey, I get the point!" Ukyo snarled, "I don't need the sarcasm, all right? It's just…there's nothing for you to feel jealous about. Ranma thinks I'm a guy, so he's treating me like a guy, and that's how guys like to act together. Believe me, I've watched enough guys horse around to know how they act together."

"And you've never behaved like that yourself?" Nabiki asked with suspicion.

"Not…totally," Ukyo said uneasily, "I've had friends before, you know, but…well, most of them are real jerks, when you come down to it. Ranma's…different…he acts different around me because we kind of get along like old buddies are supposed to, you know what I mean?"

"Not exactly," Nabiki replied, "But I'm getting a good impression of what you're trying to say. Mind you, I don't mind the idea of Ranma having other friends, or even good ones he can let loose and pal around with, but…you're not really a guy. That kind of makes it special, and with you being engaged to him and all…"

"I know," Ukyo sighed, looking away, "And you know what the worst part of it is? When he finds out the truth he's gonna wind up hating my guts for not telling him sooner."

"Not if you come clean now," Nabiki said, "While there's still time to head off disaster."

"You think I don't know that?" Ukyo said as she shifted uneasily on the log, "It's just…hard to let it go…to let him in on my big secret. In a way it is his fault I started dressing up as a boy all those years ago, only…it was also Dad's fault for treating me so different. I don't want Ranma to suffer because of some stupid decision made by our fathers…even if I was the one who asked Dad to engage me to Ranchan in the first place."

Nabiki's eyebrows arched, "You wanted to get engaged with him, even knowing he already was promised to either me or one of my sisters?"

"No!" Ukyo replied, "It wasn't like that! I didn't know he already had a fiancée, I just…thought it'd be nice to have Ranma around all the time, like maybe we could play house together. You know what little girls are like, didn't you ever imagine playing housewife to some boy you liked?"

Nabiki did not immediately answer, but then she said very softly, "No…actually the games I played I was…sort of a banker…never really imagined myself as any sort of housewife…"

"Good for you," Ukyo sniffed, "But for me it was my last fantasy of becoming like my mother. I was barely even able to remember her, and with Dad taking me from place to place I never got to set in any roots, but I'd see other young girls with their mothers and I…started to fanaticize a little. Then Genma ran off with both Ranchan and my father's yatai," she gave the older Saotome a very sour look, "…and those fantasies died in me, like I was never going to find another guy who made me feel that way, like I was glad to be a woman."

"But in the final analysis it was still your decision to turn your back on being a woman," Nabiki pointed out, "You can't blame Ranma for thinking you're such a really cool guy now. Even I was fooled for a while there. Your act was nearly perfect."

"But you can't hide the basic construction that makes all the difference," Ukyo sighed, then thought a moment before adding, "Well…maybe Ranma can, but he uses magic."

"So what are you going to do?" Nabiki asked, "He deserves to hear the truth one of these days."

"I know," Ukyo stared wistfully to where Shampoo and Ranma were crouched together, Ranma having taken off his shirt while the Amazon slowly rubbed lotion onto his skin, and for a moment it was her turn to look jealous, "I can't just drop this on him, though, not until I'm certain about my own feelings. I mean, Dad made that stupid provision in his will and…" she sighed, "I don't know what to do! I feel so trapped here, like I want to tell him, but…I'm afraid Ranchan will start to treat me different…"

"You can't put this thing off forever," Nabiki warned her, "Shampoo and I can't keep covering for you either. Sooner or later Ranma's going to find out and then…we'll all be in a lot of trouble."

Both girls gave depressed-sounding sighs and stared at the smoking embers of the fire, neither saying another word for the next several minutes. Lotion was studying them from a discrete distance when her focus shifted and her face grew slightly tense with concentration. Genma, who was standing beside her, chanced to notice this and said, "What's wrong? Indigestion?"

"No," Lotion stared off into space, "Something more ominous…like a gathering of forces. A storm is brewing on the horizon…and I think it may break soon, like a summer squall, or perhaps even a royal tempest."

"That sounds bad," Genma replied, "Anything we can do to prepare?"

"No, nothing," Lotion replied, "Events are already in motion. Best to continue the training… everything will sort itself out in the end, just as it usually does. You should know how it is from your own experiences from long ago, when you were your son's age."

"I wonder," Genma had a look that was very unusual for him: thoughtful, "Was I ever really that young? Sometimes I think those days are a part of the reason my hair fell out so early. I guess it was just inevitable that I'd have to grow up eventually…"

"Yes," Lotion smiled, "And when you finally do, be sure to notify the rest of us," but while she took pleasure in the man's indignant reply she was inwardly worried. The sensations she was feeling were very familiar and very intense, and if she guessed correctly at whom it was that approached Nerima like a tidal storm then her warning to Genma was a mild understatement. The fight between the boys would only be a prelude to the real challenge that would confront them all like the judgement of heaven…

"Are we finally there?" Captain D'Amour demanded of his first officer, "I swear if we have to go one more league with that woman aboard…"

"We're there, sir," Kawada replied in his most reassuring tones, "That's Tokyo harbor dead ahead. We're pulling up towards your favorite spot, the pier that leads to the warf with all the loose women and the best underground gambling dives in the province…"

"That's fine, just as long as we get her off my ship!" D'Amour swore, "Have somebody inform her that we'll be in port within the next twenty minutes. I don't want her staying here another second longer than absolutely…"

There was an explosive sound coming from somewhere down below on the main deck, and followed closely by a second, similar explosion, which prompted Kawada to say, "Something tells me she already knows, capt'n. Sounds like she's in just as much of a hurry to get off as you are."

"Doesn't she know that cabin doors cost money?" D'Amour growled, "What is it with these Amazons anyway? First that one with the Pink hair insults me and refused my advances…what was her name again? Some kind of aftershave product…"

"Perfume, sir," Kawada replied.

"Don't be ridiculous," the Captain snorted, "I'd never use something like that after shaving."

"No wait!" Kawada suddenly corrected himself, "My mistake, that was Ambergris. Perfume was the one with the axes! Remember her, sir, the one who gave you a close shave…"

"Oh yes," the Captain rubbed his chin, "Closest shave I've ever imagined. Any lower and I'd be using my head for a paperweight…"

"More use than it usually gets," said the crewmember known as Frog, who promptly got clobbered for his sober appraisal.

"Want me to make sure she gets off without incident, sir?" said a huge, burly black man named Brunt, "Just to make sure there are no further incidents with the crew?"

"Good thinking," D'Amour replied, "We don't need any more of them being rendered unfit for duty. We're undermanned as it is, which reminds me…be sure to recruit some more volunteers when we pick up the rest of the supplies."

"It'll be a pleasure like always, sir," Kawada said as he hefted a billy club he carried for such "special occasions."

"Why doesn't anything like this ever happen to that accursed Lao?" D'Amour said as he rubbed his temples, "Violent women ought to be her problem. Just once I wish I were the one who had all the luck with the submissives…"

"<Hey!>" said Chief Navigator Aki, "<Wait up! Aren't you going to let me get a chance to say good-bye after I finally got you to where you wanted to go?>"

"<You got me there all right,>" snapped the chestnut haired Amazon to the Japanese crewmember who was approaching, "<Over a week late, and with only a hundred miles of ocean to cross! Whoever's piloting this ship is a bloody idiot, and that goes double for your Captain!>"

"<Uh, yeah, well…I agree with the Captain part,>" Aki said evasively, "<So…you're finally here, so what do you intend to do when you're in my home country?>"

"<I intend to find the evil demon ghost that has been haunting my nights and kill it,>" replied the Chinese girl, "<I cannot permit a fiend who bears my likeness to go on existing, drawing bit by bit upon my soul, gradually absorbing every vital thing about me until there is nothing left but the bare frame of my identity! Doppelgangers do that to a person, you know, that's why you can never trust them!>"

"<Right,>" Aki replied, not certain that she understood a word of what the other girl was saying, even if she did share an understanding of Mandarin thanks to her long travels, "<Before you go, though, I want to thank you again. What you did for me when I…>"

"<Don't mention it,>" the other woman said dismissively, "<Stand Users are a breed apart, and what was done to you was evil. It cannot fully be reversed, but altering its nature was a service I could not help but render. It was my duty as a Hunter of the Dark to see that you gained some control over your existence, especially after I…unintentionally triggered your beserker mechanism.>"

"<Ah…one other thing,>" Aki said somewhat reluctantly, "<You told me you didn't speak much Japanese…>"

"<I learned a little from my mother,>" the other woman replied, "<Not enough to carry on a decent conversation, but I know of a way to strengthen my command of your language. Don't worry about me, I'll get by on my own. I'm used to it anyway.>"

"<I'm not worried,>" Aki smiled, "<You can handle yourself almost as good as me, and you don't have my…little problem with directions.>"

"<No,>" sniffed Ka-Chu, "<Small thanks for that. You also don't have my problem,>" she looked away before adding, "<I always know where I'm going before I arrive. It's just the where, how and under what conditions that give me a problem…>"

"Respects from the captain," said Brunt, "He's asked me to see that you get safely on shore…"

"<Your captain is a worthless piece of floating human garbage!>" Ka-Chu snapped, "<This ship is a monstrous pile of festering energy and it makes my teeth rattle on edge just to suffer being here for over a week! The sooner I am on dry land the better, seasickness would be preferable to festering another moment on this garbage scow of an aptly-named vessel!>"

"What did she say?" Brunt asked uncertainly.

"The usual kind sentiments we get for passengers who had to pay money," Aki replied.

"Oh," Brunt nodded, "That's what it sounded like. This way, lady, we'll lower the gang plank for you…"

"<Keep your filthy hands off me, Male!>" Ka-Chu snapped as she walked right by the burly man, who made a point to get as far out of his way as was permitted by the narrow walkway.

Aki followed after the Amazon girl until they reached the bow of the ship, which was only just coming up alongside the nearest pier, and she was about to ask what Ka-Chu was doing there when the place to debark was along the portside of the vessel. Before she could say a word, however, she saw the Amazon raise her hands then make a series of complex finger gestures, and a moment later a wind was kicked up that blew her long brown hair about and caused her Amazon clothing to rustle. Another moment later the strange woman began to rise off the deck, lifting into the air as though invisible hands were gently carrying her from the Gods-forsaken vessel.

Aki shielded her face against the wind as she continued to watch the other girl drift slowly landward, then continue on beyond the shore and the rows of buildings that lined the docks and lower portion of town. She vanished a few moments later as the wind returned to normal, then subsided altogether.

"What do you think that was all about?" asked Brunt as he came to stand alongside the Navigator.

"I don't know," Aki replied, "But I've got a feeling things are about to get interesting wherever it is that she's going…"

Continued

Comments/Criticism/Cross-time Parallel Association Bridge Parties: Shadowmane@msn.com