Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ Devil Hunter ( Chapter 32 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

From the moment Kodachi and the Amazon, Kachu, first traded blows, the self-styled Black Rose of Saint Hebereke realized that she was in a great deal of trouble. A normal martial arts challenge she could handle, even one fought with her usual arsenal of Rhythmic Gymnastics weapons against the curious Naginata-like halberd being wielded by her opponent, but this Amazon was fighting with magic to back her efforts, which made her attacks even more difficult to handle.

Kasumi, standing on the sidelines with an expression of intense concern, could see how plainly outmatched Kodachi was against the vigorous thrusts of the Amazon, who fought with the fury of a demon as if her pole arm were attached to her like a fifth limb. Kodachi's ribbons and pins were of no avail against it, nor were her batons, hoops and other tools of her trade as one by one they were met and deflected by the relentless Kachu. In fact it was only Kodachi's superlative speed and agility that was keeping her from being skewered within the first minute of their exchanges, for the power of the taller girl's movements coupled with the added reach of her weapon made her a formidable antagonist, one against whom Kodachi's best tricks could not avail her.

There was a strange kind of furious control in the Amazon's motions, and looking upon her gave Kasumi an odd sort of chill as if looking upon a dark reflection seen in a mirror. There was something about this Kachu-quite apart from any superficial resemblance to herself-that made Kasumi uneasy in a way with which she was unfamiliar.

The fact that Kodachi seemed to be rapidly running out of tricks was unmistakable, and this, too, concerned Kasumi greatly, fearing for the welfare of her friend more than the perceived threat to her own personal safety. The single weapon in Kachu's hands-which Kasumi offhandedly identified as a C'hi Chi without quite knowing exactly how it was that she knew what a C'hi Chi was on sight-was proving more formidable than all the tools in Kodachi's arsenal. Kachu fought as if the weapon were an extension of her being, and avoiding its thrust was becoming and more problematic.

Kodachi's agility was her only real advantage in this fight, for she could not get bast the C'hi to close in to fight with her opponent and could only hope to keep out of reach of its lethal thrusting. It was good that her forte was in fighting at a distance as she proved too elusive a target for Kachu to nail, though the Amazon kept up the pressure, forcing Kodachi to remain on the defensive.

At last the Black Rose managed to get some distance from her opponent by executing several backward hand-flips, followed by a vault onto the low awning over the entrance to a shop that sold produce out in the open. In spite of being nearly winded, Kodachi maintained a pretense at her usual cool demeanor as she and Kachu exchanged silent glares while being prepared to renew their battle.

"You fight well for an outsider," Kachu said first between slow, deep breaths.

"I do well enough," Kodachi said with a jaunty tone that belied her actual feelings of near-exhaustion, "And for an Amazon you have some small talent."

Kachu's eyes narrowed, "Why do you fight so hard to defend this one? Are you blind to her true nature?"

"On the contrary," Kodachi said with no small amusement, "I see very well to her true nature. Why do you believe that she is anything other than as she appears?"

"Because she is my personal Demon!" Kachu snarled, "And those who stand between me and her risk incurring my wrath as a Hunter of Devils."

"Indeed?" Kodachi produced a Japanese fan in one hand and began to fan herself off, "And what happens if I should manage to defeat you? Do I become your enemy as well?"

Kachu snorted, "You may be fast and agile, but you're not in my league. But because you are such an annoyance, I think I'll end this now!"

The Amazon Devil Hunter raised her C'hi Chi high over her head and began to spin it around rapidly until it became a blur to the eye. As she did this she invoked the words to a summoning spell, and almost immediately her pole arm began to glow until it became golden-bright with radiance. Kodachi and Kasumi were held speechless as they felt the Ki-force build up, becoming a fierce battle aura that surrounded both the weapon and its Mistress.

That was the point where other concerned parties started to arrive on the scene, beginning with Ranma, Nabiki and Shampoo, who landed in a clear space upon the sidewalk not too far removed from the side of Kasumi.

And, of course, Lotion the Lore Master was already there observing matters with a supremely grave expression.

"This is not good," she said with preternatural calm, "Your friend seems to have provoked her, and now she is in a great deal of trouble."

"Yeah, well, Kodachi does have that effect on people," Nabiki replied as she turned a glance towards Kasumi, unable to help double-taking at her close resemblance to Kodachi's opponent.

Kodachi sensed that the build-up of power surrounding her opponent was reaching its peak, and while she did not understand the nature of Kachu's summons she was reasonably certain that she did not want to see it continue. So it was that she decided to strike first, leaping into the air as she divided the single fan into two and hurled them both in Kachu's direction.

Unfortunately Kachu easily deflected this two-pronged assault, then she raised her voice and spoke a single word that unleashed her power in Kodachi's direction. The Black Rose was still in the air and thus unable to dodge as Kachu's spell unerringly found its mark and struck her full in the face and chest. Kodachi tensed up then plummeted to earth like a bird with her wings clipped, landing like a sack of potatoes rather than the graceful descent that was her usual trademark.

"Kodachi!" both Nabiki and Kasumi cried together, then the latter rushed forward, only to have Kachu orient towards her with her weapon at the ready.

Unfortunately for Kachu's interests a redheaded figure suddenly came up inside her guard and laid firm grip upon the shaft of her weapon.

"Why you!" Ranma-chan snarled.

"Who are you?" Kachu demanded, trying in vain to free her weapon from the smaller girl's grasp, "Why do you interfere in my business?"

"Business?" Ranma snorted, fist at the ready though she hesitated to throw the first punch, "What are you talking about? You're the one who's attacking my friends!"

"Friends?" Kachu seemed surprised at the word, then her eyes narrowed as her anger resurfaced, "You claim friendship with my enemies? Then you must be my enemy as well! Tell me why you defend this demoness!"

"Who?" Ranma asked in confusion, "Kodachi?"

"Not that one," Kachu snorted, "She merely got in the way! I refer to my Doppelganger, who stands behind you like the cowardly reflection that she is. The demoness who haunts my nightmares, who has tormented me through all my nights and days like a phantom who mocks my likeness!"

"You're crazy!" Ranma declared as if making a startling revelation, only he paused as he heard Shampoo meow something unintelligible in a tone of urgent warning, "Huh?"

Kachu ignored the plaintive cries of what she took to be a mere animal and sneered at her new foe, then closed her eyes as she took one hand off of her C'hi Chi and made a warding gesture. In low tones she spoke the words of another ritual invocation, and all at once her power rose up in her again as she brought her hand forward in a slow, inevitable gesture.

"Ranma-watch out!" Nabiki cried suddenly, just before a massive discharge lanced out and electrified the air surrounding her iinazuke.

Ranma had no way to dodge this attack, which was non-specific but still powerful as the force picked her up and knocked the redhead sprawling.

"Fool," Kachu sneered, "You're no match for a Hunter of the Dark like me! Stand aside and let me do what I came to do, all this way from China!"

"Ranma!" Nabiki found herself rushing forward to assist her stunned fiancé, only to find herself now standing alone against this strange embodiment of everything that was so utterly the opposite of her beloved older sister…

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

It's strange to think of how much my life has taken these odd turns away from the old, familiar world that I thought I had grown up with. Even given what I had personally witnessed this very morning in the countryside I was unprepared to accept the reality of that encounter with the Amazon named Kachu.

Being in her presence sent a chill down my spine, and even now-hours after these events-I still feel a kind of numb disbelief at having come face-to-face with an angry, violent and out-of-control version of Kasumi. I could literally feel the tingling sensation along the back of my arms and down my legs to the soles of my feet while the nape hairs stood on end on the back of my neck. It was the weirdest feeling, and I know I can't adequately described it, except to say that it felt like there was an electrostatic charge in the air producing these odd feelings. I also felt a twisting in my guts and a cold stab near my heart as if something about this stranger felt all wrong inside. It wasn't like an evil feeling exactly, more like the sense of something twisted up against its own nature. I'm sure the old woman knows what these feelings mean, but I'm only her clueless apprentice, drafted against my will into the study of such weirdness.

At the time I was conscious of her malevolent rage directed against Kasumi, and from those brief words that she had spoken to Ranma I gathered that she had somehow mistaken my Oneechan for some kind of copycat demon. I would have labeled her ranting as the lunatic ravings of an obvious madwoman except that her eyes held too sharp a focus to be described as anything as simple as madness.

"Who are you?" she asked while her eyes seemed to peel me like a grape to examine my soft, gooey center.

"I'm Tendo Nabiki!" I declared with more bravado than I felt, "And that's my sister you're pointing sharp objects at! Take a hike while you still can!"

I saw her brown eyes narrow a bit, then she seemed to find something terribly amusing about the situation for she lifted her nose with a sniff, then smiled in a way that I found very irritating. "Your sister? Come now, you think I can't tell that you're yet another one of those helpless innocents whom my enemy has seduced into her cause? What a cruel jest you play, but I will not be deterred by these useless delaying tactics!"

I saw her body tense even before she finished speaking, and I knew at once that she was about to attack me again with her fancy pig-sticker. Ordinarily about this point my mind would have gone blank and I probably would have just stood there helpless while she turned me into a human shish kabob, but just as it had back in the mountains my body took over and from sheer reflex I pivoted on one heel and turned my body sideways and slightly to the left. That was just enough of a dodge for her pole arm to pass right past me without so much as nicking my hide, and then my hands took over and grabbed the shaft as I took a step further over to the left, dragging her along as I further twisted, using her mass and momentum to turn her lunge into a body throw with my hip providing the fulcrum.

If I'd had sense enough to act surprised at that point I would have wondered how I had known how to do that and could perform it with perfect timing. I know it was a variation on a basic Judo-throw that Daddy had taught me a long time ago as part of my Kempo training, but to be able to perform it so well on the first try after so many years of allowing my combat skills to atrophy is certainly a testament to how much I've changed over the course of Lotion's training. Of course it might have worked better on somebody who was a lot less experienced than Kachu because she wasted no time recovering from my throw, tucking herself into a ball and rolling in mid-air so that it was her feet and not her back that hit the pavement. The next thing I know is that I see the butt end of her shaft coming up full in my vision, and then all I see is stars as I'm suddenly airborne and feeling a great deal of pain, most of it a delayed reaction.

Good thing I broke my fall the way I'd been taught by Daddy, letting my shoulders and back take the worst of it, although in retrospect that might be where I dislocated one of my shoulders. Sure preferable to breaking my skull on hard concrete, but judging by the way my head was already wobbling about that point I'd say that it was the difference between a broken jaw and a concussion.

My head was sure ringing like a gong while I lay there all properly stunned and wondering if I had taken all leave of my senses going up against an Amazon like that, but I'm pretty sure that I heard Ranma-chan calling out my name, and so the next thing I see when my vision clears is the sight of Kachu rocketing backward from my redheaded iinazuke, by which I deduced that Ranma had finally overcome his reluctance to hit a woman.

I felt my jaw with my good hand and was numbly pleased to find that it wasn't actually broken. My right arm felt numb from the shoulder down, which is where I determined the dislocated part I just mentioned. Not being accustomed to such unpleasant sensations I was naturally taken with the desire to remain right where I was and properly whimper, but then I remembered that Ranma was fighting to defend me against an Amazon and that forced me to sit upright and pay more serious attention.

To put it mildly, Ranma-chan was fighting like an enraged madwoman, using the moves I'd seen her earlier use on Ryoga while in male form to keep her taller opponent at a distance. In spite of the advantage of reach afforded by her weapon, Kachu could not penetrate Ranma's defenses and was too hard pressed to call upon any of her fancy spells, or so I had imagined.

I spared a moment from the fight to look around at where Kasumi was tending to a somewhat dazed Kodachi, then I saw a few familiar faces gathered closer than the main crowd of anxious onlookers. One of them was, of course, Uncle Genma, unmistakable as you don't find too many pandas standing on two legs even in our weird district, and another was, of course, my father, who had had just arrived in the company of two strangers dressed like Amazons. At first glance I thought the taller of the pair was Shampoo, but it took only a second to discern that she was a lot older than my Amazon rival (or what else should I call her? Fiancée? Oh my…this is so confusing!) and she wore her hair in a much different hairstyle. The purple hair was a dead giveaway that she and Shampoo were related, so on the spot I formed a hunch about that, but was prevented from mentally pursuing the issue when yet another surprising arrival on the scene made me forget everything else in an instant.

Ranma was making headway against Kachu, using her speed to hold the Kasumi lookalike at bay when suddenly Kachu began to glow again, and the next thing I know her pole arm is radiating power. I think Ranma sensed it as well since she took evasive action, leaping backwards in a somersault just as the spot she had been standing at got fried by yet another Chi-blast.

"You are skilled," Kachu said without hardly sounding like someone who was on the ropes (not even breathing hard by the look of it!) as she brought her weapon back into position for a renewed assault, "For a warrior you fight like an Amazon, outlander, but I will prevail against you and all who defend my doppelganger!"

Kachu made a powerful thrust and Ranma tensed herself to either defend or avoid it, but neither option became necessary as somebody else caught the shaft of the pole-arm against the flat-metal edge of a certain baker's peel. The clang of metal was loud enough to give me a splitting headache!

I heard Ranma's surprised gasp as she said, "Ucchan?"

"Heheh," came the low, throaty chuckle of the cross-dressing okinomiyaki chef, and something about the sound of her roughened voice gave me the willies. An entirely different feeling than the one I'd had before around Kachu made me look more closely at our dear Kuonji-san, and what I saw scared me more than I'd ever have imagined!

"Hi there," Ukyo leered into the face of the astonished Kachu, "Or should I say, Nihao?"

"You?" Kachu reacted as if something genuinely terrified her about Ukyo, "What is this…evil I sense? It is the same evil that I detected before!"

"Much as I'd love to watch you pound on my Ranchan, Sugar," Ukyo purred, "I've got dibs on him first, so I'm afraid you're going to have to wait in line for the privilege!"

With that Ukyo broke their stalemate, pushing back against Kachu with a burst of massive strength, then she lashed out with a kick that got in under the taller girl's guard and connected solidly with Kachu's stomach. I watched in disbelief as that kick picked Kachu up and hurled her hard up against the brick wall directly behind her. Kachu went down to her knees as if stunned by the blow, and I could see that she was just barely conscious, obviously winded by the double impact. Ukyo proceeded to ignore her as Ranma started to approach with the intent of complimenting her performance, and before I could call out a warning I saw Kuonji smile and whirl about, baker's peel gripped in both hands as she caught Ranma totally unguarded and swatted him away like she was batting a softball.

"Like that?" Ukyo called out as my iinazuke went tumbling up against the hood of a car some thirty meters farther down the block, "Well, that's just a taste of what you have coming, Sugar! I'm gonna make you pay for all the humiliation I've ever had to put up with, and I'm going to enjoy it!"

I think it's redundant at this point to mention the fact that this was obviously not the Kuonji we know speaking. I was just putting that together when somebody else entered the scene without an announcement. Kuonji started to turn as if she sensed the attack, but the impact of the bonbori on her skull was as sudden and unexpected as her treacherous attack on our Ranma.

"You sneaky girl think she can do that to Shampoo Airen?" my other fiancée remarked as Kuonji went down to her knees like a tent peg. I was gratified to see that she had somehow managed to regain her human form, but my elation was as short lived as whatever else Shampoo had on her mind as we both saw something rising up out of Ukyo to hover in the air like a child's balloon wearing tiger-striped boxer briefs and a slightly crazed expression drawn on the side with markers.

"Oh my," I heard Lotion say from just over to my right, "So that's the demon that I sensed was near."

"You know what that thing is?" I started to turn to her when I felt her tiny hands lay hold to my arm.

"Hold still," she urged, and the next instant I felt a wrenching pain jolt me to full awareness, and then she added, "This might hurt a little."

"NOW you tell me?" I scoffed when I remembered the demon and was lurching to my feet, just in time to see it drifting over towards Kasumi. I called out to her but it was too late as the thing vanished into my sister.

The next thing I see is Kasumi dumping Kodachi onto the sidewalk, straightening up and slowly smiling our way. She ignored me completely and turned her focus in Shampoo's direction, and for no reason I could name I felt a chill run down my spine once again, only this time lodging in the pit of my stomach.

"Ukyo!" a voice called out, and I recognized it as belonging to Akane.

"Hey!" another voice I recognized as belonging to Ryoga followed her up, "What happened here? Was there a fight or something?"

"Oh no!" a high pitched, nasal voice that I did not recognize called out, "It must have gotten into a new host body!"

"Do not panic, brother," a deeper, calmer voice followed the other one up, "I'm sure it hasn't gotten far. If we just remain calm I'm sure we'll be able to sort this out."

"What happened here?" said a voice that I definitely recognized as belonging to Cologne.

"Two words should explain it all," Lotion replied, "Kachu and Oni."

"Oh," Cologne said as if to convey grim realization.

Of course I only registered these things in a peripheral sense as my eyes were riveted upon my sister, who just kept smiling in a way that was too much like her to belong to someone possessed by a major demon. Of course I had yet to learn the true terrifying power of this particular Oni, but I was about to get a crash-course wakeup call the hard way!

"Oh my," smiled my older sister-whom I just noticed at that moment was sporting a pair of horns atop her head like a traditional depiction of a Devil Oni, "You all are here. Oh, where to begin? There are so many delightful new impulses and ideas to explore. So many fascinating ideas kept tightly suppressed by this one you call Kasumi, I just know that I will have a delightful time exploring her Id."

"Oneechan?" I gasped, feeling none-too-stable on my feet at the time but not caring a whit as my concerns were entirely rooted on my beloved older sister.

"Nabiki," I heard the possessed Kasumi purr, "Have I ever told you that it's not proper to behave in the manner that you have become accustomed? I really should have disciplined you a long time ago, just as Mother would have wanted."

All at once Shampoo positioned herself between us, "Stay behind me, Nabiki. Shampoo protect you from evil spirit in body of nice Kasumi."

"What is that thing anyway?" Ranma-chan wanted to know with no little amount of disquiet evident in her voice, "And what's it doing to Kasumi?"

"Keep back!" the high-pitched voice of the tall Shinto priest warned us, "It's the Evil Oni of the Purple Chrysanthemum Shrine! Don't let it take you over! We have to trap it before it can do any more damage!"

"Trap it?" asked Akane, who obviously was sharing my concern and confusion, "How do we do that?"

The diminutive holy man-whom I later learned was named Cherry-held up a wooden box that looked like the kind that you might keep cigarettes in and said, "We perform the ritual to draw the demon back into its prison, where we shall seal it up for another thousand years. Of course the host body will unfortunately be trapped too, but these things can't be helped…"

"WHAT?" Akane rounded on the little man, "Trap Kasumi with that thing? Are you crazy!"

"We can't let that happen," Ryoga said, "We have to drive it out of her first…only…how do we do that?"

"As you may have already noticed," the taller priest-whose name I also learned was Nihana-remarked, "A blow to the head delivered with sufficient force can drive the evil spirit out from its host body. Otherwise Onis tend to remain where they are until they've used their host up."

"A blow to the head?" I felt myself growing faint, then I started to get angry, only I saw Daddy beat me to the punch as he seized hold of Nihana and shook the man like the proverbial rag doll.

"HIT MY KASUMI??? NEVER!!! THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!!!"

"Father," Kasumi turned his way, "How nice of you to stand up for me. After all, if anything happened to me you wouldn't have anyone to cook, clean or take care of you and the rest of the house freeloaders."

In spite of the fact that I knew it was the Oni talking I felt myself wince involuntarily, while Daddy got very pale and turned a guilty face towards Kasumi, swallowing thickly as he let go of the priest, who promptly collapsed with his eyes spinning like tops.

"Ryoga," Akane turned to her male companion, "Don't stand there, do something!"

Ryoga balled his fist and looked grimly determined, but what he said was, "Your father's right, Akane…I can't bring myself to hit anyone as nice as Kasumi, she doesn't deserve that!"

"Isn't that nice?" said Kasumi in the same chillingly pleasant tone of voice that she had been using all along, "The pig doesn't want to hit me. He really is very sweet on you, even watches you take baths and sleeps in your bed, Akane. He really is quite naughty."

"Urk!" Ryoga winced with eyes as wide as saucers, while Akane seemed to ignore the implication that the lost boy had been spying on her and focused instead on what-to her no doubt-was the more disturbing implication to that statement.

"You…knew about his curse?" Akane remarked blandly.

"Well, how could I help knowing?" Kasumi asked, "It really is such a small house, and with the way the poor lovesick fool gets lost just looking for the privy, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. There aren't that many beds that need changing in the morning, and he always smells so clean in spite of having only one change of clothing, which he always keeps close to the furo. You really have been the clueless one all along, my poor, foolish little sister."

"Now look, you!" Ranma-chan growled, "We've had about enough of this junk! Clear out of Kasumi's head right now or you're gonna be sorry!"

"And what are you going to do, Cross Dresser?" Kasumi smiled, "Are you going to hit me?"

"I…" Ranma started to hesitate when a voice very much like-yet unlike--Kasumi's called out, "She won't, but I will!"

I turned, along with the others, to see the Devil Hunter who looked so much like Kasumi pushing herself erect again, clutching her halberd-or C'hi Chi as I later learned it is called-as if leaning on it for further support while glaring hatefully in Kasumi's direction. In a low growl that I would never have mistaken as coming from my older sister in a million years she said, "Your days are numbered fiend! You see before you now a Hunter of the Dark who has sent many Hellspawn such as you back to the Abyss from which you were ushered!"

"Oh yes," Kasumi smiled, "I haven't forgotten about you, 'Sister.' Do try and keep this interesting as you are already starting to bore me."

Kachu summoned up her power when suddenly another woman thrust an arm in front of her and said, "Hold up a minute, Dear. There's something that you really ought to know before you take things any further."

That was the point where I almost suffered from sensory overload, the cumulative effect of taking one too many shocks all at the same time because that voice triggered memories, coupled with her face and a sudden realization that I was about to learn something very weird about my family and father. I had been too caught up in worrying about Kasumi to take much notice in the brown haired Amazon who had been standing beside my father, but now that I had a really good look at her I started to put things together, and I did not like the direction that this would take me.

Akane was the first of us to voice the same thought aloud, "M-Mother?"

"Momma?" I gasped at almost the same exact instant.

"Not quite," our possessed older sister replied, "But you are close, my dear sisters."

"Mother?" Kachu stared at the woman who looked so much like the old photos of our dear, late mother, "What are you doing here? Let me finish what I came to do…"

"I can't," this newcomer said, glancing down before looking up into the eyes of the Devil Hunter, "Because I can't allow you to take the life of your half-sister."

"WHAT?!!" was our collective exclamation, and Kachu herself looked momentarily stunned by this new revelation.

"Sister?" Daddy himself gasped, looking at the woman who was the spitting image of our mother, right down to my earliest memories of a woman who once made me feel so loved and cared for, like with Kasumi, "But…I didn't know…I mean…but she…she looks like Kasumi…but that can't be…but…how?"

"Honestly," growled the purple haired woman standing close nearby to this scene, "Does she have to draw you a graphic illustration?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Genma's panda eyes go wide as he turned to glance in the purple haired woman's direction, but before I could begin to explore the implications to that I heard Shampoo gasp and leave my side as she cried, "Aiyaa! What you do here, Mother?"

"Mother?" I heard Ranma echo my own gasp as if we'd timed our voices to work in chorus.

"Aiyaa!" Shampoo turned to us with a look of pure delight, "Shampoo mother come all the way from China to wish Shampoo on happy marriage!"

"I wish it was that simple, little one," the older version of Shampoo smiled indulgently, "And as much as I'd like to spend time getting to know your airen there is something a bit more urgent that we need to deal with first."

"Aiyaa," Shampoo murmured softly, "Shampoo almost forgot! We need get evil spirit out of nice Kasumi!"

"Hey," Ranma blinked as she turned around to look, "What gives? Where is Kasumi? Where did she go?"

"How should I know?" groaned Ukyo, who chose that moment to regain consciousness, "What happened? I feel like I was gonged or something…"

"A long story, I fear," replied Kodachi, who was just then making her own recovery, "I caught enough of it to fill in a few details…"

"There is not a moment to waste in idle chatter!" cried Cherry, "The victim must be tracked down at once before the Oni has a chance to leap into a new body!"

"We could lose it in the general population!" Nihana cried as if fearing that he was about to lose his pension from his order, "We'll never be able to track it down if that should happen!"

"And, worse by far, brother," Cherry's voice took on an ominous cast that made his shrunken, gnome-like features seem all the more melodramatic, "Should the Oni obtain what it needs in order to reach full strength, then it will be able to manifest in all its terrible glory…and then! Then we will all suffer the wrath of its terrible retribution!"

"So what are you two clowns waiting around for?" asked Cologne, who was already vaulting forward by means of her staff, "Follow me this way. I have a hunch where we can find it."

"You think it's a good idea to follow her?" Akane asked.

"I don't see why not," I said, turning to look at the woman standing beside Daddy saying, "I really meant to tell you about her, dear, but…you see…I was just looking for the right opportunity…"

"Come on!" the older purple haired woman growled, grabbing her fellow Amazon by her shirtsleeve, "You can make proper introductions along the way. By the way, has anyone seen Saotome Genma about? He's usually tangled up in this sort of mischief."

Both Ranma and I turned out heads to catch sight of the old panda trying to sneak off in the crowd and Ranma growled, "Pop…get over here now!"

"Genma?" Comb seemed to really take notice of the panda in question, and from the way she immediately paled I had a hunch that she was suitably dismayed with belated recognition.

"Somebody fill me in on what's going on here?" Ukyo pleaded, leaning on her baker's peel until Akane helpfully showed up and offered her a shoulder.

"Sure thing, just as long as you're willing to help us out with Kasumi."

Ryoga looked at them both with a blank expression, and I found that I could not help but feel slightly sorry for the clueless moron. The thought did briefly float through my head that I ought not repeat the mistake I had made with him regarding Akane, but at the moment I had too much else to worry about besides clueing Akane in about Ukyo's true gender. Besides, it seemed petty and cruel for her to be flirting like that just to provoke poor Ryoga.

Kodachi was already moving forward, so I hurried to catch up with her and said, "You were protecting Oneechan from that Kachu person…"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Kodachi responded, but from the offhanded way she said this I caught a hint of genuine concern in her voice, and a quick glance confirmed for me that she was genuinely worried, "Your sister cannot very well defend herself against attack, so what else was I to do when that…lunatic made threatening motions?"

I spared a moment to wonder about the implications of Kuno Kodachi referring to anyone else as mentally unstable but decided not to get into the issue at the moment. Ranma caught up with us and took the lead of our little party, and to my considerable surprise I found that Kodachi never even turned a glance in her direction. Apparently her concern was much greater than the antipathy that she normally directed at the female version of her "Ranma-sama."

One thing belatedly occurred to me as we took off after my vanished sister, something that I should have realized before but for the powerful distractions dividing my attention. Where was Lotion during all of this, and why hadn't she taken a hand or counseled me on how to deal with the Oni who was possessing Kasumi? At this time-of all moments-she had pulled a vanishing act and could not be found among our little impromptu war party. I began to wonder if this was what she meant when she referred to me facing a test, and if so why hadn't she given me some warning regarding this Devil Hunter Kachu who-it was claimed-was my long-lost Chinese-born older half-sister?

I was starting to become enormously irritated about these meddlesome Amazon elders and their patronizing notions about what constituted our "best interests" when I caught a snatch of conversation issuing from the rear of our procession. Or rather I should say that I could hardly miss catching the loud exclamation of Kachu as she declared out loud, "Half-Sister??? Are you telling me that…she-demoness is really flesh and blood of our family?"

"I'm afraid so," the woman who kept reminding me of momma replied in a sheepish tone of voice, "I only found out about it a few days ago, only she's not normally such an unpleasant sort to be around. It's the Oni who was saying those nasty things about everyone. The Kasumi that Comb and I met is a kind and gentle person who is much-beloved among those who know her."

"Unlike some people I could name," I heard Shampoo's mother grumble, though not really low enough that it could be missed by the people who were most concerned here.

"But I don't understand," Daddy was saying again, looking at Kachu as if unable to look away from the face that so closely resembled Kasumi's, "How can you be my daughter? You left for China a year before Kasumi was even born…"

"Yes," I could hear the wince in that voice that was so much like Momma's, "And Kachu was born about eight months after Comb and I returned to our village, almost exactly nine months after you and I…said our final fare-wells."

"That must've been some farewell," remarked Nihana, who looked increasingly nervous when he saw the glares that were turned in his direction.

"Dad?" Akane looked up from where she was helping Ukyo to walk, then let go, which caused the cross-dressing chef to wobble a bit without support while Akane moved closer to Daddy and this strange other woman, "I don't get it…who is she? How do you two know each other…?"

"Ah, yes, formal introductions," the brown-haired woman replied with some dignity, "My name is Silk, a Lore Master of the Nyanchiczu, and this surly companion of mine is Comb, our tribal Healer."

"Aiyaa," Shampoo remarked, "Aunt Silk no tell Shampoo that you and Mother know Airen family."

"With good reason, little one," Comb replied, "Some things in life are best forgotten," she glared at the panda walking a few steps behind them and grumbled, "Case in point. I might've known this would happen if you went anywhere near Jusenkyo, Saotome Genma."

"Whoah!" Ranma exclaimed, "You mean you two know each other, Pop? When did this happen?"

"About twenty or so years ago," the one whom I now knew was named Silk explained, "Before Comb here met Shampoo's real father."

I caught a startled wuff from the panda and saw the non-plussed look in Uncle Genma's expression. Comb turned to glare at him and said, "Well, what did you expect, that I was going to wait for you forever?"

"Aiyaa!" Shampoo exclaimed again, only this time I think I joined her.

"So…what's your father's name then?" Ranma asked as tactfully as it was possible for him to get.

"Hairbrush," Shampoo smiled pleasantly, and somehow I had a feeling that her reply would be something of that nature.

"But I still don't understand," Kachu was starting to sound as plaintive as a spoiled child who had just learned that her parents were impersonating Santa Clause, "How can he be my father? You told me that my father was dead!"

"Ah, well…not exactly, dear," Silk said with some reluctance, "I didn't lie to you directly by telling you that your father was dead, I just…well…more-or-less inferred that he was no longer with me, which is technically the truth when you think about it since I had parted ways with him some time ago, after he decided to marry Kimiko…"

"Who looked enough like you that the two of you could have been sisters," Comb added nonchalantly.

"Then why did you let me believe that he was dead all of these years?" Kachu turned a disbelieving look at Daddy, as if still trying hard to grasp that this man was, in fact, her long-lost father.

"To soften up the blow, no doubt," Comb answered before Silk could reply, "Just in case you ever actually met him."

Silk turned a cross look towards Comb and said, "I'd rather be the one to tell them, if you don't mind very much. You're not exactly helping with these side-comments."

"Hey, if I left it up to you we'd be at it all day," Comb shrugged, turning to smile at Daddy as she said, "Congratulations, Tendo Soun, you've just become the proud poppa to a bouncing baby twenty-year-old Devil Hunter. I hope the two of you are very happy together."

"Mother," Shampoo sounded vaguely disapproving.

"But…I still don't understand," Daddy exclaimed with even less comprehension than he usually displayed, "Why didn't you ever tell me? After all these years of wondering what had become of you…"

"I thought it was for the best that we both go our separate ways, Soun-chan," the Amazon hussy…ah, I mean Silk, replied with an apologetic look towards Daddy, "After all, you were going to marry Kimiko, and I would have just been an obstacle to your continued happiness. There was never any formal declaration between us, so I thought to end our relationship on a positive note. It was only after I got back to China that I discovered that I was pregnant, and that simply wasn't something I could write to you about on a post card."

Shampoo's mother said something in Chinese that sounded sarcastic, to which Silk's reply was far less pleasant than her regular speaking voice. In fact I'd say it sounded somewhat acid, leading me to suspect that these two have a long-term relationship of friendly banter, similar to what sometimes goes down between me and Akane.

"But…" Kachu seemed to hesitate before she looked at Daddy and said, "He is my father?"

"Try not to sound too disappointed, dear," Comb remarked in an offhanded manner.

"I see," Daddy said, ignoring the obvious slight, then he paused a moment before adding, "No, actually I don't. But if you really are my little girl…and you look so much like Kasumi…"

I could see it coming from long experience around Daddy, but our newfound sister can be excused for being surprised when our father impulsively reached out and hugged her there on the street. I turned around to better gauge Kachu's reaction, and to judge by her rather stunned expression I came to the conclusion that she wasn't all that used to being manhandled in quite so emotional a manner.

"Uh oh," I heard Comb murmur, and I saw Shampoo mirror her mother's worried expression.

It took a moment to happen, but as inevitable as the eruption of a geyser her face took on a look of slow anger, which in turn gave way to rage, and then her whole body tensed as she started to glow bright red, which I took to be her battle aura.

"You…!" her voice was trembling with rage, and I heard none of Kasumi's gentle chiding tones as she broke Daddy's hold on her and delivered a stunning uppercut that sent our mutual father flying.

"Hey!" Akane protested, "You can't do that to my dad!"

"Offhand I'd say she just did," Comb remarked, "And before you get any ideas, it would be a very bad move on your part to challenge your older half-sister."

"My granddaughter is correct, Apprentice," Cologne remarked, "You are not yet ready to take on one of her caliber, for though Kachu is not of the true Warrior path, her skills as a Demon Hunter make her formidable in ways that you can hardly imagine."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked.

"Kachu very powerful fighter," Shampoo explained for our benefit, "No fight just with strength, she have powerful spirit that make her able to battle demons. No ordinary Warrior take her on, even Shampoo no sure she beat Kachu if come to real fight."

"Say that again?" I reacted in frank amazement.

"I thought you were supposed to be your Tribe's best warrior or something," Ryoga asked as if sharing my confusion.

"Shampoo Tribal Champion," my prospective Chinese bride replied, "Best warrior of Shampoo's generation, but Kachu here no compete in tribal contests. She no of Warrior Cast, so her skills something that Shampoo never see before. Kachu know battle techniques that Shampoo never learn from Great Grandmother."

"Don't feel bad about it, dear," Comb informed her daughter, "I was the tribe's best warrior in my day, and I never had to test myself against our resident Devil Hunter of my generation. I understand, though, that young Kachu here is quite talented and shows much promise."

"I thank you for the compliment, Healer," Kachu said in a calmer, more rational voice, "But my skills are nothing that need be spoken about, and anyway there is the matter of that Demon possessing the one you claim to be my sister."

"Claim?" Ukyo asked, "Are you nuts? Just look in a mirror sometime! You could have had the same mother!"

"They practically did," remarked Kodachi with a curious expression, "How odd that you wear the same face and form of dear, sweet Kasumi, yet are so unlike her in personality and spirit."

"Yeah, what was that all about back there?" Ranma said in a voice of clear challenge, "Why'd you want to attack Kasumi anyway? You acted like she was evil even before she got possessed by that Oni!"

"Because I sensed evil when I was approaching her before," Kachu growled, "I thought it was her, I didn't know about the Oni."

"Oh yes?" Kodachi asked archly, "And that make it all right for you to attack her?"

"It's my job to destroy evil Demons when I encounter them!" Kachu snarled, "I am sworn to protect the innocent from their rampaging presence, and besides that I thought she was an evil spirit who had assumed my likeness with evil intentions! I've encountered many foul spirits in my time who delight in twisting reality to suit their unholy designs, and I thought one of them had assumed the form of my Doppelganger in order to deceive and bewitch me!"

"You came all the way from China for that?" Akane asked.

"It was in China that I first became aware of her existence!" Kachu replied, and then her voice became low and somber, "During my meditations when I was attempting to find my Center and at last still the raging fires that burn within my spirit, I discovered a void, a darkness in my being that is neither form nor light but draws upon my essence the way a root draws nourishment and vitality from the soil. I studied that void and found that it was actually a tunnel leading me to someplace elsewhere, and by following that path I came upon my mirror opposite, a vision that was exactly like me, only Yin to my Yang, Positive to my Negative…"

"You mean that there's some kind of connection between you and Kasumi?" Ukyo asked.

"Is that possible?" I asked with a sudden chilling clarity as my mind formed an image that was like a Wormhole in one of those American-made Science Fiction TV shows, the one that has a bunch of people jumping from different parallel worlds, one to the other.

"More than possible," Silk said softly, "Something I never anticipated, but it makes so much sense now that I think upon it. Kimiko and I were like twin souls born apart, very different in temperament but in so many other ways alike, so in a way it makes a kind of sense that our daughters should be born with a similar makeup. After all, they both had the same father, who is the connecting link between them."

"You mean…it's my doing after all?" Daddy asked (oh yeah, before I forget to mention it, by this point he had made a full recovery from Kachu's weird form of paternal greeting).

"Surprise, surprise," Comb sniffed, "Who would have imagined?"

"I had wondered about why the two were so far apart in manners," Silk continued without acknowledging that Shampoo's Mom had even spoken, "Yin to the other's Yang…perhaps they share a link to one another, an exchange of spiritual essence in which one gains a complimentary share of the other's Chi. So that was what you mistook for an attack on your very being, Child. You thought your sister was stealing a part of your very nature."

"More than likely it went both ways," Cologne observed, "Kachu has always been tormented by strange and inexplicable rages, while Kasumi is the very embodiment of absolute calm and stillness…"

"I get it," Ukyo said, "They're like twins, only Kasumi is the good twin while Hormonal Imbalance here is the defective model."

"Hey!" Kachu bristled.

"This is way too weird even for me," Ranma grumbled when she turned a glance my way and said, "Nabiki?"

"Hmm?" I frowned as I returned his glance, then I looked away and said, "We'd better get going. That Oni has a head start on us and I don't think that we ought to lose her."

Oh yes, I guess I should also mention that I wasn't exactly in a very good mood at this point. After all, I'd just learned that my father had had relations with a woman who only looks like my late mother, and the result was a Chinese Amazon who was like a walking PMS case ready to explode on anyone who even slightly irritated her. She looks like Kasumi but she's the exact opposite of my beloved Oneechan, so naturally I'm a little upset about this. I was frankly learning more about Dad's sordid past than I'd even wanted to know, and I guess it was chewing me up in side, kind of, a little.

Of course as mixed up as I was feeling about this point, I was not so far gone into my own hardening shell to miss the next point when Akane said, "I second that, but where do we look? She could be anywhere in the district!"

"That is a good question," Kodachi observed, "I don't suppose you know where we should be heading to, honored Elder?"

"Ah…" Cologne glanced around, then bowed her head and said, "I'm afraid not. I lost the trail while we were busy arguing about family matters."

"Then I guess we're gonna have to rely on the old stand-bye," Ranma-chan turned to Ryoga and asked, "Which way do you think we ought to go, old buddy?"

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked, "What are you asking me for?"

"Shut up and just pick a direction!" Ranma sniffed, "If you think you can, Pig-boy!"

"You leave him alone!" Akane bristled, balling her fists as if preparing to fight.

"Why you…!" Ryoga began to say, but Ukyo took a step closer to him and said, "Uh-uh, you don't pick a fight with Ranchan without going through me first, Sugar."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ryoga snorted, but then he subsided a little and said, "All right…then I think we should go this way!" he pointed to his left down the street at the intersection that we had come upon.

"Great," Ranma-chan smiled, turning about, "Then we'll go this way," and she proceeded to head down the opposite direction.

"Huh?" Ryoga said in surprise, "What are you doing? I said go that way!"

"I heard you the first time," Ranma smiled, "But with your sense of directions, I figured you had to choose wrong, which is why this must be the right way to turn. Thanks again, old buddy!"

"Why you…!" Ryoga snarled, and this time it appeared as if he really was about to lunge forward, only I'd had enough about this point and decided that asserting myself would be all to the better.

"Enough!" I growled angrily, "Give it a rest, why don't you? I'm siding with Ranma and following her this way."

"Ranma?" Kodachi blinked, "I thought her name was Ranko?"

"Ah, long story," Ranma said as she smiled up at me with her usual cocky, cheerful expression.

"Enough already!" Akane declared with a huff, "Let's just keep moving! We've got to find Kasumi!"

I was a little surprised to hear my little sister speaking up like that but was grateful to her for the change of subject. I was still smarting from the rebuke she had given me earlier in the day and wanted a chance to speak alone with her in private, but I knew the time for that wasn't right there and then so I turned my attention straight ahead and tried to look for clues that might tell us where we could find our wayward older sibling.

"Be careful everyone," I heard Ukyo speak up, "Don't let that thing get inside you the way it got inside of me. You've got no idea what it feels like having that thing crawling around in your head."

"You remember the experience?" Kodachi asked with no small interest.

"It all came back to me just a few minutes ago," Ukyo winced with a sour glance at Shampoo, "Somebody sure scrambled my circuits with that sneak attack, but it's all coming back to me in vivid detail, a lot more than I'd care to remember."

"No doubt the experience was singularly unpleasant," Kodachi murmured in a sympathetic voice.

Ukyo gave a short, bitter laugh and replied, "You could say that, Sugar, if you'd like having somebody go through your brain picking through your personal memories, digging up all your darkest secrets. The ones it seemed the most interested in, though, are the ones that you'd really rather not have to think about…"

"Of course," a familiar voice intruded upon our conversation, "The Oni feeds upon repressed desires, hidden wants and needs, not to mention the darker emotions that provoke us to anger."

"You again?" I turned around and found Lotion standing to one side of the path we were taking, "Where the hell did you vanish off to all of a sudden? Why weren't you helping us out back there? Don't you know that thing has possessed Kasumi?"

"I know all of that," Lotion said patiently, "In fact I have been following her for the past several minutes. Took the rest of you long enough to catch up."

"You mean you went on ahead?" Ranma asked with remarkable comprehension.

"It seemed the logical thing to do at the time," Lotion replied, "After all someone had to see to it that Kasumi Tendo did not harm herself or others while the Oni is within her. The rest of you seemed to have issues that needed resolving among yourselves, so I left you to tend to the matter. I take it that you have briefed your child as to the nature of her error, Granddaughter?"

"Yes, Grandmother," Silk replied, glancing at Kachu, who eyed her mother with an uncertain expression, "She now knows that the one she seeks is her half-sister and not an evil doppelganger."

"Good," Lotion then shifted her focus back my way, "Then you must accompany me inside this establishment, my Apprentice. You alone possess the skills to defeat the Oni."

"Me?" I gasped aloud, then I got a hold of my nerves and said, "What am I supposed to do?"

"You will know in time," Lotion replied, "The rest of you remain here. If you try to confront the Oni it will only seek to possess you, and I judge that it would have quite a field day exploring your hidden wants and desires. The last thing any of us want to do is make it grow stronger."

"One moment," said the tall priest, Nihana, turning to his companion, Cherry, "You'll need the box to seal it up again once it leaves its current host."

"Ah…" I noticed that the little man named Cherry was looking singularly sheepish at Lotion as he held the box out that he had been carrying with him.

"Thank you, but it won't be needed right away," Lotion smiled as she added the word, "Cherry."

"Gah!" the little priest cried and promptly hid behind the robes of his taller companion.

"I sense a story in the works," I murmured aloud, making sure to include the grown-ups in my glance as I swept their ranks with one of my patented icy stares, determined that I would find a way to pry those details loose from them somehow. I was certainly learning a lot more than I liked to know about the misspent youth of my darling Daddy.

"Hey!" Akane suddenly spoke up, "You mean Kasumi went in THERE?"

"Huh?" I looked up, as did the others, and I admit to doing a double-take as the realization hit me just where we had arrived. Looking back I don't know why I didn't think of this place sooner. After all, this thing fed upon deeply suppressed human wants and desires right? So where else would I expect to find Kasumi then at the clinic of a certain doctor? All at once I was developing a quite unhealthy dread for the fate of our dear Tofu Sensei…

Continued

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